Has the Single Market project in Europe been a success?

Abstract The establishment of the EU’s single market was intended to create jobs and enhance prosperity. Since it was established in 1992, significant benefits have been made to the EU’s internal market and a lot of opportunities have been created. Despite this, many problems continue to exist and further changes are necessary if the objectives of the EU are to be fully realised (European Commission, 2012: 1). Introduction The idea behind the European Union’s (EU) single market was to treat the EU as one territory so that the free movement of people, goods, money and services could be achieved (Europa, 2012: 1). The single market was established by the EU to enhance competition and trade through a system of standardised laws that apply to all Member States (Barnard, 2002: 1). This improves efficiency and gives individuals more choice when it comes to providing and attaining goods and services. The overall quality of the goods and services is increased, which is economically beneficial. The Single European Act was enacted in 1986 to establish a single market and has since been considered one of the EU’s greatest achievements (Europa, 2012: 1). This led to the abolishment of internal border controls between EU countries in 1993 and is now accessible to millions of people across 27 Member States. Restrictions to trade have been removed and individuals now receive better standards of living. EU law comprises of treaties and legislative provisions, such as Directives and Regulations that aim to secure the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital. Despite this, Member States are still responsible for social welfare and taxation, yet the EU influences the policies of Member States (Europa, 2012: 1). The single market has been successful in allowing people and businesses to move freely within the European Economic Area (EEA) and has therefore transformed the way individuals live, work and travel (Mayes and Hart, 1994: 177). The progress that has been made towards the development of the EU’s single market will be identified in this study in order to determine the extent to which it has been a success. Barriers to the free movement of goods, services, people and capital The single market was intended to remove any barriers that restrict the free movement of goods, services, people and capital. A number of different policies have therefore been implemented that seek to remove any free movement restrictions (Mayes and Hart, 1994: 5). This has significantly impacted many organisations and industries within the internal market. However, unless EU policies are conformed to by all Member States it is unlikely that greater freedom will be attained within the EU. This is often at the expense of widely accepted practices; however this is considered necessary in achieving harmonisation. It therefore seems to be important that any barriers to trade are removed and that actions likely to impact sustainable development are eradicated. Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (ex Article 81 EC) provides that; â€Å"all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may aff ect trade between Member States and which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the internal market† shall be strictly prohibited. Any limitations that are placed upon the freedom to trade should therefore be prohibited so as to allow for the freedom of movement to be attained. Whether this is easy to establish in practice, is a debatable subject because although substantial improvements have been made in the 20 year history of the EU, it is clear that many obstacles still need to be overcome in guaranteeing a free market (Alam, 2007: 153). Single Market and Competition The establishment of the single market within the EU provides greater opportunities to businesses by providing them with access to the world’s largest trading bloc (Gov, 2013: 1). This enhances economic activity whilst also creating healthy competition through the stimulation of business and innovation. This leads to growth and job creation as export and trade will be increased Gov, 2013: 1). Not only does this have a beneficial impact upon the economy but it also increases productivity. Consumers also benefit from a single market as competition often leads to reduced costs for products and services. This was identified by Euromove when it was pointed out that competition is one of the main driving forces of an advanced modern economy as it â€Å"gives the consumer choice, it puts downward pressure on prices, it rewards innovation and it helps to create jobs (2009: 1). Nevertheless, in order to prevent unfairness and ensure that the single market is a level playing field, the EU has introduced various rules and principles that seek to create fair competition. Such principles impose a number of burdens upon businesses within the EU, although this is considered necessary in the proper functioning of the internal market. It was evidenced by Shuibhne that the establishment of the internal market created a different focus of competition law in terms of addressing the barriers to integration created by state intervention in the market and the problems that occurred as a result of the liberalisation processes of the 1990’s† (Shuibhne, 2006: 88). Whilst the legislative framework is now developed, on-going improvements continue to be made so that rules and regulations are being properly enforced and so that businesses and consumers understand the rules that exist within the internal market. This has been happening since the internal market was first established, so as to maintain an effective operation of the single market. Some of the improvements have included; improving and enforcing single market rules, reducing the regulatory burden imposed upon businesses, and the liberalisation of certain areas including; public procurement, public services and utilities (DTI, 2002: 1). In spite of these improvements, there are still many underlying weaknesses that exist in the single market which seems to suggest that it may not be as successful as originally anticipated in the internal market strategy. Some of these weaknesses have arisen as a result of; failures by Member States to implement some of the Directives (Kennedy, 2011: 108 ), a lack of co-operation that exists between Member States, or because of inadequate enforcement (Kennedy, 2011: 108). In 1999 the internal market strategy was put forward by the European Commission which set out the aims and objectives of the establishment of the internal market. Various measures were incorporated into this strategy which sought to guarantee the proper functioning of the single market. This strategy has since been reviewed on an annual basis, though it cannot be said that the internal market is complete. Therefore, despite the fact that many obstacles have already been removed by the EU, new challenges are continually being dealt with. It has been said that companies within the EU should take full advantage of the single market model since the free movement of capital, goods, services and labour would be realised more easily. Tax issues arising from cross-border mergers and acquisitions would effectively be minimised through economic integration. This was identified by Ilzkovitz et al; â€Å"the Internal Market is a powerful instrument to promote economic integration and to increase competition within the EU and it has been the source of large macro-economic benefits† (2007: 271). Arguably, it seems as though the main objective of the Single Market is to allow competition to be obtained through the ability to trade freely within the EU. In accordance with this, it would therefore be beneficial if EU Companies took full advantage of this market so as to avoid many issues that arise from various issues including the taxation issues that result from Merger and Acquisitions (M&A) deals. Hence M&A deals are struc tured in a way that results in harsh tax liabilities and since an asset-based deal will â€Å"typically expose the seller to two levels of taxation, corporate and personal and a stock-based transaction can be unattractive to a buyer given the tax treatment of fixed asset values† (Q Finance, 2010: 1). If a company only conducts business within the single market, then they will not be exposed to such harsh tax liabilities. This encourages competition which is imperative for the advancement of the economy. However, because there are certain restrictions that exist within the single market, companies often find it difficult to expand their business in the internal market. Thus, as argued by the European Commission; â€Å"national tax systems in the EU differ so much that it can be complicated and expensive for companies to expand in the single market† (European Commission, 2011: 1). Because of these problems, a number of proposals were put forward by the Commission to eliminate these absurdities including the introduction of a single set of tax rules, also known as a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB). This would make it a lot easier and cheaper for companies to do business within the EU and as identified by Goodall; â€Å"every year the CCCTB will save businesses across the EU ˆ700 million in reduced compliance costs, and ˆ1.3 billion through consolidation† (2011: 53). The current problems that emerge from companies entering into M&A dealings would be removed and harsh tax liabilities would be avoided. Long term administrative improvements would also be made for those companies operating in multiple member states (Drysdale, 2007: 66), which is welcoming for those companies wishing to save on taxation. The freedom of movement will be likely to be obtained more easily by the implementation of a CCCTB. This will certainly encourage competition within the single market and more companies would most likely enter into M&A deals as a result. Conversely, not all agree that the CCCTB is effective, however, and as a result of this many Member States have refused to support its implementation. It is felt that a CCCTB would be a â€Å"de facto infringement of their tax sovereignty should such a Directive be written into law† (Ernst and Young, 2011: 40). This provides an example of how Member States will not implement every Directive that exists under EU and signifies how greater co-operation is needed. In spite of this, there are many drawbacks that exist within a CCCTB and it is questionable whether the tax advantages of a CCCTB outweigh the drawbacks that would arise if it was implemented. In addition, it was confirmed by the Secretary to the Treasury, Justice Greening, that the draft directive to introduce a CCCTB does not comply with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality (Cave, 2011: 87). Furthermore, it is also unlikely that the government will agree to a proposal that might threaten or limit the UKâ €™s ability to shape its own tax policy (Cave, 2011: 87). In view of these assertions, it cannot be said that a CCCTB should be incorporated since it appears to be out of step with the principle of subsidiarity. This principle aimed to ensure that the EU only acted in instances where the proposed action could not be achieved by individual countries. Effectively, although there are many benefits of a CCCTB, there are also a significant amount of drawbacks that transpire and it seems as though the government ought to ensure that a CCCTB, if implemented, does not undermine competition, whilst also ensuring that extensive opportunities for tax avoidance are not created. It is arguable whether this can be achieved and it seems as though extra demands will in fact be placed upon corporate tax departments. Taxation Articles 25-31 and 39-60 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) lay down the fundamental freedoms that are relevant to tax law and thus facilitate free movement of goods, services, persons and capital within the European Economic Area (EEA). Accordingly, as argued by Sypris, the changes made by the implementation of the TFEU; â€Å"influence the internal market case law of the Court of Justice, which represents a significant threat to national labour laws and practices† (2008; 219). The ECJ held in Gschwind v Finanzamt Aachen-Aubenstadt (Case C-391/97) [1999] ECR I-5451, [2001] STC 331, ECJ that direct taxation is a matter which â€Å"falls within the competence of Member States,† however, that competence must be exercised in accordance with EU law (Lee, 2010: 1473). This demonstrates how Member States no longer have complete control of their own laws and that the fundamental freedoms, enshrined under the TFEU, must also be taken into considerati on. As noted by Lee; â€Å"ever since the treaties first came into force, the fundamental freedoms have been interpreted broadly, so as to strike down domestic legal rules incompatible with an internal market† (2010: 1474). This is also exemplified under Article 26 which states that; â€Å"the Union shall adopt measures with the aim of establishing or ensuring the functioning of the internal market, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaties.† Since the laws of all Member States must guarantee compliance with Treaty provisions, tax law will be affected. The ECJ’s decision in Cadbury Schweppes v Commissioners of the Inland Revenue Case C-196/04 [2006] 3 WLR 890 shows how EU law affects UK tax law. Here, it was held that the broad interpretation of the Controlled Foreign Companies (CFC) provisions were incompatible with EU law because of the restrictions that were being placed upon freedom of establishment under Article 56 of the TFEU (ex Article 49 EC). It was noted by the ECJ that â€Å"hindrance to freedom can only be justified on the ground of counteraction of tax avoidance if the legislation in question is specifically designed to exclude from a tax advantage wholly artificial arrangements aimed at circumventing national law.† Subsequent to this decision, significant amendments were made to the CFC rules under Schedule 16 of the Finance Act 2009 in order to ensure that EU law was being fully complied with. The Acceptable Distribution Policy (ADP) exemption was abolished and changes to the Income and Corporation Tax es Act 1988 (ICTA) were made by introducing a new section 751AA. This illustrates the importance of the single market and exemplified how UK tax law will be affected by the provisions contained in the EU. The same rules will also apply in relation to the other Member States, though not all agree that this is appropriate. Instead, it is argued that abuses of national law can be effectuated as a result of EU law provisions and that the legislation in question must not be used as a blanket method of justifying abuses such as tax avoidance† (Wellens, 2009: 1). In view of this, it is manifest that national courts are required to undertake a case by case approach when considering individual situations. Various harmonisation measures have been implemented by the EU to facilitate the integration into the single market, including; the merger directive, the parent/subsidiary directive and the interest and royalties directive. The Merger Directive was designed to facilitate mergers across European borders so that it would be easier for companies to engage in dealings, whilst also reducing the tax burden. This was intended to establish common rules governing the cross-border merger of companies within the EEA† (Cain, 2007: 2). It cannot be said that tax harmonisation has been created by the Directive (Bell, 2004: 1), which is again due to the relcuatnce of Member States to implement the Directive. Unless co-operation exists, the Directive cannot be fully utilised and tax harmonisation cannot be achieved. The Parent/Subsidiary Directive was designed to â€Å"grant cross-border transactions the same favourable treatment as is provided for equivalent purely domestic transactions† (Tiley, 2008: 34) and was to be applied to parent and subsidiary companies of Member States. Akin to the Merger Directive, the harmonisation of taxes was intended yet this does not appear to have been achieved as harmonisation is still lacking. Nevertheless, because companies within Member States are still being taxed on income that has been derived from substantial interests, the Directive is not being fully implemented which may be â€Å"contrary to the free movement of capital and freedom of establishment, as well as the Parent-Subsidiary Directive, because such income is as a rule exempt from taxation if derived by local parent companies† (Morgan, 2010: 18). Therefore, the extent to which these Directives are being utilised is debatable. The Interest and Royalties Directive intended to eliminate withholding tax obstacles in the area of cross-border interest and royalty payments within a group of companies (HM Revenue and Customs, 2003: 1). Under this Directive companie s are subjected to a reduced tax liability if their members dealt with each other within the EU. Nevertheless, because no single tax has been created it is questionable whether these Directives are in fact sufficient. Conclusion The establishment of the EU’s single market has brought about significant benefits for EU Member States. A large number of jobs have been created and the opportunities for individuals within the internal market have significantly increased. Regardless of this, the extent to which the objectives of the single market have been attained remains uncertain in light of the obstacles that transpire. It is often difficult to determine whether a free market is truly being achieved since there is a great deal of confliction that now exists. This can be seen in relation to the provisions contained in Article 101, which restrain the free flow of goods. This is clearly contrary the free movement provisions and the courts have been faced with much difficulty over the years as a result of this. In addition, there are many inherent difficulties that arise for companies who wish to enter the internal market and although the implementation of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) has been proposed, it has been said that this would create even more difficulties. Nevertheless, because taxation comes into conflict with the free movement provisions because of the fact that Member States no longer have complete control of their own laws, it seems as though a CCCTB would be beneficial. Because of these obstacles, it is thereby questionable whether the single market has been as successful as one would have hoped. References Alam, S. (2007) Sustainable Development and Free Trade: Institutional Approaches, Business & Economics, London: Routledge. Barnard, C. (2002) The Law of the Single Market: Unpacking the Premises., Oxford: Hart Publishing. Bell, S., (2011) ‘Amendments to Merger Directive: A New Dawn for Cross-Border Reorganisations?’ (2004) International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, [Online] Available: http://www.freshfields.com/publications/pdfs/practices/dfi030401.pdf [29 April, 2014]. Bently, L. and Sherman, B. (2008) Intellectual Property Law, 3rd Edition, Oxford: OUP. Cain, B., (2007) ‘Cross-Border Mergers Directive’ 31 Companies Secretary’s Review 9, Issue 2. Correa. C. M, Intellectual Property and Competition Law: Exploring Some Issues of Relevance to Developing Countries, ICTDS, Issue Paper No 21, ICTDS Programme on IRPs and Sustainable Development, (October, 2007), [Online] Available at: http://www.iprsonline.org/resources/docs/corea_Oct07.pdf [29 March 2014]. Cave, R., (2011) ‘EU Tax Developments’ 32 Tolley’s Practical Tax Newsletter 87, Issue 11. Drysdale, D., (2007) ‘HMRC, Business and the Tax Profession – An Uneasy Relationship’ 28 Tolley’s Practical Tax Newsletter 66, Issue 9. DTI., (2002) ‘Single Market’ [Online] Available: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dti.gov.uk/europe/pagej.html [29 April, 2014]. Ernst & Young., (2011) ‘EU: European Commission Publishes Final Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) Proposals’ News 16/03/2011 40LNB. Europa. (2012) ‘What is the Single Market’ [Online] Available: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/20years/singlemarket20/facts-figures/what-is-the-single-market_en.htm [30 March 2014]. European Commission. (2012) ‘The Single Market Act’ The EU Single Market, [01 April 2014]. Goodall, A., (2011) ‘EC Proposes ‘Common Tax Base’ 32 Tolley’s Practical Tax Newsletter 53, Issue 7. European Commission., (2000) ‘Communication on Services of General Interest in Europe’ 580 Final. Euromove., (2009) ‘EU Competition Policy’ [Online] Available: http://www.euromove.org.uk/index.php?id=6516 [29 April, 2014]. HM Revenue & Customs., (2003) ‘INTM400010 – EU Interest and Royalties Directive: Overview of the Directive’ [Online] Available: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/intmanual/intm400010.htm [29 April, 2014]. Ilzkovitz, F., Dierx, V., Kovacs, V., and Sousa, N., (2007) ‘Steps Toward a Deeper Economic Integration: The Internal Market in the 21st Century; A Contribution to the Single Market Review’ European Economy, European Commission, Economic Papers, No 271, [Online] Available: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication784_en.pdf [29 April 2014]. Kennedy, T. P., (2011) European Law, Oxford University Press: Oxford. Lee, N., (2010) Revenue Law Principles and Practice, 28th Edition, London: Bloomsbury Professional. Marquis. M. (2007) ’02 (Germany) v Commission and the Exotic Mysteries of Article 81 (1) EC)’ European Law Review 29, 1-6. Mayes, D. G. and Hart, P. (1994) The Single Market Programme as a Stimulus to Change: Comparisons Between Britain and Germany, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Morgan, C., (2010) ‘Analysis – International Review’ 1015 Tax Journal 18. O’Loghlin. R. (2003) ‘EC Competition Rules and Free Movement Rules: An Examination of the Parallels and Their Furtherance by the ECJ Wouters Decision’ European Competition Law Review 62, 224-237. Shuibhne, N. N. (2006) Regulating the Internal Market, Edward Elgar Publishing: London. Steiner, J. and Woods, L. (2009) EU Law, 10th Edition, Oxford: OUP. Syrpis, P., (2008) ‘The Treaty of Lisbon: Much Ado†¦But About What?’ Industrial Law Journal, 37 (219), Issue 3, 219-235. The European Commission., (2011) ‘Simpler Tax Rules for Businesses’ (2011) Europa, [Online] Available: http://ec.europa.eu/news/economy/110318_1_en.htm [29 April, 2014]. Tiley, J., (2008) Revenue Law, 6th edn Hart Publishing. Wellens, R., 2009. Cadbury Schweppes and beyond: the future of the UK CFC Rules. Tax Working Papers, [online] Available at [29 March 2014]. Wesseling, R. (1999) ‘The Commission White Paper on Modernisation of EC Antitrust Law’ (20 European Competition Law Review 427, 422-427. Q Finance., (2010) ‘Structuring M&A Deals and Tax Planning’ [Online] Available: http://www.qfinance.com/mergers-and-acquisitions-checklists/structuring-m-and-a-deals-and-tax-planning [29 April, 2014].

Main Stages of Child and Young Person Development Essay

Development skills can often be divided into categories such as emotional, social, physical etc. but all the different type of skill link together and help people to complete an activity, for example playing football needs physical skills for good balance and running, social and communication skills as you have to work as part of a team and intellectual skills for working out tactics as well as many more of the development skills. Building on these skills influences a child or young person to grow to become independent, more confident and to have the ability to socialize. The more skills needed the more interested a child or young person may be in a specific activity especially when they get older and enjoy being slightly challenged. An example of how a child may be affected because of a delayed development in one of the areas is a child with speech problems such as an speech impediment, this will have delayed her communication skills. This then may have affected their intellectual skills slowing her process of learning to read and write. It also may affect her social development as their may find it difficult to communicate with others and they may not understand her and may start to ignore her. The child may them feel frustrated and lonely effecting their emotional development. All these are led from having a delayed communication development due to their speech impediment. Another example is a child with a physical disability, their physical development may not be to the normal standard so they may not be able to join in with certain activities other children can. This could affect their emotional development as they may feel left out but also their social development as they can’t interact with other children when not joining in with an activity. If the physical disability is noticeable they may feel embarrassed which also with effect their emotional development and other children may not understand and think the child is different so they might not want to interact with that child which would then effect their social and emotional development as well.

Theory of Continental Drift Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theory of Continental Drift - Essay Example Some of the evidence gathered in the last part of the twentieth century to support the theory of continental drift includes the glacial till deposits. With the continents in their current locations, the till deposits tend to point towards an inconsistent glacier kinesis. Fitting the continents together reveals a more reorganized motion of the glaciers from the southern Africa region to northern Australia outward (Bugielski, 1999). Paleontologists discovered fossils of species that bore similarities to other species that are in continents now isolated by enormous distance. Paleoclimate studies, a science dealing with the study of the earth’s climate in the periods past discloses that glaciers stretched over large tracts of the world which are now rendered apart by colossal geographic spans. This evidence appears to point to the fact that the lithosphere had been travelling over geologic time. A Paleomagnetic study, which investigates the Earth,’s past magnetic activities also tend to strongly support the theory of continental drift. Studies show that the magnetic north pole apparently strolled all over the earth, indicating that either the tectonic plates or the North Pole was moving. But because the North Pole is in effect fixed with the exception of cycles of magnetic reversal, this evidence becomes a strong endorsement of the theory of continental drift. More evidence surfaced in the wake of World War II when seismometers were set up to check nuclear testing. These gadgets revealed that volcanoes and earthquakes aligned along apparent belts around the globe and that these belts delineated the boundaries of tectonic plates. Scientists rejected Wegener’s ideas then because he did not explain why and how the continents moved, he just provided observational evidence that they had indeed moved. In the absence of reasonable physical mechanism to support continental drift, many scientists simply found the idea unacceptable. Back in his times, ma ny scientists were of the conviction that the structure of the earth was because of the earth going through successive phases of heating and cooling that resulted in the expansion and contraction of landmasses (Aber, 2007). If they were to believe Wegener’s theory, it would mean that they would have to forget everything that they had learnt and start all over again. As time passed, increasingly more evidence supporting continental drift became available and more practitioners had to align themselves with this new sphere of knowledge. These ideas accentuate the theory of an ocean floor that evolves and repositions. This theory is popularly known as Plate Tectonics. Scientific method relates to techniques for probing events, obtaining new and novel knowledge and re-examining the earlier knowledge and beliefs. The key attribute that differentiates a scientific method from any other method of knowledge acquisition is the fact that knowledge is gained through evidence and proof. S cientific method comprises four main stages: The first is the examination and explanation of phenomena followed by the construction of a theory to account for the same phenomena. The third stage is the use of the theory to, quantitatively, predicts the outcome of new observations. The final stage is the piloting of thoroughly conducted experiments on the predictions by several competent and impartial experimenters and finally a conclusion regarding the outcome of such experiments

Module Four Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Module Four Assignment - Essay Example The high profile individuals with information falsification charges included a former director of â€Å"Massachusetts Institute of Technology†, head coach at â€Å"Notre Dame† football team and â€Å"CEO of RadioShack†. These mentioned individuals were fired due to resume forgery. According to a survey conducted by â€Å"ADP Screening and Selection Services† in 2001, it was found that more than 44% of the applicants furnish fake information in their respective resumes (DeKay & DeKay, 2008). Falsification of employment application relates to fraud resume information which is usually found to be furnished by the applicants during interview and candidates found guilty of such activities are usually barred from proceeding further (Texas Workforce Commission Values, 2011). It has been deciphered from the case that Laura serves as a transcriptionist in a company where Jeremy acts as a director of ‘Health Information System (HIM)’ department. Laura was known to acquire this position by providing incorrect information that she held an associate’s degree. But after a definite period of time Jeremy discovered the reality from one of Laura’s colleagues that she was yet to receive the degree after completing two classes. In such a circumstance, Jeremy should terminate Laura from her designation as soon as possible. However, if Laura is found to hold an effective performance record then it would be quite difficult for Jeremy to undertake such an action. In this situation, Jeremy needs to consider the fact that whether his decision of firing Laura would affect the profit of the company or not as a company’s profit is believed to depend on employees’ performance (McCuen Sayles & Schnering, 2007). According to the US employment act, this kind of fraudulent information is considered to be illegal by the companies. Jeremy can terminate Laura for a specified time period till

Affects of Poor Nutrition on Childrens Behavior Research Paper

Affects of Poor Nutrition on Childrens Behavior - Research Paper Example In 2003, Africa had an estimated 200 million children and adults that were under nourished according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2003). Malnutrition is the reason for 55% deaths of children under 5 years of age globally. Out of 2.9 million deaths annually in Africa, approximately 0.1 million were as a result of malnourishment (Benson & Shekar). Several statistics are available that show the severity of poor nourishment and to what extent is it prevalent in the world today. According to UNICEF, millions of people Worldwide suffer from varying degrees of brain damages and stunted growth due to different deficiencies. In Sub-Saharan Africa, every third child is underweight and about 20% are found to be stunted (Bekele, 1998). According to research, proper nutrition is a major determinant of a child’s growth starting from as early as the intrauterine period; when the child is in the womb of the mother. Therefore, proper intake of nutrients begins before birth with the mother who bears the child. It is essential for the mother to take a nutritionally balanced diet which has a direct impact on the child’s growth and development. Absence of proper nutrition intake during pregnancy can have a permanent and irreversible impact on the child. Therefore, breast- feeding determines a major chunk of child’s cognitive and other development per se. If the mother herself does not take a healthy diet, it is going to effect the child’s growth negatively. Iron being an important part of brain tissue determines the speed of nerve impulses; which means deficiency of iron in the infancy period is likely to cause permanent damage to brain cells. This results in poor motor skills and abnormalities in behavior. It is also noticed that poorly nourished children find it hard to fight diseases or infections and so they are often found in poor health and

Searching for 15 Fallacies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Searching for 15 Fallacies - Research Paper Example This is a fallacy because there are others who have been able to get jobs. 5. Our society is becoming more dangerous. This is a fallacy of Scare tactics. It makes people believe that the world is no longer a good and safe place for anyone. It forces people into taking action to secure themselves against the insecurities of the world. 7. â€Å"This has not traditionally been a partisan issue. Lincoln laid the rails during the course of a civil war. Eisen however built the interstate highway system. Both parties have always believed that America should have the best of everything† This was a statement by Barrack Obama about infrastructure. This is a fallacy of tradition. This is because the speaker is basing their argument on past events. 8. Our Mayor’s opinion about local crime is worthless. He cannot even manage to hold his household together having been married and divorced three times already. This is a type of fallacy called Ad hominen. This statement attacks the mayor’s personal life and not his opinion on local crime. 10. We need to spend more on education. Just because the Russians are, increasing military spending does not mean we should. The future of the nation depends on the children of today. This is a fallacy of Red herring. The person changes the topic. 15. Why suffer the embarrassment of morning mouth? Use xyz toothpaste every evening and wake up to a fresh, exiting mouth. This is a slippery slope fallacy. This is because it has the option of using the toothpaste but one may use something else for fresh

Art works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art works - Essay Example v=FIVAEwjiU8I However, it is also no longer there. Due to copyright issues, they changed the music. The new music is more appropriate to the geographical location, but it does not have the power of the original, and there really is no narrative. The actual show in Hang Zhou is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSMDgMhfM_M I found this because I was a little suspicious of the Chinese watermark on the building face in the upper right corner of the screen. Since a Chinese travel site is responsible for a link to this video, perhaps it was intentional. However, the fountains in Hang Zhou seem more tuned to their music. It is possible that the sound actually controls the fountains. This is not the case in Dubai. In the first video there was a slight disconnect, because of this. The first musical fountin I ever saw was in Seattle and the music actually controls the fountain. It is only one fountain, but an excellent experience, since there is no disconnect between the audio and the vis ual. The location of the Chinese musical fountain is really worth noting as a work of art in itself. West Lake in Hang Zhou is three large lakes joined by bridges, and it has been developed as a local and tourist attraction based mostly upon the Legend of the Snake Lady. Many attractioins have been created and they are all affordable even to the lowest wage earners in China at ranging from 10 rmb (1.5 cents USD) to 75 rmb (9 cents USD)Ten wood carvings are located in Leifing Pagoda and a nightly show of music and dance telling the tragic story of the snake who turned into a lady and fell in love with Xu Xian . "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow" is one of â€Å"Top Ten Views of West Lake†. In the pagoda, you also can find a series of wood carvings themed Legend of the White Snake. Faced on three sides by typical Chinese landscapes of cloud shaped hills, the lake has been developed artistically as a World Heritage Site. The light and fountain show, Time to Say Goodbye is located in an inlet on the lake shore where these hills are the visible background on one side and the cityscape is the other. The fountain show plays nine to eleven times daily and it is free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXCTt8hXtF8 I found this video of the rather disturbing. I would not walk twelve blocks to see it. There was no narrative to connect the audio and the video. The sculpture was nice and changing the lights and colors is a great idea. But nice is not art to me; it is decoration. I would also prefer more musical sound, perhaps short musical sound bytes. The sound was the most disturbing element of this work, as it also had no connection, but seemed like a selection of random sounds, some quite unpleasant with random spaces of silence. Then if the viewer could control the whole exhibit somehow, either with a keyboard or with a pressure board or even video it could become quite interesting. As it is, it is obviously an expression of feeling, but it seems more like a nightma re, or indigestion. Of course this might have been intentional if the artist dislikes human creations and thinks they should not be seen alongside nature. I was unable to find out anything about this video, so I cannot even guess by the other works of this artist or by his or her history. Because of the extreme disconnection between the very ordered stack of blocks and the weird sounds, I assume that this is an intentionally

Campaign of Underground Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Campaign of Underground Workers - Essay Example According to Kaufman (2004), industrial relations have three faces which include science building, problem solving and the ethical face. Science building involves understanding the employment relationship and its institutions. Problem solving entails designing policies to and institutions so as to enhance the relationship while ethical face is concerned with the principles of employment relationship. In any relationship, there are bound to be conflicts hence in the employment relationship, conflicts are inevitable and it is the role of management to devise ways of ensuring they are dealt with in an appropriate manner to avoid consequences such as strikes and lock-outs. There are three management perspectives regarding conflicts in organizations. The unitarist perspective views conflict as irrational and illegitimate hence does not recognize the role of unions. The pluralist perspective recognizes the existence of different interests among stakeholders hence conflict is inevitable. Th e radicalist perspective, on the other hand, is f the view that conflict in organizations is as a result of inequalities in income and wealth distribution hence recognizes different forms of eliminating or reducing conflict (Kaufman, 2004). The system of management thus determines the king of employment relationship in the workplace; some organizations are unionisable while others prefer a direct relationship with employees as it is a management prerogative. Poor industrial relations can lead to industrial action in the form of strikes, lock-outs, walkouts among others and may hinder organization efficiency and productivity. The paper will discuss the effect of strike action on employment relationship with reference to London underground workers campaigns during the 1990s. To understand industrial relations in Britain and the effects of strike actions on employment relationship, it is important to understand the historical evolution of industrial relations in Britain. Edward (2003a) acknowledges that industrial relations in Britain began as early as 1920s followed by personnel management practices and later human resource management in 1980s. The IR thus has undergone various transformations shaped by social, political and economic factors. British IR was voluntarism in nature guided by free-market principles; an organization can decide to unionize staff though collective organizations and uniting in strike action was regarded as a restraint to the free market therefore, those found guilty of conspiracy were liable to fines, imprisonment, and deportation (Hyman, 2003). Contrary to practices in other countries, in Britain there was no right to strike or to organize in an attempt to make demands to the management, only immunities were available in some areas. The immunities were also contradictory in nature as they gave employees power which in reality was limited by equal entitlements to the employer. For example, employees were free to join unions but the mana gement was also free to dismiss anyone for joining the union. Collective bargaining was allowed but the management had the discretion to decide which issues to negotiate and which ones to refuse. The employees were also in breach of their employment contracts if they engaged in strike action but at the same time, it was lawful to call a strike. The employers were also reluctant and unwilling to

Implementation of a Professional Development Plan to Address Assignment

Implementation of a Professional Development Plan to Address Differentiated Instruction - Assignment Example Differentiated instruction depicts a teaching theory reliant on the notion that instructional methods should differ and be assimilated with regards individual and variant students in classrooms. The approach of differentiated instruction demands the teachers to be variable with reference to their approaches to teaching and regulate the curriculum and giving the information to the students instead of anticipating the learners to adjust themselves for the course. Most of the teachers as well as their tutors have recently realized differentiated instruction as a criterion of assisting more learners in a varied classroom situation to attain success (Gregory 2013). This research evaluates the research the objectives, assessments, strategies, and the need for professional development for differentiated instruction at a school as a worksite. The differentiated instruction operates on the fact stipulating that the students can learn maximally when they are allowed to incorporate their own un derstanding in the curriculum and that the best learning can take place amongst the students when they are compelled to operate beyond the point of assistance (Levy 2008). This point varies amidst the students performing below the grade and those performing above the average limits. Differentiated instructions assist the teachers to attain the desired diversity instead of restricting their teachings to the middle levels that do not address either the higher or the lower extremities. This research intends to elucidate the fact that the students’ performance under differentiated instruction depends greatly on teachers’ operations on the learners. However, other parties such as parent groups, teacher leaders as well as the school staff are also crucial in the determination of learning outcomes (Lawrence-Brown 2010). Assessments Teachers have known their mandates and especially what to do to foster best teaching practices amongst the learners. Nonetheless, they have failed to incorporate some aspects regarding the differentiated instructions that would ensure outstanding learning outcomes amongst the students (Gregory 2013). Teachers avail numerous learning choices or variant directions to learning that enable the learners to assimilate the knowledge and make sense of ideas and techniques. However, they do not formulate a different lesson plan for the individual learners in the classroom. The teachers provide suitable assessments for all learners of all academic capabilities fairly. However, they do not moderate the syllabus to some learners. Strategies The differentiation of instructions can assume three different forms and areas such as the content of the instruction, processes employed in making sure that a particular topic becomes sensible and the products of students who manifest their learning (Gregory 2008). Based on content In this case the main focus is on the content delivered and that received. Use the pre tests in case the learners need t o begin to learn on a particular topic or unit. Promote thinking at different levels of the Bloom's taxonomy amongst the students to encourage openness of the mind (Gregory 2008). Use different instructional delivery techniques to elaborate on various styles of learning. In order to embrace content acquisition by the learners, there is need

Financial Independence and the Single Woman Essay Example for Free

Financial Independence and the Single Woman Essay Most, if not all of Jane Austen’s renowned novels feature the trials and tribulations of single women—from Pride and Prejudice, to Sense and Sensibility, to Emma. The focus is specifically on the concept of marriage as the only viable choice for a single woman, if she wished to live substantially in her later years. However, while the subject of being wed to a suitable gentleman is present in Emma, the main character possesses a quality different from those in the other stories mentioned—Emma Woodhouse is financially stable. Therefore, this discussion of Austen’s Emma will be done through a different angle, which runs contrary to the author’s quote above. Matrimony in Emma is thoroughly explored and its nature as a solution for an unmarried woman’s future, yet it apparently does not apply to the story’s protagonist. Further arguments will expose the same logic as it is perceived today—after all, Austen wrote most of her work during the mid- to late 19th century. II. Emma Woodhouse and Matchmaking The penchant of the title character for matching her women friends with possible grooms composes the running narrative of the story. Because of a previous success, Emma decides to do the same for her friend Harriet Smith, an innocent but socially-inept young woman. Emma pours all of her efforts in setting Harriet up with the pompous Mr. Elton, and cut all possibilities of Harriet’s consideration of a marriage proposal she had received from Mr. Martin, a young farmer. Eventually, after many plot twists and turns and appearances of more characters, her plans backfire as the arrogant Elton reveals his true desire for Emma, and not for Harriet. Harriet happily ends up with Martin, and Emma admits to her own affections for her longtime friend Mr. Knightley. It is obvious that Emma’s obsession with matchmaking does not cover merely attraction; she chose Mr. Elton for Harriet mainly because of his financial stability, being the local vicar. Compared to the income of a regular farmer, a vicar would ensure a better life for Harriet. Clearly, the era’s societal norms and economic potential for women are at play, for woman were generally not entitled to many occupational choices; the most common would be as a family teacher or governess, both which are not financially rewarding. But the biggest bane of women then was the possibility of being single until they reach an age unacceptable for marriage—which would be around the mid-20s. For Emma, born into a wealthy family and allowed to make her own decisions, the best way to make sure her less fortunate women friends would have good lives ahead would be to marry a rich man. This is not explicitly implied in the story, as Emma’s designs were disguised as just a bored, rich girl’s newest hobby. However, in analyzing her own conditions as well as her initial rejection of the poor Mr. Martin for Harriet, it is obvious that she subscribes to the concept of marriage being the only solution for women other than herself.

Concepts of Database Systems

Concepts of Database Systems Database system Concepts of database management-3rd edition Philip j.pratt .2000 A database is a structure that contains information about many different categories of information and about the relationships between the categories. Premiere products are a distributer of appliances, housewares. The company has used spread sheet software to maintain customer, order, inventory and sales. The premiere products database, for example, will contain information about sales, reps, customers, orders and parts. It will also provide facts that relate sales reps to the customers they represent and customers to the orders they currently have placed. With the use of database, employees can enter the number of a particular order and find out which customer placed the orders, as well as which parts were ordered. An entity is a person place object event of idea for which you want to store and process data. An attribute is a characteristic or property of an entity. For the entity for example the list of attributes might include such things as car colour and size. Rep. Rep. no. Last name First name Street City State Zip Commission Rate model Attributes An attribute is also called a field or column in many database systems. A relationship is an association between entities. There is an association between reps and customers, for example at premiere products. A rep is associated with all of his or her customers and a customer is associated with its rep. One-to-many relationship Each rep is associated with many customers, but each customer is associated with only one rep.ÂÂ   in this type of relationship, the word many is used differently than in everyday English; it might not always indicate a large a large number. In this context, for example, the many means that a rep can be associated with any number of customers. This is, a given rep can be associated with zero, one, Or more customers. A database is a structure that can store information about multiple types of entities, the attributes of those entities, and the relationship among the entities. A database, however, is much more than a file. Unlike a typical data file, a database can store information about multiple entities. There is also another difference. A database holds information about the relationship among the various entities. Not only will premiere products database have information about reps and customers, it also will hold information relating reps to the customers they service, customers to orders, parts to orders and so on. REDUNDANCY It is the duplication of data or the storing of the same data in more than one place. In the orders spreadsheet, redundancy occurs in the customer name column because the name of a customer is stored in more than one place. What problems does redundancy cause? It wastes space because you are storing the same data in multiple places. The extra space results in larger spreadsheet that require more space in memory and on disk and that take longer to save and open. When you need to change data, redundancy also makes your changes more difficult and time consuming. Finally redundancy can lead to conflicts. For eg. If you enter someones name and address in different columns than it will take time to enter and there is chance of making mistakes.

Free Essay on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide - Mother Teresa :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Mother Teresa's Little Sisters and Euthanasia In this essay we see Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Little Sisters of the Poor responding to the Europena Parliament's pro-euthanasia measure. In their response is found an insight into death which the Western world lacks. The Little Sisters are knowledgeable from personal experience with the many whom they have seen die. They are also firmly rooted in a strong religious tradition. Both of these considerations make their advice the very best one can hear in the euthanasia debate. "How can the Little Sisters of the Poor, in the service of the elderly, not be concerned about the passing of the principle of euthanasia by a Commission in the European Parliament? We feel that the confusion caused by the text pertaining to the use of extraordinary means to prolong life, palliative care and euthanasia can easily mislead an uninformed public. Yet behind these extremely complicated phrases, the thought is clear: to give doctors the right to satisfy the request for euthanasia, that is to say, to take a person's life. Human dignity does not consist in being able to choose the time of one's death, but in being aware of the fact that one's basic right is the right of respect for life, of respect for human dignity"(Little) The Little Sisters have 150 years of experience in accompanying the elderly up until the end of their lives, and by this experience they are authorized to make known to the public what they have seen and learned. Since their foundation, 17,080 Little Sisters have lived with the dying, and today they are in 30 countries on six continents, with 74 homes in France and Belgium, First World nations. So the dear sisters have expertise with the dying of both the Third World and our world. Making the elderly happy, that is what counts!" Mother Teresa used to say, encouraging the Little Sisters to attain this goal by employing means adapted to each person, to his/her possibilities, tastes, past life, health, etc. Making the elderly happy means believing in the value of their life, and the Little Sisters are witnesses of the extraordinary resources of the elderly. Having a center of interest, doing something they like to do, feeling useful, being able to take initiatives, to communicate, to form friendships, maintaining a facilitated relationship with the family, having contacts with youth: these are factors which provide joy and happiness.

Free Oedipal Complex Essays: Hamlet’s Oedipus Complex :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet’s Oedipus Complex In Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet, we are under the impression that Hamlet has an unconscious longing for his mother. The death of Ophelia assists in displaying Hamlet’s actions of being insane. Hamlet also subconsciously reveals the truth about his feelings, whether he realizes them or not. Hamlet communicates on two different levels throughout the play. Hamlet's intimacy with Ophelia shows that he could love other then his mother and father. By having Ophelia, rather than Polonius read the love letter to Claudius, Ophelia is reminded of Hamlet offering his love to her. This presents another sight of Hamlet in a state of well being. By generating the illusion of a serious, committed relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, the failure of this relationship a crucial factor of Hamlet's madness. At Ophelia’s funeral Hamlet says, "I loved you ever. But it is no matter. Let Hercules himself do what he may, the cat will mew, and dog will have his day". The tragic death of Ophelia is clearly contributed to Hamlet's mental lapses. In one of Hamlet’s rages he says, "Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damnèd Dane, drink off this portion". When Hamlet says that to the King, he mentions incest, which has nothing to do with the King and the Queen. Hamlet might have subconsciously set off an indication of secret urges be tween him and his mother. When words seem like normal conversation, there can be feelings expressed without being conscious of it. Like when Hamlet sets out rules for the Gertrude’s sexuality in their long talk alone, which seems very unusual. "O, throw away the worser part of it, and live the purer with the other half. Good night – but go not to my uncle’s bed". Hamlet suggests that his mother should be in love with him instead of his uncle. Neither Hamlet nor Gertrude realize at this point what Hamlet really means. Also, when Hamlet talks to his mother later on, he suggests that her relationship with the King makes him jealous, "Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed, pinch wanton on you cheek, call you his mouse, and let him, for a pair of reechy kisses, or paddling your neck with his damned fingers†¦". Desire is in the unconscious when we lived out the Oedipal dream, it was destined to be in a warped form, and there's surely an echo of that.

Lessons in King Lear by William Shakespeare Essay -- King Lear Shakesp

Lessons in King Lear by William Shakespeare Satisfying, hopeful, and redemptive: some critics would say that these adjectives belong nowhere near a description of King Lear. One critic, Thomas Roche, even states that the play’s ending is â€Å"as bleak and unrewarding as man can reach outside the gates of hell† (164). Certainly, Roche’s pessimistic interpretation has merit; after all, Lear has seen nearly everyone he once cared for die before dying himself. Although this aspect of the play is true, agreeing with this negative view requires a person to believe that Lear learns nothing and that he suffers and dies in vain. Indeed, this is exactly what Roche believes when he states that at the play’s end, â€Å"Lear still cannot tell good from evil . . . or true from false† (164). This nihilistic approach, however, not only disregards many of the play’s moments of philosophical insight, but it also completely misinterprets Shakespeare’s intent. That is not to say that Lear is without fault at the end of the play; as Shakespeare surely understood, Lear is still human, and as such, he is subject to human frailty. What is most important about Lear, however, is not that he dies a flawed man but that he dies an improved man. Therefore, although King Lear might first appear â€Å"bleak,† Shakespeare suggests that Lear’s life, and human life in general, is worth all of its misery because it is often through suffering that people gain knowledge about the true nature of their individual selves and about the nature of all humanity (Roche 164). From the very beginning of the play, Shakespeare suggests that King Lear has much to learn. As Maynard Mack explains in his essay â€Å"Action and World in King Lear,† the reader/audience is immediate... ...retations of King Lear. Ed. Janet Adelman. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1978. 22-33. Jorgensen, Paul A. Lear’s Self-Discovery. Berkeley: 1967. Kott, Jan. â€Å"King Lear or Endgame† Shakespeare: Our Contemporary. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1974. 127-168. Mack, Maynard. â€Å"Action and World in Shakespeare.† Shakespeare’s Middle Tragedies. Ed. David Young. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1993. 169-184. Roche, Thomas P. â€Å"‘Nothing Almost Sees Miracles’: Tragic Knowledge in King Lear.† Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Ed. Jay Halio. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1996. 149-169. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. The Signet Classic Shakespeare. Sylvan Barnet, gen ed. 2nd rev. ed. New York: Signet, 1998. ---. Othello. Ed. Alvin Kernan. The Signet Classic Shakespeare. Sylvan Barnet, gen ed. 2nd rev. ed. New York, Signet, 1998.

“Natural Disaster Hotspots: A global risk Analysis”

Researchers from Columbia University, the World Bank, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and other partners produced a report entitled â€Å"Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis† which presented a global view of areas highly prone to natural disasters and risks associated with such natural hazards. The aim of this report is to inform and design developmental efforts to reduce disaster related losses in the future by identifying high-risk geographic regions in the world. This report analyses the characteristics and location of risky hotspots for six major natural disasters like drought, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. According to report, more than half the world’s population i.e. about 3.4 billion people live in at least one hazard prone area, which could effect their lives miserably. These natural hazards cause innumerable deaths, sufferings and losses to the amount of billion of dollars every year throughout the world. The worst affected are the developing countries, which cannot absorb the huge cost associated with disaster relief, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction due to repeated disasters and thus gets caught in a poverty trap. World Bank provided emergency assistance to the amount US$ 14.4 billion to 20 countries from 1980-2003 as claimed in this report which has serious implications on the method of working of the World Bank. This startling statistics recommend the International development community to adopt the proactive and preventive approach to address the disasters before actually they hit to reduce the vulnerability of developing countries to natural hazards. This will also help in their mission of fighting poverty. Keeping in view the same objective, it also recommends that managing disaster risk should not be taken only as a humanitarian issue but also be an integral part of development planning of any nation. Information on Multi-hazard Risk management strategies, encouraging their implementation, promoting development of long-term plans and improving exchange of information at local, national, regional and global levels among organizations and individuals is supplied in this report. This report also summarizes the case studies, which this project undertook to exhibit methods to reduce vulnerability of the areas by adopting appropriate risk-sensitive strategies. In short, this report explicitly and scientifically explains the ways to manage natural hazards to reduce Poverty and vulnerability. In the words of Jeffrey Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, â€Å"The Natural Disaster Hotspots report is a path-breaking effort and a wonderful scientific accomplishment. I'm certain that it will prove to be a crucial tool and will stimulate further research in the area. Applying risk analysis to disasters such as earthquakes, drought, and other natural hazards using rigorous science will have huge benefits for policy-makers and for the world.† (Provention Consortium) Now, the need is to coordinate the efforts globally to focus on the areas at the highest risk of natural disaster and reduce their risks, which still remains uncoordinated. WORKS CITED 1.   Earth Institute News (March 29, 2005) Risk Analysis Reports Over Half of World’s Population Exposed to One or More Major Natural Hazards Retrieved on June 21, 2007 from W.W.W: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2005/story03-29-05.html 2.Provention Consortium Activities: Identification and Analysis of Global Disaster Risk Hotspots Retrieved on June 21, 2007 from W.W.W: http://www.proventionconsortium.org/?pageid=32;projectid=15 ; ;

Explore the Ways In Which Shakespeare Presents Cleopatra Essay

An Elizabethan audience would have already had preconceived ideas about Cleopatra, as this play is based on a true story, and Cleopatra was commented on in ‘North’s Plutarch’, as a â€Å"Pesilent plague†, meaning that she brings death, panic and havoc to wherever she went. Also the audience would have already had preconceived ideas of Cleopatra, due to oral stories, which were passed from generation to generation. In these stories, she was addressed as a high-class prostitute, who lured men, into her bed, so that she could sleep with them to get whatever she wanted, this included Caesar, She had no morality. The stories say that she seduced Antony, and she overwhelmed him. The audience therefore would have been biased against Cleopatra and feel sympathy for Antony. Most of these stories would have been passed on by word of mouth and she would have been cursed on many times, which ‘brain washed’ the next generation and so on. Shakespeare presents Cleopatra as a character of â€Å"Infinite variety† and tries to give a balanced point of view, so as there are not any biased opinions against her. He keeps it balanced by using some multi-facetted approaches; when Antony was dying, she said, â€Å"There is nothing remarkable Beneath the visiting moon† She is saying that now that Antony is dead, there is nothing worth living for. Here it is presented that she does genuinely love Antony, the problem now being that the audience’s ideas are swaying between good and bad, due to her words and actions. But she also says, â€Å"if you find him sad, say I am dancing, if in mirth report that I am sudden sick† Here it is clearly proving that Cleopatra’s love seems that of a teenagers lust or ‘crush’, where she is simply playing mind games with Antony. By now the audience would find Cleopatra unpredictable, confused and unsure about her being genuine for her love to Antony or not. The audience is left to make up their own minds about Cleopatra and certain questions may arise, such as, does she really love Antony? The audience would already have their own preconceived ideas of Cleopatra, which could have been planted in the minds of an Elizabethan audience, through morality stories. The audience might have known that the Roman Empire was a very strict and political place and era, and Antony was not abiding by the Roman standards or laws, because of the attraction of Cleopatra, who they could blame for the downfall. Also during Roman rule, and for centuries later, women were frowned upon even if they spoke so what would the Elizabethan audience think of the audacity, let alone tone of Cleopatra’s dialogue. In the first scene of Antony and Cleopatra, two of Antony’s soldiers in his army, (Philo and Demetrious) discuss Antony’s enslavement to Cleopatra. They say that which is confirmed by the entrance of Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra shows insecurity, towards Antony straight from her opening line â€Å"If it be love indeed, tell me how much†, Antony goes on to say â€Å"Let Rome in timber melt and the wide arch of the rang’d empire fall! Here is my space. † Here Antony is saying forget Rome I want to stay in Egypt, which shows how Cleoptara had already influenced Antony and even after this strong image and speech, she is still not impressed.

Stress’ Impact on Student

Stress’ Impact On Student Mentality By Courtney Johnson ,October 16, 2012 It’s that time of year again. The semester’s first round of exams forces students into late night study sessions, shoving activities with friends to the side and creating more stress than students prepare for. Eventually, students stretch themselves so thin that the effectiveness of their work begins to suffer, and their own confidence in themselves starts to lack. This is anxiety’s way of silently creeping into the otherwise happy and healthy student mentality.Most students are able to manage their time and balance their workload with other responsibilities. Yet, there are some students whose lives spiral downward, and they lose the optimistic perspective to assist in effectively managing their time. College students have a high risk of developing a number of different anxiety disorders — a direct result from excess responsibilities in their life. Disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder can lead to depression, eating disorders and a change in one’s overall health.Yet, college students tend to worry most about their future career, school and friends, classified as generalized anxiety disorder or everyday anxiety. Different people react to this differently: Some cry, some get angry, some lose sleep and others lose their sense of reality completely and become a frazzled robot mechanically going through the motions of everyday life, focusing solely on school and work. While thinking about school and life after college is important, it does not have to be a rat race.With the right perspective and methods for coping with stress, students can learn how to manage their anxiety without feeling overly burdened from school. Popular methods that most students use to aid their anxiety levels are working out and practicing yoga. Working out is a great way to release endorphins in the brain that better oneâ₠¬â„¢s perspective about themselves and their outlook in the world. Yoga is a great weapon against stress because it uses breathing and meditation help to relax the mind and muscles.For students who may have tried these approaches, yet need more encouragement, Boynton Health Service has a mental health clinic that offers a variety of counseling options for students. One of these options that students might find most helpful is the Boynton Mindfulness Group, which â€Å"helps people explore methods for handling stress through mindful awareness. † According to the Mayo Clinic, mindfulness is defined as focused, deliberate attention to a task or thought to quiet the mind and eliminate distractions.Group sessions for the Mindfulness Group at Boynton include meditation strategies and lessons on the difference between responding to stress and reacting to stress. Boynton also offers a specific group for students suffering from severe anxiety, giving them the opportunity to meet and s peak with counselors in person and emergency sessions over the phone. The key to managing stress and anxiety is acknowledging it, speaking up and asking for help. These are all helpful strategies for the myriad of stressed out students silently panicking around every corner of campus this time of year.The University of Minnesota offers a number of services to aid students in managing stress and anxiety when they encounter it. Working out and practicing yoga at home can be just as beneficial; it simply depends on the student’s case. The different pressures placed upon the shoulders of students are very prevalent this time of the semester. Doing well in school is the ultimate goal, but building a case for life post-graduation is important, too. Controlling perspective and learning how to cope with these pressures is the key to minimizing student anxiety. http://www. mndaily. com/2012/10/16/stress%E2%80%99-impact-student-mentality

Rap and Hip Hop Culture

It was 1977, and the Summer of Sam was in full swing in New York. But in the neighborhoods and housing projects of the â€Å"boogie down† Bronx New York, a new art form was developing called Hip Hop. This new art form would change America and transcend a generation forever with its influences on fashion, music, and lifestyle. Hip Hop is an urban lifestyle that consists of different subgenres of music such as rap, â€Å"old school† rap and â€Å"gangsta† rap. In my paragraph, I’m going to do a comparison on hip hop and rap. On the surface, they may seem the same, but their just as different as they are alike. In the hip hop subculture, two of the most standard types of music are called rap and hip hop. But there is a thin, fine line that defines the differences between rap and hip hop. In my opinion and many other fans and followers opinions, is that hip hop is a culture, that consists of more things than just music. From clothes styles, slang words, and dances such as breakdancing and more current dances like â€Å"Teach Me How to Dougie†. While rap is a style of music that comes from the culture and has many different genres like â€Å"Old School† and â€Å"Gangsta† rap an is expressed through spoken word to a beat. Hip hop and rap are the same yet so different, because rap is hip hop but hip hop can never be rap. Because Hip Hop is the culture itself, and rap is how the culture explains itself through rhythmic beat and spoken word. In recent years, hip hop has been portrayed in the media as a bad thing. But for anyone who knows and loves the roots of this American icon called hip hop, knows that hip hop music and culture isn’t always negative, and never was conceived and given to the masses of people to start a negative based culture in which it is portrayed today. I am Hip Hop; and yes I do love her.

Personal Peflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Peflection Paper - Assignment Example They carry out interviews to select the most competent persons with integrity. This process should be fair to have the right persons employed. It determines whether the candidates possess the health skills and knowledge needed to execute health duties with quality performance. Disciplinary terminations are also carried out by the HR staff. The health sector is demanding, and competent people are needed to provide proper services. Healthcare industry has a significant difference from other enterprises and thus requires the personnel to have sufficient knowledge and skills in performing their duties. Due to the changes in the health care systems technology has been introduced and much of the work computerized thus frequent training and workshops needed for employers. The HR staff is consistently providing training for its employees hence equipping them with the right skills and making them more competent. The process of training is working out well for the health organization and has highly contributed to the success of the health care by enhancing its credibility. The HR staff has a significant role in motivating the health care employees on their performance. The staff does various things to ensure that the workers’ performance will lead to attaining organizations goal and also give recommendable services as required. HR staff has provided benefits to employees such as promotions for the best performing workers. It has great an impact on the health care center since the employees get devoted to providing quality work that contributed the well-being of its clients since they get proper attention. The HR has initiated employee empowerment programs and also gives incentive to employees to motivate them. The HR has a responsibility to plan for the organization. In the health care enterprises, planning is essential and demanding than other firms. Management of risk relies on planning.

Letter to self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter to self - Essay Example Your journey in becoming a highly skilled communicator was filled with challenges, being an international student and not a native English speaker. You had to struggle in learning the complicated rules of the English language which so confused you at that time! Not to mention that you were very young and was at the phase of adjusting to a new culture in America, coming from your home country, Bahrain. However, due to your zest for learning and your persistence in mastering the English language, you succeeded in communicating effectively in your second language. You learned that you had to suit your style to your audience. It was easy for you to write informally when your audience were your friends and people who did not mind a more laid-back approach. However, when it came to writing formal essays, research papers and business correspondences, you found it more difficult to adjust your tone to a more serious audience. You’ve always been a great communicator, judging from your work in high school when there was no issue about using a second language. In your native tongue, you expressed yourself very well in both verbal and non-verbal ways. Your essays and letters were very clear and reflected your personality. Add to your strengths, your capacity to understand instructions well and deliver action quickly and accurately. In your first semester in College, learning English was no easy feat! You manifested weakness in exams and tests and were frustrated in performing poorly in such tasks. However, once you persevered in learning the language well, you were able to achieve the goals you set for yourself as a college student eager to prove your inherent skills and abilities. Living at a time when language evolves rapidly, it is easy to give in to the temptation to adopt colloquial and bastardized words in one’s writing. The proliferation of â€Å"text language† or short-cut spellings of words in text messages such as IKR (I know, right!_, BRB (b e right back) or even the oft-used LOL (laugh out loud) may confuse people with its use in writing. It is still not acceptable to use such in more formal writing work. Remember not to include them in your repertoire of words to use in your future business correspondences or else you might not be taken seriously. Learning about theories in your college years clarify much of what you will encounter in actual practice. That is why you studied about the works of prolific writers and authors. Reading articles and books helped a lot in building your vocabulary and developing our own style. Do keep reading books, magazines, newspapers and even online articles to keep you up-to-date and keep learning how people use the English language to convey their messages. You have also learned about the ethics of using other people’s ideas in your work. Never plagiarize. Give credit where credit is due. How would you feel if someone else snatched your awesome work or bits of it and never mentio ned that it was you who came up with such a brilliant idea? Reading other people’s works should not stop you from developing your own original ideas. Let it enhance your own imagination to create something related but different. Cultivate your creativity share your novel ideas with others. In your own practice as a business person, work on innovating things and come up with new strategies to promote your business. Use various communication avenues to disseminate it. As of this time, the internet is a great medium in sharing one’

Brain eating amoeba Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brain eating amoeba - Essay Example On rare occasions, individuals contract the brain-eating amoeba because of contaminated water in swimming pools or from taps. It has the ability to cause Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, which is a devastating and rare brain infection. The brain-eating amoeba enters the body through the nose. The amoeba then gradually moves to the brain. While in the brain, the amoeba actively destroys tissues. However, drinking water that has Naegleria cannot lead to the infection of a person. Naegleria fowleri exists everywhere in the world, as long as the environmental conditions are suitable for its existence and survival. Aside from existing in fresh warm water bodies, brain-eating amoeba exists in geothermal water, warm water that manufacturing and processing plants discharge, soil, poorly maintained swimming pools and water heaters. Both non-chlorinated and poorly chlorinated swimming pools provide suitable breeding places for Naegleria fowleri (Cajigal, 9). In addition to that, the Naegleria fowleri exist in aquariums and mud puddles. The Naegleria fowleri thrives at higher temperatures rising to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). This amoeba can survive for a shorter while in temperatures beyond the above mentioned. The brain-eating amoeba is absent in salt water. In the United States, the amoeba mostly affects people living in Southwestern and southern states (Animal Planet, n.p). Naegleria fowleri enters the human body through the nose during activities such as water-skiing, diving or other water sports that increase the probability of water getting into the nose (Pond, 171). Other instances recorded to have caused infections include people dipping their heads in geothermal water, commonly known as hot springs, or people cleaning their nostrils using untreated water flowing from the taps. Once the Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nostrils, chemicals used in communication by nerve cells pull

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity - Essay Example This paper therefore will discuss three different religions, which include Sikh, Buddhism, and Baha’i in relation to health care provision diversity. In addition, the paper will provide different philosophies that these three religions and faiths use in order to provide services to their members. Besides, the paper will discuss and compare these three faiths with the Christianity as a religion (Berkowitz & Schewe, 2011). Sikh faith and religion Sikh faith is a monotheistic religion that was founded in the earl 15th century in a place called Punjab in Indian countries by Guru Nanak. Currently, there are about ten Gurus in the world. According to this faith, there are some beliefs that its members and followers must follow, one of them being compulsorily putting on and wearing of veil by all women who are members of this faith. In addition, this religion does not allow its followers to cut their hairs. Taking drugs such as alcohol and smoking are prohibited according to the fait h and norms of the Sikh religion. Although the Punjab may take bhang for medication reasons, the followers of the religion are not allowed to take any intoxicant substances. Again, the religion does not allow its members to have too much materials wealth, while its members are usually expected to live like soldiers in that, they are not allowed to beg for anything from others. Besides, this religion does not allow sacrifices of animals during rituals. Given that rituals and superstitions are not allowed, Sikhs are banned from eating of meat that was slaughtered in a ritual-like manner. One of the rituals that are prohibited is the act of circumcision (Samanta, 2013). Furthermore, this religion forbids some of the various ill talks about others such as bragging, lying and even gossiping. Moreover, the religion prevents its members from involving in extramarital sexual activities unless under proper marriage procedures. The religion also requires its members to be honest and be genero us through acts such as sharing of properties. This religion is very practical and very creative. It believes that God is the creator of everything; hence, He is all-powerful and is omnipresent. The followers of this religion believe the understanding of god is beyond human knowledge. Therefore, from this religion, it is clear that they value helping others and sharing of materials with the less privileged as one of the most important teachings of the religion. In addition, since the religion believes that all human beings are equal before God despite one’s color, tribe, sex, or religion, it is clear that health providers who deal with members of this religion will not encounter many problems as long as they respect the importance of diversity in their profession. On the other hand, according to Sikh religion, the members are required only to pray for God’s help during cases of sickness, as well as for forgiveness. Playing audiotapes of their songs may be required, esp ecially to console the sick. Again, they also believe that sickness may be due to the will of God, and therefore, one must go and seek for health care to become better and to get treatment for the sickness. In providing health care services to members of Sikh religion, health care workers need to observe some of the following considerations. To begin with, the healthcare providers need to give

Language and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Language and culture - Essay Example This perception of low standards on the local education is detrimental based on the fact that globalization has connected the world which requires that every country equips its future work force with the skills and abilities necessary to participate in a global economy. Abroad studies has been shown to present an opportunity for students to produce negative outcomes where students use the opportunity to have fun away from their parents’ supervision and control where habits such as overindulgence in alcohol and drug abuse are taken up to alleviate loneliness and trauma of culture shock. Nonetheless, studying abroad despite the language and cultural challenges it possess, it should be considered based on the opportunities it presents to students which is essential for personal development. Studying abroad has come to be viewed as a necessary investment for parents who would like their children to gain knowledge in a different environment as this allows them to experience other cultures. In addition, studying abroad takes place after high school when the student is 18 years when parents feel is an appropriate age to begin learning how to be independent. At this age, one can be able to get a job and be able to effectively cater for his personal expenses, a process that relieves the parents of the burdens and expenses. This is because one can get a job and fend for themselves. This brings about two important; factors- experiencing other cultures and becoming independent, both of which bring about the element of personal growth. This in my opinion is the single most valuable reason for choosing to study abroad. Personal growth goes beyond these two factors to include shaping of one’s character where one has to adjust their attitudes, develop a new mentality as they challenge their own beliefs and values in the face of a different environment where beliefs and value systems are more likely to be different.

1 page synopsis that you think embodies the notion of skepticism Essay

1 page synopsis that you think embodies the notion of skepticism - Essay Example He believes that huge advancements made in scientific research would enable us to meet the aliens on equal footing. The author actually means that as history of civilization has shown, development of society vis-Ã  -vis education, science and technology and democratic pattern of society has made us more tolerant and inclusive society that thrives on understanding and mutual respect. So the more advanced aliens would also behave in similar way and would prefer to understand and corroborate rather than destroy us. It is for this reason that he is skeptic of Stephen Hawking’s prophecy that aliens would be like nomads who would be colonizing planets when they reach there. The article is interesting because it discusses aliens’ invasion or their encounter with us in future. He has doubts about Stephen Hawking’s belief about the nature of encounter with aliens because of his idea that advancements have made us more civilized! Indeed, it has resulted in development but today, we have more wars and acts of violence which have become lethal due to technology. So aliens could be violent species and we should be prepared for that. (words:

Gentile Taxonomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gentile Taxonomy - Essay Example While walking to the carpet from the linoleum, the task is classified under the environmental closed. Besides, it falls under the stationary intertribal variability. When considered from the desired outcome, it falls under the body transport with no manipulation. However, when considering walking from a hall going up the stairs, the performance falls under the same consideration with the difference on the body transport, which must be grouped under the manipulation. Walking on the treadmill using escalator will fall under the open environmental condition with motion no intertribal variability. Besides, it falls under the body transport with no manipulation under the desired outcome segment. The last aspect of walking is while holding hands in the treadmill. This task falls under the open environment context but still under the motion no intertrial variability. However, for the desired outcome, it falls under the manipulation in the body transport segment.Improving learning outcomeThe taxonomy enables the learner to perform higher and improve their skills whenever they use the classification later when compared with the previous instances. The taxonomy can used to ensure there is consistency so that one can assess the similarity between different performances. The element of persistence as well can be used improved using the classification by ensuring that the skills gained by the learner last over time. The model can enable the learner perform other activities thereby reducing the demand for attention.

Greek Debt Crisis Essay Example for Free

Greek Debt Crisis Essay Europes debt crisis is a continuation of the global financial crisis and also the result of how Europe attempted to solve the global financial crisis that brought an end to a decade of prosperity and unrestricted debt. European attempts at defending itself against a deep recession, has now created a new crisis of unsustainable and un-serviceable sovereign debt. In early 2010 fears of a sovereign debt crisis, the 2010 Euro Crisis developed concerning some European states including European Union members Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain,(affectionately known as the PIIGS) and Belgium. This led to a crisis of confidence as well as the widening of bond yield spreads and risk insurance on credit default swaps between these countries and other EU members, most importantly Germany. Concern about rising government deficits and debt levels across the globe together with a wave of downgrading of European government debt has created alarm in financial markets. The debt crisis has been mostly centered on recent events in Greece, where there is concern about the rising cost of financing government debt. On 2 May 2010, the Euro zone countries and the International Monetary Fund agreed to a â‚ ¬110 billion loan for Greece, conditional on the implementation of harsh Greek austerity measures. On 9 May 2010, Europes Finance Ministers approved a comprehensive rescue package worth almost a trillion dollars aimed at ensuring financial stability across Europe by creating the European Financial Stability Facility. Europes heavyweights spent massively on stimulation packages. However such attempts at defending themselves against a deep recession, has now created a sovereign debt crisis. The crisis in Europe has to do with the fear that some countries may be unable to pay back their use more money than they earn. Governments were able to borrow so cheaply in the past decade that running a deficit was often used to stimulate economic growth. One of the ways governments can raise money is through selling bonds, which are bought back after a number of years with interest added. Interest on government bonds has been low for most European countries because bonds were considered secure investments. The market worked on the assumption that governments would always be able to afford buying them back. But what if a country can’t pay back their loans? If a business or individual is in this position, they default and are found bankrupt. But countries can also default on their loans. Argentina defaulted on almost $100 billion of debt owed to the World Bank in 2002. Unemployment soared to 25 percent, GDP dropped by over 10 percent and the Argentine peso lost half its value overnight. This is the scenario that European leaders wanted to avoid when in 2009 concern started to mount over Greece’s ability to pay off its debt. Should Greece default, it would probably be forced to pull out of the euro with unknown but potentially grave consequences for the global economy debt. But debt in itself is not always considered a problem and European governments often. INTRODUCTION A DEBT CRISIS deals with countries and their ability to repay borrowed funds. Therefore, it deals with national economies, international loans and national budgeting. The definitions of debt crisis have varied over time, with major institutions such as Standard and Poors or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offering their own views on the matter. The most basic definition that all agree on is that a debt crisis is when a national government cannot pay the debt it owes and seeks, as a result, some form of assistance. In the real world, of course, things definitely get messy. People are optimistic, hence they offer themselves for jobs they are not quite qualified for; they borrow money on more of a hope that their business plan will work out than a real knowledge of the difficulties and the problems ahead. There is also the government, who has entered the credit system to borrow money to finance its wars. If the wars turned out well then the bond holders got their money back. If the war was a disaster then the credit system crashed and bond-holders were lucky to get anything back. The causes of the current debt crisis are complex, rooted in economic policies and development choices going back to the 1970s and 1980s. When the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quadrupled the price of oil in 1973, OPEC nations deposited much of their new wealth in commercial banks. The banks, seeking investments for their new funds, made loans to developing countries, often hastily and without monitoring how the loans were used. Some of the money borrowed was spent on programs that did not benefit the poor, such as armaments, failed or inappropriate large scale development projects, and private projects benefiting government officials and small elite. Meanwhile, as inflation rose in the U.S., the U.S. adopted extremely tight monetary policies that soon contributed to a sharp rise in interest rates and a worldwide recession. The irresponsible lending on the part of creditors, mismanagement on the part of debtors, and the worldwide recession all contributed to the debt crisis of the early 1980s. Developing countries were hurt the most in the worldwide recession. The high cost of fuel, high interest rates, and declining exports made it increasingly difficult for them to repay their debts. During the rest of the decade and into the 1990s, commercial banks and bilateral creditors (i.e., governments) sought to address the problem by rescheduling loans and in some cases by providing limited debt relief. Despite these efforts, the debt of many of the worlds poorest countries remains well beyond their ability to repay it. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES At the end of this assignment my aim is to learn: ââ€" ª What a Debt Crisis is? ââ€" ª The European countries affected by a Debt Crisis. ââ€" ª In detail about the Greek Debt Crisis. ââ€" ª The causes of the European Debt Crisis ââ€" ª The effects of the European Debt Crisis ââ€" ª The various solutions undertaken to resolve the European Debt Crisis The European Debt Crisis The European debt crisis is the shorthand term for Europe’s struggle to pay the debts it has built up in recent decades. Five of the region’s countries – Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, and Spain – have, to varying degrees, failed to generate enough economic growth to make their ability to pay back bondholders the guarantee it was intended to be. Although these five were seen as being the countries in immediate danger of a possible default, the crisis has far-reaching consequences that extend beyond their borders to the world as a whole. In fact, the head of the Bank of England referred to it as â€Å"the most serious financial crisis at least since the 1930s, if not ever,† in October 2011. This is one of most important problems facing the world economy, but it is also one of the hardest to understand. Greece In the early mid-2000s, Greeces economy was one of the fastest growing in the eurozone and was associated with a large structural deficit. As the world economy was hit by the global financial crisis in the late 2000s, Greece was hit especially hard because its main industries — shipping and tourism — were especially sensitive to changes in the business cycle. The government spent heavily to keep the economy functioning and the countrys debt increased accordingly. On 23 April 2010, the Greek government requested an initial loan of â‚ ¬45 billion from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF), to cover its financial needs for the remaining part of 2010. A few days later Standard Poors slashed Greeces sovereign debt rating to BB+ or junk status amid fears of default, in which case investors were liable to lose 30–50% of their money. Stock markets worldwide and the euro currency declined in response to the downgrade. The downgrading of Greek government debt to junk bond status in April 2010 created alarm in financial markets, with bond yields rising so high, that private capital markets practically were no longer available for Greece as a funding source. On 2 May 2010, the Eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on a â‚ ¬110 billion bailout loan for Greece, conditional on compliance with the following three key points: ââ€" ª Implementation of austerity measures, to restore the fiscal balance. ââ€" ª Privatization of government assets worth â‚ ¬50bn by the end of 2015, to keep the debt pile sustainable. ââ€" ª Implementation of outlined structural reforms, to improve competitiveness and growth prospects. The payment of the bailout was scheduled to happen in several disbursements from May 2010 until June 2013. Due to a worsened recession and the fact that Greece had worked slower than expected to comply with point 2 and 3 above, there was a need one year later to offer Greece both more time and money in the attempt to restore the economy. In October 2011, Eurozone leaders consequently agreed to offer a second â‚ ¬130 billion bailout loan for Greece, conditional not only the implementation of another austerity package (combined with the continued demands for privatization and structural reforms outlined in the first programme), but also that all private creditors holding Greek government bonds should sign a deal accepting lower interest rates and a 53.5% face value loss. This proposed restructure of all Greek public debt held by private creditors, which at that point of time constituted a 58% share of the total Greek public debt, would according to the bailout plan reduce the overall public debt burden with roughly â‚ ¬110 billion. A debt relief equal to a lowering of the debt-to-GDP ratio from a forecast 198% in 2012 down to roughly 160% in 2012, with the lower interest payments in subsequent years combined with the agreed fiscal consolidation of the public budget and significant financial funding from a privatization program, expected to give a further debt decline to a more sustainable level at 120.5% of GDP by 2020. The second bailout deal was finally ratified by all parties in February 2012, and became active one month later, after the last condition regarding a successful debt restructure of all Greek government bonds, had also been met. The second bailout plan was designed with appointment of the Troika to cover all Greek financial needs from 2012-14 through a transfer of some regular disbursements; and aimed for Greece to resume using the private capital markets for debt refinance and as a source to partly cover its future financial needs, already in 2015. In the first five years from 2015-2020, the return to use the markets was however only evaluated as realistic to the extent, where roughly half of the yearly funds needed to patch the continued budget deficits and ordinary debt refinance should be covered by the market; while the other half of the funds should be covered by extraordinary income from the privatization program of Greek government assets. Mid May 2012 the crisis and impossibility to form a new government after elections and the possible victory by the anti-austerity axis led to new speculations Greece would have to leave the Eurozone shortly due. This phenomenon became known as Grexit and started to govern international market behaviour. Due to a delayed reform schedule and a worsened economic recession, the new government immediately asked the Troika to be granted an extended deadline from 2015 to 2017 before being required to restore the budget into a self-financed situation; which in effect was equal to a request of a third bailout package for 2015-16 worth â‚ ¬32.6bn of extra loans. On 11 November 2012, facing a default by the end of November, the Greek parliament passed a new austerity package worth â‚ ¬18.8bn, including a labor market reform and midterm fiscal plan 2013-16. In return, the Euro group agreed on the following day to lower interest rates and prolong debt maturities and to provide Greece with additional funds of around â‚ ¬10bn for a debt-buy-back programme. The latter allowed Greece to retire about half of the â‚ ¬62 billion in debt that Athens owes private creditors, thereby shaving roughly â‚ ¬20 billion off that debt. This should bring Greeces debt-to-GDP ratio down to 124% by 2020 and well below 110% two years later. Without agreement the debt-to-GDP ratio would have risen to 188% in 2013. Causes Many experts agree that the eurozone crisis began in late 2009, when Greece admitted that its debts had reached 300 billion euros, which represented approximately 113% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) had already warned several countries about their debt levels, which were supposed to be capped at 60% of GDP. In early 2010, the EU noted several irregularities in Greeces accounting systems, which led to upward revisions of its budget deficits. The negative sentiment led investors to demand higher yields on sovereign bonds, which of course exacerbated the problem by making borrowing costs even higher. Higher yields also led to lower bond prices, which meant larger countries and many eurozone banks holding sovereign debt in troubled countries began to suffer, requiring their own set of solutions. After a modest bailout by the International Monetary Fund, eurozone leaders agreed upon a 750 billion euro rescue package and established the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in May of 2010. Eventually, this fund was increased to about 1 trillion euros in February of 2012, while several other measures were also implemented to stem the crisis. Countries receiving bailout funds from this facility were required to undergo harsh austerity measures designed to bring their budget deficits and government debt levels under control. Ultimately, this led to popular protests throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012 that culminated in the election of antibailout socialist leaders in France and likely Greece. In January 2010 the Greek Ministry of Finance highlighted in their Stability and Growth Program 2010 these five main causes for the significantly deteriorated economic results recorded in 2009. ââ€" ª GDP growth rates: After 2008, GDP growth rates were lower than the Greek national statistical agency had anticipated. ââ€" ª Government deficit: Huge fiscal imbalances developed during the past six years from 2004 to 2009, where the output increased in nominal terms by 40%, while central government primary expenditures increased by 87% against an increase of only 31% in tax revenues. ââ€" ª Government debt-level: Since it had not been reduced during the good years with strong economic growth, there was no room for the government to continue running large deficits in 2010, neither for the years ahead. ââ€" ª Budget compliance: Budget compliance was acknowledged to be in strong need of future improvement, and for 2009 it was even found to be A lot worse than normal, due to economic control being more lax in a year with political elections. ââ€" ª Statistical credibility: Problems with unreliable data had existed ever since Greece applied for membership of the Euro in 1999. In the five years from 2005–2009, Eurostat each year noted a reservation about the fiscal statistical numbers for Greece, and too often previously reported figures got revised to a somewhat worse figure, after a couple of years. Effects Many economists have argued that Greek should default and pull out of the euro. But according to a study released this September by UBS bank, Greece would suffer a painful economic contraction if it were to do so. According to its figures, a weak euro country such as Greece pulling out of the Euro would face a drop in GDP of between 40 and 50 percent, or a per person cost of between â‚ ¬9,500 and â‚ ¬10,500. According to Diego Valiante from the Centre for European Policy Studies, the effects on global financial system could be more severe than we could imagine. â€Å"We have discovered that the financial system is enormous and is just too big and interconnected to fail. We have to save the financial system from a collapse which would have repercussions on the economies and competitiveness of countries.† Valiante argued that if Greece went down, it would inevitably affect the rest of the global economy due to intertwined the relationships of global banks. If Greece defaults, then banks across Europe who bought billions of euros of Greek debt – because it was considered safe – would suddenly be left with worthless assets. This is where contagion kicks in. Other banks, unsure of who has bought Greek debt, will then start calling in debts out of fear that they cannot reclaim their loans. This then trickles down to businesses which would then be unable to raise the capital they need and Europe’s economies would inevitably experience another recession. Sigurd Nà ¦ss-Schmidt, from the think tank Copenhagen Economics, believes this process has already started. â€Å"Banks are losing trust in each other again. They don’t know who has enough assets and credit markets are freezing up,† he said at a recent lecture in Brussels. Solutions The failure to resolve the eurozone crisis has been largely attributed to a lack of political consensus on the measures that need to be taken. Rich countries like Germany have insisted on austerity measures designed to bring down debt levels, while the poorer countries facing the problems complain that austerity is only hindering economic growth prospects further. Perhaps the most popular solution proposed has been the so-called Eurobond, which would be jointly underwritten by all eurozone member states. The problem with this solution is mostly that of complacency. Some experts believe that access to low interest debt financing will eliminate the need for countries to undergo austerity and only push back an inevitable day of reckoning. Meanwhile, countries like Germany could face the brunt of the financial burden in the event of any Eurobond defaults or problems. With disagreements between rich and poor countries in the region, there is a risk that nothing will be accomplished and the situation will only worsen. In the end, there may not be any easy answer to the eurozone crisis, but financial markets continue monitoring the situation in hopes that a solution amicable to all countries arises. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY My source of knowledge was mainly the INTERNET, through which I used various sites wikipedia and related sites. CONCLUSION In conclusion I would like to say that, the EU finance ministers in their latest efforts to turn things around, have reached a deal on cutting Greek debt and given the green light for the country to receive the next pot of bailout money. Its been waiting since June for the cash and it means the government there will be able to pay workers wages and pensions in December. I also learnt that Greek debts will be cut by 40bn euros ( £32bn) and the country will get another 44 billion euros ( £35billion) of bailout loans. Several countries in the eurozone have borrowed and spent too much since the global recession, losing control of their finances. Greece was the first to take a multi-billion pound bailout from other European countries, followed by Portugal and Ireland. Their governments had to agree to spending cuts before the loans were approved. Greece is still in trouble though and needs more money. Many Greek people dont want any more tax rises and job losses, but tough spending plans have been pushed through so the government can receive its bailout cash. There have been angry protests on the streets and strikes at power stations. The Greek government is relieved at the latest deal, but the main opposition party, Syriza, doesnt think it goes far enough and called it a half-baked compromise. If Greece is unable or unwilling to keep paying what it owes, the country will effectively go bankrupt and probably become the first country to leave the euro currency. There are worries that other countries could do the same, threatening the strength of Europe. Life would also become even tougher for Greek people, who would feel much poorer as their money wouldnt be worth as much. Governments in other eurozone countries like Ireland and Portugal would have to pay more to borrow money and might have to raise taxes and cut spending to balance the books As the UK doesnt have the euro, it hasnt contributed to the bailout except through its membership of the International Monetary Fund, which lends to countries around the world. But some British banks have lent money to Greece and would lose billions if the country went bankrupt. They would lose even more if the problems spread to other countries like Spain and Italy. If the banks are hit hard there could be another credit crunch, making it much harder for British people and businesses to borrow cash for loans and mortgages. Companies in the UK also do many of their trade deals with firms in Europe, so financial problems overseas would affect British business too.