Hiroshima And Nagasaki Essays - , Term Papers

Hiroshima And Nagasaki Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the untold story Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the untold story On August 6th 1945, the first Atomic Bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima, and three days later on August 9th 1945, the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki, Japans industrial capital. The decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan was a poor one considering the damage, the devastation, and the amount of people left dead, injured, or suffering the loss of a family member or a friend, all for the sake of quickly ending the ongoing War. When the Japanese had realized that they were the only ones left in the war, Germany their ally, was already beaten out of the war and all efforts were now concentrated at them, the Japanese began suing for a peaceful end to the war. Apart from the fact that Japan had been suing for a peaceful end to the war, there were a number of alternative routes of action that the Americans had at their fingertips, and could have taken advantage of at a moments notice, which could have possibly saved a lot of lives, both American and Japanese. After analyzing the amount of damage and the amount of lives lost as a result of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb, it becomes evident that dropping the bomb was not worth a quick end to the war. Much of why Japanese surrender took so long to come through reverts back to the Samurai Tradition in Japan. First, the Emperor didnt not intervene in political affairs as he was considered to be above such petty human politics, and second, the Japanese code of honor which puts death before dishonor. The Americans had intercepted messages from the Foreign Minister Togo, to Ambassador Sato expressing the desires of the Emperor for a peaceful end to the war, [h]is Majesty the Emperor, mindful of the fact that the present war daily brings greaterevil and sacrifice upon the peoples of all belligerent powers, desires from his heart thatit may be quickly terminated (Alperovitz 23). The desire of the Emperor for an end to the war never came true until both atomic bombs had been dropped on two of Japans key industrial cities, as the Emperor never formally expressed this desire. In the samurai tradition, the Emperor is held at a God-like status and therefore, is considered above politics, so therefore he never intervenes, and was never expected to intervene in political issues, his role was to sanction decisions made by the Cabinet, whether he personally approved of them or not. For this reason, the Emperor never expressed his desire for peace to the Cabinet; it was an unprecedented act (Long). The retention of the Emperor was crucial to the surrender, as the Japanese believed their Emperor was a god, the heart of the people and the culture (Long). This Japanese belief is a part of a tradition that dates back to 660 B.C. when the first Japanese Emperor, Jimmu, who according to legend was a descendant of the sun god, Amaterasu. So there fore, according to the tradition, the emperor during this time, Hirohito, was said to be a divine bei ng. It is for this reason that the Japanese sued for peace based on the Atlantic Charter of 1941 that was drafted up by Roosevelt and Churchill on August 4th, 1941. According to the Atlantic Charter, every nation could choose its own form of government, thus, if Japan were to surrender based on these terms, they would be able to retain the emperor, their God (Alperovitz). However, when the United States offered a peace agreement based on Unconditional Surrender, the Japanese refused this offer as no provisions had been made for their Emperor. As Leon V. Sigal states, one point was clear to senior [United States] officials, regardless of where they stood on war termination the critical condition for Japanese surrender was the assurance that the throne would be preserved (Alperovitz 31). It turns out that the unconditional surrender clause of the peace agreement was the major factor that hindered Japanese surrender at this point in the war. According to the surrender agreement, the au thority that deceived the people into

How to Make Colored Flowers

How to Make Colored Flowers Its easy to make your own colored flowers, especially carnations and daisies, but there are a couple of tricks that help ensure great results. Heres how you do it. Tips Materials: Light-colored flowers, food coloring, waterConcepts Illustrated: Evaporation, cohesion, xylem, capillary actionTime Required: Few hours to a dayExperience Level: Beginner Colored Flower Materials Fresh flowers, preferably white - Dont use wilted flowers since they might not be able to absorb water well. Good choices include daisies and carnations.Food coloringWarm water You can use other colors of flowers besides white. Just keep in mind the final color of the flower will be a mix of the nature pigments in the flower and the dye. Also, many flower pigments are pH indicators, so you can simply change the color of some flowers by putting them into water with baking soda (a base) or lemon juice/vinegar (common weak acids). Make Colored Flowers Trim the stems of your flowers so they arent excessively long.Make a slanted cut at the base of the stem under water. The cut is slanted so that the stem wont sit flat on the bottom of the container. A flat cut can prevent the flower from taking in water. Make the cut underwater to prevent air bubbles from forming in the tiny tubes at base of the stem, which would prevent water/color from being drawn up.Add food coloring to a glass. Youre looking at about 20-30 drops of food coloring per half cup of warm water. Warm water will be taken more readily than cold water.Set the damp stem of the flower in the colored water. The petals should become colored after a few hours. It may take as long as 24 hours, however, depending on the flower.You can set the colored flowers in plain water or flower preservative, but they will continue to drink water, changing the pattern of the color over time. Getting Fancy You can slit the stem up the middle and put each side in a different color to get bi-colored flowers. What do you think you will get if you put half of the stem in blue dye and half in yellow dye? What do you think will happen if you take a colored flower and put its stem in dye of a different color? How It Works A few different processes are involved in plant drinking or transpiration. As water evaporates from flowers and leaves, the attractive force between water molecules called cohesion pulls more water along. Water is pulled up through tiny tubes (xylem) that run up a plants stem. Although gravity might want to pull the water back down toward the ground, water sticks to itself and these tubes. This capillary action keeps water in the xylem in much the same way as water stays in a straw when you suck water through it, except evaporation and biochemical reactions provide the initial upward pull.

Patricia Benner Theorist Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Patricia Benner Theorist - Assignment Example Such is the fundamental message of Benner’s From Novice to Expert. This paper analyzes and discusses Patricia Benner’s From Novice to Expert. The first section introduces the life and theory of Benner, and the key components of the theory. The second section discusses how the theory can connect theory, research, and practice. Then the last section explains how this theory is relevant to my practice goals and how can I apply the theory now and in the future. Patricia Benner of the University of California was a forerunner in clinical practice research; specifically, she examined the traits of experts and the development of expertise. Employing a qualitative design, as well as interview and observation, she studied several nurses involved in clinical activities—from novice nurses to expert nurses. From this research she wrote her book From Novice to Expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing (2001) wherein she identified a hierarchy or pyramid of practice in medical nursing. The five phases of development described by Benner are ‘novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert’ (Alber et al., 2009, 126). Benner’s work covers clear, perceptive explanations of every stage and the framework has been applied by others in examining their profession and creating academic programs. This paper analyzes and discusses Patricia Benner’s From Novice to Expert. The first section introduces the life and theory of Benner, and the key components of the theory. The second section discusses how the theory can connect theory, research, and practice. Then the last section explains how this theory is relevant to my practice goals and how can I apply the theory now and in the future. Patricia Benner is a nursing graduate from Pasadena College. She later on obtained a Master’s Degree in nursing from University of California in 1970, with her primary focus on medical-surgical nursing. Benner has a broad array of clinical knowledge and experience

Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications Essay - 2

Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications - Essay Example For instance, the food and drug administration made an approval of a drug into the market yet it knew that the drug had serious negative effects on consumers (Jamshid, 2005). The article shows that the drug had a significant number of warning signs, which could have been avoided early enough. Merck and FDA failed to meet their responsibilities to the public; there was also a failure to submit the data to a peer-reviewed periodical and the cardiovascular information provided in the article were half-finished. As a skilled leader, such issues would not have occurred because of the knowledge the leader had regarding the drug. FDA did not take any skill to ensure that the drug underwent various trials before being approved, despite the fact that it had the command to do so. Systemic is the process that leads to almost all of a system is affected instead of a small section of the system. In terms of medicine, systemic implies influencing the whole body instead of one organ or body part (Matteson, 2007). On the other hand, systemic implies that occurring from the structure of the system and influencing the entire behavior of the whole system in systems thinking (Russell, 2010). Therefore, a problem is systemic if the conduct of most or all of its significant sections is affected. The systemic issues from the case study include the consumption of Rofecoxib drug, which resulted in affecting a large number of people who used the drug. Another issue includes the failure of the leadership at the FDA to acknowledge that they are responsible for the health of the public (Topol, 2004). In addition, Merck was only concerned in the sale of Rofecoxib despite its possible cardiovascular toxicity and the robust signs that there was an issue and that a large number of people were being exposed. The most appropriate strategy for system improvement utilizing systems thinking includes altering the essential method a system works, through transforming the framework of its main response loops. Just like from the case study, there was the withdrawal of the drug from the market after realizing it was harmful for public consumption.

Target Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Target - Research Paper Example Product quality plays an important role in determination of performance of companies that gain success in the long term (Foss & Knudsen, 2003). In this paper, the issue of maintaining good quality of products by Target Corporation has been discussed as a method of defeating the company’s rivals (Ehmke, 2008). Customers prefer making purchases from Target stores since they get the appropriate products that they are searching for at the most reasonable prices (Nadia, 2001). The key strategies that have led this company up the success ladder are excellent marketing and advertising strategies, high brand value developed through strategic promotion of brand and intense product differentiation (Franco-Santos, et al., 2007). Being one of the top ranking companies in the US market, the company faces steep competition from other dominant firms in the market, such as, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Costco. However, recently, the firm has been facing certain problems, such as high price of product s than market standards and very close substitutes of its products. The main issue faced by Target Corporation is that whether it should follow the strategy of maintaining high quality of its products. The two contesting arenas that arise in this regard are high quality and high price. Target is considering high quality for its products while it is out wedged by competitors that offer low priced products. This paper is dedicated to the discussion of bringing solution to this problem. Different possible solutions to this problem would be discussed. These solutions are provided after considering the current business environment in which the company operates. Although, all the possible solutions are proposed on the basis of the some analysis of the company situation and overall industry condition, these refer to diverse aspects. However, in order to gain advantage over its nearest rivals, the company would have to identify the loop holes in which it is directly lagging behind its compe titors. In this case, the problem is that the company is facing price war. Competitors, such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Costco, which are known across the globe for their low price items, are gaining edge over Target Corporation, since the prices charged by Target are higher than the products that they offer. In this case the company might aim at reducing cost so as offer the products at lowered prices. However, price wars can be sustained only up to a certain limit, beyond which prices cannot be reduced for maintaining profitable business. Hence, it would have to take some other option for maintaining its competitive position in the industry. These possible solutions are discussed in the next section. Possible solutions to the problem In the current business world, companies are concerned about the gaining an extra edge over other market players. An important aspect that helps in assessing the performance of a particular company in the market is the extent to which customers would be attracted more towards a particular brand than other brands available in the market. It is imperative for every business to develop a base of loyal customers that would increase over time (Smith & Wright, 2004). Niche markets are growing rapidly in the modern world and they are increasing awareness of customers about product features and characteristics of products that they

Current situation of the coffee industry

Current situation of the coffee industry 1Coffee is one of the worlds most valuable assets and at least 25 million people around the world base their livelihood on their production. Most of these producers are small-scale farmers in the developing world, despite the extent of coffee consumption takes place in the United States and Europe Over the last twenty five years of the last century, developing countries have been incited to follow export-oriented economy models as a way to increase living standards of their citizens. With this model, countries have opened their economies globally, boosting international trade and investments, and expanding their exports with the objective of earning foreign exchange. These strategies try to substitute older models based on import-replacement, which proposed that developing countries should impose protectionism measures in order to protect their domestic economies by controlling investments and external trade. At face value, specializing in exporting coffee seems to be a good strategy for developing countries, knowing that they have the perfect conditions to grow coffee crops and taking the advantage that richer countries are not competitive in this field, but they are very interested in purchasing the product as they earn considerable profits of its distribution and consumption. However, the global coffee industry has become a nightmare as the world prices have dampened, which have an important impact on livelihoods of those countries. Why has this happened, and how is affecting developing countries? CURRENT SITUATION 2The current crisis is the latest and most dramatic in a long history of industry ups and downs. Coffee prices have plummeted to 30-years lows. (See appendix 2) Coffee, which is produced in over 50 developing countries, is one of the s worlds most important commodities exports. It makes an important contribution to development socioeconomic and poverty alleviation as well as its economic importance is based on exportation, some of represent more than the half of their export earnings. Moreover, a cup of coffee in any neighborhood in New York or Paris can reach the $ 3.60 price. That same cup of coffee, a coffee farmer in the Andes of South America or Southeast Asia receives only 24 cents, a paltry 7% which, of course, does not even cover the cost of production or the basic needs of collectors. This are the most direct consequences of a crisis in the last two years which has sunk into poverty over 25 million people, while the coffee trade of the four big multinationals (Nestle, Kraft Foods, Procter Gamble and Sara Lee) has curbed their economic growth. Therefore, it is not a trivial matter; it is actually the major source of foreign exchange for several countries. The current crisis is directly affecting some 20 million families living in the area where the center of all growing and production, between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and depend on grain as their main source of income. Moreover, the United Nations World Food Program launched an emergency operation to assist 155,000 people in Guatemala, where a severe drought that killed subsistence crops coincided with low coffee prices. CAUSES Coffee prices are at the alarming and the specialty coffee industry is in a crisis. In addition, most industry experts predict that will not improve in the near future. At the root of the current crisis is an oversupply of coffee on world markets. Since 1990, coffee production worldwide has increased by 15 percent, exceeding consumption by two folds. This increase was precipitated by new producers entering the market, most notably Vietnam (see appendix 3). Keep in mind that coffee production in Vietnam is not really traditional, in 1987. The Vietnamese were at the beginning just consumers. But the access to the position of largest producer of robusta type of coffee is actually the result of a political will, encouraged by the World Bank. As one of the most disadvantage countries in Asia, Vietnam saw in the business the chance to expand its economy and as a way to gain valuable foreign exchange. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity to encourage economic expansion in relatively disa dvantage areas. However, coffee production has surged in other countries as well. The reason for this relate to some complex technical, economic and political factors. In addition, during the last decade productivity of coffee trees increased because of enhanced agricultural practice. Moreover, many countries increased their lands in order to specialize in coffee production. 2The reasons for this is different from country to country, liberalization of trade in coffee, improving better transportation and communication on production data, prices and inventories increase security of supply World; domestic food markets were deregulated, which encouraged a general shift to export production; and land previously reserved for non-agricultural production, for example forest areas, was brought into agricultural use through privatization and non regulation. Going a little bit further, the beginning of the crisis dates back to 1989 when the International Coffee Agreement collapsed, contributing greatly to the problem of oversupply. The agreement had been responsible for the restrictions on exports of coffee, without it, many producing countries sought to increase export earnings through increased production. Unfortunately, its success in increasing it led to a surplus that, actually, decreased revenues. Moreover, severe frosts in Brazil during the middle 1990s showed a temporary rise in coffee prices, before the basic trend kept on increasing until the present days (appendix 3). But all of these effects are not just based simply one of supply and demand. The connections between the links of the supply chains that connect producers with consumers have also changed. Nowadays, coffee farmers receive less than 7% of the retail price of coffee in developed world markets; the rest of the percentage until 100%, 93% is paid to importers, packaging firms, roaster and retailers. In part this reflects a structural disparity of commercial power in the global coffee system, whereby six international trading companies control over half of the world coffee exports. In these contexts, developing country coffee growers are in a very weak bargaining position. CONSEQUENCES This downward pricing spiral is affecting infrastructures in coffee-producing countries where they are collapsing. There is no money to fix or repair roads, the cost of trucks is out of reach and distributing the merchandise is definitely a hard task. When small agricultural producers are dependent on some buyer to sale their crops for a large amount of money, slumping prices have dramatic repercussions for those poorest countries who everyday fight against hunger and social vulnerability. In recent years aid agencies have struggled to bring awareness about these human repercussions trying to call the attention of policy-makers. These human-scale dimensions of the crisis should flow into national and regional economies. For a significant number of tropical countries, coffee is the major source of export-earning. The collapse of coffee prices, then, has destabilized the systems of whole national economies. Many of these countries are also seriously in debt to international organizatio ns, and have had to renegotiate or even suspend the repayments of loans. In turn, the resultant debt crisis of developing countries is a major source of financial instability in the world. As always, the poorest countries are most affected, the business profit is becoming some of the poorest and most vulnerable of the world into extreme poverty, livelihoods of small farmers are being destroyed by international markets beyond their control. But not everyone is losing in the current scenario. While the cost of the raw material comes in a slump, some companies, particularly multinational companies along with several large coffee retailers, continue earning and being profitable. Their market powers allow them essentially to dictate to their suppliers and take advantage of the lower prices. As always, poorest countries are the most affected, corporate gain is turning over some of the worlds poorest and most weak people to extreme poverty: the livelihoods of smaller producers are being destroyed by international markets that are beyond their control. SOLUTIONS It seems clear that one of the solutions to the coffee crisis passes to limit grain production to raise prices in international trade. This would be the theory in the context of the market economy. In practice, it has been tried it last year and received the denial of the Asian countries and Brazil. in oil. Experts agree that the coffee industry is undergoing major changes in order to recover the price-crisis prices. The entry of Vietnam into the coffee trade had important consequences: the way to produce cheaper. Alternatives to the coffee crisis are in what some NGOs have called fair trade. If producing countries such as Vietnam has grown 400% in the last decade is because their culture has focused on the logical contribution of new technologies. It is a commitment to diversified organic coffee, coffee quality associated with sustainable development and fair trade outside intermediaries, to improve the price paid to farmers and reducing the supply with further restructuring of the field. An idea that is far from being realized because of the illiquidity of the farmer . 4The costs of producing differ from country to country, perhaps from 60 to 90 cents for The worst hits are Latin American countries with relatively high production costs. These countries may try to find ways to cut costs or find niche markets that command premium prices, such as organic or shade-grown coffee that provides ecological habitats. But those options do not help everyone. Many farmers ultimately have to move to other more lucrative products. In the fall of the current prices, farmers enough eventually be driven out of business, which will produce increased coffee prices again. That means another potential shortage threat in the future, especially for higher quality coffees are more expensive to produce. And this shortage can lead high enough to encourage overproduction, once again. It is not clear when this damaging cycle will repeat again, or even if it is going to finish. What is clear is that new and better solutions are needed to help the poorest countries that are affected by it. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS In conclusion, the existing circumstances of the world coffee industry represent a crisis of huge human cost. The low prices being received by coffee farmers not only put in danger the livelihoods of people and communities, but add significantly to global inequality and its correlated to financial and political implications. For another point of view, the crisis also unveils the failures of export-oriented models which curiously most developing countries follow. What it can be learned at this point: what is true for some countries may not be true for anothers. When one country increments its coffee exports, it benefits. But if all countries do the same, then the effects are to produce an over-supply of commodities and to cause prices to fall. The lives of smallholder farmers become vulnerable by depending on the conditions imposed those who dominate commodity markets, which in any case are structured in ways that concentrated power in a small number of transnational companies. And at least, some recommendations can be given: Correcting the imbalance between supply and demand by increasing consumer in particular by: improving quality in the world market and promoting diversification to reduce dependency. It is recognized that to ensure market access for products alternative, there must be a substantial reduction of tariffs and subsidies to those who are now protected agriculture in industrialized countries. In addition, support a broad-based rural development to enhance the capacity of local processing and producer associations, and also measures to improve access to credit and risk management. Beyond these suggestions, the coffee industry should participate in programs designed to help reducing the effects of price shocks at the farm level. These efforts should include locking roasters in contracts with farmers for the coming years, as a way to motivate farmers to keep on producing coffee, for example, paying more for certain quality coffees. Simultaneously with the efforts of importers, roasters and retailers to create mutually beneficial relationships with farmers, producers have taken steps toward understanding what the market demand for its coffee. APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 2 Prices of the coffee market (2003) APPENDIX 3

Low Self-Esteem and Eating Disorders Essay -- Health Weight Loss Paper

What is Self-Esteem... Self-esteem has recently been defined by Silverstone as "the sense of contentment and self-acceptance that stems from a person's appraisal of their own worth, significance, attractiveness, competence and ability to satisfy their aspirations" (Silverstone 1992). Self-esteem is the degree to which a person values and respects themselves, and is proud of their accomplishments. Self-esteem begins to develop in childhood, but it solidifies and gains momentum during the turbulent and trying years of adolescence. The teenage years tend to be a crucial "make it or break it" period when it comes to self-esteem because it is at this time that youngsters are searching for an identity. If this process goes awry, the teen is likely to have negative feelings about the self, leading to a low sense of self-esteem. Many recent studies have provided evidence that disruptions in the formation and stability of one's self-esteem can lead to various psychological problems, such as eating disorders. Are Low Self-Esteem and Eating Disorders Related? Although it is often thought of as only an "anecdotal contention that low selfesteem is a trait of eating disorders" (Wilfiams 1993), this fact has been empirically proven time and time again. With the use of various questionnaires and inventories, researchers such as Schupak-Neuberg, Rosen and Button have found that low self-esteem occurs very commonly in patients with eating disorders. In some cases, evidence for this relationship is so strong that it is even thought by some researchers that chronic low self-esteem is a necessary prerequisite for disordered eating (Silverstone 1992). A profile of self-concept components that are characteristic of low self-esteem are insec... ...onal Journal of Eating Disorders, Vol. 18, (4), 317-326. March, 1995. Rosen, James C., Bruce E. Compas, and Barbara Tracy. "The relation among stress, psychological symptoms, and eating disorder symptoms: A prospective analysis". International Journal of Fating Disorders. Vol. 14, (2), 153-162. 1993. Schupak-Neuberg, Erika, and Carol J. Nemeroff. "Disturbances in identity and selfregulation in bulimia nervosa: Implications for a metaphorical perspective of "Body as Self"'. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Vol. 13, (4), 335-347. 1993. Silverstone, P.H. "Is chronic low self-esteem the cause of eating disorders?". Medical Hypotheses. Vol. 39, 311-315. 1992. Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph, and Margarete Voltrath. "The self-image of adolescent patients with eating disorders". International Journal of Eating Disorders.. Vol. 13, (2), 221-227. 1993.

Haunted House Essay

It was a dark frightening night. I was running at full speed as I was being followed by some unknown men. I could not run anymore and entered into a house. I found myself in a very dark house. There were cobwebs everywhere. I was shivering like a leaf. It was a big house like those of the royal palaces, but that house seemed to belong to a witch. I just opened the door to see if those men were there and unfortunately they were outside, I immediately closed the door. I could not find sleep so I decided to visit the house. The house looked very beautiful from outside, but inside it looked very shabby. There were rats coming from a hole in a corner of the living room. It was disgusting. I then arrived near the rooms of the house. I found some books on a table and there was a diary on it. I just blew up all the dust from it and started to read it. That story made my heart pound heavily. In the diary, the last sentence written was â€Å" Angrily I kept them in one of the rooms†. That sentence made me look very tense. Curiously I went to open the rooms found in the house. I was anxious to know what were kept in one of the rooms. I continued to open the doors till I arrived near a door different from the others. I opened it and†¦ I quickly went downstairs, opened the door and left that haunted house. I promised to never enter that house. In

Critical Essay on The Glass Menagerie

Critical Essay on The Glass Menagerie Critical Essay on The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie is about undergoing the transition from childhood to adulthood and the decision to leave home and become independent. The decision is made with the understanding of the difference between reality as well as illusion. Tom makes the decision to leave home, aware that there are things in life he can control and others which are beyond his control. This story revolves around persons who are not aware of themselves or their true identity. Paul tries to encourage his family members to be more aware of their true selves. People tend to run away from reality and create illusions that they believe in. These illusions blind them, encouraging them to live in a dream world. So many people live this kind of life, and by the time they become aware of reality, they are too late or unable to revert to their true selves. A major them in Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is that people live a dream life by making any effort to understand their potentials and capabilities. Throughout the play, the characters try to create illusions because they find reality very painful. This makes the characters believe too much in their illusions, which results in them being accepted by their society in a way that they should not be accepted. Believing in illusions is a psychological problem because these people are no longer in control of their senses. Illusions cause, people to become more of dreamers and this can affect their relationship with the family members who perceived life from a different perspective. A dreamer is unlikely to agree on many issues with a person who bases his life on reality. A dreamer will always remain a dreamer, and his or her ideas are unlikely to produce anything important. It is not good to encourage people to live in a dream world because this affects their social, economic, and civic responsibilities. It is important to take life seriously by doing what is realistic. An individual can begin by identifying realistic goals and a doable plan to achieve those goals. When dreamers make up the majority in a society, then many important issues are likely not to be addressed because no one will take such issues seriously. Society always encourages its members to take responsibility for themselves and those around them to some extent. Parents encourage their children to be courageous in life by facing reality. These are the core principles that shape the community and make it a good place to live. Illusions, thus, are not part of a society. Those who are perceived as dreamers often find themselves as social outcasts. This is why Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie is considered so important. It shows how life can be wasted by living in a dream. Tips on Writing a Critical Essay: People often think that being critical means being negative. That is not so. When writing a critical essay on anything, one examines the strong and the weak points in a work and discusses those points in reference to some aspect of the work. In the case of a story, for example, the reader might identify a major idea that the story is expressing and then analyze how well the writer did in presenting and supporting that idea throughout the story. Regardless of what kind of essay you are writing, be certain to begin with a thesis statement. Gather your evidence from the story you are critiquing. Then, refrain from presenting that evidence according to the order in which it occurs in the story. Remember, you are not retelling the story. Instead, organize your arguments in the order that makes sense for your paper and draw on the evidence as needed to support your arguments. Welcome to our custom essay writing service to get professional essay help from academic experts. guarantees high quality and plagiarism-free in our papers!

Murders of Czar Nicholas II of Russia and His Family

Murders of Czar Nicholas II of Russia and His Family The tumultuous reign of Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, was tarnished by his ineptitude in both foreign and domestic affairs that helped to bring about the Russian Revolution. The Romanov Dynasty, which had ruled Russia for three centuries, came to an abrupt and bloody end in July 1918, when Nicholas and his family, who had been held under house arrest for more than a year, were brutally executed by Bolshevik soldiers. Who Was Nicholas II? Young Nicholas, known as the tsesarevich, or heir apparent to the throne, was born on May 18, 1868, the first child of Czar Alexander III and Empress Marie Feodorovna. He and his siblings grew up in Tsarskoye Selo, one of the residences of the imperial family located outside of St. Petersburg. Nicholas was schooled not only in academics, but also in gentlemanly pursuits such as shooting, horsemanship, and even dancing. Unfortunately, his father, Czar Alexander III, did not devote a great deal of time to preparing his son to one day become the leader of the massive Russian Empire. As a young man, Nicholas enjoyed several years of relative ease, during which he embarked upon world tours and attended countless parties and balls. After seeking a suitable wife, he became engaged to Princess Alix of Germany in the summer of 1894. But the carefree lifestyle that Nicholas had enjoyed came to an abrupt end on November 1, 1894, when Czar Alexander III died of nephritis (a kidney disease). Virtually overnight, Nicholas II- inexperienced and ill-equipped for the task- became the new czar of Russia. The period of mourning was briefly suspended on November 26, 1894, when Nicholas and Alix were married in a private ceremony. The following year, daughter Olga was born, followed by three more daughters- Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia- over a period of five years. (The long-awaited male heir, Alexei, would be born in 1904.) Delayed during the long period of formal mourning, Czar Nicholas coronation was held in May 1896. But the joyous celebration was marred by a horrible incident when 1,400 revelers were killed during a stampede at Khodynka Field in Moscow. The new czar, however, refused to cancel any of the ensuing celebrations, giving the impression to his people that he was indifferent to the loss of so many lives. Growing Resentment of the Czar In a series of further missteps, Nicholas proved himself unskilled in both foreign and domestic affairs. In a 1903 dispute with the Japanese over territory in Manchuria, Nicholas resisted any opportunity for diplomacy. Frustrated by Nicholas refusal to negotiate, the Japanese took action in February 1904, bombing Russian ships in the harbor at Port Arthur in southern Manchuria. The Russo-Japanese War continued for another year and a half and ended with the czars forced surrender in September 1905. Given a large number of Russian casualties and the humiliating defeat, the war failed to draw the support of the Russian people. Russians were dissatisfied about more than just the Russo-Japanese War. Inadequate housing, poor wages, and widespread hunger among the working class created hostility toward the government. In protest of their abysmal living conditions, tens of thousands of protestors marched peacefully upon the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on January 22, 1905. Without any provocation from the crowd, the czars soldiers opened fire on the protestors, killing and wounding hundreds. The event came to be known as Bloody Sunday, and further stirred up anti-czarist sentiment among the Russian people. Although the czar was not at the palace at the time of the incident, his people held him responsible. The massacre enraged the Russian people, leading to strikes and protests throughout the country, and culminating in the 1905 Russian Revolution. No longer able to ignore his peoples discontent, Nicholas II was forced to act. On October 30, 1905, he signed the October Manifesto, which created a constitutional monarchy as well as an elected legislature, known as the Duma. Yet the czar maintained control by limiting the powers of the Duma and maintaining veto power. Birth of Alexei During that time of great turmoil, the royal couple welcomed the birth of a male heir, Alexei Nikolaevich, on August 12, 1904. Apparently healthy at birth, young Alexei was soon found to be suffering from hemophilia, an inherited condition that causes severe, sometimes fatal hemorrhaging. The royal couple chose to keep their sons diagnosis a secret, fearing it would create uncertainty about the future of the monarchy. Distraught about her sons illness, Empress Alexandra doted upon him and isolated herself and her son from the public. She desperately searched for a cure or any kind of treatment that would keep her son out of danger. In 1905, Alexandra found an unlikely source of help- the crude, unkempt, self-proclaimed healer, Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin became a trusted confidante of the empress because he could do what no one else had been capable of- he kept young Alexei calm during his bleeding episodes, thereby reducing their severity. Unaware of Alexeis medical condition, the Russian people were suspicious of the relationship between the empress and Rasputin. Beyond his role of providing comfort to Alexei, Rasputin had also become an adviser to Alexandra and even influenced her opinions on affairs of state. WWI and the Murder of Rasputin Following the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, Russia became embroiled in the First World War, as Austria declared war on Serbia. Stepping in to support Serbia, a fellow Slavic nation, Nicholas mobilized the Russian army in August 1914. The Germans soon joined the conflict, in support of Austria-Hungary. Although he had initially received the support of the Russian people in waging a war, Nicholas found that support dwindling as the war dragged on. The poorly-managed and ill-equipped Russian Army- led by Nicholas himself- suffered considerable casualties. Nearly two million were killed over the duration of the war. Adding to the discontent, Nicholas had left his wife in charge of affairs while he was away at war. Yet because Alexandra was German-born, many Russians distrusted her; they also remained suspicious about her alliance with Rasputin. General loathing and mistrust of Rasputin culminated in a plot by several members of the aristocracy to murder him. They did so, with great difficulty, in December 1916. Rasputin was poisoned, shot, then bound and thrown into the river. Russian Revolution and the Czars Abdication All across Russia, the situation grew increasingly desperate for the working class, which struggled with low wages and rising inflation. As they had done before, the people took to the streets in protest of the governments failure to provide for its citizens. On February 23, 1917, a group of nearly 90,000 women marched through the streets of Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg) to protest their plight. These women, many of whose husbands had left to fight in the war, struggled to make enough money to feed their families. The following day, several thousand more protesters joined them. People walked away from their jobs, bringing the city to a standstill. The czars army did little to stop them; in fact, some soldiers even joined the protest. Other soldiers, loyal to the czar, did fire into the crowd, but they were clearly outnumbered. The protestors soon gained control of the city during the February/March 1917 Russian Revolution. With the capital city in the hands of revolutionaries, Nicholas finally had to concede that his reign was over. He signed his abdication statement on March 15, 1917, bringing an end to the 304-year-old Romanov Dynasty. The royal family was allowed to stay on at the Tsarskoye Selo palace while officials decided their fate. They learned to subsist on soldiers rations and to make do with fewer servants. The four girls had all recently had their heads shaved during a bout of measles; oddly, their baldness gave them the appearance of prisoners. Royal Family Exiled to Siberia For a brief time, the Romanovs had hoped they would be granted asylum in England, where the czars cousin, King George V, was reigning monarch. But the plan- unpopular with British politicians who deemed Nicholas a tyrant- was quickly abandoned. By the summer of 1917, the situation in St. Petersburg had become increasingly unstable, with Bolsheviks threatening to overrun the provisional government. The czar and his family were quietly moved to western Siberia for their own protection, first to Tobolsk, then finally to Ekaterinburg. The home where they spent their final days was a far cry from the extravagant palaces they had been accustomed to, but they were grateful to be together. In October 1917, the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, finally gained control of the government following the second Russian Revolution. Thus the royal family also came under the control of the Bolsheviks, with fifty men assigned to guard the house and its occupants. The Romanovs adapted as best they could to their new living quarters, as they awaited what they prayed would be their liberation. Nicholas faithfully made entries in his diary, the empress worked on her embroidery, and the children read books and put on plays for their parents. The four girls learned from the family cook how to bake bread. During June 1918, their captors repeatedly told the royal family that they would soon be moved to Moscow and should be prepared to leave at any time. Each time, however, the trip was delayed and rescheduled for a few days later. Brutal Murders of the Romanovs While the royal family waited for a rescue that would never take place, civil war raged throughout Russia between the Communists and the White Army, which opposed Communism. As the White Army gained ground and headed for Ekaterinburg, the Bolsheviks decided they must act swiftly. The Romanovs must not be rescued. At 2:00 a.m. in the morning on July 17, 1918, Nicholas, his wife, and their five children, along with four servants, were awakened and told to prepare for departure. The group, led by Nicholas, who carried his son, was escorted to a small room downstairs. Eleven men (later reported to have been drunk) came into the room and began firing shots. The czar and his wife were first to die. None of the children died outright, probably because all wore hidden jewels sewn inside their clothing, which deflected the bullets. The soldiers finished the job with bayonets and more gunfire. The grisly massacre had taken 20 minutes. At the time of death, the czar was 50 years old and the empress 46. Daughter Olga was 22 years old, Tatiana was 21, Maria was 19, Anastasia was 17, and Alexei was 13 years old. The bodies were removed, and taken to the site of an old mine, where the executioners did their best to hide the identities of the corpses. They chopped them up with axes, and doused them with acid and gasoline, setting them afire. The remains were buried at two separate sites. An investigation soon after the murders failed to turn up the bodies of the Romanovs and their servants. (For many years afterward, it was rumored that Anastasia, the czars youngest daughter, had survived the execution and was living somewhere in Europe. Several women over the years claimed to be Anastasia, most notably Anna Anderson, a German woman with a history of mental illness. Anderson died in 1984; DNA testing later proved she was not related to the Romanovs.) Final Resting Place of the Romanovs Another 73 years would pass before the bodies were found. In 1991, the remains of nine people were excavated at Ekaterinburg. DNA testing confirmed they were the bodies of the czar and his wife, three of their daughters, and four servants. A second grave, containing the remains of Alexei and one of his sisters (either Maria or Anastasia), was discovered in 2007. Sentiment toward the royal family- once demonized in Communist society- had changed in post-Soviet Russia. The Romanovs, canonized as saints by the Russian Orthodox church, were remembered at a religious ceremony on July 17, 1998 (eighty years to the date of their murders), and reburied in the imperial family vault at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Nearly 50 descendants of the Romanov dynasty attended the service, as did Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Business Finance and the Capital Structure Research Paper

Business Finance and the Capital Structure - Research Paper Example The most important disadvantage of debt financing is the interest burden and the repayment of loan. If the loan and interest are not repaid on time then banks and financing institutions can seize the assets of the company. The history of bond and stock market shows that risk and returns are indispensably attached to each other. Investors cannot get higher returns if their risk portfolio is low. Lower risk will bring lower returns and in order to get higher returns investors need to take high risk. William Sharpe (1964) and John Lintner (1965) have contributed to the origin of asset pricing theory in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The CAPM was built on the model of choice of portfolio developed by Harry Markowitz (1959). According to the model of Markowitz, an investor opts to select a portfolio at time t-1 which would generate a stochastic return at time t. The model assumes that investors are generally risk averse, and at the time of choosing their portfolio they are concerned about only mean and variance of their return at the end of investment period. So investors prefer to choose mean & variance efficient portfolios that would either minimize variance with a certain expected return or would maximize expected return given variance. Thus, CAPM is a theory that defines the relationship between risk and the expected return of a security or a portfolio of securities. The theory is based on the assumption that the security market is generally composed of risk-averse in vestors and the type of investors who prefer and will to take more risk only when they expect to earn a higher return in commensuration with that risk. The return from an asset varies through successive periods and an asset which has a fluctuating return is considered to have greater risk. So, the tendency of investors is to diversify their investment portfolio so that they could minimize the effect of risk volatility, i.e. the unsystematic risk attached

MACROECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MACROECONOMICS - Essay Example has an affect upon the macro economics as it is the tool to attract more consumers towards the banking instruments, not only from the domestic investors but also from the foreign investors. At interest rates r0 and r1, investment levels in (a) will be i0 and i1. To produce equilibrium in the item for consumption market, level of income must be at y0 and y1 respectively. Therefore, interest rate income combines r0, y0 and r1, y1, which are the equilibrium points along the IS schedule, slopes downward towards right. With investment being responsive to alterations in the interest rates, the investment plan i (r) on (a) is moderately flat. A decrease in interest rate will raise investment by a huge amount. Therefore, a large increase in income, y0y2, is necessary to re-establish the product market equilibrium. Consequently, the IS schedule in part (d) will be flat. The level of investments by firms is highly affected through the monetary policy of the government. The raise in the interest rate will force the investment level to increase by firms. To increase the investment level by different firms the monetary policy was implemented by the UK government. When the consumer confidence index falls, there is an increase in the level of savings and many firms decide to reschedule or push back the capital investment spending projects because of uncertainties over a shortcoming of demand and there is a fall in the expected rate of profit on investment. This affect is upturned down through the monetary policy of the government by implementation of the interest rate policy. The increase in the interest rate will increase the confidence index of investment and the expectation level of investing firms will be higher as there is more return through the financial instruments. This rise in the confidence index and investment increases the investment in capital projects that helps the economy to grow. In application with the Fisher’s equation it is know that, as the income