A Brief History of Economics Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of Economics Essay Through his use of dialectical materialism, Marx not only changed the history of economic thought, but found great illumination for himself regarding the bonds of human society. The concept that seems relatively simple in today’s complex economic world was utterly revolutionary in the time of Marx: people develop their ideas about the world (and thereby, their ideas for how society should be organized and stratified) based on the material aspects of their lives. It was an elegant extension of basic Marxist theory: capitalism, according to Marx, is interested in offering naked materialism as a kind of booby prize to make up for the means of production being taken away from the people. If the people can no longer work for themselves and no longer work at perfecting their own craft as individuals, then, as Marx correctly deduced, people would require something to validate their work. This became the center of capitalism, as Marx understood it: materialism exists as a kind of justification for capitalism, and since materialism has permeated our culture to such an extreme degree, eventually social orders began to revolve around it. Hence, what capitalism serves as the cause of what Marx saw as nothing less than ongoing class warfare. It is interesting to note that Marx believed a violent revolution on the part of the proletariat was not simply a possible method of changing things, but actually served as the only method of changing things. This is because materialism was so embedded into class structures (which, in turn, was so embedded in power structures), and the only way for society to functionally survive was for it to become overturned completely. It is also interesting to note the ongoing effect that Marx has had on philosophic thought: materialism had previously been dislodged by Descartes and the famous declaration â€Å"I think, therefore I am;† as far as most people who pondered these things could conclude, thought preceded matter. However, Marx not only brought materialism to the philosophic forefront—the then-controversial idea that material preceded thought—but illustrated the notion that the abstractions of materialism had been concretized by capitalism into purchasable goods. 2: Marx and the Secret Source of Profit Perhaps the most enduring notion of Marx’s is the so-called secret of the source of profit under a capitalistic society†¦though such is Marx’s legacy of intellectual thought, a great many people simply accept this notion as reality: the source of profit is the surplus value that an employer gains from laborers. After all, the means of production have been taken from the people: skilled artisan cobblers have been replaced by factory line workers churning out shoe after shoe after shoe. The money saved by employing this assembly-line method of industrial production becomes pure profit for the employer. Interestingly, Marx tethered this to his own theories on circulating capital—that is, something that does not last, and is used up in the production of other goods and services, in direct opposition to fixed capital, which is traditionally held for over a year by a business or institution. Marx astutely deduced that the distinction between these concepts is not only relative, but arbitrary: the idea that capital held for 365 days is circulating and that capital held for 366 days is fixed is absurd. However, it allows the proletariat to essentially gloss over their own necessity to the entire institution of capitalism: they are led to believe that society is held up by the fixed capital of major investors and their long-term investments. In reality, society is held aloft by the ongoing purchases of the common man (and woman): their disposable income is burned off to provide them a sense that capitalism is worth it†¦it turn, their disposable income is used to make the rich richer, as the cliche goes, all the way up the capitalist pyramid. In Marx’s view, this is one of many ways that those in power forestall the seemingly unavoidable class war that he advocates: those with power—the purchasing power of the common man—are convinced they have none, and are bought off with trinkets. It is interesting to note that this echoes the master/slave morality inversion of Nietzsche. 3: Marginalists and the Economy In the evolution of economic theory, the impact of marginalism cannot be overstated. Once one had accepted the blunt realities of Marx—specifically, that society was organized based on the perceived value of items—the logical question remained: how does one quantify the value of an item? Marginalism illustrated the diminishing returns on the marginal utility of resold products, which dramatically impacted analysis of capitalist economy, the focus of economic analysis, and theories of value and distribution. Regarding the analysis of capitalist economy, marginalism helped solidify the supply and demand notion of economics as that of mainstream economic thought, as opposed to the labor theory of value espoused by Karl Marx. To put it mildly, this has had ongoing economic effects for the last century and a half. The focus of economic analysis shifted accordingly, as marginalism interacted with price theory: this allowed economics to project demand curves utilizing marginal rates of substitution as a means of determining not only when, but why a seller is willing to relinquish a product for a particular price. Perhaps one of the most lasting effects of marginalism on economic thought has been its effect on theories of value and distribution. With the previous measures in place, economists (as well as common people) now had a more-or-less accurate measure of determining the value of any given product in any given social context. Of course, this also effects the ongoing distribution of certain products to certain demographics in order to maximize profitability. Interestingly, this is one of the chief criticisms of marginalism as well: that it is a vague pseudoscience whose intent is to maintain not only the economic status quo, but the appearance of the status quo. It is no surprise, then, that Marxists continue to grapple with marginalist theory: they see it as a means of keeping the proletariat in check, and preventing any uprisings from them. 4: Thorstein Veblen: Survival of the Fattest Thorstein Veblen, for better or worse, specialized in bringing the human element into economic theory. Specifically, he theorized that the institution of the leisure class was a parasite feeding upon America: upon the backs of workers who are actually productive are a class who seek only profit and produce nothing but waste. He essentially created and popularized the notion of conspicuous consumption as the epitome of this theory: that wealthy individuals spend large amounts of money on ostentatious goods whose sole benefit is to publicly display their wealth to the world. Unfortunately, this has become an integral part of the economy: although an engineer might weep at the man spending over a hundred thousand dollars for a car, the American economy would be crippled if conspicuous consumption vanished overnight. Hence, the parasite metaphor: conspicuous consumption and naked profit helps the wealthy to bloat themselves on the backs of the poor until the entire enterprise inevitably crumbles under its own weight. Veblen perceived quite clearly that human notions about the world are social constructs created by individuals, and as time went on, those notions would change, necessitating a change in economic thought as well. He makes frequent comparisons to evolution to further this end: idle curiosity spurs innovation, innovation spurs conflict between the old guard and the innovators, and an economic Darwinism is born. The advent of industry and technological revolutions merely expanded his original point: the parasitic relationship continued unabated, as the innovations of the productive engineer class were inevitably utilized as means of conspicuous consumption and waste on the part of the leisure class. Planes are developed as a result of idle curiosity, for instance, but it is the leisure class that necessitates the invention of first class as a way of displaying their own status in the social hierarchy.

Synthesis and Growth of HAp Crystals

Synthesis and Growth of HAp Crystals Results and discussions Synthesis of HAp/Chitosan/Dopamine films Two types of HAp-chitosan composite films were prepared: HAp-chitosan films with and without dopamine (Figure 1). The weight ratio between HAp and chitosan in the films was fixed to 50 wt% since the HAp content in human bones is about 50-70wt% in dry weight28-30. In comparison with the 50 wt% HAp-chitosan, 70 wt% HAp-chitosan films containing dopamine were also generated, but this composite was too brittle to be used as hard tissue substitute. HAp-chitosan films were successfully casted and the films were slightly yellow in color. Dopamine containing HAp-chitosan films were also casted and the color was changed to dark brown. The color alteration of the films was due to the oxidation of dopamine that formed phenolic tanning compounds19,31. Based on the previous studies, wet precipitation methods were carried out to synthesize a nano-HAp in the presence of chitosan and its derivatives13,16. Chitosan strongly interacted with HAp and regulated the anisotropic growth of crystalline HA. I n addition, it was revealed that dopamine can also facilitate the growth of the HAp crystals along the c-axis21. Therefore, the synthesis and growth of HAp crystals in the presence of both chitosan and dopamine were examined by FTIR, XRD and SEM before conducting the mechanical analysis and water uptake analysis. FTIR analysis and Wide-angle X-Ray Diffraction FTIR spectra of the composite films are shown in Figure 1. Generally, hydroxyl and phosphate bands of HAp and characteristic peaks of chitosan are present in all of the composites FTIR spectra regardless of dopamine addition. More specifically, FTIR spectra of the composites showed the identity bands of HAp; stretching and bending vibration modes from the phosphate groups () were identified at absorption bands of 898 1095 cm-1 and 477 660 cm-1 respectively. The combination band of hydroxyl (O-H) bending and libration modes was observed at 630 cm-1. Furthermore, observed band at about 3600 cm-1 indicated the O-H stretching. On the other hand, several typical chitosan absorption peaks of 1150, 1375, 1640 cm-1and 2900 cm-1were observed in the chitosan containing composites. Peak at 1150 cm-1 was indicating glucosamine unit. The peak observed at 1640 cm-1 represents amide I (C=O) and anti-symmetric NH3 deformation. The band appearing at 1599 cm-1is attributed to amide II bands. Both am ide I and amide II show a hydrogen bond between –NH2 and –OH of HAp. Peak at 2900 cm-1 represent the –CH2 backbone. In the dopamine containing composite, the polyphenolic content resembled by phenolic COH peak that was discerned at 1260 cm-1. Moreover, both of aromatic C=C and COO bands were also observed at 1600-1650 cm-1 FTIR is an appropriate technique to observe the composite constituent interaction. It measures the frequencies at which chemical functional groups absorb as the result of the sample’s chemical interaction. In this regards, the appearance of glucosamine unit band at 1150 cm-1 that overlap with the stretching vibrations bands of HAp indicated that HAp crystals were formed on the chitosan molecules through certain interaction. In addition, chitosan interaction with ions by means of phosphorylation were also identified by the emergence shoulder at 1220 cm-1 and an increased at 1064 cm-1 absorption peaks of the chitosan containing composites spectra12. Chitosan has great affinity to react with ions without pH dependent13. This interaction makes chitosan tend to undergo phosphorylation in acid, basic and neutral solutions. In the presence of the phosphorilated groups, chitosan can strongly bind with intermediate form of HAp, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), and impose constrain ts of ACP subsequently lead to crystalline HAp formation13. Furthermore, chelation of calcium ions by phosphate functionalities may also induce the formation of crystalline HAp. The XRD spectra of the samples with or without dopamine also support the existence of HAp crystalline phase in the composite films. Most peaks in the XRD spectra of the samples could be indexed to the known HAp structure (Ca10(PO4)6) with characteristic peaks at 2ÃŽ ¸ regions of 26Â º, 29Â º, 32-34Â º, 40Â º, 46-54Â º, which are consistent with HAp phase (JCPDF #09-0432), confirming that the phase was formed in all samples13,32. However, the crystallinity of HAp in the chitosan-HAp composite films was lower than 100% HAp powder due to the presence of chitosan. The broad peak around 20Â º is an indicative peak for chitosan in the composite film regardless of dopamine addition13. Interestingly, some evidence which support anisotropic growth of Hap in the presence of dopamine were shown in the XRD spectra. The intensities of HAP diffractions relating to (002), (300) and (211) peaks (at 2ÃŽ ¸ of 26 Â º, 32 Â º, 33 Â º respectively) were measured. The ratio of the measured diffra ction intensity of c-axis (002) to another direction was used to determine the orientation degree. The XRD results after Gaussian Fit indicates that the (002) to (300) intensity ratio of 50% HAp samples with and without dopamine was 0.17 and 0.45 respectively. This indicated the preferential orientation of the HAp growth in the c-axis was significantly increased with the presence of dopamine. Additional broad peaks (~10Â º ~15Â º) were observed in the dopamine containing film. It indicates that the addition of dopamine induced structural changes in d-spacing over 0.6-0.9 nm in the film due to dopamine-mediated crosslinking, or dopamine-mediated HAp growth. Overall, XRD spectra suggest that the aspect ratio and anisotropy increased in the dopamine containing HAp/chitosan composite. SEM, TEM analysis and Cell Test Result To examine the effect of dopamine addition on the surface morphology, the dopamine-containing films were observed under SEM and TEM (Figure 3 and 4). The figures show a presence of nanorod particles in the composites with narrow and uniform particle size distribution in all samples. In the absence of dopamine, this structure is likely formed due to phosphorylation of chitosan which bind with phosphate precursor compounds and modulate the crystallization of HAp13,16. In the presence of dopamine, the aspect ratio of HAp was increased up to ~4.7 fold compared with control HAp in the absence of chitosan nor dopamine (figure x). For a comparison, in the 50 wt% composite, the aspect ratios are 2.4 and 4.5, without and with dopamine crosslink respectively. The dopamine effect is probably because of catecholic group from the dopamine bind with Ca2+ in HAp crystals formation 21. The pKa dopamine is ~8.9, dopamine was added while the pH decreased from ~8 to 4.2 The protonated cathecholic group of dopamine are possibly involved in HAp formation and regulate the one-dimensional growth of HAp crystals. This phenomenon is well agreed as the previous experiment result that polydopamine addition on HAp provides mechanism for surface-anchored catecholamine moieties to enrich the interface with calcium ions, facilitating the formation of hydroxyapatite crystals19.The addition of dopamine not only guides the anisotropic directional growth of hydroxyapatite crystals which increased its aspect ratio, but also changed the homogeneity of the grain distribution and shape of the nanostructure (Figure 5). To study the effect of HAp content on the aspect ratio of the nanostructure, the 25% and 70 wt% HAp-chitosan film with/without dopamine was synthesized. As the results, the aspect ratio is increases with increasing of HAp weight %. The 70 wt% with dopamine containing sample showed the highest aspect ratio. (Supporting figure X). The aspect ratio is a significant property of HAp related to the absorbability and fracture toughness of the samples. Higher aspect ratio known to have better adsorbability since it is proportional to the surface area of rods3, which are beneficial for cell attachment. However, aspect ratio alone is inadequate to identify the cellular affinity of sample, as a previous study suggested that surface roughness can also play an important role33. It was also found that aspect ratio and surface roughness of the composite film have a significant effect on the cell attachment and proliferation1. We tested MC-3T3 cells (mouse pre-osteoblast cell line) proliferation on the HAp-chitosan composite surfaces. To measure the dependence of MC-3T3 cell viability and proliferation on surface materials quantitatively, WST-8 [2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, monosodium salt] based cell counting assay was performed. WST-8 produced yellow-colored product (formazan) when it was reduced by dehydrogenases in living cells34,35. The levels of cell viability and proliferation on the sample that contains dopamine were slightly lower than others (Figure 6) suggesting that the increasing of HAps aspect ratio is not always beneficial because the cell viability was rather decreased. Nevertheless, the number of viable cells in the sample is still increased, yet at a slightly lower rate than the other sample. This is implying that this material would probably have no strong cytotoxicity. However, in vivo testing is remains to be proved the cytotoxicit y of the dopamine-containing composites.

Analysing Jamaican Creole Through English Language Essay

Analysing Jamaican Creole Through English Language Essay Creoles can be generally defined as genuinely mixed languages, which emerged from the blending together of two or more different languages and became the mother tongue of a new generation of speakers, acquiring the full range of communicative functions that a native language needs (Svartvik 2006: p.183). Most creoles developed as a result of colonialism and lived side by side with the dominant language. As a consequence, these contact varieties were reduced to lower functions and seen as deviant or broken forms of the language from which they derived. Nevertheless, since postcolonial times, there has been a shift towards the recognition and acceptance of national languages and identities, which has given rise to a new status and opportunities for those stigmatised varieties (Schneider 2007). Jamaican Creole, generally known as Patwa, can be considered as a good example of English-based creole which has begun to overcome stigma around its use and be recognised as a fully developed lan guage, as well as a symbol of Jamaican identity ( Schneider 2010: p.102). Jamaican Creole has its origins in the late 17th century, when British colonised the territory (1655) and imported slaves from West Africa to work in the plantations. Those Africans soon started to outnumber white population and became the linguistic models of the new slaves, contributing with this to spread the creole (Schneider 2007). During the decades of colonialism, Jamaica ´s language and culture were dominated by the British norms. In this sense, Standard English was considered as the highest variety, acquired through formal education and used in public and formal context (Devonish and Harry 2008: p. 256); for its part, Jamaican Creole was stigmatised as a bastardized distortion of English, to be avoided at all costs in public discourse (Schneider 2010: p.102). After independence in 1962, a sense of nationalism emerged and led to new attitudes towards Jamaica ´s national culture and language. However, this way for acceptance was not easy and Jamaicans had to fight against prejudices and an exonormative orientation which favoured the Standard variety without taking into account realities of language use and the Jamaicans ´ identity (Schneider 2007: p.234). The figure of Louise Bennett may be used to represent the spirit of this period and can help us to understand the current linguistic situation in Jamaica. Therefore, taking one of the Bennett ´s most famous poems Back to Africa (1966), we are going to analyse the features of Jamaican Creole, as well as the reason that led the poet to use this variety and the ideas she wanted to transmit. The poem deals with a girl, called Miss Mattie, who wants to go back to Africa because she thinks that her homeland is there. The poetic voice develops a group of arguments to try to persuade the girl not to emigrate to that continent and, at the same time, offers the reader a good description of Jamaica ´s essence. Firstly, Bennett presents Jamaica ´s population as a combination of different cultures: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) you great great great/ Granma was African/ But Mattie, doan you great great great/ Granpa was Englishman? (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)/ You whole generation (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)/ oonoo all is Jamaican! According to Holm (2000: p.93): Ethnic origin of the population in the 1960 census was 76% African, 15% Afro-European, 3.5% East Indian, 1% European, 1% Chinese and 3% other. Nowadays, it is estimated that over 90% of Jamaica ´s population are of African origin (Schneider 2008: p.610). Secondly, the poet alludes to Jamaicans ´ facial features and colour, which reflect their African heritage and distinguish them from English people: oh, you view the countenance/ and between you an de Africans/is great resemblance!. Therefore, Bennett introduces in this poem the defining characteristics of the Jamaican population: their cultural melting pot and their strong African roots. Finally, the poetic voice claims that the girl does not need to look for her homeland because Jamaica is already her home: you dah go fe seek you homelan/ for a right deh so you deh!. In this sense, the poet considers that the real homeland is the place where one is born, rather than the country of ancestral origins. In the same vein, Bennett also seems to encourage Jamaicans to accept their African heritage and make the island their own home, as it is the only way to achieve self-identification: do Sure a whe you come from so you got/ somewhe fe come back to! Regarding the language, the poem is entirely written in basilectal creole. Jamaican Creole has West African languages as its substrate (Startvik 2006: p. 183); which means that languages from Akan, Kwa and Buntu families are likely to have influenced part of Jamaican basic grammar and pronunciation (Patrick 2008: p.610). In this sense, as it can be seen in the poem, Jamaican Creole shares several characteristics with the rest of Atlantic Creoles and differs in some aspects from the English grammar. Firstly, in Jamaican Creole, tense and aspect are not marked by inflectional morphology, but by context. Therefore, neither the third person singular -s nor the past form of the verb come were found in the poem: Ef the whole worl start [`starts ´] fe go back/ whe dem great granpa come [`came ´] from!. In the same vein, progressive aspect is only signalled by pre-verbal dah (you no know wha you dah seh?) and the base form of the verb is used to express participle function in do/Sure a whe you come [`have come ´] from (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦); however, non-concord was appears in the poem to express the past form of the verb to be: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) you great great great/ Granma was Africa. Secondly, auxiliary verbs were not found in interrogative or negative sentences. Negation is marked by means of the preverbal negator no, both in negative declaratives sentences and in imperative ones. The use of no is a distinctly creole feature (Scheneider 2010: p.106), which is also very common in other languages, such as Spanish, and can be seen in the early stages of the grammar of second language learners, as well as in child language acquisition. Other negative structures are the use of doan in negative tags (But Mattie, doan you great great great/ Granpa was Englisman?) and the presence of double negations (But no tell nobody say); which is a feature that appears not only in other creoles, but also in other non-standard English varieties (Schneider 2010: p.106). Regarding pronouns, first and second personal forms were found: Me, you, oonoo (`unu ´) and also interrogative pronouns; such as weh/whe (`where ´), as well as the possessive form who-fa (`whose ´). Furthermore, as Patrick (2008: p.633) claims, bare personal pronouns sometimes fulfil possessive functions; in this sense, you can refer to the personal pronoun you or to the possessive you: Ef a hard time you dah run from/Tek you (`your ´) chance!. In the same manner, a single preposition can also cover a range of functions (Schneider 2010: p.106): Mus go back a (`to ´) Englan, de balance a (`of ´) you family. The use of a single form playing several roles is a characteristic that all the linguistic systems possess as a result of applying one of the most fundamental principles of the language: economy. Another feature of Jamaican Creole is the lack of grammatical suffixes (Schneider 2010: p.106). In this sense, possessive -s is avoided and, as Patrick (2008: p.633) says, possession can be expressed by juxtaposition (possessor+ possessed), as in great granmader fader, or by the use of the preposition a (`of ´), as in de balance a you family. In the same vein, plural of nouns are generally not marked or they are expressed by means of the morpheme dem, although it was not found in this poem; rather, Louise Bennett alternates zero-marking of plural (American), very common in basilectal speech, with the plural allomorph -s (Africans), which is closed to mesolectal and acrolectal forms. Finally, it is necessary to point out the use of passive meanings in active form (as in oonoo all barn dung a Bun Grung), as well as the use of fe (`to ´) as the infinitive marker and the presence of say and seh as the complementizer (correspoding to that) to introduce a finit object clause after verb s of thinking or talking (Schneider 2010: p. 106): Me know say dat [`I know that ´] (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Apart from the grammar, the manner in which some words were written contributes to reflect locally pronunciation features. In this sense, it was found that the diphthong /ei/, as in `take ´, is monophthongized, giving rise to the form tek. In the same manner, fricatives [ÃŽÂ ¸], [ÃÆ' °] and [Ê’]  do not exist in Jamaican creole (Devonish and Harry 2008: p. 285); therefore, they are substituted by stops (Schneider 2010: p.105), as in the case of dat (`that ´), fader/mader (`father ´/`mother ´) or den (`then ´). Finally, as in other varieties, word-final or syllable-final consonant clusters are usually omitted (Schneider 2010: p.105); this can be seen in words as granpa/granma (`grandpa ´/ `grandma ´), an (`and ´), mus (`must ´) or homelan (`homeland ´). Writing her poems in Jamaican Creole and talking about a national identity, Louise Bennett shows her commitment to a language and a culture that have been undervalue and marginalised throughout time. In this sense, she demonstrates that Jamaican Creole is neither a broken or deficient variety, but, as it was analysed, one fully developed language with its own grammar and vocabulary (Svartvik 2006: p. 176) and; consequently, as able as the Standard English to express the whole range of human experiences, thoughts and emotions. Figures as Louise Bennett contributed to instil pride in Jamaican ´s national language and culture; that is why, nowadays the linguistic situation in this country is totally different from past decades. Although, Standard English is expected to be the variety used in official contexts and by educated speakers (Schneider 2007), most Jamaicans speak a kind of mesolect, a variety which is midway on the continuum between creole and the standard language (Svartvik 2006: p.181) and they moved towards acrolectal or basilectal forms depending on several factors, such as the formality of the context or the social relationship between the interlocutors (Schneider 2007). This lack of correspondence between expectations and reality has led to more tolerant attitudes which have result in new education policies, more presence of creole in political and literary contexts, as well as in the media. Furthermore, attempts to codify the variety with the elaboration of grammars (Cassidy) and dictionari es (Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage) reflect the efforts to make Jamaican Creole an official language (Schneider 2007). However, fifty years after the political independence, some prejudices and debates about the use of Creole still remain and it is only in the power of Jamaicans to make creole a stronger language and a symbol of their identity. Modal verbs, such as mus (`must ´), and the infinite marker fe (`to ´) were also found in the poem, both fulfilling the same function as in Standard English.

Global Warming Essay -- Climate Change

Transitioning to clean energy sources will involve a policy that involves an extensive amount of research in the fields of science, economics, and politics. It is crucial that the United States conceives energy resources that decrease both environmental and health impacts. However, environment and health impacts are not the only aspects that must be considered as the United States moves to cleaner energy resources. The competitiveness of the United States’ economy as a whole and job security must be taken in account. ("Facing Our Energy Realities† 4) Therefore, the transition must be controlled. The transition should not detrimental to the citizens of the United States. Previously, politicians with the intentions of launching a safer environment established acts, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. However, due to the Environmental Protection Agency, some states, and activist, these acts have negatively impacted some facilities and jobs. Congress must reevaluate laws to allow business to understand what is necessary to continue remaining a part of the market. ("Facing Our Energy Realities† 4) The citizens of the United States vote to determine which politicians generate the energy policies for the United States. Therefore, as a method of guarantying that voting citizens are also informed citizens, energy education should be accessible. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does inform citizens in the areas surrounding a nuclear plant about nuclear energy. However, they should expand their education to all citizens. As it is unrealistic to fully eliminate coal, and several people are opposed to its use, energy plants using clean coal ought to offer educational measures to enlighten citizens of its advantages. Americans... ...2012. license-review.html>. "Invest in Climate Science to Guide Energy, Economic, and Environmental Policy." Institute for 21st Century Energy. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Web. 01 May 2012. and-environmental-policy>. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Home Page. U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 03 May 2012. . â€Å"Nuclear Energy in France." Repulique Francaise. Embassy of France in Washington, 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. . "The Obama-Biden Plan." Change.Gov. The Office of President-Elect. Web. 03 May 2012. . WNA. World Nuclear Association. Web. 02 May 2012. .

A Cinderella Story Essay -- Cinderella Fairytale Essays

A Cinderella Story   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When examining adaptations of fairytales you must look at the original source. This can be a very difficult task because with fairytales we never really know where the original came from. I will base my paper on the theory that the original tale of Cinderella comes from the Grimm Brothers version of Ashputtle. In comparison we will examine two movies. First there is the Disney version Cinderella. Secondly we will look at the movie 'Ever After'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characterization is an important aspect of any story or film, because it sets what the entire film will be about, and how the audience will absorb it. In the story of "Ashputtle". The characters include Ashputtle = Cinderella, The Stepmother, and the stepdaughters, the prince, and who I think are two of the most important characters the father and the spirit of Ashputtle's mother. The character of Cinderella is portrayed as a good little angel that always does what she is told. She is also very weak, because she doesn?t stand up to her family. The characters of the stepfamily are portrayed as evil and vindictive. They treat her rotten, and they make her sleep in the ashes. But in the end all of the parties get their just desert. The stepfamily gets what they deserve. The mother was sent away, and the stepsisters who on her wedding day tried to integrate themselves with her, ended up being punished with blindness. The interesting thing about the character of the fa ther was that in the story he remains alive whereas in the two films he dies, but in this one even though he is alive he still is very mean to Ashputtle, and treats her as a servant after her mother dies. In the first film "Ever After", the characters include, Danielle Debbarberack= Cinderella, the stepmother, and stepsisters (both good and bad), the prince, king and queen, the evil servant who betrays the king and queen, and the father. The character of Danielle was portrayed as a "modern" women of the 16th century, who is as independent as she was beautiful. But even with all her trials and tribulations she manages to fulfill all of her dreams. The prince is an important character in this film also. He plays the role of a spoiled prince, who does not desire the life or the marriage that he was destined for, and when he finds Danielle he falls in love, then rejects her and then ends up with her in the end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In t... ...k and maybe get a little insight into their souls? "With his new wife were brought two stepdaughters? Their faces were beautiful and lily white, but their hearts were ugly and black as coal?" Some of the exact differences between the different versions include, the fact that in the story we see that after the mother dies the father is still alive but he stays alive throughout the story and does not love his daughter the same as the other two girls. Whereas in the Disney version the father dies and that is when the stepmother and the two stepdaughters start to treat (Cinderella/ashputtle) differently. In the movie ?Ever After? we see that the father also dies and again that is when the evilness in the family comes out. A few other differences that were discussed include the differences in the prince's portrayal, in one version he was outgoing and honest, and in another he was very shy, and reserved but very dedicated. I found that all of the versions were interesting in their own manner and I wish that I could have discussed the hundred or so more tales from different areas of the world. If you enjoy fairytales then this is one that you will be sure and want to check out.

Brunswick Plastics Essay

Introduction Brunswick Plastics, located in Canada, is an injection molding company. Brunswick Plastics produces 50 different products; however, they are not reaching capacity. Production required multiple labor hours, and since they weren’t at capacity, they were finishing a little above breakeven. The Division Manager of Brunswick Plastics, Michael Smith was informed of an opportunity for his company and must make a decision on whether or not to venture into this opportunity. Mr. Smith was informed of a project of producing 150,000 milk crates. He can place a bid for the project. However, Mr. Smith isn’t confident in the information that he has, and needs answers to best estimate the costs of producing the additional units. The costs that he knows are as follows: Production Labor$0.14 Loading Labor 0.02 Crate Materials 1.71 Stamp Materials 0.04 TOTAL$1.91 per unit Stamping Machine $5,000 one-time cost Mr. Smith must make a critical pricing decision to have a competitive advantage in the bid process. He has specific questions which answered, will provide a confident grasp on the situation to enable him to make a decision on whether to place the bid and at what price. If the bid is too high, it will most likely be rejected, and the company would lose the opportunity to reach capacity and make a higher profit. But, if the bid is too low it would cause a loss for the company. We will answer Mr. Smith’s questions throughout this case analysis. Question #1: Based on your interpretation of Exhibit 3, what is your estimate of the change in â€Å"PFMOH† cost if the factory were to run one extra batch of 150,000 milk crates? Based on the interpretation of Exhibit 3, the linear regression that has the most accurate relationship with Plant Fixed Manufacturing Overhead (PFMOH) is Direct Labor Hours (DLH). Michael Smith calculated that 3,472 scheduled machine hours would be need, 2,083 running hours. Using the equation, PFMOH=4321+(2.85*DLH), and knowing that an operator must be present for each hour of scheduled machine hours (3,472), we can determine an increase of $14,216.20. We must also factor in depreciation expense (straight line depreciation) of $500 annually ($5,000/10years). Yielding a change of $14,716.20. 4,321+(2.85*3,472)=$14,216.20 $14,216.20+$500=$14,716.20 Question #2: What is your estimate of the incremental cost per unit for one batch of 150,000 milk crates? The incremental cost per unit is $2.09 and is determined by adding the direct labor and direct materials per unit to the variable overhead. Variable overhead is determined by multiplying the number of machine hours by the â€Å"rule of thumb† for variable overhead, which is stated in the case as $13 per machine hour of â€Å"running time,† and dividing the product by the number of units. ($13*2,083)/150,000=$0.18 $1.91+.18=2.09 Question #3: What does Exhibit 2 suggest would be a â€Å"normal† price for milk crates for an â€Å"average† job shop? What does this suggest about the $3.00 price which seems to prevail at the time of the case? The case suggests the price for the crates for an average job shop is: 150,000*$3.00=$450,000*57%=$256,500 Therefore, the direct materials and direct labor is $256,500, $1.71 per unit for the average job shop. At $1.71 per unit, Brunswick’s bid price will be much higher at $3.00, which increases the chance that the bid will be rejected. Question #4: What is the â€Å"strategically relevant† cost per unit for milk crates? (for purposes of deciding whether or not the $3.00 â€Å"market price† is profitable, on an ongoing basis) At $3.00 market price, producing the 150,000 crates would be profitable for Brunswick, because the profit per unit is $0.81. Production Labor$0.14 Loading Labor 0.02 Crate Materials 1.71 Stamp Materials 0.04 Variable Overhead 0.18 PFMOH 0.10 TOTAL COST$2.19 per unit $14,716.20/150,000=$0.10 $3.00-$2.19=$0.81 At $0.81 a unit for 150,000 units, Brunswick’s annual profit would be $121,500. $0.81*150,000=$121,500 Question #5: What is your advice to Mr. Smith regarding the milk crate opportunity? Be specific and show the calculation supporting your advice.  Assuming the original fixed costs will not be changed, we would recommend that Mr. Smith place the bid for the project. A price of $3.00 is the average current market price; however, considering Mr. Smith’s need for the contract to alter his contribution margin and to meet capacity, we recommend him bidding at $2.90. His opportunity cost of not getting the bid is greater than the $0.10 he will lose if he made a bid at $2.90.The chances are fair for Mr. Smith’s bid to be accepted at this price. If it is accepted, Brunswick would increase their profit by $106,500 annually. They would also come much closer to meeting capacity if they placed the bid. $2.90 Market Price per unit-$2.19 Total Cost per unit= $0.71*150,000 units=$106,500 of profit Question #6: What overall strategic advice do you have for Mr. Smith? What isn’t the business doing better, given the new â€Å"specialties strategy† and good business conditions? Support your answer with relevant cost analysis. Based on details within the case, Mr. Smith is obviously bidding jobs too high and not allowing his plant to increase its volume and obtain full  capacity. We would advise Mr. Smith to get a better understanding of his costs in order to price his jobs more competitively. Take this project for example, if the incremental cost of this milk crate project is $2.09 and he is certain he can win the bid at $2.90, then that $0.81 of revenue can contribute to 55% of the SG&A costs for the year, from a project that is only 25% of Brunswick Plastics annual sales revenue. Additionally, the case states that a successful bid would give Brunswick a competitive advantage in future orders. Therefore, if they won the other half of the milk crate orders, it would further cover their fixed overhead and not hinder the capacity requirements of the other products Brunswick produces. $0.81*150,000=$121,500/$220,000=.55 or 55% Conclusion Considering the calculations we have made, we recommend that Michael Smith place a bid on behalf of Brunswick Plastics for the 150,000 milk crate project at $2.90. It will be wise for Mr. Smith to come in at the lowest market price to dramatically increase the chances of his bid being accepted. Brunswick needs to win this bid so that they may be able to better their contribution margin and come closer to meeting capacity. A win will also increase profit, so they are much higher above breakeven. This could lead to further business with the Dairy Counsel as well.

Crime Rates and Perceptions of Crime

Sociological Problem The public perception of crime is that it has increased whilst official statistics show that overall, crime has decreased over the years. In this ‘risk society’, a fear of victimisation has become part of our lifestyle and we are constantly reminded of the potential dangers of becoming victims of crime. The famous study by Stanley Cohen (Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972)) is a prime example of how society is encouraged to worry about certain groups and use them as a scapegoat to blame society’s problems on.Sociologists are concerned with this topic as the fear of crime is becoming a bigger problem to tackle than crime itself. 1. 2 Research Question Why has the fear of crime increased when statistics indicate a fall in crime? What influences people’s perceptions of crime and to what extent do these perceptions impact on society? The central concern of my research is to discover the reasons behind the growing fear of crime and if there is a causal link between newspaper readership and perceptions of crime.As (Blackie 2009: 77) suggests, my research question is to understand, explain and evaluate the reasons behind this problem. This is a topic of interest to sociologists as media’s ‘construction of reality’ creates a distorted view of crime, with people more out of touch with the reality of crime than ever. 2. Data Selection The first table I have selected shows the sources most influential on the changes of perception of crime over the past few years (see Appendix 1), and the second table reflects the correlation between newspaper readership and perceptions of crime (see Appendix 2).I collected these tables from the Home Office’s British Crime Survey on (‘Perceptions of crime, engagement with the police, authorities dealing with anti social behaviour and community payback’ (Chaplin et al, 2011)). This information was gathered by a national face to face victimisation survey of people aged 16 and over from households in England and Wales where people were asked their experiences of crime. 3. Methodology The data I am analysing is quantitative data, since ‘it is not possible to become a social scientist without an understanding of statistics’ (Diamond and Jefferies, 2001: 1).It is also a form of secondary data analysis as the data I am looking at are derived from official statistics. When analysing table 3. 02 (see Appendix 2), I discovered a bivariate relationship between the type of newspaper read, and the public’s perception surrounding the amount of crime. There is a causal relationship here; depending on what newspaper you read your perception of crime is likely to differ. As (Bryman, A and Cramer, D 2000) note, it is important to establish the cause prior to the effect. An effect cannot come before a cause. In table 3. 01 (see Appendix 1) there is a dependent variable and an independent variable.The dependent variable is the pub lic’s perception of crime and the independent variable is the type of source they hear it from. From analysing the variables within the tables I have come up with a hypothesis that media representations of crime can influence people’s view of crime. What I want to discover is if this amplifies people’s fear of crime. Firstly, I will be using formal content analysis to measure the amount of space devoted to crime and the types of crime covered in newspapers. I will then use thematic analysis to look for themes which underlie the content.My third and final analysis will be textual analysis where I will be closely examining the text used in newspapers to see how it encourages a particular reading and creates an impression. Some of the advantages of using secondary data analysis include firstly it is more structured and standardised which gives us more reliable and repeatable results. It allows us to study larger numbers which gives results that are more representat ive of a population. As it is a detached and objective method, the researcher merely manipulates the variables and records the results.Their subjective feelings have no effect on the outcome of the experiment. If subjectivity becomes involved it could interfere with the outcome. In the British Crime Survey they used interviews to find out people’s views. This made the results easy to quantify especially when answers are pre coded. This also makes them suitable for hypothesis testing. However, there are also disadvantages to using quantitative data. As we are analysing from a secondary source, there is a lack of familiarity with the data which may cause confusion with the data presented.It does not allow the researcher to be personally involved, thus they produce a more superficial understanding. The British Crime Survey 2010/11 gives us an overall view of the statistics involved; however it does not give a deeper understanding and a more valid picture of the other factors tha t may be relevant. The results of quantitative data are limited as it produces numerical descriptions as opposed to a detailed narrative which gives us a less detailed account of the public’s perception on crime. 4. Analysis The world appears to have become a dangerous place to live, there is a ‘fear of crime’ and a ‘fortress mentality’.The increased sense of insecurity makes many unable to deal reasonably with the problem of crime. One of the reasons crime has decreased is the privatisation of public space in recent years. CCTV are used to control how people access these public areas. The police have also become confined to certain parts of towns and cities due to ‘tipping’ which allows them to keep a watchful eye on a specific area. Baldwin and Bottoms (1976) looked at the process of ‘tipping’, which is when councils put all antisocial together in the same place.This leads to concentration of crime in a given area, which c an also have the opposite effect of creating more crime. The process of tipping is similar to the broken window theory of Wilson and Kelling (1982). It’s a zero tolerance where there is no acceptance even of the smallest crimes. This will not allow them to grow into bigger problems. The media devotes a great deal of time and coverage to crime and deviance. They are accused of giving a distorted image of crime, criminals and policing. There are studies that indicate that the proportion of news devoted to crime has increased over the past 50 years.An example is a study that found the proportion of space given to crime reports in the Daily Mirror and the Times from 1945 to 1991 increased from 8% to 21% (Reiner et al. , 2000). The coverage of violent and sexual crimes is significantly greater than their incidence as measured by official statistics, victim studies and self report studies. Homicide accounts for one third of all crime news. William and Dickinson’s (1993) stud y of 10 national newspapers in 1989 found 64. 5% of crime stories were about violence against a person, whereas the British Crime Survey only showed 6% of crimes reported by victims in 1989 about violence.The amount of violent and sexual crimes tended to be more frequent the more ‘down market’ the newspaper. Although murder stories attract much of the public eye, it only accounts for 600 or 700 offences a year, with most of these being domestic violence. Table 3. 03 (see appendix 2) shows the difference between tabloid newspapers and broadsheet newspapers and people’s perception of crime. 81% of people who read ‘popular’ newspapers believed crime had increased, in comparison to 59% of people who read ‘broadsheet’ newspapers.This shows how the type of newspaper affects people’s view of crime and how the media want certain groups to worry about crime more than others. If the working class are living in fear of crime, they are less l ikely to rise and revolt, as they are too busy fearing the ‘vicious’ streets. Crime news focuses on the actual incident of the crime rather than the causes. However broadsheets such as the Guardian are more likely to contain an analysis of the causes of crime (Carrabine et al. , 2002). Tabloid readers are mostly working class as they tend to prefer the cheaper and less intellectual types of newspapers.(Simmons and Dodd, 2003) discovered tabloid readers are twice as likely to be ‘very worried’ about burglary, mugging, physical attack and rape. An important fact is that the victims of crime are mostly the poor, working class and ethnic deprived groups. Much crime is done by the working class on the working class. Ironically, the media shows victims being mainly women, white people and high status individuals. This shows how the media are manipulating our view of crime, making us believe the working class are committing the crimes whilst the privileged are suf fering from the crimes.However, there is another view. The British Crime Survey found that people who live in inner-city areas and council estates are particularly concerned about crime, particularly violent crime. These are the areas where most working class people live and the areas where violent crime is more likely to happen. Tabloid newspapers may merely be reflecting their concern with crime rather than shaping it. As Crawford et al. , (1990) says, ‘in inner city areas, mass media coverage of crime tends to reinforce what people already know. ’ From looking at table 3.01 (see Appendix 1) it shows the major sources that influence people’s perceptions of crime is news programmes on TV/radio, local newspaper and tabloid newspapers. Different sources of information affected the different perceptions of crime. The people who thought crime had increased nationally were most likely to find out about crime through TV programmes or radio (62%), local newspapers (35% ) or tabloid newspapers (35%) as their source of information. Both tables are ordinal data as the events are ‘placed in ordered categories along a single dimension’ (Fowler Jr., 2004).The main sources of crime news derive from the police and courts. However, it is important to note that the way the statistics were collected may affect the data. There is a dark figure of crime that does not get reported and that the police consider not worthy to be recorded. Not all crimes are reported and the police record an even smaller proportion of property crime. The official crime index excludes for offences ranging from drunk driving to white collar violations. Marxists believe capitalism exploits the working class and this gives rise to crime.Capitalism encourages the middle class to be greedy and self interested. This sometimes leads to corporate and white collar crime however this is not the media’s main focus. Marxists also argue street crime is disproportionally prose cuted, that the poor commit compared to the white collar crime that the middle class commit. Stuart Hall’s (Policing The Crisis (1978)) study applied a fully social theory of deviance to the study of mugging. Hall’s study shows how the media will focus on a particular minority and create a moral panic, often to cover another problem.The myth of the black mugger served as a scapegoat to distract attention away from the real causes of problem such as unemployment. The black mugger came to symbolise the disintegration of the social order. This is also apparent in today’s society as we are encouraged to fear the ‘hoody’ youth and believe the majority of them carry a knife. Journalists are dependent on official sources for their information. These sources have become primary definers – they define what counts as crime, what counts as justice and what they believe to be significant.In doing so, they reflect the concerns of the powerful – the agents of social control and the state (Hall et al. , 1978). The British Crime Survey includes questions about perceptions of crime and the concerns. It also asks questions about newspaper readership. Findings from the surveys from 2001 to 2003 show that over the three years, a growing proportion of respondents thought that the national crime rate had risen ‘a lot’ (25% in 2001, 30% in 2001/02 and 38% in 2002/03). In comparison, the British Crime Survey indicated a steady fall in crime over these years.The 2002/03 survey shows that 43% of those who read a tabloid newspaper believed the crime rate had increased ‘a lot’ compared to 26% of broadsheet readers (Simmons and Dodd, 2003). The news media tend to portray a positive picture of the Criminal Justice System. Things such as the success and justice of the police are often exaggerated. There are some stories of the corruption of the police however this is presented as an individual’s failings, rathe r than the Criminal Justice System (Chibnall, 1977). The legitimacy of the Criminal Justice System is protected.This underlies many news reports on crimes. The mean ‘is the average of the distribution of the variable’ (Seale C 2004: 327). The most common expression for the mean of a statistical distribution with a variable is the average of all the terms. In order to discover the mean, you simply add up the values of all the terms and then divide by the number of terms. There are other expressions however these forms are hardly used in statistics. ‘The median is the number positioned in the middle of a distribution, below which half the values fall’ (Seal C 2004: 328) The median for table 3.01 (see appendix 1) is Broadsheet newspapers at 20% . The mean for table 3. 03 (see appendix 2) for the tabloid newspapers are The Daily Mail and The Daily Star both at 81% saying crime has increased. The median for the broadsheet newspapers are The Times and The Financi al Times at 60% and 50%. The mode is defined as ‘being the most frequently occurring value in a distribution’ (Seal C 2004:328). The mode for table 3. 01 (see appendix 1) this is the variable that occurs most often. The variable that occurred most often in both tables was the newspapers and more specifically tabloid newspapers.5. ConclusionIn conclusion, the tables and data provided have proved there is an obvious causal relationship between newspaper readership and perceptions of crime. It has effected society as we have almost become reliant on sources of secondary data such as newspapers to feed us with knowledge of crime, which has created a distorted view. We become sucked into the manipulation of the media and believe what we read to be fact, even if we do know at the back of our minds it is an exaggerated version of the truth.Crime has always been a staple ingredient of human’s fascination and it will always make headlines. The main influence of peopleâ₠¬â„¢s perception of crime comes from the media. The media has a huge part to play in shaping the way we think and hear about things, therefore they are also able to manipulate our view, but ultimately it is our choice to believe it or not. For Durkheim (1893) ‘Crime is normal and an integral part of all healthy society. ’ It is also important to realise that we do need crime in society as it affirms our cultural values and norms and promotes social unity.