Economics Assignment, The Market for Rhodium Essay

Economics Assignment, The Market for Rhodium - Essay Example Now if the prices remained same of palladium and rhodium, the demand for rhodium might increase at higher ratio than palladium because of the difference in the prices. Due to low demand of palladium, its price was decreased by the company which increased its demand. Due to increased demand for palladium, the demand for rhodium has fallen to large extent in the auto catalyst use. Because the demand for antipollution chemical has aroused only in the auto catalyst industry while the consumption of rhodium and palladium by other industries remained same. Now when the price of rhodium has fallen there is a big difference in the demand for rhodium in auto catalyst industry as compared to other industries. As auto catalyst is the major consuming unit of antipollution chemicals so demand has fallen for rhodium particularly in it due to increase in demand for palladium. Hence the trend of demand for rhodium has fallen. In the above diagram, DD is demand curve for year 2001 with demand 557 and price 1829.79 approx. D^D^ is the demand curve for year 2000 having average price of 2025.47 and demand 809. The difference between total demand has caused the price to move also. Ans.: The demand for rhodium as compared to palladium reduces in resulting of cross price elasticity. It shows that the price of palladium has been reduced by the company to reduce the pollution in the car exhausts. The greater demand of antipollution chemicals in the society enforces the company to reduce the price of palladium in order to increase its demand as compared to rhodium. The company decreases the price of palladium which greatly affects the demand and price of rhodium. Because of decreased prices of palladium, the demand for rhodium has also decreased which ultimately causes its price to be decreased. Hence due to the decrease in the price of palladium the price for rhodium has also decreased. Subsidization of industries can play an

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Midterm Exam - Essay Example The heritage of Mesopotamian civilization consists of simple and elegant architectures that include temples where religious leader had a high position and carry out religious ceremonies. At a point in history, due to internal conflicts within the people of the region gave rise to some influential and powerful individuals, which turned out to be the rulers and their position, came under consideration as divine. The people believed that these divine rulers were the messengers of gods who has come under authorization by gods to rule over them. As the region was unprotected from the foreign invasions and attacks based on its topographical features, rich local men established a defense body to protect their land and people (Oakes, pp. 26-30). Egyptian civilization and the territory of Egypt came under situation around the river Nile. The river provided the region with natural security barrier, which protected the area and supported the irrigation and trade activities that were the basis of their economy. Due to the locality of the civilization, it provided them with tranquility and harmony in the region. The pyramids were one of the major parts of the rich heritage of the Egyptian society. In the religious context of the beliefs of the people of Egypt, pharaoh was the dominant figure that came under consideration to be ambassador of the gods with ultimate supremacy and command (Bell & Quie, pp. 6-8). Both the civilizations and cultures have many differences that separate them from each other in many aspects that include their political sector, art, and architecture, although they have played an influential role on one another, yet they are diverse and dissimilar. The language, which Mesopotamian people used to communicate, came under characterization by complex graphical and symbolic representation, whereas the Egyptian people developed the more creative language that

Trends of Transnational Companies

Trends of Transnational Companies In our todays world transnational companies (TNCs) play a crucial role in global economy as they are one of the biggest economic institutions. In this essay, I will give an explanation of what transnational company actually is, describe the main trends of TNCs activity and express my own opinion about transnational companies future and compare it with the view of other views. To begin with, let me define the term of transnational company. It is important to give a correct definition of word, because there are different categories of companies, doing business in another country, such as multinational and international companies. So, TNC is a commercial enterprise with a very complex organization, that operates huge facilities, has a business more than in one country and whose external assets cover from 25 to 30 or even more percent of all volume of a company. There are more ways to explain the meaning of this term, but we will stop on this one. The history of transnational companies begins in 1118, when the Order of Knights Templars was founded. It was not actually TNC, but some kind of financial centre. In the year of 1135 they started to develop banking industry all over other countries. Officially, East India company is regarded as the very first transnational company, which was established in 1600. Now lets move on to identifying the main trends and role of transnational companies in our contemporary world. They act as a driving force of key processes of modern global economy. TNCs determine structure, dynamics, level of marketability of goods and services, controlling international capital flows and direct foreign investments. Because of its productive and financial possibilities, transnational companies maintain hold of high-tech industries, advancing technological growth of this sphere. They are becoming a significant force in a world economy, as their wide range of functions, starting from industrial processes and ending up to operations in investment, financial and trade policy, allows them to play a role of international regulator of production and distributor of goods and services. The biggest TNCs have even established supremacy over world trade market and in leading fields of economy. Moreover, transnational companies transform world economy into an international manuf acturing, providing boost of technological advance in all directions quality of goods, efficiency of production, improvement of forms of management and directing enterprises. Number of TNCs is rapidly growing: in 1970 there were about 7300 TNCs, whole turn-round was $626 million a year. At the beginning of 1990s, their amount grew to 37000 with turn-round of $7 billion a year. Finally, in 2012 there are 82000 transnational companies with $30 trillion turn-round.[1] Such a growth can be explained by bunch of reasons. For example, competition between companies, forcing to decrease charges and at the same time increasing scales of producing and introducing new technologies, searching for a cheap labour power and new markets. Importance of TNCs in international meaning is increasing. Core of global economic system consists of about 100 transnational companies, which are controlling almost unlimited economic power and capturing two-thirds of international capital flows. Practically all the biggest TNCs, if they will be divided by national implement apply for so called ternary three economic centers of our planet USA, EU and Japan. But for a last few years there is a tendency of less developed countries to develop their own transnational companies all over the world. Sectorial division of TNCs is very diverse: 60% of companies specialise in manufacturing sphere, 37% in tertiary sector and only 3% in extractive industry and agriculture. Also, there are 77 million employed people involved in TNCs sphere worldwide. Â   In my opinion, transnational companies encourage growth of industry, change structure of national economy and improve position of states in international division of labour and global economic relations. There is misbelief, that as a result of international operations of TNCs, one country will gain a profit and other will lose. In real life it is possible, but there is a huge chance that both countries will be the winners of situation. One more advantage of transnational companies is that they speed-up research and development sphere, that is why TNCs have an immense financial resources. Moreover, they mainly control export of manufactured goods, which is usually concentrated by a few large TNCs. Such an export scheme is typical of household and electronic industry, pharmaceutic and chemical goods. However, there are a lot of opponents of transnational companies rule: anti-globalists, alter-globalists and ecologic organizations. Anti-globalists, despite of their unfriendliness to globalization, assume that TNCs monopolize national market and destroy state sovereignty. They label actions of transnational companies to occupy local markets as economic war against citizens. In many countries, such as Russia, China and Canada there is a law, restricting actions of TNCs. Alter-globalists are actually not against economic globalization and transnational companies as well, but until they reach a power, which can be compared with power of states. Finally, last but not the least, economic organizations. I can provide you with example: Greenpeace. TNCs have so huge productive assets, that they can endanger local ecologic situation. That is why a lot of producing units are being transported to Third World countries. Drawing up a conclusion, transnational companies showed their ability to break isolation of national economies, involving them into single process with world economic society. They serve as a source of transferring new technologies, spreading information about new products and as a result, change of social preferences occurs. References: https://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/47068-a-brief-history-of-transnational-corporations.html A Brief History of Transnational corporations http://moluch.ru/archive/56/7687/ http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/07/focus-1 [1] http://moluch.ru/archive/56/7687/

Bilingual Education in Public Schools Essay -- Bilingual Language Educ

Bilingual Education in Public Schools For the past thirty years in the State of California, bilingual education has been undertaken by all the public schools of the state. Under such system, children of non-American ethnic have had a special treatment in their early academic career. Children of minority groups have been thought various subjects in their native tongues. Such subjects are Math, History and some Science classes. The bilingual program presented the student a scholastic curriculum that simultaneously instructed students all the required classes while teaching them the English language. For such method, bilingual teachers were the focal point for the success of individual students of any class level. Prior to Proposition 227, California’s programs for immigrant students included English as a Second Language, in which students were taught the English language for part of the day, and bilingual education, in which students took classes taught in their native tongues until their English improved. The bilingual educational system was legally first introduced by Governor R. Reagan in 1967. Reagan as Governor of California signed a bill eliminating the state’s English-only instructional mandate and allowing bilingual education. Proposition 227, that has reformed the thirty year old bill, has taken affect on June 2, 1998. The proposition introduces a new way of teaching the English language to immigrant children. Such proposition is also called â€Å"English for the Children† or simply the Unz initiative after its author and chief financial backer, Ron K. Unz, a Silicon Valley millionaire and conservative Republican who has no children or background in education and has never set foot in a bilingual education class. â€Å"The Unz initiative calls for one year of courses taught in English, with an emphasis on learning the language; a system that many fear is a return to a past when children were sometimes punished for speaking Spanish, but that others say is a return to sanity† stated Don Terry in his article Bilingual Education Facing Toughest Test. In addition, one of the more controversial points of he plan involves a waiver system whereby parents who prefer â€Å"native-language† inst ruction for their children can request that the children be removed from the English-immersion classes. The request will be granted if they can find parents of twenty of more chil... ...achers thought I spoke Spanish. I found the English language somewhat easy to learn, moreover, I have to thank many of the English-speaking friends that I made back then to teach me the slang and spent time with me outside school. Mathematics and Economics were easy for me, I can say with confidence that I had one of the highest grades in comparison to my English-speaking classmates. The main problems that I had were the communication skills, both writing and speaking English proved to be the greatest challenge for me during that year. My need to communicate with others drove my incentive to master the language, within the first two years; many of my friends were surprised how well my English was. Despite the foreign accent, they had all agreed that my English was very efficient. As an overall, I appreciate the year spent in High School learning the language, I believe that all new immigrant student should attend such classes. They have made a very positive impact in my life. In conclusion, I believe that all races should master the English language as quick as possible, for it is the essence of social integration that can lead to one success or failure of the â€Å"American Dream†.

Direct Labor-Hours Results

Shaving 5% off the estimated direct labor hours in the base for the predetermined overhead rate will falsely  produce a  high overhead rate, which will result in over applied overhead. Thus, inflating the cost of goods sold until year end, and overstating the inventories. The over applied overhead will be recognized at year end by closing it to cost of goods sold. The adjustment for the over applied overhead will result in a big boost in net operating income at year end. Understating direct labor-hours results in artificially inflating the overhead rate, which will likely result in overapplied overhead for the year. Shaving 5% off the estimated direct labor-hours in the predetermined overhead rate will result in an artificially high overhead rate, which is likely to result in overapplied overhead for the year. The cumulative effect of overapplying the overhead throughout the year is all recognized in December when the balance in the Manufacturing Overhead account is closed out to Cost of Goods Sold. If the balance were closed out every month or every quarter, this effect would be dissipated over the course of the year. First, the practice of understating direct labor-hours results in artificially inflating the overhead rate. This has the effect of inflating the cost of goods sold figures in all months prior to December and overstating the costs of inventories. In December, the adjustment for overapplied overhead provides a big boost to net operating income. Therefore, the practice results in distortions in the pattern of net operating income over the year. In addition, since all of the adjustment is taken to Cost of Goods Sold, inventories are still overstated at year-end. This means that retained earnings is also overstated.

Summer Writing Assignment †College Essay

Among all the characters that I have encountered in books and movies, one persona stood out as the one I want to emulate the most. He went by the name Equality 7-2521 from the novel entitled â€Å"Anthem† by Ayn Rand. He appealed me the moment I read the book because he embodied what I am striving to be.His personality was the quintessence of the qualities I needed to be successful. When I read the book, I was utterly impressed by his determination, intelligence, and more importantly, his perseverance as an individual. He has a significant influence on me and I find him a great source of inspiration to struggle harder in the complexities of life.It was during my sophomore year that I read the book â€Å"Anthem.† At that time, I was in a predicament over whether I should concentrate on schooling or finding a part-time job.The reason why I had such qualms was that even I made endeavors to complete my school works properly and attempted to attain high scores, my poor Engli sh proficiency derailed my plans. I was discouraged by the inconsistency of my efforts and grades printed in my report card.The course of things changed when I read â€Å"Anthem.† I was impressed by the characteristics of Equality 7-2521, the protagonist in the novel. The story was set in a fictional world which was dominated by collectivism. Equality 7-2521, who was seeking for self-identification, struggled in a society that rejected individualism in favor of collectivism.Equality 7-2521 discovered a tunnel where he began hiding regularly to conduct scientific experiments. Later on, he invented the light bulb and decided to share his device with the World Council of Scholars, even though he knew the way he came to discover electricity was illegal and sinful. Subsequently, Equality 7-2521's presentation of the light bulb to the World Council of Scholars permanently severed him from society and forced him out on his own.The reason that the World Council of Scholars made this decision was that collectivism does not allow people to think or work individually but jointly. As a result, Equality 7-2521 was exiled yet he did not stop pursuing his goal. He kept studying in the woods and eventually discovered the meaning of individualism and the word â€Å"I.†As I read the book thoroughly, I realized the qualities that I must possess in order to achieve my ambitions. Equality 7-2521 had a worse situation than mine, but by the virtue of his positive attributes, he successfully pulled off his discovery. He believed in individualism and rejected the collectivist society around him. He was insightful, perseverant, truth-seeking, resolute, and intelligent. He was deeply curious and desired freedom to explore and think, and he was unafraid of the society of mindless drones around him.Equality 7-2521 represented the superiority of a singular intellect to the homogeneity of the masses, who could not think of themselves and were indistinguishable from one another . I plan to get a high score as well. I believe I could reach my aspirations if I exemplify the qualities that Equality 7-2521 had. The strong and firm character Equality 7-2521 held inspired me every time I face a dilemma in real life.Equality 7-2521’s story assured me that nothing is impossible and that I can succeed too even in my simple but unrelenting ways. Along this line, I should stay focused on my work and studies, and possibly make a significant improvement in the coming marking period.He had a tremendous impact on my personality, not only in my study habits, but also in the determination to confront difficulties. Whoever and whatever I am now, I owe it for the most part to Equality 7-2521 for transforming me to the kind of person I never imagined I could ever be. Life indeed is like a roller coaster with ups and downs to render it more interesting and breathtaking. And above all, what is of the essence is that Equality 7-2521 indirectly made me complete and unexpec tedly happy as well.

Spanish Comparisons of Inequality

Spanish Comparisons of Inequality Not only is it possible to describe someone as happy, it is also possible to describe that happiness in various degrees - happier, happier than someone, happiest, as happy as someone. In this lesson, we learn how to express the first two of those alternatives. In English, we usually can make an adjective stronger by adding -er to the end (such as in happier, stronger and faster) or by using it with the word more (as in more considerate and more intense). In Spanish, there is no direct equivalent of -er; adjectives are made more intense by preceding them with ms. For example: Marà ­a est ms feliz. Marà ­a is happier.El cielo de Cuba es ms azul. Cubas sky is bluer.Mis padres son ms ricos. My parents are richer.Compro unos libros ms caros. I am buying some more expensive books. Usually que is used when making a comparison: Mi coche es ms grande que tu coche. My car is bigger than your car.Soy ms alto que tà º. Im taller than you.La casa es ms blanca que la nieve. The house is whiter than the snow. To indicate less rather than more, use menos rather than ms: Marà ­a est menos feliz. Marà ­a is less happy.El cielo de Chile es menos azul. Chiles sky is less blue.La casa es menos blanca que la nieve. The house is less white than the snow. Ms and menos can be used with adverbs in the same way: Corres ms rpido que yo. You run faster than I.Silvia habla menos claro que Ana. Silvia speaks less clearly than Ana. Note that in the above examples, in English it would be very common to add a form of to do at the end of the comparison, such as You run faster than I do and Silvia speaks less clearly than Ana does. However, the do or does should not be translated to Spanish. There are a few words, all very common, that have their own comparative forms: The comparative form of bueno (good) and its forms (buena, buenos and buenas) is mejor or mejores, translated as better. Example: Eres mejor hombre que yo. You are a better man than I.The comparative form of bien (well) is also mejor, again translated as better. Example: Ella estudia mejor que tà º. She studies better than you.The comparative form of malo (bad) and its forms (mala, malos and malas) is peor or peores, translated as worse. Example: Los remedios son peores que la enfermedad. The cures are worse than the illness.The comparative form of mal (badly) is also peor, again translated as worse. Example: Se siente peor que yo. He feels worse than I do. Additionally, although ms pequeà ±o and ms grande are often used for smaller and bigger, respectively, menor and mayor are sometimes used. Mayor also is used to mean older when referring to people. Note: Do not confuse comparisons of adjectives or adverbs with more than and less than in the following examples. Note that ms de and menos de are used when referring to numbers. Tengo ms de 30 pesos. I have more than 30 pesos.Mi hijo tiene menos de 20 aà ±os. My son is less than 20 years old.

The Murderous Cult of Roman Diana and Her Sword-Wielding Priests

The Murderous Cult of Roman Diana and Her Sword-Wielding Priests In the US, the President has to retire after eight years in office, but at least they get to live after their second terms as President. Some of the ancient Romans werent so lucky. In order to become the new priest of the Italian sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis (Diana of Nemi), the incoming priest had to murder his predecessor to get the job! Although the shrine was  located in a sacred grove and near a gorgeous lake, so applications for the position must have been through the roof... Priestly Problems So whats the deal with this sacerdotal situation? According to Strabo, Artemiss worship at the grove of Nemi - included a barbaric ...  element. The priestly turnover was quite graphic, for, as Strabo recounts, the priest had to be a runaway slave who killed the man previously consecrated to that office. As a result, the reigning priest (dubbed the Rex Nemorensis, or King of the Grove at Nemi) always carried a sword to protect  himself against murderous interlopers. Suetonius concurs in his  Life of Caligula.  Apparently, the ruler of Rome didnt have enough to occupy his twisted mind during his own reign, so he meddled in religious rites...Supposedly, Caligula got fed up with the fact that the current Rex Nemorensis had lived for so long, so the dastardly emperor hired a stronger adversary to attack him. Really, Caligula? Ancient Origins and Mythical Men Where did this odd ritual come from? Pausanias states that when Theseus killed his son, Hippolytus - whom he believed to have seduced Theseuss own wife, Phaedra - the kid  didnt actually die. In fact,  Asclepius, god of medicine, resurrected the prince. Understandably, Hippolytus didnt forgive his father and the last thing he wanted was to stay in his native Athens, so he  traveled to Italy, where he set up a sanctuary to his patron goddess, Artemis/Diana. There, he set up a  contest for runaway slaves to become the temples priest, in which they fought to the death for the honor. But according to  the late  antique author Servius, who wrote commentaries on major  epic texts, the Greek hero Orestes had the honor of founding the ritual at Nemi. He rescued his sister, Iphigenia, from the sanctuary of Diana at Tauris; there, Iphigenia sacrificed all strangers to the goddess, as recounted in Euripidess tragedy  Iphigenia in Tauris.   Servius claims that Orestes saved Iphigenia by killing Thoas, king of the Taurians, and stole the sacred image of Diana from her sanctuary there; he brought the statue and the princess back home with him. He stopped in Italy - at Aricia, near Nemi - and set up a new cult of Diana.   At this new sanctuary, the ruling priest wasnt allowed to kill all strangers, but there was a special tree, from which a branch could not be broken. If someone  did  snap a branch, they had the option to do battle with the runaway slave-turned-priest of Diana. The priest was a fugitive slave because his journey symbolized Orestess flight westwards, says Servius. This ritual, then, was Virgils source of material for the legends about the area where Aeneas stopped off in the  Aeneid  to find a magical plant and enter the Underworld.  Sadly for these entertaining tales, neither probably had anything to do with the ritual at Nemi. Issues of Interpretation Aeneas and the slave-priests came up again in modern studies of religion. Ever heard of anthropologist James Frazers seminal work The  Golden Bough? He theorized that Nemi was the spot where Aeneas went to Hades, as Servius suggested. The sacred sparkly in the title refers to a bough, golden leaf and pliant stem Aeneas had to grab in Book VI of the Aeneid  in order to descend to  the Underworld. But Serviuss own claims were spurious at best! This odd interpretation has a long history -  well-chronicled  by Jonathan Z. Smith and Anthony Ossa-Richardson.  Frazer took these ideas and claimed that used the slaying-of-the-priest as a lens through which he examined world mythology. His  thesis - that the symbolic death and resurrection of a mythical figure was the focus of fertility cults across the world - was an interesting one. This idea didnt hold much water, but that  theory of comparative mythology informed the works many historians and anthropologists, including the famous Robert Graves in his  White Goddess  and  Greek Myths, for decades ... until scholars realized Frazer was wrong.

2000 Election Essay Research Paper I have

2000 Election Essay, Research Paper I have selected to compose about the 2000 election and who the two major campaigners are and what their programs and thoughts are for the presidential place. This subject has interested me since the beginning of the New Year. With two footings stoping for President Bill Clinton, the new election has had a batch at interest. At one terminal of the ring there is Vice President, Democrat, Al Gore in the Hunt for the presidential place. The other terminal is Republican, Governor of Texas, George W. Bush following in his male parent s footfalls. No affair the campaigner s party, each of them has many thoughts and programs if they are elected. Democratic campaigner, Al Gore, is our current frailty president. Gore soon 52 is from Washington, D.C. , and has a great trade of political experience. He has held a place in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-85, the U. S. Senate from 1985-93, and has been Vice President since 1993. Gore besides has past military experience functioning in the Army from 1969-71. When asked about the of import issues confronting the U.S. today such as ; Education, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Social Security and Taxes this is some of Gore s places on each. For instruction he wants to utilize $ 170 billion of budget excesss for an Education Reform Trust Fund that would finance cosmopolitan preschool, enroll high-quality instructors, addition wages of instructors, cut down category size so that there is one instructor for every 20 or fewer pupils, and construct new schools or overhaul existing 1s. Plus, guarantee that there # 8217 ; s a qualified instructor in every schoolroom. Besides, usage province appraisals and answerability systems to place failing schools and do certain they are improved rapidly and to honor schools that are wining. In Foreign Policies Gore supports a strong military, but favors the decrease of arms of mass devastation. He besides supports free trade, human rights, favours spread outing NATO, and supports comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Gore besides has a passion with the environment. As a senator he became an expert on planetary heating, the depletion of the ozone bed, the devastation of the rain wood, and new Earth friendly engineering. ( www.infoplease.com/spot/algore.html ) He supports strongly environmental protection. As for Health Care Gore thinks there should be coverage for every kid by 2005 by spread outing the Children # 8217 ; s Health Insurance Program ( CHIP ) , which financess province plans with federal money. The program would cover kids in households gaining up to 250 per centum of the poorness degree ( about $ 41,000 for a household of four ) . ( The program presently covers those kids in households that earn up to 200 per centum of the poorness degree. ) Gore # 8217 ; s program would let households that earn more than the 250 per centum to purchase into CHIP or Medicaid. He would besides let uninsured parents buy into CHIP. Besides allow people between the ages of 55-65 to purchase into Medicare. Gore supports Patients # 8217 ; Bill of Rights that would vouch patients critical wellness protections and entree to specializers, give patients the ability to appeal determinations by HMOs, and expand patients # 8217 ; and physicians decision-making functions. Gore s thoughts about Social Security are giving all Social Security Surpluses to Social Security and debt decrease. Opposes raising retirement age. Would widen solvency of Social Security through 2054 by beef uping Social Security by utilizing long-run involvement nest eggs. Dedicate all Social Security money to the trust fund # 8220 ; lock box # 8221 ; that would merely be used to pay benefits to retired persons. His thought s for revenue enhancements are as follows ; pay off national debt by 2012, dedicate the full Social Security excess to cut downing the national debt and beef uping Social Security, would so use the ensuing involvement nest eggs to beef up the Social Security Trust Fund, would increase the Earned Income Credit net incomes threshold, would utilize the $ 2.17 trillion non-Social Sec urity excess for $ 480 billion in targeted revenue enhancement cuts ; $ 360 to beef up the Medicare plan ; $ 870 billion in disbursement on domestic plans ; $ 300 billion would be left as a â€Å"rainy twenty-four hours fund.† Choosing Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, Vice President Al Gore has a all right prevarication to walk on. Gore picked Lieberman for his strong moral compass and uprightness. Lieberman has been to the right of Gore on several issues. He portions the frailty presidents positions on the environment, abortion, gun control and civil rights. He besides favors free trade. Lieberman is besides the first Jew on the ticket of a national party. He is an Orthodox Jew, which prevents him from working or siting in vehicles from sundown on Friday to sundown on Sunday. George W. Bush is the 46th Governor of the State of Texas and the Republican campaigner for President of the United States. Bush, presently 54, has been Governor of Texas since 1995. He was besides a campaigner for U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. His military experience is functioning in the Texas National Guard for 6 old ages. When asked about the of import issues confronting the U.S. today such as ; Education, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Social Security and Taxes this is some of Bush s places on each. For instruction Bush wants to make a $ 500 million inducement fund to honor provinces for bettering pupil accomplishment. Schools that don # 8217 ; t better would hold a part of their federal support diverted to rent schools. He wants to give provinces control over criterions and proving. Besides, he wants to make a Charter School Homestead Fund to supply $ 3 billion in loan warrants to assist construct or better 2,000 charter schools. On the Foreign Policy issue Bush opposes Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, unlike Gore who supports it. He besides supports decrease of arms of mass devastation, like Gore. He favors a missile defence system and supports utilizing force to support U.S. critical involvements in the universe. Health Care Bush supports giving Medicare receivers freedom to take between federal and private prescription drug benefit programs. He would give provinces freedom to spread out Children # 8217 ; s Health Insurance Program to cover as many kids as possible, and would give $ 2,000 health-care recognition to households that don # 8217 ; t measure up for Medicaid and are non covered by private programs. Persons would have $ 1,000 recognition. On Social Security he wants to merely wish Gore, give all Social Security money to the trust fund # 8220 ; lock box # 8221 ; that would merely be used to pay benefits to retired persons. He opposes any revenue enhancement addition for Social Security and opposes authorities investing of Social Security in private stocks or bonds. Supported riddance of Social Security net incomes bound. His thoughts on Taxs are to increase one-year part bound on tax-advantaged Educational Savings Accounts from $ 500 to $ 5,000, and expand their range to beyond college and down to kindergarten. He would wish to extinguish the decease revenue enhancement, and the national debt by 2016. Besides like Gore, Bush would utilize the $ 2.17 trillion non-Social Security excess for a $ 1.3 trillion revenue enhancement cut ; $ 475 billion in disbursement on domestic plans ; and $ 265 billion in a # 8220 ; showery twenty-four hours fund. # 8221 ; George W. Bush selected Richard B. Cheney as his running mate. Three months ago, Bush plucked Cheney from his station as CEO of Halliburton Co. , a Texas building and technology outfit that services oil companies, to head the frailty presidential choice commission. ( www.infoplease.com/spot/cheney1.html ) Cheney s experience and his personal ties with the Bush household made him the favourite. The United States will be voting for president within a few hebdomads, the arguments and pre-polls have varied really much over the last few months. Each campaigner has been in the lead so out of the lead, it will be a close race until the terminal. Bush and Gore have some thoughts that are the same, but most are different.

Business law (pick one of 5) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business law (pick one of 5) - Research Paper Example t September the call for the regulations regarding overhauling the ruling and making those practices transparent started and those regulations became effective for the 2010 tax year effective December 15. The new law affects corporations (foreign and domestic) and insurance companies with assets in excess of $500 million, gradually reduced to $10 million by 2014. Kocieniewski seems to side with the corporations, but there are at least two valid reasons why the Government is justified in ending this money pit. (Kocieniewski) The one major argument the IRS uses to support the new â€Å"transparency† ruling is that its tax agents spend far too much time researching these claims as to their legitimacy and the agents’ time could be better spent going after tax cheats and proprietary information would not be shared. Another major problem is that during these austere times and Federal budget cuts, Congress is pressuring the tax people to collect more revenue and with more and more US jobs going overseas the bolstering the economy and creating jobs arguments of the major companies is flimsy at best. In conclusion, the new law is a difficult pill for the big companies to swallow. The previous IRS rule allowed the companies to keep any Uncertain Tax Position monies that weren’t audited within the three year statute of limitations. That was a lot of money for some of the major players, resulting in millions to billions of dollars in reserve â€Å"just in case†. For example Sheraton owner Starwood Hotels had almost a billion dollars in reserve, 21 per cent of its total 2009 earnings. The Fortune 500’s biggest companies like GM and Microsoft had reserves of $5.4 billion! Therefore if the corporations do business in the United States, they should be held to the same accountability as their employees are and pay Federal income tax at whatever rate they should. Grumbling for sure, but like the public they will learn to live with

How to build an android application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

How to build an android application - Essay Example Android 1.0 was released in 2008 and featured in HTC dream. In Feb 2009 Android 1.1 update was released for the use in T mobile (Böhmer, 6). On 30th April 2009, cupcake version of android (Android 1.5) was unveiled with more enhancements than the previous version. It had Bluetooth and camcorder support, animation and on screen keyboard. Android version 1.6 Donut was released later in September the same year as the cupcake version. In October 2009, Android 2.0 Eclaire version was released with a few improvements made on the version 1.6. It had an improved user interface, speed, on screen keyboard. The release of versions 2.0.1 and 2.1 (SDK ) followed on 3rd December 2009 and 12th January 2010 respectively. Android 2.2: Froyo was then released on 20th May 2010 with such improvements as home screen widgets, camera control and multilingual keyboard support. On 6th December 2010, Android version 2.3: Gingerbread was released. This version had a more refined user interface which improved simplicity of the UI. The simplified user interface ensured an increased speed. The support for screens with higher resolution was another one of the improvement made in this version in addition to sensor compatibility (Böhmer, 8). Android 3.0: Honeycomb was released on 22nd February 2011 with an optimized user interface specifically for tablets. The on screen keyboard was redesigned for accuracy and speed in the entry. It enables Bluetooth tethering which allowed more devices share network connections. In 19 October 2011 Android version 4.0 : Ice cream sand which was unveiled with refined user interface, wifi direct support , network data control and face unlock among other enhancements. Android version 4.1:Jelly Bean was released on 9th July 2012 followed closely by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 4.2 on 29th October 2012. A number of ways exist through which android development can be created. For windows, the following steps should

The Quality Caring Model of Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Quality Caring Model of Nursing - Term Paper Example It is not difficult to imagine that an uncaring hospital staff and bureaucracy lead to an enhanced potential for medical errors and other dysfunctions. When the perception exists that the staff is simply doing the job, that they have become hardened to the suffering around them, and that each patient that enters their doors is simply a number and a disease, the consequences to patients’ morale could be as damaging as delivering the wrong dosage of morphine. Here, the prospect exists of elevated stress levels, pain or discomfort that may go ignored, and general disappointment and/or dissatisfaction. It is a noteworthy issue in the sense that not only could patients’ medical outcomes be negatively impacted, but also, even from the most pragmatic and cynical perspective, extremely dissatisfied patients – even when they do recover – may lead to a bad reputation of the hospital, which could impact potential donations. Even if serious complications do not occur, inconsistent or inattentive medical staff and procedures can also delay healing and recovery, and this can create a financial burden for the patient and increase the risk of nosocomial infections through extended hospital stays, if surgery and healing are not expedited with efficiency. Thus, the issue of caring in nursing is not only a matter of bolstering spirits but also a matter of added medical burdens that can be avoided by the staff which is deeply passionate both about the job and the patients’ health.... On the one hand, some level of detachment is a necessity in the medical field. Excessive emotional investment in any particular patient could compromise judgment or debilitate the healthcare provider if that patient should in fact perish or take a turn for the worst despite the implementation of all appropriate procedural measures. There is always another patient, so doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals would be doing a disservice to other patients if the previous one consumed too much of their attention and emotion. Yet detachment is also an enemy promoting the carelessness described above, making the patient feel uncared for and unappreciated, and enhancing the statistical likelihood of a medical error. Thus, there must be a corporate culture that institutes an appropriate level of attention and compassion in the implementation and management of medicine. It is a standard to teach nurses and doctors to 'care', but with the constant demands of a large hospital, with an e ndless patient-after-patient time consuming process and a great deal to be accomplished independently, the reality rarely lives up to the rhetoric. Time constraints in a large setting also limit the prospect of getting to know a particular patient on an individual basis. Bereft of the potential for attachment, one is easily dehumanized. Thus, a balance must be sought between an emotional entanglement, especially in terminal patients that can emotionally damage doctors or nurses, and a laissez-faire factory farm attitude where no outcome has any emotional impact, leading to frequent mistakes and a clear perception of indifference on part of the patients, enhancing the negative

Playwright discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Playwright discussion - Assignment Example It is thus the investigators’ strong assertions that no reputable or successful author will create a story not embedded on a blueprint otherwise disjointed and unstable stories will be arguably inevitable hence attracting reviewers to rip such works to shreds. Based on Lenny Bruce’s Comedy gold Performance, the significant of playwright is revealed with respect to its unique and legacy set up. This performance managed to override other performance culminating to ‘standup comedy’. It is embedded on a proactive blueprint making it organized putting ideas cohesively peddled by some problematic guy on stage and cornered at deadlock with the establishment and solely has his wits as the weapon. Bruce climax is interesting as he is delighted by Carnegie Hall being in his palm, being funny with respect to marriage and brilliantly offers poised introduction to political philosophy. Its working playwright has allowed his ideas not to be disjointed and being stable compared to Living Colour’s,’Cult of Personality.’ In a snapshot, playwright is the blueprint that drives story development layers upon layers to weed out chances of disjointed stories and lack of basis for

Construction Technology and Innovation Assignment - 1

Construction Technology and Innovation - Assignment Example Among the key aspects are; the rising cost of materials, increased focus in environment protection and the drive to divert waste from land fill. The palpable upshots consist of reduced construction time, high quality in terms of construction, cost savings and promoted sustainable development, reduced environmental impacts in addition to improved resource efficiency. The paper presents and analyses at least five current special methods of constructions in use in UK, building forms and innovative products that can be embraced by the university. It specifically looks into the following methods of construction; smart roofs, precast flat panel systems, structural glazing, and curtain walling and thin join masonry (Watts, 2013). Precast flat panel system is one of the most popular offsite construction innovations being utilized across the UK. Precast concrete manufactured offsite for ornamental and structural elements have been extremely used for a myriad projects ranging from bridge elements to railway sleeper, stadia and housing. Precast concrete solutions provide construction elements that are made from recycled materials. The innovation exist indifferent forms such as floor elements, railway sleepers, portal frames for industrial buildings, roof elements, stairs and structural elements for stadia. As weighed against traditional approaches, precast concrete has been reported to potentially reduce waste on the site of construction by close to 50 percent given that the elements are manufactured from recycled materials. The form of fabrication methods and the concrete enables the manufacturers to construct homogeneous elements through the use of predetermined shutters and forms which are incessantly reused. Some of the benefits associated with precast flat panel systems include durability, high aesthetic value, security and low maintenance. Moreover, the manufacturing process and the design do not

A Humorous Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Humorous Experience - Essay Example The place was essentially a ghost town, which made this the perfect setting for the following story, which is a little bit scary for someone who is in a foreign country by oneself, off on her own, doing her own thing-and unfortunately not being smart enough to stay with the group. Let me preface this by saying that originally, what happened was not a very humorous experience. Getting lost in a foreign country is not fun. I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach for most of the experience because I was terrified of being left behind by my group in France. Running around not knowing where you're going is not fun. Knowing that you've made mistakes is not fun. Having that 'lost' feeling is not fun. Having to ask strangers for directions is not fun. Looking back, however, it seems very funny. First, I will tell it how the story happened. There were a group of about thirty of us-about half of us were American high school students, and the other half were Spanish high school host students. We were eating lunch on the beach that we had brought from home, and I told the group (I'm paraphrasing here), "Yeah, well, I'm going to head off now by myself." I told them this in no uncertain terms. No one seemed to think this odd. After all, Biarritz was a little town; it wasn't very large; how could I get lost I must preface this story... Seven Streets is basically is a shopping district of seven streets horizontally lined up next to each other. I had run out of money, which was back then the Spanish peseta and not yet the Euro. I had to ask the people at the store to hold the postcards for me while I ran to the local bank on Siete Calles. When I got to the bank, somehow I was able to jump the line. I don't know if it was because they were feeling sorry for my plight of being in a terrible hurry or what it was, but I asked some elderly Spanish ladies to translate for me so I could get some Spanish pesetas quickly, in order to get back to the store in order to pay for the postcards faster. Meanwhile, I was late in getting back to our meeting place at the church in the center of town and everyone feared the worst for me since I had not gotten back on time-when in reality I was just buying about 100 or so postcards that were on sale! I promised not to be late again and that was that. Well, little did I know that I would again find myself in another pickle. This time was really not much different. After I had told the Spanish students "So long" at lunch and had gone along on my merry way, I found myself going to various stores in Biarritz, because really this place was quite interesting. They had all sorts of different knick-knacks that were fun to look at, and it really was quite a charming little town. It was the kind of place you could get lost in. That was the key word. The kind of town you could get lost in. Unfortunately, I was going to be one of those people in a few minutes. I found myself finally at a French confectionary and candy store investigating all the different kinds of sweets that this particular place

Construction Technology and Innovation Assignment - 1

Construction Technology and Innovation - Assignment Example Among the key aspects are; the rising cost of materials, increased focus in environment protection and the drive to divert waste from land fill. The palpable upshots consist of reduced construction time, high quality in terms of construction, cost savings and promoted sustainable development, reduced environmental impacts in addition to improved resource efficiency. The paper presents and analyses at least five current special methods of constructions in use in UK, building forms and innovative products that can be embraced by the university. It specifically looks into the following methods of construction; smart roofs, precast flat panel systems, structural glazing, and curtain walling and thin join masonry (Watts, 2013). Precast flat panel system is one of the most popular offsite construction innovations being utilized across the UK. Precast concrete manufactured offsite for ornamental and structural elements have been extremely used for a myriad projects ranging from bridge elements to railway sleeper, stadia and housing. Precast concrete solutions provide construction elements that are made from recycled materials. The innovation exist indifferent forms such as floor elements, railway sleepers, portal frames for industrial buildings, roof elements, stairs and structural elements for stadia. As weighed against traditional approaches, precast concrete has been reported to potentially reduce waste on the site of construction by close to 50 percent given that the elements are manufactured from recycled materials. The form of fabrication methods and the concrete enables the manufacturers to construct homogeneous elements through the use of predetermined shutters and forms which are incessantly reused. Some of the benefits associated with precast flat panel systems include durability, high aesthetic value, security and low maintenance. Moreover, the manufacturing process and the design do not

Innovations In English Language Teaching Essay Example for Free

Innovations In English Language Teaching Essay Within the inter-related fields of linguistics, psychology and specifically language learning it has been recognized that language acquisition depends on several cognitive and environmental aspects. When giving instruction in a foreign language, it is also necessary to consider the language of origin already mastered by the learner, as well as the peculiarities of culture that may interfere with or otherwise have an impact on the manner in which a given language is learned (Collier, 1995). In Singapore, innovations in language learning based on these criteria have already been made, but implementation has posed a challenge (Tucker Corson, 1997). The true language expert has a deep understanding these barriers and must be prepared to come up with ideas that facilitate the change that drives the actual implementation of these innovative processes (Reza-Hernandez Clifford, 2003; Garcia, 1994). In Singapore, English has been acknowledged as the language of business and commerce, and therefore it has become crucial for greater strides to be made in passing on its knowledge to the citizens (Tucker Corson, 1997). Singapore’s national university has instituted such innovations as the creation of computerized databases that hold â€Å"profiles of Singapore-based English† as a method improving the research and development in the area of English language teaching in the country (1997, p. 227). This type of research appears to enable language instructors to understand the general areas of English that need more or better instruction. Other innovations directly affecting Singapore include the new dictionary of Southeast Asian English as well as numerous conferences that promote the improvement of the language. This research hopes to add further innovations, including in the area of technology, that would build on the projects already begun and further enhance the learning of the language in the country (Chapelle, 2003; Parker, 2007; Reza-Hernandez Clifford, 2003; Klein et al. 2006). Research Objectives The aim of this research is to find new approaches to teaching English that can be easily implemented in the Singaporean context. These will include new instructional methods, teaching aids, and the use of technologies as an integral aspect of imparting the language experience to those who learn. Research Question: How does collaborative learning, using the primary learners as mediators of the language, affect English language instruction in Singapore? Methods The major theme of the implementation strategies will be the establishment of a community of English language learners using a core group of English language institute students as mediators of the language. The use of technology will enhance the project but not be the main focus. In community building, emphasis will be placed on building bridges between and among students of language-learning institution and other schools or groups within the community (Hones, 2000; Parker, 2007; Klein, et al. , 2006). Technology will come into play as computers and the internet will provide the means of uniting persons separated by distance. It will also be used to engage the participation of native speakers of English from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and other English speaking countries of the world. Technology will also be used as a supplement to the activities performed in the language-learning setting (Kamhi-Stein, 2000). The study will therefore take the form of an action research in which the use of existing educational software, games, and activities in English are used within an integrative context. This integrative context will involve the exposure of the language-learning institute students to activities with native speakers, which they will in turn pass on to a group of Singaporeans within a given community—perhaps children or youth group. The types of activities used will include the following †¢ internet word-searches and studies †¢ webquests (Teclahaimanot Lamb, 2004) †¢ on- and offline word-game applications such as Scrabble †¢ watching and discussing movies in English †¢ reading and discussing books in English These will be done together with volunteers from English speaking countries who will be instructed to maintain constant dialogue with the institute student about the activities for the duration of the session. Group chats as well as one-on-one conversations will be used. Later the student will be expected to impart the knowledge gained from the session to members of the community. Activities will be monitored via reports and observation in order to provide the data for the research.

Straw Bale Home Construction

Straw Bale Home Construction Straw bale home construction is a green building method that uses bales of straw as structural support, insulation, or both. Generally, this method of building has numerous advantages over conventional building systems because straw is a renewable source, low cost, easily available, and has a high insulation value. The two forms of straw bale construction are load-bearing (Nebraska style) which uses the bales of straw as structural support and non-load bearing (infill) which uses the bales of straw as insulation between traditional wood framed walls. Non-load bearing straw bale homes is easier to obtain permits and working with building code officials because officials view straw bales as an alternative insulation material, but since the structural elements are familiar, infill straw bale is less intimidating to contractors not already familiar with this type of construction. The construction process for a non-load bearing straw bale home is very similar to a convention home build, a nd it is typically less expensive to build. During the 21st century, society is aware of climate change, more intense storm systems (i.e. hurricane Katrina), and other environmental impacts that could potentially harm mankind. In an effort to combat such impacts, technology is now even more present in the construction industry, and society is beginning to turn towards sustainable resources and green building materials as an alternative to conventional construction. While buildings are our place of residency, employment, and playground that protect us from natures extremes, green building is the practice of creating and using healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition (Green Building, 2009). In the United States, buildings account for 39% of total energy use, 12% of total water consumption, 68% of total electricity consumption, and 38% of carbon dioxide emissions (Why Build Green, 2009). Construction has an impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. By utilizing an alternative more sustainable resources into building construction, buildings will benefit society, the economy, and the environment from minimizing strain on local infrastructure, reducing operating costs while optimizing life-cycle performance, and preserving our natural resources from protecting ecosystems, reducing waste streams, and improving air and water quality (Why Build Green, 2009). Straw bale home construction is an example of a green building method. Straw is a renewable resource, relatively inexpensive, and when put into practical use, extremely energy efficient (Choosing Green Materials and Products, 2009). Straw bale construction uses bales of straw as structural elements, insulation, or both (Straw Bale Construction, 2009). Straw has been used in construction since the early 20th century in many types of buildings because it provides excellent tensile strength, great insulation value, and additional structural integrity. There are some 75+ year-old buildings still inhabited today (Jacoby, 2001). Straw bale home construction started in the Midwestern United States, especially in Nebraska because the grass in plentiful (Straw Bale Construction, 2009). This green building approach has been put into more practical use at the turn of the 21st century. The United States currently wastes 200 million tons of straw each year, and the United States Department of Agriculture indicates that American farmers annually harvest enough straw to build about 4 million, 2,000 square foot homes each year which is roughly 4 times the number of houses currently constructed (Jacoby, 2001). Generally, straw bale construction has numerous advantages over conventional building systems because straw is a renewable resource, eco-fr iendly, strong and durable, completely biodegradable, inexpensive, readily available, and has a high insulation value (Straw Bale Construction, 2009). Currently, there are two forms of straw bale home construction. The most common, load-bearing or Nebraska style, uses the bales of straw as structural support while non-load bearing or infill uses the bales of straw as insulation between traditional posts and beamed framed walls (Hart, 2009). Non-load bearing straw bale construction is more beneficial than conventional home construction because straw bales has a high sound absorption coefficient, high insulating qualities with an average R-values of 42 while an R-value of 19 is considered to be super insulated, and this method of construction can incorporate conventional building methods as well (Jacoby, 2001). However straw bale builders face many drawbacks. The design and construction of the straw bale home requires careful detailing to prevent liquid water infiltration, requires breathable finishes, generally plaster over the straw, requires educating the owner, the builder, permitting officials, and requires close interaction with building code officials in regions that do not currently have codes for straw bale home construction. Financing a straw bale home is rather difficult because banks are less likely to lend because it is an alternative method, unknown conditions exist, or there is a lack of building codes in p lace (Phyers, n.d.). In the recent years, this is rapidly changing, and building code officials are more likely to permit non-load bearing straw homes because the structural system is an independent element, because it utilizes conventional techniques, and it can be engineered according to load requirements and building codes (Jacoby, 2001). Most residential post and beam house framing in North America today is built using stud construction or timber framing, and it could incorporate exposed timber throughout the structure (Post And Beam House: Timber Framing versus Standard Stud Construction, 2008). Non-load bearing straw bale construction uses post and beam framing and/or stud construction as the structural support then uses straw bales to infill as an independent element. This method of construction does not rely on bales to carry any of the building loads other than the weight of the bales themselves (Jacoby, 2001). Figure 1 on the proceeding page is a detail of a non-load bearing house. The drawing depicts a slab-on-grade foundation, size of timber to be used, orientation of the straw bales, and number of straw bale layers needed to reach the height of the ceiling. Non-load bearing straw bale construction is easier obtaining permits and working with building code officials because officials view straw bales as an al ternative insulation material, and since the structural elements are familiar, infill straw bale is less intimidating to contractors not already familiar with this type of construction (Overview of Straw Bale Construction, 2000). The construction process for a non-load bearing straw bale home is relatively simple. This process is not much different than a conventional home build. In a non-load bearing straw bale home build, typically just the perimeter walls are infilled with straw bales, and all structural components must be constructed first. This includes the foundation (this could vary depending on the current building code as noted in the building code section in the proceeding pages), the  stud walls and floor joists are constructed, and finally the roof is installed. Interior walls can be constructed before or after the straw bales are infilled. Some building codes require non-load bearing straw bale structure to install the straw bales in the dry. Simply stated, the straw bales can only be placed once the roof is constructed and finished roofing is installed. Then, the straw bales can then be placed between the structural elements and around all openings including windows and doors. Depending on the ceiling height, there are typically about 7-8 straw bale layers needed to reach the ceiling height. Any remaining interior walls will then be constructed to allow for electrical and plumbing rough-in. Electrical can be installed two different ways, hidden or exposed. If the electrical is to be hidden, conduit is run between the straw bale layers per building code while if the electrical is to be exposed, the conduit is run above the ceiling, in the roof before being exposed down the side of the wall. A cement/lime plaster and stucco is to be applied to the interior and exterior respectively. All windows and doors are installed before the remaining finishes are applied (i.e. drywall, trim, paint). Finish plaster is applied to the interior and exterior before the remaining finish elements are completed. (Overview of Straw Bale Construction, 2000). Straw bales are an inexpensive building material. The material cost for straw bales walls are substantially lower than conventional stud walls. Generally, the cost of a straw bale wall is approximately 1/5 of the total home construction cost opposed to 1/2 of conventional home construction cost (Overview of Straw Bale Construction, 2000). However hired labor is very expensive (Jacoby, 2001). It is especially in the plastering process because it is a technical and time consuming process, but it is recommended to have community helpers or volunteers to assist with the plastering process to reduce labor costs (Overview of Straw Bale Construction, 2000). In comparison to the actual cost of a non-load bearing straw bale home to a conventional home, it depends on the how green the building will be. A straw bale home can be built for as little as $15 a square foot, to a typical range of $43-$73 a square foot, to upwards of $100 a square foot (Phyers, n.d.). In relation to the average home s ize of 2200 square feet, the cost of a straw bale home is $33,000, $94,600-$160,600, and $220,000 respectively. Non-load bearing straw bale homes is typically higher in cost because stud framing does still exist in the exterior to carry the load. Non-load bearing and load-bearing straw bale houses each have individual structural characteristics but while under testing conditions, have similar results. Researchers have been testing straw bales or straw bale structures in comparison to convention homes while under extreme wind conditions (i.e. hurricane), fire rating properties, and during an earthquake. All of these are acceptable tests depending on the region the home is to be built. Straw bales have a unique characteristic. Architects and Engineers have considered straw bales to be a seismic resistant building material (Morrison, 2009). Researching and testing has shown that while induced in gale force winds of up to 75mph, a straw bale structure will have no movement, but when tested in winds of up to 100mph, the structure only moves 1/16 (Morrison, 2009). Furthermore, straw bales are dried straw, 3 times as fire resist as current building material finishes used in conventional homes. Dried straw only contains 8% moisture a nd lack the oxygen needed to ignite a flame (Morrison, 2009). Straw bales act as a shock absorber rather than rigid and breaking. In non-load bearing straw bales structures, the straw rests against the stud construction to absorb the shock of the earthquake. Even more astonishing, a straw bale cabin was built and placed on an earthquake testing machine. The cabin was tested in conditions many people have not experienced. The machine induced an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale (Ecoville Architecs, 2009). Many regions of the United States do not have building codes that apply to green materials or straw bale structures. Many building officials lack the knowledge needed to approve a green building, in particular, straw bale housing. The approval rate in an area with insufficient or no green building codes is 50% among the code officials surveyed (DCAT, 2005). Nevertheless, the Midwest and West Coast contain the most straw bale building codes. Typically these codes are for both load-bearing and non-load bearing straw bale houses while some codes only focus on non-load bearing straw bale walls. The cities that currently have straw bale building codes are: Austin, Texas, multiple cities and counties in the state of California, Cortez, Colorado, parts of Nevada, Tucson, Arizona, parts of Nebraska, and the entire state of Oregon (Skillful Means, 2000). Tucson, Arizona is noted for requiring all straw bale houses to house doubled stem concrete block foundation walls filled with concrete rath er than a slab-on-grade foundation (Phyers, n.d.). Regions that do not currently have straw bale building code like parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania are likely to adopt a code similar to Cortez, Colorado due to the nature and climate of the region, and they will typically require the use of non-load bearing straw bale structures while referring to load-bearing straw bale walls as experimental. Load-bearing straw bale walls are subject to the interpretation of the Uniform Building (Cortez SB Codes, 1997). Non-load bearing straw bale home construction is relatively similar to conventional home construction. Straw bales give owners the opportunity to use a renewable resource, which is eco-friendly, strong and durable, completely biodegradable, inexpensive, readily available, and has a high insulation value on the perimeter of the building (Straw Bale Construction, 2009). This will help reduce energy costs substantially. The overall cost is very similar to a conventional home, but by utilizing an alternative more sustainable resource into home construction, houses will benefit society, the economy, and the environment from minimizing strain on local infrastructure, reducing operating costs while optimizing life-cycle performance, and preserving our natural resources from protecting ecosystems, reducing waste streams, and improving air and water quality (Why Build Green, 2009). Building codes are starting to accept alternative green building methods, and a strong recommendation for a new home builder is to elect to use a non-load bearing straw bale system. The owner will not be disappointed.

Hunting is a Crime, Not a Sport :: English Literature Essays

How many animals will be slaughtered before it is decided too many are dead? Will species die out and fade into obscurity? Isn't it our job to prevent this from occurring? With the large prevalence of hunters in today's world, it is time to define what hunting is. Hunting is not a sport due to the waste of precious animal lives, moral ethics, and its inability to follow the definition of a sport. The dictionary defines a sport as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules and often undertaken competitively"(Dictionary.com). Under this definition, hunting is considered a sport, although this definition seems to be lacking a few main points. When surveyed, many people thought that a sport should be fair to both sides. There should always be a chance for the other team to win, otherwise there would not be a point. Also, a sport should be fun for both sides. If it is not, then the sport stops being recreational. A third addition is the fact that people participate in sports by choice. An animal does not choose to be hunted, it is chosen by the hunter. Therefore, looking at the new definition, it would seem that hunting is no longer a sport: it is unfair to the animal, the animal is definitely not having fun and the animal has absolutely no choice about participating. In previous centuries, First Nations peoples hunted animals throughout Canada. When they killed an animal, they would honour its spirit. This was done because they believed that all creatures, including humans, were equal in life. One of the ways they honoured the animal's spirit was to use every portion of the body. They would use the skin for clothing or shelter, the stomach for cooking, the meat for eating and many other portions for various uses. They would waste nothing, and this practice continued for hundreds of years. It still exists today. Many modern day sport hunters do not follow this ideal. A lot of hunters stuff and mount their kills as trophies, or decorations. This is a waste of the animal. Before the dead animal is stuffed, the taxidermist removes the internal organs and scrapes the skin clean. The waste is then dumped into a garbage bin and disposed of. This is an enormous waste of the animal. While some hunters do eat the animals they kill, and use most of it, the majority do not.

Native Son Essay: Bigger as a Reflection of Society -- Native Son Essa

Bigger as a Reflection of Society in Native Son    In Native Son, Wright employs Naturalistic ideology and imagery, creating the character of Bigger Thomas, who seems to be composed of a mass of disruptive emotions rather than a rational mind joined by a soul. This concept introduces the possibility that racism is not the only message of the novel, that perhaps every person would feel as isolated and alone as Bigger does were he trapped in such a vicious cycle of violence and oppression. Bigger strives to find a place for himself, but the blindness he encounters in those around him and the bleak harshness of the Naturalistic society that Wright presents the reader with close him out as effectively as if they had shut a door in his face. In the first book, Wright tells the reader "these were the rhythms of his life: indifference and violence; periods of abstract brooding and periods of intense desire; moments of silence and moments of anger -- like water ebbing and flowing from the tug of a far-away, invisible force" (p.31). Bigg er is controlled by forces that he cannot tangibly understand. The society seems to bear down upon him like a weight, and only by being nonconformist to all philosophies does Bigger feel that he can throw off that weight of oppression and misunderstanding.    Bigger's many acts of violence are, in effect, a quest for a soul. He desires an identity that is his alone. Both the white and the black communities have robbed him of dignity, identity, and individuality. The human side of the city is closed to him, and for the most part Bigger relates more to the faceless mass of the buildings and the mute body of the city than to another human being. He constantly sums up his feelings of frustration as wan... ...ght's Art of Tragedy. Iowa City: U of Iowa Press, 1986. Kinnamon, Keneth and Michel Fabre, eds. Conversations with Richard Wright. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1993. Kinnamon, Keneth. The Emergence of Richard Wright: A Study Literature and Society. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1973. Kinnamon, Keneth, ed. New Essays on Native Son. New York: Cambridge UP, 1990. Macksey, Richard and Frank E. Moorer, eds. Richard Wright: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. Margolies, Edward. The Art of Richard Wright. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1969. Miller, Eugene E. Voice of a Native Son: The Poetics of Richard Wright. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1990. Rampersad, Arnold, ed. Richard Wright: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.         

Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the Fittest His sweaty palms clutch a few coins. The bus line moves forward. Ticket paid for, a quick glance to the back of the bus. They wait, feeding off his panic and distress as he walks to his seat. Fiona Dove investigates teen bullying. Survival of the fittest has been a notion well accepted by society when applied to animals. The strong and the weak battle it out to determine who will be supreme. Does this theory apply to bully behaviour? If three-quarters of Australian households have at least one person affected by bullying are our children fighting a battle, which will determine how they conduct their lives? The Education of Queensland Child Protection Act defines bullying as â€Å"The abuse of power with the intention of causing distress to other person(s)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bullying is a poisonous weed within society. Research shows that children who bully at a young age have a higher risk of committing felonies as an adult and becoming a criminal. Indeed victims of bullying have experienced psychological damage so severe it lead to suicide. Chanelle Rae was fourth student from Western Height College in Geelong, Victoria to commit suicide in a five-month period. Chanelle was a zealous supporter of the Geelong cats. Her idol Corey Enright a cats team member was pallbearer at her funeral. However on the 17th of July in 2009 Chanelle committed suicide after a brutal cyber bullying attack. [pic] It's natural, so what’s wrong with this Picture? With technology constantly advancing this generation has much more choice in torturous devices than 20 years ago. Mobile phones, Internet physical violence and smear campaigns are all weapons in a bully’s arsenal. With all this at a bully’s disposal victims are in a constant state of trepidation unsure as to which direction the blow will come from. Television programmes preach that only those who fit the stereotype of a â€Å"Nerd† are bullied in society; the reality is that a bully can target anyone. Insecurities, fear and jealousy are the underlying emotions that bullies deal with by intimidating and antagonizing others. As a consequence of young people being herded together for extended periods of time, the instinct to overpower and â€Å"bully† others is natural. As caregivers we should be asking ourselves whether bubble wrapping and shrouding children from the public domain mean that they have insufficiently developed social skills? Are we, ironically, making children revert back to the battle for supremacy? With one in five students having been harassed at school and at least one in three children bullied almost daily, only a fool would say that bullying in schools is a minor problem. â€Å"Bullying will always be a part of school culture,† agrees Alison Heder a school bus driver. To change the bullying culture children need to be told from a very young age that telling a trusted adult, whether it may be a school counsellor or a parent in OK and not â€Å"tattle-telling†. Rather than being sheltering children should be out learning how to behave. Instead of being thrown straight into the sharks at the age of six when school starts, the transition from home to school would be less of an ordeal for children if the basic foundations of good communication were already in place. Queensland Government Department of Education and Training, Code of School Behaviour requires that schools provide a safe and supportive learning environment. When asked about her thoughts on this in regards to the current bullying issues Alison exclaimed â€Å"It’s not the schools fault! Parents need to teach their children acceptable behaviour through example† Studies have shown that with effective communication between the school and home in most cases is able to stop the bully and help the students move forward. On the other hand when the student is too afraid to reach out for help the result can be fatal. On the 15th of February 2010 a young boy encountered a terrible fate. Elliot Fletcher, at just 12 years old was stabbed in the chest. This story was met with shock Australia wide as the reality of bullying in schools was realised. The well-established Catholic school, St. Patrick’s College, recorded 380 absences out of 1100 after the news of Elliot’s passing had spread. The reputation of all Private schools was further tarnished as several more violent attacks were reported. Parents are now questioning how the government is handling the bullying epidemic. Alison Heder concurred that the government’s current handle on the bullying situation is as ineffectual as it is inadequate. Whilst bullying may never be truly eliminated from society the aim of new bullying campaigns is to inform the victims of bullies of the various resources each school has to help them stop the bullying and move on from the traumatic experiences. Hotheaded, savage and ungovernable; dread, panic, terror; from covert and subtle to openly ridiculing. Natural or not, bullying is not something to be pushed away to the sides where it festers and thrives. The culture of society must first change if we are to eradicate this practice. Bibliography Personal Interview †¢ Heder, Alison. 1961. Working. Local School Bus Driver, interviewed 19th February 2010. Newspaper Articles †¢ Tomazin, Farrah. â€Å"3/4 of Australian Households have at least one Person who has been Bullied†, The Age, 20th March 2010. †¢ Ironside, Robyn. Vogler, Sarah. â€Å"Boy, 12, dies after being stabbed at St. Patrick’s College Shorncliffe†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Scott, Edwina. â€Å"Hundreds Gather for Suicide Teen’s Funeral†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Chilcott, Tanya. â€Å"School Bullying Shame: Three Children a Class Bullied Daily†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Ironside, Robyn. Chilcott, Tanya. â€Å"Pupils Struggle with Heartbreak after Boy Stabbed to Death in Brisbane School†, The Herald Sun, 20th March 2010. Websites †¢ Anon. 2000. Code of School Behaviour. http://education. ld. gov. au/studentservices/behaviour/bm-codebehav. html. (Accessed 20th March. 2010) †¢ Anon. 2007. Child Protection Act 1999. http://www. childsaftey. qld. gov. au/legislation/child-protection/child-protection-act-1999. html. (Accessed 20th March. 2010) †¢ Field, Evelyn. 2003. Bully Blocking. www. bullying. com. au/school-bullying/. (Accessed 21st March 2010) ———————– â€Å"Children are terrified to go to the school guidance counsellor because they are afraid that the bully will find out they’ve been tattle-telling,† tells Alison Heder Survival of the Fittest Survival of the Fittest His sweaty palms clutch a few coins. The bus line moves forward. Ticket paid for, a quick glance to the back of the bus. They wait, feeding off his panic and distress as he walks to his seat. Fiona Dove investigates teen bullying. Survival of the fittest has been a notion well accepted by society when applied to animals. The strong and the weak battle it out to determine who will be supreme. Does this theory apply to bully behaviour? If three-quarters of Australian households have at least one person affected by bullying are our children fighting a battle, which will determine how they conduct their lives? The Education of Queensland Child Protection Act defines bullying as â€Å"The abuse of power with the intention of causing distress to other person(s)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bullying is a poisonous weed within society. Research shows that children who bully at a young age have a higher risk of committing felonies as an adult and becoming a criminal. Indeed victims of bullying have experienced psychological damage so severe it lead to suicide. Chanelle Rae was fourth student from Western Height College in Geelong, Victoria to commit suicide in a five-month period. Chanelle was a zealous supporter of the Geelong cats. Her idol Corey Enright a cats team member was pallbearer at her funeral. However on the 17th of July in 2009 Chanelle committed suicide after a brutal cyber bullying attack. [pic] It's natural, so what’s wrong with this Picture? With technology constantly advancing this generation has much more choice in torturous devices than 20 years ago. Mobile phones, Internet physical violence and smear campaigns are all weapons in a bully’s arsenal. With all this at a bully’s disposal victims are in a constant state of trepidation unsure as to which direction the blow will come from. Television programmes preach that only those who fit the stereotype of a â€Å"Nerd† are bullied in society; the reality is that a bully can target anyone. Insecurities, fear and jealousy are the underlying emotions that bullies deal with by intimidating and antagonizing others. As a consequence of young people being herded together for extended periods of time, the instinct to overpower and â€Å"bully† others is natural. As caregivers we should be asking ourselves whether bubble wrapping and shrouding children from the public domain mean that they have insufficiently developed social skills? Are we, ironically, making children revert back to the battle for supremacy? With one in five students having been harassed at school and at least one in three children bullied almost daily, only a fool would say that bullying in schools is a minor problem. â€Å"Bullying will always be a part of school culture,† agrees Alison Heder a school bus driver. To change the bullying culture children need to be told from a very young age that telling a trusted adult, whether it may be a school counsellor or a parent in OK and not â€Å"tattle-telling†. Rather than being sheltering children should be out learning how to behave. Instead of being thrown straight into the sharks at the age of six when school starts, the transition from home to school would be less of an ordeal for children if the basic foundations of good communication were already in place. Queensland Government Department of Education and Training, Code of School Behaviour requires that schools provide a safe and supportive learning environment. When asked about her thoughts on this in regards to the current bullying issues Alison exclaimed â€Å"It’s not the schools fault! Parents need to teach their children acceptable behaviour through example† Studies have shown that with effective communication between the school and home in most cases is able to stop the bully and help the students move forward. On the other hand when the student is too afraid to reach out for help the result can be fatal. On the 15th of February 2010 a young boy encountered a terrible fate. Elliot Fletcher, at just 12 years old was stabbed in the chest. This story was met with shock Australia wide as the reality of bullying in schools was realised. The well-established Catholic school, St. Patrick’s College, recorded 380 absences out of 1100 after the news of Elliot’s passing had spread. The reputation of all Private schools was further tarnished as several more violent attacks were reported. Parents are now questioning how the government is handling the bullying epidemic. Alison Heder concurred that the government’s current handle on the bullying situation is as ineffectual as it is inadequate. Whilst bullying may never be truly eliminated from society the aim of new bullying campaigns is to inform the victims of bullies of the various resources each school has to help them stop the bullying and move on from the traumatic experiences. Hotheaded, savage and ungovernable; dread, panic, terror; from covert and subtle to openly ridiculing. Natural or not, bullying is not something to be pushed away to the sides where it festers and thrives. The culture of society must first change if we are to eradicate this practice. Bibliography Personal Interview †¢ Heder, Alison. 1961. Working. Local School Bus Driver, interviewed 19th February 2010. Newspaper Articles †¢ Tomazin, Farrah. â€Å"3/4 of Australian Households have at least one Person who has been Bullied†, The Age, 20th March 2010. †¢ Ironside, Robyn. Vogler, Sarah. â€Å"Boy, 12, dies after being stabbed at St. Patrick’s College Shorncliffe†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Scott, Edwina. â€Å"Hundreds Gather for Suicide Teen’s Funeral†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Chilcott, Tanya. â€Å"School Bullying Shame: Three Children a Class Bullied Daily†, The Courier Mail, 20th March 2010. †¢ Ironside, Robyn. Chilcott, Tanya. â€Å"Pupils Struggle with Heartbreak after Boy Stabbed to Death in Brisbane School†, The Herald Sun, 20th March 2010. Websites †¢ Anon. 2000. Code of School Behaviour. http://education. ld. gov. au/studentservices/behaviour/bm-codebehav. html. (Accessed 20th March. 2010) †¢ Anon. 2007. Child Protection Act 1999. http://www. childsaftey. qld. gov. au/legislation/child-protection/child-protection-act-1999. html. (Accessed 20th March. 2010) †¢ Field, Evelyn. 2003. Bully Blocking. www. bullying. com. au/school-bullying/. (Accessed 21st March 2010) ———————– â€Å"Children are terrified to go to the school guidance counsellor because they are afraid that the bully will find out they’ve been tattle-telling,† tells Alison Heder

Radiation Heat Transfer Lab

The objective of this laboratory experiment is to investigate the radiation laws (Lambert's Distance, Cosine Law and Stefan-Boltzmann Law) using thermal and optical radiation. This experiment was carried out with the assistance of the Thermal Radiation Apparatus which consists of a heat source (that provides the heat for the verification of the Stefan-Boltzmann Law), a thermopile (that assists in detecting the temperature), a luxmeter (that assists in measuring the luminous intensity for the verification of Lambert's Distance & Cosine Law), absorption plates that detect any radiance incident upon them, a swivelling light source (that assists in provides luminous radiation for the verification of Lambert's Cosine Law) and finally measuring amplifier that detects he amount of irradiance incident upon the measuring plates and provides an electronic output in the form of a reading. Lambert's Distance Law states the as the separation distance between the point source of radiation and the detector plates is increased, the irradiance detected will decrease. This law was proved to be precise since the irradiance and the distance have a negative slope of -1.584 on Figure #1. Lambert's Cosine Law, which constitutes that the radiant intensity, I, of the radiation emitted by a flat source is same from any direction but the irradiance, E, decreases with the increase of cosine of the angle of incidence. This law was also proved to be accurate as it can be seen from Table #2 that as the angle of incidence increased, the irradiance decreased. The Stefan-Boltzmann Law was also verified. It was observed that the irradiance of a blackbody was proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature. The main source error in the lab experiment was that the laboratory room was not completely dark and caused the measuring plates to detect ambient light radiation and giving untrue readings. PROCEDURE The procedure outlaid in the lab manual was followed to precision. The procedure steps were carried out in a safe manner for Lambert's Distance Law, Lambert's Cosine Law and Stefan-Boltzmann Law. [2] RESULTS Lambert's Distance Law: Please refer to Table #1, Figure #1 and Figure #2 in Appendix A – Tables and Figures for the Results of the experiment conducted to observe Lambert's Distance Law. Lambert's Cosine Law: Please refer to Table #2, Table #3, Figure #3 and Figure #4 in Appendix A – Tables and Figures for the Results of the experiment conducted to observe Lambert's Cosine Law. Stefan-Boltzmann Law: Please refer to Table #4, Table #5 and Figure #5 in Appendix A – Tables and Figures for the Results of the experiment conducted to observe Stefan-Boltzmann Law. DISCUSSION Lambert's Distance Law: Theoretically it is believed that Lambert's Distance Law correlates to the fact that the irradiance of the radiation emitted perpendicularly towards a surface from a point source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance separating the illuminated surface and the source. [2] From the experiment it was observed that as the distance between the illuminated surface and the source of radiation increased, the irradiance decreased; as an individual can notice that at a separation distance of 100 mm the irradiance was observed to be 1069 W/m2 and at the separation distance of 800 mm the irradiance reduced to a 126 W/m2. From Figure #1 (Lambert's Distance Law plotted on a Log-Log scale) and Figure #2 (Lambert's Distance Law plotted on a normal scale), it can be discerned that the irradiance diminishes as the separation distance between the source of radiation and the illumination surface increases. Lambert's Cosine Law: Lambert's Cosine Law states that the radiant intensity, I, emitted by a flat source is the same from any direction, however the irradiance, E, decreases with the cosine of the angle of direction. [2] This law essentially dictates that the direction of illuminance is irrelevant since the radiance from the surface at any angle is exactly the same to the human eye; this happens due to the fact that as the angle of direction of the rays increases relative to the normal (0à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ – angle of direction), the area of incidence for the radiation decreases. Another theoretical observation that can be made from the law stated above is that the maximum irradiance will occur at the angle of zero degrees. It can be perceived from Figure #3, in which the relationship between angle and light intensity on blackbody in a radian measure is shown, the blue circles represent the angle from the center of the unit circle that correspond to the respective normalized illuminance value. From Table #2 it can be noted that as the angle of incidence is increased the illuminance decreases; this corroborates Lambert's Cosine Law even further. Stefan-Boltzmann Law: This law situates that the total irradiance of a blackbody radiator is proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature. [1] This can be stated mathematically, as , where ? is the Boltzmann constant with a value of 5.67*10-8 W/m2*K4; although this law applies solely to blackbodies. From Figure #4 it can observed that a linear relationship develops between the temperature and the irradiance, with a positive slope of 2078.1; when the temperature climbs the measuring amplifier detects a higher amount of irradiance. The theoretical irradiance values were calculated, since the only variable parameters in the equation for the irradiance are the temperatures that are detected. From Table #5 it can be discerned that the theoretical values had a percent error of approximately 76% when compared to the experimental values. This is a very high percent error and can be explained by that fact that not all of the radiation emitted by the source reaches the measuring plates and the majority of the radiation is lost to the environment. Errors: The main source error in the lab experiment was confronted during the second part of the lab; during which the Cosine Law was being detected. This room needs to be completely dark and only the radiance from the source must reach the measuring plates so as to provide the most accurate results. This was not achieved as the room was not completely dark and ambient radiation was allowed to be incident upon the measuring plates causing an error. Experimental errors were caused due to the measuring ruler for the distances of separation and the error in the readings for the irradiance. Another source of error may be that all sources of radiance during the lab experiment were assumed to be point sources; this is untrue as radiance was incident upon the measuring plates from reflection off the surfaces present in the laboratory room. CONCLUSION From the laboratory experiment conducted the Lambert's Distance Law was proved to be true as it was observed that an inversely proportional relationship developed between the distance and the irradiance detected by the measuring amplifier. Similarly, the Cosine Law was also proved to be correct, as an inversely proportional relationship was also detected between the angle of incidence and the illuminance measured. The last law to be confirmed was the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, which was observed when the total irradiance of the blackbody radiator was proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature. Overall a firm understanding of Lambert's Distance & Cosine Laws and Stefan-Boltzmann Law and radiation transfer were gained.

The Buyer is Boss

Millie and Liza have been friends for the longest time. Some months ago they decided to share an apartment, and that is how they found the two-bedroom unit they are currently renting. Asked what their first major buy was after the move, they chorused that they just both got laptops. Both of them had desktops, Millie even has a superior type which helps in her work as a graphics designer. Liza, a writer, had an old desktop which sufficed for word publishing and internet access.However, they stressed they needed the laptops because â€Å"the apartment is small, there is no room for two desktops,† justifying that they needed the gadgets and did not just want them. However, they had different ideals for a laptop they have in mind. Millie, being a graphic designer, needed a high-end mobile computer which will be superior in memory and speed—and the bigger the monitor, the better. Liza, on the other hand, was more conscious about the price. She wanted a laptop that will work just like her old desktop, and she has set a budget to stick strictly on.Friends have warned them that laptops will cost more than powerful desktops do, but the need for space was of primacy. They went on to research and window shopping. Through Yahoo Answers, a web service where people can connect to each other for questions and answers about almost anything, they found the best suggestions: computer stores in the area and eBay. While the computer stores option gave competitive prices and models, the two girls agreed they will get cheaper units from eBay. They checked the site for a couple of weeks using a single user account, and finally found the laptops.It was Liza who found hers first. It was an mid-model Compaq Presario 1400 which was â€Å"released in 2002 according to my research. † Apparently, Liza was researching each of the product she saw and took note of which will give her the best computer with what little money she has. Millie got hers, a second-hand MacBook, about a month after, and she too went through the research ordeal. They asserted that shopping in eBay will require lots of patience, research, and inquisitiveness, else one might end up â€Å"with a D-class item†.Luckily, their finds were both A classes. Both Liza and Millie were contented with their laptops, but they now agree with their friends that â€Å"it is costlier to live with a laptop†¦ we have to buy mice to avoid overusing the trackpads, and soon we might need a [laptop] cooler, and I noticed that my laptop hangs more often than my old desktop,† says Liza. But given a choice to spend their money on some other things, Millie declined. â€Å"With these space-saving gizmos, nothing else will be better. † AnalysisAllen (2003) describes the five processes in a buyer’s purchase decision making: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchse behavior. Looking at the buying process that tr anspired between Liza and Millie, it is obvious that they both went through the whole process. They realized the need to get laptops, gathered information, selected the best offers, bought the items, and came up with the feedback. Both of them had criteria for the laptops they want—recommendations, function (save space), and usage.However, Millie focused on quality and performance because of the demands of her job, while Liza was more concerned about her budget. All these are part of their awareness, then follows the search for information. Rohan (nd) asserts that information search may be internal (based on knowledge and past experience) or external. Millie and Liza resorted to external sources. There are four types of external sources: personal (family and friends), commercial (advertisements), public (news and bulletins), and experiential (tried product). (Buying Decision Process, 2006) In the case, a mixture of personal and commercial were utilized.Because the criteria fo r the laptops are clear, the process was easy for the two. They were able to sort out the purchase decision process of where, when, and if to buy, after which they came up with the concluding feedback that they were satisfied with their purchases. In some instances, parts of the buyer decision process may be skipped or reversed. This is determined by high-involvement or low-involvement. High-involvement purchases are those that require investment as they are costlier and have serious effects to its buyers (e. g.appliances, jewelry) while the low-involvement purchases are simple things that can be bought (e. g. bread, milk, burger). (Buying Decision Process, 2006) Brooks (1999) ratifies this by saying that the buyer decision process is highly situational and involvement level-dependent. Furthermore, he states that involvement may be influenced by economic, psychological, performance risk, and decision novelty factors. This theory is highly visible in the case. Millie and Liza had hig h-involvement purchases to make, and the factors played a major role.Economically, Liza was more conscious than Millie, but it is the other way around with regard to the product’s performance risk, though psychologically and in relation to decision novelty the two were consistent. The buyer decision process happens everyday to everybody. All buying processes require a person to go through at least two or three steps in the process, which may lead to a sale or not. When applied theoretically, the buyer decision process is a good tool for consumers to choose their wares, and for merchants to know how to target their consumers. For Millie, Liza, and their sellers, it definitely worked.