Mexico’s largest cement manufacturer

Cemex, has become a global powerhouse In the cement and construction Industry. It currently controls 60 percent of the cement industry in Mexico (Hill 2009). Cemexs success is a result of a combination of efficient technology such as radio transmitters, satellites, and computer hardware that allow the company to anticipate changes in supply and demand and reduce waste. Cemex's success is also a result of an attempt to dominate the industry by acquiring and buying out competitors worldwide In order to expand. . Which heoretical explanation, or explanations, of FDI best explains Cemex's FDI? I believe that Internalization theory best explains Cemex's FDI because Cemex has taken the initiative to enter into many countries and instead of licensing; they bought domestic cement businesses and have grown into a worldwide powerhouse. According to the textbook, internalization theory explains why firms often prefer foreign direct investment over licensing as a strategy for entering foreign ma rkets (Hill 2009).With the advanced technology that Cemex uses, so licensing would not be the greatest venue for the company to take In order to protect It's â€Å"technological know-how' (Hill 2009). b. What Is the value that Cemex brings to the host economy? Can you see any potential drawbacks of inward investment by Cemex in an economy? Cemex is the third largest cement company in the world, and a powerhouse in Mexico where it controls 60 percent of the market. Cemex is highly focused on efficient manufacturing and customer service. Distributors are rewarded for their sales, as are users.The primary benefit Cemex brings to host countries Involves these competltlve advantages. Cemex acquires companies and then transfers technological, management, and marketing know-how to the new units. Improving their performance. The company has brought several acquired companies back to full production, increasing employment opportunities in the host country as well. c. Cemex has a strong pref erence for acquisitions over greenfield ventures as an entry mode. Why? Cemex has successfully acquired established cement makers in many countries.By acquiring companies rather than establishing them from the ground up, Cemex can avoid some of the delays that could occur in the start-up phase, while t the same time, capitalize on the benefits of an established market presence. Acquiring other businesses is effective because the host economy already knows the demographics and the market. Cemex would be able to make the business better with their technology and research. A Greenfield venture would be risky and not cost effective. d. Why is majority control so important to Cemex?Majority control is important to Cemex because of the ability to Implement its policy of transferring resources. When It does not have majority control It may not be able to transfer its own managing resources to newly acquired companies. Also, Cemex ight want to take advantage of differences in factor costs a cross countries, so it will be allowed to import parts from other places to reduce costs. References Hill, C. W. L. , Richardson, T. , ; McKaig, T. (2009). Global business today. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.BUSN 427 WEEK 3 Case study By Jihadmalley Mexico's largest cement manufacturer, Cemex, has become a global powerhouse in the cement and construction industry. It currently controls 60 percent of the cement industry in Mexico (Hill 2009). Cemex's success is a result of a combination of acquiring and buying out competitors worldwide in order to expand. a. Which hat internalization theory best explains Cemex's FDI because Cemex has taken the avenue for the company to take in order to protect it's â€Å"technological know-how' (Hill 2009). . What is the value that Cemex brings to the host economy? Can you see any are users. The primary benefit Cemex brings to host countries involves these competitive advantages. Cemex acquires companies and then transfers technological, management, and marketing know-how to the new units, improving Majority control is important to Cemex because of the ability to implement its policy of transferring resources. When it does not have majority control it may not be able

Land Ordinance of 1785

Land Ordinance of 1785 I)The Land Ordinance A. Adoption 1. The United States Congress adopted the Land Ordinance of 1785 in May 1785. 2. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Ordinance of 1784, which called for the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River to be divided. a. This ordinance did not exactly describe how the land would be settled, governed, or how the land would become a state. 3.The Land Ordinance of 1785 put the 1784 resolution in operation by providing mechanism for selling or settling the land. B. Goals and Accomplishments: 1. Due to the fact that Congress could not raise taxes, the main goal of the ordinance was to sell the unmapped territory west of the states acquired in 1783 through the Treaty of Paris and uses the income as federal profit. 2. Over three-fourths of the continental US was surveyed using the rectangular survey, which provided the following: a. Easily recognizable land descriptions . Economic, political, and social development in the townships. 4. The Ordinance divided the land into townships, six square miles each that were divided into 36 1 square mile sections. a. Each of the 36 sections were subdivided into portions of land that were sold or used for a specific purpose. b. Section 16 of every township was reserved for the maintenance of public schools. c. In later townships, section 36 was designated as a school section. d. Sections 8, 11, 26, and 29 were reserved for federal sale Related article: Land of Opportunity

Female Victims of Miscarriage of Justices Dissertation

Female Victims of Miscarriage of Justices - Dissertation Example A mere fraction of such cases are eventually classified as instances of miscarriage of justice. Such is the incompetency of the criminal justice system.2 A miscarriage of justice has been defined as result in a judicial proceeding that is totally inequitable. For instance, the conviction of a defendant despite the absence of adequate evidence. The concentration of the above definition is chiefly restricted to the area of wrongful convictions, which are just one of the numerous types of miscarriage of justice. Some of the other varieties of miscarriage of justice are wrongful arrests, charges or indictments, and sentences. 3 In addition, this term also includes harassment by a law enforcement officer, the failure of a lawyer to file an appeal within the stipulated time, and the failure of correctional officials to immediately release a prisoner whose sentence has ended. It is a sad commentary of our justice system that correctional officials, defence attorneys, judges, jurors, prosecu tors and the police frequently engage in acts that constitute a miscarriage of justice. ... These consist of errors of impunity and errors of due process. The errors of due process are characterised by unwarranted harassment, detention or conviction, or the excessive sanctioning of individuals suspected of having committed a crime. On the other hand, errors of impunity take place, whenever there is a lapse of justice, which enables a culpable offender to go scot free, or evade justice. 6 Errors of impunity can result from errors of due process. For instance, if individuals are arrested, convicted and imprisoned for crimes that they had not committed, then the true offenders in these crimes is at liberty to indulge in further criminal activities. At the same time, it is possible for a real offender to be arrested, convicted and incarcerated for some other crime. Due process errors have been subjected to a greater amount of scholarship in comparison to the errors of impunity.7 Miscarriages of justice have the capacity to bring system failure to the fore, in a manner that is n ot only open but also vivid. These are difficult to ignore, regardless of whether these are based on failures to respond adequately to victimisation or on wrongful convictions. All the same, the realisation of such potential transpires only in a few cases.8 As a consequence, the presumption arises that in the majority of the instances, miscarriage of justice is not disclosed. It can also be assumed that a large number of cases, wherein miscarriage of justice transpires, are commonplace in the lower courts. Moreover, even in cases involving serious crime, such miscarriage of justice takes place and the convicted undergo their sentencing without any public awareness regarding the injustice that has transpired.9 This undesirable

Computer info Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer info - Essay Example The Boot Record is at the very beginning of a FAT volume. The first few sectors of the volume, before the FAT, are the Reserved Sectors or the reserved area. This area in the Boot Record inform us how large the disk is and contains not only the boot sector but also a backup copy of the boot record. The Boot Record contains a field retaining the information of the sector size for a particular media and the BIOS Parameter Block. The Bios Parameter Block or BPB contains vital information such as the number of bytes per sector on the disk, sectors per cluster, size of the reserved sectors, the number of FATs, root entries, media type, the number of sectors per FAT, the sectors per track, and the number of heads per cylinder. This information is use by the operating system to properly identify the disk and accurately read and write data into it. The Data Area of the disk is divided into clusters, files and directories store their data in these clusters. The Root Directory comes immediately after the file allocation table and is formatted like any another directory on the disk. A partition is divided up into equal size clusters, minute blocks of bordering space. Cluster sizes differ on the type of FAT and the size of partition.

Data Structures and Algorithm Lesson Plan Essay

Data Structures and Algorithm Lesson Plan - Essay Example Vocabulary reinforced are: Reading skills: Listening skills: Library skills: collecting and abstracting information: Speaking skills: Writing skills: analyzing tasks, panning, drafting and editing various types of writing skills: Study techniques: Planning work, organizing, storing and retrieving information. Students will be expected to: †¢ Demonstrate capacity to obtain information from listening. †¢ Demonstrate ability to obtain and synthesis information on a subject from various written sources. †¢ Demonstrate ability to communicate in writing. †¢ Demonstrate ability to make oral presentations Materials: Textbook: Data Structures and Algorithms Analysis in C by Mark Allen Weiss Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition By Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, and Ronald L. Rivest and Clifford Stein Computer Software: Java SDE software will be pre-installed in the Computer lab that will be in use during Practical lessons. WISE The Web-based Inquiry Science E nvironment (WISE) provides a platform for creating inquiry science projects for middle school and high school students using evidence and resources from the Web.

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies Essay

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies - Essay Example Clearly defining the extent of each employee’s role in various company activities is just one of the ways Talent Management helps to accomplish that objective. Surprisingly, organisations have only just begun to embrace models of Talent Management as a means to reaching goals and objectives. This proposal will explore the current model of Talent Management, exploring its advantages, processes, and objective. Since 1987, Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (GAMCO), renamed Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) in 2007, has through the investment of the Abu Dhabi government, become the largest provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in the Middle East. It serves not only the Gulf Region and other parts of Middle East but also attracts customers for Africa, North America and Asia. ADAT’s operation has garnered approval from many certificates on Authorities including local, European and American ones, provides the following services in-house and remotely on site: 1) Airframe Services; 2) Component Services; 3) Engine Services; 4) Technical Services; 5) Technical Training & 6) Material & Management Supply. In combination with major United Arab Emirates government defence contracts, its principle activities include the sale and support for missile defence, commercial jetliners, satellites, military aircraft, and human space flight to Etihad Airlines and various international carriers operating to and from more than 50 international airports worldwide. In this case study will analyse Talent Management in Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT). 1.2 Problem Statement Due to the highly competitive nature of the aviation industry the need for Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) to employ a team that can expand its technical and management team is immense. The challenge; therefore, becomes can ADAT adopt effective strategies that will not only enable them to attract, but also maintain the right talent. As likely surmised, the right talen t is paramount to maintaining a competitive advantage in both new and existing markets. 1.3 Research Aim This study aims to  analyze the Talent Management process in Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and to make recommendations for improvement. One of the largest--if not the largest--cost to a company generally involves compensation for its workforce. Proportionately, effective analysis of the process of recruiting and hiring employees will pay dividends in providing insight to areas of improvement. Studies have shown that a high standard of performance from employees positively correlates with a high performance from the company (Peter 2008). Unfortunately, only a handful of companies are able to achieve that goal (Peter 2008). Leading to the questions of how to handle that limited supply of talent, how to procure it, and how to maintain it. The company that figures this out first will ultimately become the leader in their respective field. Bent (2011) argues that available profess ionals within the aviation industry are declining substantially. This is due to procurement by other companies. From previous studies, a multitude of factors affect employee recruitment aside from financial compensation such as development and training, potential for advancement, work environment, relationship with co-workers and boss, recognition, and

Family Law - Final Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Family Law - Final Proposal - Essay Example Recently, the Family Law Act, 1996 is a plus to this development of personal law in Britain, particularly in the field of divorce. The Family Law Act, 1996 enacted in Britain with a view to give effect in matters relating to divorce represents some issues that deserve proper explanation. So, reasonably, in this regard the issues to be explained may be stated in this study: The Purpose of the present study is mainly centred on some specific issues. The Researcher intends to make a thorough study over the deficiencies reflected in the present law of divorce; divorce law reforms attempted in the Family Law Act, 1996. By this effort, the Researcher aims at exploring the defects posed in the present divorce legislation. Consequently, the Researcher would be very much capable to keenly single out the impediments in effectively implementing the divorce law of England. Pertinently, the Researcher would be able to recommend some eclectic and viable suggestions and guidelines that would ensure a paradigm-breaking change in the current divorce legislation in England. As a result, it would make the avenue in introducing a new divorce regime in England that is very much fit to adjust with the changing circumstances in 21st century in England. With the emergence of urbanization and process of development human life has become complex. People are being riddled with multifarious complicacies. For this, social disorganization has been the common phenomenon that is severely causing the normal upgrowing of balanced human conduct. As our interest is mainly attributed to divorce legislation, proper clarification i.e. specifying and defining the terms Divorce and Divorce Proceedings is essential. Divorce means dissolving the marital relationship. So, divorce proceeding imply the proceeding that is undertaken with a view to dissolve the marital relationship or end the conjugal ties. The growth in lone parent families, the prevalence of divorce and remarriage, and alternative ways of managing intimate relationships (such as cohabitation and 'living apart together') have eroded the normative purchase of marriage and the nuclear family (Dey & Wasoff, 2006). It is needless to say that the consequences of family break-down are jeopardizing the social cohesion. Frustration and social disorder are causing serious effects on the human conduct and social regulation. In fact, the development of divorce law is a continuous effort since 1857. As an inseparable part of this undertaking, the relevant enactments are the Marriage Act, 1949 and the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1973 are of special mention. Recently, the enactment of the Family Law Act, 1996 is the way of root to this development. The provisions as set out in those statutes put emphasis on preserving the interests of both parties so that none can be affected. It also stresses on mediation, welfare of the children, provisions escaping the financial hardship of either parties. Though the recent enactment the Family Law Act, 1996 is considered as a significant enactment, it lacks certain shortcomings. As a result, the divorce reform attempts introduced in the said enactments has been proved fu tile and unfructuous that has been rigorously produced in our study. 4. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The Family Law Act,

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

American Government - Essay Example The Supreme Court is the tribunal in the country for all case and controversies that may arise regarding the constitution and the laws of the state. The court promises the American people of equal justice under the law. The court performs the role of an interpreter and as the guardian of the constitution. The state’s position to get involved in matters of central decision-making, this position has been revoked by Jurists who argue that the court should not play umpire between federal and state governments, Congress does not threaten any state power; however, it helps in protecting the state. The Senate serves as an environment for the states to protect and express their interests. The American people are tired of a system, which seems ever constant with conflicts between the republicans and democrats. People say that the system is broken, and Washington does not represent the interest of the common American. These sentiments have left many citizens exasperated. They desire a system that does not force them to select between two fixed options, which do not represent their individual beliefs as citizens. The multiparty system is favored because it allows the participation of minor parties. The Electoral College has been in existence for 200 years. There are individuals who are critics, and they are opposed the Electoral College system. The critics have tried to propose reforms that will eliminate the college system. There are also other supporters who are less vocal when compared to the critics, but they offer powerful arguments in its favor.

Individual Strategic Marketing Analysis and Plan Assignment

Individual Strategic Marketing Analysis and Plan - Assignment Example History, art and culture are essential motives for a considerable percentage of the number of individuals visiting the country each year. In addition to this, they form a strong promotional feature for destinations, towards market segments that are less sensitive to heritage and culture. Not forgetting the fact that, the tourism industries and authorities until recently, have accomplished exceedingly little to render impressive stock of historic and cultural resources available. Even less has been achieved to further the accessibility of the modern Italian traditions and culture (Moller & Deckert, 2009). This then forms a basis for and explains why the traditional cultural and artistic commodities and their use by international and national tourists is the focus of the paper. Through research of the market, the paper will examine the characteristics of both the supply and demand of cultural and heritage tourism commodities, to have a sound foundation through which to set a tourism ma rketing strategy is more scientific and with decreased risk. For instance, research estimates that today 55 percent of Italians go on holiday annually. In these cases, 15 percent usually purchase a package tour for a minimum of seven days. Research shows that more young people involved in these travels are between 30 and 20 years old, though individuals aged over 55 make up for a larger percentage of the 55% of tourists. As a result, of the exceedingly high demand for arts, historical and cultural tourism in Italy, the paper will propose a project to begin a new business supplying the demand for arts, historical and cultural tourism (Consulting & Promotion 2011, p2). Company Description The company will deal with tourism in arts, history, culture and religious paths. When it comes to religious tourism, more than 3000 structures are available in Italy, more than 56 ancient and modern convents, 25 Euro house receptions, 30 Euro monasteries that are available to be exploited by this ki nd of tourism. The company will focus on these areas to supply religious tourism demands by targeting individuals between the ages of 70 and 40. The company will also deal with material culture. The key to excellence for culture tourism in Italy is in the ability to deliver and create an efficient diversification crossing the right artistic, historical and monumental traditions with food, crafts, folk territory and wine. Culture in a wide sense to harmonize the traditional view to protection with improvement of local identity in culture (Richards 1996). The company will also exploit tourism in museums, as there are not enough visitations to museums. The company needs to breathe to the tourists in Italy that the emotions and atmosphere in museums offer a unique experience worth coming back for. The company will carry out an operation to communicate the new tourism features the company is offering within the country, that is involving the people of Italy in processes of systematic red iscovery of their own traditions (Richards 1996, p. 35). Goals of the Company The main goal of the company is to supply the unsupplied tourism demands in Italy especially in the area of arts, history, religious paths and history. The company will exploit all the available and underutilized tourist features related to culture, traditions and religion. Situation Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Art, history and culture are essential motives for a significant number of tourists. The considerable casual attitude of policy

Barangay Information System Essay Example for Free

Barangay Information System Essay Significance of the Study -This study was made to find out that the use of residence information system will lessen the time for the transaction of encoding. Also in using this system it can recognize the person involve in this study. To the Barangay – It will help for them to lessen the time for the transaction of encoding. The system will be the census like having a system of the barangay for all of its constituents and new people who will live in the place. The system will be effective in maintaining, searching and storing of records of all resident in the barangay. To the Residence For they will be accommodated easily for they will have an identification that can be used to access their accounts if there are some changes to be done in their part. It will also be easy for them in requesting some information and services because the barangay had already have it. This will also assure the residents that their information is properly secured and maintain through the manipulation of the proposed system. To the Secretary of the Barangay It will help to organize the record and monitor the information of the residence. Foreign For further understanding of the study, the researchers made use of different reading materials related to the information system. These materials such as books, magazines, newspapers, thesis and other web articles are essential in broadening the knowledge of the researchers. These will also guide the researchers to achieve their target objectives by getting ideas on other related studies and make improvements as possible.   According to Jennifer Rowley (2005), information system are a tool to support information management. Information systems are increasingly being used in organizations with the object of providing competitive advantage. The information systems used by organizations can be grouped into different types such as transaction processing system, executive information system,  expert systems and office information systems. Information Technology has heralded the advent of the information society. The University of Minnesota Research and Training Center has released its annual Residential Information Systems Project report. The report provides state-by-state statistics with long-term trends on residential services, settings, populations and expenditures for people with developmental disabilities in state, nonstate, and Medicaid-funded residential programs. Characteristics of residents, movement and staffing patterns in large state residential facilities are included. The report uses 2012 data to examine trends in residential supports for people with developmental disabilities. The report found that the majority of people with IDD that do not live with a family member live in a setting with three or fewer people with IDD, with more than three-fourths sharing a home with six of fewer people. The report notes that there are significant differences in the data between states for many topic areas, including setting size, waiting lists, and average expenditures for HCBS. O’Brien, (2011) defines information system as the organized combination of people, hardware,software, communication networks and data resources, that control, transform and disseminateinformation in an organization. In partial fulfilment for the requirements in Software Project presented to the faculty of IT Department Ebora, Vanessa Grace I. Casas, Lori Anne S. Rapisora, Sheryl L. Tambongco, Steven CHAPTER 1 The Problem and Its Background Introduction Setting of the Study The study was conducted at Barangay Katipunan-Bayani which has a approximate popul.ation of 8,000 residents. The barangay is located at Rodriguez Ave. Tanay, Rizal. Vicinity map of Barangay Katipunan-Bayani Theoretical Framework Conceptual Framework Statement of the Problem This discuss about the problems of existing system that will be resolve by the researcher through computerized Residence Information Sysytem 1. Open- source data 2. Back-up storage incase of loss 3. Time consuming of filing application form 4. Sharing of documents 5. File storage Objectives General The researcher aims to develop a system that will help the client to reduce the load of the barangay staffs in saving the residents files. Specific 1. Have a security to secured all the important records of the residents. 2. Have a back-up storage file in case of corrupting data. 3. Have a network-based for easy transferring of file needed. 4. Have a data base for data storage. Scope and Limitation The system is designed to have a security for the records to be secured that  only the authorized person can only handle the system. It can be saved on a folder for file back-up. It has data base for storage of saved data. It can print documents such as Barangay Clearance, Indigency etc. The system cannot produce hard copy of total records of barangay constituents. it did not contain residence number.

Snoopy Tool Evaluation

Snoopy Tool Evaluation Snoopy is a tool which is used for designing and animating hierarchical graphs along with others Petri nets. Snoopy also provides the facility to construct Petri nets and allows animation and simulation of the resulting token flow. This tool is used to verify technical systems specifically software-based systems and natural systems e.g. signal transduction, biochemical networks as metabolic and gene regulatory networks. Snoopy is in use for consideration of the qualitative network structure of a model under specific kinetic aspects of the specified Petri net class and investigation of Petri net models in several complementary conducts. Simultaneous usage of different Petri net classes in Snoopy is one of its outstanding features. Other features are: It is extensible as its generic design aids the implementation of new Petri net classes. It is adaptive as numerous models can be used simultaneously. It is platform independent as it is executable on all common operating systems e.g. linux, mac, windows. Two particular types of nodes i.e. logical nodes and macro nodes are meant for supporting the systematic construction, neat arrangement and design of large Petri nets. Logical nodes act as connector or multiple used places or transitions sharing the same factor or function. Macro nodes allow hierarchically designing of a Petri net. Snoopy allows edition and coloring of all elements in each Petri net class and manual or automatic change of network layout too. Prevention of syntactical errors in the network structure of a Petri net is facilitated by the implementation of the graphical editor. Editor Mode: Start Snoopy and go to File New or press the new button in the tool bar. It results in opening of a template dialogue that allows selection of the document template. File: New/Open/Close Window/Save/Save as, Print, Export/Import, Preferences (change the default visualization) and Exit. Edit: Undo/Redo, Select All/Copy/Copy in new net/Paste/Cut, Clear/Clear all, Hide/Unhide, Edit selected elements/Transform Shapes, Layout (automatic layout function), Sort Nodes (by ID or name), Check Net (duplicate nodes, syntax, consistency) and Convert to. View : Zoom 100%/Zoom In/Zoom Out, Net Information (number of each element used in the model), Toogle Graphelements/Hierachy browser/Filebar/Log window, Show Attributes (choose for each elements which attributes to be shown in the model), Start Anim-Mode/SimulationMode/Steering-Mode. Elements (list of all available elements): Select/ Place/Transition/ Coarse Place/Coarse Transition/ Immediate Transition/Deterministic Transition/Scheduled Transition/Parameter/Coarse Parameter/LookupTable, Edge/Read Edge/Inhibitor Edge/Reset Edge/Equal Edge/Modifier Edge and Comment. Hierarchy (edit and browse hierarchy): Coarse (chosen elements are encapsulate in a macro node)/Flatten and Go Up in Hierarchy/Go To First Child in Hierarchy/Go To Next Sibling in Hierarchy/o To Previous Sibling in Hierarchy. Search : Search nodes (by ID or name). Extra : Load node sets (visualize, e.g., T-, P-invariants, siphons and traps), Interaction and General Information (title, author, description, literature). Window (arrange all opened windows): Cascade/Tile Horizontally/Tile vertically, Arrange Icons/Next/Previous and Open Files. Help: Help, About (current version), check update. The tool bar holds four shortcuts that facilitate: Open a new document. Load a document. Save a document. Select an element. All elements accessible in the current net class are displayed in panel for the graph elements. Left-click on one of the elements enables user to use one of these elements. Right click on the respective element allows user to edit or select all elements of the same class. All levels are displayed in hierarchy browser and any hierarchical level can be opened in a new window by a left-click. The editor pane can be considered as the canvas which allows user to draw the network. A left-click on the Editor pane activates chosen element and places the selected element on the canvas. Click left onto one node, hold the left-click, drag the line to the other node and drop the left-click, to draw an arc between two nodes. To add edges to an arc push the CRTL key and click left on the arc which facilitates the user to drag the edge with another left-click. Grid in the canvas tab can also be used for a better orientation. User can also pick edge styles i.e. line or spline in the preference dialo gue in the elements tab. Elements: Nodes: Elements Graphics Standard transition Standard transition Coarse place Coarse transition Immediate transition Deterministic transition Scheduled transition Immediate Transition: Immediate transitions fire as soon as they are enabled. The waiting time is equal to zero. Standard Transition (Timed Transition): A waiting time is computed as soon as the transition is enabled. The transition fires if the timer elapsed zero and the transitions is still enabled. Deterministic Transition: Deterministic transitions fire as soon as the fixed time interval elapses during the entire simulation run time. The respective deterministic transitions must be enabled at the end of each repeated interval. Scheduled Transition: Scheduled transitions fire as soon as the fixed time interval elapsed during the given time points. The respective deterministic transitions must be enabled at the end of each repeated interval. Edges: Elements Graphics Description Standard edge The transition is enabled and may fire if both pre-places and are sufficiently marked by tokens. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-places and new tokens are produced on post place. Read edge The transition is enabled and may fire if both pre-places A and B are sufficiently marked by tokens. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-place B but not from pre-place A, new tokens are produced on post place. The firing of the transition does not change the amount of tokens on pre-place A. Inhibitor edge The transition is enabled and may fire if pre-place B is sufficiently marked by tokens. The amount of tokens on pre-place A must be smaller than the given arc weight. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-place B but not from pre-place A; new tokens are produced on place C. The firing of the transition does not change the amount of tokens on pre-place A. Reset edge The transition is enabled and may fire if pre-place B is sufficiently marked by tokens. The amount of tokens on pre-place A has no effect on the ability to enable the transition and affects only the kinetics. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-place B according the arc weight and all tokens on pre-places A are deleted; new tokens are produced on place C. Equal edge The transition is enabled and may fire if number of tokens on pre-place A is equal to the corresponding arc weight and place B is sufficiently marked. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-place B but not from preplace A; new tokens are produced on place C. The firing of the transition does not change the amount of tokens on pre-place A. Modifier edge The transition is enabled and may fire if pre-place B is sufficiently marked with tokens. The amount of tokens on pre-place A has no effect on the ability to enable the transition and affects only the kinetics. After firing of the transition, tokens are removed from the pre-place B but not from pre-place A; new tokens are produced on place C. The firing of the transition does not change the amount of tokens on pre-place A. Functions: Name Meaning of function BioMassAction(.) Stochastic law of mass action. Tokens are interpretated as single molecules. BioLevelInterpretation(.) Stochastic law of mass action. Tokens are interpretated as concentration. ImmediateFiring(.) Refers to immediate transitions. TimedFiring(.) Refers to deterministic transitions. FixedTimedFiring Single(.) Refers to deterministic transitions that only res once after a given timepoint FixedTimedFiring(., ., .) Refers to scheduled transitions. abs(.) Absolute value acos(.) Arc cosine function asin(.) Arc sine function atan(.) Arc tangent function ceil(.) Rounding up cos(.) Cosine function exp(.) exponential function sin(.) Sine function sqrt(.) Square root tan(.) Tangent function floor(.) Round off log(.) Natural logarithm with constant e as base log10(.) Common logarithm with constant 10 as base pow(.) Exponent Parameters: Parameters are used for defining individual parameters and rate or weight functions but are not able to define the number of tokens on a particular place. Third group of macro elements are coarse parameters which facilitate encapsulating parameters. High numbers of parameters are not visible on the top-level or can also be categorized by the use of coarse parameters. Animation mode: Snoopy allows user to observe the token flow in animation mode which starts by pressing F5 or going to View and then start AnimationMode. It will result in opening a new window which allow user to steer the animation. This part of snoopy is very beneficial to catch a first expression of the causality of a model and its workings as it provides information about the transitions too. In order to understand modeled mechanism, playing with the token flow prove to be worthwhile. The token flow can be animated manually by a single click on the transition. A message box is displayed revealing a message â€Å"This transition is not enabled† when user tries to fire a transition that is not enabled. Clicking-left and clicking-right on a place aids addition of tokens and extraction of tokens respectively. Animation of the token flow can also be controlled by using the radio buttons present on the animation steering panel. Usage of radio buttons involves step-wise forward and backward or s equentially as long as one transition can be enabled, otherwise a notification â€Å"Dead State: There are no more enabled transitions is displayed on screen. Simulation Mode Pressing F6, going to view/Start Simulation or using the stochastic simulation button on the animation control panel, are three ways to perform stochastic simulations with the current model in the active window. Facilities of this mode include simulation of the time-dependent dynamic behavior of the model indicated by the token flow or the firing frequency of the transitions. The fluctuating concentration levels or the discrete number of the components over time is indicated by the token flow. This provides an impression of the time-dependent changes in model under consideration which is helpful in understanding the wet-lab system. More than a few simulation studies can be performed with considered model by manipulating the structure and perturbing the initial state and kinetics. All results can be manually and automatically exported in the standard *.csv-format and can be analyzed in other mathematical programs. Simulation Control: The simulation control allows selection of main settings and individualities for the simulation. It splits further into four panels: Configuration Sets: Modification of configuration sets is carried out by edition of single entries or addition of new sets and picking the configuration sets that is suitable for the simulation run. Simulation Properties: It includes setting interval start i.e. time point where simulation starts, interval end i.e. time points where simulation ends and output step count i.e. number of time-points that should be displayed in the given interval. Export Properties: Various automatic export settings are accessible to the *.csv-format. Start Simulation: It will initiate simulation with the selected settings and properties. Progress of simulation is indicated by the bar and the required time is displayed below. Viewer/Node Choice: It facilitates user by providing choices in displaying simulation results. It is divided into two panels: Viewer Choice: It provides user an option to select one between data tables and data plots. Provided buttons in panel allow user to edit, add and delete the data tables and data plots. Token flow (places) or the firing frequency (transitions) can be displayed in a data table or data plot. Place Choice: User can choose those nodes which should be displayed in the data table or data plot. Display: This panel allows displaying the simulation results as data table or data plot. If data table is selected, the token flow for the selected places is presented in a table. Some options which are used for model checking are present at the bottom of the window. If data plot is chosen, the x-axis displays the time-interval and the y-axis indicates the average number of tokens. View of the plot can be altered via the buttons located below i.e. compress/stretch x-axis, compress/stretch y-axis, zoom in/out and centre view. A csv export button allows user to export the simulation results of the selected places manually. Image of the current plot can be saved by using print button. Model Checking Mode: Snoopy is enabled to perform model checking of linear-time properties based on the stochastic simulation. A subset of probabilistic linear-time temporal logic (PLTL) is employed to formulate and authenticate properties. Various features of snoopy also include checking several features at the same time. In order to perform model checking in Snoopy, user needs to open the simulation window and select the table view. To perform model checking on all simulation traces, user have to enter or load a property that is checked by simulating the time-dependent dynamic behavior. Simulation window allows following options: Enter State Property: User can specify a property in the dialogue box and no model checking is performed if it is empty. Load state property: User can load a property which is defined in a text file. Check state property: It refers to model checking which is performed on the basis of average behavior of the previous simulation. Simulation run count is of assistance to state a number of simulation traces to which model checking can be applied. It splits into two types: Default value 1 run: User is only able to get the information if the defined property holds true or is not false. Arbitrary number of runs: The number of simulation runs supports defining probability of the defined properties as high accuracy calls for high number of simulation runs. User can set the time interval where model checking should be applied with the help of interval start and interval end. A log window displays model checking results that includes following elements: Formula displays the formula checked during simulation. Runs indicate the number of simulation runs performed. Runtime shows the number of threads used for simulation. Threads display the number of threads used for simulation. Prop indicate the computed probability for the formula. S ^2 displays the variance of the probability. Confidence Interval indicates the size of the confidence interval. [a,b] reveals the interval of the probability that is calculated from the confidence interval

Prison Nurseries Essay example -- Social Studies

From the moment the prison system had to deal with pregnant inmates, the subject of prison nurseries became controversial and it remains as such to this day. Prison nurseries provide housing for inmates’ newborns and allow the inmates to co-reside with their infants for a limited amount of time, giving them the opportunity to be part of their development for at least the first months of their lives. Furthermore, these housing arrangements let them be their children’s primary caregiver (Byrne, Goshin, & Joestl, 2010). While there are groups that advocate and promote their existence, there is also a side that concerns itself with the security risks and liabilities that come with raising infants in a prison setting. Regrettably, these risks and liabilities fall on the infants all too often and by looking at the research, it will be clear that prison nurseries actually end up being more of a punishment for the children than rehabilitative help for the mother. It is important to remember there are several factors to consider when dealing with the subject of prison nurseries. From the medical costs of maintaining both the mothers and their newborns in prison, to the liability of how a prison setting may hinder the infant’s development, determining the pros and cons it is not an easy task. A five-year study on infants raised in a prison nursery (Byrne at al., 2010) showed that infants can be raised securely attached to their mothers, even in a prison setting. However, this study also concludes by stating that the development of attachment relationship is a fragile one and ongoing. It requires the participation of not only the mothers, but also of the future caregivers. This study also acknowledges that it was limited by the small nu... ...ildren should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes, and if growing up in a prison nursery is in any way harmful for a child, this is one program we cannot get behind. Works Cited Byrne, M. W., Goshin, L. S., & Joestl, S. S. (2010). Intergenerational transmission of attachment for infants raised in a prison nursery. Attachment & Human Development, 12(4), 375-393. doi:10.1080/14616730903417011 Carlson, Joseph R. PhD (2001). Prison Nursery 2000. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 33:3, 75-97. doi:10.1300/J076v33n03_05 Fearn, N., & Parker, K. (2004). Washington state’s residential parenting program: An integrated public health, education, and social service resource for pregnant inmates and prison mothers. Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 2, 34-48. Retrieved from http://cjhp.fullerton.edu/Volume2_2004/Issue4/34-48-fearn.pdf

Led Zeppelin :: essays research papers

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin was one of the giants of the 1970’s in hard rock. They were also one of the greatest success stories that ever played hard rock music. The group was one the more popular hard rock groups that performed in the seventies, and even had some hits in the 1960’s. The members of the group are Jimmy Page, born on April 9, 1944, Robert Plant, born on August 24, 1948, John Paul Jones, born on January 3, 1946, and John Bonham born on May 31, 1948. Jimmy Page played guitar, Robert Plant was the vocalist, John Paul Jones played bass guitar and the keyboard, and John Bonham beat the drums. The group had the complete set up for a band right off the start. They produced their first record in thirty hours to complete their deal with the old Yardbirds. They toured Scandinavia for awhile also to complete their obligations to the Yardbirds. When they first came to the United States they supported Vanilla Fudge. They also played in clubs to start their American popularity. After they played in the clubs they got their first headlining tour and toured again that. They were playing their fifth tour by the March of 1970. Led Zeppelin the record was released by the Atlantic Records in 1969. Shortly after the record was released it was number eight and stayed in the top twenty for six weeks. When the Led Zeppelin II was released, it was Atlantic Records’ fastest selling album at 100,000 copies a week. They broke their own record in 1975 when â€Å"Physical Graffiti† that sold 500 copies an hour. All of their albums have gone platinum. They were the first group to heavily tour the United States and sporadically tour the rest of the world. This occurred because there was a lack of interest in them Britain. Their success was due to their manager Peter Grant. Peter was able to keep the group moving from place to place and kept the people interested in them. Peter thought that they would work every other year so they would stay in demand. While they were working on their first movie featuring them. This movie was of the group playing their music, which was called, â€Å"The Song Remains Playing.† A representative from their record company called and told Page that the sales of their new album Houses of the Holy was spectacular.

Existentialism in “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald's fiction presents not only the magic of the Jazz Age but also its immorality, materialism, and degradation of the human spirit. While Fitzgerald was probably not trying to specifically present existentialism in his works, Finkelstein describes Fitzgerald's work as having an existential theme: â€Å"F. Scott Fitzgerald was of this milieu, and at the same time critically detached from it. He expressed its hard-boiled, disillusioned attitude through the deliberate use of alienated imagery† (171).He manages to present the existential theme of alienation along with other existential issues; the characters in his fiction characterize the existential ideas of the absurdity of life, the absolute freedom of choice, and living with the consequence of one's choices. In â€Å"Babylon Revisited,† the freedom of choice leads the characters to exploit wealth and freedom and, eventually, to regret past actions and try to make up for the abuse of this freedom. In â €Å"Babylon Revisited† the reader can see the absurdity of life through the rise, fall and rebuilding of Charlie Wales.He chooses to drink and spend all his money. He loses everything in the stock market crash but attempts to rebuild his life. Charlie is distraught over the tragic loss of his wife but realizes that he must suffer the consequences of his prior actions.Regaining custody of his daughter Honoria serves as a symbol that Charlie has regained control of his life. This paper presents the ideas of existentialism as they apply to â€Å"Babylon Revisited†. The greatest tenet of existentialism in â€Å"Babylon Revisited† is that life is absurd because there is no true meaning.Individuals must create meaning; therefore they are constantly searching for themselves. Charlie Wales was searching for his true meaning and made some choices that led to bad consequences. The ultimate absurdity in this story is that Charlie makes the right decision to turn his life a round, but because he must live with his consequences, he fails to regain custody of his daughter. Although Charlie believes he has moved beyond his previous profligate behavior, his sister-in law does not, and she makes the decision to keep his daughter from him.The most absurd part is that Charlie is better suited now to take care of his daughter but Marion manages to remain in control of the situation. He works hard to build his life back up but one incident (that reflects his past life) turns everything upside down.Charlie Wales made some choices that led to bad consequences. The ultimate absurdity in this story is that even though Charlie has made the right decision to turn his life around, he must live with the consequences of his previous decisions and fails to regain custody of his daughter.The absurdity here deals with the fact that Charlie's experiences run contrary to expectations. If he has indeed changed his life, he should be rewarded for his redemption; unfortunately, he is not. He works hard to build his life back up but one incident (that reflects his past life) turns everything upside down.Although Charlie is now strong, his sister-in-law Marion is not, and she makes the decision to keep his daughter from him. Charlie may be better suited now to take care of his daughter, but Marion manages to remain in control of the situation.Charlie makes the choice to go back to the bar where he had spent much time in the past, and he makes the absurdly innocuous choice to give the bartender the Peters' address, which leads to the incident of Duncan and Lorraine's visit to the Peters' apartment that destroys the entire effort to get his daughter back.The reader, therefore, can never truly know how big of a role Charlie plays in his own downfall. He lives, as we all do, in an absurd world and this absurdity magnifies the impact of even the smallest decision. The existential idea of free will is important in â€Å"Babylon Revisited.† Sartre postulate s a concept of being-in-itself that corresponds to one phenomenal world, and it does not lie within the power of the individual to choose it. Individuals exist by virtue of personal choice. He believes â€Å"there is no universal a priori structure of consciousness, no common human nature, no native set of desires shared by all men that dispose us to project one kind of values to the exclusion of others or to give being-in-itself one kind of meaning rather than another† (Olson 133). Each individual is absolutely free.Charlie Wales exercised his free will prior to Helen's death in a series of wasteful actions that Fitzgerald presents as having a connection to the biblical idea of â€Å"Babylon. † The writings of the â€Å"Fathers of the Church describe Babylon as the ancient center of luxury and wickedness† (Baker 270).Fitzgerald develops the Babylon motif by presenting Charlie's actions as â€Å"catering to vice and waste† (215). Here, Fitzgerald's work c an be seen as assimilating Nietzsche's idea that God is dead and each individual must be the god of himself in a world without a God (Lavine 325).Since the existentialist mentality has as its basis the concept that an individual is free to make choices for the life he or she lives, he or she is absolutely responsible for the world in which he or she lives. The concept of being-in-itself did not cause Charlie to choose this life.If, therefore, he made a bad choice, he cannot hold anyone else responsible. Not until after the stock market crash does Charlie realize the consequences of his actions and feel the guilt of those consequences. He realizes that, like all individuals, he is responsible for everything he does (Toor 157).Charlie is held responsible for his actions in that he loses both his wife and daughter. He cannot reclaim his daughter until he accepts the consequences of his past. Charlie Wales pays the penance for his choice to drink and live the life of Babylon (Eble 42).H e realizes that he must pay the price: It [money] had been given, even the most wildly squandered sum, as an offering to destiny that he might not remember the things most worth remembering, the things that now he would always remember – his child taken from his control, his wife escaped to a grave in Vermont (Fitzgerald 216).For Charlie, the suddenness of the Depression creates a sense of dislocation, a feeling that he is living in two worlds at once. He is committed to the idea of recovery and the new way of life he has created, but he still clings partially to many of the habits he formed during the boom (Way 91).Charlie Wales makes the existential choice to live the â€Å"Babylonian† concept of â€Å"vice and waste. † He now, however, feels the stress of his actions, and he makes the choice to try to reconcile his former failings. The recovery is the important change that Charlie makes.His main purpose is to regain custody of Honoria. Charlie feels as if he has paid the price for his past choices and has sufficiently recovered enough to look after Honoria himself. He tells Marion and Lincoln that he is anxious to have a home and anxious to have Honoria in it.He states that â€Å"things have changed radically† with him (Fitzgerald 220). The memory of Helen drives Charlie to work hard and make himself a better person. He is working to get Honoria not only for his own sake, but for the sake of his dead wife.Fitzgerald is showing the sort of strength in Charlie that the reader does not see in Marion. Charlie has learned to control his drinking. When Marion finds out he had been in a bar before coming to her apartment, she chides him. He responds, â€Å"I take one drink every afternoon and I've had that† (213).He is trying to prove that he can control his drinking habits. He has one drink to enjoy the idea and taste of alcohol but will not allow himself to drink in excess. This is his idea of control, â€Å"I take that drink deliberately so that the idea of alcohol won't get too big in my imagination† (Fitzgerald 221).He knows it will be difficult to persuade Marion to let Honoria go, but he is confident that if he accepts her recriminations patiently and convinces her of his newly acquired steadiness of character, he will ultimately be successful. Another element of Charlie's recovery that Fitzgerald addresses is his renewed relationship with his daughter.Fitzgerald makes it obvious in the beginning of the novel that Honoria was not the first thing on the mind of her parents during their Babylon days. When the barman asks why he is in town and Charlie responds that he is in Paris to see his daughter, the barman replies questioningly, â€Å"Oh-h!You have a little girl? † (211). Someone who knew Charlie fairly well during his drinking days did not even know that he had a daughter. Fitzgerald contrasts this idea of having no relationship with his daughter by showing with tenderness and affect ion the scenes in which Charlie tentatively establishes contact with Honoria.He buys her toys and takes her to the circus, creating once again the atmosphere of love between them. Although he may be buying the love of his daughter, Marion grudgingly admits that Charlie has earned the right to his child (Way 91). Fitzgerald also shows the intense love that the child has for her father.She wants to go with him to Prague and asks when she will get to be with him (217). Charlie has recovered to the point that he wants to be with his child and she wants to be with him. Ultimately, when Marion denies him the child, he again shows strength of character (Way 109).He remains lonely but self-confident, â€Å"He would come back some day; they couldn't make him pay forever† (Fitzgerald 230). Sartre believes that â€Å"there are moments of anguish when life loses its meaning: when the objects that formerly drew our attention fade into oblivion and the desires that had previously guided o ur conduct seem vain or petty† (Olson 131).This creates an ugliness in the world to which people must react. These â€Å"moments of anguish† in â€Å"Babylon Revisited† occur when Charlie's friends manage to show up at the most inopportune times: â€Å"Sudden ghosts out of the past: Duncan Schaeffer, a friend from college.Lorraine Quarries; one of a crowd who had helped them make months into days in the lavish times of three years ago† (Fitzgerald 217). In a foreshadowing of the more crucial intrusion that Duncan and Lorraine will make later in the story, the first encounter with the duo is when they intrude on Charlie's luncheon with Honoria.They invite him to come sit in the bar with them and also invite him to dinner. They cannot accept the change in Charlie. Their intrusion is an unwanted product of Charlie's past, and they are outside forces that affect his life that he cannot control (Cooper 52). Later in the story, Lorraine invites him to dinner, re minding him of their drunken exploits. As a temptress, she has lost her charm for Charlie. He instead goes to meet with the Peters and his daughter (Baker 272). Just as Charlie has regained permission to take his child, the final, and most detrimental, intrusion occurs.Lorraine and Duncan crash the apartment, unmistakably drunk. They loudly and brutishly encourage him to join them for dinner. He tries feverishly to get them out of the apartment, but they are the reminders of his old life that Marion needs to change her mind. Lorraine will not let Charlie forget about his mistakes, â€Å"All right we'll go. But I remember once when you hammered on my door at 4 a. m. I was enough of a sport to give you a drink† (Fitzgerald 227). Charlie knows that he has lost Honoria because of these outside forces that try to make him weaker.Fitzgerald shows that Charlie is stronger because of his life change. Charlie dealt with the encounters by choosing to be strong, â€Å"Somehow an unwelc ome encounter. His old friends liked him because he was functioning, because he was serious; they wanted to see him, because he was stronger than they were now because they wanted to draw a certain sustenance from his strength† (218). This strength has led to Charlie's feeling of isolation. He goes to the Ritz bar in search of Duncan and Lorraine with the idea of finding them and letting them know that they possibly ruined his life.They had done their sorry work and vanished from his life (Baker 273). Existential philosophy includes alienation from the world, from one's fellows, from oneself (Finkelstein), and Charlie suffers this type of alienation. He has lost his family and his life. When he eventually fails to regain custody of Honoria, he questions why life dealt him this hand: â€Å"He wanted his child, and nothing was much good now, beside that fact. He wasn't young any more, with a lot of nice thoughts and dreams to have himself. He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn't have wanted him to be so alone† (Fitzgerald 230).â€Å"Babylon Revisited† opens in the Ritz bar, a symbolic prison for those trapped in Charlie's lifestyle. Charlie spent many nights in the â€Å"prison† of the Ritz bar, when he was in his prime party era. Charlie drinks himself into a sanitarium before he begins to come out of the prison of alcoholism.The story then ends again in the Ritz bar. Charlie has come full circle since the beginning of the story. He found happiness in knowing that he would take Honoria home, and then his past of loneliness finds him. The intrusions lead to his ultimate loneliness again (Griffith 237).He is sitting in the Ritz bar when he finds out that Marion has refused to let Honoria go. He realizes that his loneliness will not end because of the mistakes that he has made: â€Å"Again the memory of those days swept over him like a nightmare†¦ the men who locked their wives out in the snow, because the snow of twenty-nine wasn't real snow.If you didn't want it to be snow, you just paid some money† (229). The prosperity that he once had is now imprisoning him in a life of solitude and loneliness. The sentence that he must pay in this prison is six more months of loneliness before he can try to get custody of Honoria again (Baker 274).LeVot, in his discussion of Fitzgerald's life, notes that this story marks the end of an era. This is the foreclosure of the almost divine privileges Americans had enjoyed before the Depression. â€Å"Charlie Wales feels like a king stripped of his kingdom, his past, his illusions† (256).Ten years after he wrote the story, Fitzgerald stated that the story was his farewell to youth. Just as Fitzgerald is fearful that his own irresponsibility will pass to his daughter, Charlie tries to wipe out the past so it will not affect Honoria. LeVot states, â€Å"A great wave of protectiveness went over him. He thought he knew what to do for her.He believed in character, he wa nted to jump back a whole generation and trust in character again as the eternally valuable element† (256). He wants to revive an earlier virtue, for the sake of Honoria. This revival will help to alleviate the loneliness he feels without his daughter.Fitzgerald felt the loneliness brought about by his addiction to alcohol (LeVot â€Å"Fitzgerald in Paris† 51). Bruccoli states that when Charlie remembers his Paris nights that these were probably Fitzgerald's own memories, â€Å"When Fitzgerald went pub-crawling by himself, it was sometimes hard to terminate his revels† (239).His talent and charm often rescued him from the social morasses he created. Bruccoli shares an incident when Fitzgerald showed up drunk at the Paris Tribune and ripped up copy. He sang and insisted that the other reporters join in. When several friends tried to take him home, he insisted that they tour the bars.He finally passed out, but when they delivered him to his apartment he refused to go in. They eventually had to carry Fitzgerald into to his apartment, kicking and screaming. This account was forgiven, as were most of his other escapades (239).Charlie Wales, unlike Fitzgerald, has not been forgiven and remains separated from his wife and daughter due to alcoholism. He had to work hard to regain his life. The existential absurdity is that he was unable to get custody of Honoria, although he paid the penance for his past sins.Charlie chose to live the life of â€Å"Babylon† and lost everything. After doing everything right to change his life, the outside forces of Duncan and Lorraine ruined his plans to make a home with Honoria. These outside forces are the consequences of the past life that Charlie chose to live.Existentialists not only believe in free will but also living with the consequences of past decisions. Charlie's past decisions led to his ultimate loneliness and alienation. Sartre makes the point that alienation is one of the greatest tenets of ex istentialism.Although Fitzgerald is not an existentialist, his characters in â€Å"Babylon Revisited† are good examples of the ideas of the existentialist movement and how those ideas affect and shape a person's existence.Works Cited Baker, Carlos. â€Å"When the Story Ends, ‘Babylon Revisited. The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald: New Approaches in Criticism. Madison, Wisconsin: U of Wisconsin P, 1982. 269-277.Bruccoli, Matthew J. Some Sort of Epic Grandeur. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981.Finkelstein, Sidney. Existentialism and Alienation in American Literature. New York: International Publishers, 1965.Fitzgerald, F. Scott. â€Å"Babylon Revisited† and Other Stories. New York: Macmillan Scribner Classic, 1988. 210-230.Griffith, Richard R. â€Å"A Note on Fitzgerald's ‘Babylon Revisited. ‘ † American Literature 35 (May 1963): 236-239.Lavine, T. Z. From Socrates to Sartre: the Philosophic Quest. New York: Bantam, 1984.LeVot, Andr e. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Biography. New York: Doubleday, 1983.LeVot, Andre. â€Å"Fitzgerald in Paris. † Fitzgerald/Hemingway Annual 5 (1973): 49-68.Olson, Robert G. A Short Introduction to Philosophy. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1967.Toor, David. â€Å"Guilt and Retribution in ‘Babylon Revisited. ‘† Fitzgerald/Hemingway Annual 5 (1973): 155-64.Way, Brian. F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Art of Social Fiction. New York: St. Martin's, 1980.

An analysis of british rock culture and its impact on popular culture Essay

Since its genesis in the early 1960s, British Rock n’ Roll has been one of the most influential movements of contemporary music worldwide. Britain has successfully introduced some of the most significant rock musicians to ever grace the stage worldwide. Included in this group are bands like The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, and countless others. I chose to analyze British rock culture, not solely because of its importance in terms of musicality, but because of its profound impact on popular culture. Contemporary British rock began developing in the 1960s and early 1970s with the inception of bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. It derived from the skiffle and blues music of the 1950s, yet the forthcoming British artists sought to recreate the upbeat music according to their own interpretations (Perone 19). British rock culture has yielded many sub-genres of rock n’ roll including Progressive Rock, Glam Rock, Alternative, and Heavy Metal. As the movement has expanded throughout the decades, lyrics have become more complex and have become increasingly rooted in the conveyance of sociopolitical and sexual themes (Miles 1). The geographic origins of contemporary British rock culture are mainly large urban areas in the southern half of England including Liverpool, Manchester, and London (Kallen 20). These urban locations teemed with showcase opportunities at clubs and concert halls for many of the local bands. Over three hundred bands in the 1960s made their debut in these smaller venues that the large cities had to offer. After increasing in popularity, bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles made a transition to America in what was coined as the British Invasion. The British Invasion came in different waves, continually promoting the new styles and sounds coming out of Britain during the second half of the twentieth century. This movement influenced the form of artistic migration that has continued today within the realm of pop music with bands like One Direction. The British Invasion of the 1960s flourished due to the British domination of American radio stations and record industry. The vibrant fashion trends and mop-top hairstyles took the young American public by storm. In terms of demographics, the attractive members of the new Britain rock culture were extremely appealing to their American counterparts. Their enticing English accents were familiar enough to understand, yet foreign enough to be alluring and admired.   They were young enough to be relatable and helped to create the link between music and teenage identity that continues to proliferate today. It is important to analyze the psychographics of band members associated with the British rock scene as it allows for us to better determine and understand the attitudes and opinions reflected by their lifestyle choices. While many British musicians during this time were brought up in the Christian church, in many cases they eventually began to reject religious teachings and organizations. George Harrison, for example, abandoned Western thought entirely and began to embrace Eastern ideologies during his spiritual walk with Hinduism while in India (Stark 117). John Lennon and Ringo Starr began to identify as being an agnostic or atheist, while Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has stated that his beliefs continually oscillate and that he is too concerned with the present day to be worried about the afterlife (â€Å"Liam and Noel Gallagher† 2).   Rumors concerning satanic behavior and devilish subliminal messaging have continued to be associated with British rock stars; opponents to the messages that British musicians advocate are adamant in stating that playing songs like The Beatles’ â€Å"Revolution 9† backward wield satanic sayings and chants. This is enough for some people to firmly believe that the musicians producing these songs do worship Satan as their god. In terms of family life and relationships, short-lived marriages and divorce have been popular amongst those in the rock scene. The pressures of being a celebrity living a high profile and publically wildlife strained marital relationships and led to many of the musicians having multiple spouses throughout their lifetime.   Adultery is common; Mick Jagger’s first wife has stated in an interview that her marriage ended on their wedding day because of this. Sexual liberation was a prominent theme that was grounded in the British rock scene and encouraged the normalization of premarital sex and, eventually, homosexuality. Bands during the creation of the British rock movement were often considered accurate representations of the counterculture movement of the 1960s due to their youthful, rebellious behaviors and creativity. This trend continued with members of The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones.   Drug use began to run rampant in the artists’ lives as LSD, heroin, and cocaine became popular choices for artists with an experimental mindset. The common interest in recreational drugs was an attempt to explore consciousness and find inspiration for new sounds and styles to share with the eager public. The prolonged drug use inspired a branch of British rock called psychedelic rock, introducing the Grateful Dead and The Doors to the world stage (Kallen 253).   The Beatles famously became known for their bouts with LSD. Overall, the explicit use of drugs in songwriting encouraged the young public to experiment themselves as they embraced the alternative lifestyle that their stars exem plified. The fame and exposure of British musicians have often led to very risquà © behavior, commonly leading to alcoholism, drug addiction, and young deaths. The stars are most often characterized as living freely, and doing whatever it is they please, no matter how frowned upon their actions are. Many urban legends have surfaced regarding the wild antics of British musicians, including stories about bizarre sexual encounters and the destruction of both public and private properties.   It is plausible to say that many musicians associated with this culture focus on primarily living in the moment. The profitable success of record sales in conjunction with their celebrity titles provides the musicians with the funds to do virtually whatever they please with their time and their money. Drugs, therefore, become easily accessible and affordable. Drug addiction is very common in the lives of these artists and has sadly claimed many of their lives at young ages. Jim Morrison of The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and Keith Moon of The Who is among those whose reliance on recreational drugs like heroin, unfortunately, claimed their lives. They were all under thirty-two years of age (â€Å"The Dead Rockstars Club† 27). The impact that the British rock scene has had on popular culture throughout the world is undeniable. The British rock culture has become so important in England that some of its stars have been awarded, and in some special cases, knighted by the Queen of England for their contributions to music. The list of those who have been knighted includes Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney of The Beatles (Kallen 246). The worldwide influence of British rock culture is even more impressive as it has become a reflection of societal changes and themes as time and the development of sub-genres have progressed.   In terms of musicality, it increased the distinction between what was considered noise and what was considered carefully constructed music; instruments are now seen as crucial to a song or band’s success. In even more important terms, it has been a form of democratic mass media that has broadcasted messages of free speech, sexuality, and even anti-war disillusion ment. British rock n’ roll has influenced people beyond Britain’s sphere of political and economic influence through its ties to the world’s youth. Overall, British rock culture will continue to expand its horizons and be influential in the lives of the masses due to the band members who are willing to share their opinions and creativity through their artistic medium. Works Cited â€Å"The 1960s British Music Invasion.†Ã‚  The Official 60’s Site-British Music Invasion. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Beatles and the British Invasion.†Ã‚  The Beatles and the British Invasion. Jerry Fielden, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 1970s.†Ã‚  The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 1970s. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Kallen, Stuart A., and Bob Italia.  Renaissance of Rock: The British Invasion. Bloomington, MN: Abdo & Daughters, 1989. Print. â€Å"Liam and Noel Gallagher.†Ã‚  Www.atheistalliance.org. Atheist Musicians, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. Miles, Barry. â€Å"Spirit of the Underground: The 60s Rebel.†Ã‚  The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 31 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Perone, James E.  Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2009. Print. Stark, Steven D.  Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender, and the World. New York: HarperEntertainment, 2005. Print.   

Street Children – Bangladesh

STREET CHILDREN – BANGLADESH Children in Bangladesh have to face many challenges. In Bangladesh over 40 million people are living below the poverty line and most of these families do not have own land. They are living and farming in flood-prone areas and face yearly natural disasters, inefficient agricultural technologies, low education, a polluted environment. These family did not get proper health services and is in limited employment. Undernourishment is the common issue for the children. 50 percent of children under age 5 are undernourishment.Children are facing imperative problem with schooling. Very small percent of them complete their primary education. Among them only 40 percent girls complete their primary education. In this situation they need our help. Help the children†¦. This is my very small step to help the Street Children in Bangladesh. They need our help. So we should forward our good hand to help hem. For doing this kind of great job money is not only th e solution, we need the people with good heart and I think you are the one of them.I hope your cooperation to do something good for the children. So come on and cooperate with us with your good think, knowledge, even with a single word. Help the children†¦. If you are stuck for a few minutes at a traffic signal in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, you will probably see children rushing up to the windows of your vehicle. Some of these children carry flowers; some have a stack of books in the crook of their arms, some carry bundles of newspapers and some have candy for sale. They try their best to earn sympathy from commuters to sell their goods.This painful scene is ubiquitous on the streets of Dhaka. These street children are known as Pothoshishu. The street is where they earn their living. The total number of street children in Bangladesh is estimated at 400,000. Almost half of these children live in Dhaka city alone. A very large percentage of these children are young girls. Thes e female street children are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. On March, 2012 Unnayan Onneshan published a report titled â€Å"social connection of the street girls in the context of Dhaka city, Bangladesh† [pdf].The research shows that the majority of the street girls (37. 50%) sell flowers for a living. 18. 80% of these young girls are forced into prostitution, 6. 25 % work in the clothing industry, 6. 25% become beggars, 12. 50% start as shopkeepers and 6. 25% are paper-hawkers. Almost half of these girls have a measly daily income of Tk. 101-299 ($1. 25-$3. 75). The daily income of 43. 75 % of the girls is Tk. 300 (US$3. 75) and above. But they seem to be the lucky ones, because 6. 25 % of the street girls earn less than Tk. 100 ($1. 25) per day.Almost 45% of these girls do not receive any treatment from government medical facilities or clinics. 3 out of 10 of these girls have never been enrolled in any type of educational institution. Most women in Banglad esh are vulnerable to fall victim to abuse such as rape, murder, eve teasing, dowry and acid attacks. But the street children who spend their childhood under the open skies of Dhaka face such risks on a daily basis. This graph is taken from the above report, which shows statistics of violences inflicted upon street girls:

Neoclassical Economics and Grameen Bank

NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMICS Neoclassical is the most widely taught form of economics in the present world, making it to be the primary take on modern day economics. In a nutshell, neoclassical economics makes an approach to economics that relates supply and demand to an individual’s rationality and his or her ability to maximize utility or profit. Neoclassical economic has also increased the use of mathematical equations in the study of various aspects of the economy. While Economic theory tries to explain how scarce resources are allocated to given and alternative ends with an approach that considers these elements as extra-economic ones.The more conceptual framework of the main schools of economic theory is the Neoclassical economics, Austrian economics, Evolutionary economics and others are based on an insufficient understanding of anthropology and this fact limits their explanatory capacity. In the understanding of neoclassical economic theory, the basic tools are elaborated un der the following assumptions: (1) The neoclassical individual (consumer and producer) is defined as a given option structure. (2) All the â€Å"means and ends† considered have an equivalent monetary expression. 3) The only channel of communication between individuals is prices. 4) All the social relations and social ambits are considered as market exchange transaction. Concept of Microcredit and Grameen Bank Poverty is one of the vital problems of the third world countries, and to elevate poverty microcredit has become the most popular approach to address this undesirable phenomenon. According to Jonathan Murdoch, Chairman of UN Expert Group on Poverty Statistics, â€Å"Microcredit stands as one of the most promising and cost-effective tools in the fight against global poverty. Based on three C (character, capacity and capital ) this model, perceived more than a quarter century ago in Bangladesh, is now being pursued around the globe. In spite of this popularity, there is s kepticism about the model’s ability to make â€Å"major dent in the two poverty situation†. These criticisms, however, seem just as weak as the arguments supporting the model. One apparent reason is that both the claims and criticism are founded on the same theoretical perspective of neoclassical economics.The word â€Å"microcredit† did not exist before the seventies. In today’s world microcredit refers to the agricultural credit, or rural credit, or cooperative credit, or consumer credit, credit from the savings and loan associations, or from credit unions, or from money lenders. Microcredit data are compiled and published by different organizations. They are the Number of poor borrowers, and their gender composition, loan disbursed, loan outstanding, balance of savings, etc. under each of these categories, country wise, region wise, and globally.These sets of information will tell us which category of microcredit is serving how many poor borrowers, the ir gender break-up, their growth during a year or a period, loans disbursed, loans outstanding, savings, etc. simultaneously, Grameen credit is based on the premise that the poor have skills which remain unutilized or under-utilized. It is definitely not the lack of skills which make poor people poor. Grameen believes that the poverty is not created by the poor; it is created by the institutions and policies which surround them.In order to eliminate poverty all we need to do is to make appropriate changes in the institutions and policies, and/or create new ones. Grameen believes that charity is not an answer to poverty. It only helps poverty to continue. It creates dependency and takes away individual's initiative to break through the wall of poverty. Unleashing of energy and creativity in each human being is the answer to poverty. Grameen Bank brought credit to the poor, women, the illiterate, and the people who pleaded that they did not know how to invest money and earn an income. Grameen created a methodology and an institution around the financial needs of the poor, and created access to credit on reasonable term enabling the poor to build on their existing skill to earn a better income in each cycle of loans. The process of breaking up the vicious cycle of poverty through microcredit is elaborated below: At first a small group of five people is made where only two are granted with a loan. Depending on their performance in repayment the next two borrowers can then apply and, subsequently, the fifth number as well.The assumption is that if individual borrowers are given access to credit, they will be able to identify and engage in viable income-generating activities – simple processing such as paddy husking, lime-making, manufacturing such as pottery, weaving, and garment sewing, storage and marketing and transport services. Women were initially given equal access to the schemes, and proved not only reliable borrowers but astute entrepreneurs. As a re sult, they have raised their status, lessened their dependency on their husbands and improved their homes and the nutritional standards of their children.Today over 90 percent of borrowers are women. The percent of women members throughout 2002 to 2003 was within close proximity of the 95% mark, from 2004 to 2005 is 96%, in 2006 is 97% and in 2007 it remain same i. e. , 97%. Graph: Percent of Women Members in Grameen Bank. â€Å"If we can come up with a system which allows everybody access to credit while ensuring excellent repayment – I can give you a guarantee that poverty will not last long. † -Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Founder of the Grameen Bank- Dr.Yunus has set up a ground breaking world record and today has become known throughout the world. Grameen bank’s microcredit program has been replicated in nearly every country. Since October 2006, when Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize, this in interest has gr own manifold. Muhammad Yunus’s vision is the total eradication of poverty from the world. ‘Grameen', he claims, ‘is a message of hope, a program for putting homelessness and destitution in a museum so that one day our children will visit it and ask how we could have allowed such a terrible thing to go on for so long'.This work is a fundamental rethink on the economic relationship between the rich and the poor, their rights and their obligations. The World Bank recently acknowledged that ‘this business approach to the alleviation of poverty has allowed millions of individuals to work their way out of poverty with dignity. Up to 2003, the number of members was 3. 13 million. In 2007, this figure stood at 7. 41 million. It represents an increase of 137. 25% from 2003 to 2007 and an average annual growth of 27. 45% during the year period. Graph: Growth of Membership Credit is the last hope left to those faced with absolute poverty.That is why Muhammad Yunus beli eves that the right to credit should be recognized as a fundamental human right. It is this struggle and the unique and extraordinary methods he invented to combat human despair that Muhammad Yunus recounts here with humility and conviction. It is also the view of a man familiar with both Eastern and Western cultures on the failures and potential for good of industrial countries. It is an appeal for action: we must concentrate on promoting the will to survive and the courage to build in the first and most essential element of the economic cycle – man.Initially starting on Bangladesh, microcredit system develops its helping flow to almost 43 countries, included U. S. Naming as Grameen America, the bank's entry into the US, its first in a developed market, comes as mainstream banks' credibility has been hit by the mortgage meltdown and many people are turning to fringe financial institutions offering loans at exorbitant interest rates. â€Å"It’s actually supposed to he lp those below a certain poverty line who are looking for self-employment as a route out of poverty. says Raj Desai of the Brookings Institution, U. S. ’s one of the top public policy making organizations. CRITICISM OF MICROCREDIT AND GRAMEEN BANK The microcredit system is really a blessing for the developing country. It deals directly with the poor population of the country. But the microcredit movement does have critics, who say that, some lending programs charge excessive interest rates. Also, there is concern that funding for microcredit programs will be diverted from other needed programs such as health, water projects and education.Credit programs may enable poor people to improve their situation, but they do not eliminate the need for other basic social and infrastructure services. Some other problems that have been reported with microcredit: * Turning a profit on the loan * Inability to reach the poorest of the poor * Microcredit dependency * Durability of poverty red uction Turning a profit on the loan One of the most fundamental problems with microcredit programs is the difficulty involved in actually turning a profit on the loans.In the first place, borrowers must bear not only the cost of the loan but also interest payments. Since, the interest rate is too high, they have to payback more amount than they had borrowed. Moreover, investments may not turn a profit. In this event the money to repay the loan must come from reduced consumption or borrowing from some other source, usually on worse terms. Inability to reach the poorest of the poor A second important drawback to microcredit programs is that they don’t reach the poorest members of the society.To quote, â€Å"the poorest have a number of constraints (fewer income sources, worse health and education, etc) which prevent them from investing the loan in high-return activity† The same report also writes that â€Å"there appears to be a growing consensus that moderate-poor micr o-credit borrowers benefit more than extremely poor borrowers. † The reasons for this are clear. The poorest need tiny loans which are not cost effective even for microcredit programs. The poorest also place the greatest demands on microcredit a training program, which makes the cost of lending even higher.As microcredit programs are pressured to become more self-sufficient, the incentive to lend to such desperately poor borrowers evaporates. (Mayoux, 1997)   Ã‚  Ã‚   This is a major problem for microcredit programs. Although they are raising some people out of poverty and keeping some people from further poverty, they do not appear to be reaching the people who need assistance the most. In fact, such programs may even be increasing the chasm between the poorest and the rest of society. This is clearly a failure for programs whose avowed purpose is to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and rise up the poorest members of society.Micro credit dependency Another possible fai lure of microcredit programs lies behind seemingly benign statistics. Some researchers have proposed the idea that the high repayment rates, repeated borrowing, and low drop-out rates indicate a dependency on microcredit programs rather than an attraction to successful microcredit programs on the part of poor borrowers. Many borrowers have no alternative to borrowing from microcredit programs, and consequently cannot afford to default. Neither can they afford to stop borrowing or drop-out of the programs. There is nowhere else for them to go.In order to stay in good standing with the microcredit program, borrowers may even be forced to resort to pawnbrokers or other alternate sources of funding. Furthermore, unless borrowers can increase their incomes they may become permanently dependent on microcredit lending . This a very real possibility as was noted above. Again this is a significant failure, as many microcredit programs tout themselves as more progressive alternatives to the e xisting systems of informal credit which have caused so many problems in poverty stricken areas (systems such as share cropping, debt bondage, and so on).The chances of microcredit programs’ becoming just another form of debt-based oppression is real and must be addressed before microcredit programs can progress much further. And yet it has hardly been discussed up to this point. Durability of Poverty Reduction A related problem is the durability of poverty reduction. Infusions of cash in almost any amount are bound to have some effect on the poverty stricken borrowers. But this does not necessarily mean that the effect will be permanent. The poverty reductions may be rolled back in two ways.First of all, borrowers may use loans for consumption purposes which result in a momentary increase in living standards, but which must be paid for by cuts in future consumption. Secondly, borrowers must make a net profit on their investments. Otherwise, as noted above, they may become de pendent on the creditor programs. Even if they do not become dependent on microcredit lenders, they will still have failed to improve their economic position. Again, this would be a failure of microcredit lenders to achieve their goals. Diverted from Other NeedsThere is concern that funding for microcredit programs will be diverted from other needed programs such as health, water projects and education. Credit programs may enable poor people to improve their situation, but they do not eliminate the need for other basic social and infrastructure services. CRITICISM OF GRAMEEN BANK Negative sides Many people do not appreciate Grameen Bank’s policies. They it’s a money making policy of Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Some critics strongly criticized Grameen bank’s excessive interest rates. It charges simple interest rate of 20% a year, compared with compound interest of 13-16% at Bangladesh’s commercial banks.Sudhirendar Sharma of New Delhi writes that the effect of the Grameen strategy has not been to reduce poverty but only to create a debt trap for borrowers, who are being charged very high rates of interest relative to conventional banks. Jeffrey Tucker says, â€Å"Microcredit basically bunkum and it won’t work at all without the help of massive grants, I believe Yunus has most probably been swindling money! † Even, it has attracted criticism from the present prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, who commented, â€Å"There is no difference between usurers [Yunus] and corrupt people. Hasina touches upon one criticism of Grameen Bank: the high rate of interest that the bank demands from those seeking credit. Similar to all microfinance institutes, the interest charged by Grameen Bank is higher compared to that of traditional banks, as Grameen's interest (reducing balance basis) on its main credit product is about 20%. Another source of criticism is that of the Grameen's Sixteen Decisions. Critics say that the bank's Sixteen Decisions force families and borrowers to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the bank. The bank is very strict about their loan recovery.There are even allegations that they do not consider natural calamities like floods that may prevent repayment of loans quickly. Particular examples include the large number of loan defaults following the flood in 1998. Furthermore, many critics doubt the continued sustainability of the venture, citing the need for large government investment in the program. Positive sides There is no denial that Grameen Bank has changed the rural life of Bangladesh dramatically. Those people who were unable to borrow money from the Agricultural Bank, now easily get money from Grameen bank.On the other hand we can say, it has helped to improve the agriculture of Bangladesh. The poor people are taking the benefit of the small loans. It brings a vital change in the life of the Bangladeshi rural women. In Bangladesh the women were treated badly. But now, Grameen bank has changed their life significantly. Study shows that total number of borrowers’ is 4. 76 million and 96% of those are women. Grameen bank offers some exciting loans at 0% interest rates. Such as: * Higher Education Loan: Interest is 0% i. e. no interest is charged while students are studying.A 5% is charged as service charge after graduation. This scheme allows children of our members to obtain higher education in various fields like healthcare, engineering enabling them to finish their honours and masters degrees. * Struggling Member Program: This special program is designated for beggars, charging 0% interest. As of December 2006, about 90,000 beggars have received loans under this program. * Village Centre Construction Loan: Members take this loan for constructing local village centers. No interest is charged i. e. , interest rate is zero.Having some problems, although, Grameen bank is helping to improve the economic condition of Bangladesh. It’s imp ossible to eradicate poverty overnight, but so far the process of micro credit is handling the economic condition very well. CONCLUSION Thus, the question that must be raised with respect to eradicating poverty from the Third World is whether microcredit can contribute toward removing the constraints that limit individuals' liberty. In the current development discourse, this issue is discussed under the category of â€Å"good governance†.It seems obvious that microcredit promoters can hardly challenge the vested interests, which are responsible for producing poverty in the Third World. The second Microcredit Summit (a campaign led by Dr. Yunus himself) to be held next year should seriously take into consideration this point. For the exaggeration of microcredit's role and success in poverty reduction is apparently driving away society and policy makers' attention from the real factors causing pervasive poverty in the Third World. Do the activities of the Grameen Bank and other micro-lenders romanticize individual struggles to escape poverty?Yes. Do these programs help some women â€Å"pull themselves up by the bootstraps†? Yes. Will micro-enterprises in the informal sector contribute to ending world poverty? Not a chance. Bibliography 1. Hossain, Mahabub (1988): â€Å"Credit for the Alleviation of Rural Poverty: The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. † Washington, D. C. : IFPRI, Research Report No. 65. 2. Morduch, Jonathan and Barbara Haley (2001): â€Å"Analysis of the Effects of Microfinance on Poverty Reduction. † NYU working paper. http://www. nyu. edu/wagner/public_html/cgi-bin/workingPapers/wp1014. pdf 3. â€Å"Past Five Years of Grameen Bank. 2008. Grameen Bank. 5 Aug 2009 . 4. Yunus, Muhammad. Creating a World Without Poverty. 1st. New York: Public Affairs, 2007. 5. Brue, Stanley L. The Evolution of Economic Thought. 6th. New York: Harcourt College Publisher, 2000. 6. McConnell, Campbell, Stanley Brue, and Tom Barbiero. Microeconom ics. 11th Canadian Edition. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2007. 7. Olivier Jean Blanchard (1987). Neoclassical Synthesis, â€Å"The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics†, v. 3, pp. 634-36. . â€Å"Grameen Bank. † Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 5 Aug 2009, 20:45 UTC. 5 Aug 2009 . 9. â€Å"Neoclassical economics. † Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Jul 2009, 21:21 UTC. 31 Jul 2009 10. Bouman, F. A. J. â€Å"The design of microfinance policies and programmes. † The WWW Virtual Library Microcredit and Microfinance. 1989. Web. 5 Aug 2009. .

Internal combustion engine Essay

Electric cars should be used instead of cars that run with gasoline because electric cars do not harm the environment, are quieter, quicker, does not require gasoline and include a significant reduction to air pollution. Firstly, electric cars have a lot of benefits. One of them is that they are quiet, quick and smooth, making most regular cars look clunky and outdated. What surprises people the most is the torque (axle-twisting power) offered by the electric cars. Step on the accelerator and power is delivered immediately to the wheels, providing a thrilling driving experience. Secondly, after a while with an electric car you will forget that gas stations existed. Imagine never going to a gas station and spending all that money for fuel. All you have to do is pull your vehicle in your drive way or garage and plug it in to the charging inlet. It is very convenient to just wake up the next morning and have a fully charged vehicle that can go up to 100 miles. In addition they are cheaper to operate. Almost everywhere in the world, electricity is very cheap. So when you compare an electric vehicle to a regular car, the cost per mile to fuel an electric vehicle is approximately one-third to one-quarter the cost of gasoline (on a cost per mile basis). Nevertheless, owning a car is associated with the responsibility of maintaining it. Regular cars require frequent maintenance but this is not the case in electric cars. These cars do not suffer same level of stress as traditional engines acquire and do not require frequent oil changes and other regular maintenance. On the other hand, electric cars have a lot of disadvantages too. First of all the limited range of the electric cars is probably the biggest disadvantage. Most affordable electric cars only have about 80 to 100 miles of range. Which is not enough if you are for instance going on a long road trip. People who have electric cars need to properly plan, assuring that they will not go over the limited range. Not to mention, they also have a long refueling time. It is not like going to a gas station and adding a couple of hundred miles of range in five or ten minutes. To recharge a completely empty electric car would take about 10 hours depending on the voltage. With 120 volts (which is the current voltage in every house) it will take ten hours. With 240 volts it takes about four to five hours to fully charge the electric vehicle. Also, you would have to have the right place to charge your electric vehicle. You cannot go more than the car’s limit but you the right place to charge it. For instance people who are living in apartments cannot own electric cars because they do not have a garage to charge their vehicle. Big electric car companies have charging stations where you can get your vehicle fully charged in 1-2 hours but there are not a lot like gas stations. Furthermore the higher cost is probably what keeps people away from electric vehicles. The current electric cars are priced between 30. 000 and 40. 000 dollars. While you can buy, for instance the Honda Fit, Ford Focus etc. for less than 20,000 dollars. Last but not least, electric cars are costly to maintain and repair if there is a big problem with the car. Since electric cars are in a class of their own, owners may wind up paying more on repairs and maintenance because not every mechanic is trained to repair and maintain electric cars. In conclusion, when considering the pros and cons of electric cars, it is clear that there are some major advantages and disadvantages of owning an electric car. At the end, if these cars help people save a tremendous amount of money and help the environment, the pros of owning an electric car will outweigh all of the cons.