Friday, November 29, 2019

The Trial Essays - Literature, Fiction, Absurdist Fiction, The Trial

The Trial THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka read by Geoffrey Howard This disturbing and vastly influential novel has been interpreted on many levels of structure and symbol; but most commentators agree that the book explores the themes of guilt, anxiety, and moral impotency in the face of some ambiguous force. Joseph K. is an employee in a bank, a man without particular qualities or abilities. He could be anyone, and in some ways he is everyone. His inconsequence makes doubly strange his ?arrest? by the officer of the court in the large city where K. lives. He tries in vain to discover how he has aroused the suspicion of the court. His honesty is conventional; his sins, with Elsa the waitress, are conventional; and he has no striking or dangerous ambitions. He can only ask questions, and receives no answers that clarify the strange world of courts and court functionaries in which he is compelled to wander. The plight of Joseph K., consumed by guilt and condemned for a ?crime? he does not understand by a ?court? with which he cannot communicate, is a profound and disturbing image of man in the modern world. There are no formal charges, no procedures, and little information to guide the defendant. One of the most unsettling aspects of the novel is the continual juxtaposition of alternative hypotheses, multiple explanations, different interpretations of cause and effect, and the uncertainty it breeds. The whole rational structure of the world is undermined. Is it not better to fall into the hands of a murderer than into the dreams of a lustful woman? -- Friedrich Nietzsche, Also Sprach Zarathustra The Trial Summary: Chapter 1: The Arrest / Conversation with Frau Grubach / Then Fr?ulein B?rstner Joseph K., our hero, wakes up the morning of his thirtieth birthday expecting his breakfast to be brought to him. What he gets instead are two warders, Franz and Willem, telling him he's under arrest. He protests some, demanding to see their boss, at first thinking it must be a joke perpetrated on him by some people at the Bank, where he works as a chief clerk. He meets the Inspector, who says it's for real but refuses to say why. The Inspector is seated in Fr?ulein B?rstner's room next door, and K. sees three men he knows from the bank there, Rabensteiner, Kaminer, and Kullich, whom he greets angrily before hurrying off to work. After he gets home from work that evening, he talks with his landlady, Frau Grubach. He apologizes for the ruckus and she says it's all right, but that she doesn't really understand this business of his arrest. He starts to go to his room and asks if Fr?ulein B?rstner is in, so he can apologize for the appropriation of her room. No, she isn't, and he can see her room himself. Frau Grubach starts wondering about her nocturnal habits, as she's seen her with young men around town at night, only to be interrupted by K., defending her from unwarranted aspersions on her character. She leaves, and he goes to bed, where he can't sleep. At about 11:30 Fr?ulein B?rstner, a typist, comes home and K. goes to talk to her. He tells her what happened that morning, but she doesn't seem to be really interested, asking bored questions about it, as if to get rid of him. A knock on the door down the hall interrupts them, and Joseph apologizes profusely for taking up her time and makes as if to leave, but not before grabbing her and kissing her savagely. Then he goes back to his own room. Chapter 2: First Interrogation Joseph gets a call at work telling him to show up for a brief inquiry into his case on Sunday. He goes to the building mentioned that Sunday, only to find it's just a big tenement house, with no distinguishing marks. After wandering through the building he at last is directed to the Court of Inquiry by a strange woman doing laundry. The Court is sitting in an overcrowded, stuffy room, with a platform and a big audience of important looking men. He gets berated for being late and is asked if he's a house painter. K. takes this opportunity to address the

Monday, November 25, 2019

Socratic Dialogue Definition and Examples

Socratic Dialogue Definition and Examples In rhetoric, Socratic dialogue is an argument (or series of arguments) using the question-and-answer method employed by Socrates in Platos Dialogues. Also known as  Platonic dialogue. Susan Koba and Anne Tweed describe Socratic dialogue as the conversation that results from the Socratic method, a discussion process during which a facilitator promotes independent, reflective, and critical thinking (Hard-to-Teach Biology Concepts, 2009). Examples and Observations The Socratic dialogue or the Platonic dialogue usually begins with Socrates professing ignorance of the subject matter. He asks questions of the other characters, the result being a fuller understanding of the subject. The dialogues are usually named after the key person interrogated by Socrates, as in Protagoras where this famous Sophist is questioned about his views on rhetoric. The dialogue has obvious relations to both dramatic form and argumentation. In the dialogues, the characters speak in ways appropriate not only to their own views, but to their speaking styles as well. Lane Cooper points out four elements of the dialogues: The plot or movement of the conversation, the agents in their moral aspect (ethos), the reasoning of the agents (dianoia), and their style or diction (lexis).The dialogues are also a form of dialectical reasoning, a branch of logic focusing on reasoning in philosophical matters where absolute certainty may be unattainable but where truth is pursued to a h igh degree of probability. (James J. Murphy and Richard A. Katula, A Synoptic History of Classical Rhetoric. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2003) The Socratic Method in Business[S]he could see that he was trying to teach the other men, to coax and persuade them to look at the factorys operations in a new way. He would have been surprised to be told it, but he used the Socratic method: he prompted the other directors and the middle managers and even the foremen to identify the problems themselves and to reach by their own reasoning the solutions he had himself already determined upon. It was so deftly done that she had sometimes to temper her admiration by reminding herself that it was all directed by the profit motive ... (David Lodge, Nice Work. Viking, 1988) The Socratic Method, According to H.F. Ellis What is the argument of the Idealist School of Philosophy against the absolute existence, or externality, of the objects of experience? A question of this kind is best answered by the Socratic Method, an admirable arrangement whereby you call yourself Philosopher and your opponent, who has no will of his own, Man in the Street or Thrasymachus. The argument then proceeds thus. Philosopher: You will, I suppose, agree that the Understanding, through the same operations whereby in conceptions, by means of analytical unity, it produced the logical form of a judgement, introduces, by means of the synthetical unity of the manifold in intuition, a transcendental content into its representations, on which account they are called pure conceptions of the understanding? Thrasymachus: Yes, I agree. Philosopher: And further, is it not true that the mind fails in some cases to distinguish between actual and merely potential existence? Thrasymachus: It is true. Philosopher: Then S is P must be true of all predicative judgements? Thrasymachus: Certainly. Philosopher: And A is not -A? Thrasymachus: It is not. Philosopher: So that every judgment may be taken either intensively or extensively Thrasymachus: Indubitably. Philosopher: And this is through the activity of the apperceptive unity of self-consciousness, sometimes called cognition? Thrasymachus: Indisputably. Philosopher: Which arranges the phenomena of the sense-manifold in accordance with the principles of a primitive synthesis? Thrasymachus: Incontrovertibly. Philosopher: And these principles are the Categories? Thrasymachus: Yeah! Philosopher: Thus the universal is real and self-existent, and the particular only a quality of the understanding. So, in the end, your opinion is found to coincide with mine, and we agree that there is no a priori necessity for the continued existence of unperceived phenomena? Thrasymachus: No. My opinion is that you are talking a lot of balderdash and ought to be locked up. Am I not right? Philosopher: I suppose you are. It will be observed that the Socratic Method is not infallible, especially when dealing with Thrasymachus.(Humphry Francis Ellis, So This Is Science! Methuen, 1932) Example of a Socratic Dialogue: Excerpt From Gorgias Socrates: I see, from the few words which Polus has uttered, that he has attended more to the art which is called rhetoric than to dialectic. Polus: What makes you say so, Socrates? Socrates: Because, Polus, when Chaerephon asked you what was the art which Gorgias knows, you praised it as if you were answering someone who found fault with it, but you never said what the art was. Polus: Why, did I not say that it was the noblest of arts? Socrates: Yes, indeed, but that was no answer to the question: nobody asked what was the quality, but what was the nature, of the art, and by what name we were to describe Gorgias. And I would still beg you briefly and clearly, as you answered Chaerephon when he asked you at first, to say what this art is, and what we ought to call Gorgias: Or rather, Gorgias, let me turn to you, and ask the same question, what are we to call you, and what is the art which you profess? Gorgias: Rhetoric, Socrates, is my art. Socrates: Then I am to call you a rhetorician? Gorgias: Yes, Socrates, and a good one too, if you would call me that which, in Homeric language, I boast myself to be. Socrates: I should wish to do so. Gorgias: Then pray do. Socrates: And are we to say that you are able to make other men rhetoricians? Gorgias: Yes, that is exactly what I profess to make them, not only at Athens, but in all places. Socrates: And will you continue to ask and answer questions, Gorgias, as we are at present doing and reserve for another occasion the longer mode of speech which Polus was attempting? Will you keep your promise, and answer shortly the questions which are asked of you? Gorgias: Some answers, Socrates, are of necessity longer; but I will do my best to make them as short as possible; for a part of my profession is that I can be as short as any one. Socrates: That is what is wanted, Gorgias; exhibit the shorter method now, and the longer one at some other time. Gorgias: Well, I will; and you will certainly say, that you never heard a man use fewer words. Socrates: Very good then; as you profess to be a rhetorician, and a maker of rhetoricians, let me ask you, with what is rhetoric concerned: I might ask with what is weaving concerned, and you would reply (would you not?), with the making of garments? Gorgias: Yes. Socrates: And music is concerned with the composition of melodies? Gorgias: It is. Socrates: By Here, Gorgias, I admire the surpassing brevity of your answers. Gorgias: Yes, Socrates, I do think myself good at that. Socrates: I am glad to hear it; answer me in like manner about rhetoric: with what is rhetoric concerned? Gorgias: With discourse. Socrates: What sort of discourse, Gorgiassuch discourse as would teach the sick under what treatment they might get well? Gorgias: No. Socrates: Then rhetoric does not treat of all kinds of discourse? Gorgias: Certainly not. Socrates: And yet rhetoric makes men able to speak? Gorgias: Yes. Socrates: And to understand that about which they speak? Gorgias: Of course... Socrates: Come, then, and let us see what we really mean about rhetoric; for I do not know what my own meaning is as yet. When the assembly meets to elect a physician or a shipwright or any other craftsman, will the rhetorician be taken into counsel? Surely not. For at every election he ought to be chosen who is most skilled; and, again, when walls have to be built or harbours or docks to be constructed, not the rhetorician but the master workman will advise; or when generals have to be chosen and an order of battle arranged, or a proposition taken, then the military will advise and not the rhetoricians: what do you say, Gorgias? Since you profess to be a rhetorician and a maker of rhetoricians, I cannot do better than learn the nature of your art from you. And here let me assure you that I have your interest in view as well as my own. For likely enough some one or other of the young men present might desire to become your pupil, and in fact I see some, and a good many too, who have this wish, but they would be too modest to question you. And therefore when you are interrogated by me, I would have you imagine that you are interrogated by them. What is the use of coming to you, Gorgias? they will say. About what will you teach us to advise the state?about the just and unjust only, or about those other things also which Socrates has just mentioned? How will you answer them? Gorgias: I like your way of leading us on, Socrates, and I will endeavour to reveal to you the whole nature of rhetoric.(from Part One of Gorgias by Plato, c. 380 BC. Translated by Benjamin Jowett) Gorgias shows us that pure Socratic dialogue is, indeed, not possible anywhere or at any time by showing us the structural, material, and existential realities of power that disable the mutually beneficial search for truth. (Christopher Rocco, Tragedy and Enlightenment: Athenian Political Thought, and the Dilemmas of Modernity. University of California Press, 1997) The Lighter Side of Socratic Dialogues: Socrates and His Publicist, Jackie At lunch, Socrates voiced his misgivings.Should I be doing all of this? he asked. I mean, is the unexamined life even worthAre you being serious? interrupted Jackie. Do you want to be a star philosopher or do you want to go back to waiting tables?Jackie was one of the few people who really knew how to handle Socrates, usually by cutting him off and answering his questions with a question of her own. And, as always, she managed to convince Socrates that she was right and avoid being fired. Socrates listened to her, then paid for both of their lunches and went right back to work.It was shortly after that fateful lunch that the backlash began. Socratess constant questions had become intolerable to many of the Greek elite. Still, as his Publicist had promised, he had become a brand. Imitators all over Athens were now practicing the new Socratic Method. More and more young people were asking each other questions and doing it with Socratess patented smart-assy tone.A few days later, Socrat es was brought to trial and charged with corrupting the youth.(Demetri Marti, Socratess Publicist. This Is a Book. Grand Central, 2011)

Friday, November 22, 2019

Climate change(global warming) Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Climate change(global warming) - Article Example The greenhouse gases both absorb and forward the sun’s radiations. Other greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and water (Archer, 2011). The major contributor to global warming is the burning of fossil fuel. One major contributor to global warming is the motor vehicles’ carbon monoxide emissions (Weart, 2008). Factories produce carbon monoxide gases. The factories and motor vehicles use fossil fuel to produce electricity. Moreover, the thinning of the world’s ozone layer increased global warming. The ozone layer reduces the ill effects of the sun’s incoming radiating rays. Certain products produce CFC by-products. The CFCs reduce the earth’s ozone layer. With the thinning of the ozone layer, there is an increase in the quantity of the unfavorable incoming harmful sun’s rays (Archer, 2011). Global warming has significantly unfavorable effects on California’s agricultural environment. California’s greenhouse gases reduce the earth’s emission of infrared rays, triggering global warming. California’s greenhouse gases reduce the sun’s dangerous rays from being reflected by the earth’s surface back into outer space, increasing California’s temperature. The fossil fuel emitted by California’s motor vehicles contributes to California’s global warming statistics (Archer, 2011). Consequently, California’s global warming, melting its snow sources, triggers lower water availability. Specifically, Southern California experienced a 26 percent water source reduction. Sacramento suffered a 24 percent water source reduction. San Joaquin continues to bear the 23 percent water decline. With less water, California suffers from possible food production decline. Consequently, farms must spend more to acquire the required plant water. The increasing water cost precipitates to higher California food prices. With higher food prices, less people can afford to have a full meal. Lesser demand reduces farm profits

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

PERSONAL MICROMESSAGING ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PERSONAL MICROMESSAGING ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example I asked him to describe at least one aspect of my communication style that stood out unique. My friend pointed out that many times my speech and behavior seemed quite incongruent with situation. As an example, he pointed out that I preferred to look away from the subject (my friend) while discussing some trivial issues. To learn more, I questioned my peer, a loan manager at another bank, to point out one positive aspect of my communication other than speech. This manager pointed out that I had the ability to draw anyone’s attention during business meetings because of the excitement in my tone; however, such excitement in tone was absent during one-to-one meetings with clients. I felt my team members could give me critical feedback related to my communication style because of my frequency of interaction with them. I asked the most experienced team member to point out what aspects of behavior were annoying and had sometime triggered gossips among the group. My team memberâ€℠¢s observation somewhat matches with my childhood friend’s observation. ... messages of being indifferent or least interested in what others want to say; another disadvantage of this behavior is that I indicate my disinterest in the words communicated by myself. My team member highlighted that this indifferent body language has caused argument within the team related to directions given by myself on specific task. Micromessages have the power to encourage and instill confidence in people when used in the right manner. The positive micromessages in my behavior correspond to my enthusiasm in tone and body language during critical business meetings, which inspires others to achieve what I want to achieve. I consider this aspect as microadvantage because it was observable and people perceived it in the right manner, meaning I do show much enthusiasm during team/business meetings in order to seek everyone’s attention. This behavior appropriates what Young (2007) states, â€Å"microadvantages act as catalysts that unleash potential and results† (p. 9 ). However, these messages also have the power to demoralize or challenge others confidence in me and their own decisions (Young, 2007). Considering my childhood friend’s observation, he probably felt upset or even offended at times, which was certainly not intended. This exercise has helped me to not only to identify the micromessages in my communication, but also how they impact the purpose of each conversation. I have realized the positive aspects of micromessages that I imbibe such as excitement in tone and body language during critical business meetings, and also the negative aspects such as looking away from the other person or not maintaining eye contact with others. With an awareness of these inequities in my communication styles, I have learnt how my behavior or actions hinder my work and

Monday, November 18, 2019

2007 financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

2007 financial crisis - Essay Example The risks kept building up and through the synergistic effect; they interconnected among the institutions, which in the end undermined the stability of the financial institutions. There were seven main causes that worked together to cause the 2007 financial crisis. Such included the securitization of the mortgages bringing forth to the rise in the shadow banking sector, regulatory arbitrage and conflict of interest, leverage and lower interest rates, outsourcing of mortgage broker function, the suits vs geeks’ problem and finally the bankruptcy law changes. The factors mentioned above worked as follows to cause the â€Å"perfect financial storm.† (Mishkin 2004) The securitization of mortgages was the first cause of the crisis given that throughout history it had been a trend that mortgages were issued and serviced by the same bank (Mishkin 2004). The government created Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac although both were eventually spun off as private companies to encourage ho me ownership by creating home loans, which were issued at quiet lower interest rates. These institutions along with other banks converted loans into securities called mortgage backed securities whereby the money paid by the borrower had to pass through the bank to the holder of the security (Mishkin and Eakins 2012). The banks were therefore able to get more funds to issues more loans by selling the loans. The selling of the loans also made them pass the risks associated by the loans to the buyers of the securities whose impacts both tended to reduce the rates of interest on the mortgages (Casti 2012). The two formally created institutions together with AIG and other financial institutions insured those securities against default through credit default swaps, which are just insurances on cars or houses. Securitization of mortgages itself wouldn’t necessarily be unsafe if only low risk mortgages were securitized but the successive administrations went on to encourage Fannie an d Freddie to bundle mortgages so as to expand home ownership. Mortgage backed securities are much profitable when there is no default but with defaults insurance payouts grew and the government had to come in to bail out Fannie and Freddie plus AIG (Lounsbury 2010). Mortgage backed security market is part of the broader trend called the shadow banking where firms run from banks to direct finance due to the better rates they are likely to get (Lounsbury 2010). The participants in this sector take a greater risk as this sector is not regulated like the banking sector. These companies also lack the capital requirement that the banks have compounding the risks further so incase of anything these banks lose a lot. Through regulatory arbitrage, capital requirements reappear (Mishkin and Eakins 2012). This act occurs when financial institutions have a way of undermining the intent of regulation to increase profits like the bizarre risk rankings and the shopping for a regulator. Regulatory arbitrage combined together with the conflict of interest contributed to the growing instability of the financial sector. Poor lending practices caused by the changes within the mortgage market was a cause given that the lending authority was given to the independent contractor who were outsourced and being paid on a fee per loan. They therefore had the incentive for loaning people even without looking at their security, which banks could not do as they securitized the loans (The Guardian 2012). Recent government actions like allowing the investment banks to borrow at lower rates so that they could make profits by purchasing MBSs also contributed to the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Welfare Effects Of A Government Policy Economics Essay

The Welfare Effects Of A Government Policy Economics Essay For the purpose of this paper demand and supply analysis is used to show how it can be applied to a wide variety of economic problems. In the first section consumer and producer surplus is better defined and explained to understand the welfare effects of a government policy. In other words, consumer and producer surplus can evaluate who gains and who loses from a given policy, and also by how much. Also note that these two concepts of surplus can also be used to demonstrate the efficiency of a competitive market. In the sections to follow minimum prices, price supports, and related policies will be discussed in more detail. To assist the theory, demand-supply analysis will be used to understand and assess these policies. Consumer and Producer Surplus To understand consumer and producer surplus better the principles of price ceilings and floors will be discussed. As opposed to price floors, a government-imposed price ceiling means that the price is set at a lower level than the price in the prevailing market. Likewise, price ceilings will cause the quantity of a good demanded to rise. This happens because at lower prices consumers want to buy more. On the other hand, the quantity supplied will fall because producers are not willing to supply as much at lower prices. As a result of this a shortage will occur, which also indicates excess demand. Note that those consumers who can still buy the good will be better off because they now pay less. However, supply will fall, forcing producers to provide less of their goods. The following section provides a more detailed explanation of the welfare gained or lost by both consumers and producers, should certain prices be imposed. For the purpose of this section the assumption follows that consumers and producers buy and sell at the prevailing market price in an unregulated, competitive market. However, for some consumers the value of the good in question exceeds the prevailing market price. This also means that the consumer would be willing to pay more for the good if it was expected. Therefore, consumer surplus is the total benefit that consumers receive beyond what they pay for the good (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:300). For example if the market price of a product is R7, but the consumer is willing to pay R10 for it, then his net benefit will be R3. Consumer surplus can also be explained with the assistance of demand and supply curves. In this respect consumer surplus can be interpreted as the area between the demand curve and the market price. Pindyck and Rubinfeld (2005:300) also states that consumer surplus measures the net benefit to consumers in the aggregate, therefore, this analysis can be used to better understand the gains or losses induced from government interventions. On the other hand, producer surplus is the equivalent measure for producers (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:301). If goods were to be produced at a price lower than the market price, then more could be produced. Therefore, producers will enjoy a benefit, or rather a surplus, from selling those units. This surplus is the difference between the market price the producer receives and the marginal cost of producing the units. It can also be better explained as the area above the supply curve up to the market price. Essentially consumer and producer surplus is used for economic analysis to evaluate the welfare effects of a government intervention in the market. It assists with anticipating who will gain or lose from the intervention, and also by how much. To do so the concepts of price ceilings and price floors will be explained in more detail. Price Ceilings Price ceilings occur when production (supply) is decreased and the quantity demanded is increased (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:301). Price ceilings tend to cause excess demand, or rather shortages, to occur. Figure 1: Graphical Presentation of a Price Ceiling The following section provides a theoretical explanation of Figure 1 and the effects of price ceilings on consumers and producers respectively: Consumer Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:302; and Perloff, 2005:274, 296, 297): Consumers are better off as they can buy the good at a lower price. Thus, the consumers that still buy the good enjoy an increase in consumer surplus, which is resembled by rectangle A. On the other, those consumers who can no longer buy the good lose surplus. Their loss is represented by triangle B. Therefore, the net change in consumer surplus which is a positive result is: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = A B Producer Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:303; and Perloff, 2005:278, 280, 297): With price controls, some producers will stay in the market but will receive a lower price for their output. Thus, they have lost the producer surplus represented by rectangle A. Other producers may however leave the market. This means that total production will also drop, which is represented by triangle C. Therefore, the change in producer surplus, which is a negative result, is: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = (-A) C Deadweight Loss (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:304; and Perloff, 2005:280, 281): Price controls will result in a net loss, which is also referred to as deadweight loss. Therefore, combining the change in both consumer and producer surplus will bring along a total change in surplus as follows: Deadweight Loss = (A B) + [(-A) -C] = (-B) C In essence, deadweight loss results in an inefficiency caused by price controls. In summation, a price ceiling is that price held below the prevailing market price. It merely means that too little is produced and, at the same time, that consumers and producers in the aggregate are worse off (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:306; and Mohr, 2004:162, 163). Price Floors In contrast to price ceilings, price floors indicate what happens when government requires for the price to be above the market price. Although producers would like to produce more at this higher price (indicated on the supply curve at P2) consumers will now buy less. If we assume that producers only produce what can be sold, then the market output level will be at Q1. Once again there is a noted net loss of total surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:306, and Perloff, 2005:293): Triangles B (a loss of consumer surplus) and C (a loss of producer surplus) represents the deadweight loss. Rectangle D represents the transfer from consumers to producers, who now receive a higher price. Figure 2: Graphical Presentation of a Price Floor In fact, the deadweight loss gives an optimistic assessment of the efficiency cost of policies. The reason for this assumption is that some producers may still however increase prices after the price floor have been incorporated. This would, in turn, result in unsold output. However, should the producer receive more importance with regard to applicable policies, then government might buy up the unsold output to maintain production at Q0. In both cases, the total welfare loss will exceed the areas of triangles B and C (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:307). The Efficiency of a Competitive Market As discussed already, consumer and producer surplus can be used to evaluate economic efficiency in the aggregate. In the previous section it was shown how price controls create a deadweight loss. Thus, the policy imposes an efficiency cost on the economy (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:306). Both consumer and producer surplus are reduced by the amount of the deadweight loss. This does not mean that such a policy is bad. It may however achieve other objectives that policymakers and the public consider important. Many researchers argue that if the only objective is to achieve economic efficiency, then a competitive market would be better left alone. This means that no interventions should occur. However, in some cases market failure will occur because prices fail to provide the proper signals to consumers and producers. Also, the unregulated, competitive market could be inefficient. These indications of market failure may occur because of two instances (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:306): Externalities: Sometimes the actions of either consumers or producers will result in a cost/benefit that does not show up as part of the market price. Such a cost/benefit can also be referred to as externalities because they are external to the market. An example of this is the cost to society of environmental pollution by a producer of industrial chemicals. Lack of Information: When consumers lack information about the quality or nature of a product and can therefore not make a utility-maximising purchasing decision. If these two instances (externalities and/or the lack of information) are absent in a market then that unregulated, competitive market will essentially have no obstacles, and an economically efficient output level can be reached. Minimum Prices For the purpose of this section we will refer back to Figure 2. From the graph we can see that if producers can correctly anticipate that they can sell only the lower quantity Q1, then the net welfare will be given by triangles B and C. However, as mentioned before, producers may not limit their output to Q1. Incorporating Figure 2 to illustrate minimum prices, the following notations has to be made (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:310): P2 denotes a minimum price set by the government. Q2 denotes the quantity supplied, and Q1 denotes the quantity demanded. The difference between Q1 and Q2 represents excess supply, or rather, unsold supply. Therefore, Consumer Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:310): Those consumers who still purchase the good must now pay a higher price (Rectangle D). Some consumers will also drop out of the market (Triangle B). Therefore, consumer surplus remains the same as before and indicates that consumers are actually worse off as a result of this policy: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = (-D) B Producer Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:311): Producers, on the other hand, receive a higher price for the units they sell, which results in an increase of surplus (Rectangle D). Rectangle D can also be better described as the transfer of funds between consumers and producers. But, the drop in sales from Q0 to Q1 actually results in a loss of surplus which is represented by triangle C. Also remember that the supply curve is a representation of the additional cost of producing each incremental unit. Thus, the area under the supply curve from Q1 to Q2 is the cost of producing quantity Q2 less Q1. This area is represented by trapezoid E. Unless producers respond to unsold output by cutting production, the total change in producer surplus will be: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = D C E Minimum prices is merely one of the ways to raise prices above the prevailing market level through the direct intervention and regulation of the government simply make it illegal to charge a price lower than a specific minimum level. As a result, this form of government intervention can reduce producers profits because of the cost of excess production. Another example of this is a minimum wage law. In other words, a wage rate at a level higher than the market price will result in those workers who can find jobs and earn a higher payoff. However, some people who want to work will be unable to, which will result in a policy that brings about unemployment (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:311). Price Supports and Production Quotas Besides imposing a minimum price, the government can also increase the price of a good in other ways. In agricultural policy the system is mostly based on price supports, but prices can also be increased by restricting production, either directly or through incentives to producers (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:314). In this section these policies will be examined in more detail as to show how consumers, producers and the government budget are affected. Price Supports: In general, price supports aim to increase the prices of dairy products, tobacco, peanuts, etc. This is done with the intention that the producers of these types of products earn higher incomes. This basically entails that the government sets the supporting price and then buys up whatever output is needed to keep the market price at this level. The resulting gains/losses will be as follows: Figure 3: Government Price Supports Consumers Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:315): At price P2, the quantity demanded falls to Q1, and the quantity supplied increases to Q2. To maintain this price and avoid inventories having to pile up, the government must buy the quantity Qg = Q2 Q1. Because the government adds its demand to the demand of the consumers, producers can sell all they want at price P2. Therefore, the consumer surplus will be calculated in the same way as with minimum prices: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = (-D) B Producers Surplus (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:315): Price support policies are implemented with the intention to increase the gains that producers receive because producers are now selling a higher quantity (Q2) at a higher price (P2). Therefore producer surplus will be as follows: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = D + B + F Government Welfare (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:315): However, there is also a cost to government, which in essence is paid for by taxes. Thus, ultimately this is actually a cost indirectly related to consumers. This amount is represented by the rectangle that makes up BCEFG. This cost may be reduced if the government can dump some of its purchases, for example, selling them abroad at a low price. However, doing so hurts the ability of the domestic market to sell in foreign markets. The total welfare cost of this policy could be defined as: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS + à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS Cost to Gov = D (Q2 Q1)P2 If the objective is to give producers an additional income equal to D + B + F, it is far less costly to society if government were to give them this money directly rather than via price supports. This can be supported by the fact that price supports are costing consumers D + B anyway. If government pay producers directly, then society will save the large rectangular area BCEFG less triangle F (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:316). However, price supports are in use most likely because they are a less obvious giveaway and, therefore, politically more correct. Production Quotas: The government can also cause the price of a good to rise by reducing supply. Government can do this by setting quotas on how much each firm can produce. With appropriate quotas, the price can then be forced up to any arbitrary level. An example of this could be the control of liquor licenses by the government. By requiring any bar or restaurant to have a liquor license and, at the same time limiting the number of licenses, will result in limited entrants into that market. This also allows those with licenses to earn higher prices and profit margins. The welfare effects of production quotas will be explained in the following section (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:317): The government restricts the quantity supplied to Q1, rather than at the market level of Q0. Thus the supply curve becomes the vertical line S at Q1. As a result consumer surplus is reduced by rectangle D plus triangle B. On the other hand, producers gain rectangle D less triangle C. Thus, once again, there is a deadweight loss that occurs which is represented by B + C: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = (-D) B à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = D C + (Payments for not producing) However, the cost to the government is a payment sufficient enough to give producers an incentive to reduce output to Q1. That incentive must be at least as large as (B + C + F), because that area represents the additional profit that could have been made if the quota was not applicable. Also remember that the higher price (P2) give producers incentive to produce more even though the government is trying to get them to produce less. Thus, the cost to government is at least B + C + F and the total change in producer surplus is: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = D C + B + C + F = D + B + F à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Welfare = (-D) B + D + B + F B C F = (-B) C Figure 4: Supply Restrictions via Production Quotas This is the same change in producer surplus as with price supports therefore, producers should in essence be indifferent between the two policies because they end up gaining the same amount of money from each. Likewise, consumers end up losing the same amount of money (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:318). It can also be noted that, once again, the society will clearly be better off in efficiency terms if the government simply gave the producers (generally in the agricultural sector) D + B + C, leaving price and output alone. Producers would then gain D + B + C and the government would lose this profit for a total welfare change of zero, instead of a loss of B + C. However, economic efficiency is not always the objective of government policy. Import Quotas and Tariffs Many countries use import quotas and tariffs to keep the domestic price of a product above world levels and thereby enable the domestic industry to enjoy higher profits than it would under free trade. However, the cost to taxpayers from this protection can be relatively high. Without a quota or tariff, a country will import a good when its price is below the price that would prevail domestically, were there no imports (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:321, 322; and Perloff, 2005:298, 299). Figure 5: The Affect of an Import Tariff/Quota on Imports S and D represent the domestic supply and demand. Because the world price (P1) is below domestic demand and supply, it gives domestic consumers an incentive to purchase from abroad if imports are not restricted. If that is the case then domestic price will fall to the world price at P1. At a lower price, domestic production will fall to Q1 and consumption will rise to Q2. So imports will be the difference between domestic consumption and production (Q2 Q1). Now suppose the government, bowing to pressure from the domestic industry, eliminates imports by imposing a quota or a tariff at Q0. This will forbid any importation of the good in question. With no imports allowed the domestic price will rise to P0. Consumer Surplus: As a result, consumers who still purchase the good will now pay a higher price and will lose the surplus represented by trapezoid A and triangle B. In addition, some consumers will no longer buy the good which results in a further loss represented by triangle C. Therefore, the total change in consumer surplus will be: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = (-A) B C Producer Surplus: In concern with producers, output is now higher (Q0 instead of Q1). Output is also sold at a higher price (P0 instead of P1). Producer surplus therefore increases by the amount of trapezoid A: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = A à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Welfare = (-B) C Combining both à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS to obtain the total welfare effect merely indicates once again that there is a deadweight loss. This loss indicates that consumers lose more than what producers gain. Imports could also be reduced to zero by imposing a sufficiently large tariff. The tariff would have to be equal to or greater than the difference between P0 and P1. With a tariff of this size there will be no imports and, therefore, no government revenue from tariff collections. Thus, the effect on consumers and producers would be the same as with a quota (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:323). However, government policy is more often designed to reduce, but not eliminate, imports (as shown in Figure 6. Again, this can be done with either a tariff or a quota (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:323; and Perloff, 2005:300, 301): When imports are reduced, the domestic price is increased from P1 to P0. Trapezoid A is again the gain to domestic producers. The loss to consumers is A + B + C + D. Thus, if a tariff is used, the government will gain rectangle D, the revenue from the tariff. Therefore, the net domestic loss will be B + C. If a quota is used instead, then rectangle D becomes part of the profits of foreign producers, and the net domestic loss will be B + C + D. Figure 6: The General Case with an Import Tariff or Quota The Impact of a Tax or Subsidy The burden of a tax (or the benefit of a subsidy) falls partly on the consumer and partly on the producer. In this section it will become clear that the share of a tax accepted by consumers depends on the shapes of the demand and supply curves and, in particular, on the relative elasticities of demand and supply (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:326). The Effects of a Specific Tax A specific tax can be better defined as a tax of a certain amount of money per unit sold. This is in contrast to an ad valorem tax which is a proportional tax. However, the analysis of an ad valorem tax is roughly the same and yields the same qualitative results (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:326). Examples of specific taxes are sin taxes on cigarettes and liquor. Suppose the government imposes a tax of t cents per unit. This means that the price the buyer pays must exceed the price the seller receives by t cents. Figure 7 illustrates this accounting relationship and its implications (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:326): Figure 7: The Effects of a Specific Tax Here, P0 and Q0 represent the price and quantity before the tax is imposed. Pd is the price that buyers pay and Ps is the price that sellers receive after the tax is imposed. Therefore, Pd Ps = t. Here the burden of a tax is split evenly between buyers and sellers. Buyers lose A + B, while sellers lose D + C. On the other hand, the government earns A + D in revenue. Thus, the deadweight loss is once again B + C. The solution is therefore to find the quantity that corresponds to a price of Pd and Ps so that t = Pd Ps. This quantity is shown as Q1. As seen from Figure 8, the burden of the tax is shared roughly evenly between buyers and sellers. It can also be stated that the price that buyers pay rises by half of the tax, and the price that sellers receive falls by roughly half of the tax. As Figure 7 and 8 shows, market clearing requires four conditions to be satisfied after the tax is in place (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:327, 328). These four conditions can also be written and distinguished as four different equations that must always be true: The quantity sold and the buyers price must lie on the demand curve, because buyers are interested only in the price that they must pay. Qd = Qd(Pd) The quantity sold and the sellers price must both lie on the supply curve, because sellers are only concerned with the price they are to receive. Qs = Qs(Ps) The quantity demanded must equal the quantity supplied (Q1). Qd = Qs The difference between the prices of buyers and sellers must equal t. Pd Ps = t There is a change in consumer and producer surplus, as well as in government revenue can be summarised as follows (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:328; and Perloff, 2005:289, 290): à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  CS = (-A) B à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  PS = (-C) D à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Welfare = (-A) B C D + A + D = (-B) C From the above information we have seen that the burden of a tax is shared almost evenly between buyers and sellers, however, this is not always the case. If demand is inelastic and supply is relatively, then the burden of the tax will fall mostly on the buyer. Demand will work in the opposite way. It can also be determined if the burden of a tax falls more on the buyer or the seller (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:328): Pass-through fraction (Buyer) = Ed / (Es Ed) This equation thus stipulates what fraction of the tax is passed-through to consumers (buyers) and producers (sellers) in the form of higher prices. So, if the demand is totally inelastic (when Ed = 0) so that the pass-through fraction is 1, then all the tax is borne by the consumers (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:328). Similarly, when demand is totally elastic, the pass-through fraction is zero and producers bear all the tax. Therefore, the equation basically indicates that a tax falls on the buyer if Ed / Es is small, and on the seller if Ed / Es is large. The Effects of a Subsidy A subsidy can be analysed in much the same way as a tax. In fact, a subsidy can be better defined as a negative tax. With a subsidy, the sellers price exceeds the buyers price and the difference between the two is the amount of the subsidy. Thus, the effect of a subsidy on the quantity produced and consumed is the opposite of the effect of a tax, which also means that the quantity will increase (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:329). Figure 8: The Effects of a Subsidy In general, the benefit of a subsidy accrues mostlyto buyers if Ed / Es is small, and to sellers if Ed / Es is large. Also, the same four conditions needed for the market to clear, apply for a subsidy as it did for a tax. The only difference is that now the difference between the sellers price and the buyers price is equal to the subsidy (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005:329): Qd = Qd(Pd) Qs = Qs(Ps) Qd = Qs Ps Pd = s Conclusion From this paper the evidence shows that simple models of demand and supply can be used to analyse a wide variety of government policies. These include price controls, minimum prices, price supports, production quotas, import tariffs and quotas, and taxes and subsidies. In each case, consumer and producer surplus are used to evaluate the gains and losses to consumers and producers. These gains and losses can be quite large. Evidence have also indicated that when the government imposes a tax or subsidy, price usually does not rise or fall by the full amount of the tax or subsidy. Also, the incidence of a tax or subsidy is usually split between consumers and producers. The fractions that each group ends up paying/receiving depend on the relative elasticities of demand and supply. It is important to remember that government intervention generally leads to a deadweight loss, even if consumer and producer surplus is weighted equally. In some cases this deadweight loss will be small, but in other cases (price supports and import quotas) it is large. This deadweight loss is a form of economic inefficiency that must be taken into account when policies are designed and implemented. In summation, government intervention in a competitive market is not always bad. Government, and the society it represents, might have objectives other than economic efficiency. There are also situations in which government intervention can improve economic efficiency. Examples are externalities and cases of market failure.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Red Room and The Judges House - Typical Nineteenth Century Ghost

The Red Room and The Judge's House - Typical Nineteenth Century Ghost Stories? Nineteenth century ghost stories are typical of the gothic genre. They are referred to as stereotypical, because in the period they were written in, it was the practice to include several distinctive elements which are now exclusively associated with this genre. 'The Red Room' by H. G. Wells (1894) and 'The Judge's House' by Bram Stoker (1891) will be discussed in this essay to assess them as distinctive examples of ghost stories. There are various elements which are distinctive of characteristics of a nineteenth century ghost story. The criteria used to determine 'The Red Room' and 'The Judge's House' are of nineteenth century ghost stories in this essay are, firstly, the setting. This is the background scenery to the story and is, typically of this genre, an isolated place or house. The second element is the inclusion of characters with a variable state of mind throughout the story. This could be a terrifying consuming fear or the complete loss of reason leading to insanity. The incorporation of characters which believe and do not believe in the supernatural is the third element. This allows a wider range of people to read the story and associate with the characters. The fourth criterion is an ancient prophecy or a history of disturbances surrounding the place where the story is set. The fifth element is light. Ghost stories make use of shadows, darkness, night-time, and the diffusive light of a candle to help develop tension and suspense. The final element is imagery used by authors. The images created tend to be appealing to the five human senses of touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing. I will compare 'The Red Room' and 'The Judge's House' base... ...t and inflamed', plus, 'red eyes'. This gives the sense of you being watched. The references to, 'monstrous shadow', 'grotesque custodians', and, 'the human qualities seem to drop from old people insensibly day by day', shows that they aren't like normal human beings and are out of this world. 'The Judge's House' is a perfect example of the three types of characters. Malcolmson obviously being the non-believer, Mrs Witham, Mrs Dempster and Dr. Thornhill are the believers. While the Judge's spirit is the supernatural. Malcolmson is also a rational person like the narrator of 'The Red Room'. He believes in knowledge not fictional stories. 'A man who is reading for the Mathematical Tripos', and, 'disturbed by any of these mysterious somethings'. It doesn't have many references to Malcolmson attitude to the Judge's house. But from this quote, we can see he is not afraid.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Social Evil

Sample essay on Social Evils Still Persist in our society Social evils are prevalent in almost all the backward countries. Surprising enough that India, a country proud of her ancient culture is no exception to it. Conservatism and fundamentalism apart there are certain customs that smear the face of this ancient land that is trying to build a modern image in the world. Go to any part of the country you will find something going on you'll be ashamed of. Even some good customs have taken a woeful course.There Was a time girls having taste in dance and music offered themselves to the cult of devadasis in prestigeoiis temples throughout the country. They were virgins and dedicated their lives to the deity in the temple. They were respected by the whole society. Muslim invasions are responsible for the demolition of a large number of temples in the North and North West. With them the very institution of devadasis disappeared. But it still persists in a few districts of Maharashtra and Ka mataka. Ire rate between the age of 7 and 14 are offered to be bride of goddess Yellamma a Saundathi temple in Belgaum district.According to a rough estimate abort 5000 are still offered on full moon day during the month of Magh every year. Gradually a vicious belief has come up that the devadasis are maids to please Parashuram who lives in all men. A devadasi dare not displease Parashuram. What an obnoxious design to exploit the girls sexually. Most of these poor girls join the red light area (prostitute market in Mumbai and its suburbs. Bonded labor is another social stigma on our face. The poor in rural areas (both men and women) are lured by contractors' men to have a job.They are given a few hundred rupees and sign a document making them bonded labor. They are taken to distant places to work in construction: rework or kilns. The women and small boys and girls are sexually assaulted too. Many of the boys are sold again and again. They hardly know where they belong to. Although B andhua Mazdoor Mukti SanghofSwami Agnivesi got a very large number of these slave laborers free many are still there the net. The prey of the custom of devadasis and bonded laborers are general illiterate scheduled caste or scheduled tribe people from rural areas.But those girls who suffer because of the evil custom of dowry belong to all sections of the society both in rural and urban areas in almost all the state; the evil that started from the North has engulfed the whole of South too. Today the more educated a boy is the bigger the demand of dowry too. Thousands of girls who are harassed for not bringing sufficient dowry either commit suicide or are burnt alive by the in-laws or the husbands themselves. Caste system might have served the purpose of maintaining certain – discipline in the society when it was based on profession and not on birth.Today its proliferation into more than 5000 castes from four and that toe based on birth has become the gravest evil. It is respon sible for the stratification in the society the upper castes are harassing the lower castes. It took the lower castes more than a millennium to assert themselves. Today they are up in arms against the so called upper castes—3000 against 2000. What a game? Caste consciousness has gained over national consciousness. It seems the social evil that was taken for granted in the past may bring a storm that will rip open the very basis of unity.Reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes may not be able to check the reaction in the minds of the lower castes against the upper ones who still consider the former as pariah. The disparity can be removed only by giving all equal status. The so called upper castes are not giving it even today—of course at the cost of their own safety in the times to come. Woman is wary of the design of the ojha if you go to a tribal village. He may declare you a witch and the villagers may kill you in their own cruel desi gn. A large number of tribal women suffer from this agony every year.Don't educate the tribal's and the scheduled castes and this is what you get. Male Chauvinism and child marriages are the two social diseases that are 110 less harmful than AIDS itself. AIDS attacks a person who has . committed a folly or has been wrongly injected. Children are married at an they are not conscious of what is going on with them. Thousands of children become a prey to this evil on the day of Akshaya Tritiya in many areas of Rajasthan. Many children become widow before becoming girls. Their whole life becomes a hell. Male Chauvinism too is no less a social evil.Males have been dominating females throughout the world. It does not mean it is not an evil. In India—specially in the rural areas—women are worse even than the domestic animals. It is a social evil for it doesn't allow the development of an egalitarian society that is the basis of a democracy. Moreover if a woman is ‘ Ardha ngani' (half part) it is rather queer half part exploiting the other half. How can the health of the nation be maintained that way? Essay – 1 Indian society is one of the oldest societies. It has got its own customs and traditions.Some of them are very old. They do not suit the present times. Times go on changing. We must also change our customs and traditions to keep pace with the times. Some of our customs are not only useless but are also obstacles in the way of social progress. It is, therefore, essential that they must be changed. The older must change giving place to the new; I will introduce the following social reforms, if ever I become the minister of social welfare. Our marriage customs must be reformed, Child-marriage and early marriage have no place in social life today.Boys and girls must be given some say in the selection of their partners. I will pass a law which make dowry hunting a legal offence. I will allow no business in the form of marriage, as this is a great social curse. This will be my first reform. Now-a-days we do not get the necessities of life in pure condition. Milk, ghee, butter, oil, etc. all are sold adulterated. Not only food stuffs, but medicines, toilet goods and their articles also are mixed with inferior and cheaper substances. This amounts to the cheating of the people. This is a social crime.I will make all possible efforts to curb this nefarious trade. The people will be ensured the supply of pure and unadulterated goods. In our society, drinking is becoming common. There is also drug addiction on a large scale. Then evil effects of such habits are too well known to need any discussion. Society must be saved from this social curse. I will educate the people against these evils as well as pass laws against them. When I become the minister for social welfare, this social reform will receive my urgent attention. Man and woman are the two wheels of the social cart.Both of them must be equally strong. But in our socie ty women are illiterate. They are kept in ‘purdah’. They are denied their due rights. Illiteracy is most wide-spread among women. I will pay special attention towards female education. This will remove many evils from society. Purdah will come to an end. Women will become equal partners with men in the work of the development of the country. Untouchability is a curse. We treat a large section of our people, as if they were animals. I will do my utmost to eradicate this social evil. Public opinion shall be educated against it.The condition of the untouchables shall be improved. Food prices have been raising for sometime past, one of the main causes of this is the hoarding of food grains. There is acute shortage of a number of essential commodities. To earn huge profits, businessmen hoard the necessities of life. This causes great hardship to the people. I will introduce legislation to check hoarding with the greatest zeal and effort. Hoarders, black marketers and profite ers would be severely dealt with. These are but the most important of the social reforms which have been long overdue.Besides these, there are many other social evils like child labour, gambling, wastage of food etc. , on the occasion of marriages and other social ceremonies etc. I will introduce reform in these spheres also. Social reforms are urgently needed. There can be no two opinions about this. Others have also made efforts in this direction. But the results have not been very encouraging. I will give top priority to social reforms. Effective laws will be framed. Public opinion will be created in support of these reforms. Administration will be made strict.Then alone will success be achieved. Note: This essay can also be used for the topics like: †¢ If I Were The minister of Social reform Or of Social Welfare of My State †¢ Some Social Evils and Their Reform Essay -2 The social evils and superstitions that had crept in the society over the centuries made social refo rms imperative for the development of the society and the masses. In the 19th century, the newly educated persons increasingly revolted against rigid social conventions and outdated customs. They could no longer tolerate irrational and de-humanising social practices.Moreover, the backward features of Indian society, such as the caste system or inequality of the sexes had religious sanctions in the past. Therefore, it was necessary to reform religious practices as well. The condition of women was pathetic. The various religions practised in India as well as the personal laws based on them consigned women to a status inferior to that of men. Polygamy, Purdah system, sort, ban on widow remarriage, no education for female child, female infanticide, child marriages were some of the evils that had vice—like grip over the society.It thus became necessary to take the women out of this degraded position and help her to realise her true potential. The problems of female feoticide, sexu al harassment at workplace, education are so diverse that they need sound financial backing, all these social evils centre around the petty and marginalized conditions of women in the society. We need to combat evils like the glorification of sati places as pilgrimages, dowry system, girl feoticide, decline in sex ratio, harassment of women etc. This can be achieved by educating the woman and making her financially independent.Rajasthan has been in the news recently and for all the wrong reasons. First, it was tigers disappearing, then it was a guidebook that referred to sati-sites as tourist destinations, and then it was child marriages. The legal age for marriage in India is 18 years for women and 21 years for men. Any marriage of a person younger than this is banned in India under the Child Marriage Prevention Act of 1929. But child marriages still take place in India; particularly around the Hindu holy day of Akshya Tritiya (also knows as Akha Teej).Yet, it is a religious tradit ion in many places in India and therefore, difficult to change. People feel that traditions are valuable and should not be changed, especially religious traditions, since changing these would amount to asking people not to practise their religion, a fundamental principle of democracy. Dowry in India, the practice of endowing the groom by the bride's family, is a tradition, which has changed its intentions from giving a gift to demanding for astronomical amounts which has bankrupted lots of families and made many girls either to commit suicide or being murdered.Bride-price, which is the endowment to the bride’s clan, which is widely practised in Papua New Guinea, too, has changed from the earlier intentions thereby making it a business. Moral and ethical concerns of the society weigh a great deal with those in public life as their behaviour is keenly watched by the people. At concerned quarters, views are being expressed over the general decline of values in public life. There is a general feeling that all is not well with our socio-political system which is functioning under a great strain.In such a situation, the representatives of the people have to set high standards of behaviour in public life. Members of Parliament have not only to represent the society but have also to lead it. Therefore, they have to function as the role models and this naturally casts on them a heavy responsibility. Our freedom fighters and national leaders had set high ethical and moral standards in public life and they followed those principles scrupulously. This tendency, it is painfully observed, is now on a decline.There has been a wide and critical collapse of moral values in all walks of life and a perilous decline in the human dimension in global, political and trade relations and national economy. Development has culminated in widespread discontent, corruption, unemployment, violence, communal and racial discord and much human distress, destruction and disillusionment. Barring this, the caste system, which had its roots in religion, is another curse in society. Though not so rigid in urban areas, it is still practised in rural areas with the same zeal.Caste determines man's marriage, social circle and profession. The untouchables suffer from numerous disabilities and restrictions. His dresses, food, place of residence, all are degraded. Not only is it humiliating and inhuman and based on anti-democratic principle of inequality by birth, it is a cause of social disintegration. Thus, it has to be fought against. Another problem that our society faces is the rapid criminalisation of the polity, that could be the result of the fact that criminals have understood the mechanics of the electoral process and have themselves become contenders for power.Earlier, politicians patronised criminals and provided them protection from the law-enforcement agencies in exchange for the use of their muscle power during elections. And now it is the opposite-with the cr iminals themselves taking over the reigns of power and patronising the « politicians and their parties. Of late, there is an increasing exposure of the criminals in the! Governing system of the country, to the extent that it alienates the common people for power. The criminalisation of politics is a reflection of, and a factor that aggravates the crisis of the political system.Only a qualitative change that transforms the system from its very roots can resolve this crisis in favour of the people. In the rural economy, both unemployment and under employment exist side by side and the distinction between them is by no means sharp. In the rural areas, increasing population implies an increasing pressure on land. This pressure on land has resulted in an increase in the number of agriculturists, and this has largely contributed to the problem of unutilised labour or disguised unemployment in the agricultural sector. A large labour force accumulates around primary occupations.A general in elasticity of occupational structure prevents any large movement away from these in periods of slack demand. This leads to seasonal unemployment also. In short, the major feature of rural unemployment is the existence of unemployment in the form of disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment rather than open unemployment that exists in the urban areas. Idol worship, superstitions, Brahmanical or clergy superiority, all had to be fought against, for all the social practices finding sanction in religion. Yet a lot needs to be done to eradicate from the shreds a number of social evils still haunting our society.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Applebee’s International

Applebee’s International, Inc. is America’s largest casual dining restaurant chain in terms of size and sales, with positive net earnings for the past ten years. It is famed as â€Å"America’s Favorite Neighbor† by decorating its restaurants with local themes, such as local heroes, sports teams, and town history.It is based on a single-concept focus on the Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants and has built strength by setting up outlets where big names in the food service industry have not yet been established. It popularizes the Applebee’s brand name by opening small-sized restaurants not far from one another.Aside from its dine-in program, it now has Carside To Go which allows customers to take out their orders. It has also improved its menu by teaming with Weight Watchers International and offering Weight Watchers selections. Under the leadership of Lloyd L. Hill, who became chief executive officer in 1998, the company has posted positive net e arnings, despite a fluctuating growth trend in total operating revenues in the past ten years.In the past, the company has faced legal entanglements that it had always dealt with promptly. It maintains close relationship with its franchisees and instills in its employees, the company’s core values embodied in the acronym BIG Fun TRIP (balance between work and home life, innovation, a guest-driven attitude, the ability to have fun, teamwork, a results-driven business approach, integrity and a passion for service).With over 1,800 restaurants nationwide and consistently good revenues, Applebee’s is considered an industry leader and it seeks to increase its size to 3,000 restaurants in the future.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

8th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas

8th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas 8th grade science fair projects tend to involve the scientific method and designing an experiment and not making models or explaining processes. Youll be expected to present data in the form of tables and graphs. Typed reports and posters are the norm (sorry, no handwritten text). You should do the project yourself, rather than enlist heavy-duty help from a parent or older student. Its appropriate to cite references for any information that isnt common knowledge or that draws on the work of others. 8th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas What paper airplane design flies the farthest? stays aloft the longest?What effect does soap in water have on plants? Is the effect the same at very low soap concentrations as compared with high concentrations?How much plant food is too much?Are dogs (cats/fish/etc.) colorblind? If so, is the lack of color perception compensated by better light/dark vision?What soils best support structures, such as buildings?What types of words do babies learn to speak first?Does air temperature affect how long soap bubbles last? Does relative humidity?Are goldfish water chemicals really necessary or are they an unneeded expense?Can you graft a tomato plant onto a potato plant?Do plants react to the presence of other plants? music? different colored light?What materials glow under black light? Can you use the UV light to find invisible, possibly smelly, stains in your carpet or elsewhere in your house?Will chilling an onion before cutting it keep you from crying?Does catnip repel cockroaches better than DEET? What ratio of vinegar to baking soda produces the best chemical volcano eruption?What type of plastic wrap prevents evaporation the best?What plastic wrap prevents oxidation the best?What percentage of an orange is water?Are night insects attracted to lamps because of heat or light?Can you make Jello using fresh pineapples instead of canned pineapples?Do white candles burn at a different rate than colored candles?Does the presence of detergent in water affect plant growth?Can a saturated solution of sodium chloride still dissolve Epsom salts?Does magnetism affect the growth of plants?How does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts?Do different brands of popcorn leave different amounts of unpopped kernels?How accurately do egg producers measure eggs?How do differences in surfaces affect the adhesion of tape?If you shake up different kinds or brands of soft drinks (e.g., carbonated), will they all spew the same amount?Are all potato chips equally greasy?Do the same types of mold grow on all types of bread? Does light affect the rate at which foods spoil?Can you use a household water filter to remove flavor or color from other liquids?Does the power of a microwave affect how well it makes popcorn?Do all brands of diapers absorb the same amount of liquid? Does it matter what the liquid is (water as opposed to juice or... um.. urine)?Do all dishwashing detergents produce the same amount of bubbles? Clean the same number of dishes?Is the nutritional content of different brands of a vegetable (e.g., canned peas) the same?How permanent are permanent markers? What solvents (e.g., water, alcohol, vinegar, detergent solution) will remove the ink? Do different brands/types of markers produce the same results?Is laundry detergent as effective if you use less than the recommended amount? More?Do all hairsprays hold equally well? Equally long? Does type of hair affect the results?What effect do additives have on the crystals? You could add food coloring, flavorings, or other impurities.What steps c an you take to maximize crystal size? You can affect vibration, humidity, temperature, rate of evaporation, purity of your growth medium, and time allowed for crystal growth. How do different factors affect seed germination? Factors that you could test include the intensity, duration, or type of light, the temperature, the amount of water, the presence/absence of certain chemicals, or the presence/absence of soil. You can look at the percentage of seeds that germinate or the rate at which seeds germinate.Is a seed affected by its size? Do different size seeds have different germination rates or percentages? Does seed size affect the growth rate or final size of a plant?How does cold storage affect the germination of seeds? Factors you can control include the type of seeds, length of storage, temperature of storage, and other variables, such as light and humidity.What conditions affect the ripening of fruit? Look at ethylene and enclosing a fruit in a sealed bag, temperature, light, or nearness to other pieces or fruit.How are different soils affected by erosion? You can make your own wind or water and evaluate the effects on soil. If you have access to a very cold freezer, you can look at the effects of freeze and thaw cycles. How does the pH of soil relate to the pH of the water around the soil? You can make your own pH paper, test the pH of the soil, add water, then test the pH of the water. Are the two values the same? If not, is there a relationship between them?How close does a plant have to be to a pesticide for it to work? What factors influence the effectiveness of a pesticide (rain? light? wind?)? How much can you dilute a pesticide while retaining its effectiveness? How effective are natural pest deterrents? More Science Fair Project Ideas

Monday, November 4, 2019

Poverty Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty Issues - Essay Example Poverty in developed countries is obvious in a set of social problems together with homelessness and the perseverance of ghetto housing groups. There are several factors that have been mentioned to explain why poverty takes place. However, no single reason has gained universal recognition. At the international level, some highlight global systemic causes, for example, aid, trade and debt, which are the focal point of the Make Poverty History campaign. Whereas others point to national level deficits of public administration and financial management, which is the focal point of the Good Governance program of the international financial institutions. At the national level, some point to individual factors, including drug use, work ethic and education level as the major reason of poverty, while others points to the insufficient social services and strategies inclined in favor of the wealthy and social leaders as a cause of continuing poverty. Other cause of poverty includes environment, health care, government inefficiency and other social factors. (Jeffery Sachs, 2005). Those living in poverty and wanting a way in to necessary health services, suffering hunger or even starvation, go through mental and physical health problems which make it difficult for them to perk up their circumstances. One third of deaths, about 18 million people annually or 50,000 each day are because of poverty related factors. Altogether 270 million people, the majority of them women and children, have been expired as a result of poverty ever since 1990's. Those living in poverty undergo lower life expectation. Every year, approximately 11 million children surviving in poverty pass away before their fifth birthday. Those living in poverty frequently endure from hunger and 800 million people go to bed, starving every night. Poverty also boosts up the danger of homelessness. There are more than 100 million street children wandering all alone in the world. Increased risk of drug abuse is also a reason which is linked with poverty. Diseases of poverty are the sign of the vibrant relationship between poverty and poor health. Whereas such transferable diseases effects directly from poverty, they also perpetuate and intensify insolvency by weakening personal and national health and monetary resources. Such as, malaria reduces GDP growth by up to 1.3% in some rising countries and by killing tens of millions in sub Saharan Africa. AIDS it self terrorize the economies, social formations and political constancy of every society.Low income and possessions levels weaken the capability of governments to charge taxes for public service terms, adding to the brutal circle connecting the causes and effects of poverty. Lack of necessary communications, poor education and health services and poor hygiene contribute to the continuation of poverty. Poor access to reasonable public education can direct to low levels of literacy, further establishing poverty. Weak public service provision and high levels of poverty can amplify country's weakness to natural calamities and make states more defenseless to shocks in the international economy, for example, those linked with rising fuel prices or declining goods and services costs. The ability of the state is

Saturday, November 2, 2019

To what extent does personality predicts employee performance Essay

To what extent does personality predicts employee performance - Essay Example Moreover, this practice rewards HR professionals with sustainability and confidence inside the organization as they can foresee unwanted reactions and responses. Personality analysis is crucial to use in HR practices to advance hiring practices, predict behaviours and motivate employees at work. Personality tests as a common practice in HR management were developed as a result of meta-analytic studies in 90s. According to Hakstian & Ng (2005, p. 405), initially they were appraised because their results granted predictability and validity of employees’ performance. Since then personality tests have been actively integrated in HR management. Most of these tests are based on â€Å"Big Five† personality model. According to it, there are five main personality variables which influence people’s behaviour; they include openness to experience, extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and consciousness (Judge et al. 1999, p. 624). HR professionals design tests in order to identify these factors in each personality. Companies tend to conceal their testing practices as they exist for internal use only. It is the reason why there are not many sources available in regard to the studied issue. At the same time, there are some surveys, publications written by HR professionals and corporate reports which reveal that personality tests are successfully integrated in HR practices all over the world. For example, according to Rothstein & Goffin (2006, p. 155), 30% of corporations in the United States used special personality tests in their hiring procedures in 2003. Personality measures can target different characteristics of current or potential employees; they can test integrity, performance effectiveness or personal expectations. Integrity tests remain the most popular and one of the most complicated to analyse. Rothstein & Goffin (2006, p. 155) state that there are around 5 million applicants who do this tests and 20% of the Human Resource