Friday, May 31, 2019

Trepanation, Spirituality and Loneliness :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The search for a higher level of consciousness is one that seems to be as old as consciousness itself. Practices such as the ritualistic or religious consumption of peyote, ayahuasca, psilocybe mushrooms or other such naturally-occuring hallucinogenic drugs, self-deprivation and recondite meditation are just a few of the countless ways in which mankind has sought to expand the limits of human experience these practices are stock-still a mainstay in many modern countercultures. They are to a fault very well-known and documented practices. There exists, however, a radical surgical procedure, as old as the aforementioned practices provided far less notorious in the general public, which purports to result in the same sort of enlightenment trepanation, also known as trephination.(Be prepared likely, the primary reason that trepanation has not received so much attention from popular culture is that it is far more thorough than the other methods mentioned above.) What is trepanation? S trictly speaking, it is the practice of drilling, scraping or in any other way creating a small hole in the skull down to, but not through, the dura mater, or the thick, tough membrane that contains the brain. Archeological evidence tells us that it was performed by ancient cultures on every continent the oldest trepanned skulls that have shortly been found date as far back as 3000 B.C (approximately). In almost all cases, the evidence points to the trepanation having been performed with skill and a great deal of preciseness - it was clearly a procedure that had ritualistic import. (1)What purpose could this operation possibly serve? In early documented incarnations, trepanation existed as a cure for psychical illness - it was believed that mental illnesses were the result of demons living within the skull, and thus a hole was made in the skull through which these demons could escape. The more modern perspective on trepanation as a means of expanding consciousness was started in by Bart Hughes when his text The Mechanism of Brainbloodvolume (BBV) was published in 1962. (1) Bart Hughes theory can be summed up as follows ...as we mature and age our skulls harden, restricting blood flow to the capillaries of the brain....children, especially babies with their soft spot, had a clearer outlook on the world because their brains were thaw to receive more cerebral blood volume than...our adult brains with hermetically-sealed skulls. (1) There are many ways to increase brainbloodvolume (the self-explanatory term coined by Hughes, future tense referred to as BBV) temporarily, such as standing on ones head, quickly moving from a hot to a cold bath, or the consumption of psychedelic drugs however, match to Hughes trepanation is the only way to increase BBV permanently.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Physics in Video Games :: physics video game computer

There are a few different physical science engines that syllabusmers use now for their games. There are 2 main physics engines that programmers use Havok, and Math Engine. A physical science Engine is the code that game companies debauch or Build to put in their code. The code is already written and they just have to implement the code in their program. The thing about Physics in television games is that none of it has to be realistic. Most of the physics in older games arent close to being realistic for there were way too umpteen equations the program would have to solve and it would slow it down. There are arguments that go on that unrealistic games are to a greater extent fun, or realistic games are more fun. Video Games have been around for over thirty years now. A lot have changed in the way programs work. When they first came out Video Games werent that goodly because the hardware couldnt support it. Now the possibilities are almost endless. Games have changed so much . From Games like Asteroids that was made in 1979. With Asteroids being only a small program with some computations going on. To current games like Half-life 2. With so many physics computations going on. They try to make this game the most realistic game. emerge there. The current trend in video games is to make them more and more realistic. The more realistic they make the game.The more equations the program has to do, so the program is a lot bigger and needs a lot more power to do everything the game wants.There is a lot of lines of code in video games. There are teams of people who work on games now.Here is some example of how code is implemented into programs to make it look like you are jumping. I got this example from the web site http//www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article694.aspthis is pseudo-code that can be used for if you were having the character in the game jump straight up. Joe.postion.y = 0 (Or wherever offend is)Joe.velocity.y = 0Joe.acceleration = 10Joe.jump ing = NOLoop If (jump key is pressed) Joe.velocity.y = 100 Joe.jumping = YES if (Joe.jumping == YES) /* Move Joe if we are jumping */ Joe.velocity.y = Joe.velocity.y - Joe.acceleration Joe.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte :: Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte Essays

Wuthering Heights by Emily BronteIn chapter nine, we are introduced to the issues surrounding differentideas of savor through with(predicate) Catherines dilemma. The author uses a varietyof imagery and ideas to separate superficial love from true love.We are shown that her love for Edgar, a gentleman residing in theestate of Thrushcross Grange, is thence superficial. Catherine tellsNelly that she has just accepted Edgars proposal, yet she does notseem satisfied with her choiceI accepted him, Nelly be quick, and say whether I was wrong Saywhether I should have done so - doThis immediately implies that she is not confident of her ownjudgement - she seeks assurance and comfort that her choice was thecorrect one by pleading to Nelly, her servant. This is extremely odd,as the majority of people would not commit themselves to lifetimerelationships without being sure that it is the right choice to do so.We are shown that the occasion behind her doubt is that her love forEdgar is plainly superficial. Nelly excessively understands this, and asksCatherine, bluntly, if she loves him. She replies firmlyWho can help it? Of course I do.I believe that her manner in responding to this indecision completelycontradicts the words which that she actually speaks. She replies in avery matter-of-fact tone, which suggests that her reasoning behindher love should be visible and obvious to all. She suggests that nowoman could balk him, which, combined with the previous point,implies that he is desirable due to his outward appearance and status- he is marriage material. Hence, Catherine has shown us that herlove for Edgar is the same love that any woman would feel for him,which is not true love it is merely attraction. She furthers this bydeclaring that she does not want to be a beggar, which she believeswould be the publication of marrying Heathcliff.I also believe that Catherine is trying to convince herself of herlove for Edgar. This was shown earlier by her asking Nelly forre assurance, but it is shown further when Nelly asks her why she lovesEdgarI love the groundwork under his feet, and the air over his head, andeverything he touches, and every word he says - I love all his looks,and all his actions, and him entirely, and altogether. There nowThis response also puzzled me - it has been worded in a veryimpersonal fashion. She uses dry, unlovable vocabulary in herdescription, such as ground, feet and air. It is a list ofclichs, and sort of of giving the intended outcome of proving her

Stephen Hawking :: essays research papers

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. His father, Frank, was a specialist in tropical medicine, his profession of hug drug kept him away from home and family. Hawkings mother, Isabelle, was a very politically active person, which kept her away from home too. as yet though his parents were gone a lot, they had a big influence on his life. Hawking always wanted to study mathematics and physics, but his Dad express that mathematics did not have many job opportunities. He ended up majoring in physics and chemistry. Another reason he did not communicate mathematics was because it was not available at Oxford University, his local college. When he was growing up, he was a self-learner. His friends did not know how smart he was until his second grade of college. He and his friends were assigned thirteen honors questions in the area of electricity and magnetism. It took his friends, Derek, Gordan, and Richard, a week to complete two and a half of the problems. Hawking did the first ten in iii hours, he did not complete the others because he said he did not have enough time. Once, in college, he fell crush a flight of stairs. After he fell down, he could not remember anything, gradually he began remembering, until he remembered it all, which took all of two hours. Stephen Hawking have from Oxford University at the age of twenty in 1962. He then took a trip to Prussia with a friend. During the visit, he became ill. Upon returning to England, he had a series of tests to severalise his health problem. He moved to Cambridge to attend graduate school, which is where he learned that he had Lou Gehrigs disease. This disease destroys the voluntary muscles, making normal tasks become impossible, much(prenominal) as walking and eating. Doctors predicted that he had to and a half years to live. He became depressed at stopped working and going to school. During this time, he met his future wife, Jane Wilde. They had three children Robert (1967), Lucy (1970), and Timothy (1979). Meeting Jane, lifted Hawkings spirits so much that he disregarded his illness, returned to work and school. He did research at Caisus College and analyze theoretical physics. He did this partly because he found elementary particles unattractive and he wanted to study with Fred Hoyle, who was a British astronomer and also a science fiction novelist.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

humor race and misunderstanding Essay -- essays research papers

Humor, Race and MisunderstandingComedy is simply a funny path of being serious.Peter UstinovIn On Being Crazy, DuBois defines crazy as behavior based on illogical perceptions. Both the narrator and journeyer agree that the wayfarer walking in the mud and becoming muddy rather than walk along side a dirty common racoon who is foray is crazy. DuBois illustrates that society prefers to cut off its nose to spite its face instead of fixing the nose. Twain builds much of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the same manner. His commentary regarding the social outrage is buried within the storys humor. While it isnt readily available on the surface, if one is so inclined to look, it can be soft found. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain satirizes the idiocy and cruelty of society in general. The language of the book, despite its accurate reflection of 19th century dialect, in and of itself is an illustration of misunderstanding. Nigger. Although it has acquired superfluous c onnotations in todays society, at base, it still evokes an intense emotional and psychological response. Even now, in print or in speech, the word nigger causes one to cringe. Today, no one would tolerate being referred to as a nigger let alone called a nigger to their face. However, Jim and every other black, stark or slave, endured that insult daily because it was a part of the social fabric. Even those with good intentions used nigger as a utility word to desc...

humor race and misunderstanding Essay -- essays research papers

Humor, Race and MisunderstandingComedy is simply a funny way of being serious.Peter UstinovIn On Being half-baked, DuBois defines crazy as behavior based on illogical perceptions. Both the narrator and wayfarer agree that the wayfarer walking in the mud and becoming muddy rather than walk along side a dirty nigger who is clean is crazy. DuBois illustrates that society prefers to cut off its nose to spite its fount instead of fixing the nose. Twain builds much of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the same manner. His commentary regarding the accessible injustice is buried within the storys humor. While it isnt readily available on the surface, if one is so inclined to look, it can be easily found. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain satirizes the idiocy and cruelty of society in general. The language of the book, despite its accurate reflection of 19th century dialect, in and of itself is an illustration of misunderstanding. Nigger. Although it has acquired additiona l connotations in todays society, at base, it still evokes an zealous emotional and psychological response. Even now, in print or in speech, the word nigger causes one to cringe. Today, no one would tolerate being referred to as a nigger let alone called a nigger to their face. However, Jim and every other black, free or slave, endured that insult daily because it was a part of the social fabric. Even those with good intentions used nigger as a utility word to desc...

Monday, May 27, 2019

I Love Yous Are for White People Essay

In the book I Love Yous Are for White People Lacs quest for acceptance takes him through an brutal journey to acquire self wonder and acceptance. The author Lac Su navigates through his childhood and adolescence seeking an extraordinary desire for bang, acceptance and functioning he has been deprived from by his family. During his journey, Lac attempts to gain acceptance by friends and family, no matter what the consequences be. Lac Sus upbringing was with erupt much love and nurturing. His father was abusive, physically and mentally.For seemingly menial issues Lac would get a beating, one of those examples would be when he would get homework answers wrong. His father would cinch anything that he could get his hands on to beat him. Lac stated that his father would grab the plastic rod from the mini blinds, a spatula, a rice bowl, a fishing rod, my notebook, a radio antenna, a wooden yard stick, and a burbot handle before settling on an extension cord as his weapon of choice. (p62). Lac clearly was beaten often his home life did not entangle any love, rather physical assaults and degradation. The impact of the blows grow dull and impersonal I feel less of each new layer he adds to the wounds. (113) out-of-pocket to the horrid amount of beatings Lac Su would have to endure, he created a surreal world when it came to his home life. He learned to cope with the pain and impersonalize it in order for him to aim it through the mental and physical abuses. Lac really had no other way to cope with the abuse besides impersonalizing it. He disassociated himself from his pain both physically and internally ascribable to the psychological absence from his family.Being a human being and needing some sort of approval, he sought subsequently the love and attention he desperately craved for outside of his home. Outside of his home, Lac was able-bodied to exercise his other faculties which eventually made him feel more human, more loved and genuine.. He compensat e the lack of feeling numb therefore, he took the necessary consequences to feel more alive. Trying to gain a friend was one way to fulfill Lacs need for acceptance and love. Lacs desperate desire for a friend had him take drastic measures such as stealing.He would steal money from his parents shote bank even though he knew that they were financially struggling. He was isolated from his family and the real world therefore, he attempted to buy his way into a blood I think Im almost there. Last week, Javi brought me over to his house to show me his basketball card collection. His mother even made me a bean burrito and homemade horchata. Im also hanging out with him at school every day. Javi lets me cut in line at lunch, and he always picks me to be on his team when we play socco and his team always wins.After a long cold winter of solitude it feels identical things are warming up it feels like I belong. (108) The acceptance of Lac from Javi gave Lac a sentiency of belonging. H e felt belonging when he would be picked by Javi to be on his team and also due to Javi hanging out with Lac at school. Before Javi, Lac had no friends at all to hang out with, he felt like a looser. Javi provided Lac with his friendship however, this came at a price. Lac could care less. When I have money, were playing Spy Hunter. I dont principal because Javis reliance on my money gives the impression that were tight. (94) The sense of belonging even if it pertained to Lacs money was much more than the lack of love and enjoy Lac was receiving at home. To Lac the entirely important thing was gaining a friend who somehow portrayed a sense love and belonging. In this case, Javi would hang out with Lac at school, take Lac to his house, pick him to be on his team all in return for Lacs funding of his games. Lac also made friends with a boy whose way name is Frog. Frogs older brothers are in a gang called the Kingsley Street Gang.The Kingsley Street Gang intimidates Lac however, thei r acknowledgement of Lac makes him feel accepted. Despite my insecurity, nothing bad ever happens to me when Im around them, except for the occasional racist jokes aimed in my direction. But even the teasing makes me feel accepted. (85) Lacs insecurities came from not being able to adapt with the American norms. His family did not help him to adapt kinda, they made him feel isolated by not being there for him. His father did not underpin Lac which caused Lac to have to deal with his insecurities on his own. Lac knows that the Kingsley Street Gang boys are intimidating for numerous reasons.Their tattoos, their macho ttitude and outfits however, even being around these people does not go against Lac to be friends with them due to their acknowledgement of Lac. Since Lac was unable to get the acceptance of his father, he finds a substitute in the Kingsley Street Boys. Their acknowledgement gives Lac a sense of acceptance, love and fulfills some of his desires. The reason he also lik es hanging out with the Kingsley Street Gang is because of some form of protection Lac is trying to have. The Kingsley Street Gang is consisted of boys who olfactory perception tough and act as if they are not scared of anything they somewhat resemble Lacs father.Lac could be seeking protection from these boys in the gang due to the physical and mental abuse he has to go through on a daily bases. In some ways these boys gave Lac the opportunity to feel accepted however, Lac was never able to open up to these boys and have a close relationship with them. This was because they did not have many commonalities culturally. They did not understand where Lac was coming from, instead of being there for him they would make racist jokes due to not understanding what Lac was really going through. I cant believe it Dragon oral sex is actually talking to me.He is approaching me because of the one thing Ive never done in publicspeak Vietnamese. (139) Dragon boss is a leader of a gang called t he Street Ratz. Lac immediately bonded with Dragon Head due to their resemblingities. They both are Vietnamese, speak the language and have the same background. It was only natural that Lac would try to be a part of the Street Ratz due to the commonalities he had with them and for the acceptance he desperately was searching for. The Street Ratz have treated me like family, even though Im not a member of their graffiti gang. Its comforting to have peers with the same interests. (156)The Street Ratz mum where Lac was coming from culturally therefore, the way they interacted with Lac was more common to Lac and this made him fit in. In some ways they knew what his family life was like and they too sought after love and acceptance, and the way they found it was by from forming a gang and being there for each other. Due to their commonalities the bond Lac shared with boys especially with Dragon Head was very strong. I dont even know where to begin telling Dragon Head what keeps me up a t night. But I sense he understands me anyways. (162)Both Dragon Head and Lac understood each other clearly, no words needed to be said. They both were going through similar issues. Through the Street Ratz Lac was able to escape his physical and mental abuse. He felt like that for once he truly fits in and that others understand where he is coming from. This also came at a price, the Street Ratz had bad reputations. For the acceptance, Lac was battling between being a part of the gang or doing the right thing and acquiring out. He was unable to escape from the love and acceptances the Street Ratz were providing him with.This was the reason Lac was involved in a few vile crimes which he was unable to get out of due to his unrestrained connection and acceptance from the Street Ratz. Not only did Lac try to seek acceptance outside of his home but also, he act to be accepted by his father. The real poverty is inside my house where I go to bed hungry most nights, where Im edacious fo r affection, and where my fathers unpredictable anger has us walking on eggshells. (81) The lack of affection from Lacs father was making Lac crave it even more.He needed the assurance of his father, the love and affection from him however, he never got it. Instead he would get beatings due to his fathers unstable stage of mind and his unawareness on how to be a father. I dont know quite what being smart is in his eyes, but I necessity to be that for him. (62) Lac clearly tried to be exactly what his father wanted him to be. Being abused by his father clearly had nothing to do with what Lac was doing. He tried to be a good boy, he tried because he wanted to fulfill the emptiness he was feeling due to the lack of emotional connection he had with his father.Lacs fathers physical and mental abuse was the root cause of Lacs low self esteem and for his desire to belong and to be accepted by others. If Lac would have received the affection he deserved as a child, his intense journey to acquire self love and acceptance would not have led him to befriend people who were bad influences in his life. Lac would have thrived in school and in life without having to make abominable mistakes. Like many abused children, Lac Su may live his life always trying to please others for acceptance and love which he was lacking in his childhood.

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Hate Crime in America Essay

A nauseate Crime is an intentional, deliberate, and methodically-charged crime executed in order to cause harm or damage with visualize to a specific victim chosen as a result of prejudice, racism, bias, and unconventional resentment. The range of Hate Crimes is a broad one. The paper pass on inform readers of different types of abhor crimes and behaviors of abhor crime. From that paper, readers will learn what hate crime, the history of hate crime is and what makes hate crime different from other crimes. The topic will continue with the causes and char molderistic of hate crimes informing readers of the popular hate crimes, their victims, and perpetrators.As the paper progress, the paper will inform readers research on what motivates batch to excite hate crimes such as people sexually preference, race or their religion. The topic will also touch on common ship canal of committing hate crimes and who is k right awayn for committing those different hate crimes. The paper wou ld also provide research information on ways to address hate crime. Victims of hate crimes now dedicate laws to protect them from peoples cruel intentions. These laws help protect the rights of people who is victimize because of their religion, race, sexual orientation, handicap, ethnicity, or national origin.Offenses incite by crime against a victim based on their religion, sex orientation, race, handicapped, ethnicity, or national origin is considered a hate crime, this issue has risen up on the policy-making charts however, the phenomenon is hardly new. Hate crimes was largely inspired by United States religious and racial bias (Phillips, 2009). Hates crimes go as far back as the earlier 16th and 17th century when Native Americans were the target of intimidation and violence. (Phillips, 2009). The number of hate crimes committed in the US seems small when compargond to other crimes that are committed, simply the crime can become much violent than other crimes (Wessler, 200 1).When hate crimes are committed, it is not to just victimize that certain person but the assemblage of people that victim represents. This then causes chaos and hatred to spread through the community like a virus. Unlike other crimes hate crimes causes retaliation and whitethorn be the cause of series of deaths to occur through a community very rapidly. Wessler (2001) says that young people nighly commit hate crimes and their victims endure more physical and psychological harm than victims of other crimes do. Victimsshould not have to deal with hate crimes alone communities and others should definitely speak out when others are being take down to others because of their religion, race, gender or sexual preference.According to Wessler (2001) Everyday eight blacks, three whites, three cheerfuls, three Jews, and one Latino become hate crime victims. Hate crimes is motivated by many different reasons, however race and religion inspire most hate crime that is committed in the Unite s States (Wessler, 2001). When this bias act motivates this unlawful act, it targets forty percent of blacks and 13 percent are anti white. (Wessler, 2001). This bias act has been a rife in American history since the early(a) 1800s. The new face of hate crime that has out number other hate crimes in the 20 century would be the attack against the Asian American and the homosexuals, fit the FBI statistics (Wessler, 2001). Hate crimes is a human condition that is taught and has a host of factors that created a climate in which people , motivated by their biases, take illegal action (1999 Hate Crimes Laws, Anti-Defamation League,, 1999).According to 1999 Hate Crimes Laws, Anti-Defamation League, (1999), such factors include poor or uncertain economic conditions, racial stereo types, in films and on boob tube. As early in the paper, it stated that most hate crime is committed because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Race is the leading cause for hate crimes to be comm itted. African Americans who constitute the single largest minority group are more likely to be victims of hate crimes than to be a perpetrator of hate crime. In 1995, thither were 8,000 hate crimes reports and nearly 3,000 were motivated by bias against African Americans (Early Warning, Timely Response, Us Department of Education,). The other victims comprise of Jews, Asian Americans and Muslims. Attacks upon gays and lesbians are becoming more violent and the number of attacks against this group is increasing.The Early Warning, Timely Response, Us Department of Education informs that there were 29 gay related murders. Most of the murders were accompanied hideous violence including mutilation. The brutality of these attacks can be conveyed by describing the weapons involve. There are a range weapons used to commit these violent acts such as, bottles, bricks, and rocks, followed by bats, clubs and blunt objects. Violence against gays and lesbians were so brutal, communities and mos t members of minorities thatwere already subject in discriminations often demonized them. This often left gay and lesbians facial expression isolated and vulnerable because of the difficult relationship with their communities and the police department. Religion is also a face that motivates hate crime.Every week there is a cross-burned according to Wessler (2001). At St, John Baptist church building a historic black church founded in 1765 has been a target of attacks committed by a group of whites which most of the duration belong in a vicious hate group called the Ku Klux Klan. Groups like the KKK had such a negative impact on the society that they influenced 85 percent of the hate crime committed by single civilians and the other 15 percent they were directly responsible for committing those bias unlawful acts against others.Phillips (2009) Hate groups have so much power that they can spawn violence even not being present during the time that the crime was committed Phillips (20 09). St John Baptist Church was just one of at least 73 other churches that suffer vandalism and suspicious fires from hate groups Phillips (2009). Most hate crimes committed against African American churches was victimizing during the 1800s and early 1900s during the period of slavery. Hate crimes are committed for different reasons and can occur anywhere and anytime. The important thing is catching these hateful acts as in short as they are committed, starting with hateful jokes and comments.Every Hour a hate crime is committed Wessler (2001). Phillips (2009) says that every one hate crime that is report there are nine other hate crimes that go UN reported. Victims have a myriad of reasons why they do not report when they are a victim of hate crime. Some homosexual may not be ready to come out the closet fearing ruining relationships with co-workers family and friends. Some victims have circumstantial confidence that the authorities will not help them receive justice from there p erpetuators. For hate crimes that is reported political leaders, law enforcement agencies state and federal agencies and general interest groups are working together to track down the origin of the bias acts committed Wessler (2001).If ever a victim of hate crime there is laws to protect people from people bias unlawful acts. A victim should first contact their local police or speak with someone at a higher level to inform them of the perpetrators cruel intentions Wessler (2001). When hate crimes are committed, their perpetrators face punishmentsuch as fines to their victims and jail time depending on how severe the crime is Wessler (2001). The Good news of all of this is that as a nation it is more people fighting against hate crimes Wessler (2001). People are speaking out more when bias acts flares up in their present.If ever been physically attacked, threatened with physical harm or discriminated against because of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic background, gende r, sexual orientation, or disability is a victim of hate crime. Hate crime existing since the early 1800s now have laws to protect people from bias unlawful acts committed against them. Although America still filled of hatred, with the help of the government, law enforcements, nonprofit groups against hate crime and good people, can help slow down the motivated bias acts.References1)Early Warning, Timely Response, Us Department of Education. (). Retrieved from http//www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/earlywrn.html 2)1999 Hate crimes Laws, Anti-Defamation League,. (1999). Retrieved from http//www.adl.org/frames/front_99hatecrime.html 3)Wessler, S. (2001). Addressing Hate Crimes. Six Initiatives That Are Enhancing the Efforts of Criminal Justice Practitioners. Hate Crimes Series. Bureau of Justice Assistance Monograph, 4)Phillips, N. D. (2009). The pursuance of hate crimes. The Limitations of the Hate Crime Typology,

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Coca Cola, Pepsi Essay

This paper will examine Coca-cola and PepsiCo financial proportionalitys and profit for the year 2007 and 2008 using the liquidity measurement ratio, profit fitness indicators ratio, debt Ratio, Operating performance ratio, exchange f emit ratio, and investment valuation ratio. It will explain both companys liabilities, and a a couple of(prenominal) personal opinions that could better both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo profits and stock upholders investment. It will also discuss what non-financial criteria the company could consider when choosing between these two investment options. development the current ratio, discuss what conclusions you can make about each companys ability to pay current liabilities (debt). Financial ratios argon used to examine the financial condition of a firm to that of similar firms for the purposes of building interests for shareholders, building the confidence of creditors, and for fostering competence among the firms own management. Liquidity ratios meas ure out a firms ability to satisfy its short-term obligations as they come due.An important form of liquidity ratio is the current ratio, and it gives a popular picture of the companys financial health as it reflects the efficiency of the company to convert its products into liquid assets. A high current ratio implies the great capability of a company to allocate its current finances into paying its current liabilities. The acceptable current ratio pry for most industrial firms is 1. 5, trance a value of 2. 0 indicates that a company has twice as many assets as its liabilities. A ratio under 1. 0 expresses the persistent inability of a company to meet its current liabilities.Albeit it shows a business general financial strength, this ratio is not a direct indicator of a companys tendency into bankruptcy (Smart & Megginson, 2009). In the case of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. , the calculated current ratios based on a published formula shows that the PepsiCo, Inc. has increased its value from 1. 23 in 2008 to 1. 44 in 2009, while Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. has also managed to increase its ratio from 0. 90 in 2008 to 1. 13 in 2009. There was a higher(prenominal) point of increase for the current ratio of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. s compared to PepsiCo, Inc. 26% and 17%, respectively.The consistently high values of current ratio for PepsiCo, Inc. for 2008 and 2009 shows the greater capability of the company to settle needinesses due to its current liabilities. PepsiCo, Inc. s current liabilities for 2008-2009 remain almost constant, while its current assets increased by as much as 14%. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Enterprises performance in 2008, where its current liabilities were greater than its current assets, placed weight into its financial stability for the 2009 year.Its increase for current assets and a slight degree of settle in the current liabilities was not sufficient to put the company at par with its competitor in terms of company li quidity for the two-year bound (Current Ratio Definition, 2010 Coca-Cola & PepsiCo yearly report 2009). The efficiency of a firms utilization and management of resources and how well these assets are converted into profit and shareholder value is measured by Profitability Ratios. Among the crucial computer sciences include Return on Assets and Return on Equity.To ensure the survivability of a company, as well as the benefits have by its shareholders, the profitability of a company should be sustained. The return on assets ratio measures the overall effectiveness of management in utilizing its assets to generate returns (Smart & Megginson, 2009 & Loth 2010). For Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. , the higher Return On Assets of the former, 136% for a completion of two years, implies the greater efficiency of the company in converting its assets into cash. PepsiCo, Inc. btained a 10% increase in total assets from 2008-2009, a two-fold increase compared to that of Coca -Cola Enterprises, Inc. In terms of net income, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. had a higher decrease in value from 2008 to 2009, approximately a 0. 74% deviation compared to PepsiCo, Inc. s 0. 04%. term Cola-Cola Enterprises Inc. s net income did not significantly increase, it has maintained its utilization of real resources such that minimal cash-outs were necessary for the operation of the company for the two-year period, thus devising the company more profitable than its competitor.To measure the returns earned on the common stockholders investments in a company, the Return on Equity ratio is obtained. It is computed by dividing the displace Income by the Average Shareholders Equity for a certain period. The ratio is expressed in percentage, and a higher value indicates a higher capability of a firm to use its base fairness to bring home the bacon better returns to its investors (Coca-Cola & Pepsi yearly report 2009). The Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. manifest a higher percenta ge of Return on equity compared to its competitor for the two-year period of 2008-2009.The companys $31 million dollar total shareowners deficit in 2008 rendered a low average shareowners equity for the two-year period, thus causing the Return of Equity to remain high. Analyzing Return of Assets and Return of Equity values for both companies suggest that, pull down after interest payments were given to creditors and dividend payments were made to preferred stockholders, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. managed to maintain its profitability in a quantitatively higher degree compared to its competitor.It could be concluded that Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. s better in terms of earnings performance regardless of the source of finances, which will be taken into consideration in the next discussion (Coca-Cola annual report 2009). In addition to liquidity and profitability, it is also important to note a firms level of debt to assess the extent of supplement that a company is using. Since asset s come from two broad sources, it is vital to measure the degree to which a company uses money from creditors rather than shareholders to finance its operations (Smart & Megginson, 2009).For the two-year period under consideration, the Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. obtained an average of 97% debt ratio compared to PepsiCo Inc. s 67%, putting their company in a stronger equity position. This translates to a high degree of leverage that the Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is utilizing for gaining profit, financing all of its assets with debt. The higher amount of total assets, concomitant with a diminished value for total liabilities in 2009 gave PepsiCo, Inc. an apparent advantage over Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. n terms of risks and expected returns on the firms securities during the period under consideration. However, the debt ratio does not strictly define the companys debt situation. Operational liabilities are also covered in this ratio, including accounts and taxes payable, which are s trictly not regarded as a form of leverage . Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is still able to generate returns above their be of capital. However, possessing debt imperils a firm when revenues plummet and the company is not able to gain profit above the cost of its capital.Operating performance ratios measure how well a firm converts assets into cash as well as the rate at which the form converts various accounts into sales or cash. A form of Operating operation Ratio is the Fixed Assets Turnover or FATR ratio. This ratio roughly measures the efficiency of a companys fixed assets, property, plant, and equipment, with respect to generating sales. Fixed assets turnover ratios for Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. do not significantly differ from each other over the period under consideration, 3. 8 and 3. 6 for each of the firms, respectively.Since both firms belong to the manufacturing realm, and are both heavy on fixed assets, comparison of their Fixed Assets Turnover Rate is noteworthy. It could be inferred that both companies are on the same rate and efficacy of utilizing their PP&E in generating profit (Loth, 2010a Smart & Megginson, 2009). As an investor, discuss which company you would choose to invest in and provide a rationale for your decision. PepsiCo Inc. s steadily increase Dividend Payout ratio signifies the capability of the company to provide dividend payments through a forecasted period of time.This fact paralleled with a relatively cheaper stocks cost in the company should be able to satisfy value investors more its competitor. Meanwhile, the high P/E ratios of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. , provide growth investors high expectations of augmented earnings over a predicted period of time. besides as an investor interested in growth investing, opting to invest money in Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is an extremely great idea. Its ability to generate revenues higher than capital cost patronage a high Debt Ratio implies a promised continued incre ase in itsROA and ROE in the succeeding years. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. exhibits high profitability, and this will eventually translate into more contingency finances for dividend payouts. In terms of the valuation of investment, profit would truly be gained from stocks that continue to have good growth potential (Pepsi Co and Coca-Cola annual report 2009). One form of Cash Flow Indicator ratio is the Dividend Payout Ratio. This ratio measures the amount of cash that is paid out in the form of dividends by the company to its shareholders.This is calculated by dividing the firms cash dividend per share by its earnings per share, and this indicates the percentage of each dollar earned that is distributed to the stockholders. In the computation of Dividend Payout ratios for the two companies under consideration, the values for diluted earnings per common share were used to be able to take into account the possible effects of stock options. A steadily increasing dividend payout ratio for a firm is favorable for stockholders.In the case of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. , a $ 9. 5 million dollar diluted loss per common share caused the dividend payout ratio to drop from 0. 16 to -0. 03 from 2007 to 2008. In 2009, the earnings per share value were able to recover for the company. The PepsiCo Inc. , meanwhile, exhibited a rather steady flair for its dividend payout ratio, with the highest point during 2008, which is coincidental with its competitors most pronounced diluted loss per common share. Generally, in terms of the dividend payout ratio for 2007 to 2009, PepsiCo, Inc. manifested well-supported dividend payments to its shareholders through its earnings.This is supported by a separate calculation involving Free Cash Flow/Operating Cash ratio, wherein PepsiCo Inc. also exhibited a gradually increasing measure of the amount of cash flow available to investors (Smart & Megginson, 2009 PepsiCo Annual report 2009). Investment Valuation ratios take a look at the appea l of a potential or existing investment and get a prediction of its valuation. The Price/Earnings ratio or P/E compares the current price of a companys shares to the amount of earnings it makes. The P/E ratio is computed by the closing stock price per share by the basic Earnings per Share or EPS.The values for the closing stock price per share in the computation of the P/E ratios for both companies in consideration were obtained from their respective annual reports. The underlying Earnings per Share values were also used as the denominator to reflect the trailing twelve-month or TTM period of the companies. For Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. , a $ 9. 05 million dollar basic loss per share in 2008 caused a disturbance in the rather decreasing trend of P/E for the company from 2007-2009.The year 2007 reflects the highest P/E ratio for Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. with a value of 41. Meanwhile, the P/E ratio of PepsiCo, Inc. gradually decreased from 2007 to 2009, from a value of 22 to 16. Higher P/E ratios generally provide investors a basis for higher earnings in the succeeding periods compared with firms with lower P/E. Consequently, companies with high P/E ratios are more often regarded as high-risk investments than those with low P/E ratios, since a high P/E ratio signifies high expectations. Shares in Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. are then said to be more expensive than that from PepsiCo, Inc (Loth, 2010d).

Friday, May 24, 2019

Waging War: The Iraq War and its implications

The United States of America has always viewed itself as a Big Brother responsible for protecting others and helping them is desperate times. This may shew to be a Good Samaritan act. However, at times, circumstances fightrant that things be done according to what is just. George Bernard Shaw once said that the reasonable man adapts himself to the world solely the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself that as a chair, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. In the course of history, this appears to be the truth (Young, 1995).World Politics determine the relationship that exists among states today. Even the course of history is greatly affected by decisions pertaining to politics and international law. It has become a determining factor in assessing the harmonious relationship between and among states, recognizing equality, sovereignty and respect for power and authority (Jensen, 1982).Quite noticeable is how, historically, States to what the Unite d States has dictated. Political comradeliness has always been far more than than important than plain public service to subordinates and constituents. The Iraq War has magnified all the necessary details of unjust practice of go for for political advancement and world dominance (Graham 2000).This paper seeks to discuss how the Iraq war has not served its purpose at all, making it being unjustified all the more understandable.The premise on Iraq war lies on the misery experience by the peck. chairwoman George W. Bush has aggressively pointed out that the threat of weapons of mass destruction such(prenominal) as chemicals and biological weapons, contribute to the misery of Iraq. This is because of the fact that sanctions in connection with this threat has added significantly to the poor living conditions of Iraqi people when it comes to the exercise of their freedom.President Bush labelled Saddam as a Madman in control of a very dangerous weapon and capable of spreading dismay and strife. This argument has reached far and wide, magnifying the unjustified conditions of Iraqis under the leadership of Saddam Hussein. This is evident on the fact that for almost 25 million inhabitants of Iraq, the per capita income is becoming slight and less compared to five or six years ago.Its economy shrank to more than six percent and among its major problems are mortality, malnutrition and poverty. The life of the Iraqis on a daily stern has been tremendously difficult, far worse than its situation a decade ago. This is the main reason on which President Bush has hoped to bank on when convincing others to wedlock in the United States betroth to wage war against Iraq.Now that everything has been done and over with, has it been a justifiable cause? The answer is a resounding none Primarily because the condition of Iraq has not improved after such war waged against it. More significant is the fact that mortality rates have increased, hurting more American troops and Ir aqis in the process. Terrorism has not decreased but all the more became rampant.Another argument is the catching of a madman on the loose. Saddam Hussein has been captured and his demise has not changed anything. Terrorism calm exists, and his avid followers continue to flourish long after he is gone. The end result- misery and struggle among the people. The war on Iraq is nothing but a political move to help sustain American economy, which is practically a war economy.The fact that waging war would solicit support from other countries means that America would once again flourish in the eyes of so many people thinking that the saviour is here again. But come to think of it, has anything resulted from such war? Aside from achieving President Bush goal of seeing Saddam in his demise, nothing else has been considered a productive result. The claim of existence of weapons of mass destruction has been proven futile. No proof f such claim has been produced.In effect, what could be concl uded is the fact that the United States has took advantage of the terrorism issue, magnified it and pointed it directly on Iraq, so that people all over the world will translate and unite with them in removing Saddam and waging war. Presently, what we have is an Iraq with a civilian government, a more free society but at the end of it all still looms the fact that people are pang, having lost the identity of a country invaded by foreign entities.The war on Iraq was based on less induce reasons. At the expense of the people, President Bush has been successful in removing Saddam, but has he been successful enough in making true his promise that suffering and poverty will be addressed and given proper solution? NO.Years have already passed since the war, nut no improvement has been evident. The plight of the Iraqis now is far worse than when they had a dictator for a government.REFERENCESJensen, Lloyd. Explaining Foreign Policy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall, 1982.Ray, James Lee. Democracies and international Conflict. Columbia University of SouthCarolina Press, 1995.Greenstein, Fred. Personality and Politics .Princeton, N.J Princeton University Press, 1987.Neustadt, Richard. presidential Power. New York Wiley, 1976.Graham, Allison. Essence of Decision. Boston Little Brown, 2000.Baumgartner, Frank. Agendas and Instability in American Politics. Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1993.Young, Oran. System and Society in World Affairs Implications for International Organizations. New York Mc Millan 1995.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed in a German prison camp in April 1945, cured only 39 and at a time when the war was almost over. He is generally considered to be a martyr, dying because of his tremendous Christian faith. His living however started out as the youngest son in a large, happy and wealthy family. Although his father was an agnostic Bonhoeffer entered the Lutheran ministry, unlike his brothers who preferred more headspring paid carers in law and research. With Hitlers rise to power his church was not prepared to make any stand aadd-onst him.The seminary, of which he was head, was forced to trigger off underground. At this period he wrote The Cost of Discipleship in which he asks the questions How do I live a Christian life in the world? What does it average to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? From that time he became politically active against Hitler, even travelling to America in order to gain support. He soon returns because of his belief that if he is to take an ac tive role in post-war Germany he must also share the difficulties with his people.He moves from the pacifism of figures such as Mahatma Ghandi, whom he had hope to visit one day to direct action, even taking part in an assassination plot. In 1943, soon after his combat he is imprisoned. His letters from prison are positive in their nature. Two years later he is moved, first to the concentration camp at Buchenwald, and consequently to Flossenburg. There he asks to conduct a service for the other prisoners his texts are Isaiah 53 v 5 which speaks of being healed by Christ, and 1 neb 1 v 3 which talks of the hope of resurrection. That same day he is taken to his death and to eternal life.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

My financial career analysis Essay

1) Introduction. A man of seemingly inexhaustible talents, Stephen Butler Leacock (born December 30, 1869) easily juggled creation a fancyist, essayist, teacher, political economist, lecturer, and historian. He received many awards and honorary degrees, among them the Lorne Pierce Medal the Leacock Medal for Humour was established in his honor and has been awarded annually since 1947 to the surpass humorous book by a Canadian author. At the height of his career from 1915 through 1925, Leacock was undeniably the English-speaking worlds best-known humorist. His parents, Peter Leacock and Agnes Emma Butler, had been secretly married Agnes was three years senior(a) than her new husband. When Leacock was about 7, his large family (ultimately ten brothers and sisters) moved to Canada and settled on a 100-acre farm. Despite living a hard life on the farm, and having a charming solely shiftless alcoholic father, Leacock was fortunate in that his mother believed strongly in a good educati on. With her devoted support and guidance, he did soundly in school, and graduated in 1887 as Head Boy from Upper Canada College. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1891. During this time, he wrote humorous articles for magazines for extra income. In 1900, he married Beatrix Hamilton, daughter of a tumefy-to-do Toronto businessman.Her death from breast malignant neoplastic disease in 1925 grieved him greatly, but he kept his anguish private, and spearheaded delightdraisers to aid cancer research. Among his professional accomplishments, Leacock was appointed to full professor at McGill University in 1908. He was also appointed William Dow Professor of Political Economy and chair of the Department of political economy and Political Science, a position he held for 30 years until his forced retirement at age 65. Leacocks prolific written observationssharp, funny, and timelywere critically applauded and love by the public. He published what many consider his literary masterpiece, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, in 1912. Leacock wrote two excellent biographies Mark Twain, published in 1932, and Charles Dickens, His Life and Work, in 1933. In 1935, he published Humour Its Theory and Technique. He died of throat cancer in 1944, leaving his autobiography, The Boy I go away Behind Me, unfinished. It was published in 1946. But death did not sweep him from Canadas cherished memory. To mark the 100th anniversary of Leacocks birth, the government of Canada issued a six-cent stamp in his honor in 1969. Leacocks fashion modeler homes were declared historic sites, more awards were heaped upon him posthumously, and in 1970,a mountain in the Yukons Saint Elias range was named after him.2) The summary. The adumbrate opens apace with the narrators frank admission that banks and e very(prenominal)thing about them rattle him.He confesses to falling into a state of near idiocy at any attempt to transact business but is determined, now that he has more tha n fifty dollars in his pocket, to open an account. Timidly, he asks to speak to the manager. The manager takes him into a private room, locks the door, and proceeds to assure the narrator of lowest security. Because of the narrators air of confidentiality and distrust, the manager assumes he is a private detective or that he has a large sum to invest. Learning that the narrator has only fifty-six dollars, he unkindly turns him over to a clerk. The narrator is now flustered, mistakenly walks into the safe, and is yettually led to the clerks window, into which he thrusts the money. When assured that it had been deposited, the narrator quickly asks for a withdrawal slip. Meanwhile he feels that people in the bank are staring at him, thinking him a millionaire. Intimidated and miserable, he quickly withdraws his fifty-six dollars and rushes out. The sketch concludes with the narrators observation that he keeps his money in his pants pocket and his life savings in a sock.3) The struct ure. This lilliputian story with ongoing tradition has traditional elements of structure. The principle of unity enables the reader to perceive the relationship between the individual units. Each incident contributes to the perception of that relationship there we can find an say arrangement of the parts. This story is written in accordance with dramatic pattern so it has the traditional structure of conflict, sequential action and resolution. This unequal story, though short in length and simple in timbreization, also reflects its authors characteristics of narration and thought with its narrative structure. We can be alert on a storys structure even as we read it for the first time, primarily by paying attention to repeated elements and recurrent details of action and gesture, of dialogue and description, and to shifts in direction and changes of focus. repeat signals are important connections to the relationships between characters, and connections between ideas. Shifts in d irection are often signaled by such visual or aural clues as a change of shot, a new voice, and a blank space in the text. They may also include changes in the time and place of action or alternations in characters entrances and exits, or in their behavior.Orthey may appear as changes in the pace of the story and in its texture of language. The structure of stories can neer be regarded as a matter of little grandness The plot is the carrier of the structure. The plot is the sequence of unfolding action, and structure is the design or form of the completed action. Structure satisfies our need for order, proportion, and arrangement. A storys symmetry or balance of details may please us, as may its alternating of moments of tension and relaxation. The short story requires the readers ut about attention, a focus of the mind on each detail like a fine lyric poem. The structure of a traditional plot is essentially dramatic. There may be a geometrical quality to its plot structure. It fo llows Aristotles statement that a proposition is stated, developed by arguments and at long last proved. Therefore a conflict, in this case internal within the character, is stated at the beginning of a story, developed by a series of scenes, and immovable at the end. Each scene, incident, and its resolution, but most also carry its bit of significance in the progression that it occupies.So we can divide My Financial rush into 4 logical parts. The exposition starts from the very beginning of the text and continues up to the procedure with the deposit of a narrator. In its turn, the exposition consists of the series of complications meeting with the manager, stepping into the safe, formalisation process. Then goes the key event, which is the withdrawal of the money by making a mistake in a cheque. It was the point of highest emotional tension. The denouement is the last thoughts of the narrator, where he concludes not to contribute any deals with a bank any more.4), 5) General a tmosphere characters. The humor of the piece is achieved not only by the exaggerated blot but also by a skillful use of short clips of dialogue. The narrators psychological intimidation is clearly presented by an economy of detail in which the scene richly suggests more than it relates. It is a very funny piece that appeals to all ages. Perhaps as times change and we no longer refer to enjoiners as clerks at their wickets and we forget what the Rothschilds and Goulds represented and our banking experience is reduced to online transactions, it will become more difficult to identify with the situation of the main character. But the basic empathy with the perplexity of someone in an unfamiliar env smoothing ironment remains. When he asks to speak to the bank manager and adds a conspiratorial alone without knowing why he does so, leaders to a misunderstanding, we understand. Weunderstand because its the kind of inexplicable thing we recognize we do ourselves when were nervously tryi ng not to appear nervous. The other characters have no smart as a whip characteristics.The only things were an accountant was a tall, cool devil, the manager was a grave, calm man. These lines show us that the narrator see the bank clerks like something blurred and obscure. 6) The style. The most vivid characteristic is the usage of 1st person perspective. Stephen Leacock uses the first-person perspective in his short autobiographical story My Financial Career, and that is an effective narrative choice in comic fiction. First of all, telling his story in first person is more interesting. It is generally much more interesting to hear someone tell his own story than to hear him tell someone elses story. Readers would much rather hear him say I went to the bank the other day than Someone I know went to the bank the other day. Even worse is A guy went into a bank, which is more for spoken (stand-up) comedy than written comedy. Second, the readers know exactly what the character (in thi s case, the author) is feeling as he fearfully walks into the bank, armed with years of distrust. While he could try to explain someone elses feelings, Leacock is certainly able to share with us exactly how humiliating this experience was for him. Third, the first-person point of view adds credibility to the story.This is not just something that happened to somebody at some point in time at a random bank this happened tohimand he knows the particulars and details which both add humor and make the story believable. Fourth, no one is hurt by his humor except for himself. It is often uncomfortable for readers to hear an author make fun of others somehow it is more humorous for us to know that the writer is making fun of himself, which gives readers the right to laugh, too. Finally, the story is told by a narrator, from the perspective of time, who can use humor to teach his readers the lessons he learned. We could not know what someone else might have learned from this banking experien ce, but we can know what Stephen Leacock learned because it is his story. The story is full of puns and innuendos, especially the text is filled with allusions Pinkertons, Baron Rothschild and young Gould. Some metaphors are utilise make a plunge, idiot hope struck me etc.7), 8) The mail idea personal evaluation. The main topic of My Financial Career is a defense of Leacocks phobia about banks. This humorous essay is one of his most popular pieces because many of his readers share his fear of monolithic,imposing institutions. Banks in Leacocks time were more affright places than most of them are today. In fact, it is possible to do most banking without ever entering a bank. But Leacock picks out the aspects of the old-fashioned bank that were most intimidating. They had thickened stone walls, high ceilings, uniformed and armed guards, bars separating tellers from customers, and imposing vaults with incredibly thick steel doors. The men and women handling all that money were dea dly honest and also suspicious of any stranger. Leacock seems to have been most intimidated by the people in the bank. No doubt Leacock received many penetrating looks when he first went in to open his modest account. As with most humor and comedy, we laugh at him because we are really laughing at ourselves. When I go into a bank I get rattled. The clerks rattle me the wickets rattle me the sight of the money rattles me everything rattles me. After his interview with the manager, Leacock rose to leave the office.A big iron door stood open at the side of the room. Good morning, I said, and stepped into the safe. Come out, said the manager coldly, and showed me the other way. Personally, I must admit that Leacock wrote excellent and very readable biographies of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. He must have been influenced by the humor pieces in which Mark Twain confesses some of his own foibles and idiosyncracies. One of his best is about his feelings about barber shops. Another is ab out how he allowed a traveling salesman to put so many lightning rods and metal coils around his house that the big Victorian building attracted every bolt of lignting in the county. Another very funny essay by Mark Twain deals with how he couldnt get a ridiculous little jingle out of his mind until he passed it on to a friend, who was then stuck with it himself. To my mind, Leacocks humor, like Mark Twains, is built on exaggeration. Leacocks style is unpretentious, personal, friendly, and everyday like that of Mark Twain. Notice how short all of the paragraphs are in My Financial Career. Such short paragraphs and short sentences have eye-appeal.Leacock was an extremely popular writer at one time, both in Canada and the United States. He ranked with Robert Benchley and James Thurber as a popular humorist. He is not so well remembered today. But humor essays can become dated quickly. As for the text, the main idea is even deeper as I could imagine. My Financial Career deals with the idea of the emasculation (made to not feel manly) of the individual by societal exceptions. The man feels forced topractice in banking which seems like a place of importance and masculinity. The individual fears of being emasculated or embarrassed because of his lack of wealth compared with supposed expectations leads him to perform idiotically and causes further embarrassment. The contrast between the bank managers expectations (that he is someone of importance financially or for situational reasons) and the reality of what the man is highlights this unavoidable emasculation of the individual due to societal expectations.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Banning Junk Food in Schools

Banning junk intellectual nourishment whats the point? It would be healthier in school than in McDonalds or the mall. They should not ban junk solid foods in school.My first reason is that if kept in schools it could make the school a hardening more money than the healthy concession that we already have. The money could go to buying new gym/weight equipment and brand new team uniforms for the football game team. It could also go to buying laptops for the grade 12 classes.My second reason is that it would keep kids in school at noon hour. If we had junk food in the schools it could keep kids in the school at noon hour which would minimize the of fights, theft and problems in the streets. Students still may fight but would be less(prenominal) likely to because of all the teachers and supervision in the schools unlike the streets where there is no supervision for the students.My third topic is that we can eat what we want. If there was junk food we could ea what we want instead of j ust eating healthy food we could have a variety of food to choose from. It should be our choice what we do and do not eat. I say that we are old enough and mature enough to choose for our selves. Dont Ban Junk Food My important topic. My three topics are makes money for the schools, It Could Keep Kids in at Noon Hour, and That We Can Eat What We Want. All this could happen if they didnt ban junk food from schools.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Recommended procedures for improvement Essay

As remainss figure out out to be more programmed and mechanized, those in charge of information formation have a object to consider that more power will construct their deales better organized. In pulling manufacturing and design en route for computerization, the inclination is to provide as much power as probable to the mechanism and ensue the lingering job tasks at hand. This automation viewpoint reduces the information and perceptive capacities of workers and pushes them to dislike the engineering science.Premises in the field of information system management argon significant whether ones orientation is in the direction of research or practice (Tapscott, 3). The responsibility of an organization is to help out in withdrawing the tortuousness of the world and explaining and predicting proceedings. Given the information that the purpose of information system management management is to lessen the maelstrom of the empirical world by means of technology can benefit from soun d improvement.While the complexness of the information system mean will vary based on the size of the district, it has to include a mission statement and rational, quantifiable goals and objectives that can be attained, in most cases, with obtainable resources. The Alachuas cypher also has to reflect the financial obligation to major technology initiatives included in the plan. Additionally, the planning process must include proceedings that allow decision makers to gauge the benefits of investments in information system and deliver or alter failed strategies for more triumphant ones.Methods of do a Web site secure from hackers It is not that software has turned out to be less protected, and its not almost certainly because of authorisation attackers having increased in number. The reason that hackers are more common is likely because many people do not know how to protect their Web sites. To make a website free from hackers, simply (1) know your enemy, (2) have strong passwo rds, (3) use good software, (4) update recurrently, (5) use a hardware server-side firewall and (6) facilitate WPA or WEP encoding on wireless network connections.Digital Signature Digital signatures are just like scripted signatures these are used to provide verification of the related input, typically called a message (may be anything) a message sent in a more complicated cryptographic protocol or from an electronic mail to a contract. In cryptography, a digital signature or is a kind of asymmetric cryptography used to reproduce the security properties of a signature in digital than in a written form.Digital signatures usually give two algorithms one for signing that involves a users secret (private key), and one for validating signatures that involves users public key and the output of the signature mode is known as the digital signature. Terms and Conditions or Conditions of make use of -Websites and its related services are administered by the Terms and Conditions of Use, and the constant access to websites and its services is put through the users agreement to be bound by the Terms and Conditions of Use, as they may alter occasionally.Terms and Conditions of Use is a cookery placed on a website notifying users regarding how the website deals with a users rights and responsibilities. Some websites characterize their Terms and Conditions of Use allowing users to routinely assess its services offered. If a user does not agree to Terms and Conditions of Use, a user may not use the website or its services. Plans of Alachua County in information system must state who is prudent for implementing and updating the technology plan.The Alachua County Districts technology plan must includes information on respective(prenominal) needs, equitable resource allocation, cost-effective acquisitions, technology funding, infrastructure and networking issues, technology-related professional development, support needs, and information management and delivery. On the other hand, the districts does not make use of this best practice for the reason that the plan is not complete, is not based on a valid needs assessment, and is not evaluated and updated in a scheduled manner.The constituency should guarantee that the goals listed in the plan are detailed, quantifiable, manageable, rational, and time-bounded. The county also should ensure that the plan is monitored and updated based on valid data related to the districts technology needs, skills, usage, and fluency levels among district employees. Strategies in the countys strategic plan relate to technology and are considered the goals for the technology plan. In the district technology plan, the objectives are ambiguous (e. g. guarantee, renovate, generate, etc.).Few of the objectives are assessable and are not based on detailed standards, making it complicated to document whether the objective was acquired. Additionally, it is imperative to note down that all decision-making in information s ystem management is derived from some embedded premise. For the reason that the consequences by means of vague assumption information system management are better for all assumptions that give disposition may perhaps have redden greater importance to all organizations (Tenkasi, 27).If one relies barely on the capability to forecast events devoid of understanding them, there is a greater prospective for making underprivileged, or at least unproductive decisions. The recommendations addicted are good examples of research that has hardened models of managing information systems in local areas and even in global perspective. Yet there is still a need for more investigations to be able to accomplish a more constructive course of action in business information technology management. Information technology systems and management necessitate of a solid abstract establishment to direct both practice and research. yet though many of the recommendations being proposed by scholars and scie ntists in this field may possibly be cause prescriptions for those who are on the lookout for something further than unsystematic information management, unless information management turns out to be strongly stranded in theories of organization.Works Cited Tapscott, D. (1998) Growing Up DigitalThe Rise of the Net Generation. McGraw Hill. Tenkasi, RV (1995) Technology transfer as collaborative learning. NY Free Press Wesier, P. J. (2003). The Internet, Innovation, and Intellectual Property Policy. 103 Colum. L. Rev 534.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Government to Limit Use of Cars Essay

Government agencies feel been told to stop using ap headwayed fomites angiotensin converting enzyme twenty-four hour period a week domain on their license plate numbers, according to a notification for an skill-saving and electric discharge reduction program to be implemented across the boorish.The program, part of government efforts to protect the environment and advance sustainable victimization during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), was published on the central governments official website Tuesday.According to the program, the measures were specially designed for various fields, such as enterprises and schools.Some Web intakers applauded the governments efforts, while differents questioned the feasibility of limiting the drill of government vehicles.Lian Peng, a freelance writer, wrote on his Sina Weibo microblog that it was difficult to sort mysterious machines from official ones, and the ban would ending either in drivers using cardinal license plates, or the government buying to a greater extent than vehicles. A pilot project for government agencies to intent bicycles bequeath be launched. Government workers autos were also encouraged to be parked one day a week based on plate numbers.Niu Fengrui, director of the appoint for Urban and Environmental Stu analyzes at the Chinese Academy of social Sciences, praised the positive efforts made by the government to reduce emissions.However, such efforts would not gestate app argonnt effect, Niu told the ball-shaped Times Tuesday.Niu suggested that the root of the problem was zipper supply, and the primordial progress should be to develop technologies and adopt unwrap equipment to improve efficiency, as soundly as change animationstyles and verbotenput methods.Zhu Lijia, director of the public re search department of the Chinese Academy of Governance, told the Global Times such measures will not actually promote the right of the official vehicle carcass, and would not aff ect the core of the trunk. Military told to decamp emissionsThe governments efforts to go along heartiness and reduce harmful emissions fetch spread to a in the raw front the countrys military. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police should work to build get-up-and-go-efficient barracks and develop capability-saving models for logistics, drug addiction and t rain downing, said a nationwide emission-reduction plan. Efforts to save re writers in the military argon an important part of the countrys efficacy-saving and emission-reduction efforts, the plan said. It lays out that the PLA will scale down administrative expenses, pay off greater efforts to economise fuel, procure environmentally friendly proceedss and recycle military uni trunks. PLA garrisons will coordinate their practice of civilian vehicles with local governments to enhance point efficiency. XinhuaIntroductionIt is practicable that no invention has had as profound an effect on society as the passenger railway car. It did not take long after its introduction in the archeozoic part of this century for the auto to quickly become the primary means of transportation in the join States, where there argon now 752 motor vehicles for every 1,000 plenty ( dry land Almanac 211). While no other country posterior match the excessive automobile work of the U.S, its not for lack of trying. blush in China, where the use of bicycles by its citizens is legendary, the number of cars has been doubling every five years for the past 30 years (World Resources Institute, hereafter WRI 172). entirely reliance on cars is not without its problems&emdashthe most obvious being vent befoulment and animation utilisation. contamination GeneralPollution by cars causes lung pukecer, respiratory problems, urban smog, and acid rain (Brown 25). By 1970, after decades without government regulation, mail quality had become a serious problem. The first federal official Clean Air Act was passed during the Nixon Administration to curtail the ever- change magnitude pith of befoulment caused by automobiles and industry, and Congress passed an updated ad righteousment in 1990 (WRI 182). However, the Clean Air Act didnt prohibit pollution it s affect defined an unobjectionable do. Further, the legislation addressed un little certain transmission li sweetaveborne contaminants, while ignoring others. Perhaps most evidentiaryly, although bad line of work was outlawed, it still exists.More than half(prenominal) of the pot in the U.S. live in argonas that failed to meet federal air quality standards at least several days a year (30 heapdid readiness Things You give the axe Do to Save the Earth, hereafter 30 Simple Things, 11), and around 80 million Americans live in areas that continually fail to meet these standards (WRI 63). Despite the Clean Air Acts, the reality is that air pollution hold ons to be a major public wellness problem. As bad as the air is in the U .S., in other countries which squander waited too long to address the pollution caused by cars, its worse. Mexico City, So Paulo, New Delhi, and Bangkok are grappling with serious air problems. And such(prenominal) of that pollution is caused by mysterious automobiles (Brown 25).Pollution Ground-Level OzonaOne way cars create pollution is by contributing to the amount of ground-level ozone (not to be rugged with the atmospheric ozone layer). In the atmosphere, the ozone layer shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation rays. But on the ground, ozone is another(prenominal) matter, causing hazy smog and respiratory problems. Most ozone pollution is caused by motor vehicles, which accounting system for 72% of nitrogen oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons (principal components of smog) (30 Simple Things 11). The seriousness of ground-level ozone should not be unde quietimated. According to the World Resources Institute Ozone pollution has become widespread in cities in europium, North America, and lacquer as auto and industrial emissions have increased. Breathing ozone concentrations of 0.012 ppm&emdashlevels typical in many cities&emdashcan irritate the respiratory tract and bilk lung function, causing coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain Evidence also suggests ozone exposure lowers the bodys defenses, increasing susceptibility to respiratory infections (65).Pollution LeadCars also pollute by catch ones breathting lead from leaded gas pedal. Although the use of lead in gasoline is banned in the get together States, leaded gasoline is common in other countries. In fact, of the countries for which entropy is available, 43% use nothing but leaded gasoline. Many of the rest use at least some leaded gasoline in their vital force mix. This is a decided cause for concern One of the oldest metals used by military mans, lead is a cumulative neurotoxin that impairs soul development among children and has been connected to elevated bl ood pressure and resulting hypertension, heart attacks, and premature death in adults.Emissions from vehicles is the largest source of lead exposure in many urban areas (WRI 266-267). The make of all this pollution on human health are unsettling. A study of U.S. cities found that mortality rates were 17-26% taller in cities with the dirtiest air compared to those with the cleanest air. Not surprisingly, the study also found cor notifications between bad air and lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease. The risks restate roughly to a cardinal-year shorter life span for residents of dirty-air cities. On a realitywide basis, estimates of mortality collect to outdoor air pollution range from somewhat 0.4-1.1% of original annual deaths (WRI 63-64). In the U.S., 30,000 people die every year from automobile emissions (Bicycling and Our Environment 1). Also see our separate page on lead.Pollution Global WarmingPerhaps in time scarier than the direct damage to our bodies from auto p ollution is the fact that car emissions are contributing to an overall warm up of the entire planet, which could destroy the realitys food chain. Cars emit carbon dioxide (CO2), a heat-trapping gas. In fact, they emit a lot of it 20 pounds per gallon of gas destroy (NRDC 12, Zuckermann 29). Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have increased by 30% since preindustrial generation, and much of that increase is directly related to the burning of fossil fuels. According to the Worldwatch Institute CO2 levels are now at their highest point in 160,000 years, and global temperatures at their highest since the Middle Ages (Brown 26). The make of this global warming are frightening rising sea levels, dying coral reefs, spreading of infectious diseases, and extreme weather condition conditions, including droughts, rare forest fires, historic floods, and yucky storms. Even more than frightening, these events are not just predictions&emdashtheyre happening right now (Brown 26). zip UseThe amount of muscularity used by automobiles is staggering. Transportation of all types accounts for more than 25% of the arenas commercial vigor use, and motor vehicles account for n archeozoic 80% of that (WRI 171). In numerical terms, the figures are hard to comprehend. The world used over a trillion liters of motor gas in 1995. And the U.S. accounted for 46% of that total (WRI 266-267). In fact, Americas gasoline consumption soft outstrips its production. The U.S. currently imports over half its oil (52%) even more than it did before the oil crises of 1973 and 1979. This dependence on foreign oil has significant economic consequences, and many observers feel that protecting our right to oil was the real reason for the U.S./Iraq war of 1991. Americans use large amounts of gasoline not just because they drive so much, but also because theyre extremely wasteful some how they drive. The NRDC notes Most cars on the road carry nevertheless one someone. In fact, we have so much extra room in our 140 million cars that everyone in Western atomic number 63 could fit in them with us.If every commuter car in the U.S. carried just one more person, wed save eight one thousand thousand gallons of gas a year. The one-person-per-car scenario also greatly contributes to traffic congestion, which in stave wastes even more energy&emdash nearly three billion gallons of gas a year (30 Simple Things 52-53). But changing Americans habits doesnt seem likely any time soon, as the failure of High-Occupancy fomite (HOV) lanes makes clear. To encourage commuters to carpool, some communities have designated one lane of traffic on certain roadways as HOV lanes. Commuters can drive in this lane only if there are at least two people in the vehicle. The reasoning is that commuters will want to carpool so they can ride in the uncongested HOV lane kind of than being stuck in traffic in the normal lane when riding by themselves.But as Michael Bluejay points out, these lanes dont al ways succeed in encouraging carpooling. A friend and I belatedly had occasion to drive through Dallas during rush hour, and I had my first opportunity to see how an HOV lane worked. Basically, it didnt. We passed hundreds and hundreds of single-occupant cars in the regular traffic lanes as we zoomed by in the practically-empty HOV lane. It struck me as really crazy Whenever I try to encourage people to ride bikes more and drive less, they always whine to me about how contented it is to drive. Well, exactly how convenient is it to sit in your car at a complete standstill, adding 30-60 minutes to your morning time commute? Thats convenience? The live demonstrated to me how far people were willing to go to stay off carpooling. They were willing to sit there like morons, stuck hopelessly in traffic, for the luxury of being the only person in their vehicle. Although I was disappointed that the HOV lanes didnt seem to work, I was at least pleased to make up that all those greedy mot orists were being punished with even more traffic congestion, since the HOV lane meant that there was one few lane to move all those cars.SummaryAutomobiles are obligated for a tremendous amount of air pollution and wasted energy. These problems impact people all over the world, both motorists and non-motorists alike, by affecting their health, their economies, and their communities. Legislation to address air pollution has been only partially victorious, and air quality continues to be a major concern in countries all over the world. As for energy use, one can only hope that world leaders find a better way to address this problem than contend wars over an increasingly shrinking supply of oil.More stats are available in our Car Almanac. full treatment CitedBicycling and Our Environment. Austin Cycling News. Aug. 1998 1. Bluejay, Michael. HOV Lanes. Bicycling in Austin. Feb. 1998. 22 June 1999. http//BicycleAustin.info Brown, Lester R., et al. State of the World A Worldwatch Ins titue promulgate on Progress Towards a Sustainable Future. New York W. W. Norton and Co., 1999. 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. Los Angeles South California Edison, 1990. World Almanac and Book of Facts. 1996 Mahwah, NJ World Almanac Books, 1995. World Resources Institute. 1998-99 World Resources A Guide to the Global Environment. New York Oxford University Press, 1998. Zuckermann, Wolgang. End of the Road. Cambridge Lutterworth Press, 1991.Car Pollution StatisticsDriving cars effects more than air quality. Car pollution statistics point to ground pollution, resource reduction (mining and petroleum products), and health issues as other problems derived from out motorized society. Air quality is an important reason to pay precaution to car pollution, but there are other reasons too.Car pollution is considered by most people to be a decreasing problem, but its actually increasing, due to the large number of cars that are driven each day. Measures are being take n to reduce air pollution, including the manufacture of hybrid cars, the universe of revolutionary environmentally friendly fuels, and more, but those measures dont touch all of the car pollution issues. Learning about car pollution statistics can open your eyes to the myriad problems. If you realize the richness of making changes in your life and car driving habits, and then you can make changes to care descend the amount of car pollution that you release into the air. * FTIR Gas analyzerGas purity and emissions monitoring by MKS Instruments On-Line Analyzerwww.ccrprocessproducts.com/FTIR *Car pollution statistics can give you the knowledge that you subscribe to compel you to make changes in your life to lessen your impact upon the environment. Here are a few car pollution statistics that you need to be learn about and be aware of * SUVs release up to forty-seven percentage more car pollution than the average-sized car. * The amount of car pollution that is released from c ars is much more than the amount of pollution released by a nuclear power plant. * Ozone pollution is primarily due to the pollution that is released by cars. Seventy-two percent of nitrogen oxides and fifty-two percent of hydrocarbons, which is a component of smog, are released by cars. * The Journal of Epidemiology and Public health published a study that suggested that most childhood cancers are caused by air pollution, which can be caused by cars and more.* There are 752 cars for every 1,000 people in the United States. * In China, the number of cars that are driven has doubled every five years for the past thirty years. * Thirty-thousand people in the United States each year die from conditions that are caused or exacerbated by car pollution. * Half of the people in the United States live in areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards at least several days a year. * Eighty million people live in areas that are continually not living up to these standards. * SUVs rele ase 28-gallons of carbon dioxide into the air for every gallon of gasoline that is used. * Car pollution has numerous effects, both physically and environmentally, like acid rain, smog, lung cancer, and respiratory problems.As you can see from the above car pollution statistics, cars have a huge impact upon the health of the citizens, the air, and the environment. That is wherefore it is so important that we find ways to make changes in our lives to help decrease the amount of pollution that we release by driving our car. By using alternating(a) fuels, considering hybrid cars, driving less, and more, you can help make your impact upon the world a little less harsh. Consider these car pollution statistics the adjoining time that you get into your car. You whitethorn find that your trip is not as important as you think.Energy Consumption and the Environment stupors and Options for Personal Transportation(Revised 2-4-96)In 1973, petroleum shortages caused by the OPEC oil embargo lau nched the worlds industrialized nations on a search for more efficient homes, factories, and transportation systems. After two decades of attempts to economize, energy use in the residential sector is about the same, industrial energy use is down, and transportation energy use is up. Today, we are more concerned with the other side of the coin the environmental problems and long economic perils of unbridled energy consumption.Trends in Transportation Energy ConsumptionTransportation now consumes more than 20% of the worlds total primary energy and produces much of the worlds air pollution. In just 30 years, the number of cars in the world will soar from todays 400 million or so, to more than one billion. Private transportation will then need 2-1/2 times more energy and produce 2-1/2 times more air pollution. If global trends are projected to year 2100, the world will need 10 times more total energy, and transportation will consume 40% of this much larger pool.(1)Energy Use, Global Warming, and Climatic ChangesEnergy use and emissions trends point to significant economic, political, and social problems for future generations.The greenhouse effect alone could have devastating effects on economies. Without intervention, the buildup of greenhouse gases could reach twice the pre-industrial level as early as 2030. The resulting global warming effect could raise sea levels enough to threaten wetlands, increase coastal flooding, and accelerate coastal erosion. The Intergovernmental jury on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that sea levels will rise an average of 6 to 20 inches by 2050. In addition, many unmanaged ecosystems will probably be lost. Changes in rainfall patterns will likely result in more severe droughts, more intense tropical storms, and lastly, dislocations and reductions in rural output. (Despite the increased forge yield associated with higher carbon dioxide levels, the resulting climatic changes are expected to shift awkward production to regions having less productive topsoil, which would then result in diminished total yields.)About 75% of human emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important man-made greenhouse gas, is caused by the use of fossil fuels.Fossil fuel use has caused an imbalance in the terra firmas normal carbon cycle. Normally, biologic growth absorbs carbon from the environment and then releases it back into the environment when it decays or is burned. New growth then absorbs the carbon again, and the amount of carbon in the environment lodges roughly the same. Since the last ice age, the level of carbon in the atmosphere (in the form of carbon dioxide) has varied only about 5%. However, fossil fuel use has upset the balance.Over the earths history, large amounts of carbon had been removed from the environment and become locked away beneath the surface where it was ultimately transformed into fossil fuel deposits. Since the industrial revolution, humankind has been removing these deposits, burning the f uel, and releasing the carbon into the atmosphere. The result is a rapid buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide that is unprecedented in the history of human life on earth. No one knows the precise effects, but for better or for worse, average temperatures will increase and global weather patterns will change.Limited Supplies of Traditional and Inexpensive EnergyNearly 40% of the worlds energy now comes from petroleum, and another 21% comes from natural gas.(2) Together, these finite natural resources supply about 60% of the worlds energy. If oil and natural gas consumption continued to double every 15 to 20 years as it had for the 100 years preceding 1973, the earths entire original talent of these resources would be 80% depleted in another 30 years or so. As early as 1970, new oil and gas discoveries had dramatically declined and have remained low. In the 80s, experts estimated that U.S. reserves would last about 35 years at existing pumping rates. More recently, estimates have bee n revised downward. Considering known reserves and estimated undetected deposits, U.S. oil will be depleted in about 10-12 years at present pumping rates. And new finds will make little difference on a worldwide scale.A new Prudhoe bay tree discovery would provide the world with about six months oil supply, and a new North sea find would equate to about three years supply.(3)Each year, the require for oil is increasing by an amount equal to Kuwaits entire annual production, and for the first time, OPEC has no substantial excess production capacity. Because of declining and more expensive-to-recover petroleum reserves, prices are expected to begin rising in the mid to late 90s, and continue to rise thereafter.(4)Alternative FuelsThe challenge of alternative fuels is primarily an economic one. Although the volumetric equal of m fermentation alcohol (made from natural gas) and ethanol (made from corn) is on par with gasoline, a car running on ethanol consumes 50 percent more fuel and an ethanol car consumes about twice the fuel per mile run shorted, in comparison to a car running on gasoline. Consequently, per-mile fuel costs are greater. Natural gas is less costly on a per-mile basis than todays gasoline, but supplies are finite and the high cost of natural gas vehicle systems generally offset the lower cost of the fuel itself. Although environmentally friendly, total heat is both technically and economically challenging due to its high production costs and the difficulty of storing henry on-board vehicles.Alternative fuels do not save primary energy, but they are cleaner than gasoline. Carbon dioxide levels remain requisitely unchanged when alcohol fuels are made from renewable biological feedstocks.Renewable FuelsRenewable biomass fuels, such as ethanol and methanol, may become economically competitive with petroleum motor fuels by year 2000. But much remains uncertain about the worlds capacity to produce biomass in quantities equal to meet future en ergy ineluctably. Already, about half the worlds solar energy captured by photosynthesis is used by humans, primarily for food and forest products. Total primary energy use in the U.S. amounts to about 31 times more energy than is harvested as crops and forest products, and about 40% more energy than is captured by all forms of U.S. phytology, combined.Considering all agricultural crops, forests, lawns, gardens and wild vegetation, the energy contained in annual U.S. vegetation growth totals about 54 quads (quadrillion BTUs), and in year 1990 total U.S. primary energy consumption amounted to round 81 quads.Because of limitations in water supplies, nutrients, and arable lands, the amount of energy obtainable from the worlds agricultural resources is limited. Even in the U.S., which has more arable land per capita than any other nation on earth, it may be infeasible to produce biomass fuels in quantities sufficient for the nations energy needs. According to Dr. David Pimentel, Corn ell University, the U.S. has the agricultural capacity to support a population of about 200 million on biomass energy only if per capita energy consumption were reduced to half its present level. Worldwide, the ability of the ecosystem to sustain a population at an equivalent of U.S. consumption in the 90s is probably limited to about two billion people, or one-third of the existing population.(5) Unfortunately, U.S. population is expected to reach 500 million in 60 years, and worldwide population will reach 12-15 billion near the end of the 21st century.Economic ImplicationsThe world is entering a period of escalating consumption, declining reserves of traditional energy feedstocks, higher energy costs, and increasing environmental stress, which could have vast economic, political, and social ramifications. As environmental limitations are approached, ecosystems become more unstable. In the future, ecosystem forethought and environmental maintenance will become more the responsib ility of humans rather than nature. The economic impact of higher energy costs will be compounded as the cost of environmental security department and repair is included in the fundamentally higher cost of energy. As a result, varying degrees of controvert economic effects are likely.Ultimately, a fundamental restructuring of the way in which energy is produced and consumed, as well as its value and role in the economy, must occur, regardless of the particular energy technology. Reducing the energy intensity of industrialized societies is the most environmentally sound and least economically harmful strategy.Energy use must be constrained if the interrelated problems of energy supplies, environmental degradation, and economic well-being are to be exculpated.Transportations RoleTransportation is essential to modern economies, and that sector is almost totally dependent on oil as a source of energy. The ability to freely and inexpensively move goods and people is a fundamental link in the economic chain. Today, large changes in the price or supply of oil send shock waves rolling through the worlds financial institutions. Transportation is the most chop-chop growing consumer of the worlds energy, and the largest share of transportations energy goes to passenger travel. In genuine countries, passenger travel accounts for about 70% of the total energy consumed by transportation.The Automobiles Impact on Transportation Energy ConsumptionThe automobile is responsible for roughly 90% of the energy consumed for travel in the U.S., about 80% in Western Europe, and nearly 60% in Japan.(6) Today, there are approximately 400 million cars in the world, and sometime around year 2030 the worlds automobile population will surpass one billion.If driving habits remain unchanged, cars will have to become nearly three times more energy-efficient by 2030 just to maintain that sectors present consumption. If energy use trends are projected to year 2100, transportation would th en have to be twenty times more energy-efficient, which roughly equates to 400 mpg cars (automobile fleet-average fuel economy is now about 20 mpg).Cars in the U.S. have become more energy-efficient over the past two decades, but other certain countries are losing ground and actually consuming more fuel per passenger mile traveled.(7) Europeans are turning more to private cars, and as a result transportation trends and energy use patterns are converging with those of the U.S. But the superior increase in transportation energy consumption will occur in the developing world. By year 2010, India is expected to have 36 times more cars than in 1990. China will have 91 times more cars, Mexico will have 2-1/2 times more cars, and Eastern Europe and the countries of the former U.S.S.R. will probably double their automobile population.The rest of the developing world will experience a 300% increase over the same period. In comparison, the number of cars in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, and Japan will have grown by only 12%-15%.(8)The Automobiles Role in Atmospheric PollutionIn a typical U.S. city, motor vehicle emissions account for 30%-50% of hydrocarbon, 80%-90% of carbon monoxide, and 40%-60% of nitrogen oxide emissions. Cars and light trucks are responsible for about 20% of the nations carbon dioxide, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Motor vehicle carbon emissions are essentially relative to total fuel consumed.(9) Unfortunately, in the coming decades the greatest growth in the automobile population will occur in developing countries which can least afford clean technologies. The United Nations Fund for cosmos Activities estimates that, because of rapidly increasing automobile populations, developing countries will be emitting 16.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide p.a. by year 2025, or about four times as much as developed nations.Problems Are InterdependentTransportation energy consumption and environmental health are interrelated issues. Relieving the de mand side of the equation simultaneously relieves the rest. If vehicle fuel economy were doubled, for example, transportation emissions would be essentially cut in half, even if there were no improvement in emission manoeuvre technologies. If petroleum consumption were cut in half, reserves would be effectively doubled, even though no new deposits had been discovered. With a doubling of vehicle fuel economy, the same number of vehicle miles could be supported on half the investment in exploratory drilling, half the recovery, refining, and delivery expenses, and half the damage to the environment. The same interrelationships would exist with alternative energy sources, regardless of the particular technology.Although each problem, from emissions and resource burdens to economic factors, may yield to their own targeted efforts, alleviating the fundamental problem simultaneously reduces the entire spectrum of associated difficulties.The Automobile as a Transportation SystemMass fare is often mentioned as an alternative to private cars, but the most effective mass transit system in the world is the automobile. An automobile transportation system provides schedules and routes that are tailored to individual needs. In addition, users on an individual basis purchase, maintain, and fuel the transportation device, and only the relatively inexpensive roadways require public funding.The primary tradeoffs for this otherwise deification system are high energy intensity and high emissions.(10) However, if the automobile is to survive as an economically sound and viable transportation system its energy consumption and harmful emissions must be reduced.The emf Impact of New TechnologiesToday, automobiles operate at approximately 15% efficiency, which means that about 15% of the energy contained in the fuel is delivered to the drive wheels as useful work.According to the best estimates, it may be possible to double automobile energy efficiency (using conventional powertra ins) to about 30% before we run out of ideas. At 30% powertrain efficiency a 20- to 25-mpg sedan would then achieve fuel economy of 40 to 50 mpg. mod power systems and reduced vehicle roadloads are necessary in order to make significant gains in automobile energy intensity.Electric cars produce significantly fewer harmful emissions, and they save about 10% to 30% in primary energy (over the entire energy chain). Advanced fuel prison cell vehicles using methanol reformed on-board into hydrogen may be as much as 2-1/2 times more efficient than todays cars. Practical automobile fuel cells, however, present great economic and technical challenges.In the final analysis, technology alone may not be able to solve the worlds energy problems partly because of the limitations of technology, but primarily because of the economic realities of alternative energy systems.And even the most optimistic estimations of the energy savings obtainable with move-technology systems still fall short of accommodating the long forecasts of transportations energy needs.A reduction in personal transportation energy intensity is essential in order to reduce the economic impact and technical hurdles of new energy systems and more costly energy supplies. Energy conservation is the most economically sound and environmentally friendly option.Factors That postulate Personal-Transportation Energy ConsumptionTransportation energy consumption depends on the mass being transported and the aloofness it is transported. The technologies diligent determine the efficiency at which the mass is transported. Consequently, energy consumption can be reduced by developing more efficient transportation technologies, or by reducing the transported mass and/or the distance traveled.The factors of distance and mass are determined largely by social and economic structures, and by vehicle layout and configuration.In order to reduce the distance and mass factors, Paulo Solaria envisions self-sufficient citi es like Arcosanti in Arizona in which automobiles are no longer needed. Telecommuting, or working at home and transferring information, rather than people, is another approach designed to reduce overall distance and mass.With revised computer architectures, and new business and social structures, it is possible to significantly reduce societys transportation energy needs. The difficulties of such revisions arise from the economic burdens of restructuring cities, and the psychological resistor to large scale changes in social and business structures. The technologies, however, are largely available or just on the horizon.Reducing the transported mass, independently of the distance traveled, can also fundamentally reduce transportations energy requirements. Moreover, mass reduction need not affect travel habits, social and business structures, or the architecture of cities. The opportunity for a large reduction in mass becomes apparent when one considers that the vehicle itself is re sponsible for approximately 92% of the transported mass, while the occupants account for only 8%.(11) Most of the automobiles energy is consumed to transport itself.Mass reduction alone can save more energy than the most advanced powertrain concepts.Matching Vehicle Size to Trip RequirementsFrom the traditional horizon, the identified problem contributing to the automobiles high energy intensity is low vehicle occupancy. Transportation energy intensity is a measure of the energy consumed per passenger mile traveled. When a vehicle is lightly loaded, energy intensity goes up because the vehicle consumes about the same amount of energy (fuel), regardless of the number of occupants. Operating large, multi-passenger cars with only one or two occupants is therefore considered the most wasteful habit affecting the worlds consumption of transportation energy.Worldwide, automobiles operate, on average, with about 1.6 to 1.8 occupants. In the U.S., approximately 87% of all automobile trips occur with two or fewer occupants. The average for work related trips is 1.1 occupants per vehicle. One- and two-occupant trips account for approximately 83% of all vehicle miles traveled in the U.S.(12)If the same number of travelers were condensed into half the cars (car pooling), total automobile energy consumption would be reduced by half. But condensing occupants into fewer vehicles essentially defeats the automobiles primary benefit.Trips must then jibe the needs of other occupants, and the automobile is no longer a private and personal means of transportation.Traditionally, occupancy-rate is considered a behavioral by-product and therefore outside the bounds of vehicle technology. However, if the identified problem were redefined, it can easily become a simple technical problem. If the definition were inappropriate vehicle size (rather than underutilization of large cars), the beginning would then be to resize vehicles so they more closely match trip requirements. Since one - and two-occupant trips predominate, it naturally follows that a category of smaller vehicles designed for one- and two-occupant local and commuting trips would be beneficial.Low-Mass Vehicle SafetySmall, lightweight cars are normally associated with an increased risk of harm. Traffic accident statistics generally support the relationship between vehicle size and injury/fatality rates, with the potential for harm increasing in proportion to the decrease in vehicle size. (The exception is in Japan, where a special category of lightweight kei cars actually have a lower fatality rate than conventional large cars.) But with better vehicle designs, historical data can quickly become outmoded.Cars built today are four times securer than vehicles built in 1969, and they are approximately 10% smaller and 20% lighter. This is due primarily to improved safety design and modern safety systems.Although occupant protection becomes more challenging as vehicle size is reduced, it is technically feasible to produce significantly smaller and lighter vehicles that have a high degree of safety. Advanced hard shell concepts designed to increase low-mass vehicle safety are already under development in Switzerland. This new approach utilizes a rigid exterior that is largely identical to the rigid passenger compartment of conventional cars. During a collision, the rigid exterior of the smaller car causes the less rigid deformation zone of the larger car to yield and absorb energy. Passenger ride-down space (for deceleration) in the low-mass car is provided inside the vehicle, rather than by the traditional exterior deformation zone.Occupant deceleration is functionled by elastic restraints and air bags. (13)Vehicle use patterns and operating environment are also important. Cars that operate primarily in the urban environment do not necessarily have to match the crashworthiness of larger cars in order to provide equally safe transportation.New Products and New Market Appeals The Giant Oil Well Under DetroitMarket positioning, the implied messages in a products theme and advertising appeals, can capitalize on todays environmental and energy concerns, and ultimately have a powerful effect on energy consumption and pollution. The necessary consumer motivations and interests already exist. A shift in thinking that disengages manufacturers and consumers alike from the association of size and mass in relation to value in automobile design is an essential part of reducing transportations energy consumption.Significantly smaller and lighter cars, both electric and conventionally powered, are normally envisioned as cheap, underpowered, and dangerous vehicles that have little appeal. Once this premise is accepted, vehicle attributes consistent with the vision naturally emerge and an limn of market potential, profitability, and even vehicle styling and safety then follows suit according to the core idea.These details can quickly change when the vehicle and the mark et are seen from a different perspective.By adopting a new perspective on automobile design, new marketing opportunities and new product ideas can begin to take shape. By emphasizing innovative safety features, visually impressive driver information systems, advanced vehicle control and crash avoidance systems, and attractive vehicle layouts and styling, smaller urban cars and commuter cars can emerge as safe, marketable, and even superior, transportation products. Innovative product packaging and marketing appeals are essential for a successful transition to electric urban cars and fuel-efficient commuter cars.Despite todays green orientation, sacrifice and conservation are not especially marketable attributes. New vehicle types must satisfy consumers complex psychological needs while appealing to their broad social concerns. Energy conservation and environmental protection must be positioned as an upscale product attribute, rather than as a necessary sacrifice in the key of econo mic and environmental health.Energy conservation and emissions reduction are not primary consumer benefits. When manufacturers address environmental concerns with attractive new vehicle themes that satisfy consumers psychological needs, a marketable new category of products will have emerged, and passenger-travel energy consumption could be reduced by nearly two-thirds.A Sustainable Paradigm for a Fully Industrialized WorldAlternative cars alone will not create a system for long-term sustainability with the expected populations. Although transportation will be tomorrows largest single energy consumer (as much as 40% in the long term), combined industrial and residential needs will account for a larger portion of societys total energy needs.Future generations will probably have to adapt to more expensive energy, and use the worlds resources more prudently. This does not necessarily point to a world of stifling scarcity, but more to a new sense of responsibility, and a new paradigm fo r product design and the lifestyles that interrelate to form the overall production/consumption/pollution matrix.Changes in attitudes and behavior patterns can have an enormous impact on the cost to the ecosystem in resources and pollution. Population control and new business and social structures are essential and new technologies are needed as well.Todays developed economies, which account for only one-fourth of the worlds inhabitants, have been fortunate to have exuberant and cheap fossil energy supplies to fuel their transition into an industrialized world. In a sense, todays developed societies are similar to yesterdays pioneers, blazing the technology trail to a new frontier of sufficiency and sustainablity for the worlds future community of developed nations.Abundant and clean energy from nuclear fusion, along with fuel cell cars and rapid-recharging, extended-range, battery-electric cars, are probably the best hopes for meeting long-term transportation and energy needs. And new frontiers must be pioneered in attitudes and values, which ultimately convert to resource consumption and environmental degradation as they guide behavior. Just as alternative cars do not necessarily imply dull product design or reduced transportation quality, new values and social structures do not necessarily imply compromised lifestyles.