Saturday, August 31, 2019

Internet Traps and False Information Essay

Internet very popular important with everybody. Nowadays, everybody also use internet. It connect people on the world. Traditional class and internet class very diffenrent Internet is the traditional system, it will help our have more knowledge, good information, good news†¦ In the past, people used internet is the search system. It have a lot of good thing in the internet. It help we have friends , forum , search everything we want. We can know more knowledge But everything will be have negative and positive. We just know a good thing in the internet , we do not need to know a lot of bad thing on the internet . Social also have two face and internet too . It has troubles , traps †¦ we need to be thought wise, we certainly know right from wrong. Therefore , we should fully exploit the advantages of the internet, that advantage should not do bad things or negative. Internet always contains interesting things. Internet is one of the greatest inventions of human history. When old does not have internet, humans can be difficult to share the necessary information useful life, thanks to the internet, today we know a lot of things good. We need to know to take advantage of the internet to be useful, or exploitation of useful things in this life. It will help you feel better love life, more interesting things. But sometimes we take advantage of it in a bad job, bad purposes will cause the opposite effect. It makes us inadvertently lead us to wrong path that they want and go against positive thinking. If we take advantage of the bad things on the internet, it will lose the good thing is its capital. Because the internet sometimes contain false information about the problem, negative nature, does not serve the purpose well. Traditional classroom is the class just come to class and do homework, construct and develop courses. Traditional classes can help students become more active in this life. Students can hardly develop the capabilities as well as their knowledge. Traditional classroom is very limited and restrictive. It is difficult to create a sense of comfort and good environment for students to learn. It gives the students a feeling extremely uncomfortable, passive. The school on the internet is extremely beneficial, it helps us to easily absorb everything without hard working. Classroo m based courses offer more focus than online courses. In a classroom, students are forced to be quiet and listen to the teacher or their peers. They can even switch to a different tab with their favorite social network instead of what they’re supposed to be learning. the Internet  classroom is convenient for professors, too! They can give us a quiz without any paper, which can reduce the consumption of trees. At the same time, it may be easier for some teachers to make corrections or comments on student’s work on the computer. In this way, the professors can concentrate more on teaching. They don’t need to care about students’ behavior like eating, talking on the cell phone, or going to the toilet. Traditonal class makes sense to attend classes in person if you decide to live in the dorms or are an incoming freshmen who wants the real college experience. There are certainly more opportunities to join clubs, associations, or fraternities/sororities while taking classes on campus.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Describe the position of black people in the USA in 1945 Essay

Blacks in the USA in 1945 were not considered as equal; the treatment of people was based on their skin colour, a practice that had been going on for many years before, even after the Reconstruction of society after the Civil War in which the blacks were â€Å"liberated† from slavery. In theory, blacks were free to work and live where they wanted, but the figures at the time told a different story: by 1960, around 17% of the workforce of â€Å"white-collar† workers, i. e. professional, technical, administration, etc., were blacks, while the whites remained the majority at 47%. The â€Å"blue-collar† work, such as craftsmen, manual labourers, etc. – jobs that are renowned for needing less skill and education – had 40% of the workforce as blacks, and 36% were whites. Blacks just weren’t provided the education and qualifications to do the professional types of work due to separation of black and white facilities. Not only were they held back at getting the higher-class jobs, they were paid less for the same work that whites did; in 1950, blacks earned about 53% of a whites wage. This figure remained the same over the next 20 years, with it rising 11% to blacks earning 64% of a whites wage. All over the USA, blacks were discriminated against in almost all areas of life, whether it is the law of the state, or just by the custom of the local society. After the abolishment of slavery, slaves had the choice of moving away from their former homes and having their own lives; unfortunately, many blacks didn’t have any money to move halfway across the USA to the northern states that had fought to free them. Those who did have the finance to travel rarely had enough money afterwards to sustain a good quality of life after they had moved. The custom of de facto came into play in some of the Northern states; ghettos and places where the majority of the population were black sprung up in towns and cities. Segregation by custom in the North was contrasted with segregation by law, or de jure, in the South- Jim Crow laws forbade blacks, for example, to enter white facilities, or sit on buses with whites, etc. Places where de facto was in force came up with other ways to separate blacks from whites to keep the Southern order of things; â€Å"red lining† was when banks were not allowed to give money for mortgages if they suspected it would be a risky investment- if a black family moved into a certain area, it would lower the prices of the surrounding houses. This meant that places such as ghettos were built up, when the majority of the population were black. This type of segregation wasn’t by law, but by custom, blacks weren’t forced to live in â€Å"black† areas, but they felt pressured to live in certain places because of the practises such as red lining in effect. Although it is in the Constitution that everyone is equal and has the same civil rights, it is beliefs like red lining that push a wedge between races; it may not seem constitutional, but it is up to the Supreme Court in the USA to decide what is constitutional. They decided that slavery was lawful mainly due the fact that the Southern states economy was based on slavery; they were needed to produce cotton, the main export in the 19th century. Without them, the economy would have fallen apart. After the 13th amendment to the Constitution, slavery was no longer legal, but the Supreme Court still remained to overlook state laws that continued discrimination and practices that could be seen as worse then slavery- for example, the Ku Klux Klan were allowed to terrorise and lynch blacks, yet lynching was not made illegal. â€Å"The Supreme Court declared that the 14th amendment forbids states, but not citizens, from discriminating† (1) Separate facilities for blacks and whites were considered as the solution to the discrimination problem; the Supreme Court believed that the blacks were â€Å"separate but equal† when they were forced to use different buildings, transport, schools and hospitals then the whites. Since the Supreme Court approved laws and could declare them unconstitutional if they wanted to, they were the ones who the blacks has to convince if they wanted to change anything; in legal cases, the trial had to be taken to the Supreme Court to have any impact, since the State Courts were always going to be in favour of the Jim Crow laws. The Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) case was when Homer Plessy refused to sit in the â€Å"coloured† car of a train and sat in the â€Å"white† section instead. The case went to Supreme Court, and they ruled that Plessy was guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine or go to jail. This was considered the most shameful ruling of the Supreme Court in history; it shows the extent of the discrimination against blacks, even after slavery was abolished- even though Plessy was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, he was still considered as black in the eyes of the Louisiana law. Although many people thought that this ruling was shocking, there wasn’t much that could be done, since they did not have a definite leader to show them what the do; everything that the movement did was relatively unorganised, with maybe one person leading the others. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Booker T. Washington tried to unite blacks under one leadership, but it did not work, because everyone has different opinion on what should be done about the discrimination problem. Dr Martin King Jr. was a black leader that advocated peaceful resistance; because of this, many whites accepted him because they knew that he would not cause violence, but blacks did not like this as peaceful protest could only take them so far- they felt that King was weaker then some of the other extremist black leaders, such as Malcolm X. King’s approach to fighting against their oppression wasn’t enough to keep the blacks following him; they preferred people who were willing to do more for the benefit of all blacks. Another leader who was thought as weak by fellow blacks was Booker T. Washington; he was accused of being an accommodationist to the whites, as he wasn’t campaigning for equal civil rights, he was concentrating on equal job opportunities- this wasn’t what the blacks were fighting for; they wanted to be free to do what the whites could do, not only in jobs but in other aspects of life too. The leaders of the movement were not united, therefore they were not strong- many leaders were critical of others, for example, W. E. B DuBois criticised Washington, saying that blacks cannot get social equality if they do not get political equality first. The New Deal is a phrase used to explain the actions taken after Black Tuesday when the US Stock market crashed to stop the effects of the Depression disturbing the lives of the public. Laws were passed to help stop the consequences of the Depression becoming a long-term problem; within the first hundred days, President Roosevelt passed a law that lowered worker’s salaries and pensions by up to 15%- a move that people did not like, yet it saved a lot of money for the government. Another act was passed that stated that the government could inspect banks before letting them open again so they could see if the bank was eligible to lend and hold money. This prevented banks lending out money that they did not have, therefore they did not losing money for their customers and wouldn’t have to close, as they would have to have done if they did lend out money they didn’t have. The New Deal was produced so the government could help all of those that were affected by the Depression; this helped the blacks because they were some of the poorest people in the USA at the time, and as many as 8% of blacks were unemployed in 1955. For the blacks, the New Deal slightly improved their way of living as it was designed to help everyone without discrimination. Soon after New Deal was set up, the situation for blacks was improved socially by the outbreak of the Second World War. When the Americans were brought into the war, they needed as many men as they could to fight; blacks had regiments where they could join and be equal to whites, but they still were not allowed to belong to the same regiment as the whites- there were some who did, but they were rare, they normally belonged to an all-black regiment. At the end of the war, the blacks got more ambitious; they were allowed to fight for their country, but America wasn’t even grateful enough of them to let them be equal. This would have enraged African Americans since they had fought so hard to be a part of America, so the Civil Rights movement activity increased, which put pressure on the government to do something. The Nazi ideology also pushed the government into action, because what the Americans were doing to the blacks could be compared to the Germans discriminating against the Jews in Germany; the blacks realised this, so demanded equality, as they didn’t want the same to happen to them. In conclusion, the position of blacks in 1945 was not equal to whites: even after a century of supposed â€Å"freedom† from slavery, blacks were still treated as inferiors to whites. Laws and acts were in effect that encouraged the discrimination of blacks. Amendments such as the rights for blacks to vote and the rights for them to be equal were passed, but there were so many other laws that cancelled them out. Jim Crow laws in the South and practises such as â€Å"red lining† in the North made it impossible for blacks to be seen as equal politically, whilst rebellions by extremist whites and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan stopped blacks gaining any social standing or equality. Blacks were supposed to be equal, but by 1945, some may comment that the position of them was worse then slavery, as the blacks were on their own in there poverty and discrimination; before, they had their slave owners who would clothe and feed them to keep productive workers- they would never be out on the streets as slaves, but as â€Å"free† people, they received basically no help. Things that whites took for granted, such as clean and good-quality facilities, and jobs that are fair and just are things that blacks counted themselves lucky if they managed to get any equality. People like Martin Luther King Jr. and W. E. B. DuBois tried to get equality, both through violence and peaceful means, but it didn’t have much effect to the political and social standing of blacks. The discrimination of blacks continued right into the 20th century, even up into the 21st century. It was slow going for the blacks’ right to equality, but actions by both blacks and whites changed things for the better. However, in 1945, blacks were not considered as equal, but as 3/5s of a human being. Bibliography: (1) http://www. alternativeinsight. com/Reparations-Slavery. html Field, Ron; â€Å"Civil Rights in America 1865-1980†; Cambridge University Press http://www. lawbuzz. com/can_you/plessy/plessy. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/New_Deal.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Made in china

I have never really been one for politics and economics.   Being neither a politician nor an economist, I have never really understood the mechanics of all these deals.   I have always felt that these things are better left to the experts.   Be that as it may, however, the effects and ramifications of all these economic negotiations and deals have invaded into my personal life.   I never expected it to happen but during a recent camping trip of mine I found out just what the trade relations between the United States and China really means in the life of everyday people. It started on a nice and sunny day in the middle of spring.   I was looking forward to the annual camping trip that I and my friends went to.   While we believed in roughing it, we also believed in living with a few luxuries that civilization had made us accustomed to.   In the spirit of â€Å"roughing† it, we had set a limit as to how much we could spend on the items that we were to bring on the trip.   The budget per person was around US $200.   We figured that by setting a cap spending limit we would stick to the bare necessities and experience what it was like to really enjoy camping. In hindsight, I realize that the budget of US $200 that we had set was pretty lean, to say the least.   We had to do away with the usual items that we were used to buying such as portable television sets and the like.   Yet, as we entered the camping goods store, we noticed something different.   There were now so many other cheap goods on sale in the store.   Needless to say, since we had a limited budget, we were overjoyed to realize that we could now splurge on a few more â€Å"essential† items for our camping trip. At the check out counter, we had purchased so many other extra goods.   Aside from the basics such as a tent, flashlight, lamp, sleeping bag and disposable dinner ware, we had also purchased a portable television set, radio speakers and electric generator. As anyone would have guessed, these additional luxury items were made in China.   We never expected that we could buy all these things at a fraction of the price that the same American goods were sold.   In fact, the thing that surprised us the most was the proliferation of these goods into almost every camping goods store in the vicinity. The real lesson on the impact of the United States and China trade relationship was not to be experienced until the camping trip itself. The first few minutes of the trip were relatively uneventful.   We unpacked the items and assigned members to handle the setting up of the various items such as the generator and the tents.   As soon as the basics were set up, we decided to give our new gadgets a go, so to speak.   The first item to screw up was the portable television.   After several minutes of trying to find the right signal, the television set decided that it was also a toaster and it began to emit smoke from the rear panel.   It was not long before the sparks started to fly. Much to ours surprise, the radio speakers soon followed suit, dangerously close to the sleeping bags.   Like clockwork, the generator also followed suit and soon all our made in China goods were either smoking or ablaze. We were left with none of the luxuries that we wanted and only the basic goods that we required for our camping trip.   While a few embers had fallen on the sleeping bags and the tents, they were left relatively un-singed.   The relatively expensive goods by comparison that were made in the United States lasted while the cheap goods from China had broken down even before we had begun to use them. It was that moment that I realized what was really going on in the United States and China trade relationship from an economic and political point of view.   The influx of cheap Chinese goods was a result of the open trade relations that allowed these goods to enter.   The expanded distribution was caused by the relatively low prices that these goods had. I also realized that these things were necessary because trade relations pretty much govern the political relations that countries have with each other.   In order for the United States to tap into the market of China, certain concession had to be made such as allowing trade reciprocity.   The cost of such deals, however, can really be experienced by the normal people such as me.   As the law of supply and demand shows, cheaper is not really better and quality comes at a price.   This I

Women's roles and how they are obtained Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women's roles and how they are obtained - Essay Example While the issue of how men relate to women and women relate to men has been a long explored topic, one that was nearly taboo for centuries was the question of how black men relate to black women. Due primarily to their status as slaves and laborers, black people have only recently, within the past 100 years or so, had their voices heard. Because of this, the relationships between men and women as they exist within the black community have remained relatively unexplored until recently. Central to Jean Toomer’s Karintha, Ernest J. Gaines’s A Long Day in November, and Toni Cade Bambara’s A Tender Man are relationships between black men and black women, and more specifically, how black women must contend with the realities of black men. Throughout all three stories, it is revealed that, much like the relationships among white people, women’s lives are altered by the roles pushed upon them by men. In Jean Toomer’s novel Karintha, the male characters overwhelmingly reject the natural cycles of life in order to rationalize their desire for Karintha. Throughout the story one is inundated with descriptions of her beauty and the lust it inspires in the men around her. â€Å"Even the preacher, who caught her at mischief, told himself that she was as innocently lovely as a November cotton flower† (Toomer, 19). Karintha’s actions, which are natural expressions of her personality rather than any devious attempt to gain the men’s attentions, must be denied in favor of what the preacher and other men decide she is based upon their interpretation of her actions. Toomer specifies that the preacher â€Å"tells himself†, connoting this type of external construction of her identity. Immediately following the preacher’s episode, the reader is informed: â€Å"Already, rumors were out about her† (19). The juxtaposition with the preacher’s thoughts, leads one to read these rumors as the product of more constructions, more denials

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Issue 15 yes 2510 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issue 15 yes 2510 - Essay Example assessment covered studies that had information on Africa, calculated cost and effectiveness, transmission rates and methods, drugs prices and their availability. The data from the studies were a spun of thirteen years. In most of the studies, the investigators depended on cost from the provider perspective only. Therefore, in order to ensure a wide comparability among the interventions, the report gives a standardized cost and effectiveness data (Haacker 25). However, the report has several limitations. The information was limited since not all the studies focused on the same things. The cost data was not enough to under go a standardized analysis. In addition, the study may underestimate the effects of some of the interventions. Therefore, the interpretation needs caution (Haacker 26). Despite the challenges in coming up with data, the information can still be accurately used to advice on the intervention in Africa. This is because it shows that despite the little information provided, it gives the direction needed to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The studies show that preventive methods are to be in place first, and then followed by the treatment cost on those already affected. Thus, the interventions potential maximizes and results to a general cost-effective mechanism (Haacker

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 204

Assignment Example â€Å"My Papas Waltz† narrates a young son’s frightened encounters with his drunken father. As his father waltzes him around, the poem creates the same dizzying effect on the audience too. These poems evoke the senses to assert that, disorientation may be confusing at first, but they have their enlightening moments. The main subject of these poems is disorientation that can create a feeling of dread. â€Å"In a Station† is a metaphor of contrasting images about seeing an â€Å"apparition† (Pound 1) and seeing â€Å"petals† (Pound 2). An apparition is usually worrisome, while petals tend to evoke appreciation for their delicate beauty. Using these images create opposing emotional effects that result to a sense of disorientation for readers, as if the poem also wants them to feel the confused state of its speaker. â€Å"My Papas Waltz† talks about disorientation too. The speaker is merely a little boy, but his drunken father aggressively tosses him around as his dance ritual before putting his son to bed. The grace and aristocratic nature of a â€Å"waltz† conflicts with the working-class roughness of a father who smells like â€Å"whiskey† (Roethke 1), has â€Å"battered† knuckles (Roethke 10) and â€Å"palm caked hard by dirt† (Roethke 14) , and hurts his dance partner by scraping his ear with his buckle (Roethke 12). Again, this poem puts readers into the place of the speaker- a particularly physically and emotionally dizzying place. These poems have a powerful way of forcing their audiences to step into their shoes and feel their disorientation. To feel confusion, these poems stimulate the senses to create strong visual and emotional effects. The title itself of â€Å"In a Station† easily helps readers see the metro’s darkness, feel its coldness, and smell its wet, dank scents. Adding the description of the â€Å"apparition of these faces in the crowd† heightens the feelings of creepiness and fearfulness of the setting (Pound 1).

Monday, August 26, 2019

Short Critical Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Critical Reflection Paper - Essay Example It can store half truths that masquerade as fact. You might find a great answer to a question online, but because it is not from a reliable source, it may be inaccurate. However the libraries of the19th century were not very easy to access and it was very difficult to find the relevant information. They were also not very updated. In contrast Google is a very efficient and effective resource to search particular information. Is email dead for teenagers? Explain. Despite the influence that email holds amongst adults as a main mode of personal and professional communication, it is not a predominantly important part of the communication arsenal of today’s youth. Only 14% of all adolescence report transferring of emails to their friends each day, making it the least admired form of daily social communication on the record. Even among multi-channel youth, who are more likely to take benefit of any communication channel they have access to, just 23% declare they send email to their contacts daily. High school age doesn't utilize email at all, they send archives through AIM and converse with their cell phones, face book and IM. Once they are into the college they are enforced to use email for classes but they hardly ever use it to be in touch with friends.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Channels & intermediaries for marketing plan and promotion strategy Term Paper

Channels & intermediaries for marketing plan and promotion strategy - Term Paper Example e the need to lower the costs of distribution, increased power of distributors, particularly retailers within marketing channels, increased difficulties in achieving proper competitive advantage, and the development of e – commerce and information and communication technologies. The theory of the marketing channel can be puzzling. At times, it is thought of as the course in use by a product as it progresses from the producer to the consumer or another final user. Several describe it as the route in use by the title to goods as it progresses through different agencies. Still others explain the marketing channel in terms of free coalitions of business enterprises that have come together with the intention of trade. Much of the uncertainty possibly stems from conflicting viewpoints or perspectives. A marketing channel is an essential marketing decision area that must be addressed by the marketing management. A marketing channel may be described as the external contactual organization that the management of a business controls in order to attain its distribution objectives. Marketing channel strategy is a key strategic area of marketing management, which fits under the place or distribution variable in the marketing mix (Ken Kaser, 2007). The management of the Youth Soccer Club must develop and run its marketing channels in a way that supports and augments the other planned variables of the marketing mix, to meet the demands of the club’s target markets. Where limitations exist in the promotion, price, and product strategies of the marketing mix, the best hope for the soccer club to be successful is to emphasize the market channel strategy. Specifically, the soccer club could establish stronger connections with donors or sponsors and suppliers. From the perspective of establishing competitive advantage, which ahs long-term viability, market channel strategy that is focused on the establishment of strong relationships between donors or suppliers and channel

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Managing employee performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing employee performance - Essay Example The paper critically analyses three strategies including policy framework, monitoring and coordinating attendance, and reward system in order to curtail absenteeism. Contrary to common belief, compromising working conditions, low job satisfaction, and ill-treatment are identified to be the main reasons of absenteeism. If left unaddressed, absenteeism leads to loss of money, productivity, stress amongst co-workers and organization as a whole. The paper analyses the way a detailed, updated, and consistent policy framework prevent absenteeism before it develops. However, written policy is the first step which must be preceded with proper communication and consistent policy implementation. Policy framework is further enhanced by monitoring and coordinating attendance. Attendance tracking is identified to be more effective when linked with payroll and HRIS. Keeping and maintaining records is sufficient to keep the employees alert and absenteeism under controlled. Third strategy of reward and incentive is proactive in nature. Offering attractive reward for regular employees and incentive for potential employees who can be regular attendee seems a practical solution. However, some experts are apprehensive of its negative consequences, such as, unproductive attendance. The research and analysis of these strategies and reasons of absenteeism leads to a balanced approach. The paper suggests adopting the combination of different strategies designed in accordance to the specific needs of an organization’s absenteeism problem. 2. Causes of Absenteeism Generally perceived reasons for absenteeism include: sickness, workloads, low compensation, and family issues. However, research shows a different side of the picture. While studying employee opinion about absenteeism issue, several anonymous studies identified that neither low pay, high workloads, less compensation, and poor benefits, nor actual sickness are the causes of absenteeism. In fact, absenteeism is identified to be a symptom of bad working conditions, low job satisfaction, and ill-treatment of supervisors. An effective method to determine the reasons of employees’ absence is to inquire the supervisor for the reasons of absenteeism and the ways to curtail it. Suggestions for possible solutions will be provided by only those supervisors who have actually put some efforts in dealing with the issue (cited in Levine, 1999). It is critical to understand that reasons for absenteeism vary in different organizations. In order to implement any strategy to curtail absenteeism, employers’ must identify the underlying reasons which are leading to absenteeism in their organization. 3. Consequences of Absenteeism Absenteeism at workplace is a troublesome and costly issue, the most perturbing is the fact that approximately 50 percent of absenteeism stems from unacceptable reasons (Gwaltney, 1994, p.24).Major consequences of absenteeism are lost productivity, unreasonable overtime pay, and paid sick leave (Tyler, 1997, p.57).In addition, absenteeism at workplace leads to: lower productivity, compromising work quality, loss of team work, and increased payroll cost in the form of overtime (Miller et al. cited in   Lockhart,2001,p.8). Absenteeism frequently cause last-minute struggle for supervisor to look for replacements (Markowich et

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Benefits of Virtual Meetings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Benefits of Virtual Meetings - Essay Example By comparing the merits with the demerits, business people can determine the viability of using a virtual meeting platform. Travel - Virtual meetings negate the need to travel, saving days out of the work week that would have otherwise been sent traveling abroad to present reports. The removal of travel costs also makes the method less expensive. Improvement in B2B businesses - The use of virtual meetings makes it easy for businesses to set up a cordial working relationship, as the virtual meetings encourage constant interaction. As a result, the relationships between businesses improve, and trade blossoms (Wilson, Valencia & Smith-Bindman, 2014). Cost and learning curve – Not all people or businesses can afford to set up an effective Virtual Meeting system. Even when they afford, getting the best out of the virtual meeting program will take a lot of time to familiarize (Wilson, Valencia & Smith-Bindman, 2014). AS such, it can get on the nerves of those who have short tempers, or even embarrass them. Participation Values - The use of Virtual Meetings does not assist the people who have problems with participation. In fact, the performance of such people lowers when they use a Virtual Meeting medium. As such, it may not assist in bringing the best results. As such, it becomes evident that Virtual Meetings have their advantages and disadvantages. However, an assessment of the demerits reveals that they can be easily dealt with if the system is created in an organization, through training. As such, I would recommend businesses to consider them medium as an effective communication

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Essays of Pochury Festival Essay Example for Free

Essays of Pochury Festival Essay The attack was undertaken by the Eastern Command’s 1st Brigade under the command of Major General Zuheto, along with the then 4th battalion of Pochury Region under the command of Lt. Colonel Thorpa. The monsoon was at its height during the time and all major rivers like Tizu, Lanye and Thethsii were in full spate. The attack was launched after destroying all the six bridges on all the rivers. This was done to stop reinforcement from reaching the besieged army post. As the attack continued into the thirteenth day, ammunitions on both sides were running short and on several occasions the Indian Air Force plane tried to drop relief material and ammunitions but were prevented by the Naga Army. At the same time the Indian Air Force jet fighters strafed the attacker’s positions. An Indian transport plane (Dakota) trying to drop relief materials and ammunitions to the besieged post was shot down by the Naga Army on the 14th day of the siege and crash landed at Zathsii, a paddy field of Meluri village. The Naga Army captured all the 9 (nine) airmen including Flt. Lt. A. S. Singh. This led to a heavy army operation in Pochury area by the Indian Army, who was on a mission to search and rescue the captured airmen, none of whom were ever tortured but were later set free through the Red Cross. In the process of the army operations to rescue the airmen many villages were burnt down and untold atrocities and tortures were inflicted upon the villagers. On September 1, 1960, 6 (six) villagers from Phor village were tortured to death. Their names are Lt. Turachu, Village Chief, Lt. Yutsuchu, Pastor, Lt. Chupuchu DB, Lt. Yituchu GB, Lt. Turuchu GB, Lt. Mughazu GB. Again on September 3, 1960 another 3 (three) villagers from Yisi village were beaten to death namely Lt. Mazu GB, Lt. Throchu, Lt. Mazu RP. Two villagers Lt. Yichuhu and Lt. Nyupuchu. from Mokie village were also beaten to death. In Laruri village, Lt. Lingsang was buried alive after severe beating. Lt. Nyukhrusuh and Lt. Rhorupa of Meluri village were beaten severely and after which, their heads were chopped-off. Two villages, namely Tsikuzo and Kuluopfu, were abandoned due to tortures and humiliations meted out by the Indian army. On 6th September 1960, the Punjab Regiment posted at Kangjang village reached Matikhrii village around 10 am. The entire village was encircled in three rings and all the villagers were ordered to gather in one place. Men folk were separated from women and children. All the men were made to keep jumping and do sit-ups, for more than 5 hours in the scorching sun, naked. Any signs of tiredness were met with kicks and hits with rifle butts. Then just before sunset, Indian army not satisfied with the punishment meted out to the villagers, rounded them up inside the Village chief’s house and were forced to sit heads down like a lamb being lead to its slaughter. Lt. Thah, the then Village chief, knowing what was in store for them bravely volunteered to sacrifice. He stood bravely for the Naga cause even to his last breath and said â€Å"It’s a man’s pride. No surrender, no compromise for our birth right. This sacrifice is to protect our freedom. I shall gladly lay down my life for the Naga future generation. † Then an Indian army jawan, holding a blunt dao(hatchet) chopped off the head of Lt. Pogholo who was first in the line. Witnessing the brutality and horror in front of their eyes and knowing that all of them were going to be killed, one of the villagers managed to escape the execution forcefully. Then one after another heads rolled down separated from the bodies, and in the event a total of nine lives were lost. Their names are Lt. Thah, Lt. Pogholo, Lt. Mezitso, Lt. Pongoi, Lt. Eyetshu, Lt. Zasituo, Lt. Thitu, Lt. Kekhwezu, Lt. Kezukhwelo. The Indian army did not even allow the loved ones to perform last rites and rituals for the dead. All the dead bodies were dumped inside the village chief’s house and were burnt down to ashes along with the other houses and granaries. The women and children who had fled to the jungle to evade the horror and torture of Indian Army came back the next morning to find the whole village burnt down to ashes. Lt. Thitu who narrowly escaped from the execution was found by his wife Mrs. Rhiitariih with three cuts on the neck, stomach slashed and intestines thrown out. He quoted â€Å"Love, tell my beloved children the sacrifice I have borne for them and I am waiting to die in your lap with a cup of water† and after drinking, he breathed his last. Another victim Lt. Zasituo, traveling Pastor, was also found almost dead with multiple injuries on his chest and neck. Not long after, he died. Then the horrified women and children with no means simply covered the dead bodies with mud and left for the jungles fearing the Indian army might turn up any time. For days together, the survivors wandered in the deep jungle without proper food and shelter. The wild berries and fruits of the jungle were their only food and means of survival. The only comfort and encouragement they could give to each other was the knowledge of glorious sacrifices made by their men folk. The wild animals and birds of the jungle were their only companions, besides themselves. In extreme conditions of hardships and difficulty, many more precious lives were lost. The Naga Army then came to their rescue. They were given food, shelter and protection. Even today, the nightmares and tragedy of the incident still remain fresh in the mind of the survivors. In this long dispersion and exodus, the survivors entered Burma and stayed with the Naga Army in their camp at Sathi where Gavin Young of London Observer met them in the later part of 1961. In his book â€Å"Indo-Naga War†, page 29-30, he wrote that when he met the survivors, there were only a pathetic thirty people.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Long Term Care - Aging Baby Boom Generation Essay Example for Free

Long Term Care Aging Baby Boom Generation Essay The baby boom generation will pose a gross demand for long-term care services and the challenges that state and federal governments face in budgeting to offset those services. Federal entitlement spending will sharply increase due to lack of preparation (saving money) for â€Å"old age† by baby boomers. The some 76 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are anticipated to double the burden on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security by 2035. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001) Social Security and Medicare reform must continue to keep the programs viable and capable of meeting those commitments. Medicaid, the main agency that finances long term care, will need realistic focus. Currently, the services of Medicaid are unable to meet the demands of need for individuals with disabilities, leaving the individual’s family to face the burden of long term care cost. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001) â€Å"As the baby boom generation retires and the Medicare-eligible population swells, the imbalance between outlays and revenues will increase dramatically. Medicare growth rates reflect not only a rapidly increasing beneficiary population,  but also the escalation of health care costs at rates well exceeding general rates of inflation. While advances in science and technology have greatly expanded the capabilities of medical science, disproportionate increases in the use of health services have been fueled by the lack of effective means to channel patients into consuming, and providers into offering, only appropriate services. Although Medicare cost growth had slowed in recent years, in fiscal year 2001 Medicare spending grew by 10.3 Percent and is up 7.8 percent for the first 5 months of fiscal year 2002. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001)† Reference United States Government Accounting Offices (2001) Long Term Care Aging Baby Boomers Retrieved from http://www.gov/assets/110/109196.html

Single Women And Depression Social Work Essay

Single Women And Depression Social Work Essay Depression in single, married and widowed/divorced employed mothers Mental health is gradually becoming a focus in todays society. Women are diagnosed with mental illness two-to-one compared to men. Some hypothesis to the reason for these unequal statistics include hormone differences, cultural stifling of womens creative expression leading to maladjusted coping mechanisms, or misdiagnoses by sexist doctors (News for Healthy Living, 1999). A womans circumstance highly influences her likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder. This paper will analyze the prevalence of mental illness, especially anxiety disorders and depression, among employed mothers who are either single parents, in a heterosexual marriage, or widowed or divorced. Afifi, Cox and Enns found that married women suffer from the fewest psychiatric conditions, never married women slightly higher, and divorced women have significantly the highest number of psychiatric diagnoses (2006). This is possibly because married women often have far less risky behaviors and lower mortality rates than their unmarried counterparts (St. John Montgomery, 2009). Financial hardships, low wages, working multiple jobs, unemployment, and lack of social support, contribute to depressive symptoms, though they have different effects on women with different relationship situations (Wang, 2004). These situations are merely predictors of depression not deciders and will affect single and married mothers differently. Single, widowed and divorced mothers will have higher stresses, and therefore depressive symptoms, relating to financial issues. While married women will have depressive symptoms more related to their relationship. People in unhappy marriages or those who are not satisfied with their partner may have high levels of depressive symptoms. Even more, being dissatisfied with ones living partner is correlated with depressive symptoms in women (St. John Montgomery, 2009). The coping mechanisms which are often associated with depression in married, single, and divorced or widowed women are generally negative and harmful to both themselves and their social relationships. Depression and alcohol problems are often co-morbid in both single and married women (Kelly, Halford, Young, 2000). In addition, depression and coping mechanisms often negatively affect the relationship between married women and their spouses. Depressed women and their partners report more destructive and inefficient ways of conflict communication and resolution (Heene, Buysse, Van Oost, 2007). More effective interventions should be reviewed to address not only the cause of the depression and depressive symptoms, but to introduce more operative coping mechanisms. Single Women and Depression Single employed mothers have a wide variety of stressors in their lives. These stressors are associated with a higher probability of developing an anxiety disorder, especially depression. Low income, low education, family size, and ethnicity are stressors which are highly associated with depression for single mothers (Afifi, Cox, Enns, 2006). The main stressors of a single mothers life are centered on her children and being able to provide for them. Those who were forced to work more than one job to provide for their family, especially those who were non-white, had an increased risk of developing major depressive disorder than their married counterparts (Wang, 2004). Often, the choice between spending more time at work and more time with their family is not a difficult one and does not add to the distress felt. Ethnicity however is a stressor in every sphere of life and is often linked to lower educations, lower wage, and discrimination. It is possible that non-white single mothers are not distressed about their ethnicity, but about the situations their ethnicity forces them into with regard to the ability to provide for their family. Reducing stressors, and therefore depressive symptom risks, is important to curb the anxiety disorders and depression among employed single mothers. Non-traditional sex-role attitudes, more time at work, higher income, low work-family strain, and high self-esteem are associated with lower levels of depression among single mothers (Keith Schafer, 1982). All of these situations allow for greater opportunities for a woman to provide for her family, thus creating a less stressful lifestyle. However, managing stress and depressive symptoms is also an area to be involved in. Single mothers are more likely to use mental health care services than their married counterparts (Wang, 2004).Whether this is because they have a less stable social support network, or married women feel ashamed for needing these services is unclear. However these statistics are only significant before the age of 50 (Wang, 2004). This is possibly linked to the aging of the children and the support the single mother r eceived from her adult children she no longer must support. Married Women and Depression For married women and mothers, stressors and triggers of depression focus less on providing for their family and more on their interactions and self-sacrifices for that family. Married women spend approximately 40 hours a week doing household chores (to a mans 17), that is a 70/30% split (News for Healthy Living, 1999). These statistics hold true for both employed women and housewives. The increase stresses of having to be both a financial and domestic provider is a key reason married women develop depressive symptoms. Married women cite losing the opportunity to pursue higher education or dream careers due to expectations of maintaining a household and family as one of their major causes of depression (St. John Montgomery, 2009). Even when a woman does hold a job, she feels that her income is less important than her husbands (which is usually higher). In these situations, she is often more distressed by her husbands performance than by her own (Keith Schafer, 1982). Often, increas ed involvement in leisure activities appear to be negatively associated with well-being, suggesting that further structured time commitments beyond those to her family may be more stressful than helpful for a married mother (Janke, Nimrod, Kleiber, 2008). Positive work orientation, high self-esteem, less time spent at work and higher satisfaction with both domestic tasks and their partner and relationship were linked with lower depression rates among married mothers (Keith Schafer, 1982). Partner satisfaction is an important reducer to the stresses, and ultimately depressive symptoms, in a married mothers life. There is significantly less martial adjustment and cooperation in marriages with at least one depressed partner (Heene, Buysse, Van Oost, 2007). Whether this is the cause or the result of the depression however is unclear. Drinking is a common form of stress control among married women; however this often leads to more stressful situations. Reductions in excessive drinking behaviors led to a modest improval in martial satisfaction rates and decreased depression (Kelly, Halford, Young, 2000). One of the highest causes of stress in married mothers lives is their over commitment to their surrounding friends and family. It has b een shown that decreasing the number of unsatisfying social connections, such as clubs and other leisure activities, may increase a married womens mental health (Janke, Nimrod, Kleiber, 2008). Widowed and Divorced Women and Depression While single (never-married) and currently married mothers have similar prevalence rates of mental health disorders, widowed and divorced women have a much greater occurrence (Afifi, Cox, Enns, 2006). Separated and divorced mothers have higher instances of diagnosable anxious-misery disorders including depression, dysthymia, general anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and antisocial personality disorder, while widowed mothers have much higher instances of PTSD and major depressive disorder (Afifi, Cox, Enns, 2006). For widowed women the personal bereavement period and the psychological stresses of losing a spouse are often detrimental enough to trigger depressive symptoms or a depressive episode, especially in older women. Divorced women however are triggered not by losing their spouse, but by the process of divorce itself. A more hostile divorce will lead to greater instances of anxiety disorders as more negative interactions with a spouse is associated with depression (Afifi, Cox, Enns, 2006). Social support after being widowed or divorced is often lacking and needs to be cultivated to provide widows and divorcees with the means to combat their depression. Rates of adult engagement in pleasant activities have been link with subsequent decreases in levels of depressive symptoms (Janke, Nimrod, Kleiber, 2008). Isolation is prevalent after a spouse has died or left a woman, especially if she has children. She must now learn to provide for her family without her partner, and often times, without her main support system. More social contact, especially in the form of leisure activities with women their own age is recommended for widows or divorcees with depressive symptoms or on the edge of developing symptoms of an anxiety disorder (Janke, Nimrod, Kleiber, 2008). Depression Interventions Single, married and widowed or divorced mothers all have different stressors and triggers of depressive symptoms in their everyday lives. Each woman should ideally have an intervention created specifically to her socioeconomic status, relationship level and needs, child situation and other stress-inducing lifestyle characteristics. However, there are a few general guidelines about depression interventions in women which may apply to all categories. Distress, especially in relationships, is common in women with alcohol problems. These women report low confidence about resolving disagreements with their children, bosses, and/or partners (Kelly, Halford, Young, 2000). Alcohol use and abuse is also co-related to high rates of spousal aggressive and instances of excessive drinking in response to conflicts. While alcohol interventions alone improve relationships within the first 12 months of the decrease in drinking behavior, relapse often occurs if the original cause of the depression is not addressed and more viable coping mechanisms are not introduced (Kelly, Halford, Young, 2000). Women need to focus more on themselves, their inner growth, family and friends with whom they have close connections before over extending themselves; this could mean either eliminating unnecessary social connections or creating them depending on ones situation (Janke, Nimrod, Kleiber, 2008). Communication is the largest mechanism for combating stress and depressive disorder is women of all relationships levels. Women are more likely to express demands in relationships, whereas men withdraw themselves, and failure to have these expressed demands met often lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression (Heene, Buysse, Van Oost, 2007). These lower levels of communication, which could include avoidance or varying demand/withdrawal relationships, lead to little conflict resolution, less constructive communication and problem solving skills, more avoidant or ambivalent relationships in couples and often fosters depression or other anxiety disorders (Heene, Buysse, Van Oost, 2007). A common place for miscommunication is relationships, especially marriages, is the performance of household chores. Keith and Schafer found a significant link between satisfaction over housework and the mental health of married women suggesting that homemaking may have a greater important when both spouses were equally present (1982). The traditional sex-roles which often survive in marriages lead to greater depressive symptoms and depression in married women, whereas non-traditional sex-role attitudes have been shown to decrease depression in single women (Keith Schafer, 1982). It is not keeping the home which leads to the depressive symptoms, but the division of the work. The bigger the womans share of home responsibilities when compared to her partner the more likely she is to feel distressed and depressed (News for Healthy Living, 1999). Conclusions Single, employed mothers most often experience distress and depression relating to their financial situations and their ability to care for their children. Married women usually experience this distress relating to their relationship with their partner and the things they were forced to give up for their marriage. Widowed and divorced womens distress is generally focused around changing familial roles and the loss of familiar social support systems. Depression is more prevalent in widows and divorcees and least prevalent in married women, though this many have to do with the stress inducers of each group and the economic depression of the time period (St. John Montgomery, 2009). While the stressors of these women are all different, some common interventions are useful. Self-esteem is a large factor is all depressive symptoms and in the development of depression. Interventions aimed at increasing a womans self-esteem will be useful for all relationship levels (Keith Schafer, 1982). Depressed women have higher levels of attachment insecurity and therefore decreased conflict resolution skills, it is not clear however if the depression causes the decrease in relationship effectiveness, or the dysfunctional relationship is the cause of the depression (Heene, Buysse, Van Oost, 2007). Carefully selecting relationships to cultivate is important, whether growing new social support networks or strengthening existing ones, over or under stimulation socially is a large cause of depressive symptoms in women and mothers. A large conflict between work and home roles is a significant predictor of depression in women, so dividing the housework evenly among partners will si gnificantly reduce the occurrences of depression (News for Health Living, 1999; Wang, 2004). While depression will always occur in relationships, due to work and home stresses, from the burden of caring for children, and as a result of changes in a persons life; knowing the proper way to combat those stressors will significantly reduce a womens likelihood of developing depressive symptoms or anxiety disorders and allow them to pursue healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Rise of the Nazi Party Essay -- Nazis Germany Hitler Essays

The Rise of the Nazi Party Hitler’s rise to power was the result of many factors, but Hitler’s ability to take advantage of Germany’s poor leadership and economical and political conditions was the most significant factor. His ability to manipulate the media and the German public whilst taking advantage of Germany’s poor leadership resulted in both the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler and the nazi party. During the early 1920s, Germany was struggling with economic instability and political uncertainty. Germany, after being defeated in the Great War, was forced to sign the unforgiving treaty of Versailles, which the Weimar Republic was held responsible for. This brought forward feelings of fear, anger and insecurity towards the Weimar Republic. Hitler built on these feelings and offered the secure and promising alternative of the extremist nazi party. Although there were many factors that contributed to the rise of Hitler and the collapse of the Weimar republic, Hitler’s ability to build upon people’s frustrated view of the hatred of the treaty of Versailles and the circumstances it placed upon the German nation, was the fundamental reason for Hitler’s rise to power and the Weimar Republic to collapse The Treaty of Versailles, signed by the Weimar Republic at the conclusion of WW1, introduced economic insatiability and caused a profusion of hardship. The idea of resorting to an extremist group promising better alternatives became an attractive option to many Germans. The Treaty of Versailles’ vindictive terms and unreasonable reparations (6,600,000,000 pounds) resulted in undesired economic circumstances. Unemployment rose to 25%, no less than fifty percent of school children were undernourished and annual meat consumption fell from 52kg to 26kg per person. In general, the German standard of living decreased dramatically. The terms of the hated treaty angered and frustrated people. Hitler, intensely detesting the November criminals1, promised to build a back powerful nation, the German public, in a state of disillusionment, responded positively to this claim and began to support the Nazi Party. Hitler’s ability to take advantage of the Treaty of Versalles and the har dship that it brought to the German nation contributed to Hitler’s rise to power and the collapse of the Weimar Republic. The instability of the newly for... ... with other factors, lured many Germans in to believing in the nazi ideals and supporting the Nazi party whilst stirring up a hatred of the current Weimar Republic. With a combination of poor leadership on the Weimar Government’s behalf, the signing of the hated Treaty of Versailles and an unattractive economic situation, Hitler, using his charismatic personality, was able to convince the majority of the public to resort to the extremist nazi party. There are many other factors that influenced the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism; In every case, however, Hitler’s manipulative skills and sophisticated behavior towards circumstances lead to the success of the Nazi Party. By successfully manipulating the above set of circumstances, Hitler was able to cause to the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party. 1The November criminals. Hitler nicknamed the Weimar Republic this as he saw them as being responsible for signing the hated tTreaty of Versalles. Resources Problems and issues in modern history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   J. Simpson et al Booklets handed out in class Encyclopedia of Britinica Various internet sites

Monday, August 19, 2019

Invaded By Immigrants Essay -- essays research papers fc

Invaded By Immigrants Canada being a relatively new country, as far as the history of the world goes was built by immigration. Every single resident of North America can trace his ancestry back to the cradle of life in Europe. Even Native Americans found their way to the new world over a frozen ice pack, spreading out across the land, weaving a rich culture and prospering. The Canada that we know today began only in the last 200 years. Settlers poured in from all over the world, tempted with free land and religious liberty Europeans settled in Canada by the thousands. They brought with them traditions and a legal system modeled after the English governments. Although is undeniable that Immigration made Canada into the strong nation that it is, I feel that Immigration as it is set up these days does not build our country but tears it down. The open gates policy implemented by our government leaves the Canadian social system wide open to be abused by would-be migrants in other countries. It is quite obvious that the system currently running is quite imperfect. This paper will attempt to show flaws in Canada's immigration policy and suggest new policy's which fit better with Canada's social landscape. All over the world populations are growing at tremendous rates. Nothing in this world happens by accident, the populations are moving because they expect an increase in quality of life in the new country. Country's all over the world view Canada as a great place to live, the United Nations bills Canada as the best place to live. When third world people look at their present situations, they think that they could instantly improve their surroundings by moving to Canada. By pure logic it would seem like madness to open Canada's doors wide open to any immigrant which wishes to come to Canada. We would be swamped! But that is precisely what Canada has done. There is no end in sight. With a growing world population more and more people will see Canada as the premier place to live and will come flocking to our gates. Many Canadian's do not agree with the current immigration policy our the idea that we should let even more immigrants in. Many issues need to be debated and settled such as should we allow further immigration into Canada, to what degree should immigrants segregate ... ...with the worlds poor, we have created a system which makes money and we cannot let immigration get in the way of the welfare of Canada's citizens. If a potential immigrant can show convincingly that he can bring a meaningful contribution to our country's welfare he is welcomed, but the practice of letting immense amounts of immigrants must be brought to a halt. Bibliography 1. Curran, Thomas; Xenophobia And Immigration. Boston: Twayne, 1975. 2. Globerman, Steven; Immigration Delemma. Vancouver: Fraser, 1992. 3. Hawkins, Freda; Canada and Immigration. Montreal: McGill, 1970. 4. Knowles, Valerie; Strangers at Our Gates. Toronto: Dundurn,1992. 5. Malarek, Victor; Haven's Gate. Toronto: Macmillan, 1987. 6. Munro, Iain; Immigration. Toronto: Wiley, 1941. 7. Norris, John; Strangers Entertained. Vancouver: Evergreen, 1971. 8. Sharma, Satya; Immigrants and Refugees In Canada. Saskatchewan; University, 1991. 9. Sillars, Les. "Something Stinks In Immigration." Alberta Report, August 12, 1996, pp. 12. 10. Stoffman, Daniel. "Canada's Farcical Refugee System." Readers Digest, Sept. 1995, pp. 53-57. 11. Taylor, Rupert; Canada and the World. Waterloo; Ebsco, 1994. Invaded By Immigrants Essay -- essays research papers fc Invaded By Immigrants Canada being a relatively new country, as far as the history of the world goes was built by immigration. Every single resident of North America can trace his ancestry back to the cradle of life in Europe. Even Native Americans found their way to the new world over a frozen ice pack, spreading out across the land, weaving a rich culture and prospering. The Canada that we know today began only in the last 200 years. Settlers poured in from all over the world, tempted with free land and religious liberty Europeans settled in Canada by the thousands. They brought with them traditions and a legal system modeled after the English governments. Although is undeniable that Immigration made Canada into the strong nation that it is, I feel that Immigration as it is set up these days does not build our country but tears it down. The open gates policy implemented by our government leaves the Canadian social system wide open to be abused by would-be migrants in other countries. It is quite obvious that the system currently running is quite imperfect. This paper will attempt to show flaws in Canada's immigration policy and suggest new policy's which fit better with Canada's social landscape. All over the world populations are growing at tremendous rates. Nothing in this world happens by accident, the populations are moving because they expect an increase in quality of life in the new country. Country's all over the world view Canada as a great place to live, the United Nations bills Canada as the best place to live. When third world people look at their present situations, they think that they could instantly improve their surroundings by moving to Canada. By pure logic it would seem like madness to open Canada's doors wide open to any immigrant which wishes to come to Canada. We would be swamped! But that is precisely what Canada has done. There is no end in sight. With a growing world population more and more people will see Canada as the premier place to live and will come flocking to our gates. Many Canadian's do not agree with the current immigration policy our the idea that we should let even more immigrants in. Many issues need to be debated and settled such as should we allow further immigration into Canada, to what degree should immigrants segregate ... ...with the worlds poor, we have created a system which makes money and we cannot let immigration get in the way of the welfare of Canada's citizens. If a potential immigrant can show convincingly that he can bring a meaningful contribution to our country's welfare he is welcomed, but the practice of letting immense amounts of immigrants must be brought to a halt. Bibliography 1. Curran, Thomas; Xenophobia And Immigration. Boston: Twayne, 1975. 2. Globerman, Steven; Immigration Delemma. Vancouver: Fraser, 1992. 3. Hawkins, Freda; Canada and Immigration. Montreal: McGill, 1970. 4. Knowles, Valerie; Strangers at Our Gates. Toronto: Dundurn,1992. 5. Malarek, Victor; Haven's Gate. Toronto: Macmillan, 1987. 6. Munro, Iain; Immigration. Toronto: Wiley, 1941. 7. Norris, John; Strangers Entertained. Vancouver: Evergreen, 1971. 8. Sharma, Satya; Immigrants and Refugees In Canada. Saskatchewan; University, 1991. 9. Sillars, Les. "Something Stinks In Immigration." Alberta Report, August 12, 1996, pp. 12. 10. Stoffman, Daniel. "Canada's Farcical Refugee System." Readers Digest, Sept. 1995, pp. 53-57. 11. Taylor, Rupert; Canada and the World. Waterloo; Ebsco, 1994.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Next Great Wall Essay -- Encryption Technology Essays

The Next Great Wall The attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center triggered the passing of the USA Patriot Act â€Å"to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes."1 It passed quickly and with little debate. Soon, encryption of information became a topic to address and efforts took place to allow the government backdoor access to anything encrypted by products developed within the United States. This generated much controversy and was opposed by many organizations. It did not take long before the supporters of these encryption bills backed down. The Chinese government, on the other hand, did not go through such a process. Restrictions on encryption technology imported to or developed within China have been put forth. Their attempts at such control contrast what the United States considers is a denial of our rights to privacy even when addressing national security. The U.S. has acknowledged the significance of supporting free encryption policies while China’s restrictions have shown they are even more limiting, unenforceable and morally wrong in how it affects its citizens as well as its international neighbors. U.S. Policies Addressing encryption technology over the last 5 years has been a challenge for establishing policy in the United States. Development of advanced encryption technology heightened towards the end of the 20th century and questions on its usage soon came into play. On February 23, 1999, the Security and Freedom Through Encryption (SAFE) Act was introduced â€Å"to affirm the rights of United States persons to use and sell encryption and to relax export controls on encryption."2 In addition, o... ...urnal. (back) Moore, Tim (2003), IEEE P802.11 Wireless LANs Draft 5.1, Retrieved February 7, 2004, from the World Wide Web: IEEE (MS Word Document). (back) CNET Asia Staff (2003), China Wi-Fi codes to be controlled by 11 firms, Retrieved January 25, 2004, from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Freeman, Charles W. III (2004), Deputy Assistant USTR Feb. 5 Testimony, Retrieved February 7, 2004 from the World Wide Web: USInfo.State.Gov. (back) Shim, Richard (2003), China Implements new Wi-Fi security standard, Retrieved January 25, 2004 from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Shim, Richard (2003), China Implements new Wi-Fi security standard, Retrieved January 25, 2004 from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Gossett, Sherie (2002), e-Freedom fighters forge new weapon, Retrieved February 7, 2004 from the World Wide Web: World Net Daily. (back)

Saturday, August 17, 2019

High School vs. University Essay

Every September, high school graduates must prepare for the drastic transformation from high school to university. High school is a teaching environment which a student acquires facts and skills. University is a learning environment in which a student must take responsibility for thinking and applying what you have learned. This step in life students will either adjust to or struggle with. High school students are told university life is exciting, unpredictable, and entertaining. Also, students are informed university life is costly, demanding, and stressful. In order to adapt to the transition, students must understand and recognize the different teaching styles, testing, and grading. Teaching styles change as class sizes vary. Teachers in High school cover course material in depth and over a long period of time. Professors cover textbook material quickly. High school teachers check homework, remind students of incomplete work, and approach students if assistance is needed. Professors do not check completed homework and will assume students can complete the same tasks on tests. It is left up to the student to communicate with their professors in order to receive extensions ensuring the student will not be penalized. Professors do not approach students or notice students who are struggling. Therefore, students may approach professor in given office hours for one-on-one help. Finally, in university due to large class sizes and minimal lecture time keeping up with assignments and readings is critical. Cramming the night before a test and receiving a good grade is more likely to occur in high school, where testing in subjects is very frequent. Preparation for testing becomes more crucial in university because tests are infrequent, covering large amounts of material. Also, students in high school may be awarded a make up test normally without an explanation. Whereas in university, in order to receive a make up test a reasonable explanation must be given. Review classes are given in high school to help prepare students and give them a clear idea of the material that will be tested. Rarely, are review sessions provided for university students, if they are, professors expect participation from students who attend. Success on tests can be mastered by applying acquired knowledge to new situations or to solve new problems. The grading system becomes very important as students enter university. High school students are used to courses that are usually structured to a â€Å"good-faith effort†. In high school grades are given for most assignments. Students are also given grades for consistently good homework, which may help boost marks when test grades are low. Students who may not have a good overall mark occasionally have the opportunity to complete extra credit projects. Comparing this to university grades on tests and major papers usually provide most of the course grade. Extra credit projects are not normally allowed to raise a grade in a university course. Therefore, the â€Å"good-faith effort† is important in regard to the professor’s willingness to help students achieve good results; it will not substitute for results in the grading process. Adjustment is required for a high school graduate to be successful in university. Before entering university, high school students must be aware of these differences. Therefore, they must know how to adapt to new teaching styles, to successfully prepare themselves for testing, and the changes in grading systems. Recognizing these differences before entering a university can help prepare students for greater success.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Policy in Theory and Practice

What is the social administrative tradition? Social administration developed when the welfare state was undergoing a period of growth, when there was a high level of optimism about its potential achievements and a high degree of consensus about the fundamentals such as Education, the National Health Services, and public housing. Social administration was concerned with social needs and problems, and with the response to the problems; social policy. It became regarded as the natural provider of welfare, apparently at the expense of others. Social administration is linked to the growth and development of welfare services, which have existed since the turn of the century, but were expanded and consolidated in the 1940s. It adopts a rational approach to solving social problems, which are often thought of as having an objective existence. Social services provided by the state were viewed as the proper method for causing progressive change. Fabianism was a movement designed to promote democratic socialism. The impact of Fabianism, as a coherent set of ideas, held that socialism in Britain was well-matched with the institutions of state and should, therefore, be implemented through a parliamentary system. Supporters of Fabianism wanted to utilise academic knowledge on social problems to create pressure on the state to research and conduct in-depth analysis in order to influence welfare reforms. The ideological and empirical alliances with Fabianism were associated with a concern regarding policy action; specifically what is done by policy action and how it is done, rather than why this is done. Two hugely prominent members of the Fabian Society were Sydney and Beatrice Webb. This couple believed that collective provision for welfare through the state was essential in order to develop a British capitalist society. Social policy in Britain became more concerned with the practical issues of education for experimental research on recognized problems – social administration tradition. During the decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s the view of Social administration as social policy became discredited, and since then a more holistic approach to social policy developed. What is meant by liberal welfarism? Liberalism welfarism is about protection of the individual in terms of freedom, markets and kind limits the state. Welfare in liberal philosophy is not something that is provided but something that is achieved and developed through the free and independent actions of a free will. The welfare of each individual promotes the well-being of the entire society by increasing the sum total of freedom in which its members live. Liberalism promotes equality of opportunities that is rooted in an inequality of outcomes. Freedom is intrinsically linked to responsibility, so as the state takes over in the role of providing welfare for the population a diminished freedom also means diminished individual responsibility. This is damaging to society, and in order to minimise the damage the state must take a less central role. It was thought that the state should refrain from interfering in economic processes such as income policies, laws regarding minimum wage and employment protection legislation, w hich in turn would decrease the role of trade unions in economic and political life. This forms the foundation for a legal background which enables individual freedom along with economic prosperity, and has been of great influence in economic, political and social welfare. The economic policy of laissez-faire was an attitude in which the government refused to interfere. This eventually began to give way to a new collective ideal called new-liberalism, which imagined the state playing a positive in the enhancement of social problems. New liberalism led to a transformation in the nature of and relations between the state and the market. Explain the parliamentary policy-making process. Within the parameters of British state, the central state may be considered to be crucial as it is where many decisions are made. Constitutionally Britain operates a tripartite division of powers between the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Crucial to this is the role of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, which are pivotal in the making of policy. The job of the legislature is to debate and consider the introduction of new laws. Members of parliament exercise the power through the system of Parliamentary committees, where they are able to question Ministers and senior Civil Servants. New legislation passes through the laborious process of First, Second and Third Readings in the House of Commons, interspersed with detailed discussion of a Bill’s content at the Committee stage. A Bill will then receive consideration from the House of Lords, and during this process the MP’s and Lords from the government and the opposition have the opportunity to question and debate the principles and provisions of new legislation, and to suggest amendments. Finally a Bill receives Royal Assent and passes into law as an Act of Parliament. Detail the New Right critique of the welfare state. During the 1970’s both the Conservative and Labour Party attempted to halt the apparent economic decline, yet neither were successful. Both parties experiences an increase of radical activity in the far wings of the party. The ‘New Right’ formed as a branch of the Conservative Party, campaigning for a break from the previous reliance on Keynesianism as part of economic and social policy.From 1979-1997, Britain was governed by a Conservative Party that was under Thatcher’s leadership and was inspired by the New Right, and was rooted in economic liberalism combined with social conservatism. According to the work of the theorist Friedman Britain began to build up a neo-liberal analysis of state welfare during this time. His main argument was that public expenditure was being driven up by the increase of state intervention within welfare services. This interfered with the operation of the market economy. The New Right arguing that free welfare services only encouraged useless people to become dependent upon benefits and provided no incentive for families to protect themselves and their welfares through savings. The Conservatives tried to shift the costs of welfare through changes in taxation and the benefits system, burdening the poor and disadvantaged, and this served only to increase the amount of citizens who were in need of state support. This was further intensified by policies that sought to achieve wage discipline through mass unemployment. Neo-liberals wanted to roll back the state and reduce the role of the government, with the aim to restoring Britain’s international competitiveness. Welfare benefits were seen as detrimental to labour market flexibility, as they kept up wages. Bibliography Alcock, C, Payne,S, Sullivan, M, 2004, Introducing Social Policy, Essex, Pearson. Baldock, N, et al, 2012, Social Policy, 4edt, Oxford, Oxford University Express. Loney, M, Boswell, D, Clarke,J, 1988, Social Policy & Social Welfare, Milton Keynes, Open University.

Speech on Belonging

Belonging is usually defined as being accepted into and by members of a family, group, class, race, community or school. The term belonging means something different to everyone but most people will come up with the words acceptance, security and identity. In this speech I have chosen to talk about the aspects of belonging and not belonging in two of Peter Skrzynecki’s Poems, Migrant Hostel and 10 Mary Street and also in the 1997 film ‘Titanic’. In Peter Skrzynecki’s Migrant Hostel, he talks about the 2 years of his life that he and most of his family lived in a Migrant hostel in Parkes after coming to Australia after World War 2 from Poland and leaving most of his family and polish heritage behind. This poem gives the responder a sense of confusion about whether he belongs or not to this migrant hostel. Skrzynecki creates this confusion by contrasting the family’s sense of belonging to the hostel with the family’s confusion about whether or not they actually belonged to the Australian soil. Although the migrant hostel was their home for 2 years there was always so many people coming and going that it didn’t really feel like a home which made it really hard to create a sense of belonging as a community. Techniques used by Skrzynecki to create this sense of confusion about belonging are juxtaposition or contrast for example in the last stanza on the 6th line â€Å"Needing its sanction To pass in and out of lives That had only begun Or were dying† This can be referred to as when people arrive at the hostel their lives are just beginning as they have a second chance to start their lives over again and forget about the past and what has happened and concentrate on the future and then when they leave the hostel they feel lost because they are on unknown land and they feel they don’t really fit in with the Australian lifestyle as they have their own background and heritage to maintain. This uote could also mean the opposite when they leave they have a chance to start over and renew there lives again and when they are in the hostel they are trapped and don’t know what to do or who they are. Symbolism is another technique Skrzynecki uses in this poem. In ‘Migrant hostel’ he uses birds as a symbol of being trapped. For example the third stanza ‘For over two years We lived like birds of passage- Always sensing a change In the weather: Unaware of the season Whose track we would follow’ This example shows how the people in the hostel where hardly allowed outside, which shows that they were basically trapped inside and away from everyone else. Another technique Skrzynecki uses is rhetorical device; this technique shows the confusion of the people inside the hostel, for example in the first stanza 6th line â€Å"That left us wondering who would be coming next. † This example shows the confusion the people had, and how uncertain things were for them, they didn’t know who was going to come through the gate next or who was going to leave. Also in this poem Skrzynecki uses an extended metaphor. In this poem the bird symbol is also used as the extended metaphor. In this poem he uses refers to a homing pigeon to deepen the sense of instinctual behavior for example in the second stanza 1st line ‘Nationalities sought Each other out instinctively Like a homing pigeon Circling to get its bearings’ this example shows how the people are coming together and finding each other through their background and where they came from. The last technique that Skrzynecki uses in this poem is similes. For example n the last stanza 4th line ‘As it rose and fell like a finger’ this particular simile refers to the gate out the front of the hostel, it shows how they were isolated from the rest of the country by that gate and that they had no control over when that gate opened or closed. It makes the hostel sound like a jail. In Skrzynecki’s poem ‘10 Mary Street’ he is describing his life in his fir st ever home on Australian soil, this poem has a greater sense of belonging as he is more comfortable in Mary street, and he has a greater sense of belonging to his family, his home, his school, his community and is comfortable with his migrant past. Skrzynecki and his family lived at 10 Mary Street for 19 years before the house got knocked down. During this poem Skrzynecki has no sense of doubt or uncertainty about who he is or where he is going. This poem gives a strong sense of happiness and content within his life as the language is light and joyful, as he remembers certain things about that house and life within it. Skrzynecki uses techniques such as personification

Thursday, August 15, 2019

“A Child Called It” by Dave Pelzer

The book â€Å"A Child Called It† by author Dave Pelzer quickly became my favorite book for many reasons but the most important was because it taught me that sometimes people don’t appreciate the wonderful things they have in life, until it’s too late.Reading is a huge part of my everyday life and has given me many hours of enjoyment. I read to gain information, for relaxation and entertainment, like reading the daily newspaper allows me to find out what is happening around the world, in other countries and in our local area, allows me to relax and offers a few laughs.I love finding new and interesting books to read, so one day when I asked my sister for suggestions in finding a book to read, she told me to read â€Å"A Child Called ‘It’† by author, David Pelzer.I read in this book, about one of the worst cases of child abuse, ever reported in the state of California, which has been documented by the child, in this book.David Pelzer provides a very detailed outline of his terrible life after growing up as a son of an alcoholic mother and a father, who stood by and watched the abuse.The story takes a circular trip around the many years of abuse of the boy. He begins by telling us what ended the torment and pain, and continues through the pages, telling us about the haunting years that followed.In one section of the book, Pelzer speaks of the unthinkable horror his mother put him through by explaining that when he was younger, Dave and his family were considered the â€Å"perfect† family but one day his mother and father began drinking and developed problems in their relationship.Dave began experiencing the worst treatment, imaginable. His mother quickly began   treating him as a nobody or an â€Å"It†. His dad wouldn’t address the problems that reeked havoc in his life, which caused Dave to hate him.Dave’s mother did many horrible things to him that he will never forget. He was singled out fo r abuse by his mother, since he had two brothers that never received their mother’s harsh beatings and cruelty.David’s mother would starve him for weeks at a time, without giving him even a morsel of food, so he had to steal food from stores and the school, in order to survive.    One day he stole hot dogs from the school cafeteria and someone caught him. When he got home his mother made him puke it up and then eat it, again. She was so cruel that she almost went to the extent of making David eat his baby brother’s feces.Another incident occurred   when David was cleaning the kitchen floor for his mother. She suddenly stormed into the kitchen and started yelling at him, â€Å"You’ve made my life a living hell! Now it’s time I show you what hell is like!†She took him by the arm, turned on the gas stove, and burned the flesh right off his arm. She proceeded to make him take off his clothes and lay on top of the flames.She tortured him for no other reason, other than her own sick pleasure. She also made him drink ammonia, wear tattered clothes and sleep in the garage. She even had the nerve to stab David and never took him in for medical help.Not only was David banned from the family, but from the public, as well. Pelzer was granted only one change of clothing a year, which he wore daily, to school.He was unable to bathe and was often viewed   as a disgrace, by neighbors and school officials. This touching story ended with David reciting the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer† and praying for God to save him from his life of abuse.Finally, a caring policeman shows up and frees David from the prison he has endured for too many years.The sequel to this book is called â€Å"The Lost Boy.† This story offers detailed claims of the horrible abuse that David’s mother had inflicted upon him but nothing can help you to understand why someone could cause such terrible pain for their own child, especially when the other two brothers are treated with respect.We learn in this book about the struggle for survival, after David’s mother tries to turn everyone against him. She became successful at convincing everyone around David and since they believe that she is a good mother, no one believes him when he cries for help and each attempt at receiving help, he fails.It’s really sad to know that David’s dad never tried to help him and to watch as his dad is terribly controlled by the woman, who abuses him.This intense child abuse seems unbearable, especially for a young child. David’s story about survival, brings a queasy feeling to one’s stomach and stabs at the heart. Pelzer dedicated his life to pleasing his mother, fearing death that come to him, at any moment. His never ending hope kept gave him just enough strength to recover from the last painful fight.Pelzer had lived in, what looked like from the outside world, an average American family, who took vacation s, ate dinner as a family and spent the holidays together, with the one exception of `The Boy` that was continually beaten down, both mentally and physically.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Purinex, Inc Warren Buffett Essay

1. What is the possible meaning of the changes in stock price for Berkshire Hathaway and Scottish Power plc on the day of the acquisition announcement? Specifically, what does the $2.55 billion gain in Berkshire’s market value of equity imply about the intrinsic value of PacifiCorp? Answer1: The increase in the stock price of Scottish Power plc and Berkshire Hathaway indicate a market approval for the acquisition and created value for both buyers and sellers. Answer2: a. the possible meaning of the changes in stock price is due to the fact that the deal created value for both buyers and sellers; Berkshire was more diversified after the acquisition. b. The $2.55 billion gain in Berkshire’s market value of equity implied that the intrinsic value of PacifiCorp was good because it fell within the range of competitors based on the following calculations: $2.55 billion / 312/18 million = $8.17 – Berkshire is willing to pay this premium for each share of PacifiCorp 5.1 billion / 312.18 million = $16.30 per share of PacifiCorp $8.17 + 16.30 = $24.47 (see Exhibit 9) Answer3: The possible explanations in the change in stock price for Berkshire would be for a couple of reasons. One of them is that investors invest based on the behavioral finance theory which implies that their investments are driven by psychological factors. These factors would be that believing that Mr. Buffet is the guru of investment, therefore he is right and it must be a very good investment. Moreover looking at the financial statements of march 2005 we see that the book value of PacifiCorp = 3377.1 Billions/312.12 million shares =$10.82 per share. However, the increase of 2.17 billion dollars at the day of the announcements of Berkshire implies that that true value of PacifiCorp should be higher if we divide the 2.17 billions /312.12 million shares we have that the PacifiCorp share should have a $ 6.95 dollar value higher. 2. Based on the multiples for comparable regulated utilities, what is the range of possible values for PacifiCorp? What questions might you have about this range? Answer1: a. we find the range of possible values for PacifiCorp in Exhibit 10. i. Revenue median of $6.252 Billion, mean of $6.584 Billion. ii. EBIT median of $8.775 Billion, mean of $9.289 Billion. iii. EBITDA median of $9.023 Billion, mean of $9.076 Billion. iv. Net Income median of $7.596 Billion, mean of $7.553 Billion. v. EPS median of $4.277 Billion, and a mean of $4.308 Billion. vi. Book value median of $5.904 Billion, mean of $5.678 Billion. b. Question about revenue; the implied value of PacifiCorp is giving impractical results for range of revenue as compared to EBIT, EBITDA, & Net income (Expected: Revenue > EBITDA > EBIT > NI). Answer2: Alliant E. Corp Low price P/E =23.50/1.42=16.55 High price P/E =28.80/1.42=20.28 Cinergy Corp Low price P/E =34.90/1.42 =16.23 High price P/E =42.60/2.15=19.81 NSTAR Low price P/E =22.70/1,79=12.75 High price P/E =27.20/1.78 =15.28 SCANA Corp Low price P/E =32.80/2.34=14.02 High price P/E =39.70/2.34 =16.93 WEC Low price P/E =29.50/2.62=11.26 High price P/E =34.60/2.62 =13.21 Industry average low price P/E=14.20 Industry average high price P/E =17.11 PacifiCorp EPS =0.81 Stock price of PacifiCorp= EPS x (P/E industry) Range of PacifiCorp possible values Low price >0.81Ãâ€"14.20= $11.50 High price >0.81Ãâ€"17.11=$13.86 Possible value for PacifiCorp using EBITDA Total value Company =market value + net debt Market multiple =total value company /EBITDA EBITDA Alliant E. Corp= 7.45x NSTAR 7.53x SCANA Corp 9.25x WEC 8.47x Average =8.18x Total value of company = Market multiple X EBITDA PacifiCorp’s EBITDA=1093.30 Market multiple =8.1 Value of PacifiCorp = 8.18Ãâ€"1093.30 =8,943.19 million dollars 3. Assess the bid for PacifiCorp. How does it compare with the firm’s intrinsic value? As an alternative, the instructor could suggest that students perform a simple discounted cash-flow (DCF) analysis. Answer1: If you use CAPM for the simple DCF analysis: K=rf+B(rm-rt) rf =5.762K=5.762+.75(10.5-5.762) B=.75=9.32%=Discount rate rm=10.5 $5.1/(1+.0932)=$4.76 => it is in range of the rest of the comparable firms. Answer2: 4. How well has Berkshire Hathaway performed? How well has it performed in the aggregate? What about its investment in MidAmerican Energy Holdings? Answer1: Overall, Berkshire Hathaway has performed brilliantly in the last 40 years. Berkshire’s class A shares have been among the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in part because they have never had a stock split and never paid a dividend, retaining corporate earnings on its balance sheet in a manner that is impermissible for private investors and mutual funds. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 40 years. Answer2: It has performed very well. Berkshire Hathaway has consistently outperformed the market since its inception in 1965. In 1977, the firm’s year end closing share price was $107; on May 24, 2005 the closing price on its Class A shares reached $85,500. Berkshire has had an annual increase of wealth of 24% since 1965, which is more than double the 10.5% of the average increase for other large stocks. It started out with a decline due to inflation, technological change, and intensifying competition from foreign competitors, but has recuperated well after closing the textile side of their business. Berkshire Hathaway had recently been performing below S&P 500 Index according to Exhibit 1, from April 2005 to May 2005. Scottish Power had consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Index from March to May 2005. This probably was one aspect that attracted Berkshire to purchase PacifiCorp. We believe that it was a good investment. In 2002 they owned 9.9% of the voting interest and 83.7% of the economic interest in the equity of MidAmerican. This allows them to have a major stake in the company without violating utility laws, which has proven to be successful for them. According to Exhibit 6, MidAmerican Holdings had a net earnings of 170 million in 2004, but compared to 2003 net earnings of 416 million, MidAmerican had a net loss from 2003-2004. Acquiring PacifiCorp would supply much needed new, more profitable investments to raise their net income in 2005. Answer3: Performance of Berkshire since 1977 to 2005 PV=102 FV=85500 N=28 I=34% ` S & P performance since 1977 to 2005 PV =96 FV=1192 N=28 I=9.42 Berkshire has outperformed S & P by 24.58% 5. What is your assessment of Berkshire’s investments in Buffett’s Big Four: American Express, Coca-Cola, Gillette, and Wells Fargo? Answer1: They invested in well established and successful firms. They put a lot of money up front for these investments, but since have made substantial gains for their investment. The total cost to Berkshires investment in the Big 4 was $3.832 Billion, but the market value of their investment was $24.681 Billion. This means that Berkshire’s current gain on their investment in the big 4 is $20.849 Billion. Their gain is 5.44 times their investment I would have to say that these were very well thought out and successful investments. Answer2: Buffet’s approach of investments is based on the fundamental analysis of the company itself. It is based on simplicity and consistency of its operation history, attractiveness of long term prospects, quality of management and firm’s capacity to create value. The big four, Coca-Cola, American Express, Gillette and Wells Fargo have all these characteristics. For instance Coca- Cola has been in business since 1919(Reuters). It is a multinational with the biggest market share worldwide. Coca-Cola’s finished beverage products bearing its trademarks are sold in more than 200 countries (reuters.com). Buffet looks at what the consumers are looking for and what the general economic trend is at that time and what it will be over time. He researches a company as a whole and looks at what people want and what people are transitioning into in the future. For instance most of his investments in the big four were done in 1992. During these 13 years we can see how well the big four have performed compare with the S& P 500 S & P 500 At January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =408.78 At December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =1248.29 n=13 Return =8.96% American Express. Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =4.02 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =49.68 N= 13 Return =21.34% Wells Fargo Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =2.69 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =28.25 N=13 Return =19.82% Coca-Cola Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and split =14.5 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits 37.50 N=13 Return =7.50% 6. From Warren Buffett’s perspective, what is the intrinsic value? Why is it accorded such importance? How is it estimated? What are the alternatives to intrinsic value? Why does Buffett reject them? Answer1: a. the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life. Intrinsic value is per-share progress. Buffett assessed intrinsic value as the present value of future expected performance. b. Because if focuses on ability to earn returns in excess of the cost of capital, not accounting profit. Only logical way is to evaluate the relative attractiveness. c. The gain in intrinsic value could be modeled as the value added by a business above and beyond the charge for the use of capital in that business. d. Accounting profit, performance of Berkshire by its size, consolidated reported earnings e. Accounting reality was conservative, backward looking, and governed by GAAP (measures in terms of net profit). Investment decisions should be based on economic reality. This includes intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, special managerial expertise, reputation, etc. Answer2: The definition of intrinsic value according to Mr. Buffet is the present value of all future expected cash flows or performance. The measurements of intrinsic value are focused on the ability of the company to earn a return in excess of the cost of capital including the opportunity cost. Intrinsic value is not based only on the net profit. Alternatives to intrinsic value: 1) Accounting profit. Mr. Buffet believes that the true value of a company is based on its intrinsic value not on its accounting profit. Financial statements prepared by accountants are conformed around rules that do not adequately represent the economic reality of business. 2) Technical analysis. Mr. Buffet rejects the technical analysis that attempts to predict the stock prices based on momentum of trends. He believes in long term investment. 3) Efficient market hypothesis. Mr. Buffet rejects the efficient market hypothesis theory (EHM). He believes that there are opportunities out there. Investing should be based on information analysis of the company. 7. Critically assess Buffett’s investment philosophy. Be prepared to identify points where you agree and disagree with him. Answer1: Warren Buffett has a very simple method of investment strategy compared to other investors. Buffett’s philosophy is defined in 8 elements. We will discuss whether we agree or disagree with each one individually. We agree with Buffett’s first element of analyzing economic reality of investments. Most investors focus on financial statements and net profit, but don’t take into consideration intangible assets such as management experience and patents. We also agree with Buffett’s second element of lost opportunity cost comparison. By analyzing expected returns of an investment compared to the rate of return of using that same investment money in another investment, Buffett takes a simple idea that everyone uses in almost every decision, and applies it to a much more complex investment strategy. Everyone weigh’s the alternative when making a decision, whether that decision is a choice of a coffee or a coke or something more complex like a college education versus not getting an education. Buffett uses the third element of intrinsic value instead of book value or historical data to determine his investment choices. We agree with this element, but do believe a combination of the two methods would work better to show historically how the company has performed, and how much that company will be worth in the future. The rate of return reflects more of the economic value of an investment. In the fourth element, Buffett measures performance by per share basis. We do agree with his reasoning for using this method, but we think overall performance should be measured as well to show a better figure of what the whole is worth compared to the parts. The fifth element is one that we don’t agree with. Buffett uses a 30 year U.S. Treasury Bond Rate of Return instead of the traditional CAPM rate, because he believes that his investments are so solid, they don’t need risk factored in. We disagree with his choice for rate of return because all investments have a degree of risk, and return should be factored according to that level of risk. Buffett not believing in risk is like someone not believing we breathe air. Even though we can’t see it, it is still there. The sixth element is also a point of disagreement for me. Buffett says he doesn’t believe in diversification of investments, even stating that diversification is considered protection against ignorance. What Buffett does not realize is that by saying he does not believe in diversification, he is being a hypocrite. Berkshire Hathaway itself is a massively diverse company with several subsidiaries and holdings in many different industries from apparel to energy. Buffett may own most of his stock in his own company, but he knows by diversifying Berkshire, he will avoid adding more risk, which is exactly the strategy that is used by other investors when diversifying their stocks. We agree with the seventh element that investment decisions should be made by doing proper research on information about the company, and not by following an anonymous tip or a gut feeling. Finally, we agree with the eighth element that a firm’s management and shareholders should have the same goals for the firm. Management should have most of their wealth in company stock so as to serve the shareholders better in day-to-day decision making that affects the value of their investments. Answer2: Mr. Buffet does not believe in diversification. We believe that diversification helps in times like the one that the market is having right know. For instance stock value of American Express in the last year has ranged from $53 a year ago to $15 dollars this week resulting in a loss of 70 % and also the market value of Wells Fargo is down by 65% (yahoo finance). If you compare those two companies with the S & P during the last year it is only down by 40%. This also means that market risk is still there. We believe that Mr. Buffet has not had a situation in the economy such as the one that the country is having now. Even he, the guru of investments is losing money, so we know that the risk is there. We agree on his philosophy on investing behavior. It should not be driven by emotion or hunch but should be a well thought out plan that came about by information, analysis and self-discipline. If you go by hunch or emotion then anyone can work you up and sell you the worst deal of your life, but make you think it is the best one you will ever get. We agree with his belief on the alignment of owners and investors. It is always a good thing when the owner has more than 50% of his net worth invested in the company because the goal would definitely be increasing shareholder wealth. 8. Should Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders endorse the acquisition of PacifiCorp? Answer1: Yes, PacifiCorp will add around $250 million in net income for MidAmerican Holdings if PacifiCorp keeps at its same net income pattern of the last two years. This added net income will increase shareholder wealth in Berkshire Hathaway and provide a stable long term investment for the future. Also, since PacifiCorp’s intrinsic value is comparable to the industry, Berkshire is not adding much more risk to their portfolio. Berkshire should look at adding more of these type safer investments to their portfolio. Answer2: The Berkshire Hathaway shareholders should endorse the acquisition of PacifiCorp. It took a while for Mr. Buffet to finally invest their cash equivalents because he was looking for an â€Å"elephant† which is a company that makes significant gains. Factors that make it a good acquisition include the fact that PacifiCorp is a low-cost energy producer but has the biggest market share among the energy companies which is 1.6 million customers divided among 6 states plus the intrinsic value of the company is much higher than the market value of PacifiCorp.