Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Collocations With Money for ESL Learners

Collocations With Money for ESL Learners An important step to improving your English vocabulary is to not only learn the appropriate terms but to learn the words that commonly go together with those terms. These word combinations are often, adjective noun, verb noun, and noun verb pairs. Each of these collocation sheets provide collocations for commonly used words arranged into categories. Each collocation is illustrated with an example sentence. Adjectives + "Money" The following list includes adjectives that are commonly used with the noun money. Adjectives that are similar in meaning are grouped together. Each adjective or adjective group has an example sentence to illustrate usage. easy He thinks working in marketing is easy money. I think hell find its quite a different story. bonus, extra If you complete the project before next Tuesday, therell be some bonus money. hard-earned The best way to feel good about any purchase is if its been made with hard-earned money. government, public, taxpayers Its not right to waste taxpayers money on projects that benefit those who are already wealthy. pocket, spending Would you like a little extra pocket money this weekend? gas, lunch, petrol, rent, etc Could you lend me some lunch money today? prize, grant, scholarship They won a lot of grant money for their research into DNA. stolen, dirty, bribe, ransom I dont want your dirty money! hush, protection That gang is demanding protection money from every store on the street. Its scandalous! pension, retirement We plan to move to Hawaii with our retirement money. counterfeit, fake The police discovered more than $2 million in fake money. Verb + "Money" The following list includes verbs that are commonly followed by the noun money or an amount of a particular type of money or currency. Verbs that are similar in meaning are grouped together. Each verb or verb group has an example sentence to illustrate usage. coin, print The government printed a lot of money in 2001. count Lets count your money and see if you have enough to buy that. bring in, earn, make, The company brought in more than $4 million. borrow Could I borrow some money for this weekend? lend Ill lend you some money until next month. bank, deposit, pay in, pay into the bank, put in the bank I deposited a large amount of money last Friday. draw out, get out, take out, withdraw She took $500 out of our account. pay out, shell out, spend They paid out more than $300 dollars for that lamp. fritter away, squander, throw away I hate it when you squander our savings! hoard, save, set aside, stash away They set aside $200 each week for savings. contribute, donate, give They donated more than $200,000 to charity last year. give back, pay back, refund, repay Ill pay you back the money by the end of next week. owe She owes Thomas a lot of money. share Lets share the money weve found! accept, take Im afraid I cant accept your money. be worth That painting is worth a lot of money. change, exchange Id like to change twenty dollars, please. Could you give me four five dollar bills? allocate, earmark The committee decided to allocate $50,000 for the project. channel, direct, funnel The program directs more than $5 billion to help the homeless. embezzle, extort, siphon off, steal He was charged with embezzling money from the company. launder They used the internet to launder the stolen money. "Money" + Verb The following list includes verbs that commonly follow the noun money. Verbs that are similar in meaning are grouped together. Each verb or verb group has an example sentence to illustrate usage. come from something Money for the exhibit comes from donations to the museum. go to something The money goes to research. come in, flow in, pour in The money just kept pouring in! It was amazing! buy something Who says that money cant buy happiness? "Money" + Noun The following list includes nouns that commonly follow the noun money. Nouns that are similar in meaning are grouped together. Each noun or noun group has an example sentence to illustrate usage. management, manager I think you should hire a money manager for your savings. supply The money supply is very tight at the moment. order You can pay by money order. Phrases With "Money" The following list includes phrases made with the noun money. Each phrase has an example sentence to illustrate usage. bet money on something Lets bet $400 dollars on the race. get money off something Ask if you can get some money off the display model. get your moneys worth Make sure to spend the whole day at the park to get your moneys worth. on the money Your prediction was on the money! the smart money is on The smart money is on Tom for the directors position. throw money at something Dont just throw money at the project. Make sure you demand results. throw your money around Peter throws his money around like it meant nothing.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Split Strings in Ruby

How to Split Strings in Ruby Unless user input is a single word or number, that input will need to be split  or turned into a list of strings or numbers. For instance, if a program asks for your full name, including middle initial, it will first need to split that input into three separate strings before it can work with your individual first, middle and last name. This is achieved using the String#split method. How String#split Works In its most basic form, String#split takes a single argument: the field delimiter as a string. This delimiter will be removed from the output and an array of strings split on the delimiter will be returned. So, in the following example, assuming the user input their name correctly, you should receive a three-element Array from the split. #!/usr/bin/env rubyprint What is your full name? full_name gets.chompname full_name.split( )puts Your first name is #{name.first}puts Your last name is #{name.last} If we run this program and enter a name, well get some expected results. Also, note that name.first and name.last are coincidences. The name variable will be an Array, and those two method calls will be equivalent to name[0] and name[-1] respectively. $ ruby split.rbWhat is your full name? Michael C. MorinYour first name is MichaelYour last name is Morin However,  String#split is a bit smarter than youd think. If the argument to String#split is a string, it does indeed use that as the delimiter, but if the argument is a string with a single space (as we used), then it infers that you want to split on any amount of whitespace  and that you also want to remove any leading whitespace. So, if we were to give it some slightly malformed input such as Michael C. Morin (with extra spaces), then String#split would still do what is expected. However, thats the only special case when you pass a String as the first argument. Regular Expression Delimiters You can also pass a regular expression as the first argument. Here, String#split becomes a bit more flexible. We can also make our little name splitting code a bit smarter. We dont want the period at the end of the middle initial. We know its a middle initial, and the database wont want a period there, so we can remove it while we split. When String#split matches a regular expression, it does the same exact thing as if it had just matched a string delimiter: it takes it out of the output and splits it at that point. So, we can evolve our example a little bit: $ cat split.rb#!/usr/bin/env rubyprint What is your full name? full_name gets.chompname full_name.split(/\.?\s/)puts Your first name is #{name.first}puts Your middle initial is #{name[1]}puts Your last name is #{name.last} Default Record Separator Ruby is not really big on special variables that you might find in languages like Perl, but String#split does use one you need to be aware of. This is the default record separator variable, also known as $;. Its a global, something you dont often see in Ruby, so if you change it, it might affect other parts of the code- just be sure to change it back when finished. However, all this variable does is act as the default value for the first argument to String#split. By default, this variable seems to be set to nil. However, if String#splits first argument is nil, it will replace it with a single space string. Zero-Length Delimiters If the delimiter passed to String#split is a zero-length string or regular expression, then String#split will act a bit differently. It will remove nothing at all from the original string and split on every character. This essentially turns the string into an array of equal length containing only one-character strings, one for each character in the string. This can be useful for iterating over the string and was used in pre-1.9.x and pre-1.8.7 (which backported a number of features from 1.9.x) to iterate over characters in a string without worrying about breaking up multi-byte Unicode characters. However, if what you really want to do is iterate over a string, and youre using 1.8.7 or 1.9.x, you should probably use String#each_char instead. #!/usr/bin/env rubystr She turned me into a newt!str.split().each do|c| puts cend Limiting The Length of the Returned Array So back to our name parsing example, what if someone has a space in their last name? For instance, Dutch surnames can often begin with van (meaning of or from). We only really want a 3-element array, so we can use the second argument to String#split that we have so far ignored. The second argument is expected to be a Fixnum. If this argument is positive, at most, that many elements will be filled in the array. So in our case, we would want to pass 3 for this argument. #!/usr/bin/env rubyprint What is your full name? full_name gets.chompname full_name.split(/\.?\s/, 3)puts Your first name is #{name.first}puts Your middle initial is #{name[1]}puts Your last name is #{name.last} If we run this again and give it a Dutch name, it will act as expected. $ ruby split.rbWhat is your full name? Vincent Willem van GoghYour first name is VincentYour middle initial is WillemYour last name is van Gogh However, if this argument is negative (any negative number), then there will be no limit on the number of elements in the output array and any trailing delimiters will appear as zero-length strings at the end of the array. This is demonstrated in this IRB snippet: :001 this,is,a,test,,,,.split(,, -1) [this, is, a, test, , , , ]

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Runaway Jury Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Runaway Jury - Movie Review Example These individuals conduct a selection of jury-centered research programs designed to gather opinions, value-beliefs, and terminology that must be addressed during litigation. To do so they are not above using "reverse engineering" to assure the desired outcome. (Jury Research DOAR) The process is one used in trials, frequently high profile ones. The idea is to choose a jury that favors your party in the litigation. While it is illegal to tamper with a jury, the process of jury selection is designed (supposedly) to provide both sides a fair and equal decision and to deny some jurors the right to serve on a jury based on bias. Reverse engineering takes this a step or two further. In the initial process prospective jurors are investigated, and decisions made as to which would most likely give a favorable verdict. Included in that analysis is an evaluation as to which jurors the other party might reject. From there the trial is "engineered" still more. Witnesses are interviewed and their answers to anticipated question are rehearsed until they become rote. Even emotional responses are practiced until the testimony becomes almost an act, as opposed to an honest and open response to questions. This is legal. It's also more likely to be seen on the side of a case that has more money to begin with, because this type of consulting is not cheap. Public defenders and district attorney offices are unlikely to have either the manpower or the money to utilize jury consultants to a widespread degree. Jury consulting is real, and a lucrative practice in conjunction with the practice of law. Consulting came into its own during the O.J. Simpson trial, when a consultant named Jo-Ellan Dimitrius picked the jury that found him not guilty. (Roberts) What does she do In her own words, "I almost act as a 13th juror I hear a case for the first time. I wanna know what the good is. I wanna know what the bad is, so that we can figure out a way to desensitize or neutralize the negative components." (Roberts) And her resume states: Dr. Dimitrius has not just conducted pre-trail research and picked juries, she has advised many Fortune 100 companies about how regular people - like those who would be on their juries - would respond to their witnesses, claims and defenses. She has addressed the credibility, motivation and general appearance of hundreds of witnesses. She has worked with hundreds of other witnesses - including actors, lawyers, CEO's and people from almost every walk of life - - to help prepare them for trial. (Dimitrius) And she is successful, very successful! As it states in her resume "Dr. Dimitrius has amassed an unparalleled track record in civil and criminal cases, including the selection of the jury which recently awarded $80 million to her client Frances Ford Coppola, in his lawsuit against Warner Bros., and just weeks later, picking the jury which awarded $223,400,000 in damages to her client in the Piscitelli v. Friedenberg, et al. case." (Dimitrius) The movie Runaway Jury does take this process of engineering to an extreme, and Hackman bends and even breaks the law at some points in an effort to achieve the desired outcome. He uses all the technology available to monitor possible jurors and expose their weaknesses, which he then exploits as the trial progresses. At the other end of the spectrum in this movie is the idealistic and honest attorney representing the plaintiff who is

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Alibaba Group Holding Limited and the Aspect of Disruption Essay

The Alibaba Group Holding Limited and the Aspect of Disruption - Essay Example Notable is that innovation within human societies is as old as history itself. However, it is only from the 19th Century onwards that the greatest level of human advancement vis-à  -vis the period has taken has exceedingly amplified. This has, in turn, influenced the manner in which enterprises conduct their business, especially in the face of increased global competition. As a Chinese e-commerce firm-entity, the Alibaba Group Holding Limited provides platforms on which online sales services can be safely conducted, via available web portals. Most importantly is the crucial element of continuous technological advancement (Schepp & Schepp, 2010). This has availed a platform on which business can be effectively and efficiently conducted online, with some form of security assurance. With enhanced cybersecurity measures, and a growth in consumer confidence in e-commerce has availed a robust and lucrative market arena that remains significantly untapped (Nonaka & Zhu, 2012). As an entity concerned primarily with the provision of sales services, i.e. business-to-business, consumer-to-business or consumer-to-consumer basis, the Alibaba Group is also a provider of other services. These include data-centric cloud computing services, a very successful shopping search engine and electronic payment services. It is important to note that the entity is sector-specific, with its business strategy focusing on technology-supported and enhanced service provision. Taobao, Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer internet portal is similar to America’s eBay.com. Due to the large-scale nature of the Chinese market arena, the entity features almost a billion products and brands, targeting the multi-billion consumer market. Globally, the website is amongst the 20 most-visited, accounting for over 60% of all parcels delivered in the PRC (Gifford, 2013). This in itself attests to the rapid uptake it has  experienced in this market, further influencing future strategies of market venturing and expansion.  

Sunday, November 17, 2019

International Monetary Fund Essay Example for Free

International Monetary Fund Essay The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a central organization in the world whose mandate of establishment in 1945 revolves around world economic and monetary cooperation (imf. org, 2006). By following microeconomic policies of the member countries, this intergovernmental organization manages or oversees the global financial system. In this organization, almost all the countries in the world work together in cooperation for the common good. The primary purpose of IMF is to propagate and stabilize international monetary system which is key in ensuring and maintaining stable international payments and exchange rates that are critical in promoting trade between countries. In its efforts to ensure stability of the international monetary system, IMF has the responsibility of reviewing the financial developments in the national, regional, and global arena. The major purpose for which International Monetary Fund was established can be explained in three points. First is to promote stable exchange rates while at the same time ensuring that order is maintained in the exchange arrangements between its member countries and to prevent competitive exchange from depreciating. Secondly, IMF was established to enhance the expansion of international trade in a balanced manner so that all the member countries can benefit from increased levels of employment and real income in addition to better development and utilization of economic resources of these member countries. Thirdly, IMF has the mandate to contribute in the establishment of a new system of payment which is multilateral in nature and which functions to eliminate the many restrictions imposed by foreign exchange and which impedes the blossoming of world trade (munfw. org, n. d). The 184 member countries are required to adopt policies which protect them from financial and economic crises, promote economic stability and policies which have the capacity to raise the living standards of the citizens (imf. rg, 2006). In any given organization, the mission and the set goals are very important since they form the basis for the strategies and management of different affairs in the organization including the critical area of decision making which determines whether the goals will be achieved or not. It is therefore the objective of this paper to describe the mission and the goals of International Monetary Fund and also analyse the process of decision making in the orgaization so as to achieve these goals. One of the mission of IMF is to offer financial assistance to various countries which have faced crises of balance-of-payments as a result of domestic policies. The governments of such countries do not have a choice other than to borrow from the IMF so as to propagate various economic activities in their countries. On the part of IMF, it has to safeguard the interest of the shareholders and therefore it requires that the countries borrowing the funds put in place stringent policy adjustments which will facilitate repayment. Another mission of the IMF is to function as a reserve pool for global economies. This is in light of the fact that various countries especially in the developed world have accumulated colosal amounts of resources and money which act to insure them against shocks. On the other hand, many countries especially in the developing world lack the capacity to accumulate resources for insurance purposes but rather would use them for consumption and investments. The IMF therefore in this case acts as reserve pool which can manage these reserves so that even poor countries can access financial assistance in times of economic crises (Eichengreen, 2009). The third mission of the IMF is to act as a supervisor with regard to macroeconomic activities and trends. This means that it has to be very prudent in keeping an eye on the prevaling financial conditions or trends in the whole globe and in case of any signs of financial instability, provide warnings on the same so that appropriate actions can be taken. However, it has only played a supporting role since most of these activities have been undertaken by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) following the suggestions by the G-20. The goals of the International Monetary Fund are in line with the goals set by the international community in 2000 popularly known as the UN Millennium Development Goals. These goals focus on fundamental aspects of human existence and are geared toward ensuring improved living standards by curbing poverty and improving the health of world populations. The time frame for the achievement of these goals is set to be by the year 2015 and therefore decision making and actions taken are done systematically and resources managed carefully to meet the set deadline. The areas of focus of the first seven goals are on eradication of extreme hunger and poverty, ensuring that primary education is accessible by all children, empowerment of women and promotion of gender equality, improvement of maternal health and reduction of child mortality. The sixth goal is with regard to HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases which have been wrecking havoc in many developing countries. The seventh goal focus on issues of environment in that IMF intends to achieve environmental sustainability by the year 2015 (imf. org, 2010). The last goal requires that a global partnership for development be formed to address issues of debt relief, aid and trade. Decisions made by the IMF are meant to ensure that the resources available are managed carefully so that the organization can meet its goals without having problems caused by lack good management of available resources in many organizations. From the goals described, it is clear that IMF targets to offer assistance to poor countries in order to overcome some of the most common challenges facing them such as disease, poverty and illiteracy. However, the organization is not a development institution like the World Bank and regional development banks. This implies that it has no mandate to provide funds for building physical infrastructure in the poor countries rather it only offers loans to the low-income countries on concessional terms in an effort to ease the pain which these countries have to endure when making critical adjustments in terms of their spending (imf. org, 2006). The purpose for making these adjustments is to bring the levels of spending to the right levels which are commensurate with their income. Consequently, this promotes important reforms which enhance much stronger and sustainable economic growth which results in poverty eradication in the affected. In addition, following streamlining of a country’s economic policies, the IMF loan given to a particular country may attract other donors who are encouraged to provide more financial support. Therefore, this organization has well elucidated approaches which are used to fight poverty and achieve the rest of the goals which it has set to accomplish by the year 2015. Decision making at the IMF revolves around two major aspects one of them being on membership of countries which may want to join the organization and on the other hand on the internal operations of the organization. Both of these areas are quite important in ensuring the sustainability of the operations within IMF. For instance, bearing in mind that the major source of money of the organization is the quotas which are contributed by different countries upon joining the organization, decision making at this stage is critical since it impacts directly on the financial stability of this organization. Quotas are basically a reflection of the size of the economies of the member countries so that a country with a broad economy in terms of variability of trade, national income, monetary reserves and output is required to deposit more into the IMF kit than a country whose size of the economy is small and whose trade variability is not great. The decisions made on the amount of quota a particular country is required to deposit also affect the voting power of that country as a member of the IMF. This means that, the larger the quota of a member country, the more decision making power or voting power it possesses. For instance, the US contributes the largest quota into the IMF kit and therefore has the highest decision-making power at nearly 18%. On the other hand the whole African continent due to its small quota in the IMF possesses only a 5% decision-making power (munfw. org, n. d). The Board of Governors can review these quotas periodically and increase them when deemed necessary. The IMF staff and management comprise of different bodies which govern and manage the affairs of the organization to facilitate the realization of the laid down goals by 2015. These include the Board of Governors, International monetary and financial committee, the Executive board, and the standing committees. However, the important decisions are made by the Board of governors. The whole IMF staff and the management are accountable to the managing director of this organization who is appointed by the executive board to whom he is also accountable. The supreme decision-making body of the IMF is the Board of governors which is made of one governor and one alternate governor from each member country who is appointed to represent the interests of the country at the organization. The alternate governor of each member country is usually the governor of the central bank or the minister of finance. The board of governors is bestowed with the responsibility of making decisions concerning membership and also internal operational activities of the organization such as changes that might be required to the Fund’s structure. Decision making process requires ample time and therefore the Board of governors usually meets twice every year to deliberate on critical issues. The Executive board has the responsibility of carrying out the day-to-day activities of the organization. The board is chaired by the managing director who is assisted by three deputy managing directors. The member countries or groups of countries elect or appoint 24 executive directors make the bulk of the board. To ease the decision making process at the board level, most member countries are grouped into constituencies but the largest shareholders that is US, Germany, Japan, UK, France are not grouped but instead each has one chair. The decision making with regard to appointment of executive directors is in some countries based on the number of votes that a particular country has so that a country with the highest number of votes appoints the executive director. Good decision making process is characterized by consensus and this is adequately embraced in the organization whereby the board relies on consensus in making decisions. The nature of this consensus is determined by the number of executive directors who agree or disagree with a certain issue. In the light of the principle that a good decision making process gives room for opinions and views from all members involved, IMF is keen to allow for a voting exercise to take place in case different opinions crop up in the initial stages of the decision making process. In this voting approach, a needed majority is established in order to give a direction on decision making. However, the percentage majority required will be determined by the nature of the decision which is being made so that a 51%, 66% or 85% majority may be required (brettonwoodsproject. rg, 2005). During this process, the managing director of the IMF who chairs the executive board is required to advice the board to consider matters arising and be patient until that time when a broad majority has made a clear decision on the issue under discussion. Decision making process is characterized by the presence of options or alternatives so that if one fails, the other alternative can be employed to see whether the anticipated results will be achieved. This is exactly what happens at IMF when the majority still fails to precipitate consensus. The alternative is to go by the simple majority of the voting power in which a decision can be quickly made through a collective agreement involving G-7 chairs and a few directors (brettonwoodsproject. org, 2005). The IMF as a firmly rooted organization is therefore a good example of an organization whose excellent management strategy is reflected by its ability to facilitate many poor countries especially in Africa overcome common challenges such as poverty and disease. The mission and the goals set by this organization go hand in hand with the Millennium Development Goals and therefore consistent management of all the resources available to the organization is critical to meet the 2015 time target. The decision making process employed by the IMF also points to one of the key reasons for successful operations since it offers alternatives, democracy and dialogue in addition to the well organized management staff.

Friday, November 15, 2019

A Brief History of Unix :: Computer Science

A Brief History of Unix This document is designed to give people with no previous UNIX experience some sense of what UNIX is. This document will cover the history of UNIX and an introduction to UNIX. HISTORY OF UNIX AND CAUSES FOR ITS POPULARITY Most discussions of UNIX begin with the history of UNIX without explaining why the history of UNIX is important to understanding UNIX. The remainder of this document will describe some strengths and weaknesses of UNIX and attempt to explain why UNIX is becoming popular. All of UNIX's strengths and weaknesses can be directly related to the history of its development, hence a discussion of history is very useful. UNIX was originally developed at Bell Laboratories as a private research project by a small group of people starting in 1969. This group had experience with a number of different operating systems research efforts in the 1970's. The goals of the group were to design an operating system to satisfy the following objectives: Simple and elegant Written in a high level language rather than assembly language Allow re-use of code Typical vendor operating systems of the time were extremely large and all written in assembly language. UNIX had a relatively small amount of code written in assembly language (this is called the kernel) and the remaining code for the operating system was written in a high level language called C. The group worked primarily in the high level language in developing the operating system. As this development continued, small changes were necessary in the kernel and the language to allow the operating system to be completed. Through this evolution the kernel and associated software were extended until a complete operating system was written on top of the kernel in the language C. UNIX APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE Many proprietary operating systems have a simplified view of application behavior. The typical application reads some data from disk, tape or a terminal and does some processing. Output is produced onto disk, tape, tape, terminal, or printer. The operating systems generally provide easy to use well-implemented facilities to support these types of facilities. As applications become more sophisticated they need new features such as network access, multi-tasking, and interprocess communications. In traditional operating systems, these features are often hard to use, not well documented, and only callable from assembly language. When a program makes use of these features, the program may be much more complex and much more difficult to maintain. In UNIX because the C language was written to be used to implement an operating system rather than a traditional "input-processing-output" application, use of these sophisticated features is quite easily done from the C language without writing any assembly language.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Natural Variations In Climate And Human Health Environmental Sciences Essay

The El Nino/Southern Oscillation is a natural fluctuation in the Earth ‘s clime. The fluctuations associated with the El Nino/Southern Oscillation may be used as a theoretical account for future clime alteration and its attendant wellness effects. It is no premise that anthropogenetic clime alteration is happening and the environmental wellness effects associated with it are traveling to be one of the greatest challenges of our clip. As our apprehension of anthropogenetic clime alteration increases it is every bit of import to hold a basic apprehension of natural fluctuations in the Earth ‘s clime. Furthermore, a better cognition of those countries that experience extremes associated with the El Nino/Southern Oscillation ( ENSO ) may clarify some of the future impacts of planetary clime alteration. The focal point of this literature reappraisal is an scrutiny of the natural fluctuations associated with the ENSO and its impacts on human wellness globally. I reviewed major findings from publications, thesiss, and internet media sing clime alteration, ENSO, and public wellness. My aim was to reexamine articles that clarify the planetary effects of natural fluctuations in clime, specifically ENSO and wellness by integrating the undermentioned inquiries: What is the El Nino/Southern Oscillation? What are the wellness effects of three chosen illustrations of environmental alterations ( catastrophes ) associated with ENSO. I have designed my research and reappraisal to follow an Earth scientific discipline position on planetary alteration, adapted from a publication by the Johns Hopkins university imperativeness ( Aaron and Patz 2001 ) .WHAT IS THE EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION?Get downing with the empirical literature on Earth scientific discipline and public wellness, I foremost reviewed the work of Aaron and Patz ( 2001 ) . The work is a digest of research related to the subject of ecosystem alteration and human wellness. The chapter by Fisher ( 2001, 233-250 ) was peculiarly enlightening and descriptive. It provided a good starting point in understanding what ENSO is. This chapter provided a reasonably comprehensive yet apprehensible account on the â€Å" forces † behind ENSO, peculiarly the Earth ‘s energy rhythm. Although this publication is clear, it did n't further a solid reading of the ENSO anomalousness. I attributed this ambiguity to the fact that the range of this book is much broader than the focal point on natural clime variableness. In seeking to associate proposed and observed wellness effects to the ENSO it is critical to hold a reasonably comprehensive apprehension of what it is. For this intent, I reviewed publications by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) . The publication by NOAA was presented in an apprehensible yet simplistic format. A part of their web site a page is dedicated to the ENSO, but it does non provided a clear account of what it is. Further research into the NOAA web site led me to the National Weather Service ( NWS ) â€Å" Climate Prediction Center † , where they have a measure by measure tutorial of ENSO and clime variableness. I performed a qualitative comparing of all ENSO specific literature from the IPCC, NOAA, NWS, and FAO. The four studies had the same basic information, while the IPCC was by far the most comprehensive. The lite rature reappraisal for this part must be limited to merely a qualitative analysis because the forces behind ENSO are immensely interrelated and complex. A full synthesis of this information is good beyond the range of the paper. The most of import facet of my comparing is specifically related to assorted definitions of ENSO. EL NINO DEFINED I decided to add this subdivision due to the ambiguity I encountered sing the scientific discipline behind ENSO. As my research progressed it became clear that this ambiguity was non due to a deficiency of information, but due to a general consensus that the factors doing ENSO are extremely legion and interconnected. In consequence, a quantitative definition of ENSO can non be exactly developed. Furthermore, what constitutes a quantitative ENSO in one portion of the universe is different in other parts, hence any quantitative definition of ENSO would hold to be location specific ( Ternberth 1997 ) . In my comparing of the above literature, the definitions of ENSO were all qualitative and similar. For this ground I sought specific literature sing the definition of ENSO. The most formal definition that encompasses the battalion of utilizations is as follows: El Nino ‘el ne – ‘ nyo – noun [ Spanish ] 1: The Christ Child 2: the name given by Peruvian crewmans to a seasonal, warm southward-moving current along the Peruvian seashore & lt ; la corriente del Nino & gt ; 3: name given to the occasional return of remarkably warm H2O in the usually cold H2O [ upwelling ] part along the Peruvian seashore, interrupting local fish and bird populations 4: name given to a Pacific basin-wide addition in both sea surface temperatures in the cardinal and/or eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and in sea degree atmospheric force per unit area in the western Pacific ( Southern Oscillation ) 5: used interchangeably with ENSO ( El Nino-Southern Oscillation ) which describes the basin broad alterations in air-sea interaction in the equatorial Pacific part 6: ENSO warm event equivalent word warm event opposite word La Nina [ Spanish ] the immature miss ; cold event ; ENSO cold event ; non-El Nino twelvemonth ; anti-El Nino or anti-ENSO ( dyslogistic ) ; El Viejo ‘el vya- Ho – noun [ Spanish ] t he old adult male. ( Glantz 1996 )EL NINO RELATED DIASTERS AND HEALTH EFFECTSHarmonizing to Kovats ( 1996 ) , â€Å" The consequence of El Nino on catastrophes is strong plenty to be evident at a planetary degree. In an mean El Nino twelvemonth, around 35 per 1000 people are affected by a natural disaster-more than four times that in non-El Nino old ages, based on 1963-93 informations † ( 1483 ) . The wellness impacts of natural catastrophes are both immediate and long lasting ( Haines, et Al. 2006 ) . In order to derive a better apprehension of the specific wellness impacts of ENSO catastrophes I reviewed literature based on the two major conditions events associated with ENSO, heavy rainfall and drouth. I farther separated these events into three degrees of badness: 1 ) Drought ; 2 ) increased rainfall ; 3 ) Deluging. In add-on, I want to synthesise this information to give an overview of the planetary effects of ENSO from developing to developed states.DroughtENSO as defined above is an addit ion in sea surface temperature in normally cool H2O in the eastern Pacific Ocean. During a terrible ENSO the warm H2O that remains suspended in the western Pacific travels east, therefore diminishing rainfall in the West Pacific and increasing it in the eastern Pacific. This alteration alters the rainfall patterns across the Earth. Harmonizing to Haines et Al. ( 2006 ) , the figure of people worldwide affected by drouth is influenced strongly by the ENSO rhythm. Droughts have a broad consequence on wellness runing from nutrition to forest fires doing air pollution, peculiarly in low-income states. Haines et al. raise of import inquiries on the construct of exposure and unexpected wellness results. Vulnerability has been discussed in literature as a cardinal construct for understanding how populations adapt to climate alteration and variableness ( Mertz, et al 2009 ; Moran, et Al. 2006 ; Patz and Kovats 2002 ; Solomon, et Al. 2007 ) . It is widely accepted that the most vulnerable populations to climate alteration and fluctuation occupy the low income developing states. This has a great trade to make with the fact that many dwellers of developing states rely to a great extent on subsistence agribusiness. Furthermore, with drought one would anticipate malnutrition but there can be many other unanticipated wellness effects. As a specific illustration I refer to Moran et Al. ( 2006 ) and the survey of ENSO related drouth in Amazonia. This paper provides a good description of the exposures of developing states to drought and its unexpected wellness results. Moran et Al. depict this relationship by associating increased forest fires due to ENSO and swidden agribusiness with inauspicious respiratory wellness effects caused by fume and particulate affair. The most ENSO drought prone countries include: Sub-saharan and southeasterly Africa, northern Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Island Nations, and north-east Brazil. Most of these countries lay within developing states of the southern hemisphere, which are besides the most vulnerable to these conditions extremes.Increased RainAlthough the most vulnerable groups to climate alteration and fluctuation are the developing states, this does n't intend that effects are limited to these geographic countries. ENSO has really of import wellness effects around the Earth. Literature sing increased rainfall and increased incidence of hanta virus pneumonic syndrome ( HPS ) in the sou'-west United States serves as an illustration of ENSO wellness effects in developed states. Harmonizing to the Centers for Disease Control ( 2004 ) , during an ENSO event increased rainfall across the southern parts of the United States every bit good as parts of Central/South America creates an improved gnawer home ground, the major vector of HPS. The literature by the CDC is web-based and although it has been updated in is in direct relation to the 1998-99 ENSO event. In a thesis by Conley ( 2006 ) , an in-depth survey of HPS in the sou'-west United States is conducted. Conely ( 2006 ) describes the increased incidence of HPS in the southwest U.S. with endorsing from the trophic cascade hypothesis. The southwesterly cervid mouse is the primary vector for HPS in worlds. During an ENSO event the sum of flora is increased due to increased rainfall. In consequence, the population denseness of cervid mice is increased and so is HPS. As the ENSO warm event passages into a cold event ( La Nina ) , rainfall lessenings in the southwest U.S. and these rodent populations begin looking for nutriment in human homes. The increased contact between septic gnawers and worlds increases the incidence of HPS. Other literature ( Kovats 1999 ; Patz and Kovats 2002 ; Haines 2006 ; Parmesan and Martens, 2009 ) describes farther instances of ENSO and increased infective disease incidence as a consequence of increased rainfall. Further surveies have found positive correlativities between ENSO and malaria, rift vale disease, cholera, and others.DelugingImplosion therapy is the most common natural catastrophe in both development and developed states ( Ahern, et al 2005 ) . For this part of the paper I reviewed epidemiologic grounds of inundation related wellness impacts and ENSO events. On a planetary graduated table, ENSO is non associated with hazard of flood-related catastrophes because inundations are really localised ( Kovats 1999 ) . However, the increased rainfall associated with ENSO has specific effects on the water partings of many states throughout the universe. Harmonizing to Patz and Kovats ( 2002 ) ENSO frequently increases the hazard of implosion therapy of rivers. Besides: â€Å" Immediate effects are mostly decease from submerging and hurts caused by being swept against difficult objects. Medium term effects include additions in catching diseases caused by consumption of contaminated H2O ( for illustration, cholera or hepatitis A ) and contact with inundation Waterss ( for illustration, swamp fever ) . † ( pg. 1096 ) In inundation conditions, there is a greater possible for increased transmittal of disease, particularly in countries where the population does non hold entree to clean H2O and sanitation ( Ahern, et Al. 2005 ) . Direct illustrations of increased disease transmittal as a consequence of ENSO related implosion therapy is seen in Brazil where hazard factors for swamp fever included implosion therapy of unfastened cloacas and streets. Furthermore, the 1982 El Nino event caused extended implosion therapy in several states in Latin America and fostered crisp additions in malaria ( Ahern, et al 2005 ) .DecisionThis reappraisal provided a brief expression at the ENSO anomalousness and its effects on human wellness. ENSO increases the hazard of drouths and inundations across the Earth. In add-on, there is strong epidemiologic grounds that supports an association of these events and the transmittal of certain diseases. These associations and the affects span the Earth, but the most vulnerable populations are those in the underdeveloped states. The literature reviewed nem con agreed that ( in the short term ) there is a drastic demand to supply information and tools that let these populations to fix for such conditions anomalousnesss. Particularly in countries where ENSO can faithfully be associated with regional or local clime fluctuations such as drouths and inundations ( Kovats, et Al. 1999 ; Moran, et Al. 2006 ; Haines, et Al. 2006 ) . Furthermore, long term guesss in the literature agree as clime continues to increase there is a high likeliness that ENSO conditions anomalousnesss will beef up in badness, continuance, and frequence ( Ashok and Yamagata 2009 ) . An accurate apprehension of this will supply a greater ability for all to restrict exposure to climatic fluctuations and make new schemes for wellness contrivers to cut down disease hazard.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Money spent on weapons is largely wasted Essay

Many countries have engaged in programs of purchasing and manufacturing weapons. Countries spend a lot of money in these weapons manufacture. There have been heated debates that have risen as a result of the expenses that the countries incur. There are those who argues that the large sum of money spent in manufacturing weapons could be used in other sectors of economy that would help the citizens in a more direct way for example education and health sector. On the other hand, there are those who argue that it is good for the countries to spend the money because weapons act as security for the people. This paper discusses the issue that money spent in weapons is largely wasted. The first part of the paper discusses why money spent on weapons is largely wasted and the second part will look at reasons as to why the money for the weapons is not wasted. There are basic needs that people in a country need. There are food, quality shelter and clothing, which they cannot live without. Many countries spend so much money on weapons while their citizens are dying of poverty. Instead of spending money on changing the lifestyle of the people, most governments spend large sums of money to buy weapons. Most of the weapons that many governments spend money to buy are not even for the security of the nation but for power protection. The governments use the weapons to suppress any opposition that it might be facing within the country. The money used in money rooted from the country banks and money raised from tax (Smith, 1989). For example, what used to happen in Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein where it is he spent a lot of money to manufacture and purchase weapons for his own power protection. Many of the well known world dictators also spend more money on weapons than they use for the welfare of their people (Cleave, 2001). War arises as people fail to agree on various important aspects for example boundary conflicts or political differences. This means that war is a man made thing because it is the people who decide to engage in war. There are many ways that can be used to solve conflicts without engaging in war. Despite the fact that war is one of the means that can be used to solve conflicts it should always be used as the last option in any conflict resolution management and transformation. Other peace initiatives such as use of dialogue, mediation and arbitration between the conflicting sides are cheaper and healthier than war. Therefore, governments allover the world should concentrate on making people aware of importance of peace maintenance and on conflict resolutions. This would be more logic and cheap that spending billions of dollar on weapons to be used on wars (Quinlan, 2009). Peace education and awareness would not cost much because the most important thing is just to come up with programs on how this would be carried. On the other hand, weapons are so much expensive because they entail either importing them or manufacturing them, which is very costly because of the labour and the technology use in their manufacture. Therefore, it would be waste of money on the weapons for war instead of using some other ways, which are more cheap and healthier to solve conflicts. Weapons are destructive in their making and in the way that they are used. During wars, there are a lot of destructions that are done by the use of weapons both to human and to infrastructure. Many lives are lost as a result because of destructive weapons. Countries undergo also of loses as a result of war. Most countries that have ever engaged in wars have repercussions that are difficult to resolve in their economies. They spend a lot of money in the reconstructions. Therefore, there is lack of logic to spend so much money to purchase or manufacture weapons that would cause a lot of destructions that would require even more money to restructure. This is double loss to the country because once the weapons are used they cannot be reused again. The money spent on the weapons and also in reconstruction of the damages caused could be used in other development in a country (Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords, 1990). However, on the other hand money spent on weapons is not waste. This is because many countries are faced with threats from outside and, therefore, they need to be on alert all the time and be armed. In the world we are living today, there are a lot of threats to national security, for example, terrorists. These are threat, which can attack a nation even without prior signs. Therefore, if a country is got unaware there might be bad repercussions, as the country cannot defend itself if it does not have enough arms to face the enemies. It is therefore advisable for countries to have sophisticated weapons, which are able to protect the country from enemies such as terrorist who use modern weapons. This would act as a way of restoring the pride and sovereignty of a country (Needler, 1996). Weapons manufacturing has also become an industry that many people are employed in and a sector, which is used to gauge the rate of development of a country. Many people are employed in weapon industries where they work in various sectors of the industry (McNaugher, 1989). This helps to raise the living standards of the people. A country, which invests more on this industry, offers more employment opportunities to its people. People in a country, which have sophisticated weapons, have a sense of security as they feel that they have enough protection. Therefore, the money that their countries spend on the weapons is not a waste to them but acts as a source of security and also an investment where they can get jobs. It is also worth to spend much money in weapons if that is what other countries are doing. This is because if other countries have sophisticated weapons which another country does not have this is a threat to the country because if anything happens and the countries engage in war it is to the disadvantage of the country without enough weapons. Therefore, much spending on weapons is not waste as this is a trend that many countries have taken even as technology continues to develop. This is just the same way countries are spending so much money in modern technology, for example, in buying computers and other modern technology equipments (Forest, 2006). Therefore, as the debate continues governments from various countries have their own reasons as to why they have to spend so much money on weapons. However, it is important for any government to spend money equitably in all its sectors so that it does not spend much on weapons and forgets other sectors, which are basic for the country. This would make the people not to see as if their government is wasting money on weapons. References Cleave, J. (2001) Christianity: behaviour, attitudes & lifestyles, New York, Heinemann. Forest, J. (2006) Homeland Security: Public spaces and social institutions, Vol 2, New York, Greenwood Publishing Group. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords. (1990) The parliamentary debates (Hansard): official report, Volume 531, H. M. S. O. McNaugher, T. (1989) New weapons, old politics: America’s military procurement muddle, New York, Brookings Institution Press. Needler, M. (1996) Identity, interest, and ideology: an introduction to politics, New York, Greenwood Publishing Group. Quinlan, M. (2009) Thinking about nuclear weapons: principles, problems, prospects Oxford University Press US. Smith, J. (1989) The world’s wasted wealth: the political economy of waste, Michigan, New Worlds Press.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Free Essays on Florence Nightingale

Abstract Florence Nightingale is most remembered as a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods. Florence Nightingale’s two greatest life achievements are the pioneering of nursing and the reform of hospitals. These two contributions were so powerful considering that most Victorian women of her age group did not attend universities or pursue professional careers. Nightingale’s father, William Nightingale, believed in women’s education. It was also his interest that his children be very educated. Nightingale’s education is the fundamental foundation for her excellence in nursing. Nightingale began doing charity work in hospitals until she was recruited by the Secretary of War, Sidney Herbert for service during the Crimean War (O’Conner, 2003). This began nightingales journey into becoming one of the most remembered, loved, and devoted nurses of all time. Florence Nightingale: The purpose of this paper is to give a clear description of the contributions Florence Nightingale has had on the nursing world as we know it today. Florence Nightingale lived in the Victorian era around 1820 to 1910. Many things went on during this time period such as the Industrial Revolution and the Crimean War. Women had little or no rights during this era. They were not allowed to vote, not allowed to own land, and certainly not suppose to be educated. A â€Å"germ† was not even noted until around 1928. Amongst all of these times a legend to medicine and care began. Florence Nightingale would be a name that would ring in nurse’s ears for years and years to come. Florence Nightingale’s father kept both of his daughters well educated. This was something not seen amongst most women in this era. He concentrated on the classics, Aristotle, the Bible, and political matters. However, Nightingale had a passion for math. Her mother would not let her stu dy this subject because it was not appropriate for a wo... Free Essays on Florence Nightingale Free Essays on Florence Nightingale Abstract Florence Nightingale is most remembered as a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods. Florence Nightingale’s two greatest life achievements are the pioneering of nursing and the reform of hospitals. These two contributions were so powerful considering that most Victorian women of her age group did not attend universities or pursue professional careers. Nightingale’s father, William Nightingale, believed in women’s education. It was also his interest that his children be very educated. Nightingale’s education is the fundamental foundation for her excellence in nursing. Nightingale began doing charity work in hospitals until she was recruited by the Secretary of War, Sidney Herbert for service during the Crimean War (O’Conner, 2003). This began nightingales journey into becoming one of the most remembered, loved, and devoted nurses of all time. Florence Nightingale: The purpose of this paper is to give a clear description of the contributions Florence Nightingale has had on the nursing world as we know it today. Florence Nightingale lived in the Victorian era around 1820 to 1910. Many things went on during this time period such as the Industrial Revolution and the Crimean War. Women had little or no rights during this era. They were not allowed to vote, not allowed to own land, and certainly not suppose to be educated. A â€Å"germ† was not even noted until around 1928. Amongst all of these times a legend to medicine and care began. Florence Nightingale would be a name that would ring in nurse’s ears for years and years to come. Florence Nightingale’s father kept both of his daughters well educated. This was something not seen amongst most women in this era. He concentrated on the classics, Aristotle, the Bible, and political matters. However, Nightingale had a passion for math. Her mother would not let her stu dy this subject because it was not appropriate for a wo...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Western Lowland Gorilla Facts

Western Lowland Gorilla Facts The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is one of two subspecies of western gorillas The other subspecies is the Cross River gorilla. Of the two subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is more numerous. Its also the only subspecies of gorilla kept in zoos, with few exceptions. Fast Facts: Western Lowland Gorilla Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla gorillaDistinguishing Features: Relatively small gorilla with dark brownish black hair and large skull. Mature males have white hair on their backs.Average Size: 68 to 227 kg (150 to 500 lb); males about twice the size of femalesDiet: HerbivorousLife Span: 35 yearsHabitat: Western sub-Saharan AfricaConservation Status: Critically EndangeredKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: PrimatesFamily: HominidaeFun Fact: The western lowland gorilla is the only subspecies kept in zoos, with very rare exceptions. Description Gorillas are the largest apes, but western lowland gorillas are the smallest gorillas. Males are considerably larger than females. An adult male weighs between 136 and 227 kg (300 to 500 lbs) and stands up to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall. Females weigh between 68 and 90 kg (150 to 200 lb) and stand around 1.4 m (4.5 ft) tall. The western lowland gorilla has a larger, wider skull than a mountain gorilla and dark brownish black hair. Young gorillas have a small white rump patch until they are about four years old. Mature males are called silverback males because they have a saddle of white hair across their backs and extending onto the rump and thighs. Western lowland gorillas, like other primates, have unique fingerprints and nose prints. Distribution As their common name suggests, western lowland gorillas live in western Africa at low elevations ranging from sea level to 1300 meters. They inhabit rain forests and forested areas of swamps, rivers, and fields. Most of the population lives in the Republic of the Congo. The gorillas also occur in Cameroon, Angola, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Gorilla species distribution. Fobos92 Diet and Predators Western lowland gorillas are herbivores. They preferentially select fruit that is high in sugar and fiber. However, when fruit is scarce, they eat leaves, shoots, herbs, and bark. An adult gorilla eats about 18 kg (40 lb) of food per day. The gorillas only natural predator is the leopard. Otherwise, only humans hunt gorillas. Social Structure The gorillas live in groups of one to 30 gorillas, usually averaging between 4 and 8 members. One or more adult males lead the group. A group stays within a home range of 8 to 45 square kilometers. Western lowland gorillas are not territorial and their ranges overlap. The lead silverback organizes eating, resting, and traveling. While a male may make an aggressive display when challenged, gorillas are generally nonaggressive. Females engage in sexual behavior even when they are non-fertile to compete with other females. Young gorillas spend their time playing, much like human children. Reproduction and Life Cycle The reproductive rate of western lowland gorillas is very low. In part, this is because females dont reach sexual maturity until age 8 or 9 and dont reproduce when caring for young. As in humans, gorilla gestation lasts about nine months. A female gives birth to one infant. An infant rides on its mothers back and depends on her until it is about five years old. Occasionally, a male commits infanticide to gain a opportunity to mate with its mother. In the wild, a western lowland gorilla may live 35 years. Females care for young until they are around five years of age. Willis Chung / Getty Images Conservation Status and Threats The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the western gorilla as critically endangered, which is the last category before global extinction in the wild. Only about 250 to 300 of the Cross River gorilla species are believed to remain, while estimates place the number of western lowland gorillas around 300,000 in 2018. While this may seem like a relatively large number of gorillas, the population size continues to dwindle and the animals face serious threats. Challenges facing the western lowland gorilla include deforestation; loss of habitat to human encroachment for settlements, farming, and grazing; climate change; slow reproductive rate coupled with infertility; and poaching for trophies, folk medicine, and bushmeat. Disease may pose an even greater threat to gorillas than other factors. Western lowland gorillas are one of the zoonotic origin of HIV/AIDs, which infects gorillas in a similar fashion as it does humans. Gorillas suffered over 90% mortality from an Ebola epizootic in 2003 to 2004 that killed two-thirds of the species population. Gorillas are also infected with malaria. While the outlook for wild western lowland gorillas appears grim, the species acts as a seed disperser, making it key to the survival of many other species in its habitat. Worldwide, zoos maintain a population of about 550 western lowland gorillas. Sources Darc, Mirela; Ayouba, Ahidjo; Esteban, Amandine; Learn, Gerald H.; Bouà ©, Vanina; Liegeois, Florian; Etienne, Lucie; Tagg, Nikki; Leendertz, Fabian H. (2015). Origin of the HIV-1 group O epidemic in western lowland gorillas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (11): E1343–E1352. doi:10.1073/pnas.1502022112Haurez, B.; Petre, C. Doucet, J. (2013). Impacts of logging and hunting on western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) populations and consequences for forest regeneration. A review. Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Socià ©tà © et Environnement. 17 (2): 364–372.Mace, G.M. (1990). Birth Sex Ratio and Infant Mortality Rates in Captive Western Lowland Gorillas. Folia Primatologica. 55 (3–4): 156. doi:10.1159/000156511Maisels, F., Strindberg, S., Breuer, T., Greer, D., Jeffery, K. Stokes, E.  (2018).  Gorilla gorilla ssp. gorilla  (amended version of 2016 assessment).  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  2018: e.T9406A136251508.   doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T9406A136251508.en Rogers, M. Elizabeth; Abernethy, Kate; Bermejo, Magdalena; Cipolletta, Chloe; Doran, Diane; Mcfarland, Kelley; Nishihara, Tomoaki; Remis, Melissa; Tutin, Caroline E.G. (2004). Western gorilla diet: A synthesis from six sites. American Journal of Primatology. 64 (2): 173–192. doi:10.1002/ajp.20071

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Price Determination under a Freely Operating Market System Essay

Price Determination under a Freely Operating Market System - Essay Example This helps in the determination of the type of goods to be produced and the quantity of that particular that is required to be produced. Now, whether a consumer of the goods would buy it or not helps in the determination of the quantity of a particular type of goods to be produced (Haber, 2000, p.10). The recent fall in prices of residential properties in UK has been explained using the market theory in this study. Determination of Price in a Market A market can be considered to be composed of two of its fundamental components. They are: supply and demand. The price of a commodity is determined through the interaction of these two market forces, i.e. supply and demand of the commodity in the market. As discussed earlier market is a place where exchange of commodities takes place between the suppliers and buyers. However this type of transaction can take place only when both the sellers and buyers have agreed upon a price for the particular commodity that is involved in the transactio n. Supply can be defined as the quantity of goods or services a business firm has in offer for sale in the market and it is offered at a pre-determined price set by the business firm. On the other hand, demand is the quantity of goods or services which the consumers are willing to buy at a specified price (Goldberg, 2000, p.72). In a freely operating market system, the sellers and buyers are free to carry out the transaction of goods and services at a mutually agreed price and they are not intervened by any other individuals or entities. Thus in a free market the prices of the goods or services are freely set and are based on the supply and demand of the transacted goods or services. Some of the key determinants of a free market economy are: a) Prices determined freely, b) Rights and incentives associated with the property, c) Freedom of trading at home or abroad, d) Government’s role, and e) the private organisation’s role (Taylor, 2006, p.14-15). Equilibrium Price Fi gure-1 shown below represents two different curves which are the supply and demand curves. Both of these curves are found to intersect at a point which is known as the point of equilibrium. It is actually the market’s equilibrium (Government of Alberta: Agriculture and Rural Development, 2012). The corresponding quantity and price of products at the point of equilibrium are known as equilibrium quantity and the equilibrium price. It is the actions taken by the sellers and the buyers which help in driving the market towards this equilibrium price or in other words the equilibrium of the supply and demand (Mankiw, 2011, p.77). Figure-1 Equilibrium Price Supply Equilibrium Equilibrium Price Demand Equilibrium Quantity Source: (Author’s Creation) Residential Property Prices in UK It has been observed that the prices of residential properties in United Kingdom (UK) have fallen considerably over the past few years. This observed phenomenon can be explained through the market theory involving the two market components, namely, supply and demand of the residential properties in UK. The world economy along with UK experienced a housing boom

Friday, November 1, 2019

John McCain's Proposal for Health Care Reform Essay

John McCain's Proposal for Health Care Reform - Essay Example McCain believes in allowing every American to keep their health insurance as they move from job to job or job to home. McCain believes in strengthening health care quality by promoting research and development of new treatment models, improving technology and providing best information for Americans. (www.johnmccain.com). John McCain's health reform proposal is an attempt to address the inefficiencies. The McCain proposal consists of three components. The first component is that the current implicit tax subsidy provided for employer-based coverage would be eliminated. For a worker receiving health coverage through his/her employer, the premium would be treated as part of the worker's "income" and taxed under the personal income tax. In place of this subsidy, consumers would receive a refundable tax credit if they obtain health insurance. The size of the credit would be $5000 for persons purchasing family coverage, and $2500 for persons purchasing individual coverage. This first component will make health care affordable and accessible for all since they receive a substantial refundable tax credit. The second component is that the non-group market for health... "community rating" laws). States also vary in whether they mandate coverage for different types of medical expenses. This second component will allow Americans to choose the most affordable and the most efficient health coverage plan from health care providers from other states. This plan will push health coverage rates down as the suppliers of health coverage plans compete for new consumers across state lines. This plan also pushes health companies to offer a wider range of health services for the same costs in order to retain their old customers and attract new ones. The third component is that the federal government would provide funding for states to each administer in the form of a Guaranteed Access Plan. This plan puts a premium on accessibility for all Americans and their families in all of the states.This plan will also make insurance more affordable as it would expand competition and "put families in charge of their health care dollars which will lead to expansions of health savings accounts and other high-deductible plans. References: Collins, S. R., & Kriss, J. L. (2008). Envisioning the future: The 2008 presidential candidates' health reform proposals (The Commonwealth Fund Publication No. 1092). Retrieved February 23, 2008, from http://www. commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htmdoc_id=647708 Ginsburg, P. B. (2008). PERSPECTIVE: Don't break out the champagne: Continued slowing of health care spending growth unlikely to last. Health Affairs, 27(1), 30-32. John McCain website. Available at