America The Unusual by John W Kingdon Essay -- John Kingdon America

America The Unusual by John W Kingdon The government of the United States of America is very unique. While many Americans complain about high taxes and Big Brother keeping too close an eye, the truth is that American government, compared to most foreign democracies, is very limited in power and scope. One area American government differs greatly from others is its scope of public policy. Americans desire limited public policy, a result of several components of American ideology, the most important being our desire for individuality and equal opportunity for all citizens. There are many possible explanations for the reason Americans think this way, including the personality of the immigrants who fled here, our physical isolation from other countries, and the diversity of the American population. The main ideal that keeps public policy in America extremely limited compared to other democracies is the desire for less government, a more limited government. The strong American beliefs in individualism and equality result in this desire for limited government, and thus limited public policy. American government programs are much less ambitious than those of other industrialized democratic nations. Programs in health, welfare, housing, transportaion, and many other areas are much smaller and less ambitious (Kingdon: 44). This is a direct result of the American desire for limited government. Americans don't want large programs in these areas because they more or less fear big government and believe it is inefficient and wasteful. Americans lean towards a desire for equal oppurtunity as opposed to equal results, and thus believe government should stay clear and let people either succeed or fail on their own. They believe that successful individuals are simply the ones who ac hieved more with the opportunities they were given, and that it's the job of the government to keep these opportunities equal for all, and not its job to see that everyone ends up successful. By taking the focus away from equality of results, America has become the victim of large income disparities as compared to other countries. In 1990, American households in the top decile of the income distribution had disposable incomes that were nearly six times greater than households in the bottom decile. Most other large industrialized countries showed upper incomes o... ...ass dominated and often owned most or all of the working class property (Kingdon: 69). These American workers, much more individual, were far less likely to favor a big government system where individual rights are sacrificed for a more balanced social structure. As far as Kingdon's argument that America needs more pragmatism to moderate the commitment to American ideals, I would agree that this would result in a government that better served all Americans. However, I don't think there is any possible way the United States can change the course it is on now. One problem that needs to be faced is the deterioration of the environment, and as Kingdon mentioned, increasing the gas tax would definitely cut down on the pollution. However, if a public official actually announced a new gas tax plan to cut down on emmissions, his political career would come to a crashing halt! Americans are too engrained with the ideal of individuality. Why should we care about how clean the air is when we have kids to feed and mortgages to pay? The focus is on the individual, not the community. Works Cited: Kingdon, John W. America The Unusual. Boston: Worth Publishers, Inc. 1999.

Environment Pollution Essay

As you know, China is well known on its 5000 years history, and it’s also famous for producing poisonous food and the worst environment pollution. Living in a developing country, Chinese develop industry and handicraft industry, and making money as much as they can. Compare with environment pollution, Chinese business man more care about how much money they could make per day. There are millions of factories in China mainland. And thousands of factories are being built right now. Before factories were built, owner or designer usually choose the factory location which nearby the river or lake. Locals usually drink and take water from the river or lake. Some rivers even provide water to several cities. Usually, an industry factory could produce poisonous waste water 350 m? /h and exhaust gas or smog 14000m? /h. But each factory could treat poisonous waste water 30m? /h. that means over 300m? /h poisonous waste water cannot be treated and be discharged into river or lake. In each factory, the equipment for exhaust treatment is required, but the most factories discharge exhaust treatment into air without treatment. Industry community usually is the high incidence area of cancer and oaf. Animals which are living nearby or living in the rivers and lakes, are bigger or with strange appearance. Farmers who are local, usually take water from river or lack for irrigation and raising livestock. Locals get disease on drinking poisonous water, eating poisonous food, and breathing in seriously polluted area. In China, living healthier become people’s dream and hope. Everybody hopes long live and having a healthy life. Over 70% Chinese are not covered by health insurance, and medical bill is going higher and higher, over 85% locals cannot handle it. People usually stay at home and wait for death when they get disease. Living in polluted area make people more worry about their descendants. People start to move to foreign country for a better environment. Let descendants have a chance to live in a healthier living environment also become their goal.

How are Marco and Rodolpho initially presented in A View From the Bridge? Essay

From Marco’s first appearance on stage it is clear that Miller intended to portray him as cautious and respectful. In the stage directions, Miller describes him as â€Å"suspicious, tender†. The use of the word â€Å"suspicious† tells us that Marco is aware of the dangers he and his brother face as immigrants and as such trusts very few people. The word â€Å"tender† supports this idea as it implies that Marco is being careful about what he says as well as being careful to not overstep any boundaries, an idea further supported by the fact that he either sticks only to one or two word answers such as â€Å"thank you† or just nodding. The way Marco has been presented shows that he is very careful by nature and as such will obey those who are in charge. This is first demonstrated after the brothers enter the apartment. After addressing Beatrice, the first thing that Marco tells Eddie is that when â€Å" you (Eddie) say go, we will go†. Almost immediately after meeting the Carbone family Marco states that he will obey Eddies commands and in doing so establishes a hierarchy, in which Eddie is at the highest point. When asked about the condition of life in Italy Marco responds by saying it’s â€Å"bad†. Though on the surface this seems like a very basic description when taken into context it displays just how horrible conditions are there. Marco states that his eldest son is â€Å"sick in the chest† and that if he had stayed â€Å"they (the children) will never grow up†. These sentences show the suffering present in Italy and the fact that Marco doesn’t explicitly refer to the possibility of his children dying and rather only vaguely hints to it shows the fact that while he knows that it is a possibility he refuses to accept it. So when Marco describes the situation as â€Å"bad† what Miller is doing is allowing the audience to imagine for themselves just how bad the situation is. This explains why Marco has come to the US; he is trying to support his family back home and ensure their survival. When Rodolpho first sees the house he exclaims that he thought the Carbone’s â€Å"were poor†. This implies that Rodolpho is seeing their house as very big compared to what he would be used to, which shows just how poor Rodolpho’s family are. Additionally the way Miller has Rodolpho speak this line shows a lot about his character; Miller presents him as excitable and naive through the fact that while Marco is being quiet and careful Rodolpho is talking loudly and being playful. This idea is added onto when Rodolpho answers Catherine’s question about her appearance by saying the â€Å"Danes invaded Sicily†. This is clearly intended to be a joke and shows that Rodolpho is being playful with Catherine, and also hints to the fact that Rodolpho might be attracted to her. Miller adds to Rodolpho’s childlike nature when he has him describe life back in Sicily. While Marco describes the negativities of life back home Rodolpho decides to make it humorous describing how everything in the town â€Å"you gotta push†. His forwardness shows how naive he is. This is further demonstrated when he describes his reasons for coming to America. Rodolpho states that â€Å"when [he] is rich† he will â€Å"buy a motorcycle†. The fact that he says â€Å"when [he] is rich† shows just how little he has thought the plan through. Eddie has been working in America his entire life and is nowhere near being considered being rich, while Rodolpho just assumes he will be. Additionally, his dream of owning a â€Å"motorcycle† is what could be described as a young man’s dream i.e. a person in their youth further adding to the idea that Rodolpho is very childlike. In the relationship between Marco and Rodolpho, Miller makes it clear that Marco is the one with the authority. This is first shown when Marco says to Rodolpho â€Å"Shh! Come†. In this line it is clear that Marco is commanding Rodolpho and since he follows Marco’s commands we can assume that this is normal for them. Furthermore it is Marco who knocks on the door of the apartment implying it is he who takes responsibility. When Rodolpho mentions how he wants to own a motorbike, Marco replies by saying â€Å"when you have no wife you have dreams†. The use of the word dreams suggests that Marco sees Rodolpho’s ambition as unrealistic and as nothing more than just childish wishes. Additionally it could show that Marco sees Rodolpho as not having any responsibilities as he does not have a wife. Furthermore when Rodolpho is describing his first singing performance he states on having lived â€Å"six months on that night† to which Marco â€Å"nods doubtfully† and responds that they in fact only lived two months off the performance. The hyperbole made by Rodolpho seems to confirm the idea of him being a childish figure therefore making Marco the adult figure in the relationship. When Eddie questions Rodolpho about whether or not he â€Å"want[s] to be picked up† Marco replies by rising and saying â€Å"no – no†. Marco’s dominance is displayed by the fact that he replies for Rodolpho and because of the fact that he does it so quickly. Additionally he then goes on to tell Rodolpho â€Å"you’ll be quiet† and the use of an imperative further demonstrated the dominance Marco has over Rodolpho. When Catherine sees Rodolpho she questions him â€Å"wondrously† about his complexion. Wondrously shows that Catherine is intrigued by Rodolpho’s appearance as well as possibly hinting to the fact that she finds him attractive and is curious about him. Furthermore she then exclaims to Beatrice that he is â€Å"practically blond† again showing her interest in him. Additionally Miller heavily suggests Catherine’s interest toward Rodolpho when she is described as asking him whether he’s â€Å"married too†. What this does is show to the audience that Catherine is very interested in Rodolpho and is already considering starting a relationship with him. When Miller describes Eddie as coming to â€Å"address Marco only† what he is doing is showing the audience the start of Eddies disapproval of Rodolpho. This all stems from the fact that in Eddie’s eyes he sees Marco as a real man, strong and masculine, whereas Rodolpho is seen as weak and effeminate. This is added onto when Eddie interrupts Rodolpho’s singing and says â€Å"we never had no singers here†. While this may just be concern for him it could also be interpreted as Eddie being jealous of all the attention Roldolpho is receiving and so purposefully stopped him. In contrast Catherine responds to Eddie’s interruption by saying â€Å"leave him finish†. The fact that Catherine, who had prior to this point been entirely dependant on Eddie’s opinions, goes against Eddie’s wishes is significant and shows just how deep her attraction for Rodolpho goes.

buy custom Sun, Wind and Drain essay

buy custom Sun, Wind and Drain essay The article under consideration deals with the problems related to the use of solar energy in comparison to the conventional sources of energy in modern terms. The article is headlined Sun, Wind and Drain and has been published on The Economist website on June 26, 2014. The issues raised in the paper are of great importance to environmentalists, scientists, policymakers as well as everyone who is interested in the perspective use of alternative sources of energy. The article discusses the recent conception of assessment of benefits that are drawn from the use of particular source of energy which has been introduced by Charles Frank. According to it, the solar energy is considered to be the most expansive alternative to the conventional sources of energy and the most expansive way of reduction of gas-emissions and diminishing of green-house effect.As it has been mentioned, the article is based upon the newly introduced paper discussing the benefits of solar energy in comparison to the use of fuel or gas. The paper was headlined The Net Benefits of Low and No-carbon Electricity Technologies and written by Charles Frank.From the very beginning, the author asserts that the expenses of the government on the subsidizing of developments in the sphere of alternative energy sources are beyond the reasonable limits. At the same time, he states that even though we can calculate the costs needed for the production and use of solar energy, the cost of electricity is hard to assess as it depends upon the amount of fuel used, time of plant operations, costs of capital, etc. In order to calculate all of this, the economists have invented the term levelised costs which refers to both operational and capital expenses. However, this term keeps silent upon so-called intermittency costs. Indeed, the demand for electricity tends to increase every day, and it is often rather intense during the daytime. At the same time, wind energy largely depends on the weather; sometimes, there are calm days when no or little electricity is produced. The same way, solar energy is available only during the daytime. Therefore, I have now to agree with the author who states that even in case of costs equality, the value of electricity that is produced by alternative sources is lower than the one obtained from the conventional sources of energy.The article goes on discussing Franks approach to the estimation of benefits of each energy source. He asserts that the cheapest energy source that does not produce carbon emissions is nuclear power. However, building the plants producing it is rather expansive though it is still cheaper than the further development and construction of green-energy plants, since the unstable functioning of the latter due to the factors described above requires the preservation of the conventional sources of energy.The article ends up with conclusion that the most effective technology aimed at production of energy with zero emissions is nuclear power. The a uthor notes that whereas most of the developed countries still support the investigations in the field of alternative energy sources, the most pragmatic ones are investing money in building nuclear plants promising both gas emissions reduction and lower price for the decrease of green house effect. It is recommended to better focus upon the reduction of emissions than financing extremely expensive projects related to the elaboration of ways of alternative energy sources use. To some extent, I agree with the author since the perspective of a widespread use of solar or wind energy is still beyond the horizon, whereas nowadays we all face the negative effects of increased gas and fuel emissions. In my opinion, the problem of the latest is more urgent thus has to be addressed first. At the same time, states should focus upon elaboration of the less expensive alternatives for emissions reduction than the use of solar, wind, or other zero-carbon energy. Buy custom "Sun, Wind and Drain" essay

Solubility Definition in Chemistry

Solubility Definition in Chemistry Solubility is defined as  the maximum quantity of a substance that may be dissolved in another. It is the maximum amount of solute that may be dissolved in a solvent  at equilibrium, which produces a saturated solution. When certain conditions are met, additional solute may be dissolved beyond the equilibrium solubility point, which produces a supersaturated solution. Beyond saturation or supersaturation, adding more solute does not increase the concentration of the solution. Instead, the excess solute starts to precipitate out of solution.​ The process of dissolving is termed dissolution. Solubility is not the same property of matter as the rate of solution, which describes how quickly a solute dissolves in a solvent. Neither is solubility the same as the ability of a substance to dissolve another as a result of a chemical reaction. For example, zinc metal dissolves in hydrochloric acid through a displacement reaction that results in zinc ions in solution and the release of hydrogen gas. Zinc ions are soluble in acid. The reaction is not a matter of the solubility of zinc. In familiar cases, a solute is a solid (e.g., sugar, salt) and a solvent is a liquid (e.g., water, chloroform), but the solute or solvent may be a gas, liquid, or solid. The solvent may either be a pure substance or a mixture. The term insoluble implies a solute is poorly soluble in a solvent. In very few cases is it true no solute dissolves. Generally, an insoluble solute still dissolves a little. While there is no hard-and-fast limit that defines a substance as insoluble, its common to apply a threshold where a solute is insoluble is less than 0.1 gram dissolves per 100 milliliters of solvent. Miscibility and Solubility If a substance is soluble at all proportions in a specific solvent, it is called miscible in it or possesses the property called miscibility. For example, ethanol and water are completely miscible with each other. On the other hand, oil and water do not mix or dissolve in each other. Oil and water are considered to be immiscible. Solubility in Action How a solute dissolves depends on the types of chemical bonds in the solute and solvent. For example, when ethanol dissolves in water, it maintains its molecular identity as ethanol, but new hydrogen bonds form between ethanol and water molecules. For this reason, mixing ethanol and water produces a solution with a smaller volume than you would get from adding together the starting volumes of ethanol and water. When sodium chloride (NaCl) or other ionic compound dissolves in water, the compound dissociates into its ions. The ions become solvated or surrounded by a layer of water molecules. Solubility involves dynamic equilibrium, involving opposing processes of precipitation and dissolution. Equilibrium is reached when these processes occur at a constant rate. Units of Solubility Solubility charts and tables list the solubility of various compounds, solvents, temperature, and other conditions. The IUPAC defines solubility in terms of a proportion of solute to solvent. Allowable units of concentration include molarity, molality, mass per volume, mole ratio, mole fraction, and so on. Factors That Affect Solubility Solubility may be influenced by the presence of other chemical species in a solution, the phases of the solute and solvent, temperature, pressure, solute particle size, and polarity.

Deficit, Debt and Political Theory of Government Debt Essay

Deficit, Debt and Political Theory of Government Debt - Essay Example Those who support this theory base it on the following two assumptions: 1. A budget constraint for the government does not mean that the government will have a deficit forever. A tax reduction or increase in expenditure that leads to spending being higher than revenues means that the deficit will have to be financed through a future tax increase or decrease. 2. The second assumption assumes that consumers are rational and will not increase consumption due to a debt financed tax cut. Their being rational means that they will reduce their consumption, because they understand the government’s fiscal policies that the increase in government spending finance through debt, will lead to higher taxes in future. The above assumptions imply that lower taxes and higher government expenditure through increased debt will not affect the economy as a whole (Alesina & Guido, 1990). There are those economists who are against the Ricardian equivalence and argue that a budget deficit can be extr emely dangerous for an economy. According to Ricardians, lower taxes today means higher taxes tomorrow. The opponents see the timing of the expected future tax increase to trickle up to a future generation.... More debt for the government leads to a higher budget deficit (Barro, 1974). Budget Deficit and Public Debt Public debt or government debt is the amount a government owes. A government needs money to finance its expenses. It finances through borrowing from the public by issuing treasury bills or bonds and borrowing from corporations, individuals and foreign governments. The public debt is the outstanding amount borrowed in the past but has not yet been repaid. The size of the public debt is determined by the cumulative amount of borrowing that the government has done. Budget deficit is the excess spending the government has incurred over its income. When the total expenses are subtracted from all income and there is a shortfall, this is known as a budget deficit. The government has spent more money than they can earn. When the income is more than the expenditure this is known as a surplus. The link between budget deficit and public debt is that when a government has a budget deficit it has to get money to finance the deficit and it does this by borrowing which leads to accumulation of more debt. The magnitude of the debt is measured by the debt to GDP ratio (Barro, 1979). Foreign investors will be interested in the debt to GDP ratio, as this clearly indicates the financial position of the economy. A foreign investor will invest in a country that can pay its debt and where the economy is growing. Factors determining an Explosive dynamic Debt to GDP Ratio Public debt increases due to excessive borrowing by the government from issuing treasury bills or bonds and borrowing from foreign governments, individuals and state corporations. GDP is the Gross Domestic Product of an economy and it is the total income from individuals, corporations and the government. Debts are

The Exorcist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Exorcist - Essay Example "Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is 'just a story'. The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience." - Stanley Wiater. The book tells the story of what happens when the actress finds her child behaving most peculiarly; after extensive medical examinations and visits to the psychiatrist, the mother decides that the child is possessed, and the child then begins talking in strange voices, shrieking and committing obscenities and violently abusing herself and any one who approaches her. The Exorcist explored areas and realms of fear in numerous different ways. The clash between good and evil was depicted incredibly emotionally and graphically in this novel, and the significantly obvious religious motives in the film caused incredibly controversy among most of the overall audience, while the Catholic Church in fact embraced the strength of the film's religious overtones. The perhaps most explored forms of fear which are depicted in fact take place between Regan and herself - Regan and Regan with the demon speaking from within her; such as when she speaks a language which both her mother and the priest claim, quite obviously, that she herself would never have known. At first the priest does not want to do an exorcism,... Both men come off as incredibly strong, faithful individuals, but when Priest Karras hears Regan tell him of his mother's death, he becomes incredibly frightened. He asks Regan's mother as he's leaving the house whether there was any way Regan could have known of his mother's death, to which she replied, "Not at all. Why'd you ask" "It's not important good night." Responded Karras. This shows how although Karras is obviously fearful, understanding and realizing for sure at this point that Regan is possessed, he does not want to put any further strain on the mother, and rather than telling her, he leaves and consoles in himself, understanding now what he has to do. The exorcism itself is incredibly lengthy, and unexplainably ruthless, putting Karras to most likely the greatest challenge and testament of his life. Each person in the novel is put through their own test of fears and strengths, although all end up with positive resolutions. There is certainly a significant validity to the exploration of such fears as these, and in regards to whether or not the novel 'goes too far'; basically depends on the reader's opinion. I believe that the novel does not go too far, but rather shows an occurrence in life - whether based on an actual event or not - which must be taken in great seriousness and understanding. The issue of faith, strength, and belief in a higher power are all explored heavily in this novel, and yet each exploration is truly helpful in its own way. When Karras reenters Regan's bedroom near the end of the novel, and sees Merrin's face down on her bed and realizes that he is dead, he loses control, grabbing Regan and throwing her to th e floor, shaking her and nearly strangling her in his fury. This is