Saturday, November 30, 2019

Pytoremediation free essay sample

This is where our friendly plant friends come in, phototypesetting uses natural or genetically modified plants; often together with their associated archbishopric microorganism isms which stimulates plant growth and contaminates soil and water in conjunction with the plants. The plants extract heavy metals, natural aromatic and hydrocarbon compounds and also man-made chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and antibiotics form the soil (Easier 2010). The Best part is this process uses minimal energy to run, all the plants need to use as energy is water, light and plenty of CO.The main mechanism behind phototypesetting is that they sequester heavy metals into their cell walls , they chocolate (breaking a compound containing a lagans, typically organic bonds of a central metal tom at two or more points, transforms an active poisonous form into an inactive form of the chemical) the toxic metals and transform them into an inactive form. The plants can then store this inactive form in their many vacuoles, these vacuoles are isolated from the important metabolic processes of the plant. We will write a custom essay sample on Pytoremediation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another way that plants can decontaminate soil is that they can take up and metabolize harmful organic compounds, including abundant, environmental, aromatic pollutants such as polycarbonate phenyl, halogenated hydrocarbons and then they metabolize these pollutants by grading them to a non-toxic substance. This converted form can even be used up by the plant and their associated microbial units as a natural source of carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen. And in some rare cases some plants can convert the harmful pollutants in to a nutritional source. The magical metabolic process that allows for the conversion of pollutants into nontoxic substances is firstly oxidation/reduction reactions and the hydrolysis of some specific bonds. Secondly some plants conjugation/deregistration with small molecular moieties such as sugars and peptides done by their defensive enzymes. Synthesis of the enzymes that catalyst these reactions is often induced by the toxic substances they act on, thus is a defensive mechanism of the plant that is utilized for our clean up purposes.There are 5 main type of phototypesetting : petrifaction: which is the use of pollutant- accumulating plants to remove metals or organics from soil by concentrating them in the harvested parts, photoengraving which is the use of plants and associated microorganisms to destroy organic pollutants, rationalization which is the use of plant roots to absorb and adsorb pollutants, mainly teals, from water and aqueous waste streams, phytoplanktons which is the use of plants to reduc e the availability of pollutants in the environment and finally the use of plants to remove pollutants from air. Salt et al. 1998) The benefits to phototypesetting are endless, and at the cost of the process its almost seems like magic. The idea behind this technology is not very recent, plants have always been known to have properties that allow them to convert toxic substance into safe forms but the true potential of this natural phenomenon did not get a serious look into until the early sasss when Dry. Lily Raisin , a Russian born US educated scientist a botanist opened the book once again.He was triggered about the thought when in 1989 he moved to the US and he came across a company called Environing that uses microorganisms to clean up contaminated soils, he then thought why not make up a technology that uses plants to do the same. From his previous research he knew that this technology had potential, so then the mainstream thought of phototypesetting came to life. In 1 995 he wrote a scientific journal with other botanists such as David. E Salt and Michael Playback, named Phototypesetting: A novel strategy for the removal of toxic metals from the environment using plants. This Was written in 1995 and really opened to the public the potential use of this technology on a larger scale. It addressed the dire need to find an alternative method towards soil clean up, because conventional methods are just so expensive. Losing petrifaction to clean up one acre of sandy loan soil to a depth of CACM will cost $60,000-$1 00,000 compared to at least $400,000 for excavation and storage alone using traditional soil removal methods ( Raisin I . 995) .

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Losing Battle Against Drugs essays

Losing Battle Against Drugs essays The article, Losing Battle Against Drugs, is true. I agree with the article that the regulation of drugs into America is impossible to manage. You can spend millions and billions of dollars to decrease the drug trafficking but drugs are going to find another way into the country. For most people that are into drugs such as selling them I can see why they would want too. Its obvious that it is against the law but if you can get away with it, you would have a lot of money in your pocket. A quote that holds true to that statement would be: Another reason that the drug trade continues to flourish is that it is so lucrative (Boozer, 1999).... At least one group of distributors in a case before me sold 37,500 kilos of cocaine a month, for gross sales of almost 20 million a month.(Judge Sweet) What it comes down to is money, which the article emphasizes. I agree with the article, people that sell drugs do not care who they are selling it to whether it be kids, teenagers, or adults, those individuals just care about the income their getting. An article that agrees with my opinion, besides the article from the Essays book, about money being the reason why were losing the battle against drugs was written in USA TODAY. Ironically the headline was U.S. Law Enforcement Losing the War on Drugs. The quote taken from USA TODAY is: Street prices for heroin and cocaine are at a record lows and purity for both drugs is at record highs. This reveals traffickers are flourishing and continuing to discount the risks they face from law enforcement. Shockingly, heroin and marijuana have ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

MDR or Manifestation Determination Review

MDR or Manifestation Determination Review The MDR or Manifestation Determination Review is a meeting which must take place within ten days of a behavior infraction that would cause a student to be removed from their current placement in a public school for more than 10 days. This is a cumulative number: in other words, during a single school year when a child is suspended or removed from school, before an eleventh (11th) day, the school district is required to notify the parents. That includes a suspension of more than 10 days. After a student with disabilities approaches 7 or 8 days of suspension, it is common for schools to attempt to aggressively address the problem to avoid the Manifestation Determination. If a parent disagrees with the result of that meeting, they are well within their rights to take the school district to due process. If the hearing officer agrees with the parents, the district may be required to provide compensatory education. What Will Happen After an MDR Takes Place? An MDR is held to determine if the behavior is a manifestation of the students disability. If it is determined that it is,  in fact, part of his/her disability, then the IEP team must determine if appropriate interventions have been in place. That should include having an FBA (Functional Behavioral Analysis) and a BIP (Behavior Intervention or Improvement Plan) are in place and followed as written. If the behavior relating to the students disability has been addressed appropriately with an FBA and BIP, and the program has been followed with fidelity, the students placement may be changed (with the approval of parents.) Students diagnosed with autism, emotional disturbances, or oppositional  defiant disorder may exhibit behaviors that are related to their diagnosis. The school would need to provide evidence that the school has addressed his/her aggressive, inappropriate or offensive behavior, that from a general education student would earn a suspension or even expulsion. Once again, if there is strong evidence that the behavior has been addressed, then a change of placement to a more restrictive placement might be appropriate. Students with other disabilities may also exhibit aggression, offensive or inappropriate behavior. If the behavior is related to their disability (perhaps a cognitive inability to understand their behavior) they may also qualify for an FBA and BIP.   If it is unrelated to their diagnosis, the district (also known as the Local Education Authority or LEA can exercise the regular disciplinary procedure. Then other legal contingencies apply, such as whether there is a progressive discipline policy in place, whether the school has followed the policy and whether the discipline is reasonably appropriate for the infraction.   Also Known As Manifestation Determination Meeting Example When Jonathon was suspended for stabbing another student with scissors, an MDR or Manifestation Determination Review was scheduled within the ten days to determine whether Jonathon should stay a Pine Middle School or placed in the districts special school for behavior.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Choose a critical perspective to analyse a current approach to Essay

Choose a critical perspective to analyse a current approach to leadership and present an argument to justify your choice - Essay Example Good leadership is likely to inspire others to take on attitudes, values, goals and make them behave in such a way that is good for the wellbeing of the group. In other words individual action could be transformed into group action with help of effective leadership (Zanna, 2003). As far as the definition of leadership is concerned different experts have defined leadership differently. According to John C Maxwell leadership is nothing but influence. On the other hand Warren Bennis said that "Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential."(Oklahoma State University, n.d.). In a broad perspective it can be said that leadership is essential for directing a team or management towards the accomplishment of objectives and goals. So a generally accepted definition would say that leadership is the ability of influencing a team or group in the directi on of accomplishing a set of objectives or goals. There could be several approach of leadership such as charismatic leadership, transformational leadership and transactional leadership. This paper provides an in-depth critical analysis of transformational leadership approach. The paper includes a critical perspective of the chosen approach as well as the main reasons of choosing this for analysis over the other approach. Transformational leadership is one of the most popular and most recent approaches of leadership. It has been a common topic of leadership theory. Since 1980 it has been researched by the management experts. Transformational leadership is an important part of the paradigm of â€Å"New Leadership†. According to Bass and Riggio the main reason behind the popularity of transformational leadership is its emphasis on the follower development and intrinsic motivation. Transformational leadership is the most relevant leadership approach in today’s uncertain

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Violent Video Games Make Kids Violent Research Paper

Violent Video Games Make Kids Violent - Research Paper Example Majority of the studies agree, nevertheless, that violent video games can have significant impact on aggression among children (Bartholow et al; Carnagey et al.; Funk et al.; Polman et al.). Although not all children who play violent video games develop aggressive behaviors, several studies showed that violent video games can make kids violent, including those who do not have aggressive traits, because it decreases their capacity for empathy, it desensitizes them to violence, and it develops antisocial behaviors. Playing violent video games reduces children’s ability to show empathy to others, which can make them more aggressive toward other people. Violent video games commonly show lack of empathy for others, where players can attack authorities and other human beings with ease and without consideration for laws and other psychological effects of their actions. Funk et al. studied the effects of playing violent video games on participants’ responses to vignettes, or fictional stories that contain violence. The vignettes included empathy and aggression stories. Empathy refers to â€Å"self-conscious† emotions when making moral judgments (Funk et al. 417). It is about being able to feel for someone in a different situation and responding properly to that person because of empathy (Funk et al. 417). The study of Funk et al. included 35 students with ages ranging eight to twelve years old. They surveyed the video game playing habits of these children. Then, they were made t o play one or two violent video games, and then asked to respond to vignettes on empathy and aggression. To increase identification with the actors of the vignettes, they were made specific to the gender of the participants. For instance, if the participant was a girl, then the vignette has girl characters. Findings showed that playing violent video games in the long run had significant effects on aggression because it could decrease empathy levels (Funk et al. 429). Because of playing

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Thirteen Reasons Why-Jay Asher Essay Example for Free

Thirteen Reasons Why-Jay Asher Essay Clay Jensen returns from school one day to find an obscure looking box outside leaning on his porch door with his name on the box. Clay was sceptic of the box, although he still opened it, to his own discovery it was 7 double sided cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker. Hannah two weeks earlier had committed suicide. On tape is the thirteen reasons why Hannah had ended her life so soon. Clay had wondered why he got these tapes from Hannah; unknowingly he was one of the thirteen reasons why. While I read The Thirteen Reasons Why Hannah committed suicide I felt as if in a way I was Clay Jensen, I always wondered why and when will Hannah bring â€Å"us† up. Every cassette tape was a new story and another reason why. Some reasons were little things a lot of girls go through in high school, others were situations girls or guys should not be put through at any point during their life. Although all the cassettes fit together like a puzzle in the end I love the mystery of not knowing what was next, the book made me always want to know more. After reading this book on my own I would strongly recommend it to teenage girls. The mystery, comedy and adventure brought me from smiling to tears within a turn a page. In the modern world that we live in today teens commit suicide often over break up to be bullied, teens don’t know how to handle some situations. Hannah gave up on her life because she did not know how to help herself, she tried asking for help then she lost hope in herself and made everything worse. The book The Thirteen Reasons Why shows that people will miss you when you are gone, no matter what you think you know someone will always miss you.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

2.1. Role of Demographics in Plastic Card Usage However, much of the literature has been focussing on demographic factors as significant variables in selection and usage of payment mode. In Singapore, Gan and Maysami (2006) found that credit card selection is based on the convenience, economic, and protection. On the other hand, factors like travel convenience and reputation of the card are less important in credit card selection in Singapore. By analyzing the demographic factors, researcher found that the people with better education and high income give less importance to economic-promotional factor while choosing the credit card. Old age and married people give more weightage to convenience protection, while Singaporean males give more value economic factor and females give value to promotion. Additionally, other researchers have examined the effect of demographic variables on the adoption of alternative payment options. Borzekowski, Kiser and Ahmed (2006) analyzed data from 800 individuals, and found that debit card usage is d ecreased with age and increased with education. Moreover, the usage is more common in women than men. In addition to this, research also revealed that individuals have a tendency to increase the usage of debit cards when they expect financial stress in the future. A study, based on Krishnagari India, found that issuance of credit card has increased during past five years and majority of sampled credit card holders have positive attitude toward the credit cards. Reasons for this positive attitude are availability of funds in emergency through credit card and shopping without paying cash. Demographic variables that significantly affect the attitude of credit card holders are family income of credit card hol... ...rnational students owe on all their credit cards, whereas, it does have significant positive impact on number of credit cards international students have. Moreover, country of origin does not have significant effect on credit card ownership or number of credit cards, but it does have effect on outstanding balances international students owe on all their credit cards. Also, Themba and Tumedi (2012) focused on the credit card ownership and usage in Botswana, and their association with demographics and attitude towards debt. The consequences of the study discovered that those who own more cards are more likely not to pay their outstanding balances in full. Results also showed that only age and gender seem to be significantly related to attitude towards debt where the youth and females are more likely than other demographic groups to have negative attitude towards debt.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Media Course work: The Times and The Daily Star’s Coverage of the Ian Huntley Conviction

For my Media coursework I have chosen to study and compare The Times and The Daily Star. I purchased these papers on Thursday December 18th 2003. The story is covered on both front pages and then continues into the inside. It is about Ian Huntley being found guilty of murdering Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. Both newspapers have articles on how the parents felt, what happened in the trial and how the people of Soham feel. The Times is a broadsheet newspaper and is aimed at social groups A, B and C1. These social groups include Lawyers, doctors, accountants, teachers, nurses, police officers, clerical workers and people in other skilled jobs. The Times has a more extensive coverage and longer articles than the Daily Star. The Daily Star aims at social groups C2, D and E. these are plumbers, mechanics, lorry drivers, postal workers, the unemployed and casual workers. It has a bolder layout and the articles are shorter than the Times. In the Daily Star it calls Ian Huntley † Evil child sex fiend†, â€Å"sex beast† and â€Å"killer is caged at last†. This shows open disgust about Ian Huntley and they are comparing his actions to that of a monster. The Daily Star reports on gossip, sex and what the celebrities are up to. The paper does not have a fixed political view and this comes across in the paper. The Times on the other hand is centrist and tries to be neutral and does not have a political side. It calls Ian Huntley â€Å"Huntley† instead of using vocabulary such as monster. On the front cover of the Daily Star it has a photograph of Maxine Carr kissing a seventeen-year-old boy the same night the girls were murdered. This is a human-interest story and is vaguely linked to the trial that found Ian Huntley guilty. The picture takes up nearly the whole of the first page and aims at grabbing the readers' attention, as it is shocking to cheat on your partner in public. The idea behind this it that 100% of readers read the headline and see the photograph so if the paper can hold the readers' attention then the paper might be purchased. In contrast The Times although it has a large colour photograph on the front there is still quite a bit of text surrounding it. The photograph is a picture of Ian Huntley that has been enlarged greatly to allow you to look into his eyes. The Times aims to make the front page instantly recognizable as that particular newspaper. The Times' headline â€Å"No Mercy, No Regret† is taken from a speech made by the judge to summarise the trial. It is a restrained headline and is more serious than the Daily Star's that is â€Å"Kiss Of Death†. The editor uses the headline â€Å"Kiss of death† as it is far more dramatic and has a more ‘down market' approach to the main story that happened that day. † Kiss of Death† is more dramatic and provokes shock and disgust among the readership. The Times' headline is using someone else's opinion on Ian Huntley and is not as emotive as the Daily Star's headline. The Times uses only four photographs on the story where as the Daily Star uses nineteen photographs. This is because broadsheet newspapers like The Times are more serious, plainer and have a more restrained layout than tabloid newspapers like the Daily Star, which try to have a bolder layout. By having more photographs the Daily Star can capture the readers attention and make it visually exciting. The Times has additional coverage of the story so photographs are not so vital as it is all explained in the text. The Daily Star has pictures of the evidence and of Huntley's bedroom. This shows the reader how Ian Huntley tried to hide the evidence and what he was doing in police custody. The Times has pictures of floral tributes and just a few of Ian Huntley, Maxine Carr and the family. The Times has a menu on the first page this is called a â€Å"puff† or â€Å"blurb†. It advertises the content in the paper that might interest the reader. The Daily Star has a small puff but unlike the Times it does not summarise the content of the articles. The Daily Star uses quotations, for example; â€Å"Jess's Dad: I want Huntley in coffin†. This is dramatic and would appeal to the readers of the Daily Star who are after human feeling and not the facts of the trial. The Times has article involving â€Å"New money-laundering regulations† and â€Å"More awards for The Times†. So the articles inside are about political and financial matters. The Daily Star uses a fair amount of bold type for example on page two under the heading of â€Å"Huntley killed girls in frustrated frenzy† that whole article is in bold type. In the article it uses language that will turn the reader into hating Ian Huntley. Here are some examples of this in the same article, † they rejected his twisted advances† and â€Å"Ian Huntley murdered Holly and Jessica out of sexual frustration†. The Times describes Ian Huntley as † a violent sexual predator†. The Times only uses bold type on headlines, sub-heads and for the journalist's names. Both papers use Journalese register. In The Times it uses words like â€Å"blunders† and â€Å"booming voice of justice†. The Daily Star use it more frequently like â€Å"fiend† â€Å"cops† and â€Å"frenzy† The Daily Star uses â€Å"blunders† just like The Times. These examples help the audience to understand the article more easily, because it is familiar language. The Times uses Journalese register that has a stronger degree of formality but it still uses words like â€Å"blunder† to exaggerate the story. The Daily Star uses repetition and alliteration quite often. For example â€Å"Frustrated Frenzy† and it has a rectangle with â€Å"justice† written in it along with a photograph of the two girls the day they went missing. The Times uses only a bit of repetition and that is in the main headline â€Å"No Mercy, No Regret†. This is probably because the editor of The Times does not feel that the readership of it's paper needs to be told something twice as they have had a better education than the readers of The Daily Star. The Times demands a reading age six years older than the Daily Star. The Times uses a more sophisticated range of vocabulary for example â€Å"persistent cruelty†, â€Å"undisguised loathing†, â€Å"demonstrate some slither of humanity† and â€Å"allegations†. This offers more description to the reader and makes the article more intriguing. The Daily Star uses vocabulary like â€Å"groped†, â€Å"ruled out† and â€Å"Monsters Lair† this makes a powerful impression on the reader and facts are often exaggerated from the truth to sell papers. The Daily Star uses lots more quotations that involve peoples opinions for example † Our girls were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think there is anymore to be said about him† this is an extract from what the parents of the girls said to the press. The Times uses Experts views on the trial and that is mainly the judge. For example â€Å"it was not just for those two families you have sought to destroy, your crimes are those for which the community suffer†. The Times gives an unbiased view but cleverly uses quotations that show what the paper thinks on the matter it is addressing. The Daily Star has a paragraph devoted to what the paper itself thinks on the verdict. The Times ends the article about the parents of the murdered school girls, Holly and Jessica, by using a final quotation, † Mr. Wells said that his family would now be going on holiday. † We are going to take a short holiday break and gather our thoughts and focus on our son.† Using this quotation here concludes the report by looking to the future and helps link the reader more closely to the story. The Daily Star uses single-sentenced paragraphs, which are highly characteristic for tabloid papers, simplify the argument and allow the reader to follow it with ease. For example â€Å"He used to live with a girl of 15- and fathered her child†. The Times on the other hand uses complex sentences in comparison. For example, â€Å"But in searching the Police National Computer, Cambridgeshire police looked only for information about an Ian Nixon. Cambridgeshire also made inquiries with their counterparts in Humberside, but admit that they â€Å"probably† asked only two names.† The Times puts probably in inverted commas to show that this is somebody else's term, and the journalist does not necessarily approve. Both newspapers convey as much information as they possibly can in the first paragraph. This is because it is estimated that around 70% of readers may read until the end of the first paragraph. Here is an example from the front page of The Times, â€Å"Ian Huntley is today revealed as a violent sexual predator who should never have been given the job that brought him into contact with Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.† This first paragraph tells the reader who is involved and what happened. In the Daily Star ‘And' is a sentence conjunction and it is frequently used as paragraph connectives. Here is an example, † And as he was led t o the cells the full horror of his perverted life was revealed for the first time.† I conclude that although there are many differences between The Times and The daily Star, The Times are moving towards including some of the tabloid papers features as it has more human-interest stories in it than ever before. The Times still has a plainer and more restrained layout than the Daily Star that uses colour and photographs to make it visually exciting and hold the readers attention. The editors of both papers try to cram as much information into the first paragraph and headline and few readers carry on reading until the end of the article. The Daily Star uses shorter paragraphs and lengths of articles to hold onto the reader's attention and to make it simple enough for the reader to understand. The Times gives a neutral approach to what is an emotive story that most people have very strong feeling about.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Effects of Organized Crime on Russia’s Economic Reform

Angela Tien The Effect of Organized Crime on Russia’s Economic Reform With Russia’s extensive history, there is no saying that organized crime is not an issue of this nation. Organized crime promotes the overall performance of the economy in Russia, and it was also a problem during the rise of democratic Russia. Influence from organized crime is harmful internally, yet beneficial to Russia on a global scale. Although the Russian economy thrives as a nascent country experiencing capitalism and democracy, it is deteriorating from the core of their government from corruption. Several factors minister the failure of Russia’s economic reform.Corruption, change in political and economic concepts, and the ever-expanding global economy have fueled the power and influence organized crime has asserted on Russia’s economic reform. The impact of organized crime on Russia’s economic reform is significant to both the development and adherence of Russia’s p revious economy by incorporating elements of transitions such as corruption and revolutions in both capitalist and democratic ideals, at the same time establishing and preserving an influential association with the global economy while constituting achievements within it, which reflects on their economy today.Background: When Stalin proposed freedom to the prisoners in the Soviet Union in exchange for fighting in World War Two, he had upset the entire perennial system of the â€Å"Code of Thieves†, an underground colony of criminals. There was no knowledge of the repercussion that Stalin’s actions would alter. The â€Å"Thieves† had evolved into a much more sophisticated group of criminals, after the betrayal of those who enlisted to work with the government. Later, as the Soviet Union fell apart, it gave birth to the Red Mafia, otherwise known as the Russian Mafia.Previously, the Cold War contributed to the augmentation of the Russian Mafia too, like Stalin. Ru ined, Russia’s economy was devastated. Subsequently, with the down fall of the Soviet Union and the Cold War over, the Russian government inherited the world’s greatest weapon storage. Using these weapons as a way to profit, the mafia and other forms of organized crime took advantage of the desperate government workers, who turned to crime for cash. The sources for currency in Russia were weapons and poverty-stricken people forsaken from the Cold War scouring for work.In order to improve the Russian’s economy, America introduced the controversial â€Å"shock therapy†, a method that involves the sudden self-governing free market to release price and currencies, withdrawals of state contribution, and immediate global trade, (Murrell, 1993). Since then, the Russian Mafia has had control over the majority of businesses in Russia. Despite the democratic surge throughout Russia, the promotion of capitalism and democracy was futile. Basically, the Americans intr oduced Russia with the sudden surge of capitalism.Unexpectedly, the result was disastrous and the treatment backfired. Starving homeless people wandered through the streets aimlessly looking for a job to pay for food, agreeing to work for cheap labor. Government official turned to crime as a means of making money. Corruption is a major factor that made the economic reform difficult to succeed: Recently, forest fires rage throughout Russia’s landscape. Mr. Luzhkov, a politician, was residing in his estate when he was criticized for the lack of concern he expressed. Almost the entire government responded this way.Hence, â€Å"Mr. Luzhkov has been derided for behaving like an autocrat, muzzling dissent and allowing corruption to flourish,† (Levy, 2010). Russia’s economy was at stake, partly to the increasing problem of corruption. Corruption has deprived Russia of any success with its economic reform. With the consecutive capital flight each year during the economi c reform, Russia’s economy was not stable, nor was it sustainable. Even today, little of that has improved. Billions of laundered rubles are perpetually transferred to bank accounts in other countries annually.Corruption has suggested that organized crime has played an integral part towards the failure of economic reform. Finckenauer describes the cause of corruption in Russia as â€Å"[t]he historical symbiosis with the state [which] makes Russian organized crime virtually an inalienable part of the state†, (Finckenaur, 2001). Russia was left virtually bankrupt, until the fresh initiation of capitalism and democracy. Russia was so corrupt that criminals could bribe their way out of any lawbreaking problem, (Finckenaur, 2001). From Shelley’s observations, we know that roughly a hundred and fifty billion U. S. ollars, perhaps more, are transferred to off-shore accounts, sometimes reaching sums up to three hundred billion U. S. dollars,(Shelley, p. 3). A substanti al number of the assets wired to other countries belong to corrupt officials, who did not assist Russia’s economic reform, (Shelley, p. 4, 5).The increasing number of corrupt officials that collaborates with the Russian mafia is the source to Russia’s faltering economy. Allow a poll taken by Russian citizens manifest the severity of corruption within Russia: â€Å"[t]wenty-three percent of Russians living in urban areas believe that organized crime, not the Government, runs the country. ,(Boylan, 1996). Corruption from government officials numbers were on the rise. At that rate, Russia’s economic reform was next to impossible. There was not a single residue of affluence for Russia to advocate or achieve success of their economic reform. Not merely has organized crime conspired with government officials in the act of corruption, it had somehow obliquely gained control over the flux of money. Recently, a total of 33 billion U. S. dollars, reported by BCC, are bei ng wired to banks aboard, some in the U. S. , (Konstantin, 2010).This 33 billion â€Å"amounts to 20% of Russia's budget for state and local procurement, or more than 10% of the state budget's income for 2010,† (Konstantin, 2010) It is difficult to prove that control over money had been organized crime’s intentions, but its prevalence over the government through corruption has certainly prompt the unsuccessful result of Russia’s economic reform. The revolution in political and economic concepts allowed organized crime to flourish: Exempt from corruption aside, Russia’s economic reform faced democratic and capitalist issues. Half of the commodities upon a cargo ship traveling to the U.S. in the 90’s contain illegally purchased grain alcohol. This alcohol was manufactured by an American distiller company named McCormicle Distilling Company Superb Spirits. The Russian mafia dyed the alcohol blue to pass the alcohol on for window washing liquid. They m arked these boxes â€Å"industrial†. Smuggling prospered under these conditions. The mafia avoided taxes and a long process that consumed time, while profiting. Acting as a cover up for the mafia, business companies such McCormicle benefitted from the list of procedures and expenses needed to operate.Using capitalism and democracy to increase profits, organized crime was in favor of capitalism and democracy. Privatization of organized crime in Russia caused the economic reform to blunder and digress considerably. Finckenaur explains that, â€Å"privatization of state property both expanded and solidified the complex relationship that had developed between the state and organized crime†, (Finckenaur, 2001). Essentially all private and state-owned companies and subsidies were harmed from the meltdown of the economic reform due to organized crime flourishing in the free market.From the beginning of capitalism, â€Å"[t]he entire Soviet system has long operated with a flo urishing black-market supervised and controlled by [organized crime groups]†, (Boylan, 1996). While the U. S. government deplete their dollars advertising democratic and capitalist issues in Russia, (Boylan, 1996), the Russians â€Å"had people taking advantage of the privileges of a free market—taking in foreign investments, issuing stocks and bonds, making international loans—without sufficient oversight or taxation to generate incomes to pay the bondholders back†, (Friedman, 1999).As a novice towards democracy and capitalism, Russia was going through a phase in which economic hardships and dealing with new ideas was difficult. Subsequently, those with money and authority were quick to assert power and control, namely the organized crime groups and corrupt political figures. â€Å"Several experts have estimated that approximately one-third of capital flight involves illegal activity,† which indicates the organized crime has penetrated the system o f economic reform, (Cooper, 2000).Before the matter of discussing the issues during the economic reform, a similarity should be distinguished between corrupt officials and organized crime lords: illegal capital flight was mostly pocketed by these two groups, for â€Å"[r]acketeers and bandits created a multithreaded mafia that remains potent and ubiquitous,† (Schemann, 2009). Furthermore, organized crime utilized the free market to expand in their trade with other countries. For example, oversea corporations from Russian companies belonged to the Russian mafia, which used scams to maximize profits. U. S. law enforcement agencies raided the Pennsylvania headquarters of a TSX–listed company called YBM Magnex International, which turned out to be a front for Russian mafia activity headed by Semion Mogilevich. The shares of YBM were worth more than $500 million before they collapsed in value virtually overnight. The scam eventually landed Mogilevich a spot on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list†, (Rosen, 2010). Through this example, it can be notified that the Russian mafia had control over trade and much of trade was illegal.The Russian government could not hinder the influence the Russian mafia asserted over the trading routes. Much of the money being made through these black-market deals or any other illegal means was profited by the Russian mafia. â€Å"The criminalization of the privatization process has resulted in the massive use of state funds and property for criminal gain†, which in turn, left Russian without any funds, (Finckenaur, 2001). Consequently, none of the profits made were funded into Russia’s economic reform.Because â€Å"the assets controlled by organized crime give it enormous economic power†, it is safe to say that organized crime accumulated a large portion of the state’s funds, (Finckenaur, 2001). Due to a free market, anyone who had money had the power to make even more, and that is exactly what organized crime took advantage of. Democracy and the capitalist rules induced these criminal groups to escape imprisonment. Authorities had neither power nor evidence to pin any provable crime against them. To this day, these criminals are still profiting from privatization. Privatization led to the transfer of vast wealth to a handful of oligarchs and to rampant corruption,† (Schemann, 2009), leaving only a few people wealthy. Mitigating the security issues with trade, capitalism and democracy, which permitted organized crime to continue their illegal activity, affected the overall result of the economic reform. The global economy ignited the purpose of Russia’s economic reform: Although, organized crime had brought negative effects on Russia’s economic reform, their actions had increased success indirectly to their economic reform as well.A man named Tarzan from Russia has a business in Miami. Before he opened up this business, he worked for the Russian mafia. Extorting countless business and private companies, the mafia had these people pay protection fees, usually killing those who oppose. Through these connections with the mafia, Tarzan was able to create a new lifestyle for himself. His business was collaborated by the Columbian mafia. He helped smuggled weapons and provides the Columbian with transport they desired. He even sold a submarine to the Columbians.This vast global trade gave Tarzan the means to make more money and continue prospering in the market. Items and ideas were assimilated to different places, expanding the abounding global trade and economy. Emerging from the Soviet Union with a ruined economy, there was very little economic opportunity for Russia to improve their economy. Russia’s economic instability during the 1900’s â€Å"have increasingly scared off foreign investors; foreign direct investment (FDI) into Russia fell by 45 percent in the first half of 2009 alone†, (Mankoff, 2010).No forei gn investors are willing to invest and no countries are willing to participate in trade with it. For this reason, the Russians had no partners to trade with in order to expand their economy. Russia compelled an economic reform in search for an opportunity to extend their economic influence, but how is it possible to have an economic reform when the country’s funds are empty? How did Russia revived from its decline? And more eminently, what system or factor granted Russia the aptitude to succeed?The answer to the latter resides in the system or factor which commenced global trade; this system or factor being organized crime. In the interest of global trade, Russia, which had little resources and industries to offer, was presented with an opportunity to flourish in the market. Privatization was introduced, whether the companies were legal or not. It is recorded that â€Å"roughly two-thirds of Russia’s economy is under the sway of the crime syndicates†, (Webster, 1997). But this does not change the goal of Russia’s economy.Russian revived itself through illegal businesses by the global economy and free market. Whether the motive behind the Russian mafia’s trade was with illegal means, capital was flowing and increasing, which aided the promising rise of a global partner. In 1996, the capital flight exceeded 6 billion U. S. dollars, rendering the growth of organized crime’s profits excel in other countries too, (Kramer, 2000). Illegal trade with the U. S. has brought many fleeing to the states. The majority of the mafia members had taken posts and paired up with other organized crime groups.Regarding the trade between the organized crime and others, though it may be illegal, money is flowing in and out of the country. As Friedman mentions, that â€Å"[g]lobalization also calls for a reform†, (Friedman, 1999), there is sufficient, benign results from Russia’s crime groups on the development of the economic re form. The situation that organized crime started had somehow ameliorated the sterile economy of Russia’s previous economy, thus improving the economic reform. Nearly all the global trend settlers were previous Russian reformers, who were probably associated with organized crime. Friedman 1999). Russian organized crime groups were the first to begin the global trade since the Soviet Union. These people are the ones who started the trade between nations in the west. This advances trade and economic prosperity within Russia.The reform had benefits on behalf of this. With the open trade, the Russians gained the attention they were deficient in by raising the economic awareness around the globe to prolong a successful reform. Henceforth, the Russian economic reform was successful due to rganized crime’s initiation of applying capitalism and democracy. Conclusion: Russia’s economic reform can be summarized as well-developed, partly due to capitalism and democracy, as well as, the expansion of a global economy by organized crime groups. Yet the economic reform has partially failed from the pervasion of corruption and capitalism evoked by organized crime. Russia’s economic reform is affected substantially by these three factors. On account of corruption, the economic reform did not obtain the necessary requirement of funds that it needed to succeed.Capitalism and democracy conceded organized crime to flourish and amass the money reserves that was imperative for the motivation of the economic reform. Despite this, capitalism had also paved Russia’s road towards the beginning of the free market. In addition, the global economy had given consent for organized crime to uphold recognition in the global economy, delivering Russia the advertisement it lacked to partake in the market. Overall, organized crime has had a rather significant impact on Russia’s economic reform.Russia could emerge one day as a superpower; however, it has no t acquired all the necessary components to dominate in the global economy. If Russia continues to administer organized crime through corruption or does not push for economic and political reform again, investors in the foreign market will avoid investment in Russia and Russia, once again, will collapse, this time farther into recession.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Essay on Definition of TerrorismEssay Writing Service

Essay on Definition of TerrorismEssay Writing Service Essay on Definition of Terrorism Essay on Definition of TerrorismThe term terrorism has become especially actual and meaningful in our society because of the terrorist acts which occur in different corners of the planet nowadays. So, its definition must be understandable and precise and clearly identify the kind of crime which falls under this definition for the appropriate reaction and punishment. In order to make my own definition, it is necessary to analyze the most famous and reliable ones.There are different definitions in different federal and international communities. However, let’s take definitions suggested by the influential American instances, such as the U.S. Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). FBI presents its definition of terrorism: its unlawful violence against people or property in order to force the government or separate individuals to fulfill terrorists’ requirements. According to the U.S. Code terrorism is a purposeful premeditated violence against u narmed people or targets usually committed by subnational groups in order to have political or other influence. Despite some not so much meaningful differences, both definitions state that terrorism presupposes the usage of force or the further political or social pressure.The U.S. Code goes further and divides the term terrorism into two notions: â€Å"domestic terrorism† and â€Å"international terrorism†. Both kinds of terrorism possess the following common characteristics: terrorism is aimed to 1) intimidate civilian people; 2) have influence on the government using force and intimidation; 3) commit terrorist actions, such as kidnapping, mass destruction and assassination in order to force the government to fulfill the requirements (What International Terrorism means, 2002). The only difference is that international terrorism occurs outside the U.S. territorial jurisdiction and domestic terrorism takes place within the territorial jurisdiction of the States.Analyzi ng all the information listed above I would suggest such a definition: terrorism is a deliberate usually armed act of violence committed against citizens or property in order to make them or the government accept terrorists’ requirements. Terrorist acts usually occur on the political, ethnical or religious ground. It was comparatively easy for me to make a definition of terrorism because there are so many reliable sources on this topic and this theme is of great interest for me.The War on Terrorism and Limitation on Human RightsIt goes without saying that fight against terrorism is one of the crucial tasks of the American government. Terrorism is a real threat today and protection of the national interests and American citizens is the full responsibility of the American government and law.   However, it is necessary to find a   Ã‚  balance between the war on terrorism and limitations on people’s rights and freedoms as a result of this war.As a reaction to the event s of September 11, 2001 there have been signed two acts – the USA Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act, which were intended to decrease the threat of terrorism.   However, these acts on the contrary threaten and limit civil rights of the American population. â€Å"The Patriot Act, overwhelmingly passed by Congress after September 11, 2001, alarms the American Civil Liberties Union, The Washington Post, the New York Times, government officials in 152 communities, and three states that have passed resolutions condemning this emergency measure† (Zirin, 2004). According to the Patriot Act, the government is allowed to collect business records, have an access to e-mail and Internet communications, use wiretaps, have secret searches and some other points which neglect rights and freedoms of every citizen proclaimed by the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution – the highest legal law in America. The Homeland Security Act has been aimed to predict, p revent and get ready for terrorist act, however, in fact also limits people’s rights. Racial profiling and additional safety precautions are also among measures which have been taken in the frame of the War on Terrorism.In my opinion, the War on Terrorism is a necessity in the modern society but it is very important to be very careful in this question. Fighting against terrorism, suspecting every citizen and neglecting basic civil rights may cause people’s reaction which could be much more dangerous for the American society than even terrorist threat. So, the government should carry out a very wise policy considering this topic.The Threat of ISIS and the Governmental PolicyThe Islamic State terrorist Group, shortly called ISIS or ISIL is the organization which commits terroristic acts and its name is associated with violence, massacres, beheadings and violation of human rights. Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham which was officially proclaimed in April this year and cou nts several thousand people is the most fanatical and radical organization today. Earlier it was known as Jamaat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad or Al-Qaeda.The main threat of this group is not just in committing of terroristic acts but also in recruiting of new members in the Islamic world and stirring hatred, fomenting violence and developing misunderstanding on ethnic grounds. Non-human behavior, neglecting of human rights and freedoms, as well as bloody massacres is a threat to the entire humanity, not just the United States.Today not just the United States but also a lot of other countries, including Switzerland which usually stays neutral in all armed affairs, try to coordinate their forces and fight this threat together: â€Å"Speaking at a security conference in Berlin, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the Euro-Mediterranean code of conduct could trigger a breakthrough in UN efforts to agree on a definition of terrorism and a code of conduct for governments worldwide (Anti- Terrorism Code Is Adopted, 2005). It goes without saying that methods used by the States and Europe are sometimes questionable but the main point is that such kind of organization cannot be left without control. Terroristic organization left on its own is the threat for the entire humanity and only active and strong position may be effective in this fight.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Changes in the Protagonists Behavior

Changes in the Protagonist's Behavior There are hundreds of differences between the 1878 edition of Daisy Miller and its 1909 / New York edition. While many of the changes are slight modifications to the placement of words or changes of some terms to an American English spelling, some of the changes vastly alter the connotations of certain scenes and, in fact, the story itself. While the 1879 version and the 1909 version of Daisy Miller are the same book, they are quite different in some key aspects. In the second version, James actually seems to make the book more critical of American tourists by degrading their quality of speech and having the Europeanized Americans more harshly criticize their visiting countrymen. James also builds Winterbourne up in comparison to the other characters by slightly modifying the narrators descriptions of Winterbourne. The overall effect of the changes works to undermine the innocence of Daisy and build a stronger case for the Europeanized Americans condemnation of the Millers. James also adjusts the way in which the narrator refers to Daisy in the 1909 edition. He replaces the often-used term young girl (1878) with charming creature (1909). The description of Daisy as a young girl is dropped from many other places in the text over 80 times in all; the odd reference to Daisy as a young girl continues, but much more infrequently. She is usually referred to as either Miss Miller, a girl or a strange little creature (1909). These changes make Daisy less pitiable in our eyes as she is no longer a young girl whose improprieties can be excused due to her age. This works with James other edits to make Daisy less of a naà ¯ve girl unaware of the consequences of her actions and undeserving of her death, and less worthy of our sympathy. The changes also work to sexualize Daisy by referring to her as a Creature or an object of lust. Daisys actions are also referred to differently; in the 1878 edition, Mrs. Walker begs Daisy not to walk off to Pincio at this hour to meet a beautiful Italian. In the same scene in the 1909 edition Mrs. Walker accuses Diasy of prowl[ing] off. This subtle change of verbs elicits a very different reaction to Daisys actions, comparing her to an animal that prowls off in search for a mate. In the 1909 edition Daisys eyes play over Winterbourne where they once glance[d] at him (1878). When Daisy takes a trip outside she is made to be exhibit[ing] herself (1909). Many adjectives are added to describe Daisys eyes in the 1909 edition where there was no mention of them in the 1878 edition: her quickened glance is replaced by her shining eyes; and metonymy is used to replace Daisy herself: She is substituted for Her eyes. This focus in the 1909 edition on Daisys eyes, a vital player in the game of seduction, serves to bring out more of her sexuality and passion for the reader. James also degrades the quality of English that the Americans speak in contrast to the proper English spoken by the Europeanized Americans. Mrs. Miller no longer just says things as she did in the 1878 edition, she now incoherently mention[s] them (1909). Randolph, notably, has his quality of speech severely affected by the new edition. In the 1878 edition Randolph says I am going to take it to Italy; by the 1909 edition he says Im going to take it tItaly. The importance of the word aint in the American diction is realized in the 1909 edition, whose task is to show the ruggedness of Americanspeech. While the word makes four appearances in the 1878 edition, there are thirty-two instances of it by 1909. By degrading the Americans quality of English James is able to make the Europeanized Americans look better in contrast and to further separate the two groups in their polarized camps: rough and uncivilized America in one, and old and distinguished Europe in the other. One major change in the book is the depiction of Giovanelli. In the original text Giovanelli was a bit of a sneaky character; he is made out to be an absolute scoundrel by the 1909 edition. James completely dehumanizes Giovanelli through the words he uses to describe him: man is replaced with figure; his is replaced with its; he with it; and man for thing. Giovanelli is no longer worth recognition as a man in the 1909 edition and is referred to by the narrator as a thing. James adds the word coxcombical in the 1909 edition to describe Giovanelli, implying that he is a fool. Even Giovanellis actions, which were once called very agreeabl[e] and ingenious (1878) become irresponsible and bland (1909). Any indication of Giovanellis intentions to be a mere friend to Daisy is thrown out in the 1909 edition, where the narrator refers to him as the girls attendant admirer. By making Giovanelli so despicable the narrator is able to give us even more reason to dislike Daisy for being entranced with the conniving wiles of such a character. Giovanelli and the Millers are not the only subjects of Jamess changes. Winterbourne receives a slightly harsher condemnation from the narrator in the 1909 edition. Whereas in the 1878 edition Daisy accuses Winterbourne of cut[ting] her at the Coliseum, by 1909 he cuts [her] dead. The use of the word dead where before there was nothing is a notable change because it strengthens the narrators condemnation of Winterbournes cruel response to Daisy. This is the point in the story where Winterbourne finally believes he has understood the true Daisy, where he decides that she was a young lady about the SHADES of whose perversity a foolish puzzled gentleman need no longer trouble his head or his heart (1909). The narrator condemns Winterbourne when Winterbourne condemns Daisy, and this is made even more obvious in the 1909 edition. An interesting addition to the later edition occurs when Winterbourne is criticizing Giovanelli for taking Daisy out to the Coliseum at nighttime: suddenly Winterbourne switches from English to French when he tells Giovanelli that he does not care if Giovanelli were to catch the fever, only if Daisy does. This introduction of French into the play works well to develop Winterbournes educated character and impress us with his intelligence. The hundreds of minor changes in the 1909 edition of Daisy Miller work towards further polarizing the Europeanized Americans and the Americans tourists, such as the Miller family. James does this by degrading the Millers quality of speech while preserving the proper speech of the Europeanized Americans, by adjusting the descriptions of Daisy from being a Young girl (1878) to being a charming creature (1909), by sexualizing Daisy and giving us a reason to distrust her because of her alluded promiscuity, and by condemning Daisy for being so easily taken by such an obvious fraud as Giovanelli. A few of these issues existed in the 1878 edition, such as the allusions to Daisys promiscuity and Giovanellis undesirability, but James works hard to bring them into the foreground in the 1909 edition. The result is a more controversial book that pits black against white, polarizes the Americans and leaves less room for Daisy to be pitied.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Demand and Utility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demand and Utility - Essay Example If to look at the demand of expensive houses, demand is affected by the situation on the stock markets - if people do not have the need to buy another house, they would consider the option of investing the money into real estate or stock market to gain the profits in the short term. If the consumer wants to get the long term profits, he would invest into luxury products and the demand will go up. The decreased demand leads to the decreased supply of the luxury goods and increased supply of the goods aimed at middle-income people. As the result, the companies tend to introduce products that are more innovative and cheaper. The luxury goods are still desired, but less demanded and less purchased. However, when people buy luxury goods as the mean to show their social standing, the supply will not be affected because the demand stays the same as well. Looking at the never decreasing supply of the luxury high-end clothes, it is possible to say that the supply of expensive cloth will never go down and it is not affected by any economic factors. The demand of luxury electronics depends on the desire of potential customers to change their old devices on the new as well as on the price of the new devices.