India Against Corruption Essay

According to the Oxford Dictionary, corruption is dishonesty and illegal behavior by people in positions of authority or power. India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s, Corruption Perception Index, 2012 on 5th December, 2012. Most of us may have had, at some point or the other in our life, a firsthand experience of offering bribes, using our contacts or influencing people to get work done in government offices or to get jobs in the public sector. Therefore, corruption is not a new term for anyone. As far as handling or trying to stall corruption in India is concerned, one needs to get to the root cause of corruption, and then try to cut the roots in order to handle the whole entity. Another way of curbing corruption is to limit the role of the government in various fields. The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, improper tax structure, complicated licensing systems, lack of transparency in the laws, monopoly by some of the government institutions, discretionary powers in the hands of government departments. In order to handle corruption, one needs to aim at removing these causes. Social activists like Anna Hazare have been working against corruption, but not much success has been achieved. But are these entities really working in the interest of the people is an issue that needs to be pondered upon. It has also been pointed that many prominent figures have had illegal money in the Swiss Banks; such things have been widely covered on the social media, but nevertheless have gone unheeded. Anti corruption laws, Anti corruption police and courts, Anti corruption organizations; all exist in India. These have been formed to bring corruption to a manageable level so that one can give a thought to eliminating corruption. According to some economists, corruption adversely affects the growth rate. It has devastating consequences on the economy. Therefore efforts must be taken to stall it. If there is less of red tape, bribery is eliminated, reduction in interference of government in the private sector is ensured, there is ethical bureaucracy and a proper tax structure and licensing system is ensured and most importantly stringent action against corrupt officials is taken; Corruption can be managed to a certain level. A mass movement though can also be the remedy, just like the one that Mahatma Gandhi led during independence. Since charity begins at home, we must try to check ourselves before we point fingers at others and therefore not indulge in any corrupt malpractices.

Short Story and Grace Paley

The brakes screech to a halt, the passengers topple over, and the child falls into a tragic death. In the short story, â€Å"Samuel,† by Grace Paley, a young boy loses his life while engaging in a risky type of playtime with his pals. Although it is a terrible happening, it makes you first ask, â€Å"Who is to blame?† After reading the story thoroughly, it becomes very evident that the boys were taking a risk, ignoring authority, and acting foolish. These boys couldn’t have known what was going to happen, but they also did nothing to prevent this tragedy. The four little boys in the story of â€Å"Samuel† are taking part in a dangerous pastime, hopping back and forth between two subway cars. Although the story does not depict the age of the boys, we can infer that they are of a responsible age. If these children are old enough to be out on their own hopping train cars, with their parents aware, then they are old enough to know the risk factors. The boy knew that this was a daring act, but continued in his carefree actions. The reader can only assume that the four boys had as much responsibility for their well-being as their caretakers did. The boys were just having fun, but there are times in life that the fun may be too costly. Alfred, Calvin, Tom, and Samuel were not aware of half of the things that could go wrong, but the older passengers, such as the mothers, could only imagine. At one point, an older lady tried to correct the kids, â€Å"You boys will be hurt. You’ll be killed.† The boys ignored the woman’s warning and laughed. If the kids would have accepted their correction with respect, things might not have ended so brutally. After reading this passage, most of us can logically assume that this wasn’t an intelligent pastime. Jumping trains and climbing walls is not the safest, nor smartest thing one can do. They had been warned by an adult of their actions. Neither the forbidding woman, nor the man who pulled the emergency cord can be faulted. The woman tried to settle the boys, and the man’s intentions are not visible. A problem occurred when the boys became foolish and too playful. The boys were callow and made matters worse by not weighing consequences on an already careless act. By their lack of discipline, authority, and sense, Samuel fell to his untimely death that day. The blame can be placed upon many different characters, but only the boys could take full responsibility for their actions under the given circumstances. It is a heart-breaking story, but it is a tragedy that could have easily been prevented.

Acts of Kindness. Paper

Someone dragged a coin along the bonnet of a car belonging to a friend of mine. He took it to a smash repair company near his work for the scratch to be touched up. When he went to pick up the car, he was surprised to be told that there was no charge. A little overwhelmed by it all, my friend mentioned that if he ever had an accident, he would bring his car to that establishment for repair. The owner replied, â€Å"Sir, I hope you never have an accident. † I have made it my goal to do something nice for somebody every day that I live.I find myself waking up each morning with new and exciting ideas of things to do for others, and the rewards have been wonderful. The afternoon was cold and windy as I walked through the shopping centre of my little suburb. A busker, perhaps in his late fifties, wearing clothes that had gone well beyond their ‘use by' date, played his guitar rather badly. â€Å"Don't encourage him! † called a passer by as I dropped a coin into the box . I crossed the road and entered a shop where I made regular purchases. I noticed the assistant would occasionally look out of the window at the busker.She turned to me and asked, â€Å"Would you mind the shop for a minute? † Surprised, I agreed, whereupon she took a pie from the warmer, ran across the road, and gave it to the busker. I have since learned that this was not an isolated example of her generosity. Recently my son, who is a regular user of public transport, caught the bus home from school. Unfortunately he got on the wrong bus, but instead of just being told to get off and wait for another bus to take him home, the driver phoned me and said he would look after my son until he could be placed on the next bus home.I received a call from the second driver, confirming my son had been transferred to his bus. He also told me the time my son would arrive home. Thank you to both of these men who took the extra effort to ensure the safe arrival of my son. The other day I fell on my way back from shopping. Fortunately all that was injured was my dignity, but I was touched by the actions of a passing motorist. When she saw me fall she stopped her car and waited until I had stood up again. Seeing I was OK, she drove off.Once when working at the Department of Social Security, I was talking to a coughing client on the phone, so when I sent her the requested claim form, I enclosed a couple of Allen's Butter Menthols in the envelope. She rang to thank me the following day, and said that my act had made her feel better than the cough lollies had! It made me feel pretty good, too. I have become involved in helping to run a small shop at a local aged people's hostel. We sell at cost items like biscuits, lollies, greeting cards, etc. , small luxuries that old folk can't get out and buy for themselves, and that are not provided by the people who run the hostel.I've noticed that some old people come into our shop, not to buy things, but simply to talk to someone from â€Å"the outside. † This brings home the to me that some old folks are just dumped in places like these, and are seldom visited by their loved ones. I think it vital that they should be visited, and to be shown that someone cares. During the next school holidays I intend to take my 9-year-old granddaughter into the shop with me, as I feel both she and the old folks would mutually benefit from the interaction.I was talking to my doctor recently, and was amazed to learn her act of kindness for Australia's National Kindness Day last year was to treat all of her patients she saw on the day for free! Standing in a long queue at the post office, I overheard one of the staff tell a woman at the counter that the parcel for her was heavy, and an awkward size. He invited her to go around to the side door where she could look at the parcel and decide what she wanted to do. A man in the queue overheard the conversation, and volunteered to drive the woman home with her parcel.The l ights turned green at the pedestrian crossing and the traffic had just begun to move forward when a stooped elderly lady, obviously unaware of the ‘don't walk' sign, stepped on to the crossing. The cars braked and waited patiently while the woman slowly made her way across the road, oblivious of the kindness of the drivers. Four years ago on New Year's Eve my husband had a serious hang-gliding accident and was airlifted off to intensive care in Melbourne. It was getting late at night by the time I learnt the details of the accident and by then he was far away in a Melbourne hospital, but which one I knew not.We were camping at Mt Beauty and knew no one in the camping ground, and I had a busy 5-year-old, as well as being pregnant! Our situation was made so much more bearable by the many acts of kindness from fellow campers. Money was given for the long distance phone calls to the hospitals, so I could find out where, and how, my husband was. Meanwhile neighbours looked after ou r little boy who was kept happy playing with their son. The next day, after an unsettled night, I began to prepare for the drive to Melbourne.Another neighbour rose early (and also woke his sons) to help me pack up the large tent and gear, and pack it all in the car. They even washed the car, and his wife prepared us a cut lunch! Not only that, she offered her home in Melbourne for as long as we needed, and asked if I'd like her to accompany us on the drive down, and said she would catch the train back (I had never met this wonderful lady before this day). The family minding our boy gave me their street directory with a line marking all the way to the hospital – I'd never driven to Melbourne before, so this was a great help.These two special families saw us off with hugs and best wishes and, I learnt later, both phoned the hospital to see how my husband was. He recovered and is looking forward to more (accident free) flying, and I will always remember these kind-hearted peopl e who helped me so much (Our little boy, too – he was so good during that time, I couldn't have asked for more). When my youngest child started school I returned to teaching. I made it a rule to praise every child every day. The happy smiles they gave me were reward enough.Six years ago I was left to fend for myself when my husband left me for my so called friend. I was sad, scared, but mostly lonely. After the news became common knowledge, one acquaintance of my husband began to ring me every evening at around 10. 30 pm to say, â€Å"Goodnight and God bless. † I finally asked him why he was doing this. His response was, â€Å"I can't stand to think of you being alone and sad without anyone to say goodnight to, so I want to do it while you are so sad. † This was a wonderful act of kindness from a man I hardly knew, but it made me feel cared for and not so alone.This man kept up the goodnight greeting for three months until I didn't sound or feel so sad, and then they stopped. I've never seen or heard from him since, but I bless his loving heart often. My current mission is to promote the Kindness Revolution with all the young people I come in contact with, so far with success. The idea of being kind appeals to my two special little friends Amy and Jessie. Jessie sends me monthly reports of her kindness activities which are really cute, especially the one about her 14 month old baby brother playing ‘Barbies' with her.Jessie considers this brother less important than a worm normally. I would love to tell you of a kind act I had the opportunity to participate in, because of a strong feeling to help someone, who was not in a position to help themselves. A lovely lady in her nineties is a very good friend of my daughter's Godmother. I made a winter basket for her with all sorts of goodies, including a warm hat for the winter. It was such a pleasure to receive her phone call, she was so thrilled. I went to a cake shop recently and was wait ing to be served. There was this little old lady being served, she was asking the price of this and that.I told the man who served me that I would pay for the lady's choice. He whispered this to the sales woman, and I paid for mine and hers. However, she wasn't finished, and ordered a large apple pie as well – oops! The man raised his eyebrows at me, I thought for a brief moment and nodded my head – what the heck! When I was given my change I got out of there as fast as I could, as I didn't want to get sprung. I wonder if people going about their normal duties realise they can brighten up someone's day. My children's favourite day is Friday – rubbish bin day.As soon as they hear the truck they race to the door to watch. When the driver waves to them it always brings a big smile to their faces. The wave doesn't cost him anything, but it means so much to them. Thank you to all the people who take the time to smile or greet others while doing their job. Doing my no rmal Saturday morning shopping, I was attracted by the sound of a flute. Casting my gaze about I spied a man of about 50 standing on a nearby corner. As I walked closer there was something about him that caused me to think I should donate more than the usual one or two dollars.I walked up to him and stuffed a five dollar note into the top pocket of his coat. He stopped playing and said, â€Å"Thank you very much, that's very kind of you. † As I walked away he began playing again, this tune was decidedly more up tempo than the previous one. After many years as a city dweller, the opportunity came to move to a small town. Without having any job prospects, I decided to make the move. I hadn't been there very long when I mentioned to someone that I was going to buy a pot plant when I had the money, and put it on the front porch of the house I was living in.The next day, much to my surprise and delight, I found a pot plant on the front porch! It is so lovely to be away from the me anness and bustle of the city, to be in a place where people have the time to talk, to be sympathetic and respond to people's needs. I'm sure all Australians are like that, it's just that the pressure to perform is so much greater in the city, and we seem to be sucked into the ‘rat race' all too easily. One of my friends in Melbourne suffers from an unpleasant illness which robs her of energy and leaves her severely depressed. Despite this, her capacity for appreciation has been highly developed.She asked me to share this example of kindness with you, a reminder that small actions can make a big difference to a person's day. My friend was seeking some refreshment but was deterred by the crowded cafe. Summoning courage a second time she entered the cafe, but felt daunted by the lack of available space. A man seated with a friend quickly perceived my friend's dilemma, and carried a chair to a table without seating, so she could sit down. My friend was greatly touched by the man' s awareness and swift response. She was able to enjoy a coffee and no doubt her faith in human kindness was strengthened.My husband and I have a stall at our local market selling fruit, flowers and plants. During the week I look around a couple of Op Shops and pick up the odd Teddy or toy, which we take along to the market. When an irritable child comes along with a stressed mother, we give the child a toy and distract them for a while in conversation. It's amusing how the child shuts up, and it brings a smile to the mother's face. I was standing in a long queue at Coles Supermarket. The woman in front of me approached the check out with three items – milk, bread and margarine. She paused as she hunted through her purse and pockets for money. I definitely had $5 here† she kept saying out loud to her husband, who merely scowled at her and walked off, leaving her with two little kids. In desperation, she tipped the whole contents of her bag onto the counter and looked thr ough it. Meanwhile, I was getting really upset for this young mother. I looked in my purse and decided I would have enough to pay my groceries and have $10 left over. So I just handed her $5 and said, â€Å"There you are, have a nice day, and don't forget to pass it on. † I don't need to tell you how she reacted, and I thought she was going to kiss my feet.Out of sheer embarrassment I said, â€Å"Go on, get out of here and have a lovely day. † The next thing I know the check out lady is handing me a bag full of free magazines and muesli bars. â€Å"Here,† she said. â€Å"I'm astounded and so touched by what you did. Never in all my years have I seen anyone do that before. † We have a stall at the markets on Sundays, selling flowers. We look for people in wheelchairs or the elderly, also mums that look really unhappy, and we hand them a bunch of flowers for free – it's wonderful to see their reaction. Only two people have ever refused to take them.A friend of mine was told he had cancer of the liver and had only a few weeks to live. I called on him and he was looking pretty crook, so I phoned for an ambulance to take him to hospital. At home I tried to think of our past conversations about his son, and where he lived. I remembered it was somewhere near Campbelltown in N. S. W. I dialled the operator and gave her the name I wanted, explaining my difficulties. I said, â€Å"Just give me anyone with that name and I'll try my luck. † I was told there was no one with that name in Campbelltown, but she said there was one in Picton. OK, I'll try that,† and the computer gave me the number. I dialled the number straight away. A woman answered and I asked her if her husband's name was Kevin. It was, and I told her to tell him to get to Bundaberg ASAP, as his dad was sick and needed him. Kevin rang twenty minutes later, and said he would catch the next available plane. I'm so glad he did, because 48 hours later, on Valentine 's Day, his dad died. I feel so good that Kevin was able to talk to his dad and hold his hand and say goodbye, and I feel even better that my friend died happy and loved.Was it just a coincidence that the operator looked in another area for the number – I wonder? Someone phoned recently and told me the following story. Many years ago a child was reprimanded severely by her parents for something she had done. The little girl (let's call her ‘Emma') was distraught, and was found wandering down the street, crying, by someone who lived near by. When the woman heard Emma's story, she considered that the punishment had been excessive, and out of sympathy took Emma to a shop and bought her an ice cream. This was a rare treat for Emma, as her family was destitute and there was no money available for ice cream.Emma maintained contact with the woman over the ensuing years, but this was lost when Emma was of an age where she was able to leave home. Years later, when Emma was in he r mid thirties, she chose to visit a nursing home in the hope of being able to bring some cheer to the residents. Much to her surprise and delight, Emma discovered one of the residents, now old and lonely, was the kind woman who bought her the ice cream. Emma became a regular visitor, and spent many hours bringing comfort and friendship to the old woman, until she passed away.Emma told the story to a mourner at the funeral, who in turn told it to the person who rang me. When I was fifteen, a man kidnapped me, attacked me and tried to take my life. I ended up with a shattered back and serious internal injuries. My family was fractured and were not supportive, but the kindness of strangers saw me through. A lady held my hand one night, and cried over me. The nurses wept, and cheered when I took my first steps months after my back was broken. A nurse called Tony made me laugh and took me out to the gardens, where we would talk for ages. A priest sat by my bedside at five o'clock each m orning.Then Tommy came into my life and showered me with kindness. These special acts and special people are never forgotten, and the memory of their kindness is conjured up, and is as new as freshly-baked bread. Sometimes we feel helpless, and wonder what we can do to help. While we may not have much money, time or resources, the simplest acts are often the most powerful [As a post script, the Tommy she speaks about later became her husband]. This week I suffered a home invasion. A bloke pulled off my security screen and smashed a large glass window in the middle of the night while I was at home in bed.I was lucky that only an empty handbag was stolen and that I wasn't bashed. The response from friends has been incredible. I am President of a 50+ Leisure Club, which has in excess of 100 members. Many of them have either rung me to make sure I am OK, or have passed messages of goodwill through other friends. Some have visited me, bringing gifts of flowers and Lotto tickets and (most important) hugs. One or two have offered me a bed for a few nights until I've got over the initial trauma, while others have offered to come and stay the night to give me a feeling of security.I have been given silent phone numbers, with instructions to ring any time, day or night, if I need to talk. Two people have even offered to give me a dog to deter intruders. I have received supportive emails and advice on how to better secure my home. All this wonderful kindness has touched my heart. How on earth can I say thank you? It seems such a hackneyed phrase for a very sincere feeling of gratitude. If friends were wealth, I'd be very rich indeed. I was waiting with a patient to see her Oncologist. A man walked by and offered us a chocolate each and we thanked him for his kind gesture.A few minutes later, he was called into the doctor's room, came out, and then it was our turn. The Oncologist then offered us chocolates, on behalf of his patient whom, he informed us, buys 12 chocolates every day and offers them to 12 people so that he can make 12 people happy, and be happier himself 12 times more! I am writing to you regarding an act of huge kindness toward me and my children that I considered worth sharing with you. I am a sole parent of three children aged 7 years, 4 years, and 10 months. My first partner died a few years ago, and the father of my youngest has gone his separate way.A couple of weeks ago I was unfortunate enough to get pulled over by the police doing roadside vehicle checks, on the way to school to pick up my children. The result was a yellow sticker for faults with my old but ‘faithful' Commodore. This presented a major problem for me as the car is an absolute necessity, and finances as a single parent don't allow for unforseen emergencies. I was very distressed by the whole situation. In steps my friend Jennifer, and her husband Paul, with an offer of assistance. They ended up spending the whole weekend working on my car.Paul then reques ted half a day off work on Monday to ensure the work was completed before the vehicle examination that day. Another act of kindness by Paul's boss, who was made aware of the situation and allowed him time off. As a result, my car went through the inspection with only minor things to rectify. And of course, Paul again helped with these. Further to this, some other very kind friends of mine, Caroline and Denver, gave hours of their time to work on the car. And while they were there they also pruned all of my big trees and took a trailer load of rubbish to the tip.The happy ending to this long story is that these wonderful people turned around a seemingly impossible situation. The sticker has been removed and the car is starting to look like new. The other day I was in a busy shopping centre car park with little room to manoeuvre large vehicles, when I saw a lady getting flustered trying to reverse her large ‘tank' of a car out of it's parking spot, without much success, and a qu eue of cars waiting for her. I stood in the middle of the car park and it took a while, but with me directing her, she eventually got out and was most grateful.It turned a tense situation into one we had a laugh about – and that's what life is all about. And in closing, one of the many gems I try to live by: â€Å"Happiness does not come from what you have, but from what you are. † I was in a supermarket recently, and an elderly man had bumped a vein in the back of his hand and it was bleeding. He said, â€Å"Oh, how silly of me,† and got his hanky out and blotted it. I was standing nearby, and stood there compassionately. He went on his way and came back a few minutes later with a packet of band aids.He asked me whether I could put one on his hand for him, which I did after it had stopped bleeding. He thanked me and went on his way. I smiled for the rest of the day, with joy in my heart. A friend of mine told me a story that recently took place at Woolies. She had noticed that the man behind her in the queue had only a few items in his shopping basket, and he seemed to be in a hurry – so she let him go before her. He was so touched that he bought her a chocolate bar from the display at the check out, and thanked her. She said that she and the check-out operator just smiled at each other in disbelief.Last October, we had to have our 16? year old much loved family dog put to sleep by our vet, who had cared for Mindy for most of her life. The week following, the vet sent me a lovely letter saying how sad we must have felt at our loss, and thanking us for our care of Mindy. I really appreciated this letter. The other week I was in one of those bargain shops. I saw a plastic file which I thought would come in handy to keep some documents in. The girl at the check out counter said they were good, and she would like to get one for school (she was working in the school holidays).She said she didn't have the money at that time and would get it later. I thought there might not be any left ‘later', so I bought her one. She was so pleased, and it was her birthday in a few days. It made me feel glad that I could help her. As I was waiting in the supermarket queue, I noticed the man in front of me had three tins of meat and vegetables, and I thought that they were probably were his next three meals. When the tins were scanned he presented a credit card and asked for $10 in cash. I thought that $10 was a small amount to ask for, and guessed he didn't have much money.The card was scanned several times, but the message â€Å"Refer to card holder† kept on appearing. The man, obviously embarrassed, told the girl he'd have to leave the tins. I told the person I would pay the six dollars and something, and the poor man, now highly embarrassed, mumbled a thank you and rushed away with his tins. In 1983, the Ash Wednesday bushfires destroyed homes in Mt Macedon, Victoria. My chiropractor came from Melbourne to Woodend (to our place), with his car loaded to the brim with goods for the unfortunate people who lost everything.He and his wife were the only ones who bothered to come visit us, who cared enough. Our house was filthy, but still standing. Four years ago my son was left with two kids (one just a baby), one teddy bear, and his car, plus all the outgrown kid's clothes, which were absolutely useless to him (his wife refused to let the kids have their toys or their clothes). A friend from my school days arrived with a car load of kid's clothes, books and toys for Steve's kids. My friend had spent every cent she'd earned that week (coaching) on the kids. It didn't finish there!She also gave Steve a single bed, cupboards, a bike, etc. The trailer was overflowing and so was the station wagon. I was in tears. There was an old lady in the supermarket queue in front of me. She had a tomato and a few other vegetables, and a tin of ham. When the value of the goods was totalled, she looked in her purse and told the check out person she didn't have enough money. The check out person said, loudly and rather rudely I thought, â€Å"Well, which ones can you afford to pay for? † The woman opted to leave the ham. I was tempted to pay for the ham, but didn't have the cash to hand over.I put my purchases through, trying to ‘think' the girl to move quickly before the woman had disappeared, and when I presented my credit card, told the girl I would pay for the tin of ham she had put to one side. â€Å"Why would you do that? † she asked. â€Å"Because it was probably for her next meal! † I replied. I ran out of the supermarket and fortunately she wasn't too far away. I caught up with her and gave her the tin of ham. â€Å"What's this? † she asked. â€Å"It's yours† I replied. â€Å"But I can't pay for it† she said. â€Å"You don't have to† I said, and hurried off, leaving her standing there staring at the tin.When I drove away she was st ill standing there, staring at the tin. I was driving along in the left hand lane when at the last minute realised it led only onto the freeway. The lane next to me started to fill up with cars stopping for a red traffic light. There was a car behind me so I couldn't go anywhere. Just then two cars in the lane beside me reversed to let me in, when they realised I was in the wrong lane. That just made my day! My youngest son (I am now a sole parent) and I were standing at the local supermarket check-out recently with a full trolley. I noticed an elderly man behind me with only a few items, so I told him to go first.He was very appreciative. After he had paid for his things he walked away, only to return a few minutes later with a beautiful bunch of pink carnations. He gave them to me and said, â€Å"Thank you. You've taught me to be giving. † I was stunned, as was the checkout girl. My son was so impressed he said to me, â€Å"You should marry that man. † What a sweet g esture! As a teenager I had a very bad time, lots of abuse and things like that. One day I decided that I'd had enough, and I was on my way to hurl myself off the bridge and into oblivion. As I was walking I was sort of in a dream, not really aware of anything, but a voice lifted me out of the fog.There was an old man smiling at me, a gentleman, as he'd been wearing a hat and he had removed it and was holding it in one hand above his head, like you see people do in some old movies. I said something like, â€Å"What? â€Å", and he said to me, â€Å"It's a lovely day – don't you think? † I said I suppose it was, and he put his hat back on and walked away. I watched this small elderly man with a sprightly step walk down the path for what seemed like hours, and I finally sat down on a bench nearby. Yes, it was a lovely day, I thought, and why was I thinking of taking my life on such a lovely day?I moved out of home as soon as I had finished school, got a job as a waitre ss and did a secretarial course part time. After completing the course I worked for a small manufacturing company as a secretary, married my boss, and we have three lovely daughters. That incident happened about 15 years ago, yet it is still so vivid in my mind. I remember every word that stranger said to me, and those soft blue eyes of his. I think of him as my guardian angel, who took on human form to save my life. I was on a teaching prac. recently, teaching a 4/5 class. I told them about the 12 Days of Kindness and they thought it was really cool.Anyway, for â€Å"Children's Day† I organised an activity where each child wrote his/her name on a piece of blank paper. All the papers were laid out on the table, with the name facing upwards. Then each child (and the teachers too) went around, turned over the paper and wrote a nice thing about each child. At the end of ten minutes, the children each had a piece of paper filled with compliments. They were so excited to read them , but I collected them to hand out the next day (I wanted to read them first, and add my own message to each one). The next day I handed them out.The atmosphere in the room was amazing, as it was the previous afternoon when they were writing down the compliments. Before they left the room, I told them that Sunday was â€Å"My Day† and that it's important to give yourself compliments, so they each had to write down one nice thing about themselves. Self esteem is so vital, and it has to be fostered when young! I work as a checkout operator at a large chain supermarket, which is a job that leaves me feeling quite anonymous at times. However, I always make an effort to be cheerful and greet all my customers with a smile and a pleasant â€Å"How are you? , which, I can assure you, isn't always easy some days! Recently, I had an enjoyable experience serving a very friendly, bubbly lady who smiled right back at me and engaged in pleasant chitchat the whole time I was serving her. A s many people simply ignore my efforts of friendliness, this was a lovely experience in itself. However, this lovely lady, unbeknown to me, then went on to see the manager solely for the purpose of complimenting me on my service and thanking him for employing such a friendly member of staff. The manager then bought me a box of chocolates as a thank you for my efforts.Well, as you can imagine, I was truly touched by this gesture, both from the customer and the manager. It really made me feel valued and loved, and I still feel teary when I think about it. It really doesn't take much to make someone feel so wonderful. I went into the bank today to draw out cash to tide me over the next two weeks. There was a woman at the teller next to me and I overheard snatches of the conversation between her and the teller. There was talk about her having a food voucher from Vinnies, and the teller informing her that her account was already overdrawn, so she couldn't withdraw any further funds.It se emed she was a visitor to Sydney, and would be going home in a couple of days. She asked the teller if there was someone else in the bank she could talk to about withdrawing money, but naturally was advised that there was nothing that could be done, bank policy and all that. I pulled one of my precious $50 notes I had just been given, said, â€Å"Happy Christmas! † as I placed it in front of her on the counter, and walked out of the bank. I then went to a cake shop across the road and just happened to glance through the glass door as she walked past. Our eyes met, she paused and mouthed a ‘Thank you! ‘ before hurrying off.There are times when life is good, and we need to cherish those moments, as their memories can surely help us through the not-so-good times. I recently had an operation on my leg for a damaged ligament. In my conversation with the anaesthetist prior to the operation, he said he noticed that the operation was self funded, and asked me about it. I told him that years ago I'd dropped out of the medical benefits system because of lack of money. He then asked whether payment would be a problem, and I said that it would be nice if I could pay the $500 fee in several smaller payments rather than in a lump sum.He squeezed my hand and said he would see what he could do. When I received his invoice after the operation, I was delighted to see that the $500 had been reduced to $380! We hear stories about people being ripped off by medical services, but it is nice to know there are doctors out there who have compassion and kindness. In a post-op discussion I had with the surgeon, he said that when the ligament had healed he would tell me about a natural remedy that would help prevent the problem

California History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

California History - Essay Example Had I surveyed myself, the percentage would have been even lower. The story of Califia is largely classified as a myth but to what extent is known only to Spanish explorers. The island of California, as described in a 1510 novel by Garci Ordonez de Montalvo, was located near the coast of Southeast Asia and inhabited by only women, large, muscular Amazon women. Califia was well known for her humanitarian efforts and for her sense of loyalty to the island people. She dealt fairly with friend and foe alike and had the ability to travel the world whenever she pleased. The weapons were made of gold as were all other metallic objects because gold was the only type of metal found on the island. A glorious, exotic setting to be sure whether it was real or imagined (Wright, 2005). When Spanish explores found what is today known as Baja California, they thought it to be an island. No shame in this as GPS positioning systems would not exist for another half a millennia or so. Maybe the explorers found gold or dark woman when they landed, no one knows, or maybe the recently published novel was fresh on their mind and the story was deemed worthy of naming a previously unknown (to Europeans) piece of land. The name ‘California’, as some have suggested, may not originate from Queen Califia at all but was derived from a combination of the Spanish words Caliente and fornia meaning ‘hot oven.’ Others point to the Latin words Calida and Fornax meaning ‘hot furnace’ (Zwinger, 1961). Baja California’s climate has certainly been described accurately as both metaphors but the Amazon story is much more entrancing. The romantic and adventurous lives that the Spanish explorers led is evidence enough to me that they would likely nam e what they found to be a large exotic island after a large, exotic and adventurous Queen rather than the benign and unimaginative name.

Disparities in Health Care and African Americans Distrust in Essay

Disparities in Health Care and African Americans Distrust in Physicians - Essay Example Susan., Jenny, K. Miller and Lily, A. Arasatnam, 2003). Disparities are also seen in the unwillingness of African Americans to participate in clinical trials due to distrust (Giselle, Stephen and Diane, 2002).Research has also shown that African Americans seek treatments less frequently than the whites, they are also less likely to accept physicians at the end of life due to views that there is nothing that can be done. As a result, African Americans have a larger share of the burden linked to mental illness and other diseases. They are also resistant to accept decisions that save life as they do not trust physicians to promote their best interests at the end of life care (Siminoff and Robert, 1997).Studies have also shown that, if an African American patient pays a visit to a white physicians, there is less involvement in decision making, less partnership, lower rates of trust and lower levers of satisfaction in the care (LaVeist, Kim, and Janius, 2000).Lack of treatment may be due to absence of resources, insurance obstacles, cultural believes, attitudes and mistrust in the health care institutions. Disparity in health care is also due to lack of knowledge among the African Americans hence they have misconceptions which may preclude them from adopting such medications as viable forms of treatment (Schnittker, 2004).Such misconceptions includes the belief that treatments are ‘experimentally’ or mind altering. Studies have also shown that religious orientations can also reduce the willingness to take Psychiatric medications especially if they are deemed as ineffective in comparison to divine influence (Schnittker, 2004). Trust is also very important for all medical decisions such as using Psychiatric medications and adherence to medical regimens. Trust plays a very critical role in those cultures that have indigenous traditions that are contrary to treatment methods. It is therefore an important component of physician-patient

AI Week 13 Eye moving DB 153 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AI Week 13 Eye moving DB 153 - Essay Example Various governments have limited fiscal budgets and pressure (Feldstein, 2011). This is because it has to take care for the health of the aging population. Shifting the cost to the public only increases the level of taxes and affects the finances of various households. Such costs could be unsustainable for the lower and average income earners. There are disparities in the level of income for different household individuals. The public consists of a majority of average income earners. If the cost of health care for high-risk employees shifts to the public, then high-income earners should make the biggest contribution. Genetic factors cause most affected employees to inherit some chronic diseases. Such health care plans make the employees feel some form of discrimination from their employers. Employers should treat all the employees with equality regardless of their health background. The employers should instead make health care policies affordable for all the employees. Relevant authorities need to regulate insurance companies in the creation of their health care policies (Feldstein, 2011). The regulations should require the companies to provide insurance covers at normal charges. The employees should seek routine checkups from their healthcare providers to put their condition under control. The employers should avoid any form of discrimination in the determination of the health benefits. Shifting the public health care cost to the public could be unfair for both low and average income

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Essay Example According to the author, Mark Twain’s remark that it is a â€Å"pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end† has inspired him to write a story, in which he experiments a character who ages in the reverse order (1). The movie differs from the story in many aspects but it retains the basic premise of the protagonist aging backwards. The film’s theme departs drastically from the perceived notions of a Hollywood movie and explores a novel concept, thus making its viewing a unique experience for the audience. The movie, with its poignant themes, profound philosophical ideas and portrayal of love, will remain etched in the viewers’ mind long after they have watched it. The basic reason for my choice of this movie for my final paper is that I have always felt a close personal affinity to the story, which conceptualizes a man aging backwards. This reversal in nature’s process brings very interesting and bizarre consequences in his life. The main reason for my fascination for the movie stems from the fact that as a child, I used to fantasize how cool it will be to grow younger rather than older. Basically, I have felt that being different from other people could be a thrilling experience, especially in the context of ageing. Besides, the whole concept of the movie is so romantic, appealing to the senses of compassion and benevolence in me, especially the tender love of his foster mother for Ben when he during his ‘younger’ stages as an ugly old person. Also, the story postulates many idealistic philosophies that have inspired positive attitudes in me since I saw it as a 16 year old. The story has bred an understanding that the dis advantages in a person must not be considered as shortcomings. It has also made me realize that people whose traits do not fit into mainstream notion also deserve the same rights and considerations as any other person in this world, because

Gimme Shelter and the 1960s Counter Culture Term Paper

Gimme Shelter and the 1960s Counter Culture - Term Paper Example People make culture, and culture makes them. Through making culture, individual and collective identities are formed (Cushman, 1996, p. 7). The construction of cultural institutions reflect â€Å"commonsense beliefs about human behavior† (Bruner, 1990, p. 38) Take the case of the men playing in a hobby band. The descriptive terms that one uses for these men and their vocation, such as â€Å"playing†, â€Å"audience† and â€Å"instrument† are all cultural meanings, and these cultural meanings control how we act. An individual’s experiences and acts are shaped by his intentional states, and these states are †realized only through participation in the symbolic systems of culture† (Bruner, 1990, p. 33). It is only through cultural interpretations of one’s personal autobiography that this story becomes understandable. Through this cultural mediation, meaning becomes communal and public, as opposed to private. The difference between cul ture and biological inheritance is that the latter does not necessarily shape human experience and action, but, rather, constrains action in a modifiable way. Culture shapes the human mind and life by giving â€Å"meaning to action by situating its underlying intentional states in an interpretive system.† (Bruner, 1990, p. 34). ... 42). Culture externalizes internal feelings, states of consciousness and thoughts into concrete forms that are shared by individuals. These concrete forms, such as music, are viewed as cultural objects (Cushman, 1996, p. 90). How music functions in any culture depends on how that culture operates socially, and these circumstances vary between one culture and another. Listeners responds to popular music physically, by singing along, dancing, clapping, etc.; emotional, by feeling the music, reminiscing or romanticizing; and cognitive, by learning, stimulating thought, processing information, and framing perceptions, etc (Lull, 1987, p. 141). Related to the concepts of culture, as it relates to the dominant culture, are countercultures and taste culture. Counterculture is the result of engaging in alternative forms of communication among social actors who are collectively pursuing alternative ways of living (Cushman, 1996, p. 8). The base of knowledge amongst the social actors in the co unterculture runs counter to the dominant culture. Rock music counterculture means a group of individuals who are committed to disseminate rock music that is neither overtly nor covertly influenced by the dominant culture. Countercultures are often formed around music, due to music’s ability to communicate and mediate common experiences. For instance, the 1960s were marked by the Vietnam War, which gave birth to the activists and hippies, two examples of 1960's countercultures. The youth of those times, influenced by the Vietnam War and a general feeling of unrest, basically made war on their elders, and this was a world-wide phenomenon, even in the countries were Vietnam

Litrture review on self and identity in stutters Essay

Litrture review on self and identity in stutters - Essay Example These disruptions c) usually occur frequently or are marked in character and d) are not readily controllable. II. Sometimes the disruptions are e) accompanied by accessory activates involving the speech apparatus, related or unrelated body structures, or stereotyped speech utterances. These activities give the appearance of being speech-related struggle. III. Also, there not infrequently are f) indications or reports of an emotional state, ranging from a general condition of "excitement" or "tension" to more specific emotions of a negative nature such as fear, embarrassment, irritation, or the like. g) the immediate source of stuttering is incoordination expressed in the peripheral speech mechanism; the ultimate cause is presently unknown and maybe complex or compound (p. 498). Stuttering relates to developmental disorders: it gradually or suddenly develops in children that initially demonstrate signs of normal fluency of speech (Guitar, 1998). Although aetiology of stuttering is not fully clear it is generally considered a multifactorial disorder that involves affective, behavioural, and cognitive elements (Yaruss & Quesal, 2004). Cooper and Cooper (1995) identify three types of stuttering: Remediable stuttering when children are able to overcome their disfluencies by learning and applying techniques that are supervised by a speech and language therapist. In addition, family and friends involvement is necessary to be able to reach almost normal or acceptable level of fluency. Chronic preservative stuttering which is the most devastating and least common case of stuttering. Moreover, individuals with this type often do not stabilize in their fluency although they have been able to achieve it with therapy. Individuals that reach adolescents with out an acceptable level of fluency from treatment have a more chance of developing chronic preservative stuttering. Characteristics of stuttering vary from blocks to

Evidence-Based Practices in Oncology Nursing Research Paper

Evidence-Based Practices in Oncology Nursing - Research Paper Example Evidence-based practice is a multi-step, dynamic process that incorporates best external data and best clinical judgment that is according to patient response to nursing interventions. Â  Even one individual nurse may complete this process however a multidisciplinary team approach allows for even bigger perspectives on a clinical problem. With the new ways of health care practice brought about by evidenced-based practice nurses are given the chance to provide the best possible nursing care that can provide desirable outcome based on evidence altogether with the way which Nursing Care Delivery Model is suited for the situation. Â  Nursing care delivery models are mechanisms for organizing and delivering patient care. Â  Nursing care delivery models focus on structure, process and/or outcomes. Â  Along the evolution of nursing and the sprout of nurse educators and scholars, many nursing care delivery models have also been developed that eventually evolved to different types and kin ds from various developments and modifications of use. Â  Some have been developed using task approaches where patient care tasks are listed and categorized under the level of care required providing the task. More recent models have arisen out of a psychological approach, focusing on patient satisfaction with nursing care and job satisfaction among nurses. Â  Some of the most obvious reasons for such variations are cost of nursing care delivery, availability of personnel, patient care needs and individual preference.and organizational preference. Nevertheless regardless of what nursing care delivery model is utilized by nurses, the purpose of any delivery system is to provide high quality care, efficiently and effectively as possible (Neisner & Raymond, 2002, p. 7). Nursing Care Models and the development of Evidence-Based Practice The author of this essay deemed three Nursing Care Delivery Models that would best support evidenced-based practice in oncology nursing-- Patient-Centered Care, Team Nursing and Nursing Case Management. Models of care are important because it is how evidenced-based patient care is delivered to the patient. Evidenced-based practices will be null and void if nursing care delivery is poor in the first place it will not be properly delivered or worst not delivered at all. Patient-Centered Care (Table 1) is a model first utilized during the hospital reengineering era of the 90’s. This method uses multi-skilled workers and a team approach to nursing. By virtue of this method, patients are being grouped together according to similarity of cases. The four principle of this method are: simplifying outcomes, grouping similar patient population together, bringing services closer to patients

American Middle Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Middle Class - Essay Example Progressive ideas saw the transformation of a major sector of the American economy. The presidents who were elected during this period were progressive. Progressive idea was to transform and advance major sectors of America in terms of technology, high level of education, wiping out corruption and revival of infrastructure. This paper seeks to discuss the impact of industrialization on America middle class in the last half of the 19th century (1865-1915). After maintenance of relative stability, people from Caribbean’s, Latin America, and West Indies migrated to America to seek new position and offered their expertise. Moreover, European immigrants offered expertise for agricultural and industrial expansion. Consequently, there was rapid economic growth in all sectors of America economy mostly in the north and the west. This also saw an increase in income of the American middle class. Relative peace was also achieved in the southern part after the defeat and failure of the sec essionist movement. The American middle class had an opportunity to fight corruption as a majority joined the progressive party (McGeehan and Gall 121). Industrialization was of significance to the United States of America. It was generally referred to, as industrial revolution. Industrialization in America was change from homemade production to the technological use of machine and industry dependence. The most important invention in America was the invention of the weaving and spinning machine. Initially, the machine was operated on water but later invention of steam led to its replacement. America’s growth rate improved significantly to same level as its competitors such as Britain. This led to transformation of America from a small economy into a modern urban industrial state. At the same time, there was a significant transformation of American society especially the middle class (Hillstrom and Laurie 111-118). Before the rise of the industrial revolution in America, Brita in was the major producer and supplier of manufactured goods. However, late 19th century and early 20th century saw the emergence of America. In the late 1800’s, America became a major producer and supplier of manufactured goods overcoming Britain. New sources of market were available, hence, easy supply to new areas. More importantly, America is a country endowed with great natural resources. Therefore, America did not rely on any country for supply of raw materials for its industries like other countries that were going through industrial revolution at the period. The major raw materials that existed and still exist in America are coal, iron ore, copper, lead, timber, and oil. Coal was significantly used in provision of energy for the industries. Moreover, there was abundant and cheap supply of labor. The period between 1865 and 1900 saw a high migration of people to America especially Europeans, West Indies, Caribbean’s and Latin Americans. High population of immigr ants looking for industrial jobs made labor cheap and hence industries made huge profit. Additionally, this period saw the emergence of America middle class. There was improved income and high amount of wage. Consequently, this provided capital for expansion of America business. This provided a large group of consumers of manufactured goods. The development of new technology ensured that the cost of productivity was low,

An Effective Classroom Teacher Essay Example for Free

An Effective Classroom Teacher Essay I believe that with being a teacher comes great responsibility. A teacher will leave a lasting impression on their pupils, they should be free from any prejudice and treat children as individuals by respecting their backgrounds, religion, disability and race. I am extremely concerned about becoming an effective teacher and many factors contribute to this. This essay will highlight my areas of concern and how my initial thoughts have developed during my placement. My areas of concern include planning and executing enjoyable lessons. They also include the strategies I observed the teacher using to mange behaviour in the classroom which is essential for the smooth flow of the day. Confidence is a factor which I feel improves every time you teach, and if lessons are well planned and subject knowledge is secure a teacher would automatically begin to feel confident. I am also concerned about classroom organisation and the implementation of routines. I observed many examples of set routines which the school follow, this is the responsibility of the teacher to enforce and then keep consistent. These are all attributes or responsibilities of an effective teacher and this essay will explore them and discuss possible ways of improving or developing them. I have also included my experience regarding assessment and the importance of identifying strengths and weaknesses to become an effective teacher. Finally, I have included some experiences of my university education which has helped me to identify my areas for concern. I feel that being an effective teacher should involve valuing, gaining and giving respect to the children. I was concerned how this could be achieved. I saw fantastic examples on my school placement which I hope to adopt myself. Every morning the teacher would give the children time to settle on the carpet and instead of talking amongst each other, they would in turn talk to the teacher and the rest of the class, often about issues which were concerning them or something exciting that happened over the weekend. The teacher made sure every child had a chance to talk no matter how trivial. She showed genuine interest in them and never let them feel insignificant. I really admired the teacher for this. I initially thought it was just a nice way to start the morning however, after thinking about it so many strategies are involved and learning taking place. The children develop confidence in talking in front of the class; they are sharing their thoughts and feelings, and learning how to express themselves. The bond of trust is being formed between pupil and teacher. Finally, it is good strategy for managing behaviour. Children learn to listen to each other and they also learn patience and turn-taking. The most effective teachers frequently involved the whole class in discussion and were skilled at doing this, which was not necessarily whole-class teaching as such. (Dean, J. (2001) p.39)Â  Therefore I feel that it is extremely important to value a child despite race, gender, religion or disability. And to truly show an interest in them and respect their thoughts and beliefs. I feel that I established a good relationship with the children and they felt comfortable around me. This is where I felt I was effective in my teaching. All this contributes to being an effective teacher. Mortimore et al. (1988) found that effective teachers gave rewards rather than punishments, as punishments had a negative effect on learning. I observed a great deal of this on my school placement which I quickly adopted. Unwanted behaviour was often ignored until absolutely necessary, whereas good behaviour was praised quickly and an example made of it to the rest of the class. This practise worked, I saw the class react quickly try and act the same way to please the teacher and me as a student teacher. I feel that an effective teacher should have implemented a classroom routine and then to keep it consistent. An arrangement of getting things out and putting away can be made with children. All the children can be given a responsibility of taking care of a small area of the classroom. Places for resources, books etc should have a permanent place and be clearly labelled to enable the children to tidy up efficiently. I also noticed that the class teacher had seated the children in rows on specific places on the carpet. Bennet and Blunder (1983) found that children got more work done when sat in rows. I found that this is an effective classroom management strategy. There are no arguments of sitting next to friends or lack of space. The children know where they sit and with one glance, the teacher can see who is missing and spot ant disruptions. The children were seated on the table in groups according to ability. Independent work was often completed on the tables, however, the child were always given the chance to discuss ideas with each other before asking the teacher for help.

WTO in international trade

WTO in international trade International Business Environment: Topic: Role of World Trade Organization in international business and the argument that whether WTO is helpful or a hindrance to international trade. The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization that assists the nations in regulating trade in manufactured goods, services (including banking, insurance, tourism and telecommunications), intellectual property, textiles and clothing and agricultural products (Richard Schaffer, 1996). The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a replacement for GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ) as the worlds global trading body in 1995, and the current set of governing rules resulted from the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, which took place throughout 1986-1994. While WTO is relatively young organization the multilateral trading system was originally set up under GATT about 50 years ago. The GATT preamble (1947) states that trade and economic endeavour should be conducted with a view to raising standards of living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income. These basic objectives were reinforced in the Marrakech Agreement, which esta blished the WTO. The WTOs overriding objective is to help trade flow smoothly, freely, fairly and predictably (www.wto.org), its central principle is the dispute settlement mechanism, a system that underscores the rule of law and is based on clearly defined rules and timetables for settling disputes. WTO members agree that they will use the multilateral system to settle their trade disputes instead of taking unilateral action. Reducing the scope for unilateral action is an important guarantee of fair trade for less powerful countries (Yin and McGee, 2001). WTO aims to achieve its goals by, * Administering trade agreements * Acting as a forum for trade negotiations * Settling trade disputes * Reviewing national trade policies * Assisting developing countries in trade policy issues, through technical assistance and training programmes * Cooperating with other international organizations The role of WTO is to facilitate international cooperation to open markets, provide a forum for future trade negotiations between members, and provide a forum for the settlement of trade disputes. The WTO has a stature equal to that of the International Monetary Fund or World Bank and will cooperate with those agencies on economic matters. The WTOs membership includes those countries that previously belonged to GATT and is now open to other countries, if their membership is accepted by two-thirds majority votes of the members. The WTO has 153 members representing 95% of the total world trade and the observers are seeking membership. WTOs operating system is the best in settling disputes. Trade disputes are brought before the WTO at approximately three times the rate that had been handled by the GATT typically all throughout its existence. Recently, the United States has been the greatest proponent of this system. Many cases have been brought by the United States seeking fulfilment wi th trade agreements and market access. The United States has had a good deal of success in this forum, winning majority of its cases. U.S. trade advocates have achieved market access in areas ranging from agriculture to information technologies. In contrast, the WTOs predecessor, the GATT, often disdained as the ‘‘Gentlemans Agreement to Talk and Talk, failed to resolve many disputes and lacked credibility as a mechanism for resolving trade disputes. Parties to a GATT dispute could simply reject and block acceptance of the panel report. The case could be reargued numerous times until the parties tired of it and an agreement was reached. The WTO is built on the GATT principles of open trades which include trade without discrimination, gradual transition through negotiations, predictability through transparency and binding agreements, promotion of fair competition and encouraging development and economic reform. The GATT reduces the propensity of national governments to put tariffs on physical goods to protect domestic companies, and other institutions are furthering this opening process. Thus, the Uruguay trade agreement was reached by 68 countries committing themselves to liberalising markets in telecommunications. The WTO is negotiating for the removal of tariffs on other barriers on wide range of goods and services. It is also seeking a world agreement on rules governing foreign investment both to encourage it and, where thought necessary, to control it. Regional groupings have grown in economic importance in recent years like the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN being examples. An alternative to seeking trade liberalisation through the WTO is for countries to enter into trade agreements within the regional grouping. However, regional trade groupings must be notified to the WTO. Trade agreements within regional groupings are by nature discriminatory. Countries may decide to make reciprocal tariff reductions in their trade with each other, with these concessions not necessarily being extended through other countries. In this context regional groupings can be classified as Free Trade Area, Custom Unions, Common Market, Economic Union and Political Union. It should also be noted that regional groupings are strengthening relations with each other (e.g. ASEAN Latin American) and are signing inter-regional cooperation agreements. Thus, although the WTO has its goal of liberalising trade between all nations, today the majority of trade agreements are bi-l ateral. WTO claims that its predecessor GATT and the WTO itself have helped to create a strong and prosperous trading system contributing to unprecedented growth. According to WTO data, the world trade has experienced an exceptional growth during the past 50 years. Merchandise exports grew on average by 6% annually and total trade in 2000 was 22-times the level of 1950. Nevertheless, while the WTO role in world trade is obviously important, its contribution to world trade growth might be questioned. Particularly there is enormous controversy over the effectiveness and side effects of WTO regulations. Firstly, since the establishment of the WTO in 1995 the average annual number of international trade disputes has raised by more than 700 percent (Yin and McGee, 2001). Secondly, there is growing evidence that WTO has a limited ability to deal with rising conflict with developing economies and offer effective solutions to these disagreements. For example Kwa (2001) and Mattoo Subramanian (2003) provide an extensive discussion of this issue. Finally, Rose (2003) undertook a comprehensive empirical study employing gravity models and came to conclusion that there is no strong empirical evidence that GATT/WTO has systematically played a strong role in encouraging trade. The next section discusses the mentioned above issues in detail. It seems that majority of economists recognize GATTs/WTOs contribution to liberalization and promotion of trade between countries. For instance, Bagwell and Staiger (1999) noted that the central role played by the GATT in shaping postwar trade policy is widely accepted. Krueger (1998) writes: â€Å"†¦the growth and liberalization of the international trading system has been the most prominent success of the postwar period †¦ the great liberalization of tariffs and trade in the post-war period was achieved under the auspices of the GATT †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Furthermore, according to Bagwell and Staiger (1999) GATT has strong theoretical underpinnings for success in promotion of trade. Bagwell and Staiger (1999) employed general equilibrium trade model and came to conclusion that GATTs principle of reciprocity can be viewed as an effective mechanism for promoting trade. One of the underlying principles of WTO policy is agreement that WTO members will use the multilateral system to settle their trade disputes instead of taking unilateral action. Multilateral negotiations reduce the scope for unilateral action, which is an important guarantee of fair trade for less powerful countries. Nevertheless, Bagwell and Staiger (1999) stress that countries can implement efficient trade agreements only if they also abide the principle of non-discrimination. The recent developments show that there is growing number of disputes between the countries; majority of them directly concerned with polices that considered to give advantage to one country at the expense of the others. Yin and McGee (2001) notes that during the 47-year existence of the GATT, there were altogether 236 dispute cases reported to GATT an average of 5 cases per year. In contrast, there were 220 cases filed during the first six years of the WTO seven times the annual average reported to GATT. It is reasonably to expect, that growing number of conflicts will eventually result in decrease of WTO operation efficiency, since it becomes increasingly more difficult to find a solution that meets requirements of all parties. Therefore, the surge in trade disputes raises concerns about the WTOs ability to police world trade and to settle down conflicts. Nevertheless, Yin and Mc Gee (2001) argue that trade volumes, trade imbalances, trade dependence, and tariffs and non-tariff b arriers are the main factors in disputes. In addition, countries with large trade volume, large trade imbalances, high trade dependence, or that have more measures protecting their market are more likely to be embattled in trade disputes than other countries. Consequently, growing conflicts between the countries might be naturally related to increase in trade activities. While USA is accounted to be involved into majority of conflicts, role of the developing countered in WTO becomes increasingly important. According to Mattoo and Subramanian (2004) there are several challenges in accommodating developing countries in WTO. First small countries do not have much to offer to as trading partners; their opportunities to benefit from engagement into WTO the operations are quite limited. Second, the interests of these countries are only imperfectly aligned with liberalization of the multilateral trading system. Since, developing preferential access to the markets of the industrial countries, further liberalization of the trade and reduction of tariffs and barriers does not necessary increase access to these markets. The developing countries disputes are complicated by several factors. First of all, it is very difficult to measure effects the trade policies. Rose (2002) employed over sixty measures of trade policy and has been unable to find convincing evide nce that membership in the multilateral trade system is associated with more liberal trade policy. While he acknowledges that that members of the system usually enjoy slightly more economic freedom using the Heritage Foundations index. Secondly, there is ongoing debate among academics on the effect of free trade on economy growth. Easterly (2002) provides an extensive overview of this topic, he presents theoretical argumentations on both sides of free trade debate. According to Easterly(2002), those opposed to free trade argue that since the price of primary commodities tends to decrease over the long run, countries should put up barriers to manufactured imports and thus stimulate the development of their own industries. Free trade opponents believe in the â€Å"infant industry† argumentation, which stresses that there is a learning curve to developing industry and allowing manufactured imports would decrease chances of domestic industry to compete fairly. Supporters of free trade believe that economies should focus on the specialization of their production. It allows countries to export products, which can produce more efficiently and import other products they are not good at producing. Finally, trade barriers distort prices which lead to inefficient allocation of the resources. While there are several empirical studies that support the link between openness and economic growth, a comprehensive study by Rodriguez and Rodrik (2000) discredits majority of them. Rodriguez and Rodrik (2000) show that â€Å"the indicators of ‘openness used by researchers are poor measures of trade barriers or are highly correlated with other sources of bad economic performance† and often, â€Å"the methods used to ascertain the link between trade policy and growth have serious shortcomings.† Furthermore Rodriguez et al (2000) argued that authors in this literature have used inappropriate indicators of trade policy, the selection of indicators was biased , and therefore the results tent to show statistically significant relationship between trade liberalization and growth. Another controversial argument is historical evidence. Rosenberg (2002) notes that United States, Germany, France, and Japan all became wealthy and powerful nations behind the barriers of protectionism, while South Korea and other East Asian countries successfully used trade barriers to create export industries and built local know-how. Furthermore, Weisbrot, Naiman, and Kim (2000) show that â€Å"eighty-nine countries experienced decrease in per capita rate of growth by at least five percentage points from the period 1960-1980 to the period 1980-2000, the latter period is widely referred as the area of globalization. For example, Dollar and Kraay (2002), argue that globalization which started in 1980 has helped to promote economic equality and reduced poverty. Considering complexity of the problem, it is reasonable to conclude that free trade does not necessary lead to economical growth and countries are not likely to benefit equally from reduction of the trade barriers. Supporters of more liberal world trade argue that it brings access to markets and cheaper goods and services. The growth in trade that follows benefits both consumers and workers by encouraging innovation and investment. Others take much more critical view, pointing out that move towards liberalization through bodies such as WTO is driven by rich countries. They believe the agreements reached serve the interest of multinational businesses and richer economies rather than indigenous producers in local economies. Therefore, further globalization of trade is likely to bring up new conflicts, as the trade volumes grow regulation of disputes becomes increasingly complicated, which is reflected in the collapse of the negotiations in Cancun 2003 and tense negotiations in Hong Kong 2005. Finally, one of the most important questions is whether WTO is actually somehow related to the increase in the world trade. Rose (2003) stressed that GATT/WTO is not associated with substantially enhanced trade, once standard factors have been taken into account. Rose (2003) conclusion is based on analysis of gravity model, which is recognized by many practitioners as a useful tool for analysis of international trade. Rose (2003) give two possible explanations for GATT/WTO failure to promote trade. First is that GATT/WTO has not typically forced most countries to lower trade barriers, especially developing countries that have received â€Å"special and differential treatment. The second reason is that members of the WTO seem to extend most favored nation status unilaterally to countries outside the system, even though they did not have formal rights to do it. At the same time, Rose (2003) acknowledges that his analysis is based on assessment of GATT policies, and since WTO has more wide-reaching framework to resolve disputes about trade in goods, services, and intellectual property its impact on trade will be more substantial. Nevertheless, the recent research on the topic by Subramanian and Wei (2003) brings up new perspective on the subjects, according to their findings Rose (2003) analysis is incomplete and can be misread seriously. This conclusion was based on two grounds first of all Subramanian and Wei (2003) stress that econometric methodology should be refined to incorporate the country fixed effects identified by Anderson and Wincoop (2003). Secondly the non tariff barriers such as quantitative restrictions for the balance of payments should be taken into the account. Subramanian and Wei (2003) conclude that GATT/WTO has done a splendid job of promoting trade; membership in GATT/WTO is associated with 40% increase in imports for industrial countries. Nevertheless it is obvious that developing countries benefited to the far less extend. Developing countries in the context of trade are at the bottom of the value chain. Perhaps an exception being the recent developments in service industries particularly concerning I.T. In general they export low-value, primary products (e.g. metals, agricultural produce), whilst the developed economies trade in high-value products. Although, the WTO promotes the ideal of a level playing field in trade, developing countries make the case that the world trade system is stacked against them. They make the point that GATT barely touched barriers to developed countries markets in textiles and agricultural products, and challenge the WTO on protectionism. Developing countries make up more than 75% of the WTO membership, but the real muscle, as evident in many WTO adjudications, is exerted by the main trading nations/groupings (U.S., E.U., Japan). Discussion made above in context to issues with WTO is of prime importance but there could be few more issues in this context which cannot be neglected. Such as the issue of labor standards is one of the most controversial issues. The WTO is accused of casting blind eye exploitation of labor and of undermining efforts to protect the health and safety of the workers. Human Rights group and International Labor Organization (ILO) are pressing for action in form of multilateral agreements on labor standards. The debate at WTO is whether WTO is the right vehicle for enforcing labor standards, and what effect such action would have on the competitive advantage of labor-intensive industries. The WTO is now in discussions with ILO on enforcing the core labor standards. Another contentious issue for the WTO is that of environmental protection and trade policy. Several high profile cases on import bans for environmental reasons have been lost recently. The view held by many countries is that the WTO is not sufficiently sympathetic to the environmental issues. Those in favor of trade liberalization argue that environmental issues should be dealt with by proper labeling giving consumer the choice. As it follows from the above discussion, GATT/WTO played an important role in the world trade. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to evaluate the contribution of GATT/WTO to promotion of free trade in real numbers. Furthermore, it is important to stress that free trade does not ultimately leads to economical growth or creates value itself. Therefore, WTO attempts to manage highly sensitive issue, since countries are likely to promote free trade when they can somehow benefit from it and negotiate on tariffs and barriers whenever they aim to protect their own markets. Finding the right balance while accommodating WTO members requests becomes increasingly difficult as the number of disputes continues to grow. Therefore, WTO success will largely depend on the ability to offer a flexible framework, which would be able to consider positions of different parties involved into negotiations.

Compare and Contrast Positivism and Interpretivism

Compare and Contrast Positivism and Interpretivism Positivism is a theoretical and methodological approach in contemporary criminology. Positivists believe that human behavior is shaped by biological, psychological or social factors and forces. These factors and forces are called individual pathology which deter the decision-making and control ability of an individual and results in behavioral problems (White Haines, 2003). To extend to legal definition, crime is defined as individual pathology to obey law and to conform to moral consensus of the society. Positivism approach in criminology examines the trait distinctions between offenders, rather than on the criminal acts as the focus of analysis. Also, positivism determines how these differences predispose a person towards criminality (White Haines, 2003). Positivists believed that these traits observed can be diagnosed and treated by dealing with and removing the factors and forces that cause the offending behavior to occur. In a positivist view of the world, science was seen as the way to get at truth, to understand the world well enough so that we might predict and control it. The world and the universe were deterministic they operated by laws of cause and effect that we could discern if we applied the unique approach of the scientific method. Science was largely a mechanistic or mechanical affair. We use deductive reasoning to postulate theories that we can test. Based on the results of our studies, we may learn that our theory doesnt fit the facts well and so we need to revise our theory to better predict reality. The positivist believed in empiricism the idea that observation and measurement was the core of the scientific endeavor. The key approach of the scientific method is the experiment, the attempt to discern natural laws through direct manipulation and observation. Paradigm of social research represent paradigm by following the idea of Thomas Kuhn who is the first thinker of paradigm that was showed in the book named structure of scientific revolutionsin 1962. In social science has two important paradigm that used for research society and event which happen in social that are positivism and interpretivism Critical Positivism Post-Positivism Lets start our very brief discussion of philosophy of science with a simple distinction between epistemology and methodology. The term epistemology comes from the Greek word epistà ªmà ª, their term for knowledge. In simple terms, epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge or of how we come to know. Methodology is also concerned with how we come to know, but is much more practical in nature. Methodology is focused on the specific ways the methods that we can use to try to understand our world better. Epistemology and methodology are intimately related: the former involves the philosophy of how we come to know the world and the latter involves the practice. When most people in our society think about science, they think about some guy in a white lab coat working at a lab bench mixing up chemicals. They think of science as boring, cut-and-dry, and they think of the scientist as narrow-minded and esoteric (the ultimate nerd think of the humorous but nonetheless mad scientist in the Back to the Future movies, for instance). A lot of our stereotypes about science come from a period where science was dominated by a particular philosophy positivism that tended to support some of these views. Here, I want to suggest (no matter what the movie industry may think) that science has moved on in its thinking into an era of post-positivism where many of those stereotypes of the scientist no longer hold up. Lets begin by considering what positivism is. In its broadest sense, positivism is a rejection of metaphysics (I leave it you to look up that term if youre not familiar with it). It is a position that holds that the goal of knowledge is simply to describe the phenomena that we experience. The purpose of science is simply to stick to what we can observe and measure. Knowledge of anything beyond that, a positivist would hold, is impossible. When I think of positivism (and the related philosophy of logical positivism) I think of the behaviorists in mid-20th Century psychology. These were the mythical rat runners who believed that psychology could only study what could be directly observed and measured. Since we cant directly observe emotions, thoughts, etc. (although we may be able to measure some of the physical and physiological accompaniments), these were not legitimate topics for a scientific psychology. B.F. Skinner argued that psychology needed to concentrate only on the positive and negative reinforcers of behavior in order to predict how people will behave everything else in between (like what the person is thinking) is irrelevant because it cant be measured. In a positivist view of the world, science was seen as the way to get at truth, to understand the world well enough so that we might predict and control it. The world and the universe were deterministic they operated by laws of cause and effect that we could discern if we applied the unique approach of the scientific method. Science was largely a mechanistic or mechanical affair. We use deductive reasoning to postulate theories that we can test. Based on the results of our studies, we may learn that our theory doesnt fit the facts well and so we need to revise our theory to better predict reality. The positivist believed in empiricism the idea that observation and measurement was the core of the scientific endeavor. The key approach of the scientific method is the experiment, the attempt to discern natural laws through direct manipulation and observation. OK, I am exaggerating the positivist position (although you may be amazed at how close to this some of them actually came) in order to make a point. Things have changed in our views of science since the middle part of the 20th century. Probably the most important has been our shift away from positivism into what we term post-positivism. By post-positivism, I dont mean a slight adjustment to or revision of the positivist position post-positivism is a wholesale rejection of the central tenets of positivism. A post-positivist might begin by recognizing that the way scientists think and work and the way we think in our everyday life are not distinctly different. Scientific reasoning and common sense reasoning are essentially the same process. There is no difference in kind between the two, only a difference in degree. Scientists, for example, follow specific procedures to assure that observations are verifiable, accurate and consistent. In everyday reasoning, we dont always proceed so c arefully (although, if you think about it, when the stakes are high, even in everyday life we become much more cautious about measurement. Think of the way most responsible parents keep continuous watch over their infants, noticing details that non-parents would never detect). One of the most common forms of post-positivism is a philosophy called critical realism. A critical realist believes that there is a reality independent of our thinking about it that science can study. (This is in contrast with a subjectivist who would hold that there is no external reality were each making this all up!). Positivists were also realists. The difference is that the post-positivist critical realist recognizes that all observation is fallible and has error and that all theory is revisable. In other words, the critical realist is critical of our ability to know reality with certainty. Where the positivist believed that the goal of science was to uncover the truth, the post-positivist critical realist believes that the goal of science is to hold steadfastly to the goal of getting it right about reality, even though we can never achieve that goal! Because all measurement is fallible, the post-positivist emphasizes the importance of multiple measures and observations, each of which may possess different types of error, and the need to use triangulation across these multiple errorful sources to try to get a better bead on whats happening in reality. The post-positivist also believes that all observations are theory-laden and that scientists (and everyone else, for that matter) are inherently biased by their cultural experiences, world views, and so on. This is not cause to give up in despair, however. Just because I have my world view based on my experiences and you have yours doesnt mean that we cant hope to translate from each others experiences or understand each other. That is, post-positivism rejects the relativist idea of the incommensurability of different perspectives, the idea that we can never understand each other because we come from different experiences and cultures. Most post-positivists are constructivists who believe that we each construct our view of the world based on our perceptions of it. Because perception and observation is falli ble, our constructions must be imperfect. So what is meant by objectivity in a post-positivist world? Positivists believed that objectivity was a characteristic that resided in the individual scientist. Scientists are responsible for putting aside their biases and beliefs and seeing the world as it really is. Post-positivists reject the idea that any individual can see the world perfectly as it really is. We are all biased and all of our observations are affected (theory-laden). Our best hope for achieving objectivity is to triangulate across multiple fallible perspectives! Thus, objectivity is not the characteristic of an individual, it is inherently a social phenomenon. It is what multiple individuals are trying to achieve when they criticize each others work. We never achieve objectivity perfectly, but we can approach it. The best way for us to improve the objectivity of what we do is to do it within the context of a broader contentious community of truth-seekers (including other scientists) who criticize each others work. The theories that survive such intense scrutiny are a bit like the species that survive in the evolutionary struggle. (This is sometimes called the natural selection theory of knowledge and holds that ideas have survival value and that knowledge evolves through a process of variation, selection and retention). They have adaptive value and are probably as close as our species can come to being objective and understanding reality. Clearly, all of this stuff is not for the faint-of-heart. Ive seen many a graduate student get lost in the maze of philosophical assumptions that contemporary philosophers of science argue about. And dont think that I believe this is not important stuff. But, in the end, I tend to turn pragmatist on these matters. Philosophers have been debating these issues for thousands of years and there is every reason to believe that they will continue to debate them for thousands of years more. Those of us who are practicing scientists should check in on this debate from time to time (perhaps every hundred years or so would be about right). We should think about the assumptions we make about the world when we conduct research. But in the meantime, we cant wait for the philosophers to settle the matter. After all, we do have our own work to do! Positivism Post-Positivism Lets start our very brief discussion of philosophy of science with a simple distinction between epistemology and methodology. The term epistemology comes from the Greek word epistà ªmà ª, their term for knowledge. In simple terms, epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge or of how we come to know. Methodology is also concerned with how we come to know, but is much more practical in nature. Methodology is focused on the specific ways the methods that we can use to try to understand our world better. Epistemology and methodology are intimately related: the former involves the philosophy of how we come to know the world and the latter involves the practice. When most people in our society think about science, they think about some guy in a white lab coat working at a lab bench mixing up chemicals. They think of science as boring, cut-and-dry, and they think of the scientist as narrow-minded and esoteric (the ultimate nerd think of the humorous but nonetheless mad scientist in the Back to the Future movies, for instance). A lot of our stereotypes about science come from a period where science was dominated by a particular philosophy positivism that tended to support some of these views. Here, I want to suggest (no matter what the movie industry may think) that science has moved on in its thinking into an era of post-positivism where many of those stereotypes of the scientist no longer hold up. Lets begin by considering what positivism is. In its broadest sense, positivism is a rejection of metaphysics (I leave it you to look up that term if youre not familiar with it). It is a position that holds that the goal of knowledge is simply to describe the phenomena that we experience. The purpose of science is simply to stick to what we can observe and measure. Knowledge of anything beyond that, a positivist would hold, is impossible. When I think of positivism (and the related philosophy of logical positivism) I think of the behaviorists in mid-20th Century psychology. These were the mythical rat runners who believed that psychology could only study what could be directly observed and measured. Since we cant directly observe emotions, thoughts, etc. (although we may be able to measure some of the physical and physiological accompaniments), these were not legitimate topics for a scientific psychology. B.F. Skinner argued that psychology needed to concentrate only on the positive and negative reinforcers of behavior in order to predict how people will behave everything else in between (like what the person is thinking) is irrelevant because it cant be measured. In a positivist view of the world, science was seen as the way to get at truth, to understand the world well enough so that we might predict and control it. The world and the universe were deterministic they operated by laws of cause and effect that we could discern if we applied the unique approach of the scientific method. Science was largely a mechanistic or mechanical affair. We use deductive reasoning to postulate theories that we can test. Based on the results of our studies, we may learn that our theory doesnt fit the facts well and so we need to revise our theory to better predict reality. The positivist believed in empiricism the idea that observation and measurement was the core of the scientific endeavor. The key approach of the scientific method is the experiment, the attempt to discern natural laws through direct manipulation and observation. OK, I am exaggerating the positivist position (although you may be amazed at how close to this some of them actually came) in order to make a point. Things have changed in our views of science since the middle part of the 20th century. Probably the most important has been our shift away from positivism into what we term post-positivism. By post-positivism, I dont mean a slight adjustment to or revision of the positivist position post-positivism is a wholesale rejection of the central tenets of positivism. A post-positivist might begin by recognizing that the way scientists think and work and the way we think in our everyday life are not distinctly different. Scientific reasoning and common sense reasoning are essentially the same process. There is no difference in kind between the two, only a difference in degree. Scientists, for example, follow specific procedures to assure that observations are verifiable, accurate and consistent. In everyday reasoning, we dont always proceed so c arefully (although, if you think about it, when the stakes are high, even in everyday life we become much more cautious about measurement. Think of the way most responsible parents keep continuous watch over their infants, noticing details that non-parents would never detect). One of the most common forms of post-positivism is a philosophy called critical realism. A critical realist believes that there is a reality independent of our thinking about it that science can study. (This is in contrast with a subjectivist who would hold that there is no external reality were each making this all up!). Positivists were also realists. The difference is that the post-positivist critical realist recognizes that all observation is fallible and has error and that all theory is revisable. In other words, the critical realist is critical of our ability to know reality with certainty. Where the positivist believed that the goal of science was to uncover the truth, the post-positivist critical realist believes that the goal of science is to hold steadfastly to the goal of getting it right about reality, even though we can never achieve that goal! Because all measurement is fallible, the post-positivist emphasizes the importance of multiple measures and observations, each of which may possess different types of error, and the need to use triangulation across these multiple errorful sources to try to get a better bead on whats happening in reality. The post-positivist also believes that all observations are theory-laden and that scientists (and everyone else, for that matter) are inherently biased by their cultural experiences, world views, and so on. This is not cause to give up in despair, however. Just because I have my world view based on my experiences and you have yours doesnt mean that we cant hope to translate from each others experiences or understand each other. That is, post-positivism rejects the relativist idea of the incommensurability of

Essays --

Rachel Toby 1/14/14 Research Paper â€Å"Homelessness In America† ‘Homelessness’ is when an individual or family cannot afford permanent housing. Homelessness is a common problem in human history. There are many reasons why people reached the state of homelessness such as; physical, economic, social and political. These problems continue to interfere with people’s lives. In the early stages of the American colonial settlement, homelessness became a huge problem in America. Most recently homelessness has been caused by the high cost of housing, alcoholism and drug addictions, mental health issues, joblessness and military veterans coming home. Many people who have jobs here in America still cannot afford permanent housing because the minimum wage which is $7.25 is not enough money to make a good living. The people who gets pay $7.25 an hour struggles because by the time they’re done paying all their bills they have very little to buy groceries, so most of the times people buy food for them and their family which means even tually they’re going to owe a lot of money for rent, which is going to lead to eviction. The United States needs a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the richest country in the world once and for all. Homelessness in the United States has been a problem for at least 200 years. â€Å"In the early 1800s, the rank of homelessness increased for many reasons such as; Migration to the frontiers, displacement caused by the Civil War, immigration from Europe, seasonal employment patterns in agriculture, construction and mining, and severe economic slumps in the 1870s and 1890s† ( Macmillan). This shows that homelessness started to become a huge problem in the 19th century. To help the situation, â€Å"Cities developed shelt... ...step up to take care of their responsibilities, then a lot of young women wouldn’t be homeless. Also there’s not enough affordable daycares. The solution require strong government action and the help of private enterprises. The government can help by building low cost housing for poor people. Veterans need jobs when they return from serving for their country. The government can help with job training. Businesses can help by making the hiring of vets a priority. We also need more centers for treating drug addicts and alcoholics. Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States. The richest country in the world should solve this problem. Low-cost housing, jobs for veterans, centers for addicts and alcoholics and low-cost daycares are all plans that would allow the young women to work or go back to school. If America had the will, we could fix this growing outrage. Essays -- Rachel Toby 1/14/14 Research Paper â€Å"Homelessness In America† ‘Homelessness’ is when an individual or family cannot afford permanent housing. Homelessness is a common problem in human history. There are many reasons why people reached the state of homelessness such as; physical, economic, social and political. These problems continue to interfere with people’s lives. In the early stages of the American colonial settlement, homelessness became a huge problem in America. Most recently homelessness has been caused by the high cost of housing, alcoholism and drug addictions, mental health issues, joblessness and military veterans coming home. Many people who have jobs here in America still cannot afford permanent housing because the minimum wage which is $7.25 is not enough money to make a good living. The people who gets pay $7.25 an hour struggles because by the time they’re done paying all their bills they have very little to buy groceries, so most of the times people buy food for them and their family which means even tually they’re going to owe a lot of money for rent, which is going to lead to eviction. The United States needs a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the richest country in the world once and for all. Homelessness in the United States has been a problem for at least 200 years. â€Å"In the early 1800s, the rank of homelessness increased for many reasons such as; Migration to the frontiers, displacement caused by the Civil War, immigration from Europe, seasonal employment patterns in agriculture, construction and mining, and severe economic slumps in the 1870s and 1890s† ( Macmillan). This shows that homelessness started to become a huge problem in the 19th century. To help the situation, â€Å"Cities developed shelt... ...step up to take care of their responsibilities, then a lot of young women wouldn’t be homeless. Also there’s not enough affordable daycares. The solution require strong government action and the help of private enterprises. The government can help by building low cost housing for poor people. Veterans need jobs when they return from serving for their country. The government can help with job training. Businesses can help by making the hiring of vets a priority. We also need more centers for treating drug addicts and alcoholics. Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States. The richest country in the world should solve this problem. Low-cost housing, jobs for veterans, centers for addicts and alcoholics and low-cost daycares are all plans that would allow the young women to work or go back to school. If America had the will, we could fix this growing outrage.