Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Assignment Example There may be two types of efficiency in the market Productive efficiency and Allocative efficiency. The perfectly competitive market ensures maximum efficiency. In perfectly competitive the maximum profit point is where the marginal cost is equal to marginal benefit and since for them MR = AR= P. thus the profit maximization point i.e. MC =MR also ensures MC = MU (price). This means that in perfectly competitive markets the marginal benefit to the society derived by customers while consuming the product is just able to cover the marginal cost incurred by the society through the producer. Thus the marginal loss to the society is equal to the marginal benefit to the society which is a condition for efficiency. Which is not case with imperfectly competitive markets whose MU may not equal to MC at the point of profit maximization i.e. MR = MC, as for imperfectly competitive markets MR may not be equal to AR and price. Thus MC and price may not be equal. An example of market very close to perfect competition is street vegetable market in developing countries. The products are almost similar and each buyer and seller is very small thus almost similar prices prevail. Thus MR = P = AR, and for profit maximization MC = MR which means MC = P (MU) which ensures utmost efficiency. Figure 1 shows the profit maximizing point for a competitive market firm. The point for profit maximization is qe, as here MR = MC and since it’s perfectly competitive, AR = P = MR, thus MC = P, which shows the efficiency in the market. b) The example of imperfect competition is tooth paste market in the US a lot of firms selling differentiated products to many buyers. In this case the firms don’t sell at similar prices and their demand curves are sloping downwards thus MR falls faster than AR and P. Thus when MC comes equal to MR MC is actually less than AR which keeps the prices

Louis Armstrong and the development of early jazz Essay

Louis Armstrong and the development of early jazz - Essay Example ific manner of performance - singing "scat", that is, the kind of jazz singing, when the melody is improvised with adding of meaningless set of words which serves as a kind of an additional tool. The novelty of the performance surprises hearing of listeners and wins their hearts. Louis Armstrong becomes not only the example of following by other jazzmen but also the favorite of the public. All this has its positive aftereffects even nowadays, after more than fifty years, as his compositions are listened by a great number of his fans, his albums and compilations of hits still face unprecedented demand. So what is the role of Armstrong for the development of early jazz and what his particular impact on it? Let’s see the characteristic features of his individual style by researching its expression in his full of talent songs. Probably the peculiarities of every person’s life, whether he or she is a representative of the scientific or creative environment, find their reflection to some extent in his or her works, and Louis Armstrong is not an exception in this respect. From early childhood and till the youth the future jazz player has an experience of street singing, participation in the camp brass orchestra, performance in clubs and restaurants, becoming a member of different bands. All this helps Armstrong to emerge as an extraordinal performer whose distinctive feature is his playing style of cleanliness and beauty of sound. The other thing which highlights Armstrong on the background of other jazz performers is his grandstanding aimed to be appreciated by everyone from the audience; and it must be said he manages to become the favorite among the black as well as the white public. This means that the ease with which he wins the white public can be explained by the fact that from Louis’s childhood he grows up and serves to white people, and that helps him to learn how to find the right approach in dealing with them so as not to be hungry, at minimum, and to

Absurdity of a Sivilized Society-an Analysis of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Absurdity of a Sivilized Society-an Analysis of Huckleberry Finn Essay The Absurdity of a â€Å"Sivilized† Society Authors often express their views on any given subject through their works, and Mark Twain is no exception. One may read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and believe it is simply a novel about a young boys childhood; however, a deeper analysis of the text reveals many of Mark Twain’s expressions about important moral and social issues. Perhaps one of the most prominent being the frailty of human justice and the hypocrisy we as a people foster in our societies. Throughout the novel, Huck meets people who appear to be good, civilized people, but always end up having a hypocritical fault about them. Though not every instance is a grave matter, Twain’s writing shows that societies in Huck’s world are based upon corrupted laws and principles that defy basic logic. Twain’s writing leaves the reader with an understanding that cowardice, illogical choices, and selfish as well as hypocritical people mark these societies. Twain begins weaving hypocrisies and cants early into the story; one of the most appalling being the issue of Huck’s custody. This flawed system of thought is first shown when the new judge in St. Petersburg rules that Pap has rightful custody of Huck. Although this would be bad for Huck if his father became his legal guardian, the judge asserts Pap’s rights to Huck as his biological son, despite the fact that this is placing Huck’s welfare below the so-called rights of his father. Ironically, this system would put Huck under his dad’s custody, leaving him worse off, whereas Jim is separated from his family despite being a far better father and person. However, the welfare of the individual isn’t highly valued in society, and thus they are placed in uncomfortable, often dangerous situations. The judge tries to put Huck back in contact with his horrid father and therefore abuse, but Jim, a loving parent, never receives help to be with his children and help rescue them from slavery and separation. This decision defies all logic one would find in a normal society, and yet this kind of thinking was commonplace. The values and welfare of a black person were nowhere near as important as those of a white man, and even though Jim is a grown man with the most in tune moral compass of any character in the book, Huck still has power over him simply because he is white. By comparing the situation of Pap and Huck with slaves and their masters, Twain hints that it is impossible for a society to be civilized so long as it practices slavery. Though not quite as harmful, another example of a hypocritical character can be found in the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. In an attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huckleberry, Miss Watson reprimands him for smoking a cigarette and yet she snuffs tobacco. â€Å"Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn’t. She said it was a mean practice and wasn’t clean, and I must try to not do it any more†¦ And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself† (Twain 2). She prevents Huck from doing what she believes is uncivilized and detrimental to his health, yet doesn’t think twice about proceeding to do something very similar simply because she herself enjoys it. This example of hypocrisy is not particularly malicious, but yet another example of how all the characters Huck is involved with has some form of a hypocritical flaw. Furthermore, Miss Watson is quite religious and, in efforts to teach Huck, tells him that all he must do is pray for something and he will have it. However, when Huck needs fishhooks and asks her to help pray for them, she calls him a fool. Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warnt so. I tried it. Once I got a fish- line, but no hooks. It warnt any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldnt make it make it work. By-and-by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. (Twain 8). Miss Watson tells Huck that if he does something, he can expect a certain result but when things don’t work, he asks for her help and she chides him for it! The widow Douglas and Miss Watson are religious, educated, and yet, they are slave owners. They educate Huck, and teach him religion but find it perfectly acceptable to do things contrary to their teachings, such as snuff and practice slavery. The latter, being a more insidious humbug of St. Petersburg, is shown over and over again throughout Huck’s journey. As Huck begins to stray from his backwards, insincere town, he reaches different places with different people, all different in their own way and yet, very similar to those in St. Petersburg. The Duke and Dauphin are two despicable con men who join Huck and Jim as they continue to drift on the river. The Duke and Dauphin cause trouble for Huck and Jim, as well as the towns they visit. The fault here is that, the Duke and Dauphin are able to scam entire communities by lying, pretending to be someone they’re not, and cheating their guests. Though they spend most of the novel doing awful things or planning awful things, they both are hardly punished. After the first showing of The Royal Nonesuch, the first group of attendees realizes they have been cheated. However, instead of chastising the Duke and Dauphin, the audience that night chooses to lie about the performance in order to cheat a second group of attendees. Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen. † They stopped to listen. â€Å"We are sold—mighty badly sold. But we don’t want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. NO. What we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the REST of the town! Then we’ll al l be in the same boat. Ain’t that sensible? † (You bet it is! —the jedge is right! † everybody sings out. ) â€Å"All right, then—not a word about any sell. Go along home, and advise everybody to come and see the tragedy. † (Twain 114). Most hypocritical, however, is the fact that the Judge of the town conceived this plan. He who stands as a pillar of justice and truth in the town decides to cheat the others in order to save face. By the third night, everyone in town has seen the play and the Duke and Dauphin make a large profit from their misconduct. Immoral acts committed by the Duke and Dauphin never yielded punishments, but brazen, drunk insults led to execution. Boggs, described as the â€Å"most easy going old fool in Arkansas†, began shouting insults and anathemas at Sherburn, the man who had cheated him. He [Sherburn] was standing perfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand—not aiming it, but holding it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky†¦ Boggs throws up both of his hands and says, â€Å"O Lord, don’t shoot! † Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air—bang! goes the second one, and he tumbles backwards on to the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. † (Twain 108). The Duke and Dauphin cheat entire communities and remain unpunished by their terrible acts; however, peccadilloes like shouting drunken insults result in execution. Twain’s writing exposes the issue of faulty justice and duplicitous nature of men. Furthermore, Sherburn’s speech to the angry mob around his house in relation to a lack of logic and cowardice capitulates Twain’s societal views. Twain’s use of hypocrisy helps express his views on societal issues. Though not every instance is harmful, such as Miss Watson’s snuff usage, other notable examples such as the execution of Boggs and the custody of Huck highlight his belief that cowardice, lack of logic, and selfishness are at the core of society, not the communal welfare that it should be. The repeated instances of insecure, logic defying justice are the root of the problem, as thoughtless crimes are punished severely whereas serious crimes go scot-free. Throughout the novel, Huck meets characters that appear good, yet Twain makes a conscious effort to prove they are prejudiced slave owners. The illogical choices and hypocritical people presented throughout the novel show the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the â€Å"sivilized† society.

Minorities In The Federal Government Politics Essay

Minorities In The Federal Government Politics Essay Minorities are always a source of debate in America. Whether it is relating to immigration laws, equal opportunity in schools and workplaces, or their role in government minorities are often a subject of controversy. Many citizens of the United States feel their ethnicities or sex are not fairly represented in Congress, the Justice system, or even in the Executive branch. Today we have an overwhelming majority of white males in Congress. Racial minorities and women alike are underrepresented in both houses. A debate continues on how to make this representation could become more equal. Some feel that the system is what it is and generally makes a level playing field for all candidates; others believe that white males are heavily favored in our current districting. Underrepresentation of minorities has been prevalent since the beginning of Americas government, and many feel that action must be taken to achieve a more representative Federal Government. Of all minorities, women are actually the weakest in representation. Women make up an equal amount of the United States total population, but they do not receive even close to half of the seats in Congress. In fact, as of this year, women only hold 19% of the seats in Congress. This number is record high, but is still very far from 50%. There are many factors contributing to womens underrepresentation in government. One is a very obvious reason. Women simply do not have as many candidates running for office as do men. If more females hope to gain seats in Congress, more must be willing to run campaigns. Womens participation in political education is also below that of mens. Many argue, however, that women are receiving appropriate education and are attempting to run for office. The reason they have difficulty in gaining seats is peoples predisposition to favor the traditional. Voters are used to males holding these positions, and therefore naturally favor a male candidate to a female . If women hope to achieve more success in their numbers in the government, the general voting population must be more willing to accept them as leaders and vital assets on Capitol Hill. This cannot be done by apathetically hoping people will come to their senses. Women have to make strong efforts to assert themselves in those positions, and show future voters their capability. Some feel traditional views and number of candidates are not the most important factors restricting women from gaining equal representation. The biggest obstacle facing women with regards to underrepresentation in Congress is not peoples tendency to favor males for these positions. Instead their lack of wealth is the primary reason men have over eighty percent of the seats. (Rochne) The number of men with the funding to undergo a costly campaign process is much more numerous than the small number of females who could afford to run. Those women with money who choose to run are still often overmatched when it c omes to funding. Fortunately, women are holding more assets, getting more degrees, and working at more high-level jobs than any other time in Americas history. If this trend continues, then women will continue to gradually increase their presence in Congress. http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/11/15/women_in_congress_2_blog_main_horizontal.jpg Racial minoritys struggles are far different from those of women. Often it is not money that holds minorities back, but how the voting system is set up in our Country. Redistricting is essentially a political game in which people with the most influence are trying to see their views favored, whether thats to favor party or ethnic hopes. In reality, minority voters wouldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ become submerged in white majority districts, and we would turn the clock back to a time when we had virtually all-white legislatures.(Amy) This is focusing on how redistricting can be instrumental to the racial layout of congress. For many years this was a large factor in the white majority, until it was brought to the courts. This is seen in the Supreme Court case Thornburg vs. Gingles of 1986. The court declared in a unanimous vote that the legacy of official discrimination acted in concert with the multimember districting scheme to impair the ability of cohesive groups of black voters to participa te equally in the political process and to elect candidates of their choice. Essentially this facilitated the creation of United States house districts in which a minority population constitutes a majority of the voting age population. (Banducci) Combined factors still affect minority representation. Wealth, education, experience, number of candidates all contribute to the underrepresentation of ethnicities. Despite all of these factors and the others unmentioned, districting is often considered the most challenging and restraining of all. The amount elected is solely reflected by the numbers of that minority in a voting district. (Peyton) Without minority voting populations being properly represented in their districts, they cannot be properly represented in the Federal Government. Some believe, however, that racial redistricting would have its down falls and is paradoxical in nature. As voting districts are altered to allow for racial minorities to gain election to seats, Congress may be less likely to side with this races ideology and the policies they hope to implement. For example if a district was drawn to favor African-American candidates, Congress may feel less inclined to adopt policies that are favored by many African-American voters. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦particularly in the South, the practice of concentrating minority populations into a small number of districts decreases the liberal influence in the remaining areas. Thus, a handful of minority representatives, almost invariably Democrats, win elections, but so do a greater number of conservative Republicans. (Lublin) Not only will Congress be less willing to accept their policies, but liberal influence in other districts will suffer as a large number of minorities vote democratic. This in turn does the op posite of what activists are hoping. While one minority may gain a seat, their party could lose two. It is still very hard to deny the lack of diversity in Congress. In the United States Senate there are currently no blacks holding positions. In fact, only 6 senators have been African-American since the beginning of the Senate. Todays Senate is made of a 96% white majority. Only 4 senators are racial minorities, Daniel Akaka, Hawaii (Asian-American, Daniel Inouye, Hawaii (Asian-American), Robert Menendez, New Jersey (Hispanic-American) and Marco Rubio, Florida (Hispanic-American). That means that Latinos make up 1% of the Senate, while the latest census found that they make up almost 17% of the United States entire population. It is clear why many are upset about the underrepresentation of minorities. When interviewed about this subject, it was found that most senators do not find this as a matter of importance. (Desjardins) Instead they believe the system gives an equal chance to a ll those running, and should be focused on merit not race. Senators feel that redistricting to aid the election of ethnic minorities is unfair and unnecessary. Of course their opinions are not at all objective; it shows the reluctance of the government when addressing these issues. Legislation is difficult to pass because the white majority would like to continue to see themselves as the majority. It creates a cycle that makes change a slow process. http://www.prosebeforehos.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/zz3490fe30.jpghttp://www.gregbocquet.com/images/thumbAfAmCongress.jpg The Supreme Court and the Executive branch are no exception to the high underrepresentation of minorities. To date there have been only two African- Americans in the Supreme court, one who is still serving as an associate justice. And of course only one President has broken the long chain of white male president, Barack Obama. Sandra Day OConnor made history in the Supreme Court as the first ever women elected. In todays Supreme Court, three of the nine justices are women. Between the first ever African-American (or any minority for that matter) holding office in American history, and the new found diversity in the Court it seems both of these government branches are moving toward trends to create a more representative federal government. Even more than the election that made Barack Obama the first black president, the one that returned him to office sent an unmistakable signal that the hegemony of the straight white male in America is over. The long drive for broader social particip ation by all Americans reached a turning point in the 2012 election, which is likely to go down as a watershed in the nations social and political evolution and not just because in some states voters approved of same-sex marriage for the first time. (West) As shown by Los Angeles Times writer Paul West, a new evolution in politics is beginning. It is clear that obstacles are still very much present in the legislative branch, but the new wave of voters and the progress made elsewhere shows that these trend may become a new normal for the United States. Were not in the 50s any more, said William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer. This election makes it clear that a single focus directed at white males, or at the white population in general, is not going to do it. And its not going to do it when the other party is focusing on energizing everybody else.(West) Barack Obamas success in gaining election has been an unprecedented win for minorities in government. But to ensure that his achievements have a lasting impression, minorities must take his work in stride and continue down the path to representation. Now more than ever people are straying away from views that the candidates need to fit a certain profile. Still work needs to be done. The cabinet is made up of almost entirely white males, and the Supreme Court is only just beginning to diversify. Despite the success seen in some areas of government, the two houses of Congress are far away from fair representation. The solutions to fixing this issue, however, are very difficult to identify and even more difficult to put in place. The first option is to allow things to continue on their own path, and hope that more minorities will be elected. (Amy) Some argue that this could potentially work based on trends that have been occurring since the mid 1900s. Minorities are gaining seats slowly, and soon more will become available to them. Although possible, this method would create a long process of representation that could take several decades to become fair. It also creates an opportunity for minorities to move backwards instead of forwards, pushing districts back to even more unfair sections. Activists agree that this is not a true option to solving the problem of underrepresentation. Another solution is one that is used today. Groups like the NAACP can fight each individual chal lenge that is placed on minority districts. (Amy) This is more of a short-term solution however. The Supreme Court will not vote in favor of challenges when the only reason in race. Legal groups that fight for these districts are only keeping a minimal hold on the districts necessary for minority representation. So while this effort to save current minority districts is an important short-term tactic, and while it may work in some cases, it is difficult to be optimistic about the long-term success of this approach. (Amy) It is clear that this issue cannot be resolved by numerous court cases defending districts, especially when the Supreme Court does not look favorably on challenges solely based on race. The solution that could potentially solve these issues is an alternative election system based of proportional representation. This system is used by several Western nations and has shown great success in equaling the number of minorities in government. There are two separate ways to do this: one is by a cumulative vote, the other is by creating multi-member districts. The cumulative vote has already been used in some states for local elections in the U.S., and has shown considerable success in getting more minorities into local government positions. The success of this method at lower levels could also indicate that a cumulative vote used in districts could help minorities gain a fair amount of congressional seats. Multi-member districts are another viable option. If a districts voting population is 20% Hispanic, then that district would have 5 members, one of them likely turning out to be Hispanic. Minorities tend to vote for candidates from the same ethnic background, so creating districts into multi-member could even the playing field and create much greater representation of ethnic minorities. In the long run, proportional representation may be the only politically and constitutionally viable solution to the problem of minority representation in the U.S. P R would allow minorities a fair chance to elect their own candidates without resorting to the kind of race-based districting that has provoked the recent legal backlash. White voters would have nothing to complain about with PR since it would allow them to elect their fair share of representatives, and it wouldnt involve the drawing of special or funny shaped districts to benefit minorities. In this sense, proportional representation is a truly race neutral approach to districting, and one that would finally resolve once and for all this festering political problem. Americans committed to fair representation need to familiarize themselves with how these alternative systems work, promote the adoption of these systems on the local level, and pressure Congress to pass legislation to allow the use of proportional representation for congressional elections. Now is not the time to abandon the goal of fair representation for all Americans. We simply have to find new ways to achieve that go al; and currently, switching to proportional representation elections would seem to be our best bet. (Amy) Although this seems like an effective option, it is very difficult to put in place. Most political scientists agree that districting is the source of the problem, but if something could be done it would have already happened. (McCray) Most members of Congress are white males and will not support any acts that would potentially hurt their chances for reelection. Racial minorities need to find other ways than tirelessly challenging through the courts, and hoping that something will change about districting. Funding and strengthening of merit are two things that must be focused on. Latinos, African-Americans, and women all need to increase their wealth and their resumes if they wish to appeal to a broader audience. The graph on the next page, provided by the census bureau, shows the large gap in wealth between the majority white and all minorities. Whites hold 22 times the amount of wealth that blacks do. (Luhby) This also correlates with the amount of education received by these ethnicities. Without more success as a minority in America, it will be difficult for them to hold seats in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Having less wealth and home equity means it will be more difficult for blacks and Hispanics to send their children to college, which gives them a leg up on landing good jobs, said Roderick Harrison, senior research scientist at Howard University. That will further extend the wealth gap. The implications will be with us into the next generation, which will have greater difficulty in getting the kinds of jobs needed to start saving and building wealth, Harrison said. (Luhby) This is not a trend that minorities want to continue. During the past few years, while every Americans wealth has been declining, minorities have been declining at an almost 40% faster rate than that of whites. (Luhby) The path to equal representation begins with closing the wealth gap and getting more minorities the best education possible. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/2012/06/21/news/economy/wealth-gap-race/chart-racial-wealth-gap-3.top.gif The public also needs to be aware of these issues. The media plays an essential role in the United States political layout, and they need to do better at informing people of the gap between races. There is no doubting the struggles that women and racial minorities have in trying to gain fair representation. Some hope that these issues will eventually work itself out. Progress has been made in getting more diversity in the Federal Government. The first African-American man is now the President of the United States, more women are holding congressional seats than ever before, and the diversity of the Supreme Court is at an all-time high. There is a lot of hope that these are only the beginnings as well. The American government is based on the principle that the people are the voice of government. The government is in place to serve and embody the United States population as a whole, not just by the majority. Millions of U.S. citizens make up what is known as our nations minorities. It is projected that in the next few decades that America could have a minority majority (the number of minorities combined outnumbers the white population). This is why many feel that they should have proportional representation in Congress. Women and all ethnicities that make up our country have made strides in their struggle for equality in our government, and in the near future action must be taken to see that they continue to be represented fairly.

Essay --

Risks Summary This case is about the aggressive price behavior of the TA Orange that has recently been in the joint venture with other Thai companies. Risks The risks that TA Orange faces while entering in to the Thai market are as follows: Lower profit margin risks Shareholders’ risk Increased competition in the market risk and market saturation risk As the joint venture between TelecomAsia-Orange and Thai companies CP Group and TelecomAsia and France's Orange SA adapted the strategy of aggressive price-cutting strategy aimed at picking up a million subscribers in 2002. This strategy has increased the risk of price wars between the service providers and as experts like J. P. Morgan points out, this would let them lower their profit margins, and eventually this price war would end up eroding all the profits that was initially intended. As indicated â€Å"all of this threatens to erode margins across the board, analysts warn, with the prospect of declining handset sales cast ing particularly long shadows over the profit profile at AIS. Last year, AIS derived nearly 35% of its net profit f...

Effects of Corn Monoculture on Soils: Models for Change in American Agr

Effects of Corn Monoculture on Soils: Models for Change in American Agriculture According to writer and environmentalist Vandana Shiva, "the crucial characteristic of monocultures is that they do not merely displace alternatives, they destroy their own basis"(1993, p.50). If the self-destruction of a monoculture is really so simple, it seems that continuous cropping agriculture should long have been abandoned for a more suitable method. Unfortunately, the problem is far more complex. This paper will focus on the effects of corn monoculture on soils in general, the development of the monoculture in the United States and the effects this had on soil in this country. Through the exploration of other models, suggestions will then be made on how to modify the continuous cropping system in the United States into a more sustainable one. The first piece of evidence that the continual cropping system is inefficient, is that it is the least productive growing system. In experiments done in Wooster, Ohio, it was found that a field where crop rotation was used could produce 27.62 bushels of corn per acre, a field with continual cropping produced only 13.33 bushels per acre, and where chemical fertilizer was used on a continuous cropped field, 30.53 bushels per acre were produced (Weir, 1936,p. 502). Though it interesting that these facts are fundamental enough to have been discovered before 1936, it should also be noted that a recent eight year study done at the University of Nebraska, where scientists compared thirteen cropping systems, "the results confirmed the findings of studies done in the first half of the century"(Committee on the Role of Alt. Farm. Methods, 1989, p.229). If continual cropping is the least effective method o... ...ouncil, 1989, Alternative Agriculture: Washington, D.C., National Academy Press. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1980, China: Multiple Cropping and Related Crop Production Technology, report on the fao/undp study tour or the People's Republic of China, 25 June- 22 July 1979: Rome, United Nations Publishing. Hudson, John C., 1994, Making the Corn Belt: A Geographical History of Middle-western Agriculture: Bloomington, Indiana University Press. Miracle, Marvin P., 1966, Maize in Tropical Africa: Madison, University of Wisconsin Press. Shiva, Vandana, 1993, Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology: London, Zed Books Limited. Weir, Wilbert W., 1936, Soil Science : Its Principles and Practice Including Basic Processes for Managing Soils and Improving their Fertility: Chicago, J.B. Lippencott Company.

Prompt: with Growing Age, One’s Loses Essay

We live in a world of war and violence, where every second news item is tragic and disturbing. As children growing up, we are protected from the horror of the real world; shielded by our parents who nurture us with infinite care and love, taking care to ensure that we are safe from the awfulness and pain of the real world we find ourselves in. In an attempt to preserve our innocence as children, our parents throw upon us a veil that conceals us from the horrific truth of the adult world. However, this veil isn’t completely shielding, and slowly, one by one, the truth of the real world is revealed to us. Our childish innocence diminishes until eventually not a single drop is left; the warm sympathy in our hearts is sucked out, replaced by a cold insensitivity to everything that we see. Our reality becomes deformed, twisted into a world of detachment. The first day of prep is a big day in each of our lives; it is the day we first become exposed to the problems of the outside world, beyond the shelter of the veil placed upon us by our parents. We begin to see throughout our schooling career, what our parents had tried so hard to protect us from. As we progress through school, the harsh realities of the real world become apparent to us, yet our innocence as children withholds till the day we see ourselves peering at the end of our schooling career. Up until the last day of year twelve, we are exposed to many of the harsh realities of the world, but we do not encounter fully the pitilessness of the world that we live in; and hence, our innocence and compassion towards others stays with us throughout school. The last day of year twelve is a day of great joy and happiness for all of us; it is the day we think we are leaving behind all the harsh experiences of our schooling careers and diving head first into a friendly, easy-going world. However, this last day of school fizzles out for the rest of our lives; the world we are heading into as we leave school is not the friendly, easy-going world that we had anticipated in our minds during high school. The joy of leaving school is short felt, and disappears within a moment’s time of entering the workforce or university. The adversity of life outside of the nurture and care of our parents’ veil of protection becomes a sudden realization that takes many people by surprise and forces them to harden their hearts. Cold insensitivity seeps into each person, slowly devouring the warmth and compassion within their hearts; eventually leaving behind individuals who see in their reality, the world as a harsh and unforgiving place, deserving no sympathy or compassion. The childish innocence that our parents strived to preserve has been lost, and the joy of the last day of school, long forgotten. Soon we lay on our deathbeds, having become veterans to the true horrors of the world that we were born into. Our cold insensitivity to the harsh reality of the world we live in has completely replaced the innocence and compassion we once had in our hearts as children. The joys of our childhood, when we had a veil placed over us by our parents, are no longer present in our memories. Our reality has been altered so dramatically over the course of our lives that the reality we had as children no longer seems identifiable to us. We die peacefully, but having experienced everything but peace in our adult lives.