Killing of Dolphins - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 452 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/09/13 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Here is the topic: Many people in Japan strongly believe that hunting dolphins has been a  part of the culture, and non-Japanese cannot criticize their practice. Their opinion is that many Westerners eat meat, so they are being hypocrits for criticizing Japanese for eating another kind of meat. Do you agree with Japanese, or do you disagree? What are your reasons for your opinion? I strongly disagree. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Killing of Dolphins" essay for you Create order * Dolphins have very high mercury levels * Mercury is a known cause of birth effects In 2010, hair samples from 1,137 Taiji residents was tested for mercury by the National Institute for Minimata Disease. The average amount of methyl mercury found in the hair samples was 11. 0 parts per million for men and 6. 63 ppm for women, compared with an average of 2. 47 ppm for men and 1. 64 ppm for women in tests conducted in 14 other locations in Japan. * The Japanese town of Taiji on the Kii peninsula is as of now the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale. In 2007 Taiji wanted to step up its dolphin hunting programs, approving an estimated ? 330 million for the construction of a massive cetacean slaughterhouse in an effort to popularize the consumption of dolphins in the country * an increase in criticism and the considerable toxicity of the meat appears to be achieving the opposite * Taijis bid to expand their school lunch programs to include dolphin and whale meat brought about much controversy. An estimated 150  kg (330 lbs) of dolphin meat was served in Taiji school lunches in 2006. In 2009, dolphin meat was taken off school menus because of the contamination * Dolphins are top predators in Japan * Primary or apex predators can actually benefit prey populations by suppressing smaller predators, and failure to consider this mechanism has triggered collapses of entire ecosystems. * Cascading negative effects of surging mesopredator populations have been documented for birds, sea turtles, lizards, rodents, marsupials, rabbits, fish, scallops, insects and ungulates. The economic cost of controlling mesopredators may be very high, and sometimes could be accomplished more effectively at less cost by returning apex predators to the ecosystem. * Human intervention cannot easily replace the role of apex predators, in part because the constant fear of predation alters not only populations but behavior of mesopredators. * Large predators are usually carnivores, but mesopredators are often omnivores and can cause significant plant and crop damage. The effects of exploding m esopredator populations can be found in oceans, rivers, forests and grasslands around the world. * Reversing and preventing mesopredator release is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive as the worlds top predators continue to edge toward obliteration * We aren’t attacking their belief, dolphins are top predators and as a result messes with the ecosystem; plus they contain high mercury levels which cause

Hidalgo, The Existential Struggle Of Faith And Reason

Miguel Hidalgo (Hidalgo) was a foremost a man, and secondly a priest. He did not like to be controlled by outside forces, but forcibly conceded to working under the watchful eye of the Catholic Church. Through this predicament, Hidalgo was presented with many conflicting ideas regarding the importance of faith of which the standards were set by the Catholic Church, and reason, which was influenced, by the ideas of the Enlightenment. Hidalgo, the historical character is presented as being someone who saw the great conflict in these ideas, and saw that the only way to crown a victor was through warfare. However, the character of Hidalgo in Hidalgo: La Historia Jamas Contada actively sought peaceful ways to have both ideas of faith and reason coexisting in the same society, in different ways, for different people. In the film Hidalgo: La Historia Jamas Contada, the character of Hidalgo is faced with the existential struggle of faith versus reason depicted in his journey from priesthood to revolutionary, during which the flame of Hidalgo’s tendency, throughout the film, to accept and emulate the abnormal for society in that day was lit, ultimately leading to the start of his revolution. The time in which Hidalgo was beginning to wage his internal war marked a period of great power for the Catholic Church and the Spanish monarchy due to their extreme influence on each other. These governing bodies expected their subjects to act in a certain manner, and confined them to the

Concepts in Brokeback Mountain Free Essays

Concepts in Brokeback Mountain and how it relates to Our Sexuality Human Sexuality Spring 2011 The concept of homosexuality has been explored by society for many years and is not a new concept. Gay roles portraying homosexuals as people with the same drives and desires as heterosexual people have only begun to surface in the last few decades. Roles showing lesbian women and transgender seem to have been more widely accepted especially when they are used as humor. We will write a custom essay sample on Concepts in Brokeback Mountain or any similar topic only for you Order Now The role of the gay man in film and in society seems to be widely accepted when those roles are opposed or when the stereotype of a gay man is needed to inject some humor. Homosexuals are only now receiving the same attention that other controversial roles have received without the extreme criticism in the past. The social acceptance of homosexuality, especially with regard to long term relationships, has slowly grown, so more films are breaking through the stereotypes to form a more complete picture of gay relationships not just gay sex. In Chapter 7 of Our Sexuality, it states that men are more likely to separate sex from love but that gay men, especially, make this separation. (Crooks, Baur, 2011 p. 197) It’s not that gay men do not value love but that they value sex as a means to an end. I believe this is the way Jack and Ennis’s relationship began. Neither character has any doubt about his masculine gender but proximity, as chapter 7 also discusses, plays an important role in their relationship as the two men become emotionally bonded to one another and their â€Å"means to an end† becomes love. (Crooks, Baur, 2011 p. 188) Jack seems more accepting of his homoeroticism whereas Ennis is drawn against his will to submit to his own desires and to Jack. Brokeback Mountain is clearly portrayed during a time when discrimination is an even bigger issue than it is now. In Chapter 9 of Our Sexuality, it tells us that society, in the early to mid 1900’s, attitudes towards homosexuality shifted from sinners to the belief that they were mentally ill. Surgical procedures attempting to cure this â€Å"illness† such as castration and lobotomy’s were performed. (Crooks, Baur, 2011 p. 260) The two men in this story meet each other as ranch hands, and fall in love with one another. They do not understand why or how; they just know they love each other. They do not consider themselves â€Å"gay,† because it is simply unacceptable during this time; they cannot fathom being gay men because of what society teaches them. It was a simpler life for Ennis when it was just the two of them on the mountain and they were free to express themselves. It is made clear through the reaction of Ennis’s wife and the two men’s former employer that homosexuality is viewed as â€Å"repulsive† and â€Å"evil. † Ennis’s wife yells at him when she realizes what had been going one and calls Jack, â€Å"Jack Nasty. † She is disgusted and ashamed that Ennis had sexual relations with Jack. And their former employer also makes snide comments to Jack about his relationship with Ennis, and tells them not to come back to Brokeback Mountain. This is a good example of homophobia as explained in chapter 9 of Our Sexuality. (Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 261) In Chapter 7 of Our Sexuality, Eros is another concept that stands out in this movie. Eros is a romantic love style; they make erotic lovers who are very affectionate and openly communicative. (Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 185) According to Choices in Relationships, Eros refers to sexual love. It seeks self gratification and sexual expression. In Greek mythology, Eros was the god of love and the son of Aphrodite. â€Å"Plato described â€Å"true† Eros as sexual love that existed between two men. (Knox, ; Schacht, 2010 p. 54) According to Plato’s concept, homosexual love was the highest form of love because â€Å"it existed independent of the procreative instinct and free from the bonds of matrimony. † Also, women had low status and were uneducated; therefore, they were not considered ideal partners for men. By implication, marriage and love were separate. Th e two men in this story are expected to be macho, sexually straight, cowboys. Society is inflexible, and they have no choice but to follow the rules- Ennis and Jack are forced to live a lie because they have no other options. Though it frustrates them, they have to play the hand they are dealt and go on with their â€Å"normal/moral† lives with a wife and children; however, their love for each other was Eros and nothing could penetrate or distract from that- not neither time nor distance. They had the highest form of love. Films like Brokeback Mountain show the humanity of their characters allowing the audience to see what they already know, love between two people. The filmmakers have focused so closely and with such feeling on Jack and Ennis’ characters, that the movie is emotionally perceptive to the audience about the struggles of heartache. The film relates to the majority of society, because the more it understands the individual characters, the more everyone can relate to them. Throughout the story the two men constantly struggle with the fact that they simply cannot be together. They talk about it and they desire to be together, but they know, in their society, it simply is not an option. They get married to women, they have sex with their wives, and they have babies, because it is all they know to do. They know there is no possible way they could ever be accepted as homosexuals, and again, they cannot even bring themselves to label themselves as being gay. Chapter 9 tells us that in 2009 the United States congress passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which included attacks motivated by sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, and disability. (Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 262) Research shows that individuals who are more religiously conservative have more negative attitudes towards homosexuality than people who are less conservative in their beliefs. Jack Twist, who was more open and accepting of his orientation died at the hands of a hate crime due to his orientation. Is this a story about gay cowboys? Many have pointed out that the two men at the center of attention were gay sheep herders; but fewer have recognized that the characters, if they can be labeled at all, are closer to bisexual than strictly gay. In the story, the men were portrayed as married and heterosexually responsive. Factor in the main event; two men having intermittent sexual flings, and it is clear the fictional pair were bisexually capable. What chapter 7 of Our Sexuality teaches us is that â€Å"same-sex† activities are not sufficient in and of themselves to establish an identity as a homosexually orientated person. (Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 198)It is the falling in love with the same sex element that is necessary to establish a gay identity. If this is the case, Jack and Ennis were indeed gay. Chapter 5 of Our Sexuality teaches us about Gender Identity and the Interaction Model. The two characters, Jack and Ennis have no problems with their gender identity and announce a couple of times that they †Å"aren’t gay,† whereas some people experience considerable confusion in their own efforts to identify with their own male or femaleness. There is too much evidence supporting the important role of life experiences in shaping the way we think about ourselves. † (Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 113)The Interaction Model acknowledges both biology and experience in shaping the human brain. The tag line of the movie poster for Brokeback Mountain intends to teach us that â€Å"love is a force of nature. † Rather, I think it unintentionally, portrays how sometimes the longing for love is also a force of bad nurture. Whether derived from nature or nurture, the feelings are strong, tragic  and human. Such well portrayed emotions compel a belief in their truth. When those favorably disposed to gay advocacy watch it, they often report a tragic story of love unrealized due to societal homoprejudice. They see the relationship between Jack and Ennis as representing something good, even epic. Those who focus on those negative consequences of the tryst render another moralistic generalization from the story; homosexuality invariably leads to dead-end relationships and despair. Perhaps, as another point of view is sexual fluidity, as chapter 9 of Our Sexuality discusses, the reality is that some men and women are attracted to others of the same sex and experience conflict over that fact. Crooks, ; Baur, 2011 p. 253)For them, the feelings they experience just are. They did not choose or want them, nor do they find much change even with help. Being in circumstances where passion can overcome reflection makes the dilemma all the more raw, intense and tempting. REFERENCES Crooks, R. , ; Baur, K. (2011). Our sexuality. Belmont: Wadsworth. Knox, D. , ; Schacht, C. (2010). Choices in relationships an introduction to marriage and the family. Belmont: Wadsworth. How to cite Concepts in Brokeback Mountain, Essay examples

Canadian Political Economy free essay sample

This paper on the Canadian political economy states that Canada is seen as a thriving post-modern economy but, at the same time, sufferers from problems of political identity disintegration and economic regionalization. This paper states that Canadians are overwhelmed with uncertainties about the capacity of their political system to achieve their economic goals. The author believes that the federal state is moving towards neoliberal control, which downgraded economic tasks to lower levels of governance and raised power to the global and continental tiers. The paper describes the many changes that have taken place in the role and organization of the Canadian government to achieve this neoliberal economic policy. Since the Canadian government settles trade treaties but can execute them only in areas of its own constitutional jurisdiction, provincial participation has been necessary to realize what are understood to be the profit of liberalized trade. For this reason, Ottawa has encouraged improved provincial participation since the 1970s. We will write a custom essay sample on Canadian Political Economy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In contradiction, an increased provincial function in trade policy has resulted in diminished provincial capability for industrial policy.

Renewable and Nonrenewable sources an Example by

Renewable and Nonrenewable sources Natural resources are defined as those items for consumption and features of the planet earth that allow it to sustain life as well as to satisfy the needs of the living creatures on the planet (Smith 2). Water as well as land is both considered to be natural resources. Similarly are the biological resources that live in both. Mineral resources consist of sand, oil, metals, stone, and coal (Smith 2). Moreover, climate, sunlight, and air are natural resources too (Smith 2; Baland and Platteau 9). These resources are utilized to produce food, fuel, and supplies for the manufacture of commodities (Smith 2; Baland and Platteau 9). Need essay sample on "Renewable and Nonrenewable sources" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Biological resources are considered to be the most important natural resources (Smith 2). Since the early days, people have used wood from trees for fuel and shelter. Biological resources, in turn, are dependent on other natural resources (Smith 2). Most plants and animals could not live without air, sunshine, soil, and water. Mineral resources are less important than biological resources in supporting life, but they are extremely important to modern living. Mineral fuels including coal, oil, and natural gas provide heat, light and power. Minerals serve as raw materials for the manufacture of certain goods, such as automobiles, plastics, and refrigerators (Smith 3; Baland and Platteau 9). Soil as a renewable source Soil is valuable natural resource that encompasses a large portion of the earths surface (Smith 3). All living creatures on the planet rely on it as a source of food. The flora is rooted in it and acquires nutrients from it. The fauna acquires nutrients from the flora or other fauna that consume plants. A variety of microbes found in the soil cause lifeless creatures to decompose, which assist in bringing back the nutrients to the soil. Furthermore, several types of fauna seek refuge in the soil. Soil forms gradually but it is damaged easily. It must be preserved in order for it to keep on sustaining life on the planet (Smith 3; Baland and Platteau 9). Air as a renewable source Air may be defined as a mixture of gases that surrounds the earth (Smith 3). Without air, there could be no life on the earth. All living things animals and plants need air to stay alive. Air shields the earth from certain harmful rays from the sun and other objects in outer space. At the same time, it traps the heat that comes from the sun. In this way, air helps keep the earth warm enough to support life (Smith 3). All living things must have water to live, just as they must have air. Water as a renewable source Water is the most universal substance present of the planet (Smith 4; Baland and Platteau 9). In the absence of water, life on earth will not be possible. All living creatures on the planet need water in order to survive. Indeed all living creature consists mostly of water. Life itself, as most scientists believe originated from the saline waters of the oceans (Smith 4; Baland and Platteau 9). All living creature depend on water for survival (Smith 4; Baland and Platteau 9). This is due to the fact that, the course of life, from food intake to the elimination of waste involves water. However, human beings rely on it not solely as a means of survival. Human beings depend on it to sustain their lifestyle. Water is used in residences. It is used to produce commodities. It is employed to crow crops in parts of the world where water is scarce (Smith 4; Baland and Platteau 9). Wood as a renewable source Wood is a tough substance under the bark of trees, shrubs, and certain other plants (Baland and Platteau 5). The physical properties of wood, plus its chemical composition are what makes wood as one of the most valuable natural resources on earth. Wood is used to make thousands of products, including baseball bats, furniture, lumber, musical instruments, cellophane, charcoal, and paper (Baland and Platteau 9). Woods physical properties make it especially useful for construction work. It is tough, strong, and easy to handle. Wood also insulates well, does not rust, and resists high heat better than steel. However, wood shrinks and swells, depending on how much moisture it loses or absorbs (Baland and Platteau 9). Petroleum as a nonrenewable source Any greasy substance that does not dissolve in water, but can be dissolved in ether, is classified as oil (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 54). There are many different kinds of oil. Most are lighter than water and are liquid at room temperature (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 54). Petroleum is considered to be among the most important natural resources that the planet earth has (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 54). Some people refer to it as black gold. However, petroleum is best identified to be the lifeblood of developed nations of the world. Fuels produced from it generate energy used to run vehicles, aircrafts, industrial plants, farm tools, trucks, trains, and vessels. It is also utilized to provide heat as well as power for residential and well as industrial establishments. Overall, it supplies practically half of the energy consumed in the planet (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 54). Coal as a nonrenewable source Coal is a black or brown rock that can be ignited and burned (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 72). As coal burns, it produces energy in the form of heat. The heat from coal can be used to heat buildings and to make or process various products. But the heat is used mainly to produce electricity. Coal is also used to make coke, an essential raw material in the manufacture of iron and steel. Other substances obtained in the coke-making process are used to manufacture such products as drugs, dyes, and fertilizers (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland). Coal was once the main source of energy in all industrial countries. Coal-burning steam engines provided most of the power in these countries from the early 1800s to the early 1900s (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland). Since the early 1900s, petroleum and natural gas have become the leading sources of energy throughout much of the world. Unlike coal, petroleum can easily be made into gasoline and the other fuels needed to run modern transportation equipment. Natural gas is often used in place of coal to provide heat (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 72). But the worlds supplies of petroleum and natural gas are being used up rapidly. Increased use of coal, especially for producing electricity could help relieve the growing shortage of gas and oil. However, the use of coal involves certain problems. The burning of coal has been a major cause of air pollution (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 72). Gas as a nonrenewable source Gas or fuel is considered as one of the worlds most valuable resources. Gas is burned in order to supply heat as well as to generate power for industrial consumption (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). In the chemical business, the chemical found in gas is used in order to create certain products as detergents, medicines, plastics as well as various other products (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). People sometimes confuse it with gasoline, which is often called simply gas. But gasoline is a liquid (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). On the other hand, gas fuel like air and steam is a gaseous form of matter. That is, it does not occupy a fixed amount of space as liquid and solids do (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). Gases are classified into two types. One is natural gas and the other is manufactured gas (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). Roughly all the gas consumed in both the United States and Canada is natural gas (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland). The natural forces that produced gas are usually located by or in the vicinity of oil deposits (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). On the other hand, manufactured gas is formed mainly from both coal and petroleum, employing heat as well as some chemical procedures (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 97). Manufactured gas costs more than natural gas and is used in regions where large quantities of the natural fuel are not available. Wherever large quantities of natural gas are available, gas is the most popular cooking fuel. One reason for its popularity is that it costs less than most other fuels. In addition, a homemaker can have the desired amount of heat instantly, control the heat easily and even automatically, and shut it off instantly. Uranium as a nonrenewable source Uranium is a silvery-white, radioactive metal (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). It is the main source of nuclear energy. It is more plentiful than such common elements as iodine, mercury, and silver. But only tiny amounts of uranium are present in most of the rocks in which it is found. Uranium is highly reactive, and it combines with most other elements to form chemical compounds. These compounds are always highly poisonous (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Uranium is used chiefly as a fuel for nuclear reactors (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). The reactors produce nuclear energy with which nuclear power plants generate electricity. Uranium is also used in making atomic bombs and some other nuclear weapons. Medical researchers use it to produce radiation for certain experiments. Also, uranium is used in research to produce radioactive isotopes and such artificial elements as neptunium and plutonium (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Uranium and its compounds have been used for various purposes for more than 2,000 years (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Colored glass produced about A.D. 79 contains uranium oxide, and this substance has been used through the centuries to color glass. For nearly 100 years after the discovery of uranium in 1789, it continued to be used chiefly as a pigment in glass manufacturing. Uranium was also used as pigment in painting china and as a chemical for processing photographs (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). In 1896, the French physicist Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium is radioactive (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). His achievement marked the first time that any element has been found to be radioactive. Becquerels discovery led to a surge of scientific interest in uranium (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). In 1938, the German chemist Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman used uranium to produce the first artificial nuclear fission (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). In 1942, Italian-born physicist Enrico Fermi and his co-workers at the University of Chicago produced the first artificial nuclear chain reaction. They used uranium as the fissionable material. Fermis work led to the development of the atomic bomb (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Scientific research also led to peacetime uses of uranium. In 1954, the U.S. Navy launched the Nautilus, the first submarine powered by nuclear fuel (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). In 1957, the first nuclear power plant in the United States began to operate (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Since the early 1970s, nuclear energy has become an important source of energy (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). Many scientists predict that it will continue to play a major role in the future. However, the supply of easily obtainable uranium is decreasing, and the cost of locating, refining, and enriching uranium remains high (Torleif, Bergesen, and Roland 124). In addition, many people are concerned about the safety of nuclear energy production. Work Cited Baland, Jean-Marie, and Jean-Philippe Platteau. Halting degradation of natural resources: Is there a Role for Rural Communities? New York. Oxford University Press, 1996. Smith, Sanford S. Renewable and nonrenewable resources. 2006. The Pennsylvania State University. Torleif, Haugland, Helge Ole Bergesen, and Kjell Roland. Energy Structures and Environmental Futures. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy †Biology Research Paper

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – Biology Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Biology Research Paper Imagine being a parent and discovering that your child won’t be able to walk by the age of 12 and wont live past the age of 20. This has become a reality for many parents as they find out that their child has a form of muscular dystrophy. This particular type of muscular dystrophy is referred to as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a genetically inherited disorder that is the most common and severe of all muscular dystrophies. It is found in 1 of every 3,500 males and is characterized by progressive muscle wasting. It is caused by the lack of dystrophin, which is a protein found in the cell membrane of muscles. One early clinical sign of the disease is the child showing a late start in walking and sometimes they are referred to as a late bloomer. Usually when the child walks they have a waddling motion and sometimes they walk up on their toes. Usually, hypertrophy, or enlarging of the muscles, especially in the calves is noticed. However, the hypertrophy is actually caused by adipose (fat) tissue, which replaces the muscle tissue. Another clinical sign of DMD is small amounts of mental retardation or learning disabilities. Although this is not apparent until the child is older, it is a common pattern that is found in children with DMD. There have been many studies done to determine what exactly causes the mental retardation. Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy is a recessive genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of the protein dystrophin, which is found in muscle cells. This disorder is usually only found in males. It has very rarely been found in females because they have two X chromosomes and the disease is recessive. They pass it on to one half of their sons and to one half of their daughters who become carriers. In the possibility that the male with DMD reproduces, his sons would not be infected however is daughters would be 100% carriers of the disease. Even though DMD is present from the initial stages of fetal development, physical signs are not present until 18 months to 4 years of age. In addition to the clinical signs mentioned above, a child with DMD is unable to climb or pull itself up from the floor. Between the ages 3 and 7, a child with DMD may show signs of improvement, but that is due to natural growth and development. In school they start to fall behind in being able to keep up with their peers in physical activity. This sometimes leads to them being called clumsy or lazy. When the child is around 9 years, the disease starts to progress rapidly and by age 12, they can no longer walk on their own. In the late stages, a significant loss of muscle tissue is noticeable. There may also be an increase of the curvature of the spine. When they are brought to the doctor, a series of tests are done to determine the problem. When a biopsy is done, the doctors find that the muscle tissue has hypertrophied with adipose tissue. Short ly after the cells have become full of adipose tissue they die. Unlike other tissues of the body, muscle and nerve tissues cannot reproduce. An individual is born with a specific amount of muscle and nerve cells. Once they die, they cannot be regenerated. This is bad news for people with DMD and they usually die around the age of 20 due to the diaphragm or heart muscle degenerating. There are several ways to test for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The first is a blood test, called the serum creatine kinase test, looking for an increased amount of creatine kinase. Normally there is only a small amount of creatine kinase in the bloodstream. All muscles produce creatine kinase and release small amounts, however when the muscle cells tear from contracting, the creatine kinase leaks into the bloodstream. The second test that could be done is an electromyopathy test. This involves putting a small needle in the skin and recording the pattern of electricity. When muscles contract, there is an electric current flowing through the tissue. The third way to test for the disease is a muscle biopsy. In this process a piece of muscle is removed and examined under the microscope. When the cells are seen as enlarged and filled with adipose tissue then the disease is prevalent. Or another sign is if the muscle cells are dead. The last way to test is direct DNA testing. While the c hild is still in the womb it can be tested for the disease by doing an amniocentesis. In this procedure, fluid and fetal cells are taken out from the amniotic layer that surrounds the fetus. Then the cells are checked for a defect or genetic mutation in the DNA. At this time, there are many research studies being done to try and find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Unfortunately, a definite cure has not been found yet. Even though there is no cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, there are places people with disease can go to get help. There are several Support Groups out there to help people with DMD. The Muscular Dystrophy Association or MDA is probably the largest support group. They offer financial and emotional support as well as a vast information site for all of the different muscular dystrophies. They fund research projects that are aimed at finding a cure for the diseases and they also publish their own bimonthly magazine called â€Å"Quest.† They can be found on the Internet at www.mdausa.org. Another support group is The Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy Research. Like the MDA, they also support families with DMD and fund research projects. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a severe form of muscular dystrophy that causes progressive muscle degeneration. Its main cause is the lack of the protein dystrophy that is necessary for the muscles to function properly. It is tough for the victims and their families because there is no definite cure and they usually don’t live past the age of 20. Hopefully in the future, technology will enable researchers to be able to find a cure that will be a 100 percent effective when used. Until that time comes, all DMD victims can do is wait and hope. + Research Papers on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Biology Research PaperPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenGenetic EngineeringThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesStandardized TestingThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementHip-Hop is ArtResearch Process Part One

Case of Genie Essay Example for Free

Case of Genie Essay 1.Describe the case of Genie. What happened to her? Why is this case important? Genie was left in extreme isolation. She was kept in a back bedroom,tied to a toilet. She received little stimulation of any kind and was fed baby food.She was given no visual or other sensory stimulation.This case shows that infancy and childhood are critical times for brain development. 2.What have scientists learned about the way that the brain develops in children? Describe how this development happens. They have learned that there are critical periods for brain development. They discovered that parents fill a vital role in the development of their child’s brain through their interactions with the child.Parents and caregivers must provide proper stimulation to help develop connections. Scientists believed that children’s brains were predetermined to a great extent in terms of how they would develop. However, scientists now know that an infant’s experiences help determine how connections are formed and which pathways will develop in the brain. Thus, rather than being predetermined, an infant’s brain is a work in progress, influenced not only by his or her genetics, but also the surrounding world. 3.Describe how speech generating devices work. Explain the importance of augmentive communication. Speech generating devices are electronic devices that help individuals communicate verbally. Augmentive communication is important because it helps individuals produce or comprehend written or spoken language.These communication devices can be important tools to help children with speech difficulties communicate with parents, teachers, friends, and others in their lives 1.What do scientists mean when they say that there are critical periods for brain development? Why are these periods important? When scientist say that there are critical periods for brain development they  mean that if a child misses that period they’ll be noticeably different from others in the same age group. These periods are important because they’ll need them all throughout life. Case of Genie. (2016, May 13).

Urban Renewal in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Urban Renewal in Canada - Essay Example This contributed to the establishment of the reform agenda which was considered best and suitable for the moral and economic aspect of Canada. Canada had notice that the urban renewal program which had been implemented in USA had emerged to benefit the residents of various towns significantly. Among the major towns in Canada where this program was notably implemented is the Distillery District in Toronto2. Generally, urban renewal in Canada involved removal of irrelevant structures, relocation of business centers and the government intervention of purchasing property for public planning and urban renewal. This government intervention in Canada as way of implementing urban renewal involved the purchase of private property for the purpose of city-initiated development projects. This exercise went further into the rural context of Canada carried out in rural areas commonly referred to as renewal of the village. The major reason that prompted Canada into considering urban renewal was to ease both human and building congestions and to ensure that major town and cities received expressways and freeways. There was a consideration that Canadian authorities viewed urban renewal program as being an economic fosterer as well as mechanism of reform. With the adoption of the underlying urban renewal program there emerged a trend in Canada. This emerging trend was that urban renewal in Canada became a policy in which houses and residential neighborhood were affected by urban renewal program. The policy provided revitalization of the central business district as well as the gentrification of the underlying residential neighborhood. This urban renewal was characterized with more renovation, less destruction and a significant government investment. In today’s Cana da, these policies have been integrated into the local government and it is mainly attributed to both big and large business incentives. Urban

Assignment 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 1 - Coursework Example 3). However, agricultural and food practices have a significant impact on the environment and contribute to water, air and land pollution (Turk and Bensel, 2011, ch. 3). Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer runoff into rivers and lakes lead to eutrophication and suffocation of fish, and pesticide residues in water pose a human health risk if consumed. Soil erosion gives way to dust storms, and methane gas produced by livestock contributes to global warming. Overirrigation of fields leads to waterlogging and loss of arable land, as has happened in Punjab, India. Deforestation is carried out to clear land for farming, eventually resulting in increased soil runoff, decreased rainfall and loss of soil fertility. Overfishing has led to a decline in the number of many fish species, such as the shark, to dangerously low levels. Natural disasters, attributed to global warming, have also had a significant impact on global food production. Among recent examples, a severe drought in China in winter 2011 severely damaged the wheat crop (Bradsher, 2011), and a flood crisis in Australia has followed a decade of water shortage, exacerbating the hardships faced by farmers (Belford, 2011).

An Exploratory Study on Consumer Decision-Making Behavior in Pakistan Essay Example for Free

An Exploratory Study on Consumer Decision-Making Behavior in Pakistan Essay For example, the classical schools of marketing thought relied on the social sciences such as economics, sociology and anthropology and focused on aggregate market behavior. This gave way to the managerial schools of marketing thought in which the focus of attention and understanding shifted to the individual customers while social sciences disciplines continued to dominate marketing thinking. Customer behavior is actually a study of consumer buying behavior. Consumer buying behavior tells about why, how, when and where a consumer wants to purchase a product. It tells about the buyer decision making process. (Janssens, 2006) It enlightens the uniqueness of a single consumer, how he makes decision to satisfy his wants. What references he may use in this process, such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. (Archana, 2009) Patrick De Pelsmacker conseders that consumers have to impose products in respect to Psychological behavior and needs which further alienated in Perception, Learning, Attitude, Personality, and Lifestyle. (Patrick J. 2007) Behavior of consumers in different part of Sahiwal city will be analyzed by using questionnaire method. This research will also give insight into Social influences regarding Family, Social class, Reference groups and Culture of consumers. (Brinkmann, 2004) This behavioral study will also enlighten on needs and wants in consumer buying behavior. The results will also show the consumers extent of loyalty, trust and satisfaction in retail brands that have a direct impact on their pur chase decisions. (Constantine, E, ; Rigopoulou) Consumer behavior is an integral part of our daily lives. The psychological and social processes involved in buying and consuming goods and services form the subject matter of this text. The objective positivist approach to studying cause and effect in consumer behavior (as in any other kind of behavior), will be combined with the interpretive emphasis on trying to understand the emotional, non-rational aspects of the process. The environment which the consumer operates in, including the nature of the market place for goods and services, also needs to be considered. Behavior of consumers in different part of Sahiwal city will be analyzed. This research will also give insight into Social influences regarding Family, Social class. This behavioral study will also enlighten on needs and wants in consumer buying behavior. The results will also show the consumers extent of loyalty, trust and satisfaction in retail brands that have a direct impact on their purchase decisions. Data should be collected from the target market and then will be analyzed through SPSS software.

Interdisciplinary Elementary Physical Education Essay -- Education

Trampolines in math class, soccer in Spanish class, and capture the flag in history class? Sounds like a fun way to learn right? It is! The fun of correlating physical activity and movement with all ranges of classes is one of the reasons why interdisciplinary teaching is one of the successful forms of teaching. What is interdisciplinary teaching? Interdisciplinary teaching is a style of teaching that integrates two or more subjects into a lesson plan. For instance, correlating math within science, language arts within physical education, history within music, no matter what subjects correlate with other subjects of a students curriculum, this puzzle piece teaching method goal is to enhance the learning experience, ability, and knowledge in each study areas (Cone). According to the authors of Interdisciplinary Elementary Physical Education, you cannot just relate a subject with another subject without planning it out, one needs to find a central theme, issue, problem, process, topic or experience to connect two or more subjects together (Jacobs, 1989). Now, primarily focusing on elementary physical education, it is substantially beneficial for elementary students to walk into gym class and learn about math, science, history, language arts, or any other classes that fall into their young curriculum. The reason why is because the average elementary student is always waiting for that time of the day to go run around and play games with their friends. Lets face it, what kid doesn’t want to go outside to play catch or go to the gym to shoot a basketball? Knowing that physical education teachers will hopefully receive the upmost attention and support from these young students, he now has the power to use that attention to potentially... ...in to increase numbers of success with all subject areas. The three models that teachers use, connected, shared, and partnership, to teach in a interdisciplinary form determines how simple or complex the skill, topic, or concept the teacher or teachers teach to their students. In my eyes, I believe all subjects of all levels of schooling should blend this style of teaching within their curriculums to receive full success and potential of each student. Works Cited Cone, Theresa Purcell, Peter H. Werner, and Stephen Leonard. Cone. Interdisciplinary Elementary Physical Education. 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2009. Print. Jacobs, Heidi H. "Interdisciplinary Learning in Your Classroom: Explanation." THIRTEEN. Educating Broadcasting Corporation, 2004. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. .

ICRC and onternational law Essay

The ICRC started when Swiss businessman Henri Dunant traveled to Italy to meet with Emperor Napoleon III of France . Before he reached Napoleon he first passed through the town of Solferino where a battle was fought. On that day over 40,000 soliders on both sides fell; many were left to die on the battlefield without adequate care. Henry Dunant was shocked by the terrible aftermath of the battle. Instead of proceeding with his planned trip he spent the next few days tending to the wounded. Through his example, the local population began to administer aid without discrimination. When he returned home, he wrote a book called A Memory of Solferino. He sent copies of the book to political and military leaders throughout Europe . He advocated the formation of a national voluntary relief organization to help nurse the wounded and for the development of international treaties to safeguard the neutrality and protect those wounded on the battlefield. By February 9, 1863, Henry Dunant founded the Committee of the Five as an investigatory commission of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare. Their aim was to examine the feasibility of Dunant’s ideas and to organize an international conference about their possible implementation. In October 26, 1863, the international conference organized by the Committee was held in Geneva to develop possible measures to improve medical services on the battlefield. A conference attended by many European states resolved the following: The foundation of national relief societies for wounded soldiers. Neutrality and protection for those wounded. Utilizing volunteer forces for relief assistance on the battlefield. The organization of additional conferences to enact these concepts in legally binding international treaties. The introduction of a common distinctive protective symbol for medical personnel in the field, specifically a white armlet bearing the red cross. Within a year, specific grounds were developed for the recognition of a national relief society by the International Committee; namely: The national society must be recognized by its own national government as a relief society according to the convention, and the national government of the respective country must be a state party to the Geneva Convention. The Commission’s first great achievement occurred on 22 August 1864 when the conference adopted the first Geneva Convention â€Å"for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in the Armies in the field. † A total of four Geneva Conventions have been passed since then. With successive conventions aimed an improving or updating previous conventions to ensure that they are up to date with current technology and norms. Today there are 185 national Red Cross societies and over 1,330 employees directly under the ICRC assigned to field operations. All thanks to the initiative of one man. III. ICRC as a Driving Force in IHL The ICRC draws its authority to act principally from the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols. The Geneva Conventions from the First to the Fourth are the primary international treaties that limit the cruelty of war. They are meant to protect people who do not take part in the fighting, such as civilians, medics and aid workers. They also protect hors de combat or those who no longer have the means to continue fighting such as the wounded, sick, shipwrecked or those who have surrendered. The Geneva Conventions have been acceded to by 194 States and enjoy universal acceptance as a form of custom. The Geneva Conventions then are the primary documents governing International Humanitarian Law and the main overseer of International Humanitarian Law is the ICRC. However, the provisions of the present Convention constitute no obstacle to the humanitarian activities which the International Committee of the Red Cross or any other impartial humanitarian organization may, subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict concerned, undertake for the protection of civilian persons and for their relief[2]. Article 10 is of considerable value in the field of international law because faced with the barbaric reality of war, the law continues to be realistic and humane. It keeps in mind the object of the Convention, namely the protection of human life and peace between man and man, conscious that it is only a means. (a ridiculously weak means compared to the forces of war) of attaining this goal. When everything has been settled by legal means –ordinary and extraordinary—by assigning rights and duties, by obligations laid upon the belligerents and by the mission of the protecting powers, a corner was still found for something which no legal text can prescribe. However this niche was the most effective means of combating war. That niche is charity or the spirit of peace. This is where Article 10’s symbolic value can be seen. Through it, Henry Dunant’s action on the field of battle in Solferino. Article 10 is more than a tribute to Henry Dunant. It is an invitation to all men of good will to continue his work[3]. In order for the ICRC and subordinate National Commissions to effectively perform their role, members are granted considerable rights and privileges. For example, all Red Cross members have the right to wear the Red Cross, (or crescent in Muslim States). Wearing this mark affords immunity, for all practical purposes from violence by the combatants because, as outlined in Additional Protocol No. 1 of the Geneva Conventions[4] the Red Cross is the mark associating a vehicle, person or building with the ICRC and is sacrosanct and protected[5]. However, any use not expressly authorized by International Humanitarian Law constitutes misuse of the emblem and releases combatants from the obligation to respect the symbol. The types of misuse are Imitation, Usurpation and Perfidy. In fact, Improper use of distinctive emblems in a war crime committed when, in an international armed conflict, an intent to use them for combatant purposes prohibited under international law[6]. Owing to the ICRC’s unique position as the actual commission that proposes and puts forth the Geneva Conventions and other major IHL documents, it can be said that ICRC is the Organization that created IHL. The latter will of course continue to develop as time goes by. Other documents of international law respecting human rights and with respect to international crimes have evolved since then. But International Humanitarian Law began with Henry Dunant and his desire to help the wounded in Solferino.

Keeping Up With the Jones’s Case Study Essay

Part I: 1. What two parameters are responsible for creating the movement (filtration and reabsorption) of fluid across the capillary wall? 2. Find a diagram of a capillary – copy/paste and cite the source. 3. Under normal circumstances, what components of the blood cross the capillary wall? 4. Cytokines, like histamine and leukotrienes, are secreted by damaged cells in Dave’s ankle. How do these cytokines cause inflammation? 5. How does the application of ice to the ankle affect blood flow through the capillaries? 6. How does the removal of ice from the ankle affect blood flow through the capillaries and the cytokines? 7. How does compression, which is provided by an elastic (Ace) bandage wrapped around the damaged ankle, decrease inflammation? 8. How does elevation of the damaged ankle decrease inflammation? Part II: 1. What problems are there in Suzie’s life, and does she exhibit any peculiar signs and symptoms? 2. Why did Suzie pass out when she stood up? 3. Why did Suzie’s mother place Suzie’s feet on a chair? 4. Why did Suzie feel as if she had no energy at the doctor’s office? 5. Make an initial speculation about Suzie’s condition at this time. Assuming that your speculation is true, what do you think the doctor will find in the results of Suzie’s physical examination? Part III: 1. What new signs and symptoms does Suzie exhibit that would concern you if you were the doctor? 2. Do you wish to make any further speculation about Suzie’s condition at this time? Assuming that your speculation is true, what do you think the doctor will find in the results of Suzie’s physical examination? Part IV: 1. Is Suzie’s weight reasonable for her height? 2. Calculate the stroke volume of Suzie’s heart, and compare it to that of a normal individual. 3. Why do you think her blood pressure is lower than normal? Does low blood pressure explain any of Suzie’s signs and symptoms that you may have noticed? 4. Why is Suzie’s hematocrit low, and why are her red blood cells pale and immature? 5. Compared with a normal, healthy person predict the level of the following in Suzie’s blood (higher, same, lower): sodium, potassium, calcium, glucose, iron, and protein. 6. Do you wish to make any further speculation about Suzie’s condition at this time? Part V: 1. Assuming that the ion levels in the blood plasma are similar to those in the interstitial fluid, what is the effect of low potassium levels on the membrane potential of Suzie’s nerve and muscles? 2. Does this explain Suzie’s slow heart rate and ectopic beats? 3. How does low plasma calcium level account for her decreased stroke volume? 4. What is the role of blood proteins in the movement of fluid between the blood and the interstititial space? 5. What would be the effect of low blood protein levels on the colloidal pressure? 6. How do low plasma protein levels produce edema? Part VI: 1. What conditions make Suzie a candidate for anorexia? 2. Do you think the doctor’s treatment is appropriate, or would you have admitted her into hospital? 3. When do you think Suzie should schedule her next visit to the doctor? Source: National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Ancient Olympics Origins and History

Ancient Olympics Origins and History Like so much of ancient history, the origins of the Olympic Games held in Olympia, a district in Southern Greece,  are shrouded in myth and legend.  The Greeks dated events from the first Olympiad (the four-year period between games) in 776 B.C.- two decades before the  legendary founding of Rome, so the founding of Rome can be dated Ol. 6.3 or the third year of the 6th Olympiad, which is 753 B.C.E. The Origins of the Olympic Games Conventionally, the ancient Olympic games began in 776 B.C.E., based on records of stade-length races. The victor of this first Olympic game was Koroibos of Elis, in Southern Greece. However, because the Olympics originated during an era that is not well-documented, the actual date of the first Olympics is disputed. The origins of the ancient Olympics interested the ancient Greeks, who told conflicting, history-laced, mythological aitia (origin stories). The House of Atreus Theory One Olympic origins story is connected with one of the early members of the tragedy-ridden House of Atreus. Pelops won the hand of his bride, Hippodamia, by competing in a chariot race against her father, King Oinomaos (Oenomaus) of Pisa, in Elis. Oinomaos was the son of Ares and the Pleiad Sterope. Pelops, whose shoulder Demeter had once had to replace when she accidentally ate it, conspired to win the race by replacing the kings chariots lynch-pins with ones made of wax. These melted on the course, throwing the king from his chariot and killing him. After Pelops married Hippodamia, he commemorated his victory over Oinomaos by holding the first Olympic Games. These games either expiated his killing or thanked the gods for the victory. According to historian Gregory Nagy, Pindar, in his first Olympian Ode, denies that Pelops served his son to the gods at the infamous feast where Demeter absent-mindedly ate a shoulder chop. Instead, Poseidon abducted Pelops son and repaid Pelops by helping him win that chariot race. The Hercules Theory   Another theory on the  origin of the Olympic games, also from Pindar, in  Olympian X, attributes the Olympic games to the great Greek hero  Hercules  (Hercules or Heracles), who held the games as a thank offering to honor his father,  Zeus,  after Hercules had exacted revenge on King Augeus of Elis. Foolishly, Augeus had defaulted on his promised reward to Hercules for cleansing the stables. The Cronus Theory Pausanias 5.7 says the Olympic origins lie in Zeus victory over Cronus. The following passage elaborates this and also explains musical elements in the ancient Olympics. [5.7.10] Now some say that Zeus wrestled here with Cronus himself for the throne, while others say that he held the games in honor of his victory over Cronus. The record of victors include Apollo, who outran Hermes and beat Ares at boxing. It is for this reason, they say, that the Pythian flute-song is played while the competitors in the pentathlum are jumping; for the flute-song is sacred to Apollo, and Apollo won Olympic victories. A common thread of the stories about the origins of the Olympic games is that the games were instituted following a personal or competitive victory and were intended to honor the gods. When Did the Games Stop? The games lasted for about 10 centuries. In  391 C.E. the  Emperor Theodosius I  ended the games. Earthquakes in 522 and 526 and natural disasters, Theodosius II, Slav invaders, Venetians, and Turks all contributed to destroying the monuments at the site. Frequency of the Games The Ancient Greeks held the Olympics every four  years starting near the summer solstice. This four-year period was known as an Olympiad and was used as a reference point for dating events throughout Greece. Greek poleis (city-states) had their own calendars, with different names for the months, so the Olympiad provided a measure of uniformity. Pausanias, travel writer of the second century A.D, writes about the impossible chronology of a victory in an early footrace by reference to the relevant Olympiads: [6.3.8] The statue of Oebotas was set up by the Achaeans by the command of the Delphic Apollo in the eightieth Olympiad [433 B.C.], but Oebotas won his victory in the footrace at the sixth Festival [749 B.C.]. How, therefore, could Oebotas have taken part in the Greek victory at Plataea [479 B.C.]? A Religious Occasion The Olympics were a religious event for the Greeks. A temple on the site of Olympia, which was dedicated to Zeus, held a gold and ivory statue of the king of the gods. By the greatest Greek sculptor, Pheidias, it stood 42-feet high and was one of the seven  wonders of the Ancient World. The Rewards of Victory Representatives of each polis (city-state) could attend the ancient Olympics and hope to win a victory that would confer great personal and civic honor. So great was the honor that cities considered Olympic victors to be heroes and sometimes fed them for the rest of their lives. The festivals were also important religious occasions and the site was more a sanctuary to Zeus than a city proper. In addition to competitors and their trainers, poets, who wrote victory odes for the winners, attended the games. An Olympic victor was crowned with an olive wreath (laurel wreath was the award for another set of  Panhellenic games, the Pythian games at Delphi) and had his name inscribed in the official Olympic records. Some victors were fed for the rest of their lives by their city-states (poleis), although they were never actually paid. They were considered heroes who conferred honor upon their hometowns. It was  sacrilege to commit a crime, including accepting payment, corruption, and invasion during the games. According to Emeritus Classics Professor Matthew Wiencke, when a cheating competitor was caught, he was disqualified. In addition, the cheating athlete, his trainer, and possibly his city-state were fined- heavily. Participants Potential participants in the Olympics included all free Greek men, except certain felons, and barbarians, during the Classical Period. By the Hellenistic Period, professional athletes competed. The Olympic games were male-dominated. Married women were not allowed to enter the stadium during the games and might be killed if they tried. A priestess of Demeter was present, however, and tere may have been a separate race for women at Olympia. Main Sports The ancient Olympic sporting events were: BoxingDiscus (part of Pentathlon)Equestrian EventsJavelin (part of Pentathlon)JumpingPankrationPentathlonRunningWrestling Some events, like mule-cart racing, loosely, a part of the equestrian events, were added and then not too much later, removed: [5.9.1] IX. Certain contests, too, have been dropped at Olympia, the Eleans resolving to discontinue them. The pentathlum for boys was instituted at the thirty-eighth Festival; but after Eutelidas of Lace-daemon had received the wild olive for it, the Eleans disapproved of boys entering for this competition. The races for mule-carts, and the trotting-race, were instituted respectively at the seventieth Festival and the seventy-first, but were both abolished by proclamation at the eighty-fourth. When they were first instituted, Thersius of Thessaly won the race for mule-carts, while Pataecus, an Achaean from Dyme, won the trotting-race.Pausanias - Jones translation 2d cen

Biological Anthropology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biological Anthropology - Assignment Example H. Sapiens was able to outcompete and survive than the Neanderthals because the Neanderthals were not wise enough to adapt to cultural and physiological advancements. Although the Neanderthals’ brains can be compared to that of H. Sapiens and of a modern man but their brains were solely focused on the needs of their massive bodies, leaving them unable to think logically on how they could innovate and survive as species. The case of the Neanderthal is more physiological than cultural: because they used their brains to identify the needs of their bodies, intercommunication was never part of their exercise and could have caused their extinction. During the Ice Age, H. Sapiens were more clever enough to speak complicated languages and build operations far from their locations but the Neanderthals were limited in these aspects. 2. According to the textbook, the biological definition of race is a population with individuals that have defining and measurable biological descriptions with an Fst of at least 0.25 virtual to other populations of the species. Among Humans, however, the Fst is only 0.17. This goes to say that Homo Sapiens do not have biological races. Furthermore, there is also no way to look at the genetic cards and identify race. Race, in my opinion, is just a matter of personal view. If you can certainly believe that you can categorize humans into groups based on their colors – whether it is a shade of brown or black or white – then that is a matter of personal standpoint. Nevertheless, categorization of humans based on color does not guarantee accuracy and uniformity among all people: how would you be able to distinguish an African person to an Australian aborigine? There is not enough variation in human population that could be used as basis for classifying humans into races or subspecies, much less, if

The use of criminal law in relation to insider dealing in the United Essay

The use of criminal law in relation to insider dealing in the United Kingdom is both draconian and unnecessary. Discuss - Essay Example The proposed criminal laws purport that the act is unfair since an investor who has inside information is highly likely to make more profits as compared to a typical investor. Other scholars claim that unauthorised insider trading tends to increase the cost of capital on the issuers of securities; hence, reducing economic growth (Alexander 2007, pp. 229-230). However, it is undoubtedly that though the set criminal laws are meant to help the investors and ensure economic success, they are unnecessary, draconian, and obviously counter-intuitive. Wagner (2011, pp. 974-975) asserts that the criminal laws are extreme and there is a need to legalise insider dealings to benefit the markets, ensure more transparency, reduce accounting fraud, and act on timely and factual information. Various scholars posit that criminal laws regarding insider trading in the UK are unnecessary and are a burden to some market participants. This is because though such trading has been illegal since the year 1980, it has always been difficult to effectively prosecute persons who have been accused of such dealings. In most cases, the suspects are able to escape arrest or prosecution; thus, the regulators often rely on fines to punish those who are found abusing the market. It is unfortunate though that the fines have always been perceived as inefficient since the perpetrators are able to walk scot-free since they have the necessary resources to cover their fines. In that case, this only increases the rate of misconduct; making the set laws redundant (Ferran 2004, pp. 44-45). The number of insider dealing cases by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK has heightened in the past years. Since the year 2009 to 2013, there have been roughly 23 convictions. For instance, in 2009, Christian Littlewood who was a corporate financier and an insider trader was sentenced to three years and four months in jail. It was believed that the gross profit accumulated from his

Summary and 3 learnings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Summary and 3 learnings - Essay Example Israel and United States have worked jointly to advance Stuxnet in to an extent that it can infect computers. The U.S has developed implants out of Stuxnet that infect the â€Å"firmware†; an embedded software preparing a computer’s hardware before its operating system starts. The implants are beyond the reach of most security controls and existing antivirus products, making it virtually impossible to stop it. Equation Group has been active for approximately two decades. It uses techniques of cyber attacks that surpass anything known to be sophisticated and complex in the virtual environment of networks and computers. The group has managed to perform firmware attacks, giving it the power to control almost anything concerning nuclear enrichment plants of U.S adversaries (Perlroth and Sanger). There are three issues which I have learnt from the articles. The first one is that American government Agencies do not use security software products made by Kaspersky Lab. This is because the lab was founded by a person who once served the Russian military, which is closely watched by the American agencies. The second one is that it is difficult to perform a cyber attack on computers with an â€Å"air gap system†; a system that separates computers from the outside world and is mostly used by U.S adversaries. The last issue learnt from the article is that the U.S Equation Group has made an effort of mapping out the so- called air-gapped

The perception of the perfect body image Essay Example for Free

The perception of the perfect body image Essay It is only now she realises that she got favoured over the less attractive staff and got more pay rises than most people do. He didnt even know my cousin, but flirted with her constantly because of her outside appearance. This eventually grew until she could take no more. Unfortunately she had to leave her job as a consequence. All because she was the victim of the perfect body beautiful. He hadnt known what her personality was like, he just seen a woman and abused that fact. This too is becoming a huge problem, not only is it the ugly people being targeted but also, the beautiful people. So what is it better to be? There are problems on both sides of unwanted attention and heavy flirtation that can become overwhelming and a nuisance yet these women shouldnt have to suffer because of their appearance. There is no escaping this type of prejudice. How could this be allowed to surface in the first place? Yet again it shows how shallow our society has become, when is it going to stop? Will it ever stop? Has it gone to far beyond repair? Theres no doubt about the influence of the media on womens self-esteem and appearance. On ITV they had a program Make me Beautiful, this is added pressure of women feeling so insecure about themselves that they are prepared to undergo plastic surgery to see themselves as beautiful. The program in itself is wrong as it is recognising that women have an issue with beauty, but is letting them change their bodies to justify this and make the social image of the perfect body beautiful become acceptable. This is also against Christian beliefs but because it isnt recognised as such, it makes it hard to deem an act against Gods word. Nevertheless, women should not become reconciled to the medias pressure. They neednt stick to the artificial images, but instead try to be beautiful in their own way. Women even tend to diet often which can lead to serious illnesses that include eating disorders, this is because of the media attention that is given to attractive women. People are fooled into thinking that if they can be a size six they will be beautiful, but often this isnt the case, and when the result isnt pleasing. Depression slides into play. It is an evil downward spiral of deceit that comes from the media pressure of celebrities. As most celebrities themselves support a range of diets and are painfully thin. This can be seen my Lindsey Lohan, a well-known teen actress who has suffered from strain of the public eye and has became increasingly thin. Which is worrying, as she is a role model for teenage girls. Yet there are some magazines that acknowledge this, we open The Sun and go to Bizarre column and we see the latest gossip about who is too thin. Although this has been recognised, the media and society do nothing to follow through their findings. A womans beauty comes from the centre; it is where her heart lies, where her personality beams up her whole body, it can be her interests, or what makes her happy. Or it can be just her simple loving thought. Women are cheated of their right to happiness. It isnt fair but until the public address the seriousness of this situation, when eating disorders rise, when suicides from bullying rocket and when more and more women become depressed, it may make the world wake up. The government is solving the waste problem; it is solving the peace problem, even the health problem with the recent non-smoking ban. But when will the time come to solve the body image problem that plagues our streets and will become one of the worlds top killers, which has been proved by Anorexia Wastes Life Association. The time to act is now, but is it too little too late when the statistics show death? Two weeks later the woman in this picture aged 22, died of Anorexia. All because she too wanted the Perfect Body Beautiful. i i Stefanie Jameson Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Dubai Property Market Economic Theory

Dubai Property Market Economic Theory With this dissertation what I would like to achieve is the following: I will carry out extensive research on the economic theory behind booms and bursts. I will look at some of the booms and bursts throughout history. I will attempt to make my own economic model behind what caused a boom and its subsequent burst and see if this model can be applied to the economic situation of the property market in Dubai. If a number of variables existed that suggested a burst might be coming, why was nothing done to stop it? 1.2: A brief history of Dubai Thirty years ago almost all of modern Dubai was desert. In the mid 18th century a small nomadic group settled there and built a small town. This small towns underlying asset being pearls. The pearl trade attracted people from all over the middle east, all with dreams of prosperity. The town was named Daba after a local locust that consumed everything it encountered. This rapidly growing town was soon acquired by the Gunships of the British army. Britain maintained control of the area until 1971(The Independent2009). In 1971 Dubai and five surrounding sheikhdoms (Abu Dhabi, Al Fujayrah, Ajman, Umm al Qaywayn and Sharjah) agreed on a federal constitution and became The United Arab Emirates or UAE. In February 1972 a seventh Sheikhdom, Ras al Khaymah joined the UAE. At this point Sheikh Zayid Ibn Sultan Al Nuhayyan of Abu Dhabi became the first president of the UAE. The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Said Al Maktum was named vice president, and his eldest son, Sheikh Maktum ibn Rash id Al Maktum, the prince of Dubai, became prime minister. In 1990 Sheikh Maktum succeeded his father as ruler of Dubai and as vice president and prime minister of the UAE (Library of Congress2007). It was around 1971, as the British were leaving that oil was first discovered. However to say that Dubai relied on oil for its growth would be wrong. Dubai had very little oil relative to its neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi. So Sheikh Maktum had to diversify. He used oil revenues to create something he thought sustainable. Israel used to boast it made the desert bloom; Sheikh Maktum resolved to make the desert boom (The Independent 2009). It became a hub for tourism and financial services, Attracting capital and expertise from all over the globe. He invited the world to come tax free, and people came in their millions. A city seemed to descend from the heavens in thirty years. Would it be sustainable? (Source : The Independent, The Dark side of Dubai, 7 April 2009) (Source: Country Profile : UAE. Library of Congress Federal Research division, July 2007) 1.3: From Boom to bust over night. I arrived in Dubai in 2007 at a point when it was said that a third of the worlds construction equipment was in Dubai. It was the second fastest growing city in the world (second to Moscow) and appeared to be one big construction site. Skyscrapers were appearing over night to cater for increases in demand in property. However, a large part of this demand for property was merely speculatory. Investments in property appeared to be highly attractive and beneficial, especially to foreign investors earning in non dollar currencies. I say this because the dirham is pegged to the dollar (3.75 dhms per US Dollar). It was around late 2007 early 2008 that the dollar reached its weakest point making property in Dubai cheaper to people earning pounds for example. People also assumed that the dollar would one day appreciate; therefore giving investors that extra incentive. Dubais popularity was rapidly increasing and it was booming in the true definition of the word. However in September of 2008 things changed. See the following line graph of average residential sales prices to appreciate the extent of the crash. Figure 1 Residential sale prices (AED/ft2) Source: Landmark Advisory Board 2010. As you can see in Q408 both the average price of apartments and villas plummet from a mutual peak of 1500 AED/ft2 to around 900 AED/ft2 from one month to the next. This is a massive average decrease of 40 percent. I will attempt to demonstrate why this rapid increase in residential prices occurred and its subsequent decline and decide whether the boom and bust can be considered a bubble bursting in its true economic definition. Literature Review The Economic Theory and History behind Bubbles 2.1 An introduction to bubbles Essentially an economic bubble is an increase in the price of an asset or stock above its fundamental value and its subsequent decrease in value and implosion on the bubble is referred to as a burst. When asset prices increase speculators are overwhelmed by a sense of euphoria, chasing short term capital gains. A phenomenon that former chairman of the federal reserve Alan Greenspan memorably called irrational exuberance (Nial Ferguson, The Ascent of Money). Contrarily, when speculators primitive instincts turn from greed to fear, the bubble created by the initial irrational exuberance can burst with astonishing abruptness; almost overnight. Charles Kindleberger defined a bubble as a sharp rise in price of an asset or a range of assets in a continuous process, with the initial rise generating expectations of further rises and attracting new buyers generally speculators interested in profits from trading in the asset rather than its use or earning capacity. The rise is usually followed by a reversal of expectations and a sharp decline in price often resulting in financial crises (Bubble, Bubble, Wheres the Housing Bubble?) The initial boost in augmentation of the economy acts as a catalyst for both lenders and investors optimism about the future and asset prices rise swiftly. Nial ferguson refers to investors as an electronic herd, happily grazing on positive returns one moment, then stampeding for the farmyard gate the next (Nial Ferguson, 2008, 2009). 2.2 Bubbles in History The big ten economic bubbles (Charles P Kindleberger, Robert Z Aliber 2005) 1. The Dutch Tulip Bulb Bubble 1636 2. The South Sea Bubble 1720 3. The Mississippi bubble 1720 4. The late 1920s US stock price Bubble 1927-29 5. The increase in bank loans to Mexico and other developing countries in the 1970s 6. The bubble in real estate and stocks in Finland, Norway and Sweden 7. The bubble in real estate and stocks in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and several other Asian countries 1992-97 8. The bubble in real estate and stocks in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and several other Asian countries 1992-97 9. The increase in foreign investment in Mexico 1990-93 10. The Bubble in over the counter stocks in the United States 1995-2000. Also known as the .com bubble Over and over again asset, security and stock prices have reached unsustainable highs and subsequently come crashing down. From boom to bust, this process is consistently associated with ruthless insiders exploiting asymmetries of information attempting to make a profit at the cost of first time investors. In Dubai, every three months or so Emaar one of the big real estate developers (of which it is alleged that the absolute ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed has a thirty percent stake) released property for sale at increasing prices, almost instigating the bubble themselves very similar to what John Law (a convicted murderer and gambling addict) did with shares of the joint stock company named Company of the West (Compagnie dOccident) which resulted in the Mississippi bubble of 1720(Nial Ferguson, 2008, 2009). All these bubbles in History have followed similar paths; Nial Ferguson believes it possible to dissect all bubbles into five stages. 2.3 Nial Fergusons Five Stage Model (Nial Ferguson, 2008, 2009) 1. Displacement: An incident or innovation in the economy that generates new and lucrative possibilities for investors/speculators. Kindleberger refers to this as the expansion stage of the business cycle (Charles P Kindleberger, 2005). In the cases of the Dutch Tulip Bulb, The South Sea and Mississippi Bubbles this displacement was the creation of the Joint Stock Company. In the case of the US .com bubble the displacement or expansion was innovations in technology like the internet. In Dubai It could be argued that the displacement stage of the bubble was when developments were open for sale to foreign investors as opposed to previously when only locals could purchase land and property. This initial process causes a rise in spending which leads to inflated prices and increased consumption which combined translate to economic growth. 2. Euphoria/overtrading: Rising expected profits induce the appreciation in value of assets and shares. Investment soars because credit is in abundance. In Japan in the eighties Japanese investors had access to mountains of credit made available by nave bankers that didnt even contemplate a crash and the Japanese went on an investment spree. In the US in the 1990s, during the time preceding the crash .dom companies had access to almost infinite funds from venture capitalists with distorted perceptions of the future profitability of these firms (Charles P Kindleberger and Robert Z Alibir). Dubai was the same pre crash credit was very accessible; I will asses this further in my analysis segment of the dissertation. 3. Mania/bubble: The anticipation of rapid, easy capital gains entices first time investors and unscrupulous, esoteric brokers cater for this demand, in a ruthless attempt to sell assets and shares before a crash, which a seasoned broker is capable of predicting. 4. Distress: Insiders become aware that prices of assets and shares exceed their fundamental values and exploit the asymmetries of information by selling at profit. 5. Revulsion/discredit: prices begin to plummet and the electronic herd stampedes to exit the market causing the bubble to implode. The value of commodities bonds, stocks, land, buildings and houses decline to levels that are 30 to 40 percent below peak prices (Charles p kindleberger and Robert Z . Aliber, 2008, 2009), this adheres perfectly to residential duelling prices in Dubai (refer to figure 1). (Nial Ferguson, 2008, 2009). The Fundamentals behind this model are asymmetric information, availability to rapid, relatively cheap credit and the capability of capital to flow freely over geographical borders. This five stage model is accurate but basic. I will now progress to more specific models in detail behind the creation and existence of economic bubbles. 2.4 The Hyman Minsky model of instability in the supply of credit. This model created by Hyman Minsky can be used to explain financial fragility in economies. Minsky focuses on changes in the availability of credit. During periods of growth the supply of credit increases and during economic slowdowns this supply decreases. In times of growth, usually following an economic displacement like mentioned in Nial Fergusons model, investors feel more confident about the profitability of a number of investments and seek to finance these investments with credit. In the meantime, lenders become more enthusiastic about providing credit, even for investments, that prior to the expansion, had appeared too risky they become far less risk averse, reducing minimum down payments, minimum margin requirements. For individual lenders the cost of borrowing has to remain competitive too to maintain market share. However, when the mood changes, the economy slows down and fear kicks in, investors act much more cautiously. Lenders react similarly and their risk averseness increases and they supply less credit. Minsky believed that these cyclical changes in the availability of credit are a major catalyst to financial instability and are a factor in causing bubbles (Charles p kindleberger and Robert Z . Aliber, 2008, 2009). I am certain that minskys model was apparent in Dubai and definitely a defining factor of the recent burst. I will go on to prove this in the critical analysis part of the dissertation. Minsky also mentions an over-estimate of prospective returns, or excessive leverage (Charles p kindleberger and Robert Z . Aliber, 2008, 2009) during the euphoric period. Speculation suggests the acquisition of assets for the capital gain from expected surges in their value as opposed to income generated by one of these assets or for their use. The income generated by an asset or the use of an asset is considered to be the fundamental value of an asset and in bubbles the prices of assets fluctuate far from their fundamental values. This point is made clearer in the next part of the literature review. Minsky also states that a sense of euphoria or depression in one country maybe contagious in another country. I believe that the recent housing bubble in the United States and its subsequent burst influenced the real estate bubble in Dubai and was a significant cause of the crash. 2.5 Fundamental Value Researchers seem to concentrate on one of the following elements when considering a bubble: rapid appreciation of assets, overly optimistic predictions of future prices, a discrepancy between price and fundamental value and obviously a vast depreciation of assets when the bubble pops (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). Karl Case and Robert Shiller believe that A tendency to view housing as an investment is a defining characteristic of a housing bubble (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). However, Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, in their 2006 journal titled Housing, Housing, where is the housing bubble? disagree. They argue that housing can be considered a legitimate investment and that the best way to spot a bubble is to determine the discrepancy between the actual prices of houses and the fundamental value of these houses. Speculators in general do not make an attempt to calculate the underlying value of a house, they respond to expected capital gains. Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith define a bubble as a scenario where the equilibrium price of an asset is higher than the present value of the anticipated cash flow from the asset (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). Nonetheless, fundamental values may rise rapidly (for example an increase in population and therefore an incre ase in the acquisitions of houses for their use as opposed to expected capital gains, or an increase in rent) may stimulate a legitimate increase in the prices of houses. Equilibrium house prices may also increase rapidly and not necessarily be considered a bubble if their actual price is lower than their underlying fundamental value. They state that the real defining characteristic of a bubble is when equilibrium market prices cannot be answered for by the assets anticipated cash flow. Case and Shiller refer to the real estate market as being populated by amateurs making infrequent transactions on the basis of limited information and with little or no experience in gauging the fundamental value of the properties they are buying and selling'(Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). If this is true and I believe it was, in Dubai, to a certain extent (through knowing investors on a personal level) how can one expect for fundamental values to equal market prices? Most agents within the real estate market i.e. brokers, buyers and sellers seem to use what is known as comps when dealing within the real estate market. Comps are the latest sale prices of homes with similar specifications within the same area. Comps tell us how much other individuals are prepared to pay but not whether these prices are justified by the fundamental value (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). Attempting to demonstrate whether market prices differ from fundamental prices isnt easy. Figures for average real estate prices are infamously imperfect. This is mainly due to the fact that houses are not homogenous in their specifications and environments. However, the National City Corporation use a multiple regression which considers a ratio of house prices to household income in a given area to mortgage rates, population density, the ratio of household income in the given area to the national average and historical prices to determine how much actual prices deviate from their real values (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). The reason a ratio of house price and household income is used is based on theory by Karl case and Shiller that argue that housing prices are a bubble waiting to pop if the average investor is priced out of the market'(Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). There are problems with this model e.g. the historic house prices may not be based on fundamental value. Some economists including Edward Leamer argue that if house prices have increased in a larger proportion than rents a bubble exists (Margaret Hwang Smith and Gary Smith, 2006). I will attempt to look at rents versus house prices in my critical analysis section of the dissertation to determine whether this was apparent in Dubai. I will also attempt to look at the population density because I believe that it is relevant to fundamental value because an increase in population causes an increase in the demand for residential properties that will be used as dwellings. Minsky stated that a fundamental value of an asset was to do with is use and the income (rent) generated from the asset. 2.6 A brief look at the recent financial crisis in the USA. Hyman minsky stated in his interpretation of a bubble that euphoria or depression in one country can be contagious and spill over into another. I believe that the bursting of the real estate bubble in the states and the subsequent lack of worldwide credit was highly influential in the bursting of Dubais housing bubble. As per usual the great real estate and leverage bubble in the US of 2007 was instigated by a pervasive macroeconomic displacement. Prior to the 2000s banks would give loans to home owners and keep those loans as assets in their books (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). However, post 2000 the entire banking system changed. Banks carried on issuing loans for mortgages but instead of holding them as assets on their books they would keep them for a short period of time and then sell them on to investment banks who would bundle different loans with different credit ratings into mortgage backed securities, also known as collateralized debt obligations (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). Loans are split into different risk classes or tranches. So, low risk loans and high risk loans are bundled together and sold as one financial product which was deemed a good investment. This caused deterioration in lending standards (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). Employees in charge of originating loans to clients were reckless when assessing the risk of the individuals potential default especially when dealing with subprime mortgages because they knew that the bank was only going to hold these loans for a short period of time and then pass them on. Insurance companies were also insuring subprime loans with credit default swaps because they were too nave to foresee mass defaults. These innovations in the banking system made credit easily accessible to individuals who may have not been considered credit worthy before these changes (subprime). Many financial institutions held vast amounts of these new bundled securities based around mortgages and held less equity backed securities and increased their leverage ratios (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010) making them very vulnerable in the case of a crash. Highly accessible credit at attractive rates due to lowered lending standards led to a huge bubble in the prices of houses. The inflation adjusted price of a commonplace home was roughly identical in 1999 as it was in 1899; however, between 2000 and 2006 real home prices doubled (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). This is portrayed in the following line graph based on data from the Case-Shiller home price index in the US. Figure 2 Case-Shiller Home price index, 1989 = 100. Source: (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010) As you can see from the graph there is a rapid ascent in prices from around 2000 followed by a quick fall in prices starting in 2007. Prices began to decline and euphoria turned to fear. Houses were worth less than the amount of money owed to the banks and individuals began to default in mass. With massive amounts of defaults occurring, the value of the bundled mortgage backed securities or collaterized debt obligations (cdos) decreased rapidly. Many highly leveraged financial institutions holding long term assets financed by the short term mortgage backed securities did not have sufficient liquidity to continue to function (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). All credit markets were frozen, excluding the US Treasury securities markets and financial institutions did not have sufficient liquidity to cover their short term debts. In the case of a bank an example of a short term debt is a deposit and people began to fear for their deposits and runs on banks happened in the US and UK institutions with vast amount of money invested in the US housing market e.g. Northern Rock. The US government was forced to bail out a number of financial institutions to prevent a total financial collapse (Burton G. Malkiel, 2010). Banks all over the world became cautious about lending money. Amlak finance Dubai stopped lending money all together and I think this was significant in the bursting of the bubble; it ties in directly with Minskys model of cyclical changes in the supply of credit. Panic struck and a worldwide financial crisis ensued. 3 Critical Analysis In this section of my dissertation I will evaluate real life data and literature about the situation in Dubai. What caused the rapid increase in price in the housing market? and what caused the resultant rapid decline in prices. 3.1 Displacement. Economists appear to agree that every bubble starts with a displacement. A macroeconomic change, or innovation, that induces pervasive adjustments in how agents within the economy behave and perceive the future. It can also be considered a paradigm shift. In the case of the .com bubble the displacement was the availability of the interweb to mass users. In the case of the recent housing and leverage bubble of the US the displacement was innovations in the banking system and the creation of new bundled financial products and collaterized debt obligations. In Dubai I believe that there were three displacing factors: The first displacing factor occurred in May 2002. Dubai was never rich in oil like its neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi so it focused on creating a hub for tourism and commerce. It also promoted the development of real estate. In 1997 publicly quoted Emaar Properties and Al Nakheel Properties were setup (http://realestate.theemiratesnetwork.com/articles/freehold_property.php). In 1998 emaar started developing the Dubai Marina and the Emirates Living Community; however, properties within these developments were released on leasehold contracts which mean that properties are leased out for ninety years as opposed to being owned freehold. These developments were not successful in the market. People were sceptical about the leasehold contracts. Things changed in May 2002 when the crown prince General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktum implemented a new law, stating that ex pats were able to buy property in certain areas of Dubai. The following graph shows all transactions from 1994. The graph is based on data from REIDIN.com a company that provides data and information covering all deals and transactions in Dubai since 1973. The company is an exclusive partner of the Dubai Land Department the real estate registry for the emirate. (REIDIN, DUBAI FOCUS, 2010) Figure 3 Quantity of transactions in Dubai from 1994 (Reidin.com, DubaiFocus, 2010) The graph shows that as of the changes in law about the ownership of real estate from 2002 there is not a significant increase in the quantity of transactions. In fact, there is a decline in transactions until 2005 when quantity of transactions increase rapidly from there onwards. I would still, however, consider the innovations in the legislation behind the ownership of property a displacement because without the changes, ex pats would never have been able to own property on a freehold basis and the bubble would never have happened. I say this because the vast majority of investments into the property market have come from expatriate sources. See the following chart which depicts the value of transactions by nationality. Figure 4 Value (AED) of property transactions by nationality from 1973 (Reidin.com, DubaiFocus, 2010) As you can see from the chart foreign investment is very significant in value and this could never have happened if the changes in legislation had not been made. Also, cross border transactions are a key in the creation of a bubble and as you can see from figure 4 cross border transactions are huge. Another displacing factor was hype generated by the media about talks of a new GCC currency called the Khaleeji. Talks were being had about the possibility of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain creating a new currency for their states. These talks were being had around 2006/2007 and nothing was ever finalised but if it was to happen, especially at a point in time when the dollar was weak, this new currency would be valued higher than the specific currencies of the gulf states and investments in these countries would appear even more attractive to speculators as they would rise in value from the creation of a new currency. This ties in with the next displacing factor which is the weakness of the dollar due to financial fragility in the US. In the Spring of 2006 the dollar weakened dramatically due to financial instability in the US. Towards the end of 2006 it looked as if the exchange rate was rising towards $2. In April 2007 the Dollar depreciated to over $2 and on the 27th of July 2007 it got to $2.06 the weakest it has been since 1981, it continued to fluctuate around $2 for the next five months and on the 9th of November 2007 it was $2.11. After this point, on average, the pound began to decline in value as the global recession hit the UK. The importance of this analysis about the dollar exchange rate is that it shows that from around 2006 until 2008 the dollar was relatively weak compared to the pound. Transactions for Real Estate were booming during this period as portrayed in figure 3 and a huge portion of these transactions were fuelled by investment from the United Kingdom as portrayed in figure 4. I therefore believe that the weak dollar was statistically significant in the increase of transactions from UK investors. The exchange rate of the Dollar versus the Indian Rupee shows a similar story. From around January 2007 the dollar declines in value against the rupee to a peak of around 39 rupee to the dollar. Compare this to a value of around 55 rupee in 2003. Again the weakness of the dollar compared to the Indian rupee can be argued to have catalysed vast investment from Indian investors from 2006 as the dollar was depreciating until late 2008 when the global crisis begun to have consequences on other nations e.g. India and the UK. I therefore consider this a displacement which lead to increases in transactions, increases in prices of property and overly optimistic expected prices. Refer to graphs of the dollar exchange rates versus the pound and rupee in the appendix section of the dissertation. 3.2 Euphoria/overtrading If you refer back to Nial Fergusons five stage bubble model you will see that after a pervasive macroeconomic displacement in the economy, if it is tending towards a bubble situation, an economy will experience euphoria, also referred to as overtrading. Rising expected profits induce the appreciation in value of assets and shares. Investment soars because credit is in abundance. If you refer back to figure 1 you will see that prices begin to rise steadily from 2005/2006. The number of transactions also increases rapidly from around the same period. Nial Ferguson also talks about the abundance of credit; this too ties in with minskys model of the pro cyclical supply of credit. It implies that many of these transactions were fuelled by credit or leveraged. Again this is similar to what was happening in the US before their crash. The following line graph shows the percentage of residential transactions fuelled by credit or leveraged. I have also included the percentage of residential transactions that are classed as other. I have put other transaction types into the equation because a substantial amount of transactions are classed as other. other refers to transactions that are none of the following transaction types: sale, mortgage, leasing, valuation, grant, rent, compensation and pre-registration. Im not entirely sure as to what types of transaction would be considered as other. This, I will consider a limitation in my data; however, this is data provided by a governmental entity and censorship is alive and well in Dubai. Figure 5 Percentage of residential transactions leveraged with credit. What figure 5 shows is a steady increase in the percentage of transactions fuelled by credit until 2006 when there is a vast decline in this percentage and a continuous decrease until 2009. I wonder if the global credit crunch caused by the US crash hit Dubai much earlier than people thought, however why did prices not stop falling until late 2008/2009?. There is a visible pattern here; as transactions leveraged by mortgages decreases, transactions classed by Dubai Land Department the real estate registry for the emirate as other increase. This appears to be rather dubious in my opinion; maybe the global credit crunch hit Dubai but in an attempt to maintain high prices until ruthless inside investors with asymmetries of information could leave the market with huge profits the quantity of transactions was kept high by the government, who have invested interests. Emaar Properties and Al Nakheel Properties are publicly quoted companies but ownership is predominately by wealthy governme ntal authorities. We all know that OPEC controls the supply of oil to maintain high prices; maybe something similar happened with property in Dubai. Nial Ferguson does mention ruthless inside investors have played a significant role in past bubbles; I think this could be apparent here. (Nial Ferguson, 2008, 2009). The graph shows that vast amounts of credit were used to leverage investments until 2006 when the amount declines rapidly. Probably because banks were influenced by the credit crunch in the US and feared they may have inadequate liquidity. I will analyse the pro cyclical supply of credit in a later section of my dissertation. 3.3 Mania/Bubble and distress Nial Ferguson refers to the next the next stage as mania or bubble, where first time investors are enticed to the market and seasoned investors who can predict a crash scramble to sell their investments at a profit before the crash. If you refer back to figure 3 that shows the quantity of transactions I would say that the mania/bubble stage was occurring from 2007 to 2008 at when the quantity of transactions are skyrocketing. At this point too, prices are still very high (refer back to figure 1). The closer to late 2008 the sillier the investment, as bubble bursts in october 2008. Therefore transactions around about this time have to be from first time investors who cannot see a crash. This is referred to by Nial ferguson as the distress period. 3.4 Revulsion/discredit Prices begin to plummet and the herd stampedes to exit the market causing the bubble to implode. This is apparent in late 2008 and 2009. Transactions stay high (Figure 3) but prices are declining rapidly (40 percent on average). So, investors are struck by fear and rush to sell properties even if it is done at significant los