Banana Plantations in Central America

The â€Å"banana republic† is a familiar term. What is less known is how literally the term applied during the early 20th century in many regions of Central America. The United Fruit Company, an American concern, was formed in 1899 when several banana companies merged. Since banana is a crop best grown in Central American climates, the company acquired ever greater amounts of land there. The company soon became the largest employer in Central America. Its presence and political influence there affected the lives of the native peoples in ways that remain controversial to this day.The large peasant class of Central America was the most profoundly affected. Life Before, and during, United Fruit The European domination of Central America during the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in a highly stratified social structure. The traditional social order of the Mayans and Aztecs reinforced that structure. There was a very large peasant class, some of whom came there as slaves. The aver age peasant struggled to get by, often being forced to work for whatever large foreign company had moved into their area. Many of these peasants were descendants of the powerful Indian cultures that had been there thousands of years prior.Others brought a West African influence to the region, with their unique methods of worship, dance and music. The peasants of Central America are part of a rich and dynamic culture. They are anything but unskilled. For example, they are known for their ability to make beautiful, colorful clothing. This was first noted by the conquistadores and remains a skill to this day. It was the Indians who discovered a use for the cacao, the basis of chocolate. They created a sort chocolate drink that became widely popular. It was later modified to suit European and American tastes.The diet of the peasants often consisted foods such as beans, maize, frijoles, chili and beef. Exports from Central America to the rest of the world rose sharply during the mid-1800 's. In response to the demand, farmers cultivated a variety of crops including rubber trees, cacao, sugar and fruit. The main cash crop was something else, however. According to Peter Bakewell in A History of Latin America: But most prominent by far in this line of agricultural goods was coffee, which was the leading export, c. 1913, of no fewer than seven countries. (2004) Farmers, at first, were in business alone.In most cases, however, their land was swallowed up by large corporate concerns. As these corporations became more prominent repressive, pro-corporate regimes were installed. Since the 1970’s the trend has reversed itself. Small, individual farms are becoming more and more common. A regional movement has emerged to promote self-survival through small farming. Guatemalans are using traditional stories, parables and humorous anecdotes to spread agricultural knowledge to their Mexican neighbors. They also share proud peasant virtues such as the love of farming, family and community.These virtues have been shared by peasants in Central America for hundreds of years. Still, life was difficult. Most peasants have to take second or third jobs. Farmers may do additional day labor on other farms. Some do not own land and work as a field hand wherever the work is available. Prior to the 1944 socialist revolution in Guatemalan wealth was concentrated among an elite few: †¦just 2. 2 percent of the population owned over 70 percent of the country’s land. Only 10 percent of the land was available for 90 percent of the population, most of whom were Indians. (Landmeier, 1997).This concentration of land in the hands of a powerful few made it easy for companies to come in and acquire large amounts of land. These companies often left large tracts of land uncultivated. The peasants could have used this land to grow a variety of crops; instead they were often forced to take jobs at the company, on the company’s terms. The Growth of the Corporate Plantation Cheap labor, available land and favorable climatic and political conditions drew large multi-national corporations to Central America in the late 1800’s. The lives of the small peasant farmers would be altered dramatically.The United Fruit Company became the most prominent example of a foreign company influencing a sovereign government and the lives of its citizens. The United Fruit Company began operations at a time when there was little restraint on businesses. Huge monopolies, such as Standard Oil, were allowed to develop and dominate markets. The labor movement in The United States was still in its infancy, although it had won a few concessions from business and the government. For a company such as United Fruit, which employed thousands in foreign countries, there was little oversight.The large peasant population in Central America was merely seen as â€Å"cheap labor† for the huge company. United Fruit made â€Å"quid pro quo† deals with foreig n politicians to gain land and other concessions from those governments. The company had government assistance in putting down strikes, some of which involved more than 100,000 workers. In Colombia, the army fired into a large crowd of peasant strikers, killing dozens. Accusations arose that the army was essentially under the direction of The United Fruit Company. The Good and the BadNot all of the effects of the banana plantations were negative. United Fruit built much needed infrastructure in countries such as Guatemala and Honduras. Rail lines and schools were built and postal service was improved. Jobs at United Fruit typically paid more than other jobs in the areas where they were located. In later years, employees received medical care and free education. At the same time, jobs at banana plantations were often temporary. Working conditions were difficult, if not dangerous. Field workers were exposed to potentially harmful pesticides and other chemicals.The rail lines served as another monopoly for a company like United Fruit, so they pressured governments not to build highways. The United Fruit Company gained undue influence over the lives of ordinary citizens through corrupt politicians. The most famous example arose in 1975, shortly before the company reorganized. Reports came to light that United Fruit was paying a $2. 5 million dollar bribe to the President of Honduras in exchange for tax breaks. The Honduran President was later removed by a military coup. The banana company also had influence within the American government.It encouraged the government to intervene to stop socialist movements in Central America. In 1954, the Central Intelligence Agency took covert action to undermine a Guatemalan regime they feared would align with the Soviet Union. The regime had planned to buy back the large amounts of unused land owned by United Fruit and distribute it to peasants. It is this image of unrestrained American capitalism and exploitation that has driv en a number of Central American countries toward socialist regimes. In Central America, United Fruit is now broken into many subsidiaries. Much of the banana crop is received from independent farms.For Central American peasants the legacy of United Fruit is likely to be more bad than good. They feel they have been exploited and their traditional way of life nearly destroyed. The influence of the company over regional politics meant that the lower classes had little representation in the government. That has changed somewhat, but the problem of poverty remains. Today the working classes soldier on, doing what they must to maintain their rich culture. Sources Bakewell, Peter. A History of Latin America (2nd ed. ). Oxford, U. K. : Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Chomsky, Aviva.West Indian Workers and the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica, 1870-1940. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1996. Draper, Thomas (ed. ). Democracy and Dictatorship in Latin America. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1981. Keen, Benjamin (ed. ). Latin American Civilization: history and society, 1492 to the present. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1991. Landmeier, Peter. â€Å"Banana Republic: The United Fruit Company† 1997. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2006: < http://www. mayaparadise. com/ufc1e. htm >. United Fruit Historical Society. â€Å"Chronology† [web site] 2006. Retrieved 11/17/2006 < http://www. unitedfruit. org/chron. htm >.

It Is Better to Have Tried and Failed Than to Have Never Tried Essay

The saying â€Å"actions speak louder than words† can be applied to this scenario. Many people often dare to dream but fear stops them from ever moving forward on their goals. The fear of failure, of not knowing if it is possible to accomplish what may seem like the most unrealistic dream a person sets out to achieve. One example we can learn from is one of the greatest swimmer the world has seen, Ian Thorpe. Four time Swimming World’s Swimmer of the Year, Ian Thorpe once said, â€Å"I think it’s better to attempt something and fail than it is to not even attempt it, so I’m glad that I’ve been prepared to put myself on the line there. Till today, these words continue to ring in my head as I finally realised that it’s better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all. Ian Thrope, born on the 13 October in 1982, is many times a World Champion and has won eleven World Championship golds, the third-highest number of any swimmer. He was also the Australian swimmer of the year from 1999 to 2003, 4 years running. After winning and earning so many prestigious awards, Ian Thorpe announced his retirement on 21 November 2006. After almost 5 years out of the swimming world, the swimming sensation decided that he would try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. However, no matter how much he tried and the 110% he gave, he did not make it to the 2012 Olympics. Despite his many failures, he still remains as an international inspiration to many, teaching us that it is definitely better to tried and failed than not to have tried at all. Ian Thorpe’s story teaches us that even though we have the most unrealistic goals in life, it is more important to go down fighting, not leaving behind any last regrets. Failure is indeed our best teacher. Being able to go through failure would not kill a person, in fact, it would only make someone stronger. Even when failure sets in, it is good to know that one has given it their all. Even if it doesn’t work out as planned, it is better than looking back and not knowing what one could have done. Speaking from personal experience, failure is the mother of success, and without overcoming the challenge posed to me, I would not make it a step further. For example, ever since I stepped on the podium in the primary school swimming nationals, I have always wanted to have the chance to do it again in the secondary school, scoring more points for my school. This year was the last year the school nationals where I could have a chance on stepping on the podium once again and I made use of the opportunity I was given. I started training extremely hard, to a point where I was at the pool at 5 in the morning and back again after school at 4 in the afternoon for strength as well as water training. The number of times I would turn up could go up to ten times a week. This arduous task went on for four to five months and in between, I still had to make sure that I was keeping up with school curriculum. At the recent national schools, I competed and instead was placed 5th, missing the podium by a whopping one second. Although I failed to reach the goal I set out to achieve, I knew that there was nothing else I could do as I have always wanted to represent the country in the Combined School Games and the recent National Schools Swimming Championship would have been my chance to qualify for the games. I started training extremely hard, to a point where I was at the pool at 5 in the morning and back again after school at 4 in the afternoon for strength as well as water training. The number of times I would turn up could go up to ten times a week. This arduous task went on for four to five months and in between, I still had to make sure that I was keeping up with school curriculum. At the championships, not only did I not qualify for the games, I was also placed 5th, missing out on the podium placing. Although I failed to reach the goal I set out to achieve, I knew that there would be no regrets as I was defeated fighting. â€Å"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. † Although failure may be hard to face, if one doesn’t go down fighting, trying with maximum effort, that could be considered the greatest failure of all time.

Successful after-school program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 20750 words

Successful after-school program - Essay Example Considerable attention and resources have been directed to after-school programs, particularly those that serve urban students and even more specifically those that serve at-risk students in urban schools. However, little is known about the origin, mission, or goals of after-school programs (Halpern, 2002), and even less is known about the impact on academics of the students who participate in these programs. More attention is being presently focused on these programs because there is a growing awareness that all students, including those who differ in some way from the â€Å"average† student, must be provided with an equitable, non-stigmatizing education (Montgomery and Rossi, 1994). Academic-based after-school programs may be one way that professionals can supplement the traditionally under-achieving at-risk students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities and help them reach and remain at-grade-level performance. Neither student diversity nor after-school programs are new to America’s school system. One account suggests that these programs emerged at the start of the 20th century as a result of an economic and ideological shift in the United States from using children as laborers to placing children in classrooms (Halpern, 2000). Children are no longer working with their parents in a factory or in the fields. As the century progressed, other trends, such as women working outside the home (and the subsequent â€Å"latch-key kid†), emerged (Lopoo, 2005)... 5 Summary 6 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 Introduction 6 History of After-school Programs 7 No Child Left Behind 9 Federal Role of Out-of-School Learning 12 At-Risk Students 13 Computer Usage in After-school Programs 14 Attendance and Academic Success 16 Benefits of Math After-School Programs 17 Summary 17 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 18 Introduction 18 Research Questions and Hypotheses 19 Research Questions 19 Hypotheses 19 Background and Purpose 19 Methodological Design 20 Participants 22 Data Collection and Analysis 23 Consent and Confidentiality 24 Assumptions and Limitations 25 Summary 25 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS 27 Introduction 27 Description of Participants (Demographics) 27 Students’ Academic Performance 28 Analysis of responses to questionnaire 1: Student participation 31 Detailed analysis of each part 31 Further analysis through categorization of the responses 37 Identification of strengths and weaknesses of the program 39 Analysis of responses to the second questionnair e: Open-ended questions 40 2-1 Where the students went after school before the program 40 2-2 How often the students were alone before the program 42 2-3 Improvement in schoolwork after attending the program 43 2-4 Classes that would help to get a job in future 43 2-5 Usefulness of the computer lab at the program 45 2-6 Usefulness of the program in scoring better on the report card 45 2-7 Main language spoken at home 45 2-8 Affect of program on liking to attend school 45 2-9 Willingness to attend another program 47 2-10 Future goals since attending the program 47 2-11 How participation in the program could help to achieve future goals 50 2-12 Whether the program would be recommended to friends 52 Analysis of results from the parental evaluation 53 Detailed analysis of each response 53 Summary

Written appeal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Written appeal - Essay Example This allows employees to quit employment anytime they wish and allows the employer to terminate employment at any time within the agreement. Ideally, employment at will is a concept under labor laws that define a contractual relationship where an employer has a leeway to terminate employment without giving any justified cause and without warning. As such, employers can terminate employment at any time without accruing any legal liability. Indeed, the law denies the employee any claim for loss resulting from such employment termination. The same law allows employees to leave their employment without a justified cause or warning. In fact, under employment at will, an employee can choose when and how often they want to work without attracting any adverse legal liabilities (â€Å"General Counsel† 1). Moreover, the employer and employees can agree for the termination and dismissal conditions they choose. These conditions may include allowing employees to choose when and how often they want to work. Notably, after realizing that they have limited legal rights to fight for their termination, employees may choose when and how often they want to work before the dismissal comes. Indeed, the employee is aware that they do not have job security under employment at will and hence they can choose when and how often they want to wor k as they search for secured

Write an annotated bibliography of five sources for hydrogen fuel cell

Write an of five sources for hydrogen fuel cell cars - Annotated Bibliography Example Authors in this study highlight diverse aspects related to hydrogen knowhow especially in terms of transportation, conversion and distribution, which experts ought to consider (Corbo, Migliardini & Veneri, 2011). They have also given an analysis of the current and available fuel cell technologies in relation to hydrogen in quest of ascertaining the equipments’ realization of the required efficiency. This source comprises of valid information best for researchers and those who may intend to venture in the field of implementing hydrogen knowhow. In this source, SÃ ¸rensen acknowledges the breakthrough so far made regarding the usage of hydrogen in improving global economy besides safeguarding environment (SÃ ¸rensen, 2012). However, he raises varied and critical concerns regarding emergent knowhow meant to extract hydrogen, store and distribute to various destinies where humanity intends to use it. It is from this perspective that SÃ ¸rensen highlights varied aspects regarding hydrogen knowhow including benefits and obstacles, which the researchers ought to consider. The author of this reference is a global-renowned energy researcher who has offered a rich literature meant for study especially in the energy field (SÃ ¸rensen, 2012). Hwang highlights benefits of utilizing hydrogen as fuel in scooters compared to the tradition traditional based petroleum fuels. According to his study, the new emergent hydrogen knowhow does not pose threat to the environment and it is rapidly replacing petroleum-based fuels. This is because hydrogen cell scooters do not contribute to the emission of GHGs (Hwang, 2012). Therefore, the source’s information is essential in outlining benefits, which the current knowhow posses over the traditional petroleum-based in comparison. Raine in this article reports Europe’s readiness in implementing the Hydrogen knowhow. Since, it is cheap compared to the former fuels especially

Industrial Grinders' Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Grinders' - Case Study Example Problem Statement & Analysis of Key Issues/Root Causes Industrial Grinders’ initial problem is the introduction of plastic ring, a surrogate for the steel rings effective in certain machines by the French firm Henri Poulenc. The merchandise is used for the same purpose the steel ring does, which Industrial Grinders manufactures. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the plastic ring was new to the market and sold at a lower price than the steel ring. The plastic ring is 4 times the wearing characteristics of the steel ring that fully devastate the demand for the steel ring. Lawrence Bridgeman, the overall manager of the German plant had done a research and found out that the problem stemmed from I.G.’s large capacity of steel rings in hand, and the considerable inventory of exceptional steel for their manufacture. In analyzing the key issues and root causes after a thorough survey by Bridgeman, the problem was that the special steel could not be sold even for scr ap and the total book value of these inventories exceeded $93,000 (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). In analyzing the key issues and root causes, Industrial Grinders Company faced a competitive nature in the line of the product it was manufacturing. Competition had become fairly strong with the idea of Japan’s industries producing low-priced spare parts that successfully entered into the global business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Many companies had also established themselves and were producing low-quality and low-priced machines that attracted many clients across the globe. Industrial Grinders lost many clients who decided to try the cheap merchandise that had low price. Tests conducted by Ericsson and Greiner showed a critical problem faced by Industrial Grinders. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the problem was the plastic ring produced by the French plant that had 4 times the wearing properties of the steel ring. The challenge faced by Indu strial Grinders is that it would fully devastate the demand for the steel ring in the international market, hence reducing the profits achieved annually. The production and selling rate of the steel ring will go down drastically because the plastic rings and the industry will find it difficult to operate in its full capacity and 15100 finished rings would be left on hand by the mid year. Action Plan & Alternative Courses of Action Plans and Their Associated Consequences I critically think Industrial Grinders’ alternative courses of action and their associated consequences should initiate from the management and employees efforts. They should be ready to find quick and workable solutions to their problems to become effective in their line of business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Firstly, I.G’s initial action plan is advertising their steel rings effectively to the consumer by stating the significance and advantages of it. It should use the media and any othe r accessible means to reach out to clients and promote their merchandise effectively. Industrial Grinders’ management should not hesitate to release funds for the advertisement purpose and the department concerned should initiate the action plan. The associated consequence for this plan is that Industrial Grinders Company will be known and recognized by potential clients. These

HSC PharmacologyTerm Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HSC PharmacologyTerm Project - Assignment Example The treatment has been somehow demanding due to the fact that P. falciparum develops resistance to any new medicine discovered to treat malaria. Due to this several pharmacological agents have been set in different times to cure malaria. Other plasmodium species that cause malaria are P. vivax, P. Ovale and P. malariae. Chloroquine also known as 4-aminoquinoline has been used to treat malaria caused by falciparum species in the malaria prone areas until this parasite developed a resistant to it. Chloroquine is a weak base that concentrates after mixing with the lysosome of the parasite, probably through parasite-specific drug concentrating mechanism. It’s a weak base and its concentration increases in the lysosome of the parasite probably through parasite –specific drug concentrating mechanism. After infection the parasite digests the hemoglobin forming ferriprotoporphorin IX known as haem which is very toxic to the parasite. However the parasite contains plasmodialhaem polymerase that converts haem to a red pigment associated with malaria referred to as haemozoin, harmless to the parasite. Chloroquine inhibits this enzyme and thus accumulation of haem destroys the parasite by membranolytic action. Moreover chloroquine intercalates in the parasites DNA and also causes fragmentation of its RNA. Chloroquine can be used for clinical cure where it lowers the effect of fever and destroys all the parasites in the blood in 24 hours as well as control method. Chloroquine is only a fundamental treatment for P. falciparum infection and not for P.vivax or P. ovale since the latter contain hypnozoites in the exo-erythrocytic phase that lead to clinical setback attack. However progaunil is combined with it to prevent these relapse in chemoprophylaxis. Due to the resistant nature of P.falciparum maloprim is combined. Apart from

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Annotated Bibliography Example Most of the authors reviewed agree that enough adequate research has not been carried out to understand post traumatic stress disorder and its symptoms. Some articles brought up controversial issue by making an assertion that the rates suicide among militants is higher than that of the general public. They have differed on the most common symptom observed from PTSD sufferers. The articles are helpful when carrying out literature review on symptoms and treatment of PTSD. Most of the articles reviewed making reference to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th Edition Text Revision as a valuable reference for understanding the symptoms of PTSD. This is critical when carrying literature review since they can act as a guide in choosing materials for the review. Bryan, C., & Anestis, M. (2011). Reexperiencing symptoms and the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior among deployed service members evaluated for traumatic brain injury. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 67(9), 856-865. Finley, E., Baker, M., Pugh, M., & Peterson, A. (2010). Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal Of Family Violence, 25(8), 737-743. doi:10.1007/s10896-010-9331-7 Gibbons, S. W., Hickling, E. J., & Watts, D. (2012). Combat stressors and post-traumatic stress in deployed military healthcare professionals: an integrative review. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 68(1), 3-21. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05708.x Herzog, J., Everson, R. R., & Whitworth, J. (2011). Do Secondary Trauma Symptoms in Spouses of Combat-Exposed National Guard Soldiers Mediate Impacts of Soldiers Trauma Exposure on Their Children? Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28(6), 459-473. doi:10.1007/s10560-011-0243-z Polusny, M., Erbes, C., Murdoch, M., Arbisi, P., Thuras, P., & Rath, M. (2011). Prospective risk factors for new-onset post-traumatic stress disorder in National Guard soldiers deployed to

Database Essay Example for Free

Database Essay Database systems are the spinal cord of any health care organization. It can be define as the collection of health data. The use of such systems has improve the health care system for decades helping set standards and even regulations to help the system be more efficiently productive. There are different database architectures available to meet the needs of each organization individually. There is a need for the continuum of database across the health care system. Definition A database is a structure that can store information about multiple types of entities, the attributes of those entities, and the relationships between the entities (Pratt Adamski, 2012, Chapter 1). How data is received, stored, processed, and made available to others has an effect on the success or failure of an organization. The use of different architecture is a most to fit the needs of the organization, however the value of the data still remains in been able to access and extract information from the database system, and the only way this can be reached is by organizing, storing, and analyzing it effectively. For many organizations these systems have become an essential part of their structural and operational success. The effectiveness of databases is based on the fact that from one single, inclusive database much information regarding a range of organizational principles can be obtained. In the health care industry database systems allows information to be shared and available to different users; it can provide an accurate, consistent, and up-to-date information about a patient’s condition and treatment, as well as provide a security measure so that the information is only viewable to those who should see it. Database Architectures A database consists of one or more tables; each containing data stored as individual records. Different database architectures determine how the tables and records are organized or related to one another. According to Penn State University (2008), â€Å"There are four structural types of database management systems: 1. Hierarchical- A hierarchical database is organized in pyramid fashion, like the branches of a tree extending downwards. Related fields or records are grouped together so that there are higher-level records and lower-level records. 2. Network- is similar to hierarchical databases by also having a hierarchical structure. There are a few key differences, however. Instead of looking like an upside-down tree, a network database looks more like a cobweb or interconnected network of records. 3. Relational- connects data in different files by using common data elements or a key field. Data in relational databases is stored in different tables, each having a key field that uniquely identifies each row. Relational databases are more flexible than either the hierarchical or network database structures. 4. Object-oriented- are useful for handling small snippets of information such as names, addresses, zip codes, product numbers, and any kind of statistic or number you can think of. It can be used to store data from a variety of media sources, such as photographs and text, and produce work, as output, in a multimedia format† (Database Fundamentals). The organization and delivery of healthcare services is an information intensive effort. Generally, the efficiency of healthcare operations is drastically affected by the level of the integration of information across all sectors (Wright, n.d.). Healthcare organizations that have not yet make the effort to integrate their data and relate information in an effective and efficient way will find it difficult to stay afloat or even compete within this part of the market. The healthcare market is undergoing changes were information technology has become essential to their every day functional activities. The need of database users across the health care continuum would increase with the demands of technology to be to focus on striving to provide a patient focus services in different entities. Recent advances in policy, practice and research are compelling health care leaders across the continuum of care to move beyond aspiring to be more patient- or person-centered to taking action to realize that vision. A growing body of evidence is linking adoption of a patient-centered approach to care to improved outcomes, including reduced lengths of stay, avoidable readmissions and emergency department visits, and increases in patient satisfaction and employee engagement (Planetree.org, 2012). Database systems serve as a connection pathway to future strategies of care. The need to keep up and try as much as possible to meet the demand is a most in the health care field. Since many changes are been made to health care, database systems would continue evolve, to improve and standardized the ability to organize, save, and share information throughout the system providing a more efficient and effective line of service for their customers and the demands of their markets for years to come.

Media portrayal of young people today Essay Example for Free

Media portrayal of young people today Essay Adolescents- threat or asset to society? Discuss how media portrayal of young people today and in the past influences the concept of adolescence. This assessment will look at the various media that was used in the past and is used presently and consider the influence that it has on the perception of adolescence. Whether or not they are portrayed as an asset or threat to society will also be looked at. The essay will discuss both past and present media influences and state how there has been a change in both the use of media and the growth. Also why the media portray adolescence in particular ways. The way in which teenagers view themselves will also be briefly touch on. There is an array of media that produces information about adolescents these can include radio, newspapers, magazines and television documentaries. The media tends to create stereotypical images of young people that generalise and brand all young people even though they are part of a much broader group. Young people often find ways to express themselves, which are different to the generally accepted culture of their society. The various means by which they express themselves and mix are known as youth culture. (Jahsonic. com, 1996) There is no single youth culture in modern society, instead there is a variety of different youth subcultures. There are many reasons for this, such as there are more styles available and also a higher disposable income in family households to spend on todays fashions and the media is a bigger influence than it use to be on young people too. (Direct essays) In the 1960s there was a rebellion that swept across North America and Western Europe the term that is commonly used to refer to this is counterculture. The counterculture included the sexual revolution which started in the late 1960s and early 1970s this change in sexual behaviour in young people took place mainly in the wealthy western countries but in particular the U. S. A. and the U. K. especially after the introduction of the birth control pill. (Jahsonic. com, 1996) The violence in the 60s and 70s was limited to a small sector of young males but it wasnt as prevalent as it is now or as documented. Female youths were rarely involved or it was relatively unheard of but now there is a small sector of violent female gangs. In the Sunday Times in 1994 the title Sugar n Spice but Not at all Nice was used to describe the growth of girl gangs in society in which the girls would have convictions of assault, GBH, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly. (University of Leicester, 2001) Books: Santrock, J. 2005, Adolescence 10th Edition, McGraw Hill. WebPages: Direct essays, A Single Youth Culture? http://www.directessays.com/newpaper.php?request=16662 Accessed 18/04/2005 Jahsonic.com, 1996, A vocabulary of culture 60s, 70s and 80s http://www.jahsonic.com/

The concepts of microfinance and microcredit

The concepts of microfinance and microcredit Chapter 2.0: Literature Review Microfinance is the provision of financial services by certain institutions known as MFIs such as Cooperative Banks, Community Based-Saving Bank, Credit Unions, development bank to the poor, low income earners, self-employed and small businesses. Microfinance has been design to address issues of poverty to help those not having access to formal financial system.. According to MIX in June 2010 there was more than 1800 MFIs in over 100 countries, with 92.4 millions borrowers and 78.5 millions savers in the developing world. The concept of microfinance was created by Professor Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen bank in Bangladesh. Microfinance includes a range of services such as microcredit, saving, insurance and funds transfer. Traditional banks do not provide facilities to low income earners; they provide services to people after assessing the profile of clients according to certain criteria such as pay, credit history and assets of the clients. According to Hernando De Soto (1989) a Peruvian economist poor people have no assets to provide as collateral to bank when taking a loan, therefore they are not liable to receive loans from banks. Since poor people do not have access to traditional banks they have to lend money with high interest rates from others sources such as pawnbroker and local money lender sometimes with 100% interest rate as borrowing from them is fast and flexible. Over the last 30 years MFIs have developed new methods with less collateral to offer small loans to low income earners and has grown rapidly in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America where there were few bank infrastructures and where in some cases more than 80 % of the population did not have a bank account. Grameen Bank and Banco Solidiario of Bolivia two popular have provided millions of loans to poor people and microentrepreneurs and and these has caused governments and NGOs to direct their resources to microfinance programmes. According to CGAP (2008), MFIs are funded by 33 donors of 21 investors such as DFI. Microfinance offers permanent financial facilities for education, health, personal emergencies, disasters, investment opportunities to the poor and it is used as a development tool. MFIs begin as non-profit organization increasingly they are now evolving as profit entities because MFIs are required to have a banking license for saving services. Some MFIs offers non- financial facilities such as health services and business development. In this review we will analyze and see how microfinance contributes to the economic development of a country and the review will be focused on creation of employment and the empowerment of women by microfinance. 2.1.1 Professor Muhammad Yunus The concept of microfinance was created by Professor Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen bank in Bangladesh and noble price winner in 2006.He receives 76 other awards in different countries for his work. Yunus was awarded Americas highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom by President Barack H Obama for his contribution in poverty alleviation. Professor Yunus obtained a doctorate in Economics from Vanderbilt University found in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. He stayed in the US for eight years as a student after his study as a professor in economics. In 1972 he came back to Bangladesh During the famine of 1974 in Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus minor loans of USD27 to 42 poor families for them to buy and sell small articles to allow them to earn a living. The objective behind the loan was to reduce poverty in Bangladesh and poverty alleviation becomes his vision. Grameen bank was an idea generated by Professor Yunus the bank started as a project at the University of Chittagong as a pilot test to find different ways of providing credit to the poor in the rural area The Grameen bank offered its services to a village named Jobra near the university; the project was successful and had the support of Bangladesh central bank in 1979. The bank extends its services to Tangail district and to other areas of Bangladesh. In 1983 the Bangladesh Government turns the project into an independent bank and Professor Yunus had a grant from the Ford foundation to incorporate Grameen bank with the support of two bankers namely Mary Houghton and Ron Grzywinkski from Shore bank of Chicago. The Ford foundation was established in 1936 it is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental organization which help in social change, the organization help to reduce poverty and help in human advancement worldwide by offering subsidies and loans to certain organizations. Microfinance is also being criticized for its high interest rate, loan repayment and women exploitation but we cannot criticized whole system if there are drawbacks, the whole system can be reviewed for improvement at the right time and places since no system is perfect 2.1.2 Grameen bank Grameen bank is a Nobel Prize winner corporation founded on 2 October,1983 and since then has been proliferated in more than 65 countries, its headquarter is situated in Dhaka in Bangladesh and the bank is the largest MFIs in the country. Grameen is known for its solidarity lending system or banking and is also known as banking to the poor. Solidarity lending is the foundation of microcredit. The word Grameen is derived means village in Bangladesh, the bank incorporates the 16 decisions which is recited by bank borrowers and which they shall abide to them. The 16 decisions comprises the four principles of Grameen bank which are Discipline, Courage, Unity, and Hard work, and the other 15 decisions are resumed as to improve their standard of living and there is the element of togetherness to do social activities to improve their way of living. These sixteen decisions have a positive impact on the inhabitants of Bangladesh where more children have joined school. The bank has different s ources of funding; initially huge capital was obtained from donor agency at low rates. During the 1990s the bank has its bulk of capital from the Central bank of Bangladesh and recently from the sales of bonds subsidized by its government. In 1998 The bank make loan to poor people in the form of microcredit as a result of flood in Bangladesh, the repayment rate decreases but recovered afterwards, USD4.7 billions has been loaned in 2005and USD6 billion in 2008. Nowadays the bank has expand more and offers more loans to the poor and in 2006 it has up to 2100 branches in Bangladesh. Due to Grameens success more than 40 countries including the United States in 2008 where 12.6% of the population live below the poverty line have been inspired by the bank to make projects with the same perspective, only Africa which has lag behind. The World Bank has financed the projects. The bank is owned by the poor borrowers of the bank of which the majority are women as the borrowers own 94% of the equity and the remaining 6% is owned by the Government of Bangladesh. The bank has grown to a large extent between 2003-2007 in 2003 the numbers of borrowers have doubled and in October 2007 the number of clients was 7.34 Million of which 97% were women and had a staff of 24703, in 2504 branches over 81574 villages that is the branches have spread in more villages since they were situated in only 43681 villages in 2003 and the repayment rate. Since the banks start ed to operate it has USD6.55 billions as loans USD87 billion has been repaid and the bank claim repayment rate of 98.35% up from the 95% of 1998 but again the Wall Street journal in 2001claim that it doubted the 95% and the accounting standard used by Grameen bank. Grameen started to diversify in the 1980 where it develops into a multi facet group with profit and nonprofit group among which are Grameen fisheries foundation for fisheries project, Grameen Agriculture Foundation for irrigation project, Grameen fund and Grameen Trust.Grameen believe that the concept of giving charity will encourage charity whereas the concept of microcredit will help poor people to exit poverty and the bank invest in children education by providing scholarships and loans for higher education.In 2009 the bank has disbursed total cumulative amount of loans of USD8741.86 and total loans during the year USD 1150.54millions with a total deposits of USD1200.49 millions with number of groups of 1253160 with 79 70616 members. There are organization which has been created all over the world inspired by GB such as Grameen foundation, Grameen Trust, Grameen America, grameen credit agricole among others. 2.1.3 Microfinance in developed countries Poor people who lack access to finance are also found in rich countries such as in Amecica. Grameen started in America in the late 1980s. Southern Bancorp under the tutelage of Grameen give microcredit to entrepreneurs in Arkansas but make 30% losses at the start, afterwards the bank found out that people needed help to develop their working skills. Grameen in the US mostly financed those who already have a job, people selling toys, cleaning houses not those who will start from nothing. The head quarter of Grameen Foundation is situated at Washington D.C in the US; it is a non-profit organization which helps to eradicate poverty. It was inspired by Grameen bank in Bangladesh, but it is an independent organization. Professor Yunus is a member of the board of directors and gave Grameen Foundation its first grant Grameen foundation finance MFIs. Grameen America has been created to provide microcredit to micro entrepreneurs. It was created in January 2008 and it is found in Manhattan and Professor Yunus is the chairman of the board. The organization is trying to become sustainable to help other people in need, according to the organization anyone with a vision can receive financial services irrespective of their background. The objective of the organization is to reduce poverty to create a better future for families. Grameen America helped the poor communities of the US especially immigrants. 2.1.4 Microcredit Theoretical review According to Boudreaux and Cowen (2008) microcredit is a micro magic and makes the life of the poor becomes easier, it is an alternative to traditional lending of banks. Instead of giving charity to the poor, microcredit is a human way of providing finance to poor people as according to the Chinese proverb Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, it is an investment in human capital. Microcredit is an innovation in the world of finance it is at the heart of microfinance, the concept did not exist before the seventies, and it is a small loan rarely exceeding USD200 and usually below USD50 made to the poor or people with low income with little or no collateral. Microcredit clients are those that are considered as near the poverty line, the loans allow micro entrepreneurs to generate an income for a better standard of living. Grameen bank based itself on three Cs namely Character that is the reliability of the people the Capacity to handle funds and the Capital which is the assets of the borrower such as savings. Microcredit is gaining more credibility in the finance industry and many large organizations are developing microfinance programs for future growth although at the start many were pessimistic about the future of microcredit in the financial system. 50% of the population in many developing countries is self employed and these loans of three months to three years with small interest rates and no collateral help poor people to become financially independent and help to reduce poverty. The microcredit programs helps people to achieve high repayment rate even sometimes more than that of traditional banking because of the system of peer support. In the case of the Grameen bank where there are solidarity groups and it is also known as social capital and is composed of 5 members and each member is responsible for each other success and repayment, but are not guarantees or liable if members default. Neverth eless the members make sure that each one is taking its responsibility to make repayment this act as a motivating factor for the members. Sometimes in real life when a member of the group defaults the other four collaborates together and contribute to pay on behalf of the defaulting member. The microcredit system of Grameen bank is based on Trust and there is no conventional contract between the bank and the borrowers, but the borrowers must have a small account with the bank known as group fund which acts as an insurance in case of an emergency. Women account for 97% of the microcredit client of Grameen bank and this help to empower women as they get access to resources and have a say in decision making since they become micro entrepreneurs. Grameen bank has records of 98% repayment rate from women which is in contradiction with Wall street Journal which says that there is one fifth of the total loan of the bank is overdue but Grameen bank claims in turn that the standard of living of the poor has increased that is they are respecting the 16 decisions of the bank and are able to make a repayment of around 4USD per week. Empirical review of microcredit Grameen bank develop several program for the poor of which one of them is the struggling members program in 2003 which is different from the 5 group member borrowing it consists of distributing interest free loans to beggars in Bangladesh where the banking rules do not apply and where the repayment period is arbitrary for USD1.5 about 3.4 US cents and if they borrower default they are already covered under an insurance paid by the bank itself. This type of loan encouraged the beggars to generate an income by the sales of cheap items, there is a record shown in the microfinance summit 2006 that loans taken by beggars are about USD 833,150 and the repayment is USD 496,900 that is 59.64% repayment rate which according to me is quite encouraging since it is more half of the money loaned. Certain developed countries such as in Canada have try to used the Grameen model but the project has failed due to certain factors such as the risk profile of clients, no taste for joint liability that is the no solidarity between the borrowers, high overhead costs therefore the project does not stand without subsidies in Canada which is contrary to the USA where microcredit has been successful. Sometimes microcredit is subjected to problem such as opportunism and asymmetric information. The first Grameen branch has made a loan of $1.5 million in the USA among which was 600 women and the repayment was very high up to 99%. People took the loan to sell items such as flowers, jewelry clothes and Grameen bank remains unshaken while others collapsed during crisis. Despite the global recession, The President Barack Obama announced the creation of $100 million funds to lend as microcredit to the western hemisphere. Microcredit programmes should be well designed according to the characterist ics of a country, other factors such as the background of the country, the stability of the banking sector,the poverty level, the opportunities and the challenges. 2.1.5 Micro Saving Apart from microcredit the need of financial users is increasing, there is demand from 19 million potential savers to have access to micro saving services. They need services that are flexible and adapted to them. Traditionally savings is done by people at home or by normal banks at a high cost which was not encouraging to the poor. Microfinance has brought services such as savings to poor people. Savings help people to feel safer and more stable, and help poor people to manage their money conveniently. Micro saving consists of small deposits, terms and interest rate that is flexible to clients at the same time banks used the money to make loans to poor people. In some cases micro saving is better than taking small loans since taking a loan is a debt and it becomes a responsibility or a burden if the interest rate of the loan is too high, therefore microcredit is more risky than saving. Saving is an asset for people whereas a loan is a liability; clients will prefer to have assets th an liabilities. Saving is a sacrifice for poor people but it is flexible and they earn interest instead of paying interest which is a source of income. Saving is a must and can helped people in times of need of illness, fire, flood and unexpected events 2.1.6 Credit Insurance In 2002 opportunity organization started to give micro insurance services. Its subsidiary MicroEnsure was the first institution offering micro insurance services and provide protection against many risks for the poor. Stakeholders and local insurance worked in collaboration with MicroEnsure to develop and match the needs of the poor. The insurance provided were affordable, they offered agricultural, medical, property and life policy providing a safety net in case of disasters with average premium of USD 1.5 for family with 5members. Medical policies covered even people already suffering from diseases and even those suffering from HIV viruses. Actually MicroEnsure is offering insurance in 5 countries to over 1million poor people and was one of the runner-ups of financial times in June 5 for sustainability award and receives a grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand itself in other countries. MicroEnsure operates in 9 countries and serve millions of people with credi t life, funeral, Health, Political violence, property , typhoon and weather index crop 2.1.7 Microcredit Summit The first microcredit summit was held at Washington D.C. on the 24 February 1997, 137 countries were present at the summit with 2900 participants. In the summit they launch a campaign to reach 100 million poorest families that is those people living below the poverty line, with those living with less than USD1.25 a day adjusted to the purchasing power parity (based on 2005 prices) all around the world within nine years especially to empower women as micro entrepreneurs. The objective was nearly achieved in 2005 and in November 2006 the campaign re-launched to 2015 with two new objectives was ensured that 175 millions poorest families especially women are obtaining credit for self employment and for business and financial services. The second objective is to ensure that 100 millions poorest familys worldwide increase to USD1 a day adjusted to the purchasing power parity from 1990 to 2015. The microcredit campaign is the project of the Educational fund from the USA an organization committed to end hunger and poverty around the world. The campaign group together people such as microcredit practitioners, donor agencies, international financial institutions, non -governmental organizations, advocates, and other people involved with microcredit for effective and efficient practices. In August 2008 the World Bank claim that approximately 280 million families live below the poverty line with less than USD1.25 daily. The four core themes of the summit are reaching the poorest, empowering women, building self sufficient and sustainable MFIs, ensuring that microfinance has a positive impact on the lives of the poor The forthcoming Microfinance Summit 2011 will be held in Valladolid, Spain, the summit is believed to improve the microfinance sector and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. A hundred countries and over 2000 participants are expected in the summit. In the agenda there will be the presentation of new products, job creation with microfinance and best practices among other issues will addressed. 2.1.8 Poverty It has been proved that microfinance is the tool to help poor family moved out of poverty and to contribute to the economy of a country by increasing their income generating capacity. Studies have shown with the microcredit provided by Grameen bank in Bangladesh 48% of the families below the poverty line have exit from poverty. According to some studies with microcredit 5% of the poor could exit the poverty line each year as it is an investment in human capital and improve peoples life. Microcredit is an opportunity for the poor to realize their dreams. Microfinance is a strategic tool to trim down poverty and help the poor to participate in the social and economic life of a country. 2.1.8 Employment Generation Microcredit helps in the generation of employment; therefore it helps in economic development and in a sustainable means of income. With the microcredit poor people are able to earn a living by selling low priced items or to even expand their businesses at the same time they become sustainable and create employment for other people .Microfinance is a mean of creating employment and improving the life of poor people. 2.1.9 Women Empowerment Microfinance more specifically microcredit is an instrument used for the empowerment of women it increase social welfare and enhances gender equity. Microcredit helps women to become economic actors in power that is becoming self reliance and economically independent. We have heard a lot about the role of women in microfinance, 94% of the borrowers of Grameen bank are women and 97% of the borrowers are owners in the equity of the bank, according to Rankin (2002) the reason behind this is because women invest more in the family than men because of their nurturing instincts and are more devoted towards their families. Women play a crucial role in the economic growth of a country by first improving their family life, their communities and countries. In the microfinance summit provisions are made for the poorest families around but especially for women as they form an important part of microfinance. Women are targeted because they are the one in the family to up bring the children and po verty of the women results in illiteracy of their children and other social problems. Mohhamud Yunus (1999) explains that women are more willing to work harder to raise their children and to move their families out of poverty, whereas when a destitute father earns an income his priorities will more around himself than for his family. In 2005 Kofi Anan promote the year as the UN microfinance year for empowerment of women. Studies have shown that women are good income earner and that women have a high repayment rate this is because solidarity group or social capital replaces securities required by traditional banks thus creating better credit worthiness. In Nepal with the Women empowerment program 68 % of the women are able to cater for the needs of the family by sending their children to school, buying and selling properties which normally was the duty of the husband. Access to microcredit has increase from 7.6 million in 1997 to 26.8 million in 2001 among which are 21 million women the access to loans enabled them to make economic decisions , to buy assets and resources and to become more independent. Social capital forms an integral part of empowerment of women and they work collectively for mutual welfare. According to Coleman (1988) social capital is an asset in the form of human relationship by the sharing of knowledge and resources within a group and World Bank (2009) define social work as a model of collective actions that create quality and quantity social interactions. Social capital helps women to feel united build trust, motivates them to work together to achieve in life. Women empowerment leads to self esteem, motivation, self empowerment, higher knowledge, good leadership, higher collective action, better decision making and ultimately better social position. Women empowerment also helps to fight violence against women. Although violence against women occurred in all social class but women living in poverty are more prone to domestic IPV and domest ic violence, but can at the same time increase the risks since in some cases empowering women is challenging the gender norms Benefits cannot be assumed in all contexts since empowerment is complex and depends on situation. There is also the problem of moral hazard since when women have access to the credit for a given purpose and they are using the money for other purposes. We will look at two among many microcredit stories of women the first one is that of Janet Deval from Haiti who was an illiterate women with a hearing problem she had five children, her husband refused to pay the school fees but she knew that education was important for the children. Janet sold goods in Hinche and pay for her children schools on her own. She started to take literacy classes at Fonkoze a microcredit institution in Haiti. Afterwards Janet knew how to write her name and could things that she couldnt do before since she was never sent to school. Later she took a loan from Fonkoze to be able to expand her business at the market to be able to continue to send her children to school, without the microfinance institution Janet would have been unable to read and write and to even expand her business therefore she would have been able to educate her children. The second case is that of Anastacia Abella from the Philippines, she lived as a squatter in Manila, she lived with her four children in a shelter made from scrap, the village have frequent blackout therefore she decided to search for jar in the garbage to make lamps, after decorating the lamps, she sell 150 of them each day and make a small profit. She took a loan at Opportunity international and she was to make 300 lamps a day, the loan allows her to make greater profit and be able to improve her standard of living. Empirical review Social capital is an important component of microcredit it is used as a tool in development programmes. Social A study was carried out by Forbes Marshall Co .Ltd a well known company in Pune, India as an initiative of CSR about the impact of social capital on social empowerment carried using primary data from 217 women all members of SHG by using random sampling from 60 SHG among which 34% came from lower social class and the rest middle lower class with average family members of 5 and the average age of the women was 30 years old. The number of years of association is 1-7 years. Data reveals that most of them entered a group for the first time and that most of them were aware of the SHG by existing members. The SHG met frequently for interactions.15 variables such as Access for awareness building and capacity building which was further divided into Access to education and training, access to loan and girls education were used using Likert scale to know the perceptions of women about the microfinance programs. To see the effectiveness of the microfinance programmes by the indicators more, sensitivity was used as the SHG were divided into 3 categories of less than 1year,1-3 years and more than 3years. The conclusion of the study was that the social capital created help in women empowerment the older the association the higher the social empowerment and the higher the awareness, the unity and decision making process, but the organization must give appropriate support and policies to the social capital such as capacity building programmes to help decision making. Microfinance programmes make use of physical resources and social capital for sustainable development and economic growth. Social capital should not be the only factor that helps in the empowerment of women; there must be a good policy and objectives behind the social group. Other tools such as experiments, interviews and other types of surveys or a combination can be used to assess the impact of social capital in microfinance programmes for the empowerment of women. In the study above 15 indicators have used to assess social capital but there be other indicators that can be assessed such as communication, trust among others. IMAGE studied the impact on womens empowerment on IPV in South Africa by using random cluster and qualitative data. A microfinance program and training were provided on gender norms, sexuality, HIV and domestic violence.9 indicators of which self confidence, financial confidence, and power to make decisions were used to measure women empowerment. Results about changes in the loan groups were collected and the results were that after 2 years womens empowerment reduced sexual violence by more than half. With adjusted risk ratio= 0.45; 95% confidence interval = 0.23, 0.91 It was observed that the 9 indicators improved and the study showed that women empowerment reduce IPV. 2.2.0 Sustainability of Microfinance Sustainability of MFI does refer to the profit making or the institution being able to sustain itself without the donors or funders. Sometimes to become sustainable MFIs lower their cost and increase their interest rate. According to Rahman (1999) the IR of loan from Grameen has been higher than that of traditional bank rate in Bangladesh. The increase in interest rate may sometimes hinder repayment, the increase should not be too high so that microfinance may serve its purpose. According to UNDP (2003) among the 147 MFIs reporting in the microfinance bulletin 62 are sustainable financially. Chapter 3.0 Microfinance in Mauritius Mauritius is a bank-based economy, there are 19 banks serving the country among which 5 are offshore banks, these commercial banks do not provide microfinance services but the banking sector is stable in Mauritius and therefore important since microfinance is the by-product of the banking system. Microfinance has emerged recently in the country and actually there is only DBM established in 1964, a state-owned bank which operates in the microfinance sector and other sectors of the economy. The head office is found in Port-Louis and 5 other branches among which one in Rodrigues. The DBM serves as a catalyst in the socio-development in Mauritius, the supply of microfinance in Mauritius is quite limited in terms of range of services and the number of people served as DBM provides only Microcredit to its clients since December 2006. Microfinance is used as a tool to fight agaisnt poverty, in Mauritius the poverty line is for a household income not exceeding Rs6000 monthly that is those in the vulnerable group. There are 3 types of microcredit loan scheme that are offered to clients the first one is the Booster microcredit loan for women entrepreneur in sectors such as finance, manufacturing sectors, agricultural, agri business, handicraft, Tourism, ICT and the services sector .Women entrepreneurs loaned by DBM must be registered with NWEC, SEHDA,AREU, IVTB or the Tourism Authority. The loan amount is Rs 100,000 with 9% IR with repayment rates of 5 years and moratorium period of up to 1 year. Normally when taking microcredit no collateral are needed but in this case promissory notes are required as security. Women which are eligible are laid off women workers in EPZ and sugar industry, those in existing business, small women entrepreneurs. Microcredit financing scheme offered to vulnerable groups and are microentrepreneurs with a maximum loan of Rs50000 and 5% IR/per annum and repayment period of 4years and 6 months moratorium and as security floating charge. Booster scheme for small entrepreneur for entrepreneurs to finance a category of activities such as kindergartens, e-commerce, ICT among others, with a maximum of Rs1500000 with a repayment period of 5years, moratorium of 1 year and 9% IR p.a and a limited number of clients are served. Microfinance in Mauritius is in an infancy stage since the financial facility offered is only limited to microcredit and only 3 types of loan are provided to clients and many people may not be aware of these services since they are new in the financial sectors.

Ethics, Pharmacists and Robert R. Courtney Essay -- Ethics in Pharmac

In July 2001 Robert R. Courtney’s illegal and highly unethical behavior was brought to the attention of local authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Courtney’s blatant disregard for the trust patients placed in him was evidenced by his daily violations of their rights and expectations while he supposedly provided quality healthcare service. By August 2001, following investigation, the FBI filed 20 federal charges against Courtney that carried a maximum prison sentence of 196 years (United Press International, 2002). $8 million of his assets which were estimated to be in excess of $10 million were frozen to be used as restitution for victims in the criminal case. Following a plea agreement Courtney’s prison sentence was pared down to 30 years and he and his company received a $15 million fine Patients Rights and Expectations of Healthcare Services Formed in 1997 by President Clinton the President`s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care reported out in 1998 and provided the first ever Patient’s Bill of Rights. This Patient’s Bill of Rights is still in use today and contains eight rights of patients using healthcare services. The first and most important is the patient’s right to information about health plans, healthcare professionals, and healthcare facilities. Information to patients must be concise and clearly understood regardless of any physical disabilities or language barriers. This straightforward information will enable patients to make informed decisions regarding their health care. Second is a patient’s right to their choice of healthcare providers and plans. The third right is their ability to access emergency services when they are injured, ... ...ress. (2004). New sentence sought in diluted drugs case. In LJWorld.com website. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/aug/30/new_sentence_sought/. The Patient Care Partnership. (2011). The Patient Care Partnership. In American Hospital Association website. Retrieved July 7, 2011, from http://www.aha.org/aha/issues/Communicating-With-Patients/pt-care-partnership.html. United Press International. (2002). Millionaire Pharmacist Admits Diluting Cancer Drugs. In NewsMax.com Wires website. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/2/23/115445.shtml. Young, D. (2001). Hospital, Pharmacy Groups Reassure Patients After Kansas City Scandal. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists website. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from http://www.ashp.org/menu/News/PharmacyNews/NewsArticle.aspx?id=753.

The Proposed Legalization of Same Sex Marriage :: Gay Lesbian Homosexual Papers

The Proposed Legalization of Same Sex Marriage The proposed legalization of same-sex marriage is one of the most significant issues in contemporary American family law. Presently, it is one of the most vigorously advocated reforms discussed in law reviews, one of the most explosive political questions facing lawmakers, and one of the most provocative issues emerging before American courts. If same-sex marriage is legalized, it could be one of the most revolutionary policy decisions in the history of American family law. The potential consequences, positive or negative, for children, parents, same-sex couples, families, social structure public health, and the status of women are enormous. Given the importance of the issue, the value of comprehensive debate of the reasons for and against legalizing same-sex marriage should be obvious. Marriage is much more than merely a commitment to love one another. Aside from societal and religious conventions, marriage entails legally imposed financial responsibility and legally authorized financial benefits. Marriage provides automatic legal protections for the spouse, including medical visitation, succession of a deceased spouse's property, as well as pension and other rights. When two adults desire to "contract" in the eyes of the law, as well a perhaps promise in the eyes of the Lord and their friends and family, to be responsible for the obligations of marriage as well as to enjoy its benefits, should the law prohibit their request merely because they are of the same gender? I intend to prove that because of Article IV of the United States Constitution, there is no reason why the federal government nor any state government should restrict marriage to a predefined heterosexual relationship. Marriage has changed throughout the years. In Western law, wives are now equal rather than subordinate partners; interracial marriage is now widely accepted, both in statute and in society; and marital failure itself, rather than the fault of one partner, may be grounds for a divorce. Societal change have been felt in marriages over the past 25 years as divorce rates have increased and have been integrated into even upper class families. Proposals to legalize same-sex marriage or to enact broad domestic partnership laws are currently being promoted by gay and lesbian activists, especially in Europe and North America. The trend in western European nations during the past decade has been to increase legal aid to homosexual relations and has included marriage benefits to some same-sex couples.

Daisy and Tom Relationship in the Great Gatsby

Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, it is apparent that Daisy and Tom had an unstable relationship. Both Daisy and Tom came from affluent backgrounds and the upper class of society. Tom had a large ego and Daisy was in love with having a lavish and extravagant lifestyle. They were both consumed with money and everything that went along with being wealthy and having an upper class position in society. Their whole relationship was based upon money, not true love. Tom came from old money and was extremely wealthy. Daisy married Tom for his money and the lifestyle he was able to provide her with, not because she was truly in love with him.Daisy was an extremely selfish, materialistic and cold hearted person who was consumed by money. Both Tom and Daisy had an affair with another person outside their marriage in the novel. This showed their lack of true love and respect for each other. They were both aware that their spouse was having an affair, however, they both did not seem to care and came back to each other. Tom and Daisy both cared greatly about their image and how other people within their society perceived them. Tom and Daisy very much enjoyed having a high social status and being that wealthy couple that other people admired.This was part of the reason they stayed with each other even though they were not happy. It could have hurt their social status and people would have perceived them differently if they divorced. Tom and Daisy were both consumed with their image in society and how others perceived them. Tom and Daisy's relationship was solely based upon money and social status. Their relationship lacked true love, happiness and respect for one another. Daisy was just an object to Tom and Tom was just a man who could provide Daisy with the lavish and extravagant lifestyle that she was accustomed to.

Body Image vs Self Esteem Essay

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, diet is food and drink regularly provided or consumed. It is also defined as the regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one’s weight. The latter definition will be the one used for this research paper. Currently, up to fifty percent of women have tried dieting at some point in their lives and at least 90 percent of teenagers diet regularly. Due to this, the â€Å"diet fad† is worth billions with its government, pharmaceutical, and weight loss agencies funding it. see more:a handout that explains the link between identity self image and self esteem Americans alone spend more money on weight loss programs and products than any other nation. People go on diets for a number of reasons. One reason is their concern for their health. Many people who live a healthier life are geared towards a restricted diet and lifestyle due to medical reasons. Second reason and probably the most common is to achieve a better body image. Body Image is how people perceive their physical appearance due to self-observation and the reaction of peers. It is how people see themselves and how comfortable they feel about their physical appearances. Even though it is more of a personal evaluation there are several factors that can influence how we perceive our bodies. One factor that can shape one’s body image is culture. Different cultures have different definitions of what they consider beautiful or ugly. For example, a culture would consider a girl with many tattoos as beautiful which could then bring about a positive body image. On the other hand, other cultures would label women with tattoos as impure. Another factor would be the influence of the media on body image. It can either heighten positive body image or aggravate it. Standards of beauty are often defined by what we see on magazines and televisions. People are often exposed to images of â€Å"perfection† that it sends messages that this is how men and women should look. The pressure to achieve â€Å"physical perfection† causes people to be unsatisfied with how they look. Due to this, teenagers often go on â€Å"fad diets’ to improve their negative body image. Teenagers would normally compare themselves to models which contributes to low self-esteem and heightens body image issues. This could eventually lead to depression, loss of self-esteem and eating disorders. A negative body image develops when the person feels that he/she doesn’t match up to society’s or even his/her personal standards of beauty. This causes people with negative body image to be often dissatisfied with how they look. According to Kathryn Yarborough (2009), â€Å"there are two main types of body image disturbances: distortion and dissatisfaction. † Distortion is when we have inaccurate visual perception of ourselves. For example, anorexic people still feel fat despite being underweight. People get dissatisfied when they cannot find contentment with how they look. These body image disturbances are what affect emotional and mental thinking. Victims of negative body image always feel self-conscious with no self-confidence at all. This causes their self-esteem to be naturally low. With this in mind, we want to evaluate the relationship on how body image affects the self-esteem of people. Self-esteem is defined as how a person values him/herself. This is more concerned on your personal opinion and how you respect yourself. Good self-esteem enables a person to exude a more positive outlook in life. According to Yarborough (2009), â€Å"studies indicate that regardless of actual attractiveness, the better the person feels about him/herself the higher his/her self-esteem will be and vice versa. † Self-esteem may also be defined as a ratio of a person’s success against his/her failures. When success gets the majority of the ratio, a person feels good about him/herself. A poor body image is classified under failures. In turn, self-esteem is hindered greatly by poor body image. There is a thin line between body image and self-esteem but one greatly affects the other. Body image becomes a major factor in having a high or low self-esteem. In improving your body image, you are unconsciously creating an â€Å"ideal self. † According to Brennecke (1978), â€Å"as we gain more experience with life, we begin to develop an image of what we wish to be: our ideal self. † He also stated that this is largely affected by culture, family, friends and media. In many cases, our ideal self can be unrealistic and hard to attain. These high expectations cause people to fall short on their image. As stated above, people usually prefer dieting as their key solution to improve their body image. Based on personal interviews, people are not always happy with the results of their dieting. Most of them are tempted by the food they try to avoid. Some of them don’t get contented with the results because it wasn’t what they were aiming for. This is because dieting is tricky. At the start, their metabolism slows down and during this transition, they lose weight easily. Once their bodies are used to the new di et pattern, losing weight will be difficult. Going back to their old eating habits, they gain weight easily because their bodies got used to eating little amounts. In conclusion, diet may or may not help a person’s body image. Whether we know it or not, having a positive image is crucial in developing a healthy mental, physical and emotional attitude. But we strongly advise people to improve their body image with methods other than dieting. According to Kienlen (2007), â€Å"Different people will find different tips helpful when it comes to building a healthy body image. Focusing on their positive qualities is one of these tips. Building a better body image means dwelling on your strengths. Another tip is to not spend too much time thinking about the flaws that peers point out. Sometimes it causes them to overlook their positive qualities. Lastly, being comfortable is always the best tip. People can put aside all their negatives when they are carefree. † This can fall under cognitive therapy where the person can restructure his/her thoughts to alter the negatives. As the author mentioned, one good way to treat body disturbances is to highlight and bring about the positive image of every individual. Strengths are under success. Its magnitude can be magnified by focusing on these strengths and in doing so; the success versus failure ratio might favor the success more. This rule also applies for people’s negatives, which goes under failure. By not pondering upon them, they are not magnified to favor the failures. According to Brennecke (1978), â€Å"your evaluation of your own self-worth is dependent on how close you come to your ideal self. If you’re meeting that image, you will experience self-esteem- that is, you’ll feel good about yourself. † In response to this, Judy Lightstone (1999) suggests that people should also be realistic about their ideal self that taking in mind genetic and environmental history. Apart from the mental aspect, it is important to take into consideration the physical aspect as well. Having a healthy diet and exercising regularly is also one step in achieving a positive body image. Research shows that while we exercise, our body releases endorphins—the body’s feel good chemicals. It boosts up our mood and improves how we tackle daily tasks. Exercise and endorphins are strongly linked to good mental health as well. To sum it all up, there are a number of ways to change how we think and perceive ourselves. It is dependent on the person and if he/she chooses to improve his well-being. Most of the discussions aforementioned are geared towards improving body images. The improvement of body image is key in achieving a healthy outlook in life, mentally, physically and emotionally. It is important because, as emphasized, it is closely related to self-esteem. Based on psychological tests, self-esteem greatly affects behavior, development and a person’s capability to make decisions. According to a study made by the Indiana University Medicine Media relations, statistics show that 40 percent of girls with low self-esteem versus 18 percent of girls with high self-esteem have tried sexual intercourse even before ninth grade. Hayers and Fors’ study (1998) report that low self-esteem is a common precedent to premarital sexual relationships which then could lead to unplanned pregnancies. They also found that as self-esteem decreases, sexual behavior becomes more prominent. Another test based on Candito (1996) concluded that those who were classified as â€Å"recovered alcoholics† pointed out that they have suffered from low self-esteem and marked it as their most significant problem. Kaplan (1975) conducted studies on 7,000 seventh graders and found that violence and crime holds a close link to low self-esteem as well. There are far more intriguing studies about the effects of self-esteem to oneself but based from the studies mentioned above, we can all see how pressing the issue of low self-esteem is. It is alarming and it is definitely something that should be acted upon immediately. In conclusion, we believe that one step in improving low self-esteem and avoiding all its bad effects is to first improve body image. It is through correcting how we see ourselves and choosing to improve our wellbeing will we then live out a happier and more fruitful life.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 13

â€Å"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry,† Meredith said for the tenth time. Her usual y composed face was flushed, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Matt didn't remember ever seeing her so upset about something, especial y something that had ended up not being a big deal. Sure, Celia could have been hurt, but the car hadn't touched her. â€Å"I'm fine, real y I am, Meredith,† Celia assured her again. â€Å"I just didn't see you. I don't know how, but I didn't. Thank God for Alaric,† Meredith said, throwing a grateful glance at Alaric, who was sitting close beside her and rubbing her back. â€Å"It's okay, Meredith,† he said. â€Å"It's al okay.† Alaric seemed more concerned for Meredith than for Celia, and Matt didn't blame him. Babbling was pretty out of character for Meredith. Alaric wrapped his arms tightly around Meredith, and she visibly relaxed. Celia, on the other hand, tensed noticeably as Meredith leaned into Alaric's embrace. Matt traded a rueful glance with Bonnie. Then Stefan reached out and stroked Elena's shoulder absently, and Matt was surprised to feel a jealous pang of his own. Wasn't he ever going to get over Elena Gilbert? It had been more than a year since they dated, and about a century in experience. Bonnie was stil watching him, now with a speculative gleam in her eyes, and Matt shot her a bland smile. He'd just as soon not know what Bonnie saw in his face when he looked at Elena and Stefan. â€Å"Around this bend and up the slope is the Plunge,† he said to Celia, ushering her forward along the trail. â€Å"It's a little bit of a hike, but it's the best place around here for a picnic.† â€Å"Absolutely the best,† said Bonnie cheerily. â€Å"We can jump down the waterfal .† She fel in on Celia's other side, helping him to herd her away from the two couples, who were murmuring to one another softly as they fol owed behind. â€Å"Is that safe?† asked Celia dubiously. â€Å"Total y,† said Bonnie. â€Å"Everybody jumps the waterfal here, and nobody's ever gotten hurt.† â€Å"Usual y it's safe,† said Matt, more cautiously. â€Å"You and Meredith might want to think about not swimming, Celia.† â€Å"I hate this,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I hate having to be extracareful because of some dark thing that we don't know anything about. Everything should be normal.† Normal or not, it was a magnificent picnic. They spread their blankets on the rocks near the top of the waterfal . The smal fal s plummeted down the side of the cliff and ended in a deep pool of effervescent water, making a sort of natural fountain that spil ed into a clear bronze-green pool. Mrs. Flowers had packed salads and breads and desserts for them, as wel as meat and corn to gril on a hibachi Stefan had brought from the boardinghouse. They had more than enough food for a couple days of camping, let alone one lunch. Elena had stowed cold drinks in a cooler, and, after hiking up the trail in the Virginia summer heat, everyone was happy to crack open a lemonade or soda. Even Stefan took a water bottle and drank as he started heating the gril , although it was automatical y understood by everyone that he would not be eating. Matt had always found the fact that he never saw Stefan eating a little creepy, even before Matt knew he was a vampire. The girls squirmed out of jeans and tops to display their bathing suits, like caterpil ars transforming into butterflies. Meredith was tan and lean in a black one-piece. Bonnie was wearing a petite mermaid-green bikini. Elena wore a soft gold bandeau that went with her hair. Matt watched Stefan watching her appreciatively, and felt that little twist of jealousy again. Both Elena and Bonnie pul ed their T-shirts back on over their bathing suits almost immediately. They always did: Their pale skin burned instead of tanned. Celia lounged on a towel, looking spectacular in a casual yet daringly cut white swimsuit. The effect of the pure white against Celia's coffee-colored skin was amazing. Matt noticed Meredith's eyes passing over her and then glancing sharply at Alaric. But Alaric was too busy shucking down to a pair of red trunks. Stefan stayed out of the direct sunlight, remaining in his dark jeans and black T-shirt. Wasn't that a little creepy, too? Matt thought. Stefan's ring protected him from the sun's rays, didn't it? Did he stil have to stick to the shadows? And what was with the black clothing? Was he pretending to be Damon now? Matt frowned at the thought: One Damon had been more than enough. Matt shook his head, stretched his arms and legs, turned his face toward the sun, and tried to get rid of his thoughts. He liked Stefan. He always had. Stefan was a good guy. A vampire, a dry voice in the back of his mind noted, even a harmless one, can rarely be described as a good guy. Matt ignored the voice. â€Å"Let's jump!† he said, and headed toward the waterfal . â€Å"Not Meredith,† said Stefan flatly. â€Å"Not Meredith, and not Celia. You two stay here.† There was a little silence, and he glanced up from the gril to see his friends staring at him. He kept his face neutral as he returned their gazes. This was a life-or-death situation. It was Stefan's responsibility now to keep them safe, whether they liked it or not. He looked at them each in turn, holding their eyes. He was not going to back down. Meredith had risen to her feet to fol ow Matt to the fal s' edge, and she hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure how to react. Then her face hardened, and Stefan saw that she had chosen to take a stand. She stepped toward him. â€Å"I'm sorry, Stefan,† she said, her voice level. â€Å"I know you're worried, but I'm going to do what I decide I want to do. I can look after myself.† She moved to join Matt, who was standing at the edge of the cliff, but Stefan's hand whipped out to grab her wrist, his fingers as strong as steel. â€Å"No, Meredith,† he said firmly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bonnie's mouth drop open. Everyone was looking at him with puzzled, anxious faces, and Stefan tried to soften his tone. â€Å"I'm just trying to do what's best for you.† Meredith sighed, a long, gusty sound, and seemed to be making an effort to let go of some of her anger. â€Å"I know that, Stefan,† she said reasonably, â€Å"and I appreciate it. But I can't go through the world not doing the things I usual y do, just waiting for whatever this is to come get me.† She tried to move around him, but he sidestepped to block her way again. Meredith glanced at Celia, who threw up her hands and shook her head. â€Å"Don't look at me,† Celia said. â€Å"I have no urge to jump off a cliff. I'm just going to lie in the sunshine and let you al work this out yourselves.† She leaned back on her hands and turned her face toward the sun. Meredith's eyes narrowed and she whirled back to Stefan. As she was opening her mouth, Elena broke in. â€Å"What if the rest of us go first?† she suggested placatingly to Stefan. â€Å"We can make sure there's nothing clearly dangerous down there. And we'l be near her at the bottom. Nobody's ever been hurt jumping here, not that I've heard of. Right, guys?† Matt and Bonnie nodded in agreement. Stefan felt himself softening. Whenever Elena used her logical voice and her wide, appealing eyes, he found himself agreeing to plans that, in his heart of hearts, he thought were foolhardy. Elena pressed her advantage. â€Å"You could stand right by the water below, too,† she said. â€Å"Then, if there's any problem, you could dive in right away. You're so fast, you'd get there before anything bad could happen.† Stefan knew this was wrong. He hadn't forgotten that sick swoop of despair, of realizing he was too slow to save someone. Once again, he saw Damon's long, graceful leap toward Bonnie that had ended with Damon fal ing to earth, a wooden branch driven through his heart. Damon had died because Stefan was too slow to save him, too slow to realize the danger and save Bonnie himself. He'd also been too late to save Elena when she had driven off the bridge and drowned. The fact that she now lived again didn't mean he hadn't failed her then. He remembered her pale hair floating like seaweed in the chil y water of Wickery Creek, her hands stil resting on the steering wheel, her eyes closed, and shuddered. He had dived repeatedly before he found her. She had been so cold and white when he carried her to shore. Stil , he found himself nodding. What Elena wanted, Elena got. He would stand by and protect Meredith as best as he could, and he prayed, as far as a vampire could pray, that it would be enough. The rest of the friends stayed at the top while, down at the bottom of the fal s, Stefan surveyed the pool at his feet. The water sprayed up exuberantly from where the fal s hit the surface. Warm, pale sand encircled the pool's edges, making a tiny beach, and the center of the pool seemed dark and deep. Matt jumped first, with a long, wavering whoop as he plummeted. The splash as he hit the water was huge, and he seemed to stay submerged for a long time. Stefan leaned forward to watch the water. He couldn't see through the foam thrown up by the fal s, and an anxious quiver shot through his stomach. He was just thinking of diving in after him when Matt's sleek wet head broke the surface. â€Å"I touched the bottom!† he announced, grinning, and shook his head like a dog, throwing glittering drops of water everywhere. He swam toward Stefan, strong tan limbs moving powerful y, and Stefan thought how easy everything seemed for Matt. He was a creature of sunlight and simplicity, while Stefan was stuck in the shadows, living a long half-life of secrets and loneliness. Sure, his sapphire ring let him walk in the sun, but being exposed to the sunlight for a long time, like today, was uncomfortable, as if there were some kind of itch deep inside him. It was worse now that he was readjusting to a diet of animal blood again. His unease was yet another reminder that he didn't real y belong here. Not the way Matt did. He shrugged off his sour feelings, surprised at their emergence in the first place. Matt was a good friend. He always had been. The daylight must be getting to him. Bonnie jumped next, and surfaced more quickly, coughing and snorting. â€Å"Oof!† she said. â€Å"I got water up my nose! Ugh!† She pul ed herself out of the water and perched on a rock near Stefan's feet. â€Å"You don't swim?† she asked him. Stefan was struck with a flash of memory. Damon, tanned and strong, splashing him and laughing in one of his rare fits of good humor. It was hundreds of years ago now. Back when the Salvatore brothers had lived in the sunlight, back before even the great-grandparents of his friends had been born. â€Å"Not for a long time,† he answered. Elena jumped with the same casual grace as she did everything else, straight as an arrow toward the bottom of the fal s, her gold bathing suit and her golden hair gleaming in the sunshine. She was underwater for longer than Bonnie had been, and again Stefan tensed, watching the pool. When she broke the surface, she gave them a rueful grin. â€Å"I couldn't quite reach the bottom,† she said. â€Å"I was stretching and stretching down. I could see the sand, but the water pushed me back up.† â€Å"I didn't even try,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I've accepted that I'm too short.† Elena swam away from the bottom of the fal s and climbed onto the sand, settling next to Bonnie at Stefan's feet. Matt climbed out of the water, too, and stood near the fal s, gazing up critical y. â€Å"Just jump feetfirst, Meredith,† he cal ed teasingly. â€Å"You're such a show-off.† Meredith was poised at the edge of the fal s. She saluted them and then leaped into a perfect swan dive, arching swiftly toward the pool, disappearing smoothly beneath the water with barely a splash. â€Å"She was on the swim team,† Bonnie said conversational y to Stefan. â€Å"She has a row of ribbons and trophies on a shelf at home.† Stefan nodded absently, his eyes scanning the water. Surely Meredith's head would break the surface in a second. The others had taken about this long to reemerge. â€Å"Can I jump yet?† Alaric cal ed from above. â€Å"No!† Elena shouted. She rose to her feet and she and Stefan exchanged a worried glance. Meredith had been down there too long. Meredith surfaced, sputtering and pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. Stefan relaxed. â€Å"I did it!† she cal ed. â€Å"I – â€Å" Her eyes widened and she began to shriek, but her scream was cut off as she was abruptly yanked under the water by something they couldn't see. In the space of a breath, she was gone. For a moment, Stefan just stared at where Meredith had been, unable to move. Too slow, too slow, an internal voice taunted him, and he pictured Damon's face, laughing cruel y and saying again, So fragile, Stefan. He couldn't see Meredith anywhere under the clear, effervescent water. It was as if she had been taken suddenly away. Al of this flew through Stefan's head in only a heartbeat, and then he dived into the water after her. Underwater, he couldn't see anything. The white water from the fal s bubbled up, throwing foam and golden sand in front of him. Stefan urgently channeled his Power to his eyes, sharpening his vision, but mostly that just meant that now he could see the individual bubbles of the white water and the grains of sand in sharp relief. Where was Meredith? The bubbling water was trying to push him up to the surface, too. He had to struggle to move forward through the murky water, reaching out. Something brushed his fingers and he grabbed at it, but it was only a handful of slippery pondweed. Where was she? Time was running out. Humans could go without oxygen for only a few minutes before brain damage set in. A few minutes after that, there would be no recovery at al . He remembered Elena's drowning once more, the frail white shape that he had pul ed from Matt's wrecked car, ice crystals in her hair. The water here was warm, but would kil Meredith just as surely. He swal owed a sob and reached out frantical y again into the shadowed depths. His fingers found skin, and it moved against his hand. Stefan grasped whatever limb it was, tight enough to bruise, and surged forward. In less than a second more, he could see that it was Meredith's arm. She was conscious, her mouth tight with fear, her hair streaming around her in the water. At first he couldn't see why she hadn't come to the surface. Then Meredith gestured emphatical y, reaching to fumble at long tendrils of pondweed that had somehow become entangled with her legs. Stefan swam down, pushing against the white water from the fal s, and tried to work his hand under the pondweed to pul it off her. It was wrapped so tightly around Meredith's legs that he couldn't get his fingers beneath it. Her skin was pressed white by the strands. Stefan struggled for a moment, then swam closer and let Power surge into him, sharpening and lengthening his canines. He bit, careful not to scratch Meredith's legs, and pul ed at the pondweed, but it resisted him. A little late, he realized that the resilience of the plants must be supernatural: His Power-enhanced strength was enough to break bones, tear through metal, and should have had no problem with a bit of pondweed. And final y – so slow, he reprimanded himself, always just so damn slow – he realized what he was looking at. Stefan felt his eyes widen in horror. The tight strands of pondweed against Meredith's long legs spel ed out a name.

Is Hong Kong an Ideal Place

Is Hong Kong an ideal place? According to the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007-2008) Hong Kong dropped 7 places to 26 as a competitive city for investment. If it's any consolation, Hong Kong remained one of the most affluent cities in the world and one of the top 5 in Asia in term of economy, infrastructure and freedom of speech. Yes, Hong Kong is undoubtedly achieved so well with flying color, having a stable economy, good job market and good accessibility to anywhere due to intra-city transport network. However, the quality of life in this cosmopolitan city does not completely meet the expectation of its people in terms of social, economical and environmental indicators. Firstly, Hong Kong is particularly shot of flat land for building purpose. Owning to the scarcity of land and the large population, housing has often been a grave problem in Hong Kong. Indeed, many Hong Kong people aspire to own a better home. However, due to spiraling rent and house prize, more and more people are unable to afford the high value. Sandwich class suffers the most. As they are not eligible to public housing, the only choice for them is to endure extremely high prize. Reasonably good housing accommodation within the means of the average Hong Kong people is often seriously lacking—- the government should exert themselves. Secondly, serious air pollution spoils the quality of our life and threatens our very existence. In fact, the problem of air pollution has been particularly acute in recent year and the number of days with foggy condition per year also increases. Those lingering exhaust fumes leave a bad impression on the minds of visitors. This turn down the tourism industry, as they are unsatisfied the view of the Victoria Harbour. Thirdly, as Hong Kong follows a â€Å"small government† traditional thinking, one of the important reasons for having an unprecedented surplus is a simple tax system and lower tax rate, attracting businessman to invest and tourists to spend here. Behind the government’s bumper harvest, a large demand to share the fruits of economic development is pushing on Financial Secretary. After the fiscal budget is launched, the policy remains the same as the previous budget, showing that they have no sense of improving the quality of living of the citizens and strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has best of the west and east blended here. Hong Kong people are proud of having such advantages. When the housing problem and air pollution are solved, Hong Kong will surely become a more stable and prosperous city. Hong Kong government should take more concern from society to get benefits from flourishing economy.