Equality And Diversity In Kurt Vonneguts Harrison Bergeron

In an ideally progressive America, society should value both equality and diversity. Equality is justice. Diversity is individuality. Equality gives rights. Diversity enriches culture. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideally progressive America. As equality in our society has increased, we have viewed it as progress. However, diversity has often been a source of conflict in our society. Jealousy, confusion, anger, and so many negative emotions have arisen from our differences and slowed the progress of equality. Perhaps, diversity should just be done away with. If we can not value our diversity, should we focus entirely on equality? Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† answers that question with a solid no, we should not. Through his†¦show more content†¦This oxymoronic idea of having two hundred and thirteen plus amendments emphasizes Vonnegut’s picture of a dystopian society in which over excessiveness of rules infringes upon citizens freedoms. The sarcasm seen in â€Å"unceasing vigilance† is that it gives the handicapper general an image as being a protector of citizens, which later in the story becomes rather ironic as she is revealed as someone who tortures and murders people. Another example of Vonnegut’s sarcasm is the descriptions he gives as to what is considered normal in this future society. He explains to the reader that Harrison’s mom, Hazel, â€Å"had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts (Vonnegut 1).† This has got to be sarcasm because by today’s standards a person with average intelligence can definitely think in more than just short bursts, and one would hope that average intelligence would be higher in future society, not dramatically lower. The scary, underlying theme being shown through this sarcasm is that society, rather than achieving equality through educating people to reach higher standards of intelligence, lowered the standards of average intelligence to the lowest it could possibly be. The worst part is that the characters described in the story, namely Harrisons parents, Hazel and George, are completely oblivious to how much of a dystopia their society is. Dramatic irony is when the readerShow MoreRelatedThe Fight Between Equality And Individuality950 Words   |  4 PagesThe Fight between Equality and Individuality Equality is a topic of great debate in the world today, ranging from marriage equality, to racial equality, to religious equality. Whether this equality is God given or legislative, it allows every member of the society to express or better himself in any way he sees fit. Every person has the ability to say or write what he wants and how he wants to. Every person has the ability to become wealthier or more successful. Every person has the ability to become

Anion Root Tip Free Essays

In the experiment, onion root tips are choosen to be observed under microscope. It is because the chromosomes are larger than most of the others plants. The root tips of onion are picked to observed as the root tips are the region where the cell division occurs mostly. We will write a custom essay sample on Anion Root Tip or any similar topic only for you Order Now The cells at the tips of the onion are actively dividing, therefore they are always in stages of mitosis. The tips on the slide are squashed with the aim to show a better and clearer observation of the chromosomes of individual cells. Adding Feulgen stain is to visualize the onion root tip cells. Normally the chromosomes are not visible in nondiving cells because the DNA is still uncoiled. After adding Feulgen stain, supercoiling of the chromosomes into a highly compacted form happen. The supercoiled chromosomes are formed so that the chromosomes can be visualized under microscope. Be precautious when treating with Felgen stain because it is a type of DNA specific stains and carcinogens. Gloves should be wore. Based on the results, it shows that interphase is the most abundantly stage that is found in onion root-tip cells, and is followed by prophase. The other phase: metaphase, anaphase and telophase only show lower amounts. The larger amount of interphase shows that the duration taken in interphase is longer than other phases. Interphase is a stage for the growth and also development of the cells. Majority of the cells are in interphase as replication of genetic material,DNA and organelles for production of new cells take a longer time. Prophase is the common phase after interphase. More times is needed for the process of condensing of sister chromatids into chromosomes. During prophase, mitotic spindles are developed from microtobules that produced by centrosomes too. Therefore, more times is needed for the more complicated stages, which are interphase and also prophase. Interphase is a stage when the cell is not dividing but preparing for its next stage. The nucleus have one or more dark-stained nucleoli that is filled with network of threads. The threads are actually the chromatin. During interphase, the genetic material and organelles are replicated. Interphase is divided into three phases which are G1, S and G2 phases. G1 is the longest phase as the work to resume growth following mitosis is carried out here. The preparation for replication of DNA occur S phase is the phase when the DNA synthesis. During this phase, the cell’s DNA replicates. G2 is a gap between the synthesis of DNA and beginning of mitosis. It is a period of rapid cell growth and synthesis of protein. During prophase, the chromatins super coiled and become thicker and shorter. Thickening continues till they condense into chromosomes. Each chromosomes has been duplicated, consists of two sister chromatids. Soon, the spindle which is made up of microtubules start forming. The disintegration of nuclear envelope and nucleoli occur. At metaphase, the chromosomes have moved to the center of the nucleur. The chromosomes have aligned at the metaphase plate and the centromeres of each sister chromatids, chromosomes have attached to the spindle. The nuclear membrane disintegrates totally at the same time. The centromeres are divided during anaphase. Sister chromatids are seperated and pulled to the corresponding poles by the spindle fibres. While the telophase is the last stage of mitosis division. A new nuclear envelope is formed around each group of chromosomes. The chromosomes uncoil. The nucleoli and nuclear envelope are formed and reappearred again. The cytoplasm is divided equally and two daughter cells are produced. How to cite Anion Root Tip, Essay examples

Development of a Web-Based Student Information System for Secondary Schools in Nigeria free essay sample

School Management System In most Nigeria secondary schools, the storage, access and management of information is very poor. Information regarding students, their respective classes, and subjects taught in these classes, performance assessment records, grade entry and other forms of data manipulation are generally carried out manually using pen and booklets, in rare cases Microsoft Excel. Access to information can be cumbersome, irritating and frustrating due to poor storage and inaccessibility. Parents, officials and staff of these schools find it very difficult to get certain information that could enhance their decision-making and completion of an assigned task. I was asked by my instructor to analyze, design, develop and implement a practical solution that will alleviate these problems in a typical secondary school. The purpose of this report is to: 1) Provide details on the functional requirements and design specification of a typical solution. 2) Demonstrate that the requirement that will be stated in (1) above have been satisfied by implementing the solution. We will write a custom essay sample on Development of a Web-Based Student Information System for Secondary Schools in Nigeria or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ) Provide details of the development process and critically appraise the solution. The objective of this project is to design, develop and implement a computerized system that will enhance access, storage, processing and management of information regarding E-Student Management System student, their studies, teachers and subjects including student performance assessment records. I have designed, developed and implemented a web-based system using technologies in Microsoft . Net framework 4. 0 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 software. A brief detail description of theories and techniques of the design and development of this solution is appraised in this report. Furthermore, an attached appendix explains the models, workflow and the architecture of the application. Users will be able to have access from any computer that has a browser and is connected to the internet. With a graphical user interface, this system is simple, user friendly and intuitive to use. It is not uncommon to find that many learning institutions in Nigeria, including secondary schools, still keep records in files and tucked them away in filling cabinets where they accumulate dust. Many of these files are often eaten up by rodents and cockroaches thus rendering them irretrievable. A great deal of routine administrative work in schools is still done manually with the state and the Federal government, including the administrators of this institutions showing little or no interest in embracing ICT. The administrative drudgery in secondary school institutions an be better managed through ICT. Secondary education administrative functions include a wide variety of activities such as educational governance, supervision, support services, infrastructure, 5 E-School Management System finance, budgeting, accounting, personnel selection and training system monitoring and evaluation, facilities procurement and management, equipment maintenance, and so on (Thomas, 1987). In most N igerian schools, officials and staff still go through the laborious exercise of manually registering students, maintaining records of students? erformance, keeping inventory list of supplies, doing cost accounting, paying bills and printing reports. The huge man-hour spent on these exercises can be drastically reduced with IT technologies to enhance overall management procedure. Thomas (1987), said that â€Å"Computers bring great speed and accuracy to each of these tasks, along with the convenience of storing large quantities of information on „small disks or tapes? (P. 5). For the purpose of this project, problems related to the management of information regarding student and their academic work, including teachers and subjects is the matter of concern.

Networking Essays (1661 words) - Server, Server Hardware

Networking For my independent study, I have created a network in my house. A network by definition are more than one computer that are linked together electronically via a protocol (common language) so the computers can communicate and share resources. This network improves the day-to-day life by adding value and usefulness to the computers. The processes and ideas that I have learned thru this experience can be applied directly into todays rich electronic business environment. Identifying the needs of the user is the first step for building a well-designed Network. A professional installation was needed to maintain the aesthetics of the rental house. Most of the wires are run in the attic and then down plastic conduit attached to the wall. The conduit is run all the way to the wall boxes where the Ethernet ports are located. Every wire is clearly labeled and included in an easy to read schematic of the house. This way future tenants will have the ability to utilize the network. Next, every room needed to have access to the network. In order to minimize the overall use of wires, hubs were placed in strategic locations. An 8-port 10/100-megabit auto-sensing hub is located in the computer room and a 5 port 10-megabit in the sound room. There, needed to be docking stations, so laptop users or visiting computers could easily plug into the network and utilize the pre-existing monitor, keyboard, and mouse. These are the basic needs that have been put into the des ign of the network. Each computer setup is unique with certain strengths and weaknesses. The network takes advantage of the strengths of each individual computer and makes them available to all users. A network essentially expands the capabilities of each computer by increasing functionality thru resource sharing. In the house, there are a total of four computers and two laptops. Processing speed and an abundance of ram is not essential for a server with such low traffic. Thus the most antiquated computer was elected for this function. Between all the computers, we have several extra pieces of hardware such as a zip drive, CDRW, DVD ROM, scanner, and multiple printers. Each piece of hardware is dispersed between the computers. There were several immediate efficiencies that occurred when the network went operational. The zip drive is located on the server while the CDRW is located on one of the individual workstations. Previously, if the need arose to burn some information stored on the zip disk to a CD, the individual computers were practically worthless for this task. However, with the network, one can map a network drive on the computer with the CDRW to the zip drive on the server. This allows information to be efficiently transferred from the zip drive to a CD. In addition, the server also has a scanner attached to it. The problem is that the server is too slow to handle sophisticated photo editing software. Now an image can be scanned on to the server and then a faster computer can be used to edit it. There are 3 different printers, each varies in quality, speed, and maintenance costs. The most expensive one is reserved for only making color photos, and the other two are used for everyday printing, one of which is much faster and has more reliable paper feeding. A user can easily choose a printer depending on their needs. This network takes full advantage of each computer through resource sharing which ads tremendous value for its users. In Business it is important in any network to be able to restrict access to individuals private files or directories. Security would demand that not all users would be allowed access to highly confidential information. There is other information that would be made available to other users on a read only basis. The same is true of the users in my network. Microsoft developed NT to be very secure. Most of this security is devoted to protecting network resources and the filing system (NTFS). The administrator decides who gets access to which resources by setting up users and user groups. Each person is asked to choose a user name and password. Then the administrator identifies the needs and privileges of each individual user.

Awesome Jobs with Good Work Life Balance [Infographic]

Awesome Jobs with Good Work Life Balance [Infographic] So you want to have your life and live it, too- that doesn’t seem too much to ask, right? Yet some people seem to think career success comes at the steep price of giving up fun, family, and friends. Not so! Read on to find out how you, too, can attain that mythical and coveted â€Å"work-life balance† you’ve heard about, but never actually found. It’s there for the taking, really. You just need to know where to look.

An analysis of the relationship between the hospitality culture and employees in China

According to Adelman et al. Before service management research by Bitner (1990); Kim (1985); King and Garey (1997), the influence of culture on employee services was not taken into consideration. Tsang (2011) pointed out that hotel culture has focused on research in China in recent years. Hotel culture is important for the hospitality industry as well as for employees. In addition, hotel culture has four elements: material culture, behavioral culture, spiritual culture, and normal culture. In this article, we will look at Intercultural challenges in China for doing business (Appendix 1) as an example for analyzing culture. At the same time, China and the United States will also evaluate cultural comparison. Thereafter, recommendations are made based on the case, and several important recommendations concerning the global business are offered. On the other hand, globalization will help create opportunities for global cooperation. On the other hand, it created problems due to many prob lems and cultural differences, which ultimately resulted in failure. Therefore, organizations need to pay attention to this problem. Generally, there is a big gap in cultural issues between Western European countries and China. As China participates in the WTO and holds the Olympic Games in 2008, the relationship between China and the West in politics, economics and culture will become closer and closer. There is no doubt that etiquette plays an important role in this process. In China and the West there are different understandings of the definition of etiquette. The Chinese believe that etiquette is a common standard of action that all members must comply, so the purpose is to maintain ordinary social life order. In ancient China, famous philosophers believed that etiquette is the principle of dealing with relationships between humans and supernatural creatures, human beings, ghosts, and humans. There are also a lot of English etiquette, so we need to understand the difference bet ween Chinese and Western culture.

Human Right Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Right Law - Coursework Example Nonetheless, it is illegal for a public authority to function against the Article 10 of ECHR. A court in UK will be regarded as a public authority for this purpose. Thus, judges in UK are under obligation to develop the common law in accordance with Convention rights as regards to right to the freedom of expression1. The issue is whether the Home Secretary of UK , can use her power under UK criminal- justice legislation to shut down UKPFs website before the videos can be published, and this can be considered as an abusive of Norman’s right of freedom of expression granted both under HRA ,1998 and under ECHR ,1950? Nonetheless, the UK government has an obligation to safeguard people from terrorists’ menace and in such cases, freedom of expression can be confined to safeguard national security and public order. The right to freedom of speech or expression is granted under Article 10 of ECHR, which is subject to some restrictions such as it can be restrained in the interest of a country’s national security or to maintain public safety or to safeguard territorial integrity. A UK court cannot grant an interim order prohibiting publication of a material under section 12 of the HRA unless it is fully pleased that the claimant is probable to demonstrate at full trial that such publication should not be permitted as held in Cream Holdings Ltd v. Banerjee, 2 and it should have specific attention to the significance of the right to the freedom of expression, the magnitude to which such publication is in the public interest and any particular privacy codes. Due to this fact, it has become arduous to get interim injunctions against the media3. However, UK courts can use their power to protect any religious feelings as held in Wingrove v UK4 where a ban on short film â€Å"Visions of Ecstasy† was sought under blasphemous. It was alleged that the short film was intended to portray the visions of St. Teresa of Avila, in a sexually explicit manner. The

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Research Paper Example Whatever a child learns in his/her tender age leaves an indelible expression on his mind for the entire life. Socializing agents thus play an important role in establishing one’s persona and making him/her a better citizen. Parents, Media, Peers and School are the major socializing agents. The mass media are impersonal communication aimed at a wider audience. Television, Radio, Internet, Cinemas are various examples of mass media. Mass media, in general influences every man of every age. It spreads information at wider scale therefore it strongly influences one’s opinions, views and thus changing and affecting our attitudes about many things. Television is a main source of entertainment and a major agent of socialization. Mass media influences our political views, views on women, people of color, our taste in popular culture, what to buy and various other beliefs and practices. Through the portrayal of imaginary characters in different programs and advertisements media helps in projecting gender, political, religious, perceptions. Some programs effect people’s orientation towards life and society as well. It also serves as a platform to present their ideas to the world when required. Writer 2 After his parents and caregivers, within the comforts of his home, a child gets the exposure to mass media in the form of radio, listening to the nursery rhymes and then watching them on television in the form of various adaptations and characters. Some studies indicate that the children learn to work together, do group activities, value each other’s presence by means of character description or story adaptations. Some programs for kids like Noggin promote healthy eating and exercise. Wiggles promote education on nutrition and activity. Sesame Street teaches healthy life style and new numbers and alphabets in a playful way. There are meaningful and informative programs for school going children and adults. Thus right programs serve as educating and learning tools. No doubt, Television and media in general serves as educational and informational tool but it has negative influences on children. Studies indicate it shortens attention span, distorts body image and in conjunction with other factors leads to obesity. â€Å".. the mass media socialize children, adolescents, and even adults; a key question is the extent to which media violence causes violence in our society† (Surette, 2011). Some programs showing excessive violence and anti social activities influence children behavior thus spreading violence in the society. Certain advertisements target kids and affect their thinking. Models, famous movie stars and popular sports man who are the role models are shown smoking which appears as an acceptable norm to the children. Another example is presentation of women image on television as sexual object or as a passive home maker leaves a negative impression on kids mind. Models and movie stars endorse beauty products and cosmetic uplift which encourages young girls to experiment with it. Anorexia, bulimia, depression and low self esteem are the outcome of these influences. Another controversy that surrounds mass media is the Writer 3 behavior troubles among youth. By the time the kids reach their adolescence, these influences become prominent on their thought processes. Drugs, violence, petty crimes to satisfy their urges and requirement as they have been watching on the television or in cinemas become acceptable norm for them. Some programs sho

Measure of Contentment Essay Example for Free

Measure of Contentment Essay Down to that moment I had vainly supposed that my creditor had withdrawn or suspended proceedings until I should be quite recovered. I had never dreamed of Joes having paid the money; but Joe had paid it, and the receipt was in his name. What remained of me now, but to follow him to the dear old forge, and there to have out my disclosure with him, and my penitent remonstrance with him, (Page 463) This shows how only Joe can rescue Pip and his identity; Joe represents who Pip should have become. Respect and admiration for Joe is once again won for Pip, as I had never dreamed of Joe paying the money; but Joe had paid it, and the receipt was in his name shows. As a result of this act of Joes, Pip continues to reform into someone with a better identity, an example of which is shown in the passage: What remained of me now, but to follow him to the dear old forge, and there to have out my disclosure with him, and my penitent remonstrance with him, as this shows how Pip is willing to be humble toward Joe, and ask for his forgiveness. By seeking after someone elses pleasure before his own, Pip displays qualities of selflessness, Once Pip has discovered his true identity, he can begin to become someone he is happy and content with, because he cares less about his own problems and so they dont loom as great and as terrible, and he becomes more content. A further lesson Pip must learn in his struggle to find contentment is to control his fantasies, phobias and delusions. A phobia is something psychological, that you fear and therefore try to shut out. Pips phobia that he wont be able to obtain Estella controls him so much that he subconsciously creates fantasies to counter-act his phobias. A fantasy is when you dream of something irrational, or a surreal delusion of something that is exaggerated to fit your expectations of what you want that thing to be. Pip gets trapped by many fantasies in the novel, which prevent him living in reality and achieving contentment. A major fantasy in the novel is that Estella is meant for him, and that Miss Havisham is his benefactress, and this fantasy drives Pip into becoming a gentleman: The beautiful young lady at Miss Havishams, and shes more beautiful than anyone ever was, and I admire her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentleman on her account. (Page 125) This passage is when Pip confides in Biddy why he yearns after being a gentleman, and it shows how Pip has the fantasy that as soon as he is a gentleman, Estella will be his. Later, when he comes into his Great Expectations, he fantasises that Miss Havisham is his benefactress so that he can be fit for Estella, and the fantasy is so strong that he makes himself believe that it is true. A passage that displays this is found on Page 177, when Pip is getting acquainted with Herbert: And as to the condition which you hold your advancement in life-namely that you are not to inquire or discuss to whom you owe it- you may be very sure that it will never be encroached upon, or even approached by me, or anyone belonging to me. In truth, he said this with so much delicacy, that I felt the subject done with, even though I should be under his fathers roof for years and years to come. Yet e said it with so much meaning, too, that I felt he as perfectly understood Miss Havisham to be my benefactress, as I understood the fact myself. This passage shows how Pip has let his fantasy that Miss Havisham is his benefactress delude him, and how he will manipulate things that may not necessarily mean what Pip wants them to mean, to suit him and his fantasies. In order for Pip to progress in life and achieve contentment, he must learn to let go of these fantasies. However, it is apparent that Pip is unable to let go of his fantasies, because he is afraid of what the reality might be. For example, Pip makes himself believe that Miss Havisham is his benefactress and that Estella is intended for him, because if Miss Havisham is not his benefactor, who is, and is Estella still for him? To Pip, the answer to these questions are too daunting to recognize, so he fantasises about the answer that he wants it to be. Therefore, when Pip discovers that in reality, his benefactor is an escaped convict, he is in absolute shock and repulsion. The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have been exceeded if he had been some terrible beast. (Page 313) Dickenss cleverly uses language in this passage by repeating the same thing three times in different ways, as each of the parts of the passage that Pip describes Magwitch with all tell of his hatred and revulsion of him, but the build up of these things adds drama to the scene, emphasising Pips shock at the reality instead of his fantasy. Once Pip understands that Magwitch is his benefactor, a reformation begins in Pip, and he becomes a better, happier, more altruistic person. Where I might go, what I might do, or when I might return were questions utterly unknown to me; nor did I vex my mind with them, for it was wholly set on Proviss safety. I only wondered for the passing moment, as I stopped at the door and looked back, under what altered circumstances I should next see those rooms, if ever. (Page 425) This passage depicts how Pip has controlled his phobia of lower class status, because he is willing to help Magwitch and develops a self-sacrificing love for him, because, as it says in this passage, Pip is willing to give up everything that he has ever consciously wanted, which is being an eligible gentleman, for Magwitchs (Proviss) safety. As a result of his self-centred fantasies, phobias and delusions, Pip becomes very selfish and self-concerned whilst he is in London, but when he begins to seek humble forgiveness from Joe and Miss Havisham because his fantasies have been ruined by reality, he becomes less selfish. Selflessness contributes to Pips happiness at the end of the novel, which is part of Pip learning to become like Joe, who demonstrates selflessness throughout the novel. When Pip seeks after others happiness before his own, he becomes more able to grow and develop into a better person: Giving of self makes you unselfish, which in turn makes you happy as you make others happy. This consequences in you being outward looking because you want to look for more opportunities to help others, creating less focus on your own faults and more contentment and satisfaction with yourself. For example, when Pip saves Miss Havisham from the fire, or lends Herbert money for his business, Pip forgets about his own needs and safety. The injury Pip gets as a result of the fire at Satis House does not prevent Pip from wanting to save Magwitch by helping him escape the law and Compeyson by fleeing the country, instead, he wishes he could do more: I felt mortified to be of such little use in the boat,; but there were few better oarsman than my two friends. (Page 426) This shows how instead of dwelling on his own unfortunate circumstances, and the fact that he felt mortified, Pip thinks in a complimentary manner about his two friends: but there were few better oarsman than my two friends. Pip learning how to become less self-centred and dispel his fantasies and phobias partly leads to the level his contentment at the end of the novel. An additional lesson that Pip must learn before he can achieve some level of contentment, and a fundamental lesson for anyone growing up, is learning to listen and take advice from others. There are many points in the novel where Pip is offered good advice, usually by someone of trust or worth to Pip, and he doesnt take it. Once Pip learns to take the advice given to him by those superior to him in experience, he can begin to make better and more informed decisions, which consequences in his being happier, more satisfied and more content. The first major turning point in the novel, of Pip desiring to be and becoming a gentleman, could have been avoided if Pip had listened to this advice given to him by Biddy: Biddy, said I, after binding her to secrecy, I want to be a gentleman. Oh, I wouldnt, if I were you! she returned. I dont think it would answer. Biddy, I said with some severity, I have particular reasons for wanting to be a gentleman. You know best Pip, but dont you think that you are happier as you are? (Page 124) This passage shows how Pip thinks that he knows best, as he speaks to Biddy with severity at not being able to understand why he wants to be a gentleman. When Biddy questions Pip, if he is not happier now, it shows that Pip is striving for contentment, although he attempts to find it in the wrong way, as Biddy cleverly picks up on: Do you want to be a gentleman to spite her, or to gain her over? Biddy quietly asked, after a pause. I dont know, I moodily answered. Because if it is to spite her, Biddy pursued, I should think -but you know best- that might be better and more independently done by caring nothing, for her words. And if it is to gain her over- I should think- but you know best -she is not worth gaining over. (Page 125) Here, Biddy is offering Pip very good advice; that Estella really isnt worth it. However, Pip thinks that he knows best, as Biddy says, and continues to follow the prospect of becoming a gentleman for Estella. If Pip had taken Biddys advice, he would have been able to achieve contentment in his life quicker than he does as he pursues the life of a gentleman, because he would have learned to forget Estella, become apprenticed to Joe, and lived the life of Joe, who is content with his life. However, once Pip is in London, it is a whole new world to him, one that he struggles to cope with at first because of the spectral difference between London and his marsh country home. As a result of this, Pip needs to be taught how to survive in London and he is now willing to learn and listen to the advice of others, which in turn helps him to achieve a degree of contentment. I believe that this is one of the most important lessons that readers today can get from Great Expectations; that in order to achieve contentment, you need to be able to listen to the advice of those that are older, more experienced and more knowledgeable that you are, because they are more likely to know how to best achieve it. The readers can learn from Pips ignorance not to make the same mistakes themselves. Dickens cleverly uses setting throughout the novel to depict different qualities of life, or levels of contentment. The marsh country Pip originates from represents a humble lifestyle, but those that live there, such as Joe and Biddy, and Pip at the beginning of the novel, seem to be more content with their lives than those that live in London, which represents the wealthy, extravagant lifestyle. Dickens uses this irony to show how money and wealth do not necessarily bring contentment, which is a further essential lesson that Pip must learn. Miss Havisham lives in Satis House, which comes from the Latin meaning enough or satisfaction. This is ironic because from the outside, the house represents a life of wealth and grandeur, which people often assume to bring satisfaction, but on the inside, the residents of the house lead a bitter, frozen lifestyle, and Miss Havisham is so unsatisfied with her life that she lives it to wreak revenge on all men. These circumstances are used by Dickens to show how wreaking revenge does not equate to contentment; Pip must learn that if he is to be happy, he must not seek revenge from anyone, even those that have especially offended him. Nobodys life works out perfectly, and Pips is evidently no exception. An example of a situation where Pip would need to learn to forgive and forget is when Mrs Joe, his sister dies. On contemplation, Pip reflects: Whatever my fortunes might have been, I could scarcely have recalled my sister with much tenderness. But I suppose there is a shock of regret which may exist without much tenderness. Under its influence (and perhaps to make up for the want of the softer feeling) I was seized by a violent indignation against the assailant from whom she had suffered so much; and I felt that on sufficient proof I could have revengefully perused Orlick, or anyone else, to the last extremity. (Page 272) This passage discloses Pips thoughts as he moves from feeling bitter toward his sister: I could scarcely recall her with much tenderness, to seeking revenge upon the person that caused his sister anguish: I felt that on sufficient proof I could have revengefully perused Orlick, or anyone else, to the last extremity. It is a successful piece of writing as Dickenss uses pairs of effective adjectives such as shock of regret and violent indignation, which creates more impact on the reader and helps them to empathise with the way Pip is feeling. This then results in the reader feeling more of a connection to Pip as he strives to achieve contentment, and so helps them to learn more from the novel. In conclusion, it believe that Dickens rite-of-passage novel Great Expectations is successful at presenting useful lessons to its readers as to how they themselves can achieve contentment, despite being written in the 19th century. These are portrayed through Pips own struggle to achieve contentment, many of the struggles relating to Dickens own life, such as the issues like overcoming debt, unrequited love, family problems and poor education. Dickens shows in the novel how these things can be overcome, and contentment and satisfaction achieved, through the realisation of moral values, the dispelling of delusions and fantasies, and learning how to respond to people around you. However, despite this, the most important lesson, that comes through the novel, in learning how to achieve contentment in life is living it. Pip says that he was happy at the forge before he went to London, but he was not content (Page 315). Therefore, this suggests that the novel recommends that the best way to gain contentment is to live your life and learn through the experience of it; otherwise you would feel unsatisfied with your experience of life.

Howard Stern :: essays research papers

Goodbye Good Programming When one thinks of original, successful radio shows in the U.S., one show definitely comes to mind, Howard Stern. The Howard Stern morning radio show has been the most successful radio show on the radio for some time now. Howard Stern created a show unlike any other; it is a morning radio show that has it all. The show has interviews with famous people, listeners can call in to the show with there opinions, current news, and most notably its sexual content and controversial opinions on what is happening in the world we live in. The show has always pushed the limits of freedom of speech while at the same time opened new doors and ideas within the limits. Currently in our country this show has become under fire by our government and is very close to being taken off the airwaves. This is just one show that is in jeopardy of being taken off the air.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently our government through its administrative agency for communications, the FCC, has decided to send a message to the corporate media to clean up their broadcasts. The FCC defines indecency as: 1. An average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest. 2. The material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law. 3. The material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. The fine for broadcast indecency has been raised to $275,000.00 from $27,500.00 per instance. The problem that has arisen from this new interest in cleaning up broadcasts to protect the general public from being exposed to this indecency is that some of our best programming is in jeopardy. There are some huge corporations behind this programming such as Time Warner, Viacomm, Clear Channel, etc. these corporations are becoming concerned that the government is starting to focus attention on how big they have become and how much power they have to control the media.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately, because of this new motivation to control our programming to the FCC?fs liking one avenue of our freedom of speech is being taken away from us. The public programming we currently have is perfectly acceptable and almost to conservative. It?fs not like we have one TV or radio station that everyone is forced to watch. If you don?ft like what your watching or listening to you can just change the channel or turn it off.

The Language of My Generation

The Dictionary defines language as a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition. Based on this definition wouldn’t it make sense for different generations to have differences in their language because they are apart of different cultural differences amongst one another? My generation consistently gets a bad wrap for being too vulgar, too curt, too disrespectful, and too controversial, but that’s not the way we see it. The same words that make our parents cringe are the same words that build comradery amongst our peers.The songs that leave our grandparents in disgust make us feel empowered. Were misunderstood, is what it boils down too. The Language of my generation is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves, not how anyone else see us; we redefine, and reclaim language and modify it to reflect who we are. In today’s day and age, everyoneâ₠¬â„¢s looking for something to control. It has been proven that this generation faces more pressure than the generations before us. With everyone controlling every other aspect of our lives, language allows us to have something that is our own, something we can control.This is why we speak the way we speak, because no one can tell us otherwise. This is what language means to us. It’s a way we can relate to our peers, and no one else has to understand, because they aren’t meant too. So who’s to say that the â€Å"b word† cant be used as a term of endearment? Who makes the rules on what these words we use mean? A word is just a word until you give it meaning, because after all words are just sounds, and the dictionary is just a book, written by regular people, people with bias, so why can’t I disagree with those who gave these words their original meaning?History repeats itself; therefore there is no way that our parents generation was viewed anymore negatively then the generations before them. From the way they dressed, to the way the walked, and spoke, and the emergence of hip hop music into mainstream culture, My parents and their peers were regular rebels, at least their parents thought so. The generations before them experienced the same thing. The only problem reason my generation is misunderstood is because the generations before us so quickly forget. The reason they forget is because they can no longer relate. They can no longer relate because their lives have changed.But there was a time when my mom used to get into arguments with her mother about the way she spoke, and acted, and dressed, no different then the ones she and I go through now. She was my age in 1988, a time notoriously known for sex, and drugs, and all things controversial, so I have a hard time believing we are all that different. It’s so easy to focus on the negative, but my generation is innovative. We are creators, philanthropists, thinkers, a nd inventors, and we use our language as a platform to promote ourselves. Today, more than ever before there are more kids making their dreams come true.We use our resources to make things happen. Kids can use social networks to build a following in pursuit of their goals whether it is music or fashion, or gaining support for a philanthropic cause. The best thing about it is we can do it on our own. I know people my age who are entrepreneurs running successful businesses. Believe it or not, there are teens out there making a difference. When I was a junior in high school I hosted a series of park cleanups in my city, and the turnout was amazing. When asked by several adults how I got kids my age to come out early Saturday mornings to pick up trash, I told them â€Å"I just asked†.I reached out to my peers in the most effective way I knew how, using our language, speaking blatantly, and of course posting it all over Twitter and Facebook. They came out because they related to m e, we related because of our common language. Instead of criticizing my generation I think we should try to bridge the gap by trying to better understand one another. Society spends so much time trying to strip us of our identity, which is our language, when they should just accept as is. This is who we are, every curse, every action, every word, defines we as a people.

Mobile phone Essay

Mobile phone is a good technology which is not lacking from our lives. This report will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile phones. Today, mobile phone has become popular to everybody since it is very convenient. The most advantage of having a mobile phone is you can communicate to your family and your friends no matter what where you are. For instance, you can contact easily to your friends by calling or sending messages everywhere without electricity. It is maybe the main reason why almost all people today choose to own a mobile phone. From the customer’s point of view, it is obvious that mobile phones assist you in business a lot, such as, make schedule of working, surf the internet, and keep in touch with their companies. Moreover, you can relax with mobile phone’s applications, for example, play games, listen to music, or chat with your friends. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages. Using a lot mobile phone can harm your brain, particularly teenager and children who are under 16 years old. If you use mobile phones too much, you will get bad effects like dizzy, blood-brain barrier, or ears problems. In addition, when you use mobile phones while you are driving, you will get an accident. It is essential not good for you and others. Moreover, â€Å"radiations emitted from the phone are dead harmful for the eardrum†, has proved by many scientist. Owning a mobile phone in your hand is you can solve many issues and hold most of information around the world. Even though is not good for your health and you have to protect yourself from bad effects of mobile phones if you choose to have one. P/s: Plz help me to correct this essay since next week i’m going to do final exam. How can i reduce this essay because i should write from 150 to 180 words and this essay has about 291 words. Thank you for helping me. It used to be that to cheat on a test, you had to either wait for the teacher to leave and then ask your neighbor, to chance passing a note, or to take the time the night or morning before to write the answers on an inconspicuous part of your body. Now, with the advent of text messaging, students can text each other the answers. This is made easier with the new â€Å"Mosquito† ring tone-an annoying, extremely high-pitched tone most adults over 30 can not hear (and those who are over 30 and can hear it wish they couldn’t). Cell phones have also made bullying easier as well. Before phones were equipped with cameras, it was kind of hard to take a picture of someone changing in the locker room after gym class. Now, with a few pushes of a button, everyone can see you as you would rather they not. Another, less obvious, form of bullying comes in the guise of â€Å"Cell Phone Clubs.† In a local middle school here in Idaho, every girl in the sixth grade class with a cell phone is invited into the â€Å"Cell Phone Club.† Those who do not have a cell phone, whether right or not, whether conscious or not, are excluded from the club and cannot be included in the calls and texts until their parents buy them a phone.

Case Essays

Case Essays Case Essay Case Essay It described the ordeal of Kim Neigh, a former World financial analyst who was laid off from the company after complaining for many years about potential abuses related to capital spending. Glen Smith, a senior manager in Internal Audit, suggested to Cooper that they do an internal audit of capital expenditures immediately. Cooper agreed. The first sign of a problem was when one of the Finance directors provided capital spending schedules for the audit and two of them disagreed in amount. The director said the difference was due to something called prepaid capacity. When asked to explain the director couldnt and said that David Myers, the controller of World, provides the data to record. He added: David provides [me] with the amounts for [the] schedule. Later on a member of the internal audit team with technology knowledge, Gene Morse, is asked to examine the system and see if there was anything designated as prepaid capacity. Morse found prepaid capacity amounts Jumping all over the place, from account to account. There were numerous examples of items moved from account to account apparently to mask the true nature of the expenditures. As news breads of the internal audit of capital expenditures, Myers suggested that the team was wasting its time on the audit and that their time would be better spent to find ways to save money in operating cost. The reaction of Myers only made Cooper more suspicious of what may really be going on. Cooper then approached Farrell Malone, the external-audit partner at KEMP, the firm that replaced Andersen after its collapse following the Enron audit. Cooper explained about the movement of amounts to accounts and unexplained prepaid capacity designations. Farrell recommended not going to the audit committee at this time. Still, Cooper decided to take a closer look. Morse downloaded thousands of entries searching accounts with more than 300,000 transactions each month spread across a hundred legal entities. Cooper learned that Scott Sullivan, the CUFF, had found out about the audit. He questioned Morse about the work. This increased Coopers suspicion since Sullivan rarely took such a direct interest in an internal audit matter. She asked her staff what they thought about Morsels discovery. Most believed there is a good explanation. But Cooper knew as auditors they were obligated to stay with leads and keep reviewing the issues. At times, it is a slow, plodding process of checking and re-checking facts, developing theories, trying to find connections, and thinking through the issues until you get it right. On June moving large amounts from the income statement to the balance sheet $743 million in the third quarter of 2001, $941 million in the fourth quarter of 2001, and $100 million in the first quarter of 2002. The auditors went about tracing the amounts from account to account through the system to see where they landed. The next morning Cooper received a message that Sullivan wanted to speak to her right away. He talked about becoming more involved in internal audit matters, an unusual step for him. Cooper also overheard a conversation while in Sullivan office that Max Obit, the chairman of the Audit Committee, would be leaving the audit committee. This was of concern to Cooper since she reported functionally to the Audit Committee and administratively to Sullivan. The Audit Committee provided Internal Audit with independence from management. She worried that the conversation may have been for her benefit to inform her that Obit may not be there to support her. Cooper was prepared for the meeting. She asked Sullivan bluntly about prepaid capacity. He explained that it represented costs associated with no or low-utilized Sonnet Rings and [telecommunication] lines which were being capitalized. He stated: While revenues have declined, the costs related to certain lease are fixed, creating a matching problem. Although not clear at the time, Cooper came to realize that the amounts represented costs related to the companys leased fiber [optic] lines that had little or no customer usage because of the implosion of telecommunications in the late sass and early sass. The company continued to pay for the leased capacity UT they brought in little, if any, value. Instead of expensing the lease costs as they were incurred, the company reclassified the amoun ts as capital assets and expensed them over a longer period of time allowing it to stretch out the deduction to company earnings, buying time for revenue to catch up. Sullivan told her he was aware of the issues with the accounting treatment but they will be cleared up in the second quarter of 2002. At that time he said a restructuring charge related to prepaid capacity would be recorded effectively writing off most of the amounts that had been capitalized. After that, the company would no longer capitalize line costs as prepaid capacity, instead allocating these costs between a restructuring charge and an expense. Sullivan asked Cooper to postpone the audit until the third quarter of 2002 to look at the second quarter numbers. Cooper thought about what had transpired in her meeting with Sullivan. She realized that some aspects of accounting depended on Judgment. She thought, maybe the prepaid capacity was aggressive, but perfectly legal, accounting. She was uncomfortable with the matter in light of Farewells admonition not to go to the audit committee. Cooper called Obit to discuss the matter. She thought even though he was coming off the audit committee, that he would be interested in her findings. She told Obit that her staff had identified accounting entries made in the third and fourth quarter of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002 that totaled $2. 5 billion, and she was concerned about the accounting. Obit told her to meet with Farrell, the KEMP partner, to discuss the issues. The next day Obit came to town for an audit committee meeting and asked Cooper to meet with her and Farrell. At first, a stressed-out Obit chastised Cooper entries. Cooper felt she needed to have Obit focus on the real issue. However, Obit had already decided not to discuss the matter with the whole committee and he was supported by Farrell. At this point Cooper and Smith decided to interview Betty Vinson, the accounting director who entered some of the amounts into the accounting system. She asked for support for the prepaid capacity entries. Vinson admitted to making the entries but stated she did not know what they were for and had no support. Cooper asked where the amounts for the entries came from. Vinson said David Myers, the controller, or Buddy Yates, the director of general accounting. Cooper and Smith went to see Yates who told them to see Myers. Incredulously, she asked: Can a person reporting to you book a billion-dollar Journal entry without your knowledge? Yates told her that Myers called people who report to him all the time to book entries. Besides, most of the accounting is done in the field and not in my group. She thanked him for his answer but was in a state of disbelief. Cooper then went to see Myers who told her while he could construct support for the entries, he wouldnt do it. She asked him if there are NY accounting standards to support the entries. He stated there arent and that: We probably shouldnt have capitalized the line cost. But once it was done the first time, it was difficult to stop. He professed to be uncomfortable with the entries from the first time they were recorded. Smith wondered whether this was some sort of aggressive accounting technique. She asked Myers whether he was aware of other companies in the telecommunications industry who were using the same accounting treatment. He answered no but offered that other companies must have been doing the same thing to keep their cost structure low. Cooper decided to inform Obit of what had transpired. Obit suggested she should update Farrell and call him back after that. Farrell seemed surprised by the situation but said he would contact Obit and Myers. Cooper called Myers to give him a heads-up. Later in the day, Obit asked her to fly to Washington, D. C. To meet with him and Farrell the next morning. At the meeting Cooper expressed her concern that only one member of the audit committee knew about the entries. Obit cautioned that they had to be sure before going further and suggested it was now an external audit issue for KEMP, not an internal audit matter. Cooper offered that she didnt care whose issue it [was] as long as it [was] addressed appropriately. They agreed that Farrell would meet with Sullivan, the CUFF, who was the mastermind behind the accounting and give him an opportunity to explain his rationale. Farrell told Cooper that Sullivan explanation may have made sense from a business perspective, but not an accounting perspective. Sullivan had tried to find amounts inappropriately recorded in the opposite direction that is, expensed instead of capitalized to offset the prepaid-capacity entries and attempt to avoid restating many earnings. By June 20, over $3 billion of improperly classified costs had been found. It had been eight days since Cooper first called Obit about the audit findings and she was growing increasingly concerned that others on the audit committee were kept in the dark. She told Farrell that if Obit didnt call a meeting of the audit committee immediately, she would. Later in the day Obit called Cooper and told her there to. She asked why he seemed so agitated. Obit remarked that Do you have any idea what Im about to have to do? Im about to blow up this company! Farrell admitted at the meeting that he was not aware of any provision in GAP that would support the line-cost entries. Sullivan defended the transfers by stating that: Starting in 1999, World invested heavily in assets to expand the telecoms network, anticipating enormous future demands in customer traffic. World not only purchased equipment and fiber, but also signed a significant number of ling- term fiber leases with third parties to carry the expected telecoms traffic. But when the telecoms industry imploded, starting in 2000 and continuing through 2002, the customer usage anticipated never materialized. Now, large pieces of both owned and leased portions of the telecoms network wither [had] no or very little customer traffic. Sullivan had business reasons but no accounting rationale for the entries. He tried to use the matching principle to Justify the accounting. However, it only applied if the original Journal entries to account for the leases were correct. He also talked about taking an impairment charge in the second quarter of 2002, to write off the line cost amounts booked as capital assets. He insisted the entries werent made to meet earnings; that the accounting for line costs required Judgment and the transfers ere made using estimates. He also said there was no reason to consult anyone from Andersen on these matters. Following the audit committee meeting, Coopers team found 49 prepaid capacity accounting entries, totaling $3. Billion, recorded over all four quarters of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002. As she looked at the entries she concluded they were sinister in intent. The pattern of movement between accounts changed from one quarter to the next but the entries had the same end result. She concluded that it was a spider-web of amounts moving as many as three times and finally spread in mailer dollar increments across a multitu de of assets, mostly telecoms fiber and equipment. If the amounts are funneled through enough accounts and then spread out, someone seems to have thought, theyd come out on the other end less detectable by the external auditors. On June 24, Cooper and Smith met with Troy Normandy, the mid-level accounting director, who claimed to have relayed his concerns to Sullivan about another matter the drawing down of rainy-day line cost reserves, thereby reducing expenses. This occurred in 2000 when Normandy observed that Sullivan was forced to manipulate Hess amounts to meet the earnings guidance he had provided to Wall Street. Sullivan drew on the business purpose of the transactions and assured Normandy everything would be okay. Normandy felt he didnt know enough to refute Sullivan explanation so he went along with it. He shared with Cooper that he had considered resigning and never told internal or external audit about any of the entries because he was concerned for his Job and had a family to support. He concluded that: In hindsight, I wish I had. This case addresses the fundamental issues with weightlessness. Students should be able to differentiate between internal and external weightlessness and the consequences one might face if they choose to tell the truth. Under demonology Cynthia had a duty to the profession and the public to tell the truth. The fairness theory also requires that one do the act which is fair and promotes Justice to all. Ask students if they have ever had to tell on a friend? A co- worker? What kind of pressures did they face if they told the truth or if they kept silent? Questions 1 . What are the rules in accounting for determining whether to expense certain costs against revenue versus capitalizing and depreciating the costs? How do the different treatments affect earnings? Explain the reasons given by Scott Sullivan for capitalizing line costs. Why did Cooper believe the treatment did not conform to GAP? Accounting rules on leases proscribe which leases qualify as an operating lease (a current expense), and which qualify as a capitalizing lease (capitalized and depreciated over the life of the asset). By capitalizing and depreciating the cost over the life of the asset, the expense amount is smaller and matches the expense of the set with the revenues earned by the asset. Scott Sullivan explained that the prepaid capacity was fiber optic lines leases that were being capitalized, instead of expensed. The revenues on the leased fiber lines had declined, so the leases were being capitalized to better match the expense with the revenues. He later admitted that he was trying to use the matching principle to justify the capitalization of the lease costs. ) Cooper realized that capitalization of leases is based upon the lease being a financing lease to purchase the asset, not matching of the costs of the fiber lines with he revenues from the lines. Sullivan had also explained that the lines had little value and would be written off through a restructuring charge. Thus, there were red flags on the treatment of lease costs and impairment of assets.. 2. Analyze Cooper and the internal auditors professional Judgment. How do their actions relate to Rests four stages of moral development? Cooper and the internal auditors used objectivity and skepticism in looking at the prepaid capacity costs. They did not accept glib answers after being stonewalled on questions and requests for support and documentation. Their actions relate to the Rests four-component model of morality: moral sensitivity, moral Judgment, moral motivation, and newcomer and the internal auditors used objectivity and skepticism in looking at the prepaid capacity costs. They did not accept glib answers after being stonewalled on questions and requests for support and documentation. Their actions relate to the Rests four-component model of morality: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character. The auditors realized the dilemma; knew that the accounting entries were not following generally accepted accounting reminisces; were motivated to find answers and not accept glib answers and the audit committee. 3. What do you think motivated the behavior and actions of the following key people in this case: (a) Max Obit, chair of the audit committee Max Obit was stepping down as chair of the Audit Committee. He had overseen the change of auditors from Andersen to KEMP. In many ways he may have wanted to avoid conflict. When first approached by Cynthia Cooper, he may not have known for sure there was an accounting problem, as much as a conflict between Cooper and Sullivan. As he learned more of the accounting problem, he may have preferred a arsenal conflict between Cooper and Sullivan. (b) Farrell Malone, the KEMP partner. KEMP had taken over the audit of World after Andersen was put out of business from the Enron scandal. Farrell Malone wanted to keep the new client happy as he learned the audit situation. At that time, partners of Big 4 firms were compensated for new business brought to the firm. Additionally, a new audit often does not make money the first year, even if the firm has not low-balled the contract. Malone would have wanted to keep World as a client to make a profit for KEMP and to increase his personal compensation. C) Scott Sullivan the CUFF of World Scott Sullivan wanted World to make expected earnings to keep the stock price high. This could be due to not wanting to admit that expected earnings were wrong, and wanting the stock price high so that Coots stock options would have a high value and keep his personal worth high. (d) David Myers, the controller In a presentation at Baylor, David stated that he knew that the adjustment was wrong, but was convinced that it was a onetime adjustment. When the adjustments needed to be made going forward, David rationalized using utilitarianism that the retreat good for his friends, neighbors, co-workers, and residents of Clinton, Mississippi, would be to continue to go along with the adjustments. He was concerned that refusing to go along with Scott Sullivan or blowing the whistle would cause World to fail and negatively affect the economy of Clinton. In hindsight that is what happened, including David serving time in prison. (e) Betty Vinson and Troy Normandy, from the accounting department. Betty and Troy wanted to keep their Jobs so did as they were told. Since they were following orders from their supervisor it is possible that they thought they were not doing anything wrong.

Dune by Frank Herbert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dune by Frank Herbert - Essay Example Dune, proved that for centuries of overwhelming greed and need to acquire and retain more power through the political system as an avenue whereby reign and control is passed on to the generation next in line, a very classic feudal system that exists even at present. The political struggle brought about by the three feuding noble house describes how a ruler perceives the thrown: not just for source of power and wealth but most importantly the preservation of bloodline. Unfortunately, when an heir inherits a thrown, not only wealth and power is passed on, but also the "sins of his father" as when Paul Atreides put upon himself the burden of avenging the death of his father: "I swore never to wear it again until I was ready to lead my troops over all of Arrakis and claim it as my rightful fief" (p 363). Usually characterized by treachery, vengeance in Herbert's book coined "Kanly" to be a culturally accepted means to recover what is rightfully owned. Politics is known for the employment of necessary means to sustain greed, the manipulation of resources that is necessary to the community paving way for submission. This is how tyranny is born, a very controlled dictated manner of acquiring supremacy over the subject. This is not only evident in the way the CHOAM rules over the entire Imperium, for they are themselves dependent upon the resources found in the planet Dune. Thus political and personal interest over this planet paints every detail of treacherous plan to overthrow the house of Atreides. It is evident that once our greed overpowers our morals, we acquire the natural tendency to prevail our own selfish interests by resorting to evil and malicious ways. This is very apparent at present and we hear about this almost every day in the news. The advances that the modern times provides, encourages man to seek more, yet sometimes even with his acquisitions, still finds it inadequate. As prevalent as it may seem in our political system, regardless of the check and balance implemented to avoid this kind of problem, still a question remains, has feudalism really been successfully eradicated Or is it just lurking behind the skirts of so called democracy "Corruption wears infinite disguise" (Tleilaxu Thu-zan. P.83). On the Role of Religion: Religion as we already know extends its roots far beyond the creases of history whereby it plays an important role both in the aspect of faith and politics. In this book, Religion determines the manner with which a ruler governs, as evidenced by the significant influence of ancient teaching and the concept of the Benne Gesserit, who ordered the Missionaria Protectiva to spread prophecies and legends to the developing world and exploited these legends so that they gain respect and eventually power over these nave inhabitants who believes in contrive legends thus: "The Fremen around the ball glanced knowingly at each other. Did the legend not say: "And his word shall carry death eternal to those who stand against righteousness" (p 406). It is therefore clear the both religion and politics integrate itself into one determinant factor to sustain personal

Management of Mean Hyperglycaemia Levels in ICU Patients Research Paper

Management of Mean Hyperglycaemia Levels in ICU Patients - Research Paper Example There is enough evidence to believe that the aftereffects faced by sufferers of persistent hyperglycemia can be mitigated purely through better monitoring and management of the patients’ states of health in the Intensive Care Units. However, the exact causes of negligence, mishandling and below par medication of the patients are still not established; nor do we know exactly how these phenomena affect the patients’ organs and organ systems, which phenomenon occurs in what circumstances, and what is implied by each occurrence in medical terms. Problem Statement Diabetes mellitus has a unique association with other acute and chronic disorders such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc. During hospitalization, patients often encounter hyperglycemia. This is due to the increase in stress hormone circulation (Trence, Kelly, & Hirsch, 2003). It has been experimentally proven that high levels of glucose may have traumati c effects on the hemodynamic, immune and vascular systems. It has also been documented that the patients of hyperglycemia usually encounter subsequent health complications in the intensive care units (Golden, Peart-Vigilance, Kao, & Brancati, 1999). For instance, if the glucose levels are high after cardiac surgery, the chances of infection in the region of surgery increase (Zerr et al., 1997). Figure 1. Relationship between Hyperglycemia and Stress Hormone Circulation. Adapted from "Management of Hyperglycemia in the Hospital Setting" by Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2006. The New England Journal of Medicine, 18, p. 1904. The observations regarding the relationship of hyperglycemia with disorders of endocrine, cardiac and metabolic systems are not confined to patients of chronic... The research proposal is hereby complete and may be put forward for a practical study based on it. This proposal is of course, a theoretical briefing about the academic way of researching a very particular topic. It is intended to be a guideline for the specific tasks to be performed in carrying out a research study on the management of mean hyperglycemia levels of patients in ICUs. While the proposal is intended to be not lengthy nor incomprehensive or inconclusive, it is limited in scope anyhow by the project’s academic nature and by the requirements of this course and the level of study. Also, the project’s uniqueness is emphasized in the fact that it proposes a quantitative study while research projects regarding an area dealing strictly with human interactions, such as nursing, are most usually qualitative. While there may be some value in utilizing this proposal for some research, there certainly was a lot of useful learning during the performance of this project. It taught me about the value of choosing the right topic for a research: it is what determines the experience in drafting the rest of the proposal. It seems a bit presumptuous to try to adapt a yet-obscure topic for a research study of this level.

Weekly Journal #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Journal #8 - Essay Example Doing contrary is likely to cause confusion and lack of focus, which may lead to failure or stalling of a therapy. Additional point collectible from the readings is that family therapy approaches can apply in the treatment of other psychological and behavioral malfunctions such as substance abuse, childhood depression, eating disorder, internalizing disorder, childhood depression and childhood anxiety. As a qualified counselor, one needs to accept and value concepts of effective integration as presented in the readings. Actually, an experienced counselor should never combine many approaches to family therapy in their entirety. Instead, one should select and borrow important concepts from other models, which are relevant and capable of addressing challenges and differences encountered at different levels of therapy. In addition, an experienced counselor need to apply more of specially designed integrative model when doing therapy. This can help in avoiding confusion and making clients understand complexity of stages and perhaps reasons for changing in costs of therapy. The concept of preferred view can also help experienced counselors identify problems and dysfunctional relationship quickly (Nichols, 2013). The readings of the week also contain many insights that can be vital to a family therapist. One of the insights is that a therapist can use family therapy approaches to treat other behavioral problems such as childhood depression, childhood anxiety, substance abuse and eating disorders among others. Another insight is that therapeutic techniques are dynamic and multidimensional as concepts of one technique can help in resolving problems encountered during application of another technique (Nichols, 2013). Prior to the week’s readings, one would be thinking that integration of family therapy approaches is wrong and, professionally,

Girl Interrupted Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Girl Interrupted - Movie Review Example As the story progresses, Susanna became attached to Lisa who influenced her to cause troubles with the other patients. There was even a point where Susanna rejected the idea that she wasn't sick as what her boyfriend had told her because she relied much on Lisa. Susanna only came to realize how dangerous Lisa's personality was after Daisy killed herself and Lisa showed no mercy. Lisa even attacked Susanna and threatened to kill herself, too. At the end of the movie, Susanna was released from the institution. She left a remarkable line "Crazy isn't about being broken, or swallowing a dark secret. It's you, or me, amplified...". According to a study conducted by World Health Organization (2010) depression, anxiety, psychological distress, sexual violence, domestic violence and escalating rates of substance use affect women to a greater extent than men across different countries and different settings.

Celtic Tiger Irelands Growth Economics Essay

Celtic Tiger Irelands Growth Economics Essay The Harrod-Domar (CITE!!!) model developed in the 1940s was originally intended to analyse business cycles, but has since been adapted to economic growth. In the model, growth is dependent on the levels of labour and capital. As developing countries typically have a plentiful supply of labour, their growth is more dependent on physical capital and savings to create growth. Growth is achieved through net investment which will lead to capital appreciation thus producing higher levels of output and income; with higher levels of income there will be higher levels of saving. Thus, economic growth is dependent on policies and practices that will promote savings and/or create technological advancements that will decrease the capital-output ratio. However, this does not provide a complete picture and as a result, further models have since been developed. The traditional neoclassical growth model as developed by Solow (1956) and others builds on the Harrod-Domar model by including labour as a factor of production. However, the model allows little room to explain any impact other outside factors, such as foreign direct investment, may have on economic growth. In the model there are diminishing returns to capital and long run growth will be determined through exogenous factors such as technological advancement or population growth. Growth only lasts for a transitional phase until the economy reaches its new steady state level of output and employment. The model also states that growth rates are inversely related to a countrys income per capita; a poor country with similar endowments to a richer country will grow faster and eventually converge to the income per capita level of the richer one. Exogenous factors will only affect growth in the short term and the only way they can have lasting effects is via permanent technological shocks. H owever, Romer (1986), Lucas (1988) and Barro and Sala-i-Martin (1995) among others are credited with the development of the endogenous growth model which considers technological advancements as endogenous to the model. In his seminal paper on growth, Romer (1986) provides an alternative model for long term economic growth. He states that income per capita among developed countries does not necessarily converge with that of developed countries and that in fact there may be differing levels of growth. In particular, less developed countries can exhibit low levels of growth or may not grow at all. The factors that do lead to growth are not dependent on exogenous technological changes or differences between countries, but rather technology is endogenous to the model. Even holding technology, population and other factors constant, the most important idea is to ignore the traditional assumption of diminishing returns. Thus, long run growth will come from the accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge can demonstrate increasing returns and marginal product and can have limitless, constant growth. New knowledge will be transferred between firms and have positive externalities thus leading to increased growth. Ro mer (1986) argues that these positive externalities are able to explain growth and are necessary for an equilibrium state to exist. Similar to Romer, Lucas (1988) adds technology or human capital to the neoclassical growth model. The model in his paper also considers learning by doing as a way of capital accumulation. Population growth is held constant and both physical and human capital are included. Physical capital is taken from the traditional neoclassical growth model and human capital boosts productivity, where a stable effort level will lead to stable growth rates in productivity. For a closed economy, poorer countries will continue to stay poor, but will actually have the same growth rates as richer countries. Therefore, there will be constant growth rates and a steady distribution of income. For the open economy with free labour mobility and free trade of capital inputs, externalities and spillovers will lead to higher wages and higher skill levels, thus increasing the wealth of a country. Lucas also states that different growth rates amongst countries can be due to different levels of human capital grow th associated with different goods. Accordingly, it is evident that the same levels of technology and human capital are not available in every country as the neoclassical model assumes. Barro (1991) examined 98 countries to test the neoclassical idea that poorer countries will grow faster than richer countries. Rates of school enrolment were used to measure levels of human capital. The results find that GDP per capita growth rates are significantly positively related to initial endowments of human capital and based on these initial levels, growth is negatively related to the initial level of GDP per capita. These findings seem to support the neoclassical model that poorer countries will eventually converge with richer countries. However, this only holds for the poorer countries that have relatively high levels of human capital, meaning that the human capital level is above what would be expected given the relatively low level of GDP per capita. The paper also takes into account other factors, such as fertility rates, government expenditure, political instability and corruption, and price distortions. Despite these considerations, Barro concedes that the results are unable to explain the poor growth rates for countries in Latin American and Sub-Saharan Africa and suggests that other factors must be involved. Convergence or Regional Boom? From the theory, it is evident that convergence of less developed countries is not automatic and that many factors are responsible for economic growth. For the case of Ireland, there is debate as to whether or not it was simply a matter of delayed convergence or as a result of a regional boom. There are several papers arguing both sides, which will now be examined. Ó Grà ¡da (2002) argues that the economic performance of Ireland in the 1990s is mainly a matter of delayed convergence and making up for many decades of underperformance. He finds that Ireland underachieved compared to other Western European countries from the end of World War II until the late 1980s. Throughout that period, the 1960s provided a glimpse at possible future economic growth. If the period is extended to 1998, Ó Grà ¡da states that Ireland performed as expected given the low initial level of income per capita in the 1950s in order to achieve convergence. Thus, the economic slowdown evidenced at the time of writing, 2002, seems to be in line with convergence theory and to be expected as Ireland had reached its new steady state level. However, if the Celtic Tiger is simply a matter of delayed convergence, then why it took so long also needs to be examined. Ó Grà ¡da attributes this to poor fiscal policy practices and protectionism during the 1970s and early 1980s. Ó Grà ¡da and ORourke (1996) examine in detail why Ireland underperformed in previous decades relative to other Western European countries. Ireland experienced much lower rates of GDP growth as evidenced in Figure 1. The richest countries in 1950, Switzerland (CH), UK and Denmark are compared with the poorest countries, Greece and Spain. Ireland is the clear outlier and exhibits much slower growth than would be expected. They attribute the weak performance to a variety of factors particularly trade protectionist policies, heavy reliance on agricultural exports, and rent-seeking behaviour. In particular, Ireland failed to participate in the economic recovery of the rest of post WWII Europe by maintaining barriers to trade and waiting to open up the economy until the 1960s. However, they do not find that low levels of investment in human and physical capital to have been significant factors. Ó Grà ¡da and ORourke also suggest that Irelands proximity and reliance on the UK cou ld have led to slower growth rates since the UK, while not underperforming, was not experiencing particularly high levels of growth. Figure 1: Average annual growth rates, 1950-1988, for Western Europe Source: Ó Grà ¡da and ORourke (1996) Honohan and Walsh (2002) also take the view that Irelands economic performance can be attributed to delayed convergence. They argue that there was no productivity miracle but instead the boom was mainly due to a change in fiscal and monetary policies and an improvement in the labour market, which allowed productivity to finally catch up to the levels of the rest of Europe. While an increase in the population employed and demographic trends are unlikely to be repeated, Honohan and Walsh argue that if the policy changes had been made earlier, Ireland would have achieved convergence earlier. The argument that the increased growth was due to a regional boom is also considered. However, it is immediately discounted when Irelands population and economic growth is compared to that of individual states of the U.S., ranking 23rd out of fifty (Honohan and Walsh, 2002). Barry (2000) examines if Irish growth can be attributed to changes in policy and to what extent, which would support the convergence hypothesis. The most important factor is correct microeconomic and industrial policy, which Barry argues is the main reason for the delay in development. However, he finds that there are other certain characteristics necessary for convergence to be achieved, including a stable economy, an effective labour market, a developed market for exports, and sufficient levels of education. Thus, Barry seems to provide mixed support for the convergence theory. The delayed convergence hypothesis suggests that Irelands economic growth was simply a matter of catching up with the rest of the developed world. However, it has some shortcomings including not satisfactorily explaining why Ireland failed to converge sooner like the other peripheral EU countries of Spain, Portugal and Greece. Delayed convergence also does not give a role to the large increase in foreign direct investment as the theory does not suggest that anything other than sound economic and industrial policies are necessary. The theory also suggests that since convergence has been achieved, all that is required to maintain it is to ensure the same sound policies are followed. The regional boom theory, on the other hand, does take into consideration other non-traditional factors such as FDI and the boom of the US economy. It particularly focuses on an economys export base as key for economic growth. This theory also leaves room for unexpected shocks, such as a decrease in FDI or downturn in the US economy to have an impact on the economy, which in light of recent events, would seem to be more accurate. The regional boom theory will now be examined in more detail. A regional economy differs from a national economy in that there is free movement of labour in and out of the region (Barry 2002a). Krugman (1997) has suggested that Ireland be treated as such a regional economy due to the fact that it exhibits many of the features of a small region of a larger economy rather than a larger independent nation. Ireland is a small, extremely open economy and before the adoption of the Euro, had a currency that was mostly pegged to another. With the free movement of labour, wages are determined by those of the larger region, rather than within the country itself and job numbers are based on labour demand rather than labour supply determining job creation based on wages (Krugman, 1997). Also, adjustment to exogenous shocks will be dealt with differently by a country in a regional economy versus a sovereign country. If a shock occurs to the labour market in an open economy, labour will simply leave, rather than a wage adjustment occurring and new industrie s arising, as in a closed economy. Krugman argues in favour of the regional boom hypothesis because of the large increase in the export economy and the increase in jobs in the services sector as a result. The majority of the increase in exports during the Celtic Tiger was in foreign-owned companies. Barry (2002b) examines Irelands economic performance and the factors that lead to convergence compared to the other peripheral EU countries of Spain, Portugal and Greece. Ireland, unlike the other countries, failed to reach EU average levels of growth until much later. Unlike previously argued by Ó Grà ¡da and ORourke, Barry finds that this was not in fact due to macroeconomic policies, as all four countries had similar practices and in fact, Ireland was the most export oriented country of the group, as shown in Table 1. Barry finds the main difference between Ireland and the rest is actually in labour market operations. Ireland experienced high unemployment, high emigration and increased wages from the 1960s to the late 1980s. The relatively high wages meant domestically owned labour-intensive firms were unable to compete with foreign-owned firms as high levels of FDI, particularly in the manufacturing sector, started to enter the economy. Thus, Barrys findings seem to support the regional boom hypothesis with exports and FDI playing a key role in explaining Irish growth. Table 1: Exports of goods and services as a percentage of GDP Barry (1999) argues that in order to achieve high levels of growth in a regional economy, a nation needs to be internationally competitive in the non-agricultural sector, as increased capital in an agriculturally based economy will lead to more emigration. He argues that industrialisation policy is crucial, whereas proponents of the convergence theory, including Ó Grà ¡da consider this a distortion with Ireland merely switching from import-substitution industrialisation to export-substitution industrialisation (Ó Grà ¡da, 2002, p. 8). However, others, such as Barros and Cabral (2000) and Fumagalli (1999) suggest that in order to industrialise, such a distortion is necessary. Hill et al (2005) consider both theories and come to the conclusion that perhaps it cannot be explained solely by one theory, but rather a combination of the two. They argue that the necessary conditions for convergence were in place by the 1970s, but that Ireland suffered as a result of poor policy practices from 1973-1986 and global economic downturn. However, this is not sufficient to explain the economic growth fully and thus, Hill et al also incorporate the regional perspective. Labour and capital inflows were as equally important as sound policies in Irelands growth. Ireland was able to attract foreign investment, create more and higher quality jobs and as a result, the levels of labour force participation increased. They cite increases in employment and job creation as extremely important in the Irish case, which implies a larger role for government than in convergence theory. Government needs to do more than just maintain proper fiscal policy and must ensure there is a compet itive environment for business. Ó Grà ¡da (2002) also considers the regional boom hypothesis, but finds it overly optimistic for proposing that high growth rates could be sustained without sustained increases in labour. However, both Barry (2002c) and Dascher (2000) develop a model of a regional boom economy with Irelands specifications and find that labour inflows will decline as infrastructure and housing become more congested. Yet, growth can still continue without more labour if sufficient stocks are maintained and there are no negative exogenous shocks to the larger regional economy. The regional boom theory also suggests that just because Ireland has caught up to average EU levels, it does not mean that further growth cannot be achieved as convergence theory would suggest. Indeed, if Ireland could continue attracting FDI and supplying labour, growth should still be able to continue, despite convergence already being attained. Blanchard (2002) comments on Honohan and Walshs 2002 paper and argues that convergence theory is not the appropriate model to describe Irelands growth, but rather endogenous growth theory is. Instead of the Solow model which has diminishing returns to capital, he suggests the AK model of economic growth is more appropriate, where output and capital accumulation move together because of consistently increasing employment levels. Thus, the economy will move towards producing more capital intensive goods. This is similar to the regional boom perspective where increases in labour and capital will stimulate each other to create more growth than would be possible in a national economy. The regional boom theory, unlike convergence theory, allows for negative exogenous shocks to affect growth. For example, a downturn in the global economy or a withdrawal of FDI in favour of Central and Eastern European countries, would significantly impact the Irish economy. However, convergence theory would consider these to be temporary shocks and since no policy changes have been made, they should not affect growth. Conversely, the regional boom theory allows for the possibility that these could be permanent shocks with tremendous negative effects, including even a return to pre-Celtic Tiger levels of unemployment and emigration and the undoing of the catch-up. Overall, both perspectives offer valid reasons to explain Irelands economic growth however, in view of the recent financial crisis and Irelands sharp economic decline, it may be more appropriate to view the progress of the 1990s in terms of a regional boom. While Ireland had relatively similar policies to Greece, Spain and Portugal, it did not catch up with European averages in the 1960s like the others did. Thus it seems perhaps more suitable to view Ireland in terms of part of a regional economy tied to the UK for that time period and again connected to the US during its boom years starting in the late 1980s. This theory also suggests that industrialisation strategy, creating an export-based economy and attracting FDI are the key factors for growth, rather than just appropriate macroeconomic policies. Both of these theories can provide useful lessons for other developing countries seeking to follow in Irelands footsteps of rapid economic growth. Lessons from Ireland for other countries There are many papers discussing the Irish economic boom, its causes and what lessons can be learned for other countries seeking to achieve such rapid economic growth. Acs, et al (2007) examine whether the Irish miracle could be duplicated in Hungary. The paper focuses specifically on the impact of FDI and how it affects entrepreneurial activity. While they find significant differences between the two, the results do suggest several policy outcomes based on the Irish experience that Hungary could implement, including boosting human capital, improving the quality of FDI and encouraging more enterprise development. Andreosso-OCallaghan and Lenihan (2005) focus on economic policy and whether Ireland can provide a good example of economic development for NMS, with particular regard to developing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). They find that Ireland does indeed supply a useful model for others to follow. Developing the growth of SMEs is important for overall economic growth and it was a key focus of Irish industrial policy, particularly after 1993. Andreosso-OCallaghan and Lenihan suggest that adopting Irish policies, such as dedicated development agencies, and proactively evaluating industrial policies, would help SMEs grow in NMS. However, they also warn of the dangers of relying too heavily on FDI as some would suggest Ireland has done. Hill et al (2005) examine the Irish experience in great detail, beginning with considering whether convergence theory or regional boom is more appropriate. They then recognize that for a small, open economy to develop and create quality jobs, the country needs to be competitive in the following four areas: context for firm strategy and rivalry, demand conditions, factor (input) conditions and related and supporting industries (Hill et al, 2005, 5). There are also corresponding policy initiatives for each of the four areas: tax policy, educational system, regional economy and institutions and consumer protection laws. They then analyse these four areas for Ireland and how policymakers have performed. The economic conditions and performance of Arizona in the United States is then compared to Ireland, to see what lessons Arizona could learn and if they could replicate Irelands growth. The results show that Arizona shares some similar characteristics with Ireland and thus has some opport unities for similar growth. Bailey et al (2009) examine industrial policy in both the Celtic Tiger and East Asian Tiger countries to see what potential lessons African nations could learn. They focus primarily on the Irish experience and provide several reasons why Ireland is a better example for Africa, including that most African countries, like Ireland are small and open, Ireland had a more corporatist experience than in East Asia, and that in some East Asian countries the rights of trade unions were suppressed. Bailey et al take a holistic approach to analysing Irish industrial policy, instead of focusing solely on policies that promote just FDI, or developing SMEs or Research and Development (RD), and then apply it to Africa. They find that Africa can learn from the policy examples and mistakes of Ireland and East Asia. In another paper, Bailey et al (2008) examine and compare the Irish and Hungarian experience, with particular focus on industrial policy and then determine what lessons other Central and Eastern European nations could learn. Hungary is selected as a comparison because it has closely followed the Irish model and has been cited by others, including the World Bank and the OECD, as a potential example for other developing countries (Fink, 2006). Like previously mentioned, Bailey et al implement a holistic approach to industrial policy. They assess both countries policies and find that attracting FDI has had the most significant impact on growth. However, they find that there are limitations to FDI based growth and thus emphasize the need to also develop domestic industry. Fortin (2000) discusses and analyses the characteristics and causes of the Irish economic boom. It is divided into two main sections, a long-term productivity boom and a short-term employment boom. Key lessons as well as appropriate policies for other countries, particularly Canada, are identified based on the Irish experience. These include encouraging free trade and investment, industrial and tax policy conducive to business and ensuring high levels of education. Fortin examines Canadas recent economic performance and discusses what changes Canada can implement based on these lessons from Ireland. Although not all Irish policy is applicable, Canada can emulate the policies of fiscal discipline, openness and free trade. Hansen (2006) examines the Irish determinants of growth individually and assesses whether Latvia could repeat Irish success. The approach is more holistic and based on the methodology of Mancur Olson (1996) and Hansen states that this approach could be applied to any of the other New Member States of the EU. The results show that Latvia has already implemented many of the same policies that contributed to the Irish boom. Other factors are considered to be specific to Ireland, and consequently unable to be replicated. Overall, Hansen suggests that Latvia cannot adopt much more from Ireland and goes so far as to suggest the Irish case is no miracle as others have proposed, but rather a combination of sound policy, timing and a bit of luck (2006, 13). With the exception of Hansen (2006) and Fortin (2000), most of the literature on Irish growth and lessons for other countries focuses on specific determinants or policies rather than taking a holistic approach. Therefore, this paper seeks to follow this example and examine the Irish boom in detail and then apply it to country. The individual determinants of Irish growth will now be examined in more detail. The Irish Experience Macroeconomic Stability Convergence theory cites effective policy as an instrumental part of economic growth and indeed Irelands failure to catch up until recently has been attributed to this. In the immediate post-War period, much of Western Europe began to recover and experienced economic growth. However, in the 1950s, Ireland still relied heavily on agriculture, had high levels of emigration and protectionist policies. In the 1960s, the economic conditions began to turn around, with better macroeconomic policies being adopted. As Honohan and Walsh (2002) state, these include pegging the exchange rates to the British pound, managing a reasonable balance of payments deficit, conservative fiscal policy of borrowing only to finance public capital investment and relatively low tax rates. Previous protectionism was dropped and foreign direct investment was encouraged through grants and tax exemptions. Ireland entered into the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement in 1965 and also decided to apply for membershi p in the European Economic Community (EEC), hence opening itself up for more trade. It would seem that during the 1960s Ireland was poised to catch up with the rest. However, in the 1970s, with the global oil crisis and inappropriate policy response, Ireland was unable to capitalise on the progress made in the previous decade. In an attempt to recover from the crisis quickly, expansionary practices were pursued, which caused real wages to escalate and crowded out productive growth. Consequently, in 1987 there was public debt in excess of 130%, an unemployment rate of about 16%, inflation level around 9.5%, high interest rates and there was an average growth rate of 3.2% during the 1980s (Hansen, 2006). All of these elements were not conducive to economic growth and as a result, Ireland faced a severe recession. Accordingly, it became evident that economic policy changes needed to be made and the general election of 1987 heralded the beginning of a more stable macroeconomic policy. The new government, employers and trade unions developed a social partnership known as the Programme for National Recovery to reach an agreement on wages, taxes, and other social welfare improvements. The government offered lower income tax rates in exchange for wage moderation by the trade unions. As a result, the labour market became more competitive and effective and more employment opportunities were created in both the services and manufacturing sectors. Fiscal Policy Fiscal policy from the 1970s to late 1980s was quite varied and went from being expansionary in 1977, to taxing and spending in 1981 and then to cost-cutting in 1987. These changes coincided with different governments in power and corresponding different policy goals. It was not until 1987 that appropriate fiscal policy was adopted for the economic situation and as a result, stabilisation began to occur. The government focused on reducing the budget deficit, which had reached levels between 6.1% and 8.2% of GNP between 1978-1987 and the debt to GNP ratio was a massive 131.4% in 1987 (Leddin and OLeary, 1991). By the end of 2001, the debt to GNP ratio was only 38% (Honohan and Walsh, 2002). Government spending also decreased from about 46% of GNP in 1987 to 37.2% already in 1991 (Leddin and OLeary, 1991). (For graphs see H and W). In addition to cutting spending and reducing the debt, the government cut tax rates. Comparing 2001 and 1985, the top income tax rates decreased from 65% to 42%, corporate tax rates fell from 50% to 16%, capital gains tax was reduced from 60% to 20% and capital acquisitions tax fell from 55% to 20% (Honohan and Walsh, 2002). From the 1960s until 1981, Ireland has a 0% tax rate on export profits. However, such low tax rates drew complaints from other EU members and, as a result, Ireland was forced to raise it to 10% in 1981. This preferential corporate tax rate was put in place for profits in the manufacturing sector, internationally traded services, and activities in the Dublin based International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Again, due to complaints, Ireland agreed to raise rates to 12.5% in 2003 for manufacturing and internationally traded services and in 2005 for IFSC activities. It is generally recognized that such low corporate tax rates were instrumental in attracting inte rnational companies to conduct business in Ireland. Gropp and Kostial (2000) estimated that if Ireland had increased corporate tax rates to the EU average from 1990-1997, there would have been a loss of more than 1.3% of GDP per year in net FDI and a 0.8% loss of GDP in revenue. As a result of Irelands success, lowering of corporate tax rates has also been adopted by other countries, perhaps most significantly, Germany, who reduced their tax rate from 40% in 2000 to 25% in 2001 (Walsh, 2000). Despite this, it is also important to note that the effect of low corporate tax rates on attracting FDI may be distorted as a result of transfer pricing. This means that foreign-owned companies may use pricing adjustments to allocate a larger share of their profits to their Irish operations and thus pay less taxes. This may be responsible for the large gap between GDP and GNP in Ireland during the 1990s. In 1998, GDP surpassed GNP by 14.3%, well higher than any other country in the OECD (Walsh, 2000). However, Walsh also states that the effects of transfer pricing on the measurement of economic growth should not be exaggerated (2000: 225). Generally, GNP is used to measure the performance of the Irish economic boom because of the high levels of FDI. Overall, corporate tax rates have played an important role in attracting FDI, which in turn has been a significant factor in Irelands growth and will be examined more fully below. Monetary Policy Ireland decided to join the European Monetary System (EMS) and an adjustable peg system in 1978 and end its parity with the pound sterling in 1979. Although the decision was made more for political rather than economic reasons, there were definite economic implications. Throughout the period of EMS, many exchange rate readjustments occurred and for most of them the Irish pound was devalued against the German Deutschmark, which allowed Ireland to gain wage competitiveness. Overall, though, Irish membership in the EMS was not as successful as hoped and served to increase uncertainty and discourage anti-inflationary practices. However, joining EMS laid the groundwork for signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and thus the agreement to join the European Monetary Union (EMU). As a result of joining EMU and giving up their independent currency, Ireland experienced a onetime decrease in interest rates.