RESEARCH ON THE JAPANESE YEN Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ON THE JAPANESE YEN - Research Paper Example Precisely, this theory argues that a unit current, for instance, the Yen must have the same purchasing power in a foreign country. The study uses the Japanese Yen together with other currencies in testing the PPP hypothesis and focuses on the empirical analysis from 1980 up to March 2013. This period is divided into three windows. The first window is what is referred to as the complete sample; the pre-crisis sample, which began in January 1980 and ended in August 2008, is the second window. The third window is referred to as the crisis sample, starting from September 2008 up to March 2013. The Japanese Yen among other currencies such as the Euro, the British pound and the U.S dollar are key currencies of the recent floating exchange rate period. In this regard, the first step of the study was to check for the stability of the real exchange rate prior to and after Lehman Brother’s crash in 2008. The empirical results showed that the real exchange rate is not constant for Japane se yen. For a proper evaluation of the problem under study this paper will comprise of various sections, including a brief literature review, the econometric methodology, data and empirical evidence, and lastly a summary of the findings and concluding remarks. The purchasing power theory dates back to several centuries ago, beginning with the Spanish doctors and the ‘Salamanca School’ of the 16th century who had crucial contributions to the economic theory (Laurentiu). They designed a quantitative money theory of the foreign exchange, which was based on diversity in purchasing power in various countries from observing the general effects on price levels, exchange rates and money supplies of large inflows of gold from the newly discovered continent, America. The celebrated Augustinian doctor, called ‘Doctor Navarrus came up with some outstanding contributions in

Culture and Healthcare in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture and Healthcare in America - Essay Example According to Loraine Magda (2007) "From academia to the applied sciences, medicine, law and politics, Western society operates from a paradigm firmly based on materialism with grave skepticism, and unless proven true by science, becomes relegated to the wasteland of wishful thinking." Most scientists believe that science starts with basic questions and as they try to answer, and develops the answers, it leads to further questions. When students are taught on this basic belief they ignore the interplay of science with society, and such training tends to obscure connection between science and society. Thomas Kuhn says "to acquire the status of a paradigm, a scientific achievement must offer sufficiently convincing resolutions of previously recognized problemsmust also have enough unresolved problems to provide the puzzles for subsequent research practice within the research tradition it comes to define" (Marshall1998).

The Price Elasticity Of Moisturizing Cream

The Price Elasticity Of Moisturizing Cream Considering the above table, we find that the quantity demanded has increased from P0 to P4. But we do not see a significant decrease in the price of the product. Does that mean that moisturizing cream is price inelastic? The answer to the question is NO. Moisturizing cream is definitely price elastic. But price is not the only factor that affects the demand of the cream. The other major factor that affects the quantity demanded is Advertising cost. Moisturizing cream can be considered as a non essential luxury durable good. According to Sethuram and Tellis ( in Farnham 2010,p 96), durable goods have lower price elasticity than non-durable goods. Usually consumers relate a higher price of durable good with a high quality. Hence they can pay higher price for a product. The non durable goods are more price elastic since consumers are not ready to pay more price for an item that will not last for a long time. According to the marketing study of Sethuraman and Tellis (in Farnham 2010 ; p 97) producers should concentrate their strategies on advertising policies for cosmetics, luxury goods and new products. Higher advertising cost will help in creation of brand value and increase the sales of the product. Higher advertising will project the superiority of the brand with respect to the other brands (if done correctly). As seen from the table, the demand curve drawn would have positive slope. A demand curve with positive slope is common in markets that exhibit Conspicuous Consumption and the products that are categorized as Veblen goods. In the game, the highest market shares were experienced by firms that had the highest advertising costs. Considering the performance of the best 2 firms on the basis of profit and market share for five periods of GRITAIN MOISTURIZING CREAM INDUSTRY: It can be clearly seen that the market share is influenced by the advertising cost. In P1, firm 38 had a market share of 32.8% though its price was much higher than firm 35. This shows that when the advertising is higher, the quantity demanded for products like moisturizing cream and other beauty products is higher, irrespective of the country. Let us analyse the elasticity of Cement by considering the PIELAND CEMENT INDUSTRY. Again considering the performance of the best 2 firms in the first five periods on the basis of market share and profit we have: On considering P2, it can be found out that the market share of firm 7 is much higher than its closest competitor firm 9 in spite of the fact that firm 9 spent heavily on advertising. This shows that consumers demand more units of cement if it is cheaper, making it highly price sensitive. It has a low price elasticity of demand. It was observed that making profit was highly difficult in the cement industry. A right mix of advertising and pricing strategy was required. A very low price would help in achieving a good market share but would make it very difficult to break even. According to Dr. Divina M. Edralin (2004) The cement industry is highly capital-intensive, as it needs substantial investments in fixed assets like plant and equipment. The industrys main product is characterized by low price elasticity of demand, limited shelf life, and expensive handling and transportation costs for imports. According to Dr Edralin, globalization has provided opportunities to transnational cement corporations to monopolize the worlds cement industry by managing the economies of scale because of their large capital investments and thus making it difficult for smaller domestic firms/factories producing cement. PART B: PRODUCTION AND COST ANALYSIS (SHORT RUN AND LONG RUN) SHORT RUN Considering the firm 28 in Pieland Moisturizing Cream Industry, the short run cost functions can be interpreted by looking at the total fixed and variable cost, average fixed and variable cost. The functioning of the firms of various industries from P0 to P4 can be considered as short run as the firms were not allowed to increase their capacity. Thus the capital input remains constant in those periods. Fixed Costs = Overhead costs + Interest on negative balance + advertising costs + depreciation (These costs are not related to the production). As advertising costs have increased because of managerial decisions, they can be categorized as discretionary-fixed costs. Depreciation is considered as a fixed cost because it is calculated on the basis of time and not on the basis of number of units that a machine produces. Variable costs = $2 per pot of moisturizing cream Depreciation is 5% per period Profit calculation was done as total revenue total costs If we combine the above two periods for firm 28, we have Total Revenue = 183200(period 1) + 252000(period 2) = $435200 Total Costs = 159800(period 1) + 191698(period 2) = $351498 Total Profit = $83702 Total sales = 46900 pots Profit per pot (combined P1 and P2)= $1.78 Profit for P1= 23400 (183200-159800) => Profit per pot = 23400/22900 = $1.02 Profit for P2=60302 (252000-191698) => Profit per pot = 60302/24000 = $2.51 As we can see, the profit has increased in the period 2. In real life situations where most of the durable products are quite price elastic, the managers have constraints of not increasing the product price (unlike the game). The costs of running the firm increases gradually as more competitors enter the industry and companies spend more on advertising costs. This costs the profits to reduce after some time and the firms are forced to innovate new products and strategies. This can be overcome by the economies of scale as well as by increasing the price per unit. In a luxury non-essential item such as moisturizing cream, it can be done by increasing the price per unit as moisturizing cream is more advertisement elastic and consumers are ready to pay a higher price. This can be seen in the prices of the best performing teams of Pieland moisturizing cream industry. Just 5 periods have been shown as the firms had the provision to increase their capacity from P5. If we consider the Pieland Cement Industry and analyse the pricing strategy of the best two firms we can interpret that to survive in the industry, it is very essential to keep the price low as cement is not very advertisement elastic and highly price elastic. This makes cement industry in any country highly vulnerable to competition. Hence the cement firms have to work in collusion to survive in the market. The cartelisation mode of functioning is very common in this industry. The case of collusion is not seen in the game as two out of four firms have made huge losses. LONG RUN According to Farnham (2010:167) moisturizing cream industry in the game has adopted the capital intensive method of production because there is a provision of buying large large quantities of capital investment. Considering the firms of Pieland Moisturizing Cream, a comparison can be done between capacities of two firms: one which did not increase the capacity and the other which increased the capacity. The cost per unit for each of the above periods for the firms would be: The cost per unit is calculated as (Overhead+Variable costs)/ Units produced for simplicity. The cost due to negative interest and the advertising cost have not been considered for the calculation. Above it can be seen that the cost per unit in P1 for firm 25 is more than firm 28. This is because the capacity utilization of firm 25 is lesser than firm 28. Firm 25 produced 12000 units in P1 whereas firm 28 produced 18000 units in P1. As it can be seen in Table B.7, the cost per unit for firm 28 has reduced consistently from P1 to P7. It is easier for firm 28 to breakeven quickly and sell the units at reduced prices and drive firm 25 out of competition. However, it was observed that when the capacity of the firm was increased from 45000 to 50000 units, the cost per unit came out to be the same $3.87. This can be correlated with the graph of Minimum Efficient Scale. According to Farnham(2010:178), the Long Run Average Cost curve becomes essentially flat with neither further economies nor diseconomies of scale. $4.11 $3.91 $3.87 Q=35000 units ( Minimum Efficient Scale ) The Long run average cost curve for firm 28 depicting Minimum Efficient Scale. Capacity Utilization Ratio (Production/Capacity) of Firm 28 is higher than Firm 25 in Pieland Moisturizing Cream Industry. The stocks not sold are also used to determine whether the firm needs to increase its capacity or not. Firm 28 has a higher capacity utilization ratio and has sold stock in most of its periods. So it gives it the incentive to expand its through investment in new structures and investment. Usually a ratio higher than 85% gives the incentive to increase the capacity according to Farnham (2010: p 352). For firm 28 the ratio is more than 95%. PART C: OLIGOPOLY AND GAME THEORY The game theory models can be linked to the PIELAND MOISTURIZING CREAM industry. Moisturizing cream is highly advertisement elastic. This makes all the firms in the industry incur high advertising costs in each period. Consider the advertising costs for some of the periods for various firms: As it can be seen, all the firms in the industry have constantly increased their advertising costs. It started with $30000 at P0 and ended up in millions. Majority of the firms ( 3 out of 5) suffered huge losses because of this. Advertising heavily in every period was highly essential to survive the competition and sell the product (referring table A.1 above). Thus in every period advertising heavily was the dominant strategy for each firm. If the firms had co-ordinated their strategies, the advertising costs would not have reached millions. They could have sold the cream pots at higher price with minimum advertising cost. All firms ended up worse off than if they had been able to co-ordinate their strategies. All firms became prisoners of their own strategy particularly firm 25, 26 and 27 considering the final profit figure in table C.2 (Farnham 2010: p258). Though firms 28 and 29 made profits their profits could have been higher if the firms in the industry had co-ordinated and followed a co-operative oligopoly model. But the fear of punishment prevented the firms to collude (punishment from anti-trust/anti-cartel in real world). If the advertising costs of Firm 28 are considered in particular, they have increased with every period. However, the advertising cost in P14 of Firm 28 was the lowest in the group. It was known well in advance that P14 would be the final period of the game. If Firm Id 28 had kept advertising costs similar to the other firms and for some reason it would have been unable to have good sales, my firm (firm 28) would have incurred huge loss. The lesser revenue would not have negated the effect of high advertising cost and my existing positive balance would have turned into negative. This made me reduce the advertising. The price was also brought down ( as seen in table C.3). The highest risk that Firm 28 faced during this period was : Overhead cost = (-$84213) Variable Cost = (-$63000) (production was brought down as lesser sales were anticipated) Advertising = (-$100000) Total = (-$247213) The positive interest was $2897. Thus the net risk becomes (-$244316). The balance in firm 28 was $289728.51 as on P13. Thus if there are no sales in P14, there is still a positive balance of around $45412.51 ($289728.51 $244316). I considered this strategy as the best for my firm regardless of the strategy that other firms choose. I consider this scenario as the Nash Equilibrium because from a set of strategies, I have chosen the best strategy considering that the other firms will also choose their respective best strategy (Farnham 2010: p 258). PART D: IMPACT OF MACROECONOMY The macroeconomic scenario can be evaluated on the basis of the total quantity demanded for a particular product. Let us consider the Pieland and Gritain Moisturizing cream industry: As it can be seen from the table, the quantity demanded for units in Pieland as well as Gritain has grown in each period (except in P14 for Pieland). However, the quantity demanded curve shows a steep slope in Pieland in comparison to Gritain. This shows that the growth rate is higher in developing countries than the developed ones. The quantity demanded has a lesser slope for periods between P1-P4 since the monetary policy was deflationary. The consumption of a non essential luxury item such as moisturizing cream is less. However, from P5 the consumption increased as the monetary policy was reflationary (interest rates were cut) causing people to spend more on cosmetics. Reflationary fiscal policy causes the reduction of either the direct or indirect taxes. This leads the people to consume more. The reflationary policy caused accelerated growth from period 10. But accelerated growth caused inflation. It can be inferred from the graph that the governments and banks increased the taxes and interest rates. This brought the consumption down which is apparent from P13-P14. The effects of fiscal and monetary policy were more easily visible on emerging/developing economy of Pieland than on Gritain since Pieland has a higher growth rate. A suitable monetary and fiscal policy will affect the markets of Pieland more than Gritain.

The Difficulty with Defining Emergency Essay -- Expository Definition

The Difficulty with Defining Emergency The word "emergency" has lost its meaning where cellular phones are concerned. Instead of calling to say, "Someone here is bleeding profusely," what you get is, "Should I wear my blue shirt or my red shirt tonight?" Since when is color scheme dubbed an emergency? One of the first lessons I ever learned from my father, a veteran police officer, was what an emergency was. "If the house is on fire," he would say, "that is an emergency." "If anyone in this house requires serious medical attention for any number of idiotic reasons, that is an emergency." (For the record, there were at least eight idiotic reasons, but that's another story for another time.) "If, however, you and your brothers are in a brawl or someone is doing something they shouldn't, that is NOT an emergency." After that conversation, there was never any question in my mind of what an actual emergency was. Time passed and the world was taken by storm with electronic pagers. The code for an emergency was "911". Of the five people who had my pager number, four of them cau...

Genetically Modified Foods Speech Essay

SPECIFIC SPEECH GOAL: I would like to increase the audience’s knowledge of genetically modified foods, their history, and the controversy that it involves. THESIS STATEMENT: I want to inform my audience by explaining exactly what genetically modified foods are, as well as, there intended purpose, history, advantages, disadvantages and controversy surrounding them. Introduction I. Before you eat a meal or snack do you ever actually think about where it comes from, what is in it, and how it will affect your body? Most people these days consider eating to be a mindless act, especially when they are so busy with school, work, and other things. They eat foods that are conveniently available with little regard for what is in them. II. I was one of the people up until a few years ago when I started doing some research and came across information I was unaware of. III. Did you know that 80% of the food in our grocery stores is genetically modified in some way, shape, or form? This may be a big deal for some of you or some of you it may not be because you are not fully aware of what this means. IV. In my speech today, I would like to make you aware. I will explain exactly what genetically modified foods are, their purpose, their advantages, their disadvantages, the controversy, and what this means for you. Body I. What are Genetically Modified Foods? A. Genetically modified foods, also go by names such as, genetically engineered foods, or genetically modified organisms, better known as, GMOs. B. The official definition of GMOs is organisms that have been genetically modified by having their genes altered to enhance desirable traits that do not occur naturally to achieve a better organism. Transition Statement: Farmers have been naturally modifying plants and animals for thousands of years through selective breeding and hybridization so what is the purpose of GMOs? II. What is the purpose of genetically modified foods and their history? A. The genetic engineering of foods allows scientist to speed up the processes of moving desired genes from one plant or animal to another. It also is used in an effort to enhance the nutrition and flavor or foods. This process was discovered in 1980. B. Skip ahead to 2004, 8. 25 million farmers in 17 countries produce genetically modified crops. The United States and Canada are the top 2 producers and some of the only countries that do not require the labeling of GMO foods. Transition Statement: So as you can see genetic modification has been around for a while so what is the big deal now? Some people will tell you there are many good reasons for GMOs, while many will give you a very different view. III. The Advantages versus the Disadvantages of GMOs. A. Supporters will tell you that GMOs help produce more nutritious tastier foods, disease and drought resistant plants, increased supply of food to help feed the world, reduced pesticide use, economic and environmental benefits, and reduced energy use. B. Those who oppose GMO’s will tell you the opposite. They say that GMOs are created in a lab with methods totally different from natural breeding methods. The say GMO’s can be toxic, allergenic, or less nutritious, they are not adequately regulated, and they actually increase pesticide use, as well as, create serious problems for farmers. C. Those opposed believe the only ones benefiting from GMO’s are big businesses like Monsanto. Monsanto’s company is the largest producer of herbicides, pesticides and genetically modified seeds. One of the problems that GMOs create actually benefits this company. Nature adapts so plants will becomes resistant to herbicides and pesticides. As a result, toxic herbicide use has increased 15 times since GMO’s were introduced. This means our interaction with these toxins has increased by the same amount. D. While America and Canada stay in the dark about GMO’s, 60 countries around the world have significant restrictions or outright bans of the production and sales of GMOs. E. Whatever side you choose to be on, the main thing that concerns me, and should concern you, is that these plants have never been tested for the safety of human consumption. This means we are all a part of one of the largest scientific experiments around without our consent and without any knowledge of what the outcome may be. Transition Statement: I don’t know about you but that seems a little scary to me. This is why many Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment. IV. Protection, labeling, and what to look for. A. Many polls have been taken and about 60% of people would not eat genetically modified foods if they were labeled. B. The labeling of GMOs is not required in the US. So finding out which foods have them requires a bit of work. C. There are 8 crops currently being genetically modified: Corn, Cotton, Canola, Alfalfa, Hawaiian Papaya, Soy, Zucchini and Summer Squash. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, these crops show up in almost all of our foods in the form of oils or ingredients, like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and maltodextrins, just to name a few. There are too many to list and they are in pretty much all of the junk foods, processed foods, and frozen foods we eat. They are also in foods such as, bread, yogurt, milk, meats, and baby foods. D. The best ways to avoid GMOs are to buy organic, grow your own garden, read labels, avoid main genetically modified ingredients, buy organic grass-fed meat, stay informed, and do your research. Transitional Statement: I have informed myself with a lot of information about GMOs, a lot more that I have shared in this speech. As you can probably figure out by now, I am one of those Americans that are trying to opt out of the GMO experiment. Conclusion I. Now I feel I have given you the information to be a little more knowledgeable. You should now know about what a GMO is, their purpose, pros, cons, and how to protect yourself should you choose to. II. Do I personally avoid all GMO’s? No. Not from lack of trying, but trying to read every ingredient was and is a very daunting task. What I do try to do is avoid as many as I can. I have altered my diet to avoid most processed foods and I try to check ingredients as best I can. I made all of my daughter’s baby food from scratch with only organic fruits and vegetables, and I make sure most of the snacks I give her are GMO free. III. We vote with our dollar and the only way we can make this an easier task is by refusing to buy the foods with genetically modified ingredients and lobbying for our government to require labeling so we can make the choice easily if we want to buy genetically modified foods or not. References GMO Facts. (2013). Retrieved October 14, 2013, from the Non-GMO Project website: http://www. nongmoproject. org/learn-more/ Caplan, A. L. (2013). Genetically Modified Food: GOOD, BAD, UGLY. Chronicle of Higher Education, 60(2), B4-B5. Examining Genetically Modified Food. (2013). Retrieved October 14, 2013 from the For Dummies website: http://www. dummies. com/how-to/content/examining-genetically-modified-food. html Genetically Engineered Foods. (2012, July 05). Retrieved October 6, 2013 from the University of Maryland Medical Center website: http://umm. edu/health/medical/ency/articles/genetically-engineered-foods PsycheTruth. (2012, October 5). GMO Food, How To Tell, Truth About Genetically Modified Foods & Label GMO Psychetruth Nutrition. Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=3HYNBY5IKAQ&feature=share&list=PLvP8YsX0ebXaunR4wgSHJdKHPzpQCtgsx.

Dancing with self beauty alice walker Essay

What is a scar? A scar is something that can be covered but never erased. Scars can change a person’s self-esteem and self- worth, relationship with people, and your perception of yourself. A scar can help you find beauty deep down inside just like Alice Walker did. Scars cannot tear you down you are the only one can, its either you live a lie or just accept the true you, which one would you choose? Walker also had problems with self-esteem in her life when her brother shot her in the eye with a BB-gun that left one of her eyes blind. According to walker her life was over â€Å"For six years I do not stare at anyone, because I do not raise my head†. I grew up a tomboy who played with nothing but boys and maybe one or two girls. I was always happy, and a just a big jokers until I started my middle school year and identified hair on my chin. I have suffered with this problem for the longest. I considered myself as different from most girls. When I got the hair on my chin I did not want to be bothered with anybody, I used to hold my head down and kind of slouch so no one wouldn’t see it. My whole attitude changed I went from the girl who used to love herself so very much into the girl who couldn’t stand to look in the mirror. But that should’ve have changed me nor Walker because you can’t look down on yourself just because you have a scar you are who you are no matter if it’s there or not. The scar also changed the relationship with her siblings. From the article Everyday life by K. Nola Mokeyane she said â€Å"sibling’s relationships are important component of children’s social and emotional development. The Child Welfare Information Gateway notes that through their relationship with their siblings, children learn skills such as conflict resolution and negotiation; healthy relationships also provide siblings with a support network. As with anything in life, siblings relationships have positive and negative aspects. Walker started to develop to like on sibling more than the other brother. One of the siblings brought both positive and negative change in her life. The brother who shot her with the BB gun when she was younger and made a big difference in her life and she just was less closer to him just like any other siblings in life. â€Å"What the matter with your eye? † they ask, critically. When I don’t answer with (I cannot decide whether it was an â€Å"accident† or not), they shove me, insist on a fight. My brother, the one who created the story about the wire, comes to my rescue. But then brags so much about â€Å"protecting† me, I become sick. It seems like she is still never forgave her brother for what he had done to her eye and began to not really like him as much. Since her brother was kind of a part of the accident so she kind of liked him better. For some reason he understood her more. â€Å"He is my favorite brother and there is a strong bond between us. Understanding my feelings of shame and ugliness he and his wife take me to a local hospital, where the â€Å"glob† is removed by a doctor named 0. Henry. There is still a small bluish crater where the scar tissue was, but the ugly white stuff is gone. † I to can relate to her by this I had a problem with the hair under my chin still to this very day and my mother wanted to help me out by getting lazer hair remover but I insist on doing so because it really wouldn’t make a difference if I got it removed or not, sometime down the line it still was going to be there no matter what I did. It is so much that family members are siblings can do for you, but you are the one who really have to decide what you are going to do with yourself. People don’t make you and how they change you, you do. According to Answers in Writing â€Å"Sometime we imagine ourselves as different than what we really are one way at least we picture ourselves as this, yet in reality we do not fit this picture. We think we are kind gentle, when in truth we have very little patience for things. We may see ourselves, it is good to see ourselves as exemplary students, but we hate to be wrong. However we picture ourselves, it is good to see ourselves for who we really are. Perception can be altered, whether it is how we see the world or how we see ourselves. All it take is a little honesty, without trying to make ourselves feel better, which is what we usually do when we see what we call faults in ourselves. We try to feel better about it, and this often means we find ways to alter behavior. We try to change how we are to supplement our perceived faults. We are far better off just seeing ourselves for who we are, leaving it at that. Walker use to be the prettiest girl that knew she was pretty and now she is kind of confused. She is worried about what other people think which is stopping her from seeing the positive in her life. â€Å"Years later, in the throes of mid-life crisis, I ask my mother and sister whether I changed after the â€Å"accident†. No, they say, puzzled. What do you mean? † What do I mean? Walker was question herself about who she really was are did she change and she wanted to see what other people such as her family and how they viewed her too. But it was all in the mind of how she saw herself. â€Å"That night, as I do every night, I abuse my eye. I rant and rave at it, in front of the mirror. I plead with it to clear up before morning. I tell it I hate and despise it. I do not pray for sight. I pray for vision. † She must have really seen herself as this person who so ugly until she got it removed but that didn’t change her she had to see herself from within. Many times I put myself in situation where I just look in the mirror and wish some things would go anyway but it doesn’t, you can put make up on, put hair on your head but it want change anything. Walker finally sees herself as this beautiful person. She keep questioning herself â€Å"You did not change they say. † But she finally realizing everything when she is by her daughter and she is talking to her daughter. Walker says â€Å"Since the birth of her daughter she has worried about her discovery that her mothers’ eyes are different from others people’s. Will she be embarrassed? I think. What will she say? Every day she watches a television program called Big Blue Marble. It begin with a picture of earth as it appears from moon. When walker was putting her baby to sleep her daughter Rebecca focus on her eye. She began wanted to protect herself but her daughter didn’t see her eye as such ugliness her daughter tells her there is a world in her eyes. From the perception of her daughter she began to accept herself. â€Å"Yes indeed , I realized, looking into the mirror. There was a world in my eyes. And I saw it was possible to love it. In conclusion scar is something that can be covered but never erased. Scars can change a person’s self-esteem and self- worth, relationship with people, and your perception of yourself. It would not make you who you are you can only make you who you are. Theirs is nothing no one can do to change it. You can never change something and in my eyes she never changed. She still look back and think about her eye.

A background research report on engineering aspects of man

A background research report on engineering aspects of man Executive Summary This brief report examines various engineering aspects of oil spill disasters. It provides that oil disasters can occur when engineering controls, such as a blow out malfunctions, are not met. It also highlights a number of recent major oil disasters and measures undertaken to prevent and mitigate resulting effects. It concludes with recommendations calling for, among other things, aggressive enforcement of drilling regulations, extensive risk assessment programs, and shifting to renewable sources of energy to avoid overreliance on fossil fuels.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on A background research report on engineering aspects of mans of such rigs are the drilling barges, jack-up rigs, semi-submersible rigs and drill ships. For commercial exploitation of viable quantities of natural gas and crude oil deposits large fixed rigs are used. These ones are: Fixed platforms, Seastar platforms, Tension-leg platform and star platform. Major oil di sasters On April 20th 2010, a blast occurred on the Deepwater Horizon rig which was drilling for British Petroleum Oil Company (BP). In the aftermath of the blast, vast amount of crude oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico water, 11 workers were killed (Meinhold 2010). The rig caught fire before the newly completed Macondo was cemented. Later investigation reports indicated that the rig’s blowout preventers malfunctioning has a big role in the eventual burnt out (Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill 2010). During the Gulf war in 1991, Iraqi forces opened the channels transporting oil in Kuwait as they flee advancing US army. As a result, over 240 million of crude oil spill into the Persian Gulf. In 1979, the Ixtoc 1 oil well in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico collapsed after a pressure build up (Casselman 2001). This caused an explosion and a prolonged leakage during which over 140 million of crude oil leaked. In 1976 two full supertankers collided in the Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies result ing the loss of 26 lives and oil spill spillage estimated at 88 million liters. Other major oil spillage are the Fergame valley in Uzbekistan in 1992 (87.7 million), ABT summer of the Angolan coast in 1991 (80million), the Amoco Cadiz in 1978 off Brittany, France (68.7 million) and the MT Haven Tanker Disaster of 1991 in Genoa Italy (42million) (Casselman 2010) These are just but a few cases selected. Causes of oil disasters According to Srinivasan and Halada (2008), the primary causes of engineering calamities are combinations of human factors, design flaws, material failures and extreme conditions or environment. Borchardt (2010) of ASM’s Mechanical Engineering magazine has listed blow outs as one of the major causes of oil spills. Blow out refers to a surge of oil and gas up the well bore and into the surrounding habitat when a very high pressure of natural gas and crude oil is not well managed in deep water reservoirs.Advertising We will write a custom report samp le on A background research report on engineering aspects of man-made disasters and oil spills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Between 1980-2008, 173 blowout occurred in drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico alone (Hoffman 2010). Borchardt attributes the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in Gulf of Mexico to a massive blow out. He states that such occurrences are the case for wells drilled under the depth of ocean exceeding 3000 feet where pressure reaches over 23000 pounds per square inch. On the other hand, Carl Hoffman, in Popular mechanics, is of the opinion that human and ineffective regulatory oversight also play significant role in oil disasters. He cites poor risk assessment and complacency by regulatory bodies as some of the main causes of the 2010 BP oil disaster. Hoffman sentiments are shared by Romm (2010) in Climate Progress who cites a number of publications that point to the oil company in question (BP) â€Å"recklessnessâ⠂¬  for lacking safety plans to prevent disaster of such magnitude. Oil disaster also occurs in ocean accidents such as supertankers collisions (Burckhardt 2010). Emergency fixing and prevention According to Borchardt (2010) there is a number of measures designed to prevent oil spill during drilling. The aim of these measures is to control the pressure of oil and gas coming up from the well. One of the techniques involves using a drilling fluid to create hydrostatic pressure to check the upward pressure of gas and oil from the ocean well. Upon completion of drilling, the well is usually filled with completion fluid to prevent the leakage of oil and gas from the deposits rocks. In case the fossil fuel deposits are not of a viable quantity, the well is usually sealed with cement. In this case, the cement displaces the drilling fluid in the well bore, which exits via pipes for storage in tanks on top of the platform (Offshore drilling 2011). For improved safety and control of emergenc y spills, oil rigs are fitted with blow out preventers that are designed to prevent the escaping gas and oil from well bore (Borchardt 2010). Combating emergency oil spills has also involved placing a concrete reinforced with steel dome shaped casing over the mouth of the wellbore (Menihold 2010). This was attempted successfully during the BP oil leak. After the dome is installed the entrapped oil is pumped up to storage tanks.Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Freundenrich and Strickland (2010) advocate for thorough operation procedure in supertankers to prevent oil leaks. They propose regular checks on piping system and well as on seals. Other techniques used to control spillage involve the use of equipment such Dispersants, skimmers vacuums, and booms (Davies 2010). The dispersant breaks up oil particles so that mix them with water thus reducing oil sludge floating to shorelines (Casselman 2010). Booms are used to confine oil on water within a certain region, it can be further removed using other equipment such as vacuums. Conclusion Oil exploration is a complex and risky undertaking that involves extracting oil and natural gas deposits thousand of feet beneath the ocean floor. Sophisticated oil rigs are used to harvest viable quantities of oil and natural deposits. Oil rigs together with other equipment involved in the extraction and transportation of crude oil are prone to unexpected failure. These catastrophes are influenced by a num ber of factors that include human factors, design flaws, material failure and extremes of conditions. Engineers are charged with the task of creating designs with less chances of failure. To deter future oil disasters engineering controls need to be complemented with other factors, such as enhanced human efficiency and compliance of necessary oil by oil companies. Recommendations Basing on the findings of the research conducted for this report, the following is recommended: Enforcement of compliance with local and international regulations by oversighting authorities especially in regard to deepwater oil explorations Frequent auditing of oil drilling rigs and companies by international independent agencies to ensure adherence to best industry practices Further research into ways of enhancing safe drilling at ocean deep waters. Heavy penalties and revocation of operating license for negligent companies. Adoption of alternative sources of energy to reduce over dependence on fossil fu el deposits. These include renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, tidal wave, as well as Hydroelectric power References Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010). The New York Times. Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Available from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_spills/gulf_of_mexico_2010/index.html. Petroleum, Pollution Issues Sept 4, 2011,. Available from: pollutionissues.com/Na-Ph/Petroleum.html#b. [8,December 2011]. Burckhardt, J. K. 2010, ‘Avoiding blowout’, Mechanical Engineering, Aug, Available from: http://memagazine.asme.org/Articles/2010/August/Avoiding_Blowout.cfm. [7 December 2011]. Casselman, A. 2010. ’10 biggest oil spills in history’, Popular Mechanics, 3, September, Available from: popularmechanics.com/science/energy/coal-oil-gas/biggest-oil-spills-in-history .[8 December 2011]. Davies, S.2010, ‘BP oil spill disaster cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico’, Engineering Technology, 1 June, Availab le from: http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2010/08/oil-spill-gulf-of-mexico.cfm. [8 December 2011]. Fingas, M. 2010, Oil Spill Science and Technology. Gulf Professional Publishing, Elsevier. Freundenrich, C. Strickland, J. 2010, ‘How Oil drilling works’, Energy Production, Environmental Science, How stuff works, Australia, pp.1-9. Hoffman, C. ‘Investigative Report: How the BP, oil rig Blowout happened’, Popular Mechanics, 2 Sept. Available from: popularmechanics.com/science/energy/coal-oil-gas/how-the-bp-oil-rig-blowout-happened-3. [8 December 2011]. Max energy Limited 2006, Oil rigs and platforms, Available from: solarnavigator.net/oil_rigs.htm. [8 December 2011]. Meinhold, B. 2010, ‘First oil container dome shipped to Deepwater Horizon spill’, Available from: http://inhabitat.com/first-oil-containment-dome-shipped-to-deepwater-horizon-spili/. [ 8, December 2011]. Offshore drilling 2011, Naturalgas.org, Available from: naturalgas.org/natur algas/extraction_offshore.asp . [8 December 2011]. Srinivasan, V. Halada G, ‘Disasters and Learning Form Failure’, State University of New York, Available from: matscieng.sunysb.edu/disaster. [8, December 2011].

South Africa Aids problem essays

South Africa Aids problem essays In this project I will discuss the problems with aids, particulary in South Africa, and how its possible that this disease has become such a big problem for this country. I will give you some information about Aids, and also suggestions for what we can do to avoid it in the future. My sources have been the internet, the library and I also have a couple of friends in South Africa that have mailed me information. It has become the most important health issue for a lot of countries around the world, especially in Africa. I will know give you a very simple explanation of this extremely complex disease. Its a virus that enters the bloodstream and attacks our immune system, making it harder to defeat other infections. There exists two different types of Hiv. Hiv-1 is the most common one, and its mostly located in the First World, Asia, Latin-America and most of Africa, while Hiv-2 is geographically linked with West Africa. Hiv-1 is a more lethal disease than its counterpart, and it has a shorter incubation period. When you get infected by HIV, youre labelled HIV positive and you carry the virus for the rest of your life. Stage 1: Primary HIV infection. The first stage is known as primary HIV infection and lasts until the bodys initial immune response develops a small measure of control over the virus. This period can be last up to three weeks. In this period you will develop a lot of symptoms like night-sweats, fever, malaise, headaches and enlarged lymph glands. Stage 2: Seroconversion. The second stage is called seroconversion, in this period the body develops antibodies to ward off HIV. Even though HIV will win the battle, they bodys immune system is able to keep the virus in check for a number of years. This period usually lasts from 6-12 weeks. Stage 3: Asymptomatic Stage. After seroconversion, an HIV positive person enters an asymptomatic stage during which time ...

African American Contributions to American History Essay Example for Free

African American Contributions to American History Essay Africa (768) , African American (597) , African (466) , American history (69) Haven't found the essay you want? Get your custom sample essay for only $13.90/page ? Many blacks contributed to the success of our country in every war that we as a people have ever fought. In order to properly thank them for their heroic effort, I as a Hispanic Caucasian must give credit where credit is due. In order to properly do so, I must begin with the contributions of â€Å"Black America† beginning with the American Revolution and continue up until the World War II. Make no mistake blacks made contributions well past World War II, but in the interest of time and accuracy I must stay within the confines of our earlier history. One main aspect that should be analyzed is the fact that no matter how hard the struggle, blacks have always overcome adversity no matter what the cost. Of course, contributions made by blacks are not limited to war alone, but include a wide spectrum of achievements that have advanced civilization as a whole. My personal respect and thanks go to all people who have served and continue to serve this country at any capacity. But we must never forget the contributions made by our black brothers and sisters who gave their lives fighting for a cause that so greatly affected their lives as well as our well being. Charles Dickens said it best in his book A Tale of Two Cities, â€Å"It was the best of times it was the worst of times†. The American Revolution was a time of great struggle for people of all races. But, Blacks in particular understood the literal meaning of patriot rhetoric, eagerly took up the cause of American freedom, fighting bravely in the early confrontations with the British. Though the revolution freed some blacks and set the country on a course toward the abolition of slavery, political accommodation to plantation owners forestalled emancipation for many blacks in the south for 90 more years. A black man was one of the first martyrs of the patriot cause. Crispus Attucks, apparently a slave who had run away from his owner 20 years before, died in the Boston Massacre in 1770. Though facts were disputed at trials then as now, witnesses said Attucks hit a British officer with a large piece of firewood, grabbed a bayonet and urged the crowd to attack just before the British fired. Attucks and two others were killed while eight were wounded, two mortally. Blacks served at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Peter Salem, a freed slave, stood on the green at Lexington facing the British when the first battle broke out with the shot that was heard around the world. One of the last men wounded in the battle as the British escaped to Boston was Prince Estabrook, a black man from West Lexington. At least 20 blacks, including Peter Salem, were in the ranks two months later when the British attacked an American position outside Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem has been honored for firing the shot that killed Major John Pitcairn, the British officer who led the Redcoats when they had attacked his small unit at Lexington. Unable to venture outside Boston and then threatened with cannon surrounding the city, the British left Boston for New York. As the war changed from a Massachusetts endeavor to a broader conflict throughout the colonies, the politics of race changed dramatically. Blacks had been welcomed in the New England militia, but Congress initially decided against having them in the Continental army. Congress needed support from the South if all the colonies were to win their independence from England. Since southern plantation owners wanted to keep their slaves, they were afraid to give guns to blacks. Congress ordered all blacks removed from the army, but black veterans appealed directly to George Washington, who took up their cause with John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress. Blacks serving in the army were allowed to stay, but new enlistments were forbidden. Though the Declaration of Independence declared that â€Å"all men were created equal,† many blacks soon saw more opportunity on the British side. The British governor of Virginia promised immediate freedom and wages to any slave who would join the Kings army. Hundreds flocked to the standard of the governor, Lord Dunmore, but he was denied a base on the land by the American forces and many of the blacks who joined him died of smallpox on overcrowded ships. The loyalty of blacks was a serious issue for the American leaders because blacks made up one-fifth of the two million people in the colonies. With the British soldiers already outnumbering the American troops, and recruitment difficult for the patriots, the northern colonies soon again began to enlist blacks. Rhode Island made up a regiment almost entirely of blacks. As the war continued, colonies as far south as Maryland and Virginia were recruiting free blacks for the American cause. As the war spread into the South, Congress found it needed to recruit slaves. It offered to pay South Carolina slave owners $1,000 for able-bodied male slaves. The slaves would receive no pay, but would be given $50 and their freedom at the end of the war if they served â€Å"well and faithfully. † The South Carolina Assembly threatened to leave the war, dooming the plan in the southernmost colonies. Recruitment of blacks to the American cause continued further north, but the patriots had less success than the British. The offer of immediate freedom extended by Virginia’s unfortunate loyalist governor was eventually made by the British throughout the colonies. Slaves joined the British by the tens of thousands. The fate of the loyalist blacks varied considerably. Some were captured by Americans and either returned to their masters or treated as war loot and sold back into slavery. Approximately 20,000 were with the British at the end of the war, taken to Canada or the Caribbean. Some became the founders of the British colony of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Even though the British offered slaves a better deal, many blacks served on the American side. They made up a sizeable share of the men in the Continental navy, state navies and the large force of American privateers. Blacks had long been in the labor force on ships and at seaports. On the water, then as now, skill counted for more than politics. The precise role of blacks in the revolution is difficult to quantify. Blacks in those days generally did not write. The people who did write early histories of the revolution were whites and concentrated on the efforts of white men. Also, many participants in the revolution were not specifically identified by race in the documents of the time and historians now have no way of knowing whether they were black. When blacks were allowed to serve in the American military, they often did work as laborers, sometimes in addition to regular soldier duties. Usually they were privates, though a few rose to command small groups of men. The words of the Declaration of Independence were taken literally by blacks and some whites. In, 1780, Pennsylvania became the first colony to pass a law phasing out slavery. Children born to slaves after that date were granted their freedom when they reached 28. Other northern states followed. The Superior Court of Massachusetts held in 1783 that slavery violated the state constitution, and New Hampshire also ended slavery by a court ruling. Vermont outlawed slavery and Connecticut and Rhode Island passed gradual emancipation laws. New York outlawed slavery in 1799 and New Jersey followed in 1804. The international slave trade was outlawed in 1808. Progress then came to a stop. A boom in cotton production spread the slave economy into the lower Mississippi Valley. Slave states were careful to control at least half the political power in the federal government, blocking any national movement against slavery until the Civil War. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the rebelling territories of the confederacy and authorizing Black enlistment in the Union Army. Since the beginning of the Civil War, free Black people in general, and Black Bostonians in particular, were ready to gather arms on behalf of the Union, yet they were prevented from doing so. Popular racial stereotypes and institutional discrimination against Blacks in the military contributed to the prevailing myth that Black men lacked the intelligence and bravery necessary to serve their country. By the fall of 1862, however, the lack of White Union enlistment and confederate victories at Antietem forced the U. S. government to reconsider its racist policy. As Congress met in October to address the issue of Black enlistment, various troops of Black volunteers had already been organized, including the First South Carolina and the Kansas Colored Troops. It wasn’t until January 26, 1863; however, that secretary of war Edwin Stanton authorized the enlistment of Black troops. As a result, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer infantry was founded, becoming the first all-Black Union regiment raised in the north. Training began for Black volunteers at Camp Meigs in Reedville, MA on February 21, 1863. Although some members of the community voiced opposition to the prevention of Black men from achieving the rank of colonel or officer, most community activists urged Black men to seize the opportunity to serve in the Union forces. The fear many Black volunteers had about the potential racism of White officers and colonels was calmed when Massachusetts Governor John Andrew assured Bostonians that White officers assigned to the 54th Regiment would be â€Å"young men of military experience, of firm anti-slavery principles, ambitious, superior to a vulgar contempt for color, and having faith in the capacity of colored men for military service. † Andrew held to his word, appointing 25-year-old Robert Gould Shaw as colonel and George P. Hallowell as Lieutenant. The son of wealthy abolitionists, Shaw had been educated in Europe and at Harvard before joining the seventh New York National Guard in 1861. In 1862, when Governor Andrew contacted Shaw’s father about the prospect of commissioning his son as colonel of the soon-to-be organized fifty-fourth, Shaw was an officer in the Second Massachusetts Infantry. Although reluctant to accept the commission, Shaw eventually became colonel. By the time training began at Camp Meigs, Shaw and his officers began work with the soldiers whose bravery would forever change public perception of Black military skill and valor. Black community leaders across the country such as Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown served as recruiting agents for the Union army. As a result, over 1000 volunteers enlisted in the 54th Regiment, a response so overwhelming that Massachusetts organized a second Black regiment, the fifty-fifth. Men of the fifty-fourth represented twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, and Africa. Approximately 25% of them had been slaves, over 50% were literate, and, although as civilians they had worked in forty-six different occupations, the overwhelming majorities (55%) were common laborers. Regardless of origin, occupation, or social class, the men of the 54th Regiment both inspired Boston’s Black community and provided a symbol of pride for abolitionists across the country. Activists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass visited Camp Meigs to show their support. Although the organization of the 54th Regiment resolved the conflict over Black enlistment in the Union army, the struggle of Black soldiers to gain respect in the military was just beginning. Upon arrival in the south, the Black soldiers were often treated as common laborers and the potential for their valor on the battlefield was disregarded. Upon arriving in Georgia on June 11, they were ordered by Col. James Montgomery of the Department of the South to raid the town of Darien. Reports of Black soldiers burning buildings and ravaging the homes of townspeople confirmed stereotypes of Black soldiers as un-trainable brutes. Col. Shaw found the raid on Darien barbarous and distasteful, and sent a letter to Brigadier General George C. Strong, requesting that the men be used in the planned attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. On July 16, the 54th Regiment fought alongside White soldiers of the 10th Connecticut Infantry in a skirmish on James Island, SC. This battle redeemed the Black soldiers’ fighting ability in the eyes of White skeptics, including General Strong, who commanded the 54th Regiment to lead the assault on Fort Wagner, scheduled for July 18. Strategically, a successful attack on Fort Wagner would allow Union forces to seize control of Charleston Harbor. Located on Morris Island, Fort Wagner protected Battery Gregg overlooking Fort Sumter. Thus, seizure of Fort Wagner was valuable because it enabled the Union to shell Sumter and close the harbor to confederate blockade runners, thereby paving the way for further Union attack on Charleston. Fort Wagner was located at the northern tip of Morris Island, and was controlled by 1700 troops and 17 artillery guns. Depleted to just over 600 men by the skirmish two days previous, the men of the 54th Regiment were ordered to lead the assault on Fort Wagner with the backing of regiments from New York, Connecticut, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Before the charge commenced, Colonel Shaw ordered the regiment to â€Å"prove yourselves as men. † Within 200 feet of the Fort, the confederates began to attack as the brave men of the 54th Regiment struggled through darkness, four-foot deep water, and marshland. Colonel Shaw, accompanied by dwindling numbers of dying men, managed to reach the top of the parapet where a bitter hand-to-hand combat ensued, the Black Union soldiers with bayonets against the White Confederate soldiers with handspikes and gun rammers. Colonel Shaw was mortally wounded with a pierce through the heart, along with a dozen of his men. Meanwhile, members of the 54th Regiment – some wounded, some dying – began to retreat; those who refused to back down were taken prisoner. As the smoke cleared, evidence of Confederate victory was immediately apparent, with 174 Rebel casualties and 1515 Union soldiers dead or wounded. Of the eleven regiments who participated in the Union assault, the fifty-forth Regiment accrued the most casualties, with 256 of their 600 men dead or wounded. Despite the heavy losses, the assault on Fort Wagner proved to the nation and the world the valor of Black soldiers in general and the men of the 54th Regiment in particular. From the ranks of the fifty-forth came stories of unfailing patriotism and undying glory. The men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, their White officers, colonel, and allies, not only struck a blow for American freedom and unity, they also proved to the nation and the world the valor, bravery, and devotion of African American soldiers. In the sacrifice made by Col. Shaw and his soldiers, Americans witnessed, for the first time, the supremacy of equality over racism, discrimination, and ignorance. Upon his death at Fort Wagner, the body of Col. Shaw was placed in a mass grave on Morris Island along with the bodies of his soldiers. The lack of proper military burial for a man who had distinguished himself as a soldier and as a leader was intended to insult the honor of Shaw and his family, who were deemed as race traitors by Confederates and White unionists alike. However, upon learning that his son had been buried with his black soldiers, Francis Shaw stated, with dignity, that â€Å"We hold that a soldier’s most appropriate burial place is on the field where he has fallen. † This statement and the honor displayed by the Shaw family and veterans of the fifty-fourth helped immortalize Shaw and his men as symbols of the Civil War battle for unity and equality. As a result of the 54th Regiment, over 180,000 Black men enlisted under the Union flag between 1863 and 1865. AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY SERVICE from WWI through WWII. During the global conflicts of the first half of the 20th century, U. S. servicemen fought in Europe for the first time in the nation’s history. African Americans were among the troops committed to combat in World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII), even though they and other black Americans were denied the full blessings of the freedom for which the United States had pledged to fight. Traditional racist views about the use of black troops in combat initially excluded African Americans from the early recruiting efforts and much of the actual combat in both wars. Nonetheless, large numbers of African Americans still volunteered to fight for their country in 1917-18 and 1940-45. Once again, many black servicemen hoped their military contribution and sacrifice would prove to their white countrymen that African Americans desired and deserved a fully participatory role in U. S. society. Unfortunately, the deeply entrenched negative racial attitudes prevalent among much of the white American population, including many of the nation’s top military and civilian leaders, made it very difficult for blacks to serve in the military establishment of this period. African-American servicemen suffered numerous indignities and received little respect from white troops and civilians alike. The historic contributions by blacks to the defense of the United States were usually ignored or downplayed, while combat failures similar to those of whites and violent racial incidents often provoked by whites were exaggerated into a condemnation of all African Americans. In the â€Å"Jim Crow† world of pre-1945 America, black servicemen confronted not only the hostility of enemies abroad but that of enemies at home. African-American soldiers and sailors had two formidable obstacles to deal with: discrimination and segregation. Yet, black servicemen in both world wars repeatedly demonstrated their bravery, loyalty, and ability in combat or in support of frontline troops. Oftentimes, they accomplished these tasks without proper training or adequate equipment. Poor communications and a lack of rapport with their white officers were two additional burdens hampering the effectiveness and efficiency of African Americans in the military. Too frequently, there was little or no recognition or gratitude for their accomplishments. One of the worst slights of both wars was the willingness of the white establishment to allow racism to influence the award of the prestigious Medal of Honor. Although several exceptionally heroic African Americans performed deeds worthy of this honor, not one received at the time the award that their bravery and self-sacrifice deserved. It took over 70 years for the United States to rectify this error for WWI and over 50 years for WWII. Despite the hardships and second-class status, their participation in both wars helped to transform many African-American veterans as well as helped to eventually change the United States. Though still limited by discrimination and segregation at home, their sojourn in Europe during WWI and WWII made many black servicemen aware that the racial attitudes so common among white Americans did not prevail everywhere else. The knowledge that skin color did not preclude dignity and respect made many black veterans unwilling to submit quietly to continuing racial discrimination once they returned to the United States. In addition, the growing importance of black votes beginning in the 1930s and 1940s forced the nation’s political and military leaders to pay more attention to African Americans’ demands, particularly in regard to the military. Although it was a tedious and frustrating process, one too often marked by cosmetic changes rather than real reform, by the end of WWII, the U. S. military establishment slowly began to make some headway against racial discrimination and segregation within its ranks. The stage was set for President Harry S Truman’s landmark executive order of 26 July 1948. Another main contribution of note would be the trails and tribulations of the Tuskegee Airmen. In the 1940’s, it was still believed that Blacks were incapable of flying aircraft. This myth was dispelled with the help of the U. S. Congress. On June 27, 1939 – THE CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT was passed. This solitary ACT helped to create a reserve of civilian pilots to be called in case of War. Young black pilots were given the opportunity to train with U. S. approved programs located at TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE. The SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT OF 1940 also increased the opportunity for a broader participation of Blacks in the military when it banned discrimination in the selection and training of all American citizens because of race and color. The success of the CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT helped put the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON OF TUSKEGEE on the map. It was said that â€Å"the success of Negro youth in the Army Air Force would be predicated upon the success of the ‘Tuskegee Experiment. ‘† HBO’s docudrama, THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, is a good depiction of this era of Black Americans seeking acceptance as military pilots. Because of the opportunity provided by the Civilian Pilot Training Act, the number of Blacks in the ARMY AIR FORCE jumped from 2,250 in 1941 to over 145,000 by 1944. The two major groups to see combat as AAF men were the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON and the 332ND FIGHTER GROUP. Out of the 332nd Group came the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Squadrons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, SR. , who became America’s FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GENERAL on October 25, 1940. By 1944, the 99th was added to the 332nd and participated in campaigns in Sicily, Rome, and Romania. The 99th and 332nd earned many DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATIONS. These historical examples are but a small sample of the many great contributions and sacrifices made by black people in order to secure freedom and prosperity for this great nation. We owe them a debt than can never be fully repaid. If anything these great contributions should curtail any negative or racial thoughts toward such a magnanimous people. You would think that with all that has transpired throughout history, that we as a people could live and coexist together with peace and harmony. My only hope is that with time people will come to realize that we are all not that different from one another and that we can thrive together for a better future for all of us. African American Contributions to American History. (2016, Dec 16).

Why God Allowed Sin into the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why God Allowed Sin into the World - Essay Example This paper illustrates that many definitions are in use in establishing the real meaning of sin. Among the many definitions, many individuals commonly use two. Sin is the violation of an ideal relationship that exists between God and an individual or sin also involves from the ideal order of human beings. Indeed, the two definitions provide a good foundation for the understanding of sin and the various aspects pertaining to it. On such an understanding on what sin is, determining the major reasons contributing to why God allowed sin into the world remains a significantly easy task. Many question the reason why God permits sin to reign in the world, which causes great suffering among many individuals, despite His all-powerful nature. Sin originated from the Garden of Eden after the disobedience of Adam and Eve, after doing contrary to the will of God. Such an understanding brings about two major reasons as to why God allowed sin into the world. God allowed sin into the world in order to manifest his true nature and other valuable lessons. God allows sin into the world as a proof that indeed sin and its evil nature are malignant, and that the suffering attributed to sin, proofs that any contrast to God’s will results in suffering, pain, and finally leads to death. God's nature manifests best in human beings through suffering, considering that during sufferings, many individuals tend to tighten their relationship with God.

Macroeconomics of Argentina Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics of Argentina - Research Paper Example This research paper is one of the best examples of analysis of the macroeconomics of Argentina, which involves review of the monetary and fiscal policy, growth rates, unemployment rates, inflation, and currency exchanges in the country. Traditionally, Argentina was one of the countries in Latin America that had better social indicators. Compared to the other nations in this region, Argentina’s inequality and poverty levels were very low. The country had widespread labor protection policies and the unemployment rate was low . Academic studies show that the socioeconomic status of Argentina has been deteriorating since 1970s with the sharp increase in poverty levels. When the crisis of 2001/02 ended, the economy started showing signs of recovery as the major social indicators continued improving significantly. The economic context described by many financial analysts depicts the inflation rate of Argentina as being unsustainable. Years before 2002 portray inflation in Argentina as fluctuating and high. However, the rate of inflation in this nation recorded at its lowest before the Tequila effect at 4 percent a year and almost at zero a year after this effect. The government applied generally an ambitious strategy. Sometimes ad-hoc and vague, it encourages growth, manages it with reference to the macroeconomic prudence, re-industrialization, and moderate state intervention . To some extent, this strategy represents a new approach of social inclusion that bases economically on the revival of domestic markets led by the state.

Three chocies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Three chocies - Case Study Example The company’s main mission is to organize information globally and make it accessible to all users in different parts of the world. The vision of the company is to develop a kind of environment that an individual or a company desires to create so that the company would facilitate the general public. The goal of the company is to simplify the lives of individuals by providing help in their respective fields. The company has brought a change in the management style in last 8-10 years. The company is conscious regarding their good management. Google always hire people who could derive significant benefits to the company. There are two major changes made in the management styles that are given below. A good manager is the priority of the company. The company facilitates the manager that has the experience, leadership skills and communication techniques. The company allows effective managers to work in it to ensure that the management is effective in deriving advantages that are mentioned in the goal and mission of the company. Good managers are the key to success as they set directions for the juniors to work. They set parameters based on the prediction and analyzing the conditions in the market (Draft, 2015). Google has start hiring the employees that have predicted and innovative mind. It is mentioned by the company that they hire on qualification but to some extent. They usually notice whether the employee can predict and allow the company to prevail in international markets by providing effective service. It is clearly mentioned in the company that they appoint a person with their skills and capabilities rather than his high qualification. Their perspective is to the employee an individual that can predict the situation that could be faced by the company in future (Draft, 2015). The company believes that it is essential to maintain proper checks and balances on

Should Arizona Keep Trying to Vote Sheriff Joe Arpaio Out of Office Research Paper

Should Arizona Keep Trying to Vote Sheriff Joe Arpaio Out of Office - Research Paper Example Economic arguments have sometimes been in favor of the immigrants such as the fact that they are a cheap labor source for the industries in Arizona City. On the other hand, the social impact arguments have mostly been negative particularly because the immigrants are often seen to be undermining national identity, taking up resources and jobs from the local city residents as well as causing other related problems such as congestion. Although some analysts argue that immigration workers are providing the much needed labor for the booming construction industry in Arizona, it is undeniable that they have also imposed both social and economic costs on the Arizona residents. The costs incurred by the health care systems in the entire Pinal County have significantly risen over the past few years and this is largely attributed to the rapidly rising immigrant population (Okie, 527). Another social that is related to the rising number of immigrants is the currently high level of drug trafficki ng in the City and its environs. Many researchers however believe most of the illegal Mexican immigrants are smuggling illegal drugs such as Marijuana across the Mexican border and this as also resulted in high levels of violence and crimes in the city. The high number of illegal immigrants has also resulted into an increased crime rate in the City of Arizona. This is particularly evidenced by the fact most of the state and federal prisons in the city have doubled up their spending in a bid to accommodate the rising number of criminals who are mostly illegal immigrants. Additionally the cultural conflict between the immigrants and the locals is now evident in several parts of Arizona. The ethnic tension between the Mostly Hispanic immigrants and the locals is growing. Most locals regard the immigrants as â€Å"illegal aliens† and believe

The disclosure structure and its effect on performance Essay

The disclosure structure and its effect on performance - Essay Example The research combined content examination of CSR reports, and corporate performance data of various companies covered in the Accountability Rating statistics of the period 2004 to 2007 to facilitate the study. The study utilized a multifaceted approach to analyze influential variables capable of informing the analysis. Particularly, the research related the level, and structure of environmental and societal disclosure to CSP. The research utilized a design capable of addressing study objectives accordingly. The research sample was developed by following informed procedures leading to the establishment of an inclusive sample. The research identified influential variables for measuring the effect of practice on the firm’s performance to examine the effect of the disclosure level and the structure on the company’s CSP. According to Panneerselvam, an ideal study must define all essential variables that when examined can help one develop an informed conclusion. The researche r should acknowledge different types of variables to propose ideal method for assessing each. Researchers conducting the analysis considered the variables while setting a sample for their study. This is evident in the study’s approach of focusing on a sample of organization with essential statistics that allowed researchers assess all necessary variables consistently. The study sourced data from a diverse population of global companies included in reliable business statistics to develop a longitudinal dataset for the study.

Three chocies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Three chocies - Case Study Example The company’s main mission is to organize information globally and make it accessible to all users in different parts of the world. The vision of the company is to develop a kind of environment that an individual or a company desires to create so that the company would facilitate the general public. The goal of the company is to simplify the lives of individuals by providing help in their respective fields. The company has brought a change in the management style in last 8-10 years. The company is conscious regarding their good management. Google always hire people who could derive significant benefits to the company. There are two major changes made in the management styles that are given below. A good manager is the priority of the company. The company facilitates the manager that has the experience, leadership skills and communication techniques. The company allows effective managers to work in it to ensure that the management is effective in deriving advantages that are mentioned in the goal and mission of the company. Good managers are the key to success as they set directions for the juniors to work. They set parameters based on the prediction and analyzing the conditions in the market (Draft, 2015). Google has start hiring the employees that have predicted and innovative mind. It is mentioned by the company that they hire on qualification but to some extent. They usually notice whether the employee can predict and allow the company to prevail in international markets by providing effective service. It is clearly mentioned in the company that they appoint a person with their skills and capabilities rather than his high qualification. Their perspective is to the employee an individual that can predict the situation that could be faced by the company in future (Draft, 2015). The company believes that it is essential to maintain proper checks and balances on

The disclosure structure and its effect on performance Essay

The disclosure structure and its effect on performance - Essay Example The research combined content examination of CSR reports, and corporate performance data of various companies covered in the Accountability Rating statistics of the period 2004 to 2007 to facilitate the study. The study utilized a multifaceted approach to analyze influential variables capable of informing the analysis. Particularly, the research related the level, and structure of environmental and societal disclosure to CSP. The research utilized a design capable of addressing study objectives accordingly. The research sample was developed by following informed procedures leading to the establishment of an inclusive sample. The research identified influential variables for measuring the effect of practice on the firm’s performance to examine the effect of the disclosure level and the structure on the company’s CSP. According to Panneerselvam, an ideal study must define all essential variables that when examined can help one develop an informed conclusion. The researche r should acknowledge different types of variables to propose ideal method for assessing each. Researchers conducting the analysis considered the variables while setting a sample for their study. This is evident in the study’s approach of focusing on a sample of organization with essential statistics that allowed researchers assess all necessary variables consistently. The study sourced data from a diverse population of global companies included in reliable business statistics to develop a longitudinal dataset for the study.

South Florida from Michigan Essay Example for Free

South Florida from Michigan Essay John and Jenny Grogan, a newlywed couple who move to South Florida from Michigan, work in the newspaper business, John is a reporter and Jenny is a freelance feature writer. At the advice of Johns friend Sebastian, who claims that adopting a dog will pause Jennys biological clock, John and Jenny adopt an adorable yellow Labrador puppy that is touted by the breeder as being on sale. Jenny affectionately calls the puppy Clearance Puppy, but is ultimately named Marley. A rambunctious dog, the Grogans take Marley to a trainer, only to discover that even the trainer cannot control Marley. When the couple tries to start a family, Marley gets older, and is still chewing on furniture, stealing food, and will not obey commands. John, who is the breadwinner in the family, is struggling with being a popular columnist for the newspaper he works at, continuously telling his boss that he had always wanted to be a reporter. Jenny is often left alone to suffer the frustrations of early motherhood, eventually getting so fed up with Marleys antics that she demand that John take Marley to a new home. Of course, Jenny changes her mind after she had time to herself to sort things out. From there, John gets a job in Pennsylvania, and with the move, the family becomes a picture of the American Dream; a nice home in the country, three children, and a dog. By this time, Marley is considered a senior, and his aging hits the family hard. In the end, Marley dies of a twisted stomach, a common ailment in larger dogs. After a small, and heartbreaking, funeral, the family who loved that dog so much moves on, better off for having known Marley. McCarthy, Todd. (December 21, 2008). Marley Me. Variety. April 7, 2009. http://www. variety. com/review/VE1117939263. html? categoryid=31cs=1

Education reform in the United States

Education reform in the United States Yasmine Calderon Education Education reform in the United States is a primary goal for Congress to assist students excel and gain knowledge to survive in the growing and competitive work force. As the United States was once the leading example of Education reform, it is now 12th among other developed nations. The need for incentive programs in classrooms to prepare students for the future of higher education is in high demand. Ensuring students the future of a college education and maintaining a successful job is key to rebuilding the economy and securing bright futures for individuals. Suggested policy implementations include reforms of existing school policies, budget analysis, statistics and facts, and current stances toward the public policy. One of President Obama’s bold incentives to improve teaching and learning in the classrooms that instruct policies and strategies to achieve the goal of college readiness. To date, President Obama has opted 4 billion dollars to 19 states that help to address key areas of education reform. States serve 22 million students and employ 1.5 billion teachers in 42,000 schools representing the 45 percent of all K-12 students and 42 percent of all low income students nationwide. Setting a precedent for the future of young Americans through the Race to the Top program will help those who are challenged change policies and laws to create better college and career ready standards. (Source: www.whitehouse.gov/issues) As states begin to move progressively with education reforms the No Child Left Behind Act imposed by former President George W. Bush left five years of reauthorization overdue. States have been lowering their standards in classrooms by punishing failure over success and fitting everyone into a one-size-fits-all deal. While President Obama has issued a blueprint, Reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, for his incentive Congress has yet to act upon it leaving schools flexible with the law. Passing the law would then set a higher standard for high schools to achieve college readiness and careers. For states to receive that flexibility they must reward and recognize those states that make exceptionally well performance and gains while also tending to those who need help in the lowest performing schools. Under the new law states will develop and propose new plans to help improve outcomes for those groups who pose a threat in a large educational gap. Unlike the one-size-fits -all deal left from the NCLB Act states and districts can improve strategies and resources that will meet the need for student performance. Issuing more reforms for education includes the president calling for improvements to help students gain interest in math, science, engineering and technology. The Obama Administration has reached several successful STEM initiatives that includes combining it with Race to the Top and investing into the Innovation Fund while also implementing new STEM educators called Teacher Corps to further progress students in the path of a successful career. The Teacher Corps will start with a basis of 50 teachers among 50 sites and expand to 10,000 teachers over the next four years. The Obama Administration will launch the Teacher Corps with $1 billion allocated from the President’s 2013 budget request currently before Congress. Along with the President’s education reforms, the Education Amendments Act of 1972 authorized the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to improve postsecondary education opportunities that include providing assistance to educational institutions and agencies for a broad range of reforms and innovations. The role of the bureaucracy has been otherwise noted a major debate in shaping educational performance. Proponents argue that large educational bureaucracies have contributed to shortfalls in performance in America’s public schools. Others view it as beneficial because they manage a wide range of problems that make it easier for teachers to focus on the core of teaching. The federal government totaled an amount of $141 billion on education in the 2014 fiscal year. While calculating that number is challenging, federal programs that are administered by the U.S. Department of Education appear in two separate parts of the budget and other agencies have administered large programs as well. Further measuring spending is not a straightforward deal and the government provides subsidies towards higher education in the form of tax benefits. The $141 billion figure includes annual appropriation for the U.S. Dept. of Education, spending for the department’s annual appropriations that are not subject (i.e. mandatory spending), school meal programs, the Head Start program, revenue and spending on education tax benefits for individuals and military and veterans education benefits. Since the federal government spent a total of $3.5 trillion in the 2013 fiscal year which means the $141 billion spent accounts for 4 percent of the entire federal budget. (Sources: New America Foundation; U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Defense, Veterans Afffairs, White House Office of Management and Budget; Congressional Budget Office.) According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research organization and interest group, a budget presented by House Budget Committee chairmen Paul Ryan (R—Wis.) would provide $74 billion on education spending, training, employment, and social services. The Ryan budget seeks to â€Å"remove regulatory barriers to higher education that act to restrict flexibility and innovative teaching, particularly as it relates to non-traditional models such as online coursework.† Policymakers who support to enable states to have more control over college costs and futures should implement the budget. Just last year Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the â€Å"Growth to Excellence Act† that would include rigorous college-and-career ready standards. A bill that would surely receive support from educational advocates. The bill is sure to represent a strong step towards providing students in America with outstanding education that will bring a forefront to the future of these individuals. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States fails to educate students and prepare them for the future to come which leaves critical time for officials to address the situation. Statistics include: A recent report by ACT, a non-profit testing organization, found that only 22 percent of U.S. high school students met â€Å"college ready† standards in all of their core subjects; figures even lower for African Americans and Hispanics. The College Board reported that even among college-bound seniors, only 43 percent met college-ready standards, meaning that more college students need to take remedial courses. While according to U.S. News and World Report, nationwide the number of high school graduates is expected to grow 10 percent in the next 10 years. The northeastern states will experience declines in growth, while high school grads will grow by 24 percent in Texas and Florida. According to the Lawlor Group, trends such as demography, the power of perception, and measurement determine aspects of higher education as seen below: College enrollments will shrink from 38% to 10% over the next 8 years. High school graduates will decrease in all but 18 states in 2019. Mostly in the South you will see an increase. Most students tend to attend a college with less than $11,100 in tuition fees and think it should cost no more than $20,000. (Sources: NCES, College Board, Gallup, Federal Student Aid, Harvard Institute of Politics.) The future of American education is critical to students and individuals who want to maintain a college education. The path of every student along with a sustainable approach would benefit the economy as well. Proposed solutions such as Race to the Top, revisions of the No Child Left Behind act and the STEM program would help to further alleviate the problems posed to higher education. Of course with solutions comes fiscal responsibilities which would introduce a need for a new education budget that would most likely benefit the future of American students. A time for reform is now and policies should be implemented as soon as possible to ensure the livelihood of students and their path to a successful life.

anthropology Essay -- essays research papers

Anthropology proves to be satisfying and intellectually fulfilling to many in the field. However, there are also many challenges and bumps in the road along the way. Napolean A. Chagnon and Claire Sterk faced many of these challenges themselves. During his fieldwork with the Yanomamo, Chagnon faced many challenges interacting with the natives. Chagnon could not practically communicate with the people until about six months after he arrived. He notes ? the hardest thing to live with was the incessant, passioned, and often aggressive demands they would make.? An example of this is the natives threatening with a shout such as; ?If you don?t take me with you on your next boat trip to Widokalyateri, I?ll chop a hole in your canoe!? While trying to collect genealogies, Chagnon found it very frustrating and commented ? I could not have deliberately picked a more difficult people to work with in this regard.? This was because he first tried to use the names they called each other, not knowing that the names they called each other were completely ambiguous and didn?t mean anything. He then later found out , after collecting all the genealogical information, that only the living members were accurate and the deceased listed were mostly fake. He had to start all over. ( Chagnon 5) Sterk did a different type of study on prostitution and how it went on during a time when AIDS was a major problem. This type of fieldwork is ethnographic fieldwork. Sterk had to get established in rough neig...

Womens Real Life Problems in Thelma and Louise and Shirley Valentine E

Women's Real Life Problems in Thelma and Louise and Shirley Valentine Throughout the history of film actresses have always received the worst roles in which to portray women. Women are often featured as lovers or prostitutes, backstage roles that support the power and domination of men. Hollywood has always been dominated and ‘run’ by the influence of male actors and directors. Statistics have shown that 71% of male actors are given major roles compared to women who receive only 29% of centre stage roles. Thelma and Louise and Shirley are two films, which change that. They portray woman in a positive role, showing them in a positive light against male oppression. Although Shirley Valentine is a British film and Thelma and Louise is American, both films still show women facing the prejudice of society in the 20th century. In this way women viewers can relate to the films believing them to show the difficulties women face in life, the loss of women’s individuality due to the domination of their husbands and their experiences of sexism and prejudice in modern day society. There are many similarities as well as differences in both films and the storylines are varied, yet both films still feature woman who overcome the typical stereotype that they are nothing but sexual objects for men to abuse. Thelma and Louise a road film featuring two women who are trying to run away from the law because Louise has shot a man who was trying to rape Thelma. Throughout their journey they go on a quest of self-discovery realising the mistakes they have made in life and finding their true identity among the ravages their partners have made ... ... were losing. Therefore I believe both films are successful in presenting stories from a women’s viewpoint on the real life problems women face. Both films are realistic and can be compared to the lives of many women in the same situations. These films allow women to relate to the characters and experience emotions on issues that they have faced throughout history such as rape and sexism. They allow women to feel a sense of hope and to make them understand that they are individuals who must fulfil their dreams. Shirley Valentine and Thelma and Louise allow women to overcome stereotypical images of ‘housewives’ and ‘sex objects’ and present women as strong with their own individual characters. In this way both films are successful in showing the problems and issues women face and overcome from a female perspective.

Minor characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay

Harper Lee uses minor characters in a variety of different ways to help explore and expose some of the main concerns brought up in the book, ranging from strict town morals, justice, all the way to racism and death due to racism. I have chosen to outline some of the ways in which Harper Lee uses three minor characters, Mayella Ewell, Heck Tate and Dolfus Raymond, to help emphasise and explore some of the major concerns in the book. Mayella Ewell is the first minor character I shall discuss; a beacon of racial prejudice and the injustice of the courthouses. She is considered to be trash along with the rest of the Ewell’s; despite the fact that she is one of the few Ewell’s who can read and write. As well as being literate she tries her best to make that most of what she’s got, â€Å"the quote about the flowers she keeps†. Despite her decency compared to the others in her family Mayella still only cares for her own wellbeing. When she forces herself upon Tom Robinson, in a last ditch attempt to feel some affection from a man, she is soon to realise the error of her ways. As Atticus says, â€Å"She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honoured code of our society† by going after a black man she has broken ‘the rules’ of Maycomb and thus she tries to hide the truth by abusing Maycomb’s harsh structure of injustice and racism. She is white and Tom is black meaning the court case, as she well knows, can only have one outcome. She would rather sentence a man to death for something she had done to him, â€Å"She reached up and kissed me ‘side of th’ face. She said she never kissed a grown man before an’s she might as well kiss a nigger.† than tell the court and the towns folk that she had come onto a black man. Harper Lee uses Mayella and her made up story to show the racism of the  justice system, she shows that simply by lying and having someone to lie with you when the case is white words against black the white will win. Despite Mayella’s story falling apart under cross-examination Tom’s version of what happened isn’t taken note of, as he is black. Also in this case, we have the testimonial of the local sheriff Heck Tate; he too is a tool of great injustice for the blacks. In his testimony we read that he was called by Bob Ewell and told that â€Å"some nigger’d raped his girl† upon arrival he found Mayella and asked who had done it – Tom Robinson. A black man accused by a white woman, Heck went and rounded him up instantly to be identified by Mayella. No questioning, no looking for evidence or any kind of service a white man could expect, Heck presumes that he is black and therefore must have committed some kind of crime. However, despite Heck’s injustice towards the black population of Maycomb he does fulfil his duties to the white. After Boo stabs Bob to save Atticus’ children Heck decides that for the greater good nothing should be said and the incident should be considered an accidental suicide. Heck shields the town from the truth and allows Boo to go back to his normal life – after all he had done the town a favour. Another man who shields the town from the truth, but about a very different subject is Dolphus Raymond, a presumed evil alcoholic who spends most of his time with the black townsfolk. â€Å"Come round here, son, I got something that’ll settle your stomach.† Is the invitation given by Dolphus to Dill outside the courthouse. He offers Dill his brown paper bag with straws in and tells the boy to take a good sip. Scout says † Dill, you watch out, now† as she, like the rest of the town believes that Dolphus is always sipping from a bottle of gin within his bag. He pretends to be drinking all day as â€Å"it’s mighty helpful to folks.† He is forced to pretend to be drinking all day and to be messed up in the head to help the prejudice people of Maycomb understand why he would want to spend most of his time with the black people. Only the uncorrupted children are trusted with Mr. Raymond’s deepest secret as he feels that because they  are children they can understand why he pretends to drink and why he has to give the people a reason as to why he spends his time with black people. This helps give an idea of the intolerance in the town. Intolerance towards black people and towards anyone who has contact with black people as a friend, rather than just a slave. Harper Lee uses minor characters traits and beliefs to show the reader some of the issues at hand in the book. Whether it be a girl pretending to have been raped to highlight the levels of injustice and the racial prejudice in the book, or whether its Heck Tait acting under the powerful words of a white person to do wrong to blacks, or his truth shielding to help a white man stay out of prison for a crime he really did commit.

The Teacher as a Hero

The teacher as a hero LESSONS PLANNED from the teacher's pen (The Philippine Star) Updated October 01, 2009 T here are heroes and heroes, national and local. Some of them are born, others are made. Many are still living while many others have long been gone. It is to the latter that monuments and museums were built to keep alive their memory in our hearts and mind. Public buildings, parks and plazas, streets and a few provinces have been named after them. Important dates and events are usually marked red in the calendar to remind us of their birth or death anniversary. During the celebration of these events, program speakers take turns extolling to high heavens whatever good they had done for the country. Sad enough the hero who is apparently taken for granted and therefore unsung is the poor teacher. Not having a pedigreed name, she has no influence, no power. She is regarded as belonging to the marginalized sector of society. Tactless people look down on her with contempt saying, â€Å"She’s only a teacher. † After all, unlike OFWs, teachers do not contribute to the national economy. What many do not seem to realize is that a teacher is truly a hero in her own way. For a teacher is not only about her lesson plans, her teaching methods, strategies and techniques. A teacher is also about her personal character, her values and her attitude. And more importantly a teacher is also about her missionary work which entails a great deal of sacrifice on her part and her family. Indeed, the pro-bono services that she renders involve numerous risks to life and limb. We have heard of teachers who were kidnapped for ransom, forced into marriage under pain of bodily harm, physically abused and the unfortunate, even beheaded. I remember a male teacher who reprimanded a student for provoking trouble in class. That afternoon the huffy father with fire in his eyes sought the teacher in school and mercilessly hacked him to death. I had a relative who was summoned to the Comelec office in Manila and made to explain her inadvertence to affix her signature on a pair of election forms. The financially distressed teacher was forced to take a long-term loan which she used to pay for her transportation fare, board and lodging while in Manila. In the meantime her family had to be sparing and frugal in order to tide them over until such period that the loan was fully paid. While other government employees are off after five, the teacher spends long hours of work at home writing lesson plans, checking test papers or preparing visual aids and similar teaching devices. Compared to those who work in the comfort of their office, thousands of our teachers go on long hours of journey to their far-flung stations over hill and dale, many times in harsh weather condition. It is no wonder that many of these teachers become decrepit long before their age or they get pitifully sick before retirement from the service. And yet their take-home pay is a mere pittance. Any increase in their starvation salary comes far apart and in trickles because this is dependent upon the members of Congress who remember the teachers only on election time. Come May of next year teachers will again be called upon to man the electoral ramparts of our democracy. They will be there to help safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, armed only with the nobility and integrity of their profession. Whatever people say to the contrary, the teacher as a hero is ready to lay down her life for the sake of country sans a loud flourish of trumpets. I salute our teachers as heroes, living or dead! ANTONIO A. MORAN of Camalig, Albay is a retired general education supervisor of the Department of Education.