The Hourglass Technique

The Hourglass Technique Most of us during school and then in our careers have to write research papers and reports and analyze. Some of us go on to write journal articles or textbooks, nonfiction books, or even novels as freelancers. At some point, we have to take a subject, narrow it to a related topic, decide on a thesis to express our idea, and write an organized text to communicate that idea or plot and its conclusions and deliver a well-received document.The problem is that too often we get lost in the process and end up straying off topic or have trouble connecting our ideas or forming a clear thesis from the topic and then an argument strategy that relates to that topic and its thesis. Why does that happen? Because we have so many ideas about our topic or so many argument points, we simply have too many cooks in the kitchen to suggest a simple metaphor.What is the solution then? Is there a clearly stated technique we can apply that keeps us from saying too much or not being focused in a paper? Yes, t here is. Its a technique I used when I taught research paper and students told me they were panicked about writing a longer paper on one topic. They wanted to write a good paper, but got lost in the process. Its the Hourglass Technique of Writing. It is really simple and actually derived from the concept of outlining, but more visual and interactive in nature (which helps a lot of writers arrange their thinking as they plan a paper).We all know what an hourglass is – two connected glass bulbs with sand that slowly flows from the top bulb to the bottom bulb through a narrow passage that connects the two. A 3-minute egg timer is a good example. The sand at the top flows through the narrow passageway into the bottom bulb until 3 minutes are up. Then we simply turn the hourglass upside down to restart the timing process again.Lets consider the image of the hourglass and think about how a broad subject for writing must narrow to become a focused topic. Then that topic needs to nar row further still to become a precise thesis statement. At that point, were at the narrow connection where the two bulbs of the hourglass meet. Using this image, we can move from the broad to the focused idea and develop a precise and significant thesis that relates back to the original topic we had when we started and produces a precisely related thesis statement. That statement becomes the precise question or hypothesis we then use to develop arguments and the discussion and work toward a logical conclusion. This downward selective narrowing process can look something like this: Main Subject narrowed to your Topic; then your Topic narrowed further downward to a Working Thesis, and finally, that Working Thesis narrowed to your focused Thesis Statement at the narrowest point in your writing hourglass.This is the first step – narrowing our ideas, so we can see the direction we want to take for the whole paper. We create our thesis statement from the too broad a subject that in trigued us in the first place and left us with too many ideas and confusion about how to proceed to narrow our thinking.So whats next? Well, we simply move to the bottom part of the hourglass – the lower bulb. Our thesis statement now becomes a new topic for developing 3-4 main argument points related to our main thesis. All these main argument points derive from and relate back to your main thesis and from there back to your original topic and overall discipline or genre needed for your work. However, we have narrowed our thinking, so each argument point is carefully set apart and becomes its own hourglass that narrows to a sub-thesis and then expands to produce related detail to argue that sub-thesis. Indeed, we can go through the same exact thinking process as we did with the major thesis statement and develop each argument points expanded detail and that support.Thus, when we have finished the journey from the top of the hourglass to the bottom, we have expanded our think ing from an original broad subject to a thesis statement and then from that statement to 3-4 main argument points. We then develop each argument point as its own hourglass to find our sub-arguments and their support. In effect, what you have is the reverse of the first narrowing process: You use your main Thesis Statement to determine your first main Argument to support it. Then you determine an Argument Thesis from which you develop Sub-Arguments and then expand those to Argument Support to deliver your details and thinking for each Sub-Argument.Each argument in your paper can go through the same hourglass process where the argument becomes a sub-topic and then is narrowed to produced a sub-thesis statement and then expanded (just like an hourglass at the bottom) to gather support, illustrations, and explanations. All of these relate back directly to your main thesis statement and your original topic and genre.Try the concept. Draw a group of hourglasses on a piece of paper and use them as separate thinking tools to help you narrow a topic visually and then expand the thesis youve discovered into main arguments that repeat the same process. You can even stack the hourglasses if you want to make the thinking process on your topic a bit more complex. Narrow each main argument into its own thesis and then expand it to contain its own argument and supporting evidence.By segmenting your thinking, youll be more precise, yet more abstract in your thinking, and definitely more creative. Youll find your thinking will be better organized and yet integrated and connected. It works. I use the concept all the time in different writing genres. Eventually, it becomes second nature and one of your key writing tools.

Law of Multiple Alleles

Law of Multiple Alleles Multiple alleles is a type of non-Mendelian inheritance pattern that involves more than just the typical two alleles that usually code for a certain characteristic in a species. With multiple alleles, that means there are more than two phenotypes available depending on the dominant or recessive alleles that are available in the trait and the dominance pattern the individual alleles follow when combined together. Gregor Mendel only studied traits in his pea plants that showed simple or complete dominance and had only two alleles that could contribute to any one trait the plant showed. It wasnt until later that it was discovered that some traits can have more than two alleles that code for their phenotypes. This allowed many more phenotypes to be visible for any given trait while still following Mendels Laws of Inheritance. Most of the time, when multiple alleles come into play for a trait, there is a mix of types of dominance patterns that occur. Sometimes, one of the alleles is completely recessive to the others and will be masked by any of those that are dominant to it. Other alleles may be co-dominant together and show their traits equally in the phenotype of the individual. There are also some cases where some alleles exhibit incomplete dominance when put together in the genotype. An individual with this type of inheritance connected to its multiple alleles will show a blended phenotype that mixes both of the alleles traits together. Examples of Multiple Alleles The human ABO blood type is a good example of multiple alleles. Humans can have red blood cells that are of type A (IA), type B (IB), or type O (i). These three different alleles can be combined in different ways following Mendels Laws of Inheritance. The resulting genotypes make either type A, type B, type AB, or type O blood. Type A blood is a combination of either two A alleles (IA IA) or one A allele and one O allele (IAi). Similarly, type B blood is coded for by either two B alleles (IB IB) or one B allele and one O allele (IBi). Type O blood can only be obtained with two recessive O alleles (ii). These are all examples of simple or complete dominance. Type AB blood is an example of co-dominance. The A allele and the B allele are equal in their dominance and will be expressed equally if they are paired together into the genotype IA IB. Neither the A allele or the B allele is dominant over each other, so each type is expressed equally in the phenotype giving the human an AB blood type.

Evaluate the Decision Making Process Assignment

Evaluate the Decision Making Process - Assignment Example Despite the forth coming problems, an effective and true decision, which is taken at right time, may also saves many of the important organizational resources (Ingram, 2010). According to the experts, the basic goal of the decision making process is to achieve some desired and set goals and objectives and avoid negative and poor consequences (Krehbiel, 2012). The firms’ managers always try to take a right decision at right time so that they can support the other organizational activities and thus giving a better output productivity. When any decision is taken in the organizational perspective than for sure it will help the organizational mangers but at the same time there can be some good or best decisions which not only support the organizational system but also add up to the efficiency of the organizational activities and the operations (Krehbiel, 2012). The process of decision making is a systematic progression which actually works in a step by step series. The process may starts with the recognition of the problem. This can be happen when the manager or any of workers may predict or forecast any possible problem or contingency in the very short run for the organization (Heckman & Crowston, 2011). Here it is not necessary that there will be a prediction of the problem rather the manger may come to know about the problem when they are badly struck in it. The critical point is that the manger or the firm mya truly identify the problem in the situation. Many of the mangers may get confuse between the actual problem and its symptoms. In most of the situation, the symptoms are very clear but the mangers may not track the problem exactly. Therefore, at first step the real identification of the problem is very important (Heckman & Crowston, 2011). Now in this situation the managers must carefully analyze all the possible factors and the reasons, so that they may come to know about the difference between the symptoms and the actual problem

Importance of teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of teams - Essay Example The following section will focus on importance of teamwork in other sectors like aviation, auto racing and military and the lessons that healthcare industry can learn. Teamwork is extremely important for any sector that is highly reliant on human performance. In a team two aspects are equally important – taskwork and teamwork. While the former means the skills needed by the members to execute their tasks, the latter means the approach needed by the members to complete the tasks. In aviation, both of these are required. The importance of effective task performance by crew members in the cockpit cannot be denied. At the same time, there should be strong teamwork for harmonization and communication between the crew members. Records have shown that 68 percent of air mishaps occur due to poor coordination between aircrew (Salas & Maurino, 2010, p.254). According to Salas et al. (2005) there are five requirements for a team’s efficiency. First, strong leadership since it is through a team leader’s guidance the members can perform in a coordinated manner. Second, members need to monitor the activities of each other to keep track of e rrors or lapses to ensure perfection in overall performance. Third, backup behavior like members with less work load should share the burden of those who have excessive work load. Fourth, adaptability which means members should be able to adjust their work in case of unexpected difficulties. Fifth, team orientation indicates that each person should have compatible approach to work with other individuals. All the five elements are required in aviation in order to handle any emergency situation in the cockpit. In auto racing, teamwork between pit crew and race is considered as exemplary. The process underlying auto racing itself requires high level of team work, and it is said that no other industry promotes teamwork as

Natural Disasters and Their Effect on the Macro Economy Essay Example for Free

Natural Disasters and Their Effect on the Macro Economy Essay Natural Disasters can have both a positive and negative impact on the local, national and the global economy. However it is rare, but not out of the question, to see the positive impact it may have on an economy. For instance, when disaster struck in Haiti from the 7. 3 magnitude earthquake in 2010, between 200,000-250,000 people were killed. That is 2 percent of the total Haitian population of only 10 million. Comparatively New York City alone totals nearly as much as the entire population of Haiti with about 8. 2 million people (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010). The Inter-American Development Bank estimated that it cost 8.5 billion dollars in damage to Haitis economy. The earthquake caused the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 5. 1 percent that year. Considering that Haiti’s economy only produced 12 billion dollars in 2008, 8. 5 billion dollars is a huge deficit to the overall production and functionality of their economic and social growth. That is less than a tenth of a percent of U. S. GDP of 14 trillion dollars, but Haiti’s GDP per capita is only 1,300 dollars compared to over 40,000 dollars per person in the U. S. (CIA. gov). With all of this said, Haiti brought in nearly fifteen billion dollars through donations. So although there was catastrophic and disastrous losses to both the social and economic stimulus, on donations alone, Haiti was able to receive three billion dollars more than even their best year in 2008 with only twelve billion dollars. Proposing a theoretical situation, if an earthquake destroyed capital stock but left the labor force intact, the real rental price of capital would increase. The real rental price equals the marginal product of capital and having less capital stock available raises the marginal product of capital and therefore, raises its real rental price. This situation would also make the labor force larger in relation to available capital. Since this would lead to a declining marginal product of labor as workers have less equipment to use, the real wage would decrease as well. Due to rising world population, climate change, and environmental degradation, natural disasters are increasing in frequency. They are also becoming costlier and deadlier, according to Swiss Re, a reinsurance company; the U. S. suffered a cost of 145 billion dollars in 2004, which was up from 65 billion dollars in 2003. In 2009, natural disasters cost insurers about 110 billion dollars. In 2010, the cost was double that, at 218 billion dollars. So as you can see, in the past 10 years there have been jumps nearly doubling the cost that a country suffers to natural disasters from year to year. According to the World Bank, there are several factors that affect a country’s vulnerability to natural disasters: its geographic size, the type of disaster, the strength and structure of its economy, and prevailing socioeconomic conditions. In a globalized economy, all these factors, as well as others, also play into how the world’s finances will be affected. A common belief is that short-term economic hits after a disaster, even those as large as this year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan or Hurricane Katrina in the U. S. in 2005 are more than offset by the reconstruction boom that follows. However this is only in countries that are large and rich enough to have short-term stabilization to the immediate economic hit. The nature of the disaster and the size of the victim count in an economy are key when determining whether or not natural disasters have a negative impact on macroeconomic growth. So in a country such as Haiti and their disastrous earthquake, although a lot of money was pumped into the economy in order to help in the rebuilding, that does not do much when they are still in need of the proper man power that can produce new development or ideas for rebuilding the structures that were destroyed. Incidences of natural disasters have increased by 30 percent since the 1960s, and risk-modeling companies have raised the likelihood of a Katrina-like event happening once every 20 years, rather than once every 40 years (SKOUFIAS, 2003). Because of the possibility of large natural disasters happening more often as well as more frequent smaller natural disasters occurring, how will the economy be affected? Especially if before the reconstruction both socially and economically is finished from the original disaster, another strikes in the same area. Another problem that is faced with economic downfalls due to natural disasters is how other countries may view the stability of that country. For example, 75 percent of Haiti’s national income came through the export of retail apparel to the United States. If Haiti were to have any kind of smaller disasters before they can properly rebuild their economic and working communities, then other countries will only see them as a reoccurring high-risk investment and will no longer look to invest in Haiti, only deepening their turmoil from an economic stand point. Droughts cannot be forgotten either. 2010 set records as the hottest year in one of the hottest decades in history. Climate change, exacerbated by the effects of El Nino, sparked off a series of global heat waves. In Pakistan, temperatures rose to 128. 3 degrees Fahrenheit on May 26, the highest temperature seen in Asia. Russia was plagued by a series of wildfires, destroying crops and woodland, and blanketing cities in smog. People across Europe had to be hospitalized for heat strokes and dehydration as air-conditioning failed to bring relief. Asia had one of the most severe droughts across the globe. The drought caused an estimated 3. 5 million dollars in immediate damage, both to agriculture and to the country’s hydroelectric sector. There are also other uncounted losses, but still very real costs from the drought: a drought can lower the overall productivity of land due to erosion and topsoil loss. It can reduce the numbers in livestock herds, which most of Asia relies on for everyday living needs as well as economic income. Before the end of the summer, the death toll would rise into the thousands. 15 million people were evacuated, and over a million homes destroyed. Nearly 34 million acres of crops were affected by floodwaters, with at least two million completely destroyed. By August, direct damage from the floods was estimated at $41 billion. This is something that affected the worldwide agricultural need and demand (PreventionWeb, 2010). Proving the destructive power of natural disasters, even in highly developed nations, Hurricane Katrina crushed the gulf coast. Just east of the Bahamas on August 24, 2005 a small, unlikely tropical depression intensified into a tropical storm which was given the name Katrina. This storm slowly made its way to Florida’s southern coast on the 25th where most experts believed the storm would dissipate. Unfortunately, Katrina’s path took it over the everglades allowing it to maintain its category 1 standing that it had acquired before it first made landfall, then entered the Gulf of Mexico. The warm waters of the Gulf fostered the rapid development of Katrina (Kempler 2010). The above image shows Hurricane Katrina at the height of her power. Estimates had Katrina making landfall as a category 4, but thankfully it weakened a bit and before it rolled in as a strong category 3. Katrina became been responsible for an estimated 1,800 deaths, as well as 100 billion dollars total in damages, of which about 60percent were uninsured losses. Some economists would put the total economic loss at around 250 Billion dollars (Amadeo 2011). That made Katrina the most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the United States. With all of Katrina’s destruction, the short term effects on the economy were very evident. Only one year after the disaster the United States, the economy was back to normal. In the first three quarters of 2006 the United States had GDP growth of 5. 6 percent, some of the most rapid growth in recent years (Herman 2006). Even though the nation as a whole made a quick economic recovery after Katrina, locations that were struck directly, like New Orleans, did not make the turnaround quite as rapidly as hoped. The first few months after Katrina the United States economy went into a downward trend. The GDP growth rate dropped from the 4. 2 percent that it had experienced in the first three quarters to 1. 8 percent in the last quarter of 2005. The reason for this impact goes beyond the destruction of property and the primary economic concern; the loss of goods and production capabilities (Herman 2006). Perhaps the most important resource that the gulf region produces is oil. The gulf makes up about 30 percent of America’s oil production and distribution. The effects of Katrina resulted in the destruction of 113 offshore platforms, and nearly 500 oil and gas pipelines (Amadeo 2011). The loss of this production led to a drastic increase in gas prices soaring to over 4 dollars per gallon. This drastic rise in prices created a panic, and people rushed to the gas stations to fill up before prices rose again, creating massive lines and much talk about the gloomy forecast of economic woes come. The only positive result from the increasing gas prices was when the Federal government opened the strategic petrollium reserves. This increase in gasoline prices surprisingly did not have as much of an impact as speculators feared, other than people’s outlook on the situation. There were some effects.mthough mostly food price centered. The three main goods that saw a notable impact were the prices of bananas, rice and sugar (Leibtag 2006). The primary reason for the increase in the rice and sugar prices is because the Louisiana Mississippi area is responsible for 85 percent of the sugar cane production, and 14 percent of the rice production in the United States (Leibtag 2006). The drastic loss in production from that area was softened by short-run increases in the other producers of those crops. This ability to increase short-run production is a factor that contributes to the resiliancy of free-market economies. Though the nationwide effects were not all that staggering, the effects in New Orleans the months following Katrina were devastating. With 80 percent of the city flooded, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee the city of New Orleans, many never to return again (Blackburn 2010). This drastic loss in population coupled with the destruction of approximately 200,000 homes and businesses led New Orleans and the surrounding areas into a dire economic situation. In the first few months after Katrina, Louisiana lost 12 percent of the state’s 214,000 jobs (Herman 2006). One result of the loss of jobs was a drastic raise in mortgage delinquancy rates (Herman 2006). This inability to pay is more than likely a contributing factor to the very low rate of return from people who were forced to evacuate their homes by Katrina. Those that did find the resolve to return to stay were in a desperate situation. New Orleans, whose primary industry is tourism, suffered great losses after the storm. They desperately needed to be able to find a way to bring back the American and foreign tourist in order to fuel the creation for more jobs. The drop in tourism is best reflected by the attendance rates in New Orleans famous Mardi-Gras and Jazz Festivals. Both events had roughly a 30 percent drop in attendance from previous years (A year after Katrina, New Orleans desperately seeking tourists 2006). Part of the reason for the delay in the return of the tourism industry is the mass clean-up that had to take place first. Before anyone could return and maintain normal operations, there was still 118 million cubic yards of debris to be cleaned up.(Amadeo 2011) Thanks to efforts by FEMA, the Red Cross and many church ministries across the country, there was much help to be found. However, despite the efforts of all these groups, New Orleans a year after the incident was still working its way very slowly towards full recovery. With the aid that had come into the city, organizations were able to rebuild infrastructure and make great improvements to both education and government. In fact, post Katrina New Orleans has experienced steady growth in almost every way, including education levels, over the last 6 years as shown by the chart below Though it took about a year for it the effects to show and recovery to really make a strong step forward, the relief money that came into New Orleans and the other areas affected by Hurricane Katrina did what the nation was hoping it would; help restore one of Americas cultural and industrial centers. The economic turnaround in New Orleans shows how an initial investment in the form of government aid, insurance claims, and private donations can improve the economy of an area affected by a natural disaster. If this idea can hold to be true with the most costly natural disaster in American history, it should work with other costly natural disasters as well. Though maybe part of New Orleans success lay in the restructuring of their government and school systems in addition to the monetary support. Though the economy of the areas affected improve without bringing down the rest of the nation’s economy, suffering this type of event might not prove to be true in countries with weaker economies. Also, if a disaster like this was to hit a city like Los Angelas or New York, like Irene almost did, it is still speculator to say if there would be similar results. One thing can be said for certain, America’s ability to maintain long term economic growth despite short term impacts, like Katrina shows the resiliency of America as an economic super-power. Other economic super powers, like Japan, are trying to find this same formula for economic recovery. In the case of Japan’s 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, the loss of clean water, electricity, infrastructure, production lines, financial institutions, and more than 15,000 lives caused what the Prime Minister of Japan called the â€Å"The most difficult crisis for Japan† since World War II. However difficult it has been, people have been recovering from the loss of loved ones, injury, and the general trauma of the disaster. Perhaps the greatest and most uncertain long term effects brewing are the econ omic impacts on the world market. Many large industries and economic functions have been hurt, causing price inflation in those industries throughout the world. Since March 11, 2011, nations around the world have had to adjust their consumption in accordance with the loss of production in Japan. Several car companies, such as Toyota and Honda, had their production of car parts slowed, and electronics producers experienced the same effects (Syed, 2011). This has been felt worldwide. For example, Toshiba, who produces roughly 30 percent of the world’s computer chips that store data in smart phones, cameras, and laptops, closed down several factories due to economic losses and physical damages. Events like this are what caused the average price of a chip with eight gigabytes of memory to rise from 7. 30 dollars to around 10 dollars just three days after the earthquake and tsunami struck (Helft, 2011). Obviously, the price of computer chips is not the only price that has risen. Because computer chips are more expensive, new phones, laptops, televisions, cars, cameras, electronic billboards, and complex machinery will have a rise in price to cover the cost of parts and production. This effect will be felt for months, and maybe even years in an already instable world economy. Many of these products are produced in Japan; the world export market has been greatly affected because of that. Japan’s exports have decreased, causing increased economic uncertainty. The macroeconomic result of this is that investors tend to pull away from the increasing risk of pumping money into Japan and look for safer and smarter industries and nations to try to grow their profits (Kihara, 2011). One of the most fascinating things about today’s economy is that everything is so globally connected. Because of this and the slow in Japanese exports, the United States level of consumption of Japanese goods dove 3.4 percent following the earthquake (Guardian. uk, 2011). If this trend continued throughout the year, then the Japanese economy would have lost 4. 2 billion dollars from 2010 levels of United States consumption alone (State. gov, 2011). The disaster and surrounding effects not only caused a decrease of funds going into Japan, but the economic instability caused by the earthquake was devastating in its timing. Japanese and other Asian stock markets plunged as the news of the disaster spread, and this is coming on the heels of the U. S.stock market falling nearly 2 percent the date before. Not only that, but the earthquake caused struggling European stocks to fall to three month lows (CBSnews. com 2011). This goes to show that natural disasters can cause a myriad of negative factors in an economy, and that a spike in uncertainty can be one of the most demoralizing. That uncertainty does not just surface in the stock markets, but also in global financing. The Japanese currency, the Yen, had a significant surge the day after the massive earthq uake struck (Bloomberg. com, 2011). This is said to be credited to the immediate cleanup, repair, and reconstruction needs that Japan incurred following the damages. The long-term effects of the boost in the value of the Yen are still unknown, but it has made the Yen rise in demand in recent months, despite fluctuations since the initial rise in trading worth (Bernard, 2011). The Yen is currently becoming stable once again, eight months after its spike in March then fall in April. Japan has done well in its recovery considering that the Yen hit recent year record lows in April. This graph shows the trading value of the Yen in the past year (Forexblog.org, 2011). The value of the Yen is not the only financial issue at stake. Japan is one of the major foreign holders of U. S. government and corporation debt. With Japan’s Debt-to-GDP ratio at 200 percent, and massive amounts of government spending looming in the rebuilding of the thousands of buildings and roadways lost, Japan is in great need of more money (CIA. g ov, 2010). Because of this, the current interest rates that U. S. corporations are paying on their international loans could increase in an effort to generate more revenue in Japan (Nanto, 2011). In turn, corporations would not be able to borrow as much money for new capital investment, thus hurting the consumption and job creation in the United States at a time when jobs are greatly needed with unemployment rates near nine percent (BLS. gov, 2011). Jobs are a big issue in Japan too. With many of the more than 15,000 killed and nearly 6,000 injured people being a part of the Japanese work force, and tons of cleanup and construction to be done, companies and the government have had to hire thousands of new workers to satisfy the demand for work (Japanese National Police Agency, 2011). After a brief climb in unemployment because of the direct aftermath of the earthquake, numbers dropped to a recent history record low of 4. 1 percent (Tradingeconomics. com, 2011). Once organization was restored, Japan began to utilize its workforce to combat the challenge of rebuilding cities. It is perhaps a gruesome yet effective means of increasing job demand in a nation when its economy was unsettlingly devastated. Since the record drop in unemployment, Japan has had what could be considered a â€Å"Recovery boom. On November 14, 2011, a news article stated: Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 6 percent in the three months ending Sept. 30, the fastest pace in 1 1/2- years, the Cabinet Office said today in Tokyo. At 543 trillion yen ($7 trillion), economic output was back to levels seen before the March 11 earthquake, the report showed. Japan’s return to growth after three quarters of contraction was driven by companies including Toyota Motor Corp. making up for lost output from the disaster. A sustained rebound will depend on how much reconstruction demand can offset a slowdown in global growth as Europe’s debt crisis damps global confidence and an appreciating yen erodes profits (Sharp, 2011). The fact the Japan is now back to its pre-earthquake GDP level is remarkable. It initiates again the idea of what is known to economists as â€Å"The Broken Window Fallacy. † The theory is that an economy can create jobs and achieve higher employment levels though the destruction of the current goods that exist. However, the destruction comes at a cost of replacement that, in the end, is not going to create a net gain, but will instead create a loss or â€Å"quick-fix† break even because businesses will be stimulated, but run less efficiently in the long run. Only time will tell if Japan’s growth over the last few months is simply a rebound or if the disaster caused a rethinking of how things should be done and built, therefore creating a more efficient, productive Japanese economy. Economists will be watching closely to spot trends. Another disaster that could have the same categories of effects on a much smaller scale is Hurricane Irene. The northeastern U. S. experienced the worst flooding since the existence of many towns and buildings of the region. Since only three months have passed since Irene made landfall on the New England area on August 28, 2011, the long term impact of the estimated 45 billion dollars in losses are still speculative (Morici, 2011). Given the current status of the American economy, any damages of the storm are probably being felt most nationwide right now, if compared to the time table of Japan’s economic fall and rise with respect to the earthquake in March. The U. S. may see a slight drop in unemployment and a rise in capital investment as part of the restoration of Irene’s damages, but most likely, no real growth will come out of it. However, the increase in consumption in order to rebuild the damaged parts of the northeast may spark a rise in consumer confidence, and that is what America desperately needs. A natural disaster in a third world country might bring in more money in aid than that country’s economy could have ever produced on its own, making a very positive economic impact. But, as far as the number go, in a developed nation like the United States or Japan, natural disasters cause little more than a large scale broken window fallacy case study. A hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster can bring forth events that build intangible benefits such as consumer confidence, improved organization of infrastructure, or more efficient ideas, but most real development and confidence comes from ingenuity, not devastation. However, it is hard to argue against the fact that necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, restructured success. Works Cited

Innocence Lost in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas :: John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is based on John Boyne's book of the same name, which I'd read a few years ago. The cover of the book gave away little of the plot, allowing the reader to discover just what it was about while they were reading it. For instance, I don't think it's ever directly mentioned that the book is set in World War II and that the father of central character Bruno is a Nazi. That gradual unveiling of the plot can't be done in the film - as soon as we see the swastikas in the first frame of the film, and catch a glimpse of Bruno's dad (Thewlis) we know exactly what he is. And we also know the significance of the striped pyjamas worn by the old man who peels potatoes in the kitchen. The story starts with eight-year-old Bruno (Butterfield) annoyed to discover his father has been given a new posting, to a house in the country. He misses his friends until he spots what he believes is a farm through the woods in the backyard. But it's an odd farm, the people all wear those striped pyjamas. Thinking there might be some children to play with Bruno asks his mother (Farmiga) if he can go and have a look. She immediately tells him he is not to leave the yard. But curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks out through the woods to the edge of the "farm", which is surrounded by an electric fence. Sitting on the other side is another eight-year-old, Shmuel (brilliantly played by Scanlon). The pair get talking and, soon enough, Bruno becomes a regular visitor to the fence. Until that heartbreaking conclusion. The film is largely told from the perspective of Bruno and Shmuel, neither of whom comprehend the true nature of the farm. Indeed, neither understand much of what is happening in Germany at the time. His parents, who most definitely do know what's going on, steer Bruno away from the ugly truth of the "farm" in their backyard. This provides an interesting insight. The father in particular fully supports the persecution of the Jews - to him it is a normal part of life - yet prefers to change the subject rather than offering his son an explanation. It makes you wonder if it's because there's still some small part of him that doubts his actions. Also interesting is the attitude of Bruno's mother when she sees smoke from the camp's chimneys and discovers what they're actually burning.

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Essay

Freud’s latency period theory is accurate, because these years are mainly focused on social interaction with others (Friedman & Schustack, p. 72, 2012). This stage is not considered to be a stage of the psychosexual development; rather the energy is put into other activities such as sports, school, and social interaction with their peers (Stevenson, 1996). During the latency period the libido is suppressed and this is the most important time for the development of social skills (â€Å"Freud’s Psychoanalysis: A Revolutionary Approach†, 2012). Freud theorized at this time a child goes through â€Å"infantile amnesia† it is when the child forgets the unwanted memories that may be deemed as traumatic for him/her (â€Å"Definition: Latency Period†, n.d.). If there is anything that went amiss this is when it will start to show-up in the personality (â€Å"Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development†, n.d.). Genital stage of psychosexual devel opment is the last phase in Freudian theory. This stage starts at the onset of puberty and goes into adulthood (â€Å"Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Development†, n.d.). Previous stages were mainly on individual accomplishments and learning one’s place in the family as well as in society. Individuals normally start to develop sexual desires for the opposite sex at the beginning of this stage and last until death (Cherry, n.d.). It is of the most importance that there are no problems with the other stages, if some issues were not resolved in the other stages; more than likely it will carry over into the final stage and can lead to severe psychological problems for the adult (The Science Museum, 2004). Some things about Freudian theory are understandable, but there are certain aspects of it that a person would disagree on. For instance the Phallic stage is when â€Å"the child is focused on the genitals† (Friedman & Schustack, p. 69, 2012). Children at that age are too young to understand things in a sexual way. If a child does understand things like that at that age; a person would rightfully be thinking that something traumatic has happ ened to the child to lead the child into that kind of behavior such as masturbation. Starting at around age two a child enters the Anal stage (Friedman & Schustack, p. 68, 2012). Children as well as adults need relief, when you need to go you need to go; they as in children do not understand let alone are capable of using the bathroom unless they are properly trained to do so. If a child does try to hold –it in; that would be an indicator that the parents are not doing something right in the first place. Scolding a child for not going at a certain time, may be an indicator, if the child is trying to holding it in. There are five different stages of Freudian theory and each with its own sets of personal characteristics, depending on if a person becomes fixated at a certain stage. Oral stage is the first stage, it is said that if a person becomes fixated at this stage they may develop behaviors such as, dependency, attachment, and always having something in their mouth, such as chewing gum, and tobacco products (Friedman & Schustack, p. 68, 2012). Anal stage of development is said to include behaviors such as concern with neatness, order, and organization. They might also like bathroom humor jokes and the like (Friedman & Schustack, p.69, 2012). Phallic stage is mainly concerned with developing sexual relationships and can have a profound effect on these kinds of relationships. If the problems are not resolved before a person establishes this kind of relationship with someone else (Friedman & Schustack, p. 70, 2012). Latency period can have an impact negative effects on behavior as well just like any other stage of development. Even though this period is not included in the psychosexual stages of development (Friedman & Schustack, p. 72, 2012). Genital stage of development is the last stage in the Freudian theory; problems can arise because of unresolved issues in the other stages or can also develop in this stage under the right circumstances. Defense mechanisms are an attribute that a lot of people have to help deal with things that may be too hard to bear otherwise (Friedman & Schustack, p. 75, 2012). Repression is one of the coping mechanisms that are used by someone who has been traumatized, such as sexual abuse or witnessing a horrible event such as a violent death of someone close to them. Denial is another form of coping, though it is unhealthy.

Old Building as Monuments Essay

Should we preserve old building as historical monuments? I believe that different people will hold different perspective to this question. In my point of view, a city should preserve the old historic buildings. Being a container of human activity, Building, obviously, is also a reservoir of human history and culture. To some extent, preserving old historic building means respecting the previous generations. An old building can insinuate historical events happened in the city. Old buildings, as a symbol of architectural heritage, memorize the significant episodes. Looking at the shabby Rome city, almost devastated temples, demolished palace, it is not hard to imagine the prosperous kingdom of the ancient Rome. We can also acknowledge that these buildings are ruined after the kingdom was vanquished by the enemy. Thus, historic buildings are one fundamental method to learn about significant events in the history. Read more:Â  Essay About Importance of Historical Places The old historic buildings of a city would accentuate a city’s culture and characteristic. The Kashgar city is the best example; Chinese government has approved a bill of rebuilding the Kashgar old city, which is 1500years old and main heritage of Uyghur culture, a significant culture of Central Asia. Although a new modern city have been built near to the old one, the most attractive place of Kashgar is still the old city, which has many old historic buildings. The people who want to know about Uyghur culture, one of main culture of Central Asia, always go to visit the old Kashgar city. Preserving old historic building means respecting the previous generations. Maybe some old buildings have negative effect on the cityscape or its function, however, with the consideration of respect previous people, we have no right to destroy or substitute them for modern buildings. On the other hand, we have the responsibility of preserving them to our next generations so that they could have the opportunity to know about their predecessors tangibly. Nevertheless maintaining historic buildings needs tremendous amount of money and old buildings are easily destroyed by earthquake, the cultural value of a historical building is worth preserving on economical expense. To learn more about the history, to more distinguish from other culture, for next generations` sake, stop destroying the historic buildings.

Service to America essays

Service to America essays Imagine a family, having a fun time out on a boat in the ocean. Suddenly the engine stops. They send a message on the radio, but nobody comes. This is what would happen everyday is the US Coast Guard didnt exist. Everyone knows what the Coast Guard does. They save people in the water from drowning, right? Well, thats not all there is to it. In an average day, the Us Coast Guard conducts 109 Search and Rescue cases, saves 10 lives, assists 192 people in distress, and responds to 20 oil spills totaling 2,800 gallons. Thats a lot of people being helped out. One very important reason why I think the Coast Guard is a great service to our country is because unlike police and fireman, the Coast Guard does a variety of different jobs. Some that might sound familiar are Search and Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, Aids to Navigation, Environmental Protection, Port Security, and Military Readiness. If we did not have the Coast Guard, then about 20 illegal migrants would come into the country every day, along with 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine. So in a way, the US Coast Guard keeps our country healthy, as well. People in the Coast Guard have a hard job. They sacrifice a lot everyday to make sure The United States stays safe. I know this, because my aunt is Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard of Station Port Canaveral. I visit her sometimes, and her cell phone never stops ringing. Its always the people from work, asking her questions. I can tell that it is hard for her. Im glad that there are people in this country who are willing to give up a lot just to protect us. They know that the country needs service, and I think that its great that someone is thinking of Americas people. America would be nowhere without the people that serve her. I salute the men and woman of The United States Coast Guard, because I know the sacrifices they make help America everyday. Semper Para...

24 Simple Rules That Every Teacher Should Live By

24 Simple Rules That Every Teacher Should Live By One of the best things about teaching is that there is not an exact blueprint for success. In general, no two teachers are alike. Each has their own teaching style and classroom management routines. But while there is no blueprint for teaching, there is a certain code that teachers must live by if they want to be successful. The following list is a general set of rules that every teacher should live by. These rules encompass all facets of teaching, both inside and outside of the classroom.   Rules for Teachers Always do what you believe to be best for your students. They should always be your number one priority. Think, how does this benefit my students? If that question is difficult to answer, you may want to reconsider.Focus on establishing meaningful, cooperative relationships. Building strong relationships with your students, peers, administrators, and parents will ultimately make your job easier.Never bring your personal problems or issues into the classroom. Leave them at home. Your students should never know when something at home is bothering you.Be open and willing to learn at all times. Teaching is a journey that will provide many opportunities to learn. You should strive to improve your teaching each and every day, even when youve been in the classroom for years.Always be fair and consistent. Your students are always watching to make sure you are doing this. You will undermine your own authority if they believe you are playing favorites.Parents are the cornerstone of a great edu cation, and as such, teachers must do their part to engage even the most reluctant parents in the learning process. Provide plenty of opportunities for parents  to become involved  and encourage them to do so. A teacher must never put herself or himself  in a compromising situation. Teachers must always be aware of their situation and never allow themselves to be vulnerable. They must maintain self-control at all times, protecting themselves and their reputation.Respect the decisions of administrators and understand that they have many responsibilities.  Teachers must have a great working relationship with their administrator but respect the fact that their time is valuable.Take the time to get to know your students. Find out what they like to do and include their interests in your lessons. Establish a rapport and connection with them, and you will find that engaging them in your lessons becomes easier.Establish rules, expectations, and procedures beginning on the first day of school.  Hold your students accountable for their actions. You do not have to be a dictator, but you do need to be firm, fair, and consistent. Keep in mind that you are not there to be their friend. Your studen ts need to know that you are in always in charge. Always be willing to listen to others, including your students, and take their feedback into account. You can learn the most when you are willing to take the time to hear what others are saying. Be open-minded and willing to take their advice.Own your mistakes. Teachers are not perfect, and it doesnt help your students to pretend that you are. Instead, set the example by owning your mistakes and showing your students that mistakes can lead to learning opportunities.Work cooperatively with other teachers. Always be willing to take another teacher’s advice. Likewise, share your best practices with other teachers.Find time outside of school to decompress. Every teacher should have some sort of hobby or interest that can help them escape the daily grind of school.  Always be willing to adapt and change. Teaching is always changing. There is always something newer and better to try.  Try to embrace change instead of resisting it.Teachers must be flexible. Some of the best momen ts in teaching are born out of spontaneity. Take advantage of those teachable moments. Be willing to change your plans when another opportunity presents itself. Be your students’ biggest cheerleader. Never tell them that they cannot do something. Help them accomplish their goals by setting them on the correct path and nudging them in the right direction when they go astray.Protect your students at all cost. Always be aware of your surroundings and ensure that your students are safe and secure at all times. Practice safety procedures within your classroom at all times and never allow students to engage in reckless behavior.Take a cue from the boy scouts and always be prepared! Preparation may not necessarily guarantee success, but the lack of preparation will almost certainly ensure failure. Teachers must put in the necessary time to create meaningful lessons that engage students.Have fun! If you enjoy your work, your students will notice and they will have a more enjoyable experience as well.Never purposely embarrass or put down a student in front of their peers. If you need to discipline or correct a student, do so privately in the c onfines of the hallway or after class. As a teacher, you need your students to trust and respect you. Give your students a reason to do this. Go the extra mile when you can. A lot of teachers volunteer their time for things like tutoring struggling students or sponsor a group or activity. These small actions mean a lot to your students.Never fall behind in grading and recording. It can be an overwhelming and almost impossible endeavor to try and catch up. Instead, set a goal to grade and return every paper within a two- to three- day period. This not only makes your job easier but also provides students with more relevant and timely feedback.Always be aware of and adhere to local policies and procedures. If you are not sure about something, it is better to ask and be sure than it is to make a costly mistake. As a teacher, you are responsible for ensuring that your students are following them as well.

Business Plan Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Business Plan - Dissertation Example The customers will benefit from discounts ranging from 50% to 90%. Business partners will benefit from increased sales resulting in a win-win situation for all parties. The value of each deal ranges between ?10 and ?30 so we expect on average ?20 to be spent by each of our customers with 50% of that being our revenue. Therefore, we expect to earn an average of ?10 from each of our deals. Hooray is expected to be up and running by June 2011. Our target customers are university students, house-wives and white collar workers in and around London. We expected to work with major supermarket chains like Tesco, Sainsbury, Airlines and Travel companies like Thomas Cook operating in and around London. We will also be working with a variety of upscale restaurants in London and on the Campuses of various Universities as well as entertainment companies like movie theatres and opera houses. Our starting point will be in London where we expect to get between 20,000 and 100,000 subscribers in our f irst month of operation and between 20,000 and 100,000 coupons sold bringing in an average of between ?200,000 in a worst case scenario and ?1,000,000 in a best case scenario in terms of revenues. We expect to have between 500 thousand and one million subscribers by the end of May 2012. All first time subscribers’ will get an opportunity of obtaining their deals free if at least three of their friends use their link on subscribing to purchase coupons. Students on various university campuses will be able to buy weekly deals for ?30 for meals for five days at the university cafeteria. If they allow at least five other students to use their link they get free meals for the week. White collar workers will benefit from daily lunch deals various restaurants in and around London. House-wives will benefit tremendously from deals at major supermarkets, especially on items that are slow moving and in some cases soon to expire. Certain fast moving essential items will be mixed with eith er slow moving, soon to expire or in the case of fruits and vegetables that does not have much time left on the shelf or which are in excess supply. In case of airline seats Hooray will seek to obtain regular deals on traditionally slow days which can be past on to its customers. In such a case the customer will obtain discounts of between 30 and 50% off regular travel packages and airline fares. Hooray’s competitive advantage is that it will take the unique elements from other top group buying sites like Groupon which has applications for both Android and IPhone, credits for subscribers who introduce friends that sign up and buy coupons. The more members that a subscriber invites the bigger the discount that the member receives as Tippr currently does. We will offer a percentage of the cost of the purchase to a charitable organisation of the customer’s choice as Deals for deals. Like Homerun customers can get free deals if they invite friends to join. Most valued cust omers will get exclusive deals which will relate to the frequency of purchase and the value of their purchases. Like Daily Dealster our coupons will be transferable and can be given to others as gifts. Every week we will have a promotion where customers give an indication of what deals