What is democracy to you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is democracy to you - Essay Example Before dwelling further in my personal definition of Democracy, it is pivotal to point out that this system is not perfect. I agree on the fact that the system has flaws, but in essence at least the citizens have some profound effect to rectify these issues. Truly, that’s what make Democracy great is the fact that individuals have some leverage to change the political scenario that may hinder development. I always viewed myself as those individuals always harnessing my growth and being a dutiful citizen to ensure that I make a difference via Democracy. I am fully aware of many political and economic principles that can in-adverse effect from Democracy. More than ever, it is my own self-pursuit of ‘life, liberty, and property.’ In essence, I am pursuing my own endeavors and want to ensure that Democracy can facilitate my quest to have a good standard of life for myself. I think Democracy is more than a political system, it is an attribution of mechanisms that developed over time for the people. The keyword in Democracy is that in its purest form, it is for the people. The Jeffersonian and Hamilton ideals are the manifestation of these ideals. The laws are created and governed for the people, to serve the people. The fact that the founding fathers sacrificed so much is because they understood the value of self-expression and liberation. They understood that America is the land of opportunity. In essence, Democracy for me defines an opportunity. Unlike other nations that impose so much autocracy and confinement, Democracy allows an individual to pursue their own ‘rags to riches’ story. This concept of liberation has been the focal point of Americans since the era of colonies to modern day America. The ideals of democracy have been created from expressing individuality rather than conforming to a traditional mainstream society. America co ntinues to take a great

Essay on hinduism and buddhism Essay Example for Free

Essay on hinduism and buddhism Essay Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities and are in some ways connected to each other. Some of the practices of the two religions are similar in many different ways and there are several examples to show this. Hinduism first started in India around 1500 BC. The word Hindu comes from the word sindhu or river. The Hindu community think of themselves as those who believe in the Vedas, or those who follow the way or dharma of the four classes and the stages of life. The four classes being the varnas and the stages of life being the ashramas. Like Hinduism, Buddhism also started in India. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is called the Buddha. Buddhism started a monastic movement in the Brahman tradition. Another name for buddah is the enlightened one.It is generally agreed that the Buddha was born in 563 BC in Kapilavastu to the ruler of a small kingdom. He grew up as a rich guy and had a splendid life. When he was 29 he came to realize that high life up to this point had been so empty. He let go any earthly things and soon left to find peace and enlightenment trying to stay away from the cycles of rebirths. He started practicing Yoga and adopted a life of radical asceticism. He soon gave up this way of thinking and focused on a middle path between the life of indulgence and that of self-denial. After a while of great inner struggle, he began to wander to different places and preach and organized a community know as the sangha. The Buddha started the movement for all different peoples and denied that a persons spiritual worth is a matter of birth. The Buddha left no written word. The Cannon for the Buddhist religion is known as the Tripitaka or three Baskets, because is has three writings. These are the Sutra Pitaka which is a collection of discourses, the Vinaya Pitaka, which is the code of the monastic rules, and the Abhidharma Pitaka, which contains all different philosophical, psychological, and doctrinal discussions and different classifications. The Vinaya Pitaka has over 225 rules for the Buddhist monks and nuns, each  which has a story to explain. The Abhidharma Pitaka has seven different works, which include detailed classifications of the psychological phenomena, metaphysical analysis, and a thesaurus of technical vocabulary. Hinduism also has a lot of writings but the most important of all is the Vedas. The oldest is the Rig-Veda, which was made in an ancient form of the Sanskrit language in northeast India. It consists of 1028 hymns to many of the gods.

Impact Of Climate Change And Possible Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay

Impact Of Climate Change And Possible Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay Moscow in Russia has just witnessed its hottest day in its history this January. Climate change is evident given a series of recent environmental disruptor events all over the world. Researchers across the world have begun to raise their concerns over much occurring climatic changes. Several instances of climate change have been recorded worldwide and have been mentioned in our study. We look at different causes of climate change and present a detailed study of climate change, issues connected with it, impact of climate change and possible solutions. Climate change effects energy, water, environment and ecosystem on the whole. Solutions to climate change include collective effort and individual effort in using renewable forms of energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy instead of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. INTRODUCTION Life is a definite flow of events. Mistimed events are not welcome in human lives. Mistimed events occurring in a very high frequency are immensely dangerous. Climate is the regular behavior of temperature, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure and other related environmental factors. Climate change is a stark reality. A study in [1] states that ice loss in arctic region between 1979 and 2003 is larger than the area of the states Texas, California and Maryland combined. For long, climate change was a prediction but a series of natural disasters like Tsunami, floods and wildfires point directly to climate change. Let us examine some damage caused by climate change. Climate change has been associated with historical collapses of heritage sites like Harappa, Ancient Egypt and Maya civilization. Sourcewatch reports that Bombay, an Indian city, received 37 inches rain due to global warming [8]. Global warming was attributed as the reason for the hurricane Katrina in 2005. Recent inconclusive reports have surfaced that global warming might be the culprit behind Leh cloudburst this August [9]. It is a well-known fact that the lack of mangrove forests in the coastline in south-Asia has increased the effect of Tsunami in December 2004. Sourcewatch also reports deaths caused by heat wave in Arizona in 2005, two-foot snowfall in Los Angeles in November 2004, 124 mph winds in Scandinavia leading to electricity loss and disruption, drought in Midwest in August 2005 and attributes global warming as the reason for these incidents. Significant awareness drive has begun following such events with political commentators and activists at the helm. A report by In tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change headed by RK Pachauri predicted a 7-23 inch increase in sea levels in 2010 due to climate change [10]. Another report at University of Washington by Climate Impacts Group reports 1.5Â ° F increase in temperature in Pacific Northwest in 20th century. CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE Nature has, in its own way, contributed to the cause of climate change by regular adaptations. A natural disaster like volcano releases toxic gases such as sulphur-dioxide apart from water vapor, dust and ash. The released sulphur-dioxide gets accumulated in the topmost layer of atmosphere. The released substances also obstruct sunlight from entering earths surface leading to earth cooling. The formed water combines with the toxic gas to result in sulphuric acid that hangs around the topmost layer of atmosphere. These have the capability to block sunlight and disrupt regular processes leading to eco-imbalance. Part of the climate change is attributed to continental drift as it changes the physical features of the land area, their location and location of water, eventually tidal currents. If nature changes the climate unintentionally, humans have multiplied the climate change effect by several notches. Industrial revolution, over-usage of resources, inefficient resource handling can be attributed to human -influential causes of climate change. This also includes greenhouse emission gases and burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, natural gas. Excessive emission from industries has polluted the atmosphere to great levels. It is not surprising to note that developed countries contribute the maximum to atmospheric pollution through carbon emissions. Ten of the top countries in the world contribute 67% of carbon emissions [3]. However, it is the poor of the world who bear the maximum brunt due to this. A report by mongabay reveals that more than one million square kilometers of forest land was lost between 2000 and 2005 [2]. It is a well-known fact that trees absorb carbon-dioxide emitted by vehicles and industries. Hence, we should introspect the findings of the report to estimate the amount of unabsorbed carbon-dioxide and other toxic gases. IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE Let us consider the case of highly developed and industrialized country, the United States to estimate the impact of climate change in near future. Water Availability Water cycle is affected to the extent of influencing the availability of water as a resource. As a result, floods and droughts become more frequent. Varying climate is bound to change surface water quality and groundwater quality. All this can be contributed to increasing water temperatures, decrease in ice per area, fluctuations in precipitation occurrence, transformations in soil moisture and high concentration of water vapor in atmosphere. Energy Energy availability and energy production is inextricable from available water resources. Increasing water temperatures and inadequate water resources restrict energy production. As the population shifts to southwest, increased use of air conditioning systems drain energy resources contributing to climate change. 87% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States origin from energy production. Transportation Increased irregular floods will impact the transportation sector given the disruption caused to infrastructure. Evacuation and rehabilitation of people, infrastructure damage are the evident results of disruption by floods. Agriculture Agriculture in the United States contributes 8.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Gases like carbon-dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide directly affect agriculture. Recent wildfires in Russia resulted in crop loss given a high increase in atmospheric temperature. Many have pointed this to observable global warming [4]. Another report reveals that South Africa is bound to lose 30% of its maize crop by 2030 [5]. Environment It cannot be ignored that many living species depend on climate for their survival. We are witnessing reports predicting extinction of polar bears if current ice melting continues in the Arctic region and extinction of variety of other species due to changing temperatures and climate as a whole. Heavy investment in drylands reveals the importance to turn these lands into fertile lands [6]. The effect of Tsunami that occurred in south-Asia in 2005 increased multifold due to deforestation of mangrove forests along the coastline. Mangrove trees have the capability to absorb tsunami waves but were uprooted to promote aquaculture. Health Figure 1- Projected heat-related deaths in Chicago [7] Increasing temperatures already cause many heat-related deaths in India. Each summer in India many die due to high temperatures and each year are getting hotter with time. Irregular temperature changes lead to health imbalance, across any age group. Infections caused due to air pollutants are bound to leave their mark on humans. SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE Every individual living on this planet is responsible for global warming in one way or another and must amend ways to stop this phenomenon in his/her own way. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a common framework in which Kyoto protocol is proposed to fight global warming. 187 countries signed the protocol till November 2009. Kyoto protocol was introduced in 1997 but was enforced from February 2005. The main objective of the protocol is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% by 2012 from 1990 levels. Another solution for climate aims to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2020. Solutions include Energy efficiency Efficient usage of energy includes proficient car usage, energy reduction power sources, innovated industrial strategies and developing technological solutions. Low noise refrigerators, energy efficient washing machines save significant amount of energy. Hand drying of clothes after machine washing saves considerable energy. Reducing temperatures of air conditioning system also saves huge amounts of energy over the year. Solar energy Renewable forms of energy sources must be worked up on instead of using non-renewable energy sources such as oil, gas, nuclear energy and coal. Coal is no longer being generated to be used extensively. The fate of oil is similar to that of coal. According to the latest status report of renewable energy, out of total energy consumed only 19% is renewable, a meager 2.8% is nuclear energy and the rest if fossil fuels [11]. Of the renewable energy sources, biomass forms 13%, hydropower forms 3.2%, solar energy forms about 1.4% and the rest sources are wind energy, geothermal and hydropower. Electricity can be generated from sunlight which can be substituted for non-renewable forms of energy. Photovoltaic cells can be used to convert light to electricity and can be used to charge devices such as calculators or power entire house. Solar thermal power plants are another source of energy where electricity is generated by highly pressurized steam from sunlight using power turbines. Wind energy Using wind energy reduces carbon emissions drastically, given our major objective is to reduce carbon emissions, and maintains eco-balance. Construction of infrastructure required for generating wind energy is not tedious as generally believed. Greenpeace states the prediction of wind energy usage at 12% of worlds energy by 2020 [12]. Individual contribution Reducing water usage in daily activities saves good amount of energy. Using public transportation such as trains and buses preserves energy. [11] suggest rural renewable energy strategies like using hydropower or biogas for lighting and energy purposes instead of candles or kerosene. Similarly, hydropower or biogas can be used for communications instead of batteries. Solar cookers can be developed and used instead of burning wood for cooking to achieve over 25% efficiency. Solar PV pumps or mechanical wind pumps can be used to pump water instead of diesel pumps and generators. Another recommendable solution is saving energy on computers by turning on the save screen mode which reduces power consumption and emissions. It might sound trivial but small amounts of saved energy add up to huge amounts at the end of the year. CONCLUSION A greater resolve is needed on behalf of all world countries to stand by the promises made to reduce carbon emissions to achieve our objectives by the target, 2020. Countries must work towards the common goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and must also abide by frameworks such as Kyoto protocol aimed at reducing global warming. Also, reducing global warming and addressing climate change is the responsibility of not only governments but also its citizens, of each and every individuals. We should collectively work to save energy by reducing unnecessary water usage, saving electricity, using public transport, recycling plastic, bottles, paper and waste.

Nurse Practitioner - Personal Narrative Essays -- Volunteer Volunteeri

Recently, I was able to take a trip down to Tijuana, Mexico, where I had the opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage for ten days. While at the orphanage, I was able to help build a sidewalk and a garage for a family who was fleeing domestic violence. During my trip I experienced one of the greatest feelings in my life, which was the complete self-fulfillment and joy in helping another human being. I knew from then on helping people and having the privilege to serve others would be something I would want to do as lifetime career. Thus, combining my love for helping people and my interest in the medical field, I decided to research the occupation of being a nurse practitioner to see if this would be a suitable career option for me in the future. As a nurse, you can generally plan when you will work and for how long, but your day will be anything but routine. Depending on the area of specialty, nurse practitioners are employed in hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, nursing homes, mental health centers, hospices, prisons, and other health care settings (Nurse Practitioner Vocational,69).As you can see ,n all most all instances this occupation takes place indoors in a formal setting. Also, since this occupation is set in a formal setting you can expect that wearing a uniform is mandatory. Much of these dress codes include wearing scrubs, a lab jacket, and often gloves or masks so that nurses may protect themselves and their patients (Nurse Practitioner Oregon, 1). Furthermore, an average nursing shift is eight hours long, with the option of working a day shift, evening shift, or a night shift (Morkes Encylopedia, 71). All of... ...ion, throughout researching this paper I became more and more attracted to the possibility that I might someday become a nurse practitioner. One of the most important things I learned is that the educational requirements to become a nurse practitioner were much more appealing to me than those required of a physician. Also, I learned that this occupation is one that has employment opportunities across the world, which is perfect for me since I would love to be able to help people all over the globe. Finally, in the future I would definitely consider pursuing this occupation. This career has so many different aspects that fit perfectly into my idea of a dream job. Plus it would give me the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis, which in my opinion is one of the best career options available.

Burger Machine

Burger Machine Holdings Corporation, more commonly known as Burger Machine , is one of the notable fastfood companies in the Philippines. It is a sub-company of the Gilmore Food Corporation. Unlike Jollibee and other burger chains, Burger Machine has always been retailing in outdoor stands instead of shops. History It was created in 1981 by Fe Esperanza S. Rodriguez and a sister who both planned to turn two old small buses into mobile stores, an idea they adapted from America. It was their fondness for hamburgers that inspired them to make a business that would serve for the masses. The stores were hen opened near two gas stations in Quezon City. They all began with a capital of P40,000 with nearly two dozen employees working continuously. This non-stop service earned Burger Machine the nickname of â€Å"the burger that never sleeps. † A year later, a third store was opened. The company was nationally recognized. In 1990, the Corporate Office in EDSA started and was called EDS A Business Unit. It was also in this year when the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology confirmed their burgers as â€Å"source of the most nutrients in terms of peso value compared to other eading hamburger chains. † Through the years, Burger Machine launched dozens of branches including stalls and full-scale fast food restaurants. But during the Asian Financial Crisis of the 90's, the company saw more struggles and was forced to close down several branches and restaurants. Burger Machine is now back to its roots operation which is 24/7 burger stands for the masses. Other information One distinctive character associated with the company is the dwarf which appears on every outlet. For a number of years it had been unnamed. Later in 1988, it was given one, Burger Bart through a name contest. 1] Graphic designer/visual communicator Zeus Paredes coined the name â€Å"BURGER MACHINE† and designed the original logo and graphics o n the mobile stores. The business was widely advertised on television in the mid-1990s. Among those who helped promote it include the Philippines' late master rapper Francis Magalona and iconic band Eraserheads. Permit controversy In 2007, it was revealed that a majority of Burger Machine's stores have been operating without business licenses . Because of this, the Market Development and Administration Department gave them 15 days to go with the demands lest Burger Machine s well as its parent Gilmore would undergo such consequences, specifically having those stores closed. Financial Aspects of Business by Brian Hill, Demand Media Finance is a business function that uses numbers and analytical tools to help managers make better decisions. Every business owner must learn at least basic finance principles to effectively run his company. Finance helps management gain a clear understanding of the company’s current financial position, particularly whether the business is profitabl e or not. Companies of all sizes benefit from thorough financial planning to guide the usiness steadily down the path to future growth. Forecasting And Planning During the planning process, management determines numerical goals for the upcoming 12 months, or in the case of a long-range plan, for three years or more. Company management then maps out the actions that need to be taken, and the timeframe, for the goals to be reached. Finance comes into play when the action steps are converted to forecast numbers for revenues and expenses. Managers with financial planning expertise are able to create forecasts that are attainable yet aggressive. They must also have sufficient nderstanding about company operations to build spreadsheet financial models based on assumptions that are realistic. Accounting And Measuring Results Accounting is the branch of finance responsible for recording financial data and generating financial statements that show the company’s operating results, as w ell as other critical functions such as tax compliance. Accounting has its own set of rules and standards for the recording of financial information and the presentation of results, called Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. Strict compliance with the standards allows ompany management to be assured the statements they receive are complete and accurate. Finance goes one step further and interprets the results. Variance analysis is done to compare actual results to forecast and uncover the reasons for negative or positive deviations. Finance staff members compare the company’s financial results to those of other companies in the industry to see whether the company is performing above or below average, compared with its peers. Monitoring Cash Position All businesses, particularly smaller ones that do not have large cash reserves or borrowing capacity, must always keep an ye on their cash position — the inflows and outflows of cash. The finance department i s charged with forecasting cash flow to prevent potentially disruptive shortages of cash. In a small company this can mean serious problems, such as not being able to pay employees at the end of the week. Investing surplus cash to achieve a maximum return is also part of the finance function. In larger companies these investment activities take place on a daily basis and involve constant monitoring of the financial markets to select the best investments for such things as the company’s employee retirement plan. Analysis for Decision MakingFinance can be likened to a toolbox for company management to use. The tools help answer questions that management must address when making small and large decisions. A small decision might be whether to lease or buy a new copy machine. A large decision for which finance provides guidance could be whether to acquire a competitor in order to grow the company more quickly. The goal of the data gathering and sometimes complex financial modeling utilized in finance is to ensure the company makes the most efficient use of its finite resources, including the capital, human resources and productive capacity.

Haas School of Business Programs and Admissions

Haas School of Business Programs and Admissions The Haas School of Business, also known as Haas or Berkeley Haas, is a University of California, Berkeley school. UC Berkeley is a public research university that was founded in 1868 in the state of California. Haas was founded just 30 years later, making it the second oldest business school in the United States. Haas School of Business has more than 40,000 alumni and is frequently ranked among the best schools in the nation. Degrees are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level. Nearly 60 percent of Haas students are enrolled in one of the three available MBA programs. Haas Undergraduate Programs Haas School of Business offers a Bachelor of Science in Business degree program. The programs curriculum consists of a 7-course breadth sequence, which requires students to take at least one class in each of the following categories: arts and literature, biological science, historical studies, international studies, philosophy and values, physical science, and social and behavioral sciences. Students are encouraged to spread these courses out over the four years that it takes to earn the degree. The Bachelor of Science in Business curriculum also includes core business courses in areas like business communication, accounting, finance, marketing, and organizational behavior. Students are also allowed to customize their education with business electives that focus on more nuanced topics like corporate finance, leadership, and brand management. Students who want a global view of business can participate in Haas study aboard or travel study programs. Getting In Haas Bachelor of Science in Business degree program is open to students enrolled in UC Berkeley as well as students who are transferring in from another undergraduate school. Admissions are very competitive, and there are prerequisites that must be met prior to applying. For example, applicants must complete a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units as well as several prerequisite courses prior to submitting an application. Preference is given to applicants who are California residents. Applicants who are transferring from a California community college may also have an edge. To apply to a Haas School of Business program, you should have some work experience. Students in the Full-Time MBA and EWMBA program typically have at least two years of work experience, with most students having five years or more. Students in the EMBA program usually have ten years of work experience or more. A  GPA  of at least 3.0 is standard for applicants, though it is not a firm requirement. At  minimum, applicants should be able to demonstrate academic aptitude and have some quantitative proficiency to be considered for the program. Haas MBA Programs Haas School of Business has three MBA programs: Full-Time MBA Program: The full-time MBA program is for students who do not plan to work while they earn their degree. This program takes two years to complete and requires full-day class attendance Monday through Thursday.Evening and Weekend (EWMBA) Program: The EWMBA program is a part-time MBA program that allows students to continue working while they earn their degree. Students in this program can attend school two evenings during the week or all day on Saturday. Either way, the program takes 2.5 years to 3 years to complete.MBA for Executives (EMBA) Program: The EMBA program is a part-time program for students who are either executives or have a lot of work experience. This program, which takes about 19 months to complete, meets Thursday through Saturday every three weeks. All three MBA programs at Haas are campus-based programs that are taught by the same faculty and result in the same MBA degree. Students in every program complete core business courses related to accounting, finance, marketing management, leadership, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and other business topics. Haas also provides global experiences for students in every MBA program and encourages tailored education through evolving electives. Other Graduate Programs at Haas School of Business Haas School of Business offers a one-year Master of Financial Engineering program that is designed to prepare students for careers as financial engineers. To earn a degree from this full-time program, students must complete 30 units of coursework  in addition to a 10-12 week internship. Admissions for this program are very competitive; fewer than 70 students are admitted each year. Applicants who have a background in a quantitative field, such as finance, statistics, mathematics, or computer science; high scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test; and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 have the best chance of acceptance. Haas also offers a PhD program that allows students to study one of six business areas: accounting, business and public policy, finance, marketing, management of organizations, and real estate. This program admits fewer than 20 students each year and usually requires four or five years of study to complete. Applicants do not need to come from a specific background or have a minimum GPA, but they should be able to demonstrate scholarly ability and have research interests and career goals that are aligned with the program.