Economic and environmental costs Essay

Technology is the development of physical equipment, their processes, skills and knowledge to make effective use these advancements. However the innovation of new technology comes with its disadvantages. Externalities are the costs or benefits that a use of a technology creates for a third party. Consequently, due to the mix of costs and benefits, the philanthropist- Kranzberg famously said: â€Å"Technology is neither good nor bad, nor it is neutral. † The externalities that I will pay the most emphasis on, are the negative unforeseen consequences of technological innovation. With the exponential growth of the population and the demand for technology becoming greater by the day, we are now dependent on technology. However social factors such as health issues, economic factors such as the costs of fuel alternatives and environmental costs of a decrease in biodiversity make technological innovation a controversial subject. Technological innovation was sparked by the industrial revolution, and we are still reliant on the same fossil fuels today. Due to incomplete combustion of the fuel, carbon particulates are released into the air. This is seen in not only the production of technology, but in transport too. Despite more cars becoming more fuel efficient, 99. 99% of all cars (1. 2bn worldwide) run on fossil fuels. Although some cars have catalytic converters, carbon particulates are released in the older cars. When consumed these particles can cause serious health issues such as asthma and in some cases lung disease. Serious health problems that can sometimes lead to fatalities. The automotive industry is worth over $1. 6 trillion, and provides 7. 25 million jobs. It has few economic costs, but due to the rise of TNC’s leakage occurs at an astonishing rate. With Audi, Germany, Ford and Mercedes outsourcing in Mexico. Mexico receives on average 0. 67% of profits from those 4 companies. The leakage benefits the economy of the source country, damages the environment of the host country and its economy. Due to the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource companies have started to find different fuel alternatives. However these are very expensive therefore damaging the company’s economic state, whereas its aim is to increase its shareholder value. Due to almost 100% of cars using fossil fuels, they release 4. 4bn tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year accelerating the enhanced greenhouse effect. As not only does this push us closer to the tipping point, but it also is absorbed by water, making it acidic threatening marine life. Overall the development of technology in the automotive industry generally benefits the economy, and with more and more cars implementing tech to produce less particulates there will be less breathing problems. However the environmental cost is huge, with the vast amounts of C02 emitted each year, the worlds climate is becoming unstable. The Gene Revolution has lead to the development of genetically modified (GM) crops. This has increased yields of the crop, makes them more resistant to tough climates and can make them more nutritious. Making the crops more resistant to extreme conditions makes people dependent on these plants. However as they are more expensive to source, there has been the socio-economic impact of social polarisation- this is where the divide between the rich and the poor becomes more apparent. This is because the poorer farmers get less business, as they don’t have the GM crop to sell on, furthermore the lack of money creates the secondary impact of not being able to afford healthcare or education for example. Monsanto is the one of the largest TNCs in the GM crop industry, and is now worth $15bn. Like the other automotive TNC’s mentioned in this assignment leakage occurs as they have a 45% premium on their employees, so most money goes back to the host country. The green revolution spreads technology that hasn’t been implemented outside industrialised nations. Using fertilisers and pesticides on crops has transformed the agriculture industry, it most of the work done is to introduce modern irrigation systems and add chemicals to improve crop varieties and improve yields. This has led to less famine and has also contributed to the population growth (Increased from 4bn in 1930s when it was first introduced to 7. 125bn now). It has also caused many issues. The main social consequence is again health related as the consumption of these chemicals has lead to 1mn cases of pesticide poisonings in 2015 with 20,000 of these cases turning out to be fatal. Due to the world grain production increasing by 230% between 1950 and 2015, clearing out 2 million acres of rainforests for grain. This in turn has decreased biodiversity in those areas by on average 2. 45% consequently unbalancing the local food web. In addition to this, biodiversity decreases, as only one type of crop is grown-Monoculture, as this is the crop with the highest yield. This limits the amount of animals that can situate themselves in that area. The use of agrochemicals has led to eutrophication, while over use of irrigation has created salinization of soils and droughts. However for crops such as HYV rice, yields are low without these chemicals creating a dependency. The green revolution has shown the economical benefits of using chemicals, however, it has lead to many health related issues and threatens the life in the area due to bioaccumulation. Nevertheless due to its success farmers are dependent on these agrochemicals to provide for their family. Speaking of something we are dependent on, here s something some teenagers can’t live without: Mobile phones. The mobile phone industry is the fastest growing industry worldwide, with its worth in 2013 being $200bn, this year it has surpassed $410bn. In the last 44 years we have gone from no mobiles being available to 5bn phones sold since. With the introduction of the smartphone, communication with business, friend and family has never been quicker and easier. Due to mobiles using microwave radiation to send and receive messages, they slightly warm areas of your body that they are in contact with, which could cause mutations. Although it is not proven, there are correlations with phone usage with brain tumours and low sperm counts. My generation will be the first generation that has had mobile phones throughout their whole lives, and therefore the data collected about these health issues will be unprecedented. The externalities from the rise of mobile phones go under the radar. With the introduction of the smart phone, which can now do almost anything, many businesses have seen a decrease in sales as the phone has zoned them out. An example of this is the toy company Mattel, which has seen a $20 decrease in share price from 2013 to 2016 which correlates with the development of mobile gaming. Another example of this knock on effect is the 70% decrease in digital camera sales since 2009, due to phone cameras becoming better and better. With the amount of mobile devices set to exceed the human population in the next 5 years, production is going to be faster than ever. In 2015 it was estimated that mobile production released 36mn tonnes of C02 into the atmosphere, due to the requirement of fossil fuels to work and make the machines for production. The versatility of the smartphone has changed our lives, and business’ across the globe. However with its built in obsolescence, and the materials being hard to recycle, many mobiles are finding themselves on landfill sites harming the environment. Overall the economic impact of technological innovation is the greater than the other unforeseen consequences. The externalities it caused by the genetic, and the green revolution led to the secondary impacts of having a lack of money for healthcare and education. By damaging the potential of the future these technological innovations cannot be seen as sustainable. As this development creates the social polarisation, between the rich and the poor, it also further increases the difference between the North South divide, as the money from the TNC’s such as Audi sees 99% of their money go back to Germany, and 1 % stays in Mexico. The environmental concerns are the second largest in my opinion due to the huge amounts of carbon dioxide emitted, and how close we are to the global temperatures tipping point and the further consequences this has. Finally I put social concerns last as they are mainly short term, and should be solved by new technology in the next decade or two.

Military Rule

Many third world countries have been under military rule from time to time, for many years. The reasons behind this are many, and are complicated and interconnected. A military dictatorship gets established when political power rests with the military. Developing countries are so called because they are still in the process of development. These areas of development include economy, financial planning and budgeting, setting up of a working administrative machinery, a working constitution, a functional system of government, a system of institutions of education, a system of health, so on and so forth. Altogether, developing countries lack a lot of basic tools needed for proper functioning of a country. Civilians in general are disillusioned with life. There is widespread poverty and illiteracy. Flaws in the working of the system ultimately result in major problems for the common man. Neither is the health system strong, nor the education. The government usually does not provide for even the basic needs. People generally have large families, with no regular source of income. Since literacy is low, most people have confounded and obscure views, and do not understand the working of the system. People get frustrated, and blame the government for not providing for them. As public support begins to crumble, the administration gets weakened. In developing countries, politics is frequently a monopoly, handled by the rich few. Laws and rules can be bended and twisted as desired. And so this ‘feudal’ system of government results in economic and social collapse. Crime rates go on increasing, along with a host of other illegal activities. In the absence proper jobs, ordinary people turn to illicit ways of obtaining money. These are just some of the main problems. In case of a threat from another country, or a natural disaster, or food shortage, matters get worse. Often governments succumb to ill advised measures. And so goes on the cycle. Military rule comes in the absence of a strong government. There are many inter-related factors behind the prevalence of military rule, especially in third world countries. A weak civilian government can be disbanded easily, without much force. Historic examples of military rule include the Greek ‘Sparta [7]’ The ideology behind military rule is one based on discipline – the one thing a developing country lacks. Militarism is generally the belief of the far-right [7]. Under military rule, everything is under strict control of the army, and civilians are subservient to it, whether they like it or not. Civilian rule on the contrary advocates complete freedom, along with organized plans for social and economic development and establishment of diplomatic relations with other countries [7]. Militarism can also mean Martial Law [7]. When a normal judicial system is replaced by military rule, it is called martial law [7]. It is used mostly by authoritarian governments [7]. Earlier, it was imposed in times of war, or territorial occupation, to deal with trials of prisoners and soldiers [7]. It was also used by those countries with expansionist and imperialist policies [7]. Today, in developing countries, it is the easiest tool to bring a distraught and a disorganized society under control. Martial law trials are short, and usually severe when compared to normal court trials [7]. Many counties have now shifted to another system, in which a country is said to be in a ‘state of emergency,’ in place of martial law [7]. Martial law also gives the government the liberty of detaining anyone it thinks is a threat to national interest or security, even without adequate proof.   Media and press freedom is also under strict control. The few leading the hegemony can make decisions without hindrance, keeping the public and its opinions at bay. Under military rule, a country’s population has no say in any matter whatsoever. Without a parliament, all decisions are directly made by the autocrat and his collaborators, without the approval or disapproval of ministers. Think a little deeper, and it seems as if a country comes to an economic and social standstill if under military rule. This is exactly what most developing countries go through. One coup after another and the country lags behind even in the basic amenities of life. Egypt, for example, has been under martial law on and off from 1952 [7]. Gamal Abdel Nasser was the president of Egypt from 1956 until his death, in 1970 [7]. Algeria spent three decades under military rule (1965-1994) [7]. Mohammad Al-Gaddafi has been the de facto head of Libya since 1969. Nigeria has also been caught up in a tangle of coups. Adebowale, in his work criticizes the way military coups took to power, squandering money on lavish cars and houses, and turning into multi-billionaires overnight [10]. He also goes on to say that â€Å"Nigerians are mute because they are terror-stricken and know no other state [10].† He also states that â€Å"Several human rights activists continue to be unjustly detained [10].† Countries like Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Philippines, Thailand, Ghana, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Gambia have also been under military control often. Maureen Aung-Thwin criticized the undemocratic manner in which politics was run in Burma [9]. Uganda spent a decade under the rule of one man – Idi Amin [1]. As opposed to this, almost no first world country has been under military rule since almost 20 years. Military governments also justify themselves by claiming that it is important for political stability [7]. Military regimes tend to portray themselves as neutral and unbiased [7]. Though not always, military rule tends to have little respect for human rights, and often use force to silence their political opponents [7]. Another key factor is the convenience of having a military leadership, as opposed to the effort required for an elected one. Public choice can be conveniently ignored and new laws can be easily imposed. The general public is weak, with little or no voice of its own. With widespread illiteracy, public opinion can be suppressed, bribed, or even forced. The general public in developed countries, on the contrary is much stronger and aware of their due rights. Hunger for power and money make the entire system corrupt and fraudulent, with innumerable loopholes. With an influential background, anyone can come to power. High posts like those of governors and chief ministers are based on favoritism rather than open merit. Countries currently under military rule include Thailand, Myanmar, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan and Fiji [7]. If loosely stated, the three key factors behind prevalence of military rule in developing countries are the hunger for power and money, a large but weak civilian population, and convenience for the army. With just one man to make decisions, it gets very convenient for military personnel to run the country. In the end, it is the normal civilian population which suffers. In hopes of better prospects, people look forward to young and dynamic leaders, but in reality, the nation continues to live under a rigid and a totalitarian leadership. It is a widely believed notion that civilian rule is always better, long lasting, and makes a country prosperous. With free and fair democratic elections, the people themselves choose their leader, and so, everything falls in place, and the country can look forward to a brighter future.    Works Cited: Prince Adebowale, Samuel Abiodun, Nigeria: The Nation under Siege by Power Drunk and Ruthless Military Dictatorship,   1997 Aung-Thwin, Maureen, Burma: Political Economy Under Military Rule, (edited by Robert H. Taylor), 2001, New York: Palgrave (Global Publishing at St. Martin's Press), ISBN 0-312-23568-2. Birkhimer, William E, Military Government and Martial Law (third edition, revised), 1914, Kansas City: Missouri, Franklin Hudson Publishing Co. Chris, Alli M. The Federal Republic of Nigerian Army: The Siege of a Nation, 2002, Nigeria Malthouse, 9780231277 Fidel, Kenneth, 1975, Militarism in developing countries, Transaction Publishers ISBN 0878555854 Fink, Christina, Living Silence: Burma under military rule (politics in contemporary Asia), 2001, Zed Books Ltd. â€Å"Libya – History,† (2006, July 14), US Department of State's Background Notes, (Nov. 2005). Militarism, wikipedia, retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militarism Olukotun, Ayo, Repressive Stat e and Resurgent Media under Nigeria’s Military Dictatorship, 1988-98, Nordic Africa Institute, (2004)      

Rainforest Preservation

Rainforest Tribe Awareness Rainforests have been on this planet for four hundred million years. They help out the earth by producing oxygen and disposing of carbon dioxide for our planet. By sucking up all of the carbon dioxide, the pollution on the planet is a lot lower than what it could be. The rainforests help maintain a balanced climate and without them global warming would increase. They hold many species of plants and animals and by destroying them we are killing possible cures to diseases as well as endangered animals we never knew existed.Companies and corporations, however, are taking down these rainforests at the rate of six thousand acres a day. At a progression like that how are we supposed to keep rainforests alive on this planet? The companies use the extra space from the newly harvested trees for cattle farms. Shockingly, the trees taken from the rainforest are mostly sold to the United Sates for hard wood flooring. Probably the most startling part about destroying ra inforests, however, is that we are killing the native and primitive tribes that still exist there.The indigenous tribes of the Amazon Rainforest have lived there since ancient times and are the most primitive group of people still alive in the twenty first century. Normal traditional tribes say to preserve the nature that’s in the forest and learn from what it has to teach us. Is desolating the rainforests and taking the native tribes land and using it as flooring in our homes ethical? I believe that something so unique and special needs to be preserved and cherished and not used for something so impractical.Even though rainforests are harvested for lumber and turned into cattle fields which can make an abundance of money, rainforests should not be destroyed because of the people that are living in them will die and suffer which is not tolerable because they are human beings as well and we can learn a lot from them about archaic times. First, Indians definitely want to mainta in their isolation from the real world, especially the tribes in Peru. When civilized people try to communicate with them I can imagine that they become seriously confused. They’ve never seen cameras, hiking boots or backpacks.Some tribes have never even heard the English language before. For these groups of Indians to survive in future generations, the Peruvian Government needs to stop the logging and destruction of the land that is on the Indians property. If this continues and the rainforest in Peru becomes completely annihilated, then chances are we are also wiping out the Indian tribes. Leaving these Indians in isolation seems like the best idea to me. As of right now, the tribes live as if it were the primitive days when cave men were just starting to evolve.Some tribes are so primitive that they still only use sticks and rocks as there tools to make everything with. For example, instead of wearing brand name material clothes they make all of it themselves, including to ols, baskets and so on just out of leaves, sticks and straw. They are very slow evolving tribes. Some only just discovered the wheel which is amazing and is proof to how primitive they are. They are so old fashioned that they don’t even have a number system besides one and two. Time is another fascinating item in indigenous Indian history. Their sense of time is extremely close to civilized nations.As of today, even the United States uses the Mayan calendar up to a point. It’s interesting to see how different cultures evolve and how some became highly advanced while others still live in the stone ages. â€Å"The men make bow and arrow, used for hunting and protection against threats to their people (Section 2 Freddy). † Since there is no such thing as a hospital for them, the rainforest is their main medical cabinet. They use whatever they can in the rainforest to survive. Also, many people are beginning to mention how the problem and the solution to rainforest destruction are both economic.The Rainforest is being destroyed for things like timber, cattle, and agriculture, but those things cannot sustain people for very long, so there is no point in taking them anyway. By destroying the rainforest it is affecting the people who live there. Other people make comments like â€Å"if the Government is giving a good reason not to destroy the rainforest then it could be saved, but as of right now it looks like we are on a road of destruction (Section 1 Company Information). † The local tribes of the rainforest harvest medicinal plants, fruits, nuts and oils and sell them to local places for some money.By destroying the rainforest you are in turn hurting the people that thrive off of it. If we continue to destroy the rainforest we may destroy an extremely important plant that the tribes use to cure an illness. We still need to find the cure for AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease. â€Å"Scientists predict that since t he number of acres lost is so huge that around 130 species of plants and animals become extinct every single day. This means that we have probably already lost cures to diseases and illness’s (Section 1 Company Information). A tribe called the Yanomami smoke a hallucinogenic drug called yopo. Yopo is made up of leaves and vines and grinded together to be smoked. â€Å"Smoking it is painful at first until the hallucinogen kicks in (Hands around the World). † The Yanomami make up dances to what they are seeing and believe it is the spirit world. Dancing and rituals are very important to the Yanomami. They dance about their past, future, and to tell stories. How these people are more in touch with nature instead of electronics, like most civilized groups of people are baffles me.In the 1990’s, there was a survival campaign after half a tribe of Nahua indigenous Indians were wiped out due to Peru continuously going into the rainforest for oil exploration, logging, a nd natural resource extraction. Thankfully, the campaign seemed to work quite well. However, since the campaign, the Indians are safe and away from people. As long as the government recognizes that they have to help these people by stopping the destruction of rainforests then everything should work out in the end. Jeff Tollefson is a reporter for the Nature Magazine.He travels around to different places including rainforests to report to people about what is going on there. On several occasions, Tollefson has visited the Amazon Rainforest to report on it. When he first visited it he reported on deforestation. He concluded that â€Å"deforestation causes fifteen percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and seventy five percent of Brazil's (Section Deforestation). † Fortunately, a new law came around that says that land owners have to keep forest on eighty percent of the land. They will however, give exemptions to smaller land owners.Jeff adds that â€Å"if people donâ€℠¢t obey the law that there may be a new wave of deforestation (Section Law). † This could definitely lead to future problems, for example, killing off native tribes that live around the area that is being destroyed. Luckily, Brazil has begun a new Forest Code which now is being enforced very strictly. According to the new and updated code, trees can’t be cut down on property that is owned by the government. This is going to be very helpful for any tribe living in the forest, as long as the code is followed. Nevertheless, people are still not obeying it, which is unfortunate.Keeping people from cutting down Amazon Rainforest trees should become one of Brazil’s main goals. If they can accomplish that then we can keep tribes, plants, and animals from going extinct and lower greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. As of right now, Brazil is working on a plan to keep the Amazon Rainforest safe and out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, Brazil, along with fifteen other countries have been given proposals and ideas by people who want to keep the rainforest from being destroyed, however, these proposals contradict what Brazil is already doing. Brazil is becoming an economic superpower by harvesting lumber and timber from the forests’ (Rhett Butler). † They are in between deciding whether they should stop cutting down trees all together or not. A professor at University of Colorado named William Boyd said that â€Å"Brazil is not interested in giving industrialized countries cheap carbon credits from protecting the Amazon if they are not going to stop building coal-fired power plants (Rhett Butler). † Boyd works for REDD, a company that is cutting down the Amazon trees.REDD says that they are aware that by cutting down these trees my pose a possible threat to a climate change. Brazil did release a plan recently to reduce deforestation emissions by seventy percent. The plan went into affected in 1996 and stopped in 2005. To f und this program the President of Brazil planned on using donations from people and companies. So far the plan has worked really well. â€Å"Emissions are down from over half of what they were (Rhett Butler). † This means that deforestation is getting reduced some as well. Since emissions are down, tribes in the forest will not be suffering as much as they used to.Amazingly, the Amazon Rainforest used to have many Indians and tribes, but unfortunately due to colonization, diseases, and forced labor these tribes have been diminished from what they used to be. There are around two hundred indigenous tribes are still left in the Amazon Rainforest, with one hundred and eighty of them speaking a different language. Despite their differences, most of these tribes come together every year in the summer to celebrate their dead in a festival called the Kuarap. During this festival the Indians dance, practice rituals and games.Depending on the tribe leader, some outsiders are allowed t o view this amazing festival. The Kuarup is held within the rainforest, so if the rainforest is gone where are they supposed to have it? Something that is so sacred to these people could just vanish in an instant if we keep demolishing the rainforest. Fortunately, the indigenous tribe’s numbers are increasing slightly. Recent studies have shown that this is because the Brazilian Government has issued a single policy that states to just leave the tribes alone as they wish. Apparently it seems to be helping since their numbers are cumulating.The Brazilian Government is deciding on whether to set up an Indigenous Protected Area in which all the tribes can live without having to deal with outsiders. This brings up the question, is that a good idea? Having all the tribes in a confined space could cause problems between them due to territory and things like that. Also, many of the tribes are dangerous and will attack if they feel threatened by an outsider. â€Å"The population wit hin an Indian tribe can vary from two hundred to thirty thousand†, which just shows that you do not want to mess with a large group. The Indians are not afraid to kidnap if they have to.And this has happened before. There is a novel called Yanoa? ma: The Narrative of a White Girl Kidnapped by Amazonian Indians. This book is a story of a girl, Helena Valero, that got kidnapped by the Yanoama Indians who live in the Amazon rainforest. â€Å"The girl was captured when she was twelve because she and her father were attacked by the Indians (Valero pg 23). † They accidentally came upon a large group and took Helena as almost a â€Å"prize won† of some sorts. Throughout the book Helena goes through some extremely tough times in which she would sometimes rather die than be stuck in her hard situation.Once she got the chance, however, Helena escaped. She decided, however, not to go back to civilization since it had been such a long amount of time. â€Å"She lived by hers elf in the forest for seven months before she came across another tribe where she met her first husband Fusiwe†, who was the leader of the tribe. After a good amount of time had passed, Helena had a few sons with Fusiwe, but â€Å"their love was cut short because Fusiwe died. † A fellow tribe member wanted his leader position and was faster and stronger than him so murdered him.After his death her life was under threat because the new tribe leader believed that her sons would grow up and take advantage of their father’s old position. Once again poor Helena had to leave her home and find somewhere else. Luckily she was accepted quickly into another tribe who was more peaceful then the last. She remarried and had another two children. This time however, her new husband mistreated her so she decided to move back with society. After moving back with the civilized people â€Å"no one took care of her because of how changed and different she was. She may have had whit e skin on the outside, but her behavior was nowhere near acceptable to other people. Since she was in this situation she would starve a lot of the time because she had no money to buy food for herself. Eventually, Helena came to the conclusion that living with the Indians would be better then living with the society, so she decided to head back into the jungle to find her old tribe. â€Å"After forty years of living with them, she became old and blind. † Helena became very respected by her fellow Indians once she was in her older years. Her journey was unbelievable and made her a strong person.Helena came to love the rainforest and made the right decision by going back. Protecting the rainforest may not have been one of her goals; however she did protect it without noticing. By getting kidnapped this made others daunted and distressed to go back into the rainforest. Since no one was setting foot in the forest it was untouched for awhile, keeping it safe. As of right now, howe ver, it seems there are many ways to get into the forest without people knowing. For example, some products made out of the rainforest wood are pointless little gift boxes that can easily be lost or stolen.There’s websites up at this very moment that are selling patio furniture and arbours, which keep you from the shade. I find this extremely ironic because don’t rainforest trees already keep you from the shade? So why cut them down? There is a brighter side to this entire situation. Of course since it costs big bucks to get these trees brought into the United States, selling them at high prices isn’t a problem. This is helpful because this means that only rich folk with lots of money and no respect for the Earth will buy anything like arbours or patio furniture made of rainforest wood.In fact the process of cutting down rainforests isn’t pretty either. Bulldozing down all those trees won’t help anything. I believe that there is a solution to cutti ng down trees and harming the nature and people who live there. As of now to help the rainforest you can donate, join a group or even a campaign to try and help out. One of the biggest and first campaigns to â€Å"Save the Rainforest† was done in the nineties and was because of the fast food place, Burger King. The man Paul Chandler was one of the main credible men for this campaign.Burger King was importing beef from tropical areas and once the news found out it was all over. â€Å"Sales drastically dropped and Burger King cancelled thirty-five million dollars worth of beef contracts (Section About RAN). † By getting the media involved people began to notice the rainforest again. More protests started and other fast food restaurants were checked to see where their beef was coming from. This was a huge step in starting to help rainforests and soon another huge step will come. Paul is visiting Brazil and is against all the logging that they are doing and is attempting t o start another campaign.Preserving the rainforest is one of the most important things we can do. Since the Amazon Rainforest is so far away, helping it from the United States does seem problematic. However, I think there are a few solutions to helping it. On my own time, I decided to help my community pick up liter along the highway. Picking up liter along a highway was quite an experience. I ended up picking up liter with my church because they have a community service program. I decided to work with this church because I used to go to it all the time when I lived at home with my parents.My supervisor was my Pastor John Buchner. I asked him what he thought of me doing this to help the tribes in the Amazon Rainforest and his response was â€Å"I think it’s a great idea to do something like this to help, not only your community but also the rainforest. It’s spreading awareness about an issue that I had never really considered. † Littering our planet with McDonal d’s bags and beer cans isn’t the right thing to do. I believe that littering is an effective way to help clean the environment because it makes our planet cleaner and not looking so trashy.Although, if everyone did their own part in the first place and just didn’t liter at all, then we wouldn’t have to worry about littering, however this is not a realistic option. We will just have to pick up the liter that we see around. I have learned that many inconsiderate people liter and they don’t think about how it’s harming the Earth. Likewise, many people are killing the rainforest which is harming the Earth more than people realize. If we continue littering like this our planet will be destroyed, including the rainforests.Future generations are going to pay for the inconsiderate people who have been littering. I feel like it’s easy to not liter. All you need to do is find a trashcan. A few things came to my attention while on this experienc e. For example, once everyone realizes what they have done to the planet it will most likely be too late to fix things, just like once the rainforest is gone it will be too late to fix things. Rainforests have been on this planet for four hundred million years. They support the life that lives on this planet we call home.By destroying and obliterating hundreds of thousands of acres a day of rainforests, we are killing things we have yet to discover and that’s just a shame. Animals, plants and people all live on this planet together and rainforests support all of them by providing oxygen, food, shelter, medicine and many other things. Rainforest’s hold keys to many ancient civilizations because of all the tribes that still live within the forests. We can learn many things from these civilizations and that’s why I think they should be protected and saved because if we don’t attempt to save them now then they will be gone when we need them most.Overall, I be lieve that there are multiple ways to save the rainforest tribes from becoming obliterated. We still have so much to learn from them about our past so we need to preserve them for as long as we can. The newly updated forest code which prevents people from cutting down government owned rainforest property is going to keep tribes safe, together and out of harm’s way. When civilized people come onto indigenous Indian land, the Indians get afraid and attack them because of how past intruders have treated them. At least this new code will help keep the Indians alive for a longer period of time.Instead of buying rainforest hardwood floors from the United States, people should donate that money to organizations like REDD and RAN that will actually use that money to help save the tribes in the rainforest. We need to fight for these rainforests because they have so much to teach us. Helena, the girl captured by the Yanomami tribe, left the rainforest only to decide that she missed it and wanted to go back. However, if we kill off the last of the rainforest and its people then there is no going back and no second chances. This would be devastation to our planet.If suddenly twenty percent of the world’s oxygen was gone then the existence of many things would disappear around the world. Plus, the rainforest produces many medicines for ill people. There are still a number of plants that have not been discovered in the rainforest and maybe one of those plants will cure cancer. Keeping the rainforest and the indigenous people who live there alive is an amazing goal and not possible to do on my own. If we want to keep the people who live in the rainforests alive, then were going to all have to work together to keep our planet healthy and help people understand why we need them so badly.Work Cited Butler, Rhett A. â€Å"Brazil's Plan to save the Amazon Rainforest. † Conservation and Environmental Science News. 2 June 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Compa ny Information. † Wealth of the Rainforest. Carson City, NV, 1996. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . Freddy. â€Å"Tribes of the Amazon Rainforest. † HotelClub Hotel and Travel Blog. 20 Sept. 2007. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Our Mission and History. † Rainforest Action Network.Web. 11 Apr. 2012. . Valero, Helena, and Ettore Biocca. Yanoa? ma: The Narrative of a White Girl Kidnapped by Amazonian Indians. New York: Dutton, 1970. Print. â€Å"Hands Around the World. † Native American Indian Cultures. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . Tollefson, Jeff. â€Å"Paying to Save the Rainforests. † University of Northern Colorado Libraries The Source Catalog. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. http://0- search. proquest. com. source. unco. edu/docview/204495428/abstract>.

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  in the modern business setting, there is a lot of competition among organisations that are all seeking to employ high flyers. These are workers who have already attained considerable success in a relatively short time span. Employers are no longer merely interested in dealing with average workers; but are seeking to ensure that their organisations make strategic investment in acquiring the most qualified human capital. The perception of workers has also changed.This research study declares that  unlike the past, the majority of workers no longer wish to merely get a monthly pay check. Employees today are readily prepared to migrate among organisations seeking for the best environment which caters to their multifaceted needs. For younger employees, in particular, money is a secondary factor when seeking for a job. Organisations can capitalise on the trend of high flyers seeking for the best potential employers by using talent management initiative s to draw them. Talent Management usually includes different integrated corporate HR processes which are created to develop, retain and motivate their productive employees. The main objective of talent management initiatives involves creating a culture that meets operational as well as strategic objectives.  In organisations, executives have the responsibility of ensuring that the necessary human resource strategies are used to make sure that high-flyers are strategically deployed.

To what extent have OTC derivatives been a major factor in the global Dissertation

To what extent have OTC derivatives been a major factor in the global financial crisis - Dissertation Example (In  his 2002 Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BK) letter to shareholders, company chairman and CEO Warren Buffet) This dissertation paper attempts to explore the extent to which derivatives can be considered to be one of the major factors that have led to the current problems in the global financial sector and looks at what steps can be taken to prevent a crisis on this scale happening again. This shall be on the basis of a review of the available literature. OTC Derivatives and the Global Financial Crisis Table of Contents Abstract Page 2 Table of Contents Page 3 Chapter 1 Introduction Page 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review Page 6 Chapter 3 Research Methods Page 32 Chapter 4 Analysis and discussion of research findings Page 33 Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations Page 42 Chapter 1: Introduction Outline the project Aims and objectives Reason for choosing this The research methodology Any limitations of the research The main findings The onset of the Great Recession of 2008 was preceded by a slump in the housing market and a credit crunch that affected the entire economy of the United States. The ensuing financial crisis acquired global dimensions though at first it seemed that the US would be the hardest hit due to the crisis. Even though the US Congress passed the TARP or the Troubled Asset Relief Program to provide assistance to the banks worst hit by the crisis, the recession continued unabated. Further, the crisis itself was thought to have been brought about by a combination of factors that included poor regulatory oversight over the derivatives side of the banking business, predatory lending and the ill effects of well intentioned efforts to spread the risk associated with sub-prime lending across the financial system. This paper looks at the role of derivative instruments and derivative securitization specifically in terms of the effect that they had on the financial system and how unchecked â€Å"gambling† by the banks led to â€Å"casino capitalis m† and the resultant financial crisis that engulfed the entire economy and even other parts of the world. Since the focus of this paper is mainly on the United States and derivatives in particular, the available literature would be surveyed on these aspects. The emphasis throughout the paper would be on a critical analysis of the literature with a questioning attitude that goes beyond a normal review. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the role played by OTC Derivatives in causing the global financial crisis and the continuing aftermath of the crisis. The last part of the sentence above is significant as the derivatives having played a part in exacerbating the crisis have continued to torment the regulators and the investors alike who are yet to tackle the â€Å"volcano of derivatives† which are sitting on top of the financial system. Further, this dissertation also discusses the attempts at regulating the derivatives by the various regulatory agencies involved and the way ahead to avoid a repeat of the crisis that we saw in the winter of 2008. The dissertation is divided into different sections with the literature review and the research findings being the ones with the most emphasis. In addition to these two sections, the research methodology and the conclusions are given due weightage according to the marking criteria for the dissertation. Chapter 2: Literature Review 1.1 Background The global financia

Change in Food pricesin the last 10 years(choose one of the food Essay

Change in Food pricesin the last 10 years(choose one of the food commodities) - Essay Example Factors that influence the changes in prices of cereal when compared to overall prices of food are undertaken. There is also a discussion on the relationship between food prices and oil prices. To better examine and understand how food prices are changing, the FAO uses a metric known as food price index to measure changes in food prices on a monthly basis, an average of which is extended to yearly determination of changes in food prices. Below, data are presented to examine how cereal prices have changed over the last 10 years as compared to overall food prices. The cereals price index and food price index of the FAO are used in these analyses. The food price index is made up of the average of 5 food group price indices which are meat price index, diary price index, cereals price index, vegetable oil price index, and sugar price index (FAO, 2014). Cereals price index is on the other hand comprised of prices of such cereal products as wheat, rice, and maize. Figure 1 below compares food price index as an average of all food prices to cereal prices from 2005 to 2014. From figure 1 and table 1, it is seen that the prices of cereals as compared to overall food prices have alternated from 2005 to 2014. What this implies is that whenever food prices go up, cereal prices come down. At the same time, when food prices go down, cereal prices begin to rise. This has been the trend without any change. It can also be seen that from 2005 food and cereal prices both rose sharply till the middle of 2008 when prices began to fall. The fall however lasted for only 12 months till the middle of 2009 and prices started rising again till the last quarter of 2011, since which time there has been a steady decline. The data above shows two major trends, one of which is the periods within the last 10 years when prices have gone up and when prices have come down. This section tries to compare the trend of changes

Advance managerial accounting Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advance managerial accounting Report - Essay Example This implies that data turns into information for purposes of making decisions. In the same way, Ferrara’s article â€Å"21st Century Paradigm,† the focus is on cost especially concerning industrial engineering. When Ferrara says that the volume of activity is still a problem as fixed costs grow depending on variable costs, the main point is that profitability is dependent costs. Just like Drucker, Ferrara proposes that costs affect the number of products. This is what he refers to as activity costing. In the two articles, authors clearly bring out the issue of marginal changes ignoring the impact of accounting. Data, therefore, is imperative in the two cases for continuous improvement like cutting down on the selling over a period. At the final stage, Drucker and Ferrara establish that information is crucial in any accounting system, whereby it should deal with the two issues of assigning costs between and within product lines. The next articles as well focus on utilizing costs to make decisions. Cooper and Kaplan, for instance, examine how important products are critical in controlling the costs within the market. They, at first, agree with Ferrara that costs are becoming less variable. This implies that they are the dependent factors transferring products to be independent. Cooper and Kaplan reveal that most costs change depending on the shift and diversity of products within the economy as opposed to the number of products produced (Kaplan and Atkinson 2). With reference to what Drucker tries to bring to surface on accounting systems and information, Cooper and Kaplan tend to agree with him that conventional accounting systems make more products appear more expensive than they really are. The clearest point that brings all the articles together is that management decisions vary depending on the number of product complexity as opposed to the amount. Cooper and Kaplan as well

Analyzing and Discussing Primary and Secondary Source Documents Essay

Analyzing and Discussing Primary and Secondary Source Documents - Essay Example Both the South and the North American sub- continent were very actively involved in slave trade and the slaves themselves who they relied on so much to work on their farms during the period of the agrarian revolution in America. Most slaves were drawn from the African continent due to the rise in the price of the slaves from the European continent (Olmsted, 1997). The next available opportunity therefore lied in Africa and as a result, a large bulk of slaves were drawn from the African continent to work on the American cotton farms that were rapidly expanding in size and increasing in demand as more industries set up their operations across the continent. Many of these slaves were kept and transported under very pathetic conditions. The slaves had totally no rights for their lives and their daily lives were determined by their masters who were as well very cruel and inhuman in the way they dealt with the slaves. However, there was a sharp and stern contrast in the manner in which sla ve trade and slavery was practiced in the southern and the northern parts of the American continent. This document will look at the underlying differences which existed in the manner in which slaves were handled in the southern as well as in the northern parts of America and the underlying factors which led to the abolition of slave trade in America in line with the views of Calhoun. As Calhoun argues slavery in North America in a rather harsh and a cruel manner that no human he says should ever be subjected to. The harsh treatment which the slaves in North America were undergoing as they went about carrying out their duties on the Americans’ farms was rather pathetic and could be ranked at the greatest point in the analysis of human injustices ever committed by man against his fellow man in the world. The slaves in North America had no rights at all and were treated by their masters as if they were animals and not human beings at all. Their masters went round in their workin g places with whips in their hands and anytime would be dreadful to any slave if at all these masters decided to use their whips on them. As DeBow notes comparing slavery in the north and that in the south during this time, he notes that the slaves in the South were treated in a better way as compared to those in the North (DeBow, 2003). That the Southern slave masters rarely used their whips on their slaves unless it was very necessary and could only be used as the last resort in case of any problem. In this was then he argues that the slaves who were working on the southerners’ farms had more freedom than those on the Northern farms. Rush justifies Calhoun’s observations by quoting the following statement â€Å"lay in northern industrial cities where exploited workers ‘toil their weary way from the cradle to the grave, and whose worn, emaciated frames†¦sink into that quiet rest never known in life† (Rush, 2002). On the other hand the slaves in the s outhern parts as Ira Berlin notes were a bit ell treated and the conditions in which they were subjected at their work places moderately better, by justiying the conditions in the southern farms, Calhoun tries to claim that the southern slavery has no problem as it is in line with human ethics (Ira Berlin et al., 1985). Having good respect and curtessy for the southern slaves would therefoe mean that the made of slavery and slave trade was actually not a crime aginst hunanity but rather the northern slavery. By Olmsted saying that the blacks

Law of Sale Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Sale - Case Study Example Going through the facts of the case, we find that there is breach of implied condition on the part of the seller. According to the contract of sale, if there is a sale by sample as well as by description it is not sufficient that the bulk of goods correspond with the sample if the goods do not correspond with the description. That is to say, incase of sale by sample as well as description the goods must correspond not only with the sample, they must also correspond with the description given under the contract. Held that the buyers were entitled to demand goods answering the description in the contract, and were not bound to accept the goods tendered merely because they were merchantable under that description. Therefore Susan was being offered the product by the sales assistant by description which later failed to serve the purpose on which she had bought. According to the sale of goods Act 1979, a seller will be held liable "were the buyer, expressly or by implication, makes known to the seller the particular purpose for which the goods are required, so as to show that the buyer relies on the sellers skill or judgment and the goods are of a description which it is in the course of the seller's business to supply, there is an implied condition that the goods shall be reasonably fit for such purpose. Further where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality" 3 This can further be illustrated Henry Kendall v. William Lillico 1968 2 All ER 444 4 where animal food was being made using groundnut extractions from Brazil. The Brazilian food was contaminated by a poison Aflutoxin . At the time there was no reason to suspect that any ground next extractions might contain poison. P, Hardwick game farm, raised pheasant and many of them died from the poison which was contained in food supplied by a local compounder, SAPPA. SAPPA settled but first brought in its suppliers, Grins dale and Lillico who in turn brought in their suppliers, Kendall and Holland. It was Held that on the findings of the judge there was a breach by third parties of the implied condition as to __________________ 3. Ibid 4. www.thomson.com.au fitness of purpose in their sale of the groundnut extractions to SAPPA, and since the extractions were not reasonably fit for use in compound food for poultry and it use in a compound food for pheasants was an ordinary and reasonable use. G. Ltd were liable to indemnity SAPPA in respect of the damage done to the plaintiffs pheasants 5 Therefore there is breach of condition on Susan's case because she had given description of the product she wanted, but the one that was offered for sale to her did not correspond to her description under the contract. Since Susan had already painted the outside of the cortege with the ever-last masonry paint that later peeled off and being the fact that she had already painted the outside cortege with paint, it means she cannot reject the paint, hence she will be entitled to recover damages. In C.F. Munro & Co. Ltd v. Meyer (1930) 2 KB 312 6 the buyer was held to be entitled to repudiate the whole contract for 1,500 tons of meat and bone meal, when

Alarm over Dramatic Weakening of Gulf Stream Essay Example for Free

Alarm over Dramatic Weakening of Gulf Stream Essay Gulf Stream and the extension it has on Europe is said to be a powerful Atlantic current that has its origin in Gulf of Mexico all the way to Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. It is the one that influences the climate in the North American coast as well as the coast in Europe. It is also used as a source of renewable energy for the generation of power. Gulf Stream is a strong current that usually meets with other ocean currents and rain is formed. It also transports water in the form of waves and also helps the rivers that drain in the Atlantic Ocean. It forms rain as the current is able to cool the water that is draining in the Atlantic Ocean thus evaporation takes place and falls in form of rain. Since the current is the one that is controlling the climate in the region that it passes scientists have warned that there is evidence of its weakening. This means that there are areas that the current will cool thus preventing human activities from taking place. According to George et al 1995, this will lead to reduction of global warming in the future until 2015. This is evident as the warm water that comes from tropical Atlantic is cold when it gets to the north of Atlantic. This is not to say that the climate will change badly as it might be thought. According to the same source the Gulf Stream is said to have weakened in the past decades and this has been caused by global warming. The strength that the current has, when measured it has been found to slow by 30%. This has made the circulation to slow down and if it remains so the temperatures in some countries are likely to drop like in Britain. It is also not clear whether the weakening is long term or short term. The reason why temperatures are likely to change is because the current transports heat from regions that are equatorial to the circle of the Arctic. This makes the water in the surface to warm as the current releases the heat as it goes to the north where it is cold. Global warming affects the current by slowing it down. This is because global warming has caused melting of the water in the mountainous regions to melt and makes the water less saline thus cooling cannot take place. In Paris â€Å"Little Ice Age† that started in Europe is as a result of the weakening of the Gulf Stream. This is because there is warm water that enters River Thames and cannot allow it to cool to how it was in the past. This has also changed the weather in the region. The weakening has been explained in the British journal Nature. The Gulf Stream has been blamed because the warm water that it takes from the tropical regions to the coastline in Europe has cause severe weather changes in the regions that it passes through. There is also evidence in the sediment cores from where the Gulf Stream enters. There are planktons that are evident in these cores and this depends on the isotope that is present in oxygen. The isotope is dependant on the salinity of the water. This is what shows the density of the water in the sea. According to scientists there is evidence that there are changes that are taking place in the Gulf Stream. They say that if the Gulf Stream did not have any influence Britain and Siberia could have the same latitude. In the past Greenland Sea had dense water sinking but since today it meets the Gulf steam currents it warms up and the result is that the water becomes warm. This has caused the water to become warm and affect the animals that are present in the water. Chimneys are the dense water that used to sink and this has reduced and thus weakening the Gulf Stream current. The ice in the sea is said to be getting thinner and thinner. Other scientists from Cambridge University have confirmed the weakening of the Gulf Stream and that Europe is likely to be cold than in the past. This is because of the fact that the strength at which the current is flowing is slower than in the past. They have also said that the chimneys that were present in the Greenland Sea are no longer there. It is because of these chimneys that the world is experiencing the climatic changes that are taking place. They have also predicted that the waters are going to remain as they are and that temperature in Britain is going to drop in the next decade. (Taylor, et al, 1992 p. 920) The weakening of these temperatures is going to cause no melting of the snow that falls in countries like Finland and France. This will cause glaciations to begin because there will be an increase in the reflectivity of the planet. The Gulf currents is also said to affect the other currents that it meets as it travels. There are also some climatic changes that are likely to occur in the future but they are not known. It is also projected that the currents will continue to slow down in the future. Work Cited George, D. G. and A. H. Taylor, UK lake plankton and the Gulf Stream. Nature, 1995, 378, 139 Taylor, A. H. , Colebrook, J. M. , Stephens, J. A. and N. G. Baker, Latitudinal displacements of the Gulf Stream and the abundance of plankton in the north-east Atlantic. J. of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1992, 72, 919-921.

Dissertation Exploring The Impacts Of Recession

Dissertation Exploring The Impacts Of Recession The purpose of this study is to explore the repercussions of recession on the British Stock Market particularly expounding its impact on Alternative Investment Market. The study aims to utilise qualitative approach to examine and constitute the relative repercussions of recession upon AIM. For this, an exhaustive literature review of the London Stock Exchange is essential to gain indicative factors relevant to account for the associated risks of recession to AIM. According to research on UK firms, uncertainty shocks typically reduce the responsiveness of firms by more than half, leaving monetary and fiscal policy-makers relatively powerless (Bloom et al, 2007). 1.1 LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE LSE is amongst the oldest stock exchanges in Europe and also the most promising out of the 22 active stock exchanges functioning in Great Britain. It was established in 1801 and has emerged as the largest stock exchanges of the world comprising of number of overseas as well as British companies (London Stock Exchange, 2005). The positioning of London city is beneficial as it let the London Stock Exchange to function during American and Asian sessions. Being a public company its shares are traded on stock exchanges and is considered to be the most international trading floor and about 50% of international transactions with shares are concluded on LSE (London Stock Exchange, 2005). The London Stock Exchange has four main quarters that include equity markets which facilitates companies from across the globe to raise capital (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There are the four primary markets that include: The Main Market, Alternative Investment Market (AIM), Professional Securities Market (PSM) and Specialist Fund Market (SFM). London Stock Exchange is a highly active market that provides range of trading services including trading in a range of securities as for example, UK and international equities, debt, covered warrants, exchange traded funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs), REITs, fixed interest, contracts for difference (CFDs) and depositary receipts (London Stock Exchange, 2005). It provides market data information with clarity offering real-time prices, news and other financial information to the global financial community. EDX London, established in 2003serves as a major contributor to derivatives business in order to bring the cash equity and derivatives markets closer together the London Stock Exchange. 1.2 AIM: AN OVERVIEW London Stock Exchange reviewed the unlisted securities market in1993 during the middle of a recession and decided to close it. Quoted Companies Alliance now referred as CISCO was then born and which lead to the establishment of Alternative Investment Market in June 1995 by London Stock Exchange. With its noticeable endurance for several years; AIM has been a considerable success. Rapid growth has been observed in AIM market, commencing its operation in 1995, it has rose over  £24 billion and listed over 2,200 companies, including 276 foreign companies by January 2006 listing1,408 companies from 33 industrial sectors out of which 220 were from overseas countries. Instead of offering shares to the public AIMs 90% of flotations depends on placing the shares with institutions, venture capital trusts and private investors reinforced by European 191 Prospectus Directive (Thronton, 2009). In order to reduce the pool of capital available to buy new AIM shares, the European 191 Prospectus D irective requires that, a full prospectus must be issued in both conditions where; the company offers shares to more than 100 persons, other than qualified investors or if a private client broker proffer such shares to more than 100 of their clients (Thronton, 2009).. Based in the city of London, AIM benefits from competitive supply of leading financial services and decently offers direct access to outsized and sophisticated shareholders. AIM has the potential to provide with all the significant financial services as required by the firm for listing, floating, reporting, auditing, broking, public relations, security analysis, printing, legalities, registering shareholders, etc. Rising higher from a percentage of 35.2% in September 2003, the institutional investors owned 40.9% by value of the shares listed on AIM in September 2005(Growth Company Investor, 2005), that consequently accounts for a very substantial institutional contribution of AIM, in small-capitalization market. 1.2.1 MARKET SIZE The multitude of companies traded on AIM come from different parts of the world and signify huge number of industries. At present there are approximately 1500 companies from more than 26 countries that are quoted on the AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There is one common trait shared by all traded companies on AIM and i.e. a dynamic corporate attitude and a strong ambition for business expansion. AIM welcomes companies of varying sizes to become part of even though it was primarily designed for smaller firms, but companies of varying sizes if possessing a desire for growth and profitability, are equally encouraged to join the Alternative Investment Market. 1.2.2 OPERATIONS The operations of AIM are controlled by the London Stock Exchange, having a tendency to work ideal for companies with a capitalization and valuation from $20 million to $300 million. The costs for filings and entry are approximately $600,000, with ongoing annual costs of around $100,000. The range of capital-raising activities tends to be in between $4 million to $40 million with approximately 9 percent average cost of capital. The percentage of retail investment is higher than on the official list and the investors are largely institutional. 1.2.3 KEY STATISTICS Table: 01 AIM 1,635 UK 1,331 International 304 AIM Market Capitalisation  £94.4 Billion AIM IPOs in 2006 278 UK 201 International 77 Capital raised since 1995*  £40.1 Billion Capital raised in 2006*  £15.7 Billion UK  £10.3 Billion International  £5.4 Billion * New listings and further capital raises 1.2.4 DIVERSITY AND INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION AIM has a diverse market spanning (Figure, 02) in approximately 39 sectors having a number of international companies and investors. The AIM is comprised of key sectors in which there is resource sector that include mining and oil gas, financial sector includes real estate, equity investment instruments and general financial. The industrial sector of AIM is comprise of construction materials, electronic electrical equipment and support services whereas, the consumer services includes media and travel leisure. Apart from US the growth in international companies on AIM is also being driven through Canada, China, India and mainland Europe. 1.2.5 MARKET CAPITALISATION According to LSE statistics the international companies listed as UK Top Co are counted as domestic. The US investors 330 international companies are listed with a value of  £36.6bn equivalent to $73.5bn and over 70 US companies listed on AIM has a value of  £2.9bn that is equivalent to $5.8bn (London Stock Exchange, 2005). It is interesting to note that the international companies on AIM are larger than UK companies, with an average market capitalisation at 31 December 2007 of  £99.2 million compared with  £46.9 million for UK registered companies. The market capitalisation on Alternative Investment Market is expressed in the Figure, 03. It is important to signify that AIM is not subject to more extensive regulation and therefore, it offers a wider pool of investors, and this may result in some decline in the cost of capital (Errunza and Miller, 2000). CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION Establishing itself as the worlds most successful growth market after being launched by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in 1995, AIM provides opportunity to raise capital and a liquid market place to trade shares for small and medium sized growing companies. Over 3000 small growth companies have listed on AIM and these companies have raised a total of over  £60 billion, since the commencement of AIM. Global recession has caused complicated market conditions however; there are still some signs of recovery, such as the first major IPO of the year and on the other hand improvement can be observed in trading volumes and average; meanwhile, an improvement in fund raising conditions towards the end of 2009 and through 2010 is also predicted by the brokers and other market commentators (Thronton, 2009). In order to conserve its position in the market AIM has to become accustomed with current market conditions, while not losing sight of its roots and emerge as a market focused on providing growing companies with direct access to capital (Thronton, 2009). The main objective of the literature review is to summarise the existing research work to gain insights on the subject area and also to assess and explain the impacts of recession. The core element of the research is to conduct an empirical study of the relative volatility, analysis of market size, allowance and liquidity ratios of AIM and determining its rate of progression during economic commotion. 2.2 AIM- FACTS AND FIGURES The AIMs trading began on 19 June 1995 and there were only 10 companies listed on the first day of trading. Since the opening of the Third Market in 1987, AIM was Londons first new market and it is split into two indices, the AIM 50 and AIM 100 Index where AIM 50 includes the biggest names on the junior market by attracting fresh, budding and newly expanding firms which were incapable for admittance to the main FTSE lists (London Stock Exchange, 2005). Even after facing criticism for the costs by some experts the market succeeded in making it easier for smaller businesses to raise capital. In accordance with the rules by AIM, the companys costs rose up to 20 times higher in comparison to the earlier system. Notwithstanding the cost of raising capital was approximated to be an average of about  £100,000 for an AIM company, as compared to  £1m for a company on the main market (London Stock Exchange, 2005). There are now 1,276 AIM-listed companies. Liquidity among AIM stocks widely varies and the stocks having highest capitalisation and the largest free float represent comparable liquidity levels to the main market. There are a large number of illiquid stocks on the lower end of the market. AIM provides different trading platforms for different types of stock in order to improve the liquidity of the market but its volatility is not significantly diverse than other markets. 2.2.1 STOCK TRADING Large and frequently traded stocks are listed on AIM and there are small, infrequently traded stocks also listed with it therefore; no single trading mechanism is applicable to AIM stocks. Considering the time from the institution of AIM, it has exhibited very rapid growth in trading volumes (London Stock Exchange, 2005) as represented in Table, 02. The average annual growth rates over the period of a decade starting from1996 to the year 2005 are as follows; the turnover was around 36%; number of trades was 28%; and the number of shares traded were 35% approximately. The average number of shares per trade grew by 5% per year, whereas the average value per trade grew by 6% per year, over this period. The growth of trading on AIM occurred in two phases. There was a substantial drop in stock market prices observed during 2001- 2002 where there was negative volume growth which gradually recovered in the year 2003 followed by rapid growth of trading. 2.2.2 UNDERSIZED REGULATORY LOAD AIM regulations are designed to reduce burden for companies listing on this exchange. The admission process for AIM takes about three months, depending on circumstances (Audley, 2005) and in order to list on AIM; There is no need for trading record and on the spot listing of start-ups and cash shells; Smaller companies can also list as there is no minimum market capitalization; Reduced costs and time for listing as the admission documents are not pre-vetted by AIM or the U.K. Listing Authority; The lack of a minimum free float for preventing firms to sell off a substantial part of the business to list in AIM; Approval from prior shareholder is not required for acquisitions that also reduces the time and cost of acquisitions. There is an obligation to employ a Nomad at all times for each AIM-listed company. The Nomads carry out three main functions; To make a decision that if a company should be admitted to AIM or not; Managing the floatation process; and Advice the company regarding rules, before and after it has been listed. 2.2.3 COSTS FOR LISTINGS The admission fee of AIM is  £4,180 with a listing fee of  £4,180 per year and a value-added tax to these admission and annual fees is applied to UK companies. The total costs of admission to AIM are about  £350,000 to  £450,000 and a brokers fees of 3% 6% of any funds raised (Audley, 2005). Nomads are liable to undertake most of this process followed by any subsequent capital-raising and this keeps admission and listing costs under control. The costs to the firm of listing on AIM include: The initial costs to obtain the listing; Followed by initial floatations costs of any subsequent capital raising; and The annual costs of maintaining the listing. 2.2.4 THE MAIN MARKET London Stock Exchange is one of the worlds leading stock exchanges and AIM offers a great deal of progression to it and vice versa. During a period of January 2000 to December 2004, a total of 160 companies switched between AIM and the main market. About 81% went from the main market to AIM and almost 19% went from AIM to the main market concluding that out of every company graduated from AIM to the main market, four moved in reverse course (Dufour, Sutcliffe and Wells 2005). In accordance with a survey (Baker Tilly, 2005b) 17 firms moved from the main market to AIM and their reason (Table, 03) for moving as constituted by the survey were; Less regulation 53% More Flexibility 41% Less Expensive 24% Tax Benefits 12% Suitability 12%Table: 03 Furthermore, the survey (Baker Tilly 2005b) reveals that 64% of the main market companies considered moving in and back to AIM, out of which 26% actually planned to move whereas the rest of 34% companies considered it beneficial due to lack of provisional parameters, trouble-free acquisitions, greater flexibility and tax advantages. 2.2.5 TAXATION The following areas of tax relief are available for individual investors in U.K. companies listed on AIM (Baker Tilly, 2005a): The business asset taper relief tends to minimise the effective tax rate of capital gains tax up to 40% 10%. In gift relief a capital gains tax is overdue until a subsequent disposal by the recipient. Investment in AIM trading companies leads to indemnity from inheritance tax. Enterprise investment scheme offers relief from both income tax and capital gains tax. From the initial investment in new AIM shares about one fifth of the cost can be counterbalanced against income tax. In addition any capital gain is exempt from capital gains tax, while any capital loss (less the 20% income tax relief) can be offset against capital gains elsewhere. Investors are exempt from tax on dividends from the Venture Capital Trusts, and capital gains on their shares in the VCT. Investors also receive an initial income tax relief equal to 40% of their investment in new VCT shares. 2.2.6 REQUIREMENTS AND LISTING PROCEDURE Companies listed on AIM have to assign a nominated adviser to serve as their sponsor or representative and is responsible to prepare the prospectus in order to admit the issuer for trading on AIM. The function of a nomad is to assists the company in raising its initial capital provide market making and research for the issuers stock with the help of its brokerage and research departments. The contractual activities and correlation between the issuer and its nomad extends well beyond the initial public offering. Nomad remain active even after the initial listing on AIM so that a small issuer does not end up being left alone in a stock market crisis. New rules and regulations were instituted both for nomads and companies listed on the AIM exchange, in Feb, 2007. To provide further guidance and to illuminate the regulatory issues concerning disclosure requirements the rules for nomads and companies were put into practice. Although the changes to AIM rules are evolutionary rather than re volutionary, Nomads should not under-estimate the Exchanges emphasis on the responsibility of nomads for preserving the reputation and integrity of AIM (Audley, 2005). 2.3 ASSOCIATED RISKS AND BENEFITS The listing procedure is much more simplified in London Stock Exchange as there is no regulatory authority in the UK so it becomes the responsibility of the sponsoring nomad as a result of which the complete process becomes substantially quicker and inexpensive. The prospectus discloses all information that an investor needs for making an informed investment decision and its less comprehensive in most cases where the SEC-filed registration statement and the review process, for the most part, is absent (Audley, 2005). Therefore, the SEC governmental review process of the prospectus, the massive amount of periodic regulatory filings and compulsory financial reporting needs are eradicated by listing on AIM. The emerging growth companies are offered with very greater options by eliminating the need for underwriters that are only interested large deals so a great number of foreign companies are flocking to AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2006). Listing on AIM gives an emerging growth company the opportunity to go public and raise capital for reasonable fees and under reasonable terms and conditions. AIM rules require not only a nominated broker but also a nominated adviser. There were companies on AIM which caused regulatory nervousness and the big guns at the DTI, Treasury and Stock Exchange focused their canon on nominated advisers. This had a knock-on effect on costs. Nominated advisers lay off their responsibilities on solicitors and accountants who duly reproduce and costs shoot up (London Stock Exchange, 2006). Professional advisers, anxious to minimise the risk of adverse criticism by the regulatory authorities, are now applying Official List standards. This has driven costs up and has damaged the purpose of AIM (London Stock Exchange, 2006). 2.4 FISCAL AGITATION AND AIM Economic recovery is gradual but consistent followed by the recession that hit the stock markets worldwide and for London Stock Exchange, particularly AIM market; there is a need for investment by small companies. The number of companies quoted on AIM, which is the London Stock Exchanges Alternative Investment Market, is now just 1,276 compared with more than 1,600 in the year 2007, which constitutes that, more than one company a day delists from AIM throughout last year (Northedge, 2010). It is also noticeable that notwithstanding the soaring share prices up to 66 per cent in the year 2009, outperforming the main stock market, only 36 new companies joined AIM. It is the lowest annual total since the launch of AIM in1995 and a tiny fraction as compared to the joining of 462 companies that in 2006 (Northedge, 2010). About 290 companies delisted compared with 218 in the year 2008, and others have been liquidating their assets and returning the proceeds to shareholders. Reported by (Wac hman, 2009) in Guardian, The number of companies having a capital under  £5m or  £10m has halved within two years and approximately two-thirds of AIMs companies are capitalised at less than  £25m and almost10 per cent are valued at below  £2m. Despite share prices falling, the delisting of the small firms has become a basis for the average AIM Companys estimation twofold to  £43m since the year 2006. The continued loss of small firms from AIM and some Britains top 200 companies remain there give rise to a fear that AIM will become another version of the main market leaving no alternative for smaller businesses to be quoted. That is already making it harder for small firms to raise capital to invest in Britains economic recovery (Northedge, 2010).

Fighting For Our Love Ones Essay -- essays research papers

In today’s world, most families have a love one struggling to live with cancer, HIV, glaucoma, or multiple sclerosis. Most of us, here in the United States, have watched a love one endure the pain of chemotherapy, uncontrollable muscle spasms, or blindness. Our love ones not only suffer physical pain, but mental anguish as well. Our dying loves ones are at war with our Federal Government. They are fighting for a chance at a better quality of life. They are fighting for the legalization of marijuana for medical use. Until marijuana is legalized for medical use, our love ones are forced to break the law. "†¦my gift to my husband, John Joseph who died last year. At the end of his life, my husband was wracked with pain from lung cancer. Marijuana was one medication that eased his intense pain, and nausea during chemotherapy. But, to get marijuana to help JJ, we had to break the law. †¦my husband’s ability to tolerate chemotherapy after a couple of puffs of marijuana extended his life and improved his quality of life (1)." That was an excerpt from a letter written by Anne Boyce to the voters of California for the passage of Proposition 215. In 1996, Proposition 215 was a proposed legislation in California that makes it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana to terminally ill patients. Proposition 215 was passed by the voters of California, but patients who use marijuana could still and are prosecuted by our Federal Government. Anne Boyce broke the law in order to obtain marijuana for her dying husband. Anne Boyce, a sixty-seven year old Registered Nurse, is not your typical criminal, now is she? Nevertheless, if Anne Boyce was caught by the law enforcement, she would be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Federally, possession of even one joint carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison (7). Cultivation of even one plant is a felony, with a maximum sentence of five years (7). Is this fair? Anne Boyce and others like her are law-abiding citizens, but they or someone they love are suffering from a grave illness, and legal pharmaceuticals do not ease the pain. So, they are force to break the law. Wouldn’t you do the same for your love one? I know I would. There is a need for a change. "I often drove her to the ho... ...he new millenium, the United States is well equipped with technology to address and to solve these problems. How can we help our love ones deal with the pain and agony of a deadly disease? How can we improve the quality of their lives? The answer is simple. Marijuana has been proven to be therapeutic, to have countless medical benefits, and to be remarkably safe. The medical use of marijuana needs to be legalized. It would be monitored just like any other controlled substance. This solution is easy. Legalizing marijuana would go through the same procedure as the other medically prescribed substance. It is up to us. We, the people of America, need to follow in the footsteps of Anne Boyce as well as the voters of California. We need to write to our Congressmen. Let our Senators and our Representatives know of our wishes, our rights. We need to talk a stand. Follow the advice of a once great President, Thomas Jefferson, who once said "if people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be as in sorry state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."

Womens Roles in Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and

Changing Women's Roles in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales Over the course of time, the roles of men and women have changed dramatically. As women have increasingly gained more social recognition, they have also earned more significant roles in society. This change is clearly reflected in many works of literature, one of the most representative of which is Plautus's 191 B.C. drama Pseudolus, in which we meet the prostitute Phoenicium. Although the motivation behind nearly every action in the play, she is glimpsed only briefly, never speaks directly, and earns little respect from the male characters surrounding her, a situation that roughly parallels a woman's role in Roman society of that period. Women of the time, in other words, were to be seen and not heard. Their sole purpose was to please or to benefit men. As time passed, though, women earned more responsibility, allowing them to become stronger and hold more influence. The women who inspired Lope de Vega's early seventeenth-century drama Fuente Ovejuna, for instance, rose up against n ot only the male officials of their tiny village, but the cruel (male) dictator busy oppressing so much of Spain as a whole. The roles women play in literature have evolved correspondingly, and, by comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Wife of Bath's Prologue, we can see that fictional women have just as increasingly as their real-word counterparts used gender differences as weapons against men. The epic poem Gilgamesh is the first heroic epic of world literature. The role of the primary mortal woman mentioned in it is only to benefit and please men, and with little or no consideration as to how she feels... ...orks Cited Burrow, J.A. "From The Third Fitt." Twentieth Century Interpretations of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.' Ed. Denton Fox. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 27-45. Cox, Catherine S. Gender and Language in Chaucer. Gainesville, Florida: U of Florida P, 1997. Everett, Dorothy. "From The Alliterative Revival." Twentieth Century Interpretations of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.' Ed. Denton Fox. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 3-26. Harris, Rivkah. Gender and Aging in Mesopotamia. Oklahoma: U of Oklahoma P, 2000. Lawall, Sarah, et al. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Vol. I. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. Nelson, Marie. "Biheste is Dette: Marriage promises in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales." 2001. Dept. of English, Wentworth University. 15 July 2003 <http://www.wentworth.edu/nelson/chaucer>

Online Dating Essay -- Internet Cyberspace Technology Essays

Online Dating The Internet has always seemed like a completely separate world, very different from reality. There seemed to be so many endless possibilities. One is the new online dating craze, which has caught my attention a number of times. One rainy afternoon, curled up in a blanket at my computer chair, I decided to investigate it. I learned that as many of the baby-boomers start to become widowed or divorced, many are looking for mates, along with many others who are looking for companionship. With the new Internet-Age, many of these individuals turn to their computer to find someone. Online relationships are a growing phenomenon in the United States as well as internationally. After doing some research I could not develop an opinion on how I felt about this new trend. I found a group of specialists who had devoted some researching to it and I invited them over for dinner to find what their opinions were and why. I wanted only the best, the most opinionated, and the most interested in the topic to come and join me for dinner. I wanted to ignite a conversation that would involve many different views about the subject. I decided on three people to invite to my feast. First, I chose Robin Eisner, who works for ABC, and has studied the effects of spending time on the Internet. Next, I chose Laura Koss-Feder, who had interviewed several online couples and understands some of the positive and negative attributes of online dating. I also invited Erica D. Rowell for her knowledge and the studies she has done on online dating. About a week before they all came to dinner, I began to plan what I would make. After having talked to each of them several times on the telephone, I could tell they may de... ...et them up on, but they often do not develop into anything. They are often surrounded by married couples and may not know a lot of single people, so dating can be very difficult. In their loneliness, they turn to the Internet for companionship. Many may go just to look for a friend, but often they might end up meeting someone they want to date (par. 3). I think this is great for older people since they are often wiser so they know who to trust and are more careful when disclosing information to people online. They know they cannot trust just anybody. Younger people, who have not dated much or have not experienced true love, might fall for the words of another online, and this cold lead to disastrous effects. I would not advise anybody my age to date online, but for some older people I think it might be a great way to meet people as long as they are careful.

Academic and Career Goals Essay

Academic and Career Goals Sometimes it seems like life is inhibiting me from achieving my goals. I define my objectives as I see them. I associate them with my values. Knowing that the task at hand is essential to realizing my dreams, but I am unable to do it. I have thought about other ways to get around the problem, I keep getting back to the talent I’m missing. Accomplishing a new ability might feel like a huge undertaking. It’s been my experience that if a talent is necessary in getting closer to achieving my dreams, education is not a bad thing after all. I begin on an excursion to take the first of many steps gaining enlightenment while pursuing my academic and career goals. Furthermore, education is the most important aspect in people’s lives. It is becoming even more important than it has been in the past. In today’s society, education is essential in order to be successful economically and socially. The benefits of education are boundless. I believe the stages from elementary to high school; students are getting an inadequate amount of education. Furthermore, education is a mandatory process. Individuals who continue their education in colleges and universities will become more experienced meanwhile increasing their chances of getting a well-paid job. In essence the desire to return back to school has been a dream for a long time. I have had to start a little later in life but I have finally found my passion in graphic design. Since becoming a young adult, I have had to work multiple jobs and mentally trapped in a state of barely surviving; I needed to have an encouraging transformation that would allow me to achieve a better financial steadiness. My reasons for returning back to school are much more than becoming a graphic designer; having the instability of a lower income was extremely pertinent for my self-worth. I ACADEMIC 3 have been particularly apprehensive for such a long time that making life altering decisions will optimistically create an end result for me and my family. During this day and age, numerous individuals are going back to the school to further their education; due to many families having challenging times in making their ends meet. The employers are seeking individuals who possess college degrees; which inspires people to further  their education. Having a college degree often leads individuals into a secure and a well-paying job in order to adequately support their family. In today’s society and principles, individuals with a college degree are viewed to be more devoted, well-informed, teachable, and respected to potential businesses. Additionally, when I was younger and inexperienced, my day dreams were of going college and gaining the experience that would lead me to a successful career. Unnecessary time had passed; and unfortunately, I had to work instead of continuing on with school. Many of my older friends talked about their experiences, and my high school friends were also excited about the idea of joining the working class. After being employed with several jobs, I felt as if my life was not reaching full potential. My self-esteem became low and I felt distraught. Furthermore, I needed to motivate myself and decided to pursue my college degree. There is a point in everyone’s life where they will have to become financially independent. Unfortunately, for some people this process can be difficult. Planning my life has been a roller coaster and extremely difficult. I have been dependent on others most of my life, and realized I had to take consequences for my actions. For all intents and purposes I look to the future to attain a college degree, to better myself and accomplish my Academic and Career Goals. ACADEMIC 4 References Ashford University. (n. d. ). Ashford writing center. Retrieved from https://content. ashford. edu/ Sole, K. (2010). Essentials for College Writing. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content. ashford. edu.

National Security Is More Important Than Human Rights

The conception of human rights and freedoms is the cornerstone of American traditions, law and the indicator of democracy. The approach of prevailing interest in personal privacy, property privacy and non-interference of state authorities in private affairs is the basic ground for modern organization of American society. For centuries the courts have been standing safeguards of protection of persons against unreasonable intrusion of the State, generally interpreting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights with preference of personal human rights protection. Nonetheless in the end of the 21st century there appeared several factors which so much influenced our society that the matters of homeland security and protection raised with extraordinary emphasis and the thesis that the national security is more important than human rights causes no surprise. This research is focused on this controversial issue and contains the analysis of the reasons which changed the scale; the overview of national security vs. uman rights from the points of view of internal and external national policy; the argumentation pro and contra preponderance of national security over personal human rights with the examples of concrete rights and evidence; the conclusion. So why the validity of what was right earlier should be now the subject of reconsideration? Among the reasons which preconditioned giving more political and legal importance to the national security over protection of individual rights and freedoms the general reason is the need to prevent U.  S. citizens, infrastructures and lands from the increased threat of terrorist attacks, the protection of U. S. borders from potential foreign invasion. Another important factor which influenced the change in traditional legal and political doctrine is the globalization. Once, the rights of U. S. citizens guaranteed by the Bill of Rights have been expanded and extrapolated around the world. Close political, economical and cultural communications of the U. S. A. with all countries of the world and the U.  S. hegemonic influence as of the world leading power have another side of the movement. The amount, the value and the accessibility of international communication on any level: governmental, regional, local or private, has risen extraordinary in comparison to earlier times due to technological revolution. Our state and people have been under the influence of other cultures and societies, as this exchange is bilateral. For instance, this led to increasing role of statutory law in the U. S. ystem of law which has been traditionally case-law system of law. So, many of our partner-countries have different traditions and regulations and many of them place national security and social interests prior to personal rights, justifying this with weighty arguments which in any case should be taken into consideration. The U. S. Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act are bright evidence for the two previous arguments, the public support and the reasonability of the change of emphasized values. Particularly the U. S.  Patriot Act of 2001 was passed nearly unanimously by the Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House, with the support of members from across the political spectrum, which underlines public appreciation of placing more emphasis to national security prior to protection of individual interests of privacy. Improving the counter-terrorist protection, the Act proscribes profound changes in investigating procedures and contains numerous provisions far from democratic traditions and waiving protection of certain constitutional rights of almost any U.  S. citizen (for instance, the Act expands the reasons for warrantless searches, simplifies the conditions of obtaining search and seizure warrants, expands the reasons for obtaining business records in criminal investigations etc) (The U. S. Department of Justice). Other national security questions which have evidently increased its importance over human rights protection in recent years are the illegal immigration, the de velopment of international organized crime, the accessibility of public and private information on Internet etc. In most of the cases opposing the concept of human rights to national security is erroneous and unreasonable construction because the national security is the concept which precludes the physical and mental security of all members of the society, and therefore includes and predetermines the possibility of exercising human rights and freedoms. Without security the well-being is impossible. Looking at the national security vs. uman rights question from the points of view of internal and external national security, one should first examine what concrete human rights may be waived or limited for the homeland security and protection purposes. Natural human rights like the right for life are not the subject to address in this essay. The rights addressed in this essay are defined primarily in the U. S. Bill of Rights. These are civil ight for privacy, the right of peaceful protest, the right to personal freedom, the right to a fair trial and the right of equal protection, usually in the list of the rights which under certain conditions may be waived for the efficiency of homeland security and protection. The first argument supporting the statement that national security is more important than protection of individual rights is the increased threat of terroristic attacks, which are very dangerous, carefully planned, locally targeted and generously funded organized crimes. This threat requires adequate actions. For instance, the problem of efficiency of security measures in the airports is one of the most important challenges in homeland security and protection policy, and the example that despite all actions taken the threat remains very realistic is the recent terrorist attempt of the Al-Qaeda bomber to blow-up plane while landing in Detroit, MI. on December 26, 2009. The second argument is the international experience and need to unity the efforts of international community in struggle with terrorism, nuclear threat and organized crime. Kumar, C. Raj (2005) writes â€Å"The September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington D. C. , and the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament have intensified the debate regarding the necessity of formulating national security laws in India and the laws' potentially serious impact on human rights and civil liberties. The strengthening of national security laws worldwide is apparently pursued with the objective of combating terrorism and other forms of internal and external threats to the States and the societies in which people live†. Several security laws have been passed in India in response to the challenge of preventing terrorism and preserving national security. The laws are being criticized for violation of human rights, though the Supreme Court upheld their constitutional validity. This example illustrates that not only in the USA, but worldwide, there is a tendency of giving more importance to national security and international cooperation for this purpose. The third argument supporting the thesis is that the modern American law de facto prefers public interests to the interests of individual member of the society. Numerous exceptions are legalized to justify deviation of constitutional rights, particularly in investigating procedures – the procedures which predetermine the following stages of criminal process. On the example of airport security, more attention of transportation security officers is currently devoted to passengers’ searches and seizures. A review of landmark cases related to airport searches illustrates that the private person rarely wins and that searches are almost always found to be reasonable and constitutional (Kornblatt, 2007). In recent landmark case United States v. Hartwell, 436 F. 3d 174, 175 (3rd Cir. 006), the Supreme Court has acknowledged a few circumstances in which a search is reasonable in absence of wrongdoing, which typically involve administrative searches of ‘closely regulated’ businesses, other so-called ‘special needs’ cases, and suspicionless ‘checkpoint’ searches. The Court stated that suspicionless searches at checkpoints â€Å"are permissible under the Fourth Amendment when a court finds a favorable balance between ‘the gravity of the public concerns served by the seizure, the degree to which the seizure advances the public interest, and the severity of the interference with individual liberty. Particularly the Supreme Court emphasized the importance of preventing terrorist attacks against airplanes, the prevailing of public interest in security checkpoints at airports. Under the â€Å"special needs† doctrine the government authorities are allowed to conduct searches in the absence of any suspicion of criminality in limited circumstances where the search is aimed not to gather evidence for the investigation of crime. These circumstances include: whether the government interest for the search program is immediate and substantial, whether the search program effectively advances the government interest, states Konblatt (2007). In United States v. Skipwith, 482 F. 2d 1272 (5th Cir. 1973) the Fifth Circuit decided that some situations present a level of danger such that the reasonableness test is per se satisfied. The Court found that a balance must be struck between the harm and the need to determine what is reasonable: â€Å"When the risk is the jeopardy to hundreds of human lives and millions of dollars of property inherent in the pirating or blowing up of a large airplane, the danger alone meets the test of reasonableness. Therefore the case law suggests that in the case of conflict between private rights and public interests, generally protected by government, the latter prevail. The fourth argument supporting the thesis is that the most of American leaders and majority in American society, de-facto, support the governmental actions on improving public safety, therefore consenting with correspondent limitation of personal rights and freedoms. It’s natural that almost any citizen wishes to reduce crime rates nd will willingly temporarily waive some civil rights like the freedom of movement for the purpose of protection of his life, health and private property. The idea of potential terrorist attack remains in the minds of our citizens and enriches the soil for reasonable and unreasonable expansion of state authorities’ powers. Hillary Clinton once stated unequivocally that national security is not only more important than human rights on the international stage, but that it takes domestic supremacy as well (Snedeker, 2007). Barack Obama demonstrates balanced and reasonable national security policy, much less aggressive than previous President, but still attempts to save and multiply the best of recent achievements in homeland security and protection. Speaking on the other side, many intelligent people, social leaders and human rights activists strongly oppose the statement that national security is more important than personal human rights. Jane Smiley, Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist and essayist defends the human rights priority with the popular historical argument: â€Å"The Founding Fathers understood the temptation on the part of governments to give and remove human rights arbitrarily, because they had experienced such things before the Revolutionary War, (†¦) recognized that although British Law customarily acknowledged various human rights, it was essential to name, codify, and write them down to make it less likely that they could be taken away†. Nonetheless earlier in this essay it is proved that the historical experience of the U. S. is irrelevant for this situation, as there have been profound changes in international relations, technological abilities and domestic challenges in the U. S. policy which it never addressed earlier. Also, Smiley claims rolling back human rights, â€Å"even for some individuals, is to return to a more primitive, hierarchical, and un-American theory of human relations†. But what actually constitutes â€Å"the American theory of human relations† and why the proposed approach is more primitive? Such claims seem to be more emotional than rational. On emotional level, no one likes limitation of his personal freedom and waiver of his personal benefits. Logical ratio easily proves that the individual benefits depend largely on the benefits available in the society, and in the society where access to information, persons and property can be easily gained with high-tech equipment the complex measures should be taken on the very high level to guarantee the security and wellness of all its members. National security strategies should take into consideration the relevance of human rights and development. The goal of protecting human security will supplement the existing strategies for protecting national security† states Kumar, C. Raj (2005). Searching for the balance between security and freedom we need to defend our nation, and each of us is its priceless part. Works Cited http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm