A WOMAN'S CURSE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A WOMAN'S CURSE - Assignment Example A woman going through such situation could be certain that she could become pregnant, though presently not pregnant, but healthy enough to become pregnant. Writing through the Beverly Strassmann empirical research work, having lived for over two years among the Dogon of Mali in West Africa, being part of their culture, and the menstruating women were being confined to menstrual huts that are behind the compound of the village. Urine samples collected by the researcher showed that the women did not visit the huts throughout the pregnancy or during the period when there is an absence of menstruation. This means that the menstrual taboos of the Dogon traditional culture were useful in providing men with the genuine signals of female reproductive status. An implication of Strassman’s work might be reflected that modern lifestyles and the proliferation in the use of contraceptives might be in conflict with a woman’s naturally evolving biological developments. To support this proposition, she noted that the Dogon women menstruate 10 times while western women counter parts menstruate at least 400 times and even more. A feature may lead to cancer prone among the western women folk more than he Dogon traditional women folk. The study by Strassman, as analyzed by the author has proposed the interplay between biology and culture in human reproduction, a leading factor in human behaviour

Emergency Services Management - ManMade Disasters - Media Essay

Emergency Services Management - ManMade Disasters - Media - Essay Example Smoke and soot content in air could rapidly increase 1 to 2 hours prior to the fire reaching the perimeter of our town. 3. As a safety measure, I have ordered the evacuation initially of the western suburbs of Everyville consisting of the areas west of the canal. Evacuation of additional areas may become necessary as we track the advancement of the wildfire. The areas identified for immediate evacuation are shown in the attached map. 4. The evacuation will begin in approximately 1 hour from now and should be completed in a maximum of 2 hours. Police and fire service personnel are being deployed in the area to assist in the evacuation. I request all citizens to help these civic employees, who are putting their lives at risk, to do their jobs effectively. Failure to comply with instructions from police or fire services personnel would be treated as a criminal offence. 5. Carry only the minimum essentials with you when you evacuate your home. These essentials are shown in the simple chart below. In addition carry sleeping bags and change of clothing for each family member and some food and drinking water to supplement what is being arranged at the refuge centers. . You can use your own cars or trucks to move to the refuge areas or use the transport vehicles that have been arranged by the civic authorities. The police and fire service personnel would provide guidance. 6. The refuge areas identified in the town of Everyville are the Civic Center, The Church of St. Andrews, and the High School. The location of these refuge areas are shown on the map released with this statement. Volunteers have been positioned at each of these buildings to assign spaces and to help people settle in. Some arrangements for food and water are also being made. Doctors and nurses from the town hospital will be available to provide medical assistance if needed (CWPP, 2008). 7. Before you

Literature Review On Determinants Of Economic Growth Economics Essay

Literature Review On Determinants Of Economic Growth Economics Essay There are numerous of empirical research on economic growth has been done in the past decades. The empirical study of determinant of economic growth by Barro (1991) has been an important reference to future study on the related fields. In this section, a brief review of factors that determine economic growth will be presented. The influences consider here included government spending, inflation, FDI and trade, financial development, and European integration. The size of the government expenditure and its affect on economic growth has been getting much attention in the past study. Ghali (1997) explored his research on the relationship between government expenditure and economic growth by looking at the interaction among the growth rate in per capita GDP and the share of government spending in GDP over the period of 1960-1996. He used vector autoregressive analysis and Granger-causality in his study and found that there is no consistent evidence that government spending can increase Saudi Arabias per capita output growth. This result was contrasted with the two study by Cheng and Tin (1997), Loizides and Vamvoukas (2005). Both study suggested that government expenditure Granger-cause economic growth. Cheng and Tin (1997) emphasize on the granger causality between government expenditure, money supply and economic growth in South Korea for the period of 1954-1994. They applying the same technique as Ghali (1997) and claimed that money supply affect growth as well but money supply doesnt Granger-cause government expenditure. However, the study by Loizides and Vamvoukas (2005) focused on the causal link between the size of the public sector and real per capita income within the bivariate and trivariate frameworks on their sample countries of United Kingdom, Ireland and Greece. They have draw out three conclusions, first, public expenditure Granger causes growth in the short run and long run in all of the sample countries. Second, both bivariate and trivariare framework shows that increase in output would cause growth in public expenditure in Greece. Third, their trivariate model has indicates that causality from national income to public spending in Greece and British. Therefore, the different result from these study lead to a conclusion that in certain circumstances, changes of government expenditure do not necessary cause changes in the economic growth when government spending deliver services in an inefficiency way. Inflation was another controversial debate issues. Malik and Chowdhury (2001) observed the relationship between inflation and GDP growth for four South Asian countries which is Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They employed the co-integration and error correction models to the annual data retrieved from the IMF International Financial Statistics. They established two results : (i) inflation and economic growth are positively and statistically significantly related for all four countries. (ii) the sensitivity of growth to changes in inflation rates is smaller than that of inflation to changes in growth rates. These results have crucial policy implication, that is, although moderate inflation foster economic growth feeds back into inflation by stimulating the economy. Another study by Faria and Carneiro (2001) claimed a divergent view from Malik and Chowdhurry (2001). They have measure the relationship between inflation and economic growth in the context of Brazil which has been undergone severe inflation until recently. This study has constructed a bivariate time series model (vector autoregression) with annual data for the period between 1980 and 1995, they argued that although there is a negative relationship between inflation and economic growth in the short run, but in the long run, economic growth does not affected by inflation. Thus, this result supported the theories of hyperinflation usually associated with economic depress and political and social upheavals and as a result, it is against the perspective that inflations affects economic growth in the long run. In addition to that, foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade were another influence that determined economic growth. Makki and Somwaru (2004) have analyze the role of FDI and trade in promoting economic performance across 66 developing countries, and the interaction among FDI, trade and economic growth by adopting unrelated regression (SUR) method and instrumental variable (3-stage least squares) approach over the period of 1971-2001. They brought to four interesting results. First, the variables of FDI and trade have a strong positive relationship. Second, FDI stimulates domestic investment. Third, macroeconomic policies and institutional stability is the precondition for FDI-driven growth. Fourth, economic growth would facilitated by a lowering inflation rate, tax burden, and government consumption. Similarly, the study of Yao (2006) investigate the effect of export and FDI on economic performance by using Pedrons panel unit root test, and Arellano and Bonds dynamic panel data estimating technique on the sample data of 28 Chinese provinces. This study has stressed on two essential strategies that adopted by Chinese government to explained why China can be success in the long period. One was the export-push strategy that replaced the self-reliance and import substitution strategy and the other was the adoption of foreign technology and international business practices through the uses of FDI. Their data also indicated that openness can boost economic growth if the unforeseen risk can be managed in the proper way. Financial development was the fourth factor. Liang (2006) inquired the impacts of financial development on the pattern of regional economic growth in China. The GMM approach has been employed in his research throughout the period of 1990 to 2001. He mentioned that financial development significant contributes to the economic growth in coastal region but not in the inland regions. Even though the structure and the size of financial sector in China are the same, financial function provided by the financial sector might vary across region. Meanwhile, Ang and McKibbin (2007) included financial liberalization in his observation. This research evaluated whether financial development leads to economic growth or vice versa in the economy of Malaysia. Their analysis was consistent with Liang (2006), which is financial development leads to economic growth. Variety of approaches being used in this study and the empirical evidence asserts that financial sector development in Malaysia can be stimulated through financial liberalization when the repressionist policies have been removed. Moreover, financial depth and economic development tends to have a positive relationship. They also view that economic growth would generate higher financial depth in the long run. Growth effects of European integration will be the last factors we discuss here. Henrekson et.al (1997), estimated the effects of European integration in EC and EFTA on economic growth. Their analysis has been conducted across a large sample of both developed and developing countries. They comprised a dummy for membership in EC or EFTA during 1976 -1985. They addressed that there is a significant and positive effects on economic growth but the effects became smaller and significant when the sample was restricted to 22 developed and OECD countries. The effects do not change for membership in EFTA as in the EC due to the technology transfer instead of investment. All the empirical study by these researchers provided a useful guidance for both domestic policy makers and the development partners. Nevertheless, more prospects might be explored on the determinant of economic growth, especially corruption. As in Malaysia, it is a significant variable that should be tested on.

Sri Lanka Essay -- Sri Lanka History, Politics, Economy

Sri Lanka’s main industry during the pre-colonial period, which expands from 6th century BC to 1505 AD, was agriculture or wet Rice Paddy; however, a big change in the industries of Sri Lanka can be seen during the Colonial period, which span from 1505 to 1948 AD. The colonialists who occupied the nation before the British being the Portuguese and the Dutch began commercializing the Sri lanka in making profits from cinnamon and other spices locally available with a low overhead, yet formulate profit in Europe due to scarceness as well as the demand on the commodities (Publications, 2008, p. 129). According to J.W Bennett (1843): The local revenue is derived from the duties on cinnamon, salt, tobacco, fish farms, pearl and chank (Valuta gravis) fisheries, marriage and spirit licenses, judicial and commercial stamps, fines, land commutation tax, auction duties, post-office receipts, charges for boat hire and pilotage, anchorage dues, sales of gunpowder, horses from the government stud at Delft island, Ceylon Gazette, and Calendar, house and land rents, premiums upon sales of bills upon the Treasury, timber, Veddah tribute, and customs' duties upon exports and imports. (p. 45) Furthermore, with the East Indies Trading, company located in India other industries, which were carried locally for individual needs or for trading among each other as Spices, Pearl fishing, Areca nuts, Gems, Elephants and Coconuts were also commercialized (Nubin, 2002, p. 176). Nonetheless, the big boom in commercialized productions mainly commercial agriculture was first introduced to Sri Lanka during the British occupation period between the years 1796 to 1948 AD. Horatio Suckling (1876): With few exceptions, such as plumbago, the same kind of pr... ...ame the primary agricultural commercial products until the end of British era, which came with Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948. The British colonist during their colonial rule introducing their primary cash crops in their colonies as India and Kenya, and which shared many a similar commercial products as Tea under the British. Consequently, with many British colonies like Sri Lanka obtaining independence during mid 1900’s nations producing the same commercial products were abundant. Hence, the post independence leaders of Sri Lanka were faced with finding new commercial products, which appealed to the international market in subsidizing the economic impact faced by low demand for Ceylon Tea, or Natural rubber and Coconuts. Therefore Sri Lanka began seeking and experimenting in opportunities in commodities and services, which were in more demand internationally.

Technology Changing Society

Technology changing society Today in America, people are more interested in the new technology that comes out than their world around them. Currently we are in a long drawn out war that never seems to end and still people today tune out to what is really important and draw into the meaningless technology that surrounds them. Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 puts these concepts into his wittings to show that technology has a huge effect on the people by the expense, the influence and the time consuming effects it has on the people. Technology is expensive, no question about it.People always want the latest and greatest and will pay any price to get it. Manufactures can price their product at extremely high end and the consumers will pay any price that they throw out at them. Buyers upgrade in their technology when what they had before worked just as well as the new. In the book, Mildred wanted another wall of TV. She didn’t care of the price that it was going to cost and what it was going to take to get it. â€Å"It’ll be even more fun when we can afford to have the forth wall installed. How long you figure before we save up and get the forth wall torn out and a fourth wall- TV put in?It’s only about two thousand dollars† (Bradbury 20). Mildred did not care the cost of the wall- TV even though it was one- third of her husband’s yearly pay. She was only worried about her own wants and desires. The pricy technology that Mildred wanted is an example of how the society has evolved into cherishing earthy treasures over things that truly matter. The media has a huge influence on people who watch and listen to it. Technology has made it possible for someone to sit at home, turn the TV on, and see whatever they want. While this can be a good thing, it can always dumb down society.People get so caught up in what is going on in the television shows that are playing that they lose track in what is real and just made up. They start to put th emselves in what they are watching and eventually it becomes their life. It is their every thought and makes it merely impossible to function without. Mildred in the story became this way. â€Å" Floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning† (Bradbury12). Mildred allows technology to dictate how she behaves and lives her life. When a person allows the waves of the sea to float them, they cannot control the direction n which they move. Mildred can no longer decide for herself what she wants to do and that her mind is dominated by technology pleasures. She started to betray her real life with her husband and begin a new one with her â€Å"family† from the shows she watched. It then became the norm to her and many other citizens in the city going through the same situation making a huge effect on society. Think about it†¦ The majority of a person’s day is spent with some type of technology influencing them, whether it is texting, computer work, television or any el ectronic device. The average American spends more time using media devices – television, radio, iPods, and cell phones- than any other activity while awake†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ball State University) What is that saying? Why is our society consumed to these forms of technology? While this can be good giving people information and an easier way to learn about something, it often becomes overused and eventually overtakes the lives of the users. ‘â€Å" I always wanted something very small, something I could talk to, something I could blot out with the palm of my hand , if necessary, nothing that could shout me down, nothing monstrous big’† ( Bradbury 132).As said by Faber, he saw the dangers that technology offers, and the ability to take over. He trumps this danger physically, by keeping the threat literally small. Faber did not allow the technology to take over his life and consume his time. The story behind Bradbury’s book is made up, but is not far from reality. When Fahrenheit 451 was written, it was only the 50’s, but Bradbury could already tell where society was heading. The huge effects that technology had on the characters in the book with the expenses, the influences, and the time consuming consequences are the same people struggle with today†¦ 60 years later.

Consumer Behaviour Essay

Consumers make many buying decisions every day, and the buying decision is the focal point of the marketer’s effort. Most large companies research consumer buying decisions in great detail to answer questions about what consumers buy, where they buy, how and how much they buy, when they buy, and why they buy. Marketers can study actual consumer purchases to find out what they buy, where, and how much. But learning about the whys of consumer buying behavior is not so easy—the answers are often locked deep within the consumer’s mind. Often, consumers themselves don’t know exactly what influences their purchases. â€Å"The human mind doesn’t work in a linear way,† says one marketing expert. â€Å"The idea that the mind is a computer with storage compartments where brands or logos or recognizable packages are stored in clearly marked folders that can be accessed by cleverly written ads or commercials simply doesn’t exist. Instead, the mind is a whirling, swirling, jumbled mass of neurons bouncing around, colliding and continuously creating new concepts and thoughts and relationships inside every single person’s brain all over the world.† The central question for marketers is as follows: How do consumers respond to various marketing efforts the company might use? The starting point is the stimulus-response model of buyer behavior shown in Figure 5.1. This figure shows that marketing and other stimuli enter the consumer’s â€Å"black box† and produce certain responses. Marketers must figure out what is in the buyer’s black box. Marketing stimuli consist of the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. Other stimuli include major forces and events in the buyer’s environment: economic, technological, political, and cultural. All these inputs enter the buyer’s black box, where they are turned into a set of buyer responses: the buyer’s brand and company relationship behavior and what he or she buys, when, where, and how often. Marketers want to understand how the stimuli are changed into responses inside the consumer’s black box, which has two parts. First, the buyer’s characteristics influence how he or she perceives and reacts to the stimuli. Second, the buyer’s decision process itself affects his or her behavior. We look first at buyer characteristics as they affect buyer behavior and then discuss the buyer decision process. Many levels of factors affect our buying behavior—from broad cultural and social influences to motivations, beliefs, and attitudes lying deep within us. For example, why did you buy that specific cell phone? Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by cultural, social, personal, and psychological characteristics, as shown in Figure 5.2. For the most part, marketers cannot control such factors, but they must take them into account. Cultural Factors Cultural factors exert a broad and deep influence on consumer behavior. Marketers need to understand the role played by the buyer’s culture, subculture, and social class. Culture Culture is the most basic cause of a person’s wants and behavior. Human behavior is largely learned. Growing up in a society, a child learns basic values, perceptions, wants, and behaviors from his or her family and other important institutions. A child in the United States normally learns or is exposed to the following values: achievement and success, individualism, freedom, hard work, activity and involvement, efficiency and practicality, material comfort, youthfulness, and fitness and health. Every group or society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary greatly from country to country. A failure to adjust to these differences can result in ineffective marketing or embarrassing mistakes. Subculture Each culture contains smaller subcultures, or groups of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations. Subcultures include nationalities, religions, racial groups, and geographic regions. Many subcultures make up important market segments, and marketers often design products and marketing programs tailored to their needs. Examples of four such important subculture groups include Hispanic American, African American, Asian American, and mature consumers. Hispanic American Consumers The nation’s nearly 50 million Hispanic consumers have an annual buying power of more than $950 billion, a figure that will grow to an estimated $1.4 trillion by 2013. Hispanic consumer spending has grown at more than twice the rate of general-market spending over the past four years. Although Hispanic consumers share many characteristics and behaviors with the mainstream buying pubic, there are also distinct differences. They tend to be deeply family oriented and make shopping a family affair; children have a big say in what brands they buy. Perhaps more important, Hispanic consumers, particularly first-generation immigrants, are very brand loyal, and they favor brands and sellers who show special interest in them. African American Consumers With an annual buying power of $913 billion, estimated to reach $1.2 trillion by 2013, the nation’s 42 million African American consumers also attract much marketing attention. The U.S. black population is growing in affluence and sophistication. Although more price conscious than other segments, blacks are also strongly motivated by quality and selection. Brands are important. So is shopping. Black consumers seem to enjoy shopping more than other groups, even for something as mundane as groceries. In recent years, many companies have developed special products, appeals, and marketing programs for African American consumers. For example, P&G’s roots run deep in this market. P&G has long been the leader in African American advertising, spending nearly twice as much as the second-place spender. It has a long history of using black spokespeople in its ads, beginning in 1969 with entertainer Bill Cosby endorsing Crest. Today, you’ll see Angela Bassett promoting the benefits of Olay body lotion for black skin, Derek Jeter discussing the virtues of Gillette razors and deodorant, and Queen Latifah in commercials promoting a Cover Girl line for women of color. In addition to traditional product marketing efforts, P&G also supports a broader â€Å"My Black Is Beautiful† movement. Asian American Consumers Asian Americans are the most affluent U.S. demographic segment. They now number nearly 15 million and wield more than $500 billion in annual spending power, expected to reach $750 billion in 2013. They are the second fastest-growing population sub segment after Hispanic Americans. And like Hispanic Americans, they are a diverse group. Chinese Americans constitute the largest group, followed by Filipinos, Asian Indians, Vietnamese, Korean Americans, and Japanese Americans. Asian consumers may be the most tech-savvy segment; more than 90 percent of Asian Americans go online regularly and are most comfortable with Internet technologies such as online banking. As a group, Asian consumers shop frequently and are the most brand conscious of all the ethnic groups. They can be fiercely brand loyal. As a result, many firms are now targeting the Asian American market, companies like State Farm, McDonald’s, Verizon, Toyota, and Wal-Mart. For example, among its many other Asian American targeting efforts, McDonald’s has built a special Web site for this segment (www.myinspirasian.com), offered in both English and Asian languages. The fun and involving, community-oriented site highlights how McDonald’s is working with and serving the Asian American community. Mature Consumers As the U.S. population ages, mature consumers are becoming a very attractive market. By 2015, when all the baby boomers will be 50-plus, people ages 50 to 75 will account for 40 percent of adult consumers. By 2030, adults ages 65 and older will represent nearly 20 percent of the population. And these mature consumer segments boast the most expendable cash. The 50-plus consumer segment now accounts for nearly 50 percent of all consumer spending, more than any current or previous generation. They have 2.5 times the discretionary buying power of those ages 18 to 34. As one marketing executive puts it, they have â€Å"assets, not allowances.† Despite some financial setbacks resulting from the recent economic crisis, mature consumers remain an attractive market for companies in all industries, from pharmaceuticals, furniture, groceries, beauty products, and clothing to consumer electronics, travel and entertainment, and financial services. Social Factors A consumer’s behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the consumer’s small groups, family, and social roles and status. Social class Relatively permanent and ordered divisions in a society whose members share similar values, interests, and behaviors. Group Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals. Groups and Social Networks Many small groups influence a person’s behavior. Groups that have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. In contrast, reference groups serve as direct (face-to-face) or indirect points of comparison or reference in forming a person’s attitudes or behavior. People often are influenced by reference groups to which they do not belong. For example, an aspirational group is one to which the individual wishes to belong, as when a young basketball player hopes to someday emulate basketball star LeBron James and play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Marketers try to identify the reference groups of their target markets. Reference groups expose a person to new behaviors and lifestyles, influence the person’s attitudes and selfconcept, and create pressures to conform that may affect the person’s product and brand choices. The importance of group influence varies across products and brands. It tends to be strongest when the product is visible to others whom the buyer respects.

Court Reporting and Legal Journalism Writing Guide

Court Reporting and Legal Journalism Writing Guide So youve been to court, taken good notes on a trial, done all the necessary interviews and have plenty of background. Youre ready to write. But writing about the courts can be challenging. Trials are often long and almost always complex, and for the beginning court reporter, the learning curve can be steep. So here are some tips for writing about the courts: Cut out the Jargon Lawyers love to spout legal terminology - legalese, for short. But, chances are, your readers wont understand what most of it means. So when writing your story, its your job to translate legal jargon into plain, simple English that anyone can understand. Lead With the Drama Many trials are long periods of relatively boring procedural stuff punctuated by brief moments of intense drama. Examples might include an outburst by the defendant or an argument between an attorney and the judge. Be sure to highlight such moments in your story. And if theyre important enough, put them in your lede. Example A man on trial for allegedly killing his wife during an argument unexpectedly stood up in court yesterday and shouted, I did it! Get Both Sides Its important in any news article to get both - or all - sides of the story, but as you can imagine its especially crucial in a court story. When a defendant is charged with a serious crime, its your job to get both the defense and the prosecutions arguments into your article. Remember, the accused is innocent until proven guilty. Find a Fresh Lede Everyday Many trials go on for days or even weeks, so be sure to follow the recommendations for follow-up stories when you cover a long one. Remember, the key is to take the most important, interesting, and newsworthy testimony of any given day and build your lede around that. Work on the Background While the top of your story should be the trials latest developments, the bottom should include the basic background of the case - who is the accused, what is he accused of, where and when did the alleged crime occur, etc. Even when covering a highly publicized trial, never assume that your readers will know all the background of the case. Use the Best Quotes Good quotes can make or break a trial story. Jot down as many direct quotes as you can in your notebook, then use just the best ones in your story.