How Many Eyes Do Spiders Have

Most spiders have eight eyes, but some species have six, four, two, or even no eyes. Even within a single species, the number of eyes may vary, but its always an even number. Key Takeaways About 99% of spiders have eight eyes. Some have six, four, or two. A few species have vestigial eyes or none at all.Spiders have two types of eyes. The large pair of primary eyes forms images. The secondary eyes help the spider track movement and gauge distance.The number and arrangement of spider eyes helps an arachnologist identify the spiders species. Why Spiders Have So Many Eyes A spider needs so many eyes because it cannot twist its cephalothorax (head) to see. Rather, the eyes are fixed in place. In order to hunt and evade predators, spiders need to be able to sense movement all around them. By having eyes spaced around its head, this spider gain an excellent range of vision. Mohd Faridz Azhar / EyeEm / Getty Images Types of Spider Eyes The two main types of eyes are the forward-facing primary eyes called ocelli and the secondary eyes. In other arthropods, the ocelli only detect light direction, but in spiders these eyes form true images. The principal eyes contain muscles that move the retina to focus and track an image. Most spiders have poor visual acuity, but ocelli in jumping spiders exceeds that of dragonflies (insects with the best vision) and approaches that of humans. Due to their placement, the ocelli are also known as antero-media eyes or AME. The secondary eyes are derived from compound eyes, but they dont have facets. They are usually smaller than the primary eyes. These eyes lack muscles and are completely immobile. Most secondary eyes are round, but some are oval or semilunar in shape. The eyes are identified based on placement. The antero-lateral eyes (ALE) are the top row of eyes on the side of the head. The postero-lateral eyes (PLE) are the second row of eyes on the side of the head. The postero-median eyes (PME) are in the middle of the head. Secondary eyes may face forward, or be on the sides, top, or back of the spiders head. The secondary eyes serve a variety of functions. In some cases, the lateral eyes expand the range of the primary eyes, giving the arachnid a wide angle image. The secondary eyes act as motion detectors and provide depth perception information, helping the spider locate the distance as well as direction of prey or threats. In nocturnal species, the eyes have a tapetum lucidum, which reflects light and helps the spider see in dim light. Spiders with a tapetum lucidum show eye-shine when illuminated at night. In some species, all eight eyes are located in front. I love nature / Getty Images Using Spider Eyes for Identification Arachnologists use spider eyes to help classify and identify spiders. Because 99% of spiders have eight eyes and the number of eyes can vary even within members of one species, the arrangement and shape of eyes is often more helpful than the number. Even then, the details of the spiders legs and spinnerets are more useful for identification. Eight Eyes: The day-active jumping spiders (Salticidae), flower spiders (Thomisidae), orb weavers (Araneidae), cobweb weavers (Theridiidae), and wolf spiders (Lycosidae) are common spiders with eight eyes.Six Eyes: Several spider families have species with six eyes. These include the recluse spiders (Sicariidae), the spitting spiders (Scytodidae), and some of the cellar spiders (Pholcidae).Four Eyes: Spiders belonging to the family Symphytognathidae and some spiders in the Nesticidae family have four eyes.Two Eyes: Only spiders belonging to the family Caponiidae have two eyes.Vestigial or No Eyes: Species that live exclusively in caves or underground may lose their sight. These spiders typically belong to families that have six or eight eyes in other habitats. Sources Barth, Friedrich G. (2013). A Spiders World: Senses and Behavior. Springer Science Business Media. ISBN 9783662048993.Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa L. (2001). Forest Spiders of South East Asia: With a Revision of the Sac and Ground Spiders. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-9004119598.Foelix, Rainer F. (2011). Biology of Spiders (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973482-5.Jakob, E.M, Long, S.M., Harland, D.P., Jackson, R.R., Ashley Carey, Searles, M.E., Porter, A.H., Canavesi, C., Rolland, J.P. (2018) Lateral eyes direct principal eyes as jumping spiders track objects. Current Biology; 28 (18): R1092 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.065Ruppert, E.E.; Fox, R.S.; Barnes, R.D. (2004). Invertebrate Zoology (7th ed.). Brooks / Cole. ISBN 978-0-03-025982-1.

Political Party Vs. Politics - 1616 Words

Political party or anything in connection with politics is a common topic of every group of Indian who are sitting together at any place. It is always a debatable topic. Most of Indians are very much interested in politics. We look at formation of many parties; we find that their establishment are mainly due to ideological differences that result in split in parent party and at the end leads to formation of a new political party with a new agenda. In multi-party system like India, the parties can be classified into three types’ i.e.; National parties, Regional parties and State parties. The status of the party is granted by Election Commission of India and after that it is reviewed occasionally. All the parties whether national, Regional or State party, they are registered with Election Commission. A unique election symbol is given by the Election Commission to every registered party Currently there are 7 National parties and 56 State parties. The total number of registered unrecognised parties in India is 1786. There are mainly nine regional parties out of 657 Regional parties. There are 12 other upcoming parties. The Election Commission mandates certain rules regarding starting a new political party in India like; 1. Every new party to have at least 100 members.[There are no set rules on how or who to recruit, it’s up to the party] 2. Each member is required to hold an Indian voter ID card. 3. Individuals must be 18 years old [major]. 4. Each office bearer isShow MoreRelatedThe Cultural Conflicts Existing Within The Discipline Of Political Science834 Words   |  4 Pagesand why? This week, singling out one compelling piece was hard, as I now see how all the pieces are linked. For example, I liked how Perestroika informs us of the trends existing within the discipline of political science, particularly the overrated focus on methods and techniques in political inquiry. 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Accettola’s analysis examines the place of Mexican women in Mexican Politics using case study related research, interviews and alternate literature. In the analysis Accettola uses a variation of 283 female politicians who have participated in Mexican government at elite levels and echelons; â€Å"just belowRead MoreA Map Of The United States852 Words   |  4 Pagesabout population numbers, but as to who the population votes for. Representation including district boundaries is known as the practice of gerrymandering. So in the process of setting districts, gerrymandering is a practice attempting to establish a political advantage for a particular group. This can be done by creating advantaged districts. This is how gerrymandering can be used, by helping the particular group achieve desired electoral results. Because the districts are more about making it to who

Locke’s Human Understanding Free Essays

1.â€Å"The way shown how we come by any knowledge, sufficient to prove it not innate† – The natural faculties that humans have since birth are the ones they use to attain knowledge, but do not have impressions that are innate to them. The development of this knowledge and principle is not innate in character because they evolve over time. We will write a custom essay sample on Locke’s Human Understanding or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2.† General assent the great argument† – principles that accepted by men came from process of speculative arguments. Thus the end of this is the consent given by men towards the affirmation of a certain principle is not innate. 3. â€Å"Universal consent proves nothing innate† – given the fact that people have established the meaning of a consent, thus rendering the knowledge itself as not innate. 4.â€Å"What is, is;† and, â€Å"It is impossible for the same thing to be, and not to be,† not universally assented to.† – the argument used on the debate on universal consent to prove innate principle, is likewise the same as disproving the notion of innate principle. 5.â€Å"Not on the mind naturally, imprinted, because not known to children, idiots, etc† – there things that are not known or born naturally to children, thus those have to be introduced to them, making the knowledge not naturally endowed and innate to them. 6.â€Å"If reason discovered them, that would not prove them innate.† – though by claim of use of own personal reason, humans have discovered these reasoning by universal assent, rendering the principle or the knowledge as not naturally imprinted by the human mind. 7.â€Å"It is false that reason discovers them† – it is not possible to come up with innate knowledge, because through use of own reasons, these forms of reasoning are only deductions from established theories and knowledge, thus making it not anymore original. Reference 1690 AN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING by John Locke. Retrieved October 24, 2007 from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/locke/locke1/Book1a.html#Chapter%20I       How to cite Locke’s Human Understanding, Essay examples

CIF Contract Involves a Lot of Documents Problematic or Not

Question: Do you find the fact that a CIF contract involves a lot of documents problematic or not? Answer: Introduction CIF stands for cost, insurance and freight. It is a trade term required by the seller to arrange carriage of goods to a certain port of destination by sea, and certain necessary documents are provided to the buyer, to obtain goods from the carrier. The CIF contract imposes a variety of duties to the seller. It is a contract which includes the sale and shipment of the goods to a desired destination and payment is made by presenting the required documents of a contract. As per this CIF contract more obligations are with the seller as compared to a buyer. Goods should be shipped according to the contract, to arrange the carriage of goods, invoice to be made for the buyer and the documents to be tender to the buyer, are the duties and obligation to be examined by both the buyer and seller. According to Federal law 18of 1993 if sale is the one which compromises of the covering price of the item sold, insurance charges of the goods and carriage of the goods from port to destination. This contract of sale agrees vendor to ship the goods at port of shipment, also contract a bill of landing under which the goods are delivered to the required destination, to arrange insurance for the benefit of the purchaser, to make a commercial invoice and finally the documents are handed over to the buyer when he is will to pay for the shipped goods. Hence title of goods passes with the receiving of the documents by the buyer. The risk passes on the ship, but possession of the goods is done when the buyer pays the price in exchange of documents. The buyer being not the party of the contract has no right to sue the carrier for breach of contract, it is the seller who arrange for carriage of goods. The seller must tender documents to the buyer, including insurance policy, an invoice and a clean shipped bill of landing. The documents are very important as the buyer will pay the amount in exchange of the documents, hence due to its scarcity the documents should be accurate. Any discrepancies in the document delay in the handover of the goods and cause legal problems. The purchaser has to pay for the goods against tender of the documents, if there is a loss or damage to the goods at sea after shipment, the buyer can claim vendor under the contract of sale, but can claim any loss through an insurance policy. As per article 150 of the commercial transaction law, if the buyer refuses to pay the bill against documents without any legitimate reason, then he is liable to compensate the vendor for its damages. Conclusion Furthure ,we can concluded documents play a major role in the CIF contract .Purchaser cant refuse for the documents and demands for the possession of goods from the vendor and also vendor can t hold the documents and deleiver the goods('A Study On The Interpretation Of Permuted CIF Contract' (2007) 19 SungKyunKwan Law Review.) .Th CIF contract is completely fulfilled with the deleivery of documents not only with the deleivery of goods. References: Brazier M, 'Symposium: Reference Documents On The Ethics And Laws Of Human Reproduction. Surrogacy: Review For The UK Health Ministers Of Current Arrangements For Payments And Regulation' (1997) 3 Human Reproduction Update Bridge M, 'Documents And Cif Contracts' (2012) 1998 ac Lee R and Waterson G, 'Contract: Interpretation Of Standard Form Of Sub Contract' (2001) 19 Property Management Theofanos M, 'A Practical Guide To The CIF' (2006) 13 interactions

Robert E. Lee Essays (730 words) - Fitzhugh Family Of Virginia

Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee has always been thought by many as a god-like figure. To others he was a contradiction. Born on January 19, 1807 at Stratford, Virginia, Robert E. Lee was the fourth child of Revolutionary War hero, Henry Light Horse Harry Lee, and Ann Hill Carter Lee. Raised mostly by his mother, Robert learned patience, control, and discipline from her. As a young man, he was exposed to Christianity and accepted its faith. In contrast to the strong example of his mother and the church, Robert saw his father go from failed enterprise to failed enterprise. As a result, young Robert tried harder to succeed. Robert was accepted to the United States Military Academy and graduated 2nd in his class. But perhaps greater than his academic success, was his record of no demerits while being a cadet, which today has still not been equaled. Following his graduation, Lee, like most top classmen, was given a commission as an engineer. As Lt. Lee helped build the St. Louis waterfront and worked on coastal forts in Brunswick and Savannah. It was during this time he married Mary Custis, the granddaughter of George Washington and Martha Custis Washington. In 1845, the war between the United States and Mexico broke out. Lee was given the important duties of mapping out the terrain ahead, dividing the line of advance for the U.S. troops, and in one case, leading troops into battle. Following the Mexican War, Lee returned to the service as an engineer. Now a Colonel, Lee was sent to put down a believed rebellion at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, the site of a United States arsenal. A train rushed Colonel Lee and a young aide, Lt. Jeb Stuart, with a detachment of U.S. marines to Harper's Ferry where they were able to capture radical abolitionist, John Brown, and his followers. Lee next, offered his services to the newly elected President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. When President Davis accepted Lee's offer, Lee was made a general in the CSA service. At first, General Lee served as an advisor to President Davis and the Secretary of War. His first campaign, in what later became West Virginia, was not successful. However, his boldness and strategy made him a formidable match for every general that President Lincoln sent against him until Grant defeated him in the Battle of Attrition. Lee's greatest victory was the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863. Lee was faced with a larger army led by fighting Joe Hooker. Lee and his most trusted lieutenant, General Stonewall Jackson, divided their forces, and through a forced march around General Hooker, fell on his exposed flank, rolling it up, and defeating the union forces yet again. The greatest land battle in the Western Hemisphere was fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July, 1863. The Army of Northern Virginia, led by Lee, and the Army of the Potomac, led by newly appointed General George Meade, hammered each other. On the 3rd day of battle, General Lee, hoping to end the war, ordered the great frontal assault popularly known as Pickett's Charge. After the failure of the attack, General Lee blamed only himself, but Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia fought on for two more years. General Lee surrendered at Appomatox Court House on April 9, 1865. This effectively brought the American Civil War to an end as other Confederate field commanders followed Lee's example. Following the war, Lee was almost tried as a traitor, but only had his civil rights suspended. Lee was offered the post of President of Washington University, where he served until his death in 1870. The school was later renamed Washington and Lee. As a final note, President Gerald Ford had Lee's citizenship restored. General Lee was a great strategic war general. He won many great battles for the Confederacy. The biggest battle he won was the Battle of Chancellorsville, which was against a larger Union army. Lee was brave and never lost faith in his army. Bibliography Works Cited Cayton, Andrew, Elisabeth Perry, Linda Reed, and Allan Winkler. America Pathways to the Present. Needham, Massachusetts: Prentice Hall. 2000. Williams, Kenneth. "Robert Edward Lee." 1996-2000. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~pjdavis/lee.htm. Online. AOL. 19 Feb. 2000. The World Book Encyclopedia. p.

Bentonite grinding machine Essay

Bentonite grinding machine Essay Bentonite grinding machine Essay Bentonite grinding machine Abstract: Bentonite is widely used in agriculture, light industry and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other fields. Before making use of it, we need bentonite grinding machine to process it. We supply bentonite grinding machine and complete grinding plant for you. Keywords: Bentonite, Bentonite grinding machine, Bentonite processing plant BENTONITE PROPERTY Bentonite is a clay rock, also known as montmorillonite clay rocks, often with a small amount of illite, kaolinite, halloysite, chlorite, zeolite, quartz, feldspar, calcite, etc.; hardness from 1 to 2, the density of 2 ~ 3g/cm3. Bentonite with good physical and chemical properties, do binder, suspending agent, thixotropic agent, stabilizer, purification bleaching agent, filling material, feed, catalyst, etc., are widely used in agriculture, light industry and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other fields, so bentonite is a versatile natural mineral materials. After selection of extraction of ore production apply to ceramic production bentonite, has many advantages. GRINDING MACHINE MANUFACTURER As an independent R & D, production and marketing enterprises, SBM has several decades of experience in the production grinding machine, so far, a total Raymond grinding machine series, overpressure trapezium grinding machine, a large Vertical Grinding Machine, tricyclic medium speed grinding machine, trapezium grinding machine European version, the European version of crushing grinding machine and other types of industrial grinding machineing machines to meet different production, different fineness requirements. BENTONITE PROCESSING PLANT SBM can provide customers with high-efficiency, high standards of bentonite production solutions, strict control of product flow, in order to perfect the production process to meet the different needs of different customers, bentonite production line equipment package includes vibrating feeder, jaw crusher, impact crusher, vibrating screen, belt conveyor and so on. Higher demand for some users, the company also provides support for bentonite grinding machine. BENTONITE

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

Art theory - Essay Example However, in the case of The Third of May, de Goya seemed to have been inspired by the political and social status of Spain during that time, believed to have been in Spain during the six year French occupation in his country. It is also speculated that he personally witnessed the killings of his own people through a telescope after which, he visited the shooting venues and took note of the situation in a closer inventory. The metaphors presented in de Goya’s painting are seen in the dead people. If the speculations are true that he had personal inventories of the aftermath, the dead men speak for other people who have been killed. The whole picture does not only speak for one event but for all the killing events during that time whose victims are mostly commoners as the clothes in the painting show. The Spaniards on the left side, the weak side could be a metaphor in itself. In addition, their clothes which give away their social status which could be miners, farmers or other hard workers, speak of inability to save oneself when he is faced with a giant, not only in the physical sense of it but holistically as their enemies are armed with rifles and swords. In contrast, the soldiers on the right side speak of strength and being in control. Their guns and fires also speak the same language as they face the Spaniards who have no strength or means to fight back in a fair battle. The emotions that the Spaniards exude in the picture represent the fear that gripped all of those who have been represented in the picture when they were facing death in the hands of their colonizers. The folded hand of the man nearest the dead bodies is the metaphor of the Spaniards’ being religious. In this painting, their only resort is shown as the Almighty drawn from the sign language of clasping one’s hands in prayer as well as bowing in reverence to God. Looking closely at the man with

Enlightened View of the American Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enlightened View of the American Woman - Essay Example In 1993, NYPD hit the screens where great lightning bongo drums in the sound tracks, accomplished women and male nudity was featured there was a sigh of relief from millions of viewers. But, when ER was released there was a cause of hope because it was another hospital drama (Alan and Logan). In 2004, desperate housewives hit the air and it gained popularity among the married women with jobs kids, husbands, friends, and partners and also beyond. All these shows gave an acknowledgement of the importance of adult female audience. Women were featured as ongoing characters working for a living and focuses on contemporary problems in heterosexual relationships although there has not been an achievement of daily couples who are homosexual on TV (Blackwell). To be on point and dog eyed bound, though wounded emotionally, it is an eager to talk it through the guy centre stage. The question is what do we gain whenever we submerge and kickback ourselves in these TV shows? And is there anything which can be said about the ongoing feminism project? Susan projects NYPD Blue as a cop show set in New York city, a Steven Bochoco’s signature style of production, the show has a lot of hand held camera work, lots of shaky, first paced and with intersecting plots of various crimes which are multiple and the personal lives of those who do the investigations. Susan points out that in the last season there were more women. And this year the show is being masculinised. Kelly (a woman in the last season) was replaced by Jimmy Smits (a male in the new season), this could only be compared to a territorial peeing contest. The scriptwriter portrayed him as a widower as a result of breast cancer which killed his wife. Immediately the viewer is informed of the tragic death, we are shown Bobby warning punks dealing in drugs that he would terminate them (Chandler). ER on the other hand has also showed story lines that are interesting, and the up of fast tracking cameras which are sprint down hospital corridors and like hawks on speed are swirl around operating tables. There are also elements of percussive sounds and bongo drums when the patients are being rushed in for treatment. In Chicago Hope is ER on Vellum, the cameras are stationary at a slower pace and instead of the bongo drums R & B are played. For ER on Helium and Northern Exposure, it goes to the hospital with beats that represent the character of the patient, e.g. the one that eats her hair or one with a fallen off ear. There is also the emphasis of ideal families and family as an institution in the show. The society as portrayed in this show values an ideal family. In both shows we see the establishment of a family as an institution. The authors have put a great emphasis on how ideal American families are and the various challenges that they face. This can be seen citing an example of the desperate house wives all housewives in the show are in a typical setup of an American family. However, there is th e gender connected feeling that women care more for the attainment of an ideal family than men. Each female character in this show is portrayed as struggling to attain the idealistic family, which is a culturally determined feeling. They think about what the general society judges an ideal family as and struggle to see that their families are of this type. This ideal

Jurisprudence Assignment Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jurisprudence Assignment Question - Essay Example Antigone decided to defy the proclamation that her brother not be buried properly, and gave him a burial against the state's wishes. After this she was imprisoned and hanged herself in her prison (Sophocles). Natural Law According to Stoner (1992),1 the story of Antigone is one in which the individual is entitled to break the law. He cites Thomas Hobbes as distinguishing between right and law (ius and lex) – right being the basis for liberty and law being the basis for obligation. ... be seen as unjust if it does not accord with God’s laws.   6 Hobbes, according to Stoner (1992) also states that there are limits to the law, or, rather, that there are limits as to what an individual is expected to obey. Hobbes believes, essentially, that man has liberty to decide for himself what is right for himself as an individual – â€Å"the Liberty each man hath, to use his own power, as he will himselfe, for the perservation of his own Nature; that is to say own Life; and consequently, or doing anything, which in his own Judgement, and Reason, hee shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.†7 Finnis (2001) would concur in this analysis, stating that governmental laws are limited, in that they must recognize certain universal, God-given rights – such as the right not be murdered, raped, enslaved or lie-to. 8 Further, Stoner (1992) states that Hobbes’ philosophical underpinnings of the law is moral, as opposed to civil or political, as it is directed at the individual, and what is right for every individual, as opposed to the collective. The preservation of the individual is at the heart of the Hobbes’ philosophy. Hobbes’ philosophy, according to Stoner, does not even take the mores and customs of a community into account, because custom is not necessarily anchored to morality or liberty.9   In one thinks about this, it makes sense   - just as slavery was a custom, it clearly was in contravention to natural law or liberty, therefore, the custom of slavery is one that is built upon uncertain ground, like sand.   That said, according to Cornish & Clark (1989), Hobbes recognized that man’s nature was prone to violent destruction, so society must keep a check on the individualistic natures.10   Because natural law is inevitably based upon some

The Nature Versus Nurture Debate Sociology Essay

The Nature Versus Nurture Debate Sociology Essay Throughout the history of human existence, there have always been questions that have plagued man for centuries. Some of these questions are what is the meaning of life and which came first, the chicken or the egg. Within the past 400 years a new question has surfaced which takes our minds to much further levels. The question asked is whether nature or nurture has more of an impact on the growing development of people. It is a fact that a combination of nature and nurture play important roles in how humans behave socially. However, I believe that nature has a more domineering role in the development of how people behave in society with regards to sexual orientation, crimes and violence and mental disorders. Height, hair color, eye color and sex are just a few examples of ways our DNA has shaped us. But could it be possible that our DNA also affects the way we behave in society. It is possible that genetics affect us is more ways that we may have imagined. Dr. Peter B. Neubaur believes that shyness, eating disorders, obsessive behavior and psychological illness can all be traced back to our genetics.  Sexual orientation  is also believed to be derived from genes in our body which determine what sexual preference we prefer. Violence and other types of crimes can be linked back throughout a persons lineage to witness that other family members have been committed similar crimes without ever meeting one and other. Throughout our lives we have all been influenced by our environment and other outside forces. Our environment may change the way we think, act and behave in life. Since we are all products of our environment, it comes to no surprise that we, as humans, tend to behave in a society the same way others around us behave but at the same time we strive to find who we really are (Schaefer 73). Since birth, humans have always analyzed the world around them. With each day that passes, humans take in more and more information from the outside world. The information which humans obtain through their environment subconsciously influences the decisions people make throughout their daily life (Neubauer 16). On the other hand, our genetics also play a vital role in determining what type of person we are and what will we become.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sexual orientation of a person has been a critical debate over the past several centuries. For several decades many people believed that nurture had a more profound impact on the sexuality of humans than did nature. Even the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that sexual orientation was derived from nurture. Freud developed a theory which explains that at birth till the age of four every child is bisexual. When the child reaches the age of around four, he/she begins to learn to withhold their feeling for members of the same sex and start expressing those sexual feeling to members of the opposite sex. Freud proposed the idea that male homosexuality originates when this crucial developmental stage is hindered by some outside force also known as nurture. According to Freud, this can occur when either a chided is raised in a fatherless household or with an overbearing mother figure. However, when this idea was actually tested, it did not fall through as ma ny would expect it would (Steen 185). Since many years after Freuds passing, it has become apparent that nature holds a strong role in the development of sexual orientation of humans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If nurture isnt the cause for sexual orientation then nature must be. According to Grant Steen, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, a large study was recently conducted which gathered gay males who have either identical or  fraternal twins  or adopted brothers. The goal of the study would be to see if genetics played a role in twins. At the end of the survey more than half of the  identical twins  of gay men were also found to be homosexuals. At the same time only about 22% of the fraternal twins were found to be gay and only 11% of the adopted brothers were gay. What these statistics show is that DNA plays a very important role in determining sexual orientation. Nature seems to have such a large impact on the sexual orientation of individuals that I feel that nurture has almost little or no effect on whether a person is homosexual or not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If homosexuality is genetic then there should be a dramatic occurrence of homosexuality with families who have many homosexual relatives than to families in the general public who do not have homosexual relatives. Another survey was conducted in which 114 openly homosexual men were asked questions about the sexual orientation of their relatives. The study showed that homosexuality is indeed strongly clustered in some families; among the brothers of men in this study, the incidence of homosexuality was nearly seven-fold higher than in the population at large (Steen 197).  Homosexuality  can be considered hereditary because families with one gay relative are more likely to have others somewhere in their family lineage. Some skeptics may begin to raise the question that if homosexuality is genetic then there should be a gay gene in our DNA. After many studies, scientists have found that there is at least one gene which is responsible for homosexuality. Though this is not conclusive evidence because scientists still havent unlocked all of the DNA strands, scientists figure that with time and the advancement of technology we one day might be able to actually pin point this gay gene in DNA (Plomin 337).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reporter  Jeff McMullen  of ABC interviewed  David Reimer  in May of 2000 who fell victim of a botched circumcision when he was only eight months old. The doctors at the time felt that David would be better off living the rest of his life as a girl. The doctors believed that the nurturing of a child and not nature would determine their psychological make-up. David explained to McMullen that throughout his entire childhood he felt out of place. It seemed that even though David grew up as a woman, inside he felt something was wrong. This interview strongly supports the idea that nature plays a vital role in determining sex. No matter how much of an effort was put in to surround Davids environment with feminine characteristics, it would not be strong enough to over come the resilient power of nature. From the time of conception, nature has already planed out many important factors which will effect our lives in so many ways. If nature does control our sexual preferences then it is possible that it could control many other facets of human existence. In the United States about twenty million crimes occur each year and most of the time the criminals are repeat offenders. One may begin to speculate whether society in the United States promotes crimes or are criminals born with the desire to commit these heinous crimes. According to Steen there is evidence from a large study of adopted children which shows that there is a tendency for children to reenact the criminal behavior of their biological parents. So even if a child was adopted and was raised in a house which had no  criminal activities, the child would be more likely to commit the same crimes as their biological parents which they have never met. This obviously disproves the notion that people are taught and raised to commit crimes. The East Coast sniper John Lee Malvo would hide in remote places all along the east coast and would shoot and kill people when the opportunity arose. Doctor Patricia Haensly believes that the DNA of John Lee Malvo differed from most peoples DNA. She came to the conclusion that most criminals are born with the genes that allow them to not think about the actions that they are coming are immoral. This is a very true statement because most people commit some type of crime, granted not murder but more along the lines of littering, but we tell ourselves that its not a problem and forget about it moments later. Murderers may feel the same way about killing as some people feel about littering. Nature also has a strong impact on domestic violence. In the United States over 18% of all homicides involved family members killing each other (Steen 228). This can lead to the deduction that just as the households which have one gay member are more likely to have other homosexually oriented family m embers; households which have one member who commits violent acts are more likely to have other family members who commit similar acts of violence. Sometimes nature cannot explain all the crimes committed in the United States. Some may feel that simply living in such an environment places young people at special risk of falling victim to aggressive behavior (Ferguson 81). For example, if a person is constantly surrounded by crimes and violence, then that person is more likely to commit the same crimes. However it may just be that people who live in bad areas would still commit those same crimes even if they resided in a low crime environment. Never-the-less your environment should not allow youre to commit the same crimes no matter how much crime is going on. If a person keeps committing crimes in a bad neighborhood then it is most likely that the DNA of that person convinces them that it is all right to commit murders. This explains why many people in jails in the United States are repeat offenders. One may begin to wonder if there is more to these criminals than what is on the surface Many mental disorders have been scientifically proven to be heritable. Manic-depression is a trait which is inheritable through family lineage. Many separate studies have arrived at the conclusion that identical twins are more likely to acquire manic-depression than do fraternal twins. In fact four out of every five twins tend to share the same types of mental disorders (Steen 141). One study found that risks of clinical depression are much higher in certain families than in others. Close relatives of those who are depressed are three times more likely to suffer from depression than people who dont have depression in their family history (Steen 147). This further secures the fact that nature plays such a crucial role over nurture in our lives and within our own families. There are some mental diseases such as  schizophrenia  which adults may suffer from which some people believed is cause from various problems in a persons childhood. This leads many so speculate that the roots of schizophrenia extend far back into childhood. Within the past ten years a discovery was made which scientists were able to link a gene on our chromosome to schizophrenia. This schizophrenic gene would be a dominant gene which means that if any person had this gene in their DNA then it is likely that he/she would suffer from schizophrenia. Even though more research needs to be done on the schizophrenic gene, it still provides us information which could one day lead to the solving of schizophrenia and many other devastating diseases (Steen 151). It has become clear that nature and nurture both play very important roles in how humans behave in a society. I feel that nature plays the more domineering role in the foundation of human existence. All though every day we are bombarded with outside forces, it is our internal make up that determines how we would react to our environment. Our environment only adds to what nature has given to us. If we use it in the correct ways then it will be beneficial to society and our selves. However, once the environment starts to turn to the ways of violence and crimes we can only assume that it will only have negative effects from any point you look at it.

Argument Against Standardized Testing Essay -- Standardized Testing Ess

Argument Against Standardized Testing President Bush is promoting annual standardized testing for all students in grades three through eight. This bill is currently being considered in Congress, and has garnered much support. As of right now, 15 states test students in those grades, and more than 20 have high school exit exams, which look only at the test score of a student, not at his or her academic achievements. Standardized testing is an unfair and inaccurate form of judging a person’s intellect. In many cases, people are either over- or underrepresented by their test scores, partly because America does not currently have the capabilities of fairly scoring the increasing number of tests. Additionally, many students today are not native English speakers, and their capabilities could be grossly underestimated by these types of exams. Although President Bush is a supporter, many influential people are against this bill, including the largest teacher’s union in the United States, which has formed a commission in opposition to the President’s proposal. As stated earlier, many states require a student to pass a certain test in order to receive a diploma. This results in many capable students, who have finished all of their requirements, being denied their diplomas. If the Valedictorian does not pass the exit exam, are you going to bar him or her from graduating? It is a fact that some people are better at taking tests than other people. Intelligent students who challenge themselves throughout their high school careers and have high grade point averages can do poorly on a test, while a student who has only taken basic level classes can score significantly higher. Is that a fair representation of what ... ...logies and always received poor scores on the language portion of standardized tests. Her teachers always encouraged her to be a math or science major, since she had scored much better on those subjects. She rebelled and is now a very successful and influential writer. This points out an obvious flaw in depending on standardized tests. It is not in America’s best interest to pass the proposal to require standardized testing at elementary school levels, or to force students to pass exit exams to earn their diplomas. If we wish for our children to be informed and educated, and ready to survive on their own in the real world, we need to give them the tools that will get them there. These tests are not accurate, and they are detrimental to the education of children. There should be no debate over how our representatives in Congress should vote on this bill.

International Financial Reporting Standards Essay

1. Introduction: With the announced adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for publicly accountable starting 2011 by the Canadian’s Accounting Standards Board (AcSB), issues about the effect on the usefulness of financial statement need serious attention starting on knowing the similarities and differences between Canadian GAAP and IFRS.   Some critics have argued that IFRS will   give up too much reliability in order to achieve relevance, while others have argued that the increased relevance and comparability will promote usefulness of the financial statements.   This paper attempts to address some of these issues as is seeks to analyze the potential effects of Canada Adoption of IFRS by making an opinion as to whether the change will result in more or less decision useful information, thus making securities markets either more or less efficient. 2. Analysis and Discussion 2.1 What is IFRS and its advantages if adopted? IFRS is being promoted by its supporters as a â€Å"single set of globally accepted, high quality accounting standards† (KMPG Canada, 2007), that is adopted by over a hundred countries, including five of the G8 countries (KMPG Canada, 2007).   It appears to have gained the support of a number of countries and with announced adoption in Canada, starting 2011 by AcSB, there is good ground to believed about the benefits of the said set of international accounting standards in Canada compared staying on with the present Canada GAAP.   To cite names of countries, it could be asserted that as early as 2005, publicly listed companies in European Union member countries , Australia, Hong Kong,   and South Africa and have used IFRS (KMPG Canada, 2007).   In the absence of these countries’ plan or indication of returning to where they came from, with more reason and interest it is to know about the improvement from IFRS adoption in the financial statements of Canadian comp anies. Given therefore the similarities of the two standards under Canadian GAAP and IFRS, there is basis to state that Canada has had considerable input and influence in the development of IFRS over the years (KMPG Canada, 2007).   Therefore, Canada’s decision to join the many countries in adopting IFRS carries with it the intention to benefit enterprises in Canada.   That it would provide better access to international capital, funding and investment opportunities should not come as a big surprise.   The realities of samurai bonds or Eurobonds (Hill, 2009) could be asserted to have strong support from the presence of IAS or IFRS in the countries where bonds are floated as companies seek cheaper sources of capital as finding the same outside each homo country   helps in minimization of cost of capital as an objective (Brigham and Houston, 2002).   The improved information in terms of comparability of financial reports across countries could just be easy to accept as many c ompanies pursue international business. Another advantage of using the IFRS is the belief that it   should also more cost effective for the accounting information compared with maintaining a separate and isolated set of Canadian accounting standards (KMPG Canada, 2007).   This could be the same reason for the move by the US to eventually adopt harmonization of its accounting standards with the IFRS since non-US companies, which want to list their stocks in the US stock exchanges, are required still to make translation of IFRS based financial statements into US GAAP based.   From the practical sense of view, it would be easy to see the added cost for companies making still translations in the same way that non-Canadian companies may be required to make the translation   when they go to Canadian stock exchanges. Another advantage of adoption is to make financial results more transparent and consistent for user globally, which will mean using more judgment and providing more disclosure in the short term (KMPG Canada, 2007).   For this reason,   persons involved in the public company financial reporting of Canada will have to   expect to pass under   a steep learning curve (KMPG Canada, 2007).   IFRS and Canadian GAAP compare in just few important lines   but since IFRS standards are comprehensive and principles-based, it is expected that its application would require greater use of professional judgment than Canadian GAAP.   The availability of more accounting policy choices under   IFRS would take companies longer time now to evaluate these choices for each organization and is expected to result in valuable outcomes in the long-term (KMPG Canada, 2007). 2.2 The impact of the IFRS adoption It is believed that the first and most obvious impact of IFRS adoption would be in the effect on the presentation of the financial position of an entity as set out in its financial statements   (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   Since IFRS represents a statement of principles that must be applied based on judgment and assumptions given the facts at hand, it is expected that many principles will change including possibly modifying the many rigid prohibitions or rules that have become part of Canadian GAAP over time   via either practice or prescription (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   To illustrate since IFRS allows for more fair value accounting policy choices, this would open to a greater degree of interpretation and professional judgment.   The new principles underlying the presentation of financial measures will change both the way in which things are measured and what is included in the measurement as wells timing of measurement and needed disclosure (Romano and Grewal, 2009). The impact of the adoption of the IFRS would be in the allowing greater freedom to exercise professional judgment on which will make the financial statements to have greater relevance that will enhance the usefulness of the accounting information.   It may be recalled that the qualitative characteristics of accounting include both reliability and relevance of the accounting information for decision-making (Meigs and Meigs, 1995). A financial information may therefore be too reliable as to approximate a high a degree of objectivity but may no longer be of significance to decision makers since the decision is already done. To illustrate,   a person buying a car   or any typical product may be interested to know what is the estimated cost of production for a car that he or she wants to buy for the buyer for comparing it with the actual price of the product. On the other hand, another buyer may not really know what is the actual cost but he or she has information that the production possess so much value that is it relevant and unique about the product being sold and could be used for commercial production. The second buyer may not have the actual objective cost of production for the product but he or she has a good and businesslike assessment of the situation because of familiarity of relevant information which can generates value and could make a reasonable estimate of the values of possible input cost of the product.   He is therefore more strategically positioned than the first buyer is.   Thus, relevance at this point may be more advantageous than having greater reliability of information.   Adoption of IFRS is however not expected to amount of total loss of reliability of information. The adoption of IFRS is criticized by the fact that it would provide too much management flexibility or the freedom of interpretation that may be adopted with the concurrence of the independent auditors, thus it would reduce the quality of financial reporting.   There is however, no strong evidence to believe that feared consequence of the adoption on these ground.   In fact, this feared consequence remains to be seen (Romano and Grewal, 2009).   On the hand, one great inducement of adoption is for greater international comparability due from a perspective of globalized-investment market place.   There is now movement towards the implementation of the adoption and there are now plans to effect a successful transition (Romano and Grewal, 2009). 2.3 Sample Partial Application of IAS or IFRS to Business about Fair value Accounting One sample interesting effect of adoption of IFRS is the eventual effect International Accounting Standard (IAS) 39.   It is asserted that IAS 39   is   partial application of fair value accounting since the said standard gives institutions the possibility of irrevocably applying fair value valuations to any financial instrument starting from the concept of â€Å"fair value option† (Enria, et al, 2004). It is argued that one fundamental building block of   developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB),   the present makers of standards under the IFRS based in UK, is to bring the financial statements up to day with market developments hence, a working group on the issue has proposed the use of Full Fair Value Accounting (FFVA) for all financial instruments.   (Enria, et al, 2004).   While adoption of the IFRS by Canada would not immediately result to adoption of fair value accounting, it will open the great possibility because as stated earlier, the use of international accounting standard would give more flexibility to company’s management and accounting professionals and fair value accounting is part of the IFRS. If it feared that FFVA could produce effects on financial stability of banks, the same arguments could be made applicable to the Canadian companies, which are just to co-exist with other international and global companies in the use of IFRS.   The analysis of authors found confirmation about concerns on the potential wider application of fair value in unduly increasing the volatility of banks’ balance sheets, which could reduce possibly ability of companies to react to adverse shocks.   The adoption of fair value could also result to the pro-cyclicality of the bank lending especially if the application of fair value happens simultaneously with other developments under a new accord.   Thus, one of possible consequence is for encouraging banks to react if values change by use of FFVA through panic selling and tightening lending standard (Enria, et al, 2004).   The effect could be far reaching as it could bring a possible financial crisis at the worst case possibly. From deeper tests, however, the researchers have found no significant impact on volatility by the introduction of FFVA standards for companies studied in the 1980s and 1990w.   However, they cautioned about the need to be interpret the result with caution for several reasons and call for further research citing as one reason the lack of clear-cut choice of the cut-off dates on which banks change from one accounting standard to the other (Enria, et al, 2004). 3. Conclusion To conclude, this researcher   believes that the adoption   by the Canadian Accounting Standard Board of IFRS for companies   concerned starting in 2011 will result to   more useful information that would make securities markets either more or less efficient than not adopting the said international; accounting standard.   The adoption, while could result to possibly losing some reliability,   is expected bring   greater relevance of the financial statements and increased comparability which would then it more useful for Canadian companies and the users of these information.   The possibility of losing some reliability may possibly be counter checked by user still requiring from these companies from which they would like to deal with the production of financial statements prepared under the present Canadian GAAP but they could run the risk of losing the benefit of a decision that would be based on relevant grounds.   The mere fact that CASB has announced the adoption should signal there the advantages could outweigh the disadvantages of IFRS adoption.

Village Of Skokie Vs. The Aclu Essays - Skokie Controversy

Village Of Skokie Vs. The Aclu Essays - Skokie Controversy Village Of Skokie Vs. The Aclu Skokie In the case of Village of Skokie vs. The ACLU(American Civil Liberties Union) I would definitely stand with the ACLU. The ACLU was defending the First Amendment Right. They were not defending the Nazis. We might not agree with what the Nazis are saying but, they still have a right to say it. Herb Lewison of the ACLU and the attorney for Collin stated to the judge Your Honor, this is a simple First Amendment case. The Village of Skokie seeks and order, preventing the exercise of free speech before the speech has even occurred, in spite of the fact that it has been proposed as an orderly exercise, taking place for only 20 minutes on public property in front of the Skokie Municipal Building. This section of the quote from Herb Lewison is simply saying that Skokie is just trying take away the first amendment right of the Nazis. Everything that they are asking for falls within their first amendment right. All they are just proposing is an orderly march. An orderly march for 20 minutes on public property. This is okay in my opinion because everything is offensive to someone. But you still have the right to voice your opinion. The second quote Lewison states is, This is a classic case in which government officials are asking a court of equity to impose a prior restraint on the speech of persons advocating unpopular ideas. Lewison is saying in this part of his summary argument that the government is asking the court to issue a prior restraint on the speech because they dont agree with their ideas. Another part of his quote states The Village of Skokie has shown only that the political views of Collin and his party are offensive and outrageous, which of course they are. They have failed to show any reason that the defendant planned to engage in any sort of illegal activity whatsoever. Lewison shows a very good understanding of the case he is involved in. He knows that Collins views are stupid and have no place in society. But Collin has made no threats to do anything illegal in his rally or march. All of the threats of violence have been made against him understandably. I strongly support Herb Lewison on thi s case. One of the best quotes in this whole legal battle came from the Judge who said, I believe he (Collin) intends to make trouble, to incite to riots and cause bodily harm. The Constitution certainly doesnt give a person like Collin the right to come into a peaceful community and cause violence. The Judge is looking at this from a point of view that most people would it is a very good analysis of what Collin intends to do. I understand the Judge on his standpoint but, like Lewison said he has not made any threat of illegal activity. I still say Collin has the right to speak under the First Amendment. I support the ACLU. No matter how brainless your statements might be you have the right to say it. If I wanted to say something and someone doesnt agree should I not be allowed to say it, truth or no truth to what Im saying.

A Four-Month Oscillation Detected from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A Measurements in the Arctic and Antarctic The WritePass Journal

A Four-Month Oscillation Detected from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A Measurements in the Arctic and Antarctic References A Four-Month Oscillation Detected from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A Measurements in the Arctic and Antarctic Abstract1. Introduction2. Satellite Brightness Temperature Data3. ERA-Interim Reanalysis Data4. Arctic Four-Month Oscillation5. Discussions of the oscillation AcknowledgementReferencesRelated Abstract Satellite microwave measurements can penetrate through clouds and therefore provide unique information of surface and near-surface temperatures and surface emissivity. In this study, the brightness temperatures from NOAA-15 Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A) are used to analyze the surface temperature variation in the Arctic and Antarctic regions during the past 13 years of period from 1998 to 2010. The data from four AMSU-A channels sensitive to surface are analyzed with wavelet and Fourier spectrum techniques. A very pronounced maximum is noticed in the period range centered around four months. Application of a statistical significance test confirms that it is a dominant mode of variability over polar regions besides the annual and semi-annual oscillations. No evidence of this feature could be found in middle and low latitudes. The four-month oscillation is 90o out of phase at Arctic and Antarctic, with the Arctic four-month oscillation reaching its maximum in the beginning of March, July and November and the Antarctic four-month oscillation in the middle of April, August and December. The intensity of the four-month oscillation varies inter-annually. The years with pronounced four-month oscillation were 2002-2003, 2005-2006 and 2008-2009. The strongest year for the Arctic and Antarctic four-month oscillations occurred in 2005-2006 and 2008-2009, respectively. The sign of four-month oscillation is also found in the surface-skin temperatures and two-meter air temperatures from ERA-Interim reanalysis. It is hypothesized that the Arctic and Antarctic four-month oscillations are a combined result of unique features of solar radiative forcing and snow/sea ice formation and metamorphosis. 1. Introduction The spectrum analysis of wind time series revealed a 40-50 day Madden and Julian oscillation (MJO) in the zonal wind in the tropical Pacific (Madden and Julian 1971). In the course of an investigation of Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) for global climate change and global warming, we stumbled upon an apparent four-month oscillation in the surface-sensitive channels in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is not a â€Å"periodicity† in the sense of tidally induced oscillation, but certainly a broadband phenomenon. It passes a statistical significance test with more than 95% confidence. A spectral analysis of both surface skin temperature and two meter air temperature from ERA-Interim reanalysis also confirms the existence of a four-month oscillation in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is our understanding that the AMSU-A observations can be strongly influenced by variable surface emissivity in polar environment and have not been effectively utilized through the ERA data assimil ation. Thus, the confirmation of a four-month oscillation signal from ERA-Interim reanalysis is significant and believed to be mostly associated with the physical process. 2. Satellite Brightness Temperature Data NOAA-15 AMSU-A has 15 channels and is a cross-track scanning radiometer, providing 30 field of views (FOVs) along each scan line. Near the nadir of satellite observations, the FOV size is at best of 48 km. There are a total of four AMSU-A surface-sensitive channels: channel 1 (23.8 GHz), channel 2 (31.4 GHz), channel 3 (50.3) and channel 15 (89 GHz) (Mo 1999; Goodrum et al. 2009). Over land where the surface emissivity is high, the measurements from these surface-sensitive channels are primarily affected by surface emissivity and surface temperature. Over oceans where the emissivity is relatively low, the channels are also a function of temperature, water vapor and liquid water in the lower troposphere. Channels 1,  2 and 15 are located at frequencies away from the major oxygen gaseous absorption lines and can thus see through the atmosphere. The radiation at these channels mainly comes from the  earth’s surface, which is proportional to the product of surface emissivity a nd surface temperature. For a  cloudy atmosphere, a portion of surface emission at these channels can be attenuated by cloud and the rest transmitted through the cloud. The cloud also emits additional radiation. Channel 3 is near an oxygen absorption line and contains the upwelling microwave radiation from both the earth’s surface and the near surface atmosphere. Satellite measurements and their retrieval products were used for studying climate variability and decadal trends (Christy et al. 1998, 2000, 2003; Izaguirre et al. 2010; Johannessen et al. 1995, 1999; Mears et al. 2003, Mears and Wentz 2009; Schneider et al. 2004; Vinnikov and Grody 2003; Zou et al. 2009). In these study, the AMSU-A brightness temperatures onboard NOAA-15 from October 26, 1998 to August 7, 2010 are analyzed for various applications including climate trend and global change. 3. ERA-Interim Reanalysis Data The ERA-Interim reanalysis is produced by European Center for Medium-Range Forecast (ECMWF) (Simmons et al. 2007). By employing an advanced four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) approach with improved data quality control, satellite bias correction, and fast radiative transfer model, conventional surface and upper air observations and satellite brightness temperatures and cloud motion winds from Television InfraRed Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS), Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), ESA Remote-Sensing Satellites (ERS-1 and ERS-2), and Advanced TOVS (ATOVS) are optimally combined with model forecasts in ERA-Interim reanalysis. The ERA-Interim reanalysis products are thus suitable for use in studies of climate variability and decadal trends (Agudelo and Curry 2004; Chelliah et al. 2004; Frauenfeld et al. 2005). The ERA-Interim analyses consist of a high quality set of global analyses of the state of the atmosphere, land, and ocean-wave conditions from 1989 to present time. The surface-skin temperatures and two-meter air temperatures from ERA-Interim are used in this study. These data has 1.5 ° resolution and 37 pressure levels and is publicly available on the ECMWF Data Server. 4. Arctic Four-Month Oscillation A wavelet analysis is applied to global daily mean, nadir only, surface-sensitive brightness temperatures observed by the NOAA-15 AMSU-A over the time period from October 26, 1998 to August 7, 2010, as well as daily mean surface skin and surface air (two-meter) temperatures from ERA-Interim reanalysis. Specifically, the brightness temperature measurements at the surface-sensitive channel 1 (, 23.8 GHz), channel 2 (, 31.4 GHz), channel 3 (, 50.3 GHz) and channel 15 (, 89 GHz) near the nadir direction (FOVs 15 and 16), at both descending and ascending nodes, and north of 75oN and south of 70oS are averaged to provide eight daily time series from October 26, 1998 to August 7, 2010. Surface skin temperatures () and two-meter surface air temperature () from ERA-Interim north of 75oN and south of 70oS are also averaged to provide four more time series in the same time period. Using the Morlet wavelet analysis with statistical significant testing, each time series is decomposed into time-fr equency space, from which the dominant modes of variability and their temporal evolution can be determined with great confidence (Torrence and Compo 1998). The wavelet transform is chosen for this study as it can be used to analyze time series that contain non-stationary power at many different frequencies. Figure 1 shows the wavelet power spectrum (shaded) of daily mean nadir only brightness temperatures from NOAA-15 AMSU-A surface-sensitive channel two in the Arctic and Antarctic, and the surface skin and 2-m air temperature of ERA-Interim from October 26, 1998 to August 13, 2010. To show the significance of a peak in the wavelet power spectra, regions of greater than 95% confidence is indicated (line). For period less than semi-annual oscillation, most of the power is concentrated around the four-month period within the 95% confidence level. The existence of the four-month oscillation is also confirmed using the Fourier spectrum analysis technique and is shown in Fig. 2. However, with wavelet analysis, one can see variations in the frequency occurrence and amplitude of the Arctic/Antarctic four-month oscillations shown in Fig. 1. Large amplitude four-month oscillation events occurred at a period about 3 years. The strongest years were 2002-2003, 2005-2006 and 2008-2009. Similar wavel et power spectra are seen in other AMSU-A surface-sensitive channels in the Northern Hemisphere and AMSU-A channel 1 in the Southern Hemisphere (Figure omitted). Due to the fact the Antarctic is covered mostly by land, the Antarctic four-month oscillation is very weak in channels 15 and 3. A four-month oscillation is also found in daily mean surface skin temperatures and surface air temperatures from ERA-Interim reanalysis in the Arctic (Fig. 1c-d), but not in the Antarctic (figure omitted). The reduced power of surface and near-surface temperatures (Fig. 1c-d) compared to satellite observations (Fig. 1a-b) is possibly due to the fact that most of surface channels observations are excluded from data assimilation in high latitudes owing to large impacts of surface emissivity uncertainty on radiance simulations. From Fig. 1, it is seen that the ERA-Interim captures the four-month surface oscillation better during 2005-2006 and 2008-2009 than earlier years. Figure 3 presents the temporal evolution of Arctic (75oN-90oN) and Antarctic (70oS-90oS) daily mean brightness temperatures in 2005 (black line), in which mean values, annual and semi-annual components are removed, as well as the corresponding four-month oscillation (red curve). The four-month oscillation of AMSU-A channel 2 has the largest amplitude at the beginning of March, July and November. No significant phase difference is found between this and other three surface sensitive channels (Figures omitted). The Antarctic four-month oscillation is 90o out of phase with the Arctic oscillation. It peaks in the middle of April, August and December. A weak four-month oscillation is also found in the daily mean surface-skin temperatures and two-meter air temperatures from ERA-Interim reanalysis. However, a significant phase difference is found between the AMSU-A surface-sensitive channels and the ERA-Interim surface skin temperature and surface air temperatures. The four-month oscillation of both surface skin temperature and surface air temperatures peaks in late June, about one and half months earlier than satellite observations. Given the fact that the brightness temperatures at the four surface-sensitive channels approximately equal to the product of surface emissivity and surface skin temperature, with a small contribution from the atmosphere in a shallow layer above the Earth’s surface, the phase differences between the ERA-Interim surface variables and AMSU-A surface channel brightness temperatures suggest that the brightness temperature change is delayed by surface emissivity change. It is worth mentioning that the four-month oscillation is not found in the brightness temperature measurements of the other 11 AMSU-A channels, which approximately represent the air temperature in a broad layer centered in the troposphere or stratosphere. Figure 4 provides the percentage of explained variances by annual (black), semi-annual (red) and four-month (yellow) oscillations in middle and high latitudes for NOAA-15 AMSU-A channel 2. It is seen that the annual variation increases toward high latitudes from 20oN to 70oN or from 20oS to 70oS. The annual oscillation becomes a dominant feature with 50oN-70oN and 50oS-70oS. The sum of annual and semi-annual oscillations explains more than 80% of the total variances within the latitudinal band 60oN-70oN or 60oS-70oS, which reduces to below 60% in higher latitudes 70oN-90oN and 70oS-80oS. The four-month oscillation explains about 10% of the total variance in the Arctic and Antarctic. Figure 5 presents the annual cycles of Arctic four-month oscillation in three selected years (1999, 2003 and 2009) from all the six time series (, , , , , and ). The four-month oscillations of all four surface-sensitive channels have the largest amplitude at the beginning of March, July and November. No significant phase difference is found among these four channels. However, a significant phase difference is found between the AMSU-A surface-sensitive channels and the ERA-Interim surface skin temperature and surface air temperatures. The four-month oscillation of both surface skin temperature and surface air temperatures peaks in late June, about one and half months earlier than satellite observations. Given the fact that the brightness temperatures at the four surface-sensitive channels is a sum of the surface term (approximately equals to surface emissivity times surface skin temperature) and the atmosphere term (about equal to the air temperature in a shallow layer (~1 km) above t he Earth’s surface), the phase differences between the ERA-Interim surface variables and AMSU-A surface channel brightness temperatures suggest that the four-month oscillation started from the surface. In fact, the four-month oscillation is not found in the brightness temperature measurements of the other 11 AMSU-A channels, which approximately represent the air temperature in a broad layer centered in the troposphere or stratosphere. Wave structures with periods between 60 days and 150 days are shown in Fig. 6 based on the daily mean brightness temperatures in 75oN-90oN latitudes at nadir of NOAA-15 AMSU-A channel one, two, three, fifteen, skin and 2-m surface air temperature of ERA-Interim from January 1, 2004 to January 1, 2007. The four-month oscillation is a dominant feature in all years. A weak 90-day oscillation is also found in satellite measurements. The intensity of the Arctic four-month oscillation varies inter-annually. 5. Discussions of the oscillation A four-month oscillation is found in the satellite microwave measurements in the Arctic and Antarctic for the first time. The ERA-Interim reanalysis data confirms the existence of such an oscillation. Such oscillation is not found in other regions over the globe and nor in other AMSU-A atmospheric sounding channels. The surface temperature in polar regions is determined by surface heat budget equation, which relates changes in surface upward long-wave radiations to changes in (i) the surface downward short-wave radiation, (ii) surface downward long-wave radiations, (iii) heat storage for both land surface and ocean, (iv) surface sensible heat flux, and (v) surface latent heat flux. The presence of polar day/night is a unique feature that makes the annual variation of solar radiative forcing within the frigid zone[1] substantially different from middle and low latitudes. Since solar radiation is a major source of energy for the snow/ice melting in polar regions, the unique annual variation of solar radiation can modulate microwave surface emissivity and thermodynamic and dynamic processes near the surface boundary. The responses of surface-sensitive brightness temperature to solar radiation can also be delayed due to the time for the snow and ice metamorphosis process to occur. The combined effec t of polar day and night during the year and snow/ice metamorphosis process probably gives birth to a four-month oscillation in the Arctic and Antarctic. The fact that the four-month oscillation is stronger in higher latitudes is consistent with the increase of the length of the time when the sun is below the horizon from the Arctic Circle (20  hours) to North Pole (179  days). Acknowledgement This work was supported by Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology under 973 project no. 2010CB951600 and the NOAA/NESDIS grant to Florida State University. References Agudelo, P. A., and J. A. Curry, 2004: Analysis of spatial distribution in tropospheric temperature trends, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L22207, doi: 10.1029/ 2004GL020818. Chelliah, M., and G. D. Bell, 2004: Tropical Multidecadal and Interannual Climate Variability in the NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis.  J. Climate,  17, 1777–1803. Christy, J. R., R. W. Spencer, and E. S. Lobel, 1998: Analysis of the merging procedure for the MSU daily temperature time series. J. Climate, 11, 2016–2041. Christy, J. R., R. W. Spencer, and W. D. Braswell, 2000: MSU tropospheric temperatures: Dataset construction and radiosonde comparisons. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 17, 1153–1170. Christy, J. R., R. W. Spencer, W. B. Norris, W. D. Braswell, and D. E. Parker, 2003: Error estimates of version 5.0 of MSU–AMSU bulk atmospheric temperature. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 20, 613–629. Frauenfeld, O. W., T. Zhang, and M. C. Serreze, 2005: Climate change and variability using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis (ERA-40) temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau.  J. Geophys. Res.,  110, D02101, doi: 10.1029/2004JD005230. Goodrum, G., K. Kidwell, and W. Winston, 2009: NOAA KLM Users Guide with NOAA-N, -N-Prime supplement. NOAA, [available from: ncdc.noaa.gov/docs/klm/cover.htm]. Izaguirre C., Mendez F. J., Menendez M., and I. J., Losada, 2010: Global extreme wave height variability based on satellite data, Geophys. Res. Lett.,  doi:10.1029/2011GL047302. Johannessen, O. M., M. W. Miles, and E. Bjorgo, 1995: The Arctic’s shrinking sea ice. Nature, 376, 126-127. Johannessen, O. M., E. V. Shalina, and M. W. Miles, 1999: Satellite evidence for an Arctic sea ice coverage in transformation. Science, 286, 1837-1939. Madden, R. A., and P. R. Julian, 1971: Detection of a 40-50 day oscillation in the zonal wind in the tropical Pacific. J. Atmos. Sci.,  28, 702-708. Mears, C. A., M. C. Schabel, and F. J. Wentz, 2003: A reanalysis of the MSU channel 2 tropospheric temperature record. J. Climate, 16, 3650–3664. Mears, C. A., and F. J. Wentz, 2009: Construction of the Remote Sensing Systems V3.2 atmospheric temperature records from the MSU and AMSU microwave sounders. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 26, 1040–1056. Mo, T., 1999: AMSU-A antenna pattern corrections, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 37, 103-112. Schneider, D. P., E. J. Steig, and J. C. Comiso, 2004: Recent Climate Variability in Antarctica from Satellite derived temperature data, J. Climate, 17, 1569-1583. Simmons, A., S. Uppala, D. Dee, and S. Kobayashi, 2007: ERA-Interim: New ECMWF reanalysis products from 1989 onwards. ECMWF Newsletter, No. 110, 25–35. Torrence, C., and G. P.  Compo, 1998: A Practical Guide to Wavelet Analysis. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 79, 61-78. Vinnikov K. Y. and Norman C. Grody, 2003: Global Warming Trend of Mean tropospheric temperature observed by satellites, Science, 269-272. Zou, C.-Z., M. Gao, and M. Goldberg, 2009: Error structure and atmospheric temperature trend in observations from the Microwave Sounding Unit. J. Climate, 22, 1661–1681.

Storm Drainage Design Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Storm Drainage Design Project - Essay Example The inflow into the river after the rainfall is through different ways. The major types are overland flow which represents the surface flows which includes other direct flows into the river. The ground water flow component is the sub-surface runoff component contributing to the river discharge from a particular region after the rainfall. If the major portion of runoff water reaches the river as overland flow , a heavy rainfall would result in quick response in the river and the hydrograph shape would be peak. Thus the risk of floods would be higher in this case. While if the major share is through ground water flow the rise in discharge is slower and the repose of the river is slower. Thus the rate at which the flood waters reaches the river body determines the shape of t he hydrograph. The major factors contributing to these situations are characteristics of drainage basin, type and amount of precipitation, land use pattern in a region, impact caused by human intervention, size and shape of drainage basin and major river management measures adopted (Flood hydrograph, n.d.). The hydrograph for river Cynon is drawn based on the rainfall and river flow depth data (figure 1). The discharge in the river is plotted along y-axis and the time (in hours) along x axis. Similarly, the rainfall depth is indicated on a secondary y axis in the same graph corresponding to particular instant of time. Based on the flood hydrograph obtained for the river Cynon, it is obvious that the drainage characteristics of the terrain results in the occurrence of peak discharge soon after the rainfall. The drainage basin soil characteristics is said to have relatively low value of permeability and this results in low infiltration rates into the soil. The rising limb of the hydrograph has a very steep rise while the receding limb was not as steep. The receding limb required more time to reach the base flow condition which justified the

The Motorcycle Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Motorcycle Company - Essay Example It is expected that the proposed budget will bring success for the company and will increase its market share tremendously. However, success of this project entirely depends upon the planning and implementation process, the concept and project of developing new and large motors for heavy vehicle is quite challenging because company is operating in an industry that is characterized by the production of small motors. Given below is the detailed analysis of procedures with the help of which we are going to achieve our goals. No2 Type of Required Staff Staffing is a function of Human Resources which incorporates the proper management of the workforce of an organization. Staffing involves all the steps required to create an efficient workforce for an organization and to maintain the efficiency of that workforce. Staffing incorporates all the functions of a human resource department from recruitment and hiring to evaluation, promotion and layoffs. Effective staffing is very important for t he growth and success of an organization (Ranne, 2011). It helps an organization get the best employees for all of its departments and this ensures higher productivity and better performance. Individuals of different technical and non-technical backgrounds were assigned to the pilot project team on either a full or part-time basis. Also, managers from both production and business departments were included to coordinate the effort and provide inputs to the project team. Each participant belonged to one or more of the five entities defined for the project: planning board, project board, project team, key stakeholders and key resources (see Fig. 1). The staffing will be based on the internal guidelines of the company for the production of new motors. Fig. 1: Project organization View Within Article The planning board will be responsible for the high-level effort and its strategic alignment with business processes. It will compose of an End-user designing and execution committee (EDEC), a planning manager, and the chief information officer (CIO) as its chair. EDEC provided related feedbacks on DWG from a business-user perspective. The project board will be responsible for overall practical planning, coordination, and evaluation of the project, with close cooperation from business customers in functional departments. Business customers were responsible for the validation of new motor models and follow-up on modeling issues specific to business requirements. The board consisted of a planning manager as the project sponsor and liaison between the boards, a technical representative, and three representatives from customer departments. Since business units of the company were organized according to three customer levels (individual, group, and corporate), one representative from each customer level participated in the project board. According to the internal guidelines, key stakeholders should be people whose departments will be affected by the implementation of large motors. In this project, however, because of the crucial importance of stakeholders’ role, they were directly involved in the planning and project boards. No3 Team building Strategies Team building is an important and crucial part

Internet Usages Affect People's Tourism Booking And Decision-making Essay

Internet Usages Affect People's Tourism Booking And Decision-making - Essay Example This report stresses that most people prefer internet travel planning and booking due to its efficiency. It offers more information and costs lesser than a travel agency. It also has no time limit for information search and one can see videos or movies of the chosen destination. The internet is also non-stop available hence one can access the information from anywhere with internet access. One can compare offers quickly and at the same time find opinions of other persons since the internet provides some degree of freedom. This paper makes a conclusion that internet travel planning and booking also has its disadvantages. The website is not able to distinguish between cheap and best value ,for example a room may be deemed as cheap whereas it does not fit the client’s expectations. The internet websites do not understand the clients. The client often does not know what they are getting themselves into. Unlike a travel agent who can know what the client can and cannot put up with, the internet is not able to know. The internet websites are also not proactive. This implies that they do not understand the clients and they do not offer the best value but just raw price. Websites cannot be able to look into the whites of the eyes. An agent can use their skills to read an itinerary, to understand it, analyze any real issues and then communicate them to the client. This study shows that an increasing number is turning to social media to help them with the research.

Discrimination Paper Essay Example for Free

Discrimination Paper Essay As you all probably know: discrimination is any situation in which a group or individual is treated differently based on something other than individual reason, usually their membership in a socially distinct group or category. These categories include ethnicity, sex, religion, age or disability. Discrimination can be thought of as favorable or unfavorable; however, today, â€Å"discrimination† is usually considered unfavorable. Racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and discrimination outside the United States, are some of the most common types of discrimination in the world. One of the most pervasive forms of discrimination in the United States is directed toward racial groups. There has always been conflict among the different races of people. The Constitution of the United States recognized the legality of slavery, the ultimate form of discrimination. Black males are one of the most common victims of discrimination. For example, a black male in the â€Å"ghetto† walks into a convenient store, the first thing that comes to the clerks mind is robbery or maybe even worse. African-Americans and other people of different races other than white have always been mistreated or judged just because of their color. Racial discrimination against Hispanic-Americans is also widespread. Employment, housing, and access to the judicial system is a problem for people other than whites. Asian-Americans also suffer discrimination. During World War II, the Japanese were forced to evacuate from the West Coast. American women have been victimized by discrimination in voting, employment, and other civil rights. Women were once known as â€Å"housewives†, and many men and women still think that is what a woman should be. Not only do people think women shouldn’t work, but they don’t think they should vote, serve on juries, or do anything else other than sit at home and do house work. In the late 160’s women organized to demand legal equality with men. They organized into the National Organization for Women and other groups for education, employment, and government. In 17, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was passed to the Constitution and submitted to the states for ratification. The ERA was suppose to eliminate legal discrimination against women, but it was not approved by the 18 deadline. Working toward the ERA built a skilled leadership of female politicians and lobbyists. Most nations practice discrimination against foreigners within their borders. It may be religious, such as Muslims against Jews, Protestants against Catholics; racial, or sexual discrimination, as in many countries where women have few rights. People in other countries are always fighting because of discrimination. International efforts to combat discrimination were minimal until the passage of the United Nations Charter in 145. The charter encourages â€Å"respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. Discrimination causes great conflict among many people. Regardless of race, religion, sex, or any other characteristics, a person should not be discriminated. Discrimination is one of the reasons this country is falling apart. Every man and woman whether they are black, white, yellow or green should be able to equally do what ever they wish. Most people don’t realize that every person, color not mattering, came from the same place.

The Financial Analysis Of Mcdonalds

The Financial Analysis Of Mcdonalds Ray Kroc gained the rights of McDonalds restaurant in 1954. This restaurant was based in California, USA. After being unsuccessful at Des Plaines restaurant Ray Kroc achieved a multitude of success in McDonalds after buying it out from McDonald brothers. McDonalds was made public in the year 1965 via the stock exchange. McDonalds was introduced in the stock exchange with 100 shares totaling at 2250 USD. Their success brought them up to 4.7 million stocks as of today. McDonalds have opened around 33000 restaurants worldwide. The main focus of their restaurants is towards franchising which has brought them revenues in terms of sales as well as renting. Currently 80% of McDonalds are franchises around the world with franchising cost around 45000 USD per license. They have succeeded to expand their company in more than 100 countries around the world. 2.1 Current Situation McDonalds have worked hard throughout years to attain a respectable position amongst the world fast food chains. They have managed to perform better in the face of sustained pressure. This has helped them to achieve the top position amongst the worlds fast food companies. McDonalds current situation is very stable. After going through the introductory passage it would be hard to imagine otherwise. With a huge number of restaurants all around the world it can be safely said that McDonalds is doing very well. This was not the case in the year 2002 when McDonalds faced their first overall loss after over 35 years in business. Being a strong company they did not bend in face of problems rather they planned a strategy to get out of this dilemma by electing a new CEO. Cantalupo, the new CEO, focused on the problem and introduced a new strategy known as the plan to win strategy. Under his guidance the company achieved customer satisfaction and improved operating of their current franchises as well as standardizing the future franchising. This strategy raised standards and helped McDonalds to achieve a share price of around 80 thousand dollars in the year 2010. The board of directors made this strategy as one of their core plans because of it doing so well. I nvestors now take McDonalds as a safe place and put their money in McDonalds shares considering that McDonalds will not see another recession if they continue acting on their policies. This can be seen in the revenues of McDonalds. Their revenues have increased from 20,895 million dollars in 2006 to 24,075 million dollars in 2010 and are still increasing. Their continuous success is a result of their introducing new products and even new product lines as they have done by introducing McCafe drink lines containing different types of coffees and teas. This line of products has taken McDonalds in cafeteria market and is rivaling Starbucks in USA. This has resulted for them to have a stable place in the market and in the stocks as well. 2.2 Business Planning and Strategy In McDonalds there is a strategy named Plan to Win since 2003. This plan to win in the industry exist till now and it forced McDonalds to have 32 months of global comparative positive sales which is the longest strip for the last 25 years. To say more, company has had a growth which in general lies above the industry average growth. To get better understanding about the current strategy of the company, let take a look what is the Plan to Win? It is nothing else except 5Ps that are behind the Plan to Win, it includes: People, Place, Product, Price, and Promotion. The 5Ps are trying to perceive every thinkable angle of the company, and have ways to improve everything, from refurbishing old shops, to maintenance Wi-Fi for customers, setting the right mood with music and creating deli menus to cope with the bad publicity. Promotion Products Im loving it worldwide campaign Billboards, internet, TV, all advertising in general Broaden the selections McDonalds Food Studios Superior supplier practices High product standards McCafe Examples: Rice burger, fruit and walnut salad Price High quality food at a reasonable price Value menus Premium selections Place People Refurbishing stores New music Wi-fi Flatscreens Developed training and hospitality programs to teach our people the skills they need to deliver great service Computer based training -Restaurant Operations Improvement Process (ROIP) Their main efforts are in a direction of maintenance of their unique firm power, and creation of the additional added cost through experience to keep and develop their shares in the American market. Companys newest leading addition of industrial line is the McCafe. The McCafe have a target audience of those who would like something else than regular soft drinks, or probably only wants some coffee. Using this new strategy and an industrial line McDonalds tries to seize shares of the market in the industry of coffee industry, which mainly operates Starbucks. It is courageous strategy, where they have an experience minimum, but however it is strategy which is supported by a considerable quantity of their forces. They already have global network of suppliers and one of the most influential brands in the world. Their marketing has focused on two separate things: first, coping with the effects of the obesity through marketing and a new healthier product category and second, increasing brand awareness to maintain and develop market shares. While supervising the result (outcome) of McDonalds has carried out strategy the last years, then the financial data speaks in own language. Development of the incomes which are above development of the market means that they increase the shares in the market. When supervising of their edges of total profit, then since performance of Plan to Win has increased edge more than forty percent. It shows that McDonalds till now have correct forces and strategy to outmanoeuvre any problems of fatness. McDonalds should study their basic products in the future. As changing requirements and instructions from clients and the governments appear, then at McDonalds there would be a big advantage of being preventive on these questions. Now they were some of the slowest in the industry to get rid of their trans-fat to make French fries which sends a bad signal on not caring about their clients. On all questions of public health services they, apparently, have very jet manner, still precisely knowing what to make with a problem. If they have to change and expand the research of these areas, the pure size and resources could give easily to them the big push up in CSR competencies and the general image in comparison with their competitors. But as it now, their research some kind of weakness as they concentrate more on research in decorating than in full healthy meal. It isnt intended these that they should change the basic products as a cheeseburger, big Mac and French fries, but rather plac ing some resources in creation of the basic of more healthy products. Thus, they also would deal with some of their weaknesses and would construct protection against future threats. 2.3 Performance Analysis Financial data can be used to analyse the performance of a company. In this manner, McDonalds performance can be analysed through their balance sheet over the period of three years. Different ratios are used in this analysis and these ratios are then used to compare the performance of McDonalds over time with regards to standards. All companies are bound by law to submit their financial statements at the end of each year. This helps analysts to observe the cause and effect relationships in the financial data provided by the company. Following is detailed analysis of McDonalds Corporation with help of their balance sheet. This data has been taken from the financial statement McDonalds submitted on their website. Balance sheet Period Ending Dec 31, 2010 Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2008 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 2,387,000 1,796,000 2,063,400 Short Term Investments Net Receivables 1,179,100 1,060,400 931,200 Inventory 109,900 106,200 111,500 Other Current Assets 692,500 453,700 411,500 Total Current Assets 4,368,500 3,416,300 3,517,600 Long Term Investments 1,335,300 1,212,700 1,222,300 Property Plant and Equipment 22,060,600 21,531,500 20,254,500 Goodwill 2,586,100 2,425,200 2,237,400 Intangible Assets Accumulated Amortization Other Assets 1,624,700 1,639,200 1,229,700 Deferred Long Term Asset Charges Total Assets 31,975,200 30,224,900 28,461,500 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 2,916,400 2,970,600 2,506,100 Short/Current Long Term Debt 8,300 18,100 31,800 Other Current Liabilities Total Current Liabilities 2,924,700 2,988,700 2,537,900 Long Term Debt 11,497,000 10,560,300 10,186,000 Other Liabilities 1,586,900 1,363,100 1,410,100 Deferred Long Term Liability Charges 1,332,400 1,278,900 944,900 Minority Interest Negative Goodwill Total Liabilities 17,341,000 16,191,000 15,078,900 Stockholders Equity Misc Stocks Options Warrants Redeemable Preferred Stock Preferred Stock Common Stock 16,600 16,600 16,600 Retained Earnings 33,811,700 31,270,800 28,953,900 Treasury Stock (25,143,400) (22,854,800) (20,289,400) Capital Surplus 5,196,400 4,853,900 4,600,200 Other Stockholder Equity 752,900 747,400 101,300 Total Stockholder Equity 14,634,200 14,033,900 13,382,600 Net Tangible Assets 12,048,100 11,608,700 11,145,200 Currency in USD 2.4 Recommendations Strategic options: Reduction of employee training spending (lowering employee turnover); Taking advantage of organic food industry popularity (develop new products for new segments); Advantage of human health problems (improvement of products). Reduction of employee training spending (lowering employee turnover). In order to reduce of employee training spending and to lower turnover, we would like to suggest: To give the job just for highly motivated people. It means, that they are going to be loyal and not to leave job so fast; To train new employees using Big Brother principle. New employees would be trained by employees, who are working longer. In this way, company reduces training spending, new employees are trained by the people, who are working inside the company and do the same things every day. To motivate employees and always take care about their expectations. It can be money premiums for good working in the end of the month (or year), some employees parties, Employee of the week (month) competition and etc.; also employer should take a look of what employee is expected from employer and try to solve that, ex. Maybe employee is not expected to get premium every month, but for good and loyal working he would like that the company would pay his child studies fee after 5 years. Taking advantage of organic food industry popularity (develop new products for new segments); McDonalds is not that company, who suggest the most organic food, so they can try: To make a line of organic food in their menu and take a look what is more popular and healthy for their customers. If it is going more popular than usual menu food, it is more worth to make all food in organic way, even it is more expensive. First of all, people like what is natural, and then they are interested in the price. To be in a partnership with scientists and doctors in order to take care of their customers heath. Everybody knows that organic food makes people feel better and healthier; also it affects nature in a good way. McDonalds declares that everything is for customer, so it must take an advantage of organic food popularity and make their customers to live healthier and in more natural way. To make big advertisement companies declaring organic food pluses and make it more popular in such way. Many people loves McDonalds food, so it has an authority and can show good example of necessity of organic food in people life and compare how organic and usual McDonalds food effect customers health and all the nature about them. Advantage of human health problems (improvement of products) McDonalds is big food supplying company, and all of us know, how food affects our health. It is one of the main factors, what built our body and strength our brains. Knowing that, McDonalds should: Suggest just high quality, improved products, which is full of vitamins and minerals. So, it means that the company must improve their products, all the food must be certificated and fit for all healthy food standards. Be in a contact with suppliers, who supply products for McDonalds food and always check if the products is natural, high standard and healthy for all of age customers. Contact with doctors, scientist and improve their products to fit for all of age customers, even they have some problems with their stomach. It means to make measures and find what is the best for all possible customers. 2.5 Conclusions The financial analysis of McDonalds says that the recovery of McDonalds after the global crises seems to be surprisingly fast and the sales growth rate continues to increase. It tries to improve customer metrics by which it can follow and decide what are the changes in the customers needs and wants, how they can satisfy these issues. The most important thing is to think globally but act locally. The later stage of the second part proposes companys current strategy. McDonalds has a specific Plan to win current strategy since 2003. These are 5Ps that are behind the Plan to Win, and it includes: People, Place, Product, Price, and Promotion. As changing requirements and instructions from clients and the government, McDonalds should study their basic products in the future.