Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Gay Marriage - Essay Example Others believe that this is a fight for religious freedom, making their voices heard that â€Å"Gay marriage legislation threatens the very religious liberties we have fought so hard to maintain for centuries† (Ross 101). Perhaps, there is no more divisive a social issue today than gay marriage. In determining how America will move forward in this regard, the definition of love and marriage, the legal ramifications, and the effects on societal values must all be closely examined. Perhaps the strongest argument in support of gay marriage is that the government should not be permitted to legislate whom a person is permitted to love. Now, legislators will contend that laws are not designed to keep members of society from loving members of the same sex. If they choose to love and cohabitate with the same gender, however, the benefits of marriage will not be afforded to them. James Kellard points out that, â€Å"Conservatives do not argue that the US Constitution bans gay marriage , probably because the opposite is true† (98). ... Kellard points out, for example, â€Å"there are people who marry for money, non-sexual companionship, even health insurance† (99). The argument, therefore, can be made that marriage should not be denied to two consenting adults simply based on their sex, when opposite sex couples are equally (perhaps even more so) prone to getting married for reasons contrary to the traditional definition of marriage. The legal ramifications of this issue are far reaching. Interestingly, a movement began in this country back in the 1980s to rid society of discrimination against homosexuals. While you cannot force a person to change their heart and mindset towards a people group, laws can be enacted to protect groups of people. This is exactly what has taken place of the last 30 years. Gays and lesbians are now more protected in the workplace and hate crimes laws have been enacted, just to name a few. The fight for gay marriage truly began in Hawaii in 1991. Since that time, several states acr oss the country have enacted laws granting gays and lesbians the right to marry, while a host of others have specifically passed laws defining marriage as only between one man and one woman, thereby effectively barring gays and lesbians from taking part in this institution. As an answer to this issue at the federal level, the Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996. â€Å"This bill specified that all federal legislation dealing with marriage would refer solely to heterosexual marriages† (United States Congress 68). This essentially means that the federal government, for example, still does not recognize a legal marriage in the state of New York. The two sides are

Twin Towers Essay Example for Free

Twin Towers Essay When waking up in the morning we never know what the outcome of our day will look like, weather it’s the same routine of a daily basis. Never in a million years would we think that our workplace will become a place in where history would changed. We know that September 11, 2001 became a day that changed both this nation and the people. The real question here is, Did the fall of the Twin Towers mark the moment of terrorism in America; or have previous events been the calling to attack America? Over the years there have been significant terrorism attacks. By looking at pervious attacks it shows us how the changes in terrorism are carried out and shows the changes in how countries counter terrorist attacks. If we want to know that the Twin Towers where indeed the start of terrorism for America we should look at the history of terrorism, the methodology and the absence of unity America shows toward each other. Looking and studying about the history of terrorism towards the United States, we see that the first attack towards the Twin Towers was the bombing in 1993 that was placed in a truck in the garaged of the building. Reading the book 102 Minutes, we see the perspective of the people who were trapped in the towers, but it also gives us the information about the 1993 bombing. This book states, â€Å"The 1993 bombing marked it as an icon and target. † ( Dwyer and Flynn 21). Reading this we can see that the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers was not the first attempt ever made. In my opinion the bombing of 1993 was a warning to the United States saying, â€Å"Look what we are capable of doing to your country. † Their plan was to kill around two hundred fifty-thousand people with one bomb. Unfortunately the bomb killed six people but injuring thousands. This mishap did not stop terrorism against America; one the other hand it was opening a door for them. â€Å" From most perspectives, the 1993 bombing of the trade center, killing six people, had been a bleak moment, marking the arrival of terrorism to America† (Dwyer and Flynn 133). The history of terrorism has been nothing but hard work. It was like they never gave till they were happy with their actions. The question is are they ever happy with their actions, or do they want more destruction? To my understanding Bin Laden says that it is more important for Muslims to kill American people than any other activity. Another event in the history of terrorism attacks was the USS Cole Attack in 2000. It is to be known that this event was also under the control of Usama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda networking; killing several Americans and injuring many. Seeing and knowing about the previous attacks Usama Bin Laden has been putting into action we can see that the Twin Tower collapse was not the moment that terrorism came to America. The Twin Tower attack was more of a statement saying, â€Å"Since you have not taken the 1993 bombing and USS Cole Attack into great consideration maybe hijacking planes and crashing them will open your eyes. † Throughout the past events we can see that Bin Laden put his life into planing these attacks with great passion. In the book The 9/11 Report, we read how the Al Qaeda prepared themselves for the horrific event and the studying they took in to know how to attack and when. â€Å"In the early summer of 2000, the Hamburg group arrived in the United States to begin flight training. All three of these men would be pilots on the 9/11 operation† (Jacobson and Colon 69). These hijackers studied everything they need to know in order to take action on that very day. From learning how to flight a pilot to using guns to to route these planes were to take on September 11. Not only did the terrorist gone under intense training and studying, but so did the United States. The Government and even researchers’ needed to know and understand the meaning behind the attacks. In the journal Intersecting Facts and Theories on 9/11 by Joseph P. Firmage, he mentions: â€Å"One of the challenges in comprehending the circumstances of 9/11 is the sheer volume of material spanning two decades that must be studied for one to become comfortable reaching the conclusions† (Firmage 19). Throughout his journal he talks about the subjects that were found in this research. How was it possible for terrorist to attack on America soil? His three possibly theories where that 1) the 19 Islamic radicals caught the U. S. off guard, 2) the Bush administration knew about the attacks and let them to happen, and 3) such officials architected the attacks and caused them to happened. Based on this information I agree with what the researcher has come up with because to be honest we all know that back before September 11, our security at airports was not as advanced and as great as today’s security. Back then we did no have the machine where one is to step in and it sees your body or detect the metal in your clothing. I honestly do not remember going through all that process when I was younger and would travel, but I cannot say the security did this and this because I was younger ,and did not pay attention to my surroundings. We do know that the government did have an understanding of the Twin Towers attack before occurring, yet they did not put mind to this situation. We know that inside the government there was lack of communication, but there was also lack in unity. The 9/11 Report book talks about many different subjects, but it also mentions the actions government took against the treats from Usama Bin Laden towards the Twin Towers. In this graphic adaptation is states how Richard Clarke wrote a memo to colleagues saying, â€Å"When these attacks occur, as they likely will, we will wonder what more we could have done to stop them† (Jacobson and Colon 79). This memo clearly tells us that our administration was well aware of Al Qaeda’s plans. If we look at the word â€Å"united† its most common definition is combined, connected. Now if we put these words in front of state United States means a state where administration is connected to its people; where we are one whole family and need to look out for one another. By not taking into great consideration the treats that United States received and not believing such horrific even could happen on the most â€Å"goddess† land in the world, our connection grew apart, because although many of us knew of previous attacks and government had a warning of an income one, we did not unite to fight for our land. I’m not saying we needed to start war, but by having better airport security back then and making it less easy for Muslims to have entered the United States, we would have been saying,â€Å"our gloves are on and we are ready to fight the war, if it means to keep our people safe. † Unity is something everyone has with someone. So why can’t our government keep their unity chain stronger and together as years pass. It seems that Al Qaeda in this case and in many other have had more unity then United States it self. The Al Qaeda knew what the plan was, knew which action they each had to take on that day. The Twin Tower attack was not the beginning of terrorist in America; terrorist were simply saying, â€Å"Look what we can do in your land. † The construction of the Freedom Tower to me signifies that we have not yet learned from our mistakes eleven years ago. We are calling for trouble because we want to show terrorist we are a land that can do anything and build a taller building then the ones they collapsed. United States has to learn that we are a state that is united in every way and grow stronger with each day that passes. Work Cited 1. Dwyer, Jim and Flynn, Kevin. 102 Minutes. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. Print. 2. Firmage, P. Joseph. â€Å"Intersecting Facts and Theories on 9/11. † (2006): 19. Print. 3. Jacobson, Sid and Colon, Erine. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print.

Eating Disorders and the Media Essay -- anorexia nervosa and bulimia n

Eating Disorders and the Media Doctors annually diagnose millions of Americans with eating disorders. Of those diagnosed, ninety percent are women. Most of these women have one of the two most common types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (National Council on Eating Disorders, 2004). People with anorexia nervosa experience heart muscle shrinkage along with slow and irregular heartbeats and eventually heart failure. Along with their heart, their kidney, digestive system and muscles often fail them. The mortality rate of anorexia is twenty percent, which is the highest of any psychiatric disorder. People with bulimia nervosa experience erosion of their teeth, irritation and rips in their throat, stomach, and esophagus, and develop a dependency on laxatives. These symptoms occur along with the same symptoms that anorexics suffer. One third of people with eating disorders never fully recover. Instead, according to eating disorder researchers, they experience â€Å"repeating wavelike patterns of disease and recovery [and] seldom return to a state of normal eating† (D'Abundo & Chally, 2004; National Council on Eating Disorders, 2004). How can a female choose to force her body into a state of living decay? In this paper, I have discussed the complex interaction of media and young women. I have also proposed solutions that might help activists interested in lessening the chances of girls developing eating disorders. In the literature review, I focus on the scholarly work conducted to understand how consumption of certain media interacts with low self-esteem to cause young females to want to fit the societal norm of being thin. This drive for thinness in young women can cause eating disorders. Th... ...urrent Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 181-183. Thomsen, S. (2002). Health and Beauty Magazine Reading and Body Shape Concerns Among a Group of College Women. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, (79) 4, 988-1007. Tyner, T. (1992). Implementation: The Next Step. Strategies for Media Literacy Quarterly. Walsh, B. (2004). A Plea for Expanded Media Literacy. Retrieved on December 8, 2004, from http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/readings/articles/kubey.html. Wade, T. Davidson, S. & O’Dea, J. (2002). A Preliminary Controlled Evaluation of a School-Based Media Literacy Program and Self-Esteem Program for Reducing Eating Disorder Risk Factors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 371 – 383. Zajonc, R. (2001). Mere Exposure: A gateway to the Subliminal. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(6), 224-228.

Why Be Adolescent :: essays research papers

Why be Adolescent? I believe that I have caught on to the biggest scam in the history of the world. No I'm not talking about long distance phone companies, or CD clubs, or even public school. I'm talking about adolescence. Adolescence is the stage between 13, and the early adult, and late teen years. Adolescence is only found in 1st world countries that are descending from England in some way. The reason for that, I believe, is that a long time ago before the existence of America, Canada, or Australia, European countries were thought to be the most advanced, and proper. In almost all aspects of life there, things were ranked in a hierarchy system. They ranked their government system to have different levels of importance; their social status was ranked, church system, police, and finally age. The age hierarchy was not very complex. If you were older than somebody, than of course you were that much closer than the top, unless they had a higher general social status than you. With the branching of Europe, the European ways would follow. Observe the affect adolescence has on North America. Children are treated with extra care until about 13 or 14. Then the stage of adolescence starts. You are given responsibility. Nothing big, but just things like chores, and more time out. The intention of these is good, but it is all part of the plan to make the child ready to be an adult when they're 18. In many cases the child is not used to the responsibility until well after 18, because the change is so dramatic. This could be one the reasons that we have so many young criminals, ages 13-25. In many Asian, and African countries, which are not completely influenced by European culture, adolescence simply does not exist. They are not so worried about spanning the time of giving responsibility, but actually give it a little too soon if anything at all. A lot of the people in these countries don't have a lot of money, so they need the help from their offspring as soon as they can get it. In the extreme, a 14-year-old boy could be working to support his family with a jog for 1.25 an hour with a large American sports clothing line. This can't be good no matter how you look at it, but on the other hand, a boy who learns responsibility at the age of 13, by working for a relative or neighbor, doing physical labor can be very beneficial. The boy is not overwhelmed with the weight of his family's well being on his

Macroeconomic Performance of the Ten Countries Essay

What was Expected from the Governments and Central Banks of These New Entrants? On May 1, 2004, ten Central European and Mediterranean countries joined the EU and their names are as follows: Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia.   This raised the enlargement to 25 countries that comprise of 450 million people, which is more than the population of the U.S. and Japan combined. [1] This accession will compel the new member states governments to utilize the EU legislation without much exception and will enable them to enjoy all the advantages that go with it, and once they go through a certain period and show improvements, they will be included in Schengen area and the euro zone. In addition, from the year 2004 to 2006 they are entitled to receive a payment of 45 billion euros in a form of a community aid and 30.7 billion euros in a form of payment appropriations.   As a result, according to two treaties that were signed in Amsterdam and Nice that were the basis through which the enlargement was conducted, the intent of the whole arrangement was to make the enlarged Europe more democratic, transparent, and effective calling on all governments to work on these areas. The end result of the enlargement had been labeled as a historical precedence that will change the dimensions of the continent and it is believed to put the division of the past behind ushering in democracy, freedom, and stability to the whole region.   At the same time it is believed that it creates opportunities for all involved where the early 15 nations business share and economical activity had increased, while the new entrants have also reaped economic advantage that was not available for them before the assesstion. What had come into existence is a union of 450 million people and had already represented at the time the union was effected one-fourth of the world wealth, giving the region a new leading economic power.   In addition, the role the continent is playing in the international scene had gotten enhancement, especially in security and defense policy. [2] The new states and their governments that are joining the Union will have to adhere to the Copenhagen Criteria and it has three components.   The first component is any of the nations that are joining the union should reach a certain level of stability and should have establishments that oversee and guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the observing of the rights of minorities.   Then the second one which is an economic criteria stipulates that the nations adhere to the principle of the market economy and have a mechanism that enables them to deal with competitive pressure and market forces that will be directed at them after joining the EU. What is called acquis communautaire adoption criterion anticipates that the candidates should put themselves in a position to shoulder the membership’s obligations, as well as a strict adherence to the principles of the political, economic, and monetary union.   Through all this process the Union is responsible for evaluating, recommending, and approving of the states’ performance and it will evaluate the capacity of the Union to absorb more members without affecting the normal functioning of the existing Union members. The process starts when European countries apply to join the Union and that will be evaluated based on how the applicant nations with the guidance of their respective governments meet the Copenhagen political and economic criteria, and the accession is granted only when the requirements are met.   The nations through their governments will have to agree to apply the EU legislation that is over 80,000 pages from day one, even if there are a few exceptions that will allow the new entrants a leeway as long as it is not going to intervene with the smooth operation of the activities of the other members.   When the EU is convinced that the applying nations meet all the requirements of the Copenhagen criteria the next phase will kick in, which is the signing of the accession treaty. [3] The ten Central European and Mediterranean states, through macroeconomic plans that were introduced and carried out by their respective governments had gone through this process before getting permission to join the Union.   And once they joined the Union there are more questions arising because it is difficult to say what currency they should be using and as long as they meet the Maastricht criteria they are expected to the join the euro zone by abandoning their own currency. Here the various central banks play a leading role because it is known that it will take them some time to meet the requirements and while working to meet the requirements they will have to focus on their structural and economic reforms so that they will manage to have a better convergence in both nominal and real terms.   Since the other requirement before joining the euro is entering the Exchange Rate Mechanism of the European Monetary System, the ERM II will require them to abandon their own monetary policy. It does not necessarily mean this route fits everyone since the rigorous stability requirement applied by the exchange rate could derail the existing stand of their current account, simply because when there is appreciation in their currency it will affect their competitiveness, because of the high price they will be forced to charge.   The other worry is joining the ERM II should not result in overvaluing their currency whereby they will be obligated to devalue their currency in the two years test period.   From what had been witnessed most of the nations had an open economy that was heavily reliant on trade with EU countries and if they can eliminate the transaction cost in any way, which would include currency exchange, they will embrace it. [4] The final outcome was from the ten countries that joined the Union Slovenia, Lithuania, and Estonia were able to enter the ERM II and were expected to join the euro zone on January 1st, 2007, simply because they had met most of the criteria. But the only nation that managed to join the euro was Slovenia showing that the others did not meet some of the requirements, they need more time to make the adjustments, and might be able to join the euro by the year 2008. The other three nations Latvia, Cyprus, and Malta had also joined ERM II and could join the euro in 2008.   The remaining members Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland are deemed to wait longer to better meet the criteria.   [5] The Macroeconomic Policy These Nations had been Following After Joining the Union. To address this question starting from the Central European nation that just joined the euro zone in January 1, 2007 might shed light on the areas that the nation did right while the other two nations Lithuania and Estonia will have to wait at least up to 2008 to be evaluated if they would meet the requirement of the ERM II.   The nation had $17,290 per capita income in 2005, it had a population of two million people, and it was among the most successful transition economies.   The nation’s GDP per capita in 2005 was 81% of the other EU members, which must have helped it to get a high score, since it is the only nation that has such a high percentage. According to the report the prosperity of Slovenia is due to its gradual and consensual approach to reform, which has made it different from the other nine countries.  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has worked hard to attain this position although lately its competitiveness is eroding.   Another area that had lagged was foreign direct investment (FDI) due to the slower pace and the general reluctance to interact with foreign sources resulting the FDI to be 1.2% of GDP between 1997-2005.   Even if it had reached once to 7% of GDP it had gone back to .02% of GDP in 2005 and this falling behind is curtailing the advancement the nation could have attained, yet it did not prevent it from joining the euro, simply because the possibility is within reach. [6] As far as economic growth is concerned the nation has averaged 3.9% it the mentioned period and had managed to fend off macroeconomic imbalances that were commonplace with the other transitional economies and its tight fiscal and monetary policy had resulted in allowing it to have a near balanced budget with a 1.7% budget and 1.1% current deficit, another good performance that was coupled with an enhanced foreign trade. The country also had managed to bring inflation under control and it had it at a single-digit since 1996.   Another advantage the nation had was it had a strong performance where the GDP growth was at 3.9% fueled by a rise in foreign demand.   In all this, inflation was under control at 2.5% and that was attained by allowing wage to lag behind productivity growth, by making up for oil price increase by introducing excise tax, and by attaining a stable exchange rate. [7] The next nation to look at is Lithuania which was among the three nation that were slated to join the eruo in 2007,   but has not made it and looking at its performance might shade light on how it fared.   The first glaring difference between the two countries is the per capita income where in Lithuania it was $7,210 in 2005 even if the population in Slovenia was only 1.4 million, whereas the population in Lithuania is 3.4 million. Other than that the GDP growth of 7.5% was much higher and it was the fastest growing economy in the region. It also had much more to export, which included refined oil, machinery and equipment, and textile.   It is not different than the other countries that are heavily dependant on the euro zone for their exports, the average being 60%.   The other advantage it had over Slovenia was it had enjoyed a peak GDP growth of 10% in 2003 since it was in a better position to create wage growth by bringing down unemployment from 17% down to 6% and in doing that it had got help from the EU fund that it was entitled for joining the Union in 2004. At the same time, it had a much better domestic demand that is enabling it to drive its economy.   Yet, there is a sign of heating of the economy as there is shortage of workers since they are migrating to the UK and Ireland.   After joining ERM II it had shown an impressive commitment to adopt the euro and was able to liberalize its pricing and most of its trades had been directed to the EU zone.  Ã‚   The other factors such as privatization had been taken care of to the point where all factors of production are in the private hands, and it had also been working in the area of FDI that is seeing a steep increase.    If there is another aspect that is holding it back it could the unparalleled poverty level in the nation and it is at 52% purchasing power parity compared to 81% enjoyed by Slovenia.   And one of the reasons that it did not qualify might be at least 16% of its population lives under the poverty line and poverty is widespread in the rural area where it is considered to be up to 57% of the poor are living.   That area might be the reason that contributed to its being held back for a while since all the indicators including health and education are going badly lacking in these regions. [6] Estonia that was in the list to join the euro in January 1, 2007 with the other two nations is a relatively smaller country with a population of 1.35 million and its per capita income is $9,100.   This nation has fewer natural resources and it depends on trade for the most part.   Its main specialty export is telecom.   Its GDP growth performance was not bad at 7.5%. The country had been a main gateways for trade between the Soviet Union and the West that is said to have given it some advantage and because of that the education level and the standard of living of the people was higher that other member countries. In 2005 its GDP growth had reached 9.8% resulting in the heating up of the economy as the unemployment rate had gone down, while at the same time workers are migrating to the other EU countries.   What is driving its economy is the domestic demand that is expanding due to income growth and credit expansion that is also taking export higher.   If there is any problem highlighted it is the overheating of the economy and the current account defect that is at 11% of GDP in 2005 and was at 13% in 2004, which would mean this could be one of the reasons why its plan to join the euro in 2007 had been postponed. [8] The other three nations slated for 2008 to join the euro are Latvia, Cyprus, and Malta.   Latvia has a per capita income of $6,750 and has 2.3 million people where one-third of them are living in the capital city.   The nation has few natural resources and is an importer for the most part and the import includes natural gas, oil, and electricity.   The source of GDP for 2005 was 23% industry, 73% service, and the remaining 4% was from agriculture. The country had some difficulty adjusting after it left the Soviet Union and the situation was turned around by the fiscal discipline the government introduced, where a cap was put to the subsidies enterprises were getting.  Ã‚   The government’s early liberalization effort had enabled the nation to join WTO in 1999.   Overall, the nation had converted itself into a market economy, which enabled it to join the EU in 2004.  Ã‚   Market and price liberalization, privatization, restriction on foreign transaction all are in the right perspective and the result had been positive where privatization is almost complete. Other areas overhauled were the legal system, institutions, and the social safety net.  Ã‚   The GDP growth had made it to 10.2% in 2005 and the unemployment rate was at 8.7% in the same year.   Some of the malice that is affecting the other nations such as low-income level, which was at 47% of the EU average had not spared this nation either.   Because of that labor migration had been escalating after joining the Union which is feared to create a problem in the long run while at the same time the population is aging.   Because of this there is a fear of overheating and the deficit has reached 12.4% while inflation is at 6%, which has contributed to the holding back of the nation from joining the euro and that might be possible in 2010. [6] Cyprus on the other hand has a highly developed infrastructure with a population of 784,000 and with a per capita of $7135.   The macroeconomic policy of the government had focused on meeting the requirement of joining the EU.   There was oil discovery in the sea south of Cyprus and negotiations had gone underway with the neighboring Egypt how to exploit the finding. The overall market structure is based on a free-market basis and is heavily dependant on the service sector, yet there is lack of investment from government and private sector, while at the same time the high cost of freight had been scaring business away, and all this had been worsened by the lack of skilled labor.   In spite of this handicap, the GDP growth rate had made it to 11.4 in 2004 and yet it is lagging behind in attracting FDI.   Even if there is a political problem between the north and south, this particular nation might be among the nations that would join the EU in 2008. [9] Malta is also another island with a population of 404,000, which had transformed itself into a freight transshipment and a financial center as well as a tourist destination.   In addition, it has some limestone and a better productive labor force than Cyprus where the economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing, and tourism.   Its per capita income is much higher than most countries at $20,300 and the unemployment rate for 2006 was at 6.8%.   The island has liberalized its market and privatized some government-controlled firms and the possibility that it might join the euro zone is there. [9] The other nations Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, are much bigger nations and there is Slovakia also that are slated to join the euro gradually after meeting the criteria, which might prove to be difficult to them because of their size.   If we take the case of the Czech Republic, it has a population of 10.2 million and a per capita income of $11,110 making it among the highest income earning countries.   After joining the EU in 2004 the process of transforming the economy from centrally planned to a market driven economy is almost complete.   There had been a considerable fiscal consolidation, and the inflation is low at 1.8%, while at the same time it had no problem with its balance of payments. Foreign direct investment is 50% of the GDP making it the only nation that enjoys such inflows of investment, yet, in spite of it, it had a high unemployment rate of more than 8% and is persisting, which might have been because of its high population that is not affected much by the migration of labor. The GDP growth for 2005 was 6%, attained mainly through export created through FDI in the automotive sector.   The fiscal deficit for 2005 was at 3% whereas the current account deficit fell to 2.3% for 2005.   Because of the high unemployment, which is the outcome of sluggish economic performance it might have to stay a bit longer before joining the euro, although the expectation is it will meet the requirement eventually. [10] More or less, the same is applicable to the other three countries Hungary, Poland, Slovakia whose population is 10 million, 38 million, 5.4 million respectively, making Poland the highest populated country among the EU-10 countries.   While Hungry had $10,050 per capita income, Poland had $7,110, and Slovakia had $8,130 in 2005.   Poland had to deal with structural reforms to consolidate public finance, tackle unemployment and poverty, work on making the nation attractive for business by introducing a more efficient government. The fact that up to seven million people live in poverty does not make it look as a good candidate for the euro yet and the unemployment rate is the highest at 16%.   However, the situation is a bit changing after joining the EU in 2004 and there was a growth of 5.3% in GDP in 2004, which created high consumption level, investment opportunity, and a better exporting level, and eventually it will make it a proper candidate to join the euro as it is working to meet that goal.   Its FDI is at 5% of GDP and that is low for such a large country although its inflation rate is low at 2.1% and its current account defect is also under control. [6] On the other hand, Hungary is in a much better position since it was able to attract FDI that is enabling it to build a robust private exporting sector.   If there is a problem, the budget deficit is at 8% due to higher public spending and tax reduction, which could affect the economy in the long run.   Inflation had slowed down to 3.5% for 2005 which was due to regulated prices and a decrease on indirect taxes. The unemployment rate stood at 7.2% in 2006.   Even if the government had introduced a fiscal consolidation program what might be needed to change the situation is a long term structural reform.   Hungary is moving steadily to join the euro gradually, and is better situated than the rest of the countries that are in line to join the euro in the coming years. [6] Slovakia is also in a similar situation with the others where it had a 6% GDP growth in 2005 and had unemployment rate of 16.2%.   In recent years, especially after joining the EU in 2004 it had undertaken major steps to decentralize its economy.   The government had introduced reform in many areas including welfare, pension, health care, labor market, and public finance.   Its GDP for 2005 grew by around 6% and inflation was at 2.7%. The fiscal deficit was at 3.3% while the current account deficit had been 7.8% of GDP for 2005 and it had FDI rate 2.7% of GDP.   Overall, it is working toward meeting the EU’s criteria to join the euro although it is difficult to say when it will meet all the requirements. [6] The conclusion is, there are requirements these nations will have to meet and the major ones are to tackle high level of inflation, a budget deficit below 3% of GDP, the public debt has to be at a manageable level, and maintaining a long term low interest rate in parallel to other central banks. If these are in place side by the side with the Maastricht and the Copenhagen Treaty criteria the time it will take them to join the euro will be shorter. Otherwise, their participation could affect the smooth operation of the whole Union, as well as it will put them at a disadvantage offsetting their whole fiscal and monetary policy. [11] REFERENCE The Union Welcomes Ten New Countries [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.delnam.cec.eu.int/OurNewsletter/2004/ECNewsMay04.pdf.   March 14, 2007. European Parliament Fact Sheet. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚   www.europal.europa.eu/facts/2_3_0_en.htm.   March 14, 2007. The Challenge of European Economy in 2004. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.ecb.int/press/key/date/2004/html/sp040129.en.html.   March 14, 2007. Euro in a Wider Circle. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚   www.ece.int/press/key/date/2004/html/sp041119.en.html.   March 14, 2007. Redefining Europe. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚   www.inter-dicpilanry.net/AUD/AUD2/s10.htm.   March 14, 2007. World Bank. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.worldbank.com (countries).   March 14, 2007. ECB Panel Intervention at the Euro Conference. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚   www.ecb.int/press/date/2007/html/sp07115_1.en.html.   March 14, 2007. Commission Assessment of Estonia Convergence. [Online]. Available:   http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/about/activities/sgp/country/commass/ee/ass_ee20032004.   Ã‚  Ã‚   March 14, 2007. CIA The World Fact Book. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   https://cia.gov (countries).   March 14, 2007. Macroeconomic. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/books/pdf_0304/III.pdf.   March 14, 2007. The European Union and Its Expanding Economy. [Online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://jpn.cec.eu.int.home/speech_en_speech%2009/2005.php.   March 14, 2007

Blackfeet Perspective on Scalping Essays

Blackfeet Perspective on Scalping Essays Blackfeet Perspective on Scalping Paper Blackfeet Perspective on Scalping Paper 1904. This volume contains a story which depicts a couple fur trappers who were attacked by the Blackfeet, or so they claim. One of the fur trappers, John Colter, survived the attack and made it back to a fort where he retold his tale. The other trapper was apparently killed and scalped. The validity of this story is impossible to verify, but the fact that he could tell the tale and have it believed (or at least written about) provides an idea of how Indians could have been used as scapegoats. Early Western Travels: 1748-1846. Vol. VI. Cleveland: Arthur H. Clark Co. 1904 This volume called the Blackfeet â€Å"a ferocious savage race, who have conceived the most deadly hatred to the Americans† (28). Very helpful in showing opinions towards the Blackfeet. Early Western Travels: 1748-1846. Vol. VII. Cleveland: Arthur H. Clark Co. , 1904 This volume turned out unhelpful. Early Western Travels: 1748-1846. Vol. XXI. Cleveland: Arthur H. Clark Co. , 1904 This volume told a story of a white man with a small band of Blackfeet who invited a trapper to visit them. While in plain sight of a fort, the white man killed and scalped the trapper. How the man got away with this, it does not say. Editorial, The Richmond Examiner, July 5, 1864, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). This newspaper column was discussing rules of engagement having little to do with Indians let alone Blackfeet. The opening statement describes how certain enemies were put to death â€Å"with as little ceremony †¦ as the backwoodsman does a painted Blackfoot or Comanche warrior when he is caught with a bloody scalp dangling from his girdle. † Showing me that in some areas the Blackfeet warriors were seen as constantly scalping and doing little else. Ewers, John. The Blackfeet: Raiders on the Northwestern Plains. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958. Ewers spent a number of years living with and studying the Blackfeet tribe during the mid-20th century. Chapter seven â€Å"Raiding for Horses and Scalps† provided half a chapter worth of information discussing scalping from the Blackfeet point of view. The book provided excellent information but was still written by a white American and has difficulty encompassing the full Blackfeet opinion. Ewers, John. The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture, with Comparative Material from Other Western Tribes. Washington D. C. : U. S. Govt. Print. Off. , 1955. I decided to put this in the primary section because Ewers spent so much time talking with tribal elders and essentially writing ethnographies through them. The section on scalping in this book is short and provides only a small amount of basic information on the tradition. Gaines, Edmund P.. â€Å"It is Not an Act of War†¦ † The National Advocate, February 10, 1818, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). Gaines describes an incident where seven people were massacred and scalped including a woman and infants. The gist of his article was to declare war upon the offenders because he has little confidence in friendly relations with the Indians. This publication in the early 19th century provided information on sentiment towards Indians. Grinnell, George Bird. Blackfoot Lodge Tales: The Story of a Prairie People. Williamstown, MA: Corner House Publishers, 1972. Grinnell spent a number of years with American Indians and was considered a close friend to the Blackfeet tribe. He also published a number of books on plains Indians. This particular book is his interpretation of a number of stories that were told to him by Blackfeet elders in which he tried to keep them as close to the literal translation as he could. I consider this a primary document because they are written oral tradition, even though they are translated into English. â€Å"Has Scalps by the Score. † The Owyhee Avalanche, April 28, 1899, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). This article described a white man who scalped Indians for vengeance but I did not use it in final draft. King, Charles. â€Å"Indian Dances. The Sunday Oregonian, June 29, 1890, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). In this article, King describes a number of dances performed by Indians and claims that across the nation tribes are pretty much all the same. This was great insight into how many white Americans felt about Indian tribes. But this showed me the possibility that if the Blackfeet are discussed in an article, it m ay not actually be the Blackfeet tribe. Lancaster, Richard. Piegan: A Look from Within at the Life, Times, and Legacy of an American Indian Tribe. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966. This book was Lancaster’s interpretation of Chief White Calf’s life story. Chief White Calf was born in the 1860s and participated in scalping at sometime during his life. This was rather late for scalping, but it showed how integral it was to the Blackfeet as White Calf was rather blunt about it. â€Å"A Report was in Town Yesterday†¦ † Missouri Republican, July 16, 1823, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). This article discusses a trapping party that was attacked by a group of Blackfeet. The author of the article claims that the recollection is doubted by those acquainted with the subject. This goes to show that in many cases the news articles of scalping could have been exaggerated. â€Å"Seven Years a Prisoner of the Black Feet Indians: A Horrible History. † The Wisconsin State Register, July 2, 1871, http://infotrac. galegroup. com (accessed April 16, 2011). I found this publication to be published in two different Wisconsin newspapers and one in San Francisco. The atrocity of the story adds to the sentiments towards Blackfeet Indians and shows that it was widely published. Works Consulted-Secondary Andrews, Ralph Warren. Indians as the Westerners Saw Them. Seattle: Superior Pub. Co. , 1963. Andrews discusses scalping in chapter five. He describes some methods and motives of scalping. This book was helpful for a basic overview and opinionated view on scalping, but gave little tribal specific information. Axtell, James. â€Å"Scalping: The Ethnohistory of a Moral Question,† in The European and the Indian: Essays in the Ethnohistory of Colonial North America. Edited by James Axtell. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981. Axtell discussed the importance of understanding moral questions in context with their contemporaries. Although he did not discuss Blackfeet specifically, his work gave me a basis for assessing scalping rather than judging the act. Axtell, James. â€Å"Scalps and Scalping,† in Encyclopedia of North American Indians. Edited by Fredrick Hoxie. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. , 1996. netlibrary. com (accessed March 30, 2011). In this work Axtell provides a basic overview of the act of scalping in a very similar fashion to that of Andrews. It was very broad and not tribal specific. Bastien, Betty. Blackfoot Ways of Knowing: The Worldview of the Siksikaitsitapi. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2004. Bastien, as a current historian, sought to describe the ways the Blackfeet tribe keeps their history and understands the world. Using this in support of Grinnell’s works, helps with the validity of using the Lodge Tales as a primary source. Binnema, Theodore. â€Å"Allegiances and Interests: Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) Trade, Diplomacy, and Warfare, 1806-1831. † The Western Historical Quarterly 37, no. 3 (2006): 327. This article claims that the Gros Ventres tribe was often grouped with the Blackfeet by early fur-traders. Binnema claims that the Gros Ventres were much more violent than the Blackfeet attributing to their reputation. This article also attributes to the fact that when the Blackfeet tribe is mentioned, it may not actually be the Blackfeet. Binnema, Theodore. â€Å"‘Like the Greedy Wolf’: The Blackfeet, the St. Louis Fur Trade, and War Fever, 1807-1831. † Journal of the Early Republic 29, no. 3 (2009): 411-440. This article discusses relations with the Blackfeet up until the period of peace between them and white Americans. Binnema discusses a number of contributions to the violence but does not discuss scalping in depth. The article is useful in understanding relations, but not so useful in the argument for Blackfeet scalping. Conaty, Gerald T. Review of Blackoot Ways of Knowing: The Worldview of the Siksikaitsitapi, by Betty Bastien. Histoire Sociale 38, no. 76 (2005): 499. Used for background on Bastien. Dempsey, Hugh A. â€Å"Blackfoot† in Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 13, pt. 1. Edited by Raymond J. DeMallie. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 2001. 604-628. Dempsey provides a somewhat detailed overview of the tribe itself but spends little time discussing warfare let alone scalping. This was helpful in gathering details but not so much in the discussion of scaping. Kipp, Darrell Robes. â€Å"Blackfoot† in Encyclopedia of North American Indians. Edited by Fredrick Hoxie. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. , 1996. netlibrary. com (accessed March 30, 2011). This entry was only used for basic background knowledge of the Blackfeet. LaPier, Rosalyn. â€Å"Blackfeet† in Dictionary of American History. Vol 1. Edited by Stanley I. Kutler. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003. http://go. galegroup. com (accessed March 21, 2011). This entry was only used for basic background knowledge of the Blackfeet. Sherrow, Victoria. â€Å"Scalping† in Encylopedia of Hair. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 2006. 344-45. This entry did not provide any information on Blackfeet specific customs. Spitzer, Allen. Review of The Blackfeet: Raiders on the Northwestern Plains, by John C. Ewers. American Anthropologist 61, no. 1 (1959): 145-146. Used for information on Ewers. Washburn, Wilcomb E. Review of Letters and Notes on the North American Indians, by George Catlin. The American Historical Review 81, no. 5 (1976): 1243. Used for information on Catlin.

Liability for Defective Advice from an Expert System The WritePass Journal

Liability for Defective Advice from an Expert System Introduction Liability for Defective Advice from an Expert System IntroductionThe harm of Negligent MisstatementsDefence of the LiabilityThe harm of defectionThird PartiesReferencesAppendicesRelated Introduction An expert system can be considered to have two major components. First, there is its knowledge base. This is the portion of the system that contains specialized knowledge and expertise about its domain of application. In commercial law, liability is a form of business ownership in which business owners are legally responsible for no more than the amount that they have contributed to a venture. [1] A contract is an agreement between two or more parties to do, not do, or promise something. Contracts can come in many forms - they can be oral or written, implied or express, and legally enforceable or not. [2] Negligent misstatement relates to a representation of fact, which is carelessly made, and is relied on by another party to their disadvantage. The harm of Negligent Misstatements A false statement of fact made honestly but carelessly. A statement of opinion may be treated as a statement of fact if it carries the implication that the person making it has reasonable grounds for his opinion. However, a negligent misstatement is only actionable in tort if there has been breach of a duty to take care in making the statement that has caused damage to the claimant. There is no general duty of care in making statements, particularly in relation to statements on financial matters. Responsibility for negligent misstatements is imposed only if they were made in circumstances that made it reasonable to rely on them (Hedley Byrne v Heller Partners Ltd [1964] AC 465 (HL); Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 (HL)). If a negligent misstatement induces the person to whom it was made to enter into a contract with the maker of the statement, the statement may be actionable as a term of the contract if the parties intended it to be a term or it may give rise to dama ges or rescission under the Misrepresentation Act 1967. [3] It has long been recognized that liability in Tort might arise from negligent actions, but liability for negligent misstatements and negligent advice has been less well accepted by the courts. A negligent misstatement might be defined as a representation of fact, carelessly made, which is relied on by the claimant to his disadvantage. Where the misstatement or advice is Fraudulent, this is a different matter; such misstatements may amount to the tort of deceit. In derry v peek 1888, the house of lords held that Dishonesty was an essential element of deceit, and that mere carelessness would never suffice. This judgement was taken, perhaps wrongly, to indicate that there could be no liability in tort for negligent statements; but since this judgement predated the seminal donoghue v stevenson 1932, there was no well-developed law of negligence at the time. Consequently, it is not entirely surprising that this conclusion was reached. [4] Especially where physical damage is involved, cour ts may disregard a contract in which a customer expressly assumes the risk of the suppliers negligence. Negligence, when proven, can thus surmount almost any legal obstacle the suppliers erect. As courts and legislatures become less tolerant of negligent corporate behaviour, any business that is judged negligent will likely pay for actual damages, possibly be assessed punitive damages, and may even face regulatory or criminal proceedings. Therefore, the only secure protection is not to be negligent. Defence of the Liability Products liability involves the defence of manufacturers and sellers of allegedly defective products. I defend companies who are sued by injured plaintiffs due to alleged defects in the design or manufacture of a product. Generally, the injured parties claim that additional safety features should have been included or that a necessary part was improperly manufactured or installed on a product. [5] When a products liability claim is filed, we will work with you to prepare an intelligent, vigorous and strategically aggressive defence. We will obtain the information and documentation necessary to effectively evaluate the merits of the claim and promptly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your adversarys case and of your own. We will analyze insurance coverage issues and prepare and prosecute, to trial if necessary, insurance claims for any coverage you may have. [6] Not only can making a claim secure the compensation you deserve and help recover the costs of any treatment, but it can also help draw attention to the negligent manufacturer or retailer. By doing so, you may be able to prevent others from having to endure a similar experience. Where there are several incidents of personal injury related to a particular product, the manufacturer should issue a product recall. [7] Manufacturers are responsible for products sold to consumers and the safety of their customers is paramount. You should seek advice if a defective product has caused you personal injury as you may be entitled to claim compensation. The Consumer Protection Act 1987 makes manufacturers or importers of products into the EU strictly liable for personal injury caused as a consequence of any product defect. [8] For a claim based on tort law, the claimant will need to show that the defendant was negligent and in breach of its duty to take reasonable care in relation to the product. The claimant will also need to overcome other assertions by the defendant, for example that the defect in question was unforeseeable. [9] The harm of defection There are broadly speaking two approaches which could be adopted to the issue of â€Å"defectiveness†. On one view it could be said that a product is defective when it does not live up to the expectations of consumers. On the other hand a product could be said to be defective when the product is in a condition which is unreasonably dangerous to persons or to their property. The 1987 Act appears to be closer to the tort standard than the contract standard. The safety of the product is not such as persons generally are entitled to expect; and for those purposes â€Å"safety†, in relation to a product, shall include safety with respects to products comprised in that product and safety in the context of risks of damage to property, as well as in the context of risks of death or personal injury. [10] Third Parties Third-party liability insurance protects the insured from legal liability claims presented by third parties. It can be difficult to determine who party to a contract is when it is a three way relationship. For instance, there is a legal contract between International Water Service and Pennine Water. There is also a legal contract between Pennine Water and its customers. The three or more roles in the contract are different from two roles in the contract. In this case, there is no legal contract between International Water Service and the customers of Pennine Water. The case that relate to third parties is The Salvage Association v CAP Financial Services Ltd [1995]. The more important factor that I must pay attention is ‘reasonable care and skill’ in this case. For example, if we will develop this system, we must supply some compilers who have sufficient experience in the skill. If we send some no-sufficient compilers, IWS has the liability when the system is defective. S o the supplier, if acting in the course of a business, will carry out the service with: ‘reasonable care and skill’. There is another important aspect in third parties. It is Privity of Contract. Privity of Contract is a doctrine of contract law that prevents any person from seeking the enforcement of a contract, or suing on its terms, unless they are a party to that contract. Suppose there are a customer, an agent and a manufacturer. There is a subcontract between agent and manufacturer. Moreover, there is a contract between agent and customer. So we can give a definition to privity of contract. Privity refers to a connection or bond between parties to a particular transaction. Privity of contract is the relationship that exists between two or more parties to an agreement. Privity of estate exists between a lessor and a lessee, and privity of possession is the relationship between parties in successive possession of real property.    References [1] Legal liability http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_liability [2] What is a contract wisegeek.com/what-is-a-contract.htm [3] Negligent misstatement http://law.jrank.org/pages/16397/negligent-misstatement-(negligent-misrepresentation-careless-statement).html [4] Negligent misstatement lawiki.org/lawwiki/Negligent_misstatement [5] Practice Insights: Products Liability Law http://legalcareers.about.com/od/legalspecialties/a/productsliab.htm [6] Products Liability Law floridalawyer.com/services-products.html [7] Making a Defective Product Claim national-accident-helpline.co.uk/accident-claims/defective-product-claims.html?s=googlegclid=CKOEzujgrKgCFUdP4QodK1f9HQ [8] Defective Products Liability Claim firstpersonalinjury.co.uk/our-specialities/defective-products-and-product-liability-claims [9] What is product liability? findlaw.co.uk/law/accidents_and_injuries/defective_and_dangerous_products/500054.html [10] Insite Law insitelawmagazine.com/ch11productlaibility.htm [11] David Bainbridge ‘Introduction to Information Technology Law’ (2008) Appendices Donoghue v Stevenson On 26 August 1928, Donoghue cost 30 minutes to Paisley by a tram. At about 8:50 pm, she was in the Wellmeadow Cafe with her friend. Her friend ordered and paid for a pear, ice and an ice-cream drink. The owner uses a tumbler to contain ginger beer and ice cream. Donoghue drank some and her friends lifted the bottle to pour the remainder of the bottle. Then, they found there is a snail which was in a state of decomposition dropped out of the bottle into the tumbler. Donoghue complained soon and her doctor diagnosed her as having gastroenteritis and being in a state of severe shock. On 9 April 1929, Donoghue brought an action against David Stevenson who is the water manufacturer in Paisley. Donoghue claimed 500 pounds as damages for injuries sustained. Caparo Industries plc v Dickman A company called Fidelity plc, which is a manufactures of electrical equipments, was the target of a takeover by Caparo Industries plc. Fidelity did not run well. In March 1984 Fidelity had issued a profit warning, which had halved its share price. In June 1984, the annual accounts were done with the help of the accountant Dickman. Caparo found that Fidenlity’s accounts were in an even worse state than had been revealed by the directors or the auditors. Hedley Byrne Co Ltd v Heller Partners Ltd Hedley Byrne was a firm of advertising agents. Easipower Ltd is a customer who put in a large order. Hedley wanted to check the information, which includes financial position and credit-worthiness. Heller Partners Ltd replied in a letter that was headed, â€Å"without responsibility on the part of this bank†. Easipower said that consider good for its ordinary business engagements. Derry v peek (1888) The defendant tram company advertised in its prospectus that it would employ steam power, and intimated that it had the authority of the Board of Trade to do so. In the end, the Board refused consent to steam power, and the company was wound up. The claimant investor brought an action in the tort of deceit, which ultimately failed in the HouseOfLords. While there was no doubt that the defendants claim was unfounded, the House held that deceit required actual Dishonesty Negligence, however culpable was not enough.

Shelby Sun Tanning and Skin Essay

Shelby Sun Tanning and Skin Essay Shelby: Sun Tanning and Skin Essay Did you know more than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually (Polsky, 2012)? It has been found that ultraviolet radiation or sun exposure is the number one cause of skin cancer (Sun Exposure, Skin Cancer and Other Sun Damage, 2013). This same UV radiation are used in tanning beds and is just as risky. In addition to skin cancer, other negative risks of using tanning beds include eye damage, early aging and harmful infections. In April of 2005, Glenna Kohl detected a hard, golf ball–size lump near her groin at age 22 while working out at her college gym in Rhode Island. She then left the gym and went home to put ice on what she thought was a sports injury. After the lump had been there for a long period of time she decided to see a doctor. She had a biopsy done and later the doctor handed Glenna and her family a horrifying diagnosis: The lump ended up being melanoma, the deadliest of the three forms of skin cancer. The doctors believed this cancer was a result of too much sun exposure and indoor tanning. If melanoma are caught at an earlier stage, normally starting out as a small bump or mole on the skin, it is highly curable. Glenna’s had reached stage III, which meant the cancer had spread beyond the skin and into the lymph nodes. She battled this deadly cancer for four years and later died at age 26 (Goldberg, 2012). The indoor tanning bed was invented in Europe in 1906 by a German medical company named, Heraeus. This company created individual UV tanning lamps. They were originally created to help patients develop more Vitamin D to absorb Calcium. This therapy was especially helpful to those fighting bone diseases like Ricketts. It became a stylish trend in the 1920’s after two famous French women Coco Chanel and Josephine Baker sported tanned skin. A German scientist by the name of Friedrich Wolff decided to take tanning lamps to the next level and test the effect of artificial UV light on athletes i n the 1970’s. After noticing the side effect was a golden, healthy glow, it became extremely popular. After that, a mass of tanning beds were produced in Europe and today it is still a growing industry both in America and all over the rest of the world. From 1978 – 1988, tanning beds in the America were not under any government regulations, but now, federal law forces tanning salons and manufacturers to remain committed to the rules of skin cancer prevention (â€Å"SunTan†, 2013). Tanning beds have become increasingly popular over the last several years due to the heightened fashion of tanned skin. â€Å"UV light has been shown to increase the release of opioid- like endorphins, feel-good chemicals that relieve pain and generate feelings of well-being, potentially leading to dependency.† Because of this, dermatologists suggest that tanning may be addictive, especially when started at an early age and done frequently (Hornung,2013). The bronzed look tends to give people a sense of beauty and increases their self-esteem. Tanning also helps hide skin impurities like veins or dark spots. In addition, it also adds a youthful and healthy glow and makes one look more muscular and toned. Tanning beds has been known to tighten your skin and reduce cellulite as well. Plus, indoor tanning is quick and convenient , and can add color to your skin even in the cold winter months. While tanning makes people feel beautiful there are many potential health problems that could arise due to prolonged UV

Curriculum Development for Inclusive Education Essay

Curriculum Development for Inclusive Education - Essay Example Curriculum Development for Inclusive Education Course Description ESOl level 3 course will prepare students who may include adolescents, young professionals to effectively communicate in English in different situations both orally and in writing. ... The approach seeks to the students’ potential. It is an effort that ensures diverse learners (of different languages, different ways of learning, cultures, different interests, different family lives and homes and with disabilities) are exposed to several teaching strategies that come to them as individual learners (nvpie 2013). The level of this scheme of work is at ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) Entry 3. Blackledge (2005, p236) indicates that an individual at ESOL Entry 3 is capable of following straight forward spoken instructions and explanations and make a conversation on a familiar topic (Blackledge 2005, p236). The scheme targets adolescent and adult learners including those with mild disabilities. Mallows (2006, p10) indicates that the ESOL classroom is composed of a diversity of backgrounds and the needs of the learners. There are four potential categories of ESOL learners and they include migrant workers, asylum-seekers and refugees, partners and spouses of students, and settled communities (Mallows 2006, p10). The targeted learners for the developed course include migrant workers and partners and spouses of students. The targeted population in most cases includes individuals who are not well endowed economically. In this respect, the course is well designed to meet their needs in that they need not to purchase expensive equipment to take part in the lessons. Also, the course is designed to be suitable to persons with mild visual and hearing impairments going by the aids to be used during teaching. Multi-media will be applied in teaching to encourage learning through seeing, hearing, and touching. At Entry 3 level, the adults can respond and listen to spoken language including straightforward

Spotlight on Obama's Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spotlight on Obama's Foreign Policy - Essay Example However, the implementation and temperament of Obama's style will greatly impact the ways in which we negotiate with the global community. The policies of Barak Obama have fundamentally changed the ways in which we confront our adversaries in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe. A key to Obama's strategy for engaging countries that are hostile towards the US, and present a threat to our national security, is the elimination of Bush's failed policy that mandated the need for preconditions during the negotiating process. Iran is an example where the Bush administration demanded that Tehran suspend its nuclear enrichment program before agreeing to any talks. This became a roadblock to negotiations, as the Iranians refused to give up what they perceived as a sovereign right (Anderson, 2008, p. A08). In addition, this policy has been blamed for the election of the right-wing reactionary Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, partially as a response to the US's hard line foreign policy (Zahedi and Memarian, 2007, M2). Obama's willingness to talk should bring about a thawing of relations and empower the more moderate Iranians that held power until the election of Bush (Iran moderate elected speaker, 2000). Barak Obama will further benefit from the goodwill that he has amassed from the governments and people around

Money & Banking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money & Banking - Assignment Example The name ‘Exeter’ will be more appreciated since it relates the business to the locality. In the instance that the success probability of the fish restaurant is higher than that of its failure, I would recommend that the sandwich restaurant is started instead. This is because in light of the discrepancy of the earnings, the partnership will still stand to gain from McExe. The fish restaurant Exeter is yet to break even as such, the viability of the business is pegged on an improvement of the marketing strategy; the 4 Ps of marketing. Without that the Bank’s proposal for the sandwich restaurant McExe seems to be the better option. In this instance I would recommend that the option since it is more viable than the previous two be given priority over the other two. It stands to profit them more than the fish and sandwich restaurant proposals. The Sushi restaurant should be owned by the Chef X since he has more earnings and as such stands as the ‘majority shareholder’. Consumption planning by the model (considering that a short term investment at date 1 is not available) they should focus on the model which has a higher return and so short term investment at date 0 with a return of r1 = 1 at date 1. This therefore, is the best model to use since it guarantees you a100% of earnings in the business. If I chose a long term investment today over a short term investment at date 0 (Yesterday) returns will be lower but being a long term investment, you can persist and hope for more gains in the future. This is because business is about risks; we risk to get a returns (Hellwig) Obviously if r2 is low at the moment agents will not invest it at date one because it is not promising. It will scare potential investors who agents are targeting to invest later. It will be a loss making investment to agents. They will not be exposed to fractuation in interst rates which can be brought by inflation,

Speech given by that candidate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Speech given by that candidate - Essay Example The goal was reached perfectly. This is because, Mitt Romney first introduced Paul Ryan as his running mate and the selected Vice President of the Republican party, and then went ahead to explain why he was selected. Mitt Romney introduced Paul Ryan as a man of character, who is true to his words, and who respects the opinion of others, even when they are his opponents, without demonizing his opponents (Romney, n.p.). He further defended the character of Paul Ryan as that of integrity and steadiness, being the reason why he was suited to back him up as a running mate, since they do not only share the same vision for America, but have the capability to achieve it, owing to the integrity and steadiness of his running mate. Further, the goal of introducing Paul Ryan as the right candidate was achieved thorough presenting him as a candidate whose judgment is respected by all, and the one who is an ardent supporter of freedom and justice (Romney, n.p.). Emotive language and balance are the two major speech techniques that Mitt Romney applies in this speech. These techniques are effective in persuading the audience to accept Paul Ryan as the best running mate and potential Republican Vice President Candidate. This is because; Emotive language, as the first technique that Mitt Romney applied in this speech, is able to appeal more to the emotions and feelings of the audience, as opposed to indulging them through logic and reason. This is achieved through the application of emotive language seen in Mitt Romney’s statement that â€Å"Pauls father died when he was in high school† (Romney, n.p.).The emotive language is specifically targeted at presenting Ryan as a man of discipline and personal character. This statement forms a tactical application of emotive language, where Mitt Romney was seeking to appeal to the emotions of the audience through showing them that Paul Ryan’s journey has not been easy, yet he has

A kid who currently doesn't have insurance and is being transported to Research Paper

A kid who currently doesn't have insurance and is being transported to another hospital with asthma and pneumonia - Research Paper Example These include the patient’s health condition, the mode of transport, and distance between the two hospitals, among others (University of Maryland, 2009, p. 47). The type of medical equipment required to transport a patient has an impact on the financial weight of patient transport. The sort of medical equipment needed is dependent on the health condition of the patient. A patient with a condition of heart disease would require adequate systems to be present within the transport vehicle; enabling the staff to deal with any complications that may arise during transport. This translates into a larger financial burden on the patient. In this case the child transported has asthma and pneumonia. Asthma and pneumonia are not as severe and critical as heart disease. However, the equipment required for transportation still consists of expensive devices such as Cardiac monitors, pulse oximeter, oxygen delivery system, and intubation equipment including others (Jaimovich & Vidyasgar, 200 2, p. 236). The distance between the two hospitals is crucial in deciding the means of transport. For small distances; intra city transport, ground vehicles are ideal. For large distances; intercity transport, air transport is preferred.

Speech given by that candidate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Speech given by that candidate - Essay Example The goal was reached perfectly. This is because, Mitt Romney first introduced Paul Ryan as his running mate and the selected Vice President of the Republican party, and then went ahead to explain why he was selected. Mitt Romney introduced Paul Ryan as a man of character, who is true to his words, and who respects the opinion of others, even when they are his opponents, without demonizing his opponents (Romney, n.p.). He further defended the character of Paul Ryan as that of integrity and steadiness, being the reason why he was suited to back him up as a running mate, since they do not only share the same vision for America, but have the capability to achieve it, owing to the integrity and steadiness of his running mate. Further, the goal of introducing Paul Ryan as the right candidate was achieved thorough presenting him as a candidate whose judgment is respected by all, and the one who is an ardent supporter of freedom and justice (Romney, n.p.). Emotive language and balance are the two major speech techniques that Mitt Romney applies in this speech. These techniques are effective in persuading the audience to accept Paul Ryan as the best running mate and potential Republican Vice President Candidate. This is because; Emotive language, as the first technique that Mitt Romney applied in this speech, is able to appeal more to the emotions and feelings of the audience, as opposed to indulging them through logic and reason. This is achieved through the application of emotive language seen in Mitt Romney’s statement that â€Å"Pauls father died when he was in high school† (Romney, n.p.).The emotive language is specifically targeted at presenting Ryan as a man of discipline and personal character. This statement forms a tactical application of emotive language, where Mitt Romney was seeking to appeal to the emotions of the audience through showing them that Paul Ryan’s journey has not been easy, yet he has

Business intelligence and health care Research Proposal

Business intelligence and health care - Research Proposal Example Application of business intelligence in healthcare facilitates in streamlining raw data into meaningful and useful information for fostering better decision-making (Hennen, 2009). Thus, paper would be studying hospitals to evaluate how business intelligence is applied to identify healthcare imperatives that impact healthcare delivery for patients and financial benefits for the healthcare organizations. The increasing cost of healthcare consumes nearly 18%of the current US GDP (Ramsey et al., 2013). The healthcare reforms have considerably expanded the umbrella for health insurance coverage of all Americans including those with pre-existing diseases. The increasing burden on the healthcare institutions for providing quality care at affordable cost has become a huge concern because the interests of the payers and providers get directly linked to the quality of treatment and health outcome. Mettler and Vimarlund (2009) insist that technology can significantly contribute to the delivery of quality healthcare with economic transparency and real-time availability of critical information. Thus, business intelligence becomes pertinent issue in healthcare for exploiting information to manage patient care, improve quality and control costs for defined population or individual. Business intelligence in healthcare can broadly be described as leveraging information about patients for optimizing health outcome (Ferranti et al., 2010). Creating database of pertinent information regarding various aspects of healthcare serves as important mechanism for making decisions for optimal patients’ outcome. The information can be used judiciously by the hospital to reduce cost in repeating tests, facilitate analysis of clinical data and proactively involving patients in managing self-care. Most importantly, BI promotes transparency on real-time basis and therefore considerably reduces fraudulent practices and sub-standard quality of healthcare

The Soft Drink Industry Essay Example for Free

The Soft Drink Industry Essay Indiana University-South Bend he average U.S. consumer drinks more soft drinks per capita (2.3 eight ounce servings a day) than any other beverage, including milk. Table 1 shows the per capita consumption of various beverages in the U.S. for 1991-1995. In terms of 1995 retail sales, soft drinks in the U.S. are a $52 billion dollar industry (Standard Poors Corp., 96:11). The U.S. market growth for soft drinks, however, has slowed to single digits since the end of 1980s (Sawinski, 95:550). Fifty-four percent of the worlds soft drink volume is sold outside North America, and in 1995, the per capita consumption of soft drinks in continental markets outside North America ranged from a low of 2.02 gallons in Africa to a high of 13.86 gallons in South America. INDUSTRY PRODUCTS AND VALUE CHAIN The industry, once synonymous with the Cola, has now grown into one with a wide range of products. Additional flavors such as orange, cherry, lime, lemon, pepper, and ginger ales have appeared in the market, and caffeine-free and diet versions of almost all of the industrys products have been introduced. In 1996, Cola brands occupied the top two marketshare positions in the U.S., while non-cola brands such as Mountain Dew, Sprite, and 7UP were also among the top ten best-selling soft drinks. Also, in 1996, sales volume for the top two Colas, Coca-Cola Classic and Pepsi-Cola, grew 3.2% and 3% respectively, while sales volume for Mountain Dew and Sprite grew 5.7% and 17.6% respectively. Table 2 shows the list of 10 best selling soft drinks in the U.S. market. Soft drinks are made by mixing syrup (which is made from raw materials such as sugar, sweeteners, and flavoring additives) with carbonated water. While some of the soft drinks are sold at fountains, others are packaged in bottles or cans. A large portion of the soft drink industrys sales is in the packaged form (Sawinski, 95:549 estimates that 75% of all soft drinks sold in the U.S. were in the packaged form). Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo have historically maintained control over bottling and distribution through part or full ownership of some of their bottling plants. Cadbury Schweppes, on the other hand, has chosen to outsource its bottling function in the U.S. market. Cadbury Schweppes relies on independent bottlers and the bottling operations owned by Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo to bottle its products. Recently, Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo decided to drop some of Cadburys brands from their bottling operations to make room for their own brands. As a result,  Cadbury estimates that it has lost about 20 million cases in sales (Theodore, 97a:40). In another recent event, PepsiCo lost a significant part of its Latin American business when its Venezuelan bottler defected to Coca-Cola Co. (Sellers, 96:74-78). Bottling operations and syrup production differ in their capital intensity and profitability. For example, in 1995, Coca-Cola Enterprisesa company engaged primarily in bottling and distributionhad revenues of $0.75 for every dollar invested in assets, while Coca-Cola Co., which is primarily engaged in syrup production, enjoyed revenues of $1.25 for every dollar invested in assets. Also, while Coca-Cola Co. earned a 17% return on sales in 1995, an average company engaged primarily in bottling and distribution of soft drinks would earn between 2 to 5% (Standard Poors Corp., 96:22). INDUSTRY STRUCTURE Industry Players and Competition The U.S. and global soft drink industries are quite concentrated. Long dominated by two companies, Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, the industry saw the emergence of a third significant player when Cadbury Schweppes acquired the Dr. Pepper and 7UP brands in 1995. Table 3 shows that the top three firms accounted for 90% of the U.S. soft drink market in 1996, and Table 4 shows that the same three firms controlled 77% of the world soft drink market in 1995. Appendix 1 provides a list of product lines and their performance for each of the three firms, and Appendix 2 provides selected financial data for the three companies. Soft drink sales volume in the U.S. has grown at an average annual rate of 3.28% over the last five years, reaching 14,199.5 million gallons in 1996. Soft drink sales outside North America represented 54% of the world sales volume in 1995 and have grown at an average annual rate of 6.52% between 1990 and 1995. Table 5 shows worldwide soft drink sales volume by continent, and Table 6 shows worldwide per capita soft drink consumption by continent. New Entry Into the Industry The production technologies required for manufacturing soft drinks is widely available for potential entrants. Competing on a national or global scale, however, requires the ability to manufacture and distribute a well-recognized brand. Soft drinks are among the most advertised products, and soft drink commercials are a regular feature in most high-profile advertising events. In 1996, for example, Coca-Cola Co. had an unprecedented one hundred commercial spots during the Summer Olympics, and PepsiCo had a  number of commercials during the super-bowl. Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, and Cadbury Schweppes spent a total of $469.1 million on media advertising in the U.S. market between January and September 1996, up from the $370.7 million spent during the corresponding period in 1995 (Beverage Industry, 3/97: 40-41). Channels of Distribution As mentioned earlier, there are two main channel categories in this industrypackaged product channels and fountain channels. The packaged product channels include supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drug stores, and vending machines. Fountain channels include fast-food restaurants, sports arenas, convenience stores, and gas stations. While supermarkets are, at present, the largest channel in the U.S., the fountain channel has been growing fast. According to Bill Perely, Senior Vice President/General Manager of fountain/foodservice for Dr. Pepper/7UP, fountain sales in the U.S. grew at an average annual rate of about 5% in the last five years, while overall soft drink sales in the U.S. grew at an average annual rate of about 3% during the same period (Sfiligoj, 97:54). Bill Perely attributes the growth in fountain sales to the increased popularity of fast foodsin particular the carry-out segment of fast foods. Soft drink companies have stepped up their efforts to capture a larger share of the fountain business by introducing more of their brands at the fountain, by aggressively competing for service contracts with high-profile customers, and by working with fountain outlets on joint promotion and dispensing technologies. Jeff Dunn, Vice President of field sales and marketing at Coca-Cola Co., notes that fountain customers are becoming increasingly brand conscious. He says, For years, consumers have basically asked for a generic kind of soft drink from the fountain dispenser at the restaurant they were in, but thats changing. Now consumers actually ask for a soft drink by its namelike Sprite instead of 7UP, for instanceand wont substitute one for the other (Sfiligoj, 97:60). To fountain outlets like fast-food restaurants or convenience stores, increased brand consciousness means that they can attract more customers by carrying many  soft drink brands instead of just a few. Signs of fountain outlets seeking to diversify the brands that they carry emerged in early 1996 when Circle K corporation took Coca-Cola Co. to court seeking to terminate its fountain contract which precluded Circle K from selling other company brands at its fountains (Sfiligoj, 97:56). Circle K prevailed in its efforts, and its stores now have a range of non-Coke brands along with Cokes products. It remains to be seen if Circle Ks court battle signals a new era in the fountain business, one where fast-food restaurants and other fountain outlets no longer carry the brands of just one soft drink company. In international markets, soft drink companies face a number of distribution challenges. In many of the emerging country markets such as India, China, and Indonesia, for example, poor road conditions and other infrastructure problems render efficient distribution by trucks very difficult. Physical distribution in these markets often involves using an army of people on tricycles and bicycles to haul the products through narrow and winding streets. At the retail end, problems include lack of refrigerators in retail outlets and even lack of power lines in some places. Overcoming these distribution problems has required and may continue to require sizable investments in infrastructure development and giving away or loaning coolers. Supplies Supplies for soft drinks include various ingredients used in the production of soft drinks and packaging materials used for the finished product. Soft drink production involves mixing a number of ingredients including water, preservatives, sugar/sweeteners, flavors, coloring agents, and carbon dioxide. Appendix 3 provides an example of a soft drink production batch sheet. Table 7 shows the worldwide soft drink ingredients consumption for 1996 and consumption estimates for 2001. Bulk sweetener refers to sugar manufactured from agricultural produce such as cane and beat. According to the economic research unit of the U.S. department of agriculture, the world spot price for sugar has been trending down and averaged 12.10 cents a pound in the  last quarter of 1995. Looking ahead, the economic research unit forecasts the world sugar production for 1996/97 (October 1996 to September 1997) at 125.1 million metric tons and the global consumption of sugar for the same period at 123.0 million metric tons (Beverage Industry, 5/97:43). High-intensity sweeteners, in contrast to sugar, are compounds that result from extensive research and development by food product companies. These sweeteners are subject to very close scrutiny by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before being approved for use in soft drinks and other food products. Currently used primarily in low-calorie and sugar-free beverages, the consumption of these high-intensity sweeteners remains low. A beverage industry report points out that the consumption of high intensity sweeteners in soft drinks is expected to rise as more companies producing these products gain FDA approval. In the 1960s, aluminum cans began to make inroads into the beverage container business. Working diligently to capture a larger share of the container market, aluminum can companies had reduced the cost of using their products by minimizing the aluminum content in cans and by helping their customers develop equipment to produce cans at machine-gun speed and fill them at very high rates (2,000 cans per minute). These innovations enabled aluminum can makers to capture just over a quarter of the soft drink container market by 1985. In the last few years, however, aluminum can companies have faced intense competition from plastic bottle makers. As soft drink companies began to realize that customers valued the way a product looked and felt, and were willing to pay more to get these attributes, they increased their utilization of the more profitable single serve plastic bottles. Brian W. Sturgell, Executive Vice President of the aluminum can maker Alcan, observes that the soft drink companies sell 20 ounces [in plastic bottles] for a buck, while you can buy a 12-pack of cans for $2.39 . . . Its an amazing profitability gap (Baker Harris, 97:108). In wake of these developments, aluminum can makers are attempting to stay competitive and grow their market shares by rethinking their plain looking cans. They are experimenting with new shapes, new feel, and reclosable lids for their cans. Redesigning the cans along these lines will not be easy, however, because the can makers have to invest in research and development to overcome the technical  challenges involved, even as competition forces them to hold or lower their prices. See Table 8 for soft drink container marketshares. Table 8 Soft Drink Container Market Shares (%) (Gallons of Soft Substitute Products Health and fitness concerns, as well as an increasing appetite for something new and different, have resulted in a flurry of alternative beverage product introductions in the U.S. market. For example, 3524 new products were introduced in 1996 compared to 1540 new products introduced in 1986 (Beverage Industry, 3/97:53). The range of new products introduced include cold coffees, caffeinated and flavored water, carbonated flavored milk, fruit and vegetable juice blends, caffeinated orange juice, micro-brewed root beer, and alternative lifestyle products such as anise-based drinks blended with vanilla and other extracts and cinnamon-based beverages flavored with garlic and cayenne pepper. Table 9 shows the sales volume for new beverages between 1990 and 1996, and Table 10 compares the sales of new beverages with soft drink sales. Although some soft drink companies have their own alternative beverage operations, the rapid growth of alternative beverages brings forth many new companiesinc luding Starbucks, Campbell Soups, Tropicana, and Quaker Oatsthat soft drink makers need to contend with. TRENDS General Economy The annual GDP growth in the U.S. averaged 2.32% between 1991 and 1995. During the same 1991-95 period, inflation in the U.S., measured by the consumer price index, averaged 3.19%, and the lending interest rate charged by U.S. banks on loans to prime customers averaged 7.34%. Table 13 summarizes these numbers and also provides corresponding numbers for two earlier five-year periods. Table 14 provides key economic indicators for twenty other countries of the world. Technology Advances in technology have improved all aspects of the soft drink industry. For example, advances in additives such as sugarless sweeteners, caffeine free products, and new flavorings have enabled the industry to provide products that meet changing customer tastes and preferences. Computerized manufacturing technologies have contributed to higher efficiency and quality in bottling operations. Computerized systems can now be used to measure key aspects of beverage production such as syrup usage, Brix count (per cent sugar), and beverage carbonation (Sawinski, 1995:552-553). Advances in logistics and information technology are helping companies enjoy better inventory control, faster truck check-in and check-out, better stock rotation at the warehouse, and eliminate truckload errors (Sawinski, 1995:552-553). Technological advances have also helped the sales end of the business. The so-called smart vending machines use electronic components to track sales patterns, stocks, and equipment breakdowns. When equipped with wireless  communications software, these machines can also automatically reorder stock, eliminating the need for manual stock checks. Faster fountain dispensers are also being developed to better serve customers on the go. Another innovation that could revolutionize the business is the self-chilling can developed by The Joseph Company (Dawson, 97:74-78). The technology for this product involves mounting a small aerosol can filled with pressurized liquid refrigerant upside down in a 500-ml beverage can, leaving room for 330 ml of beverage. The aerosol valve head and the activator button is located at the bottom of the can. When the activator button is pushed, the liquid refrigerant draws heat from the warm beverage and escapes out as gas through the valve in the cans base. In the process, the temperature of the beverage drops by 30 °F in 120 seconds. This product would eliminate the need for refrigeration and is slated for commercial introduction in the last quarter of 1997. Initially targeted to the high-convenience sector of the U.S. market, the self-chilling can could eventually help soft drink companies overcome refrigeration problems faced in emerging country markets. Political Many countries that were once inaccessible to foreign companies are opening up their markets. Countries that have opened their markets in recent times include China, India, and Indonesia, which together account for nearly half of the worlds population. These countries also have among the lowest per capita soft drink consumption levels in the world. While the mere opening of these markets does not assure success for multinational soft drink companies, they do provide an opportunity previously unavailable to them. Success in such new markets will depend on learning to operate in dissimilar cultures, managing political and currency risks, and overcoming infrastructural problems. Regulative Environment The soft drink industry is subject to a range of government regulations. In particular, regulations in two areas are noteworthy. First, as a food  product, soft drinks come under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. and corresponding regulative bodies overseas. The FDA, for example, tests and certifies new ingredients such as high-intensity sweeteners before they are allowed to be used in soft drink production. The second area of regulation that is of particular interest to the soft drink industry relates to the natural environment. The impact of soft drink packaging materials on the natural environment has been one of the most important issues in this respect. In the U.S., in response to public concerns, there has been a series of legislative activity at both the federal and state levels (Beverage World DataBank, 1997:213-226). While individual proposals may differ in some respects, most federal legislative proposals address one or more of the following objectives: (1) Minimize the quantity of packaging material entering the nations solid waste system; (2) minimize the consumption of scarce natural resources; (3) maximize the recycling and reuse of packaging materials; and (4) protect human health and the natural environment from adverse effects associated with the disposal of packaging materials. In addition to the federal efforts in this regard, many states have adopted laws to govern packaging materials. Fifty-one states enforce laws dealing with litter control and prevention and administer recycling and public awareness programs. Nine states have adopted deposit laws for beverage containers, and twenty-seven states place restrictions on multi-pack carrier materials. The multi-pack carrier restrictions require that the plastic ring carriers be made of degradable material that decomposes when discarded. Also, thirty-eight states have laws that regulate the sale of beverage containers with detachable metal pull tabs. In most of these thirty-eight states, it is unlawful to sell a beverage in a container designed with a detachable metal opening device. In a demonstration of social responsibility, the major players in the soft drink industry and the national soft drink association have joined the Environmental Protection Agencys voluntary program WasteWi$e (Beverage Industry, 9/97:39-41). The program requires members to commit to implementing/expanding their waste reduction programs in three areaswaste  prevention, recycling, and purchasing or manufacturing recycled products. A charter member of the program, Coca-Cola Co. recycled more than 1.2 million pounds of corrugated paper and other recyclables in 1995. Coca-Cola Co. also purchased $2 million in recycled content materials. PepsiCo has made modifications to its soda cans and the containers that transport them. For example, PepsiCo has replaced single-use corrugated transport containers with reusable plastic cases for its 1-liter and 20 ounce packages, eliminating 196 million pounds of corrugated material in the process.

Causes and triggers of domestic violence

Causes and triggers of domestic violence Domestic abuse also referred to as asspousal abuse happens where in a marriage or an intimate relationship one partner tries to take control and dominate over the other. Where physical violence is involved, such domestic abuse is called domestic violence. An abuser uses intimidation, shame, fear and guilt to wear the other down so that the abused can be kept under the thumb. Abusers may threaten, hurt you and even those around you. There is no discrimination in domestic violence and thus it may happen among same-sex partners and heterosexual couples. Moreover, domestic violence may happen irrespective of our ethnic backgrounds, age and economic backgrounds. Women appear to be the common victims but in modern day society, men are also falling victims especially emotionally and verbally. Different approaches have been used by theorists to show that there are specific characteristics associated with individuals who abuse their partners. These approaches have shown that such abusive characters have inability to cope with stress, possess low self-esteem, they have desire to have control and power over others, once had social support isolation, are dependent on their victims, feelings of jealousy and they may also have some psychological and mental disorders. This indicates that there are different risk factors of domestic violence from economic to biological ones. Thesis: irrespective of what causes a particular domestic violence incident be it economical or biological, domestic violence is a social problem that affects our quality of life. This is an abusive behavior which is never acceptable and it doesnt matter whether it comes from a woman or a man, an adult or a teenager. Every one of us deserves to be safe, respected and above all valued. Ideas (risk factors) Idea #1: There appears to be a statistical correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse. Several studies on domestic violence indicate that there are high rates of substance abuse by perpetrators. Regular use of alcohol is documented as one of the leading risk factors in intimate partner abuse. There is evidence that drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence are things that usually occur together. This indicates that most families where there is a parent who abuses alcohol or any other drugs have high rates of domestic violence. There are several statistical evidences that show substance abuse increases the risk of domestic violence in homes. For example, around 87% of program directors in the field of domestic violence assert that intimate partner violence increases in a family where both partners are drugs or alcohol addicts. The U.S. Departments of Justice in its records show that around 61% of domestic violence offenders are addicts of alcohol or any other types of drugs. Moreover, a study conducted by the same Department in 2002 on murders in U.S. families indicated that more than half of those accused of murder of their intimate partners had abused alcohol and other drugs at the time of the murder. This is enough statistical evidence linking alcohol abuse and other drugs to domestic violence (Schechter, 2000). People who abuse alcohol and especially men argue that they normally engage in domestic violence because at that time they were under the influence of alcohol. In some other instances, those batterers living with women who abuse alcohol or drugs justify their domestic violence as one of the best ways in which they can control their spouses the moment they come home drunk. In such instances, risks associated are high because the woman who is being battered may not have control to seek help since she is not sober. Studies on domestic violence in U.S. population shows that in cases where the man is the batterer and frequently abuses drugs and alcohol, such men have the tendency to rid themselves of the violence responsibility by stating that they did so since they were under the influence of alcohol (Kenneth and Elizabeth, 2000). Substance abuse not only affects the intimate partner in the household but also the children. Children brought up in such a family experience more sexual, emotional and physical abuse than those in non-substance abusing families. Surveys conducted by National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse shows that around 80% of cases of child abuse are associated with parents who abuse drugs and alcohol. This problem may be translated into the later life stages of such children and thus reports indicate that there is high probability that they also abuse alcohol and other drugs and also result in the same domestic violence (Jeffrey and Abigail, 2007). Idea #2: a major piece to battering of wives is rooted in most cultures especially in the African traditional society. Most men who batter their wives have rigid rules and views on their gender roles. Most batterers have sexist attitudes towards their intimate partners and this has been a consistent cultural issue causing domestic violence. Majority of our societies have trained men in a way that they see women in objectified and disrespectful ways. This makes most men to see their intimate partners as their possession. It was not long ago when in most cultures, women were always considered as properties of men. This is an attitude that actually still lives in the culture of United States. Today, only several years have passed since most states in the U.S. changed their laws regarding rape that occurs among married couples. There before, the laws in most states stated that a man could not be convicted in jail because of raping his wife. This is an implication that this woman was the property of her husband. Thus men in such cultures could do anything with the wife and the only thing that was required of her was just to cooperate. Even if such laws have been changed today, there are still churches where ceremonies are performed for the wife to rake oath that she is going to honor, love and obey her husband. In most cultures, when a woman gets married, she has to take the name of her husband. The main idea here is that it becomes simpler than to add middle names or even to hyphenate names. This follows from the fact that in marriage and in all societies, a woman has to leave her fathers house and join the husband in his house. There is no time women belonged to themselves but they only belonged to their husband or father. This is what represented the womans last name. We can liken this to African slaves who would always take the name of their master or the slave holder. Even in matters of political choices, women started voting the other day and they were taken as individuals who could not take any stand on political matters. The underlying theme is that the general attitudes men have towards women affect peoples willingness to hurt them physically. Emerging African literature on different causal theories shows there is power of norms and tradition in African cultures that explain the widespread domestic violence incidence. There are so many African societies which see that as a direct connection and as a result they argue that wife battering is normal in African traditions. According to Randall (2003), this is a proposition that is supported by several authors who have conducted several interviews. One such good example is the interview from the Social Welfare Office of Ibadan, Nigeria. This is a region where even police officers remind women who come to report that they have been battered by their husband that Yoruba culture allows its men to beat their women. There are however other indirect cultural explanations of some concepts such as polygamy impact, male promiscuity acceptance, uneven power distribution in traditional African marriages, power of extended families on a married couple and the bride price institution as und erlying causes for wives abuse. Payment of bride price to the wifes parents after marriage makes it even more difficult to leave their battering husbands unless the amount paid is willingly returned by the families of origin. According to Randall (2003), domestic violence studies conducted in Zimbabwe involving interviews on twenty-five male abusers and seventy-five female victims of domestic violence in Shona-speaking community showed that cultural factors are a major cause for domestic violence. In this study, it was reported that most domestic quarrels emerged out of jealousy and money. A good example is in the Shona community where quarrels between a husband and his wife emerge because the wife has asked for money. This is taken as a challenge on the traditional absolute male control of the household on family finances. There is also a similar dynamic in domestic violence which is initiated by jealousy. Even if male promiscuity in Africa is traditionally accepted, the sexuality of the females is zealously controlled by the family or the husband. Not only in African traditional societies but also in other earlier civilized ones in Americas, Asia and Europe where a wife may be seen as challenging the hu sbands prerogatives and authority the moment she demands explanations on his extramarital involvements. In most cases violence erupts if the wife asks her husband where he has been and with whom or in other cases showing threat for addition of other wives. Addition of multiple wives is today seen as a big threat to economic survival for the first wife, the children and a source for HIV/AIDs scourge and thus wives may be tempted to question their husbands. But this questioning is seen as a challenge to the traditional mans rights and a threat to the culturally prescribed position and this automatically provokes violence. Idea #3: absolute poverty is considered one of the fundamental basis of domestic violence against women in most households (Inter-American Development Bank, Biehl and Morrison, 1999). Relative violence may also play a role though complementary in generating domestic violence since such families have difficulties in attaining standards of consumption apart from food and this may be a potential source of violence. Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between domestic violence and poverty. One of the common opinions is based on the fact that poverty comes with frustrations which normally may tend to unleash violent behavior. There are numerous aggravating problems for this and they include high consumption of alcohol, low schooling levels, poor living conditions, few entertainment opportunities, poor jobs and failure to improve conditions of living, large family burden and lack of adequate basic services in life (Rachel, 2000). These are potential circumstances that might predispose marginalized and poor family members to result to domestic violence. The major domestic violence in such cases occurs between the husband (provider) and his wife who takes over the management of the household. On the mans side, source of conflict is the deficit to materially provide for the household while on the side of the woman; the source may be her inability to manage the little they have whi ch is always never enough. In such a standpoint, domestic violence has come as a result of poverty in the household. According to Schechter (2000), there were so many studies on domestic violence among low-income that were conducted in the 1990s when most families lost guarantee on income supports. The results were pervasive. After low-income people in Chicago were examined, the studies found that 25% of low-income non-recipients and 33% of welfare recipients experienced severe aggression in their adulthood via their partners. There were also results that 8% of non-recipients and 19% of recipients experienced serious aggression within the previous twelve months. The same studies found that in Worcester, Massachusetts low-income and homeless mothers reported 32% positive cases of physical violence within the previous two years. Moreover, a study by the National Family Violence Survey showed that domestic violence on women who have annual income less than $10,000 were 3.5 times likely if compared to those who had more than $40,000 annual salary. Counterargument There must be a misconception that domestic violence is caused by substance abuse, cultural factors or even poverty. The fact is that equal numbers of drunken and sober men are equally violent. Where studies have been conducted on this they have not been able to explain in detail why almost 80% of heavy and binge drinkers never abuse their partners be it the wife or the husband. Alcohol or any other stimulant substances are used by men so that they can use them as the excuses or the permissions for them to act violently. Many stop taking alcohol and they still continue being violent. Also not every child who grows up in a violent home will grow up to become a violent adult in his/her home. Domestic violence is a choice. Sometimes people react violently because they have been provoked by others and this may act just as the normal self-defense. Refutation By the time one gets provoked, its because he/she has in one way or the other tried to exert control over his/her partner. It is a fact that irrespective of whether the domestic violence resulted after one was provoked either due to poverty frustrations and pressures, cultural beliefs or substance abuse it has adverse effects on our victims. Children brought up in such backgrounds may develop low self-esteem and long term effects that may haunt them later in their lives. It is possible to find such children having dismal academic performances. Others have been sexually, emotionally and physically assaulted and all of us need respect, love and to be valued. Conclusion Domestic violence is live in our modern society. Women appear to be the most affected since gender inequality ahs always been there. Until the 70s women who were battered had no places to report or to seek support ands especially those who were sexually assaulted. There were few shelters for victims of domestic violence like hospitals, civil and criminal courts, law enforcement and other social service agencies. But today, there seems to be numerous community-based violence programs that provide array of quality services. These include safety planning, transportation, crisis counseling and intervention, legal advocacy, childrens services and housing and relocation services among others. In order to minimize domestic violence cases there are many programs engaging in continuous advocacy efforts and this may include collaboration with community service workers, development of public awareness campaigns and being active for political lobbying efforts that improve safety for children and victims. With such efforts, we may help to minimize adverse effects on victims.