Give your reaction to the story, your impression of the story, how it Essay - 1

Give your reaction to the story, your impression of the story, how it relates to your life, compare it to another story, or anything--as long as it involves an assigned story you read - Essay Example â€Å"The Rime† and â€Å"Ode† use vibrant imagery, where for â€Å"The Rime,† it contributes to the effectiveness of the plot in depicting scintillating events and characters, while for â€Å"Ode,† it underscores the â€Å"natural† essence of insight. When Coleridge says: â€Å"As idle as a painted ship/Upon a painted ocean,† this image is quite fitting to the situation of the sailors, not just as an effective â€Å"picture† of what is occurring, but as a representation of their hopelessness. â€Å"Ode† employs numerous elemental imagery, such as sun, moon, mountains, and flowers. They are natural and seem simple at first, but they are also viewed as â€Å"grand† examples of nature that implicate the religious theme of â€Å"remembering† the natural nature of â€Å"remembering† and they are connected to the raw and natural dispositions of children, whom Wordsworth attests as the bosom of meaning and a sourc e of true insight. Irony is one of the most interesting figures of speech in literature and Coleridge and Wordsworths apt use of it has made their works more intellectually stimulating. These lines demonstrate the irony of being surrounded by water and yet suffering from thirst in â€Å"The Rime†: â€Å"Water, water, every where,/ Nor any drop to drink† (Coleridge). It is similar to being surrounded by food, but not being able to eat them because they are poisoned. Situational irony is also present in how the mariner lives on, when he is the main reason that his co-crew members died. Nevertheless, â€Å"The Rime† shows that life is not better than death if it is cursed to be filled with guilt. â€Å"Ode† applies irony when it says that celestial knowledge is only held during childhood, instead of being learned throughout adulthood. â€Å"Heavens† (Wordsworth 67) knowledge submerges into a process of â€Å"forgetting† (Wordsworth 59) and it is only through â₠¬Å"remembering† (Wordsworth 59) that people can regain true insight about life. These poem share religious

African Americans health disparities Essay Example for Free

African Americans health disparities Essay In 2010, the death rate for blacks was higher (25. 0 per 100,000) compared with any other racial ethnicity group (3. 0 whites). Blacks represented 49% of all deaths with HIV in 2010. A recent study showed that blacks diagnosed with HIV are less likely than other groups to be linked to care, retained in care, receive antiretroviral treatment and achieve adequate viral suppression. African American Males African American men accounted for 42% of HIV cases diagnosed among men in 2011. A majority (72%) of African American men with HIV contracted the disease by male to male contact while 19% contracted HIV through heterosexual exposure. African American Females Among African American women, high risk heterosexual contact was the most frequently cited mode of transmission, accounting for 89% of cases diagnosed in 2011. More Information: ?HIV/AIDS TOPIC SITE ?HIV/AIDS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS ?HIV/AIDS STATISTICS AND SURVEILLANCE Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Gonorrhea In 2010, 69% of all reported cases of gonorrhea occurred among blacks. The rate of gonorrhea among blacks in 2010 was 432. 5 cases per 100,000 population, which was 18. 7 times the rate among whites (23. 1). This disparity has changed little in recent years. This disparity was larger for black men (22.2 times) than for black women (16. 2 times). Chlamydia In 2010, the overall rate among blacks in the United States was 1,167. 5 cases per 100,000, a 4. 0% increase from the 2009 rate of 1,122. 2 cases per 100,000. The rate of chlamydia among black women was over seven times the rate among white women (1,536. 5 and 205. 1 per 100,000 women, respectively). The chlamydia rate among black men was almost 11 times the rate among white men (761. 8 and 69. 9 cases per 100,000 men, respectively). Syphilis During 2009–2010, the rate of primary and secondary (PS) syphilis among blacks decreased 8. 7% (from 18. 4 to 16. 8 cases per 100,000 population). In 2010, 47. 4% of all cases reported to CDC were among blacks and 31. 0% of all cases were among whites. The overall 2010 rate for blacks was eight times the rate for whites, while the 2009 rate was 9. 2 times the rate for whites. In 2010, the rate of PS syphilis among black men was 7. 1 times the rate among white men; the rate among black women was 21 times the rate among white women. In 2010, the rate of congenital syphilis was 33. 1 cases per 100,000 live births among blacks. Race/ethnicity for cases of congenital syphilis is based on the mother’s race/ethnicity. This rates was 12. 3 times the rate among whites (2. 7 cases per 100,000.live births). More Information: ?STD TOPIC SITE ?STDS AND HEALTH DISPARITIES ?STD SURVEILLANCE REPORT ?STDS IN RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES Viral Hepatitis Acute Hepatitis A During the past 10 years, there has been little difference between the rates of acute hepatitis A among white non-Hispanics and black non-Hispanics. The 2011 rates for these groups were 0. 29 and 0. 27 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. Acute Hepatitis B In 2011, the rate of acute hepatitis B was highest for Black non-Hispanics (1. 4 cases per 100,000 population). Acute Hepatitis C During 2002–2010, the incidence rate of acute hepatitis C remained below 0. 5 cases per 100,000. The rate of hepatitis C among Black non-Hispanics increased 27. 3% (to 0. 14 case per 100,000 population in 2011). More Information: ?VIRAL HEPATITIS TOPIC SITE ?SURVEILLANCE REPORT FOR VIRAL HEPATITIS Tuberculosis (TB) In 2010, 84% of all reported TB cases occurred in racial and ethnic minorities. Non- Hispanic blacks or African Americans accounted for 24% of TB cases in 2010. African Americans make up approximately 14% of the U. S. population, but accounted for 40% of TB cases in U. S. -born persons. Overall, 11,182 TB cases were reported to CDC from the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2010.

Health Indicators for Diverse Groups in New Zealand

Health Indicators for Diverse Groups in New Zealand Introduction Public health is the science and art of promoting and protecting the life and well being of the population as a whole, by preventing the ill health and prolonging the life through the organized efforts of the state and the society. This assessment aims to discuss and present the health status indicators for diverse groups in the National and International perspectives. It also includes the causative factors in health. Current Health Status indicators for Three Diverse Groups from National and international perspectives. New Zealand New Zealand is located in the South Pacific. It is a multi-cultural country and a very supportive on health of the society and its program. There are several diverse groups that living in New Zealand namely: the Maori, The Pacific people, the Pakeha or Europians and the Asian migrants. a. The Maori Maoris are the most important ethnic groups in New Zealand. They are the original settlers of the country. One indicator that compromises the health of the Maori is smoking. Smoking was identified as the most prevalent health status indicator and it is significantly observed in areas inhabited by the Maori. Broughton (1996) stated that traditionally the Maori society was tupeka kore (tobacco free). Maoris’ first encounter with tobacco was through the British, it was used as a tool of colonization by gifting or trading it in return for land and other resources. Currently, 32.7 per one hundred of Maori identified as being regular smoker, more than twice the smoking rates of European and Asian ethnic groups. Among Maori males the regular smoking rate is 30.5 percent and among females it is 34.7 percent. For Maori women of childbearing age (20-44 years), 40.5 percent smoke regularly. (Statistics New Zealand, 2014) Moreover, the Maori youth aged 15 – 19 years has higher smoking rate than non-Maori. In this age group, 38.8 percent (CI 29.3–48.3%) of Maori were current smokers compared with 13.7 percent (CI 10.4–17.1%) of non-Maori. There were some findings that there were notable difference in the average of the Maori and non-Maori’s initial taste of cigarette. On average Maori youth, their first cigarette was as early as 11.5 years compared to non-Maori youth at 12.7 years. As a result, tobacco smoking is the primary cause of the preventable death for Maori in New Zealand. Approximately, three times as many Maori died from Lung cancer and other smoking related diseases as Non-Maori each year. Maoris’ current smokers are more likely to prefer on smoking a roll-your-own-cigarette than non- Maoris smokers. The frequency of roll-your-own-cigarette was 70.3 percent for Maori and 57.4 percent compared to non-Maori. The most common reason of Maori and non-Maori for using the roll-your–own-cigarette was that, it has less expense than the manufactured cigarettes. The other reason for Maori and non-Maori they gave was, it last longer and taste better. Another health indicator among Maori is the Life Expectancy. The life expectancy of Maori men is 73 years while the Maori women is 77.1 compared to the non-Maori men which is 80.3 years and 83.9 years for the non-Maori women. The life expectancy at birth has narrowed the gap to 7.1 years between Maori and non-Maori people. In comparison with 8.2 years in 2005-07, 8.5 years in 2000-02, and 9.1 years in 1995-97 based on death rates of New Zealand in 2012-2014 (Statistics New Zealand, 2014). The differences in the life expectancy rate of Maori people compared to non-Maori are due to the number of factors including rates of smoking and socioeconomic status. b. The Pacific people The Pacific community in New Zealand are consist of different ethnic groups like the Samoans who are the largest group with 50% of the population, the Cook Islanders, 20%, the Tongan, 18%, the Niuaen, 8% and the Fijans who have the smallest group of 4%. (Ministry of Public Island Affairs, 2013) Obesity is one of the biggest issue in health for the Pacific Islanders. Among the New Zealand diverse groups, the Pacific adults had the highest rate of obesity with 67 percent followed by 46 percent Maori adults. Contrasting to, only one in seven Asian adult is obese, with a rate of 14 percent. On the other hand, Pacific children aged 2-14 are 55 percent obese or overweight, compared to 29 percent of the total child population in New Zealand. Based on body mass index, it was found out that almost one out of three adults from age 15 years and above were obese with a rate of 31 percent while about 34 percent were overweight. In ages 2-14 years, one in nine children were obese or 11 percent. Furthermore, high rate of overweight children of the Pacific people were also found, which was 22 %. c. The Asian group The Asian adults are generally in good health. They have the positive focus on health and well-being. In fact, Asian adults have comparatively low rates of smoking, hazardous drinking, asthma, arthritis, chronic pain, diagnosed mood or anxiety disorders (Asian Health, 2006). However, Asian adults are about 1.8 times as likely to have been diagnosed of type 2 diabetes as non-Asians. Self noted diabetes rates are common among Indian people, more than three times than the normal average. Asian adults generally report lower use of primary health center because of the language and cultural barriers that affect the access to health services (source). It was noted that after migration, Asian people may have increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases due to the lifestyle changes, physical activity and change in diet. United States of America United States of America is among the world’s good provider on health for its people. The total population of America as of 2013 is 320,051,000, with a gross national income per capita of 53,960. The allocations for health per capita is 8,895 international dollar in 2012 and the total expenditures for health as percentage of GDP as of 2012 is 17.9. (WHO, 2015) United States of America is a multicultural country and they have several diverse groups namely: the Whites Americans, the African Americans, the Asian Americans, the Native Americans/ American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and Hispanic and Latino Americans. a. American Indians and Alaska Natives Tobacco remains the largest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Every year 480,000 of Americans are killed through cigarette smoking, and 41,000 of these deaths were due to the second hand smoking. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Cigarette Smoking is the most prevalent case for the American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States of America with significantly the highest percentage rate among other racial groups, of 26.1 percent compared to 19.4 percent of the White Americans, the African Americans with 18.3 and the Hispanics has 12.1 percentage respectively. The Asian American has the lowest percentage of smoking with 9.6 percent. Men in the United States are the most frequent smokers with 20.5 percent compared to women who has 15.3 percent. Among the adults in America, ages 25 to 44 years are the most habitual smokers with a 20.1 percent, followed by the ages 45 to 64 years with 19.9 percent and 18.7 percent for ages 18 to 24. The least frequent smokers are at the age of 65 years and older with 8.8 percent. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). b. The African American Obesity is based on the body mass index(BMI) of a person of 30 or higher. The body mass index is measured of an adult’s weight in relation to his or her height, calculated by the adults weight in kilograms divided by the square root of his or her height in meters.(U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention,2014). In the United States more than one-third or 34.9% or 76.8 million of adults are obese. The African American have the highest rates of obesity with 47.8 percent, followed by the Hispanic with the rate of 42.5 percent, the White comes third with a percentage of 32.6 percent, and for the American Asian has the lowest rate of obesity with a rate of 10.8 percent. (Journal Of American Medicine, 2014) Obesity are more prevalent among middle age group from 40 tp 59 year old with a rate of 39.5% compared to the younger adults, the 20-39 years age group with a percentage rate of 30.3%, and the adults of over 60 years and above has a percentage rate of 35.4 percent. (Journal of American Medicine, 2014) Another indicator among African American is Diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States of America, killing 71.5 thousand people in 2012. (WHO, 2012) Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia or high glucose levels in the blood. In a healthy person the blood sugar level are kept in an acceptable range by insulin. Insulin is a hormone, that is produced in the pancreas, that will help the body absorb excess sugar from the blood stream. Among diabetic people, blood sugar levels are not adequately controlled by insulin. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010). Diabetes is most prevalent among African American adults, from ages 18 and over, with a percentage rate of 13.2 percent compared to the Hispanics with 12.2 percent, while, 7.3 percent for both White Americans and Native Hawaiians.(CDC, 2014) In 2012, 44.2 per 1000 population of African American adults were hospitalized for lower extrimity amputation in contrast with 12.5 per 1000 population of the White and 25.4 of the Hispanics. (National Healthcare Quality and Disparities, 2014) c. White Americans The Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)2014, gathered the information about the mortality in the U.S., including the death by suicide. In 2013, there were 41,149 suicide cases reported. This makes the suicide, as the tenth primary cause of death in America. The CDC calculates the suicide rate each year by the number of the accounted suicide deaths that occur for every 100,000 people in the population. White americans got the highest rate of suicide death with 14. 2%, followed by the American Indians and Alaska natives with a rate of 11.7%. Much lower and nearly the same rates are common among Asians and Pacific Islanders with 5.8%, Hispanic with 5.7%, and African American with 5.4% respectively.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) In 2013, Men were most likely to commit suicide compared to women with a significant rate of 20.2, and women had a rate of 5.5, that is four times higher in men. It was noted in in 2013 that 77.9% of males died in suicide in comparison to much lower rate in female for only 22.1%. Among the age group, 45 to 64 years had the highest suicide rate of 19.1%, followed by 85 years and older with 18.6%. The younger groups aged 15 to 24 years had lower suicide rate of 10.9%.(CDC,2014). Causative Factors a. National Causative Factors The influence of the family members or growing up in the house or environment where people regularly smoke has a great impact for the prevalence of smoking among Maori people. The total lack of discouragement since some or all of the family members are smoking. In general, the peer pressure for the teen agers that caused them to start smoking at an early age and the feeling of relief from stress and fatigue. Lastly, the use of the roll-your–own-cigarette which has cheaper cost. (The Buzzle, 2015) The factors that influence the obesity of the Pacific people are, there lifestyle, habits and food consumption. For age fifteen years and above, less than half or about 40.9% of the Pacific males and Pacific females (48.9%) met the recommended vegetable intake that was notably lower than non-Pacific group. In addition, Pacific males and females consumed more servings of soft drinks or energy drinks per week. In particular, Pacific female, were three times as likely to eat fast food and takeaways in comparison to non-Pacific people. Children aged 2-14 years were less likely to have eaten breakfast at home compared to non-Pacific. (The Pacific Peoples Health, 2014) One causative factor of Diabetes is obesity. Atleast 80% of Type 2 diabetes are overweight. Due to today’s sedentary and westernised lifestyle, people will become overweight and eventually become obese. Obesity causes insulin resistance, meaning that the fats and muscle cells of obese people do not seem to react to the insulin, so there is an uncontrollable blood glucose level in the body, thus, leading to Type 2 diabetes. (Diabetes Info NZ, 2014) b. International Causative Factors The factor that triggers the prevalence of smoking among American Indians and Alaska Natives is that, it is included in a sacred tobacco ceremonial rights, religious practices and as medicinal roles for native culture. In addition, tobacco sold in tribal lands are exempted from state and national taxes, thus, it is cheaper and affordable. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015) The causative factor of obesity of the African American is the limited access to safe places for outdoor physical activities. In order to carry out a a good and a balance healthy living, one must participate in a sufficient physical activity. In addition, lower incomes and poverty contributes to the increasing obesity, since less nutritious foods or calorie-loaded foods are often less expensive and affordable than healtier foods. (Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Obesity, 2014) The risk factor of diabetes which is prevalent among African Americans are due to lifestyle choices. The lesser chance of regular physical activity and consuming high-calorie foods in larger amount than necesarry will have the high risk of devloping type 2 diabetes. Another factor is heriditary, if someone in close family has diabetes, other members might also develop diabetes.(Endocrineweb, 2014). Based from the causative factors of the different health problems encountered from the national and international aspects, it is observed that they have almost the same common factors that triggers the prevalence of diseases. Lower incomes and living in more deprived areas are more prone to such diseases. Regular physical activities and proper nutrition is the key to have a healthy life. 3. Discussion Smoking is one of the major problem that the government of New Zealand is facing especially with the Maori group who is the leading cigarette or toabcco smoker than other ethnic groups. It is further noted, that there is a strong relationship between smoking and neighborhood deprivation. It means that there are more people who are engaged in smoking in most deprived areas than the least deprived areas. The government should continue to dessiminate information and awareness for the effects of smoking for the active and passive smokers most especially to the deprived areas where smoking is rampant. Conduct counselling for the addictive smoker and the family. Create programs or provide facilities that promotes physical activities to different groups. There should be a thorough emphasis and education for the tremendous effect of smoking like: smoking can harm every organ and systems in the body, cause 80% of lung cancer, and respiratory condition like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, stroke and other cancers. In addition, smoking around children increases the risk of lung infection like croup, bronchitis and peumonia. There are a lot of health problems that the United States of America is facing, one of them is obesity and it is quite alarming that more than one-third of the population in America are obese. Among the diverse groups, Afrian Americans has the highest percentage of obesity. One factor of obesity for Black Americans is that they have limited access to safe areas for outdoor activities. To carry out a balance and healthy living one must indulge in a regular physical activitivities. It is also observed that lower income and poverty contributes to the increasing obesity since they will opt to consume the cheaper, less nutritious and high calorie foods. Being obese increases the persons risk to developing heart diseases (cardiovascular heart disease, stroke), type 2 diabetes and and other forms of cancer. In order to prevent obesity and the risk of developing long term diseases the government should continue to support programs that involves physical activities. Provide facilities for indoor and outdoor sports and a safe playground for children. The government should also provide a team that will monitor the intake of nutritious foods especially in the deprived areas where obesity is common. A quarterly checks of the blood for blood sugar, lipid profile and blood pressure for the obese persons.

Albert Einstein :: essays research papers

What I find most admirable about Albert Einstein is the way he thought up his theories and had the ability to conduct experiments on them. By doing this, he answered many questions of the scientific realm of the world. Some of the traits I admire are: 1. A trait I admire is his curiosity because he always wanted to find out how things worked. When he was five years old his father gave him a compass. It was a mystery to him. He wanted to know why the arrow always pointed north. His father explained magnetism to him, but that explanation didn't make the invisible power less mysterious. When he was older, he learned more about magnets. He knew that the earth's magnetic field made the needle point north. Since I am also very curious about how things work, this trait is one that I definitely share with him. Another trait that I admire is that he was a friendly teacher with a sense of humor, and that is what his students liked about him. In 1909 Albert was offered a position as an associate professor at the University of Zurich. His friendliness and sense of humor made him popular with his students even though they thought he was a little strange. How did they think he was strange? Well, on his first day of class he came dressed in pants that were too short and he had his notes on a single scrap of paper. But after talking for a few minutes, his students knew that they had a very special teacher. He cared about physics and about his students. He enjoyed talking to his students and would interrupt his own work just to help them. He was always welcoming questions and often invited his students to a local cafe or his home to continue classroom discussions I found that teachers I had in the past who were friendly made learning more interesting. Another trait was that he was good at math. Albert didn't care for school. The only subject he did like was math because figuring out problems was easy and fun for him. His uncle introduced him to algebra when he was eleven years old because he knew Albert enjoyed working with numbers. Albert was so good at algebra that he was soon ready for an advanced type of math. At twelve years old, Alberts friend, Max Talmud gave him a book on geometry. The book captured his imagination and opened up a whole new world of logic. He considered geometry as a kind of miracle, like the compass. He had no trouble going through the book and solving all the problems. He soon taught himself the more advanced form of math called calculus.

George Bush Essay

Leadership is a quality that Americans always look for in a president. United States Presidents have an extreme amount of responsibility. Americans look for someone that can help our country grow. We look for someone who has charisma, strength and intelligence. George W. Bush had a very interesting presidency. It was filled with joy, turmoil and disaster, all which were times where a leader could either succeed or fail. George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States. He had all of the qualification of a great president. He came from a political family. He was the son of former President George H.W. Bush. He had a great educational and military background. He graduated from Yale University and then Harvard Business School. He was a pilot for the Air National Guard for six years. He worked in the oil industry after college where he was known for his smart business decisions. He served in Texas’ House of Representatives and then Governor of Texas. Most American’s would probably believe that all of these qualifications would make him a great candidate for President and in 2000 he was elected President, defeating Al Gore by only small margin. (Bush 3) Choosing George W. Bush I chose to research and analyze President Bush because he was president during the biggest attack on American’s during my lifetime. He had to step up and become the great leader that our nation needed during and after the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001. President Bush is still being blamed for some of the problems that America is having now. President Obama blames him for the economy and many American’s have blamed him for our continued presence in the Middle East. I wanted to research his leadership abilities and understand why he went from being a so-so President to a great president to a president that is being blamed for everything. I also see President Bush as a normal person with strengths and weaknesses. I see him as someone similar to myself. I want to better understand him and learn from his achievements and his mistakes. President Bush was not a born leader. Even though President Bush had the resume that American’s thought would make him a great leader, at the beginning of his presidency, he was lacking some of the key qualities of a  good leader. He did not show confidence in his decisions and he lacked the understanding of international affairs. (Domin 3) After the tragedy of September 11th, he really stepped up and took on his leadership role. He was able to show America that he was the leader that they thought that they would be getting in an American President. President Bush was able to bring his followers together in a time of tragedy, uniting them for a common goal. He was able to leave all of the criticism that he had gotten behind him and become a new leader that everyone respected. In addition, I wanted to research President Bush because many of the international problems that America faced during President Bush’s terms are still lingering today. American lives are still at risk because of terrorist groups. It was only a couple of months ago that the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked by terrorist killing the US Ambassador and three others. I question the effectiveness of our current administration and their ability to keep America safe. (Kirkpatrick, and Myers) Abilities and Skills Even though President Bush was not a great leader from the beginning, I believe that he was able to step up and become the great leader that we needed him to be. He embraced the necessary abilities and skills that America needed in a leader after a crisis. The first and most important characteristic that he possessed after September 11th was emotional intelligence. He understood the severity of the situation and was able to address the public in a way that helped us come together as a country. Woodward made this comment about how President Bush addressed the public in front of Ground Zero. â€Å"Bush’s spontaneity allowed him to connect at a visceral level with his audience: acting simultaneously as their leader and expressing their feelings in the highly charged atmosphere of the time.† (Roper 5) I believe that President Bush also encompasses the four characteristics that describe a creative leader. President Bush faced one of the biggest obstacles of any President and he had the self-confidence to lead. (Nahavandi 115) Thousands of innocent Americans had been killed through a terrorist attack. He knew that America was entering a time of war. Even though many of his advisors were unsure of the decisions to attack Afghanistan, he was strong about his beliefs and he gave reassurance to his advisors. A reporter who was present during the National Security Council meeting before the initial attacks in Afghanistan noticed the tension in the room before President Bush was present but said that, â€Å"the tension suddenly drained from the room.† (Roper 5)

Anne Frank: Injustice Essay

An injustice can be defined as a violation of another’s rights. In literature, authors use the element of injustices as the vocal point of the story. The importance of a vocal point is pivotal in a story because it is the skeleton of the piece. The story is founded upon the existence of the injustice and the events that occur because of it. But in some cases the literary piece is not a fictional story. Not only does it occur in literature, it occurs in real life. The world’s history is plagued with unfairness and inhumane acts of injustice. For instance, the genocide of Jewish people occurred because of Adolph Hitler and his acts of cruelty. The Diary of Anne Frank showcases the injustice she, along with others, endured for the sake of their survival. She suffered a racial injustice, but the biggest injustice is that she did not survive after all the wasted time she spent trying to live normally. Because of the Nazi regime, Anne, her family, and the van Daans, had to hide in a secret annex in order to escape the Nazi’s wrath against the Jews. Anne was kept in isolation against her will because it was the only way she could survive. Unfortunately, Anne either had to physically die at a concentration camp or mentally die inside the annex. She spent two years in that annex; she was forced to grow up in that annex and miss out on opportunities that other children had. She never had the ability to actually live like a normal teenage girl and experience normality. After a while, the definition of normality fades. She has a different perspective on what is normal for her because she is stuck in an annex where she does not thrive or excel in normalcy. Her mind is altered of what humanity and love are. She is practically brainwashed because she does not know how to be normal since all she knows is of what is inside that little annex. At one point, she feels alone and hopeless. She battles between the idea that maybe getting caught would of been the better option because the hell she is stuck in is not any better. As a human being, she deserved to have rights but she had all of those rights taken away from her. It was unfair that she had lost her life and her identity in the real world. Basically, she died when she stepped into that isolated realm; she had no options or any rights. She died either way because no one deserves to live in agony. After all the suffering she endured, she still did not make it and that is the greatest injustice of all. She fought to survive but all her efforts proved to be futile against the wrath of unfairness. After facing so many hardships and pain, she still did not survive. She lost every drop of hope towards the end of her diary. Anne knew her fate either way; if she survived through the annex, she still would not be the same. She could not escape this injustice no matter what she tried. Her life became defined by this injustice; her world revolved around this injustice and she could never escape its grip. She was Jewish no matter what. And because of her heritage, this injustice would never leave her. An injustice can be used throughout a literary work. Unfortunately, injustices manifest into the real world to excrete pain and suffering on its victims. The Diary of Anne Frank illuminates the tragic affects of what an injustice can do to a person. She tried to survive against the odds, but it proved to be meaningless because she died when Hitler proclaimed the Jews inferior.

Business Environment The WritePass Journal

Business Environment Introduction Business Environment ). This clearly shows increased demand for reservations. Another example of the specificity of demand could refer to a time when a famous artist dies, implying he would not be producing more artworks. This reflects in increased demand for his art. An example of the law of supply in business relates to a situation in which many immigrant workers arrive to a city and demonstrate extensive willingness to be considered for employment at low wages. Yet the number of such workers is greater than the number of available jobs, resulting in the excess supply of workers and thus driving wages down (Burrows III 2012). Moreover, one may consider that wheat crops are widely available throughout the year, implying there is an excessive quantity of wheat than consumers would usually purchase (Prasch 2008). In an attempt to overcome the challenge associated with the excess supply, farmers would be forced to decrease the price of wheat, indicating that the price is reduced for everyone. Such examples show that the forces of demand and supply are fundamental in determining the pricing decisions and sales of organisations, including the respective pricing structure of VAA. An increase in air passenger tax apparently results in high prices of air travel set by VAA. Such pricing factor indicates a negative trend in terms of discouraging passengers to use air travel services (Moon 2013). In addition, specific policies affecting fuel supply and price demonstrate a negative impact on the airline’s sustainability. Supply decisions by oil suppliers represent certain patterns that eventually lead to the rise of fuel prices (Burrow III 2012). As a result, the adoption of a relevant risk management strategy is a priority to the airline. It has been demonstrated that the risk is segregated in different sections in order to ensure that the potential occurrence of a failure would not bring the entire group down. This is done with the idea to control the effect of the fuel p rice risk as well as the company’s pricing decisions and sales. PEST Analysis and Impact on the Behaviour of VAA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   VAA is a strong, distinct brand mostly because of corporate image and its reputation for providing adequate corporate service and persistent innovations in the airline industry. Examples of such innovations relate to first entertainment system and first in-flight beauty treatment to its passengers. As part of conducting a PEST analysis of VAA, it is important to consider the role of the environment prior to initiating marketing operations (Salai and Znidersic 2011). The political environmental aspect is associated with governmental intervention, services merit, interest rate and taxation policy. In an attempt to consider the political-legal environment in which VAA operates, individuals may refer to the opening of Heathrow Airport to the company in 1991. The basic idea was to ensure a balanced approach to managing air traffic between Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. Moreover, economic issues are important for the behaviour of the airl ine. Such issues indicate a relevant concern with deregulation. The constant evolution of the industry has an essential role on determining and maintaining stability of low air prices (Macsai 2009). From an economical perspective, VAA is mainly concerned with increasing fuel cost and environmental restrictions such as insurance cost and higher security. VAA has always considered the trading economy in its short-term and long-term dimensions. The third aspect of the PEST tool is the socio-cultural dimension. The airline has extensively considered the importance of differing attitudes of customers located in different regions. In this way, VAA is oriented towards ensuring a flexible socio-cultural approach in an attempt to understand the practical implications of such influence (Salai and Znidersic 2011). Therefore, the company always tends to recruit quality staff regardless of low income as a result of the recent UK recession. VAA’s employees are focused on providing passengers an ultimate entertaining experience in the air by complying with their needs and preferences (Soares et al. 2007). Considering cultural diversity in its entirety is a main socio-cultural priority of VAA. In its behaviour, the airline has asserted its appreciation of technology as it persistently helps the company meets the expectations of its passengers. The implementation of high technologies is among the top priorities of the organisation. Innovations are integral part of the company’s aim to provide a comfortable and relaxing experience to customers (Salai and Znidersic 2011). Innovative practices based on the entertainment aspect show that the airline goes beyond the expectations of passengers. Thus, technology in VAA has a strong impact on the company’s strategic planning activities (Soares et al. 2007). Such extensive focus on technology may further reflect in significant advancements such as distribution and cost synergies facilitated through adequate technology solutions, web-page development, e-marketing and advertising activities. As mentioned, the airline highly values cultural diversity and tries its best to confront any culturally based inequity or injustice. Therefore, VAA demonstrates open and flexible culture based on high employee morale and relevant job satisfaction (Virgin Atlantic Official Website 2014). VAA indicates the importance of a power culture by focusing on constant innovations and delivering an optimal experience to its customers and employees. This shows that VAA has the potential to move quickly in the right direction and achieve its goals (Gosling 2013). There is little bureaucracy within the organisation, which contributes to the proper assignment of roles and responsibilities among the staff thereby increasing the chance of delivering optimal customer service. How Will VAA Benefit from International Trade? International trade represents a fundamental element of success for contemporary global organisations. International trade can significantly contribute to increased sales of VAA. The airline will benefit from international trade because of the importance the company places on commercial flights. By targeting international trade, VAA will spread its operations across different global locations (Gosling 2013). In other words, the most substantial benefit of international trade in the context of VAA refers to a significant sales market, implying flexible opportunities for market expansion. This can also help the airline build a positive image in various countries throughout the world (McLaren 2012). Thus, the company is expected to involve in extensive market research in order to explore different opportunities for international trade in specific locations. By entering the field of international trade, VAA can enjoy significant benefits of being a global airline. Global Factors Impact on the Activities of VAA VAA is a multinational company operating in different parts of the world. This means that global factors can affect the activities of the airline in certain ways. Changes in customer preferences across different world locations are one of those factors (McLaren 2012). Demographic trends also represent an important global factor that can influence the company’s operations. Moreover, it should be indicated that the increasing fuel prices and the global recession show trends that negatively affect the sales of VAA. The airline along with other competitors in the industry faces persistent global challenges from economic, political and social nature (Salai and Znidersic 2011). The dynamic scrutiny placed on security personnel and passengers’ baggage additionally complicates the global activities of VAA. However, it is expected that the constant progression of technology would expand the global presence of the airline. Impact of European Union Policies on the Activities of VAA One of the policies of the European Union is based on reductions in the obstacles of cross border trade and agreement. This would reflect in expanding VAA’s capacity to provide services to passengers in different locations with fewer restrictions in place (Harvey 2012). Moreover, such policy can have a positive impact on facilitating the airline’s flexibility in terms of frequency, capacity and price of certain routes determined between two or more countries. Such flexibility would mainly relate to VAA’s freedom to operate a particular route with adequate frequency and aircraft. Another EU policy can have an impact on the activities of VAA, respectively the harmonisation or approximation of technical and safety standards on substantial number of products and services (Harvey 2012). The airline is concerned with ensuring adequate safety by conducting monitoring activities. Other EU policies, such as closer approximation of excise duties and fiscal barriers as well as the removal of legal obstacles to trade have significantly alleviated VAA’s global expansion into different locations. Task Two Market Economic Systems A free market economic system does not place any restrictions on setting prices and supplying goods. It indicates the lack of economic intervention and regulation, with the exception to enforce private contracts and arrange specific conditions pertaining to the ownership of property. In such system the government has a neutral influence on the maintenance and legislation of economic activity (Sirico 2012). In fact, the role of the government reflects in either regulating industries or protecting them from various market pressures. In this way, a primary characteristic of a free market system is ownership, implying that almost all of the country’s factors of production emerge as privately owned. The specificity of the legal system allows the government to uphold the property rights of private individuals. In terms of objectives, all stakeholders in a free market economy system turn out determined by pure self-interest. From the perspective of consumers, welfare is maximised; th en, companies tend to maximise profits, and private individuals owning the factors of production try their best to maximise rents. Other important characteristics of a free market economic system include free enterprise, the precise level of competition, and the conditions of the pricing system. In order to clarify the concept of free enterprise, it is essential to note that companies usually try to sell anything they wish. Therefore, they provide effective responses to consumers, who can purchase anything that is sold by producers. The level of completion is quite high within this economic system due to the common assumption that virtually any market is extensively competitive in nature. The lack of barriers to entry or exit additionally intensifies the force of competition (Sirico 2012). The pricing system works on the principle of competition and thus the price mechanism allocates the resources available in the respective economy. Another major economic system is command, which is completely opposite to the free market economic system. A command economic system emerges with a powerful government sector and places importance on the subordinate position of employees and consumers. The government owns almost all of the country’s factors of production, as labour are the only exclusion (Castells 2011). All stakeholders in a command economic system, including employees, consumers and the government, focus on working for the common good. Unlike the free market economic system, the command economic system has no free enterprise. In addition, the level of competition is low; hence there is no price mechanism available simply because the government is responsible for setting the prices (Sirico 2012). The command economic system indicates the importance of a planning mechanism in the sense of considering the government’s fundamental role in planning the proper use of all available resources. The third type of economy system is mixed, which includes aspects of both the free market and command economic systems. An essential feature of the mixed economic system is that certain economic decisions are made by individuals in the market (Castells 2011). Nonetheless, the government has a particular impact on the allocation and distribution of resources. The most significant question facing mixed economic systems refers to finding the right mix between the public and private sectors of the economy. In practice, the mixed economic system indicates the presence of both privately-owned and state-owned enterprises (Farrant and McPhail 2009). Therefore, there is a certain degree of private economic freedom within the respective system as well as centralised economic planning. I believe that the mixed economic system allocates resources more effectively than the other two systems. In a mixed economy both market forces and government decisions are of equal importance, which contributes to the optimal allocation of resources. Yet market forces turn out to prevail in the mixed economic system (Farrant and McPhail 2009). The role of the government in such system is precisely determined to reflect fair and equal distribution of resources. In addition, the government is responsible for providing different forms of welfare which help the development of the economy. The fact that the mixed economic system combines features from the free market and command systems is indicative of its efficacy considering the benefits obtained from two types or approaches of resources allocation and distribution (Castells 2011). Yet it can be concluded that all economies in reality turn out mixed economies despite differences in the precise mix and balance between public and privat e sectors. Task Three Market Structures Prices and output decisions of organisations extensively depend on costs because companies always try to maximise their profits. Profit maximisation occurs at a point where marginal revenue is almost equal to marginal cost (Sutton 2007). If companies consider cost structure, then they usually mean the size and the precise ratio of capital to labour. Although these aspects present certain factors in prices and output decisions, they are identified as long term decisions rather than short-term decisions. Yet it is essential to mention that in the long run all costs emerge as variable. In a perfect competitive market, the presence of many buyers and sellers is evident, implying each one of them is a price taker and all sellers tend to supply the same products to customers (Villas-Boas 2007). However, in the long run companies are required to freely enter or exit the respective market. Furthermore, a perfect competitive market indicates that organisations are unable to control prices due to the fact that goods have perfect substitutes. This results in a quite substantial number of sellers and buyers, which facilitates companies’ ability to enter and exit the market. Therefore, in a perfect competitive market, prices are determined in accordance with a collective principle by market supply and demand. The demand curve appears perfectly elastic (Villas-Boas 2007). Even though companies in a perfect competitive market are unable to control prices, they at least can exert control upon the level of output which is closely associated with the profit-maximising level. In turn, a perfect competitive market is identified as ensuring pure allocative efficiency (Belleflamme and Peitz 2010). The allocation of resources occurs in such a manner to allow maximum net benefit, and thus consumers would be able to obtain more goods at lower prices than other market structures. The concept of monopoly suggests a market in which a single producer turns out to control the entire supply of goods which have no any close substitutes. Under the specific conditions of monopoly, the distinction between a single company and industry is invalid because of the sole presence of one producer (Sutton 2007). It has been indicated that the monopolistic market system imposes restrictions on the entry of new companies. As a result of such extensive control over the supply of products in the market, the monopolist tends to generate substantial profit in both the short run and in the long run. In this context, cost curves reflect only one level of output that can be produced at lowest cost. In this way, monopolists are able to determine both price and output (Belleflamme and Peitz 2010). Price is usually higher and output is lower in monopoly unlike the situation in a perfect competitive market. In monopolistic competition, companies are also oriented in a direction to maximise profits. However, monopolistic competitive mechanisms of determining prices and output decisions indicate adequate control of organisations (Villas-Boas 2007). They are able to control prices due to product differentiation. Yet the precise amount that consumers prefer to pay is closely associated with their preference for various products in the market. In monopolistic competition, the substitution effect and the income effect appear important for determining prices and output decisions. Therefore, the demand curve in monopolistic competition is downward sloping (Belleflamme and Peitz 2010). Yet such preferences may not be that influential predictor of determining consumers’ purchasing decisions. For instance, if the prices of particular products are significantly increased, then consumers may prefer cheaper alternatives because of the influence of the substitution effect and the income effect altogether. In such system of competition, society needs to pay much more for goods than the cost needed by companies to produce those goods. However, it is improper to claim that an imperfect competitive market lacks efficiency (Sutton 2007). Society apparently values product differentiation because of the consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for goods identified with cheaper substitutes. In a perfect competitive market, the focus is on attaining product homogenous characteristics in terms of providing goods that are perfect substitutes (Twomey and Neuhoff 2010). This aspect indicates that companies in a perfect competitive market are more likely to earn normal profit unlike monopolists that generate substantial profit. Moreover, oligopolies represent another type of market structure. Oligopolies usually consist of a few organisations, each with a substantial share of the market. Nevertheless, cost structures are the same as in other market systems because of the necessity for companies to maximise profits in the market (Sutton 2007). Unlike a perfect competitive market and monopolistic competition, oligopolies indicate higher market prices and lower output. Yet organisations in oligopolies present a unique feature in the sense of demonstrating the trend of not increasing or lowering prices. This is simply done because of the elasticity of demand at higher prices and inelasticity of demand at lower prices (Twomey and Neuhoff 2010). In other words, the process of increasing and lowering prices would most probably result in substantial revenue losses. Even though there are costs to society in oligopoly, the market price does not indicate the scarcity or extensive availability of input resources. Conclusion The paper indicated a relevant structure of three parts in order to provide sufficient details about the discussed problems. The first part of the assignment considered the performance of VAA and how different external factors affect its presence in the airline industry. The second part was associated with providing evidence on allocating and distributing resources in free market, command economic system and mixed economic system. This part not only listed the specific characteristics of the mentioned systems but also ensured insights into the greater effectiveness of the mixed economic system that the free market and command economic systems. The third task explored the way in which prices and output decisions are determined in four distinct market systems such as a perfect competitive market, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly. References Belleflamme, P. and Peitz, M. (2010) Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press British Red Cross Official Website (2014) History and Origin [Online]. Available at: redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/History-and-origin [Accessed: 8 May 2014]. Burrows III, R. P. (2012) The Market-Driven Supply Chain: A Revolutionary Model for Sales and Operations Planning in the New On-Demand Economy, New York, AMACOM Castells, M. (2011) The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture, New York, Wiley Farrant, A. and McPhail, E. (2009) ‘Hayek, Samuelson, and the Logic of the Mixed Economy?’, Journal of Economic Behavior Organization, Vol. 69(1) pp5-16 Gosling, E. (2013) ‘Virgin Atlantic Launches Little Red Domestic Flight Service’, Design Week, pp5-5 Harvey, F. (2012) EU Energy Policy Drives Changes in UK-with Mixed Results. The Guardian [Online]. Available at: theguardian.com/environment/2012/jan/25/eu-energy-policy-changes-uk [Accessed: 8 May 2014]. Macsai, D. (2009) ‘Virgin Atlantic’s 25th Anniversary’, Fast Company, 136 pp28-28 McLaren, J. (2012) International Trade, New York, Wiley Moon, M. A. (2013) Demand and Supply Integration: The Key to World-Class Demand Forecasting, Upper Saddle River, FT Press Office of Fair Trading (2011) Virgin Atlantic Airways: Immunity Review [Online]. Available at: oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/ca-and-cartels/OFT1398.pdf [Accessed: 8 May 2014]. O’Kane, M. and Nakhwai, J. (2013) Change to the Cartel Offence by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. Practical Law: A Thomson Reuters Legal Solution [Online]. Available at: http://uk.practicallaw.com/1-530-5199?source=relatedcontent [Accessed: 8 May 2014]. Osborne, A. (2010) Recession Cut Air Travel Demand by a Quarter, Finds Civil Aviation Authority. The Telegraph [Online]. Available at: telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/8224099/Recession-cut-air-travel-demand-by-a-quarter-finds-Civil-Aviation-Authority.html [Accessed: 8 May 2014]. Prasch, R. E. (2008) How Markets Work: Supply, Demand and the Real World, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Salai, S. and Znidersic, R. K. (2011) ‘Marketing Research in the Contemporary Consumer Environment’, Management Information Systems, Vol. 6(4) pp15-22 Sirico, R. A. (2012) Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy, Washington, Regnery Publishing Soares, A. M., Farhangmehr, M. and Shoham, A. (2007) ‘Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture in International Marketing Studies’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 60 pp277-284 Sutton, J. (2007) Sunk Costs and Market Structure: Price Competition, Advertising, and the Evolution of Concentration, Massachusetts, The MIT Press Twomey, P. and Neuhoff, K. (2010) ‘Wind Power and Market Power in Competitive Markets’, Energy Policy, Vol. 38(7) pp3198-3210 Villas-Boas, S. B. (2007) ‘Vertical Relationships between Manufacturers and Retailers: Inference with Limited Data’, The Review of Economic Studies, Vol. 74(2) pp625-652 Virgin Atlantic Official Website (2014) About Us [Online]. Available at: virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/footer/about-us.html [Accessed: 8 May 2014].

Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn Admissions Info

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Peace According to John Locke and Thomas Hobbes - Essay Example Fundamentally, it is human nature that is focused upon in such theories, and this helps to explain the manner in which situations develop through time. Generally, it can be asserted that any theory that applies to society needs to have some kind of perspective on human nature too that would help to explain the situation in which man lives today. Whichever way one views human behavior, the present condition today has to be explained through that particular perspective. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are two social theorists that took human nature into great consideration in their work, and they each explained the manner in which society developed through this behavior. They also explained how society functions and how things have come to be socially and politically speaking through this behavior. Specifically, one of the their main areas of focus is 'peace' and how human beings up hold the idea of peace. Locke and Hobbes each have interesting views on this subject, and address it in the ir renowned works: John Locke's Second Treatise of Government and Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. The subject of peace for John Locke in his 'Second Treatise of Government' is viewed from a particular angle. ... t is not a state of licence: though man in that state have an uncontroulable liberty to dispose of his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself" (C H A P. II. Of the State of Nature: Sect. 6). This clearly refers to suicide, and that in a liberal society people are not supposed to take their lives. Locke further asserts that it is wrong to take anyone else's life too. He asserts that man " has not liberty to destroy himself, or so much as any creature in his possession" (C H A P. I I. Of the State of Nature: Sect. 6). If one takes his or her own life or anyone else's, peace in society would be disrupted, as people would be disturbed. Also, others might resort to the same action and worsen the situation. Natural Law: With regard to John Locke's idea above, he bases his reason for this on his explanation of mankind's origin. He asserts that human beings do not have complete freedom to make decisions. Human beings must consider what is right and what they are answerable to. Locke refers to belief in God through this view, and this is evident when he writes about the state of nature. Locke asserts, "The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent" (C H A P. II. Of the State of Nature: Sect. 6). Therefore, Locke asserts that whenever one takes a step in society, s/he ought to consider what a higher authority expects of him or her. It needs to be emphasized here that this view requires one to have a firm belief in a superior being. Undoubt edly, it may be asserted that such belief does aim

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Americas Rationality (view) for Electing Obama as President - Essay Example Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of United States in November 2008, by defeating the Republican John McCain. Barack Obama is regarded as the first black President. During the election campaign he was the most well-liked personality in America. There are many reasons behind his popularity and definitely Americans have shown their rationality in electing him as the President of the only superpower in the world. According to the exit polls, Obama’s share of National Popularity vote was 52% against his counterpart John McCain whose was 46%. In the history of US politics it was the first time since Jimmy Carter’s victory in 1976 where the Democrat Party won straight majority. Let’s discuss the different causes which brought Obama on the peak of popularity It is a long journey of victory of Obama. He declared his candidacy for the President of the United States of America on February 10, 2007.And throughout the entire campaign he was focusing on the major burning issues such as Iraq war, Energy independence, and the provision of universal health care, financial crises, any many others The American people are quite rational in selecting their president. Barack Obama became popular due to his service which was based around his resolute belief in the capacity to bring people together around a politics of purpose. Obama was elected to the state senate in 1996 and served the three terms. He especially supported the working families by cutting their taxes and he expanded health care program for children and their parents.

Land Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Land Law - Assignment Example In order to acquire Valiant Villa, Ben and Ali agreed to approach Cantander bank to negotiate for a mortgage worth ? 125,000. Notably, Ben and Ali are freehold owners of the property. As such, this form of mortgage is an equitable mortgage since it is created after the legal owners of the property negotiated an instrument with Cantander bank that demonstrates a binding intention to create a security in favor of the mortgagee as opposed to legal mortgage where the mortgagee remains the legal owner of the property. However, Ali who is a model scout and agent was later on entered into a contractual agreement with Cait Miss- a high profile model where Ali agreed to fund her travel commitments, provide her with personal assistants and manage her portfolio work. The entire cost for this work was worth ? 110,000. Ali unduly influenced Ben to signed mortgage forms that lead to release of some security in Valiant Villa to cover the costs. Ideally, not all mortgages are utilized to buy propert y. As in this case, it is apparent that Ali who also worked as a model scout and agent committed himself to fund Cait. ... held that the mortgagee has unqualified right to repossession in the event that the mortgagor defaults in mortgage repayment.2 Cantander bank has the right to repossesses the villa and either uses it to generate income or sell it to recover unpaid mortgage amounts. The mortgagee has the right to decide when to sell the property since one a property is repossessed; the bank will not be holding it in fiduciary capacity. In China and South Sea Bank Ltd v Tan Soon Gin (1989), the court held that the mortgagee was not obliged to sell the property at any particular time and was as such entitled to act in its own interest.3 Surprisingly, Ben was not fully aware of the whole deal as he thought the second mortgage was a form of mortgage repackaging. Unluckily, Cait Miss was embroiled in a drug scandal which dented her image making it difficult to continue working in the model industry. Indeed Ali’s reputation as her agent was also shattered and could no longer earn revenues to cover mo rtgage repayments. Cantander bank is now seeking repossession of Valiant Villa which has indeed caught Ben unaware. Ben should understand that mortgage as a contact is primarily based on contract law in regard to formation, terms and termination. As such, a mortgage differs from an ordinary loan since the mortgagee has equal rights to the property as the mortgagor. A mortgage has a proprietary interest since a mortgagee has rights over the property and can therefore take possession of that property in the event of non compliance to the repayment schedule agreed. Ben should be aware that Cantander bank has right to repossess Valiant Villa as governed by section 85 of the Law of Property Act (LPA) 1925 and in common law and rights of sale under statute.4 In addition, it is clear that Ben signed

From A (Documentary-FILM) INSIDE JOB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

From A (Documentary-FILM) INSIDE JOB - Essay Example Naturally, as successive presidents, both Democrat and Republican, allowed for further and further deregulation to take place, the levels to which private industry were able to stray into previously uncharted waters, was a fundamental determinate with regards to what was actually precipitated. Although this deregulation was of course a massive contributor factor, one must also consider the means by which the individual private firms themselves self regulated. This is of course a separate issue and one that cannot be overlooked. Ultimately, just as with regards to the levels of government and financial regulation that it previously determined the systemic approach that firms took to business, a corresponding drop with regards to self-regulation was also realized; thereby providing something of a perfect storm by which the financial collapse was able to be realized. Similarly, with regards to the stakeholders that can ultimately be blamed for this collapse, it is the belief of this stu dent that these stakeholders break down into the following three groups: government, key leadership within the firm’s, and lower-level employees. The list that has been given has been related from the most culpable to the least. Although it may seem strange that the government is listed as the primary culprit, the reason for such a belief is due to the fact that only a very naive and narrow minded person would assume that business, lacking many of the constraints that it formerly bound it in prior prosperous decades, would somehow be able to regulate itself to a better and more complete degree. Secondly, the leadership positions of many of the large firms in question bear a great deal of culpability due to the fact that they were fully aware that an impending crisis could easily strike. This was of course evidenced in the film by many internal memos that were able to be disseminated which noted the concern and subsequent disregard that many of the shareholders exhibited. Last ly, representing the shareholders that have the least culpability, it is necessary to consider the individual employees. Although it might be reasonable to merely pass over these individuals, the fact the matter is that many of these individuals realized that the current path of they were on was untenable; nevertheless, rather than raising the alarm, basically went along with it. With regards the rating agencies, it must be understood that these entities functioned not in the way that one would assume; rather, they functioned in something other hand –in– glove manner with the very firms that they were tasked with measuring. Whereas one might assume that the rating agencies were able to cut through the fluff and get down to the numbers which defined the overall strength of these diverse entities, the fact of the matter is that the rating agencies were not performing due diligence and were merely providing satisfactory reports on a range of firms that exhibited key, fund amental, and ultimately disastrous shortcomings. A mortgage-backed security is an asset backed security that leverages a loan based upon the cash flow that is intended to be generated from a mortgage. Mortgage-backed securities are in and of themselves not necessarily a bad thing. However, within the constraints of the system, as it existed prior to the collapse of 2007/2008, mortgage-backed securities were lumped altogether. In such a way, the investor and many of the loans they were

Land Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Land Law - Assignment Example In order to acquire Valiant Villa, Ben and Ali agreed to approach Cantander bank to negotiate for a mortgage worth ? 125,000. Notably, Ben and Ali are freehold owners of the property. As such, this form of mortgage is an equitable mortgage since it is created after the legal owners of the property negotiated an instrument with Cantander bank that demonstrates a binding intention to create a security in favor of the mortgagee as opposed to legal mortgage where the mortgagee remains the legal owner of the property. However, Ali who is a model scout and agent was later on entered into a contractual agreement with Cait Miss- a high profile model where Ali agreed to fund her travel commitments, provide her with personal assistants and manage her portfolio work. The entire cost for this work was worth ? 110,000. Ali unduly influenced Ben to signed mortgage forms that lead to release of some security in Valiant Villa to cover the costs. Ideally, not all mortgages are utilized to buy propert y. As in this case, it is apparent that Ali who also worked as a model scout and agent committed himself to fund Cait. ... held that the mortgagee has unqualified right to repossession in the event that the mortgagor defaults in mortgage repayment.2 Cantander bank has the right to repossesses the villa and either uses it to generate income or sell it to recover unpaid mortgage amounts. The mortgagee has the right to decide when to sell the property since one a property is repossessed; the bank will not be holding it in fiduciary capacity. In China and South Sea Bank Ltd v Tan Soon Gin (1989), the court held that the mortgagee was not obliged to sell the property at any particular time and was as such entitled to act in its own interest.3 Surprisingly, Ben was not fully aware of the whole deal as he thought the second mortgage was a form of mortgage repackaging. Unluckily, Cait Miss was embroiled in a drug scandal which dented her image making it difficult to continue working in the model industry. Indeed Ali’s reputation as her agent was also shattered and could no longer earn revenues to cover mo rtgage repayments. Cantander bank is now seeking repossession of Valiant Villa which has indeed caught Ben unaware. Ben should understand that mortgage as a contact is primarily based on contract law in regard to formation, terms and termination. As such, a mortgage differs from an ordinary loan since the mortgagee has equal rights to the property as the mortgagor. A mortgage has a proprietary interest since a mortgagee has rights over the property and can therefore take possession of that property in the event of non compliance to the repayment schedule agreed. Ben should be aware that Cantander bank has right to repossess Valiant Villa as governed by section 85 of the Law of Property Act (LPA) 1925 and in common law and rights of sale under statute.4 In addition, it is clear that Ben signed

Theories of Justice Essay Example for Free

Theories of Justice Essay Theory of Justice is a work of political philosophy and ethics by John Rawls. It was originally published in 1971 and revised in both 1975 (for the translated editions) and 1999. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls attempts to solve the problem of distributive justice (the socially just distribution of goods in a society) by utilising a variant of the familiar device of the social contract. The resultant theory is known as Justice as Fairness, from which Rawls derives his two principles of justice: the liberty principle and the difference principle. Objective In A Theory of Justice, Rawls argues for a principled reconciliation of liberty and equality. Central to this effort is an account of the circumstances of justice, inspired by David Hume, and a fair choice situation for parties facing such circumstances, similar to some of Immanuel Kants views. Principles of justice are sought to guide the conduct of the parties. These parties are recognized to face moderate scarcity, and they are neither naturally altruistic nor purely egoistic. They have ends which they seek to advance, but prefer to advance them through cooperation with others on mutually acceptable terms. Rawls offers a model of a fair choice situation (the original position with its veil of ignorance) within which parties would hypothetically choose mutually acceptable principles of justice. Under such constraints, Rawls believes that parties would find his favoured principles of justice to be especially attractive, winning out over varied alternatives, including utilitarian and right-libertarian accounts. A society, according to Utilitarianism, is just to the extent that its laws and institutions are such as to promote the greatest overall or average happiness of its members. How do we determine the aggregate, or overall, happiness of the members of a society? This would seem to present a real problem. For happiness is not, like temperature or weight, directly measurable by any means that we have available. So utilitarians must approach the matter indirectly. They will have to rely on indirect measures, in other words. What would these be, and how can they be identified? The raditional idea at this point is to rely upon (a) a theory of the human good (i. e. , of what is good for human beings, of what is required for them to flourish) and (b) an account of the social conditions and forms of organization essential to the realization of that good. People, of course, do not agree on what kind of life would be the most desirable. Intellectuals, artists, ministers, politicians, corporate bu reaucrats, financiers, soldiers, athletes, salespersons, workers: all these different types of people, and more besides, will certainly not agree completely on what is a happy, satisfying, or desirable life. Very likely they will disagree on some quite important points. All is not lost, however. For there may yet be substantial agreementenough, anyway, for the purposes of a theory of justice about the general conditions requisite to human flourishing in all these otherwise disparate kinds of life. First of all there are at minimum certain basic needs that must be satisfied in any desirable kind of life. Basic needs, says James Sterba, are those needs that must be satisfied in order not to seriously endanger a persons mental or physical well-being. Basic needs, if not satisfied, lead to lacks and deficiencies with respect to a standard of mental and physical well-being. A persons needs for food, shelter, medical care, protection, companionship, and self-development are, at least in part, needs of this sort. [Sterba, Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. , 1995). A basic-needs minimum, then, is the minimum wherewithal required for a person to m eet his or her basic needs. Such needs are universal. People will be alike in having such needs, however much they diverge in regard to the other needs, desires, or ends that they may have. We may develop this common ground further by resorting to some of Aristotles ideas on this question of the nature of a happy and satisfying life. Aristotle holds that humans are rational beings and that a human life is essentially rational activity, by which he means that human beings live their lives by making choices on the basis of reasons and then acting on those choices. All reasoning about what to do proceeds from premises relating to the agents beliefs and desires. Desire is the motive for action and the practical syllogism (Aristotles label for the reasoning by which people decide what to do) is its translation into choice. Your choices are dictated by your beliefs and desiresprovided you are rational. Such choices, the reasoning that leads to them, and the actions that result from them are what Aristotle chiefly means by the sort of rational activity that makes up a human life. We may fairly sum up this point of view by saying that people are rational end-choosers. If Aristotle is at all on the right track, then it is clear that a basic-needs minimum is a prerequisite to any desirable kind of life, and further that to live a desirable kind of life a person must be free to determine his or her own ends and have the wherewithalthe means, the opportunitiesto have a realistic chance of achieving those ends. (Some of these Aristotelian points are perhaps implicitly included in Sterbas list of basic needs, under the head of self-development. ) So w hat does all this do for Utilitarianism? Quite a lot. We have filled in some of item (a) above: the theory of the human good, the general conditions essential to a happy or desirable life. The Utilitarian may plausibly claim to be trying to promote the overall happiness of people in his society, therefore, when he tries to improve such things as rate of employment, per capita income, distribution of wealth and opportunity, the amount of leisure, general availability and level of education, poverty rates, social mobility, and the like. The justification for thinking these things relevant should be pretty plain. They are measures of the amount and the distribution of the means and opportunities by which people can realize their various conception of a desirable life. With these things clearly in mind the Utilitarian is in a position to argue about item (b), the sorts of social arrangements that will deliver the means and opportunities for people to achieve their conception of a desirable life. John Stuart Mill, one of the three most important 19th century Utilitarians (the other two were Jeremy Bentham and Henry Sidgwick), argued that freedom or liberty, both political and economic, were indispensable requisites for happiness. Basing his view upon much the same interpretation of human beings and human life as Aristotle, Mill argued that democracy and the basic political libertiesfreedom of speech (and the press), of assembly, of worshipwere essential to the happiness of rational end-choosers; for without them they would be prevented from effectively pursuing their own conception of a good and satisfying life. Similarly he argued that some degree of economic prosperitywealthwas indispensable to having a realistic chance of living such a life, of realizing ones ends. So, ccording to Utilitarianism, the just society should be so organized in its institutionsits government, its laws, and its economythat as many people as possible shall have the means and opportunity to achieve their chosen conception of a desirable life. To reform the institutions of ones society toward this goal, in the utilitarian view, is to pursue greater justice. In the 19th century utilitarians often argued for a laissez faire capitalist economy. More recently some of them have argued for a mixed economy, i. e. , a state regulated market system. Mill, interestingly, argued at the beginning of the 19th century for an unregulated capitalist economy, but at the end argued for a socialist economy (which is not the same thing as a mixed economy). (3) The protection of the sorts of liberties that were guaranteed in the United States  Ã‚   by the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. (4) Democratic forms of government generally. The utilitarian rationale for each of these institutional arrangements should be fairly obvious, but it would probably contribute significantly to our understanding of utilitarianism to review, in more detail, some utilitarian arguments for (2) free market capitalism. This we shall do later, in the next section. Three Theories of Justice: Utilitarianism, Justice as Fairness, and Libertarianism (1) Utilitarianism A society, according to Utilitarianism, is just to the extent that its laws and institutions are such as to promote the greatest overall or average happiness of its members. How do we determine the aggregate, or overall, happiness of the members of a society? This would seem to present a real problem. For happiness is not, like temperature or weight, directly measurable by any means that we have available. So utilitarians must approach the matter indirectly. They will have to rely on indirect measures, in other words. What would these be, and how can they be identified? The traditional idea at this point is to rely upon (a) a theory of the human good (i. e. of what is good for human beings, of what is required for them to flourish) and (b) an account of the social conditions and forms of organization essential to the realization of that good. People, of course, do not agree on what kind of life would be the most desirable. Intellectuals, artists, ministers, politicians, corporate bureaucrats, financiers, soldiers, athletes, salespersons, workers: all these different types of people, and more besides, will certainly not agree completely on what is a happy , satisfying, or desirable life. Very likely they will disagree on some quite important points. All is not lost, however. For there may yet be substantial agreementenough, anyway, for the purposes of a theory of justice about the general conditions requisite to human flourishing in all these otherwise disparate kinds of life. First of all there are at minimum certain basic needs that must be satisfied in any desirable kind of life. Basic needs, says James Sterba, are those needs that must be satisfied in order not to seriously endanger a persons mental or physical well-being. Basic needs, if not satisfied, lead to lacks and deficiencies with respect to a standard of mental and physical well-being. A persons needs for food, shelter, medical care, protection, companionship, and self-development are, at least in part, needs of this sort. [Sterba, Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. , 1995). A basic-needs minimum, then, is the minimum wherewithal required for a person to m eet his or her basic needs. Such needs are universal. People will be alike in having such needs, however much they diverge in regard to the other needs, desires, or ends that they may have. We may develop this common ground further by resorting to some of Aristotles ideas on this question of the nature of a happy and satisfying life. Aristotle holds that humans are rational beings and that a human life is essentially rational activity, by which he means that human beings live their lives by making choices on the basis of reasons and then acting on those choices. All reasoning about what to do proceeds from premises relating to the agents beliefs and desires. Desire is the motive for action and the practical syllogism (Aristotles label for the reasoning by which people decide what to do) is its translation into choice. Your choices are dictated by your beliefs and desiresprovided you are rational. Such choices, the reasoning that leads to them, and the actions that result from them are what Aristotle chiefly means by the sort of rational activity that makes up a human life. We may fairly sum up this point of view by saying that people are rational end-choosers. If Aristotle is at all on the right track, then it is clear that a basic-needs minimum is a prerequisite to any desirable kind of life, and further that to live a desirable kind of life a person must be free to determine his or her own ends and have the wherewithalthe means, the opportunitiesto have a realistic chance of achieving those ends. (Some of these Aristotelian points are perhaps implicitly included in Sterbas list of basic needs, under the head of self-development. ) So w hat does all this do for Utilitarianism? Quite a lot. We have filled in some of item (a) above: the theory of the human good, the general conditions essential to a happy or desirable life. The Utilitarian may plausibly claim to be trying to promote the overall happiness of people in his society, therefore, when he tries to improve such things as rate of employment, per capita income, distribution of wealth and opportunity, the amount of leisure, general availability and level of education, poverty rates, social mobility, and the like. The justification for thinking these things relevant should be pretty plain. They are measures of the amount and the distribution of the means and opportunities by which people can realize their various conception of a desirable life. With these things clearly in mind the Utilitarian is in a position to argue about item (b), the sorts of social arrangements that will deliver the means and opportunities for people to achieve their conception of a desirable life. John Stuart Mill, one of the three most important 19th century Utilitarians (the other two were Jeremy Bentham and Henry Sidgwick), argued that freedom or liberty, both political and economic, were indispensable requisites for happiness. Basing his view upon much the same interpretation of human beings and human life as Aristotle, Mill argued that democracy and the basic political libertiesfreedom of speech (and the press), of assembly, of worshipwere essential to the happiness of rational end-choosers; for without them they would be prevented from effectively pursuing their own conception of a good and satisfying life. Similarly he argued that some degree of economic prosperitywealthwas indispensable to having a realistic chance of living such a life, of realizing ones ends. So, ccording to Utilitarianism, the just society should be so organized in its institutionsits government, its laws, and its economythat as many people as possible shall have the means and opportunity to achieve their chosen conception of a desirable life. To reform the institutions of ones society toward this goal, in the utilitarian view, is to pursue greater justice. In the 19th century utilitarians often argued for a laissez faire capitalist economy. More recently some of them have argued for a mixed economy, i. e. , a state regulated market system. Mill, interestingly, argued at the beginning of the 19th century for an unregulated capitalist economy, but at the end argued for a socialist economy (which is not the same thing as a mixed economy). (3) The protection of the sorts of liberties that were guaranteed in the United States  Ã‚   by the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. (4) Democratic forms of government generally. The utilitarian rationale for each of these institutional arrangements should be fairly obvious, but it would probably contribute significantly to our understanding of utilitarianism to review, in more detail, some utilitarian arguments for (2) free market capitalism. This we shall do later, in the next section. What do you think a Utilitarian would say about universal medical care? Would he or she be for it or against it? What about affirmative action programs, anti-hate crime legislation, welfare, a graduated income tax, anti-trust laws? For or against? What would decide the issue for a utilitarian? (2) Utilitarianism and Competitive Capitalism The key claim about market capitalism for the utilitarian is that free, unregulated markets efficiently allocate resourceschiefly labor and capitalin the production of goods. By a market is meant only any pattern of economic activity in which buyers do business with sellers. In the classical system of economics competition is presupposed among producers or sellers. Toward the end of the nineteenth century writers began to make explicit hat competition required that there be a considerable number of sellers in any trade or industry in informed communication with each other. In more recent times this has been crystallized into the notion of many sellers doing business with many buyers. Each is well informed as to the prices at which others are selling and buyingthere is a going price of which everyone is aware. Most important of all, no buyer or seller is large enough to control or exercise an appreciable influence on the common price. The notion of efficiency as applied to an economic system is many-sided. It can be viewed merely as a matter of getting the most for the least. There is also the problem of getting the particular things that are wanted by the community in the particular amounts in which they are wanted. In addition, if an economy is to be efficient some reasonably full use must be made of the available, or at least the willing, labor supply. There must be some satisfactory allocation of resources between present and future productionbetween what is produced for consumption and what is invested in new plant and processes to enlarge future consumption. There must also be appropriate incentive to change; the adoption of new and more efficient methods of production must be encouraged. Finallya somewhat different requirement and one that went long unrecognizedthere must be adequate provision for the research and technological development which brings new methods and new products into existence. All this makes a large bill of requirements. Rawlss Theory of Justice as Fairness The reformulation of Utilitarianism we just saw comes from John Rawls, who did not present it as a version of Utilitarianism at all. He presented it as a first approximation to a quite distinct conception of justice from Utilitarianism, a conception that he calls Justice as Fairness. I presented Rawlss idea as a reformulation of Utilitarianism, anyway, because it seems to me to be greatly clarifying of whats wrong with Utilitarianism to have an alternative to compare it to, an alternative that blocks the kinds of fairness objections that are typically raised against Utilitarianism. In Utilitarianism everyone, in a way, is given equal consideration at the outset inasmuch as everyones happiness is taken into consideration and is given the same weight in the reasoning by which a form of social organization is settled on as the one that, in the circumstances, yields the greatest average utility. But, as we saw, Utilitarianism may in some circumstances settle on a form of social organization that treats some people unfairly, by imposing undue burdens on them for the sake of the greater average utility or happiness of the whole social group. In the light of this fact it is reasonable to conclude that something is wrong with the Utilitarian procedure for weighing the interests of the individual members of the social group in deciding on what forms of social organization best serve those interests. The procedure puts individuals at and undesirable and unfair risk of being sacrificed for the overall social good. In the principle that we suggested as a revision of Utilitarianism, people would not be put at quite the same risk. Rawls in fact argues for a more elaborate principle of justice in social organization, one that we havent seen yet, and he does so by employing a hypothetical model of a situation requiring people to choose the fundamental principles by which the basic institutions of their society are to be evaluated and organized. He argues that in the hypothetical conditions under which the choice of principles is to be made, only fair or just principles can be chosen. He argues that this is so because of the hypothetical conditions he imposes on the situation of the people making the choice. Then he argues that under those conditions people would choose the following conjunction of principles: The Equal Liberty Principle: Each person is to have the maximum civil liberties compatible with the same liberty for all. The Difference Principle: Inequalities are permissible only if (a) they can be expected to work to everyones advantage, especially to the advantage of the least well off, and (b) the positions, offices, roles, to which the inequalities attach are open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Libertarianism The Libertarianism, as the name suggests, emphasizes individual liberty as the central and indeed exclusive concern of social justice. A just society, according to the Libertarian, must grant and protect the liberty or freedom of each individual to pursue his desired ends. In the Libertarian view people are essentially rational end-choosers, to use our earlier term, and the kind of life appropriate to rational end-choosers requires them to be free to choose their own ends and free to pursue them without interference from others. This may seem to imply that the Libertarian holds that everyone should be able to do whatever he or she wants, but really the Libertarian holds no such view. The Libertarian view is that each person should have the same freedom to pursue his chosen ends, that each is therefore obligated to refrain from interfering with others in their freedom to pursue their ends, and that the function of the state is solely to protect each individuals freedom to pursue his chosen ends. The Libertarian therefore conceives of everyone as having certain rights, which protect his or her liberty to pursue a desirable kind of life. What is distinctive about Libertarianism is its conception of the rights that each individual has. The libertarian philosopher John Hospers states the fundamental libertarian principle in a variety of ways that it may clarify the Libertarian view to repeat here. He says (in The Libertarian Manifesto, reprinted in Justice: Alternative Political Perspectives, edited by James P. Sterba, Third Edition (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999), pp. 24, 25): [E]very person is the owner of his own life[;] no one is the owner of any one elses life,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and consequently every human being has the right to act in accordance with his own choices, unless those actions infringe on the equal liberty of other human beings to act in accordance with their choices No one is anyone elses master and no one is anyone elses slave. Other mens lives are not yours to dispose of. The rights recognized by the Libertarian include all the rights we called civil or personal liberties in our discussion of Rawls, but in regard to property the Libertarian favors a scheme in which each person has a quite unrestricted right to acquire property, including full capitalist rights to acquire ownership of the means of production and full rights of bequeathal. Libertarians emphasize property rights as essential to the liberty essential to the life of a rational end-chooser. Property does not mean only real estate; it includes anything that you can call your ownclothing, your car, your jewelry, your books and papers. The right of property is not the right to just take it from others, for this would interfere with their property rights. It is rather the right to work for it, to obtain non-coercively the money or services which you can present in voluntary exchanges.