The Microenvironment Essay

The Company Nike is the predecessor of Blue Ribbon Sports company, founded by Phil Knight in 1964, for the purpose of importing sports shoes cheap Japanese brand in the U.S. market Onizuka. Knight is teamed with Bill Bowerman, a running coach of the University of Oregon, later to become experts designing the most innovative sports shoes of Nike, the Nike contributed to a global brand production in the market of sports shoes. 1950’s Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman meet 1960’s Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) was made and founded by Phil Knight The popular Cortez aka â€Å"Dope Mans† are made in Japan 1970’s The Swoosh logo is created by Carolyn Davidson for $35.00 The first Nike model shoe to hit the retail market is a soccer/football shoe A Promo Nike Tee becomes the first apparel item The famous Waffle Trainer is introduced, which becomes the best selling shoe in the US Nike’s racing and training spiked shoe is made called the â€Å"Elite† Factories for manufacturing are set up in Korea and Taiwan For the first time Nike shoes are sold in Asia Blue Ribbon Sports changes their company name to Nike Inc. The first Nike running shoe with a air sole system to come out is the â€Å"Tailwind† World Headquarters are opened in Beaverton, Oregon 1980’s Nike talks with the P.R. of China so they can produce shoes there Nike shoes become Canada’s top seller Nike shoes are now produced in 11 countries The famous â€Å"NIKE AIR† Air Force 1 and Air Ace make their introduction Over 200 shoes are now in Nike’s footwear line The first high performance kid’s running shoe is called the â€Å"Destiny† The Air Jordan makes it’s way to Nike footwear line up The Sock Racer comes out and is part of the Dynamic-Fit technology The first Air Max The first Cross Trainer The famous â€Å"Just Do It† slogan comes to life The first model to combine the footbridge device and Air Sole is the Air Stab Spike Lee’s â€Å"Mars Blackmon† character helps promote the third style of Air Jordan Bo Jackson’s â€Å"Bo Knows† commercials include the â€Å"Just Do It† slogan Nike moves to a new World Campus in Beaverton 1990’s The new World Campus sits on 74 acres with 570,000 square feet. In Portland, Oregon the first Nike Town opens The intro of the Air Huarache running shoe The intro of the Air Mowabb Nike Town opens in Chicago Charles Barkley first signature shoe is introduced The intro of the Run Walk shoe Nike Town opens in Atlanta and Orange County The intro of dual pressure cushioning in the Air Max Nike gets distribution rights in Korea and Japan The intro of Zoom Air technology Nike Town New York opens The Air Penny comes to life 2000’s 2000: The National Football League declines to renew its exclusive apparel licensing arrangement with Nike. 2001: Nike opens its first Nike Goddess store, a unit targeting women, in Newport Beach, CA. 2003: Nike purchases Converse Inc. for $ 305 million. 2008 :Nike acquired sports apparel supplier Umbro, 2009: Air Jordan Shoe 2010: Nike Future Sole Design Competition Suppliers The major supplier of Nike put on 10 countries: China, Indonesia, VN, Thailand, India, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico, Honduras, and Brazil Nike signed contract with factories producing over 40 national, the majority of Nike shoes are manufactured in China (35%); Vietnam (29%), Indonesia (21%); and Thailand (13%) Nike just put a business relationship with the factory when they reach the standards of product quality, price, delivery time and the CSR standards. Deals with plants through Coc Nike will refuse orders if the manufacturer does not show cooperative attitude in the selection process LOGO Company . Collaboration with established carriers â€Å"Clean Cargo Group† Nike has set a policy not enter the skin of cattle raised in the Amazon rainforest. Nike contract factories manufacturing overseas to outsourcing shoe production to reduce production costs Nike launched this Code of Conduct, the monitoring tool developed comprehensive LOGO Company Manufacturers independent of contract manufacturing in 49 countries Most of the garment factories located in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey. Marketing Intermediaries Flyknit were promised will bring many benefits to the company than just 1 huge success single products with distribution of goods are diverse Reseller: at the present in the Vietnam, Nike products are distributed to many stores in the shopping mall as Parkson, Vincom, Cresent mall†¦ or open own shop and have more branches across the country that are convenient for customers. The consumers can consult Nike Flyknit at home by online and then just one click they can choose whatever they want or they can go any store in the nearest for trying, which helps them to save a lot of money and time . Physical distribution firms: Nike use all three forms of transportation, including air like a plane, road and waterway as the container and ships. However the main vehicles transportation uses to distribute the Nike Flyknit stores everywhere is the container Marketing services agencies: advertising contributes in no small part to the success of a product and the Nike Flyknit too. customers want to know the new products, the Nike has stepped up advertising in different ways with the aim to know customers as quickly as possible. at the Nike store in Hong Kong, they established sports club for people who love jogging and is recommended by the Nike sports shoes then  they talk to each other about the quality of the Nike products, which is also one of the way are the most successful help Nike to be easy to penetrate into market. Beside that, Nike understands the influence of athletes with customers so they cooperate with athletes in many different sports that attracted more attention of customers. Not only that, Nike interested in popularity of the internet should have used a number of social networking sites to promote their prod ucts because this is one of the most convenient and fastest. Customers: Consumer markets: Nike customer is the directed to athletes with different genres, students or individuals who have favorite sports as jogging or hiking. With prices around $ 80 accordance with those with high income or affluent Business markets: this is also a potential market for Nike. Centers and sports training professional athletes and famous football clubs have the ability to buy Nike products for use in the process of training for their athletes. Competitors: In recent years, as the needs of advanced consumer products cater to sports as they used many brands of sports was born. besides, there are many other products similar to Nike Flyknit, so they are facing many challenges with other brands. in fact, Nike does not compete with the well-known foreign brands such as Adidas or Puma but also face to domestic goods or counterfeit Nike products imported from China Publics: This part plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of the brand. A few years ago, the media reported the scandal about business ethic, which was not good for Nike’s images in the public heart. According to Braddock (2011), the factories that Nike has signed a contract with have the poor working conditions for workers, exploit and pay them a pittance wages. Nike’s leaders ignored this fact and claimed that it is beyond their competence, because the factories they contract with are not formally part of the company. Nike started entering Vietnam market since 1995 and retains its position in the community until now. However, the unfortunate scandal has damaged the reputation of Nike in the world as well as in Vietnam.

Second Foundation Last Interlude

Bail Channis sat in the small white-tiled room and allowed his mind to relax. He was content to live in the present. There were the walls and the window and the grass outside. They had no names. They were just things. There was a bed and a chair an books that developed themselves idly on the screen at the foot of his bed. There was the nurse who brought him his food. At first he had made efforts to piece together the scraps of things he had heard. Such as those two men talking together. One had said: â€Å"Complete aphasia now. It's cleaned out, and I think without damage. It will only be necessary to return the recording of his original brain-wave makeup.† He remembered the sounds by rote, and for some reason they seemed peculiar sounds – as if they meant something. But why bother. Better to watch the pretty changing colors on the screen at the foot of the thing he lay on. And then someone entered and did things to him and for a long time, he slept. And when that had passed, the bed was suddenly a bed and he knew he was in a hospital, and the words he remembered made sense. He sat up: â€Å"What's happening?† The First Speaker was beside him, â€Å"You're on the Second Foundation, and you have your mind back – your original mind.† â€Å"Yes! Yes!† Channis came to the realization that he was himself, and there was incredible triumph and joy in that. â€Å"And now tell me,† said the First Speaker, â€Å"do you know where the Second Foundation is now?† And the truth came flooding down in one enormous wave and Channis did not answer. Like Ebling Mis before him, he was conscious of only one vast, numbing surprise. Until he finally nodded, and said: â€Å"By the Stars of the Galaxy – now, I know.†

Debate on Indian Removal Essay

In the contemporary world the idea of removal of an entire people from its native land would sound wickedly and would perhaps be considered a genocide, yet in the XIX century this idea was quite permissible and corresponded to the ruling concept of civilized nations which were to rule those uncivilized and determine their existence. Therefore, in our estimation of pro and contra Indian removal arguments I shall attempt to evaluate the named arguments first and foremost from the point of view of the time and base my conclusions on such evaluation. The first argument proposed by Andrew Jackson to the Congress in 1829 is that that no new state may be established without consent of the people of that state, and since Indians are living on the territory of existing states and do not constitute a majority, they may not establish their own government and have to obey the laws of the state or immigrate. A harsher version of the argument is provided in the North American Review, January 1830, blaming that Indians are barbarous people â€Å"incapable of sustaining any other relation with the whites, than that of dependence and pupilage. † Francis J. Grund is even more acrid, as he claims Indian’s cruelty towards the Founding Fathers. A counterargument can be found in the â€Å"Memorial of the Cherokee Indians†, published in the Weekly Register vol. 38, and it is that a white man is a ruler of the land, and the red man is weak, yet there were times when whites were week and reds were strong, and the whites received warm welcome from the Indians. Also the Indians argued that previous treaties guaranteed their rights to land. The situation with the Indians is similar to the one with the colonists before the Revolution. The colonists appeared to be weak and Britain was strong, yet the colonists were able to gain their independence by force. However, the Indians were unable to win the war and they had to obey those who are strong. Therefore, the US Government argument was nothing but a sword law, not a just law. This is well confirmed by the Decision of the U. S. Supreme Court in Worcester v. State of Georgia (1832), where the Court has found that treaties between the Indians and the Government, as well as Indian self-government are guaranteed as long as the Indians obey the general laws of the state. Since the Indians did not obey, all they privileges have to be annulled. Yet the laws of the state themselves made the Indians chose between â€Å"becoming civilized† in other words not leading their traditional lifestyle and immigration. So, it may be concluded, that removal has logically followed from the previous relations between the Indians and the Government, in which the Government used sword more frequently than justice. The second pro argument proposed by Andrew Jackson in 1830 were advantages of immigration both for the whites and for Indians. For the US government is was an opportunity to protect the frontiers, for the states of Mississippi and Alabama these were new territories and opportunities for development, and for the Indians, under Jackson, it was an ability not to have contacts with the civilized people, follow their customs and live under the government supervision, gradually becoming a civilized community. A counterargument of the Indians is explained in the mentioned Memorial, as well as in the article published in the North American Review, October 1830 where they claim their right to stay on their land and continue their traditional life same as any nation has title over its land. In fact, we once more face the sword law: the Government determined what is â€Å"civilized† and what is â€Å"law† and the Indians had to obey or disappear. Another Indian argument may be found in the letter from John Ross: the Government was just willing to get rid of the Indians. This is an argument with no counterargument. Government’s desire to make away with the Indians was undisputable. Concluding my analysis I have to recognize that the arguments of the Indians look stronger even for the XIX century. An independent international tribunal of the time would perhaps take their side. Yet there was no such tribunal, but only the will of the Government which caused Indians to be removed.

The Process of Currency Conversion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Process of Currency Conversion - Assignment Example A spot exchange rate is a rate used in an instant currency conversion agreement between two or more parties. Spot exchange is carried out in a spot exchange market, which is part of the foreign exchange market. On the other hand, the forward exchange rate is the rate agreed on today, to convert currencies at a future date specified in the agreement. Company X, based in Saudi Arabia, plans of purchasing equipment from two suppliers. Considering the location of the sellers, the buyer will have to decide on whether to exchange AED for Euros or the pound. The initial amount set for the purchase is AED 50 million. Both the financial manager and the CEO of Company X plans to take advantage of exchange rate fluctuations and, if the opportunity arises, lowers the cost of the purchase. The equipment is quoted to cost â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 and  £ 860,000 in Euro and pounds respectively. In order to make informed choices, exchange rate movements will be observed for five days from 24th to 28th December. On that note, this assignment presents a five-day exchange rate in a table format showing the value of AED 50 million, for each day, in both the currencies (Pounds and Euros). For each of the five days, the cost of the purchase and the impact of the decision are presented. Last, a report that provides justifications that the decision made is favorable to the company also is provided. For the purpose of purchasing the equipment, the currency used for the transaction is Euros. The equipment has been quoted to cost â‚ ¬ 1,090,000. The table 3 below shows the cost of the equipment in AED based on the exchange rates observations presented in table 1 above. Based on table 3 above, the company will spend AED 4,880,867 when purchasing the equipment within the seven day period when the offer is still valid. When comparing the new cost with the planned initial outlay, the company will spend less than anticipated.

The barriers of using technologies in primary public schools in Research Proposal

The barriers of using technologies in primary public schools in devolving countries - Research Proposal Example Video or audio files facilitate the process of new information processing and memorization by pupils. Pupils’ skills and opportunities to master their abilities of having a technologically savvy mind will improve their living conditions and standards of living from their childhood. Teachers are aware of these opportunities, but the governments of the developing countries are always looking for improvements at other levels often paying neglect for education advancement. Development of technologies in the developing countries is a challenging task. The government of Saudi Arabia is often focused on their interest and concerns, but is often neglectful for the teacher’s interests (Saudi Arabia, 2006-2007). There is an evident shift of accents in the field of education. The quality of life of people living in the developing countries is deteriorating. Many efforts are made by the local governments to advance quality of life of people in the developing countries. Unfortunately, the governments do not pay a proper attention to the role of technologies in education. Low levels of life, health of people and high level of mortality often stay above the necessity of education advancement (Achievement of the Development Plans and Facts, 2008). Under conditions of technological revolution and the democratization of ideas the relationship between developed and developing countries are facilitated and improved. Saudi Arabia is on the way to globalization and it must make efficient changes and improvements starting from education in schools. To overcome a widening gap between developed and developing countries technological improvements should be introduced in different spheres of human activities (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Education, 2005). Thus, educational institutions should assist technological developments and promotion of necessary technological skills. The earlier this process starts, the

Leadership in Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership in Nursing - Assignment Example This study will be aimed at addressing the scope and need for development in United Healthcare with the intention to suffice the growing requirements for quality assured medical services within the next decade. Contextually, the study will also exhibit a strategic plan taking into account the aspects of network growth, nurse staffing, resource management and patient satisfaction in order to assist United Healthcare to deliver adequate support to the growing needs of the population. Strategic Planning for United Healthcare United Healthcare has been much concerned towards enhancing its performances by continually delivering proper and effective services to the clients (Patients), especially in the form of health insurance programs. As the organization aspires to improve the quality standards and effectiveness of the medical facilities being rendered to Americans, it becomes highly significant for the company to continually enhance its performances on the basis of particular strategic guidelines. Hence, to meet the rapidly increasing demand of global customers, the organization will need to redesign its strategies in regard to network growth, nurse staffing needs and procedure, management of the resources and quality standards (United Healthcare, 2013). ... However, since the health care needs of the population in America are increasing at a rapid pace, the organization would need to spread its operations or network to a wider extent. In this regard, the unit can establish some more hospitals under its umbrella, especially in the interior parts of the country where lesser numbers of quality health care service providing operators are available. This will further enable the organization to convert its aim of providing quality services to almost every citizen of the country into reality. Furthermore, adding more and more hospitals and health care professionals within its operations will further lead to an enhanced reputation of the organization throughout the country. Spreading its network in the interior regions of the United States, where there are lesser numbers of health care units, will also portray the responsiveness of the organization towards the societal needs; thus, sufficing its vision of responsiveness (United Healthcare, 2013 ; Lighter, 2011). Nurse staffing Nurses are quite a vital part in health care business. As a matter of fact, even though doctors are perceived to be bestowed with the primary role in any of the health care organization or service system, the role and the responsibility of nursing staff are irreplaceable. Nurses are often considered as the ultimate pillars in regard to acquiring maximum customer satisfaction. As stated earlier, with the increase in the demand of the customers for quality services in this sector, the health care units in America are in need to revise their nurse staffing strategies in order to develop an effective set of nursing team that would be able to meet the requirements of the customers with diversity and efficiency. United

Poverty Global Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poverty Global Issues - Research Paper Example In business, poverty is used in the determination of value of goods, and services and that is why most people will invest where poverty is low. People with high levels of poverty struggle a lot to earn their living, and most of them afford one meal a day or none. People do stupid stuffs to try and escape poverty and they end up being criminals. Poverty in different regions began at different times depending in the social and economic factors developments, in the particular area. According to World Bank statistics, it is estimated that poverty started being felt in 1960s when there was an increase in population. In 1964, Mollie Orshansky of social security administration published the first article of the increase in lack of resources especially food. This was due to the inadequacy in income and increase in population. In Africa, there was a massive increase in population during 1970s and this led to depletion of resources. There was the completion of basic commodities, and this led to batter trade so that people may exchange resources they did not have. The effects of poverty are extremely grave, and we need to act with speed to curb it. People who are impoverished have inadequate access to basic commodities such as food, clothing, and shelter. There are many people who die of diseases since they cannot afford medical care. In some areas, there are many innocent children who are not accessing education due to lack of fees. The governments and all people should devise means that will ensure all people afford basic commodities. The levels of poverty in the globe are exceedingly enormous, and require immediate solutions and heavy funding. People should embrace technology so that there is a large-scale production. Agriculture is a key factor that can alleviate poverty, and, therefore, we should put all the viable lands into use. Employment equality should be enforced in

Virtues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Virtues - Essay Example Integrity is defined as staying honest and having strong moral principles. For instance using the turn signal lights in a car. I make it a personal choice to use turn signals when turning off an empty road or in a parking lot. I strive to promise what I can deliver. This has made it easier for me to say no to what I cannot do and in turn my integrity is nourished.Work ethic is the policy that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward. Practice leads to perfection. It applies to academics, sports and life in general. What you reap is what you sow. Consistently, I have worked hard at my academics, and it has proved that work ethics does apply. Colin Powell states "A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." Teamwork is the effective and efficient action of a group. Teamwork can never be overrated. If you need to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to go far, walk with others. From the football pitch to the classroom, I have enjoyed the fruits of collaboration. In class discussions, I have always found previously hard concepts explained by others. I have improved my grades through such group discussions. Self-discipline is the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses. In high school, I would procrastinate a lot. Then I started rewarding myself for following a checklist of activities previously written down. Now in my undergraduate I can attest to the power of self-discipline as a virtue. However, fully mastering it is still a process, not a destination.

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as Essay - 9

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as such cannot be managed. Discuss - Essay Example Organization culture symbolic meaning. On one side, each person enthusiastically represents one particular symbol or culture of the organization (Alvesson, 2012). An employee of Coca cola is seen as symbolizing what Coca cola manufactures and sells. The people will create an impression that one person who is an employee Coca Cola represents the ideals or policies of the company. If the employee is one of the managers of Coca Cola, then the outsider who hears stories of employees being discriminated against will have an initial picture that the nearby Coca cola manager symbolizes the abuses of Coca Cola Management. Further, management can ensure the subordinate willingly symbolizes the organization’s location. An employee who works in the White House is seen as symbolizing the policies of the White House. The outsider may think that the employee symbolizes power. The outsider can seek the help of the White House employee. The outsider feels that the White house employee can use his White House employment to help the outsider tour the premises of the White house. In a basketball game or any organization, the audiences or employees happily symbolize the goals of the organizations (Campbell, 1998). ... The students are proud to show their school uniforms. Similarly, the basketball or baseball players use the school basketball uniform. The uniform symbolizes what the school stands for. Any person who sees a the same university’s basketball player wear the school uniform will accept that the basketball player represents what the university stands for, such as where the school is located, the size of the school, and the type of learning being inculcated among the young university students’ minds. Likewise, another employee’s uniform symbolizes the eager acceptance of the organization culture. A person seen wearing the uniform of Starbucks coffee is seen as symbolizing what Starbucks stands for, expensive high quality coffee. An outsider seeing a person wearing the coffee store’s uniform will know that Starbucks name represents high quality coffee. Likewise the same coffee shop uniform symbolizes coffee that is not within the reach of the economically depriv ed (poor and jobless) citizens of our nation, United States (Flamholtz, 2011). Further, an employee of the accounting department fervently symbolizes expertise in the department’s financial functions. The employees of the other departments of the organization will accept the concept that they can approach the accounting employee regarding their payroll miscalculations. The other employees of the same entity will have an initial concept that each accounting department employee has an idea as to how the salaries are computed. Consequently, the other employees of the company are eager to approach and seek the help of the nearby accounting personnel (Flamholtz, 2011). Furthermore, an employee cheerfully symbolizes adherence to the organization management’s instructions. An employee of one

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay Example for Free

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay When explaining the issues involved in uncovering the historical background, it is a most difficult task. This is for a number of reasons, but the main reason would be the lack of historical information in Patricks writings. Patrick felt dates were unimportant, and so didnt include many of them in his writings. This means that his writings are a lot more useful for getting an insight into his thoughts and feelings, for hearing Patricks spiritual journey in his own words, and hearing about the difficulties he faced in his mission, and how he responded to them. However, whenever it comes down to historical background, key dates, or geographical information, Patricks writings arent as useful as would be hoped, and therefore a lot of scholars draw their own conclusions, which we must take into account when trying to make our own. Kenney says that when we search for historical facts within Patricks writings, we are faced with an exasperating incoherence, which leaves the meaning constantly in doubt and suggests that Patrick may actually be a much more obscure character than we would like to admit. Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½an MacAirt refers to the fifth century as the lost century, because of the absence of any historical information. We are still in the era of pre-history, which the exception of Patricks writings, and Prospers reference to the arrival of Palladius. Within these two documents, which are of the utmost importance, there are only two place names given to us, and no dates, so it is very hard to gather historical fact. ORahilly rightly says of humble Patrick the last thing that the saint could have imagined, would be that hundreds of years later, the document would be scrutinised again and again with a view to gleaning biographical details of the writers life. The big problem is that there is a two-hundred year gap between the time Patrick actually lived, and when he was first written about, so this leaves plenty of room for false information or inaccuracy. In Patricks Confessio, Patrick tells us of his birth place, Bannaven Taburniae, but he does not tell us where it is actually located. There have been many unsuccessful attempts to agree on the location of the birth of Patrick; however there has been an agreement on three basic points that must be taken into account when trying to determine the location. The first of these is that it would have to be in the West of Britain. This is to facilitate easy access to the Irish raiders. At a young age, Patrick was taken captive, and taken to Ireland, so it Is important to consider how realistic suggestions such as Gaul where, in that were the Irish raiders really going to travel all the way to Gaul and back, without being caught? Charles Thomas adds to this point, by suggesting that it would be opposite the place of Patricks captivity in Ireland. The next important criterion is Patricks sense of Roman Identity. Patrick has a very strong sense of Roman Identity, so it is fair to say that his birth place would need to be a strongly Romanised part of Britain. Baring this in mind, Bannavem Taburniae would have to be south of Hadrians Wall. And the last of the three criteria, is that Patrick must have been living near a town with a civil administration centre. This is because Patricks father Calpurnius was a collector of taxes. Bearing these in mind, there have been different suggestions put forward to the location of Bannavem Taburniae. In the seventh century, Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ tells us that Bannavem Taburniae was identified as ventre. Although that does not directly help us with our identification, Bieler did find it useful when reconstructing the name as Bannaventa Taburniae. If this is correct, there was a small roman settlement in Northamptonshire. The name of this settlement was then taken and given to a place outside Daventry. However, this suggestion fails to meet one of the most important of the criteria- this area would not be very accessible to Irish raiders, as it is in the midlands. Charles Thomas believes that the only place to fulfil all three criteria would be the North West of Britain. He concludes that the most likely location is Carlisle, which entirely outweighs that of Daventry, Dumbarton or elsewhere. It is also far enough North to explain Patricks poor use of Latin. Dark warns us that any attempt to locate Bannavem Taburniae is based on assumptions, and cannot be taken as facts; however he believes the only place we can safely say for definite suffered from frequent raids by the Irish during the fifth and sixth century were the areas of Cotswolds and Dorset. There has also been a great deal of debate in regards to the location of Silva Foclutti (the wood of Foclut). It arises in Patricks narration of the call, when he says As I read the beginning of the letter, I seem to hear the voice of those who were by the wood of Foclut which is near the western sea, and they cried as with one voice, Holy Boy, we are asking you to come and walk among us again. Bury ORahilly and Hanson assume that this is referring to the place of Patricks captivity, and Mohrmann agrees, saying interpreting Patricks words seems to suggest that they are from the mouth of people from a part of the country that Patrick seems to have known from his captivity.Some scholars suggest that Patrick is speaking metaphorically here in that even at the furthermost point of Ireland; the people were calling to him. Bieler on the other hand believes that it could perhaps be a place that Patrick had heard of, but never been to, as he believed that Patricks call was from the Irish in general, and not from a specific area. There has been a great deal of difficulty in reconciling the two suggested locations of Slemish and Mayo, which are both traditionally held as the place of Patricks captivity. Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rechà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n himself was from that area. Others however believe that as it is the earliest identification we have, we should accept it as genuine. Patrick does give us a clue in his Confessio to the location, when he says it was near the western sea. Hanson believes that Patrick does give us further clues throughout his writings, such as when he tells us that he had to travel to a ship that was perhaps two hundred miles away. If we are to accept that, he was returning to Britain, perhaps he had to make a journey from the North coast of Mayo, to the coast of Wicklow or Wexford, diagonally across Ireland. There is also a long known tradition of Patrick tending the flocks as a boy on Mount Slemish. Hanson argues however that this does not fit the evidence of the escape story, as an escape from here would have involved only a thirty mile walk, rather than the two hundred Patrick mentions. Hanson argues that we must accept the plain evidence of his own words, and place his captivity in County Mayo, near the border with County Sligo. Bury ORahilly and Hanson all reject the location as being Slemish, however, Slemish is a mountainous area, while the area suggested around Killala is plain. Philbin and Concannon both suggest a compromise in that both localities can be accepted because Patrick changed master. We cannot be certain of the place of his captivity, and although we shouldnt accept something purely based on the fact its tradition, we also cannot dismiss a longstanding tradition In his writings, Patrick also mentions Gaul, and a strong desire to study there. This has led to some historians assuming he spent a significant portion of his life there, most likely undergoing clerical training. Patrick says he wishes to visit Gaul to see the Brethen, which may have been a desire to visit friends he made during his training. However, Binchy believes that this was merely a desire to visit the Holy men of God. Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ wrote in the seventh century, that Patrick stayed in Gaul for some thirty years, but ORahilly argued against this, saying that he got this account confused with Palladius training and ordination. The unresolved debate regarding Patrick and Gaul has led many to believe that some of the details of the life of the historical Patrick can never be resolved, and are forever lost to the historian. Others argue that the most important part of Patrick, such as his personality shall be preserved for eternity, in his own writings. There is so little historical information about Patrick that there is even conflict regarding the dating of Patrick, even his death. Charles Thomas believes that Patrick wrote his letter to Coroticus at some time between 465-475, and that the Confessio was written sometime after 480. He says that the annalistic dates from his death cluster around the early 490s may reflect with some reality, the tradition that he dies before the end of the century. In 1942, Thomas ORahilly suggested a later dating for Patricks mission, still within the fifth century. He took the evidence from the fifth and sixth century annals into account, and concluded that Patrick arrived in Ireland in 461, and died in 492/3. In conclusion, although it is very difficult to determine historical fact in regard to Patrick, if we focus on hints within his letters, scholarly opinion, and what he says himself, we can come up with some possible dates and locations for Patricks birth, mission, and death, and this will hopefully in time become more conclusive.

Green Growth And Developing Countries Economics Essay

Green Growth And Developing Countries Economics Essay This scoping report is to discuss different models of partnership between donors and businesses. By partnership, we refer to an arrangement whereby an individual business (or small group of businesses) works with one or more donors in a joint project or programme to deliver a specific outcome. Alternatively, it could include facilities which are set up to facilitate a number of partnerships between business and donors such as the Business Innovation Facility, or Challenge Fund approaches, or the Business Call to Action. This particular component of the wider scoping output focuses on describing and discussing partnership approaches which have been developed between (multilateral or bilateral) donor agencies and individual businesses, or overarching facilities designed to develop those kinds of partnerships with the specific objective of promoting green or low-carbon investment or innovation by business. We have visited partnerships established in a range of different relevant sectors, including agriculture, energy (inc. energy generation and energy efficiency), forest, disaster reduction, water supply (inc. sanitation), recycling/waste management, green buildings construction, transportation, heavy industry and manufacturing, and some cross-sector issues. The review provides a long list of case studies (attached to this report), drawn from developing countries around the world, showcasing different partnerships adopted between business and donors. In this report, after a brief introduction to the concept of green growth and its relationship with developing countries; as well as a description of the conventional contributions from donors and businesses in a partnership, a framework or typology will be developed to categorise the different types of partnerships. It will go on to analyse and compare primarily their pros and cons, and their potential value and suitability for different development purposes. Green growth and developing countries The most serious problems facing the world today water and food supply crises, extreme volatility in energy and food prices, rising greenhouse gas emissions, severe income disparity and chronic fiscal imbalances either stem from environmental mismanagement or inequality, both. Aside from the chronic fiscal imbalances that mostly concern the developed economies, developing countries are the most vulnerable to all of these risks. The key question if whether (and how) environmental goals can be reconciled with growth and poverty reduction in the developing world. The concept of green growth offers real opportunities for more inclusive growth in developing countries while protecting the environment. Developing countries are the key to achieving global green growth. Although today most developing countries contribute only minor shares to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, their emissions will increase if they follow the same path to economic growth as developed countries have followed. Increasingly developing countries are becoming sources of global economic growth, but accompanied by growing emissions and more intensive use of natural resources. The potential economic and social impacts of environmental degradation are particularly serious for developing countries given their dependence on natural resources for economic growth and their vulnerability to energy, food, water scarcity, climate change and extreme weather risks. All these factors are challenging their ability to develop. Developing countries have the greatest opportunities for capitalising on the synergies between environmental and economic sustainability. A green growth approach is the chance for emerging and developing economies to leapfrog unsustainable and wasteful production and consumption patterns. They can still factor environmental issues into their infrastructure investment decisions and can further develop agriculture and other natural resources in a way that improves livelihoods, creates jobs, and reduces poverty. They are less constrained than developed countries, which are now locked into investment choices and sunk capital from previous decades. Adequate financing and capacity would offer developing economies the opportunity to lay down the infrastructure and networks needed to support a sustainable development path. Collaborations between developed and developing countries are essential in efforts to move towards global green growth. But there is no one-size-fits-all prescription for implementing a green growth strategy. National development strategies must be based on each countrys strengths, bottlenecks and constraints. Developed, emerging and developing countries will face different challenges and opportunities in greening growth, as will countries with differing economic and political circumstances. (OECD, 2012) What is green growth and why it is important for developing countries If the world continues a business as usual approach to meeting the rising global demand for food, energy and infrastructure, the world will exceed its ecological carrying capacity. Volatile commodity prices, uncontrollable pollution, severe damage to human health, and irreversible loss of biodiversity systems will be the consequences of these business-as-usual investment decisions. The concept of green growth reframes the conventional growth model and re-assesses many of the investment decisions in meeting energy, agriculture, water and the resource demands of economic growth. The OECD defines green growth as a means to foster economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies. In this concept, natural capital plays a significant role in ensuring that production and welfare gains are reaped. (OECD, 2012) Some elements of a green growth path to development The overarching goal of green growth is to establish incentives or institutions that increase well-being by: improving resource management so as to boost productivity; encouraging economic activity to take place where it is of best advantage to society over the long-term; finding new ways of meeting the above two objectives, i.e. innovation; Recognising the full value of natural capital as a factor of production along with other commodities and services. Greening the growth path of an economy depends on its policy and institutional settings, level of development, resource endowments and particular environmental pressure points. Policy action requires looking across a very wide range of policies, not just traditionally green policies. Matching green growth policies and poverty reduction objectives will be important for adapting this framework to emerging and developing countries. There are important complementarities between green growth and poverty reduction, which can help to drive progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These include: more efficient water, energy and transport infrastructure; alleviating poor health associated with environmental degradation; and introducing efficient technologies that can reduce costs and increase productivity, while easing environmental pressure. Given the centrality of natural assets in low income countries, green growth policies can reduce vulnerability to environmental risks and increase the livelihood security of the poor. Source: Based on OECD (2011b), Towards Green Growth A summary for policy makers, OECD, Paris. Green growth and sustainable development Sustainable development provides an important context for green growth. Green growth has not been conceived as a replacement for sustainable development, but rather should be considered as a means to achieve it. It is narrower in scope, entailing an operational policy agenda that can help achieve concrete, measurable progress at the interface of the economy and the environment. It provides a strong focus on fostering the necessary conditions for innovation, investment and competition that can give rise to new sources of economic growth, consistent with resilient ecosystems. Green growth strategies need to pay specific attention to many of the social issues and equity concerns that can arise as a direct result of greening the economy both at the national and international level. To achieve this they should be implemented in parallel with initiatives centring on the broader social pillar of sustainable development. The goal for many developing economies is to achieve diversified and sustainable growth over time, which leads to poverty reduction, increased well-being and major improvements in the quality of life of its citizens. This is achieved by taking into account the full value of natural capital and recognising its essential role in economic growth. A green growth model promotes a cost-effective and resource efficient way of guiding sustainable production and consumption choices. Put simply, green growth will help developing countries to achieve sustainable development. (OECD, 2012) Green growth benefits for developing countries Many developing countries face different and more difficult policy choices than developed countries in defining and implementing green growth strategies. Choosing not to bring more land under cultivation because of the high environmental costs will be difficult for a country with high levels of rural poverty. Though, options for increasing the productivity of existing cultivated land should be explored. Evidently, systems to pay poor countries for ecosystem services and increase the economic and welfare benefit accruing to them and their citizens from maintaining environmental assets will be critical for the political feasibility of green growth strategies. Emerging evidence has reiterated that green growth activities can offer both short term and longer term benefits and opportunities to developing countries. Payment for ecosystems services in Costa Rica, sustainable natural resource extraction in Azerbaijan, social enterprise to promote organic waste treatment in Bangladesh have de monstrated the economic opportunities from investing in natural resources and promoting sectoral sustainability. In the short run, green growth policies are most likely to deliver local benefits in improved environmental management through sustainable waste treatment, better access to water and energy and more desirable health outcomes from controlled pollution. However, these short run benefits should be examined against the immediate costs of identified policies. Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies will trigger higher energy price which will burden both consumers and producers; air pollution controls will affect competitiveness and the prospects of specific sectors, potentially threatening jobs; providing fewer incentives for agricultural fertiliser usage to boost soil productivity and promote sustainable agriculture could decrease the income of many small-scale poor farmers. There are certainly trade-offs in the policy implications although the scale varies according to the nature of the economy and the implementation of the green growth measures. In many cases the poor are potential losers as a result of shifting to green growth. In some cases, powerful actors, including political parties, unions, and the private sector face disadvantages from shifting away from their countrys current development plan. Hence, the short-term benefits can become more visible if appropriate and targeted social complementary policies are implemented hand in hand with green growth measures. In the longer run, the recognised infrastructure deficits to support economic activities are considerable, but there is potential for technology leapfrogging and climate-resilient implementation. Severe shortages of electricity supply and high urbanisation rates demand more efficient energy and public transportation systems in cities. There may be potential job creation, for instance, through sustainable management of natural resources which could on one hand release the tension of urban migration given most of these opportunities are available in rural areas; on the other hand to preserve local livelihoods from environmental impacts, in particular of climate change. (OECD, 2012) Green growth: what can it bring developing countries? Economic benefits Increased GDP production of green goods and services Increased revenue from pricing ecosystem services (or their reduction prevented) Economic diversification, i.e. improved management of economic risks and reduced vulnerability Innovation, access and uptake of green technologies, i.e. improved market confidence Environmental benefits Increased productivity and efficiency of natural resource use Natural capital used within ecological limits Reduced adverse environmental impact and improved natural hazard/risk management Social benefits Increased livelihood opportunities, income and/or quality of life, notably of the poor Decent jobs that benefit poor people created and sustained Enhanced social, human and knowledge capital Reduced inequality

Jarroc as a Betrayer Essay example -- Star Trek Defecting Essays Paper

Jarroc as a Betrayer Defection is a word which Americans have been taught to fear, from the days of Joseph McCarthy to Moscow on the Hudson. In our collective consciousness, we viewed defectors as both fascinating and repellent. Defectors from outside the convivial allied sphere of North America and Western Europe--persons from those Communist places, especially--served a useful purpose because of what inside knowledge they held, and at the same time frightened us because they carried the taint of the traitor, and the strange, cold foreignness of the "other side". The "other side," if not monitored closely, was coming to bomb us all, and break the world as we knew it. Defectors from the United States, on the other hand, had no redeeming qualities. They were those who had sold their own souls, traitors agreeing to spill the closely guarded secrets which would keep us safe from the Enemy to the enemies themselves! By the nature of the act, defection was inexorably intertwined with national betrayal. (I use the terms "betrayer" and "traitor" interchangeably, since they are synonymous in meaning. A traitor is one who has betrayed.) American defectors were the worst possible kinds of criminals, and worthy recipients of the death penalty. Yet then, as now and in all times, there are a myriad of contexts in which any given situation can be considered and defection, like most things, is a crime to some and an honorable act of conscience to others.Who is the ultimate judge of such actions? What determines which context the acts truly fall in? During the Cold War, when a Soviet defected, it was viewed very differently by officials in his own country than it was here. In the U.S.S.R, he... ... it for nothing," he whispers bitterly. "My home, my family....all for nothing." (12/30/89) Jarroc commits suicide rather than live with the pain of this stigma. Is Jarroc then a hero, or a defector-betrayer? He must necessarily be both. There is no sidestepping the role in which Romulan history will pigeonhole him, and no denying the reasons they have to do so. Yet among those persons in the Federation who knew his true reasons for divulging the information, he was a man of great courage. As Jarroc himself noted, '"One world's butcher is another world's hero." The same thing could also be said of the defector. Works Cited Smith, Greg. Interchange on The Defector. Interchange. 30 January 1996. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus. Houghton Mifflin, Boston: 1988.. "The Defector." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Season 3, Episode 58.

Students Deserve A College Tuition Essays -- financial aid, pell grant

Think about this: a straight F student with a family that has a sufficient amount of money. This student gets to go to the best college that their family’s money can buy, which will probably go to waste on partying. Now compare that to a straight A student, living in a too-small temporary place, and no way to pay the bills. This student is everything a college could dream of having, and they actually care about their education. Sadly enough, though, they will never go because how can someone possibly go to college when their family cannot even pay the bills? Considering this scenario, should students in temporary living situations with 3.0 GPAs or higher earn free college tuition? I believe that students in these situations with a 3.0 GPA or above should earn free college tuition. I feel that students willing and determined to excel in their education deserve to have equal, if not more, opportunities than anybody else interested in college, no matter what. Students in temporar y living situations have financial problems which cause stress for the students; therefore, if given the chance to earn free college tuition, their stress levels would decrease rapidly.It is astonishing how rare it is for students in a poverty situation to have a 3.0 GPA or above, let alone to go to college. I strongly believe that having college paid for would mean so much to them and be such a great accomplishment and reward. First of all, I heartily believe in a situation where a student is sincerely willing and determined to excel in all aspects of their education, they deserve to have every opportunity that anybody interested in attending college has, no exceptions. In August, President Obama made a proposal to rate colleges based on qualifications. Qu... ...| Student Aid Alliance." Student Stories | Student Aid Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. . "Federal Pell Grant Program." Federal Pell Grant Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. . "Pell Grant." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. . "Jones/Book Review: Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College." Jones/Book Review: Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. . Documentary "First Generation--The Documentary | The Journey Of Four High School Students Who Are First In Their Families To Go To College." First GenerationThe Documentary. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. .

Theme of Entrapment in The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper

Theme of Entrapment in The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper Topics of great social impact have been dealt with in many different ways and in many different mediums. Beginning with the first women’s movement in the 1850’s, the role of women in society has been constantly written about, protested, and debated. Two women writers who have had the most impact in the on-going women’s movement are Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper are two of feminist literature’s cornerstones and have become prolific parts of American literature. Themes of entrapment by social dictates, circumstance, and the desire for personal independence reside within each work and bond the two together. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived and wrote around the same time during the nineteenth century. This time period, like most others, is characterized by a society which the patriarch is the center and leader of the family structure. The protagonists in each story are women, who are trapped by the circumstances surrounding their current situations within society. Each protagonist finds liberation in very different ways, each leading to a downfall that is inescapable in the society of the time period. In The Awakening, Edna begins to learn and experience things that empower her and lead her to believe that she can become more independent. The new freedom that she enjoys is only fleeting as the dictates of society do not allow for such freedom from a married woman with children. The protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper is trapped by a much different set of circumstances. Her husband believes she is mentally ill and begins to deprive her of the freedoms, such as writin g, that she has previous... ...orks could be the topic for countless doctoral dissertations. They are both intriguing and ambiguous, which leaves much up to discussion and speculation. The role of women in society has been and will continue to be a point of great debate and perpetual change. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman have influenced other great women writers such as Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, and budding male writers such as Ben Eisner. The events and experiences of one’s upbringing help to shape future writings and ideas. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman had different formative years, which are evident in their approaches to their characters and their ideas of women in society. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Penguin Putman, Inc. New York. 1976 Perkins Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings. Random House, Inc. New York. 2000.

America’s Involvement In the Spanish-American War Essay

In the late 19th century the United States began to dramatically reshape their foreign policies, and they soon found themselves in a bloody war that would shape the future of the country for years to come. When the United States was first created George Washington recommended limited foreign involvement, this all changed in 1823 with the Monroe Doctrine. This document set out the entire western hemisphere as the United States sphere of influence. However, at the time the Unites States did not have the power or the navy to back up this demand, until the late 1880’s when support for imperialism began to take off. People began to support imperialism because all other great powers had empires, strategic objectives became important, expanding the foreign market would support the economy, and social Darwinism was applied to nations, which meant that only the countries with the greatest wealth and largest empires would survive. As the 19th century came to a close, the United States saw an opportunity to put the Monroe Doctrine and a new sense of imperialism into action. At the time, Cuba was under going serious change, and was in the middle of a civil war with Spain. In 1895 a war escalated in Cuba to the point that 500, 000 Cubans were put into camps because of the reconcentracion policy.1 This policy had disastrous consequences causing nearly 200, 000 people in the camps to die because of the lack of proper food, sanitary conditions, and medical care.2 The policy generated severe anti-Spanish sentiment in the United States. As anger continued to rise among the American people, short-tempers eventually shattered into a gruesome war. The United States’ own President McKinley said that he â€Å"had no desire to go to war with Spain†, thus one must ask what were the overwhelming factors that pushed the American nation into another war?3 Historians have suggested numerous reasons for the United States to enter into war. Many authors, such as Ivan Musicant4 and Frank Friedel5, believe the Yellow Press and their extraordinary stories pushed the American public to their limits, forcing the McKinley administration to finally intervene in Cuba. However, writers such as Wayne Morgan suggested that the United States pursued a peaceful policy toward Cuba, attempting to force Spain to reform the island, but the Spanish failure to do so provoked American intervention.6 The overwhelming causes of the Spanish-American War can be attributed to a combination of five factors listed in order of importance. The Yellow Press, American economic interests, McKinley’s political agenda, and the sinking of the Maine. With these four factors in mind, the American motives for war will be accurately examined. When the American people saw an opportunity to make money by investing in Cuba’s sugar plantations, they immediately took advantage of the opportunity. However, once they saw their economic interests were endangered by the civil war in Cuba, American people wanted to protect their valuable investments. One of the main reasons Cuban Nationalists revolted against Spain was because they thought the U.S. would likely come to their aid. They had good reason to think this because at the time the United States was investing increasing amounts of money into Cuban sugar production, $50 million by 1895 and conducted trade with Cuba worth $100 million annually. The United States also had a strangle hold on the Cuban economy with 87% of all Cuban exports going to the United States in 1890.7 This newly found American-Cuban relationship also had its negative sides; it brought with it an increasing concentration on sugar production. As the Cuban revolution continued, more and more sugar plantations were being destroyed, disrupting trade, and seriously hurting the American investments. Not only would Americans be able to protect these investments if they went to war, but they would be able to acquire other Spanish colonies, for example the Philippines, and expand their foreign market. As Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge said, â€Å"Free Cuba would mean a great market for the United States; it would mean an opportunity for American capital; it would mean an opportunity for development of that splendid island.†8 Freeing the rebellious nation would not only protect the withstanding American investments, but would also allow Americans to spread their influence around the Caribbean nations and capture the foreign market. America’s future as an industrial power depended on foreign markets for American products. One of the major causes of the Spanish-American War was the American public opinion, which was extremely negative towards the Spaniards. The articles written by the Yellow Press drastically swayed this public opinion. The Yellow Press was a newspaper war in New York City between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. These writers sensationalized the news and often exaggerated the truth and provoked a demand for intervention in Cuba. The American public used these newspapers as their information center for all events that were occurring in Cuba. Hearst and Pulitzer were able to greatly benefit from influencing Americans, increasing their readership from 400, 000 in 1897, to over 1 million readers during the Spanish-American War in 1898.9 Whatever Hearst or Pulitzer had to say was accepted by Americans without thought to the information’s validity. A good example of the Hearst’s Journal exaggerating the truth is an article on the Spanish General Weyler, â€Å"There is nothing to prevent his carnal animal brain from running riot with itself in inventing tortures and infamies of blood debauchery†.10 Biased information like this would be handed to the American public day after day, forcing the people to believe that the situation in Cuba required intervention. On February 8, 1898, Hearst once again added fuel to the fire with the publishing of the de Là ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½me letter. The Spanish Ambassador wrote the letter, which was published in the Journal, to a friend, in which the diplomat called U.S. President William McKinley â€Å"†¦ a weak man and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd†¦besides being a common politician†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .11 The letter enraged the American and drove them â€Å"to a new level of hysteria†.12 Although the letter did not have major economical or political impact, besides on McKinley’s ego, the social implications were enormous. Hearst and Pulitzer were not the only people who wrote about the conditions in Cuba, there was also E.L. Godkin who was the editor of the weekly Nation. Godkin frequently spoke out against Hearst and Pulitzer accusing them of gross misrepresentation, deliberate invention and unnecessary recklessness. He said â€Å"They were firebrands, tossed into the American crowd in an attempt to ignite a war.†13 No matter how much Godkin spoke out against Hearst and Pulitzer, they continued to dominate the American public with their embellished stories and pro war slants. The American public’s humanitarian concerns came into play after reading these articles. They soon believed how terrible the Cuban conditions were and began to plead the government to take aggressive steps towards Cuban independence. When the U.S. naval ship, the Maine, exploded in Havana Harbor, the American people, and their government were confused about what had happened and who had done it. Many fingers began to point at Spain, but even if Spain had not committed the crime, the suspicion alone by the American people was enough to push the war envelope a bit further. One of the final peaceful solutions to the problems in Cuba, presented by McKinley, was autonomy. This granted the country the right of self-government, however, a large portion of the Cuban population opposed autonomy and soon riots broke out. The battleship Maine simply arrived in Havana for a â€Å"friendly visit† on January 25, 1898 in response to pro-Spanish mobs.14 Suddenly, on the evening of February 15, 1898, at 9:45 PM, the Maine blew up, killing 268 of the crew.15 The explosion was an enormous blow not only to the American people, but to the Spanish and Cuban people as well. Immediately Madrid authorities as well as McKinley want ed to know what had happened and began thorough investigations. On March 21 the U.S. court determined there were two explosions: the first was of a mine under the keel of the Maine, and the second touched off by the initial blast.16 The court however did not fix responsibility for planting the mine. The Spanish board of inquiry, however, had a contrary conclusion, which said that the blast had been sparked by spontaneous combustion of coal.17 The American people were not told about the contrary deductions, but instead were heavily influenced by the Yellow Press who placed the fault of the incident solely on the Spaniards. The public was up in flames and was in agreement that the U.S. would get their revenge on Spain for taking American lives. The Maine explosion, combined with the anti-autonomy riots in Havana effectively changed the American public’s demands from Cuban autonomy to complete independence, which could only be achieved through war. When McKinley was inaugurated as president in 1896 his main political goals were to improve the United States economy and avoid war at all costs. However, McKinley found himself in a tough situation weighing peace against winning the upcoming 1900 election and the strategic benefits of acquiring Cuba. As McKinley was well aware of, the Yellow Press had misconstrued the situation in Cuba, causing the majority of the American population to become eager for war. If McKinley expected to win the upcoming election, he would have to give in to the people’s demands. McKinley also saw the beneficial strategic implications if the U.S. were to acquire Cuba and the Philippines through war. The United States would gain massive sea power by setting up naval bases, and Cuba would be the key to the future security of a U.S. canal in the Caribbean. With this political agenda in McKinley’s mind, he came up with two peaceful courses of action before he would have to declare war. McKinley’s first course of action was a proposal to buy Cuba for $30 million, but Spain quickly rejected this offer.18 Next, on March 29, 1898, Ambassador Stewart Woodford presented the final United States proposal on Cuba, requiring Spain to abandon the reconcentracion policy, proclaim an immediate armistice, and finally accede to Cuba’s independence.19 The Spanish government offered to withdraw the reconcentracion policy and to grant a cease-fire at the insurgents’ request, but refused to grant Cuba its independence.20 The American people were furious with the news, but McKinley, following through with his ultimatum asking Congress, on April 11, 1898, for permission to intervene directly in Cuba. The request was passed once the Teller Amendment, an agreement made disclaiming any intention of annexing Cuba, was adopted.21 The United States had finally entered a war that McKinley had feared, while the American people had been pushing for it all along. There were many factors that created the atmosphere necessary for the Spanish-American War to occur. No one event in itself was enough. But rather, it was the culmination of a sequence of events that created an atmosphere leading to war. The contributing factors that led to the Spanish-American War were economic interests, McKinley’s political agenda, and the sinking of the Maine. The major factor that eventually pushed the United States into war was the Yellow Press and its influence on the American people. The Yellow Press conveyed the facts to the American people in a negative manner, prompting the American people to plead for Cuban intervention through any means necessary. However, historian Wayne Morgan suggests, â€Å"war would have come without the Yellow Press†. 22 Once the nine-month war had ended, with only three months of fighting, the war concluded with the Treaty of Paris, 1898. This treaty gave the United States the colonies of Guam and Puerto Rico, along with the Philippines in return for $20 million.23 Although the Cubans did receive independence from Spain, in 1902 the U.S. created the Platt Amendment, which put Cuban foreign policy under U.S. control and all Cuban economic decisions under subject to U.S. approval.24 Life for Cubans was better, but they still did not have complete independence. Because the United States received the new colonies from Spain, they began to accomplish their imperialistic goals, and increase their national status to compete with the other world powers. President McKinley had tried his best to avoid a war, but the American public left him no choice, nevertheless McKinley succeeded in winning the 1900 elections.25 The Spanish-American War provided the United States with both opportunities and challenges. In 1899, when the United States occupied its new empire, Assistant Secretary of State John Basset Moore observed that the nation had become â€Å"a world power†¦Where formerly we had only commercial interests, we now have territorial and political interests as well.† 26 1 Michael Golay, America At War: The Spanish-American War. (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1995), 5. 2 The Spanish American War, 1898, [May 2, 2007]. 3 Golay, America At War, 13. 4 Ivan Musicant, Empire By Default: The Spanish-American War and the Dawn of the American Century. (New York: Henry and Company, Inc., 1998), 81-83. 5 Frank Burt Freidel, The Splendid Little War. (Toronto: Little, Brown and Company Limited, 1958), 5-8. 6 Wayne Morgan, America’s Road To Empire: The War With Spain and Overseas Expansion. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1968), ix-x. 7 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 8 Golay, America At War, 14. 9 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 10 Golay, America At War, 7. 11 Irving Werstein, 1898: The Spanish-American War. (New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1966) 10. 12 Musicant, Empire By Default, 152. 13 Golay, America At War, 12. 14 Freidel, The Splendid Little War, 8. 15 Albert Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 1898. (Conshohocken: Combined Books, Inc. 1996), 42 16 Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 43. 17 Causes of the Spanish American War. [May 2, 2007]. 18 Causes of the Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 19 Nofi, The Spanish-American War, 44. 20 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 21 David Goldfield et al, The American Journey: A History of The United States. (Toronto: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 2002), 427. 22 Morgan, America’s Road To Empire, 14. 23 The Spanish American War, [May 2, 2007]. 24 Goldfield, The American Journey, 430. 25 Goldfield, The American Journey, Appendix A-15 26 Goldfield, The American Journey, 427.

Legislatures learnsmart 5 Essay

1. True or false: Both chambers of Congress allow a member to speak for an unlimited time on the floor. A: false 2. Which of the following are members of the House leadership? A: Majority leader, majority whip and minority leader 3. Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an incumbent because the candidate loses name recognition 4. Order the following general steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law 1. A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill 2. Subgroups within the House and Senate, composed of legislators who have expertise in the bill’s subject mater, review the bill 3. A majority of members in the House and Senate must approve it 4. The Conference Committee reconciles the bill when different versions have passed in the House and the Senate 5. President signs the bill 5. Members of Congress may experience conflict between their policy-making function and their representation function because A: They feel pressured to vote for a policy that clashes with their constituent’s interests. 6. To balance the desire for representation at different levels, the framers made Congress a bicameral institution. 7. Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. These include A: Acting on presidential actions, setting the national agenda, and representing its constituents. 8. Because taxation was such an important power to the framers, they required that all these measures must start A: in the House. 9. Reapportionment is the reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state based on changes in the state’s population since the last census. 10. Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate A: Majority leader 11. Which of the following are reasons why specific members of Congress are chosen for congressional leadership positions? A: Ability to guide compromise, to persuade and to negotiate. 12. When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as redistricting 13. Two of the most important influences on congressional elections are incumbency and redistricting. 14. Which of the following oversight tools ensure that Congress has some say in how the executive branch administers the laws that Congress creates? A: congressional hearings, budgetary appropriations and confirmation hearings. 15. The single most important factor in determining the success of a congressional campaign is incumbency. 16. Which congressional function involves auditing agency implementation of policy? A: Oversight 17. The power of taxation, among other powers, was given to Congress: A: to limit the power of the president; and because it is more representative to the people. 18. Gerrymandering A: is usually legal. 19 Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress? A: public discourse, House and Senate leaders’ goals 20 Which of the following of Congress, which all other functions of Congress are related to? A: Policy making. 21. Constituents influence the legislative process by ensuring that their representatives in Congress work hard to represent their perspectives and policy interests 22. True or False: A president’s popularity rating cannot affect a legislator’s decision to vote for a particular bill A: True 23. Committees are important because A: They help develop passable legislation; they facilitate the consideration of high volume of bills; and they each specialize in a certain type of legislation. 24. Congressional oversight includes the federal bureaucracy because it is a part of the executive branch. 25. Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators’ decision? A: grassroots activism, financial contributions, and lobbying. 26. Each senator represents his or her state, while House members represent their congressional district. 27. Partisan voting occurs more often when members are voting on domestic policy issues that tend to crystallize ideological differences between the parties. 28. House and Senate members often rely on which of the following inform their decision making on legislation because they frequently have policy expertise that can guide a legislator on an upcoming vote? A: Staff member 29. The president’s opinion concerning a specific bill can influence members of Congress, especially A: when they belong to the same party. 30. Some examples of Congress’s use of the ‘elastic clause’ include A: determining an oil company’s authority to drill on federal lands; expanding law enforcement authority in terrorism case; and regulating stem cell research. 31. Which of the following is a legislative power the president does not possess? A: Line-item veto. 32. Legislators use pork barrel politics and earmarks to bring money and jobs back to their home districts to show their constituents that they are working toward their best interests in Congress. 33. For mundane matters about which their constituents are less likely to be aware or hold a strong position, legislators typically rely on the trustee model of representation. 34. Citizens wanting policies that benefit the elderly, while others advocate for legislation beneficial for children, is an example of the influence that Congress has A: in managing societal conflict 35. Which of the following is not a way new legislation can be introduce in the Senate? A: A senator’s staff drafts a piece of proposed legislation and the senator place it in the hopper on the Senate floor. 36. Congress manages societal conflict by representing a wide range of views and interests. 37. The U.S Congress has a number of Constitutional powers beyond lawmaking. For example, it A: govern the District of Columbia; regulates the armed forces; regulates interstate commerce; and declares war. 38. When a committee or subcommittee holds a hearing, they are trying to gather information and views from experts about a proposed bill. 39. Interest groups can be a valuable resource to legislators because A: They can provide financial and electoral support. 40. Oversight is an important function of Congress because it ensures that laws are being administered in keeping with legislators’ original intent. 41. Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House? A: Making majority party committee assignments; chairing floor debates 42. Match the characteristics on the right with the chamber, which they describe: House: Taxation policies start in this chamber; this chamber faces more frequent elections Senate: Treaties are considered in this chamber; this chamber is more deliberative. 42. In the House of Representatives, a member of a legislator’s staff drafts t he proposed legislation and the House member puts the bill into the hopper. 43. House leadership is chosen at the A: beginning of each session of Congress. 44, Congress continuously engages in agenda setting because it relieves the pressure parties face in getting their members to vote with their particular party. 45. Congress engages in agenda setting when it determines which public policy issues the federal legislature should consider. 46. The framers had tax bills start in the House because A: it had a smaller constituency than the Senate; it had a shorter electoral term. 47. The practice in which members of Congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague’s vote on another bill is called logrolling. 48. If a vote in the Senate is tied, the vice president breaks the tie. 49. Historically, which position has been honorary in nature? A: president pro tempore 50. Which of the following contribute to incumbents having an advantage during congressional elections? A: stronger name recognition; ease in attracting contributions; and easier access to media coverage. 51. An agency review provides an opportunity for executive agencies that would administer a proposed law to comment on the measure. 52. The Senate is more deliberative because A: its electoral terms are longer; it has fewer members. 53. A filibuster can arise when a member of the Senate wishes to halt or delay the passage of a bill. 54. After a committee agrees to the wording of a bill, the committee issues a report to the full chamber that explains the bill and its intent. 55. Creating â€Å"majority-minority† districts is a type of Gerrymandering. 56. Which committee sets the structure for the debate that ensues in the full House? A: Rules Committee. 57. An elderly person deciding to vote to reelect a House representative after the representative has tracked down the constituent’s Social Security check is an example of how casework can benefit an incumbent. 58. Unanimous consent agreements require that all senators agree to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation. 59. A joint committee is composed of members of both chambers of Congress. 60. Redistricting can lessen the impact of incumbency, especially in years ending in the number 2. 61. Congress gets its powers from sources other than the Constitution, including A: American citizens, the media, and Supreme Court decisions. 62. The House Majority leader acts as an assistant to the Speaker of the House in performing legislative duties. 63. In more populated areas, congressional districts in the House of Representatives are often A: homogeneous, cohesive units. 64. AN elected or appointed official acts as an ombudsperson when advocating for citizens by listening to and investigating complaints against a government agency. 65. Which of the following is true about the Senate minority leader? A: Leader of the minority party in the Senate; negotiates with the majority leader. 66. A select committee is created to consider specific policy issues or address a specific concern in legislature. 67. Redistricting sometimes makes incumbency less important. 68. If 51 or more Democrats are elected to the Senate, each committee and subcommittee will have a minority of Republicans as members. 69. When there is a designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure it is called A: an earmark. 70. Congressional leadership refers bills to the lead committee. 71. Which of the following is not true about a markup? A: The committee actually alters a bill 72. The framers structured Congress in way that A: made it an effective check on the president; made it powerful enough to govern, and kept it from becoming too powerful. 73. After 1995, joint referrals were abolished from the House 74. The House leadership position of whip acts as a liaison between A: leadership and part members in the House. 75. Which of the following terms describes the segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues? A: attentive public 76. Subcommittees are a subset of a A: Standing committee. 77. A standing committee is a permanent committee in Congress. 78. Members of the House of Representatives are reluctant to defy the will of their congressional districts because A: Their short two-year terms increase the probability that they will be voted out of office for going against the electorate. 79. When an incumbent performs casework for a constituent, it helps to create a good-word-of-mouth reputation and attracts support for that candidate during reelection. 80. The ability to use franking to communicate with voters is a benefit inaccessible to non-incumbents. 81. The attentive public is the segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues. 82. The term pork barrel describes legislators’ appropriations of funds via legislation for special projects located within their congressional districts. 83. To end a filibuster, a supermajority of sixty senators must agree to invoke cloture and end debate 84. Which of the following is required to extract a bill from committee in order to have it considered by the entire House? A: discharge petition 85. A consequence of having a congressional â€Å"safe seat† is that a house member A: can generally be partisan without unfavorable political outcome. 86. Committee chairs are often chosen using the seniority system, by which the member with the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee receives preference when the committee chooses its chair 87. Which model of representation insists that legislators vote in line with their constituents’ views even when this contradicts their personal views? A: Instructed delegate model. 88. What occurs after a conference committee reconciles a bill between the House and Senate? A: The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote 89. In this model of representation, a legislator may act in opposition to the clear wishes of his or her constituents, such as in cases where an action is â€Å"for their own good† or the good of society. A: Trustee model 90. The most powerful position in the Senate: the majority leader manages the legislative process and schedules debate on legislation 91. Senators sometimes find it hard to represent constituents because they are elected by an entire state’s population, which may contain citizens who have conflicting views, ideologies, and policy priorities.

Contexts for Contemporary Business Paper

It is by helping to produce these public benefits that vices ultimately lead to good. Madeleine writes, â€Å"Private vices may be made public benefits through skillful management by a wise politician â€Å"(ibid. , volume 1, p. 169). Certainly one could argue that the very nature of the human condition is that we all are afflicted by sin; and it is through this sin that things like greed, avarice, and insatiability arise and manifest themselves in the form of Emcees†.Are there any differences in the degrees to which vice and greed that occurred during Mandible's generation were committed versus ice and greed committed by members of present day societies? Does Mandible's vision regarding the concept of vice and the way it helped to produce public benefits at the turn of the 17th century in England, still hold true in our modern-day, globally oriented society? I propose that â€Å"societal vice† in the context of a modern-day, global scale economy is actually much more harmful and detrimental to societies, and to world economies as a whole, than it is advantageous.I also propose that present day vice, greed, and corruption executed in the financial world by politicians, dockworkers, bankers, and other important members of society in positions of power are now able to be performed and executed on a much larger and more poisonous level than Madeleine probably ever dreamt of. The vice and greed of the investors and the ordinary citizens are detrimental because their actions help fuel the much larger system as a whole. In essence, all investors have the vice of greed and the reason they invest is to improve their financial condition and situation.While there are many hardworking people who prudently and cautiously invest their money, here are also similar people who blindly and speculatively invest their money in the hopes of making exorbitant profits. I liken both groups of individuals to people who are working in the basement of an extravagant mansi on, throwing logs into a large fireplace. The mansion could be compared to the â€Å"global financial machine† throughout the world and the people throwing the logs into the fire are the small investors in this great machine. Some invest a few logs into the fire while others invest more logs.Both have the desire and â€Å"greed† to get warm, gain wealth, and improve their financial condition. In Mandible's day, even though every member of society had greed and vice in them, the â€Å"financial fireplace† of this large mansion was much smaller and not as interconnected with other financial mansions, as in a contemporary, globally connected world. The real problem arises when the bankers and stockbrokers who are working at higher levels of the mansion, take the benefits of the hard work that has occurred in the basement, and then greedily invest this hard work in the hopes of making even more money.The bankers and stockbrokers are managing each of these large â₠¬Å"financial houses† and have few legal or moral constraints placed on them. In a global economy all of the financial houses are placed very closely together and interconnected to each other through a very sophisticated set of phones and computers. The bankers and stockbrokers use this elaborate communication mechanism the trade heat back and forth as needed, with little regard to the potential negative effects it could have on the â€Å"basement investors†.This scenario works reasonably well as long as the fireplace is in good working order and there is a need for heat. Each investor in the basement happily places logs in the financial fireplace with little regard to the negative consequences hat could occur. I refer to these negative consequences as the â€Å"fine print† that is included with all investments; the same fine print that many investors never read because it is simply too complicated to understand.The problems can arise if the financial fireplace be comes damaged, if the fire in this fireplace becomes too hot, or if the outside economic climate changes and the heat of the fire is no longer needed. If the fireplace becomes damaged because the fire was too hot and had too many investors, the resulting damage could burn down the entire financial house. This loud cause every house in the financial neighborhood to also burn down because all of the houses are placed so closely together in a global setting.Publics' attitudes reflect their economic reality – and the global downturn that started after 2007 has had a profound impact on many countries' economies. Annual growth rates have slowed over recent years in most nations surveyed. This slowdown has been particularly severe in the advanced economies, which had a median annual growth rate of 3. 5% in 2007 but Just 1. 4% in 2012. Growth has also declined in the developing economies (median of 6. 8% to 3. %) and the emerging markets (median of 6. 3% to 3. 9%). Now placed closely together and are reliant on each other. Theater is cold and heat is needed from the fireplace, but when the weather warms and the need for heat slows down very closely they were Many hardworking people at the lower levels are the low level investors are similar to people who are throwing logs into a fireplace in the hopes of achieving Advancements in technology, evolutions in the complexity in which money and liquid capital are bought, sold, and exchanged on the international market, and the ever increasing rules and regulations that govern he national and international financial markets are all factors that are frightening and alarming.In 2003 Rabbi Benjamin Belch wrote about greed in his book, Taking Stock; a Spiritual Guide to Rising Above Life's Financial Ups and Downs the following; â€Å"Greed will always leave you dissatisfied because you'll never be able to get everything you desire. Greed never allows you to think you have enough; it always destroys you by making you stri ve ever harder for more. † I believe it is this overwhelming desire of greed that leads many people to undertake illicit and moral conduct which eventually lead to immoral and depraved behaviors.During Mandible's time, performing vice and illicit behaviors were limited by the constraints of technology, limited access to financial markets, and by rudimentary forms of transportation. Banking and economic systems were definitely much more restricted than they are in today's global economy. Insatiability and greed which lead to vice are the same today as they have been throughout human history; however the method and means used to actually implement this greed and vice has changed immensely since Mandible's time.Technology has advanced at an unheralded pace in Just the last one hundred years alone. With the development of the world- wide internet, advanced satellites and global positioning systems; financial transactions and business relations are able to be performed on a more wi de-spread scale, much faster than ever before. It is by increasing the ease and speed with which global financial transactions occur that societal problems can arise.Modern- day financial managers and bankers can buy and sell currency and trade stocks and bonds quickly, using only the touch key of a computer. This rapid advancement in genealogy coupled with interconnected global financial and economic markets makes all the businessmen and bankers from the different countries throughout the world much more interdependent on each other than in Mandible's time. Madeleine, who was born in 1670 and died in 1733, probably never envisioned how easy it would be to be corrupt and perform vice on such a grand scale.Vice involving financial matters is now able to be completed much easier and faster than in the past and, since it is done on a much more wide-spread scale, it has the potential to more negatively affect all members of society. Subsequently our current global economy and financial markets are much more inter-connected and since vice is able to now be completed on a much larger scale than ever before, the chances of economic and fiscal collapse are also much greater than in Mandible's time.In â€Å"The Grumbling Hive; Or Knaves Turned Honest† Madeleine writes, Thus every part was full of vice, Yet the whole mass a paradise; Flattered in peace and feared in wars, They were the esteem of foreigners, And lavish of their wealth and lives, The balance of all other hives. Such were the blessings of that state; Their crimes conspired to cake them great: And virtue, who from politics Had learned a thousand cunning tricks, Was, by their happy influence, Made friends with vice; and ever since, The worst of all the multitude Did something for the common good.Even though Madeleine writes â€Å"every part was full of vice†, the society was a â€Å"paradise† that was â€Å"esteemed† by their foreign neighbors and they were admired for the lavish and wealthy lives they led. He writes that the tricks to harnessing this vice were learned from politics and clearly shows that, even though every level of society was filled with ice, that there are good consequences that came from this vice. This is in stark contrast to the current political situation in the United States. Publics' attitudes of 6. 3% to 3. 9%).It produced blessings on the state and promoted more lavish lives for every member of society. Through the producing of public benefits that , ultimately leading to good. It is through this idea that vices are beneficial that has . Once the bees become He promotes the idea, that vice essentially is the lubrication that aids the society to operate more smoothly and help produce public benefits, ultimately leading to good. More specifically, although the actual vice is not good, the benefit to society is that by employing vice, good is ultimately produced. Reports that in society that â€Å"vice† is universal to a socie ty and that every person in a social order has their own vices. Madeleine suggests that these vices, which represent each person's immorality and moral failings, ultimately aid the society by are found in each person of society writes Madeleine. He writes the following; â€Å"As sharper, parasites, pimps, players, Pickpockets, coiners, quacks, soothsayers, And all those that in enmity With downright irking, cunningly Convert to their own use the labor Of their good-natured heedless neighbor.These were called knaves, but bar the name, The grave industrious were the same:† Essentially Madeleine is suggesting that there is no difference between the desires and actions of the lowest members of society and those â€Å"of their good-natured heedless neighbor† by writing â€Å"The grave industrious were the same†. Every level of society is afflicted by vice, sin, and depravity and Madeleine expands on this idea by his writing shown in the following lines, â€Å"All re ads and places knew some cheat; No calling was without deceit. In other words, the attorneys, physicians, soldiers, and those in the ministry were the same as the â€Å"pickpockets, coiners, quacks, and soothsayers† and â€Å"No calling was without deceit† writes Madeleine. He promotes the idea, that vice essentially is the lubrication that aids the society to operate more smoothly and help produce public benefits, ultimately leading to good. More specifically, although the actual vice is not good, the benefit to society is that by employing vice, good is ultimately produced.He mutinous by writing; Thus every part was full of vice, Yet the whole mass a paradise; Flattered in peace and feared in wars, They were the esteem of foreigners, And lavish of their wealth and lives, The balance of all other hives. Such were the blessings of that state; Their crimes conspired to make them great: And virtue, who from politics Had learned a thousand cunning tricks, Was, by their ha ppy influence, Made friends with vice; and ever since, The worst of all the multitude Did something for the common good.Even though Madeleine writes â€Å"every part was full of vice†, the society was a â€Å"paradise† that was â€Å"esteemed† by their foreign neighbors and they were admired for the lavish and wealthy lives they led. He writes that the tricks to harnessing this vice were learned from politics and clearly shows that, even though every level of society was filled with vice, that there are good consequences that came from this vice. It produced blessings on the state and promoted more lavish lives for every member of society.Madeleine, B. (1705). The Grumbling Hive; or Knaves Turned Honest. It is also interesting to me when Madeleine wrote, â€Å"So Vice is beneficial found, [425] When it's by Justice [illegal. ], and bound; His meaning that vice has to be pruned and placed under the control of Justice to be beneficial made me wonder whether or no t Mandible's ideas would still apply in today's more technologically advanced and interconnected global society.I began to think that the more technologically advanced a society becomes and also the more global and intertwined different economies become, that this increased technology and growing global capacity allow vice and greed to be committed on a much more grand scale. Specifically, it could be argued that when modern day embers of political parties, bankers, stock brokers, and heads of state are involved in wide spread vice or greed, that this will ultimately be detrimental and harm society as a whole because modern day global greed is too broad and advanced to be reined in by Justice.A recent example of this occurred with the 2008 United States supreme mortgage crisis and the subsequent recession that this interruption in the flow of credit caused to businesses and customers on a worldwide scale. These events coupled with the real estate bubble and preceding crashing of the real estate arrest in 2006 were caused largely in part due to greed, vice, and corruption of bankers, politicians, stock brokers, etc. On a grand and global scale.Trillions of dollars were lost in deflated home prices and in retirement accounts by almost all members of society worldwide and very few, if any member or members of any of these political parties or banking institutions have ever been Jailed or brought to public trial. Certainly, it could be argued in this instance that global society as a whole did not benefit from the vice and greed of a much smaller number of bankers and politicians.I think it can also be correctly argued that the majority of people throughout the world are presently, in many ways, worse off due to increased debt levels, higher unemployment rates, and generally more stagnant economies, due in part to the excessive greed and vice of this smaller minority. I wonder what Mandible's thoughts would be regarding trying to prune this â€Å"vine† once it has grown to be large and magnificent on a much more global scale than he probably ever envisioned? Sources; o Rabbi Benjamin Belch, American academic and writer. Taking Stock: A Spiritual Guide to Rising Above Life's Financial Ups and Downs (2003).