1989. by Taylor Swift free essay sample

Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album, â€Å"1989,† solidifies her complete crossover to the pop genre and her divorce from country music. The transition, although widely popular with the public, leaves something to be desired in lyrical content and lacks the finesse of her earlier albums.The opener leaves no question that Swift has switched over to a pop sound. â€Å"Welcome To New York† has a highly synthesized beat, and electronic sound. Swift’s strength has always been her lyrics, but here the gift of her songwriting is lost. Swift gains back some of her lyrical integrity with the second track â€Å"Blank Space.† Swift makes a joke of her reputation concerning her many relationships throughout her career. Swift does an excellent job of telling the story of the song, as the relationship in the song takes a turn for the worse, both the vocals and the accompaniment become more intense.Following â€Å"Blank Space† is â€Å"Style,† another prime storytelling moment on â€Å"1989. We will write a custom essay sample on 1989. by Taylor Swift or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † Swift skillfully layers two different vocal lines, both sung by her, to get both melody and rhythm during the chorus and the verses. That, combined with the driving storyline of the song, makes this track one of the high points of the album.As pleasing as â€Å"Style† is, â€Å"Out Of The Woods† is the polar opposite, coming off as forced and static. The chorus, which even after the first time is repetitious, is sung seven more times. The interesting lyrics and melodic pattern of the verses are lost among boring staticity of the chorus.The fifth track â€Å" All You Had To Do Was Stay† is honestly a snooze. Awkward high notes almost every time she sings â€Å"stay,† unnatural phrasing and pseudo-rhyming make the song choppy and make it sink far below the other songs on the album.Leading single â€Å"Shake It Off† is the sixth track on the album. Swift has descended far into the pop music cliche with this song, but she still maintains her voc al integrity, even though lyrical content and grammar have clearly gone out the window. With the seventh track â€Å" I Wish You Would,† Swift returns to her storytelling roots. Even though it’s a far cry from the sweet acoustic sound of her other looking-back-on-a-breakup song, â€Å"Back To December,† â€Å"I Wish You Would†still tells the story just as well. In contrast â€Å"Bad Blood† is just bad. The lyrics are just poor and the random ‘heys’ thrown in the middle of phrases are ill fitting. The drum track is very distracting and the abrupt tempo change in the bridge is just plain strange.â€Å"Wildest Dreams† is a refreshing taste of the Swift we missed during â€Å"Bad Blood.† Her phenomenal vocals dominate the soft electronic piano in the background, which is something that is missed in most of â€Å"1989.† Listeners will also hear the full range of Swift’s voice in this song. The chorus featuring he r flirty soprano and the verses bringing her full alto to the forefront which isn’t really featured anywhere else on this album.Track 10, â€Å"How You Get The Girl,† is forgettable. It’s too cutesy and it’s the least jaded track on the album. The point of view is a little strange in this song, because Swift detaches herself from the story of the song. The redeeming quality is the sliver of acoustic guitar hidden behind the drum track and electronic bass.In track 11, â€Å"This Love,† the acoustic guitar returns for a more prominent role in the most ‘country’ song on the album. Although the lyrics of this song aren’t up to par with Swift’s old country style, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the other songs on this album. This track balances the pop and country elements of Swift’s repertoire to please all audiences.Track 12, â€Å"I Know Places,† is basically two songs in one. The verses set a ve ry dark mood and feature Swift’s low alto range, but chorus’ are lighter and higher in Swift’s impressive range. Contrast is always good right? Not in this case. The change in mood from verse to chorus make the flow of the song very abrupt.The last song on the album, â€Å"Clean,† really showcases how much Swift has grown up. The lyrical content is more intense with lines such as â€Å"Youre still all over me like a wine-stained dress I cant wear anymore.† However the slow pace makes the song lag and become a little boring.Although â€Å"1989† showcases a totally different genre than most people were used to with Taylor Swift, she kept a few of her signature elements intact making her somewhat recognizable even with a new genre behind her. I can’t wait to see what Swift comes up with as she matures, and gains a stronger footing on her new stomping ground.

Propositions in Debate Definition and Examples

Propositions in Debate Definition and Examples In an argument or debate, a proposition is a statement that affirms or denies something. As explained below, a proposition may function as a premise or a conclusion in a syllogism or enthymeme. In formal debates, a proposition may also be called a topic, motion, or resolution. EtymologyFrom the Latin, to set forth Examples and Observations An argument is any group of propositions where one proposition is claimed to follow from the others, and where the others are treated as furnishing grounds or support for the truth of the one. An argument is not a mere collection of propositions, but a group with a particular, rather formal, structure. . . . The conclusion of an argument is the one proposition that is arrived at and affirmed on the basis of the other propositions of the argument. The premises of an argument are the other propositions which are assumed or otherwise accepted as providing support or justification for accepting the one proposition which is the conclusion. Thus, in the three propositions that follow in the universal deductive categorical syllogism, the first two are premises and the third the conclusion: All men are mortal.​Socrates is a man.Socrates is mortal. . . . Premises and conclusions require each other. A proposition standing alone is neither a premise nor a conclusion. (Ruggero J. Aldisert, Logic in Forensic Science. Forensic Science and Law, ed. by Cyril H. Wecht and John T. Rago. Taylor Francis, 2006) Effective Argumentative Essays The first step in arguing successfully is to state your position clearly. This means that a good thesis is crucial to your essay. For argumentative or persuasive essays, the thesis is sometimes called a major proposition, or a claim. Through your major proposition, you take a definite position in a debate, and by taking a strong position, you give your essay its argumentative edge. Your readers must know what your position is and must see that you have supported your main idea with convincing minor points. (Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener, The Short Prose Reader, 12th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2009) Propositions in Debates Debate is the process of presenting arguments for or against a proposition. Propositions for which people argue are controversial and have one or more individuals presenting the case for the proposition while others present the case against it. Every debater is an advocate; the purpose of each speaker is to gain the belief of the audience for his side. Argument is the core of the debate speech- the superior debater must be superior in the use of argument. The chief means of persuasion in debate is the logical mode. (Robert B. Huber and Alfred Snider, Influencing Through Argument, rev. ed. International Debate Education Association, 2006) Clarifying Propositions [It often requires] some work to extract a clear representation of an argument from any given prose passage. First of all, it is possible to express a proposition using any kind of grammatical construction. Interrogative, optative, or exclamatory sentences, for example, can, with appropriate contextual stage setting, be used to express propositions. In the interests of clarity, therefore, it will often be helpful to paraphrase an authors words, in expressing a premise or conclusion, into the form of a declarative sentence that transparently expresses a proposition. Second, not every proposition expressed in an argumentative prose passage occurs within that passage as either a premise or a conclusion, or as (a proper) part of a premise or conclusion. Well refer to these propositions, which are neither identical with nor embedded in any premise or conclusion, and to the sentences by which they are expressed, as noise. A noisy proposition makes a claim that is extraneous to the content of the argument in question. (Mark Vorobej, A Theory of Argument. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Pronunciation: PROP-eh-ZISH-en

The Feast of the Gods by Giovanni and Titian Essay

The Feast of the Gods by Giovanni and Titian - Essay Example The main premise of a feast is the coherent element of the painting. The gods, each doing their individual thing, add to the atmosphere that it conjures. The blasà © expression of these gods gives off the homogenous quality of the theme. Priapus trying to carry out his ill-conceived plan against Lotis and the ass is also prominent in the painting. Famously, the x-ray photographs of the painting prove that contrary to the assumption that Bellini was not able to finish the painting because of his death, there was no such requirement for Titian to complete it. Rather, historians agree that the alterations were executed to make Bellini’s painting flow seamlessly with the other paintings in the Alabaster Room. â€Å"Eliminated by Titian’s intervention was the contrast between the figural group, so markedly animated by means of colour, and the regular repetition of tree trunks and the uniform dark green of the leaf canopy† (Bà ¤tschmann 210). This would have given it more balance as an undeviating background would have made the scene of the gods the main focus of the eye. For lack of a better word, the painting evoked a sense of noise. In totality it looks great in the sense that there are the human elements that make it interesting and playful to the imagination. It reminds me of Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ in many ways. Both have religious themes, both portray a particularly interesting and much-written about scene and both are classic works of art by two great artists of their time.

Review of Hunters Point of Impact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review of Hunters Point of Impact - Essay Example Hunter does not focus on Bob’s loss, but rather he sees him as a hero. According to Hunter, â€Å"Bob was not an influential leader, did not save lives, did not rise in the chain of command, but he was an extraordinary killer.† (Hunter 12). In the description above Hunter acknowledge Bobs expertise, we also know he was among the best snipers of his time. According to Polk county Sheriff, Bob was a legend during his service time in the Vietnam War he was as one of the bravest heroes the United States ever produced. Although Bob may appear a broken man from the Vietnam War, it is evident that his expertise is of importance even to an agency like Ram Dyne. Hunters’ narration brings together intriguing characters, which adds to the suspense in the book. Hunter gives us a sniper, the FBI, the CIA and a secret organisation Ram Dyne. Ram Dyne is a secret organisation that identifies Bob as the best man for their assassination plot. The CIA and FBI are responsible for in vestigating the assassination case, but it is also evident that some of their officials have links with Ramdyne. Good versus evil is a theme well covered in the book it is clear this exist in government bodies where we have good agents and evil agents. For instance, Nick Memphis is a good FBI agent who tries to correct every foul deed such as when he accidentally shoots a hostage, Myra, in an operation he tries to make amends by marrying the hostage. We have Howard Utey, special assistant to the FBI director, who is not afraid of getting his hands dirty in the process of achieving his goals. For instance, Nick Memphis establishes makes an inquiry on the dealings of Ramdyne, but in the process of Utey suspends him from his duty claiming that Nick is violating the rules in the... Review of Hunter’s "Point of Impact" he story is of a Vietnam veteran sniper, Bob Lee Swagger. After the war Bob isolates himself from the society and lives a silent life in the mountains of Arkansas. The Ramdyne Company are aware of Bob’s expertise and plan to use this for their benefit. The Ram dyne company who claim to be seeking support in finding a potential assassin approaches Bob. The company convinces Bob to carry out one last mission for his country. Bob is unaware Ram Dyne sets him up for an assassination attempt on the president. Yet the real target in the assassination was the archbishop. Bob survives shots he gets during the operation, but he becomes a target of every law enforcement agency and Ramdyne’s own killers. Bob runs to save his life in order to prove his innocence. In the story Bob has allies Nick an FBI agent and a nurse, Susan Fenn, his old partners widow. Bob is out to revenge the betrayal and prove his innocence by unmasking the evil dealings of Ramdyne. Hunter’s protagoni st in the book is Bob Lee Swagger who we encounter in the mountain of Arkansas where he has adopted a solitary life. Hunter’s aim of making Bob a hero is successful. We have Bob as a character who isolates himself from society. However, Hunter’s creation of this character’s passion for guns is not in an effort to demonize the character, but to emphasise the character’s expertise. To Bob, guns are not just a tool to supplement his task, but he has a distinct connection with his guns and his sniper skills.

Oral history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oral history - Essay Example demned Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait describing it in terms of â€Å"good and evil† where he consistently compared Saddam Hussein, the Iraq president during that time to Adolf Hitler. Bush advocated for clear and unequivocal withdrawal of military forces from Iraq from Kuwait as the only possible resolution to solve the â€Å"act of naked aggression† portrayed by Iraq (Rosenau 48). Deliberations of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, the U.S and here allies reached a conclusion where a timeline was issued to Iraq to withdraw her forces in Kuwait of face the full combat of the allies led by the U.S. My grandfather who hails from Pittsburg was presents a good account of the occurrences during that period serving as a medical personnel in the desert region where the war took place. His position in the forces made him become directly involved with the Gulf War and therefore an interview with him presents a good account of the factors that led to the war, the occurr ences during the war as well as the aftermath o-f the war. The Persian Gulf War resulted with an aim of rolling back the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq that not only served as a threat to the world economy, but also a disruption of the international system. My grandfather describes the occurrences that transpired during the Persian Gulf War as the trigger to the as a result of failure by Iraq to adhere to the warnings given. He describes Hussein’s action on 17th July, 1990 as one that triggered tension between Iran and Kuwait after Hussein accused the UAE and Kuwait as disrupting the world oil market through flooding the market with oil. Specifically, Hussein blamed Kuwait for stealing oil in the Rumaila oil field, an oil source that run beneath the two nations and as a result serving as a sign of economic war against Iraq. In reaction to the economic war that Hussein assumed Iraq presented, Hussein reacted by sending his military forces to Kuwait on 2nd August the same year and the forces invaded and

The Malaysian Tobacco Industry

The Malaysian Tobacco Industry CHAPTER 1 The Malaysian tobacco industry is a copious industry which comprehends leaf production and curing, product manufacturing to product marketing and distribution. Tobacco is the countrys most widely cultivated non-food crop (British American Tobacco Malaysia). Malaysia is not considered as a large tobacco leaf producer by world standards. Neither is a major contributor to the Malaysian economy. However, tobacco farmers are used politically by the tobacco industry. According to a study conducted by Ernst and Young in June 2005 for the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers, the industry contributes extensively to the countrys economy with more than 190,000 people depending on it for employment in 2003. Tobacco production has increased due to a rise in the demand for tobacco from cigarette manufacturers. (See Table 1.0) 1.1 Impact of Tobacco Use Cigarette demand has long been a crucial issue and has become especially prominent in the wake of the recent colossal settlements between government and cigarette companies ( Huang and Chin, 2006). According to the press statement by the Minister of Health, the Hon Dato Chua Jui Meng on Tobacco Control in Malaysia on 7th November 1996, cigarette smoking is an avoidable addiction which hold responsible for a massive 25% of all deaths in Malaysia. Smoking is a deadly and expensive pastime which is dangerous to both smokers and the second hand smokers (Costa and Mossialos,2006). Studies showed that 30% of cancer deaths and 90% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Malaysia were associated to smoking (The Star). According to World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is going to be the biggest cause of death in the world if current pattern of smoking continue, with no changes in cessation rates or significant declines in initiation rates by 2020. There are more than one billion smoke rs in the world and 5.4 million people were killed by tobacco use a year. Moreover, smoking is not only destroying the health of the smoker but it is also an economic burden. These include primarily direct or indirect medical costs to the smokers and also productivity losses. Indoor places where smoking is allowed will incur a higher renovation and cleaning costs. The management will have to pay a lot to maintain the cleanliness in the workplaces. Furthermore, it increased the risk of fire and may acquire higher insurance premiums. Since the first report on tobacco by Surgeon General was released in 1964, awareness relative to the negative effects of tobacco use has increased. Smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can cause impromptu miscarriage, underweight babies and premature delivery. Most importantly, it will also cause sudden infant death (SID) syndrome. At the same time, it is also very dangerous for the people who do not smoke but breathing in a smoke-filled room. Second-hand smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution which can damage the health of both the children and adults. There are almost half of the worlds children breathe second-hand smoke today. In recent times, the smokers are increasing from day to day (See Table1.1). Despite of all the negative effects, smokers dont seem to be affected by the side effects. Teenage smoking is a severe problem in Malaysia and according to the World Tobacco Marketfile, the number of youth smokers are increasing (See Table 1.2). The risk of youth commencing tobacco use by socio-demographic, environmental and personal factors is increasing. Family with low socioeconomic status is an example of socio-demographic factor. There are more young people who smoke nowadays because tobacco products are easily accessible and available everywhere. Young people who are lack of parental guidance will be easily influenced by peers. These are the examples of environmental risks factor. While personal risk factors include low self-esteem and the belief that tobacco use provides an advantage which can help them to reduce stress. People who get older should understand the danger of smoking better than the youth . They should be able to experience the side effects if they have been smoking for quite some time. Some people may not be aware of the specific health risks of tobacco use as they are not exposed to the side effects. If the smokers are aware of the dangers of tobacco, most want to quit. 1.2 Governments Regulation towards Cigarette Demand The Malaysian government has done various efforts and implemented regulations restricting people to smoke. Government policy is divided into price and tax measures; and also non-price measures such as Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke; Regulation of contents of tobacco product; Regulation of tobacco product disclosures; Packaging and labelling of tobacco products; Education, communication, training and public awareness; Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and Tobacco cessation (Zain, 2007). National Tobacco Control Program is one of the strategies taken to reduce tobacco use. The general objective of this program is to provide comprehensive support and assistance to help smokers quit smoking. The programs include legislative control; health promotion and public advocacy; tobacco tax policy; smoking cessation services; research, monitoring and evaluation; multi-sectoral collaboration and capacity building. In legislative control, under the section on the Prohibition on Tobacco Product Advertisement of Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 restricts printing, publishing or distributing of any tobacco product advertisement. It bans on cigarette advertisement on television and radio. Health warning messages are placed on every cigarette pack to raise peoples awareness. Furthermore, government has legislated smoke-free policy in Malaysia to curb smoking. There is total ban on smoking in government meetings. Places like health and educational facilities, governmental offices, public transport, shopping complex, cinemas and places of worship are smoke-free zone. Besides that, health promotion and advocacy covers campaigns such as Tak Nak Campaign; Healthy Lifestyle Campaign; Kempen Nafas Baru Bermula Ramadhan; World No Tobacco Day and also events by other agencies. On top of that, government also introduce excise duties on imported cigarette and further increase in sales and import tax . Increase tax will reduce the consumption on cigarettes without negative impact on revenue. At the same time, National Smoking Cessation Program was introduced to provide comprehensive support and assistance to help smokers to quit smoking. Under this program, it helps to inform and educate the smokers regarding the advantages of quitting smoking. Government has created a lot of awareness program to help people to quit smoking and the most effective strategy to reduce smoking is raising the price of the cigarettes. So as all these efforts and accumulation of knowledge are done, the demand for cigarettes and smoking should be reducing. 1.3 Problem Statement Tobacco use in Malaysia has escalated over the past years in spite of the numerous health warnings. Despite the various implementations of mass anti-smoking campaigns by the government, smoking is still a popular activity among the people. In the past there is a lot of domino effect of smoking leading to health problems yet it can seem surprising that some people still choose to smoke. Tobacco users still continue with it in pursuance of the risks or the expense because smoking is a habit hard to break for the reason that it contains an addictive drug called nicotine. In addition to that, the effect will be amplified this time around as the price of cigarettes increase simultaneously. Subsequently, the price affects the middle and lower income group of wage earner adversely because smoking is an expensive activity. The rising of cigarettes price will cause them to be overburdened by the rising living cost. People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Although most of the people is aware that smoking is dangerous and harmful to the people around them but there are still 40-50 new smokers created everyday and the smoking popularity among the youth are increasing. There is about 9 out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18 years old (See Table 1.2). Most of the youth started to smoke as an act of rebellion and also because of peers pressure. The teenagers may not be conscious about the effects but it will become apparent later on in their life. Furthermore, survey has shown that the trend of young female smokers is increasing at such an alarming rate. According to the statistics by Healthy Living, it shows that there are 22% of smoker ages around 18 to 24 years old, 22.8% of smoker ages around 25 to 44 years old, 21% of smoker ages around 45 to 64 years old and 8% of smoker ages above 65 years old. 1.4 Research Question The questions arise in this study is: Will the people above the age of 65 years old decrease the consumption of cigarettes? Will the implementation of the government policy towards the cigarettes reduce the number of smokers in Malaysia 1.5 Objectives of the Study The general objective of this study is to determine the demand for cigarettes. More specific, this study tends to Determine the price and income elasticity towards the demand for cigarettes. Determine the impact of demand for cigarettes on aging population. 1.6 Significance of the Study This research on the aging population is important in the attempt to reduce the overall demand for cigarettes in Malaysia. This study will test the level of awareness of population of Malaysia on the impact of smoking between different age groups. Most of the diseases caused by tobacco use will only be noticeable when the users reach the later stage in life. This study will justify why policy makers should take into consideration people of all age groups when coming up with new policies regarding tobacco use, instead of focusing only on the younger population. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is to review the existing literature on the demand for cigarette. There is a large volume of published studies describing the price and income elasticity on cigarette consumption. Furthermore, there is also a large and growing body of literature has investigated the effects of taxes and anti-smoking regulations on the demand for cigarettes. So far, there are only a few studies regarding the relationship between aging population and the consumption of cigarette. 2.1 Theoretical Studies of Demand for Cigarettes The law of demand is an important law in microeconomic theory. In theoretical economics, economists develop models to explore economic activity and outcomes. Reliable statements about economic behavior enable the prediction of probable effects of specific actions. The law of demand is an economic law that states that, all other factors being equal, as the price of good increases, demand for the good will decrease. This law summarizes the effect price changes have on consumer behavior. The negative relationship between price and quantity demanded is caused by two reasons. One of the reasons is the income and substitution effects. Income effect means that for a lower price product, a consumer can buy more than they could at the higher price point. Other similar products now seem more expensive compared to the lower priced product is the substitution effect. The second reason is the diminishing marginal utility for the inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded. Consumers get less satisfaction from each additional unit of product they consume over a specified period of time. They will only continue to buy if the price is reduced at each point. By increasing the real price of tobacco, a tax increase has colossal potential to be an effective policy lever to decrease tobacco consumption. The impact of taxes on tobacco consumption depends on the extent to which changes in taxes are reflected in tobacco prices and the responsiveness of consumers to changes in prices. People tend to reduce their consumption on tobacco use as the price increase. The demand functions show that cigarette consumption is related to the price of cigarettes, prices of related goods, income, and individuals tastes. A general conclusion from the precious studies is that tobacco prices and the demand are inversely related. Marshall illustrated the law of demand with both a table and a demand curve by assuming that the period of time is sufficiently short to justify a ceteris paribus assumption. 2.2 Empirical Studies of Demand for Cigarettes Several studies conducted have reported that there is an inverse relationship between the price and cigarette consumption and positive effect of income. Franke (1994) reveals that Granger Causality is significant from price and income to cigarette consumption in the United States. No significant change is observed in the estimated demand elasticity which occurred during the period studied. In order to test a model of the demand for cigarettes in the United States from the period of 1961 to 1990, he uses quarterly data and multiple analyses. The outcome of the study illustrates a positive effect of income and negative effects on price. Likewise, Zheng, Zhu and Li (2008), in a separate study also finds that there is indeed a positive income elasticity but negative cigarette price elasticity based on the best fixed-effects spatial-temporal model. They construct a demand equation to study on the elasticity of per pack cigarette price and per capita disposable income in 2008. This is done by considering the cigarette demand in a spatial panel of 46 states of the United States over a period of 30 years which ranged from 1963 to 1992. They then propose a new spatial panel model and implement a fully Bayesian approach for model parameter inference and prediction of cigarette demand at future time points using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. Chaloupka et al. (2002) examines data from documents of the tobacco industry to discover what tobacco companies know of the impact that cigarette prices has on smoking among youth, young adults and also adults. They assess on how this understanding would affect their pricing and price related marketing plans. The tobacco company documents provides velar evidence on the consequence of change in cigarette prices on cigarette smoking habits, relating how tax and other increases in price led to significant decline in smoking, predominantly among the younger people. They conclude that future efforts towards tobacco control which targets to increase prices and limit price related marketing efforts are critical in achieving reductions in tobacco use and public health toll caused by tobacco. This view is supported by Fernà ¡ndez et al. (2004) which shows that between the period of 1965 and 2000, there is indeed an inverse relation between the prices and consumption of cigarette in Spain, wh ich indicates that involvement at the economic level, for instance real increases in price may have an important public health impact in control of tobacco. Correspondingly, Gallus et al. (2006) present a similar study to determine the influence that cigarette prices has on tobacco consumption in Italy. A survey is conducted on 3050 individuals aged 15 and above which suggests that prices had an intermediate to high influence on cigarette consumption in the young. Younger people as well as less educated smokers are more susceptible to an influence of prices. They conclude that cigarette prices have substantial influence on tobacco consumption in the younger people. On the contrary, Raptou et al (2005) argues that cigarette demand is extremely insensitive to changes in price. They employ data collected via questionnaires which was administered by personal-in-home interviews and estimate a two part model of cigarette demand (Cragg, J. G. B Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to the Demand for Durable Goods, Econometrica, 39, 5, 1971, pp. 829Y44). They conclude that cigarette price measures would not affect cigarette demand. However, it is discovered that smoking restrictions in workplace areas as well as educational establishments, and also most of the psychosocial variables will affect the demand of cigarette. According to Huang and Yang (2006), current estimates of the income elasticity to cigarette demand have shown a troubling result which is nearly zero or sometimes negative income elasticity. They engage in a four-regime panel model (dynamic fixed effect) which is use to predict the function of cigarette demand within the United States with intentions to investigate the nonlinearity embedded in the cigarette demand structure. They apply a multi-regime model to 47 states using data from 1963 to 1997. They claim that there is a nonlinear relationship between personal income and cigarette consumption. Evidently, as income rises, cigarette has become an inferior good. The results from the four-regime model suggest that income elasticity is negative when per capita income is greater than US$ 8,568 but become is positive though insignificant when income is above US$ 18,196. In the income ranging from US$ 8,568 and US$ 18,196, the income elasticity is significantly negative. There is a nonli near relationship which prevailed for the price elasticity. Furthermore, Martinez, Mejia, and Estable (2008) claims that the demand for cigarettes in Argentina over the long term is influenced by the changes in real average price and real income of the cigarettes in Argentina. They analyse the data based on monthly time-series data between the periods of 1994 to 2004. The results that they obtain show that when the prices are increased at 120%, a maximum of revenues from the cigarettes tax can be attained and also there is a big effect on the reduction of the total consumption of cigarettes within the country. Similarly, Abedian (2000) also states that there is an inverse relationship between the price and consumption of any good which include cigarettes. This negative relationship is further affected by other factors such as income levels and the degree of addiction. He argues that increasing tobacco consumption is a problem faced in a developing country and it could bring harm to the people. He also argues that there are no adverse economic consequences following such policy framework. In 2000, Joni Hersch in his studies states that smoking behavior relates to the changes in price, which is not unlike many other economic commodities. He finds that a higher price would reduce demand for cigarettes in both men and women with regard to smoking participation and cigarette consumption levels, with elasticity ranging from -0.40 to -0.60. In distinction to other studies, he finds that the price elasticity is alike for both men and women. Income also has negative effects on smoking behavior. He also states that excise tax policies can dissuade smoking, but their effects will be largely restricted to the low income segment of the population. This finding suggests that there might be constructive responses by smokers to informational efforts which warn about the dangers of smoking and also the environmental tobacco smoke poses to others, especially when it is a member of ones household. Further observations suggest that increase in taxes also play an essential role in reducing cigarette consumption. Following recent years, there has been a growing amount of literature on higher prices that result from increased tax leading to significant reductions in cigarette smoking. A recent study by Chaloupka et al (2010) which performs to supply empirical evidence on the consequence of the cigarette excise tax structure towards three outcomes which are the government revenue, cigarette prices, and cigarette consumption. A cross-sectional time-series data for 21 European Union (EU) countries is composed from year 1998 to 2007 out of various data resources. The estimates suggest that the greater reliance on the ad valorem excise tax leads to lower average cigarette prices and larger price gaps between premium and low-priced cigarette brands. In addition, these impacts from the tax structure are smaller in more concentrated or less competitive markets. They also propose that a la rger reliance on a specific tax will have a greater impact on cigarette smoking, but the impact lessens with the growth of manufacturers market power. In view of this, Peng and Ross (2009) estimates the Ukraine population in its sensitivity to prices of cigarettes and the cigarettes affordability using the macro level data with the aim to compute the efficiency of cigarette tax policy. They use a monthly time-series data from 1997 to 2006 in Ukraine to estimate the generalized least square (GLS) model with an AR(1) process. The result shows that the cigarette price is not significantly associated with legal domestic sale of cigarette. Higher household income and more active outdoor advertising have positive and significant impact on cigarette sales. There is also a positive relationship between the affordability for cigarette and legal domestic cigarette sales. Increasing the cigarette excise tax by 10% would increase the price of cigarettes by 3%. This shows that cigarette tax policy can be used to regulate cigarette price in Ukraine. The people are found to be relatively insensitive to cigarette prices and cigarette taxes, even t hough of low magnitude, but the effect of cigarettes affordability is significant statistically. Similarly, Lee et al. (2005) concludes that price elasticity of cigarettes is approximated to be less than one, which implies that the tax will have some result in reducing cigarette consumption, although it will also generate further tax revenues. Moreover, Hidayat and Thabrany (2010) study the demand for cigarettes in Indonesia using a myopic addiction model and uses it to analyse the price elasticity of cigarette demand. They use an aggregated panel data structured from three waves of the Indonesian Family Life Survey over the period of 1993 to 2000. They claim that the short run and long run price elasticity of cigarette demand are estimated to be at -0.28 and -0.73 correspondingly. Price increases have a significantly negative impact on cigarette consumption. Increasing cigarette prices via excise taxes can control tobacco use and thus raise government revenue. They then conclude that excise taxes are more likely an efficient tobacco control rather than a key source of government revenue in the long run. Besides that, Lee (2008) conduct a study which analyses the readiness of current smokers to stop the smoking habit or reduce the consumption of cigarettes when experiencing an increase in tax of NT $22 per pack, which is a consequent rise of 44%. Lee uses cross-sectional study on 483 valid questionnaires conducted during a telephone survey from April to July 2004, targeting current smokers aging 15 years and above, around the 23 major cities in Taiwan. The methods that he uses to measure the elasticity in cigarette demand are the Tobit regression model and also the maximum likelihood method, and estimation results shows a price elasticity of -0.29 following the 44% increase in the cigarette price. Interestingly, the most significant response to the increase in price was found among women, smokers with low salary, smokers who are only moderately addicted, and smokers who purchase low priced cigarettes. Lee concludes that the smokers are relatively insensitive to a hike in cigarette pr icing, since the prices of cigarettes are low in Taiwan. Thus, a marginal increase in cigarette tax would consequently reduce cigarette consumption and thus also increase the cigarette tax revenue of the government and the income of cigarette merchants effectively. This result is consistent with the findings of previous studies by Townsend (1996) and Sissoko (2002) which reflects that the price has a major effect on cigarette consumption and consequently diseases caused by smoking, especially in low income groups. Progressive rise in cigarette tax rates offer a powerful contribution to policy for reducing cigarette consumption and generating extra government revenue. Consequently, when Ross and Al-Sadat (2007) evaluate income elasticity and the price on cigarette demand and also the effect of cigarette taxes towards cigarette demand and cigarette tax revenue within Malaysia, they find that income is positively connected to cigarette consumption. A 1% rise in real income boosts cigarette consumption by 1.46%. They use time series regression analysis for 1990 to 2004 applying the error-correction model. The per-capita consumption of domestic and imported cigarettes is calculated using the excise tax and import duties collected by the Malaysian government and the size of the adult population which are aged above 15 years old. The model estimates that a rise in cigarette excise tax from RM 1.60 to RM 2 per pack will effectively reduce cigarette consumption in Malaysia by 3.37%. They conclude that taxation is an effectual means for reducing cigarette consumption and deaths linked to tobacco while bringing up the revenue for the Malaysian government. According to Huang, Yang, and Hwang (2004), future cigarette consumptions will depend entirely on tax share, price and income elasticity of remaining heavy smoker. They use a panel unit root test to calculate the demand for cigarettes over the period of 1961 to 2002 for 42 states including Washington D.C. The cigarette data in this study is obtained from The Tax Burden on Tobacco published by the Tobacco Institute. They find that price and income elasticity are approximately -0.41 and 0.06. Other than that, a decrease in tax elasticity leads to decreasing price elasticity, and smaller tax shares seems to be interconnected to declining tax elasticity. This study shows an interesting implication, whereby cigarette consumption is a normal good to transfer payment recipients and wage earners, which however is an inferior good to the elderly population and stocks owners. In 2002, Hu and Mao examine a policy dilemma in China on public health against the tobacco economy through added cigarette tax. In order to analyse the impact of tobacco consumption and production towards government revenue and also to the entire economy, they use published data from 1980 to 1997. Imposition of cigarette tax increase will have a significant impact in generating extra central government revenue and reducing cigarette consumption. Therefore, increasing additional tax on cigarettes will be beneficial to the Chinese government from both the financial and public health perspective. Levy, Cummings, and Hyland (2000) use a simulation model to evaluate the effects of taxes on the smoking rate and smoking induced deaths. The method they use in their study projects the number of smokers and smoking attributable deaths from a baseline year of 1993. They find that increase in taxes is to reduce the percentage of the total population that smokes. Youth groups experiences greater effects. The effects of a tax hike tends to increase over time as younger individuals who are more responsive to price increase grows older, but federal and state taxes on cigarettes are currently set at a fixed amount per unit. Moreover, the price of cigarettes falls comparative to the purchasing power of the population as wages increase. These effects grow over time and lead to a substantial savings in lives and health care cost. Lanoie and Leclair (1998) investigate the relative ability of two anti-smoking policies which are taxes and regulations, in inducing a decline in cigarette consumption and in providing incentives to quit smoking. Based on a Canadian data over the period of 1980 to 1995, the results show that cigarette demand react to taxes with the elasticity of -0.28, not regulation. This result implies that the policies are both acting in a corresponding fashion to influence the incidence of smoking. In addition to that, Galbraith and Kaiserman (1997) analyses Canadian cigarette taxation and consumption within the period of 1980 and 1994. During that period, there is a large price rise and decline, and a dramatic increase in the consumption of the contraband tobacco products. In their study, they examine the elasticity of legal cigarette sales and total sales which include contraband with respect to the price of legal cigarettes and various other factors. They conclude that price elasticity regarding demand towards cigarettes tends to increase in absolute value over time, making taxation an increasing strong instrument with which to influence smoking behavior. In considering untaxed sales as well, it becomes clear that the sensitivity of total cigarette sales to the taxation instrument is much lower than would otherwise appear, and has fallen obviously. According to Meier and Licari (1997), a rise in federal tax is more successful than increases in state taxes in reducing tobacco use. Cigarette consumption drops when labels with health warnings were added. They use a pooled time-series analysis from the period of 1955 to 1994 with 50 states as units of the study. The effect of excise taxes on cigarette consumption for numerous different models and econometric techniques is asset to analyse the usefulness of state and federal taxes in bringing down the consumption of cigarettes and estimate the effect of government health warnings. Their study also shows how warnings and taxes interact. Tobacco control programs also has some impact towards the consumption of cigarettes as stated by Farrelly, Pechacek and Chaloupka (2003) that increase in tobacco control program expenditures reduce cigarette sales. Additionally, in reviewing the evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive tobacco control programs, the recent Surgeon Generals Report on Reducing Tobacco Use concludes that comprehensive tobacco control programs work. Although these studies consistently suggest that state tobacco control programs decrease tobacco use, these studies can easily be confounded by changes in excise taxes, cross-border sales, and other factors. Nevertheless, Leu (1984) reveals that anti smoking advertisements in Switzerlands mass media has a significant permanent effect on cigarette consumption. It is a powerful instrument to reduce cigarette consumption. He claims that extended publicity, following the 1964 US Surgeon Generals Report, accompanying various tax increases which preceded by a public vote on an advertising ban for tobacco products, helps reduce consumption permanently by a total of 11%. It is also supported by Keeler et al (1993) who examine the impact of income, taxes, prices, and anti smoking policy on the consumption of cigarettes in California. They use a monthly time-series data throughout 1980 to 1990. He also declares that the effect of the increase in tax in the long run will be to decrease cigarette consumption. Anti-smoking regulations decreases cigarette consumption, and thus, it shows that consumers behave consistently with the model of rational addiction. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY This chapter is to describe on the methods used in this study and the collection of data. It also explains the procedures used in collecting the data and the measurement of the variables. Thus, it provides a summary of expected result of the study. 3.1 Data types A time series data is used for the empirical analysis in this study. The data is collected annually over the period of 1998 to 2008. The types of data obtained are real price of cigarette, real income per capita, cigarette consumption, and also the aging population. 3.2 Data Source The secondary data is collected from the previous studies by other researchers. Mainly, the sources of data are from Departme

The Writing Styles Of 2 Prominent British Science Fiction Authors :: essays research papers

The Writing Styles of 2 Prominent British Science Fiction Authors "Science fiction is one of the more secluded parade grounds where private fantasy and public event meet. They call it entertainment". (Aldiss Billion 1) This quote is interpreted to mean that, in the genre of science fiction there is a fusion of fantasy and reality. It is this combination of two opposites that produces the novel categorized today as science fiction. There is one aspect of science fiction that separates it from any other genre. Science fiction can be written as fantasy one day, and read as scientific fact the next. Jules Verne has written about man setting foot on the moon. When read by its original readers the idea of space travel was not a reality. It is now common knowledge that man has walked on the moon, and when this novel is read today no longer is space travel considered to be imaginary. Skillful science fiction novelists brilliantly blend fantasy with reality, composing a very fine line between the two perceptions. When reading, one sometimes does not even realize when the author makes the transition from a plausible concept to a ludicrous one. Science fiction is a relatively new term. Novels were first categorized this way towards the close of the 1920's. This word was first utilized in short stories that appeared in the pulp magazines, of the era. The phrase "science fiction" was considered an enhancement of the term scientifiction. However several British novels were categorized as scientific romances before the 1920's. (Aldiss Trillion 27) Before Frankenstein the only forms of science fiction were "the plays of Aristophanes or some Myrenaean fragment concerning the flight to the sun on a goose's back." (Aldiss Billion 2) In these fantasies there is no blend of reality and fantasy, it is pure fantasy. There is no one story that is accepted to be the first science fiction tale. Science fiction as perceived today originated with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. (Aldiss Trillion 18) Mary Shelley was the wife of the famous British poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley and daughter of Mary Wollenstonecraft. She was born in 1797 and her mother died soon after birth. Mary Wollenstonecraft married her husband at the age of fifteen. She produced her most famous novel entitled Frankenstein at the age of nineteen. It was published in 1818. (Ash 178) The origin of the novel came to Shelley in a dream, in which she says she saw "the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy half vital

Teacher Descriptive Essay

Lily Campbell Block 3 Mr. Watrous 18 September 2012 Who is Mr. Watrous? When we initially meet someone, we immediately tend to judge by physical appearance. This is somewhat of a natural instinct, although the way someone looks does not necessarily reflect the individual’s true self. When I first strolled into Mr. Watrous’s classroom, my first impression was that he’d be a stern, serious teacher. Soon after I heard him speak to our class, and even more after having him for a few blocks, I found that he is an amiable and whimsical man.My first impression of Mr. Watrous is nothing at all as his true personality. He’s actually quite an interesting teacher and very different from the majority. Mr. Watrous appears to be middle aged, as his dark brown, short hair is filling in with gray. He doesn’t seem to have wrinkles. Instead he has a clear, healthy looking face, impressive green eyes, and dark stubble from his beard. He’s about medium height fo r an adult man and has a thin, yet muscular frame. Mr. Watrous dresses different than most teachers at Central West.His most stylish outfits consist of â€Å"tablecloth† print, button up shirts, green pants, and two-inch heeled shoes. But what he regularly wears are collared or button up shirts, jeans, and dress shoes. In my opinion, Mr. Watrous’s appearance makes him appear as a strong, harsh kind of guy. But in reality, he’s far from that. In class Mr. Watrous is a mixture of both formal and informal. When lecturing, or directly asking questions he speaks and behaves quite formal. However, when he casually speaks with a student he’s more informal.Outside of the classroom Mr. Watrous’s speech is Campbell 2 more informal with the use of a lot of slang. For example, he refers to the people he’s speaking to as â€Å"man† often, despite their gender, as part of his normal vocabulary. In our class Mr. Watrous acts as he wants the best pos sible out of us. He seems really focused on preparing us for the future. He talks to us about college and our future constantly. He also teaches us the importance of speaking in formal and informal manner, and indirectly teaches us life lessons.One example I’ll never forget was that on the first day of school he assigned an almost impossible task of answering about 40 questions in 15 minutes, in attempt to teach us that we need to speak up and recognize ridiculous tasks requested of us. It seems that Mr. Watrous’s thoughts are really clever and strategic. Yet, when one asks him to describe how he thinks he says little of it is based on logic and he usually just ends up going with his gut. This is consistent with how Mr.Watrous teaches, he presents himself as a really smart, all-knowing guy, but as he’s teaching he is thinking of new things to say. In our classroom Mr. Watrous thinks a lot about his students and how to help them succeed, but outside of school he has more important priorities. He owns an art gallery and ranch, plus he has a family. Mr. Watrous probably thinks about his ranch very often since it needs maintenance. Since he is an artist, he is very creative, I’m sure he is constantly thinking of new things to paint. Just like any other husband/father Mr.Watrous is going to constantly think about his family. Students look up to Mr. Watrous and treat him very respectfully. He is appreciated by his students who trust him, and want to learn from him. Students will joke around with Mr. Watrous since he’ll joke around with us often also. Mr. Watrous treats his student in a respectful manner. Although he will be honest, and tell someone what is exactly on his mind. He holds our class up to high standards and wants us to be the best possible. If a student says â€Å"Um† he’ll mock them Campbell 3 very single time, hoping that we will eventually stop being unsure of ourselves and think before we talk. He doe s this so we will think before we speak and not be unsure or ourselves. Mr. Watrous is a different kind of teacher, but in a good way. His appearance is deceiving since he looks scary and mean. He’s really actually super nice and a laid back teacher. He acts different in his classroom and home settings. As a teacher his interest is in what’s best for his students. His students realize that so they respect and appreciate him very much.

Rainforest Depletion essays

Rainforest Depletion essays Long ago, the Earth had a green belt of rain forests around its middle that covered almost twelve percent of the earth's land surface.(Miller we can no longer use the excuse of ignorance."(Hammond 2) People need to try harder to stop rain forest depletion. There are two major areas on earth where rain forests are located. One of these areas is called "The Old World Tropics," which includes Africa and Asia. In Africa, the rain forests are primarily located around the Zaire river. The other area in which rain forests are located is called "The New World Tropics," which contains Central and South America. The New World tropics are in lower altitudes as opposed to the Old World tropics, which are at higher altitudes. Rain forests are located around the equator. This location of the rain forests makes them warm and humid all year round. There are never cold winters in the rain forests. During winter in the rain forests, people comfortably are able to wear T-shirts and shorts. The rain forest has a rainy season which usually lasts most of the year. "The rain forests of the world are home to more than half of the animal species that live on earth."(CSIRO 1) Many of these creatures are some of the most beautiful and odd creatures in the world, Such as the large rodent Capybara, the Anteater, and many different colorful exotic birds. There are many beautiful creatures living in our Earth's rain forests. Many people are ignorant to the effects of rain forest depletion on our environment, and this ignorance is a major cause in the beginning of the destruction of the rain forests. "E...

Comparison of religion of the Mayans and Aborigines essays

Comparison of religion of the Mayans and Aborigines essays The Mayans of North America and the Aborigines of Australia seem nearly incomparable is some regards. The Mayans were an accomplished civilization thriving in the arts, sciences, and mathematics, as well as farming, trade and culture. The aborigines were a nomadic people scattered across a huge continent. One area where these two societies are comparable is their religious beliefs and practices. This essay will present the similarities and differences of the religious and spiritual practices of the Mayan civilization and the Australian aborigines. A stark contrast between Mayan and Aboriginal beliefs is the gods. Mayan religion is governed by a set of gods. These gods control everything, and need to be honored to make everything work correctly (Beck 18). The Aborigines have many religious customs, but not all are to honor the gods. Also, the Aborigines have different myths and customs between different parts of Australia, whereas the Mayans had the same customs through out the Yucatan (Isaacs 52). A similarity of the Mayans and Aborigines were they both had specialized people for religion. The Mayans had a hierarchy of religious figures. The highest rank in the hierarchy was the Head High Priest. The Head High Priest was also most likely the ruler of the city. Other high priests existed under the management of the Head High Priest. These men were important and powerful. They were the thinkers the astronomers, mathematicians, keepers of the calendars, and astrologists. From there, the next step in the hierarchy is the Chilams and Nacoms. The Chilams were the prophets, and the Nacoms performed the ritualistic human sacrifices. The lesser priests were witch doctors, musicians, and local chiefs (Beck 17-18). The Aborigines form of a priest was the shaman. The shaman communed with the gods, and the tribe would go to the shaman for guidance. A god could enter a shaman if the shaman inhaled the smoke from th...

Managing cultural diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing cultural diversity - Essay Example nomic growth for any organisation and this in turn results to an organisation achieving its set targets and objectives (Leaderbrighton-hove.org, 2003). The result of socio-economic growth would be inadequate in terms of classifying people by their background, qualification and physical condition. This is not a right or a wrong subject, however, serious consideration is essential for internal strength and positive acceptance from all the parties concerned. Further detailed explanation will be shown using a case study of Park Plaza hotel. Diversity in the workplace is a people issue whereby the various differences that they have as well as similarities are taken into account. In this paper cultural diversity shall be looked into in relation to a service industry and in this case, the hotel industry. Cultural diversity in an organisation that wishes to emerge the top in its operations is taken to be multi-culturalism which is that aims at embracing and valuing the different cultures. Diversity has become a business necessity and not a legal or moral issue as the case was decades back. In this respect it has become a necessity that organisations take advantage of the diverse cultural backgrounds of its workforce in competing in the today’s rather global business arena. The hospitality industry has not been left behind in this aspect of managing cultural diversity in the workplace. (Devine 2006; Baum 2006) However, at the work place, women, older and less educated people are the ones that are most discriminated. The same case applies to those coming from developing countries by those from the first world. The disabled is the other group that is discriminated to the extent of their disabilities; an act that is not only wrong but inhumane (Deluca 1992). Therefore, organisations’ managements need to put these issues into consideration and come up with policies that are aimed at minimising these forms of discrimination at the very least so as to cater for the needs of

Ethos pathos and logos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethos pathos and logos - Essay Example been consuming healthy foods for a long time since my very early childhood so that the audience knows that what I am saying is not just theory but a reflection on my personal life experiences. To establish pathos in the presentation, I would try to make emotional connection with the audience by enriching my speech with gestures that reinforce my ideas, by randomly asking the audience easy questions to keep them engaged with me, including funny pictures wherever possible in the presentation not only to entertain the audience, but also to give them a break now and then, and by sharing with them some experiences of my mom’s friends who have suffered great losses in life because of consuming unhealthy foods. To establish logos in the presentation, I would organize the slides in a way that my speech reflects smoothly point after point as I make it. I shall suggest certain eatables and drinks that can be made available in the cafeteria within the school’s budget so that everybody knows that what I am proposing is practicable and thus not to be taken