Declining bee populations and its global impact Research Paper

Declining bee populations and its global impact - Research Paper Example â€Å"The findings place a massive question mark over the increasingly controversial compounds, now the fastest growing family of insecticides in the world† (McCarthy). Exposure to the neonicotinoid insecticides is harmful for both the wild bumble bees and the honey bees. The compounds affect the bees by attacking their central nervous system. The quality of neonicotinoids that makes them potentially harmful for the bees is that these pesticides are systemic in nature, which is why they are consumed up by every part of the plant rather than just sitting on the plant’s surface. Like every part, the pesticides are also absorbed by the plant’s pollen as well as nectar. Accordingly, the bees ingest the pesticides as they carry the pollens despite they were not meant to be the original targets. Over the last decade, use of these compounds has caused a â€Å"colony collapse disorder† in the USA which is a condition that causes full beehive population to vanish i n no time. One of the two studies was conducted by the researchers from the University of Stirling. In the year 2010, almost 30% of the total cropland in the UK was treated with pesticides. The second study was conducted by the researchers belonging to the National Institute for Agronomic Research in Avignon in France under the leadership of Mikael Henry. These researchers studied the effects of the bees’ exposure to thiamethoxam which is a neonicotinid product. As a result of their research, the team found that even sub-lethal doses of the neonicotinid product have a serious impact on the homing abilities of the bees of the level that the bees developed a two to three times higher tendency of dying as compared to the untreated bees. The French researchers said, â€Å"Non-lethal exposure... causes high mortality due to homing failure, at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse† (The French researchers cited in Rose). Since the researches are very recent and no subsequent results have surfaced to support or contradict the findings of these studies, this stage is preliminary to develop an utmost belief in the fact that neonicotinids are harmful for the health of the bees. Nevertheless, they should be avoided until proven harmless by future research. Professor David Goulson from the University of Stirling shares his view about this matter in these words, â€Å"I personally would like to see them not being used until more research has been done. If it confirms what we’ve found, then they certainly shouldn’t be used when they’re going to be fed on by bees† (Goulson cited in Zimmer). Many biologists attribute the decline of bee population to the increase in global warming as it creates the environmental conditions suitable for the growth of such pathogens as fungi, mites, and viruses which are potentially harmful for the bee colonies. In the recent years, frequent fluctuations between the hot and cold weather have been experienced. These weather fluctuations wreak havoc on the bees since they are used to living in the patterns of consistent seasonal weather. The weather sensitive bees cannot survive in the rapidly changing environment. More research is being conducted in order to find the causes of decline of the bee population. According to Galen Dively, an entomologist from the University of Maryland, â€Å"We’re going to see a lot of money poured into this problem. What we’re looking for is some commonality which can lead us to a cause†

Ps I Love You Film Review Essay Example for Free

Ps I Love You Film Review Essay â€Å"Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after were gone.† This quotation comes from book â€Å"PS I love you†, written by Cecelia Ahern, and perfectly describes the novel. This book is definitely for women, when you read this you can find yourself laughing and crying all at once. Holly and Gerry had a perfect life. They are happily married, they lived in Dublin closed to their friends and family, the world lies at their feet. When Gerry dies, Holly is devastated. At the day of her 30th birthday, the man who was her soul mate, her lover, has left her. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. But before he died, Gerry wrote a series of letters, some kind of guide includes a mission for Holly to get her life back on track. Over the years which they were together Garry has always been the organized one and long before he became sick he joked with Holy that if he died before her, he would leave her a special list of things to do to assure her life ran smoothly without him. And he kept his promise. Holly discovers that her mother has a large envelope for her. One for each of the remaining months of the year. Letters are delivered in surprising ways, each contained a new adventure or challenges and each signing of in the same way: â€Å"P.S. I Love You†. Its a bittersweet tale that not only focuses on death but also celebrates life and the joy that is found in living. And although Holly eventually finds peace through the letters that Gerry has left behind, its her family and friends that play the biggest part in helping her to let go and move on from grief. Hollys mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerrys letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. Gerrys first instructions are not only to Holly, but also to her best friends, to get out and celebrate Hollys birthday together. Denise and Sharon seem to represent two aspects of life, Sharon is married and is on her way to building a family, while Denise is still single. She is looking for the right guy, but she does not want to waste time, so she has her checklist. She is definitely not shy but the most importantly, she is a good friend. Hollys friend Sharon is married to John, who, as often happens with couples, was Gerrys best friend. John is in a bit of a strange position because he loved Gerry, too, and maybe he is feeling a little left out. John thinks he will never have another friend like Gerry. The next character is The new bartender in Patricias pub, Daniel meets and forms an instant attraction to Holly at, of all places, Gerrys wake. Is interesting, and spontaneous and he says things that are unpredictable, and does not feel the need to apologize if people are taken aback. He becomes a shoulder for Holly to lean on because he is the one person among her friends who didnt know Gerry so theres no reason for him to tread lightly or walk on eggshells when his name comes up, which she finds refreshing. Daniel is brave enough to speak his mind, and I think that is helpful to Holly in dealing with her loss. With Gerrys words as her guide, Holly embarks on a journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life. The tasks range was different, from getting a new job to singing karaoke in front of a nightclub audience. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly aversely embraces each of the tasks and discovers along the way that she has more inner strength than she could ever have imagined. She also struggle with feelings of guilt when she meets a handsome man who is clearly attracted to her. The love story is told in a unique way. The main character must started to live without her husband. He was the earth she lived, the ground she stepped and air she breathes. She did not have a proper job, she was not ambitious, she did not have any hobbies. Everything she did in her life revolved around Gerry. They were talking about how unpredictable life could be as one didn’t always get what one expected. No matter how many times you read this book, it will always brings you a smile on your lips with tears in your eyes. This is one of those books that make you cry from the time it starts, then later on lifts you up with some comedy, proceeds with an aura of hope and some heart-warming flash-backs. Cecelia Ahern has written this book brilliantly, she describes the emotions and struggle of life. Author also has taught me a valuable lesson about the true meaning of living and the divide between life and death, and gave the lesson about what it takes to lead meaningful and purposeful life. I really enjoyed it book. It is a romance, but it explores a hard issue. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good dramatic, and funny fiction story. Of the front of the book you can find a quote: Everyone needs a guardian angel and I hope we all do.

The Many Signs of Dance :: essays research papers

The many signs of Dance "To learn the language of dance, one must perform." That quote is taken from C. Nicholas Johnson, director of dance. In the following paper, I will review the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theater performance that took place April 8-9 at 7:30. I will be reviewing Friday nights performance. As C. Nicholas Johnson said, "In doing so, we hope to encourage personal growth beyond the art itself. Ever since I heard about the Spring Dance Concert, I was very excited to go and be part of that. For some reason that night I thought I was going to be seeing a Ballet concert. So when the first piece came on "Dear Me" choreographed by Cheyla Cabrales, I was in for a real shock. Soloist Stephanie Davis started the show out with a very modern dance, by doing all her moves by simply sitting in a chair. The audience was then surprised with a outburst of dancers right beside them. All over the room there were breaths that were taken at the same time and complete surround dancing. I enjoyed this piece not just for the uniqueness, but for the music and the openness affect it had on me and the audience. The second piece, "Warfaring" choreographed by Janice Garrett, was much more different from the first piece. It was much more brighter, the girls wore green dresses, and the music was fiddles and guitars. It involved 4 dancers, but it seemed like more because they were doing so much work throughout the movement. I liked this piece, it made me smile, because the girls had smiles on their faces as they were dancing. They looked as if they could have danced all day and be completely satisfied. The third piece "Inside Out" choreographed by Nick Johnson, was one of my favorites. "To all my female dance majors...I understand!" That was the quote that was under the piece's title. In my head I was thinking that this was probably going to be a slow emotional dance with soft music. But instead it was very humorous. Nick Johnson was half a women and half a man. The costume was perfect, it was literally haft women and half man. I thought of the act as a "dating" scene. The man being all nervous and wanting the women, but the women showing that she likes him, but making sure he knows that she is in charge.

Spain’s Golden Age Essay

Spain was at its most glorious stately topographic point in the seventeenth Century. at the clip when Miguel de Cervantes wrote his authoritative novel. â€Å"com/english-4-b-calpac/">Don Quixote† . The state had established its settlements all over the universe. commanding Mexico. Peru. Cuba. the Americas. and even traveling every bit far as Asia. in the Philippines. Silver and gold poured in to catapult Spain in economic and political luster. doing it the world’s world power at that clip. Historians call this period the aureate age of Spain. However. it was besides during this glorious epoch that Spain had ruthlessly suffered its inevitable licking. the most popular of which is the devastation of the Spanish armada in 1588. by English forces. Because of this. the state found itself in an untypical. conflicting period. a period wherein a new age was lifting to the surface. a period wherein the state was suspended between magnificence and debasement. While the cause of Spain’s diminution is problematic. one thing is historically certain: its male monarchs were holding problem with pull offing the huge districts. and legion counter events. like the pestilence in Castille that claimed many Spanish lives. contributed to the country’s saddening destiny. Catholicism. Spain’s dominant faith was besides on the diminution. spurring struggles against other faiths like Islam and Protestantism. stemming from the campaigns in earlier history. These notable historical happenings are apparent in â€Å"Don Quixote† . since the novel illustrates the extremely diverse Spanish sociological and political experience at that clip. However. it is Cervantes’ personal experience. sociological and political. that serves as the most powerful beginning of the novel. It contains elements in analogue with the novelist’s ain life ; for case. the Algerian plagiarists looking on the Spanish seashore. the Moors being exiled. the Spanish captives neglecting to get away are similar events in Cervantes’ ain life. Spain: The seventeenth Century Superpower Page 04 The sociological and political construction of seventeenth Century Spain had a direct. powerful influence in the authorship of Spain’s authoritative aureate novel. The Romances: Spain’s seventeenth Century Literary Tradition The dominant literary tradition in this â€Å"golden age† was the knightly love affairs. Spain’s Arts and Humanities were loaded with popular Hagiographas of knights continuing gallantry. The chief characters of these narratives and poetries were knights who set out protecting and salvaging those who are weak. who go from one topographic point to another to make good workss. The love affairs contained melodramatic tones and overdone heroic efforts that the emotions illustrated seemed to be excessively sentimental. and the events portrayed seemed to be excessively heroically impossible. The chief character of the fresh â€Å"Don Quixote. † was besides a knight who set out to salvage people. but he was portrayed in a humourous visible radiation. and his escapades were played out in such a pathetic manner that it was clear the novel is a lampoon. a jeer of the knightly love affairs so popular in Cervantes’ clip. The novel. in this context. was a vituperative commentary of the literary tradition of the love affairs. The upholding of knightly ideals in the novel. nevertheless. produced another commentary on Spain’s seventeenth century literary tradition. this one being rather positive. Cervantes was careful non to assault the codification of gallantry because he himself believed in it. The ideals may be communicated in a humourous mode. and through a humourous character. but the message was quite apparent: the belief in knightly ideals is ne'er incorrect. â€Å"Don Quixote† was a novel that educated its readers at the clip when they most needed such an direction. The diminution of Spain was evident. and yet its literati favored romantic literature which subscribed to impossible efforts and overdone Spain’s Golden Age Page 05 characters. The broad credence and phenomenal success of â€Å"Don Quixote† merely proved that Spain’s literary market genuinely appreciated the enlightenment provided by Cervantes. Springboard for the Novel. â€Å"Don Quixote† The historical context and the literary civilization of Spain in the seventeenth century served as major prompters for the authorship of â€Å"Don Quixote. † We can clearly see that Miguel de Cervantes was greatly influenced by the sociological. political and literary conditions in his clip that he incorporated and used these real-life elements in his novel. Cervantes relied on his societal and political experience to bring forth a literary work that reverberates with sociological and political subjects. subjects which are in perfect consonant rhyme with his real-life scene. Spain’s double status of magnificence and debasement in his clip prompted Cervantes to research the subjects of human individuality and morality. supplying a commentary on the societal mores. More significantly. the novel is rich with historical influences. of events that really happened in seventeenth century Spain. The literary civilization of seventeenth century Spain. on the other manus. played a cardinal function in the authorship of â€Å"Don Quixote. † for really obvious grounds. The knightly love affairs popular at that clip made the novel an interesting. extremist read because it departs from its expression. The characters. Don Quixote and his loyal squire Sancho Panza. embody the knightly ideals upheld by the love affairs. but they besides destroy the image of the impossibly heroic knight by being humourous imitations of gallantry. Furthermore. their pathetic escapades make a jeer of the overdone heroic efforts portrayed in the love affairs. These influences are strongly pronounced in the text of â€Å"Don Quixote† thereby turn outing that Miguel de Cervantes was a author who used his aureate age experience to compose a aureate novel. Spain’s Golden Age Page 06 References Barrio. J. F. ( 2007 ) . The aureate century. Si. Spain. Retrieved November 17. 2007 from SiSpain. org. & lt ; /http: //www. sispain. org/english/language/golden. html/ & gt ; Phillips. B. and Davidson. S. ( 2007 ) . SparkNote on Don Quixote. Retrieved November 17. 2007 from cgi. sparknotes. com. & lt ; /http: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/donquixote/ & gt ; .

Affordable Care Act and Its Controversies

On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA); this date is when the growing debate began. The Affordable Care Act is also commonly known as Obamacare. A large issue between the opposing sides is the future of small business under this bill. â€Å"Many small businesses are going to be absolutely crushed by the provisions in Obamacare that require them to provide expensive health insurance coverage for their employees.† (Snyder, Michael) â€Å"3.2 million small businesses — employing 19.3 million workers nationwide — were eligible last year for tax credits worth $15.4 billion or $800 per employee.† (LOLGOP)These separate articles counteract each other, one claiming that small business is doomed while the other promises a happy future for small business. Another issue between the sides is the fact that neither has a full grasp of the bill and therefore only builds their opinions upon what they like versus dislike of the provisions. T his debate seems to be based between Republicans, who are stereotypically anti-Obamacare and Democrats, who are stereotypically pro-Obamacare. This essay will use different sources to describe the largest provisions and the varying stances on these provisions between the two sides.In Snyder’s article he destroys the ACA and shouts the predetermined catastrophic problems America faces with the ACA. His article is entitled â€Å"15 Reasons Why The Obamacare Decision Is A Mind Blowing Disaster For America.† Through this article, Snyder lists reasons as to why the ACA is a poor decision. Quotes from this article include the likes of, â€Å"It is hard to have any faith in the U.S. Supreme Court,† and â€Å"Supreme Court that is dominated by judges that have very little respect for the U.S. Constitution.†Snyder’s article lists reasons ranging from governmental power, new taxes, and possibly most extreme: decrease in life expectancy in the United States. Finally, this article ends on the note that â€Å"Obamacare will add more than a trillion dollars to government spending over the next decade. Considering the fact that the U.S. government is already drowning in debt, how in the world can we afford this?† The largest issue that people have with the bill is the mandate, which was described by Reddit poster CaspianX2 in a comment thread.The rough description of the mandate is that  it requires a person to have healthcare, and if any person who can afford healthcare chooses not to have it, they can be fined. The Supreme Court tested the constitutionality and through changing the words around a bit, the Court declared it constitutional. (CaspianX2) The biggest anti-Obamacare points include: the increase in governmental strength, the new taxes upon the American people it will impose, the mandate, and governmental spending.â€Å"A Harvard study found that 45,000 Americans die every year for lack of insurance.† (LOLGOP) Thi s shows that though the individual mandate is debated, it shows the pro-ACA viewpoint saves American lives. This article on eclectablog.com gave 18 reasons as to why the ACA is an achievement for the middle class. The healthcare reform puts a vast construct on the changes of insurance companies themselves. â€Å"Insurance companies can no longer cap the dollar amount of care you can receive in a lifetime,† and, â€Å"Health care insurers will no longer be allowed to charge women more than men for their coverage,† are two examples of the changes insurance companies will be facing with this bill.This bill makes insurance more accessible for more people, as the same eclectablog.com article states, â€Å"Up to 30 million Americans who are currently not insured will be covered, saving thousands of American lives.† (LOLGOP) A different article by Joshua Holland, titled â€Å"Up to 30 million Americans who are currently not insured will be covered, saving thousands of American lives,† highlights the concept that people can build different opinions of the bill, depending on how much they know about it. This article offers 10 things the common person may not know about the Affordable Care Act ranging from, the richest Americans will be paying more taxes, to how this bill benefits women, to people getting checks to help pay for their insurance. This article offers these points in a positive-bias perspective.Holland discusses how people with an income over a certain amount will be having a higher tax rate, rather than the lower-than-average rate they have now. This bill, similarly to the article by LOLGOP on eclectablog.com speaks to the idea that insurers can no longer charge women higher than men. Those with an income lower than a certain mark will be getting tax credits and subsidies to help pay for their insurance, is another point of Holland’s in this article. The largest pro-Obamacare points include: the newly regulated equality b etween insurers charging men and  women the same price, the raising or lowering of taxes depending on income, and how much more accessible healthcare is going to be with this bill.Many of the controversies between the sides seem to cancel each other out, where one side says something, and the other says something that directly refutes it. An example of this is with the effect the bill will have on young people. In an article by Brian Klonoski entitled, â€Å"13 Reasons Why Obamacare Sucks So Far,† he states, â€Å"Obamacare is more formally known as The Affordable Care Act, so it should make healthcare more affordable, right? Well, sorta. It definitely makes healthcare more affordable for some people, but it also raises premiums for others — most notably, young, healthy Americans.†In a different article, by Todd Essig, he discusses why Obamacare is good for the young and healthy. The three reasons he lists are as follows: they will have health insurance should catastrophe strike, they’ll get prescriptions for routine care, and they’ll have more skin in the game of self-care. (Essig)Both sides of healthcare reform has extremist opinions, one being that of the tea-party conservatives and the other that of the radical liberals. However, not republicans are anti-ACA and not all democrats are pro-ACA; though, most do fit the stereotype. Whether a person is anti-ACA or pro-ACA, they should learn the in-and-out of the bill, and not just pick and choose which issues to argue and make decisions about. Doing that will lead to well-rounded opinions and eventually, decisions made on this largely debated healthcare reform.

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck Early Career Born at Biebrich, Germany, Ludwig Beck received a traditional education before entering the German Army in 1898 as a cadet. Rising through the ranks, Beck was recognized as a gifted officer and was tapped for staff service. With the outbreak of World War I, he was assigned to the Western Front where he spent the conflict as a staff officer. With the German defeat in 1918, Beck was retained in the small postwar Reichswehr. Continuing to advance, he later received command of the 5th Artillery Regiment. Becks Rise to Prominence In 1930, while in this assignment, Beck came to the defense of three of his officers who were charged with distributing Nazi propaganda on post. As membership in political parties was forbidden by Reichswehr regulations, the three men faced a court-martial. Angered, Beck passionately spoke on behalf of his men arguing that the Nazis were a force for good in Germany and that officers should be able to join the party. In the course of the trials, Beck met and impressed Adolf Hitler. Over the next two years, he worked to write a new operations manual for the Reichswehr entitled Truppenfà ¼hrung. The work earned Beck a great deal of respect and he was given command of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1932 along with a promotion to lieutenant general. Eager to see German prestige and power returned to prewar levels, Beck celebrated the Nazi ascent to power in 1933 stating, I have wished for years for the political revolution, and now my wishes have come true. It is the first ray of hope since 1918. With Hitler in power, Beck was elevated to lead the Truppenamt (Troop Office) on October 1, 1933. Beck as Chief of Staff As the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the Reichswehr from having a General Staff, this office served as a shadow organization that fulfilled a similar function. In this role, Beck worked to rebuild the German military and pushed to develop new armored forces. As German rearmament moved forward, he was officially titled Chief of the General Staff in 1935. Working an average of ten hours a day, Beck was known as an intelligent officer, but one that often became obsessed by administrative details. A political player, he worked to expand his posts power and sought the ability to directly advise the Reich leadership. Though he believed that Germany should fight a major war or series of war to restore its place as a power in Europe, he felt that these should not occur until the military was fully prepared. Despite this, he strongly backed Hitlers move to reoccupy the Rhineland in 1936. As the 1930s progressed, Beck became increasingly concerned that Hitler would force a conflict before the military was ready. As a result, he initially refused to write plans for the invasion of Austria in May 1937 as he felt it would provoke a war with Britain and France. Falling Out with Hitler When the Anschluss failed to cause international protest in March 1938, he quickly developed the needed plans which were dubbed Case Otto. Though Beck foresaw a conflict to eliminate Czechoslovakia and officially advocated for action in the fall of 1937, he retained worries that Germany was not prepared for a major European war. Not believing Germany could win such a contest prior to 1940, he openly began advocating against a war with Czechoslovakia in May 1938. As the armys senior general, he challenged Hitlers belief that France and Britain would allow Germany a free hand. The relationship between Beck and Hitler rapidly began to deteriorate aided by the latters preference for the Nazi SS over the Wehrmacht. While Beck lobbied against what he believed would be a premature war, Hitler chastised him stating that he was one of the officers still imprisoned in the idea of the hundred-thousand-man army imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Through the summer Beck continued to work to prevent a conflict while also attempting to reorganize the command structure as he felt it was Hitlers advisors that were pushing for war. In an effort to increase pressure on the Nazi regime, Beck attempted to organize a mass resignation of senior Wehrmacht officers and issued instructions on July 29 that as well as preparing for foreign wars the army should be ready for for an internal conflict which need only take place in Berlin. In early August, Beck suggested that several Nazi officials should be removed from power. On the 10th, his arguments against war were relentlessly attacked by Hitler at a meeting of senior generals. Unwilling to continue, Beck, now a colonel general, resigned on August 17. Beck Bringing Down Hitler In exchange for resigning quietly, Hitler had promised Beck a field command but instead had him transferred to the retired list. Working with other anti-war and anti-Hitler officials, such as Carl Goerdeler, Beck and several others began planning to remove Hitler from power. Though they informed the British Foreign Office of their intentions, they were unable to prevent the signing of the Munich Agreement in late September. With the beginning of World War II in September 1939, Beck became a key player in various plots to remove the Nazi regime. From the fall of 1939 through 1941, Beck worked with other anti-Nazi officials such as Goerdeler, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, and Ulrich von Hassell in planning a coup to remove Hitler and make peace with Britain and France. In these scenarios, Beck would be the leader of the new German government. As these plans evolved, Beck was involved in two aborted attempts to kill Hitler with bombs in 1943. The following year, he became a key player, along with Goerdeler and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, in what became known as the July 20 Plot. This plan called for Stauffenberg to kill Hitler with a bomb at the Wolfs Lair headquarters near Rastenburg. Once Hitler was dead, the conspirators would use the German reserve forces to take control of the country and would form a new provisional government with Beck at its head. On July 20, Stauffenberg detonated the bomb but failed to kill Hitler. With the plots failure, Beck was arrested by General Friedrich Fromm. Exposed and with no hope of escape, Beck elected to commit suicide later that day rather than face trial. Using a pistol, Beck fired but only managed to critically injure himself. As a result, a sergeant was forced to finish the job by shooting Beck in the back of the neck. Selected Sources World War II Database: Ludwig BeckJVL: Ludwig BeckGerman Resistance Memorial Center: Ludwig Beck

Buddhist Influence essays

Buddhist Influence essays During the Five Dynasties period, between the fall of the Tang and the beginning of the Song Dynasties (960c.e.), conditions of political and military decline greatly affected Chinese artwork. Many artists began associating much of their artwork to scenic and monumental images in nature. Guo Xi, acclaimed one of the greatest Chinese artists of this style, demonstrated these scenic and monumental images in his hanging scroll painting of Early Spring. Xis use of mist, trees, valleys, waterfalls and depth of an overwhelming mountain, which encompasses the piece, is greatly discussed in many of his writings. These historical writings set the framework for much of Xis scenic images. Although Xis images can only be seen through the creativity of his artwork, his writings explain the methods of creating these lifelike scenes. Some of Xis most important methods of creating lifelike pieces are the visual effect of his paintings, which is eminent in his writings on atmosphere and spatial recession. Xi explains three types of distances high distance, deep distance and level distance- that contribute to the continuity and realistic attributes of Early Spring. He also describes the different techniques of drawing from each distance. Looking from the base of the mountain, which Xi describes as high distance (figure 1.1) the viewer can appreciate the grandeur features of the houses, valleys and mountain above. The clear and bright features of the trees, rocks and water at the base give the viewer a sense of closeness. Deep distance (figure 1.2), which is viewed from the front of the mountain, gives the viewer a glance of the mountain from a distance. The mist in the middle of the piece obscures the intricate details of the houses and covers much of the valley entrance. This method of deep distance accom panied by the obscurity of the mist in relation to surrounding objects; giv ...

Ionic Radius Trends in the Periodic Table

Ionic Radius Trends in the Periodic Table The ionic radius of the elements exhibits trends in the periodic table. In general: Ionic radius increases as you move from top to bottom on the periodic table.Ionic radius decreases as you move across the periodic table, from left to right. Although ionic radius and atomic radius do not mean exactly the same thing, the trend applies to atomic radius as well as to ionic radius. Key Takeaways: Ionic Radius Trend on Periodic Table The ionic radius is half the distance between atomic ions in a crystal lattice. To find the value, ions are treated as if they were hard spheres.The size of an elements ionic radius follows a predictable trend on the periodic table.As you move down a column or group, ionic radius increases. This is because each row adds a new electron shell.Ionic radius decreases moving from left to right across a row or period. More protons are added, but the outer valence shell remains the same, so the positively charged nucleus draws in the electrons more tightly. But, for the nonmetallic elements, ionic radius increases because there are more electrons than protons.While the atomic radius follows a similar trend, ions may be larger or smaller than neutral atoms. Ionic Radius and Group Why does radius increase with higher atomic numbers in a group? As you move down a group in the periodic table, additional layers of electrons are being added, which naturally causes the ionic radius to increase as you move down the periodic table. Ionic Radius and Period It might seem counterintuitive that the size of an ion would decrease as you add more protons, neutrons, and electrons in a period, yet, theres an explanation for this. As you move across a row of period of the periodic table, the ionic radius decreases for metals forming cations, as the metals lose their outer electron orbitals. The ionic radius increases for nonmetals as the effective nuclear charge decreases due to the number of electrons exceeding the number of protons. Ionic Radius and Atomic Radius The ionic radius is different from the atomic radius of an element. Positive ions are smaller than their uncharged atoms. Negative ions are larger than their neutral atoms. Sources Pauling, L. The Nature of the Chemical Bond. 3rd ed. Cornell University Press, 1960.Wasastjerna, J. A. On the radii of ions.  Comm. Phys.-Math., Soc. Sci. Fenn.  vol. 1, no. 38, pp. 1–25, 1923.

Hedgehog concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hedgehog concept - Essay Example ls (family) conducted their business, the respect that they commanded, and the success that came with their leadership provoked my clandestine passion of becoming a leader at whatever capacity of the society. Later I came to discover from whatever small capacity I was given opportunity to lead, I did it diligently to an extent that I realized the passion was beyond inspiration and just in-born. The desire to excel drives my economy. I want to be in a better economic position than I hold at present through better leadership. The success that come with or will come with my good leadership skills is what drives my economical wheel. I am superb in penmanship. My genetic ability is more on authorship. I have more of article writing that have received a lot of acclaims and positive comment. I have not yet fully exploited my inborn ability. In the event that I focus on it and put more energy on it, I have a feeling that it can be best done and in a profitable way. I have focused more on my passion and given a blind eye to my in born ability that came naturally without the influence of people that surround me. Ironically, I have a feeling that Im not that good in writing since the positive comments after penning a piece of article from my friends they are the one that make me feel that I good in the world of authorship. My first step in moving forward is doing something that relates to my passion and skills. I should stop being persuaded by my passion and instead put more effort in making what I can do best in great heights. This particular step can be achieved in a number of ways. The only thing to be known on this scenario is to focus from being good to greatness. One way to achieve this goal is to concentrate on field of penmanship since it where I am good already (Collins 25). I should put concerted effort to improve my strength other than to concentrate on my passion where I am likely to be weak. It will take more energies to better my weakness where my passion is

Performance Management And Reward System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Performance Management And Reward System - Essay Example A lot of organisation managers neglect these important performance management functions since they are terribly time overwhelming and need some competent skills. However, that should not be a barrier. There are lots nice; reasonable performance management applications offered that automates the full method, and even offer tools that help to create it and make it easier to align goals, write feedback and select development activities. Grouping package is one amongst the leading suppliers; however there are many others as well.Reward systems will and sometimes do have associate influence on the effectiveness of structure modification efforts. Once the impact of a modification program on the reward system is not taken into consideration, the reward system will become a crucial impediment to people accepting the modification. On the opposite hand, once the reward system is taken into account and made a part of the modification strategy, it will create a positive contribution to a modific ation effort. It is exactly due to the general nature of organizations that nearly any modification effort has implications for the reward system.The capability of the employees is improved through motivation and rewarding hard work. For an organisation to retain motivated workers and achieve high performance there should be development programs which has motivational reward strategies and challenging work. This will enhance career development and progressive job satisfaction.

Business plan outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business plan outline - Assignment Example With Eglinton Avenue being a major road that joins various municipalities, the shop would form a quick drop by joint for travelers and other residents of Midtown Toronto, who are interested in sportswear, especially the young and active, and athletes. The lease rate that I am working with is that of $22.64 per square foot, with restoration provisions requiring a payable cost of $6 per square foot at completion of the lease. This is in view of the current 21 percent average rentals rate for properties of class A, B, and C (Dalglish, 2012). With my business dealing mostly with athletic shoes, the market holds great potential for me as a quarter of the total sales made in shoes within the entire Canada come from athletics shoes. In 2013, the total sale of athletics shoes around the entire country was a $1.3 billion (NPD Group, 2014). The major competitors that Chic&Fun has include Shoeland Discount Store and Foot Solutions, both of which are located along Eglinton Avenue and have annual revenue of $75,456 and $275,690 respectively. Nevertheless, given that I have my shoe production company, I would reduce the cost of production to offer quality shoes at a lower price than my competitors so as to attract more customers and gain a large market share. Given that Chic&Fun will put in a stock of $50,000 in its first year, with a markup of 50% employed on all the products, and assuming that all the products will be sold, then the sales forecast is as below. To protect my business property from any liability, I will seek insurance coverage for corporate liability and property insurance, all of which would sum up to a total of $5000. This would protect my business from any lawsuits. The business will offer different brands of shoes of varying sizes and quality, according to the consumer affordability. The Store’s point of different will include offering the products at reduced cost, given that I have a company that produces the shoes;

Cancer Pain in End of Life Cancer Patients Essay

Cancer Pain in End of Life Cancer Patients - Essay Example This will be considered a supplementary strategy to the existing official request process. I will also need support from my peers particularly in project review and data collection. I will also need to describe the significance of the project to my peers in order to win their support. Current Problem/ Deficit Pain treatment is a significant aspect in the end of life care. Different people develop different pain symptoms and hence the need for differentiated pain management strategies. Unfortunately, the current pain management strategies concentrate on pain symptoms rather than the source of pain. For example, a doctor will concentrate on symptoms of pain such as headache and backache, rather than the actual cause of the pain. The second issue relates to the definition and scope of pain. The mainstream pain management strategies underestimate the significance of other dimensions of pain such as social and spiritual pain. A comprehensive pain management strategy needs to incorporate t he other aspects of pain. The project proposes a standardized scale to assess pain, using four basic approaches to pain relief, which include: modify the source(s) of pain(s), alter the central perception of pain, modulate transmission of pain to the central nervous system and block transmission of pain to the central nervous system (Ferrel, Levy and Paice, 2008, p.577). Moreover the project proposes an interdisciplinary intervention integrating â€Å"physical, physiological, social and spiritual well-being of the patient so that the patient experiences comfort and dignity at the end of life. The process will involve counseling and use of pain relieving medication. Medication is primarily intended to relieve physiological pain without inflicting additional... The paper throws light on pain treatment as a significant aspect in the end of life care. Different people develop different pain symptoms and hence the need for differentiated pain management strategies. Unfortunately, the current pain management strategies concentrate on pain symptoms rather than the source of pain. For example, a doctor will concentrate on symptoms of pain such as headache and backache, rather than the actual cause of the pain. The second issue relates to the definition and scope of pain. The mainstream pain management strategies underestimate the significance of other dimensions of pain such as social and spiritual pain. A comprehensive pain management strategy needs to incorporate the other aspects of pain. The project proposes a standardized scale to assess pain, using four basic approaches to pain relief, which include: modify the source(s) of pain(s), alter the central perception of pain, modulate transmission of pain to the central nervous system and block t ransmission of pain to the central nervous system. Moreover the project proposes an interdisciplinary intervention integrating â€Å"physical, physiological, social and spiritual well-being of the patient so that the patient experiences comfort and dignity at the end of life. The process will involve counseling and use of pain relieving medication. Medication is primarily intended to relieve physiological pain without inflicting additional complications on the patient.

Working With the UA Recycling Club Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Working With the UA Recycling Club - Essay Example In that bid, waste bins shall be placed in the University and they shall be clearly marked so as to distinguish the kind of waste that goes in. As such, there will be a single waste bin that only collects waste paper only. When the waste bins are full, the waste paper shall be collected in a bigger waste paper container. From there, it shall be taken to the recycling plant so as to be recycled to new re-usable paper. This project may take as long as it can since paper is a commodity that is used day in day out in the University. As such, waste paper is a product that shall be collected on a daily basis from the strategically placed waste paper bins.  The costs to be incurred shall mostly be on the purchase of waste paper bins which shall indeed be different from the other waste bins. The funding shall most probably come from the University as this is a school based initiative.  The recycling of paper ensures and guarantees a sustainable environment. This is due to the reason that trees would not be cut down so as to produce products such as paper. In that sense, the environment that we live in will be safer from: The emissions of Green House Gases (GHG) such as Carbon dioxide and Methane that pollute the air; Climate changes that lead to extreme floods, extreme winds and extreme sun rays.  This project proposal seeks to create awareness on the importance of recycling paper to the students i nstead of throwing it away as trash.  

FEDEX (1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

FEDEX (1) - Essay Example Due to this expansion, the companies under this corporation have dominated information and the transport industry globally. However, the able leadership and management have fuelled this since its inception (Gilbert, 2012). The corporation specializes in offering transport and logistics services globally. It ensures delivery of all parcels and services all over the world. When it comes to its market segmentation, the corporation mainly majors with all businesses that require their courier services. For example, different embassies representing different countries all over the world require their services. Mostly, it mainly transports their stationery, eBay among other office supplies (FedEx, 2013). The corporation’s target market globally is the business people or companies who require their packages to arrive at the next destination within 24 hours. With its cargo fleets, the corporation has always satisfied the needs of their clients in a competitive global market. The corporation offers different services globally. Firstly, its FedEx express service ensures that the package arrives at its expected destination within 24 hours. This is an international service where the corporation uses it fleet of aircrafts or freights from other airlines, which offer delivery services all over the world. Secondly, the corporation offers FedEx ground (FedEx, 2013). This is a less expensive service that ensures same day delivery of different packages in Canada and the US. To deliver this, the corporation uses it trucks, which are owned by different operators within different states. Therefore, the company partners with them to ensure delivery of services to their high esteem clients in the country. Most of these partners are independent contractors who specialize in different routes and territories within the country. The corporation also offers home delivery services in the country. This service is normally

Working With the UA Recycling Club Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Working With the UA Recycling Club - Essay Example In that bid, waste bins shall be placed in the University and they shall be clearly marked so as to distinguish the kind of waste that goes in. As such, there will be a single waste bin that only collects waste paper only. When the waste bins are full, the waste paper shall be collected in a bigger waste paper container. From there, it shall be taken to the recycling plant so as to be recycled to new re-usable paper. This project may take as long as it can since paper is a commodity that is used day in day out in the University. As such, waste paper is a product that shall be collected on a daily basis from the strategically placed waste paper bins.  The costs to be incurred shall mostly be on the purchase of waste paper bins which shall indeed be different from the other waste bins. The funding shall most probably come from the University as this is a school based initiative.  The recycling of paper ensures and guarantees a sustainable environment. This is due to the reason that trees would not be cut down so as to produce products such as paper. In that sense, the environment that we live in will be safer from: The emissions of Green House Gases (GHG) such as Carbon dioxide and Methane that pollute the air; Climate changes that lead to extreme floods, extreme winds and extreme sun rays.  This project proposal seeks to create awareness on the importance of recycling paper to the students i nstead of throwing it away as trash.  

Business Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Business Law - Case Study Example (II) The federal statute to protect endangered bird species could be challenged in US District Court located in Minnesota, and the Missouri state statute about toxic-carrying vehicles could be challenged at the Circuit Court of Missouri, while the one dealing with interracial couples could be challenged at Circuit Court of Missouri (Family branch). (III) The argument against the Federal Statute to protect endangered birds would be that the State of Minnesota has not enacted any laws against using the area for construction purposes; the argument against Missouri state statutes would be that the US Constitution (which is the last legally binding documents for US citizens) doesn’t enforce such requirements. (I) Ralph can either lodge his case at Nevada Supreme Court or use the US District Court in Nevada. These two courts have the constitutional powers to hear the litigation instituted by Ralph against Drug-Free Enterprises for breaching the contractual agreement between them (Clarkson et al., 2008). (ii) Addressing the issue of jurisdiction authority, Nevada Supreme Court has the Constitutional authority to hear the case because Drug-Free Enterprises is incorporated in its jurisdiction. With similar reason, the US Constitution has statutes that handle the issue of breach of commercial contracts. And since all states in America are legally bound by the US Constitution (under the jurisdiction of the federal government), hence the US District Court in Nevada can hear this litigation against Drug-Free Enterprises (Clarkson et al., 2008). (iii) In order for Ralph to win this case, his argument must be presented strongly by invoking the statutes of the Federal Government and the state of Nevada that prohibit the act of contract-breaching. Such laws include Section 235 (2) of the Restatement Second of Contracts and comment (b) to Section 235, which states that inability to performance a contractual duty is a breach of the

Ded na si Lolo Essay Example for Free

Ded na si Lolo Essay We all know that Filipinos are very â€Å"traditional people†. What I mean about this term is that once they already have this certain belief, true-to-life or fictional, they would still have a very strong hold for it. The movie â€Å"Ded na si Lolo† certainly showed that kind of attitude that a Filipino has. The characters of the movie really portrayed well how those myths and beliefs affected our normal way of living. Even though some others will find it strange and impossible to happen, they still continue to do it for an unexplainable reason. There are some beliefs given in the movie that I find feasible and some others are just questionable. For the â€Å"kind of okay† myths, the first one is the â€Å"Don’t wear red during funerals†. For me this is some sort of related to our customs, because as we all know, red is a happy color and of course we should not wear it during the funeral but instead, wear colors representing our sympathy or grief like black or white. Another one is the â€Å"Don’t use the condolence money for ones expenses†. It’s very simple, all people who gave it intended it for the dead one, so don’t abuse. Instead of using it for your luxuries, own budget and the like, use it as a food and snack budget for the visitors, funeral expenses and everything that has relation with the funeral of the person. All of what I’ve stated is not only what I think a belief for us Filipinos but also plain custom and right practice which is humanly. For the questionable myths, there are concepts that I really don’t understand and accept. For me it kinda sounds funny and not humorous at all. First is the â€Å"Do not shower while the wake is going on†. I don’t know what happens if you take a shower during a funeral but if you are the owner of the house and you accommodate every visitor of the wake, just imagine how they will react if you smell and look bad. Same with the no sweeping and cleaning of the house, what would the deceased soul feel if his wake is untidy? It’s just simply a matter of hygiene. These are the least I can remember from the film that I’ve watched. Actually, we also have a lot of myths in our province. This has no relation with the funeral but it is related with the beliefs itself. Like if you are being followed by a dog and you’re afraid of it, just bite your tongue then drag it backwards and suddenly the dog will stop following you. Another one is that when the funeral is already finished, you shall not have leftover food in your house, like the ones being given to the visitors. Instead of keeping it, just give it to strangers or visitors themselves for the last day. They say that it will prevent deaths of other relatives for the same year. I find it some sort of weird and I have no choice but to follow it because I don’t want my mother or grandparents to get mad at me if I don’t believe them. I admit that I’m also afraid of what the outcomes would be so I just obey them rather than have regrets if it happens. All in all, I think that without these kinds of myths, we’ll not have our identity as Filipinos. It’s already part of our culture and way of living. Even though you find them silly at times, instead of being annoyed, just try to smile and follow the flow. It just shows how Filipinos are loyal and faithful to their beliefs. And I know that most of these myths are not for fun or anything, it’s how we express our much respect towards matters.

Analysis of the Healthcare Reform Act

Analysis of the Healthcare Reform Act According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the Health policy broadly describes actions taken by governments national, state, and local to advance the publics health. It is not a single action but requires a range of legislative and regulatory efforts ranging from ensuring air and water quality to supporting cancer research. Health care policy deals with the organization, financing and delivery of health care services. This includes training of health professionals, overseeing the safety of drugs and medical devices, administering public programs like Medicare and regulating private health insurance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010). This analysis covers the federal statute enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was designed to help families across the states gain access to quality, affordable health care. Many countries integrate a human rights viewpoint when creating their health care policies. The World Health Organization reports that every country in the world is party to at least one human rights treaty that addresses health-related rights, including the right to health as well as other rights that relate to conditions necessary for good health (World Health Organization, 2012). The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) asserts that medical care is a right of all people (The United Nations, 2012). UDHR Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, and housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Health care reform in the United States has a long history. In 1900 the American Medical Association (AMA) became a powerful national force. By 1910 the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL) organized the first national conference on social insurance. Liberal activists argued for health insurance. In the 1930s the Depression changed priorities, placing more importance on unemployment insurance and old age benefits. The Social Security Act was passed, omitting health insurance. By the 1940s prepaid group healthcare began and was seen as radical. During the 2nd World War, wage and price controls were placed on American employers. To compete for workers, companies began to offer health care benefits, this employer-based system in place today. President Roosevelt asked Congress for economic bill of rights, including the right to adequate medical care. President Truman offered national health program plan, recommending a single system that would include all of American society . Trumans plan was criticized by the American Medical Association (AMA), and is called a Communist plot by a House subcommittee. In the 1950s, hospital care cost doubled. In the early 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. President Richard Nixon renamed health care plans to health maintenance organizations (HMOs), with regulations that provided federal endorsement, certification, and assistance. American medicine was viewed as being in a state of emergency. President Nixons plan for national health insurance was rejected by liberals labor unions. In the 80s Corporations began to integrate the hospital system (previously a decentralized structure), consolidating control. Healthcare shifted toward privatization and corporatizations. In 1986 Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed into law COBRA, an option that former workers could stay on the company health care plan for 18 months after leaving a job, although the former employee would pay for the coverage. In 1988 prescription drug benefit and catastrophic care coverage was added to Medicare; Congress repealed the law the next year. Under President Reagan, Medicare moved to payments for diagnosiss (DRG) rather than for treatment received. Health care costs increased at double the rate of inflation. Federal health care reform legislation failed passage for a second time in the U.S. Congress. By the end of the decade there were 44 million Americans, which was 16 % of the nation, with no health insurance at all. With a fresh era and Health care costs are on the upsurge again. Medicare is viewed by some as unmentionable under the current organization and must be rescued (Associated press, 2012). After years of unsuccessful attempts by a series of Democratic presidents and a year of bitter partisan struggle, President Obama signed legislation on March 23, 2010, to overhaul the nations health care system and guarantee access to medical insurance for tens of millions of Americans. The Affordable Care Act seeks to extend insurance to more than 30 million people, primarily by expanding Medicaid and providing federal subsidies to help lower- and middle-income Americans buy private coverage. It will create insurance exchanges for those buying individual policies and prohibit insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions. To reduce the soaring cost of Medicare, it creates a panel of experts to limit government reimbursement to only those treatments shown to be effective, and creates incentives for providers to bundle services rather than charge by individual procedure. (Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, 2010) According to research done by the New York Times the law will cost the government about $938 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which has also estimated that it will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over a decade (Andrews, 2012). One feature of the Affordable Health Care Act is that insurance companies including all exchange plans will provide adequate benefits to their enrollees. The essential health benefits package will define the minimum set of benefits that new health plans must offer for private market individual and small group plans as well as for Medicaid enrollees in benchmark coverage and those covered by state Basic Health Programs. Many expected the Department of Health and Human Services to outline the services to be included in essential health benefits package; instead it specified that each state would select the package that best meets the needs of children and families (Merles, M. 2005). Essential health benefits (Ebbs) are the least amount benefits that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires to be offered by non-grandfathered health plans in the individual and small group markets. Section 1302 of the ACA identifies the requirements for the essential health benefits. This approach allows states have the discretion to choose a benchmark set of benefits from among the existing health plans. Section 1302 also establishes some specific guidelines in defining the Ebbs. Benefits may not be designed in ways that discriminate against individuals because of their age, disability, or expected length of life and are required to take into account the health care needs of diverse segments of the population, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and other groups.(Touschner, 2011) EHB packages must include benefit protections established in other parts of the ACA, including parity for mental health services and preventive services offered at no cost to enrollees. For infants, children, and adolescents, the preventive services requirement incorporates the services recommended in the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures initiative (Touschner, 2011). The need for adequate Childrens benefits is critical due to their constant development and growth. Children have need of health services that are different than adults, which includes preventive screenings depending on their age and development stage. Childrens growing bodies may also require long-lasting medical equipment (like wheelchairs) on a more frequent schedule than adults. In its Scope of Health Care Benefits for Children policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines the services that are essential for children. (Scope of health, 2012) For many years, Americans have paid the price for policies that have allowed insurance companies to place barriers between them and their doctors, dropping their coverage for sickness, and discriminating against anyone for pre-existing conditions. Mississippi has one of the nations highest percentages (63.2 percent) of uninsured people who would qualify for Medicaid under the expansion in the United States (Kaiser 2010). The Affordable Care Act gives middle-class and low income families in Mississippi the health insurance coverage they deserve. The new health care law dictates that insurance companies are to play by the rules, they can no longer drop coverage if you get sick, sending you into bankruptcy because you have met your annual or lifetime limit, but most importantly they cannot discriminate against anyone with a pre-existing condition (U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, 2010). It is now mandated that health plans allow parents to maintain coverage of their children who are under the age of 26 and without insurance on their jobs. Resulting from this provision, As of December 2011, 37,000 young adults in Mississippi now have insurance which is included in 3.1 million young people nationwide. The health care law includes Medicare prescription drug coverage benefits which have made prescriptions more affordable. In 2010, a $250 rebate was given to 34,604 people with Medicare in Mississippi who had hit the prescription drug donut hole. In 2011, they began receiving a 50 percent discount on covered brand-name drugs and a discount on generic drugs (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Since the law was enacted, residents with Medicare in Mississippi have saved a total of $41,809,338 on their prescription drugs. As a result of the discounts people are saving $591 per year and a total savings of $11,732,360 in Mississippi in 2012. It is projected by 2020; the law will close the donut hole. Last year (2011) 330,017 people with Medicare in Mississippi received free preventive services or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Approximately 47 million women, including 381,704 in Mississippi now have guaranteed access to additional preventive services without cost-sharing. Under the new health care law, insurance companies must provide consumers greater value by spending generally at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health care and quality improvements or they must provide consumers a rebate or reduce premiums. This means that 51,744 Mississippi residents with private insurance coverage will benefit from $10,122,532 in rebates from insurance companies this year which will average to $329 for the 30,800 families in Mississippi covered by a policy. Under the new law Mississippi has received $4,783,208 to help fight arbitrary premium increases. As of August 2012, 317 previously uninsured residents of Mississippi who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Mississippi has received $21,143,618 in grants for research, planning, information technology development, and implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Since 2010, Mississippi has received $5,200,000 in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. This new fund was created to support effective policies in Mississippi, its communities, and nationwide so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). In Mississippi, there are 21 health centers providing preventive and primary health care services to 324,046 people from183 different sites. These health centers have received $49,784,983 under the Affordable Care Act to support the operations and establishments of new health center sites. Mississippi was granted $4,100,000 for school-based health centers, to help clinics expand and provide more health care services such as screenings to students and $3,100,000 for Maternal, Infa nt, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a childs health, development, and ability to learn such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). The Patient Protection and affordable care Act (PPACA) will be implemented in a span of the next four years. The law includes an increase of the number of persons who are eligible to Medicaid; the government will reward discount of insurance premiums, for businesses providing health insurance. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or claims because of the health history of any person. With the Patient Protection and affordable care Act all Americans will have the security of knowing that they dont have to worry about losing coverage if theyre laid off or change jobs. Insurance companies now have to cover preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings. The new law also makes a momentous investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies. Although this healthcare plan comes with its own costs, they will be covered by the taxes that will be imposed on the wealthy. Individuals who choose not to have insurance will be penalized with a tax fee as a way of encouraging every member in society to have insurance and this will be as a source of income to offset the plans cost. This was a great step towards ensuring a good healthcare for all the people of the US regardless of whether they are insured or not. There are several classes of people living in the US, who do not have access to insurance. These people range from illegal immigrants to others who see insurance as very expensive and cant afford to pay for insurance. The number of uninsured Americans is estimated to be 32 million today but after the PPACA was signed in to law the number is expected to decline considerably to about 23 million. Most of the uninsured people are drawn from illegal immigrants because they are not eligible to obtain insurance while they are resi ding in the US. Poor and middle class persons and their families also tend to go without insurance. (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies 2010 available online) The Affordable Care Act was specifically designed to give States the resources and flexibility they need to tailor their approach to their distinctive needs and to help families across the country gain access to quality, affordable health care. The Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the health care they deserve by keeping health care costs low, encouraging prevention, and making insurance companies accountable.

A Midsummer Nights Dream - A Feminist Perspective Essay example -- Fe

A Feminist Perspective of A Midsummer Night's Dream  Ã‚        Ã‚   At age fifteen, my hormones went wild and I threw myself at every boy in the neighborhood.   Although I didn’t go all the way, I offered as much flesh as I dared. If the suburbs can create such sexual angst, imagine the lust stirred by moonlight, fairies, and a warm midsummer night. In   Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena represents the frenzy of young love when fueled by rejection and driven to masochistic extremes.    As the lovers sink deeper into the fantasy world of starlit woods, the Greek virtue of moderation disappears. Emotions intensify to a melodramatic pitch. Helena, in particular, plunges to a primitive and desperate level of passion. She pleads for attention from the "hardhearted adamant" Demetrius (II. i. 195). Teenage vulnerability, virginal desire, and an adolescent crush combine with the romance of an unobtainable object. Demetrius' hostility only strengthens Helena's willingness to degrade herself.    Shakespeare chooses language of pain and humiliation to express Hele... A Midsummer Night's Dream - A Feminist Perspective Essay example -- Fe A Feminist Perspective of A Midsummer Night's Dream  Ã‚        Ã‚   At age fifteen, my hormones went wild and I threw myself at every boy in the neighborhood.   Although I didn’t go all the way, I offered as much flesh as I dared. If the suburbs can create such sexual angst, imagine the lust stirred by moonlight, fairies, and a warm midsummer night. In   Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena represents the frenzy of young love when fueled by rejection and driven to masochistic extremes.    As the lovers sink deeper into the fantasy world of starlit woods, the Greek virtue of moderation disappears. Emotions intensify to a melodramatic pitch. Helena, in particular, plunges to a primitive and desperate level of passion. She pleads for attention from the "hardhearted adamant" Demetrius (II. i. 195). Teenage vulnerability, virginal desire, and an adolescent crush combine with the romance of an unobtainable object. Demetrius' hostility only strengthens Helena's willingness to degrade herself.    Shakespeare chooses language of pain and humiliation to express Hele...

Intellectual Property Rights: Copyright and Patent

Term Paper: Intellectual Property Rights: Copyright and Patent BY Indra2002 Term Paper: Intellectual Property Rights: Copyright and Patent Copyrights and patents hold a major importance for business owners, and companies. I will discuss in detail what a copyright and patent are and the importance the two of them hold. What is Intellectual Property Rights; it refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce which leads to patents. What is a patent?A patent is an exclusive right ranted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions which are it must be new, inventive, and industrial applicable. Novelty meaning the invention must not e known before you file your application. It does not matter how, by whom or when in the world it has been made known. The invention counts as known even if it is you yourself who has used or published it.Inventive step is meant that the invention must differ significantly from what is already known. The solution must not be obvious to a person skilled in that technical area. That means new ways of combining known methods or objects are not necessarily patentable. Industrial applicability the invention must be industrially applicable. An invention is considered industrially applicable if it can be produced or utilized in any kind of industry but also other activities, such as transport, agriculture, hunting, public services and medical services.What is the purpose ot a patent? A patent provides protection tor the invention to the owner of the patent. The protection is a limited protection time, which is generally 20 years. The type of protection a patent provides is that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed, or sold without the patient owners consent. These patent rights are usually enforced in a court. Why are patents necessary? Patents provide incentivizes to individuals by offering the recognition for their creativity and material reward for their marketable inventions.These incentives encourage innovations which assure that the quality of human life is continuously enhanced. You may ask what rights does a patent owner have, a owner has the right to decide who may -or may not- use the patented invention for the period in which he invention is protected. The patent owner may give permission to or, license, other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms. The owner may also sell the right to someone else, who will become the new owner of the patent.Once a patent expires, the protection ends, and an enters the public domain, which is when the owner no longer holds exclusive rights to the invention and becomes available to commercial exploration by others. Patents are present in every aspect of human life, from electri c lighting (patents held by Edison and Swan) and plastic (patents held by Baekeland), to ballpoint pens (patents held by Biro). What Is Copyright? † What Is Copyright? N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. How is a patent granted?The first step in securing a patent is to file a patent application. The patent application generally contains the title of the invention, as well as an indication of its technical field, it must include the background and a description of the invention, in clear language and enough detail that an individual with average understanding of the field could use or reproduce the invention. Such descriptions are usually accompanied by visual materials such as drawings, plans, or iagrams to better describe the invention.The application also contains various â€Å"claims† that is, information which determines the extent of protection granted by the patent. â€Å"Copyright vs. Trademark vs. Patent. † Copyright vs. Trademark vs. Patent. N. p. , n. d. w eb. 18 Mar. 2013. What kinds of inventions can be protected? An invention must, in general, fulfill the following conditions to be protected by a patient must be of practical use, it must show an element of novelty, that is, some new characteristic which is not known in the body of existing knowledge in its technical field.This body of existing knowledge is called â€Å"prior art†. The invention must show an invention step which could not be deducted by a person with average knowledge of the technical field. Finally, its subject matter must be accepted as â€Å"patentable† under law in many countries, scientific theories, mathematical methods, plant or animal varieties, discoveries of natural substances, commercial methods for medical treatment (as opposed to medical products) are generally not patentable. Who grants a patent?The national patent office or regional office that works with number of countries, such as the European Patent Office and the African Regional In tellectual Property Organization. Under such regional systems, an applicant requests protection for the invention in one or more countries, and each country decides as to whether to offer patent protection within its borders. The WIPO-administered Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) provides for the filing of a single international patent application which has the same ettect as national applications tiled in the designed countries.An applicant seeking protection may file one application and request protection in as many signatory tates as needed. â€Å"What Is Copyright? † What Is Copyright? N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. What is a copyright? A copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U. S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works. What does copyright protect?Copyright, a form of intellectual property law protects original works of authorship including litera ry, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as property, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does ot protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. How is a copyright different from a patent or a trademark? Copyright protects original works of authorship, while a patent protects inventions or discoveries.Ideas and discoveries are not protected by the copyright law, although the way in which they are expressed may be. A trademark protects words, phrases words, symbols, or designs identifying the source of the goods and services of one party and distinguishing them from those of others. When is my work protected? Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Copyright may or may not be available for titles, slogans, or logos, depending on whether they con tain sufficient authorship.In most circumstances copyright does not protect names. Many people may ask why they should register their work if copyright protection is automatic. Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certification of egistration. Registration works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorneys fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered â€Å"prima facie† evidence in a court of law.The United States has copyright relations with most countries throughout the world, and as a result of these agreements, we honor each other's citizens' copyrights. However the United States does not have such copyright relationships with every country. Many creative works protected by copyright require mass distribution, communication and inancial investment for their dissemi nation (for example, publications, sound recordings and films); hence, creators often sell the rights to their works to individuals or companies best able to market the works in return for payment.These payments are often made dependent on the actual use of the work, and are then referred to as royalties. I have found unlimited sources and information regarding patents and copyright, with all the information I now have a clear understanding exactly what is the differences with a title or name of a company and the steps to truly make an invention yours with ownership.

Fundamental Problems of Economic System Essay

Before we further move on we have to know about the sources of economic problems and a brief about the economic system. 1. 2. 1 Scarce Means and Unlimited Wants Want is Want is an effective desire for a thing, which can be satisfied by making an effort for obtaining it. We have unlimited wants and as one want gets satisfied another arises. For instance, one may have the desire to buy a car or a flat. Once the car or the flat is purchased, the person wishes to buy a more spacious and designable car and the list of his wants does not stop here but goes on one after another. As human wants are unlimited, we have to make a choice between the most urgent want and less urgent wants. Thus the problem of choice arises. Means also known as resources are limited. Means are the ways to derive the satisfaction of the various wants. For instance, money is an important means to satisfy many of our wants. As stated, means are scarce and as such these are to be used optimally. In other words scarce or limited means are to be judicially used and economized to get the maximum satisfaction. Another problem which is to be viewed is that resources have alternative uses i. e. the same resource can be used for more than one purpose. For example, money can be used either buying a laptop or a play station, all depends on how you perceive the urge of the desire or want you want to satisfy. 1. 2. 2 An Economic System or Economy The term economic system can be defined as a set of techniques by which a society decides and create balance between resources and unlimited human wants. It therefore clearly signifies that being a part of social system not only natural resources but also man made resources also get included in the economic system. The economic system thus comprises of people and institutions like banks, markets etc. The set of parameters thus used to determine the components of economic system is very dynamic and depends upon various factors like social, political, geographical and climatic etc. This shows that we can distinguish the two economies, no economy in the world will be same. The difference can be judged on the basis of control of the economy For Example: The economic system of the country can also be based on the basis of involvement of society, more involvement of society in the economy and the decision are taken with a view of society and equitable distribution of wealth is characteristic of Socialist Economy. Contrarily if the economy is decentralized and the power lies in the hands of private enterprises then the said economy is capitalist economy. Primarily the difference is done on the basis of the control but other things like growth, production of the economy can also be used to judge the economic scenario of the two economies, the production done in a fiscal year, purchasing power of the people and employment are primarily the factors considered. 1. 2. 3 Economic Agents Economic agents are the key units of the economic system, the whole economy revolves around them. Producers, consumers, institutions and various other bodies come under this category. The agents are considered to be the most critical part of the economy as they guide and drive the economy by their actions. Check your progress A 1. What is an economic system? Ans. Economic system or economy is known a set of principles by which problems of economics are addressed, such as the economic problem of scarcity through allocation of finite productive resources. The economic system thus comprises of people and institutions like banks, markets etc. . 3 FACTORS OF PRODUCTION Production process is an end to end activity which means that there is a relational pedagogy between input and output. Factors of production also known as productive inputs are the resources employed to produce goods and services, thus it constitutes the input part of the production process. Factors of production involve in the production process and improves the working of the process but do not form the ultimate part of the product. Factors of production can be broadly classified as: 1. Land . Labour 3. Capital 4. Entrepreneurship 1. 3. 1 Land In economics, land includes all natural resources which are free gift of nature. Thus, by land economists do not mean only agricultural soil, but also other natural resources such as minerals, water, climate and forests. Payment for use of land per period is called Rent. Land as factor of production implies the ground used to built and start the production moreover it serves as a pool of various minerals and valuable natural resources which facilitates the human mankind. Land is a fixed factor of production and thus it is not possible to increase. Land helps to facilitate the production only if the efficient workforce is used to generate the maximum output out of the limited resource. This means optimum utilisation of resources. 1. 3. 2 Labour Labour represents all physical and mental abilities which people can make available for production of goods and services. Labour is usually measured by the time spent in working during a period. Reward made per period of labour is called Wages. Labour is a non homogeneous factor of production. There are set of people in the underlying category which can be distinguished as skilled and unskilled worker. The workers that are skilled and educated are used in the operations of a more complex job requiring special skills and training and the other category belongs to the lower level working operations. The two factors which highlight the labour are efforts put in and performance which correlates the efficiency. The efforts put in by a labour can be modified with the motivational analysis that can help the person to make the worker work produce more. As land is the natural or passive factor in all production, so labour is the human or active factor. All the production results with the action of labour thus it can be said that labour is producer of all wealth. In economics the labour and capital is said to be the primary factors of production and from their union all of the production comes. 1. 3. 3 Capital Capital, which is not in itself a distinguishable element, but which it must always be kept in mind consists of wealth applied to the aid of labour in further production, is not a primary factor. There can be production without it, and there must have been production without it, or it could not in the first place have appeared. It is a secondary and compound factor, coming after and resulting from the union of labour and land in the production of wealth. Capital refers to man made resources of production. Labour plays an integral role in the capital formation, here too state of labour effects and relates with the capital formation an efficient worker will generate additional capital with additional production. Here the term investment arise which is the amount of capital formation in a year. The capital formation with a viewpoint of economy will include the accumulated part of the production process. The production is a continuous process and hence a halt can hamper the production in a big way, thus there is always some production in progress and some products add to the production of other products appreciating the value of the products will lead to the capital formation. 1. 3. 4 Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur represents a special human resource which provides his entrepreneurial abilities to the enterprise. Entrepreneur plays a crucial role in a free market economy it integrates all the factors of production land, labour and capital to produce the output with a view of anticipating all the losses if the output fails in the free market. Entrepreneur always is in the risky situation as he is the one who bears all d cost of inducing the other factors of production into the production process and the profits are the rewards of the entrepreneur at the end of everything. Nowadays Venture Capitalists and other financer are willing to diversify the risk of the new entrepreneur. The existence of the entrepreneurship as a part of factor of production is still debatable. Check Your Progress B 1. List the major factors of production? Ans. Major Factors of production are as follows: a. Land b. Labour c. Capital d. Entrepreneurship 1. 4 FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF AN ECONOMY Every economy has to face some problems as scarcity of resources having alternative uses in relation to demand give rise to the choice problem. The allocation of resources is the fundamental problem of the economy. These Fundamental problems are: 1. What to produce? 2. How to produce? 3. For whom to produce? 4. The choice between current consumption and growth through saving and investment. 1. 4. 1 What to produce? This question arises from the fact of limited resources in the society now apparently society has to decide which goods have to be produced and in which quantities, now it is clear that some of the goods have to be produced and some have to be foregone. This lead us to take an intermediate solution of what we must produce and what we must not as the goods that are foregone also have some wants associated with it which leads some of the customers dissatisfied. Another problem attached with the production is allocation of resources like for example if we have to produce product A and product B, both of them will require the exhaustion of the resources, here the problem of allocation of resources comes into picture as to how much resources we must allocate to which product. This is necessarily not an issue of the developing countries as developed countries can also face the problem of allocation of resources. 1. 4. 2 How to Produce? This is the problem of choosing method or technique of production which means that what combinations of factors a society decides to produce goods. For example if the economy decides to produce product A then how the production will take place and allocation of resources has to be decided. A combination of factors in appropriate amount for the production is known as the technique of production. The things that come into consideration while taking the decision of how to allocate the factors and which factors to be used can be decided with the current economic scenario. For example in developing countries where there is abundance of labour and relatively lesser amount of capital there we can use Labour Intensive Technique for the production and similarly in developed countries where labour is relatively less and capital is more, then Capital Intensive Technique can be adopted for the production purposes. The basic criteria of choosing the different types of technique in the different kind of scenario would be based on 1. Availability of the supplies of resources 2. Prices of the different resources which must lead to most cost effective way of production. The problem here is that the scarcity of resources which requires that the available resources must be used judicially and efficiently, if not economy has to face the inefficiency and thus productivity will hamper. 1. 4. 3 For Whom to Produce? This is the problem related with the issue of the distribution of the national product among the society. Society is a very vast term and includes a lot of components and consumers which include the ultimate consumers of the national produce thus it is very critical to state an effective distribution strategy, society thus itself decides how much is to distributed in what quantities. In a free market economy it is the income of the individual which is the deciding factor that how much he can purchase out of the available resources, Higher the income higher is the power to utilise the resource in his favour. The distribution strategy is also not free to operate in the economy on the basic principles of demand and supply there are certain factors which governs the marketing mechanism like from socialist perspective focus is on the providing basic necessities to all and generate motivation in the people to generate additional income by doing additional work, Similarly there has o be different strategies to be adopted in case of different economic structure. The problem of distribution does not have an easy way out it implies that there is always conflict of ideologies in setting up of the distribution strategy. 1. 4. 4 The Problem of Growth Economic growth suggests that there is an increase in the production of goods and services on a continuous basis. Growth thus i mplies that the economy must move on with increase in the substantial amount of the investment. Capital formation is thus necessary and for the expansion of the stock there has to be a sacrifice in the present level of consumption. If all the stock is used up and nothing is there for the future use, there will be no capital formation and thus no growth. 1. 4. 5 Choice between Public and Private Goods 1. Public Goods: It is those types of goods that can not be restricted and bounded by the use of an individual. The basic characteristic of these types of goods are: a) Consumption of the good by one person does not lead to the reduction in the availability for the consumption of others. b) No body can not get excluded from using the good. Free to air television channels are the examples of these types of goods. These are the goods available to all and anybody can see without getting obstruction in a way these goods comes as a right to a person. These goods satisfy a collective want of the society. 2. Private Goods: These types of goods are the just opposite of what we have just read Public Goods. The main characteristics or the Private Goods are: a) Consumptions by one consumer prevent simultaneous consumption by other consumers. b) It is reasonably possible to prevent a class of  consumers from consuming the good. Private goods are produced and marketed with a perspective of profit and it just satisfies an individual want. Bread can be one of the examples of Private Goods. 1. 4. 6 The Problem of Merit Goods The merit goods are those goods which follow the concept of need, rather than ability and willingness to pay. For example: Health Services it helps the society on the whole and caters the need at individual level, but since it is a costly merit service the same has to be privatised which results in the acquisition of services only by those whom have the power to pay the more money. Thus Merit Goods merit remains effective till it helps the individual as well society on a holistic level. Check Your Progress C 1. What is capital formation? Ans. Capital formation is the term used to coin the additional things added into the economy on account of growth. Capital stock added in the financial year counts on account of capital formation when it comes to real and tangible products and in case of services the additional value generated by rendering services that appreciates the value of Gross National Product. 1. 5 PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY CURVE Production possibility curve is also known as Production Possibility Frontier or Transformation Curve. Production Possibility curve is a curve which depicts Graphical  representation  of the alternative combinations of the amounts of two goods or services that an economy can produce by transferring resources from one good or service to the other. As the total productive resources of the economy are limited, the economy has to choose between different goods. The resources can be put into different types of goods it is therefore necessary to decide which product to be produced more and which has to be less. Assumptions underlying: 1. Given or fixed amount of resources available in the economy. 2. Given resources are being used fully and with utmost efficiency. 3. Technology does not undergo any change. Production possibility curve can be drawn with the help of a schedule that can be depicted between the two goods which can be produced with the full utilisation and efficient employment of given resources. This can be drawn on the basis of schedule for example we take Cloth and Tanks. Production Possibilities| Cloth| Tanks| A| 0| 15| B| 1| 14| C| 2| 12| D| 3| 9| E| 4| 5| F| 5| 0| This schedule when depicted on a graphical format takes a convex shape and depicts the optimum number of combinations of the two products with the given level of resources in hand. 1. 6. 1 Resource Allocation in a Capitalist Economy Capitalism, broadly speaking, is the economic system in which financial considerations dominate. It is a system in which the quest for financial reward is the driving force shaping what is done, by whom, how, where and when. This concept basically works on two dimensions: freedom of economic choice and freedom of enterprise. Freedom of choice means that in a world of scarce resources the individual is free to make his own decisions. Freedom of enterprise is usually more narrowly defined as the freedom to own and operate a business. Price Mechanism plays an important role in the role of determining the process of buying and selling. Market forces determine the price and quantity to be produced in the economy with the interaction demand and supply. In such economy the goods and services produced in the society with the aim of generating profit and thus the resources are allocated to the goods which provide better results on account of profit. The biggest concern een and faced in this type of economy is of income inequality, due to the price mechanism and profit motive the goods are not supplied to the poor and the philosophy rich is become richer and poor becomes poorer prevails. 1. 6. 2 Resource Allocation in a Socialist Economy Socialist economy is a structure of the economy which aims at providing great er equality and giving the working class greater ownership over the means of production. In a socialist economy or a socialist state believes that socialism is the most equitable and socially serviceable form of an economic arrangement designed to achieve human potentialities. Socialist economies are characterized by the means of production owned by the state or by the workers collectively called socialism. The authorities decide in a planned economy how the resource must allocate in a profitable manner which benefits the society at large, market forces are not allowed to influence the decision at all. It is the government who takes control of all the resources and decides what to produce and in what quantities. They produce with the perspective of the society at large and not with the view of the earning profit. 1. 6. 3 Resource Allocation in a Mixed Economy A Mixed Economy is an economy in which the decisions are taken in the combined manner some is taken by the market forces and some are taken under government regulation. The mixed economy as an economic ideal is supported by social democrats as a compromise between classic socialism. The production process is governed in a semi segregated manner, Critical sectors which are important with respect to the country as a whole is kept in hands of the government and rest consumer goods are kept open in the economy to kept work accordingly to the market mechanism. Check Your Progress D 1. What is production possibility curve? Ans. Production Possibility curve also known as Production Possibility Frontier is a curve which shows the combination of two or more goods or services that can be produced while using all the available factor resources efficiently. For Example: We can allocate the resources in the production of the cloths and tank. 1. 7. LETS SUM UP Knowledge has many branches and economics is an important and useful branch of knowledge because problems of poverty, unemployment, lack of growth, inflation which face all economies are best explained and explored and being solved with the help of Economics. An economic system can be defined as a â€Å"set of methods and standards by which a society decides and organizes the allocation of limited economic resource to satisfy unlimited human wants. The precise nature of economic system varies from society to society. Because , Economic system is the economics category that includes the study of respective systems. Means of production are the inputs used for production. The key term production is likely to be explained as the creation of an item or a production that gives maximum satisfaction to the people. Means of production can be classified into groups of homogenous (products having same features and can be substituted) and heterogeneous (products having different features from one another) units. There are various types of productive resources which are also generally called factors of production. Economists traditionally classify productive resources into four types: (a) Land – Includes all natural resources which are free gift of nature. Payment for use of land per period is called rent. b) Labour – Represents all physical and mental abilities which people can make available for production of goods and services. Reward made per period for labour services is called wages. (c) Capital – Refers to sum total of all man – made resources of production. Its formation in a year is called investment. (d) Entrepreneur – represents special human resource which initiates and organises the production process by combining other resources such as labour, capit al and land. In every economy, scarcity of resources gives rise to four fundamental problems of economy. These are: (i) what to produce – means which goods and in what quantity are to be produced, (ii) how to produce – means which methods of production are to be used for the production of goods and services, whether, labour or capital intensive, (iii) for whom to produce – means how the goods produced are to be distributed among the people, (iv) how much to grow – means how much to be saved and invested for increasing the productive capacity of the economy. The problem of what to produce is generally illustrated with the help of Production Possibility Curve (PPC) which is based on some simple assumptions. It gives an idea to the economy about what to produce and in how much quantity with full utilisation of its resources with given techniques of production and thus simultaneous increase in production cannot take place without reducing any one product. With economic growth only, it is possible to move PPC outwards and make simulataneous increase in production of all goods. Allocation of resources is different in every economic system. In capitalist economy, it takes place through relation between supply, demand and price forces wherein the means of production are owned by private sectors. Accordingly, it is the demand pattern in the economy which finally determines the resource allocation. In a socialist economy, the means of production are owned by government which tries to reduce income and wealth inequalities. Individual economic units are restricted in their decisions on the basis of economic rationality. In a mixed economy, both individual economic units and authorities take part in decision making process where even private sectors sometimes work under the government regulations such as price controls, subsidies and so on.