Advancement in Science and Technology Research is a peer-reviewed open access journal published quarterly Essay

Advancement in Science and Technology Research aims at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, and educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal’s objective to promote engineering and technology education. The papers for publication in Advancement in Science and Technology Research are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability. Advances in Science and Technology is a irregular series presenting the Proceedings of CIMTEC, International Cermics Congress and Forum on New Materials. The series is published on behalf of TECHNA GROUP, Faenza, Italy. With the second review conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) approaching in April, a raft of studies have appeared making clear that fundamental changes in science and technology are affecting the implementation of the treaty and that it must be adapted to take account of them.[1] The most significant development is the revolution in the life sciences and related technologies, including a growing overlap between chemistry and biology. There is a vastly increased understanding of the functioning of biological systems as a result of the mapping of the human and other genomes as well as of advances in structural biology and the study of proteins (proteomics). Information technology and engineering principles are increasingly integrated into biology. The intersection between chemistry and biology has further expanded thanks in part to the automation of synthesis and screening of chemical compounds enabling laboratories to assess vast numbers of new chemical structures and a much-enhanced understanding of how certain â€Å"chemicals of biological origin† act. Technological advances supplement these trends, for example, providing for more efficient means of delivering biologically active chemicals to target populations or targeting organs and receptors within an organism. These developments are expected to bring many benefits, including new medical treatments and methods of pest control. At the same time, the capacity to discover or design new chemical structures that may have utility as chemical warfare agents has also increased significantly. Novel agents can be created far more quickly than ever before. In addition, advances in manufacturing technology have shortened other time requirements, enabling shortcuts in the progression from research and development to full-scale manufacturing. Changes in the chemical industry have dispersed technology and facilities, complicating verification and traditional nonproliferation strategies. As a result, the time and effort needed to field a new chemical weapon has shrunk, particularly in the early stages, while the capability to detect such actions has not grown significantly. These trends and a recently increased interest in the use of incapacitants for law enforcement purposes raise at least the threat that states could skirt or quickly break out of the CWC prohibitions on developing and acquiring chemical weapons. It has also enlarged the overlap between the two otherwise quite separate treaties governing chemical and biological weapons, the CWC and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). States-parties need to adapt the implementation of the CWC to account for these changes or risk diminishing confidence in its effectiveness and endangering its viability.

Analysis of Madame Bovary Essay

In his first paragraph Barthes uses Balzac’s Sarrasine’s castrato character’s inner voice to examine who’s really doing the talking in a written work, since there are layers of meaning in the identity within the particular quote. One of my favorite aspects of post-modernist literature is its playfulness with the notion of authorship and recursive identity within a given work. John Barth’s â€Å"Giles Goat Boy,† a favorite and seminal work for me, starts with a forward deliberately attempting to put the authorship of the book into question (it is supposedly a ‘discovered’ manuscript of debatable origin). But Barthes claim â€Å"We shall never know (the author), for the good reason that writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin. † It’s a good point in a theoretical way, like the idea within Information Theory that the maximum amount of information that can be carried is with white noise (which by the way, is only a single construct within Information Theory, necessary to build other constructs on the formation of information within a signal). However, contending that we can never know, and that the text exists in a â€Å"negative oblique space where† everything slips away stands at odds with the practical reality that if the author and the author’s creative genius wasn’t there, the text would not exist in the first place. One could allow that Barthes’ point of view is suggestive and not absolute, or that it promotes a point of view to help shade meanings on traditional critical methods, but he’s constantly painting himself into corners with absolute statements. He doesn’t limit his point of view to contemporary authorship, or even to the author as a modern figure emerging from the middle ages. He states that â€Å"No doubt it (the loss of identity of the author in a negative oblique space) has always been this way†, that as soon as narration occurs â€Å"the author enters into his own death†. Barthes’ claims that the author is a modern construct that emerges from the Middle Ages, implying that before that time authorship was assumed by a mediator, shaman or performer, and not coming from genius. But what about the ancient Greek Tragidians, like Aeschylus, or Roman pornographers, like Patronius and his Satyricon? As a form, the novel may be modern but not the author nor the notion of a genius within the author. Barthes makes a valid and important point that Capitalism’s relationship with the author is as a unique commodifiable object. It make me think of the profoundly capitalist notion of â€Å"branding†, as in the Mickey Mouse brand to Walt Disney. It’s also reasonable to place classical criticism at the service of Capitalism, which provides an excellent motive for placing the â€Å"branded† author at the center of a critical approach. And is it correct to see a creative work as existing solely in the context of the author, even to the extent of not placing the content of the work outside of the context of the author’s personal life up to that point. It makes sense that some authors have become recluses, like Salinger and Pynchon, who prefer to let their work stand on its own. In fact the notion of a creative work â€Å"standing on its own† is what strikes me to be the appropriate post-modernist attitude to take regarding a creative work relative to its creator, and as an approach does not require the destruction of the author. Barthes states that â€Å"it goes without saying that certain writers have long since attempted to loosen† the sway of the Author. No doubt, but if you destroy the validity of the author as a creative center, one who either brings works into the world from some unconscious place of ‘genius’ as I believe, or out of a â€Å"tissue of signs† or quotations and a â€Å"mosaic of other activated texts’ or drawn from an â€Å"immense dictionary† as Barthes contends, you still don’t have to kill off the creator. Who constructed the â€Å"tissue of signs† or the â€Å"mosaic† or read the â€Å"immense dictionary† to begin with? Even Mallarme’s intensely abstracted and word-based poetry (though I must confess to not having read it) is based in language as a kind of meta language, Mallarme still had to create it, even if Mallarme makes deliberate efforts to remove himself from the writing of it. According to Barthes, Valery approached his prose with the notion that his interiority, or creative genius or authorship, was pure superstition. Fine, he can believe that. I’d like to see Valery prove it. The mere attempt to compile a series of words, to become a â€Å"scriptor† as Barthes puts it, the mere attempt in itself is a creative act by a unique individual, and not by a scriptor snatching bits from a pre-existing dictionary without any personal intervention. Barthes takes on Proust as proof somehow that by the self-referential and recursive existence of the author within the book working up to writing the book, that by blurring the realities of authorship and narrative of authorship, one can assume the actual author has in some semiotic sense committed suicide, when in fact Proust has only ‘played off’ an idea, like a jazz rift, and has not actually dissolved himself. Barthes includes Surrealistic texts as further proof of non-authorship, with aleatoric and unconscious techniques of construction. But again, where did the technique of construction come from if not from a creative place within the author? Surrealists are in effect trapped in a paradox that the subversion of codes is in itself a code (and Barthes believes in the indestructibility of codes) but it in nowise removes the destroyer of the code from a creative act through a destructive one. Barthes puts up linguistics as providing a sort of murderous apparatus for deconstructing the author out of the text it examines. That the un-provable, and therefore empty, process of enunciation exhausts the notion of an â€Å"I† within a text, reducing it to no more than an instance of saying â€Å"I†. Fine, great, so? If I have a tool, say a microscope, and I use it to examine the surface of Michelangelo’s incomplete Prisoner Statues in Florence, and I get a very interesting take on the chisel marks’ depth and flow and intersections, have I therefore negated Michelangelo? Even if you add on top of that Michelangelo’s insistence that he was merely releasing the character from within the stone, Michelangelo’s creative force is still there. Barthes contends that by removing the Author from the text, or even taking text from which the â€Å"scriptor† has removed themselves, that it utterly transforms the text. And here I agree, and I agree that the tools of post modern deconstruction and linguistics do transform our understanding of what text can mean and how it can be received in a critical context, and even in a personal one. It is intellectually interesting to remove the author and his/her existence as conjoined in time and see the ‘scriptor’ as coming into existence at the moment of reading, and to consider the writing as being what the linguist J. L. Austin calls a Performative Utterance (an act of utterance that does not report a fact, but is an action in and of itself). But contending that the performative utterance, activated by a hand trapped in the phenomena of lagging behind reality by a few microseconds, â€Å"traces a field without origin† or if there is an origin the language itself negates it by â€Å"ceaselessly† calling it into question, is interesting as a point of view only for about the few microseconds that my sensory information to my mind lags behind reality. This isn’t about the removal of the author so much as it is contending that even if an author exists, they merely inscribe and don’t create, since the language they inscribe is self-referentially self canceling. Barthes says â€Å"We know now that text is not a line of words releasing a single ‘theological’ meaning (the message of the author god) but a multi-dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, blend and clash. The text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture. † Fine. Interesting, even revelatory in its point of view that there is nothing new under the sun (which is not something new under the sun). But is not this assembled mosaic of texts assembled by someone? And how is it that the act of assembly is tacitly a non-creative act, and an act that does not come from ‘genius’. Barthes uses Bouvard and Pecuchet, characters from the same titled book by Flaubert, who try and move from a non-creative life as copyists to a creative one as farmers and back to copyists from a dictionary which Flaubert himself wrote before the book was created, as another example of non-authorness. But it again strikes me as ironic that these are characters, created by Flaubert. It’s interestingly recursive, but not self-canceling as Barthes contends. He includes Baudelaire’s internal fictional â€Å"unfailing† dictionary in Paradis Atrificiels to exemplify the scriptors self-removal from emotions and passive reading of an â€Å"immense dictionary from which life never does more than imitate the book, and the book itself is only a tissue of signs, an imitation that is lost, infinitely deferred† A tissue of signs perhaps, but lost and infinitely deferred? If an author/scriptor is a mere copyist assembling a tissue of signs, how then is the author/scriptor lost and infinitely deferred from the readers interaction with the text. If I read a text I am creating meaning from that text, but I am also aware that there is a creative force behind my created meaning, irrespective of my created meaning, and that is the author. Barthes seems to contend that all â€Å"agency† or representation must be transferred to the text, or language, itself. Some, like Graham Allen in his book â€Å"Intertextuality† claim that Barthes â€Å"does not murder all forms of Authorial agency† (my italics) and to take it as such is a misinterpretation; but he does, over and over. When he says â€Å"writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin†, â€Å"the whole of enunciation is an empty process†, â€Å"the text is henceforth made and read in such a way that at all levels the author is absent†, â€Å"the text is not a line of words releasing a single ‘theological’ meaning, but a multidimensional space†, â€Å"the writer can only imitate a gesture that is always anterior, never original. † Barthes says â€Å"To give a text an author is to impose a limit on that text, to furnish it with a final signified, to close the writing. † How so? I am unconvinced. If, as he claims, criticism has allotted itself the task of discovering the author beneath the work, how does that impose a limit on the text? A critic may, like Barthes, impose whatever they like, but in no way does that limit me to my own creation of meaning from a given text. Does the act of analysis destroy flexibility of meaning in a creative work? Only if you give the author of the analysis a God-like power over all other interpretations. Here I agree with Barthes in not granting that power, but it raises the paradox that by agreeing too heartily, I’m also negating Barthes’ existence as the author of Death of the Author. So I choose to limit my giving over of power to the author, but I don’t see the need to kill him or her. In Barthes’ conclusion, he ironically refers to Greek Tragedy’s texts which carrying double meanings understood by the characters within the play in only a unilateral way, and with the viewer/listener/reader able to perceive the layers of meaning from outside the play. This reveals to Barthes the totality of the existence of writing; a tissue of signs, drawn from many texts, a multiplicity focused in one place in the reader. True enough, but to say the author is not a part of that focused multiplicity is nonsense. A texts’ unity lies in its destination as he says, but not at the cost of its origin. That â€Å"Classic criticism has never paid any attention to the reader† may be true enough, but recognizing the reader doesn’t obviate the writer. I contend we don’t have to throw out the author/baby when we throw out the bathwater of classic criticism. Barthes’ newly-birthed reader can live quite nicely with its older sibling, the author. or† has really achieved. Has it thrown off the yoke of â€Å"capitalist ideology†? Has it done anything to progress society? Has it overthrown the old elites and liberated the vast horde of readers? No; quite the contrary. When the author is dead, the reader is king, or rather, the individual, free-floating consumer is king. The quality of a work of art is therefore determined by the number of people who consume it; in other words, by market forces. Artists must cater their work to market realities, and a whole swathe of nominally â€Å"left† commentators cheer them on; those artists who pursue their singular, uncommercial vision are condemned as â€Å"elitist† or worse. The trend launched by the â€Å"Death of the Author† has been against self-expression in art, and in favour of pandering to the dollar and to the lowest common denominator. It’s a perfect example of the dead end and hypocrisy of 60s radicalism. The author is dead, long live the free market! Deconstructing Authorship  © 2010 DeathofTheAuthor. com

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel Essay

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel is said to be the â€Å"Father of the Kindergarten† for his huge involvement, and devoting his life to the development of a system of education for young children. In German, the word kindergarten means children’s garden, and he thought that this was best in the age of six and younger. He spent his entire life helping with the development of the young and early childhood development. Wilhelm Froebel was born in the Thuringia region of Germany. He had a childhood that was not so fond for remembrance because of how terrible it had been for him. This is what shaped him to be able to come up with the idea of kindergarten. Froebel lost his mother before the age of one, and this meant that he had been left with this father who had to take care of three boys because Froebel had two other brothers. Their father never had much time for any of them. As a boy that would be hard for any child, and this caused him to have to spend most of his time alone at his home. He spent a lot of that time in the gardens by his home, and would play there for most of the day (Coron 4). Exploring all day was what he loved to do the most, and this would make a major influence on what he would do for the rest of his life. He started teaching at a school when he was a young man at Frankfurt Model School, and this school was a school that was focused on the teachings of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who was a very well respected teacher of his day. This school accepted poor children, and orphans. He believed that children needed to be involved in very active ways. As he left this school, he left it with his very hands on learning approach, and went to privately tutor children. The parents of the children that he tutored were very kind in giving him space in their garden to use to help teach the children. In 1837 Froebel founded his first school, and called it Kindergarten, or the children’s garden (Coron 4). This was a very exciting thing because before he opened this school, if you were under the age of seven, you did not attend school. At the age of seven, you then could go to school. Now that Froebel opened his school, children at the age of two were able to go to school (coron 3). Froebel was very free with the children, he allowed them to have a lot of activity time to be free with themselves, and figure things out. He believed that this was the best idea for them to have their own space, and time to figure out, as he did as a child. The mot that Froebel gave the children was a classroom, he believed that giving children a place to create, and imagine freely was the best gift anyone could have given them. Froebel wrote books, and in his book â€Å"Education of Man† he wrote â€Å"Play is the highest phase of child development-the representation of the inner necessity and impulse.† (coron 5). He thought that teachers should be friendly people who are helpers, not discip linarians. In his classroom there were blocks, pets, and finger plays. (Coron 5). He was inspirational to all. Froebel designed his classroom to have the following things as meeting a child’s needs; Physical activity, because it is important for a child to move, the development of sensory awareness and physical dexterity, creative expression, exploring of ideas, the pleasure of singing, the experience of living among others, and satisfaction of the soul. (Coron 4). These are all things we teach today to our children, and encourage our children to do. I think going back and looking at the bones of things could really help our society as a whole. Froebel was a very inspirational man to a lot of other great theorists such as Maria Montessori, who started Montessori schools. (Coron 2). I am in great belief of how much of a influence Froebel had on the early childhood education as a whole. He really was the father of kindergarten. I think that him having such an influence, really helped us shape the early education now. Froebel believed that â€Å"Humans are essentially productive, and creative† (coron 1.) I believe he is right, no matter what age you are, you are creative in your own way. It starts out at birth, even with how you relate to your mother, and father is creative, and how you interpret things as a young child is important. I know that if Froebel had not been involved, that what we call early childhood now, would not be the same as it is now. I am a firm believer in how he started to do things, letting children develop their own ideas about who they are, and how to do things in the world around them is really all a part of life.

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 39

Journal - Essay Example More distant sailors are known only by name. The two types of shell exchanged are the mwali (white arm shells), which moves in a counterclockwise path through the villages, and bagi (red shell necklaces), which moves in a clockwise direction among partners. Shells’ values are based on size, color, beauty of their polish and the history they bear. Kula path and partners are inherited by young ones, who are invited by their male kin on expeditions to observe the transactions, meet partners and learn the ways of the Kula ring. Good training is key since partners may reject an inexperienced protà ©gà ©. This tradition serves as a tool to bring the community together. The sailors’ return is awaited with great anticipation and feast is organized which unites the villages with their partners. This is key in preventing unnecessary conflict. It also acts as a symbol for power and prestige for those involved. Owning a piece of Kula made one a hero and this was compounded by the unique history of a shell especially if it was previously owned by a renowned individual. In addition, the islanders preserved history through the shells, associated with exploits and talents of its previous owners, some who have long since died. According to Holly, (2011) â€Å"One was able to transcend the history of one’s ancestral lineage and become part of the Kula history†. Finally, it serves as an opportunity to trade with other villages. The islanders would trade their own surplus goods for items they

Human development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human development - Essay Example Everything that they have learned prior to adulthood essentially comes to fruition, making them an intelligent and decisive human being (Crandell & Zanden, 2009). My understanding of what it is to be an adult will change in different contexts in the sense that each human being, while going through roughly the same mental and physical changes, still has unique experiences. One adult is not entirely the same as another adult, and my understanding of what it is to be an adult will change with the knowledge of each individual. Research is important to the understanding of what it is to be a human being because humans are complex, ever-changing beings. We are not the same in adulthood as we are as infants or in childhood. As such, it is vital to understand human beings at each stage of their lives to know the types of changes that they go through and the experiences that they have. Furthermore, research allows us to discover and comprehend the changes that are not always apparent to the e ye.

Global strategy of Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global strategy of Netflix - Essay Example An evaluation of the environment of Netflix’s business is essential in order to undertake suitable strategies for the growth of internet based entertainment services of Netflix. Netflix’s business required the company to expand to international markets to take advantage of the change in lifestyle and entertainment of the households. The political environment and the state laws were important considerations for Netflix as they had to acquire licenses from the owners of TV shows as well as movie studios for streaming their services through the internet. The environment in the industry underwent technological advancement as increasing number of electronic devices like the cables; fiber optics appeared in the stores. This allowed the households to connect the internet to the household TVs for the purpose of viewing. The social changes also showed inclination of the customers towards easy access to the streaming movies and TV shows on the internet rather and reduced the crow d of the theaters (Fitzroy and Herbert, 2007, p.47). The internet based entertainment industry witnessed intense rivalry between the several players as they launched their services on unlimited streaming of videos, TV shows and movies to be watched by the customers. Netflix had to adopt business strategies keeping their competitive position in mind. There were new entrants in the industry looking to capture the market. Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video are the products of the new entrants that challenged the business of Netflix with similar services.

Infant Car Seat Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Infant Car Seat Products - Essay Example The company uses great fabric such as cotton and lycra that washes and wears. Tchou Tchou offers functional infant car seats at affordable prices. The company offers infant car seats at great colours and styles for kids. For more than seventy years, Tchou Tchou has been committed to providing the highest levels of quality, service and safety in day-to-day business. Tchou Tchou has a history of excellent employee retention and employee loyalty. About ninety percent of the company's factory workers speak English as a second language. This free replacement campaign is meant to help meet customers' high expectations of Tchou Tchou's products. Kathy Dolan, Tchou Tchou CEO states that "the responsible handling of product defects is an integral part of our customer service." Tchou Tchou is actively seeking out wholesalers, supermarkets, specialist traders and retailers who received infant car seats with between 1st January 2008 and 31st April 2008. For this purpose, we have established a special service hotline and service email address. All issues concerning recall procedure can be clarified at +43 4524 500 1777, 7.00 am - 5.00 pm, CET and service.infantseat@tchou.com. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Tchou Tchou is America's leading brand in infant car seat. The company has extension offices in Canada, Mexico and Australia. In 2008, Tchou Tchou employed 6,000 American workers and paid US $ 20 million dollars in taxes. The company is an equal opportunity employer. Contact person for press enquiries: Terry Calloway Tchou Tchou PR Group 6112 Pittsburgh, PA Tel.: +43 (0) 4524 500 1777 terry.calloway@tchou.com Rationale of the Press ReleaseThere are several issues I had to consider while composing the press release. The first one is the integrity and goodwill of Tchou Tchou. I had to safeguard the integrity of the company by stressing that it is a good corporate citizen: it has provided many jobs and paid taxes. The second issue is I had to highlight that the company is known for employee retention and loyalty. This shows that it is a caring company. The third issue is the emphasis on consumer safety and protection over and above the company's profitability. The company presents a voluntary recall and product replacement program. The company assigns persons to attend to complaints and inquiries. The press release states that the company is more than seventy years in existence. The fourth issue is the importance of presenting a positive outlook on this company defect. I had to include the basic facts in the press release such as the pieces of glass that are included in the product that resu lted in this voluntary product recall. I excluded the data on an irate customer who called up to bring our attention on the defect. This was unimportant and it does not help in coming out a press release with a positive tone. I also excluded the data on pinpointing the exact store which sold the product which had pieces of glass on it. This was unimportant and it will just generate negative press for the retailers whom the company also needs to protect. The fifth issue was to present a helpful

Arson and youth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arson and youth - Essay Example Towards the end I would like to point out some of the interventions related to the topic. Arson is a serious crime since it destroys property, kills and injures people and creates unrest in the neighborhoods. Arson is the leading cause of fire in the United States. Approximately 28% of all fires are attributed to arson (Arson in the United States, 1997). According to the statistics provided by the FBI youth arson cases account for almost half of all those who are arrested for arson. These statistics have remained the same for the ninth consecutive year (Focus Adolescent Services, 2000). In 2003 approximately 51% of those arrested for arson were youth under the age of 18. Approximately one third were under fifteen and three percent were under ten years of age. Several studies have been carried out to find out the relationship between youth and arson. It is quite common among children to show interest in playing with fire. For many children this interest in fire play leads them to the act of arson. This behavior can become a habit which makes it a criminal activity (Focus Adolescent Services, 2000). Approximately 60% of the inmates of California Correctional Facility reported arson activities in their youth. Often the age group was under ten years and the first targets were trash cans (Arson in the United States, 1997). Although most of the children do not start fire with malicious intention still the economic and human damage it causes is devastating. It has been estimated that the youth arson is responsible for 300 deaths and 2000 injuries annually and approximately $300 million property damage and approximately 400,000 incidents annually. Juveniles can be arrested for the act of arson. However several factors are considered before arresting a child for arson. These include the age of the child, his history in relation to fire setting and the intention behind fire setting. Although the

Japanese Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Japanese Politics - Essay Example Of great interest is the process of policy making in the Japanese political environment. It is evident that the elite in society are behind all the policies that get initiated and enacted in Japan. This paper seeks to establish whether or not the policies developed and enacted in Japan are indeed the input of the elite bureaucracy in Japan. As intimated earlier, the government is made up of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Generally the government is a parliamentary democratic monarchy. The monarchy together with the Prime Minister forms the executive. The prime Minister heads the government which is also home to a myriad of political parties in its multi-party system. It is imperative to note that the executive part is as such exercised by the government which the prime minister heads. The Emperor of Japan is the overall head of state and as such appoints the prime minister. The prime minister before his appointment by the emperor has to have the designation of a diet and as such should win the confidence of the House of Representatives. The prime minister as earlier mentioned heads the government, heads the cabinet and appoints and disappoints the ministers of state who are largely members of the diet. Apart from the executive, there is the legislature. The legislature is basically made up of parliam ent which is divided into two i.e. the Diet which is basically the House of Representatives and the lower chamber which is called the House of Councilors. As such, the legislative power is exercised by both the government and the two chambers of parliament. The judiciary on the other hand is quite independent of the other two arms of government i.e. the executive and the legislature. The judiciary deals with all matters to do with the law and is made up of all the courts, the forces and prisons. It fully exercises the judicial powers without sharing these powers with any arm of government and this is why the judiciary is independent. As far as the law is concerned, Japan is simply a constitutional monarchy. The constitutional monarchy orientation in Japan is largely borrowed from the British system and it is also immensely influenced by the European civil law states such as German and France (Martin & Stronach, 1992). This can be illustrated by the 1896 enactment of a civil code similar to the German model by the Japanese government. The code has ever since remained in effect except for the minimal modifications which were effected after the Second World War. It is imperative to note that the statutory law comes from the legislature an d the national diet of Japan only acts as the rubber stamp for the emperor's approval. Actually, the current constitution provides for the role of the emperor only to promulgate the legislation passed by the legislature. As such the emperor has no constitutional powers to oppose legislation passed by the legislature. After legislation, it is the work of the judiciary to implement the legislation. The judiciary is made up of three levels of courts where the Supreme Court is at the top of the list followed by other three lower cadres of the courts (Johnson, 2002). The primary part of the Japanese statutory law is basically a collection of laws commonly known as the Six

Postwar Australian Art & Film Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Postwar Australian Art & Film - Coursework Example Both artifacts depict a battle zone but they have a different approach. Both Mad Max and Sidney Nolan, portrays a war environment but with different tactics and approach. In addition, both images portray a sense of victory whereby a lone solider stands against an army. The images portray the conquering spirit of the European and how they managed to take over Australia from its natives. The two images are quite different in their stylistic and thematic presentation. Mad Max portrays a traditional type of wars that was fought from horsebacks. Moreover, the image’s background shows a vast open land, which portrays the untamed continent of Australia. On the other hand, Mad Max advertising photo for the Australian post-apocalyptic action thriller film. It depicts a hero who people look up to after a war. The photo brings out a superhero who stands out for the oppressed at a time when the streets are not safe. The man in the photo holds a gun and is the person people look up to for hope and inspiration. The photograph is rather sophisticated and it depicts transformation in modern warfare. Moreover, the photo depicts modern Australia whereby rural areas have been opened up by transport and communication infrastructures. 2 After the war was over, there were more issues to be solved. Before the war, everyone seems to have been satisfied with the ways things were done. Certainly, no one cared about the environment since no one had the responsibility. However, after the war, things turned around and people started to care about the environment as equally as they cared about their bodies. The extent to which we can neglect or care about our environment is portrayed in the Peter Dombrovskis, Morning mist, Rock Island Bend and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, photograph of Wrapped Coast. The photographs portray the natural beauty of the Australian wild. More importantly, the photos depict the untamed continent and its perfection. However, this changes as soon as immigrants arrived in the country. The main difference between the two is that one shows a neglected environment while the other shows environmental conservation efforts. Wrapped Coast, Little Bay depicts a massive environmental conservation effort to reduce erosion. On the other hand, Peter Dombrovskis, Morning mist depicts a neglected environment that is in need of our protection. 3 Badtjala woman images seem to be based on historical injustices and redemptions. The artist inserts her own images within a pictorial frame just as the country caves its own destiny after the war. The image itemizes the shell and reed necklaces, ‘collecting bag’, and ‘crossed string’ that adorn her naked upper torso. Foley seems to be replicating the ways of the 19th century photographs of the images of the Badtjala people. In such photographs there is an unequal power relationship inherent. The photography does not bring out pornography due to the use of a naked indigenous female as op posed to a ‘white’ female. Bishop’s image is an icon of the lands rights movement in the Australian political photography (McCloskey, 2005). The bright blue sky and red earth gives an immediate sense of place. The red earth is seen to symbolize blood that was shed during the war. Years of struggle are engraved on the face of Lingiari. Lingiari slightly bends back whereas Whitlam stands upright confident and optimistic. Words and white papers are meaningless when

Changes in Political Culture Between 2004 and 2008 Essay Example for Free

Changes in Political Culture Between 2004 and 2008 Essay After reading all of the lecture notes and spending quite some time browsing the internet, I found three things that dramatically changed between the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections. Media influence, technology and the change in demographics played major roles in the 2008 elections. Media influence was the number one change between 2004 and 2008. Although the media played a big part of the 2004 elections, that election does not compare to the media frenzy of 2008. In 2008, television became the primary medium for conveying the campaign to Americans. The television channels devoted hours a day to observing every small item, almost all of it live. Little was said back and forth between the campaigns that were not reported quickly by a media outlet. Across the medium, 67% of the time on cable came from talk format or live standup. Only 23% came from reported pieces in which correspondents have control of the message. (2) What press stories made a difference in 2008? There was more reporting on the background and character of candidates during the primaries, when the process of discovery was new and went on longer. Yet arguably, the two most important stories about Obama came from a church DVD (the sermon by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. ) and a tape made by a blogger doubling as a supporter (Mayhill Fowler) ,working for Huffington Post, who recorded Obama’s statement about bitter small-town voters. The reporting on Sarah Palin’s background in Alaska by various news organizations probably represents the most memorable example of first-hand, pro-active reporting into candidate backgrounds during the general election in 2008. 2) These are just a few of the examples of how the media bandwagon was so influential during 2008. It does not matter the party affiliation or beliefs, we all followed a certain media outlet of choice during that time. The second change between 2004 and 2008 was that Americans decided to get out and vote. Mainly due to the media frenzy, Americans stormed the ballot boxes none the less. Demographics were a very close second to the media during this time of change . The change in numbers is almost unbelievable. The electorate in last years presidential election was the most racially and ethnically diverse in U. S. history, with nearly one-in-four votes cast by non-whites, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center. (3) The unprecedented diversity of the electorate last year was driven by increases both in the number and in the turnout rates of minority eligible voters. Much of the surge in black voter participation in 2008 was driven by increased participation among black women and younger voters. The voter turnout rate among eligible black female voters increased 5. 1 percentage points, from 63. 7% in 2004 to 68. 8% in 2008. Among all racial, ethnic and gender groups, black women had the highest voter turnout rate in Novembers election a first. Overall, whites made up 76. 3% of the record 131 million people who voted in Novembers presidential election, while blacks made up 12. 1%, Hispanics 7. 4% and Asians 2. 5%. The white share is the lowest ever, yet is still higher than the 65. 8% white share of the total U. S. population. (3) The third and final thing that changed between the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections was technology, especially the internet and social media sites. According to a survey conducted by Complete and released by Cisco about the influence of online video and social media applications on American’s political engagement, the Internet was cited by 62 percent of respondents as a regularly used source for 2008 presidential election information and coverage, which was surpassed only by television (82%). Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) says that they regularly learned something about the campaign from the Internet; almost double the percentage from a comparable point in the 2004 campaign (13%). (4) The Internet has, and has forever, changed the role of how presidential campaigns are fought, and how Americans attain their political news and information. â€Å"Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president. Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not have been the nominee,† said Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post, at a conference on ‘How Politics and Web 2. Intersect,’ at the Web 2. 0 Summit in San Francisco. (4) â€Å"The tools changed between 2004 and 2008. Barack Obama won every single caucus state that matters, and he did it because of those tools, because he was able to move thousands of people to organize,† Joe Trippi said. (4) In conclusion I can definitely see the major changes in political cultu re between the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections. I also believe these changes started around the 2006 general elections and continued to progress for the next 2 years. It will be very interesting to watch the 2010 general elections and 2012 Presidential election to see how much influence the media and internet have. I think it will only progress until there is literally a live camera around anytime a candidate is in a public setting. Hopefully the trend of people getting out to vote is here to stay. For as Louis L’Amour said â€Å"To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers.

The Schlieffen plan Essay Example for Free

The Schlieffen plan Essay Explain how the Schlieffen plan was meant to work. The Schlieffen plan was the strategy Germany planned to adopt in the event of a war in 1914. It was intended to bring a fast, effective victory for Germany, and was devised by Count Alfred von Schlieffen who was the Chief of the General Staff of the German Army. If a war broke out, Germany would be faced with a war in the west against France, and a war on the east against Russia. German generals knew that they could not sustain this war on both fronts, and the Schlieffen plan was devised to deal with this. It was calculated that if a war started, Russia would take a long time to mobilize, and therefore Germany planned to defeat France before Russia had enough time to mount an invasion. They would do this by sending the majority of the German forces to attack France, leaving the eastern boarder vulnerable to attack. This was a risky strategy, as if Russia mobilized quickly, than Germany could be easily invaded. As a result of the Franco-Prussian war, ending in 1871, France had built strong defences around the French-German boarder to prevent another German invasion. Rather than invading through the heavily defended boarder at Alsace-Lorraine, the German army was to attack France through neutral Belgium. By using overwhelming force, it was planned that the German army would surround Paris within six weeks, thus causing France to surrender. Afterwards, the German army could be turned around back to Germany and concentrate their force on the Russian army to the East. The Schlieffen Plan was a huge gamble on the German behalf, as for it to work several assumptions would have to remain correct. It was predicted that Belgium would not resist against a German invasion, and British intervention was completely unaccounted for. It was also assume that  the capture of Paris would lead to the defeat of France. However, the success of the plan pivoted on the time Russia spent to mobilize, and was the fundamental assumption required for the plan to work. For the Schlieffen plan to be successful, all these assumptions would have to remain correct, showing that even before it was put into practise, it was already fundamentally flawed. b). Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front? At the beginning of the war, both sides predicted that the fighting would be based upon a war of movement. With more devastating technology and effective weaponry, it was harder for either side to advance with resulting in heavy casualties, which contributed towards the establishment of the trench system. No one had predicted the effects modern technology would have on warfare, and is partly responsible for the stalemate that developed on the Western Front. However, there were other factors and contributing events that also lead towards the stalemate. Perhaps the most significant cause of the stalemate was the failure of the Schlieffen plan. This was because many of the assumptions that the plan depended on were wrong. Firstly Germany had not accounted Belgium resistance or the involvement of the British Army in the fighting. However, the intervention of these two counties slowed the German advance into France, which reduced the likelihood of Germany defeating France within the allotted six weeks. The Belgium army was outnumbered ten to one, however they managed to slow the rapid German advance, which was essential for the success of the Schlieffen Plan. British involvement was also unexpected, as the British-Belgium treaty dated back to 1839. The Kaiser did not believe that Britain would go to war over a scrap of paper. However, Britain did uphold their alliance with Belgium, and on 4th August 1914 declared war on Germany and sent 120,000 troops across the channel to meet the German advance. Also Russian army mobilized quicker than Germany had anticipated, resulting  in many German soldiers being withdrawn from the west to be used to stop the Russian invasion in the east. This considerably weakened the German invasion into France, and as a result the German troops were forced to advance east of Paris, away from their original goal. This over-stretched the German supply lines, and after weeks of fighting, eventually exhausted the German army. The German 1st Army encountered French troops returning from the failed Plan XVII at the Battle of the Marne on 6th September 1914, resulting in around 250,000 casualties for both sides. Although the German army were not beaten, all hopes for a quick decisive victory had been dashed. As a result, German forces retreated to higher ground, where they dug a series of trenches to protect themselves. The British and French forces soon followed suit, however they were forced to construct their trenches in the flood-prone lower ground. This was the start of the trench warfare that would dominate the Western Front for the next four years. As both fatigued armies rested, their trench systems became more intricate and fortified, and eventually both Allied and German troops were to heavily dug in to be forced out of their trenches by a single attack or offensive. As a result, little ground was gained by either side. This was the start of the stalemate that would remain throughout the duration of the war, until the final German offensive in March 1918. c). Why was the stalemate broken on the Western Front? The German surrender on 11th November 1918 was due to a number of different factors and events. Each contributed to the final end of the war, and were all of significant importance. Some factors contributed towards the armistice more than others however combined they resulted in the end of the war. The first contributing factor was the introduction of modern technology, such as gas shells and tanks. This was of vital importance, as with improved  methods and machinery, it was hoped that the stalemate would be broken more easily. It was hoped this would happen in 1916, where tanks were first used in the Battle of the Somme. However, although the appearance of tanks took the Germans by surprise, there were not enough to have the intended effect. Many tanks broke down in no-mans land or became stuck in shell holes, and were generally very unreliable. As they were a new aspect of warfare, the Allied commanders had no experience of how to command tanks, and as a result they were not used effectively, resulting in hundreds being destroyed. However, by 1918 the design of the tanks had been greatly improved, and the importance of them on the battlefield had been widely recognised. Tanks were being used to break German lines whilst protecting troops from machine gun fire. This was illustrated at the Battle of Cambrai on 20th November 1917, where 378 tanks advanced six kilometres into German territory. However, the use of tanks had not yet been perfected by the Allies, as there was often not enough infantry to follow behind a tank assault, leaving gaps in the Allied lines. However, even though Cambrai was not without losses, it clearly demonstrated how the effective use of tanks could play a decisive role in a battle. Trench warfare had begun in 1914, and was the ultimate cause of the stalemate, with both sides only making small advances at a time. The war was expected to be a war of movement, however this prediction was evidently prove incorrect after only a few weeks of fighting. However, as new weapons and technology were introduced, it became easier for either side to advance and to capture the enemy trenches. An example of this would be the introduction of the gas shell. They were first used by the Germans in the Second Battle of Ypres on 22nd April 1915. At first, only mild tear gas was used, however it was not long before chlorine and mustard gas shells were being used. By using gas attack, it was hoped the enemy would be forced out of their trenches, proving a dangerous yet deadly form of weaponry. With such effective methods being used to a greater extent, it became evident that trench warfare could not sustain such forms of fighting, thus contributing towards the overall breaking of the stalemate. America entering the war was another important aspect in the breaking of the stalemate. For most of the war, America had not intervened with the fighting in Europe. However, Germany had decided to attempt to force Britain out of the war by cutting off all its supplies, and hoping to force the British into submission. This involved the sinking of American cargo ships, which crossed the Atlantic delivering resources to Britain. The German high command knew that this decision was a gamble, and would ultimately result in America entering the war, but hoped that a German victory would be achieved before America had the chance to play a significant role in the fighting. In February 1917, Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare, which authorised German U-boats to sink any ships suspected of carrying supplies to Britain. This was yet another risk taken by Germany in the course of the war, which failed, as America joined the war earlier than expected. On 6thApril 1917, America declared war on Germany before a German victory could be achieved. America took a long time to mobilize, but eventually over 250,000 American troops were being sent to the Western Front by March 1918. This was a disastrous event for Germany as America was strong military and economically, and its participation in the war proved a huge threat to Germany, and seriously jeopardised the likelihood of a German victory. The role of the British Navy in the war also helped to bring about the end of the stalemate. The Navys primary responsibility was to enforce a naval blockade around German ports that would cut off supplies reaching Germany, thus weakening the country both economically and military. Without sufficient resources, Germany would not be able support its soldiers on the Western Front, as a restriction of food and munitions would cut off the vital resources needed to sustain the German army in France. The Allies planned to take full advantage of the blockade, and combined with the new American force, were in a position to weaken the German army, and  swing the war into their favour. The Naval blockade also provoked angry riots in Berlin and other German cities, as the inhabitants began to starve as a result of the limited food supplies reaching Germany. It is estimated that over a quarter of a million Germans starved to death as a result of the British Naval blockade. This pressurised the authorities to take action, and relieve the strain the blockade was causing on Germany, before they were forced into a state of collapse. As a responsive to the growing number of Allied forces on the Western Front, and the strain of the Naval blockade, Germany mounted a huge offensive. Russia had recently pulled out of the war as Lenin took power, resulting in the end of the fighting on the Eastern front, and also leaving thousands of spare soldiers that could be used to fight in the west. In their unusually strong state, the German commanders believed they could drive back the Allies in the west before the port blockades and extra American troops begun to take effect. General Ludendorff ordered the training of many stormtrooper units. These were troops specialized in close range fighting, and were used to attack the length of the Allied line. In March 1918, the Germany army began a huge assault on the Western Front, involving the majority of its military force. This was a gamble on the German behalf, however there were no alternative strategies that would achieve a fast victory, as the port blockade and increase in Allied soldiers were already starting to weaken Germanys military strength. The stormtrooper attacks worked well, and within a week the German front line had advanced by 60km, and by April the Germany army was only 80km away from their original goal of Paris. The Allies ended up retreating over the ground they had spent years trying to gain. However, their rapid advance cause the German lines to over extended  themselves, and coupled with the limited food imports, few supplies were reaching the German army at such a distance into France. As a result, the German advance came to a halt, prompting a vicious counter-attack from the combine British, French and American forces. The Germans fell back to their heavily fortified Hidenburg line, however this was taken by the overwhelming force of the Allies on 26th September 1918, resulting in over 400,000 German soldiers being captured. The offensive had backfired tremendously, and left over 1 million German soldiers dead. Faced with the extinction of their whole army, Germany asked for peace, and the Kaiser fled to Holland. The Armistice was signed and the war came to an end on 11th November 1918. This was a result of a series of cumulative events and factors. Ultimately, it was the German offensive in 1918 that was the event which lead to the end of the stalemate, as the German attacks and British counter-attacks broke the trench system, and for the last few week before the armistice, the war was again a war of movement. However, the German offensive would have never taken place if it were not for the other contributing factors already discussed. The impacts of new technology, as well as the strain put on Germany by the American entry into the war and the port blockades forced the German commanders to respond with the offensive, which resulted in the end of the war. Although the offensive was the most important factor, the stalemate would have never been broken if it wasnt for the effect of the other factors, proving that they were all significant contributors to the breaking of the stalemate in 1918.

Business Environment Analysis For Marks And Spencer Economics Essay

Business Environment Analysis For Marks And Spencer Economics Essay My chosen organisation is Marks and Spencer. Marks and Spencer has six main objectives. The main goal of any business is to increase profit. This is done by working out the total revenue that the business has made from selling and costs of its product. For any business to survive, profit must be earned. Like any other business Marks and Spencer needs to increase its sales. To do this they must fulfill what the customer needs and desires. To increase their sales Marks and Spencer needs to attract new customers by for instance aiming for the younger market whilst at the same time ensure that its loyal customers are kept satisfied with a supply of products which cater for their needs. Marks and Spencer also have the objective of earning market leadership. In order to do this, they must become more competitive. By meeting the wants and needs of more customers as well as by attracting more potential customers and offering better quality for affordable prices, Marks and Spencer can oust the competition and achieve a high standing status in the market. Offering a high quality service is also one of Marks and Spencers objectives. In their annual report they claimed that no one cares more about quality than they do and in fact Marks and Spencer are well known for this. Like other businesses another objective for Marks and Spencer is growth. For Marks and Spencer to survive and to be competitive, the issue of growth must be attended to. By growing, the business is expanding globally and thus achieves recognition in different countries attracting different pools of clientele. The last objective of Marks and Spencer is rewarding shareholders. It is important for a business to keep the shareholders content since they are a fundamental source of investment. Marks and Spencer needs to make profit in order to maintain share holders as well as attract further investment. Each of these objectives has its own importance, neglecting either one of them would surely bring the organisation to a halt. Marks and Spencer has created a set of six priorities in order to better meet the objectives it has set out. The organization aims to retain their leading position in the market whilst improving their performance in certain sectors which do not make as much profit as other areas, such as for instance the food sector. In this way they can continue to satisfy the current customers they hold whilst attracting potential customers by focusing on better promoting one of the branches of their business. Through the optimization of margins, controlling costs and expenditure and maintaining a strong balance sheet, Marks and Spencer can ensure a better calculation of its profits and losses and thus have a better chance of securing its place in the market through the composition of a well-planned market strategy. Finally and by no means as a last priority, Marks and Spenc er deems it necessary to enforce high ethical standards. Essentially the organization has to increase its sales since this is the only way in which it will be able to make a profit. It therefore has to invest in its products and ensure that these are marketed well as its ultimate goal is to attract customers and keep them from going to their competitor. It is of no surprise that driving their international business is not a first priority since ultimately I think they would be better off ensuring that the organization is functioning with utmost profitability before seeking to expand to other areas. 1b) External stakeholders play an important part in the achievement of the business, this is because they sell to and purchase from the company, but they are not employed by the company. They are considered stakeholders as they stand to gain from the company. Some external stakeholders of Marks and Spencer are customers, suppliers and the general public. One of the most essential stakeholders of a business is the customer. The customers of Marks and Spencer purchase the products marketed by the company resulting in a profit for the organization. Without customers the business would not survive. Suppliers are external stakeholders as they sell their products to Marks and Spencer in exchange for a price; thus both parties benefit from this relationship. Marks and Spencer need to take care of their suppliers to ensure that the suppliers continue to provide them with good quality products for a reasonable price, so that in turn Marks and Spencer provides its customers with the same good quality products at competitive prices. Another important stakeholder is the general public. The organization must take into consideration various factors when developing products as well as their production processes. The reason for this is the impact and influence which such process or product may have on potential and actual customers. Marks and Spencer have to ensure that their goods are environmentally friendly and are produced in an environmentally friendly way. Having a means of production which creates high health or environment hazards will result in a decline of people purchasing the product, or potentially purchasing from that organization, therefore, a lower amount of sales and consequently a reduction in profits. 2) There are several conditions that affect demand in an organization. A change in a customers income is one such condition. If the purchaser does not have a good income to maintain himself or his family, then he will definitely not have enough money to treat himself to something that he wants, conversely, if the buyer earns a good income, he would be more likely to spend. Thus the rise in income is directly proportionate to the demand and affects it in such a way that with an increase in income, the consumer will tend to purchase more products than he would if he earned a lesser amount. Marks and Spencers offers high quality products with good value, thus people earning an average wage would definitely afford their products. A second condition is when a substitute product changes its price. The increase in the price of one good will direct to an increase in demand for the competing product. Another condition is when a price of a complementary product changes. Here one considers supplies that are in complementary demand, such as the demand for video players and video films. If Marks and Spencer sells DVD players at a cheaper price, the likelihood is that more DVD players will be bought. This will lead to a growth in market demand for DVD films. The changes in weather also condition demand. The price of a product fluctuates when either demand or supply changes. For example in good weather the supply of grains and oil normally increases. Customers will tend to purchase more when products are more readily available and are at a lower price. One can also consider the scenario where the change in climate or weather increases the demand as is the case in the sale of umbrellas when rain is expected. Another condition is the changes in taxation on the product. The implementation of a tax by the government affects product prices in such a way that the organization will have to raise its price in order to be able to meet the tax requirement, cater for the expenditure incurred for the purchase of the product as well as keep a percentage of profit from the sale. Thus one must assess whether the business can pass some or all of the tax onto the customer through a higher price without negatively affecting the demand. Clothes and accessories are essential products in todays world and affect all levels of society indiscriminately. A condition that relates to their demand is changes to tastes and fashions. Companies try to influence the varying tastes and preferences of households in favor of their products with the help of a good marketing and advertising strategy. The influence which these advertisements have on the public brings about an increase in demand for their products. Marks and Spencer offers a wide range of variety in clothes. They offer a selection of inexpensive to extravagant and luxurious products that cater for every pocket. Another condition is a change in the population, such as growth. Due to the inelasticity of demand of a product such as food; which will continue to sell despite any increase in price; as the population grows so does the demand. Consequently this leads to growth in agriculture and the expansion of cultivated land. I think in this type of situation the only thing that Marks and Spencer can do is generate more products so as to cater for a bigger demand by the growing population. Marketing in itself is a condition which affects demand. Marketers must pursue constant research and should not rely solely on their own judgment to determine whether marketing decisions need to be adjusted. When considering price adjustment, the marketer must investigate the effects which a change in price is likely to have on target market demand for a product. Understanding how changes in price affect the market requires the marketer have a firm understanding of the concept of elasticity of demand. This entails an evaluation of the price and how it alone affects the overall demand. This assessment necessarily requires one to consider the manner in which competitors may react to the marketers price change by changing the price of their product. Thus one here anticipates the market reaction and how this will affect company revenue. Marks and Spencer continue to strive to meet customer demand; the expansion of their websites offering free delivery and online deals clearly illustrates this. Marks and Spencer have continued to endeavor to provide a better service by increasing the number of people in their trading teams in order to focus on bringing the right products to the right stores, to meet the ever-growing demands of the customer. 3a) A mixed economy is when both the private and the public sector take part in the production, distribution and all other economic activities within a state. The mixed economy permits the inclusion of private contribution in the field of production in a situation of competition with an aim of achieving profit. This mixture of free enterprise and government control has been looked upon from varying perceptions; some claim it is beneficial whilst others believe it has no impact or is detrimental to the economy of that state. An advantage of a mixed economy is that it assists in increasing over-all production in the nation.  Private and public segments work hard in order to bring about more production. People can take the initiative to start companies on their own, whilst deciding what to produce and the prices they will charge for the goods or services that they offer.  Ã‚  Another advantage is the use of government revenue through the payment of taxes, these organisations obtain benefits such as those provided by government services like social programs, subsidies and other government incentive programs. The benefits of mixed economies have been witnessed by the growth of some states into some of the leading markets in the world such as those of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Some disadvantages of a mixed economy are that businesses have to find their own niche in the marketplace for products, and that they have no control over the taxes they pay.  Companies often complain of tax rates being too high for the services and products they offer. Certain economists opine that in fact, mixed economies hardly ever accomplish the growth at which they are aimed. They also criticize the fact that the mixed economies do not make proper use of national resources. 3b) The current economic climate of the USA is a recession, as seen in the figure below. A recession is a phase of general economic turn down. This comes with a fall in the stock market, an increase in unemployment and a turn down in the property market. If a recession persists long enough it is often then classified as a depression. The last two depressions of the USA occurred in 1990-1991 and 2001, lasting eight months each and only two of the ten previous post-depression downturns lasted as long as a full year according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Tony Fratto, the Deputy Press Secretary for the White House emphasized on the need for the American Government to take the necessary steps to bring the economy back to its full force. He propounded on the importance of returning the financial and credit markets back to their normal state, and to try to re-establish the housing market. Mr. Fratto also held that in order to reach stability the states must necessarily take cognizance of the current unemployment situation. Although there is no singular cause, one of the principal reasons given to explain the current economic recession was the housing downturn that resulted in losses of multibillion dollars for one of the nations leading banks as early as 2006. Furthermore, June 2007 was recorded as a period with the lowest rate of home sales and in December of the same year, the recession was deemed to have started. In 2008 due to a reduction in the labour market, the costs of living rose along with the unemployment rate, leading to a reduction in the peoples savings. In 2009/2010 the global markets continued to shift, unemployment increased whilst profits, interest rates, expenditure and investment continued to descend rapidly. Various commentators have stated that the present recession is one of the extended downturns since the Great Depression of the 1930s. What is President Obama doing to try to get out of the recession? President Obama requested Congress to provide him with an economic package the value of which amounted to more than 800 Billion Dollars in order to be able to cope with the current economic crisis. As part of his economic policy the President engaged in a series of talks with the banking sector to introduce new banking policies for the benefit of its customers. Monetary and fiscal policies are being updated, special care being taken so as to reduce the present economic crisis. Many US economic policies are being promulgated by government to stabilize the financial sector. A motion was put forward for the modification of health insurance in order to ensure better health for residents and counteract the repercussions that poverty might bring upon the American citizens. The introduction of new inventions and ideas would help in the economic development of the continent and generate a new source of investment and income. Currently, one can see an immense expansion being demonstrated in the area of computing, aerospace, medical and military equipment. 4a) Price intervention in the context of the European Community refers to a point when the world market price falls below the EU price, the EU interferes to buy the surplus product, in order to keep the price high. Fifty years ago, the importance of the EU agricultural policy was to supply enough food to a Europe coming from a time of shortages, due to war. The EU policy seeks to facilitate the route for producers of all forms of food; such as crops, fruit and vegetables; in order to enable them to compete with other producers on both a European and a global scale. The EU nowadays helps farmers by giving them payments to keep their lands in good condition and to meet the environmental and animal welfare standards, as an alternative to paying famers to produce more. The Common Agricultural Policy with the help of the Community, purchases farm products after the market price falls below the agreed level so as keep itself from the accumulation of Butter Mountains and Wine Lakes. The advantages of price intervention in the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy are that it provides incentives and measures to raise productivity and ensure reasonable living standards for the agricultural society. It also promotes the stabilization of the market whilst ensuring availability of food products at reasonable and realistic prices. The disadvantages are that due to an increase in productivity leading to a surplus which can result in Butter Mountains. These cause an increase in the tax load on EU Member States due to a rise in the contributions each must make to the budget. I think that the European Unions Agricultural policy is a necessary tool which allows farmers to maintain their jobs whilst keeping agricultural produce at a stable price for everyone to afford and thus minimalising waste and expenditure. http://europa.eu/pol/agr/index_en.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4407792.stm 4b) Introduced in 1999, the European Economic and Monetary policy aimed to facilitate the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour. Full integration necessitates the harmonization of member states in certain sectors in order to achieve greater unity and symmetry. EMU in conjunction with other policies implemented by the European Community seeks to achieve this objective. Having the euro as a common currency has proved particularly useful during the recession because it provided more stability for countries within the Union by allowing them to deal with the economic crises in a strategic and co-ordinated manner. The benefits of being in the Euro-Zone are that goods, services and profits are easily moved across the national borders of the Unions member states. The Euro has gained strength over the years and now competes with strong-standing currencies such as the American Dollar. An additional benefit of the adoption of the EMU is that it is now becoming far easier to trade, travel and invest within the Union itself. However, in order to join the EMU, EU member states need to meet certain criteria. Every governments debt must be not exceed 60% of a countrys gross domestic product, the deficit must not be greater than 3% of the nations gross domestic product and the inflation rate must be reduced to below 3.2% and conversely government bonds producing 7.7%. Member States encounter certain additional problems when considering full integration with the European Union; these include dealing with tax, the application and transposition of different regulations affecting financial intermediaries along with security trading systems. In conclusion I would like to speak from my own personal experience as the citizen of one of the smallest member states in the Union. Malta adopted the Euro in 2008; the process of adjusting our economic and financial institutions to meet the established criteria was no easy one. The strive towards full integration is no easy task but so far has reaped many benefits, the only hope for the future is that it will continue to do so. http://lexicon.ft.com/term.asp?t=Economic-and-Monetary-UnionEMU http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication_summary12325_en.htm http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LZQpGtQWjRL2yvLcRhXHT5tv3vQhW31Mcq3jhc1qYn14HWcGPT4g!631636653!610724718?docId=5001841397 Bibliography 123helpme, (2010) Marks and Spencer objectives, [Online] Available: http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=149330 [Accessed 2/1/10] Blurit, (2010) Mixed Economy [Online] Available: http://www.blurtit.com/q917361.html [Accessed 20/1/10] Economy Watch, (2010) Mixed economy, [Online] Available: http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/world-economic-indicators/mixed-economy.html [Accessed 20/1/10] HNC/D Module 1 Course Notes, RDI, 2005. MS Full Annual report and financial statements 2009 Directors report [Accessed 2/1/10] Net MBA Business Knowledge Centre, (2010) Price elasticity of demand, [Online] Available: http://www.netmba.com/econ/micro/demand/elasticity/price/ [Accessed 10/1/10] Trading Charts, (2010) How Supply and Demand Determine Commodities Market Prices, [Online] Available: http://futures.tradingcharts.com/learning/supply_and_demand.html [Accessed 15/1/10] Kevin Colby, News. Politics. Liberty, (2010) Americas Current Economic Condition, [Online] Available: http://kevincolby.com/2008/10/26/americas-current-economic-condition/ [Accessed 21/1/10] Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer, (2010) http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/01/news/economy/recession/index.htm http://www.economywatch.com/economic-policy/us.html http://www.economywatch.com/finance/public-finance/public-finance-and-public-policy.html http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=1715 http://www.investorwords.com/4086/recession.html

Jaquess Perspective in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay -- Shakespe

Jaques's Perspective in As You Like It      Ã‚  Ã‚   A cynic's cynic might declare Jaques no better than the guy who lurks in corners at a cocktail party, lobbing witty barbs at anyone unlucky enough to catch his eye. But this assessment robs Shakespeare's comedy of its sociological depth; what might be pleasant fluff about young people in love is enhanced by Jaques's ability to make stern judgments about the world, yet still respect the people who comprise it.    Indeed, Jaques observes astutely from the sidelines. He separates himself from what he considers the frivolity of making suitable marriage matches. But Jaques's speeches are not merely Shakespeare's devices for explication. There is a psychological middle ground between the court and the forest, and the ideals closest to those who think little are, in Jaques's eyes, admirable. His words make him the most egalitarian character in the play.    From his first speech, Jaques paints himself as a moody loner and as rather disdainful of his benefactor, Duke Senior. He says, "And I have been all this day to ...

Windows 2000 :: essays research papers

Have you ever wondered where Microsoft will go next with Windows, well now it is time for you to find out. Microsoft has almost completed Windows 2000, which will be the new era for software around the world. In the last year computers have grow dramatically, with the new Pentium II chip and processors with the speeds up to 450MHZ. Almost every family home in America today has at least one personal computer. Whether it is for business or pleasure, more and more people are realizing the significance of computers. I am going to unleash the information that will show you how Windows 2000 will work. Windows 2000 is an operating system that configures your hardware for you. With its structure based upon Windows 98 and NT, they have also introduced revolutionary interface enhancements. New Advancement Topics ? Plug and Play Power management for the latest desktop and notebook models. ? Web integration That has one interface for browsing local files, Intranets, and the Internet. ? One-step management A customizable console that lets you control computers, peripherals, users, security settings, from any desktop. ? Directory services Which can handle all the tasks of managing users, groups, shared peripherals, and security, it also allows you to do all this over worldwide networks. ? Serious security A new security system that will use smart cards and other physical keys to let you access the computer. Plug and Play The new Plug and Play will allow you to handle all your hardware chores from one central location without restarting your computer. And at the location you will also be able to inspect driver device settings, update drivers, or troubleshoot resource conflicts. I am sure that this will be extremely helpful to many people out in the computer world including myself. With this feature it will make looking for a program or installing one a breeze. Web integration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Internet has become one of the biggest things used in homes and companies. It allows people at home to go shopping, check the weather, buy stocks, and work without ever leaving the desk. Companies are using it to publicize and inform people about them and their products. They also use it internally to connect different floors together via e-mail. With new Internet settings you will be able to choose your Web-style views thus letting you control what comes up on the screen without you saying, 'what the hell is that.'; One-step management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With current Window versions, there's no way to find a file-using Explorer.

Recitatif by Toni Morrison Essay -- Toni Morrison Recitatif Essays

Recitatif by Toni Morrison 'Recitatif', by Toni Morrison, is a profound narrative that I believe is meant to invite readers to search for a buried connotation of the experiences that the main characters, Twyla and Roberta, face as children and as they are reunited as adults. Some of the story?s values and meanings involving race, friendship and abandonment begin to emerge as the plot thickens; however, more messages become hidden and remain unrecognized, even until the very last sentence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the very first paragraph of the narrative, I noticed that there were several details that the narrator mentioned that required further, deeper thought. For me, this is what made the story appealing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the story, Twyla introduces her mother as Mary and claims that she was placed at St. Bonny?s because her mother ?danced all night.? By calling her mother by her first name, Twyla reveals that she doesn?t really consider Mary as her mother. I believe Twyla?s feelings toward her mother play an important role in the way she reacts to the experiences she faces throughout the rest of the story. Her comments and actions when Mary visits her show that she is somewhat ashamed of her mother and by the fact that she chose to abandon her, unlike the ?real orphans with beautiful dead parents in the sky?(468). This draws a connection between Twyla and Roberta; since Roberta?s mother is still living too, they both feel as though they share something with each ...

Business enterprise Essay

– Design a website for a business enterprise, meeting user requirements I have designed my own website and my aim was to meet the requirements that my users need and desire from a health and beauty business. The specific purpose for my site is to promote my ethical made produce while keeping people happy and giving them what they want and expect. Furthermore, the purpose for my site is to give my customers a sense of my brands personality and to hopefully retain them my users and continue to grow though e-commerce. Its purpose is to inform people of â€Å"who I am† and â€Å"what we do† and provide my customers with efficiency while saving time on my part and increasing my customer base. I am defining my website to 14 – 35 year olds who have an interest in keeping healthy and looking nice while still being ethical and beneficial to the environment. My products range from hair, skin, nails, make-up, music, candles and many more, so whoever is interested in these, I will be defining my website to them. On my website I have six webpages (with links to others) and these include a homepage, transaction page, enquiry/chat help page, review/customer feedback page, our story page, our products page and an additional â€Å"find us† page and â€Å"our philosophy† page. I have thought about how I am going about retaining customer and encouraging repeat visits by inserting certain aspects, for example, a product on sale. I have thought about how I will build trust from my site and I have added a chat help page so customers can ask questions and present enquiries. I also have thought about celebrity promotion and how someone who people trust, trusting a brand can help users to build trust and confidence. P5 – Describe how the design meets user needs My website design is designed to be simplistic but interesting to look at while providing users with all the appropriate information to guide them and also keep them safe and feeling protected. The layout is designed to be simple to read with all the appropriate pages aligned so they are easy to pinpoint. There isn’t a lot on each page itself which means that customers avoid getting confused and can navigate around my site without stress. One of the functions of my site is to encourage interaction with particular sites that shows my business in a good light such as â€Å"sure2amaze.com† which I have copied and paste a link so users can view professional/customer feedback compared to other health and beauty products. I also have linked my  Facebook page and Twitter which enables off-site conversation, allowing users to create a circle of interaction that extends from on-site conversations to off-site conversations. In regards to my market segmentation, my user needs is to be efficient, up to date and engaging. In relation to the website in general, my website needs to be speedy, accessibility, good navigation and provide information. My website is modern yet has a vintage twist via the product bottles being the original brown pipet glass bottles that people might have used a while back. I engage my customer with marketing strategies such as celebrity promotions, and my website server is quick meaning the users experience doesn’t experience any turbulence. Furthermore, all my website pages are aligned at the top of the page which never disappears. In addition to all this, I have pages such as â€Å"our philosophy† or â€Å"our story† which presents users with appropriate information to establish personal connections with the customer to engage them. I feel all these features are appropriate because not only to the engage the user and encourage them to remain on my website, information about our story and celebrity recognition can enable the user to build trust and confidence when navigating around the site or making a purchase. Feeling protected can also build trust with the user and my security padlock image gives the user reassurance that when they are on the site they are safe which makes it appropriate because the user will not continue to shop with you if they experience any problems and feel they are taking a risk. My domain name is â€Å"www.aesthetic-cosmetics.co.uk† and this briefly means, a unique name that identifies an â€Å"internet resource† such as my website. The hosting option I chose is â€Å"wix.com† where I pay monthly fees to keep my website active on the internet. Hosting options basically means where a website reside in order to be ready to be viewed by online visitors. The security settings I chose is â€Å"comoo authentic padlock† which protects my users from any dangerous website additions and informs them that their personal information will be safe. Security setting basically protects the user’s information by safely storing this in the siteâ₠¬â„¢s system and reassuring them that it will not be used for unapproved purposes. M2 – Assess how the website design meets user requirements My market segmentation is 14 – 35 year olds who have an interest in keeping  healthy and looking nice. The attributes my target market has is being cautious about their image, being on trend including all different ethnicities, backgrounds and sexual natures. Other attributes of the younger generation might include being active online and more aware of what companies should deliver via being ethical and providing security for users. I believe my target group want something engaging so therefore colourful and interesting to look at while being individual and unique. The type of typography that my market segmentation will be attracted too are writing techniques which has explosive words of colour while still being professional and easily readable. The typography of young adults/teens are to have â€Å"friendly round corners† and that the mojority of teenagers prefered either the font â€Å"bambo† or â€Å"comic sans† accourding the this website; â€Å"http://issuu.com/anna_magombe/docs/research_into_typographic_design_for_young_people_†. The data was easy to find and I found this on a website which displayed an easy to read booklet on the â€Å"typography design for young people†. My website portrays the overall organisational objectives for my site by adopting an easy-to-use column of pages in the header which means users can easily navigate around the website. Another reason why my website portrays organisation is the features included such as a chat link, safety settings, customer feedback, information all come together to define an organised website with all the relevant features to meet user needs. Without these features, my website would appear to be disorganised and lacking in relation to customer satisfaction standards. D2 – Evaluate the extent to which the website design meets user requirements, making recommendations for improvements In my opinion, I believe my website to have been designed well, but due to the lack of efficiency through Wix, I feel my design layout could have been improved if I used a more user-friendly hosting option. I feel the pictures and colour screen are engaging and simplistic. However because of the lack of features via Wix, I believe my website look crowded and I understand that some of the information designed to improve my users experience might be looked over and missed out in relation to the positioning and font size (chosen from the lack of space). Some improvements I could have made would be choosing a different hosting option other than Wix. The reason for this is because there is room for improvement in the user friendly side of things in relation to this hosting option.

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Essay

For a long period of time, the agrarian system of Philippines was being controlled by the large landlords. The small farmers in Philippines were struggling for their rights to land and other natural resources. The implementation of Agrarian reforms proceeded at a very slow pace. This was due to the lack of political will. The redistribution of land was also very slow. Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law: Philippines The Republic Act No. 6657, alternatively called the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on 10th June, 1988. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law is responsible for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in Philippines. The law focused on industrialization in Philippines together with social justice. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law: Objectives. The primary objective of instituting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform law was to successfully devise land reform in Philippines. It was President Arroyo, who signed the Executive Order No. 456on 23rd August to rename the Department of Land Reform as Department of Agrarian Reform. This had been done to expand the functional area of the law. Apart from land reform, the Department of Agrarian Reform began to supervise other allied activities to improve the economic and social status of the beneficiaries of land reform in Philippines. CARP Meaning Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of 1988, also known as CARP, is a Philippine state policy that ensures and promotes welfare of landless farmers and farm workers, as well as elevation of social justice and equity among rural areas. Agrarian reform is a 100-year history of unfinished reforms after the United States took over the country from the Spaniards. Before the Hispanic period, there were no owner-cultivators, only communal land owned by the barangay which consisted of a datu, freemen, serfs and slaves. The Spaniards replaced this traditional system of land ownership, similar to existing systems among several indigenous communities today and distributed the land (haciendas) to the Spanish military and the clergy or established encomiendas (administrative districts). The 1935 Constitution addressed the issue of foreign access to land, i. e. corporations must have at least 60% Filipino ownership, and use-rights were limited in time. Other reforms included limitations on interest rates on loans and an increase in the sharecropping share from 50% to 70%. But very little of these laws were really followed in practice and the Huk rebellion was born. Under the Magsaysay and the Macapagal administrations, land reform was again tackled, such as the Mindanao resettlement program and the Land Reform Act of 1955, but no significant results were really achieved in terms of scope and magnitude of land transfer. With martial law, the whole Philippines was declared a land reform area under PD 27. Significant progress was made, but the continued practice of the share tenancy system, coverage limitation to rice and corn lands, the many exemptions allowed and the shortcomings in support systems (although it was Marcos who set up the new Agrarian Reform Department) did much to limit the affectivity of the reforms in addressing the over-concentration of wealth problem and rural poverty. The CARP years since 1988 – for the first time the program covered all agriculture lands regardless of crop and tenurial arrangements. Land distribution increased substantially – about 7 million hectares with about 4. 2 million farmer beneficiaries. But the total figures hide disturbing underperformances. – and only about 1. 5 million hectares of private agricultural lands have been covered for an accomplishment rate of only about 50% after twenty years. – Moreover the lack of support services, funding and infrastructure, is still prevalent. Of the original estimate of P220 billion to complete the program, only P203 billion have been budgeted by Congress, of which only about P170 billion have been released. While there is significant empirical evidence that agrarian reform has yielded significant benefits and has the potential for even greater benefits, the fact is that it has encountered implementation problems. Regardless of the problems encountered by CARP, the point is that CARP is not the cause of the continuing poverty nor the obstacle to solving it. On the contrary, completing CARP in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution is a necessary condition to correct social injustice, and achieve sound agricultural development and economic growth. Of course, agrarian reform is not a panacea that will solve all our problems. Neither is education, nor health care, nor industrialization nor clean elections, nor honest leadership. The fact is that the path to growth with equity is a complex process because we need all the programs working together to succeed. In the final analysis, the future of CARP is a political decision of those in power with respect to two questions: – How much reform is the government willing to implement? – How much resources are government willing to devote to such reforms? Department of Agrarian Reform is the lead implementing agency of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It undertakes land tenure improvement and development of program beneficiaries. DAR conducts land survey in resettlement areas. It undertakes land acquisition and distribution and land management studies. The DAR also orchestrates the delivery of support services to farmer-beneficiaries and promotes the development of viable agrarian reform communities. The DAR logo shows the Departments acronym representing the institution and its role as the lead agency in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Green stands for fertility and productivity while yellow represents hope and a golden harvest of agrarian reform beneficiaries who are the recipients of the services provided by the Department via CARP. Both colors imply that economic growth and sound rural development can be achieved through agrarian reform. Mandate The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) leads the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) through land tenure improvement, agrarian justice, and coordinated delivery of essential support services to client-beneficiaries. Its Mission: â€Å"To lead in the implementation of agrarian reform and sustainable rural development in the countryside through land tenure improvement and provision of integrated development services to landless farmers, farmworkers and small landowner-cultivators, and the delivery of agrarian justice†, and Vision: â€Å"A nation where there is equitable land ownership and empowered agrarian reform beneficiaries who are effectively managing their economic and social development for a better quality of life†

Persuasive Speach – Buy vs. Rent

Project 4 Written Outline Even in this economy it is still better to buy a home then rent. I. Why pay rent and make the landlord richer when you can own your own home for basically the same monthly payment and reap the tax benefits yourself. II. In 2006 I was faced with having to make the decision to buy or rent. After researching found I could buy a 4 bedroom house in a good area for same price of renting a 2 bedroom apartment. Also working for the government I knew the tax advantages I would get so I don’t have to tell you which decision I went with.III. Today I am going to show you that buying a house is a better choice then renting even in this unstable economy. IV. There are many programs that help people purchase a home. First time homebuyers even with bad credit can qualify. Do you know where to look? I will provide you with some internet sights that can be of assistance. V. There are many reasons why home buying is better than renting; the few that I will talk about ar e 1. Long term buying costs less on a yearly basis then renting. 2. Good financial investment and low interest rates and 3.Tax advantages Now that we are coming to a close on the semester some of you are going to be faced with the decision upon graduation as to whether you should buy or rent. I. If you have already decided that you will be staying in a certain area for at least 7 years it is shown that buying is cheaper than renting. a. On April 21st. 2010 the NY Times reported that if you remain in your home for 7 or more years you will save approximately $759/year over renting. b. Did you know you could also use the rent ratio to help determine what areas are better to buy in?To determine rent ratio you look at the average purchase price of a house and divide that by rent of a similar house. If the rate is under 20 it is a good indication to buy i. Some areas that are currently under 20 include Philadelphia, New York. Boston. Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Sacramento and Los Angeles ii. In the 4th quarter of 2005 the rent ratio for Philadelphia was 17. 2, since then it has dropped to 16. 7 (4th quarter of 2009) this shows that now is still a better time to buy then rent in our area.In 2006 I had to evaluate my own circumstances and the Pros and Cons of buying vs. renting. II. I compared what I would pay for a 2 bedroom apt to what I would pay for a home. I found that I could buy a 4 bedroom house in a good area and get a mortgage with a 7. 5% interest rate. My monthly payment would have been the same as renting an apartment. a. Last year I refinanced with all the programs that were being given out because of the financial problems banks were having. I was able to get my interest rate down to 4. % and now my mortgage is only $750/month (and that includes my taxes being escrowed) b. Now where can you rent a 4 bedroom house for $750/month in a good stable area? c. Even though the housing market is on the mend you can still get in on a low interest rate today at about 5. 13%. d. Owning home helps to build equity that you can use later in life for other events like your child going to college; adding an addition to your home. It also lets you be in control of your interior decorating and your outdoor landscaping.No need to sit around waiting on a landlord to come fix something that has broken, or losing a deposit if place isn’t in condition the landlord wants it to be in. Buying a home has tax advantages that renting does not. III. When buying a house certain costs can be deducted on your tax returns giving you benefits instead of a landlord. a. Closing costs and points paid are deductible on Schedule A as Itemized deductions. b. You can also deduct your interest payments on your mortgage as well as School Taxes, County Taxes, etc. c.Also recently added was that you can now claim PMI payments. d. Even if your itemized deductions are lower than the standard deduction you can still reap the tax benefits of being a homeowner. i . If you can not itemize you can claim an additional $500/1000 deduction (single/joint) added to the standard deduction line on the tax return. Today I have shown you that buying a home is better then renting. Conclusion Buying saves you money in the long run. You’re investing in your future and providing yourself with stability and security in your community.Your building up equity in your home as you pay off your mortgage and reaping the tax benefits instead of writing a check to a landlord and watching your money go out the window. You can find more information at the following sites: www. Rentlaw. com, www. smartmoney. com, www. hud. gov/buying. comq. cfm, and to find out current mortgage rates you can visit www. bankrate. com I. So let’s stop making others rich and give yourself the financial security and stability you deserve by owning the American dream. Your own home†¦