Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managment - Essay Example The paper ends with drawing on general and specific lessons out of the case study for management today. The Issue mainly in concern is the importance of political instability in management decision making. Popular uprising Before starting this paper let’s have a look at the word popular uprising. Popular Uprising as defined by the free dictionary has got two meanings: Widely appealed 1. Revolt against a state authority or constituted government or its laws; a rebellion. 2. Act or any instance of rising or of rising up. While the reverso.net dictionary defines it as Popular: An act widely accepted or appealed Uprising: A revolt or a rebellion Introduction to popular uprisings in Middle East Between the late 2010 and the early 2011 a wave of many spontaneous revolts in Tunisia along with Egypt led to the downfall of local regimes. The foreign exporters and the investors in these countries are being affected by the ongoing events, including industrial action, supply chain disrupt ions, looting, and increased counterparty risk. Furthermore, the success of initial protests ignited new tensions across the Middle East and the North Africa (MENA), threatening the very stability of Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Algeria, Libya and Yemen. Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt The catalyst for uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia revolts was the suicide of, Mohamed Bouazizi, in the Tunisian town in December 2010; he set himself on fire to revolt against a decision by local authorities to seize his wares. Within few weeks’ demonstrations spread in whole country, as many Tunisians took to the street for protest against political repression and living conditions. Unrest in Egypt Overthrown President Hosni Mubarak’s regime in February led to an unprecedented uprising that was unable to stop. The aims of the revolt were to topple Ben Ali and replace his authoritarian reign with a multi-party democracy. General effects on economy and businesses The wave of recent uprisings that is sweeping across the Middle East along with the North Africa is set to have a major impact on the risks of doing businesses in such country. As political instability keeps on rising in these regions, companies around the world would need to prepare for thereafter knock on effects on the supply chains and business costs occurring across most sectors. This would in the short term cause political instability and economic breakdown in the affected countries which is likely to impact the supply chains around the world; and the textile companies in Europe and consumer goods producers from China and other Asian economies are the ones most vulnerable to these shocks. The careful monitoring of such political and economic trends, the alternative sourcing and the stockpiling are the strategies that can reduce the impacts of these disruptions. The longer term effects would include heightened political risk that could lead to deteriorating economic conditions and tighter access to credit, rais ing the payment risks for the companies that are dealing with MENA (other emerging markets). Adequate political and export risk insurance cover and safe trade terms, such as the documentary credit, will be essentials to mitigating counterparty risk. In the wake of the recent crisis in the MENA region, the lenders and insurance companies are likely to upwardly re price the risk premium that is attached to dealing with such

History of Contemporary Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Contemporary Music - Essay Example Just as other terms that confine the artistic vocabulary like neoclassicism and totalitarianism, this category is forming arguments and a spread of various approaches and clear distinction. Contradictory to the globalization explanations that talk about a new age of the post historical. This essay will consider the age of the post modern music as an aesthetic paradigm that is illustrated by a specific type of music and focused on one musician, Neil Young. This will show the deconstruction that these expressions are carried out in both the historical accounts and the concepts of pure music, which features in the modern music. Contemporary History of Music: Neil Young The history of contemporary music can be summed up as modernism, which was featured in the twentieth century between the years 1900 and 1950, which was followed by post modernism from 1960 till present. This is one of the many comprehensions of contemporary music and other deductions are simply possible. By the year 1970, the term rock and roll had become almost meaningless, because it saw the break up of the rock and roll groups like the Beatles and death of the king of rock, who was significant influences on the genre. However, this era saw the rise of an influential young musician, Neil Young. Young became one of the most soughted after musicians of that era. This is because he was a philosopher, as seen in his lyrics and thoughtful, when it came to singing and writing songs that were reflective. His lyrics were mostly deep and from the heart, and this made it difficult to understand. Young was also the only musician who could change from one style of music to another seamlessly. After Young had moved from the California folk rock band in 1968, he made a name for himself as one of the most influential and eccentric singer and songwriter of his generation. His only rank second to that Bob Dylan in terms of being deep, and was able to maintain his record sales and reputation, for a longer time than Bob Dylan. This was because of his on purpose, obstinate work ethic. From the start of his solo musical career, fro the late sixties through to the twenty first century, he did not stop recording, writing and performing, and kept numerous unreleased songs in his safe. As much as he was influential, he only had one hit song, titled Heart of Gold, from his number one album Harvest, in 1972. The song sounds like a claim for emancipation of all conquering love. The song was made for a hit, since he included Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor as back up singers. The song is still among the most requested at concerts, presently. The song has been performed five hundred and forty eight times, since its debut on 1/10/1971. Young went on to explore new territories and genres of music, from rock, blues to electronic music. However, these stylistic exercises only gained significance as compared to his two primary genres namely: country rock and gentle folk, and also loud electronic guitar rock t hat he regularly. He usually alternated from these two extreme genres, which both proved equally influential. There emerged various bands and individual artists who claimed that they were influenced by Neil Young. Regardless of his massive influence and catalogue, he went on exploring new music. His restlessness ensured that he was one of the few veterans of rock as vital in his old age, as he was in his early stages of life. Neil Young and the song Heart of Gold is mostly taught in

Welfare State Development in the UK

Welfare State Development in the UK Modern welfare state development is generally considered to lead to social security or benefits payments, social housing provision, health provision, social work and educational services. Together these services are known as the big five but these services tend to develop over time and have differed in quantity, availability and quality. Provision and development can change due to social, economic and political factors (Spicker, 1995, p. 3). State provision of welfare has a long history, in Britain for instance dating back to the Elizabethan Poor Laws and earlier. Welfare states started to develop when surveys of poverty by people such as Charles Booth showed the inadequacy of welfare provisions that could not deal with poverty particularly with increasing urbanisation and industrialisation (Thane, 1996, p. 7). The worldwide depression from 1929 would lead countries to consider further welfare developments. High unemployment (12% of the working population in Britain at its worst) showed that better welfare provision was needed (Robbins, 1994, p. 208). From such modest roots the public sector in Britain for example represents around 40 % of the economy (Simpson, 2005, p. 4). There are various key theories that seek to explain the processes involved in welfare state development that will be explained below. The theories have evolved or being devised to explain the differences and similarities in welfare state development in different countries at the same time or in a single country over a period of time. Theories agree that welfare states were developed to serve those that needed help the most or sometimes as universal services to all (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 2). After the main theories have been discussed the one or ones that are most applicable for evaluating contemporary changes will be outlined. There are different ways of looking at the development of the welfare state and deciding how far it should extend, demands for changes can result from improved technology, shifting social or economic factors and demographic trends such as lower birth rates and people living longer. As governments have discovered welfare states mean people are living longer and healthier lives which means that there are more pensioners but less working people to sustain the pensions and extra health and care services they need (Department for Work and Pensions, 2005 p. 4). Four key theories of welfare state development are based around liberalism, Marxism, Neo-liberalism and post structuralism and have all at some point been reflected in or used in the development of welfare states. Developments in welfare states can also be reactive or proactive depending on the ideological aims and visions of governments or their ability to make social policy (Spicker, 1995, p. 35). Liberalism tended to stress the role of the individual in providing for their own needs; the state should only intervene to help those that were incapable of finding work. The capitalist market would eventually provide better lives for everyone; there was only a minimum role for state intervention (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 21). In Britain the liberals originally achieved their aims for welfare state development with the 1834 Poor Law Act that finally replaced the long lasting but no longer effective act of 1601. Following the new act the poor were put in workhouses where they had to work in return for being housed and fed (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 21). Liberalism stressed in its original form that all the state needs to do is give individuals the freedom to make their own choices, only helping the really destitute. For them government only needs to uphold laws and property rights. The business of government of business was to allow businesses to operate freely (R. Bellamy Liberal ism from Eatwell and Wright, 2003, pp. 27-28). However some liberals recognised the shortcomings of laissez-faire economics particularly during recessions and slumps. They also noted the failings of the Poor Law to tackle poverty even during periods of improving prosperity. There emerged new and radical liberalism that called for increased welfare provision and the emergence of limited welfare states. The British Liberal governments of 1906-1914 epitomized that approach by introducing state old age pensions and labour exchanges for the unemployed (Comfort, 1993, p. 347). In contrast Germany had already had a well-developed welfare state provision by 1900. Curiously Bismarck who wanted a healthy well-educated population drew up this system (M Donald Hancock et al, 1998, p.295). Two new liberals in the form of William Beveridge and John Maynard Keynes where the respective architects of the Atlee governments comprehensive welfare state and postwar interventionist economic policies or Keynesian (Bellamy from Eatwell and Wright, 2003, p. 33). Beveridge had plenty of experience in welfare policy having being in charge of the labour exchanges and lecturing on economics at Oxford University and the London School of Economics. Keynes had been an economics adviser to the British government and inspired the New Deal programme in the USA (Crystal, 1998, pp. 105 523). Marxism was developed by Karl Marx in conjunction with Fredrich Engels and led to a second keynote theory of developing the welfare state. Of course Marx and Engels were not concerned with such issues as they wished to promote communism and work towards the working classes taking over economic and political power from the capitalist classes. A Marxist state would develop a welfare state to promote progress, communism and above all protect the workers and eliminate poverty. Marx believed that capitalism would be replaced by communism thus replacing the inequalities and giving everybody enough to meet their needs (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 44). The Marxist movement was not unified about how it would develop the welfare state or indeed gain power. Some Marxists such as the German Social Democrats preferred to use parliamentary democracy to achieve power and develop a welfare state. The seminal Erfurt Programme of 1891 called for welfare provisions such as eight- hour working days, free healthcare, free education, minimum wages and equality for women. More radical Marxists such as Lenin and Trotsky advocated armed revolutions and were able to seize power himself. The Soviet Union itself developed a welfare state with free medical and education services and pensions with unemployment officially non-existent (J.F Femia Marxism and Communism from Eatwell and Wright, 2003, pp. 110-12). In Imperial Germany, Bismarck set up the welfare state to undermine the socialists thus taming these wild beast of the political forest (Hobsbawm, 1987, p. 102). The Marxist-Leninist regimes of the Soviet Union and its Central and Eastern European satellites may have developed welfare states but they failed to produce the economic prosperity of the West and the many failures of their planned economies contributed to the fall of these regimes. On the other hand their population were all more economically equal, they were poor but had free welfare provision and no political rights. The third main keynote theory for welfare state development is Neo-Liberalism most closely associated with the governments of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. In Britain and other parts of Western Europe the combination of Keynesian economics and all embracing welfare provision that had helped to achieve postwar prosperity faltered in the late 1960s and the 1970s. Neo-Liberals believed that the combination of Keynesian economics and the welfare state were contributing to economic and political stagnation and were no longer viable. Margaret Thatchers government elected in 1979 proceeded to formerly ditch Keynesian economics and intended to cut back on the welfare state (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 78-79). Following policies that became known as Thatcherism nationalised industries were privatised, subsidies to ailing private companies were stopped, and council houses were sold off. These policies increased unemployment but eventually lowered inflation. Margaret Thatcher also limited trade union power and defeated the miners during the bitter strike of 1984-1985. She brushed aside opposition to her policies as people accept there is no alternative (Comfort, 1993, p. 608). The planned reduction in expenditure on the welfare state never materialised as higher unemployment pushed up benefit payments and more civil servants were needed to process those claims. The Conservatives found that the National Health Service was politically sacred although they were able to introduce an internal market to aid efficiency. Neo-liberalism is a return to the ideas of classic liberalism and views the state in the same negative light. However it has not being able to dismantle the welfare state just to reform it (OBrien and Penna (1998) p. 103). In the USA Reagans policies produced similar levels of unemployment and poverty whilst increasing military spending substantially. Jessie Jackson accused Reagan of spending millions to beat our plowshares into swords, while leaving the di sadvantaged begging for bread Carroll and Noble, 1988, p. 437). Reagan found it easier to repudiate welfare and spurn the legacy of the New Deal than Thatcher found it to reverse the concept of provision from the cradle to the grave (Hobsbawm, 1994, p. 249). Post-structuralism emerged at a similar time to Neo-liberalism from the 1960s. Unlike Neo-liberalism it does not see liberalism in any guise or Marxism as adequate methods of understanding social and economic policy or as foundations for welfare state development. Instead of concentrating on the state and individuals Poststructuralism aims to understand the relationships between knowledge of social life and the diffusion of power through society (OBrien and Penna, 1998, p. 105). Marxism started to suffer a crisis from the 1970s with its economic weaknesses greatly undermining its social and political foundations and bringing about the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe (Agh, 1998, p. 6). Actual welfare state development is more often a mixture of more than one of these approaches. Development is often based on pragmatic concerns as much as ideological ones. Political concerns particularly in liberal democracies can dictate welfare state development. Welfare measures that are electorally popular will often be implemented ahead of reforms that would make the system more effective yet could be electorally damaging. Recent demographic changes and future trends certainly make welfare state development a vital issue for the present and the future. While those aged over 65 currently represent 16% of the UKs population by 2041 that figure is estimated to rise to 25%. The UKs government Actuarys Department also estimates that the working age section of the population will decrease from 65% to 58% which is all those aged 16 to 64 (DWP, 2005, p.16). . Aging populations are a serious problem to how welfare states as already developed can be sustained. By 1994 over 65s made up 15 % of the German population, 14.5% of the French population and 17.7% of the Swedish population (M Donald Hancock et al, 1998 p. 90). Generally those of the left of the political divide are more likely to prefer a greater development of the welfare state than those on the right who either maintain the status quo or cut it back if they can (Spicker, 1995, p. 77). Based on the facts of aging populations with fewer people of working age paying taxes to fund welfare and benefits expenditure the latest trends in welfare state development tend to stress targeting expenditure to the most needy, providing value for money and preventing fraud. In Britain New Labour has attempted to reform housing benefit and introduced performance standards to improve administration by local authorities. The government has had some success in countering fraud (DWP, 2003, pp. 32-39). New Labour introduced the New Deal to help young people, disabled people and lone parents back into work. Since 1997, two million more people of working age have gained employment reducing benefits expenditure by 5 billion a year, with the purpose of tackling the scourge of unemployment, inactivity and poverty (DWP, 2005, p. 4). For Western Europe the keynote theory that best described welfare state development up to the 1960s would have been variations of liberalism with elements of socialism, for instance British new liberalism and the West German social market economy. From the 1970s neo-liberalism and Poststructuralism had a greater influence on the development of welfare states reflected most closely in the neo-liberal tenets of Thatcherism in Britain. Neo-liberalism did reduce the size of public sectors in the countries that tried it but its deflationary effects led to higher unemployment and higher benefits expenditure. Neo-liberalism would be the best theory to describe the welfare state developments in Central and Eastern Europe after the end of communism. Over all neo- liberalism is now probably the best keynote theory with the proviso that previous liberal and socialist as opposed to Marxist legacies are still apparent and politically untouchable. The reforms needed to amend, extend and continue w elfare state development would best be considered under a Post-structuralist framework. Welfare states especially in the West face the growing challenge of providing for the extra needs of aging populations whilst the working age populations needed to pay for them dwindles. Possible solutions could include raising retirement ages, persuading more people to provide for their own health care and pensions, encouraging people to have more children or encourage immigration from developing nations. Bibliography Agh, A. (1998), The Politics of Central and Eastern Europe Sage, London Carroll, P.N. and Noble, D.W. (1988) The Free and the Unfree- A new history of the United States 2nd edition, Penguin, New York Comfort, N. Dictionary (1993) Brewers Politics a Phase and Fable Cassell, London Crystal, D. (1998) The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press Department for Work and Pensions (2003) Departmental Report 2003 The Stationery Office, London Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Five Year Strategy -Opportunity and Security throughout life The Stationery Office, London Donald Hancock, M; Conradt, D.P; Guy Peters, B; Safran, W. and Zariski, R. (1998) Politics in Western Europe 2nd edition, Macmillan, London Eatwell, R and Wright, A. (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd edition, Continuum, London Hobsbawm, E. (1987) The Age of Capital 1875-1914, Weidenfeld Nicholson, London Hobsbawm, E. (1994) The Age of Extremes The short Twentieth Century 1914-1991, Michael Joseph, London OBrien, M. and Penna, S (1998) Theorising Welfare Enlightenment and Modern Society Sage Publications, London Robbins, K. (1994) The Eclipse of a Great Power Modern Britain 1870 1992, 2nd edition, Longman, London Simpson, J. (January 2005) Meet Barry- hes here to help Public service director magazine Spicker, P. (1995) Social Policy Themes and Approaches, Prentice Hall Harvester Wheatsheaf, London Thane, P. (1996) Foundations of the Welfare State 2nd edition Longman, London

Mergers in the World Economy Essay -- Economics Wealth Papers

Mergers in the World Economy . "Monopoly is a great enemy to good management which can never be universally established but in consequence of that free and universal competition which forces every body to have recourse to it for the sake of self-defense" (Smith, 1776: 63). Adam Smith found that monopolies were a negative aspect for an economy therefore supporting competition among firms in order to protect one’s firm. Competition policy affects the nature of firms and policy makers in today’s global economy. Competition policy effects the world economy in many ways and with its increase in importance there must be an international agreement on competition policy. Adam Smith highly regarded competition policy as a means to enhance economic performance. Mergers can provide positive aspects for an economy and competition policy but also provide problems. The merger of aircraft manufacturers shows how mergers directly affect society today. Competition within economies is the act of competing in the international economy. Competition policy is necessary to regulate competition between firms. It serves as a barrier for misconduct of firms while encompassing antimonopoly policies which act as guideline against boundaries or barriers. "Competition policy is understood as facilitating corporate takeovers to allow more efficient managers to control productive assets" (Peritz, 1996: 282) The main goal for competition policy is to support effectiveness of the economy as a whole. Smith points out how competition will only benefit both consumers and producers in the end rather than have a monopoly. "It can never hurt either the consumer or the producer on the contrary it must tend to make the retailers both sell cheaper and bu... ...ade Rules in the Making. Washington DC: The Brookings Institute Press. Jacquemin, Lloyd, Tharakan and Waelbroeck. 1998. "Competition Policy in an International Setting: The Way Ahead." The World Economy Volume 21 Number 8, pages 1179-1183. Kim, E. Han., Singal, Vijay. 1993. "Mergers and Market Power: Evidence from the Airline Industry." The American Economic Review Volume 83 Number 3, pages 549-568. Ott, James. 1986. "Airline Mergers Will Intensify Competition for Aircraft Orders." Aviation Week and Space Technology, pages 32-34. Peritz, Rudolph. 1996. Competition Policy in America: 1888-1992. England: Oxford University Press. Smith, Adam. 1776. The Wealth of Nations. England: Oxford University Press. Tharakan and Lloyd. 1998."Competition Policy in a Changing International Economic Enviroment." The World Economy Volume 21 Number 8, pages 997-1002.

Weather and its Effects

At the very least, we want to know how hot or cold it will get, or whether there will be rain or snow. Some of us live in places where severe weather can produce dangerous conditions flooding, tornados, blizzards or fogs, so we pay attention to weather related warnings. And these days, weather reports are getting more sophisticated, with pollen counts and particulates for allergy sufferers, and UP indices to tell you whether you need sunscreen. Since weather affects us so constantly, I put together this page to help understand he science of weather.I am not much interested In weather forecasting, which Is a very technical subject. This information is much more basic, about why weather â€Å"happens†, what's going on in the atmosphere, what weather-related terms we see on TV really mean, how to read weather maps. It's mostly practical Information, from a not very technical perspective. Weather and Climate Before we begin, let's differentiate between weather and climate. Weather is the state of your local atmosphere at any given time, in terms of such measurements as temperature. Wind speed, alarm pressure. Reciprocation, etc. Weather Is very specific – it's about a particular place at a particular time. It varies on a relatively small scale – for example, it could be raining in your area, while it's dry 10 miles away. It could be 72 degrees near your home, but only 65 degrees a few miles away. You could have a thunderstorm at 6 p. M. And have the sky clear by midnight. So when we're talking about weather. We are talking about a relatively small area and a very specific time. Moving to a different area, or going forward in time quickly changes the weather.On the other hand, climate is about long term averages. It concerns the same things as weather measurements like temperature, pressure, rainfall, precipitation but these measurements are averaged over a long period. If you say â€Å"the average high temperature for Boston in April is 56 deg rees†, then you are talking about climate. In order to report that average temperature, someone must have measured the high temperature each day in April, and then averaged those highs. Further, it's not enough to do that for one year, because any given year could be hotter or colder than average.So they must have measured high temperatures ACH day in April for several years, in order to calculate a multi-year average. In fact, in many places, such temperature records go back a century or more. These 100+ year records are used to calculate averages for temperatures, rainfall, weather patterns, etc. , and these long terms averages constitute the climate. It's Important to remember that weather can be very variable, but climate Is not. You could hit a high of 80 degrees on April 4th in Chicago one year, but in another year, the high on the same date might barely reach the freezing point at 32 degrees. There than a year-to-year variability. It doesn't even mean that the whole mon th of April was hotter, or the whole year was hotter. In order to make any long term comparisons, in order to show any trends, you absolutely need multi-year climate data. The Earth's Atmosphere Since weather is the condition of the atmosphere above a certain location, at a certain time of day or night, let's consider the atmosphere in more detail for a bit. The Earth's atmosphere extends from ground surface to the edge of interplanetary space.Most of this atmosphere is contained in a narrow band, about 7-10 kilometers high, which is known as the troposphere. About 80% of the mass of the atmosphere is contained within this thin band. Although 7-10 kilometers (23,000 – 32,000 feet) may not seem like a â€Å"thin† band, but it really is, if you consider how far the Earth's atmosphere extends. Technically, the Earth's atmosphere reaches half way to the moon (about 180,000 km) you have to go about that far before the density of atoms in the atmosphere equals the density of atoms typical of interplanetary space.Much of it is even visible to the naked eye. Astronauts in space can see the Corcoran, which looks like a hazy band surrounding the Earth, extending to about 100,000 km above the Earth. Of course, the upper atmosphere hundreds of miles above the Earth is unbreakable and almost empty. In fact, anything over 100 km is considered space, and if you go there, you are technically considered an astronaut by the World Air Sports Federation (this was the definition of space used for the X-Prize). The International Space Station (SIS) orbits at about 350 km.Low earth orbit, used by a huge number of satellites, extends to about 2000 km at most. These regions are commonly referred to as â€Å"space† by most people, but they are still part of the Earth's atmosphere. There is enough air up there that satellites slow down over time due to air friction, their orbits decay, and they ultimately fall back to the Earth. The SIS needs to be boosted every few months to a higher orbit, or it would also fall back to Earth. The Hubble telescope orbits at 595 km, and although it is more stable than the SIS, its orbit will also decay and fall back to Earth eventually.You have to go as far as geostationary or geosynchronous orbits (about 35,000 km) before the friction of the atmosphere (communications satellites are often in such orbits) becomes a smaller concern than gravitational perturbations. But this is still within the atmosphere. For the discussion of weather, however, we do not usually need to consider such high altitudes. 80% of the Earth's atmosphere is contained within the troposphere, a zone which extends from the surface of the Earth to about 10 km (it varies with latitude about 7 km over the poles, and about 17 km over the equator). 9% of the atmosphere is contained within the troposphere and the next zone outward – the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends from the boundary of the troposphere (known as the troposphere) to about 50 – 55 km from the surface of the Earth. Since the stratosphere), this is where weather happens. Outside this region, the air is not dense enough to display phenomena which are energetic enough to affect the weather. If the Earth's atmosphere were in complete equilibrium, we would have no â€Å"weather†. Conditions would be unchanging – there would be no day or night, no seasons, no rainfall, nothing.The source of changes in weather is changes in some other condition, some other variable. That variable is largely the Sun, although other factors also play a role. The spin of the Earth about its axis produces day and night, which means that energy input from the Sun on any given area of the Earth's surface varies cyclically reaching a peak during the day, and falling at night. This day-night cycle is a major source of weather, but it is modified and added to by many other cycles and factors as well. Some of these other factors vary by time of day or year , while others vary by location on the Earth's surface.In either case, variations are what fuel changes in the atmosphere, which we call weather. What factors cause the energy input of some local area on the Earth to change? Here are some: Latitude How far you are from the equator determines the angle of incidence of the Sun's rays at your location. This is extremely important in determining how much energy you receive from the Sun. The diagram at the right explains how this happens. Note that the diagram is not to scale, it shows the Sun as much smaller than the Earth, but that makes no difference to the explanation. The Sun is roughly spherical.It radiates energy in all directions. A very small portion of this energy is intercepted by the Earth. If we assume that the Sun radiates energy equally in all directions, we can imagine its surface (which radiates the energy) as Ewing divided into patches, measured by degrees of solid angle (usually expressed in stranding). Since the Earth is very far away from the Sun, and very small, it intercepts direct light from a very small patch of Sun. Notice the qualifier â€Å"direct†, as in â€Å"direct light†. This is important because the situation described is a simplification.In reality, the surface of the Sun emits light in all directions; therefore the Earth receives light from all parts of the Sun that are facing the Earth at a given time, not Just a single patch which is closest to the Earth. However, the density or intensity of this light is greatest when it is direct, that is, when a ray of light perpendicular to the Sun's surface intersects the Earth. So the relationship still holds – the more the direct sunlight falls upon some area of the Earth, the greater is the energy that area receives. He equator get progressively colder, because they get less direct sunlight. This creates bands or zones on the Earth's surface, with the hottest zones at the equator and the coldest zones at the poles. A temperature gradient is thus created, with high temperatures near the equator and cold temperatures at the poles. This temperature gradient drives the movement of air, which we perceive as winds. This variation is constant in time, meaning it does not change by time of the year. Latitude 50 North will always receive less installation than latitude 5 North, no matter what season of the year.It is simply a variation by location, that is, dependent upon the latitude location on Earth. Latitude is very important in setting up the permanent winds on Earth. We can divide the Earth (from North to South) into several well-marked zones. The band near the equator (about 5 ON to 5 so) is called the doldrums. It's the hottest part of the Earth, since the equator receives the most direct sunlight every year. On both sides of the equator are the tropics. These stretch roughly from the doldrums to the Tropic of Cancer (23. 5 ON) in the northern hemisphere, and to the Tropic of Capricorn (23. so) in the southern hemisphere. The tropics have a â€Å"tropical† climate – hot in the summers, mild in the winters. Beyond the tropics are the sub-tropical zones, which stretch from the Tropic of Cancer (23. 5 ON) to the Arctic Circle (66. 6 ON) in the northern hemisphere, and from the Tropic of Capricorn (23. 5 so) to the Antarctic Circle (66. 6 so) in the southern hemisphere. The subtropics usually have mild summers and cold winters. Beyond the subtropics lie the polar zones, from the Arctic Circle (66. 6 ON) to the North Pole (90 ON) in the northern hemisphere, and from the Antarctic Circle (66. so) to the South Pole (90 so) in the southern hemisphere. These are the coldest regions on Earth. Although there are many variations between different locations within the same zone (due to other differences, such as altitude, nearness to the sea, etc. Which are described below), the zones do broadly reflect the kind of climates found within. As mentioned earlier, they set up the patterns of the permanent winds – the trade winds, westerly's, polar winds. These permanent winds have a very strong effect on climate, and you can read about them in more detail on this page.Season The Earth's axis is not perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun; it is in fact tilted. The angle of tilt varies over time, but at present it is approximately 23. 5 degrees. Because the Earth revolves around the Sun, during the course of a full orbit around the Sun, each of Earth's hemispheres is at times tilted towards the Sun summer) and at other times tilted away from the Sun (Winter). The periods of maximum tilt are the solstices. In the year 2010, Summer solstice is on towards the Sun, which corresponds to summer and the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.Winter solstice in 2010 will be on Deck 21st at 1 1 PM (GMT), which corresponds to winter and the shortest day of the year for the northern hemisphere. As can be seen in the accompa nying diagram, a similar effect to the latitude differential described above happens during summer and winter. During summers, since the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, it receives more direct unlighted, leading to higher temperatures. During winters, since the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, it receives less direct sunlight, leading to colder temperatures. The effect is reversed in the southern hemisphere.Summer solstice in the northern hemisphere corresponds to winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. This seasonal effect can dramatically change weather patterns, and not Just in terms of temperatures. The change in temperature patterns across the globe shifts the high and low pressure areas of the atmosphere, which can lead to seasonal changes in winds. Indirectly, they can also affect precipitation, if for example, a winter wind which blows from land to land switches to a summer wind, which blows from sea to land. Wind blowing fr om the sea contains more moisture, which can lead to rain or snow.It's important to remember that while we think of seasons as a yearly phenomena, these changes are gradual and are happening constantly. Between the extremes of summer and winter solstice, each day the pattern changes gradually, the day becomes shorter or longer, depending upon whether the area is approaching summer or winter. While such small daily changes may seem miniscule when noninsured in terms of degrees of inclination or tilt, over the large surface of the Earth they correspond to significant shifts in the temperature zones. It's easy to calculate the magnitude of these daily changes. Since the Earth's axis is inclined at 23. Degrees, on summer solstice, latitude 23. 5 North (the Tropic of Cancer) is directly underneath the Sun (meaning, the Sun is directly overhead at noon on summer solstice day, if you happen to be at latitude 23. 5 North on that day). Similarly, on winter solstice day, latitude 23. 5 South (the Tropic of Capricorn) is directly underneath the Sun. So in the 6 months between the summer and winter solstices, the Sun changes its apparent position by 23. 5 + 23. 5 = 47 degrees in the sky. If we assume the Earth's radius to be 6400 km, then 47 degrees of latitude correspond to 47/360 = 5350 km of the Earth's surface.This means that the Earth's sun-directly-overhead-at-noon point migrates 5350 km north and south every 6 months. This is approximately 5350/180 = 29 km per day, or about 18 miles. As you can see, while it didn't seem much when we were simply looking at angles, if you warm front moving 18 miles in a day would definitely be noticed by us. So these hinges are important not Just on a seasonal basis, but also in affecting our day-to- day weather. Altitude The higher you go, the thinner the air gets. Dense air has a greater capacity to absorb and retain heat than thin air, so this is one reason why the temperature is colder at higher altitudes.However, this is insigni ficant compared to another effect, which is the cooling of air as it expands. According to the ideal gas law, the temperature of air is inversely proportional to its temperature, all else being the same. This is because as air expands under low pressure, it does work in expanding, and loses energy as ark done. Since the thermal conductivity of air is very low, it doesn't gain much heat from its surroundings, so the cooling is mostly diabetic, and well approximated by the gas law. The presence of water vapor upsets this relationship a bit, but not by a whole lot.This is the main reason why it's much colder at higher altitudes than it is at sea level. Therefore places which are near sea level and have thick, dense air are hotter than places at the same latitude which are at higher elevations. This is why the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is covered with ice, even though it's located almost directly on the equator (about 3 so). There is a separate section here which talks about altitude- dependent atmospheric pressure changes in more detail. These changes are very important in determining the local climate of an area.Land and Oceans Land and oceans are heated differentially by the Sun. Land has a smaller thermal capacity than water. This has several interesting effects. First, it means that the same amount of solar heat will raise the temperature of land much more than it will raise the temperature of water. Therefore, during a given day land at the same latitude as water will become much hotter than the water. Since they are at the same latitude, they have received roughly the same amount of solar energy, and absorbed roughly the same amount of energy (actually, the water absorbs a bit more).But because of the difference in thermal capacities, land becomes much hotter than water with the same amount of energy. In terms of local winds, this might mean that the wind direction is from the land towards the water during the day (since air moves from higher temperature a nd low pressures towards colder temperatures and high pressures). Secondly, the greater heating or cooling of land leads to greater temperature preferential. The rate of heat gain or loss of an object depends upon the temperature differential between that object and its environment.For example, if you heat a pot of water to boiling (100 co), and then remove it from the stove and let it 10 co. If room temperature is 20 co, then the water will drop from 100 co to 90 co very quickly, but it will go from 30 co to 20 co much more slowly. This is because the temperature differential between the water and room temperature is much higher when the water is at 100 co than when it is at 30 co. Since land heats up more during he day, the temperature differential is higher, therefore land cools very rapidly as well. Water cools much more slowly, because the temperature differential is lower.We can think of it this way: land has rapid heating/cooling cycles with each day/night cycle. A large body of water, on the other hand, has much slower cycles. In fact, the water cannot lose all the heat it acquired during a summer day overnight, so it starts the next day slightly warmer than it was the previous morning. So as summer progresses, large bodies of water get progressively warmer, and they maintain this eat through the night hours, when the land cools down. For this reason, oceans don't have diurnal peaks and troughs in their temperature like the land; instead, they have seasonal peaks and troughs in their temperature.These things produce very significant effects on weather patterns. The general direction of the effect is towards the moderation of temperatures. Since the water heats more slowly but retains heat longer than land (and cools more slowly but retains coldness longer than land), the presence of oceans tends to moderate the climate of nearby land masses. At the same latitude, an area will be much hotter in he summer and colder in the winter if it's far away from th e sea. Nearness to the sea will moderate temperatures, making it both less hot in the summer and less cold in the winter.Even smaller bodies of water such as lakes can have a moderating effect on temperatures. Check the weather map of the Midwest US, and on many days you'll see that the temperature at the lake front in Chicago is higher or lower than out in the suburbs (by a few degrees), simply because Lake Michigan cools the lake shore during the summers, and warms it during the winters. Smaller bodies of water can also produce local diurnal winds, such as a breeze from lake to shore in the mornings, and a breeze from shore to lake in the evenings.Again, this has to do with the differential heating of land as compared to water during the day. Topography The physical relief of land areas has much to do with weather. There can be many reasons for this. One is simply altitude – mountainous areas will be cooler than areas at the same latitude which are nearer to sea level. But in addition, variation of the terrain can influence wind patterns and therefore the weather. One example is mountains as a barrier to wind flow. If a mountain range interrupts revealing winds, air is forced upwards to pass over the mountains.As it moves upward, it cools down. Since the water carrying capacity of air diminishes as it cools, this results in precipitation on the windward side of the mountains. Conversely, once Therefore, the leeward side of the mountains will be in â€Å"shadow† and receive much less rainfall than if there had been no mountains along the way. This effect can be seen almost anywhere in the world where there are mountains that interrupt some seasonal wind flow. It is very dramatic in the Himalayas in India, where the monsoon winds from the south meet the Himalayas.On the windward side, in the foothills of the Terra, there is very heavy rainfall. Chirruping in the Indian state of Megalith has historically been the wettest place on Earth (450 inches of rain on average per year), as the monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal hit the Kiosk hills and are forced to rise and shed water. Conversely, the Tibetan plateau, on the leeward side of the Himalayas is very dry, with less than 18 inches of rain/ snow per year. There are other effects of topography as well. Flat land which is uninterrupted by hills or mountains allows wind to build up over long stretches.This is why the Midwest and plains states in the US are generally quite windy. Land which is more uneven breaks up lower level winds, so wind speeds are slower and winds are not as sustained. If a large area of flat lands then borders a hill or mountain range, these high winds can get channeled into valleys between the hills, and reach even higher velocities. You can see this effect on a much smaller scale even with man-made structures. Streets form canyons between skyscrapers in downtown areas of major cities, and wind is channeled through these â€Å"canyons†, reaching much higher speeds Han out in the suburbs.If you've walked through downtown Chicago or downtown Manhattan, you may have experienced this yourself. Low lying troughs, on the other hand, may have days when the air stagnates and does not move, since it is blocked by higher elevations surrounding the trough. Ocean Currents Water, like air, is a fluid medium, which can move from one place to another under temperature differentials. Just as there are winds in the atmosphere, there are water currents in the oceans, which carry warm water or cold water from one place to another, sometimes for thousands of miles.One well-known example of such a current is the Gulf Stream, which carries warm water from the Caribbean to near the shores of northern Europe. The Gulf Stream is largely responsible for the migration of populations into Europe after the last ice age. Without the Gulf Stream, Europe would probably be a sparsely populated wasteland. Consider London, which in terms of latitude is sligh tly farther north than Calgary in Canada. The average January low temperature of Calgary is 8 OF, but the average January low temperature of London is 41 OF. This is a huge difference, and the Gulf Stream is responsible.While latitudes comparable to England and northern Europe are almost tundra-like across Canada or Asia, they are quite warm and habitable in cultures traditionally depend upon hunting, since agriculture is insufficient to provide the necessary calories. But in Europe, there is extensive farming, which can support much larger population densities. The Gulf Stream has made it possible; it is a critical part of Rupee's habitability. Ocean currents are one of the most important contributors to climate, but the topic is fairly complex. I have written a brief explanation here, which you should really read before going ahead.

Plants and Life on Earth Essay

Plants are the only organisms that can convert light energy from the sun into food. And plants produce all  of the food that animals, including people, eat. Even meat. The animals that give us meat, such as chickens and cows, eat grass, oats, corn, or some other plants. Plants make oxygen One of the materials that plants produce as they make food is oxygen gas. This oxygen gas, which is an important part of the air, is the gas that plants and animals must have in order to stay alive. When people breathe, it is the oxygen that we take out of the air to keep our cells and bodies alive. All of the oxygen available for living organisms comes from plants. Plants provide habitats for animals Plants are the primary habitat for thousands of other organisms. Animals live in, on, or under plants. Plants provide shelter and safety for animals. Plants also provide a place for animals to find other food. As a habitat, plants alter the climate. On a small scale, plants provide shade, help moderate the temperature, and protect animals from the wind. On a larger scale, such as in tropical rainforests, plants actually change the rainfall patterns over large areas of the earth’s surface. Plants help make and preserve soil In the forest and the prairie, the roots of plants help hold the soil together. This reduces erosion and helps conserve the soil. Plants also help make soil. Soil is made up of lots of particles of rocks which are broken down into very small pieces. When plants die, their decomposed remains are added to the soil. This helps to make the soil rich with nutrients. Plants provide useful products for people Many plants are important sources of products that people use, including food, fibers (for cloth), and medicines. Plants also help provide some of our energy needs. In some parts of the world, wood is the primary fuel used by people to cook their meals and heat their homes. Many of the other types of fuel we use today, such as coal, natural gas, and gasoline, were made from plants that lived millions of years ago. Plants beautify Plants, because of their beauty, are important elements of out human world. When we build houses and other buildings, we never think the job is done until we have planted trees, shrubs, and flowers to make what we have built much nicer.

Chinas Population Problem essays

China's Population Problem essays The Chinese government has taken the enforcement of family planning and birthrate laws to an extreme by violating the civil rights of its citizens, which has had bad effects on the morale of its people (Whyte 161). China's population has grown to such an enormous size that it has become a problem to both the people and government. China, the most populous country in the world, has an estimated population of about one thousand-one hundred-thirty three point six million (Hsu 1). Ninety-four percent of the population thrives in the eastern half of China, which composes about forty-three percent of China's total area (Hsu 1). The eastern half of China contains its most populous cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. However these cities have a low fertility rate due to recent bandwagons of birth control. The average density in the eastern half of China averages around two-hundred and thirty-six people per square kilometer, whereas the density in the west half averages around ten poi nt six people per square kilometer (Hsu 1). Current enforcement of Chinese laws prevents migration between provinces without proper authorization, as the citizens in the west half of China have a desire to live in a more urban life where jobs can be found easier, and the citizens in the more populous eastern half have a stronger desire to live in the more rural western China (Hsu 4). The Chinese have always had a large population (Hsu 1). Even in ancient times where the population would never fall below sixty million (Hsu 1). Later, in the eighteenth century the population rose exceedingly and China became the strongest and most economically wealthy (Hsu 1). By the time the Qing Dynasty ruled, the fertile people of China had reached a population of three-hundred million (Hsu 1). The birthrate in China did decline in the nineteen-fifties due to campaigning by the government on birth control (Hsu 1). However, after the population decreased the government t...