Thursday, November 28, 2019

Characters and Plot of The Maze Runner Essay Example

Characters and Plot of The Maze Runner Essay The characters in the story face an external conflict, is a mysterious maze, that has trapped them into a small area of land. The characters live on an area of land called a Gade surrounded by huge walls. The walls create an opening every morning and close at night time, the opening exposes an ever-changing maze that is filled with huge mechanical spiders called Grievers. The people living on the Glade, gladers, have no memory besides their own names. The gladers believe the only way out of the maze is by solving the maze. However, no one has ever survived a night in the maze. The exposition of the novel is when the main character, Thomas, is brought into the Glade. The glade is an area of land surrounded by large walls, the glade is filled with other people who were mysteriously brought there. Each person has no memory what so ever besides knowing their own names. The people living on the land are all teenage boys who call themselves gladers. The Rising action begins when a girl is brought to the glade, a girl has never been put into the glade before. The woman arrives with a note saying she is the last one ever, meaning she will be the last one to enter the glade and the people already there will die off. After the girl arrives unusual events begin to take place in the civilization that usually doesnt happen. The walls begin to be left open and mechanical spiders, grievers, pour into the Glade causing havok into the Glade each night. The climax begins when the gladers begin to try to solve the maze. A large group of the gladers pour into the maze and ev entually fight their way through the maze. The falling action of the novel begins when the gladers fight their way through the griever hole and go down a tunnel after they enter a code that shuts down the grievers. Shortly after the resolution begins when a group of rescuers pour in and save the gladers. The novel ends with the surviving gladers being helicoptered into a post-apocalyp We will write a custom essay sample on Characters and Plot of The Maze Runner specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Characters and Plot of The Maze Runner specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Characters and Plot of The Maze Runner specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Monday, November 25, 2019

Matthew B. Brady essays

Matthew B. Brady essays Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer was written by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Elizabeth Van Steenwyk has written many good books for young people including: Saddlebag Salesmen, The California Missions, Frederic Remington, The California Gold Rush: West with the Forty-Niners, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Woman of Courage. Elizabeth now lives in San Marino, California with her husband. Mathew B. Brady was born somewhere between 1823 and 1824. His early life is somewhat a mystery. He was born in Warren County in New York and his parents might have been Irish immigrants. His middle name was even a mystery, when asked what the B stood for he said that he inserted it because it seemed more distinguished. When he turned 16 he met William Page, a man wanting to become an artist. The both of them worked together, and Pages artistic abilities were most likely Bradys starting interest in becoming a photographer. In 1839 or 1840 Brady and Page moved to New York City. Meanwhile, a French inventor named Louis-Jacques-Mand Daguerre was inventing something that would change Bradys life. In 1839 Daguerre invented his camera. Samuel F. B. Morse went over to France to check out Daguerres camera. He wrote back to a magazine saying that it was perhaps the greatest invention in this age. When Samuel Morse returned to New York City and started a school for learning how to use the camera. Brady, very interested in the camera, signed up for lessons. Several years later Brady graduated and started his own little photography business on Broadway. In 1844 Brady won first place in the first photographic contest in America. Winning the contest also won Brady a lot of clients. He became very popular in New York. He took pictures of twenty-five famous people and therefore published The Gallery of Illustrious Americans. He opened an ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Mircroeconomics ( AT&T and T-mobile merger) Essay

Mircroeconomics ( AT&T and T-mobile merger) - Essay Example On the other hand, this implies a reduction in congestion and therefore a possibility of better signal quality and service for the customer base. AT&T consumer's who have been suffering worsened quality because of the heavy data-demands of the iPhones launched in 2007, may expect better quality service because the integrated network will have a substantially better carrying capacity. Service quality is thus likely to improve for iPhone users as well. Rivals, given such improvements are likely to push forward on the same dimensions and improvements in overall signal quality and service provision could be expected. The major groups concerned with the merger, apart from the company owners and employees are the customers, the rivals and the providers in the supply chain for these companies and their rivals as well. In the present paper, we examine what are the expected effects of this merger on related groups of consumers, competitors, and last but not the least, the suppliers. The rest of the essay is organized as follows: in the next section we look at the expected impact on consumers, particularly in terms of prices, signal quality and coverage. ... ven the small number of competitors present in the market and the observed strategic interdependence between them, we are looking at an oligopoly market. Collusion between rivals in such a market has substantial impacts on the characteristics of the market. On one hand such collusion leads to a reduction in the number of firms and thus the market deviates away from competition even more. Therefore, this increasing distance of the market from a perfectly competitive market implies a number of welfare reducing aspects. First and foremost, a fewer number of firms implies an increased market power and thus greater control over prices. Prices are likely to increase and so that will lead to a fall in consumers' surplus. There are reductions in productive and distributive efficiency as well (Varian, 1992). However, there are certain benefits that accrue to enhancement of welfare as well. For instance, the excess capacity that causes productive inefficiency also implies resources that can be utilized for innovations. Particularly, as pointed out by Schumpeter (cited in Solow, 2007), there cannot be privately motivated innovations or R&D activities unless industries earn positive profits. Therefore, for overall economic growth and progress, some degree of market power is crucial. Additionally, the enhancement of capacities is likely to yield scale benefits and increased efficiency as well. This allows merged firms to reduce prices without reducing profitability. In the present context therefore, the proposed merger has twin effects on the customers. Before the merger, AT&T's network is highly congested and customer's complain regularly about poor signal quality. The merger is likely to solve these problems since T-mobile's network is not nearly as congested and the total number

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT - Assignment Example Treatment of recessionary gap in new classical approach: According to the new Classical approach, economists focus on the unemployment situation, which affects the economy owing to the continuous decline in the real output of the economy. In a recessionary gap situation, supply of resources in the labor market tends to increase substantially. Consequently, the wage rate declines to maintain the equilibrium position of the economy’s resources. Hence, this result in lowering wages and prices with a shift in short run Aggregate Supply (AS) curve causing recessionary gap. Accordingly, the new classical theory suggests that the economy is self-regulatory, and can achieve equilibrium i.e. stability, full employment without government interference and can eliminate the gap in a â€Å"self-corrective mechanism† (Pearson Education, â€Å"Keynes and the Classical Economists: The Early Debate on Policy Activism†). Exhibit 1: Recessionary Gap AS movements as per the new clas sical theory (Jain, Jain, Ohri, Majhi and Ohri 193) Treatment of recessionary gap in Keynesian approach: In contrast to the new classical theory, the Keynesian theory asserts that recessionary gap is the shift in Aggregate Demand (AD) due to low spending in an economy. Economists following the Keynesian approach suggest that the gap can be eliminated by spending more, that is by increase flow of money and capital resources within the economy, which will move the AD curve upwards (Pearson Education, â€Å"Keynes and the Classical Economists: The Early Debate on Policy Activism.†). Exhibit 2: Recessionary Gap AS movements as per the new classical theory (Jain, Jain, Ohri, Majhi and Ohri 193) The main difference between the new classical and the Keynesian theory persist in respect to their assumptions, which are directly associated with the AS-AD curve movements. As can be observed from the above discussion, the new classical theory assumes that with the increase in the unemploy ment rate, which indicates a fall in the demand for labors in the economy, the wage will also shrink, causing the AS curve shift downwards. However, because the economy is assumed to function in a â€Å"self-corrective manner†, it is likely that the fall in the wage rate will increase the demand for the labors and thus fortify the situation to the equilibrium position. Contradictorily, the Keynesian economists shall assume that in a recessional gap situation, if the demand for employment falls, it shall have no effect on the price and also on the supply (in the short run). It is under such circumstance that the government needs to intervene and increase demand for the resource to the equilibrium position (Baumol and Blinder 206-208). QUESTION 2 Two events supporting Classical theory: In the modern era, many economies practice the classical theory of microeconomics. Among these, China has been a significant illustration. China operates with minimum government intervention for better economic stability. For example, at the time of World War 2, China had to witness a steep fall in its employment rate, which had resulted in the downward shift of the wage rate and the AS curve. The reason was likewise assumed to be the failure of the economic drivers to use the resources efficiently, as per the classical the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Explain the main determinants of exchange rate behavior in the long Essay

Explain the main determinants of exchange rate behavior in the long run and in the short run. In the context of your analysis di - Essay Example The speculation concept in this market has made it hard for achievement of stability. Gains and losses can be made in the same breath in this market. This presents a challenge in both the macro and micro economics world. The factors that influence this behaviour in the foreign exchange market has been a topic of concern to many scholars and economists the world over. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the main determinants of exchange rate behaviour both in the short-run and long-run by illuminating a number of theories and explain why exchange rates tend to be volatile and notoriously hard to predict. To better understand the exchange rates, the paper will first discuss the foreign exchange market and then it will look at the exchange rate regimes. The The Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the asset market approach through the Uncovered Interest Rate Parity (UIRP) will also be analyzed here.   Overview of the Foreign Exchange Market As the name suggests, a foreign exchange marke t is a market where currencies are traded. Foreign exchange market is also known as forex market. In this market, money is traded for other money. This is the basic definition of the foreign exchange market but in broader terms, the foreign exchange market is not restricted to the exchange of currencies. ... Gains are made in the same breath as losses in this market. This is so because the price of the currency in the market is determined by forces of demand and supply (Carbaugh, 2011). The financial market like goods market obeys the laws of demand and supply; the demand for currency varies inversely with price (Williamson, 2009). If demand for a currency increases its price increases (appreciates) making it unattractive in the market. Buyers thus switch to buying products where value of currency is low leading to depreciation of the currency until equilibrium is reached. For example, in a market involving dollars and pounds whereby the dollar is the domestic currency and the pound is the foreign currency, an increase in demand for foreign currency (pound) results in depreciation of the domestic currency (dollar) while an increase in supply of foreign currency leads to appreciation of the dollar until equilibrium is reached (Sercu and Uppal, 1995). The demand and supply concept As shown in figure 1, Do represents the demand curve for pounds while So represents the supply curve. Equilibrium exchange rate is obtained at the point where demand curve intersects with supply curve (point E). At this point, the exchange rate of dollars per pound is stable hence the market is efficient (Carbaugh, 2011 p. 399). The demand curve in this case represents the desire of the Americans to purchase British goods, services and assets and by observing the law of demand; the US demand for pound varies inversely with price. If price increases, the demand for pounds decreases and if price decreases the demand for pound increases. This means that if the dollar price of pound increases, exports from

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Environmental Effects Of Drought Environmental Sciences Essay

The Environmental Effects Of Drought Environmental Sciences Essay Drought is a normal part of climatic conditions; extreme climatic events, often described as a natural hazard (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). Drought has long been recognized as one of the most dangerous causes of human misery. It has today the unfortunate distinction of being the natural disaster that annually claims the most victims. Its ability to cause widespread misery is actually increasing day by day. Drought differs from other natural disasters in its slowness of onset and its commonly lengthy duration. The severity of the drought depends upon its duration, the degree of moisture deficiency, and the size of the affected area. Drought is a hazard that requires many months to emerge and that may persist for many months or years thereafter. This type of hazard is known as a creeping hazard (Coppola, 2007). It is difficult to provide a precise and universally accepted definition of drought due to its varying characteristics, impacts, across the different regions of the world, such as rainfall pattern, human response and resilience and diverse academic perspectives (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). In general, drought is an insidious natural hazard that results from a departure of precipitation from expected or normal that, when extended over a season or longer period of time, is insufficient to meet the demands of human, plant and animal activities ( A Primer for parliamentarians, NDMD). In the literature, drought has been classified into four categories in terms of impact: Meteorological Drought Meteorological drought is defined as the deficiency of precipitation from expected or normal levels over an extended period of time. Meteorological drought usually precedes other kinds of drought. Meteorological drought is said to occur when the seasonal rainfall received over an area is less than 25% of its long term average value. Its further classified as a moderate drought if the rainfall deficit is 26-50% and severe drought when the deficit exceeds 50% of the normal. The following examples of meteorologic droughts from different countries at different times show why it is a poor idea to apply a definition of drought developed in one part of the world to another: United States (1942): less than one tenth inch of rainfall in 48 hours Great Britain (1936): fifteen consecutive days with daily precipitation totals of less than one hundredth of an inch Libya (1964): when annual rainfall is less than 7 inches India (1960): actual seasonal rainfall is deficient by more than twice the mean deviation Bali (1964): a period of six days without rain. (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998) Under any circumstances, meteorological measurements are the first indicators of drought. Agricultural Drought Agricultural drought, usually triggered by meteorological and hydrological droughts, occurs when soil moisture and rainfall are inadequate during the crop growing season causing extreme crop stress and wilting. Plant water demand depends on prevailing weather conditions, biological characteristics of the specific plant, its stage of growth and the physical and biological properties of the soil. Agriculture is usually the first economic sector to be affected by drought (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Hydrological Drought Hydrological drought refers to deficiencies in surface and subsurface water supplies. It is measured as stream flow, and as lake, reservoir and ground water levels. There is a time lag between lack of rain and less water in streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, so hydrological measurements are not the earliest indicators of drought. When precipitation is reduced or deficient over an extended period of time, this shortage will be reflected in declining surface and subsurface water levels (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Socioeconomic Drought Socioeconomic drought is what happens when physical water shortage starts to affect people, individually and collectively. Or, in more abstract terms, most socioeconomic definitions of drought associate it with the supply and demand of an economic good (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Drought in India Drought gas a serious problem for India, and it has affected many part of the country intermittently. Certain regions of the country identified to be drought-prone. Increased climate variability has made rainfall pattern more inconsistent and unpredictable in the country increasing the recurrence of drought or drought like situation. A deficiency of rainfall causes depletion of both surface and ground water levels and adversely affects agricultural operations. In India, around 68% of the country is prone to drought in varying degrees. Of the entire area, 35% of the area, which receives rainfall between 750 mm and 1,125 mm, is considered drought-prone, while another 33%, which receives less than 750 mm of rainfall, is called chronically drought-prone. A further classification of Indias regions into arid (19.6%), semi-arid (37%), and sub-humid areas (21%) has been dealing with geographical spread of drought (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). In India, the occurrence and conditions of drought are influenced by a number of factors. Rainfall and cropping patterns are different across many geographical regions. It is not just the deficiency of the rainfall, but also the uneven distribution of rainfall across the season, duration of rainfall deficiency and its impact on different regions of the country that characterize drought conditions. Even though India receives abundant rain as a whole, disparity in its distribution over different parts of the country is so great that some parts suffer from perennial dryness. In other parts, however the rainfall is so excessive that only a small fraction can be utilized. Around 33% of the cropped area in the country receives less than 750 mm rain annually making such areas as hotspots of drought. Impacts of Drought Drought produces wide ranging impacts that span many sectors of the country. Drought has both direct and indirect impacts. One of the sectors where the direct impact of drought felt is agriculture. With the increased intensity or extended duration of drought prevalence, a significant fall in food production is noticed. The drought not only affects the food production at the farm level but also the national economy and the overall food security as well. Other direct impacts includes: depleted water levels, deficit in ground water recharge, land degradation, and damage to wildlife and fish habits. When direct impacts have multiplier effects through the economy and society, they are referred to as indirect impacts. These include a reduction in agricultural production that may result in reduced income for farmers and agribusiness, increased prices for food and timber, unemployment, reduced purchasing capacity and demand for consumption, default on agricultural loans, rural unrest, and re duction in agricultural employment leading to migration and drought relief programmes. The impacts of drought are classified as economic, environmental, and social. Economic Impacts Economic impacts refer to production losses in agriculture and related sectors, especially forestry and fisheries, because these sectors rely on surface and subsurface water supplies. It causes a loss of income and purchasing power, particularly among farmers and rural population dependent on agriculture. All industries dependent upon the primary sector for their raw materials would suffer losses due to reduced supply or increased prices. Drought thus has a multiplier effect throughout the economy, which has a dampening impact on employment, flow of credit and tax collections. If the drought is countrywide, macroeconomic indicators at the national level are adversely impacted. (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009) Environmental impacts Environmental impacts, such as lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes and ponds as well as reduced flows from springs and streams would reduce the availability of feed and drinking water and adversely affect fish and wildlife habitat. It may also cause loss of forest cover, migration of wildlife and their greater mortality due to increased contact with agricultural producers as animals seek food from farms and producers are less tolerant of the intrusion. A prolonged drought may also result in increased stress among endangered species and cause loss of biodiversity. Reduced stream flow and loss of wetlands may cause changes in the levels of salinity. Increased groundwater depletion, land subsidence, and reduced recharge may damage aquifers and adversely affect the quality of water (e.g., salt concentration, increased water temperature, acidity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity). The degradation of landscape quality, including increased soil erosion, may lead to a more permanent loss of biological productivity of the landscape (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). Social impacts Social impacts arise from lack of income causing out migration of the population from the drought-affected areas. People in India seek to cope with drought in several ways which affect their sense of well-being: they withdraw their children from schools, postpone daughters marriages, and sell their assets such as land or cattle. In addition to economic hardships, it causes a loss of social status and dignity, which people find hard to accept. Inadequate food intake may lead to malnutrition, and in some extreme cases, cause starvation. Access and use of scarce water resources generate situations of conflict, which could be socially very disruptive. Inequities in the distribution of drought impacts and relief may exacerbate these social tensions further. (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009) Drought in Kerala Drought in Palakkad The Palakkad district of Kerala State is the land of paddy fields and palmyrahs. It is considered as one of the rice bowls of the State.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Morality and Politics Essay -- History, Philosophy, Plato, St. Augusti

Morality and politics have always been closely linked; even in present day politics, morality often has a part to play. Morality within politics has always been a controversial and highly debated topic by many leading political thinkers. There have been many key thinkers on the subject; however, Plato and Augustine have both an interesting and highly debated view on the argument of whether politics should be focused on morality. Both Plato and Augustine had differing views on the ideas of politics and the role that morality plays within this. These two political thinkers were around in very different times and this is reflected in their views of morality and politics. Plato was born in 429BC and came from a distinguished Athenian family, heavily involved in Athenian Politics. As a pupil of Socrates it was inevitable that Plato would be influenced by Socrates and inspired to go into politics. At the time that Plato wrote, Greece was beset by instability and Plato’s focus was to stabilise the â€Å"Polis†, meaning ‘city-state’ and mainly involving Athens and Sparta, which results in an interesting view on morality and politics. Augustine was born in 354AD, in a Rome dominated culture, and had strong Christian beliefs, which heavily influenced his views on morality and politics. This essay will examine both Plato’s and St. Augustine’s view of morality and politics, and whether or not politics should be focused on morality, before coming to a reasoned judgement. Both Plato and Augustine examine whether or not politics should be focused on morality, however, their approach to study and the outcome of their thought leads to very different results. The theory behind these two political thinkers is complex and will therefore need to be examin... ...this Augustine attempts to keep morality and politics separate, however, a closer look reveals that Augustine attempts to remain apolitical due to the immorality surrounding politics, this immediately makes politics focused on politics, even if it is the immorality in politics. Politics should, therefore, be focused on morality. Morality has had an important role to play in the explanation and justification of many political events over the years. It is almost impossible to separate politics from morality therefore a focus of politics on morality can only serve to enhance the understanding of various political systems. Politics has been focused on morality from the era that Plato was writing through to Augustine and even in the present day, it was and remains to be important for politics to be focused on morality; therefore politics should be focused on morality.