Illegal war trade, and its effect on society Research Paper

Illegal war trade, and its effect on society - Research Paper Example hereas the problem was being addressed, during the 19th century, locally at different countries of the world, now-a-days, it has assumed a global aspect. Therefore it is evident that modern transportation system has significantly contributed to the increase of the illicit drug-trade. As a result in the international drug market, the trade in drug is a highly profitable business, as Presidents Commission on Organized Crime notes, â€Å"Drug trafficking accounts for almost 38 percent of all organized crime activity across the country and generates an income estimated to be as high as $110 billion† (4). A report prepared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that the abuse of drug like any illegal drugs, except the smoking and alcohol, exerts a toll of averagely $161 billion dollars on the economy of the United States in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 (NIDA). If alcoholism and smoking are counted within the statistics, the cost will rise up to approximately $487 billion dollar. Out of this $161 billion dollars, about $110 billion costs in lost productivity, whereas $12.9 billion is spent in healthcare issue. In the UK, the total economic cost of illicit drug abuse fluctuated between  £2.9bn and  £5.3bn in the past decades. If the social costs are added to this economic cost, the total amount will range between  £10.1bn and  £17.4bn per year (Godfrey et al. 7). In a study Collins and Lapsley (2008) report that Australian socio-economy has to bear the cost of $30 billion per year. But a global comparative statistics of the effects of drug on the economy of the countrie s is still a matter of investigation (87). The UK Drug Policy Commission approximates that there are about 23.1 million natives of the total British population who are addicted to at least one drug in the year 2010 (Reuter and Stevens, 2007). According to the British Crime Survey 2005, about 45% of the population (aged between 35 and 44) were addicted to at least one drug, whereas 50 percent of the

Discounted Cash Flow Techniques Essay Example for Free

Discounted Cash Flow Techniques Essay A brief tutorial on Excel financial functions (problems to follow) You may find the following Excel, built-in financial functions helpful when analyzing the problems below. (To access these functions, select Insert, Functions, and choose Financial.) =PV(rate, nper, pmt, fv, type) returns the present value of a series of cash flows. =FV(rate, nper, pmt, pv, type) returns the future value of a series of cash flows. =PMT(rate, nper, pv, fv, type) calculates the periodic payment for a loan based on constant payments and a constant interest rate. =NPER(rate, pmt, pv, fv, type) returns the number of periods for an investment based on periodic, constant payments and a constant interest rate. =NPV(rate, range) returns the net present value of an investment based on a discount rate and a series of future payments (negative values) and income (positive values). (Warning: By convention, NPV calculates the net present value one period before the first cash flow.) =IRR(range, guess) returns the internal rate of return for a series of cash flows. In these functions, rate = the discount, or interest rate. nper = number of periods. pmt = annual uniform payment. fv = future value, or future cash flow. type is a logical value allowing you to specify if cash flows occur at the end or the beginning of the period. A value of 1 indicates beginning of period, 0 or omitted indicates end of period. pv = present value. range = the cells on your spreadsheet containing the cash flows you want to analyze. For example, if the cash flows are in the first 10 rows of column A, the entry for range would be a1:a10. guess = your guess as to the internal rate of return. This helps the computer get started and may be left blank. An example Suppose you want to know the present value of $100 per year for 19 years and $500 at the end of the 19th year when the interest rate is 13 percent. Select a spreadsheet cell and enter =PV(0.13,19,100,500). Excel will return ($742.83). This is the amount one should be willing to pay today to receive the indicated stream of cash flows when the interest rate is 13 percent. Problems 1) An investment costing $50,000 promises an after tax cash flow of $18,000 per year for 6 years. a. Find the investments accounting rate of return and its payback period. b. Find the investments net present value at a 15 percent discount rate. c. Find the investments profitability index at a 15 percent discount rate. d. Find the investments internal rate of return. e. Assuming the required rate of return on the investment is 15 percent, which of the above figures of merit indicate the investment is attractive? Which indicate it is unattractive? 2) A $1,000 par value, 10 percent coupon bond matures in 20 years. If the price of the bond is $1,196.80, what is the yield to maturity on the bond? Assume interest is paid annually. 3) Ten years ago you invested $1,000 for 10 shares of Trublock common stock. You sold the shares recently for $2,000. While you owned the stock it paid $10.08 per share annual dividends. What was your rate of return on Trublock stock? 4) Having heard of your knowledge of present value techniques, you have been asked to testify as an expert witness in the following lawsuit. Several homeowners in a nearby community have organized to protest against alleged gouging on the part of a local lending institution. One resident presents his payment book as evidence. The resident has a 30-year, fixed rate loan at 6 percent interest for $200,000. He got the loan 10 years ago and has been making equal annual payments of $14,529.60 ever since. He observes that he has paid the lending company $145,296.00 yet his payment book indicates that the principal due on the loan has only declined by $33,345.40. He presents this as obvious proof of gouging on the part of the money changers. Do you agree? Why, why not? 5) In 1984, the city council of the town of Patterson agreed that their community badly in need of a modern hotel that would cost approximately $25 million. To finance construction members of the council organized the Patterson Hotel Corporation. Through strenuous promotion they raised $15 million by selling 15,000 shares of stock at $1,000 per share. They secured the other $10 million necessary to build the hotel as a loan provided by a local bank on a 10 year, 14 percent mortgage that called for uniform annual payments sufficient to pay interest and to extinguish the debt at the end of 10 years. Upon completion, the Patterson Hotel Corporation leased the hotel to a national company that operated a chain of hotels. The lease ran for 30 years and contained a clause permitting the lessee to purchase the hotel for $10 million at the end of the 30-year period. The lessee agreed to furnish the hotel and pay all taxes (including income taxes) and operating expenses, and was to meet the interest and repayment obligations on the mortgage during the first 10 years of the lease. During the last 20 years of the lease, the operating company agreed to make payments sufficient to permit annual dividends of $400 per share. No payments at all were to be made to the stockholders during the first 10 years. This was the most favorable operating contract that Patterson Hotel Company was able to negotiate. When stockholders, many of whom had bought stock under considerable pressure, learned that there was no prospect of dividends for 10 years, they were quite upset, and a number of them were anxious to sell their stock. Conrad Billings, a local businessmen in the original group that promoted the hotel, was reported to be buying stock from some of these disgruntled stockholders at $750 a share. Some locals were heard to comment that Conrad Billings was a clever old bastard who was taking advantage of his public-spirited neighbors. There were remarks regarding the fat dividends he would be receiving after the mortgage was paid off. One man was said to have declined Billings’ offer of $750 a share and to have commented publicly that nobody was going to get his stock unless they paid what it was worth. Make whatever assumptions and calculations you find necessary to estimate the fair value of the stock. Was $750 a share really too low a price? 6) You need four new tires for your car. You can buy cheap retread tires for $25 a piece and replace them every 20,000 miles or you can spend $40 per tire and replace them every 40,000 miles. If money has an opportunity cost of 10 percent to you, how many miles must you drive annually to warrant the more expensive tires?

Sex in Reality TV Essay -- Television Media Papers

Sex in Reality TV The Sex Factor on Survivor Survivor, one of the first successful reality shows, is a show that puts a selected group of people in a beautiful setting leaving them to fend for themselves within the two different teams. Every week the two teams compete for rewards and immunity before someone is voted off at the end of each episode. The shows main theme is how the different people interact with one another, and since the theme of the show is outwit, outplay, and outlast there is plenty of drama to go around on the show. After almost ten seasons the show can’t just rely on the same premise that the show has been using for the four years it has been on the air so the producers have to rely on something else, sex. Sex in the promotion, though subtle, is recognizable. For example the attire of the members in the game is very small, with most women in bathing suit tops and the men without shirts. Although the climate the show is placed in is typically very hot, the producers had a hand in choosing it, knowing very well what the contestants would be wearing to stay cool. Also when the show does the casting, very often most of the women and men that are chosen happen to be good looking with great bodies, which could spark nudity. Nudity on the Survivor show started in its first season. Richard Hatch the first winner of Survivor was known for walking around nude during the duration of the first season. In the recent all-stars season he brushed up against Susan, who also came out of the first season show, causing a heating argument between the two â€Å"Sue believed Richard Hatch sexually violated her during an Immunity Challenge† (e.g., Lewis, 2004, 3). In some Survivor promos they advertised the show by showing w... ... turns into ‘The Carnal Camera Show’. The San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2004, from http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040926/news_1a26real.html MTV (August 31, 2004). Real World. 10:00pm-10:30pm. MTV (September 21, 2004). Real World. 10:00pm-10:30pm. MTV (October 19, 2004). Real World. 10:00pm-10:30pm Sex, Money & Videotape (2002 March, 3). from http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/free_forbes/2003/0317/088.html Belle, Laura (2004, 0ct 3) Brigitte's Just Loose! Reality Shack. Retrieved Octover 8, 2004 from www.realityshack.com/modules/articles/article.php?id=196 Abrego, C. (2004). the show. the surreal life. Retrieved November 3, 2004, from < http://www.thewb.com/Shows/Genericshow/0%2C11116% 2C146010%2C00.htm> WB(Season 2) . the surreal Life . 9/8 C http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/02/television.richmond.reut/

Merchants of Cool Essay

In watching the film, Merchants of Cool, which was aired in 2001, it is quite concerning how our society is turning to consuming as a means of achieving a satisfying standard of living. The film brought to light how large media companies, especially conglomerates that own all production and distribution of media from start to finish, study and sell to teen youths because of their large quantity of â€Å"guilt money†, disposable income giving to youth by parents to keep them happy. They have become the most marketed group, which in turn turns the youth into adults that continue to seek happiness in consuming. The fear in this standard of living is that we start losing touch with our true values, and instead of looking towards family, community, ethnicity and religion as the creator of cultural forms, we are now being oriented as a society by the world of commodities. And with the advancement of technology, so has marketing research advanced, where we are being specifically being catered to with ads to continue this cycle of finding meaning and happiness through the purchase of goods and services. Advertisers know that they cannot sell meaning and happiness, but they can illicit those feelings by advertising visions of what a â€Å"good life† should be through the selling of products, known as **image-based advertising**. Sut Jhally’s article, Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture, explains how image-based advertising has been so integrated into our way of thought and consumption that it is difficult to pinpoint when our most cherished values became tied into consumer culture (p 201). Advertisements have taken up so much of our public space and discourse, and now even our private with the advancement of technology, that we are constantly being shown what the vision of happiness is, and what we must buy to achieve a satisfying standard of living. Juliet Schor’s article, The New Politics of Consumption: Why Americans Want So Much More Than They Need, breaks down the idea that Americans live in a constant state of **dis-ease**: worrying about the preoccupation with getting and spending (p 205). Not only is this disconcerting because it takes away from living in the moment, but it pushes us to live beyond our means. We aren’t happy because we do not emulate what we see as the â€Å"good life† because of the growing aspirational gap because of upscale emulation. We are never at ease where we stand economically and socially, and feel the pressures to keep up. And although this is a problem with the upper and middle class, it is a more dangerous problem for the lower class. The trickle effect of status symbol goods, such as state of the art phones, flat screen televisions, etc. , sets up those with limited resources and aspirations of living the â€Å"good life† by buying those goods for continual financial failure through consumption of expensive goods that is beyond their means. The film, The Merchants of Cool, aired in 2001, and the way that companies acquired information from the consumer was with â€Å"cool hunters†, marketing researchers who would research and interview to see what trends could be capitalized on. The analyzing was apparent, as opposed to now where consumers are being researched and targeted in ways that are more subtle, and now advertisers have the tools to more conspicuously sell us the â€Å"good life†. On the radio interview â€Å"How Companies are ‘Defining Your Worth’ Online†, Joseph Turrow discussed how marketers don’t even have to do much to gather information from us, they can now track our online movements using digital tracking like cookies. This information is gathered and sold to advertisers by data marketers, unbeknownst to us. Market research has evolved so much because of the growing digital world we live in. And advertisers are now able to subtly sell to us in a personally targeted way, instead of the blatant in your face banner ads that we would automatically close without even reading them. Although this is perfectly legal, the downfall falls on the consumer that is being researched and targeted. Our sense of consumption is insatiable when we are constantly being targeted, we lose a sense of privacy when we are constantly being watched, and, as Joseph Turrow also discussed, and we can also be targets of **digital social discrimination**. Digital social discrimination, which is the idea that companies can take digital information and make inferences of what kind of ads are suitable for the individual consumer, they target only certain ads, discounts, and such (2012). Advertisers then think of that individual only in a certain way, and may even target ads that may have negative connotations, such as getting out of debt ads, weight loss, and such. Consumers are being categorized, and because of the categories they are being targeted by certain ads, which perhaps sell a good that is not appropriate, and denied others because of assumptions being made by the online information gathered on that individual. This is why it is important to have some sort of regulatory system overseeing the structure and ownership of media. U. S. government plays only a small role in determining who owns the media, and only regulates it minimally, and the power of the U. S. media that uses the market research to produce products reaches us not just here in the United States, but also has a global impact. Because of the United States’ **cultural imperialism**, where American styles in fashion and food, as well as media far, dominate the global market, our versions of the â€Å"good life† are influenced on parts of the world, as discussed in Richard Campbell’s â€Å"Media Economics and the Global Marketplace†, (p 411). Our ‘cultural dumping’ of exporting U. S. media can influence other countries societal value systems, development of original local products, and abandon their own rituals to adopt American tastes. In reality, the power behind these large media researchers, marketers, producers, and distributors, who are often the owned by the same company, is astounding and influences not only our lives as an individual, but also has the potential to influence on a global level. They are able to gather information about individuals, sell it, and categorize as they see fit, leaving us with no sense of privacy, with the goal of selling us as many goods and services as possible until we reach the unattainable â€Å"good life†, which is a vision that they have carefully created. Until we, as consumers, are more aware of how much consumption has taken over our sense of self-worth and satisfaction and how little privacy we have in the new digital age, we will keep trying to buy the â€Å"good life†. ?

Cell Phone Radiation

My purpose is to provide information on cell phone radiation, the risks that can be caused by cell phone radiation, and the potential health problems that could result from this. Details of the topic: I am going to talk about the arguments about how cell phone radiation can affect our lives and whether these arguments are accurate or not. Cell phone radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation that has the ability to cause health issues. The radiation from this device can cause serious brain tumours, according to one study by Anna Lahkola of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland, which found that people who use their cell phone for more than 2000 hours have a higher chance of getting a brain tumour. The chance of getting a brain tumour increased from 40 to 270 percent and most of the users that might experience this side effect would be teenagers to people in their twenties. This is because it is people in this age group who are most likely to use cell phones/smart phones and they are also most likely to use the phones most frequently. There are several other health issues or risks out there that are linked to the usage of cell phones such cancer, headaches, Alzheimer’s disease, fatigue and Parkinson’s disease. But it still has not been proved with 100 percent accuracy because so far every scientist is getting different results. There is no consensus among scientists about the risks that associated with cell phone/smart phone radiation. A famous neurosurgeon Vini Khurana argued that if you use a cell phone for more than ten years you are very likely to get brain cancer. His conclusion seems more believable because he did a long study about this and he mentions that other scientists have only done short term research on this matter. He states that a brain tumour can take up to 10 years to develop, so studies on the effect of cell phone/smart phone radiation should last at least that long or longer. However, most scientists do not do studies that last long enough in his opinion. Relevance: A while back group 11 did their presentation on â€Å"the history of radiation†, where they discussed the two types of radiation, ionizing and non-ionizing. Cell phones/smart phones would be in the non-ionizing category because they use a low to mid frequency. In this diagram you can see the frequency for cell phones/smart phones is in the range from 0 to 10 in hertz (Hz). Furthermore the group also mentioned that, even though the frequency for non-ionizing radiation is less dangerous, it is still possible to have side effects that may affect to our personal lives. There was a class where at the end we had a very brief discussion about radiation from electronics and the topic of cell phones/smart phones was brought up by few students when they were asked about their opinion or personal experience. Some side effects they mentioned from using their cell phones/smart phones constantly were having problems falling asleep along with minor headaches. Reflection: This voluntary assignment helps me because it provides some very interesting facts and debates about the side effects of cell phone/smart phone radiation. In this course we have covered many different kinds of radiation, but we have not talked a lot about the radiation from technology. We presume this kind of radiation is too low to have serious effects on us. However, I remember that I actually had some problems when I used my IPhone (smart phone) two years ago. For instance, I started out with a headache that turned into a very serious migraine and lasted for one week. I’m not sure if it is because I had just got my first phone and so I was using it a lot, but after doing this research into cell phone/smart phone radiation. I’m starting to think that this might be the problem that causes my headaches and migraines. Just recently when I moved to my new apartment, because I didn’t have a small table next to my bed, I put the phone under my pillow for about one month and I was getting frequent headaches. So I believe in headaches as a potential side effect of cell phone/smart phone radiation. In fact, I’m a little bit worried about brain tumours, even though most research and debates are not official. However what I have experienced makes it seem like the potential side effects could be true. Our use of technology is growing and we take technology for granted, so that we very rarely stop to consider the radiation that is associated with our technology. This is something I think we should know more about, even if the risks are minimal. Conclusion: Because of doing this assignment, I have found out that there’s a lot of debate about the risks that are associated with cell phone/smart phone radiation. Even though most scientists believe there are few to no risks from this type of radiation, I believe this issue hasn’t been studied enough for us to determine what the real risks are. However I intend to be more careful from now in how I use my phone. I definitely won’t be sleeping with my phone under my pillow anymore. References http://www.naturalnews.com/021634_mobile_phones_brain_tumors.html http://www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation2.htm Cell Phone Radiation The radiation protection to be practiced > cell phone radiation During normal use, over half of the radiation transmitted by your mobile phone is absorbed by your head or body. Around 80% of the phone's microwave emissions are absorbed by the head. Only shielding or distance to the phone can reduce their severe impact. The United Nations World Health Organization has classified mobile phone radiation as possibly cancer causing and advise that it is important for mobile phone users to minimize exposure by utilizing hands free devices or texting. Always use speakerphone or proven radiation safety accessories.Steps that should be take to reduce cell phone radiation : > use the speakerphone because the cell phone radiation drops exponentially by distance, so, the further away the phone is from your head the better. > limit the use to essential calls and keep calls short because even a two minute call has been found to alter the natural electrical activity of the brain for up to an hour a fter-wards. > children should not be allowed to use the cell phone, except in emergencies because their skulls are still developing and the radiation can penetrate much more deeply. use an air tube headset (not regular wired headset) because research has shown that regular wired headset could transmit radiation into the ear canal. > do not put cell phone in your pocket or belt while in use or while it is on because men who wear cell phones near their groin could have their sperms count dropped by as much as 30%. > if using phone without a headset, wait for the call to connect before placing phones next to the ear because radiation level is higher while phone is still trying to make a connection. Most cell phones emit the most adiation when they first connect with the cell tower. > do not use the cell phones in enclosed metal spaces such as vehicles or elevators because phones need more power to make connection. The metal enclosure also traps the radiation and reflects it back at the occupants. > do not make a call when the signal strength is one bar or less because the phone must work harder to establish a connection and thus emits more radiation. > buy a phone with low radiation rating because the phone's SAR ( Specific Absorption Rate ) can be found in manual.The lower the SAR value from the FCC limit of 1. 6 W/kg , the better. > use scientifically proven cell phone radiation reducing or protection device. > Keep Your Distance because the intensity of cell phone radiation diminishes quickly as your distance from your cell phone increases, and every millimeter counts. You can protect yourself from the effects of cell phone radiation by holding your cell phone away from your body and use a wireless Bluetooth headset or earpiece, which emit radiation at far lower levels than cell phones.Other than that, you can carry your cell phone away from your body – in a purse, briefcase or computer bag – not in your pocket where it is pressed up against you. > Try Texting, Not Talking – When you send a text message from your cell phone, you hold your phone away from your body, and far away from your head, which reduces your exposure to radiation. > Find a Strong Signal and Stay Put -When your cell phone has a weak signal, it has to work harder to transmit and receive, and that equals higher bursts of radiation.You face the same problem when you are moving quickly – riding in a car, bus or train, for example – because your cell phone is forced to repeatedly emit new bursts of radiation as it connects to different cell towers along your route. > Use the Toggle Method – you can reduce your radiation exposure by holding the phone away from your ear when you are talking and only bringing it close to listen. Using a headset or speaker mode is still the better option, but the toggle method can cut the amount of radiation your brain and body absorbs.

Essay on Mr Ghode

Essay on Mr Ghode Essay on Mr Ghode between the states that succeed and fail. For legitimacy to exist a state must satisfy the following characteristics; the physical basis including, effective sovereignty, and a international consensus on territory. Supported by an implicit social contract and a consensus on the concept of the state. It is exactly the failure to meet these dimensions that lead to the perils of the weak state, there are several causal factors to why periphery nations have difficulty achieving legitimacy. It stems from the nations development, many of which emerged from colonialism. The colonial legacy has very negative consequences for the developing nation, principally because the social and political institutions left to the new nation hinders it rather than helps. The political institutions were founded on a western premise, political participation, accountability and constitutionalism are not always the suitable basis for development, it is as if the new nation has to set itself against a western t emplate. The bureaucratic structure was inherently elitist, decisions made in the capital were often resented in the country. Colonial authorities sustained cultural elite's to rule over their inferiors, this was exactly the case in Rwanda. "In a number of instances ..the allocation by the state of differential rights of access was based on a normative scale according to which groups were seen as superior to others, and at times these normative evaluations were projected into the collective images which Africans formed of themselves." Colonialism also left organised military and police forces, often used as instruments of coercion. In a deteriorating state they become a law unto themselves, selling themselves as mercenaries to wealthy independents. For the few states that do develop most descend into civil war, rebellion, wars of succession and political corruption, "between 1958 and 1985, there has been 65 forcible changes of government in Africa alone." It would be inaccurate to presume that Europe is spared these problems but the Intra-war in ex-Yugoslavia shattered this illusion. A feature of the war in Yugoslavia was ethnicity, ethnic hostilities hidden under the silencing hand of communism were emerging. Experts on ethnicity such as Ted Gurr suggests that ethnic hatreds and affinities can be products of the weak state, they are not primordial but arise in particular political, social and economic conditions. The state can often be seen as exploiting ethnic grievances for their own political ends. Emerging peripheral nations have been unable to cope with the pressure of rapid economic modernisation and the legacy of colonialism, the tensions that arise cause stress on the basic foundations of the developing nation leading to a decent into revolutionary violence. This alternative strategy of war fare is becoming increasingly prolific. the last major state confrontation could be viewed as the cold war and the nuclear stalemate that ensued, since the advent of nuclear weapons inter-state war has become obsolete because of the threat of total annihilation that is posed. The new form of war-fare is Intra-state war and insurgency. " in the last eight years alone there have been no less that 164 internationally significant out breaks of revolutionary violence" . The terms insurgency and revolutionary war-fare are largely inter-changeable, they refer to a particular variety of revolutionary activity that involves a protracted struggle using irregular military tactics. Tactics involve psychological and political operations in addition to conventional military strategies. The goal is generally to form a new system or political structure from within the state. Insurgency is markedly different to conventional war, T.E Elliot defines it as "an influence, an idea, a thing intangible, without front or back, drifting like a gas." Conventional war focuses its attention on military considerations were insurgency

Free Essays on The Legalization Of Marijuana

This is only a tool for research not my actual paper: Why legalize marijuana? The legalization of marijuana will reduce narcotic drug use, crime, and create a better society. Marijuana's effect on people is greatly over exaggerated, in that marijuana acts as a scapegoat for many of society's problems today. Marijuana is blamed today for leading to the use of narcotic drugs, this claim has never been proven, the only grounds for that statement is, marijuana is a more widespread and more sampled drug. There are many reasons presented by both sides why or why not marijuana should be legalized. Chronic marijuana users may develop a motivational syndrome characterized by decreased motivation, and preoccupation with taking drugs, or what is contrived as generally lazy. The relationship of this syndrome to marijuana use however, has not been proven. Like alcohol intoxication, marijuana intoxication impairs judgment, comprehension, memory, speech, problem-solving ability, and reaction time. The effect of long-term use on the intellect is unknown. There is no evidence that marijuana induces or causes brain damage ("marijuana" 2, Microsoft). In 1991, almost half the oncologists who answered a Harvard Medical School Survey said they would prescribe marijuana for relief of chemotherapy side effects were it legal, and most had already recommended it to their patients (Baum, 132). Marijuana grows throughout mild to hot regions, with more potent varieties produced in dry, humid, climates. Marijuana is defined as a cannabis plant; and or a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, smoked or eaten to induce euphoria, or â€Å"high†. The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that we presently have 20 million regular users of marijuana in the United States (Heerema 130). The inclusion of drug users within society is in turn based on the premise that the desire to alter consciousness is a normal human trait, ... Free Essays on The Legalization Of Marijuana Free Essays on The Legalization Of Marijuana This is only a tool for research not my actual paper: Why legalize marijuana? The legalization of marijuana will reduce narcotic drug use, crime, and create a better society. Marijuana's effect on people is greatly over exaggerated, in that marijuana acts as a scapegoat for many of society's problems today. Marijuana is blamed today for leading to the use of narcotic drugs, this claim has never been proven, the only grounds for that statement is, marijuana is a more widespread and more sampled drug. There are many reasons presented by both sides why or why not marijuana should be legalized. Chronic marijuana users may develop a motivational syndrome characterized by decreased motivation, and preoccupation with taking drugs, or what is contrived as generally lazy. The relationship of this syndrome to marijuana use however, has not been proven. Like alcohol intoxication, marijuana intoxication impairs judgment, comprehension, memory, speech, problem-solving ability, and reaction time. The effect of long-term use on the intellect is unknown. There is no evidence that marijuana induces or causes brain damage ("marijuana" 2, Microsoft). In 1991, almost half the oncologists who answered a Harvard Medical School Survey said they would prescribe marijuana for relief of chemotherapy side effects were it legal, and most had already recommended it to their patients (Baum, 132). Marijuana grows throughout mild to hot regions, with more potent varieties produced in dry, humid, climates. Marijuana is defined as a cannabis plant; and or a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, smoked or eaten to induce euphoria, or â€Å"high†. The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that we presently have 20 million regular users of marijuana in the United States (Heerema 130). The inclusion of drug users within society is in turn based on the premise that the desire to alter consciousness is a normal human trait, ...

101 Great Science Experiments Book for Kids

101 Great Science Experiments Book for Kids 101 Great Science Experiments: A Step-by-Step Guide is a well-designed and organized guide to brief science experiments in eleven different categories, including temperature, light, color, sound, magnets and electricity. Like many other books published by DK Publishing, 101 Great Science Experiments provides easy-to-follow directions, illustrated with color photographs. Each experiment includes a short description of the experiment and why it works and illustrated step-by-step directions. 101 Great Science Experiments will appeal to 8 to 14 year-olds. Pros Cons Very well-organizedNice variety of experimentsEasy-to-follow steps for each experimentSteps illustrated with photographs of kids doing the stepsDetailed table of contents and indexNot enough safety information, and what little there is of it is too easy to missNot for young scientists who want to do experiments without prior knowledge of the outcomes Book Description Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.One-half page to one-page experimentsEach experiment illustrated with multiple color photographsLength: 120 pagesDetailed Table of Contents and IndexEleven different categories of hands-on science experimentsFor Ages: 8 to 14 yearsCopyright: 1993ISBN: 9780756619183Categories: science, hands-on, nonfiction Review of 101 Great Science Experiments There is a lot to like about 101 Great Science Experiments: A Step-by-Step Guide by Neil Ardley. Like many of the other childrens books published by DK Publishing, it is beautifully designed and is illustrated with high-quality photographs. If your kids tweens or young teens enjoy hands-on science activities, 101 Great Science Experiments will appeal to them. The science experiments in 101 Great Science Experiments are organized by category: Air and Gases, Water and Liquids, Hot and Cold, Light, Color, Growth, Senses, Sound and Music, Magnets, Electricity, and Motion and Machines. Since the experiments dont generally build on one another, your young scientist can pick and choose experiments as desired. However, note that some of the longer experiments tend to be in last four categories in the book. The experiments are generally ones that can be done in a short period of time. The directions for most of them are one-half to one-page long. In some cases, all of the materials are ones you will have on hand. In other cases, a trip to the store (hardware or grocery store and/or hobby shop) may be required. Unlike books that challenge the reader to determine the outcome of a problem by doing an experiment as in What happens when you mix sodium bicarbonate and vinegar? 101 Great Science Experiments tells the reader what will happen and why and invites the reader to try it. For example, in the case of mixing sodium bicarbonate and vinegar, the reader is invited to Make a volcano erupt. Numbered steps are provided, most with an accompanying photograph showing a boy or girl doing the step. Both the introduction to each experiment and the steps are very briefly, yet fully, stated. In many cases, additional related science information is provided for the experiment. The Table of Contents, which is divided into the categories of science experiments, provides a helpful overview of the types of experiments in 101 Great Science Experiments. The detailed index will assist the reader interested in a particular aspect of science to find what is available in the book. I would have appreciated a longer section at the beginning of the book on safety rather than the seven-sentence boxed section on the first Contents page. It would be easy to miss the reminder directed to the young reader that for every step with the symbol of two people, You must ask an adult to help you with it. Knowing that you will be able to ensure that your child is aware of, and follows, safety procedures. In every other respect, 101 Great Science Experiments: A Step-by-Step Guide is an excellent book. It provides a lot of interesting experiments that will add to your 8- to 14-year-olds knowledge of science. Since it provides an opportunity to try experiments in a variety of categories, it may also ignite further interest in a particular category that will lead to your child seeking out additional information and books. More Fun Science Projects for Kids Make a Dry Ice Crystal BallHow to Grow Sugar CrystalsHow to Create Green FireMake a Rainbow in a Glass

Critical evaluation of abortion as a social problem in the society Research Paper

Critical evaluation of abortion as a social problem in the society - Research Paper Example In such an occurrence, it becomes extremely necessary to conduct therapeutic abortion, which is prescribed by a health professional so as to save the mother. On the other hand, abortion can be induced willingly by a healthy mother so as to relieve herself from the responsibility of bearing and rearing the child, in which case it is referred to as elective abortion (Baumgardner, 2008). This paper is a critical evaluation of abortion as a social problem in the society, providing viable solutions to the menace. Abortion Abortion as discussed herein is a social problem, which has continued to remain a contentious topic of discussion internationally. This is due to the fact that different societies around the world engage in this debate from two perspectives. There are those who support it and those who feel that it should be illegalized on the basis of ethical and moral perspectives. However, several countries around the world such as the US, UK and some parts of Australia among others, have gone to the extent of legalizing abortion by enshrining it in their constitutions, while some such as Vatican city, El Salvador, Nicaragua, brazil, Mexico among others have made it illegal to have abortion irrespective of the prevailing circumstances (Beckwith, 2006). In general, at least 54 countries around the world permit abortion although some apply restrictions to avoid carelessness and irresponsibility. However, it is ironical to note that the rate of abortion in places where it is illegal matches that of places where it has been legalized (Beckwith, 2006). This is to imply that despite the efforts by these authorities to curb the menace, willing patients can acquire the services of clinics, which operate without their knowledge. According to research, approximately 45 million abortions are conducted on yearly basis. However, 50% of these are done under illegal and unsafe conditions contributing to a significantly high number of deaths, approximately 75000, and more than 3 million disabilities per year (Rosenbaun, 2005). This is a worrying trend based on the fact that, if the mortality rate emanating from abortion remains constant for 10 years, it means that more than 750000 persons would lose their lives while more than 30 million others would become disabled. Therefore, it is important to face the facts as they are and find viable solutions to this problem. The church for example has continued to uphold its moral standing, claiming that life begins at conception and therefore, harming a fetus is equivalent to murder (Beckwith, 2006). On the other hand, it remains adamant on the need to use natural methods of birth control. This may be the reason why abortion is illegal in places such as Vatican City, where the Catholic Church is most influential. However, they fail to realize that this only puts the citizens at a higher risk of performing unsafe abortions based on the fact that cartels operating illegal clinics will always establish themselves wit hout the knowledge of the authorities. Statistics indicate that at least 40% of women around the world can have access to these services, which are acquired in at most secrecy and discretion (Heary, 2009). The result is that the authorities will not have the capacity to protect these women since there is no way they can check on the qualifications of the personnel in this business as well as supervise the conditions through which abortion in these facilities is carried out. In order to find a better solution to the problem, it is important to highlight the various reasons why a woman may opt to have an abortion. To begin with, immorality in the society has continued to grow, with cases of rape, prostitution, adultery, incest and

Impact National Culture on Leadership Traits and Behaviors Essay

Impact National Culture on Leadership Traits and Behaviors - Essay Example The following are the leadership traits and behaviors that may negatively impact organizational effectiveness in multinational companies: dictatorial, non-cooperative, non-explicit, irritable, egocentric, cruel/ruthless and loner. A dictatorial leader imposes strict commands and orders without leaving any space for dialogue or understanding (Hofstede, 2011). A non-cooperative leader is one who does not show elements of teamwork or support in the company activities. A non-explicit leader is not open but prefers carrying out his or her roles confidentially (Hofstede, 2011). He or she prefers when everything is kept back from the rest of the members, especially subordinates. Irritable leaders are short-tempered and are associated with recurrent instances of disputes and unreasonable ways of thinking. According to Hofstede (2011), egocentric leaders are careless of the feelings of others and are associated with self-centered and insensitive decisions, which leave other people socially hu rt and distressed. Cruel/ruthless leaders are unpleasant and unkind management groups who lead others mercilessly and at times brutally. A loner is a leader who prefers being secluded from the rest of the members. Additionally, loners mostly fail to associate with others (Hofstede, 2011). Yes, I believe that multinational managers must understand the subordinate expectations in order to lead effectively. Subordinate expectations are â€Å"expectations regarding what leaders â€Å"should† do and what they may or may not do† (Cullen & Parboteeah (2014, p. 663). Therefore, understanding subordinate expectations help in delivering exactly what is required in a multinational company. For a country with high power distance, I would recommend an autocratic leadership. High power distance countries are associated with dominant individualism and human rights.  Ã‚  

Brief essay on why you would like to have a career as a surgical

Brief on why you would like to have a career as a surgical technologist - Essay Example This paper aims at explaining the reasons as to why I would like to have a career as a surgical technologist. For a person to be successful as a surgical technologist there are a number of skills and abilities that they are supposed to have. For instance, I am aware of the fact that a good surgical technologist needs to have manual dexterity that can enable them to handle instruments quickly. Having trained as a pharmacy technician at St. Johns University I am convinced that during the process I certainly gained the relevant skills that can enable me to meet the skills that have been mentioned herein. Such skills will enable me to make a good surgical technologist. Another thing is that a surgical technologist should have the ability to respond quickly and be aware of the surgery procedures so that they can be able to know which instrument to prepare without having to wait for the surgeons or nurses to tell them what they should be preparing (Fuller, and Armistead 111). This is something that can only come with experience. The experience can allow someone to completely familiarize with the process as a result of being involved in the process repeatedly. On my side, I can say that I have gathered the relevant experience that will enable me to effectively work as a surgical technologist. I worked as an office manager at the cardiology clinic for a period of 7 years. I am sure that during this period I learnt allot about surgical procedures that might help me in being a good surgical technologist. Being familiar with surgical processes am sure that it would not take me long before I am able to be effective as a surgical technologist. This gives m e an advantage over those who have not had any experience. I am also convinced that I have the physical ability to be a surgical technologist. One thing that is required of a surgical technologist is physical strength because of the activities that

The Role of the Derivatives in Credit Default Essay

The Role of the Derivatives in Credit Default - Essay Example This is known as the ability of derivatives to soar 100 percent within a few days, when the security has risen to by a small percent of 10 percent. Derivatives are also used to control large blocks of stocks for a much lesser sum that would be required for the outright purchase (Carter, 2009, p. 67). This means that derivatives give people the ability to control and manage risk. As supervisors of banking, the central bank are concerned that commercial banks’ participation in derivatives markets could lead to a major bank default that could be worsen and lead to the disruption of financial markets. Default on any derivative or financial contract involves the failure by one party to the contract to make a payment under the required contract agreements. For derivatives, default occurs when two conditions are met in a simultaneous manner. In this case, a party to the contract is in debt under the contract terms, and the counterparty cannot obtain the money within the given period (Hanson, 2010, p. 58). No regulation of the derivatives can work well if there is no strong mandatory mechanism that would expose raw data to the regulators in policing the market for misuse. Credit derivatives are the causative factors that led to the overwhelmed financial markets that led to the recession. Due to deposit insurance and the reluctance of the government to let the banks, the credit risk is transferred to the government which is the turned onto the tax payers. The bank depositors who are the main stake holders have no incentive in monitoring the banks’ risk exposure. This move will allow the banks to load up on risk without attracting additional capital. This means that unregulated credit derivatives will offer unprecedented leverage. Since finance markets are a true reflection of a true economy, the misuses of the derivatives can have a great impact on it (Teslik, 2009, p. 60). The credit defaults have played a major role in the financial problems that people are faced with. The high volatility and turbulence that financial markets experienced is as a result of their misuse of derivative security. Banks that have been faced with lack of operating capital have been faced with the wrath of fluctuating values in their debt obligation, mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps. 2) What lessons should be taken by the UK’s financial sector and regulators in relation to 'Bear Stearns’ and other high profile cases? An important lesson that has been learned is the difference between short term and long term liability has been neglected or has been given insufficient attention by regulators. With reference to the liability structure of the U.S banking system, there is a clear majority of short term debts. This was taken in forms of wholesale or deposit funding which included commercial paper or repurchase agreements. Whole sale funding runs were also witnessed through refusal or commercial paper or repo creditors to roll ov er their loans. This played a major role in the demise Bear Stearns, Northern Rock and Lehman Brother among other higher profile failure cases. The UK’s financial sector should be able to regulate debt maturity (Kirkpatrick, 2009, p. 78). Another lesson that was learned was that the fire scale risk associated with excessive short term funding does not only originate from depositories, but rather, a financial intermediary with a combination of financing structure and asset choice which may exacerbate a

Book review of The Holocaust in History by Michael R Marrus Essay

Book review of The Holocaust in History by Michael R Marrus - Essay Example The Holocaust in History is a book that affiliates to a broad historical perspective, which deserves a good and exhaustive reading by the students of history, if not by the lay people. Its goes without saying that Marrus did resort to an exhaustive research and documentation, to come out with this immaculately contrived introduction as to how the historians tend to write about the Holocaust. The approach of Marrus tends to emphatically highlight the need for demystifying the Holocaust, so that it may be studied as an event in the contemporary Western history. Hence in this book, Marrus has systematically summarized the available authoritative historical writings pertaining to the salient aspects of the Holocaust that are, the pivotal position and scope of anti-Semitism in Nazism, the role played by the Jewish resistance, Jewish leadership and bystanders, and collaborators. To put it simply, The Holocaust in History has less to do with the history of the Holocaust and is more about th e historiography of the Holocaust. In The Holocaust in History Marrus does delve on the centrality of anti-Semitism to Nazism, but not in a very polarized perspective as preferred by many other historians. In the preface to this well written book, Marrus classifies the literature pertaining to Holocaust in two categories, one comprising of works drafted â€Å"as witness, or in commemoration, or as a sombre warning to future generations†; and the other that were meant to be â€Å"the modes of discourse, the scholarly techniques, and the kind of analysis used for all other historical issues.† Marrus’ work, The Holocaust in History primarily focuses on the second type of literature. In this book, Marrus primarily seems to be engrossed in the task of analyzing what the other historians have so far researched and written about the facts pertaining to the Holocaust, to dig out and analyze the details of what actually happened and how it happened, and to delve on the s alient causes behind the Holocaust. Though it may certainly surprise the contemporary students and teachers of history, yet, it is a fact that significant parts of the literature that Marrus relied on while writing The Holocaust in History, ascribes to 60s or later times. This is so because Marrus believes that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, either there was a scant interest in the Holocaust, or much historical writing, scholarship and documentation about Holocaust was â€Å"ghettoized† and not balanced. It was only in the early 60s or later that the Holocaust as a topic of historical interest experienced a turning point. According to Marrus, the Holocaust claimed the lives of six million Jews, yet to limit the scope and magnitude of Holocaust to the Jewish sufferers would be an immense historical travesty (p.8). To arrive at a total and realistic relevance of the Holocaust, the historians also need to take into account the six million non-Jewish sufferers who also had to bear with the tyranny and consequences of the Holocaust (Marrus p.9). The Holocaust also claimed the lives of millions of Gypsies, Russian POWs, Spanish Republicans, Poles, Czechs, French and homosexuals (Fischel p.38). Though, it is different that the Eastern victims of the Holocaust received a different treatment as compared to the victims from the Western Europe, both from the historians and the Western political leadership. While unravelling

The Role of the Derivatives in Credit Default Essay

The Role of the Derivatives in Credit Default - Essay Example This is known as the ability of derivatives to soar 100 percent within a few days, when the security has risen to by a small percent of 10 percent. Derivatives are also used to control large blocks of stocks for a much lesser sum that would be required for the outright purchase (Carter, 2009, p. 67). This means that derivatives give people the ability to control and manage risk. As supervisors of banking, the central bank are concerned that commercial banks’ participation in derivatives markets could lead to a major bank default that could be worsen and lead to the disruption of financial markets. Default on any derivative or financial contract involves the failure by one party to the contract to make a payment under the required contract agreements. For derivatives, default occurs when two conditions are met in a simultaneous manner. In this case, a party to the contract is in debt under the contract terms, and the counterparty cannot obtain the money within the given period (Hanson, 2010, p. 58). No regulation of the derivatives can work well if there is no strong mandatory mechanism that would expose raw data to the regulators in policing the market for misuse. Credit derivatives are the causative factors that led to the overwhelmed financial markets that led to the recession. Due to deposit insurance and the reluctance of the government to let the banks, the credit risk is transferred to the government which is the turned onto the tax payers. The bank depositors who are the main stake holders have no incentive in monitoring the banks’ risk exposure. This move will allow the banks to load up on risk without attracting additional capital. This means that unregulated credit derivatives will offer unprecedented leverage. Since finance markets are a true reflection of a true economy, the misuses of the derivatives can have a great impact on it (Teslik, 2009, p. 60). The credit defaults have played a major role in the financial problems that people are faced with. The high volatility and turbulence that financial markets experienced is as a result of their misuse of derivative security. Banks that have been faced with lack of operating capital have been faced with the wrath of fluctuating values in their debt obligation, mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps. 2) What lessons should be taken by the UK’s financial sector and regulators in relation to 'Bear Stearns’ and other high profile cases? An important lesson that has been learned is the difference between short term and long term liability has been neglected or has been given insufficient attention by regulators. With reference to the liability structure of the U.S banking system, there is a clear majority of short term debts. This was taken in forms of wholesale or deposit funding which included commercial paper or repurchase agreements. Whole sale funding runs were also witnessed through refusal or commercial paper or repo creditors to roll ov er their loans. This played a major role in the demise Bear Stearns, Northern Rock and Lehman Brother among other higher profile failure cases. The UK’s financial sector should be able to regulate debt maturity (Kirkpatrick, 2009, p. 78). Another lesson that was learned was that the fire scale risk associated with excessive short term funding does not only originate from depositories, but rather, a financial intermediary with a combination of financing structure and asset choice which may exacerbate a

Japan-Korea Trade Relations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Japan-Korea Trade Relations - Term Paper Example The contraction of the trade relations between Korea and Japan initiated between the years 1929 and 1933 which was the period of the Great Depression. However this contraction in the trade was temporary. The trade expanded again after the year 1933. The expansion was fast and the exports to and imports from Japan were 80% of the total exports and imports. The trade relations between Japan and Korea were severed after the World War II. As compared to the exports before the World War II, Korea’s exports were negligible. The exports in the year 1953 were merely 1% of the total Grand National Product (GNP); however the imports were 10%. This difference in exports and imports affected the Korean economy in a negative way and it created a very sophisticated system of exchange rates (Hong, 1979). Due to the Korean War, trade with Japan stimulated; however the extent of imports was far larger than that of exports. The scenario changed again the trade between Korea and Japan came down to a very insignificant rate of GNP by the end of 1950s. In the 1960s, trade between Korea and Japan began to grow again and by the mid of the decade the trade relations between both these countries were established. Both the imports from and exports to Japan rose by a significant degree and they accounted for a high proportion of the total imports and exports of Korea. From the perspective of Japan, exports to Korea were 2.8% of the total exports in the year 1962 (Haggard 1990). In the early 1960s, the President of Korea had initiated designing economic reforms that encouraged trade relations with Japan. Such reforms included unification of the exchange rates and the controls on exchange were... Any impact on these economies would affect the rest of the economies in the region; therefore it is highly important that both the economies remain stable. In the recent past, it has been observed that without any cooperation, these economies would not be able to handle the economic crisis in the Asia. The Asian economic crisis caused both these countries to promote a closer economic relationship. This time, it was determined that mere private sector cooperation would not suffice, but the economies will have to cooperate at governmental level. Thus, it can be inferred that the trade relations between Japan and Korea are just as important for the region as they are important for these two economies. According to Yamazawa, a framework is being designed that would help Japan and Korea to implement upon their plan for a closer economic relationship. The framework would also include a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which would facilitate the trade among these two countries even more. The trade relations between Korea and Japan have not been quite smooth since their very inception. There have been certain factors that keep the trade between these countries from developing. According to historical facts, Japan and Korea have made a number of attempts to improve the trade. However, the imbalance in the trade between these countries kept increasing over the years till the trade deficit reached a very high point. The trades relations have been unfavorable since then, however both the countries have been trying to get improve the trade relations once again and discussions between the officials of both the countries are underway.

Adelphia Scandal Essay Example for Free

Adelphia Scandal Essay Adelphia was founded in 1952 by John Rigas and his brother Gus Rigas in Coudersport, Pennsylvania with the purchase of their first cable franchise for $300. After 20 years, the Rigas brothers incorporated their company under the name Adelphia which derived its name from a Greek word which means brothers, an apt corporate title for a business that would employ generations of the Rigas family. Adelphia was a cable television company and built its success on a strong commitment to customer care; and because of this commitment, a glorious growth spree would follow. By 1998, Adelphia passed the two million-customer milestone and served approximately 5.6 million cable television customers nationwide. The company made significant strides in product development and the implementation of fiber optic technology and expanded their home and business offerings to include digital cable, local and long distance telephone services, messaging, enhanced data, high-speed Internet and video services . John Rigas managed Adelphia from its corporate headquarters in Coudersport, PA. His brother Gus sold his interest in Adelphia in 1983. And after some time, Johns sons Michael, Timothy and James, serve as executive vice presidents, directors and principal stockholders. John built Adelphia on a strong commitment to family, community, quality service and customer care which became the core values and culture of the company. The Evolution of Adelphia In August of 1986, Adelphia Communications went public. Its first three years were focused on generating revenue by increasing its customer base through mergers and acquisitions. Although the companys profitability had suffered as a result of the ambitious expansion, its revenue-generating capabilities had not. From the $30 million generated in sales during its first year, annual sales shot up to $131 million in 1988. Adelphia continued to make its presence known by making several important acquisitions of other cable systems such as the Suburban Buffalo System from Comax Telcom Corp., the South Dade System from Americable Associates, Ltd., New Castle System from Cablentertainment, Inc., and Jones Intercable which was the third largest cable system operator in New York during that time. Moreover, Adelphia entered into a partnership with unaffiliated parties to form Olympus Communications in southeast Florida which became a powerful money-making business as it served roughly 250,000 subscribers in West Palm Beach area. Adelphia was performing admirably and continued to expand by making other acquisitions and consolidation maneuvers through 1999 and 2000, bringing its subscriber base up to an impressive 5.5 million. Though the company was heavily indebted after the succession of major purchases of other cable companies, equipment, and infrastructures, analysts were looking favorably on Adelphia as late as January 2002, noting that the company was well positioned for acquisition or merger with another major cable company. The Discovery of the Fraud Oren Cohen, a high-yield-bond analyst for Merrill Lynch had followed Adelphia for a decade and thought there was something about the familys spending that didnt add up. Hed noticed that the Rigases were buying their own stock aggressively, but he couldnt figure out how they were paying for it. They didnt appear to have the cash themselves. John Rigas made $1.4 million in 2000. Michael, Tim, and James each took home $237,000. The Rigases didnt have any sources of income outside Adelphia. They never sold their stock, and it didnt pay a dividend. Cohen was pretty sure their private cable systems werent throwing off cash. But every time Cohen tried to get an explanation, Adelphia rebuffed him. On March 27, 2002, however, Adelphia officials disclosed $2.3 billion in previously unrecorded debt incurred through co-borrowings between Adelphia and other Rigas family entities under the umbrella of the familys private trust, Highland Holdings. Under these loan agreements, the Rigas entities were responsible for repaying the debt, but if they were unable to do so, Adelphia would be liable. Cohen was astounded to see the footnote disclosure and pressed Tim Rigas for details at the end of a conference call that day. Things in Coudersport quickly spun out of control as shareholders asked for clarity and transparency. The revelations and the investigation that followed sent the company spiraling deeper and deeper into a scandal that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) eventually called, one of the most extensive financial frauds ever to take place at a public company . The stock continued to fall and on May 15, 2002 John Rigas resigned as chairman and CEO.

Gdp And Economy Of Less Developed Countries Economics Essay

Gdp And Economy Of Less Developed Countries Economics Essay In the present days world, the economy of less-develop countries is rising. Some people live for their work. Some countries move forward all the time whereas some of them are taking a step backward or staying in the same position as before. What I mean by this is that we have to find equipment for measure domestic economy in each country. Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the output made in the domestic economy, regardless of who owns the production inputs. Furthermore, GDP is the value of net output of the factor of production located in the domestic economy. It can be measured in three equivalent ways: value added in production, factor incomes including profits, or final expenditure. (Begg, Fisher and Dornbusch, 2003:286) Whats more, The evaluation of GDP includes all of changes in market price such as inflation and deflation. In order to abstract from changes in overall price level, another measure of GDP called real GDP is often used. Real GDP is GDP evaluated at the market prices of some base year. For example, if 1990 were chosen as the base year, then real GDP for 1995 is calculated by taking the quantities of all goods and services purchased in 1995 and multiplying them by their 1990 prices. (Cliffsnotes.com, 2009) GDP can define by four parts Market value Securitys last report sale price or its current bid and ask prices. When we measure total production, we must add together the all of productions. In addition, the price as determined by dynamically by buyers and seller in open market also called market price. Final Goods and Services When calculate GDP, we value the final goods and services that are bought by its final user during a specified time period. There are available for purchase by ultimate or intended user with no plan for further physical transformation or as an input in the production of other goods that will be resold. For example, Canon camera is a final good, but a lens of camera is an intermediate good. Produced within a country All Goods and services that are produced within a country, is a part of that countrys GDP. For example, Addias is the German sportswear company that produces t-shirts in Thailand, the market value of those t-shirts is part of Thailands GDP, not part of GDP in Germany. Shiseido, a Japanese cosmetic company, produces some skincare lines in U.S.A, the production of those skincare products is part of GDP in U.S.A, not part of Japan GDP. In a given time period GDP measure the value of production that take place within a specific interval of time. Normally that interval is a year or a quarter but we have no measured GDP per monthly. Furthermore, GDP measures the economys flow of income and expenditure during that interval. The equality between the value of total production and total income is important because it shows the direct link between productivity and living standards. (Parkin, Powell and Matthews, 2008:470) Standard of Living Standard of living using the product or services (level of consumption) by group, the judgment of the observer as presented to what constitutes a high or low scale. The measure most frequently used to estimate standard of living is gross nation income per capita. (Investorwords.com, 2009) So, there are not includes only the equipment articles of consumption but also the number of dependents in the surroundings, family, education, health and social services. On other hand illiteracy, unemployment, low incomes, crowded living condition, drought, war, may bring a drop in the standard of living. For example, industrialized nations tent to have a higher standard of living than developing countries. Besides, Standard of Living, It is also referred to as the level of economic welfare, utility or real income. It refers to the level of material well-being of an individual or household. In economic analysis, the standard of living has been usually held to be determined by the quantities of goo ds and services (including leisure) consumed. (C.S.Nagpal, 2000:324) Real GDP and Standard of living. Economists are required to compare the standard of living between different countries or between difference time periods and estimate the standard of living in a specific year in a particular country by taking the total worth of products and services produced in that country, annually and separating by population. Producing the total value of goods and services is called real Gross Domestic Product, or real GDP. GDP is generally measured in dollars. While the Japanese measure their GDP in yen to dollars. We can trade yen to dollars; we can do such a conversion by using the yen/dollar exchange rate to compare it. When we compare GDP across time, we would like to adjust for inflation, which is a general change in prices. For example, if we produced 100 bags of sugar at a price of $0.50 each last year, and this year we produce 100 bags of sugar at a price of $1.50 each. If we said that our GDP increased three times from $50 to $150 thats mean we were calculating nominal GDP, which is the total dollar value of goods and services. Nominal GDP is a deceptive measure of the standard of living. For the reason that, we produced the same quantities of 100 bags of sugar each year. Whats I mean by this is that real GDP was exactly the same as last year. We adjust nominal GDP for price changes, to arrive at real GDP. We select one year as a base, and we measure price changes relative to that the base year. If last year was the base year, real GDP in the base year was $50. As the price of sugar went up from $0.50 to $1.50, that the price level tripled this year, As a result that our GDP price deflator is 3.0. We can divide nominal GDP in any given year by that years GDP deflator to arrive at real GDP. Hence, we divide $150 by 3.0 to obtain the correct $50 figure for real GDP. Real GDP=Nominal GDP/GDP Deflator Overall, an increase in nominal GDP has two factors. One factor is the increase in real GDP, which raise the average standard of living. The other factor is average inflation, which does not raise the average standard of living. In a financial system with services and goods, the enlargement in the inferred GDP deflator from one year to the next is a measure of average inflation. Inflation is a general increase in the prices of services and goods. Growth in nominal GDP = growth in real GDP plus growth in inflation Averaging standard of living in a country is defined as its real GDP divided by population, or real GDP per capita. This measure of the standard of living is directly related to labor productivity, which is defined as real GDP divided by the total amount of hours worked. Standard of living = real GDP/population Labor productivity = real GDP/hours worked Real GDP/population = (real GDP/hours worked)(hours worked/population) The ratio of hours worked to population the employment ratio. Hence, the standard of living is means to productivity multiplied by the employment ratio. Then, we can increase the standard of living by raising the employment ratio. Nevertheless that is an artifact of the way that GDP only measure goods bought and sold in the market. It does not include vacation and household work. An increase in the employment ratio has to be regarded as a reduction in the quality of life. A good argument can be made that productivity is more closely related to the real quality of life, although the ratio of output to population is commonly used to measure the standard of living. Therefore, it is significant to compare labor productivity across time and across countries than to evaluate the standard of living. In contrast, Employment ratio will mean more people for working-age population to support, if the employment ratio can change because of demographics. The extent output, population and hours work tend to grow geometrically. (Kling Arnold,Ph.D., 2009) Limitations of real GDP when measuring living standard of living Using estimates of real GDP for three main intentions. Economic welfare comparisons over time Economic welfare comparisons across countries Business cycle forecasts Economic welfare comparisons over time Economic welfare is an inclusive measure of the general state of well-being. This will be improve when all the goods and services grows by the production per person. The goods and services that make up real GDP growth are only a part of all items that influence economic welfare. In 2006, because of real GDP growth, real GDP person in the United Kingdom is twice what it was in 1976. But are we twice as well off? (Parkin, Powell and Matthews, 2008:480) It is mean real GDP depends on various factors that are not measured or measured accurate by real GDP. A number of these factors are: Quality Improvements The price indices can measure inflation give an upward-biased estimate of factual inflation. Normally, if we allow too much for rise in price, we take too lightly for growth of real GDP. Household Production The majority of production takes place every day in our home. Washing dishes, using computer and watching television are all examples of the productive activities that not involve market transactions and are not counted as part of GDP. However these activities grew at the same rate as real GDP and these are not measure them would not be problem. Nevertheless it is likely that market production is gradually more replacing household production, which is not part of GDP. Underground Economic Activity The underground economy is out of sight from view by the people operating in it to avoid taxes because the productions are illegal. Whats more, activity is unreported, it is absent from GDP. Health and Life Expectancy A higher real GDP does enable us to spend more on medical research, healthy food, the quality hospital, Leisure Time Leisure time is an economic high-quality that include to our economic welfare. Other factors remaining the same, the better off we are. Working time is valued as a part of GDP, but leisure is not. Environmental Quality Economic influences the quality of environment. Using car, rubbish from industries, the pollution of machine tool. Resources used to protect the environment are valued as a part of GDP. However we are not count the polluted from the atmosphere as a part of GDP. Political Freedom and Social Justice The majority of people evaluate Political Freedom and Social Justice should go to the same direction but in the real situation is not. A country might have a huge GDP but have limited political freedom. On the other hand they might have less social justice. For the example, Chain is the fastest-growing economy but they have limited political freedom. Economic Welfare Comparisons Firstly, the real GDP of one country should be changed into the same currency unit as the real GDP of the other country. Secondly, the same prices must be used to value the good and services in the country being compared. Hence, the real GDP must be use for make international comparisons of economic welfare. However, real GDP comparisons are a major component of international welfare comparisons and two special problems arise in making international comparisons. Business Cycle Forecast If policy makers plan to increase interest rates to slow an expansion that they believe is too strong, they look at the least estimates of real GDP. Business cycles are the irregular fluctuations in total economic activity observed in all developed market economic. Collection economic activity is measure by real GDP, the whole weighted by market prices, of all goods and services produced in an economy. The fluctuation in economic activity measured by real GDP tell business cycle that the economy is in. when real GDP grow, the economy is in a business cycle expansion and when real GDP shrinks, the economy is in a recession. Also, as real GDP fluctuates, so do production ad jobs. But real GDP fluctuations probably exaggerate or overstate the fluctuations in total production and economic welfare. (Parkin, Powell and Matthews, 2008:480-483) How to calculate Nominal GDP and Real GDP Nominal GDP is GDP of country that evaluated at current prices of goods and services. On the other hand, Real GDP is GDP of country that evaluated the value of productions for a given year at base year. For example, an economy producing printers and digital cameras in the year 2005 So, Nominal GDP 2005 = $(P printers * Q digital cameras + P digital cameras * Q printers) *P = Prices, Q = Quantities Table 1.1 GDP Data for 2005 GDP Data for 2008 Item Quantity Price Quantity Price Printers 100 $10.00 150 $30.00 digital camera 150 $30.00 175 $32.00 From the following data in the table 1.1, we can evaluate real GDP by using year 2005 to be as base year So, Real GDP2005 = $ (P2005 printers * Q2005 printers + P2005 digital cameras * Q2005 digital cameras) = $ (10*100 + 30*150) = $ (1,000 + 4,500) = $ 5,500 Then, Real GDP2008 = value of the 2008 quantities at 2005 prices = $ (P2005printers * Q2008printers + P2005digital cameras * Q2008digital cameras) = $ (10*150 + 30*175) = $ (1,500 + 5,250) = $ 6,750 Afterward, Comparing how many percentage that an economy in year 2008 has growth from year 2005 (as base year) So, = $ (6,750 5,500) * 100 = 22.73% $5,500 That is mean, an economy in year 2008, calculated and compared by real GDP measurement, has growth from year 2005 at 22.73 percentages. Generally, higher GDP is seemed to be better than lower GDP because more output produced mean higher potential standard of living. On the other hand, higher GDP doesnt promise that happiness is increasing because GDP often goes up when bad situations happen. For example, this table chart below illustrates the percentages of Singapores GDP and Chinas GDP in 2006-2008. Overall, it is clear that even China has had higher GDP real growth rate than Singapore but Singapore still has had higher GDP per capita than China. That is mean, Singapores standard of living is better than China Standard of living. Table 1.2 Singapore China GDP Real Growth Rate 1.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 175 7.8% (2007 est.) 8.4% (2006 est.) 9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 13% (2007 est.) 11.6% (2006 est.) GDP per capita (ppp) $ 51,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $ 51,600 (2007 est.) $ 28,500 (2006 est.) $ 6,000 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $ 5,500 (2007 est.) $ 4,900 (2006 est.) *note : data are in 2008 US dollar Education expenditure 3.7% of GDP (2001) 1.9% of GDP (1999) Labor force 2.94 million country comparison to the world: 103 807.3 million country comparison to the world: 1 Labor force by occupation: Agriculture: 0% Industry: 27.8% Services: 72.2% Agriculture: 43% Industry: 25% Services: 32% Singapore Overviews Economic Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It is an outstanding open and corruption-free situation and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depend on export, electrics equipment and information technology products. In 2004 and 2007 real GDP growth at about 7% but decreased to 1.1% in 2008. However, Singapores economy is predictable to go a broad-bases slowdown in 2009. The ministry said in a statement. The economy last saw a full year reduction in 2001 when it shrank 2.4 percent. Singapore, a major trading hub and financial center, has been hit by the sharp slowdown in the United States, Japan and Europe, which has also increased to emerging economic such as China and India. China Overviews Economy Chinas economy in the past 30 years has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Furthermore, the economy still grew by 9.0% in 2008, the highest growth rate among the major economy in the world. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009) In that case, Singapore is a small country if you will compare landscape and population with China. However, the table 1.2 shows chinas economy seem to be grew up in last three years ago by real GDP growth rate. On the other hand, Singapores economy fluctuated in the same period times. In fact, these are can not measure or summary that Chinas standard of living is better than Singapores standard of living. And also, we can uses the measuring of GDP per capita, is the excellent system, to evaluate which countries have healthy financial system. When measured at the table chart that found Singapores GDP per capita in 2008 stood at $ 51,500, among the highest in the world. In contrast, Chinas GDP per capita in 2008 stood at $ 6,000. The reasons for this are Singapores standard of living is better than China because Singapores peoples earn more. Therefore, they could spend their money for quality products and services. In conclusion, GDP or Gross Domestic Product is the summary of produced good and services in the country during a given period. Whats more, GDP is measure by using the expense and income totals in the circular flow model of the expense and income. Real GDP or Real Gross Domestic Products is used to compare an economy between countries during times period as a given based year. Furthermore, Real GDP is not perfect interpretation of economic welfare. However, this measurement is rather useful for comparing the standard of living between countries and also providing the history of the economic growth of those countries. Real GDP is showed by the percentage change in the value of production is year base on an average of the prices in the current year and the previous year. On the other, this measurement does not include household and underground production, environmental damage and the value of health, leisure time and political freedom. In addition, Real GDP across a number of years is used for measuring economic growth.

Selfish Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Selfish Edna of The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚   In   Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, the reader immediately notices the sexual undertones of Mrs. Mallard and Robert’s relationship and the strained relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. There are always going to be women who do not want the routine â€Å"married with children† lifestyle, unfortunately in Edna’s time period that was the primary role of women. Had she been living in today perhaps she would have been without a husband and children, possibly totally devoted to a career in the arts and totally single. Back to her reality though: I believe she is unsure if she wants that one true love (supposedly Robert) or if she just wants anyone who will pay her a little attention and is fun (supposedly Alcee Arobin). Edna wants to be Wild and Free, not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but she needs to recognize it for what it is because she is really fooling herself. Edna’s husband is looking for the all devoted wife and mother and Edna is looking for anything that’s not conforming. Due to that it really strikes me as being ironic that she and Mrs. Ratignolle would be such good friends. I can’t tell if that is because secretly maybe Edna wish she could be happy with the life she is leading (like Mrs. Ratignolle) or does she want to have her around as a reminder of all she never wants to be. I found all of her â€Å"times of awakening† to be interesting because they usually included hr being very abrupt and uncooperative with her husband. She liked to wander off without him allot and only seemed to really be happy when quietly tucked away somewhere with someone else (not always a man). I found her to also be a bit vain in that she made sure she got something from everyone she allowed into her life but she didn’t really seem to give back. She was so angry with herself and the world that she was subjected to live the life that she was living that she sometimes wanted to make everyone else pay for it. Her husband and her were apart a lot, so that even if they had been in a good relationship the time apart would have still caused problems â€Å"I believe in out of sight out of mind, rather than, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Marketing Segmentation and Product Positioning

Marketing Segmentation and Product Positioning MKT 500-Marketing Management Strayer University April 27, 2011 In a rush to produce more and more crops to satisfy growing demand, producers have resort to using a lethal cocktail of pesticides to control disease and insect attack. Do you really know what goes into your food? This is why you need to be informed of the advantages of organic food. The quality of food has definitely gone down since the Second World War. For instance, the levels of vitamin C in today’s fruit bear no resemblance to the levels found in wartime fruit. Organic food is known to contain 50% more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. You will have to eat more fruit nowadays to make up the deficiency, but unfortunately that means eating more chemicals, more detrimental affects on your health eating something that should be good for all. Also don’t forget about the cocktail of anti-biotic and hormones that cattle and poultry are force fed. What happens to those chemicals when the animal dies? Digested and stored in human bodies is the answer. If you are as worried as I am about the health of your family then you need to seriously consider converting your family to the organic lifestyle. Organic Food Store SWOT Analysis Strengths Organic food is richer in Vitamins, Minerals, and Fiber and retains the level of nutrients for much longer. You will have more energy through consuming low levels of toxics and chemicals that slow your body down. Weaknesses People are unaware about organic food There is a rigid mentality of people to adapt to the change in their lifestyle. Opportunities Food habits are changing Standard of living is improving Threats Cost – Organic foods are more expensive than other food items Established competitors: Pizza Hut and McDonalds are creating a threat for Organics Fashion of junk food – Young consumers believe in fashion of junk food by not realizing the side effects it causes later

Example Press Release

NEWS For Immediate Release Contact NEWS For Immediate Release Contact SOUTH BURLINGTON September 12, 2012It’s getting close to election time and in response to the hullaballoo and stressors surrounding the republican and democratic campaigns, top leader in ice cream production, Ben and Jerry’s, announced their new flavor, â€Å"We Vote Purple. † The new flavor consists of a delicious boysenberry and grape sorbet with bits of pie crust swirled in, thus giving the ice cream a beautifully neutral color of purple and a nice hearty texture.Ben and Jerry’s CEO, Jostein Solheim, said, â€Å"This flavor is for all of the people of America, regardless of their political standpoint. It’s something that can bring two different types of people together by mixing a little republican red with some democratic blue, thus creating purple. â€Å" Solheim, as well as many Ben and Jerry’s employees, exclaim this is a new favorite of theirs, describing it as, à ¢â‚¬Å"a magical mix of grapes, the fresh fruit of summer, with a fall favorite, boysenberry pie. † Lastly, if customers bring in a copy of this press release they can get the new flavor at half price! Limit one per customer. ) SOUTH BURLINGTON September 12, 2012It’s getting close to election time and in response to the hullaballoo and stressors surrounding the republican and democratic campaigns, top leader in ice cream production, Ben and Jerry’s, announced their new flavor, â€Å"We Vote Purple. † The new flavor consists of a delicious boysenberry and grape sorbet with bits of pie crust swirled in, thus giving the ice cream a beautifully neutral color of purple and a nice hearty texture.Ben and Jerry’s CEO, Jostein Solheim, said, â€Å"This flavor is for all of the people of America, regardless of their political standpoint. It’s something that can bring two different types of people together by mixing a little republican red with some dem ocratic blue, thus creating purple. â€Å" Solheim, as well as many Ben and Jerry’s employees, exclaim this is a new favorite of theirs, describing it as, â€Å"a magical mix of grapes, the fresh fruit of summer, with a fall favorite, boysenberry pie. Lastly, if customers bring in a copy of this press release they can get the new flavor at half price! (Limit one per customer. ) NEW BEN AND JERRY’S FLAVOR ANNOUNCED Company takes neutral stance in presidential campaign by presenting new flavor, â€Å"We Vote Purple. † NEW BEN AND JERRY’S FLAVOR ANNOUNCED Company takes neutral stance in presidential campaign by presenting new flavor, â€Å"We Vote Purple. †

Work for something

â€Å"Hannah Paramour, on keeping Strengths from Running Amok â€Å"The New York Time Business Day Bryant starts the article by introducing Hannah Paramour , which is the present of Paramour , the digital Agency . The article then goes in to a series of question asked by Bryant to Paramour, the first question asked was where you In leadership roles when you were younger . Paramour answered the question by saying that if you asked her mother or teacher in high school she would know as being a rebel , but always in charge and that everyone in her family is always willing to take on unreasonable mount of responsibility.Bryant then followed that question up with asking what Paramour study in college at that time she told him she was a classical- piano major because she had studied the Plano her whole life and that she found out in college that while practicing one thing for three hours a day eight hours a day was something new and was a whole other thing. Paramour felt that it didn't f it her personality and that she had a certain level of skill but it wasn't what she really wanted to do and she was going to have to figure how to make money so she never graduated and went right to work.Bryant then asked what work she did and was told that she had terrible Jobs for the longest time and they all were Just at an entry- level. Paramour said that when she started working for a life Insurance estate- planning she started to get promoted very fast but still wasn't happy and was getting the work done but aggressive and there was a lot of passive-aggressive going on, and that it felt weird because she kept getting promoted. Paramour says that once dot- comes came along she got an opportunity with a startup cityscapes. Mom and that it was exciting and new and got to try new things. Paramour also says that she learned a lot about transparency and getting people aligned behind a goal and letting them know what's going on In the organization. At that time she decided to start her own business and that she didn't have a great business plan but decided being on her own was safer and that she learned she didn't want to be with any company that want going to deliver what they said they would.Bryant then asked what Paramour has learned about culture as her company has grown she answered saying by asking have you heard the theory that weakness is a strength taken too far. Then said the best examples would be that they allowed dog In the office and at one point they had nine dogs In the office and at one point she Just had clarity no more dogs. She says you do the little things to build culture in a company but you have to be k with saying something may have went too far.Bryant then goes on asking about the hiring, interview process and is Paramour could interview somebody in five minutes what she would asked she answer by saying she's not the best interviewer because she is very optimistic and she tend to project herself on other to try and sell them. But she always goes through the core values and explain how they were written and responsibility.Paramour then goes on to say if she could interview someone for only five minutes she would ask â€Å"how old where you when you got your first Job â€Å"the reason she says she would ask this is because she would rather have someone that ad to work all throughout college then someone who got scholarship and right to MBA program then she would ask why they left their old Job Just to see if they told the truth. The last question asked by Bryant was what advice would you give to allege student the answer was get a Job, get started because most people don't know what their passion is Just starting out.Paramour ended with that she had ability to see trends and that she was fast at solving problems and that if it wasn't right they would fix it but it would be fast. After reading this article I can relate to some of what Paramour is saying , with the whole going to college and realizing what you had plan would change I new for me it would be a little harder with going to school working full time and having two small children and everything that they are involved in.I would of never in a million years think I would change what I was studying until I started to work in the medical field and realized that's it not what I wanted to do the rest of my life so I switched to something I knew I enjoyed doing when I worked for a big retail company and that was getting to know the business and human resource of the company. I also like how the culture was built with the company do think it's a little crazy to have dogs in an office let alone nine of them I could see where this could go wrong and could cause a bad work environment.I also had to do interviews when worked for target UT there was a guild line that we had to go by and I don't think it allowed us to get clear picture of the employee seeking work and I think being direct and straight forward would give you and the employee to h ave a chance to be honesty with one another and me personal I would rather have an honesty employee over someone that is Just going to tell me what I want to hear.I like the fact that Bryant asked if you only have five minutes what question would you ask in an interview and that Paramour said she would ask how hold the person was when the got there first Job, cause to me it shows a level of determination and responsibility and a lot about a person and that they have goals set for their self and everything wasn't handed to them.I do agree with the advice Paramour gives at the end of the article and that was to get a Job and get started, because I can say when I was 18-19 1 thought I know what I wanted to do in life but have problem changes my mind about 100 times before I really knew what it was that I wanted to do and what goals to have set for myself.Even to this day I have goals that I have not meet that I have set for myself but that isn't mean I'm not still working towards them or that I don't think I can do it also the harder you have to work for something the better work you will do and the more you appreciate things more in life and the better you will be at seeing your full potently and reaching your goal out of life. After reading this article/ interview I was able to take away that its k to change your mind and to make decision based on what's going to make you happy and to make goals and to Just go for it because you never know what the outcome could be.Also that as long as you can make a decision even if it was wrong as long as you made it fast and could fix it that it wasn't a big because it shows that things change in life and as long as you can either go with it or adapt to the change and then realize what's best for you in the long run then go with it cause the outcome could be so rewarding in the end or even be a better one. I feel as this article relates to this class because it talks about her leadership, the culture she built into the compa ny as well as her hiring technique as a manager as well what are some of e important question to ask in an interview .

Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an Essay

Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with - Essay Example The data they used to defend their position was that of crime rates in the US in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Truly, the crime rates for 1970s and 1980s were high compared to 1990s. The two authors claim that the reduced crime rates in 1990s was due to the legalization of abortion in the US in 1973. To them, legalization of abortion led to reduction of unwanted babies. They based their claims on the ground that males of ages 18-24 are most likely to commit crimes. By 1990s, babies born from 1973 were 17 years and above. A reduction of crime rates in 1990s therefore meant that most of those who commit crimes are people originating from unwanted/unplanned pregnancies. I dispute the above claims. First, the rate of murder of 14-17 year in 1993 was 3.6 times that of 14-17 year olds in 1984. The first lot was born during the high-abortion period of 1975-1979 while the second lot was born during the pre-legalization period of 1966-1970. This means legalization of abortion had little impact on crime rates among those born post-legalization period. Secondly, if legalization reduces crime rates, a decline in crime should therefore have started from the youth. Contrasting to the above fact, reduction in crime was first recorded among the older people, those born pre-legalization period.