Food Predicament Essay

1. List three factors largely responsible for the significant increase in North American food production since the end of World War II. a. Population Growth b. Rising personal income 2. Describe the trends in world food production vis-a-vis population growth from 1950 to the present. There is more people to supply food than before. 3. To what extent does expanding the amount of land under cultivation offer hope for significantly increasing world food supply? Why? To permit unproductive lands to be farmed, making it possible to raise two to three crops a year on the same land. 4. List four reasons for the loss of currently productive agricultural land. a. erosion b. desertification c. salinization d. water-logging 5. What factors make it unlikely that ocean fish harvests can be increased substantially above present levels? Large predator fish, overexploitation by industrial fishing fleets has reduced stocks of some species. 6. List several changes in food-handling practices that poor countries could implement to prevent loss of harvested crops. Store grains in bins that may not be easily penetrated, have good refrigeration and have reliable transport for the food. 7. To what extent can â€Å"eating lower on the food chain† help to solve problems of world hunger? It will help until the population grows more and going vegetarian would not be possible. 8. Why are a number of relatively affluent countries purchasing farmland in other nations? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such purchases for the host country? Because of the productive soil their food will grow much better in each different region. Some advantages might be that they will have that food available for the consumers and some disadvantages might be that there is a climate change and loose the crop. B. Match the following deficiency diseases with the nutritional factor (shown below the table) whose absence provoked these conditions (you can use the factor or corresponding letter (a, b, †¦.): 1. childhood blindness 2. marasmus 3. anemia 4. kwashiorkor 5. mental retardation 6. pellagra 7. scurvy 8. rickets 9. beri-beri a. protein b. fiber c. vitamin A d. vitamin Bl (thiamine) e. vitamin C f. vitamin D g. vitamin E h. niacin i. iodine j. iron k. overall calorie/protein shortage C. True/False. Indicate T or F in the space before each numbered question. If the statement is false, revise it below in the box provided to make a correct statement; focus your response on the words in bold. 1. As incomes rise, food demand increases because more affluent people eat larger quantities of food. 2. It is estimated that approximately a billion people in the world today are undernourished. 3.Within families in poor societies, adolescent boys are the most likely to suffer from malnutrition. 4. Overpopulation is the major cause of chronic hunger problems in the developing world. 5. In societies where hunger is widespread, the rate of malnutrition among children and women is much higher than it is among men. 6. Malnutrition is most harmful when it occurs among children under 5. 7. The damaging effects of childhood malnutrition are reversible if the child receives an adequate diet when he/she becomes older. 8. Malnourished women are likely to give birth to underweight babies and to produce poor quality breast milk. 9. Marasmus is responsible for more childhood deaths in developing countries than any other single cause. 10. The most common nutritional deficiency disease worldwide is kwashiorkor. 11. A swollen belly, discoloration of the hair and skin, and stunted physical development are all classic symptoms of overall protein/calorie deprivation. 12. The world’s single most important cause of preventable brain damage and mental retardation is Vitamin A deficiency. 13. Aquaculrure offers greater hope for increasing the world’s fish harvest than does intensifying efforts in ocean fishing. 14. World livestock production, which rose steadily from 1950-1990, has subsequently leveled off because of falling market demand for meat. 15. Anemia is a leading cause of high female mortality rates and problem pregnancies in many poor countries. 16. Aquaculture supplies almost all of the tuna fish found in American supermarkets. 17. Biotechnology can help reduce farmers’ reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and may make it possible to cultivate lands currently too dry or too saline for farming. 18. Among species commonly raised to supply animal protein for human consumption, fish are the most efficient energy converters, requiring just 2-3 pounds of feed to gain one pound of flesh. 19. In sub-Saharan Africa, grain production has remained stagnant at about one ton/ hectare since the early 1960s. 20. Significant increases in agricultural production achieved by technological breakthroughs such as the â€Å"miracle grains† or genetically modified crop and livestock varieties will ensure that all the world’s people enjoy an adequate diet.

Aggressive in behaviour Essay

I will use this as my title for the purposes of planning. In 1998, 47% of female prisoners had dependent children (Flynn, 1998:75). In 1999 this was estimated to be more like 55% – based on those with children sixteen or under. With the female prison population numbering around 3,250, the number of women estimated to have young children is 1788 (Harris, 2000:iv). So I feel it would be useful to try and locate around 10% of this number and ask for permission to interview and study their children. This figure would still mean a lot of work for the researchers – and there would need to be several – as not all of those approached would give permission for the research to involve their children. As a result, I have determined that the best methods of research will be interviews and observations. The reason I have chosen these methodologies is because they are more informal, and when working with children, it is more likely to yield results than questionnaires. Questionnaires are problematical for younger children, who may be unable to write and face to face techniques are more likely to obtain information – questionnaires are not always filled in or returned to the researchers (Bell, 1999:130). The benefits of interviewing and observation preclude the use of questionnaires, in part because they allow a certain flexibility for the researcher to further investigate any new ideas which may become apparent (Browne, 1997:406, 414). Observation is beneficial to the researcher because it can allow for additional details to be noted which the child might be unable or unwilling to express. Interviews permit a degree of familiarity between the researcher and the subject, and in turn may present opportunity to further discuss any points which the researcher feel are relevant. In questioning children, the ethics are complex. Permission to interview the child has to be obtained, and it might be unclear from whom it should be procured. The British Psychological Society in 1996 set down a code of ethics and conduct in which it was stipulated that if the research affects someone not able to give valid consent, i.e. a child under the age of eighteen, then it needs to be obtained from whomever has legal authority to give it (Lindsay, 2000:14-15). The first people deemed to be those with parental responsibility are the natural parents. Exceptions to this include a carer who has a resident order under the 1989 Children Act, anyone holding a temporary emergency protection order or the local authority if the child is in care (Masson, 2000:37). If the mother is in prison, as is necessary for his research, obtaining information regarding their children might be a contentious point. It will involve the co-operation of the prison management in addition to the parents, children, and the child’s’ place of education. There being only sixteen prisons in England and Wales which house female prisoners (Flynn, 1998:57), I feel it would be easier to gain the information from a women-only establishment as the administration may be more familiar with the inmates and perhaps will be in a position to assist the research. This would require asking the prison to identify those prisoners with children, which I believe is a detail which would perhaps already be on a database. If this is not the case, it would then involve asking the women in the prison to come forward. This would undoubtedly cause difficulties, as they may not wish to do so, perhaps through disinterest in the research or an unwillingness to be set part from the others as a result of it. Women who have been separated from their children, for whatever reason, may be emotional as a result, and therefore sensitivity is an absolute necessity. The disruption to the prison is also something which needs to be taken into consideration, but:  Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬ ¦most prisoners find it a welcome change to talk to outsiders†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚  (King, 2000:303). Once women with children between the ages of two and seventeen years have been identified and approached, their permission to interview their children must be obtained. Authorisation should also be secured from the person caring for the child away from the prison, as it is actually ethically wrong to ask permission for such things from the parent not currently the full-time carer (Masson, 2000:38). I do not know the ethics on continuing on the sole permission of the carer rather than the mother. This is the only clear means of getting access to the information required, as it would be too difficult to poll schools for the information. They would not be able to divulge the data on the children without parental permission anyway. If permission is not given by the mother or the carer, the child will not be contacted in any way. It might be interesting, however, to ask why the parents did not want to take part. Once permission has been gained, the next step is to decide where would be best for the child to hold the interviews. The parents may have suggestions themselves, as they may prefer to have the interview conducted in their presence. This is something which will have to be taken into consideration in the conduct of the project, as it may have a bearing on the behaviour of the child. The presence of a parent, teacher or carer may influence the way the child acts, albeit perhaps indirectly, so affecting their responses to the questions. It would undoubtedly be better to interview all the children under the same conditions, but this might not be possible so it would be advisable to be prepared to be flexible. The best place would be somewhere neutral to the child perhaps a local community centre, preferably interviewing the child twice – once with a parent, carer or teacher in the room, then once without them there. I believe this might show a variance in the child’s attitude and behaviour towards the researcher and their questions, as they will have ‘an audience to play to’ when someone they know well is in the room. It is essential, however, to interview the child in a setting in which they are comfortable. If the parents feel it would be best to interview at their home, then places such as the garden or even the stairs may provide a sense of security for the child (Masson, 2000:43). Otherwise another place to carry out an interview might be the child’s school. If the child is hostile to their school-life however, this may introduce elements of bias into their interview compared to other children who may have been interviewed at home or at a community centre. The practicality of eliciting reliable information from a child (under eighteen years of age), is a point which quickly becomes clouded with other issues. The words of an adult may be too complex or the sentence structure poorly formed, so that a child become confused. This has been proven to be the case by several authors (Walker, 1994, Dockrell, Lewis & Lindsay, 2000), and includes children up to the age of eighteen. Minors, even those nearly eighteen, are not always proficient in language skills, and may have difficulty understanding the wording of questions or in formulating their own answers (Walker, 1994:4). There is a need to be sure of how a child is answering a question put to them, as they could be responding to a part of a question rather than the whole question.

Analyzing Pro forma Statements Essay

This financial analysis will define an initiative of what to implement, that would increase sales over the next five years. It can either be, another market, product, or a corporate expansion. A pro forma will be created and used for the XYZ Manufacturing Company of a five year projections. Assumptions will be made to support each line item, to increase or decrease the forecasted statements. There will also be interpretation of the financials, in relation to the initiative. Recommendations are to made on the potential discretionary financing needs. This word analysis is the company’s short term and long term financing needs, and strategies to help the company manage their working capital (University of Phoenix, 2014). Pro forma statements are created by, forecasting and combining the income and balance into a financial statement format. This will determine how the account balances are forecasted by acquiring forces that will influence and project how the accounts will be influenced. These forces are recognizable as restrictive debt agreements, sales, and company policies The following illustrations below is the Pro forma’s process for a five-year projection. This information is based on historical data collected from the sample provide (UOPX, 2014)..There is acquired information of a increase in sales new product as the result of a new product introduction also an increase in the production capacity. The increase in sales will acquire fixed assets with the excess cash (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012) Pro forma Balance Sheet for XYZ Company, INC. Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity-$559,608 $649,251 $848,766 $1,,037,172 $1,183,541 In the above balance sheet the current assets and current liabilities has increased in the ratio of sales (Parrino,Kidwell, & Bates, 2012, p90,91. 92) There is also an additional increase in the fixed assets. The company to take out an additional loan to meet the capital expansion, and the working capital needs (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012) I would recommend that the company The first step in this pro forma financial statements is the forecasting of sales. Sales always influence the current asset and current liability account balances. For example: the account receivable balances would need to become larger increased if the firm needs to carry more inventory. Through the profit margin, and the dividend payout ratio. There is much difficult in forecasting sales, but it is an essential, it only depend on the season of the year, economy and the industry There could also be many other factors as well. Reference Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. S., & Bates, T. W. (2012). Fundamentals of corporate finance (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N. J.: John Wiley & Sons. University of Phoenix material, (2013) â€Å"Analyzing Pro Forma Statements† retrieved from https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:44656217/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/53c06956-87e9-4050-8ecc-815e914705e0/expanded/False/focus-cmt/none/tab/Instructions

Project proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project proposal - Assignment Example So, considering the changes in the needs and demands of the consumers, the retailer has planned to expand its market. This strategy is basically a market expansion strategy that has developed to increase its market size or market share among all the competitors. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: A project is defined as a onetime process rather than an ongoing process (Pinto, 2010). Setting up the website for online buying will be a onetime process. One of the objectives of the project is that the company wants to create an online buying environment that caters to the needs of the target market of online buyers in Australia. In the period of first six months after implementation of this project of online buying facility the company would target to achieve an increase in the revenue of the retail store by 20%. JUSTIFICATION AND MOTIVATION: With the concept of globalization a large number of logical and virtual organizations have come into existence and these online firms have achieved great success in a very short time period. Thousands of new service organizations have been developed and are operating through their websites in the international market and are using their website to target consumers (Reuben, 2012). By analyzing the feasibility of the new explored market many big or medium firms have developed their online stores or websites to capture the new market with the existing product and services. One more important reason for developing an online store is the cheapest and easiest way to enter in the international market. The changing environment and consumer buying behavior have forced many retailers to have their online stores (Nielsen, 2010) and therefore Mensland has also decided to build its online existence through website development along with the physical existence in the Australia market. This is actually for those customers who do not want to visit the retail stores for buying the goods and prefer the buying from any place and goods can be delivered at their door step. This project aims to provide an easy shopping environment to the customers. The project would be helpful in expanding the market and it would be a great chance to increase the market share along with the market growth and get the competitive advantage. PROJECT SCOPE: The project started with the objective of targeting the online buyers of the Australia as the consumer buying behavior is changing with the passage of time and there has been an increase in the online buying trend (The Telegraph, 2012). For this project, the retailer would design the idea and concept of the website and then find any particular and expert team or individual that can translate the idea into an online store. Once the online store is ready and the retailer would start its online marketing to engage consumers from different parts of the world. The retailer will be looking to increase its revenue by 10% in the period of first six months after the website has been launched. IDENTIFICATION AND MANAG EMENT OF RISK: Risk is an important aspect of every project that needs to be considered (Hamilton, 2004). These risks are to be managed properly to ensure the success of the project (Morris, 2008). Major risks of the project are as follows: 1- The cost of the website development can exceed from the budget. Therefore it is important to have sufficient budget and ensure that the website has important features available at that budget. 2- Competitor can enter in the online consumer

Summary 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary 1 - Essay Example -up owners can do so by purchasing competitor’s products, posing as an interested customer with the aim of analyzing customer care and sales strategies of the competitor, and speaking to managers/leaders at an on-site visit, who are likely to brag about the company’s past and successes (Martin 1). Outshine the competition-use knowledge gained from analyzing the industry to implement effective and efficient products and services that limit competitors’ market appeal; for example, secure lucrative contracts, and create easy to use websites. The fundamental goal is to take competitors out of the picture (Martin 1). Focus on customer service- the effectiveness of this hinges on assembling a resourceful, motivated team, which comprises of people who share the owner’s passion and vision for the company. Start-ups must aim to create pleasant customer service experience, as this will help attract and retain new customers (Martin 1-2). Create quiet opportunities- it is crucial for start-ups to stay under their competitor’s radar, as overexposure might make trigger a fight for market shares by competitors; for example, competitors might offer lower prices (Martin 2). Maintain your lead- in order to do so, owners of start-ups must consistently provide quality services and products while simultaneously remaining proactive in the execution of the company’s strategies. They should preempt future technological innovations, customer’s expectations among other things (Martin

Recruitment & Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recruitment & Selection - Essay Example Advertisements online both on job seekers' and corporate sites can be a viable way of getting as much number of candidates. This can be further enhanced by subscribing to the services offered by recruitment websites which gives employers access to its database of applicants. Having this access will allow Westpac to directly contact applicants who hopes to pursue a career in banking. Since the company can have the chance to choose the background of their potential employee. It should be noted that this can be really helpful recognizing that it is serving a diverse market which also requires its front line employees to match these different backgrounds (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Lieberman 2003; Riccuci 2002). In addition, Westpac should also consider recruiting CSR1 through the use of job fairs held at universities months before graduation. This will enable the company to establish itself as an attractive employment alternative after college. This can also be a good opportunity to intro duce itself not just as a company but to highlight the benefits and motivations of pursuing a career with them.

The Olympic Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Olympic Games - Essay Example The history behind Olympic Games is rich and fundamental to account for. The origin of these games is traced to a humble beginning in Greece. They were a crucial undertaking in the country, with the Greek people developing historical events dating method using periods between the Olympic Games. Participants in the games then were treated with respect, and winners marked as heroes and heroines in Greece and the countries around. Olive wreath was at the time used to reward Olympic winners. However, over the years, the rewarding, games and sports involved have changed to match cultural, social, economic and political dynamism. Use of symbols to associate with the Olympics has been a living phenomenon since the year 1913. This is the year that the Olympic rings were introduced by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Toohey & Veal 26). Five rings are used to represent five continents, with Antarctica excluded and North America and South America joined, since there are seven continents in the world (Toohey & Veal 41). An Olympic flag is also flown every time the games are being held. An Olympic torch is another symbol associated with the Olympic Games. The torch tours various sites and cities before it gets to the city hosting the games. The torch’s flame is used to symbolize unity among Olympic participants, cities and states involved. Participants, cities and states involved in the games have significantly increased since the games became an international event. On the same note, the games and sports that participants engage in have kept changing, integrating those that had not initially been part of the Olympic Games. Winner rewarding schemes have also been dynamic, necessitated by contemporary gaming and sporting trends. The future of Olympic Games is promising, and is regarded as one that will unify the international people in more than just games and sports. The 2012 Olympic games will be held in London in the month of July. The

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India Research Paper

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India - Research Paper Example This has been the principle reason behind the rapidly expanding offshore outsourcing of international trade in a number of service activities which had been considered non tradable even few years back. The popular idea which has emerged in this context is that â€Å"anything that one can send over the wire is up for grabs!† (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.39). The project seeks to identify the typical reasons for outsourcing by organizations. The major emphasis would be on India which has proved to be one of the most popular destinations for outsourcing by US firms. The relative advantages of outsourcing in India, as against nations like China, Europe and Philippines would be explored in the project. Advantages of Outsourcing From the point of view of an economy, global outsourcing from the developed to the develop nations would be inevitable for creating a large number of while collar jobs in the latter. This would be the inescapable outcome of allocation of resources to their m ore productive uses following international trade. This has been the principle motivating reason for outsourcing. ... Thus outsourcing would necessarily mean to bring about benefits to the society even though certain transitional costs would be associated with it (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). There has been extensive research works that have indicated that both the developing and the industrialized nations would reap significant gains from the outsourcing of services. This would necessarily lead to efficiency gains for the industrial nations through the opportunity of developing their expertise in areas of their competencies. A per the McKinsey Global Institute (2003), for each US $1 worth of outsourcing, the nation gains $1.12 while the outsourced nation gains approximately $0.33. The above fact reveals the extent of static gains that companies can reap through outsourcing. Most of the multinational organizations have begun to outsource their service activities on a routine basis. This is because it is felt that if they don’t outsource while their competitors continue to do so aggressive ly, they would be losing on the local and global market to the foreign rivals. This would result in stagnating profits which would reduce the rate of creation of capital and investments in domestic technologies. The cost saving advantage from outsourcing has evolved as the most popular source of value to the US organizations in particular (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). Global outsourcing has been significantly effective in reaping benefits for the developing nations in the world. This has been possible through the opening up of new exports, employment opportunities, growth in the numerous tradable service activities. While considering a more dynamic picture, the increase in income levels brought about by trade would also lead to the creation of favorable feedback effects for many of the other

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Project Management - Essay Example The conceptualisation, development and production of the aircraft took several years since the treaty between Britain and France was signed in 1962 but test flights of the Concorde could not be conducted till 1967 while scheduled flights could only be conducted in 1976 (Wikipedia, 2006). At the same time, after many years of faithful service as well as rising and falling fates, the Concorde was retired in 2003. As a product, it does present the complete lifecycle of a product going from an idea to a cultural icon to the eventual death of the product. The overall command and control for a project like Concorde would have to be handled by many individuals who are experts in their fields but one person would have the responsibility of conducted the entire project. There are several skills and competencies which one could seek when looking for a person to handle a project like Concorde of which the most important would be planning skills. However, before a discussion is made regarding the project manager’s skills and abilities, it would be logical to examine some of the primary activities involved with the project. The first activity required for the Concorde project would be to secure the required financing for the project. In historical terms, the idea and the product itself was so costly that no single company could manage to come up with the financing required for the project. In fact, Britain and France had to pool their resources before the production and prototyping process could begin (Wikipedia, 2006). A project manager here would need to be a part of the negotiations between the two countries so that s/he can guide the political process away from the technological process to create as little interference as possible. Once the financing or financial backers have been secured for the project, there is a significant cost involved in terms of time and money which concerns the mobilisation of the project. This activity is

Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Essay How does the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet grab the audiences attention? How does Shakespeare prepare us for what happens in the rest of the play? Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeares most famous romantic tragedies, which was written in 1599. This tale of romance and hatred starts with a dramatic first scene of the opposing families. These characters are shown in the first scene, focusing on the way Shakespeare captures the audiences attention and how he created this action packed, tense first scene to prepare us for the rest of the play. Shakespeares Act 1 Scene 1 sees two angry characters enter armed with swords and bucklers which are publicly seen in their possession. In the society of that time, this would have been common and the audience would not find it strange whereas the society of today would find this threatening, as well as illegal. This gives us an impression of what the people and the society was like 400 years ago. These two fiery characters are Capulet servants called Sampson and Gregory who start the first scene off with humour: Well not carry coals Sampson. No, for then we should be colliers Gregory. This would have been funny in Shakespearean times as Gregory is contradicting what Sampson has said, and is taking him literally to make light of the situation. Shakespeares audience would have understood the reference whereas a modern audience would see the implication differently and the joke wouldnt be understood, as the Shakespearean language is not commonly known these days. Shakespeare uses sexual references towards the Montague household and Sampson comments that he is a pretty piece of flesh. This sexual reference would have been amusing to the Shakespearean audience, and even though we do not fully understand the comment, we would still pick up what he is implying. We still have amusing sexual references in plays and films today which show how the society then and the society now use sexual comments in their scripts to create humour. This humour helps to capture the audiences attention. These two characters help start off the first scene as they help us to realise the anger and hatred between the two families, and prepare us for what we hope will be more fighting and excitement later on in the play. The next two characters to enter are Montague servants called Abram and Balthasar. Sampson and Gregory are clearly angered by their arrival, and comment that they will bite their thumb at them. This action was an insult in Shakespearean times, and would have been taken in an offensive way. The two Montague servants begin quarrelling with the Capulets, and they begin provoking each other: Do you bite your thumb at us sir? Abram No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you Sampson Later on in Act 1 they continue: Do you quarrel sir? Gregory Quarrel, sir? No sir. Abram. As the provocation warms up, and the two opposing families begin to get angrier, the pace of the play quickens. Modern audiences may not have understood the insult of biting thumbs, but we would feel the tension that was building up on stage between the Montagues and the Capulets, and would see that the characters are very much alike in the fact that they detest the other family and use aggressive language to try and provoke each other. These two characters are added to make the plot more interesting, although they do not show the anger they have for the Capulets as much as the Capulets show us their hatred for the Montagues. Evidence of this is that Sampson and Gregory in Act 1 Scene 1 talk about how they will inflict pain and violence on the Monatagues if they come across one: A dog of the house of Montague moves me. The bickering between these four characters adds tension and excitement to the first scene of the play, and helps move the scene along. The next character to enter is Benvolio and he is clearly angered by the fighting that has occurred between the two families. He beats down their swords saying put up your swords; you know not what you do. We can already see a big contrast between Benvolio and the other four characters: Benvolio is a peacemaker who wishes for the family feud to end, whereas the others provoke each other into a fight, quarrel and hold hatred for each other. Tybalt then enters, angry and fired up over the Montague presence. He speaks of how he hates the word peace as he hates hell, all Montagues and thee. We begin to learn that Tybalt is a very angry and aggressive character that would love to get his own revenge on the Montague household. Although the language is still written and spoken as if in Shakespearean times, we would still feel the tension and pace quickening, and understand the personalities of the different characters. Shakespeare has given Benvolio and Tybalt different tones of language: Tybalts is strong, aggressive and angry whereas Benvolios is a little less strong and is more polite when talking. These two characters, I feel, are created by Shakespeare to add tension and excitement to the play, and prepare us for more action packed scenes with the two characters later on. The contrast between these two characters would grab the audiences attention and leave us wondering what will happen between these two later on in the play. This fighting leads to several citizens (which are split between the Monatgues and the Capulets) that next enter the scene. A big fight ensues between the two families, and the citizens get involved. This would make us (and the audience 400 years ago) very edgy and would add tension in the audience. These characters are added to show us the hatred that has built between the Capulets and Montagues, and to show us that the anger and contempt between them goes as far as the citizens. Watching this on stage would add fear and tension between the characters on stage and the audience, and Shakespeare would have added swords and angry colours to show the hatred. Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague and Lady Montague enter and when seeing the upheaval of the fights go to join in. The Ladies of the two households try to calm them down but they are defiant; Hold me not; let me go. Montague This shows us that the women in the society of that time did not have any power or say over their husbands, and is a factual part of the play that helps us understand what society was like 400 years ago. During these fights, our next character, Prince Escalus, enters. He immediately stops the fight and issues his last warning. If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. In Shakespearean times, there was no government to help rule the country: it was the princes last word that everyone followed. Shakespeare uses this language as it is a clear and stern statement that easily makes the audience anticipated on what may happen further on in the play. This would add contrast to the play as we would know that we were to expect more fighting, but the Princes ultimatum would leave us wondering what was going to happen next, which would create more interest in the play and change our first thoughts of what we were to expect as we think that Shakespeare will cause more hatred and fighting between his characters to keep us interested. Shakespeare creates a very clear, polite but strong character here with an easy dialogue that audiences of today would easily understand. All the characters exit leaving Montague, Lady Montague and Benvolio talking of what happened. In this part of the scene, Shakespeare shows us that not only is Benvolio a peacemaking character, but also a truthful one that we can trust. This ensures us that whatever may happen later on in the play, we can trust Benvolio to tell the truth. The language Shakespeare uses is clear and to the point, giving as much detail as possible without giving to much away of what is to come later on in the play. They then start talking about Benvolios cousin, Romeo. This is when Shakespeare introduces his main, love struck character. We learn that Lady Montague is particularly caring about her son: O where is Romeo? Right glad I am he was not at this fray. They talk of how he shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and our first impressions of Romeo is that he is a very miserable, lonely person (not the person we originally think of when we hear his name). Shakespeare leaves us again confused of what may happen later on in the play as the name Romeo is synonymous with romance, but when we hear what Romeo is like, we are left wondering if the play will be as it was first expected. Modern audiences would understand this part of the play, as the language is clear and understandable. The dialogues are introducing the contrast of hatred to love but at the same time it also stays informative and gives us our first impressions of Romeo. This part of the play is important as it helps move the scene along from the fighting earlier on, and informs us on our first of the main characters, Romeo. Our main character now enters and Shakespeares language tells us a lot of how Romeo is feeling: Is the day so long? Ay me! Sad hours seem long. We learn that Romeo is an extremely depressed character who doesnt seem to be this romantic character (that we suspected from his name) we first imagined. Shakespeare keeps us wondering about why Romeo is depressed, giving Romeo small dialogues of little information. We later learn that Romeo is out of her favour where I am in love. This now tells us more of Romeos character and instead of what our first impressions were, we now feel that he is a soppy romantic who is in love with love. Romeo later talks in riddles as he states: O heavy lightness O loving hate feather of lead This shows us how he feels confused over his feelings of love, and that he will feel no love like this. Again our impression is that he is very romantic and loves to be loved. This part of the scene from when Romeo enters prepares us for more romance and we feel that the romance and love will be the cause of the fighting later on in the play, which links to Prince Escalus warning. In conclusion, I feel that this first scene is successful in helping us predict but also wonder what will happen later on in the play. It prepares us for more fighting and for a romance that may be the cause of death, betrayal and hurt. Ive learnt of how inferior the women were 400 years ago, and how royalty ruled everything. Shakespeare has used the period that he lived in to create this play, and along with being an interesting love tale, it is in some ways factual as well. This play is very dramatic, tense and action-packed and I feel that this first scene starts the play off brilliantly.

Concentration Levels of Essential Metals

Concentration Levels of Essential Metals Comparative Distribution of Selected Essential Metals in Drinking Water by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric Method Tanzeel ur Rehman and Misbah Zahid ABSTRACT This study reports the concentration levels of selected essential metals; Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Zn in the drinking water collected from different areas of Islamabad. The levels of these metals present in the drinking ground water were compared with standards reported worldwide. The analysis was carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean metal concentration for Na was far less than those reported worldwide, while the average concentrations of K and Zn were also less than those reported worldwide. The mean concentration of Fe was equal to those reported worldwide standards. Sodium showed maximum concentration while Fe was estimated to be the lowest among the selected metals. Key Words: Essential Metals; Ground water; Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry INTRODUCTION Environmental pollution especially in the metropolitan cities is generally expected to deteriorate the quality of drinking water. One of the important parameters of the quality of water is represented by the concentration of major, minor and trace elements. In industrial areas, some of the metals may be expected to present at considerably elevated level as a result of excessive industrial effluents which might find their way to the underground drinking water reservoir1. Contrary to such theory, one may suggest that, the underground drinking water resources may still be out of reach to the surface pollutants. In any of such cases, regular monitoring of trace metals is always recommended especially in the drinking water2. In Pakistan, only limited population has access to the purified public water supply while the rest of population is dependent upon direct withdrawal of water from both surface and underground sources. Most of the quality problems in Pakistan are due to lack of waste disposal regulations non-availability of treatment facilities and due to lack of public awareness about water quality3. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry is most commonly used for the determination of metal levels in the groundwater and soil4. In addition, few other techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence, ICPMS, ICPES, flame photometry, emission spectrography and voltammetry have been used for metal analysis on limited scale. Atomic absorption method is preferably used because it is more sensitive, and reproducible, relatively free of interferences and convenient to use than most of the other methods of analysis. For the quantitative measurements of trace metal levels, calibration line method has been most widely applied. The most selective light sources in the form of hollow cathode lamps have been in use since a long in atomic absorption spectroscopy5. Drinking water used in Rawalpindi and Islamabad is contributed by two main sources. First is the surface water, mainly in the form of dams and the other is groundwater which is drained off after proper boring. Water supplied to twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is mostly a run-off collected from the watershed of Murree hills. The contamination is due to the anthropogenic emissions and geological structure of the area bearing unhealthy minerals affecting the taste and characteristics of water6. The pathogenic organism is also responsible for health hazard, apart from the inorganic chemical7. The present study was carried out to estimate the concentration of selected essential metals Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Zn in the drinking water and then to compare these metal levels with the international standards in order to evaluate their health effects. EXPERIMENTAL Water samples were collected from the residential areas of Islamabad. These samples were collected in plastic bottles and stored in proper place before analysis. Before filling, the sample bottles were first rinsed with the sample water and were then filled to overflow so that no air bubble was left trapped in the sample. The samples were collected during day time, mostly on a shiny day. Care was taken to collect the representative samples. For calibration line, working standards of the metals were prepared. The stock solutions of 100 ppm of all these metals were prepared from pure metal salts, or metal salt having fixed H2O molecules. The working standards were prepared by appropriately diluting 100 ppm stock solutions of these metals. All equipments used, were properly calibrated prior to experimental measurement. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Hitachi, 170-10, Japan) equipped with laminar flow burner. Air-acetylene flame was used for the determination of these metals under optimum analytical conditions shown in Table-1. Each metal was analyzed at its optimum wavelength under stipulated flow rate of oxidant and fuel, as recommended by the manufacturer of the instrument. Every care was taken to reduce the contamination during the analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The analysis of selected essential metals was performed under the optimum analytical conditions as shown in Table-1. The absorption wavelength used for Ca was 422.7 nm, for Mg 285.2 nm, for Na 589.0 nm, for K 766.5 nm, for Fe 248.3 nm, Zn 213.8 nm. The lamp currents were properly adjusted as recommended by the manufacturer and oxidant and fuel flow rates were also controlled for maximum absorption signal (Table-1). The distributed parameters for the selected essential metals in the drinking water are shown in Table-2. Minimum levels for Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, and Zn were 1.15, 9.00, 11.21, 0.70, 0.20 and 0.23 ppm, while their maximum values were 32.43, 25.64, 25.95, 4.43, 0.63 and 0.56 ppm respectively. Ca, Mg and Na were present at dominant levels while K, Fe, and Zn showed relatively low concentrations. Mean and median values were found to be comparable in each case. Overall, the metal levels were quite divergent as manifested by relative high standard deviation values as well as appreciably large coefficient of variance. In water, trace amounts of metals are common, and normally, these are not harmful to health. In fact, some metals are essential for the sustainability of life. Ca, Mg, K and Na must be present at relatively higher levels for normal body functions. Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se and Zn are needed as catalysts for enzyme activities at low levels. Drinking water containing high levels of these extremely important metals or poisonous metals such as Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg. Se and Ag may be dangerous to health8. The presence of metals in water supply may be natural or may be the result of contamination. Natural presence of these metals is the result of dissolution of metals due to the connection of water with soil or rocks9. Corroded material i.e corrosion of pipes and waste disposal leakage are the major sources of contamination of water. Metals present at high enough level than threshold limit value should be removed to be out of risk factor. Comparison of present metal levels with the international standards is shown in Table-3. Ca is important in controlling nerve impulse conduction and muscle contraction in living organisms. It has very important role in blood clotting. It converts fibrinogen to fibrin during blood clotting10. Ca is very important for good health. Most of the required portion of Ca for human body is provided by the drinking water containing Ca. This particular amount of Ca prevents ailments as hypertension, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disorders. The calcium level was found in the range of 1.15 to 32.43 ppm. The WS-1, WS-2, WS-3 has approximately equal amount of Ca while the WS-6 has a maximum amount of Ca. The median of all these samples were 18.64 ppm. The WS-5 was found to have the minimum amount of Ca. All the observation shows that Ca has the low amount than the WHO standards. The standard deviation is 8.02 and the co–efficient of variance is 40.8 which is maximum than all the other elem ents. Magnesium is driven out from the bodies of healthy persons. People may suffer from increase in blood pressure, muscle weakness and even coma if they have kidney disease. Mg is for signaling the nervous system and it also participates in osmotic and electrolyte balance. It is essentially required in photosynthesis. In human, it can cause genetic disorder11. In the present work the Mg mean value was found 18.04 ppm. The concentration of Mg ranges from 9.00–25.64 ppm. The lowest value was found in WS-6D and the highest was found in WS-2C. The median was found 16.36 ppm .All the values were found to be below the international standards of WHO. The maximum difference was found in WS-1 samples which is 15.93–25.23. The median was lower than the mean which shows asymmetry in its distribution. The standard deviation is 4.59 ppm and co-efficient of variance is 23.21 which is lower than all other elements. Sodium is beneficial to healthy adults at normal intake levels. But people having hypertension or heart problem should reduce Na intake to lower the danger of heart diseases and blood pressure. Na has serious effects on both human life and crop yield. Water high in Na is considered soft and generable for irrigation12. In present study, the result showed the mean value of Na was 19.80 ppm which was higher than Ca and Mg but this level was not the toxic level, so it has no bad effects. Na levels range from 11.21 to 35 ppm. The least Na levels were found in WS-6D and the highest was found in WS-4E. The median was higher than the mean value which showed the negative asymmetry in the data. The spread of the data is found in form standards deviation and was 6.02 ppm and the co-efficient of variance was 33.39 %. In comparison with the international standards, the Na levels found in the samples were low than WHO, EU, UK and Japan, but are just equivalent to USEPA standards. In natural water, K is found in far smallest concentration than other metals. It acts in water as Na does, although it occurs in small concentration but plays an important role in metabolism of the fresh water environment and is regarded to be the vital macro-nutrients. It has an important role in maintenance of osmotic and electrolytic balance. It is important in proper rhythm of heart beat. It is important for creation of nerve impulse and its transmission13. In our analysis the K ranges from 0.70 to 4.43 ppm and mean value was 3.06 ppm. The lowest level was found in WS-6A and the highest in WS-3A. The median is 3.53 ppm which showed the negative asymmetry and standard deviation is 1.19 and co-efficient of variance is 39%. K values in present study were much lower than EU and UK standards. Iron in water has not hazardous for health by itself but it may be responsible for increasing the hazard of pathogenic organisms, because many of these organisms need Fe to grow. Iron is one of the most abundant metals in the earth crust and is essential for plants, animals and human being. The permissible limit placed on this metal has no health significance14. In our study the mean value found for the Fe was 0.39 ppm. The minimum value was found at 0.2 ppm in the WS-4B, and the maximum was 0.63 ppm in WS-1A. The median found for Fe was 0.40 which is greater than the mean and show asymmetry in the data. The standard deviation was 0.13 which showed small spread of the data. The co-efficient of variance value was 33.79%, in comparison with the international standards of WHO, EU, USEPA, UK, Russia and Japan present levels were almost same. The iron present in the sample seems to be ferrous iron since no discoloration of water was observed when collected. Zinc is very important constituent in our diet. Zn has hazardous effects if we increase its amount 10-15 times higher than the amount required for good health. Large doses of Zn taken orally even for a short period of time can cause nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting. Its intake for longer time results in anemia and in decreasing the levels of good cholesterol. Metal fume fever, a short term disease, may be the result of inhaling Zn as dust or fumes of zinc. Breathing high levels of Zn for long time, no doubt, has long-term effects but these are still unknown. Zinc is essential element for plants and exists in water and soil as an organic complexes and inorganic salts. Zinc is required for growth, sexual development, wound healing infection, sense of taste and night vision in human15-17. The mean value found in water samples was 0.42 ppm which ranged from 0.23 to 0.56 ppm. The median of the data reading was 0.48 which showed negative asymmetry in the data. The standard deviation sho wn was 0.12 ppm and co-efficient of variance was 27.49 %. When these values are compared with international standards the Zn level was found lower than WHO, US EPA, Russia, but was higher than EU. CONCLUSION It was observed during the present study that mean concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, and Zn in the drinking water of Islamabad were found to be 19.65, 18.04, 19.80, 3.06, 0.39, and 0.42 ppm respectively. For Na, K, Ca, Mg and Zn, these values are far less in comparison to the concentrations reported worldwide, whereas for Fe present value is nearly equal to the reported values. Ca, Mg and Na were in high concentrations as they are macronutrients while K, Fe and Zn being the micronutrients were present in low concentrations. Over all, the selected metals revealed asymmetric distribution in their concentration duly reported by standard deviation and co-efficient of variation. Table-1: Optimum analytical conditions on FAAS for selected essential metals Table-2: Distribution of selected essential metal levels (ppm) in the drinking water BDL = Below Detection Limits Table-3: Comparison of selected essential metal levels (ppm) with the international standards reported world-wide18 REFERENCES Manahan, S. E. (1997). Environmental Science and Technology, Lewis Publishers, New York, pp. 339-340. Khan, M. J.; Sarwar, S. and Khattak, R. A. (2004). Evaluation of river Jehlum water for heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Cr) and its suitability for irrigation and drinking purposes at district Muzaffarabad (AK), Journal of the Chemical Society of Pakistan, 26, 436-442. InamUllah, E. and A. Alam, (2014). Assessment of drinking water quality in Peshawar, Pakistan. Bulg. J.Agric. Sci., 20: 595-600 Robinson, J. W. (1995). Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis, 5th Edition, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 7-8, 316-318. Mendham, J.; Denney, R. C.; Barnes, J. D. and M. Thomas, (2000). Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 6th Edition, Addison Wesley Longman Singapore. pp. 60-64 Manzoor, S.; M. H Shah, M. H; Shaheen, N.; Khalique, A. and Jaffar, M. (2006). Characterization distribution and comparison of selected metals in textile effluents, adjoining soil and groundwater, Journal of the Chemical Society of Pakistan, 28, 10-13. Rauf, M. A.; Ikram, M. and Shaukat, S. (2002). Water analysis of Rawal lake and its surrounding areas, Journal of the Chemical Society of Pakistan, 24, 271-281. Paul B Tchounwou, Clement G Yedjou, Anita K Patlolla, and Dwayne J Sutton, Heavy Metals Toxicity and the Environment, EXS. (2012); 101: pp. 133–164 Kumar, A. (1989) Environmental Chemistry, 2nd Edition, Wiley Eastern Limited, New Delhi, pp. 60-64. Tahir, M. A.; Chaudary, M.; Rasool, M. R.; Naeen, T. M.; Chughtai, I. R. and Dhami, M. S. I. (1999). Quality of drinking water samples of Sialkot and Gujranwala, Proceedings of Tenth National Chemistry Conference, pp. 62-69. Konrad M, Weber S. Recent advances in molecular genetics of hereditary magnesium-losing disorders. Journal of American Society, Nephrol. (2003);14:249–260. Dr. James Robbins, Irrigation Water For Greenhouses And Nurseries Agriculture And Natural Resources , FSA6061. Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF (1952). Currents carried by sodium and potassium ions through the membrane of the giant axon of Loligo. Journal of Physiology 116 (4): 449–472. Afzal Shah,Abdul Niaz,Nazeef Ullah,Ali Rehman,Muhammad Akhlaq,Muhammad Zakir,andMuhammad Suleman Khan; Comparative Study of Heavy Metals in Soil and Selected Medicinal Plants; Journal of Chemistry, Volume20137. Simmer K, Thompson RP. Zinc in the fetus and newborn. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl (1985); 319:158-63. Fabris N, Mocchegiani E. Zinc, human diseases and aging. Aging (Milano) (1995); 7:77-93. Maret W, Sandstead HH. Zinc requirements and the risks and benefits of zinc supplementation. J Trace Elem Med Biol (2006); 20:3-18. Radojevic, M. and Bashkin, V. N. (1999). Practical Environmental Analysis, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK. 1

Unemployment Inflation in the U.S

Unemployment Inflation in the U.S Unemployment rate is known to be one of the most vital economic indicators to represent a particular countrys economic performance usually formulated by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS). While looking at United States unemployment rate, it has been ranging from 4.7 till 10.1 percent. Economists realize that unemployment is a serious problem, as it not only withdraws consumption patterns but also occurs at an opportunity cost of the goods and services that could have been produced. In addition, persistent unemployment can result in a pool of psychological and social welfare costs such as; suicides, depression, divorces etc. In order to understand how unemployment has affected the U.S economy, it is essential to know how unemployment is measured initially and what causes it. Measuring Unemployment Firstly, a monthly Employment Report is generated by the U.S government which is constituted of two surveys. The first being the Establishment Report and the second being the Current Population Survey. The Establishment Report inquires how many workers are being paid regularly from a sample of employers while the CPS, inquires a pool of 60,000 households about any of them trying to seek work or are working currently. When the result is finalized, it helps the BLS to analyse how many Americans are employed and how many are not. It is categorized into six different measures namely; When a person is out of job for 15 weeks or more. When a worker has finished a temporary job or has been sacked. Formulating official unemployment rate by evaluating the proportion of the labour force from the total unemployed. Measuring the total unemployment rate by adding up (3) and the portion of workers who have given up looking for a job (discouraged). Summing up the answers to (4) and adding a portion of workers who are interested to work but have not started looking for it. Summation of all the above results from 3-5 onwards with those workers who are keen to work full-time but cannot. Reasons of Unemployment In general economics, unemployment can be reasoned to occur for a number of economic factors. However, while generalizing it only to the U.S economy, unemployment is caused by either frictional, structural or cyclical reasons. Frictional Unemployment: Such type of unemployment is generated from the transitions in the workforce that are often caused when workers try to shift in between jobs in order to get a higher salary or because they gave shifted to a particular location. It can also be caused when employers hold back themselves from appointing of sacking workers for in economic reasons. Structural Unemployment: When a mismatch is created due to geographical, demographical or industrial reasons; structural unemployment is caused. Usually, it can be caused in areas where there is a lot of technical advancement but the workers lack the technical expertise to carry out their jobs. Such progress in technology is usually a great cost to the economy. In the U.S, the newspaper industry has faced a loss of jobs for reporters, content editors and so on as the online world has taken over the industry in the form of web-based advertising. Cyclical Unemployment: Keynesian economics states that cyclical unemployment is the effect of booms in the business cycles. Moreover, recession trends lead to lesser workers being recruited thus, rising the unemployment rate. Cyclical unemployment occurs when there is not enough demand for goods and services in the economy at large to provide jobs for everyone who wants one. Basically, it is triggered when consumers have less money at hand to spend money on commodities. This in turn causes companies to lay off their workers due to less demand. Measures to curb the unemployment rate After a specific range, the federal U.S government steps into the scene and tries to create jobs in order to avoid the unemployment rate to persist over a long period of time. The government usually does this via the monetary policy of fiscal policy approach. Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve Bank of U.S is responsible for controlling the monetary policy. The bank is an independent entity that has the key to manage the money supply within the country. Two tools are used accordingly to the economic situation. The first tool adopted is to lower the interest rates. In this way, it is less costly for banks and companies to borrow money as the cost of borrowing is lowered. Governments do this with an aim to stimulate investment spending and expansion of businesses. This results in increased employment and economic vitality. The second tool is to increase the money available to households and businesses. In this way, more money will increase employment and stimulate business expansion. Fiscal Policy: In case the expansionary monetary policy is not enough to curb the unemployment effect, various fiscal policies are adopted to fight the high rates of unemployment. Governments can adopt many techniques to do this. They can: Reduce taxes for encouraging households and businesses to spend. Increase government spending to increase employment rates. Provision of unemployment benefits in order to help them with their basic needs. Recruit workers who have the skills to build things like mass transit systems and who have the skills to cater services such as upgrading and repairing complex infrastructures. (Debt.org, n.d.) Inflation is generally termed as the persistent rise in the general price level of good and services. It can be caused due to three main reasons in the U.S: Demand Pull Inflation: This type of inflation is mainly caused when too much demand is chasing too few goods. A progressing economy just like the U.S; can result in inflation as people start consuming more and more. Growing economies like the U.S can face persistent inflation as people spend more and are optimistic about the future. This can trigger economic growth but after a certain time can be dangerous. Fiscal policies that are discretionary in nature can instigates demand-pull inflation. The government does this by increasing their federal spending and decreasing tax rates which in turn causes an up rise in the demand schedule. For instance, Apple Inc. charges high prices for its products. Cost-Push Inflation: Such type of inflation occurs mainly due to high costs chasing prices. It is caused when supply is low. Wage inflation can trigger cost-push inflation as it is instigated by a good formed labor union. Moreover, when natural calamities occur they can also cause such type of inflation as infrastructure is destroyed such as that what happened in Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. For instance, excessive fishing in the U.S causes a reduction in supply for seafood, thus increasing its price. Another reason can also be flexibility of U.S exchange rate that leads to import-push inflation. Money-Supply Inflation: Excess expansion of money supply can also lead to inflation. Money in general means both cash and credit. Whenever U.S households find loan cheap, there will be a lot of money and too few goods thus in return; increasing inflation. Monetary Fiscal Policies in U.S Monetary policy is referred to the deliberate manipulation of national currency which is set by the U.S Federal Reserve. Monetary policy is a tool which is used to control the value of currency; in this case the dollar, in the open market. In the U.S a contractionary monetary policy can be of great use to stabilize the price level and curb the inflation rate. The main aim of the policy is to decrease the level of inflation in the level. The U.S government does this by decreasing government spending or by increasing interest rates. This results in a stable economy. Furthermore; this affects the consumption schedule which equalizes the price level. However, the same policy has many negative side effects to it. Contractionary monetary policy causes production to slow down as it gets tightened over the years. Businesses might shut down their production which reduces the demand of commodities thus creating a recession. In addition to this, unemployment rises as firms hire less workers with less production. (Monetary Policy) On the other hand Fiscal Policy is referred to the adjustment of consuming spending patterns including that of tax. (Explain Fiscal Policy) The main benefits of this policy that it caters is that once implied it immediately takes it role in the economy. Secondly, in case the U.S economy is in recession, a fiscal policy can be implemented to trigger a rise in aggregate demand. Thirdly, it is specific in nature which means that it defines its role in advance. For instance, federal spending on either schools, infrastructure or medical facilities. However, it can have its own cons such as being inflexible. Social and political constraints can cause fiscal policies to lag behind in its implementation period. (Fiscal Policies Pros Cons) Economic Growth Reforms in the U.S Economic growth refers to the amount of prosperity a country enjoys over a period of time. It is an indicator of the growth in the economy. For instance, in the U.S, the economic growth rate is around 2 to 5 percent. As the U.S is a fast paced economy, such rates persist over long periods of time and are seen pretty well. (Economic Growth) Many policies and reforms have been formed to promote economic growth. One such reform is the President Obama Strategy for American Innovation. The main idea of this reform is the provision of a system that caters to ensure that the American economy prospers. Moreover, this reform also has the aim to generate quality jobs, better infrastructure for medical facilities and improved areas for living. (Innovation Strategy, n.d.) Another policy to promote growth is the Economic Development Administration which helps the economy by providing jobs and technical help to those areas where there is an immense need of aid. In such way, employment is created which ensures that there is a stable level of economic growth. (Eco1) Balance of Payments the Exchange Rate of United States The Balance of Payment (BoP) is referred to a numerical and statistical summary of the proceedings that take place within the economy. The proceedings can be either, goods that are tangible, services, income and foreign debt. (Mosbacher, Michael R. Darby, Allan H. Young,, Carol S. Carson) As the current and capital accounts accumulate to result in an aggregate account, both the deficits in the current and capital accounts are compensated with their respective surpluses. In the U.S, a current account deficit when the prices, GNP, interest rates and the exchange rates are high. For instance, in the U.S, if there is an increase in tariffs, there will be less import buying which will result in a current account deficit. However, such changes only occur when other factors contributing towards the Bop reduce the capital account surplus. If this is not the case, there will be a reduction in foreign currencys demand and there will be an appreciation in the dollar value. As a result, the tariff which was initially increased will be offset as exports increase and imports are reduced. In economics, exchange rates are known as the representation of one currency in terms of another. This means that $1 will be values as 8 pesos in Mexico. If there is an appreciation in the value of dollar, there will be an increase in the export prices and a decrease in import prices as foreign goods are now cheaper for the U.S. There is a current account deficit since, the net export function is negative in nature. However, if there is a depreciation in the value of dollar, a vice ver sa situation will occur where import prices rise. Exports become cheaper for foreign consumers which in turn causes the current account deficit to be lessened. (Balance of Payments) (Exchange Rates) Paying off the Foreign Debt – Unites States An economy experiences an equilibrium in its budgets when there federal revenues and spending equal each other. Whenever there is excess of revenues in comparison to spending, there is a surplus and vice versa. Which is why, it is essential for the government to borrow money in order to fill in this deficit in the latter case. Therefore, a federal debt is where money is being lent by foreign countries and that by the public of its own country to facilitate areas where financial assistance is needed. When the Treasury of the U.S government borrows money, the amounts are reported to the federal accounts. Thus, whenever there is a surplus in the trust fund accounts, the U.S Treasury utilizes this surplus to find for various kinds of government spending. Moreover, around a third quarter of the debt is constituted by the federal accounts, whereas, two-third quarters are owned by general masses. (Borrowing and the Federal Debt) Bibliography Balance of Payments. (n.d.). Retrieved from EcoLib.org: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/BalanceofPayments.htm Borrowing and the Federal Debt. (n.d.). Retrieved from NationalPriorities.org: https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/borrowing-and-federal-debt/ Debt.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from Unemployment in the United States: http://www.debt.org/jobs/unemployment/united-states/ Economic Growth. (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economicgrowthrate.asp Exchange Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved from Colorado.edu: http://www.colorado.edu/economics/courses/econ2020/section12/section12.html Explain Fiscal Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/051904.asp Fiscal Policies Pros Cons. (n.d.). Retrieved from Yahoo Answers.com: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080202033549AAb3qM Innovation Strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Whitehouse.gov: https://www.whitehouse.gov/innovation/strategy Monetary Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from SmallBusiness.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/pros-cons-contractionary-monetary-policy-3871.html Mosbacher, R. A., Michael R. Darby, Allan H. Young,, Carol S. Carson. (n.d.). USA Balance of Payments. Smallbussiness.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from Monetary Policy: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/explain-monetary-policy-1504.html

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - : Statements and Themes :: Free Essay Writer

Statements and Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird   Harper Lee makes some direct statements about the thoughts of the public during the mid-nineteen thirties. The simplest way to make a statement in the novel is through the thoughts of Scout. Scout shapes her character from her father's advice. One of the principle values Scout attains from Atticus appears at the end of the novel when she states, "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them" (279). Lee demonstrates the difference between an adult's understanding of the world around him and a child's understanding of his environment by creating the character Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus states: "'Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they [adults] could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live'" (201). Scout does not understand why Dolphus trusts two children with his secret over an adult and he replies, "'Because you're children and you can understand it'" (201). Dolphus teaches that it is not until one loses his innocence that he looks on things with prejudice. Stating facts proves to be beneficial when one is trying to express a point; however, the best way to learn is through experience. Atticus gains respect from his children and is capable of teaching them good values because he allows them to experience some of life for themselves. For example, both Jem and Scout are allowed to walk into town on their own, play by themselves in the yard, and cavort around the neighborhood with Dill during the summer. Atticus allots this freedom and in turn, Jem and Scout gain a sense of independence and responsibility. Atticus' encouragement of Jem's visits to Mrs. Dubose, which proves to be an excellent learning environment for Jem. Not only does he learn how to behave in a gentleman-like manner, but he learns of a courage that exists without physical violence. Atticus also permits the children to watch the trial of Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell's testimony exhibits poor language and a low value system. His mannerisms are contrary to those of Tom Robinson, who portrays himself as a helpful and respectful man. The trial of Tom Robinson proves to be the most beneficial experience the chi ldren could have. Not only do they see their father in a different setting, but they are able to define what constitutes a decent human being and what amounts to human trash.

Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Escape From an Oppressive

Huckleberry Finn - Escape From a Cruel and Oppressive Society America... land of the free and home of the brave; the utopian society which every European citizen desired to be a part of in the 18th and 19th centuries. The revolutionary ideas of The Age of Enlightenment such as democracy and universal male suffrage were finally becoming a reality to the philosophers and scholars that so elegantly dreamt of them. America was a playground for the ideas of these enlightened men. To Europeans, and the world for that matter, America had become a kind of mirage, an idealistic version of society, a place of open opportunities. Where else on earth could a man like J. D. Rockefeller rise from the streets to become one of the richest men of his time? America stood for ideals like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People in America had an almost unconditional freedom: freedom to worship, write, speak, and live in any manner that so pleased them. But was this freedom for everyone? Was America, the utopia for the millions of common men fro m around world, as great as the philosophers and scholars fantasized? America, as a society, as a country, and as a leader was not as picture perfect as Europeans believed. The United States, under all the gold plating, carried a burden of unsolved national problems, especially racial. The deep scar of slavery had left a dent in the seemingly impenetrable armor of the country. From the times of early colonization to the late 19th century, Africans had been brought over by the thousands in overcrowded and unsanitary slave ships. They were sold like cattle to the highest bidder, an inhumane and despicable act that America, land of the free and home of the brave, allowed to happen... ...1997. 14-17. Leavis, F. R. "Viewpoints." Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1968. 109-11. Mailloux, Steven. "Reading Huckleberry Finn." New Essays on Huckleberry Finn. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. 107-30. Marx, Leo. "Mr. Eliot, Mr. Tilling, and Huckleberry Finn." American Scholar 22. (Aut 1953): 423-40. McKay, Janet H. "An Art So High." New Essays on Huckleberry Finn. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. 61-81. Walker, Nancy. "Reformers and Young Maidens: Women and Virtue." Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1968. 76-85. Wright, James. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Great Writers of the English Language: American Classics. North Bellmore, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1991. 12-17.

Police Technology Essay

1. Introduction A gun may be a useful tool to arrest a suspect in a traditional crime scene, but what about a crime committed on the Internet to steal billions of dollars in a few minutes or even confidential information? Will guns be useful in this case? According to Goodman, â€Å"the world isn’t run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money, it’s run by ones and zeros †¦ It’s not about who has the most bullets. Art’s about who controls the information –what we see and hear, how we work, what we think. It’s all about information.† (p.466) With the technological revolution we have nowadays, that changed every aspect of our lives representing new threats and new crimes, police officers should be equipped with new technological tools or techniques to be able to face these new challenges. This paper aims at giving an idea about police technology and how does technology help police officers by defining the term â€Å"police technology†, shading the light on history of police technology, and giving some of the impacts of technology on police work and practice. 2. Definitions To understand exactly how does technology help police officers, this section will define what is meant by both terms â€Å"technology† and â€Å"police technology†. 2.1 Technology The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia defines technology as â€Å"Application of knowledge to the practical aims of human life or to changing and manipulation the human environment. Technology includes the use of materials, tools, techniques, and sources of power to make life easier or more pleasant and work more productive. Whereas science is concerned with how and why things happen, technology focuses on making thing happen.† 2.2 Police Technology According to Encyclopedia Britannica the term â€Å"police technology† refers to â€Å"the wide range of scientific and technological methods, techniques, and equipment used in policing.† 3. Police Technology in History and Literature This section will shade the light on the history of police technology since 1840 when officers only had guns and night-light sticks, â€Å"then came technological progress with the invention of the patrol wagon and signal service (which have) effected a revolution in police methods.† (Seaskate, Inc). (See police technology timeline in Table 1) â€Å"The adoption of information technology by police departments in the united States is a relatively recent phenomenon. Before 1987, less than 2% of the 2.200 US police departments with fewer than 100 employees used computers. And as recently as 2003, only 40% of police departments had mobile computer terminals.† (CentrePience) Moving to information technology,   â€Å"only in recent years have many agencies found the use of information technologies significantly helpful. Examples include fingerprinting databases, computerized crime mapping, and records management systems doing everything from inventory property and cataloging evidence to calculating solvability factors.† (Seaskate, Inc) 3.1 The political era (1840-1920) This period witnessed technological advances such as â€Å"telegraph, telephone, police callboxes, Bertillon system of criminal identification† (Seaskate, Inc) and (Stewart, R. W.). â€Å"The advent of fingerprinting in the 1900s and of crime laboratories in the 1920s greatly augmented the police capacity to solve crimes†. (Seaskate, Inc) 3.2 The professional model era or Nationalization of Crime (1920-1970) This period witnessed efforts that tried to â€Å"rid the government of undesirable political influences and create what they deemed professional police departments† (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"The model was the crime laboratory in Berkeley, California, Police Department then the FBI inaugurated its own laboratory which eventually became recognized as the most comprehensive and technologically advanced forensic laboratory in the world† (Seaskate, Inc). This period â€Å"saw the widespread police adoption of the automobile and the introduction of two-way radios† (Seaskate, Inc). Then, in response to rapidly rising crime rates and urban disorders, the Crime Commission was established in the 1960s (Seaskate, Inc). This period witnessed the nationalization of crime. â€Å"In 1967, the Crime Commission produced a long report that gave recommendations, 11 of them dealing with police technology (Seaskate, Inc). The President’s Crime Commission found that the nation’s criminal justice system suffered from a significant Science and technology gap (Seaskate, Inc). Then came â€Å"the advent of 911 after the commission called for establishment of a single telephone number that Americans could use to call the police† (Seaskate, Inc). The computerization for American policing was a result for the commission’s recommendations and the 911 system (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"The 911 system became enhanced (E911) when computer got smarter, showing the telephone number, address, and in some cases, the name of the person who owned the number† (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"One of the most important computer-based innovations in American policing was the advent of National Crime Information Center (NCIC), administered by FBI† (Seaskate, Inc). Computers also were â€Å"essential in the development of Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)† (Seaskate, Inc). 3.3 The Community Policing Era or Computerization of American Policing (Since 1970) The introduction of computers into policing corresponded to the beginning of the third and current era in American policing or â€Å"the Community Policing Era† from 1970 up till now (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"In 1995, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was created by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994†. (ITI, p.3) With funding provided by COPS and other federal and state grant programs, the use of computers in law enforcement gained widespread acceptance in law enforcement agencies of all sizes. (ITI p.3) 4. The Impact of Technology on Police Work Technology has had its impacts on police work especially since the process of computerization of American policing (Figure1 in the appendices shows trends in technology use by police agencies). According to Davis, J. N., â€Å"the continuing development of computer technology has had critical impacts on law enforcement. Mobile data terminals in police cars, automatic vehicle locator systems, and computer-assisted dispatch are now commonly found in police departments. The use of expert systems and artificial intelligence by police agencies in the United States and Canada is on the increase. Examples can be found in agencies ranging from small rural Alliance, Nebraska to urban Baltimore County, Maryland†. (p.1) This section will show how does technology affect police work either in increasing effectiveness, enhancing officer safety, or assisting law enforcement agencies to meet new challenges of terrorism and cyber crimes. 4.1 Increased Effectiveness Research showed that â€Å"police departments that adopted computers together with IT management/governance practices such as CompStat did experience reduced property and violent crime and significantly increased crime clearance rates (by around 8%). Thus, researchers concluded that computers do increase the effectiveness of police work, but only if police work is substantially reorganized to take advantage of their presence† (CentrePiece, p.2). Also according to ITI, â€Å"Significant technological breakthroughs have resulted in products that have increased their crime solving effectiveness† (P.4). For example â€Å"studies led to the widespread use of night vision gear by today’s police agencies† (ITI, p.4). A technology such as fingerprint reader â€Å"has resulted in the creation of automatic fingerprint identification systems (AFIS)†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"AFIS has resulted in the clearance of thousands of crimes that would have otherwise gone unsolved†. (ITI, P.4) The â€Å"enhanced† 911 â€Å"allowed dispatchers to see on their computers screen the address and telephone number from which a 911 emergency call originated† (ITI, p.4).   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The miniaturization of body microphones and closed circuit television has benefited law enforcement in a variety of investigative and crime prevention initiatives†. (ITI, P.4) 4.2 Changed the Role of Police and How They Carry Out Their Duties Technology has changed the role of both police officers and law enforcement agencies. â€Å"With the introduction of the Community Oriented Policing model, a dramatic change occurred in how agencies measured their effectiveness†. (ITI, P.3) The previous section showed that COPS was a result for introducing computers into policing.   â€Å"The emphasis on quick response to calls for services and the number of arrests made and crimes cleared was replaced by the reduction of crimes committed†. (ITI, P.3) â€Å"The COPS program promoted the development of close/citizen relationships with a focus on improving the quality of life on a neighborhood-to-neighborhood basis. From this effort grew programs such as neighborhood Policing and Problem Solving Policing† (ITI, P.3). â€Å"For the COPS concept to be successful officers needed timely information about crime patterns and other social problems occurring on their beats†. (ITI, P.3) â€Å"In police practice the possibility to access and use electronic records has opened up a new way of gathering information for police officers. This has created and developed new ways of working for police officers: they can gather more information when involved in operational work as well as when they are present physically at the police station†. (Borglund, E.) 4.3 Improved Record Keeping and Report Writing Computers have led to a key advantage â€Å"improved recordkeeping†. â€Å"Research showed that introducing computers for record-keeping did increase the amount of recorded ‘minor crimes’ such as larceny† (CentrePiece, p.2). According to Davis, J. N., â€Å"police report writing has also evolved with changes in technology, especially the use of lap-top computers. The continued development of new computer technologies will also bring changes in police report writing†. (p.1) 4.4 Enhances Officer Safety â€Å"Significant technological breakthroughs have resulted in products that have improved officer safety† (ITI, P.4). â€Å"Soft body armor has saved hundreds of officers from death or serious injury† (ITI, P.4). â€Å"Information used in conjunction with Computer Aided Dispatch software allowed dispatchers to warn officers of potential dangers and the history of previous calls at locations prior to their arrival†. (ITI, P.4) The use of safe weapons such as â€Å"non-lethal weapons such as the Taser, beanbag shells and pepper mace had been added to the list of force options available to officers in the field† (ITI, p.4). 4.5 Assist Local Law Enforcement Agencies Meet the New Challenges of Terrorism and Cyber Crime According to Reichert, K. â€Å"creative uses of information technology have the potential to increase the capacity and effectiveness of law enforcement in fulfilling its complex mission today. Including increased demands in the post-September 11 World†. (p.4) â€Å"The pace of the use of technology in law enforcement continues to accelerate. New technologies such as the use of DNA for the criminal investigation, the growth of AFIS and Livescan fingerprinting systems, GPS tracking, and reverse-911 software are all computer dependent systems now being more widely used by agencies around the country†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"New hardware such as Personal Digital Assistance (PDAs) and other wireless devices such as web-enabled cellular telephones are changing the way information is collected and shared†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"The 911 systems have precipitated the use of computerized mapping and links between 911 systems and computer aided dispatch software† (ITI, p.4). â€Å"Incident-based reporting is being implemented across the country requiring new records management software designed to capture and report crime statistics electronically† (ITI, p.4). â€Å"The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon significantly increased awareness for the need to share information between law enforcement agencies at all levels of government†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Antiquated radio systems are being replaced so that multiple agencies can communicate during joint operations and disaster responses. Integration of computer databases is being developed for intelligence gathering and criminal investigation†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Detection technology, protection equipment and training are being provided to public safety personnel to meet the challenges of a nuclear, biological or chemical threat as well as an attack using conventional weapons†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"The use of the Internet for the commission of crimes is increasing at an alarming rate†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Thieves, hackers, hate groups, pedophiles, cyberspace stalkers, drug cartels and terrorist groups freely use the Internet to carry out their illegal activities†. (ITI, p.4) The Internet also offers many benefits to law enforcement† (ITI, p.5). â€Å"The ability to share information between agencies and with the public has been greatly enhanced by the use of the internet†.

A Personality Development Theory Applied in Choosing Career Essay

This paper attempts to look at the Big Five, a personality development theory that is used in studying the dimension of one’s personality. The Big Five model is a product of empirical research and at present, the most accepted approach among psychologists in studying personality traits. 1 The five factors are known as OCEAN- openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. 2 It is said that theses possession of these traits may be stable for over 45 years that can start from early adulthood. 3 Parts and portion of traits are also heritable genetically. In addition, the traits are result of adaptation to the environment. Generally, these factors are viewed as universal and have been found in languages of different nations. Knowing where one’s place in the dimension can be very useful for one’s improvement and realization of skills, talents and abilities. The Case Dave has long been dreaming of putting up his own business. After several years of working in the job which he definitely did not like, he finally decided to pursue his dream. At this point in time, Dave was not sure of what enterprise will best fit his personality. Applying the Big Five Personality Development Theory, we carefully examine Dave’s personality in order to see what are his dominant traits and characteristics, his weaknesses and   1Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: 2Guilford. Soldz, S. , & Vaillant, G. E. (1999). The Big Five personality traits and the life course: A 45-year longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 33, 208-232 3Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: unleashed talents if ever to be able to fit it with the kind of business that will best suit him. This is for the purpose of finding the better enterprise that will complement to his overall personality. This is important because the idea of putting up a business is much of a risk to take and Dave cannot afford not to be successful in his new chosen field after leaving his long time job. This is somehow a prelude to the future of his business because as the business and manger and owner to be, he will direct the efficiency and effectiveness of his business. To start with, traits and characters must be identified. In this case Dave provided us with some of his characteristics that are assumed to be relevant in helping him determine the best business for him. Dave mentioned that he was previously a paralegal and he had worked with attorneys and several clients in their law firm. He claimed that he often acts as a leader and in fact he formerly managed a staff. He added that he posses various leadership qualities though if given a choice, he would rather work alone. Applying the Big Five Personality Earlier, it has been mentioned that Dave, if given the chance will rather work alone, hence, we can conclude that he is an introvert. But since, he had longed desire to have his own business, it is inevitable to work with other person or to a group of person. By the word business, he is going to put up an organization. Building an organization means continuous interaction with other people and all the accompanied activities will operate in a relational or in a dynamic manner. Example of introversion is being independent and often being quiet. Introvert people prefer to do things by themselves and refuses to be helped by others and also disregard group activities because they see themselves more productive if they are alone. They are also the type who minimizes social involvement, in other words they prefer less socialization. Some of them are deliberately shy and some extreme cases found depression. Given that Dave wanted to put up his business and he also wanted to be alone if possible, I think the best business that will suit him is a coffee shop. Maintaining a coffee shop is not that difficult. Three to four people can be able to organize the business accordingly. If he will put up a coffee shop, he can be the one at the counter or he can hire another person to do that and all he needs to do is to supervise. Unlike his previous job wherein he had staff to lead to and attorneys and clients to deal with, a coffee shop business will put him in less trouble. If he has a passion in bartending, he can be the one to do it and all he needs to face is the waiter who will be passing the orders to him. As for agreeableness, undoubtedly, Dave has established leadership qualities necessary to operate a business. It will not be hard for him to deal with his employees to be, since he had his fair share on this matter on his preceding occupation. On the other hand, Dave showed did not mention about openness but I think it is safe to say that he is an open person because even if he has introvert qualities he bear with his colleagues for a long period of time and he tried to be a good leader and showed exceptional qualities of leadership in the law firm. Another proof of his openness is his likeness to have his own business. This means that he is open for new changes in his life to happen. Meanwhile, Dave has finally become assertive departing from his old reticent way. This is because at last he had the courage to left his job and starts a new with a business. Lastly, after evaluating the four factors of the Big Five, we can conclude that Dave is in the mid of imaginative and conventional dimension since he had let several years to past before actually realizing his wants, nevertheless he also posters creativity side as he was able to think of another form of occupation. In this activity, I learned the importance of knowing your personal traits and characteristics. Being familiar with your limitations and advantages may help you in various ways, likewise, it can help you understand others as well as to deal with them accordingly. Being acquainted with these traits will improve your relationship to other people and most of all it will contribute a lot in realizing your own potential and developing you as a person. References About. com Website (2008). The â€Å"Big Five Personality Model. Retrieved on January 17, 2008 from http://psychology. about. com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive. htm Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: Guilford. Soldz, S. , & Vaillant, G. E. (1999). The Big Five personality traits and the life course: A 45-year longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 33, 208-232

‘Macbeth’ was one of the first plays written during the reign of James I Essay

‘Macbeth’ was one of the first plays written during the reign of James I. Shakespeare intended to honour the King by glorifying Banquo, the legendary founder of the Stuart line. Hence the play also serves as a mirror for magistrates, a dramatization of the theme of kingship. James I strongly believed in the Divine Right of kings. He believed that the lord of the heavens had placed kings to rule over people in the world, thus Kings had a god-given right to rule and treachery was like turning away from God and not only the king. In actually fact, if you went against your own king, you were indeed challenging God. James I had ruled the Scottish Parliament more or less how he liked using the concept of Divine Right but when he came to rule over England, he found the English parliament far less easy to handle, insisting that the king could only rule by its consent. In ‘Macbeth’ the common theme is based on the natural order of things. Macbeth’s lawless act destroys all law: it occasions confusion and disorder in the world of men and animals as well as in the heavens above. Everywhere there is upheaval: on the night when the murder is done, chimneys are blown down, lamentations and strange screams of death are heard in the air, and some say the earth was â€Å"feverous and did shake† (2,3,53-59). All this confirms the interdependency of man and nature. The natural elements, following the death of Duncan, are in strange disorder and there is the further recounting of other amazing violations of nature, the unnatural behaviour of animals no longer acting according to their ways. ‘A falcon towering in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed’ (2,4,13). As you can probably guess the owl is supposed to represent King Duncan, on top of the chain, and mousing owl is supposed to be Macbeth, the person who broke this chain and disordered everything, to the tiniest atom. ‘Macbeth,’ at the time would have been exceptionally, politically advantageous to James because it would have greatly increased the public’s view that James I was God’s so-called Sergeant on earth, and so had the right to do or change whatever he pleased. The easiest way to attack a political rival was to accuse him of treachery and the easiest way to prove his treachery was to link him with one of the proscribed religious groups. In 1605 James dealt with some troublesome rivals by claiming to have detected a Catholic plot to blow up the parliament. In Scotland, even more than in England at the time, political troublemakers were accused of witchcraft and heresy. James himself was an authority on witchcraft and the London edition of his Demonology was published in 1603, the year of his accession to the throne of Great Britain. Certainly most people believed in the existence and power of witches, devils and ghosts and the religiously orthodox stressed that the devil could take many shapes. According to the teaching of the Church, Heaven and Hell were actual places and the central teaching of Christianity was the sinful (fallen) nature of man and the necessity of a sense of guilt to bring the sinner to accept the salvation from sinfulness offered by Christ. The reason of man was not foolproof and the Church urged the faithful to be on their guard against any suggestion of communication with the Devil. In Act I, Scene 3 of ‘Macbeth’ Baquo expresses similar fears concerning the witches: Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? (Lines 82-84) And And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths; Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence (Lines 122-125 At the start of the play there surrounds two conflicting views of the hero, Macbeth. In scene 1, when the audience have already found out that the witches have met in order to meet Macbeth, a big question mark surrounds Macbeth. The audience is forced to ask themselves who is this Macbeth and what business does he have with these foul witches. In scene 2 the audience finds out the true identity of Macbeth. He is indeed a Hero! We learn that a battle between King Duncan’s army and the rebels is raging nearby. The scene starts of with King Duncan being given the latest news of the rebellion by the sergeant. The sergeant reports, with great enthusiasm, how the battle was at first, in balance. That is until, gallant and brave Macbeth, ignoring all the odds, slashing in and out with his bloody sword reached the traitor Macdowald and with no pity, ripped the traitor from head to toe. After hearing how the battle went, King Duncan has nothing but praise for the heroic deed of Macbeth and announces that Macbeth is to be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and the treacherous Cawdor is to be executed immediately. The battle is given a size and importance that magnify the qualities of Macbeth and our curiosity and anticipation are aroused to meet this might champion so praised by all who have seen him. But our memories still hold the mention of his name by the witches and the finale line of the scene (‘What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won’) reminds us of line 4 in scene 1 (‘When the battle’s lost and one’) and this connexion is consolidated in Scene 3. Macbeth’s first words echo the witches ‘so foul is fair a day I have not seen.’ This suggests Macbeth is already in tune with the way the witches think. Banquo believes that these witches are in league with the devil and thus should not be trusted, ‘Can the devil speak truth?’ However Macbeth wants to hear more of this ‘strange intelligence’, ‘upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.’ The witches predict two things:- that Macbeth will become the thane of Cawdor, and the king hereafter. They also predict two things for Banquo that he will be lesser than Macbeth, and his children will be the kings after Macbeth. The witches second prediction of Macbeth (‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter’) is exactly what Macbeth wants to hear because it is his greatest ambition to be king, the ultimate prize is his for grabs. The soliloquy beginning ‘Two truths are told’ which shows that the witches second prediction has come true about Mabeth earning the title of Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth then begins thinking about the witches’ third prophecy ‘the greatest is behind’ and what he needs to do now to become king. It is at this point that he starts to consider murder but he feels very uneasy about the word even though he is renown around Scotland as a ruthless soldier, ‘why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs’ (1,3,134-136). Macbeth is confused but still very ambitious. Macbeth shows signs of having a good heart and good intentions, but he also shows that he has a weak mind that ignores and disobeys what he knows is right. You can straight away see that Macbeth has got a powerful conscious when Lady Macbeth has a torrid time trying to convince him to kill King Duncan. At first he absolutely refuses to do such a horrible deed to such a noble person. He knows in his heart that to kill Duncan is wrong and deceitful. The reader can tell that Macbeth is trying is utmost best to resist the misgivings of his wife. ‘We will proceed no further. He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon’ (1,7,31-35). Although he knows that this deed will have profound consequences he allows Lady Macbeth to persuade him into doing what he knows is wrong. Macbeth knows he has chosen the wrong path when he says, ‘I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again, I dare not’ (2,3,46-48). Therefore Macbeth is disobeying what his own heart is telling him. In fact, Macbeth speaks of the distrust he has for his own heart when he says ‘False face must hide what the false heart doth know.’ Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to do the murder by telling him that, all he is doing, is fulfilling his own lofty ambition and that surely he is not a coward. If he is a man, he should act like one. The fact that Macbeth is so easily persuaded to kill a man, proves that he must have considered murder before. It is also the sign of a person who has a weak mind and who does not stand up for himself. Lady Macbeth feeds on this weakness. Macbeth is tempted to do evil and Lady Macbeth is the key human agent – the one Macbeth trusts and loves- who ensures his temptation is through and complete. Lady Macbeth, when we first encounter her is, dominant, determined, powerful, and even perhaps frightening in the intensity of her uncompromising desire for her husband to ascend the throne. Be it, the price of murder. We understand that Macbeth has his own ‘deep desires,’ but this seems tame compared with Lady Macbeth’s unquenchable aspirations (she summons evil itself into her body and soul to unsex her and remove any doubts she might have). Further, we see in her actions, a cool, self-assured person, unlike her husband. When Macbeth falters, she is there and she also has the courage to return the daggers and to faint at the news of King Duncan’s murder, and so distract any attention from her husband. She plans the details of the murder; she has the future worked out. She is also pre-eminently cunning and shows no fear of the supernatural and death itself. That is why she can say, ‘a little water clears us of this deed’ (2,2,67), because there is nothing to fear from God and old-fashioned ideas of retribution. She can happily envisage hypocrisy and falsehood. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth fates are inextricably joined, but her role and character support Macbeth’s destiny. However like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth shows moments of humanity – she would have killed Duncan herself only he reminded her of her own father. It is these small details that perhaps indicate that she is not as cold and inhuman as she makes herself to be. It could actual, all be an act just to persuade Macbeth to do the final deed. This of course makes her breakdown seem the more inevitable as she is bound to blame herself in some way for the murder. Ultimately she finds out that water will not wash away the stain of blood. It is then ironic that Macduff on first meeting Lady Macbeth refers to her as ‘gentle lady’ and one too sensitive to even hear the word ‘murder.’ By the end of the play she is recognized for what she is, a ‘fiend-like queen’ (5,6,108). Macbeth, in the final analysis, is too preoccupied with his own role to give support to her. Once he has done his first major murder he needs no help from her to do the others†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦. Macbeth is a man of action: the play proves this in more ways then others. He is a fearless warrior – and an important lord – who defends his king against treachery. However, ambition is his finale weakness. He allows, first the witches’ prophesy and then his wife’s ambition for him, to undermine his integrity. It is clear that he is not easily won over to evil. His conscience is strong and throws up many objections to his doing the deed. However, he is also too easily influenced in the direction that he secretly desires to go. Once he has decided, he does not deviate, and each step subsequently reaffirms his initial choice. Macbeth, then, is determined, and with this determination turns to a violent and ruthless path, full of chaos. So how does Macbeth ‘a peerless kinsman,’ develops into King Duncan’s murderer? Is Macbeth’s mistake in killing ‘gracious’ king Duncan, his entire fault? Is he to blame for his own doing or were they any other factors that bade him to do this terrible deed? Is Macbeth still the hero at the end of this play and does he deserve what he gets? For these Questions to be answered we need to look at the fundamental theme of the play, Ambition. Partly because it is the driving force of Macbeth’s life. ‘Macbeth’ is a deep sentimental tragedy. ‘Tragedy,’ in Shakespeare usually concerns a great person, the hero, who through some weakness of his character falls from grace, endures intense sufferings (which fascinate the audience), and who inevitable dies a tragic death. In fact, who must die as a consequence of their weakness. Thus if you look at ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, we find all these ingredients; and if we consider what is the hero’s weakness, it must and can only be ambition. Macbeth says this specifically when he is attempting to resist the murder of Duncan: ‘I have no spur†¦.but only/Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself’ (1,7,25-7).This acknowledgement comes after he has considered all the good reasons for not murdering Duncan. Only ambition is left to overrule his troubled conscience. Furthermore, whilst the influence of both Lady Macbeth and the witches is strong, their power over Macbeth is only possible because the ambition is already there. Macbeth ,then, is a hero but one who is fatally undermined by his ambition, that are the fabric of the play. Put in another way: it is his ambition that leads Macbeth to murder, treason, hypocrisy, corruption and deepest evil.