Dickens reveals Essay

Dickens reveals the extent of Pips moral decline when Joe comes to see him: Pip is far more arrogant and condescending. He hires a servant to announce Joe’s coming and dress himself up as well. He greets Joe with â€Å"Joe, how are you Joe? † very haughtily because Joe repeats it as Pip said it – â€Å"Pip, how AIR you Pip? † Joe is completely thrown and does not know how to react to the furnishings, decor, clothes and aura that Pip obviously thinks a gentleman should have. Pip regards Joe’s table manners with great disdain and embarrassment in front of Herbert as Joe â€Å"sat so far from the table, and dropped so much more than he ate, and pretended that he hadn’t dropped it† Dickens is showing how egotistical Pip has become because it wasn’t so long ago that he had exactly the same manners. Pip feels â€Å"impatient of him and out of temper with him. † Joe also notices Pip’s change and is aware of the gulf that is growing between them, Joe knows he’s â€Å"wrong in these clothes†¦ out of the forge†¦ the kitchen, or of th’marshes. † Joe doesn’t belong in Pip’s clothes in the same way that Pip doesn’t belong in his old world. By this time Pip is at the height of his self-important, arrogant, smug life. In Chapter 34 Dickens presents the start of Pip’s gradual moral recovery, although this is slow to begin as Pip and Herbert join the Finches of the Grove, a very expensive gentleman’s club who dined luxuriously and â€Å"spent a lot of money as we could, and got as little for it as people could make their minds up to give us†. They had no purpose apart from self gratification. Pip finally understands as he gets more and more into debt the effect this is having on Herbert: â€Å"My lavish habits led his easy nature into expenses he could not afford, corrupted the simplicity of his life and disturbed his peace with anxieties and regrets† As Pip grows accustomed to his great expectations he’s not comfortable and battles with his conscience over actions and feelings towards Joe and Biddy; he becomes wistful for his old life and thinks: â€Å"With a weariness on my spirit, that if I should have been happier and better if I had never seen Miss Havisham’s face, and had risen to manhood content to be partners with Joe in the honest old forge† He yearns for the forge fire instead of his fire in his gentlemanly residence, and wants Joe and his old life back although does little to achieve this. In contrast Dickens himself did not inherit his wealth but publicly strived and worked hard to achieve his goals, in fact one of the factors of his death was over working and so possibly didn’t approve of the idle rich’s lavish lives and spending. Dickens uses Magwitch’s revelation and Pip’s reaction to show Pip’s moral degeneration. When Pip first discovers that his benefactor is not Miss Havisham but Magwitch the convict he is aghast, he â€Å"seemed to be suffocating† such was the â€Å"abhorrence† of him and â€Å"the repugnance with which I shrank from him. † Pip has to swallow the bitter pill that his rise to the status of gentleman was caused by someone so low in society, and that cost him his relationship with Joe. He feels guilty and full of shame, but maybe if Pip was less concerned about his social status he would have been more sympathetic to the habits and needs of Magwitch. However, the convict holds power over Pip because Magwitch is his benefactor, its Magwitch’s money that has funded Pip’s life of comfort and luxury and Pip has become totally dependant on that money and in turn on the convict: â€Å"I began fully to know how wrecked I was, and how the ship in which I sailed was gone to pieces. † In Pip’s conversation with Herbert, following the revelation by Magwitch, Pip displays the growing awareness of his failings: â€Å"I am heavily in debt, very heavily for me, who have now no expectations and I have been bred to no calling, and I am fit for nothing. † Pip’s attitude now changes to Miss Havisham when he learns that she is no longer his benefactor and that she has hurt him on purpose in her attempt to antagonise her relatives. He becomes direct in talking to Miss Havisham and wants to know the truth and is quite confrontational – â€Å"when I fell into the mistake I have so long remained in, at least you led me on? † He questions Miss Havisham pushing her to admit that she deceived him and we now see that he is willing to stand up for what he believes and not be just a passive victim. Estella reports to him that she will be married to Drummle, Pip’s enemy, and at first he is grief-stricken but then he becomes earnest and selfless (the moral qualities of a gentleman) putting her happiness before his own, and pleading with her that she marry someone worthy of her, but not Drummle. Finally he blessed her in which ever path she takes and this is very thoughtful and generous of him, he asks her â€Å"don’t take him, and I can bear it better, for your sake. † Pip discovers that Molly is Estella’s mother and Magwitch is he father so it is ironic that her background is very similar in status to the life he was tempted away from. Despite the breeding of Estella and Miss Havisham they both chose in Drummle and Compeyson to marry men with none of the moral qualities that a gentleman should have. Pip is so concerned for Magwitch that he and his companions put together an escape plan, Pip’s willingness to do anything to save his friend who has â€Å"changed and softened† as much as Pip has is very clear and yet another attribute of a gentleman that Pip has gained. The reality of their situation is very obvious to Pip and â€Å"I thought of the night of his return when our places were reversed, and when I little supposed my heart could ever be as heavy and anxious at parting from him as it was now† All Pip’s repugnance of Magwitch has gone and in its place is love, care and compassion for a friend and father figure, virtues not apparent when Pip was rich with wealth but not morals. He stays with Magwitch after they are caught instead of trying to separate himself from the criminal character which used to disturb him so much at the height of his expectations. â€Å"In holding the hand that he stretched forth to me†, despite Magwitch’s request for Pip to disassociate with him at the trial, Pip shows his true morals by vowing to stay by his side. Pip publicly displays his support to his friend and doesn’t care who sees it or who doesn’t; all that matters to him is Magwitch. While caring for the sick convict in prison Pip waits out side before visiting hours and is allowed, by the guards, to stay after hours with Magwitch, which shows that event the guards who don’t know Pip, are touched by his behaviour. After Magwitch’s death Pip falls ill from the stress and Dickens uses the imagery of the fever burning away any snobbery and negative areas of gentlemanliness that hasn’t been removed already; this is a real push forward in Pips moral recuperation. He refers to Joe, who is caring for him, as â€Å"a gentle Christian man† and this implies what Dickens thought a gentleman should be: a man with Christian standards and morals at his centre. Pip is so overwhelmed by Joe’s kindness and feeling that he doesn’t deserve to have it, he demands that Joe: â€Å"look angry at me. Strike me, Joe, tell me of my ingratitude. Don’t be so good to me. † When Pip is well again he travels back to the marshes to marry Biddy, but he finds Joe and Biddy happy on their wedding day. He is happy for them instead of angry or depressed and is relieved that he never mentioned proposing to Biddy to Joe. Dickens uses Pip’s reaction to Joe and Biddy’s wedding day to portray the extent of Pip’s moral growth. This further reinforced Pip’s selflessness and there fore even more personal moral improvement. In my opinion Dickens wanted to Pip to continue moving forwards with and his new life with Herbert, his job in the east instead of moving backwards to the marshes and forge after his hard-learnt transition. At the end of the novel Pip has a new sense of purpose in his new life with Herbert and a new job, his values now are genuine and honest. When Pip comes back to the forge eleven years on he finds that Joe and Biddy have had a son who is called Pip after him, underlining that Pip has turned onto a well respected gentleman in the moral sense. Big Pip takes Little Pip to the church yard and this is exactly the same turn of events that Big Pip experienced all those years ago. It symbolises a new beginning for Little Pip and that Big Pip will take the place of Magwitch as a guardian angel and second father to Little Pip just like Magwitch was to him. It is ironic that at the start of the novel that Pip was repulsed by the convict but now at the end of the novel he loves him and is taking on Magwitch’s role and persona. Dickens again presents the image of Satis house has being torn down to symbolise the end of Pips moral diversity. Dickens uses the ivy as a symbol of Pip’s new start in the east and his reassessed morals. Like the ivy, Pip â€Å"had struck root anew and was growing green on low quiet mounds of ruin† Another new beginning is Pip being reunited with Estella, in the previous era she was untouchable even with Pip’s money and luxurious life, but now Estella has understood that being a gentleman is not all about money but about the good morals and experience that Pip has developed through out the novel. I feel that at the end Pip is a real gentleman, but in today’s standards, he values love, friendship, sincerity and kindness more than social status, he is living a life of his own making and that he earns honestly. He was only a gentleman in Victorian, upper-class eyes when he had great wealth and expensive habits and didn’t necessarily have any standards. This gives us an indication that although Dickens was a Victorian he thought that a gentleman should be like the later Pip and he presents and demonstrates this view by the way he presents Pip’s moral development during the novel in the relations between Pip, Joe, and Magwitch.

Food, Inc Essay

In America, whoever has the big bucks dictates how things are run. With money, there is no limit to what can be done in America. The documentary â€Å"Food Inc. produced by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, takes an in depth look at America’s food industry and the terrible but completely legal way our food is genetically engineered. The narrator makes the argument that profit is put before the consumer’s well being,. The vision of the American farmer, workers safety, and our precious environment is far from the correct vision of the many major corporations that are producing our food. I firmly believe that these corporations have put aside and have deliberately tried to hide the truth about how unhealthy the food they produce truly is for the American public. The purpose of this video is to shock the American public with clever filmography and facts about the food Americans consume every day. The food industry is full of misconceptions. â€Å"Food Inc. † declares that the food industry is using deceiving images of American farmlands to sell their product. Images of lush green fields, picket fences, and 1930’s farmhouses is only a â€Å"spinning of a pastoral fantasy†. In reality the food being consumed is coming from mistreated animals and large factories all over the country. As the video continues, images of your typical everyday supermarket are cleverly displayed giving the audience something they can relate too. â€Å"There are no seasons in the American supermarket†. (Food Inc. ) The narrator gives details on how we as consumers get to enjoy ‘tomatoes’ all year round. He states that they were â€Å"grown half way around the world, picked when it was green and ripened with ethylene gas† (Food Inc. ). This is meant to inform the audience that what they are eating isn’t what it seems. It definitely makes viewers stop and think next time they are buying a tomato in winter. There has been little understanding and awareness of food in America until the film Food Inc. , which helped show the basis of how food is produced, packaged and sold locally in our grocery stores. We have been made to believe that local stores carry a wide variety of foods in all areas, including meats, dairy and especially in the fast food industry. A typical grocery store has on average 47,000 products and has made us to believe that there is a wide variety of choices inside the grocery store (Food, Inc. ). In today’s food industry most of the products are produced by only a few main companies which allow for cheaper foods in the stores. The current raw food production method has made a huge increase in our fast food companies since the 1950’s (Food, Inc. ). In fact, the production of our food has changed so much since the 1950’s, than the thousand years prior. The food industry which is controlled by only a few companies has turned the industry from the ordinary farmer, to the production of large quantities of food, feeding the nation at low costs which results in enormous profits for the producers. Because of this, health and safety of the food itself, how the animals are raised, the current method of workers being on assembly lines, and the consumer eating the food are now being overlooked by the companies and government; to provide cheap food regardless of the negative consequences. The reason for this innovation has been based on the advancement in science and technology which is a main reason for the negative side effects. With the addition of Carl’s Law, companies now come up with ways to throw more science at the problem to help eliminate the issues and not the root causes for the matter. I believe the message of Food Inc. s that most of what Americans now eat is being produced by a handful of huge corporations which is more detrimental to health, our environment and even our own human race. The horrible known facts about animal mistreatment and food contamination are being covered up by the secretive industry, by not talking to the filmmakers or let the insides of their companies be shown to the world, which include the enormous chicken farms, cattle ranches, slaughterhouses and the meatpacking plants. This film also said that â€Å"exploitation and malpractice in the meat industry were exposed as far back as Upton Sinclair’s 1906 muckraking book, ‘The Jungle. † Food Inc. , is a movie that address’s the voices of advocates, farmers, and journalists, to show what’s wrong with the food and what we can do about it. There are many factors that lead to the killing of the environment. There is a scene in the movie that shows cattle standing in about of a foot of its own feces. The feces that the cattle is standing in is full of harmful chemicals. Not only do the cattle have this bacteria in its body, but it is also spreading the bacteria in the ground, rivers, streams, etc. When it rains, the run off from these â€Å"farms† are affecting the health of the animals in the surrounding areas and further. The factories are polluting the air and killing more of the ozone layer due to the harmful chemicals that the factory is pushing out. It is sad to see how companies can allow cattle that will be slaughtered to stand in a foot of its bacteria infested feces, but worse to then see the cow be slaughtered and eventually be put on the shelves of grocery stores. There is no empathy on how the food is processed from beginning to end. Animals are treated horribly, known bacteria that they oversee and more important the health of the people consuming the products is not in any of the company’s top interest. All in all, this movie has shown me how brutal Americans can be to animals and how our own US Government seems not to care about its citizens health. I have learned to eat organic foods and to shop for produce only in season. The one question that kept arising in my mind during the movies was, I wonder where the food that the white house serves comes from. Is the president eating the same steroid injected chicken her is letting his country eat? It was a great movie and should, by law be shown in schools around the United States.

Hurricane vs. Blizzards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hurricane vs. Blizzards - Essay Example As a result, the occurrence is even a threat to human life that depends on these items (Halmer and Oplinger, 2001). The hurricanes, realized through cyclically moving storms, are seasonal occurrences that are unpredictable. The unpredictability relates to the dynamism with respect to the nature and extent of a particular occurrence. A hurricane â€Å"can quickly change its speed, direction, and intensity† (Brainworks, 2009, p. 14). Besides, reliable predictions are only possible from an already developed hurricane. This means that it is not possible to make predictions prior enough for adequate safety measures (Brainworks, 2009). Hurricanes are also associated with geographical vulnerability of areas as some areas are more vulnerable than others are. This explains the reason for repeated occurrence in some areas while other areas do not experience hurricanes. Its occurrence includes a gradually increasing strength of current that temporarily ceases. Some of the common impacts of hurricanes are â€Å"wind damage and flooding† (Halmer and Oplinger, 2001, p. 87). Blizzards are also examples of extreme weather conditions. Halmer and Oplinger explain that a blizzard is a less severe version of a hurricane and is identifiable by features such as duration, and visibility of the surrounding. A characteristic storm that goes beyond three hours for example identifies a blizzard and not a hurricane. The blizzards however have a relatively lower current speed of less than 40 miles per hour. Another characteristic feature of the blizzards that distinguishes them from hurricanes is the extensive formation of mist in the environment to a degree that impairs vision. Blizzards therefore results in longer hours of snow, and a misty environment that blurs vision. The phenomenon is associated with geographical vulnerability with repeated occurrences reported in specific areas. Lehigh valley in Pennsylvania is an example of areas that have repeatedly experienced blizzards in

The pro and con sides to using MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS at the college Essay

The pro and con sides to using MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS at the college level - Essay Example Scoring hundreds of long essays is impossible when time is short, and thus, examiners find it practically easy to mark multiple choice tests. The number of test-takers is also important. Multiple choice tests are famous for their practicality and reliability in this manner. They can be scored very easily through a computer scanner. This has also reduced the testing time. So, time is saved at every step while using multiple choice tests. Tamir suggests in his research that multiple choice tests are especially beneficial for those students who are not good at writing. Writing is a skill which every student does not possess; and, often times it so happens that those students pass with flying marks who are skilled at explaining the theoretical portion. Multiple choice questions benefit those who are skilled more at understanding concepts, whether or not they can write well. Now, let’s discuss the cons. Ajideh and Esfandiari compared the usage of multiple choice tests and cloze-tests while examining vocabulary proficiency of the students. The sample contained 21 Iranian EFL students. They found out that the students who performed on cloze-tests could have shown the similar results when they were examined through multiple choice tests. So, according to the researchers, multiple choice tests could be substituted for multiple choice tests. This explains that students’ proficiency does not increase when the method of examination is multiple choice tests. Woodford and Bancroft assert that when a student is examined through multiple choice questions, he has 25% possibility of guessing the right answer, even if he does not know the answer at all. He can guess by eliminating the possibly wrong answers, thus reaching the possibly correct answer. Thus, even if he does not possess sufficient knowledge, his right guessing may lead him to success. This is the discrepancy of multiple choice tests, which can be

Law for Non-Lawyers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law for Non-Lawyers - Case Study Example Thereafter, Billy is under the influence of Alcohol, and he slaps the nurse when he is denied permission to see the wife in the hospital. Under these circumstances, the crown court has to put into consideration the various fields of law that Billy fails to adhere to; for instance, the Family Law- under the domestic violence, the criminal law- Assault on a public servant (Nurse) (Ferraro and Boychuck 209). Further insights into this situation is the place where the crime occurred, there is the presence of Children aged 5 and 8. Based on family laws, it is apparent that domestic violence propagates perilous effects on children because, at this ages children are at a critical stage of growth and development and exposure to domestic violence may change their perception and strategies to use in making decisions (Ferraro and Boychuck 209). Finally, the Crown Court may file a case against Billy on attempted murder on Hilda in using a chair leg to hit his wife. Using some peer reviewed journ als, secondary sources, publications, and statutes, the paper shall analyze a justified decision that the Crown Court may take concerning Billy’s situation (Asmus 115–158). According to Dr. Badawi & Jamal (1971), the both civilization and Christianity values the wellbeing of women and restores their rights. Therefore, a woman is a companion to the husband but not a legal obligation to him. In the first case, Billy assaults his wife by hitting her with a chair leg harming her. This is against the laws defined under section 47 on offences Against the Person Act 1861. Based on the offences Against the Person Act 1861, Billy’s act of assault falls under the intent of causing resulting to bodily harm or wounding (Asmus 115–158). In view of both the Crown Court sections, the court has every right to file a case against the assaults committed by Billy on Hilda and the nurse. However, the Crown Court will only open a case against Billy if Hilda accepts to file a case against Billy for the injuries sustained. For this reason, any course of action by the crown court is dependent on the Hilda’s decision, and the testimony that the children may provide to the Court on what they saw. They are the eyewitnesses on the circumstances surrounding the guilty consciousness of Billy (Asmus 115–158). Therefore, if Hilda takes a decision of opening a case against her husband, then, these puts the Crown into a better position of prosecuting Billy and justifies the issues surrounding the violence Act against Hilda. Hilda is a victim of violence to her husband the moment her rights are violated by Billy. It is very apparent that, Billy intended to cause violence because at the time of the crime, he was in his right frame of mind. Under the Family Violence Act, domestic violence is any form of mistreatment caused to a family member. The form of violence may involve children, close/elderly relatives, but violence occurs between spouses (Asmus 115 –158). Based on all these facts and the course of action taken by Hilda, Crown Court prosecutor may consider sentencing Billy for approximately 4 – 5 years. Considering the case, or rather, this incidence occurred in May 2004, a man

Digital Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital Economy - Essay Example The basic difference between the two classes of advertising is: in traditional advertising the advertising mediums are conventional such as newspapers, classifieds, magazines, periodicals, journals, billboards, posters, radio, physical mails, and televisions whilst on the other hand in digital advertising; all sorts of advertising which is done through the medium of websites, via internet and mobile phones are included. However digital advertising is not simple just because it focuses on web; however it is an emerging discipline and has several different areas in it. Advertising can be made for other purposes in addition to business and economics; however in this study advertising is only discussed with the perspective of economics and commerce. In this study the elaboration is made on the limitations of traditional advertising coupled with study of cost factors involved in digital advertising. ... After the process of awareness the consumer sector accumulates this awareness in the shape of knowledge then through effective advertising, commodity or service becomes fabulous and is liked by the consumer sector. After the process of liking and fondness a position evolves that is called as preference, it means that a consumer prefer the product against all other competitive products and through advertising the product is in a phase of likelihood of acquisition. Then after this consumer behavior changes to conviction on the basis of his preference and this is the reason; the product or service is being purchased. Therefore the more good advertising the more sales, more exposure of organization and more economic activity can be achieved. Since the rate of economic activity is directly proportional to that of profit therefore effective advertising will yield more economic activity and that will result in more returns and benefits. It should also be considered that advertisement for an economic activity is essential and also crucial but on the other hand, proper advertisement based on adequate research is needed to boost the economic activity of a business. If advertisement is made just for the sake of advertisement without any proper planning and evaluation then it can impact very roughly. Therefore before advertisement of any product or service a research should be made for advertisement and proper objectives and methodologies should be defined with realistic approach then only it can be successful for initiating and accelerating the economic activity. 2. Areas of Digital Advertising Digital advertising is also called internet marketing. Internet marketing is not a confined area of

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology Essay

Discuss the ethical issues related to information technology - Essay Example Organizations should be carefully monitored in the way they use collected data and use private data. Censorship should not be used in a way to deprive human rights and should remain within confines of ethics. The price of reputation; protecting privacy online. (2013, Feb 23).  The Economist,  406, 64-65. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/business/21572240-market-protected-personal-information-about-take-price-reputation This article particularly ties with the learning of LO1 and LO2 in that it proposes some ways in which personal information may be protected. According to the article, many websites provide data manipulation services at the expense of the genuine and well intentioned internet users. For instance, a convicted rape criminal may have a better online personal image than a bank manager through information manipulation. It is proposed that a database depicting real-world reputation be set into place to discourage fake companies from manipulating private data. With internet providing rich or ‘big data,’ many web based companies are increasingly collecting and using private information for financial gains. Many companies collect and use personal information to target advertisement as seen in increasing junk mails. Companies are using social media information to discriminate employees. Within companies, employee emails and online activities are continually being monitored. On the other hand, intellectual property rights are violated every day. Intellectual property simply refers to the legal frameworks protecting intellectual resource such as business secrets, copyrights, trademarks, patented inventions and other intellectual resources to ensure such resources are managed and used ethically and legally. Understanding of intellectual rights marks the beginning to honoring them. For instance, whereas it may be ethical to keep a soft copy of a favorite music track, sharing it may be

Investment Analysis and Strategy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Investment Analysis and Strategy - Term Paper Example Modern Portfolio theory elaborately discusses the relationship between the risk and the return. (Lintner, 1965; Brealey and Myers, 2003) Goldman Sachs, one of the largest banks, is the firm, which will be studied in this paper. Before calculating the rate of return that is expected on the investment in the shares of this company employing CAPM, it is required to briefly discuss this model for the betterment of the understanding. Whether an individual will be interested in investing his money in the shares of a particular firm depends on the exposure of the firm to the market risks as well as those risks, which are mainly specific to this firm. Now portfolio theory suggests that instead of making investment in one particular share, it would be wiser for an individual to invest in a diversified portfolio. An appropriate diversification reduces total level of risks. (Brealey and Myers, 2003; Markowitz, 1991; Bernstein, 2001) To estimate expected return on an investment in a particular stock, Capital Asset Pricing Model is used. This model specifies a formula, which is generally applied by the firms to determine market return on the shares of that firm. CAPM takes into account only those risks, which are non-diversifiable. These risks are commonly known as systematic or market risk and they are often expressed by the term beta (ÃŽ ²). (Markowitz, 1991; Bernstein, 2001; Tobin, 1958 ) E(Ri) = Rf + ÃŽ ² (E(RM) - Rf); where E(Ri) is expected return on the ith capital asset, Rf is the return on the risk free asset, ÃŽ ² represents sensitivity of the return on the stock to the market return, and E(RM) stands for the expected return on the market portfolio. (Markowitz, 1991; Bernstein, 2001) Before moving into further analysis it is necessary to understand what risk free and risky assets stand for. The classification of assets, particularly of financial

Rhetorical analysis of Obama's speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rhetorical analysis of Obama's speech - Essay Example In this speech, Obama seeks to inform the audience on the 23 Executive Orders that he designed to address gun control and gun violence in America. Obama equally seeks to convince the audience on the need to address gun control and gun violence in America as well as persuade them to comply with the 23 Executive Orders that he designed. To achieve this, Obama relies on various rhetorical strategies. Notably, Obama uses different ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the audience to address gun control and gun violence in America and comply with the 23 Executive Orders that he designed. Obama uses repetition where he replicates words and phrases to make a point. He uses the phrases â€Å"Let’s do the right thing† and â€Å"We will† to associate the audience with the idea of address gun control and gun violence in America (Paulson 1). He uses repetition to confirm the need for collaborative effort in controlling gun control and gun violence that persuades the audience to own the control measures. Obama uses an ethical appeal by convincing the audience on the credibility of various people addressing gun control and gun violence in America. As the President of America, Obama has authority to address this issue. He equally starts the speech by thanking and recognizing the efforts of Joe Biden who is the vice president of America in addressing gun control and gun violence in America (Paulson 1). This convinces the audience to adopt the recommended findings. Obama informs the audience that he tasked Joe Biden and his cabinet to propose mechanisms of controlling the effects of gun violence. Obama persuades the audience by asserting that he will rely and use the presidency powers to implement the proposals of Joe’s task force (Paulson 1). He also presents the credibility of Todd Jones to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms by confirming that he has been acting on this

Just say Know! Essay Example for Free

Just say Know! Essay Intelligent consideration of the war on drugs may lead one to believe that it is inexplicable, irrational and unsustainable. It is none of these. It is a rational subterfuge perpetrated for a particular purpose, namely, the profits resulting from the importation and distribution of huge quantities of heroin and cocaine, and those who are behind the war on drugs are the same as those who are responsible for the widespread use of these addictive and life-destroying drugs. Unless they are stopped the war on drugs and all its attendant horrors will continue to ruin America. Just one CIA drug ring, that of Rafael Caro Quintero and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo based in Guadalajara, Mexico was smuggling four tons A MONTH into the U. S. during the same period! Other operations including Manuel Noriega (Panama), John Hull (Costa Rica), Felix Rodriguez (El Salvador), Juan Ramon Matta Ballesteros (Honduras) and elements of the Guatemalan and Honduran military were dealing close to two hundred tons a year or close to 70% of total U. S. consumption at the same time! All of them have been connected to CIA by documentation and testimony which already exists! This coke was smoked, snorted and injected by people of every race and in every state; in the cities and on the farms. — http://www. radio4all. org/crackcia/sjmn. html The CIA smuggling cocaine? U. S. covert action organizations responsible for flooding the U. S. with addictive drugs? Farfetched? Far from it — the evidence is now overwhelming. Put simply, in order to keep making enormous profits, those responsible for the distribution of addictive drugs in the U. S. (and it is not only the CIA) must keep the use of these drugs illegal. Were drug use legalized their profits would disappear overnight. So how to keep drugs illegal? Simply buy up enough legislators to block any steps toward revealing the facts of the matter or toward reversal of the present state of prohibition. The profits of the drug lords, and the corruption of the legislators, makes this possible. So drug use is demonized, those who use drugs are turned into criminals, and to make it appear that the authorities are sincere in their attempts to combat the drug problem hundreds of thousands of drug users are arrested and thrown into jail for up to forty years. Those responsible for this, and for the addiction of millions of Americans and others for the sake of profit, can only be described as evil. Not only are users of the life-destroying drugs heroin and cocaine caught up in this pogrom but also users of non-addictive life-enhancing drugs such as LSD, THC (marijuana), psilocybin (mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy). The users of such substances are often some of the kindest and most non-violent people youll ever meet (Ive met plenty of them), but for the sake of perpetuating the profits of the drug lords (both American and foreign) many of them have had their lives ruined and most of the rest live in fear of persecution. Its about time that Americans woke up to the fact that it is the prohibition of drugs which is making possible these profits, is corrupting their government and which is likely (if not corrected) to be the ruin of their country. The information regarding who is profiting from the illegal status of drug usage is available now, and no-one will be able to say, as the good Germans of the Nazi era said, we didnt know. Just say Know! On 1997-05-22 the late Terence McKenna said, on the Art Bell radio talk show, in response to a callers question as to why psychoactive drugs are illegal: Let me say this I mean, Im a bit of a pessimist on this subject. Because I take psychedelics so seriously, I cant imagine them ever being really legal unless theres a total social transformation because my analysis of it is, the reason everybody from a Marxist state to a Christian oligarchy to a high-tech industrial democracy can get together and agree that psychedelics are a terrible terrible thing is because the social effects of psychedelics being taken by large numbers of people is a kind of deconditioning from the cultural myths, whatever they are. Its no knock on any given society, its just that if people start taking psychedelics, they start questioning what theyve been told about reality. And culture is in the business of keeping you inside a set of predetermined answers to those questions. Although McKenna had some interesting to say about drug usage (and called for the legalization of all drugs), here he missed the main point entirely. It is true that psychedelics are de-conditioning agents, and that they lead to questioning of mainstream premises defining reality (and perhaps even contribute to the dreaded questioning of authority — though no drugs are needed for this), but this is not the fundamental reason that the Drug War continues. The fundamental reason is money. As stated above, it is the enormity of the profits from the international illicit drug trade that requires drugs to remain prohibited. Nothing much can be done to end the Drug War until this fact is recognized (recognition will come more quickly to those who read James Mills book, The Underground Empire). To assert, as McKenna did, that prohibition continues because legislators are afraid of youth questioning authority, suggests that the solution is to reassure and re-educate those legislators so that they see the light. Such a re-education is certainly desirable, but it will do very little to bring an end to the Drug War as long as the fundamental economic basis for prohibition is not recognized and acknowledged. In the meantime the insanity continues †¢ The late Peter McWilliams wrote: Prisons are filled to capacity and beyond. In most areas an early-release program has been instituted which, of course, fails to differentiate between prisoners whose crimes had innocent victims [e. g. theft, assault and rape] and prisoners whose crimes did not [e. g. marijuana smokers]. This puts truly dangerous criminals out on the street sooner, giving them extra months, and in some cases years, to rape, rob and plunder. Due to overcrowding caused by the War on Drugs, prisons (not enjoyable places under the best of conditions) have become intolerable. Some of them violate the constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment. With the overcrowding, any hope of rehabilitation, job placement, counseling, therapy, or achieving any other high-minded goals is completely derailed. — Aint Nobodys Business If You Do, p. 242. And the carnage continues †¢ P. B. Floyd: Weighing The Harms In 1980, Californias prisons held 23,511 inmates or 1 in 1006 residents. By 1994, about 125,000 were incarcerated, or 1 in 256. By the year 2000, the California Department of Corrections projects that 1 in 146 people in California will be in prison. Drug offenses were responsible for 25 percent of the US prison population in 1995, up from only 8 percent in 1980. About 220,000 drug prisoners were held in state prisons in 1995, up 1070 percent from 1980. Over 70 percent of the arrests have been for possession of drugs, not sale or manufacture. Over 200,000 prisoners of the Drug War in the State of California alone — victims of a vicious and depraved pogrom occurring right under the noses of the citizens, most of whom are willing to look the other way, like the good Germans of the 1930s. As regards state persecution of minorities there is no difference between sending a person to prison for smoking pot and sending a person to a labor camp for being a member of a group which lights candles in memory of deceased relatives on Friday evenings. In both cases the imprisonment is done by Nazis or those with the mentality of Nazis. And if you think this comparison of drug warriors to Nazis is far-fetched, just take a look at the book mentioned above, R. L. Millers Drug Warriors and Their Prey: From Police Power to Police State. If you read this book you wont be able to say to your children, I didnt know what was happening. Jonathan Blumen: What I Learned From Auschwitz The article by P. B. Floyd discusses the following harms resulting from the war on drugs: o Incarceration Boom and Lives wasted in prison o Addicts cant get effective treatment o Increased AIDS Cases o Civil Liberties Lost o Increased street and organized crime o Waste of billions o Third world dictators supported Yet this War has been going on for twenty years and is still being promoted by the U. S. and other cryptofascist governments despite the massive evidence of its harm. What is really going on that this can happen? †¢ U. S. Prison Population Sets New Record in 1996 [Page removed from Yahoo and also from the Wayback Machine. ] The U. S. prison population increased by about 55,900 inmates last year, reaching a record 1,182,000 at the end of 1996 and posing new problems with overcrowding, the Justice Department reported Sunday. The report attributed the increase in the state prison population over the decade to more black drug offenders and more white violent offenders behind bars. Other factors included a sharp increase in the number of people imprisoned for drug offenses. — Reuters, 1997-06-23 †¢ U. S. Prison Population Slowed in 96 [Page removed by the L. A. Times] Counting both prison and jail inmates, more than 1. 6 million adults were behind bars as of last June 30, an incarceration rate of 615 inmates for every 100,000 U. S. residents. That rate of imprisonment put the nation second only to Russia, which had a rate of 690 inmates per 100,000 residents in 1995, the last available figure. The two countries imprison a far higher proportion of their citizens than any other country in the world. — Los Angeles Times, 1997-06-23 †¢ STATE PRISONS EXPECTED TO GROW 37% BY 2003 Californias already crowded prisons are projected to add 57,733 inmates by 2003, a 37 percent increase, state officials said Wednesday. The Department of Corrections said the states adult prisons now house 155,687 prisoners, compared with 66,965 in 1987. Officials predict that the population will reach 202,855 in 2002 and 213,420 the next year. — Orange County Register, 1997-12-11, page 4.

Relationship between energy consumption and economic development

Relationship between energy consumption and economic development In the recent years China has rapidly developed into one of the largest economies in the World. China has shifted from the 108th to the 72nd rank on the World Development Index. The economic growth, industrialization and the urbanization have resulted to an annual average real GDP growth rate of 8 to 9 percent. The real income per capita has increased in this period, with the factor 10. This impressive growth however also implies higher environmental pressures despite new technological improvements of resource utilization being applied. The enormous growth of China results in substantially higher energy consumption. This goes hand in hand with higher CO2 emissions. The primary energy consumption in China has grown at an annual average rate of 6% between 1965 and 2008, with the first measurement of 183 oil equivalent million tonnes in 1965, and the latest measurement of 2003 MTN in 2008 (BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2009). The emission emitted by China in 2007 was 6.466 MTN and 6.897 MTN in 2008, indicating an increase of 6.4%. The global CO2 emission has increased from 31.007 MTN in 2007, to 31.578 MTN in 2008. This represents an increase of 1.6 %. The share of China in the global emission in 2008 according to this information is a stunning 21,8% (BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2009). The projection of the IPCC (2007) is that the CO2 emission from energy consumption between 2000 and 2030 are estimated to increase with 40 to even 110%. The CO2 emissions in China has exceeded the maximum amount stated in the Kyoto Protocol, which is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change focusing on preventing global warming. China has not been able to meet 10 of the 13 critical points in the current five-year plan, with targets for air and water pollution control (The World Bank, State Environmental Protection Administration, P.R. China, 2007). The overall environmental pollution costs in China are estimated to be about 5.8% of the GDP in China. For example it is estimated that in 2003 the acid rain which is mainly caused by fossil fuel emissions, has caused over 44 million dollars (30 billion Yuan  [1]  ) damage to crops, and an estimated 10,3 million dollars (7 billion Yuan) in damage to building materials in China (The World Bank, State Environmental Protection Administration, P. R. China, 2007) It is clear that economic growth contributes to a higher CO2 emission and global warming. Is this economic growth sustainable in the long term due to the impacts on air pollution? Is it worth the growth of China given the limited amount of resources available and the need for environmental conservation? Countries will have to find a balance between their consumption and economic growth. Various studies have analyzed the relationship between economic growth and the emission of CO2. For instance B. Friedl and M. Getzner (2003) found a significant relationship during the period of 1960 and 1999, with a structural break in the seventies due to the oil price shock. J. B. Ang (2007) found a dynamic relationship between pollutant emissions, energy consumption and economic development. They point out that the more energy is used in the economy, the more CO2 emissions are released, which in its turn has a quadratic relationship with the output in the long run. This indicates that output growth is a reactor for CO2 emissions and energy consumption. This relationship between output and the pollution level has been widely documented as the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The EKC hypothesis indicates that the relationship between economic development and the environment is shown as an inverted U-curve, whereas environmental damage first increases with income and over time will stabilize, and eventually declines. China is one of the main driving forces of global warming, with the highest emission value and the highest economic growth rate. Since energy consumption has a direct impact on the level of environmental pollution, China is an interesting country to examine. Amidst the animated debate of global warming and sustainability, the energy consumption will be related as an input factor for economic activity along with the emission of CO2 in China. Other influences which are included are price indices, total gross fixed capital, population and the technological developments. I will make use of the measurements published by the following databases excluding the Chinese Statistical Yearbooks due to incoherent results with these databases; the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the World Development Indicators database, The Conference Board Total Economy database and the World Intellectual Property Organization database. The outcome of the research could contribute to the debate of the mitigation of global warming and should imply that China has to speed up the technological developments to create or implement energy efficient technologies to reduce the CO2 emissions in line with the targets of the Kyoto Protocol. This implies that policies should be reformulated to stimulate the use of alternative resources and technological developments. The nexus of energy consumption economic development CO2 emission, with price indices, total gross fixed capital, technological development and population. Price indices and fluctuations Investment in Pollution Treatment and RD Technological development Air pollution: CO2 Emission Economic Development: GDP TGFC Consumption Total Energy Consumption: Oil / Gas Coal / Nuclear / Hydro-electricity Households Population Literature review/Background There are two strands of literature relevant in the nexus of energy consumption à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ economic development à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ CO2 emission. The first strand focuses upon the relation between energy consumption and economic development. More energy consumption leads to higher economic development through the enhancement of productivity. The second strand focuses upon the relation between economic growth and CO2 emission. The latter strand represents the interrelation between energy consumption and the increase of CO2, which is well known and obvious. Various studies indicate that more energy use results in more CO2 emission (J.Ang, 2007). Thus any movement of energy use will positively react to the emission level. 2.1 Strand 1 Energy consumption and economic development  [2]   This first strand divides the causality between energy consumption and economic growth in three possibilities. Firstly the causality that runs from energy consumption to economic growth. Secondly the causality that runs from economic growth to energy consumption. Thirdly bidirectional causality which implies there is an effect, or no effect in either direction between energy consumption and economic growth. 2.1.1 Unidirectional from energy consumption to economic growth The traditional neo-classical model based upon economic growth uses the energy inputs as an intermediate. The factor inputs land, labor and capital are used as basic factors, in order to neutralize the function of energy in production. Energy is an intermediate function; however it is the consumption of energy that causes economic growth. Energy remains an important aspect in the determination of income. National economies therefore depend upon the use of energy and will be affected by changes in energy consumption. Therefore the elasticity is expected to be high between energy consumption and economic growth, since it is an important aspect. Jia-Hai Yuan et al (2008) tests the causality between output growth and energy use in China at both aggregated total energy and disaggregated levels as coal, oil and electricity consumption and find that there exists Granger causality between the electricity and oil consumption to GDP. However they do not find Granger causality from coal and the total energy consumption of these three energy inputs to GDP. Soytas and Sari (2007) found the same Granger causality from electricity consumption to GDP in Turkey. Previous research by Soytas and Sari (2003) examining the G-7 countries, indicated an unidirectional relationship running from energy consumption to GDP in Turkey, France, Germany and Japan covering the period 1950-1992. Stern (1993) also found a Granger causality from total energy to GDP, employing a four-variable model with capital, labor, energy consumption and GDP. A.E. Akinlo (2006) results indicate that energy consumption is co-integrated with economic growth within seven out of eleven African countries, using an autoregressive distributed lag bound test (ARDL). The study also implies that there exists a significant long run effect on economic growth in four African countries. Fatai et al. (2004) showed that energy consumption has a significant positive effect on economic growth in Indonesia and India. C. Lee and C. Chang (2007) report a nonlinear relationship between energy consumption and an economic growth in Taiwan for the period 1955-2003, as inverse U-shape. They state from their previous research that in the long run energy unanimously acts as an engine of economic growth, and that energy conservation may harm economic growth. J. Ang (2007) found a unidirectional causality from the increase of energy and the output growth in the short run. The existence of unidirectional causality has some policy implications; it could suggest that a country is dependent upon the inputs of energy to establish economic growth. The restriction of energy may directly lead to lower economic growth or even a restrain and could result in a fall in employment or equivalently an increase in unemployment rate (N. M. Odhiambo 2009, A.E. Akinlo, 2008). It is difficult for governments to implement energy conservation policies as a part of a green future, and face the trade-off between energy consumption and growth. Environmental conservation will constantly be a part of every economic development process. Policies to conserve energy could be quotas, taxes, subsidies or the promotion of efficient use of technology (C. Lee, C. Chang, 2007) 2.1.2 Unidirectional from economic growth to energy consumption On the other hand I expect the increase in GDP will influence the energy consumption in various ways, firstly through an increased energy-intensity (energy consumption per unit of GDP) in households due to more spendable income. Also the private consumption of fuels in households and private car use seem to have a significant effect on the emission level (C.Lee and C. Chang, 2007). Population can thus be an indicator for the amount of energy consumption, whereas air pollution levels could be directly associated with population. The article of Lee and Chang (2007) discusses that the energy consumption in Taiwan has risen sharply due to rapid economic growth and higher living standards. Secondly increases in income will increase activities as investment, which is an important input factor for production processes. If the economy grows, this will result to an increased demand for energy will increase. Pioneering in this strand is the article of Kraft and Kraft dated in 1978. It is one of the first articles to examine the phenomenon. They found a unidirectional causality running from output to energy consumption for the United States during the period 1947à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1974. Jia-Hai Yuan et al (2008) is consistent with this result and found Granger causality in the short run from GDP to total energy consumption, coal and oil consumption. However there does exist causality from GDP to electricity consumption. Soytas and Sari (2003) found in their panel research a unidirectional relationship from economic growth to energy consumption for Italy (1950-1992) and Korea (1953-1991). Total gross fixed capital can be an indicator for the amount of energy consumption. This form of unidirectional causality from GDP to energy consumption can imply that a country is not solely dependent upon the energy consumption or energy input, leading to economic growth. Therefore policies can be implemented to conserve energy sources with no adverse or small effects on the economic growth (N. M., Odhiambo, 2009, A.E., Akinlo, 2008) 2.1.3 Bidirectional between energy consumption and economic growth The third view implies that there exists a bidirectional relationship within the nexus of energy consumption and economic growth. N. M. Odhiambo (2009) and A.E. Akinlo (2008) found this bidirectional causality. Soytas and Sari (2003) found this relationship for Argentina (1950-1990) within the G-7 countries. A.E. Akinlo (2008) analyzed three African countries in the short and long run show that this relationship holds for developed countries, while developing countries endure economic growth through more energy consumption only in the short run. C. Lee and C. Chang (2007) empirical findings suggest that energy consumption and economic growth are positively interrelated under a certain threshold. They stress the implications for future economic growth to the extent of resource scarcity. The finding of causality in both directions implies that energy conservation policies will have an impact on economic growth. The other bidirectional causality is known as the neutrality hypothesis, which implies that energy conservation policies do not affect economic growth. The insignificant impact in Taiwan beyond the mentioned threshold indicates that conservation policy is effective. The conservation policy could be implemented through energy taxes, new subsidies, quantity restriction and promoting efficient usage of energy such as innovation. However such environmental protection policies will lead to high costs and avoidance of rules. Eventually this will results in control expenditures. 2.2 Economic growth and CO2 emission The more energy consumed the more CO2 emission will follow up to a level of total clean technology. The direct relationship between energy consumption and the amount of CO2 emission is logical and empirically proven in several articles. The relationship between economic growth and CO2 emission is a more interesting one. Well known in the literature is the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Studies show that the EKC describes the relation between income and several local pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and water pollutants. This relationship is an inverted U-curve, whereas environmental damage will first increases with income and over time will stabilize to its maximum. The curve will eventually decline, creating the inverted U-shape. It appears that economic growth can solely lead to environmental degradation (Soytasa Saria 2007). This implies that at low-income levels we might see a positive relation between national income and pollution, and at high levels of income we can trace a negative relation between the two variables (Liu, X. 2005). This non-linear relationship between environmental pollution and income levels can be explained by three factors: scale, composition, and technique effects. The scale effect refers to the increase in pollution along with the size of the economy. The composition effect refers to the change in the production structure and reallocation of resources, from an agriculture based economy to an industry and service based economy. The technique effect refers to the used techniques of production which may reduce the amount of pollutant emissions. (J. Ang, 2007) B. Friedl and M. Getzner (2003) analyzed the CO2 emissions in a small open economy (Austria) and found a cubic relationship between GDP and CO2 emissions in their research for the period of 1960 and 1999, meaning that the relationship has two inflection points, and change direction twice. They concluded that the Austrian emission and GDP are cointegrated and run parallel. J. Ang 2007 shows that there is a quadratic relation between CO2 emissions and output in the long run (parabola), in France for the period of 1960 to 2000. The results suggest that output growth causes CO2 emissions and energy consumption in the long run. A. Jalil, S.F. Mahmud 2009 analyzed the EKC hypothesis for China in the period 1971à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2005 with an ADRL framework. From their analysis there appears to be causality from economic growth to CO2 emissions, and a significant effect of energy consumption on the CO2 level. 2.3 Other factors affecting energy consumption and economic growth Another import factor is the research activity or investments in RD to reduce the amount of emissions. The common believe is that improvement in productivity and research activity will lead to a reduced amount of emission. An example is the Investment in technical upgrades and transformation in China in the electricity sector which increased sufficiently in 1990 and accelerated further since 1996. This should be one of the most important economic impulses driving energy efficiency improvements (L. Wu et al.2006). They also point out that the rising prices of energy since 1993 have provided strong economic incentives for the industry to decouple energy use from economic growth. This has driven the incentive to technically innovate. This refers to an economy that is able to sustain economic growth, without also experiencing a worsening of environmental conditions. However contra dictionary is the case of Taiwan, which has substantial changes in the structure of production in the economic sectors and enormous increases in development. This has led to a rapid increase in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Cole et al. (2008) show that productivity improvements and research activity will reduce the amount of emission. The article of J.Ang 2009 indicates that there exists a declining trend in CO2 emissions with the increase in research activity in China. From the data covering 1953 to 1999, it becomes clear that more innovation and RD activity will lead to beneficial influences in decreasing CO2 emissions. Policies created to decrease emission levels will lead to more research activity which will contribute directly through improved production techniques. This will decrease emissions and it will indirectly enable China to absorb green technology more efficiently from other countries. It is also likely that more efficient use of energy may require a higher level of economic development. That is, better economic performance may be a catalyst for energy efficiency, which makes energy consumption and economic development jointly determined (J. Ang 2007) This is based on the premises that different countries are in different stages of development. There are different effects on the developing process and impacts on the energy and growth relation. Two countries with similar levels of technology and factor endowments may have significantly different industrial structures as a result of past investment decisions. Their aggregate capital levels may be similar, but differences in the composition of capital may lead to differences in the opportunity cost of reducing emissions. A regression of only emissions on income may lead to a misspecification and bias, without controlling for the industrial structure. Therefore the total gross capital formation is important to include (Liu, X. 2005) Besides innovation and total gross capital formation, reforms of energy pricing systems in China since 1993 led to a dramatic rise in fuel prices and consequently to an economic decreased condition in the electricity generation sector, petroleum refinery sector and coal mining sector. B. Friedl and M. Getzner (2003) directly relate this structural break in energy consumption as a result, to a lower CO2 emission in Austria after the oil price shock. The recent price hikes stresses the importance of energy policies for conservation (R. Mahadeva, 2006). Theoretically if the fuel price increases, it will stimulate energy conservation behavior if the demand is relatively elastic. Practically the effect of rising prices can be seen by the oil price shock from 1973, which did not fail to leave its mark on CO2 emissions. Economic growth in this period slowed down, and due to changes in energy policies, such as rationalizing private consumption of fuels by restricting private car use, CO2 emissions dropped to about 57 million MTNE in 1975.