International Business Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business Practices - Essay Example The penetration of the company into the global market is facilitated by its market entry strategy which is licensing. When deciding to expand its market, Coca-cola sells a domestic firm the right to use the company's manufacturing process, trademark patent, trade secret, and other item of value for a fee or royalty. The organizational structure of Coca-cola is highly decentralized. The company does this by "cutting half of the staff at its Atlanta headquarters and moving the regional chieftains closer to their local market" (Organizational Structure 2003). This management structure is observed throughout the firm's international operation. In India, the managers have been given the authority to implement decision within their scope of responsibility. This type of organizational structure supports the primary market entry strategy of Coca-cola as discussed above. Since licensing involves little contact and interference with the licensee, the decentralized organizational structure is very conducive to Coca-cola. Dell, Inc. is one of the largest personal computer manufacturers in the world. The company was able establish in the global IT industry because of its very efficient market entry strategy. In capturing foreign markets, Dell directly invest in a country by developing foreign-based assembly or manufacturing facility.

Compensation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Compensation - Case Study Example Majority of accountants are bachelor’s degree holders while product managers are masters graduates. Moreover, most managers have a higher experience of between 10-15 years while accountants have only an average experience of 2-5 and 5-10 years. Stock options are offered by firms as means of compensation for lower salaries. Given the above mentioned jobs, companies do not include stock options as benefits on top of the salaries offered. This is because the salaries offered by the organizations are high enough for the professions. The job descriptions vary for the different professions. Accountant III is responsible for preparation of balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and preparation of other financial reports in the organization. Other tasks include analysis of business trends for costs, revenues, obligations and commitments. The financial analyst is responsible for compiling necessary financial information for an organization. Some of the important information includes preparation of analyses of revenues and expenses projections, reports and presentations to the firm. He/she is also required to prepare financial reports of organizations including forecasting and reconciliation of internal accounts. Product manager in a bank is on the contrary responsible for marketing products of the bank and ensuring that the bank makes profits. These job descriptions are what I expected and once I attain the required credentials, I would apply for the job (Dundon & Rollinson, 2007). The comparison of the compensation at salary.com for the professions with local/regional compensation reveals that the compensation offered by the local career office are lower than the compensation offered by salary.com. The reason for this could be due to lower responsibilities for jobs at the regional level, demotions, working in small companies compared to large multinationals and jobs being offered at the

What Was the Chicano Movement?

What Was the Chicano Movement? To some of us the Chicano Movement was a period of time where historians describe as a civil rights movement. Although the Chicano Movement has open many opportunities for different cultures and ethnicity to be acknowledged, it s a fight that well always be remembered in history. What made is era between 1960s to1970s so special, is that it opens many public viewers on the Spanish community and all the obstacles that Mexican-Americans had to encountered. This gives Americans a chance to understand other peoples cultures. Society has portray America as the land of the free, but looking back at the past many different ethnicities and different skin color people had to go from end to end encountering numerous suffering and pain in order to have the freedom they do today. Taking into consideration that some people today still take the Chicano Movement in vein, failing to understand its impact. Although at the heat of the battle many Mexican-Americans gave up hope and faith in their community. In spite of this, there is still some Latinos left that was willing to fight until the end. A man that believes in what is justified and moral; and that man is Cesar Chavez. The Chicano Movement inCalifornia started in the 1960s when Cesar Chavez led the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee. He organized the farm workers in the central valley of California. Chavezs main strategy for the farm worker was to focus most his ideas into the strikes, boycotts, and committing himself not use violence, and the importance of having faith and praying to achieve his goal. Not only was Cesar Chavez a big influence to the Mexican community, other organizations such M.E.cH.A, and New Raza Left had a major impact too. M.E.cH.A, (Movimento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) is an organization that search for and help students from high school and colleges understand the importance of Mexican-Americans culture. On the other hand, the New Raza Left was an organization that helps the Latinos community. The purpose of this organization is to close the issues in California to the anti-immigration Proposition 187, as well ass the anti-affirmative action Proposition 209, and the anti-bilingual education Proposition 227. Importantly this organization has help fought against colleges and universities that refused to educated the mistreating of different ethnic such as; Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans and African-Americans. In the spirit of the Chicano Movement it help colleges and universities to have an open mind on a higher level of education that led to the foundation of the Chicano studies. During the 1960s until now many Mexican Americans has fought their heart out to have the right to be treated as an equal, not gather than or less than any human being. Part of the Chicano Movement was to create a mixture of educational goals, cutbacks on school dropout rate, improving educational achievement, and creating a bilingual-bicultural program. While the civil rights movement was reaching across the nation and over hearingMartin Luther king non-violent protest, other ethnicity groups saw a chance to stand up and doing something for their community. Which led into aLos Angeles high school blowout in 1968. At the students walkout protest in Lincoln High School and Roosevelt the Los Angeles police officers brutally attacking several students for blocking a fire exit. During this big blow out young Mexican-Americans got to witness their peers fighting for a change. They also got to experience how the Latinos community was not respected and treated as second-rate citizens. On an interview, Rosales stated, remembers that farm workers were thought of as ignorant, lazy, stupid, and dirty. In another segment, a second interviewee recalls that being Mexican was a burden(Chicano; History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement). The Chicano movement has indeed affected and help changed California to what it is today, it was every cultural as well a following movement helping to create a new global cultural of different individuality. The time has come for the American people to learn about the civil/human rights struggle that minorities had to face. What is now consider a mistake in the past, is knowledge to the future that will help young students open their eyes to greater understanding of different ethnicities. Without the Chicano Movement, young Mexican-American would not understand the value of their freedom. Whereas, in todays world many of us are free to live among any different nationalities. The reason we have this freedom, is because of all the hard works that our ancestors had to go through in order for this generation to not suffer the same pain they went through. In todays education it is more rounded, meaning that in school, professors/teachers have to teach about the past history, like different cultures, religions races and etc. However, back in the 1960s many students did not get the education students have today. In a chronicle Art Fights the Power written by Sam Martian talks about a young boy (Malaquis Montoya) that also fought through the civil rights movement and was also a big part in the Chicano Movement. Like the rest of the Latinos community, struggling to live in the society of racism and discrimination. Although life was rough for Montoya he soon later get into University of Berkeley and become s professor at Davis. The government was finally beginning to recognize the problems that were being brought into the mainstream of society. People that were not of Mexican descent were shown what was happening in other social and economic groups. Local organizations gained strength and many started to campaign together in an attempt to raise public awareness. Education was at the top of this organizations priority list. People actively involved in the movement saw the need for a change in the system that for so long satisfied a narrow-minded society. There are several events that initially sparked the kindling of the Chicano Movement. The huge outcry by lower-middle class Mexican citizens was publicized more as people began to take action. These actions were not always legal or morally justified, but they did show the power behind the movement. The public saw many acts of violence against policemen and white businessmen. These acts were often the only thing seen by the general public, due in part to the press. There was much more to the movement than just this, however. Education for Mexican-Americans, or Chicanos, was something that was fought long and hard for. Years of oppression and social inequality were ingredients for an unpleasant time of protest, and violence, and incriminating actions. For many years, Chicanos in California and the Southwest had to deal with segregation, police brutality, and unlawful convictions. The children were thought of as future laborers so they werent taught with the same standards as other children. There was an ongoing struggle with Chicanos all over the country along with the African-Americans who felt cheated in similar ways to gain the civil rights that the Anglos had. These actions were eventually brought to the attention of The Supreme Court and overturned and set new standards for the events to come. The 1960s were a time of movement and struggle for the Chicanos in the United States. Chicano students felt that they were being deprived their education and that it was becoming a big problem. This had been the first time that they had actually begun making actions since there were some in college, and they realized that what was being done was unfair. High school students had begun to talk and begun to plan their walkouts. They had many reasons to Many schools that were predominantly made up of Mexican Americans, as well as African American were funded less than the Anglo schools of other areas. In Texas in 1970, Mexican American schools only received 3/5 of the Federal appropriations that Euro American schools were receiving. In Bexar County, a poor Chicano district, with five times less property value than the Euro American district, received less state aid per pupil than its wealthier Euro American neighbor. (Acuna, 413) The Chicanos realized that without educational equality, access to higher education was impossible. So once again, as in other instances, the people took it to the courts. This time there was more than one case involved in gaining progress. In 1968, the first case was Serrano v. Priest where John Serrano Jr. sued the California state treasurer on the grounds that his son received an inferior education in East Los Angeles because of the of the local property taxes financed the local schools. The argument was that the poor districts did not receive as much funds as the wealthier ones and in turn, the students were given the unequal treatment. He was trying to prove that money equaled education. As a result of Serrano taking his case to the Supreme Court, the court ruled in favor of Serrano stating that Californias school districts violated the state Constitutions equal protection clause by denying equal access to education. In a similar case, San Antonio School District v. Rodriguez, filed in 1968, the Supreme Court found that the U.S. Constitution did not include equal education as a fundamental right.

Women, Beauty and Self-Esteem Essay -- Body Image & Self Esteem

Ambrose Bierce (1958) once wrote, â€Å"To men a man is but a mind. Who cares what face he carries or what he wears? But woman’s body is the woman.† Despite the societal changes achieved since Bierce’s time, his statement remains true. Since the height of the feminist movement in the early 1970s, women have spent more money than ever before on products and treatments designed to make them beautiful. Cosmetic sales have increased annually to reach $18 billion in 1987 (â€Å"Ignoring the economy. . . ,† 1989), sales of women’s clothing averaged $103 billion per month in 1990 (personal communication, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1992), dieting has become a $30-billion-per-year industry (Stoffel, 1989), and women spent $1.2 billion on cosmetic surgery in 1990 (personal communication, American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, 1992). The importance of beauty has apparently increased even as women are reaching for personal freedoms and economic rights undreamed of by our grandmothers. The emphasis on beauty may be a way to hold onto a feminine image while shedding feminine roles. Attractiveness is prerequisite for femininity but not for masculinity (Freedman, 1986). The word beauty always refers to the female body. Attractive male bodies are described as â€Å"handsome,† a word derived from â€Å"hand† that refers as much to action as appearance (Freedman, 1986). Qualities of achieve ­ment and strength accompany the term handsome, such attributes are rarely employed in the description of attractive women and certainly do not accom ­pany the term beauty, which refers only to a decorative quality. Men are instru ­mental, women are ornamental. Beauty is a most elusive commodity. Ideas of what is beautiful vary across cultures and change ... .... Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10, 129-38. Stoffel, Jennifer. (1989, November 26). What’s new in weight control: A market mushrooms as motivations change. New York Times, p. C17. Thompson, J. Kevin. (1986, April). Larger than life. Psychology Today, pp. 41-44. Walker, Alice. (1990). Beauty: When the other dancer is the self. In Evelyn C. White (Ed.), The black women’s health book: Speaking for ourselves (pp. 280-87). Seattle: Seal Press. Walster, Elaine, Aronson, Vera, Abrahams, Darcy, & Rottman, Leon. (1966). Importance of physical attractiveness in dating behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 508-16. Wernick, Mark, & Manaster, Guy J. (1984). Age and the perception of age and attractiveness. Gerontologist, 24, 408-14. Williams, Juanita H. (1985). Psychology of women: Behavior in a biosocial context. New York: Norton.

1920’s the KKK Essay

The 1920’s marked a period of great racial tension throughout American Society, with the period often regarded as a melting pot due to such strains and tensions. The immigration of new, non-protestant immigrants such as Catholics and Jews since the turn of the century had brought about large scale unease due to the sheer number of immigrants. Combined with Mexicans, Orientals as well as a rapidly growing black population, these minority groups were to suffer at the hands of those concerned with the values of White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants, with these values playing a fundamental role in the American way of life. Arguably, the Ku Klux Klan was formed concerning a culmination of such values, allowing for the tolerance of racist views within the media, literature alongside within formal organisations. Its popularity and influence stemmed from its appeal, which was broadened from blacks to incorporate the views of those who disliked immigrants, catholics, jews, bootleggers etc. Ultimately the KKK’s increase in popularity in the early 1920’s resulted in its influence. It can be argued that the KKK possessed both sizable support and significant influence due to its popular revival subsequent to WW1, with this having a notable popular impact well into the 1920s. The growing spirit of intolerance which spread across much of America became apparent due to the wartime revival of the the Ku Klux Klan. The organisation was remodeled and reorganised with new techniques used by both Edgar Clark and Elizabeth Taylor in order to sell the Klan to America. A key reason for its rise in popularity came as a result of D.W Griffiths film ‘The Birth of A Nation’ of 1915, due to the fact that it idolised and highlighted previous american values, and although those portrayed in the film were outdated, many americans were reminded of a ‘better america.’ This ultimately increased hatred towards blacks and black american due to an alteration in attitudes, with this film resulting in the view that the American way of life was threatened, with this blame placed upon Negroes, Catholics, Atheists, Bootleggers, Jews and immigrants as a whole. Ultimately, Griffiths film provided a form of ammunition towards those who were not white, anglo-saxon protestants, thus allowing for the ideology of the KKK to become more populous and apparent throughout much of American Society. The group emphasised the notion of 100% Americanism, thus appeal to those who classed themselves as protestant fundamentalists as well as those who believed the traditional moral values reflected in Griffiths film were a key element of American society due to the overwhelming feeling of invasion and being inundated, stimulating a desire to restore the America they knew and loved. Furthermore, it can be argued that the roots of the Klan were based in the small towns and communities of the Southern states of the Confederacy, thus proving a popular support base through states such as Tennessee and Alabama. The ideology of the party appealed to those who has gone against the abolition of slavery and the libration of blacks, which arose from a sense apparent within rural protestant america in order to act on the defensive before an influx of new immigrants was allowed into the country. This ideology, combined with the war, fed the growth of support for the Klan. The war engendered a form of nationalism, sparking hatred towards those to were not seen as true Americans. This appeal, and popularity was highlighted by the Klans popularity in 1921, which stimulated the development of a structure for the Klan due to the rapid growth in the number of members joining. The movement had 100,000 members, which were each pare of a Klavern, or branch, of the Klan. Furthermore, due to the fact that the KKK’s appeal was mainly sited in the Southern states, where the majority of black people lived, and the powerful idea of ‘white supremacy’ went unquestioned, attempts were made to broaden the Klan’s appeal to the western and northern states, where Catholics and Jews became the targets. Throughout the 1920†²s the Klan’s membership saw an increase, estimates at the time ranged from 3-5 million and profits rolled in from the sale these memberships, regalia, costumes and rituals. The Ku Klux Klan used intimidation, threats, beating and even murder in their quest for a â€Å"purified America†, thus appealing to many Americans due to their proactive approach, which had not been mirrored by that of the republican government during the period. An example of such influence is the alleged election of governors in Maine, Colorado and Louisiana who had KKK support. Additionally, the Klan arguably aimed to defend the American way, reflecting fear amongst many Americans who feared the emergence of more radical, especially socialist ideas, which had spread from Eastern Europe due to the influx of immigrants during the early 20th Century. The Red Scare is a key proponent of this fear, thus providing the perfect breeding ground for bigotry. Many Americans had either witnessed, or heard of the Bolshevik Russia, which was ultimate seen as a threat to the capitalist society america has formed upon. In 1919 there were 3,600 strikes involving over 400,000 workers, possibly highlighting a feeling of tension and fear amongst a considerable proportion of the population. Ultimately, this scare has proved that the KKK was a defender of such ideology, considerably suggesting that the Klan prospered in areas along sides small communities which had been formed by early pioneers where fears regarding different ethnic groups, religions, political ideas and cultural taste were ever apparent. Due to certain areas regarding these fears, those of farmers, artisans and shopkeepers of small-town america were also addressed, consequently resulting in an increase in popularity leading to the KKK having roughly 5 million members by 1925. Furthermore, membership was not simply restricted to the poor, downtrodden American population who felt marginalised, but also increasingly involved middle classes citizens. Equally it was not exclusively a rural, southern organisation, due to the fact that there were drastic increased in membership from north and central states such as Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. In many locations the local police seemed Klan-dominated, with judges also not remaining to seem impartial. Arguably therefore this suggests that the post-war revival of the Klan led to a drastic increase in the number of members, thus gaining support and influence as an increase in the number of members an organisation has ultimately leads to a greater support base within a population, thus representing a larger number of the population making it more influential as a consequence. Moreover, the influence of the KKK continued to grow throughout the early 1920s as the the Federal Government did little to alleviate poverty and socio-economic disadvantage amongst the rural population, instead focusing interest and funds on urban locations such as New York where a considerable number of immigrants and blacks were focused. Although there were rare instances where President Warren Harding spoke out against racial segregation, for example in Birmingham, Alabama, many have argued that he did so primarily to win the electoral support of northern blacks. One historian even claimed that Harding had been inducted into the Ku Klux Klan in the White House during his presidency. Moreover the various administrations throughout the twenties seemed to condone racial discrimination. A half-hearted attempt to introduce an anti-lynching law in 1921 was defeated, with Southern Senators using a range of tactics to prevent the legislation from being passed. Despite acknowledging the issue of lynching in his first address to Congress in 1923, Coolidge subsequently did not act on the problem. Moreover, on the 18th August 1925 the Ku Klux Klan was able to stage a 40,000 man parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C with no intervention from state officials. Furthermore, the segregated facilities in government buildings introduced in the first decade of the century remained unchanged. The fact that the American government during the twenties was seen to be continually ignoring and avoiding issues related to ethnic minorities did not help to improve the hostile attitudes of its people, thus allowing for the KKK to gain a larger support base from which it could increase its influence. However, the influence of the KKK varied geographically to a considerable degree. In its peak year of 1925 around 40% of its members were based in three states; Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Furthermore, another 25% were found in the old south. Conversely in states along the pacific coast such as New England (except Maine), the KKK was relatively irrelevant. Although its point of greatest popular political influence was at the 1924 Democratic Convention, highlighting its influence at the very top, the representatives of the KKK in the form of Senators and Congressmen simply represented a pocket in the Deep South. Therefore, it can be argued that the KKK did not achieve notable influence on a national level. Instead, it was simply one among many pressure groups supporting prohibition and restriction upon immigration. Furthermore, although those groups discriminated against were classed as ‘ethnic minorities’ as a whole they represented a considerable proportion of the population. Surely, the KKK could not have notable influence if a large proportion of the US population did not agree with its ideology, and were instead being attacked and victimised? The racial discrimination towards ethnic minorities during the twenties highlighted the lack of popularity amongst many regarding the KKK. Blacks, Mexicans, and the recent immigrants clustered as the bottom of the wage scale. All were usually the last hired and the first fired and performed menially jobs. Mexicans were employed as cheap labour on Californian farms. Wherever the minorities worked the ‘native’ Americans saw them as a threat to their livelihood, as they normally accepted jobs that the whites did not want. Despite emancipation from slavery after the Civil War, the former slaves remained at the bottom of the social scale in the southern states, where the majority of blacks lived. Many were lacking economic independence, since they largely worked in white-owned land. Many poverty stricken Blacks migrated from the south to the north during the twenties, to fill the demand for unskilled labour in the North. Although this spread some KKK ideology Northwards the popularity of the KKK remained relatively low due to higher levels of assimilation within the North. Therefore it can be argued that although in many areas of the USA popularity for the KKK rose during the early 1920’s, its popularity was limited to various geographical areas. Furthermore, even though popularity for the organisation increased, this did not necessarily lead to an increase in influence. Yes, in some states KKK members found their way into the legal system, or in states such as Indiana some became Senators and Congressmen. However, the sharp fall from popularity of the organisation suggests a lack of overwhelming support and belief within the party. The fall of David Stephenson, the gGrand Dragon of Indiana Klans and Governor of the state, highlighted a lack of true ideals amongst leaders of the KKK. Surely if an organisation was to succeed and gain influence those at the top of its hierarchy needed to support all beliefs? Stephenson was convicted of rape of a 28 year old secretary on an overnight train, thus going against protestant concepts. Ultimately this showed numerous characteristics far removed from ideals publicly espoused This, combined with financial scandals within other Klans has led to a sharp fall in membership by 1930, to a figure of roughly 200,000. This meant that the Klan were no longer a player on the national state, losing all significant influence and support. However, despite this sharp decline in popularity in 1929/1930, the support and more importantly the tolerance that many American people showed for the Ku Klux Klan during the twenties serves as evidence to show that attitudes towards ethnic minorities had been very much altered, thus allowing for the Klan to capitalise on this widespread ideology in order to gain some support an influence in a handful of states, which were typically confederate.

American Dreamer Essay

Bharati Mukherjee’s essay about an â€Å"American Dreamer† was brought across with a strong positive point which I agreed with for the most part. After reading over her essay numerous times I finally got a hold of what she was trying to get across to the reader. On one hand she explains that she admires the bill of rights and what our nation was founded upon. I think a lot of people would agree with this considering how far our nation has got with it, but then again you have those who oppose. On the other hand she expresses how she feels about being called Indian-American. The way she conveys her opinion about it makes me want to agree with her more. Her writing is very persuasive and I have to say I not only agree with her because opinion, but for the reason that if I were to go to another country, and have to work as hard as she did to become a legalized citizen. Another thing were on the same page on is having to put a hyphenated status even after becoming a fully legalized citizen. Mukherhee comparison of her culture to the United States was interesting to me. I have never seen a person express how much they value their cultures strict laws and regulations. This makes me think about how I take advantage of all the great things my country has to offer. She described her culture clearly and one of the things that lingered in my head was that the parents chose who you married. This made me grateful of the many freedoms I have in my country also. America has a lot to offer but the main reason people migrate to United States is because of the freedom. I can understand why they decide to come here, but I have always wondered why you don’t see Americans migrating to other countries as much. There are many reasons they don’t go and I comprehend them, but if there was freedom in those countries I question would it be different. Over the past twenty-five years twenty million people have migrated to the United States from other countries. That is a vast amount and it makes me speculate if that amount continues to increase will we be overpopulated in the years to come. I think America should start limit the amount of people that desire to become Americans, and start to clean out the immigrants who have decided to not be responsible and become legal citizens. I am not saying this to be racist or defrading, but I am stating this because people who come to America illegally take a lot of what our great country has to offer and use it like it was in there possession already. For example I have head of many illegal immigrants that come to America and obtain free medical care and welfare checks that our taxes pay for. All I inquire is that they become legal and not take what our great country has to offer and take advantage of it. That is my personal view of the subject though I found myself having almost the same view point as Mukherjee. This issue about any hyphenated status as an American is a controversial one, but Bharati Mukherjee has a point and it needs to be heard. After working hard to become a legal citizen you shouldn’t have to hyphenate racial status. Although some might object and have a total diverse opinion I would reply with a simple suggestion to read this short essay, because it had a positive effect on me and I hope it will have the same on you.

The Ethics for and Against Pet Ownership

The Ethics for and Against Pet Ownership Because of pet overpopulation, just about all animal welfare activists would probably agree that we should spay and neuter our cats and dogs. But there would be some disagreement if you were to ask whether we should breed cats and dogs if all the shelters were empty and there were good, loving homes available. Animal industries such as the fur industry and factory farms try to discredit animal protection groups by claiming that activists want to take people’s pets away. While some animal rights activists do not believe in keeping pets, we can assure you that no one wants to take your dog away from you - as long as youre treating it well. Arguments for Pet Ownership Many people consider their pets to be members of the family and thus treat them with love and respect. Oftentimes, this feeling appears to be mutual, as dog and cat pets seek out their owners to play, pet or invite them into their laps. These animals provide unconditional love and devotion - to deny them and us this relationship seems unthinkable to some. Also, keeping pets is a much more humane way for them to live as opposed to  factory farms, animal testing labs or circuses use and abuse the animals. However, thanks to regulations passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture like the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, even these animals are entitled to a basic quality of life as sentient beings.   Still, even the Humane Society of the United States argues that we should keep our pets - according to one official statement pets are creatures with whom we share a world, and we rejoice in their companionship; you dont have to anthropomorphize to recognize that the feelings are returned...let us be close and cherish each other always.   The vast majority of animal activists advocate spaying and neutering. However, most will say that the reason is the millions of cats and dogs who are killed in shelters every year, as opposed to any basic opposition to the keeping of pets. Arguments Against Pet Ownership On the other side of the spectrum, some animal activists argue that we should not keep or breed pets regardless of whether we have an overpopulation problem - there are two basic arguments that support these claims. One argument is that cats, dogs, and other pets suffer too much at our hands. Theoretically, we may be able to provide good homes for our pets, and many of us do. However, in the real world, animals suffer abandonment, cruelty, and neglect. Another argument is that even on a theoretical level, the relationship is inherently flawed and we are unable to provide the full lives that these animals deserve. Because they are bred to be dependent on us, the basic relationship between humans and companion animals is flawed because of the difference in power. A sort of Stockholm syndrome, this relationship forces animals to love their owners in order to get affection and food, oftentimes neglecting their animal nature to do so. The animals rights activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) opposes keeping pets, partially for this reason. An official statement on their website states that animals lives are restricted to human homes where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink and even urinate when humans allow them to. It then goes on to list common mistreatments of these house pets including declawing cats, not cleaning litter boxes and scolding any creature to get off the furniture or hurry up on its walk. A Happy Pet Is a Good Pet to Have The opposition to keeping pets must be distinguished from a call to release domesticated animals. They are dependent on us for their survival and it would be cruel to turn them loose on the streets or in the wilderness. The position must also be distinguished from any desire to take anyone’s dogs and cats away. We have a duty to take care of the animals who are already here, and the best place for them is with their loving and caring human guardians. This is why animal rights activists who oppose keeping pets might have rescued pets themselves. Activists who oppose keeping pets believe that domestic animals should not be allowed to breed. The animals who are already here should live long, healthy lives, cared for with love and respect by their human guardians. As long as the pet is happy and lives a life of love without undue suffering, for most people, animal rights and welfare activists alike, pets are definitely fine to have!

7 Tips for Using Suspensive Hyphenation

7 Tips for Using Suspensive Hyphenation 7 Tips for Using Suspensive Hyphenation 7 Tips for Using Suspensive Hyphenation By Mark Nichol Often, when both items in a pair of hyphenated phrases have a common element, the first instance of that element can be elided, or omitted, without erasing the connection; the incomplete phrase is implied to have the same form as the complete one. However, as shown in these examples, it’s essential to treat the phrases, especially their hyphens, correctly: 1. â€Å"The holding pond’s collapse sent more than a billion gallons of arsenic and mercury-laden sludge into the river.† The sludge was laden with a combination of arsenic and mercury; arsenic was not released separately from mercury-laden sludge. Because laden can serve to team up with both arsenic and mercury, it is omitted from where it might first appear; the phrase â€Å"arsenic-laden† is merely implied. A hyphen is attached to arsenic to express the elision: â€Å"The holding pond’s collapse sent more than a billion gallons of arsenic- and mercury-laden sludge into the river.† 2. â€Å"The company provides small- and medium-size businesses with service and support.† The hyphen following small implies that â€Å"small-size† is the intended construction, but size is not appropriate in association with small: â€Å"The company provides small and medium-size businesses with service and support.† 3. â€Å"The 1-2 year old wolf is still a baby.† The confusing adjective string before wolf is meant to express that the animal is either a 1-year-old or a 2-year-old. You can write that an animal is 1-2 years old, but here you must hyphenate the construction â€Å"(number)-year-old† to modify the noun that follows. The correct full form of the sentence would be â€Å"The 1-year-old to 2-year-old wolf is still a baby,† but the first instance of â€Å"year-old† can be elided: â€Å"The 1- to 2-year-old wolf is still a baby.† Note the letter space following 1 this element has no connection to to, so don’t connect them. 4. â€Å"Marc Antony was seen as Cleopatra’s drink-and-love besotted dupe.† The trainlike coupling of â€Å"drink-and-love† makes no grammatical sense. Observers thought of Marc Antony as separately besotted by drink and love, so he was a drink-besotted dope and a love-besotted dope, or, as follows: â€Å"Marc Antony was seen as Cleopatra’s drink- and love-besotted dupe.† 5. â€Å"The difference between pre- and post-Civil War attitudes was profound.† The elision of â€Å"Civil War† after pre- is correct, but when a prefix or suffix is attached (or implied to attach) to a proper noun or to more than one term, a sturdy en dash is called in to substitute for the little hyphen: â€Å"The difference between pre and postCivil War attitudes was profound.† 6. â€Å"She felt underpaid and -appreciated.† Though use of suspensive hyphenation in the case of words with otherwise closed prefixes (â€Å"The fund was alternately over- and underfunded†) is correct, avoid applying it with closed suffixes: â€Å"She felt underpaid and underappreciated.† 7. â€Å"The box contained a stack of 3- by 5-inch cards.† By signals that this sentence does not refer to 3-inch cards and 5-inch cards; this statement is in a separate class. When two dimensions refer to a single object, link the entire phrasal adjective together: â€Å"The box contained a stack of 3-by-5-inch cards.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"80 Idioms with the Word TimeI wish I were...

Customer-letter writing for tax professionals - Emphasis

Customer-letter writing for tax professionals Customer-letter writing for tax professionals When the naturalist Charles Darwin outlined natural selection, he almost certainly didnt have business people in mind. But his idea, that the species best suited to their environments are the ones who survive, has never been truer in the world of work. Competition for clients can be fierce, and never more so than now. The firms most able to meet their clients needs are often the most successful. One effective way to do this is to make your written communication client-centred. It doesnt have to be complicated simply pre-empting client phone calls and emails with a letter, for example. In fact, well-written, aptly timed letters are one of the best ways to provide good customer service. They help to make your clients feel that you really care about them and their businesses. The trouble is though that too many letters get it wrong. They unwittingly offend the client, dont take responsibility for misunderstandings and talk around issues as though they were having a debate. Clients need you to be the expert; provide the right figures; be honest when you dont know the answers and consistent about the information they need to provide you with. In short, they need to know their needs come first. With the dealings of financial institutions increasingly under public scrutiny, trust is a sought-after quality. So, make sure that it shines through in your written communication because integrity and accuracy will help the numbers add up for your clients. Just SCRAP it Good letters and emails have a clear structure and a specific goal in mind. The aim is to make youre your readers know why you are writing to them and what you want them to do. The SCRAP formula can help you to write clearly. The acronym stands for: situation, complication, resolution, action, politeness. Situation Begin by explaining the situation (or where they are). By doing this your reader will realise you understand and empathise with them. Complication Introduce the idea that theres a problem (why they cant stay there) they need to solve or a request they need to fulfil. Resolution State your resolution to the problem or request. Your reader will probably be relieved that youre offering a ready-made way of fixing things. Action Suggest what action the reader can or should take. In some cases, this will be what further action you are going to take. Make sure that this follows on logically from the resolution. Politeness Finally, end with a polite sign-off. Like any good recipe, you dont have to follow this formula to a tee. Some client correspondence will be so simple and straightforward that theres no problem to resolve. You just need to decide whats happened and what you want the reader to do about it. Top writing tips Get active Use the active rather than the passive voice. So write we found a mistake in your tax return rather than a mistake was found in your tax return. Keep it short and simple Good sentences contain no more than 15-20 words. Long flowery phrases are difficult to follow and can even breed distrust. Clear, plain writing suggests that there is nothing to hide. Always choose a simple word over a complication one. And remember that you can never have too many full stops! Clarify your main message If youre having difficulty figuring out what you really want your letter to say write down the words; who?, what?, where?, when? and why? at the top of a piece of paper. Use these headings to brainstorm the contents of your document. Ditch the management lingo If youve been immersed in the business world for some time, its easy to start writing in management-speak. So, prune carefully through your written work to ensure that youre not unwittingly lapsing into the types of language that would make David Brent in sitcom, The Office proud. Metaphors such as raising the bar and picking the low hanging fruit sound more like a tropical limbo challenge than references to taxation matters. While generic phrases such as working in close partnership with and after due consideration may make your clients think that your letters arent tailored to their industry or even to them. Dont add redundant words, such as pre in pre-prepare and forward in forward planning. All planning goes forwards and you cant prepare until youve prepared. The extra words dilute your message and can make the reader think that your advice is full of padding and waffle too. Remember, clients will thank you for being short and concise, as it will save them time. Brevity can be a courtesy. Case study Whether it is tax, technology or telecommunications; these letter writing principles work in any industry. Heres how letter-writing skills training transformed the customer services of a major insurance provider. The problem: The customer services department wanted to reduce the number of second-stage complaints they were receiving so they asked Emphasis to help the complaints team make its letters more customer-centred. The solution: We helped the team to fully identify the issues and facts behind the letters from complainants. We instructed participants about importance of structure in letters and then analysed the types of language, intentions and assumptions used in their standard responses. We enabled them to write letters in an easily accessible style. The benefits: Each delegate had a one-to-one coaching clinic six weeks later, where they submitted a post-training writing sample. All had progressed in structure and style. The team was so motivated by the course that they now talk about Emphasising their letters. Robert Ashton is Chief Executive of Emphasis.

Southern Turkey city of Bodrum and Cradle of Ancient Civilization, Essay

Southern Turkey city of Bodrum and Cradle of Ancient Civilization, Egypt - Essay Example Bodrum was much more than a tourist spot for me – it was where I spent most of my childhood, a place that reminds me of many nostalgic experiences, feelings, and emotions. Egypt, even after my visit, didn’t create much lasting impression in me, as it was an alien land with monotonous desert; but I could see a common strain of traditional Islamic culture in both countries. It was a wonderful, thrilling experience to sail down to the city of Bodrum, as we used to visit there by car, bus or plane before. The other two were Berk, my best friend, and Erdem, another good friend of mine. Besides, we were childhood friends who knew each other for quite a long period. Our destination was not the Marina of the Bodrum but the bay where our houses were. We decided so because we wanted to go to our favorite restaurant there and eat the traditional Turkish food ‘Manli’. The restaurant meant a lot to us, as the delicious taste of the ‘Manli’ always fascinated us. It was really refreshing to sail through the Aegean Sea that looked endless blue. The soothing cold breeze, the murmuring sound of the water movement and the mild sound of the engine all provided us something to cherish for our future. Both of them were good at sailing and operating boats whereas I did not have any experience of sailing even though I had a certificate of yachting. The Boat we traveled belonged to Beck’s family and it had three cabins, a kitchen, and a sitting place. We scheduled our voyage in early May. After summer, the weather got colder and we had to resort to our sweaters for protection. Whenever there were light winds, we turned our engine down which helped us to see the happy curious dolphins come nearby. At night, we reached the small bayside city called Ayvalik and for dinner, we cooked fish that we brought with us from Istanbul.

Governance and Politics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Governance and Politics - Assignment Example The prosperity of an organization or a nation highly depends on its political willpower and framework. Organizations adapt political strategies that will enable them to impact on the formulation and implementation of policies and regulations that affect them. These strategies could be reactive or proactive. Non-profit organizations are more democratic than profit organizations. This allows them to adapt proactive political strategies. These include government association and ‘Action’ Advocacy for example electoral, legislation, media, international, grassroots, public education and opinion shaping and legal advocacy. These political strategies are ‘outward-focused ‘and allow for dialogue, and often contest, with the government, for-profit organizations and the public (Bruce, 1992). For-profit organizations are less democratic. They usually adapt reactive political strategies as a means of presenting or defending their political positions on certain issues. Examples are direct and citizen participation, and representation strategies. These strategies give little room for dialogue with non-profit organizations and the public. If the nonprofit organization were a public education organization, the strategy would change to societal force mobilisation so ·ci ·e ·tal  Ã‚   Diversity on board enables an organization to benefit from the varied pool of thoughts and experiences. This enhances the organization’s problem-solving ability and its ability to utilize available global opportunities. According to Ramiez (2003), board diversity also helps to avoid remove corruption which is normally encouraged by close relations among board members. It enables a board, on behalf of the organization, to achieve a global reach for their business. This is a sign of improved effectiveness. This is true especially if the diversified

Organizational Leadership and Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational Leadership and Motivation - Essay Example The first important aspect of developing the correct leadership is based on the environment which is created, specifically because of the goal of having innovation as the leading factor for those managing different teams. There are three factors which are noted in the environment that develops the correct culture for an organization. This includes the stimulus, capacity and performance results. The stimulus within the environment needs to be created to invite in different levels of innovation and to build a culture that is reflective of finding and developing new ideas. The capacity which follows this continues with the understanding of the different human resources and how they are able to respond and approach the different environmental needs that are occurring. This can be combined with the performance, which becomes significant because of the way in which this reflects the organizational environment. As the culture of the organizational environment is stimulated, the performance should increase and more responses from team members should be available. The atmosphere and environment which is created from the organizational culture then has to show and reflect all aspects of how the organization is managed (Prajogo, 2006: 15). The environment that is reflected and the stimulus, capacity and performance are further reflected with characteristics that are in the organizational culture. This is led by creating ways for opportunities to be further defined while the limitations within the work structure are lifted. The concept of building the right opportunities is one which begins with developing a system through technical and non – technical applications which can be used. The approach is to find different resources and tools which are added into the environment and which build and develop an alternative approach to creating the right development within the environment. This combines with understanding types of innovation within the environment and ways i n which this can be reflected through opportunities. The main approach to take with the environment is to allow resources, ideas and expansion to be continuously available to the employees, teams and leaders. As the systems within the environment are able to create the right approaches there is the ability to develop and understand the relationships that are associated with the organization. The environment will need to create a process and understanding of this through the culture to further reflect what is needed for new innovations to be developed (Walker, 2007: 591). The environment which is created with resources and other systems should further develop with expected procedures that invite innovation. The leadership arena is one which has to create an environment that is stimulating and which offers teamwork and development to be created. Furthering this

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization Essay

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization - Essay Example This is why even the best of governments are known as necessary evils. The difference between the society and the government is that the society has unlimited wants whereas the government is a source of the so called ‘wickedness’. For instance, Friedrich Engels attacked the state by stating that the important fact about the state on religion is that it puts the anxiety of mankind before itself. Often, it has been said that only those who are corrupted seek power. Political affairs are a much variegated web of many vices and virtues along with a small possibility of truth and false hood of every shape interwoven (Lasswell 8). Moreover, politicians and statesmen are compared to men who are skillful in juggling and making all kinds of incantations and tricks of all kinds. With this kind of men it is very difficult to escape their influence. In spite of all the evil associated with power, not everything about power is a symbol of evil. Power can be used for worthy purposes by the good and the strong. Not all those with power work for strange and cunning occults arts to gain power and keep it. As for those who believe that power is evil, the sometimes agree that not all who use power are evildoers. On the contrary, some men in power have been named as the heroes of mankind, great men in history, liberators, founders of nations and even statesmen (Lasswell 9). From this perspective, power, personality and government are judged favorably. Recent expansions and discoveries in the psychological, social and medical science have added to the knowledge of power and those who seek power. From a social political objective, there is instrumentation of democratic values. The connection between power and personality can be associated with service of human dignity. According to Lasswell, power is an interpersonal situation; those who hold power are empowered (10). As long as those in power give

Definition of Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definition of Public Relations - Essay Example However, in developing of an appropriate ‘public relation’ schedule, it is always important to picture how it will appeal to different people. This definition was provided by a female Military officer aged 33 years. A Community Health Officer defines public relations as the ability to foster and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the community and county government. In the explanation, the officer attributes that public relation is very similar to ‘community relations.’ The health officer is male aged 45 years. A permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Public Works attributes the fact that Public Relations is a management function, which aims at establishing and sustaining a self sufficient inter-link between the Ministry and the public on whom its success or failure depends. The permanent secretary is male aged 51 years. A female student aged 20 years, taking Bachelor of Arts (English & Journalism) defines Public Relations as an art of communication which can be between a firm, State, or an individual and the most suitable audience. A Marketing male student aged 22 defines public relations as the ability of an organization to communicate its activities, products, and services to customers in the right manner prescribed to them, right time, and in the right place. Public relations is purely a management function that aims at establishing and maintaining ‘mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and co-operation’ (Fawkes, quoted in Wilcox et al. 2003: 7) between a firm, government, or an individual and the general public. Because organizations are always concerned with maintaining a good public image, they assess public opinions, which can be relevant in solving problems, help in accepting and adapting to changes, identifying any warning elements to help anticipate trends, and promote ethical behavior. Newsom et al. (2012)

Key Motivating Factors for CSR reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Key Motivating Factors for CSR reporting - Essay Example This research tells that the role of sustainable business practices has become the key component of corporate governance that incorporates social aspect within the broader framework of business goals and objectives. GRI is the important institution that helps to develop the framework of sustainability reporting that has the major impact on people. The various imperatives and drivers of changes motivate business to develop corporate social responsibility and sustainability report an intrinsic part of business strategy. Jones and Jones state that CSR actions are initiatives of companies to ‘further some social good beyond its own interests’ that have the long-term impact on their performance. Globalization influenced business decisions. Sirgy asserts that globalization is ‘the diffusion of goods, services, capital, technology, and people (workers) across national borders’. This has resulted in more competition and require the good image of companies. To stop s candals like Enron and WorldCom, transparency in corporate governance is needed. Corporate governance emphasizes accountability, responsibility, and transparency through good practice in business. Turnbull Report also says that risk management, internal control etc. are extremely important issues as they reflect ‘sound business practices’. Nature has limited resources like air, water, land and mineral resources. The indiscriminate use of natural resources resulted in fast depletion and therefore businesses must use technology and processes that promote environmental conservation and preservation. In the current times, people have become more aware of the environment, social issues and about other brands. Companies need become more active in responding to social issues like environment, diversity and contribute towards the socio-economic development of the society which is helping them to do business.

Definition of Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definition of Public Relations - Essay Example However, in developing of an appropriate ‘public relation’ schedule, it is always important to picture how it will appeal to different people. This definition was provided by a female Military officer aged 33 years. A Community Health Officer defines public relations as the ability to foster and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the community and county government. In the explanation, the officer attributes that public relation is very similar to ‘community relations.’ The health officer is male aged 45 years. A permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Public Works attributes the fact that Public Relations is a management function, which aims at establishing and sustaining a self sufficient inter-link between the Ministry and the public on whom its success or failure depends. The permanent secretary is male aged 51 years. A female student aged 20 years, taking Bachelor of Arts (English & Journalism) defines Public Relations as an art of communication which can be between a firm, State, or an individual and the most suitable audience. A Marketing male student aged 22 defines public relations as the ability of an organization to communicate its activities, products, and services to customers in the right manner prescribed to them, right time, and in the right place. Public relations is purely a management function that aims at establishing and maintaining ‘mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and co-operation’ (Fawkes, quoted in Wilcox et al. 2003: 7) between a firm, government, or an individual and the general public. Because organizations are always concerned with maintaining a good public image, they assess public opinions, which can be relevant in solving problems, help in accepting and adapting to changes, identifying any warning elements to help anticipate trends, and promote ethical behavior. Newsom et al. (2012)

My Religious Belief System Essay Example for Free

My Religious Belief System Essay My religious belief system is embedded in Christianity. I was born into a family who worshiped as Methodist and I am still Methodist. Growing up my mother not only sent us to church, she went with us along with my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though my father did not attend church often, he believed in God and supported my mother’s desire to have her children in church. The neighborhood I grew up in consisted of a great deal of my mother’s family and everyone served at the same church, right there in the community. My religious beliefs, directed my life in the sense of keeping my family close, taking my children to church, and teaching them the right way. I remember before my baptism, my pastor explained to me the importance of being baptized and partaking in communion. The first time I accepted communion at the age of 12, I felt like I was receiving a part of Jesus in my body as protection against anything and everything. Later, I learned the real reason for communion is repentance and the need for forgiveness. My nurturing from church became an ethical path growing up. Without this direction in my life, a number of things I have experienced would probably cause me to detour too another way of thinking and doing things. My definition of a religious belief system is believe in God, involving yourself in worship and praise services and comprehending and living by a standard outlined by the word of God. In addition to that my beliefs tie in with the definition stated above. I am a Christian and with that being said, I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. I truly believe Christ is our Lord and Savior who came into existence because of our sins and for that reason, I believe Christ died after he was crucified on the cross and 3 days later, he rose with all power over everything in heavens and earth. I believe Christ died for the sins of the entire world so that every living being may have life and live it more abundantly and when the time comes for our bodies to return to dust or dirt then our souls will join him in heaven if we believe he is Lord. From what I read and from what I am constantly learning from the Bible, I grasp what is required of me as an individual and as a Christian in association with my conduct, meaning the way I behave toward others, and so forth. The Bible is an excellent guideline of what God expects us to do. By now, it seems obvious what I believe and it appears to be apparent that my belief system is absolutely a religious belief system. I pray constantly without ceasing for my children, my entire family and everyone I consider crucial to me. After analyzing my belief system, I grew into different facets of my religious belief system through phases of my life. For example, I knew several prayers at a young age but I did not understand how crucial prayer was concerning my religious beliefs. I recall as a young girl being on my knees along beside my grandmother saying my prayers. I remember her teaching one prayer for night and one for the mornings. Even as a teenager, I realized some of the proper characteristics of my belief system but being young in mind I did not always adhere to that belief. I always knew deep inside because of what my belief is that some things I will not do. I do not consider myself a saint and I have made some terrible decisions but not to the point where I ignored my conscious which convicts us. Now that I have reached adulthood and I have experienced other things like marriage, having children, and coping with tragedies the significance of my belief system advanced and I know today I am almost whole. The benefits and disadvantages of acquiring my belief system are a distant stretch. The benefits of my religious belief system is knowing God always watches over me in spite of my faults and the ungodly decisions I have made in my life, I know he will always look after me and never leave me and that is a enormous benefit. One disadvantage to my belief system is any individual may easily disobey laws we find ordained throughout the scriptures. For example, I concur lying about another individual or one may even consider this gossip about other people is not a pleasant thing to do. I loathed a liar, when I know someone is telling a lie that bothers me. I hear people gossiping all the time and it seems to be an easy task. This is just one example but not a small one not in God’s eyesight. However, it exemplifies the point. Numerous things can violate Gods word whether you meant to be disobedient or not to the laws, it still considered a violation. The observable disadvantage is, unless you are perfect you are going to sin against God’s word because no one is perfect but the Father. In reality, a portion of my belief system is the entire concept of believing that each of us was born in an imperfect world and everyone will sin at some point in our lives. Once more, we see the reason we have Jesus. I know he died for our sins to save us and God is a forgiving God. The role of tradition in my religious belief system is tremendous. Sometimes I reminisce over things I did as a child like waiting on Santa and not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve. I evidently was not thinking about the truth, this particular holiday was about the birth of Christ at that time. Later on, my children went through this identical custom every year. On the other hand, this tradition means a great deal more to me now. Every year during this time, I give gifts to my children, grandchildren and other family but the most important thing is I attend church for praise and worship. I participate with my church family presenting gifts and food to different people who are alone at Christmas and for those confined to the nursing home and no one to spend time with them. Another tradition my family started was to invite someone less fortunate than we are for dinner and family fun. I remember when my children and I were at a point of just feeling alone and destitute, but the joy I felt when someone helped me is the kind of feeling I wanted to pass on to someone else especially during this time of the year. In addition to that I realize as an individual, I must be mindful of others and his or hers religious beliefs or religious practices. The society we exist in today is a mixture of different cultures and ethnicity and at any given moment, my next-door neighbor could be a Mexican or someone from India as well as a Christian. To be attentive of the beliefs of others is truly the most humane thing to do. I have respect for other people and whatever religion one might choose to par take in. I make an effort not to get into a dispute with people over religion or their religious beliefs because of the sensitivity of the subject. My contemplation is that I value other people’s religion enough not to bring it up. My belief system has molded me and transformed my mine to different way of thinking. My religious belief has advanced and developed over the years. Unique circumstances have caused me to become intelligent, sturdy and more thoughtful. My religious beliefs are continually increasing and to be truthful like me in this quest of improving my life and my education many obstacles come testing me. Sometimes I find myself with some deep-seated views surrounding certain individuals and circumstances. In remembering the past events in my life my belief system, my religious belief system has kept me committed to whom and what I have become.

Implementing A Mandatory Recycling Program

Implementing A Mandatory Recycling Program In a world where global warming and going green are common terms in the English language, it can sometimes be difficult to decipher what it all means and just what the individual can do to help. Recycling is a major issue today and though there is controversy about whether it is necessary and how necessary it may be, implementing a mandatory recycling program is imperative for the environment and the people that live in it. Recycling comes with many benefits and prevents problems such as pollution and habitat destruction. Currently, our recycling programs are poor, and in order to improve them, a mandatory measure needs to be taken. Some oppose to it because they claim that it is expensive, ineffective, not as environmentally sound as other options, and does not provide the job opportunities needed. All of these oppositions are not valid or strong arguments and will be proved wrong. Recycling is necessary to the earth and its inhabitants. Recycling can be defined as reprocessing discarded solid materials into new, useful products.  [1]  It can reduce water pollution which would then protect species and reduce habitat destruction. Recycling reduces air pollution as well which would then reduce the effects or process of global warming. Further, it reduces solid waste disposal as well as energy demand which make fuel supplies last longer. Creating a program to require recycling from everyone would clearly benefit a variety of environmental processes. Individual households as well as workplaces produce five major types of materials that can be recycled. This includes paper products, glass, aluminum, steel, and some plastic. In order to understand the benefits of a mandatory program, the two ways recyclable materials can be reprocessed need to be addressed. The first way is called primary or closed loop recycling. This is where waste is recycled into new products of the same type. For example, a newspaper is recycled b ack into a new newspaper. The second way is called secondary recycling or downcycling. This is where waste materials are converted into different products. For example, a newspaper is recycled into cellulose insulation. There are two different types of wastes that can be recycled; preconsumer and postconsumer waste. Preconsumer waste is generated in a manufacturing process and recycled instead of being discarded. Postconsumer waste is generated by the consumers use of the product. Both types are equally important to be recycled. Theoretically, anything can be recycled but it comes down to two important things. These two things are important in deciding how the mandatory program will work successfully. The first question that needs to be addressed is will the item be recycled? In the process of separating the wastes collected for recycling, some of it gets mixed with other wastes and sent to landfills or incinerated. Secondly, will consumers actually purchase the recycled products an d complete the cycle to make it profitable? In aid to a mandatory program, it would help if the government required a label that indicated how much of the product contained recycled material.1  [2]   Our recycling rates are poor, and seem even worse when comparing them to the rates of other developed nations. Both Switzerland and Japan recycle about half of their municipal solid waste or MSW, while the United States only recycles about thirty percent of its MSW. With a mandatory recycling program, studies show that the US and other developed countries could recycle sixty to eighty percent of their MSW. Some believe that we do not have a problem with our waste management. If the previous percentages were not enough, then the following statistics are more than convincing. The United States wastes enough aluminum to rebuild the countrys entire airline fleet every three months; enough tires each year to encircle the planet almost three times; about 2.5 million nonreturnable plastic bottles every hour; enough office paper each year to build a wall eleven feet high across the country from New York City to San Francisco.1  [3]  Clearly, wasting what could be recycled is a big issue in America. Requiring citizens to recycle would help reduce the severity of these waste problems. Now that the different types of recycling and the magnitude of the recycling problem has been outlined, claims to why we should not implement a program can be easily, successfully, and intelligently declined. It is argued that recycling is more expensive than trash collection and disposal. However, when designed right, recycling programs are cost-competitive with trash collection and disposal.2 When comparing costs of both methods, the cost of curbside recycling is usually compared with the cost of conventional disposal alone. The fallacy here is that with recycling, the costs of collection and disposal are displaced. Instead of this comparison, the average cost of collection and disposal should be compared with the overall average cost of collection and recovery. Through this comparison, the costs are very impressive.2 Additionally, the United States spends five-hundred million dollars a year on picking up litter.1 Mandatory programs would lower this number significantly. It has been found to be true that recycling is expensive in some communities. However, it needs to be noted again that when done correctly, it is much cheaper. Recycling costs less than traditional trash collection and disposal when communities achieve high levels of recycling.2 The communities that the data is reflecting an expensive program are still recycling at very low rates and are treating recycling as an add-on to their traditional trash system rather than as a replacement for it.2 This is often the problem when critics are evaluating the costs of a program. They often treat it as an add-on cost, and [it is] therefore expensive. 2 Baltimore Maryland is a great example of how you should transition into the program. They use the same trucks to collect recyclables as they do trash, separately and at different times. By doing this, Baltimore made their upfront costs minimal and created no increase in their solid waste budget.2  [4]  The economics of the entire situation improves when recycling is not an add-on to trash disposal, but it is integrated into the process. It is falsely assumed that we can only recycle twenty-five to thirty percent of our waste. This number was considered a maximum in 1985, however today it should be considered a minimum and a much higher percentage is achievable.2 Currently the US does only recycle about thirty percent of its MSW. Because of these two statistics, those opposed to the program often think of this percentage as a cap. However, this is untrue. Although the amount of solid waste generated has leveled off individually, it has continued to increase on a national scale and there is therefore more potential waste to be recycled. Rates of what is being recycled have increased dramatically since the 1980s and early 1990s. The growth of the recycling programs is especially responsible for the increase. A dozen states are recycling about thirty percent or more of their MSW, but among those states communities are recycling up to fifty percent.2 These numbers are much higher in these communities and are continuing t o grow because of aspects of programs they have implemented. They have put into effect waste prevention strategies, convenient services such as curbside and drop-off, economic incentives, and resident participation. If all of these strategies and more were implemented on a federal level to require a recycling program, all of our statistics would improve. 2 The third argument that those against recycling programs use is that landfills and incinerators are more cost effective and environmentally sound.2 However the truth of the matter is again, when designed correctly, recycling programs are cost competitive with their competition. Further, recycling programs provide pollution prevention benefits. When recycling, the pollution normally generated from landfilling and incinerating materials is avoided, and the environmental burden of extracting virgin materials and the manufacturing process is reduced.2  [5]  Even with low landfill tipping fees, it is still the preferable option to recycle. Currently, twenty two states have less than ten years of landfill capacity left.2 Some southern states even have as low as five years. Now, why is this important to know? We need to look towards the future. The new landfills that would need to be created could cost much more than the ones that are here today.2 Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has issued that municipal landfills must install liners and leachate, the liquid that drains from the landfill, collections systems. Because of these new regulations, hundreds of landfills are closing, and fewer and larger privately owned landfills are remaining open. Fewer landfills results in increased transportation costs. As of now there might not be scarcity in land for new landfills, but new landfills are being created large distances from population centers. Long hauling and disposing municipal solid waste at distant landfills is already costing some cities on the West and East coasts between $40 and $70 per ton.2 These privately owned landfills may increase these costs. Studies show that privately owned landfills are much more expensive than publicly owned landfills by twenty percent, and publicly owned ones provide greater control over disposal activities. This all means that the existing landfills are a precious possession and recycling extends their lives.2 Although lack of land is not currently the problem for new landfills, communities do not exactly want to be dumped on. Therefore, a policy that reduces the burden on the environment and on local communities from the transportation and dumping of trash should be put into place.2 Incinerators are very expensive and recycling would be much more cost effective. Tip fees at incinerators built between 1989 and 1993 average $60 per ton.2 Incinerators built more recently have had to lower tip fees simply to compete with other disposal facilities. Montgomery County, Maryland is a great example of the how expensive the option of incinerators is. Montgomery County had to raise taxes to property owners just to cover the operating costs of its newly built incinerator after it lowered the facilitys tip fees in order to attract waste.2  [6]   Claiming that landfills and incinerators are more environmentally sound is not a valid argument. Even the best landfills contaminate groundwater from eventually leaking. As far as incinerators are concerned, thirty percent by weight of trash enteringà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦exists as ash.2 This ash is a waste that contains high levels of toxic residue. Furthermore, they emit carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other acid gases that landfills do not. One study found that Floridas largest incinerators were burning significant amounts of recycling materials. This is due to the fact that contracts are requiring governments to bring a certain amount of waste to incinerators. These contracts are posing a major disincentive to maximize recycling or waste reduction programs.2 In summary, although landfills and incinerators may have some benefits, they are preventing us from moving forward and implementing more environmentally friendly and cost effective methods. We need to plan for the future because what is cheap and easy now will not be in the future. It is much easier to prevent a problem, then to fix the problem once it is already out of control. The next myth about recycling is that landfills are significant job generators for rural communities, and recycling programs would take these jobs away. However, the fact is that recycling creates many more jobs for rural and urban communities than landfill and incineration disposal options.2 Simply sorting the recycled materials alone would provide ten times more jobs than landfilling. The biggest pay-off though is making new products from the old products. So many aspects of the recycling process provide thousands of jobs. New recycling-based manufacturers employ even more people and at higher wages. Recycling-based paper mills and plastic product manufacturers, for instance, employ 60 times more workers than do landfills. Product reuse also sustains significantly more jobs than disposal options. Computer refurbishing repair, for example, creates 68 times more jobs than landfills.2  [7]  There are 25.5 million tons of durable goods discarded into the landfills in American each year. If just half of them each year were reclaimed through reuse, over 100,000 new jobs in the recycling industry would be created alone.2 Recycling is entirely sensible from an economic standpoint.3 There are doubts about just how willing citizens would be to adapting a new waste disposal method. As we can see from this problem, it is evident that many households do not recycle at all. It is a valid point to question, would people even go along with a mandatory program? The answer, through polls, is yes. A survey conducted with Wisconsin residents discovered that ninety-six percent responded that they believe their recycling efforts are worthwhile.3 Although some may argue the statistic would be lower across the board of the United States, a number that high is very promising. It does not seem difficult to educate people on the environment so they understand why it is necessary for a program. Regardless of the doubts some people may have, a recycling program is extremely necessary for the people, the United States, and the whole planet. The benefits of recycling should diminish any doubts. Arguments against a program have all been proven to be weak arguments and even the biggest issue of economics has been addressed. It is a much better choice financially to implement a full recycling procedure. In a world where global warming and going green are common terms in the English language, everyone should be able to say they are doing something to help. Everyone should be able to say they are recycling.

Terrorism and the Pursuit of God Essay example -- War Terror Essays

Terrorism and the Pursuit of God To set out on a suicide mission, to willingly kill thousands of civilians seems unfathomable for many Americans in the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Why would anyone do something like that? The answer from many sources has been: religion. More specifically, many people are blaming the Islamic religion, the religion that the hijackers are suspected to adhere to, claiming that Islam reveres its martyrs and sanctions war. But the answer is much more complicated than this, and a look at religion and technology can help get a clearer picture of Islam and the events of September 11. Karen Armstrong, in her book The Battle for God, claims that nearly all religions have a sect of â€Å"fundamentalists,† or what some have called â€Å"extremists,† who feel it their duty to rebel against the recent global cultural shift toward secular humanist precepts. Christian fundamentalists have blown up abortion clinics in America; Muslim fundamentalists have committed acts of terrorism. It wasn’t always like this. In the premodern era, according to...

Essay on Language and Dialogue in Catch-22 -- Catch-22

Use of Language and Dialogue Catch-22      Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Catch-22 is probably best discussed in terms of its language. The prose style Heller employs is original and distinctive, appropriate and well implemented (Pearson 277).† One application of that prose style is dialogue; Heller uses dialogue to manifest the themes of the novel. Some of the themes best shown in the dialogue of the characters are Heller's hatred of war, and his perceived idiocy in military and in bureaucracy. Scattered throughout the book are several dialogues which share numerous characteristics. Some particular conversations are especially demonstrative of these elements. Heller uses these dialogues to communicate his ideas to the reader. In chapter XXXVI, several military police officers pick up the camp's Chaplain, take him to The Cellar, and interrogate him. The dialogue between the three MPs and the Chaplain is typical of dialogues throughout the book in many ways and the conversation reflects numerous themes central toCatch-22. The inter rogation scene offers many insights into the meaning of Catch-22and the dialogue therein is especially important. The camp Heller describes is bureaucratic in the worst possible way and the conversation exhibits those characteristics of bureaucracy that Heller most loathes: illogical operation, inability to take action, lateral actions (in which no real gain is made), and a maelstrom of regulations which work against each other.    One way the interrogation scene mirrors the themes of the book is that the logicemployed by the military police officers is totally illogical. Heller presents thisas a major theme in his novel: throughout the book, the thought processes of agents of themilitary make no sense whatsoever and tho... ...ph Heller": Copyright 1996 by Charles Scribner's and Sons New York, NY.    Frank, Mike. "Enos and Thanatos in Catch-22." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Vol.11. (77-87) Detroit: Gale, 1990.    Hasley, Louis. "Dramatic Tension in Catch-22." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 8 (173) , Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale. 1990.    Heller, Joseph. The Chelsea House Library of Literary Criticism. Twentieth-Century American Literature Vol. 3. New York. Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Dell Publishing, 1955, 1961    Kennard, Jean E. "Joseph Heller: At War with Absurdity." Contemporary Literary Criticism.(75-87) Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit:L Gale 1990.    Pearson, Carol. "Catch-22 & the Debasement of Language."Contemporary Literary Criticism. (277) Matuz . Detroit: L Gale 1990.

American Westward Movement: Significance of the Contributing factors

American Westward movement, advocated by many as the divine destiny of the United States, is the movement of the people from the settled regions of the United States to lands farther west between early 17th and late 19th century. The earliest and most significant of the factors which contributed to the westward spread of ‘American frontier’ was the economic motives of the colonists.Fur traders in New England, New York and Pennsylvania bartered with the Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes for beaver pelts. Southerners reached to the Mississippi and beyond to trade with native Americans for deerskins. Later, the farmers who could not meet their mortgage payments on their lands as a result of the depression caused by the financial collapse in 1837 also moved westward for free land. Epidemics was another major contributing factor for the westward movement.In the East, more people died of such diseases as typhoid, dysentery, tuberculosis, scarlet fev er and malaria than from any other cause. Yellow fever so decimated the population of New Orleans and settlements along the Mississippi River to the north that the regional death rate exceeded its birth rate for nearly a century and in the 1830s an epidemic of cholera, which had started in Asia, rampaged through Europe, and came across the Atlantic on passenger ships, struck the East Coast and spread inland.The third significant contributing factor was The American Civil War. The civil war caused so much misery that thousands of people looked upon west as a means of escape from their devastated homes. To these people the West was the means to achieve health, wealth and happiness. The significance of these factors lies in the fact that the western expansion they caused resulted in making United States one of the most powerful countries in the world.Further, the American expansion also meant that the west was dominated by Anglo-American ways of life and institutions rather than French or Spanish ones; because latter were also trying to expand in North America in 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. However, the American westward movement curbed their efforts in this regard. Nonetheless, though the American westward movement was very beneficial for the United States, it proved fatal to the Native Americans who were the indigenous people settled in these lands. Their culture and way of life suffered destruction as a result of the westward expansion.

Automobile? The Main Source of Pollution? Essay

Innovation and creativity, these are the very benchmarks that pave the way in producing new technology that governs the very lives of our future. But the question is, is it doing more harm than good to society? To verify the nature and essence of this query, I will be inquiring and delving into the world of automobiles and motorcycles. On one hand, I balance the modern wonders that craft the very definitions of convenience and comfort. While on the other, I hold the unfathomable realities that draw the line between useful and harmful. Therefore, let it be stated that I have come to an understanding that both automobiles and motorcycles pose a substantial threat the world is constantly ignoring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In probing this discussion, I will begin by first illustrating the statistics on ownership of automobiles and motorcycles made in the United States. Then, I shall be focusing on the comparison between the subjects and issues that society deals with regard to automobiles and motorcycles by citing some examples in Southeast Asia. Lastly, I will emphasize the known facts and matters that give impact on the current view of automobiles in the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To start with, it is acknowledged that present ownership of the automobiles is increasing day by day.  According to the US Bureau of Transit Statistics for 2004 there are a total of 243,023,485 registered passenger vehicles in the U.S. of which 136,430,651 (56.13%) are classified as cars. While 91,845,327 (37.79%) are classified under 2 axles and 4 tire vehicles, presumably SUV’s and pick-up trucks. Yet another 6,161,028 (2.53%) are classified as vehicles with 2 axles and 6 tires and 2,010,335 (0.82%) are classified as trucks in combination. In addition to that, there are approximately 5,780,870 motorcycles in the U.S. in 2004, which accounts for 2.37% of all registered passenger vehicles. With the increasing number of automobiles yearly, there is a plan to see an effective way of reducing the emissions from cars through hybrids, diesel and other form of technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recent studies show that automobile emissions are not as bad as motorcycles emissions. Usually, motorcycles are not the major form of transportations in developed countries. Astonishingly, the American Chemical Society reports that motorcycles collectively emit 16 times more hydrocarbons, three times more carbon monoxide and a â€Å"disproportionately high† amount of other air pollutants compared to passenger cars (Science Daily, 2008). The study, by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, has found both two- and four-cycle motorcycle engines emitted significantly more of these pollutants than automobile engines. Given this data, we can now see the ineffectiveness of motorcycles. Given the sitting capacity of a car compared to a motorcycle, a car is able to hold twice as much sitting capacity compared to motorcycles. In developing countries such as Indonesia, the number of motorcycles is overwhelming compared to the number of automobiles. Being born in Surabaya, Indonesia, I have witnessed some of the worst air pollution that I have ever encountered. It has been so bad to an extent that I can see dust on my front porch every ten minutes upon mopping it clean   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although, there have been seen steps taken to reduce the emissions in automobiles, regulations has been a bit late for motorcycles.   This does not take into account the other subjects related to pollution such as air contamination, water contamination, soil contamination, and solid waste mishandling ( L. Gari, 475 – 488).Unlike automobile emissions that have been regulated only after 1970s, the motorcycle emissions have only been regulated only after 1999. This technological advancement has made motorcycles less harmful to the environment. Thus, future bikes may have emissions from new motorcycles at a same level of emissions as cars. For example, the 1000cc Suzuki V-Strom produced in 2002, equipped with a regulated catalyzer, oxygen sensor and fuel injection, complies with 2003 emissions limits and is very close to the 2006 ones (Motorcycle Emission, 2008). It is also said that they have reduced 60% of the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emissions of new four-stroke bikes produced from the 1st April 2003 and reinforcing it on 1st January 2006. This will in turn apply a further 50% reduction compared to the 2003 limits. Two-stroke engines will see their emissions output reduce by 30% for carbon oxide and 70% for hydrocarbons. Hopefully, motorcycles will have low level of oxides of nitrogen and limits will remain the same for 2003 giving the time for the industry to achieve more drastic nitrogen oxide measures for 2006. With this at hand, Indonesia air pollution would be drastically reduced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Automobiles and motorcycles affect our environment and push them into critical conditions. There are even unusual emissions that are produced in the atmosphere (Beychok, 29 – 36). Pollutants from automobiles are the major causes for green house effects and other environmental pollutions. Although Bangkok is praised with their three-wheeled vehicles whose name comes from the sputtering sound produced by their horribly polluting two-stroke engines, â€Å"tuk-tuks† look like beat-up golf carts with roofs and backseats and function as inner-city taxis (Hertsgaard, 1999). Unfortunately, â€Å"tuk-tuks† and motorbikes, in terms of mobility, are undercut by their abnormal tailpipe exhaust that burn a fuel that is part gasoline, part benzene. Benzene of course causes cancer and each flick of a driver’s wrist sends thick puffs of bluish-white smoke into the already soup like air (Hertsgaard, 1999). Though the presence of â€Å"tuk-tuks† created many jobs as a â€Å"tuk-tuk† driver for the people in Bangkok, it also cost them their health as prolong breathing of benzene causes cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nowadays, diesel cars are cleaner than the petrol cars. Modern technologies have been applied in order to reduce the level of emission from cars. For example, carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to fuel consumption, and as diesel cars use 30 to 40% less fuel and they emit 30 to 40% less carbon dioxide than petrol cars (Vasic and Weilenmann, 149 – 154).   On the other hand, natural gas and LPG cars are actually quite fuel inefficient, if otherwise cleaner burning, and so produce more CO2 than diesel. Diesel engines produce virtually no carbon monoxide.   Emissions of nitrous oxides can be effectively reduced in both petrol and diesel cars by use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR).   EGR reduces the combustion temperature to below the point where nitrogen effectively burns. Hydrocarbon emissions are contained in petrol engine emissions much more than in diesel engine emissions.   Benzene is also present in the fumes which can be smelt when filling up with petrol at a service station; however this is not a problem with diesel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personally, I strongly feel that it is necessary for everyone to get a car since it has a viable use in the lives of ordinary men and women. Moreover, cars have been viewed as a twentieth-century technology (Hertsgaard, 1999). Since the invention of automobiles, more and more industries associated with it have begun to expand. This in turn provides enormous employment opportunities to the people. With that, countries such as Thailand, China and Bangkok have soon started to welcome foreign automobile industries to invest in order to boost their economic progress. One great example of this particular event is the success story of Thailand. Over the past two decades, Thailand’s per capita income in 1991 was U.S$ 1,570—a stunning six fold increase over the 1971 figure of U.S$271 making Thailand an apparent economic success story (Hertsgaard, 1999). With a sudden massive economic growth in an automobile industry as have been seen, there comes a price that everyone has to pay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, not only automobile’s emissions is held scapegoat to many people around the world   for global warming and the increase of greenhouse gases, certain factors such as the massive motorcycles emissions are also partly to blame. Both the automobile and motorcycles affect our environment and push them into critical conditions such as the green house effects and other environmental pollutions. Overall, I agree with Hertsgaard when he made a   strong point that â€Å"proponents of the car like to point out, as the Mobil Corporation did in a 1995 advertisement in the New York Times, that the cars and skies in the United States are much cleaner now than they were a quarter of a century ago†(Hertsgaard, 1999). This statement he makes inspires the entire environmentalist out there that their efforts have not gone too waste. WORKS CITED ScienceDaily.Amounts of Air Pollutants. March 21, 2008   http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2006/01/060101155000.htm U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Automobile Emissions: An Overview.† August, 1994 1-5. 21 March, 2008 http://www.epa.gov/OMS/consumer/05-autos.pdf Beychok, Milton R. (January 1987). â€Å"A Database for Dioxin and Furan Emissions from Refuse Incineratorsâ€Å". Atmospheric Environment 21 (1): 29-36 Christi, â€Å"The Truth About Diesel Emissions† Fred’s Tdi Forum 21 March, 2008   http://www.stealthtdi.com/Emissions.html Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). â€Å"Estimated National Average Vehicle Emissions Rates per Vehicle by Vehicle Type using Reformulated Gasoline and Diesel.†U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Nov. 29, 2007. 21 March, 2008 . Hertsgaard , Mark . Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future . New York: Broadway Books, 1999. Gari. â€Å"Arabic Treatises on Environmental Pollution up to the End of the Thirteenth Centuryâ€Å", Environment and History 8 (4), 2002, pp. 475-488 â€Å"Motorcycle Emissions – Bikes Go Greener.† British Motorcyclists Federation 30 Sep, 2004.  21 March, 2008 http://www.bmf.co.uk/pages/briefing_room_archive.php?fullstory=432 â€Å"Passenger Vehicles in the United States.† Wikipedia 27 February 2008 21 March, 2008 . Vasic, Ana -Marija and Martin Weilenmann. â€Å"Comparison of Real-World Emissions.† Environmental Science&Technology 402006 149-154. 21 March, 2008 . Self-evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon starting this essay, I experienced several setbacks and challenges. It took me a total of 3 days of researching and 2 days to complete the essay. The first thing which I did in this essay was the search for good source information for this research. This was hard as I have to be able to find data which preferably have a range of 10 years. Secondly, I read the Top Ten Tips on the transition and brilliant beginnings and I really can see myself being a better writer with it. The last and final step was for me to put all the information down and start writing followed by proofreading. For this research only managed to do a single draft and I did not get the help of any body except the tools of Microsoft words such as its thesaurus and dictionary. I believe that my strong and insightful data on the emission outputs of automobiles and motorcycles are the strengths of my essay. In addition to that I believe that my essay is weak because of proofreading problems. One of the primary problems that I have with this essay was that I have to retype everything again due to a computer problem. The essay was supposed to be done on my lap top. However, it crashed and I am unable to backup my data causing me to lose come information that can help me with this essay. One thing that I would do next time is definitely to start earlier and have a visit to Dr Lankford office to ask him on his views on my current ideas for the essay. I would definitely rewrite this essay for the second time in hope to have at least a B+/- for this course as it depended on this essay. References Vehicle ratios since 1990 Year Motor vehicles Increase in vehicles % Growth    1990 189 2 +1.01    1991 188 -1 -0.52    1992 190 2 +1.06    1993 194 4 +2.10    1994 198 4 +2.06    1995 202 4 +2.02    1996 206 4 +1.98    1997 208 4 +1.94    1998 208 0 +/-0    1999 216 8 +3.84    2000 218 2 +0.92    2001 226 8 +3.66    2002 230 4 +1.76    2003 231 1 +0.43    All numbers in millions; SOURCE: US Department of Transportation    Estimated National Average Vehicle Emissions Rates per Vehicle by Vehicle Type using Reformulated Gasoline and Diesel (Grams per mile)      Ã‚   1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 RFG (assuming 100% RFG)                                        Light-duty vehicles                                        Exhaust HC 1.45 1.28 1.15 1.04 0.97 0.84 0.76 0.68 0.62 0.55 0.47 0.41 0.38 Nonexhaust HC 0.89 0.87 0.86 0.84 0.82 0.64 0.63 0.61 0.59 0.57 0.54 0.51 0.47 Total HC 2.34 2.15 2.01 1.88 1.78 1.48 1.39 1.29 1.21 1.12 1.02 0.921 0.852 Exhaust CO 22.78 20.84 19.43 18.25 17.21 15.36 14.68 13.88 13.17 12.49 11.44 9.81 9.29 Exhaust NOx 1.78 1.64 1.55 1.46 1.35 1.24 1.19 1.12 1.06 1.00 0.90 0.77 0.72 DIESEL                                        Light-duty vehicles                                        Exhaust HC 0.77 0.79 0.81 0.81 0.82 0.80 0.76 0.73 0.73 0.60 0.58 0.48 0.36 Exhaust CO 1.69 1.73 1.76 1.78 1.79 1.78 1.75 1.73 1.74 1.59 1.57 1.41 1.21 Exhaust NOx 1.89 1.89 1.88 1.86 1.85 1.81 1.72 1.62 1.54 1.43 1.32 1.11 0.85 KEY:  CO = carbon monoxide; HC = hydrocarbon; NOx = nitrogen oxide; RFG = reformulated gasoline. SOURCE:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, personal communication, Nov. 29, 2007.