Do we have a fair taxation system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Do we have a fair taxation system - Essay Example Nevertheless, the main system used in most nations is the progressive tax which emphasizes on paying as one earns (Christia, 2006). Each system of taxation is fair and unfair in its own way. Progressive, regressive, and lump-sum taxation systems are unfair while proportional taxation system is very fair when applied in obtaining revenue. Progressive tax system is where the effective tax rate increases as the amount affected by the rate increases. In most cases progressive tax system is known as the PAYE (Pay as you earn). This means that the more a person earns the more tax he or she pays (Hatzipanayotou, 2004). With progressive tax system those who work hard to earn more are likely to be charged more in terms of tax and this is unfair. Progressive tax rate encourages laziness and discourages hard work. On a different perspective regressive tax system is the opposite of progressive. In this regards with decreases effective rate the amount affected increases on the other hand (Christia, 2006). This is also an unfair system of taxation as those who have will pay less as compared to the poor. In addition, this means that the more a person earns the less he or she pays in form of tax and the less a person earns the more he or she pays in form of tax (Freedman & Chamberlain, 2007). Lump-sum tax system on the other hand d oes not give priority on the efforts placed by individuals in developing their nations. Therefore, these three systems of taxation are unfair. Proportional taxation system emphasizes on the effort placed by individual citizens in trying to build their countries. In this taxation system, the effective tax rate is fixed irrespective of the amount being taxed (Slemrod, 2000). Therefore, the more a person earns the more he or she takes home with the tax rate being the same. Schmidt (2000) points out that when one is lazy hence

The Benefits of Microcredit to Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Microcredit to Bangladesh Essay Bangladesh, with a population of more than 140 million, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Almost half of the total population is still living below the poverty line earning less than $1 a day. The various dimensions of the country’s poverty are manifested in terms of inequality in income distribution (in favor of urban areas), wage differentials between the formal and informal sectors, dramatic increases in the cost of living, unemployment and internal migration. However, progress on a range of social indicators in Bangladesh over the last fifteen years has been striking in certain areas, and these have been endorsed largely to the mix of public and private service provision, including the pioneering approach of microfinance institutions (MFIs). The government of Bangladesh faces an enormous challenge in reducing its poverty. However, the government cannot act alone as it cannot command all the resources and personnel to maintain progress in poverty alleviation. The MFIs have taken a key role in poverty improvement efforts and have been providing credit to these poor people who lack savings and capital but want jobs in the farm and non-farm sectors. The banking sector in Bangladesh is dominated by the four state- owned commercial banks, but in addition there are five government owned specialized banks, 30 domestic private banks, and 12 foreign banks. A few of these banks do lend extensively to rural areas most don’t even look at the rural areas of the country for lending money. But the poor people do not get access to formal financial institutions due to the lack of physical collateral. Unlike other countries, Bangladesh does not a have a proper substructure of small banks operating at a local level, and thus a strong structure NGO microfinance sector had been developed in Bangladesh. These MFIs have been able to reach the poor with collateral-free loans at affordable costs and can thus help the poor become self-employed. The micro-finance sector in Bangladesh is one of the worlds largest. Bangladeshi MFIs are best known for their groundbreaking, large-scale provision of microfinance services, principally tiny collateral-free loans to poor women. Microcredit programs in Bangladesh are implemented by NGOs, Grameen Bank, state-owned commercial banks, private commercial banks, and specialized programs of some ministries of Bangladesh government. In the microfinance sector total loan outstanding is around TK 200 billion and savings TK140 billion that have been rendering among 30 poor people which help them to be self-employed that accelerates overall economic development process of the country. Through the financial services of microcredit, these poor people are engaging themselves in various income-generating activities and around 30 million poor people are directly benefited from microcredit programs. Credit services of this sector can be categorized into six broad groups: 1. General microcredit for small-scale self employment based activities, 2. Microenterprise loans, 3. Loans for ultra poor, 4. Agricultural loans, 5. Seasonal loans, and 6. Loans for disaster management. Loan amounts up to BDT 30,000 are generally considered as microcredit; loans above this amount are considered as microenterprise loans. The Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), established by the government in August 2006, received applications from more than 5000 private institutions (NGO-MFIs). But, around 1000 applications of them were found to be very small organizations that had fewer than 1000 borrowers or less than the USD 58,000 in outstanding loans that is generally considered as the minimum initial operating portfolio of a single branched MFI to be sustainable. However, till June 2010 the MRA had approved licenses in favor of 552 NGOs and 2910 have been rejected due to not meeting licensing criteria, such as non-existence of operations at field, inappropriate registration as an NGO, inadequate financial information, and so on. Size and growth: According to the size of institutions in terms of the number of borrowers served, MRA categorizes MFIs into five major types: very large, large, medium, small and very small. There are only two very large MFIs, viz., BRAC ASA, each serving over four million borrowers. Table-2 shows year-wise number and percentage of the total number of institutions under these five categories for the last four years. Currently there are only 21 medium, 16 large and 2 very large MFIs operating in Bangladesh, together they constitute only 8 percent of the total. 92 percent NGO-MFIs are still either small or very small covering not more than 17 percent share of the market in terms of outreach and operations. Challenges: Despite certain success in reaching the poorer groups of households, it has been estimated that certain groups of extreme poor households do not take part in microcredit program. Geographical coverage of microcredit operation varies, with coverage thinnest in the poorer, more remote and less populous districts of the country’s north and southwest. Considering the geographical coverage of the MFIs in Bangladesh, more than 80 percent of the MF-NGOs have less than 5 branch offices and about half of them do not have any branch office at all. In recent years, there have been some efforts in reaching these households by offering more flexible repayment schedules with a smaller loan sizes. Several studies also show that 15-30 percent of microcredit members are from ‘non-target’ groups as also measured by householder’s land size. The success of microcredit programs depends on the following challenges: 1. Enhancing the Resources versus Reaching the Poor Client 2. Smaller versus Larger loan sizes 3. Increase in client-base versus Sustainability of MFIs Achievements: Women empowerment: Women are given equal access to the Grameen schemes as a result; they have raised their status, lessened their dependency on their husbands and improved their homes and nutritional standards of their children. 90% of women who used begging as a means of survival now have roof over their heads and can support themselves. Group Savings: Group Savings have proven successful as group lending. Group savings have reached 698 million taka (US $ 23 Million approx), out of which 570 million taka 9US 419 million) are saved by women. The bank requires its borrowers to save. Each borrower saves one taka (2-5 cents) each week. As of today Grameen bank has collected so much money that they can collectively buy the largest enterprise in the country. The poorest of the poor in the country are entering the coterie of the elites. Shift in the occupational pattern: There has been a shift in the occupational graph from agricultural waged labor considered socially inferior to self- employed petty trader. Micro-credit has succeeded in graduating the poor from poverty level to a self sustained position. Builds Trust among Poor: Grameen has put trust back into the picture. The working of the Grameen is largely through trust. It believes in the enormous potential of each and every human being given enabling environment, even the poorest of the poor can peel off doubts and start exploring their abilities to find a life with full human dignity. Spurs social change: Micro credit had done what billions of dollars worth of AWACS (Air Borne Warnings and Control System) and Patriot missiles cannot, for decades the west has tried to defeat fanatical extremists militarily, this has been bloody, costly and highly unsuccessful, but quietly every day, the attraction of the militant Islam is being blunted at the ballot box and in the people’s hearts and minds, than to the economic development of the poor. Micro credit helps solve a host of intractable, long-term social ills related to poverty. In Bangladesh the use of contraception is one of the first behaviors to change. In fact formation of groups of women to meet regularly helps in discussing new ideas and sharing information, this serves as a potent factor in bringing about broad based social change, otherwise women are isolated. In Bangladesh micro-credit has led to an increase in participation of people in the mainstream economic and political process of society, and overall human development . Very low default rate: The default rate is astonishingly low compared to what Bangladesh commercial banks suffer. It is about 2% as compared to about 70% for agricultural loans and 90% for industrial loans. Yunus Says† The difference lies in the psychology of the borrowers. The rich can evade the consequences of non- payment, the poor cannot. They value loan sharks so much; that they are only too grateful for once aims a lifetime opportunity to improve them†. Micro credit has graduated the rural poor from the informal capital market controlled by the moneylender and local elite to institutionalized banking. Positive impact on the families: Independent studies show that micro credit has a host of positive impacts on the families that receive it. A recent world bank study by Shahid Khondkar (2003) show that micro-credit programs operating in Bangladesh over a long period of time have produced a greater impact on extreme poverty than on moderate poverty.† The results of this study indicate that micro credit not only affects the welfare of participants and non-participants, but also the aggregate welfare at the village level. In fact even in disaster situations and post conflict areas, it has helped rebuild economic activities and livelihoods. Hence acting as the coping mechanisms of the poor. This was successfully demonstrated during the floods in Bangladesh in 1998 Problems and constraints: 1. How to expand the outreach of micro credit. 2. Lack of funds. 3. Lack of initiative in creating financing institutions. 4. Absence of legal framework for creating micro credit institutions. 5. Lack of conceptual clarity 6. Absence of regulatory framework United Nations response: United Nations: General Assembly Resolution 52/194. The report of the Secretary-General on the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996) and the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), recognizes that people living in poverty are innately capable of working their way out of poverty with dignity, and they demonstrate creative potential to improve their situation when an enabling environment and the right opportunities exist. Noting that in many countries of the world, micro credit programmes, by providing access to small loans to people living in poverty, have succeeded in generating productive self-employment. Freeing the people from the bondage of poverty leading to their increasing participation in the mainstream economic and political processes of the society. The UN recognizes that micro credit programmers, in addition to their role in the eradication of poverty, have also been a contributing factor to the social and human development. Conclusion: Strengthening local government is one of the most desired institutional changes needed for poverty reduction. Decentralization and participation are the buzzwords. SHARE and ASA and GBUP in India, Nirdhan and SBP in Nepal, KASHF in Pakistan-All these are the leading replicas of Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. The question to be asked is why is it that the success rate of these institutions is not the same as that of its model i.e. the Grameen Bank? This needs to be looked into. The need of the hour is greater awareness and consciousness among the populace of the third world about the feasibility and the importance of the use of micro credit in their respective countries. GRAMEEN BANK†¦ The system of this bank is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. The bank also accepts deposits, provides other services, and runs several development-oriented businesses including fabric, telephone and energy companies. Another distinctive feature of the banks credit program is that the overwhelming majority (98%) of its borrowers are women. Grameen Bank continued to expand its outreach in Bangladesh in 2009 to bring new areas and new members within its operational fold. During the year, the bank opened 23 new branches bringing the total number of branches to 2,562 that dot the length and breadth of rural Bangladesh. Bank’s network40 Zonal, 268 Area and 2,562 branch level officesnow encompasses 83,458 or over 99% of the country’s nearly 84,000 villages located in 479 upazilas or sub-districts in all 64 districts of Bangladesh. A fresh batch of 300,413 people joined the Grameen family in 2009, swelling the aggregate number to a staggering 7.97 million members.

How Do Banks Increase Their Liquidity?

How Do Banks Increase Their Liquidity? This essay will be looking into liquidity problems within individual banks, exploring why it is absolutely essential for banks to have good liquidity and exploring the sources of liquidity that are available to them, should they need to increase it. Over the past year there have been an assortment of serious issues involving banks, with the nationalisation and part-nationalisation of several retail banks in the UK, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Bradford Bingley, HBOS and Northern Rock and the collapse of various large financial institutions in the US and Europe including Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers. It will also look into why these banks faced such problems, and examine the role that the Central Bank plays in managing liquidity within the money markets, and how it can help individual banks and the entire banking system if liquidity becomes an issue. Explain why banks have become under-capitalised and insufficiently liquid and that there are ways for banks to sort out their liquidity. Firstly it is necessary to define liquidity, and explain the reason that liquidity is so important for banks. Liquidity is essentially immediately spendable funds or the ability to convert assets into spendable funds, quickly and easily without a significant loss. Banks need liquidity because of demands for spendable funds. These demands mainly come from customers wishing to withdraw money from their accounts and from customers with credit requests, either in the form of new loans or drawings upon existing credit lines. However banks will also have a demand for liquidity for other reasons including paying off liabilities that they have for example loans from other banks, or the central bank, payment of income taxes and the paying of cash dividends to their shareholders. Sources of liquidity that banks have available to them fall into two categories; asset liquidity and borrowed liquidity, with most banks tending to use a mix between them both known as balanced liquidity management. Banks using a balanced liquidity management strategy look at their expected liquidity demands, store some of these demands in liquid assets and the rest left down to prearranged lines of credit from potential suppliers of funds. The stock of liquid assets is held by banks solely as a reserve, which can be turned into cash in crisis conditions, when a bank cannot meet its financial obligation. These assets must be of high quality so that in times of need, they can be sold immediately with minimal losses. These liquid assets, other than cash, include: Commercial paper is issued by large corporations as a form of short term borrowing. The maturity of commercial paper is in most cases between 7 and 45 days, and is sold similarly to the treasury bills, at a discount to its maturity value. Commercial paper is generally unsecured, making it riskier than buying treasury bills. Companies using commercial paper will normally get a credit rating check from a credit rating agency and the better the rating they achieve, the smaller the discount they can issue it at, as it is a more secure investment. A certificate of deposit (CD) is a certificate stating that a deposit has been made with a bank for a fixed period of time, and that at the end of the fixed term, the original deposit will be repaid with interest. The advantage of CDs for the depositor is that they are tradable to third parties, so the depositor can make use of the funds, if needs be, before the maturity date. The advantage to the financial institution issuing the CD is that they can make use of the deposit for the fixed period, but because they offer the depositor flexibility, the bank gets it for a slightly lower price than they would normally have to pay for other time deposits such as repos. The disadvantage of the CD is that the depositor has to deposit a minimum denomination of  £50,000 which means that small companies may not have the money for them. Repurchase agreements (Repos) are a combination of two transactions, and play a critical role in the money markets. It works by firstly a securities dealer, such as a banks, sells securities it owns to an investor and agrees to repurchase them at a specified higher price at a date in the future. This is a great way for dealers to raise funds quickly. For the investor, repos can be a very profitable short term investment. This is because not only will they make money with the dealer buying the securities back at a higher price, but if they believe that the price of the securities will drop, then they can sell them, and then potentially purchase equivalent securities to return to the dealer just before the repo must be unwound. Therefore the investor has potentially made more money on top of the interest earned from the dealer. Treasury Bills are securities with a maturity of one year or less, and are issued by national governments. These are generally considered to be the safest of all investments, and for this reason they account for a larger share of money market trading than any other type of instrument. They are also known as zero coupon bonds, as they do not pay any interest, but instead are bought at a discount rate to their face value, depending on how long it is until the security matures. The main sources of borrowed liquidity available to banks inlcude: The Interbank lending market is a market where banks can lend money to each other. This provides banks with the ability to get funds quickly in times of bad liquidity and also provides an outlet for lending excess funds. The loans are normally short term loans, generally between 1 and 14 days, but can be longer. The interbank lending market has its own interest rate, called the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which is currently stabilised at just over 0.6%, around 10 basis points above the current base rate. Euromarkets have been some of the fastest growing markets in recent years and are basically any instrument denominated in a currency other than that of the country where it is traded. Financial institutions will look for money at the lowest price, regardless of the currency, and then change it into the home currency. This can be a good way of finding cheap money quickly, especially if the interbank lending market has dried up as it has done recently. Bond Markets are a great way of getting liquidity as there is a huge market for bonds. Bonds offer the investor interest throughout the life of the bond, and repayment of the original principle at the end. Unlike shares, the owner of the bond does not have any degree of managerial control or ownership of the issuer. For this reason it is a great way to get liquidity, because the issuer is not losing any of the company or institution and therefore none of its powers. The interest rates however must be competitive on the day of issue, but need to be just right as if it is too high, then the issuer could end up with excessive costs, but if it is too low, then they may not be able to sell them. Explain what role the bank of England has, and how it operates in the money markets and how banks are affected by the operations of the bank of England (interest rates etc) The Bank of Englands principal function is to conduct money and credit policy to promote sustainable growth in the economy and avoid severe inflation. There are various tools it uses in its role of helping in maintaining stability in the financial system as a whole, finding potential problems and risks and trying to find ways of fixing these problems and reducing the risks. In trying to achieve its main goals, the Bank of England effects the operations of all the banks, and they must be prepared for all outcomes. The tools that the central bank uses are outlined below. The Bank of England is responsible for the Governments accounts, and provides them with regular statements and banking services. It is also the banker of all commercial banks, and all commercial banks are required by law to keep 0.15% of the liabilities in their account with the central bank. The central bank is the Issuer of bank notes in England and Wales, but not the rest of the UK. It controls the countries reserves of gold and foreign currencies for the government, and by buying and selling these the central bank can influence the exchange rate. The central bank is known as the lender of last resort, and will always lend to the banks if there is a shortage of liquidity in the banking system. This has been shown vastly over the last couple of years, and has been fundamental in stopping the banking system from the possibility of total collapse. One example of this was the Northern Rock PLC in 2007, where a rumour that the bank was in serious financial trouble led to people with deposits in the bank lining up outside the banks demanding their deposits. In this instance the Bank of England quickly helped the bank out as lender of last resort. The Bank of England supervises the banking system. There are two main reasons the bank needs to do this which are the fact that customers of the banks and institutions are at a disadvantage because they are not necessarily well informed about the affairs of the intermediary and therefore could be depositing their money into a bank that is on the brink of a collapse. The central bank looks at all of the accounts of the banks to make sure that they are not in a bad position. This leads on to the second reason which is that the consequences of bank failure can be catastrophic to the whole financial system, as we have seen over the past two years, which shows that the central bank should have perhaps been supervising the financial institutions more closely. The Bank of England is involved in advising on the monetary policy. Monetary policy involves controlling the price and quantity of money and credit in the economy, with the use of different policy instruments, which are interest rates and the availability of reserves. Changing interest rates effectively changes the demand for money. The main instrument used today is interest rates. By putting interest rates up, there will be less demand for money, as it costs more to borrow, and on the other hand by lowering interest rates, it will increase the demand for money as it is cheaper. By doing this the Bank of England can basically slow down or speed up the economy and rates of inflation. This has a huge effect on banks, because everything they do relies on interest rates. Look at recent events in the money markets and the responses from firms and government and analyse the impact of these event on both individual firms and financial markets as a whole. Since the financial crisis started with the collapse of the sub-prime mortgages, banks have faced liquidity problems. This is mainly due to the fact that there has been impaired liquidity in a lot of markets, the two main markets being the interbank markets and the securities markets. Banks became unsure of both their own liquidity and the liquidity of other financial institutions, and for that reason they did not want to lend to each other on the interbank markets. This therefore pushed interest rates up in both markets, and with banks becoming increasingly dependent on these markets, it did not look good for liquidity. Many other markets also relied on the banks using these markets, and problems spread into many different markets. This all ended up with banks entailing higher borrowing costs, which then had to be passed in their lending rates and also left the banks with much weaker results. This all lead to some banks defaulting on their payment obligations, as they just did not have the liquidity they needed. Many large institutions around the world had to be bailed out by central banks, with banks in the UK including Northern Rock, Alliance and Leicester, HBOS and Bradford and Bingley amongst several others. The above table outlines the measures that the Central banks around the world took to try to address the situation. The Bank of England used several of these methods to try to resolve the severe liquidity problems that the banks and markets that were facing. As shown in the Essay, it is essential for financial institutions to have good liquidity. It is not important just for the survival of an individual bank, but for the survival of the financial system as a whole. It is clear that in recent events, the banks did not have sufficient liquidity to cover the demands for spendable funds, and in the future they need to have a much higher stock of liquid assets, and not rely so much on borrowed liquidity. It is also clear that big mistakes were made by many financial institutions, and learning from these mistakes is essential in trying to rebuild trust in both the money markets and banks in general. I believe that the Bank of England needs to improve the way it is supervising the banking system, as the collapse of the money markets could potentially have been avoided if certain banks had been supervised more effectively. The financial systems also desperately need to be regulated globally, which was one of the main topics of the G20 summit in 2009. Gordon Brown said We have a global financial system, but until now no global co-ordination or supervision, only national supervisors and a new financial regulatory is due to be released later this year, which will fundamentally change how world banks and markets operate. I believe that this new global financial regulatory system will change the way banks operate for the good, and should stop anything like this happening again. The Things They Carried | Analysis The Things They Carried | Analysis Tim Obriens The Things They Carried is a perfect example of American Contemporary, also known as postmodern, literature, mainly supporting the characteristics of metafiction, and mixture of fiction and facts, all of which are commonly used throughout all forms of postmodern literature. Because this era is current, how it will have on impact on literature still remains to be seen, but what is clear is how the contemporary era has opened a new door to literature allowing people to view the world in a whole different manner also allowing authors to be freer in expressing ideas in their literature. Contemporary literature refers to literature written from 1945 to present. It is often referred to as the era directly after World War II. This era shares many of the characteristics introduced in the modern era, but is unique in the sense that the openness found in this literature is greater. Contemporary literature also has the tendency to contradict modernist thought and brings things into new light. It deals with events and issues within this time frame and for that reason we are able to comprehend a greater deal than before. It allows the reader to feel connected to the novel in a way that wasnt possible before. What both modernism and contemporary literature share is subjectivism. Modernist literature however saw fragmentation and extreme subjectivity as an existential crisis. In contemporary literature this crisis is avoided. It is more common to find self-consciously deconstructed and self-reflexive narrators unlike in modern literature it was all about the anti-heroes and to rtured souls. There is great inner narrative of the self in contemporary. This includes the self at war with itself, to the self as arbiter points back to the phenomenological roots of post-modern thought. As far as linguistic and stylistic characteristics go, contemporary literature has an open form of writing, allowing a writer to be freer with their thoughts and ideas. It is also common to find discontinuous narrative in these works. Intersexuality or borrowing and transformation of certain ideas form other texts is also quiet present in contemporary literature, often borrowing from past modern thought as well. There is an extensive use of classical allusions within the style. What is very interesting about contemporary is its tendency not only to borrow ideas, but the sharing of these ideas and themes that is found in other languages and cultures showing how wide of a spectrum contemporary literature is willing to go. These themes and ideas are often compared and combined. But with all its uniqueness, the thing that makes contemporary stand out from the rest is its unusual usage of metaphors in its literature. This has added richness to this type of literature that many will apprec iate. Contemporary literatures themes also set this era greatly apart from the rest. It has the tendency to shatter existing social customs and faiths, and focus more on depicting vividly the stark and bitter realities. This era of literature is heavily influenced by the severity of the scientific and technological changes of the 20th century. The famous authors and works of thisperiod are vast. Each author has their unique style and way of writing, but each share the same type of freedom found in contemporary literature. No point of view or way of thinking is excluded, but rather embraced and exposed to give insight into completely different worlds that we as people may not be to familiar with, but nevertheless are able to understand on some level. J.D Salinger, famous for the novel The Catcher in The Rye, proves this by giving us a glimpse into the mind of a young adolescent boy Holden who seems to be lost in his own mind. This novel greatly supports the man vs himself theme commonly found throughout contemporary literature. The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien truly expresses exactly what contemporary literature is. Tim OBrien skillfully places all his ideas and own experiences into this collection of stories that make this an excellent piece of contemporary literature. He does everything to make these stories feel as real as possible. Tim OBrien, which also happens to be the main characters name, does this by mixing reality with fiction, a technique commonly found throughout contemporary literature. From his own experiences of the Vietnam War he is able to capture the ugly truths and the harsh, raw, human emotions that real human beings feel. He expresses the dilemma people go through in making rash decisions, and the guilt and pain found in people who went to Vietnam, so accurately it causes one to almost feel these emotions themselves and allows the reader to connect on a level never really possible before the postmodern era. OBrien does an excellent job in making the novel feel as real as possible, which is not quite a necessary characteristic of contemporary literature, but is commonly used and effectively causes a richer literary experience. He said once A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth. He expresses this view through all the work he does. Although he did experience many of the things he speaks of on some level, he never lets his stories become more than fiction. It is the fiction that represents and reflects our world that makes the real impact on people. Literature is just another form of art. Art serves to represent parts of reality and allow us to see reality in ways we didnt before. The same applies to contemporary literature and the way Tim OBrien tries to capture his audience. His purpose is not to just tell his stories of the war, but to tell these stories in a way that will allow us to reflect and connect on our own lives. He said Its partly a story about what happens to men in a war, but more deeply it touches people to actually look at their own lives and childhoods. The reason that book ends not in the war, but with little Linda dying of brain cancer, is that that chapter is meant to move away from war to the lives of all of us. In doing this the war and its horrors serve as more than just stories of hardships and pain, but as well as a tool that allows these stories to truly serve a purpose. It is still unclear what time of impact our era will make on history, but it is clear however that contemporary literature is greatly rich, unique, and has a tremendous amount of potential to be a impacting literary period that people will continue to study even as time goes by. Postmodernism was the mark of a new age were true free expression was possible and as we moved into the 21st century it has continued to evolve into literature that is free of outside restrictions dropping the boundaries for authors allowing them to right about what they have on their mind or real issues and situations in our past and current world. This is the main reason why contemporary literature focuses so strongly on fiction. Simply because fiction is fiction it leaves a door open to infinite possibilities, and almost unimaginable stories that can move or reflect society and cause one to view the world not from the small aspect that it was shown in earlier eras, but rather from all angles and perspectiv es. Contemporary literature truly allows people to experience the full rich literary experience getting rid of the mind caging structure authors stuck to for so many years.

Male Pattern Baldness :: essays research papers

Male Pattern Baldness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness is a typical pattern of hair loss in men, which is for the most part caused by a single dominant autosomal gene. Other factors include the male hormone androgen, age, and genetic predisposition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each month the scalp hair grows at an average rate of half an inch. Every hair has an approximate lifetime of four to seven years, which after this it falls out and is replaced by a new hair. For the most part, 15% of hair is growing, while the 85% of the hair rest. This wide spread disease effects about 2/3 of the worlds male population at some point or another. Generally, hair loss begins to start around the age of 30 at the temples. Never the less, the condition is more of a psychological problem than a medical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The condition androgenic alopecia is the result of the androgen on the hair follicles that have genetic receptor sites, in other words male pattern baldness is resulted by the presence of endocrine hormones (like testosterone) on the hair follicle (which is where the hair is produced) that have genetic receptor sites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Male pattern baldness usually is a symmetrical disease, so if there is a non-symmetrical area of baldness, it is not the cause of androgenic alopecia. The typical pattern begins of occur at the hairline, then over time forms an “M';. The crown also begins to become thinner, as does the existing hair. Eventually, the “m'; meets the thinned crown and forms the most common bald shape, the horseshoe. Currently, there are no treatments for male pattern baldness, so the condition is permanent.

Discuss what air cargo carriers are doing to assist in the quest to find alternate fuel sources?

1) Discuss what air cargo carriers are doing to assist in the quest to find alternate fuel sources? The usual practice of air cargo carriers was to pass the high cost of aviation fuel to passengers via surcharges. Nevertheless, this industry is currently facing huge decline in profits due to the overnight doubling of fuel prices. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) profit forecast, airlines and air cargo carriers can incur a loss of as much as $5 billion at the prevailing fuel prices (Logistics Business Review, 2009).To overcome the challenges posed by the rising fuel cost, air cargo carriers are exploring the option of finding alternative fuel sources. Towards this end, they are liaising with organizations like the Air Transport Association(ATA) and Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuel Initiative (CAAFI) who, according to ATA, are currently â€Å"coordinating work on the research and development of alternative jet fuels, including technical specification s, environmental aspects, production and distribution†(ATA, 2009; para. ). By liaising with these organizations, air cargo carriers are actively participating in meeting the objective of ensuring constant supply of affordable aviation fuel.This is because these organizations are involved in educating â€Å"potential fuel suppliers on the aviation fuel supply process – including airline operations as well as distribution and logistics considerations – to further ensure the reliable delivery of alternative jet fuel(Air Transport Association, 2009; para. 0), as well as in working with â€Å"potential suppliers to identify commercial terms and strategies that individual suppliers and purchasers might adopt to accelerate deployment† (Air Transport Association, 2009; para 12). Another strategy adopted by air cargo carriers in their search for alternative fuel sources include is to add more fleets of fuel efficient planes in their stock of commercial jets (Logis tics Business Review, 2009).The point to note here is that it is expected that these strategies explained here will enable air cargo carriers to improve their deteriorating financial position, and to become more efficient, more competitive and more profitable. It is assumed that a healthy air cargo industry not only facilitates domestic and international trade but will equally provide the needed jobs to the populace. 2) Post a current air cargo article in the Bulletin Board Discussion forum and add your comments. Current Air Cargo ArticleIATA: Air cargo drop may have found its floor Source: Retrieved March 29, 2009 from http://www. btimes. com. my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/airo26f/Article/index_html GENEVA: International air cargo traffic fell 22. 1 per cent in February compared with the same month a year ago, but the decline in freight may have found its floor, the airline industry body IATA said yesterday. Freight demand is considered a key barometer for the health of global tr ade, which has weakened considerably in response to the world's economic downturn and credit crisis.The February decline was the third consecutive month with cross-border cargo volumes far below the previous year levels, following a 23. 2 per cent year-on-year drop in January and a 22. 6 per cent decline in December. â€Å"We may have found a bottom to the freight decline, but the magnitude of the drop means that it will take time to recover,† IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement. Freight demand in Asia, the region most affected by the decline in shipments, fell 24. 7 per cent year-on-year in February, the Geneva-based group said.Japanese exports have almost halved from February 2008, it said. Air passenger traffic also declined last month, but less sharply than cross-border cargo. Overall passenger volumes fell 10. 1 per cent below February 2008 levels, following a 5. 6 per cent year-on-year fall in January, IATA said. Asia-Pacific carriers saw a 12. 8 per cent drop, North American airlines carried 12 per cent fewer passengers and Europe's recorded traffic down 10. 1 per cent, matching the global average.Latin American passenger traffic was slightly stronger, with only a 3. per cent drop, and in the Middle East it was up 0. 4 per cent. IATA, which represents 230 airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, United Airlines and Emirates, said earlier this week that airlines would lose US$4. 7 billion (US$1 = RM3. 63) this year as a result of the economic downturn that has kept people and cargo from flying. Its traffic data excludes domestic flights. – Reuters Comments This article discussed the current issues facing the air cargo service industry – the decline in business and revenue as a result of decrease in customer patronage.According to this article, IATA reported that, compared to the figures obtained for the month of February the previous year, the international cargo traffic fell by as much as 22. 1 pe r cent this current year (IATA, 2009). The article went ahead to identify four markets that were hard hit by this fall in cargo traffic and revenue. These markets included the Asian market, North American market, European market, and Latin American markets. In addressing the Asian market, the article noted that â€Å"Freight demand in Asia, the region most affected by the decline in shipments, fell 24. per cent year-on-year in February†¦ Air passenger traffic also declined last month, but less sharply than cross-border cargo. †(IATA, 2009; para. 5). For the other markets, the article reported that â€Å"Asia-Pacific carriers saw a 12. 8 per cent drop, North American airlines carried 12 per cent fewer passengers and Europe's recorded traffic down 10. 1 per cent, matching the global average.Latin American passenger traffic was slightly stronger, with only a 3. 8 per cent drop, and in the Middle East it was up 0. per cent† (IATA, 2009; para . 8). The article went ahe ad to explain that the current challenges facing the industry was precipitated by the global economic and credit crises which had tended to discourage people from patronizing both the air cargo service companies and passenger airlines. This article is thus an â€Å"eye opener because it exposed the financial troubles of the air cargo service industry – and industry that is considered by the less-informed to be immune to economic recession.

Identify Opportunity Costs

Identify Opportunity Costs Unlike most costs discussed in economics, an opportunity cost doesnt necessarily involve money. The opportunity cost of any action is simply the next best alternative to that action: What you would have done if you didnt make the choice that you made? The notion of opportunity cost is critical to the idea that the true cost of anything is the sum of all the things that you have to give up. Opportunity cost  considers only the next best  alternative to an action, not the entire set of alternatives, and takes into account all of the differences between the two choices. We  actually deal  with the concept of opportunity cost every day. For example, options for a day off work might include going to the movies, staying home to watch a baseball game, or going out to coffee with friends. Choosing to go to the movies means the opportunity cost of that action is the second choice. Explicit Versus Implicit Opportunity Costs Generally, making choices includes two types of cost: explicit and implicit. Explicit costs are monetary expenses, while implicit costs are intangible and therefore hard to account for. In some cases, such as weekend plans, the notion of opportunity cost includes only these forgone alternatives or implicit costs. But in others, such as a businesss profit maximization, opportunity cost refers to the difference in the  total of this type of implicit cost and the more typical explicit monetary cost between the first choice and the next best alternative. Analyzing Opportunity Costs The concept of opportunity cost is particularly important because, in economics, almost all business costs include some quantification of opportunity cost. To make decisions, we must consider benefits and costs, and we often do this through marginal analysis. Firms maximize profits by weighing marginal revenue against marginal cost. What will make the most money when considering the operating costs?  The opportunity cost of an investment would involve the difference between the return on the chosen investment and the return on the other investment. Likewise, individuals weigh personal opportunity costs in everyday life, and these often include as many implicit costs as explicit. For example, weighing job offers  includes  analyzing more perks than just wages. A higher-paying job isnt always the chosen option because when you factor in benefits like health care, time off, location, work duties, and happiness, a lower-paying job might be a better fit. In this scenario, the difference in wages would be part of the opportunity cost, but not all of it. Likewise, working additional hours at a job offers more in wages earned but comes at the expense of more time to do things outside of work, which is an opportunity cost of employment.

Hamlet Summary, Act-by-Act

Hamlet Summary, Act-by-Act William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet takes place in Elsinore, Denmark after the death of King Hamlet. The tragedy tells the story of Prince Hamlets moral struggle after his father’s ghost tells him that Claudius, Prince Hamlets uncle, murdered the king. Act I The play begins on a cold night with the changing of the guard. King Hamlet has died, and his brother Claudius has taken the throne. However, for the past two nights, the guards (Francisco and Bernardo) have seen a restless ghost resembling the old king wandering the castle grounds. They inform Hamlet’s friend Horatio of what theyve seen. The next morning, the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude, the wife of the late king, takes place. When the room clears, Hamlet soliloquizes on his disgust at their union, which he views as a betrayal of his father at best and, at worst, incest. Horatio and the guards enter and tell Hamlet to meet the ghost that night. Meanwhile, Laertes, the son of the kings advisor Polonius, is getting ready for school. He says goodbye to his sister Ophelia, who is romantically interested in Hamlet. Polonius enters and lectures Laertes extensively on how to behave at school. Both father and son then warn Ophelia about Hamlet; in response, Ophelia promises to no longer see him. That night, Hamlet meets the ghost, who claims to be the ghost of the king- Hamlets father. The ghost says that he was murdered by Claudius, that Claudius put poison in his ear while he slept, and that Gertrude slept with Claudius even before his death. The ghost orders Hamlet to avenge the murder, but not to punish his mother. Hamlet agrees. Later, he informs Horatio and Marcellus, one of the guards, that he will pretend to be mad until he can get his revenge. Act II Polonius sends a spy, Reynaldo, to France to keep an eye on Laertes. Ophelia enters and tells Polonius that Hamlet entered her room in a mad state, grabbing her wrists and staring wildly into her eyes. She also adds that she has cut off all contact with Hamlet. Polonius, certain that Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia and that it was Ophelias rejection that put him in this state, decides to meet the king to concoct a plan to spy on Hamlet in conversation with Ophelia. Meanwhile, Gertrude has asked Hamlet’s school friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to try to figure out the cause of his madness. Hamlet is suspicious of them, and he evades their questions. Soon, a theatre troupe arrives, and Hamlet requests that the following night they perform a certain play, The Murder of Gonzago, with a few passages inserted written by Hamlet. Alone on stage, Hamlet voices his frustration about his own indecisiveness. He decides he must figure out if the ghost is truly his father or if it is a specter leading him to sin without reason. Because the play depicts of a king who kills his brother and marries his sister-in-law, Hamlet believes that the performance scheduled for the next night will make Claudius show his guilt. Act III Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia as she returns the gifts he gave her. They become confused when Hamlet spurns her, telling her to go to a nunnery. Claudius concludes that the cause of Hamlets madness is not his love for Ophelia, and decides that he should send Hamlet away to England, unless Gertrude can figure out the true cause. During the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, Claudius stops the action just after the scene in which poison is poured into the kings ear. Hamlet tells Horatio he is now certain that Claudius murdered his father. In the next scene, Claudius attempts to pray in church, but his guilt prevents him from doing so. Hamlet enters and readies himself to kill Claudius, but stops when he realizes that Claudius might go to heaven if he is killed while praying. Gertrude and Hamlet have a bitter fight in her bedchamber. When Hamlet hears a noise behind the tapestry, he stabs the intruder: it is Polonius, who dies. The ghost appears again, rebuking Hamlet for his harsh words against his mother. Gertrude, who cannot see the ghost, becomes certain that Hamlet is mad. Hamlet drags Polonius’s body offstage. Act IV Hamlet jokes with Claudius about killing Polonius; Claudius, fearing for his own life, orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to bring Hamlet to England. Claudius has prepared letters telling the English king to kill Hamlet when he arrives. Gertrude is told that Ophelia has gone mad with the news of her father’s death. Ophelia enters, sings a number of strange songs, and speaks of her father’s death, insinuating that her brother Laertes will get revenge. Soon, Laertes enters and demands Polonius. When Claudius tells Laertes that Polonius he is dead, Ophelia enters with a bundle of flowers, each one symbolic. Laertes, upset by his sister’s state, promises to listen to Claudius’s explanation. A messenger approaches Horatio with a letter from Hamlet. The letter explains that Hamlet snuck onto a pirate vessel that attacked them; after they parted, the pirates mercifully agreed to take him back to Denmark in return for some favors. Meanwhile, Claudius has convinced Laertes to join him against Hamlet. A messenger arrives with a letter for Claudius from Hamlet, announcing his return. Quickly, Claudius and Laertes plot how to kill Hamlet without upsetting Gertrude or the people of Denmark, with whom Hamlet is popular. The two men agree to arrange a duel. Laertes acquires a poison blade, and Claudius plans to give Hamlet a poisoned goblet. Gertrude then enters with news that Ophelia has drowned, reigniting Laertes’s anger. Act V While digging Ophelia’s grave, two gravediggers discuss her apparent suicide. Hamlet and Horatio enter, and a gravedigger introduces him to a skull: Yorick, the old king’s jester whom Hamlet loved. Hamlet considers the nature of death. The funeral procession interrupts Hamlet; Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes are among the entourage. Laertes jumps into his sister’s grave and demands to be buried alive. Hamlet reveals himself and brawls with Laertes, exclaiming that he loved Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers could. After Hamlet’s exit, Claudius reminds Laertes of their plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet explains to Horatio that he read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s letters, rewrote one demanding the beheading of his former friends, and swapped the letters before escaping on the pirate ship. Osric, a courtier, interrupts with news of Laertes’s duel. At the court, Laertes takes up the poisoned blade. After the first point, Hamlet refuses the poisoned drink from Claudius, from which Gertrude then takes a sip. While Hamlet is unguarded, Laertes wounds him; they grapple and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned blade. Just then, Gertrude collapses, exclaiming she has been poisoned. Laertes confesses the plan he shared with Claudius, and Hamlet wounds Claudius with the poisoned blade, killing him. Laertes asks for Hamlet’s forgiveness, and dies. Hamlet asks Horatio to explain his story and declares Fortinbras the next king of Denmark, then dies. Fortinbras enters, and Horatio promises to tell the story of Hamlet. Fortinbras agrees to hear it, declaring that Hamlet will be buried as a soldier.

Free Essays on Fats Wallers

Ain’t Misbehavin’ No one to talk to; all by myself; no one to walk with, But I'm happy on the shelf. Ain't misbehaving I'm saving my love for you. I know for certain the one I love. I'm through with flirting It's just you that I'm thinking of. Ain't misbehaving I'm saving my love for you. Like Jack Horner in the corner-don't go nowhere What do I care? Your kisses are worth waiting for, believe me. I don't stay out late, don't care to go I'm home about eight. Just me and my radio. Ain't misbehaving, I'm saving my love for you. This is a first person narrator and can be a man or woman singing the song because it is simply talking about not â€Å"misbehavin’† on their significant other. The narrator is speaking seriously about missing their significant other; thinking about them, writing a letter or talking to their loved one directly. The speaker is sad and is waiting for their loved one to return. The speaker wants the object of their love to know that they will stay faithful and that there is no need to worry about them going behind their back with someone else. The speaker makes reference to Jack Horner and I have no idea who that man is so this song must be written quite a long time ago. The last line also makes a reference to a radio, which means this song was definitely written before television because the reference would have been television instead of radio. The lyrics hint at a possible incident or incidents of unfaithfulness because the speaker would not be singing this sad song about being faithful if there was not an incident. The speaker is also trying to convince their loved on that they are their one and only love and even though there has been â€Å"flirting† there will not be anymore. â€Å"I know for certain the one I love. I'm through with flirting. It's just you that I'm thinking of.† Whether or not their loved one will believe them is another song, but it does seem like t... Free Essays on Fats Waller's Free Essays on Fats Waller's Ain’t Misbehavin’ No one to talk to; all by myself; no one to walk with, But I'm happy on the shelf. Ain't misbehaving I'm saving my love for you. I know for certain the one I love. I'm through with flirting It's just you that I'm thinking of. Ain't misbehaving I'm saving my love for you. Like Jack Horner in the corner-don't go nowhere What do I care? Your kisses are worth waiting for, believe me. I don't stay out late, don't care to go I'm home about eight. Just me and my radio. Ain't misbehaving, I'm saving my love for you. This is a first person narrator and can be a man or woman singing the song because it is simply talking about not â€Å"misbehavin’† on their significant other. The narrator is speaking seriously about missing their significant other; thinking about them, writing a letter or talking to their loved one directly. The speaker is sad and is waiting for their loved one to return. The speaker wants the object of their love to know that they will stay faithful and that there is no need to worry about them going behind their back with someone else. The speaker makes reference to Jack Horner and I have no idea who that man is so this song must be written quite a long time ago. The last line also makes a reference to a radio, which means this song was definitely written before television because the reference would have been television instead of radio. The lyrics hint at a possible incident or incidents of unfaithfulness because the speaker would not be singing this sad song about being faithful if there was not an incident. The speaker is also trying to convince their loved on that they are their one and only love and even though there has been â€Å"flirting† there will not be anymore. â€Å"I know for certain the one I love. I'm through with flirting. It's just you that I'm thinking of.† Whether or not their loved one will believe them is another song, but it does seem like t...

Law of Tort Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Tort Master - Case Study Example Stevenson (1932). It is well established that an employers owes a duty of care to his employee. In a negligence action, the employee will have to show that the employer's conduct fell below the standard that could be expected of reasonable employer. Because of the indirect relationship between Harry's wife and the three companies, the neighbour test should be considered. The courts will consider the interests of the victims whilst being fair to the said negligent parties. This brings in the question of sufficient relationship of proximity between the plaintiff and the defendant. 1 Proximity', does not mean physical. It is based on reasonable foreasibility. For example in Donoghue V Stevenson (1932). P's friend purchased a bottle of ginger beer manufactured by D and gave it to P. P drank most of the bottle but then noticed the decomposed remains of a snail in the bottom of the bottle. P subsequently became ill and sued D in negligence. D's defence was that he did not owe a duty of care to P because there was not contract between D and P. (Purchaser was P's friend) It was held that a contractual link should no longer be the unliquidated - damages determined by the court and previously not agreed by parties test for determining whether or not a duty of cares was owed. The House of Lords stated that a duty of care is owed to any person who we can reasonably foresee will be injured by our acts or omissions. The court described such persons as 'neighbours'. It was held that D could reasonably foresee that somebody apart from the original purchaser may consume his product and therefore P was held liable. 2 In the same argument, Betty could claim that despite not loving a contractual link with the three companies, they are liable for her injury. The plaintiff must show that as a result of breach of duty, she has suffered some damage: a) The damage must be caused to a substantial extent by the defendant's conduct. b) The damage must be sufficiently closely related to the negligent act, it must not be too remote. c) In most cases, the damage must be either physical injury to the plaintiff's person or property or economic loss consequential upon. The said breached duty of care by the three companies to Betty Bloke is arising due to their relationship with her husband, Harry. Harry worked for the three companies in a period of 35 years. He was employed by the companies. This implies there was a contract of employment between the companies and Harry Bloke, either expressly or otherwise. The contract of employment is a contract of service and not for services. Under a contract of service, a person places his/ her labour at the disposal of another and thus the relationship is constituted of employer and employee e.g. in the case of a chauffeur. In contract for services, the relationship is that of employer and independent contractor e.g. in the case of a taxi - driver. This distinction is important to determine general liability of torts within employment. (Dobson, P and Schnithoff, 1991). The employment protection (consolidation) Act 1978, (E.P.C 1978) S. 153 (1)

Civil Rights Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Civil Rights Act - Research Paper Example Even in the process of passing the Act many opposed it, but at the end of the day, it succeeded and brought with it a new perspective to Americans. It played a vital role in the aspect of racial, gender and religious discrimination in the different sectors. It is essential to look back on how the policy was established in order to assess the usefulness and the importance of the policy today. Background of the Issue During the early years in the 1960s, there was evidently unequal treatment of and opportunities for Blacks and Whites who resided in America. There was an invisible line that prevented the Blacks from securing any governmental position. They have even experienced discrimination within public and private establishments. In relation to this, during the 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama was considered as the most racist place in the U.S. Many of the discriminatory acts against African Americans were done within the limits of the state. In May 2, 1963, a march against the racist stat e was held by more than a thousand of African-American children. The protest was aired over national television and Kennedy, along with the world, witnessed how the protest was stopped by the police. The police used dogs against the children as they knocked the children out with sprays (Vox). It became a window for Kennedy to understand how racism and discrimination could lead people to hurt and even try to kill children. With this on hand, on June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy announced on national television that he was urging people to take part in the equal treatment of every individual of different races. After his plea, Kennedy suggested that the Congress should implement a law that would cater to every individual. The law suggested was to address racial discrimination, the voting rights, the right to education and the right of every individual for federal assistance. However, Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 which could have caused a delay in the passing of the Act. Nonetheless, the assassination of Kennedy did not deter the implementation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the vice president, Lyndon Johnson became the president. He signed it into law on the same day it was approved by the House. It took only a few months prior to the signing of the act into a law in July of 1964 (â€Å"Civil Rights Act†). The passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not immediately end discrimination and inequality among the other races who resided in America. However, there were profound changes that led to the enhancement of the rights of Asians, Blacks, Latinos and women. Prior to the passing of the Act, there was a local and state law on color segregation, which allowed business owners and local government agencies not accommodate Asians, Blacks, Latinos and other races. However, the Act’s greatest achievement was the ending of this segregation and in return, allowed other races to sue public and private establishments that discr iminated or violated their rights. Furthermore, equal employment was also established, which did not allow discrimination in race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the workplace, during the hiring process, promotion and dismissal of employees. During this time, employment and incomes of Asians, Blacks, Latinos and women rose along with the median income of the families (Hartford; â€Å"

Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case study - Research Paper Example The attending physician decided to put her to sleep by administering sedative. Not wanting to give sedative for fears of developing addiction, the doctor advised Angel’s parents to consult a psychologist. During the talk with the psychologist, the couple narrated that their daughter only manifested this reaction once, a day after they came back from the hospital because Angel was confined when she sprained her left ankle due to a biking accident. The couple also reported that their daughter had previous episodes of being tachypnic upon the sight of injection and fainting shortly afterwards, even after the administration of shot. The couple thought these were because of Angel’s diabetes, and did not pay any attention to them. Because of Angel’s young age, the pain might be the major contributing and the primary factor for her trypanophobia (Deacon and Abramowitz, 2006). However, the fear of fainting might have exacerbated the condition, and may have made the fear of needles more life-threatening (Du et al., 2008). Because of this, it is the fear of pain that should be important to be addressed first. Angel might have been classically conditioned of experiencing pain with her every injection. The classical conditioning theory suggests that the fear of needles is actually a protective response against pain. In this scenario, the elicited response is fear. The unconditioned stimulus causing fear is when Angel feels pain, and the conditioned stimulus is the sight of syringes. Thus, after classical conditioning, Angel already associates pain with the syringes, and thus fears seeing syringes already (Scott, 2009). To reverse the fear brought about by classical conditioning, a classical extinction should be performed. In this method, the unconditioned stimulus, which is pain, should be unlinked to the sight of the syringes. This can be performed by vicarious learning approach, in which Angel will learn not to fear the syringe by looking at

Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual Assignment - Essay Example People claim that this practice is as aged as men who began to trade and that it is and will continuously evolve as time lapses (Poullaos 2009). Performing a thorough examination of the past facets and bringing it juxtapose the present conditions of accounting, one can deduce significant transformation in numerous aspect. In this report, the focuses of the course of discussion are the accustomed application of the complex process of accounting and the distinctness of its practice over the country of Poland. As a conclusion, there will be a culmination of the present predicaments and reality of accounting in the selected region, the road with which has lead to that and the possible expectations of the changes to come. 2.0 Poland’s Accounting System As with all systems, there is a wide variety of definite influences and factors in accounting that serves an important purpose and gives rise to the fulfillment of certain functions. To gain a comprehensive knowledge of these importa nt factors, an individual must first probe into the past of the subject and consider the historical occurrences and circumstances that molded the topic into what it is at the present. According to related literature, accounting had many influences from the country of Poland. ... The accounting theory that originated from their region gave rise to an argument as to should have been declared as the rightful creator of the significant contribution. This is an argument unsettled until the present day (Mattessich 2008). The country of Poland had no established organizations for accounting until the year of 1907 and will not resume progressive activity until the entry of the year 1930 because of the contemporary World War II (McGee 2008). Nevertheless, positioned in the midst of the absence of autonomy and disposed under the ruling of foreign countries—Russia, Prussia and Austria, the termination of the 19th century and the commencement of the 20th century was the indication of the Polish advancement in the textile, mechanical, chemical, mining as well as craft industry. As a consequence, so too shall accounting advance in their country. 3.0 Influences to Poland’s Accounting System 3.1 History of Poland’s Accounting System One of the superior and significant pillars of the country’s system of development of the accounting profession is Marcel Scheffs who became most popular from the year of 1936 to 1939.He was known for his belief of accounting as a science and not just a mere functional trade or an effective operative strategy widely used in the maintenance of a business and the growth of economy. Scheffs employed and connected various major studies such as the supremacy of philosophical perspectives as well as political principles to improve the accounting system in Poland (Mattessich 2008). As the year of 1950 approached, the people of Poland were to employ the Uniform Chart of Accounts. This was primarily used for its structure which adopted

Biochem Lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biochem Lit - Essay Example It was ascertained in this course of study that ChiB, a gene coding for endo Chitinase B, is in part responsible for induction of autolysis by flbA gene. Also though ChiB was found to be necessary for ∆flbA induced autolysis its overexpression did not accelerate or enhance hyphal disintegration thus suggesting that ChiB is necessary but not sufficient for autolysis in submerge-cultured A.nidulans. Alamar Blue reduction test which corresponds to the activity of the living cell mitochondria was employed to assess the dispensability of ChiB gene in autolysis. By AB reduction it was seen that both Wild Type strain and ChiB deletion ∆ChiB mutant showed the same death pattern from day 1 to day 8. Thus though ChiB was required for autolysis it was not totally essential. To study the proteins involved in autolysis, the proteins upregulated in ∆flbA and ∆flbA∆ChiB were studied and five proteins were found to be upregulated. These were identified as chitinase (Chi B), dipeptidyl peptidase V (DppV), O-glycosyl compound hydrolase, -N-acetylhexosaminidase (NagA), and myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (InoB) on SDS PAGE after Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy. Off these 5 proteing NagA was speculated to be associated with cell death. This was because ∆NagA mutant showed a significantly higher percentage reduction in Alamar Blue as compared to other proteins on day 2 of incubation indicating more viable cells. The absence of InoB or AN2395.2 (a probable hydrolase) was seen to cause accelerated cell death and disorganization of mycelial pellets suggesting that these proteins might be needed for the controlled progression of cell death. FlbA gene negatively controls G protein mediated proliferation signaling likely by acting as GTPase activating protein for FadAGÃŽ ±. It was also concluded in other studies that FadA and SfaD signaling negatively regulate the cell wall chitin content and cell wall structure in A.nidulans. FadA was also found to mediate

Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Methods - Assignment Example There are two main research methods used in the business field, which are the qualitative and quantitative research methods; their use depends on different scenarios and the type of data that is required. Qualitative research methods are meant to help the researcher in understanding how people make decisions. This is achieved by evaluating the cultural and social contexts that describe the environment in which such people are situated (Myers, 2013). On the other hand, quantitative research was developed from natural sciences in understanding natural phenomena; the research approach uses numbers to represent values in constructing theoretical concepts. Interpreting such numbers is a strong scientific based method of understanding how a process actually works, and allows greater reliability as data collected offers a better trend of relations between two variables (Myers, 2013). This report uses a qualitative and a quantitative article in management to show how each research methodolog y applies in examining relationships between concepts. The report further determines the suitability of each methodology under differing research contexts. Holts (2011) uses a descriptive quantitative approach in determining the necessary behaviours, skills and practices that a pharmaceutical company would require to establish a reliable and effective leadership development program. The research involves collecting data from sales representatives and district managers. The two groups represent multi-level structures in an organization and offer reliable trends in the behaviour of sales persons in the company. Case studies as in Holts case may be said to be, â€Å"an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context† (Yin 2003, p.13). In other words, the study is aimed at investigating the dynamics that manifest in a single research setting, in this case examining actions taken by sales persons in a pharmaceutical company. The author ai ms at tracing operational links and their impacts on sales representatives. In addition, the research establishes ‘how’ the company may use skills of the experienced sales persons in formulating a training program for new personnel in the future. Holts first offers a background on how companies formulate different approaches to structure leadership development programs, and forms a problem statement based on this introduction. The research problem, which forms the basis of the article, is that companies lack enough knowledge on how to formulate effective leadership training programs. Holts justifies this problem by examining the benefits of forming a program based on the data from sales representatives and district managers, as they possess the required skills in marketing the company’s products. However, Holts in the conceptual framewor

Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual Assignment - Essay Example People claim that this practice is as aged as men who began to trade and that it is and will continuously evolve as time lapses (Poullaos 2009). Performing a thorough examination of the past facets and bringing it juxtapose the present conditions of accounting, one can deduce significant transformation in numerous aspect. In this report, the focuses of the course of discussion are the accustomed application of the complex process of accounting and the distinctness of its practice over the country of Poland. As a conclusion, there will be a culmination of the present predicaments and reality of accounting in the selected region, the road with which has lead to that and the possible expectations of the changes to come. 2.0 Poland’s Accounting System As with all systems, there is a wide variety of definite influences and factors in accounting that serves an important purpose and gives rise to the fulfillment of certain functions. To gain a comprehensive knowledge of these importa nt factors, an individual must first probe into the past of the subject and consider the historical occurrences and circumstances that molded the topic into what it is at the present. According to related literature, accounting had many influences from the country of Poland. ... The accounting theory that originated from their region gave rise to an argument as to should have been declared as the rightful creator of the significant contribution. This is an argument unsettled until the present day (Mattessich 2008). The country of Poland had no established organizations for accounting until the year of 1907 and will not resume progressive activity until the entry of the year 1930 because of the contemporary World War II (McGee 2008). Nevertheless, positioned in the midst of the absence of autonomy and disposed under the ruling of foreign countries—Russia, Prussia and Austria, the termination of the 19th century and the commencement of the 20th century was the indication of the Polish advancement in the textile, mechanical, chemical, mining as well as craft industry. As a consequence, so too shall accounting advance in their country. 3.0 Influences to Poland’s Accounting System 3.1 History of Poland’s Accounting System One of the superior and significant pillars of the country’s system of development of the accounting profession is Marcel Scheffs who became most popular from the year of 1936 to 1939.He was known for his belief of accounting as a science and not just a mere functional trade or an effective operative strategy widely used in the maintenance of a business and the growth of economy. Scheffs employed and connected various major studies such as the supremacy of philosophical perspectives as well as political principles to improve the accounting system in Poland (Mattessich 2008). As the year of 1950 approached, the people of Poland were to employ the Uniform Chart of Accounts. This was primarily used for its structure which adopted

Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Methods - Assignment Example There are two main research methods used in the business field, which are the qualitative and quantitative research methods; their use depends on different scenarios and the type of data that is required. Qualitative research methods are meant to help the researcher in understanding how people make decisions. This is achieved by evaluating the cultural and social contexts that describe the environment in which such people are situated (Myers, 2013). On the other hand, quantitative research was developed from natural sciences in understanding natural phenomena; the research approach uses numbers to represent values in constructing theoretical concepts. Interpreting such numbers is a strong scientific based method of understanding how a process actually works, and allows greater reliability as data collected offers a better trend of relations between two variables (Myers, 2013). This report uses a qualitative and a quantitative article in management to show how each research methodolog y applies in examining relationships between concepts. The report further determines the suitability of each methodology under differing research contexts. Holts (2011) uses a descriptive quantitative approach in determining the necessary behaviours, skills and practices that a pharmaceutical company would require to establish a reliable and effective leadership development program. The research involves collecting data from sales representatives and district managers. The two groups represent multi-level structures in an organization and offer reliable trends in the behaviour of sales persons in the company. Case studies as in Holts case may be said to be, â€Å"an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context† (Yin 2003, p.13). In other words, the study is aimed at investigating the dynamics that manifest in a single research setting, in this case examining actions taken by sales persons in a pharmaceutical company. The author ai ms at tracing operational links and their impacts on sales representatives. In addition, the research establishes ‘how’ the company may use skills of the experienced sales persons in formulating a training program for new personnel in the future. Holts first offers a background on how companies formulate different approaches to structure leadership development programs, and forms a problem statement based on this introduction. The research problem, which forms the basis of the article, is that companies lack enough knowledge on how to formulate effective leadership training programs. Holts justifies this problem by examining the benefits of forming a program based on the data from sales representatives and district managers, as they possess the required skills in marketing the company’s products. However, Holts in the conceptual framewor

Reasons for the Fall of the Western Roman Empire Essay Example for Free

Reasons for the Fall of the Western Roman Empire Essay There are many pieces of writing containing facts and inferences about the reasons of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. After reading selections from a number of writings on this topic, it is somewhat clear what the main reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire were. The vast majority of the people in those times believed that the old civilization was not worth saving, and that contributed to the fall of the empire, according to Gatzke from what he wrote in a textbook. Another more arguable reason for the fall of the empire is that it was simply too big. Because of its vast size, it was difficult to control and maintain order. Christianity was legalized when Constantine converted to it when he was the Roman Emperor. The introduction of Christianity was another heavy blow to the empire, because Christianity discouraged the active virtues of the society at that time, killed off military spirit, and some public and private wealth was consecrated to Charity. The Roman Empire was so vast because of how many battles it fought in and won. When the empire was out for expansion, they gained conquered territory and used the new resources (such as plundered wealth and markets) to fuel the prosperity, but when the empire ceased to expand, economic progress also ceased. The Roman Empire could not afford to slow economic progress however, because the government had very large expenses, most of which were created by the army and the bureaucracy. The army had its own internal problems rather than just economic. Another factor that contributes to the fall of the Western Roman Empire is that there was a shortage of children, and foreigners began to pour in to be apart of Romes army, soon the Roman empire was composed mostly of Germans. This was internal decay. In an attempt to pay the large expenses owed, the government raised taxes on the people, and this only made matters worse. The effects of high taxation on the people were pretty disastrous, people lost hope and left their responsibilities, tenants fled from farms and businessmen fled from their occupations, private enterprise was crushed, and the state was forced to  take over many kinds of business to keep things going. Welfare was introduced, and although it seems good to society today, back then it made things worse for the empire. People stopped being so self-reliant, and they expected something for doing nothing, basically they were made lazy.

Example Statement of Purpose Teacher

Example Statement of Purpose Teacher The genesis of my intense interest in education, an interest which has now evolved into an aspiration and a pursuit for a career in the field, happened during my undergraduate studies, while I was a student of humanities. Eventually became the primary motivation for graduate and now for further Studies in Education Language, Culture Teaching at YORK University. My desire of further study in Education is derived from the need of our people and their welfare. Since 2003, once I completed my MSc in Psychology choose the profession of teaching as a career. I started teaching in a secondary school where I was able to help students in their studies of psychology related subjects. I use to meet the students parents and try to find out how to make a healthy relationship between students and parents. As I believe on continuous learning when ever there is as opportunity either to learn new strategies or any sort of teachers training found my self engaged in it. It always fascinated me to help people to improve their Education standards, life style and facilitate them by provision of my expert opinion and guidance for them through my education and experience. I strongly believe that MEd Education is exactly the sort of qualification required though which improvement of the Education standard of communities through education can be achieved. It is also an effective tool to promote the awareness about fundamental issues, and facilitate research to find different methods of teaching. It is to improve the education and well being of people with in the local communities and across the nation and different civilizations. It helps to facilitate people who are not fortunate enough to acquire the fruitful education system and well being. Education Language, Culture and teaching are an exciting and growing field of study. The field challenges its professionals to confront complex teaching methods, such as improvements access of education, and strong emphasis on the study of strategies to improve individuality with close attention to the cultural context. With the help of this degree I may seek to acquire or extend my knowledge and skills in early intervention (0 3 years), preschool programming (0 5 years), family services and public policy for children and families. Education studies are a diverse and dynamic field. As professionals come from varying educational backgrounds and can specialize in different fields. It is a very popular field geared toward serving others. These professionals then can better serve local, national, and international communities. They are leaders who meet the many exciting challenges in protecting the bad affects on study today and in the future. Not only for wellbeing but it is a reward ing field as well. The field of education offers great personal fulfillment working towards improving education standards and be able to suggest the learners the right way. YORK University of Toronto has the richest environment of latest facilities, courses and research facilities available. Making this degree from York University is the most urgent priority in my life. I became aware of Universitys Education programe and the degree that university offers fit exactly what I need and the goals in my professional carrier which I want to achieve. I regard this degree as a tool which will help me to make best changes in society and economy. Attending the degree is a major step preparing for a bright successful future in the Teaching. It is right time to start something innovative and to reach new goals in my life. The purpose to apply for a place at your university is precisely to acquire the depth of knowledge and sophistication of methodology to attain a superior level of expertise by way of strict training. In my previous academic background I have done my undergraduate study. I majored in Psychology because I have a keen interest in psychological disorder. I attained my undergraduate degree form Punjab University Lahore. I was outstanding both at academic courses and extracurricular activities. I was  among the best five in a class of 25. I acted as the assistant to the editor-in-chief  of the school literary newspaper. I am also in-charge of Student First Aid. During my Graduate Study in Psychology from Punjab University, I was among the best 5 in a class of 20. But at that time I begin to feel my needs for self-development in Psychology are not being satisfied because of the lack of necessary latest equipments and facilities available for research and development in this field. The lack of the latest  collection of books on psychology and researches facilities in our library also affected my systematic research. After postgraduate, I have completed different case studies on Educational  Psychology, on social Psychology and Muslim psychology. I also made a notebook on statistical psychology. During my Postgraduate study I visit Fountain House Mental Hospital, Lahore and different Psychiatry department for taking the case history and research findings. After finishing my graduate study in 2002 I start teaching in The  Educators School Lahore which is the project of Beacon house school system Pakistan. I teach mathematics and science and psychology subjects. Now I am doing a job in The Lyceum as pre school teacher. During teaching, my achievements are as following In 2004 I was appointed as the leader of school Teaching. On this post, I make term-based teaching plan, organize discussion and assessment, and coordinate testing. I won the title Excellent Young Teacher awarded by The Educators   for the years 2004, and 2006 respectively. I also have a title of the good teacher prohibiting the Parents complaints The education is a field that offers an abundance of job opportunities to suit a variety of interests and skills. Whether you are more interested in crunching numbers, conducting research, or working with people, there is a place for you in the field of Education. Recent college graduates and those that have been in the field for years have something to offer and to gain in this field. It is ideal for those that gain satisfaction knowing that they are working to improve the lives of others. Once graduate the professionals can work in both public and private sector organizations. Many graduates find work in public sector in local, state, or federal teaching institutes. Also the jobs available are at different schools, day care center or pre-school. Another great opportunity Is to avail the opportunity of working as researchers. Those interested in working for a non-profit organization can find jobs in NGO or research for organizations, or a local non-profit that focuses on specific Educational issues. Achievements cant quench my thrust for self improvement my personal desire is to always go further. This study at your university does help me to find innovative ways to accomplish my goals and to realize my full potential in every aspect of my future professional carrier. I want to approach my carrier with the best possible qualification and study at your institute is essential to such development. Making this degree is the most urgent priority in my life. I became aware of University programmes that you offer. The degree fit exactly what I needed and the goals in my professional carrier which I want to achieve. I regard this degree as a tool which will help me to make best changes in society and economy. Attending the degree is a major step preparing for a bright successful future in the social world. It is right time to start something innovative and to reach new goals in my life. I had chosen this option and this carrier goal is based on my skills, interests and carrier possibilities. I always set up my carrier goals high enough. My ultimate goal is to be a professional and a better human being .I shall be thanking full to you for your kind consideration.

blacks in civil war Essay -- essays research papers

Slavery was abolished in this country over a hundred years ago but the consequences of this dark page in America's history are felt even today. This site was created to address those consequences, the political, social and cultural life of today's and yesterday's African Americans. What affect did the Civil War have on African Americans in the United States? Were they, as some argued, better off before the Civil War, or do the advances that blacks have made since then proved that the Civil War was indeed the turning point in the lives and opportunities of African Americans? These questions and more will be addressed in the following pagesWhen slaves were purchased off the ships from Africa, they ended up on plantations. The size and location of landholdings depended on the crop and the owner who purchased the slave. Most plantations were of the smaller variety and it was rare for an owner to have more than 20 slaves. Most housed only a handful of slaves, but no matter what the numbe rs, plantation life was pretty much the same for most slaves. Slaves were usually divided into two groups, the gang crew (usually male and did the field work) and the task crew (usually female and worked in the "big house"). The workday began around sunrise and always ended before dark except at busy times such as harvest. Slaves were not worked after dark for a number of reasons. First, the owners feared that escape would be easier; second, working after dark was considered an unwarranted burden on the slave; lastly, they believed that it impeded efficiency by reducing the hours of sleep the slave received. This is not to say the slave owners were compassionate. They saw the slaves not as humans but a business investment and only wanted to protect that investment. Slaves were not required to work on Sunday, as it was denounced as irreligious and a flagrant violation of the slave's deserved day of rest. However, they worked every other day, rain or shine. A reasonable day' s work meant a daily chore that while not back-breaking required a brisk pace to finish. Although whites believed that slaves could neither do as much nor continue to work as long as whites, both crews worked anywhere from 12-14 hours a day, with an hour or so for lunch at midday.After a long day in the field or the master's house, slaves were allowed to return to their families, a family much differen... ... portion of the South Carolina low-country rice fields for the exclusive settlement of freed people. Each family would receive forty acres of land and the loan of mules from the army--the origin, perhaps, of the famous 'forty acres and a mule' idea that would soon capture the imagination of African Americans throughout the South" (Faragher, 514). In this arrangement, the sharecropper would work a given section of plantation land. At the end of the harvest season, the owner would give the worker his "share" of the crop. Unfortunately for the African Americans, this ideal arrangement almost never worked out as it was designed due to manipulation of the system by the owner. During the year, the owner provided the worker and his family with housing, as described earlier, food, clothing, and medical care. Then the owner would make the worker pay for these "services" using his part of the harvest. More often than not, the worker ended up with nothing. Also, the re was no system of verification for the worker. When the owner presented the worker with his share of the harvest, the worker had to take the word of the owner that it was the actual share agreed upon. blacks in civil war Essay -- essays research papers Slavery was abolished in this country over a hundred years ago but the consequences of this dark page in America's history are felt even today. This site was created to address those consequences, the political, social and cultural life of today's and yesterday's African Americans. What affect did the Civil War have on African Americans in the United States? Were they, as some argued, better off before the Civil War, or do the advances that blacks have made since then proved that the Civil War was indeed the turning point in the lives and opportunities of African Americans? These questions and more will be addressed in the following pagesWhen slaves were purchased off the ships from Africa, they ended up on plantations. The size and location of landholdings depended on the crop and the owner who purchased the slave. Most plantations were of the smaller variety and it was rare for an owner to have more than 20 slaves. Most housed only a handful of slaves, but no matter what the numbe rs, plantation life was pretty much the same for most slaves. Slaves were usually divided into two groups, the gang crew (usually male and did the field work) and the task crew (usually female and worked in the "big house"). The workday began around sunrise and always ended before dark except at busy times such as harvest. Slaves were not worked after dark for a number of reasons. First, the owners feared that escape would be easier; second, working after dark was considered an unwarranted burden on the slave; lastly, they believed that it impeded efficiency by reducing the hours of sleep the slave received. This is not to say the slave owners were compassionate. They saw the slaves not as humans but a business investment and only wanted to protect that investment. Slaves were not required to work on Sunday, as it was denounced as irreligious and a flagrant violation of the slave's deserved day of rest. However, they worked every other day, rain or shine. A reasonable day' s work meant a daily chore that while not back-breaking required a brisk pace to finish. Although whites believed that slaves could neither do as much nor continue to work as long as whites, both crews worked anywhere from 12-14 hours a day, with an hour or so for lunch at midday.After a long day in the field or the master's house, slaves were allowed to return to their families, a family much differen... ... portion of the South Carolina low-country rice fields for the exclusive settlement of freed people. Each family would receive forty acres of land and the loan of mules from the army--the origin, perhaps, of the famous 'forty acres and a mule' idea that would soon capture the imagination of African Americans throughout the South" (Faragher, 514). In this arrangement, the sharecropper would work a given section of plantation land. At the end of the harvest season, the owner would give the worker his "share" of the crop. Unfortunately for the African Americans, this ideal arrangement almost never worked out as it was designed due to manipulation of the system by the owner. During the year, the owner provided the worker and his family with housing, as described earlier, food, clothing, and medical care. Then the owner would make the worker pay for these "services" using his part of the harvest. More often than not, the worker ended up with nothing. Also, the re was no system of verification for the worker. When the owner presented the worker with his share of the harvest, the worker had to take the word of the owner that it was the actual share agreed upon.

Experiencing Pain Essay example -- Health, Philosophy, Personal Experi

Most would agree that pain is an emotion we want to avoid; however, experiencing pain has the potential for insight, knowledge, and a new understanding of life that may not have been in realization. Through experiencing or living with pain, a proper understanding of value can perhaps be brought to things that may not have been valued in a pain free life. Because of pain, the true meaning of life, what it is like to live, and the value of oneself and others is to be within one’s control. Pain is a destructive force, yet it can strengthen the mind and the spirit. As stated in Virginia Woolf’s essay on Being Ill, the true beauty of the people and the real beauty of the earth can be seen through the eyes of those who are in pain. Also according to Woolf, pain can lead to spiritual divinity. From my understanding, the power of prayer to some people is not in belief until pain has overtaken the body of oneself or of a loved one. Pain seems to open the eyes of those who have not correctly lived their lives. Small things in life are regularly overlooked due to the busy and determined career oriented lifestyles. The joys of life come through the detail of the small gestures given or received. The golden rule of â€Å"treat others the way you want to be treated,† is important for people who want to lead a happy life. Until he was deathly ill, Ivan Ilyich, the main character in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, never appreciated the small things in life. His focus was narrowed to one topic. â€Å"Ivan made work the center gravity of his life† (50). Before anything else, including his marriage, Ivan’s work and analyzing way of living was of first priority. Neither Ivan nor his friends valued one another. Ivan’s family and friends treated Ivan ... ...ckily, she survived and my passenger and I survived with minor injuries. Not a day goes by where I do not think about what happened, but I know it happened for a reason. Getting through this painful situation made me a stronger willed person. Taking things for granted is what I do not do. I truly value my life and my family’s lives. A life can be taken away at any second. Giving thanks for the joy and love in life is something that needs to be done daily. Material items are replaceable, but what is irreplaceable is a human being. Memories made will last a lifetime, but the physical presence of a loved one will be gone. The best advice is to live life to the fullest and value the sentimental belongings, especially family and friends. Pain is not an ease, but it helps ease the minds of those who are most important with respect and insight to value.