NAFTA Essays (2472 words) - International Trade,

NAFTA On January 1, 1994, Canada, Mexico and the United States passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Promoted to Congress by the Clinton administration, with the assurance that it would give rise to more jobs - exactly how many though, is not precisely known. Yet, according to the Journal of Commerce, the U.S. went from having a $5.5 billion trade surplus with Mexico before NAFTA, to having a massive $16 billion trade deficit today. At the same time, it is estimated that 400,000 Americans have lost manufacturing jobs because of NAFTA within the treaty's first three years, that's about the same number of jobs which have been created in the Mexican maquiladoras. Instead of sharing of the wealth and profit, one might think that there has been a big transfer of wealth from north to south of the border and that Mexican laborers have profited at the expense and torment of their American counterparts. The reality is that working conditions, wage, health and safety standards in Mexico have deteriorated. One American employee for a steering-wheel plan made approximately $10.46 per hour, compared to his Mexican counterpart, who makes about $0.75 per hour. Within the agreement, it stated "...the government of Canada, the government of the United Mexican States and the government of the United States of America resolved to establish a free trade area." In addition, NAFTA also determined to: ? Strengthen the special bonds of friendship and cooperation among the nations; ? Contribute to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide a catalyst to broader international cooperation; ? Create an expanded and secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories; ? Establish clear and mutually beneficial rules governing their trade; ? Create new employment opportunities, improve working conditions and living standards in their respective territories; ? Ensure a predictable commercial framework for business planning and investment. A very important section of NAFTA is the elimination of tariffs, which are charged for imports and exports within the three nations. Along with the eradication of tariffs, the agreement opened up enormous opportunities, creating a $6.3 billion GNP for the three countries. As mentioned in the agreement objective, NAFTA will and should, "create economic opportunities". The three nations, following the agreement, will move more and more into the liberalization of trade, at the expense of American and international workers. Under the agreement, the goods and services must be produced within the NAFTA territory to be considered tariff free. Not all tariffs are going to be eliminated at once, the agreement follows staging categories, which are as follows: Immediate elimination of tariffs on 1/1/94: ? Cattle ? Computers ? Jewelry ? Microwave ovens ? Passenger cars ? Telephones ? Televisions Elimination of tariffs within five years, beginning on 1/1/94: ? Baseball Caps ? Cotton Yarns ? Men's Pajamas ? Table Cloths ? Women's Cotton Dresses Elimination of tariffs within ten years, beginning on 1/1/94: ? Cigarettes ? Cotton ? Footwear ? Glassware ? Luggage ? Rum Elimination of tariffs after fifteen years, beginning on 1/1/94: ? Dry Beans ? Most Fresh Vegetables ? Orange Juice ? Peanuts ? Sugar With this in mind, critics present the problem that Mexican companies may take advantage of tariff free goods, resulting in the switching to low Mexican wages. As a result, United States workers may lose their jobs to Mexican citizens that can be paid less. When President Clinton was one of the Chief Proponents of NAFTA his Council of Economic Advisors brought forward this issue, "...Although wages are lower in Mexico than in the United States, the productivity of Mexican workers is also lower than the U.S. workers. Moreover, companies make plant location decisions based on a variety of factors in addition to wages, including telecommunications and transportation's infrastructure and business services, all of which are more sophisticated in the United States" (Arnold, 296). But the latter has not slowed down American companies from going south of the border for cheaper labor and less demanding working conditions from government agencies. So far, companies like Thompson Consumer Electronics, Jay Garment, Magne Tek, Uniroyal Goodrich and Breed Technologies have moved at least 107 plants in Indiana alone. To attempt mutual acceptance, NAFTA has presented readers with their goods and service overview. The following are short assessments that NAFTA provides: Agriculture: The food everyone eats is very important to every country, thus being our main source of consumption, NAFTA makes it easier for goods to be exported and imported with limited quotas throughout the years of operation. When NAFTA entered into force at least one

Victims of mass hysteria essays

Victims of mass hysteria essays Hysteria is defined as behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess. These feelings shared by the masses causes much chaos and many people to get hurt. Throughout the years, starting in 1692 with the Salem Witch Trials through to the 20th century with the Robert Roberson Case, there have been many instances of this mass hysteria all containing similarities and differences between them. The similarity between all these cases is that no matter where the accusations took place throughout the country, all people persecuted by mass hysteria, were done so because they were different in some way. During the Salem Witch Trails people were persecuted because the other towns people believed they did not follow their god. Between 1942 and 1946 more than 120,000 Japanese natives living in the United States were placed in internment camps because a country they no longer lived in had attacked Pearl Harbor. During the McCarthy Hearings in 1954 people were blamed for not being American enough because they had different beliefs about the society they lived in. In the Robert Roberson Case a pastor and his wife were persecuted because they were accused of sexual abuse without being tried for it. All of these accused people caused change to the normalcy of the general public and because of it they were scrutinized and treated poorly. The victims of mass hysteria all had their reputations completely ruined, and every society they lived in never saw these people as they had before any accusations had ever been made. The differences in the cases are not as broad as the similarities. Although these people were persecuted because they were different they were all persecuted because of different specific reasons. In the Salem Which Trials, twenty villagers were hanged and killed because they would not lie and say they did dealings with the devil. No other group was largely and publicly punished for thei...

MGMT670 week 6 Conference Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGMT670 week 6 Conference - Assignment Example If you have yet to generate a company icon online, social media sites are the places to do it. There are innumerable principal benefits to carrying out marketing and promotional practices on global products. Foremost, the most significant merit is attached to brand recognition. Marketing and promotion of a global product assists in imprinting the product’s brand in the minds of the potential customers (Zimmerman & Blythe, 2005). Accordingly, the customers tend to seek a pre-identified brand rather than the product brand seeking for its users. In addition, once a brand has expanded its ground and founded its customer base, promotion enables it to keep hold of the potential customers. Another merit linked to promotion is the identification of potential customers rather than forcing a product on unenthusiastic purchasers (Marquardt, 2012). Furthermore, direct marketing enables companies to target specific customers by personalizing the meaning of the advert to have the best possible effect. The downside is that such promotions can be expensive. Companies have to spend on adverts as well as employing sales and marketing professionals (Stonehouse & Purdie, 2004). If a firm fails to conduct a proper market research then it might end up making unnecessary advertisement and marketing expenses. Some companies waste efforts in targeting unwilling customers using unsuitable media. Small businesses owners must, therefore, weigh the merits of conducting such marketing practices against the respective costs incurred. As well as the financial expenses, promotion requires sacrifice of time. The sales experts are expected to research on the most proper marketing approaches design the adverts and deal with customer reactions to the products. An example of how to market global products and services is by use of funny video clips. YouTube and other social network videos could be used to

Unit 9&10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unit 9 - Essay Example To examine the issue of morality in environmental situations, one faces the concept of rights and duties made famous by Immanuel Kant. According to Gilbert (2000), this approach is better explained, to wit: â€Å"the basic position here is that individuals have rights, either as humans, as citizens of a given country or state, or as occupants of a particular position. These right rights confer duties on others, and the morality of a given decision or act can be determined by an analysis of these rights and duties.† The rights of the concerned citizens of Florida remain the protection and preservation of Florida’s coastline to be regarded as a legacy to this nation’s children. It is a responsibility to preserve botanical and biological resources to assist in an immediate rehabilitation of Florida’s oceans and address the still impending threats. One relevant solution to this environmentally ethical dilemma is to call the attention of government officials to reduce government subsidy that encourage growth in high-risk coastal areas. There are numerous conservation, recreation and civic organizations that call on local government officials to unit with their efforts and be the representative to establish a unified and coordinated government leadership for ocean and coastal resource. An immediate action is the only recourse to save our oceans. It is time to update ocean and coastal policies to prevent continued deterioration and unconcerned destruction of an irreplaceable natural resource. An article published in the New York Times on March 17, 2010 reported state lawmakers’ closer monitoring of humans who were found to have previous records of abusing animals. The report indicated that there is â€Å"growing evidence that people who abuse animals often go on to attack humans, states are increasing the penalties for animal cruelty and developing better methods for tracking

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final Paper - Essay Example There are statement releases by several autonomous scientific organizations concerning the same around the world. It is true that not every scientist agree in every component of the problem in climate change. It is why the article clearly states that not all engineers and scientists agree on the taking drastic measures against global warming. However, there is extensive agreement that climate change exists, primarily due to release of greenhouse gases from humans (NRC). Evidence of global warming is incontrovertible. It is why scientists are constantly researching various important questions concerning the matter. Questions such as precisely how much will the earth warm, how fast will it warm and the consequences it will cause to various regions. Scientists record an increase in global temperature by over 1.4Â °F throughout the previous century (NRC). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2000 to 2010 happened to be the warmest decade on record. This fact contradicts the mention of global warming not existing over ten years by the article. Changes in climate and weather are what follow the increasing global temperatures (NRC). So many facts and information show several places experiencing rainfall changes resulting in additional intense rain. There is also evidence of more intense and frequent heat waves. It is hard to deny that oceans are becoming acidic and warmer while ice caps at the North Pole are melting. All these observations prove that there is an increase of warmth in the world. We have scientists who continue to research the questions of global warming to inform society better on how to prepare for climate change. However, sufficient certainty is real concerning basic causes and impacts of climate change to validate taking actions that decrease future risks. Claiming that global warming is not a crucial matter to deal with because the evidence is smaller than predicted does not mean society should stop paying

Organizational Behavior Leadership Analysis Social Work Essay

Organizational Behavior Leadership Analysis Social Work Essay Academic theories about employee motivation, empowerment and performance are just that theories, they are of little practical use to business leader or their companies, with reference covered to the material cover on the OBL course, and the people management of one Employee of Choice, please evaluate the validity of this statement. Organizational Behavior is the study of behavior of individual, group and people in the organization. It focuses in the relationship between individual and organization in the holistic manner. It focuses on meeting the social objectives, organizational level objectives and individual level objectives. (Leadership and Organizational Behavior, 2010) In managing the organizational behavior with in the organization, there are various managerial theories being proposed by various people to meet the organizational and individual requirement. The role of business leader is to effectively manage the workforce with in the organization to achieve the maximum output from the employees. It is also required from the business leaders to increase the productivity of the organization, to reduce employee turnover, to increase job satisfaction, to reduce absenteeism among the employees, to establish organizational citizenship. The productivity of the employees could be increased by increasing the motivational level of the employees and by imparting training and development programs. An organization is said productive if it converts its inputs into outputs at lowest operating costs. Organizational behavior studies help managers to understand the general behavior of the individuals, but not the exact behavior of the individual. For example Douglas McGregors Theory X and Theory Y give an idea about type of people in the organization. According to Theory X, people would tend to avoid the work and are not responsible, on the other hand according to Theory Y, people are self directed and self motivated. Now this theory does not highlight the exact reasons for being lazy and self-motivated. In this way organizational studies only direct the managers about the general concepts, but could not point the exact behavior of the individual. It is so because the behavior of individual may vary from situation to situation and may also differ from person to person. (Douglas McGregor-Human Relations Contributors, Theory X and Theory Y) The turnover of the employee is another important managerial duty to be considered by leaders. The increase in turnover costs high for the organization by increasing the recruitment, interview, selection and training costs. It is one of the essential parameter to be considered by the managers for increasing the efficiency of the organization. There could be various reasons for increased in turnover. It could be because of work environment, job position mismatch, compensation and rewards, job stress etc. It is required from the leaders to find out the reason for the increase in turnover. As there could be various different reasons for the increase in turnover, the organizational theories could not find the exact reason for the increase in turnover. The method that could be used by manager to find exact reason for the increased turnover could be interviews or survey. With the help of organizational behavior theories leaders could find out the general behavior of the group of employees in the organization, but it is required to carry out individual analysis to find the exact reason for the absenteeism with in the organization. Increasing the Job satisfaction is another important managerial duty. It is essential for leaders to maintain the job satisfaction level of the employees with in the organization. This would not only decrease the turnover of the employees but also generate the healthy environment with in the organization. Organizational Behavior theories help the managers to understand the general behavior of the employee about job satisfaction, but it does not showcase how to increase job satisfaction for a particular employee. According to dispositional theory individual who is happy in his life is happy at his job as well. According to this theory there are the factors affecting job satisfaction i.e. positive and negative affectivity, personality attributes and self evaluation. This theory as well does not find the actual reason specific to a particular individual and hence managers would need to carry out the analysis specific to the individual. Another important function of the business leaders is to reduce absenteeism among the employees. The reduction in absenteeism is directly related to the job dissatisfaction and improper work environment. It is required for the leaders to understand the individual needs and expectations of the individuals from the organization and meet those expectations. It is also observed that unhealthy work environment creates problem for the employee and in turn reduced their efficiency and hence productivity of the organization. Here as well leaders have to sit individually with the employees and seek out the possible hindrances for the employees with respect to work environment. The reasons for the unhealthy work environment could be racial discrimination, manager-subordinates relationship, gender discrimination, work pressures etc. Organization Behavior theories works as the general framework for the leaders but could not act as the specific solution for a particular organizational problem. It require extensive analysis and thorough understanding of the organization and individual behavior to meet the objectives of the organization. Question 2: With reference to Organizational Behavior leadership on gender inequity in organization, and you own work experience if relevant, evaluate the extent to which this issue will require further attention from public and private sector organization in the UAE now and in the future. How can local organization ensure that there is true equity of opportunity for their women Emirati employees and what will be the likely commercial benefits of doing this? Answer: Gender Inequality means differentiation between individuals on the basis of their gender. As per gender inequality the responsibility, human and social possibilities differ from men to that of women. (Long, 2001) It is found that most of the theories showcase the organizational structure as the reason for gender inequality. It is as per organizational structure which causes differences in roles, difference in position, and difference in behaviors between men and women. Materialist theory: As per this theory the connection of men and women with the societys economic structure causes the gender inequality. As per this theory, womens role of mother and wife in the society devalued its right to access high valued resources. Women are less paid as compared to the men in the labor class market. The reason for this is the social responsibility attached to women to take care of family and children. Division between Domestic and Public Work: Their role of mother and wife devalued their role social roles and hence high profile. Women are bound with the domestic responsibilities and hence have to take care of the family and have to invest time there as well. On the other hand men are free from domestic responsibilities and have greater access to high valued resources. It is noticed that there is inequality in pay of men and women, and women are paid less than men. It is also found that two-third of the women works in areas low profile areas like catering, cleaning, clerical jobs, caring jobs. The reason for women being paid less than men is that their job includes discontinuity because of maternity leaves, and to take care of family and children. Moreover still the ratio of highly qualifies women is less than that of men. This gives men an edge to work in high profile jobs and so being paid more than women. Gender Inequality in UAE: The UAE government is trying their best to reduce the gender inequality in UAE. In the year 2008, UAE is participating actively in reducing the gap of gender disparity by organizing various conferences for the same. Dubai School of Government along with Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research and World Bank, organizes a conference to narrow down the gender gap in North Africa and Middle East. The conference named Gender and Economics in MENA: from Theory to Policymaking (ZPRESS, 2008). The main purpose of the conference was to highlight the importance of high education over women. In the conference, Nabeel Al Yousuf, vice chairman of trustee board in Dubai School of Government, focused on gender inequality for the social, national and economic development. Community Development Authority is coordinating with various government and non-government organizations to maintain gender equality. (ZPRESS, 2008) In the recent years UAE has worked well in reducing the gender gap in the emirates. As per a report, UAE has topped in human development chart among gulf countries. Though the ratio of educated women is increasing, but still UAE needs to improve on gender equality. This gender inequality further drags the human development index of the country. The gender equality could be improved with the help of combined effort from public and private companies. Protect Women Rights: It is essential to get women aware of their rights and also make them aware how to fight against the violation of any basic right. This education would help them to fight for their basic rights. It is required for both public and private organizations to coordinate with Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to protect the rights of women. Women Education: To increase the status of women in the society it is required to further increase the level and quality of education for women. To achieve the same it is required for public and private educational institutions to work together to achieve the common objective. Healthy Work Environment: It is required for the private and public organizations to maintain healthy work environment for the women at workplace. It could be done by providing facilities for women like pick and drop from home, work from home etc. The local organization could ensure the equal opportunity for women by ensuring that jobs are offered as per the qualification and not on the basis of gender. The pay should be equal as per the caliber and qualification of the individual. It is required for the local organization to create equal opportunities for both men and women and should not create any disparity between the two. Gender equality would ensure equal status for the women in the society and would increase their standard of living. It would ensure right investment of the income and less wastage of money. It has been found that women invest 90% of her income on family whereas men only invest 35% of his income on family. This would change political and public welfare policies would increase focus on women as well. Increase in education level of women would reduce the health problems and diseases in the society.

Fossil Fuel versus Solar Power: Where the Line Meets the Circle Essay

Fossil Fuel versus Solar Power: Where the Line Meets the Circle There are a number of benefits to building a house that utilizes direct solar energy as compared to current conventional designs, which are largely powered and heated by energy from fossil fuels. According to a number of estimates, it is actually cheaper in the long term to incorporate solar energy into building design. Solar energy is far cleaner than fossil fuel derived energy, and therefore is far less impacting on the health of humans and the environment. There are a number of innovative technologies that have been developed for nearly every application of solar energy, thus making its use comparably convenient to fossil fuel use, but with greater assurance of long-term dependability. While it is currently still cheaper to build a home around the theme of fossil fuel power, the cheap supply of this finite resource is rapidly diminishing. The years that are left in which fossil fuels will be accessible to the general public are numbered for certain. One of the factors contributing to the widespread misconception that this is not so is the overestimation of fossil fuel reserves due to varying regulations regarding proved oil reserves among different countries (Campbell & Laherrere, 1998). Problems of this nature have occurred with the former Soviet Union (Campbell & Laherrere, 1998). Another factor is deliberate misrepresentation, which is highly probable in the case of OPEC estimates from 1998, in which three hundred billion barrels of oil were added to OPEC reserve estimates without any accompanying reserve discoveries (Campbell & Laherrere, 1998). While fossil fuels are a form of stored solar energy and thus finite, direct solar energy can be consid... ...th’s natural energy flows. This could be described as an interdependent system rather than a dependent system as is the case with fossil fuels. References Cited Campbell, C.J. & Laherrere, J.H. (1998). The End of Cheap Oil: global production of conventional oil will begin to decline sooner than most people think, probably within ten years. Scientific American. Gould, S.J. (2000). The Golden Rule: a proper scale for our environmental crisis. Chapter nine from The Earth Around Us: maintaining a livable planet. New York, Freeman. Web references: Glass on Web. (2003). http://www.glassonweb.com/articles/article/221/ National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (2000). http://www.eere.energy.gov/erec/factsheets/solrwatr.html Solarenergy.com. (1997 - 2001). http://www.solarenergy.com/ Sun Ovens International, Inc. (2003). http://www.sunoven.com/usa.asp

Icarus In Catechism Class

The story revolves around the ancient story of Cirrus and Deals. In a outsell, Cirrus was the son of the artist Deals who created a labyrinth for the Minotaur, as commanded by King Minis. Cirrus and his father wanted to escape from Crete. They used Deals' invention-?a pair Of wings made Of feathers and wax. Deals warned his son not to go too near the ocean or the sun, because his wings would get wet and be too heavy, or the wax holding his wings would melt and be gone.Now to the poem proper, Olio gives us an image of Cirrus inside a church or a religion convention and he feels very much uninterested having every intention of getting out. In the first line † Or make us angels all, with dirty et,† already brings about a disconnection or a confusion because of the word â€Å"or† and â€Å"all†, who is Cirrus referring too? Followed up with † Without wings, chanting the beatitudes Without exultation nor thought, counting† shows us an irony of angels having no wings but with dirty feet possibly due to walking with bare feet.These lines shows us angels being humankind, removing their wings so they would walk live men turns them into something just like us. † counting the silver halos on the heads of saints/And ignoring the pastels on the stunning/ Stained glass windows. † further supports the act of humiliation. To ignore he pastels on the stained glass windows shows us that the stained glass isn't stunning no more. It is portrayed as something of the ordinary. Also, â€Å"counting the silver halos† further supports the fact the Cirrus mood is revolving around the concept of boredom.The next verse being â€Å"This morning Deals/My father' gives us an affirmation that Cirrus is indeed the persona. Moving on to â€Å"Spoke of escape from this dark labyrinth† gives me two (2) impressions here, the more religion version and the more scientific and historic version. One being that the dark labyrinth maybe re lated to the Church where Cirrus is trapped in for the time Ewing. Another reading is that knowing Cirrus is being consumed by boredom, his thoughts maybe already wondering off relating what he feels inside the Church to be what he really feels to be trapped inside the labyrinth.Connecting this with † This walled-in wilderness where the black/birds twitter/ Homilies from the pulpit. â€Å", following the first reading the â€Å"black birds† are the priest or preachers filling him with nonsense or following the second reading they could be somewhat the evil men keeping him inside that labyrinth. â€Å"O I wait the noon† – The noon could signify the crucifixion of Jesus Christ owing He died at pm then it would be around noon when he was placed on the cross. While following the second reading, noon is known to be the hottest part of the day when the sun is directly above us.The next line is a bit confusing â€Å"Soon the minutes will glibly run/lento the de cades full of women and sinners†, the trail of thought for the first reading became bigger. We were looking at it in the time line of Jesus' life but Olio gives us a grander picture to the time of genesis. Women being sinners correlates to the time Eve ate the apple. For the second reading, women throughout history have gained this ad notion of being seductresses. Moving on to † O hour of my death, O let the noon bell ring† could be connected to the later part of the prayer Hail Mary – Pray for us sinner now and at the hour of our death.Cirrus at this point maybe prayer already. On the other hand, noon as mention is the hottest part of the day, could refer to the point of Cirrus' life when he is about to part ways from the human world. Lastly, the part â€Å"l want to go home I want to put On my wings. † for the first reading could be that he has awakened from his trail of thoughts and simply just wants to escape from the religious invention and put o n his wings to escape from this insane world or it could also mean Cirrus' death in his life, home for he isn't in the human world no more.Cirrus viewed religion to be something that captivated him. Something that sets the norms, rules, regulations that each person has to obey. It would limit his freedom. He would rather also experience life at first hand by stepping outside rather than sitting inside a religious convention listening to what and what not to do. It was a battle between his reality and illusions. Reality being him actually inside a church and illusion being the bigger picture of him being rapped inside the labyrinth, a nasty world.In the end, it was his illusion that won based on the last line â€Å"l want to go home I want to put on my wings† that revolved on the notion that he was away of it being an illusion and he tries to turn it into his reality by putting on the wings and flying off. The two poems â€Å"Cirrus in Catechism Class† and â€Å"Cirrus and Deals† both us the same technique and basis yet have different intentions. They both use the historical story of Cirrus and Deals reflecting the journey they went through. Showing the creation of the wings, being trapped inside the labyrinth and flying too.

What We Know Be True About humans. essays

What We Know Be True About humans. essays What is a human or a characteristic that makes a human? Human, Humane may refer to which is, or should be, characteristic of human beings. In thus, describing characteristics, human may refer to good and bad traits of a person alike. When emphasis is placed upon the latter, human is thought of as contrasted to divine. Humane takes into account only the nobler or gentler aspects of people and is often contrasted to their more ignoble or brutish aspect. A humane person is benevolent in treating fellow humans or helpless animals. Ever since evolution, humans have made a lot of progress in becoming what we are today. Even though we have, in fact, come a long way, we have so much further to go to reach perfection. Personally, I dont think that humans will ever reach perfection. Our weaknesses have not been overcome for thousands of years, nor will they ever. No matter how far we come technologically, medically, or intellectually, our human nature is simply full of weaknesses. Our emotions as human beings prevent us to grasp the social skills that are required for social perfection. For example, jealousy, anger, and sadness all come in the way of our social skills. Even though most of us have been taught social skills at a young age, we still do not possess the skills of self control. Every person is different. How can someone judge what good manners are? If one person is taught one thing and another is taught the opposite, who is right? The answer is not easily understood. For each person, the answer lies within. Human beings have never been able to get along together. Even though we are all the same deep down, different groups of people do not accept other groups of people. This is very juvenile and closed-minded. All we have to do is think and analyze different situations to view things in a rational and legitimate way. A problem we face today is the growing population all over the world. ...

All About Plastics

All About Plastics Every day, people use plastics in various applications. Over the last 50 to 60 years, the uses for plastic have expanded to infiltrate virtually every aspect of life. Because of how versatile the material is, and how affordable it can be, it has taken the place of other products including wood and metals. The properties of the various types of plastics make it beneficial for manufacturers to use. Consumers like it because it is easy to use, lightweight and easy to maintains. Types of Plastics Overall, there are about 45 unique types of plastics and each type has dozens of different variations. Manufacturers can change the physical structure just slightly to benefit the application for which they are using it. When manufacturers change or modify things like the molecular weight distribution, the density or the melt indices, they alter the effectiveness and create plastics with many specific properties - and therefore many different uses. Two Plastic Categories There are two main types of plastics, thermoset plastics and thermoplastics. Breaking these down further, you can see the everyday uses of each type. With thermoset plastics, the plastic will hold its shape long term once it has cooled to room temperature and hardened thoroughly. This type of plastic cannot return to its original form - it cannot be melted down into its original form. Epoxy resins and polyurethanes are some examples of this type of thermosetting plastic. It is commonly used in tires, auto parts, and composites. The second category is thermoplastics. Here, you have more flexibility and versatility. Because it will return to its original form when heated, these plastics are commonly used in various applications. They can be made into films, fibers, and other forms. Specific Types of Plastics Below are some of the specific types of plastics and how they are in use today. Consider their chemical properties and benefits, too: PET or Polyethylene terephthalate - This plastic is ideal for food storage and water bottles. It is commonly used for things like storage bags, too. It does not leach into the food, but is sturdy and can be drawn into fibers or films. PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride - It is brittle but stabilizers are added to it. This makes it a softer plastic thats easy to mold into various shapes. It is commonly used in plumbing applications because of its durability. Polystyrene - Commonly known as Styrofoam, it is one of the less ideal options today for environmental reasons. However, it is very lightweight, easy to mold and it works as an insulator. That is why it is heavily used in furniture, cabinetry, glasses and other impact-resistant surfaces. It is also commonly added with a blowing agent to create foam insulation. Polyvinylidine Chloride (PVC) - Commonly known as Saran, this plastic is used in wraps to cover food. It is impermeable to odors from food and can be drawn into various films. Polytetrafluoroethylene - A growing popular choice is this plastic also known as Teflon. First manufactured by DuPont in 1938, it is a heat-resistant form of plastic. It is very stable and strong and is unlikely to be damaged by chemicals. Moreover, it creates a surface that is almost frictionless. This is why it is used in various cookware (nothing sticks to it) and in tubing,  plumbing tapes and in waterproof coating products. Polypropylene - Commonly called just PP, this plastic has various forms. However, it has uses in many applications including tubes, car trims, and bags. Polyethylene - Also known as HDPE or LDPE, it is one of the most common forms of plastics. New formations of it make it possible for this plastic to be flat. Its initial uses were for electrical wires but it is now found in many disposable products, including gloves and garbage bags. It is also used in other film applications such as wraps, as well as in bottles. The use of plastics every day is more commonplace than many might think. By making small changes to these chemicals, new and versatile solutions are obtained.

Melton A. McLaurin's book Celia, A Slave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Melton A. McLaurin's book Celia, A Slave - Essay Example â€Å"Quit the old man† (McLaurin 30) her boyfriend encourages Celia, but she is in a dilemma because she knows either way she will still lose him and endanger her life. 3. What did Celia have in common with Robert Newsom’s daughters Virginia Waynescot and Mary Newsom? During the period of slavery, all women were the weaker sex and were made to subdue to men’s ways. In this regard, Robert Newsom’s daughters, Virginia Waynescot and Mary Newsom were not equal to their father in terms of advocating for issues. Similar to Celia they also depended on their father on food, shelter and they little rights he would accord to them. Due to this experience Celia and the master’s daughters seem to share a bond of oppression. A relationship based on moral comfort and mutual understanding in isolation. Celia pleaded with them to talk with their father on her behalf and they seem to agree but, it is not known whether they did so, but the sexual demand continued. 4. Why did Celia go on trial? It would not have been surprising if Celia had been declared guilty by a judge and executed without a trial. Celia had to be taken to trial just as a formality so that she could get a hearing just like everyone else. This had been due to the political struggle that was apparent in the neighboring state of Kansas (McLaurin 46). There was a voting process that was taking place on whether to include the state into the union as a free nation or a pro slave state. This process also included the slavery supporters and freedom supporters in a bid to try and sway the votes on their side and as such, divided the country. This sort of division threatened in Missouri if care was not taken in punishing slave wrong doers and as such Celia was taken to trial. 5. How could Celia be â€Å"morally innocent of murder†? In trying to give Celia a fair trial, the judge presiding over her case appointed three supremely competent attorneys to her defense which were chose n on the basis that they were neutral on the issues on slavery. The attorneys in their defense tried to prove that Celia was not guilty of the murder. To their defense, they brought up the issue of sexual abuse between Cecile and her then master. This was to indicate that she committed the act of murder in order wade off the master’s sexual advancements that left her in a lot of pain both physically and mentally. This is also true due to the fact that as a slave, she had been raped for years, and this justified her intent to hurt the master to protect herself (McLaurin 43). Unfortunately in trying to hurt him, she killed him; it was all in self defense. 2. Could a slave master trespass on his own property? How an innocent verdict would have struck a â€Å"devastating blow to the authority of Slave-owners† and set a controversial legal precedent Celia’s trial of guilt or innocence in the case against the state for the murder of her master was of keen interest to the majority of the society. The slave owners were particularly concerned with this due to the fact that it would spell out their rights. Most of people were aware of the existence of sexual offenses towards slaves, but no one talked about it probably because they viewed it as the right of the owner on his/her property (McLaurin 67). This meant that they owned the

Multi-culturalism and the new regionalism in Southeast Asia (or ASEAN) Essay

Multi-culturalism and the new regionalism in Southeast Asia (or ASEAN) - Essay Example Economic integration can be replicated in the political field but true growth of regionalism will come about through a coagulation of regional identities. Multiculturalism can contribute to creation of common identities and can thus provide a strong bond for the sustained growth of regionalism. The impact of multiculturalism in fostering regionalism and growth of ASEAN will thus form the central theme of this research. A realist approach with thorough analysis of data and study of primary as well as secondary sources will be adopted to arrive at specific answers to the key research questions. The rigorous approach thus adopted is expected to bring about a greater understanding of the phenomenon of multiculturalism in the specific context of South East Asian regionalism. The modern world is increasingly regionalized and globalized. This is posing greater challenges for individuals and nation states. Some of these are resulting in a clash of identities between individuals and states. Multiculturalism attempts to reduce these fault lines by bringing people closer together to melt different cultures and identities. Regionalism provides a geographical and political dimension to multiculturalism. However regionalism does not naturally imply assimilation of cultures. Multiculturalism needs stronger roots and deeper commitments than regionalism. Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN has emerged as an enduring regional phenomenon. It is a political and economic confederation based on the needs to protect and project economic and political power of the resurgent economies of South East Asia, such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Multiculturalism can also form a strong glue to bind together the people of ASEAN. Though it will be a long a slow p rocess, a multicultural ASEAN society would be far more homogeneous than it is today, thereby enabling peace and prosperity in the region more consistently.