The relation of the Gross Domestic Product to economic welfare Essay

The relation of the Gross Domestic Product to economic welfare - Essay Example The Gross Domestic Product is a specific measure of a country’s national output and provides a basic idea of how well-off a country is, compared with other countries. Moreover, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the most commonly used benchmark of national income. Introduction The GDP reports how much money was made in a given economy over a given period of time. The figures are "gross" because GDP does not allow for the depreciation of physical capital. In a sense, the GDP is a gross measure of market activity, of the volume of money changing hands. It does not take into account the desirable and the undesirable transactions in the economy. It does not take into consideration the total costs or gain. The major contributions of the household and volunteer sectors are not included in the computation of the GDP. The economists and policymakers state that raising the rate of growth of gross national product (GNP) and the GDP is the hallmark of economic development. This central dogma of development economics stems from the conviction that the way to economic progress in poor countries lies in increasing the rate at which the industries of that country progresses. The GDP is positively affected by the growth of local markets. The growth of local markets is achieved by changing the incentives for people to remain in long-term relationships. Long-term relationships are supported by social norms which includes reciprocity. Thus, the growth of markets in one set of goods and services can diminish the existing incentives for remaining in long-term relationships that cover transactions in other goods and services. When these incentives diminish, social norms are affected. (The New Statesman) However, if country A has a high GDP figure relative to country B, it does not necessarily mean that country is A is automatically better off. We have to look at their GDP figures closely. Some countries which have a high GDP are really high-performing economies. Take for example Luxembourgs. Luxembourg's GDP per head can be attributed to 90,000 citizens who go to certain parts of Europe such as Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands daily to work in the financial services sector. These workers were included in Luxembourg's population of 450,000. If they were added to this number, then the country's overall GDP per head would be smaller, but still among the top ranking countries in the OECD. China has also overtaken many European countries in terms of GDP figures. For example, China had overtaken Italy as the world's sixth-largest economy in 2004, and has overtaken France and the United Kingdom by the end of 2005. Growth rates in developed countries are just a fraction of thosed experienced in China: 3-4 percent for the US and 2-3 percent for Japan and Europe, against at least 8 percent for China. (Business Asia, March 2006). The effective marketing strategy of Chinese companies, private and public in China have added to their considerable profits and growth. (Lewis, et.al., 2006). However, in terms of quality of life and environmental safety levels, these European countries definitely have a higher quality of life and environmental levels compared to China. Thus, it is does not automatically mean that if a country has a high GDP then it is better off compared to another country with a lower GDP level. Niger has a GDP of 12.36 billion dollars in 2006. But upon close examination, it is just one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Human Development Index. In real figures, Niger's GDP looks huge. But upon closer examination, its economy is based on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Traditional subsistence farming, herding,

Fuzzy Concepts Discussion Posts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fuzzy Concepts Discussion Posts - Essay Example Apart from recruiting civilians into various factions of the army, the posters were also used to raise war finances through the liberty bond scheme. The reason I’m fuzzy about these posters is that they lied to innocent civilians. The government through posters gave the people a false sense of pride in their countries and they readily accepted to risk their lives. Many were comical and casual and did not reflect the true situation that was at hand. This may be the main reason why many civilians willingly put their lives in an unworthy cause that saw many of them lose their lives. For instance, there is a poster where a young lady wishes that she was a man so that she could join the army. Such a poster was strategically used to invoke the feelings of all men to partake on the war. Some even have explicit undertones like ‘I Want You’ that could only be described as either vulgar or having poor satirical taste. I have to agree with you that Lord Kitchener’s poster was the most copied poster at the time. At the onset of the war, Britain’s army comprised of mostly the trained forces and the country needed to recruit more people into the army. They therefore invented the poster propaganda that was soon copied by other nations. Most British posters had the symbol of St. George slaying a dragon- which represented German. And the messages ranged from honor and pride for the nation to shameful mobilization of civilians. For instance, the poster with the message: ‘Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?’ is using children to blackmail their parents. The American approach was not open, direct and blatant as the British posters; however they all served the same purpose. In America, they were chiefly used in raising war funds. The main theme in these posters was portrayal of money as an important ingredient in military

Interco Case Essay Example for Free

Interco Case Essay Interco On August 8, 1988, Interco’s board of directors met to discuss, among other matters, a merger proposal from City Capital Associates Limited Partnership. City Capital had offered $64 per common share of Interco on July 28, 1988, and had raised that offer to $70 per share on the morning of August 8. At this board meeting Interco’s financial advisors, Wasserstein, Perella Co., established a valuation range of $68-$80 per common share of Interco and presented their evaluation of the offer. Given their valuation, Wasserstein Perella advised the Interco board (see Exhibit 1) that the $70 per share offer was inadequate and not in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The board of directors voted to reject the City Capital offer. The Company Founded in December 1911, the International Shoe Company was established as a footwear manufacturing concern and remained so until the early 1960s. In 1966, the company was renamed Interco to reflect the changing character of its business. It had grown, into a major manufacturer and retailer of a wide variety of consumer products and services. Among the most well-known of the brands Interco made were Converse and Florsheim shoes, Ethan Allen furniture, and London Fog rain gear. Interco’s various operations were substantially autonomous and were supported by a corporate management staff in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s philosophy had historically been to acquire companies in related fields and to provide their existing management teams with the incentives to expand their businesses while relieving them of such routine support functions as financial and legal requirements. Nearly half of Interco’s growth had come through acquisition. The company continually sought entities that would complement the existing Interco companies. Additional criteria used in  screening and selecting acquisition candidates included the presence of highly skilled managers and products that had established leadership positions in their respective markets. Equity analysts viewed Interco as a conservative company that was financially â€Å"overcapitalized.† With a current ratio of 3.6 to 1 and a debt-to-capitalization ratio, including capitalized leases, of 19.3% on February 29, 1988, Interco had ample financial flexibility. This flexibility had allowed the company to repurchase its common shares and make acquisitions as opportunities arose. Research Associate Susan L. Roth prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Scott P. Mason as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 1991 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685 or write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. Within these four operating divisions were numerous independent companies as listed in Exhibit 2. Apparel Manufacturing This group consisted of 11 apparel companies that designed, manufactured, and distributed a full range of branded and private-label sportswear, casual apparel, outer garments, and headwear for men and women. Apparel brands included Le Tigre, Sergio Valente, and Abe Schrader. Distribution was national in scope to department stores, specialty shops, and other retail units, including discount chains. General Retail Merchandising This group operated 201 retail locations in 15 states. General retailing included large do-it-yourself home improvement centers, general merchandise discount stores, men’s specialty apparel shops, and specialty department stores. Over the prior few years, general retail had been greatly scaled back and was now dominated largely by Central Hardware, a do-it-yourself home improvement chain that emphasized customer service and a broad selection of products. Footwear Manufacturing and Retailing This division designed, manufactured, and distributed men’s and women’s footwear principally in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. The group operated 778 retail shoe stores and leased shoe departments in 42 states and in Australia. Interco’s two major footwear operations, Converse Inc. and the Florsheim Shoe Co., commanded leading positions in their respective markets: athletic shoes and men’s traditional footwear. Furniture and Home Furnishings This group manufactured, distributed, and retailed quality wood and upholstered furniture and home furnishings. Furniture brands included Broyhill, Lane, Ethan Allen, and Hickory Chair. In recent years, furniture had expanded through acquisitions and increasing profitability to dominate Interco’s net income. At the end of fiscal year 1988, Interco was the largest furniture manufacturer in the world. Strategic Repositioning Program Interco’s goals included long-term sales and earnings growth, increased  return on corporate assets, and most important, improved return on shareholders’ equity. To achieve these goals, Interco took a four-pronged approach that included improving the profitability of existing operations and divesting underperforming assets, making acquisitions that had the potential for better than average returns and growth, and employing opportunistic financial strategies such as share repurchases and the prudent use of borrowing capacity. With these goals established, Interco, in 1984, began a strategic repositioning program aimed at improving overall corporate performance. As part of this initiative, Interco accelerated its efforts to divest underperforming assets and reposition itself in markets offering superior growth opportunities and profitability. The program resulted in a substantial change in Interco’s mix of sales as shown in Table A below. In fiscal 1988 the furniture and footwear groups together accounted for 60% of corporate sales, with apparel and general retail accounting for the rest. This was a reversal of the sales distribution in fiscal 1984.

Benthams Principle Of Utility And Moral Ethics Philosophy Essay

Benthams Principle Of Utility And Moral Ethics Philosophy Essay Can be defined as those principles on which our moral decisions are based. Ethics are the sense of right and wrong, good and evil, values and responsibility. Thus it is considered as a major branch of philosophy. It can be described as the science of human duty. These ethics are therefore the measurement by which a human being is graded as being good, bad and evil. In simple terms moral ethics are nothing but the code of conduct decided by each person for himself or herself for operating in this world and fellow beings.   Moral ethics are formed from the obligations and duties of a person in the society. Nobody can force a person to adhere to moral ethics. For e.g. if a person sees an accident victim lying on the road it is his moral ethic to help out the victim but if he chooses to not do so then no social institution can punish him for this unwillingness. Thus these ethics are relative and subjective Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of ones own interests and takes into account the interests of others Benthams Principle of Utility Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, approves or disapproves of an action on the basis of the amount of pain or pleasure brought about i.e., consequences, equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and asserts that pleasure and pain are capable of quantification Act and Rule Utilitarianism We can apply the principle of utility to either PARTICULAR ACTIONS or GENERAL RULES. The former is called act-utilitarianism and the latter is called rule-utilitarianism. Act-utilitarianism   The principle of utility is applied directly to each alternative act in a situation of choice. The right act is then defined as the one which brings about the best results (or the least amount of bad results). Rule-utilitarianism   The principle of utility is used to determine the validity of rules of conduct (moral principles). A rule like promise-keeping is established by looking at the consequences of a world in which people broke promises at will and a world in which promises were binding. Right and wrong are then defined as following or breaking those rules.   Deontological Theories Having briefly taken a look at deontologists foil, consequentiality theories of act evaluation, we turn now to examine deontological theories. In contrast to consequentiality theories, deontological theories judge the morality of choices by criteria different than the states of affairs those choices bring about. Roughly speaking, deontologists of all stripes hold that some choices cannot be justified by their effects that no matter how morally good their consequences, some choices are morally forbidden. On deontological accounts of morality, agents cannot make certain wrongful choices even if by doing so the number of wrongful choices will be minimized (because other agents will be prevented from engaging in similar wrongful choices). For deontologists, what makes a choice right is its conformity with a moral norm. Such norms are to be simply obeyed by each moral agent; such norm-keepings are not to be maximized by each agent. In this sense, for deontologists, the Right has priority over the Good. If an act is not in accord with the Right, it may not be undertaken, no matter the Good that it might produce.   Ethical egoism   Is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons ought to act from their own self-interest? Personal ethical egoism   Is the belief that only I should act from the motive of self-interest, nothing is stated about what motives others should act from. Individual ethical egoism   Is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons should serve my self-interest? Universal ethical egoism   Is the universal doctrine that all persons should pursue their own interests exclusively? Computer History The development of the modern day computer was the result of advances in technologies and mans need to quantify. Papyrus helped early man to record language and numbers. The abacus was one of the first counting machines. Some of the earlier mechanical counting machines lacked the technology to make the design work. For instance, some had parts made of wood prior to metal manipulation and manufacturing. Imagine the wear on wooden gears. This history of computers site includes the names of early pioneers of math and computing. What is a Computer? A computer is an electronic device, which executes software programs. It consists of 2 parts-hardware and software. The computer processes input through input devices like mouse and keyboard. The computer displays output through output devices like color monitor and printer. The size of a computer varies considerably from very small to very big. The speed of computers also has a very large range. Computers have become indispensable in todays world USES of COMPUTER Word Processing   Word Processing software automatically corrects spelling and grammar mistakes. If the content of a document repeats you dont have to type it each time. You can use the copy and paste features. You can printout documents and make several copies. It is easier to read a word-processed document than a handwritten one. You can add images to your document. Mathematical Calculations   Thanks to computers, which have computing speeds of over a million calculations per second we can perform the biggest of mathematical calculations. Planning and Scheduling   Software can be used to store contact information, generating plans, scheduling appointments and deadlines. DISADVANTAGE of USING COMPUTER Computer  addiction   Is a relatively new term used to describe a dependency on ones  computer.  Computer  addiction  is not limited to  personal computers  (PCs). It covers video games and the Internet and has already been given a label by psychologists, namely Internet  addiction  disorder. Obsessive playing of off-line computer games, such as Solitaire or Minesweeper, or obsessive computer programming. Cybersex Addiction Compulsive use of Internet pornography, adult chat rooms, or adult fantasy role-play sites impacting negatively on real-life intimate relationships. Cyber-Relationship Addiction   Addiction to social networking, chat rooms, and messaging to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships with family and friends. Computer ethics Computer ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Some common issues of computer ethics include intellectual property rights (such as copyrighted electronic content), privacy concerns, and how computers affect society. For example, while it is easy to duplicate copyrighted electronic (or  digital) content, computer ethics would suggest that it is wrong to do so without the authors approval. And while it may be possible to access someones personal information on a computer system, computer ethics would advise that such an action is unethical. As technology advances, computers continue to have a greater impact on society. Therefore, computer ethics promotes the discussion of how much influence computers should have in areas such as artificial intelligence and human communication. As the world of computers evolves, computer ethics continues to create ethical standards that address new issues raised by new technologies. Is a new branch of ethics that is growing and changing rapidly as computer technology also grows and develop. Code of ethics in using computer Information stored on the computer should be treated as seriously as written or spoken word. Privacy should not be violated. In case of academic use, it is known plagiarism. Information from public viewing should not be modified or delete or inaccessible since there are consider as destructive act. Intrusive software such as worm and viruses which are destructive to the computer system is also illegal. Sending obscene and crude messages through mail or chat is also forbidden. Ethical rules for computer user Do not use computer to harm other users Do not use computer to steal other information Do not access a file without the permission of the owner Do not copy copyrighted software without the authors permission Always respect copyright law and policies Respect privacy of others, just as you expect the same from the others ADVANTAGES OF USING COMPUTER Total availability of any information you could want. Quotes, history, books from the library, news articles, different opinions and viewpoints, immediate news, encyclopedias, information available that may have taken you weeks or years to discover if you had to search through different sources and locations. You can find recipes online. You can chat with people, while doing other things. You can now watch videos, and listen to all sorts of music. You can visit information resources, groups, studies, etc. You can learn about medical issues, and legal issues. You can attend school online. You can write a poem, a story, a book, a script. You can create a full-feature movie. You can compose music. You can sort out your ideas. Manage your money. Do your banking. Organize your job. Buy concert tickets. Buy practically anything you can imagine online. Use computer to pay all utilities bills in 15 mins which would take more than an hour to go to the post office to make payment in queue. Kee p a personal diary. Play games. Invent and create new games and programs. Discover interesting things, or see other countries. Learn. Grow. Interact. MORAL Computers today are one of the important things we are using. They have helped a lot in compiling a lot data which used to be in hard records. One of the uses or benefits of computers is that they are able to provide and retrieve information so quickly so they have increased the pace of our work. The increase in the speed of work has helped us to do many things with less resources like in past a lot of manpower was used for record keeping and files and other things were made to keep the records saved.   This is one use of computers in our lives other than that computers has helped us to work with machines which have the ability to produce the best quality of products with maximum speed and efficiency. In todays world it is necessary that to cater for such a heavy population things are made at the higher pace with best quality, so it is possible with the help of  computer  that we are able to cater for the need of quantity and quality of products required in daily life.   Computer is also helping us in education of children; it has enabled us to get the information form one part of the world to the other at a very rapid pace. So in summary computer today is in every walk of life, and is helping us a lot in developing at a fast pace Also most of use our computers to look up past events, and then there the other reason on how computers help our lives, by using computers we can check up on the weather, before we go to work or school. So by checking the weather we already know if its going to Rain or Snow. Or its could be sunny. then there contracting other family members, where many of us use our computers to text our family to see how theyre going, when member of you family is so far away living in a difference state or country Last but not least by using our computers to shop on the internet we can find the product we are looking for. Without going inside the retail store to look for it, only to find out its sold out. So by shopping on the internet it saves some a lot of trouble. From looking for something that is not there.

The Science of Religion :: Spiritual History Bible Papers

The Science of Religion The cover of the latest Newsweek caught my eye as I was running out the door to class: a vaguely futuristic, androgynous ascetic was basking in the glow of an ethereal ray of light, face calm, hands uplifted to receive inspiration. In the center of this enlightening beam, the title professed, "God and the Brain: How We're Wired for Spirituality." Who could resist such an evocative article? I flipped through it - it started with some stuff about how to achieve a spiritual state (by turning off environmental fear and orientation sensors in the brain), proudly confirmed that scientists can now track brain activity of Tibetan Buddhist meditation and Catholic prayers?I was starting to grow bored and skim faster; then my eye caught, "Neurotheology is stalking bigger game than simply affirming that spiritual feelings leave neural footprints?By pinpointing the brain areas involved in spiritual experiences and tracing how such experiences arise, the scientists hope to learn whether anyone can have such experiences, and why spiritual experiences have the qualities they do" (54). The article went on to discuss how certain key religious figures from history are hypothesized to have had temporal-lobe epilepsy, a condition that yields "focused bursts of electrical activity called 'temporal-lobe transients' [which] may yield mystical experiences" (55). In order to test this, neuroscientist Michael Persinger built an electromagnetic helmet to directly stimulate the temporal lobes of the brain. The helmet produced the intended results, encouraging "out-of-body experience" and "a sense of the divine" in its users; thus Persinger concluded that "religious experiences are evoked by mini electrical storms in the temporal lobes, and that such storms can be triggered by anxiety, personal crisis, lack of oxygen, low blood sugar and simple fatigue - suggesting a reason that some people 'find God' in such moments" (55). The article moves on to suggest that people capable of "dissociation" - identified by their creativity, innovative tendencies, open-mindedness, and close in teraction of the conscious and subconscious mind - "may be genetically or temperamentally predisposed to mystical ability" (56). Finally, after boasting that scientists can both monitor and produce "spiritual" experiences in the laboratory, after defining the physical causes of out-of-body experiences and divine inspiration as malfunctions or misinterpretations of the brain, and after claiming a sort of personality-based predestination, the article concedes that "it is likely that [scientists] will never resolve the greatest question of all - namely, whether our brain wiring creates God, or whether God created our brain wiring. The Science of Religion :: Spiritual History Bible Papers The Science of Religion The cover of the latest Newsweek caught my eye as I was running out the door to class: a vaguely futuristic, androgynous ascetic was basking in the glow of an ethereal ray of light, face calm, hands uplifted to receive inspiration. In the center of this enlightening beam, the title professed, "God and the Brain: How We're Wired for Spirituality." Who could resist such an evocative article? I flipped through it - it started with some stuff about how to achieve a spiritual state (by turning off environmental fear and orientation sensors in the brain), proudly confirmed that scientists can now track brain activity of Tibetan Buddhist meditation and Catholic prayers?I was starting to grow bored and skim faster; then my eye caught, "Neurotheology is stalking bigger game than simply affirming that spiritual feelings leave neural footprints?By pinpointing the brain areas involved in spiritual experiences and tracing how such experiences arise, the scientists hope to learn whether anyone can have such experiences, and why spiritual experiences have the qualities they do" (54). The article went on to discuss how certain key religious figures from history are hypothesized to have had temporal-lobe epilepsy, a condition that yields "focused bursts of electrical activity called 'temporal-lobe transients' [which] may yield mystical experiences" (55). In order to test this, neuroscientist Michael Persinger built an electromagnetic helmet to directly stimulate the temporal lobes of the brain. The helmet produced the intended results, encouraging "out-of-body experience" and "a sense of the divine" in its users; thus Persinger concluded that "religious experiences are evoked by mini electrical storms in the temporal lobes, and that such storms can be triggered by anxiety, personal crisis, lack of oxygen, low blood sugar and simple fatigue - suggesting a reason that some people 'find God' in such moments" (55). The article moves on to suggest that people capable of "dissociation" - identified by their creativity, innovative tendencies, open-mindedness, and close in teraction of the conscious and subconscious mind - "may be genetically or temperamentally predisposed to mystical ability" (56). Finally, after boasting that scientists can both monitor and produce "spiritual" experiences in the laboratory, after defining the physical causes of out-of-body experiences and divine inspiration as malfunctions or misinterpretations of the brain, and after claiming a sort of personality-based predestination, the article concedes that "it is likely that [scientists] will never resolve the greatest question of all - namely, whether our brain wiring creates God, or whether God created our brain wiring.

Global Warming: Causes and Effects

Global Warming: Causes and Effects The term â€Å"global warming† is often used synonymously with the term climate change, but the two terms have distinct meanings. Global Warming is a gradual increase in the earth's temperature. Novdia explained that â€Å"global warming refers to the documented historical warming of the Earth's surface, based upon worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by humans since the 1880s† (Global Warming). Global warming is a major crisis in the world today. Three causes of global warming are the greenhouse effect, increase of carbon dioxide emission, and the effects of temperature increase. The greenhouse effect is a primary cause of global warming. It is a gradual rise in temperature in the earth's atmosphere due to the heats absorption from the sun and entrapment of gases, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, in the air around the earth. An example of this is a bright sunlight will effectively warm an individual’s car on a cold, clear day by the greenhouse effect. The longer infrared wavelengths radiated by sun-warmed objects do not pass readily through the glass. The trap of this energy warms the interior of the vehicle. The trapping of the hot air so that it cannot rise and lose the energy by convection also plays a major role. Stephen Novdia stated, â€Å"The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, first reliably experimented on by John Tyndall in 1858, and first reported quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896† (Global Warming). Greenhouse effect then becomes a primary cause of global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions cause global warming. It is gas in the earth’s atmosphere that came from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are formed by natural resources and are decomposed from buried dead organisms. A study on Carbon dioxide emissions in a magazine article on May 2009 found the following evidence: â€Å"In the 19th century, scientists realized that gases in the atmosphere cause a â€Å"greenhouse effect† which affects the planet's temperature. [The planet’s temperature will increase dramatically by the gases in the atmosphere absorbing the heat. ] These scientists were interested chiefly in the possibility that a lower level of carbon dioxide gas might explain the ice ages of the distant past. At the turn of the century, Svante Arrhenius calculated that emissions from human industry might someday bring a global warming. Other scientists dismissed his idea as faulty. In 1938, G. S. Callendar argued that the level of carbon dioxide was climbing and raising [the] global temperature, but most scientists found his arguments implausible. It was almost by chance that a few researchers in the 1950s discovered that global warming truly was possible. In the early 1960s, C. D. Keeling measured the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: it was rising fast. Researchers began to take an interest, struggling to understand how the level of carbon dioxide had changed in the past, and how the level was influenced by chemical and biological forces. They found that the gas plays a crucial role in climate change, so that the rising level could gravely affect our future. † (Weart) This magazine article influence Americans to recycle because the article is geared to them. With the CO2 causing the increase in weather, it also causes the increase of the greenhouse effect. The CO2 can affect the climate change and the future of the world if the greenhouse effect increases. Causes of global warming exist and so do the effects. Revkin stated, â€Å"Americans lead in moving to a world where ‘fossil fuels have been largely modified for carbon recycling or replaced by carbon-neutral alternatives. † (Challenges to Both Left and Right on Global Warming) A result of increase of weather are polar ice caps and temperature rising. When the temperature increases, the polar ice caps will melt, causing glaciers to melt as well. Glaciers are made up of fresh frozen water and when they melt into the ocean, which is composed of salt water, the ocean currents will be altered. The result of ocean currents altering will also affect the species that live in the ocean. Some species live in salt water and others live in fresh water, but cannot live in both. The increase of water in the ocean will cause evaporation to increase. The increase of probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves will increase as well. With all the water in the ocean and the weather increasing, it will cause warm water and more hurricanes. Global warming has both causes and effects. It is one of the most major crisis that will affect the world today, yet the most difficult to resolve. If I had a choice, I would make everybody recycle and you use resources. I would also have Americans reduce the Carbon emissions. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the Earth would still be warm by some kind of degree Fahrenheit.

Art: Birth of the Virgin

Description In Pietro Lorenzetti’s triptych, Birth of the Virgin, the artist’s gift for pictorial illusionism is clearly evident. The painting is 6’1’‘X5’11’’ in dimensions and painted with tempera on wood. Lorenzetti enhances the illusion by using various vertical lines as well as painting a column through one of the figures. This creates an illusion of extended space within the painting. Lorenzetti uses shades of red, brown, green, black and blue. The clothing of the figures are darker in shade compared to the background of the scene which is painted in tints of yellow and white. The contrast each other very well and draws more attention to the subject of the painting, Saint Anne. The strong contrast between the light and dark colors of the painting create a three dimensional illusion. Lorenzetti uses the tints of white and yellow to contrast the the wardrobe and appearance of the figures. The artist also used extensive shading on the wardrobe and curtains to add a three dimensional appearance to the painting. Lorenzetti was successful in creating depth within his painting for it shows the room as three dimensional rather that two dimensional. Overall, the colors truly create a sense of drama within this painting. The subject of the triptych, St. Anne, is in a reclining posture. There are three scenes within this painting. First, we see the child informing Joachim on the birth of his daughter. We also see women bringing gifts to the new mother. Lastly, the midwives attend to and wash the new child. The painting has two triangular aspects in this painting with St. Anne at its highest point and also the dome at the top of the triptych as another high point.