Family Practices Essay Example for Free

Family Practices Essay Parents have the big responsibility of rearing their children in the best way they can. They have a lot of investment towards their children to bring them up in the most righteous way. Parents impart knowledge, values and even some of their known practices which they grew up with. There are so many common practices imparted to us by our parents. These practices revolve maybe on simple things such as eating together during dinner and saying a prayer before we sleep. Our family believes in the power of herbal medicine that would be able to heal our illnesses. Herbal medicines are kind of medicines that come from plants (Bupa’s Health Information Team, 2007). An herb is a plant that is commonly used because of its flavor, scent and medicinal properties. Many of these herbs are processed and are available in the market is various forms such as tablets, capsules, teas, etc. but there are still some herbal medicine that may cause threat is people’s health. Some may cause health problems and some may not interact well with other drugs (â€Å"Herbal Medicine†, 2009). The Western hemisphere has long abandoned the used of the herbal medicines due to the advancement of technology and healthcare that is able to provide a single medicine that will cure illnesses. Many people, professional and lay individuals, do not know that plants may be able to provide useful health benefits. The benefits of the plants are in the form of alternative and complementary medicines and many people consider it as irrelevant part of folk times (Ernst, 2000). This nontraditional health practice has been passed on my family through generations. Not only able to preserve our family solidarity but our health as well. References Bupa’s Health Information Team. (2007, August). Herbal Medicine. Bupa. Retrieved January 20, 2009 from http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/herbal_medicine.html. Ernst, E. (2000). Herbal Medicine: A Concise Overview for Professionals. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Herbal Medicine. (2009, January 13). Medline Plus. Retrieved January 20, 2009 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html.

Role of the Military in Post-colonial Politics

Role of the Military in Post-colonial Politics How do you explain the prominent role of the military in political life in the post-colonial Middle East? The role of the military in the political spectrum in the Middle East is becoming more significant by the day. Over the last few years, several Middle Eastern countries have experienced governmental changes during which the military played a part, most notably is Egypt. Yet this is not a modern trend; throughout the past century, the military has taken a high position in the society of various Middle Eastern countries, particularly since the fall of colonisation. (Cronin, 2013) Through this essay one will attempt to examine the reasons behind the power that the military has been given by investigating these countries throughout their colonisation as well as the immediate time following the fall of colonisation. It will also be important to determine the role that this has in modern day Middle Eastern politics by scrutinising how the military and politicians interact with each other. Through these topics, one will be able to explain why the military plays such a prominent role in the post-colonial Middle East. When examining the Middle East, it is imperative that we study the role of democracy in states in which the military plays a prominent part. The majority of Middle Eastern countries are Islamic. (Khadduri, 1953) The role Islam plays in how society operates in these countries is impossible to ignore and it in turns influences the regions politics. Everything in an Islamic democracy comes under the influence and jurisdiction of God. (Khadduri, 1953) This is far from democratic yet the people who live in these regions accept the system because of their moral convictions. By accepting and living with the system they are living with God and accepting his rules as laid out through the Islamic penal codes. The Middle East experienced many problems in the early 20th century following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the colonisation of many states in the region by European powers. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, countries in the region carried over some characteristics to their new successor states, particularly praetorianism and patrimonialism. (Cronin, 2013) The colonising states were therefore forced to introduce reforms to stem the excessive power from previous regimes. These reforms were introduced to correct the abuses, forcing the army to establish a European model. (Cronin, 2013) The Army officials were now absorbed into European ideals of nationalism, constitutionalism and socialism, allowing them to become the most radicalised group in society. (Khadduri, 1953) The military officers for the most part operate upon their own morals, and if the politicians fail, the military will overthrow them; effectively giving all the power to the military. (Khadduri, 1953 ) Economically, countries like Egypt suffered under colonisation and this led to an increase in Military power in the region. The thriving Egyptian textile industry was abandoned and the raw materials were shipped to the United Kingdom where they were fashioned into finished products and then exported back to the Middle Eastern Market for resale. (Khadduri, 1953) This created a need for employment, which led to increased members of the lower classes joining the military (removing people from the prospect of productive labour). Politically, colonisation played a fundamental part in the make-up of the modern day Middle East. The creation of Jordan as an independent state in 1946 stemmed from the Palestinian War. (Sela, 1992) The British were forced into the creation of state in which the boundaries were drawn on a map in London. This created a state that had opposing social groups and ideologies and no majority assembly creating political tension. (Sela, 1992) Similar actions occurred throughout the Middle East, as European powers attempted to redraw state lines and move different social and religious groups into new countries in an attempt to cut out future rebellions. (Sela, 1992) These newly founded societies relied heavily on the role of the military in an effort to maintain the peace as different political leaders came and went. Following the collapse of the British Empire and the independence gained by former French colonies, the Middle East became a deeply unstable region. (Khadduri, 1953) As many countries throughout the world were experimenting and introducing new political ideas and platforms, the Middle East was being restricted by its religious ideology. (Khadduri, 1953) The failure to gain a platform that appealed to the masses during this time as well as the vulnerability and highly conservative nature of the Middle Eastern regimes made the army the main power in these Islamic states. (Khadduri, 1953)This power derived from a failure on the part of the politicians, who never addressed the problems that derived from a society whom did not accept a democracy. (Cronin, 2013) The control of government by the military was therefore indicative both of serious defeats in the democratic processes in the Middle East and the eagerness with which the Middle Eastern political leaders sought to pursue a high pol itical life. Our assessment of the role the military has in Middle East politics is largely formed around the history of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in the region. (Rubin, 2001) Throughout these decades military coups were frequent in the Arab world. The armed forces during this time were highly politicised, and the publically elected rulers generally failed to control them. Also during this period, the military was seen as the most effective national institutions and in some cases, the only effective one. (Rubin, 2001) Military officers during this period believed that politics was too important to be just left to the politicians, whom they alleged were incompetent and corrupt individuals. (Rubin, 1987) The 1948 Palestinian defeat along with the failure to gain Arab unity was perceived by military officers as subservience to Western states. (Sela, 1992) The failure by the politicians to modernise and develop the economies in the region was also among the criticisms that motivated officers to seek power. The military coups could also be interpreted due to the various ethnic, religious, social-class, and regional groups that were represented in the military at the time, those who were in fact, largely excused from the political and social elites. (Rubin, 1987) These coups were therefore social revolutions which occurred with the assistance of the military. The current era of Middle Eastern politics was shaped by these military regimes and the elected rulers who learned how to stem the threat. These officials who survived the age of military coups were determined to prevent military officers from staging any fresh coups and had substantial success in preventing their armies from intervening in politics. (Rubin, 2001)The rulers also were able to build a loyal military that could successfully maintain internal order. (De Atkine, 2000) However the price of this loyalty damaged their ability to function as actual armed forces during wars, as their much of their training was gained whilst stemming revolts. (De Atkine, 2000) The failure to gain a political platform that was accepted by the majority of society forced Middle Eastern countries to resort to the conservative authority seen in the region before colonisation. This conventional power derives from a monarch through the clergy and the army; the two most influential fields in a modern Middle Eastern state. (Rubin, 1987) Following the inception of independence in the region, the government sought to secure the future of the state through these two fields. Islam would become the focal point of law in the region while a large army would consolidate independence. (Khadduri, 1953) The army became synonymous with providing its members with a good education; these educated officials became the most trusted members of society and were publically backed to work within the public service. (Khadduri, 1953) Subsequently it was assumed that the military would be able to enforce a united society amongst the various communities within the Middle Eastern States. (Kleber Naumann, 2013) The military would become the catalyst in modernising the society. The military officers inadvertently became expected to set up; state-controlled economies, introduce a just distribution of wealth, and encourage a new national responsibility based on egalitarianism and political participation. (Kleber Naumann, 2013) However, it should be noted that the military’s loyalty lies with the regime rather than the consensus of the general population, the democratic system in place, or the state as a concept. There are exceptions however such as Turkey (where the armies are the guardians of the republic) and of course Israel. The program of most Arab governments over the last few decades has been to cut this power that the military has. In some Middle Eastern countries however, the military is at the centre of the social order and the governmental ideology; for example, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps main aim is to support radical Islamic rule and this is mainly due to Islamic tradition. (Bazargan, 1997) In the 1950s, the radical military officers who sought to gain power always had their views tied to secularist beliefs. Moreover, the armed forces had more influence from foreign ideas and personnel than any other institution in Middle Eastern society. (Bazargan, 1997) Perhaps the loyalty of the military is merely down to a pragmatic and patriotic attitude which discouraged traditional the Islamic devotion. Even Israel’s army was traditionally dominated by secularists. Judaism may now more than ever be becoming an important factor in the Israeli Army but they are still quite low in the higher ranking positions. (Cohen, 1997) Also the Turkish army is explicitly secular, believing it to be one of the Turkish republic’s most important values. (Ozcan, 2001) Israel and Turkey however are relatively unique, in that they ‘explicitly stress the military’s role in national integration: bringing people from different areas, backgrounds, and social levels together to forge them into a single nation.’ (Ozcan, 2001) These two countries have a very broad draft policy in their conscription and put a relatively large proportion of their citizens through some experience of military service. (Rubin, 2001) The armed forces can also play an important socio-economic role. They can absorb any excess labour, which might otherwise result in unemployment and therefore be politically disruptive; Egypt’s previous regime was a good example of this. As noted above, though, as economies develop the armed forces can be a drain on the workforce, removing people from potentially productive employment. (Kleber Naumann, 2013) The armed forces can also be used for development projects, and Egypt also furnishes a good example in this respect. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) The increased numbers has not improved the power the military has however. As governments in the Middle East have been deemed by Political Scientists to have successfully stemmed the power of the Military by forcing their political exclusion. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) Political scientists believe that the role of the armed forces in the region has been decreasing significantly in the last 30 years. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) This could be mainly due to the attempts by these countries to build and have access to weapons of mass destruction. At first glance, it would seem that the access to these weapons would only enhance the strength of the regions military. However, it should be noted that these governments control these weapons very closely and only allow certain military personal know about them. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) This would seem that the governments want to place more importance on these weapons than their own regular armed forces. In part, these countries attaining these weapons are attempts to deter the perceived deadlock between them and the military, and shifting the balance of power to their side. Clearly, these weapons of mass destruction add a new dimension to the doctrine and strategy of Middle East armed forces, as decisions can be directly enforced by those who give the order, the government. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) These weapons have already been used in the Iran-Iraq war–with both sides firing missiles at the others’ cities and using, especially in Iraq’s case, chemical weapons with great effectiveness in battlefield situations. (Bazargan, 1997) This has significantly lowered the power that the regular armed forces have, as the regular citizen may no longer see them as the guardians of the Arab state and instead shift the allegiance they had to these weapons. Israel has had nuclear capability for a long time however these weapons have had very little impact on its policy making o r military structure. It should be emphasized, that even the presence of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle Eastern region does not render the existing regular armies irrelevant. On the contrary, if such armaments break the existing deterrence deadlock they could make the armed forces a more important tool for power projection for the governments. (Rubin Kearney, 2001) This in turn will shift the power the government believed it has gained right back to the military. In recent years, the attempt to consolidate power by the governments in place has failed. The recent uprisings in the Middle East region have brought two major patterns to the attention of the public and Political scientists. Firstly, the politicization and mobilization of larger parts of the civilian population has called into question the belief that the Islamic/Arab societies are unable to engage in collective action as they are beset with political apathy. (Albrecht, 2012) A perspective on the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen with minor revolts in Jordan, Oman, and Morocco would have to make political scientists rethink that these societies are unable to mobilise. (Albrecht, 2012) Secondly, due to the increased importance put on military exclusion from Politics by the governments many Political Scientists came to believe that the armed forces had come to accept their role as protectors of the internal peace. (Albrecht, 2012) Yet this is not the case as it is evident that the military has played a part in the course of the recent uprisings. Therefore it is clear that the political engagement of the military in the region is at a much higher degree than first estimated, based on the research in the last thirty years. Throughout the last thirty years, attempts have been made to combat the power the military had in the Middle East by their respective governments. During the previous decades the rulers in place feared the possibility of a military coup at any time and in turn this led to any military officer believe they could rise up and gain power. Attempts have been made to deter the military from political interaction yet this seems to be a failed attempt as the armed forces play such a vital role in maintaining order in a very conservative region. It is hard to see this power ever fading either; as the people in the region place a high emphasis on the role of the military and will side with them over the democratic process. It is clear that colonisation played a large part in the public support for the military as throughout their colonisation and in the immediate period after the people regarded the armed forces as the keepers of peace and the guardians of independence. And with the Middle Eas t being as unstable as ever, it is difficult to see the heroic standing the military has in society fading any time soon. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Bibliography Albrecht, H., 2012. Military Engagement in Mobilizing Societies in the Middle East. [Online] Available at: http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/RobertSchumanCentre/Research/InternationalTransnationalRelations/MediterraneanProgramme/MRM/MRM2013/ws02.aspx [Accessed 22 MArch 2014]. Bazargan, D., 1997. Iran: Politics, The Military and Gulf Security. MERIA, 1(3). Cohen, S., 1997. Portrait of the New Israeli Soldier. MERIA, 1(4). Cronin, S., 2013. Armies and State Building in the Modern Middle East: Politics, Nationalism and Military Reform. Oxford: I.B.Tauris Co Ltd. De Atkine, N., 2000. Why Arabs Lose Wars. MERIA, 4(1). Khadduri, M., 1953. The Role of the Military in Middle East Politics. The American Political Science Review, 47(2), pp. 511-524. Kleber, V. Naumann, N., 2013. Power struggles define the Middle East in 2013. DW, 28 December. Ozcan, G., 2001. The Turkish Foreign Policymaking Process and the Influence of the Military. In: B. Rubin K. Kirisci, eds. Turkey in World Politics: An Emerging Multi-Regional Power. London: Boulder Co. Rubin, B., 1987. Modern Dictators: Third World Coupmakers, Strongmen, and Populist Tyrants. New York: s.n. Rubin, B., 2001. The Military in Contemporary Middle East Politics. [Online] Available at: http://www.gloria-center.org/2001/03/rubin-2001-03-04/ [Accessed 21 March 2014]. Rubin, B. Kearney, T., 2001. Armed Forces in the Middle East. London: s.n. Sela, A., 1992. Transjordan, Israel and the 1948 War: Myth, Historiography and Reality. Middle Eastern Studies, 28(4), pp. 623-688. 12449538Page 1

Culture and Race Essay -- Anthropology Sociology Essays

Culture and Race Anthropologists have always had their discrepancies with the word culture and its background significance. There have been numerous definitions that have filtered through the field, yet not one that everyone can accept or agree with. Franz Boas, an anthropologist in the early 20th Century, and his students, had a difficult time figuring out the objective of what culture is. Culture is about learning and shared ideas about behaviour. Although Boas and his students had a slightly different idea in mind. They ultimately reached a conclusion, a definition of culture in their view that is a contradiction in terms. Boas sates that, â€Å" culture was expressed through the medium of language but was not reducible to it; more importantly, it was not race. Culture became everything race was not, and race was seen to be what culture was not; given, unchangeable biology,† (Visweswaran, p. 72). Not only focusing on culture, but anthropology has a substantial connection as well. Anthropology is the field in which the study of cultural and biological variations among human groups is studied. The difficulty that some people have with characterizing culture is that they associate it with race, whereas that is not the case. The two are remarkably distinct. Race is something biological, a genetic trait that is innate, while culture is something that is educated and experienced. Kamala Visweswaran and Lila Abu-Lughod are two well distinguished anthropologists that are currently teaching at Universities in the United States. In their own articles, they speak about culture through an anthropologists view and detail their own opinions within. They may have some different opinions but each has their own strong arguments that prove their points. Lila Abu-Lughod’s article â€Å"Writing Against Culture,† was written in 1991, and was published inside the book, Recapturing Anthropology. Within the article, she discusses culture and many problems with it. The title of her article speaks for itself, writing against culture. There are many issues that she brings up about culture, and various influential strategies for shifting over from the culture concept. She reflects on culture and its need to be redefined. In her discussion of culture and difference she opens with, â€Å" most American anthropologists believe or act as if †culture,† notoriously r... ...s. With this new connection to anthropology, the American Anthropological Association, â€Å" passed a resolution denouncing Nazi racism: â€Å" Anthropology provides no scientific basis for discrimination against any people on the ground of racial inferiority, religious affiliation or linguistic heritage, â€Å" (Visweswaran, p. 71). â€Å"The solution is not to replace culture with race but to keep the two terms in contructivist tension with one another,† (Visweswaran, p. 79). Anthropology cannot strive without culture, yet there must be a distinction with race. Culture is something that society is taught and learned, while race is something biological, and something to be proud of. Boas and his ideas were not yet educated as to what culture means. He was overlooking and only saw his own perspective. Culture creates this diverse world and in turn race creates life with culture. Works Cited: Abu-Lughod, Lila. (1991) Writing Against Culture. Recapturing Anthropology. Richard Fox, ed. P, 137-162. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press. Visweswaran, Kamala. (March, 1998) Race and the Culture of Anthropology. American Anthropologist. p. 70-83. American Anthropological

George Washington Carver :: essays research papers

George Washington Carver   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Washington Carver was born a slave in Diamond Grove, Missouri. As a small child Carver was rescued from a band of Confederate kidnappers. From early on Carver was determined to get himself an education. Carver began his schooling in Newton Country, and while attending school he also worked very hard as a farm hand. While working and studying Carver lived in a one-room schoolhouse, and as time went on he excelled as sought out for higher education. Because of his race Carver was denied on attending Highland University. In 1887 Carver got excepted to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carver made many outstanding contributions to the agricultural world and also on America it’s self. Carver changed the face of Agriculture in the south with his crop rotation methods. Carver discovered through research and trail and error ways to help soil stay fertile. Through this discovery the nutrients would stay in the ground, and crops could be planted on the same soil year after year. Carver discovered that planting peanut one year then the next planting cotton would keep the soil fertial for the following year. The peanuts contained nitrate-producing legumes, and the cotton took all the nutrients from the soil, so the soil was fresh each planting season. The farmer took his peanuts and used them as a source of food for their livestock. Carver did not over look the peanuts as just food for animals, and found over 325 ways to use the peanuts for other reasons than food. He used peanuts to make peanut butter, cooking oil, printer ink, and many more use ful applications for the peanut. Carver being the introvator that he was also found many ways for the pecan and sweet potato to help the soil. Carver developed many synthetic products that could be used by all people and not too hard to make. Carver developed adhesives, bleach, cheese, instant coffee, syntheic rubber, and Worcestershire souce just to name a few.

After the Bomb by Gloria Miklowitz :: After the Bomb by Gloria Miklowitz

After the Bomb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     After the Bomb written by Gloria Miklowitz is a thrilling novel that takes place before, during, and after a bomb which supposedly was sent from Russia by accident. L.A. and surrounding cities are all altered by the disastrous happening. Philip Singer a teenager is in a position as leader of the family. His brother Matt is awfully sick, possibly from radiation, his father was away at work during the blast and for all Philip knows he might be dead, and his mother was desperately injured and needs immediate attention. Hospitals are flooded with injured and dying people and the government doesn't send help for a few days. The badly injured don't even get the chance to be helped because the hospitals have to send the ones that are likely going to live to hospitals that specialize in burns. His mother is so badly burned that the hospitals put her on the bottom of the list to be flown to burn centers. By the end of the novel Philip has taken charge, snuck his mom ahead to be flown to a burn center, and in a sense saved his town from thirst. He truly survived the terror, shock, and danger of the bomb. The novel goes through a couple of settings such as, Philip's struggle to keep his family alive, and the conflict between the nature of a nuclear bomb against the Los Angeles area. When the bomb hits he is playing around in a playroom shelter with his brother and his girlfriend. They go out to find out what had happened and found burning houses, their house only left with one wall, rubble on the ground, debris all over the place, and people running frantically for shelter. Philip's brother became sick after finding his mother and bringing her back down to the shelter, and found that his mother had been burnt severely and needed immediate medical attention. Philip struggles to keep his brother from getting even more sick than he was and to bring his mother to a hospital. Philip's family weren't the only people affected by the bomb. the entire surrounding area of Los Angeles was pounded by a devastating bomb. Churches, Hospitals, and streets were flooded with sick, dying, and even dead people. Hospitals that were built to only withstand 200 people now have thousands, and hospitals lack food, doctors, and water.

Economics Questions Essay

1. Housing Prices 1.1 Fundamental and Non-fundamental Factors Pricing of a product depends on many factors such as demands for the product and how excessive the product exists in the market (supply). Housing price is influenced by `fundamental` and `non-fundamental` factors. The fundamental factor inn housing price is about supply and demand (Himmelberg, Christopher, and Sinai, 2005). 1.2 Market Bubbles and Fundamental Factors The question is whether market bubbles emerge from fundamental factors or what evidence that leads to a bubble in house prices. The fundamental factor inn housing price is about supply and demand (Himmelberg, Christopher, and Sinai, 2005). However, people know the theory of supply and demand are only the first steps towards understanding how setting up the market prices of a product. Furthermore, the theory also helps people to understand the way in which these prices help shape production and consumption decisions. It means that the law of supply and demand will explain any situation that might exist if the market price is too high and vice versa. At any given moment, where the market price is too high, we might expect that consumers will leave sellers since they are already have other options having the same characteristics, size, and the tastes with lower price. The supply-and-demand theory revolves around the proposition that a free, competitive market does in fact successfully generate a powerful tendency toward the market-clearing price. Without any conscious managing control, a market spontaneously generates a tendency toward the dovetailing of independently made decisions of buyers and sellers to ensure that each of their decisions fits with the decisions made by the other market participants. Were this tendency to be carried to the limit, no buyer (seller) would be misled that it wastes time attempting to buy (sell) at a price below (above) the market-clearing price (Kirzner, 2004) Since housing market attracts many investors to put their money for hope that it will raise significantly over times, the housing prices may reach a bubble period. The raise in house prices is influenced by fundamental factors, the supply and demand. This makes sense since the demand for having houses may be exploded when the bubble exist. By definition, bubble situation occurs when housing price is high because buyers/investors predict that the selling price of houses will rise dramatically in the future (Himmelberg, Christopher, and Sinai, 2005). 1.3 Current Housing Prices and the Bubble The housing prices continue to rising today. There are many underlying factor behind the uplifting housing prices. According to McCarthy and Peach (2004), one of the cause behind the rising housing price is because the existence of a speculative bubble in this asset market. This condition present potential threats as the asset market could experience a collapse that further harm the U.S. economy. Another reason of the uplifting housing prices is that the some home buyers Have the willingness and intention to buy the rising housing prices for hope that the houses will rise significantly in the future (McCarthy and Peach (2004). 2. Urban Land Theory Given the case that the town of Valley stream, Long Island is 20 miles by car from midtown Manhattan and in 2000, the median home value was $199,800. The town of Dix Hills, Long Island is 36 miles from Midtown Manhattan and the median home value in 2000 was $386,100. Explain why these facts do or do not disprove the standard `urban land theory` as formulated by economists such as Kain and Alonso. The case does not comply with the urban land theory since the price of housing does not merely relate to distance from a city center or any places of interests. Many factors or preferences have great impacts towards customers’ decision on buying housing that further influences the price as following: a) A Change in Buyers’ Incomes and Wealth According to Howard Community College, â€Å"the demand for most products will go up of buyers’ real incomes or real wealth, i.e., their purchasing power rises.† In the case of housing, if a buyers of the housing manage to earn $25,000 next year instead of $10,000 this year (and assuming there is no increase in the price level), it means that the costumer’s real income increases. This situation will affect the customer’s spending such as their preferences to buy houses that are more expensive. b) Buyers’ Tastes and Preferences Another factor that influences the demand for a product is buyers’ tastes and preferences. In case of housing, the existence of emotional benefits such as good neighborhood or areas where there are celebrities will raise the price of housing in the areas. In addition, the availability of transportation to distance location may increase the housing prices. Another theory says that fundamental factors, the supply and demand, may have influence towards the pricing of cities. Third, changes in underlying fundamentals can affect cities where in locations where housing supply is inelastic, prices tend to be higher relative to rents (McCarthy and Peach, 2004) c) The Prices of Related Products or Services In the housing case of Valley stream, Long Island and Dix Hills, Long Island, the difference of pricing may happen if in the areas there are many housing or other substitutes like apartment, condominiums, and townhouses. Therefore, it does not matter a housing is located hundreds miles away from the downtown, as long as there are value added that customers will obtain when purchasing the houses in the are, the price could be much higher than that near to a city center. The situation explains why Valley stream, Long Island that is 20 miles by car from midtown Manhattan and in 2000, the median home value was $199,800 is priced lower than town of Dix Hills, Long Island is 36 miles from Midtown Manhattan and the median home value in 2000 was $386,100. d) Buyers’ Expectation of the Product’s Future Price This factor will play a role when, for instance, Dix Hills, Long Island announces that the price of their houses will increase next month or year since there will be a shopping centers of any place of interests that located near to the housing. This situation will drive consumers to buy the houses in Dix Hills, Long Island quicker. Therefore, this kind of determinants will increase current demand for the housing in Dix Hills, Long Island and shift the demand curve to the right. 3. Feds and booms and busts in the housing market In the New York Times column of May 27, 2005 economist Paul Krugman wrote: After all, the Feds ability to manage the economy managing comes from its ability to create booms and busts in the housing market In 2004, inflation had picked up and had raised questions in the minds of some people about whether it might be on a rising trend that poses a risk to price stability. Total consumer price inflation as measured by the chain price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE) has risen from 1.4 percent over the twelve months of last year to an annual rate of 3.0 percent over the first four months of 2004. Donald L. Kohn, a Governor of the Federal Reserve, says that price stability is Fed’s responsibility since it allow businesses and households to plan and operate without worrying about increases in the general price level over the long run is how we contribute best to fostering economic efficiency and rising standards of living (â€Å"Remarks†). Inflation has closed relationship with interest rates. In the situation where retail prices experience a significant increase, people might expect that interest rate will rise as well. The reason is that government try to control the amount of money exist in the market. According BBC News (2005), the increase of oil price and Katrina storm have caused investors in Wall Street to think of Federal Reserve that will likely to push up interest rates rapidly to control inflation. In the United States, the Treasury yield curve is the first indicator of all domestic interest rates and it influence global rates setting. Therefore, in the U.S., interest rates on all other domestic bond categories rise and fall with Treasuries yield. Below is the figure explaining the impact of inflation and interest rates on the Yield.

First World War Poems Essay

In this essay I am comparing and discussing three poems from the Great War, each by a different author. These poems are ‘In Memoriam’ by F. A. Mackintosh, ‘Death Bed’ by Siegfried Sassoon and ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ by Wilfred Owen. First I shall discuss ‘In Memoriam’ by F. A. Mackintosh. The title starts by telling you that the memory of someone who has died is probably involved as the word memoriam is usually used in epitaphs. This can be linked to a memorial which is a monument in memoriam of a lot of people which shows that this not about one person. The first stanza starts by saying ‘So you were David’s father,’, and from this you know this is someone who is talking to the father of someone he knew. Also the use of the word ‘were’ in the past tense means that David is no longer his son and, at a guess, I’d say David was dead. The next line says ‘And he was your only son,’ notice the use of the past tense again in the form of the word of, as this says that he no longer has a son. Also it says his ‘only son’, which implies a tighter bond between the father and son than there would be in a family with two or sons in it and/or daughters, which means that the grief may be amplified. The next three lines say: ‘And the new-cut peats are rotting, And the work is left undone, Because of an old man weeping,’ These lines show that the grief did affect him deeply as he is not earning a living or even keeping warm by keeping the fire going. He is to busy weeping to do anything apart from grieve. This is shown to be the fact by the next three lines: ‘Just an old man in pain, For David, his son David, That will not come again.’ This proves that his son ‘David’ is dead and the father will never see him again. In this stanza it seems the theme has already been set, the feeling of death, grief and sadness are that theme. The next stanza talks about the letters that David wrote to his father and how there was never a mention of the war, just about what his father should be doing on the farm. The stanza last two lines are: ‘And the Boches have got his body, And I was his officer.’ Boche is a degrading slang word used by the British to mean Germen people during the war. This sort of thing happens whenever a society feels the need to belittle its enemies. This stanza virtually says David is dead, but it also tells us the person writing the poem is David’s officer. This means that the officer would feel more upset at David’s death than would someone who knew him as a casual friend as he is with his men twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. The next stanza says: ‘You were only David’s father, But I had fifty sons When we went up in the evening Under the arch of the guns, And we came back at twilight- O God! I heard them call To me for help and pity That I could not help at all.’ In this stanza the officer is comparing himself to David’s father, saying that the former was not only David’s father, but also a father to all fifty of his men. He says how he had to go over no mans land under the arch of the guns. And on their way back he had heard their screams and although he was like a father to them all he had to turn away from their screams as he could not help them. Then for the next two stanzas’ he is not talking to the fathers of his dead men but to the dead men themselves in the last two stanzas’. In the next stanza he starts by saying how he’ll never forget his men, perhaps a link to he title, which trusted him. He also says they were: ‘More my sons than you father’s, For they could only see The little helpless babies And the young men in their pride They could not see you dying, And hold you while you died’ In this section he is not comparing himself the fathers of his men but that he is the father of his men. He says he is because he has seen them in their entirety, not when they were children but when they were weak and dying. The last stanza says: ‘Happy and young and gallant, They saw their first-born go, But not the strong limbs broken And the beautiful men brought low, The piteous writhing bodies, They screamed ‘Don’t leave me, sir’, For they were only your fathers But I was your officer.’ In this last stanza he is again referring to the fact that is men’s fathers only see their sons in their prime and that he, their officer, saw them and held them in their last weak moments. He also no longer compares himself to their fathers but says ‘For they were only you fathers, But I was you officer’, therefore he implies it takes more to be their officer than to be their father. Now I shall discuss ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ by Wilfred Owen. The title is the beginning of a Latin phrase which is ‘Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ which means ‘It is a sweet and fitting thing to die for ones country’. This is sort of misleading as this gives the feeling, provided one knows what the complete phrase is and means, of someone who thought that the war was a glorious one. This is not actually so as he turns that phrase around by saying it is a lie and says: ‘My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie : Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.’ The first stanza describes the soldiers’ actions and their condition. To do this he uses similes and metaphors. For example, ‘Drunk with fatigue’ and ‘Bent double, like beggars under sacks’. The first is a metaphor and the second is a slimily. The stanza is basically a description and when the stanza is read it goes along in a slow steady rhythm so that when you read the last two lines of the stanza: ‘Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.’ you don’t realize that something serious has just happened. Then the first part of the first line of the 2nd stanza goes to speech and the urgency picks up, (probably because the rhythm of the poem speeds up), and then you realize the importance of the previous two lines. He then describes an ‘ecstasy of fumbling’ as the soldiers fitted their gas helmets just in time. And then he starts the main point of the poem, the man who ‘plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.’ From this point, the man who was killed by the gas attack, Owen moves to his ‘moral’ of the story, the old lie, and displays his anti-war feelings to the full. Now I will move on to ‘The Death Bed’ by Siegfried Sassoon. In the first stanza you see , already, the evidence of the fact that Sassoon uses metaphors and similes a lot in this poem. There are five metaphors and two similes alone in the first stanza and those are entwined as it is. This makes for interesting pictures upon the canvas that is your imagination when you read this poem. In this fist stanza you know someone is dying from the lines: ‘Silence and safety; and his mortal shore Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.’ Also you can see from these lines, the beginning of Sassoon’s theme of water. When the next stanza begins you get the feeling of a time lapse as someone is suddenly holding water to his mouth. The stanza then says he can feel his wound throbbing and then the water theme takes over, ‘Water-calm, sliding green above the weir. Water- a sky-lit alley for his boat.’ and then he sleeps. In the next stanza more time has past and wind is in the ward, blowing at the curtain. Then he says that he can only see blots of colour in his ‘drowning eyes’. More time passes and he hears rain and music. The last line of this says ‘Gently and slowly washing life away’ which can be linked with the last line of the 1st stanza. Then it says that his pain leapt like a beast and when he woke he shuddered because the evil thing had passed. In the penultimate stanza it suddenly changes to speech and the person speaking tells everyone to ‘light many candles’ and ‘you may save him yet’. In the last line of this stanza his anti war feeling are shown quite plainly: ‘how should he die when cruel old campaigners win safe through’. In the last stanza the personification of death in the form of a direct sentence that you could not argue with is shown. ‘But Death replied ‘I choose him’. So he went’ On the last line Sassoon reminds us the war was still going on by saying ‘Then, far away, the thudding of the guns.’ Now I come to the comparison of the three poems. One of the most obvious comparisons is the fact that in both F. A. mackintosh and Owen’s poems they both use realistic views whereas Sassoon uses more abstract thoughts and he also uses far far more metaphors in his, and he even uses the personification of death. Even though both Owen and F. A. Mackintosh use realistic style Owen uses more graphic details whereas F. A. Mackintosh uses the thoughts of a man for his soldiers. One difference between all the three poems is the prominent emotion in each. Owen’s is full of hate for the war, F. A. Mackintosh’s is full of grief for the loss of his men and in Sassoon’s there is no way I can really pin a main feeling on it except the feeling of waste that the war produced which is apparent in each. Although I say this about Sassoon’s poem the feeling of hate is made available for seeing in the lines ‘He’s young; he hated War; how should he die when cruel old campaigners win safe through? ‘, and in this you also see the grief and loss for this man as he was young. They also all have main themes. In Owen’s there is the theme of death and pain as there is in Sassoon’s although both are different in that Owens is more graphic in this respect. As for F. A. Mackintosh the theme is one of comparison between the officer and the fathers of his men, so much so in fact that the poem is almost a simile in itself. In conclusion I would say that each of the poems contains the feeling of terrible loss of life in the war and that fundamental feeling links all of the three poems. This means that for all the differences in style all the writers are trying to get the same message across. All three poets I would say were anti-war, although in F. A. Mackintosh’s poem he does not directly show as the other two authors do.