Dealing with Death and Dying Personal Statement - 1

Dealing with Death and Dying - Personal Statement Example I felt satisfied with the condition of the patient and the family before the incident occurred. This was because both the patient and the family had accepted the imminent death of Betty. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1969) in her book On Death and Dying has pointed that openly acknowledging the imminence of death and assisting the patient and family in addressing their issues of immediate concern would significantly improve the quality of the dying process. I had made efforts to ensure that rather than denying the situation the family could come together and support each other. I saw them expressing important emotional feelings for each other. I knew that this interaction was going a long way in helping Betty to resolve unresolved issues. I felt that she was being freed of emotional bondages so that the physical process could take its course peacefully. What was bad about the experience was the sight of a patient for whom I had worked hard in tears. I was reassured when I found that the reason for Betty's sadness was a dream rather than negligence on my part. I know that the emotional turmoil that goes on in a person who is dying is very intense. So I had taken every effort to address as many of these issues as possible and to be ready for all physical as well as emotional contingencies. When Betty shared with me about her dream I was a little unprepared. Especially as my personal belief is that dreams are a reflection of reality and was not inclined to accept that loved ones who have passed away could appear in dreams. However, as a nurse giving palliative care, I was aware that I needed to be sensitive to the beliefs of the patient.  

Baudrillards ideas on the film The Matrix Essay Example for Free

Baudrillards ideas on the film The Matrix Essay It has long been a condition of western culture to act for the accumulation of material objects. This is in part due to the capitalist nature of the world within which we live. Marx identifies in The Critique of Capitalism the emergence of two new classes of people, namely capitalists and labourers. The term capitalist describes any person who has personal ownership of capital, which consists of raw materials, instruments of labour and means of subsistence (Marx). In contrast a labourer has only the value of his labour (life activity), which he exchanges with the capitalist for a wage and as such the worker sinks to the level of commodity (Marx). Because the labourer produces for the capitalist a commodity of greater value than that of his wages and in addition those wages are paid back to the capitalist in return for subsistence, therefore social control in exerted over the working class, whilst providing the capitalist with excess commodity. The labourer consentingly becomes a slave to the system on which he depends. In addition Marx states that as the relation between capitalist and labourer (manufacturer and consumer) develops, so competition between rival capitalists becomes apparent. In effect the capitalist is forced to capture more of the market by selling goods more cheaply by the consolidation and exploitation of labour power e. g. by machinery. Such a strategy ultimately limits the demand for labour and so new industries must be developed for exploitation. These new industries are necessary because capital exists only in relation to its ability to command labour and social control and as such they reciprocally condition the existence of each other (Marx). These forced increases in demand and therefore production are evident in the contemporary world market. Important to the development of Capitalism is the use of money which abstracts labour and commodity values to a common unit for the purpose of trade. In effect the labourer discovers that the product of his activity is not the object of his activity (Marx) thus a level of abstraction occurs, which was consistent with the modernist values of the time. Karl Marx and early capitalism were mainly concerned with production which remains important but it was Situationist, Guy Debord, who gave the first insights into late capitalism and the theories that best apply to todays world economics and culture of commodities. Debord, in his book The Society of the Spectacle, bases his examination of commodities around consumption, media, information and technology. As such Debord suggests that in societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation. By this he means to describe the world and its products as mere appearances, where the real meanings and values of commodities are translated into signs. Essentially it is a world vision that has been objectified (Debord). Debord explains the phenomenon of the spectacle as resulting from the ever increasing production of capitalism. Because competition between capitalists inevitably leads to an excess of produce, so consumer demand must be increased. Such an increase is controllable by the spectacle as the real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions, (Debord) so he can be manipulated to believe he must consume beyond the basic necessity for survival e. g. leisure products. Therefore the spectacles form and content are identically the total justification of the existing systems conditions and goals (Debord). The spectacle is mediated in society as information or propaganda, as advertisement or direct entertainment consumption, (Debord). The effects of the mediated spectacle tend to lead the consumer to an experience of alienation as the consumers want for commodities is dictated to serve and maintain capitalism. In addition the spectacle constantly reinforces itself, for example the television, which is in itself a product of the spectacle that is then used by the capitalist to implement the advertisement of other spectacles. Essentially the spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society (Debord) and explains the transition from the degradation of being into having to having into appearing (Debord). Jean Baudrillard took Marxs Critique of Capitalism and Debords The Society of the Spectacle to their conclusions with his own theory of simulation and simulacra. Similar to the idea of the spectacle, Baudrillard describes a world where the subject of everything has been replaced by a semiological value that has become more important than the original, real meaning of the object. This object he calls a simulacra. In Simulacra and Simulation Baudrillard adds extra complexity to these ideas by establishing a hierarchy of simulation, which he gives four orders. In the first order the object is a copy of an original and so can be linked to a basic reality, for example a photograph of an actual event. The second order of simulation misrepresents the original subject; in the example the photography has been digitally manipulated in Photoshop to present a non-occurrence. In the third order a reality is recreated from a simulation of an original reality, when in fact, through the process of simulacra, the original has been lost, e. g. a scene is recreated from the digitally manipulated photograph of the original event. Finally, the forth order of simulation is the combined process of the first, second and third order to such an extent that the object bears no relation to reality or the original, for example the photograph has become a virtual reality. In this instance the link between reality and the signifying systems is almost impossible to ascertain, thus creating a hyper-reality. It is the use of one simulacra as a basis for the formation of another simulacra that shows the first signs of relevance to post modernity. Consequently, in post modernism, everything is understood in relation to everything that has come before, which in design manifests itself in referencing. Post modernism is also concerned with the fact that there is no right or wrong and essentially that no real truth exists. It is of course possible for a sign to make a transition through all four of the orders of simulation, constantly abstracting meaning and widening the gap between simulation and reality. However due to the complexity of repeated abstraction and signification it becomes necessary for an amount of speculation and simplification to occur when examining transitional examples. If we take, for example, the now famous emblem of automotive company Rolls Royce, it becomes apparent the extent to which a symbolic object can be re-simulated, each time loosing a part of its original meaning. Spirit of Ecstasy, designed by sculptor Charles Sykes and mass produced in 1911, is a cast metal emblem representing the figurine of a girl with arms outstretched to hold the folds of her gown blowing in the breeze. To the present day this emblem has been displayed on the bonnets of Rolls Royce cars and is the first order of simulation in terms of it being a representation of a real person from which the sculpture has been modelled. The object also references the figure heads of classic sailing ships in an attempt to convey the automotive product as an elegant, quite and reliable vehicle, which were the mediated associations with the brand during the early development of the company. In this instance the object enters the third order of simulation as a real event (model posing for sculptor) is created from an existing symbolic object (sailing boat figure heads) in order to be recreated as a new symbolic object (Spirit of Ecstasy emblem). At this point it is important to note that this example as an investigation could examine many more stages of referencing prior to the signs use as figure heads, though this could prove too difficult and inaccurate, again reinforcing the existence of a hyper-reality. The tea pot, designed by Michael Graves in 1985 for Alessi, brings the symbol to its conclusion. The tea pot employs a plastic emblem of a bird that is attached to the spout of the kettle and creates a whistling noise when the water is boiled. This creates a pun between the whistling of a kettle and the singing of bird but more importantly, its similar visual appearance (i. e. the wings of the bird and the outstretched arms and gown of the girl) makes a reference of Rolls Royce cars. Because during the late 20th century the values associated with Rolls Royce have matured to convey the brand as one of top class and status, so it are these value that are associated with Graves tea pot, supposed to the original associations that Rolls Royce was referencing from classic sailing ships. Therefore the product has clearly entered the forth order of simulation is it holds no relation to the original meaning that the original object as sign attempted to represent. Also, by referencing past signs, it can be described as a post modern object. Like Debord, Baudrillard agreed that simulation was important to the survival of capitalism as it, through mediation, can control the level of consumption within society. Baudrillard used the term valorisation to describe the process through which symbolic objects attain value. An excellent example of valorisation is Pokemon cards, which are essentially printed illustrations on card and so their use value is very low. However, via mediation, Pokemon cards have been given a simulated symbolic value that has made them desirable and powerful as a commodity. As well as design, Baudrillards theory of simulation and simulacra has also proved influential in film making, for example in The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski brothers. The Matrix is set in the future at a time when the real world has been reduced to a desert waste land by a war between humanity and machines; after the invention of artificial intelligence. Because the machines are dependant on solar power, the humans have caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter by blocking out sunlight. This has caused the machines to retaliate by imprisoning humans in gel filled pods so that energy can be extracted from them in the form of heat. In order to control the humans in this procedure a computer simulated world called the matrix exists, that all of the imprisoned humans are connected to, living their lives in what they believe is the late 20th century, oblivious to the fact that their real bodies are in stasis in the real world. The film therefore acts as a metaphor for contemporary western cultures. Firstly the matrix is an existence of the fourth order of simulation in that it is a system of mere signs that are completely detached from reality, i. e. hyper-reality. Just as in contemporary cultures, the people who live in the matrix are unaware that they are controlled by a system through simulation. You are a slave, neo, like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind What is the matrix? Control. The matrix is a computer generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this (he holds up a copper battery) (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix). In addition the film suggests that the prisoners of the Matrix are also dependant upon it, to the extent that they will fight to protect it. Baudrillards idea of mediasation appears in the film when it is suggested that there was a machine spawning a whole race of machines (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix), thus the social control of the machines (mediation of signs) increasingly exert themselves with every new generation. Interestingly The Matrix seems to offer a solution to simulation and social control by the system, which is one of enlightenment. Once Neo understands the systems and can see the signs (computer code) of the matrix for what they really are, then he can choose to follow a different set of rules thus gaining control of his environment. As well as a theological basis on Baudrillard, The Matrix tends to convey the story via symbolic references and thus is post modern by nature. For example the follow the white rabbit scene employs a tattoo of a white rabbit, which is referenced from Alice in Wonderland in order to convey the uncertainty in discovering the truth of an alternate reality. In the same scene Neo also opens a copy Baudrillards Simulacra and Simulation in effect reinforcing links to that element of the film. In conclusion, I have identified the main themes surrounding Baudrillards orders of simulacra and simulation, shown how they relate to modern and post modern design and have given contemporary examples of their use in product design and film making. I believe that such an understanding of simulation has served well to better understanding referencing in post modernity. References Debord, G., (1977) The Society of the Spectacle, Black Red Poster, M., (1998) Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings, Polity Press Tucker, R. C., (1978) The Marx Engels Reader Second Edition, Norton Company Bibliography Hebdige, D., (1994) Hiding in the Light, Routledge http://www.geneseo.edu/~bicket/panop/baudrillard.ht http://www.artisanitorium.thehydden.com/nonfiction/film/matrix.htm http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/master_frame.html

Aggregate Supply Curve In Malaysia

Aggregate Supply Curve In Malaysia Since 1970, Malaysia has transformed itself from raw materials producer into rising multi-sector economy. Under present Prime Minister, Malaysia is trying to reach high-income status and to increase value-added production series by attracting investments in Islamic finance, technology manufacturing, biotechnology, and services. The government is trying to enhance local demand and lessen economys reliance on exports since exports remain an economy major initiative. As oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has gained profit from higher world force prices, even though government subsidies is forced to cut down due to the growing domestic gasoline and diesel gas cost, mixed with overwrought government finances. The government is also aiming to lessen its reliance on state oil producer PETRONAS as oil and gas segment contributes above 40% of government income. The central bank retains good foreign trade stores, and well-developed regulatory system has restricted Malaysias disclosure to threaten financial mechanism and global financial crisis. On the other hand, Malaysia could be at risk to fall in product prices or broad decelerate in worldwide economic activity because exports are Gross Domestic Product (GDP) main element. Prime Minister has lift up potential adjustments to the unusual economic and social favorites with the purpose of attract increased investment; however he has met major conflict, particularly from Malay nationalists and other vested interests. However, during global financial crisis in year 2008-2009, although Malaysian financial system was protected from the direct effects of financial contact due to disallowed of new derivatives into the country, the global financial crisis has transmit uncertainty on the Governments plans to attain vision 2020 because of collapse in exports and slowdown in foreign direct investment (FDI). Theoretical Background Aggregate demand (AD) is aggregate quantity demanded for goods and services in economy at given general price level. It is symbolized by aggregate demand curve, which illustrates the negative relationship effect between price level and total output assuming no variation in government spending, net taxes or monetary policy variable. Aggregate demand curve is downward sloping because of wealth effect, interest effect and exchange rate effect. At each point along aggregate demand curve, the total quantity demanded is exactly equal to planned aggregate expenditure, which is the combination of consumption, investment and government spending. Each point on aggregate demand curve stands for certain level of aggregate expenditure that is dependable with equilibrium in goods and money market at given price. When the aggregate demand curve is moved along, the change of price level is presumed to cause equilibrium GDP change but other determinants of equilibrium GDP remain constant. When other determinants except price level lead the equilibrium GDP change, aggregate demand curve will shift itself. The other determinants of equilibrium GDP are consumption expenses, investment spending, government expenditure, taxes, net export and money supply. Aggregate supply (AS) is total goods and services supplied that are produced in economy at particular overall price level. It is corresponded to aggregate supply curve or price/output response curve, which demonstrates positive relationship effect between total output amount supplied and overall price level. The curve also draws out the price and output choices of all markets and firms in economy under given set of circumstances. In short run aggregate supply, the idea of fixed capacity plays role in macroeconomics. At low output point in economy, there is possible to be surplus capacity in economy. An increase in aggregate demand is possible to outcome in increase in amount produced with slightly or no raise in overall price. Thus, aggregate supply curve is likely to be flat at low aggregate output level. The economy maybe works below capability if there is cyclical unemployment even if firms are not holding surplus labor and capital. The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping, because the price of a few inputs are supposed to be decided under auction-like situations, caused by markup pricing and/or presumed informational irregularities. In long run aggregate supply, firms reaction to an increase in aggregate demand varies from primarily increasing output to principally increasing prices as unemployment rate falls, wages and cost of inputs will increase. When economy is producing at its maximum capacity, aggregate supply curve becomes vertical. There must be time delay between change in input price and change in output price for aggregate supply curve to slope upward. If input prices altered instantly to output prices, the aggregate supply curve would be vertical. Wage rates may increase at similar rate as overall price if price level increases in fully foreseen. The reasons of the shifts of short-run aggregate supply curve are cost of production, expectation on future price level, economic growth, public policy and weather condition. Meanwhile, the causes of shifts of long-run aggregate supply curve are change in labor, capital, natural resources and technology. Equilibrium price level is the price level at which the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curves meet. Equilibrium price level matches up with equilibrium in the goods money markets and lays down price/output decisions on part of all firms in economy AD/AS agenda is applied to assess the effects of monetary fiscal policy on the economy. Potential GDP is aggregate output level that can be continued in the long run without inflation. Economists consider costs cover behind price level changes in the short run; eventually move with the overall price level in long run. If the price level increases at a fixed rate, inflation may be fully foreseen built into labor contracts. Discuss and argument Aggregate Supply is the total supply of all goods and services in an economy.Normally , the aggregate supply curve is draw like vertical line, also name as classical range.But , in reality, this Aggregate supply are divided into 3 range , which is Keynesian range , intermediate range and also classical range. Keynesian range occur in the short run and show a horizontal segment on of the aggreagate supply curve (blue line) , which represent the economy is under the recession condition.Base on table below ,the price level is fixed regardless how many the output had been produce by the country.When AD shift rightward from AD1 to AD2 ,the total output has increase but the price level remain the same.This is due to the substaintial idle production capacity such as unemployed worker competing for available jobs can put to work . The intermediate range ,as show in the pink line,is the rising of aggragate supply curve when the economy is approaching full employment output.When the AD shift rightward from AD3 to AD4, the output and also price level increase .This show that they have the positive relationship between price level and real GDP .When the price level increase , this had cause the inflation occur.There are 3 factor cause this inflation occur, the first one is bottleneck occur because the firm no fully utilise the resources .Example,if the steel industry no fully supply to the steel firm .Bottleneck cause steel firm no enough raw material to produce their product and the cost of steel become higher, so they will also increase the price of thier product , so inflation occur.Moreover, when the company are earning higher profit, their worker will tend to ask for higher wages.The wage demand to increase is hardly to reject because company fear the worker will quit or strike .Beside , the company also can pass the cost on to consumer side easily because in this stage ,the unemployement rate is lower, all people got thier job and they are expect higher price of goods as they feel that will be more quality.Lastly is that sometime the firm still using the less produtivity worker or outdate machinery.This will cause the cost of production increase and become higher product price. Lastly the classical range is occur only in Long run supply curve where the curve is vertical shape ,which show that the real GDP remain constant at full employment output at point Yn, regardless how many the price level had increase or decrease.When the AD shift rightward from AD4 to AD5, the output remain constant ,but it will cause the price increase, as a consequency economy suffer inflation. The effect of increase in Aggregate demand AD1 AD2 AD3 AD4 AD5 AD6 YN Aggregate_supply_svg.png Now we consider the aggregate demand curve is stationary and the factor that influence the aggregate supply curve to shift.This factor are call non-price-level determinants. What happen aggreagte supply curve in Malaysia recently? During the year 2008, the oil price in Malaysia suddenly increase sharpy to US$147.27 ,compare to the year 2002 which the oil price is merely US$20 (Hour, 2009). This issues was cause many household and also firm suffer a lot .As we know that the changes of aggregate demand is base on changes in total demand for all final goods and services.In the statistics of consumer price index (CPI) had found that every cunsumer use 68% from their income for consuming food, non-alcholic beverages, housing , utility, gas ,transportation and also fuel.After the fuel hike in june 2008, the CPI immediate rose to a 27-year high of 7.7% instead of 3.8% in may,2008, which had increase 3.9% within 1 month.Increase in input price had cause the price level of economy increase, the household purchase power will drop because their real income had decrease.For example, before increase in oil price, one plate of nasi lemak is cost RM2.00.but after increase the input price, the seller need to bear higher cost to transport the same quantity of nasi lemak, so they will transfer the cost to consumer by increase the selling price to RM4.00.Now ,with the same plate of nasi lemak , the buyer need to paid double price , therefore their purchase power decrease. Moreover, it also will affects the households monetary wealth drop .As a consequence, the total consumption decrease ,aggregate expenditure reduce, and finally affect aggregate demand drop . Aggregate supply curve will shift based on changes in input price.As we know that most of the firms need the oil price for transport and deliver their product.When the oil price increase , the firms input cost will be increase as well, therefore , the firms will supply less outputs.then the short run aggregate supply curve will shift to left, then the price level increase ,total output decrease .When the output decrease, the manage will try to reduce the input cost such as layoff some existing labor.Therefore the unemployment rate will increase. Why suppy shock will occur in Malaysia? The first reason the affects the oil price shock occur in Malaysia is because 80% of the worlds oil reserves are own by state-owned oil firms so it tend to limited the international companies to access (Hour, 2009). Beside, the cause of shortage of oil supply is because of most of the big located field are found in the a few decade ago and one days this field will also be used up as the raw material are limited in this world.Furthermore, the size of the oil field found recently are very small and costly to operate .For example, if we found 10 small oil field in seperate location, that mean the firms need to set up 10 rigs compare to a big oil field they just need a big rig. The suppy shock can solve antomatically? In long run, the oil price shock can be solve automatically if the government or central bank does not implement any policy.When the oil price increase,the input price for the supplier will be increase, then the short run aggregate suppy will shift to the left,price level will increase from Po to P1,aggregate output will decrease from Yo yo Y1.In the long term, the drop in the total output will cause the firms want to layoff the employees to reduce their cost,so the unemployement rate in market will rise .The price expectation of employees for higher wage will drop and cause the firms have more money to increase more outputs to supply. So the short run aggregate suppy curve will shift back to right from SRAS1 to SRASo.Therefore , the price level and also total output are back to equilibrium level and the stagflation is solve. P YN Y1 P1 P0 LRAS SRASO ADo Y SRAS1 The supply shock can solve by government? Although the oil price shock can be solve in long term , but in the short term the citizen are suffer a lot especially for the low income family and also the unemployement rate increase rapidly.The umemployed citizen are depend on the money in their saving account for survive.If the price level increase more higher ,they is stuck with high cost of living without any compensation from the government.So, government must implement the expansionary fiscal policy to solve the unemployement .When inplement this policy, the Aggregate demand curve will shift rightward from ADo to AD1.Then the price level will increase from P1 to P2,total output will increase back to equilibrium level of output from Y 1 to Y2, and now Y2=Y1.The price level had increase higher than before , and the output back to equilibrium level, and the higher inflation occur. SRASO SRAS1 ADo AD1 LRAS P Y YN= Y2 Y1 P1 P0 P2 Factor to shift the aggregate demand curve Aggregate demand(AD) is the total number of demand of goods and services in economy. The AD is almost equal with aggregate expenditure(AE). The factor will affect the AD curve are based on equation of aggregate expenditure, AE=C+I+G+NX. In the AD curve, each point is representing certain level of AE that same with the equilibrium in money market at given price. When AD curve is moving along, price level change as due to the change of equilibrium GDP but other determinants are remain constant. When opposite direction, change of other determinants change the equilibrium of GDP, AD curve shift itself. Therefore, the other determinants are consumption spending, investment spending, government spending, taxes, net export and money supply. The quantity of money supplied at a given price level will affect the AD curve. When money supply is increase, the curve shift to the right from Ms0 to Ms1. The interest rate will drop from r0 to r1. The interest drop due to the increase of investment spending and the AE increase cause the real GDP increase. AE curve shift upward show that the output will decrease. At the end, the AD curve will shift right from AD0 to AD1 to remain the price at the constant. P AE=Y AE1 AE Y Y0 Y1 I r0 I0 I1 Md r1 r r Ms0 Ms1 Md M r0 r1 P Y AD0 AD1 P0 Y0 Y1 In the others hand, if there are spending shock, means the government spending is increase, this will affect the AD curve shift to the right. Shown from the graph below, when the increase in government spending at any given price level, the AE curve will shift upward and rise the real GDP. when the real GDP higher the given price level, it cause the AD curve shift to the right from AD0 to AD1. P Y AD0 AD1 P0 Y0 Y1 P AE=Y AE1 AE Y Y0 Y1 G Why oil price shock will affect aggregate demand curve? Aggregate demand is based on changes in total demand for all final goods and services. During the oil price shock, the oil price increase in Malaysia. This increase of oil price cause the price level of economy increase. The price level affect the real income decrease and reduce the purchase power of household. Household purchase power drop mean that the consumption decrease. Consumption spending is one of the factor to shift the AD curve. When consumption decrease, it shift the AD curve to the left from AD0 to AD1. Therefore, the price will decrease from P0 to P1 and the output also decrease from Y0 to Y1 AD1 P0 AS AD0 P1 LRAS P Y Y0 Y1 How to solve the aggregate demand automatically? If the government or central bank do not implement any policy during the shock of the oil price, this has to solve the aggregate demand automatically. After the aggregate demand shift to the left from AD0 to AD1, the price and the output were reduced. When the output drop, the employment decrease and unemployment increase. This affect the expected price drop and the wage rate decrease. At the same time, the short run supply curve shift to the right from AS0 to AS1. At the end, in the long run, output will return back from Y1 to the natural output Y0, but the price will keep on decrease from P0 to P1 and P2. This cause the deflation occur in the economy. Y0=Yn AD1 AS1 P0 AS0 AD P1 LRAS P Y Y1 P2 How the government or central bank solve the supple shock? When the supply shock solve by automatically, it will stay back the output value but the price decrease continuously. This affect the whole market economy and become deflation. The deflation will make the economy down and this will make suffer to the whole country. Therefore, government should implement the policy to solve this problem. To shift back the aggregate demand curve, government need to implement the expansionary fiscal policy. This policy can shift the aggregate demand curve to the right from AD1 back to AD0. In the long run, the price back to the natural price P0 and the output also change from Y1 to the natural output of Y0. AS LRAS Y AD1 AD0 Pn=P0 P1 P Y0=Yn Y1 Conclusion The oil price shock in 2008 had brought a large impact for Malaysias economy. After rising in oil price, producers need to pay higher input price for the production purpose. Thus, firms sold their goods for higher price which causing consumers purchasing power dropped and the aggregate demand decrease. The increasing input prices also causing firms to produce less output which might cause the unemployment rate increase. In short run, government can implement the expansionary fiscal policy to solve the unemployment problem. However, the price will increase even higher than before which might cause hyperinflation. If the government or central bank does not implement any policy during the oil price shock, the problem will be solved automatically in the long run but it might cause consumer to suffer a lot in the short run. We recommend Malaysia government to develop reasonable oil price setting instrument, obtain cheap oil from foreign country, searching alternative resources, give subsidies to firms and increase wage rate of workers in order to minimize the consequences of increasing oil price. Throughout this assignment, we have a better understanding about the aggregate demand and aggregate supply and able to apply it in real economy situation. We had also learned how to work in a team efficiently and effectively in terms of collaboration and time management in order to accomplish the task given. Recommendation Increasing in oil prices is a serious issue that may affect aggregate supply and aggregate demand which bring large impact to Malaysias economy. Appropriate ways need to be taken in order to minimize the consequences of increasing oil price in Malaysia. Our suggestions are as follow: Reasonable Oil Price Setting Instrument First, government needs to develop reasonable oil price setting instrument which may ensure the oil prices are setting within a range which is reasonable and affordable for citizens, and allow realistic profit for oil industries. There are three aspects that should be taken into consideration while determine the oil price range, which are the consumers purchasing power, an estimation of profit for oil industries in reasonable level, and the international oil prices. With the help of this mechanism, Malaysias oil prices will be more realistic and reasonable which may prevent uncontrollable increasing of oil prices in Malaysia. When the oil prices are set in a reasonable level, there will be no large impact on the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curve. Obtain Cheap Oil from Foreign Country In order to minimize the impact of high oil price, government is suggested to search for the new sources of low-cost oil from other country. Malaysias government can import cheap and low quality oil from foreign country and refine it to become better quality oil which is qualified to issue to the market with lower cost. The reservation of the cheap oil in a certain amount is also necessary in order to avoid Malaysia from being the victim of increasing prices in the cheap oil. With the available of cheaper oil (input), firms will increase the aggregate supply of the outputs which might prevent shortage of goods in the market. When there is an increasing output in the market, the price of the goods will be reduced and the aggregate demand will increase to a certain level. Searching Alternative Resources High oil price problem only can be solved by associate effort of both government and individual. In order to minimize the impact of high oil price, the organization should attempt to do some investigation or discover the substitute of the oil like bio gas and electronic bike and should try to innovation so that the product of the organization can be produce on other alternatives. In this situation, the company can reduce the quantity of the oil which used to produce the output. Then, the supplier or provider would not reduce the quantity of supply which affects the aggregate supply shift to the left. On the other side, aggregate demand also relatively would not be affected which the curve shift to the left because the consumer can continue to consume the product in the normal price. Give Subsidies Once the oil prices increase, it will directly or indirectly affect the whole production cost, including the fee of the transportation or other else. In order to solve it, the government should provide subsidies to the supplier or provider in order to control the market price. After the suppliers receive the subsidies from government, they will not increase the retail price of their products since they want to maintain their organizations profit. By implementing this strategy, the inflation problem can be avoided because the supplier would not increase the price of product due to the higher input price. Hence, the aggregate demand and aggregate supply would not be affected. Increase Wage Rate In the market, increasing oil prices may lead to inflation problem in Malaysia. This problem will caused our citizens suffer from financial burden and their purchasing power will decrease. In this case, government can raise the amount of minimum wage in order to make sure the organization provides the cost of living to the employee. This can help the employee are able to maintain their basic needs in their daily life although the high oil price situation happened in Malaysia. Individual who using the vehicle during the daily life, the oil price increase will directly increase their daily expense. Purchasing power of the individual will be decreased and finally it will affect the aggregate demand shift to the left because consumer consume less than before. After increasing wages rate, this problem can be solved and the curve of the aggregate demand will back to original.

Cadmium And Sewage Sludge :: essays research papers

Cadmium and sewage sludge This essay concentrates on the heavy metal cadmium, and its occurrence in the environment, its pathways into and out of the human body and its movement into and out of Sewage sludge. Firstly, I will provide a clear definition of the Heavy Metal Cadmium. What is Cadmium? Cadmium is a naturally occurring element in the earth’s crust. Pure cadmium is a soft silver-white metal, but this form is not common in the environment. Rather, cadmium is most often encountered in combination with other elements such as oxygen (cadmium oxide), chlorine (cadmium chloride), or sulphur (cadmium sulphide). These compounds are all stable solids that do not evaporate, although cadmium oxide is often found as part of small particles present in air.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most cadmium is obtained as a by-product from the smelting of zinc, lead or copper ores. Cadmium has a number of industrial applications, but it is used mostly in metal plating, pigments, batteries, and plastics. Cadmium in the Environment Small quantities of cadmium occur naturally in air, water, soil and food. For most people, food is the primary source of cadmium exposure, since food materials tend to take up and retain cadmium. For example, plants take up cadmium from soil; fish take up cadmium from water, and so on. It is introduced into the environment from mining and smelting operations. Other cadmium emissions are from fossil fuel use, fertilizer application, sewage sludge disposal or galvanized pie corrosion. The largest source of these cadmium releases into the general environment is the burning of fossil fuels (such as coal or oil) or the incineration of waste materials. Cadmium may also escape into the air from zinc, lead or copper smelters. Working in or living close to a major source of airborne emissions such as these may result in higher than average exposure. Pathways into the human body Food and Drink   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cadmium can enter the blood by absorption from the stomach or intestines after ingestion of food or water. The amount of Cadmium ingested by an individual within a population can differ greatly due to dietary habits. For example, an individual who consumes a large amount of brown crabmeat or vegetables grown on land which is fertilised with sewage sludge are likely to have intakes of cadmium significantly above the average population level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only a small percentage of cadmium ingested with the food intake is absorbed, approximately 6%. However there are many factors, which can affect this figure, namely, physiological, such as age and the content of the diet.

Book pseudo-philosophical

The book of job is indeed a difficult book (particularly because it is structured like a poem, which i think made it all the more boring. ) But going beyond that, it has some interesting pseudo-philosophical discussions going on. Job is a brave man, given the circumstances and the general assumptions about the nature of the universe at the time (a universe where god occasionally makes his presence known through a whirlwind or some such device).Job is good and brave, but I think there is an inherent assumptions in his arguments that make them fail (in my book): the assumption of the validity of the rationale behind the rules under which God seems to operate. Since Sin is also, ultimately, God's invention, I think an appropriate response to such a condition as Job's would have been â€Å"Why are You playing around with us? † When Job finally acknowledges God's justice, Job gets his good life back! (Someone was just being childish and just wanted some appreciation, after all. )I don't believe that there is a direct correlation between good actions and†¦ divinely bestowed awards. A bit of work and a bit of luck are what it takes to get a good life. As for Genesis chapters 1-11, I cannot take these as an authentic record of historical events. While reading, I kept getting a feeling, in the back of my mind, that there is something inherently wrong in the rationale and explanations of the behaviors of the characters (God included). The story presented in Genesis has the makings of a myth, and is in the same level as that of other creationist stories of other beliefs.As Darwin says, the concept of God is quite beyond the scope of my abilities. Genesis 1-11 is an â€Å"explanation† of the origins of the world, which I believe must be a lot more complex than the chapters relate (at least on the surface). It also â€Å"explains† the origins good and evil in modern mankind. Boring also. Primarily because the story has been recounted countless time s, and, understandably, the sentences are structured as dissimilarly as possible from everyday speech, while still retaining grammatical correctness. But it is still nice to understand ancient (and modern) cultural and religious mentality.

Competitive Improv Theater Games for Improv Actors

Competitive Improv Theater Games for Improv Actors Most improvisational activities are guided by a very loose format. Actors might be given a location or a situation in which to create a scene. For the  most part, they have the freedom to make up their own characters, dialogue, and actions. Improv comedy groups play each scene in hopes of generating laughter. More serious acting troupes create realistic improvisational scenes. There are, however, many challenging improv games that are competitive in nature. They are judged usually by a moderator, host, or even the audience. These types of games generally put a lot of restrictions on the performers, resulting in a great deal of fun for the viewers. Some of the most entertaining competitive improvisation games are: The Question GameAlphabetWorld’s Worst Remember: Although these games are competitive by design, they are meant to be performed in the spirit of comedy and camaraderie. The Question Game In Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the two bumbling protagonists wander through Hamlet’s rotten Denmark, amusing themselves with a combative â€Å"question game.† It’s a sort of verbal tennis match. Stoppard’s clever play demonstrates the basic idea of the Question Game: create a scene in which two characters speak only in questions. How to Play:  Ask the audience for a location. Once the setting is established, the two actors begin the scene. They must speak only in questions. (Normally one question at a time.) No sentences ending with a period – no fragments – just questions. Example: LOCATION: A popular theme park.Tourist: How do I get to the water ride?Ride Operator: First time at Disneyland?Tourist: How can you tell?Ride Operator: Which ride did you want?Tourist: Which one makes the biggest splash?Ride Operator: Are you ready to get soaking wet?Tourist: Why else would I be wearing this raincoat?Ride Operator: Do you see that big ugly mountain down yonder?Tourist: Which one? And so it continues. It might sound easy, but continually coming up with questions that progress the scene is quite challenging for most performers. If the actor says something that is not a question, or if they continually repeat questions (â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"What did you say again?†), then the audience is encouraged to make a â€Å"buzzer† sound effect. The â€Å"loser† who failed to properly respond sits down. A new actor joins the competition. They can continue using the same location/situation or a new setting can be established. Alphabet This game is ideal for performers with a knack for alphabetization. The actors create a scene in which each line of dialogue begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Traditionally, the game starts off with an â€Å"A† line. Example: Actor #1: All right, our first annual comic book club meeting is called to order.Actor #2: But I’m the only one wearing a costume.Actor #1: Cool.Actor #2: Does it make me look fat?Actor #1: Excuse me, but what’s the name of your character?Actor #2: Fat man.Actor #1: Good, then it suits you. And it continues all the way through the alphabet. If both actors make it to the end, then it’s usually considered a tie. However, if one of the actors flubs up, the audience members make their judgmental â€Å"buzzer† sound, and the actor at fault leaves the stage to be replaced by a new challenger. Normally, the audience supplies the location or the relationship of the characters. If you tire of always beginning with the letter â€Å"A† the audience can randomly select a letter for the performers to begin with. So, if they receive the letter â€Å"R† they would work their way through â€Å"Z,† go to â€Å"A† and end with â€Å"Q.† Ugh, it’s starting to sound like algebra! World’s Worst This is less an improv exercise and more of an â€Å"instant punch-line† game. Although it’s been around a long time, â€Å"World’s Worst† was made popular by the hit show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? In this version, 4 to 8 actors stand in a line facing the audience. A moderator gives random locations or situations. The performers come up with the world’s most inappropriate (and incredibly humorous) thing to say. Here are some examples from Whose Line Is It Anyway: World’s Worst thing to say on your first day in prison: Who here loves to crochet?World’s Worst thing to say on a romantic date: Let’s see. You had the Big Mac. That’s two dollars you owe me.World’s Worst thing to say at a Major Award Ceremony: Thank you. As I accept this major award, I’d like to thank everyone I’ve ever met. Jim. Sarah. Bob. Shirley. Tom, etc. If the audience responds positively, then the moderator can give the performer a point. If the joke generates boos or groans, then the moderator may want to good-naturedly take points away. Note: Veteran improv performers know that these activities are meant to entertain. There aren’t really winners or losers. The whole purpose is to have fun, make the audience laugh, and sharpen your improve skills. However, young performers might not understand this. If you are a drama teacher or a youth theater director, consider the maturity level of your actors before trying these activities.

Personal Financial Planning essayEssay Writing Service

Personal Financial Planning essayEssay Writing Service Personal Financial Planning essay Personal Financial Planning essayQ1. How are you saving for retirement?   If you are currently not saving for retirement, design a plan for your retirement savings.   Explain in 1 concise paragraph.Retirement planning will strongly depend on the type of income that will be available in the future and the options offered by the employer. One possible way of planning for retirement is the following: investing about 4% of gross salary into an annuity which will yield the basic income and investing 3% of gross salary into an Individual Retirement Account with reasonable mutual fund investments and solid previous history. Such diversification allowsQ2. Would you favor reforming Social Security to eliminate inequalities in the distribution of spouse benefits? If so, what kind of changes would you propose?Spouse benefits in Social Security often result in discrimination against low-earning workers in a couple, since they will receive the same benefits as the persons who have never worke d and therefore never invested into Social Security. Since in most cases the lower-earning person in the household is wife, in the couples where men earn equally those women who never worked are eligible for similar retirement benefits as those who did work but received lower wages (Gitman ¸ Joehnk Billingsley, 2010). On one hand, those women who invested their time in child-rearing and looking after older relatives deserve these payments, but such inequality also rewards those who withdraw from work. It would be useful to introduce a cumulative index for individuals taking into account their work contributions and family contributions. The value of benefits determined using such an index would help to reduce or even eliminate inequality.Q3. What do you think is the single most pressing political issue for older Americans? Explain your answer.For older Americans, key political issues are related to financing their retirement and accessing medical services. Currently the most pres sing issue is the existence of Social Security fund and its accessibility in the future. There might be different pressures depending on the generation; for example, when the Millennials approach retirement, they might face a depletion of Social Security resources accompanied by additional measures limiting their eligibility (such as increased retirement age) (Gitman ¸ Joehnk Billingsley, 2010). This issue has a direct impact on the lives of older Americans and therefore is the most pressing for them.