Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Impact Of Air Travel On The World Economy - 1546 Words

Over the past few decades, technological advancements in both communication and transportation has led to an era of interconnectedness known as globalization. The emergence of air travel in the late 20th century led to an affordable and time efficient method of transportation. Due to this, air travel quickly arose as an essential factor in the world economy. Following the emergence of aviation, world economies became tied together and utterly dependent on each other. However, the very thing that fuels our globalization is also the very thing that fuels our destruction. Commercial aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and yet a critical component of the global economic infrastructure. In the last 10 years the rate at which air travel has been increasing has grown at an astonishing rate. Today, the airline industry is responsible for a total of 4.9% of all human-caused climate impacts worldwide, including the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 , O3, CH4, NOx, H2O vapor, contrails, SO4 and soot. The pace at which we see these adverse effects is very startling yet, business and life is so dependent on air travel. Air travel is essential for large scale institutions and businesses that are relevant on a global scale. The University of Maryland is a perfect example of an institution where air travel is a big portion of its annual carbon emission. Improving plane infrastructure, implementing fuel alternatives, and changing cultural habitsShow MoreRelatedThe Airplane Has Changed The Course Of The Western World Forever888 Words   |  4 Pageshave the time to fall.† The ingenuity of the Wright brothers’ airplane design has changed the course of the Western world forever. The invention of the aircraft positively affected American society by providing a quicker way of traveling, having an influence on warfare, and implementing a better economy in the United States. When the aeroplane was assembled, the possibility for travel and exploration became boundless. Before airplanes, the eighteenth and nineteenth century produced the steamboat,Read MoreLong-Term Effects of Global Tourism on Economy1742 Words   |  7 PagesLong-term effects of global tourism on economy Tourism is the travel tour activities which provides travelers leisure facilities and service industry. And it is also a kind of leisure entertainment that has complex social phenomenon, involves the politics, economy, culture, history, geography, law, and other social fields. Generally speaking, tourism has a profound impact for the country. Tourism gradually has become a prevalent activity all over the world. Compared to 2009, there were 1002 millionRead MoreThe Role of Transportation in the Development of Tourism1321 Words   |  6 Pageswill help to improve and expand the tourism industry. I will also mention how different types of transportation will help attract more tourists on choosing a certain destination as well as making their travel experience easier, faster, safer and cheaper. In addition, I will explain some major impacts on the economic and the environment, caused by the transportation sector that has a major effect on the tourism industry. Firstly, transportation is an essential part of the tourism industry and itRead MoreAsia Pacific Region : The Fastest Growing Economic Force Essay1309 Words   |  6 PagesAsia Pacific region is the fastest growing economic force in the world, since 1960 the growth rate of economy and population is more than the global average with and estimated population of 3.6 billion. Asia contributes to world’s one half of the population and economy contributes to one third of world’s GDP and more than one quarter of world trade. As a region Asia Pacific generated third largest regional volume in 2002 and expected to continue rapid increase for the next 20years. Due to strongRead MorePost-Communist Transition Economies Touched by the Euro Zone Crisis1360 Words   |  6 PagesThe focus of this paper is on post communist transition economies touched by the Euro Zone crisis. The negative influence it has made to economic dynamics was felt by everyone living in Central and Eastern Europe. Despite the actual collapse of some economies in Central and Eastern Europe, lower standards of living in parts of the region, protests and social anxiety, little attention was paid to the crisis and the recession in the post-communist countries that joined the European Union in 2004 andRead MoreThe End Of Conventional Oil Essay1487 Words   |  6 PagesEnd of Conventional Oil Don’t worry about replacing that luggage just yet! Air transportation will end in the near future if not enough advancements are made to eliminate the industry’s heavy reliance on oil consumption. It is estimated that conventional oil will only be accessible to us for the next 33 years (Dr. Oriet). As the supply diminishes, the price will continuously increase until it is unaffordable for most people and businesses. Although oil has been burned to generate energy since theRead MoreA New International Air Transport Policy Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pagesto the few features that will be mentioned in this report. The PESTLE analysis is used to analyze the current state of this industry. Political The Crown owns 100 per cent of the â€Å"Airways Corporation of New Zealand LTD† share. This company controls air movements in New Zealand (Airways, n.d.).The government declared in April 2013 that $158 million will be spent on tourism promotion for next four years, this will motivate the airlines to boost their performance (Grant, 2013). New Zealand governmentRead MoreIndia s Development Of Tourism1319 Words   |  6 PagesUS$100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate and maintains the â€Å"Incredible India† campaign . According to World Travel and Tourism Council ,India will be a tourism hotspot from 2009-2018, as per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009by the World Economic Forum ,India is ranked 11th in the Asia Pacific region and 62nd overall. It is ranked the 14th best tourist destination. Tourist Attractions in India: India is a countryRead MoreFor the Sake of Our Planet, Tourism Should Be Discouraged. How Far Do You Agree or Disagree?788 Words   |  4 PagesThe world is huge and mysterious, full of wonders and surprises, and humans are ever inquisitive by nature. The need for human to consistently travel and quench their curiousity through new discoveries had been evident since early civilization. Like those myths and legends of Gullivers Travels to appease the curiousity of people in the pastof the vast , unknwon Eart, to the real history and conquers of Marco Popl, humans have never find it enough to stop unreveling the wonders of nature and EarthRead MoreAviation Provides The Sole Worldwide Transportation Network That Makes It Essential For International Business And Tourism1227 Words   |  5 Pagestourists currently travel by air. The air transportation industry generates a total of twenty nine million jobs globally (through direct, indirect, induced and cata lytic impacts). Aviation’s international economic impact (direct, indirect, induced and catalytic) is calculable at US$ 2,960 billion, comparable to 8 may 1945 of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Aviation boasts high occupancy rates of sixty five to seventieth – that is more than double those of road and rail transportation. Air transportation

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Perceptions Of Attitudes Towards Statistics - 1741 Words

2 Background In this section, we discuss the current literature available pertaining to attitudes towards statistics along with the theoretical perspective on certain aspects of attitudes, statistical reasoning, and the statistics education reform movement in order to determine what role attitudes toward statistics may have on secondary level mathematics teachers who teach statistics. Firstly, we provide a literature review on teacher’s attitudes toward statistics followed by a discussion on the two aspects of attitudes towards statistics. Afterward, the reform movement in statistics education is discussed alongside with the recommendations given by GAISE for the reform movement. With developing statistical reasoning being a major goal of statistics learning we discuss it before we finally discuss the construction of the framework of attitude for our instrument. 2.1 Literature about Attitudes toward statistics In the current literature available, we found that Martins, Estrada, and Nascimento analyzed subjective data which revealed negative attitudes towards statistics in various aspects of elementary Portuguese teachers (2012). The two aspects are the pedagogical and the anthropological aspect which each aspect has three components. These aspects helped reveal the negative attitude towards the usefulness of statistics to understand the world as well as the use of statistics outside and inside the classroom. The fact that attitudes can be positive or negativeShow MoreRelatedMinority Attitudes Towards the Police and Public Perceptions Essay1179 Words   |  5 PagesQuantitative Literature Review: Minority attitudes towards the police and public perceptions Introduction-Background-Problem Individuals who seem to be more unhappy with police are African Americans. But there is little to no factors that truly engage citizens view of the police Brown and Benedict (2002). The specific parts on attitudes are reliable, but the literature seems to lead to mixed signals based on other variables Weitzer and Tuch (2002). Perceptions of the police includes factors like personalRead MorePublic Perceptions Of Climate Change And Energy Futures1477 Words   |  6 PagesThe Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Energy Futures in Britain survey (herein Perceptions 2010), was a national quantitative sample survey undertaken by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Cardiff University throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It had a survey sample of 1,822 and was conducted through face to face interviews at interviewees’ homes between January and March 2010. The survey consisted of fifty-two questions which examined a range of energy related topics including energy generationRead MoreRease arch Article Analysis1251 Words   |  6 Pages Research Article Analysis The purpose of this essay is to analyze a research peer-reviewed article in criminal justice. In this case, I chose to analyze the research conducted by Hurst, McDermott, and Thomas (2005) titled, â€Å"The attitudes of girls toward the police: differences by race.† Some of the things I will look to analyze are: to identifying the purpose of the article, the problem, the design of the study, the operational design of the study, look to identify if any inductive andRead MoreArticle Review: Consumer Behavior in Shopping Center Choice1133 Words   |  5 Pagesthose of other multivariate statistics techniques including multiple regression, path analysis and factor analysis. Other statistics techniques could not take into consideration the interaction effects among dependent and independent variables. Therefore, a method that can examine a series of dependence relationships simultaneously is helpful in addressing complicated managerial and behavioral issues. SEM also can expand the Veysel Yilmaz, Associate Professor, Statistics Department, Science and LiteratureRead MoreTable 3 : Item Total Statistics1275 Words   |  6 Pages Table 3: Item-Total Statistics Scale Mean if Item Deleted Scale Variance if Item Deleted Corrected Item-Total Correlation Squared Multiple Correlation Cronbach s Alpha if Item Deleted CC1 57.2069 11.073 .407 .396 .165 CC2 57.0345 11.080 .341 .279 .180 CC3 56.8966 11.791 .308 .207 .211 CC4 56.9540 13.370 .039 .252 .298 CC5 56.7816 12.545 .167 .325 .260 CC6 56.9770 12.418 .208 .311 .248 CC7 56.7471 13.935 -.104 .304 .349 CC8 57.6207 14.796 -.244 .336 .378 CC9 57.8046 13.764 -.071 .157 .337Read MoreAnalysis of the Increase in Charitable Giving Despite Tough Economy682 Words   |  3 PagesDespite 2008 seeing the largest annual drop ((5.6% decrease from 2007 in inflation-adjusted dollars)) since these statistics have been tracked, over $300 billion was donated to charitable organizations—three-quarters of which came from individual donors. (FOUDNATION CENTER CITATION) It is no wonder then that such a large amount of academic study has been invested in the subject. A myriad of studies have sought to investigate the motivations behind the phenomenon of charitable giving. Everything fromRead MoreThe Theory Of Relative Deprivation1745 Words   |  7 Pagesby: (1) external forces, such as the media; and (2) by internal sentiments. Both of these factors are missing from Gurr’s theory. Theoretically, relative deprivation can find itself affecting people economically as well as socially. Judging from statistics, it is very hard to assume that Tea Party supporters found themselves â€Å"relatively deprived† in any way. To see whether Tea Partiers were deprived socially, I looked into the demographics of the movement. Figure 1 shows that according to the CBS/NewRead MoreThe Australian Criminal Justice System Is Shaped Largely by Our Society. Discuss This Statement.1269 Words   |  6 Pagesexplaining how the criminal justice system works in Australia, how the justice system reflects community values and how it relates to today’s society, the budget and staffing levels of agencies of the criminal justice system, how the media influences perceptions of crime therefore affecting the actions of the criminal justice system and finally the public’s opinion of the criminal justice system in Australia. Society is defined as ‘the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community’Read MoreAttitude Differences Of Seeking For Professional Psychological Help Between Chinese And American College Students Essay931 Words   |  4 Pages Attitude Differences of Seeking for Professional Psychological Help Between Chinese and American College Students Tianjiao Ma Pennsylvania State University In China, there has been a stereotype towards attitudes of seeking psychological help between Americans and Chinese. Chinese people consider themselves tend to avoid psychological help. Whereas, they think Americans are highly open to seek mental health support. However, America’s mental health care may be not as perfect as ChineseRead MoreHsc Essay Mod C Julius Caesar1419 Words   |  6 PagesComposers of texts present a biased attitude to the events, personalities or situations represented. In various texts such as Shakespeare’s â€Å"Julius Caesar† and Leunig’s cartoon â€Å"Yet another picture with the wrong caption†, the composers bias is evident even though conflicting perspectives towards the personality are presented. Although conflicting perspectives are present in Shakespeare’s â€Å"Julius Caesar†, the composers bias is still evident. Shakespeare’s â€Å"Julius Caesar† is a play which reflected

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Performance Assessment and Analysis of DNS †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Performance Assessment and Analysis of DNS. Answer: Introduction The report is presented to discuss the various important aspects of telecommunications and networks considering the case study of the business organization Cookie Company in Australia. The company has managed online business activities properly, though it is seen that due to slow network connection and inappropriate and disturbed voice calls resulting from the network related issues, there have been misunderstanding between the staffs and customers. To enhance the experiences of customers and ensure that they are satisfied, it is important to manage consultation with the technical experts and business partners to improve the existing IT infrastructure and fulfill the needs and requirements of the business. The networking is a major component that can not only enhance the customers' services efficiency but will also ensure that the company manages proper business growth and expansion by enabling proper network connectivity and maintaining communication between the various departments and staffs at Cookie Co (Aiello, Merlo and Papaleo 2012). Network convergence allows for utilization of telephone, video and data communication and combines those to create a good network connection. Multiple modes of communication can be utilized to offer better network flexibility and improve the network infrastructure with ease and effectiveness. The network convergence, also known as the media convergence can include sending text messages, explore various websites, manage transmission of voice and multimedia over the internet protocol networks. This would also enable video conferencing and manage conversations between the business and customers face to face through the use of web camera (Bezruk et al. 2012). E-commerce would help in buying and selling of products and services online by using the internet and ensure that the quality of network services is improved largely. Unified communications help in integrating the communication in the business including messaging, voice over internet protocol, manage audio and video conferencing, enable desktop sharing along with speech recognition and call control with the non real time communication services. The unified communication could make Cooke Co. improve the network interface and even the user experience across multiple devices and media types. It uses various forms of mobile utility applications and enhances the efficiency of platforms for ensuring proper communication between the business and its customers with ease and effectiveness (Ims 2012). A local area network or LAN enables connecting a group of computer systems by sharing a common wireless link such as a router to the server. This can help in managing commercial business online as well as share resources like a printer or network storage with ease. A LAN setup includes multiple users who remain interconnected with each other via switches and routers to connect users to the internal servers. The use of Ethernet and Wi-Fi is essential for Cookie Co. to manage the LAN connection. One such kind of LAN is the WAN, which can be installed at the head office to connect all the departments and reduce the level of broadcast that may span the entire network through the implementation of multiple routers. The network routers have better functionality than the switches and can manage the network traffic as well as preserve the bandwidth for various applications (Kermajani and Gomez 2014). Metropolitan area network could also be used to provide a wider range of network connectivit y and use higher speed technologies at a lesser price when compared to the other WAN technologies. The LAN is used for enabling network connection by using internet within a lower range and so it is used at the branches of Cookie Co. The use of Ethernet will help in connecting multiple computer systems and make sure that network connection is established properly to manage the business activities online. A cabling plan will consist of various subsystems and connect the computers systems by using servers, routers, switches, security systems and by using telecom equipment and phone systems as well (Kuhlenkamp, Klems and Rss 2014). The backbone cabling can be used at the head office while the horizontal cabling will be used at the branches. LAN is used by using coaxial cables and even shielded twisted pair is used in the token ring of Cooke Co. for implementing LAN using Cat3 cable. A wide area network is a telecommunications network that covers a large geographical area to establish a network by using various telecommunication circuits. The Internet is considered as WAN and can help in establishing various modes of communication and network facilities over a long distance. The Asynchronous transfer mode or ATM can make Cookie Co. manage good data traffic and has been based on the use of internet protocol at the head office (Mahalingam et al. 2014). The cable modem is another LAN type that can act as a network bridge to manage communication of data, information, and messages by using the radio frequency channels present on the radio frequency and hybrid fiber-coaxial infrastructures. It delivers improved broadband internet access and can help the company to overcome the low-speed network connection and even gain benefits of the HFC and RFoG networks. This is suitable and can be used at the branches (Ostapenko et al. 2013). For enabling transmission media, it is important to develop a network by connecting various people, devices and computer systems. The media types include a copper cable that includes unshielded twisted pair and coaxial cable, wireless media including radio frequencies, infrared, microwave and fiber optics. The fiber optics deliver great bandwidth and can prevent security issues as well as deliver an improved level of security. DNS enables proper communication through the use of internet and uses the computer systems rather than using the IP addresses. The IPAM integrates both DNS and DHCP to bring necessary changes in the IP address and improve the functionalities of a network including better aggregation of data and troubleshooting activities (Ross 2012). The DNS management could help in reducing the human errors and prevent repetitive and complex data by deploying those on multiple physical servers. This would enhance the efficiency of the network connection established and allow Cookie Co. to improve its network stability. VoIP One of the most effective networked services is the voice over internet protocol or VoIP, which can allow the organization to interact with customers and other businesses by making calls with the use of broadband internet rather than using any telephonic system. It can save the cost of using a mobile phone, manages better portability and internet accessibility along with better flexibility. In case any phone calls come, then the signals can be converted into digital data and can be routed over the internet (Sans and Soriano 2012). Extranet It is a kind of intranet, which is a controlled private network to allow the business gain accessibility to its business partners and customers, suppliers and other stakeholders with ease. It can allow the business organization to transfer or exchange information over the internet with ease and effectiveness. Intranet An intranet is a private and closed network that consists of various LANs interconnected with each other along with use of leased lines in the WAN. It can create connections through the use of multiple gateway computer systems to the internet (Sinnreich and Johnston 2012). Email Email or electronic mail allows for transfer or exchange of data, information and messages from one person to another by use of internet. It is fast, reliable and can even make the company send its brand-related messages to its customers by emails. This could not only allow the head and brand offices to remain connected and know about the business operations but would also create good relationships with the customers (Wang et al. 2013). Data processing facilities The storage area network or SAN enables consolidated, block level data storage facilities by utilising disk arrays, tape libraries and even by managing accessibility to the servers to make the device for storage act as a locally attached system. The cost and complexity, both have reduced largely due to utilization in higher numbers across the small and medium sized organizations. Cloud storage helps in storing the digital data in pools and the physical storage is managed by multiple servers that are set up by the organization. The cloud storage facilitates the accessibility and availability of data and information, thereby keeping the physical environment protected and functional as well (Wang et al. 2015). Cloud storage offers better flexibility and ease of storing, accessing and managing data and information with ease and effectiveness. The distributed database can be beneficial for the company too for storing various portions of the database in multiple physical locations while the processing of data is distributed among multiple nodes of the database. P2P The data stored in databases are integrated and used for various purposes afterwards. The peer to peer data processing could deliver better flexibility, scalability and manage the corporate network applications and provide best data sharing and exchange services with ease. This is useful because the customer related data and information are processed and can be used to assess the needs and requirements if the customers and deliver services accordingly (Bezruk et al. 2012). Other information and data are processed to ensure that the company maintains a good brand image and attract as many customers as it can, furthermore improving the sales revenue and gaining competitive advantage in business for Cookie Co (Ims 2012). Conclusion The main focus was done on the business executives who have limited ICT knowledge, so that they could know how the networking solutions would be beneficial for the business and improve the customers services, therefore ensuring satisfaction of customers and improving the network infrastructure as well. Various telecommunications and networking technologies had been used for gaining business benefits and furthermore improve the infrastructure of the organization effectively. The LAN was used in branch office whereas WAN was used at the head office. The IP and DNS management was done to prevent human errors and this helped the company to manage the networked services by using VoIP, intranet, extranet and email. The storage of company and customer data was managed through the use of Cloud storage and SAN while the processing of data with the use of P2P had helped in gaining accessibility to relevant data, use those to improve the business operations efficiency and improve the level of s atisfaction of customers. Recommendations Use of firewall is recommended for proving better network security and even protects the database against any threats. The database should be checked properly to prevent any data redundancy It is recommended to make sure that the Ethernet cables, coaxial cables, and fiber optics are arranged properly to keep the flow of network secured and function properly. The external hard drive connected to the router must be protected by a password so that any unauthorized access is prevented. References Aiello, M., Merlo, A. and Papaleo, G., 2012. Performance assessment and analysis of DNS tunneling tools.Logic Journal of IGPL,21(4), pp.592-602. Bezruk, V., Bukhanko, A., Chebotaryova, D. and Varich, V., 2012. Multicriteria optimization in telecommunication networks planning, designing and controlling. InTelecommunications Networks-Current Status and Future Trends. InTech. Ims, L.A., 2012.Broadband access networks: introduction strategies and techno-economic evaluation. Springer Science Business Media. Kermajani, H. and Gomez, C., 2014. On the network convergence process in RPL over IEEE 802.15. 4 multihop networks: Improvement and trade-offs.Sensors,14(7), pp.11993-12022. Kuhlenkamp, J., Klems, M. and Rss, O., 2014. Benchmarking scalability and elasticity of distributed database systems.Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment,7(12), pp.1219-1230. Mahalingam, M., Dutt, D., Duda, K., Agarwal, P., Kreeger, L., Sridhar, T., Bursell, M. and Wright, C., 2014.Virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN): A framework for overlaying virtualized layer 2 networks over layer 3 networks(No. RFC 7348). Ostapenko, E.G., Kulikov, S.S., Tolstykh, N.N., Pasternak, Y.G. and Popova, L.G., 2013. Denial of service in components of information telecommunication systems through the example of network storm attacks. Ross, K.W., 2012.Multiservice loss models for broadband telecommunication networks. Springer Science Business Media. Sans, B. and Soriano, P. eds., 2012.Telecommunications network planning. Springer Science Business Media. Sinnreich, H. and Johnston, A.B., 2012.Internet communications using SIP: Delivering VoIP and multimedia services with Session Initiation Protocol(Vol. 27). John Wiley Sons. Wang, C., Chow, S.S., Wang, Q., Ren, K. and Lou, W., 2013. Privacy-preserving public auditing for secure cloud storage.IEEE transactions on computers,62(2), pp.362-375. Wang, Y., Chi, N., Wang, Y., Tao, L. and Shi, J., 2015. Network architecture of a high-speed visible light communication local area network.IEEE Photonics Technology Letters,27(2), pp.197-200.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Mexican Politics, Culture and Drug Wars

Table of Contents Introduction Politics Culture Drug wars Conclusion References Introduction Mexico is a democratic country, whose democracy arose from the elections conducted in 2000, which brought about sharing of power in the government and a more transparent nation. Proliferation and forwarding of agendas by strong grassroots organizations to the forefront of political interests has rubbed the authorities the wrong way.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mexican Politics, Culture and Drug Wars specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The democracy change increased the labor unions in the country. However, majority of these labor unions are co-opted by the government although the independent ones have become vigorous in protests. Despite the welcoming news of a democratic state and transparent elections, more still needs to be done to straighten up the moral, political and social decay that have engulf the c ountry. Corruption in institutions, weak judicial system, drug wars and the disparity between the rich and the poor are just but a few of the complex problems that are facing Mexico, and whose solutions are yet to be found. Moreover, social movements have arisen from strident voices that test the government’s commitment to change (Foster, 2010, p 241,242) Foster suggested that political assassinations, uprisings, and high levels of corruptions are some of the factors that siphoned the country’s energy despite the country pushing for democracy (Foster, 2010, p 223). Politics The 10-year civil war of Mexico that lasted from 1910 to 1920 is believed to be the key that opened up the doors to the new constitution of 1917. It is approximated that more than 2 million people died because of the war. New political structures were created and the birth of mestizo nation was delivered. The revolution that started at that time destroyed feudalism as labor unions were created, and in addition to this, the revolution gave the people a sense of belonging and pride for their own culture which was referred to as mexicandad (Foster, 2010, p 161) In the 1980s, the Mexican economy was contracting by 6% annually due to international debts. Upon negotiations, the Mexican government committed 53% o its federal budget to the repayment of the debt. This meant no economic growth was to be expected in Mexico in the following decades. The fallouts both politically and socially were enormous; indeed, this period is stated to be the most demoralizing period in Mexican history as majority of Mexicans suffered due to increase to food prices (Foster, 2010, p 215)Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The PRI party had been the ruling party and in 1988, it faced its first challenge politically from Carlos Salinas de Gortari. The country during that time was facing recession and the IMF due to repayments of debts undertook its fortunes. Support for the PRI party decreased from populist groups as clamor for democracy went a notch higher and criticisms mounted by the public on PRI took toll when one key member o//74f the party abandons the party. PRI party later won the presidency amid calls of rigging (Foster, 2010, p 223-224). The first president who was not a member of PRI was elected in July 2, 2000 in an election that was termed as a transparent and democratic. The PRI members cried foul as they fought amongst themselves. The results were declared as Mexico’s victory as they ushered in democracy in Mexico. Although the PRI party had been defeated, it was thanks to the combined efforts of the opposition parties (Foster, 2010, p 242) The politics of Mexico however have been clouded by corruption brought about by the drug cartels. Raul Salinas, the brother to the former president of Mexico is said to have been arrested because of his participation i n the covering up of Ruiz Massieu’s murder. His access to his brother made many to believe that the president was involved in one way or the other. This just indicated how far the levels of corruption could spread within the Mexican politics (Kirkwood, 2010, p 202) Culture The aesthetic realm and the culture in politics are the two cultural complexes that attract foreigners to Mexico. The philosophers and the intellectuals of the nineteenth century were obsessed with the fascinating combination of barbarism and civilization (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p1). According to Joseph and Henderson, the murals painted on walls of public ministries and the evocative woodcuts of Posada, were all a powerful appeal to tourists (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p2). Mexico being an extraordinary and unique country has the potential of shedding light on major problems facing it as a developing country once its culture, history, and politics have been examined (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p4). The Spania rd are said to have introduced new races in Mexico in the course of their colonization. An example of these races was the usage of the Blacks and the Indians to create a race. This mixture of races contradicted the ultimate goals of history of attaining cultures and fusion of people. Joseph and Henderson continue to state that by constructing an English world and doing away with the Indians to have a Northern Europe filled with Whites is one way of combating race (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p17). Religious cultures and cults are also part of the Mexican way of living. It stated that any Mexican Catholic is focused on the cult of the virgin of Guadalupe. The symbolic meaning this conquest of the two gods meant indicated to the faithful that they should return to their ancient feminine deities (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p24, 25).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mexican Politics, Culture and Drug Wars specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Westernization of the Indians was termed as contradictory. This is because a clear line had to be drawn between the colonized and the colonizers. The colonial domination would have ceased to be if the Indians were to be fully incorporated into westernization; indeed, difference and segregation are termed as the basics of colonization. In the nineteenth century, the birth of an independent Mexico state was directed along the path of civilization. Moreover, the independent nation was culturally homogenous when it was conceived (Henderson, Joseph, 2002, p30). At the end of the Revolution, the new political leaders sought ways of unifying the various ethnic groups of Mexico into a national project. In Mexico, ethnicity is basically defined by the culture and not biological; by use of linguistic it has been found that there is approximately 60 different Indian ethnic groups in Mexico thus making their incorporation difficult (Buffington, Pasztor, Coerver, 2004, p17). Drug wars Drug trafficking has been a hot topic in Mexico both domestically and internationally. Although the drug trafficking was a problem in the twentieth century, it escalated even more in the twenty-first century. It is stated that as early as the 1920s, some Mexican workers located southwest in U.S. were associated with the use of marijuana. In addition to this, Mexico produced heroin and was shipment point for other drugs. U.S. drug agents were said to be operating in Mexico informally from as early as 1940s, while growing demand of drugs in the U.S. escalated the drug trafficking in1960s thus causing a concern to Mexico both internationally and domestically. In the long run, the drug trafficking complicated issues like trade and immigration. The â€Å"operation intercept† that was a detail inspection conducted by the U.S. officials on vehicles crossing the international boundary resulted into chaos thus forcing the Mexican government to resolve to a permanent wa r on drugs. Despite efforts put in place by both the U.S and Mexican governments, the drug trade thrived in the 1980s (Buffington, Pasztor, Coerver, 2004, p145). Increase in consumption of drugs in Mexico and drug related corruption in the law enforcement and political scenes led the country in the verge of being branded a â€Å"narco state.† The drug trade took a completely new level with the death of cardinal Ocampo in1993, who had condemned the drug trade and the assassination of Colosio, the presidency candidate of the official party, in1994.Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Involvement of key political persons in drug trafficking was evident in the investigation of Raul Salinas: the older brother of the former president of Mexico Carlos Salina. The investigation upon conclusion in 1998 indicated that part of the money owed by Raul was associated with drug pay-offs (Buffington, Pasztor, Coerver, 2004, p146, 147) Military involvement in curbing the drug trafficking has not yield much success as incidents of bribe taking are evident. Optimistic officials both in the U.S. and in Mexico concur that the war on drugs is far from being won. This is due to the shifting of bases and routes by the drug cartels resulting from pressure from the authorities. One thing that is clear is that drug trafficking will continue to be a menace even in the twenty-first century (Buffington, Pasztor, Coerver, 2004, p 147) Kirkwood indicates that violence in the state of Durango has escalated and murder has increased, with 235 murders reported between January and May the year 20 09. The fighting between the various drug cartels caused these murders and violence. However, the alarming issue is that the federals that are entitled with the responsibility of curbing this menace are having a life span of six months before they are corrupted by the drug cartels. The level of corruption is evident from the arrests conducted in May 2009 of 27 government officials, a police chief, 10 mayors, a judge, and a former police chief. Power, influence, and resources are some of the factors that drug cartels have over authorities, which is evident from the escapes that have been propagated by the drug cartels. The astonishing issue is that the drug trade has penetrated the Catholic Church with allegations of donations offered to the church by the drug lords. Indeed, legalizing of some drugs e.g. marijuana is been considered in order to curb drug trafficking (Kirkwood, 2010, p 217, 218) During the presidency of Fox, efforts of addressing the escalating drug production were st epped up and the number of arrests associated with drugs escalated. It is approximated that about 50,000 arrests were conducted as the authorities also destroyed marijuana fields in a bid to curb the drug trade. However, the government also faced embarrassing moments with the news of the drug cartels leaders escaping from jail. In response to the government’s measures of curbing the drug, trade the drug cartels mounted escalating violence throughout the country. In the year 2008, 6,300 people were said to have been murdered by drug related violence. In Ciudad, the situation has been termed as bloody as a record of 1,600 people was murdered in this city alone in the year 2008. In the year 2009, the violence had escalated as 2,300 Mexicans had been murdered as of May (Kirkwood, 2010, p 216) On assuming office in 2006, president Calderon aggressively responded towards the drug struggle, with about 45,000 troops being employed to deal with this menace. In the bloody Ciudad, 8,000 troops were deployed to tackle the city’s drug trade. The policies of the Calderon government in fighting the drug trade earned him assistance from the then Bush government that offered $1.4 billion to aid in efforts of combating drug trade (Kirkwood, 2010, p 216) Conclusion At the commencement of the second decade of the 21 century, the Mexican government faces numerous issues from all fronts. The main attention has been on combating the drug trafficking issue. Critics suggest that government attempts have failed in eradicating the drug war. In political scene, Mexico is striving to create a transparent democratic process since the obstacles surrounding the 1988 elections. Forward strides for a democratic process were marked in the 2000 presidential elections as it was marked as a political transition. The 2006 elections appeals by Lopez Obrador were indications of the long journey a head before Mexico can become fully democratic. The 2000 presidential elections saw a candi date not from the PRI party win, mainly because of collective support from the opposition to oust the PRI from power. The elections were termed as transparent and democratic thus bringing a new dimension to the Mexican politics. The indigenous cultural values of the communities in Mexico have been transformed by westernization culture to modern values. However, some of the cultural values like art have been maintained despite the change to modern cultural values. In addition to this, religious cultures e.g. the cult of the virgin of Guadalupe are still significant to the modern Mexico. It is suggested that some of the tourist attractions to Mexico are the murals painted on the walls of public ministries. Politics and social decays like drug trafficking are two different entities that should be separated for the common good of Mexico. In addition to this, the penetration of the drug money to the Catholic Church is a situation that is not helping but instead justifying the existence o f drug trafficking. However, tackling the drug menace will mean better future in the politics and economy of Mexico that has been engulfed by the drug trafficking situation. The culture of moral decay that had been brought about by the drug menace will also cease to exist, thus liberating Mexico. References Coerver, M. D., Pasztor, B.S, and Buffington, R. (2004). Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History. Web. Foster, V. L. (2010). A Brief History of Mexico. Web. Joseph. M. G, and Henderson, J. T. (2002). The Mexico reader: History, Culture, Politics. Web. Kirkwood, B. (2010). The History of Mexico. Web. This research paper on Mexican Politics, Culture and Drug Wars was written and submitted by user Nextwave to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How to Use the French Expression Jen Ai Ras le Bol

How to Use the French Expression Jen Ai Ras le Bol If youre a French speaker and youre frustrated, you might find yourself exclaiming, Jen ai ras le  bol! This informal phrase can be used to express everything from general discontent to extreme frustration, depending on how its used in conversation.   Expression: Jen ai ras le bol!Pronunciation: [zha(n) nay ra l(eu) buhl]Meaning: Im sick of it! Im fed up! Ive had it up to here!Literal translation: I have a bowl full of it.Register: informalNotes: The French expression jen ai ras le bol doesnt specify what your bowl is full of, but its probably safe to assume that its aggravation, frustration, or one of their close cousins.   Ras-le-bol can also serve as an exclamation indicating that enough is enough, or as a noun referring to general dissatisfaction. Examples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il pleut depuis deux semaines, et jen ai ras le bol  !  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its been raining for two weeks, and Im sick of it!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Le ras-le-bol à ©tudiant augmente depuis des annà ©es.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student unrest has been on the rise for years. Synonymous Expressions (informal): Jen ai marre, Jen ai assez, Jen ai ma claque, Jai ma dose, Jen ai plein le dos, Jen ai plein les bottes, Jen ai ras la casquette(normal register): Je ne peux plus le supporter, La coupe est pleine More Expressions with avoirExpressions with enMost common French phrases

Friday, November 22, 2019

Worshiping and Kidnapping

Worshiping and Kidnapping Worshiping and Kidnapping Worshiping and Kidnapping By Maeve Maddox The recent post on when to double the L when adding an ending to words like cancel prompted this question from David: What about the p in worship. Is it worshiping or worshipping? Like cancel, the word worship gets different treatment in British and American usage: British usage: worship, worshipped, worshipping American usage: worship, worshiped, worshiping This difference applies to most spellings of this sort, but not all. For example, take the spellings kidnapped and kidnapping. According to what weve been saying about British and American usage, kidnaping ought to be the preferred American spelling, but it isnt. Merriam-Webster does acknowledge the single p spelling, but gives kidnapping first. In the case of cancel and worship, the single consonant spellings are given first and the double letter spellings are the variants. According to the Chicago Manual of Style, when Merriam-Webster follows one spelling with a variant, the first spelling is the one to use. When I typed kidnaping into my American version of Microsoft Word, the software immediately changed it to kidnapping. Spelling rules are useful guides, but they do not and cannot apply to every word. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowPassed vs Past

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Just War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Just War - Essay Example Based on the information relayed by this text, I concur with it especially when it comes to the issue of â€Å"Just war†. However, the strong insistence that a certain state would result to this remedy in most cases pose numerous questions to the non-involved parties. Based on the illustrations that you have relayed concerning varied wars, which America involved itself, I agree the magnitude used in executing â€Å"Just War† does not commensurate with the case at hand. This is evident during the use of an atomic weapon during WW11 whereby it ended up exterminating numerous civilians than the targeted elements. Hence, proving despite respective authorities allowing â€Å"Just War† the remedy ends up being worse than anticipated good for not only results to massive massacre but also disruption of economy of innocent people . In addition, I do also concur with your text regarding impacts that up to date and as detailed in numerous annals of historical accounts when US involved it regional wars. This is encompasses US’ involvement in Iraq that you have stated lightly but on reflecting about the scenario and drawing similar conventional review in other incidents proves how â€Å"Just war† may be worse than good. This is beca use it is acts as a tool that â€Å"engulfs† hidden agendas but â€Å"sugar-coated† with intentions of ensuring peace, which is not the case. Since, most of US’ motivations range from political to economical whereby in losing these goals is the greatest fear. Hence, result to be more vocal compared to other global states.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Answer case questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer case questions - Assignment Example Company data shows that marketing expense increased from $108.9 million in 2009 to $246.5 in 2013. The increase in marketing expenditure is the result of the adoption of a robust marketing and promotion strategies. The company used a variety of promotion strategies. First, the company sought to promote is product visibility in the sports sector by signing outfitting contracts with schools and colleges. By so doing, people can see the products of the company. Second, the company increased its retail shops and also the product presentation at the shops to attract shoppers. Third, the company made extensive use of the media to advertise its products. The company uses three main distribution strategies. The company sells in wholesales terms to retailers who then resell the product to the final consumers. Under Armour also engages in direct sales to its consumers. In fact, direct sales accounted for 30.4% of the sales in 2013 (Thompson 244). Finally, the company sells licenses to enable distributors sell its products in areas where it has no presence. Product Licensing gives distributors exclusive rights to sell Under Armour products. Thus, they act on behalf of the company. The strategy has enabled Under Armour to have a presence in areas where it does not have operations. High-quality products are responsible for the growth of the company. The company has a product development team that works with third party suppliers to ensure that materials are of high quality. The team also ensures that the manufacturing process adds the required features such as comfort and design (Thompson 246). The marketing team also collects opinions and reviews from customers and potential customers to identify the customer’s perspective towards the product, and how the products can be improved to fit the needs of the target customers. To ensure quality of their products, Under Armour used raw materials from approved suppliers

Sunday, November 17, 2019

When Food Kills Essay Example for Free

When Food Kills Essay An outbreak causing the death of 31 people in Europe is causing wide speculation of the agriculture industry. The outbreak, caused by E. coli, supposabley arose from bean sprouts grown in an organic farm in Germany. All over the world food-borne illnessess are hopstitalizing and even killing people. Just in the United states 325,000 people are hospitalized and 5,ooo die every year because of the wide spread of food-borne illnessess. Farmers all over the world use antibiotics to rapidly increase the growth of there livestock, causing resistant pathogenes, which can ultimately become untreatable, though they still continue and process the meat. Most people do not know that more antibiotics are givin to livestock than humans, endangering our health even more. MRSA, one of the most common antibiotic-resistant pathogenes is now widespread in hog barns, even people who deal with them. Unlike the United States, other countries are begining to ban distributing antibiotics to livestock. In the article Kristof often gives the audience facts concerning food outbreaks. To keep the readers interested, and believe what they are reading Kristof uses statistics, such as when he stated that 70 percent of hogs were found with MRSA in only one farm. He also plays an emotional toll on the audience,for example, when he recalled the story of skydiving instructer, Josh Nahum developed a life threatening fever, caused by a bactiera that wasnt responsive to medication. He became paralyzed after parts of his brain started to push into his spinal column. After a couple weeks of using a ventilator to breathe, he died. Learning about how serious and the amout of lives food-borne illnessess take it brings more attention to the problem, and also keeps Kristofs readers engaged in the article. In my opinion, feeding livestock antibiotics in their feed, to make their growth rate rise rapidly, is not only extremely harmful to the livestock, but more importantly, to humans. To have the animals develope much faster that normal is not worth thousands of people dying over it. Though the unsanitary ways both small, and larger scale restaraunts handle their food is also a big cause for food-borne illnesses. Even in our own homes many people are not being as sanitary as they need to be. If everyone would stop and continue with their work but maintain it in a clean and sanitary way, especially if they are working in the food industry, I believe there wouldnt be as many food-borne illnessess, especially if they are working in the food industry.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Another Hamlet :: essays research papers

The real question is Hamlet crazy or is he just acting it. In my opinion there are many things throughout the play that make me tend to believe that he is crazy. When Hamlet enters Opheliu's room and she has the question if he is truly mad or if he is just acting. Hamlet is proven o be crazy in this play and statements and actions he days and does are the thing that prove this. There are many things that make me tend to beleive that Hamlet is crazy. There are also many things that he does that does not want to make you think that he is crazy but for others to think this of him it just make me want to beleive even more that he is crazy. One of the things that shows that he is crazy is that he contemplates suicide or as Hamlet says "self slaughter", this is definately a true act of pure craziness. Hamlet also wants to believe that he see's this ghost of his father that is odd because when he is in the room with his mother he starts to talk to the ghost and the mother does not see it. Also when he walked into Ophelius's room he just stood there staring at her for a long time and no normal person does this. This is just another example of one of the examples that proves that Hamlet is crazy. Hamlet also has a lot of evil in him like when he killed Polomius for no reason when he was behind the curtains in his moms room. Also when he see's his Uncle Claudius praying he is deciding whether or not it is a good idea to kill him. These are just other examples how I think that he is crazy. Another importnt thing to show that he is crazy is that he has no fear like when he started to follow his father apparation even when Horatio said don't go because it could be dangerous. He also does things that are very odd and random like when Ophelius and him were wathcing the play he just put his head in her lap and started mumbling about nothing. Hamlets image has also got very scrubby by the way he dresses and the way he looks. Ophelius said that when she saw him she was scared. These are all examples about why I think that

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Natural Resources

Natural resource Natural resources (economically referred to as land or raw materials) are naturally forming substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A natural resource's value rests in the amount and extractability of the material available and the demand for it. The latter is determined by its usefulness to production. A commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and purification, as opposed to creation.Thus, mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, hunting, and forestry are generally considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a broad audience by E. F. Schumacher in his 1973 book Small is Beautiful. [1] The term is defined by the United States Geological Survey as â€Å"The Nation's natural resources include its minerals, energy, land, water, and biota. â€Å"[2] | | Classification of natural forms Natural resources are mostly classified into renewable and non-renewable resources.Sometimes resources are classified as non-renewable even if they are technically renewable, just not easily renewed within a reasonable amount of time, such as fossil fuels. Non-renewable resources Main article: Non-renewable resource Some non-renewable resources can be renewable but take an extremely long time to renew. Fossil fuels, for example, take millions of years to form and so are not practically considered ‘renewable'. Different non-renewable resources like oil, coal, natural gas etc. have different levels of demand from different sectors like transportation and residences with each resource specializing for each sector. 3] Many environmentalists propose a tax on consumption of non renewable resources. Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced or can only be replaced over thousands or millions of years. Natural capital Natural resources are natural capital converted to commodity inputs to infrastructura l capital processes. [4][5] They include soil, timber, oil, minerals, and other goods harvested from the Earth. Both extraction of the basic resource and refining it into a purer, directly usable form, (e. g. , metals, refined oils) are generally considered natural-resource activities, even though the latter may not necessarily occur near the former.This process generates high profits due to the high demand for the natural resources and the energies that they are able to generate. A nation's natural resources often determine its wealth in the world economic system and its diplomatic, military, and political influence. Developed nations are those which are less dependent on natural resources for wealth, due to their greater reliance on infrastructural capital for production. However, some see a resource curse whereby easily obtainable natural resources could actually hurt the prospects of a national economy by fostering political corruption.Political corruption can negatively impact the national economy because time is spent giving bribes or other economically unproductive acts instead of the generation of generative economic activity. This has been seen over the years with legislation passed to appease companies who will benefit. There also tends to be concentrations of ownership over specific plots of land that have proven to yield natural resources. In recent years, the depletion of natural capital and attempts to move to sustainable development have been a major focus of development agencies.This is of particular concern in rainforest regions, which hold most of the Earth's natural biodiversity – irreplaceable genetic natural capital. Conservation of natural resources is the major focus of natural capitalism, environmentalism, the ecology movement, and green politics. Some view this depletion as a major source of social unrest and conflicts in developing nations. Types of resources Natural Resources Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential for our survival while others are used for satisfying our wants.Natural resources may be further classified in different ways. On the basis of origin, resources may be divided into: †¢ Biotic – Biotic resources are the ones which are obtained from the biosphere. Forests and their products, animals, birds and their products, fish and other marine organisms are important examples. Minerals such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they were formed from decayed organic matter. †¢ Abiotic – Abiotic resources comprise of non-living things. Examples include land, water, air and minerals such as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.On the basis of the stage of development, natural resources may be called: †¢ Potential Resources – Potential resources are those which exist in a region and may be used in the future. For example, mineral oil may exist in many parts of India having sedimentary rocks but till t he time it is actually drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential resource. †¢ Actual Resources are those which have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used in present times. For example, the petroleum and the natural gas which is obtained from the Bombay High Fields.The development of an actual resource, such as wood processing depends upon the technology available and the cost involved. That part of the actual resource which can be developed profitably with available technology is called a reserve. On the basis of renewability, natural resources can be categorized into: †¢ Renewable Resources – Renewable resources are the ones which can be replenished or reproduced easily. Some of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc. , are continuously available and their quantity is not affected by human consumption.Many renewable resources can be depleted by human use, but may also be replenished, thus maintaining a flow. Some of these, like agricultural crops, take a short time for renewal; others, like water, take a comparatively longer time, while still others, like forests, take even longer. †¢ Non-renewable Resources – Non-renewable resources are formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and fossils are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they cannot be replenished once they get depleted. Out of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them.But coal and petroleum cannot be recycled. On the basis of ownership,resources can be classified into:individual,community,national,and international Individual resources: Human resources Human beings are also considered to be resources because they have the ability to change raw materials into valuable resources. The term Human resources can also be defined as the skills, energies, talents, abilities and knowledge that are used for the production of goods or the rendering of services. While taking into account human beings as resources, the following things have to be kept in mind: †¢ The size of the population The capabilities of the individuals in that population Resource use and sustainable development Many resources cannot be consumed in their original form. They have to be processed in order to change them into more usable commodities. This is known as resource development. With the rise in human numbers all over the world, the demand for resources has also increased. However, there is a difference in distribution of resources to different regions or countries. Developed countries use more resources than developing countries. The rising demand coupled with the over-consumption of resources has led to several problems: †¢ Resource depletion Accumulation of resources in the hands of a few †¢ Environmental degradation †¢ Tragedy of the commons †¢ Resource curse Uses of our Natural Resources Rock and mineral resources have a wide variety of uses and play a huge role in our lives The Mineral Information Institute has a poster showing how much of a variety of minerals each person uses in his or her lifetime. Minerals are important to our health. We need small amounts of a wide variety of minerals. Minerals found in Tennessee which people need include: calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, copper, fluoride, iron, and zinc.Coal, oil and natural gas provide us with almost all of the energy we use to light, heat and run our world. Minerals are ingredients in almost all of the products we use from fertilizer to plastics, from toothpaste to kitty litter, from knives to plates. Minerals are common ingredients in pigments. In fact, some of the earliest uses of minerals were as pigments. Minerals also play an important role in the processing of materials. Bentonite is important in well drilling, Barite is important in oil drilling. Fluorite is important in making steel |Resource |How are our resources used? characteristics exploited) | |Barite | Used in oil drilling to weigh down the oil and prevent gushers (high specific gravity), filler in paint, glass, | | |toothpaste. | |Chert |Used to make stone tools. (hardness, fracture patterns). Used as fill to provide a stable base for roads | | |(insolubility) | |Clay |Used to make pottery and bricks.Used for pet litter (ability to absorb water) | |Chalcopyrite (copper)|Copper is used to make electrical wiring (electrical conductivity). Used in alloys – bronze and brass (low | | |melting point, beauty, resistance to oxidation) Used as an ingredient in pigments (blue and green) | |Coal |Used as a fuel (flammable). The oils and tars produced processing coal are processed into a variety of organic | | |solvents and compounds such as plastics, motor fuel, photo developer, perfume, medicine, and sugar substitute. |Fluorite |Used as a flux – i. e. used as an intermediate chemical to separate metals from waste material. Another important | | |product made from fluorite is hydrofluoric acid, which is used in the pottery, optics, and plastics industry. | | |Fluorite is also used in making opalescent glass and in enameling cookware. | |Galena (lead) |The largest use of lead is in automotive batteries. It is also used as weights (high specific gravity).Used as | | |an ingredient in solder (soft, low melting point. ). Until recently it was also used as an ingredient in paint and| | |as an additive in gasoline to make engines run more smoothly. | |Gypsum |Gypsum is primarily used to make wallboard. It is also an ingredient in cement. | |Ilmenite (titanium) |Titanium is used in alloys to make strong light-weight materials – space ships, bicycles Used to make white paint| | |- non-toxic replacement for lead, which used to be used for this purpose. low reactivity) | |Iron |Iron is used for tools, for appliances, for building supports. It is also used as a pigment (red and ochre) | |Limestone |Limestone is used as building stone, for ornamental stone f or surfaces and sculpture, to make cement and mortar, | | |as crushed stone for fill | |Mussel Shells |Mussel shells were used as ceremonial objects.European Americans have used shells as ornaments – buttons and | | |pearls for jewelry. | |Oil/Natural Gas |Oil and natural gas are used as fuels and ingredients in the chemical industry to produce petroleum based | | |products notably plastics. | |Phosphate |Phosphate is used as a fertilizer and to make phosphoric acid which is a major ingredient in food products such | | |as cola drinks. | |Saltpeter |Saltpeter was used as a fertilizer (source of nitrogen) and as an ingredient in gunpowder.It has now been | | |replaced by the related compound ammonium nitrate which can be manufactured in the laboratory. | |Sand & Gravel |Sand and gravel are used as fill to provide a stable foundation for buildings and roads. | |Sandstone |Sandstone is used as a building material. | |Sphalerite (zinc) |Zinc is used as an ingredient in brass (wit h copper). It is used to coat (galvanize) iron implements to protect | | |them from rusting.It is used as a pigment (white) | Natural resources are raw materials we use to make other products. These include trees, minerals, aquatic life, gravel, coal, and many others. How can businesses remove these resources from an area and still maintain a working landscape? Responsible businesses know that they can make money producing products or gathering natural resources while they minimize the damage to their surroundings. Take a look at some products and possible damage from forestry, mining, and aquaculture.Forestry The forest industry is made up of businesses involved in the growing and harvesting of trees and other plant life from forests. |Products |Damages | |wood products |They provide lumber or timber for |clearcutting |Removing a large block of trees exposes ground, which is| | |building houses, boats, decks, and | |vulnerable to soil erosion. | |furniture. | | | |paper |They cre ate pulp to make paper and |log jams |Over cutting may result in logs piling up and blocking | | |paper products. | |the natural flow of water. | |Christmas trees |They grow, cut, and sell Christmas |lost recreational |Forest landscapes are degraded. Who wants to visit a | | |trees. value |forest with no trees, or a river clogged with trees? | |landscaping |They fulfill our landscaping needs |lost renewable |New trees may not be planted. Forests are not renewable | | |with trees and plants. |resource |resources unless trees are planted to replace the trees | | | | |cut down. This also displaces wildlife. | MiningMining is the process or business of removing ore, soil, rock, and minerals from the ground or from mountains. |Products |Damages | |Coins |Historically and currently used as |Reclamation | | |money. |Reclamation means restoring land that has been altered.Mining pits must be | | | |reclaimed after mining operations cease. Poor mining practices can destroy the| | | |environme nt and cost taxpayers a lot of money in clean-up. | | | |Habitat destruction | | | |Animal habitats are destroyed and biodiversity is compromised. | | |Pollution | | | |Mining by-products, called tailings, can pollute our air and water. | |Gold/Silver Standards|Influence the value of currency. | | |Fossil Fuels |Provide fuel by burning. | |Nutrition |Minerals are often used in vitamins. | | |Building Materials |Provide materials used in | | | |construction like aluminum and | | | |concrete. | |Jewelry |Gold, silver, diamonds and other | | | |precious stones provide material for | | | |jewelry. | |Gravel |Gravel is used to build roads and is | | | |mixed into cement to form concrete. | | Aquaculture Aquaculture is the business of raising marine or freshwater fish or shellfish under controlled conditions. |Products |Damages | |Oyster |Netpens |   |Areas of waterways that are lined off by nets; these result in large quantities of waste (just like other forms of intensive | | |animal production). | | | | | |Aquaculture Waste | | |Processing wastes are often released directly into natural bodies of water. | | | | |Protein | | |Many fish are carnivorous—they eat meat. The food provided in fish farms may not contain meat protein. The fish who eat this | | |food do not possess the same amount of protein as their natural counterparts. This can result in a less healthy fish. | | | | |Mangroves | | |Fishing operations (shrimp farms in particular) have damaged mangroves—trees and shrubs forming buffering boundaries between | | |land and saltwater environments. (This is an important ecosystem along coastlines. | |Clams | | |   | | |Shrimp | | |   | | |Lobster | | |   | | |Salmon | | |   | | |Trout | | |   | | Natural Resources Natural resource Natural resources (economically referred to as land or raw materials) are naturally forming substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A natural resource's value rests in the amount and extractability of the material available and the demand for it. The latter is determined by its usefulness to production. A commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and purification, as opposed to creation.Thus, mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, hunting, and forestry are generally considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a broad audience by E. F. Schumacher in his 1973 book Small is Beautiful. [1] The term is defined by the United States Geological Survey as â€Å"The Nation's natural resources include its minerals, energy, land, water, and biota. â€Å"[2] | | Classification of natural forms Natural resources are mostly classified into renewable and non-renewable resources.Sometimes resources are classified as non-renewable even if they are technically renewable, just not easily renewed within a reasonable amount of time, such as fossil fuels. Non-renewable resources Main article: Non-renewable resource Some non-renewable resources can be renewable but take an extremely long time to renew. Fossil fuels, for example, take millions of years to form and so are not practically considered ‘renewable'. Different non-renewable resources like oil, coal, natural gas etc. have different levels of demand from different sectors like transportation and residences with each resource specializing for each sector. 3] Many environmentalists propose a tax on consumption of non renewable resources. Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced or can only be replaced over thousands or millions of years. Natural capital Natural resources are natural capital converted to commodity inputs to infrastructura l capital processes. [4][5] They include soil, timber, oil, minerals, and other goods harvested from the Earth. Both extraction of the basic resource and refining it into a purer, directly usable form, (e. g. , metals, refined oils) are generally considered natural-resource activities, even though the latter may not necessarily occur near the former.This process generates high profits due to the high demand for the natural resources and the energies that they are able to generate. A nation's natural resources often determine its wealth in the world economic system and its diplomatic, military, and political influence. Developed nations are those which are less dependent on natural resources for wealth, due to their greater reliance on infrastructural capital for production. However, some see a resource curse whereby easily obtainable natural resources could actually hurt the prospects of a national economy by fostering political corruption.Political corruption can negatively impact the national economy because time is spent giving bribes or other economically unproductive acts instead of the generation of generative economic activity. This has been seen over the years with legislation passed to appease companies who will benefit. There also tends to be concentrations of ownership over specific plots of land that have proven to yield natural resources. In recent years, the depletion of natural capital and attempts to move to sustainable development have been a major focus of development agencies.This is of particular concern in rainforest regions, which hold most of the Earth's natural biodiversity – irreplaceable genetic natural capital. Conservation of natural resources is the major focus of natural capitalism, environmentalism, the ecology movement, and green politics. Some view this depletion as a major source of social unrest and conflicts in developing nations. Types of resources Natural Resources Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential for our survival while others are used for satisfying our wants.Natural resources may be further classified in different ways. On the basis of origin, resources may be divided into: †¢ Biotic – Biotic resources are the ones which are obtained from the biosphere. Forests and their products, animals, birds and their products, fish and other marine organisms are important examples. Minerals such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they were formed from decayed organic matter. †¢ Abiotic – Abiotic resources comprise of non-living things. Examples include land, water, air and minerals such as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.On the basis of the stage of development, natural resources may be called: †¢ Potential Resources – Potential resources are those which exist in a region and may be used in the future. For example, mineral oil may exist in many parts of India having sedimentary rocks but till t he time it is actually drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential resource. †¢ Actual Resources are those which have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used in present times. For example, the petroleum and the natural gas which is obtained from the Bombay High Fields.The development of an actual resource, such as wood processing depends upon the technology available and the cost involved. That part of the actual resource which can be developed profitably with available technology is called a reserve. On the basis of renewability, natural resources can be categorized into: †¢ Renewable Resources – Renewable resources are the ones which can be replenished or reproduced easily. Some of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc. , are continuously available and their quantity is not affected by human consumption.Many renewable resources can be depleted by human use, but may also be replenished, thus maintaining a flow. Some of these, like agricultural crops, take a short time for renewal; others, like water, take a comparatively longer time, while still others, like forests, take even longer. †¢ Non-renewable Resources – Non-renewable resources are formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and fossils are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they cannot be replenished once they get depleted. Out of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them.But coal and petroleum cannot be recycled. On the basis of ownership,resources can be classified into:individual,community,national,and international Individual resources: Human resources Human beings are also considered to be resources because they have the ability to change raw materials into valuable resources. The term Human resources can also be defined as the skills, energies, talents, abilities and knowledge that are used for the production of goods or the rendering of services. While taking into account human beings as resources, the following things have to be kept in mind: †¢ The size of the population The capabilities of the individuals in that population Resource use and sustainable development Many resources cannot be consumed in their original form. They have to be processed in order to change them into more usable commodities. This is known as resource development. With the rise in human numbers all over the world, the demand for resources has also increased. However, there is a difference in distribution of resources to different regions or countries. Developed countries use more resources than developing countries. The rising demand coupled with the over-consumption of resources has led to several problems: †¢ Resource depletion Accumulation of resources in the hands of a few †¢ Environmental degradation †¢ Tragedy of the commons †¢ Resource curse Uses of our Natural Resources Rock and mineral resources have a wide variety of uses and play a huge role in our lives The Mineral Information Institute has a poster showing how much of a variety of minerals each person uses in his or her lifetime. Minerals are important to our health. We need small amounts of a wide variety of minerals. Minerals found in Tennessee which people need include: calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, copper, fluoride, iron, and zinc.Coal, oil and natural gas provide us with almost all of the energy we use to light, heat and run our world. Minerals are ingredients in almost all of the products we use from fertilizer to plastics, from toothpaste to kitty litter, from knives to plates. Minerals are common ingredients in pigments. In fact, some of the earliest uses of minerals were as pigments. Minerals also play an important role in the processing of materials. Bentonite is important in well drilling, Barite is important in oil drilling. Fluorite is important in making steel |Resource |How are our resources used? characteristics exploited) | |Barite | Used in oil drilling to weigh down the oil and prevent gushers (high specific gravity), filler in paint, glass, | | |toothpaste. | |Chert |Used to make stone tools. (hardness, fracture patterns). Used as fill to provide a stable base for roads | | |(insolubility) | |Clay |Used to make pottery and bricks.Used for pet litter (ability to absorb water) | |Chalcopyrite (copper)|Copper is used to make electrical wiring (electrical conductivity). Used in alloys – bronze and brass (low | | |melting point, beauty, resistance to oxidation) Used as an ingredient in pigments (blue and green) | |Coal |Used as a fuel (flammable). The oils and tars produced processing coal are processed into a variety of organic | | |solvents and compounds such as plastics, motor fuel, photo developer, perfume, medicine, and sugar substitute. |Fluorite |Used as a flux – i. e. used as an intermediate chemical to separate metals from waste material. Another important | | |product made from fluorite is hydrofluoric acid, which is used in the pottery, optics, and plastics industry. | | |Fluorite is also used in making opalescent glass and in enameling cookware. | |Galena (lead) |The largest use of lead is in automotive batteries. It is also used as weights (high specific gravity).Used as | | |an ingredient in solder (soft, low melting point. ). Until recently it was also used as an ingredient in paint and| | |as an additive in gasoline to make engines run more smoothly. | |Gypsum |Gypsum is primarily used to make wallboard. It is also an ingredient in cement. | |Ilmenite (titanium) |Titanium is used in alloys to make strong light-weight materials – space ships, bicycles Used to make white paint| | |- non-toxic replacement for lead, which used to be used for this purpose. low reactivity) | |Iron |Iron is used for tools, for appliances, for building supports. It is also used as a pigment (red and ochre) | |Limestone |Limestone is used as building stone, for ornamental stone f or surfaces and sculpture, to make cement and mortar, | | |as crushed stone for fill | |Mussel Shells |Mussel shells were used as ceremonial objects.European Americans have used shells as ornaments – buttons and | | |pearls for jewelry. | |Oil/Natural Gas |Oil and natural gas are used as fuels and ingredients in the chemical industry to produce petroleum based | | |products notably plastics. | |Phosphate |Phosphate is used as a fertilizer and to make phosphoric acid which is a major ingredient in food products such | | |as cola drinks. | |Saltpeter |Saltpeter was used as a fertilizer (source of nitrogen) and as an ingredient in gunpowder.It has now been | | |replaced by the related compound ammonium nitrate which can be manufactured in the laboratory. | |Sand & Gravel |Sand and gravel are used as fill to provide a stable foundation for buildings and roads. | |Sandstone |Sandstone is used as a building material. | |Sphalerite (zinc) |Zinc is used as an ingredient in brass (wit h copper). It is used to coat (galvanize) iron implements to protect | | |them from rusting.It is used as a pigment (white) | Natural resources are raw materials we use to make other products. These include trees, minerals, aquatic life, gravel, coal, and many others. How can businesses remove these resources from an area and still maintain a working landscape? Responsible businesses know that they can make money producing products or gathering natural resources while they minimize the damage to their surroundings. Take a look at some products and possible damage from forestry, mining, and aquaculture.Forestry The forest industry is made up of businesses involved in the growing and harvesting of trees and other plant life from forests. |Products |Damages | |wood products |They provide lumber or timber for |clearcutting |Removing a large block of trees exposes ground, which is| | |building houses, boats, decks, and | |vulnerable to soil erosion. | |furniture. | | | |paper |They cre ate pulp to make paper and |log jams |Over cutting may result in logs piling up and blocking | | |paper products. | |the natural flow of water. | |Christmas trees |They grow, cut, and sell Christmas |lost recreational |Forest landscapes are degraded. Who wants to visit a | | |trees. value |forest with no trees, or a river clogged with trees? | |landscaping |They fulfill our landscaping needs |lost renewable |New trees may not be planted. Forests are not renewable | | |with trees and plants. |resource |resources unless trees are planted to replace the trees | | | | |cut down. This also displaces wildlife. | MiningMining is the process or business of removing ore, soil, rock, and minerals from the ground or from mountains. |Products |Damages | |Coins |Historically and currently used as |Reclamation | | |money. |Reclamation means restoring land that has been altered.Mining pits must be | | | |reclaimed after mining operations cease. Poor mining practices can destroy the| | | |environme nt and cost taxpayers a lot of money in clean-up. | | | |Habitat destruction | | | |Animal habitats are destroyed and biodiversity is compromised. | | |Pollution | | | |Mining by-products, called tailings, can pollute our air and water. | |Gold/Silver Standards|Influence the value of currency. | | |Fossil Fuels |Provide fuel by burning. | |Nutrition |Minerals are often used in vitamins. | | |Building Materials |Provide materials used in | | | |construction like aluminum and | | | |concrete. | |Jewelry |Gold, silver, diamonds and other | | | |precious stones provide material for | | | |jewelry. | |Gravel |Gravel is used to build roads and is | | | |mixed into cement to form concrete. | | Aquaculture Aquaculture is the business of raising marine or freshwater fish or shellfish under controlled conditions. |Products |Damages | |Oyster |Netpens |   |Areas of waterways that are lined off by nets; these result in large quantities of waste (just like other forms of intensive | | |animal production). | | | | | |Aquaculture Waste | | |Processing wastes are often released directly into natural bodies of water. | | | | |Protein | | |Many fish are carnivorous—they eat meat. The food provided in fish farms may not contain meat protein. The fish who eat this | | |food do not possess the same amount of protein as their natural counterparts. This can result in a less healthy fish. | | | | |Mangroves | | |Fishing operations (shrimp farms in particular) have damaged mangroves—trees and shrubs forming buffering boundaries between | | |land and saltwater environments. (This is an important ecosystem along coastlines. | |Clams | | |   | | |Shrimp | | |   | | |Lobster | | |   | | |Salmon | | |   | | |Trout | | |   | |

Saturday, November 9, 2019

When Help Turns to Abuse

I can remember the conversation as if it was yesterday. While in a grocery store walking in the grocery aisle, I overheard a woman talking to another woman and her husband. The part that caught my attention was the young lady saying, â€Å"I can get you the cheese, milk, and eggs with my WIC, and all you have to do is give me the money when we leave the store. † I knew this wasn’t right, so I made sure I was at the check-out counter to see if what I overheard was true. To my surprise, the young woman paid for things using a check like piece of paper and waited for the couple to leave the store. In the parking lot, I witnessed the young lady giving the couple the bags that she left the store with and they handed her some cash. For this and many other reasons I would like to propose that people that receive this state appointed assistance should have a time limit on how much they can receive. Doing research on the assistance that is afforded to individuals, I learned how and why these programs were implemented. For instance, the WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) program was established in 1968 after a group of physicians described to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and also the USDA that young women, often pregnant, came to their clinics with various ailments that were caused by lack of food. Those doctors would prescribe the needed foods, with prescription acting like a food voucher (Women, Infant and Children. gov). In this new day and age the program isn’t respected like in the past. The purpose of the program has taken a turn for the worse. Where the program gives women a chance for a better nutritional way to feed their family, some take the route of scamming the government. Per the conversation I overheard, I use it as my main point on why there should be a limited amount of time placed on this for both women and men. Right now women can receive this assistance until their child reaches the age of five. While not all women abuse the system, the small amounts that do leave a nasty pill to swallow for those that don’t. Being put in the same category as a cheater give some mothers a bad rap. My proposal to put these people on a timetable may not seem fair to some, but it will give these women a chance to help feed their families and also give them a chance to become independent on themselves instead of the government. As long as these women continue to have child after child before the first one reaches five, we the tax payers have to support the system that is being abused. For each program the person is on, I propose that we give them education and job training. This will help them get off the program and develop a sense of worth. Instead of hand outs, let the government give hand ups. Making them accountable for more than just receiving a check or voucher will instill values in that person. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that we should help those that cannot help themselves. I believe that we shouldn’t just give help without checking to see how the recipients are doing with this help. While finding a clear cut way to track the applicants is a good way to start with this help. For instance, if the social worker sees a trend that a person turns up pregnant six months from the end of benefits multiple times may send up red flags that the system may be abused by that person. This is a way of tracking and putting them in a category as maybe this person is abusing the system. As a taxpayer, seeing these people going to work would be a great accomplishment. RN Eugenie Hildebrant, author of Impoverished Women with Children and no Welfare Benefits states,† It is important that public health researchers investigate the experiences of the families for whom Temporary Assistance for Needy Families has failed† (793). This comes from her opinion that the system isn’t giving the families the help they really need. Helping them with education and a way off the system will help them more than the handout they are receiving. Families that want to better themselves will try to get off the program. Being undereducated and entering an under skilled workforce may cause more harm than good to the family. Realizing their children will grow up poor or in poor health they have no choice but to get back on the system. The main issue on this is at least they tried to make a go of it before they had to come back onto the program. Offering job training may be a way to help families on the program. It would give them a sense of pride in themselves and not the feeling of relying on the system for a chance to help their family. The training will get them off the program in two years with job training and the much needed education to have a well paying job. As far as Douglas Wolf, a research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis states, â€Å"Underreporting or completely failing to report earnings to a welfare agency is a way of welfare fraud† (The Dynamics of Welfare Fraud) (438). For the government to realize that some participants will this, then the system should have the right to monitor them. Getting the applicants a job, the system will be able to monitor the pay for a year. This way if you continue to work plus receive assistance, the assistance can be cut if you are getting a steady paycheck. Once a steady paycheck is coming in, your assistance will be evaluated to determine if it will be terminated. If for some reason the job does not offer any type of medical assistance for you or your children, the system will continue to pay you the medical portion. If you stay at the job for two years in good standings and you receive a good income then you will be cut from the program. Once you have been released from the program if you lose your job due to anything beyond your control you may reapply for assistance until another job can be found for you. If you have lost the job and it was because you were not in good standings with the employer, then the system will make you reapply and the assistance you receive should be short term. They have already given you the skills needed to get a job so you shouldn’t be able to rely on the system again long term. Pushing them to find another job should be the systems main focus on getting them back into society and providing for their family. Some may say what happens at the end of two years? It is tempting to pretend that if we just invested adequate resources, two years of intensive education and job training could make every single mother education and job training could make every single mother economically self-sufficient. But while that will surely be true for some, it will never be true for all. Unless we want another round of welfare reform that fails, we need to be realistic about the options open to us. Contrary to what many politicians claim, the big obstacle to making single mothers economically self-sufficient is seldom the shortage of jobs. During recessions, of course, jobs are hard to find. When the economy is healthy, minimum-wage jobs are relatively easy to find. The problem is that a minimum-wage job will not make a single mother economically self-sufficient. There is endless controversy about how much money single mothers need to make ends meet. Absent fathers seem to imagine that these families can live on air. My proposal is the most likely effect of time limits is that they will reduce the receipt of welfare benefits among single parents. The loss of welfare income might improve outcomes for children and families by reducing the stigma of public assistance receipt. In a way, the U. S. welfare system actually makes poverty more attractive, perhaps even to those who would otherwise have been motivated to work and support themselves. Do not decrease their motivation to work rather, give them the opportunity to participate more productively in their society. The issue that comes with the WIC program and any other government program is why have it for people to abuse it? The program is in place to help those that need it the most. Unfortunately you have those that take advantage of the system as well as those who use the system to provide for their families. I have come to the realization that the programs should have limitations to it. As part of the working class, I feel that those on assistance should be given a time limit for being in the program. The system helps some, but those that take advantage should be punished.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Essay on Beauty and the BeastEssay Writing Service

Essay on Beauty and the BeastEssay Writing Service Essay on Beauty and the Beast Essay on Beauty and the BeastDishes shape the Eiffel Tower to symbolize the French background and to create the authentic French spirit. At the same time, dishes shaping the Eiffel Tower give multiple implications. France is traditionally associated not only with the Eiffel Tower but also with the French cuisine. In such a way, dishes are directly related to the French cuisine. At the same time, the candle is talking with the distinct French accent. In such a way, the episode gives clear implications to the French background and conveys the authentic French spirit. The Beauty is also closely intertwined with the French background of the episode because France, especially Paris was traditionally associated with beauty and fashion. This is why the close association with France naturally implies the beauty.In such a way, the short episode that lasts for only seven seconds uncovers multiple implications and symbols that make the episode stylistically and semantically rich. To put it more precisely, the episode conveys intensively the idea of the French background of the main character and its environment. At the same time, such symbolism is used on purpose to show that Beauty is in the place, where she deserves to be. She is like a princess living in a French castle, surrounded by French cuisine, furniture and atmosphere. Even her beauty has implications to France and French background. On the other hand, such correlation to France is made purposefully to elevate the main character, Beauty because such European, French background makes her different from the average person the audience expects to encounter in the course of the film.Thus, the episode helps to understand the specific French background and environment of the main character.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

What to Add to Christmas Tree Water

What to Add to Christmas Tree Water Youve done the difficult work of selecting a fresh Christmas tree and delivering it to your home. Now what? To keep your tree looking healthy through the holidays, youll need to make sure it gets plenty of water. As for treating that water, though, most experts say there is no reason to add anything- plain tap water will do. What the Experts Say While many additives are available for Christmas tree water, most experts- including the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA)- say there is no reason to use them. In the words of Dr. Gary Chastagner of Washington State University: Your best bet is just plain tap water added to the Christmas tree stand. It doesnt have to be distilled water or mineral water or anything like that. So the next time someone tells you to add ketchup or something more bizarre to your Christmas tree stand, dont believe it. Still, other scientists say there are additives that will increase both fire resistance and needle retention. One such additive- Plantabbs Prolong Tree Preservative- claims to increase water absorption and prevent drying. Another product- Miracle-Gro Christmas Tree Preserve- claims to deliver important nutrients and reduce bacterial growth. If youre worried about your tree being a fire risk, you may want to give one of these products a shot. Just remember that they are no substitute for adequate watering. Proper Watering The best way to keep your tree fresh is to make sure it gets plenty of moisture. This starts with using a tree stand with an adequate water capacity. The ideal stand is one that holds a quart of water for each inch of the stem diameter. That means that if your tree trunk has an eight-inch diameter, youll want a stand that holds at least two gallons of water. If the stand is too small, your tree will soak up the water more quickly than you can likely replenish it, leaving your tree dried out. Make sure, as well, to use a tree stand that is large enough to accommodate the trunk of your tree without having to trim down the sides. If your tree is more than a day old you may want to saw a one-inch cookie off the trees trunk bottom. Even a small sliver shaved off the trunk will help. This freshens the trunk and allows water to be quickly taken up to the needles for continued freshness. Make sure to cut in a straight line perpendicular to the trunk, as an uneven slice can make it more difficult for the tree to absorb water. Place your tree in a cool, dry place away from fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources. Too much heat will cause the tree to quickly lose moisture and dry out. Check the level of the water each day to make sure it stays above the base of the trunk. Make sure to check the needles as well. If they seem dry and brittle, the tree has dried out and may be a fire hazard, in which case it should be taken outside and thrown away.