The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy Essay

The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy - Essay Example Subprime Lending Subprime involves the credit status of the borrowers of subprime loans and does not correspond to the interest rates of such loans. Any type of loans offered to the subprime borrowers which do not satisfy the prime guidelines of a loan are termed as subprime loans. It is a process of lending money to a group of borrowers who are classified as subprime borrowers and they do not qualify for obtaining loans at market interest rates because of the fact that their credit ratings are too low (Duhigg â€Å"Pressured to Take More Risk, Fannie Reached Tipping Point.†). However, the underwriting standards were relaxed by the mortgage lenders because during the phase of strong competition, the availability of the creditworthy borrowers was limited. So the mortgage became risky because they were allowed to less creditworthy borrowers. A crisis situation created in the subprime mortgage market of United States intensified during 2007 and led to global recession (Labaton â €Å"Agency’s ’04 Rule Let Banks Pile up New Debt†). Housing Bubble It has been noticed that from 1997-2006, the housing price in USA has increased by 124 percent. In 2006 the housing prices in USA was very high, which started declining considerably in the year of 2006 and continued in 2007 too. In 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index revealed that the highest drop in the housing prices was seen in 2008 (Schmuecker). This resulted in the subprime crisis due to the obligation created by the Alt-A collateralized debt, Hedge funds, credit, and other mortgages. It heavily affected the new construction, as about 1,283,000 American families sold off their houses, in comparison to 609,000 during 1990-1995. Mortgage finance is one of the most important components in the property debt market. In the year 2008 the US government did offer special loans of about $900 million to rescue the country from housing bubble, but the amount of loss was already far beyond this amou nt (Barker 3). Weak Underwriting Practices The failure of the mortgage underwriting principles was prevalent in USA, as stated by Tichard M. Bowen III, the chief underwriter of Citigroup. He himself stated that among 1600 mortgages by Citi, about 60 percent of the mortgage loans were defective in nature (Morgenson â€Å"Raters Ignored Proof of Unsafe Loans, Panel is told†). This means that the underwriters did not perform their duties based on the policies. Apart from this, the Financial Crisis Enquiry Commission also scrutinized about 900,000 mortgages that were issued from 2006-2007. They found that barely 54 percent of the mortgage loans met the required underwriting standards. Among them about 28 percent mortgage loans even did not met the minimum standards of borrowing (Olin). Collapse and Boom of the Banking System There are various evidences that the risky mortgages were financed by the banking systems. The superfluous pressure from the showed banking system also led t he financial institutions lower their underwriting standards and support the initiation of risky loans. The CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank directly blamed the parallel banking or shadowed banking system for freezing the credit market. During 2007, the securitization market which was supported by the parallel banking system started to collapse and shut down by 2008. In this situation, the private credit market was not available to

Problem Gambling Essay Example for Free

Problem Gambling Essay She took one last look out the window as they drove away, the tears streaming down her face. At the age of four, her world had fallen apart. Karina’s life started out as a perfect middle-class family, and soon turned into a broken mess. They had everything, a perfect house in a really nice part of the city, a nice car; everything was wonderful. As Karina got older, she began to notice things weren’t perfect. Her dad was never there. He was always out gambling in one way or another. â€Å"As time progressed we lost the car, and other possessions due to my dad’s gambling problem. It’s not only about gambling and the money. When people gamble, they do other stupid things, he had an affair. My parents decided to get a divorce. My dad didn’t argue, in fact he said that for the safety of our family it would probably be better because a lot of people were angry at him for what he owed them. It was all because of gambling and snowballed into a mess that could have been really dangerous for my mom and me had we stayed around. I’m sad that my life played out in that way at such a young age, and it’s very unfortunate. I know that if he wouldn’t have had gambling around none of those things would have taken place and we would probably still be the family that we were, but unfortunately that’s not how it played out. † Although many people think that legalizing gambling will have a great effect on the economy, I think the negative effects are much more evident. People’s views on subjects often have to do with their ethics. Ethics, as defined by Seiler and Beall, are an individual’s system of moral principles. My ethics lead me to believe that gambling is wrong because I was raised to believe that my family is more important than economic wealth. As it is evident in the story above, gambling can have a major negative effect on someone’s life, and so it is too much of a risk to legalize this dangerous game. Three main reasons that gambling should be kept illegal are that gambling creates tension among the family members, gambling increases crime in the society, and the addiction to gambling is too great for many to overcome. The first reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that gambling creates tension among the family members as the money that should be used for the family is being spent on gambling. Even though gambling might, in some cases, bring money into the state and local economies, there are side effects to having a casino down the street. Forshey (1998) states, â€Å"The gambling jobs, taxes, and recreational values provided by the industry cannot compensate for the social pain-in the form of bankruptcies, white-collar crime, divorce, a compromised political process, an increase in alcoholism-it inflicts. † The drain of a working person’s money that wager’s his or her paycheck and loses is not compensated with the amount of jobs a casino brings to a community. Gambling is a greedy industry that produces nothing more than empty hopes, empty dreams and empty wallets. Anderson states, â€Å"Proponents argue that state lotteries are an effective way to raise taxes painlessly. But the evidence shows that legalized gambling often hurts those who are poor and disadvantaged. † Without casino gambling, many local citizens would spend their money on groceries or clothes, instead of reducing their savings on gambling. As William Thompson states in his article â€Å"Gambling: A Controlling Substance,† It [gambling] is a pleasure, like other entertainment, but in that regard, it is an expensive pleasure. † Thompson then continues with this thought: â€Å"Politicians must recognize that the benefits of gambling are bounded by market structures. Gambling money does not grow on trees. It comes out of the pockets or real people, who otherwise would have spent it on something else. † All of this evidence shoes that gambling should be kept illegal because it creates tension among the family members as the money that should be used for the family is being spent on gambling. A second reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that gambling increases the amount of crime within a society. Gambling often becomes associated with crime, a relationship that seems quite understandable. Not only does gambling continue to be illegal in some forms which makes it a crime to participate in, but also the second half of the issue occurs when gambling increases the amount of street crime in a surrounding area. Crime rates have been significantly higher in places that allow gambling. Kindt states, â€Å"Atlantic City showed a jump in crime when gambling was legalized. The city went from 50th in the nation in per capita crime to first. Problem gamblers may also become more likely to have financial troubles and use illegal activities as a way to pay off their debts and keep up their unhealthy habit. † This graphic shows a report done by the U. S. Department of Justice studied people that were arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines, Iowa. The results show many connections between gambling and crime. â€Å"More than 30 percent of pathological gamblers who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines reported having committed a robbery within the past year, nearly double the percentage for low-risk gamblers. Nearly one-third admitted that they had committed the robbery to pay for gambling or to pay gambling debts. In addition, about 13 perfect said they had assaulted someone to get money. † As is evident, gambling should be kept illegal because it increases the amount of crime within a society. We will now look at the last reason why gambling should be kept illegal. Finally, a third reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that the addiction to gambling is too great for many to overcome, resulting in psychological problems for the gambler. Some people argue that if a person wants to gamble badly enough they will do it. They say that one will be able to control his or herself and only gamble when it’s appropriate, but gambling is an addiction that some people can’t escape. The addiction is a nationwide problem, and as much a part of gambling as the dice. As an article in the Omaha World Herald states, â€Å"Problem gambling is the urge to gamble despite harmful negative consequence or the desire to stop, and pathological gambling involves wagering to such excess that it has a severe negative effect on the gambler’s life. † Getting hooked on gambling comes mainly from the action and thrill, an experience chemically the same as those with inhaled substances. They fall under the spell of action. Action is an aroused, joyous state involving excitement, tension, and anticipation of the outcome of a gambling event. It is the thrill of living on the edge. Gambling has little to do with money and everything to do with the feelings of a gambler. William Thompson states, â€Å"People will lie to themselves, also in calculating the money because they don’t want to tell themselves that they were foolish about gambling. † Problem gamblers describe gambling as â€Å"highs† similar to that experienced from many drug substances. Some experience these sensations when just thinking about gambling. How is a person supposed to avoid gambling if he or she is constantly being surrounded with opportunities to place bets and be involved in the â€Å"action†? As Frey suggests casinos increase the number of problem gamblers, and make it that much more difficult to stop for those already addicted. In order to stop the number of pathological gamblers from increasing, the amount of gambling in the United States must decrease as a whole. Pathological gamblers were twice as likely to describe their general health as fair to poor over the past two years and were more likely to acknowledge mental or emotional problems. Rates of alcohol and drug dependence, job loss, and bankruptcy were also significantly higher for pathological gamblers relative to non-gamblers. According to Weinstock and Meyers, â€Å" Almost 20 percent of the people diagnosed as pathological gamblers file for bankruptcy compared to the less than 5 percent of those in the general population. † Percentage of Population with Gambling Problems In order to stop the number of pathological gamblers from increasing, the amount of gambling in the United States must decrease as a whole. As is evident in this bar graph the amount of people with gambling disorders has greatly increased. According to Weinstock and Meyers, â€Å"Recent studies have found that approximately 2 percent of Americans have had severe levels of disordered gambling at some point in their lifetime. Alarmingly, the rate in the Mid-South is even higher. Studies with Mississippi and Louisiana reveal that about 5 percent of the residents in Mississippi have a gambling problem, while in New Orleans, Louisiana 8 percent of the population reported significant problems because of their gambling. † Gambling should be kept illegal because the addiction to gambling is too great for many, even adolescents to overcome. According to Welte, Barnes, Tidwell, and Hoffman, â€Å"Over 2% of U. S. adolescents have experienced problem gambling (i. e. , sub-clinical pathological gambling) in the past year. Females have a . 1% problem gambling rate, and males a 4. 2% problem gambling rate within the past year. † If we don’t put a stop to this now the future of pathological gambling will continue. Regrettably, these pathological gamblers will most likely have to deal with many adverse life events because of their addiction. Many problem gamblers are under so much stress, they commit domestic violence or suicide. There are other, less dangerous ways to find entertainment. So many people suffer every day from their addiction to gambling. The United States should put a stop by banning the gambling industry, and therefore eliminating the harmful side effects of legalized gambling. All of this evidence shows that gambling should be kept illegal because the addiction to gambling is far too great for some people to overcome, resulting in psychological problems for the gambler. The negative effects of gambling out-weigh the positive. The tension created among family members, increased crime in society, and the addiction resulting in psychological problems are just too great of a risk for the people of our society to undergo. So the next time you walk into a casino, remember Karina’s story and how the gambling may affect your life, because even if you’re willing to take the chance, odds are the negative effects of gambling will leave you unlucky in life. It is important for all of you to take note of the consequences and refrain from gambling. Staying away from the dangers of gambling, and setting an example to others is extremely important. No matter what type of personality you have, you can be an influence to others and help stop the spread of gambling all over the nation. I want to challenge you that if you know someone that gambles or you yourself gamble share what you know about gambling and try to put a stop to the habit! References: * Anderson, K. Gambling. Gambling Probe Ministries. Retrieved October 31, 2001 from http://www. probe. org/site/c. fdKEIMNsEoG/b. 4219137/k. C8BD/Gambling. htm * Brandt, K. (Personal communication, October 21, 2011) * Forshey, G. E. (1998). Lonely crusade: Fighting the Gambling Industry. The Christian Century. Retrieved October 31, 2011 from http://vnweb. hwwilsonweb. com/hww/results/getResults. jhtml? _DARGS=/hww/results/results_common. jhtml. 35 * Kindt, J. (1994). The Economic Impacts of Legalized Gambling Activities. Drake Law Review, 40 (1), 50-87. Retrieved October 26, 2011 from https://www.ideals. illinois. edu/handle/2142/16297 * Meyers, A. Whelan, J. Weinstock. (June 1998). Gambling: When it is not a Game Anymore. Business Perspectives, 16-22. Retrieved October 27, 2011 from http://www. allbusiness. com/specialty-businesses/291076-1. html * Problem Gambling: Be aware of warning signs. Omaha World Herald. (March, 19, 2010). Retrieved October 23, 2011 from Library. * Seiler, W. J. and Beall, M. L. (2009). Communication and Ethical Behavior. In Communication: Making Connections (8th Ed) (pp. 8-9). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Allyn.

Food and Nutritional Requirements for Dogs

Food and Nutritional Requirements for Dogs INTRODUCTION Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are the most popular pet species in Britain, excluding fish (PFMA, 2014), and as such there are a wide variety of stakeholders in dog welfare, ranging from the owner and veterinarian to insurance companies and animal welfare charities (Buckland et al., 2013). The pet food business is a multi-million pound industry which aims to produce adequate foodstuffs for pets in terms of nutritional content, but also aims to turn a profit as in any other trade (Thompson, 2008; FEDIAF, 2012). As such, the nutritional quality of pet food varies between brands and the usage of non-meat sources of protein has been questioned (Hilton, 1987). This paper aims to highlight the carnivorous origins of domestic dogs, review their major protein, vitamin and mineral requirements including some of the issues pertaining to inadequate pet food nutrition and develop a conclusion to the hypothesis: dogs can survive on a ‘vegetarian’ diet. TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION All dogs, Family Canidae, are members of the Order Carnivora and possess the enlarged carnassial teeth associated with the carnivorous diet characteristic of this taxon (Wang et al., 2004). Carnivora is split into two suborders: Feliformia, which includes felids, and Caniformia which includes canids. The Suborder Caniformia is then further divided into two sister subfamilies: Cynoidea, which includes Canidae, and Arctoidea which includes the Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Ursidae and Pinnepedia. Canidae is reported to be the earliest diverging family of the Caniformia, approximately nine million years ago (Wayne O’Brien, 1987) and currently hosts 34 extant species of wolf, dog and fox. Domestication of dogs has been traced back approximately 15,000 years, with the earliest known C. familiaris fossil dating back 14,000 years (Sablin Khlopachev, 2002). The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was almost certainly the precursor species of the domestic dog, based on mitochondrial DNA sequencing (Garcia-Moreno et al., 1996). Studies on grey wolf diet have shown it to be a primary carnivore which is highly adaptable to variations in prey, whereas domestic dogs have a much wider tolerance of different food types, facilitated by the adaptation of three genes involved in starch metabolism (Axelsson et al., 2013). Distinctive breeds appear to have diverged approximately 3000-4000 years ago (Harcourt, 1974; Clutton-Brock, 1984), with the greyhound being one of the most ancient breeds, however modern domestic dogs are known to exhibit similar foraging behaviours to their wild ancestors (Bradshaw, 2006). The variation in size and therefore energy requirements of breeds within dogs is the largest of any mammalian species (Lauten, 2006). Therefore pet food must accommodate not only differences in breed and size, but also other factors such as age, activity, reproductive status, environment and health (FEDIAF, 2013). PHYSIOLOGY Cats are described as obligate carnivores because protein is metabolised for energy as well as functioning in structural and synthetic processes (Zoran, 2002). In contrast, dogs can survive on an omnivorous diet by adjusting the catabolism of protein within the body when fed a low-protein diet, and can metabolise glucose from higher concentrations of carbohydrate thereby reducing the need for proteinaceous energy (Zoran, 2002). Dogs are unable to synthesise ten essential amino acids which are required for the synthesis of protein within the body for structural and metabolic processes (Lotspeich, 1949). Therefore protein is in essential component of the diet, providing a vital source of essential amino acids. NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS For adult dogs, the minimum recommended level of protein within dry matter food is 18g/100gDM. For pregnancy and early growth stages, i.e. puppies under 14 weeks old, this requirement is increased to 25g/100gDM. Above 14 weeks old, but still before adulthood, a minimum of 20g/100gDM is recommended (FEDIAF, 2013). With every 1%DM increase in protein, an extra 0.01g of arginine is recommended (NRC, 2006). Pet food manufacturers are required to meet these minimum recommended amounts of dietary nutrition for the target consumer animal they are producing for (FEDIAF, 2013); this means that owners have peace of mind when choosing a diet for their dog, knowing that it is nutritionally balanced. However, constituents of pet food must meet optimal criteria for nutrition, palatability, digestibility and be economical (Thompson, 2008). If a food is too expensive, owners are likely to resort to a lower cost food or feed their dog upon scraps which increases the risk of an unbalanced diet and imp roper nutrition (Coffee et al., 1980). Table 1: Popular and premium dog food constituent comparisons. Prices with a sourced from Tesco (2015) or b from Petplanet (2015), dashes indicate no data. Dog Food Brand Dry/Wet Crude Protein (%) Fat (%) Crude Ash (%) Fibre (%) Moisture (%) Cost ( £/kg) Source Bakers Complete Tasty Beef Dry 21.0 10.0 8.0 2.5 2.66a Bakers (2015) Ceser Can with Chicken and Turkey Wet 9.0 5.0 0.3 83.0 3.73a Tesco (2015) Hi Life Feed Me with Turkey and Chicken Dry 21.0 7.0 3.0 21.0 2.50a Tesco (2015) Iams ProActive Health Adult Small Medium Breed Dry 26.0 15.0 7.4 3.0 8.0 2.50a Iams (2015) James Wellbeloved Adult Fish and Rice Dry 21.5 10.5 7.3 3.1 2.79b James Wellbeloved (2015) James Wellbeloved Adult Turkey and Rice Wet 6.5 4.0 1.5 0.5 81.0 4.66b Pedigree Complete Adult with Chicken Dry 21.0 13.0 3.0 12.0 2.50a Pedigree (2015) Pedigree Complete Puppy Nutrition Chicken and Rice Dry 28.0 16.0 2.5 12.0 2.33a Pedigree with Beef In Gravy Wet 7.0 5.5 0.5 81.0 1.50a Royal Canin Giant Adult Dry 28.0 20.0 5.2 1.8 8.0 2.93b Royal Canin (2014) Royal Canin Medium Adult Dry 25.0 14.0 5.9 1.2 9.5 2.93b Royal Canin X-Small Adult Dry 24.0 18.0 5.7 1.7 9.5 5.66b Tesco Everyday Value Beef Chunks in Gravy Wet 6.5 4.0 2.0 0.5 81.5 0.81a Tesco (2015) Tesco Everyday Value Complete Dog Food Dry 21.0 8.5 3.0 0.59a Wafcol Vegetarian Dog Food Dry 20.0 5.0 7.0 6.0 1.73b Petplanet (2015) DOG FOOD CONSTITUENTS Complete dog foods are those which are nutritionally balanced and suitable to be fed daily (FEDIAF, 2013). They meet the minimum FEDIAF standards and do not exceed maximal recommendations where stated (e.g. lysine during growth), although differences in protein, fat and carbohydrate ratios are seen among brands with cost typically increasing with protein content (Thompson, 2008), as described in table 1. Traditional dog foods use meat protein sourced from cuts of meat, viscera or meat meal and may be packaged in cans or within cereal based dry kibble which is treated with meat flavours to improve palatability (McGrane, 2006). Extrusion is a technique used in the production of about 95% of dry pet foods in order to improve the palatability and utilisation of protein through heat treatment (Bednar et al., 2000; Tran et al., 2008). Processing of soybeans is carried out to remove toxins such as lectin and protease inhibitors but also destroys the naturally high concentrations of B vitamins such a thiamine (Gregory, 1985; Hilton, 1987; LebiedziÅ„ska Szefer, 2006). Dietary protein may come from either animal or vegetable sources (NRC, 2006), with a huge increase in the usage of soybean products (ground soybeans, soy flour, soy hulls, soybean oil and concentrate) reducing production costs of pet food and facilitating the anthropomorphic ‘vegetarian’ diet which some owners are feeding their pets (McGrane, 2006). However, Kienzle Engelhard (2001) found that only two of the twelve commercially available foods investigated in their European study provided adequate nutrition according to recommendations set out by AAFCO, mainly on the basis of protein concentration. As shown in table 1, the vegetarian food had the lowest percentage of protein, and it has been suggested that the vegetable products those diets are made up of may not contain the correct balance of amino acids neccessary for a healthy dog (Coffee et al., 1980; Hilton, 1987). For example, arginine, which is required for optimal growth in young dogs and plays an intermediate role in the urea cycle (Burns et al., 1981; FEDIAF, 2013), cystine and methionine, both implemental in coat condition, are all naturally abundant in animal tissue (Wu Morris, 1998). The levels and source of dietary protein and the form it is delivered in can have significant effects on the health of a dog. For example, diets low in protein can cause hypoproteinemia (a low concentration of albumin and total protein in the blood) leading to edema (Weech et al., 1935) or pancreatitis in high-fat, low-protein diets (Lindsay et al., 1948). Zhao et al. (1997) demonstrated that assimilation of protein into the gut is limited by digestibility, which in turn is affected by the form of protein with a food. If the source of protein available within the food is intact, around 40% remains undigested but available within the ileum four hours after a meal. In comparison, hydrolysed proteins (those which have been broken down into constituent amino acids) have an absorption rate of over 70% within an hour in humans (Chung et al., 1979). EFFECTS OF A VEGETARIAN DIET Diets reduced in meat and fish are most often fed to dogs due to owner preference as opposed to health reasons; in studies recruiting pets fed vegetarian diets all owners report being vegetarian themselves (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001; Michel, 2006; Rothgerber, 2014). The reported effects of a vegetable-based diet for dogs are variable due to the low incidence of vegetarian dogs in the population and the lack of long term studies (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001). Some diets are strictly vegan and supplemented with vitamins and minerals, whereas others are more lenient and treated with meat-based products in order to increase palatability (Michel, 2006). In a study carried out across Germany, Switzerland and Belgium (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001), nutrient intake of 86 dogs fed a vegetarian diet was investigated through owner interviews and blood samples. The study found that protein intake was not sufficient in over half of those dogs tested, 62% showed sub-optimal calcium levels, 73% showed insufficient sodium intake and deficiencies in zinc, iron and vitamin D were also common. In a separate study, zinc deficiency caused by phytate, a zinc-binding molecule present in soybean meal, led to the development of skin conditions in puppies fed on a soy based diet (Sanecki et al., 1982). The high fibre content associated with vegetable and cereal foods can cause bowel irritation by affecting gastrointestinal motility and absorption of nutrients (Bueno et al., 1981; Earle et al., 1998). Proteins play a vital role in the condition of a dog’s coat, particularly those high in methionine and cystine amino acids because they synthesise keratin (Dethioux, 2008). Complete dog food diets contain these amino acids in suitable concentrations through meat protein, however vegetarian diets show a marked deficiency in these amino acids, and soy protein has a proven negative effect on serum lipids (Anderson et al., 1995); therefore the dog may suffer from alopecia and depleted coat condition when on a plant-protein diet (Dethioux, 2008). Thiamine is a vital part of carbohydrate metabolism and deficiency can severely affect parts of the body which have high energy requirements, such as the brain (Markovich et al., 2013). Clinical signs of thiamine deficiency may take weeks to develop, but will be characterised by a progressive loss of normal motor function such as a head tilt, falling and lack of coordination, ultimately ending in seizures and death if untreated (Markovich et al., 2013). Furthermore, soy has been identified in controlled studies as an important allergen, although incidences of soy allergies were significantly lower than those relating to beef and dairy (4.7% and 34.2% respectively) (Wills Harvey, 1994). Treatment for amino acid, vitamin and mineral deficiencies involve feeding a balanced nutritional diet appropriate for the dog’s size, age, activity level and health, which in a vegetarian diet is possible through the addition of supplements (Michel, 2006). CONCLUSION Proteins from non-meat sources are harder for dogs to digest and therefore are of less nutritional value than meat. While dogs can survive on this diet, the lack of sufficient protein and other dietary constituents such as vitamins and minerals will lead to improper nutritional value which can ultimately affect the health of the animal. From a manufacturer’s perspective, it is possible to create a vegetarian pet food which complies to AAFCO standards of nutritional content, however the economic savings of not using meat are offset by the need to add supplements and highly refined components to improve palatability and digestibility. For the owner, although they may feel less guilt by feeding their pet a vegetarian diet, they must feed a greater quantity to achieve similar levels of protein and nutrients within the animal (Rothberger, 2014) and the general healthy appearance of their pet is often diminished (Dethioux, 2008). Although dogs can survive on a diet of vegetarian-bas ed protein, the natural instincts of a hunting animal still exist from the ancestral wolf and given the opportunity a dog will forage for alternative sources of food (Bradshaw, 2006). The general literary consensus remains that dogs are opportunistic feeders within the Carnivora, and their physiology shows a preference for ingesting and digesting meat protein (Hilton, 1987).

letter of confession :: essays research papers

~Before I begin this letter, I want you to know that the reason why I’m sharing this with you is because I feel that I have to be completely honest about something that’s very personal to me. Originally, I wanted to tell you, but I just did not feel comfortable and I did not trust you enough. But, I can not keep this from you any longer. I hope after I explain this that you can understand why I did so~   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The past two years of my life have been filled with extreme hardship. Although I have had positive things take place in my life, the bad always seems to outweigh the good. When I was going out with Lamar, my high school fling, a gynecologist in Newburgh told me that I had Abnormal Cells and she needed to take a closer look at them. She said not to worry, but that it crucial that she did a procedure to examine the cells carefully because if she didn’t, I could possibly develop Cancer in my Cervix. During this time, mind you, I was having unprotected sex with Lamar and he was the first boy I did that with. This â€Å"careful† procedure (known as a biopsy, coposcopy-not really sure how to spell this one) that she performed was one of the most uncomfortable things I ever had to go through. It involves doing something, that makes you feel like you have bad period cramps without having your actual period. After doing this close examination, I did not hear anything again from this doctor until about a year later, which at that time, I considered them incompetent. Before I went away to college, I went to the city to visit my mother’s GYN for a regular pap smear. She then wrote to me in college telling me that my cells were abnormal and that I needed to take some medication (basically this crap that I had to stick up in my coochie). She also told me that I needed to come in so she could do another check-up. So I took the medicine thinking (or rather hoping) that it would clear up whatever was going on down there. I went the GYN in early October. There, she told me that the pap in August should cells of H P V, a sexually transmitted disease, that if left untreated, could cause Cancer.

Essays on Social Networking

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AS IMPORTANT TOOLS TO FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS Main ideas: 1. Social networking sites in schools and universities play an interesting role in order to improve abilities. 2. The advantage of social networking is reconnecting people. 3. Social networking sites offer some useful services to create a good environment among friends and family members. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AS IMPORTANT TOOLS TO FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS Nowadays, internet and social networking sites have become in useful tools that allow people around the world to communicate and to spread interesting information.They have been used to support politicians during presidential elections. For this reason I do agree with the fact of considering social networking sites as important tools to foster relationships. In the field of education, these sites are very useful, since students have the opportunity to interact with others by planning and working on school assignments. Teachers on their part also find inter net as an interesting tool, using it in their classes realizing that it will be helpful to improve students’ skills and also to foster their relationships and create new ones.On the other hand, it would be important to mention that one of the advantages of these sites is that they give people the chance of reconnecting with friends and family members that have not been in touch with for a long period of time; allowing them to strengthen and build good relationships. Besides that, the social networking sites, offer some services, such as free messaging, photo storage, games among others; that people can use to spend their free time and also to share memorable events with the family and friends.This aspect is very important when looking for a good environment with family members and friends. As a conclusion, it would be relevant to mention that one of the purposes of the social networking sites is to give spaces of interaction to people and also to let them get informed about i nteresting and updated topics. These two aspects build and foster their relationships with the society through the communication.

The Yellow River Essays

The Yellow River Essays The Yellow River Essay The Yellow River Essay The Yellow river is the second longest river in China and the sixth longest river in the world. It starts in the Bayan Har Mountains and flows through nine provinces until it ends in the Bohai Sea.   The Yellow river is extremely important in Chinese history as it is considered the birthplace of northern Chinese civilization and was an extremely prosperous region China’s early existence.   Devastating floods from this river have since changed this river and its region from prosperous to the name â€Å"China’s Sorrow†. Two catastrophic floods have devastated the area around the Yellow River, the first in 1887 and the second in 1931. These floods not only affect the population but also have catastrophic affects on the economy and agriculture of this region.The Yellow river basin and its area is prone to floods due to its geography. The area around the river is very flat and ideal for farming.   The river can be broken into three differ ent stages, the upper reaches, middle reaches and lower reaches. The Upper Reaches starts at the rivers source in Bayan Har Mountains and ends at Hekou County in Mongolia.   The land in this section consists or pastures, knolls and swamps.   There are over 20 gorges in this section which provide power to many hydroelectric plants. At the end of the upper reaches the river flows through the Yinchuan Plain and Hetao Plain. These areas are mostly desert and grasslands and the speed of the river slows dramatically. The Hetai Plain is traditionally an irrigation plain.The Middle reaches is the section between Hekopu County, Inner Mongolia and Zhengzhou in Henan.   It is in this section that many tributaries feed into the river and increases its speed by over 40%. Most of the silt in the river is picked up here as there is a lot of erosion from the Loess Plateau.   This sediment makes it the most silt laden river in the world, much different from the clear waters found in the uppe r reaches.   This sediment is later deposited in the lower reaches of the river elevating the river bed. The middle reaches consists of the longest continuous valleys called Jinshaun Valley and is the second best area for using hydroelectric plants as energy sources. The lower reaches of the Yellow River are from Zhengzhou to the Bohai Sea. This section of the river is lined with levees and the sediment collected from the middle reaches has caused the riverbed to be several meters higher than the surrounding ground. (Sinclair, 1987)The 1887 Yellow River flood is considered to be one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. This flood killed between 900,000 to 2,000,000 people. The land around the Yellow river is very flat and ideal for farming. Farmers were able to keep the rising water in check using dikes but the rising river in conjunction with a few days of heavy rain caused the river to overflow the dikes and flood the area.   The water was able to flood throughout most of northern China due to the low laying plains and covered an estimated 50,000 square miles. An estimated 2 million people were   killed in this flood, not only from the actual flood but due to the pandemic that followed as many were homeless and could not receive proper food, care or basic living essentials. (Waterlow, 1993)There was a second devastating flood of the Yellow river in 1931 that lasted from July to November of 1931.   There were between 1,000,000 to 4,000,000 estimated deaths for this catastrophic flood as with the flood of 1887 the casualty numbers also include those that died after the flood due to disease and famine.   It is this flood that is considered to be the worst flood of all times, over 34,000 square miles were flooded and an additional 8,000 square miles partially flooded. As with the 1887 floods the 1931 flood is due to monsoon rains which caused flooding in the yellow river but also in the tributaries that feed into the river and the levees t hat withheld the water broke. (Waterlow, 1993)The Yellow river is prone to tremendous floods because of its high silt content, as in much of the middle and lower reaches about 60% of the weight of the river is due to silt. This yellow mud then settles and chokes the river causing its banks to overflow.   Preventing floods of the yellow river began as early as the third century BC when the river was dredged to encourage water flow (Dodgen, 2001).   The Chinese have used levees, some as high as 30 feet, channels and dams to attempt too control the river. Dams are considered the most effective but still become clogged by the silt. (Nova, 1997)The river is also more prone to floods as large ice blocks form in the section of the river that flows through Mongolia. These ice blocks act like natural dams and hold back the water. When the ice blocks melt or are broken the water is then released in a rushing wall of water that creates a flood.   The deforestation of the upper reaches mo untains has increased the amount of silt in the river, which in turn will increase the flood heights.The death toll from these floods is so high because of the large population that has settled in a close proximity to the Yellow river. The most densely populated regions of northern china are by the Yellow river and the water from the river is used as a source of irrigation for most of the agriculture and industry in Northern China even to this day. There have been more previous flooding of the Yellow river including one that was human induced in 1938, but the 1931 flood was the last of the natural floods that brought about such large amounts of damage. (Brush and Wolman, 200)The causes of both the 1887 and 1931 floods from the Yellow river are the same, heavy rain.   While there have been many other floods by the yellow river the causes have been varying from the military tearing down the dikes as a military manoeuvre, to ice blocks in the Mongolia regions.   These floods did no t reach the horrific lengths that the 1887 and 1931 floods due by massive amounts, described as monsoon like, heavy rains. Due to the formation of the river, very narrow and swift flowing at the beginning to broader and slower, the deluge of water caused a massive increase in moving water and silt uptake and completely over flowed its banks. This is particularly easy to do in the lower reaches since the banks of the river are actually at a higher elevation then the surrounding area.The Chinese government is still taking steps to try and regulate the flow of water in the Yellow river and the deposit of silt. A massive dam has been approved for construction that will hopefully be able to prevent any massive floods.   Though the only way to completely prevent any further damage from floods is to move the population away from the flood zones. Unfortunately thins would drastically effect the economy and population as the river encompasses a large portion of northern china that speciali zes in agriculture. Even further cities along the Yellow river are slowly becoming culture hot spots and tourist destinations. (Brush and Wolman, 2007)While it is unfortunate that so much life has been lost due to the overflowing of the river that is a risk that must be taken into consideration when one chooses to live in this region. Man has not yet been able to tame nature and as the Yellow river has displayed, nature can be a fearsome beast. With the current climate changes underway it is most likely that the flooding will decrease as the river will slowly begin to decrease due to temperature increase and a lack of rain.   Though with the current advances in science and technology the Chinese people will at least have some advance warning on floods and be able to vacate the dangerous areas decreasing the loss of life, though still suffering economically.