How computer technology can help the economy in China to improve lives Essay

How computer technology can help the economy in China to improve lives and standards of living - Essay Example The jobs that are being created in the China’s economy are low paying. The average monthly income of a Chinese manufacturing worker is $134 a month (Worldsalaries). The use of computers and information technology could help China and its people increase its standard of living. Technology allows for the creation of better paying jobs in the information technology field. This strategy is not limited to people that have a formal education in computer and information technology. The internet is a channel that human resource departments can use to hire employees in alternate work arrangements such as telecommuting. Telecommuting can be defined as the act of working from home rather than traveling back and forth to a workplace (Mass). Due to the terrain limitation of China which is about the same size as the United States, but with a population 22 times larger there is simply no more room to create jobs using traditional business models that require physical space. The Chinese econo my has to emphasize growth by expanding into the virtual economy. A country with a similar overpopulation problem that has taken advantage of information technology to achieve economic growth is India. Mass.gov. 2009. â€Å"Telecommuting† 8 December 2009.

The Benefits of Installing Management Information System in Small Dissertation

The Benefits of Installing Management Information System in Small Business - Dissertation Example The definition of small business varies from country to country, for example, it is 50 in terms of employees in European Union. Economic criteria are also used for classification, based on capital employed or business turnover. However, for our study an organization consisting of at least 25 people and a maximum of 100 employees may be considered for inclusion in the survey. The developments in information technology, telecommunications, media and social networks necessitates the small business community to reorient their strategies to be competitive in the business, and MIS plays an important role in the backdrop of liberalization and globalization of the economies. This research may contribute significantly in this respect by highlighting the benefits of installing MIS in small businesses. Research Questions 1. What are the benefits of implementation of MIS in small business? 2. Is the cost of installation of MIS justifiable in relation to the benefits? 3. Is it true that the imple mentation of MIS enhances stability in the organization? Research aim The study aims to assess the impacts of implementation of MIS in the small businesses with regard to cost and benefits, both tangible and intangible that may accrue to the small businesses with a view to make recommendations based on the analysis and findings. Research Objectives To study the impact of MIS in relation to the operations and management of the small businesses with a view to analyze: 1. the impacts of the cost of installation of MIS and 2. the factors which govern installation of an appropriate system in relation to the size. Hypothesis The analysis of the survey results would be useful in evaluating the hypothesis: When the world is moving toward liberalization and the countries pursue a policy of globalization, installation of MIS in small businesses is crucial for efficiencies in the operations and for a sustainable development. The financial and non-financial benefits derived from the installatio n of MIS outweigh the cost involved in the installation, and MIS enhances stability of the organization. Literature review According to Garnengo, Nudurupati & Bititici (2007, p. 683) in the small and medium enterprises the deficiencies in MIS obstruct PMS [performance measurement system] use because the required data cannot be captured. It is observed (p. 683)†during the first implementation phase entrepreneurs obstructed MIS investment, and only free software and internal knowledge could be used. However, in a few months PMS advantages were highlighted and, consequently, MIS investment was planned and supported by entrepreneurs†. The expertise in processing of the information and reporting is crucial for the business success. Brouthers, Andriessen & Nicolaes (1998, p. 136) found â€Å"When it comes to making strategic decisions, the small firm managers in this study tended to ignore the information gathered and the analyses performed, relying instead on their intuition †. In order to compete efficiently in the market, strategic decisions based on the information properly analyzed are very essential. According to Street &Meister (2004, p. 473), â€Å"Small business growth is known to strain internal communication processes, for example, which likely limits growth opportunities†. Resistance to change and fear of unknown could be the major

Mockumentaries And Documentaries

Mockumentaries And Documentaries A documentary film is a film that shows true-life histories or current event exposure. A documentary film often records the truth as well as reality. In order to have the audiences attention, a documentary film also contains some entertainment value while educating the audience about the topic. Documentary is a discursive structure, which creates style of immediacy and truth, using photographic technology in order to present first-hand experience and piece of information. In addition, documentaries often take care of particular cultures, nations, ethnic groups, or regions. Documentary needs fictive element to make it appealing. Salaam Cinema and Cannibal Tour were the examples of documentary films. As for mockumentary, it is defined as a type of films that reproduces the stylistic elements of documentaries by using filming techniques. Mockumentary is a television program or movie captured in the way of a documentary film is captured but it contains fictitious and frequently mocking s ubject matter that presents in a non-fiction or documentary format. It mocks the basic characteristic and argues that documentaries try to claim. There are similarities between documentaries and mockumentaries as mockumentaries use all the documentaries codes and conventions, such as that turn a mockumentary into a documentary, be determined to show the film as a documentary even though it is not a documentary. A mockumentary is successful when it is able to combine history and present through a false lens as well as leading the audience to doubt the reality. Mockumentaries have been made to the audience to challenge the audiences beliefs as well as the directors imagination. Forgotten Silver and Quarantine are the examples of mockumentary films. Forgotten Silver (1995), by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson, is a mockumentary which records the process of life of a silent filmmaker from New Zealand, Colin McKenzie as well as his incredible progress that were lost since olden times. The film offers an interesting and entertaining take on the issues of film reality against film fantasy as well as backups eyewitness testimony or interview sessions including films and photographs. Therefore, it seemed real. It claims that this mockumentary was real because it uses all the documentary codes and conventions. Mockumentaries use the aesthetics of documentary in order to undermine any claims to truth. (2001, p.46). It captures and read the complication of real life. Mock-documentaries tend to assume an archetypal generic form rather than recognize the complexities of the genre (Roscoe, Hight, 2001, p.50). Besides, Forgotten Silver reminds us that the event actually happened as it has recorded everything in it. In Forgotten Silver, it uses interview to authenticate views. The interviewees included Jonathon Morris (archiviste), Costa Botes (Realisateur), Harvey Weinstein (Miramax Film), Leonard Maltin (Historian), Sam Neil (Actor/Realisateur), and May Belle (Research Assistant) as his wife. Film reality and film fantasy are supported by the use of real footage. Forgotten Silver uses archive footage as another documentary code to add authenticity, such as landing at Anzac Cove war footage and New Zealand City footage. Camera effect such as slow zooms has been used in Forgotten Silver in order to show the audiences that there are no exaggerate actions. Besides, pictures of Colin McKenzie throughout whole film, his pictures taken throughout his life, pictures with mother, Colin McKenzies recreated city, pictures of documents such as Deputation from the New Zealand Communist Party. Old video clips have been showed in the film such as Richard Pearses flying video, Salome John the Baptist (casting), Gallipoli Footage (Brook e McKenzie 1915), Stan the Man (Stan Wilson) spontaneous shots by Colin McKenzie. In addition, there were newspaper shots such as Richard Pearses flying video and Incredible Taking Picture Sensation. Other than that, current videos such as his journey to discover the recreated city, discovery of Salomes production storeroom, Alexandra Nevsky Attachà © Cultural de Russie prove the signed contract between McKenzie. Mockumentary filmmakers wish to engage the audience in discourses about fact and fiction. As Roscoe and Hight put it Mock documentaries foreground their fictionality, their intention is to play with, undermine or challenge documentary, rather than to seek validity through an association with the genre. (2001, p.46) Another documentary code used in Forgotten Silver is the use of texts or graphics. The names, title, year of each interviewee as well as the name, year of each video have been showed in the film. Realism in any representation, like documentaries, has also to be a construction as it is impossible to achieve a perfect match between events in a historical world and the texts that represents them (Kilborn and Izod, 1997. p40). Effects such as zoom in and highlights the important wordings on pictures, documents and newspapers have been used. Reconstruction, a re-enactment of another time or place for a different audience, a graphing of history in and through the cinematic image and taped sound, onto the present. (Rabinowitz:1994:16). This film has utilised natural sound such as old film rolling sounds and movie original background sound in The Natural Season 1908, Stan the Man and Stable Stumbles. Non-digetic sound, is defined as the background music when narrator narrates a story, such a s a dramatic background music as narrator narrates a sad scene. This has been found in Forgotten Silver as the background music for pictures such as celebration sounds when the war ended. Forgotten Silver has used reconstructions or set-ups to convey realism as another documentary code, such as old films, Made-up of McKenzies Salome production storeroom, old Egyptian statues, hand-made costumes and crafted swords and shields for Salome shooting. Mockumentaries also deconstruct the socio political stance that documentaries tend to adopt in relation to the socio historical world (Roscoe and Hight, 2001).With all the documentaries codes and conventions used in Forgotten Silver, has made the film real to be believed by the audiences. For examples, Richard Pearses flying video, Colin McKenzies first alleged talking movie and color film as well as a discovered city in West Coast. However, it was a hoax, said by the Wellington filmmaker, Costa Botes, which is also the director of Forgott en Silver, established that it was a documentary-style programme that he co-directed with the filmmaker Peter Jackson. In addition, McKenzie was a pure fiction. Even though it was with proves from the interviews by local celebrities and film experts as well as a mockumentary adopts documentarys behaviour and codes. Quarantine (2008), directed by John Erick Dowdle, casted by Angela Vidal as a reporter for the tv show Night Shift, was on duty to spend an evening with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Therefore, she and her cameraman, Scott Percival, join the fire-fighters George and Jake to an apartment building. This film is a remake film of the Spanish Horror film REC. The film was about the owner was accused with investigating and segregating a suspected Armageddon virus for a faction. Unfortunately, the virus lost control and transform into infectious virus, which infects the man. It is the reason why the people in the building were infected. The whole building has been closed for quarantine. This mockumentary was a hoax as there are no bloodthirsty savages in the world. It was just an imagination of the director challenging the beliefs of the audiences. Footage could be seen in Quarantine as there are few scenes have been zoomed in, such as when the bloodthirsty savages are attacking human. L ightweight camera has been used in Quarantine, which has similarity with Forgotten Silver. However, there is one dissimilarity, Quarantine did not use background music, and it uses sound effects. Voice-Over has been used in the film while capturing the subjects in front by Angela. Quarantine seemed to be real as it uses documentary codes. Interviews have been made throughout the whole movie. For example, a quick interview sessions with the fire-fighters George and Jake before heading to the infected apartment. Interviews have made the film more real. The mock documentary form seems to be more typically used by film makers to parody aspects of popular culture, particularly media culture, than to encourage viewers to question their adherence to assumptions and expectations attached to documentaries. (Roscoe and Hight, 2001. p.161). In Forgotten Silver and Quarantine, they both have similarities with the documentary film, Cannibal Tours (1988), filmed by Australian director and cinematographer Dennis ORourke. They have used the skill of archival footages as they captured real images by using lightweight camera. . For that reason, it brings the audience nearer to reality as well as truth. Other than that, interview sessions and images captured with lightweight camera were done. In Cannibal Tours, there are interview sessions with the native and the tourists. It uses real footages to explain the history of how the Germans visited there before. Filmmakers have considered the problem of subjectivity and objectivity to be red herrings where they record about native peoples story. We realized that the most important thing was not the film and the information in it so much as the way this information was debated. One of the aims of such films is to provide the occasion for people to find themselves and speak about thei r own problems. The projection becomes the place where people talk and develop their awareness. (Chanan 1997:373). Documentaries hold a privileged position within society, a position maintained by documentarys claim that it can present the most accurate and truthful portrayal of the socio historical worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. They attempt to create a position for the audience in which we are encouraged to take up unproblematically the truth claims offered to us (R and H:2001, p.6, 23). Even though mockumentaries have documentary codes, it is still a fictional documentary, which is also called as a hoax. A documentarys interviews are based on the interviewees true opinions whereas a mockumentarys interviews are based on ready-made scripts. Mockumentaries cannot be viewed as real as everything is ready-made. It is not real images such as documentaries. In Salaam Cinema (1994), by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a film about people who would like to become famous. It is real as it captures the crowd by using lightweight camera. The crews were captured in the frame, not behind the camera. A handheld camera work and head shots convey a realistic sense of an historical truth. For example, the scene where people were trampled in a way it was real because people will do that but in salaam cinema, it was provoked. The usage of handheld camera could be seen in Quarantine to convey realism as it captures live images. Mockumentaries manipulates the truth in a documentary manner. It is used to convey a constructed or ones imagined view. In spite of the similarities in terms of its documentary codes, a mockumentary can never equal to a documentary. It is still, a fictional documentary. The whole agenda and practice of a mockumentary is to edit certain parts of a footage or image to present the constructed message and omit the parts where they are not coherent with the constructed message, re-make artifacts and a set of actors to be interviewed based on ready-made scripts. Hence, a documentary is to tell its audiences of the truth and findings while a mockumentary tries to manipulate a belief and convey an imagined view. The emerging of mockumentaries in our recent days of film industry has raped the pride of a documentary. Documentaries now are less promising compared to the olden days where there are no mockumentaries. It ripped off the value in researching and producing of a documentary as it leav es documentary in shades of doubts by the viewers. It is now hard to authenticate a documentary and disproof a mockumentary. Some critics claim that mockumentaries are a waste of time and resources as in the end of a day, the viewers gain nothing but a bad joke. However, the decision lies in the viewers ability to ensure clear validity of what they watch and what they believe. After all; a mockumentary is only an illusion where it manipulates within the premise of a viewers belief.

napoleon and frederick the great :: essays research papers

Napoleon versus Frederick the Great   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have chosen to compare Napoleon to Frederick the Great. I will compare these two extremely influential leaders through numerous techniques; including their military history, the administration of their territories, the legacy they left upon their countries, among others. Napoleon was a great soldier that graduated from military school at the age of sixteen and quickly worked his way through the ranks. Napoleon was a brilliant leader in battle and consistently defeated armies larger than his own; including when he forced the Austrians to make peace after defeating four of their generals. In 1799 Napoleon and his colleagues overtook the French government and established power. He revised the constitution in 1802 to make himself consul for life, and then again in 1804 to make himself Emperor of France. Soon after Napoleon came to power he restructured the administration, simplified the court system, and began monitoring the schooling system; French law was also put in the Napoleon Code which guaranteed the rights and liberties that were gained through the revolution. Napoleons violent behavior caused war with Britain to break out, who allied with Russia and Austria. Prussia later allied themselves with Russia; creating a huge alliances against France an d Napoleon. Napoleon successfully extended his reign over large parts of Europe and put each state under the Napoleon Code, which gave citizens new rights and privileges. In 1812 all of Europe turned against Napoleon, which lead to his exile in 1814. He regained power in 1815 just to loose it later that year. He died in exile in Saint Helena in 1821.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frederick the Great was son of King Frederick William I and was born into prince hood. Frederick was raised to become a strong soldier and thrifty administrator. Frederick did not like the life his father planned for him and choose the more artsy aspects of life. His crown as prince was taken from him until he reapplied himself as a loyal member under his father’s reign. Frederick took over power after his father’s death in 1840; almost immediately he began attempting to improve Prussian policy. By 1745 Frederick was seen as a more than able military leader after winning a second war with Austria. Frederick played a huge role in destroying Austrians dominance. Frederick was a good leader, keeping himself in touch with the work of his officials and kept an eye on his troops and officers.

Business Profile of Ireland Essay

Ireland is an island located in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Almost all the areas of the country are covered by coastal areas. The density of rainfall is much in the western part of the country that receives heavy which exceeds 3000 mm (120 inches) per year and only 60% of rainfall is received in remaining areas having 762 mm rainfall per year. The country is hugely populated with Christian’s community (Thompson, 1849). The official language of the country is English and mother tongue is Irish. The education background of the country is that, 52.3% of the population are primary educated, 23.3% of the population are secondary and only 24.4% are t highly educate (Hall, 1995). Ireland is one of the most emerging countries of the United Kingdom. It allows the enthusiastic entrepreneurs to commence small as well as medium sized industries which facilitates in the growth and prosperity of the country. For this the so many assistance were provided like financial assistance from both the sides of government body and other institutions, imposing tax   at concession rate, simplified procedures for incorporating, economical tariffs and transportation costs. And other running costs prevailed is also lower compared to other parts of the UK. In addition to these the country is filled with energetic, enthusiastic, young, skilled and highly educated workforce. Ireland is a developing country with a total population of 436, 6193 according to the survey carried out in 2007.   Since1980, about 40% of the inward investment in the European Electronics sector has been contributed by Ireland (Hall, 1995). Now, it is being accepted as one of the growing countries in the world. Most of production functions are undertaken by the country itself and the well known software packages are designed in this country i.e. around 60% of the total software packages sold in different parts of the world. It is also well known that for the software export in the world. Out of top 15 pharmaceutical companies, 13 companies have been manufacturing and conducting R&D operations in Ireland. It also has been a full member of Euro Currency Zone from its inception. It can also simplify the transactions including cross border transactions and other administrative costs that enables the Irish market to gain competitive advantage over costs and gets economies of scale. ‘The Doing Business Report’ reports that the country is ranked 7 out of 181 economies in terms of ease of doing business (Economy Ranking, 2008). The report also documents that the country is accepted as the 5th economy among the 181 economies across the world to start a new venture. Source: (The Doing Business Report 2009, Economy Ranking, 2008) Political Environment The country’s political stability, risk assessment, administration and policy-making are very much feasible to the business people in domestic and their foreign policies are too favorable to the investors. Evaluating and anticipating the political stability and security to the business environment in Ireland, it can be said that the political stability of the country plays an important role in determining the entrance of new ventures in to their market. Their trade policies attract many new entrepreneurs to commence their business operations in the country. Recent emergence of emigration, environmental risk and the affect of technological changes to the political agenda   have been seen along with Ireland’s economic   performance, their   peace process, the policy areas of health, housing and industrial relations of the country. Economic growth rate since past decades of the country in terms of per capita GDP level showed a higher trend. The reason behind such development was imaginative i.e. the dynamic programs developed by Irish political and administrative leaders irrespective of the governing body mainly focused on the development of the country as a whole and not as an individual. Ireland’s good working condition and better relationship with the United Kingdom has enabled the two governments to achieve significant progress and developments in the country. Comparative advantage of the country When we are talking about the comparative advantage of the country it is necessary to evaluate the overall development of the country. There is a good sign in inflation rate which is showing decreasing trend from last decades, this resulted in increase in the purchasing power of the people and also the micro factors GDP and Per Capita of the country also showed a positive sign. In addition to these foreign exchange rate increased. This inspired more and more outside companies to establish their business in the country and increased the amount of contribution of the foreign companies in the country, this factor provided employment opportunities to the people of Ireland. The following are the various categories that offer large amount of employments to youth. –  Ireland Industries – Ireland Hi tech – Ireland real estate – Ireland Services – Sundry The other comparative advantage of the country is the prevailing taxation policy of the country. It impose lower rate of taxation for existing industries as well as new industries. The policy of taxation is based on the individual income .In other words, higher the income higher the rate of tax payable. Companies those who are following the conditions as mentioned in the assessment year of July 1998, only 10% corporate tax will be applicable. This tax slab rate will remain unchanged till 2010. If it is a passive income only 25% is applicable (Cantillon, 2001). Income tax imposed on individuals is also low as compared to other countries in the world. For an individual, tax will be payable according to income earned in Ireland and overseas who follows the requirements to become a resident of Ireland for. A foreign resident who is employed in Ireland is also liable to pay tax on income earned in Ireland. It is yet another comparative advantage over other countries. Besides this they are also preventing the levy of double tax to the foreign companies even though it is followed in other parts of the country. In addition to these advantages, the government of Ireland provides VISA to the foreigners to do business in their country. In certain occasions they give passport having 3 months validity to the foreigners to stay. And a work permit will be given to the foreigners by the government if all the conditions in the gazette are complied by them. And suppose they are issued without fulfilling the conditions it will badly affect the employ Tax. They are liable to pay tax on income earned in Ireland and overseas by an individual who meets the test of a â€Å"permanent resident† of Ireland. A foreign resident who is employed in Ireland pays tax only on income earned in Ireland and not on overseas. The work permit is granted for the period of one year if required it can be extended. The major industries of Ireland The major industries located in Ireland are Agriculture, Beverages, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Clothing, Construction, Electronics and Data Processing, Food Processing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles, Tourism. Major companies working in Ireland Barry’s Tea Ltd It is a privately owned company. It was founded in Republic of Ireland in 1901 whose headquarter is situated at Cork. The main products of the company are Tea. About 73 employees are working in the company. The annual turnover of the company is â‚ ¬ 31 million. Baltimore Technologies It was founded in 1976 at Dublin, Ireland. About 12 employees are working in the company. The main products of the company are Public Key Infrastructure Solutions. The Company was acquired by Oryx International Growth Fund in July 2006. Airtricity The company was established in 1997 in Ireland. Paul Dowling is the current CEO of this company. Mainly they are producing electronic items. About 380 employees are working in the company. Arnotts It is one of the oldest and largest department stores at Dublin, Ireland. It was established in the year 1843 by Sir John Arnott. It is a privately owned company. â‚ ¬ 750000000 is the asset of the company. Market capitalization of the company is US$13billion.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Thirty-five

I WISHED LISSA HAD â€Å"needed' me to go take out an army of Strigoi. I would have felt more comfortable with that than what she needed to do now: meet with Jill to discuss the coronation. Lissa wanted me there for support, as a kind of go-between. I wasn't able to walk that well yet, so we waited another day. Lissa seemed glad for the delay. Jill was waiting for us in a small room I'd never expected to see again: the parlor where Tatiana had berated me for moving in on Adrian. It had been a pretty bizarre experience at the time, seeing as Adrian and I hadn't actually been involved back then. Now, after everything that had occurred between him and me, it just felt †¦ strange. Confusing. I still didn't know what had happened to him since Tasha's arrest. Walking in there, I also felt terribly †¦ alone. No, not alone. Uninformed. Vulnerable. Jill sat in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. She stared straight ahead with an unreadable face. Beside me, Lissa's own features were equally blank. She felt †¦ well, that was the thing. I didn't know. I didn't know. I mean, I could tell she was uncomfortable, but there were no thoughts in my head to tip me off. I had no specifics. Again, I reminded myself that the rest of the world worked like this. You functioned alone. You did your best to manage strange situations without the magical insight of another person. I'd never realized how much I'd taken the thoughts of even just one other person for granted. The one thing I felt sure of was that both Lissa and Jill were freaked out by each other–but not by me. That was why I was here. â€Å"Hey, Jill,' I said, smiling. â€Å"How are you?' She snapped out of whatever thoughts had been occupying her and jumped up from the chair. I thought that was strange, but then it made sense. Lissa. You rose when a queen entered the room. â€Å"It's okay,' said Lissa, stumbling over her words a little. â€Å"Sit.' She took a seat opposite Jill. It was the biggest chair in the room–the one Tatiana had always sat in. Jill hesitated a moment, then shifted her gaze back to me. I must have provided some encouragement because she returned to her chair. I sat in one beside Lissa, wincing as a small pain tightened in my chest. Worry for me momentarily distracted Jill from Lissa. â€Å"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Should you even be out of bed?' The cute, rambling nature. I was glad to see it again. â€Å"Fine,' I lied. â€Å"Good as new.' â€Å"I was worried. When I saw what happened †¦ I mean, there was so much blood and so much craziness and no one knew if you'd pull through †¦' Jill frowned. â€Å"I don't know. It was all so scary. I'm so glad you're okay.' I kept smiling, hoping to reassure her. Silence fell then. The room grew tense. In political situations, Lissa was the expert, always able to smooth everything over with the right words. I was the one who spoke up in uncomfortable scenarios, saying the things that shocked others. The things no one wanted to hear. This situation seemed like one that required her diplomacy, but I knew it was on me to take charge. â€Å"Jill,' I said, â€Å"we wanted to know if you'd be willing to, well, take part in the coronation ceremony.' Jill's eyes flicked briefly to Lissa–still stone-faced–and then back to me. â€Å"What does â€Å"take part' mean, exactly? What would I have to do?' â€Å"Nothing hard,' I assured her. â€Å"It's just some formalities that are usually done by family members. Ceremonial stuff. Like you did with the vote.' I hadn't witnessed that, but Jill had apparently only had to stand by Lissa's side to show family strength. Such a small thing for a law to hinge on. â€Å"Mostly, it's about being on display and putting on a good face.' â€Å"Well,' mused Jill, â€Å"I've been doing that for most of this week.' â€Å"I've been doing it for most of my life,' said Lissa. Jill looked startled. Again, I felt at a loss without the bond. Lissa's tone hadn't made her meaning clear. Was it a challenge to Jill–that the girl hadn't faced nearly what Lissa had? Or was it supposed to be sympathy for Jill's lack of experience? â€Å"You'll †¦ you'll get used to it,' I said. â€Å"Over time.' Jill shook her head, a small and bitter smile on her face. â€Å"I don't know about that.' I didn't either. I wasn't sure how one handled the kind of situation she'd been dropped into. My mind rapidly ran through a list of more meaningless, kind things I could say, but Lissa finally took over. â€Å"I know how weird this is,' she said. She determinedly met Jill's green eyes–the only feature the sisters shared, I decided. Jill had the makings of a future Emily. Lissa carried a mix of her parents' traits. â€Å"This is weird for me too. I don't know what to do.' â€Å"What do you want?' asked Jill quietly. I heard the real question. Jill wanted to know if Lissa wanted her. Lissa had been devastated by the death of her brother †¦ but a surprise illegitimate sibling was no substitute for Andre. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in either girl's place. I tried and failed. â€Å"I don't know,' admitted Lissa. â€Å"I don't know what I want.' Jill nodded, dropping her gaze, but not before I caught sight of the emotion playing across her face. Disappointment–yet, Lissa's answer hadn't entirely been unexpected. Jill asked the next best thing. â€Å"Do you want †¦ do you want me to be in the ceremonies?' The question hung in the air. It was a good one. It was the reason we'd come here, but did Lissa actually want this? Studying her, I still wasn't sure. I didn't know if she was just following protocol, trying to get Jill to play a role expected among royalty. In this case, there was no law that said Jill had to do anything. She simply had to exist. â€Å"Yes,' said Lissa at last. I heard the truth in her words, and something inside of me lightened. Lissa didn't just want Jill for the sake of image. A part of Lissa wanted Jill in her life–but managing that would be difficult. Still, it was a start, and Jill seemed to recognize that. â€Å"Okay,' she said. â€Å"Just tell me what I need to do.' It occurred to me that Jill's youth and nervousness were deceptive. There were sparks of bravery and boldness within her, sparks that I felt certain would grow. She really was a Dragomir. Lissa looked relieved, but I think it was because she'd made a tiny step of progress with her sister. It had nothing to do with the coronation. â€Å"Someone else will explain it all. I'm not really sure what you do, to be honest. But Rose is right. It won't be hard.' Jill simply nodded. â€Å"Thank you,' said Lissa. She stood up, and both Jill and I rose with her. â€Å"I †¦ I really appreciate it.' That awkwardness returned as the three of us stood there. It would have been a good moment for the sisters to hug, but even though both seemed pleased at their progress, neither was ready for that. When Lissa looked at Jill, she still saw her father with another woman. When Jill looked at Lissa, she saw her life completely turned upside down–a life once shy and private now out there for the world to gawk at. I couldn't change her fate, but hugging I could do. Heedless of my stitches, I put my arms around the young girl. â€Å"Thanks,' I said, echoing Lissa. â€Å"This'll all be okay. You'll see.' Jill nodded yet again, and with no more to discuss, Lissa and I moved toward the door. Jill's voice brought us to a halt. â€Å"Hey †¦ what happens after the coronation? To me? To us?' I glanced at Lissa. Another good question. Lissa turned toward Jill but still wasn't making direct eye contact. â€Å"We'll †¦ we'll get to know each other. Things'll get better.' The smile that appeared on Jill's face was genuine–small, but genuine. â€Å"Okay,' she said. There was hope in that smile too. Hope and relief. â€Å"I'd like that.' As for me, I had to hide a frown. I apparently could function without the bond because I could tell, with absolute confidence, that Lissa wasn't exactly giving the whole truth. What wasn't she telling Jill? Lissa did want things to be better, I was certain, even if she wasn't sure how. But there was something †¦ something small that Lissa wasn't revealing to either of us, something that made me think Lissa didn't actually believe things would improve. Out of nowhere, a strange echo from Victor Dashkov rang through my mind about Jill. If she has any sense, Vasilisa will send her away. I didn't know why I remembered that, but it sent a chill through me. The sisters were both mustering smiles, and I hastily did as well, not wanting either to know my concerns. Lissa and I left after that, heading back toward my room. My little outing had been more tiring than I expected, and as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't wait to lie down again. When we reached my room, I still hadn't decided if I should ask Lissa about Jill or wait to get Dimitri's opinion. The decision was taken from me when we found an unexpected visitor waiting: Adrian. He sat on my bed, head tipped back as though he was completely consumed by studying the ceiling. I knew better. He'd known the instant we approached–or at least when Lissa approached. We stopped in the doorway, and he finally turned toward us. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while. Dark shadows hung under his eyes, and his cute face was hardened with lines of fatigue. Whether it was mental or physical fatigue, I couldn't say. Nonetheless, his lazy smile was the same as ever. â€Å"Your majesty,' he said grandly. â€Å"Stop,' scoffed Lissa. â€Å"You should know better.' â€Å"I've never known better,' he countered. â€Å"You should know that.' I saw Lissa start to smile; then she glanced at me and grew serious, realizing this was hardly let's-have-fun-with-Adrian time. â€Å"Well,' she said uneasily, not looking very queenly at all. â€Å"I've got some things to do.' She was going to bolt, I realized. I'd gone with her for her family chat, but she was going to abandon me now. Just as well, though. This conversation with Adrian had been inevitable, and I'd brought it on myself. I had to finish this on my own, just as I'd told Dimitri. â€Å"I'm sure you do,' I said. Her face turned hesitant, as though she was suddenly reconsidering. She felt guilty. She was worried about me and wanted to stand by me. I lightly touched her arm. â€Å"It's okay, Liss. I'll be okay. Go.' She squeezed my hand in return, her eyes wishing me good luck. She told Adrian goodbye and left, closing the door behind her. It was just him and me now. He stayed on my bed, watching me carefully. He still wore the smile he'd given Lissa, like this was no big deal. I knew otherwise and made no attempts to hide my feelings. Standing still made me tired, so I sat down in a nearby chair, nervously wondering what to say. â€Å"Adrian–‘ â€Å"Let's start with this, little dhampir,' he said cordially. â€Å"Was it going on before you left Court?' It took me a moment to follow that abrupt Adrian conversation format. He was asking if Dimitri and I had gotten back together before my arrest. I shook my head slowly. â€Å"No. I was with you. Just you.' True, I'd been a mess of emotions, but my intentions had been firm. â€Å"Well. That's something,' he said. Some of his pleasantness was starting to slip. I smelled it then, ever so faintly: alcohol and smoke. â€Å"Better some rekindling of sparks in the heat of battle or quest or whatever than you cheating right in front of me.' I shook my head more urgently now. â€Å"No, I swear. I didn't–nothing happened then †¦ not until–‘ I hesitated on how to phrase my next words. â€Å"Later?' he guessed. â€Å"Which makes it okay? â€Å"No! Of course not. I †¦' Damn it. I'd screwed up. Just because I hadn't cheated on Adrian at Court didn't mean that I hadn't cheated on him later. You could phrase it however you wanted, but let's face it: sleeping with another guy in a hotel room was pretty much cheating if you had a boyfriend. It didn't matter if that guy was the love of your life or not. â€Å"I'm sorry,' I said. It was the simplest and most appropriate thing I could say. â€Å"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. I didn't mean for it to happen. I thought †¦ I really thought he and I were done. I was with you. I wanted to be with you. And then, I realized that–‘ â€Å"No, no–stop.' Adrian held up a hand, his voice tight now as his cool facade continued to crumble. â€Å"I really do not want to hear about the great revelation you had about how you guys were always meant to be together or whatever it was.' I stayed silent because, well, that kind of had been my revelation. Adrian ran a hand through his hair. â€Å"Really, it's my fault. It was there. A hundred times there. How often did I see it? I knew. It kept happening. Over and over, you'd say you were through with him †¦ and over and over, I'd believe it †¦ no matter what my eyes showed me. No matter what my heart told me. My. Fault.' It was that slightly unhinged rambling–not that nervous kind of Jill's, but the unstable kind that worried me about how close he was getting to the edge of insanity. An edge I might very well be pushing him toward. I wanted to go over to him but had the sense to stay seated. â€Å"Adrian, I–‘ â€Å"I loved you!' he yelled. He jumped up out of his chair so quickly I never saw it coming. â€Å"I loved you, and you destroyed me. You took my heart and ripped it up. You might as well have staked me!' The change in his features also caught me by surprise. His voice filled the room. So much grief, so much anger. So unlike the usual Adrian. He strode toward me, hand clasped over his chest. â€Å"I. Loved. You. And you used me the whole time.' â€Å"No, no. It's not true.' I wasn't afraid of Adrian, but in the face of that emotion, I found myself cringing. â€Å"I wasn't using you. I loved you. I still do, but–‘ He looked disgusted. â€Å"Rose, come on.' â€Å"I mean it! I do love you.' Now I stood up, pain or no, trying to look him in the eye. â€Å"I always will, but we're not †¦ I don't think we work as a couple.' â€Å"That's a bullshit breakup line, and you know it.' He was kind of right, but I thought back to moments with Dimitri †¦ how well we worked in sync, how he always seemed to get exactly what I felt. I meant what I'd said: I did love Adrian. He was wonderful, in spite of all his flaws. Because, really, who didn't have flaws? He and I had fun together. There was affection, but we weren't matched in the way Dimitri and I were. â€Å"I'm not †¦ I'm not the one for you,' I said weakly. â€Å"Because you're with another guy?' â€Å"No, Adrian. Because †¦ I don't. I don't know. I don't †¦' I was fumbling, badly. I didn't know how to explain what I felt, how you could care about someone and love hanging out with them–but still not work as a couple. â€Å"I don't balance you like you need.' â€Å"What the hell does that mean?' he exclaimed. My heart ached for him, and I was so sorry for what I'd done †¦ but this was the truth of it all. â€Å"The fact that you have to ask says it all. When you find that person †¦ you'll know.' I didn't add that with his history, he'd probably have a number of false starts before finding that person. â€Å"And I know this sounds like another bullshit breakup line, but I really would like to be your friend.' He stared at me for several heavy seconds and then laughed–though there wasn't much humor in it. â€Å"You know what's great? You're serious. Look at your face.' He gestured, as though I actually could examine myself. â€Å"You really think it's that easy, that I can sit here and watch your happy ending. That I can watch you getting everything you want as you lead your charmed life.' â€Å"Charmed!' The guilt and sympathy warring within me got a little kick of anger. â€Å"Hardly. Do you know what I've gone through in the last year?' I'd watched Mason die, fought in the St. Vladimir's attack, been captured by Strigoi in Russia, and then lived on the run as a wanted murderess. That didn't sound charmed at all. â€Å"And yet, here you are, triumphant after it all. You survived death and freed yourself from the bond. Lissa's queen. You got the guy and your happily ever after.' I turned my back to him and stalked away. â€Å"Adrian, what do you want me to say? I can apologize forever, but there's nothing else I can do here. I never wanted to hurt you; I can't say that enough. But the rest? Do you really expect me to be sad about everything else having worked out? Should I wish I was still I was accused of murder?' â€Å"No,' he said. â€Å"I don't want you to suffer. Much. But the next time you're in bed with Belikov, stop a moment and remember that not everyone made out as well as you did.' I turned back to face him. â€Å"Adrian, I never–‘ â€Å"Not just me, little dhampir,' he added quietly. â€Å"There's been a lot of collateral damage along the way while you battled against the world. I was a victim, obviously. But what about Jill? What happens to her now that you've abandoned her to the royal wolves? And Eddie? Have you thought about him? And where's your Alchemist?' Every word he slung at me was an arrow, piercing my heart more than the bullets had. The fact that he'd referred to Jill by her name instead of â€Å"Jailbait' carried an extra hurt. I was already toting plenty of guilt about her, but the others †¦ well, they were a mystery. I'd heard rumors about Eddie but hadn't seen him since my return. He was clear of James's death, but killing a Moroi–when others still thought he might have been brought in alive–carried a heavy stigma. Eddie's previous insubordination– thanks to me–also damned him, even if it had all been for â€Å"the greater good.' As queen, Lissa could only do so much. The guardians served the Moroi, but it was customary for the Moroi to step back and let the guardians manage their own people. Eddie wasn't being dismissed or imprisoned †¦ but what assignment would they give him? Hard to say. Sydney †¦ she was an even greater mystery. Where's your Alchemist? The goings- on of that group were beyond me, beyond my world. I remembered her face that last time I'd seen her, back in the hotel–strong but sad. I knew she and the other Alchemists had been released since then, but her expression had said she wasn't out of trouble yet. And Victor Dashkov? Where did he fit in? I wasn't sure. Evil or not, he was still someone who'd suffered as a result of my actions, and the events surrounding his death would stay with me forever. Collateral damage. I'd brought down a lot of people with me, intentionally or no. But, as Adrian's words continued sinking into me, one of them suddenly gave me pause. â€Å"Victim,' I said slowly. â€Å"That's the difference between you and me.' â€Å"Huh?' He'd been watching me closely while I'd considered the fates of my friends and was caught off guard now. â€Å"What are you talking about?' â€Å"You said you were a victim. That's why †¦ that's why ultimately, you and I aren't matched for each other. In spite of everything that's happened, I've never thought of myself that way. Being a victim means you're powerless. That you won't take action. Always †¦ always I've done something to fight for myself †¦ for others. No matter what.' I'd never seen such outrage on Adrian's face. â€Å"That's what you think of me? That I'm lazy? Powerless?' Not exactly. But I had a feeling that after this conversation, he would run off to the comfort of his cigarettes and alcohol and maybe whatever female company he could find. â€Å"No,' I said. â€Å"I think you're amazing. I think you're strong. But I don't think you've realized it–or learned how to use any of that.' And, I wanted to add, I wasn't the person who could inspire that in him. â€Å"This,' he said, moving toward the door, â€Å"was the last thing I expected. You destroy my life and then feed me inspirational philosophy.' I felt horrible, and it was one of those moments where I wished my mouth wouldn't just blurt out the first thing on my mind. I'd learned a lot of control–but not quite enough. â€Å"I'm just telling you the truth. You're better than this †¦ better than whatever it is you're going to do now.' Adrian rested his hand on the doorknob and gave me a rueful look. â€Å"Rose, I'm an addict with no work ethic who's likely going to go insane. I'm not like you. I'm not a superhero.' â€Å"Not yet,' I said. He scoffed, shook his head, and opened the door. Just before leaving, he gave me one more backward glance. â€Å"The contract's null and void, by the way.' I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. And in one of those rare moments, Rose Hathaway was rendered speechless. I had no witty quips, no elaborate explanations, and no profound insight. Adrian left, and I wondered if I'd ever see him again.

Idioms dont travel well - Emphasis

Idioms dont travel well Idioms dont travel well When writing anything for a global audience, its best to leave idioms out of it. Idioms are groups of words whose meaning is usually metaphorical and cannot necessarily be deduced from looking at each component word. Unsurprisingly, this can make them problematic for anyone who may be attempting to translate word by word. What might you make of these turns of phrase? Spanish: I have an aunt who plays the guitar. (Yo tengo una tà ­a que toca la guitarra.) French: Its the end of the beans! (Cest la fin des haricots!) Arabic: The sky doesnt throw chicks. (El samaa la tohadef katakeet.) Spanish: To leave Guatemala and arrive in worse cornstalks. (Salir de Guatemala y meterse en guatepeor.) [Youll find the answers at the foot of this blog post.] Talking nonsense Not that English idioms are any more sensible. On the face of it, theres no obvious reason why feline nightwear (Its the cats pyjamas, for our readers who speak English as a second language) should indicate the highest of standards. Nor is it clear why a taut top lip (Keep a stiff upper lip) is a desirable feature in the face of adversity. Every country has its own idioms, which tend to reflect back on the culture they come from. Spend long enough studying translations and you might be able to hazard a guess at the meaning of other countries sayings, and sometimes find the odd crossover. Spanish: Everyone has their own way to kill fleas. (Cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas.) English: Theres more than one way to skin a cat. German: From a mosquito make an elephant. (Aus einer Mà ¼cke einen Elefanten machen.) English: Make a mountain out of a molehill. The question is: do you want or expect your reader to take that time? Can you be sure they wont dismiss your communication as gibberish rather than work out you dont want them literally to push an envelope, put a project in their bed or extract something from a horses mouth? Dont make work for your reader And much of the time, we dont even know where our own languages idioms came from, or why they mean what they do. We use them based on the context weve heard them in and out of habit. Little wonder, then, that they so easily trip up international readers. In the UK, we may talk of taking a rain check. But how many of us know the expression is borrowed from baseball in the US, where a rain check is the receipt from a ticket, which may be reused if rain prevents play? Lets get literal So lets not beat around the bush. When writing for global audiences, being as literal as possible is the best method by a long chalk. Anything else just wont cut the mustard. Answers: Whats that got to do with the price of tea in China? Thats the last straw! Money doesnt grow on trees. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Is It Worth Partnering With A Book Marketer

Is It Worth Partnering With A Book Marketer Is It Worth Partnering With A Book Marketer? Since starting Reedsy, I’ve heard time and again that â€Å"what authors need most help with is marketing.† But that’s akin to saying startups like us primarily need help with fundraising; to me, it’s a startup founder’s job to raise funds when the company needs them, just as it’s a writer’s task to sell his or her book. Sure, help would be appreciated, but going as far as outsourcing? The best startups don’t do that.Of course, I can see the case for bringing on a marketing specialist, particularly when an author is not technically savvy or familiar with social networks and communities. Still, this raises the question: who is best placed to promote an author’s work? If promotion isn’t done by the creator himself, isn’t there a chance the message will get lost?These are several of the questions I asked author Jonathan Gould, who decided to partner with book marketer Mike Doane for the promotion of his latest book, Magnus Opum.Book marketer: it begins with strategyâ€Å"It begins with strategy,† says Gould. â€Å"I have very little idea about how to strategize a book selling campaign. That’s where Mike comes in. From the very beginning, we discussed my goals as a writer, and the sorts of books I like to write. From that, Mike can not only give me advice on which readers I should be reaching out to but also suggestions on how to reach them. Together we are in the process of developing an overall strategy that should help get my name out and define me as a writer with a distinct style and voice.†I’ve gotten to know quite a few authors just like Jonathan: they blog on a regular basis, spend time on Twitter and Facebook, do Goodreads giveaways, and write to bloggers and reviewers. But not everyone takes time to assess their objectives with each of these marketing tasks.A good book marketer can (or should) help you identify your target audience, find ways to reach out to it, and measure the results of your efforts in each marketing â€Å"channel† so you can focus on the ones that work. You end up doing the work (reaching out to reviewers, interacting with readers, etc.), so it doesn’t endanger your brand image or your relationship-building. And you know why you’re doing what you’re doing.Mike Doane explains: â€Å"I think a lot of authors do those things they’re supposed to do without knowing the reasons why. ‘I blog once a week’ is not a strategy, it’s a tactic. What’s even worse is not being able to measure the outcomes, let alone produce outcomes to measure. This is my job. I’m supposed to help Jonathan understand why he’s using the tactics he’s using, plus find new tactics and help him test them.†Essentially, that’s what a â€Å"marketing plan† is all about, and there is a certain skill to putting one together that not every author has taken the time to learn. That said, there is a vast amount of content out there around â€Å"book marketing†, whether in the form of blog posts, podcasts, webinars, online courses, or even books. Our initial thought was that there is no reason why an author couldn’t learn this on his own (while in contrast, specialized skills like editing and design can take years to learn and perfect). So I asked several authors on forums: what does hiring a personal book marketer bring that you couldn’t achieve on your own with enough time and effort?Personalized advice, moral support, and an extra pair of legsAs indie author and marketing consultant Debbie Young told me: â€Å"Authors often have very unrealistic expectations of how hard it’s going to be to market a book. Too often authors get discouraged and stop trying to market at all, but with a little direction and encouragement of the kind I’m able to offer, they discover that actually there is a lot they can do after all, and they are re-enthused to do it.†The degree of moral support a personalized marketing consultant can give you might actually be the most valuable part of that collaboration. The same way a good content editor can help you gain confidence in your craft, a good book marketer should be able to teach you how to promote your book in a more confident and effective way.Plus, as Jonathan puts it, â€Å"It’s nice to have an extra pair of legs when it comes to chasing promotional opportunities such as guest posts, interviews, or paid promotions.† This touches on the subject of personal VAs (Virtual Assistants), which was brilliantly covered on Joanna Penn’s blog recently.Flat fee remuneration or royalty-share?Of course, this extra pair of legs doesn’t come for free. And how much (or even how) you should pay for marketing help is a slightly controversial question.Jonathan and Mike have contracted on a royalty-share basis. This is something that you rarely see for editing or design services, but is a much more frequent occurrence in narration (audiobook) or translation services.The logic behind it is pretty simple: a marketer’s only job is to generate sales for your books, so it makes sense to index the marketer’s remuneration on the results of their work. However, in nearly every other marketing-related profession, such as publicity, flat fees are the norm. I don’t know of one good book publicist who works on a royalty-share basis. Mike explains why: â€Å"Any author-publicist contract that’s based around sales is foolish. It’s like those SEO companies that promise a #1 position on Google for a given keyword. That’s extremely hard to deliver, especially on a budget. Publicists can’t promise things like reviews or sales. There are just too many factors involved.†As marketers develop deeper, longer-lasting relationships with the authors they partner with, royalty- share might make more sense for them than for publicists or SEO specialists. Whether it makes sense to the author is another question, and one that largely depends on sales, budget-consciousness and risk-aversion. Mike suggested to me that he would like to see a flexible model where authors and marketers can choose to work together on a mix of fee and royalty-share.This would have the advantage of keeping a bonus element (royalty) to incentivize the book marketer, while assuring that he gets paid a decent remuneration even if the book fails to sell well. There is no guarantee in book marketing and asking the marketer to assume all the risk makes little sense. In that sense, a hybrid model is certainly worth exploring.Follow Ricardo, the author of this article, and Reedsy on Twitter: @RicardoFayet  and  @ReedsyHQDo you have any questions about book marketing and whether it makes sense at your stage to hire a professional marketer? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!

Breastfeeding or Not

About 4 million babies were born in the United States during the year. The average age of American mothers is 25 years old. For the first time, my mother makes many questions and decisions about feeding method and nutrition of children. In the United States and around the world, over 90% of infants are breast-fed, but only 36% breast-feed infants exclusively for the first 6 months (Berger et al., 2011). Parents can choose to give their children a formula or breastfeeding, and parents may ask questions on which way. Women are breastfeeding since ancient times. But this does not mean that women are born in every detail about breastfeeding. Information on breastfeeding is not missing, but it tends to confuse you more than you know. It is normal for new mothers to ask many questions about breastfeeding and breastfeeding. In order to help you with these questions, we will provide you with an indispensable guide for breastfeeding that every mother should have. Please continue reading our q uestions about what you should avoid during your diet and breastfeeding. For all mothers who breastfeed, nutrition is the most important, and it helps milk production. Breastfeeding is highly dependent on your energy level and requires a healthy diet. You do not need to eat special food during breastfeeding, but you can get the necessary nutrients by combining healthy food. You should choose a healthy blend of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to maintain your nutritional needs. Some of the foods you can add to your diet are: Green leaf vegetables: Children may hate it, sometimes adults, but its advantages are undeniable. The strength of iron, green leafy vegetables such as vitamins A and C, broccoli and spinach should be part of each mother's breastfeeding meal. Abundant antioxidant and low calorie, important for you and your baby Breastfeeding or Not About 4 million babies were born in the United States during the year. The average age of American mothers is 25 years old. For the first time, my mother makes many questions and decisions about feeding method and nutrition of children. In the United States and around the world, over 90% of infants are breast-fed, but only 36% breast-feed infants exclusively for the first 6 months (Berger et al., 2011). Parents can choose to give their children a formula or breastfeeding, and parents may ask questions on which way. Women are breastfeeding since ancient times. But this does not mean that women are born in every detail about breastfeeding. Information on breastfeeding is not missing, but it tends to confuse you more than you know. It is normal for new mothers to ask many questions about breastfeeding and breastfeeding. In order to help you with these questions, we will provide you with an indispensable guide for breastfeeding that every mother should have. Please continue reading our q uestions about what you should avoid during your diet and breastfeeding. For all mothers who breastfeed, nutrition is the most important, and it helps milk production. Breastfeeding is highly dependent on your energy level and requires a healthy diet. You do not need to eat special food during breastfeeding, but you can get the necessary nutrients by combining healthy food. You should choose a healthy blend of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to maintain your nutritional needs. Some of the foods you can add to your diet are: Green leaf vegetables: Children may hate it, sometimes adults, but its advantages are undeniable. The strength of iron, green leafy vegetables such as vitamins A and C, broccoli and spinach should be part of each mother's breastfeeding meal. Abundant antioxidant and low calorie, important for you and your baby

Early Challenges to the System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Early Challenges to the System - Essay Example The inception of humiliation was especially during after the utter defeat of the six-day war that completely disoriented Arab region including even the Egypt1. This even yielded to serious divisions in the region despite generally professing one creed though having other smaller sects among them. Besides the untimely passing on of the region’s informal leader Nasser, the region had serious divisions especially in Lebanon most of them fuelled by divergence in creed and small religious sects. These included Christians and Islamic sects like Shi’ites, and Sunnis, which gave foreign forces continue to divide them further2. Additionally, there were also aspect of conflicting interests characterizing the region’s leaders who due to were they originated emerged with differing voices. This is despite the entire Islamic religion seeing possibility of uniting itself as one religious bloc. However, this could not do manage for individual states prefer local autonomous

The Population Environment Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Population Environment Debate - Essay Example Currently, researchers are trying to frame this debate into a more analytical parameter. This is after they discovered that a framework, which describes the inherent uncertainties in the relationships between population and environment, is vital in giving this debate a direction. Governments are also advised to develop and implement population policy that acknowledges and respects the relationship between population and the environment. Additionally, the entire population should also be engaged, in this debate, to get their views and opinions about the future at the local, regional, and national levels. These actions will help people understand both the positive and negative relationships between population and the environment. Betsy Hartmann first came up with the idea that overpopulation is the primary cause of environmental degradations, and serious population control is required to control this situation (Ramphal et al. 45). He dismissed the idea that population growth was the ma in cause of environmental problems, and reminded researchers to reflect on how population- control programs are not paid much attention. This argument is recognized as the cause of the population-environment debate. Participants of this debate are facing the challenging of considering whether population growth is the cause of environmental degradation, or whether it should be considered as a non-issue, in this debate. Considering one factor, as the effects of population growth on the environment, is what has always given this debate a meaningless direction. Participants need to broaden the basis of their arguments and understand population dynamics and their impacts on the environment (Ramphal et al. 51). While the rate of population growth has significantly slowed down, there is still an increase in the world’s population every year (Ramphal et al. 23). Population growth has a considerable effect on the environment, however; it is difficult to determine whether this impact i n linear or uniform.           

Upward mobility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Upward mobility - Essay Example This third time-level represents one facet of several possible comparisons between the narrator and Sa'eed, all urged by the construction of the novel around this pair of characters.At the very beginning of the novel, the narrator refers to his time in England as seven years of longing and describes the place as "a land 'whose fishes die of the cold'". The narrator's characterizations of his studies abroad are typically vague and completely lacking in detail (as in the preceding example) or dismissive. The narrative of Mustafa Sa'eed's experiences as a student, intellectual and Sudanese expatriate in England. This time-level first appears relatively late in comparison with the other time-levels, (Tayeb , 183) After offering this optimistic cross-cultural comparison, the narrator notes the ominously silent Mustafa Sa'eed, who "said nothing". Sa'eed's silence parallels the narrator's own reticence to share all his thoughts with the villagers, a reticence which possibly reflects deeper misgivings about the truth of his upbeat observation. The narrator thinks to himself that in England, just as in the Sudan. Some are strong and some arc weak; that some have been given more than they deserve by life, while others have been deprived by it, but that the differences are narrowing and most of the weak are no longer weak. This comparison begs the question, however, of whether the same can be said of the relationship between England and the Sudan, rather than within both England and the Sudan.30 For Sa'eed, as both we and the narrator learn in subsequent chapters, a chasm separates East/South from North/West, a gulf reflecting powerlessness and power, respectively, in response to which he embarks on his personal program of violent revenge. Even before Sa'eed's story is begun, however, Sa'eed questions the relevance of the narrator's experiences abroad. Sa'eed introduces himself to the narrator and remarks, in a vaguely dismissive manner, on the latter's achievements. (Tayeb , 183) Solid and unproblematic values, the humanistic act of studying another culture's literature, and the virtue of humility, all appear in conjunction with the narrator's experiences in Europe. Yet the dissimulation calls into question the values implicit in the narrator's very general description of his experiences abroad. Sa'eed responds by attacking the narrator's choice of subject: "We have no need of poetry here". Sa'eed's blunt criticism reflects the unviability of the naive model offered by the narrator for a possible relationship between England and the Sudan. The eager Sudanese student assiduously applying himself to the acquisition of the higher (in both senses) European literary culture offers, for Sa'eed, a pathetic reflex of the rapa ciousness of European Orientalism (including philology): "a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient. Even though it is Mustafa Sa'eed who is speaking, the narrator's own experiences in an idealized England populated by poets, humanists, and doctoral candidates render English poetry intelligible to him. Ironically, precisely those idealized experiences allow him to perceive Mustafa Sa'eed as an interloper in the otherwise (also highly idealized) cultural homogeneity and simplicity of the village. The narrator's

Federal Reserve system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal Reserve system - Essay Example Changing the reserve requirements. The banking system is required to keep a certain amount of the deposits in reserve, while the rest is given out in terms of loans. This amount which is defined in terms of reserve ratio determines the amount of money the financial institutions can create out of the deposits reserved. The FED can either increase or decrease the money supply by altering the reserve ration required from the banking system. When the reserve ratio is lowered the banking system will be required to decrease the deposits in reserve, thus increasing the lending capacity. This in turn will increase the money supply. Alternatively, if FED raises the reserve ratio the banks will be forced to increase their reserve deposits and thus lower the lending capacity. This will eventually decrease the money supply. Changing the reserve requirements is potentially the most powerful tool because a small change in the reserve can causes big changes in the money supply within a very short t ime. Open market operations. This is the most commonly used tool in the daily operations, and is concerned with the purchases and sales of the government in the open market. FED controls the money supply by either buying or selling the government bonds. ... Banks create money by borrowing from the FED reserves or taking account receivables to FED. FED in turn imposes a discount on the loans made. Money supply can be increased by decreasing the discount rates which encourage banks to borrow more from the Federal reserves. Conversely, a lower discount rate will discourage banks from borrowing and thus lower money supply. Question two Easy money policy A 10 Real rate of Interest (%) 8 6 125 150 175 Amount of money demanded and supplied ($ billions) B Real rate of 10 Interest and Expected 8 Of profit (%) 6 investment demand 15 20 25 Amount of investment ($ billion) C P 3 Price level AD3 P 2 AD2 P 1 AD1 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Real GDP ($ billion) Tight money policy A 10 Real rate of Interest (%) 8 6 125 150 175 Amount of money demanded and supplied ($ billions) B Real rate of 10 Interest and Expected 8 Of profit (%) 6 investment demand 15 20 25 Amount of investment ($ billion) C P 1 Price level AD1 P 2 AD2 P 3 AD3 0 Q3 Q2 Q1 Real GDP ($ billion) A = the money market B = Investment demand C= Equilibrium real GDP and the price level Easy money policy can be achieved by making money less expensive to borrow. This means that FED can buy government bonds, decrease the federal funds rate, or decrease the reserve requirements. On the other hand, tight money policy is achieved by making money more expensive to borrow. FED can sell government bonds, increase the federal funds rate, or increase the reserve requirements. Question three The use of monetary rule by FED is based on Taylor’s assumptions of macroeconomics. In this model, price and inflation are steered by three factors; Employment Index, Consumer Price Index, and producer prices (Twomey,

Review of the Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the Literature - Essay Example Some of the roots of this omission are the West-centric approaches of IR and rise of modernist theorists that highlight the practicality and plurality of the secular versus the religious. This paper reviews the concepts and theories on the resurgence of religion as a legitimate institution in shaping the public sphere and IR. Realist, liberal, and constructivist IR theories neglect the role that religion plays in the formation of nation-states and the development of international relations, and new theories on the religious should be produced to integrate religion into IR discourse. In â€Å"Religious Resurgence,† Elizabeth Shakman Hurd suggests a new approach to religion and international relations that confronts the realist, liberal, and constructivist assumptions that eliminated religion in Western politics. She argues that the religious has political authority, since it impacts local, national, and international politics. She suggests religious resurgence that has core con cepts, which would invite diverse theological politics. The chapter â€Å"The Overlooked Dimension† shows that Fox and Sandler agree with Hurd that religion should be brought into IR studies. Fox and Sandler stress that religion may not be the driving force in world politics, but IR would not be completely examined without considering the nation-state’s religious dimension. Religious legitimacy, they assert, affects policy makers and civil societies, as well as local religious conflicts that cross borders. They ask for western social scientists to insert religion into their social researches, not as a peripheral or incidental subject, but as an additional basis for organizing human society and governance. Religious resurgence underscores the pivotal role of religion in IR, since it is a fundamental component in most cultures and civilizations, and so religion should be viewed as a crucial driving force in international relationships. Hurd calls religious resurgence as the attempt of the religious to shape the secular in domestic and international levels. It is an attempt that found expression in various religious movements and activities, both traditional and fundamentalist. These expressions underline the power of religion in renewing traditional values and relationships. Kubalkova develops the concept of International Political Theology (IPT) in â€Å"Towards an International Political Theology.† IPT does not only focus on power and wealth, as traditional IR does, but includes the values and meaning that people place in human existence. She confirms the resurgence of the religious in IR discourse, because religion gives meaning to human existence and direction. She speaks from the perspective of constructivism, which is unlike positivism that sees religion as a direct opposite of reason. Kubalkova argues that the community of states adopts and changes rules and standards that also coincide or oppose religious beliefs and practices. She p roposes to use constructivism as the theoretical viewpoint to include religion, because it is more practical than positivism, as the former uses social construction in analyzing diverse interacting agencies and their effects on national and IR realities. Richard Falk, in â€Å"A Worldwide Religious Resurgence in an Era of Globalization and Apocalyptic Terrorism,†

Upward mobility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Upward mobility - Essay Example This third time-level represents one facet of several possible comparisons between the narrator and Sa'eed, all urged by the construction of the novel around this pair of characters.At the very beginning of the novel, the narrator refers to his time in England as seven years of longing and describes the place as "a land 'whose fishes die of the cold'". The narrator's characterizations of his studies abroad are typically vague and completely lacking in detail (as in the preceding example) or dismissive. The narrative of Mustafa Sa'eed's experiences as a student, intellectual and Sudanese expatriate in England. This time-level first appears relatively late in comparison with the other time-levels, (Tayeb , 183) After offering this optimistic cross-cultural comparison, the narrator notes the ominously silent Mustafa Sa'eed, who "said nothing". Sa'eed's silence parallels the narrator's own reticence to share all his thoughts with the villagers, a reticence which possibly reflects deeper misgivings about the truth of his upbeat observation. The narrator thinks to himself that in England, just as in the Sudan. Some are strong and some arc weak; that some have been given more than they deserve by life, while others have been deprived by it, but that the differences are narrowing and most of the weak are no longer weak. This comparison begs the question, however, of whether the same can be said of the relationship between England and the Sudan, rather than within both England and the Sudan.30 For Sa'eed, as both we and the narrator learn in subsequent chapters, a chasm separates East/South from North/West, a gulf reflecting powerlessness and power, respectively, in response to which he embarks on his personal program of violent revenge. Even before Sa'eed's story is begun, however, Sa'eed questions the relevance of the narrator's experiences abroad. Sa'eed introduces himself to the narrator and remarks, in a vaguely dismissive manner, on the latter's achievements. (Tayeb , 183) Solid and unproblematic values, the humanistic act of studying another culture's literature, and the virtue of humility, all appear in conjunction with the narrator's experiences in Europe. Yet the dissimulation calls into question the values implicit in the narrator's very general description of his experiences abroad. Sa'eed responds by attacking the narrator's choice of subject: "We have no need of poetry here". Sa'eed's blunt criticism reflects the unviability of the naive model offered by the narrator for a possible relationship between England and the Sudan. The eager Sudanese student assiduously applying himself to the acquisition of the higher (in both senses) European literary culture offers, for Sa'eed, a pathetic reflex of the rapa ciousness of European Orientalism (including philology): "a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient. Even though it is Mustafa Sa'eed who is speaking, the narrator's own experiences in an idealized England populated by poets, humanists, and doctoral candidates render English poetry intelligible to him. Ironically, precisely those idealized experiences allow him to perceive Mustafa Sa'eed as an interloper in the otherwise (also highly idealized) cultural homogeneity and simplicity of the village. The narrator's

Review of the Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the Literature - Essay Example Some of the roots of this omission are the West-centric approaches of IR and rise of modernist theorists that highlight the practicality and plurality of the secular versus the religious. This paper reviews the concepts and theories on the resurgence of religion as a legitimate institution in shaping the public sphere and IR. Realist, liberal, and constructivist IR theories neglect the role that religion plays in the formation of nation-states and the development of international relations, and new theories on the religious should be produced to integrate religion into IR discourse. In â€Å"Religious Resurgence,† Elizabeth Shakman Hurd suggests a new approach to religion and international relations that confronts the realist, liberal, and constructivist assumptions that eliminated religion in Western politics. She argues that the religious has political authority, since it impacts local, national, and international politics. She suggests religious resurgence that has core con cepts, which would invite diverse theological politics. The chapter â€Å"The Overlooked Dimension† shows that Fox and Sandler agree with Hurd that religion should be brought into IR studies. Fox and Sandler stress that religion may not be the driving force in world politics, but IR would not be completely examined without considering the nation-state’s religious dimension. Religious legitimacy, they assert, affects policy makers and civil societies, as well as local religious conflicts that cross borders. They ask for western social scientists to insert religion into their social researches, not as a peripheral or incidental subject, but as an additional basis for organizing human society and governance. Religious resurgence underscores the pivotal role of religion in IR, since it is a fundamental component in most cultures and civilizations, and so religion should be viewed as a crucial driving force in international relationships. Hurd calls religious resurgence as the attempt of the religious to shape the secular in domestic and international levels. It is an attempt that found expression in various religious movements and activities, both traditional and fundamentalist. These expressions underline the power of religion in renewing traditional values and relationships. Kubalkova develops the concept of International Political Theology (IPT) in â€Å"Towards an International Political Theology.† IPT does not only focus on power and wealth, as traditional IR does, but includes the values and meaning that people place in human existence. She confirms the resurgence of the religious in IR discourse, because religion gives meaning to human existence and direction. She speaks from the perspective of constructivism, which is unlike positivism that sees religion as a direct opposite of reason. Kubalkova argues that the community of states adopts and changes rules and standards that also coincide or oppose religious beliefs and practices. She p roposes to use constructivism as the theoretical viewpoint to include religion, because it is more practical than positivism, as the former uses social construction in analyzing diverse interacting agencies and their effects on national and IR realities. Richard Falk, in â€Å"A Worldwide Religious Resurgence in an Era of Globalization and Apocalyptic Terrorism,†

Theories used when setting up a new business Essay Example for Free

Theories used when setting up a new business Essay When setting up a new business many business theories have to be considered and thought about. To enable a successful business set up, many features must be pre planned and thought over carefully. These features are such as:   Business plan   Cash flow forecast   Break-even figure   Entrepreneur skills Business reasons why set up the business?   Success how will they succeed in the market?   Finance where will it come from?   Government how can they help?   Setting up how will they set up the business? Who will run the business? All of the above 10 business theories are vital and must be considered and thought out carefully in order for business success. Businesss that start up without consideration of the above are less likely to survive in their market than those who are set up properly with all the above theories planned and worked out. The listed theories will need to be developed and will each contain high levels of detail. It is therefore necessary for me to know exactly what information will be required for when applying these theories to my business proposal planning. Theories Explained: Business Plan: The business for which I am planning and making a proposal for will need a business plan. This will state the company name, where it will be (planned to be) situated, its aims and objectives, what type of business it will be and other important information about the company. Cash Flow Forecast: The business will also need this document which will state a general figure of the estimated figures of the amount of money that will be needed to be spent for various matters for a given time period. This is so that it can be seen when cash will be short so that appropriate loans can be taken. Break-Even: The business will require funding and money invested into it before it can begin trading/operating. For this money to be redeemed the amount spent/invested firstly has to be gained back in the form of revenue. The break even point is when the total amount of revenue equals the total amount of money spent. After this point, the revenue will be profit. Entrepreneur Skills: The entrepreneur creates the business idea, and then hires others to carry out the activity. The may also wish to invest some of their personnel money in hope to gain profit out of the business after establishment. They will need skills to ensure that they make the right plans, and hire the right people/organizations to help them. Any wrong actions taken can lead to failure of the business. Reasons to set up: There has to be some reasons as to why a business should be started. Many people start business because they want to be their own boss, they want full control over everything, they want a fresh start, and they have enough experience and want to run their own business. Success: Before setting up the business, a strategy must be available to help keep the business stable and in the market. Once this is ensured the businessperson needs to make a strategy to help the business succeed in its aims and objectives. Its aims are most likely to be: to survive, break-even, make profit, gain/increase market share etc. Finance: Before the business can start operating it needs some finance. Money will be required to establish the business as well as keep it going. Finance will be required to buy stock, advertise the business, hire staff etc. Also if the business wishes to be a limited company, then the procedure also costs. Usually a bank loan or personnel investment by the businessperson is used however shareholders can also invest into the business. It is vital to know how much money is required to establish the business and keeps it going for a certain period of time so that adequate loans/investments can take place. Government: Sometimes the government can also provide support for a new business. The government may get involved for one of 3 reasons; to control areas of high business congestion, encourage firms to locate in high unemployment areas, or to attract foreign business to UK. The government does this with various schemes such as enterprise zones where taxes are exempt (for a given period) in order to attract business into the area. Setting Up: Before setting up the business the businessperson needs to know and decide how they are going to set up the business. Therefore, they would need a business idea, business plan etc. When setting up they can then either decide to set up on their own by taking a loan or investing their personnel money, or setting up the business with a partner. Running the Business: The businessperson must also understand what is required for running a business. He must have adequate staff, enough money to buy stock and pay staff, enough stock to sell, business/product advertising etc. The businessperson must have enough resources (Land, Labour and Capital) to meet all the above needs to keep the business running smoothly.

infant mortality rate

infant mortality rate Chapter 4 Methodology 4.1 Infant Mortality Rate: Definition and Estimation Approaches Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths occurring in the first year of life per 1,000 live births. It measures the probability of a child born in a specific year will die before reaching the age of one (World Bank, 2008). The IMR are estimated using two approaches including a direct and indirect method. Choice of methods used to estimate the IMR depends on availability and reliability of data source on infant deaths. Reliable data to estimate infant mortality rates mainly come from two data sources. The first is a vital registration system. It is a preferred source of data on infant mortality because it records all information about live births and deaths on prospective basis where a live birth or death is directly reported after it occurs. This makes vital registration system always inform statistical records of live births and deaths based on the actual condition of the population. As a result, it will provide more reliable and accurate data on infant mortality. However, an accurate vital registration system have not yet established for large part of the world, especially in developing countries. Then, it calls for an alternative source in order to estimate the IMR. The alternative source of data on infant mortality is household surveys. In the surveys, the women of fertility age are asked to answer some questions about births and deaths of children born to them. From this information, the fertility histories then can be constructed. There are two types of the fertility histories. They are a complete or truncated fertility history and incomplete or summary fertility history (World Bank, 2008). A complete fertility history uncovers the dates of births, survival status and date or age at death of all children born to the interviewed woman. On the other hand, an incomplete fertility history reveals only the number of children ever born and the number still alive or the number who have died. In order to estimate infant mortality rate, a direct method requires data for each childs date of birth, survival status, and date or age at death. This information can be found both in vital registration systems and in household surveys with complete fertility histories. In contrast, an indirect method requires less data that can be found in household surveys that do not collect detailed fertility histories. The only information required are: the number of children ever born, the number of children surviving (or dead), and the total number of women classified by five year age groups. The indirect approach uses the Brass method, after William Brass who developed a procedure to convert the proportion of death among children ever born reported by women in the age groups into estimates of the probability of dying before a certain age. Brasss method assumes that the age of the mother can function as a proxy for the age of her children and therefore for how long they have been exposed to the risk of dying (Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, 2007). The procedures to calculate infant mortality rate using the indirect method can be explained as follows. Step 1. Calculation of average parity per woman Step 2. Calculation of the proportion dead among children ever born Step 3. Calculation of the multipliers, k(i) Step 4. Calculation of the probability of dying by age x, q(x) Step 5. Calculation of the reference dates for q(x), t (x) However, the indirect method has several limitations. First, it requires model life tables to adjust the data for the age pattern of mortality in the general population. Choosing an appropriate life table to a specific population is important to generating accurate estimates (Ahmad et al., 2000). The Coale-Demeny model life tables utilized to adjust the data are derived largely from European experience that may not fit population in sub-Sahara Africa for instance. Second, the Brass method assumes that fertility and child mortality have remained constant in the recent past. If, for example, fertility has been changing, the ratios of average parities and age pattern of childbearing will be affected. As a result, it will lead to over or under estimate of child mortality (United Nations, 1983). In this paper, data to estimate provinces infant mortality rates come from Indonesias socio-economic household survey (Susenas) data from 2001 to 2006. Susenas data provides information about: (i) the number of children ever born, (ii) the number of children surviving, and (iii) the total number of women classified by five-year age groups. Based on this data, infant mortality rates are calculated using the United Nations software, QFIVE. One should be noted that since the study period of this paper only six years, the fertility patterns across provinces are likely remain constant. This study period is too short for any meaningful changes in fertility to materialize. As a result, infant mortality rates are reliable to be used for the further analysis. 4.2 Data The empirical analysis in this paper uses a balanced panel of 25 Indonesian Provinces during the period 2001-2006, for which complete data can be found from three sources. The first is Indonesias socio-economic household survey (Susenas), which provides information on household characteristics and the presence of skilled birth attendant at delivery. The Susenas data also contains information that can be used to calculate infant mortality rates with the indirect method. The Susenas data for this paper are available from 2001 to 2006. The second source is the Ministry of Finance (MoF) data. It records district expenditure that can be broken down by sector, including health. It is then divided into two types of health expenditure, routine and development expenditure. Since the Indonesian government changed the financial report format for provincial and district level spending according to Government Regulation Number 24 year 2005 about Governmental Accounting Standard, time consistent data for public expenditure on health are available only for 2001 to 2004. The last source is Ministry of Health (MoH) data on the ratio of puskesmas per 100,000 inhabitants as proxy for health care supply provided by government. This data are available for every province from 2001 to 1006. This information is taken from various years of Indonesia Health Profile published by the MoH. This study combines these three data sources to construct a panel data set. In order to simplify the analysis, these data aggregated into province level. It also aims to make infant mortality rates feasible to be calculated. Four provinces are excluded from analysis since they do not have complete data namely Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Maluku, Maluku, Papua, and DKI Jakarta. A balance panel then consist of 25 Indonesia provinces during the period 2001-2006. Table 4.1 lists the variables with their definitions and sources. 4.3 Econometric Model This paper first estimates a regression model examining the effect of public health spending on infant mortality, and then it explores the relationship between the public health spending on skilled birth attendance. Finally, this study will investigate whether infant mortality is affected by skilled birth attendance. This paper introduces a fixed effect parameter in order to capture unobserved heterogeneity associated with the provinces and a time specific effects. Representing the provinces by the subscript i and the year of observations available by the subscript t, the relationship between IMR and public health spending is specified as Hit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²1 Sit + ÃŽ ²2 Xit + ÃŽ ±i + ÃŽ ´t + ÃŽ µit where H is log infant mortality and S is per capita total public health expenditure. X is a set of control variables, which include average house ownership in the province as proxy of average province welfare, the fraction of population living in rural area, the proportion of households with a closed sewage disposal system, and mothers level of education. This model also controls for the ratio of puskesmas per 100,000 inhabitants as proxy of health care supply provided by government. Time specific effects, represented in dt, are captured by a dummy variables for each year. This term incorporates average trends associated with economic development, for instance technological progress. The province fixed effect ai, captures all unobserved, time invariant factors that might affect infant mortality rates, for examples geographical features and wide variations on cultural perspectives on how to care for newborn children. The second model investigates the role of public health spending on skilled birth attendance. This model also examines role of the intermediate effect on utilization of skilled birth attendance as transmission channel through which public health spending may affect infant mortality rate. The model is Uit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²1 Sit + ÃŽ ²2 Xit + ÃŽ ±i + ÃŽ ´t + ÃŽ µit where U is utilization of skilled birth attendance, and X are control variables including average house ownership in the province, the fraction of population living in rural area, household size, mothers education and puskesmas coverage. Finally, in order to identify the effect of skilled birth attendance on infant mortality, this paper is examining the following model: Hit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²1 Uit + ÃŽ ²2 Xit + ÃŽ ±i + ÃŽ ´t + ÃŽ µit where the control variables X are the same as in first equation.

We Are Spending Too Much On Prisons Essay -- Persuasive Argumentative

We Are Spending Too Much On Prisons    Would you believe that America has spent around five hundred billion dollars on prisons.(Butterfield) Why are the tax payers of America spending so much money on prisons and not other effective solutions to stopping crime? The American legislation is closed minded about reducing crime. They believe that prison is the one and only solution. Since crime keeps occurring, more and more prisons need to be built and kept running for the increasing numbers of inmates that are pouring into prisons. Prison may be part of the solution, but there are other alternatives to help criminals. If we were to incorporate facilities like drug rehabilitation and job training into the criminal justice system then crime would be greatly reduced. Prisoners would commit fewer crimes after the experience of these facilities, therefore reducing the cost of building and maintaining prisons. The end result will be that the American tax payer's dollars will be available to go to more productive things than prison s.    Prisons require an abundance of money to be run properly and effectively. By using taxes to pay for prisons the American public pays to support the lives of inmates and all of their needs. Prisoners require food, drink, beds, supplies for doing other activities and all of the overlooked things in normal life that go along with these necessities. Inmates have special needs like all of us do. Inmates reguire medical care, for example some have AIDS or other diseases that require medicine which cumulate large bills over time.(Luzadder) Imagine the money amassed over a life sentence of paying for medicine. The American public pays for all of these expenses added to the actual building of the prison f... ...imes which would inevitably send him back to prison. While making perfect sense this solution drastically changes the concept of prison. The effects of social programs integrated with prisons start with helping direct the taxpayers money to more prolific uses, and expand to making people in America smarter, more educated less dangerous people.    Works Cited Federal Bureau of Prisons : http://www.bop.gov/ Inciardi, Dr. James A., A Corrections-Based Continuum of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Avialable: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/contdrug.txt Butterfield, Fox. "Prison: Where the Money Is." N.Y. Times, June 1, 1996 Luzadder, Dan. "House gets Bill That Pours Funds Into Prisons, Colleges." Rocky Mountain News Capitol Bureau. Avialable: http://insidedenver.com/extra/legislature/0325budg0.html