The Supply and Demand of Oil Essay Example for Free

The Supply and Demand of Oil Essay Most people, especially the anti-American regime, blame George Bush as the main reason why oil prices in the international market has been increasing in the recent years. According to them, George Bush serves as an avenue for Iraq and its allies in the Middle East to cut their supply of oil in the world market as a â€Å"payback† for attacking Iraq. Back in the early 2000’s, George Bush commence a war against Iraq for the reasons that he want to end terrorist groups that houses in the said country as well as to spread democracy in the middle east. Iraq, one of the top oil producers in the world market, in response to the action of the United States, Iraq, together with other Islamic countries, cut their oil supply in the world market for United States to suffer from rising oil prices since it is the main consumer of oil in the world market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Little this people know, George Bush is not liable for the rising of oil prices in the international market. Iraq as well as other oil producing countries around the globe is a member of OPEC – an organization of oil producing countries operating as a cartel. Cartel, just like OPEC, manipulates the supply of a certain good in order to influence the market price in the market for the benefit of its members and/or depends on the capacity of oil that its member countries can provide to the world market. The said cutting of oil supply of Iraq and other Islamic countries was just a move initiated largely by OPEC and was not because of the war commenced by George Bush. Even if the said attack in Iraq of the United States influenced the decision of Iraqi government and other Islamic countries to cut their oil supply in the world market, but its level of significance was not enough in order to say that George Bush was liable for the rising of oil prices in the market. Price Gouging   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another fallacy that most people believed to be one of the factors that triggered the rising of oil prices in the market would be the price gouging of domestic oil firms in the market that unreasonably increases the prices of gasoline in the market. People that believes in this factor claims that domestic oil firms only wants to further increase their profitability and only uses the condition of world market for oil as a leeway in order to justify its indiscriminate and unjustifiable price increase on gasoline and other petroleum products in the domestic market. Moreover, say that price of oil in the world market indeed increase due to shortage of oil, domestic oil firms charges more than the amount that they should charge to their customers just to maintain their profitability. In other words, ignorant people about the real score on the rising of oil prices accuse domestic oil firms from cheating on them. Even if it is possible, the government would not allow such even to happen. There is a more logical reason why oil prices and other petroleum products are increasing robustly in the market in the recent years. In some countries, like for the case of the Philippines, they have the Department of Energy that monitors and approves the price increase of their domestic oil firms.   In short, domestic oil firms cannot just unreasonably raise their prices since the government keeps eye on them. Moreover, the value judgment of people claiming this factor as one of the factors that triggers the rising of oil prices in the market is based on emotions and on what they see on their immediate environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just like the case of the first fallacy discussed above, these types of people hastily makes conclusion without conducting thoroughly research and study. At the end of the day, the association of price gouging and oil price hike is not but a fallacy, a fallacy of hasty conclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Price Fixing of OPEC   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Few decades after the establishment of OPEC, it mainly has the power to influence and manipulate prices of oil in the international market by either raising or cutting the volume of oil that they supply in the international market. But in the recent years, due to the depleting oil reserves of many oil producing countries, especially oil producing countries in the Middle East, OPEC has been increasing the prices of their oil in the market robustly in the recent years not because they want to but because they are forced to. But many people still are skeptical on the real score on the rising of OPEC’s oil in the international market. Those statements of many people claiming that OPEC manipulates the prices of oil in the world market are making a foregone conclusion (Peopledaily.com.cn 2004). Before this claim seems to fit, but now, amidst to the problem on depleting oil reserves of many oil producing countries, this claim does not hold anymore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the end of the day, people, especially consumers that are not well-informed about the current situation of oil reserves of various oil producing countries in the world market, are insisting that OPEC, as a cartel, takes advantage of its market power and indiscriminately charges higher prices that what is should be optimally charging to its customers. Again, these claims of above mentioned people are nothing but a mere fallacy for they do not have the strong argumentation about the true roots of oil price increase in the international market. The Real Issue – Supply and Demand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main and acceptable reason behind the pricing of oil prices in the world market would be the level of supply and demand in the market. These economic factors are the determinants of â€Å"right† and â€Å"justifiable† market price of oil in the market. There are no other factors that can influence the price of oil justifiably other than the demand-supply relationship since these factors are market driven and being controlled by all of the sectors in the economy. Demand, as a one of the economic factors that influences the spiking of oil prices in the market, accounts to all of the industries’ degree of importance of oil in the market. It also accounts all of the political and social factors of the market and incorporates these factors to the consumption behavior of the consumers in the market. In other words, demand is a good determinant of â€Å"true† value of market prices of goods and services in the economy. It is the market forces that influence the level of demand of goods and services in the market, and this market forces always provides benefits to the society as a whole. At the end of the day, demand reflects degree of importance of oil in various sectors as well as accounts all the social and political factors that affect such degree of importance of oil. On the other hand, the supply is also another important economic factor that greatly influences the price increase of oil in the international market. Supply provides the willingness to accept of producers in the market. Like for the case of oil industry, the oil prices that is triggered by supply factor is mainly reflects how much price the oil producing countries are willing to accept in order for them to produce oil in the market. In other words, supply reveals the prices that oil producing countries are willing to receive in order for them to continue their production of oil in the market. Given that oil reserves of oil of most oil producing countries are starting to deplete creating an avenue for them to supply oil less in the international market, it creates enough market pressure for oil prices in the world market to increase robustly. Since the oil reserves of oil producing countries are depleting, the willingness to accept of oil producing countries increases as a move to protect their profitability (Schoen, 2004). But increasing their willingness to accept would give them enough room to raise their profit since they can haggle for higher prices of oil in the market to the consumers. This scenario is the one that is happening at present times – oil producing countries and OPEC are forced to raise their prices, or willingness to accept, due to their depleting oil reserves and not primarily because of the high demand in the market, while consumers shoulders all of the burden (Newscientist.com 2007). The Supply and Demand of Oil In the recent years, the prices of oil in the international market has been increasing due to the depletion of oil reserves of many oil producing countries and member countries of OPEC. This issue has already been discussed in the previous part of this paper. It was identified that the price of oil in the world market already breaks its previous records. The price of oil in the world market per barrel as one the previous month is averaging to $140/barrel which only suggest how severe the shortage of oil in the world market is. Given a high demand for oil in the market, assuming a constant supply of oil in the market, prices would surely increase significantly since the willingness to accept and willingness to pay of producers and consumers respectively will increase. Since oil is one of the major commodity of most industries nowadays, the demand for oil is overwhelming for most oil exporting countries, and so with OPEC (Muhanna, 2004). But this overwhelming feeling of OPEC and other oil exporting countries won’t last long considering that they do not have enough oil reserves to supply the large demand of consumers in the market. As a result, in order to maintain their present profitability, OPEC and other oil exporting countries are forced to raise the prices of their oil in the market, regardless of the level of demand of consumers for oil. In this regard, if is therefore clear that demand and supply relationship of oil is the one that currently influences the spiking of oil prices in the world market. In this regard, it is therefore clear that demand and supply of oil in the world market is the main factor why oil price has been spiking in the recent years and not because of the above mentioned fallacies about the rising of oil prices raised by â€Å"emotional† based judgment of consumers and ignorant people. References Muhanna, I. (2004). Oil Price Hike. Retrieved July 26, 2008, from http://www.arabnews.com/?page=6section=0article=51086d=6m=9y=2004 Newscientist.com (2007). Depleting Oil Supplies Threaten â€Å"Meltdown in Society†. Retrieved July 26, 2008, from http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/mg19626273.900-depleting-oil-supplies-threaten-meltdown-in-society.html Peopledaily.com.cn (2004). Ten Specious Fallacies on Current World’s High Oil Prices. Retrieved 26, 2008, from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200409/07/eng20040907_156168.html Schoen, J. W. (2004). How Long will the Word’s Oil Last? Retrieved July 26, 2008, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5945678/

Analysing Learning Theories That Have Informed Knowledge Development Nursing Essay

Analysing Learning Theories That Have Informed Knowledge Development Nursing Essay The purpose of this write up is to explore and analyse how learning theories informed knowledge development and competence in promoting health and psycho education in clinical settings. I will examine the principles underpinning the facilitation of learning and assessment. I will demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of the theoretical concepts in an episode in which I facilitated learning to clients while on placement at a Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre. Finally, I will use the reflective model by (Gibbs, 1988) to reflect on the strategies used within the episode and discuss the implications in relation to my future role as a nurse. The NMC (2008) stipulates that as nurses we must maintain our professional knowledge and competence regularly. You must keep knowledge and skills up to date throughout your working life and that you must take part in an appropriate learning and practice activities that will maintain and develop your competence and performance. In view of the aforementioned this essay is aimed at enhancing my knowledge and competence in facilitating learning through understanding of the underpinning concepts. I observed most residents having fast foods such as burgers, kebab, and chocolate as well as fuzzy drinks which are rich in saturated fatty and sugar for lunch regularly and they were also smoking a lot. I was really concerned because of my duty of care as a nurse (NMC, 2004) and due to findings from several researches for example (Bottomley and Mckeown, 2008 and Hallpike, 2008) which shows the risk of malnutrition was commonly associated with people with psychosis which predisposes them to host of physical health problems. I had a chat with my mentor of my intention to use the weekly communal meeting to carry out a teaching session to raise awareness and sensitise the residents on the effects of fatty foods and fuzzy drinks on their body chemistry and the need to improve and develop a healthier eating habits and life styles, considering the fact that most of them were on various antipsychotic medication which predisposes them to becoming obese. Timms (2008) said that a huge majority of people with mental health problems are most likely to have weight issue due to side effects of their antipsychotic medication. My mentor agreed to table it before the resident in the next meeting to gain their consent in compliance with NMC (2008). The residents consented to it and were quite interested because some them were really concerned about their weight and really wanted to do something about it. We agreed on a date for the teaching. The onus was now on me to facilitate the learning process that will empower the residents to take responsibility for their health and make a positive change. A vast majority of physical health problems are caused by people life styles and their failure to see the risk associated with their daily habits. Kiger (1995) defined health as state of balance between different facets of life suggesting that it is a dynamic concept which he termed movable. What this means is that our life styles can alter the balance resulting in an adverse effect on our health. As facilitators it is essential that we have a clear understanding of the different learning styles in order to tailor our teaching to meeting the varied approach of our learners. This is because learners are intrinsically different and preferred different ways of learning. Teaching is an act of imparting knowledge, a purposeful intervention aimed at promoting learning and causing learning to happen. Kemm and Close (1995) defined teaching is an act of assisting others to learn and putting it to use in their life. While Kiger (2004) defined teaching as a process of enabling people to learn through the dissemination of information and advice; it creates room for people to express their feeling, clarify their thought and acquired new skills. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge through education and experience. It is essentially important because it enable people to make informed choice about their own health. Roger (1996) defined learning as a kind of change often in knowledge but also in behaviour. Reece and Walker (2002) stated that learning brings about change and that teaching and learning proceeds pari passu and cannot be considered in isolation. I spent time engaging with the residents so as to build a therapeutic relationship based on trust whilst observing their behaviours as I gather information to facilitate the learning process. This was to enable me identify their preferred style of learning so as to increase ease of transmission of knowledge. There are a host of approaches available in health promotion. Ewles and Simlet (2003) identified five approaches which include medical, client-centred, behaviour, education and societal change. In his word all these approaches must be taken into cognition when undertaking health promotion to clients. Kolb (1984) developed the experimental learning theory (learning by doing) by this he suggested that learning is not fixed but formed from previous experiences. Kolb learning theory which is cyclical affirmed that people have different learning style and he identified four distinct learning styles as shown in figure 1 below includes concrete experience (having an experience ), reflective observation( taking time to reflective on their experience from different perspective), abstract conceptualization ( drawing their conclusions) and active experimentation ( putting theory into practice). For effective learning to happen Kolb said all this four must be taking into context when planning a teaching session. Honey and Mumfords learning cycle is slightly different from Kolb system. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/honey_mumford.html Figure 1 Honey and Mumfords variation on the Kolb system Honey and Mumford (2000) said that there four different types of learners which must be taken into consideration when planning a teaching session as shown in figure 1 above. These include the activists, like learning situation that presents them with new challenges, problem solving, and role play and uses the first opportunity to experiment; reflector like brainstorming and learning activity that gives room for observation, thinking and reflecting on they have learned; theorist like to research into fact before taking it onboard, they prefer a step by step approach and pragmatist like practical based learning and been given the opportunity to try out techniques and getting feedback in return. In view of fact that people have varied approach to learning considering the fact that its a group teaching. I intend to present my teaching to my mentor first to get feedback on whether I have considered all the four learners identified by both Kolb and Honey and Mumford. As nurses the education of our clients about their health is a vital aspect of our nursing process. It is important that we use an approach that encompasses congruence, empathy and respect in assisting our client (Roger, 1996) instead of coercing them to change their life style. Therefore it is imperative that we aware that teaching the client requires consent and that the client has the right and autonomy to refuse any intervention even when it can result to death provided they have the mental capacity to make informed decision (Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and NMC, 2008). DH (1996) states that the client must be provided with vital information about their health, so that they can make informed choice about the treatment options, life styles changes and behaviour. The subject was brought before the residents for them to make informed decision with regards to the teaching and they consented to because they wanted to do something about their weight. Kemm and Close (1995) wrote that there is high tendency for client to learn if teaching is directed to meeting their needs, interest and within their ability. Effective communication plays a vital role in facilitating learning. As nurses the way we communicate and the kind of rapport we build with our client plays an essential role in empowering or disempowering them (Brown, 1997). Good communication skills act as therapeutic tool in delivery a holistic and person-centred care (Burnard, 1992). Our role as facilitator should be to explore and support our client to build that intrinsic motivation to make a change in their life, strengthen their commitment to change and then develop a plan to fulfill that change (Miller and Rollnick 2002). The responsibility for change lies purely on the client however as facilitator we should use an approach that confront the client with the idea of need for change without been persuasive and argumentative rather we should create an environment that show a sense of genuinity, respect and empathic understanding through collaboration and working in partnership with the client. Based on my assessment of the residents needs and considering the fact that they were adult learners capable of self-directing their learning, I decided to use andragogical instead of the pedagogical teaching style so as to enhance collaboration and for it to have a positive impact in residents lives. Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children, it is a teacher- centred education and the teacher decided what, how and when it will be learned while andragogy is the art and science of assisting adults to learn and it is learner-centred education. Andragogical approach help learning to take place because of the clients own effort or willingness and it helps learners to learn what they want to learn (Knowles, 1990). Over the years educational psychologist and educationalist have developed models and learning theories (Hincliff, 2004). These include the behaviourist, cognitive or humanistic. Three domain of learning exist; Cognitive, psychomotor and affective (Bloom, 1972). The way we learn is however dependent on some other factors even though these three domains are the dominant. Individuals personal values, beliefs and altitude are motivating factors for self-directed learners. I decided to use the humanistic approach in facilitating the awareness and sensitization of the need for them to improve their diet and life style In order to meet the residents learning needs. The humanist theory as explained by (Maslow, 1943) is concerned with individual fulfillment and self-actualisation. The influence of the environment on the residents and their relationship with others is explained by the socio-cognitive theory. Bandura (1977) stated that learning take place as a result of social interaction throu gh observation and mimicking others whom the learner look up to for example family , peers and health professionals. To facilitate learning; a conducive learning environment, learning material suited to the learners need and their literacy level must be considered (Quinn, 1995).In view of this, I gathered all the necessary resource taking into account the residents individual learning styles and planned the teaching in such a way that it is tailored to meeting their varied learning styles. Based on my engagement with the residents I identified that majority of them belong to the theorist, pragmatist and reflector learning styles from (Honey and Mumford, 1982). Prior to the start of the teaching session I made sure the environment was conducive for leaning, spacious, quite and with the right temperature. I introduced myself to the residents and my mentor and other member of staff present. I explained the rationale for the teaching session. I gave them handout I prepared for the session which contain literature and pictures, which were simple to understand and which they could keep with them and refer to later at their convenience and I also use video from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp0nc4kY-tc to explain the potential side effects of fatty food and fuzzy drink on their heath and I highlighted the main topic, which is the makeup of the food they eat and its functions in the body and the calories recommended daily. I brought in several fatty foods like ground oil, butters in different make to explain to them the difference between the good product and the bad product. I explain to them that the one that contain high saturated fat and low unsaturated is not good because the body find it difficult to break down the saturated fatty into small unit which is used by body instead they are gradually deposited thereby raising their cholesterol level. The deposition of fat gradually blocks the artery wall which could lead to anterosclerosis, stroke and heart diseases while product rich in unsaturated fats and low saturated fats are better. I encouraged them to always check for this information on the food product whilst shopping. I asked them if they know what cholesterol means and if anyone has check out their cholesterol level. I then brought out some more products for them to point out which one was better to check if the understood the lectures and they did perfectly well in identifying the good and the bad product and I offered them praise f or a job well done. I then showed them they kind of food that is good for the body from you Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAFTcfaA-pcfeature=channel and what constitute a balance diet. The teaching session was an interactive one and as facilitator I suggested and encouraged them to adopt a healthier lifestyle by eating more fruit and vegetable instead of chocolate, drink more water instead of fuzzy drink and to cook their meal which was more nutritious and economical and to exercise by going to gym or taking a light work every day. I suggested that we could contribute one pound to cook for the weekly communal meeting and then see how it goes from there and the feedback was positive. I gave room for question and answer session. I thanked them for their collaboration and for making the teaching successful. Their willingness to learn was quite beneficial. I provided information on what make a balance diet and some activities aim at dealing with weight issues in the communal loung e. As nurses its imperative that we take time to reflect daily on our professional and clinical practice. Gibb et al (2005) stated that constant reflection allows learning to occur at every given opportunity and it improves practice. I felt competent though initially nervous teaching the residents on the need for healthy eating and life style change. Ewles and Simnett (2003) stated that health promotion is the process of empowering people to take proactive action over and improve their health. I was able to facilitated residents learning by building a rapport and through process I observed their learning styles and knowledge base which made it possible for me to tailor the teaching to their varied approach of learning. I believe the teaching session had a positive impact in enlightening the residents on the need for them to improve their diet and lifestyles change from the feedback I got at the end of the teaching. I use the humanistic approach clearly stating the rationale for the sess ion because I wanted them to have the knowledge so that they can take responsibility for their own health. The session was collaborative and interactive with the residents fully involved in the discussion and asking appropriate when seeking clarification. During the evaluation Amos felt that the learning outcome had been achieved and also said that the handouts and leaflets given during the teaching session were very useful and helpful. My mentor suggested that I could have done more and it would have been good, if I had used an overhead projector. But his feedback was encouraging. I had to rush towards the end of the session due to time factors. But I realised that as a student nurse, my professional development is still in progress and as my course develops I will become confident in dealing with this type of situation. My experience of teaching on this occasion will improve my professional practice. During the session I adopted a personal counselling approach based on the Beattie (1991) model, (cited in Ewles and Simnett 2003), which is a combination of the educational and client centred approach. According to Rogers (1983) people experience the world differently and know their own experiences better than anyone else. Amos ability to take responsibility for his actions helped to be more independent. In conclusion, I have been able to facilitate a teaching session by building a therapeutic relationship with Amos and through achieving effective communication. I found out from this experience that empowering clients does not mean that nurses should enforce decisions on clients but rather that; they should encourage and motivate them to achieve a desired result. I feel the experience was an interesting one. Looking back on the teaching skills demonstrated and the assessment of the clients need, I think the aim of the teaching was achieved. The feedback received from the learner and my mentor has given me an insight on how to improve in my teaching in future. I hope to use video clips and overhead projector in future teaching and to continue using the lecture learnt in taught module to enhance my skills and knowledge in my future role as registered mental health nurse.

Anne Moodys Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement Essay -- Anne Mo

Coming of Age in Mississippi   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, talked extensively about the civil rights movement that she had participated in. The civil rights movement dealt with numerous issues that many people had not agreed with. Coming of Age in Mississippi gave the reader a first hand look at the efforts many people had done to gain equal rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anne Moody, like many other young people, joined the civil rights movement because they wanted to make a difference in their state. They wanted their freedom and the same rights as the white people had. Many other young people joined the civil rights movement because they felt that a change was needed in the way black people were treated. They felt that this change would not come if they did not join the civil rights movement. Anne Moody was a strong believer of black rights and felt that it was important for her to help black people fight for equal rights. These civil rights workers felt that their freedom would only come if most of the black community supported the efforts of the civil rights workers. Anne Moody, and other young people, thought that the only way that they would get equal rights for black people was to prove that they really wanted them. These civil rights workers, for example, showed that they really did care by joining various civil rights orga nizations and engaging in Freedom Marches. These Freedom marches were very organized, and they occurred all over the United States, which proved that black people wanted the same rights as the white people had. Anne Moody, and many other young people, joined the civil rights movement because they felt a change was needed and that it was their duty to fight for equal rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anne Moody had thought about joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), but she never did until she found out one of her roommates at Tougaloo college was the secretary. Her roommate asked, â€Å"why don’t you become a member† (248), so Anne did. Once she went to a meeting, she became actively involved. She was always participating in various freedom marches, would go out into the community to get black people to register to vote. She always seemed to be working on getting support from the black community, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. Son after she joined the NAACP, she met a girl that was the secretary to the ... ...tunity Commission that prevented discrimination in the workplace. Anne Moody was very optimistic about the desegregation cases. She always tested the Supreme Court decision of Brown versus the Board of Education numerous times by doing sit-ins and freedom marches. She was determined to fight for her rights, despite numerous threats against her life. When Kennedy was assassinated, she was devastated. Anne really thought that Kennedy was the answer that she and other members of SNCC were waiting for. She walked around in a daze wondering what would happen next. Governmental leaders were essential during the civil rights movement. Without the help of government officials, black people would not have had the same rights they have today. Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, talked extensively about the civil rights movement that she had participated in. The civil rights movement proved successful in achieving equal rights for Black Americans, despite strong opposition. Black Americans got equal rights because of the untiring efforts young people, like Anne Moody, had. Without the efforts of these young people, the role of Black Americans in society may have been different today.

Socrates was a Wise and Harmless Man :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Socrates and the Apology Some of the best sources of information about Socrates' philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many-recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about how Socrates was arrested and charged with corrupting the youth, believing in no god(s) (Atheism) and for being a Sophist. He attended his trial and put up a good argument. I believe that Socrates was wrongfully accused and should not have been sentenced to death. Within the duration of this document, I will be discussing the charges laid against Socrates and how he attempted to refute the charges. One of the reasons why Socrates was arrested was because he was being accused of corrupting the minds of the students he taught. I personally feel that it is almost impossible for one person to corrupt the thoughts and feelings of a whole group of people. Improvement comes form a minority and corruption comes from the majority. Socrates is one man (minority) therefore it is less likely the youth have been corrupted by Socrates than by some larger group of people (educators, council members, jurymen etc...). Socrates was also put on trial for being an Atheist. In the argument Socrates has with Meletus, Socrates gets Meletus to admit that Socrates is Atheist and theist. Considering that both of these practices are totally incompatible, and Meletus admits to both of theses, maybe Meletus does not really understand what he is accusing Socrates of. I understand that back then; not believing in religion was considered a crime but to actually sentence someone to death for being different is totally uncalled for. Thirdly, because Socrates practiced making weak arguments strong (Sophist). Socrates was a traveling teacher and talked and challenged everyone he met. Socrates taught the art of persuasive speaking. He did not charge people money like most of the other Sophists did, but he did have similar beliefs as the Sophists. Sophists thought that our minds are cut off from reality and that we are stuck in our own opinions of what the world was like. Socrates believed that reason or nature could not tell us why the world is the way it appears. The Sophists' point of view is best summed up as this: we can never step out of the way things appear.

The Day Labor Market in Phoenix, Arizona Essay -- Business Economics U

The Day Labor Market in Phoenix, Arizona Introduction This paper focuses on the Macehualli Day Labor Union located in Phoenix, Arizona in the 85032 area. Throughout the history of the United States, illegal immigrants have come from all over the world to find work and a better way of life. It is estimated that right now there are about seven million illegal aliens living in America. About 69% of these illegal immigrants are Mexican and over 283,000 of them live in Arizona1. In this paper, we presuppose that the illegal aliens we refer to are Mexican. This is because the aliens living in the geographic area around the day labor center we examine are over 99% Mexican (Reza, 2003, personal interview). Many Mexicans risk everything they have, including their lives, in their attempts to cross the border and live the â€Å"American Dream.† Most immigrants are motivated by the lure of lucrative employment across the border. They come to this country with the hope of finding a higher paying job. In most cases, the immigrants are young men who leave their families behind, but intend to earn enough money to eventually bring their loved ones across (Reza, 2003, personal interview). Over the past three decades, the influx of illegal immigrants has become even more noticeable (Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1999). In the year 2000, unauthorized immigrants accounted for about 2.5% of the U.S. population2. These immigrants’ illegal status is a serious obstacle in their search for employment. Almost all employers require some proof of United States citizenship. For citizens and legal immigrants, this is easily established through a driver’s license or state identification card. Illegal workers, on the other hand, obvi... .... 11 Jun. 2003. Day Labor Union Workers. Personal Interview. 25 Oct. 2003 Gonzalez, Daniel. â€Å"Future Will Require Immigrants by Millions for Jobs, Report Says.† The Arizona Republic 31 Aug. 2003 : A6. Reza, Salvador (Director of the Macehualli Day Labor Union). Personal Interview. 25 Oct. 2003. Smart pages. 2 Dec. 2003 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. â€Å"Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: 1999 to 2000† 2 Dec. 2003 . U.S. Department of Labor. 2 Dec. 2003 minimumwage.htm>. Valenzuela, Abel Jr. â€Å"Day Labourers as Entrepreneurs?† Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 27.2 (2001) : 335-352 Valenzuela, Abel Jr. â€Å"Day Labor Work† Annual Review of Sociology 29 (2003) : 307-33

The Oregon Coast

The sunset glistens against the raging ocean water. I could walk for miles on the sand as it is ongoing never ending. While your feet sink in the sand I can ponder the peacefulness around me. The way the two rocks were hit by the glowing sunrise set a reflection of crystals in the clear water. There was a slight misty breeze, as I walked along the water. The Oregon coast is my sanctuary with the two most beautiful rocks that stood on the edge of the unknown below them. Waves would rush up to my feet carrying the sand in between my toes. As I lifted my feet while walking I could hear a grinding sound like paper rubbing on the bottom of my feet. The sand started feeling softer and smoother against my feet. With every step, I watched how my footprints became embedded into the sand. Suddenly, seeing how slowly they would disappear with every inch the water covered. The water sent a chill throughout my body. It shocked me every time the bitter cold would crash into my feet. To see the sunset as the blue cloudless sky turns shades of black around me. It would take my breath away at every glance I would take. I backed away from the water for a moment, as my eyes marveled at the bright colors from above. It lit the water up reds, blues, yellows and orange reflections sparkled off the translucent water. Little speckles came out in the skies around you feeling like glitter dropping on your face. When looking down you could see black shaped and jagged edges on the sea floor. Specks of white shells had little shine to them, but would show a slight sparkle from above. The waves were slowly crashing against my feet. I glanced back at the two rocks they stood side by side. The rocks have a reflection of crystal rays surrounding them. Looking from a distance, they looked smaller than they really are. They have a sense of wonder, mystery to them. I could sit for hours and ponder them. How big are they? How long have they stood in the ocean with the crashing of the waves all around them? They reflected every color off of the sun and the moon. It would shoot rays of colors all through the frozen clear water around them and light up the crashing waves. Some are white and rolling, others loud and angry as the press against the rocks over and over. The simplicity of the Oregon Coast it can take my breath away. It is truly one of the world’s modern marvels with its natural beauty, glistening sunsets, and the sand between your toes. It is my sanctuary.

Financial Leverage, Eps and Profit Margin Essay

Profits might be compared with sales, assets, or stockholders’ equity. Why might all three bases be used? Will trends in these ratios always move in the same direction? All the three bases are used to find the return earned with respective to sales as well as investment made. When the profit is compared with sales, it is called as the net profit margin. When the profit is compared with assets, it is called as return earned on total investment and when profit is compared with stockholders’ equity, it is called as return on equity. All these are profitability ratios and help to analyze the profitability at a particular period with respect to various bases. The trend in these ratios may not always move in the same direction. For example, return on assets may increase from one period to another, but not necessarily the return on equity. A cause for this may be due to change in capital structure and mix of debt and equity. Would you expect the profit margin in a quality jewelry store to differ from that of a grocery store? Comment. Yes. The profit margin in a quality jewelry store may differ from that of a grocery store. A jewelry store’s profit margin would be much higher than of a grocery store. A grocery store will have a lower profit margin with respect to sales and earns its profits by selling more volume. But in the case of a jewelry store, the profit margin earned on each unit would be higher. Give a simple definition of earnings per share. Earnings per share can be defined as the earnings available to equity shareholders after the payment of preferred dividends, if any, with respect to one share. It is calculated as net income available to equity shareholders divided by the number of outstanding equity shares. Define financial leverage. What is its effect on earnings? When is the use of financial leverage advantageous and disadvantageous? The extent to which a firm uses fixed income securities can be termed as a financial leverage. The fixed income securities include bonds and debentures. The effect on earnings includes reduction of profits due to payment of fixed interest on these securities. The use of financial leverage is advantageous especially when the leverage is at the optimum level. At this level, the existence of leverage maximizes the earnings per share of the equity holders. This is because all the excess profits after the payment of interest go to the equity holders. The use of financial leverage is disadvantageous when it exceeds the optimal level. When the leverage is too high, it increases the risk of the company as well as the cost of capital. This also reduces the long term solvency of the business.