Tradeoffs free essay sample

Tradeoffs This year, about 580,350 US residents are expected to die of cancer – that’s nearly 1,600 people a day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. Cancer accounts for nearly 1 out of every 4 deaths in the United States. Drug prices are becoming a developing issue for every disease, especially for people who are uninsured. But the cost of cancer has shown an alarming increase and is steadily growing. As a list of more advanced biotech drugs become available the cost for treatment rounds costing $100,000, or even more, are no longer a rarity. With each new drug means more research which in turn means more money. Patients’ living longer is great news but also means they need treatment for longer periods which also increases cost. Prices reflect manufacturers’ years of research and development investment. Also, many drug companies donate a certain amount of medication to prescription-assistance programs that provide them for free to patients who otherwise couldn’t pay. We will write a custom essay sample on Tradeoffs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is a great program but is also extremely costly and directly contributes to the cost. Government involvement can be a deterrent to the rising cost of cancer drugs of its programs are implemented correctly. This cost can be accomplished through disease prevention and wellness programs. The government Healthcare Reform has proven, so far, to be beneficial. As of May, more than 600,000 people have taken advantage of the Affordable Care Acts. These increases mean profits for the insurance companies, which can translate to lower premiums, since the new insurees pay into the system but require fewer health services. Health insurance companies reported record profits for the first quarter of 2011. Also, 46% more small businesses than in 2010 offered health care benefits, according to a Kaiser survey. More insured small business employees means fewer bankruptcies, better credit scores and higher consumer demand. All of these gains can indirectly contribute to lower costs of cancer drugs. This allows the companies to spend more, which in turn boosts economic growth. The major economic problem stems from the limits of how much we can actually spend on healthcare, and this lack of resources requires choices. For every type of treatment, there is a clear cost. This cost is further complicated with what we can and will spend to meet these services. We all need and expect the best medical care, and even if we wish to spend more on these services, we are restricted as to how much of our disposable income we can spend on it. However the amount we do choose to spend, we want to spend it proficiently so that we get the most medical care for whatever given amount we can afford. We all want proper medical care when we need it and when we want it. The mixture of these vital qualities will always bring about issues with the most arguable issue being cost.

Roman Imperial Succession in the Julio-Claudian Era

Roman Imperial Succession in the Julio-Claudian Era The Imperial period is the time of the Roman Empire. The 1st leader of the Imperial period was Augustus, who was from the  Julian  family of Rome. The next four emperors were all from his or his wifes (Claudian) family. The two family names are combined in the form   Julio-Claudian. The Julio-Claudian era covers the first few Roman emperors,  Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius,  and  Nero.​ Ancient Roman history is divided into 3 periods: RegalRepublicanImperial Sometimes a fourth period is included: Byzantine Period. The Rules of Succession Since the Roman Empire was new at the time of the Julio-Claudians, it still had to work out issues of succession. The first emperor, Augustus, made much of the fact that he was still following the rules of the Republic, which permitted dictators. Rome hated kings, so although emperors were kings in all but name, a direct reference to the succession of the kings would have been anathema. Instead, the Romans had to work out the rules of succession as they went. They had models, like the aristocratic road to political office (cursus honorum), and, at least in the beginning, expected emperors to have illustrious ancestors. It soon became apparent that a potential emperors claim to the throne required money and military backing. Augustus Appoints a Co-Regent The senatorial class historically passed along their status to their offspring, so succession within a family was acceptable; however, Augustus lacked a son to whom to pass along his privileges. In 23 B.C., when he thought he would die, Augustus handed a ring conveying imperial power to his trusted friend and general Agrippa. Augustus recovered. Family circumstances changed. Augustus adopted Tiberius, his wifes son, in A.D. 4 and gave him proconsular and tribunician power. He married his heir to his daughter Julia. In 13, Augustus made Tiberius co-regent. When Augustus died, Tiberius already had imperial power. Conflicts could be minimized if the successor had had the opportunity to co-rule. Tiberius Two Heirs Following Augustus, the next four emperors of Rome were all related to Augustus or his wife Livia. They are referred to as Julio-Claudians. Augustus had been very popular and so Rome felt allegiance to his descendants, too. Tiberius, who had been married to Augustus daughter and was the son of Augustus third wife Julia, had not yet openly decided who would follow him when he died in A.D. 37. There were 2 possibilities: Tiberius grandson Tiberius Gemellus or the son of Germanicus. On Augustus order, Tiberius had adopted Augustus nephew Germanicus and named them equal heirs. Caligulas Illness The Praetorian Prefect, Macro, supported Caligula (Gaius) and the Senate of Rome accepted the prefects candidate. The young emperor seemed promising at first but soon suffered a serious illness from which he emerged a terror. Caligula demanded extreme honors be paid to him and otherwise humiliated the Senate. He alienated the praetorians who killed him after 4 years as emperor. Unsurprisingly, Caligula had not yet selected a successor. Claudius is Persuaded to Take the Throne Praetorians found Claudius cowering behind a curtain after they assassinated his nephew Caligula. They were in the process of ransacking the palace, but instead of killing Claudius, they recognized him as the brother of their much loved Germanicus and persuaded Claudius to take the throne. The Senate had been at work finding a new successor, too, but the praetorians, again, imposed their will. The new emperor bought the continued allegiance of the praetorian guard. One of Claudius wives, Messalina, had produced an heir known as Britannicus, but Claudius last wife, Agrippina, persuaded Claudius to adopt her sonwhom we know as Neroas heir. Nero, the Last of the Julio-Claudian Emperors Claudius died before the full inheritance had been accomplished, but Agrippina had support for her son, Nero, from the Praetorian Prefect Burrus whose troops were assured a financial bounty. The Senate again confirmed the praetorians choice of successor and so Nero became the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors. Later Successions Later emperors often designated successors or co-regents. They could also bestow the title of Caesar on their sons or other family member. When there was a gap in the dynastic rule, the new emperor had to be proclaimed either by the Senate or the army, but the consent of the other was required to make the succession legitimate. The emperor also had to be acclaimed by the people. Women were potential successors, but the first woman to rule in her own name, Empress Irene (c. 752 - August 9, 803), and alone, was after our time period. Succession Problems The first century saw 13 emperors, the 2nd, 9, but then the 3rd produced 37 (plus the 50 Michael Burger says never made it to the rolls of the historians). Generals would march on Rome where the terrified senate would declare them emperor (imperator, princeps, and augustus). Many of these emperors with nothing more than force legitimating their positions, had assassination to look forward to. Sources: A History of Rome, by M. Cary and H.H. Scullard. 1980.Also J.B. Burys History of the Later Roman Empire and The Shaping of Western Civilization: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment, by Michael Burger. For more information on imperial succession, see: The Transmission of the Powers of the Roman Emperor from the Death of Nero in A.D. 68 to That of Alexander Severus in A.D. 235, by Mason Hammond; Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 24, (1956), pp. 6163-133.

Culture of Consumption During Eisenhower Administration Essay

Culture of Consumption During Eisenhower Administration - Essay Example His economic conservatism allowed the economy to grow to unprecedented levels and citizens at that time refer to this period as the â€Å"happy days† or the â€Å"good old days† to sort of give a characteristic feature of his administration. He cut the defense budget and controlled the budget deficit of the Federal government so private enterprises will not be crowded out of the credit and financial markets. In other words, private enterprise and individual initiative were in full bloom. American citizens felt good about themselves and at peace with the outside world such that this period saw an economic and also a baby boom when record numbers of babies were born. People felt upbeat in general when they produced record numbers of newborns and this in turn boosted consumer confidence such that people spent their monies in record numbers too. When people have faith in the future, they tend to spend money confidently and consume all the products and services on the market that led to a culture of conspicuous consumption. There also were profound social and economic changes that encouraged Americans to consume more. They found new affluence, moved to the suburbs in prefabricated houses, got new financial credit and took secure and well-paying jobs giving rise to a strong middle class (Mayer, 2010, p.

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

K - Assignment Example Hence, it ought to have a somehow general title but still emphasizing on its capability that differentiates with other hybrids. For instance, â€Å"Ford Fiesta is now higher by 40 Highway miles and comfort than the same hybrid cars.† The illustration is quite catchy and as somehow targets the youth populace. The color used is favorable to both sexes. The green color is a shouting choice to many thus being effective as it attracts the attention of the readers. The fuel gauge has also been illustrated and it exemplifies FF is quite economical based on fuel consumption. The limitation evident in the illustration is that the interior design of the FF was not shown. It would have enhanced the effectiveness of the ad. FF stands out amongst other hybrids of its level because of the thoughtful engineering touch. This message is evident in the body and it has added strength to the advert for it motivates clients to find out more about the FF where the body copy mentions the vehicle minimizes fuel consumption. This is true since it has a fuel consumption of up to 65.7mpg, which is low thus the car is more efficient considering it can cover many miles. To add on, it has an effective 1.0-liter 3 cylinder class-leading petrol engine, hence does not compromise matters of performance and power while ensuring that it economizes on fuel. The only limitation is that the body leaves out critical information about FF such as those on safety. The design of FF is quite spectacular for it has a stylish design both outside and inside. The headlamps outside are sleek and the tailamps at the rear hatch beautifully sculpted. The illustration has succeeded in indicating the outside design of the FF but has left out the interior. The ad is effective starting from the choice of headline. The headline is bound to attract the attention of the readers. The color of the illustration is also one that will attract

Drinking Water Quality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drinking Water Quality - Assignment Example From this discussion it is clear that water quality is very important to humanity as well as the survival of other species. First of all, portable water is highly scarce. More crucially, only 3% of the world’s water is safe for drinking and 2% of this water is found ice and glaciers. Therefore, it is only 1% of the world’s water that is actually available for drinking. This is the reason why water quality is an important topic to many people. Water is very important to the daily life of a human being. Water is an integral part of most items we purchase and consume each day. This includes the various foods and drinks. Quality drinking water is important to human health and the general well-being. Water is also used throughout our homes for purposes of cooking, bathing, cleaning, laundry, watering plants and a many other purposes.This study highlights that human activities also have a high influence on water quality. Water pollution due to human as well as industrial acti vities have led to some devastating effects on the whole ecosystem. Developing countries are struggling with intestinal diseases while the developed ones face eutrophication. It is clear that although there may be an adequate supply of water, the unsuitable quality of this water is likely to limit its use. Therefore, we should avoid engaging in activities that pose a challenge to water quality. The hypothesis that guided this study is that Sharjah tap water has less than 500ml/L TDS.

Political and economic environment of South Africa

Political and economic environment of South Africa South Africa is a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and the Parliament. The Parliament includes two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. They are in charge for creating the laws of and taking care of bills involving monetary issues. The third governmental division is an autonomous judiciary. The Constitutional Court is the highest court for interpreting and deciding constitutional issues, while the Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court for nonconstitutional matters (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). South Africa achieved independence from Britain on 31 May, 1910 and the official Independence Day is 27th April. In 1994, there was first all-race multiparty election making it the formal end of apartheid. In 2009, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won its third consecutive election and Jacob Zuma was elected President. There has been a concern that the dominance of the ANC has made South Africa a de-facto one-party state with other parties, such as Democratic Alliance (DA) and Congress of the People (COPE) being in the opposition. President Zumas rise to power has been divisive. Zumas reputation has been stained by several issues, such as accusations for corruption and sexual abuse, which provoked his discharge as Deputy President in 2005. There are still issues concerning Zuma which include his setback in declaring his commercial interests and extra-marital affairs. Zuma was brought to power with a support of two ruling partners powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party. The Zuma administration has mainly remained to the previous administrations economic policies. Nevertheless, there are still ideological tensions within the ANC and among the ANC and its ruling partners. South Africa continues to have broad economic and political relations with the regional and international community that will likely offer a degree of stability. South Africas successful hosting of the World Cup of soccer in June-July was viewed as a coming-out party of sorts for South Africa on the international stage (Whelan, n.d.). Based on the recent political situation in South Africa there are certain challenges ahead. There have been notable transformations in the country after the apartheid period such as programs to develop necessary social services, wide spreading the right to use improved chances in education and business. However, the process of transformation of South Africa is long and requires the persistent dedication of the leaders and people. One of the main contributors in the reconciliation process is The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that is taking care of abuses of human rights during apartheid era, provide victims with compensation and gives amnesty to those who committed politically motivated crimes. TRC often conflicts with political, economic and cultural interests of different groups of South Africas people. The challenge for the government to balance these confrontations and manage agreements on the basic questions will remain a critical challenge (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). Even though South African economy is in many areas highly developed, the nature of apartheid caused the countrys international isolation until the 1990s that has left major disadvantages. The economy is in a course of change as the government attempts to manage the inequities of apartheid, encourage growth, and create employment opportunities. Nowadays business in the country is becoming more integrated internationally, and foreign investments have increased. However, the economic inconsistency among population groups is projected to continue for many years, making it a main concern for the government. Economic Environment The economy of South Africa has two sides: one is developed and the other one with most basic infrastructure. Countrys economy has many characteristics of the economies in developing countries, such as separation of labor among formal and informal sectors, irregular distribution of wealth and income. South African government has demonstrated its dedication to open markets, privatization, and a favorable investment climate through the release of a Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy that took place in the period from 1996 to 2000. The results were with various successes. First of all, it achieved greater financial discipline and macroeconomic stability; however it failed to deliver these achievements in main areas. Unemployment continued to rise even after continuing programs of black empowerment. Countrys wealth still remains unequally distributed among racial lines. Second, several budgetary reforms that aimed to provide better reporting, auditing and accountability, and changes in monetary policy in terms of inflation targeting, allowed South Africa to have transparency and predictability that are highly-praised. Third, the process of trade liberalization has progressed significantly since the early 1990s, which together with implementation of World Trade Orga nization (WTO) obligations and initiation of the Doha Development Round shows South Africas recognition of free market values. Today, economic recovery is on track. The fiscal position remains challenging, the forecasts for 2011 include sizable but manageable deficit. The government expects these shortfalls to gradually narrow due to a rebound in growth and slowdown in expenditure growth. International investors remain cautious of emerging markets due to events in Europe (Greece) and South Africa could fall out of favor should perceptions shift. So far, unemployment remains stuck at 25%, with employment gains only being registered in the public sector. The recovery is expected to remain on course and private sector demand should gradually gain force, thus replacing government as a growth driver. A stronger recovery will likely only take hold in 2012. Regardless of the various optimistic economic achievements since 1994, South Africa has had difficulties in attracting significant foreign direct investment. However, the situation started to change, in 2005 South Africa had the largest single FDI when Barclays acquired a majority share in local bank Absa Group Limited. In 2006, the deals between the British Vodafone and South Africas Vodacom were formed. Later on, in 2010, two multibillion dollar deals took place, when HSBC acquired Nedbank and Walmart acquired Shoprite Holdings (Wikipedia, 2010). For international and domestic investors, there are several investment opportunities existing in South Africa since the country is the world leader in several specialized manufacturing areas and it has fast growing service industry, tourism construction that will significant foreign investment over the next few years. On May 15, 2004, South Africa was honored a chance to hold the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That was the biggest event that was ever held in Africa. South Africa made a big effort on improving the infrastructure and security in the country. The economic impact of the World Cup is great for the country, since it will increase the GDP, create numerous jobs and attract foreign investments. South Africas longer-term prospects center on the governments ability to manage a country through a transitional period. Economic policy is generally business friendly, while FDI is welcomed. Success depends on the capability of the government to address the power issue. Social Environment Today there are 49,109,107 people living in the country. More or less half of the population lives in urban areas, and many live in rural areas with insufficient housing. In both rural and urban centers, a lot of people do not have access to water supply and sanitation, electricity, and other services. Due to the fact that population is more mobile today and there are more employment opportunities in the urban areas, the immigration among the citizens is growing rapidly. Poverty is the highest among the Black population, reaching over 60%. There have been several reforms in the education sector and now all inhabitants have access to education, however still around 13,6% of population are illiterate. Even though majority of people have access to health services, public establishments are usually lacking necessary resources and not capable to meet demands. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV occurrence in the world. Overall, 18,1% of the population is infected by this disease. Every day there are 1,000 new infections occurred, and around 350,000 people die annually from AIDS-related diseases. A 2007-2011 strategic plan offered the arrangement for a widespread reaction to HIV and AIDS, counting a national compress of antiretroviral therapy. Overall, 30% of infected people are currently on antiretroviral therapy. From the time when apartheid was abolished, political violence in South Africa has went down noticeably, however today violent crime is still a major concern in South Africa and these acts are increasingly economically rather than racially motivated. Therefore, there are many robberies targeting upper-class citizens. In 2008, due to the national dissatisfaction with high unemployment rates and illegal immigration, people from other African countries who came to urban cities of South Africa were often targeted by local citizens. In April 2010, Eugene TerreBlanche, a disreputable pro-Apartheid person, was killed by two of his black employees. This event raised concerns of inter-racial violence, however it did not happen. While South African society is experiencing a rapid change, some prejudice against women and people infected by HIV/AIDS continues (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). Exchange rate policy South Africa has a strong financial structure with a great and active stock exchange that ranks 17th in the world in terms of total market capitalization. South Africa has a floating exchange rate system where the rand exchange rate is mainly established by the foreign exchange market forces under circumstances that exchange control is still applied, however only over inhabitants in terms of capital movements. The government has taken steps to slowly lessen lasting foreign exchange controls (Merwe, n.d.). Private citizens can do a single investment of up to 2,000,000 rand in offshore accounts. During 2007, the percentage of South African shareholdings for FDI outside Africa was decreased from 50% to 25%. This change allows South African companies to hold strategic international partnerships. Moreover, companies that are involved in international business were allowed to use a single Customer Foreign Currency (CFC) account for all intercontinental dealings. Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) was also given a permission to set up a rand currency futures market that aims to expand South Africas financial markets and raise liquidity in the local foreign exchange market. The Reserve Bank no longer recommends fixed rates for buying and selling dollars in bank transactions with the public. Nevertheless, South African Reserve Bank can play a part  in this market by buying or selling  other currencies. Today, in general the policy is to allow market forces to determine the exchange rate.   However, in latest years, however,  the Bank has been building up foreign exchange reserves by purchasing  foreign exchange from the market. Activities like raising the demand for foreign exchange can manipulate the exchange rate. In order to interfere successfully in the foreign exchange market, the Reserve Bank must keep an eye on the market all the time.

Ambiguities in the Textual Body of The Castle of Otranto Essay

Incongruous Corpus: Ambiguities in the Textual Body of The Castle of Otranto While the relationship of the Gothic to the Romantic is debatable, the persistent desire of some critics to see it as pre-Romantic should not disguise the possibility that the genre is â€Å"actually sending out very contradictory impulses about its own intentions, [and] adopting certain strategies that thwart the very perceptions it seems to be on the brink of achieving† (Napier, 4). This uncertainty in form and intent has produced imprecision and imbalances in Gothic novels that are partly the result of instability within the Gothic form. Although the Gothic achieves stability by repeating a certain pattern of accepted conventions, leading to remarkable coherence in the â€Å"routine likeness of one romance to another† (Napier, 4), one must be mindful that the Gothic is â€Å"formally and stylistically marked by disequilibrium† (Napier, 4). The imbalance, dissolution, and formal unevenness of the Gothic genre, which some scholars claim are recurrent issues with in the genre, are found as early as the first Gothic novel in The Castle of Otranto. Their existence in Otranto suggests the profound uncertainty Walpole had about the intent of the genre as he perceived it and hints at the immense task the author faced in establishing a new genre that required the â€Å"difficult and uneven breaking away from the more carefully structured and considered narratives of the preceding period† (Napier, 5). Walpole’s inability to provide a thorough theoretical explanation of the intent of the genre and breakaway cleanly from pre-existing narrative norms accounts, in part, for the presence of tonal and modal incongruities within the textual body of Otranto. An examination of the theo... .... Meaning is deflected to surfaces and nothing about a character is truly known beyond what is necessary to further the plot. Nonetheless, despite all the structural incongruities within the body of Otranto, Walpole was successful in establishing a genre that later practitioners perfected. Works Cited Clery, E. J. Introduction. The Castle of Otranto. By Horace Walpole. New York: OUP, 1998. vii-xxxiii. Kiely, Robert. The Romantic Novel in England. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1972. Mowl, Tim. Horace Walpole: The Great Outsider. London: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd., 1996. Napier, Elizabeth R. The Failure of Gothic: Problems of Disjunction in an Eighteenth-Century Literary Form. New York: OUP, 1987. Sedgwick, Eve K. Coherence of Gothic Conventions. New York and London: Methuen, 1986. Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: OUP, 1998.