Motivation Evaluation Essay

Motivation Evaluation Motivation has three major viewpoints consisting of psychoanalytic, humanistic, and diversity (McAdams, 2009). Another approach to human motivations is Henry Murray’s theory. These views can help a person understand the motivations of others. In the case of Ted Bundy, using these viewpoints can help understand the reasons behind his motives for becoming a serial killer. Psychoanalytic view At an early age, Ted Bundy became interested in disturbing objects such as knives (bio. True Story, 2013). This was only the beginning however. As a teenager Bundy began looking through people’s windows and stealing (bio. True Story, 2013). In an interview before his death, he told psychologist James C. Dobson that pornography especially those that depicted violent sexual relations fueled his reasons (interview, January 23, 1989). This fits into Freud’s view that motivation comes from our sexual and aggressive urges (McAdams, 2009). Humanistic view Humanists believe that people’s motives stem from wanting to better themselves (McAdams, 2009). While Bundy’s murderous crimes do not convey a person who is trying to better their self his academic and social life does. After Bundy learned his sister was actually his mother and the devastating break up between him and his girlfriend he threw himself into his studies and graduated with honors (bio, 2013). Bundy also became a republican campaigner for the governor of Washington who wrote him a letter of recommendation for law school (bio. True Story, 2013). Diversity view The diversity view believes that people are motivated by a number of things (McAdams, 2009). The reason for Bundy’s rampage on killing women falls under the diversity view because pornography is not believed to be his only reason. While in college he fell in love with a woman who did not reciprocate the feelings he did (bio, 2013). His victims during his killing spree shared her physical characteristics; it is possible this heart break  drove him to doing harm to women who resembled her (bio, 2013). Henry Murray’s Theory Another view of motivation comes from Henry Murray. He believes that a person’s motivation comes from time and its force includes needs, press, and thema (McAdams, 2009). Needs are constructs of the brain that deals with human thinking, perceiving, strivings, and feelings (McAdams, 2009). Press is, according to McAdams (2009) â€Å"various situational constraints and opportunities for need expression â€Å"(279). The repeated interaction between the two is called the thema (McAdams, 2009). Conclusion The psychoanalytic perspective believes that motivations come from our sexual and aggressive urges; the humanistic believes that these motives stem from wanting to better ourselves, and the diversity view states that there are numerous motives for individual actions (McAdams, 2009). Another view point is found from Henry Murray who discusses how a person’s needs motivate them. Ted Bundy was a serial killer who’s motives could be explained using each one of the viewpoints including how his ambitions to kill started and what could have possibly pushed him over his hypothetical ledge. Reference bio.. (2013). Ted Bundy Biography. Retrieved from http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/ted-bundy.html bio. True Story. (2013). Ted Bundy. biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/ted-bundy-9231165?page=1 McAdams, D. P. (2009). The person: An introduction to the science of personality psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Powerade marketing Essay

SWOT ANALYSIS Strength: Widely Distributed Loyal Customers Drink Technology Helps Distinguish Powerade Athletic Endorsements Strong Brand Name – Powerade Weaknesses: Online Marketing and Presence of Powerade. Opportunities: Product and Market Expansion. Flavor and Drink Innovation. Threats: Potential price wars could hurt the athletic drink market. Powerade is in fierce competition with Gatorade. External analysis Competition analysis The main competitor of powerade is Gatorade. The combined market share of all Gatorade products is 84.7% of the sports drink market. These Gatorade products include traditional Gatorade, Gatorade Frost, Gatorade Fierce, Gatorade X Factor Gatorade All Star, Gatorade Ice, Gatorade Extreme, and Gatorade Endurance Formula. The combined sales for these Gatorade products were $2.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 12, 2005. In this time period Gatorade has seen a 0.1% increase in its market share. Gatorade has sponsorship deals with the National Football League National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer. It also has a long history, being the first sports drink on the market when it was introduced in1965. More recently Gatorade has extended their product line to include Propel Fitness Water, which competes with Powerade option.  Both Gatorade and Powerade come in a wide variety of flavors and the two brand share comparable in price. Also, both are primarily sold in plastic bottles, but also offer a powder form. See Appendix A for a side-by-side comparison of the nutritional features of Powerade and Gatorade. Other competitors of powerade include all sport, Protein Ice and various other sports drinks. These products only make up 1% of the market. Various bottled water brands pose competition to powerade Option. The bottled water industry was a $9.1 billion dollar industry (domestic) in 2004 – a substantially larger market than sports drinks. Client Analysis The sports drinks market has been expanding in recent years. Ten years ago, sports drinks were typically consumed by serious athletes and body builders. The target market now includes people ranging in age from their teenage years to the 40s who have an interest in sports. Note that these people do not necessarily play sports regularly. There are three common occasions for consumption of sports drinks: after sports activity, for breakfast, and â€Å"on-the-go.† As a result, companies are reducing their focus on sports in order to accommodate these consumption patterns Sports drinks are generally viewed as a masculine product. The male to female ratio of the market is 4 to 1. Clearly males are targeted over females in this market, but data show that females also purchase the product regularly. Objectives: In recent years, powerade has lost revenue. Not because of fierce competition against Gatorade in the sports drink industry, but against enhanced water products like Vitamin Water, Smartwater. So powerade would like to gain consumers focus by reinvigorating the brand and generating buzz. Strategy: Reach more customers by broadening its demographics from athletes to any active consumer. Tactic: Refreshing and contemporizing the brand by renaming and repackaging its drinks. So bottles are now featuring a bigger size with the name powerade appearing almost in fine print. And powerade is embarking the boat of enhanced beverages. Strategies and Positioning Introduction Powerade is an energetic drink made by the Coca-Cola company. Its market is focused mainly in the sport world, because of the energy and mineral salts that it gives to supply the expensed ones during the exercise. Powerade entered the market in 1992. A market dominated mainly by Gatorade because of the lack of competitors in the market. As it is well known Coca-cola and Pepsi are main competitors in their market; well Powerade anda Gatorade are their sport products respectively. Because of the lack of competitors in this market, and the total dominance of Gatorade, Coca-cola Co. Decided to enter de market although they were in clear disadvantage. The first year that Powerade was in the market, it made a good hit to Gatorade, at least 10% of the sales, and this was because Pepsi Co was seeing Gatorade as a drink to have at home, just a beberage. Powerade entered as a sports man drink, that’s why it commenced to fight in this market. With a new competitor in the market, well, the only competitor in the market at the moment, and it wasn ´t no other that the worst enemy o Pepsi Co. , Coca-cola, the companay decided to commence a battle in marketing that still today is having place in our markets. Innovations and New Products The Gatorade commenced its battle by projecting its product in every place relationed with the product, as gyms, football fields, etc. But it was Coke Co. The one who took the initiative in this place, by entering the market after convincing various figures of sport to promote Powerade. Pepsi got new ideas! It had to get to a wider market an no only as a healthy drink that moms could give to their children. It decided to enter more strongly in the sport market, then it launched a series of products to improve in the sport, like energy bars, more energetic drink, even a gel, that Olympic sportsmen use. Anyway it wasn’t new to Coke Co these strategies and they had new ways of enter this market and fight for the triumph too. Powerade also got energy bars, or drinks, and even gels, like Gatorade did, but Coke Co had a new product to fight the competence; Powerade zero, a drink with zero calories and zero sugars, made as a diet drink, so it entered no only the market of sport more deeply with this product; it also opened a great market to whit no fat drinks! And there are a lot of people that want to lose weight with few or no sport; this drink definitively would be perfect for those users. Gatorade counter attacked making publicity and saying that an energy drinks, needs calories to supply the ones that you burn during exercise. Coke co was ready for that, and they argued that what you really needed during sport was just a drink to supply the mineral salts that you need, and with a good flavors; they got the help of some science studies to support their argument, and it just made Powerade to gain more sales, and then steel them from Gatorade. But battle wasn’t won yet, and Powerade knows that. So they commenced a marketing campaign with famous basket and football stars to publicities its product, also they launched new flavors. And in a battle that it seems that everything its worthy, Coca Cola Co had just hired the ex-executive manager of science and sports of Gatorade. Obviously a great heat to Pepsi Co and even more if Coke co hired him in the R+D department, what would make a great amount of sales for Powerade and lot less for Gatorade. And the impact was visible early. In 2010 Powerade’s sales raised to a 32% of the market in the third trimester, having in account that in 1990 the drink was launched at it got less than a 10%. Great hit to Gatorade, but it was owning the market yet. With more than 60% of the sales Gatorade is clearly the leader, but more and more, year by  year, Powerade gets more buyers than Gatorade. Conclusion Coca-Cola co entered a market where it has clear disadvantage, sport world drinks, with Powerade, and they had no more than a 10% of the sales in the market that was clearly governed by Coke’s main rival; Pepsi Co and its Gatorade with at least 80% of the sales in the market of energy drinks. But Powerade had a great future and they where ready to open at. After Powerade got the dominium of some great and famous athletes both competitors began a marketing battle by promoting their products in sport places. And Gatorade seeing the danger of this new competitor soon opened more strategies like new products. But Powerade strategies weren’t over yet and they launched new products to the market and opened a making it wider like the same products of even a diet drink. It is obvious that both companies have great marketing strategies, but in my opinion Powerade has the lead in that way, because year by year they are getting more sales and users from Gatorade. Not going too far, I began consuming Gatorade, but now a days when I do some sport, I use Powerade. Its benefits feel better than Gatorade ones. Product Powerade is an isotonic beverage/sports drink manufactured by â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company†; it was first introduced to the market in the year 1988 and later released nationally on the United States on the year 1992. Powerade’s primary competitor is Gatorade, which is manufactured by PepsiCo’s (Coca-Cola’s main competitor). By June 2007, Powerade reached a 13.4% of the market in its category, Gatorade being the leader of the market with an 84.2%. Ingredients Powerade is composed by water, high fructose corn syrup, salt, potassium citrate, phenylalanine, sucralose, sodium citrate, malic acid, potassium phosphate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B2. Flavors This product stands out by the numerous types of flavors it offers; currently there are eight types of flavors: Orange, Mountain Berry Blast (originally Mountain Blast), Fruit Punch, Grape, Lemon Lime, Sour Melon (originally Green Squall), White Cherry (originally Arctic Shatter), and Strawberry Lemonade. Apart from this, there are six flavors of Powerade zero, the zero calorie version of the product, this are: Mixed Berry, Grape, Lemon Lime, Orange, Fruit Punch and Strawberry. Sponsorship Powerade is the official sports drink of teams like Wallabies, New Zealand’s All Blacks, River Plate from Argentina, the Australian Football League, O’Higgins F.C, Argentina’s national football team, Mexico’s national football team, the PGA Tour, Nascar, and the United States Olympic team. Apart from this, Rogelio Funes Mori from River Plate, Lebron James from the Miami Heat, and Wayne Rooney from Manchester United, are the three main sportsman sponsored by Powerade. Product life cycle The Product life cycle consist of four stages starting from introduction stage, growth stage, maturity stage and decline stage. At the introduction stage, the product is not popular and can’t really make a lot of profit. Its marketing cost may be high in order to test a market and set up a distribution channel. At the growth stage, the product start making a profit, the sales increase rapidly with some cost on marketing especially brand building. Competitors enter the market, often in large number depending on how attractive the market is. When a profit starts to decline, it’s the sign of ‘Maturity stage’. Powerade was originally elaborated for athletes. Originally it had to be reformulated because of its bad taste and because of ingredients problems. The new formula offered better nutritional values, and this led to Powerade being consumed as a common drink. Because of this, in its growth stage Powerade started releasing different types of drinks for athletes, with the objective of hydrating them. Powerade has tried to create more new products  than Gatorade and the other competition, but this task is not easy since Gatorade products are more demanded. As sales decline, the firm has several options like maintaining the product, possibly rejuvenating it by adding new features and finding new uses; harvest the product reduce costs and continue to offer it, possibly to a loyal niche segment, or discontinuing the product. In Powerade’s case, it will continue offering its products, with the confident of continue growing and not to decline, and also changing features, like a new bottle which projects a new and fresh image. Brand equity As a Performance Partner of the ‘All Blacks’, Powerade has recorded some exceptional scores of late, having seen volume sales of its 750ml bottles grow by 22.9% in supermarkets across New Zealand since 2009, confirming its status as the countries number one selling sports drink. Ahead of the launch of its latest campaign, the challenge therefore facing Powerade was to grow its brand further than the 80% market share that it currently already occupies. Equipped with the insight that Powerade was only being drunk on game days by consumers in New Zealand, the brand wanted to become an integral part of daily training routines, and utilized its sponsorship of the Rugby team to achieve this through the launch of a multi-touch point campaign launched in late June that aimed to heighten anticipation ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September. This was Powerade’s ‘Black’, which hit the supermarkets across New Zealand creating impact and patriotism among fans in what was a crucial year in the history of the nation from a Rugby perspective. Adding weight to the campaign was the launch of a TVC, ‘Train Like You’re In The Game’, that highlighted how the hard work on the training ground is replicated in a match situation, creating a direct link between high performance and the abilities of Powerade to facilitate this by hydrating the body. Online activation saw the launch of a Powerade New Zealand Facebook page, where training tips and behind the scenes footage of the New Zealand Rugby team could be accessed, providing an insight into the lives of elite athletes by posing the question to members of the New Zealand Rugby Team, â€Å"what makes an ‘All Black’?† The Powerade NZ website took this idea to a new level, featuring tips and advice from NZ Rugby strength and conditioning coach, Dr. Nic Gill, and provided a ‘hydration calculator’ tool that aggregated the amount of fluid lost from the body through sweat during exercise. In addition, various training drills were shared by Dr. Gill targeted at improving endurance, speed, performance and strength whilst details of the ‘Powerade Challenge’ were also provided. In order for consumers to test their fitness levels against those of the All Blacks players, Powerade also launched the ‘Powerade Challenge’ in July, creating a running course located on the Auckland waterfront integrated with RFID technology so that runners could track their times. Participants could register online to receive their free personalized Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) bracelet, which could be activated by placing it on unique Powerade vending machines located a various distances around the running route. All results were uploaded to the brand’s website. The integrated push from Powerade highlights the desire of the brand to cement its status as the number one selling sports drink in New Zealand, building equity in the process and showcasing its innovative technologies during the Rugby World Cup, a time where the sport (already massive in the country) is at the forefront of consumers minds. PRICE In order to talk about the Price, inside the Marketing Mix of POWERADE. To introduce this part of the presentation, what we can say is that ‘Price’ as one of the elements that gives a real benefit to the company, needs to be studied, in order to know why companies put a determined price to the product. And, as we are going to see now, the price will vary, depending on the country it’s sold and the GDP of the country. AMERICA In the table above what we can see are the values of the POWERADE and GATORADE (its major competitor in the whole market of the energetic beverages) North America: In Canada, price of Powerade is less than Gatorade, as it is usual due to Powerade (normally) sells its product at a lower price than its major competitor (Gatorade). In the USA, price of Powerade acts in the same way than Canada, lower price than Gatorade. In this case the GDP of Canada and USA is not a great factor, in order to evaluate the price the product. Central America: In Mexico, price of Powerade is much lower than in North America, but is a little greater in comparison with Gatorade. Here we can appreciate, that the GDP of Mexico is less, so price of both products is lower. South America: In Brazil, we can see that price of Powerade is quite bigger than in the USA, even with a lower GDP, in this case, the main reason could be that, Powerade demand is not so big, in order to decrease the price, or another reason, could be that, Gatorade has a greater Market Share. So, it could explain why the difference between both products is relatively big. In Argentina, we can see a greater difference between both products, and here, is clear that marketing strategy of Powerade, which is ‘to offer same product, but a lower price’, is done. Other thing that we can see about price, if we compare it with USA, it’s clear that Powerade is more expensive. EUROPE POWERADE (500 ML) $ POWERADE $ GATORADE $GDP EUROPE UK 1,33 1,42 35.500 FRANCE 2,08 2,51 34.569 GERMANY 1,58 1,83 37.900 ITALY 1,64 2,34 31.264 SPAIN 1,22 1,41 31.500 Studying the price of Powerade in Europe, we can say that: the variety of prices doesn’t vary between countries. The main reason could be that European countries analyzed are inside the European Union, and the difference of prices doesn’t vary between them. Only remark France, where the prices of Powerade (and Gatorade) are quite bigger than the rest, even comparing them with Germany, where the GDP is higher. ASIA POWERADE (500 ML) $ POWERADE $ GATORADE $GDP ASIA CHINA 1,26 1,6 8400 JAPAN 2,81 3,25 35280 SOUTH KOREA 1,26 1,89 33100 In the box above, we can appreciate that in Asia, the variation of GDP is very high, and wide, due to the wealth of the nations studied. The main thing remarkable is that in Japan, the price of Powerade is quite high than in China or South Korea, the main reason, it’s because the wealth of Japan is high than the rest of the Asian countries. AFRICA POWERADE (500 ML) $ POWERADE $ GATORADE $GDP AFRICA MOROCCO 0,9 1,145 5252 EGYPT 0,95 1,12 6180 SOUTH AFRICA 1,093 1,35 10890 Here in Africa, what we can appreciate is that the prices of Powerade (and Gatorade) don’t vary with other developed countries. One thing remarkable is that Powerade costs more in South Africa than Morocco or Egypt, maybe because the GDP of this country is higher than the others compared. OCEANIA POWERADE (500 ML) $ POWERADE $ GATORADE $GDP OCEANIA AUSTRALIA 2,25 2,79 40820 NEW ZEALAND 3,56 2,76 29535 Analyzing the prices in Oceania, we can appreciate that there is a big difference between the prices of this continent and the rest of the world. Bottles of 500 ml, of Powerade, are more expensive than in other countries outside Australia or New Zealand. One reason could be because of the distance between this countries and Asia,  so, the production cost could be higher. Other reason could be because of the GDP, if we see, its high comparing it with the media of GDP, and between Australia and New Zealand the difference is clearly defined. In New Zealand is much more expensive to buy a bottle of Powerade than in Australia. BUT, if you buy a bottle of Gatorade is cheaper than a bottle of Powerade, this could because the demand of Gatorade is higher than Powerade, so the company decided to reduce its price, in order to maintain the consumption. Natural disasters in Australia Natural disasters are events that occur naturally such as earthquakes, cyclones, Storms, and floods. These kinds of disasters can cause significant physical damage, interruption of business services and personal injury/loss of life. Due to the effects of global warming and consequential climate change the rate of natural disasters in Australia is increasing day by day. I myself have faced such kind of natural disaster in Pakistan in the year 2012 which was a flood. So I can relate and describe how painful and how bad economically these disasters can be; destroying each and everything coming in its way. There are two types of economic impacts due to natural disasters: 1. Direct Economic impact. This includes lifelines such as water, sanitation system, gas, electricity, telecommunication and transportation which are vulnerable to all types of natural disasters which are included in public infrastructure and community facilities. Other than this business enterprise, households & residents are also part of direct impact. 2. Indirect economic impact. Indirect economic impact includes disruption and clean up. These impacts are incurred due to consequence of the disaster. Australia has always been facing these kinds of disasters which made a huge loss for Australia and a lot of time and money was spent to bring Australia back in its kind of original form. If we go through the history of Australia  we can read that from the year 1967 till 1999 there have been 265 such disasters costing more than $10 million dollars each. The total cost of most disasters is ranging from $10 to $50 million which is a huge amount. Among the entire disasters, floods were most common and most costly. Floods have always been on number one causing destruction on a high level, contributing $10.4 billion or 29 percent to the total cost followed by Storms and Cyclones making 26 and 24 percent of the total cost. The bushfire crisis in Victoria is Australia’s worst-ever bushfire disaster. It’s also Australia’s worst natural disaster in 110 years which so far has claimed 131 lives. If we analyze the currently available data then we come up with a statement that total cost of natural disasters in Australia between the years 1967 and 1999 is approximately $36.4 billion, which is easy to say and hard to believe. If we integrate deaths and injuries into this data then the total cost increases to $37.8 billion or approximately $85 per person compared to prices in 1999. This estimation brings to an average annual total cost of natural disasters to $1.14 billion since 1967 or $1.17 since 1980 and $1.51 billion prices are subjected to year 1999. An organization called â€Å"The Natural disaster Relief and Recover Arrangements (NDRRA) is an organization that provides Commonwealth and States which share costs in rebuilding the assets of states that are damaged by the natural disaster. By which the states are able to get a little part of the total cost from the Common wealth used in reconstructing state government assets. Every state in Australia has some self-insurance or some form of managed fund which helps in insuring states assets. It is recommended by many that the formula used under â€Å"The Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements† should be changed to expenditure method before the State or Territory gets any insurance recovery. Natural disasters cause so much heavy burden on the economy of Australia that at some stage it becomes so hard for the government to deal with the outcomes of that disaster. There are many ways which can help the government getting over these disasters and make plans or organizations which can work  on these disasters as these disasters are unavoidable part of Australia. Nothing much can be done besides what has always done on such events. Below are some ways that can help. Low interest concessional loans should be given on large scale by the government to companies. Series of loan repayment should be increased to as maximum as possible. Flood premium discount should be given for existing homes but not for new homes. Every year some part of the Gross Domestic Product should be saved a side. Emergency relief assistance and emergency re-establishment assistance should be increased. Provide a carrier that has good reputation in claiming service. 1. Neil Gentle, Sharyn Kierce, Alistair Nitz, 2001 â€Å"Economic cost of natural disaster in Australia† Retrieved from â€Å"https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.em.gov.au%2FDocuments%2FEconomic_costs_of_natural_disasters_in_Australia.pdf&ei=XO17UdX2FcaiigeT1oCYCQ&usg=AFQjCNE89LiWzBdi_zr3hvixQdXzkLYLBA&sig2=bVIuhvxRuq8ZUmgV1h7sYg&bvm=bv.45645796,d.dGI† on 18th April 2013. 2. Emergency Management Australia, 2002 â€Å"Economic and Financial aspects of Disaster Recovery† Retrieved from https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDUQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.em.gov.au%2FDocuments%2FManual28-EconomicandFinancialAspectsofDisasterRecovery.pdf&ei=XO17UdX2FcaiigeT1oCYCQ&usg=AFQjCNGgKyl9WZm6lEw4LUhncbrFlzf7zA&sig2=4zfhYHeYKdlqn4qrM5cFaA&bvm=bv.45645796,d.dGI on April 19, 2013. 3. Bureau of Transport Economics Report 103, 2001 â€Å"Economic costs of natural disasters in Australia† Retrieved from http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2001/files/report_103.pdf on April 21, 2013. 4. John Trowbridge, Jim Minto, John Berrill, September 2001 â€Å"Natural disaster insurance review,†

Children and Video games Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Children and Video games - Research Paper Example The physical games enhanced the physique of the children, and enabled them to develop social skills (Vorderer & Bryant, 2006). In spite of all the benefits of physical games, children still spend most of their time playing video games making them forget or ignore other issues that might be important in their lives. For example, some children will ignore their homework or they might do it hurriedly with the intention of creating more time for video games. It is the role of the parents to ensure that their children reduce the time spent in playing video games by encouraging them to participate in physical games. In as much as playing video games enhances the thinking capacity of a child, and keeps him busy, it affects their health, leads to violence and affects relationships. Benefits of Video Games There also exist benefits that come with children playing video games. Since children usually spend a lot of their time playing video games, they frequently develop abilities that are essen tial in making meaningful decisions (Vorderer & Jennings, 2006). During the game play, a child usually takes a considerable time before moving onto the next level; and for good performance to be realized, a child needs adequate thinking capacity. It is clear that video games usually enhance the thinking capacity of the children. ... As mentioned earlier, when children spend most of the time playing video games, they usually ignore other issues that might be important in their lives. Apart from neglecting their homework, most children usually fail to prepare their food. In some cases, they will prepare their meals in a hurry. The food consumed usually affects the health of these children by causing them to suffer from ailments that could have been avoidable in the first place. Since the video games are highly addictive, these children usually develop a habit of consuming poorly prepared food. This situation leads to the parents spending a lot of money in treating their children due to of the developed health complications. It is the role of the parents to control the time spent by their children in playing video games. This approach will be very important in ensuring that their children are not affected negatively by the video games. The approach is also important to both the parents and children because every pa rent desires to be associated with well-behaved children. Effect of video games on children’s health Video games are usually played within the house meaning that strenuous movements do not characterize them. Unlike in physical games that involve many movements, video games is required for the players to gather themselves in a room. It is clear that video games usually eliminate all opportunities that might allow the children to engage in any outdoor or physical game. As mentioned earlier, physical games are important in promoting the interaction as well as creating physical contact among children. However, video games limit the use of muscles posing negative effects on the health of a growing child. Concurrently, outdoor games give the children an opportunity

PetSmart Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PetSmart Inc - Research Paper Example The first step is to deal with the demographics. Just as the above section has put it, it is beyond doubt that the population of blacks and Hispanics is on the rise within our country. A good business is one that manages to keep its current crop of customers as well as bring in new ones. PetSmart Inc. should put in plans aimed at increasing their customer base among the two named communities (Podberscek 5). They can achieve this by aggressively marketing the services they offer to the Hispanic population as well as those of black origin. Still under the demographics aspect, I presume true the fact that the dream of every one is to have a family. This is because a family provides us with the sense of belonging. More often than not when families grow in number, they tend to do away with the pets they used to keep (Podberscek 8). This act can spell doom for PetSmart Inc. PetSmart Inc. should employ education in order to ensure that they find a way out (Williams 7). I presume true the fa ct that the American people at large would not have accomplished all that we have if we were rigid. It is for that reason that I believe that PetSmart Inc. should embark on a campaign to encourage people to be flexible and continue keeping the pets even as the families grow. After all, even the pets need to have some sense of belonging. Another area that PetSmart Inc. ... PetSmart Inc. should charge highly those who desire high quality services and at the same time offer moderate services for the average earners. This will make the customers get value for their money. At the same time, it will avert the possibility of PetSmart Inc. not offering their services to a customer if he falls short of the price (Williams 17). The section above introduced the aspect of competition by mentioning Petco. The pet industry is no doubt a business for the future. At the same time, it is important note that several other companies will spring up within the same industry (Podberscek 2). How can PetSmart handle the present and future competition to ensure that they dominate the industry? One-step that they should take is diversification in the pets they sell and the services they offer. The diversification in both will enable the customers prefer their stores because they will be offering all under one roof (Figure 24). To ensure that they dominate the industry in the y ears to come, I will borrow a leaf from other world brands. Take Apple Inc. as an example, it has used its various products to form a large and loyal customer base. In like manner, PetSmart should put up a brand for pet food. This brand will enable the customers embrace most of the services they offer. The overall effect will be that the customer base will be immense and it will be able to beat off competition that other companies provide. The previous section mentions that PetSmart Inc. classifies its customers based on the frequency at which they visit the store. We all know that for a business to keep bringing in constant profits, its customers must always go and come again (Williams 19). In the entire business world, most

Hand Hygiene in the Practice of Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hand Hygiene in the Practice of Nursing - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the nursing code of conduct stipulates that effective communication entails: Respect to patients’ confidentiality. Some cultures do not allow sharing of certain information the practitioner should know the patients’ culture, religion and essential background in advance. Nurses should practice keen listening skills, use of non-verbal communication and to apply a professional language when dealing with patients. In addition, they should also have good writing skill in the case of record keeping. According to McCabe and Timmins, effective communication in the practice of nursing results in Improvement in, patients' conditions; increase in rates of recovery and patients’ satisfaction with nursing services.This essay highlights that  an advanced beginner demonstrates levels of acceptable performance. This category of learners has gained prior experience in relation to actual circumstances and has recognized the relevance of thes e components. At this stage, actions are guided by gained principles from prior experience. The first few weeks of my study mainly focused on infection prevention through hand hygiene. During this period, the reporter learnt that, mere negligence of failing to disinfect hands before attending to a patient can lead to negative consequences. Hands are the main causes of health care associated infections. Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) can result in advanced illness, slow recovery rate, increase in patients’ level of stress.... Some cultures do not allow sharing of certain information the practitioner should know the patients’ culture, religion and essential background in advance. Nurses should practice keen listening skills, use of non-verbal communication and to apply a professional language when dealing with patients (Nursing Council of New Zealand 2012). In addition, they should also have good writing skill in the case of record keeping. According to McCabe and Timmins (2006), effective communication in the practice of nursing results in Improvement in, patients' conditions; increase in rates of recovery and patients’ satisfaction with nursing services. In this study I will discuss my learning from a novice to an advanced beginner in the practice of hand hygiene in nursing. I will outline how Gibb’s cycle of reflection helped in my learning process. The importance of hand hygiene; the latest policies in hand washing and how Blooms taxonomy of learning helped in gaining; new knowledg e, new skills, and new attitude. DESCRIPTION: FROM NOVICE TO ADVANCED BEGINNER At the time, I commenced my undergraduate degree in nursing on 27th march 2013; my knowledge in this field was quit vague. I thought of nursing as a routine practice to patients’ recovery as I had previously witnessed in hospitals. Health practitioners I encounter in health facilities do not take the issue of hand hygiene as serious as it should be. It had never crossed my mind that hand hygiene was such an integral part of nursing. In the initial days of my learning, I did not consider decontaminating my hands before I attend to a patient. According to Benner (2001), there are five levels in a nurse’s career experience, this include; novice, advance beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. Novice refers to a beginner

International Development Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Development Organizations - Essay Example In 1970s, the organization was training families on how to indulge themselves in farming in order to get an extra income to sustain their basic needs. The organization started by installing water pumps in order to distribute clean water to communities which were highly affected by morality rates (Russell & Cohn, 2012). It then recruited volunteers who taught the community how to use the water to irrigate in order to become self-reliant. In 1990s, the organization shifted its attention towards the needs of children and other vulnerable groups in the society. This is after realizing that many governments were struggling with offering these groups[s with the necessary platforms in order to unleash their potential. By 2014, the organization was the 11th largest non-governmental organization in the United States (Russell & Cohn, 2012). World Vision International receives funding from corporations and private donors (Cagney & Ross, 2013). Approximately 19% of the organization’s budget is obtained from public grants. However, corruption is one of the major challenges that have been facing this organization. For instance, in 2007, World Vision International identified that a lot of funds that was to be directed towards education, health care, and economic development was being embezzled by various officials. In addition, the organization’s officials in various positions were diverting food deliveries and other important building materials for their own personal gains. Through its financial aid especially in developing countries, World Vision International has been able to improve the lives of the people. This is through initiating projects that are self sustainable (Kilby, 2006). Through the projects, the organization has been able to create employment, an aspect that has played a significant role in alleviating poverty in the society. World Vision International has been able to build a sustainable economy in different parts of the

Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Memo - Case Study Example Some methodological issues of CBA have not been entirely resolved even now, but the essential presented in the subsequent are well proven. One of the shortcomings of CBA is that the evaluation of many components of benefits and costs are intuitively obvious but that there exist other methods for which intuition fails to suggest methods of measurement. Therefore, some important principles are needed as a guide (Pohl & Mihaljek, 1992). Since the enactment of the devolution agenda, Arapahoe County has been experiencing problems in the personnel based expenditures. The assessment of this Countys expenditure would lead the ease in the distribution of these given expenditures. However, inevitably would to otherwise but difficulties in the distribution of the expenditure. According to reports the escalation rate of health is 8% but without the heath personnel in place it is 3.5%. In the cost benefit computation area, the one-time costs differ in the relation to the description and the quantity. As for the HR charges set up pilot, each person gets a unit cost of 7500 and the participants retirement is 10000 each. The recurring costs: The base stipend differs from year to year, and it is always growing from year one to year 5. As the base stipend, the ACA penalty also increases consistently from tear one to year five with its transaction year unit cost being $ 2,000 and the operational year unit cost being $3000. The recurring saving: the retirement benefit’s transition year unit saving is $ 2,664 and operational year unit saving is $ 5,327 and the development increases yearly. The health care savings transition year saving is $ 3,411 and the operational year unit savings is $ 6,821 and the development increases year after year. The cost /benefits adjusted for the time value of money has a discount factor growth that is

Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators Essay

Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators - Essay Example The realistic goals is to help a child achieve intellectual growth, develop a positive self concept, increase proficiency in skills in writing, reading, thinking, listening and speaking and to increase skills involved in physical coordination. It also helps a child to enlarge his world of experiences, ideas, things and people. These help the child to increase aptitude in dealing with emotions, societal situations, self bearing and independence (Little, 1979). Working with Pre-K age group children calls for good class practices. Pre k/Pre kindergarten, being the first official academic classroom-based education environment that a youngster habitually attends, begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on how long the program is. It combines the focus to harvest a child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional developments. This means it reflects an understanding of child development principles providing opportunities for the children to acquire concepts and skills involving de cision making, problem solving, questioning, evaluating and discovering. An early childhood educator should therefore, combine philosophies, theories and concepts that endorse the children with opportunities to develop in all dimensions prior to basic education and future life. Direct instruction The direct instruction method is an approach whereby stems of behavior and social training techniques view child education as an input from the environment. The educator presents information to the class and whole groups. He or she structures or drills a practical lesson where they teach discrete skills and isolate facts. These lessons are fast paced and ensure consistency in classrooms (Guide, 1998). Being skill oriented, it emphasizes on the use of small groups, face to face instructions by aides and teachers carefully articulating lessons which cognitive skills are sequenced deliberately after being broken down into small units and taught explicitly. Direct instruction offers one of the most empirically effective and validated curricula for all types of children. These are the gifted, the average, disadvantaged and the developmentally delayed. It stands on the certainty that one should not introduce the subject matter to children when they are developmentally unprepared (little, 1979). For developmental appropriateness, the student teacher interaction is highly emphasized to improve children’s self esteem and improve their self expectations. The National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1998 stated that outdated practices that included extensive whole group and intensive drill and practices on isolated skills were not effective and suitable. Direct instruction though is always in small groups, which provide the kids with the opportunity to interact and participate with other kids while receiving their teacher’s individual attention. The small groups become learning communities allowing the children to share individual and group goals , valorized identities and moral principles. The length of lessons in direct instruction is adjusted according to the attention spans and activity levels of children in different ages. Faulty instructions are the overwhelm causes of children crippling intellectually, and if a student has not learned then a teacher has not taught. Therefore, direct instruction has a consistency with the literature on how to design instructions that children induce or

Orlando Is My Favorite Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Orlando Is My Favorite Place - Essay Example As one walks along the main areas of the city, one can see that it has a number of renowned eateries and restaurants as well as art based activities for people, for the purpose of recreation, entertainment attractions, and hanging out. It is very well built in terms of infrastructure and is very actively lived in the city. The sounds of Orlando include traffic noise as well as the hustle and bustle of people roaming around trying to absorb the sights of the city. On the east side of the city, there is beautiful landscaping along with lush greenery and a clean environment for people to live in. This area mostly consists of residential places to live and has very well planned areas with convenience with respect to shopping, transport, eating out as well as schooling and education. Most of the roads in Orlando are well connected to each other, thus providing only 30 minutes of travel and commute time from the corners to some of the city’s main attractions. Orlando is soon becomin g a haunt for urban people as the suburbs are becoming sprawled with homes to live in as well. The aromas of various cuisines waft all around Orlando as it is dotted with food stalls at every corner and road. Shopping malls adorn the main areas as well as making it easier to see women, men and children moving along happily feeling good. The place is very overwhelming for many people as they are about to do almost everything they want to and thus it makes it gives for a very exciting buzz in the air.

Topic of your choice but i have a request can you send your topic Essay

Topic of your choice but i have a request can you send your topic choice by thursday a.m. I have to turn in topic thursday in c - Essay Example Excited and enthusiastic would describe my mood at the time of assessment. My first task was to test my endurance and meant that I had to run two kilometers in twenty-five minutes. Me run! My enthusiasm for fitness instantly decreased by 30% upon visualizing myself running around the block in the midday sun, dying for water and collapsing less than half way around. Nevertheless, once I realized I would be running on a treadmill I decided to give it a go. I felt quite pleased with myself to start and thought that the task would not be so difficult after all. After ten minutes however, I was not going as fast as I needed to finish the length in the allotted time, so the speed was increased. That was the end for me. I had to stop. I felt my heart was in my mouth and if I took one more step I would send it into oblivion. Strength was the next assessment area, and after composing myself from the endurance catastrophe I keenly ventured into my next venture, for after all I considered mysel f to be quite strong and able to lift a few weights. My enthusiasm instantly nose-dived by a further 50% on finding that I was not lifting weights but doing push-ups and sit-ups.

Psychology Phobias Coursework Essay Example for Free

Psychology Phobias Coursework Essay The area studied for this study is phobias, by adapting the work of Bennett Levy and Marteau.  The alternative hypothesis was whether the participant disliked a particular thing about the animal; in particular it being likely to bite, being ugly, or having a strange texture, they will also give a high fear rating.  A survey was completed by 30 participants aged over sixteen years old, using an opportunity sample, to find their opinions about how likely the variables are likely to occur. The principle finding was all the variable results gave a positive significant correlation.  The main implications of the findings were it supported the research by Bennett Levy and Marteau that there is a strong correlation between an appearance of an animal and fear.  Introduction:  The definition of a phobia is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the conscious awareness that it is not dangerous. Explanations to how a phobia develops differ between schools of psychology. The behaviourist theory argues that phobias are learnt by classical conditioning and reinforced by operant conditioning. An experiment on phobias supporting the behaviourist theory was executed by Watson and Rayner in 1920. The aim of the experiment was to show how classical conditioning could be applied to condition fear of a white rat into Little Albert, an 11 month old boy. The psychodynamic theory sees phobias resulting from the displacement of repressed impulses to an object or situation which becomes a focus for a phobia. Sigmund Freud speaks of an Oedipus complex which is where children of both sexes regard their father as an adversary and competitor for the exclusive love of their mother. This is related to phobias in the study of Little Hans. Little Hans phobia of horses is due to the fact that he took pleasure in his father getting hurt by a horse, as it meant Little Hans could have his mother all to himself. The cognitive theory states that people with phobias tend to focus on negative aspects of situations. The way people typically think, such as catastrophising, affects the likelihood of a fearful response. Tomarken et al (1989) supported this theory by finding the participants with phobias greatly overestimated the number of times fear related slides were followed by a shock. The biological theory states phobias tend to run in families which suggest a genetic component. Phobias related to survival, such as snakes, spiders, and heights, are much more common and much easier to induce in the laboratory than other kinds of fears. Seligman proposed the Preparedness theory that states humans are genetically disposed to respond rapidly to hazards in order to survive dangerous environments, therefore a result of evolutionary history. Consequently, the innate predisposition to fear these objects became an adaptive human trait. Ohman et al also said that many common phobias, such as heights and snakes, are based on things which may have threatened human survival in the past. While researching the biological theory, a decision was made to focus on this theory due to it having many areas that one could explore. These included the study Bennett-Levy Marteau and Sharma.  Bennett-Levy and Marteau (1984) showed there is a strong correlation between fear of small harmless animals and an animals appearance. Specifically it is seen that the amount of fear expressed is related to the extent of the difference from the human form. They did this by conducting surveys, and correlating two variables. A number of surveys correlating fears and phobias have also been done by Agras, Sylvester Oliveau, 1969; Costello, 1982; Kirkpatrick, 1984.  Sharma wrote a paper suggesting disgust and fear are closely related. Sharma observed many patients postpone or avoid a simple blood test, and was unsure whether this was due to the test being painful or whether it just felt icky. Sharma wrote that fear and disgust are both one of the five basic universal emotions, found in all cultures and societies as it is essential for survival, fear tells us to run and disgust tells us to avoid contact. However, Sharma says that some people with the phobias of spiders or insects have greater disgust sensitivity. Disgust sensitivity is a term used to describe a person who finds things disgusting easier and quicker than the majority of other people.  From the research by Bennett-Levy and Marteau, a questionnaire was made in order to be able to see the correlation between fear/deadliness and how disgusting the animal is.

Death In Shakespeares Hamlet

Death In Shakespeares Hamlet The Issue Of Death In Shakespeares Hamlet And Its Relation To The Renaissance Thinking The issue of death is inseparably linked with a traditional idea of tragedy. Such ancient dramatists as Aeschylus, Euripides, Seneca and Sophocles implemented the theme of death into their dramatic works to reflect the essence of their own times and the attitude of ancient people towards death. Their treatment of death was presented through serious and tragic elements that intensified a portrayal of certain events and characters, but the concept of death was restricted by the ancient religious dogmas. The Renaissance gave birth to new visions and interpretations of various issues of existence, especially concerning life and death. According to William Engel (2002), The decline and decay of every individual is an old theme with many ways of being expressed during the Renaissance (p.14). Although William Shakespeare, a famous English dramatist of the Renaissance period, constantly applies to various aspects of death in his tragedies, he goes beyond the ancient and Renaissance conceptio n on death. Shakespeare interprets the issue of death through both tragic and comic elements, making an attempt to solve one of the most crucial issues of that era. The dramatist revives some medieval customs associated with death and interprets them through the Renaissance vision. His idea of death is connected with both religious dogmas and atheistic values; for him, death simultaneously embodies everything and nothing. The aim of this essay is two-fold: 1) to analyse the empowerment of death in Shakespeares play Hamlet and 2) to evaluate the concepts relation with the Renaissance thinking of Michel de Montaigne, Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh and Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus. In Renaissance England death was perceived as a mysterious phenomenon that aroused debates among Elizabethan philosophers, priests and writers (Cressy, 1997, pp.465-468). The lack of knowledge in regard to various diseases resulted in constant increase of mortality rates. Thus, death was regarded as a leveller that eliminated social inequality, that is, both the poor and rich could die of an incurable illness or be murdered (Duddley, 1999, pp.277-281). Executions and mutilations were usually conducted in public and were rather popular among certain groups of British population. As Michael Neill (1997) puts it, death and other funerary issues constitute a crucial part of any Elizabethan drama that is aimed at transforming individual death into a common recollection (pp.12-17). During Elizabethan ruling various funeral images and buildings were created in Britain, so that people could constantly think of their mortality (Gittins, 1984, pp.140). Death became an integral part of British existence; as Nigel Llewellyn (1991) claims, Images reminding people about their own mortality were to be found in all kinds of public and private situations In early Modern England, Death always accompanied the individual on the streets or at home among the family (p.25). Thus, Renaissance literature reflects this aesthetics of death, as Neill claims (p.356). In this regard, William Shakespeares Hamlet is also overwhelmed with characters deaths that usually come out from revenge or deception. This is just the case with almost all principal characters of the play. For instance, Laertes, Ophelias brother, is masterfully deceived by Claudius and dies. Claudius makes Laertes avenge Hamlet who is accused of the murder of Laertes father. As Claudius claims, Laertes, was your father dear to you? / Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, / As face without heart? (Shakespeare, 1985 4.7.107-109). Although Hamlet makes an attempt to apologise for Polonius death, Laertes refuses to forgive him, because he feels fury and anger, as his sister Ophelia and his father Polonius are dead. Laertes utilises the poison sword during the dual, but Hamlet accidentally changes the sword and kills Laertes. Ophelias death does not fall under the category of revenge; instead her suicide is closely connected with her sexual desires towards Hamlet. As Jonathan Dollimore (1998) puts it, Death inhabits sexuality: perversely, lethally, ecstatically (p.xi). As Ophelia experiences strong desires for the P rince, she implicitly wishes death. Dollimore (1998) demonstrates that there is a close connection between sexual desires and death; the Renaissance ideas on love reveal that love is a changing phenomenon, and if it is so, sexual desires are also exposed to changes. With the loss of love and desires a person starts to feel a desire for death. According to Dollimore (1998), For the Jacobeans, as for us, what connects death with desire is mutability the sense that all being is governed by a ceaseless process of change inseparable from an inconsolable sense of loss (p.xii). Such a thought is consistent with a Christian dogma that human desires bring destruction and death, as is just the case with Eves desire for an apple. Claudius death also conforms to the Christian principles; he is punished for his cruel actions and is killed by Hamlet. Claudius obsession with wealth and power results in many deaths and troubles; thus Shakespeare reveals that Claudius deserves death. But despite so many deaths, Shakespeares treatment of the issue of death is especially obvious through his portrayal of Hamlet who is presented as a person preoccupied with the idea of death and the Ghost of King Hamlet. It is through these characters that the dramatist reveals his ambiguous representation of the principal theme. From the very beginning Hamlet reflects a youthful idolization of death, living life as a journey toward death (Engel, 2002, p.10); although he is afraid of the Ghost, he tries to get in touch with him. Initially Hamlet is anxious about death, because he does not know what awaits him after death. Hamlet reflects his anxiety in his famous soliloquy To be or not to be, where he demonstrates the controversy of the issue of death. As he claims, But that the dread of something after death, / The undiscovered country from whose bourne / No traveler returns, puzzles the will / And makes us rather bear those ills we have / Than to fly to others we know not of (Shake speare, 1985 3.1.86-90). However, as Hamlet collides with cruelty, murders, injustice and deaths, he seems to form a certain unconcern towards death. In his search of revenge, Hamlet thinks much about death and afterlife. But these attempts to revenge for his father are only a prerequisite to Hamlets thoughts of committing suicide. This obsession with death gradually drives him mad; William Shakespeare demonstrates this obsession with implicit mockery. For instance, when Hamlet kills Ophelias father, he is not able to remember, where he hides his body; instead he starts to madly speak about the worms that eat a dead body. Shakespeare demonstrates that even Hamlets appearance shows his obsession with death; he wears black clothes and looks depressed. In the graveyard scene Shakespeare intensifies Hamlets preoccupation with death, revealing Hamlets gloomy thoughts. As he claims, No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough and likelihood to lead it; as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned into dust; the dust is earth (Shakespeare, 1985 5.1.201-206). In fact, the image of the grave is shown several times throughout the play to reveal the characters attitud e towards death. With the exception of Hamlet, all characters demonstrate fear and pity at the sight of the grave that they associate with death. As Hamlet constantly thinks of death, he does not value his own life, as well as other peoples lives. As a result, Hamlet appears to be also responsible for the death of Ophelia, Claudius, Polonius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Thus, Hamlets obsession transforms him from a miserable youth into a cruel murderer. However, contrary to other characters deaths that are portrayed with a certain degree of irony, Hamlets death is depicted in more serious terms. From the very beginning of Shakespeares play each death seems to be blackened and is soon forgotten by other characters. For instance, Hamlet demonstrates that his fathers death is already neglected by people, although King Hamlet died only a couple of months ago. When Horatio claims, My lord, I came to see your fathers funeral, Hamlet responds: I prithee, do not mock me, fellow student. I think it was to see my mothers wedding (Shakespeare, 1985 1.2.183-185). Such an ironic viewpoint reveals that even the most generous people are forgotten. The death of Polonius is also ignored by the principal characters; Ophelia and Laertes are too preoccupied with their emotions and feelings to remember their father, and Hamlet who accidentally kills Polonius expresses o nly some sympathetic words: Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell (Shakespeare, 1985 3.4.38). Ophelias death is described in even more ironical portrayal, as the dramatist presupposes that her death is a result of suicide and asks: Is she to be buried in Christian burial, when she wilfully seeks her own salvation? (Shakespeare, 1985 3.4.38). Similar to Ophelias death, the deaths of Gertrude, Claudius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are able to arouse only sympathy in readers. In this regard, Hamlets death stands out against a background of other deaths; it evokes respect and powerful emotions towards the character. Although Hamlet expresses irony to death throughout the play, his death is a tragedy for those who knew him. As Horatio claims, Now cracks a noble heart. / Goodnight sweet prince. And a flight of angels sing thee to thy rest (Shakespeare, 1985 5.2.397-398). Hamlets death is the tragedy for the whole country, because it has lost its noble king and can hardly find another great person. Fortinbras considers that For he was likely, had he been put upon, to have proved most royal Speak loudly for him (Shakespeare, 1985 5.2.443-446). Hamlets noble death corresponds with the ideas of death maintained by such a Renaissance philosopher as Michel de Montaigne (1910) who claims that death uncovers the true essence of a person. According to him, a person can be really judged at his/her last moments. The similar attitude towards death is revealed by Sir Walter Raleigh who claimed that only death could provide people with real understanding of life. During his imprisonment Raleigh demonstrated real courage and was not afraid of death. As he wrote in the latter to his wife, I perceive that my death was de termined from the first day (Raleigh, 1940, p.82). In this regard, Hamlets real self is obvious only after his death. At the end of the play Hamlet accepts his death with courage and inevitability. However, Shakespeare demonstrates that, despite Hamlets indifference to life, he needs much time and courage to prepare himself for killing and death. As Hamlet observes numerous deaths, he becomes immune to his own fortune. He starts to perceive death with irony, realising that life has no value for him. To a certain extent, it is Hamlets insanity that helps him to adjust to the idea of death and succeed in his revenge. As Hamlet collides with cruel reality, he seems to be mentally destroyed by it: Who does it, then? His madness. Ift be so, / Hamlet is of the faction that is wrongd; His madness is poor Hamlets enemy (Shakespeare, 1985 2.233-235). Simultaneously, the principal character manages to create an ironical attitude towards death that is intensified by the utilisation of Biblical and classical allusions. For instance, Hamlets revenge resembles the classical story of Priam and Pyrrhus; when Priam kills the father of Pyrrhus, the latter decides to kill Priam in revenge. In Hamlets case the irony is explained by the repetition of the situation, but Hamlet finds it difficult to succeed in his revenge; he avoids some fortunate situations and kills Claudius only at the end of the play. Another allusion is taken from the Bible: when Shakespeare (1985) mentions the primal eldest curse A brothers murder (3.3.40-41), he draws a parallel between the story of Cain and Abel with the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius. Although Claudius seems to ask for forgiveness in the church, he does not really repent of his action. When Hamlet recognises the truth about his fathers death, he decides to make a play The Murder of Gonzago, where h e implicitly depicts the murder of his father by King Claudius. Ironically, the play has a great impact on Hamlet who has to suppress his desire to kill Claudius and his mother Gertrude. As he states, Let not ever the soul of Nero enter this firm bosom. / Let me be firm, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none (Shakespeare, 1985 3.2.426-429). As Agrippina, the character of the play The Murder of Gonzago, is killed by her son Nero, Hamlet is afraid of his desire to also kill his mother. Another element of death that Shakespeare strengthens in his play is the Dance of Death that is crucial for understanding the dramatists interpretation of the issue. In the Renaissance this dance was performed in the form of a carnival, during which some people disguised themselves into skeletons and guided other people into afterlife. As a humorous festivity, the Dance of Death was popular among different groups of people and was depicted in many dramatic works (Freedberg, 1989). The image of the Dance of Death occupies the principal place in Hamlets graveyard scene. In Hamlets conversation with the gravedigger, Shakespeare uncovers many important issues of existence. For instance, Hamlet asks Did these bones cost no more the breeding but to play at loggets with them? Mine ache to think ont (Shakespeare, 1985 5.1.91). The Dance of Death ha s a great impact on Hamlet, especially when he sees the skull of his friend Yorick who occupied a position of fool in the court during his life (Triggs, 1990, pp.73-76). Hamlet realises that death is inevitable for all people, as he puts it, We fat all creatures else to fat us and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service two dishes but to one table (Shakespeare, 1985 4.2.21-24). But this scene also reveals that the gravedigger and Hamlet are blasphemous in their treatment of death, although to a different extent (Frye, 1979, pp.17-22). As the gravedigger prepares the grave for Ophelia, he sings songs; Hamlet regards this action as awful, although his further action is more cruel. When he finds Yoricks skull, he begins to mock at him, simultaneously laughing at death: Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment that wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now to mock your own grinning? Quite chapfallen? (Shakespeare, 1985 5.1.196-199). Such an ironic vision of the principal character reveals Hamlets inner degradation; Ewan Fernie (2002) considers that Hamlet involves into the depth of mortality and destruction, because he feels shame that makes him regard death in an easy and obscure manner. Hamlet thinks that the inner destruction is a necessary prerequisite of revenge, and the failure of this tragic hero works against the i llusion and the tyranny of the self (Fernie, 2002, p.225). Although death is a natural phenomenon, Shakespeare demonstrates that people imagine and endure death before they really die, as the ancient culture forms an attitude of people towards death based on suffering and purgatory. As Stephen Greenblatt (2001) puts it, by the late Middle Ages in Western Europe, Purgatory had achieved both a doctrinal and a social success (p.14). In other words, it not only concerned the religious side and the idea of existence, but was also associated with society and its attitude towards reality. In the sixteenth century there were two religious groups in Britain Catholics and Protestants; the first group maintained the idea of Purgatory, while the second group opposed it. Although during the Renaissance period Protestants made everything to eliminate the principles of Purgatory, Shakespeare demonstrates that Purgatory was also closely connected with cultural beliefs of British people. In this regard, the Ghost of King Hamlet confirms to the dogma of Purgatory, as he appears as a creature that suffers much because of his murder and that demands revenge. In fact, the very image of the Ghost brings up the question of death and supernatural elements, simultaneously demonstrating an ambiguous attitude of Renaissance literature towards the issue of death. On the one hand, on the example of his principal character Shakespeare reveals peoples wish to communicate with dead people, but, on the other hand, he shows the wish of the dead to communicate with human beings. Thus, the Ghost in the play seems to ask not only for revenge, but also for recollection. Despite the fact that Shakespeare does not utilise the word purgatory in regard to the Ghost, the dramatis t implicitly mentions that the Ghost comes back from this particular place. As Shakespeare (1985) states, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night / And for the day confined to fast in fires, / Till the foul crimes done in days of nature / Are burnt and purged away (1.5.11-14). Purgatory, mystery plays and various medieval rituals were prohibited by the Church of England in the era of Reformation, destroying many important aspects of English culture. Purgatory was closely connected with the beliefs in phantoms, that is why the Church made everything to suppress the spread of these beliefs. However, Renaissance tragedy seems to revive some earlier traditions and customs associated with the dead, and Shakespeare is considered to be one of the principal Renaissance dramatists who combine medieval and Renaissance cultural traditions. Making the Ghost come back from Purgatory, Shakespeare simultaneously signifies the revival of the very concept of Purgatory, although in a changed form. In this regard, William Shakespeare resembles a famous Renaissance philosopher Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1994) who also rejected many religious dogmas of Protestants and tried to revive some traditions, such as Purgatory. In his work Praise of Folly (1509) Erasmus reveals an ironical vision towards the issue of death, although he believed in God. According to Greenblatt (2001), Shakespeares play takes part in a cult of the dead (p.203), investigating in depth various aspects of death. Shakespeare demonstrates that Purgatory is an important tool for preserving a connection between society and continuity, between life and death; thus the rejection of the principles of Purgatory is considered by the dramatist as the destruction of the Renaissance cultural traditions. In this context, Shakespeares interpretation of the issue of death corresponds with the thinking of such conservative philosophers as More, Erasmus, Montaigne and Raleigh. In particular, Sir Thomas More in his works The Supplication of Souls (1529) and The Last Things demonstrates the importance of Purgatory for saving the ghosts and establishing relations between the quick and the dead. Thomas More also discusses the issue of death through the Seven Deadly Sins that are closely connected with Purgatory (More, 1997, pp.142-160). On the other hand, Shakespeare does not explicitly reveal his support for the issue of Purgatory. Although he challenges the Reformists rejection of Purgatory, he avoids taking one or another side. Shakespeare shows that the image of the Ghost is crucial for the Renaissance public, as Ghost stories were an integral part of British cultural traditions. Despite the fact that other Renaissance tragedies also portray the images of Ghosts, Shakespeares interpretation of the issue greatly differs from other interpretations. As Greenblatt (2001) puts it, Shakespeares ghost is presented in three different images: the Ghost as a figure of false surmise, the Ghost as a figure of historys nightmare, and the Ghost as a figure of deep psychic disturbances (p.157). All these images demonstrate that Shakespeare treats the Ghost in a rather serious way, cons idering that it can give answers to some issues of existence, albeit the dramatist does not reveal these answers; he simply points at the possibility to get these answers. The fact is that Shakespeare intentionally makes the Ghost a controversial creature, so that readers can interpret this image in their own ways. The controversy of the Ghost reflects the controversial attitude of Elizabethan society to the issue of death and afterlife. If the Ghost is thought to come back from Purgatory, then Hamlet may believe that it is the Ghost of his father who suffers much and is in search of revenge (Low, 1999, pp.463-472). However, the Ghost may also appear to come back from Hell; in this regard, his aim is to turn Hamlet into insanity. William Shakespeare reveals this controversy, but he does not solve it. The issue remains open throughout the play and is aggravated with the disappearance of the Ghost. Greenblatt (2001) even claims that purgatory exists in the imaginary universe of Hamlet and [it provides] many of the deep imaginative experiences, the tangled longing, guilt, pity and rage evoked by More (p.252). However, the deaths of Hamlet and other principal characters of the play uncover the truth about these people. In particular, throughout the narration Hamlet pretends to have a secret, althou gh he does not reveal it, but at the end he seems to expose his heart and all his secrets: Thou wouldst not think how ill alls here about my heart; but it is no matter It is but foolery (Shakespeare, 1985 5.2.208-211). Hamlet tries to fool other characters, but instead he fools himself, as he is not able to admit that he is also afraid of death. Analysing the treatment of death in William Shakespeares play Hamlet, the essay suggests that the play contributes much to the Renaissance debate on the issue of death. In particular, the dramatist goes beyond the ancient and Renaissance understanding of death, reviving some medieval death customs in Hamlet and challenging the traditional religious dogmas in regard to death. Introducing the image of the Ghost of King Hamlet, Shakespeare brings up the crucial issues of life and death and eliminates the suppression of the Purgatory concepts. According to the dramatist, the suppression of some earlier beliefs, such as the belief in Purgatory, destroys Renaissance culture. Shakespeares thinking cooperates with the thoughts of such philosophers as Erasmus, Raleigh, More and Montaigne who also demonstrate the necessity to preserve the medieval beliefs and traditions and who believe that a person reveals his true self only at death, while life is a preparation for death. However, Shakespeare avoids supporting either side of the Renaissance death debate; although he revives some concepts, he does not provide an explicit answer to the controversial issue of death. In this regard, the reasons for his characters death are also different; such characters as Hamlet and Laertes die because of their anger and revenge, Claudius dies because of his murderous actions, Ophelia dies as a result of her madness and sexual desires towards Hamlet, while her father Polonius and Hamlets mother die from an unintentional murder, similar to Guilde nstern and Rosencrantz. Applying to these characters deaths, Shakespeare reveals both serious and ironical attitude to death that, on the one hand, reflects Renaissance preoccupation with death, while, on the other hand, demonstrates his own philosophical treatment of this crucial issue. References Cressy, D. (1997). Burial, Marriage and Death. New York: Oxford University Press. Dollimore, J. (1998). Death, Desire, and Loss in Western Culture. New York: Routledge. Dudley, S. (1999). Conferring with the Dead: Necrophilia and Nostalgia in the Seventeenth Century. ELH 66.2, 277-294. Engel, W. E. (2002). Death and Drama in Renaissance England: Shades of Memory. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Erasmus, D. (1994). The Praise of Folly. Prometheus Books. Fernie, E. (2002). Shame in Shakespeare. London and New York: Routledge. Freedberg, D. (1989). The Power of Images. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Frye, R. M. (1979). Ladies, Gentlemen and Skulls: Hamlet and the Iconographic Traditions. Shakespeare Quarterly 30.1, 15-28. Gittings, C. (1984). Death, Burial, and the Individual in Early Modern England. London: Croom Helm. Greenblatt, S. (2001). Hamlet in Purgatory. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Llewellyn, N. (1991). The Art of Death: Visual Culture in the English Death Ritual 1500-1800. London: Reaktion Books, 1991. Low, A. (1999). Hamlet and the Ghost of Purgatory: Intimations of Killing the Father. ELR 29.3, Autumn, 447-463. Montaigne, M. de. (1910). The Works of Montaigne. New York: Edwin C. Hill. More, T. (1997). The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More. Vol.1. English Poems, Life of Pico, The Last Things. A. S. G. Edwards, C. H. Miller K. G. Rodgers (Ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. Neill, M. (1997). Issues of Death: Mortality and Identity in English Renaissance Tragedy. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. Raleigh, S. W. (1940). Sir Walter Raleigh to his Wife. In M. L. Schuster (Ed), A Treasury of the Worlds Great Letters (pp.81-85). New York: Simon and Schuster. Shakespeare, W. (1985). Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In P. Edwards (Ed.), The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Triggs, J. A. (1990). A Mirror for Mankind: The Pose of Hamlet with the Skull of Yorick. The New Orleans Review 17:3, Fall, 71-79.

Changing Commodity Prices Impact On Common Agricultural Policy Economics Essay

Changing Commodity Prices Impact On Common Agricultural Policy Economics Essay In the wake of an increasingly globalized economy, one that has seen the emergence of large trade blocs and common markets, the nations of the world have been competitively forced into becoming more economically integrated year after year. In light of hundreds of years of consumer theory, this would almost certainly lead one to a conclusion of necessarily lower prices and more efficient production on almost all products. However, as is the case in many nations, the European Union (EU) has succeeded in creating an artificial market for agricultural products through the use of a Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P). The Common Agricultural Policy is a policy, set forth by the European Union (EU), which is comprised of a set of rules that regulate the production, trade, and processing of agricultural products. The C.A.P currently accounts for almost fifty percent of the EU budget, however, this number continues to decrease over the years. The C.A.P is significant in that it symbolizes Europes switch from sovereignty on a national level to a European level. (McDonald and Dearden, (2005), European Economic Integration, Prentice Hall, 4th edition.) Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P). The EUs agricultural policy dates back to 1957, when the creators of the Treaty of Rome defined the general objectives of a common agricultural policy, post-war food shortages still fresh in minds. The principles and mechanisms of the Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P) were adopted by the six founding members of the European Economic Community, and in 1962 C.A.P came into force. C.A.P was designed to secure Europes self-sufficiency in food production. The basic principles of C.A.P remained the same for decades: guaranteed prices for agricultural products, often above world price levels, and subsidies based on the quantity of production, with little concern for the problem of surplus production. C.A.P has been the most fully integrated of EU policies. In the 1970s, nearly 70% of the EU budget went into agriculture. After a series of reforms, agriculture expenditures in the budget have dropped to 35 % for the 2007-2013 financial period. Over the same period, more money (9.7%) has been allocated for rural development and the expansion of EUs other responsibilities. (Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P).European Journalism Centre (EJC) 2009). Common Agricultural Policys reforms. The C.A.P has had a long history of reform, and is nowhere near perfect. The first attempt at reform came just ten years after its implementation. In 1968, the Mansholt Plan was put into effect in an attempt to reduce the number of people in the agriculture business and to promote more efficient means of agricultural production. In 1972, the extensive food surpluses were targeted through the creation of structural measures designed to modernize European agriculture. This attempt at reform is generally regarded as a failure because many of the problems it tried to fix were still left unchecked. In 1983, a publication was released entitled, The Green Paper, which sought to balance the ongoing disparities between supply and demand through improvements in production. In 1988, the European Council agreed on various reform measures. The most important was the agricultural expenditure guideline, which limited the percentage of C.A.P expenditure in the overall budget. In 1991-92, the future of the C.A.P was addressed through what has been called, the MacSharry Reforms. The key aspects of the reforms included the cutback of agricultural prices to make the products more competitive, compensation for farmers that incurred a loss in income, and environmental protection. The reform of 1992 was generally regarded as successful, with positive effects on European agriculture. However, international trends, the enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe, the preparation of the single currency causing budget constraints, the increasing competitiveness of products from non-member countries, and a new round of World Trade Organization negotiations forced further adaptation of the C.A.P (europa.eu.int). In July 1997, Agenda 2000 was created to address many of the important issues facing the EU and the C.A.P. The key focuses of this new agenda are the reinforcement of the competitiveness of agricultural commodities in domestic and world markets, the promotion of a fair standard of living, the creation of extra sources of income for farmers, a new rural development policy, revamped environmental considerations, better food quality and safety, and the simplification of C.A.P legislation. The first wave of C.A.P reforms had decreased over-production, brought down butter mountains and emptied the milk lakes. But by 2002, several factors made it a necessity to undertake major review of the EUs farm policy, including several food crises, the EUs planned eastward expansion, World Trade Organizations objections to the C.A.P and the sustainable development strategy defined during the Gothenburg Summit. In 2003, Franz Fischler, then the Commissioner for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, presented a C.A.P reform package he described as the most radical improvement to the EUs agricultural policy ever. His main proposals included: decoupling of subsidies and production high requirements of environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards as prerequisite for getting subsidies more money to rural development as opposed to direct and market subsidies cuts in intervention prices in many sectors After heated debate, farm ministers agreed to go through with the C.A.P reform. Although, the link between farm subsidies and the amount of production was not totally abolished, as originally proposed, a major shift did take place, with the bulk of farmers income now coming from direct aid, based on the size of their holdings and not production. (Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P).European Journalism Centre (EJC) 2009). The reform also prepared the EU for the WTO Doha round of international trade liberalization talks, where the EU offered to eliminate export subsidies altogether by 2013. The talks were put on hold in 2006. Whatever the result of the trade talks, the EU remains the worlds largest importer of food, especially from developing countries. A number of sensitive sectors were left out of the 2003 C.A.P reform, including sugar, wine, bananas and other fruits and vegetables. Since then, a profound reform of the sugar sector was agreed on in 2005. In 2006 and early 2007 the Commission also proposed reforms for the wine, banana and fruit and vegetables sectors. (Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P).European Journalism Centre (EJC) 2009). Under the Barroso Commission, Mariann Fischer Boel took over stewardship of the renamed Agriculture and Rural Development DG. She continues to strive for higher food quality and safety, efficient application of the Rural Development Policy 2007-2013, energy crop schemes and simplification of the C.A.P and cutting of red tape. The enlargement of the EU from 15 to 27 members has brought new challenges to C.A.P the number of farmers in the EU increased by over 70%. Meanwhile, farming organisations have welcomed the EUs decision to set a minimum 10% target for the use of biofuels for transport by 2020. The EU has also created the possibility for agriculture to play a bigger role in the fight against climate change, according to the COPA organisation. A key aim of the 2008 French EU Presidency was to bring the C.A.P up to speed with new global challenges. To this end, with the backing of the Commission and a vast majority of member states, four texts were adopted in November 2008, focusing on rural development, direct aid to farmers, and regulation mechanisms for the single market (dairy quotas, interventions, etc.). (A health check'(CAP)by Europa (European Commission) (2009)). These agreements officially launched the EU debate on the future of the C.A.P post-2013, also taking stock of global food balances, competitiveness, sustainable development, and the economic dynamism of rural areas. The Czech Presidency of the EU, in the first semester 2009, failed to secure an agreement on the future of the C.A.P post-2013. However, the Agriculture Council did agree unanimous conclusions on agricultural product quality and the retargeting of aid in Less Favoured Areas (LFA). (Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P).European Journalism Centre (EJC) 2009). The quality policy paves the way to clearer labelling and, it is hoped, better communication and understanding among farmers, wholesalers and consumers. The Council also said it would consider national and private food certificates that follow Commission good practice guidelines and pledged to cut red tape for farmers and producers who want to apply for EU schemes like the organic label and geographical indications. The LFA programme is designed to improve the targeting of aid to farmers in areas with natural handiC.A.Ps. Member states have been asked to produce maps by 31 January 2010, including specific details on climate, soil, and terrain. (Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P).European Journalism Centre (EJC) 2009). Global food prices and C.A.P reform. The European Unions common agricultural policy protects and subsidizes agriculture so heavily as to bring serious social losses to the Economic Union. The policy creates inefficiencies in the agriculture sector as well as other sectors of society such as manufacturing, textiles, and service industries. Furthermore, there have been many economic consequences of the C.A.P, including the high level of protection, the burdens on consumers, taxpayers, and the EU budget, environmental damage, the harm to international trading relations, and the failure to raise farmers incomes (The Common Agricultural Policy:Past, Present and Future. Brain E.Hill. `Metheuen Co. Ltd, London. (page 117). There are a lot factors responsible of the food price rise: speculation in commodity markets, low global food stocks, subsidies, high cost of energy, concentration of important agricultural markets in the hands of a few firms, trade restrictions by important exporters to protect domestic consumers, deprecia tion of the US dollar and lower productivity growth due to low investment in agricultural researchà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As global prices  hit new highs,  the European Commission had to intervene. First they sold its intervention stocks, removed the obligation to set aside 10% of arable land for the 2008 harvest, increased milk quotas by 2% and suspended import duties on cereals. (Global food prices and CAP reform by Euractiv. (2009). Then, the  Commission  proposed  policy  measures aimed at improving market transparency. It decided to enhance monitoring of  developments in agricultural markets and  analyze the impact of price speculation.  The EU executive also announced plans to  investigate the functioning of the food supply chain for potential unfair commercial practices, which may be holding back competition  and  driving up prices.   Overall, the Commissions  policy to address rising global food prices comprises three  strands of action: Mitigating short and medium-term effects of the food price shock  by monitoring price developments and speculative investments, changing the CAP Increasing agricultural supply and ensuring food security in the longer term  by strengthening the sustainability  of EU and global policies on biofuels, boosting agricultural research  to increase productivity and maintaining an open but vigilant GMO policy,  and;   Contributing to the global effort to help the poor  by promoting an open trade policy and concluding the Doha round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks,  offering humanitarian  aid and supporting  agricultural and rural development policy changes in developing countries. (Global food prices and CAP reform by Euractiv. (2009). C.A.P effects upon the environment. The C.A.P has also caused concern for the environment as well as concerns for the economy. Because of the subsidies provided to farmers, they have the incentive to produce more agricultural products because they will receive more money. The C.A.P price policies have encouraged intensive farming and the overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, and nitrates. This has put a strain on the environment and has concerned the people of the European Union. The policy did not foresee farmers overproducing and over using chemicals, but this has become an indirect cost created by the policy. Europeans are also concerned with food safety because of farmers using so many chemicals in production. Farmers have been getting away with using the chemicals and unsafe practices because of the limited food safety regulations. Policymakers believed that high price supports would lead to higher food safety and quality. High support prices do not increase either food safety or quality: indeed, minimum prices and intervention guarantees encourage low quality and standardized produce (The European Community: Economic and Political Aspects. (V.Lintner and S.Mazey. `Mcgraw-Hill, Maidenhead. (page 107) (1991). CCL: C.A.P has been seen as a monument to the determination of politicians, especially in the early years of integration, to work together for a united Community. It has become a symbol of co-operation. C.A.P has economic and social dimensions. There are many reasons put forward to explain  rising  food prices. These range from changing eating habits to trade restrictions and climate change. The  European Commission  insists that there is no connection between EU agricultural subsidies and rising food prices, and  stresses that the C.A.P is  much less trade-distorting than the American policy.  (Global food prices and CAP reform by Euractiv. (2009). ANNEXES: Figure 2: EU agricultural payments, 1963-2013. Source  : Agriculture 2009 revised.ppt Figure 3: EU expenditure: 1988-2006. Source  : Agriculture 2009 revised.ppt Figure 4: Source  : Agriculture 2009 revised.ppt Figure 5 and 6: Source  : Europa. REFERENCES: WEB SITES: Global food prices and CAP reform by Euractiv. (2009) http://www.euractiv.com/en/cap/global-food-prices-cap-reform/article-184329 Accessed 15th February 2010. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by European Journalism Centre (EJC). (2009) http://www.eu4journalists.eu/index.php/dossiers/english/C8 Accessed 16th February 2010. Agriculture CAP by Europa (European Commission) (2009) http://europa.eu/pol/agr/index_en.htm accessed 16th February 2010. The Doha Development Round of trade negotiations: understanding the issues by OCDE. (2008). http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,3343,en_2649_201185_35738477_1_1_1_1,00HYPERLINK http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,3343,en_2649_201185_35738477_1_1_1_1,00en-USS_01DBC.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,3343,en_2649_201185_35738477_1_1_1_1,00en-USS_01DBC.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,3343,en_2649_201185_35738477_1_1_1_1,00en-USS_01DBC.htmlen-USS_01DBC.html Accessed 17th February 2010. Fortress EuropeOne vision, one market: Europe as a success story? (2008) http://www.groupedebruges.eu/Word docs/manifest_chapter_4_(draft_version_1).doc Accessed 20th February 2010. LECTURE: Lecture 11: Agriculture. SEMINAR: Seminar 11: Agriculture. Agriculture 2009 revised.ppt REPORTS: CAP reform document  : 970 Future CAP.pdf  ; 981 Future CAP.pdf CAP report: Open Europe CAP report.pdf

Americas War on Drugs: Policy and Problems :: America Drug War Politics Narcotics Essays

America's War on Drugs: Policy and Problems In this paper I will evaluate America's War on Drugs. More specifically, I will outline our nation's general drug history and look critically at how Congress has influenced our current ineffective drug policy. Through this analysis I hope to show that drug prohibition policies in the United States, for the most part, have failed. Additionally, I will highlight and evaluate the influences acting on individual legislators' decisions to continue support for these ineffective policies as a more general demonstration of Congress' role in the formation of our nation's drug policy strategy. Finally, I will conclude this analysis by outlining the changes I feel necessary for future progress to be made. Primary among these changes are a general promotion of drug education and the elimination of our current system's many de-legitimating hypocrisies. However, before the specific outcomes of Congressional influence and policy impact can be evaluated it becomes important to first review the general history and current situation of drugs today. Our present drug laws were first enacted at the beginning of the century. At the time, recreational use of narcotics was not a major social issue. The first regulatory legislation was for the purpose of standardizing the manufacturing and purity of pharmaceutical products. Shortly after, the first criminal laws were enacted which addressed opium products and cocaine. Although some states had prohibited the recreational use of marijuana, there was no federal criminal legislation until 1937. By contrast, the use of alcohol and its legality was a major social issue in United States in the early 20th century. This temperance movement culminated in the prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933. Recreational drug use, particularly heroin, became more prevalent among the urban poor during the early ?60s. Because of the high cost of heroin and its uncertain purity, its use was associated with crime and frequent overdoses. A drug subculture involving the use of marijuana and other hallucinogenic drugs began to emerge in mainstream American society in the late ?60s and was loosely associated with an overall atmosphere of political protest concerning the Vietnam War and civil rights. Drug use, including heroin use, was prevalent among soldiers during the Vietnam War and many of them returned addicted. Since that time, the recreational use of drugs, particularly marijuana, has been a constant aspect of youth culture in all social classes.

Ecuador Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecuador is one of the smallest countries of South America. It lies on the West Coast of the continent between Colombia and Peru. The equator crosses Ecuador and gives the country its name. Ecuador is the Spanish word for equator.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Andes Mountains rise through much of central Ecuador. About half the people live in the valleys and on the plateaus of the Andes. Quito, Ecuador's capital, lies more than 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) above sea level on an Andean plateau. A flat, partly forested, tropical plain extends west of the Andes along the Pacific Ocean. This coastal plain is developing faster than any other part of the country. About half the Ecuadorian people live there. During the middle and late 1900's, many people moved to the coastal plain to farm its rich soil. Others moved to the coastal city of Guayaquil to find jobs. Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city. It is also the country's leading commercial center and chief seaport. East of the Andes Mountains is a large jungle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecuador has had more than 15 constitutions since it gained independence from Spain. Most of these constitutions provided for an elected legislature, but in many elections few of Ecuador's people have been allowed to vote. Strong leaders have suspended or replaced many of the country's constitutions in order to stay in office or to increase their power. Most of Ecuador's rulers have been military leaders or hav...

Women, Sport and Film :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Women, Sport and Film Out of all the material we covered in this course, the ones that bear most directly on this question I think are the documentary about women in sports, and the movie "Girlfight". However, I felt that both of these films focussed on the issue from women's point of view. This is not to say that it isn't important or necessary to do so, but I started thinking about how men are also greatly affected by gender stereotyping. Being in a women's college, I feel like we focus a lot on the ways in which women are forced into certain roles, but we neglect to also look at how men are forced into certain roles. Last semester I watched the movie "Billy Elliot", about a young boy growing up in Newcastle, England, during the time of the miner's strike. I think the movie illustrates very well the costs and benefits of breaking gender stereotypes. Billy grows up in a mining family and his family consists of himself, his father, and his elder brother. He is surrounded only by male role models, and that too men who engage in manual labour. His father and his brother are both very "masculine" in the traditional sense of the word. The basic plot of the movie is that Billy wants to be a ballet dancer. His father wants him to learn boxing, but he sees a group of girls having ballet lessons at the same time and he starts taking ballet lessons on the sly. He turns out to be very talented, and his teacher wants him to apply to go to ballet school on a scholarship. The rest of the movie follows his progress and his struggle to be accepted by his family once he's been discovered. At first his father prohib its him from doing ballet, and calls him a "pouf", but Billy persists and is finally accepted by his family and community. I found it interesting that even though Billy is pre-pubescent, the mere fact that he wants to learn ballet induces people to question his sexuality even at such an early age. At an age when children aren't supposed to be sexual beings yet, Billy is under constant pressure to decide what his sexual orientation is, both by his family in that he has to defend himself, and by a friend of his in school who fits a certain stereotype of homosexuality and is romantically interested in him.