Stem cell ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem cell ethics - Essay Example Scientists and researchers began to research the mechanisms of life and learned about the multi-cellular world, which lies under the surface of our world. New medicines and treatments were created in order to alleviate and cure these ailments. Rather than looking to meet the status quo in trying to treat conditions, scientists went to the root of the problem trying to figure out how to stop conditions from occurring and treating the problem at the source, a majority of them that are genetically related. The result of this exploration was learning how to use stem cells as a medical application. Stem cells are a unique cell within the body that is found in large quantities in particularly human embryos. In essence, they are blank slates. This means that they can be coded to fulfill the function of any cell in the body. Hence, this is why they are very abundant in embryos because there is germination and differentiation occurring as more systems and features develop. However, in adults a majority of the stem cells have already been used and therefore remain in low concentrations. The goal of medical researchers and doctors is to harvest and engineer stem cells, which could be used in an effort to cure genetic diseases and help extend the human life span (Kelly 3-25). Because embryos have the highest concentration of stem cells that can be harvested, they are the main focus for research. The one huge drawback to this is that in attempting to harvest stem cells from an embryo, it usually results in the death of the individual or serious physiological defects. As a result in order to avoid this, scientists looked to abortion clinics in an effort to obtain the stem cells that are required for research. In this manner, there are no living embryos that are harmed, it is only the leftover biological material that would otherwise be discarded or burned at a biological containment facility. This is what has lead to the connection between

Group Progression in Society Essay Example for Free

Group Progression in Society Essay The pressures of society force humans into groups, whether to change something, unite, or to feel a sense of belonging. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to find what groups you may fit into and these groups can change as you transform into a more critical thinker. Studs Terkel tells the story a of Ku Klux Klan member turned school board activist, C.P. Ellis, in his essay, â€Å"C.P. Ellis.† Ellis’ struggles and realizations prove what critical thinking and self-examination can do. Mike Rose’s essay, â€Å"I Just Wanna Be Average† also displays the importance of growing through groups and how changing mental habits can help transform one into a more efficient critical thinker, therefore allowing one to surpass the cultural myths placed upon them. Gary Colombo enlightens readers by defining and giving advice on how to transform oneself into a critical thinker in his essay, â€Å"Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths†. Colombo argues that by thinking critically and challenging the norms of our society we can fight to be the people we truly want to be. Humans form into groups subconsciously as well as consciously. Consequently, these groups we cast ourselves into are the very things that can hold us back from becoming true individuals. By reexamining old ways and becoming active critical thinkers, members of society can participate in groups in a manner which will allow them to grow intellectually and outlast the cultural myths that is society has placed upon them. Groups have a large impact on society since they are constructed to allow humans to do more than they would be able to as mere individuals. However, groups can often hinder the thought process of individuals and may cause people to settle for less than what they are actually capable of. The â€Å"cultural myth† of belonging in society can cause individuals to become immersed in a group’s ideas wholly instead of blending them with their own beliefs. Ellis recalls when his former Klansmen called him after he started working for integration on the school board with Ann Atwater, African American women. â€Å"My old friends would call me at night: ‘C.P, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re selling out the white race.’ This begin to make me have guilt feelin’s. [. . .] My mind was beginnin’ to open up. I was beginnin’ to see what was right and what was wrong. I don’t want the kids to fight forever† (405). Had Ellis remained a narrow-minded member of the Ku Klux Klan his judgments and perceptions would have continued to be overly influenced by the Klan’s extremist beliefs. By expanding his mind Ellis was able to work on non-Klan related issues and overcome his racist tendencies thus transforming him into a more independent thinker. Critical thinking such as this is essential in being able to think independently opposed to being over powered by a group’s point of view and opinions. Colombo defines critical thinking as â€Å"a matter of dialogue and debate – discovering relationships between apparently unrelated ideas, finding parallels between your own experiences and the ideas you read about, exploring points of agreement and conflict between yourself and other people† (9). By applying these skills Ellis talked through the issues on the school board and reexamined his relationship with Ms. Atwater which in turn matured his critical thinking abilities. These critical mental skills will enable one to choose which groups they truly belong to instead of merely becoming a drone in order to fulfill their own senses of belonging. However, not all group enrollment and involvement is by the choice of its members. Some are pieced together by members whose superiors have placed them in said groups. In some cases, placement into these groups can impede on the development of critical and independent thinking. Mike Rose’s unjust placement into his school’s vocational is a prime example of this forced-group hindrance. Colombo states that â€Å"[c]ultural myths become so closely identified with our personal beliefs that rereading them means rereading ourselves, rethinking the way we see the world. Questioning long-held assumptions can be an exhilarating experience, but it can be distressing too† (8). By rethinking the groups’ society places us in we can gain a better understanding of ourselves as well as a better perception of the cultural myths that hold our true identities down. Rose tells about that the defenses mechanisms that he and his classmates built up to deal with the below average, self-image that the vocational track gave them, â€Å"[they] to twist the knife in [their] own grey matter† in order to stand up to the mental wear-and-tear of the vocational schooling process. Rose delves further into this process: You’ll have to shut down, have to reject intellectual stimuli or diffuse them with sarcasm, have to cultivate stupidity, have to convert boredom from a malady into a way of confronting the world. Keep your vocabulary simple, act stoned when you’re not or act more stoned than you are, flaunt ignorance, materialize your dreams. It is a powerful and effective defense – it neutralizes the insult and the frustration of being a vocati onal kid. (Rose 162) Defenses like the ones used in Rose’s essay cause individuals to do the bare minimum and do not allow individuals to grow within the group but rather the opposite; it stunts their identities and makes them complacent rather than questioning the world around causing a lack of internal expansion. By questioning the cultural myths of society and expanding the mind to think more critically individuals will be able to broaden their intellectual and social horizons. Ellis reminiscences at the end of the essay about his person growth by saying that â€Å"our troubles are over with. They say the older you get, the harder it is for you to change. Since I changed, I’ve set down and listened to tapes of Martin Luther King. I listen to it and tears come to my eyes’ cause I know what he’s sayin’ now. I know what’s happenin’† (408). By progressing through groups (the Ku Klux Klan and school board) Ellis was able to become a critical thinker and overcome the many cultural myths of his life. Similarly, Rose progressed to become a critical thinker. By going from vocational track to college prep, Rose was forced to reassess his self in order to become the type of student and person he wanted to be upon entering college prep. â€Å"I’d been mediocre for too long and enjoyed a public redefinition. And I suppose the inner workings of my mind, such as they were, had been private for too long† says Rose on regards to his switch and achievement in college prep (166). Both of these experiences show that by reevaluating the cultural myths in society and growing through different groups individuals can become critical thinkers and redefine themselves as the people they want to be. Society is filled with cultural myths and pre-assigned groups for its members. Only by overcoming these myths and growing intellectually can individuals become who they want to be rather than what society decrees them to. The experiences of Rose and Terkel show what critical thinking and group progression can do to one’s true self. Since Colombo defines critical thinking in his essay, the two experiences of Rose and Terkel allow the idea to be brought to life and put his work into context. Upon building critical thinking skills and experiencing group progression throughout life, individuals will be able to gain a multifaceted understanding of their true selves. This understanding will allow individuals to delve into the critical thinking and lead them to constantly challenge the world and groups around them. Works Citied Colombo, Gary. â€Å"Thinking Challenging Critically, Cultural Myths.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s, 2010. 1-15. Print. Rose, Mike. â€Å"I Just Wanna Be Average.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s, 2010. 157-169. Print. Terkel, Studs. â€Å"â€Å"C.P. Ellis.†.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s,

The Pill Essay -- Birth Control Pregnancy Papers

Missing Works Cited "Should women alone bear the burden of contraception and its side effects  ­ including its failure  ­ while men enjoy the pleasures of sexual freedom and fatherhood? Must the word wait for the "perfect" male contraceptive to be created by researchers and manufacturers while women continue to experience actual and potential side effects? Can the world afford to wait while unwanted pregnancy and abortion abound in this country and populations continue to soar in developing lands? Might a less than perfect method be acceptable, in order to achieve better population stabilization?" - Diller et al. The above statement comes from an article in Fertility and Sterility written in 1977 appealing for greater funding for research in the field of male contraceptives. Due to the time in which it was written, and consequently, the research conducted up until then, the pill as a carcinogen had yet to be established. Instead, and coincidentally with the "sign of the times", the article took the high moral ground, extolling the importance of mutual responsibility between men and women towards reproductive behavior. However, the major dangers of the pill have extended beyond those of water retention, depression and/or loss of libido in 1977 to breast cancer risk in 2000. As a result of sufficient funding in breast cancer research this valuable information is now available to the general public. Similar information concerning equivalent male contraception and/or alternative female contraception and long term side effects might have been available, as well, had funding been allocated accordin gly some 50 years ago when the pill was invented by John Rock . Hopefully, with the advent of research in male contraceptives, men and w... ...much as simply to find a new contraceptive method, which subscribed to the teachings of the Catholic Church . This idea that a pill-induced regulation of the menstrual cycle is a necessary element in a woman’s life is falsely perpetuated time and again. There are exceptions, of course. "In obese women the failure to menstruate can signal an increased risk of uterine cancer and in female athletes, a failure to menstruate can signal an increased risk of osteoporosis". However, aside from that subset of women, younger women, especially, up the odds of developing breast cancer when they subject themselves to excessive hormones which 1. Are not necessitated in the least by any health condition and 2. Can be readily substituted with alternatives. Pregnancy is not a "disease", the pill is not a supplemental multi-vitamin and the dangers of the pill should not be belittled.

Linux Security Essay

While researching the regulatory requirements needed for First World Bank Savings and Loans I found that a security policy against current server architecture is required to be implemented. The CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) triad is taken into account when analyzing the multiple servers in reference to Linux and Open Source managing security demands. The â€Å"Database Server† requires the administrators go further in terms of technical design through a Linux architecture method. MySQL can be utilized as a backend and comes with script availability to remove test databases, lower systems and data base privileges (Jang, 2011). This method will allow successful requirement of all networking layers. The Apache Web Server allows the ability to harden the Linux kernel within Apache (Prashant, 2013). The patch available is â€Å"grsecurity† and allows protection against zero-day vulnerabilities while utilizing â€Å"ksplice† to update the kernal on time (Prashant, 2013). Samba is used for the file server and has many features to restrict access to what is shared. This includes enforcing password requirements, filtering at the network level, and a check going against group memberships (Jang, 2011). The SMTP server will be Sendmail. Sendmail comes with the security feature of encrypting the connection (Jang, 2011). We will also need a virus scanning program to ensure mail coming in does not have virus attachments. The LDAP server will be utilized as the central authentication server so that the involved users have a login that is unified and covers all console logins (LDAP NExt, 2010). Works Cited Jang, M. (2011). Security Strategies in Linux Platforms and Applications. Jones & Bartlett Learning. LDAP NExt. (2010, 06). The official Red Hat Reference Guide. Retrieved from http://www.centos.org/docs/2/rhl-rg-en-7.2/s1-ldap-uses.html Prashant, P. (2013, 10 10). Linux for you. Retrieved from http://www.linuxforu.com/2011/05/securing-database-servers/.

Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw

Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at BMW BMW is one of the world’s largest luxury car companies and it is easy to understand why. Not only does this premium auto brand have a high resale value, but strong brand loyalty and an even bigger profit margin than mass-produced cars (Holloway, 2002). This in turn enables the premium maker to spend more on research and development into the minds of its target market to make better, more advanced cars with a powerful brand image. BMW is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company, which owns and produces the Mini brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW is well known for its sporty, yet sophisticated image which has been built up since the 1970’s with many motor sports victories, and its BMW Group’s worldwide mission statement, â€Å"To be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry† (http://www. bmwgroup. com). The majority of BMW’s success is attributed to the development of a consistent marketing policy, the ‘market niche’ strategy. The company has built is brand on four core values, which are technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity, whereas BMW has traditionally positioned its brand to be perceived as the leader in performance (Arnold, n. d. ). In fact, the BMW group and all BMW models are all about performance on the road and inside the plant in which they are manufactured. The fundamental core benefits for BMW customers are reliability, durability, and style. People who buy BMW are also paying for the engineering and quality, not for breakdowns (Arnold, n. d. . Buyers normally expect certain qualities in their cars when they purchase at BMW. Brand associations of German luxury brands like BMW include powerful, high-quality, fast, pricy, luxurious, classy, and sleek (Holloway, 2002). BMW owners usually purchase because they know they can rely on its solid background of high-quality vehicles, and superior performance, but they also know they are getting a vehicle that looks sporty, classy, and expensi ve at the same time. Technology plays a huge role in the difference between BMW and its competitors. BMW has combined its superior quality product with that of technology to enhance BMW service experience for its customers. In fact, research by Wanke, Bohner, and Jurkowitsch, (1997) suggest that BMW’s Augmented Reality has created the bridge and extends the real world by adding virtual information to assist BMW Service staff in their highly demanding technical work. Using augmented reality, a BMW mechanic receives additional three-dimensional information on the engine he/she is repairing. For example, augmented reality can be used to help in diagnosing and solving the fault in and engine (Horatiu, 2009). Apart from the real environment, technicians can see virtually animated components, the tools to be used and hear instruction on each of the working steps through headphones integrated inside the goggles (Horatiu, 2009). Next stands the exclusivity of BMW’s potential product and the ideas’ genesis come up with. BMW now makes cars using resources that would otherwise be wasted by putting them to good use. For instance, the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project at BMW used to reduce its reliance on natural gas and better utilizes the previously untapped methane, which is a byproduct of decomposing trash and can have harmful effects on air quality. By turning this methane into energy, the plant has reduced carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 61,000 automobiles from the U. S highways each year (Arnold, n. d. ). Today, 63 percent of the plant’s total energy is derived from landfill gas (Arnold, n. d. ). Not only that, this project has three core benefits, it reduces the amount of harmful greenhouse gases released into the air, allows BMW to use a wasted energy source by transforming the methane gas produced from the nearby Palmetto Landfill into electricity to heat for the plant, and it saves a lot of money for the company as a whole (Arnold, n. . ). BMW is now the first auto company in the world to use green energy to fuel its painting facility. Furthermore, since its inception, the project has been expanded to utilize landfill gas to fuel 23 oven burners in the paint shops at BMW and supply indirect heat to these areas (Arnold, n. d. ). In addition, marketers have classified BMW products as specialty goods be cause they have a unique characteristic or brand identification for which a sufficient number of buyers are willing to make a special purchasing effort (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Consumers who purchase BMW’s are willing to go to great lengths and travel afar to buy one. In fact, BMW is a product that stands above the rest requiring very little if any comparison to other brands as buyers already know exactly what they are looking for when in search of this particular type of vehicle (Holloway, 2002). Thus consumers that purchase BMW’s are investment buyers and often have upscale purchasing habits. And it is this reason that BMW, unlike many other marketers, has stopped emphasizing demographics such as targeting customers based on age and income, and tarted targeting based on mind-set and lifestyle. BMW marketers understand that their customers are concerned about status, and so this is what they focus their attention on. When advertising BMW marketers have focused on the specifics of the BWM and emphasis are often placed on the fact that BMW is continuously managing its cars performance quality through time, and research (Boudette, 2005). It cons istently strives to improve its products and for years has produced high returns and market shares for this very reason. Ideally, BMW’s positioning has been maintained over such a long period of time because the company possesses and develops an incredible competitive advantage. In terms of price, BMW’s mid-range vehicles start around $29,400 up to the most prestigious and luxurious vehicles priced around $130,000 (Boudette, 2005). Additionally, every new BMW is covered by a limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship for the first four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. BMW also offers a rust protection program for 2006 and newer models, which provides a 12-year limited rust perforation protection without mileage limitations (http://www. bmwgroup. com). Additional accessories and services offered by BMW include iDrive, Real Time Traffic Information, BMW Roadside Assistance, and BMW assist all the more reasons why consumers choose BMW. iDrive links BMW vehicles’ with communications, navigation and entertainment functions allowing owners to make calls, listen to music, plot routes and find places to stop along the way, with just one controller all at the same time. Real Time Traffic takes owners down shorter and faster routes, preventing them from getting stuck in traffic. It identifies traffic accidents and delays in real time and continuously updates the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while smaller markets report only during normal commuting hours (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW Roadside Assistance is a feature most BMW owners find comforting because if they are traveling and get a flat, run out of gas, or need a tow BMW will send someone out immediately to assist no matter where the customer is located. BMW owners are covered in all 50 states, in Canada and Puerto Rico, even if someone else is driving the vehicle. These services are offered 24 hours, 365 days a year, at no additional cost, and without any mileage restrictions (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW assist, on the other hand, works as a sense of security, and is there for BMW customer’s safety. It is a convenient service that adds peace of mind for BMW owners, and is suitably equipped in 2007 and later models. BMW assist is part of the Ultimate Service at BMW, and is included at no additional cost for up to 4 years. This service connects owners to a response specialist that can help with almost everything, from an emergency situation to directions and traffic information by just a push of a button (http://www. bmwgroup. com). At BMW distribution is about the use of consistent standards of quality, safety, and processes at all locations. They guarantee worldwide premium products made by BMW Group as well as the careful use of resources being the guiding principle behind all production and planning. Its living structure is what enables it to react flexibly to customer demands and market requirements and conditions throughout the world (Ludwig, n. ). This is why they have such flexibility in models, as well as their ability to build additional numbers of certain models in other plants, if necessary. BMW gives its consumers exactly what they want building models with options customized to fit the individual consumer (Ludwig, n. d). As a result, the company’s dealerships keep very few cars on the lot. Instead, BMW offers intimate showrooms where customers can view cars and place orders with individual custom options that they select (Ludwig, n. d). After the car has been selected and the customer has chosen their individual custom features, BMW directs its manufacturing plant to produce the car and deliver it within a matter of days. Logistically speaking, when it comes to BMW and the channel of information, it means using CRM to strengthen communications with its dealers and make it as easy as possible for potential customers to get all the buyer information they need (Ludwig, n. d). BMW group also uses e-commerce strategies as a means to explore the market for effective business. The group introduced an ordering system in 1998 which gives dealers the option of showing customers their desired car on the screen and confirming the delivery date on the spot. Through the use of this system, the time frame when the vehicle can be built with the desired fitting is configured within a few seconds and is reserved in the production process immediately (Ludwig, n. d). Furthermore, the manufacturing logistics department at BMW has such outstanding internal processes to such a level that when changes accord due to customers’ wishes regarding issues as omplicated as engine capacity to something as small as the color of the upholstery it can be immediately communicated, and in most cases resolved prior to shipment of the vehicle. Moreover, the company has adopted a consistent advertising strategy. In addition to the message of its values being portrayed in advertising campaigns, the company explicitly expresses one or more of these values in all BMW advertisements (J ones, 2010). Its design philosophy also runs through every BMW advertisement communicated through TV and print ads. Its brand imaged has been built up by using over 300 different types of color press advertisements, as well as 64 different types of television commercials (Jones, 2010). BMW ads are always consistent and focus on the substance of the cars themselves. However, it is important to point out that BMW also relies on its sensitivity to the environment, which is clearly seen by how the company’s advertisements evolved in response to economic, environmental and competitive changes. In addition, since the competition started to imitate BMW’s adverting messages of outstanding quality, BMW decided to come up with a more unique way to reach its target audience. The company did so by hiring Fallon Worldwide, an advertisement agency, to come up with new campaigns. Now BMW uses guerilla public relations campaigning as a means to drive sales. Its diverse promotion tactics include seeding news of the BMW Films at key Internet entertainment rumor sites and radio DJ programs in 20 key metro markets, and BMW manufacturers use web mostly to drive its brand (Jones, 2010). In fact, BMW takes the phrase â€Å"beyond the banner† seriously. In its ads for the BMW Compact, the car drives out of the banner ad and around the sides of the browser window, to show how it loves corners. BMW’s online strategy in the UK is highly-brand drive, with clickthrough considered to be a side benefit (Jones, 2010). Not only that, BMW uses traditional banner ads, with pull-down menus, Superstitials, transitional ads which appear between pages, sponsorship and dynamic html ads like the one mentioned previously to promote its brand message and to drive the benefit of ownership in terms of the driving experience (Jones, 2010). Superstitials are highly interactive, non-banner ads that can be any size on the computer screen and up to 100k in file size. They can feature animation, sound graphics capable of effectively conveying integrated advertising messages while protecting its Web site’s performance (Jones, 2010). BMW utilizes this form of advertisement to achieve multiple goals, including branding, direct marketing, commerce and entertainment. In conclusion, as a worldwide organization, BMW Group has a long and established heritage of manufacturing premium products and holding true to its four core values of technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity. Today, BMW is one of the most respected companies and recognizable brands in the world. This is due to the fact that the BMW Group continues its leading position in the premium segments of the domestic and international automobile markets. The BMW Group has long pursued the objective of continuously and permanently increasing its company value and has done so by playing an active role in both shaping internal economic success factors as well as corporate citizenship in society as a means to gain and retain loyal customers. References Arnold, P. V. (n. d. ). BMW: The ultimate reliability machine. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://www. reliableplant. com/Read/5197/bmw-reliability Boudette, N. E. (2005). BMW’s Push to Broaden Line Hits Some Bumps in the Road. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www. bimmerfest. com/forums/showthread. php? t=83762 Holloway, N. (2002). The best-driven brand. Forbes. com Inc. Retrieved March 01, 2011, from http://www. forbes. com/global/2002/0722/024. html Horatiu, B. (2009). BMW Augmented Reality. BMWBLOG News. Retrieved March 02, 2011, from http://www. bmwblog. com/2009/09/03/bmw-augmented-reality/ Jones, J. (2010). Driving Success Digitally. Response, 19(1) 30-35. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Kotler, P. , & Keller, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall. Ludwig, C. (n. d). Standing atop the Welt of BMW’s vehicle distribution. Automotive Logistics. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Wanke, M. , Bohner, G. , & Jurkowitsch, A. (1997). There Are Many Reasons to Drive a BMW: Does Imagined Ease of Argument Generation Influence Attitudes? Journal of Consumer Research, 24(2) 170-177. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database.

Why everyone should visit Jamaica essays

Why everyone should visit Jamaica essays Close your eyes and picture a beautiful sunset meeting far away on the shimmering clear blue water in front of you. You feel a cool breeze and a hot sun against your skin and the feeling of the warm sand beneath your feet. You walk forward and feel the refreshing water wet your legs and you are tickled as a school of tropical fish passes you by. You spot the palm trees and wild plants off the shore. Are you in an unreal paradise? It is Jamaica. Jamaica is blessed with superb geographical location and resources that makes it a great vacation spot. It is an island country south of Cuba and north of South America. Therefore, you must fly or sail there. Its short distance from the United States makes it a short distance from here and that is great for fliers. It is probably a four-hour flight. Jamaica is only about seventeen degrees above the equator so it is very warm all year round. (Grab your sunglasses and tanning oil!) Everyone sees the commercials for the white-sanded beaches and t he clear blue water but Jamaica's terrain is mountainous except for those several tracts of lowlands that you see on TV. In fact, Blue Mountain's, that is the highest mountain in Jamaica, is 7402 ft. So, if you plan on going to Jamaica you had better think of bringing your hiking boots. The island is also equipped with excellent natural harbors, including those at Kingston, Saint Ann's Bay, Montego Bay, and Port Maria. There is no volcanic activity in Jamaica but it is subject to severe earthquakes. Plants and Animals Jamaica is filled with luxurious and diverse vegetation. There are varieties of food such as the mango, breadfruit, banana, and plantain. Jamaica is not only blessed with great plenty of natural wonders but it's people and their culture are probably it's greatest resource, and that is what draws the people to the island. Jamaica's great dependency on Great Britain form the past 300 years shows in the language they speak and in their customs, w...

Berry College - SAT Scores, Costs and Admissions Data

Berry College - SAT Scores, Costs and Admissions Data Berry College has an acceptance rate of 62 percent. Applicants can choose from the Common Application or Berrys own online application. There is no application fee. All applicants must submit SAT scores or ACT scores and a high school transcript. An essay and letters of recommendation are optional. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2017) Berry College Acceptance Rate: 62 percentGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Berry AdmissionsTest Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 570 / 660SAT Math: 550 / 640What these SAT numbers meanTop Georgia college SAT comparisonACT Composite: 24 / 29ACT English: 24 / 30ACT Math: 22  / 27What these ACT numbers meanTop Georgia college ACT comparison Berry College Description Founded in 1902, Berry College is a private  liberal arts college  located in Rome, Georgia, a little over an hour from Atlanta. Berry has the distinction of having the largest contiguous campus in the world. At 26,000 acres, the Berry campus encompasses fields, woodlands, and an entire mountain. Students will find lots of options for outdoor activities such as biking, hiking and horseback riding. For a small college, Berry offers a wide range of academic programs through its four schools including dual-degree programs in Engineering with  Georgia Tech  and Nursing with  Emory University. Berry has a large endowment which has allowed it to expand facilities in recent years and offer all students grant aid. The college has a 12 to 1  student faculty ratio, an excellent work experience program that is open to all students, and a strong national reputation. Overall, Berry College represents an excellent educational value. Horse lovers should note that Berry made our list ofà ‚  top equestrian colleges. Enrollment (2017) Total Enrollment: 2,110  (1,978 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 39 percent male / 61 percent female98 percent full-time Costs (2017 - 18) Tuition and Fees: $35,176Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $12,260Other Expenses: $2,196Total Cost: $50,632 Berry College Financial Aid (2016- 17) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 100 percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 100 percentLoans: 54 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $21,883Loans: $7,700 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Animal Science, Biology, Communication, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Business AdministrationWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 78 percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 57 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 64 percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Football, Swimming, Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Lacrosse, Track and Field, SoccerWomens Sports:  Soccer, Equestrian, Track and Field, Volleyball, Swimming, Tennis, Soccer, Lacrosse, Golf Berry and the Common Application Berry College uses the Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How to Use Pinterest For Business The Ultimate Marketers Guide

How to Use Pinterest For Business The Ultimate Marketers Guide Pinterest is that fun platform where people plan unrealistic weddings, right? They can do that, but they can also do more. They look for recipes, plan their homes and so much more. After all, there are over 75 billion ideas  out there. What if your business was able to show potential customers how your product or services could help them actually accomplish their ideas? Using Pinterest allows your business to do just that. When your customers are searching for inspiration or solutions, your organization can be there to help them achieve what they want. However, you need to be strategic with your Pins. It’s easy to jump on to the platform and start saving Pins everywhere. In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to use Pinterest for your business, making it a key piece in your social media marketing strategy. Do This With : Did you know you can schedule Pins on your marketing calendar, and measure their performance with robust analytics, with ? Try it free for two weeks or schedule a demo to start saving time on social media marketing. Download Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy Template When you’re ready to actively start planning your Pinterest strategy, use our free template. In this post, well show you how to complete each slide, so you can build an effective and clearly documented strategy in no time flat. Pinterest is still relatively new in the world of social media. So instead of searching for all the need-to-know information you want, we compiled it into one infographic. Get the 411 on #Pinterest marketing with this handy infographic.Is Your Audience On Pinterest? The first step in using Pinterest for marketing your business is to figure out if your audience is even active on the channel. How do you do this? First, determine the demographic makeup of the 175 million people who use Pinterest. Then see if your target audience falls into that category. If they do, Pinterest may be the channel for you. The Demographics of Pinterest According to the latest data from Pinterest and other sources, this is the current demographic makeup of Pinterest users as of 2016. How to Determine If Your Target Audience Fits The Bill So now that you have a bit of background on the demographics of Pinterest users, how do they compare to your target audience? If your target audience is primarily female Millennials, it would make sense to start investing time into creating content for a Pinterest profile. If your audience doesn’t fit the current Pinterest audience demographic, it may not make the most sense to spend time creating content for this social media channel. Is your target audience active on Pinterest?Do Your Business Objectives Match What Pinterest Has To Offer? You’ve decided that Pinterest is something you want your social media team to invest in. So what’s next? You need to figure out how you are going to tie your business objectives to your Pinterest marketing strategy. How To Find Your Business Objectives Your business objectives are the overarching goals that have been created by upper management that need to be met by the end of the year. These are the objectives that every team in your company helps contribute to. Some example business objectives could be: â€Å"We want 60% of our audience to be millennials.† â€Å"We want to be the number one soft drink for women over 40.† â€Å"We want to sell more ski resort passes to college-aged vacationers.† Because these objectives are so high level, they’ve probably already been decided by your CEO, CMO, etc. Schedule a meeting or email them to find out exactly what those objectives are (if you don’t already know). Here's how to connect your #Pinterest #marketing strategy to your business objectives.How Is Being On Pinterest Going To Benefit My Business? The next thing you need to determine after you’ve gotten your business objectives is: How is being on Pinterest going to benefit my business? This question should be answered anytime you try something new. Your answers are going to vary based on what your business wants to achieve. There are two steps to this process, the first is determining what your business wants to achieve (your business objectives). Then your marketing team needs to determine if the suggested channel is going to be beneficial in helping you reach your goals. For example, if your business wanted to engage more with your customers and increase product recall, pinning your products to Pinterest could provide that benefit. If it makes sense to your marketing team, pursue Pinterest. You’ll never know if something works unless you try. How could #Pinterest marketing benefit your business?How To Create Your Pinterest Boards By now you’ll have set your account. You’re all ready to go. Until you realize your profile is completely blank. It’s time to add some boards. Boards are like groups that hold certain categories of pins. Each one of these boards has a title, which needs to be awesome enough to grab the attention of your audience and make them want to follow it. So how do you know what types of boards create? Recommended Reading: How To Create A Marketing Strategy That Will Skyrocket Your Results By 9,360% Create Boards Around Your Content Core Your content core is a special place where you take into consideration what your audience cares about and combine it with what you want to say. Your content core is basically the intersection between what your audience cares about, and your brand's expertise: Create Pinterest boards about topics in your core.   Once you have your board topics figured out you can move on to naming them. Record your content core topics in your template. How to Choose The Right Titles Pinterest suggests you should set your boards up like window displays. You want them to appeal to your audience’s tastes and also keep them coming back for more. Here’s a basic look at it from their perspective: Rebekah Radice takes Pinterest’s advice one step further with a few great ideas  that’ll help you choose memorable names for your boards. Make them: Eye-catching. Keyword rich. Content specific. She’s right. Start With: If you’re just starting out on Pinterest, come up with two different board ideas. Build those to start with. If you’ve been on Pinterest for awhile now, focus on cleaning up two of the Pinterest boards you already have. When going through your boards, make sure there aren’t any exact duplicates, make sure the links work, and add keywords to the descriptions. Maybe even rewrite descriptions, so they are stronger. So how do you set up your boards once you’ve decided on a title? First, go to your Pinterest profile and select Boards: After that, all you have to do is enter your board name. For this example, let’s say we’re a local farmers market. A great board title could be Seasonal Recipes. Record your board titles in your template. How should brands select #pinterest board categories and titles? Find out here.How To Curate Pins Something like 80% of the content shared on Pinterest are Repins (now called Saves). Start out by exploring Pinterest for content you think your audience will enjoy, and save that awesome stuff. When Pinning, abide by the 80/20 rule: Share 80% of other people’s content and only 20% of your own. For every piece of content that you share, that is yours, save four Pins from others. As you begin, your goals will be: Make connections with other pinners by following them, liking, saving, and commenting on their Pins. Build your content foundation with curated content to find your audience and build a following. Know what your niche likes so you can share more of that. Record the topics your curated content should cover in your template. Recommended Reading: How to Curate Content For Social Media To Help Boost Your Reach How To Create Your Pins While the 80/20 rule says that you should Pin 80% of your content, you’ll still need to figure out how to create the other 20% of those pins. Here’s how to do it. Writing Your Pin Descriptions Mitt Ray writes about Pinterest a lot. And he compiled some interesting data  to help you write better descriptions for your Pins so you can get the attention your content deserves. Mitt suggests that by writing a great Pin, your audience will have a better chance of finding your awesome content. Writing An Awesome Pin: Longer descriptions get the most Repins.  Aim for slightly more than 300 characters. Buzzfeed found that robust descriptions, especially if your image isn’t beautiful, interesting, or useful, combined with positivity  help get them more Saves and click-throughs. Include a link back to your site.  Adding a link back to your site will make your entire description a clickable link. Write a killer call to action.  If you want your Pins to convert, inspire Pinners to click through with an awesome call to action. Use keywords.  Your audience uses keywords to find the content they want. If you’ve focused your blog on an SEO content strategy, you’ve already located the keywords you know your audience is searching for, so include those in your descriptions. Mention others.  When you share other people’s content, mention them as a thank you. Plus, you’ll make more friends that way! How to Use Pinterest For Business The Ultimate Marketers Guide Pinterest is that fun platform where people plan unrealistic weddings, right? They can do that, but they can also do more. They look for recipes, plan their homes and so much more. After all, there are over 75 billion ideas  out there. What if your business was able to show potential customers how your product or services could help them actually accomplish their ideas? Using Pinterest allows your business to do just that. When your customers are searching for inspiration or solutions, your organization can be there to help them achieve what they want. However, you need to be strategic with your Pins. It’s easy to jump on to the platform and start saving Pins everywhere. In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to use Pinterest for your business, making it a key piece in your social media marketing strategy. Do This With : Did you know you can schedule Pins on your marketing calendar, and measure their performance with robust analytics, with ? Try it free for two weeks or schedule a demo to start saving time on social media marketing. Download Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy Template When you’re ready to actively start planning your Pinterest strategy, use our free template. In this post, well show you how to complete each slide, so you can build an effective and clearly documented strategy in no time flat.How to Use Pinterest For Business: The Ultimate Pinterest Marketing GuideWhat Should Marketers Know About Pinterest? Pinterest is still relatively new in the world of social media. So instead of searching for all the need-to-know information you want, we compiled it into one infographic. Get the 411 on #Pinterest marketing with this handy infographic.Is Your Audience On Pinterest? The first step in using Pinterest for marketing your business is to figure out if your audience is even active on the channel. How do you do this? First, determine the demographic makeup of the 175 million people who use Pinterest. Then see if your target audience falls into that category. If they do, Pinterest may be the channel for you. The Demographics of Pinterest According to the latest data from Pinterest and other sources, this is the current demographic makeup of Pinterest users as of 2016. How to Determine If Your Target Audience Fits The Bill So now that you have a bit of background on the demographics of Pinterest users, how do they compare to your target audience? If your target audience is primarily female Millennials, it would make sense to start investing time into creating content for a Pinterest profile. If your audience doesn’t fit the current Pinterest audience demographic, it may not make the most sense to spend time creating content for this social media channel. Is your target audience active on Pinterest?Do Your Business Objectives Match What Pinterest Has To Offer? You’ve decided that Pinterest is something you want your social media team to invest in. So what’s next? You need to figure out how you are going to tie your business objectives to your Pinterest marketing strategy. How To Find Your Business Objectives Your business objectives are the overarching goals that have been created by upper management that need to be met by the end of the year. These are the objectives that every team in your company helps contribute to. Some example business objectives could be: â€Å"We want 60% of our audience to be millennials.† â€Å"We want to be the number one soft drink for women over 40.† â€Å"We want to sell more ski resort passes to college-aged vacationers.† Because these objectives are so high level, they’ve probably already been decided by your CEO, CMO, etc. Schedule a meeting or email them to find out exactly what those objectives are (if you don’t already know). Here's how to connect your #Pinterest #marketing strategy to your business objectives.How Is Being On Pinterest Going To Benefit My Business? The next thing you need to determine after you’ve gotten your business objectives is: How is being on Pinterest going to benefit my business? This question should be answered anytime you try something new. Your answers are going to vary based on what your business wants to achieve. There are two steps to this process, the first is determining what your business wants to achieve (your business objectives). Then your marketing team needs to determine if the suggested channel is going to be beneficial in helping you reach your goals. For example, if your business wanted to engage more with your customers and increase product recall, pinning your products to Pinterest could provide that benefit. If it makes sense to your marketing team, pursue Pinterest. You’ll never know if something works unless you try. How could #Pinterest marketing benefit your business?How To Create Your Pinterest Boards By now you’ll have set your account. You’re all ready to go. Until you realize your profile is completely blank. It’s time to add some boards. Boards are like groups that hold certain categories of pins. Each one of these boards has a title, which needs to be awesome enough to grab the attention of your audience and make them want to follow it. So how do you know what types of boards create? Recommended Reading: How To Create A Marketing Strategy That Will Skyrocket Your Results By 9,360% Create Boards Around Your Content Core Your content core is a special place where you take into consideration what your audience cares about and combine it with what you want to say. Your content core is basically the intersection between what your audience cares about, and your brand's expertise: Create Pinterest boards about topics in your core.   Once you have your board topics figured out you can move on to naming them. Record your content core topics in your template. How to Choose The Right Titles Pinterest suggests you should set your boards up like window displays. You want them to appeal to your audience’s tastes and also keep them coming back for more. Here’s a basic look at it from their perspective: Rebekah Radice takes Pinterest’s advice one step further with a few great ideas  that’ll help you choose memorable names for your boards. Make them: Eye-catching. Keyword rich. Content specific. She’s right. Start With: If you’re just starting out on Pinterest, come up with two different board ideas. Build those to start with. If you’ve been on Pinterest for awhile now, focus on cleaning up two of the Pinterest boards you already have. When going through your boards, make sure there aren’t any exact duplicates, make sure the links work, and add keywords to the descriptions. Maybe even rewrite descriptions, so they are stronger. So how do you set up your boards once you’ve decided on a title? First, go to your Pinterest profile and select Boards: After that, all you have to do is enter your board name. For this example, let’s say we’re a local farmers market. A great board title could be Seasonal Recipes. Record your board titles in your template. How should brands select #pinterest board categories and titles? Find out here.How To Curate Pins Something like 80% of the content shared on Pinterest are Repins (now called Saves). Start out by exploring Pinterest for content you think your audience will enjoy, and save that awesome stuff. When Pinning, abide by the 80/20 rule: Share 80% of other people’s content and only 20% of your own. For every piece of content that you share, that is yours, save four Pins from others. As you begin, your goals will be: Make connections with other pinners by following them, liking, saving, and commenting on their Pins. Build your content foundation with curated content to find your audience and build a following. Know what your niche likes so you can share more of that. Record the topics your curated content should cover in your template. Recommended Reading: How to Curate Content For Social Media To Help Boost Your Reach How To Create Your Pins While the 80/20 rule says that you should Pin 80% of your content, you’ll still need to figure out how to create the other 20% of those pins. Here’s how to do it. Writing Your Pin Descriptions Mitt Ray writes about Pinterest a lot. And he compiled some interesting data  to help you write better descriptions for your Pins so you can get the attention your content deserves. Mitt suggests that by writing a great Pin, your audience will have a better chance of finding your awesome content. Writing An Awesome Pin: Longer descriptions get the most Repins.  Aim for slightly more than 300 characters. Buzzfeed found that robust descriptions, especially if your image isn’t beautiful, interesting, or useful, combined with positivity  help get them more Saves and click-throughs. Include a link back to your site.  Adding a link back to your site will make your entire description a clickable link. Write a killer call to action.  If you want your Pins to convert, inspire Pinners to click through with an awesome call to action. Use keywords.  Your audience uses keywords to find the content they want. If you’ve focused your blog on an SEO content strategy, you’ve already located the keywords you know your audience is searching for, so include those in your descriptions. Mention others.  When you share other people’s content, mention them as a thank you. Plus, you’ll make more friends that way!

Impact of financial crysis into international economy Essay

Impact of financial crysis into international economy - Essay Example In addition, there is a global credit crunch that has paralyzed economic development in the third world countries as well as slowing down the economic growth rates of the developed countries. Furthermore, both the first and third world countries have reported an increase in the rate of unemployment and poverty. There has also been a nosedive in exports, investment and asset markets (Healy and Palepu 13). Therefore, with the aim of studying the impact of financial crisis into international economy this article will outline its causes, consequences and the impact of the credit crunch. CAUSES OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS (GFC) According to most economists, the current economic crunch is the worst kind of financial crisis that the world has faced so far since the Great Depression of the 1930s (BWND ch. 1).. The root cause of the credit crunch is related to the development of the US housing bubble that rapidly occurred between 2005 and 2006. This resulted to an increase in the number of default rates of the adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) and subprime (Calomiris 6-52). This is because the banking institutions were willing and readily gave out loans to investors to purchase real estate property. Investors were encouraged to apply for high loans believing that they would settle them within a short time (BWND ch. 3). Investors applied for loans with ignorance of the interest rates. In fact, investors could easily access a plethora of loans including credit card, mortgage and auto which lured them to apply for the loans without considering the unprecedented load that would be caused by the debt. There were also a myriad of financial agreements including collateralized debt obligations (CDO) and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) which stipulated a more friendly strategy for settling the debt (Salmon ch. 5). This was a marketing strategy that encouraged investors from all over the world to venture in the US housing market. Moreover, the US federal bureau had monitored th e interest rates since 1982 to ensure they were steadily decreasing. The easy access to foreign funds encouraged investors to undertake the loans for fuelling the housing construction projects (Healy and Palepu 13). Come the year 2007, interest rates increased with an outrageous margin resulting to a decrease in the housing prices. Conversely, most investors were adversely affected since raising money became increasingly difficult. Within a short time there was an increase in the number of foreclosed real estate properties. Also most of the global financial institutions that had invested heavily on the financial agreements incurred huge losses. This led to the erosion of financial strength for banking institutions. As a result there was a worldwide drain of wealth which led to an increase in poverty levels. In addition, there were an increased number of loan defaulters and not only in the housing sector but also in other economic sectors resulting to unbearable losses that cost the globe trillions of dollars (Calomiris 6-52). Another factor that resulted to the growth of the credit crunch is the financialization process. The US credit and housing bubble rapidly expanded the international financial stability until it became fragile and susceptible to a wide array of risks. This is because financial institu

Encounter Between Christianity And Other Religions During The 19th And Essay

Encounter Between Christianity And Other Religions During The 19th And 20th Century - Essay Example Christianity is considered as a proselytizing religion. This translates that the followers of these religions have a belief that it is their responsibility to share their religion and try to bring others to their religion. Early Christians emanated from the Jewish tradition, however,   they had a belief that the message and teaching of Jesus Christ were supposed to be for all people in the world. They used the transportation networks such as shipping routes, roads in spreading the message of Jesus throughout the Roman empire and areas of the Mediterranean region of North Africa, Western Asia, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean sea. Looking at the map of Christianity in Africa, it is apparent that Palestine, where Christianity first emerged is quite close to Africa in proximity. Owing to this aspect, there is no doubt that Christianity spread to North Africa and Egypt during the first century, especially in Alexandria, which later became a crucial center for the new religion. Pre sently, among Christian scholars and theologians of comparative religion, a great extent of ink has been spilled in an attempt of defining the relationship between Christianity and other non-Christian religions around the world. The fact that majority, if not all non-Christians religions are existing in proximity to the Christian religion, has lent the task of research a new urgency. Today, it is not a surprise to find churches among Buddhist, Hindu, Sick temples or synagogue.

How Safe IS The Biodiesel for Air Transportation Essay

How Safe IS The Biodiesel for Air Transportation - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the safety of using biodiesel in air transportation. Significance of Air Transportation Critics have challenged the probability of Air transport being the best mode of transport despite the many advantages attributed to it. Irrespective of this, this form of transport is of great significance because it has offered the globe a fast and reliable connectivity. The industry has introduced realms of possibilities. Traversing continents takes a few days or hours depending on the choice of flight connectivity. Air transport is very crucial for global trade especially trade surrounding perishable goods. Tourism is an additional sector that is only a possibility because of air transport. Tourism is an economic stronghold in many nations and contributes immensely to economic growth. Air transportation makes it is simpler for people to import and export culture. In the past, this critical sector has relied on the use of petroleum diesel for its engines. Despite the num erous technological changes that surround the aviation industry, the industry has persisted in its dependence on fossil fuels. However, the recent environmental concerns about the emission of greenhouse gases by fossil fuels, and the resulting consequences have compelled experts to embark on the search for reliable and cleaner sources that promise both economical and environmental sustainability (Pandey 34). Fossil fuels have threatened the environment with the uncontrollable emission of greenhouse gases and hydrocarbons into the environment initiating and enhancing global warming. The search for alternative energy sources has identified biodiesel as a reliable energy source. More importantly, future prospects indicate that biodiesel will be a reliable source to drive the aviation industry. Analysis of the potential benefits of biodiesel presents a promising future. Compared to fossil fuels, biodiesel releases zero percent of sulfates while fossil fuels release a high percentage of these (Metz 30). Moreover, with biodiesel, the aviation industry has the assurance of 78 percent less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Such immense reduction of carbon dioxide has been the central focus of many researchers in the recent past. Intensive research has revealed the different cycles of fossil use and biodiesel use. In the fossil use case, each step involves the release of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere (Pandey 56). However, the cycle does exhibit any possibility of recycling in the atmosphere. On the contrary, fossil fuels bring a new supply of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the ground. On the other hand, biodiesel use exhibits a possibility of recycling. Sources of biodiesel include feedstock from oils, plants, and algae. Plants utilize carbon dioxide that is available in the atmosphere for the manufacture of carbohydrates that are very crucial for metabolism. Extraction of biodiesel from plant feedstock can produce either first generation of second gener ation biodiesel. Although the processing and use of the biodiesel in aviation releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, it does not destruct the carbon dioxide cycle because the amount released becomes critical for the growth of more plants (Ellman 120). Replacing petroleum diesel used in the aviation industry with biodiesel will serve to eliminate the additional release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from fossil fuels. This will reduce the 78 percent of carbon dioxide

Global Interdependence Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Interdependence - Article Example Colonialism was responsible for the expansion of the slave trade, and the exploitation of colonies to make the colonial powers richer. Without colonialism it is doubtful that capitalism would have developed as rapidly and as widespread as it did. Colonialism also formed relationships between the colonies and the colonial powers that have heavily influenced global interdependence. The third article was by Davis and is about what the author terms as Victorian Holocausts. The main point of this article is that the colonialism of the Late Victorian Period had a detrimental affect upon the colonies, especially those in Africa. Davis contends that through a combination of greed, negligence, and apathy the colonial powers caused starvation, poverty, and backwardness. The colonial powers were responsible for making the developing countries poorer after they finally gained independence. These three articles when studied together offer different insights into how contemporary global interdependence came about. The Westad article concentrated upon the influence that the United States has had on shaping the world after the Second World War. Westad contends that the United States played a much greater role in shaping the post-war world due to the superpower rivalry with the Soviet Union. In contrast the Cesaire article places the most importance on the experience of colonialism. Stating it was one of the most important factors in the shaping of contemporary global interdependence. Colonialism as an experience remains very important in our understanding of how the modern world was shaped. The Davis article offers a great amount of detail as to how misrule and exploitation by the colonial powers has continued to have a highly detrimental affect upon the wealth as well as the stability of many former colonies, particularly in Africa. To be honest these three articles are most useful for understanding

Democracy in Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Democracy in Modern World - Essay Example Gladys argument focuses on the fact that democracies cannot wage successful wars as the case of Athenians waging war in Sicily’s. I do support her argument that democratic countries should distinguish between good and bad leaders, but I find certain flaws in her argument. I agree with Gladys’ premises that suggest the country frightened their generals into sending better news home than the facts on the ground and chose weak generals to wage the war. This argument leads to her argument that democracies cannot wage a successful war. A look at all the premises helps Gladys conclude that a democratic country cannot lead such a war is viable.Her argument in her conclusion is valid since there need to be better strategies in war, and the failure of Athenians was a result of poor strategies and poor execution by the generals. There was a need to evaluate leaders and have better alternatives. In her argument, it is clear that poor intelligence brought the wrong generals, and th ey were overextended. This situation showed that to have the best plans there is a need for good executors for it to be successful. In conclusion, I agree with her argument that democratic countries cannot wage successful war since their strategies are prone to hope and checks and balances. Such checks limit the passion experienced in such wars but to be on the safe side all parties in a war need to appreciate and differentiate between choosing weak and strong leaders to wage wars.

Monetary and Fiscal Policies on Recession Research Paper

Monetary and Fiscal Policies on Recession - Research Paper Example As a result, the rate of unemployment goes up reducing the purchasing power of consumers. Consecutively, money supply in the economy becomes significantly low (Navarro, 2009). Fiscal policy is used by governments to stabilize aggregate demand and aggregate supply in the economy by influencing the government spending, borrowing and taxation. The government uses fiscal policy to change the patterns of people’s spending. According to Keynesian school, fiscal policy helps restore employment rates, demand and output where the economy is operating below capacity. Keynesian recommends two types of fiscal policies; expansionary fiscal policy and contractionary fiscal policy. Expansionary fiscal policy is used where the government requires deficit spending in case of recession while contractionary fiscal policy is used when there is an excess expansion which requires a surplus in the budget (Renee, 2009). Monetary policy is another tool used to manage the aggregate demand and supply by controlling the supply of money in the economy. The government uses the central bank to control growth, liquidity, inflation and consumption due to changes in the amount of money in the economy. The Federal Reserve System responds to excessive money supply by raising the interest rate and lowers the interest rates when there is low money supply in the market (Borio & Disyatat, 2010). The Great Recession of 2008 presented severe economic conditions in the US and also in other countries. Furthermore, the recession was associated with elongated economic slumps and slow economic recoveries. After recession, most of the world economies went into depression and this caused a large gap in the recovery of the currency, as the developing countries have weaker currencies compared to the developed countries.

Democracy in Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Democracy in Modern World - Essay Example Gladys argument focuses on the fact that democracies cannot wage successful wars as the case of Athenians waging war in Sicily’s. I do support her argument that democratic countries should distinguish between good and bad leaders, but I find certain flaws in her argument. I agree with Gladys’ premises that suggest the country frightened their generals into sending better news home than the facts on the ground and chose weak generals to wage the war. This argument leads to her argument that democracies cannot wage a successful war. A look at all the premises helps Gladys conclude that a democratic country cannot lead such a war is viable.Her argument in her conclusion is valid since there need to be better strategies in war, and the failure of Athenians was a result of poor strategies and poor execution by the generals. There was a need to evaluate leaders and have better alternatives. In her argument, it is clear that poor intelligence brought the wrong generals, and th ey were overextended. This situation showed that to have the best plans there is a need for good executors for it to be successful. In conclusion, I agree with her argument that democratic countries cannot wage successful war since their strategies are prone to hope and checks and balances. Such checks limit the passion experienced in such wars but to be on the safe side all parties in a war need to appreciate and differentiate between choosing weak and strong leaders to wage wars.

A review of an article (Carr) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A review of an article (Carr) - Essay Example tiveness to companies has greatly declined causing a necessity for the top managements strategically to evaluate their position on IT investment (Carr, 2003). Numerous correspondences cited on this article closely relate IT with previous technologies in terms of their growth but most importantly, they have likened IT to infrastructural technology (Carr, 2003). There are great similarities that exist between their characteristics considering their share ability nature since they offer more value than when they are customized. IT is best suitable when partnered with other firms in order to yield the highest level of results exemplified by early technologies like Electricity and rail transportation, which is the very nature of IT (Carr, 2003). The article further argues that for a technology to be competitive it must be owned and should be able to differentiate an organization from their competitors. This is not so with IT because many companies have the ability to reproduce on the shelf similar products to serve similar purpose. Additionally the cost of IT products has drastically gone down therefore almost all organization can afford the IT investments eliminating the uniqueness that IT can offer for competitiveness. Therefore, the article concludes that for companies to be able to rely on IT as a strategic goal to competitiveness, they should consider changing their overall perspective. They should endeavor to reduce the costs invested in IT through evaluating the returns that IT investments offer. Companies should ensure that they get longer IT value and should not always rush to upgrade their IT resources without doing a need assessment because not all IT investment bring equal financial returns (Carr,

Products, Services and prices in the Free

Products, Services and prices in the Free Market Essay Price elasticity of demand is a term commonly used in economic and business studies to mean an elasticity that measures the degree of the relationship between variation in quantity demanded of a good and variation in its price. In most cases normal goods and most inferior goods price drops results into increase in the quantity demanded. But goods for which there is no substitute are generally inelastic. This type of demand is relatively associated with necessities. However, products with a high elasticity in most cases have many substitutes. (Karl 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the case of Southern Airline, there are various airlines that operate through the same part of America. Thus there are a number of substitutes in the area which means that the demand is elastic. If for example the company charge too much on its tickets, people are likely to move to the other forms of air travel in Texas. (Karl 1999) Demand for giffen goods or Veblen goods are considered to increase with increase in price. First class air travel happened to rank in the classification of giffen goods (goods whose demand increase with increase in price) so I would advice you to increases the price of the first class tickets but not for the ordinary class passages. (Henderson 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, there is a case of price inflation, during an economic bubble, consumer perception have a crucial role in explaining products’ demand in some categories. If for example you   increase your prices, customers may come on the perception that you are charging higher because you are offering higher quality services. This in return will have a positive impact on the company’s revenue. (Karl 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Price elasticity demand is affected by a number of factors but all of them are under one umbrella the ‘choice’.   By choice we mean the power of choice the consumers of a certain good holds to give up the consumption of the said good. All this is due to consumer’s ‘perceived value’ like first class those customers value their prestige and will not do without it. So I would advice you to increase the 1st class ticket prices. Also, on the other classes based on the principle of price inflation during an economic bubble you can increase the price believing that people will perceive that there is quality improvement and respond positively thereby increasing the overall revenue. (Sowell 2004) Air travel is a basic necessity to some long distance travelers in America. This means that if price is increased they will probably not change their mode of transport. Thus change in price is not likely to affect much the change in demand since the elasticity of the product is not too elastic.   I would advice you to increase the price since you offer good quality service, Air travel to some people is habitual and they will still come, most of the people   who use air travel have good income and thus they will not be affected or strain financially and thus realize some decreased revenue. (Karl 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income Elasticity of demand evaluates the responsiveness of quantity demanded of good to the variation in the income of people demanding this good. It is the ratio of the percentage change in quantity demanded to the percent change in income. (Henderson 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this case, the third class travelers who are the majority have a negative income elasticity of demand. This means that an increase in income will lead to a decrease in the quantity demanded for some specific less luxurious class. Therefore if customer’s income is increased by 10%, they will tend to move to the higher prestigious classes. Also, more people who would like to travel by air and find it economically straining if their income is raised, they would travel by air that means that increase in consumer income by 10% may result to increase in the demand by same proportion. A zero income elasticity of demand would occur in the prestigious class travel. This means that increase in their income will not have an effect on their demand. (Karl 1999) AN OVERVIEW OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Southwest Airlines was originally started to serve three cities in Texas as Air Southwest back in 1967 by Rolling King and Herb Kelleher. These routes were Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. It is the largest airline that operates within California, with 694 flights total in the state, 370 of which are intra-California. Currently, Southwest operates in 64 cities in 32 states, with more than 3,300 flights a day. It has notably large operations in certain airports. These airports operate non-stop flights to more than half of the Southwest system. It also uses other secondary airports which have lower costs which may or may not be, more convenient to travelers than the major airports to the same destinations such as Midway Airport in Chicago and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The company offers both the local and international airline services. An average of three quarters of Southwest passengers is local passengers, meaning only a quarter of all passengers are connecting passengers. This is relatively higher than most airlines, where travelers often connect in hub cities. Southwest Airlines has also set a goal to code share with ATA and begin international codeshare services or ticket for international flights in 2009. Destinations that may be served by this include Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico Southwest Airlines also makes exceptions to the philosophy of serving those secondary airports by flying into some larger airports in major cities, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Success and profitability of this company led to a common trend named after the company as The Southwest Effect. The price in the company may drop when a low fare carrier or any aggressive and innovative company comes into market. They believe that a drop in price not only doubles the customers but may quadruple them. Southwest has a program to hedge fuel prices. It purchases fuel options years in advance so to smooth out fuel costs variations. This helps the company to take market conditions advantage for example in 2000. It also hopes to take advantage of historically low prices of jet. According to its 2006 Annual Report, fuel prices have been fluctuating over the past years: 2004 82.8 cents/gallon 2005 103.3 cents/gallon 2006 153.0 cents/gallon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.southwest.com/about us In conclusion, it can be said that price can be increased in the case of the Southwest Airline under conventional economic assumptions of consumer rationality: that people will look for the quality not the pricing. Also, company has a relatively inelastic demand and the prices will not affect the customers. So it is advisable to raise the price also because the ‘good’ in this case is giffen good. Reference Karl E. Ray C. (1999). Principles of Economics (5th ed.). Prentice-Hall Publishers Henderson, H (2004), Supply and Demand. Kessinger Publishers Sowell T (2004). Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy Basic Book Publishers Smith A (1982), The Wealth of Nations. Penguine Classics www.southwest.com/about us

Features of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Features of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Introduction Communication is extremely important in our life. Due to the need for protection, companionship and nourishment, our ancestors had communicated and gathered to form a community. Effective communication, both verbal and nonverbal communication helped us to become successful as an individual and species. Business relationships, interpersonal relationships, and also our physical and psychological well-being are shaped by the verbal and nonverbal communication. To nurture relationships and enhance positive communication, we have to understand the different features of verbal and nonverbal communication. Main Body According to Lucas (2014), verbal communication includes many forms of communication, such as written, words, signed or spoken. The news we read in the morning, the text message send by parents are both verbal communication. Language is the one which enable us to communicate rather than merely sounds. Besides, technology also allows us to communicate although we are far from each other. Verbal communication is often use to inform, either it is to impart knowledge or inform our needs. Besides, it is also use to correct a wrong. The words â€Å"I’m sorry†, is definitely more effective than action. Verbal communication deepens and creates new relationships and also provides an opportunity to debate. Robert M. Krauss, a professor in the Psychology Department at Columbia University had written an article with the title of The Psychology of Verbal Communication†. In the article, he said that â€Å"A species survival depends critically upon its ability to communicate effectively, and the quality of its social life is determined in large measure by how and what it can communicate. (Krauss, 2002) While nonverbal communication consists of body language such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and eye contact. It is coexists along with verbal communication. â€Å"Bodily Communication†, a book written by Michael Argyle, stated that the five main functions of nonverbal communication are reflect personality, express emotions, support verbal interaction, communicate interpersonal relationships and also perform rituals. (Argyle, 1975) Touch is a nonverbal communication that shows a person’s feelings, personal characteristics, as well as level of comfort. A timid handshake and a firm handshake; a warm hug and a loose pat on the back are both very different. The tone, pitch and volume of our voice are also nonverbal communication. Sometimes, the meaning of a person’s word is entirely different from the literal meaning, which is sarcasm. When a man trying to attract a woman, a playful wink is always more effective than saying a well-thought sentence. According to the paper â€Å"The Importance of Effective Communication† written by Edward G. Wertheim, Ph.D, mentioned that how verbal communication interacts with non-verbal communication. We can substitute, emphasize, contradict, reinforce, and complement our verbal communication with non-verbal cues such as expressions, gestures and vocal inflection. Baby use nonverbal cues while they still not able to speak. Belasco (2013) said that a 19-month-old baby, Matthew Orozco uses a few signs in American Sign Language (ASL) while communicating with his parents although he has no hearing impairment and has normal speech development. Signing is very important to children as it is the bridge to the verbal world. Why are we more likely to believe nonverbal behaviours than words when the two conflict? People often send conflicting verbal and nonverbal messages. When a nonverbal message conflicts with the verbal message, people will always believe the nonverbal message. As the saying said actions speak louder than words. Dr. Albert Mehrabian had written an article titled â€Å"Silent Messages† which he analysed the messages people send. The messages are divided into three parts, which are verbal, vocal and nonverbal. The actual words we use in message is the verbal part. Then, the vocal part is the tone while we speak. The message will has different meaning when we speak in sarcastic tone or sincere tone. While the nonverbal part of the message consists the physical aspects such as gestures, expressions, eye contact and posture. Dr. Mehrabian estimates that there are 7 percent of a message is verbal, and vocal is 38 percent. So, it means that 55 percent of a message is nonverbal, and it involve in each message in a few ways. (Mehrabian, 1971) Nonverbal cues have the functions of complement, regulate, repeat, replace, contradict, and accentuate our vocal and verbal messages. A message is complement by nonverbal cues via adding reinforcement to it. The intended message is supported by the nonverbal cues, for example, the distance between people. Most of the employees tend to stand nearer to their colleague compare to their boss. This does not express the message much by itself, but when it is coupled with a simple sentence such as â€Å"How are you?† or â€Å"Good morning†, it does. This shows that the employee is respectful and responsive and is not challenging the authority of the boss. Besides, by controlling the course of the discussion, nonverbal cues can regulate a conversation. For example, touching someone will be a signal that you wish to interrupt and wish to speak to that person. When a verbal message could stand alone but nonverbal cue is added to it, it is repeating the message. For instance, when someone told you some information and you said â€Å"I do not believe it† and at the same time you rolled your eyes, then the message is repeated. Actions speak louder than words; verbal can be replaced by nonverbal cues. For example, when an employee receives an unwanted assignment from the boss, the employee gives a few seconds of cold stares at the boss before returning to work instead of protest verbally or refuse the task. Contradict happens when the nonverbal and verbal messages carrying a totally opposite meaning. An example will be when an employee is looking bored and distracted while his or her boss is discussing about a boring topic, but the employee gives a comment such as â€Å"How interesting!† Accenting is used to punctuate part of a message, instead of giving the entire message a general support. It is different from complement a message. For instance, pounding fist on a table is accenting the verbal message. (College of DuPage, 1998) Stewart (2011) said that nonverbal communication is bound to culture and sex. In detail, different cultures and nationalities have different relative value of talk versus action, silence versus speech, the social role of gossip or small talk, and the role of rhyme, animation and exaggeration in speech. While male and female are different in emotional expressiveness, vocalics, eye contact, appearance and the need of personal space. So, the study of verbal and nonverbal communication always been done within a cultural or social context due to these differences. A study which carried out by the Buffalo State (n.d.) shows that nonverbal communication is separated into a few categories, which are kinesics, occulesics, proxemics, haptics, vocalics, chronemics, appearance, environments, artifacts, olfactics and synchrony. Kinesics, also called as body language, deals with the movement physically. Traditional linguistics principles are applied in the study to the whole body or to specific parts of a body, mainly the hands, face and arms. The eye and facial expressions, such as rolling of the eyes or arching of eyebrows as well as the posture of sitting and standing are also included. Kinesics is different depends on the culture. For instance, a Japanese may act less excited compared to a person from Mediterranean culture when expressing anger. The person from Mediterranean culture may use extensive body gestures and hand movements while the Japanese may just have a slight movements. Furthermore, usage of frowning, smiling giggling and others also included as kinesics, they are all different in different cultures. The sign language that counts on expressions and gestures is an alternative to spoken language, it is not kinesics. Kinesics is supported and reinforced by physical gestures and emblems to what is being said verbally. There are some emblems are universal, but some are differs in cultural, or even different interpretations between men and women. Uplifted shoulders and upturned hands that represents â€Å"I don’t know† which can be seen everywhere in this world is an example of universal emblem. An encircled thumb and forefinger would be an example of culture-bound emblem. In Japan, the gesture is interpreted as money; in France, it is interpreted as worthless; a curse in Arab; OK in United States; and in Brazil, Australia and Germany, it is an obscenity. Occulesics is dealing with eye behaviour as part of communication. Part of the occulesics deal with a dynamic eye movement versus a fixed or static gaze. The interpretation of eye contact is very hard to predict as it is interpret differently in different cultures. Direct eye contact is very common in the western countries, they look into other people’s eye about 70 percent of the time while listening and 40 percent while talking. While it is more common to look at other people’s throat while talking in Japan. Direct eye contact is considered as bad manners in Indonesia and China, so they are practice to lower their eyes. In Hispanic culture, it is a form of challenge and disrespect when look into other people’s eyes. However, it is common for both listeners and speakers to have direct eye contact for a long period in Arab’s culture, it represents that they are interested in the conversation. The usage of social space in a communication situation is termed as proxemics. The distance between people when they speak is one of the aspects of proxemics. The distance is from a public distance (more than 12 feet) to social or formal distance (4-12 feet) to personal or informal distance (18 inches to 4 feet), and intimate space (less than 18 inches). The effective use of space in social settings also being deal by proxemics, for example the arrangement of space in businesses and homes can encourage or inhibit communication. Other than the above, haptics emphasize on touching as one of the elements of communication. Haptics also vary in different cultures, just like other elements of nonverbal communication. For instance, the culture in Middle Eastern, Latin America and Mediterranean include a lot of social touching in their conversation, such as hand holding and embraces. So, they are categorised as high-contact cultures. In Northern Europe and North America, they only touch occasionally, such as back slapping and handshakes. They are considered as moderate-touch culture. In Northern Asian cultures, which considered as low contact culture, social touching is not always happen. But, for example, people in the nation of Philippines include a lot of social touching in their conversation. Haptics may vary although is in the same culture. For instance, the strength and length of handshakes depends on the intimacy level of the two people shaking hands. Vocalics or paralanguage, deals with vocal, or more emphasize it is referred as the nonphonemic qualities of language. The loudness, pitch, accent, tempo, tone, cadence, nasality, insofar and even the rate of speech are included in vocalics, all these carrying different meaning. Vocalics also vary in different cultures. For example, the practice of belching is accepted in different ways depend on the cultures. Other than that, the vocal qualifiers such as pitch, volume, tempo and rhythm also associated with different cultures. Speaking loudly represents sincerity in Arab culture, but it is considered as aggressive in North America. Chronemics is about the usage of time as a component of communication. Minutes, hours and days are categorised as formal time, while informal time includes seasons, lunar cycles and social customs. Chronemics includes specifics, for example the punctuality together with the forms of dominance or the deference during a communication situation. For instance, men are more likely to interrupt or dominate a conversation compared to women. Besides, chronemics also deals with arriving time to a social setting. Americans tends to arriving early for a business meeting but will be â€Å"fashionably late† for social activities. However, Sioux are very relaxed toward time as the word â€Å"late† is not even exists in Sioux language. Chronemics are divided into monochronemics and polychronemics. Monochronemic is define as doing one thing at a time, and is stress on agendas and promptness; while polychronemic means doing several things at a time, it emphasis on relationships. In North America and Northern Europe, monochronemic conversation is common. While people are more likely to use polychronemic conversation in Asia countries, Middle East, Latin America and Mediterranean. Appearance is dealing with a person’s physical appearance or look. It deals with the physical aspects such as hair colour, body shape, dressing which included accessories and clothing, skin tone and the use of appearance enhancement such as body tattoos and piercings. The public speakers in North and Western Africa are prefer to wear big sleeves and long robes so that they are able to raise their hands, they are looking bigger and more elegant as the extra sleeve cloth will slips through their arms and puffs up their shoulder. Environment is also very important in nonverbal communication, for example the physical space such as location, room size and colour, and accessibility. In a company, there are significant meanings about the size of desk and the design or location of the office. For instance, the most important people in a company will locate his or her office at the highest floor of the building. Furthermore, artifacts deals with the visible objects in communicative aspects, this may indicates a person’s status or even revealing the lifestyle of a person. For example, the choice of automobile is carrying much meaning about a person. However, artifacts always important in some cultures, for instance, rugs are prestigious in Arab. Olfactics is dealing with smell, such as the use of perfume and spices. In communication, the smell is more likely to be relevant when the people are closer. It is normal that a person get close enough to smell other people during a conversation in high-contact cultures such as Arab and Samoan. According to the teaching of Prophet, smell nice for others is a charity. So, it is known that Muslims and Arabian like to use perfume. Lastly, synchrony deals with the amount of coordination in the behaviour of people when their nonverbal cues are synchronise with another person, for example, mimicry, mirroring and also behavioural meshing. Lucas (2014) also mentioned that to enhance a person’s verbal communication skills, he or she needs to be an affective listener. The person needs to understand the point of view of another person, it is not just hearing. So, takes time think before speak to ensure that the information that expressed is correct. While to enhance nonverbal communication’s skills, a person needs to observe the facial expressions and intonations, body language, and also being aware of own feelings and physicality. Conclusion In a nutshell, communication is really significant in our daily life. Effective communication can only be achieve when all types of communication is proper used. No matter it is communicating verbally or nonverbally, both the sender and receiver need to understand the message. So, a sender should have good communication skills and the receivers should have good understanding and interpreting skills by understand the functions of both verbal and nonverbal communication. References Lucas, A., 2014. The Importance of Verbal Non Verbal Communication. [online] Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/156961-the-importance-of-verbal-non-verbal-communication/ [Accessed on 20 June 2014] Krauss, R. M., 2002. The Psychology of Verbal Communication. [online] Available at: http://www.columbia.edu/~rmk7/PDF/IESBS.pdf [Accessed on 21 June 2014] Argyle, M., 1975. Bodily Communication. York: Methuen. Belasco, J., 2013. Babies signing before speaking. The Star, 19 Sep. p.46. Mehrabian, Albert (1971). Silent Messages (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. College of DuPage, 1998. Communication. [online] College of DuPage. Available at: http://www.cod.edu/Course/Mgt100/mgtcomm.htm [Accessed on 22 June 2014] Stewart,J., 2011. Bridges Not Walls. 11th Edition. McGraw-Hill. Buffalo State, n.d.. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication. [online] Buffalo State, The State University of New York. Available at: http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/smithrd/UAE%20Communication/Unit2.pdf [Accessed on 22 June 2014]

Essay --

458 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510 12/9/2013 Dear Senator Bennet, Being a senator of Colorado, and a representative of the people, you have the duty to listen to what people have to say. There are many concerns that should be taken more seriously than others and should be brought to the Senates attention. Most people are concerned about the unfair and convoluted income tax laws in our country that can be easily eliminated with the application of a flat tax on income. With the tax rate that is in effect right now, there are so many flaws and loop holes that the system is easily manipulated. The rich do not pay their fair share of taxes, because they have found ways to avoid them. The middle class looks for ways around paying taxes through things like tax breaks. And the poor ends up paying fewer taxes then what they wind up getting back in the end, giving them no incentive to make a lot of money. If a person works hard and gets a raise that will put him in a higher tax bracket, he could actually be making less money with the raise. Also, the government constantly looks for new ways to tax in order to pay for education, military, health care, and more. To consider what's right and what's wrong, compare sales tax and income tax. Say the sales tax in your state is 10%. Your "taxable amount" is the total of all that you purchase. You go to the store and by something for $20, you will pay 10%, or $2 tax. Say you buy 2 of the same thing, $40 total; you pay $4 in tax. Then you buy a candy bar for a $1, and use a dime to pay the tax. Nobody likes the 10% sales tax, but nobody complains they all paid their fair share. This is how flat tax works, everyone pays the same rate. If sales tax were like income tax, first, ... ... "This reform will decrease tax evasion, and encourage people to meet their obligations to the state." Flat tax has been proven many times over to be fair, and should be implemented. Simplifying the tax code is beneficial to people and government. So why are our litigators avoiding this solution? Please consider this proposal, it is what this country needs. Sincerely, Evan Hunchar Citations "Debating the Pros and Cons of a Flat Tax." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 03 May 2010. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. Mitchell, Daniel. "Eliminate Tax Brackets and Complicated Forms With a Flat Tax." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. "Tax Day 2011 -- We Need a Flat Tax More Than Ever." Fox News. FOX News Network, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. Ulbrich, Holley. "Flat Tax Is Class Warfare." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.