Delusional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Delusional - Essay Example They have done series of tests in laboratories and published reports about their findings. They have also been done in the field of medicine. Under the field of medicine, psychiatry lies there wherein reports, experiments and thorough studies are conducted to help patients with mental disabilities and illnesses. Usually the ones used to help patients with undesirable mental conditions rely on chemical drugs to ease the pain or correct certain imbalances in their brains. Chemicals are used to alter their behavior especially when the patients are behaving outside the norms like being in a catatonic state. The use of drugs like for depressed people may have side effects. Side effects may affect the patients negatively. Drugs may cure the patients and help with their mental conditions but other illnesses may arise because of side effects. Other organs may possibly be negatively affected as the drugs may serve as toxins to those organs like heart, liver, kidney and stomach. The use of dru gs on health mental patients have been the subject of the book made by Robert Whitaker. Robert Whitaker is a renowned writer in the field of science especially with the medical field. He even became an editor for the publications of the medical school of Harvard. He published other books prior to the one where talked about delusions. He had been an award-winning author and writer and a controversial one. His book entitled Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America is a controversial book by Robert Whitaker where he tackled delusion as the cause of the mental illness growth in USA. Various issues can be connected to delusion and the growing rate of mental illness patients and all of them would be discussed on the paper. Delusion has been defined many times by many sources from textbooks to dictionaries as the term pertains to the false belief or state of resistance to the reality as the person does not accept logica l explanations. It can be used in various contexts but it is commonly linked with psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorders. The aforementioned psychiatric conditions are illnesses which the medical field has combated through the years using techniques and formulations created based on years of studies via experimentations. Scientists, doctors and psychiatrists in particular have relied upon those observations and analyses recorded via published scientific reports and journals to verify the efficacies of the methods to cure the psychiatric conditions. Whitaker had debated about those methods especially with the use of chemical drugs. Chemical drugs are formulated in laboratories and manufactured in bulk by licensed pharmaceutical companies as those are dangerous if no regulations are made. Those manufacturers have the right to create those products based on the formulations recommended by the experts who studied particular cases. Despite of their re ported efficacies, they pose hazards or risks to the patients. They have side-effects that can advertently affect other parts of the body. Patients may suffer other diseases or weakened immunity or particular organs may become damaged because of those synthetic substances being taken in for their psychiatric conditions. Whitaker has been concerned with the growing mentality of people about drugs and how those can cure the conditions of psychiatric patients considered to

Primate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Primate - Research Paper Example They usually walk on all fours with the use of their knuckles supporting on the ground. This type of locomotion is called â€Å"knuckle- walking†. The chimpanzees have no tail, and have a dark hairy coat. The brain of the chimpanzee only comes to half the size of that of human. It is also an interesting fact, that chimpanzee use tools for food hunting purpose. â€Å"Chimpanzee tools are used both for feeding and for other purposes, such as body care and signaling, but the subsistence tools used for obtaining food show with special clarity the problem of explaining behavioral variant as ecological adaptation†(Wrangham 21).They are omnivores, and eats fruits; seeds, flowers, and plant shoots.They also eat termites, ants and small animals. They communicate with the help of face expression, gestures and hands. Chimpanzees are social animals and live in small, stable groups of about forty to sixty individuals. They are very intelligent and it is our duty to protect their

Remember Reagan Essay Example for Free

Remember Reagan Essay The 1980 US presidential campaign pitted Republican Ronald Reagan against Democrat Jimmy Carter. Why do you think Reagan beat Carter? Reagan inherited an economy that was in bad shape. The prime lending rate was like 15%, credit cards were 15-25%, there was gas rationing and soaring inflation that was 20%. He had an economic plan that was about cutting government size, taxes and building the US military back up. People got fed up with Carter and the government taxes. Sounds kind of like the Tea Party movement†¦ Sort of. The Tea Party is about following the Constitution and amendments, cutting taxes and government size. But it is not a political party despite what most people think. They have conservative values for the most part like the Republican Party. Reagan linked his campaign to the spreading tax revolt by promising substantial tax cuts. Equally important, he called for restoration of American â€Å"strength† and â€Å"pride.† (Brinkley, Chapter 31, 2012). What did he actually do about this while in office? He had Reaganomics (supply-side economics). He cut taxes on the premise that businesses and investors could push the economy into growing after the energy crisis of the 70’s, high taxes and high interest rates on loans. The US economy blew up in the mid/ late 80’s. What about the size of the government? What did he do about that and what were the results? He cut government programs. I am not sure which. I think he did some cuts on Medicare and Medicaid. Low income housing. He broke the air traffic controller union after they tried to strike for better wages. They made way more than most already so he canned most of them. There were reductions in food stamps, subsidized low-income housing, limitations on Medicare and Medicaid payments, reductions in student loans, school lunches, and other educational programs; and an end to many forms of federal assistance to the states and cities (Brinkley, Chapter 31, 2012). He increased military spending tremendously instead. Why? The military was maligned by the media and most of the US population after Vietnam. There were huge defense cuts on programs that were deemed unnecessary like the F-15 fighter which is now seen as a renowned fighter platform. According to the book Reagan’s War, one of his most important campaign promises had been to restore American military might. After much internal debate over domestic policy, increased military spending and reduced social programs with his cabinet, Reagan is quoted as saying â€Å"I am the commander in chief; my primary responsibility is the security of the United States†¦ if we don’t have security, we’ll have no need for social programs†. But he made the national debt go up a lot. Yes he did. Part of Reagan’s plan was to combat the Soviet expansion by out spending them militarily. His advisors figured that the Soviet economy could not take much more due to huge expenses on their side. After the SALT treaty was negotiated, the Soviets continued to build 48,000 nuclear weapons. The agreed upon number was 25,000. The US stopped at the 15,000 units from the SALT treaty. KGB documents confirmed this after the Soviet breakup in the 90’s. Reagan just spent them into collapse knowing that they would try to keep up. The evil empire is no longer a threat. What about the Iran-Contra affair? What do you know about why and who? Reagan spent so much effort on the Soviet theatre that he was not able to do the same with third world threats like Nicaragua or the PLO. So he funded covert operations and weapons to prop up governments or oppose them depending on if they supported America. In the Iran Contra affair, he had the Israelis sell weapons to Iran who were to work to get hostages released from a terrorist organization. The money would then be funneled to pay for the Contras in Nicaragua that were fighting the communist Sandinistas. The administration was weakened as it was seen that hostages could be taken to get money and weapons. This is kind of the like the initial release of the hostages in 1980. What do you know about that? The US government tried to negotiate, rescue and embargo Iran for the hostages taken under Carters administration. They were released when Reagan was elected. He dealt from a position of power and the Iranians respected that. The US government eased economic sanctions prior to the release too†¦ What about religion? What did the new right and religious right have to do with the era of Reagan? Well, born again Christians were becoming more vocal in the 70’s. Pat Robertson, Falwell, Jim and Tammy Fay Baker. They had a lot of followers and money and they were conservative in their views. Abortion, feminism, homosexuality and the separation of church and state were all fought over. The right was for traditional values of the bible, against abortion, gays and some views of feminism. Reagan supported the same conservative views so he gathered much of their support. It also allowed him to tap into the financial support of this branch. How about the assassination attempt? Why did that happen? Sirhan Sirhan? No, John Hinkley, Jr. I think he (Hinkley) was in love with Jodie Foster and thought that Reagan was in the way. Shot him with a .22, but Reagan survived. He bounced back pretty quickly and became even more driven. References Brinkley, A. (2012). American History (14th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Schewizer, P. (2002). Reagan’s War. New York, NY: Double Day.

Renewable Energy in India

Renewable Energy in India As a developing country with the worlds second highest population, India is facing nationwide shortage in power supply. It is very essential to make optimum use of all available resources of power inside the nation and thus found that the New and Renewable Sources of Energy (NRSE) can contribute significantly towards power generation in forthcoming years. Development of new technology and advancement in this sector has lead to commercialization of numerous NRSE technologies. This sector has also got an advantage of reducing pollution and creating awareness of the necessity to reduce carbon emissions to protect the environment. Recognizing the importance of renewable energy sources, the Government of India set up a fully fledged independent department named Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources in 1982 and later on the name converted into the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the year 1992. MNRE acts as the nodal agency of the Government of India for all matters r elating renewable energy. It undertakes policy making, planning, promotion and co-ordination functions relating to all aspects of renewable energy. New reports states that India is the fourth largest nation in installed power generation capacity in the field of renewable energy sources with a total capacity of 17,594 MW. Wind, Solar, Hydro, Biomass and Geothermal are main renewable energy sources and India has high potential of these resources to exploit. Power generation from wind and solar energy resources has posted enormous growth in recent years. India became favorite destination for renewable energy technology developers, equipment manufacturers and service providers. Certain measures are adopted by the Government of India for the eradication of power poverty, commercial exploitation of renewable energy resources by ensuring affordability and availability as well. The estimated potential of renewable energy in the country is around 85,000 MW from commercially exploitable sources. Whereas wind resources accounts to 45,000 MW, small hydro projects dominates 15,000 MW and 25,000 MW from biomass/bio energy sources. It is calculated that India has the potential to generate 35 MW/Km2 with the use of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy. The main resources of renewable energy in India are as follows: Wind Energy Solar Energy Hydro Power Bio-mass Geothermal Energy Tidal energy Wind Energy. With reference to the world wind energy report-2009, India has the 5th largest installed wind power capacity in the world following USA, China, Germany and Spain. India is the second largest wind energy market in Asia, with a growth rate of 14% reaching a capacity of 11 GW. India became a global player in wind energy sector in the past few years and expected to expand modest growth in the future with the strong domestic market. The idea of wind power in India developed in 1990s, and has achieved significant and tremendous growth within the last two decades. The performance and reliability of wind related power increased the installation of more wind turbines across the country and now it became a capacity addition of energy in Indian subcontinent. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Andaman Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are the Indian states/union territories with high potential of wind energy utilization. At the end of March 2010, Tamil Nadu is having the most wind generating capacity of 4889.765 MW and Muppandal wind farm of Tamil Nadu is the largest in India. Suzlon holds 52% of domestic market share, is the largest wind power company in India. In addition to this Suzlon has risen to worlds 5th largest with 12.3% of the global market share. The Indian wind market achieved quality growth with the government incentives and new policy of GBI (Generation Based Incentive) scheme that helped foreign and domestic private power producers and investors to establish large-scale, commercial wind plants across the country. Turbine technology is improving, that may contribute to higher capacity utilization of wind in future. The modern wind turbines produced in India with foreign collaboration have capacities more than 1 MW and they are highly efficient for a tropical country like India. The country has an advantage in the installation of offshore wind plants with 7,600 km of coast. The concept of wind farm became popular with the higher efficiencies and availability due to the development of wind turbine technology over the last decade. Recent studies shows that wind energy can be combined with solar for the generation of self- sustainable renewable energy projects. The relative immaturity of this sector may not be sustainable with the strong economics of wind energy. India is renowned as wind superpower with an installed potential of 4500MW from thirteen states. Solar Energy India is blessed with rich solar energy resource due to its geographical location. It is calculated that the average intensity of solar radiation obtained on Indian subcontinent is 200 MW/km2 and this amounts to 657.4 Million Mega Watts of energy for the whole 3,287 million square kilometer. By considering these characteristics India can generate enormous amount of energy from this resource and it would be likely thousand times greater than the electricity demand in 2015 even with the theoretical assumption of 10% efficiency for photo voltaic modules. Considering these potentials the country is emerging as a strong hub for solar energy production. The amount of solar energy produced in India is very less when compared to other resources of energy and this accounts to merely 0.4%. As of October 2010 the grid-interactive solar power was about 114.74 MW. Report says that India is currently ranked number one along with the United States in terms of installed solar power generation capacity. The applications of solar energy is active in the fields of telecommunications, lighting, water heating, battery charging, cooking and other small power requirements. Today there is some14-15 lakhs of solar photo voltaic systems in operation and around 6 lakhs solar cookers in use and an area of around 200,000M2 has been developed for solar water heating applications. The present scenario of installed capacity is around 33-35 grid interactive solar photovoltaic power plants with an aggregate capacity of around 2-2.5 MW, that generate around 2.5 million units of electricity per annum, in sharp contrast to the estimated potential of 50,000 MW Solar energy is a perfect alternative for conventional energy in the case of domestic and industrial applications, with an advantage of minimum maintenance and maximum viability. Government of India promoting the installation of new solar and other renewable energy projects by giving tax incentives and rebates. The government of India proposed some large projects in solar energy sector, in cooperation with some private investors. Thar Desert in the state of Rajasthan has been set aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 Giga watts and it would be the next generation powerhouse of India. The ministry for new and renewable energy aims to bolster the annual photovoltaic production to at least 1,000 megawatts a year by 2017, as part of the National Solar Mission. It is estimated that the power generation capacity in India would have to increase to 306 GW in the next ten years in order to sustain an average growth rate around 10%. India unveiled a $19 billion plan, to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020.Under the plan, solar-powered equipment and applications would be mandatory in all government buildings including hospitals and hotels. On November 18, 2009, it was reported that India was ready to launch its National Solar Mission under the national action plan on climate change, with plans to generate 1,000 MW of power by 2013. Recent developments in technology made solar power as a clean renewable; zero emission resource harvested using a variety of modern devices. Developed countries like USA Australia are switching over to solar energy as their main source of energ y production. 3.3. Hydropower India was one of the pioneers in the establishment of hydro based electric power plants. Presently India ranks 5th worldwide in terms of exploitable hydro-potential and is also enriched with a large potential of hydro power, of which only around 20% has been utilized so far. It is the most abundant and widely used form of renewable energy in the Indian subcontinent. Electricity is generated in hydro power plants through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. The hydro electricity is considered as a clean and renewable source of energy but it also have some bad effects in environment clearance due to the large pondage area. About 21% of the electric power consumed in India is generated by hydro electric plants. As of November 2010, the installed hydro power capacity was around 37,400 MW. The public sector has a major share of 97% in this sector. It is clear from the information given by NHPC (National Hydro electric Power Cooperation) that Economically exploitable and viable hydro potential assessed to be about 84,000 MW at 60% load factor (1, 48,701 MW installed capacity). In addition, 6780 MW in terms of installed capacity from Small, Mini, and Micro Hydel schemes have been assessed. Also, 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW have been identified. Thus, in totality India is enriched with hydro-potential of about 2 50 000 MW. The hydro power project t in Darjeeling and Shivanasamudra was established in 1898 and 1902 respectively and was one of the first of that kind in Asia. The Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) of Himachal Pradesh is the largest hydro power plant in India, with an installed capacity of 1,530MW. It has been estimated that the potential for small hydropower schemes up to 25 MW are under Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of energy capable of generating 15000 MW per annum. 3.4. Biomass Biomass is defined as A renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. This can be derived from a number of sources like; agricultural/crops, raw material from the forest, household waste and even with the by-products from the timber industry. There is a sort of high potential of biomass energy available in the country at about 540 million tonnes/year covering resources such as agro residues, firewood, and other organic wastes. These kinds of resources are mainly utilized by the people of villages and rural areas of the country. The potential to install 19500 MW capacities through biomass conservation technologies like combustion, gasification, incineration and also bagasse has been rectified. This sector is in lack of technological advancement and proper utilization so that India could only tap around 380 MW capacities so far. There is a wide scope for the utilization of these resources for the benefit of rural population in the remote areas of India. India ranks 2nd in the utilization of biomass based power generation with an ideal environment of water based vegetation as well as organic wastes. Today bio energy has became an essential add up to Indias energy mix with the favorable climatic conditions. As on October 2010, the cumulative installed capacity of grid-interactive biomass and bagasse cogeneration power was 2313.33 MW. Bio mass sector attracted an investment worth USD 120 million providing vast employment opportunities to village men and also generating an amount of 5,000 million units of electricity in every year. As per the notification in 11th plan period the Government of India plans to add as much as 1700 MW through biomass and bagasse cogeneration in various states. Various promotional policies in the form of incentives, financial assistance, concessions and duty exemption are available for biomass power projects. In addition to these, SERC (State Electricity Regulatory Commission) IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency) provides capital subsidies and loans for the setting up of biomass based units. In present day scenario, biomass utilization for generation of energy has gained momentum due to the scarcity of the conventional energy resources as well as to prevent environment from GHG emissions. The development of efficient biomass handling technology, improvement and establishment of small and large-scale biomass-based power plants can play a major role in rural development. The orientation on green power marketing will leads to tremendous growth of the bio energy industry in the future. 3.5. Geothermal energy According to the geological, geochemical, shallow geophysical and shallow drilling data, it is predicted that India has a great potential of geothermal power about 10600 MW. This can be economically harnessed for various purposes including industrial and domestic applications. India holds 15th rank in the utilization and applications of geothermal power when comparing to other leading countries. India will need to depend more on renewable and eco-friendly energy sources in coming days due to the increasing environmental problems and cost with fossil fuel as well as nuclear based projects. Geothermal energy is the natural heat available inside the core of earth. This energy is accessed by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling for oil. Geothermal energy is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean and reliable. Rocks covered on the surface of India ranging in age from more than 4500 million years to the present day and distributed in different geographical units. Geological survey of India has been identified more than 300 hot spring locations suited for geothermal utilization. Geothermal power projects in India have not been exploited at all due to the abundant supply of coal at comparatively cheap rates. Some of the potential sites for geo thermal in India are listed below Puga Valley-Jammu Kashmir Tatapani-Chhattisgarh Godavari Basin Manikaran-Himachal Pradesh Bakreshwar-West Bengal Tuwa-Gujarat Jalgaon-Maharashtra Unai-Maharashtra India will further strengthen its clean energy portfolio with geothermal energy and open the gates for more investments in the future. The MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) of India is moving forward with geothermal and other renewable energy sources by the implementation of research, development and demonstration program. Tidal energy The geographical location of India is most favorable for harnessing tidal energy as the country is surrounded by sea on three sides. Government of India took some initiative for the tidal power development and certain places with potentials have also been located. The most favorable locations are the Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kachchh on the coastal area of Gujarat state. The maximum tidal range in these proposed sites are 11 m and 8 m with average tidal range of 6.77 m and 5.23 m respectively. The Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans in West Bengal also has a very good potential for small scale power projects. As per the surveys and data available, the economic tidal power potential in India is of the order of 8000-9000 MW with about 7000 MW in the Gulf of Cambay about 1200 MW in the Gulf of Kachchh and less than 100 MW in Sundarbans. The proposed project of Kachchh with an installed capacity of about 900 MW is able to generate electricity at about Rs. 0.9/unit. With reference to the recent data available, the first tidal project of India is coming up in Durgaduani Creek of the Sundarbans. The project is aimed on technology demonstration with a capacity of 3.75MW, span over an area of 4.5 KM. Structure of Indian Power Industry Indian power industry comprises of various governmental bodies in charge of installation, generation and supply of electricity. Public owned State Electricity Boards (SEB) is the controlling agency for planning and implementing the power development programmes in their respective states, with major input from resources inside the state. These state level electricity boards are controlled and co-ordinate by the central ministry of power. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) along with its subsidiaries is in charge of managing all renewable energy projects in India. Ministry of Power: The whole public and private power producers of conventional energy in the country is monitored and managed by this central ministry, previously known as Ministry of Energy. This central agency comprised of separate departments for power, coal and nuclear sources of energy. Ministry of Power is an independent government body with the functions of planning and strategizing the Indian power policies projects. Monitoring power companies, power production plants, power generation and solving the issues of shortfall etc are the responsibilities of this department. The funds are generated by the ministry of government for the public enterprises with the aid of public issues, global funds and international agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank etc. The Power Finance Corporation of India provides funds to major projects in power production, transmission and supply of electricity. The Ministry of Power, India is coordinated by the subsidiary organizations in all economic and technical aspects. The subsidiary organizations are as follows: Central Electricity Authority (CEA) National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) National Hydro Electric Corporation (NHEC) Power Finance Corporation of India (PFCI) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPC) Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (Power Grid India) Power Trading Corporation (PTC) Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) The generation of electricity in India is based on various sources include thermal power, hydropower, solar power, biogas energy, wind power etc. The distribution of the generated power is committed by Rural Electrification Corporation for electricity power supply to the rural areas, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation for electricity supply to the North East India regions and the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited for an all India supply of electrical power in India. Thermal Power: Generated through the burning of fossil fuels, coal forms a majority share of the source of electricity generation in Indian subcontinent. The generated power from various thermal power stations situated across the country linked through power grids for the distribution. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is responsible for the countrywide operations of thermal power. Hydroelectricity: National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) operates hydro electric power plants and power generation companies. Generation of electricity through the kinetic energy of flowing water has been utilizing in Indian land for many years till date. Wind Power: The high potential of wind energy in India encouraged the government to utilize this natural source of energy. Huge wind farms for the tapping of wind energy have been set up by the government to meet the future energy requirement Solar Power: Installation of massive solar panels is being very common in the country, for the utilization of large scale solar energy. Small industrial and domestic applications can be meet with this form of energy. This sector is achieving a high growth with the new government initiatives. Nuclear Power: The energy generated from huge nuclear plants and power stations are making the path for industrial development in India. Nuclear fuels are the source of energy production in these plants. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCL) manages all nuclear power plants and distributing generated power under the nuclear project scheme.

australia Essay -- essays research papers

*Geography* Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere between 11 ° and 44 ° south latitude and 113 ° and 154 ° east longitude. The entire area of land is about the same size as the continental United States, or about one and a half times the size of Europe. The mainland of Australia has an area of 2,967,909 square miles. The country is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. The geological activity that created the country’s mountains, plains, and rivers ceased millions of years ago. Earthquakes are very rare and the last volcanic eruption occurred more than 5,000 years ago. The highest mountain in Australia, Mount Kosciusko, is only 7,310 feet above sea level. *Climate*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia experiences a wide variety of climates. In the north, the continent’s immense interior gives way to hot, wet monsoonal tropical regions. The southeast coast, where most of Australia’s population lives, is cooler and drier. The southwest is very hot and dry in the summer, but milder and wetter in the winter. The climate is very similar to the Mediterranean countries of Europe, or to California. Summer temperatures in Australia can soar over 104 °, but the costal regions are cooler due to offshore breezes. Because of the heat and lack of rain, bushfires rage through the tinder-dry landscape, destroying half a million acres of forest and grassland every year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hot temperatures of the inland coupled with the lack of rain mean that 70% of Australia receives less than 20 inches of rain a year, making it the world’s driest continent. Farming is difficult in these areas, but not impossible, thanks to artesian water and the construction of many irrigation schemes. *People*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first inhabitants were people belonging to the Australoid group, who probably originated from Southeast Asia. These people traveled to the Australian continent about 40,000 years ago. A short while later, Aborigines landed in canoes and rafts on the north coast of Australia and then moved southward across the rest of the continent. Aborigines were nomads living in family clans, each with its own territory where it could camp, hunt, and fish. The Aborigines brought two useful items from their original homela... ...sp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exchange rate of a US dollar to an Australian dollar is as follows: 1 US dollar = 1.94 Australian dollars. *Economy*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in nature resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increases exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy had expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Growth in 2002 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The History Of Computers :: essays research papers

The History of Computers A computer is a machine built to do routine calculations with speed, reliability, and ease, greatly simplifying processes that without them would be a much longer, more drawn out process. Since their introduction in the 1940's. Computers have become an important part of the world. Besides the systems found in offices, and homes, microcomputers are now used in everyday locations such as automobiles, aircrafts, telephones, and kitchen appliances. Computers are used for education as well, as stated by Rourke Guides in his book, Computers: Computers are used in schools for scoring examination papers, and grades are sometimes recorded and kept on computers (Guides 7). "The original idea of a computer came from Blaise Pascal, who invented the first digital calculating machine in 1642. It performed only additions of numbers entered by dials and was intended to help Pascal's father, who was a tax collector" (Buchsbaum 13). However, in 1671, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz invented a computer that could not only add but, multiply. Multiplication was quite a step to be taken by a computer because until then, the only thing a computer could do was add. The computer multiplied by successive adding and shifting (Guides 45). Perhaps the first actual computer was made by Charles Babbage. He explains himself rather well with the following quote: "One evening I was sitting in the rooms of the Analytical Society at Cambridge with a table full of logarithms lying open before me. Another member coming into the room, and seeing me half asleep called out, ‘Well Babbage, what are you dreaming about?', to which I replied, ‘I am thinking that all these tables might be calculated by machinery'"(Evans 41). "The first general purpose computer was invented in 1871 by Charles Babbage, just before he died"(Evans 41). It was still a prototype of course, but it was a beginning. Around this time, there was little or no interest in the development of computers. People feared, due to the lack of their knowledge, that computers would take over everything and run their lives (Buchsbaum 9). If only these 18th century Americans, who were ignorant to the necessity of computers, would have known the many benefits they were missing out on, they would have more readily funded individuals such as Charles Babbage. As Glossbrenner states in The Complete Handbook of Personal Computers,

An Essay on the Presidential Candidates of 2000

When examining the candidates for the 2000 Presidential election, it becomes very clear that the only logical choice for President is Al Gore. Gore has many plans for his presidency that will greatly improve the way our country works and runs. First of all, Gore wishes to reform the way in which elections are run, and attempt to sever the omnipresent link between money and political influence, thus providing more fair elections. Another plan of Gore†s is to set aside 400 billion dollars especially for Medicare, and to make sure the money is not used for other purposes, thereby improving the lives of both the elderly and the less fortunate. In order to better the lives of all citizens and provide for more safety, Gore also wishes to close the so-called â€Å"gun show loophole† that allows consumers to bypass the Brady Bill. Lastly, to better equip the children of today for the world of tomorrow, Gore intends to reform education by providing preschool for all children, and making college tuition tax deductible. The first of Al Gore†s many changes he has in store for our country could possibly be the most important one. Gore seeks to change the very way we decide on and elect our officials who run the country, and he intends to do so in a way that ensures a more fair and equal election. What is the key to this electoral equilibrium? Money. For a long time people and political analysts have noticed a certain trend coinciding with a candidate†s political influence and how much money he has at his disposal. Traditionally, the candidates with more money get more exposure to the public, get more high influence individuals and agencies backing them up, and therefore end up with more votes than those candidates with less cash. Severing this link between politics and money would be a wonderful change for our country. One of the main ways in which Gore intends to increase equality among presidential candidates is to ban â€Å"soft money. † Soft money is money contributed to a candidate by companies or individuals in order to boost their campaign. In place of this money, Gore intends to establish a tax-free foundation to fund campaigns, thereby supplying each candidate with the same amount of money to campaign with as he/she pleases. This fund will accept tax-deductible donations from companies and individuals, and then give each candidate their equal share. It is estimated that this foundation, called the Democracy Endowment, will raise 7. 1 billion dollars within a seven year period, while only suffering a loss of 2. 1 billion in taxes. This equal-endowment plan will even the playing field for the candidates, and give each an equal opportunity to campaign. In addition to equal campaign funding, Gore supports the idea of allowing each candidate an equal amount of free air time on television to campaign with. This, too, will give each candidate an equal chance to be heard, independent of how much money he/she has. These proposals, among his others, will help to sever the link between money and political influence, change the way elections are run, and provide for more fair elections. Another major problem that plagues millions of Americans today is the issue if Medicare. Medicare is the government health insurance program for the elderly, and provides care for about 40 million seniors annually. In recent years, much attention has been called to this program regarding its coverage. The general sense is that Medicare is not adequately insuring its seniors. One cause of this decline in coverage is the money allotted to Medicare. Many times, when other projects start to run over their budget, the politicians â€Å"dip into the cookie jar,† and take small amounts here and there from the Medicare stash, leaving our seniors with less than adequate medical coverage. Gore wants this to stop. His plan that he wishes to implement sets aside 400 billion dollars strictly for Medicare, and ensures that this money cannot be used for other purposes. This will mean guaranteed improvement of the medical treatments and attention those covered will receive. In addition to the 400 billion dollars, Gore has plans for a 253 billion dollar, 10 year program to add a prescription drug benefit to further aid Medicare users. These programs will definitely improve the living conditions of what is fast becoming the largest percent of the American population. Gore does not stop at improving living conditions for the elderly. He recognizes many ways of raising the quality of life for all US citizens, one of them being in the area of safety. In an effort to make our country a safer place to live, Gore intends to close the so called â€Å"gun show loophole† that essentially allows consumers to buy assorted weapons and handguns without waiting periods or background checks, completely bypassing the Brady Bill. A report released by the Justice Department found that felons illegally bought weapons at gun shows in 46 percent of the 314 cases it studied, and the weapons used in the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado were purchased at a gun show in Denver. Closing this loophole would mean fewer weapons in the hands of people who shouldn†t have them, and therefore safer places to live everywhere. It would be foolish not to enact this change, therefore making it foolish not to vote for Gore. The last key issue on which Gore has many great ideas has more impact on the future than any of his other plans. This issue deals with education. Over the last 20 years, spending on education has risen 62 percent, yet we have experienced a 7 percent decline in enrollment. Studies have shown that giving children a good educational start in the beginning is an excellent way to aid their future in the education department. That is precisely why Gore wants to provide preschool to all children. Giving them a solid start in their earliest years instills the basic principles of behavior and learning skills necessary to be successful in the education system. But, of course, learning skills can only get you so far once you reach the college level. All too often, bright young students do not get to attend college due to a lack of sufficient funds. This is a contributing factor to the difficulty of breaking the chain of poverty. Gore recognizes this, and plans to make college tuition tax deductible. This will soften the blow of tuition check on the lower class families, and allow a greater variety of students from all sorts of backgrounds to further enrich their minds. By doing this, the future of our country will brighten tremendously, as we will have a multitude of new, brilliant minds at work everyday. Education truly is an investment in the future, and Gore knows how to ensure profitable returns. By examining these key points in Gore†s plans for the country, It is obvious that he has the welfare of all citizens on his mind, and that his plans would effectively improve the way our country runs. With that in mind, Gore seems to be the only logical choice for President of the United States.