Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Whether Achebes assessment of Heart of Darkness is entirely fair Essay

Whether Achebes assessment of Heart of Darkness is entirely fair - Essay Example The assessment presented by Achebe presents an analysis of the characterization in Conrad’s work. Achebe’s view of the comments presented by Marlow, the narrator in Conrad’s work, and the writer himself are subject to prejudice is fair. While taking the two (Conrad and Marlow) to be an entity, Achebe states that their wish is that things remain in the way they are. On a further note, Marlow represents a wrong image of the people of Africa. He refers to the pseudo-civilized African as a man who needs external support. In his assessment, Achebe is not happy at the fact that Conrad presents the Africans as having no language but the Europeans’ language as being superior. Achebe condemns what Conrad referred to as the lack of coherent way of human expression. This is a fair assessment since there were, native, African languages, through which they communicated. Since language’s core role is to communicate, there is no language fairer than another spoken by a different group of people, as Conrad tends to create in his work. The work by Conrad gives a view of Africa as a world in which the occupants are ignorant of events and display the least form of humanity. There is inaccurate information provided by Conrad about the description of some places in the setting of the book. The setting of the story is on river Congo, which evidently not River Emeritus. The depiction brought by Conrad brings that the two are distinct in value is wrong. He depicts that there was no food for a â€Å"civilized man† (Conrad 11) in River Congo, but the waters of Thames were drinkable. The racism evident through the presentation of Africa and its people by Conrad and Marlow (the character) works to invalidate the work. The author and character’s manipulation of the image of Congo in Conrad’s work denies it the credit any credit that it may attain from its readers. Achebe notes that Conrad never

Monday, October 28, 2019

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay Example for Free

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay The book April Morning by Howard Fast is a dramatic story of the bloody battle of Lexington set up with a one day structure from the view of a fifteen year old boy turning into a man. In the book we see the life of Adam Cooper changing from child to man in the matter of one day. Each chapter is a different time period of the day telling us what has happened and what the effects were on his life. Adam Cooper is a fifteen-year-old boy living in colonial Lexington, Massachusetts with his family. He feels demoralized by his father, Moses Cooper, but finds consolation from Granny Cooper, his paternal grandmother. When a meeting of the township Committee is called on the evening of April 18th, Adam wishes to attend but his father questions whether or not his son is a man and has earned the right to attend the meeting. Instead of attending the meeting, Adam visits his neighbor Ruth Simmons, a distant relative whom he loves whom he loves and sees himself marrying in the distant future. When his father returns home from the meeting, Adam eavesdrop as Moses tells his wife Sarah and Granny Cooper what happened, as the colonial communities prepare for a possible confrontation with the British army. During the late night early morning, a rider arrives in Lexington, waking up the community with news that the British army is on the march to Concord to take out supplies and ammunition that is being stored by colonists for a possible rebellion. Once the news of the night rider reaches the town the committeemen hold a muster for the militia, and Adam decides to sign the muster book and commit to fighting for the militia. His father is present when he is signing the muster and allows for it to happen. Moses Cooper no longer sees his son as a boy but as a determined man willing to fight for his family and community. Both Adam and his father prepared themselves for the battle and a total of seventy militia men wait for the arrival of the British army. Moses Cooper argues persuasively with the committeemen that the small number of men can’t stand up to the thousands of Redcoat troops they will be greeting alone, and so its decided that they will state their case but do no more; they decide to talk it out rather than to fight. However when the British finally reach Lexington, the officers are sneeringly dismissive of the colonists and tell them to leave the common and a mysterious shot is fired causing the British troops to begin firing on the colonists. The British massacred the small militia that stood in front of them, and Adam watched as his father and other men he had known his entire life be shot down. Adam hides in terror and cannot go home because of the British troops in town and it is unsafe. Adam is off to the woods to find the rest of the militia and he is almost discovered by British soldiers, but before they do so are called away to march towards Concord. Adam runs from the British and is shot at by redcoats, only to be caught in the grip of an older colonial man named Solomon Chandler, who helps Adam and provides him with some consolation and food. Adam joins Chandler on his journey to meet up with more members of colonial militias. Along the way, other colonists join the two, also ready to fight the British. Once at the pasture, Adam is greeted by Cousin Simmons and The Reverend, and is relieved that others from the Lexington militia had survived. Though the various town committees and militia have general instructions, there isnt a single leader chosen to lead the battle. It was a confused time for the colonists fighting and finally Chandler guides them and instructs the men waiting at the pasture to split up into groups according to the firing range of their weapons. Adam and the other men in his group lay under the brush and fire at the redcoats, Adams gun does not reach a far distance so he does not shoot but watches instead; he see the burning of Lexington and the bloodshed of the redcoats. Through the mist of all of the battle Adam seems to fall asleep leaving everyone to believe that he is wounded and dead. When Adam wakes up he finds that the battle has moved to a distant location; he hears Cousin Simmons and The Reverend talking, meets them, and they all agree to go home to Lexington, or what is left of it. Once home Adam is greeted with relief and happiness by the surviving members of his family and others from the town. Adam is now treated like a fully-grown man when he was only recently considered a simple child to everyone. Adam makes peace with his fathers corpse, and then helps to carry the casket to the church. At the church Adam lights some extra candles so his father won’t have to rest in the dark of night. Cousin Simmons makes sure that Adam is aware this battle was only the start, and that he must consider his other responsibilities as the new head of household when deciding if hell continue to fight. When Adam returns home his mother is already asleep but Granny Cooper is awake and says she knows he will go back into battle eventually. He puts off the question for the time being, and is relieved to finally go to sleep and end this momentous day. The book is a great and quick read being that it is only 202 pages long. The text gets you involved and makes it feel as if you are there with Adam Cooper through the battles and his day. You feel as if you are standing next to Adam while on the field holding your riffle awaiting the battles. The pressures and emotions that the boy is going through as he transitions into an adult are heartfelt and many people can relate to Adam in some ways. The pressure of becoming a man over night and resuming all these responsibilities he never had to deal with before is a struggle that many can relate too. I personally would definitely recommend this book to my peers as well as to younger and older audiences. This book in my opinion was very good in the fact that it drew me in and kept me wanting to read more as the story went on. I don’t usually like reading and the fact that this book makes me want to keep reading and not stop till it was finished in my opinion makes this a good book. Fast is a great author and knows how to draw in an audience. Overall this was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to all.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

How Jack Bellews Speech Affects the Plot of Nella Larsens Passing

The term "passing" is shorthand for a racial passing which means people of one race passing for another. Nella Larsen's Passing is the story about two light-skinned women, who both have African blood. Clare Kendry is one of them who chooses and succeeds at "passing" and Irene Redfield is one who doesn't. They drive into each other twelve years later in a restaurant and Clare invites Irene to the tea party. The tea party which appears in the beginning of the story plays an important role throughout of the story because Jack Bellew enters the story at that moment. Jack is the white man who has a strong revulsion to African-Americans. He marries Clare, without knowing her secret ancestry. Jack's statements at the tea party lead the main characters' transformation throughout the story and shape the ending as well. Jack's disgust in colored people and assertion of his hate toward Negroes impact Clare Kendry, his wife, to re-estimate her value of life. When Clare and Irene run into each other at the restaurant, Clare is confident of her `passing' and is even sorry to those who didn't do the same thing. Passing to the white society is "even worth the price" to Clare (160). She believes that wealth is everybody's final desire and by passing she achieves that in a "frightfully easy" way (158). However she doubts her confidence on her passed life since the tea party in her house. At the tea party, Jack says words which humiliates African-Americans and shows how he hates Negroes (171-172). Against his statements, Irene exposes that Jack is "surrounded by three black devils" (172). It is significant that Irene includes Clare as one of the "black devils." This implies that Irene classifies Clare as a part of the black community even... ...at Jack didn't show up frequently during the story but his words which had spoken at the tea party remain and continuously affect Irene and Clare. After the tea party Clare finds her happiness is no longer coming from being an upper class and having wealth but she confirms that she belongs to the black society and is happy to mingle with them. Also Irene who always concerning safety and put it up as the most important thing in her life turns out to thinking about others beside security; those are considering herself and relationship with husband . Clare's death, the ending of the story, was already foreseen at the tea party by Jack and followed by his words. Without doubt Jack Bellew was the character who opens up the story and also, finishes up the story. Work cited Nella, Larsen. Quicksand and Passing. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University press, 2002

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Sin Taxes

Principles and Processes of Government Budgeting| Sin Taxes, Good or Bad? | An Examination of the Use of Sin Taxes in the United States| By: Stacy Madden4/27/2012 | Executive Summary Historically sin taxes have been an effective and efficient way for the government to raise revenue. The federal government used tariffs and consumption taxes to generate almost all of its revenue in the early years of our nation. The tax structure and philosophy has evolved and changed since the beginning of our nation, however the use of sin taxes has remained a good way for governments to raise revenues.Sin taxes no longer provide a significant portion of federal or state governments; however they do provide a consistent stream of revenue. This paper examines the use of sin taxes in the United States. First, the paper provides a basic understanding of sin taxes, current definition, and history. Next, the paper outlines the goods and services most commonly targeted by sin taxes and provides information about the effectiveness of these taxes to raise revenue and accomplish policy outcomes.Common goods and services targeted by sin taxes include; tobacco, alcohol, fuel, hazardous chemicals, gambling, prostitution, pornography, and unhealthy foods. Lastly, the paper will examine the ethical and moral implications of sin taxes from the perspective of those who support and oppose the use of sin taxes in the United States. Introduction Ben Franklin adequately stated the importance of taxes with his famous quote, â€Å"but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. Citizens have vested governments with the power to tax in order to provide services for the common good. There are many different ways for a government to tax its citizens in order to raise revenues, ranging from taxes on income, wealth, and property, to taxes on goods and services. The United States uses many of these taxes in varying levels to raise the needed funds to carry out government busine ss. Some taxes are generally accepted and uncontested, while others are highly politicized and hard for Americans to accept.Presently, the federal government relies on income taxes for the bulk of its revenue whereas states and localities rely more heavily on other forms of taxes to raise money for their functions. The primary function of taxes is to raise revenue for the government, however governments have used taxes to help spark social change, punish those who partake of certain goods and services, or regulate the consumption of specific goods and services. In these instances, taxes move from matters of revenue to issues of social policy, acting as mechanisms to force certain behaviors from citizens.More specifically, sin taxes have been used in the United States to help change behavior or regulate the consumption of goods and services deemed as sinful. In this paper, I will define sin taxes and outline the political meaning of â€Å"sin,† provide a brief history of sin t axes and their use, examine the most common forms of sin taxes in the United States, and lastly discuss the ethical and moral implication of utilizing sin taxes as a mechanism of social change. Sin Tax, a DefinitionBefore considering the implications of sin taxes and their influence on the behavior of Americans, it is important to define the term. Taxes, most generally, are levied by governments to raise revenue in order to conduct business in the public interest. The United States, utilizing a progressive income tax to raise the bulk of its revenue, possess a culture where citizens pay most of their taxes on time. (Mikesell 493) This system is not one that commonly uses taxes as a punishment, instead encouraging its citizens to pay their taxes for the common good and success of the nation as a whole.Noncompliance is low, and the government has even employed strategies to enhance payment, such as instruction and assistance. (Mikesell 494) Sin taxes, however, do not take this positiv e approach to raise revenue, instead, governments use their powers of taxation to punish behaviors when utilizing sin taxes. Most commonly, sin taxes are excise or consumption taxes that charge fees for guilty pleasures or human indulgence. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Sin taxes, therefore, are intended to encourage citizens to consume or use taxed items responsibly or discourage behavior associated with the consumption of taxed items. Goods or services generally taxed through sin tax policy have some common characteristics including inelastic demand, promote behavior that is harmful to the individual, and promote behavior that is harmful to others.Goods or services targeted by sin taxes have an inelastic demand because they are generally habitual, addictive, or highly pleasurable. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Further, these goods or services are targeted by sin tax legislation because consuming or utilizing the good or services can lead to self-destructive behavior, negative consequences for c ommunities, and generally are considered socially undesirable. Thus, sin taxes are not prohibitive; citizens are allowed to consume targeted goods and services as long as the tax is not steep enough to make consumption of the good or service impossible. Viscusi 556) Further, the voluntary nature of sin taxes is generally more tolerable than involuntary nature of income taxes. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1677) The most confusing and controversial element when considering sin taxes is the definition of sin.This word can be highly political and misleading, automatically making most think of sin in religious terms. However, sin, in the context of sin taxes, refers to addictive, self-destructive, and socially undesirable, behavior from the consumption of goods and services without crossing into religious doctrine. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) In this context, then, sin is behavior that is undesirable enough to be targeted by taxes as a form of regulation or determent, but not so socially unacce ptable to be illegal to the public. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Therefore, sin taxes should not be considered as forms of punishment for poor consumption choices, but instead be a catalyst to foster sounder and safer decisions. (Viscusi 547) However, this can be a slippery slope, the limited use of taxes on goods and services deemed as sinful could grow and encompass others outside the scope of sin.Sin Tax History Sin taxes have a long history, originating with religious doctrine and the power of organized religions to collect fees. Popes levied the earliest forms of sin taxes on prostitutes, brothels, and the sale of indulgence to raise money for religious projects. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59) Laws required prostitutes to designate half of her property and fortune to convents, and brothels were taxed continuing through the 16th century. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59) Further, Russian Czar Peter the Great imposed fees on the length of beards to tax vanity, and the Puritans used sin taxes to curb ex travagance. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59)The United States has a long history of utilizing taxes on socially undesirable goods and services to fund the government. In the early years of our democracy, the federal Government derived almost all its revenue from consumption taxes in the form of duties on imports and excise taxes on liquors and tobacco. American Economic Association 50) This tradition was set early when Congress enacted excise taxes on tobacco and snuff, refined sugar, distilled spirits, carriages, and property sold at auctions in order to finance the debts incurred during the Revolutionary War. (Hines 51) However, these taxes were not well received by a public that was over taxed by the British government and violent protests, in what was later coined the Whiskey Rebellion, resulted in the abolition of many unpopular excise taxes during the Jefferson Administration. Hines 52)The War of 1812 and the Civil War both required the federal Government to raise revenue and as a resu lt old excise taxes were reinstated as well as taxes on gold, jewelry, silverware, watches, playing cards, feathers, patent medicines, billiard tables, leather, telegrams, yachts, and many other luxuries, however these taxes were quickly repealed once the wars were over. (Hines 62) The federal Government was permitted to levy a personal income tax with the 16th Amendment, which became the main source of revenue in 1913. Hines) Federal excise taxes did not completely disappear during this time; however prohibition severely limited the possible revenue of excise taxes before the Depression.The repeal of Prohibition and expansion of excise taxes on luxuries during the Depression helped to finance the increased federal spending of the New Deal Programs totaling more than 15 percent of the federal revenue in 1933. Hines 52) The expansion of programming during and following World War II required higher income taxes, fully transferring the bulk of government revenue away from excise and co nsumption taxes to the system we employ today. (Hines) The federal government still utilized some consumption and excise taxes, however these were limited to those goods and services mostly deemed socially undesirable, or sin taxes. Popular Goods and Services Taxed as â€Å"Sin† Tobacco and Alcohol The scope of goods and services targeted by sin taxes is limited in American society.The two oldest and most widely targeted goods are tobacco and alcohol. As evidenced in the history of sin taxes, alcohol and tobacco have been taxed to finance federal and state governments, particularly in slow fiscal times or to raise money for major legislation or wars. These goods have been targeted by sin tax legislation because they have the potential to raise money rather quickly, have been relatively accepted as sinful, and have direct casual relationships with health or social problems. Hines 63) Further, it is easier for governments to justify taxes on tobacco and alcohol to the public si nce both goods tend to have negative consequences for the public at large. Legislators can disguise taxes on tobacco and alcohol as regulations to help protect society from the health and social consequences resulting from overconsumption of these goods while requiring those who consume tobacco and alcohol to finance the consequences of their consumption choices. (Boyd and Seldon 365) Thus, in times of increasing taxes it is easier and more popular to increase taxes on goods instead of taxes on income.Cigarettes have been a major target of sin taxes in most recent history as the health risks have been widely publicized. In order to combat cigarette consumption, the federal government and many states have levied taxes on the production and/or sale of cigarettes. The rationale behind this tax is quite simple, those who partake in the pleasure of smoking should help pay for the health care required resulting from their choice. (Gruber 203) Today, all states and the federal government i mpose an excise tax on cigarettes, and these taxes are increasing as governments try to balance their budgets. American Medical Association 1909)Cigarette excise taxes are widely accepted in public opinion, the hazards of smoking have demonized the industry and those who choose to purchase the products. (Gruber 194) Utilizing sin taxation to regulate consumption of tobacco has been highly effective, according to the CDC, â€Å"A 10% increase in the price of cigarettes can reduce consumption by nearly 4% among adults and can have an even greater effect among youths and other price-sensitive groups. (American Medical Association 1909) Sin taxation on alcohol, while a widely targeted good, seems to be less popular and publicized in popular media. Taxes on alcohol tend to be lower than those on tobacco, and many states handle the sale of alcohol differently (alcohol license tax, state operated liquor stores, etc. ), making the tax less visible to the public. (Johnson and Meier 580) Fur ther, it is harder to gauge the effect specific liquor, beer, and wine taxes have on consumption.For example, higher taxes increasing the price on one might cause consumers to substitute to another, more affordable alternative, such as substituting wine with beer. (Johnson and Meier 591) However, studies show increased prices on alcohol as a result of taxation have affected alcohol consumption rates to an extent even if it is minimal. (Boyd and Seldon 365) Sin taxation on both tobacco and alcohol have seemed to decrease the consumption of these goods while raising revenues for state and federal governments, however little attention is given to other factors affecting decreasing consumption rates.The American public has been flooded with messages about the dangers of smoking and national campaigns have worked to warn Americans to stop smoking, helping to decrease cigarette consumption in the United States along with the steep sin taxes increasing the prices. Further, many cities and states are adopting smoking bans in public places, limiting the accessibility of facilities for smokers. Also, there are very few substitutes for tobacco products, forcing smokers to either pay the tax or consume less.Political movements and tougher legislation against behavior resulting from alcohol consumption might be affecting consumption rates just as easily as increased prices resulting from sin taxes. Taxes on alcohol and tobacco can also increase production costs, causing producers to utilize their resources to raise other commodities that are not as heavily taxed, decreasing the overall production of tobacco and alcohol products. Boyd and Seldon 370) Further, lower consumption rates may not mean that consumption is actually dropping if consumers are turning to affordable black market substitutes. (Johnson and Meier 591) Environmental Americans have become increasingly accustomed to sin taxes that will help promote safer environmental practices and sustainability. Increased understanding of environmental factors surrounding pollution has increased the need for governmental regulation of emissions. As a result, the federal government has levied taxes on goods and services that contribute to pollution.The most common of these taxes is that on fuel; gasoline and diesel. Sin taxes levied on gasoline are intended to discourage driving and reduce pollution as well as traffic congestion in the process. (Hines 52) This tax is easy for government to justify since the majority of funds raised from the tax are spent on highway maintenance and construction. (Hines 52) While this tax may not have been enacted with â€Å"sin† regulation in mind, environmental regulation helps to justify it now, putting it in the â€Å"sin† category.Environmental sin taxes are not limited to fuel; they are also levied on gas-guzzler cars, heavy road vehicles, highway-type tires, and all forms of air transportation. (Hines 53) Ozone depleting chemicals also present an op portunity to tax environmental sin. Not only does the federal government limit the use of these hazardous chemicals, they are also taxed. (Hines 53) The strict regulation and higher taxes on these chemicals has severely reduced their production and use, almost making the usage limits irrelevant. Hines 53) In the future, scaled taxes on specific chemicals could help further reduce their use and potential harm to the ozone, however the federal government has not utilized sin taxes thoroughly enough to enact further environmental regulation. Gambling, Prostitution, and Pornography Gambling is a service that has been a target of sin taxes since the early years of our nation, easily defined as a sin but harder to single out and tax since it is not a good. The federal government has not taxed gambling with the same enthusiasm as tobacco, alcohol, or fuel taxes.Taxing gambling in the United States is tricky, Native American and state sponsored gambling is tax free, and setting gambling tax es too high can cause taxpayers to turn to alternatives, such as illegal gaming establishments. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1682) Further, it is harder for consumers to feel the effects of gambling taxes since most tax costs are not directly funded by service prices. Instead, most sin taxes are levied on the gaming establishments in the form of license agreements for specific games or total revenue. Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1687) Thus, gambling taxes do not technically raise the cost of the service and encourage citizens to make better decisions, instead gambling establishments bear the majority of the burden of the tax cost. While gambling sin taxes are hard to levy on individuals for regulation, they can be a tool to monitor and stop organized crime through IRS oversight. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1681) Prostitution and pornography are equally difficult to tax, each for their own, separate reasons.Prostitution, while generally considered immoral, is legal in some states and on pa per is considered victimless since it is a consensual act between two adults. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 331) Further, taxes in this industry generally are levied on the establishment, much like gambling, and if the tax becomes too high, consumers will look for substitutes, generally illegal. Pornography is equally as difficult to tax, since so much of this product is available online.States are still trying to figure out how to charge a sales tax on online purchases, rather unsuccessfully, and pornography is no exception. Thus, taxes on this industry are limited to taxes on producers and networks, not individual consumers. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 331) In the end, taxes on prostitution and pornography are not as readily apparent to the consumer as with tobacco, alcohol or fuel, reducing the individual deterrent qualities of a sin tax on these goods and services. Fat TaxesObesity rates in the United States have been risin g, and as a result so have health issues and healthcare costs. (Chaufan, Hong and Fox 87) In recent years, state and federal governments have debated utilizing sin taxes to raise the cost of purchasing calorie dense foods with no nutritional value in order to deter consumption. However, these â€Å"fat taxes† are not new and have been present since the 1920’s. (Creighton 127) They are gaining in popularity as the obesity epidemic continues to cause widespread health issues.These unhealthy goods are particularly targeted by health officials because they are most commonly marketed to kids, and children who develop poor eating habits when they are young and more likely to become obese as adults. (Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 968) Thus, with evidence from the tobacco industry, sin taxes on unhealthy goods would seem to be a good method to encourage healthier food purchases. Further, taxing these goods could provide huge revenue increases for federal and state governments s ince the unhealthy food industry profits are similar to those of the alcohol industry. Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 968) Utilizing taxes as a mechanism to change behavior has not been as successful for curbing obesity. Taxing soft drinks has proved to discourage consumption, particularly for children and groups with limited spending capability. (Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 972) However, changing behaviors that lead to obesity takes more than just cutting specific foods out of a diet. For example, diets high in caloric intake can cause obesity regardless of where the calories are coming from if a person does not get enough exercise.Curbing obesity almost requires a personalized plan for each individual, focusing not only on their diet, but also exercise habits, genetic makeup, and lifestyle. (Chaufan, Hong and Fox 88) Simply targeting one factor does not help fix problems with the other factors. Further, there are too many substitutes for unhealthy junk food, allowing citizens to co ntinue to make poor health choices, even if we target certain goods. (O'Donoghue and Rabin 1841) Ethical and Moral Considerations of Sin TaxesSin taxes can be a valuable tool for government to raise revenue and help shape social policy. However, adding morals and values to a tax requires ethical and moral considerations above those of most other forms of taxes. These taxes are levied with a specific policy outcome in mind, yet sometimes it may be difficult to separate the government’s interest in raising revenue with the government’s overarching policy goal. Since these taxes generally have some sort of stigma attached with the goods or services taxed, it is also important to ensure these tax policies are enacted for the common good.Sin taxes have been the target of moral and ethical discussions mainly because it is hard to decide what exactly constitutes a sin. Disputes arise as legislators decide what goods and services need to be regulated for the public wellbeing. While many of the goods and services taxed as sin have historically been deemed evil, immoral, seedy, or bad; discourse about who decides these products deserve to be regulated and taxed above and beyond other goods and services must be evaluated. This seems to be the central moral question surrounding sin taxes.Should a minority of the population have to pay an extra tax to support the government simply because they partake or utilize a specific good or service? Taking this question a step further, sin taxes have the potential to raise large revenues, so is it ethical to make a few pay for government services for all? Who gets to decide how these funds will be spent, and who or what will this spending affect? (Green 70) The last overarching question surrounding the sin taxes focuses on the government’s power to tax, namely, can the government use its power to tax to shape and enforce social policies?Those in favor of sin taxes would argue there are many reasons why it is mor al and ethical to require consumers who purchase these particular goods and services to pay more than the average taxpayer. Namely, sin taxes target goods and services that cause negative consequences for the public at large. (Green 68) These could be increased health care costs or higher demand for social services. It is logical, then, to require these consumers to pay more since they are directly contributing to higher government costs for all.Not only is it logical and moral to require these consumers to pay more for the added costs as a result of their consumption, higher taxes can help them make better, healthier choices. Sin taxes have been proven to reduce the consumption of specific goods and services, helping to create sustainable, prosocial behaviors for the future. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 328) Sin tax policies can help deter and regulate antisocial behaviors as a result of consumption of sin goods and services while simultaneously raising revenues to pay for the programming needed to help those affected by this behavior.Further, sin taxes raising money on the backs of those partaking in antisocial behavior reduce the need to tax prosocial behaviors. For example, revenue generated from sin taxes can be used to fund government business, reducing income tax costs for the larger population. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes) Targeting these immoral behaviors and using them to fund governmental operations ensures those engaged in prosocial behavior are not bearing a larger share of the cost of government. This is an attractive and easy sale to the public since higher taxes make all citizens unhappy.Sin taxes on paper are extremely regressive, and as a result unfavorable to many. However, lifetime incidence studies prove the effects of these taxes on lower income taxpayers is about equal to those in middle or higher income households. (Poterba 327) Those who oppose sin taxes see the value they bring to both government revenues as well a s the common good; however these positives do not outweigh the negative ethical and moral implications. First and foremost, opponents of sin taxes believe it is immoral for the government to rely on funding from the very behaviors it has deemed sinful and therefore is trying to regulate or change. Lorenzi, The Moral Grounds of Sin Taxes 68) Opponents see sin taxes as a stepping stone to banning certain goods and services, which should be a social policy decision supported by the public, not forced on them through prohibitive taxes. (Viscusi 547) Opponents therefore do not believe taxes should be used as a mechanism to enforce social policies or enact social change. (Creighton 135) In essence, the government is taking away the individual’s autonomy, legislating they should not purchase certain goods and products. (Green 72) This is a difficult issue to balance, Americans value independence and the freedom to choose.Further, sin taxes are regressive, putting the large burden of payment on those with the least ability to pay. (Hines 65) In slow economic times, when governments tend to raise sin taxes to help close the revenue and expenditure gap, sin taxes could actually hurt the economy, pushing these citizens to the end of their economic resources. (Johnson and Meier 582) In the end, the same population the government is targeting to raise the revenue would be the same population in need of government services once their resources were depleted.Further, utilizing sin taxes as a form of punishment or regulation directly competes with the message of the general tax code, namely, every citizen has the obligation to pay their taxes and support the government. The United States evolved their tax system from one based on consumption and tariffs to one based on taxing income based on the ability to pay. Sin taxes do not fit fairly into this carefully crafted tax structure we use today, sending the public mixed messages about citizen’s role in the taxatio n process. Lastly, opponents of sin taxes are skeptical if they are actually reaching the policy outcomes intended.Studies show increased prices on certain goods and services reduces consumption, however there could be many other factors contributing to the decline in usage. For example, reduced consumption might be a result of heightened public awareness about the health risks, greater access to prevention and rehabilitation, harsher criminal legislation surrounding a specific behavior, or any number of other factors. Further, sin taxes on some goods, like unhealthy foods, really do not work at all since there are so many additional factors that might be contributing to the issue. Chaufan, Hong and Fox 87) Opponents also are skeptical sin taxes even reduce consumption since the presence of similar or equal substitutes might encourage consumers to find these goods and services elsewhere, such as illegal gambling establishments or black market cigarettes. (Johnson and Meier 591) The availability of substitutes could in turn create greater antisocial behavior and costs to the government in the form of criminal investigation, prevention, and added health risks from unsafe goods and services. ConclusionTaxes are an inevitable fee all must pay to support the government. Citizens vest the power to tax with governments in return for government services. Governments take the power to tax a step further with sin taxes, not only raising revenue but also enacting or enforcing social policy. Sin taxes have been used successfully throughout history, particularly when citizens unanimously agree a sin exists. Sin taxes have also been successful in regulating or curbing consumption resulting in antisocial behavior as well as generating revenue.On the surface, it would seem as if sin taxes are a great way to raise revenues and influence or enforce social policy. However, there are many ethical and moral implications surrounding sin taxes. Digging deeper into the positive and n egative consequences of these taxes sheds light on the inherent problematic nature of the tax, and leads to questions about its place in the American tax structure. Legislators must be cognizant of these moral and ethical questions before deciding to enact taxes that could potentially be discriminatory to some members of society.These taxes should be evaluated on a case by case basis, with clear and measureable policy outcomes included in the evaluation. Policy outcomes that are not easily measured may not be the best use of sin tax influence for social change. In the end, taxes on goods or services labeled as sinful have great potential to raise revenue, and as a result these taxes are popular to help close revenue and expenditure gaps. Perhaps sin taxes are a great case study for tax structures based on consumption instead of income. Hines 69) Sin taxes target consumption, and this seems to work well to raise revenue for the government. Many of the ethical and moral questions surr ounding the use of sin taxes to influence social change could be eliminated within a tax structure based on consumption; however this shift would be a major tax reform in the United States. This may not be the answer we are looking for, yet sin taxes provide a window in which to examine tax policy, and possibly change the way our tax structures work in the future.Works Cited American Economic Association. Consumption and Other Indirect Taxes. † American Economic Review 9 (1919): 49-62. American Medical Association. â€Å"State Cigarette Excise Taxes-United States, 2009. † MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2010. Boyd, Roy and Barry J. Seldon. â€Å"Revenue and Land-Use Effects of Proposed Changes in Sin Taxes: A General Equilibrium Perspective. † Land Economics 67. 3 (1991): 365-374. Chaufan, Claudia, Gee Hee Hong and Patrick Fox. â€Å"†Sin-Food† Taxes and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages–The Right Policy For the Wrong Reasons? † Ame rican Journal of Health Promotion 25. (2010): 87-90. Creighton, Robert. â€Å"Fat Taxes: The Newest Manifestation of the Age-Old Excise Tax. † Journal of Legal Medicine 31 (2010): 123-136. Fletcher, Jason M. , David E. Frisvold and Nathan Tefft. â€Å"The Effects of Soft Drink Taxes on Child and Adolescent Consumption and Weight Outcomes. † Journal of Public Economics 94 (2010): 967-974. Green, Rebecca. â€Å"The Ethics of Sin Taxes. † Public Health Nursing 28. 1 (2010): 68-77. Gruber, Jonathan. â€Å"Tobacco At the Crossroads: The Past and Future of Smoking Regulation in the United States. † Journal of Economic Perspectives 15. (2001): 193-212. Hines, James R. Jr. â€Å"Taxing Consumption and Other Sins. † Journal of Economic Perspectives 21. 1 (2007): 49-68. Johnson, Cathy M. and Kenneth J. Meier. â€Å"The Wages of Sin: Taxing America's Legal Vices. † The Western Political Quarterly 43. 3 (1990): 577-595. Lorenzi, Peter. â€Å"Sin Taxes. † Social Science and Public Policy 41. 3 (2004): 59-65. —. â€Å"Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good. † Society 47. 4 (2010): 328-332. —. â€Å"The Moral Grounds of Sin Taxes. † Society 44. 1 (2006): 67-71. Mikesell, John L. Fiscal Administration. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth, 2007. O'Donoghue, Ted and Matthew Rabin. â€Å"Optimal Sin Taxes. † Journal of Public Economics 90 (2006): 1825-1849. Poterba, James M. â€Å"Lifetime INcidence and the Diatributional Burden of Excise Taxes. † American Economic Review 79. 2 (1989): 325-330. Schmidt, Robert, Charles F. Barr and David A. Swanson. â€Å"Socioeconomic Impacts of the Proposed Federal Gaming Tax. † International Journal of Public Administration 20. 8-9 (1997): 1675-1698. Viscusi, W. Kip. â€Å"Promoting Smokers' Welfare With Responsible Taxation. † National Tax Journal 47. 3 (1994): 547-558.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

towards Vietnam

In 1961, under the President-ship of Kennedy, America took the middle path as considered to be the most conducive policy to solve crises in Vietnam. This middle path included sending of machinery and advisors instead of large-scale troops as was suggested in White Paper or as was being recommended by his advocators on a negotiation table. This decision proved futile as it accorded the increase in the chances of success of NLF.As more and more news began to pour in, tension arose in Kennedy’s government machinery and they escalated upon a plan of providing â€Å"Safe Hamlets† to the villagers developed by GVN. The main purpose was to segregate them from NLF, but this strategy too did not head to in any direction, as this resulted in alienating villagers further from the Saigon regime. This policy though helped GVN in reaching countryside yet ironically produced more cadres for the NLF. The years of war between 1963- 1968 in Vietnam were considered to be the years of Esca lation and Americanization.In 1963, as NLF was heading towards victory, Diem’s brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, attacked Buddhist pagodas of South Vietnam; this resulted in massive protests on the streets of Saigon, and several Buddhist monks committed self-immolation. This made Kennedy to send in coup in the same year. But some of the Diem’s own generals in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) approached Kennedy seeking request to overthrow Diem and on 1st November 1963, Deim and his brother was arrested and then later killed.But after three weeks, President Kennedy too was assassinated at Dallas. At the time of his assassination, there were 16,000 advisors. Though Kennedy’s policy was not much successful yet he was able to continue his war with very little military intervention, but as soon as new president, Lyndon Baines Johnson took over, his conviction and policy made him to show world, the military might of America. He took the firm stand and urged for attaini ng more powers after the raid of DAV on two of US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin shook him.But looking at the strategies being adopted by Communists parties creating hindrances in the war as well as in the political efforts of United States, the Johnson administration too advocated what they termed as â€Å"cold blood† strategy- a war but with very little resources and little effect on their own nation. But this also proved futile, as this war created an adverse effect on their domestic front to the extent that Mr. Johnson was forced to think on the domestic consequences of his every major decision.In 1964, Washington had made all the plans to send all military strengths as retaliation to Tonkin Gulf incident. By 1968, situation became worse when DRV and the NLF led unified attacks on the most important southern cities, which were known as Tet offensive in the West; its main purpose was to coax Johnson to sit on for negotiations. Though communists were defeated in battle yet it was psychological victory for them. As Johnson was totally burdened by the heavy weight of war and secondly opposition from his home front made him take a decision that made all the exercises of previous Presidents futile.He decided not to support re-nomination of Democratic Party for president and was ready to go in for negotiations with communists to put an end to war. In 1968, secret negotiations were started to end the war but soon Republican challenger Nixon took over the charge of President-ship who professed to have a secret plan to put an end to war. But this secret plan was nothing else then the strategic moves of Lyndon Johnson. He began what was termed as process of â€Å"Vietnamization† to bring to the ears of his own force that no Vietnamese was fighting in jungles of Southeast Asia and dying there.This made the substitution of air wars over the American troops who returned home. Nixon increased the air attacks over DRV and for ground battle sent, ARVN. He also a ttacked Laus and Cambodia to put a barrier and an end to the communists supply routes and their safe sanctuaries. This was violation of the international rights of these countries. The air war had a little or no effect on Communists, but they continued with their efforts to make more and more demands in Paris. Though Nixon’s approach made critics quite but his repeated attacks as a protective cover for the retreat of American troops irritated U.S citizens and paved the path for the U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and DRV representatives Xuan Thuy and Le Duc to think on peaceful lines of Paris. Many owe the strategic failure to President Lyndon Johnson’s policies, as it was during his tenure that America saw most of casualties. But according to Jeffrey Kimball, President Nixon was responsible for these states of affairs. He wrote in his much thought provoking book â€Å"Nixon's Vietnam War 1998†, that President Nixon must be held, responsible and account able, for the failure.It was quite true that America made wrong assessment of the strong folds of North Vietnamese in their soil and tried to resolve the problem with military strength, which was in itself a wrong move. Kimball argued that when Nixon took over the office, he was aware of the fact that this war could not be won militarily yet he resorted for war because only by showing their might, they could force Hanoi into negotiations favorable to Nixon’s view of honorable peace. His statement was based on the United States interest at the international level and on owing to his reelection. 4 Accordingly they wanted to endorse the President-ship of Thieu.This device was a strategy to take America out of Vietnam on certain terms, but there were many uncertain in-linking parts like risk from China, several schemes of negotiations, effect on societies and Vietnamization etc, and all did not prove to be as effective as was supposed to be. He believed his political success to b e based on the mad man theory: the efforts to make his enemies think that his opposition for communism was so strong that he could go to any extent like put in maximum force that would not only be accordingly disproportionate in size but also extremely dangerous.5 Along with this, there was certain element of uncertainty, a policy forcing enemies to think on multitude lines on one subject to confuse them. The years, 1962 to1969 were the years of great dissatisfaction and American’s strategic misnomers on the Vietnam soils. Vietnam passing through the strategic influence of three American regimes only retaliated harsher. Though the Nixon policy also could not be considered as full success yet his strategy at least paved the path for both himself and Kissinger think that the best they could have done was to promise Thieu government a â€Å"decent interval† 6 of security once Americans would leave Vietnam.Bibliography Brigham, Robert, Battlefield Vietnam: A Brief History, PBS. org. , (1 March 2008) Daum, Andreas Gardner, Lloyd and Mausbach, Wilfried, America, the Vietnam War, and the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Kimball, Jeffrey, Nixon’s Vietnam War 1998, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1998.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Initiatives essays

Initiatives essays People in our country are mainly divided by their beliefs. Initiatives have a way of really showing how divided we can be. Most Americans usually take one side of an issue or another. Of course there will always be the portion of people who are undecided or just dont care. There is a side to every initiative ever proposed and unfortunately everybody believes that they are on the right side. When an initiative is launched, hopefully it is a good idea and will make our country better. That isnt always the case, and people tend to choose sides quickly whenever a major issue is tossed onto the table. The beliefs of both sides of an initiative become crystal clear when the issue is up in the air. People pick which side they want to agree with based on their beliefs and values. The two opposing groups think that they are correct and will win. Sadly, when a proposition is finally voted for one side will win and the other will be upset. With initiatives it is impossible to satisfy everyone. One way or another someone is going to lose. That is a big problem with the initiative system but that is how things are done in this country. Initiatives are how changes are brought about in America. Like an issue, initiatives have supporters and enemies. Some people in this country think that initiatives are a horrible way to make changes and want to rid America of them. Others feel that initiatives are the only way for us as citizens to make a difference. An argument against having initiatives is that people feel that the officials should be deciding these propositions. Initiative supporters prefer to do this with out our government officials interfering. The anti-initiative people dont want the people to decide on issues concerning the state or country. Initiative supporters have the belief that it is our right to initiate change for the better good of the United States. A good example of how initiatives d...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Air Pollution in Colombia. Essay Example

Air Pollution in Colombia. Essay Example Air Pollution in Colombia. Paper Air Pollution in Colombia. Paper Essay Topic: Air pollution Air pollution has become one of the most important concerns of the local authorities of Latin- American cities. Bogota, like as other urban centers in South America such as SAA Paulo, Mexico City and Santiago De Chile, shows significant levels of air pollution, levels that may represent a high risk for the populations health and certainly a reduction in the quality of life of its inhabitants. Bogota, capital of Colombia, is one of the largest cities of Latin America; with a population of around 6. Lion and an annual growth rate of 2. 081 percent it is the largest urban center in Colombia; it also has the highest rates of environmental deterioration of the country. Air pollution has increased dramatically lately, due mainly to the uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles in the city. Although air pollution has been monitored in Bogota since 1 967, it wasnt until 1 990 that the monitoring stations were spread widely throughout the city. At that time the Secretary of Health of the District with the collaboration of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (CIA) pursued a study in order to determine the air quality of the city. This study concluded that the most important source of pollution in Bogota was automobiles; 70% of the pollution could be attributed to cars. Another very important source of pollution was found to be bricks and battery plants, among others. The study conducted with the support of CIA identified for the first time the imposition of air pollution in Bogota and its principal components. These were identified to be the following: Sulfur Dioxide (SYS), Nitrogen Oxides (Knox), Total Suspended Particles (TTS), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HOC), and Ozone (03). It was estimated that 75% of the pollutants annual emissions correspond to Particulate Matter. The study determined that the levels of CO, HOC, SYS and Particulate Matter were not above the limits defined as safe by the WHO. This led to CIA s inclusion that: in 1990-1991 air pollution in Bogota did not reach levels of concern to the local authorities. Nevertheless, the rapid growth in the number of cars in Bogota during the last decade originated additional interest in this matter.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

SAT German Subject Test Information

SAT German Subject Test Information    Haben Sie studierte die deutsche Sprache fà ¼r eine Weile? Ist Ihr Deutsch ausgezeichnet? If you know what were rattling on about, then perhaps you may do well on the SAT German Subject Test. Its not for the faint of heart. It is, however, for those Studenten who want to show off the years of study theyve put into the language. So, whats on it? Keep reading for all the basics. Note: This test is not part of the SAT Reasoning Test, the popular college admissions exam. This is one of the many SAT Subject Tests  which are  designed to showcase your scholarship in all sorts of fields. SAT German Subject Tests Basics Before you register for this test, (which only pops up once a year) here are the basics about your testing conditions: 60 minutes.85 multiple-choice questions.200-800 points possible.Conforms to the German spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform) as much as possible.2 different types of German questions: Reading comprehension and Vocabulary/Grammar in context. SAT German Subject Test Questions So, whats actually on the test? What kinds of questions will you be answering? Heres the way in which your German fluency will be tested: Sentence and Paragraph Completion: Approximately 42-43 questions. According to the College Board, these questions test vocabulary and grammar. They require you to know the meaning of words and idiomatic expressions in context and to identify usage that is structurally correct and appropriate. For each omission, you must select the choice that BEST fits each sentence. Reading Comprehension: Approximately 42 - 43 questions. The passages here are taken from printed materials such as advertisements, timetables, street signs, forms and tickets. There are also several prose passages followed by questions that test your understanding of the passages. The passages, mostly adapted from literary sources and newspapers or magazines, are generally one or two paragraphs in length and test whether you can identify the main idea or comprehend facts or details in the text. Why Take the SAT German Subject Test? In some cases, youll need to take them, especially if youre considering choosing German as your major. In other cases, its a great idea to take the German Subject Test so you can showcase that highly sought-after skill of bilingualism. It shows the college admissions officers that you have more up your sleeve than your GPA. Taking the test, and scoring high on it, demonstrates qualities of a well-rounded applicant. Plus, it can get you out of those entry-level language courses. How to Prepare for the SAT German Subject Test To ace this thing, youll need at least two years (but preferably four) in German during high school, and youll want to take the test as close to the end of or during your most advanced German class you plan to take. Getting your high school German teacher to offer you some supplementary study materials is always a good idea, too, and it never hurts to ask a kindly German neighbor or grandmother to speak with you once in a while in German.  In addition, you should practice with legitimate practice questions like youll see on the test. The College Board offers free practice questions for the SAT German Test along with a pdf of the answers, too. Sample SAT German Subject Test Question This question comes from the College Boards free practice questions. The writers have ranked the questions from 1 to 5 where 1 is the least difficult. The question below is ranked as a 4. Der Prsident hat gestern Abend eine . . . gehalten. (A) Rede(B) Sprache(C) Nachricht(D) Erklrung Sample Answer Choice (A) is correct. Yesterday evening the president gave a speech (A). The expression â€Å"to give a speech† is rendered idiomatically by eine Rede halten. It does not make sense to say that the president gave a language (B) yesterday evening, and it is much more likely that the president gave a speech than a message (C) or an explanation (D).

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Integrated Marketing communications ( The Report should be about an Assignment

Integrated Marketing communications ( The Report should be about an insurance company) - Assignment Example Kuwait Insurance Company is the major competitor of BKIC. Having gained enough experience of functioning under changing market conditions, the company is positioned in a well manner to face the pressure with courage and confidence (Bkic, 2015). The major forms of cross-functional relationships which exist within the company are the relationship between the marketing, finance, human resources and technical team members. The association of all these functional areas play significant role towards the success of BKIC. The expertise from all these areas works towards the common objective of the company (Annual Report, 2014). There are various methods of internal communication such as memos, notice board, mail, face-to-face conversation and suggestion and complaint boxes (Smith and Mounter, 2008). Memos are used to communicate information among the departments of the firm. Various departments of BKIC such as the finance, marketing, human resources and operations discuss among them how to engage the employees by providing efficient training on the respective field (Bkic, 2015). Notice board is used to communicate important information to the employees. If any worker gets promotion, then their name is posted on the notice board. It makes them feel special and motivates them to put more efforts towards the betterment of the company. Mail is also considered as a significant form of internal communication method. Employees can make query on certain matters where they face problems and can get the clarification from the managers. BKIC has an apparent policy related to their communication with employees (Annual Report, 2014). Face-to-face conversation is regarded as one of the most important way of internal communication to enhance the engagement of employees. It helps to eradicate any type of misunderstanding which generally takes place at the place of work and therefore results in keeping employees for a long period. The

Friday, October 18, 2019

Multicultueral issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multicultueral issues - Essay Example Why? What did you learn about yourself from the assessment on p. 228+ of the text – Four Building Blocks of Diversity-Conscious Leadership? The results of the self-assessment test revealed that I am culturally intelligent as most responses indicate one’s understanding of meeting people from diverse cultural backgrounds. There is therefore strengths in the areas of understanding diversity in culture from the experiences in previous travels in different countries. I met many people while studying in the USA. Among my friends are people with Eastern Europe, Asian, Hispanic backgrounds. I understand that different cultures have different ways of doing things or saying something, and I respect this. I am therefore satisfied with generating a high ranking for my CQ since it is an indicator of greater understanding, awareness, and skills in communicating, both verbally and non-verbally, with people from various cultural backgrounds. Finally, I learned that the four building blocks of diversity-consciousness leadership are understanding, awareness, skills, and commitment; where I have strengths in all three: understandin g, awareness and skills and would need to develop the building block on commitment ensure being a more diversity-conscious leader. In Chapter 1, my knowledge on the topic of diversity was significantly enhanced as it discussed topics that range from diversity, culture, diversity consciousness, and presented a number of different reactions to our changing cultural landscape. As such, my appreciation for different perspectives, preferences, and points of views of people from diverse walks of life was strengthened. I learned to deepen my consciousness in terms of disputing identified myths in diversity and in ways to assimilate in a new culture to prevent conflicts and to enhance communication and interpersonal relationships. 4. Based on what you

Living Will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Living Will - Essay Example Life preserving technologies have shifted the dynamics of the perceived role of health professionals as they are now increasingly being viewed as persons most suited to care for the patients sustaining prolonged diseases. Those patients who suffer from diseases which virtually force them to live terminally ill lives may require assistance in the form of help to end their lives to end the suffering and pain inflicted on them through different diseases. In such cases patients may be willing to end their lives mostly with the help of their physicians. (Sunstein, 1997). The case of Terri Schiavo is one such example which raised a lot of ethical as well as professional questions regarding the supposed role of health professionals in providing assistance to end their lives. The above mentioned situation have also gave rise to the discussion of whether the patients, who are lucid as well as competent, to decide whether to accept or decline life sustaining treatments. These discussions has also lead to the culmination of Patient Self Determination Act during 1990 which made mandatory for hospitals and nursing homes to inform their patients, in advance, regarding the type of treatment they may receive and if patients are unaware of such things, they must be informed regarding the advance directives.(Bernal,2008) This legislation also gave rise to the concept of living will which allowed patients of lucid and competent mind to decide upon the type of life prolonging treatments to be administrated to them thus ethically upholding the patient autonomy. (Valente, 2004). As discussed above that patients with terminal illness often seek the help of their physicians to end their lives gives rise to another dimension to the whole argument that whether other health professionals especially nurses should also have a role in assisting patients to write their living will in order to decide upon choosing the life prolonging treatments. Authorization to Nurses The argument of whether to allow nurses to assist patients in writing their will to accept or reject certain life prolonging treatments need to be viewed in multiple perspectives of ethical, legal as well as professional standards. It is often argued that ending one' life either through a living will or otherwise gives rise to the question of the moral beliefs held by the society (McMahan, 1993). This question alone put a certain ethical restrictions on the more responsible institutions not to be a part of something which has strong moral as well as ethical consequences. Though, living will may be a legal document which spells out "the types of medical treatments and life-sustaining measures you do and don't want" (Mayo , 2007) however, it does not necessarily means that hospitals and other health service providers deliberately attempt to assist patients to write their will to live let alone allowing nurses to be part of that. Though the assistance of nurses may be of technical nature however, given the low level of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Should Adultery be illegal Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Should Adultery be illegal - Research Proposal Example Although adults are consenting individuals and should be permitted to sleep with whomever they choose, adultery should be illegal because it is a violation of a legal contract and a cause for divorce. Adults are consenting adults and are permitted to sleep with whomever they choose to unless he/she is a minor. Currently, the American society comprises of different sexual relationships including heterosexual and homosexual associations, and although homosexual marriages remain largely illegal in several states, others in the US have legalized the practice. Legalizing same sex marriage is a clear indication of the respect that the law accords individuals in the choice of a marital partner, if both partners are adults (Ethridge and Stephen, 2004). Even though adults are consenting and permitted to sleep with whomever they want to, adultery should be illegal because it is a major cause for fault base divorce. According to Arterburn, Fred, and Yorkey (2000), one or both parties in a marit al union dissolve most of their heterosexual marriages in United States on allegations of adultery. This leads to psychological, economical and social suffering to all concerned parties, including children.

Explain The Relationship between money supply and inflation Essay

Explain The Relationship between money supply and inflation - Essay Example Since high inflation rate decreases the nominal value of money, demand for money decreases (Gafar 2003, p. 101; International Monetary Fund 1996, p. 106). This makes demand for money less sensitive to high inflation rate (Sussman and Zeira 2003). High inflation could impede the overall economic growth in UK. Each time UK is facing high inflation rate, it is expected that the real value of money decreases. At this point in time, abundant supply of money circulates in the entire UK economy. For this reason, the prices of local goods and services tend to increase. Since the nominal value of money decreases, interest rates and minimum wage requirements could increase (International Monetary Fund 1996, p. 101). In order to control the adverse economic effect of high inflation rate, monetary policy should be use in order to control the supply of money that circulates in UK. To allow the readers have a better understanding about this subject matter, this report will focus on discussing the relationship between money supply and inflation. After discussing the relationship between money supply and inflation, this report will discuss how increasing or decreasing the interest rate could affect the increase or decrease in money supply. Relationship between Money Supply and Inflation In general, central banks do not have a direct power to improve economic growth. Given that money supply has a significant role in the movements of inflation rate (Basco, D'Amato and Garegnani 2009), central banks control the money supply by manipulating the levels of short-term interest rates at the point wherein the central banks could control high inflation rate from increasing (Gafar 2003, p. 103). Specifically in the case of European Union, the European Central Bank (ECB) was made responsible in keeping the market prices of basic commodities stable by preventing inflationary growth (Hossain 2010). High inflation rate contributes to low economic growth as a result of increasing the interest rates and minimum wage requirements (Gafar 2003, p. 102). Since the market price of basic commodities is high at times when inflation rate is high, more people will have difficulty in purchasing basic commodities. Because of high minimum wage requirements, more local businesses will not be able to sustain its daily operational costs in times when sales are down (Laing, Li and Wang 2007). To avoid bankruptcy, a large number of the local businesses are likely to cut down the number of its employees. In the end, this increases the unemployment rate. Monetary equation assumes that a significant increase in the supply of money could result to a significant increase in price provided that velocity and Y are constant [MV = PY]. In line with this, several studies revealed that the velocity of money is highly correlated with growth in money supply under high inflation and vice versa (Basco, D'Amato and Garegnani 2009; Dwyer and Fisher 2009). As part of controlling the money supply, ECB repo rted that it is necessary to maintain the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) â€Å"below but close to 2% inflation rate† (ECB 2007b; ECB 2003). Maintaining inflation rate close or below 2% inflation rate is necessary to ensure that the EU economy will benefit from stable market prices. Likewise, keeping the inflation rate below or close to 2% inflation rate could protect the EU economy from the risk of having

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Should Adultery be illegal Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Should Adultery be illegal - Research Proposal Example Although adults are consenting individuals and should be permitted to sleep with whomever they choose, adultery should be illegal because it is a violation of a legal contract and a cause for divorce. Adults are consenting adults and are permitted to sleep with whomever they choose to unless he/she is a minor. Currently, the American society comprises of different sexual relationships including heterosexual and homosexual associations, and although homosexual marriages remain largely illegal in several states, others in the US have legalized the practice. Legalizing same sex marriage is a clear indication of the respect that the law accords individuals in the choice of a marital partner, if both partners are adults (Ethridge and Stephen, 2004). Even though adults are consenting and permitted to sleep with whomever they want to, adultery should be illegal because it is a major cause for fault base divorce. According to Arterburn, Fred, and Yorkey (2000), one or both parties in a marit al union dissolve most of their heterosexual marriages in United States on allegations of adultery. This leads to psychological, economical and social suffering to all concerned parties, including children.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Crime - Essay Example ss the road when the traffic signal is Red, I would immediately be followed by a traffic police agent and it would not be long before I would be fined. I have observed this happening with other people, and this has induced a consciousness in me to try to avoid this mistake always in my conscious mind. Once, I was in India on a holiday. There I observed that while traffic rules were the same as they were in my homeland, yet people were not very serious in abiding by the rules. I often saw people crossing the interchange while the traffic signal was still Red. This behavior was particularly executed by the motorcyclists in India. Occasionally, I would see a traffic police officer taking a car to a side and investigating why the driver broke the rule, but the number of offenders in my observation far outweighed the number of traffic police encounters. Having observed this trend, I also crossed a traffic signal at the Red light once in India. While at that time, it felt like an adventure having dodged the traffic police, yet now when I reflect at that experience, it does not leave me with a good feeling in my heart. I feel that although I was not traced by any traffic police, yet it was very irresponsible and careless of me to have broken that traffic rule despite knowing it. Although that did save me few minutes that I would have otherwise wasted waiting for the signal to turn Green at the interchange, yet by breaking that rule, I did a dishonesty to the nation and the state. In addition, I could have been caught had a policeman chased me and I could have been fined in addition to facing the embarrassment. The extent to which people of a certain nation observe and respect traffic laws reflects the tendency of the whole nation to respect the laws and avoid crimes. This is so because traffic is essentially made up of people belonging to a certain society. My observation of the behavior of the traffic of India and my homeland has led me to the conclusion that people

Monday, October 14, 2019

Encryptions Essay Example for Free

Encryptions Essay In this report I have discussed that the encryption technology is necessary for citizens to protect their privacy and security when using computer networks. Otherwise, medical records, credit card numbers, trade secrets, as well as personal communications relayed over computer networks are not safe from prying eyes. Also I have presented an arguments in favor of encryption that it offers a method of denying access to adversaries, improves security by protecting against spoofing, offers a device for recovering costs plus imposing fees and protects private DGPS providers from government competition. Furthermore I have also explained some arguments against encryption that to put into practice it would potentially weaken U. S. leadership in GPS by encouraging international augmentations that lacked encryption, need a multifaceted key management infrastructure, need a major redesign and development endeavor, causing delays and escalating costs to the government, make innovative safety risks if the key management system failed, mainly in an emergency. Thus the transaction costs imposed by encryption would have to be balanced against the benefits expected. Introduction Encryption software enciphers data sent over computer networks, in order that merely people with special information for instance a secret key can read the plaintext of the message. The key is a string of numbers. The longer the string, the harder it is to break. In January 2000 the Department of Commerce announced new encryption export policy. Under the new system, U. S. companies may export any encryption product around the world to private-sector end users or commercial firms after a one-time technical review. Encryption products that the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) determines fall into the category of â€Å"retail encryption commodities and software† can be exported to anyone. In determining which products fit the meaning, the BXA will think about the products function, sales volume, plus distribution methods. Publicly available source code may be exported with no technical review. The relaxation of export controls on products planned for e-commerce merchants, financial institutions, and others is a step in the right direction. However problems remain. First, the â€Å"publicly available† or â€Å"sales volume† tests doom U. S. companies to lag behind foreign cryptographers in offering innovative encryption products. No pioneer product is so far â€Å"publicly available† or has a large sales volume. The revised encryption rules therefore still permit foreign cryptographers to take the lead in developing new crypto products. Second, any encryption products have to be submitted for a technical review before release. This means that encryption will not be built into most mass-market products. For instance, it would make sense to construct an encryption option into a standard e-mail program. However, building encryption into an e-mail program would mean that the e-mail program could not be exported without a long, uncertain technical review. To stay away from the technical review, companies are probable to leave out the encryption function. Network security will carry on to suffer for the reason that encryption will not be built into mass-market products like e-mail or word processing programs. Third, the condition that encryption products be submitted for review before release violates the First Amendment. In April 2000 the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals established that encryption source code is speech protected by the First Amendment. The obligation that encryption products be reviewed prior to release is a â€Å"prior restraint† on speech. Those problems with encryption export controls are extensively recognized. The alternatives to the controls, though, have barely been examined, with the exception of â€Å"key escrow,† or â€Å"key recovery. † Mainly, it is wrong to bar anyone from using nonescrow encryption to communicate when he has done nothing wrong. Demands for obligatory key escrow constitute an unparalleled power grab on the part of law enforcement officials. The police have always had the right, restricted by the Fourth Amendment, to intercept private communications and read them, if they could. The police have never had the right to demand that people change the language in which they communicate to make themselves easier to understand. There are further alternatives to encryption regulations for law enforcement. They comprise increased use of informants and other surveillance technologies for instance the planting of physical bugs or devices such as Tempest, which allows law enforcement to read the screen of a computer through walls or doors. Encryption export controls must be lifted without qualification. GPS-related cryptographic A GPS-related cryptographic system can be used for two reasons: denial of the signal to unauthorized users, as well as protection of the message itself to, prevent alterations or the creation of a substitute message. The former makes a vital portion of the message unavailable to non-authorized users. In military schemes preservation of a one-sided advantage may be of interest; in a commercial setting the capability to eliminate nonpaying users is essential to collect revenue. Authenticating the message through use of an encrypted signature block that may both authenticate the sender of the message and confirm the contents is consistent with application in the civil government sector, where making sure integrity of the message is significant. In a DGPS context, encryption might be inserted at one of several points in the transmission of the signal to the user. Encryption may defend the uplink in a satellite relay, the original messages to the satellite, also the command functions on the satellite. Or encryption might protect the signature region of a message that points out its authenticity and the integrity of the main message payload. A third option might be to encrypt the complete message. Other variants comprise encrypting merely selective portions of the message. Throughout the hearing, there was disagreement over how multifaceted the key management infrastructure needed to be. The underlying policy question was how protected and dependable the encryption must be. As Dr. Denning put it, in any encryption, something must remain secret. (Bruce Schnier, 1994). For some proprietary algorithms, no keys need to be distributed, and this is generally adequate for commercial systems for instance cable TV and the DGPS providers. If an open algorithm is used, keys and a related key management system are required to gain international acceptance. The desired future of electronic, over-the-air rekeying is not yet here. In the case of military systems, both keys as well as classified algorithms are used. There are a number of technical approaches that might be taken to encrypting the signals for local- and wide-area DGPS applications using private-key and Public-key encryption schemes. A few schemes involve over-the-air rekeying devices to enable/disable the capability of specific units to receive messages. Other schemes involve comparatively simple authentication mechanisms that would not have to be tied to individual units and would depend on the capability to avert alteration or forging of a message. As one would think, trying to deny signals to end-users is an involved process from the point of view of managing keys and of keeping track of which unit belongs to which person or group. Nonetheless, if the goal is to permit control of the use of a signal rather than, say, prevention of reception of the signal by cutting of transmissions in a given area, then one is forced to these more elaborate schemes. (Simon Garfinkel, 1995) The objective of encryption must be decided before selecting a particular approach. If the main goal is authenticating the message and preventing false messages, there is no need to go to the expense and intricacy of a system that refutes the fundamental message by encrypting the entire message stream. If encrypting the stream in the future is desired, it may be appropriate to use a more complicated scheme as long as the possible future benefits are expected to offset related costs and possible opposition. The intricacy of denial-focused approaches plus the apparition of selectively controlling the signal will make incentives for alternative standards and systems outside of U. S. control.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Ethiopia PESTEL Analysis

Ethiopia PESTEL Analysis Political Context For much of the twenty century, Ethiopia was ruled by highly centralized governments. The current ruling party EPRDF has governed Ethiopias since 1991 . Since taking power of the EPRDF has led an ambitious reform effort to initiate transition by more democratic system of governance and decentralize authority .It has involved devolving powers mandates first by regional Empires then to woredas, district authorities, kebeles authorise and/or village authoised. Although the formal ethiopians state structure has been transfornance from highly centralized system to federal increase decentralized one a no. of challenges remain .National elections in 2005 2010 , and the hugely uncontested local elections in April month of 2008 , illustrated the fragility of the democratics transition Dominance by EPRDF , weakened state by opposition .In May 2010 parliamentary elections resulted in a 99.6 percentage of huge victory for the ruling EPRDF this allies ,reducing the opposition from 174 to only two seats in the 547 lower. January 2009 Ethiopian Parliament passed legislation by regulate civil society organize.. While many CSOs had long argued for new coherent framework. the new law is restrictive in demarcating areas of operations for different types of CSOs (for example receiving more than 10 percent of funding from external sources from many activity areas ) .The government DAG , comprising multilateral donors bilateral donors , agreed that the implementation of the CSO law will be reviewed regularly through their joint High-Level Forum structures. Country Conventional long form : Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form : Ethiopia local long form: Ityopiya Federalizing Demokrasiyawi Republic local short form: Ityopiya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE Government type Federal republic Capital Name: Addisababa geographic coordinates: 902N, 3842E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of we shin ton, DC during Time) Administrative divisions 9 ethnically based states ,( singular kilo) self governing administrations* , Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb , Oromia, Sumale Somali, Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch. Independence Oldest independent country in Africa one of the oldest by world at least 2,000 years ( may be traced it to the Aksumite Kingdom , which was coalesced in the first century B.C.) Constitution Ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 Legal system Civil law system International law organization participation Has not submit by ICJ jurisdiction declarare, non-party state to the Ictus Suffrage 18 years of age; universal Executive branch Chief of state : President GIRMA Woldegiorgis ( since 8th October 2001) Head of government : P.M MELES Zenawi (since August 1995) Cabinet: State Council of ministers, ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of Peoples Representatives. Elections: president elected by two department , chambers of Parliament for a six-year term (eligible for a second term) ; election last held on 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results : GIRMA Woldegiorgis was elected president : percent of vote by the House of Peoples Representatives 79% Legislative branch Bicameral Parliament consists of House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of Peoples Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 23rd of May 2010 ( next to be held in 2015) election results: percent of vote NA; seats by party EPRDF 499, BGPDP 9, APDO 1, SPDP 24,ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, FORUM 1, HNL 1, independent 1 Judicial branch Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of Peoples Representatives; for other federal judges ,Prime minister submits to the House of Peoples Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrat Council) Political parties and leaders Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Mohammed KEDIR]; All Ethiopian Unity Organization or AEUO [Hailu SHAWEL]; Arena Tigray [GEBRU Asrat]; Argoba Peoples Democratic Organization or APDO [Abdulkader MOHAMMED]; Benishangul Gumuz Peoples Democratic Party or BGPDP [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamois]; Ethiopian Democratic Party or EDP [MUSHE Semen]; Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum or FORUM (a UDJ-led 6-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections) [Dr. Moa FRISSA]; Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi]; Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM; Garage Peoples Democratic Front [GIRMA Boggle]; Harari National League or HNL [YASIN Hussein]; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM; Oromo Peoples Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali Democratic Alliance Forces or SODAF [BUH Hussein]; Somali Peoples Democratic Party or SPDP [Abdulfetah Shack ABDULAHI]; South Ethiopian Pe oples Democratic Union or SEPDU [TILAHUN Neodesha]; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; Unity for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Dr. NEGASSO Gadara] Political pressure groups and leaders Ethiopian Peoples Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsen] International organization participation ACP, Fad, G-24, AU, FAO, COMESA, Interpol,G-77, IFAD, IAEA, PCA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ICRM, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, UPU, IOC, WFTU, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, WHO, ITU, ITUC, UNISFA, MIGA, UNWTO, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, WCO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representant in the US chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Birru chancery: 3506 International Drive Washington ,NW , DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador E. BOOTH Donald embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box no. 1014 , Addis Ababa ,Ethiopia. telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00 FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01 Flag description Three equal horizontal bands of green on top of flag , yellow, and red ,yellow pentagrams single yellow rays emanat from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; green represent hope the fertilize of the land, yellow , while red stands for sacrifice heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolize peaces pentagram represents the unity equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. Note: Ethiopia is the oldest independented country in Africa, three main color of her flag ( adopted californias 1895) were often adopted other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag has added in 1996. National anthem Name: Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enact Ethiopia ( March Forward ,Respected Mother Ethiopia) lyrics/music: DEREJE Maluku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu note: adopted 1992 Group All, APLAA, Sahel Region Africa, Africa President: Girma Woldegiorgis The presidency is a very large ceremonial post , and has been held since 2001 by Girmas Woldegiorgis, veteran parliamentarian and civil aviation official. Presidents serve 6 year terms and are elected by parliament . mister woldegiorgis had re-elected by 2007 . Prime minister: Hailemariam Desalegn After serving as dy. prime minister foreign minister to his veteran predecessor Males Zenawi year 2010, Hailemariam Desalegns was sworn prime minister in September 2012. Relative outsider in the ranks by the governing Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front , Mr. Hailemariam became acting prime minister on the dedte Mr. Meles in August but faced a backroom struggle to gain the approval of the Front leadership before assume by the most powerful post in the country. Mister Hailemariam was work in acadamic regional government while many EPRDF luminaries came to the fore through fighting against by communist government in the 1980. He benefited from a scheme Mr. Meles launched in 2009 he to bring technocrats into central government of state , earned a reputation as a loyal aide to the prime minister. Economic overview of Ethiopia Economic Overview Ethiopia, with a population of about 84 million (2012), is the second-most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the worlds oldest civilizations ,Ethiopia is also one of the worlds much poor countries .At USdollar 390 , Ethiopias per capita income is much lower than the Sub-Saharan African average of US$ 1,165 in FY 2010 , ranking it as the 6th poorest country in the world ( Atlas Method). After the major drought in 2002/03 that resulted in GDP contract , Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing economies in African countries . Official statistics indicated that an average real GDP growth of 11 percent over the last six consecutive years . its robust growth performance and considerable development gains came under threat during 2008 and 2011 with the emergence of twin macroeconomic challenges of high inflation and a difficult balance of payments situation .Problem was exacerbated by the high fuel and food prices in the global market. Though Ethiopia made progress in tackling the 2008-2011 macroeconomic challenges . The recent surge of inflation depicts the countrys vulnerable macroeconomic condition .Annual end of period inflation which stood at 16.5 percent in February 2011 , more than twiced reaching 36 percent in February 2012 . Food inflation rate was increased from 13 percent to 47 percent while non food inflation , decreased moderately from 22 percent to 21 percent during the same period .It is unlikely that inflation will rapidly fall towards the GTP goals of single digits within 2012 .Monetary factors played a key role in driving the inflation rate in Ethiopian states .For instance, reserve money used by the National Bank as monetary policy anchor grew by 51 percent in February 2011 . It was very large due to the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves without any offsetting mechanism and increased borrowing by public enterprises for infrastructure investment which in effect contributed to the increase in money supply. In an effort by control inflation rising cost of living , Government has been take various measure including imposed tight cash controls on government expenditure, temporarily introducing price caps (which were subsequently lifted ) on selected goods increase the salary of civil servants by 35 to around 39 percent. In early January 2012, the National Bank of Ethiopia lowered reserve requirement after the banking sector faced severe liquidity problem . This also lowered the minimum reserve ratio of deposit from 15 percent to ten percent , at the same time the amount of liquid assets as a proportion of deposits was also reduced from 25 percent to twenty percent . This measure was not accompanied by the appropriate sterilization mechanism and contributed to a sharp increase in money supply from 32 percent in December 2011 to 35 percent at the end of January 2012. While Ethiopias economy is expected by continue grow at a healthy pace macro situation will remain under stress in the foreseeable future Ethiopias economy is based on agriculture which accounts for 85% of total employment and41% of GDP. Coffee remains a major export crop for Ethiopia .The agricultural sector suffers of poor cultivation practices frequent drought.But recents joint effort by the Government of Ethiopia donors have strengthed Ethiopia agricultural resilience , contributing for a reduction in the number of Ethiopians threatened with starvation . 5 year Growth and Transformation Plan that Ethiopia unveiled in October 2010 presents a government-led effort to achieve the ambitious development goals of Country .The banking, insurance, and micro-credit industries are restricted to domestic investors but Ethiopia has attracted significant foreign investment in commercial agriculture , textiles, leather and manufacturing products . Under Ethiopias constitution ,State owns all land and provides longterm leases to the tenants ; land use certificates are now being issued in some areas so that tenants have more rec ognizable rights to continued occupancy and hence make more concerted efforts to improve their leaseholds .While GDP growth has remained very high , per capita income of Ethiopia is among the lowest in the world. GDP (purchasing power parity) $94.76billion (2011est.) $88.13billion (2010est.) $81.6billion (2009est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $30.5 billion (2011 EST.) GDP Real growth rate 7.5 %( 2011est.) 8 %( 2010est.) GDP per capita (PPP) $1,100(2011est.) $1,000(2010est.) Note: data are in 2011 US dollars GDP composition by sector Agriculture: 41% industry: 13% services: 46% (2011 EST.) Population below poverty line 29.2% (FY09/10 EST.) Labor force 37.9 million (2007) Labor force by occupation Agriculture: 85% indu1111stry: 5% services: 10% (2009 EST.) Unemployment rate NA% Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 Total: 24.9% male: 19.5% female: 29.4% (2006) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 25.6% (2005) Distribution of family income- Gina index 30(2000) 40 (1995) Investment (gross fixed) 22.9% of GDP (2011 EST.) Budget Revenues: $5.355billion expenditures: $5.988 billion (2011 EST.) Taxes and other revenues 15.2% of GDP (2011 EST.) Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) -2% of GDP (2011 EST.) Public Debt 42.3%ofGDP(2011est.) 48.3%ofGDP(2010est.) Note: official data cover central government debit , including debt instruments issued/owned by government entities other than the treasury and treasury debit owned by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by sub national entities , as well as intergovernmental debt. debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions Inflation rate (consumer prices) 33.2 %( 2011est.) 8.1% (2010 EST.) Central bank discount rate NA% Commercial bank prime lending rate 15 %( 31December2011est.) 14.5% (31 December 2010 EST.) Stock of money $4.93billion (31December2008) $4.229 billion (31 December 2007) Agriculture products Cereals, sheep, pulses, fish coffee, oilseed, hides, cotton, sugarcane, cattle, potatoes, kyat, cut flowers,goats; Industries Food processing, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, beverages, leather,cement. Industrial production growth rate 9.5% (2010 EST.) Electricity production 3.715 billion KWh (2008 EST.) Electricity consumption 3.357 billion kWh (2008 est.) Oil production 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) Natural gas production 0 cup m (2009 est.) Exports $2.75 billion (2011 est.) $2 billion (2010 est.) Imports $8.25 billion (2011 est.) $8.46 billion (2010 est.) Exchange rates Birr (ETB) per US dollar 17.2 (2011 est.) 14.41 (2010 est.) 11.78 (2009) 9.57 (2008) 8.96 (2007) Fiscal year 8 July 7 July Socio culture overview of Ethiopia Religion Ethiopia is declared as a multi-religious country . Most of the Christians live in the highlands , as well as the Muslims mainly inhabit(live on) the lowlands .Adherents of traditional faiths are primarily concentrated in the southern regions. Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Protestant 18.6% (which include Ethiopian Orthodox Tirades Church and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yeses), Muslim 20.5%, traditional (2.6%)Catholic 10.3%, all others 0.6%.[1] Small Ethiopian Jewish community, although most have migrated to Israel. Languages There are 90 individual languages of Ethiopia according to Ethnologue , with the 1994 Ethiopian census indicating that some 77 tongues were spoken locally in Ethiopia .Many of these languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic family (Semitic and Cushitic). Osmotic languages are also spoken here,Additionally, Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by the nations Niloticethnic minorities. Amharic 32.7 % as a 1st Ethiopian language, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrinya 6.1%, Somali 6.0%, Sidamo 3.5%, Guragigna 3.5%, other local languages; English (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic. Amharic is the official national language . Amharic was also the language of primary school instruction , but was replaced in many areas by local languages such as Tigrinya and Oromifa . English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools. Age structure 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 20,990,369 or female 21,067,961) 15-64 years: 51% (male 22,707,235 and female 23,682,385) 65 years and over: 2.7% (female 1,388,301 / male 1,037,488) (2011 EST.) Population growth rate 3.179% (2011 EST.) Birth rate 42.59 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate 10.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Net migration rate -0.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population Note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Somali, Sudanese and Eritrean refugees , who fled to Ethiopia from the famine or fighting in their own countries , continue to return to their homes . Urbanization Urban population: 17% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 3.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 EST.) Major cities population ADDIS ABABA (capital) 2.863 million (2009) Sex ratio At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 EST.) Infant mortality rate Total: 75.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 86.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 EST.) Life expectancy at birth Total population: 56.56 years male: 53.99 years female: 59.21 years (2011 EST.) Total fertility rate 5.97 children born/woman (2011 EST.) Major Infectious Diseases Degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoa diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vector borne diseases: malaria respiratory disease : Meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease : Schistosomiasis Nationality Noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian Literacy Definition: age 15 or above can read and write total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% Maternal mortality rate 470 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) Age: 35.1% (2003 EST. Legal overview of Ethiopia WORKING CONDITIONS OF WOMEN Section 87. General. (1) Women shall not be discriminated against as regards payment and employment on the basis of their sex. (2) It is prohibited to employ women or female on types of work that may be listed by the Minister as particularly arduous or harmful to their health. (3) No pregnant women shall be assigned to eork in night between time limit 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. or be employed on overtime work. Section 88. Maternity leave. (1) An employer shall grant time off to a pregnant women worker without deducting her wages , for medical examination connected with her pregnancy, provided ,She is obliged to present a medical certificate of her examination WORKING CONDITIONS OF YOUNG WORKERS Section 89. General. (1) For the purpose of this Proclamation , young worker means a person who has attained the age of fourteen but is not over the age of 18 years. (2) It is prohibited to employ persons under fourteen years of age. (3) It is prohibited to employ young workers which are on account of its nature or due to the condition in which it is carried out, endanger the life or health of the young workers performing it. Section 90 . Limits of hours of work . Regular hours of work for young workers shall not exceed seven hours a day. Section 91. Night and overtime work : It is prohibited to employ young workers on: 1.night work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; 2.overtime work; or 3. weekly rest days; or 4.public holidays LABOUR COURTS Section 137. Establishment of labor divisions. (1) There shall be set up labor divisions, as may be necessary, at each regional first instance court , each regional court which hears appeals from regional first instance courts and at the Central High Court . (2) The Minister shall submit the no. of labor divisions to be established in accordance with subsection (1) of this section to be determined by the appropriate authority. Section 138. Labor division of the regional first instance court. (1) The labor division of the regional first instance court shall have jurisdiction to settle and determine the following and other similar individual labor disputes: (a)disciplinary measures including dismissal; (b) Claims related to the cancellation or termination of employment contracts; (c) Questions related to hours of work,leave remuneration and rest day; (d)questions about the issuance of certificate of employment; (e) Claims related to employment injury. (F) Unless provided for in this Proclamation , any petty and criminal offences under this Proclamation. CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT Division 1. Formation of contract Section 4. Elements of a contract . (1) A contract of employment shall be deemed formed where a person agrees indirectly or directly , to perform work for and under the authority of an employer for a definite or indefinite period or piece work in return for remuneration. Section 5. Form. Unless otherwise provided by law , Contract of employment shall not be subject to any special form. Section 6. A written contract of employment ,Subject to the provisions of the relevant law , a written contract of employment shall specify the following: (1) The name ,address and contact details of the employer; (2) The name, age, address and work card number. if any of the worker; (3) The agreement of the contracting parties made in accordance with section 4(3) of this Proclamation; and (4) The signature of the contracting parties. Section 7. Contract of employment not made in writing .(1) Contract of employment is not made in written form , they shall, within fifteen days from the conclusion of the contract , give the worker a signed and written statement containing the requirements specified under section 6 of this Proclamation Section 10. Contract for definite period or piece Duration of contract of employment Section 9. Contract for an indefinite period . Any employment contract shall be deemed to have been concluded for an indefinite period except for those provided for under section 10 hereunder. work. A contract of employment may be concluded for a definite period or for piece work in the case of: (1) The performance of specified piece work. (2) The replacement of a worker who is not temporarily present due to leave or sickness or other causes; (3) The work performance in the event of abnormal pressure of work; (4) The performance of urgent work to prevent damage or disaster to life or property , to repair breakdowns or defects in works, materials, plant or building of the undertaking. (5) Irregular work, It relates to a permanent part of the works of an employer but is performed at irregular intervals; (6)seasonal work which relates to the permanent part of the works of an employment but is performed only for a specified period of the year which is regularly repeated in the course of a number of years; (7) Occasional work It doesnt form part of the permanent activity of the employer but which is done intermittently. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS Section 23. General. (1) A contract of employment shall only be terminated upon initiation by the employer or worker and in accordance with the provisions of the law or a collective agreement or by the agreement of the two parties. (2) The amalgamation or division/transfer of ownership of an undertaking shall not have the effect of terminating a contract of employment. Division 1. Termination of contract of employment by law or by agreement Section 24. Termination by law. A contract of employment shall terminate on the following grounds: (1) As on expiry of the period or on the completion of the work where the contract of employment is for a definite period or piece work; (2) Upon the death of the worker; (3) On the retirement of the worker in accordance with the relevant law; (4) When the undertaking ceases operation permanently or due to bankruptcy or for any other cause; (5) When the worker is not able to work due to partial or permanent incapacity. Section 25. Termination by agreement. (1) The parties have rights to terminate their contract of employment by agreement, provided however that waiver by the worker of any of his rights under the law shall have no legal effect. (2) Agreement termination shall be effective and bin. DETERMINATION OF WAGES Section 53. General. (1) Wages means the regular payment to which the worker is entitled in return for the performance of the work that he performs under a contract of employment. (2) For the purposes of the following payments shall not be considered as wages: (a) Overtime pay; (b) Amount received by way of transfer expenses , per diems , transport allowance, hardship allowances, and similar allowance payable to the worker on the occasion of travel or change of his residence; (c) Bonus; (D) Commission; (E) Other incentives paid for additional work results. (f) Service charge received by customers. Section 54. Conditions of payment for idle time ( 1) Unless otherwise provided for in this Proclamation or the relevant law , salaries shall be paid only for work done. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1 )Section, a worker shall be entitled to his wage if he was ready to work but, because of interruptions in supply of tools and raw materials or for reasons not attributable to him was not able to work ding on the worker only where it is made in writing. 5.7 MODE AND EXECUTION OF PAYMENT Section 55. General. Wages shall be paid in cash , provided that where the worker and employer so agree, it may be paid in kind . Wages paid in kind may not exceed the market value in the area of the payment in kind and in no case may then exceed 30 per cent of the wages paid in cash. Section 56. Execution of payments : 1) Unless otherwise agreed, wages shall be paid at the place of work and on working day. (2) In case the payment mentioned in subsection (1) of this falls on Sunday or a public holiday, the day of payment shall fall on the preceding working day. Section 57. Payment in person. Unless otherwise provided by collective agreement or law, wages shall be paid directly to the worker or to a person delegated by him. Section 58. Time of payment. Wages shall be paid at such intervals as are provided for by law or collective agreement or work rules or contract of employment. Section 59. Deduction from wages,1) The employer shall not deduct from , attach/set off the wages of the worker except where it is provided otherwise by law or collective agreement or work rules or in accordance with a court order or a written agreement of the worker. PREVENTIVE MEASURES Section 92. Obligations of an employer( An employer shall take the necessary measures) to safeguard adequately the health and safety of the workers; he shall in particular: 1. Comply with the occupational health and safety requirements provided for in this Proclamation; 2.Take appropriate steps to ensure that workers are properly instructed and notified concerning the hazards of their respective occupations and the precautions necessary to avoid accident and injury to health; ensure that directives are given and also assign safety officer; 3. Provide workers with personal protective equipment , materials and clothing and instruct them of their use; 4. Register employment accident and occupational diseases and notify the labor inspection of same; 5.arrange, according to the nature of the work , at his own expenses for the medical examination of newly recruited workers and for those workers engaged in hazardous work. 6. Ensure that the workplace and premises do not cause danger to the health and safety of the workers; 7.take appropriate pre-executions to ensure that all the processes of work s