Spectroscopy Definition and Difference vs Spectrometry

Spectroscopy Definition and Difference vs Spectrometry Spectroscopy is the analysis of the interaction between matter and any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Traditionally, spectroscopy involved the visible spectrum of light, but X-ray, gamma, and UV spectroscopy also are valuable analytical techniques. Spectroscopy can involve any interaction between light and matter, including absorption, emission, scattering, etc. Data obtained from spectroscopy is usually presented as a spectrum (plural: spectra) that is a plot of the factor being measured as a function of either frequency or wavelength. Emission spectra and absorption spectra are common examples. How Spectroscopy Works When a beam of electromagnetic radiation passes through a sample, the photons interact with the sample. They may be absorbed, reflected, refracted, etc. Absorbed radiation affects the electrons and chemical bonds in a sample. In some cases, the absorbed radiation leads to the emission of lower-energy photons. Spectroscopy looks at how the incident radiation affects the sample. Emitted and absorbed spectra can be used to gain information about the material. Because the interaction depends on the wavelength of radiation, there are many different types of spectroscopy. Spectroscopy Versus Spectrometry In practice, the terms spectroscopy and spectrometry are used interchangeably (except for mass spectrometry), but the two words dont mean exactly the same thing. Spectroscopy comes from the Latin word specere, meaning to look at, and the Greek word skopia, meaning to see. The ending of spectrometry comes from the Greek word metria, meaning to measure. Spectroscopy studies the electromagnetic radiation produced by a system or the interaction between the system and light, usually in a nondestructive manner. Spectrometry is the measurement of electromagnetic radiation to obtain information about a system. In other words, spectrometry can be considered a method of studying spectra. Examples of spectrometry include mass spectrometry, Rutherford scattering spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry, and neutron triple-axis spectrometry. The spectra produced by spectrometry arent necessarily intensity versus frequency or wavelength. For example, a mass spectrometry spectrum plots intensity versus particle mass. Another common term is spectrography, which refers to methods of experimental spectroscopy. Both spectroscopy and spectrography refer to radiation intensity versus wavelength or frequency. Devices used to take spectral measurements include spectrometers, spectrophotometers, spectral analyzers, and spectrographs. Uses Spectroscopy can be used to identify the nature of compounds in a sample. It is used to monitor the progress of chemical processes and to assess the purity of products. It can also be used to measure the effect of electromagnetic radiation on a sample. In some cases, this can be used to determine the intensity or duration of exposure to the radiation source. Classifications There are multiple ways to classify types of spectroscopy. The techniques may be grouped according to the type of radiative energy (e.g., electromagnetic radiation, acoustic pressure waves, particles such as electrons), the type of material being studied (e.g., atoms, crystals, molecules, atomic nuclei), the interaction between the material and the energy (e.g., emission, absorption, elastic scattering), or specific applications (e.g., Fourier transform spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy).

Agatha Christie - Author of 82 Detective Novels

Agatha Christie - Author of 82 Detective Novels Agatha Christie was one of the most successful crime novelists and playwrights of the 20th century. Her lifelong shyness led her to the literary world where she conjured up detective fiction with endearing characters, including the world-famous detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Not only did Christie write 82 detective novels, but she also wrote an autobiography, a series of six romance novels (under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott), and 19 plays, including The Mousetrap, the world’s longest running theatrical play in London. More than 30 of her murder mystery novels have been made into motion pictures, including Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Death on the Nile (1978). Dates: September 15, 1890 – January 12, 1976 Also Known As: Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; Dame Agatha Christie; Mary Westmacott (pseudonym); Queen of Crime Growing Up On September 15, 1890, Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born the daughter of Frederick Miller and Clara Miller (nà ©e Boehmer) in the seaside resort town of Torquay, England. Frederick, an easy going, independently wealthy American stockbroker, and Clara, an Englishwoman, raised their three children Margaret, Monty, and Agatha in an Italian-style stucco mansion complete with servants. Agatha was educated in her happy, peaceful home via a mixture of tutors and â€Å"Nursie,† her nanny. Agatha was an avid reader, especially Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. She and her friends enjoyed acting out gloomy stories where everyone died, which Agatha wrote herself. She played croquet and took piano lessons; however, her extreme shyness kept her from publicly performing. In 1901, when Agatha was 11, her father died of a heart attack. Frederick had made some bad investments, leaving his family financially unprepared for his untimely death. Although Clara was able to keep their home since the mortgage was paid, she was forced to make several household cuts, including the staff. Rather than home tutors, Agatha went to Miss Guyer’s School in Torquay; Monty joined the army; and Margaret married. For high school, Agatha went to a finishing school in Paris where her mother hoped her daughter would become an opera singer. Although good at singing, Agatha’s stage fright once again prevented her from publicly performing. After her graduation, she and her mother traveled to Egypt, which would inspire her writing. Becoming Agatha Christie, Crime Writer In 1914, the sweet, shy, 24-year-old Agatha met 25-year-old Archibald Christie, an aviator, who was in complete contrast to her personality. The couple married December 24, 1914, and Agatha Miller became Agatha Christie. A member of the royal Flying Corps during World War I, daring Archibald returned to his unit the day after Christmas, while Agatha Christie became a volunteer nurse for the ill and injured of the war, many of whom were Belgians. In 1915, she became a hospital-dispensing pharmacist, which gave her an education in poisons. In 1916, Agatha Christie wrote a death-by-poison murder mystery in her spare time, mostly due to her sister Margaret challenging her to do so. Christie titled the novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles and introduced a Belgian inspector she invented named Hercule Poirot (a character who would appear in 33 of her novels). Christie and her husband were reunited after the war and lived in London where Archibald received a job with the Air Ministry in 1918. Their daughter Rosalind was born on August 5, 1919. Six publishers turned down Christie’s novel before John Lane in the US published it in 1920 and subsequently published by Bodley Head in the UK in 1921. Christie’s second book,  The Secret Adversary, was published in 1922. That same year, Christie and Archibald set sail on a voyage to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Canada as part of the British trade mission. Rosalind stayed behind with her aunt Margaret for ten months. Agatha Christie’s Personal Mystery By 1924, Agatha Christie had published six novels. After Christie’s mother died of bronchitis in 1926, Archibald, who was having an affair, asked Christie for a divorce. Christie left her home on December 3, 1926; her car was found abandoned and Christie was missing. Archibald was immediately suspected. After a police hunt for 11 days, Christie turned up at the Harrogate Hotel, using a name patterned after Archibald’s mistress, and saying she had amnesia. Some suspected that she actually had a nervous breakdown, others suspected that she wanted to upset her husband, and the police suspected that she wanted to sell more books. Archibald and Christie divorced April 1, 1928. Needing to get away, Agatha Christie boarded the Orient Express in 1930 from France to the Middle East. On tour at a dig site in Ur she met an archaeologist named Max Mallowan, a big fan of hers. Fourteen years his senior, Christie enjoyed his company, finding out that they both worked in the business of uncovering â€Å"clues.† After they married on September 11, 1930, Christie often accompanied him, living and writing from Mallowan’s archeological sites, further inspiring her novels’ settings. The couple remained happily married for 45 years, until Agatha Christie’s death. Agatha Christie, the Playwright In October 1941, Agatha Christie wrote a play titled Black Coffee. After writing several more plays, Christie wrote The Mousetrap in July 1951 for Queen Mary’s 80th birthday; the play became the longest continuously running play in the West End of London, since 1952. Christie received the Edgar Grand Master Award in 1955. In 1957, when Christie became ill living at the archaeological digs, Mallowan decided to retire from Nimrud in northern Iraq. The couple returned to England where they busied themselves with writing projects. In 1968, Mallowan was knighted for his contributions to archaeology. In 1971, Christie was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire, the equivalent of knighthood, for her services to literature. Death of Agatha Christie On January 12, 1976, Agatha Christie died at home in Oxfordshire at the age of 85 of natural causes. Her body was interred at Cholsey Churchyard, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, England. Her autobiography was published posthumously in 1977.

The Rainmaker Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rainmaker Film - Movie Review Example Nevertheless, The Rainmaker did relatively well and its actors got good reviews. Its director, Francis Ford Coppola, who also did the screenplay, got positive comments as well. According to Roger Ebert, "I have enjoyed several of the movies based on Grisham novels ... but I've usually seen the storyteller's craft rather than the novelist's art being reflected. ... By keeping all of the little people in focus, Coppola shows the variety of a young lawyer's life, where every client is necessary and most of them need a lot more than a lawyer." (Ebert) The plot of the movie revolves much around Rudy Baylor, a young lawyer who would have wanted to make it big in very first case that he handles. Being the central figure, the main conflict of the film dwells on his first legal challenge, a case regarding a family's struggle to make an insurance company pay for the surgical operation of a son afflicted with leukemia. While doing so, Baylor also has to deal with the conflict between making money a priority as a lawyer and standing up for the 'small people' against a huge unscrupulous insurance firm, Great Benefit, and its host predatory lawyers led by Leo Drummond. The conflict between making his profession as a milking cow and dignifying it by accommodating a worthy cause of the less-privileged is even made more intense as Baylor is partnered by a six-time bar flunker, Deck Schifflet. Schifflet tries to convince him to do everything, including illegal methods, just to win the case and bag a huge sum of attorney's fees from the defenda nt insurance company. Acknowledging Schifflet's rich experience and his grave lack of it, Baylor later agrees to the suggestions especially when he developed a passion in fighting for the oppressed claimants. At one point the conflict between self-interest and the interests of his lowly clients peaked seemingly when has to take measures in helping the woman he loved, Kelly Riker, from a violently abusive husband. All these conflicts, of course, are resolved at the end of the movie. Baylor and his clients, the Blacks, won the case against Drummond and Great Benefit. This has been done partly because of the Baylor's litigation skills and Schifflet's off-hand tactics. However, an Afro-American judge with a good background in civil rights also contributed much to the victory. Drummond and Great Benefit, in a desperate but wicked move to save the insurance firm's profits filed for bankruptcy and got it. The Blacks never won the amount of money they want to claim. Baylor and Schifflet never got the millions of attorney's fees they worked hard for. Nevertheless, the movie ends with a lesson that a truly worthy cause cannot be bought by any amount of money. Baylor did not get the huge amount he and Schifflet dreamed for but wins friends, respect and a good promising future in the legal profession. As icing on the cake, he also wins Kelly. Matt Damon plays the role of Rudy Baylor. While some roles are tailor-made for an actor, Damon's case in The Rainmaker is different. He just naturally fits the role. He has no physical features that may grant him the usual star qualities according to the standards of Hollywood. His acting is not really as convincing as most other stars. However, in this particular film, Damon's acting fits the role perfectly. Baylor's character is that of freshman lawyer who is lacking in confidence while beset with

Managing service resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managing service resources - Essay Example Medi-Call as a firm, works with the reception of three main categories of calls from its clients. This include, emergency calls, which would be considered as the most vital of all the firms operations, as they result to having the firms agents being on the phone, for an average time of thirty minutes (Young, 2008, 27). This however goes further to be spread over to a greater number of calls, whereby the customer, the client’s family, or even the neighbors are at times involved in the entire calling procedure. Technical enquiries, as well as reassurance calls, are also part of the buildup that the firm consists and works with. Technical calls normally come from new customers, as they are normally not certain, or rather used to the operation of the equipment in use. Technical calls last to approximately five minutes, as they are brief, and to the point. On the other hand, reassurance calls revolve around the effort of the firm. How exactly is this? Medi-Call advocates for its clients to make a call to the overall call center, with an aim to ensure that their equipment still work accordingly, and in line with what is expected of them. This particular category of calls varies in their time span, with most lasting to approximately six minutes. This is because, some of Medi-Calls clients spend a lot of time alone, and end up using this opportunity to strike long conversations on the phone, letting their bottled thoughts out (Lovelock, 2012, 82 ). Elderly institutions should not be overcrowded as this would be hard for them to have free space and disease that are contagious can be transmitted through various factors such as air that is in low supply. Competition for basic needs such as water and other needs such as towels and washrooms may not be adequate. Large numbers would cause death, as nurses may be unable to account for each elderly person on time. The high number can increase the lack of

Philosophical Analysis Essay Example for Free

Philosophical Analysis Essay History of the School National College of Science Technology (NCST) was born in the historic and progressive Municipality of Dasmarià ±as, Cavite, Philippines in 1998. As a brainchild of a 23-year-old visionary entrepreneur in the person of Emerson B. Atanacio, NCST has slowly yet steadily carved its niche in the fast growing and very competitive educational arena not only in the province but in the entire CALABARZON region. With an initial enrollment of 550 students in 1998, the school has now increased tenfold from its original number as it now has a total population of 5,000 students in its conventional programs. The school has been faithful in its mission to provide industry responsive graduates. Thus, in 2005, it ventured into its â€Å"first institutionally developed† course offerings: the Certificate in Manufacturing Technology and the Diploma in Production Technology. Both curricular programs are under the Dual Training System where students are being trained in two avenues of learning – the school and the industry. With an initial enrollment of only 18 students in 2005, it has increased to 1,592 in 2008 and 1,026 as of August 2009. The university town of Dasmarià ±as is an inland town located some 32 kilometres south of Manila, and 27 kilometres south of Tagaytay City. As a rapidly developing municipality, it is situated along the western industrial corridor of the Laguna de Bay basin. It has an area of 234 hectares comprising 6.4 percent of the total area of the province of Cavite. It is bounded in the north and west by General Trias, in the northeast by Imus and east by General Mariano Alvarez and Carmona and in the south by Silang. The National College of Science and Technology (NCST) is one of the leading educational institutions in the vast growing locality of Dasmarià ±as, Cavite. NCST has chosen Cavite as its place of birth due to its strategic location having numerous technology-based industries and companies operating in the different techno parks within the province, which is in cognizant with the institutional commitment of serving the youth of CALABARZON. With its considerable resources, NCST is continuously engaged in the research and development of new courses as well as the enhancement of existing curricula and the further improvement of its facilities to support the various program offerings. Close linkage with the different business and industrial sector has brought forth enhanced training programs where students are simultaneously exposed to both academic and actual work environments ensuring that upon their graduation, they are equipped with employable skills, work knowledge and proper attitude. The NCST Campus is located along the stretch of Emilio Aguinaldo Highway and near the Congressional Avenue East in the university town of Dasmarià ±as, which is a strategic location, and makes it accessible to all parts of the provence of Cavite and of Manila. The campus itself has a two building, 4-storey structure, with fifty-seven (57) classrooms inclusive of fifteen (15) laboratories, all of which are fully air-conditioned. In order to give the students the relevant training required in their respective fields of study, a special laboratory for each course is provided and which include a network of four hundred (400) computer systems and was the existence of five (5) servers that guarantees 1:1 student/computer ratio. Furthermore, Internet access in the World Wide Web is also provided in order to familiarize the student with the sophistication of the information superhighway. Skills development is constantly upgraded to meet the challenging demands of the future. As such, technology-based courses in NCST are equipped with state-of-the-art technical equipment as well as the backing of personnel with technological expertise who ensure that a well-rounded and comprehensive training program, and responds to the demands of the industry for quality and productivity. II Philosophical Analysis The National College of Science Technology (NCST) systems envision to become one of the nation’s leading industry-based educational institution with campuses in key areas around the Philippines. NCST will be a top choice for human resources of every industry. NCST aims to become the institute for nation building, where student excellence is not an extraordinary achievement but a daily way of life. NCST, in response to the commercial and industrial sectors’ need of highly professional and skilled manpower, provides advanced technology and industry-based education, and sets standard of proficiency and competency compatible to the demands of industry, enduring positive work values, competitiveness and quality among its graduates. They aim to contribute to the national development by providing functional and relevant education thereby producing quality and responsible graduates with a strong foundation in character, faith, and love of country. Our graduates will become the change agents who will make a difference for this nation. We will produce professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs or skilled workforce who will become assets to the society and productive citizens of our country. MISSION NCST undertakes the responsibility of providing the country with quality graduates who are trained with industry-responsive knowledge and skills and founded with underpinning values of faith, love of country and humanity, hope, justice, mutual respect and peace. Their academic community accepts the challenge to work hard as a team in the spirit of excellence to ascertain that our vision and mission turn into glorious reality. Furthermore, NCST has its’ core values such as MAKADIYOS ,the foremost value that seeks to experience a lasting relationship with GOD. It inspires the people of NCST with courage, spirit and confidence through faith, love and commitment to God Almighty. MAKABAYAN, this value to kindle the nationalistic spirit of the people. Such aspiration gives the people of NCST a mission and a sense of dedication to work with the best of their skills and abilities by promoting science and technology for the advancement of the nation. MAPAGMALASAKIT , this value promotes understanding of the student’s welfare – the NCST’s primary concern by providing caring environment and amenities conductive to learning. MAY PAGKAKAISA , this value lies on the relationship arising from the common interest, purposes and responsibilities of the people. With this, the people of NCST think, feel and act together towards the attainment of the school’s mission. MAKAKALIKASAN , this value harbors on the ideal of NCST of having a high regard for the preservation and conversation of the country’s environment and natural resources. Having exposed to the mission, vision and core values of NCST, I could say that the institution adapted various philosophy. First and the most dominated philosophy is the Progressivism, a philosophical belief that argues that education must be based on the fact that humans are by nature social and learn best in real-life activities with other people, since NCST aims to become the institute for nation building, where student excellence is not an extraordinary achievement but a daily way of life. The curriculum used by the school are somewhat related or has resemblance with progressivism wherein teachers should not only emphasize drill and practice, but should expose learners to activities that relate to the real life situations of students, emphasizing ‘Learning by doing’. Progressivists emphasize the study of the natural and social sciences. Teacher should introduce students to new scientific, technological, and social developments. To expand the personal experience of learners, learning should be related to present community life. Believing that people learn best from what they consider most relevant to their lives, the curriculum should centre on the experiences, interests, and abilities of students. In NCST they not just study mathematics, literature, science but also courses that require students ability to apply what they learned in the four corners of the classroom to the world outside the school courses like their TESDA courses Certificate in Manufacturing Technology, Diploma in Production Technology, etc. In NCST, students are encouraged to interact with one another and develop social virtues such as cooperation and tolerance for different points of view. The core value of being MAKADIYOS is also related to idealism because in idealism, the aim of education is to discover and develop individual’s abilities and full moral excellence in order to better serve society. On the other hand, their core value of MAKAKALIKASAN shows that they also adapted the philosophy of Naturalism or the love for nature. III Conclusion/ Summary NCST is an institution that aims to provide the country with quality graduates who are trained with industry-responsive knowledge and skills and founded with underpinning values of faith, love of country and humanity, hope, justice, mutual respect and peace. The educational philosophy of this institution such as Values Formation, where in they aim to build the character of every individual and emphasize mutual respect, we put forth our belief in transforming ordinary students to become extraordinary is highly recommendable. Another thing that is good in this institution is their love for nature for they believe that it is our common responsibility to give environmental consciousness, care and protection. They believe that we are all responsible and should take our place in the ecological balance and management and be part of the solution instead of becoming the problem. We should inspire and influence our community in the implementation of our environment programs. Their program which offers courses that develops practical skills is now a key for the students to immediately be hired or have works after their graduation. They continuously aims to develop practical skill enhancement programs to sustain competitiveness among their graduates, creating an avenue of cooperation between the industry experts and the academic community in crafting a more relevant curriculum and more industry-relevant skills pertaining to the technical training requirements of our students. To sum this up, their Values is their heart, their Environmental Concern and Protection represents their Soul, Theoretical Foundation represents their Mind and Practical Skills represents their Body.

Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring :: Human Resources Managment HRM

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do we really have our privacy rights in the workplace? In today’s society we are so caught up with our rights that we often forget about work rules. If someone goes into my office or someone reads my email I feel violated and deprived of my rights. But the real question is, are these things my own to do with? In all reality if it is a private organization the person who owns the business is the owner of all offices and computers, so in that case you’re just using his stuff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometimes there is no middle ground. Monitoring of employees at the workplace, either you side with the employees or you believe management owns the network and should call the shots. The purpose of this paper is to tackle whether monitoring an employee is an invasion of privacy. How new technology has made monitoring of employees by employers possible. The unfairness of computerized monitoring software used to watch employees. The employers desire to ensure that the times they are paying for to be spent in their service is indeed being spent that way. Why not to monitor employees, as well as tips on balancing privacy rights of employees at the job. First ill start off with talking about electronic monotoring. This as well has its pros and cons. On the good side electronic monitoring offers a huge advantage to the employee: it is objective. This benefits the employee because it provides an unbiased method of performance evaluation and prevents the interference of managers' feelings in a review. Electronically generated information offers uniform and accurate feedback on past performance. This means the evaluation will be strictly based on the quantity and quality of work, rather than on managers' opinions. Another advantage is providing feedback to employees on their work performance. Instead of listening to a manager tell an employee how to do a job, one may review a tape to see exactly what they are doing wrong and judge the employees performance. In this case, monitoring is used as a tool to show employees their work habits and what they need to change to improve their performance. Employees generally like this because they can see for themselves their weak and strong points, and they can use the information to improve their work methods. This knowledge can increase employee performance and efficiency. On the negative end of this employers cold be basing a persons performance on this.

Moral Status of Animals in the Ancient World

Moral status of animals in the ancient world Main articles: Moral status of animals in the ancient world and Human exceptionalism Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. The Book of Genesis echoed earlier ideas about divine hierarchy, and that God and humankind share traits, such as intellect and a sense of morality, that non-humans do not possess. Modern views of humans treatment of animals can be traced back to the ancient world. The idea that the use of animals by humans—for food and clothing is morally acceptable, springs from many sources. There is a hierarchy based on the theological concept of â€Å"dominion,† in Genesis (1:20-28), where Adam is given â€Å"dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. † Although the concept of dominion need not entail property rights, it has, over the centuries, been interpreted to imply some form of ownership. 8][10] Other parts of the Bible strongly protest the abuse of animals, such as Balaam and the talking donkey in Numbers 22:28-33 [11] or the merciful command in Deuteronomy 25:4 to allow an Ox to feed whilst it treads the grain [12]. In the New Testament, the dove is used to represent the Holy Spirit of God in Matthew 3:16[13] and in Revelations 14:1,17:14 and John 1:29,[14] Jesus is described as a lamb; these two animal s are still depicted in some churches with respect[15][16], thus showing ancient influence in modern religion. At the same time, animals have been considered inferior because they lack rationality and language, and as such are worthy of less consideration than humans, or even none. [8][10]. Aristotle considered animals to have no rationality, but that they had a soul. [edit]17th century: Animals as automata [edit]1641: Descartes Further information: Dualism (philosophy of mind) and Scientific Revolution Descartes' remains influential regarding how the issue of animal consciousness—or as he saw it, lack thereof—should be approached. 17] â€Å"[Animals] eat without pleasure, cry without pain, grow without knowing it; they desire nothing, fear nothing, know nothing. — Nicolas Malebranche (1638–1715)[18]† The year 1641 was significant for the idea of animal rights. The great influence of the century was the French philosopher, Rene Descartes (1596–1650), whose Meditations was published that year, and whose ideas about animals informed attitudes well into the 21st century. 17] Writing during the scientific revolution—a revolution of which he was one of the chief architects—Descartes proposed a mechanistic theory of the universe, the aim of which was to show that the world could be mapped out without allusion to subjective experience. The senses deceive, he wrote in the First Meditation in 1641, and â€Å"it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once. [19] â€Å"Hold then the same view of the dog which has lost his master, which has sought him in all the thoroughfares with cries of sorrow, which comes into the house troubled and restless, goes downstairs, goes upstairs; goes from room to room, finds at last in his study the master he loves, and betokens his gladness by soft whimpers, frisks, and caresses. There are barbarians who seize this dog, who so greatly surpasses man in fidelity and friendship, and nail him down to a table and dissect him alive, to show you the mesaraic veins! You disc over in him all the same organs of feeling as in yourself. Answer me, mechanist, has Nature arranged all the springs of feeling in this animal to the end that he might not feel? — Voltaire (1694–1778)[20] † His mechanistic approach was extended to the issue of animal consciousness. Mind, for Descartes, was a thing apart from the physical universe, a separate substance, linking human beings to the mind of God. The non-human, on the other hand, are nothing but complex automata, with no souls, minds, or reason. They can see, hear, and touch, but they are not, in any sense, conscious, and are unable to suffer or even to feel pain. 17] In the Discourse, published in 1637, Descartes wrote that the ability to reason and use language involves being able to respond in complex ways to â€Å"all the contingencies of life,† something that animals clearly cannot do. He argued from this that any sounds animals make do not constitute language, but are simply automatic responses to external stimuli. [21] [edit]1635, 1641, 1654: Fi rst known laws protecting animals Richard Ryder writes that the first known legislation against animal cruelty in the English-speaking world was passed in Ireland in 1635. It prohibited pulling wool off sheep, and the attaching of ploughs to horses' tails, referring to â€Å"the cruelty used to beasts,† which Ryder writes is probably the earliest reference to this concept in the English language. [22] In 1641, the year Descartes' Meditations was published, the first legal code to protect domestic animals in North America was passed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. [23] The colony's constitution was based on The Body of Liberties by the Reverend Nathaniel Ward (1578–1652), a lawyer, Puritan clergyman, and University of Cambridge graduate, originally from Suffolk, England. 24] Ward listed the â€Å"rites† the Colony's general court later endorsed, including rite number 92: â€Å"No man shall exercise any Tirrany or Crueltie toward any bruite Creature which are usuallie kept for man's use. † Historian Roderick Nash writes that, at the height of Descartes' influence in Europe, it is significant that the early New Englanders crea ted a law that implied animals were not unfeeling automata. [25] The Puritans passed animal protection legislation in England too. Katheen Kete of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut writes that animal welfare laws were passed in 1654 as part of the ordinances of the Protectorate—the government under Oliver Cromwell, which lasted 1653–1659—during the English Civil War. Cromwell disliked blood sports, particularly cockfighting, cock throwing, dog fighting, as well as bull baiting and bull running, both said to tenderize the meat. These could frequently be seen in towns, villages, in fairgrounds, and became associated for the Puritans with idleness, drunkenness, and gambling. Kete writes that the Puritans interpreted the dominion of man over animals in the Book of Genesis to mean responsible stewardship, rather than ownership. The opposition to blood sports became part of what was seen as Puritan interference in people's lives, which became a leitmotif of resistance to them, Kete writes, and the animal protection laws were overturned during the Restoration, when Charles II was returned to the throne in 1660. [26] Bull baiting remained lawful in England for another 162 years, until it was outlawed in 1822. edit]1693: Locke John Locke argued against animal cruelty, but only because of the effect it has on human beings. Against Descartes, the British philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) argued, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education in 1693, that animals do have feelings, and that unnecessary cruelty toward them is morally wrong, but—echoing Thomas Aquinas—the right not to be so harmed adhered either to the animal's owner, or to the person who was being harmed by being cruel, not to the animal itself. Discussing the importance of preventing children from tormenting animals, he wrote: â€Å"For the custom of tormenting and killing of beasts will, by degrees, harden their minds even towards men. â€Å"[27] [edit]18th century: The centrality of sentience, not reason Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued in 1754 that animals are part of natural law, and have natural rights, because they are sentient. [edit]1754: Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) argued in Discourse on Inequality in 1754 that animals should be part of natural law, not because they are rational, but because they are sentient: â€Å"[Here] we put an end to the time-honoured disputes concerning the participation of animals in natural law: for it is clear that, being destitute of intelligence and liberty, they cannot recognize that law; as they partake, however, in some measure of our nature, in consequence of the sensibility with which they are endowed, they ought to partake of natural right; so that mankind is subjected to a kind of obligation even toward the brutes. It appears, in fact, that if I am bound to do no injury to my fellow-creatures, this is less because they are rational than because they are sentient beings: and this quality, being common both to men and beasts, ought to entitle the latter at least to the privilege of not being wantonly ill-treated by the former. [28]† [edit]1785: Kant â€Å"Animals †¦ are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man. — Immanuel Kant[29]† The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), following Augustine, Aquinas, and Locke, opposed the idea that humans have duties toward non-humans. For Kant, cruelty to animals was wrong solely on the grounds that it was bad for humankind. He argued in 1785 that humans have duties only toward other humans, and that â€Å"cruelty to animals is contrary to man's duty to himself, because it deadens in him the feeling of sympathy for their sufferings, and thus a natural tendency that is very useful to morality in relation to other humans is weakened. â€Å"[30] [edit]1789: Bentham Jeremy Bentham: â€Å"The time will come, when humanity will extend its mantle over every thing which breathes† (1781). 31] Four years later, one of the founders of modern utilitarianism, the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), although deeply opposed to the concept of natural rights, argued with Rousseau that it was the ability to suffer, not the ability to reason, that should be the benchmark of how we treat other beings. If rationality were the criterion, many humans, including babies and disabled people, would also have to b e treated as though they were things. 32] He wrote in 1789, just as slaves were being freed by the French, but were still held captive in the British dominions: â€Å"The day has been, I grieve to say in many places it is not yet past, in which the greater part of the species, under the denomination of slaves, have been treated by the law exactly upon the same footing, as, in England for example, the inferior races of animals are still. The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been witholden from them but by the hand of tyranny. The French have already discovered that the blackness of the skin is no reason a human being should be abandoned without redress to the caprice of a tormentor. It may one day come to be recognized that the number of the legs, the villosity of the skin, or the termination of the os sacrum are reasons equally insufficient for abandoning a sensitive being to the same fate. What else is it that should trace the insuperable line? Is it the faculty of reason or perhaps the faculty of discourse? But a full-grown horse or dog, is beyond comparison a more rational, as well as a more conversable animal, than an infant of a day or a week or even a month, old. But suppose the case were otherwise, what would it avail? the question is not, Can they reason? , nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? [33]† [edit]1792: Thomas Taylor Despite Rousseau and Bentham, the idea that animals did or ought to have rights remained ridiculous. When Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), the British feminist writer, published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792, Thomas Taylor (1758—1835), a Cambridge philosopher, responded with an anonymous tract called Vindication of the Rights of Brutes, intended as a reductio ad absurdum. Taylor took Wollstonecraft's arguments, and those of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man (1790), and showed that they applied equally to animals, leading to the conclusion that animals have â€Å"intrinsic and real dignity and worth,† a conclusion absurd enough, in his view, to discredit Wollstonecraft's and Paine's positions entirely. 34] [edit]19th century: Emergence of jus animalium [edit]Legislation The first known prosecution for cruelty to animals was brought in 1822 against two men found beating horses in London's Smithfield Market, where livestock had been sold since the 10th century. They were fined 20 shillings each. Further information: Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822, Cru elty to Animals Act 1835, Cruelty to Animals Act 1849, and Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 â€Å"What could be more innocent than bull baiting, boxing, or dancing? George Canning, British Foreign Secretary in April 1800 in response to a bill to ban bull baiting. [35]† Badger baiting was outlawed in England by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835. Painting by Henry Thomas Alken, 1824 The 19th century saw an explosion of interest in animal protection, particularly in England. Debbie Legge and Simon Brooman of Liverpool John Moores University wrote that the educated classes became concerned about attitudes toward the old, the needy, children, and the insane, and that this concern was extended to non-humans. Before the 19th century, there had been prosecutions for poor treatment of animals, but only because of the damage to the animal as property. In 1793, for example, John Cornish was found not guilty of maiming a horse after pulling its tongue out, the judge ruling that he could be found guilty only if there was evidence of malice toward the owner. [36] From 1800 onwards, there were several attempts in England to introduce animal welfare or rights legislation. The first was a bill in 1800 against bull baiting, introduced by Sir William Pulteney, and opposed by the Secretary at War, William Windham, on the grounds that it was anti-working class. Another attempt was made in 1802 by William Wilberforce, again opposed by Windham, who said that the Bill was supported by Methodists and Jacobins who wished, for different reasons, to â€Å"destroy the Old English character, by the abolition of all rural sports† and that bulls, when they were in the ascendant in the contest, did not dislike the situation. 37] In 1809, Lord Erskine introduced a bill to protect cattle and horses from malicious wounding, wanton cruelty, and beating, this one opposed by Windham because it would be used against the â€Å"lower orders† when the real culprits would be property owners. [38] Judge Edward Abbott Parry writes that the House of Lords found the proposal so sentimental that they drowned Erskine out with cat calls and cock crowing. [39] [edit]1822: Martin's Act Further information: Badger baiting, Bull baiting, and Cockfighting â€Å"If I had a donkey wot wouldn't go, D' ye think I'd wollop him? No, no, no! But gentle means I'd try, d' ye see, Because I hate all cruelty. If all had been like me, in fact, There'd ha' been no occasion for Martin's Act. — Music hall ditty inspired by the prosecution under Martin's Act of Bill Burns for cruelty to a donkey. [40] † In 1821, the Treatment of Horses bill was introduced by Colonel Richard Martin, MP for Galway in Ireland, but it was lost among laughter in the House of Commons that the next thing would be rights for asses, dogs, and cats. 41] Nicknamed â€Å"Humanity Dick† by George IV, Martin finally succeeded in 1822 with his â€Å"Ill Treatment of Horses and Cattle Bill,† or â€Å"Martin's Act†, as it became known, the world's first major piece of animal protection legislation. It was given royal assent on June 22 that year as An Act to prevent the cruel and improper Treatment of Cattle, and made it an offence, punishable by fines up to five pounds or two months impriso nment, to â€Å"beat, abuse, or ill-treat any horse, mare, gelding, mule, ass, ox, cow, heifer, steer, sheep or other cattle. â€Å"[42] Any citizen was entitled to bring charges under the Act. 43] The Trial of Bill Burns, showing Richard Martin with the donkey in an astonished courtroom, leading to the world's first known conviction for animal cruelty. Legge and Brooman argue that the success of the Bill lay in the personality of â€Å"Humanity Dick,† who was able to shrug off the ridicule from the House of Commons, and whose own sense of humour managed to capture its attention. It was Martin himself who brought the first prosecution under the Act, when he had Bill Burns, a costermonger—a street seller of fruit—arrested for beating a donkey. Seeing in court that the magistrates seemed bored and didn't much care about the donkey, he sent for it, parading its injuries before a reportedly astonished court. Burns was fined, becoming the first person in the world known to have been convicted of animal cruelty. Newspapers and music halls were full of jokes about the â€Å"Trial of Bill Burns,† as it became known, and how Martin had relied on the testimony of a donkey, giving Martin's Act some welcome publicity. [40][43] The trial became the subject of a painting (right), which hangs in the headquarters of the RSPCA in London. 44] Other countries followed suit in passing legislation or making decisions that favoured animals. In 1882, the courts in New York ruled that wanton cruelty to animals was a misdemeanor at common law. [23] In France in 1850, Jacques Philippe Delmas de Grammont succeeded in having the Loi Grammont passed, outlawing cruelty against domestic animals, and leading to years of arguments about whether bu lls could be classed as domestic in order to ban bullfighting. [45] The state of Washington followed in 1859, New York in 1866, California in 1868, Florida in 1889. 46] In England, a series of amendments extended the reach of the 1822 Act, which became the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, outlawing cockfighting, baiting, and dog fighting, followed by another amendment in 1849, and again in 1876. [edit]1824: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals â€Å"At a meeting of the Society instituted for the purpose of preventing cruelty to animals, on the 16th day of June 1824, at Old Slaughter's Coffee House, St. Martin's Lane: T F Buxton Esqr, MP, in the Chair, It was resolved: That a committee be appointed to superintend the Publication of Tracts, Sermons, and similar modes of influencing public opinion, to consist of the following Gentlemen: Sir Jas. Mackintosh MP, A Warre Esqr. MP, Wm. Wilberforce Esqr. MP, Basil Montagu Esqr. , Revd. A Broome, Revd. G Bonner, Revd G A Hatch, A E Kendal Esqr. , Lewis Gompertz Esqr. , Wm. Mudford Esqr. , Dr. Henderson. Resolved also: That a Committee be appointed to adopt measures for Inspecting the Markets and Streets of the Metropolis, the Slaughter Houses, the conduct of Coachmen, etc. etc, consisting of the following Gentlemen: T F Buxton Esqr. MP, Richard Martin Esqr. , MP, Sir James Graham, L B Allen Esqr. , C C Wilson Esqr. , Jno. Brogden Esqr. , Alderman Brydges, A E Kendal Esqr. , E Lodge Esqr. , J Martin Esqr. T G Meymott Esqr. A. Broome, Honorary Secretary [40][43] † Further information: Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Richard Martin soon realized that magistrates did not take the M artin Act seriously, and that it was not being reliably enforced. Several members of parliament decided to form a society to bring prosecutions under the Act. The Reverend Arthur Broome, a Balliol man who had recently become the vicar of Bromley-by-Bow, arranged a meeting in Old Slaughter's Coffee House in St. Martin's Lane, a London cafe frequented by artists and actors. [40] The group met on June 16, 1824, and included a number of MPs: Richard Martin, Sir James Mackintosh, Sir Thomas Buxton, William Wilberforce, and Sir James Graham, who had been an MP, and who became one again in 1826. They decided to form a â€Å"Society instituted for the purpose of preventing cruelty to animals,† or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as it became known. It determined to send men to inspect the Smithfield Market in the City of London, where livestock had been sold since the 10th century, as well as slaughterhouses, and the practices of coachmen toward their horses. [40] The Society became the Royal Society in 1840, when it was granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria, herself strongly opposed to vivisection. [47][48] [edit]1824: Early examples of direct action Noel Molland writes that, in 1824, Catherine Smithies, an anti-slavery activist, set up an SPCA youth wing called the Bands of Mercy. It was a children's club modeled on the Temperance Society's Bands of Hope, which were intended to encourage children to campaign against drinking and gambling. The Bands of Mercy were similarly meant to encourage a love of animals. [49] Molland writes that some of its members responded with more enthusiasm than Smithies intended, and became known for engaging in direct action against hunters by sabotaging their rifles, although Kim Stallwood of the Animal Rights Network writes he has often heard these stories but has never been able to find solid evidence to support them. 50] Whether the story is true or apocryphal, the idea of the youth group was revived by Ronnie Lee in 1972, when he and Cliff Goodman set up the Band of Mercy as a militant, anti-hunting guerrilla group, which slashed hunters' vehicles' tires and smashed their windows. In 1976, some of the same activists, sensing that the Band of Mercy name sounded too accommodating, founded the Animal Liberation Front. [49]

Summary and Reflection

The article contains a piece of history because in a way, it talks about how the Cold War started based on the point of view of an editor named Charles L. Mee.As can be readily ascertained from the title, the author is merely presenting his educated opinion pertaining to the contribution of different countries like the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries , their hidden conflict, how they acted and reacted, and how they each played their role in the beginning and ending of the Cold War.The author also discussed some of the so-called behind -the-scenes strategies that came into play which involved famous political figures, and he is leaning to the possibility that what these authorities did may have mitigated or aggravated the circumstances that further ignited the beginning of the Cold War (Mee, 2009).The author opens the article by painting a picture of two scenarios: The first one focuses on how President Truman expressed his uncensored sentiments about the Russians t o Foreign Minister Molotov who only arrived to pay his respects to the remains of President Roosevelt, and the second one talks about how Winston Churchill kept thousand of captured German troops and prepare them against Russia (Mee, 2009).In both of these pictures, the author is trying to illustrate sarcastically that the behavior of these people was a sure fire way to start a conflict. It is not unknown to many that the Cold War began after the World War II. Sensitivity should be exercised at all cost during these trying times when talking about matter relevant to national security and diplomatic relations and the author is trying to say that these political figures showed the exact opposite of being sensitive.The author goes on to discuss how the different countries picked the strategy that would work best for their country economic- and military- wise, and they also picked on the countries which they would deem as allies.The Cold War resulted in a battle between the strongest of countries, the east against the west. This view of the author is strengthen when he mentions that the Big Three does not care about what happens to other countries as long as they did their part right and make sure that they can have everything going in their direction.He further extends his argument when he said that these contenders were just using the weak ones as pawns because during these times, the power is up for grabs and they need all the help they can get. The Big Three that the author is referring to are Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill (Mee, 2009).

The Relationship Between Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices

The Relationship Between Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices Over the last several years, the value of the Canadian Dollar (CAD) has been on an upward trend, greatly appreciating relative to the American Dollar. A rise in commodity pricesInterest rate fluctuationsInternational factors and speculation Many economic analysts believe that the rise in the value of the Canadian Dollar is due to a rise in commodity prices stemming from increased American demand for commodities. Canada exports a great deal of natural resources, such as natural gas and timber to the United States. Increased demand for those goods, all else being equal, causes the price of that good to rise and the quantity consumed of that good to go up. When Canadian companies sell more goods at a higher price to Americans, the Canadian dollar to gains in value relative to the U.S. dollar, through one of two mechanisms: 1. Canadian Producers Sell to U.S. Buyers Who Pay in CAD This mechanism is quite straightforward. To make purchases in Canadian Dollars, American buyers must first sell American Dollars on the foreign exchange market in order to  buy Canadian Dollars. This action causes the number of American Dollars on the market to rise and the number of Canadian Dollars to fall. To keep the market in equilibrium, the value of the American Dollar must fall (to offset the larger quantity available) and the value of the Canadian Dollar must rise. 2. Canadian Producers Sell to U.S. Buyers Who Pay in USD This mechanism is only slightly more complicated. Canadian producers will often sell their products to Americans in exchange for American Dollars, as it is inconvenient for their customers to use foreign exchange markets. However, the Canadian producer will have to pay most of their expenses, such as employee wages, in Canadian Dollars. No problem; they sell the American Dollars they received from sales, and purchase Canadian Dollars. This then has the same effect as mechanism 1. Now that weve seen how the Canadian and American Dollars are linked to changes in commodity prices due to increased demand, next well see if the data matches the theory. How to Test the Theory One way to test our theory is to see if commodity prices and the exchange rate have been moving in tandem. If we find that they are not moving in tandem, or that they are completely unrelated, well know that changes in currency prices are not causing exchange rate fluctuations. If commodity prices and exchange rates do move together, the theory may still hold. In this  case, such correlation does not prove causation as there could be some other third factor causing exchange rates and commodity prices to move in the same direction. Though the existence of correlation between the two is the first step in uncovering evidence in support of the theory, on its own such a relationship simply does not disprove the theory. Canadas Commodity Price Index (CPI) In A Beginners Guide to Exchange Rates and the Foreign Exchange Market,  we learned that the Bank of Canada developed a Commodity Price Index (CPI), which tracks changes in the prices of commodities which Canada exports. The CPI can be broken down into three basic components, which are weighted to reflect the relative magnitude of those exports: Energy: 34.9%Food: 18.8%Industrial Materials: 46.3%(Metals 14.4%, Minerals 2.3%, Forest Products 29.6%) Lets take a look at the monthly exchange rate and Commodity Price Index data for 2002 and 2003 (24 months). The exchange rate data comes from the St. Louis Fed - FRED II and the CPI data is from The Bank of Canada. The CPI data has also been broken down into its three main components, so we can see if any one commodity group is a factor in the exchange rate fluctuations. The exchange rate and commodity price data for the 24 months can be seen at the bottom of this page. Increases in the Canadian Dollar and CPI The first thing to note is how the Canadian Dollar, the Commodity Price Index, and the 3 components of the index have all risen over the 2-year period. In percentage terms, we have the following increases: Canadian Dollar - Up 21.771%Commodity Price Index - Up 46.754%Energy - Up 100.232%Food - Up 13.682%Industrial Materials - Up 21.729% The Commodity Price Index has risen twice as fast as the Canadian Dollar. The bulk of this increase seems to be due to higher energy prices, most notably higher natural gas and crude oil prices. The price of food and industrial materials has also risen during this period, though not nearly as quickly as energy prices. Computing the Correlation Between Exchange Rates and CPI We can determine if these prices are moving together, by computing the correlation between the exchange rate and the various CPI factors. The economics glossary defines correlation in the following way: Two random variables are positively correlated if high values of one are likely to be associated with high values of the other. They are negatively correlated if high values of one are likely to be associated with low values of the other. Correlation coefficients are between -1 and 1, inclusive, by definition. They are greater than zero for positive correlation and less than zero for negative correlations. A correlation coefficient of 0.5 or 0.6 would indicate that the exchange rate and the commodity price index move in the same direction, whereas a low correlation, such as 0 or 0.1 would indicate that the two are unrelated. Keep in mind that our 24 months of data is a very limited sample, so we need to take these measures with a grain of salt. Correlation Coefficients for the 24 months of 2002-2003 Exch Rate Commodity Index .746Exch Rate Energy .193Exch Rate Food .825Exch Rate Ind Mat .883Energy Food .336Energy Ind Mat .169Food Ind Mat .600 We see that the Canadian-American exchange rate is very highly correlated with the Commodity Price Index over this period. This is strong evidence that increased commodity prices are causing a hike in the exchange rate. Interestingly enough, it appears that according to the correlation coefficients, rising energy prices have very little to do with the rise of the Canadian Dollar, but higher prices for food and industrial materials may be playing a big role. Energy prices hikes also do not correlate well with rises in food and industrial materials costs (.336 and .169 respectively), but food prices and industrial material prices do move in tandem (.600 correlation). For our theory to hold true, we need the rising prices to be caused by increased American spending on Canadian food and industrial materials. In the final section, well see if Americans are truly are buying more of these Canadian goods. Exchange Rate Data DATE 1 CDN = CPI Energy Food Ind. Mat Jan 02 0.63 89.7 82.1 92.5 94.9 Feb 02 0.63 91.7 85.3 92.6 96.7 Mar 02 0.63 99.8 103.6 91.9 100.0 Apr 02 0.63 102.3 113.8 89.4 98.1 May 02 0.65 103.3 116.6 90.8 97.5 Jun 02 0.65 100.3 109.5 90.7 96.6 Jul 02 0.65 101.0 109.7 94.3 96.7 Aug 02 0.64 101.8 114.5 96.3 93.6 Sep 02 0.63 105.1 123.2 99.8 92.1 Oct 02 0.63 107.2 129.5 99.6 91.7 Nov 02 0.64 104.2 122.4 98.9 91.2 Dec 02 0.64 111.2 140.0 97.8 92.7 Jan 03 0.65 118.0 157.0 97.0 94.2 Feb 03 0.66 133.9 194.5 98.5 98.2 Mar 03 0.68 122.7 165.0 99.5 97.2 Apr 03 0.69 115.2 143.8 99.4 98.0 May 03 0.72 119.0 151.1 102.1 99.4 Jun 03 0.74 122.9 16.9 102.6 103.0 Jul 03 0.72 118.7 146.1 101.9 103.0 Aug 03 0.72 120.6 147.2 101.8 106.2 Sep 03 0.73 118.4 135.0 102.6 111.2 Oct 03 0.76 119.6 139.9 103.7 109.5 Nov 03 0.76 121.3 139.7 107.1 111.9 Dec 03 0.76 131.6 164.3 105.1 115.5 Were Americans Buying More Canadian Commodities? Weve seen that the Canadian-American exchange rate and commodity prices, particularly the price of food and industrial materials, have moved in tandem over the last two years. If Americans are buying more Canadian food and industrial materials, then our explanation for the data makes sense. Increased American demand for these Canadian products would simultaneously cause an increase in the price of those products, and an increase in the value of the Canadian Dollar, at the expense of the American one. The Data Unfortunately, we have very limited data about the number of goods the American are importing, but what evidence we have looks promising. In The Trade Deficit and Exchange Rates, we looked at Canadian and American trade patterns. With data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, we see that the U.S. dollar value of imports from Canada has actually went down from 2001 to 2002. In 2001, Americans imported $216 billion of Canadian goods, in 2002 that figure dropped to $209 billion. But by the first 11 months of 2003, the U.S. had already imported $206 billion in goods and services from Canada showing an increase year-over-year. What Does This Mean? One thing we have to remember, though, is that these are dollar values of imports. All this is telling us is that in terms of U.S. Dollars, Americans are spending slightly less on Canadian imports. Since both the value of the U.S. Dollar and the price of commodities has changed, we need to do some mathematics to find out if the Americans are importing more or fewer goods. For the sake of this exercise, we will assume the United States imports nothing but commodities from Canada. This assumption does not greatly affect the results, but it certainly makes the math much easier. Well consider 2 months year-over-year, October 2002 and October 2003, to show how the number of exports has increased significantly between these two years. U.S. Imports From Canada: October 2002 For the month of October 2002, the United States imported $19.0 billion of goods from Canada. The commodity price index for that month was 107.2. So if a unit of Canadian commodities cost $107.20 that month, the U.S. bought 177,238,805 units of commodities from Canada during that month. (177,238,805 $19B / $107.20) U.S. Imports From Canada: October 2003 For the month of October 2003, the United States imported $20.4 billion of goods from Canada. The commodity price index for that month was 119.6. So if a unit of Canadian commodities cost $119.60 that month, the U.S. bought 170,568,561 units of commodities from Canada during that month. (170,568,561 $20.4B / $119.60). Conclusions From this calculation, we see that the United States bought 3.7% fewer goods over this period, despite a price hike of 11.57%. From our primer on price elasticity of demand, we see that the price elasticity of demand for these goods is 0.3, meaning theyre very inelastic. From this we can conclude one of two things: The demand for these goods are not at all sensitive to price changes so American producers were willing to absorb the price hike.The demand for these goods at every price level increased (relative to former demand levels), but this effect was more than offset by the large jump in prices, so overall quantity purchased declined slightly. In my view, number 2 looks a lot more likely. During that period, the U.S. economy had been spurred by massive government deficit spending. Between the 3rd quarter of 2002 and the 3rd quarter of 2003, the U.S. Gross Domestic Product increased by 5.8%. This GDP growth indicates increased economic production, which would likely require increased use of raw materials such as timber. The evidence that increased demand for Canadian commodities has caused the rise in both commodity prices and the Canadian Dollar is strong, but not overwhelming.

The History of the Sony Walkman

The History of the Sony Walkman According to Sony, In 1979, an empire in personal portable entertainment was created with the ingenious foresight of Sony Founder and Chief Advisor, the late Masaru Ibuka, and Sony Founder and Honorary Chairman Akio Morita. It began with the invention of the first cassette Walkman TPS-L2 that forever changed the way consumers listen to music. The developers of the first Sony Walkman were Kozo Ohsone, general manager of the Sony Tape Recorder Business Division, and his staff, under the auspices and suggestions of Ibuka and Morita. Introduction of Cassette Tapes, a New Medium In 1963, Philips Electronics designed a new sound recording medium - the cassette tape. Philips patented the new technology in 1965 and made it available free of charge to manufacturers all over the world. Sony and other companies began designing new compact and portable tape recorders and players to take advantage of the cassette tapes smaller size. Sony Pressman Sony Walkman In 1978, Masaru Ibuka requested that Kozo Ohsone, general manager of the Tape Recorder Business Division, begin work on a stereo version of the Pressman, the small, monaural tape recorder that Sony had launched in 1977. Akio Moritas Reaction to the Modified Pressman This is the product that will satisfy those young people who want to listen to music all day. Theyll take it everywhere with them, and they wont care about record functions. If we put a playback-only headphone stereo like this on the market, itll be a hit. - Akio Morita, February 1979, Sony Headquarters Sony invented the compact and extremely lightweight H-AIR MDR3 headphones for their new cassette player. At that time, headphones weighed on average between 300 to 400 grams, the H-AIR headphones weighed just 50 grams with comparable sound quality. The name Walkman was a natural progression from Pressman. The Launch of the Sony Walkman On June 22, 1979, the Sony Walkman was launched in Tokyo. Journalists were treated to an unusual press conference. They were taken to Yoyogi (a major park in Tokyo) and given a Walkman to wear. According to Sony, The journalists listened to an explanation of the Walkman in stereo, while Sony staff members carried out various demonstrations of the product. The tape the journalists were listening to asked them to look at certain demonstrations, including a young man and woman listening to a Walkman while riding on a tandem bicycle. By 1995, total production of Walkman units reached 150 million and over 300 different Walkman models have been produced to date.

Analyzing HR Policies of Tesco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analyzing HR Policies of Tesco - Essay Example All these policies are closely knitted with one another. Human resource management components cannot be separated from each other and they together denote effectiveness of the approach. Tesco employs approximately 310,000 people in its UK branch. The company witnessed certain challenges in terms of declining sales margin and falling share price value. This aspect greatly affected employee base and it was essential to boost up their morale. In this report, drawbacks in HR policies of the company shall be highlighted along with some recommendations to be implemented in the system. HR practices and policies revolve around various theoretical frameworks. These frameworks basically state the need for human resource management strategies. Employees should be motivated in every sphere of workplace simply because they are the most valuable asset of an organization. Recruitment and selection procedure are basic methods through which a pool of talent is structured within an organization. These initial methods are then followed by the training and development approach. Learning plays an important role in organizational success (Torrington, Hall and Taylor, 2014). A learning organization is always more productive in comparison to other firms. Kolb’s learning cycle includes different components that are generally focused on by HR practitioners. Figure1 further elaborates this cycle. As per figure1, the first phase of this learning cycle is to identify probable learning need. On basis of this need, learning opportunities are appropriately designed. This eventually leads to influencing candidates so that they are able to opt for these opportunities. The last phase of this cycle is critical since it denotes effectiveness of entire learning program (Bonnici, 2011). Evaluation phase helps a team leader to analyze overall impact of learning program on employees.

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch - Essay Example What is also significant to understand that the current crises are not just the result of the subprime mortgage crises but encompass different other reasons which have necessarily increased the overall severity of the crises. Further, banks also started to repossess the homes taken as collateral against the subprime mortgage loans which resulted into the decline in the prices of real estate. Credit Crunch is defined as a sudden decrease in the available funds for the purpose of lending and as such the credit crunch that resulted into US and spread to other countries includes a drastic reduction in the credit extended to private sector as well as consumers. The apparent reason for this credit crunch is subprime mortgage crises however; there are three major reasons that are often cited as the key reasons behind the overall credit crunch experienced by the developed world. Banks are considered as the main actors behind the current credit crunch episode due to their imprudent lending policies. Over the period of time, banks started to lend to those borrowers who had relatively high credit risk however, due to their higher credit risk, they also offered an opportunity to earn higher returns. In order to increase their profitability, banks and other financial institutions therefore started to lend to subprime borrowers in mortgage markets. What is however, important to understand that the banks, in order to recoup their lost liquidity, started to bundle these subprime mortgage loans into mortgage backed securities and sold them in secondary markets. The problems aroused when subprime borrowers started to default on their payments and banks have to take other funds to payback their obligations against mortgage backed securities. The process of securitization therefore further aggravated the situation. This is because of the fact that the funds that were available for the lending were used