Gas prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gas prices - Essay Example A vast majority of machines in different industries are powered by gas. Apart from the industrial utility of gas, it is an extremely important element of the modern age life style. In the contemporary age, there is massive consumption of gas even on the domestic level. We use gas heaters, gas ovens, gas stoves, and gas lamps. In addition to the in-house consumption of gas, a vast majority of vehicles on the roads use gas as a secondary fuelling source that works as efficiently as petrol does. The voluminous increase in the use of natural gas does not accord with its declining natural reserves. There is an inverse relationship between the two. Gas prices have risen almost all over the world in the past few years. Much of the rapid increase in the gas prices that has occurred in the recent years can be attributed to the inverse relationship between gas production and consumption rate. Current rate of gas consumption is alarming, and gas prices are likely to increase further if the curr ent consumption rates sustain over next few years. Solution: Solution of this problem lies in wise utilization of the remaining gas. It is not advisable to completely stop the use of gas stoves or gas ovens because no alternative has yet been realized that would give better or even the same results as gas stoves or ovens do.

The effects of arranged marriages on women in India Research Paper

The effects of arranged marriages on women in India - Research Paper Example Husband’s or in-laws’ expectations when not met in this regard often result in a never ending experience of physical and mental abuse for women. In addition to that, failure to give dowry also leads to delayed marriages which is also another social stigma experienced by Indian women. Where marriage provides an opportunity to a couple for satisfying their social, libidinal and emotional needs, lack of understanding, extreme differences in opinions and inability to compromise often results in marital problems. Since women spend more time in domestic settings, rate of depression and other psychological problems is more eminent in them due to lack of outlet of negative emotions. The situation tends to be more difficult for educated men and women who are habitual of having personal independence before marriage. Sexual encounters with unknown partners after wedding also tends to be a stigmatic experience for Indian women which can affect their approach towards men on long-ter m basis. Absence of long-term nurturing or general know-how of future husband’s nature, extra involvement of in-laws in decisions of couples and sacrificing one’s priorities unwilling i.e. career and education, can be triggers that may affect marital life in case of arranged marriages. Arranged marriage system also provides more dominance to men over their wives which further endanger welfare of women due to very foundation of this social system. Comparing advantages and disadvantages of arranged marriages in India, it is important to identify if demerits of arranged marriages for Indian women outweigh benefits offered by this social phenomenon. 2. Advantages of Arranged Marriages Matchmaking in Indian culture is a common social function performed by elders, extended family and friends and is considered as a source of references for acquiring eligible bachelor or bachelorette for daughters and sons of the family. With involvements of elders and dominant family figures in this search, the resultant is a social, economic, religious and cultural compatibility between two families which is also expected between spouses as well. This is precisely the reason why some non-resident Indian families also tend to seek partners for their sons and daughters from India (Kalpagam 207). It is also important to note that divorce rates are expected to be lower in arranged marriages due to presence of third parties and social support provided by family members for conflict resolution among a wife and husband (Bentley n.p; ‘Arranged/ Forced’ n.p). Furthermore, divorce is considered as stigma in Indian culture especially for women therefore arranged marriages provide more support against couples’ divorces which also saves their social stature in Indian culture. Also, strong family ties are an integral part of Asian and other ethnic cultures i.e. Indian, Chinese, Greek and Latina. In addition to that, ignoring personality differences, couples of ar ranged marriages are relatively less influenced by environmental factors i.e. financial or social dominance of one partner over other since they have been already considered, and discord with other family members hampering effectiveness of marital life. Lastly, arranged marriages began with little expectations since nature of partner is usually unknown for man and woman. Therefore, they are more likely to tolerate differences among them as compared to love marriages that may have

What was the Multi-Fibre Agreement China and the Multi-Fibre Agreement Essay

What was the Multi-Fibre Agreement China and the Multi-Fibre Agreement - Essay Example In 1962, a Long Term Agreement (LTA) regarding international trade in cotton textiles was signed. It replaced the one-year Short Term Agreement that existed at the time. LTA underwent several renewals and was subsequently replaced by the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA) in 1974, which was expanded to cover exports of synthetic fibres and woolen products, besides cotton. MFA came into force to allocate export quotas to the low cost developing countries, limiting the amount of imports to countries whose domestic industries were facing serious challenge from rapidly increasing imports. It sought to expand trade, reduce barriers to trade and progressively liberalise world trade. The MFA regime existed for 25 years, until 1994 when the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations resulted in the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). The ATC sought to phase out all quota restrictions in four phases spread over a period of 10 years. The first three partial phase-outs were in January 1995, January 1998 and January 2002. The final one is due on January 01, 2005. This came into force along with the WTO framework for multilateral trade in 1995: stipulated that the quota system for textile exports and imports under the Multi-Fibres Agreement (MFA) was finally phased out on January 1, 2005. More specifically, in terms of the agreement, the transition period, which began in 1995, would be operative for ten years and, by the end of that time, all textiles and apparel articles will have to be brought under the GATT discipline, subject to the same rules, as are the products of other sectors. China and the Multi-Fibre Agreement: - China was a participant country of the MFA, the implications of the end of the MFA regime on world trade generally in textiles and apparel, also the projected impact on the Chinese textile and apparel industry. To set the perspective, the MFA was negotiated under GATT 1947 and was functional from 1974 to 1994. In the eyes of the USITC, the agreement was intended to deal with domestic market disruption in importing countries: that is, developed economies - while allowing the exporting, or developing, nations to expand their textile and apparel trade as much as possible. This was achieved by the MFA through the instrument of negotiating bilateral agreements on export quotas. Cotton fibre is considered as an agricultural product and therefore covered by the WTO agreement on agriculture. All other cotton-based products, such as yarn, weaves and other textile products were subject, until January 2005 to the Multi-fibres Agreement. That agreement which came into force in 1974 was intended to protect the textile industries of developed countries from the growing exports of developing countries by way of a system of quotas. The European Union's Cotton Textile Policy: - The EU cotton regime was put in place in 1981 when Greece joined the European Economic Community. The accession of Spain and Portugal in 1986 enlarged the number of countries covered by the WTO agreement on cotton. Aid was paid to cotton ginners on condition that cotton producers benefited from a minimum price per tone of cottonseeds. This system made it possible to protect producers from variations in world prices while enabling companies to sell cotton fiber at the international price. The aid per tone of cottonseeds was equal to the difference between the guide price (fixed every year) and the world market price. The payment of aid was limited to a maximum guaranteed quantity (MGQ) set annually. From 1987, a guide price cut-off system was introduced to protect growers from the risk of very big falls in the minimum price. The original cut-off was 15% but

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Art History - Essay Example Gauguin’s ia orana Maria (Hail Mary) of 1891 and Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy character derived from his popular manga series in Japan which was first released in the year 1952 but has been followed by a series of renditions over the years as the character grew more popular (Gordon 52). These two pieces of art can be said to be as different as they can get from one another and portray the various changes that have occurred in the world of art over the years. P. Gauguin, Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1891. Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka Cultural Context The cultural context of P. Gauguin’s painting is quite clearly based on the Christian religion as the name itself suggests and is based on the holy mother Mary and her son Jesus in a Tahitian setting. The angel on the left of the painting revealing these two characters to two onlookers (two women) further depicts the religious inspiration that was used to bring this piece of work into being. The garb won by the characters in the painting (that is, pareus which are made of cotton with printed design and is draped around the waist) also exhibits the traditional nature of the painting. The background shows no modern influence and focuses clearly on an inspiration from past events. The Astro boy art work on the other hand is very different from the first painting and depicts a largely transformed society from the one that individuals are used to where robotic boys flying around the place is the order of the day. The piece of art which was done years after P. Gauguin’s tries to display how the artist sees the future will be like. The background content depicting various other planets shows how high the main character (Astro boy) has flown thus in a way displaying the level of technology that will be in place at that time. Stylistic characteristics The stylistic characteristics that are used art works can also be used to define the category of the art work as well (Gordon 68). The first point of note t hat can be made is the material that was used in the creation of the art works. In P. Gauguin†s Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), oil paintings and a canvas were the basic materials used while the creation of Astro boy’s image relied mainly on computer graphics and other modern technology. This can be seen in the various characteristics of both art works such as the lines, in the Ia orana Maria there is a smoothness and sense of curvature in the lines used to paint the characters while the lines in Astro Boys depiction are sharper and clearly structured giving it a more defined looked. The same goes for the colors in both illustrations as Ia orana Maria’s colors have a warmer tone as compared to Astro boy whose colors have more depth and are clearly defined from one another unlike the older painting which exudes a sense of blending in. The shapes are more defined in the Astro boy illustration as well thanks to the clearer lines used in the drawing. Subject matter The s ubject matter is another topic where these two pieces of art greatly defer from one another. Whereas in P. Gauguin’s Ia orana Maria the subject is based on religion shown by the depiction of the son of God and his holy mother, the Astro boy art is mainly based on the future and progressing technology shown by the depiction of a flying robotic boy. The older painting can be said to display a sense of the author’s beliefs while the second more recent art work can be said to di

Opportunity cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Opportunity cost - Essay Example The word cost in the context of economic production is defined as the opportunity cost of producing any good or service. It is considered to be the value that the factors of production or the resources could have generated if they were utilized for the next best use. In other words the opportunity cost is the sacrifice of the next best alternative that is made by consumption or production of a good or service. Thus when the resources are limited an individual has to make choices between the different alternatives. Accordingly by choosing one alternative he gives up the opportunity for enjoying the other remaining alternatives that he has not opted for. This is known as the opportunity cost of consumption or production. Hence it is the most important element in the context of economic that helps in the determination of the choice between the scare resource and the efficient allocation of the resources. Hence the opportunity cost is not only the money value that is given up for one par ticular choice but also the time costs and the psychological costs that are paid for the non-consumption of a product or service. This can be explained with the following example. A person having $10 may decide either to buy a book or an ice cream. If the person buys a book he would have to give up his opportunity to buy the ice cream and enjoy it. On the other hand if he buys an ice cream he gives up the opportunity to read the book. In both the cases the person has to pay an opportunity cost for choosing one option over the other (Samuelson 17). The concept of opportunity cost is used mostly in the context of production decisions. The main factors of production include capital and labor. Suppose a person works in a factory and he earns $10 per day. On the other hand he could have worked in his own farm and could have earned $ 7 a day and could have enjoyed labor for a longer time. Therefore by

Environmentally Sustainable Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmentally Sustainable Business - Essay Example Other initiatives include development of aero-engines that are friendlier to the environment and airframes that are efficient. The aviation industry has also developed ways of assisting communities and passengers comprehend the concept of climate change and pollution resulting from use of the airlines. Aviation Industry players are undertaking the initiatives to mitigate the negative environmental effects caused by the activities in the aviation industry. The activist stage explain that societal issues caused by businesses or organizations are new and very few people understand the extent of their good or bad sides to the society. As a result, activists are ignored because they are not supported by facts or evidence. Proponents of the new societal issues are normally ignored or dismissed by the business community and authority. The proponents championing for societal rights are activists (Zadek 2004). According to the SA (2009) report, issues of environmental challenges had already emerged in the UK aviation industry, and the authorities, airlines and the communities have negotiated mitigation measures. This stage had been by-passed because powerful coalition was underway to deal with the environmental challenges of aviation industry. The coalition is comprised of airlines, Airport Operators Association (AOA), the British Air Transport Association (BAT), the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) and NATS (AS 2009). The second stage is the emerging stage. This stage recognises that the political and media community know and understand the societal issues. There are research bodies that emerge to study the cropping societal issues in the UK aviation caused by aviation activities and processes. The second stage has also been by-passed because climate change, noise and air pollution have become common knowledge in the United Kingdom especially among air operators. Researches have also been commissioned while monitoring and evaluation frameworks have been

MyReligionLab Assignment Week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MyReligionLab Assignment Week 2 - Essay Example They also believe in the karma, the law of cause and effects that make an individual to create his own destiny by thoughts, words, and deeds. In the context of Vellaringat (2002), religion is a set of beliefs (Hindu beliefs) that that relate humanity to supernatural realities. This brings the art of worship and ritual practices as observed by the Hindus. Self seeking, through the intense meditation in order to realize the whole self identity does involve acknowledging the gods, according to the Hindu religion and beliefs. Many of the Hindus have a primary focus on fulfilling their social, moral, political, as well as cultural duties and responsibilities appropriately to their gods in order establish their positions in life. As it may seem, there are similarities with other religious traditions and beliefs in this context. The Christians and the Muslims societies as well believe in the supreme God who determines destiny and affect their social, cultural, as well as moral motives. Considering the Hindus beliefs, practices, and holidays, one similar fact that connects these religions to the people’s daily lives is the ir commitments to devotion, liberation, and knowledge on what they believe in their respective religions. It is therefore true that religious practices centers daily lives of many and dictates their social, traditional, and cultural