Federal Reserve Eco 372

Economic strategy can overwhelm some, but one who understands the idea of how money can stimulate or dissolve the economic market obtains an understanding of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is a bank in which other banks loan and call upon when in need. The Federal Reserve Bank ensures all funds in Community and other federally accredited banks, also known as FDIC. Even though the Federal Reserve is a bank it is impacts the economic growth or decline in ways of monetary policy and stimulation or dissolve. The Federal Reserve Bank uses a tactic known as discount rate, which is the term used for the interest charged for loans by banks.When the discount rate is low, banks can increase the amount of loans offered, as well as lower the interest rate in their location. When the discount rate is high, banks will decrease the number of loans and raise the interest rates they charge. The Federal Reserve can use the power of the discount rate to increase or decrease the amount of mone y in circulation. Banks may even need to â€Å"share† the excess or surplus of funds in their reserves with another bank; this is known as Fed Funds. These funds carry an interest rate as well.The interest rate may be higher or lower depending on the Federal Reserve. The higher the interest rate the more likely a bank is wanting to loan to another bank. If it is lower the desire will be undesirable. The Discount and Fed Funds rate correspond, the Discount rate is normally set slightly below the Fed Funds rate in effort to increase the money in circulation. When the discount rate is above the Fed Fund rates then the money in circulation is decreased. The Federal Reserve Bank is located in each region to allow for an even distribution among the United States.Each of the Reserve Banks are governed by the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors who have been nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board are then app ointed by the President from the confirmed members. The members’ term are each 14 years in length, with new members being nominated and confirmed every two years on even-numbered years. The Chairman and Vice Chairman will serve for four years in the respective title without affecting their member status on the Board.The Federal Reserve Board of Governors will assist in recommending stimulus programs when needed. These programs assist in building the economy without relying on the banking or finance industry heavily. Expansionary and Contractionary Fiscal Policy may also be needed when programs seem to be ineffective. After one has been able to learn the basics of how the Federal Reserve works then the process of understanding the measures needed to affect the economic outcome may become easier to understand. This process is done by the way of government involvement with the budget, fiscal and monetary policy.Each of the procedures are meant to assist in building the economic stability, and to help ensure the soundness of the United States currency. Every congressional budget planning session affects the need for the monetary policies for the Federal Reserve. After the Board of Governors is nominated and confirmed they are ready to get in and work on stabilizing the economy along with the monetary policies needed to build for the future. The Board of Governors will sit in position for 14 years, this will allow them to see and gain a better understanding of the true economic cycle.This will allow for a better gage on the flow of the economic path. After obtaining an understanding of the Federal Reserve, one will be able to identify and understand the measures taken to assist in maintaining the proper stabilization in which employment increases and the economic market is sustained by the open market. The open market is maintaining by the buyers and sellers in the economy. These are the businesses people work and shop at daily. The major focus on the econom ic model is the open market and this is apparent with the Federal Reserve and the tools for the monetary policy.

Lord’s Prayer

Introduction Matthew 6:9-13 is commonly referred as the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer†. In this paragraph, Jesus presented a pattern of prayer to the disciples, thus suggesting the manner in which God should be addressed and the petition we are entitled to present to Him. What is it about this paper that intrigues so many people to dig into the meaning of it? It is interesting to see from the verses above that Jesus’ prayer puts God in the first place. The first half of the prayer focuses exclusively on God and His agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to His will before they introduce their own personal petitions.The second half of the prayer focuses on how should disciple invite God to their daily life and live upon God’s continuous spiritual provision. Even with the second half where their wills are introduced, God still takes dominant position in the relationship. The discipleship of the followers thus is being presented through day-to-day prayers. Soci o-Historical Background To fully understand the meaning of the text, the first thing to do is to step back to examine the society where the text was written, back to the time where the incident happened, thus we can fully grasp the context of the paragraph.The Gospel of Matthew as we know it was almost certainly written before A. D 100. It is quoted by Ignatius (Smyrn. 1. 1), writing in approximately 110-115 A. D. , and probably referred to in the Didache, which may date to sometime in the late 90s. 2 External evidence helps us to confirm that Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish Christian congregation or congregations either on the verge of or just recovering from a substantial break from Judaism as a whole. 3 If Matthew depends on Mark, it must obviously be later than Mark, but the dating of Mark is equally uncertain.Most would place Mark under the Neronian persecution in the mid- to late-60s, but the evidence is highly inferential. 4 Various data within Matthew’s Gospel might also support an earlier dating. Why would only Matthew include references to the temple tax (17:24-27), offering (5:23-24) and ritual (23:16-22), or to Sabbath keeping in Judea (24:20) in an era (after 70) in which none of these was practiced any longer? Why would he stress Jesus’ antagonism against the Sadducees in an age in which they had died out? One answer is that these things happened that way during Jesus’ lifetime.But given the evangelists’ consistent pattern of selecting episodes from Jesus’ life that were theologically meaningful for their communities, one wonders if these data are not indirect pointers to a pre-70 date. The evidence is finely balanced, but it is believed there is a slight weight in favor of opting for a date in the 60s, sometime after the composition of Mark. The above surveys of the probable circumstances of its composition lead a majority today to conclude that the author was a Jewish Christian. 5 Strictly speaking, this Gos pel, like all four canonical Gospels, is anonymous.Canonical Matthew is written in relatively good Greek, better than Mark, but not as polished as that of the native Greek writer, Luke. Given the amount of Hellenization that had infiltrated Galilee by the first century, and given that regular contacts with Gentiles that a toll collector would have had, the apostle Matthew would have become reasonably cosmopolitan Jew, quite capable of this kind of writing. 6 Some have inferred from reference like 13:52 that Matthew himself was a scribe, either before or after becoming a Christian, and that he therefore could not  also have been a toll collector.7 In fact, if he were a Christian scribe or teacher, his previous experience with an occupation that required writing and record keeping might even have helped better prepare him for his later responsibilities. Without any ancient traditions to the contrary, Matthew remains the most plausible choice for author. This author, at least of an o riginal draft of this book, seems quite probably to have been the converted toll collector, also named Levi, who became one of Jesus’ Twelve apostles (cf.10:3; 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17).Literary Context Suggestions for Matthew’s Gospel have always involved apologetic design to try to convince non-Christian Jews of the truth of the Gospel, encouragement to the church’s witness in a hostile world, and deepening Christian faith by supplying more details about Jesus’ words and works. 8 All of these proposals make good sense and may well form part of Matthew’s intention. To what kind of church under what circumstance would such a Gospel to be addressed?The text itself never says. It is usually assumed that all of the Gospels are first of all addressed to Christian communities, since from the earliest days of Christian testimony that is where these documents are read. Suggestions about the church to which Matthew presumably is writing usually try to relate t he circumstances of that body of believers to the large Jewish world. Most of the testimony states merely that Matthew wrote â€Å"to the Hebrews,† although occasionally a place in Palestine is suggested.Modern scholars have often suggested Syria, especially its central city of Antioch, 9 which was up to one-seventh Jewish and a center of early Christian missionary effort. More fruitful is discussion of the type of situation within Judaism that would have provoked this Gospel. Some have argued for Gentile audience, and interpreted Matthew’s Jewish emphasis as teaching Gentile Christians how to appropriate their Jewish heritage and Scriptures. Others have remained content just to label the community â€Å"mixed†.Most interpreters recognize Matthew’s audience as Jewish-Christian congregation or congregations either on the verge o or just recovering from a substantial break from Judaism as a whole. Graham Stanton suggests the concept of the church having bro ken from but still in debate with the synagogue. 10 Studies of â€Å"formative Judaism† point out how diverse Jewish thought and practice were before AD 70. After the destruction of the temple, however, only two primary branches emerged: rabbinic Judaism and Christian Judaism.The tension was quite high as each of these groups competed in the same communities to defend the claim that they alone were the true heirs to their religious heritage. 11 A situation like this can explain how Matthew could be so concerned to show Jesus as the fulfillment of all things Jewish and yet stress the rebellion of Israel’s leaders, comparable in Matthew’s mind to the hostility of the synagogue leadership in his day. Passage Analysis/Implication The paragraph selected is commonly known as the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer†. Versions of this prayer appear in both Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.â€Å"Pray then like this† is rendered similarly by most translation. Translato rs may have â€Å"When you pray, you should pray in this way,† â€Å"Your praying should be like this,† or â€Å"When you pray, this is the kind of prayer you should make. † The form of address in Matthew (Our Father who art in heaven) appears in Luke simply as â€Å"Father† (Luke 11:2). The modifier â€Å"Our† reminds us that no believer stands alone, while â€Å"in heaven† serves both to differentiate the heavenly Father from earthly fathers and at the same time to preserve the distant between God and man.The use of first-person plural pronouns through out the prayer reminds us that our praying ought to reflect the corporate unity, desires, and needs of the entire church. â€Å"Hallowed be thy name† is translated â€Å"may your name be honored† by Phps and â€Å"May your name be held in reverence† by Brc. With regard to the last part of this verse and the entirety of the following verse, it is observed that the three p etitions are parallel in thought, and both the passive form and the use of â€Å"name† reflect the attitude of reverence found in Jewish prayers. â€Å"Thy kingdom come† is parallel to the first petition.The reference is to the final establishment of God’s reign on earth. And the prayer requests that God establish his reign for us, not that we establish for him. The next petition, â€Å"Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven†, is not found in Luke’s presentation of the Lord’s prayer. This petition is an exact parallel to the first petition concerning the honoring of God’s name, and as such it also stands parallel with the second petition. The meaning of the petition may be expressed in a variety of ways: â€Å"May people obey you as you are obeyed in heaven† (MACL),â€Å"May you to obeyed all over the earth as your are obeyed in heaven† (INCL). â€Å"Thy will be done† is a passive and does not specify who i s to do God’s will. Many translations have to say â€Å"may people do what you will† or â€Å"the things you will, may people carry them out on earth, just as those in heaven do. † Some translations have understood the prayer to be asking that God’s will be done on earth and be done in heaven, whereas it is probably better to assume that his will is already done in heaven, and that the prayer is that people on earth carry out his will just as it is already carried out in heaven.The first half of the prayer thus focuses exclusively on God and his agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to his will before they introduce their own personal petitions. â€Å"Give us this day our daily bread† is a short verse but difficult to interpret. The problem concerns the meaning of the word rendered â€Å"daily†. The word appears only in Christian literature, and its origin and meaning have never been explained to the satisfaction of all. Several sol utions have been offered and are summarized in the commentaries.One of the standard Greek lexicons presents them in the following order: (1) â€Å"Necessary for existence. † Some commentators say that this interpretation makes the petition less than spiritual, but Jesus and his followers took seriously the needs of the body. (2) â€Å"For the current day, for today. † This seems to be the interpretation favored by translations that render â€Å"daily†. (3) â€Å"For the following day. † This would refer to the daily ration of bread, given for the next day; therefore, â€Å"give us today our daily portion.†Mft translates â€Å"give us to-day our bread for tomorrow,† while Brc renders â€Å"Give us today our bread for the coming day. † There are several possibilities of meaning. If the prayer was said in the morning, the â€Å"coming day† would be the day in progress. If future reference would permit an eschatological interpretat ion as well, in which case the â€Å"coming day† could be the coming Messianic banquet. However, in this context such an interpretation is highly unlikely. (4) â€Å"Bread for the future. † This is discussed under (3). It is so called eschatological interpretation.The first two alternatives are similar to each other. The third alternative, if taken as a reference to the present day, comes to mean essentially the same as the first two possibilities. The fourth interpretation, though attractive, does not seem to be in focus in the present passage. Since an eschatological interpretation should be rejected, the translation of â€Å"this day† should not be â€Å"in these days† or â€Å"in this age†. It means simply â€Å"today†, although it can be â€Å"each day† or â€Å"day by day† in some constructions, depending on how â€Å"daily† is dealt with.The Greek word for â€Å"bread† is here used with the wider meaning of â€Å"food†. Some have wanted to take â€Å"bread† to mean more than â€Å"food†, feeling it represents all our needs, spiritual and physical. Most translators will follow the examples listed under the first two interpretations: â€Å"Give us each day the food we need. † â€Å"Forgive† has proved very difficult to translate. It can be expressed with some figure of speech such as â€Å"Forget the wrong,† â€Å"no longer see the wrong†. â€Å"Debts† represents a literal rendering of the Greek word.However, commentators note that the word is here sued figuratively for â€Å"sins†. Spiritual debts to God are first of all in view. Our plea for continued forgiveness as believers, requesting the restoration of fellowship with God following the alienation that sin produces, is predicated on our having forgiven those who have sinned against us. As verse 15 stressed, without this interpersonal reconciliation on the human level, n either can we be reconciled to God. In the clause â€Å"As we also have forgiven†, the pronoun â€Å"we† is emphatic.The verb â€Å"have forgiven† represents an aorist indicative in Greek. A number of translations give it a habitual or timeless force. Other specify that the action is past in reference to the petition for God to forgive. The word â€Å"as† is important. Some translators have taken it to mean â€Å"because† or â€Å"since†. But it is better to have â€Å"in the same way† or â€Å"just as†. That is, we ask God to forgive us in the same manner we forgive other. The final petition is especially difficult to interpret. The Greek word translated â€Å"temptation† may also means â€Å"trial, persecution.†The petition does not imply â€Å"don’t bring us to the place of temptation† or â€Å"don’t allow us to be tempted. † God’s spirit has already done both of these with Je sus (4:1). Nor does the clause imply â€Å"don’t tempt us† because God has promised never to do that anyway. Rather, in light of the probable Aramaic underlying Jesus’ prayer, these words seem best taken as â€Å"don’t let us succumb to temptation† or â€Å"don’t abandon us to temptation. †12 We do of course succumb to temptations every once in a while but never because we have no alternative (1 Corinthians 10:13).Thus when we give in, we have only ourselves to blame. The second clause translates a verb that may mean either â€Å"rescue from† or â€Å"protect against. † â€Å"Evil† translates a noun that may also mean â€Å"the evil one†. The New Testament scholars are divided on their judgment. Some are of the opinion that the word is a neuter, inasmuch as neither Hebrew nor Aramaic uses â€Å"the evil one† to denote Satan. Others, basing their judgment upon 13:19, believe that the phrase may refer to the Evil One, that is, the Devil. In either case, the power of evil is here spoken of as a reality.Numerous late manuscripts add various forms of a conclusion to Jesus’ prayer, probably based on 1 Chr 29:11-13, no doubt to give the prayer a proper doxology that otherwise lacked. This well-known conclusion appears in the NIV margin but almost certainly did not appear in Matthew’s original text. 13 14 Conclusion The â€Å"Lord’s Prayer† is in fact closer to a disciple’s prayer in its content. As the sinless One, Jesus cannot ask God to forgive his sin. However, Jesus sets up an example of prayer for us to follow.Only with the fulfillments of various petitions can we reconcile with God in unity. We are called to honor God’s name in our daily life. We are called to be used by God and obey Him in building His kingdom. We shall pray to God everyday for the needs of our body, and ask for forgiveness of our sin. Jesus is calling disciples to pray for deliverance from and protection in testing. We surely cannot avoid testing as such. God lets us to be tested by the evil one to confirm our faith in Him. When such testing comes, only God’s strength can see us through.We may note that the use of plural pronoun â€Å"our† reminds us that just as we approach God as our heavenly Father, we must remember God’s other children as our brothers and sisters. I must seek not only my daily bread but also the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ. 15 Application This prayer is a great reminder for a highly individualized society we have. We pray for everything in our lives no matter big or small. There’s nothing wrong with praying all the time, but often times most of the prayers we say are about ourselves.We prayer for better grades, better health, more time, more patience, better lives, etc. It’s always about us. We often fail to realize that we are trying to take control of everything. We pray to God for His â€Å"help† instead of letting Him be in control of the situation. Through the studying of this prayer, I realize that only through God’s power can we stand against the storms in our lives, and through him can we find the true peace. Also, we must seek not only the provision for ourselves, but also those around us. Our own intimacy with God must lead to prayer for and active commitment to the needs of all his people.

Transporation Services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transporation Services - Assignment Example Shipping lettuce from California to New York is fast using air transport and it is also very reliable to deliver the produce to the destination airport, this method of transport is available in both California through the various airline companies found in California and the numerous airstrips and airports. A big advantage of transporting lettuce, which is perishable, through is that there is minimal damages and loss since they are delivered in a very short time, this method is however very expensive to use as compared to other methods. Using rail transport is another way that lettuce can be transported to New York from California, this method is relatively fast as compared to the truck transport as it does not experience traffic jams in the cities or checks by police. Rail transport is found in both states and it is a reliable means of transport, the chances of losses of lettuce are not as many since it is not prone to hijackings, however delays on the way may cause the produce to p erish; the cost of transport using rail service is very cheap as compared to air and trucks. Using trucks to transport lettuce between the two states is very slow due to traffic jams and breakdowns, which are common with trucks, therefore not a very reliable method to use to transport lettuce. Trucks are the most available forms of transport and they are relatively cheap as compared to air but more expensive than rail, the chances of damage for the lettuce is high using trucks due to their slowness since lettuce is a perishable product. Shipping of personal computers from South Korea is faster when using air as compared to water, both of these methods of transportation are available in both countries although London you will use river Thames. Both of these methods can be used reliably to transport the goods and to be delivered at the London with minimal loss or damage, however, air transport will be more expensive than using water to transport the

Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Week 3 - Essay Example It also involves three important elements which include availability, accessibility and food utilization (Food & Culture Encyclopedia). When food security is threatened or not met, it can alarm not only the nutritionists, but the country or the nation affected, in general. This is because if there will be inadequate supply of food and related goods, it will directly affect the health and nutrition of the people. Thus, food insecurity can cause individuals, families, communities and to some extent, the world, to suffer in varying degrees. The Dictionary of Medical Terms defined malnutrition as a state or condition wherein a person is deemed as having a poor nutrition that resulted from either an insufficient, excessive, or unbalanced diet or in disorders in which there is an impaired ability to absorb and assimilate foods (Rothenberg and Chapman 269). Meanwhile, obesity is a malnourished condition of having an excessive weight and an increased amount of fat in subcutaneous tissues of the body. Obviously, obesity is the effect of overeating, but in some cases, it may be precipitated by disorders that involve organs such as thyroid, pituitary and endocrine glands where there is a disturbance of the body’s metabolism (Rothenberg and Chapman 318). Today, an alarming statistics states that approximately 60 million Americans are obese, while 9 million are extremely obese (ObesityinAmerica.org). Hence, according to Mokdad, et al, obesity has been regarded as the second cause of preventable death in the US (qtd. in Ob esityinAmerica.org). Suppose that you were engaged in biotechnology, or genetic engineering; what environmental safeguards would you impose on your own research? Are there experiments that would be ethically off-limits for you? If I were to engage in genetic engineering projects, or related experiments, conscientiousness on my part would be necessary, so as to

The influence of China Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The influence of China - Assignment Example As a young boy growing up in China, I was not concerned with my identity and aspects of diversity. However, as I grew up through my teenage years, I started to become more aware of myself as a person and my surrounding environment and it is through this way that I realised diversity. However, there is one major way through which I became aware of the aspect of my identity that relates to my country of origin. This was when I left China for the first time to stay in a different country, and in this case the United States. Here, I met people from different walks of life even as the U.S. is a highly multicultural nation. What hit me most is that during introductions with the new people I met, everyone was interested in what Asian country I was from. Therefore, I found myself introducing myself to people and mentioning repeatedly that I was from China. Thus, I had to identify myself with my country of origin more. Back in China, I did not find myself in such a situation since I was home. Â  The fact that my country of origin is China has had different implications in my academic life. For instance, academically, my colleagues who were from other countries and not China, thought of me as a mathematics and science genius. Therefore, they expected me to excel in any test or problem involving mathematics or science. In addition, most of them that were faced with different challenges tackling a mathematics problem would rush to me for assistance. People have a notion that the Chinese people are good in math and science.

Amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amazon - Essay Example Feasibility study should be performed on the basis of various criteria and parameters. The various feasibility studies are (1) Economic Feasibility, (2) Operational Feasibility and (3) Technical Feasibility. Their strategies include low price and free shipment. This factor played an important role in the long-term development of the company. The cheaper prices of goods with high quality and further free shipment attracted many. Another factor is the customer service. Customer plays an important role in the development of the company because it is the customer who uses the product that was developed by the companies and Amazon's services were good at it. To stay and hold the position in the present competitive market Amazon has planned to expand its business outside US like Eastern Europe and Far East Asia. Amazon is encouraging other companies to advertise their product on their website. A study has shown that Amazon would make more profit in diversifying than expanding. TOWA matrix (Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths) has been used to develop feasible alternative strategies. The matrix consists of four quadrants. They are (1) using strengths to overcome weaknesses, First quadrant concentrates on possible strength-opportunity strategies. Important factors are to hire highly skilled workers, wide brand recognition, customer satisfaction, effectively and efficiently raising capital resources, etc. Second quadrant concentrates on possible strength-threat strategies. Important threats that have to overcome are changing government regulations, seasonal shopping, and competition from ebay and Wal-Mart, protect business and customer information, currency exchange, etc. Third and Fourth quadrants concentrates on Possible Weakness-Opportunity Strategies and Possible Weakness-Threat Strategy. Third quadrant looks at reviewing product, develop standards up to the customer satisfaction, etc. Fourth quadrant looks at implementing backup systems, implementing policies to protect and avoid security risks. References Fortunato, Frank. (2005, September 25). Selling Books Online: Book Listing Services vs. eBay. Matrix-E.com. Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://www.matrix-e.com/content/view/63/9/ Chevalier, Judith, and Goolsbee, Austan. (2003, April). Measuring prices and price competition online: Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://gsbwww.uchicago.edu/fac/austan.goolsbee/research/amzn.pdf Frey, Christine, and Cook, John. (2004, January 8). How Amazon.comsurvived, thrived and turned a profit. Seattle Post-Intelligence.Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/158315_amazon28.htmlsource=techdirt

Compare and Contrast the Fundamental Differences Between the Research Paper

Compare and Contrast the Fundamental Differences Between the Ideologies of Liberalism and Conservatism - Research Paper Example â€Å"congress shall make law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The concept of classic liberalism has gone through several changes overtime in the past century. These changes are known as revolution of 1930s and the revolution of the 1960s. In the revolution of 1930s, which is also termed as FDR revolution, the main idea of liberalism was shown by assuming that the true meaning of right cannot be seen until and unless the rights were exercised. It was discussed by Franklin Roosevelt as individuals with no accessibility to the necessities of life are not considered as free souls. He was of the belief that in order to provide the individuals of the state liberty in true sense, the state should work for them to eliminate deprivation, lack of job opportunities, uncertain sickness and poverty of old people. So, the 1930s revolution of liberalism created a new horizon of freedom by making the government responsible for the role to play rather than the others as considered by the founders of America. During the period of 1960s, the second revolution of liberalism began and made several changes to the society. The main concept of this revolution was liberation and it was developed by Jean Jacques Rousseau. Prior to the sixties, many Americans were of the view for a universal moral order, which was external for individuals and that made demand for them. The role of the individual was to adjust according to those moral orders. The generation of previous time up till the generation of world war two took all these moral order and its commands for granted that included to work hard in order to make your future better, be good to your better half, fight for your country and many others. Since the starting of the 1960s, there were many movements took place such as antiwar movement, feminist movement, gay activist movement and others that encounters those moral orders badly by reporting them as oppressive and restricted (Myers 127). These movements started working for some other set of

The comparison of numeracy learning and development Essay

The comparison of numeracy learning and development - Essay Example The paper tells that there is a widespread interest in improving mathematics achievements in schools across the world. Apart from economic benefits of mathematics, such as preparing young men and women for the numeracy requirements of the modern workplaces, and improving the skill levels of the personnel, there are social benefits tied to bettering access for many young people to training opportunities and post school education and laying firm foundations to skills for womb-to-tomb learning. The interest in heightening levels of achievement has resulted in a focus on recognizing the range of factors that determine achievement as well as interpreting how these factors operate to enhance or limit the achievement of varied groups of students. In this case study project, the researcher will consider two students, namely Christopher and John. Christopher has a British background, and he is a gifted learner. He understands the background meaning and culture of a variety of questions. Chris topher is a fast learner, and he always finds a hard time with curriculum demands as well as teachers because they comfortably cater for students with normal learning abilities. John is a Vietnamese who is in England for his studies. He has been in England for five one year and he has a problem with understanding English language, especially in speaking. John does not understand the cultural context of a variety of mathematical questions, and he is in need of constant assistance with understanding key English words. ... ied at the age of 20 years, and his academic studies stopped for about five years, after which he enrolled into a higher learning institution to study Software Security Course. He sired his first child eight years after marriage and, later, after two years, he sired another child. The second child had some mental disability, which called for more care. He took most of his time taking care of his disabled daughter, but he continued with his studies on the part time basis. Christopher decided to enrol on the numeracy level 1 in order to better his numeracy skills because he encountered many calculations including daily purchases. He passed well in level one examination and proceeded to numeracy level two. According to the results of his initial diagnostic test, he had a ‘spiky’ profile. He excellently understood some topics, and at the same time, it was difficult for him to understand other topics regarding numeracy. However, he committed himself to understand the difficul t areas, which resulted to a substantial improvement and success in his level 1 examinations. Now, when he proceeded to numeracy level 2, all topics became equally manageable. It was easier for Christopher to understand every topic because he had gone through the English Education System. His accent and approach enabled him to do well in numeracy because he could ask the lecturer for clarification every time he experienced a problem. When I started to teach in Christopher’s class, Christopher experienced some problems regarding my teaching methods as well as my accent. This was because my approaches were significantly different from the approached that the previous teachers employed in teaching. Therefore, he failed to understand some key concepts concerning numeracy. I did not hesitate to set him

Construction ICT Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Construction ICT - Research Proposal Example In this section I will talk about the main problem situation regarding the lacking of implementation in the construction process and management. In this section I will discuss about the main problem situation and its possible effects regarding the effective construction process management and handling. The trouble that causes a serious hurdle in the construction industry is the lack of the communication. In this scenario the worker and management are ignorant to the in progress state of the development of the construction site. We also have less interaction in case of the on site construction management. Then we have a most important problem on the subject of the data transfer. In the absence of the ICT tools it is tremendously complicated to supervise and handle the construction process. The on time data movement is really indispensable for on time project handling. For instance we have traced a new alignment regarding roof settlement. This data requires instantaneous transfer to access the new construction strategy or handling information. There is also the main problem regarding the less effective management of the overall human resource on the site. In the presence of the ICT tools we would be able to handle the overall workforce in a better way. The customary way of construction lacks the on site labour communication and handling of the overall construction resource. Next main problem in absence of ICT tools is regarding the effective resource management and handling on the site. In this scenario the construction site resources are managed manually that is more time consuming and complicated task. In the field construction we have no observation means for the overall workforce performance. This means that workers are working in separation and there is no check on their performance assessment. The automotive vehicle tracking and management is not possible in the overall scenario. IT in Construction In this section I will talk about the implementation of the most modern developed information based technology in the construction industry. This technology has changed the on the whole working structure and configuration of the construction market. "Now the methods of construction engross more enhanced tools and techniques regarding the overall development of the construction business" (Sarshar et al, 2004). This carrying out of the information technology in the field of construction business projected an innovative approach to enhance the construction developments in the course of utilization of mobility and information technology. This policy intended to build up effectiveness, consequently, reducing expenditure as well as time of the resources facilities procurement practice. It is as well intended to build up the freedom of a structuring or capability, meeting customers' needs. The role of ICT in the vision of the construction business was presented, and a multi step technique was planned for carrying about a balanced acceptance through the business of IT (Arayici et al, 2005). ICT based technology All the way through the world the majority of the organizations accept as true that the effectual utilization of

Direct discrimination Essay Example for Free

Direct discrimination Essay Direct discrimination is intended by an individual usually due to a person’s background, culture, personality, race, disability, gender, religion, belief, sexual orientation, age. Indirect discrimination refers to applying a provision, criterion or practice which disadvantages people of a particular group. Direct discrimination may occur in a care home by a service provider only supporting a female, only support someone of their own culture and refuse to give personal care to males or not include everyone in a group activity. Indirect discrimination may occur in a way whereby a service provider is thinking everyone drinks tea so only offer tea, by giving a service user a shower daily but not offering a bath or see if they would prefer just a wash or not making reasonable adjustment which can exclude individuals with disabilities. By supporting an individual’s diversity by recognising their differences and valuing them and their individuality, by supporting individuals equality, treating a person equally, by including them in all group activities and encouraging individuals to express their views and opinions, by not treating anyone differently due to their background, ethnicity, culture, race, age, sexual orientation, personality, disability, religion, beliefs and gender and overall promoting good practice and prevent/stop the likelihood of abuse. When we work in an inclusive way we are openly communicating with people by, getting to know what their preferences are and building trust. When a person has someone they trust, they become less of a victim, less likely to be discriminated against. Discrimination can be challenged in adult social care settings by providing the appropriate training to make everyone aware of how to prevent and control discrimination.

Determinants for the Exchange Rates in Long Run

Determinants for the Exchange Rates in Long Run Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Introduction 2. Determinants can affect the foreign exchange value of a currency in a long term 2.1. Purchasing power parity (PPP) and inflation rates 2.2. Growth rate of the economy 2.3. Interest rates 2.4. Commodity prices 2.5. Foreign direct investment and international speculation 2.6. Exchange rate expectations 2.7. Intervention into the foreign exchange market from authorities 3. Conclusion Reference list Introduction The foreign exchange market is primarily a wholesale market, where transactions are of the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars or even greater. The marketplace can consists of a telecommunication network and a range of information technology system, which help provide a mechanism for the exchange of currency around the world. The retail market where small volumes can be handled is often at a shop front location, such as an exchange bureau, a bank. In fact, the currency exchange rate is not only impacted by the law of demand and supply but also other determinants. The paper identifies and evaluates many determinants for the exchange rates in long run. These determinants are (1) purchasing power parity and inflation rates, (2) growth rates of the economy, (3) interest rates, (4) commodity prices, (5) foreign direct investment and international speculation, (6) exchange rates expectations, and (7) intervention into the foreign exchange market from authorities. The relative impact of structural shocks on the movement of exchange rates after the Bretton Woods period has examined multivariate processes. Determinants can affect the foreign exchange value of a currency in a long term 2.1. Purchasing power parity (PPP) and inflation rates If a domestic economy has higher inflation than the rest of the world, a decrease in demand for exports will result in the local currency exchange rates, which become less competitive in world market. Accordingly, there will be less demand for the local currency. On the other hand, when an increase in demand for imports as overseas goods become cheaper, compared to the domestic market, there will be an increase in supply of the local currency exchange rate. The PPP theory is based on traded goods and services. The determination of the exchange rates has sustained the maintenance of purchasing power parity between currencies. ‘PPP is indeed an important determinant of nominal currency valuation. ‘The law of one price’ asserts that, absent impediments to free trade, goods and services should have the same relative price regardless of the country in which they are sold.’[1] Which goods and services are cheaper in one country than another will be brought where they are cheap, and then to be sold where they are more expensive. From the viewpoint of exchange rate determination, PPP is useful as a reminder that the monetary policy has no long-run influence on the exchange rate. ‘When PPP diverges more than 15-20 per cent from its historical mean, that has proven to be among the most accurate indicators of a pending change in currency trends,’ [2] observed Mr. Eric Lonergan, global strategist for Cazenove in London. Nevertheless, the exchange rate can stray away from its PPP. In fact, PPP exchange rates are determined by comparing the national prices for a large volume of goods and services. A weaker PPP has contented in inflation rate, rather than actual prices of goods. The fall in the value of domestic currency results in reducing local currency rate, compared to the rest of the world. This phenomenon can offset the pricing impact of inflation. As a result, nations with different inflation rates can expect their exchange rate to adjust to offset these differentials in long run. ‘Real exchange rate movements do not completely coincide with perceived changes in competitiveness, reflecting a basic flaw in the PPP approach. Instead, the likely effects of exchange rate changes on the trade balance are often difficult to predict without further information regarding the source of the shock.’[3] The theory seems to equalize interdependence between the exchange rate and inflation rates. It seems impossible to have inflation, if the domestic market value of the currency exchange is increasing. On the other hand, it is also impossible to avoid inflation if the market value of the currency is decreasing. 2.2. Growth rate of the economy If a nation experiences higher economic growth rate than its major trading partners, the income and demand for import-export goods and services will grow at a faster rate. As a result, paying for the growth of imports will consequently result in an increase in the supply of the local currency in the foreign exchange world. ‘Productivity differences were found to have a negative and statistically significant effect both in the short-run and the long-run. This suggests that if the US becomes more productive relative to its major trading partners, incomes and imports rise, causing depreciation of the US dollar.’[4] ‘In particular, structural components in both the current and capital accounts underlying each countrys net trade and net foreign asset positions are shown to influence the path of the long-run real exchange rate for each country.’[5] The supply impact is to reduce the price of the local currency exchange while the demand impact is to increase the price of local currency. The net impact will depend on the strength of each separate cause. 2.3. Interest rates Fiscal considerations become fundamental determinants of the decision of different foreign exchange regime. ‘In the long run, in contrast, exchange rate movements are driven by the fundamental, leading to a relationship between interest rates and exchange rates that are more consistent with UIP [Uncovered interest parity]’[6]. What has happened in foreign exchange market might not accord with what happens a country where experiences higher interst rate and a fall in the value of its currency. If interset rates are constant, a country which has higher interest rate will result in higher inflation. Higher inflation will cause a depreciating currency. The relationship between the impact of distinguishing interest rate movements on exchange rates can provide different impacts in terms of local currency exchange rate experiencing higher interst rates than the rest of the world. In fact, higher interest rates will encourage capital inflow to the domestic economy and discourage capital outflow. This phenonmenon will result from oversea investers who have tried to place funds in dosmetic market in order to take advantage of higher returns. As a result, a domestic buyer can invest in a greater proportion of funds in domestic financial markets. 2.4. Commodity prices If export from a nation becomes more expensive due to inflations, oversea importers will turn to other nations. As a result, the value of the exporting nation will fall, together demand for and the value of the domestic currency. On the other hand, if particular goods and services in a nation become more expensive because of the growth in commodity prices, the importers cannot choose other suppliers since commodity prices are a worldwide incident. As a result, the importers will continue to import commodities from that nation. The total value of the exports will go together with the demand for the domestic currency. The value of domestic currency will increase. The relationship between the trade balance and the exchange rate might not reveal the whole picture of the impacts of real depreciation on the trade balance and import-export flows. ‘There exists a significant long-run relationship between the-dependent variables and their determinants in most cases. A real depreciation of US dollar will decrease US imports and increase US trade balance overall in the long run.’[7] The import-export trading functions have shown that currency depreciation has different impacts on imported-exported goods; the authority should take into consideration in a nation’s trade policy. 2.5. Foreign direct investment and international speculation Foreign direct investment and international speculation can drive the domestic economy changes. Capital inflows to strong economies and outflows from weaker economies depend on how foreign investors speculate the perspectives of a domestic economy. Likewise, a recent decline in domestic currency as its economy becomes less attractive for investment compared to that of world’s largest strong economy. ‘Determinants of the equilibrium real exchange rate also include factors that affect the net trading position of the home country in world markets, as well as the underlying propensity of the home country to be a net lender or borrower of capital. In other words, the interaction between the permanent structural components in both the current and capital account jointly determine the sustainable real exchange rate.’ [8] Globalization has increased the differential between growth of world trade volumes and growth of world GDP as well; thereby enhance import-export activities of a nation. ‘The Brazilian real displays useful information about the long-run path of other currencies in the region. In terms of volatility dynamics, while most currencies display evidence of time-varying variance, the volatility movements in the foreign exchange market seems to be mainly country specific.’ [9] Evidence of common elements in the foreign exchange markets becomes substantial applications. From a macroeconomic standpoint, the movements have been towards financial integration; from the investors’ standpoints, the implications have in term of the assessment of risk and hedging strategy development. 2.6. Exchange rate expectations One of primary impacts on exchange rate movement is the exchange rate expectations. Speculators have formed expectations about the future exchange rate movements and then will take action to fulfil the impact. If participants in foreign exchange market have expected the future value of domestic currency to reduce, they will sell domestic currency. This phenomenon will increase its supply in the foreign market which then causes a fall in its value. On the other hand, if participants speculate the value of domestic currency to increase, they will buy domestic currency, increasing demand for that currency and bring about an appreciation. ‘The exchange rate expectations are incorporated into a switching cost model via the method of exchange rate pass-through on product-specific and country-specific approach.’[10] Foreign exchange traders shift the demand for a currency in expectation of making profits. These traders’ expectations might be wrong sometimes, and thus they might disturb the foreign exchange market ‘unnecessary’. However, they have to speculate correctly on average; otherwise they would lose their money and close their business. 2.7. Intervention into the foreign exchange market from authorities Government or central bank can intervene into foreign exchange markets. They can exert a significant impact on the value of that country’s currency. Official intervention can happen through the activities of central bank, or directly regulate the foreign exchange market by rules, regulations or laws. For instance, the authority can choose a number non-bank authorized foreign exchange dealers. ‘A disequilibrium in the money market significantly affects the level of the reserves in each country. The impact differs in magnitude from country to country depending on the degree of sterilization and the exchange rate regime.’[11] The central bank can intervene by establish to ‘buy time’ for the participants in the currency market. ‘If inflation is 10 per cent higher in Mexico than in the US, the peso would be expected to depreciate against the dollar by 10 per cent to maintain PPP. However, the success of central bankers in controlling price inflation over the past decade has drastically cut inflation differentials between countries to the extent that PPP has only a minimal impact now on nominal exchange rates.’[12] A government has been challenged by a time consistency phenomenon and commitment in technology that results from uncertainty and fixed cost. It will have to look for its choices to optimize the exchange rate arrangements by depending on past currency movement history for a given set of fiscal conditions. That is why with the same basis, some nations sometimes experience fixed or low inflation and other time confront the floating or high inflation in exchange rates. 3. Conclusion Many determinants have impacts on the currency exchange in the long run. Sometimes, these determinants have mutually influenced on the currency exchange system. These determinants among the markets are pronounced in the long-term, where the short-term movements are usually in line with the long-term adjustments. The effects of these mentioned determinants are not uniform among nations. In fact underlying the movements in price, money and currency exchange rates are mutual and complex. Reference list Al-Salem, H., Ph.D. 2005, ‘The demand for international foreign reserves of energy-exporting countries’, Clark University, 222 pages; AAT 3163350 Chinn, DM Meredith, G 2004, ‘Monetary Policy and Long-Horizon Uncovered Interest Parity’, IMF Staff Papers, Washington, vol.51,no.3, p.409,viewed 12 May 2007 http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/series/sfb-373-papers/2000-44/PDF/44.pdf> Faruqee, H 1995, ‘Long-run determinants of the real exchange rate: A stock-flow perspective’, International Monetary Fund Washington, vol.42,no.1, March, p.80, viewed 12 May 2007 http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9370615_ITM> Huang, JC Brahmasrene, T 2003, ‘The effect of exchange rate expectations on market share’, Managerial Finance, Patrington, vol.29,no.1, p.55, viewed 12 May 2007 http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mcb/009/2003/00000029/00000001/art00003> Ruiz, I. Ph.D. 2006, ‘Essays on the Latin American foreign exchange market’, Western Michigan University, 145 pages; AAT 3243164 Trygubenko, VO 2006, ‘Effect of oil prices and other determinants on the United States dollar effective exchange rate’, Southern Methodist University, 81 pages; AAT 1430298 Uhlfelder, E 2005, ‘Riding the dollar roller coaster For eurozone investors, the weak US currency could provide an opportunity to profit from individual securities,’ Financial Times,London (UK), 4 April, p. 5. Wang, Yongqing, Ph.D. 2005, ‘United States-China commodity trade and the Yuan/dollar real exchange rate’, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 111 pages; AAT 3185620 Woolfolk, M. 2005, ‘Why Dollars’s trend has been downward’, Financial Times. London (UK), 10 January p.12, viewed 12 May 2007 http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=050111001040> Page 1 [1] Woolfolk, M 2005, ‘Why Dollars’s trend has been downward’, Financial Times.London (UK) 10 January, p.12 viewed 12 May 2007 http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=050111001040> [2] Uhlfelder, E 2005, ‘Riding the dollar roller coaster For eurozone investors, the weak US currency could provide an opportunity to profit from individual securities,’ Financial Times,London (UK), 4 April, p. 5. [3] Faruqee, H 1995,’Long-run determinants of the real exchange rate: A stock-flow perspective’, International Monetary Fund. Washington, vol.42,no.1. March, p.80, viewed 12 May 2007 http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9370615_ITM> [4] Trygubenko, VO 2006, ‘Effect of oil prices and other determinants on the United States dollar effective exchange rate’, Southern Methodist University, 81 pages; AAT 1430298 [5] Faruqee 1995, p.80 [6] Chinn, DM Meredith, G 2004, ‘Monetary Policy and Long-Horizon Uncovered Interest Parity’, IMF Staff Papers, Washington, vol.51,no.3, p.409,viewed 12 May 2007 http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/series/sfb-373-papers/2000-44/PDF/44.pdf> [7] Wang, Yongqing, Ph.D. 2005, ‘United States-China commodity trade and the Yuan/dollar real exchange rate’, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 111 pages; AAT 3185620 [8] Faruqee 1995, p.80 [9] Ruiz, I. Ph.D. 2006, ‘Essays on the Latin American foreign exchange market’, Western Michigan University, 145 pages; AAT 3243164 [10] Huang, JC Brahmasrene, T 2003, ‘The effect of exchange rate expectations on market share’, Managerial Finance, Patrington, vol.29,no.1, p.55, viewed 12 May 2007 http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mcb/009/2003/00000029/00000001/art00003> [11] Al-Salem, H., Ph.D. 2005, ‘The demand for international foreign reserves of energy-exporting countries’, Clark University, 222 pages; AAT 3163350 [12] Woolfolk, 2005

Prop. 36 The Real Truth :: essays research papers

Proposition 36 The Real Truth As you might already be aware there is a ballot initiative on this upcoming November’s election about drugs, and drug treatment. This measure is called Proposition 36. If this measure were to pass, state law would be changed, so that certain non-violent adult offenders who use or possess illegal drugs would receive drug treatment and supervision in the community, not prison. Right now California is ranked number one in the nation for its rate of imprisonment for drug offenders. If Proposition 36 passes, California could become number one for its treatment for drug offenders. The measure also provides state funds to counties to operate the drug treatment programs. Additionally, studies have shown that drug treatment is a far more effective than prison in reducing future criminal activity. Robert Roseman, a 51-year-old heroin addict from Sacramento says, â€Å"I was always able to get drugs in prison†¦all you’re going to learn in prison is to do crime better.† Stephen V. Manley, President of Drug Court Professionals says that, â€Å"Proposition 36 doesn’t provide â€Å"court-supervised† drug treatment. It ties the hands of judges, hurts legitimate treatment and effectively decriminalizes heroin, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. Drug courts hold drug abusers accountable with regular drug testing and consequences for failing treatment— accountability not found in Proposition 36.† Drug testing is a part of court-supervised drug treatment everywhere in California today, and it will continue to be under Proposition 36. There are no legal barriers to drug testing. Judges can and will order appropriate levels of testing of offenders placed in treatment under the initiative's system; Proposition 36 simply does not tie judges' hands by prescribing a one-size-fits-all regimen for all offenders. A positive drug test can be treated as a violation of probation. Judges can also require individual offenders to pay for their own drug testing, as they do now in the "drug court" system, if they can afford it. (The cost of a test can be $4 to $7 per test.) The fact is tens of millions of dollars in state and federal funds already go to drug testing of criminal offenders through the court system and probation system. If more money is needed, this can easily be appropriated from the hundreds of millions of dollars saved each year by this initiative. Proposition 36 mer ely requires that its monetary appropriation for treatment programs must go to providing treatment services, where the need is so great.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- essays research pap

Conflict in A Raisin in the Sun 	In the play A Raisin in the Sun, the playwright Lorraine Hansberry depicts the life of an impoverished African American family living on the south side of Chicago. The Youngers, living in a small apartment and having dreams larger than the world in which the live, often use verbal abuse as a way to vent their problems. Many times, this verbal abuse leads to unnecessary conflict within the family. The most frequently depicted conflict is that between Walter and his sister Beneatha. Walter wants nothing more than to be a wealthy entrepreneur that can provide for his family, while Beneatha plans to go to medical school and become a doctor. Both characters are opposed to the others’ dreams. This opposition creates serious conflict within the Younger household, and specifically among Walter, Beneatha, and Mama. 	During the course of the play, conflicts between Beneath and her brother Walter are revealed. Walter thinks that his sister should be a mainstream woman and not have great dreams and ambitions for her life. "Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people - then go be a nurse like other women - or just get married an be quiet" (38). This passage shows that Walter is clearly a chauvinist, and does not believe in his sister’s desire to be a doctor. Similarly, Beneatha does not believe in Walters aspirations of becoming a rich entrepreneur, and thinks he is rather...

Finance Minicase Essay

MINI CASE For your job as the business reporter for a local newspaper, you are asked to put together a series of articles on multinational finance and the international currency markets for your readers. Much recent local press coverage has been given to losses in the foreign exchange markets by JGAR, a local firm that is the subsidiary of Daedlufetarg, a large German manufacturing firm. Your editor would like you to address several specific questions dealing with multinational finance. Prepare a response to the following memorandum from your editor: To: Business Reporter From: Perry White, Editor, Daily Planet Re: Upcoming Series on Multinational Finance In your upcoming series on multinational finance, I would like to make sure you cover several specific points. Before you begin this assignment, I want to make sure we are all reading from the same script because accuracy has always been the cornerstone of the Daily Planet. I’d like a response to the following questions before we proceed: a. What new problems and factors are encountered in international, as opposed to domestic, financial management? When getting into international finance some problems and factors are added to the ones experienced within domestic finance. These problems come from exchange rate, cross border barriers and financing opportunities in the global market but they do not get rid of the typical Business and Financial Risks. Business Risks can be identified as the ones that come out with competition from other companies, reduction in sales or any other factor that may affect the activities of the MNC, and Financial Risk is related with the firm’s financial structure. The international trade and investment of a MNC requires the handling of foreign currencies which is sometimes translated as an Exchange Rate risk due to the volatility of the exchange rate. Added to this exchange risk, Multinational Companies deals with Political Risks due to the changing political systems of different nations among their legal resolutions, taxation procedures of movements in policies. b. What does the term arbitrage profit mean? Arbitrage profit means riskless profit, this is possible thanks to arbitrageurs who are individuals involved in the process of buying and selling in more than one country to achieve this riskless profit. c. What can a firm do to reduce exchange risk? In order for a firm to reduce its exchange risk some firms use forward-market and money-market hedges, nonetheless when these tools are not available MNC apply leading and lagging strategies which are practiced to defer income and thereby delay paying taxes and to create unhedged positions in order to speculate; cash managers may delay paying out currencies they expect to appreciate and accelerate paying out currencies they expect to depreciate. d. What are the differences among a forward contract, a futures contract, and options? ââ€" ª Forward contracts are agreements between two parties where the buyer agrees to purchase an asset (the foreign currency) and the seller agrees to sell the asset at a specific date at a price agreed upon now. ââ€" ª Futures contracts are similar but are standardized and traded on an organized exchange. ââ€" ª Options offer the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset (the foreign currency) at a fixed price up to or on a specific date. Use the following data in your responses to the remaining questions: Selling Quotes for Foreign Currencies in New York |COUNTRY-CURRENCY |CONTRACT |S/FOREIGN | |Canada-dollar |Spot |.8450 | | |30-day |.8415 | | |90-day |.8390 | |Japan-yen |Spot |.004700 | | |30-day |.004750 | | |90-day |.004820 | |Switzerland-franc |Spot |.5150 | | |30-day |.5182 | | |90-day |.5328 | e. An American business needs to pay (a) 15,000 Canadian dollars, (b) 1.5 million yen, and (c) 55,000 Swiss francs to businesses abroad. What are the dollar payments to the respective countries? We will use spot rates for calculations since time of payment is not specified. Canadian-dollar 15,000 = $12,675 USD = 15000 x0.845 Japan-yen 1,500,000 = $7,050 USD = 1500000 x0.0047 Swiss francs 55,000 = $28,325 USD = 55000 x0.515 f. An American business pays $20,000, $5,000, and $15,000 to suppliers in, respectively, Japan, Switzerland, and Canada. How much, in local currencies, do the suppliers receive? Japan = $20,000/0.0047 = $4,255,319 Yen Switzerland= $5,000/0.515 = $9,709 Swiss francs Canada= $15,000 /0.845 = $17,751 Canadian dollars g. Compute the indirect quote for the spot and forward Canadian dollar contract. The indirect quote indicates the number of units of a foreign currency that can be bought for one unit of the home currency. Indirect quote = foreign currency / home currency |Contract |S/ foreign | |Spot |.8450 | |30 days |.8415 | |90 days |.8390 | |Indirect quote |[pic] |$ | |Spot |[pic] = |1.1834 | |Forward | | | |30 days |[pic] = |1.1883 | |90 days |[pic]= |1.1918 | h. You own $10,000. The dollar rate in Tokyo is 216.6752. The yen rate in New York is given in the preceding table. Are arbitrage profits possible? Set up an arbitrage scheme with your capital. What is the gain (loss) in dollars? Data ââ€" ª $10,000 dollars ââ€" ª Dollar rate in Tokyo is $216.6752 yen per dollar ââ€" ª Yen rate in New York according to table: 1 yen /0.004700 dollar ââ€" ª Actual Yen rate in Tokyo: 1 yen/ 0.004615 dollar Arbitrage profits will be possible because the indirect rates are out of line (they are different). This is possible assuming no transaction cost. $10,000 dollars X 216.6752 = 2,166,752 Arbitrage scheme |Amount of money in yens = $2,166,752 | | |Table rate |Actual Rate | |0.004700 |0.004615 | |Amount dollars= $10,183.7344 |Amount dollars= $10,000 | |Difference= $183.7344 |Difference= $0.00 | (2,166,752 yen ) X (0.004700) = $10,183.7344 dollars (2,166,752 yen) X (0.004615) = $10,000.00 dollars Profit gain= $10,183.7344 dollars – $10,000.00 dollars= 183.7344 Profit gain= $ 183.7344 dollars i. Compute the Canadian dollar/yen spot rate from the data in the preceding table. Canadian Dollar/ U.S. Dollar Rate: 1 / .8450 = 1.1834 Yen/ U.S. Dollar Rate: 1 / .004700= 179.78 As we can see 1.1834 Canadian Dollar is equal to 1 American Dollar; meanwhile 212.76 Yen is the same that 1 American Dollar, it means that for each 212.76 Yen you have 1 American Dollar.

Language & state of chaos Essay

The lexical choices made by Beckett in the first act show many things, such as the relationship between Estragon and Vladimir, and the confusion of the characters as to the time and the meaning of their actions. The main characters, Estragon and Vladimir, switch roles continually, so not using language as an expression of their selves, therefore the words used show no badge of identity. This shows interchangeability in the characters, so keeping the audience searching for the characters’ own distinctive personality. This role switching that not even the characters’ roles/ personalities are certain. This confusion is increased with the characters’ inclination to talk in adjacency pairs like they are both speaking from the same train of thought To say that the language is in a state of chaos suggests there is utter confusion in the play, the audience can hear and understand the individual words being said, but cannot put them into a relevant context or meaning. This ‘chaos’ is seen frequently throughout Vladimir and Estragon’s conversations; although taking turns with one another while speaking, they do not engage in a conventional conversation, one character talks about one topic, while the other talks about a different subject all together. The first moment I have chosen reflects this chaotic language; the two characters talk about the bible, beginning in conventional adjacency pairs, Vladimir: â€Å"Did you ever read the bible? † Estragon: â€Å"The bible†¦ I must have looked at it† but then the conversation starts to waver on Estragon’s part – Vladimir: â€Å"Do you remember the story? † Estragon: â€Å"No. † Vladimir: â€Å"Shall I tell it to you? † Estragon: â€Å"No. † And finally, the language and conversation between the two becomes chaotic – Estragon: â€Å"Saved form what? † Vladimir: â€Å"Hell. † Estragon: â€Å"I’m going. † This deterioration in the exchanges between the two characters shows the pettiness of them both; they seem to squabble about anything, no matter how inane it seems to the audience. This can be seen as due to the lack of meaning or activity in their lives, with them using any method of keeping boredom at bay. This interaction between the two characters shows their abuse of Grice’s maxim of relevance, as one character’s speech holds no relevance to that of the other’s. In this moment in the play there is a lot of uncertainty for both the characters and the audience, which Beckett creates mainly via the language used by the two main protagonists. The characters are unsure about what the other is talking about, Estragon: â€Å"Who? † Vladimir: â€Å"What? † Estragon: â€Å"What’s all this about? â€Å", and they are also uncertain of what really happens in the bible, Vladimir: â€Å"But all four were there†¦ why believe him rather than the others? † The audience is made uncertain of the meaning of the character’s talking about the bible, it is near the start of the play so they do not know what is to come. My second moment is different form my first as Estragon and Vladimir are now joined by two passing characters, Pozzo and Lucky, although Lucky does not speak till later on in their meeting. Pozzo speaks of how much pressure Lucky, his knook, puts on him, this is all an act on his part, but Estragon and Vladimir believe him, they repeat Pozzo’s words to add definition and to show their feelings of sadness towards him, Pozzo: â€Å"It’s terrible†¦ he must go†¦ I’m going mad†¦ I cant bear it†¦ any longer†¦ † Vladimir: â€Å"He can’t bear it. † Estragon: â€Å"Any longer. † Vladimir: â€Å"He’s going mad. † Estragon: â€Å"It’s terrible. † This makes Estragon and Vladimir look rather naive as they believe Pozzo straight away and accuse Lucky of ‘crucifying’ Pozzo, but are then told by Pozzo that he was lying. Estragon and Vladimir’s language in this moment is still chaotic, repeating themselves and each other, and showing confusion at what each other said, using the word ‘what’ several times as a response. Their ‘adjacency pairs’ are jarred and do not seem to fit together, Vladimir: â€Å"I don’t think so† Estragon: â€Å"What? † Vladimir: â€Å"I don’t know† Estragon: â€Å"Ask him†. They then go on to talk mundanely about the evening, which turns into babblings of irrelevant words, Vladimir: â€Å"Worse than the pantomime. † Estragon: â€Å"The circus† Vladimir: â€Å"The music-hall. † Estragon: â€Å"The circus† This is an example of their words and thoughts reflecting a single unit, as if it were just one person speaking, showing their relationship to be so close they are starting to think alike. This chaotic language also reflects the uncertainty theme, which runs through the play, shown through the character’s lexis and actions (seen in the secondary text). This chaos is shown when Pozzo appears to have lost his pipe, Estragon says â€Å"He’s a scream. He’s lost his dudeen. † This is a word coined by Beckett which does not seem to have any meaning, showing how Beckett uses language to confuse the audience, as it seems slightly ridiculous how Estragon makes up a word purely to rhyme with ‘scream’. The chaotic language in the play seems mainly on a humorous level, for example, in the second moment chosen Vladimir rushes off to relieve himself, while doing this Estragon shouts â€Å"end of corridor on the left†, even though both the characters and audience are aware they are in the middle of nowhere with just a tree. Both of the moments chosen show language to be in a state of chaos, thus supporting the opinion that nothing is certain in the play, although there are certain factors that make this statement debatable which should be taken into account, for example, Vladimir and Estragon’s relationship, they have known each other for a long time as they share memories etc. It can also be said that the certainty of some topics in the play is left up to the audience to understand, through the situation and the characters.

Mr and Mrs Ramsay †Characterization Essay

The modernist way of thinking in literature brought about new ways of understanding and writing about people. Unlike the 19th century, where neo-classical influences still prevailed at times, writers of the 20th century focus on an individual’s personal experience, feelings, what he is going through and how this affects him. The new way of looking at people (prompted by the advancements in psychoanalysis among others) makes the modern man a complete man – all the things, however small, that define him are taken into consideration – and an important stress in laid on subjectivity as unique and only way of perceiving the world and appropriating it to himself. In her 1924 essay Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown, Virginia Woolf wrote that On or about December 1910, human character changed. I am not saying that one went out, as one might into a garden, and there saw that a rose had flowered, or that a hen had laid an egg. The change was not sudden and definite like that. But a change there was, nevertheless; and, since one must be arbitrary, let us date it about the year 1910. However, perhaps it was only the humans’ change, but also, the way that was written about humans and their life, be it ordinary, outside, and more importantly, their inner life. Such is the case with Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay, the two main characters of Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse. The two are a couple in their fifties, married, and have eight children. They form a beautiful, and to some extent typical family. However, there is a lot that contributes to their division. Mrs. Ramsay is a beautiful woman, aged fifty, who has made an art out of being a woman, more specifically a mother. She is arguably the true protagonist of the book, as her being permeates the existence of the ones around her. She is the one who sets everything into motion – be it dinner parties, marriages, helping the ones around her, she is the one who never disappoints, and never seems to fail. She defines her existence through her being a mother and a wife: Oh, but she never wanted James to grow a day older! r Cam either. These two she would have liked to keep for ever just as they were, demons of wickedness, angels of delight, never to see them grow up into long-legged monsters. Nothing made up for the loss. She loves her children, and would do anything to protect them and their childhood. This is the reason why she tells James, her youngest, that they will be able to go to the Lighthouse the following day, and why she resents her husband so much for stating the contrary obvious and crushing little James’ hopes. Although she is no longer a young woman, Mrs. Ramsay is full of vitality and energy. She is the central figure, around which the action revolves and who, at the same time, sets the action in motion. Her intentions are good: knitting socks for the Lighthouse keeper’s tuberculosis-ridden son, tries to be nice to Charles Tansley, Mr. Ramsay’s student with working class origins whom her children mock, to Augustus Carmichael whose old age and opium addiction are sources of others’ looking down on him. Constantly being surrounded by people has led her to become the gracious hostess and caring mother she is, but also to defining (and also seeing herself) in that position for ever. Having been a mother to small children a big part of her life (the Ramsays have eight children), and still being one, she wishes to keep her children at this age forever, supposedly for their well-being, but perhaps this comes due to a need to protect and go on the same routine she has known, as it is hard for her to think about herself outside these terms. One of the instances in which this is evident is the moment when she can follow her regular string of thoughts for as long as she hears some kind of familiar noises in the background. She is not used to being by herself, and not surrounded by people. However, in some truly honest moments, she does not hide behind different masks (seen as roles she takes, mother, wife, host, friend), and acknowledges her own existence as something deeply personal and private: She took a look at life, for she had a clear sense of it there, something real, something private, which she shared neither with her children nor with her husband. What one can also recognize are remnants of Victorian morals and models, in both her and her husband. She is the central, matriarchal figure, who takes care of her family, a dutiful wife while managing the household (one of her recurring thoughts is that the bill for the greenhouse will be fifty pound, and tries to be a matchmaker for Minta and Paul, but also for Lily Briscoe and Mr.  Bankes, while being beautiful and admired, as Victorian women were expected to be. She has always maintained and upheld a steadfast belief in traditional gender roles – men being strong and hiding weaknesses (for their chivalry and valour, for the fact that they negotiated treaties, ruled India, controlled finance), and women being the ones bringing the family together, and this makes her resent Mr. Ramsay for his confession to her that he feels like a failure. She cannot bear the thought of her husband being a lesser man than who she thinks and wants him to be, a man better than her: She did not like, even for a second, to feel finer than her husband; and further, could not bear not being entirely sure, when she spoke to him, of the truth of what she said (†¦) but it was their relation, and his coming to her like that, openly, so that any one could see, that discomposed her; for then people said he depended on her, when they must know that of the two he was infinitely the more important, and what she gave the world, in comparison with what he gave, negligible. It is interesting to see the way she influences and sometimes dominates the lives of those around her; her husband is restless after her death and while they are still a couple feels he is a disappointment to her and himself. Prue, her daughter, admires her greatly: what a chance it was for Minta and Paul and Lily to see her, and feeling what an extraordinary stroke of fortune it was for her, to have her. Mrs. Ramsay admires Lily Briscoe for her independence (she was an independent little creature, and Mrs.  Ramsay liked her for it), her peculiar charm and her flare of something, that reminds her of herself. In turn, the young painter feels compelled by Mrs. Ramsay’s beauty and personality, that attracts and fascinates Lily, and which she finds impossible to transpose in the painting she is working on. It is only through Mrs. Ramsay, even after her death, that Lily finds her clarity and her vision. Mr. Ramsay is Mrs. Ramsay’s husband and one of the protagonists of the novel. He is a man in his fifties, a father and a metaphysics philosophy teacher. He defines himself through his work and, like an artist, is concerned with whether his work will be remembered, worth remembering, and how long it will survive after he is gone. This is one of the things that constantly drive him. Just like his wife, being raised in the spirit of traditional values and gender stereotypes, in relationships with his children he is tough, insensitive and has the mentality that he must always be authoritarian and must always do things the right way. He is a rationalist, and feels he must stick to sound principles even when it comes to letting his six-year old son James hope that the weather will be fine so as to go to the Lighthouse the following day: But it won’t be fine. While Mrs. Ramsay tries to smooth out what had been harsh before, he has no problem with being harsh as long as it means sticking to the cold truth: What he said was true. It was always true. He was incapable of untruth; never tampered with a fact; never altered a disagreeable word to suit the pleasure or convenience of any mortal being, least of all of his own children. †¦). His duty, his fatherly duty is to make sure his children are prepared for their grown-up life from the beginning, although he is unaware of the fact that his presence stifles them: his own children, who, sprung from his loins, should be aware from childhood that life is difficult. Through the eyes of Lily Briscoe, he is not good enough for Mrs. Ramsay, while through the eyes of his son James, who wants to take his place in a typical Oedipus’ complex, he is too harsh and cold, but he is also admired for his intelligence. Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father’s breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it. Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children’s breasts by his mere presence. These do not mean that he and Mrs. Ramsay do not complement and complete each other. As it is observed in the first chapter of the novel, He found talking much easier than she did, but she felt herself very beautiful. He is the talkative one, the intellectual one, but it is her presence that attracts people. Moreover, both of them are dutiful persons. If Mrs. Ramsay thinks her duty is with her family and trying to keep everyone happy and being a gracious host, Mr. Ramsay sees his duty in his work, his duty is to leave something valuable behind. The Ramsays are polar opposites, and can embody the Jungian archetypes of animus and anima. Among others, he has a constant need for approval and for people to tell him that his work is important and valuable. These (new to the time) ideas are what torment him so much as to make him confess to his wife that he feels like a failure, in hope of reassurance and sought-for comforting. However, this situation is new to what both of them have known about the way each other is supposed to be or feel, or the way they should handle it. This explains the distance that is created between them upon hearing each other’s take on the situation. Their inability to show true empathy can be a result of their Victorian ideas about their spouse and marriage and their own role there being put to the test. Victorian society would not have permitted for men to show weakness, not to mention confessing it to their own wives, their obvious inferior, and for women to think that they can even for a moment be better than their husbands. At the turn of a century and an age, they as individuals are confronted with new ideas, new sides of themselves they do not know how to reconcile with the other, traditional ideas everyone including themselves had taken as unmovable. This difficulty is seen in the stream of thoughts of both of them, but also has, as visible result, a cut/breach in communication between them, which leads to a possible estrangement/alienation from the other. What they fail to see is that the 20th century society and way of life gave way to a better way of communicating, they way one felt was important, and no one was supposed to play a previously defined part, and that this is the way things should be. This is seen in how they react to Mr. Ramsay’s moment of complete honesty – Mrs. Ramsay cannot bear the thought of him telling her this and of actually having to be the better one, while Mr. Ramsay cannot get the comfort and reassurance he needs. Indeed, as Virginia Woolf wrote in her essay, human character did change at the beginning of the 20th century. People, both women and men, became more aware of themselves, and most importantly, became aware of their inner life and the attention it deserved. But this could not have been possible without the insight modernist writers offered through their books. What they tried to do, using the stream of consciousness technique, is depict the way human minds work, the messy, not completely coherent ways that this happens, the way in which we perceive a moment and how intense we live it and how much happens within us during that moment as opposed to the measured moment (the irst pages of the first chapter, when the same moment is presented through the eyes and inner thoughts of three characters). What they achieved, however, was to show that human beings are different (as Lily Briscoe says, fifty eyes are not enough to get round one person), and that everyone tries to find meaning in fleeting moments, albeit differently, and that society was wrong in fitting them into stereotypes. And this too helped change the remnants of the Victorian society and turn people of the age into modern souls.

Describe Dispositional and Situational Factors in Explaining Behavior Essay

Describe the role of situational and dispositional factors in explaining behavior Both situation and dispositional factors play a significant role in people explaining behavior. (in that they guide the judgment on both our actions and people’s actions. ) Attribution theory, known as how people interpret and explain behavior in the social world, is closely related to these two factors. People tend to attribute behavior depending on their roles as actors or observers, known as the actor-observer effect. Milgram’s study (1963) investigated the role of situation and dispositional factors in participants explaining their own behavior. Nine out of twelve participants completed the task under the researcher’s authoritative guidance. The participants considered the task unethical so they attributed their negative behavior to the researcher’s guidance instead of the dispositional factor, such as their personality. When people explain their own behavior, they tend to attribute it to situation factors such as the interference from the authority. Zimbardo et al (1973) conducted an experiment in Stanford’s prison to investigate the role of actor-observer effect. Participants were assigned with either the role of prisoners or the role of guards. In the experiment, both the guards and prisoners were very dedicated into their acting roles. Most of the prisoners obeyed the guards because the guards imposed violent behavior to the prisoners. It is found that the prisoners believed and attributed the guard’s violent behavior to the guard’s dispositional factor. When people observe other’s behavior, they usually attribute it to dispositional factor such as personality. Therefore, with the knowledge of the prison as a simulation, the prisoners still obeyed the guards like they were real guards who always acted violently. People usually attribute their behavior to situational factors when they perform the behavior. Whereas, people attribute others’ behavior to dispositional factor when they are the observers.

Agriculture and Desertification Essay

The world’s drylands, contrary to popular misconceptions of being barren unproductive land, contain some of the most valuable and vital ecosystems on the planet. These dryland environments have surprising diversity and resiliency, supporting over two billion people, approximately thirty-five percent of the global population (UNEP, 2003). In fact, approximately seventy percent of Africans depend directly on drylands for their daily livelihood (UNEP, 2003). However, these precious and crucial areas are at a crossroad, endangered and threatened by the devastating process of desertification. There are over one hundred definitions for the term ? desertification’, however the most widely used and current definition is as follows: desertification refers to the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions due to human activities and climate variations, often leading to the permanent loss of soil productivity and the thinning out of the vegetative cover (UNCCD, 2003). It is important to note that desertification is not the expansion and contraction of deserts or hyper-arid territories, which grow and decrease both naturally and cyclically. French ecologist Louis Lavauden first used the term desertification in 1927 and French botanist Andre Aubreville, when witnessing the land degradation occurring in North and West Africa in 1949 popularized this term (Dregne, 242). The causes of desertification include overgrazing, overcultivation, deforestation and poor irrigation practices. Climatic variations, such as changes in wind speed, precipitation and temperature can influence or increase desertification rates, but they are not catalysts to the process- it is the exploitative actions of humans that trigger desertification (Glantz, 146). The most exploited area historically has been Africa. In the Sahel (transition zone between the Sahara and the Savanna) of West Africa during the period of 1968 to 1973, desertification was a main cause of the deaths of over 100,000 people and 12 million cattle, as well as the disruption of social organizations from villages to the national level (USGS, 1997). As a result of the catastrophic devastation in the Sahel, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1977, where an agreement was reached to eradicate desertification by the year 2000. Obviously this goal was not achieved. Countries and organizations, notably in the industrialized world, have been unwilling to provide significant and sufficient financial and economic aid to countries most impacted by this issue (Mainguet, 2003). Consequently, desertification is out of control, threatening the sustainability of the world’s environment, disrupting social structures and well-being, and impairing economic growth. This crisis reaches beyond the local, directly affected communities, impacting and jeopardizing world stability. Environmentally, desertification reduces the world’s freshwater reserves due to water over consumption and irrigation mismanagement, decreases genetic diversity through soil erosion and plant destruction, and also accelerates the carbon exchange process by damaging carbon ? sinks’. Socially, desertification causes population displacement as people search for better living conditions, often leading to conflicts and wars. Another social consequence is a dramatic reduction in the world’s food supply due to the depletion of vital dryland vegetation and a decline in crop yields. Desertification is also linked to a number of health issues such as malnutrition, as clean water and sufficient food resources are extremely scarce. Economically, income potential is lost because land is unproductive, and monetary funds are devoted towards combating desertification, compromising economic growth and development. Crisis management becomes more important than achieving economic goals. Furthermore, increasing levels of poverty have resulted due to dire economic conditions. The international body must devote more time, resources and energy to find effective and long-term solutions that will benefit not only directly-affected areas, but the world at large. The devastating environmental, social and economic ramifications of desertification must be addressed immediately, cooperatively and without hesitation, before the window of opportunity is lost. Desertification has created and encouraged a number of major environmental problems, and has endangered the sustainability of a diverse and clean global environment. Through the use of poor irrigation practices and exploitative human actions for profit, water has been over consumed and desertification has occurred near areas surrounding fresh water supplies, reducing or depleting these reserves. In the desertification process, the shorelines and the aquatic land and soil becomes eroded, salinized and degraded. Thus, feeder rivers decline in quantity and supply, river flow rates decrease and ultimately freshwater reserves are polluted and/or reduced. The reduction of river flow rates and the lowering of groundwater levels leads to the â€Å"silting up of estuaries, the encroachment of salt water into water tables, and the pollution of water by suspended particles and salination† (FAO, 2003). These problems are particularly evident in the Aral Sea in Asia, which at one point was the fourth largest lake in the world (Aral Sea Homepage, 2002). During the Soviet era in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the communist central planners had little regard for water conservation, and over consumed this resource. In order to meet the demand for agricultural irrigation the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) â€Å"diverted water from rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea† (Pacific Island Travel: Desertification, 1999). These exploitative actions dropped water levels by one-third because feeder rivers could no longer replenish the large lake, as illustrated in Appendix 1 (Pacific Island Travel: Desertification, 1999). Not only has the shorelines of the Aral Sea declined, but Lake Chad in Africa has followed a similar fate. Desertification in the Lake Chad region has dropped water levels far below the average dry season amount of â€Å"10,000 square kilometers to only 839 square kilometers† (Earth Crash Earth Spirit, 2001). The reduction of water levels in Lake Chad and the Aral Sea decreases their ability to moderate the local climate, resulting in more extreme variations in temperature and precipitation. Therefore, local ecosystems are disrupted and even destroyed, as the climate becomes more continental in nature, and vital water supplies are scarce or depleted. Desertification reduces the biodiversity and genetic diversity of dryland ecosystems, impairing the sustainability of plants, animals and even humans in these regions. As a consequence of desertification, the soil of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas becomes eroded, resulting in unproductive and literally useless land. This disrupts the habitats and food sources for many organisms, making sustainable life in these areas very difficult (FAO, 2003). Furthermore, because of freshwater and food scarcity, the life expectancy and actual existence for many species is threatened. This grave consequence was evident in the western African country of Mauritania, where the desertification process, from 1970 to 1980, â€Å"killed approximately 15,000 people and over 500,000 various plants and animals were eradicated† (CIESIN, 2003). Unfortunately, as the severity of desertification escalates in countries like Mauritania, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain biologically diverse ecosystems needed to support the lives of plants, animals and humans. Through the ecological destruction and imbalance caused by desertification, the carbon exchange process is accelerated. Dryland vegetation and soil are crucial storage devices for carbon, and contain â€Å"practically half the total quantity of carbon† (FAO, 2003). Once these elements thin out or become unproductive due to desertification, carbon is released into the atmosphere. It is estimated that for every hectare of dryland vegetation or soil that is depleted or unusable, 30 tonnes of carbon is no longer stored and is released into the atmosphere (FAO, 2003). This elevation of atmospheric carbon contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Desertification also has major social consequences, disrupting the social fabric and standard of living for many traditional and Native peoples. On a global level, it threatens the stability and health of a growing population. In the desertification process land is degraded, making it extremely difficult to maintain a successful career and livelihood. Consequently, individuals are forced to relocate to areas with more livable conditions and stronger economic opportunities. This population displacement is evident in the migration of Mexicans to the United States: â€Å"Some 70 percent of all land in Mexico is vulnerable to desertification, one reason why some 900,000 Mexicans leave home each year in search of a better life as migrant workers in the United States† (Environment News Service, 2003). However, in the developing countries of Africa and Asia, impoverished individuals have no option but to become refugees, abandoning their previous livelihoods and simply struggling for survival. United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan stated that in sub-Saharan Africa, â€Å"the number of environmental refugees [refugees due to environmental issues like desertification] is expected to rise to 25 million in the next 20 years. † (Environment News Service, 2003). These refugee movements and population displacement have often caused political and social unrest, and even wars. As a result of desertification, countries fight for control of the scarce natural resources, since previous deposits are depleted or unusable (UNCCD, 2003). The strong, positive correlation between desertification and armed conflict is illustrated in Appendix 2. The population displacement, refugee movements and relationship to wars make desertification devastating to the social security of individuals in affected regions. Desertification has caused a crisis in the world’s food supply, creating concern over the sustainability of an increasing population. Dryland areas are home to some of the most important crops and â€Å"genetic strains of cultivated plants which form the basis of the food and health of the world’s population† (FAO, 2003). Some of these products include cereal crops, oil seeds, grain legumes and root crops. In drylands affected by desertification, land that was once agriculturally viable can no longer be used, as it is essentially a wasteland. Even if agriculture is feasible, the nutrient poor soil makes it extremely difficult to grow a large quantity of a certain crop. This has crippled the food supply, at a time when its sustainability is already in question. According to the United Nations: â€Å"a nutritionally adequate diet for the world’s growing population implies tripling food production over the next 50 years under favourable conditions. If desertification is not stopped and reversed, food yields in many affected areas will decline† (UNCCD, 2003). Thus, desertification creates uncertainty as to the adequacy of the world’s food production, endangering the supportability of a growing population. There is a strong, positive correlation between desertification and serious health concerns and diseases. The increasing rate of desertified areas has created a crisis in the world’s food and water supplies. As a result, food and water are extremely scarce, and â€Å"malnutrition, starvation and ultimately famine will result from desertification† (UNCCD, 2003). This has prompted concern and anxiety within the World Health Organization stating, â€Å"we [the WHO] is becoming increasingly worried with the consequences of desertification, such as malnutrition and famine† (WHO Denmark, 2003). Desertification is also indirectly linked to many severe epidemics, notably in Africa. The drying of water sources due to desertification forces people to use heavily polluted water, leading to disastrous health problems. According to the World Health Organization, â€Å"desertification and droughts can increase water-related diseases such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and diarrhoeal diseases† (WHO Denmark, 2003). Recent research and studies have also suggested that malaria incidences have escalated significantly in desertified areas. The strong, positive correlation between malaria and desertification is depicted in Appendix 3. Furthermore, soil erosion and land degradation has resulted in the creation of dust storms and poor air quality. This has had a very negative toll on human health and â€Å"results in mental stress, eye infections, respiratory illnesses and allergies† (UNCCD, 2003). Therefore, desertification is strongly associated with dust storms, poor air quality, malnutrition, famine, and epidemics, all of which are enormously hazardous to human health. In an attempt to combat and rehabilitate desertified land, precious economic funds are required and exhausted. Consequently, resources are drained, resulting in the weakening of local economies and the compromising of national development goals. As the desertification process continues, attention and money is spent on crisis management, not on growth and development. Due to the depletion of natural resources, desertification contributes to decreased income levels and productivity losses. This is specifically true in agricultural regions and severely stunts economic growth. The worldwide cost of desertification, expressed as income foregone amounts to approximately $11 billion for irrigated land, $8 billion for rainfed cropland, and $23 billion for rangeland, for a total cost of $42 billion (CIESIN, 2003). This value may not seem astronomical for developed countries like Canada, Britain and the United States, but for nations in the developing world, these figures are devastating. According to an unpublished World Bank study, â€Å"the depletion of natural resources causing income loss in one Sahelian country was equivalent to 20% of its Gross Domestic Product† (UNCCD, 2003). Desertification has thus crippled present earnings as well as income potential in the future, hurting not only individuals but also entire economies. In an effort to improve future conditions, developing countries devote significant amounts of their limited monetary resources to combating and rehabilitating land affected by desertification, severely impeding their economic growth. Land rehabilitation costs are those incurred for stopping further degradation and to restore the land to something approaching its original condition. Unfortunately, this requires a significant amount of investment that could have been used for economic development, as opposed to just repairing land. On a per hectare basis, it is estimated that â€Å"a cost of $2,000 is needed to improve irrigated land, $400 for rainfed cropland, and $40 for rangeland† (CIESIN, 2003). To people living in the developing world, these costs consume much, if not all of their incomes, obviously crippling their careers and livelihoods. Although there is the potential to repair and rehabilitate almost all land affected by desertification only â€Å"52 per cent (1,860 million hectares) can pay back the cost of rehabilitation† (CIESIN, 2003). Thus, many farmers and individuals reclaim land, but because of huge overriding costs, they actually lose money as productivity remains stagnant. Therefore, limited monetary funds are spent towards crisis management, sacrificing national development and economic growth. Desertification is directly linked to the mass poverty occurring in the developing world. Individuals consistently endure an impoverished lifestyle because income potential is foregone, and resources are devoted towards rehabilitation, therefore scarce economic funds are depleted. United Nations Secretary Kofi Anna states: â€Å"Because the poor often farm degraded land, desertification is both a cause and consequence to poverty? Fighting desertification must be an integral part of our wider efforts to eradicate poverty† (Environment News Service, 2003). If the desertification process continues to grow exponentially, mass poverty will also increase both in size and in severity. Thus, in order to address poverty, desertification must be contained and controlled. Currently, desertification affects over 250 million people and a third of the earth’s land surface (4 billion hectares) (UNCCD, 2003). In addition, the livelihoods of over one billion people in over 100 countries are indirectly threatened (UNCCD, 2003), as shown in the map in Appendix 4. It is estimated that in the next 50 years, another billion people will fall victim to the wrath of desertification and its related environmental, social, and economic ramifications (CIESIN, 2003). The depletion and contamination of fresh water sources, the reduction in biodiversity, and the acceleration of the carbon cycle make desertification devastating to the sustainability of the environment. Socially, desertification forces people to migrate which may eventually lead to wars or conflicts, creates a major catastrophe for the world’s food supply, and is scientifically correlated to major health concerns, even epidemics such as malaria. The economic status of developing countries impacted by the desertification process is jeopardized as high levels of income are foregone, and resources are devoted towards rehabilitation, not towards growth and development. Furthermore, poverty in African and Asian nations has grown exponentially due to this process, creating humanitarian and economic crises. The world’s future is at stake, and it is imperative that the global community acts now. Desertification is a preventable process, but requires a coordinated approach involving effort from the local, national and global communities. Local and national governments must implement methods of soil and water conservation, and utilize traditional agricultural systems that support positive environmental strategies. The industrialized world must supply the economic and technological aid necessary for these conservation techniques (UNCCD, 2003). Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology is a modern technique that can be effectively used in combating desertification. GPS satellites can actually pinpoint and locate areas vulnerable or prone to desertification, acting as excellent early warning signs. This allows governments to implement various techniques and policies to prevent damage done by desertification. As former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in a letter to governors on February 26, 1937, â€Å"a nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself† (Dingle, 2003). The battle to combat desertification is a war that can be lost, but must be won. Now is the time to win the fight before this glimmer of hope disappears. Appendix 1: Time-Series Photos of the Aral Sea Source: Aral Sea Homepage, 2002 These pictures were taken using LANDSAT TM satellite technology. The reddish shade represents the vegetation around the Aral Sea. The northern part of the image is the shoreline of the sea. Notice how in 1979 the shoreline is quite large, while in 1989 it is non-existent, illustrating the decreasing water levels. What is also striking is the white shade on the satellite photo from 1989. This represents an artificial saltpan, caused by desertification and desiccation. Appendix 2: World Map of Armed Conflicts and Desertification Source: CIESIN, 2003 Most of the armed conflicts occurring from 1989-97 are in highly desertified areas. Thus, there is a strong positive correlation between desertification and armed conflict. Appendix 3: Map of Desertification Vulnerability and Malaria Risk in Africa For both maps, red represents the highest severity, followed by orange, yellow, green and lastly white. In desertified areas, much of the population is at risk of malaria, thus there is a strong, positive correlation between desertification and malaria. Appendix 4: World Map of Desertification Vulnerability Source: CIESIN, 2003 Works Cited Aral Sea Homepage. â€Å"Aral Sea Region: Kyzylorda Oblast, Kazakhstan. † 2002. . CIESIN: Center for Earth Science Information Network. â€Å"Global Desertification Dimensions and Costs. † 29 July 2003. . DEWA: Divisions of Warning and Assessment, United Nations. â€Å"Desertification and Drought Identification. † 2002. . Dingle, Carol, et al. â€Å"Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotations. † 2003. . Dregne, H. E. , et al. Desertification of Arid Lands. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1983.