Should Ministers or Senior Bureaucrats Be Held Accountable for the Department?

Collective and Individual Ministerial Responsibility: Should Ministers or Senior Bureaucrats be Held Accountable for the Department? For years, Canadians have stood by and watched as officials of the Canadian government have been questioned, accused and held up for public scrutiny on issues of misappropriation of funds, personal and public scandals, and inappropriate departmental spending of taxpayers’ dollars. In the public eye, Ministers abused their public authority and were inadequately serving the public.Lack of confidence was evident when election time arrived and voter turnout was dismal at best. In 2008, the lowest voter turnout on record was at 58. 8% and most recently, voter turnout has been 61. 4%, the third lowest in Canadian history. Public perception of government, from Prime Minister down to department clerk, has held a lack of confidence. There was a need for enforceable measures to be put in place to make certain responsibility, answerability and accountabilit y were at the forefront of government ministries.Stephen Harper ran his 2006 â€Å"Stand up Canada† campaign stressing accountability in government. â€Å"For those Canadians seeking accountability the question is clear: which party can deliver the change of government that’s needed to ensure political accountability in Ottawa? We need a change of government to replace old style politics with a new vision. We need to replace a culture of entitlement and corruption with a culture of accountability. We need to replace benefits for a privileged few with government for all. † The mantra paid off and the disheveled Liberal party was ousted from power.Prime Minister Harper promised the Canadian people corruption would end and backroom deals would be history. The first bill tabled by the newly-elected Conservative government, Bill C-2, was the Federal Accountability Act, introduced by President of Treasury Board, John Baird, and was passed by the House of Commons on Ju ne 22, 2006, by the Senate on November 9, 2006, and granted royal assent on December 12, 2006. The Act and Action Plan provided conflict of interest rules, restrictions on election financing and measures respecting administrative transparency, oversight and accountability.Based on Britain’s Westminster model for responsible government, Canada’s Parliament has a responsibility to hold the government to account, as well as all Ministers, collectively and individually. While senior bureaucrats in public service are not directly accountable to Legislature, they are directly accountable to superiors of their department, internal government authorities, and the courts. Accountability should be the responsibility of those who have the greatest opportunity to control departmental situations.Therefore, it is not reasonable to blame Ministers for the actions of their Department, as it is the Deputy Ministers and Senior Bureaucrats who run the day to day operations of Ministerial departments and influence not only the development of policy, but the implementation of policy. At the root of Canada’s parliamentary structure is the British model for a responsible government known as the Westminster model, whereby a Cabinet Minister bears the ultimate responsibility for actions of his Ministry or department.Before a law can be passed, the symbolic monarch, in Canada’s case the Queen, a lower house of members elected by citizens and the upper house of appointed members, must approve legislation. The principle of a collective agreement remains, regardless of how legislation procedures may vary. This doctrine is the principle for a responsible government and accountability is essential to guarantee that an elected official is answerable for actions made. There is no common model for accountability however the Westminster system relies on Ministers being accountable in the House of Commons and to the electorate.The functioning of government management depends on the democratic principle of accountability for all elected officials. Ministers are career politicians and hold the majority of power and authority within the democratic government, after the Prime Minister. At the top of the hierarchy, in the Westminster model, is the Minister, followed by the Deputy Minister, departmental management and then front line public servants. Accountability flows upward and the degree of responsibility depends on how much authority has been delegated to a particular individual within the organization.Accountability enforces and enhances responsibility. Being able to understand each official’s responsibilities, one must recognize there are different components to consider. There are two different types of Ministerial responsibility, collective and individual. These two terms are â€Å"separate but interrelated unwritten rules of behaviour in the operation of parliamentary government. † Collective Ministerial responsibility is a co nstitution convention that dictates the prime Minister and the Cabinet must publicly support all government decisions, or suppress any criticism.In any case a Minister cannot hold true to this, they must object and ask the governor general for the act of ending parliament, if the House of Commons passes a vote of non-confidence. If they are not willing to endure this process, they must announce their resignation. On the other hand, individual responsibility refers to a Minister who holds a Cabinet office, which has the obligation to take responsibility of the policies they introduced. The responsibility still has to be accepted by the Minister â€Å"even if the minster did not approve an action in advance or had no knowledge of it. In a â€Å"nutshell† it means, â€Å"the minster is responsible for everything done in the department. † Major components of individual responsibility consist that Ministers will be held accountable or even forced to resign if any serious a dministrative errors occur within their department. Another traditional component is that the Minister must summarize and be willing to support the actions, to the presence of parliament, which his or her department is pursuing. Governments tend to be left with the messy, complex, and difficult jobs – and the messy, complex, and difficult results are harder to define and measure. † It is hard to pinpoint responsibility in the government, whether it be collectively or individually, because there will always be criticism and complexities arising within parliament due to the difficulty in these jobs. Black and white answers are non-existent when it comes to implementation of policies and procedures on how to run the government and attend to the public.The reasoning behind it is due to the fact that one cannot judge or assess the exact results that will affect both the short and long term outcomes. The path for finding the individual(s) who must be held accountable for said actions may be described as being intricate, because of the difficulty of first finding who is responsible. When looking at the hierarchy within the government, you realize senior bureaucrats have more authority than you are lead to believe.Stephen Harper has tried to pursue to answer these black and white answers by taking the steps to distinguish and strengthen responsibility. Some of Stephen Harper’s initiatives in â€Å"Stand up for Accountability† were strengthen auditing and accountability within departments. The sponsorship scandal first came to light in an internal audit – an audit that the Liberals initially tried to cover up. Under the Liberals, the lines between Ministers and non-partisan civil servants have been blurred, and clear lines of accountability need to be re-established.The Conservative government will give the Comptroller general overall authority for internal audit function in each government department, designate the Deputy Minister of each government department or agency as the Accounting Officer for that department, which that Deputy will be responsible to Parliament for the departmental spending and administrative practices of his or her department. Also, in the event of a disagreement between a Minister and Deputy Minister on a matter of administration, the Minister must provide written instruction to the Deputy Minister and notify the Auditor General and Comptroller General of the disagreement.The position of Deputy Minister in the Canadian government is one of the most contentious and vital appointments. Their responsibilities are both political and non-partisan as they function between the non-partisan civil service and the political realm of executive and elected officials and executives. Deputy Ministers are accountable to the Minister, the government, their Ministry, agencies, and Parliament. They provide Ministers advice that comes from the civil service, and they also â€Å"carry out† any delega tions of authority that come from the Minister.Appointment to Deputy Minister is at the Prime Minister’s discretion and likewise, being relieved of their duties is the same, at the Prime Minister’s discretion. Senior bureaucrats service the government and as one Deputy Minister stated, â€Å"As soon as he assumes his duties, the Minister signs a delegation of authority for me, and then I become the person responsible to him†¦ and the person in command. † It is a â€Å"relationship full of paradoxes. † â€Å"The most important player in the Canadian political system† are â€Å"extremely busy people. â€Å"Dealing with Prime Minister’s priorities, implementing the government’s agenda, protecting the Minister, networking with other deputies, the provincial governments, and the department’s stakeholders, articulating and promoting the department’s interests, as well as managing political crises can consume much of a D eputy’s ten to twelve hours. † Accountability is always a topic for discussion as senior bureaucrats hinge between political and non-partisan. What is clear is that, â€Å"Deputy Ministers are not accountable to the public or to Parliament. They are accountable to the Prime Minister, and to a lesser extent their Minister, the clerk of the Privy Council, the Treasury Board, and the Public Service Commission. † Overall, [for Deputy Ministers] â€Å"the lines of accountability are not clear nor are performance measurements, despite extensive literature that shows how difficult it is to evaluate performance in government. † Government hierarchy stature insists that the higher power be held accountable, although it should not always be the case.Cabinet Minister, appointed by the Governor General on behalf of the Queen, are the head of government departments. Each department has some type of specialization, whether it is law, trade, foreign affairs, or finance. These members of parliament are chosen for their portfolio because they are supposed to be the â€Å"best qualified† to assist the prime Minister in running the country of Canada. However, the reality is that most are chosen either because of a personal relationship with the prime Minister, or because they lend the right balance to the Cabinet as far as ethnicity, gender or geographic location.As a result, the Minister’s appointment can be disguised as â€Å"qualified† thus leaving the Canadian people with a false hope that they are right for the job. Most Cabinet Ministers are not qualified to handle the department, mentally or intellectually, and rely heavily on the Deputy Minister to handle the day-to-day operations. â€Å"It is Deputies and not Ministers who actually manage the departments of government. And that’s the way it should be. Ministers have neither the time nor (as a rule) the skills to manage large institutions. Furthermore, senior bureau crats hold office impartially, over the years serving different political parties, and are qualified bureaucrats with a considerable amount of knowledge, experience and time served. Regardless of who is in office, a Deputy Minister must be neutral and non-partisan in order to get all bureaucrats to achieve the goals of the Minister and the ruling party. As leading management under the Minister, there is ample opportunity and authority for senior bureaucrats to alter the vision bestowed upon the department by the Minister and change opinions and actions of the other bureaucrats.Senior bureaucrats are allocated to manage and administer directly under the law, because of these expectations, Parliament should hold them accountable for the performance of their duties and implementing their authority. The article about authority and accountability has given great insight and is the most compelling when determining how officials are elected and the real responsibilities each department/ind ividuals carry. Not only does the article show the specific details to being a Cabinet Minister, but also talks about the civil servants and the Privy Council Office.The Privy Council Office (PVO) is the highest ranking bureaucratic agency in Canada, very important and powerful, and the Clerk of the Privy Council, known as the â€Å"Secretary to Cabinet† is head of the public service of Canada. The Clerk serves as the â€Å"spokesman of the bureaucracy† to the executive branch in the Canadian government and is appointed by the Prime Minister. One duty is to swear in the Prime Minister, which is somewhat of a symbolic gesture confirming the relationship between the two offices.Like the Deputy Ministers, the Privy Council Office is supposed to be non-partisan, and their advice and recommendations are technical and professional in nature. The Prime Minister is not always in favor of the PVO and has his own alternative organization, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) , headed by the Prime  Minister’s  Chief of Staff, which advises and coordinates the Cabinet and bureaucracy mostly on the basis  of ideology, partisanship, political strategy and public image.Since the PVO and the PMO have two significantly different objectives, it is safe to say the two networks of advisers do not always get along. The PMO has eclipsed the PCO in terms of relevance and power, and the question is whether the era of non-partisan advisers is over. Much of this was due to the perception amongst many in the public, and some members of parliament, that â€Å"the executive had rule over Parliament, but the civil service had rule over the executive. â€Å"Governments indiscriminately added functions, tasks, and accountability requirements to the machinery of governments without rewriting the traditional bargain. † Further, â€Å"governments now tend to concentrate some policy and decision-making authority with a few key officials, who carry an unmana geable burden, but they also defuse authority on other issues to the point that accountability evaporates. † The problem can be summarized as follows: â€Å"Political and policy actors have lost the sense of the traditional space that they are expected to occupy.MPs no longer call the government to account; Ministers are not making policy; the prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and a handful of senior Ministers now fill more functions than they should; and the public service is increasingly uncertain about its role in policy and management. † Bureaucrats administer and implement the laws and policies of the Government of Canada and, in that capacity, should not act unethically even if they believe what they are doing is justifiable.The sponsorship scandal, under the Liberal Government, was a good indicator that the public does not accept anyone in power act unethically in order to promote unity amongst the nation. Canadians wer e outraged that trust was abused and ending the Liberal reign sent a loud message that the end does not justify the means when tampering with public interest. Bureaucrats have to embrace their role and not blindly follow their Minister’s wishes or never say anything negative about the position they hold. Senior bureaucrats need to be accountable for their actions and their recommendations.If they come under fire, they cannot be shuffled off to another Ministry until the storm passes and they cannot hid behind their superior to take blame for wrongdoings they may have initiated or caused. As the Clerk of the Privy Council observed in the Twelfth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Pubic Service of Canada, â€Å"We cannot tolerate breaches of the law or of our core value and ethics†¦but we cannot build systems based on distrust. We cannot go backwards, building layers of hierarchy and rules governing each transaction. And we cannot treat all errors the same way.Err ors made in good faith are inevitable, especially in an organization that values innovation and creativity. Accountability requires that we report honestly and accurately, including the errors, and demonstrate that we have learned from the mistakes and have made the necessary adjustments. But accountability cannot become mere blaming. † Evidently, Canadians are concerned with the accountability held within the government. Although there are a number of institutional checks and preventive measure, they lack improvement and overall outcomes.Other counties have tampered and improved their accountability through various laws and initiative, logically Canadian should consider replicating their process. Thus, government individuals should be held responsible and ultimately accountable if they have the best opportunity to alter their department substantially. Through various studies, one can conclude that senior bureaucrats are the ideal representatives to impose and instill changes within their departments, as well as the whole government.Senior bureaucrats have three main ethical responsibilities as public servants: First, they are responsible to act non-partisan when carrying out or implementation of policies. Second, they are seen as trustees for the Canadian citizens and, therefore, they have a fiduciary responsibility not to abuse their trust. Third, their duty is to account for both their activities and decisions. It is extremely easy for the public to make Minister’s obvious scapegoats and set them up for criticism and ridicule due to their position on the hierarchy.As depicted, senior bureaucrats are the officials with the most responsibility and hands-on participation within their department, managing personnel, implementing policies and ensuring the public interest’s are met on a daily basis. Regardless of how long a Minister holds his portfolio or is in power, it is the senior bureaucrat who maintains their position and ensures their M inister is held in high esteem with informed and experienced expertise about departmental operations.Through traces of systematic accountability, failures demonstrated within the government leads one to conclude that the political outcomes remain the same because the solutions come from the same sphere. Work Cited Barker, P. 2008. Public Administration in Canada. (Breif ed. , p. 75). Thomson Canada Limited Bourgault, Jacques. â€Å"The Deputy Minister’s Role in the Government of Canada:? His responsibilities and His Accountability. Ottawa: Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, 2006 â€Å"Federal Accountability Act. † Department of Justice. (2006). http://laws-lois. ustice. gc. ca/eng/acts/F-5. 5/page-1. html (accessed July 12, 2012). Harper, Stephen. â€Å"Conservative Party of Canada Federal Election Platform. † Stand Up for Canada. (2006). http://www. cbc. ca/canadavotes2006/leadersparties/pdf/conservative_platform2006 0113. pdf (accessed July 7, 2012). â€Å"Leadership of the Prime Minister's Office. † Parliament of Canada. (1867). http://www. parl. gc. ca/parlinfo/compilations/federalgovernment/PrincipalSecretaries. aspx (accessed July 14, 2012). Mitchell, James. â€Å"Authority and Accountability: Reflections on the Gomery Project. † Authority and Accountability. 2006). https://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v&q=cache:GOZMy1NFFsgJ:www. sussexcircle. com/pdf/020-Authority&Accountability. pdf &hl=en&gl=ca&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjm7kZ3AA0QiX70tXxByNLjoEbXx0roBI3x9NvKnl8a8JMKU1107T1MOioQzsFdHy4cuUndPyvRd5vGwvZohdqmZCzpqAEA8Zr4q3TQfRyXWivb90p3DMRRJRRd6ykvc8AXwm6z&sig=AHIEtbRagPHJJ_7fhv5zDOT9NC8IwgwrGw (accessed July 11, 2012). Mulgan, Richard . â€Å"The accountability of Community Sector Agencies: a comparative framework. † (2001). http://www. hapinternational. org/pool/files/acctcommsect. pdf (accessed July 11, 2012). Pomfret, R. Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendumsâ₠¬ . Elections Canada Online. Elections Canada. (accessed February 10, 2012). Savoie, Donald. Breaking the Bargain: Public Servants, Ministers, and Parliament. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. â€Å"Twelfth annual report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada. † Clerk of the Privy Council. (2005). http://www. clerk. gc. ca/eng/feature. asp? mode=preview;pageId=201 (accessed July 12, 2012). ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Pomfret, R. â€Å"Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums†.Elections Canada Online. Elections Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2012. [ 2 ]. Harper, Stephen. â€Å"Conservative Party of Canada Federal Election Platform. † Stand Up for Canada. (2006). http://www. cbc. ca/canadavotes2006/leadersparties/pdf/conservative_platform20060113. pdf (accessed July 7, 2012). [ 3 ]. â€Å"Federal Accountability Act. † Depar tment of Justice. (2006). http://laws-lois. justice. gc. ca/eng/acts/F-5. 5/page-1. html (accessed July 12, 2012). [ 4 ]. â€Å"Federal Accountability Act. † Department of Justice. (2006). http://laws-lois. justice. gc. ca/eng/acts/F-5. 5/page-1. html (accessed

Digital music and the internet age – The people vs. the recording industry association of America

Just as the Internet is fast becoming a way of life for many in the United States, music has had its roots embedded in people's lives, careers, and hobbies throughout history. What do you get when you merge music and the Internet in the year 2002? Chaos, it seems. In this heated debate, there are two sides that are prevalent. The first is brought by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents the major record labels, musicians, and artists in the United States. The RIAA claims that the Internet is responsible for rampant music piracy that has the power to destroy the music industry as we know it. The RIAA been in the center of countless lawsuits and trials, and is in the forefront of the digital music debate through its use of legal tactics. The other side of this debate is represented by you and me – the common people. We do not argue that music piracy is illegal and unethical. However, we have much at stake in this argument, as the RIAA has tried to gain approval for strict laws that could affect each and every one of us. The RIAA has tried to invade our privacy, sue the common people, prevent us from playing CDs in our computers, hack into our computers, stop the sale of personal music players, and change key pieces of legislature for their benefit. Rather than approach this issue with public support and regard for the consumers who make their industry possible, the RIAA has continually neglected public opinion and has put us on the back burner in order to protect their profit margins. The History So what exactly is this big mess about? In a nutshell, it boils down to digital music piracy. The music industry is hurting from a 9.2 percent global music sales slump in 2001. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, world CD sales fell seven percent last year, while singles and cassettes continued to decline (Wang 147). They claim that music piracy on the Internet is largely to blame for this trend. By merging the Internet and compact disc technologies, it became possible for people to convert the digital music stored on CDs into a very small computer file format called MP3. A music file converted to MP3 could then be sent to other people on the Internet quickly and easily. These technological advances eventually led to rampant music piracy on the Internet. While I do not condone nor support digital music piracy, I believe that the battle the RIAA is waging has been unfair, one-sided, and based on greed. In trying to protect their interests, this trade group has bitten the hands of the people who feed it – us. The Past In 1980, a case came upon the United States Supreme Court docket involving Universal City Studios, a Hollywood movie studio, and a new Sony technology called Betamax, or what we now refer to as the common VCR. Universal City Studios asked the courts to block Betamax sales, which were poised to enter the consumer market. The movie studio argued that consumers would use VCRs to copy and distribute copyrighted films (Wright 16). In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court told the movie industry to back off, ruling that most people would use VCRs to record soap operas they missed while at work, rather than making illegal copies of films (Wright 18). One would think that a lesson was learned from this scenario. Sadly, that was not the case. Fast-forward fifteen years and we see a very similar situation unfold. RIAA vs. MP3 players In 1998, Diamond Multimedia introduced the Rio portable MP3 player to the consumer market. MP3 files were starting to become very popular. Using the Rio portable MP3 player, people would be able to convert files from CDs that they owned into MP3 format, and then transfer them onto the Rio MP3 player, which could store hours of music and would eliminate any need for CDs or cassettes (Musician's Internet, par. 8). Enter the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1999 the RIAA filed suit against Diamond Multimedia, the creators of the Rio MP3 player. They claimed that the player violated the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, which prohibits devices that make copies from digital music recordings. The RIAA believed that since people had the ability to illegally download music from the Internet, the portable MP3 player should be illegal (Musician's Internet, par. 9). This was a major flaw in logic for the RIAA. First of all, I personally cannot think of one person who does not own at least one CD these days. Even my grandmother has more than a handful! By trying to ban the portable MP3 player, the RIAA was saying that people did not have any legal or legitimate use for the product. However, people could easily copy songs from the many CDs they owned onto this portable MP3 player, and still remain perfectly law abiding citizens! Just as in the previous Betamax judgment, this case was thrown out. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Diamond Multimedia's technology was perfectly legal, as the player made copies from computer hard drives and CDs, not solely from digital music recordings (Musician's Internet, par.15). The portable MP3 player has now become immensely popular and successful, and is one of the current best-selling pieces of technology on the market today. In fact, analysts predict that 26 million portable MP3 players will be sold in 2005, threatening the dominance of even CDs (Brull 67)! The RIAA was trying to hinder change. If they had been successful, we would not have portable MP3 players in our lives today. RIAA vs. Napster The case of the Recording Industry Association of America versus Napster was very widely publicized. Napster was an online file-trading program that allowed people to trade both legal and illegal MP3 files with ease. The RIAA soon entered the scene, eventually succeeding in shutting Napster down. I do believe that the RIAA had very good reason to take action against Napster, as it was an online music piracy haven. However, in succeeding to shut the service down, they overlooked a very important issue; people loved downloading music from the Internet. Rather than start their own legal online file-sharing program, the RIAA and the music industry were very slow in action. The RIAA did not listen to public demand for such a service. With the demise of Napster, new illegal trading programs popped up. Unlike their predecessor Napster, however, these programs would be next to impossible to shut down as they have no central server location. These networks run from user to user. Essentially, the only way to stop the programs is to shut down the Internet itself. If the RIAA had listened to the people, it is very possible that they would be in a much better position in the fight against music piracy. However, they ignored the need of the public, and dug themselves an even deeper hole. There was a very legitimate and legal answer to Napster. Rather than trying to turn the service into a paying model or creating their own service, the RIAA simply shut it down. They gave no thought to the legal uses, such as promotion, sharing of files by independent artists not signed to any record label, uncopyrighted material, and music available with permission from the artist or record company. So why didn't the RIAA and the major record labels jump to start their own Napster-like networks? The answer is simple. Digital music distribution, as it stands now, offers much thinner profit margins. Rapper Chuck D says â€Å"a major label makes a CD for as little as 80 cents, then sells it wholesale for $10.50 so retailers can charge $14 – that's highway robbery.† He gloats further that â€Å"the true revenge will come when the major labels start dropping their prices† (Hopper, par. 7). If consumers are able to use inexpensive technology to download music free or of a much lesser charge, you can bet that they won't run to a record store and pay $14 for a CD. The key to that $10 profit margin they are making is that manufacturing and distribution would eventually fade in digital downloads, meaning the record labels would have to cut costs and make a smaller profit. It's all about money. With so much piracy occurring online and next to no way to stop it, what could the RIAA do next? How about prevent consumers from playing CDs in their computers, or better yet, how about hacking all of your computers? That is exactly what they are trying to do. RIAA vs. Your Computer Throughout its many legal battles thus far, the RIAA has continually neglected and disregarded the music consumers. So, it comes as no surprise that it happens yet again. However, this time their focus is on your very own personal computer. One of the first anti-piracy measures used by the RIAA and the major record labels was a technology called copy-protected CDs. Introduced in 2000, these CDs were designed to prevent a user from copying music tracks to a computer and then sharing them with others online (Cohen 43). Sounds good, right? Maybe not, as this technology has a major downfall. If you try to play a copy-protected CD in your computer, you will find out that it isn't possible! In fact, even some older regular CD players cannot play the copy-protected discs. By adding this copy-protection, the music industry effectively stops you from playing these CDs in your computer at all. In doing this, however, one of your personal rights has been taken away. Imagine that! The 1992 Audio Home Recording Act allows music listeners to make some personal digital copies of their music for their own use and backup (Brull 67). With copy-protected CDs, you are not able to make copies of the music that you have purchased and have every right to copy and backup – another strike against the RIAA. The copy-protection debate is currently being waged by lawmakers. Another way the Recording Industry Association of America is trying to stop you from copying music and sharing it with others is by hacking you! This is another debate currently up in the air in Congress. The RIAA has recruited Congressmen Howard Berman and Howard Coble to introduce a piece of legislature that would let content owners hack pirates' computers (Brull 68). So what does that mean to you? Essentially, it means that the record labels, the RIAA, and copyright owners would be able to hack into your computers and delete or replace your illegal files. This is a huge breach of privacy, but yet another act that the RIAA deems ‘necessary.' If they cannot stop the software used to trade illegal files, the industry hopes to attack your computer instead! RIAA vs. Privacy and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) However, the fight doesn't stop at your computer. Money means so much to these companies that they want to compromise your privacy as well. On July 23, 2002, the Recording Industry Association of America made an unprecedented request of Verizon Communications, a company that sells Internet access to consumers. The RIAA served the company with a subpoena, seeking the identity of a Verizon subscriber who allegedly illegally traded songs by artists including Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and N'Sync. The RIAA didn't specify why it wanted to know who the user was, or what it would do with the information (Hopper, par. 16). Luckily, Verizon denied the request and took this issue to court. Everyone has a right to be anonymous online. A user's anonymity should not be unmasked without any proof of misconduct. In fact, in defamation and trademark-infringement cases, a judge is first asked to weigh the evidence of illegal activity against the constitutionally protected right to anonymous speech (Black 9). The RIAA is trying to bypass judges, courts, and laws in order to force ISPs to reveal information about their subscribers without even making any charges. This is yet another personal right that the company is infringing upon. This debate is currently in court as well, and it should be interesting to see what happens in the end. It is very probable that the U.S. Supreme Court will settle this issue. RIAA vs. Your Integrity Even after showing no respect for your personal rights and laws as a consumer, the RIAA is now attacking your very own integrity. On September 26, 2002, ads began running on television and in print condemning online music piracy. These weren't your normal ads, however. This time around, the RIAA thought that since they couldn't get your attention, perhaps popular music superstars could (Healy, par. 2). These ads, by such artists as Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Madonna have one underlying message – we are thieves. â€Å"Would you go into a CD store and steal a CD?† Britney Spears asks in one ad. â€Å"It's the same thing, people going into the computers and stealing our music† (Healy, par. 4). Rapper Nelly had a similar message. â€Å"We really look at it as stealing, because to us it's black and white, either you pay for it or you don't. And, you're not paying for it† (Healy, par. 6). However, these ads are a bit hard to swallow for the average consumer. Let's look at this picture again. These are mega-selling superstars. In 2000, Madonna had reported assets in excess of $425 million. Britney Spears makes over $40 million yearly (Healy, par. 9). The RIAA wants us to believe that these artists are hurting from piracy? I don't know about you, but I don't feel too sorry. Conclusion In conclusion, I believe that the Recording Industry Association of America is a devious and thoughtless trade group. They have continuously put their profit margin ahead of the rights of the consumers. The numerous real-life examples presented in this paper should give you a firm understanding of the unethical antics that the RIAA has used to further their cause. Which side are you on – big business, or consumer rights?

Community Teaching Essay

Health promotion is very important in today’s society. There are many things people can do in order to maintain good health, yet most are uninformed about this. Obesity is one of the leading health concerns in America and must be dealt with immediately. It is because of this that a student has decided to teach a fifth grade class with twenty three students about what obesity is, what problems it causes, and how it can be avoided. The teacher uses visual aids, games, trivia, and much more in order to get the students more interested in what they are going to learn. The teacher informs the students about how important it is to make healthy eating choices by using the food pyramid as a guideline. Students are also informed that exercise is key to living a healthy lifestyle. The teacher begins the class by playing a quick game. The teacher then asks the students to each take out a piece of paper and write down as many fruits and vegetables as they can. The students are told that the person who has thought of the most fruits and vegetables will win a prize. When finished with the game, the teacher will then introduce the topic of obesity to the children and the importance of preventing it by eating healthy foods. Students are told that â€Å"obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity is more than just about looks. It increases your risk of diseases and health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure† (J.Crawford,2014). The teacher then tells the students that in the past ten years, obesity in children in the U.S has gone from 7-18 percent (CDC,2012). The main portion of this lesson revolves around the food pyramid. The food pyramid consists of 6 essential healthy food groups: Grains/rice, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat/fish/poultry, fats/oils/sweets. The food pyramid acts as a guideline by showing students the necessary servings of each food group in order to stay healthy. It is essential for students to understand the food pyramid because it is a roadmap to healthy living. The students were not only taught about healthy eating, but also other ways to ensure that they maintain their health. One thing they were taught is the importance of being active daily. Students can do things such as playing sports, running, or bike riding in order to stay healthy and have fun doing it. It was said that rather than avoiding all types of junk food, it is better to simply eat it in moderation. The end of the lesson consisted  of trivia questions that the children answer in order to win a prize. By teaching the students this information, the teacher can ensure that they will live a better life. The epidemiological rationale for this topic is very serious. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC,2014). The percentage of children age 6-11 years in the U.S. who were obese increase from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Rate of obese adolescents ages 12-19 years increase from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period (CDC,2014). Obese adolescents are more likely to have pre-diabetes. Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for coronary heart disease, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, social and psychological problems such as poor self esteem. â€Å"Reducing childhood obesity is a public health priority that has substantial health and economic benefits†(Maurer, Frances, C. Smith, 2013.) The teacher claims that the overall teaching experience was quite enjoyable. It is extremely beneficial to be able to teach young children about topics that they are not well informed about. By teaching children about such serious health hazards at a young age, it is more likely that they will strive to take the necessary measures in order to avoid these hazards. The teaching experience allowed the teacher to see how much children knew about health promotion as well as what they wanted to know. The teacher learned how to make different topics easily understandable for children and as well as making the entire learning process fun and enjoyable. This experience helped the teacher realize that even by teaching a small group of children from one school, it is possible to make a difference in the health and wellbeing of America’s children. The community responded rather positively to the teaching. The students were excited to learn about new health promotion tips through a series of games and activities. The children were shocked to see how serious obesity really is as well as how many children it has affected throughout the country. Before this lesson, the children believed that eating healthy meant cutting out all types of sweets and sugary drinks completely. The children were elated to hear that they can be healthier while still enjoying some of their favorite desserts. Kids  react positively to games and rewards because it makes learning more fun. By getting the kids’ attention, the teacher ensures that they are listening and paying close attention to everything that the teacher has to say. After learning about obesity and the many negative affects that come from it, the children promised to change their eating habits as well as be more active in order to make sure that they stay fit throughout their lives. The children agreed to eat more fruits and vegetables and to play outside much more. The children have promised to limit the amount of time they watch television and play on the computer and replace it with riding their bikes or going to the park. This teaching process has taught the teacher about not only her strengths, but her weakness’ as well. The teacher is easily able to relay information in simple terms so that the children can understand as well do things such as creating games and trivia in order to make the lesson more exciting. Some weakness’s or improvements that the teacher can make includes being able to connect with the students on a closer level in order to truly help them understand the topic as well as finding new and creative ways to reward the kids when they answer questions correctly. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to take a short survey regarding how well the teacher taught the lesson as well as how much the kids enjoyed it. Though the teacher received high scores from each child, she knows that there is still room for improvement and is determined to make these changes for the next teaching session that may occur.

B202B_TMA01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

B202B_TMA01 - Essay Example urther argue that it is the identification of the cycles of technology that eventually determines the type of innovation but at the same time the cycles the same are affected and influenced by the innovation employed by organizations, especially in high technology sensitive product markets. Technological discontinuities, according to Tushman et al. (1997), intervene with incremental innovations – which are oriented towards improving and continuously re-configurating technologies – and eventually result in a conflict and rivalry between already existing technologies and new emerging technologies. Tushman and O’Reilly (2002) explain that the technological cycles involve four phases; the technological ferment where the emergence of technology is feasible and competencies are developed, the emergence of the dominant design – which reflects the best practices and the innovations on the technology, the retention phase which refers to the era of incremental innovation and improvement of the existing technology takes place and finally the variation phase, where technological discontinuity emerges and the competencies and capabilities of organizations are either enhanced or destroyed. Great importance is attributed by Tushmann and Murmann (1997) to t he second and fourth phase of the technology cycles; the authors suggest that the emergence of innovation with the selection of the dominant design sets forth the mechanisms for proceeding from product innovation to process innovation. While the focal point after the technological ferment is the development of the product, the choice over the dominant design energizes the innovation at the process level and shifts the attention to the process oriented new designs (Tidd et al., 1999). Once the dominant design is set it gradually leads to the incremental innovation which predominantly focuses on improving the â€Å"standard product† (Tushman et al., 1997). The next phase that is critical for the innovation with regards to

Dicuss the Roles that English Language Newspapers Play in India Essay

Dicuss the Roles that English Language Newspapers Play in India - Essay Example From the study, it is evident that English has helped foster nationalism in India. Moreover, newspapers have been an agent for social change helping bring land reforms and enhancing liberation struggle. Introduction In India, the English speaking population is estimated at 4 percent of the total figure (Hohenthal, n.d). Consequently, English is not categorized among the fifteen national languages used in India. According to Hohenthal (n.d), there was a provision in the Indian constitution which allowed English to be used as an official language until 1965 after which it would be replaced by Hindi. However, efforts to remove English as the official language faced much opposition from Dravidians in the south. Following much opposition, the government gave in and recognized English as the associate official language in India (Hohenthal, n.d). Additionally, English is used as the official language in four states: Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya. However, English has not been ful ly accepted in India as political and nationalists pushing for Hindi to be recognized as the sole national language (Hohenthal, n.d). Despite this opposition and different reception of English in the society, its role in media is increasing (Hohenthal, n.d). English newspapers, magazines and journals are increasing in number. Hohenthal (n.d) writes that out over 19,000 newspapers were recognized in India; 18.7 percent were in English while 27.8 percent were in Hindi. This leads to debate on the role of the English language newspapers in India; yet the population speaking the language is insignificant in number and most of them are multilingual. In addition to informing the public, newspapers serve various roles, as discussed by Harbermas and Anderson. Harbermas explained that newspapers are important in public sphere to enhance rational debate while Anderson noted that newspapers serve a role of creating nationalism. Discussion In India, more than 107 million copies of newspapers ci rculate daily, making it one of the largest newspapers markets in the world (Krishna, 2011). It is further pointed that India accounts for over 20 percent of the global dailies. The English-language newspapers consumption is growing steadily, enjoying the biggest share from the print industry revenues (Krishna, 2011). A joint research conducted by KPMG in conjunction with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed that demand for the English language newspapers is estimated to grow by 7 percent annually from 2011 to 2015 (Krishna, 2011). Some players in the industry have even decided to concentrate in distribution of the English newspapers in some states previously dominated by native language newspapers, such as Kerala (Print media set to "see a churn" in South Indian state, 2012). These statistics show that most Indians read newspapers which shows that they serve a certain purpose in the lives and to the society in general. Newspapers are part of the print media; understanding their role and development can be pegged from the theory developed by Benedict Anderson and Jurgen Harbermas (Jeffrey, 2009). According to Habermas, press is the most preeminent public sphere institution. Schudson (2003) asserted that print is important because it allows rational deliberation among intelligent citizens in the public sphere. From the point of view of Anderson, newspapers and other forms of printed media help create a common

"An exploration of genes, inheritance and gene therapy for Essay

"An exploration of genes, inheritance and gene therapy for diabetes" - Essay Example Besides, if one’s exposure to the microorganism is delayed due to the better standards of the living, which hinders the development of the immune system causing to make the person vulnerable to this disease. Gene therapy is the method by which one foreign gene into any cell is introduced into the body of the patient in order to produce insulin. The introduced gene could be the insulin gene itself, but it must be controlled by specific tissue promoter which is encoded as a factor in order to activate the insulin gene (Kelly, 2007). Cell transplantation is more successful treatment for diabetes as compared to the method of using insulin injections. The transplantation of organs, tissues or cells between animal species usually provides a number of beta cells, which is known as xenotransplantation. The most suitable donor of organs or cells is the pig but the major problem in using the pig’s organs for transplantation is that it is difficult to obtain in the tissue culture and the islets of the adult pig because of their poor survival. One more serious problem in xenotransplantation is an infection, which occurs because of the endogenous porcine retroviruses, which has a potentiality to infect human cell in vitro and vivo (Allman, 2008). Expansion of the primary beta cells and beta cell precursors can also be helpful in gene therapy. Beta cells are normally present in small bodies deep rooted in the pancreas known as islets. Beta cells do not have enough capacity for replication. There are a number of gene transduction methods in practice in the world in order to treat different disease including diabetes. These include viral and non-viral methods (LeRoith et al., 2004). Non-viral methods such as calcium phosphate co-precipitation are a very simple and an affordable method for genetically modifying pancreatic cells. When calcium

Democratization in Russia after the collapse of Soviet Union Essay

Democratization in Russia after the collapse of Soviet Union - Essay Example Russia initiated all the four processes at once. In this case, it involves the redefinition of national identity, democratization, integration into the world economy, and market reform. This is contrary to other democratizing countries that may have undergone one or two of these transition processes, but not all at once. This essay is a critical analysis of an article Executive Deception by Steven Fish. The article has information on the type of systems appropriate for nations undergoing transition from authoritarian rule to democratic governance. It will begin with a discussion on the fall of the Soviet Union that initiated development of a new system. It also covers a brief description of the new system, its leadership ways and factors within the system that affect and promote democracy. It will then make a conclusion on the current state of Russia with Putin and Medvedev as its leaders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new means of constituting supreme power emerged, new sources of legitimacy to the supreme power emerged and the idea of the presidency was introduced to the Russians. This was a revolutionary idea in a nation where hereditary monarchy and ideology as a source of legitimacy, dominated for years. However, the direction of the movement was a characteristic of Russia’s system of governance where all the power is embodied in one person and personified completely. According to Fish (2001), a system where power is embodied in one person and completely personified is referred to as ‘superpresidentialism’. The move towards democratic governance and the existence of the old system led to the formation of a conflict between democratic and autocratic tendencies that are still existent in Russia to date (Brown, 2001, p, 15). The collapse of the Soviet institutions contributed to the formation of a personalized style of politics (Fish, 2001: 179–81). As a result, Boris Yeltsin became the

Operations objectives at the Penang Mutiara Case Study

Operations objectives at the Penang Mutiara - Case Study Example Operations performance ensures customer satisfaction hence it is easy to retain them. Operations performance in the hotel industry means ensuring proper service delivery to customers. The management has a task of ensuring the staff deals with the customer in a desired way, for example, the staff must have the ability to portray courtesy to the customers (Slack et al. 40). Since the customers may have various questions concerning services or other matters, the staff should possess relevant skills for answering questions from the customer. They should have sufficient hospitality and the hotel management tips to enable them respond suitably to customer’s needs. The hotel management has a responsibility of ensuring best condition of hotel facilities. This means that buildings, furniture and all equipment that support service delivery to customers are in superb condition. Performing best choice of hardware for the hotel is vital because it creates a good impression of the hotel. Ma nagers should choose best designs for the hotel to enhance durability. This is important because the hotel looks fabulous for a long period. Customer satisfaction commences with the right impression followed by the services (Slack et al. 40). The management is responsible for its functions to ensure competitiveness in the hotel industry. Managers perform planning, coordination and controlling of various issues in business. This is important because the hotel looks fabulous for  the long period.

Assignment to Critique an Academic Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment to Critique an Academic Paper - Essay Example The article’s argument that entrepreneurs should have, â€Å"the will to conquer: the impulse to fight, to prove oneself superior to others, to succeed for the sake, not of the fruits of success, but of success itself† exaggerates the true nature of a successful entrepreneur (33). This is because the environment and the goals that an entrepreneur has set determine the level of the will applied and the willingness to fight. Wedgwood plays his role as an entrepreneur through application of the skills of hard work, focus, obsessive, demanding and intellectually curious (7). He had a vision of pioneering innovations that would enhance the status of entrepreneurship. Commencing the entrepreneurship skills at 11 shows Wedgwood’s potential of becoming a great entrepreneur in future. He overcame many challenges that threatened his quest to enhance his entrepreneurship prowess. This implies that the urge to become a successful entrepreneur should not be limited by any for m of challenges including disabilities. This is because entrepreneurial innovations can never be successful unless they overcome life challenges. Possession of a weakened knee due to small pox he suffered during his early childhood implied that Wedgwood could not turn a Potter’s wheel (8). In fact, he had to watch as his knee was amputated without the help of anaesthetics after it hampered his ability to apply and harness his entrepreneurial skills. The courage to have even his own body organ eliminated due to its negative impact on his life passion implies that he has the ability to overcome any challenges in the enhancement of his entrepreneurial skills. However, this could be unsustainable if the challenges being eliminated are ethical and beneficial to other people. Entrepreneurship is a passion that is not limited by time constraints. Entrepreneurs should apply their skills and expertise at a tender age. Although the article represents the rhetoric of a successful entrep reneur, it is crucial to point out that successful entrepreneurs do not always wait to attain a certain age period for them to venture into business i.e. 24 years in Wedgwood’s case (7). The fact that he started being a potter at the age of 11 implies that Wedgwood should have commenced his quest for attainment of his life dream at a younger age. Being a successful entrepreneur does not require sufficient flow of financial resources for commencement. The article stipulates that Wedgewood’s father allocated meagre financial resources in his will but he managed to beat all odds and became a successful entrepreneur. However, this does not imply that resources are not necessary for laying the perfect foundation for the establishment of a successful career and entrepreneurial skills. Availability of resources enables an entrepreneur to acquire the necessary equipment required in enhancing new ideas. It is also imperative for entrepreneurs to collude with other like-minded i nnovators to enhance their entrepreneurship skills. For instance, the article points out that Wedgwood formed a partnership with Thomas Whieldon, an eminent Potter. This enabled him to gain access to experienced potters that provided him with the competent skills in their respective fields. However, one should be careful of the type of people that they partner with because some

Overloading Trucks 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Overloading Trucks 2 - Essay Example In this similar concern, one of the current systems of overloading trucks control in Saudi Arabia can be viewed as the ‘Weigh Station Management’. The prime function of this control system is to check the weight of the trucks. All the heavy vehicles need to pass through the weigh station in order to obtain the idea about the weight limits. The purpose of utilising this system control is to impose legal load limits and therefore avoiding trucks from damaging highways and bridges (AlGadhi, 2001). In New Zealand, the facet of The Weigh-In-Motion System is normally used as one of the effective current systems of overloading trucks control. This system fundamentally comprises sensors, electronics and software. This particular system is installed to gather traffic data (Dornier Consulting, 2011). The system is typically used to identify over load, over height of the trucks running in the highway and also to minimise the static weight as directed by the traffic. Also the  "Kistler Lineas quartz† sensors can be apparently observed in both Saudi Arabia and New Zealand as the other overloading trucks control system. It is worth mentioning that the sensors act as a controlling measure which helps in minimising road damages and accidents in the form of transmitting certain valuable information (Traffic Tech Group, 2010). It can be affirmed that the

Inflation Rate Essay Example for Free

Inflation Rate Essay Inflation means a sustained increase in the aggregate or general price level in an economy. Inflation means there is an increase in the cost of living. What are the economic policies that lead to low inflation in an economy? 1. Monetary Policy In the UK and US, monetary policy is the most important tool for maintaining low inflation. In the UK, monetary policy is set by the MPC of the Bank of England. They are given an inflation target by the government. This inflation target is 2%+/-1 and the MPC use interest rates to try and achieve this target. The first step is for the MPC to try and predict future inflation. They look at various economic statistics and try to decide whether the economy is overheating. If inflation is forecast to increase above the target, the MPC will increase interest rates. Increased interest rates will help reduce the growth of Aggregate Demand in the economy. The slower growth will then lead to lower inflation. Higher interest rates reduce consumer spending because: * Increased interest rates increase the cost of borrowing, discouraging consumers from borrowing and spending. * Increased interest rates make it more attractive to save money * Increased interest rates reduce the disposable income of those with mortgages. * Higher interest rates increased the value of the exchange rate leading to lower exports and more imports. Base Rates and Inflation Base interest rates were increased in the late 1980s / 1990 to try and control the rise in inflation. 2. Supply Side Policies Supply side policies aim to increase long term competitiveness and productivity. For example, privatisation and deregulation were hoped to make firms more productive. Therefore, in the long run supply side policies can help reduce inflationary pressures. However, supply side policies work very much in the long term. They cannot be used to reduce sudden increases in the inflation rate. 3. Fiscal Policy This is another demand side policy, similar in effect to Monetary Policy. Fiscal policy involves the government changing tax and spending levels in order to influence the level of Aggregate Demand. To reduce inflationary pressures the government can increase tax and reduce government spending. This will reduce AD. 4. Exchange Rate Policy In the late 1980s the UK joined the ERM, as a means to control inflation. It was felt that by keeping the value of the pound high, it would help reduce inflationary pressures. The policy did reduce inflation, but at the cost of a recession. To maintain the value of the  £ against the DM, the government had to increase interest rates to 15%. The UK no longer uses this as an inflationary policy. 5. Wage Control Wage growth is a key factor in determining inflation. If wages increase quickly it will cause high inflation. In the 1970s, there was a brief attempt at wage controls which tried to limit wage growth. However, it was effectively dropped because it was difficult to widely enforce. Main Cause of Inflation 1. Demand pull inflation If the economy is at or close to full employment then an increase in AD leads to an increase in the price level. As firms reach full capacity, they respond by putting up prices leading to inflation. AD can increase due to an increase in any of its components C+I+G+X-M The link between output and inflation suggests that there will be a similar link between inflation and unemployment, The Phillips curve initially showed a link between money wages and unemployment, it was then argued an increase in wages would lead to inflation 2. Cost Push Inflation If there is an increase in the costs of firms, then firms will pass this on to consumers. There will be a shift to the left in the AS. Cost push inflation can be caused by many factors 1. The Labour Market If trades unions can present a common front then they can bargain for higher wages, this will lead to wage inflation. 2. Import prices One third of all goods are imported in the UK. If there is a devaluation then import prices will become more expensive leading to an increase in inflation E.G. a German car costs DM 40,000. If the exchange rate is DM  £1:3DM then it will be priced at  £13,333. If the E.R falls to  £1: 2DM then it will be priced at  £20,000 3. Raw Material Prices, The best example is the price of oil, if the oil price increase by 20% then this will have a significant impact on most goods in the economy and this will lead to cost push inflation. E.g. in early 2008, there was a spike in the price of oil to over $150 causing a rise in inflation. 4. Profit Push Inflation When firms push up prices to get higher rates of inflation. 5. Declining productivity If firms become less productive and allow costs to rise, this invariably leads to higher prices. Source: http://www.economicshelp.org/index.html PHILIPPINES INFLATION RATE The inflation rate in Philippines was recorded at 2.90 percent in December of 2012. Inflation Rate in Philippines is reported by the The National Statistics Office (NSO). Historically, from 1958 until 2012, Philippines Inflation Rate averaged 9.1 Percent reaching an all time high of 62.8 Percent in September of 1984 and a record low of -2.1 Percent in January of 1959. In Philippines, the most important categories in the Consumer Price Index are: food and non-alcoholic beverages (39 percent of total weight); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (22 percent) and transport (8 percent). The index also includes health (3 percent), education (3 percent), clothing and footwear (3 percent), communication (2 percent) and recreation and culture (2 percent). Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, furnishing, household equipment, restaurants and other goods and services account for the remaining 15 percent. This page includes a chart with historical data for Philippines Inflation Rate. Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/inflation-cpi causes Historically, a great deal of economic literature was concerned with the question of what causes inflation and what effect it has. There were different schools of thought as to the causes of inflation. Most can be divided into two broad areas: quality theories of inflation and quantity theories of inflation. The quality theory of inflation rests on the expectation of a seller accepting currency to be able to exchange that currency at a later time for goods that are desirable as a buyer. The quantity theory of inflation rests on the quantity equation of money, that relates the money supply, itsvelocity, and the nominal value of exchanges. Adam Smith and David Hume proposed a quantity theory of inflation for money, and a quality theory of inflation for production.[citation needed] Currently, the quantity theory of money is widely accepted as an accurate model of inflation in the long run. Consequently, there is now broad agreement among economists that in the long run, the inflation rate is essentially dependent on the growth rate of money supply relative to the growth of the economy. However, in the short and medium term inflation may be affected by supply and demand pressures in the economy, and influenced by the relative elasticity of wages, prices and interest rates.[29] The question of whether the short-term effects last long enough to be important is the central topic of debate between monetarist and Keynesian economists. In monetarism prices and wages adjust quickly enough to make other factors merely marginal behavior on a general trend-line. In the Keynesian view, prices and wages adjust at different rates, and these differences have enough effects on real output to be long term in the view of people in an economy. Keynesian economic theory proposes that changes in money supply do not directly affect prices, and that visible inflation is the result of pressures in the economy expressing themselves in prices. Monetarist view Monetarists believe the most significant factor influencing inflation or deflation is how fast the money supply grows or shrinks. They consider fiscal policy, or government spending and taxation, as ineffective in controlling inflation.] According to the famous monetarist economist Milton Friedman,Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.[49] Some monetarists, however, will qualify this by making an exception for very short-term circumstances. Unemployment A connection between inflation and unemployment has been drawn since the emergence of large scale unemployment in the 19th century, and connections continue to be drawn today. In Marxian economics, the unemployed serve as a reserve army of labour, which restrain wage inflation. In the 20th century, similar concepts in Keynesian economics include the NAIRU (Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment) and the Phillips curve. Rational expectations theory For more details on this topic, see Rational expectations theory. Rational expectations theory holds that economic actors look rationally into the future when trying to maximize their well-being, and do not respond solely to immediate opportunity costs and pressures. In this view, while generally grounded in monetarism, future expectations and strategies are important for inflation as well. A core assertion of rational expectations theory is that actors will seek to head off central-bank decisions by acting in ways that fulfill predictions of higher inflation. This means that central banks must establish their credibility in fighting inflation, or economic actors will make bets that the central bank will expand the money supply rapidly enough to prevent recession, even at the expense of exacerbating inflation. Thus, if a central bank has a reputation as being soft on inflation, when it announces a new policy of fighting inflation with restrictive monetary growth economic agents will not believe that the policy will persist; their inflationary expectations will remain high, and so will inflation. On the other hand, if the central bank has a reputation of being tough on inflation, then such a policy announcement will be believed and inflationary expectations will come down rapidly, thus allowing inflation itself to come down rapidly with minimal economic disruption. Austrian view For more details on this topic, see The Austrian view of inflation and monetary inflation The Austrian School asserts that inflation is an increase in the money supply, rising prices are merely consequences and this semantic difference is important in defining inflation.[50] Austrians stress that inflation affects prices in various degree, i.e. that prices rise more sharply in some sectors than in other sectors of the economy. The reason for the disparity is that excess money will be concentrated to certain sectors, such as housing, stocks or health care. Because of this disparity, Austrians argue that the aggregate price level can be very misleading when observing the effects of inflation. Austrian economists measure inflation by calculating the growth of new units of money that are available for immediate use in exchange, that have been created over time.[51][52][53] Critics of the Austrian view point out that their preferred alternative to fiat currency intended to prevent inflation, commodity-backed money, is likely to grow in supply at a different rate thaneconomic growth. Thus it has proven to be highly deflationary and destabilizing, including in instances where it has caused and prolonged depressions.[54] Real bills doctrine Main article: Real bills doctrine Within the context of a fixed specie basis for money, one important controversy was between the quantity theory of money and the real bills doctrine (RBD). Within this context, quantity theory applies to the level of fractional reserve accounting allowed against specie, generally gold, held by a bank. Currency and banking schools of economics argue the RBD, that banks should also be able to issue currency against bills of trading, which is real bills that they buy from merchants. This theory was important in the 19th century in debates between Banking and Currency schools of monetary soundness, and in the formation of the Federal Reserve. In the wake of the collapse of the international gold standard post 1913, and the move towards deficit financing of government, RBD has remained a minor topic, primarily of interest in limited contexts, such as currency boards. It is generally held in ill repute today, with Frederic Mishkin, a governor of theFederal Reserve going so far as to say it had been completely discredited. The debate between currency, or quantity theory, and banking schools in Britain during the 19th century prefigures current questions about the credibility of money in the present. In the 19th century the banking school had greater influence in policy in the United States and Great Britain, while the currency school had more influence on the continent, that is in non-British countries, particularly in the Latin Monetary Union and the earlier Scandinavia monetary union. Anti-classical or backing theory Another issue associated with classical political economy is the anti-classical hypothesis of money, or backing theory. The backing theory argues that the value of money is determined by the assets and liabilities of the issuing agency.[55] Unlike the Quantity Theory of classical political economy, the backing theory argues that issuing authorities can issue money without causing inflation so long as the money issuer has sufficient assets to cover redemptions. There are very few backing theorists, making quantity theory the dominant theory explaining inflation.[citation needed] - Controlling inflation A variety of methods and policies have been used to control inflation. Stimulating economic growth If economic growth matches the growth of the money supply, inflation should not occur when all else is equal.[56] A large variety of factors can affect the rate of both. For example, investment inmarket production, infrastructure, education, and preventative health care can all grow an economy in greater amounts than the investment spending.[57][58] Monetary policy The U.S. effective federal funds ratecharted over fifty years. Main article: Monetary policy Today the primary tool for controlling inflation is monetary policy. Most central banks are tasked with keeping their inter-bank lending rates at low levels, normally to a target rate around 2% to 3% per annum, and within a targeted low inflation range, somewhere from about 2% to 6% per annum. A low positive inflation is usually targeted, as deflationary conditions are seen as dangerous for the health of the economy. There are a number of methods that have been suggested to control inflation. Central banks such as the U.S. Federal Reserve can affect inflation to a significant extent through setting interest rates and through other operations. High interest rates and slow growth of the money supply are the traditional ways through which central banks fight or prevent inflation, though they have different approaches. For instance, some follow a symmetrical inflation target while others only control inflation when it rises above a target, whether express or implied. Monetarists emphasize keeping the growth rate of money steady, and using monetary policy to control inflation (increasing interest rates, slowing the rise in the money supply). Keynesians emphasize reducing aggregate demand during economic expansions and increasing demand during recessions to keep inflation stable. Control of aggregate demand can be achieved using both monetary policy and fiscal policy (increased taxation or reduced government spending to reduce demand). Fixed exchange rates Under a fixed exchange rate currency regime, a countrys currency is tied in value to another single currency or to a basket of other currencies (or sometimes to another measure of value, such as gold). A fixed exchange rate is usually used to stabilize the value of a currency, vis-a-vis the currency it is pegged to. It can also be used as a means to control inflation. However, as the value of the reference currency rises and falls, so does the currency pegged to it. This essentially means that the inflation rate in the fixed exchange rate country is determined by the inflation rate of the country the currency is pegged to. In addition, a fixed exchange rate prevents a government from using domestic monetary policy in order to achieve macroeconomic stability. Under the Bretton Woods agreement, most countries around the world had currencies that were fixed to the US dollar. This limited inflation in those countries, but also exposed them to the danger of speculative attacks. After the Bretton Woods agreement broke down in the early 1970s, countries gradually turned to floating exchange rates. However, in the later part of the 20th century, some countries reverted to a fixed exchange rate as part of an attempt to control inflation. This policy of using a fixed exchange rate to control inflation was used in many countries in South America in the later part of the 20th century (e.g. Argentina (1991–2002), Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile). Gold standard The gold standard is a monetary system in which a regions common media of exchange are paper notes that are normally freely convertible into pre-set, fixed quantities of gold. The standard specifies how the gold backing would be implemented, including the amount of specie per currency unit. The currency itself has no innate value, but is accepted by traders because it can be redeemed for the equivalent specie. A U.S. silver certificate, for example, could be redeemed for an actual piece of silver. The gold standard was partially abandoned via the international adoption of the Bretton Woods System. Under this system all other major currencies were tied at fixed rates to the dollar, which itself was tied to gold at the rate of $35 per ounce. The Bretton Woods system broke down in 1971, causing most countries to switch to fiat money – money backed only by the laws of the country. According to Lawrence H. White, an F. A. Hayek Professor of Economic History who values the Austrian tradition,[59] economies based on the gold standard rarely experience inflation above 2 percent annually.[60] However, historically, the U.S. saw inflation over 2% several times and a higher peak of inflation under the gold standard when compared to inflation after the gold standard.[61] Under a gold standard, the long term rate of inflation (or deflation) would be determined by the growth rate of the supply of gold relative to total output.[62] Critics argue that this will cause arbitrary fluctuations in the inflation rate, and that monetary policy would essentially be determined by gold mining.[63][64] Wage and price controls Another method attempted in the past have been wage and price controls (incomes policies). Wage and price controls have been successful in wartime environments in combination with rationing. However, their use in other contexts is far more mixed. Notable failures of their use include the 1972 imposition of wage and price controls by Richard Nixon. More successful examples include the Prices and Incomes Accord in Australia and the Wassenaar Agreement in the Netherlands. In general, wage and price controls are regarded as a temporary and exceptional measure, only effective when coupled with policies designed to reduce the underlying causes of inflation during the wage and price control regime, for example, winning the war being fought. They often have perverse effects, due to the distorted signals they send to the market. Artificially low prices often cause rationing and shortages and discourage future investment, resulting in yet further shortages. The usual economic analysis is that any product or service that is under-priced is overconsumed. For example, if the official price of bread is too low, there will be too little bread at official prices, and too little investment in bread making by the market to satisfy future needs, thereby exacerbating the problem in the long term. Temporary controls may complement a recession as a way to fight inflation: the controls make the recession more efficient as a way to fight inflation (reducing the need to increase unemployment), while the recession prevents the kinds of distortions that controls cause when demand is high. However, in general the advice of economists is not to impose price controls but to liberalize prices by assuming that the economy will adjust and abandon unprofitable economic activity. The lower activity will place fewer demands on whatever commodities were driving inflation, whether labor or resources, and inflation will fall with total economic output. This often produces a severe recession, as productive capacity is reallocated and is thus often very unpopular with the people whose livelihoods are destroyed (see creative destruction). Cost-of-living allowance The real purchasing-power of fixed payments is eroded by inflation unless they are inflation-adjusted to keep their real values constant. In many countries, employment contracts, pension benefits, and government entitlements (such as social security) are tied to a cost-of-living index, typically to the consumer price index.[65] A cost-of-living allowance (COLA) adjusts salaries based on changes in a cost-of-living index. Salaries are typically adjusted annually in low inflation economies. During hyperinflation they are adjusted more often.[65] They may also be tied to a cost-of-living index that varies by geographic location if the employee moves. Annual escalation clauses in employment contracts can specify retroactive or future percentage increases in worker pay which are not tied to any index. These negotiated increases in pay are colloquially referred to as cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) or cost-of-living increases because of their similarity to increases tied to externally determined indexes.

Nationalism And Sectionalism Essay Example for Free

Nationalism And Sectionalism Essay The Era of Good Feeling: The Effects and Consequences of Nationalism and Sectionalism In 1815, shortly before the start of James Monroe’s presidency and after the War of 1812, a historical period known as the â€Å"Era of Good Feeling† commenced in America. However, though the name of this age alone insinuated a time of unity and prosperity within the nation, sectionalism became an unequivocal dilemma that seeped through the government’s attempts in promoting nationalism, and ultimately divided the country. The Era of Good Feeling was a time where only one political party reigned, sense of unity prevailed, and national pride was evident within the citizens. This post ­war nationalism fueled the country to work towards a common goal, and even encouraged creation of traditions that would be passed down generations. The McCulloch v. Maryland case in 1819 exhibits government’s attempt in putting up a unified front to further promote nationalism. In this case, the Congress’ power is questioned when the ruling prevented states from outlawing or taxing the national bank, as Maryland tried to do. The document states, â€Å"The power of the general government, it has been said, are delegated by the states, who alone are truly sovereign† (Document 4). However, the outcome of the case only came to show that the federal government had more power compared to the state government, and thus portrayed a stronger, unified system. In Document 3, people are portrayed to be celebrating Independence Day on the fourth of July within the same year of the case. This depicts the effect that national pride had, bringing together multiple races, genders, social classes, and age groups to celebrate the country’s independence. Furthermore, this era also brought forth a fundamental period in Am erica known as the Industrial Revolution. This introduced market economy to the population and transitioned America to manufacturing processes that brought economic benefits to the north. Market economy not only changed the way people worked, but also the way they lived, as it divided labor, based work in factories, and opened new markets like the American Fur Company. Due to the prior Embargo Act, merchants also invested in national local manufacturing, and thus allowed for the rapid development of urban districts and increase in population. It brought wealth to the North’s market ­based economy but contradicted with the South’s focus on an agricultural economy that depended on slaves. One of the most significant developments within the country was introduced shortly after the War of 1812, by politician Henry Clay, as the American System. The plan promoted a system in which the South was seen to be the producer of raw goods, North for the manufacturing, while the West as the breadbasket of the country. It consisted of three parts: the development of canals, road systems and railroads, creation of a protective tariff, and the reinstating of the Bank of U.S.. The North prospered from the creation of the tariff as it helped develop the manufacturing economy. The West, on the other hand, benefitted from the creation of road and canal system, a plan supported by John C. Calhoun, in order to prevent disunion within the rapidly growing country, (Document 2). These developments in transportation allowed for easier distribution of goods, thus benefitting them as well. However, the protective tariff prevented the South’s economy from growing, thus leading to an evident economic gap between the North and the South, as the former’s economy started to boom due to the increase in manufacturing.

GIS in Asset and Utility Monitoring Management

GIS in Asset and Utility Monitoring Management CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE A detailed literature survey pertaining to the application of GIS in Asset and Utility Monitoring, Management is presented in this chapter. GIS combines location data with both quantitative and qualitative information about the location, letting you visualize, analyze, and report information through maps and charts. Using the technology, we can answer questions, conduct what-if scenarios, and visualize results. GIS is often first identified as a system to manage infrastructure assets and natural resources outside of buildings, but this is only part of the story. Buildings, campuses, military bases, and industrial plants, to name a few, also have geography and can be mapped. It is easier to analyze and manage facility and asset data stored in GIS, making design, construction, and maintenance more efficient and profitable.(ESRI 2010) Ajwaliya and Patel (2014) has done Design and Development of GIS Based Utility Management System covering 39 acre residential area of staff quarters, DOS housing colony, Vikramnagar, Space Applications Centre (SAC). They identified that GIS can be used in many ways to improve the planning, maintenance and management standards. Developed GIS model has been designed to manage utilities for vikramnagar residential colony. Strength of GIS is integrating data and preparing it for analysis or modeling apart from tying together data from various sources makes it an important tool for the planning and decision making. User can display legend of all layers displayed on the Map. P.Smith et. al. (2005) developed Electrical Distribution Model during his research on Electrical Distribution Modeling: An Integration of Engineering Analysis and Geographic Information Systems found that the integration of GIS and power system analysis efforts provides added functionality to the management of utility systems. As competition increases and as information technologies advance, a utility’s data becomes more and more valuable as a corporate resource. As a result, sharing information becomes very important to the efficiency of an organization. Though his research a small-scale integration, he highlights the ability of GIS to initiate full integration of electric utility information. The technique of integration and the role of GIS within the envelope of the entire information system can take many forms. Blachut et al. (1979) remarked that, The availability of detailed and up-to-date cartographic representations of underground utility lines (as water supply, sewage system, electrical grid, gas network, district heating network, telecommunications and wiring network, oil pipelines) is very useful for network facility management, both for private companies and for local administrations. References from Books: Blachut, T.J., Chrzanowski A. Saastamoinen J.H. 1979. Urban Surveying and Mapping: 221-234. Springer-Verlag, New York (USA). Metje et al. (2007) noted that To obtain a sufficiently accurate and complete representation of the underground, a dedicated and extended survey is required. Non-invasive surveying can be performed with traditional topographic methods or by GPS positioning, by measuring the positions of the surface elements of the networks, like manholes, catch basins, transformers, hydrants, exchange boxes, etc., and subsequently inferring the presence and the approximate planar location of the buried lines. Another possibility is the GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) technique. References from Journals: Metje, N., Atkins, P.R., Brennan, M.J., Chapman, D.N., Lim, H.M., Machell, J., Muggleton, J.M., Pennock, S.R., Ratcliffe, J., Redfern, M.A., Rogers, C.D.F., Saul, A.J., Shan, Q., Swingler, S.G. Thomas, A.M. 2007. Mapping the Underworld. State of the Art Review. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 22(5-6): 568-586. N.cazzaniga et al. (2012) implemented a geographical DB for the storage of data of underground structures and infrastructures. The structure of the DB has been designed based on an approach oriented to the study of the whole process of designing and laying new elements of a utility line. The results were compliant with the requirements of Italian national regulations. This approach allows a good traceability of all collected and archived data, giving the possibility to reconstruct the complete processing chain from the preliminary design of the utility lines to their laying. The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) migrated some of its electric CAD operations into GIS and maintains a dual CAD and GIS system. FPUA serve more than 24,000 electric, 15,000 water, 12,000 wastewater, and 4,700 natural gas customers in Fort Pierce and portions of St. Lucie County, Florida. With the GIS in place, FPUA is working to bring the natural gas and fiber-optic telecommunication service databases into the GIS as well as to integrate them with the water service and wastewater collection GIS.(ESRI 2005) The city of Painesville, Ohio’s utility services include water, electric, storm water, and sewer services. The city has set up a system for government regulation compliance by using GIS. The windfall of meeting the government requirement is that Painesville’s GIS also supports asset management for electric operations, system maintenance and capital improvement planning.(ESRI 2005) Reliable digital data acquisition, robustness, and ease of use were the requirements stipulated by Swisscom AG when it set out to acquire new GNSS instruments to determine the positions of telecommunication infrastructure in the companys country wide fixed-line network. The first requirement was for the measuring sys- tem to provide reliable digital data acquisition to allow data transfer to be extensively automated. Furthermore, the system had to be robust, easy to transport, and able to be used by staff who had no detailed knowledge of surveying. The new satellite- supported surveying system Leica Viva GNSS fulfilled all these requirements – in addition to the GNSS and communications technology, the client was also impressed by the systems’ newly designed, easy to use software, Leica SmartWorx Viva.(Schnichels n.d.) In the past few years the State of Qatar, a peninsula on the Arabian Gulf, has experienced extensive infrastructure development. More than twenty years ago the results of a user needs assessment carried out by the government clearly indicated an enormous need for a fully integrated nationwide GIS. The government then established the Centre for GIS (CGIS) as a department of the Ministry of Municipality Urban Planning. It is based in the capital Doha and became the official mapping agency of the State of Qatar. Since the end of October 2009, many public and private survey and mapping communities have been benefiting from a nationwide Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network.(Saal 2009) Mary Howard (2014), County GIS Manager has quoted â€Å"we have found excellent return on investment for staffing time during collections as well as the importance of having a reliable end-product.† while collecting data in heavily wooded terrain using Trimble and Floodlight technology. for project consisting of installing a broadband 220 miles of buried fiber cable and 5 wireless relay towers. According to County GIS Manager Mary Howard, a fiber mapping crew used an underground-line-locating device to detect the buried fiber and mark its location. Then a GIS technician recorded the location using the handheld GeoXH unit running Esri ArcPad with Trimble GPSCorrectâ„ ¢ data collection software.(Mary Howard 2014) Jamil et al. (2012) has tried to evaluate main driver in utility mapping, utility agencies, land surveyors and the land surveying profession to meet the demand and challenges in executing the underground utility mapping in Malaysia. JUPEM has developed a national underground utility database called PADU to act as a repository of reliable and accurate underground utility data comprising power and telecommunication cables, gas, water and sewerage pipes provided by the utility agencies in a systematic GIS approach. The data submitted by the various utility agencies are subjected to various checks and verification processes before they are accepted into PADU. However, these checks reveal data of low quality, inaccurate and insufficient to be used as a reference for excavation works. Issues pertaining to data quality, lack of skill and knowledge and the requirement of legislation on underground utility mapping are some of the challenges faced with regards to underground utility mapping in Malaysia. Various initiatives are now being undertaken to overcome these challenges. 1

Argument Against Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution Essay -- Natural

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution to explain the origin, diversity and complexity of life. I will will disprove evolution by showing that natural selection only explains small evolutionary changes, collectively known as microevolution. Natural selection cannot drive large evolutionary changes, macroevolution. I will also show that the primordial soup, in which life supposedly evolved, did not exist. Neo-Darwinism incorporates the discoveries of modern science into Darwin's original theory while leaving the basic beliefs intact. Darwin proposed that individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. Darwin called this process natural selection. Darwin did not understand how or why variation existed. Today scientists realize that variation arises through random changes (called mutations) to existing genes. Genes are the chemicals that determine the traits and characteristics of animals and plants. Every trait has one or more gene associated with it. Thus, natural selection provides the animals and plants with the best genes. Supporters of neo-Darwinism believe that natural selection operating upon random variation gave rise rise to all animals and plants. While the source of variation is random, the direction of evolution is not. In effect, natural selection removes chance, and it makes the theory of evolution plausible. If neo-Darwinism is correct then nu merous small successive changes guided by natural selection gave rise to all animals and plants. I will prove that natural selection is not a creative process. Its primary function is to preserve the status quo. Thus, new structures and organs must arise through chance. Natural selection can only preserve and optimize these new structures and organs after they evolve through chance. In other words, natural selection does not drive evolution, and the hypothesis on which neo-Darwinism is based is flawed. Natural selection drives microevolution. Microevolution is defined as evolution involving small changes. Microevolution does not require the evolution of new structures or organs, Therefore, microevolution does not involve the creation of new genes. Changes to existing genes (mutations) result in variation. Natural selection acts on this variation and preserves the best. So while the variation may be random, the process of microevolution is not. Natural... ...ific experiments can not test macroevolution, there is no direct evidence to suggest that the processes behind microevolution can also bring about the evolution of new structures or genes. In other words, microevolution should not be extended to support macroevolution. While punctuated equilibria may save evolution from the fossil record, it cannot save the theory from the more serious flaws. For example, the success of evolution is based entirely upon the ability of scientists to use microevolution to justify macroevolution. What is the difference between microevolution and macroevolution? Microevolution does not require new structures or organs. Macroevolution does. This implies that microevolution does not create new genes whereas macroevolution requires new genes. Two things should be clear from the examples offered above: 1.) Microevolution can bring about very large changes. 2). It is easy to make the same mistake that Darwin made. That is microevolution can accomplish a lot, so why not use it to explain macroevolution? For these reasons explained above, how can any person with a sound mind still believe in the outlandish fairy-tale that is called evolution?

Finding Her Voice in Their Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Janie Crawford, the main character of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, strives to find her own voice throughout the novel and, in my opinion, she succeeds even though it takes her over thirty years to do it. Each one of her husband’s has a different effect on her ability to find that voice. The first time Janie had noticed this was when he was appointed mayor by the town’s people and she was asked to give a few words on his behalf, but she did not answer, because before she could even accept or decline he had promptly cut her off, â€Å" ‘Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ’bout no speech-makin’/Janie made her face laugh after a short pause, but it wasn’t too easy/†¦the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything on way or another that took the bloom off things† (43). This would happen many times during the course of their marriage. He told her that a woman of her class and caliber was not to hang around the low class citizens of Eatonville. In such cases when he would usher her off the front porch of the store when the men sat around talking and laughing, or when Matt Boner’s mule had died and he told her she could not attend its dragging-out, and wh en he demanded that she tie up her hair in head rags while working in the store, â€Å"This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT to show in the store† (55). He had cast Janie off from the rest of the community and put her on a pedestal, which made Janie feel as though she was trapped in an emotional prison. Over course of their marriage, he had silenced her so much that she found it better to not talk back when got this way. His voice continuously oppresses Janie and her voice. She retreats within herself, where still dreams of her bloom time, which had ended with Joe, â€Å"This moment lead Janie to ‘grows out of her identity, but out of her division into inside and outside. Knowing not mix them is knowing that articulate language requires the co-presence of two distinct poles, not their collapse into oneness’ † (Clarke 608). The marriage carries on like this until; Joe lies sick and dying in his death be d.

Spinal Cord Injury Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Spinal Cord Injury Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to find a cure for such a devastating injury. Spinal cord injuries can happen anywhere along the spinal cord, but the exact location of the trauma determines the effects that the injury will have. Injuries in the lower back, between the Sacrum(S1-S5) and Lumbar(L1-L5) vertebrae mainly effect the legs. Breaks in the Thoracic(T1-T12) vertebrae, located in the middle of the back, effect the torso and portions of the arms. While injuries in the spine above the shoulder blades, the Cervical(C1-C8) vertebrae, effect not only movement in the neck, but functions such as breathing, speaking, and eating. In the past, some functions have been able to be regained by some individuals, but after the initial recovery period most people see little improvement over the course of their lives. The main reason for such a poor recovery is that the nerve cells in the spinal cord do not regenerate on their own. Once the spinal cord develops, two things keep it from growing. One of which is an inhibitor protein and the ... ...en very bleak in the past, major hurdles have been overcome and science is now working on a way to help people recover from their injuries instead of teaching them how to live with them. Web Sites used in this Paper (1) Welcome to the American Paralysis Association - APACURE.COM http://www.apacure.com/mainfram.html -This site contains a short video on axon degeneration and an animated illustrations on the process of death and regeneration in nerve cells. (2) Theories on the Effects of Acupuncture on the Nervous System Emma Christensen, [deals with concepts of pain] http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Christensen.html (3) Spinal Cord Injury - - Research Highlights http://www.nin ds.nih.gov/healinfo/disorder/sci/scispec.htm (4) Spinal Cord Injury Center http://www.med.nyu.edu/clnre s95/spincord.htm