Aston manor brewery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Aston manor brewery - Essay Example Reflective Essay The Aston Manor Brewery is a United Kingdom based brewery and beer bottling company. It is situated in Aston, Birmingham, England. The Aston Manor’s major products include cider, beer, and perry. In the year 2008, Aston brewery emerged the third largest cider producing company in the United Kingdom. This rating was based on the market share and in the same capacity, it was rated the fourth largest producer of the same product in the world. Peter Ellis, the son of Doug Ellis is the manager of the Aston Company (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). In the year 2008, Frosty Jack’s Cider was the United Kingdom’s leading white cider brands. It is also worth noting that it is among other three Hammer brands. Four former employees of the Ansells founded Aston Manor in the year 1981 after Ansells closed one of its brewery that was known as the Aston Cross brewery. This led to the opening of a new brewery in the nearby lane, the Thimble Mill Lane. In the y ear 1984, Michael Hancocks, the then Herefordshire hop farmer and one of the major suppliers of the company, bought into the business. By the end of the year 1998, Aston Manor reported a profit turnover of ?1 million that included mainly over 70 percent sales of cider. However, by the year ending 2001, the company experienced immense competition leading to a decline of its profit to ?740,500. Nonetheless, by the end of the financial year 2009, the company reported immense profit of ?3 million. This significant increase in profit was pegged on the increased demand for the company’s products in the entire United Kingdom. It is worth noting that during the same year, the company took over the management of the Devon Cider Company that was based in the Tiverton. Devon up to that time had expanded its manufacturing facilities at its site of operation (Martin Information, Ltd, 1900; Pg. 92) and merging these two companies gave the Aston Manor a new face of production come its succe ss. Despite being an international business, the Aston Company remains 100 percent family owned, a factor that makes it deliver the finest products in the market (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). Additionally, the company owns over 300 acres of orchards from which it is stocked with Bittersweet apple trees that it uses to produce a wide range of cider drinks that covers the whole market. The products range from high end premium brands of mass market products with the former including Duchy Originals while that latter includes Frosty Jack’s Cider. The main strategic objective of the Aston Manor is to craft a range of ciders to suit everyone and very taste and this will expand the market for all the Aston manor’s products. The Aston Manor is a leading brewery for drinks in a business of its own. It creates its own market as well as distributed a series of cider brands both in the United Kingdom and globally. In all its products, Aston Manor produces a range of quality cider products that are made from sustainable means that are responsible for sourcing customers and markets and this is the means the company intends to expand its market for all its products. It is worth noting Aston Manor is committed to the industry best practice that has accelerated its accentuated membership into the national association of cider manufacturer (NACM). Moreover, it is a member of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) that ensures that it adheres to the global standards for food

Critically evaluate the management of sustainability at Barclays Essay

Critically evaluate the management of sustainability at Barclays through the triple bottom line, and critically comment on the c - Essay Example The banking industry should be responsible for proper risk management, upholding business ethics and investor protection. However, their contribution to the society and environment by way of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is important for a sustainable growth and development in the long run. Organizational culture and management According to Yeung (2011, p. 112) the bankers shall establish positive organizational culture and socially responsible mindset in the organization and demonstrate accountability and creditability by reducing risks and enhancing quality of service to customers and community through effective and efficient internal audit. Therefore, the bankers’ primary responsibilities of accountability and creditability are very important. The Salz Review is an independent review of certain Barclays’ processes, business practices and culture.   Anthony Salz who headed the Salz Review Team observed â€Å"Despite its turbulent recent history, Barclays ha s emerged from the financial crisis, somewhat against the odds, as one of the world’s leading banks. But this has been achieved at a cost. Significant failings developed in the organisation as it grew. The absence of a common purpose or common set of values has led to conduct problems, reputational damage and a loss of public trust† (Salz Review, 2013) During the period of financial crises there has been â€Å"disproportionate sharing of risk between employees and shareholders became apparent† (Salz Review, 2013, p. 163). The report has also highlighted absence of values, cultural inconsistencies, insufficiency of strong controls, focus on financial performance, but lack of focus on development of its people that led to conduct problems, breach of regulations, investigations, litigations and loss of public trust. Also, the report suggests that Barclays has to re-establish its purpose and values with customer focussed culture by reassessing its governance and risk management. The report concludes that it will need perseverance and consistency at all levels of leadership. (Ibid, p. 164) In response to this review report Barclays (2013b, p. 1) clearly stated â€Å"The Board is committed to implementing all of the recommendations and to publishing an account of our progress in doing so going forward† It should also be remembered that the review has appreciated many other positive aspects and stated that the problems faced by Barclays are also industry problems in some ways though Barclays is cautioned about taking comfort from this. Sustainable management and Social accounting Non-financial accounting and reporting developed over years have been founded on the principles of corporate accountability. The society provides capital, resources and patronage for the growth and development of the companies. Therefore, social and economic sustainability are fundamental for the stability and growth of the commercial organizations. Sustainability accounting seeks to quantify the effects of the contributions made by the companies by way of corporate social responsibility. Barclays published 2011 Citizenship Report, its environmental and social performance for the 12th year on 26 April 2012 (Barclaysa, 2013a). The highlights include ?63.5m invested in communities, 73,000 employees involved in fundraising activities and four per cent reduction in C02 emissions, achieved ahead of our 2013 target date. Corporate Social Responsibility forms the basis for sustainable managem

The attitudes of Christianity Essay Example for Free

The attitudes of Christianity Essay Islam and Christianity share a lot of similarities and differences. One of the most important similarities that they share is that they are both universal religions. Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions, believing in only one god, which is also believed by some religions researchers to be the same god, but referred with different nominatives. In the Christian religion it is referred to as Christ and in the Islam religion it is referred to as Allah. They do not only share these little similarities, but much more: like the beginning of the religions. In both holy books: the Bible for Christians and the Quran for Muslims, it is described the creation of the earth in the very firsts chapters. The Bible, as the Quran states that Christ created the world in six days; in the other hand the Quran states the same thing, but using the nominative of Allah instead than Christ. As time advanced many differences born between Christianity and Islam. Christianity and Islam looked at merchants and trade form different points of views. With the years, the views of both religions of trade and merchants have altered in positive and negative ways. During the early years of Christianity, trade was not viewed in a positive way, but it was more considered like an obstacle that would stand and block the bridge linking a person to heaven. In fact as we can see Document 1 states that being wealthy would place you further away from God and consequently, further away from Gods kingdom. a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Being wealthy was thought of negatively by the New Testament, possibly meaning that earning a lower income would draw you nearer to God. In Christianity trade was seen depending on how the merchant was going to use the profit, because there are two prospective to see trade. The negative way; which is the one stated in Document1 is when someone trades with the purpose not to benefits other people, but to benefit himself with the profit. The other way, which is different is the positive way, is much  different because is the one where a merchant trades not only for benefit himself, but also to benefit others; donating part of the profit. Only in this way trade wouldnt be an obstacle in the bridge linking the person to heaven; but instead it would be a sort of shortcut. In fact Document 3, which describes the life of a twelfth-century British wealthy merchant named St. Godric, shows that there is a positive and negative way in which Christ looks at trade. Godric, after named St. Godric, was one of the firsts to understand the ways in which Christ looks at trade because even know that the Bible, or the word of Christ, stated that a wealthy man would hardly go to heaven, St. Godric proceeded trading. But he devoted himself to God, during his reteriment, using his wealth in charities, and aiding the poor people. He sold all his possessions and distributed them among the poor. For above all things he coveted the life of a hermit. This example shows that trade is not done only for personal benefits but that it is also done for the benefits of others, such as the poor and the sick people. During the seventh century Islam viewed merchants and trade in a positive way in fact many Muslims were traders or merchants traveling around the known world selling or trading their home goods, and so spreading the Islam culture and religion. Islam supports trade, but until a certain level. In fact Document 2, which is a part of the Muslims holy book, the Quran, instructs merchants how to trade lawfully and truthfully. If the two parties speak the truth and make it manifest, their transaction shall be blessed, and if they conceal and tell a lie, the blessing of their transaction shall be obliterated. On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith This quote shows that merchants and traders were supported by the Quran, and so by the Islam religion, as long as they traded honestly between each other. In conclusion the Islam religion supported the Muslims merchants and allowed them to trade as long as they did not steal from each other and were honest. Christianity has changed over the centuries. The radical changed is that Christians now accept trade in a positive way, but must be done accordingly.  In Document 4, Thomas Aquinas, a leading Scholastic theologian of 1273, almost 1100 years after Document 1 was written, describes how to trade in the way that Christ will accept it. As we have seen in Document 1, Matthew states that a merchant should not sell something to another man for more than it is worth. All thingswhatsoever you would that men should do to you do you also to them. In the opposite hand, Thomas Aquinas is tring to interpret that message by saying that trade is allowed as long as the merchant doesnt cheat its costumer or sells things that are not of his property. During that period people started thinking differently because at the early years of Christianity people so trade in a negative way; while during the thirteenth century people started thinking that Christ influenced people to trade and that with his presence their trading will go well; and so we can conclude that a new similarity between Islam and Christianity born, because according to Document 2 Muslims could trade as long as they were honest between each other. Also Document 6 supports the fact that a radical changed occurred because, one of the merchants states in a letter: With God always before us, we will carry out your bidding. Christianitys views on trade and merchants have changed from being condemned, to being used for daily life. Also Islams views about trade and merchants got better with the years, because the Muslims like the Christians made it a daily occupation; and infact in document 5 Ibn Khaldun mainly writes about the importance of trade and making profit. This is a sign of change because in Document 2 it states that you shouldnt sell something for more than it is worth. Islam, as Christianity, has not followed the writings of the Quran. This is another similarity between the two universal religions that shows that the two religions are very alike. Document 7, which describes a problem that had occurred during a trade transaction, shows that a negative change occurred in Muslims merchants: they started to think to much about the profit that hey were going to make, and so forgot the writings in the Quran. Both Christianity and Islam have changed over time, due to scholars who thought openly to the New Testament and the Quran. Since trade in both of  the religions had started off at different paces and different starting points, their views on trade and merchants turned out different. Overall, Christianitys development was more righteous and more realistic than the development of Islam. Christianity and Islam have altered because of different perspectives of scholars of their religions and due to the requirement and changes of the market. To better understand the development of trade according to Christianity, I would need an additional document that describes if the Christians merchants took advantage of the situations to cheat on their costumers or if they respected the new developments: trade was allowed as long as the merchants were honest between each other. If I would have the opportunity to have that document I could make a final affirmation about the developments of Christianity from the early years until 1500 C.E.

Health And Safety In Metal Workshops Environmental Sciences Essay

Health And Safety In Metal Workshops Environmental Sciences Essay According to the ILO, some 2.3 million workers around the world die due to work-related accidents or diseases every year. That is an average of around 6000 deaths daily. There are also around 340 million cases of occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses each year and frequent estimates have show an increase of accidents and ill health. 1.1 Health and safety in metal workshops Metal works has proved to be a necessity in the manufacturing, construction and other such industries. Since prehistoric times till this modern era, metalwork has evolved into a massive industry and gained a large influence on the global economy. Metals are used in a huge range of products in this modern time. Their use is largely dependent on their properties. For example aluminium is used in manufacturing of automobiles, whereas iron is used in the construction sector. In this modern world, no one can say that he does not have a piece of metal at home or has never been in need for some metal work at any occasion. Metal consumption in the world, as the other resources is rising rapidly. This is due to the growth in population and rising wealth (Norgate T.E and Rankin W.J, 2002). This increase in demand has led to an increase in the number of metal workshops around the globe. Its effect can also be felt in Mauritius. Metal workshops have grown up like mushrooms all around the island, to meet the demand of the market for more metal works. How many people have ever wondered how and in what conditions metal work is being performed? Most formal enterprises abide by the current legislations governing the health and safety in Mauritius, the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005 also known as the OSHA-2005 and its other relevant regulations. The employers make use of good safety and health practices and this has been proved to be an enriching experience. The has been considerable decrease in the number of absenteeism and number of accidents, resulting in less money loss in terms of non-payment of injury leaves, compensation, work days lost and any other legal suits. In Mauritius, there are many small metal workshops. Those are operated by people having little or no concept of health and safety at work. The workers are often working alone and in some cases students are employed to work during school holidays. The people working therein are more concerned about having their salary at the end of the month with giving much attention to their personal safety, but what would happen if the latter is injured or if they become so ill due to exposure to any substance that become bed ridden or even die? What would be the impact on the latters family? 1.2 Wastes in metal workshops During machining in a metal workshop waste is generated. Most of the waste is from the raw material which is the metal being fabricated. The metal wastes that are generated vary greatly in form. They have different shapes and sizes ranging from large unusable pieces of metal to dust particles. Other sources of wastes are used oil, grease, wood, chemicals, paint containers, grinding discs, used electrodes (from arc-welding), solvents and other office products such as paper. Accumulation of these may pose as a hazard to health and safety of the workers present in the workshop and also affect the environment. 1.3 Problem statement: The alarming rise in the number of accidents in working environment shows some lacking in the management of health and safety at the workplace. A metal workshop is a place full of hazards and if precautionary measures are not taken, these may result in incidents or accidents. Also if wastes are not being managed properly, it may cause harm to the environment and for the enterprise itself it is money lost in terms of unused material and it requires a place to be disposed of. Some employers have no idea about how to dispose of the materials and in informal sectors some enterprises dump all the wastes that are not taken by the municipal waste carriers. 1.4 Aims: The study will firstly provide an analysis of how health and safety is being managed in metal workshops and will provide remedial measures so as to decrease the number of accidents. The second purpose of the study is to give an understanding of how wastes from metal workshops are being managed and to provide recommendations so as to improve the efficiency in the waste management practices. It will focus mainly on the wastes generated in the metal workshops only. 1.5 Objectives: Identify the sources of health and safety hazards, wastes Identify the impacts of health and safety hazards on the employees and, waste on the environment Identify how the health and safety and, wastes are being managed Assess the level of awareness related to Health and safety, and Waste management Evaluation of health and safety management and, waste management Provide recommendation on better ways to manage health and safety and, waste management Chapter two 2.0 Literature review 2.1 What is health and safety? Health and safety is basically the provision and maintenance of a safe and sound working environment. 2.2 Health and safety in the informal sector For this study, safety and health in metal workshops can be classified as part of the informal sector. The ILO introduced the concept of informal sector around 25 years ago. In 1972, an ILO employment mission report in Kenya found that migration from countryside to cities resulted in urban unemployment. This is the reason why rural migrants and urban dwellers find employment in the small scale and micro-level production and distribution of goods and services. These largely unrecognised, unrecorded and unregulated small-scale activities constitute the informal sector. According to the ILO, the informal can be characterised as a range of economic units in the urban areas, which are mainly operated and owned either in partnership with members of the same family or by individuals alone. It employs one or more employees on a continuous basis in addition to unpaid family worker and/or casual workers. The employer-employee relationship is often not in written and informal with no or little appreciation of workers rights industrial relations. The works performed are mainly labour intensive and require low-level skills. Typically they operate on a small-scale with no or very little level of organisation. They are engaged in the production and distribution of goods and services with main objective of generating employment and basic income. In Mauritius, all organisations that are known and registered as forming part of the formal sector, have to comply with the norms and procedures established for them by the different authorities. They are subjected to regular inspections by the various institutes to monitor their level of compliance and in case of abnormalities; they may subjected to fines and other types of penalties. On the other hand, unregistered organisations form part of the informal sector. So, you can imagine that the small metal workshop at the corner of the street where you live forms part of the informal sector and its existence may not even be known to the authorities. Have you ever thought about how many such workshops are in Mauritius? The number of persons working therein and the level of safety? 2.3 The norms Section 5 of the OSHA-2005 stipulates that an employer has the responsibility to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the safety, health and welfare at work of all his employees. It also includes the following; The employer shall provide and maintain a working environment and any plant or system of work and ensure that any place of work is under his control, including access and egress therein. He should ensure the safety and health of the workers during use, handling, storage or transportation or materials and substances. He should provide and maintain facilities and arrangements for the welfare at work of his employees. He should ensure the provision of information, instruction, training and supervision as required for the safety and health of the employees. He shall also ensure that any person not in his employment is not exposed to any risk to his safety and health. Section 13 of the OSHA-2005 stipulates that any self-employed person shall conduct his work in such a way so as to ensure the health and safety of his workers and any other persons who may be affected. 2.4 Compliance with the norms The creation of a safe working environment starts by oneself. Health and safety is present in Mauritius but was not paid a heed few years ago because many persons were not even aware of its existence. It is now that people are becoming more aware about it. Non-compliance with OSHA-2005 means contravention and is an offence which is punishable by Law. According to the Act, any offence under the Act may be punished by a fine of not more than Rs.75, 000 and an imprisonment of not more than one year. Although the terms of the Act are set out in simple English, it is very difficult to implement it as requires heavy investments and the employer become less willing to invest because they find it annoying and not profitable to abide by set standards. The registered enterprises are frequently visited by relevant authorities that see to it that the norms are being respected. 2.5 Metal fabrication process Metal fabrication processes involve raw materials and range of tools to give shape to desired metal products. These processes can be categorized into cold, warm and hot working based on the temperature they are being processed. Hot working is the process that depends on control heat applied to change the physical properties of the metal piece and cold working is the application of direct physical pressure (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1995). Metals are present in the daily basic objects such as paper clips, computers, bolts, nails, and automobile parts, parts used for instruments and machinery and numerous other products and to transform metals in these objects, metals pass through a series of manufacturing procedures such as cutting, forming, and finishing, bending, punching, drilling, turning, grinding and threading. (Johnson, 2008) The main procedures in metal fabrication are as follows: 2.5.1 Metal Forming Forging: is the process of working metal with applying force to give shape to the metal, this include the use of forging hammer or drop hammer, press forging, forging machine such as drop hammer, screw press, crank press, hydraulic press. Rolling: is the process whereby compressive force is applied on long metalwork to reduce the thickness its cross section, this cane be done either by hot rolling or cold rolling procedures. Extrusion: is the process where high pressure is used to force a metal block or billet to flow through o die orifice whereby the metal is reduced in cross section. Extrusion is used to give cylindrical shaped or hollow bars of metal. The amount of forced required during the process is huge so metals are generally hot extruded. Bending: is a flexible process to deform metal changing its shape, the metal is stressed beyond the yield force but lesser than its tensile strength which is done by of applying force through hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical machines.   Spinning: is a process that produces rotationally symmetrical hollow parts, hemispheres, cones and cylinders shapes. Generally metal spinning is a cold process done by manual, automated or hydraulic equipment. 2.5.2 Shearing Conventional shearing: is the process used to cut straight lines on flat metal sheet stock. Turret Punching: is a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) process use to make hole in metal sheet. This is a cold process where the metal properties are unchanged since they are not exposed to thermal impact. 2.5.3 Material Removal Sawing: is the process whereby a tool with tooth blade is use to cut metal. This is a basic way of cutting metals into desired pieces and with time the simple handsaw has been designed into different saws such as horizontal band saws, vertical band saws, pivot arm band saws, plate/block band saws, steel circular saws, non ferrous circular saws, and power hacksaws. Turning: is the process where the diameter is reduced by removal of the outer part of a rotating metal work piece. Drilling: is the process to pierce hole in metal work piece n accordance to the specification of the desired bore or ream. Milling: is the process where a rotating cutter is use to cut the metal which is fed against the rotating cutter. Grinding: is the process whereby there is removal of metal by abrasion from bar or billet stock surfaces. 2.5.4 Advance Methods Laser cutting: is the process where metal is vaporized in a well defined area; the cutting source is very small which allows small cut widths. The laser beam can be use to cut very hard or abrasive metals and is very cost effective since there is a low operating and maintenance cost. Waterjet Machining: in this process a water jet cutter is used as tool to slice metal with a jet of water under a high velocity and pressure. The cutter is generally place at the nozzle where water will be ejected under high pressure, bombarding the metal cutting it with the high water speed. Electrical Discharge Machining(EMD): is the process which is also known as spark erosion, whereby electrical energy is used to remove metal this result in shapes that cannot be produced by other machining process on thin metal piece. Wire Discharge Machining (WEMD): is a more precise process of cutting metal where electrical energy and a small diameter cooper or brass wire is used. Generally it is a computer numerically controlled (CNC) process. 2.5.5 Welding and Joining Arc Welding: is the process where a welding power is established between an electrode the metal that need to be welded. During welding a shielding gas (inert or semi inert gases) or filler metals are used as a protection. The fusion process takes place to bond the desired parts of metals by high intense heat, whereby the metals melt on heating to mix together and on cooling they solidify to form a metallurgical bond. Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW): in this process a stick welding is used which is coated whit flux that produces the gas shield as protection. Here also the fusion of the metal is done by melting produced by the heat of the arc between the coated electrode and the metal piece. Laser Beam Welding (LBW): is the process whereby metals are radiated by a concentrated beam of coherent light to melt the desired parts. As in arc welding it is protected by inert gases. Gas-metal Arc welding(GMAW)or (MIG) : a process which is mostly known as Metal Inert Gas welding done with the use of a wire and electrode where a an electric arc is generated to melt the wire to feed the weld puddle. A flow of inert gas is use as shield. Fluxed cored Arc welding (FCWA): the process commonly known as fluxed cored uses a long continuous solid wire incorporated in the welding gun. The wire is coated with flux that produces the arc, additives to weld and slag. The shield is a mixture of carbon dioxide and inert gas and large amount of fume is produced. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW): the process involve the use of tungsten electrode to produce the electric arc. In this process the electrode is not consumed as in (SMAW). The gas shielding is a mixture of argon and helium and no metal filler may be use. Electroslag Welding (ESW): in this process the joining of the metal is done by passing electric current in a molten conductive slag that heat up the filler and metal. This process is generally use to join very thick metal 2.6 Health effects Hazardous materials are likely to be found in a metal fabrication. These can directly or indirectly affect the health of the workers either by contact or absorption in the body. Moreover when assessing the potential health effects with those materials that the workers are exposed to, it is important to understand the difference between toxicity and hazards. 2.6.1 Toxicity: Toxicity is the ability of a particular substance to produce an unwanted effect when the chemical has reached a sufficient concentration at a certain part of the body. 2.6.2 Hazards: Hazards is the possibility that this concentration of the chemical in the body will likely to occur. However, a material can be very dangerous but not hazardous to its exposure. It all depend whether it is properly handled and not contacting with the body. On the other side, a material can be low toxic but very hazardous to health and safety. 2.7 Routes of entry: The four common routes of entry are as follows: Inhalation via respiratory track Skin contact via dermal contact Ingestion through the digestive system Injection 2.7.1 Inhalation via respiratory track: It is a situation where the body is taking materials in the body by breathing. This is the most common mean by which chemical particles enter the body. These contaminants are likely to have both acute and chronic effects. Breathing in of these toxic substances in most cases is likely to cause damage to the mucous membrane of the mouth, throat, lungs and circulatory system. These can happen for example during welding where fumes are generated. 2.7.2 Skin contact via dermal contact: The skin is known to be the largest organ of the human body and provides protection against radiation, heat and abrasion and acts as a barrier to chemicals and bacteria. Skin contact is known as the primary route of entry into the body. Contact with hazardous substances may damage the skin. There are a number of conditions that may be caused by exposure to the different substances ranging from minor irritations to ulceration and cancer. 2.7.3 Ingestion through the digestive system: This is the least common type of exposure in occupational environment, but can happen as a due to carelessness or poor personal hygiene i.e. when the workers eat or drink in the workplace or without washing their hands. In metal workshops the workers are likely to ingest the metal particles that can be found on their hands or deposited on their food. 2.7.4 Injection: This occurs when substances are absorbed directly through cuts or injury with contaminated sharp objects. In metal workshops cuts and bruises are most likely to happen during handling of the materials. In most cases, these small incidents are normally not taken into consideration due to its nature as the works are not affected by it, but the danger is that by not taking care of it, an infection may occur having significant impact on the workers health, hence affecting work as well. 2.8 Physical hazards 2.8.1 Noise Sound is a vibration that can be perceived by ear similarly noise is perceived by the ear but as an unwanted sound. A more appropriate definition noise is any disturbance produced within a range of frequency (NIOSH, 1991). Noise arises during most activity done by human, when measuring the impact on human health noise is categorized under occupational noise or environmental noise (WHO, 2004). Noise is generated by almost every equipment, machine or tool used in metal fabrication industry example motors, gears, belts and pulleys, point of operation during cutting, welding and vibrations of footing and equipments or piece of metal being worked. Noise can be controlled by being in line to the hierarchy of control, in first instance by good maintenance of machines, equipments and tools and by applying engineering controlled such as isolation, stabilizing and damping. To further reduce noise segregation control may be opted so that a minimum number of employees may be affected, the equipments may be enclosed so as much of noise is absorbed or reflected within barriers. Hearing protection equipment may be provided to employees depending on the nature of the operations such as protection for metal grinder, welding and sheet metal fabrication. Last but not the least it is the management responsibility to ensure and implement an effective hearing conservation program. ( AmTrust Fi nancial, n.d) 2.8.2 Heat stress Heat stress is said to be a serious type of physical hazard that should be considered in metal workshops especially during summer seasons. It occurs when workers do some operations in high air temperatures, high humidity or when they are having physical contact with hot objects. While working in these conditions, workers have to wear protective clothing which is likely to cause heat stress. (Reese, C.D, 2001) 2.8.3 Cold stress According to NIOSH, cold stress arises when workers who are expose to cold or working in a cold environment. When temperature goes down, thus the body maintains its temperature by reducing blood flow through the skin. The most extreme effect that the workers may get is on the extremities (fingers, toes, earlobes and nose).when fingers become cold they become numb and insensitive and this may increased the possibility of having accidents in the workplace.(Reese,C.D,2001) 2.8.4 Radiation Radiation can be classified according to the effects that it produced to the matter. There two types of radiation which are ionizing and non ionizing. (ILO, n.d)Ionizing radiation is produced by high voltage devices which can be present in metal workshops which can affect the workers. (NIOSH.n.d). Non ionizing radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can have various effect on the body, which depend on the on the particular wavelength of the radiation being involved. (Reese, C.D, 2001) 2.8.5Vibration Vibrating tools and the equipment that are being used at frequencies between 40 and 90 hertz can cause damage to the circulatory and the nervous systems. One of the most common Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) results from vibration is the Raynauds Syndrome. It is the most common symptoms leading to numbness and tingling in the finger that is the skin turns pale, ashen and cold, and thus this leads to eventual loss of sensation and the control in the fingers and hands. (Reese, C.D, 2001) 2.8.6 Confine space In 1979, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Criteria Document providing recommendations for working in confined spaces where it defines confine space as a space where the design has limited openings for the entry as well as for the exit. The examples of confine space are tunnel, manhole, utility vaults, storage tanks and silos. There are different fatalities that may occur in a confine space where death may occur from different causes such as asphyxiation, the inhalation of toxic gases or vapors, drowning, falling, from explosions, or contact with either mechanical or electrical energy. 2.9 Ergonomic hazards Working posture is very important when workers are doing their jobs in a workplace. Poor working posture is said to be an ergonomic hazards as it can cause fatigue, discomfort and injury risk in the working environment when workers are doing repetitive work, the use of force and also the duration of the work. Some examples are outstretched arms, twisting, and fixed postures. (HSE, n.d). 2.10 Biological hazards Biological hazards include vermin, insects, molds, fungi, viruses, and bacterial contaminants. Workers may get infections and parasitic diseases when they are exposed to insects or by drinking contaminated water. Dusts present in the metal workshops may contain many kinds of allergenic materials that can affect their health. (Reese, C.D, 2001) 2.11 Chemical hazards Chemical hazards arise from the excessive airborne concentrations of mists, vapors, gases or solids that are present in the form of dusts and fumes. These can be source of danger to the body for example these materials may act as skin irritants or may be toxic by absorption through the skin.(Reese,C.D,2001) In metal workshops there are metal fluids that are used for some kind of processes. There are different kinds of oil product which are used in metal workshops. 2.12 Other types of hazards 2.12.1 Electrical hazards Electricity has long been recognized as a serious workplace hazard, exposing employees to electric shock, electrocution, burns, fires, and explosions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States, in 1999, 278 workers died from electrocutions at work, which accounts for almost 5 percent of all on-the-job fatalities that year. Thus, they relate that most of these fatalities could have been easily avoided. 2.12.2 Mechanical hazards Mechanical hazards are created by the powered operation of apparatus or tools. The applied power which is applied can be of either electrical or human.( Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d) Machinery, its parts, tools, objects and materials processed or used in the work process are often said to be a source of mechanical hazards leading to severe injuries. Machinery, along with power supply systems, can also create electrical hazards, leading to severe or fatal accidents. 2.13 Hierarchy of control The occupational safety and health administration requires employers to protect their employees from workplace hazards such as machines, work procedures, and hazardous substances that can cause injury or illnesses. There are different ways that are used to control hazards. 2.13.1 Elimination Elimination of the hazard is the most effective means to control the hazard in the workplace. Thus, in the workplace it is important to remove the dangerous machines to ensure a proper working environment for the workers. (Work Cover NSW, 2010) 2.13.2 Substitution It is the second most effective way to control the hazard present in the workplace by replacing the dangerous equipment with a safer one. If there is an existing process, major changes in equipment and procedures may be required to eliminate or substitute for a hazard. (NIOSH, n.d) 2.13.3 Engineering control Engineering controls are used to remove a hazard present in the workplace or place a barrier between the worker and the hazard. (NIOSH, n.d).There is safety guards that are present to protect the workers while using dangerous machines. (Work Cover NSW, 2010) 2.13.4 Administrative control It is used to control the hazard through the administrative directives. (Reese C.D, 2001). In the workplace the workers are trained how to use the machines safely and precautions need to be taken when operating dangerous machinery. 2.13.4 Personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last resort that can be used in the workplace. There are variety of devices and garments that are used to protect the workers from injuries. There are PPE that are designed to protect the eyes, face, head, ears, feet, hands ,arms and the whole body.(Reese,C.D,2001) 3.0 What is waste? According to the Basel Convention, waste is any substance or material that is disposed or which is intended or required to be disposed of. The material in itself is of no use for the generator. Wastes may be produced during extraction and processing of raw materials into final products and also during the use of the final products and other human activities. (United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), n.d) Hence from the above definitions we can say that materials which are of no use to us can be considered as being waste. 3.1 Waste management in metal workshop In metal workshops, as in the other industries, waste is likely to be produced. Improper management of these wastes may result in problems. According to the Environment Protection Act 2002, all metal workshops need to have a Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) license which clearly states the processes being undertaken and the direct and indirect impact on the environment and any action which they propose to minimize, mitigate or control the impacts. Once they have obtained the license, the workshop is visited on a regular basis by the relevant authority to ensure compliance with the terms in the EIA license. As mentioned earlier in this study, there are various sources of waste in metal workshops. The most considerable waste is from the material being used for processing, which is the metal itself. In Mauritius, all waste except the metals are sent in the municipal solid waste management system. The metal are collected by scrap metal carriers and sent for recycling. The sad part is that this is not the case for all the metal workshops. The formal sector abides by this practice but the informal sector sometimes indulges in dumping activities to dispose of the metal waste. Metal is a natural resource which is undergoing heavy extraction. The Club Report and other energy crisis have lead to the fear of not being able to cope with the need in worlds metal demand (Radezki, 1975). It is important to make a distinction between resource and reserve. A resource is a naturally occurring material in the earths crust whereas a reserve is the part of an identified resource which can be extracted or produced at the time of determination. World reserves of aluminium and iron are estimated at 3,910 and 65,000 Mt respectively, while the world resources of these metals are estimated at 11,000 and 230,000 Mt respectively (Norgate T.E and Rankin W.J, 2002 cited Dzioubinski and Chipman, 1999; US Bureau of Mines, 1995). According to the World Bank document, the reserves for iron ore would last for around 50 years and for copper and bauxite 29 years (Dr. Diederen A.M, 2009;Radetzki, 1975). This has led to an increasing concern for resource conservation and also environmental protection as the waste tends to pollute the environment. Thus, the concept of recyclability of materials is used to recycle the metal. It is to be noted that no study has been carried out so far to evaluate how waste is being managed in metal workshops in Mauritius. Hence, we dont have much information available in this field; this is among one of the reasons why we chose this study. This research can also be used as a foundation for other people conducting research in the same field. CHAPTER 4 Methodology Research methods are the different modus-operandi that is used in a research. (Rajasekar et al, 2006). They include theoretical procedures and experimental studies among many others. Choosing and applying a proper research method is vital as it will help to evaluate and use the research results which can be valuable to local or international organisation or countries as well as its the method chosen that will help us to meet with our objectives and consequently come up with vital discussions which may improve things. Research Approach and Design: According to Burns and Grove (1993: 777), a quantitative research can be defined as a formal and systematic process to describe the test relationships and examine cause and their interactions on variables. Furthermore, a survey is used to collect data from a large populat

Gay and Lesbian Visibility in Movies and Television :: essays research papers fc

The 1990s saw surge of gay characters in both television and movies. From Ellen Degeneres and her character Ellen Morgan coming out under much scrutiny on the TV show ‘Ellen,’ to Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett comedically playing off each other in the motion picture ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding.’ Sure, gays and lesbians have been around forever, especially in Hollywood. But never has there been a time to be more out. With the popularity of shows like Will and Grace, which feature leading gay characters, as well as Dawson’s Creek and it’s supporting character of teenager Jack McPhee, we are slowly seeing gay and lesbian characters creeping into the mainstream media.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The family unit has always been a treasured and revered dynamic on television and in movies. Dating all the way back to I Love Lucy, storylines focused on the relationship between man and woman. Ozzie and Harriet introduced us to the quintessential American family—father in a suit, mother in pearls, and two exceptional children. It wasn’t until the 1970s that gay characters and lifestyles began to emerge. In 1973, An American Family, a PBS series featured one of the family’s sons revealing his homosexuality. In 1977, the television show Soap costarred Billy Crystal as an openly gay man. In the 1980s, it became trendy to feature gay and lesbian characters in ensemble casts. If you watch reruns, you can always find the token gay, that is, the really flaming homo or the butch lesbian gym teacher. The motion picture Mannequin, starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Catrall, featured Meshach Taylor as Hollywood, an eccentric, finger-snapping homosexual. Many stereotypes such as these continued until the early nineties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1991, on LA Law, two women share the first same sex kiss on prime time television. A few years later, NBC’s hit show FRIENDS featured Ross Gellar’s ex wife as a lesbian, raining a child with her female partner. At the same time, the FOX network censored a gay same sex kiss on Melrose Place, a show known for pushing limits. Around the same time, censors and right wing groups were up in arms over a kiss shared by Roseanne and Mariel Hemmingway. In the end, that kiss was also censored. But things were slowly evolving in the movies. Independent films had been featuring gays and lesbians as main characters, depicting real life and real relationships. Armistead Maupin’s Tales of The City revolved around a homo-hetero pairing.

Magical Realism :: Latin American Literature Essays

Magical Realism It is a long and unusual journey. I still wonder what it really is. I read the selections of four wonderful authors and I am still a little confused about the real history and theory of magical realism. I do know that before a person gets into this idea of magical realism, he or she really has to have a big imagination and willingness to learn about it. I guess what I am trying to say is that magical realism depends on who a person is and what a person is willing to believe. I thought that Franz Roh's selection was brief on magical realism. I see where Roh compared Magical Realism to Expressionism. He came up with different theories about how to look at certain things in the world. This essay was definitely deep and way out there. He talked about the different ways to represent something. "We recognize this world, although now-not only because we have emerged from a dream-we look on it with new eyes"(Roh 17). It was not just an everyday word, it had to be mystical, magical, fantasized etc. I really do not see how somebody could come up with such an idea. The whole point is he mixes reality with fantasy. In his selection, he talks about the supernatural, things such as aliens that really move some people. Magical Realism plays a major role in issues such as this. People have to go beyond the world and look just a little further. One's imagination will take them places of which they have never dreamed before. Some people swear up and down that aliens, UFO' s, and foreign space ships are not real. How do they know? I guess I will have to stick with Roh on believing in the existence of the supernatural, the magical, and the freaks of nature. Whether I understand completely or not, I think it is really neat how someone can go beyond the unthinkable. That is exactly what Roh does. Some things he talks about I cannot interpret, but I see his outline of it. I do not think there would be any interesting things to look forward to if someone did not use one's imagination and research on things that are mind boggling to the world today. Maybe if more people knew about this "magical realism, they would look at things differently. Angel Flores wrote about magical realism in a way that was hard for me to understand.

Homeless Bedford Reader

Joseph Papalexandrou The essay I am analyzing is homeless written by Anna Quindlen. The essay can be found in The Bedford Reader 10th edition. My curiosity it what brought me to this essay. The topic I am writing about is homeless citizens. What interests me about homeless people is that it never seems to bother them where there living. What also gave me interest is how do homeless people feed themselves with no money?I always wonder why homeless people don’t look for money on the streets and save what they find buys a pair of clothes and go for a job interview at McDonalds. The overall message in this essay is that people make what they have home. If it’s living in a box or on the street they will always call that place home. It doesn’t matter what you have but how you feel about what you have. If you’re ok with where you call home then that fine. The real message in this essay is that not all people depend on items or things they have to make them happy. The overall tone in this essay is subjective and personal. Anna is trying to do a story on homeless people, and she found women called Ann on the back of a bus. Quindlen tries to get some information out of the women at the back of the bus and she is having a hard time doing so. In the story Quindlen goes back and forth with how she doesn’t see the big picture in things. But she does bring up some personal information. There are no images in this essay although there the Quindlen likes to make a lot of understatements.She says that it’s not where you live or how big it is but that it’s the place you call home. So basically living in a box you can call home and it doesn’t matter because it’s your home. That is a very big understatement. A lot of people like stability to be able to feed themselves everyday and be clean. The details and evidence that I found to support the main message in this story was when quindlen wrote â€Å"They are not the home less.They are people with no home. (Quindlen 200) That pretty much gives me the feeling that she is saying that there is no right to look down on someone because they have no home and that it gives us no right to call someone homeless. In this essay there are logos & pathos. In the essay Quindlen started to do to a report on homeless people and she even mentioned that she never seen the big picture up until she met Ann on the back of the bus. Quindlen started to no longer call homeless people homeless she instead refers them to people without a home.

How the Food We Eat Reflects our Culture and Identity Essay

Ntozake Shange in her essay, What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here? had taught her readers a very important lesson that is very vital in understanding one’s culture and one’s family. It is the simple truth that food is more than food. It was clearly communicated in Ntozake Shange’s essay that food is not just an arbitrary or random thing that arises from one’s culture or family. Rather, the local food of one’s culture and family is a reflection of his or her environment and his way of living. The food that we eat is a mirror to what the nature provided to us outside of our houses. At the same time, food is also the mirror of our own creativity and taste. Whether we prefer sweetness over spiciness, such preferences appear and manifest on how we prepare and how we cook our foods. Summing it up, food is a very important element that we must take a look (and taste) to have a good grasp or understanding of one’s culture or one’s family. The essay What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here? can be regarded as a very important and significant piece of literature in proving the significance of food in understanding ones’ culture. In the essay of Shange, she told the story of numerous local delicacies that will convince us to the point that we are establishing. Take for example the Shange’s example of sweet potatoes. In the essay, she made a very good way of instructing his readers on how to grow quality sweet potatoes. Growing sweet potatoes require much dedication, patience and knowledge. As seen in Shange’s instruction on how to grow a sweet potato, it was seen clearly how one must work hard to be able to produce a good quality potato. In fact, as stated in the essay, â€Å"[one must ]Get your soil ready at least two weeks before planting. . . (Shange 111)† The entire procedure is difficult. As stated again, â€Å"The easiest thing to do with a sweet potato is to bake it† (112). These lines clearly showed that growing sweet potatoes is a tough job. This difficult method of growing such crops mirrors the characters of the people or group of people who happened to eat those crops. As growing a potato requires dedication and patience, we can also argue that the people that grow this crops are dedicated and patient. This is our first way of proving the point that we established above – that food is viable factor to see in understanding one’s culture or one’s family. Another notable proof of the relationship of food and culture is the case of the Carolina Rice. As discussed in Shange’s essay, rice, more particularly the Carolina rice reached a great demand in the 1700s. Because of this, the slaves who came from West Africa are priced better than their other counter parts. This is because of a more complex knowledge and skill that is required in growing rice. The slaves who grew from rice countries are priced better. As stated in the essay, â€Å"Plantation owners were perfectly aware of the superiority of African slaves from rice country† (114). Despite the complexity of growing rice, its cooking is much simpler than its cultivation. Again, this can be related to the simplicity of the lives of the people who adapt this kind of food. Rather than undergoing some complex process of cooking, rice are just simply boiled in water (116). Once again, this showed how rice that is very complicated to grow yet very simple to cook mirror its African cultivators who have a rich culture and tradition, yet living a simple life. The way we cook our own food tells a lot on our preferences and fondness. In the essay, it was written in the later part of it that North Americans does not prefer burnt rice at the bottom of the casserole. In fact, they find it scary. However for the people other people, rice, at least the bottom of it are preferred to be burnt. This burning made possible the cooking of very dry rice (116). In my opinion, these burnt rice preferences of the colored people remind them the colored of their skins. Sidestepping a bit from the literature to my own experience, being Hispanic also mirrored on my food tastes. My taste for a good food is determined by my background as someone who has a Hispanic descent. Coming from this particular background, I prefer foods that possess a great deal of flavor and variety. As common to all Hispanics, we prefer rice meals, chilies, spices and tomatoes. This in respect to our cultivation of these crops and fruits in the earlier times and of course to our rich cultural and historical past. Shange had successfully proved to us the important relationship of food and our cultural and familial identity. As we said in the beginning of this essay, food is not a random and arbitrary thing that just popped in our households. Rather, food is product of our experiences, our appeals, our desires that were smoothened by time. What we grow is who we are. What we buy is who we are. What we eat is who we are. Food is truly a mirror to our cultures and most importantly, a reflection of our humanity. Works Cited Shange, Ntozake. What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here. p. 109-117

Relative Isolation of Sub-Saharan Africa

Relative Isolation on Sub-Saharan Africa Relative isolation affected the development of sub-Saharan African cultures. The lack of contact with other African societies and non-African societies helped shape many distinct groups with individualistic forms of religion, language, and customs. Religion can only spread by contact with other people. There are two main religions in the Middle East and in Europe that have gained dominance and fight to maintain power. Religions such as Greek mythology were quickly pushed aside when a dominant power came in with a different religion.There are physical obstacles that kept people out of sub-Saharan Africa until the sixteenth century. This means that no major powers/religions were able to spread across the continent and unify the culture. This type of relative isolation is also true amongst African societies. Environmental factors have rendered it nearly impossible for an African society to put itself in a position of dominance over other societie s. Because the individual societies were focused on self-preservation instead of trading and conquering they each created their own unique religion.Africans did not have a large society/kingdom to fall back on for protection and survival. They also live in one of the harshest environments in the world; this forced them to live â€Å"as one with nature†, causing semi nature based religious systems which can also been seen in Native American culture pre-colonization. Even though the groups developed unique religions they still parallel other groups that lived under the same ecological conditions in Africa and in the Americas.Language is a defining piece of a societies identity; it creates a sense of unity amongst people, it shows a group’s means of food production, and it individualizes bands of people. African societies historically have not been in conflict with each other. This means that each group developed it’s own language and the langue has advanced along with the society. In places such as Europe and the Middle East each group had developed individual languages but with the progression of empires such as the Egyptians and the Romans came the spread of unified language.Unified language means societies now have words for tools and gods that they do not have. With little to no contact amongst African societies language did not spread through natural transactions: curiosity or trade. Societies in the rest of the world have been in contact with one another long before they were able to penetrate into sub-Saharan Africa. This means that they were trading; in order to trade one must be able to communicate with another. Trading will affect the language as whole, which will in turn cause unification in counting systems, religion, and technology.Societies in Africa did not have this exchange between groups which caused them to develop distinct societies which only had the technology and religion required to keep them alive. African customs we re derived from a need for survival. Societies in Africa had to deal with a harsh environment that was constantly pushing back at them. Their customs were a means of survival from the way they handled religion to telling children scary stories about dangerous plants and animals in the means of fairy tales. Unlike societies in Europe that usually had a kingdom of people to rely on for protection and food, Africans had to fight for survival.European societies created customs to separate classes of people based on wealth or physical appearance or some other identifier whereas African groups only created customs that benefited the group. The isolation of African societies caused them to create similar but distinctly different customs from each other. Relative isolation caused African societies to develop differently than the shared cultures of most the world. Societies in Africa also develop distinct cultures from each other due to their lack of contact with neighboring groups.

Moby Dick Book Report

â€Å"Call me Ishmael,† Moby-Dick begins, in one of the most recognizable opening lines in English-language literature. The narrator, an observant young man setting out from Manhattan, has experience in the merchant marine but has recently decided his next voyage will be on a whaling ship. On a cold, gloomy night in December, he arrives at the Spouter-Inn in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and agrees to share a bed with a then-absent stranger. When his bunk mate, a heavily tattooed Polynesian harpooner named Queequeg, returns very late and discovers Ishmael beneath his covers, both men are alarmed, but the two quickly become close friends and decide to sail together from Nantucket, Massachusetts on a whaling voyage. In Nantucket, the pair signs on with the Pequod, a whaling ship that is soon to leave port. The ship’s captain, Ahab, is nowhere to be seen; nevertheless, they are told of him – a â€Å"grand, ungodly, godlike man,† according to one of the owners, who has â€Å"been in colleges as well as ‘mong the cannibals. The two friends encounter a mysterious man named Elijah on the dock after they sign their papers and he hints at troubles to come with Ahab. The mystery grows on Christmas morning when Ishmael spots dark figures in the mist, apparently boarding the Pequod shortly before it sets sail that day. The ship’s officers direct the early voyage while Ahab stays in his cabin. The c hief mate is Starbuck, a serious, sincere Quaker and fine leader; second mate is Stubb, happy-go-lucky and cheerful and always smoking his pipe; the third mate is Flask, short and stout but thoroughly reliable. Each mate is responsible for a whaling boat, and each whaling boat of the Pequodhas its own pagan harpooneer assigned to it. Some time after sailing, Ahab finally appears on the quarter-deck one morning, an imposing, frightening figure whose haunted visage sends shivers over the narrator. (A white scar, reportedly from a thunderbolt, runs down his face and it is hinted that it continues the length of his body. ) One of his legs is missing from the knee down and has been replaced by a prosthesis fashioned from a sperm whale's jawbone. Soon gathering the crewmen together, with a rousing speech Ahab secures their support for his single, secret purpose for this voyage: hunting down and killing Moby Dick, an old, very large sperm whale, with a snow-white hump and mottled skin, that crippled Ahab on his last whaling voyage. Only Starbuck shows any sign of resistance to the charismatic but monomaniacal captain. The first mate argues repeatedly that the ship’s purpose should be to hunt whales for their oil, with luck returning home profitably, safely, and quickly, but not to seek out and kill Moby Dick in particular – and especially not for revenge. Eventually even Starbuck acquiesces to Ahab's will, though harboring misgivings. The mystery of the dark figures seen before the Pequod set sail is explained during the voyage's first lowering for whales. Ahab has secretly brought along his own boat crew, including a mysterious harpooneer named Fedallah, an inscrutable figure with a sinister influence over Ahab. Later, while watching one night over a captured whale carcass, Fedallah darkly prophecies to Ahab hints regarding their twin deaths. The novel describes numerous â€Å"gams,† social meetings of two ships on the open sea. Crews normally visit each other during a gam, captains on one vessel and chief mates on the other. Mail may be exchanged and the men talk of whale sightings or other news. For Ahab, however, there is but one relevant question to ask of another ship: â€Å"Hast seen the White Whale? † After meeting several other whaling ships, which have their own peculiar stories, the Pequod enters the Pacific Ocean. Queequeg becomes deathly ill and requests that a coffin be built for him by the ship’s carpenter. Just as everyone has given up hope, Queequeg changes his mind, deciding to live after all, and recovers quickly. His coffin becomes his sea chest, and is later caulked and pitched to replace the Pequod's life buoy. Soon word is heard from other whalers of Moby Dick. The jolly Captain Boomer of the Samuel Enderby has lost an arm to the whale, and is stunned at Ahab's burning need for revenge. Next they meet the Rachel, which has seen Moby Dick very recently. As a result of the encounter, one of its boats is missing; the captain’s youngest son had been aboard. The Rachel's captain begs Ahab to aid in the search for the missing boat, but Ahab is resolute. The Pequod’s captain is very near the White Whale now and will not stop to help. Finally the Delight is met, even as its captain buries a sailor who had been killed by Moby Dick. Starbuck begs Ahab one final time to reconsider his thirst for vengeance, but to no avail. The next day, the Pequod meets Moby Dick. For two days, the Pequod's crew pursues the whale, which wreaks widespread destruction, including the disappearance of Fedallah. On the third day, Moby Dick rises up to reveal Fedallah tied to him by harpoon ropes, clearly dead. Even after the initial battle on the third day, as Moby Dick swims away from the Pequod, Starbuck exhorts Ahab one last time to desist, observing that â€Å"Moby-Dick seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him! † Ahab ignores this voice of reason and continues with his ill-fated chase. As the three boats sail out to hunt him, Moby Dick damages two of them, forcing them to go back to the ship and leaving only Ahab's vessel intact. Ahab harpoons the whale, but the harpoon-line breaks. Moby Dick then rams the Pequod itself, which begins to sink. As Ahab harpoons the whale again, the unfolding harpoon-line catches him around his neck and he is dragged into the depths of the sea by the diving Moby Dick. The boat is caught up in the whirlpool of the sinking ship, which takes almost all the crew to their deaths. Only Ishmael survives, clinging to Queequeg’s coffin-turned-life buoy for an entire day and night before the Rachel rescues him.

The Rise of Pop Up Food Outlet Essays - Food And Drink, Free Essays

The Rise of Pop Up Food Outlet Essays - Food And Drink, Free Essays The Rise of Pop Up Food Outlet When you are walking around the corner to go to your favorite spot with friends or family, suddenly you see a restaurant that you never seen before, everything is new and fresh. Trying out a restaurant like this most likely would be you r choice. Nowadays, these food outlets are popping up everywhere and bringing the food industries a new trend. Pop up food outlet actually have appeared in food industry for a long time. Back in 1960s, it was known as supper clubs which was also a fashionable trend of dining at that time. As its name, pop up restaurant often occur in unexpected place for a limited time. Pop up restaurant sometimes not only open just for business, it serve s many purposes to attract customers ' attention, such as charity events and showcasing of chefs. In 2014, the number of food and drink events on the Eventbrite platform increased by 47% compared to the previous year, the fastest growing trend was the pop-up dining experience (82% growth) . The trend of pop up food outlet have become a hit, however, behind the hit, there are different aspects of factors pushing it to the top. First of all, one of the biggest factors of the big hit of pop up food is the social medias. Companies and business in dividuals started to realize the importance of social media in the society and have tries to use them as a method of advertising and popularize. Apparently, it succeed . For restaurant like pop up food outlet, because of it s freshness, the " experiential diners " will become the influencer of their social zones. The society now is becoming a sharing society ' , when people have something new that not so many people have had, they want to share it to others . B usiness owners just need to manage a social media account, and put up signs in the restaurant saying Follow us on Instagram Facebook! ' . A not unfamiliar example would be Doughnut Time. It is a food shop just started in 2015 which focusing on making fresh and adoring doughnut products and it usually has a food truck as its store. Ever since it came out , it becomes a hit so fast and people are trying to find the food tru ck and standing in the queue so long just for some doughnut s . Doughnut Time founder Damian Griffiths said, " We ' ve got the benefit of social media, where Doughnut Time alone has around 100,000 followers ad we receive feedback instantaneously. " On the food trucks, you can always see signs of their social media accounts. After people buying those amazing-looking doughnuts, they will take a nice photo and p ost it with a hashtag or a tag. As social media becoming an indispensable part of people's lives, pop-ups steps into the society by variety of social avenues. Pop up restaurant is not only loved by customers, but also business owner because of its appropriate scale. Pop up restaurants always are just made up of a small but opened kitchen, a few tables and some simple decorations. It is the best choice for young chefs or people just started to touch this industry because you don't need a large amount of investment on the hardware' for a pop up restaurant, since it's not a long term investment. Also, for young chefs that are dreaming to have an own restaurant, a pop up restaurant is a good pathway for them to test out their recipes, menus and concepts of the restaurant. Because pop-ups often are exclusive for a short time, and their food is rare or unusual, customers are willing to pay a premium for their dinning experience. In this way, chefs and owners can get economically advantages from them. Pop up food outlet becomes a hot business form because of its economical advantages which are its affordability and higher check average. "The great thing about pop-ups that we find all across the board whether it's a pop-up store, pop-up restaurant or event is that they have this fear of missing out' quality to

5 Calls for a Comma Before Because

5 Calls for a Comma Before Because 5 Calls for a Comma Before â€Å"Because† 5 Calls for a Comma Before â€Å"Because† By Mark Nichol Use of the word because as a subordinating conjunction to link a main clause to a subordinating clause should be simple, but a sentence’s meaning often hinges on whether it’s preceded by a comma. A straightforward sentence such as â€Å"We’re off to see the wizard because of the wonderful things he does† requires no comma; the meaning of this sentence â€Å"This is what we’re doing, and that is why we’re doing it† is unambiguous. But when the sentence begins with a negative proposition, that’s not the case, as these examples show: 1. â€Å"Few adult Romanians speak English because it was forbidden during the Ceausescu era.† This sentence, as (not) punctuated, absurdly implies a meaning of â€Å"This is not the primary reason adult Romanians speak English,† accompanied by the expectation of a follow-up sentence identifying one or more other causes for bilingual ability despite its prohibition. But it doesn’t mean â€Å"There are more common reasons adult Romanians speak English†; it means â€Å"This is the reason few adult Romanians speak English.† Insert a comma, and the sentence tells you what, and then tells you why: â€Å"Few adult Romanians speak English, because it was forbidden during the Ceausescu era.† 2. â€Å"They don’t want to diagnose or treat Lyme disease because it is very costly to do so.† Oh. Then why do they want to diagnose or treat Lyme disease? Again, a comma makes it clear that this sentence doesn’t serve to set up one or more alternate reasons; rather, the subordinating clause provides an explanation for the reluctance: â€Å"They don’t want to diagnose or treat Lyme disease, because it is very costly to do so.† 3. â€Å"Dementia can’t be ignored by the larger community because individuals with the disease cannot manage independently.† Why, then, can dementia be ignored? That’s not what the sentence is trying to tell you. It’s explaining why the general populace should attend to the affliction: â€Å"Dementia can’t be ignored by the larger community, because individuals with the disease cannot manage independently.† 4. â€Å"I wouldn’t recommend chicken pox parties because of the risk.† Tell me, then, why you would recommend them? (Aside: Said parties are often organized by groups of parents to deliberately expose their kids to chicken pox to get it over with.) The subordinate clause explains the statement in the main clause: â€Å"I wouldn’t recommend chicken pox parties, because of the risk.† 5. â€Å"The model couldn’t be applied to other sectors because it evolved to care for water, not civilization’s infrastructure.† The implication is that the model could be applied to other sectors, but not for the reason stated. But the point is that it couldn’t be applied, and the reason follows: â€Å"The model couldn’t be applied to other sectors, because it evolved to care for water, not civilization’s infrastructure.† See how a comma’s presence or absence can drastically change a sentence’s meaning? Sometimes, it’s important even when the sentence doesn’t begin with a negative proposition: â€Å"I know he got the biggest raise in the department because his wife told me† reads as if the writer is aware that the person got the raise because the person’s wife told the writer that the person got the raise and the sentence turns into a Moebius strip. A comma nips this perpetual-motion machine in the bud: â€Å"I know he got the biggest raise in the department, because his wife told me.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OUMood vs. Tense

Types of Tests

Types of Tests Tests are a necessary aspect of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). For an educator it is crucial to monitor the progress of the learners and be aware of difficulties they may experience.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Types of Tests specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Testing is a suitable way for the teacher to observe the learner’s success and failure and make conclusions considering the methods and approaches implemented for each specific learner or class (Hancock, 2006). There are a number of various tests designed to determine the learners’ progress in each aspect of English such as proficiency, vocabulary, skills and knowledge, theoretical and practical application of language. This paper focuses on ten different types of tests and their use for TESOL. Proficiency tests are normally composed of several levels. This is done in order to determine the learner’s proficiency in various spheres such as grammar, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Tests of thins kind are based on multiple choice scheme so the learner needs to select one of the offered answers. The questions of such test are selected in order to target different aspects of the English grammar and also the learners’ ability to read and understand written text. Proficiency tests are good for TESOL educators because they serve as a perfect tool for monitoring general progress, the efficiency of various teaching methods and the level of knowledge and skills of learners at various stages. Diagnostic tests are rather specific; they are also recognised as progress tests. They are called this way because they are designed to diagnose certain aspects of language and the level of the learners’ progress (Gonzalez, 1996).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The tests of this type are often conducted in the end of a unit and are directed at the determination of the knowledge the students acquired and the skills they obtained. These tests are normally based on short-term objectives. Since teaching English to the speakers of other languages is always broken down into units, diagnostic tests serve as useful means to estimate the quality of learning and to determine if the students can move on to the next stage based on their progress level. Placement tests represent a particular kind of diagnostic tests (Brown, 2003). They are designed to cover the materials within a certain curriculum. They are conducted with the purpose to determine where the students are to be placed in relation to the information studied by specific learners. In TESOL this kind of tests is useful because they help to save time and effort to both educators and students and place the learners exactly where they need to pick up from instead of making them go through certain materials for the secon d time. Achievement tests can be viewed as a kind of progress or diagnostic tests because the main objective of these tests is to evaluate the knowledge of a learner within a particular curriculum, program or unit. The length of the period of time covering certain material or program evaluated by the test is indefinite, and this is why the tests are called â€Å"achievement† instead of â€Å"progress†. Achievement tests are oriented at the evaluation of specific kinds of knowledge, which is useful in TESOL because this allows estimating the quality of the program, and its suitability for the learners.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Types of Tests specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Language aptitude tests are important in TESOL, they are conducted even before the learning starts in order to determine each specific learner’s ability to learn and comprehend foreign languages which varies from one in dividual to another. The tests of this kind are not very popular in the present days because of ethical reasons (Gonzalez, 1996). These tests tend to create bias for the teachers and students and they are viewed as invalid since they are conducted prior to actual language teaching and learning experience. Testing is recognised as norm-referenced when a mark is given to a learner (Brown, 2003). This way, the individual performance of each student is related to that of the remaining members of the class. This way of testing is applied because the progress and skill of each learner need to be placed on a certain position within the class. In TESOL giving marks is vital for the awareness of progress and failure for both teachers and students. In criterion-referenced testing the progress of an individual learner is not compared to that of other students, but is matched against a set of criteria which are designed to determine the level of knowledge. In TESOL the criteria are designed to create a frame of what the learner should be able to do at a certain stage of their learning process. The special feature of these tests is that they do not facilitate competition between the learners and focus of the positive effect of learning. In TESOL English language is broken down into four skills which are reading, writing, speaking and listening and seven linguistic components spelling, grammar, syntax, morphology, phonology, graphology and vocabulary.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discrete-item tests are designed to evaluate these parts separately which provides the learners with more specific understanding of the difficulties a learner may experience. Global/integrative tests, on the contrary, are designed to view language as a whole. They do not separate the components from the context. This way, the learner’s ability to apply and combine many elements at the same time is evaluated. This approach towards testing considers the separate evaluation of the components as inadequate. Communicative language testing is designed in order to evaluate the learner’s ability to communicate certain information to other people and also to be able to comprehend the information received from other speakers (Gonzalez, 1996). Communicative testing normally concerns both written and spoken language skills and knowledge. The results of communicative languages tests are evaluated based on the quality but not the quantity of communication. The purpose of this kind o f testing is to determine the learner’s ability to apply the theoretical knowledge from their lessons in practice which requires levels of creativity. Such testing is focused on the content, integration and interactivity. In TESOL such tests are vital because they evaluate the levels of learners’ preparation for the independent application of their knowledge. In any kind of teaching testing is recognised to be one of the most controversial aspects. At the same time, it is one of the most important areas of teaching. It is impossible to determine an English language testing method which could be called the best. Testing methods are selected based on the individual choice of each educator based on the goals they pursue. There are five principles of language assessment; they are reliability, validity, authenticity, practicality and washback. The efficient test method is the one that aims for the highest levels of these features. Reference List Brown, H. D. (2003). Languag e assessment: Principles and classroom practices.  Harlow, United Kingdom: Longman. Gonzalez, A. B. (1996). Testing English as a foreign language: An overview an some  methodological considerations. RESLA, 11, 17-49. Hancock, C. R. (2006). Language Teaching and Language Testing: a way and ways  to make appropriate connections. Accion Pedagogica, 15, 6-13.

Quotes from Harry S Truman

Quotes from Harry S Truman Harry S Truman served as the 33rd president of the United States during the end of World War II. Following are key quotes from Truman during his time as president. On War, the Military, and The Bomb In the simplest terms, what we are doing in Korea is this: We are trying to prevent a third world war. If there is one basic element in our Constitution, it is civilian control of the military. Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima...The force from which the sun draws its powers has been loosed against those who brought the war in the Far East. It is part of my responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly, I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹super-bomb. The Soviet Union does not have to attack the United States to secure domination of the world. It can achieve its ends by isolating us and swallowing up all our allies. On Character, America and The Presidency A man cannot have character unless he lives within a fundamental system of morals that creates character. America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. Within the first few months, I discovered that being a President is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep on riding or be swallowed. Its a recession when your neighbor loses his job; its a depression when you lose yours.

8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character

8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character 8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character Even the most fast-paced, action-driven novels need compelling characters to keep readers engaged. Of course, readers will never â€Å"get to know† a character if the author doesn’t have a thorough understanding of who they are and what is driving them first. To this end, we’re about to get real close and personal with a few character development exercises.Character development exercises are a great way to give yourself a better understanding of the person you are creating with pen and paper (or â€Å"fingers and keyboard,† more likely). They also help you create resources that you can pull from during the writing process. In order to help bring your character to life, we are breaking character development down into three stages:Establish your character’s current emotional motivationsPut your character into contextBring your character to life Even the most fast-paced, action-driven novels need compelling characters to keep readers engaged. Establishing your character’s internal motivationsNailing down your character's fundamental goal - the thing that is truly important to them - will help you see what is driving them right now and why their story is worth telling at this moment in their lives. Without an internal goal to achieve, your story will lack a narrative arc. Perhaps even worse, your characters will come off as flat. How to Create a Character Profile: the Ultimate Guide (with Template) Read post Exercise #6: Break the iceThink about it: how many times have you been asked in one form or another, â€Å"So, tell me about yourself?† It’s a classic ice-breaker question, and, these days, with social media and the overwhelming variety of ways for us to â€Å"present ourselves† to the world, the stakes of â€Å"tell me about yourself† have never been higher. Of course, we change the way we answer this question based on who we’re talking to. Further chip away at your character and establish how they present themselves to others by imagining how they would briefly describe themselves in the following situations: In a job interviewOn a first dateCatching up with an old friendFlirting with someone at a partyIn their Twitter bioAt the border between the US and MexicoExercise #7: A little less conversation, a little more actionWhen you meet someone, you do not start by announcing your height, weight, hair, and eye color, so please do not introduce your c haracter to readers like this. But how to avoid describing looks and physicality without chunks of exposition? Consider this line from James Joyce’s Ulysses: â€Å"He looked in Stephen's face as he spoke. A light wind passed his brow, fanning softly his fair uncombed hair and stirring silver points of anxiety in his eyes.†Joyce takes advantage of a moment of action to shed light on Stephen’s looks and his anxious demeanor. Try your hand at conveying your character through action by first writing a list of physical traits that apply to your character. Next, with that list at hand, write a scene where something is happening - whether it’s a conversation, laundry-folding, cooking, etc. Weave references to your character’s physicality into the action.Exercise #8: Take them on a test-driveSometimes a bad case of writer’s block boils down to a broken connection between you and your protagonist, and the solution can be a change of scenery. Not for you - for your character! Writing prompts are a good way to get the creative juices flowing and can help you clear out the block so your character can continue down your story’s path.For a weekly supply of fresh writing prompts, head here. For your protagonist to shine through the page, they need to have their own voice. It’s only once you have acquired a thorough understanding of your protagonist, that a compelling and realistic character will shine through the page. However, there is disagreement in the world of writing communities regarding what information is or is not relevant for an author to know about a character. While we believe it’s probably unnecessary for an author know the number of hairs on their character’s head, we also believe you can never know too much about your protagonist. What’s important is discerning what information is significant to the current story you’re writing. As Ray Bradbury wrote in Zen in the Art of Writing: â€Å"Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.†If you’ve tried any of our suggested character development exercises, or if you have favorite tricks of your own, let us know in the comments!

Obama Stimulus Package Pros and Cons

Obama Stimulus Package Pros and Cons President Obamas stimulus package, the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, was passed by Congress on February 13, 2009 and signed into law by the President four days later. No House Republicans and only three Senate Republicans voted for the bill. Obamas $787 billion stimulus package is a consortium of thousands of federal tax reductions, and expenditures on infrastructure, education, health care, energy and other projects. This stimulus package was to jumpstart the U.S. economy out of recession mainly by generating two to three million new jobs and replacing decreased consumer spending. (See specific Pros and Cons at page two of this article.) Stimulus Spending: Keynesian Economic Theory The concept that an economy would be boosted if the government spent large sums of borrowed money was first set forth by John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), a British economist. Per Wikipedia, In the 1930s, Keynes spearheaded a revolution in economic thinking, overturning the older ideas... that held that free markets would automatically provide full employment as long as workers were flexible in their wage demands. ... During the 1950s and 1960s, the success of Keynesian economics was so resounding that almost all capitalist governments adopted its policy recommendations. The 1970s: Free-Market Economic Theory Keynesian economics theory receded from public use with the advent of free-market thinking which postulated that the merket works optimally when without government inteference of any kind. Led by U.S. economist Milton Friedman, 1976 Nobel Economics Prize recipient, free-market economics evolved into a political movement under President Ronald Reagan who famously declared, Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem. 2008 Failure of Free-Market Economics Absence of adequate U.S. government monitoring of the economy is blamed by most parties for the 2008 U.S. and worldwide recession. Keynesian economist Paul Krugman, 2008 Nobel Economics Prize recipient, wrote in November 2008: The key to Keynes’s contribution was his realization that liquidity preference - the desire of individuals to hold liquid monetary assets - can lead to situations in which effective demand isn’t enough to employ all the economy’s resources. In other words, per Krugman, human self-interest (i.e. greed)occasionally must be prodded by government to facilitate a healthy economy. Latest Developments In July 2009, many Democrats, including some presidential advisors, believe that $787 billion was too small to bolster the economy, as evidenced by the continuing U.S. economic slump. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis admittedon July 8, 2009 about the economy, Nobody is happy, and the president and I feel very strongly that we have to do everything we can to create jobs. Dozens of respected economists, including Paul Krugman, told the White House that an effective stimulus must be at least $2 trillion, in order to replace the drop in consumer and governmental spending. President Obama, however, aspired for bipartisan support, so the White House compromised by adding Republican-urged tax breaks. And hundreds of billions in desperately-sought state aid and other programs were chopped from the final $787 billion stimulus package. Unemployment Continues to Climb Unemployment has continued to climb at an alarming rate, despite passage of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Explains The Australian News: ... only six months ago Obama was telling Americans that unemployment, then at 7.2%, could be held to a peak of 8% this year if Congress passed his $US787 billion stimulus package. Congress duly obliged and unemployment has galloped ahead ever since. Most economists now believe the 10% mark will be reached before the year is out. ... Obamas jobless prediction would be out of whack by more than four million jobs. As it stands now, he has miscalculated by about 2.6 million jobs. Slow to Spend Stimulus Funds The Obama administration has stumbled in rapidly circulating stimulus funds back into the economy. Per all reports, as of the end of June 2009, only about 7% of approved funds have spent. Investment analyst Rutledge Capital observes, In spite of all the talk we have seen about shovel ready projects, not much of the money has actually made its way into the economy yet... Economist Bruce Bartlett explained in The Daily Beast on July 8, 2009, In a recent briefing, CBO director Doug Elmendorf estimated that only 24 percent of all the stimulus funds will have been spent by September 30. And 61 percent of that will go to low-impact income transfers; only 39 percent is for high-impact spending on highways, mass transit, energy efficiency, et al. By September 30, only 11 percent of all the funds allocated to such programs will be spent. Background President Obamas stimulus package of $787 billion includes: Infrastructure - Total: $80.9 billion, including: $51.2 billion for roads, bridges, railways, sewers, public transportation $29.5 billion for government facilities and vehicle fleets $15 billion for other projects, including $7.2 billion for public broadband, wireless Internet access, $750 million to the National Park Service, $650 million to the Forest Service, and $515 million for wildfire prevention. Education $44.5 billion to local school districts to prevent layoffs and cutbacks, with flexibility to use the funds for school modernization and repair $15.6 billion to increase Pell Grants from $4,731 to $5,350 $13 billion for low-income public schoolchildren $12.2 billion for IDEA special education $300 million for increased teacher salaries Health Care $86.6 billion for Medicaid $24.7 billion to provide a 65% subsidy of COBRA healthcare premiums for the unemployed $19 billion for health information technology $10 billion for health research, National Institutes of Health facilities $1.3 billion for medical care for military members, families $1 billion for the Veterans Health Administration $2 billion for Community Health Centers Energy $11 billion funding for an electric smart grid $6.3 billion for state, local governments to invest in energy efficiencies $6 billion for renewable energy, electric transmission technologies loan guarantees $6 billion for the cleanup of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants $5 billion for weatherizing modest-income homes $4.5 billion to modernize the U.S. electrical grid $2 billion for manufacture of advanced car battery systems $400 million for electric vehicle technologies Housing $4 billion to HUD for repairing, modernizing public housing $2.25 billion in tax credits for financing low-income housing construction $2 billion to help communities purchase and repair foreclosed housing $1.5 billion for rental assistance and housing relocation Scientific Research $3 billion to the National Science Foundation $2 billion to the United States Department of Energy $1.3 billion for university research facilities $1 billion to NASA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 BY Wikipedia Pros Pros for the Obama administrations $787 billion stimulus package can be summed up in one obvious statement: If the stimulus works to shock the U.S. economy out of its steep 2008-2009 recession, and stems the unemployment rate, then it will be judged a success. Economic historians persuasively argue that Keynesian-style spending was largely instrumental in pulling the U.S. out of the Great Depression, and in propelling growth of the U.S. and world economies in the 1950s and 1960s. Meeting Urgent, Worthy Needs Of course, liberals also fervently believe that many thousands of urgent and worthy needs... long ignored and exacerbated by the Bush administration... are met by spending initiatives included in Obamas stimulus package, including: Long overdue repair and renewal of dangerously crumbling U.S. infrastructure, including highways and roads, the electric power grid, dams, bridges, levees, water mains and sewer systems, airports, and more; Vital aid to beleaguered local school districts to prevent layoffs and cutbacks, plus $300 million for increased teacher salaries Expansion of public transportation systems, building new high-speed passenger rail systems $116 billion in payroll tax relief for individuals making less than $75,000 annually, and for couples jointly making less than $150,000. $40 billion to extend unemployment benefits, and to increase benefits by $25 weekly Increased medical coverage for military members and their families, and $1 billion for the Veterans Administration, which suffered major cutbacks under President Bush Food programs for low-income Americans, including $150 million to help refill food banks, $100 million for meals programs for seniors, and $100 million for free school lunch programs . Cons Critics of President Obamas stimulus package either believe that: economic stimulus spending is doomed to fail, especially when it entails borrowing to obtain the funds to be spent (i.e. deficit spending); or the compromise size or focus of the stimulus bill doomed the measure to be inadequate to pull the U.S. out of the 2008-2009 recession. Stimulus Spending Coupled with Borrowing Is Reckless A June 6, 2009 Louisville Courier-Journal editorial eloquently expresses this con perspective: Lyndon is getting a new walking path between Whipps Mill Road and North Hurstbourne Lane... Lacking sufficient funds, the U.S. will borrow from China and other increasingly skeptical lenders to pay for luxuries like Lyndons little walkway. Our children and grandchildren will have to pay back the unimaginable debt with which we are saddling them. Of course, the fallout from their forebears financial irresponsibility could first consume them in revolution, ruin or tyranny... Obama and congressional Democrats are making an already awful situation exponentially worse... Borrowing from foreigners to build paths in Lyndon is not only bad policy, but ought to also be unconstitutional. Stimulus Package Was Inadequate or Wrongly Focused Lamented liberal economist Paul Krugman, Even if the original Obama plan - around $800 billion in stimulus, with a substantial fraction of that total given over to ineffective tax cuts - had been enacted, it wouldnt have been enough to fill the looming hole in the U.S. economy, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will amount to $2.9 trillion over the next three years. Yet the centrists did their best to make the plan weaker and worse. One of the best features of the original plan was aid to cash-strapped state governments, which would have provided a quick boost to the economy while preserving essential services. But the centrists insisted on a $40 billion cut in that spending. Moderate Republican David Brooks opined ... theyve created a sprawling, undisciplined smorgasbord, which has spun off a series of unintended consequences. First, by trying to do everything all it once, the bill does nothing well. The money spent on long-term domestic programs means there may not be enough to jolt the economy now... The money spent on stimulus, meanwhile, means there’s not enough to truly reform domestic programs like health technology, schools and infrastructure. The measure mostly pumps more money into old arrangements. Where It Stands Congressional Republicans tore into the Obama administration over the economic stimulus plan,... arguing that the White House is mishandling the distribution of the money while overstating the ability of the package to create jobs, reported CNN on July 8, 2009 about a contentious hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. CNN continued, The White House Office of Management and Budget defended the plan, arguing that every federal dollar spent has, by definition, helped to ease the pain of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. A Second Stimulus Package? Obama economic advisor Laura Tyson, former Director of the National Economic Council, said in a July 2009 speech that the U.S. should consider drafting a second stimulus package focusing on infrastructure projects because the $787 billion approved in February was a bit too small per Bloomberg.com. In contrast, economist Bruce Bartlett, a conservative Obama supporter, pens in an article entitled Obamas Clueless Liberal Critics, that the argument for more stimulus implicitly assumes that the bulk of stimulus funds have been paid out and done their work. However, the data show that very little of the stimulus has actually been spent. Bartlett argues that stimulus critics are reacting impatiently, and notes that economist Christina Romer, who now chairs the Council of Economic Advisers, says the stimulus is working just as planned and that no additional stimulus is needed. Would Congress Pass a Second Stimulus bill? The burning, relevant question is: Is it politically possible for President Obama to push Congress into passing a second economic stimulus package in 2009 or 2010? The first stimulus package passed on a House vote of 244-188, with all Republicans and eleven Democrats voting NO. The bill squeezed by on a filibuster-proof 61-36 Senate vote, but only after making significant compromises to attract three Republican YES votes. All Senate Democrats voted for the bill, except those absent due to illness. But with public confidence falling in Obamas leadership in mid-2009 on economic matters, and with the first stimulus bill failing to quell unemployment, moderate Democrats cant be relied on to solidly support additional stimulus legislation. Would Congress pass a second stimulus package in 2009 or 2010? The jury is out, but the verdict, in summer 2009, doesnt look good for the Obama administration.