Network Security Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Network Security - Term Paper Example (213) INTRODUCTION: It consists of various policies to prevent the misuse of the data or unauthorised access of the data by users who does not own it. Certain provisions and policies are made in this regard by the administrator, to ensure confidentiality of data .This system is so designed that authorization of access to data in a network is controlled by the network administrator only without interference of any other person. For this purpose, all users are given a separate ID i.e. the identity of the individual and a password by the administrator so that access to information and programs are allowed by that user only within their authority. It is a complex job and can be tackled by efficient, experienced and well-trained experts. Network security system is a combination of many computer networks which can be either public or private. It includes everyday jobs like conducting transactions and communications among businesses, government agencies and individuals. Networks can also be private, such as a network dealing a specific company, and others which might be open to public access. In organizations, enterprises, and other types of institutions Network security is involved so as to maintain the confidentiality of their data (King, 10). Role of Network Security: How does it protects you It performs the key role as the name indicates as quoted by (Bragg et al) : Unauthorized access: It secures the network, and does not allow any unauthorized access. Confidentiality : It also plays a chief role in protecting and overseeing operations being done and preventing their unknown user access. A Unique Name : Protection of a network resource requires the corresponding password and unique name as mentioned above in an earlier section. Executing Commands Illicitly: It is undesirable for an unknown and non-trusted individual to execute and run the commands server machines. Security system doesn’t allow any such activities. Protects the system from Viruses, worms an d Trojan horses: Many antiviruses are developed so that a secure system may be provided. Concept: The key feature of network security is allocating the user, commonly with an authentic username and a password. One-factor authentication: The password is something which known by the user only. This can he termed as one-factor authentication. Two- factor authentication: This something the user already has can also be used as his identity. For an example, A security token An ATM card Mobile phone number Any of the above belongings can be used as an individual’s identity in a secured network. Three-factor authentication: Every individual can be identified by something the user is. For an example, A fingerprint Retinal scan Firewall: It enforces access policies blocking the unauthorized network access. For instance, which services may be allowed to be accessed by the user in certain network? This feature is plays a very helpful and efficient role in preventing the unauthorized acce ss to the data. The only drawback of this component is that it way fails to detect any potentially harmful error like ‘Computer worms’ are being transmitted over the network (Radack, 215). Proxy According to Okechukwu et al.,( 480) Process of having one host act in behalf of

Memoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Memoir - Essay Example Usually, I used to celebrate my birthday at home and only call my friend to wish him a happy birthday. One day, as we approached our birthdays, my friends suggested that we went hiking and celebrate surrounded by nature. That was a completely new experience for me, and I agreed. The only thing left to handle was to ask my parents whether I could do that. They allowed me to go hiking and celebrate my birthday with friends but they were upset because our tradition would be broken. I said I was old enough to decide how I wanted to celebrate. Now that I am recollecting that moment I deeply regret I said so. On the day we went hiking, the weather was perfect, and I was cheerful and optimistic. I could not wait to halt, put up tents and start celebrating my friend’s and my birthdays surrounded by nature around the campfire. I really enjoyed spending my special day with my friends; they gave us presents and said a lot of great words to us. They even managed to bring a small cake and light candles. Everything seemed to be perfect. I felt some discomfort though. At first, I thought it was caused only by the unfamiliar environment for I that was the first hike in my life. With some time passing, however, I understood what was wrong. I realized that it was not only the environment but people that made me feel that way. That discomfort was caused by the absence of my family and the atmosphere of a holiday that our house always has at such days. I have never really thought that our family ties are so strong. Also, I have never thought of myself as of a stay-at-home person. In fact, I have always thought I am not tied to my home and believed that I am able to leave it any time I want to do so. In reality, it appears that my family and the home we live in are the most important things in my life. All these memories and feelings were inspired by photos which I tend to look through from time to time. When I opened the page with the photos

Rise And Growth Of Communalism

Rise And Growth Of Communalism India has always been a hub of cultural and religious diversities and its orientation goes back in the historical times. India has a number of religions and they co-exist side by side peacefully. This diversity includes a large number of Hindu populations and a minority of Muslims. Despite this factor there had never been much of a problem between the two religions. So what led to the disputes between these two diverse religions? There is a belief that people following same religion have common thinking and cultural, social, economical and political interests. The communalist emphasizes that Hindus and Muslims cannot have common secular interests, instead their interests are bound to be opposed to each other. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian communalisms have similar ideologies. The rise and growth of communalism Communalism emerged as a consequence of the emergence of modern politics. As Jawaharlal Nehru said One must not forget that communalism is a latter-day phenomenon which has grown up before our eyes, which means that this ideology came into being in the recent-past and it was a result of the conditions which have in other societies produced similar ideologies and phenomenon. The consciousness of communalism in India arose under the impact of colonialism and the need to fight against the system, which was not accepted by the citizens of India during the colonial rule. The new ways of common interests started building up amongst the people because of the growing political, economic and social amalgamation of the regions, the developing opposition between colonialism and the citizens of India and the common desire to make India into a nation. This also followed from the birth of the new politics during the late 19th century. It was based on the increasing number of politicization and mob ilization of the Indians. The transformation in the ideologies was a gradual and difficult process. The process included the spread of modern ideas of cultural and linguistic development, nationalism and the need to raise voice against discrimination on the basis of region, race, religion, caste, color, etc. In the process of spreading and accepting these ideas and identities, gave a way to some other new ideas and identities. The religiousness consciousness was transformed into communal consciousness in some parts and sections of the country. This transformation took place as there were some factors that favored its growth in that situation and served these sections of the society. The ideology of communalism grew across the country during in the 20th century as it had political and socio-economic roots. The resulting economic downfall and the impact on the Indians produced conditions which were favorable to division and opposition within the society. Some of the problems like unemployment, especially for th e educated middle and lower-middle classes who could not fall back on their land and the absence of development of health, education, etc., led to socio-economic deterioration. This situation gave birth to some of the popular movements including nationalist movement, which enabled to look for long term solutions to the problems of the people by fighting against colonialism. The lower-middle and middle classes were the ones who were part of the military nationalist movement and left wing parties. But because of intense competition after the economic downfall among the individuals for jobs, the middle class individuals used other group identities such as religion, caste, region, etc. for getting a larger share of economic opportunities. Communalism benefitted these individuals in the short run but at the same time gave birth to communal politics. People started using this technique of communalism to achieve their individualistic goals. However, it played short-term and partial role in the social existence of the middle classes. Communalism often misinterpreted social tension and class conflict between the exploiters to different religions as communal conflict. Most often, the exploiting sections were the upper class Hindus and the exploited were Muslims or lower class Hindus. The Muslim communalists used to grumble that the Hindus are exploiting Muslims or the Hindu Communalists used to complain about the Muslims destroying their property. The struggle between landlords and tenants in various parts of the country also portrayed the struggle between Muslims and Hindus. The landlord-moneylender coercion, attack by rural poor on rural urban and many such cases were represented as oppressions by Muslims on Hindus or by Hindus on Muslims. One aspect of the growth of communalism in Punjab was the attempt by the higher level Muslim landlords to protect their economic and social position by using the way of communalism as revenge against the act performed by the Hindu moneylenders and traders against the Muslim ten ants to protect their threatened class interests. Communalism also enabled the colonial rulers and the upper classes to unite with the lower classes and to utilize the politics of the later to serve their own needs. The Divide and Rule policy under the rule of British bore special responsibility for the growth of communalism in modern India. But it is true that the reason for this success was the internal political and social conditions. They used communalism to counter and weaken the growing national movement. It was being portrayed as a problem of the defense of minorities by the British. The disunity between Hindus and Muslims and the need to protect the minorities and the suppression by the majority was a form of justification for protection of the British rule. An attempt was made to put caste against caste, region against region, leftist against rightist and even one class against the other. But the most successful was the communal division which survived till the end. The colonial authorities did whatever they could do by staking everything on it to make Indians fight against each other. Communalism was not developed to such an extent that it could divide the country into two, but the powerful support of the colonial rule increased the chances of division of the country. It was communalism that helped the British in influencing the workers, the middle and lower middle classes and the peasants which gradually included all the sections of the society. The peasants during the 19th century lacked the understanding of the colonial system and the social movements itself and also lacked the possession of new ideologies that we as a nation can have a concept of an alternative and self-governing society. The concept that would unite the people in a common struggle and develop political movements that would last for a long term. On 26th March 1902, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, in one of his speeches included the condition of the country, the condition of finances of the country and the poverty of the people. He came to a conclusion that the condition of the people is deteriorating gradually and its the worse in the economic history of the world. He set to analyze the budget in detail and showed how the land and other taxes had been going up even in cases of drought and famine. He asked for reduction of these taxes so that the middle and the lower middle classes would not be harassed. He was victorious as his proposal was accepted by the British government. Bharat Singhs, one of the revolutionaries, approach towards politics was very secular and he understood the conditions of the people more clearly and the danger that communalism posed to the nation and the national movement. He and his companions were against and openly opposed the suggestion that youth belonging to religious-communal organizations should be appointed as a member of the Sabha. He wrote that a new group of youth was coming forward who did not recognize any differences based on religion and saw a person as a human being and then as an Indian, instead of discriminating on the basis of religion. He admired Lala Lajpat Rai as a leader but he didnt stand by him during the last years of his life as Lajpat Rai switched to communal politics. He saw the importance of making the people free from all the mental burden of religion. A large number of revolutionaries started criticizing the colonial ideologies and some turned to Marxism, some had the idea of a socialist revolution and the others joined the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Communist Party, the Gandhian wing of the Congress and the other Left parties. In the years following the Non-cooperation Movement, 1922, the conviction of nationalism was still alive in the hearts of the Gandhian followers, who kept the Government on its toes by not following the colonial policies and protested and fought for their rights. The colonial operations by the British colonialists in India led to growth of the communal organizations and movements. These organizations focus on promoting the interests of that particular community. Some of these organizations were Hindu Mahasabha, All India Muslim League, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, etc. Indian National Congress (INC) was found in the 1885 in order to narrow the Hindu-Muslim divide and all sorts of discrimination between Indians on the basis of religion. But Sir Sayed and many such Muslim leaders portrayed the Congress as a representative body of Hindus, so they tried to hinder the unity between Hindus and Muslims. Poor participation of Muslims in the INC proves it. The majority of number of seats was being dominated by Hindus. At the same time Hindus were against the Congress as the religious and communal leaders thought that this movement was supportive of the Western cultural assault. All India Muslim League was a movement that started by the Muslim leaders on 30th December 1906 as a proposal for a political association for the Muslims in India. The motive behind this proposal was to counter Congress influences, to protect Muslim interests and to support the British administration. The 1st meeting of this proposed entity took place in Karachi on the 20th December, 1907. It gave the Muslim leaders a platform on local, national and international levels. Khilafat Movement (1919-24), was an Islamic movement in India during the colonial rule. It was an effort by the Indian Muslim community to unite together against the Turkish Empire ruled by the Khalifa, whom the Muslims considered as the caretaker of Islam. The leaders involved the Khilafat movement fully supported the non-violent methods of Gandhi facilitating the establishment of Muslims and Hindus against colonialism. This effort formed a major threat to the British rule. This movement did not last long and resulted in violent incidents and the final outcome was deaths of many Indian and British people. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, one of the members of the Gandhis congress party, made speeches on pressurizing Hindus and Muslims to live together, but later in 1935 when he returned to India he came up with a mission to save Indian Muslims from Hindu domination. He built up a moribund Muslim League which he later disclosed that this union was only for the Muslims. Hindu Mahasabha was a Hindu nationalist organization which was found in 1915 to oppose the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League. This movement started at a small scale as a conference in Allahabad by the leading Hindus. Many socio-political problems led to emergence of Hindu Mahasabha as a communal organization. A certain section of Hindus decided to organize the Hindus with the motive of self-defense. Madan Mohan Malaviya enlightened his fellow Hindus that Muslims and Christians had been carrying on activities since a long time resulting in non-participation of Hindus. Conclusion There have been many such conflicts between Hindus and Muslims in India since the beginning of the colonial rule which may be in the form of violence or non-violence. Before the colonial rule, both the religious groups: Hindus and Muslims were able to live together peacefully. There were communal movements and conflicts in the country which were based on religious communities and strong feelings of nationalism in India during the late 19th century. Some Muslim leaders desired to call for a communal Muslim society. This belief led to initiation of a separate community for Muslims. It became very difficult for them to follow the colonial policies, culture and power. They started refusing to learn English and to associate with the British. They found that Hindus were at better positions with the British in government than they were and they started believing that they favored Hindus. On the other hand, Hindus protested against the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League as they believed that the other religious communities were getting the opportunity to participate in political events but they were neglected. The British took advantage of the disputes and misunderstandings between these two religious groups by strategizing one against the other and by favoring the seemingly more peaceful Hindus and Sikhs over the Muslims and enforcing their belief systems upon each religion. Jinnah took an astonishing decision by demanding a separate nation for Muslims in the sub-continent. Later, in the year 1947 he was rewarded with a new country, Pakistan because of the growing communal tensions.

How Electronic Commerce Is Affecting American Industry Essay example --

ELECTRONIC-Commerce How It Is Affecting American Industry The Internet over the past few years has seen a huge increase in online businesses and consumers. Electronic-commerce is expected to generate $36 billion in revenue during 1999, up 140% from last year alone.[1] With such a huge amount of money to be made on the Internet it is becoming very appealing for small businesses and start-up companies to try and make their niche in e-commerce. The Internet is drastically affecting the way companies and people conduct business now. E-commerce encourages growth in existing as well as new businesses because of lower overhead costs, the huge consumer base and the freedom of information flow. However the online revolution has created a large amount of competition for consumers between businesses despite the fact that the public does not yet have total confidence in the e-commerce market. The Internet is a free and seemingly boundless medium that is distributed to over 200 million people worldwide.[2] This creates a large market for companies that are competing on the Internet, which acts as a level playing field. Small companies can compete with larger vendors by getting their product and prices seen by anyone interested online while not being limited by their locale or to just their local area consumers. Another reason why e-commerce is so attractive are the low star-up costs required to start a company. A basic site can be created with as little as a couple hundred dollars, a computer and a little imagination. A business can then be run from a home or network instead of a large expensive building where many employees and machines are needed. Because of this online businesses can sell their products for much less by passing their ... ... Internet shopping is expected to increase by at least 50% into the millennium, which leaves much room for growth and new opportunities for new and adventurous companies.[4] E-commerce has opened up a new market in American industry that is forcing companies to become part of the online revolution or suffer the consequences in the long run. The freedom of the Internet combined with the huge amounts of information make for a more easily accessible environment that will revolutionize the way all business is conducted in the future. Notes 1. Shop.org. 30 October 1999. http://www.shop.org/nr/99/071999.html 2. NUA - Internet Surveys. 03 November 1999. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/index.html 3. C-Net. 1997. 30 October 1999. http://sellitontheweb.com/ezine/news0296.shtml 4. C-Net. 31 October 30, 1999. http://sellitontheweb.com/ezine/news0310.shtml

American Economy

In a broad sense, the macroeconomic policies developed and implemented by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) are those which regulate the national supply of money. Either through foreign exchange operations, or management of public funds, the Fed seeks to maintain the level of money supply in ways that would sustain stable inflation rates. It should be noted that while Fed’s macroeconomic policies tend to impact aggregate demand and GDP these are primarily short-term effects, with the rate of inflation being the main long-term target of any monetary policy.Now, in conditions of the growing financial crisis, it is more than important to reconsider and reevaluate the effects of the major Fed’s macroeconomic policies on the major sectors of the U. S. economy. Given the instability of the current financial and housing markets, this analysis is expected to become the source of useful policy recommendations in short and long run. American Economy Introduction In a broad sense, mac roeconomic policies developed and implemented by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) are those which regulate the national supply of money.Either through foreign exchange operations, or management of public funds, the Fed seeks to maintain the level of money supply in ways that would sustain stable inflation rates. It should be noted that while Fed’s macroeconomic policies tend to impact aggregate demand and GDP these are primarily short-term effects, with the rate of inflation being the main long-term target of any monetary policy. Now, in conditions of the growing financial crisis, it is more than important to reconsider and reevaluate the effects of the major Fed’s macroeconomic policies on the major sectors of the U.S. economy. Given the instability of the current financial and housing markets, this analysis is expected to become the source of useful policy recommendations in short and long run. Monetary policies have long been the issue of the Fed’s major concern . Through the prism of numerous monetary factors, the Fed used to evaluate the causes and consequences of particular monetary decisions and their effects on economic behaviors. The truth is, however, that in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the macroeconomic policies in the U. S., a detailed review of the structural factors that stand behind the current economic crisis is required. The combination of the housing and credit crunch drivers needs to be reconsidered, to realize the real-life implications of all monetary initiatives the Fed has been able to implement over the course of the last three years. To start with, the current economic crisis originates from the strategic change in equilibrium within housing markets, as well as the decline in house prices â€Å"as the market gives back the excessive part of the rise in real house prices – the part not justified by realized rentals† (Wu, 2008).These structural shifts have obviously impacted the situation with em ployment, banking, and construction. Another set of structural factors is readily visible in the financial sector, where subprime mortgages and the following illiquidity and reduced supply of loans have led the banks to the need for increasing their assets and making their share prices vulnerable to even the slightest changes in business sector (Kutter & Mosser, 2007).The slowdown of productivity, the decreasing value of business and economic expectations, and oil prices have also contributed in the expansion of the current financial crisis, which is more the result of structural shifts in global and national economy, rather than the direct consequence of ineffective monetary approaches. In this context, the natural question is what the Fed has done to decrease the negative impact of financial crisis on the major sectors of business and economy, and whether Fed’s macroeconomic policies in their traditional form remain relevant in the changing financial and economic conditions .Since the end of 2006 and up to the beginning of 2009, the gradual increase of the Fed’s reserve balances has been the distinctive feature of the Fed’s response to the expanding economic crisis. The increase in reserve balances have become particularly visible and sharp by the end of 2008, when the Fed faced a serious need to provide banks and business entities with additional liquidity instruments and loans (Lacker, 2009). In a very short-time period, the Fed has increased the reserve balances supply by over 100-fold, with the latter reaching the amount of $848 billion (Boivin & Giannoni, 2008).Purchasing securities and providing financial institutions with guaranteed loans was one of the reasons for such sharp reserve balances increase, but beyond that, the Fed sought to finance its loan activities by creating additional money. It should be noted here, that with the need to obtain additional financial instruments, the Fed can follow the three different pathways: cre ating money, borrowing funds from the U. S. treasury, and issuing debt (Gilpin, 2008).Selling government securities is just another option the Fed can utilize to obtain additional funds. Importantly, with the emergence of the economic threats and during the first months of crisis the Fed chose to follow the fourth path, adjusting its portfolio to its economic and financial needs by selling off government securities, but with the amount of government securities being insufficient to maintain financial and monetary stability in the U. S. , the Fed has come to realize the need for creating new money.In the light of the essential structural shifts, and given the long-term impacts which the process of creating new money produces on all areas of economic activity, these macroeconomic policy decisions have already turned into the source of increasing professional concerns, and there are several reasons for that. First, the effectiveness of federal reserves increase seems doubtful due to th e inflationary trends with which it is usually associated. Under the impact of falling commodity prices, when inflation risks seem at least improbable, the Fed nevertheless should not lose the sense of caution.The fact is that when the need withdraw the funds and to reduce the amount of federal reserves arises, the Fed is likely to face another inflationary challenge, and whether it is able to avoid long-term increase in prices will depend on the moment the Fed chooses for reducing the amount of funds (Boivin & Giannoni, 2008). Second, Gilpin (2008) suggests that as long as the Fed is increasingly involved into selective financing as a part of its macroeconomic initiatives, the Fed’s independence from other governmental institutions becomes irrelevant and at least doubtful.Rudebusch (2008) writes that â€Å"the recent request by the Treasury for the Fed to assist in creating a Consumer and Business Loan Initiative is certainly reminiscent of the request by Treasury for the F ed to help out in its own borrowing operations before the Accord of 1950†. Thus, whether the Fed acts in accordance with macroeconomic principles or follows the recommendations and requirements of Congress will also determine its consistence as the central financial body and as the source of the major macroeconomic initiatives.Finally, as Congress is trying to tie the Fed to its authoritative decisions, and the Fed does not look beyond the need for creating additional money and applying selective funding principles, the only effect the Fed has been able to produce is proving its inability to act as an independent financial body. The problem is that against the continuous success of its expansionary initiatives and the absence of deep recessions, the Fed found itself in the midst of predictable policies and workable macroeconomic guidelines.Since the end of 2006, however, those guidelines and policies have gradually lost their effectiveness (Rudebusch, 2008). Scholars and profe ssionals in economics recognize the declining effectiveness of the major Fed’s initiatives: the Fed is no longer able to produce immediate positive effects on the interest rates; the benefits of the major macroeconomic initiatives have been muted by the mortgage securities market issues; investors are disappointed with the recent Fed’s decisions – all these factors significantly contribute into the expansion of the current financial crisis, making the financial image of the Fed even more negative.Until present, the ineffective macroeconomic activity of the Fed has only led to re-appreciation and reconsideration of the benefits of fiscal stimuli and responses to the changing economic conditions. Against the inconsistency of the Fed’s decisions, the scope of the Fed’s operations was limited to adjusting federal funds rate and issuing additional financial instruments. Federal Reserve lending in the broader macroeconomic contexts has also become the to pic of increasing professional interest.In response to recent slowdown, the Fed has developed a whole set of lending initiatives, which either targeted specific groups of assets, or specific business entities or institutions, or implied the need for standard discount window lending (Lacker, 2009). From the viewpoint of macroeconomics and the long-term impact which these interventions tend to produce, before the middle of 2008 the Fed had been working to provide lending in ways that would not increase the monetary base but would instead redirect additional bank reserves to cover its lending commitments.Since the end of October 2008, however, the Fed has no longer been able to maintain its monetary base unchanged, and had to combine its lending ideas with additional monetary stimuli (Lacker, 2009). These lending programs have been effective to the extent that changed the balance of credit in specific markets, and â€Å"while some market segments benefit from reduced funding costs, ot hers may actually see their costs rise as credit is diverted to those markets that have been targeted by support† (Lacker, 2009).In relation to lending, it is essential to note that over the last three years the Federal Reserve intentionally chose to conduct its monetary interventions with the help of the federal funds rate, which provides the Fed with an increasingly active position regarding macroeconomic policies in the U. S. By changing the discount rate, the Fed gives financial institutions a chance and the right to borrow directly from the Fed, and the Fed’s board can either approve or deny the loan (Gilpin, 2008).The situation is similar with other lending initiatives, but when it comes to supporting specific business entities or markets, the Fed risks losing its independence and faces a decision-making challenge of cooperation with Congress. More than that, with lending being one of the major macroeconomic operations initiated by the Fed in the last 3 years, pro fessionals have come to realize the inconsistence and the distorted vision of the Fed with regard to discount rate as the central policy instrument.In other words, where financial institutions seek to replenish the lack of liquidity, they prefer borrowing overnight, thus leaving the Fed no time to review the real financial needs of financial institutions (Krugman, 2007). As a result, it was not before the middle of 2007 that the Fed has become concerned about the decreasing liquidity of its assets and the need to reduce the discount rate for primary credit.Since that time, the Fed continuously supported its â€Å"federal funds rate reduce† line, which suggests that reducing discount and federal funds rates was one of the least ineffective macroeconomic approaches and did not extend beyond producing short-term positive impacts on financial and commodity markets (Yuan & Zimmerma, 2008). The structural forces that currently govern the economic and financial balance in the U. S. and the world inevitably impact the so-called natural interest rates, of which the Fed seems unaware.That means that while the current rate of return on equities is above 5. 5%, it is also much higher than the policy rates which the Fed adjusts to make them fit to the current rates of inflation (Gilpin, 2008). Furthermore, given that the origins of the current economic crisis lay within the limits of the housing markets, it is very probable that â€Å"what will be driving real rates of interest once the economy settles into its new growth path is the rate that households require on loans† (Krugman, 2007).Thus, in its credit initiatives, the Fed has obviously neglected a whole set of important factors, which make its macroeconomic policies at least irrelevant. While the Fed seeks to expand the liquidity of available funds by maintaining interest rates at the levels close to zero, it distorts the macroeconomic balance. The fact is that against the reduced wealth levels and the growing negative expectations, the expected rates of interest in future will be much higher than the Fed currently promotes (Krugman, 2007).With the growing need for funds on the side of financial and business entities, the Fed is likely to face the crisis of expectations, where it is either unable to maintain sustainable interest rates or fails to provide businesses with sufficient amount of financial assets. Thus, whether the Fed is able to promote the success of its major macroeconomic initiatives depends on its ability to timely review its macroeconomic attempts and to adjust them to real-life market contexts.In the light of the increasing inefficiency of the major Fed’s interventions, special attention needs to be paid to the so-called moral hazard problem. â€Å"Safety net support for financial institutions encourages private market participants to view some institutions as ‘too big to fail’ and weakens those institutions’ incentive to monitor and m anage the risks they face in their business strategies and financial market transactions† (Gilpin, 2008); as a result, this inattentiveness to the major market risks weakens financial and business institutions and increases the cost of this financial protection.In other words, while the Fed pursues the need to reduce the cost of credit for ultimate borrowers by providing financial and credit institutions with additional financial assets, it unintentionally leads these institutions undertake higher additional risks than they otherwise would be willing to recognize (Lacker, 2009). As a result, the cost of borrowing substantially increases, leaving these institutions in the need to absorb the effects of moral hazard without external support.Does that mean that the Fed has initially chosen a wrong macroeconomic path? This question lacks a single and obvious answer, and while many financial institutions and business entities will require expanding the range of available liquid reso urces by using federal funds, a stronger regulatory basis and strict system of monitoring could significantly increase the efficiency of all macroeconomic policies aimed at reducing the negative impact of the current financial crisis. ConclusionThe Federal Reserve has appeared completely unprepared to facing the challenges of the expanding economic crisis. Despite the relevance of the new liquidity mechanisms and the Fed’s striving to expand the range of available financial instruments, these measures will hardly be effective in the long run. Moreover, given the undue risks financial institutions and business entities undertake and the limitedness of the Fed’s financial resources, its current macroeconomic initiatives are likely to become counter effective in the U.S. striving to preserve its leading position among the major economic powers. In this context, strict regulation and a well-developed system of federal monitoring will increase the effectiveness of all Fedâ €™s initiatives at the macroeconomic level. References Boivin, J. & Giannoni, M. P. (2008). Has monetary policy become more effective? The Review of Economics and Statistics, 90 (3): 445-462. Gilpin, R. (2008). Global political economy: Understanding the international economic order.Orient Longman. Lacker, J. (2009). Government lending and monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www. richmondfed. org/press_room/speeches/president_jeff_lacker/2009/lacker_speech_20090302. cfm Krugman, P. (2007). Thinking of the liquidity trap. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 14 (4): 331-337. Kuttner, K. N. & Mosser, P. (2007). The monetary policy transmission mechanism: Some answers and further questions.Federal Reserve Bank of New York Economic Policy Review, 8 (1): 15-26. Rudebusch, G. & Wu, T. (2008). A macro-finance model of the monetary policy and the economy. Economic Journal, 118 (530): 906-926. Wu, T. (2008). On the ef fectiveness of the Federal Reserve’s new liquidity facilities. Elsevier, 52 (4): 745-777. Yuan, M. & Zimmerman, C. (2008). Credit crunch, bank lending, and monetary policy: A model of financial intermediation with heterogeneous projects. Springer, 29 (1): 244-265.

Global Warming Introduction Essay Essay

Many researchers, scientists, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the earth. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as â€Å"global warming.† This paper will attempt to explore this very issue. Climate is defined as the analysis of accumulated weather data for long term patterns and trends. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines change as, â€Å"To make or become different.† Climate change is therefore defined as â€Å"long-term weather patterns and trends becoming different over an extended period of time.† For example, if the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 20th century is significantly higher or lower than the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 19th century, this would be an example of climate change. Changes in climate can result from both natural events and human activities. Examples of natural causes of climate change are volcanic eruptions, variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun, and variations in solar output (Ahrens, 485-491). Examples of human-induced causes of climate change include industrial pollutants and fossil fuels (Rhodes, 116), warming of average annual temperatures due to urbanization (Eichenlaub, 163), and changes in the earth’s albedo due to deforestation of tropical rainforests (Geiger, 320). Climate change in the context of this paper refers to changes that result from human activities, especially as these changes relate to the issue of global warming. Of special importance is the â€Å"greenhouse gas† effect which is defined as, â€Å"The trapping of thermal emissions from the earth’s surface by human-induced greenhouse gases† (He). If global warming is indeed happening, it is the greenhouse gas effect that is believ ed to be the most responsible. There are some scientists who do not believe that there is enough evidence to support the idea of global warming. They assert that concerns about global warming have been blown well out of proportion by the media. At the same time, other scientists assert that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that industrial activities, automobile emissions, and technological pollutants may eventually result in dangerous (and even deadly) trends in the overall global climate. This paper will attempt to address this concern by analyzing some of the scientific studies that have been published in major meteorology journals. Our atmosphere consists of many gases. Some of these gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, naturally absorb long-wave radiation that is emitted from the earth’s surface. Short-wave solar radiation enters the earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth’s surface. This radiation is then recycled and emitted as long wave terrestrial radiation. Gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb this radiation, hold it in the atmosphere, and keep the temperature of the earth warmer than it would otherwise be if there wasn’t an atmosphere. This is what meteorologists refer to as the â€Å"natural greenhouse effect† (Mower). Problems could potentially arise, however, when human activities add additional trace gases into the atmosphere that also absorb out-going long-wave radiation. These additional trace gases include methane, chlorofloro carbons, nitrous oxide, aerosols, ozone, and carbon dioxide. The result is an increase in the amount of long-wave radiation that is being trapped by the atmosphere. It is believed that this could eventually increase the average overall global temperature. Carbon dioxide â€Å"†¦is considered the trace gas of greatest importance because of the substantial increase in its atmospheric concentration as well as its probable continued rise due to global consumption of fossil fuels† (Rhodes, 116). It is clear from looking at the evidence that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere. Observations of carbon dioxide concentrations are available for several locations. Over the period of 1973 to 1982, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in Barrow, Alaska rose steadily from 332.6 parts per million (ppm) to 342.8 parts per million (Geiger, 110-111). This is not isolated to Barrow, Alaska. Records from other locations, such as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, are confirming that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing in the atmosphere at a dramatic rate. Continuous instrument records for atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations date back to the 1950’s at the Mauna Loa observatory (Michaels, 1564). In 1958, the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was only 316 parts per million (ppm). Preindustrial carbon dioxide concentrations are believed to be 279 parts per million (Michaels, 1564), and the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1990 was 353 parts per million (Rhodes, 116). However, as one author points out, the fact that we are dealing with significant changes in carbon dioxide does not automatically mean that we are looking at a serious problem (Lindzen, 288). This author points out that carbon dioxide is a † †¦minor atmospheric constituent and as such, its variations might not be notably impo rtant.† He goes on to say that there are a number of things that increasing levels of carbon dioxide could effect and influence, including in ways that are beneficial. For example, † †¦at altitudes of 25 km to 90 km, the atmosphere is cooled primarily by thermal radiation emitted to space by carbon dioxide. Increasing carbon dioxide should cool these regions, and this, in turn, should lead to increasing concentrations of ozone at these levels. Increasing carbon dioxide might also stimulate the growth of vegetation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lindzen, 288-289). While there are indeed some possible benefits to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, â€Å"†¦the main concerns have focused on the possibility that increasing carbon dioxide might significantly warm our climate† (Lindzen, 289). One author wrote that there is â€Å"†¦general agreement that increasing carbon dioxide will produce warming due to its ability to absorb in the infrared radiation† (Lindzen, 289). There are studies that have indicated that no significant change in the overall global climate has yet taken place. For example, a study that was done by P. W. Spencer and J. R. Christy, using temperature records from the period of 1979 through 1990, showed a global trend of only +0.04 degrees Celsius per decade (Michaels, 1566). Other studies showed that the Northern Hemisphere has had no significant warming, while the Southern Hemisphere has had a slight temperature increase in the order of 0.2 degrees Celsius since the 1950’s (Michaels, 1566). Patrick J. Michaels speculates that the reason that we have not seen a significant increase in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere is because of the balancing effect of anthropogenerated sulfates going into the atmosphere as a result of industrial pollution. Anthropogenerated sulfates have a cooling effect on the atmosphere because of their ability to reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. Michaels explains this in more d etail when he writes, â€Å"Because anthropogenerated sulfates are primarily produced and reside in the Northern Hemisphere, we may therefore be equaling the current enhanced greenhouse forcing †¦ with actual negative forcing in the hemisphere that contains most of the world’s population† (Michaels, 1573). This lead to the obvious question of whether or not the lack of a significant increase in global temperature should be taken as evidence that we should not be concerned about the issue. William W. Kellog of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado has written an article called â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming† in which he responds to many of the objections that have been raised against global warming. Kellog points out that â€Å"†¦five or so of the most advanced climate models, developed over a period of many years by top notch teams, have all come to essentially the same conclusion: The global average surface temperature would probably rise by about 2 to 5 K if the greenhouse gas concentration were maintained at double the pre-industrial revolution level† (Kellog, 500). Kellog suggests that the reason that we have not seen a change as of yet in the overall warming is because of a temperature lag of several decades â€Å"†¦due in large part to the large heat capacity of the oceans of the world† (Kellog, 500). He asserts that the evidence is still in favor of the fact that, sooner or later, a serious warming of the climate will occur. References Ahrens, C. Donald. Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 5th Edition. New York: West Publishing Company, 1995. Eichenlaub, Val L., Jay R. Haman, Fred V. Nurnberger, and Hans J. Stolle. The Climatic Atlas of Michigan. University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1990. Geiger, Rudolf, Robert H. Aron, Paul Todhunter. The Climate Near the Ground, 5th Edition. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedr, Veiweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft, 1995. He, Chansheng. Classroom notes presented verbally in Natural Resource Management, GEOG 555. Western Michigan University, winter 1999. Kellog, William W. â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 74, Number 4 (April 1991), pp. 499-511. Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press: New York, 1980. Lindzen, Richard S. â€Å"Some Coolness Concerning Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 71, Number 3 (March 1990), pp. 288-299. Michaels, Patrick J. â€Å"Global Warming: A Reduced Threat?† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 73, Number 10 (October 1992), pp. 1563-1577. Mower, R. Neil. Classroom notes presented verbally in Physical Meteorology, ESC 530. Central Michigan University, autumn 1996. Rhodes, Steven L. â€Å"Climate and Environmental Degradation of the Great Lakes.† Journal of Environmental Systems. Volume 22, Number 2, pp. 105-122.

The Equal Family of Words

The Equal Family of Words The Equal Family of Words The Equal Family of Words By Mark Nichol This post discusses a family of words that pertain to balance, impartiality, or uniformity. The root equi-, which forms without the i when it precedes a vowel, ultimately derives from the Latin adjective aequus, meaning â€Å"even† (which is not related to equus, meaning â€Å"horse† and the source of equestrian). Equal refers to a state of balance, and the noun form is equality; a person or system that favors or promotes equality is an egalitarian. (The consonantal change occurred in French.) Equity is the quality of fairness, though the word also has senses in finance and in property ownership of rights or value. The adjectival form is equitable, and equitably is the adverbial form. The antonym, with the same variations, is inequity, though iniquity, which means â€Å"wickedness,† stems from the same source. (Its adjectival form is iniquitous, and the noun is formed by attaching to that word the suffix -ness.) To equate is to balance or compare, or to make even or smooth; the act of doing so is equation. (That noun also denotes a logical or mathematical expression.) Equanimity is fairness, and equilibrium is mental or physical balance. The root word of the former term is a form of animus, meaning â€Å"mind† or â€Å"spirit,† so a literal translation is â€Å"even mind,† and the root word of the latter term is derived from libra, meaning â€Å"balance† or â€Å"scale,† so equilibrium literally means â€Å"even balance.† (Equanimity has no adjectival form, but equilibrious, though rare, serves that function for equilibrium.) Equivalence (equivalency is a variation) is literally â€Å"equal worth†; the adjectival form is equivalent. The source of the root of equivocation is also that of vocal and voice; literally â€Å"equal voice,† the word has pejorative senses of â€Å"avoiding commitment to what one says† or â€Å"using language to deceive.† One is described as equivocating or being equivocal. Equinox derives from the Latin word for â€Å"equality of night (and day)†- the root nox is related to the first syllable of nocturnal (and both are cognate with night)- and refers to the two days of the year, six months apart, when day and night are of identical duration. A word that may not be an apparent relative of those described above is adequate, which means â€Å"sufficient.† (Its Latin forebear literally means â€Å"make equal.†) Depending on context, the word can be neutral or disparaging. And the rare term equiparation means â€Å"equal treatment.† (The root syllable is related to par and per, which pertain to value.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHang, Hung, HangedOne "L" or Two?

Issue Paper Essays - Bush Family, Livingston Family, Schuyler Family

Issue Paper Essays - Bush Family, Livingston Family, Schuyler Family Issue Paper Issue paper In the two thousand presidential elections there are two main candidates. The candidates are Al Gore and Governor George W Bush. Al Gore is the candidate running for the Democratic Party and Bush is running for the Republic party. Each candidate has great points on certain issues. The president whom won my vote though, was Governor Bush. Bush won my vote for many reasons. Some of his feelings for certain issues met in agreement with mine. His main mentor is his father. He is governor, so he definitely has the leadership skills needed to be president. His tax cut plan seems to be highly intelligent. He feels that it is important to cut taxes to lessen government spending and to keep economy growing. He pledges to cut one point three trillion dollars for everyone. The best part being is that George wants to cut taxes for people of every class. He has what seems to be a great social security plan, which is to not cut social security for senior citizens. Bush doesnt even want to think of touching set aside money for social security. He wants to give younger workers the option to invest some of their contributions. According to George, his first priority is education. He wants to assist education any which way he can to increase its efficiency. He feels that the government should give schools more stately freedom. Governo r Bush has a list of principles to better schools, some of which are: having measurable goals, regular testing, accountability, local control, and competition. He applied this principle to Texas where he is govenor and the results are incredible. Gore did not win my vote. He didnt win it for a few reasons. He is the vice- president; this is proof that he definitely has the experience. He wants to bring more government into peoples lives. He feels it is trully necessary. Als first priority is campaign-finance reform. He feels that it needs many adjustments, for there are so many flaws in the old laws that contain it. Al wants to reduce the cost of campaigns, restore the faith of the people, and eliminate the influence of special interests and more. He offers great ideas but this shouldnt be his first priority. For social security he feels the system should be kept the same and have Uncle Sam fund extra retirement plans for the working class. He has many propositions of how to save the social security fund. Some of his propositions are; to devote all social security surpluses to social security, oppose efforts to raise the retirement age, three: improving fairness to widows, to create retirement savings plus accounts, which are tax-free accounts that are maintained by private financial institutions, and more. This shows he wants more government involvement. For his tax plan it seems that he wants to pick only certain people to give assistance to and neglect the others. Some categories he has chosen to help out are; Working families caring for children and aging parents, for educational purposes, Family liabilities, retirements, low-income communities, and more. My vote is for Bush, and stands firm. I like Gores tax plan a little better, but Bushs whole outlook seems more beneficial to me. I dont like Clinton too much and I feel that if we do get Gore as president it is just like reelecting Clinton. Gore has some good ideas but his wanting for more government involvement made him lose my vote. Overall Bush has better plans and ideas in-which government assistance is not needed.

Word Choice Whiskey vs. Whisky

Word Choice Whiskey vs. Whisky Word Choice: Whiskey vs. Whisky To mark Saint Patrick’s Day, we’re taking a look at a spelling problem with deep connections to Ireland: whether to write â€Å"whiskey† or â€Å"whisky.† So are these terms interchangeable? Or is there a difference? And what does this have to do with Ireland anyway? Let us explain! The Origins of Whisky/Whiskey Whisky (we will default to this spelling to save repeating ourselves too much) is a distilled alcoholic drink made from malted grain. It is widely associated with two countries: Scotland and Ireland. Both have a long history of distilling whisky, but the word itself comes from Ireland. A modern whisky still.(Photo: saxonrider) In particular, it comes from Old Irish term uisge beatha, meaning â€Å"water of life.† This is the Irish version of aqua vitae, which was the Latin word for distilled alcohol of any kind (not just whisky). Eventually, uisge beatha entered English and was anglicized to become â€Å"whisky† or â€Å"whiskey.† Why two spellings, though? This may have started as a matter of regional preference. The story most people tell is that, during the 19th century, Irish distillers wanted to distinguish their product from their Scottish competitors. As such, they started using the spelling â€Å"whiskey† for Irish whiskey. Scottish whisky, meanwhile, became known as Scotch whisky. A Global Drink We see this Irish–Scottish division in modern spellings around the world: The spelling â€Å"whiskey† is standard in Ireland and the US. This is partly because of the large number of Irish immigrants who set up stills over here. â€Å"Whisky† is standard in most other countries, including Japan and India. This is not a strict distinction, though. As such, while â€Å"whiskey† is standard in the US, you will also find distillers who call their products â€Å"whisky.† For instance, Maker’s Mark uses the spelling â€Å"whisky† to recognize the Scottish heritage of company founder Bill Samuel. Whiskey or Whisky? Some people say there are differences between â€Å"whiskey† and â€Å"whisky,† such as the distillation process or the type of still used. Most of the time, though, â€Å"whiskey† and â€Å"whisky† are just different spellings of the same word. And as such, they are often used interchangeably. However, if you want to avoid upsetting drink geeks, remember: Whiskey is the spelling associated with Ireland. Whisky is associated with Scotland (especially â€Å"Scotch whisky†). So the correct spelling depends on where your favored tipple comes from. And if you want a Saint Patrick’s Day drink that won’t cause spelling headaches, you can always try Guinness instead.

Week 5 Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Week 5 Individual Assignment - Essay Example is one-tailed (Left tailed) and we want to determine whether there has been a reduction in the weight of individuals who joined Weight Reducers International. Since the z-test statistic is less than -1.645 therefore at the 5% significance level, we have sufficient evidence to conclude that those who will join Weight Reducers International on average will lose less than 10 pounds. Dole Pineapple, Inc., is concerned that the 16-ounce can of sliced pineapple is being overfilled. Assume the standard deviation of the process is .03 ounces. The quality control department took a random sample of 50 cans and found that the arithmetic mean weight was 16.05 ounces. At the 5 percent level of significance, can we conclude that the mean weight is greater than 16 ounces? Determine the p-value. We will reject the null hypothesis if the z-test statistic is greater than 1.645 (z > 1.645) since the test is one-tailed (Right tailed) and we want to determine whether 16-ounce can of sliced pineapple is being overfilled. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reported that the 30-year mortgage rate is now less than 6 percent. A sample of eight small banks in the Midwest revealed the following 30-year rates (in percent): We will reject the null hypothesis if t-test statistic is less than -2.998 since the test is one-tailed (left tailed) and we want to determine whether the 30-year mortgage rate is now less than 6 percent Since the t-test statistic is greater than -2.998 therefore we will not reject the null hypothesis. At 1% significance level we have sufficient evidence to conclude that the 30-year mortgage rate is not less than 6 percent. The minimum significance level (p-value) at which the null hypothesis can be rejected is between 5% and 10% since the value -1.61 lies in between -1.415 and -1.895 for a t-distribution with degrees of freedom = 7 The null hypothesis is that there is no difference in the population mean number of times men and women buy take-out dinner in

Quality Improvement Issue Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quality Improvement Issue - Term Paper Example In my organization, appointments are sometimes not planned by nurses in the outpatients department and as a result, patients complain on a daily basis. Prolonged waiting times have also increased patient dissatisfaction and many of them are increasingly opting to seek the services of our competitors whose waiting times are lower. A study cited by Yeboah and Thomas (2009) showed that increasing waiting times for more than thirty minutes conversely increases patients intolerability. Deliberate lack of scheduling appointments by nurses is contributed by heavy workloads that makes the them forget to schedule appointments. Strategies to reduce patient waiting times in my organization needs to be redesigned in order to improve quality of care provided. Most importantly, newly formulated strategies ought to focus on reducing nurses workload s. Ho (2014) reiterates that patient waiting time is contributed by increasing patient loads. In fact, there is a lot of confusion among patients when they have multiple appointments. Some of them spend nearly a day as they wait to be attended to. To reduce the patients waiting time in my organization, there is need for decisive and patient centered planning, restructuring, simplifying, and updating workflows in order to improve efficiency of care provided. Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Retrieved from

How could television be used to improve social and political life in Essay

How could television be used to improve social and political life in the United States - Essay Example Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are the leading methods of getting social and political information to a massive audience. These announcements exist on channels that are usually controlled by the city, and they cover current political information and other goings-on throughout America. â€Å"The best way to improve social life in the United States is to let the vast majority of the population know what is going on in America’s social life (Womack, 2009).† Most of these channels run 24/7, always updating their information so that those that watch these announcements stay up to date. While these announcements usually have their own designated television stations, there are some counties that prefer to air the announcements during news broadcasts or popular television shows - times when there is a good chance that there are already a massive number of people sitting in front of their televisions. Similarly, another popular method of using the television to improve social and political life is the news. A little more formal than Public Service Announcements, the news informs people of numerous goings-on in the world, influencing the social and political side of television viewers, especially the political side. People are able to view the different debates going on in politics and decide for themselves which side of the argument they are more in agreement with. They can also conclude their own argument if the ones on television do not please them. They are able to build a political opinion by watching the news on television. As a large majority of people do watch the news, many news companies make sure to feed the important, need-to-know information in the first half-hour (Calavita, 2005). A method that is used to guarantee a large audience when it comes to viewing either Public Service Announcements or a news broadcast is by placing the program immediately after a popular television show. This method is implemented with the belief that

PHILOSOPHY, GENDER AND CULTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

PHILOSOPHY, GENDER AND CULTURE - Essay Example Heterosexuals as such are justly given privileges that will offer them political power, religious sanction, sexual freedom, moral status, occupational and tax privileges, cultural validation, freedom to have and adopt children and raise families, recourse against unfair hiring practices psychiatric and juridical non-interference among others (Hopkins 95). Heterosexism does not have any emotional and rhetorical effect that is associated with homophobia. Heterosexism is the most appropriate term to be used in describing the reason as to why television couples are all straight. The reason as to why marriage and joint tax returns are only meant for heterosexuals, why lesbians and gays in the open cannot be elected to office? Why can heterosexuals be allowed to adopt children or be foster parents? On the contrary, heterosexism cannot be used to describe a case that happened in Texas where a group of ten teenagers stabbed a gay man to death. In respect to this, therefore, heterosexism are protected. The term c usually, the first term of binary is always good, but the second term is bad. Heterosexism builds concepts and behaviors to enable hierarchical heterosexist to react to binary hence becoming homophobic. It is not necessary that one should be white to be considered a racist same way heterosexists are perceived as homophobic (Hopkins 96). Heterosexism may be different because its direct and obvious personal threats to gays. It nonetheless puts the political arena in a way that homophobia can continue to exist. Heterosexism is culpable for the production of homophobic. He choose to use the term homophobia for cases like petitions for fascistic law, brutality, fanatic claims or arbitrarily firing gay employees, but it does not always mean to characterize homophobia as clinical or an irrational response because it would be inadequate. Homophobia has evolved as primarily a political term, not as a psychiatric one and does not contradicts claustrophobia or agoraphobia only if political arenas are the same. 2. Explain Hopkins’ concept of homophobia. Make sure to note the connection of the two in defining these terms though Hopkins Hopkins explains homophobia as a similar term as heterosexism. It is used to refer to economic, physical, and juridical abuse faced by gays. There is no clear boundary between heterosexism and homophobia. According to Hopkins, the two words are used, in political environments, to present political needs. Homophobia is somehow dysfunctional to an individual or a group. Homophobic activity has some powers that usually influence. In a homosexual case, the conflicts reaffirm the appearance of a man in heterosexuality hence gaining a sense of safety and stability and oneself. Basing on the childhood modeling, homophobic activity wins approval from peers and authority figure, pretests one from becoming the target of other homophobes, and reaffirms one’s place in a larger context of gender appropriate behavior th us protecting a person’s personal identity. In his hypotheses, Hopkins recognized the fact that there are rational and functional aspects of homophobia especially in a heteropatriarchal context leading to another explanation of homophobia that has reversed the second explanation. The theory explains that queers are a genuine political threat to heterosexuals and do intend to eliminate heterosexual privilege (Hopkins 99). Radical feminist lesbians and certain radical men gays directly challenge

Suicidal Risk Factors for Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Suicidal Risk Factors for Older Adults - Essay Example 72). Even though variables within psychological, physical, and public domains have been related to completed suicide in older adults, â€Å"controlled studies are necessary to test hypothesized risk factors† (Stimming & Stimming, 1999, p. 98). Poor health as well as functional impairment raises risk, but their control seems to be mediated by dejection. Older adults who take their own lives are hardly ever stimulated by irritation or vengeance; rather, they usually just try to find the release in the form of death as an â€Å"escape from emotional and physical pain† (Ford, 2010, p. 22). Suicide in later life seldom seems to be a result of ambivalence or transmitted anger. It is argued that older adults are â€Å"less conflicted, more direct, and more aware of the reasons for ending their lives† (Ford, 2010, p. 23). Feelings of deficiency, insignificance and guiltiness, depression and misery are a few of the reasons why individuals with dejection come to believe that suicide is a practical solution. In addition, there are a number of factors that raise the risk for dejection among older adults, for instance, persistent disease, physical disability, loss, social seclusion, and failure of social functions and ties (Marcovitz, 2010). Recklessness and self-damage are both thought to be prognostic of suicide though this link has been more strongly developed with younger adults and adolescents. For example, one study, investigated attempted suicide between 17 and 65 year old members and found that â€Å"half had thought about it for 10 minutes or less before engaging in suicide-related behavior† (Leo, 2001, p. 32). Official suicide figures recognize older adults as a high-threat group. In 2010, it was noted that older adults consisted of 15 percent of the U.S. population, yet constitute 22 percent of its suicides. Among older people, there are between two

Global Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Human Resources Management - Essay Example This task requires a human resource department or function that can identify the right people at the right moment in time and come up with working strategies to keep and attract talent to the organization. The coca-Cola company is known to be the world's largest beverage manufacturer, marketer, distributor marketer and company. The company which is also one of the largest companies in the United States of America also deals in non-alcoholic concentrates and syrups. Incorporated in 1892, the Coca-Cola organization is best known for its main product - Coca-Cola although it currently offers almost 400 brands in well over 200 countries. The company serves a wide client base with an approximate serving of 1.5 billion clients daily. This figure translates to over 10,450 beverages per second, and 800 million in the USA per year. In 2003 alone, the company achieved earnings in excess of 4.347 billion US dollars. The Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries only produce syrup concentrates which are sold to bottling companies who hold Coca-Cola franchise throughout the world. The company has several competitors across the different countries some of which make alcoholic drinks. The Coca-Cola Company has a franchised distribution network that dates from 1889. It makes concentrate which is later sold to various bottling companies with exclusive territories throughout the world. ... Coca-Cola has used catching themes such as "Drink Coca-Cola" and many other promotional strategies to market its products coupled with a strong, aggressive and effective marketing and distribution network. The company's mission is to refresh and benefit everyone touched by the business. The company mission is simplicity, solidness and timelessness in doing business. The coca-cola Company applies several strategies in order to stay ahead of competition. Differentiation strategies applied help to ensure that clients have a clear distinction between the company's products, trademarks and brands and those of its competitors. Before venturing into a market, the company engages its machinery in conducting vigorous market research. The company has policies that ensure its activities are globally standardized and meet all legal requirements. What this means is that more or less the same quality of product is ensured universally. Further, the company is renowned for recruiting and employing a well trained human resource that ensures its activities are performed satisfactorily. Human Resource Strategies and Programs Throughout the business world, human resource functions are faced with a number of challenges as a result or rapid evolutions in the corporate world. This calls for the adoption of strategies that will help in overcoming problems faced by human resource managers. Firms that do not emphasize on attracting and retaining talent often face dire consequences as competitors seize the opportunity to strategically employ a better human resource (Rohmetra, 2005). The organization must become more resilient, adaptable, customer-focused and agile in order to succeed. The human resource function of the company must hence

Suicidal Risk Factors for Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Suicidal Risk Factors for Older Adults - Essay Example 72). Even though variables within psychological, physical, and public domains have been related to completed suicide in older adults, â€Å"controlled studies are necessary to test hypothesized risk factors† (Stimming & Stimming, 1999, p. 98). Poor health as well as functional impairment raises risk, but their control seems to be mediated by dejection. Older adults who take their own lives are hardly ever stimulated by irritation or vengeance; rather, they usually just try to find the release in the form of death as an â€Å"escape from emotional and physical pain† (Ford, 2010, p. 22). Suicide in later life seldom seems to be a result of ambivalence or transmitted anger. It is argued that older adults are â€Å"less conflicted, more direct, and more aware of the reasons for ending their lives† (Ford, 2010, p. 23). Feelings of deficiency, insignificance and guiltiness, depression and misery are a few of the reasons why individuals with dejection come to believe that suicide is a practical solution. In addition, there are a number of factors that raise the risk for dejection among older adults, for instance, persistent disease, physical disability, loss, social seclusion, and failure of social functions and ties (Marcovitz, 2010). Recklessness and self-damage are both thought to be prognostic of suicide though this link has been more strongly developed with younger adults and adolescents. For example, one study, investigated attempted suicide between 17 and 65 year old members and found that â€Å"half had thought about it for 10 minutes or less before engaging in suicide-related behavior† (Leo, 2001, p. 32). Official suicide figures recognize older adults as a high-threat group. In 2010, it was noted that older adults consisted of 15 percent of the U.S. population, yet constitute 22 percent of its suicides. Among older people, there are between two

Possible Effects Of Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Possible Effects Of Global Warming Essay If the global temperature swells by another 7 degrees, then it may result in melting of polar ice which may result in about a 3 to 4 foot increase in sea levels. If such thing happens, then many low lying areas in the world especially Bangladesh, Netherlands, Guam, Indonesia, Maldives and Sri Lanka could be engulfed by sea waters. Increase in global temperature may trigger the spread of dreadful diseases like Malaria, Virus fever, dengue fever and other sub-tropical diseases. Ever increasing temperature may upset weather patterns all over the world , causing starvation due to drought in prime food –producing regions namely South Asia , sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Latin America. Due to unprecedented increase in temperature, the whole gamut of species of animals and plants could be wiped out. 7. MAJOR PLAYERS OF GLOBAL WARMING: U. S. A is not only a foremost economy of the world but also the largest consumer of fossil fuels and naturally, it is the biggest producer of greenhouse gasses, comprising of more than 20% of the world’s carbon dioxide emission which is about 5 billion metric tons. Being the most industrialized economy, U. S. A is heavily depending on coal, oil and natural gas for its energy needs and hence U. S. A government is rather reluctant to initiate any appropriate steps to limit the greenhouse gas emissions and charges that Arrhenius theory is only a myth. U. S. A is averse to initiate any immediate action restraining the use of fossil fuels or to limit such use as they fear it would have long term effect on its economy. According to Global Climate Change Coalition, an industry group which is vehemently opposing prescribing mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions as it would result in the ruining of economy. Further , a study pursued by the coalition group forecasts that if U. S. A pursues some measures on restricting its greenhouse gas emission , then it would result about a 3% decline in U. S gross domestic product by 2010, resulting in a fall of 25% in the growth rate of American’s standard of living. Fig 1: Source: Pew Centre on Global Climate Change, December 2004. 8. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: An international treaty namely ‘The Kyoto Protocol ‘was adopted in Kyoto, in Japan in 1997 mainly to curb the emissions of greenhouse gasses. The Kyoto Protocol has prescribed mandating limits on carbon emissions which took effect in 2005 nearly after eight years of it was introduced. Regrettably, U. S. A, the world’s top carbon emitter has yet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Some Energy companies and economists have proposed to introduce taxing carbon as an enticement to tempt both the industries and consumers to use low carbon emitting fuels. Gases like Chlorofluorocarbons [CFC] are man made ones and this gas was used as propellants in aerosol containers, as refrigerants and also being used as a solvent in the manufacture of computer chip. It has been discovered that CFC were mutilating the stratospheric ozone layer thereby permitting majority of the sun’s destructive ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth. The World CFC manufacturers have agreed to phase out their production of CFC by signing 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer. It is to be observed that the man made gasses like CFC is damaging the Ozone layer only very little and the major culprit is the carbon dioxide. Further felling the trees also contribute the level of CO2 high in the atmosphere as green trees helps to remove the gasses from the atmosphere or to maintain equilibrium. During the May 2005, New Zealand had introduced â€Å"carbon taxes’ mainly to dissuade excessive use of carbon oriented fuels. Thus, New Zealand had imposed about 6% to home electricity consumption and 9% for business energy cost. By 2012, all signatories to Kyoto Protocol should reduce their GHG emissions to less than 5% which is below 1990 levels. Likewise, The European Union had introduced a regional cap –and-trade policy to make it convenient for high emitting EU countries to oblige. 9. ADVANTAGES OF LIMITING THE EMISSION: Some U. S industries, though initially opposed to prescribe caps on emission, later considered that the stricter policy as not only environmentally essential but also potentially advantageous to economy since it will push for the invention of new technologies. Further, Title IV of the 1992 Clean Air Act demanded industries and utilities to minimize their sulfur dioxide emissions which are released by burning coal. Many companies who have exceeded their target sold their excess allowances to some companies that fall short of complying the above provision. Thus, a market in sulfur dioxide allowances materialized. The trading of these excess allowances is being conducted on the Chicago Board of Trading along with the markets for agricultural products and pork belly futures. 10. THE METHODOLOGY OF GREENHOUSE WARMING EARTH’S SURFACE: The greenhouse phenomenon is nothing about carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases discharged into the Earth’s atmosphere will trap solar heat and such trapping will warm the earth’s surface and earth’s lower atmosphere. The greenhouse gas emission effect has been explained in the following diagram: FIG 2: EFFECT OF GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSION: Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 11. CRITICS ARGUMENT AGAINST FINDINGS: Some critics like Sallie Baliunas who is Harvard University’s astrophysics argue that in the past century alone, there was an increase of just 0. 5 degree Celsius and not more than a 10 to 20 % of a degree could have been caused by human-made greenhouse gases. According to Baliunas, the 0. 5 to 1. 5 degree Celsius warming foretold by the computer simulations overstates the greenhouse effect created by the equivalent 50% buildup of carbon dioxide. Some critics argue that IPCC disclosure that there is a perceptible human influence on global climate† tosses the finding itself into air. Some critics vehemently lament that sea-level surge predictions are embellished as the temperature in polar region would still remain below freezing. Some points out those supporters have projected an illusion that global warming would result in the spread of malaria and mosquito oriented diseases. Supporters of global warming have forgotten to take into account the advanced technology available as on date like air-conditioning, mosquito repellents and mosquito coils and modern medicines have completely eradicated Malaria from the soil of U. S. A and substantially in other countries. Likewise, critics assailed a report forecasting that algal blooms amplified by warming waters would cause cholera was disparaged as unfounded one by the evidence. 12. IPCC’s FINDINGS ON GLOBAL WARMING: United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] has made the following revelations about global warming; ? There will be an increase of 15 to 90 centimeters in sea levels or by 6 inches to 3 feet by the year 2100. This mainly due to raising global warming which will melt polar ice sheets and the glaziers and there will be an expansion of water due to its getting warmed. ? Global warming will result in increase of extremely hotter days and there will be shrinking of cold days in general. ? There will be drastic change in weather pattern causing havoc floods like Katrina and some provinces will be engulfed by famine or droughts. ? There will be an intensity of rainfall as scientists would not predict whether severe storms and tropical cyclones would transform the intensity and location. If the sea level increases from half –foot to three feet level , then that would extensively flood the areas like parts of south Florida and southern Louisiana and would create an wide-ranging infrastructure changes in cities like Texas , Dallas , S. C , Charleston and some extent New York City. Further, regional warming trend over the past five decades has made ice shelves along the coast of Antarctica to crumple. Some supporters of the global warming argue that people would be benefit from climate change. According to World Climate Report, warmer climate will pave the way for opening up Siberia and northern Canada suitable for agriculture production, increase the rainfall globally and minimize the perils of winter driving. According to World Climate Report magazine that global warming would usher more advantages and these advantage will overtake its disadvantages. Imagine a warmer climate in poles, Siberia and in Netherlands. It would drastically reduce the energy consumption on heating, reduced clothing expenses, transportation will be less problematic and overall death rates would be at a lower level. Plants absorb the carbon dioxide through their leaves, employ it in the process of photosynthesis and then emit oxygen. Thus, the oxygen released by plant is taken up by the animals for their existence. Thus, carbon dioxide released by animals is returned to atmosphere and once again taken up by the plants as well as by oceans that envelop the Earth’s surface. 13. FUTURE ACTIONS TO BE PURSUED: United States, China and India are the three countries which have to be involved for the long-term reduction and these countries are not part of Kyoto’s Protocol first round. Since United States is not a signatory to the Kyoto’s Protocol, cutting emissions below 1990 level would be impossible to achieve. 14. ALTERNATE ENERGY: Wind energy is being employed in a large capacity in Germany and in a substantial way in countries like India, Denmark U. S, and Spain. As of today, wind energy is growing in a fast space due to technological advancement. It is to be observed that wind energy does not harm the environment and does not generate any greenhouse gases or atmospheric emission. Wind energy is named as renewable energy as it is replenishable and depends upon the sun as it is a form of solar energy. Hence, as long as sun is there, wind energy can be harnessed without any limit. Tidal energy is being harnessed to manufacture electricity also. A tidal power plant is in operation on the Rance River, an estuary of the English Channel in northwestern France since summer 1966. Tidal power plants will be most effective if the difference between high and low tides is enormous, as in Rance estuary, it is estimated that the difference is around 8. 5m or about 28 feet. Nuclear energy is a clean, competent and cost effective energy of the future. Some argue that though the nuclear energy is costly but it can be tolerated as it is a very efficient form of energy. For example, when set of uranium fuel rods is fitted in a nuclear reactor, it needs not to be replaced for many years. Further, uranium is available in plenty and its supplies are assured for many centuries ahead. As compared to fossil fuel based power plants , nuclear power plants does not emit toxic gasses in the atmosphere which ultimately responsible for global warming. It is to be remembered that a nuclear power plant does not pollute either the atmosphere or the water as compared to a coal-fired power plant.

The Pros And Cons Of Shale Gas Environmental Sciences Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Shale Gas Environmental Sciences Essay Shale gas development has significant negative and positive environmental impact. Negative environmental impact is due to the process of shale gas development and positive impact is through a substitution of clean natural gas to other energy sources. This paper is organised in three parts. In the first part, shale gas development and potential of shale gas is described. In the second part, environmental challenges in the development of shale gas are described. In the third part, environmental benefits as a result of shale gas are discussed. Shale Gas and its potential: Shale gas is natural gas. It is stored in organic rich rocks such as dark-coloured shale, inter bedded with layers of shaley siltstone and sandstone [1]. Shale is a fine-grained rock made up of ancient compacted clays or mud and can be the source, reservoir and the seal for the gas. Shale gas plays are classified as a continuous type gas accumulations extending throughout large areas, typically with low permeability [1]. Shale gas is considered as unconventional gas source and same techniques used for conventional shallow gas development may also be used with shale gas drilling [1]. Shale gas is extracted through a process known as hydraulic fracturing which was developed in the United States in 1948 [3]. Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into rock formations to stimulate oil and natural gas production shown in the figure 1. Figure1: Shale gas extraction process [2] Hydraulic Fracturing creates fractures that extend from a borehole into shale formations. Hydraulic fracture is formed by pumping a fracturing fluid into the well bore at a rate sufficient to increase the pressure down the bore hole fracturing the surrounding shale rock formation [3]. Solid proppant (like sieved round sand) is added to the fracture fluid to keep the fracture open after the injection stops. Shale gas potential: Shale gas fields were largely untapped until recently due to the difficulty and cost to extract the gas. As conventional natural gas production has been decreasing, demand for the unconventional natural gas is more than ever now. This fact coupled with improvements in extraction methods has made it possible to explore the shale gas reserves. Recoverable shale gas reserves increases total gas availability of the world by 40 percent per the report by Energy Information Administration (EIA) of USA. A new EIA-sponsored study reported initial assessments of 5,760 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas resources in 32 foreign countries [6], with China topping the list with 1275 trillion cubic feet of shale gas reserves followed by USA with 862 trillion cubic feet [Appendix 1]. In 2010, U.S. shale gas production was 4.87 trillion cubic feet (23 percent of total U.S. natural gas production), compared with 0.39 trillion cubic feet in 2000. IEA predicts that shale gas will account for about 46 percent of U.S. natural gas production by 2035[6]. Rising production from shale gas resources in the U.S. has been credited with both lower natural gas prices and declining dependence on imported natural gas [6]. In most of the developing countries, shale gas development has not started yet. Energy hungry countries like India and China can greatly benefit from their recoverable shale gas resource as recent oil prices trend shows that oil is no longer a cheap commodity. At the current level of consumption, world may have 250 years supply of natural gas as result of new shale gas reserves around the world as per International Energy Agency (IEA) [7]. Shale gas is a huge deal per Shells CEO Peter Voser. BPs ex CEO Tony Hayward hailed shale gas as complete game changer [8]. These comments from the prominent energy experts show the importance of shale gas as future potential energy source. Figure 3: Estimated global shale gas recoverable resources As is often the case with any resource development, shale gas production also has raised local environmental concerns, largely centering on the amount of water used in the fracturing process and the need to handle, recycle, and treat fracturing fluids in a manner that addresses the risk of spills that can potentially affect water quality. Do other countries have similar opportunities to develop shale gas? To begin to address that question, EIA sponsored Advanced Resources International, Inc., to assess 48 gas shale basins in 32 countries, containing almost 70 shale gas formations. This effort has culminated in the report: World Shale Gas Resources: An Initial Assessment of 14 Regions Outside the United States. Technically recoverable natural gas resources in the assessed basins totaled 5,760 Tcf. Adding the estimated U.S. shale gas technically recoverable resources (862 Tcf) to the assessments in the study gives a total of 6,622 Tcf. For comparison, most current estimates of world technically recoverable natural gas resources include few if any of the resources assessed in this study and total about 16,000 Tcf. Adding identified shale gas resources to current estimates of other gas resources increases total world technically recoverable resources by over 40 percent, to more than 22,000 trillion cubic feet, said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. Estimates of shale gas resources in other parts of the world are highly uncertain. The practicality of using such resources has only recently become apparent, and many countries are just now beginning to understand how to conduct assessments of how much shale gas they may have. Nonetheless, the aggregate estimate is probably quite conservative, since the study excluded several major types of potential shale gas resources: Nations outside the 32 countries studied. These include Russia and the Middle East, which have very large resources of conventional gas. Some shale basins in the countries studied. In many cases, no estimates are possible yet for these basins. Offshore resources. Of the countries covered in the EIA-sponsored study, two groups may find shale gas development most attractive. The first is those countries that currently depend heavily on natural gas imports but that also have significant shale gas resources. These include France, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, South Africa, Morocco, and Chile. The second group is those countries that already produce substantial amounts of natural gas and also have large shale resources. In addition to the United States, this group includes Canada, Mexico, China, Australia, Libya, Algeria, Argentina, and Brazil. A new EIA-sponsored study reported initial assessments of 5,760 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of technically recoverable shale gas resources in 32 foreign countries, compared with 862 Tcf in the United States. Technically recoverable natural gas resources in the assessed basins totaled 5,760 Tcf. Adding the estimated U.S. shale gas technically recoverable resources (862 Tcf) to the assessments in the study gives a total of 6,622 Tcf. For comparison, most current estimates of world technically recoverable natural gas resources include few if any of the resources assessed in this study and total about 16,000 Tcf. Adding identified shale gas resources to current estimates of other gas resources increases total world technically recoverable resources by over 40 percent, to more than 22,000 trillion cubic feet. In terms of recoverable shale gas resources, China takes the top spot, with an estimated 1,275 Tcf. The US is second, with 862 Tcf, followed by Argentina with 774 Tcf and Mexico with 681 Tcf. The growing importance of US shale gas resources is also reflected in EIAs Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (AEO2011) energy projections, with technically recoverable US shale gas resources now estimated at 862 trillion cubic feet. Given a total natural gas resource base of 2,543 trillion cubic feet in the AEO2011 Reference case, shale gas resources constitute 34% of the domestic natural gas resource base represented in the AEO2011 projections and 50% of lower 48 onshore resources. As a result, shale gas is the largest contributor to the projected growth in production, and by 2035 shale gas production accounts for 46% of US natural gas production.

Concert Critique of Mozart and The Height of Classicism Essay -- Analy

Concert Critique of Mozart and The Height of Classicism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Sunday, December 07, 2003, I attended the Mozart and The Height of Classicism concert that was held in the Lincoln Theater of the New World Symphony orchestral academy. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan featuring pianist Robert Levin. There were two pieces of music during this concert, one of the movements was performed by the pianist alone as a solo, Mr. Robert Levin. The program’s title was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Chaconne from Idomeneo. The first piece was Concerto No. 24 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, K. 491, Allegro, Larghetto, and Allegretto. The second piece was Symphony No. 36 in C major, K.425, â€Å"Linz†, Adagio-Allegro spiritoso, Andante, Menuetto-Trio, and Presto. This concert was unique in that the focus seemed to be as much on the instruments as in the music itself. As the pianist and conductor expressed the form of improvisation as Mozart did, which I will explain further on my critique.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concert began promptly at 3pm, when the conductor Nicholas McGegan entered the stage with the full theater clapping, along all the members of the orchestra. All the men and women in the orchestra including the conductor were wearing all black suits. Prior to his entrance I noticed that the orchestra began to play, it was obvious that the concert had not begun, so I realized that they were just toning their instruments. This also, happened when we returned from intermission. Being my first time to an orchestra I first thought that they were playing around with the instruments. The Allegro part was very good. I found my self enjoying the most the beginnings and endings of the movements. It also sounded very happy, and bright. This one and Larghetto I enjoyed fully since it was the beginning of the concert. This was my first time attending an orchestral concert. I noticed how beautiful the music sounded and I began to appreciate it a lot more. I can admit that how great and enjoyable was, that I was in a bit of a shock. This was nothing compared to listening to a compact disc. I can say that my favorite instrument was the violin. The play it was played, and how beautifully it sounded, it was like nothing I’ve hear before. In this orchestra I noticed that most violinist were mostly women. I think that this was because women have more sensitivity, which seemed necessary to play the i... ...rs where the violins, viola, cello, flutes, bassoon, French horns and timpani played a bigger role. I’m not saying that this piano concerto was horrible but I just didn’t enjoy as much the piano’s performance in those two movements. It might have been the pianist interpretation, and exercise of improvisation. These two movements were the last performance of the pianist and once the second movement ended the piano was removed from the orchestra. Mr. Robert Levin received his applause once he finished and when he walked back from the curtains. Over all I did love the concert because it was the same style of classicism. The last two movements Menuetto-Trio and Presto were conducted by Nicholas McGegan. My favorite was definitely the last one, because it was so exciting, energetic and fast paced. The timpani as well as all the other instruments sounded great. The timpani in this movement played louder and more frequently that all the other movements, including th e previous piece. There was only one percussionist and he played two timpani. So finally, I’ll end by saying again that the concert was great, and very well performed. I look forward to attending the New World Symphony again.

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Papers

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a play about the way we blind ourselves to painful truths that we can’t bear to see. Physical sight and blindness are used throughout the play, often ironically, as a metaphor for mental sight and blindness. The play ends with the hero Oedipus literally blinding himself to avoid seeing the result of his terrible fate. But as the play demonstrates, Oedipus, the man who killed his father and impregnated his mother, has been blind all along, and is partly responsible for his own blindness. When the play opens, the people of the town are asking Oedipus for help. A curse has been cast upon the city and the only way to remove it, is to find the murderer of the last king, Laios. Oedipus then makes a promise to the people that he will find the guilty and punish them. Oedipus can physically see, but his mental blindness inhibits him from seeing the truth of his life. During the course of the day he has been given many clues to realize the truth about himself. Such that his name is Oedipus and â€Å"Oedipus† means swollen foot, and...

Jonathan Edwards Essay

1. Explain the mood of this passage. The mood of this passage is somber and serious. During the passage Jonathan is in a very serious tone. 2. Using specific examples, give one example of a metaphor, one example of a simile, and one example of an allusion that Edwards uses in this passage from the sermon to elicit this particular mood. Jonathan Edwards is a preacher trying to scare his congregation into salvation he compares them to insects dangling over the fires of hell and only god’s mercy keeps them from burning. The mood is angry and urgent. A metaphor would be the fire of wrath. A simile would be comparing people on the summer threshing floor. An allusion would be hell. A word that makes the tone clear would be â€Å"consider the fearful danger you are in. Lastly an image would be a spider hanging over furnace by a string held by a big hand that could drop it any time. 3. What specific words (minimum of three) does he choose to make his tone clear? He uses lots of words to make his tone clear. He uses a very powerful tone of voice. He uses words like danger, wrath, damned in hell, etc. These words make the passage a lot more eye catching in my opinion. 4. What images (pictures in the listeners’ mind) does Edwards use in the passage to make his tone clear? What effect do those images have on establishing the tone of the piece? He uses god ´s â€Å"rough wind’ to make his tone clear. His tone is also very serious while he’s talking about this. 5. In the last two paragraphs of the sermon (refer to the Investigate page of this lesson) Edwards’s talks about an â€Å"extraordinary opportunity† his congregation has. What is this opportunity? How does his sermon persuade the congregation to take advantage of this opportunity? The opportunity that Edward is talking about in the last two paragraphs is ‘’Salvation.’’ He’s telling the people that only way not to get to hell is through salvation or else they’ll end up in hell and that’s not a place they would want to be.