Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Darwinian Theory

Reading Franz Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis†, one is inclined to think that perhaps the writer had Darwin in mind when he wrote the story. The story centers on the transformation of its protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his family’s journey of survival through it. At the heart of the story resounds Darwin’s theory of the evolution of the species – that organisms change and evolve in order to survive, that the ultimate game is the survival of the fittest.Gregor’s transformation precipitated two struggles to survive – his own as a giant bug, and his family’s. It could be that Kafka was thinking along the lines of the essential Darwinian concepts – organisms change to cope, and that organisms adapt to the changes in their environment in order to survive. In the story, Gregor wakes up as a giant bug without his knowing or ever finding out the reason for his transformation. He was a traveling salesman, and was the familyâ€℠¢s breadwinner – he takes care of his aging parents and younger sister, pays off his father’s debts on top of addressing the family’s needs like rent and groceries.He was dissatisfied with his work but he is forced to keep at it to support his family. He dreams of eventually finding a better job as soon as he pays off his father’s debts. He devotes much of his time working sacrificing his own needs and desires, having no time to pursue his own interests or to foster any lasting or satisfying relationships. Perhaps his transformation was subconsciously desired – that Gregor wanted more than what his current life offered, and it was his subconscious’ way to show what he felt inside – him, a human being treated like an insect, dehumanized by the demands of work and family life, struggling to keep a bit of humanity he still has left. As in Darwin’s theory, it is not that organisms transformed themselves in an instant, but rather re alized their needs and wants and developed the means to achieve those.Whatever the reasons behind Gregor’s transformation, what is clear is that Gregor and his family both struggled to live after it happened. Gregor, having accepted the fact that his body has changed and that in order to move about he will have to get used to it, worked at moving his limbs to walk and move around. It was difficult to move around with new body, but he managed to learn how to, he needed to. Further, he and his family learned that with his new form, he could no longer eat the food that he used to enjoy, and that his dietary needs have changed. Whereas when he was human he wanted fresh foods, now he finds out that he is repulsed by it and can only eat rotting left-overs.The family, too, struggled with Gregor’s transformation. First, they cannot bear to see him as an insect, and more than that, they were worried about their financial situation. Although in Gregor’s eyes the father wa s but an old man who has not worked for five years and is entitled to a retirement of leisure, and his mother a frail woman who has asthma, and his younger sister a thing of beauty whose life has been so protected and pampered, and perhaps the family saw themselves the same way, but nevertheless, under their present circumstances they found it in them to fend for themselves.The father found work as a bank messenger, the mother sewed lingerie for an apparel shop, and the sister became a salesgirl and studied French and shorthand to find a better paying job in the future. Moreover, they also took in boarders to increase their income. They found that they could survive by themselves when they had to, that they did not really need Gregor – they adapted to the situation in order to live.In the end, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a story that chronicles man’s means and ways of survival, as he has done so all throughout history transforming into what he is today. In a wa y, it could be seen as a tribute to the principles that Drawin espoused in his theory of the evolution of species – that organisms, man above all, will adapt just to live, and that only those who are the fittest will survive.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: a Pastor’s Response to Nazism.

Scholar, theologian, professor, pastor, visionary, double agent, conspirator, and martyr are some of the attributes associated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The manner in which Dietrich was reared lent a hand to the path he took as a young man, his family having the means to properly educate him and his siblings gave him a thirst for knowledge. That thirst lead him to pursue an academic career as a theologian, and later his work as a theologian lead him to be a pastor. Bonhoeffer lived in the midst of a severe moral and political ineptness yet he continued to hold to the truths of Scripture while his fellow countrymen were walking the slippery slope of Nazism. The ideals Bonhoeffer held to heart were constantly under attack from the oppressive government under which he lived. The result of this oppression was at first productive in the development of Dietrich's theology and his resolve to teach the next generation of pastors to hold true to the gospel in the midst of oppression. Later this oppression led Bonhoeffer to leave Germany for the United States this trip was short lived as Dietrich soon resolved he must return to Germany upon his return he joined a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer's decision to conspire against Hitler ultimately led to his imprisonment and death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in February 1906 to Karl Bonhoeffer and Paula von Hase Bonhoeffer. Karl Bonhoeffer was an esteemed professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Berlin and also served at Chairte Hospital in Berlin serving in the psychiatric unit. The Bonhoeffer family consisted of eight children including Dietrich, there were four boys and four girls. There were 3 older boys, Karl-Friedrich, Walter (who perished in World War 1) and Klaus. The older girls were Ursula and Christine, Dietrich had a twin sister Sabine and to complete the family was Susanne. Karl Bonhoeffer was an agnostic while Paula came from a family of theologians. â€Å"The household was not notably religious. The conventional Bible-story Christian nurture was supplied in the children's early years, the two governesses were pious young women, a simple blessing was always asked at table- and that was it. Dr. Bonhoeffer and the older children were all of scientific or legal bent; an unaggressive agnosticism prevailed among them. †[1] Coming from the environment stated above made things interesting when as a young teenager Dietrich informed his parent that he wanted to study theology. This came as a shock to his family as they thought he would pursue music due to his abundant skills in this area. His father thought the sedentary life of a pastor was not a good fit for his son, but after seeing how he lived he knew that it was the right path for him. Paula Bonhoeffer was trained as a teacher at the university and home-schooled all her children until they were ready to enter the German Gymnasium which was a college preparatory school. Dietrich started his study of theology at Tubingen at age seventeen. He excelled in his studies to the point that he finished his dissertation, titled Sanctorum Communio; â€Å"The Communion of Saints,† by the time he was twenty-one years of age. Over the next few years Dietrich would travel to Barcelona, Spain back to Berlin, and then to the United States. While in the United States he studied and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He did all this traveling because he was too young to be ordained. This gave Dietrich the ability to pursue his studies more and focus his career on teaching and not pastoring a church. While in New York he made a habit of worshipping with an African-American congregation and teaching Sunday School. While in the United States he also was introduced to many ideas such as pacifism, social justice, and ecumenism. â€Å"He (Dietrich) encountered a pacifism that was rooted in the Sermon on the Mount- personified in the French theologian and friend Jean Laserre. [2] The idea of pacifism is one that Dietrich accepted whole heartedly he believed that man could not justify war. His pacifism lead to an internal struggle when the Nazis came to power and started to persecute and kill the Jews. During his years of study Bonhoeffer became acquainted with the teachings of Karl Barth. Barth and his writings influenced young Bonhoeffer to pursue theology to it's fullest and not be boxed into the lib eral theology taught at the University of Berlin. Bonhoeffer struck up a friendship with Barth that lasted until the end of his life. Dietrich would spend time with Barth at his home in Bonn and they would talk theology, they would criticize each others work and challenge each other in their views of what it means to be a Christian and a part of the church. These meetings continued even after Barth moved to Switzerland in the face of Nazi persecution. These meetings and letters helped Bonhoeffer explore his theology outside the bounds of the university. Upon returning from his year of sabbatical in New York Dietrich continued his teaching position and the University of Berlin. This was all happening about the same time Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime was slowly gaining power in the government and in popularity among the people. When Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany things were started to change but the full extent of the Nazi's plan was not yet revealed. Dietrich saw that trying times were ahead for those who were God seekers, this was due to the fact that shortly after the political election there was a call for church elections. Among the churches in Germany there were conflicts over the rise of the Nazi party. There were some pastors and Bishops who would not preach Nazi propaganda, so Hitler called for church elections to fill the offices with his supporters. There was some resistance to just letting them take over but this small remnant did not have control over the mob. With the church now under control of the Nazis, those who saw a great contradiction between Nazi Christianity and true Christianity were left with no option but the start their own church. This was allowed by the Nazis but they kept a close eye on them. This new group was called the Confessing Church they were an evangelical remnant that had not been persuaded by the masses. On the day of the church election Dietrich preached this, â€Å"of you who have lost your church, †¦ let us go together in search of the eternal church. †[3] This group of believers who opposed the Nazis were trying to speak reason and the truth of Scriptures to the German people. Dietrich was among the founding members of the Confessing Church and helped pen the Bethel Confession which was their statement of belief. He used the formation of the Confessing Church to push his passion for ecumenism among the churches. In 1933 while the Confessing Church was forming Dietrich decided to take a post in London. Some of his colleagues like Karl Barth accused him of leaving his church while it was burning, but Dietrich thought he needed some time away because his thoughts were not well received even among friends. While in London he pushed for ecumenical relationships between the churches in England and elsewhere to condemn the German Christian Movement which allowed the Nazis to take control of the church. To this end he was not very successful. He also caught the eire of church leaders in Germany who sent Theodor Heckel the foreign affairs minister to London to instruct Bonhoeffer to not engage in ecumenical activity not authorized by Berlin, a warning not heeded by young Dietrich who was just twenty-seven years of age in 1933. After two years in London Dietrich returned to Germany, the Confessing Church had lost it's momentum. The Confessing Church was still going and since it was not recognized as a state church it had to train its pastors in an underground seminary. The church invited Dietrich to lead their seminary called Finkenwalde. It was here the Dietrich wrote the books Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. The former came from his time as the leader of Finkenwalde Seminary. The latter is a study of the Sermon on the Mount. In 1936 Dietrich was declared a pacifist and an enemy of the state by Theodor Heckel. For the next few years Dietrich lived in the community of Finkenwalde with his students and taught them monastic and communal living as they open the Scriptures together to prepare these men for the ministry in the true church that was opposing the counterfeit church of the German Christian Movement. They had a few years of great ministry that was funded by benefactors who believed in the ideals of the Confessing Church. In 1938 Bonhoeffer was banned from Berlin, two years later the Gestapo came and closed down the seminary and arrested some of its pastors. At this time Dietrich was offered a position to teach at Union Theological Seminary in New York, an offer he initially accepted. Dietrich was trying to escape in to the safety of the United States to avoid serving in the military and having to deal with living under the oppressive Nazi regime. Upon arriving in the U. S. Dietrich worked with German refugees and emigrants, a job that posed my challenges for him. Bonhoeffer wrote in the Cost of Discipleship, â€Å"'Costly grace is the sanctuary of God,' he writes. And, ‘faith is only real when there is obedience. ‘[4] These words tugged at Dietrich's heart because he knew where he should be and what God had called him to do but choose the easy road. â€Å"on June 30, 1939, Dietrich wrote these words to Paul Lehmann, ‘I can hardly find it in my heart to tell you that †¦ I have had to decide to return to Germany,'†[5] The words here seem to echo the actions of Jesus in John 4:4 â€Å"and he must needs go through Samaria† (KJV). This has the same idea as Dietrich and his return to Germany. Jesus could have gone around Samaria as all the Jews did, but he had a divine appointment with that woman at the well and the people of Samaria. Dietrich was having the same feeling that he must return to Germany but he did not have to. He was living what he had written â€Å"faith is only real when there is obedience. †[6] The following was written to Dietrich's friend Reinhold Neibuhr in a farewell note, â€Å"I have made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period of our national history with the Christian people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people. †[7] This shows God's call for Dietrich to follow him. Dietrich and his friends knew he was returning to a hostile place where he would be either be drafted into the military or face severe persecution. Upon his return to Germany Dietrich made contact with his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi who was a member of the military counterintelligence service called Abwehr. The Abwehr was the center of a small German resistance whose goal was to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the government. Dietrich was given a role as a double agent in the Abwehr in 1940, from that point he was fully integrated into what was called the German Resistance. He would have secret meetings with pastors and leaders from other countries as he pretend to be gathering information for the Nazi government, while really plotting against them. It is at this point where people have trouble following Bonhoeffer's theology and reconciling his beliefs with his actions. There are a couple of ways to deal with this portion of his life. Looking at these two seeming seemingly incompatible thought processes one could assume that Bonhoeffer had fallen off his rocker but it helps us to see how he reconciled this. Bonhoeffer precisely advocates patience when he puts forth as a concrete command of God the saying ‘resist not evil. ‘ By this he means: struggle against the enemy, but avoid idolizing him. Keep him unimportant . Failure to struggle is submission to the enemy and not to God. †[8] As Bonhoeffer looked at the situation he must resist the evil that was surrounding him, and to do that he would have to go to extreme measures and challen ge the ideals he came to hold so dear in the midst of such moral depravity. He saw resisting evil as a command in the loose sense. Dietrich wrote about a religionless Christianity in which a mature Christian steps outside the structure of the church and enters the world to enact change through the things he has been taught and learned from Scripture and the church. Woelfel writes the following about Bonhoeffer: â€Å"As the integrated man that he was Bonhoeffer pioneered ‘religionless- Christianity' indeed as well as in word. His full secular involvement in the German Resistance during the war is the supreme example, but throughout his life he was a vigorously world affirming Christian. [9] This idea of religionless Christianity lets a follower of Christ fully engage his world while leaving the confines of the church. This was one ting that Bonhoeffer had lived at as well as wrote in his final years. Many look at Bonhoeffer’s writings in Prison and his work titled Ethics and see the man who was deeply committed to his faith and also a man who was torn by what was an ethical Christian to do in the m idst of such atrocities that were being committed by the Nazis. A look back at Bonhoeffer's life brings this into full view as stated thusly, â€Å"for it was while Bonhoeffer was trying to explain his own participation in the lying and double dealing of traitors that he developed the beginnings of what has since become known as situational and contextual ethics: the right and the good and the true seen not as immutable objectives, but as qualities of any action which is appropriate to the loving will of God as the particular possibilities of the immediate situation permit. [10] The argument here is that of when one looks at the situations that they are faced with and think to themselves what is right in the eyes of God. Bonhoeffer was living and arguing that as a Christian we should act in a way that is appropriate for a Christian living in the will of God. Bonhoeffer's was face to face with one of the most reprehensible political regimes in the history of the world, you choose one of two camps, there were those who just threw up their hands an d said there is nothing I can do. The other group were those who said this is unacceptable and do whatever is in their power to fight for what is right in God's eyes. Dietrich was arrested on April 5, 1943 after the documents were discovered that he and his brother-in-law were illegally helping Jews. He would never be a free man again for his part in the German Resistance. He was imprisoned at Tegel military prison for a year and a half to await trial in that time more documents came out that pointed to Bonhoeffer as part of the conspiracy to kill Hitler. In light of this evidence he was transferred from Tegel to a house prison and eventually to Buchenwald concentration camp in February 1945. Approximately two years after his initial arrest information from the chief of Abwehr journals were read by Hitler who in a rage said that all conspirators should be killed. On April 9, 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung at Buchenwald concentration camp. He left behind in his legacy his letters to friends and family from prison, and his work Ethics which had yet to be published before his death. When one looks at the life and times of Dietrich Bonhoeffer they see a complex man whose thirst for knowledge and truth were fostered from a young age. As a young man he set is feet on the path of a theologian to open the Bible and pull out the truths laid there in. His study of theology was intellectual yet practical he sought to open the Scriptures and pull Jesus out of them. Bonhoeffer came of age in the pre-third Reich era, but as a young man he came face to face with the Nazis and their oppressive ways. Dietrich used this time in his life to expand his study of theology to grow more matur e in his faith to blaze a trail for himself among his peers. He fought with the social and political issues of his day and sought to fight injustice with truth and intellect but these proved to be ineffective. His work as a theologian was well known among the Confessing Church and it's followers. As Dietrich tried to fight for what was right and true he saw the moral compass of his country go askew. After he had tried all he could he became convinced that the only way to free Germany from this slippery slope was to overthrow the government by assassinating Hitler. His writings have opened the door to the study of ethics when faced with moral depravity, what it means to be and live as the church, and what it costs to follow Christ. His teachings and theology have had an impact from the time they were published into the present. His thought helped usher in a new generation of theologians and how one can see their relationship to the church, culture and community and live and teach in such a way that Christ is on display. Bibliography de Gruchy, John W. â€Å"A Concrete Ethic of the Cross: Interpreting Bonhoeffer's Ethics in North Americas Backyard,† Union Seminary Quarterly 58, no. 1-2 2004. Dramm, Sabine. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An introduction to his thought. Translated by Thomas Rice. Peabody: Hendrickson. 2007. Ellingsen, Mark. Bonhoeffer, Racism, and a Communal Model for Healing† Journal of Church and State 43, no. 2 Spring 2001. pp 237-249. Gushee, David P. â€Å"Following Jesus to the Gallows,† Christianity Today 39 April 3, 1995 pp. 26-32. Hunt, George L. , ed. Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought. New York: Association Press. 1971. Pp 93-110 Klassen, A. J. , ed. A Bonhoeffer Legac y. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing. 1981 Mehta, Ved. The New Theologian. New York: Harper Colophon, 1965. Miller, Patrick. â€Å"Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Psalms,† The Princeton Seminary Bulletin 15, no. 3 (1994): 274ff Schliesser, Christine. â€Å"Accepting Guilt for the Sake of Germany: An Analysis of Bonhoeffer's Concept of Accepting Guilt and its Implications for Bonhoeffer's Political Resistance† Union Seminary Quarterly Review 60 2006 no. 1-2. pp. 56-68 Schonherr, Albrecht. â€Å"Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Message of a Life,† Christian Century, November 27, 1985, pp. 1090-1094. Woelfel, James. Bonhoeffer's Theology: Classical and Revolutionary. Nashville: Abingdon Press. 1970. ——————————— [ 1 ]. George L. Hunt, ed. , Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought (New York: Association Press 1971), 97. [ 2 ]. Sabine Dramm Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Introduction to His Thought (Peabody, Mass Hendrickson Publishers, 2007), 9 [ 3 ]. Ibid, 157 [ 4 ]. David P. Gushee, â€Å"Following Jesus to the Gallows,† Christianity Today 39, April 3, 1995, 31. [ 5 ]. Ibid [ 6 ]. Ibid [ 7 ]. Ibid, 30 [ 8 ]. A. J. Klassen, ed. , A Bonhoeffer Legacy (Grand Rapids: William B. Erdmans Publishing, 1981) 355-356. [ 9 ]. James Woelfel, Bonhoeffer's Theology: Classical and Revolutionary, (Nashville: Abingdon Press 1970) 253. [ 10 ]. George L. Hunt, ed. , Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought (New York: Association Press 1971), 107-108.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Dharavi Slum

Mumbai has thrived economically in the recent years and now has one of the highest property prices in the world. Despite this the majority of the population live in squatter settlements such as Dharavi. In one square mile of Dharavi there are one million people and many more people arrive to live in the same cramp conditions. The ‘homes’ found in Dharavi are made up of basic materials available to the builder. Buildings on the outskirts appear to be much less permanent than those found the centre. This is because they have been around for many years.The public toilets, most of which are blocked because of poor drainage systems, have to be shared between estimates of 300-500 people each. The biggest problem affecting the drainage systems is during the monsoon seasons, mainly because of flooding. Low access to toilet facilities forces the people to use the local river for urination and defecation. Water is rationed to the whole settlement through 162 taps for 2 hours a day . The poor conditions spread many diseases such as diphtheria, cholera and typhoid. This is not helped by the fact each shack holds 6.2 people. Despite the lack in sanitation, 85% of households own a television set, 75% own a pressure cooker, 56% a gas stove and 21% have a telephone. Also the people themselves are generally happy with their circumstance. The area has a large social atmosphere and many choose to work together and help each other. The area itself is a hub for recycling and production business. 85% of residents have a job in the local area. It is said the settlement generates an annual turnover of $650 million. Plans/Attempts to improve socio-economic conditions.Investment and redevelopment into Dharavi slum is an attractive prospect to the Mayor of Mumbai Sunil Prabhu. The area is also in a prime location for the developers themselves as it is situated just outside Mumbai’s financial district and rich real estate hot spots such as the Bandra-Kurla Complex. For the outside world redevelopment has many positives. Clearing the slum will improve health conditions, living space and make the land the squatters live on legal for the first time. Mumbai will also benefit from removing the unattractive settlement from the city.The $2 billion project to slowly remove the slum has already started. Investors can also already bid for one of the 13 sub sections in the 5 sectors of the slum. The project has a great prospect to improve the already large economy of Mumbai and huge amounts of money will be made in the selling of real estate in the Dharavi slum area. The plan is to also rehabilitate all slum dwellers into flats built in the Dharavi area. These flats will have more space and more basic provisions for the residents. Not only will flats be built but also proper hospitals and schools. The project portfolio has outlined the following benefits:

Monday, July 29, 2019

Common social-political barriers corporate aviation operators confront Research Paper

Common social-political barriers corporate aviation operators confront when attempting to enter foreign markets - Research Paper Example The corporate aviation industry can help in the economic development of an entire region or a particular industry such as tourism. But it is also dependent on the latent demand for goods and services. Thus lack of air transport can stymie the economic growth and lead to excesses or inappropriateness in supply. The corporate aviation industry can thus shape the speed and form of globalization and the related processes. With increasing globalization, the air aviation industry is trying to invest in foreign countries to expand their bases. But such a strategy has many ramifications such as migration of labor. Thus corporate aviation needs to carefully strategize its choices so that they can achieve operational efficiency. The research problem given is analysis of common social-political barriers which corporate aviation operators face when they attempt to enter foreign markets. With increasing globalization, the national economies have integrated with each other. This has led to flow of trade, capital flows, foreign direct investment, and spread of technology and capital flows. The business aviation industry is an important part of the aviation industry since it caters to the premium segment of the aviation industry. Everything which corporate aviation does basically depends on time and is driven on flexibility. The globalization of trade, supply-chaining, political forces and outsourcing have changed the world for better and worse. In the process of investment in foreign countries a corporate aviation company needs to analyze carefully the political and social factors. This research paper focuses on the social-political barriers which they will face. The corporate aviation industry is a highly protected and regulated one, and it is done with the intention of utilizing it as a lever for attaining larger economic and political objectives. Initially there was no such demand for such an industry, but

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The Cold War And Vietnam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Cold War And Vietnam - Research Paper Example Since they never come out in the open,   their stories are published in the newspapers. In short, he was associating the phrase‘cold war’ as â€Å"fight among goons† where ordinary people have nothing to do. He also confirmed having not read anything about the Cold war in the school. Non-Hispanic American had sufficient knowledge about the Cold war. He was aware of the fact that before the collapse of the Soviet Russia, the relations between the US and the USSR were very tense. He saidâ€Å"Soviet Russia had planted nuclear missiles in Cuba to attack the US. But with the counter threat by the US president, those missiles were later removed when the US gave assurance to the Soviet Russia that they will not attack Cuba†. In his mind, this was the most dreaded event of the Cold war.   It is quite clear that at least one respondent – African American did not know about the term ‘cold war’ because he never read anything about it in the pa st.   What he loosely explained as entirely his own imagination. The understanding of Vietnamese and non-Hispanic American of the war was quite in line with the details mentioned in the overview. Vietnamese knew about the Cold war more in detail because of his background and the suffering that his countrymen had gone through;   also, he had read about the Cold war during his school-days. Similarly, a non-Hispanic American had a fairly good image of the term ‘cold war’ and some of its consequences.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

University of California Application Personal Statement - 1

University of California Application - Personal Statement Example I have been reading publications on computer science that have rekindled my passion and interest to undertake a computer science course at the University of California. I got involved in a Program dealing with Science and Technology Innovation in high school in 2012. It was a competition that had 381 teams; 2,356 people participating and a total of 42 countries. In this -InRoboCup2012 competition, I was a programmer of Macau robot team, and my job was coded for the robots and background. I used C++ and arduino to control the servo motors (Robots) and lights (background). Through hard work and diligence, I received awards from this competition due to exemplary work that I displayed in the competition. The awards were World Champion - RoboCup 2012 Mexico City (RoboCup Junior and an award for the best Presentation -RoboCup 2012 Mexico City (RoboCup Junior. Additionally, I have awards in Dance League – Super Team Secondary and Dance League –Special Awards Secondary, which indicate how passionate I am in succeeding at what I do. Getting involved in this competition elevated my logic in computers and hence the desire for further studies in the field at your institution, which I understand has programs that will enhance my skills and make me be among the best in this field in my career. As an individual who is passionate about solving problems that face people, I believe computer science as a field that enhances problem-solving skills is a fit for me, especially with the good computer science and technology programs in your institution. My interest to pursue studies in computers science is further motivated by the large gap that I have in skills and knowledge in the field in breadth and width hence the desire to bridge this gap with studying computer science and technology further. I am sure the skills that I will get in this field will enable me transfer the skills from the classroom to practice and use my computing skills to

Friday, July 26, 2019

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Business Law - Essay Example One such case referred in the article was decided in 1991 at California in which a developer named Mark Borough California, Inc. litigated against consulting engineers. These engineers designed an artificial lake but its liner failed and therefore a $5 million amount was claimed against the engineers. So the engineers took the position that the contractual agreement involved the limitation of liability clause that restricted their liability to their fee earned on the project i.e., $67,640 and the trial court accorded with the engineers. Succeeding cases endorsing ‘LOL’ include Valhal Corp. v. Sullivan Associates, Inc., Union Oil Company of California v. John Brown E&C,., and R1 Associates, Inc., v. Goldberg-Zoino & Associates, Inc. Although such cases also exist where the claim was overturned by the court, for instance Ricciardi v. Frank. This case was settled in New York city in which a house owner litigated for the failure in problem identification in the water encroac hment in the basement. The LOL clause constrained the liability of engineers in this case to only an amount of $375 but in this case the clause was ruled to be as invalid as it didn’t entailed the option for the house owner to buy complete protection and the clause was provided in the inspection report after the inspection had been done (Fishman, 2011). The article provided the ways to increase the chances of enforcement of this clause. It has been presented that if the clause has been inserted into by parties having equal strength to bargain, and its drafting has been clarified, it will lead to enforcement unless the state law contrary to this clause exist or it has been decided that the clause enforcement had been unconscionable. The article recommends negotiation of the LOL clause among the two parties. The limitation offered on the liability should be equitable. The article offered

The Impact of Technologies Innovation on Airlines Travel and Thesis Proposal

The Impact of Technologies Innovation on Airlines Travel and Transportation Business - Thesis Proposal Example s travel and transportation business has become a necessity as these organizations concentrate on getting and retaining the competitive advantage in the market. In the traditional business systems the procurement processes and the collaboration and coordination among business partners are not very strong but with the integration of innovative technologies like IT the better ways and collaboration can be obtained. And for this problem â€Å"the extranets were being gradually used for communicating with partners and to support business-to-business (B2B) relationships† (Dimitrios Buhalis, 2003). The issues of traditional procurement process, inventory management, finance (Dimitrios Buhalis, 2003) forced the organizations to adopt IT with the existing business system. In traditional approaches a very long time period is required to streamline the procurement processes but in case of electronic procurement this problem can be solved within limited time. The benefits of IT and innovative technologies are associated with procurement, product purchase, services and product delivery. Benefits associated with the information systems and ecomme rce are distributed roughly and are more favorable for network leaders (Riggins and Mukhopadhyay 1994). All the industries are trying to reduce the overall expenditure of procurement processes without the awareness of innovative technologies. So there is the need to introduce the benefits of innovative technologies and its integration with the existing systems. Innovative technologies also play a vital role in reduction of costs (Alexander & Young, 1996, Domberger, 1998, Hallikainen, 2003). IT can better help in the maturity of procurement processes in a very less time. IT has deeper impact upon economy (e.g. see Choudhury et al., 1998; Crowston, 1997; Ein-Dor et al., 1997; Pereira and Tavares, 1998; Wang et al., 1996) or cost component and generating revenues for the industry. The ultimate strategic goal behind the implementation of

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Proposal for Emerging Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal for Emerging Technology - Essay Example The research will provide IT professionals to understand different aspects of cloud technology being used by car manufacturers to allow the drivers to conduct dashboard dialogue. This will allow the cars to be connected to the human- efficient processes. The research will allow different organizations as an aid of content work (Staff, 2011). The research can also be helpful for the business practitioners who aim to undertake cloud technology for manufacturing cars with the dashboard dialogue for staying connected on the go. There has been negligible research done on the possibilities of connectivity through cloud technology. Thus, this research will allow the IT professionals and business enterprises to attain broader spectrum (Staff, 2011). Staff, C. (2011, November 11). Ford Cloud-Connected Car to Make Debut at 2012 International CES. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from CEA:

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Finalpart2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finalpart2 - Essay Example Morgan and Northern Securities. Roosevelt was a strong proponent of labor who made immense efforts to help United States citizens. He tried his best to assist consumers and proposed the Pure Food And Drug Act to the congress that wasmeant to protect citizens from harmful foods and medicine. He also established a workman’s compensation scheme; this is a fee that employers had to pay employees who sustained injuries in the course of duty. William Taft issued a tarrif known as the Payne-Aldirich Tariff which placed high taxes on imported goods. He believed that this would be beneficial to the United States and helpbusiness to business to develop. Taft’s domestic agenda accentuated civil service reforms, trust-busting, fortifying the interstate commerce commission, passing the sixteenth amendment and bettering the performance of the postal dervice. On the foreign front, he sought to extend the economic development of nations in Asia and Latin America through "Dollar Diploma cy" and displayed absolute authority and moderation in response to the revolution in mexico. 4. The outbreak cold of the cold war can be majorly blamed on the united states and its allies after the first world war. The allies invaded the soviet union, armed and supplied the United States to fight the soviet government which was supported by bulk of the russians. This immediately became a source of conflict between the communist soviet union and the capitalists. The first strike was made by the united states and its allies arguing that the soviet union spread communism. The case put forward by the united states that the soviet union was to blame since they had put missiles in Cuba in incomplete and thoughtless. The americans already had the same missiles aimed at the Russians placed in Turkey and the missiles put in cuba were just a mechanism of leveling the playing field (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). During this period of the cold war, the folowing three significant changes occurred in America’s foreign policy: The american government initiated the process of aiding anti soviet outfits like the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Diplomatic ties were created between America and the People’s republic of China during this period. America initiated the diplomatic process that established NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to keep the Soviet Union in check. These policy changes ensured that America mended fences with previous enemeies like China and put in place measures that kept the country on top with regards to military might. 5. The race-related riots that broke out in numerous cities of the united states during the 1960s brought about many arrests, deaths, injuries, as well as significant damage of property that mainly affected the areas inhabited by african americans. It is hard to exactly identify the ways in which these riots impinged on economic activity in the united states over a long period of time, however various prospective reinforcing chane ls are present. Property risk increased in the central city neighborhoods resulting in a rise in insurance premiums compered to that before the riots. The riots caused increases in Taxes for income redistribution, fire and police protection, closure of some retail outlets and relocation of some employment opportunities and businesses. Other key impacts included relocation of higher and middle income households, destruction of buildings that were torched. These destructive impacts of the race-related ri

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Tax Planning And Tax Avoidance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tax Planning And Tax Avoidance - Essay Example Taxation is a major tool to drive the economics in the certain direction. Young and Guenther studied the relationship in the context of the mobility of capital in international level and Sun studied the efficiency of capital allocation. However, all these require that the financial reporting to be reliable, accurate, transparent, comparable and true representative of business conditions. International Financial Reporting Standards is mandated to be adopted as the financial reporting system in the EU countries for the listing companies. Barth, Landsman, & Lang and others have reported an improvement in the accounting information with the adoption of IFRS. Samuel, & Obiamaka in a paper stated that IFRS system of accounting as the base for tax will drive the tax accounting to generate the real economic value of the company. This provides greater opportunity to explore the real taxable income for the company. Use of IFRS increases the chances of them being listed in other countries. Use of the comparable system of IFRS across the broad would reduce the chances of measures taken by the company for tax avoidance to be overlooked. Another argument in favor of the adoption of IFRS states that it would result in the increased involvement of audit committee in addition to the other level of management. This will increase the double check facility for the audit committee as companies will not be available with an opportunity to avoid tax by claiming that reporting of a transaction is in accordance with the rules.

Monday, July 22, 2019

History of Cricket Essay Example for Free

History of Cricket Essay Origin No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, much of it circumstantial, that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a childrens game. Adult participation is unknown before the early 17th century. Possibly cricket was derived from bowls Derivation of the name of cricket A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term cricket. In the earliest known reference to the sport in 1598 (see below), it is called creckett. The name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch krick(-e), meaning a stick; or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff.[2] Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket. Early 17th century Gambling and press coverage Cricket certainly thrived after the Restoration in 1660 and is believed to have first attracted gamblers making large bets at this time. In 1664, the Cavalier Parliament passed the Gaming Act 1664 which limited stakes to  £100.With freedom of the press having been granted in 1696, cricket for the first time could be reported in the newspapers. During the first half of the 18th century, press reports tended to focus on the betting rather than on the play 18th-century cricket Patronage and players Gambling introduced the first patrons because some of the gamblers decided to strengthen their bets by forming their own teams and it is believed the first county teams were formed in the aftermath of the Restoration in 1660, especially as members of the nobility were employing local experts from village cricket as the earliest professionals.[5] Cricket moves out of England Cricket was introduced to North America via the English colonies in the 17th century,[4] probably before it had even reached the north of England. In the 18th century it arrived in other parts of the globe. It was introduced to the West Indies by colonists[4] and to India by British East India Company mariners in the first half of the century. It arrived in Australia almost as soon as colonization began in 1788. New Zealand and South Africa followed in the early years of the 19th century.[5] Development of the Laws In 1744, the Laws of Cricket were codified for the first time and then amended in 1774, when innovations such as lbw, middle stump and maximum bat width were added. These laws stated that the principals shall choose from amongst the gentlemen present two umpires who shall absolutely decide all disputes. Cricket and crisis Cricket faced its first real crisis during the 18th century when major matches virtually ceased during the Seven Years War. This was largely due to shortage of players and lack of investment. But the game survived.Cricket faced another major crisis at the beginning of the 19th century when a cessation of major matches occurred during the culminating period of the Napoleonic Wars. Again, the causes were shortage of players and lack of investment. But, as in the 1760s, the game survived and a slow recovery began in 1815. In the 1820s, cricket faced a major crisis of its own making as the campaign to allow roundarm bowling gathered pace. 19th-century cricket International cricket begins The first ever international cricket game was between the USA and Canada in 1844. In 1859, a team of leading English professionals set off to North America on the first-ever overseas tourIn 1877, an England touring team in Australia played two matches against full Australian XIs that are now regarded as the inaugural Test matches. South Africa became the third Test nation in 1889 20th-century cricket When the Imperial Cricket Conference (as it was originally called) was founded in 1909, only England, Australia and South Africa were members. India, West Indies and New Zealand became Test nations before the Second World War and Pakistan soon afterwards in the closing years of the 20th century, three affiliate nations became Test nations also: Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Limited-overs cricket In the 1960s, English county teams began playing a version of cricket with games of only one innings each and a maximum number of overs per innings. Starting in 1963 as a knockout competition only, limited overs grew in popularity and in 1969 a national league was created which consequently caused a reduction in the number of matches in the County Championship. The first limited overs international match took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1971. It was tried simply as an experiment and to give the players some exercise, but turned out to be immensely popular. Limited overs internationals (LOIs or ODIs, after one-day Internationals) have since grown to become a massively popular form of the game The International Cricket Council reacted to this development by organising the first Cricket World Cup in England in 1975, with all the Test playing nations taking part. Increasing use of technology Innovative techniques that were originally introduced for coverage of LOI matches were soon adopted for Test coverage. The innovations included presentation of in-depth statistics and graphical analysis, placing miniature cameras in the stumps, multiple usage of cameras to provide shots from several locations around the ground, high speed photography and computer graphics technology enabling television viewers to study the course of a delivery and help them understand an umpires decision. In 1992, the use of a third umpire to adjudicate runout appeals with television replays was introduced in the Test series between South Africa and India. The third umpires duties have subsequently expanded to include decisions on other aspects of play such as stumpings, catches and boundaries 21st-century cricket Cricket remains a major world sport in terms of participants, spectators and media interest. The ICC has expanded its development programme with the goal of producing more national teams capable of competing at Test level. Development efforts are focused on African and Asian nations; and on the United States. In 2004, the ICC Intercontinental Cup brought first-class cricket to 12 nations, mostly for the first time. In June 2001, the ICC introduced a Test Championship Table and, in October 2002, a One-day International Championship Table. Australia has consistently topped both these tables in the 2000s. Crickets newest innovation is Twenty20, essentially an evening entertainment. It has so far enjoyed enormous popularity and has attracted large attendances at matches as well as good TV audience ratings. The inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament was held in 2007 with a follow-up event in 2009. The formation of Twenty20 leagues in India – the unofficial Indian Cricket League, which started in 2007, and the official Indian Premier League, starting in 2008 – raised much speculation in the cricketing press about their effect on the future of cricket.[15][16][17][18] LAWS OF CRICKET Law 1: A cricket team consists of eleven players, including a captain. Law 2: a substitute may be brought on for an injured fielder but he can’t bat , bowl , act as captain or keep wicket Law 3: There are two umpires, who apply the Laws, make all necessary decisions, and relay the decisions to the scorers. In higher level cricket there is a third umpire Law 4:. There are two scorers who respond to the umpires signals and keep the score. Law 5: A cricket ball is between 8 13/16 and 9 inches (22.4 cm and 22.9 cm) in circumference, and weighs between 5.5 and 5.75 ouncesOnly one ball is used at a time, unless it is lost, when it is replaced with a ball of similar wear. Law 6: The bat. The bat is no more than 38 inches (97 cm) in length, and no more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide. The hand or glove holding the bat is considered part of the bat. the blade of the bat must be made of wood Law 7: . The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards (20 m) long and 10 ft (3.0 m) wide. Law 8: . The wicket consists of three wooden stumps that are 28 inches (71 cm) tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are 9 inches (23 cm) wide. Two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps. The bails must not project more than 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) above the stumps, and must, for mens cricket, be 45⠁„16 inches (10.95 cm) long.. Law 9: Each bowling crease should be 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) in length, centred on the middle stump at each end. The popping crease, which determines whether a batsman is in his ground or not, and which is used in determining front-foot no balls (see law 24), is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps. The popping crease must be 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease The return creases lie perpendicular to the popping crease and the bowling crease, 4 feet 4 inches. Law 10: the rules governing how pitches should be prepared, mown, rolled, and maintained. Law 11: The pitch must be covered before play to protect it from due and rain. Law 12: Before the game, the teams agree whether it is to be over one or two innings, and whether either or both innings are to be limited by time or by overs. Law 13: In a two innings match, if the side batting second scores substantially fewer runs than the side batting first, the side that batted first can force their opponents to bat again immediately. Law 14: The batting captain can declare an innings closed at any time when the ball is dead. He may also forfeit his innings before it has started. Law 15: There are intervals between each days play, a ten-minute interval between innings, and lunch, tea and drinks intervals. There are also provisions for moving the intervals and interval lengths in certain situations. Law 16: Play after an interval commences with the umpires call of Play, and at the end of a session by Time. Law 17: There may be no batting or bowling practice on the pitch except before the days play starts and after the days play has ended. Law 18:. Runs are scored when the two batsmen run to each others end of the pitch. Law 19:. If the ball is hit into or past this boundary, four runs are scored, or six runs if the ball didnt hit the ground before crossing the boundary. Law 20: If a ball in play is lost or cannot be recovered, the fielding side can call lost ball. The batting side keeps any penalty runs. Law 21: The side which scores the most runs wins the match. Law 22:. An over consists of six balls bowled, excluding wides and no balls. A bowler may not bowl two consecutive overs. Law 23:. The ball comes into play when the bowler begins his run up, and becomes dead when all the action from that ball is over. Once the ball is dead, no runs can be scored and no batsmen can be dismissed. Law 24: if the bowler bowls from the wrong place; or if he straightens his elbow during the delivery; or if the bowling is dangerous; or if the ball bounces more than twice or rolls along the ground before reaching the batsman; or if the fielders are standing in illegal places, a ball can be called no ball.. Law 25:. An umpire calls a ball wide if, in his or her opinion, the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the ball. A ball is called wide when the bowler bowls a bouncer that goes over the head of the batsman Law 26:. If a ball passes the striker and runs are scored, they are called byes. If a ball that is not a no ball hits the strike r but not the bat and runs are scored, they are called leg-byes. Law 27: If the fielders believe a batsman is out, they may ask the umpire Hows That?, commonly shouted emphatically with arms raised, before the next ball is bowled. The fielding side must appeal for all dismissals. Law 28: Several methods of being out occur when the wicket is put down. Law 29: The batsmen can be run out or stumped if they are out of their ground. Law 30: A batsman is out if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler. Law 31: An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball within 3 minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed, otherwise the incoming batsman will be out. Law 32: If a ball hits the bat or the and is then caught by the opposition within the field of play before the ball bounces, then the batsman is out. Law 33: If a batsman willfully handles the ball with a hand that is not touching the bat without the consent of the opposition, he is out. Law 34: If a batsman hits the ball twice, other than for the sole purpose of protecting his wicket or with the consent of the opposition, he is out. Law 35: If, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, a Law 36: If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not pitch on the leg side of the wicket, the batsman will be out. Law 37: If a batsman willfully obstructs the opposition by word or action, he is out. Law 38: A batsman is out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing side. Law 39: A batsman is out when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket, while the batsman is out of his crease and not attempting a run. Law 40: The keeper is a designated man from the bowling side allowed to stand behind the stumps of the batsman. He is the only player from his side allowed to wear gloves and external leg guards. Law 41: A fielder is any of the eleven cricketers from the bowling side.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Medical Malpractice in India and in General

Medical Malpractice in India and in General Master of Health Management LWN164 Health Care Law and Ethics Assessment Item No. 3 Abstract: The interrelationship between medical ethics and the law are perhaps nowhere as starkly obvious as in the domain of medical malpractice. Ethical and legal conduct and practices regularly operate harmoniously however in cases of medical malpractice ethical standards and issues encompassing therapeutic risk can clash. Some examples include disclosure of mistakes; quality change practices; non-adherence to professional standards; managing patients who act against therapeutic guidance; and the different assurances of Good Samaritan laws. Malpractice cases may be further complicated when doctors oversee the investigation process. For these reasons, research into medical malpractice in India is timely to understand the causes, prevalence, current processes and may provide solutions for improved practice. The literature review will specifically consider the Legal and Ethical side of Medical malpractice in India and in general, with a critical evaluation of the legal system, approach to ethi cs, the implications of the failure of the medical malpractice system for the health system and case reviews from an Indian perspective. Causes of Malpractice in India Main points will include: Private Hospitals, often with profit as their primary aim, utilize a system of incentives and disincentives to push specialists to over-bill, sometimes unethically. With places in the financed government medical schools limited, aspiring medical students often choose private Medical universities that charge high fees. This tempts doctors to work in private hospitals to recover their costly investment in therapeutic training. Overcharging has further implications for health insurance. Unethical practices are a distress to individual patients and organizations, on account of salaried employees who get health coverage benefits from their managers. Insurance premiums are arranged intermittently and the rates are chosen on the basis of earlier years claims. The more expensive the claims one year, the higher the premium will be the next year. In this way, patients or their employers (if insurance is part of a salary package) need to an indirect way bear the rising cost health insurance premiums. The insurance agencies rarely question claims unless their net installment commitments surpass the net premiums. Insurance providers have devised approaches to confine their general liabilities, for example, capping installments for the treatment of particular sicknesses. If everything fails, Health Insurance Company raises the premium for family cover to compensate for a low return in corporate health coverage. Thus, medical specialists, private hospitals, pharmaceutical, and insurance agencies are profiting at the cost of individual patients and enterprises who give the insurance advantages to their employees in a largely unregulated healthcare market. The Way Forward The Medical Council of India is inefficient in checking malpractice and corruption in the medical field and may be disbanded soon. An arrangement of standardized treatment protocol may help control malpractice, however that may likewise constrain specialists. Plus, standardized treatment protocol may raise the cost of treatment. The preferred hospital network system has improved convenience; however it is insufficient to control corrupt specialists and clinics. Tweaking the system of incentives and disincentives, enhanced access to data and, thus, a more straightforward healthcare services market can end unethical therapeutic practices. Main points will include: Incentives: Increasing the supply of seats in government medical universities and capping fees will decrease investment costs for medical students and thus lessen the incentives to work in private hospitals, which are frequently run not by doctors but rather by MBAs. Lowered debt will lessen the motivating factors for doctors to cheat and overbill. Access to data and transparency: Mandatory video recordings, in addition to archiving and sharing the recording to patients or their representatives, will make specialists responsible. At present, private health facilities should distribute the qualifications and experience of top specialists. That practice should be extended to incorporate each specialists record in treating patients. For example, a gynecologists profile must show the number and type of deliveries supervised. Such data will help patients make informed choices about which specialist to go to for treatment. The accessible, online rating and positioning of doctors in fraud-prone specialties, for example, kidney transplants, gynecology, and cardiology, by third party independent agencies can be useful. Similarly, rating hospitals in light of their basic infrastructure, charges, and a few markers of ethical business practices, such as the number of medical malpractice suits filed can guarantee improved conduct. The capping of fees will prevent well-regarded health care providers from overcharging. Disincentives: Aggrieved patients ought to be encouraged to take their grievances to consumer courts, which are less expensive, speedier, and dont require legal counselors. Corporations, particularly the larger ones with greater insurance premium bills, are encouraged to hire in-house specialists and medical lawyers to explore whether they are profiting by unethical specialists, clinics, or insurance agencies, and take suitable remedial actions. The above measures can check a large portion of, but not all, unethical practices. For genuine infractions, stringent punishments including fines, detainment and permanent disbarment, still might be required. The Importance of Health Law: The Medical Council of India (Indian Medical Council Rules, 1957) has a redress system that can offer disciplinary action against misconducting specialists after appropriate investigative methods. The harassment of specialists who are falsely implicated in negligence has been curtailed by the Supreme Court, which has issued guidelines for the criminal charging of doctors (Rule 4 in Order XVIII of Consumer Protection Act, 1986). The medical profession that was once viewed as respectable is presently considered alongside other professions as liable for paying for damages. The patients who demanded refunds for alleged medical carelessness resorted to the civil courts. Public awareness of medical malpractice in India is developing. Hospital administrations are progressively confronting complaints in regards to the standards of professional competence, facilities, and the suitability of their therapeutic and diagnostic strategies. After the Consumer Protection Act (1986), has taken effect , a few patients have filed legal cases claiming the specialists were negligent in their treatment, and received compensation. Therefore, various legal decisions have been made on what constitutes negligence and what is required to prove it. The review will focus on why laws are failing in India, why the laws are not strict enough to put an end to malpractice and who is responsible, the health industry, management, the public, the government or the physicians themselves? The legal issues will include: The fundamentals of medical malpractice and negligence, identifying malpractice and excluding cases with poor outcomes but no negligence. Changing ideas of informed consent. Practical issues of medical negligence with cases from the Indian Courts. Investigating why individuals make medical negligence cases. Approaches to manage medical accidents. Causes of increase in medical carelessness. Fundamentals of therapeutic liability in India Medical Ethics: The medical profession in India is at intersection, confronting numerous ethical and legal difficulties. The fundamental values of medicine insist that the specialists commitment is to keep the patients interest above everything else. The vital issues of autonomy, justice, confidentiality, non-maleficence, and beneficence are key elements that ought to direct the day to day practice of the specialist. The ethical guidelines of medical practice given by The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette, and Ethics) Regulations, (Code of Ethics Regulation, 2002) are aimed at strengthening the ethical measures among enlisted medical experts in India. Points that will give basic insight into solutions to ethical issues in medical practice: Improving relationship between patient and doctor. Ethical training of postgraduates and undergraduates in their therapeutic training. Challenges associated with modern medical practice. Coverage of Doctors and Hospitals under Consumer Protection Act (Rule 4 in Order XVIII of Consumer Protection Act, 1986) Research Methodology: Professional negligence by a health service provider has implication for both the legal and health profession. Avoidable medical injury increases the cost of treatment, while negligence claims have been blamed for further increase in cost of health care in India. This research is to analyze medical malpractice legislation and its consequences on stakeholders, for example, the health care consumer, the medical professionals, and the legal community. A thorough analysis of researches, articles and journals based on liability of hospitals in medical negligence, an analysis of medical negligence and law in India, Breach of patients trust in medical negligence, analysis and interpretation of medical negligence. The research will include arguments supporting the ethics and laws in medical malpractice as well as how laws are misused against the medical professionals by the patients for financial gain. Causes of medical malpractice: Medical malpractice (Sloan Chepke, 2008 p. 302-303) Communication gaffes: a root cause of malpractice claims- (Hutington and Kuhn, 2003 p. 157-161) Solutions to Medical Malpractice: Progress in Medicine: Compensation and medical negligence in India: Does the system need a quick fix or an overhaul? Chandra and Math, (2016) Malpractice: Problems and Solutions- (Bernstein, 2013 p.372-378) Importance of health law and legal issues in medical malpractice: Journal of health and life sciences law- A Better Approach to Medical Malpractice Claims. (Boothman, Blackwell, Campbell, Commiskey, and Anderson, 2009, p 125-159) Medical negligence: Coverage of the profession, duties, ethics, case law, and enlightened defense A legal perspective. Pandit Pandit, (2009) Ethics in medical malpractice: Health Law and Medical Practice Chesnokova and Arina Evgenievna, (2016) Ethics and Medical Malpractice- Dougherty, (1990). Case Reviews: Important medical negligence cases in India Yadav, (2014) References Bernstein, J. (2013) Malpractice: Problem and Solutions. Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research 471(3). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3563820/ Boothman, R. C., Blackwell, A. C., Campbell Jr, D. A., Commiskey, E., Anderson, S. (2009). A better approach to medical malpractice claims? The University of Michigan experience. Chandra, M. S., Math, S. B. (2016). Progress in Medicine: Compensation and medical negligence in India: Does the system need a quick fix or an overhaul?. Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, 19(Suppl 1), S21. Chesnokova, Arina Evgenievna (2016). Health Law and Medical Practice. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(3),197. Code of Ethics Regulation, (2002). Published in Part III, Section 4 of the Gazette of India, dated 6th April, 2002. Retrieved from http://www.mciindia.org/RulesandRegulations/CodeofMedicalEthicsRegulations2002.aspx Consumer Protection Act (Rule 4 in Order XVIII of Consumer Protection Act, 1986). Bare acts ,Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 ,Order 18 Rule 4. Retrieved from http://www.lawzonline.com/bareacts/civil-procedure-code/order18-rule4-code-of-civil-procedure.htm Dougherty, C. J. (1990). Ethics and Medical Malpractice. Creighton L. Rev., 24, 1233. Hutington B. and Kuhn N., (2003) Communication gaffes: a root cause of malpractice claims 16(2): 157-161. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1201002/ J Health Life Sci Law, 2(2), 125-159. Pandit, M.S. Pandit, S., (2009).Indian Journal of Urology 25(3): 372-378. Medical negligence: Coverage of the profession, duties, ethics, case law, and enlightened defense A legal perspective. https://dx.doi.org/10.4103%2F0970-1591 Sloan, F. A., Chepke, L. M. (2008). Medical malpractice (pp. 302-03). Cambridge, MA: Mit Press. Yadav S., (2014) Important medical negligence cases in India. Retrieved fromhttps://blog.ipleaders.in/important-medical-negligence-cases-india/

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay CHAPTER 1 Introduction The relation between financial constraints and the survival and growth of the SME has been document across Africa and world. The researcher will look at the economy of Kenya and make evident of the financial constraints that are facing the small and medium enterprise hence affecting the survival and growth of small and medium size enterprises. There is a need to research in this field since the SME are the backbone of the Kenyan economy. In fact with the growing inflation, not to mention the difficulties the SME have in accessing the financial aids they are barely making it to the second birthday. Overview of the Context Kenyan is a developing country in Africa. The increasing role of the SME sector is confirmed by the recently completed Kenya 2003 Economic Survey, According to the survey, total employment recorded in the informal sector increased from 3.7 employees in 1999 to 5.1 million in 2002, while the formal sector increased only from 1.74 million to 1.76 million employees during the same period. However, the growth of the informal sector in number of employees does not necessarily reflect growth and high productivity of the enterprise itself, as the number of informal sector companies grew largely because of the depressed formal economy and under employment in the formal firms. Having said that, the SME in Kenya faces a lot of challenges and one of them is the financial constrains which really inhibits its growth and survival. Hence the call for this research paper. The researcher will use the research methodologies to extract evidence that really financial constraints is a major factor that affect the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya. Statement of the problem. In Kenya, SME have little access to finance, which thus hampers their emergence and eventual growth and survival. Financial constraint remains a major challenge facing SME in Kenya Wanjohi and Mugure (2008) and this will be evidence in this research paper. Their main sources of capital are their retained earnings and informal savings and loan associations, which are unpredictable and not very secure. SME can rarely meet the conditions set by financial institutions, which see them as a risk because of poor guarantees and lack of information about their ability to repay loans. The financial system in most of Africa is under-developed however and so provides few financial instruments. The researcher has come up with some of the reasons why SME find it hard to access finance in Kenya: High interest rates by the financial institutions Delay in the loan processing due to lack of securities and other requirements by the financial institutions. Some of the SME do not have a good track records hence most of the local banks fear to give them the unsecured loans. Banks are particularly nervous of smaller businesses due to a perception that they represent a greater credit risk. Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. A survey of 89 small and medium-scale firms in manufacturing and service industries, combined with secondary information from commercial banks, found that from 1985 to 1990 the average real volume of credit for the sample firms fell, except for the year 1986 which showed a marginal increase of 1.5 per cent. Small scale borrowers were found to be faced with higher nominal interest rates at higher inflation rates in the latter half of the 1980s. Moreover, the explicit transactions costs of borrowing were found to be high in relation to interest costs. Because the information is not available in other ways, SME will have to provide it when they seek finance. They will need to give a business plan, list of the company assets, details of the experience of directors and managers and demonstrate how they can give providers of finance some security for amounts provided. The researcher recognized that in the current context of the most severe financial and economic crisis in decades, various factors such as increased risk aversion, decreased liquidity, bleak prospects for economic growth, etc. are having or are expected to have a highly negative effect on SME and entrepreneurs access to short and long term financing. Small firms are particularly vulnerable because: It is more difficult for them to downsize since they are already small. They are individually less diversified in their activities. They have weaker financial structures or lower capitalization. They have lower or no credit ratings. They are heavily dependent on credit. They have fewer options for finance, especially in financial markets. With this in view, the measures that most governments are taking or planning to take to counteract the effects of the crisis and stimulate their economies should include easing SME and entrepreneurship access to finance. Numerous money lenders in the name of Pyramid schemes comes up, promising hope among the SME that they can make it to the financial freedom through soft borrowing. The rationale behind turning to these schemes among a good number of entrepreneurs is mainly to seek alternatives and soft credit with low interest rates while making profits. Objectives The general objective of the research is to establish the effects that the financial constraints have on the survival and growth of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. Some of the specific objective that the researcher will bare in the study will evolve around the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish effect of economic activities on the survival and growth of the SME in Kenya. To assess the impact of high interest rates by local commercial banks on the survival and growth of the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish the effect of commercial banks lending policies and access to credit on the growth and financial performance of SME in Kenya. To establish the effect of the firm capital structure on the growth and survival of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. To establish the impact of government policies in Kenya on the economic growth on the survival and growth of the small and medium business. 1.5 Research Questions How do high interest rates affect the survival and growth of the firm in Kenya? What effect do the banks lending policies and access to credit have on the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya? How do the government policies in Kenya on the economic growth affect the survival and growth of the small and medium sized business? What effect do the external borrowings have on the survival and growth of the small business enterprises in Kenya? How the economic activities affect the growth and survival of the firm in Kenya? 1.6 The significance of the study. Small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of virtually all economies in the world. However, the process has long been constrained by the limited availability and accessibility of financial resources to meet a variety of operational and investment needs within the SME sectors. SME and entrepreneurs play a significant role in all economies and are key agents of employment, innovation and growth. A significant number of entrepreneurs and SME could use funds productively if they were available, but are often denied access to financing, thus impeding their creation, survival and growth. Although SME form a broad spectrum as far as their relative size, sector of activity, seniority, location and performance are concerned; there is a vital need for innovative solutions for their financing in particular for innovative and high- growth SME in a globalised knowledge-based economy. The researcher however will be interested to know how does this financial constraints really affect the growth and survival of SME and she will undertake the study t establish the necessary fact that make the growth of SME restrained in Kenya. 1.7 The scope of the study. The Kenya government is commitment to foster the growth of SME emerged as one of the key strategies in the 1986 report Economic Management for Renewed Growth. It was reinforced as a priority in the 1989 report, The Strategy for Small Enterprise Development in Kenya a document that set out the mechanisms for removing constraints to growth of the SME sector. In 1992, the government published the SME policy report, Sessional Paper No. 2, Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. This report was reviewed in 2002, leading to a new policy framework that provides a balanced focus to SME development in line with the national goals of fostering growth, employment creation, income generation, poverty reduction and industrialization SME in Kenya have not seen much development since Kenyan independence due to financial constraints and other factors that are not going to be discussed on this research paper. Small enterprises have a potentiality of boosting a kenya economy. Although they are faced by many challenges, they still have opportunities to grow. These include linkage with multinational companies, networks with other businesses, diversification of market and products, enabling environment and franchising opportunities which is geatly being encouraged the coalition government that is currently running the government of Kenya although the impact has yet to felt on the small and medium enterpeises due to its size and limied resources. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction. Kenya being a developing country, the researcher will borrow some of empirical research done by experts in other developed and developing countries. A large number of empirical studies have addressed the issue of financial constraints, mainly in order to study the relation between the firms investments and the availability of internal and external funds. Under perfect capital markets, internal and external sources of financial funds are perfectly substitutable Modigliani and Miller (1958), so that the availability of internal funds should not affect investment decisions. Small firms cannot exploit economies of scale in the same way as large firms can they face more financial constraints. Since young companies have not accumulated sufficient cash flow and are unable to rely on bank financing, they have to depend on the equity investments. The analysis of the effects of financial constraints on the firm survival and growth therefore is important. 2.2 Theoretical account of financial constraints The financing constraint literature has been the first to recognize that partitioning firms helps to provide important insights into their behaviors. The pioneers in this field have undoubtedly been Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988) who point out the fact that firms are definitely not homogeneous. They classify firms according to their dividend payout ratio. Their main aim in doing this is to show that firms that have different dividend payout ratios and therefore belong to different categories, have differential access to finance. Some firms are financially constrained while others are not. Following Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988), a number of studies have tried to distinguish between various categories of firms. For instance, Whited (1992) uses measures of indebtedness, interest coverage, and whether or not a firm has a bond rating to discriminate among firms. Kaplan and Zingales (1997) use both quantitative and qualitative data to distinguish among firms.Bond et al (1999) classify firms according to whether a firm operates in a bank-based or market-based system.Cleary (1999) uses a financial constraint index to differentiate between firms, which takes into account a number of factors such as firm liquidity, leverage, profitability, and growth. Carpenter and Guariglia (2003) use the number of employees to distinguish between large and small firms. However, the factor common to all these studies is that they have tried to discriminate only within firms that have access to capital markets. A high percentage of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises remains in the informal sector with limited opportunities for growth. Africa has one of the largest informal sectors in the world, World Bank, (2006). In Kenya the availability of finance tends to be extremely limited and difficulty to get external financing as researcher came to find out on this quest on the Kenya town and from the SME managers. The SME financial resources are usually restricted to equity capital and bank debt to those who are able to access it. As the business establishes itself, however, it gains access to resources from its own productive activity and sources of external finance. According to Aghion (2007), access to external finance improves market selection by allowing small firms to be more competitive. Additionally, financial accessibility significantly facilitates the growth of firms. Unlike large firms, SME are restricted in their funding options. Therefore, a new hierarchy of sources of finance for SM E can be defined. In this new hierarchy of sources of finance for SME there are three sources of finance, internal finance, debt finance and new capital contributions. Large firms that have access to capital markets are able to issue equity; however, SME do not normally have access to this form of finance of new capital contributions Cost of new debt financing Cost of internal finance 2.3 The Financial constraint variables According to many studies, small firms do not even recognize their own growth potential Scott Rosa (1996).This is more evident in the research since most of the managers of the small and medium size enterprises are more concerned about the survival of the firm rather than the growth of the firm in most Kenya region. This research however will look at some of the variables that help to clarify this phrase in the Kenyan market. 2.3.1 The effect of government policies. Similar evidence regarding the lack of importance given by small scale enterprises to tax policies is also found in Southern Africa, including Niger, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe Mead (1994). Studies for these locations found little concern for government regulations, except from those enterprises concentrated in targeted locations and specific sectors such as food processing. Instead the greatest concern for the majority of those surveyed was the lack of access to working capital, credit and finance. 2.3.2 The effect of commercial bank lending rates and access to credit. According to Holmes and Kent (1991), SME are characterized by 2 factors: they cannot issue equity and are concerned about ownership and control. Small firms usually do not have the option of issuing additional equity to the public. Even if they were able to issue private equity, managers of SME would restrain from doing so as issuing equity would lead to a dilution in ownership and control. Therefore, managers of SME will usually prefer to go for debt financing, mainly comprising of bank financing. On the other hand, managers of larger firms usually consider a broader range of funding options. As Steel (1994) highlights, high transactions costs and risks associated with small loans, a lack of collateral and an historical orientation towards larger enterprises, continue to restrict small scale enterprise access to formal credit. This no different from Kenya where access to credit is really issue and Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. 2.3.3 The impact of government policies Data on the SME sector in Kenya is scarce, although the National SME Baseline Survey provides comprehensive and reliable information; it has not been updated since 1999 and does not contain information for medium-sized firms. The survey indicates that the contribution of the SME sector to GDP increased from 13.8 percent in 1993 to 18.4 percent in 1999.Thia shows that the government policies put in place in Kenya also do affect the growth and survival of the small and medium size enterprises. 2.3.4 The effect of internal capital structure. It should be noted that growth is not the objective of all firms. For example, when firms are faced with serious difficulties during periods of economic downturns, they may shift their objective from growth to survival waiting for better economic conditions to expand. This has been observed in crisis economies where firms downsize and try to keep their costs as low as possible until the economic situation improves. Some firms may choose to remain small if their entrepreneurial capabilities are inconsistent with large size because financial constraints force the poor to start small business, the lack of firm growth could result in social immobility where the small firms remain poor. On the other hand, if small firms have the potential of becoming large, poor firm owners could become rich as their firms expand. Moreover, firm growth in Africa, where technology is usually labour intensive, is usually associated with job creation, which in turn is the key to poverty reduction. Therefore, whether firms have potential to grow or remain small has important policy implications. Slow growth of firms in Africa has been explained as being the result of the lack of access to financial resources McCormick et al. (1997) and Biggs and Srivastava, (1996). This is particular to developing economies where financial markets are under-developed. 2.4 Conceptual Framework. The financial constrained as outlined above is a diverse business phenomena that need to be researched since its the back bone of any business growth and survival may it be a small business in the slums or a major manufacturing business. The researcher is mainly focused on the small and unquoted firms in Kenya. The local commercial banks have a role to play in all this and so is the government. The firm own capital structure also do contribute a lot to the survival and growth of the firm. In Kenya the economic activities that are carried out also influence a lot the GDP of the country hence the economic growth. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The researcher will mainly use secondary research methodology although the tertiary methodology or the search tool will also be used for the purpose of this research. This will include books, magazines, newspapers to collect data and information regarding the topic. The researcher will also make use of the internet to obtain information about SME and other related information. Secondary data are data that have been collected for some other purpose. Secondary data can provide a useful source from which to answer the research question(s). Punch (1998) mentions several advantages of using existing data. Expenditure on obtaining data can be significantly reduced and data analysis can begin immediately, so saving time. Also, the quality of some data may be superior to anything the researcher could have created alone Thomas (2004). On the other hand, the chosen research method also has several disadvantages such as data that have been gathered by others for their own purposes can be diffic ult to interpret when they are taken out of their original context. It is also much more difficult to appreciate the weak points in data that have been obtained by others. 3.2 Research Area The propose research area is the SME in Kenya. The length of time within which to finish this project will be estimated one month since time and resources might be a major constraint. The researcher proposes to choose at least 15 major towns in Kenya since Small business are all over the country and do research in a at least 10 firms in each town, so as to capture the operation of financial reporting in the country so as to ascertain whether financial constraints are really a major constraint in the survival and growth of small and medium size business in Kenya. As a mean of testing the hypothesis of the study, the researcher will apply the methods below of data collection. 3.3 Observation To judge the effect of financial constrains on survival and growth of a small business in Kenya. The researcher will have to visit the local banks and financial institutions and find out how ones access to finance limits the growth of the business. I propose to use time-series method to judge the observation. The observation will assist me to ascertain that the formal financial sector has provided very little or no service to small business men hence they are unable to finance their small business. 3.4 Interview This will be conducted individually. Structured and unstructured questions will be used to collect information on the subject under investigation. This is to help the researcher obtain responses to questions like; in your view is business growing? How best can it be financed? ,and others. I propose to conduct the interview in such a manner that each sector will have equal probability of being selected. Interviews will enable me to do most of the qualitative part of my research, and the information gained here is usually more realistic. 3.5 Questionnaire I will prepare systematic and well organized questions that will enable me; have responses to the questions raised in the introduction and moreover test the hypothesis of the research. This is demonstrated in Chapter 1 where several questions to this effect have been formulated. 3.6 Data Analysis I will not only rely solely on the information from the various responses from the varied sectors but, also the statistical publications from international organization in Kenya who have done a similar research on SME. I propose to make a thorough analysis of the official and unofficial data received. I will propose the use of quantitative and the qualitative analysis. REFRENCES Punch, K F. (1998), Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Kariuki N (1995) The Effects of Liberalization on Access to Bank Credit in Kenya, Small Enterprise Development, 6 (1), 15-23 Central Bureau of Statistics, International Center for Economic Growth, and K-Rep Holdings, National Micro and Small Enterprise Baseline Survey, 1999. Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Economic Survey, 2003 Wanjohi, A.M. and Mugure, A.(2008). Factors affecting the growth of MSEs in rural areas of Kenya: A case of ICT firms in Kiserian Township, Kajiado District of Kenya. Republic of Kenya (1992). Sessional Paper No. 2 on Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. Government Printer, Nairobi Biggs, T. and Srivastava, P. (1996) Structural Aspects of Manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a Seven Country Enterprise survey, World Bank Discussion paper No. 346. Modigliani, F. and Miller, M. (1958), the cost of capital, corporation finance and the theory of investment. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. Savignac, F. (2008): The impact of financial constraints on innovation: what can be learned from a direct measure? Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Volume 17 (6):553-569. Petersen, M. and Rajan, R. (1994): The benefits of firm-creditor relationships: Evidence from small business data, Journal of Finance, 49, 3-38. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. World Bank. (2006) Doing Business in 2005. The World Bank. Washington D. C., USA. Scott, M. Rosa, P. (1996). Opinion: Has Firm Level Analysis Reached its Limits? Time for a rethink. International Small Business Journal 14, 4, 81-89. Mead D (1994) The legal, regulatory and tax framework and small enterprises, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 10-17 Steel W (1994) Changing the institutional and policy environment for small enterprise development in Africa, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 4-9 Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 112, pp169-216. Whited, T. (1992), Debt, Liquidity Constraints and Corporate Investment:Evidence from Panel Data, Journal of Finance, 4 ,pp1425-1460. Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics,112, pp169-216. Carpenter R.E and A. Guariglia (2003), Cash Flow, Investment and Investment Opportunities: New Tests using UK panel Data, Unpublished. Fazzari, S., G. Hubbard, and B. Petersen (1988), Financing Constraints and Corporate Investment, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1, pp141-95. Holmes, S. and Kent, P., (1991), An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Structure of Small and Large Australian Manufacturing Enterprises, Journal of Small Business Finance, 1 (2), pp141-154. QUESTIONNAIRES. Why did you choose to start a business in this area? Does your business follow the government policies in regard to paying taxes Yes â‚ ¬Ã‚  No â‚ ¬Ã‚  What is the number of the employees in your business? How is the business in this area affected by the economy trends preferring at the moment? Who is the highest ranking member of your business? What is the annual turnover of your business? Where does your business get the initial capital to start it up? What is your source of financing? What form of financial instruments do you have in place? Which banking or financial sectors do you operate in your business? How do the interest rates affect your business? What are some of the difficulties do you experience when getting bank access? What can you say is the reason for your business failure to grow? How is the government policies put in place in Kenya helping you achieve your financial goals? What are the major issues does your enterprise face when accessing credit facilities in the banking sectors in the Kenya? What would you say is the challenge facing the small business in Kenya in terms of finances?

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Camden County Essay -- Social Issues, Drugs, Violence

Mobsters, drugs, and violence sounds like a plot for a 50’s gangster movie but it is the everyday life for people living in Camden County, New Jersey. The city is portrayed as falling apart, over run with corruption and violence in Chris Hedges article â€Å"City of Ruins.† Soon Camden County will become a forgotten ghost town if they do not make drastic changes with the government, education system, and bring jobs back to the county. This article is about the city of Camden and how they went from being a thriving city to a city that is now in economic crisis. The city has a population of 70,390 and is the poorest city in the nation (16). Camden has an unemployment rate of 30-40% and has an average household income of 24,600 (16). In the past Camden was an industrial giant with several large companies like Campbell’s soup and RCA having factories there, which employed 36,000 people (17). Closing of the factories is one of the main reasons for Camden Counties' high unemployment rate. Over the past few years Camden has been forced to make â€Å"$28 million in draconian budget cuts, with officials talking about cutting 25 percent from every department, including layoffs of nearly half the police force† (16). With the lack of funds the counties education system is beginning to suffer with them having to cut the library rate by 2/3, now they have aâ€Å"70 percent high school dropout rate, with only 13 p ercent of students managing to pass the state’s proficiency exams in math† (16).With all of the empty factories, empty houses, and vacant lots Camden is beginning to become a very unappealing and unhappy place to live. Living in Camden is becoming an unhealthy place to live. It has become over run with homeless people and â€Å"the only white people visi... ...ys a better side to the situation waiting to be found â€Å"Despite Camden's bleakness, despite its crime and its deprivation, despite the lost factory jobs that are never coming back—despite all this, valiant souls somehow rise up in magnificent defiance† (18). The town of Camden is trying to rebuild the town by building new buildings like the aquarium and new law school but Hedges clearly states that nothing in this town will prosper if the mob does not want it to Camden County is a town in complete and total ruins. They are over run with corruption and violence. Hedges' article does a good job of portraying just how bad off the town truly is. The economy is suffering, the education system is lacking in several areas and the police force is a joke. If changes are not made soon Camden County, they will no longer be a town that ant one will want to live in or visit.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Essay --

The Society of Tennis Tennis is the world’s fastest growing sport today for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is the variety of opponents one can face. In examining the game of tennis, most players can be categorized into one of four groups, the talented, the rabbits, the pushers, and the blasters. These different players make the game different each time one plays. This changes each match for the better, or for the worse. The Talent is a player who is able to adapt his game to give him the best advantage against any opponent, in any weather condition, whenever needed. He can drop shot, blast, â€Å"thread the needle†, find weaknesses, and reflex volley. This player will find what works best and dismantle the game. The talent will exhaust almost any player. At the highest levels, the talent may choose to play directly into his opponent’s strength. Bill Tilden was notorious for this tactic. When asked why he attacked the other players’ strengths, his answer was, â€Å"That way, once I’ve broken him down, all he has to fall back on are his weaknesses.† The talent tends to be able to change strategies and tactics in the blink of an eye. He may, within a set, even within a point, switch from one pattern to another to keep the opponent off balance no matter the situation. The Rabbit is quick and tireless. He believes he can return any ball and becomes a â€Å"human backboard.† This player relies on his opponent’s misses, rather than on any â€Å"money shot† of his own. His strength is that while retrieving, they keep the opponent pinned to his/her own baseline. The rabbit has consistent depth and uniformly steady pace on his strokes. He just doesn’t seem to work the corners or angles the way most baseliners do. If one is playing the baseline game ... ...y of a rabbit, but the inconsistency of the pusher. Every once in a while, a seemingly lazy player could walk onto the court and instantly become one of the talented. The other talented would work out off-season, practice off season. But this kid refuses to put forth the effort. He just doesn’t understand where he really belongs on the court. The talented are players who exude confidence. They have finesse, power, speed, and strategy. They compare to the well-rounded, athletic, and social A-student. On the other hand, the rabbits strive to be talented and model the talented’s behavior yet don’t quite reach that goal. The pushers would like to be accepted but don’t want to put forth the effort to raise his game. The blaster resembles the athletes in the school who force bluster their way through the school. These people are accepted due to their immense power.