Module 4 SLP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Module 4 SLP - Assignment Example In order to have a successful marketing campaign, there is a need for effective and efficient distribution mechanisms for the company’s products as they are taken to destinations where consumers can access and purchase them (Perner n.d.). However, prior to rolling out of these services there is the need for an issue analysis to establish the patterns and approaches that will be needed for the success of this aspect. The SWOT analysis and primary research was helpful in identifying key issues that would give the company a cutting edge in the marketing and overall position in the market. Some of the issues included strengthening human capital through internal trainings and exposure to various modern approaches in product design, development and marketing. In all business and organizational practices, human capital has continued to be categorized as the single most important resource for any business or organisation. Human capital is responsible for setting goals and objectives as well as developing strategies to achieve the particular goals and objectives. In developing a distribution and marketing plan, the company needs to train marketing personnel on some of the various types of marketing and product promotion practices that are relevant in the changing market patterns. Besides training, the company needs to build and increase its capacity on setting and achieving distribution and marketing objectives. All staff involved in marketing should be made aware of various strategies that are used by rival companies when marketing their products. This way, it is possible to create different strategies that will establish the much-needed competitive advantage. In the wake of changing marketing patterns, many companies have become creating in development and marketing of their products. Advancement in technology has provided a better platform upon which companies can devise innovative ways of

Public Sector Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Public Sector Management - Essay Example The public sector company I am going to speak about is one of the prominent companies in the Caribbean region, the name of which has been asked not to be revealed. During the work in this company, I have become the witness of the way the corporate governance was performed. According to the information I had been by my colleague, the process of implementing new corporate governance strategy has been implemented since the year of 1981, when the word combination 'corporate governance' has not yet been implemented and has been known only to a few people. The need in implementing this strategy lied in the fact that the government has been facing the necessity of merging this public sector company with another one, which put under the threat the future of many workers. That's why the Board of Directors decided to combine various corporate governance initiatives. The first step in implementation of the governance initiatives was the issue of the limited stock meant for the managers of the c ompany as a part of their employment contract. Through this step the Board sincerely hoped that this would unite the managers with the company and would encourage them work for the benefit of this company, with building solid and long-term relations with the key shareholders. This set of initiatives was later followed by the granting the tag-along rights to all shareholders. From the critical point of view, tying the managers to the company as its shareholders may both work for the benefit and for the failure of the company. On the one hand - making managers shareholders of the company they work in may really encourage them for better achievements; on the other hand, people don't always understand the importance of being a shareholder, which means that not all workers, becoming shareholders will display better working results. However, it is very important for the managers to create solid relations with the investors and shareholders, which means that being a shareholder themselves will only help them in this process. The Board of Directors has implemented a new capital share structure. This new structure allowed involving the minority shareholders to the governance process, which also assisted in maintaining the new capital share structure. The governance structure of the company described, seek to align the interests of the executive employers and the shareholders. The main guidance of the corporate governance of the company lies in the belief that effective system of governance supports the confidence of the shareholders and becomes a proper basis for the correct functioning in any public sector. It does not matter, whether the enterprise belongs to the public or private sector. These laws are applicable to all spheres of business. For example, one of the most effective steps in improving corporate governance was equalizing the dividend treatment between the preferred and the common shareholders. In this process to align the interests of the shareholders and the executives made the Board of th e company establish a system of executive compensation which has been closely connected with the shareholder value creation. Since the year 2000, the bonuses which the executive workers received in their normal process of work, has been closely

Optimal Extraction Paths of Coal

Optimal Extraction Paths of Coal Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Motivation According to the World Energy Outlook (WEO 2007)[1], global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will increase by 1,8 % per year from 2005 to 2030, and 2 % per year for the period 2030-2050.[2] From 12.446 Mt of CO2 equivalent in 2002, emissions will reach 15.833 Mt in 2030 for OECD countries an average increase of 1,1 % per year. CO2 is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG), which is contributing to global warming. The primary source of the increased atmospheric concentration of CO2 since the pre-industrial period results from fossil fuel use, with land-use change providing another significant but smaller contribution.[3] Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century.[4] According to the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Energy Agency the power generation sector will contribute to almost half the increase in global emissions between 2002 and 2030, and will remain the single biggest CO2-emitting sector in 2030. In OECD countries, its emissions will rise from 4.793 Mt of CO2 in 2002 to 6.191 Mt of CO2 in 2030, but the share will remain constant.[5] Today, power generation emits 65 % of industrial emissions of CO2 in OECD countries and is likely to become instrumental in countries strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[6] One of such instruments is the Kyoto Protocol. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), more than 180 countries have recognised the need to stabilise the concentration of GHG in the atmosphere, which are causing climate change. The Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC, was adopted at the third session of the Conference of Parties in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. It entered into force on 16 February 2005 with 184 Parties of the Convention who have ratified to date.[7] The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries (including Germany) and the European Community for reducing GHG emissions. These amount to an average of five percent of the 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.[8] The Kyoto Protocol includes specific flexible mechanisms such as Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) for the countries to be able to reach their mandatory emission limits. Emissions trading, as set out in Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows countries that have emission units to spare emissions permitted to them but not used to sell this excess capacity to countries that exceed their targets. Thus, a new commodity was created in the form of emission reduction or removal assets. Since CO2 is the principal greenhouse gas, people speak simply of trading in carbon. Carbon is now tracked and traded like any other commodity. This is known as the carbon market.[9] In European countries the emissions trading system is the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the largest system nowadays. The CDM, defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, allows a country with an emission reduction or emission limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement emission reduction projects in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction credits, each equivalent to one ton of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting the Kyoto targets. A CDM project activity might involve, for example, a rural electrification project using solar panels or the installation of more energy-efficient boilers.[10] The JI mechanism, defined in Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows a country with an emission reduction or limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to earn emission reduction units from an emission-reduction or emission removal project in another Annex B Party, each equivalent to one ton of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target. JI offers Parties a flexible and cost-efficient means of fulfilling a part of their Kyoto commitments, while the host Party benefits from foreign investment and technology transfer.[11] Germany is one of the worlds largest energy consumers and ranks third in total CO2 emissions within the G-7, after the USA and Japan.[12] Annually, Germany produces around 850 millions tons of CO2 equivalent gases, which is approximately 2,8 % of all worlds CO2 emissions.[13] On 31 May 2002, the Kyoto Protocol was ratified by Germany. After entering it into force Germany has played an active role in the European and world carbon markets. Electricity production in Germany is largely based on burning exhaustible resources, causing high CO2 emissions. That makes the issue of CO2 trade crucial for German power plants and the economy in whole. In 2008, the total amount of gross electricity supplied in Germany was around 639,1 TWh[14], that is slightly higher in comparison to the previous year. Nevertheless, during last years there is a tendency of increase in electricity supply (See Table 1). The electricity supply in Germany is based on several technologies and fuels. The distribution of net electricity supply in last years in Germany is shown in Table 1. Electricity production in 2008, as in previous years, was based mainly on coal-fired (hard coal and lignite) steam turbine (43,6 %) and nuclear (22,3 %) power plants.[15] Energy source Since the share of the coal based power plants in Germany is large and the amount of electricity produced is still growing, the impact of the CO2 emissions trade on the economy of these plants is very significant. According to data provided by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Energy Agency, the price for coal is rising during the economic lifetime of the coal-firing plants.[16] This rise partly can be caused by additional CO2 costs. The largest impact of the emissions trading on the electricity generation cost is felt by the lignite-fired power plants followed by the hard coal-fired power plants, since lignite while burning is producing more emissions than hard coal.[17] With an assumed emission price of 20 â‚ ¬/tCO2 the power generation costs of the lignite-fired power plant would increase by 63 % from 25,4 â‚ ¬/MWh to 41,4 â‚ ¬/MWh, whereas the generation costs with hard coal-fired would rise by 48 % from 30,2 â‚ ¬/MWh to 44,8 â‚ ¬/MWh.[18] The competitiveness of the coal-fired plants is also influenced by including the CO2 prices into the costs. 1 represents marginal cost curve based on the total installed capacity and facilities operating costs for Europe.[19] As can be seen, the addition of CO2 price to the production costs can make coal power plants less competitive. The sequence of most of electricity plants stays the same after addition of 20 â‚ ¬/tCO2 to the costs, though coal based power plants move to the side of less competitive plants. These facts and evident changes raise many questions such as following: how long will electricity from fossil fuels stay competitive, how the extraction of fossil fuels is influenced by CO2 prices. 1.2. Problem definition From all of the above it can clearly be seen that the CO2 price is influencing the value of coal and its extraction path.[20] Questions this thesis is dealing with are how the extraction path is affected by the CO2 price, and what the optimal path of using coal is. For many companies, i.e. in coal mining and coal utilizing, this question is essential, since they already face significant changes in profitability. The thesis is aimed at describing the optimal extraction path of exhaustible resource (coal) without and then with CO2 considerations. That will allow to compare and to see the changes in paths. Coal-related industries will be discussed here, but similarly the approaches can be used for other exhaustible fossil fuels. Since coal is an exhaustible resource, for describing its optimal extraction path we will use the exhaustible resource economic theory, to be more precise, Hotellings theory, which determines the optimal extraction path of exhaustible resource. Hotellings rule is one of the required conditions of optimality of the extraction path. The optimal extraction path means that the miner is maximising his profit if he follows this path. Besides that, we widen the scope of the work and change the condition of maximising the profit and look at the case when a miner aims to prolong the life-time of the mine as much as possible. We will also consider different markets types: competitive and monopoly. For modelling all the scenarios in the mentioned conditions, a single mine which is situated in Germany will be used, and we will assume that all coal is burned at the power plant for production of electricity which belongs to the same company as the mine. 1.3. Relevance We aim to determine how the EU ETS is influencing the extraction path of the coal and its value. This question is very important for the mine owner, as it allows him to choose the right strategy for production and exploitation, depending on the new market conditions with costs for CO2. That is essential for the economic survival of the miner. And for us, the task is therefore to determine the influence of CO2 price on the extraction path of a coal mine. First, we will construct the model without consideration of CO2 price in two different market conditions, and afterwards we include CO2 price considerations. As mentioned before, we will discuss the case when a miner wants to maximize the life-time of the mine. The reasons for that might be to save jobs or governmental directives. This case also will be studied in different markets. 1.4. Goals The goal of the work is to construct simplified models, on the base of Hotellings rule theory, which will determine the optimal extraction paths of coal and extraction paths leading to maximization of life-time, for one single mine situated in Germany in different market conditions without and with CO2 price consideration. Afterwards, on the base of models including into them numerical data, we aim to show the scale of the CO2 price affecting the extraction path. 1.5. Structure The current chapter, chapter one, gives an introduction into the topic, determines the goals of the paper, explains the motivation of the research done in the work, supports it with topical data. The second chapter contains the theoretical base for the further research. It describes Hotellings rule extraction of exhaustible resources, discusses the crucial points of the theory, and gives the basic model of optimal extraction of exhaustible resource. In the third chapter, models of optimal extraction of coal in different conditions are developed. At the beginning, the models represent the optimal extraction path of competitive market and then monopoly market. Next, cases are discussed in which the company is maximising the life-time of the mine also in two market types. Afterwards, the CO2 price is integrated into the models, and the change in extraction paths is described. At the end, two numerical examples are given, and calculated to find two optimal extraction paths without CO2 and then with it. The last chapter, chapter four, gives the summary of the whole master thesis and its results.  ­Ã‚ ­Chapter 2: The theory of exhaustible resources 2.1. Overview This chapter is dedicated to Hotellings theory itself, since we use it to determine extraction paths of coal. It contains the theoretical background for further models construction, and allows to understand the theory deeper. Next, Hotellings rule is discussed. Afterwards, we discuss different parameters which can influence the rule, since these considerations are necessary for construction of the models and making appropriate assumptions for them. At the end of this chapter the basic model of optimal extraction of exhaustible resource is given. On the basis of this model, in the following chapter, we will build models with considerations of different market conditions and CO2 price. The main questions of the economics of exhaustible resources are: what is the optimal rate of exploration of the resource by company, the price path of the exhaustible resource and how does it change through time? These are the questions which we are interested in. And since coal is exhaustible resource, this theory is applicable to our case. Exhaustible resources are those that are available in fixed quantities. They dont exhibit significant growth or renewal over the time. Coal is exhaustible resource; its amount in deposits is fixed and doesnt grow over time. Pindyck distinguishes between exhaustible and non-renewable resources[21] by noting that, while the latter do not exhibit growth or regeneration, new reserves can be acquired through exploratory effort and discovery.[22] Since the first one is more wide spread, in this work the term exhaustible resources will be used for indication of this type of resources. In 1914 L. C. Gray dealt with questions of natural resource economics. He examined the supply behaviour over time of an individual extractor who anticipates a sequence of real prices and attempts to maximize discounted profits.[23] Harold Hotelling extended Grays theory by predicting the sequence of market prices that Gray took as given in his work â€Å"The Economics of Exhaustible Resources† in 1931, which then became a seminal paper on the economics of exhaustible resources.[24] 2.1.1. Hotellings rule Hotellings rule, as described in his paper entitled â€Å"The Economics of Exhaustible Resources†, is an economic theory, pointing out how the prices should behave under a specified (and very restrictive) set of conditions.[25] It states that competitive mine owners, maximizing the present value of their initial reserves, should extract a quantity such that price of the exhaustible resource rise at the rate of interest.[26] In other words, if we assume that P0 is the initial price of the resource, Pt is the price of resource at some point of time, i is interest rate, then:[27] (1)Hotellings rule is based on the following assumptions:[28]  § the mine owners objective is to maximize the present value of his current and future profits. This requires that extraction takes place along an efficient path in a competitive industry equilibrium, which implies that all mines are identical in terms of costs and that they are all price takers in a perfect and instantaneous market of information.  § the mine is perfectly competitive and has no control over the price it receives for its production.  § mine production is not constrained by existing capacity; it may produce as much or as little as it likes at any time during the life of the mine.  § the ore deposit has a capitalized value. That is, a copper or gold deposit in the ground is a capital asset to its owner (and society) in the same way as any other production facility. Furthermore, he assumed that the richest and most accessible deposits would be mined first, and that increasing scarcity (after exhaustion of the best mines) would confer capitalized value on inferior deposits, which could then be mined.  § the resource stock is homogenous and consequently there is no uncertainty about the size, grade and tonnage of the ore deposit. Current and future prices and extraction costs are known. This implies that an ore body has uniform quality or grade throughout and that there is no change in grade of the ore as mining proceeds. Miners and grade control officers, who endeavour to supply the mill only with ore above a certain grade, recognize this fifth assumption to be major departure from reality. The topic of uncertain reserves is discussed in more details in section 2.1.5 of the thesis.  § The sixth assumption is that the costs of mining or extraction do not change as the orebody is depleted. Again, this assumption does not recognize that all mines face increasing costs as the ores are depleted. Underground mining costs increase as the mining face becomes longer and deeper and moves further away from the shaft system, while in open pit operations haul roads become longer and pits become progressively larger and deeper. A rider to Hotellings assumption that the marginal unit (standard mining unit) is accessible at the same constant cost, is the assumption that the marginal cost of extraction in this particular case is zero. In addition, it implies that the market price and the rate of extraction are connected by a stable, downward sloping demand curve for the resource.[29] In this constrained model the size of the remaining stock declines without ever being augmented by exploration discoveries. To the topic of cost of extraction is also dedicated the section 2.1.4 of the thesis.  § The final assumption is that there is no technological improvement during the life of the mine and that no new additions to the resource stock are contributed by exploration. Sections 2.1.7 and 2.1.8. are discussing technological progress and â€Å"backstop† resources, which are also connected to technological progress. Hotellings model predicts a general rise in commodity prices over time. The model has been used by numerous authors as a useful reference point in discussions on the various dimensions of mineral supply and availability. Among the factors that the model helps introduce are that:[30]  § Prices are a useful indicator of scarcity, if markets are functioning well (section 2.1.3 is discussing the question of resource scarcity)  § The effects of exploration and technological innovation significantly and importantly influence mineral availability over time  § Market structure matters (competition versus monopoly)  § Mineral resources are not homogeneous  § Backstop technologies limit the degree to which prices can increase  § Substitution is an important response to increased scarcity  § Changes in demand influence price and availability. In other words, the model provides a vehicle for introducing the various dimensions of mineral supply and scarcity.[31] But since Hotellings rule uses a number of assumptions, it might not coincide with reality completely. The next part discusses the empirical validation of Hotellings rule. 2.1.2. Empirical validation of Hotellings rule All the assumptions of the model mentioned before diminish the potential value of the application of the model for the miner in the real world. In an attempt to validate Hotellings rule, much research effort has been directed to empirical testing of that theory. But unfortunately, till now there is no consensus of opinion coming from empirical analysis.[32] One way of testing Hotellings rule seems to be clear: collect time-series data on the price of a resource, and see if the proportionate growth rate of the price is equal to r. This was done by Barnett and Morse. They found that resource prices including iron, copper, silver and timber fell over time, which was a most disconcerting result for proponents of the standard theory.[33] Other research came up with absolutely different results which could not assess whether the theory is right or wrong. But the problem is far more difficult than this to settle, and a direct examination of resource prices is not a reasonable way to proceed. The variable Pt in Hotellings rule is the net price (or rent, or royalty) of the resource, not its market price. Roughly speaking, these are related as follows: pt= Pt +b (2) where pt is the gross (or market) price of the extracted resource, Pt is net price of the resource (unextracted), and b the marginal extraction cost. According to the equation (2), if the marginal cost of extraction is falling, pt might be falling even though Pt is rising. So, evidence of falling market prices cannot, in itself, be regarded as invalidating the Hotelling principle.[34] This suggests that the right data to use is the resource net price, but this is an unobservable variable as well as i. So its possible to construct a proxy for it, by subtracting marginal costs from the gross market price to arrive at the net price. This difficult approach was pursued by a number of researchers. Slade made one the earliest studies of this type. She concluded that some resources have U-shaped quadratic price paths, having fallen in the past due to changes in demand or costs of extraction, but later rising.[35] The other study of this type is by Stollerys, which generally supported the Hotelling hypothesis with an example of the nickel market by calculating the resource rent per ton of nickel.[36] Thirdly, Halvorsen and Smith tested the theory and concluded, that â€Å"using data for the Canadian metal mining industry, the empirical implications of the theory of exhaustible resources are strongly rejected†.[37] If it can be shown that prices for exhaustible resource did not rise at the rate i, it does not necessarily mean that Hotellings rule is not right. There are several circumstances where the resource prices may fall over time even where Hotellings rule is being followed. For example, a sequence of new mineral discoveries could lead to a downward-sloping path of the resources net price. Pindyck first demonstrated that in his seminal paper. If the resource extraction takes place in non-competitive markets, the net price will also rise less quickly than the discount rate. And in the presence of technical progress continually reducing extraction costs, the market price may fall over time, thereby contradicting a simple Hotelling rule.[38] Named before facts show numerous contradictions which researchers face while dealing with Hotellings rule. But inspite of all these problems, the theory remains appealing. In their conclusion, Devarajan and Fisher state that Hotellings article is â€Å"the sole source of work in a vigorously growing branch of economics†.[39] Solow stated that, â€Å"Good theory is usually trying to tell you something, even if it is not the literal truth†.[40] So although the economics of exhaustible resources does not cover the real world of mining and mineral extraction to any large extent, it is still worthwhile to re-examine the theory. Also, many studies relaxed the assumptions of Hotelling, which introduced flexibility and widened the scope of the model applications.[41] Next some of the most important factors influencing the Hotelling model will be discussed. As can be clearly seen from formula 1, the main variable is the price of the resource. On what does it depend? Which parameters function is it? As in the thesis will be considered a single mine case, in the discussion we take into consideration mainly single mine factors, which are:  § scarcity rent ( see section 2.1.3)  § cost of extraction (see section 2.1.4)  § uncertain reserves the amount of the resource left in the mine, discovery of new reserves (see section 2.1.5)  § demand in the market (see section 2.1.6)  § technological progress (see section 2.1.7)  § â€Å"backstop† technologies (see section 2.1.8)  § market structure: competitive (see section 3.3.1) or monopoly (see section 3.3.2) Now we have a closer look at these parameters, since further description of the scenarios in different markets might require taking some of the facts into consideration. 2.1.3. Resource Scarcity Hotellings rule is determining the price of exhaustible resource and the extraction path of it. This price, along with other costs, covers resource scarcity, and a large part of the Hotellings theory is dedicated to resource scarcity. Since it may influence the price of the resource and the extraction path, we discuss it more in details. Worries about resource scarcity can be traced back to medieval times in Britain, and have surfaced periodically ever since. The scarcity of land was central to the theories of Malthus and other classical economists. What do we mean by resource scarcity? One use of the term to be called absolute scarcity holds that all resources are scarce, as the availab ­ility of resources is fixed and finite at any point in time, while the wants which resource use can satisfy are not limited.[42] But this is not the usual meaning of the term in general discussions about natural resource scarcity. In these cases, scarcity tends to be used to indicate that the natural resource is becoming harder to obtain, and requires more of other resources to obtain it. The relevant costs to include in measures of scarcity are both private and external costs. It is important to recognize that, if private extraction costs are not rising over time, social costs may rise if negative externalities such as environmental degrada ­tion or depletion of common property resources are increasing as a consequence of extraction of the natural resource. Thus, a rising opportunity cost of obtaining the resource is an indicator of scarcity let us call this use of the term relative scarcity.[43] There are several indicators that one might use to assess the degree of scarcity of particular natural resources, and natural resources in general including physical indicators (such as reserve quantities or reserve-to-consumption ratios), marginal resource extraction cost, marginal exploration and discovery costs, market prices, and resource rents. Scarcity is concerned with the real opportunity cost of acquiring additional quantit ­ies of the resource. This suggests that the marginal extraction cost of obtaining the resource from exist ­ing reserves would be an appropriate indicator of scarcity. Unfortunately, no clear inference about scarcity can be drawn from extraction cost data alone. Barnett and Morse, studying marginal resource extraction costs, found no evidence of increasing scarcity, except for forestry.[44] The most commonly used scarcity indicator is time-series data on real (that is, inflation-adjusted) market prices. It is here that the affinity between tests of scarcity and tests of the Hotelling principle is most apparent. Market price data are readily available, easy to use and, like all asset prices, are forward-looking, to some extent at least. Use of price data has three main problems. First, prices are often distorted as a consequence of taxes, subsidies, exchange con ­trols and other governmental interventions. Reliable measures need to be corrected for such distortions. Secondly, the real price index tends to be very sens ­itive to the choice of deflator. Should nominal prices be deflated by a retail or wholesale price index (and for which basket of goods), by the GDP deflator, or by some input price index such as manufacturing wages?[45] The third major problem with resource price data is that market prices do not in general measure the right thing. An ideal price measure would reflect the net price of the resource. Hotellings rule shows that it rises through time as the resource becomes progressively scarcer. But net resource prices are not directly observed variables, and so it is rather difficult to use them as a basis for empirical analysis.[46] Stern distinguishes two major concepts of scarcity: exchange scarcity and use scarcity. Rents and prices measure the private exchange scarcity of stocks and commodities, respectively, for those wishing to purchase them. They are not necessarily good measures of scarcity for society as a whole or for resource owners. Though originally intended as an indicator of the classical natural or real price, unit cost can be reinterpreted as an indicator of use scarcity. Unit cost or related measures are possible indicators of use scarcity but are not perfect either as a social scarcity indicator they do not reflect downstream technical improvements in resource use, availability of substitutes, or, as in the case of price, the impact of environmental damage associated with resource extraction and use on welfare. All individual indicators of scarcity have limitations. There is no â€Å"correct† way to measure resource scarcity.[47] 2.1.4. Cost of extraction The cost of extraction of an exhaustible resource is discussed in this section, since these costs, similarly to resource scarcity, are also included in the price of resource. Any changes in them can affect the resource price and the extraction path of it, and further we need to make appropriate assumptions. A number of researchers have attempted to provide deterministic explanations for deviations from the Hotelling price path based on the properties of the extraction cost function [Solow and Wan (1976), Hanson (1980), and Roumasset, Isaak, and Fesharaki (1983)]. They argue that, holding technology and knowledge of the stock of the resource constant, the most easily accessible sources of the resource will be exploited first. This suggests that extraction costs should rise over time, and this will affect the resource price path [Dasgupta and Heal (1974, 1979)]. However, extraction costs alone-unless changed unexpectedly-do not explain why prices have not risen.[48] 2.1.5. Uncertain Reserves The change in reserves may influence the resource scarcity value, the price of the resource and demand in the market, any of these changes affects the Hotellings rule. We discuss reserves change to have better understanding of it, as then we need to make an assumption about it to construct the model. Changes in extraction and exploration technology all affect the size of the stock of proven, or extractible, reserves. This uncertainty about the reserve base contrasts with another underlying assumption in the Hotelling model. Constant real appreciation in exhaustible resource prices is derived in this model because the reserve stock is known with certainty (as are the demand function and extraction costs). In practice, however, reserves are not known with certainty and have increased dramatically over time, often in large, discrete leaps.[49] The effect of uncertain reserves on the optimal depletion path has been examined in a number of studies. An unanticipated shock to reserves can cause a shift among optimal paths. A sudden, unanticipated increase in proven reserves causes the price trajectory to fall to assure full resource exhaustion. Observed prices in these models fall sharply when the discovery is made.[50] In addition to unanticipated shocks to the reserve base, a number of these models address the impact of endogenous exploration behaviour on the resource price path. As shown by Arrow and Chang, exploration tends to accelerate as the stock of known reserves declines and the price of the resource rises. With major new discoveries, exploration tends to slow until scarcity again becomes important.[51] The implied price path, therefore, is one that rises and falls, with little apparent trend. As pointed out by Pindyck, uncertainty about the stock of reserves is consistent with observed price behavior, although such uncertainty does not fully explain that behaviour.[52] Clearly, reserve shocks have played an important role in preventing the Limits to Growth scenario from occurring by consistently raising the size of the resource stock. The timing of reserve discoveries and shifts in price trajectories, however, do not coincide precisely as the theory would predict. Announcements of large new deposits have sometimes caused prices to move, but often there is little immediate response.[53] In any case, the frequency with which shocks to the reserve base have occurred either because of luck or because of the endogenous response of enhanced exploration activity raises an important issue regarding the degree to which these resources really are exhaustible. The steady rise in reserves, despite growing demand, which depict a steady upward trend in consumption), may argue for decreasing scarcity value of the resource over time.[54] D.B. R

The Controversy of Deforestation Essay -- Deforestation Essays

The affect of environmental issues occur everyday and in particular deforestation is becoming a highly ranked subject. From animals to the human race, the alacrity of trees that are cut down affects every individual in a variety of ways. Not only do people need to help the planet but they need to help themselves and further generations to come, such as children and grandchildren because these natural resources that are being taken away from society are as well shaping the future. For comprehensible reasons, forests use to make up the world, until man made creatures started to destroy and destruct the most important supply to human kind which are trees. Trees are crucial to every living entity for the reason of providing oxygen to all. The world’s current problem which is deforestation can be solved by giving more knowledge about the cause, creating a luxury tax on meat products, and pin-pointing the major places that are being affected. Deforestation is a disturbance taking place causing the loss of environmental species or animals, natural herbs, and basic nourishment's. This cogent problem of deforestation has become a major problem because now more trees are being cut down and aren’t being replanted, leaving animals without a home to go back to. The animals that are being consumed are being reproduced and need more land area to graze around on, so more space is used while not considering the loss of other species. Environmental animals in the forests are becoming extinct and if they disappear from the earth than people will never know the usefulness or capability of each creature. For example, animals are useful in ways of protecting the family or even for hard labor work such as plowing and human companionship. Nat... ...ent Facts, Environment Science, Global Warming, Natural NorhtDisasters, Ecosystems, Green Living - National Geographic. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. Northhttp://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-Northoverview.html. â€Å"Deforestation.† University of Michigan. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. Northhttp://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm. "TreeHelp.com: Trees: Insects." Treehelp.com - Tree Care Made Easy. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. northhttp://www.treehelp.com/trees/trees-insects.asp. Brown, Katrina and David W. Pearce. â€Å"The Causes of Tropical Deforestation†. Vancouver: UCB Press, 1994. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Effect-of-Deforestation&id=510236. 10 September 2010 Stock , Jocelyn. â€Å"The Choice: Doomsday or Arbor Day.† Deforestation. N.d. http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm . 10 September 2010.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 6

Chapter Six Do Animals Get the Blues? Clint was the only one of the Animals still left at the Marina Safeway. He was tall, with a wild mop of dark hair and thick, horn-rimmed glasses that were held together with medical tape, and he had a look of deep panic on his face. He'd been trying to keep the store together for nearly a week with only a couple of stock boys from the day crew, and a porter from a temp service (even Gustavo, the Mexican porter with five kids, had taken off with the Animals), but now a huge order had come in on the truck and he knew he needed professionals. He dialed Tommy's number for the fifth time that night. It was four in the morning, but Tommy was their leader – and perhaps the best frozen-turkey bowler the world had ever known. He knew what it meant to be an Animal; he would be awake. The machine beeped. Clint said, â€Å"Dude, they're all gone. I need your help. It's just me, some temps, and the Lord to-night.† Clint had been recently reborn after five years in a drug-induced haze. He swore that the Lord would forever be on his night crew. â€Å"The guys took off for Vegas. Call me. No, just bring your box cutter and come to work. I'm buried.† Once they had been nine strong, the Animals. Nine men, all under the age of twenty-five, left alone in a grocery store for eight hours with only Tommy to supervise them. They'd been given their name by the day manager, who had come in one morning to find them drunk, hanging from the giant Safeway letters on the front of store, pelting one another with marshmallows. Tommy had recruited them to fight the old vampire. They'd found the vampire, sleeping inside a vault on his yacht, and they had also found his art collection. After selling it for ten cents on the dollar, each of them had netted a hundred thousand dollars. Tommy went home with Jody, Clint went home to pray for the vampire's soul. Simon had been killed. The rest of the Animals headed for Vegas. Clint hung up the phone, then sat down hard in the manager's chair. It was too much responsibility. The weight of it would drive him over the edge. Even now he could hear dogs barking in his head. â€Å"Front door,† the temp night porter called over the half wall of the office. Clint stood up to see the Emperor and his dogs at the double electric doors. He grabbed the keys, disarmed the alarm, and opened the door. The Boston terrier shot by him, heading for the beef-jerky display. â€Å"Your Majesty,† Clint said. â€Å"You're out of breath.† The big man held his chest as he panted. â€Å"Gather the troops, young man. C. Thomas Flood has been turned to a bloodsucking fiend. Gather your weapons, we must charge again into the breach.† â€Å"It's just me and noobs,† Clint said. â€Å"Did you say that Tommy's a vampire?† â€Å"Indeed. I saw him not two hours ago. As pale as death.† â€Å"Well, that's not good.† â€Å"Your talent for stating the obvious is unprecedented, young man.† â€Å"Come in.† Clint stepped away from the door. â€Å"We are going to need to pray on this.† â€Å"Well, there's a start,† said the Emperor. â€Å"Then I need to call Tommy and tell him to never mind about coming to work,† Clint said. â€Å"Splendid,† said the Emperor, without a hint of sarcasm. â€Å"I believe we've achieved a new level of doomed.† â€Å"You've always been good to me,† Jody said. â€Å"Well, I try,† Tommy said. He was going up the narrow stairway to their loft. She was slung over his shoulder, her forehead bounced off his belt with every step. She seemed so light. Tommy was still amazed at his newfound strength. He'd carried her ten blocks already and he wasn't even feeling it. Well, he was a little tired of listening to her, but physically he wasn't fatigued at all. â€Å"I can be such a bitch sometimes.† â€Å"That's not true,† Tommy said. Yes, it was. â€Å"Yes it is, yes it is. Yes I am. I am a total bitch sometimes.† Tommy stopped at the top of the steps and dug in his pocket for his keys. â€Å"Well, maybe a little, but – â€Å" â€Å"So I am a bitch? You're saying I'm a bitch?† â€Å"Oh my God, is the sun never going to come up?† â€Å"Listen, you're lucky to have me, you wuss.† â€Å"Yes I am,† Tommy said. â€Å"You are?† He swung her over to her feet, then caught her before she went over backwards into the wall. She had a big goofy smile on her face. Sometime during the evening, blood had dripped down the front of her blouse and there was some smeared on her lip. She looked a little like she'd been punched out. Tommy tried to rub away the blood with his thumb. The cloud of alcohol breath she let go on him made him wince. â€Å"I love you, Tommy.† She fell into his arms. â€Å"Right back at you, Jody.† â€Å"I'm sorry I gave you noogies. I'm still learning to harness my powers, you know.† â€Å"That's okay.† â€Å"And called you a wuss.† â€Å"No problem.† She licked the side of his neck, nipped at him. â€Å"Let's make love before the sun comes up.† Tommy looked over her shoulder at the destruction they had wrought on the loft the last time they'd done it, and he said something he never thought he would hear coming out of his own mouth. â€Å"I think I've had enough for tonight. Maybe we should just lock down.† â€Å"You think I'm fat, don't you?† â€Å"No, you're perfect.† â€Å"It's because I'm fat.† She pushed him away and stumbled into the bedroom, then tripped and tumbled face-first into the shredded remains of their bed. â€Å"And old,† she added, although it was only through his acute vampire hearing that Tommy understood this, since she was speaking directly into the mattress. â€Å"Fat and old,† she said. â€Å"You're going to get whiplash from those mood swings, Red,† Tommy said quietly as he climbed into bed with his clothes on. Then he lay there beside her thinking about all that they had to do, about how they were going to have to find a place and move without going out during the day, and beyond that, just exactly how were they going to survive and stay hidden? The Emperor could tell. Tommy could tell he could tell. And as much as he liked the Emperor, it wasn't a good sign. And so even as he worried, and listened to his girlfriend yell at him, C. Thomas Flood became the first vampire in history to actually pray for the sun to come up. A few minutes later, his prayers were answered, and the two of them went out. Since becoming a vampire, Jody had always hated the way consciousness came on at dusk like the streetlights coming on. There was no groggy twilight between sleep and wakefulness, just â€Å"bam, welcome to the night, here's your to-do list.† Not tonight. Tonight she got her twilight, her grogginess, and a headache as well. She sat upright in bed so fast she nearly somersaulted off the end, then, when her head didn't seem to follow her, she lay back down with such force that her pillow exploded, sending out a snowstorm of feathers to whirl around the room. She moaned and Tommy came bounding into the room. â€Å"Hey,† he said. â€Å"Ouch,† Jody said, grabbing her forehead with both hands as if to hold her brains in. â€Å"That's new, huh? Vampire hangover?† Tommy waved some feathers out of the air in front of him. â€Å"I feel like death warmed over,† Jody said. â€Å"Cute. I'll bet you're missing coffee right now.† â€Å"And aspirin. I've fed off of you when you'd been drinking. Why did it affect me now?† â€Å"I think maybe the huge cat guy had a little more in his blood than I did. Anyway, I have a theory about that. We can test it later, when you feel better, but right now we have a ton of stuff we have to do. We've got to figure out the move. Clint called me from the store last night. Wanting me to work. Then he called back all freaked out, saying I shouldn't come in.† Tommy played the message for her. Twice. â€Å"He knows,† Jody said. â€Å"Yeah, but how does he know?† â€Å"Doesn't matter. He knows.† â€Å"Fuck!† â€Å"Little bit softer now,† Jody said, holding her hair like it was hurting her. â€Å"Too loud?† Jody nodded. â€Å"You know, for your notebook, Tommy. Vampire senses when you're hungover? Not so good.† â€Å"Really? That bad?† â€Å"Your breath is nauseating me from across the room.† â€Å"Yeah, we need toothpaste.† â€Å"There's someone at the door?† Jody covered her ears. She could hear sneakers scraping the sidewalk from all the way downstairs. â€Å"There is?† The door buzzer sounded. â€Å"Yep,† she said. Tommy ran to the front windows and looked down to the street. â€Å"There's a Humvee limo out there that's about a block long.† â€Å"You'd better answer it,† Jody said. â€Å"Maybe we should just hide. Pretend we re not home.† â€Å"No, you need to get it,† Jody said. She could hear the shuffling at the door, the rock and roll playing in the limo, the bong bubbling, lines being chopped on a CD case, and a male voice repeating the phrase â€Å"sweet blue titties† over and over like a mantra. She grabbed the pillow from Tommy's side of the bed and pulled it over her head. â€Å"Answer it, Tommy. It's the fucking Animals.† â€Å"Dude,† said Lash Jefferson, a wiry black man with a newly shaved scalp, wearing mirror shades. He pulled Tommy out of his doorway and hugged him furiously – crazed, back-slamming, good-to-see-you guy hugs. â€Å"We are so fucked, dude,† Lash continued. Tommy pushed away, trying to reconcile that he was glad to see his friend with the fact that Lash smelled like a beer-bar urinal filled with mackerel. â€Å"I thought you guys went to Vegas,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yeah. Yeah. We did. Everyone's in the limo. It's just that I need to talk to you. Can we go inside?† â€Å"No.† Tommy almost said that Jody was sleeping, which had been his excuse for keeping the Animals out of his loft in the past, but Jody was supposed to have left town. â€Å"Step in the stairway, I've got something happening upstairs.† Lash nodded and looked over the top of his shades and bounced his eyebrows. His eyes were bloodshot and glazed over. Tommy could hear his heart racing. Coke or fear, he guessed. Both maybe. â€Å"Look, dude,† Lash said. â€Å"First thing, we need to borrow some money.† â€Å"What? You guys have over a hundred grand each from the art we sold.† â€Å"Yeah, we did. We had a big weekend.† Tommy figured in his head. â€Å"You guys blew over six hundred grand in what – four days?† â€Å"No,† Lash said. â€Å"No, not all of it. We're not completely broke.† â€Å"Then why do you need to borrow money?† â€Å"Just twenty grand or so, to get us through to tomorrow,† Lash said. â€Å"Luckily I almost have my MBA and have mad business skills. Otherwise we'd have been broke yesterday.† Tommy nodded. Twenty grand was about six months' salary for him at the Safeway. He'd been a little intimidated by Lash's almost-MBA up until now. Now he was just worried that Lash would be able to tell he had changed. He said, â€Å"So, like you were saying, you're fucked.† â€Å"We were doing fine, only down like ten grand each, until we met Blue.† Lash looked at the ceiling wistfully, like it was a distant memory he was trying to conjure, instead of something that had happened a couple of nights ago. â€Å"Blue?† â€Å"You know that group they have in Vegas? The Blue Men?† â€Å"Yeah, the guys who paint themselves blue and pound on pipes and stuff?† Tommy was lost. â€Å"Yeah,† Lash said. â€Å"Well, it turns out there are blue women, too. Or at least there's one. And dude, she's sucking us dry.† In the back seat of the limo, Blue held Barry's face between her boobs, snugly enough to keep him under control, but not so snug that he couldn't breathe. While the other Animals had drunk, smoked, and fucked themselves into a zombielike stupor – and now lay sprawled about the glittery interior of the limo – Barry had opted to do two hits of XTC, a line of coke, and a bong load of sticky skunk weed, which had put his brain into some sort of redundant tribal loop that had him kneeling naked before her, chanting â€Å"sweet blue titties† for the last twenty minutes. She just couldn't take it anymore, so she had grabbed his curl-fringed bald head and pulled his face into her cleavage just to shut him up. Mercifully, he had gone quiet, because she really didn't want to suffocate him as long as he still had money. It takes a meandering road of wrong turns to take a girl from being the milky-skinned Cheddar princess of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to a blue-dyed call girl turning tricks at downtown casinos in Vegas, but Blue would be damned if she'd add yet another wrong turn by smothering a golden goose between her proportionally improbable silicon joy orbs. The Animals were her way out, and if she had to stay in character as an Alien Pleasure Unit or a blueberry muffin to keep them on the hook, she would. Blue was a method hooker. Early in her adventures, after she'd left cocktailing due to a propensity for spilling drinks, and before she'd begun stripping, where her lack of balance was mitigated by the presence of a sturdy pole, she had a short career acting in low-budget porn. She befriended a promising actress named Lotta Vulva, who gave her a book on the Stanislavski Method. â€Å"If you can find your sense memory,† Lotta said, â€Å"it will keep you from barfing on the actors. Directors hate that.† The  «Method » had served Blue well since then, as it allowed her to calculate betting odds or figure her checkbook while her character was performing acts that she herself would have found unpleasant or outright disgusting. (How much better to reside in her sense memory of the budding Cheddar princess, coaxing the hearty, whole-milk goodness from the udders of a Holstein, than to face the harshly lit reality of her actions?) After six months Blue was driven out of the film business by a  «defect » one director called â€Å"not enough tits to fill a shot glass,† which no amount of Method was able to remedy. She returned to cocktailing, albeit at a strip club, where she seldom had to carry more than one ten-dollar beer at a time, until she saved enough money for breast-augmentation surgery and made her way to the pole. She danced her way through her twenties, before she was driven off the stage by younger, more gravity-resistant girls, and because she had skipped personal typing class in high school and had therefore besmirched her permanent record, she landed in the employ of an outcall escort service. â€Å"I feel like I'm doing Domino's delivery blow jobs,† Blue told her roommate. â€Å"Satisfaction in twenty minutes or less or your money back. And the agency is taking most of the money. I'll never get out of this business at this rate.† â€Å"You need a gimmick† said her roommate, a cocktail waitress at the Venetian. â€Å"Like those Blue Men guys in the show. I swear they'd just be a bunch of frat boys beating on garbage cans if they weren't painted blue.† And so it began. The fallen Cheddar princess of Fond du Lac found some semipermanent skin dye, opened credit-card deposit accounts, had some pictures taken, placed ads in all the free sleaze rags around the city, and Blue was born. It wasn't as if she wouldn't have been able to make a living without the gimmick – most guys will shag a snake if you hold it steady for them. But it turned out they would pay a lot for the exotica of a blue woman. She worked as much as she could handle, and her savings had climbed to the point where she could actually see the possibility of an exit. But about that same time, she realized that by going blue, she had opted out of the pipe dream of every hooker, stripper, and telemarketer: the rich guy who would take her away from it all. The whale who would drop a fortune on her to become his personal pet. There would be no big score for the blue chick, or so she thought, until the Animals called her in for a combination strip show and fuckfest. Where they got the money didn't matter. What mattered was that they had a lot of it, and it appeared that they would keep giving it to her until it was all gone. She had nearly half a million dollars in her makeup case, and Blue – the character Blue – could put up with a lot of attention from the Animals while she hid in the back of her mind and formulated an investment strategy. The tall, skinny one, Drew, had opened the hotel-room door an d said, â€Å"Hi. We discussed it and agreed that when we were kids, we all really wanted to bone a Smurf.† â€Å"I get that a lot,† said Blue. â€Å"We just wanted to bone a Smurf,† Lash said. â€Å"Understandably,† said Tommy. â€Å"She's really nice,† Lash said. â€Å"Important quality in a ho,† said Tommy. â€Å"But now we can't seem to quit.† â€Å"So you want me to do what – hold an intervention?† â€Å"No, you're our leader. We look to you for other things. So we want you to give us money so we can keep partying, and pay our rents and stuff.† â€Å"And when all of my money is gone, then I can intervene.† â€Å"Sure, if you feel you have to,† said Lash. â€Å"How's your credit?† â€Å"Lash, are you high?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Right. Of course. What was I thinking?† Tommy was relaxing now about Lash noticing that he was a vampire. Clearly the former stewards of Safeway night stock, in addition to being wasted, had gone collectively out of their minds. â€Å"Lash, I don't almost have an MBA like you, but isn't there sort of some business principle that you're violating? I mean, isn't there a class about not spending your rent money on hookers or something?† â€Å"Step off, Flood,† Lash said. â€Å"You hooked up with a vampire.† â€Å"She was cute,† Tommy said. â€Å"An important quality in a vampire,† Lash said, looking over the top of his shades. â€Å"She had sex with me,† Tommy countered. He wanted to say that she was nice, but Lash had already used ;nice; for his blue hooker. â€Å"I think I've made my point,† Lash said. â€Å"Give me your money.† â€Å"You haven't made your point. You completely haven't made your point.† Tommy reared back as if to punch Lash in the chest, as the Animals did to one another all the time, but remembered that now he might crush some of the Animals' ribs. Instead, he said, â€Å"Don't make me cave in your skinny chest, bee-yotch.† â€Å"Your redheaded vampire kung fu is no match for the fearsome blue booty kung fu.† Lash made a howling chicken noise and waved his hands around as he fell back into a fighting stance, then went right back onto his ass on the steps. He laughed until he choked, then coughed and said, â€Å"Seriously, dude, if you don't give us money, we're going to be totally broke in about six hours. I did the math.† â€Å"You could go back to work,† Tommy said. â€Å"Clint called here last night. They're buried at the store. They need night stockers.† â€Å"No?† Lash said, pulling down his sunglasses. â€Å"Yes,† Tommy said. â€Å"Then we're not fired?† â€Å"Evidently not,† Tommy said. â€Å"That's it. We could go back to work. That's what we'll tell her. We have to go back to work.† â€Å"Why didn't you just tell her to go away before she did you all the way here from Vegas.† â€Å"We didn't want to be rude.† â€Å"Oh, right. Well then, off you go.† Lash pushed to his feet and steadied himself on the banister long enough to look Tommy in the eye. â€Å"You okay? You look pale.† â€Å"I'm heartbroken and shit,† Tommy said. He hated it, but Lash's bloodshot eyes peering over the sunglasses had actually given him a twinge of hunger. â€Å"Right.† Lash went through the security door. Tommy watched him as he paused at the rear door of the limo and turned back. â€Å"You need some blue nooky to cheer you up?† Lash asked. â€Å"Our treat.† â€Å"No, I'm good,† Tommy said. â€Å"All for one, and whatnot,† Lash said. â€Å"Appreciate it.† Tommy shrugged. â€Å"Heartbroken.† â€Å"Okay.† Lash threw open the limo's door and two of the Animals, Drew and Troy Lee, rolled out onto the pavement, followed by a great storm cloud of pot smoke. â€Å"Fuck, dude. Did you know there was a door there?† said Drew, the scruffy thin one. â€Å"Look,† said Troy Lee, the Asian guy who actually did know kung fu. â€Å"Hey, look, it's fearless leader.† â€Å"Go to work,† Tommy said. â€Å"It's only seven. You guys can get sobered up and be completely ready for your shift at eleven.† Not a chance, Tommy thought. â€Å"Yeah, we can do it,† Lash said, peeking into the limo. â€Å"Hey, Barry, climb off, motherfucker, I'm up next, then it's Jeff's turn. I put it on the board. Blue, don't let him do that to your ear, baby, you won't hear for a month.† Tommy closed the security door and sat down hard on the steps, hiding his face in his hands to try to make it all go away. The Animals had been his friends, his crew. They had taken him in when he was alone in the city, made him their leader, and if he got the tone of Clint's second message right, in about four hours, when they got to the store, they were going to turn on him.

“Alien World” Essay

Zaitchik is a freelance journalist who is affiliated with Poverty Law, a U.S. organization that supports ethnic and racial tolerance. Zaitchik’s article attempts to convey the idea that Mexico’s economy is forcing people to take desperate measures in order to survive. He uses his experience with a border crossing simulation as a way to lure the reader into the article. Zaitchik then proceeds to use statistical evidence to enlighten the reader about Mexico’s economic dependency on migrant workers. Zaitchik travelled to Mexico to learn about and participate in the border crossing simulation. He effectively uses his experience with the border crossing simulation, its participants, the Otomi people and his knowledge of the Mexican economy to effectively present his argument. Zaitchik’s personal experience and knowledge of the Otomi’s plight supplement his argument. He provides a series of facts and anecdotal evidence to show the emergence of a border crossing simulation in Mezquital Valley as a prelude to a bigger problem, Mexico’s economic dependency on migrant workers. Zaitchik states that the Otomi, the indigenous people of Mezquital Valley, lost 90% of their working class to migrant workers (258). Many of the Otomi migrant workers make the trip north to work seasonally, but many are unable or unwilling to return (259). The author’s use of these facts establishes that the Otomi were left with a population that would not be able to sustain their local culture or the community’s economy. This forced the remaining population to tap into a new form of ecotourism by starting the border crossing simulation. Zaitchik’s simulation shows how illegal immigrants face a great number of challenges as they attempt to enter through a foreign country’s borders. Each participant has paid $125 for two days camping and a midnight â€Å"border crossing† experience in central Mexico. The staged run, 700 miles from the actual U.S. border, covers a bruising adventure course that winds through the valley of Alberto Eco Park. Zaitchik says, â€Å"It all adds up to the world’s most elaborating simulation of the Mexican migrant experience† (259). His knowledge of the border crossing  simulation reinforces how the Otomi were forced to adapt or face extinction. One of those who left and returned is Laura Basuado a fresh faced- 27- year- old park employee who crossed the border when she was 17. She states, â€Å"The night walk is not even 1 percent of what it’s really like.† Her own journey to the U.S. involved a four-day walk through the sonoran desert. This comparison serves to further clarify that there is a gap between the middle class and the poor, emphasizing that the participants do not see this experience as an act of unifying the Mexican people. After luring the reader with the Otomi’s plight and experience on the simulation, Zaitchik’s asserts that the Mexican government tolerates and even encourages the trip up north. He gives the following as the reason, â€Å"Mexicans living in the U.S. send more than $25 billion dollars in annual remittances to their relatives south of the border† (262). $25 billion dollars is a substation amount of money for any government to give up willingly without having a means of replacing the income. The cotton industry in West Texas fears that there will be a struggle in finding field workers if the border is closed. Other regions of the country that depend on agricultural workers to pick their product in time for the market would also be affected. (O’Donnell 26). It has been proven that it is extremely important for the agriculture business to have enough migrant workers to work the fields and in turn provide an economic impact to the region. Agriculture’s need for Mexican workers is very large, but it is also a seasonal job which sometimes will cause the migrant worker to move from the West Coast to Texas, or other agricultural states. This kind of migration is seen less and less since some states have been enforcing or enacting their own immigration laws which prevent most illegal immigrants from going and providing an econo mic impact to the region. Ask any struggling Mexican if U.S. plans for a high-tech border fence will stop the flow, and he will tell you the idea is fanciful, that you cannot deter the desperate. â€Å"If you build a wall, they will build taller ladders and dig deeper tunnels,† says Del Plan. â€Å"If the entire border becomes clogged with armed guards, they will take boats, as the Cubans and Haitians do.† Indeed, this shift is already happening (262). As you can see O’Donnell and Zaitchik agree that the agriculture businesses require the migrant workers, and that increased border security will not deter illegal immigration. According to the Pew Research Hispanic Center, (Young) there is no net zero migration  from Mexico to the U.S. for the first time in decades. Increased border patrol, stricter laws in the U.S., rising smuggling fees, violence in the desert and the struggling U.S. economy are keeping more Mexicans at home and even have some people returning to Mexico from the U.S. Th erefore, â€Å"The media sees we are trying to build understanding and create jobs, and they support us says, Eduardo Del Plan, a park employee who scripts much of the simulation based on his own multiple trips across the border†. Therefore, Zaitchik states â€Å"that we have become an example of an indigenous community standing on its own feet, trying to stop the bleeding to the north† (262). (Maribel Garcia from HERE AND NOW) says it’s difficult to show how effective the night walks are for our visitors, but as the parks tourist offerings are expanding, and the number of visitors slowly growing, she says that the walks will generate enough income to encourage more of the community’s residents to stay put. However,† Bausado eventually found her way to Minnesota, where she stayed four months before deciding she’d rather be poor and jobless in Mexico than poor and marginally employed in the U.S., living in constant dread of arrest or deportation† (260). Zaitchik’s article attempts to convey the idea that Mexico’s economy is forcing people to take desperate measures in order to survive. He uses his experience with a border crossing simulation as a way to draw the reader into the article. Zaitchik then proceeds to use statistical evidence to enlighten the reader about Mexico’s economic dependency on migrant workers. Overall Zaitchik experienced a memorable border crossing adventure. Work Cited From http;//www.usatoday.com. Hanson,H.G. and Council on Foreign Affairs. â€Å"The economic logic of illegal immigration.† USA: Council on Foreign Relations, 2007. From http;//hereandnow.wbur.org fake-border-crossing Here & Now with Robin Young and Irina Zhorov

Lord of the Flies and 1984 Essay Example

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Mary Church Terrell Quotes

Mary Church Terrell Quotes Mary Church Terrell was born the same year that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, and she died two months after the Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. In between, she advocated for racial and gender justice, and especially for rights and opportunities for African American women. Selected Mary Church Terrell Quotations And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ere long. With courage, born of success achieved in the past, with a keen sense of the responsibility which we shall continue to assume, we look forward to a future large with promise and hope. Seeking no favors because of our color, nor patronage because of our needs, we knock at the bar of justice, asking an equal chance. I cannot help wondering sometimes what I might have become and might have done if I had lived in a country which had not circumscribed and handicapped me on account of my race, that had allowed me to reach any height I was able to attain. Through the National Association of Colored Women, which was formed by the union of two large organizations in July, 1896, and which is now the only national body among colored women, much good has been done in the past, and more will be accomplished in the future, we hope. Believing that it is only through the home that a people can become really good and truly great, the National Association of Colored Women has entered that sacred domain. Homes, more homes, better homes, purer homes is the text upon which our have been and will be preached. Please stop using the word Negro.... We are the only human beings in the world with fifty-seven variety of complexions who are classed together as a single racial unit. Therefore, we are really truly colored people, and that is the only name in the English language which accurately describes us. It is impossible for any white person in the United States, no matter how sympathetic and broad, to realize what life would mean to him if his incentive to effort were suddenly snatched away. To the lack of incentive to effort, which is the awful shadow under which we live, may be traced the wreck and ruin of score of colored youth. Seeing their children touched and seared and wounded by race prejudice is one of the heaviest crosses which colored women have to bear. Surely nowhere in the world do oppression and persecution based solely on the color of the skin appear more hateful and hideous than in the capital of the United States, because the chasm between the principles upon which this Government was founded, in which it still professes to believe, and those which are daily practiced under the protection of the flag, yawn so wide and deep. As a colored woman I may enter more than one white church in Washington without receiving that welcome which as a human being I have the right to expect in the sanctuary of God. When Ernestine Rose, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony began that agitation by which colleges were opened to women and the numerous reforms inaugurated for the amelioration of their condition along all lines, their sisters who groaned in bondage had little reason to hope that these blessings would ever brighten their crushed and blighted lives, for during those days of oppression and despair, colored women were not only refused admittance to institutions of learning, but the law of the States in which the majority lived made it a crime to teach them to read. Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis.

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Reflective Journal Designing Formats and Including Visuals - Essay Example The upgrading of visual formats keeps the viewers engaged in it all the time. Facebook has mastered the use of the three means of appeal and persuasion, namely, ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos which is to make the user feel likeable is done through the use of the like button under each and every post and status. Pathos is to persuade by appealing the emotions of the reader, which are again used by Facebook as people have their own ethnic, religious and emotional pages which they like based on their own interests; this engages them on their emotional level as well. Logos is said to persuade the logical side of people, which is again a trait of Facebook as people make logical statements which are then liked by people and shared (Fife, 2010). Visuals are very important to use in college papers as they are able to communicate the exact frame of mind of the students to the teachers. Using visuals professionally can help in giving out power point presentations and reports in order to explain with accuracy (Keenan and Shiri,

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Consumer Behavior. Answer 4 Questions - Coursework Example All over the globe, the use of these status goods is observed and its abuse is also rather evident. Medieval ages definitely did not have status symbols, however their emergence rather proceeded from the 19th century (Denselow, 2010). Now in 2013, the idea of a status symbol somewhat differs from the one before it, and correspondingly 2012 showed an additional side of these symbols and as far as we can go, every year the ranks of these symbols changed, from nice ties, pleasant coats, gold rings to posh cars and houses. Even braces today are a part of the status symbols! Crazy as it sounds, that’s how it goes. Every year brings new modifications which also alter the current trends and fashion proceeding into newer trends every season. Yes, these symbols have no end to their existence. They have existed for years and years, if today wearing a Rolex watch and owning a sumptuous car is the idea of a status symbol, tomorrow maybe a nice villa in Miami would be the part of an ideal lifestyle. It has now become a matter of prestige to own these goods; their fewer occurrences in somebody’s life depict the non-existence of money and low status, which by the upper classes is exceedingly detested. According to them, a person without these status symbols should be led to a scaffold to be punished. It is tormenting to observe such detestation for the people who cannot afford these things. But people even believe in running around in ugly clothes, bad shoes, live without food but NOT without these luxuries. By these explicit reactions, it is rather a matter of prestige now and the denial of this statement by a few would not really matter. The universities, colleges and schools have become a status exhibiting conventional area where people come and compete to win the rank of the classiest, rich and elite person in the whole vicinity. Aren’t these places meant to increase educational programmes; they surely are but the current inclination towards status ha s changed this course into a posh museum of ranking. Modern generation sermonizes this stuff to look more up-to-date, rich and stylish. It is a matter of perception though. To look stylish and gain confidence, you can also get yourself educated, be honest and not practice chicaneries observed by a huge lot: ‘The cult of luxury shopping is spreading’ (Day, 2011). But if the youth prefers to hold on to the status symbols and not the dignified ways, then it is clearly their choice. 1) Do you believe that your peer group value â€Å"status symbols†? Status symbols are the objects of luxuries which are preached all over the world for their high demand. Definitely, with no doubt, not just my peers value them but people all over the world with access to money, or even the ones who aren’t that wealthy, are in a hunt for them to flaunt their monetary status in the society and build a brawny influential image in front of the ones around them. Status symbols do not m ake sense on any intellectual level but they have a lot to do with the social hierarchy. Society here is divided into two sectors the haves and the have-nots. Possessing a status symbol is considered to be a must have and the ones who fail to do so is considered insignificant in today’s age. It is very imperative in today’s world, because the possession of a status symbol signifies your social status, that whether you have crossed the dividing line between rich and poor and how well suited you are to the current

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Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Essay Example for Free

Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Essay Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Introduction            The Tar Creek superfund site which is also known as Picher lead and zinc mining district is found in the far northeastern part of Oklahoma near its border with Kansas. The site was part of the Tri-state mining district that included areas of Missouri and Kansas and was one of the largest lead and zinc mining areas in the world. The Tar Creek site is considered to be one of the largest superfund site in America covering a geographic area of about 50 square miles and costs a total remediation fee of about 540 million dollars to 61 billion dollars. Tar Creek is a small stream that is characterized by still pools and is the major drainage system for the in the Picher field area, and it flows to the south passing between the towns of Picher and Cardin. Despite efforts that were put to prevent further contamination, there was minimal improvement in the surface water quality. The measures taken to divert the water were seen to be only partially effective (State Oklahoma report). As part of action to remedy the situation, eighty-three wells abandoned wells were refilled, dikes were constructed to divert surface water around collapsed mine shafts and the mines. The first operable unit cost ten million dollars.            The superfund program by the Environmental protection Agency has been highly criticized and praised over the years since the beginning of its implementation. There are some superfund sites that were cleaned successfully and reclaimed, however, others like the Tar Creek superfund site, which has been listed in the National Priorities List for several years. The Tar Creek has witnessed minimal notable improvement since the cleanup efforts began. The purpose of this research document is to investigate the difference between sites that have been cleaned and reclaimed successfully and those that have not seen any meaningful change. The paper will also determine the factors that influence speed and ease of the cleanup, suggest changes that can be made to the current process of superfund cleanup that will be beneficial to all sites. Overview and Analysis of Risks Involved            Tar creek is a region that is found at the northwest of Oklahoma near the town of Picher and is part of land segments in the southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. It totals about 1,200 acres and 40 square miles in size. The area was part of the Tri-state Mining District between 1900 to late 1960s. Excessive mining carried out in the area produced pollutants of lead, zinc and cadmium that resulted in highly acidic water flowing into ponds and streams on the surface while some seeped into ground water. Other specific affected towns apart from Picher include Miami, Hockerville, Cardin, and Quapaw.            The problems found in Tar creek site, and Picher have historical beginnings in long time mining of zinc and lead in the area. Mining in the area began in 1900 and went on through to the late 1970s. The process of mining lead and zinc creates large quantities of unused mining materials which pile up above the ground and are always known as â€Å"chat† piles. These chat piles can be quite huge and may resemble hills. Over time, mining companies disposed of the chat by creating large piles above the ground and tailing ponds or dumping it into flotation. Some chat piles could rise as high as 200 feet, and all of it had increased level of lead and other heavy metals.            It is approximated that about 1.7 million tons of led was generated from the mining of about 181 million tons of lead deposits, giving rise to a significant amount of lead contaminated waste. It was posited that at during the time of clean up, there were thousands of acres (Fifty square miles or two thousand nine hundred) and more than 265 million tons of chats that are lead contaminated (Hu, Shine and Wright, 2007).            The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that Tar Creek has 75 million tons of chat piles. The Environmental Protection Agency listed Tar Creek on the National Priorities List in 1983.This made it subject to Comprehensive Environmental Compensation, Response, and Liability Act. Environmental Protection Agency found that tailings were found all over residential properties in the Tar Creek, with the foundation of business units and homes built on chat. Apart from that, another by-product arising from the mining operation is highly acidic mine water. The zinc and lead mines were that abandoned began to fill with surface runoff. During the late 1970s, the drainage of the acid mines containing heavy metals started to discharge into Tar Creek from boreholes, natural springs and open mine shafts.            Several public health problems are presented by the superfund site that include mine shaft hazards, acid mine drainage, poor air quality due to dust laden with lead. Others include soil contamination linked to chat piles and mine waste and exposure of young children and vulnerable population to contaminated materials. More health risks are attributed to human consumption of wild food and fish from the Tar Creek superfund site and including the Spring River and Neosho river watershed.            All these environmental and human health problems are still being examined by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Human Health Services and other local state agencies. In 2003, several federal agencies (the Environmental Protection Agency, U. S. Army Corps, and the Department of Interior) signed a memorandum of understanding facilitating cooperation of the agencies to achieve a holistic approach to the risk posed from the Tar Creek superfund site. Federal, private and state efforts are implemented and coordinated by the Department of Environmental Quality in Oklahoma to ensure that a comprehensive solution to the health and environmental problems is achieved in the area. Several tribal authorities are conducting additional solutions to restore their environment and protect the health of community members. Possible Solutions to the Problem            Superfund is currently not set up to handle complex and large areas like Tar Creek. Superfund is focused on site remediation as a permanent solution to the problem. However, in situations such as Tar Creek it is not easy to achieve a permanent solution within a short time. Therefore, the residents of this area and the surrounding areas are exposed to contaminants for a substantial period, which increases risk human health effect on the environment.            Solving this problem requires separate cleanup process are included where the complexity, size or government restrictions in the area will lead to prolonged cleanup time or significant delays. For superfund sites like Tar Creek, two cleanup approaches should be used. The first approach should aim at getting a permanent solution, as is the current goal of the superfund process. The second approach should be a temporary solution which will minimize exposure of people, environment and wildlife to the contamination while a permanent solution is lookedfor. An example of this is covering contaminated soil using a capping system (United States Environmental Protection Agency).            There are various measures that can be implemented at the Tar Creek superfund site that can provide immediate and significant benefits. The first action should be extensive community education program. The Environmental Protection Agency should take measures to inform the community about the dangers and hazards that are linked to the pollution and inform them of measures they can take to protect their health. People need to be informed of the importance of regular hand washing. Measures should be put in place to inform residents of the risks that can result from playing on the piles of chat and the area creeks. Warning signs and fences to prevent people from entering the polluted areas should be erected. The education program can help to decrease the blood lead level of people living in the area (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Public education programs are beneficial; however, it is not a requirement for superfund sites. It is up to those charged w ith overseeing the site to initiate such programs. Individuals living in the areas that are polluted deserve the right to know the nature of pollution they are exposed to and the measures they can implement to protect themselves. Immediately a problem is identified, education and public awareness programs should begin. Public education programs should begin as soon as the site is listed in the National priority list.            Another measure that can be beneficial at the Tar Creek is the removal of chat from residential properties. Chat coverings such as roads, driveways and playground surfaces should be removed and replaced. Apart from this, some of the chat in the chat piles can be used as an aggregate for asphalt, reducing the volume of chat over a number of years. Asphalt made with the chat can be used to plug mine shafts and pave roads while containing the heavy lead and zinc metals and decreasing their mobility. Removal of chat can result in a reduced blood lead level in the people living in the area. The removal process is projected to have more positive outcomes as progress continues. For example, piles of chat shrink exposure of community members to dust as a result of wind will reduce. In addition to that, contamination of ground water by rainwater runoff will reduce as the chat piles shrinks.            The surface water quality should be improved through construction of passive treatment projects while harnessing the filtration capability of the surrounding ecosystem. To reduce exposure to lead dust, the amount of chat used in asphalt mixes needs to be increased, chat roads should be paved and chat piles and millponds near residential areas should be re-navigated. In addition to this, the state can alleviate mine hazards by locating and mapping vent holes and mine shafts and filling them with chat. The other method is to reclaim the land by removing the chat, re-vegetating and re-contouring the land.            In addition to this, state governments can easily manage awareness and education programs, without interrupting the federal cleanup work. If the area is very complex, local governments, and the state can focus on smaller or projects that are less complex like the chat removal. At the same time, federal resources should be used on the most complex areas of the cleanup exercise. Federal agencies have a tendency to control the state and local governments rather than working together with them. Measures should be added to the current superfund program to enable greater state and local government participation. More funds and high awareness could quicken the cleanup process.            The superfund process should change the way threats to the environment and health are viewed. In general, measures should be taken the moment an imminent threat to human health and the environment has been identified. (US EPA). In Tar Creek exposure over a day or several days will not have any notable impact on a person’s health. However, over a period of years, exposure to contaminants in the area may affect the reproductive, cardiovascular, and central nervous system for people who are exposed. It can also cause hyperactivity and retardation in young children (Church). The people residing in Tar Creek area had been exposed to contaminants for several years, their health was seriously at risk due to the chronic threat affecting the people for over fifty tears (Brock et al., 1995).            To reduce the threat to human health due to exposure contaminated materials, a new classification system should be introduced to the superfund process. Conditions that that would create a significant threat to human health as a result of repeated exposure can be classified as a chronic threat. A timeline can be established, based on the nature of the contaminant, the duration of time over which the environment and the public had were exposed, and the extent of contamination. This timeline will determine the acceptable period to improve the situation. If significant improvement is not realized within the period, the situation should be classified as an immediate threat. Conclusion            Even though the superfund process has been successful in many cases, it can be improved upon. Measures that include mandatory education programs, testing for cross-contamination at the beginning of the site investigation, implementation of temporary remedies for particularly complex or large cleanup sites can be used to encourage greater state intervention. Addressing chronic threats has not improved substantially over time and is a measure that should be taken to improve the current cleanup processes. However, these means are not the only means for improving effectiveness and efficiency of the Superfund process.            Superfund should be treated as work in progress. The process should be reviewed for problems and flaws on a continuous basis. In addition, unsuccessful and successful sites should be reviewed for particular activities that led to their success or failure. Information that is acquired from these reviews should be used to come up with new procedures and policies that can be added to the existing superfund process. The Superfund process can never be perfect, but continuous monitoring and revision of the process will help make the system very efficient. References Brock, F. V., K. C. Crawford, R. L. Elliott, G. W. Cuperus, S. J. Stadler, H. L. Johnson, and M. D. Eilts, (1995): The Oklahoma Mesonet: A Technical Overview. J. Atmos. and Oceanic Techno. 12, 5-19. Church, Thomas W., and Robert T. Nakamura (1993).Cleaning Up the Mess: Implementation Strategies in Superfund.Washington D.C. The Brookings Institution. Oklahoma State Department of Health. Retrieved December 2014 from:http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/envhlth/sites/ottawa.html. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ohio River Park: Current Site Information.Retrieved on December 2014 from: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD980508816.htm. United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Superfund Program, Ten Years of Progress.EPA/540/8-91/003. December 2014. Source document