Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Anthrax Threat to America essays

Anthrax Threat to America essays It is August 1 at the A.I.M. building in Palm Beach, Florida. 1000 people are in line to receive protective antibiotics, to be tested for exposure to anthrax - all this after a man, who would later die, was admitted to a local hospital for possible anthrax exposure. Anthrax is a disease caused by bacteria found in livestock. A breakout in Iraq once killed a million sheep. Today at least 17 nations are believed to have biological weapons programs that include weapons grade Anthrax. Research on anthrax use as a biological weapon began 80 years ago. (Thomas) Despite the large possibility of anthrax, there has not been a confirmed case of inhalation anthrax in the United States since 1978. This is why the cases of anthrax that have shown up in recent weeks have come as such a shock and have been met with paranoia. Despite the long-standing history of Anthrax, for a period it had been forgotten about. Since the beginning of anthrax use as a biological weapon in 1920s, the United States has lost track of which nations have weaponized anthrax. This is one of the major causes for concern. It is known that Iraq one of the United States enemies has produced and weaponized anthrax, (Thomas) but their could be countless other nations and terrorist groups that could obtain it. Another problem involving anthrax is its deadliness. In 1979, the accidental release of anthrax in the former Soviet Union resulted in 79 cases of the anthrax and 68 deaths, demonstrating the lethal potential of anthrax. Anthrax also puts a strain on the economy. At an average cost of $262 per person infected an the fact that if there is a major release of anthrax 88 out of every 100 people would not survive the ensuing sickness despite antibiotics. (Thomas) Some scientists say that a solution to the anthrax threat would be vac cination, but the total vaccination of all of America would be costly and ineffective. The vaccinations only last f ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The History and Domestication of Cassava

The History and Domestication of Cassava Cassava (Manihot esculenta), also known as manioc, tapioca, yuca, and mandioca, is a domesticated species of tuber, a root crop originally domesticated perhaps as long ago as 8,000–10,000 years ago, in southern Brazil and eastern Bolivia along the southwestern border of the Amazon basin. Cassava is today a primary calorie source in tropical regions around the world, and the sixth most important crop plant worldwide. Fast Facts: Cassava Domestication Cassava, commonly called manioc or tapioca, is a domesticated species of tuber, and the sixth most important food crop in the world.  It was domesticated in the southwestern Amazon of Brazil and Bolivia some 8,000-10,000 years ago.  Domesticate improvements include traits which must have been added by means of clonal propagation.  Burned tubers of manioc were discovered at the classic Maya site of Ceren, dated to 600 CE.   Cassava Progenitors The progenitor of cassava (M. esculenta ssp. flabellifolia) exists today and is adapted to forest and savanna ecotones. The process of domestication improved the size and production level of its tubers, and increased the photosynthesis rate and seed functionality, by using repeated cycles of clonal propagation- wild manioc cannot be reproduced by stem cuttings. Archaeological macro-botanical evidence of cassava in the little-investigated Amazon basin has not been identified, partly because root crops do not preserve well. Identification of the Amazon as the point of origin was based on genetic studies of cultivated cassava and all various possible progenitors, and the Amazonian M. esculenta ssp. flabellifolia was determined to be the wild form of todays cassava plant. Amazon Evidence: The Teotonio Site The oldest archaeological evidence for manioc domestication is from starches and pollen grains from sites outside the Amazon.  In 2018, archaeologist Jennifer Watling and colleagues reported the presence of manioc phytoliths attached to stone tools at the southwestern Amazon Teotonio site in Brazil very near the Bolivian border. The phytoliths were found in a level of dark earth (terra preta) dated to 6,000 calendar years ago (cal BP), 3,500 years older than any terra preta anywhere else in the Amazon to date. The manioc at Teotonio was found alongside domesticated squash (Cucurbita sp), beans (Phaseolus), and guava (Psidium), indicating that the inhabitants were early horticulturalists in what is becoming recognized as an Amazonian center of domestication. Cassava Species Around the World Cassava (Manihot esculenta), root and ground for dinner.   Rodrigo Ruiz Ciancia / Moment / Getty Images Cassava starches have been identified in north-central Colombia by approximately 7,500 years ago, and in Panama at Aguadulce Shelter, about 6,900 years ago. Pollen grains from cultivated cassava have been found in archaeological sites in Belize and Mexicos Gulf coast by 5,800–4,500 bp, and in Puerto Rico between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago. Thus, scholars can safely say that the domestication in the Amazon had to happen before 7,500 years ago. There are numerous cassava and manioc species in the world today, and researchers still struggle with their differentiation, but recent research supports the notion that they are all descended from a single domestication event in the Amazon basin. Domestic manioc has larger and more roots and increased tannin content in the leaves. Traditionally, manioc is grown in the field-and-fallow cycles of slash and burn agriculture, where its flowers are pollinated by insects and its seeds dispersed by ants. Manioc and the Maya The Pompeii of North America, Joya de Ceren, was buried in a volcanic eruption in August 595 CE. Ed Nellis Members of the Maya civilization cultivated the root crop and it may have been a staple in some parts of the Maya world. Manioc pollen has been discovered in the Maya region by the late Archaic period, and most of the Maya groups studied in the 20th century were found to cultivate manioc in their fields. The excavations at Ceren, a classic period Maya village that was destroyed (and preserved) by a volcanic eruption, identified manioc plants within the kitchen gardens. Manioc planting beds were discovered some 550 feet (170 meters) away from the village. The manioc beds at Ceren date to approximately 600 CE. They consist of ridged fields, with the tubers planted on the top of the ridges and water allowed to drain and flow through the wales between the ridges (called calles). Archaeologists discovered five manioc tubers in the field which had been missed during harvesting. Stalks of manioc bushes had been cut into 3–5 foot (1–1.5 meter) lengths and buried horizontally in the beds shortly before the eruption: these represent preparation for the next crop. The eruption occurred in August of 595 CE, burying the field in nearly 10 ft (3 m) of volcanic ash. Sources Brown, Cecil H., et al. The Paleobiolinguistics of Domesticated Manioc (Manihot esculenta). Ethnobiology Letters 4 (2013): 61–70. Print.Clement, Charles R., et al. The Domestication of Amazonia before European Conquest. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282.1812 (2015): 20150813. Print.De Matos Viegas, Susana. Pleasures That Differentiate: Transformational Bodies among the Tupinamb of Olivenà §a (Atlantic Coast, Brazil). Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 18.3 (2012): 536–53. Print.Fraser, James, et al. Crop Diversity on Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Central Amazonia. Human Ecology 39.4 (2011): 395–406. Print.Isendahl, Christian. The Domestication and Early Spread of Manioc ( Manihot Esculenta Crantz): A Brief Synthesis. Latin American Antiquity 22.4 (2011): 452–68. Print.Kawa, Nicholas C., Christopher McCarty, and Charles R. Clement. Manioc Varietal Diversity, Social Networks, and Distribution Constraints in Rural Amazoni a. Current Anthropology 54.6 (2013): 764–70. Print. Sheets, Payson, et al. Manioc Cultivation at Ceren, El Salvador: Occasional Kitchen Garden Plant or Staple Crop? Ancient Mesoamerica 22.01 (2011): 1–11. Print.Watling, Jennifer, et al. Direct Archaeological Evidence for Southwestern Amazonia as an Early Plant Domestication and Food Production Centre. PLOS ONE 13.7 (2018): e0199868. Print.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Exploration of regional variations in guanxi among Chinese managers Thesis

Exploration of regional variations in guanxi among Chinese managers - Thesis Example Guanxi networks are of great importance in business and financial transactions, and hence the relevance of guanxi to management and understanding of business in China is extreme. According to Ramasamy and Goh (2006, p.130) â€Å"guanxi is the lifeblood of Chinese business communities, and frequently acts as a lubricant of business activities†. Guanxi is also considered as being â€Å"a channel of knowledge transfer† and two specific aspects of guanxi are related with such a channel - â€Å"trust and communication† (Ramasamy and Goh, 2006, p.130). Guanxi has also been related to the human resources management of firms that operate across China. Law and Jones (2009, p.313) revealed that various aspects of guanxi need to be clearly understood by HR managers in both Chinese and foreign firms. Guanxi has been related to other parts of business activity in China. In a study by Lee and Humphreys (2007), guanxi was found to be a critical factor affecting a firm’s supply chain management: in aspects of strategic purchasing, outsourcing, and supplier development (Lee and Humphreys, 2007, p.45). Though guanxi influences the development of various business activities in China, a differentiation has been identified â€Å"in the way guanxi is utilised in state-owned and foreign-invested enterprises† (Wood, Whiteley and Zhang, 2002, p.263). The study by Wood et al. (2002) found that guanxi is considered to be an important criterion but it seems to be more appreciated in state-owned enterprises rather than enterprises based on foreign capital. The above view is in accordance with that of Liu and Roos (2006, p.432) who noted that â€Å"the guanxi-driven paradigm remains a crucial factor in planning and managing effective working relationships when the Chinese partner i s one officially classified as â€Å"restricted†. In other words, guanxi influences the business activities in China – affecting also the decisions of Chinese managers – but this influence seems to be

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

American Flag Desecration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Flag Desecration - Essay Example George Washington said "We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing we are separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty" ("History of the Flag," 2007). Other nations often take the red as the blood of those who risked their life for the nation's freedom, and white as purity for the ideal freedom they fought for. The Congress in 1977 was credited for speaking of the flag's symbols as "the star is a symbol for heaven and a divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; and the stripe is symbolic of the rays light emanating from the sun"("The United States Flag," 2006.) This is how much Americans value their symbols of nationalities. However, through freedom of speech and expression towards presidential governance, some use the flag to extend their disagreement; such as burning, ripping or any indecent display that could attract the administration's attention to listen to their stipulations (Foppian, 2007). The massive public burning of flag during the Vietnam conflict on 1968 alarmed the Congress that was forced to come up with the first federal flag protection of general applicability. However, due to the Supreme Court's refusal to review the statute, it took a couple of decades that only the lower courts were the ones that upheld its constitutionality (Luckley, 2003) According to John Luckley's (2003) study of Flag Protection, up until now, the Congress finds difficulty in fully enforcing the federal law of flag desecration. To fully constitute the statute is to suppress the freedom of speech, but it may appear also as if the constitution is tolerating the desecration of the American flag (Luckley 2003:4). The 108th Congress Report of the House of Representatives (Library of Congress, 2007) cites that flag desecration is protected under the First Amendment as expressive conduct. The only stated law from the same source is that "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." The ineffectivity of this law is due to the conflict of freedom of speech which the Supreme Court favors more and is the inclined stance taken mainly by the State (Luckley, 2003). Federal Law of Flag Desecration about Burning The United States Flag Code outlines flag etiquette. The Federal law states that "when American flag has worn out due to regular use and no longer fit for display, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner" ("Cracking the Flag-Burning," 2005). The specified term allows the burning of the flag in order to discharge the worn-out flag in respectful conduct. Its implication is that any manner and intent of the flag burning act aside from the mentioned tolerable act is punishable. As accounted for by the Library of Congress, House Joint Resolution 4 gives Congress authority to legislate the federal law even though not precisely recognized by the State (Luckley, 2003). The United States Veterans of Affairs stated that "there is no penalty for failure to comply with the Flag Code, and that it is not widely enforced." This insinuates that to emphasize or enforce the flag code of conduct would conflict with the First Amendment's right of freedom of sp

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Theories and Values System Essay Example for Free

Theories and Values System Essay The objective of the theory is to guide us to make decisions and judgments about actions in certain situations, i. e to try to determine what we and other people ought to do. We not only act as an agent, but also as witness, adviser, teacher, judge, and critic in morality. (we= agent moral). Social Morality Theory The words ethics (ethos) and moral (more which mean customs, habit, courtesy, character, etc. , are connected with regulations and standards followed by society. It is proper we use social morality theory (or traditional/conventional morality) to explain the concept of ethics in a society. Member of a society normally observe a system of moral standards with general ethical principles related to moral norms. According to M. G. Velasquez (1992), these moral standards have many functions in society. 1) The moral standards system in the society identifies situations so that each person wards off self-interest to strengthen a system of behavior that brigs benefit to self as well as to other people. With proper moral standards, members of the society will co-operate and help each other so that there is freedom and justice. When members of the society internalize all the moral standards and live by them, a system of behaviors that ensures the interests of all emerges. 2) Secondly, moral standards serve to resolve conflict in the society by giving justifications that are acceptable to the public as bases for action. This theory is a theory which attempts to relate moral standards, regulation of society, and the countries or universal law with ethical concepts. Stress the individual’s responsibility to follow orders from an authoritative body. This means that to strengthen the system of moral standards, the atmosphere of society becomes rather bureaucratic. Also pays special attention to the interest and benefits of society, not the interest of individual. However, a society that is closely controlled by regulations, particularly regulations that restrict the freedom of members of the society will result in a dogmatic and authoritative.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Bronx Tale Cologero :: Robert Di Nero Bronx Tale Essays

A Bronx Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cologero "A Bronx Tale" is a film directed by Robert Di Nero about a boy named Cologero (an Italian white male) and his life as he grows up in a town occupied by the mob. Colegero had two strong adult influences in his life.   They were his father, Lorenzo, and a mob leader named Sonny.   In the film there were a three scenes that especially demonstrated the influence Sonny and Lorenzo had on Cologero. An example of Lorenzo's influence on his son takes place in front of their apartment in which Cologero is a witness to a crime Sonny committed.   An example of   Sonny's influence on Cologero is when Sonny demeans Mickey Mantle in front of him. This then causes Cologero to have negative feelings about Mickey Mantle someone he has idolized his whole life.   Another scene that shows Sonny's influence on Cologero is when Cologero takes Sonny's advice to go out with a black woman from his school, even though his father doesn't agree with inter-racial relationships.   This spec ific event perhaps shows that Sonny had more of an impact on Cologero than Lorenzo did. Early in Cologero's childhood, around the age of ten years, he witnessed the shooting of a man over a parking space by Sonny (a powerful mob leader who Cologero admired).Cologero's father, Lorenzo wanted nothing to do with Sonny or the mob.   As a result, when the police detectives questioned Cologero about the murder, Lorenzo insisted his son knew nothing of it.This led Cologero to believe that his father didn't want him to tell the truth.   The detectives took Cologero outside to point out the murderer and Cologero denied that any of them were at the scene of the crime.Sonny then befriended Cologero and gave him the nickname "C".This shows that Cologero's father influenced him to lie to the police because Lorenzo led his son to believe he didn't want him to tell the truth and Cologero did not.One day while Sonny was talking with "C", who was still approaching adolescence , he said something that affected "C" and perhaps hurt his feelings in a major way.  Ã‚   Sonny explained to Cologero that his baseball hero, Mickey Mantle, didn't care about him or anyone else.   Sonny told "C" that Mickey Mantle made over 200, 000 dollars a year and would never pay his rent or do anything for him.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Philippine Labor Force Essay

Just from taking a look of the stark reality of Philippine Society today, any one would say that it would be a no – brainer to answer the question of possible change. Change, in the Philippines? They say. Impossible. Yet in spite of the dim reality we are in do I gain the audacity to say that the Philippines is not a hopeless case, I believe it is not, for the simple the reason that if I believe that nothing can be done to change our country, then that is how it will be. if I believe that there is still hope, that something can be done, then I can be a precursor of change, and hence, something can be done. Anyway, we have nothing else to lose, and everything to gain, and as such we should put ourselves in that perspective. I think the reason the Philippines is the way it is today is because somehow, someway, we, us Filipinos, somehow caused all of this to happen to us. Of course no individual would dare intentionally wish upon themselves poverty, what I mean is, as a collective, as a people, as an entire race that had spanned generations and generations of culture, we have somehow allowed our society – which could have flourished into a rich nation – to deteriorate, very, very nearly to the point of no return. We have allowed ourselves to blindly steer into the direction of poverty when we were heading into the direction cities such as Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong are in now. Many actually do believe we are at that point of no return already. But if everyone thought that we cannot change, then how then will change be possible? If we collectively keep denying that we are responsible for this Philippine mess we have collectively gotten ourselves into, then change becomes impossible. If we accept entirely that we are – at some level – all at cause of how things are now honestly, graciously; until we accept responsibility for the whole of our reality shall we gain the power to change part of it. So therefor, I shall accept that I am also responsible for all this mess. As a youth with certain ideologies, this is one thing I can do, accept that I have contributed to what is. I am responsible for the deterioration of my country, of its rich culture, of it’s society. I have allowed crime, poverty, corruption to flourish. So therefor shall I become an igniter of change. I shall bring people to the awareness that change is still possible. If ALL of us would accept everything as a part of their creation shall we be able to change everything. As Jose Rizal had wisely said,† Ang kabataan ay ang pag-asa ng kinabukasan,† never has that quote made perfect sense until now. Imagine if everyone thought like that. Progress would come about to our country fairly quickly, wouldn’t you think? My duty as a student may not be as grandiose as those who go out of their way to change lives, build villages, and adopt babies from those in need. My duty is simple, yet absolutely vital. My duty is bring everything I have said above to as much people as I possibly can. Awareness is start of wisdom, as the saying goes, and in juxtaposition, collective awareness is an absolutely powerful igniter of change. If we all want it enough, it happens. I wise person once told me, that the people are the true movers of change, never the government officials. Government officials follow the people. This has been perfectly demonstrated across history; from Greek governance through public opinion, to the breaking down of the Berlin Wall, to the Chinese revolutions which shifted 1920’s Communist China which started through student visions of a better China, to our very own EDSA revolutions, our own 1986 revolution. Change comes in numbers. True change is a collective effort, People Power at its most powerful. As such I cannot stress any further the importance to instill the ideas in others a sense of hope and optimism for the future. From awareness, comes action. Ideas beget action, and so does my actions as a student after imparting the ideas of hope to others. I would probably, as a student – architect, physically help In projects that aim to provide housing for underprivileged folk in scales similar to Gawad Kalinga, and maybe soon, hopefully, provide them that with my own resources. I would probably also, bring about new innovative and convenient design solutions for the impoverished, such as the recent mind-blowingly innovative creation of the coca-cola light bottle, wherin a steady stream of light is made available in low cost housing from just installing a 1. L bottle into rooftops. Some other creation that would greatly benefit the mass population is something I would like to create. Probably also, I would like to teach others who want to get into the construction industry tricks and tips and gaining skillsets required for masonry and carpentry. I want to help people learn how to catch fish with a fishing rod, instead of giving them the fish. I think they would greatly benefit from that. This has made me see the possibility of what we can do to improve Philippine Society. Call me crazy but might it be possible that we were given this framework of poverty that we may find the power within ourselves to change it? Could you entertain the possibility that we were born into this country, this context of poverty, that we might change it ourselves? Singapore has done it. The US has done it. China is doing it. Why can’t we? We have nothing else to lose, and everything to gain, and as such we should put ourselves in that perspective, and watch reality change before our eyes.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Characteristics of a Good Boss vs. a Bad Boss

We live in a society that offers a diverse and broad range of job opportunities, though finding suitable employment can be difficult in today's economy. For some, that means putting up with a bad boss or a good boss. The most notable distinction between the two types of bosses is whether they trust you to do your job . A boss are generally defined as someone who directly supervises the work activities of others. The perception of whether a boss is considered good or bad depends on the outlook of the employee being supervised. Bosses come in all flavors and styles. Most bosses are easy to work with and will do their best to create an enjoyable working environment for everyone. Flexibility, honesty understanding, listening, open for the input of your employees and taking full responsibility are the most important qualities you need to be a good boss. A good boss provides good work direction, has a hands-off approach, and is available when needed. Usual a good boss is one that becomes the mentor of their employees. A good boss is as much as team player as a leader. Good bosses always understand and encourage focused side-projects. .A good manager promotes on merit and ability. A bad manager promotes his friends based on their ability not to show him or her up. As a result, employees tend to be happier, more at ease, and more likely to be more productive. Bad bosses are not pleasing to be around. No one likes an individual who criticizes, belittles and disrespects people. On the other hand, a bad boss micromanages the work of employees, hangs over their shoulders, and often criticizes their work in front of others. A bad boss fails to give recognition for the little things his employee does. Another quality of a bad boss is inability to communicate. Usually, a bad boss does not listen to what is being said or does not care about what is being said. A bad manager promotes his friends based on their ability not to show him or her up. The boss whose self-interest always comes first or whose chief drive is to constantly curry favor with senior managers at higher levels in the organization without sharing credit with his/her staff or employees. The boss, who demands that a task be completed on an unrealistically small budget, or with an unrealistically close deadline, then goes ballistic when those impossible demands cannot be met.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Chemistry and Element Jokes and Puns

Chemistry and Element Jokes and Puns You dont hear a lot of jokes, puns, or riddles in physics and biology, but chemistry is full of them. Here is a collection of reader-submitted chemistry jokes and puns. Some of them are groaners, but some are quite funny. Two guys walk into a restaurant. One guy says I would like some H2O. The other guy says I would like some H2O too (H2O2). The waiter delivers the drinks and the second guy dies after imbibing his. (H2O is water, while H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide.) I told a chemistry joke... There was no reaction.Why are helium, curium, and barium the three main medical elements? If you cant curium or helium, you barium!Are you  hydrogen? Why? Because I cant live without you.Are you 11 protons? Cause you are sodium fine.What did the chemist say to motivate his team? We ARGON to BARIUM.What dont you understand about copper? It makes perfect CENTS!A good way to remember gold is Au gimme that gold.What do you do with a dead scientist? You barium. Thats if you cant helium or curium.A wrestler holding down an opponent may have a NEON him.Two chemists walk into a bar, the first says I will have some H2O and the second one says I will have some H2O too and the second one dies! Hahaha (get it... H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide and you cant drink it or you will die)What happened to the chemist in the cave - Berkelium (bear kill him)Hey want to hear a joke about potassium?... KYou must be ethidium bromide, because Im tangled in your double helix.Are you made out of beryllium, ununtrium, and titanium ? Cause youre a BeUTi ( beauty) Do particles with multiple helium isotopes have mass? Only the Catholic ones!Are you feeling under the weather today? Because you look like youre Na fine.Sooo I was gonna tell you a joke about sodium and hydrogen......but NaH.So an atom walks into a bar with a gun and the bartender says Who are you and what do you want? to which the atom replies The names Bond, Ionic Bond, and I want an electron taken, not shared.What do you do to dead elements? You barium.I was looking for sodium on the periodic table, but then it told me it was not available!  (Na)What do you say when: oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, sodium and phosphorous walk into a bar? OH SNaP!Knock Knock, Whos There? Beryl.  Beryl who?  Beryl and LiumAre you made of fluorine, iodine, and neon? Because youre so fine! F is fluorine, I is iodine, and Ne is the element symbol for neon.What did the chemist do when he cut his leg? He put his neon (knee on) a table to bandage it up.Chemistry jokes are sodium funny! Hah... say it out loud. sodium sodium sodium sodium sodium sodium sodium sodium BATMAN!Argon walks into a bar. Bar man says, We dont serve noble gases. Argon doesnt react. (Noble gases are unreactive.)I am a superhero Fe Iron Male man Therefore I am iron man.What is the elements favorite carnival ride? The Ferrous Wheel, of course!Forget hydrogen youre my number one element.When someone I dont like asks me to hang out I tell them sodium hydrogen. (NaH)Did you hear Oxygen and Potassium went on a date? Yeah, it went OK. (O is the symbol for oxygen, while K is the symbol for potassium.)Did you hear that Oxygen and Magnesium hooked up last night? OMgAre you a mixture of Fluoride, Iodine, and Nitrogen cause you are fine.You wanna hear a joke about potassium?.......K ?  You wanna hear a joke about sodium?.......Na You wanna hear a joke about silicon?........Si  You wanna hear a joke about nitrogen and oxygen?.......NO You wanna hear a joke about tungsten?........WTeacher: Do you know your elements? Student: y eah, maybe... Teacher: isotope so. Are you made of copper and tellurium Because youre pretty CuTe!Q: Why does helium laugh so much? A: Because it goes HeHe (Which is actually a pretty poor joke because helium is monatomic.)Chemist 1: do you have any sodium bromate? Chemist 2: NaBrOWhat does a metal miner write home in a letter to his girlfriend? I am zincing of you all the time!What does Uranium, Nickel, Cobalt, and Radon spell? UNiCoRn!Guys, stop it with the puns. Weve all sulfured enough.My jokes are kinda boron.. but a lot of the good ones argon. Id pay a nickel to hear another joke. These are comedy gold.I was going to tell a periodic table joke but all them argon.They were standing in their yards. Pop the Cd In neighbor!Come on guys, these chemistry jokes are getting a bit boron.Q: What did the chemist say when he found two isotopes of Helium? A: HeHeWhat do you say when someone takes your gold watch? Au come back with my watch!What did the elements say to hydrogen? What a loner!Billy was a chemists son but now h e is no more. What he thought was H2O was H2SO4! Q: What did one ion say to another? A: Ive got my ion you.My dog died so I had to barium.Protons have mass? I didnt know they were Catholic?Youre so boron Im going to go find a krypton to barium in.A neutron went to buy a drink. He asked the employee how much it is. Employee: For you, no charge! Proton 1: Hey, that man just got a free drink! Proton 2: Are you sure? Proton 1: Im positive!Obama is giving his speech. Joe Wilson says: U Li!!This joke is sodium good. (You have to hear it to get it.)How did the boss speak to the very lazy employee? Fermium, of course!What do you get when you mix helium with steel? flying carsA teacher asks their class what the molecular formula for water is. A student replies HijklmnO. The teacher says no youre wrong. Then the student says didnt you say the formula was H to OAll the elements are sitting at the dinner table and neon says Helium dont eat too much! Youre gonna get fat! Helium says No Im not, Im the second lightest here!First person: Do I hav e a joke on sodium Answer: Na What element did the dinosaurs say killed them? ArgonJoke: what does the chemist tell his friends when he goes into an eatery? When I go into a restaurant, iodine.What is uranium fluorine oxygen? Answer: UFOWe should just find all the bad chemistry jokes and just barium.Teacher: Whats the molecular formula of water? Student: HIJKLMNO Teacher: No, thats wrong. Student: But didnt you say water is H to O?Carbon was saying to oxygen hey did you hear about the new phone company O2? And then oxygen said yeah they named it after me. HAHAHAHAHelium walks into a store and asks for his nickel but the manager said, Your brother? Get it? They are both on the periodic table!1st Person: Do you like Iron man, coz I do! 2nd Person: No, he just a big Fe Male!What is a house cats favorite chemical compound? MoUSeI would tell you a good element joke, but they ARGON!!!What do you call iron blowing in the breeze? FebreezeSilicon jokes: Q: Is silicon the same in Spanish? | A: SiQ.Why do chems call Heliu m, Curium and Barium, phenetical elements? A. coz if you cant Helium or Curium, YOU BARIUM Person 1: Does anyone know any good jokes about sodium? Person 2: Na  Anyone know any sodium, bromine, or Oxygen jokes? Na BrOChemistry jokes are sodium funny. Hahahahahaahaha  Argon walks into a bar, the bartender says We dont serve nobles gasses here. Argon doesnt react.Lets head on down to the cemetery and get our Krypton.Ii would say a good chem joke but all the good ones ARGONDid you hear? Oxygen and magnesium got together OMg!!Why did the scientist want carbon, Arsenic, and Hydrogen? It makes CAsHSo some helium walks into the bar and says lets Barium!!! everyone screamed. why are you screaming? Asked helium  Cause you want to bury um!!A man walks into a bar and asks for H2O then a 2nd man comes in and asks for H2O too. The second man died. (The 2nd man asked for H2O2, which is liquid poison.)A neutron walks into a bar and says How much for a beer? The barman says For you NO CHARGE  Q: If H2O is the formula for ice, what is the formula for ice? A: H2O cubed.These element jokes are so dead, we should barium. Hydrogen and Oxygen walk into a bar and see Gold... they say Au, get outta the bar!Q: What did the copper say to the steel-er? A: CesiumWhat does a good doctor do for his patients? HeliumWhats the best formula for breakfast? Barium, Cobalt, and Nitrogen (BaCoN)What did the bar-tender say when Oxygen, Hydrogen, Sulfur, Sodium, and Phosphorus walked into his bar? OH SNaP!What song starts with Oxygen Hydrogen Sodium Sodium? Oh Na Na, whats my name.A proton and a neutron are walking down the street. The proton says, Wait, I dropped an electron help me look for it. The neutron says Are you sure? The proton replies Im positive.So one guy says to another Wanna hear a potassium joke? KWhat did two scientists do when their test subject died? BariumWhat animal do you get when you take out the T, A and I in the word Potassium. Possum.If Fe is Iron, then does that mean that a Female is Iron Man?Sodium Bromate Joke: Want some sodium bromate? Na BrO!I would tell you a chemistry joke but all the go od ones Argon! Want me to tell a potassium joke? K.... Will you accept a sodium joke? Na, im fineI dont want to tell jokes in class because I might get NO REACTIONWhat do tomb robbers do to pyramids? -Radium What did the king say to the guard when the prisoner escaped? -Cesium!Susan was in chemistry. Susan is no more, for what she thought was H2O was H2SO4How did Arsenals become a strong club in English premier league? Because they are bronzed with Arsenic.What will happen if you get into water and cant zwim? Zinc!What sharp object do you get when you combine potassium, nickel, and iron? KNiFeCarbon! - The happy Frenchmans opinion after buying his new automobile.When my wealthy old aunt passed away I got all the antimony!Whats the name of the element that comes after nine? TinWhats the first thing a teenager does after school? Radon food in the fridgeWhat did the cowboy do with his horse? Rhodium Where did he do it? Holmium on the RangeWhat do you do with a dead chemist? Barium. (Explanation: bury em, bury them sounds like barium) Zinc Element Joke: Where do you put dirty dishes? In the zinc.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Why Britain Attempted to Tax the American Colonies

Why Britain Attempted to Tax the American Colonies The attempts by Britain to tax its North American colonists in the late 1700s led to arguments, war, the expulsion of British rule and the creation of a new nation. The origins of these attempts lay, however, not in a rapacious government, but in the aftermath of the Seven Years War. Britain was attempting to both balance its finances and control the newly acquired parts of its empire, through asserting sovereignty. These actions were complicated by British prejudice against the Americans. The Need for Defense During the Seven Years War, Britain won a string of major victories and expelled France from North America, as well as parts of Africa, India, and the West Indies. New France, the name of France’s North American holdings, was now British, but a newly conquered population could cause problems. Few people in Britain were naà ¯ve enough to believe that these former French colonists would suddenly and wholeheartedly embrace British rule with no danger of rebellion, and Britain believed troops would be needed to preserve order. In addition, the war had revealed that the existing colonies needed defense against Britain’s enemies, and Britain believed that defense would be best provided by a fully trained regular army, not just colonial militias. To this end, the post-war government of Britain, with a major lead taken by King George III, decided to permanently station units of the British army in America. Keeping this army, however, would require money. The Need for Taxation The Seven Years War had seen Britain spend prodigious amounts, both on its own army and on subsidies for its allies. The British national debt had doubled in that short time, and extra taxes had been levied in Britain to cover it. The last one, the Cider Tax, had proved highly unpopular and many people were agitating to have it removed. Britain was also running short of credit with banks. Under huge pressure to curb spending, the British king and government believed that any further attempts to tax the homeland would fail. They thus seized upon other sources of income, one of which was taxing the American colonists in order to pay for the army protecting them. The American colonies appeared to the British government to be heavily undertaxed. Before the war, the most that colonists had directly contributed to British income was through customs revenue, but this barely covered the cost of collecting it. During the war, huge sums of British currency had flooded into the colonies, and many not killed in the war, or in conflicts with natives, had done rather well. It appeared to the British government that a few new taxes to pay for their garrison should be easily absorbed. Indeed, they had to be absorbed, because there simply didn’t seem to be any other way of paying for the army. Few in Britain expected the colonists to have protection and not pay for it themselves. Unchallenged Assumptions British minds first turned to the idea of taxing the colonists in 1763. Unfortunately for King George III and his government, their attempt to transform the colonies politically and economically into a safe, stable and revenue-producing- or at least revenue-balancing- part of their new empire would flounder, because the British failed to understand either the post-war nature of the Americas, the experience of war for the colonists, or how they would respond to tax demands. The colonies had been founded under crown/government authority, in the name of the monarch, and there had never been any exploration of what this really meant, and what power the crown had in America. While the colonies had become almost self-governing, many in Britain assumed that because the colonies largely followed British law, that the British state had rights over the Americans. No one in the British government appears to have asked if colonial troops could have garrisoned America, or if Britain should ask the colonists for financial aid instead of voting in taxes above their heads. This was partly the case because the British government thought it was learning a lesson from the French-Indian War: that the colonial government would only work with Britain if they could see a profit, and that colonial soldiers were unreliable and undisciplined because they operated under rules different from those of the British army. In fact, these prejudices were based on British interpretations of the early part of the war, where cooperation between the politically poor British commanders and the colonial governments had been tense, if not hostile. The Issue of Sovereignty Britain responded to these new, but false, assumptions about the colonies by trying to expand British control and sovereignty over America, and these demands contributed another aspect to the British desire to levy taxes. In Britain, it was felt that the colonists were outside the responsibilities which every Briton had to bear and that the colonies were too far removed from the core of British experience to be left alone. By extending the duties of the average Briton to the United States- including the duty to pay taxes- the whole unit would be better off. The British believed sovereignty was the sole cause of order in politics and society, that to deny sovereignty, to reduce or split it, was to invite anarchy and bloodshed. To view the colonies as separate from British sovereignty was, to contemporaries, to imagine a Britain dividing itself into rival units, which might lead to warfare between them. Britons dealing with the colonies frequently acted out of fear of reducing the crown’s powers when faced with the choice of levying taxes or acknowledging limits. Some British politicians did point out that levying taxes on the unrepresented colonies was against the rights of every Briton, but there weren’t enough to overturn the new tax legislation. Indeed, even when protests began in the Americans, many in Parliament ignored them. This was partly because of the sovereignty issue and partly because of contempt for the colonists based on the French-Indian War experience. It was also partly due to prejudice, as some politicians believed the colonists were subordinate to the British motherland. The British government was not immune to snobbery. The Sugar Act The first post-war attempt to change the financial relationship between Britain and the colonies was the American Duties Act of 1764, commonly known as the Sugar Act for its treatment of molasses. This was voted in by a large majority of British MPs, and had three main effects: there were laws to make customs collection more efficient; to add new charges on consumables in the United States, partly to push the colonists into buying imports from within the British empire; and to change existing costs, in particular, the importing costs of molasses. The duty on molasses from the French West Indies actually went down, and an across the board 3 pence a ton was instituted. Political division in America stopped most complaints about this act, which started among affected merchants and spread to their allies in assemblies, without having any major effect. However, even at this early stage- as the majority seemed slightly confused as to how laws affecting the rich and the merchants could affect them- colonists heatedly pointed out that this tax was being levied without any expansion of the right to vote in the British parliament. The Stamp Tax In February 1765, after only minor complaints from the colonists, the British government imposed the Stamp Tax. For British readers, it was just a slight increase in the process of balancing expenses and regulating the colonies. There was some opposition in the British parliament, including from Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Barrà ©, whose off the cuff speech made him a star in the colonies and gave them a rallying cry as the â€Å"Sons of Liberty,† but not enough to overcome the government vote. The Stamp Tax was a charge applied on every piece of paper used in the legal system and in the media. Every newspaper, every bill or court paper, had to be stamped, and this was charged for, as were dice and playing cards. The aim was to start small and allow the charge to grow as the colonies grew, and was initially set at two-thirds of the British stamp tax. The tax would be important, not just for the income, but also for the precedent it would set: Britain would start with a small tax, and maybe one day levy enough to pay for the colonies’ whole defense. The money raised was to be kept in the colonies and spent there. America Reacts George Grenville’s Stamp Tax was designed to be subtle, but things didnt play out exactly as he had expected. The opposition was initially confused but consolidated around the five Resolutions given by Patrick Henry in the Virginia House of Burgesses, which were reprinted and popularized by newspapers. A mob gathered in Boston and used violence to coerce the man responsible for the Stamp Tax’s application to resign. Brutal violence spread, and soon there were very few people in the colonies willing or able to enforce the law. When it came into effect in November it was effectively dead, and the American politicians responded to this anger by denouncing taxation without representation and looking for peaceful ways to persuade Britain to scrap the tax while remaining loyal. Boycotts of British goods went into effect as well. Britain Seeks a Solution Grenville lost his position as developments in America were reported to Britain, and his successor, the Duke of Cumberland, decided to enforce British sovereignty by force. However, he suffered a heart attack before he could order this, and his successor resolved to find a way to repeal the Stamp Tax but keep sovereignty intact. The government followed a twofold tactic: to verbally (not physically or militarily) assert sovereignty, and then cite the economic effects of the boycott to repeal the tax. The ensuing debate made it quite clear that British Members of Parliament felt the King of Britain had sovereign power over the colonies, had the right to pass laws affecting them, including taxes, and that this sovereignty did not give the Americans a right to representation. These beliefs underpinned the Declaration Act. British leaders then agreed, somewhat expediently, that the Stamp Tax was damaging trade and they repealed it in a second act. People in Britain and America celebrated. Consequences The result of British taxation was the development of a new voice and consciousness among the American colonies. This had been emerging during the French-Indian War, but now issues of representation, taxation, and liberty began to take center stage. There were fears that Britain intended to enslave them. On Britain’s part, they now had an empire in America which was proving expensive to run and difficult to control. These challenges would eventually lead to the Revolutionary War.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Business Ethics Managing Performance in an Ethical Company Term Paper

Business Ethics Managing Performance in an Ethical Company - Term Paper Example It may also take time and energy on behalf of management to implement an ethical culture. Most severely, they say, it can cost uncompromising damage to Performance Management in an organization (Aguilar). This paper discusses how performance is managed within an ethical company, what Performance Management means for a company and when integrated with Business Ethics, how it can improve business efficiency. It will discuss the challenges companies face while ensuring that their employees behave ethically, with special emphasis on the role of Directors and managers in cultivating that culture. Finally, the paper will discuss how performance is measured in relation to the business and its ethics. First off, we need to define what Performance Management means and what does it insinuate when applied in an organization. Performance Management refers to a system of processes whereby organizations engages its employees as either a team or individually in order to enhance over all organizatio nal performance and achievement of company goals and objectives (U.S. Office of Personnel Management). Companies around the world are trying to incorporate Performance Management in their organizational culture, but they still find it difficult to understand what it truly means and how to achieve it. Employee performance management involves managers to establish employee expectations and standards. They plan work and frequently monitor performance. They develop a culture of learning and development and give ample freedom to employees to show their abilities. Furthermore, they rate employee performance and provide summarized reports to higher management, prompting management to reward good performance. In addition, where managers are assessing employee performances, they are to incorporate business ethics in the culture and measure organizational effectiveness in an ethical enterprise. They need to take steps to ensure that people in their organization are behaving ethically without compromising on performance. There are many different strategies managers’ may apply to make sure that their employees are not underperforming and remain efficient. They may tackle a situation differently and adapt according to the calls of the circumstances. However, the best tactics managers have used historically to ensure performance is the Performance Appraisal. Initially, performance appraisal was only a tool to evaluate current productivity levels among employees. Studies have shown that this has gradually shifted to note an increase in productivity levels, as different factors motivate different employees. This is a huge role on the part of managers and Directors to conduct an ethical performance appraisal, as this does not only instigate worker efficiency but improves the overall organizational performance. In theory, this is a simple correlation, that is, a fair performance appraisal leading to a motivated staff leading to an efficient and ethical organization. Howe ver, it is not that easy in practice. Francis Aguilar, a Professor at Harvard University stress on the importance of ethical behaviour as a must for contemporary organizations. He points out that, employees as well as the customers are aware of, and expect companies to engage in ethical business practices. The Professor indicates that Corporate Ethics does not only motivate employee behaviour but alleviates the position and repute of the  organization in the customer's view. Ethics scandals such as Johnson &