Reflection Paper St Dominic Essay

â€Å"Do not weep. I shall be of more use to you after death than I ever did in life.† In the movie, Dominic, Light of the Church, features St. Dominic’s life, his failures and successes, his contributions to the church as well as to those people around him. He already wonders why is it that there is a war, that there are people who hungers and that there are sufferings in the world since he was still a child. This led to a helping hand when he was studying in becoming a priest. You can also see in the movie that St. Dominic has a pure and kind heart that nourishes, motivates and inspires others’ souls. LMC St. Dominic said that the kind of preaching they offer differs from other kinds of preaching because when they teach the word of God, they deliver it with a heart, pure faith and sacrifice. I think St. Dominic founded the order of preachers because he started the act of telling others the existence of God together with his fellow priests.There are four pillars of Dominican life. These are the prayer, community, study and preaching. Prayer can always be seen in St. Dominic. He always prays for the poor and for the sufferings of the people. Community- the part when the war had began. St. Dominic united the people at that time and it defines the real meaning of community. Study- this is where St. Dominic is studying to become a priest. And preaching- he tells other people the glory and goodness of God. LMC St. Dominic was influenced by many circumstances at that time. The two persons that had great impact on him are Bishop Don Diego, and his mother, Jane of Aza. Because of these persons, he was greatly supported, and his profession of becoming a priest was very successful. LMC There is only one lesson I got in this movie—that is to love God. This love to God branches out to loving others, sacrificing one’s life to others, patience, sincerity, willingness to help others, and many more that St. Dominic exhibited during his short but fulfilling life here on earth. LMC As a young person, and inspired by St. Dominic, I can bring the gospel of Jesus to others by simply telling other person the greatness of the good news, having a blog on the internet defining the miracles that happened to me, that may lead to as motivation and inspiration to others. I could also help others by giving them what I have. Being a good daughter is also one. Doing the responsibilities as a student, and praying as I have never prayed sincerely and purely like what St. Dominic did for others.

Directional Selection Is One of Three Types of Natural Selection

Directional Selection Is One of Three Types of Natural Selection Directional selection  is one type of  natural selection  in which the  phenotype  (the observable characteristics) of the species tends toward one extreme rather the mean phenotype or the opposite extreme phenotype. Directional selection is one of three widely studied types of natural selection, in addition  to  stabilizing selection  and  disruptive selection. In stabilizing selection, the extreme phenotypes gradually reduce in number in favor of the mean phenotype, while in disruptive selection, the mean phenotype shrinks in favor of extremes in either direction.   Conditions Leading to Directional Selection The directional selection phenomenon is usually seen in environments that have changed over time. Changes in weather, climate, or food availability can lead to directional selection. In a very timely example connected to climate change, sockeye salmon have recently been observed shifting the timing of their spawn run in Alaska, likely due to rising water temperatures.   In a  statistical analysis of natural selection, directional selection shows a population bell curve for a particular trait that shifts either further left or further right. However, unlike  stabilizing selection, the height of the bell curve does not change. There are far fewer average individuals in a  population that has undergone directional selection. Human interaction can also speed up directional selection. For example, human hunters or fishermen pursuing quarry most often kill the bigger individuals of the population for their meat or other large ornamental or useful parts. Over time, this causes the population to skew toward the smaller individuals. A directional selection bell curve for size will show a shift to the left in this example of directional selection. Animal predators can also create directional selection. Because slower individuals in a prey population are more likely to be killed and eaten, directional selection will gradually skew the population toward faster individuals. A bell curve plotting species size will skew toward the right when documenting this form of directional selection.   Examples As one of the common forms of natural selection, there are plentiful examples of directional selection that have studied and documented. Some well-known cases:   Charles Darwin  studied what later became known as directional selection while he was in the  Galapagos Islands. He observed that the beak length of the Galapagos  finches  changed over time due to available food sources. When there was a lack of insects to eat, finches with larger and deeper beaks survived because the beak structure was useful for cracking seeds. Over time, as insects became more plentiful, directional selection began to favor  finches  with smaller and longer beaks that were more useful for catching insects.Fossil records show that black bears in Europe decreased in size during periods between continental glacial coverage during the ice ages, but increased in size during the glacial period. This was likely because larger individual enjoyed an advantage in conditions of limited  food supplies and  extreme cold.  In 18th and 19th century England peppered moths who had been predominantly white in order to blend in with light colored trees began t o evolve into a predominantly dark species in order to blend in with an environment that was becoming increasingly covered with soot from Industrial Revolution factories.

US Energy Security

US Energy Security Introduction Energy is one of the most important factors of production in virtually every country. In addition, energy is increasingly becoming a political weapon at the global level because of its limited supply. Consequently, the US believes that it must improve its energy security in order to achieve its economic and political objectives.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on US Energy Security specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this respect, some scholars and policymakers believe that the best way to improve energy security in the US is to increase the supply of oil. This paper disagrees with this perspective by arguing that energy security can be achieved in the US by reducing oil consumption rather increasing its supply. Discussion The US Oil Reserves The argument for the increase in oil supply in the US is mainly based on the fact that huge oil deposits have recently been discovered in the country. The US has approximately two trillion barrels of shale and tight oil reserves in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Exploitation of the oil reserves has been made possible by technological advancements such as horizontal drilling. As a result, the US is expected to replace Saudi Arabia as the largest oil producing country in the world by 2015. In this respect, proponents of increasing oil supply in the US believe that it will enable the country to eliminate its dependence on oil imports. The resulting reduction in oil prices is expected to promote rapid economic growth. In addition, reducing oil imports will enable the US to implement its foreign policy and ensure national security without compromising its energy supply. However, achieving energy security through increased oil supply in the US is not sustainable in the first place. â€Å"Only 2% of the tight oil in the US is recoverable†. This percentage is equivalent to approximately a two-year oil supply in the US. Therefore, the oil resour ces that can be exploited are clearly not enough to ensure energy security in the country. The existing tight oil reserves will only reduce dependence on oil imports from 60% to 44% in the next two decades. Moreover, the country’s ambition of surpassing Saudi Arabia’s oil production rate means the oil reserves will be depleted very soon. Thus, increasing oil supply will only be a temporary solution to the country’s energy problems. As a result, the US will face a severe energy crisis in the long-term.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Increasing oil supply in the US is also limited by financial and technological constraints. The technologies that are â€Å"used to drill tight oil (fracking and pyrolysis) are increasingly becoming expensive to use†. In addition, new wells tend to run out of oil rapidly. For instance, the output from ti ght oil wells often reduce by nearly 69% in the first year and 39% in the second year. Therefore, several wells have to be drilled in order to achieve the desired production level. This will significantly increase the cost of supplying oil. Undoubtedly, oil companies will pass the high production costs to consumers in the long-term. In this context, it will not be possible to achieve energy security since consumers will switch to cheap oil imports to avoid high production costs. International Oil Prices The increase in oil production has already resulted into a reduction in oil prices in the US. Therefore, oil producers have to look for external markets to avoid the losses that they are likely to make as increased supply continue to exert a downward pressure on prices. However, a significant increase in supply from the US will inevitably reduce international oil prices, thereby exposing oil producers to the risk of making huge losses. This risk might be mitigated in the short term b y OPEC’s ability to regulate international oil prices by changing its production capacity. For instance, international oil prices are expected to remain above USD 80 per barrel in 2015 if OPEC reduces its daily output by 2 million barrels in response to increased supply from the US.  However, OPEC’s ability to limit its production capacity is increasingly becoming limited due to the financial challenges in its member countries. Currently, only Saudi Arabia is committed to reducing its production capacity to prevent price declines. Nigeria, Venezuela, and Angola are increasing their production capacities in order to earn adequate revenue to finance their national budget deficits. This means that in the long-term OPEC will resort to a price war with the US in order to sell its oil in the international market. The resulting price decline will make tight oil production in the US unsustainable. Tight oil production is not viable at prices below USD 70 per barrel. For inst ance, ExxonMobil realised a 27% reduction in net income due to the 52% oil price decline in 2011 in the US. In addition, Occidental has stopped drilling oil in the US because drilling costs have increased by 22.5% since 2009, whereas prices have steadily reduced.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on US Energy Security specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These examples show that achieving a breakeven will be impossible in the US tight oil industry as international prices continue to decline. Eventually, capital will be shifted to other viable economic activities such as investing in the equity securities market. The resulting reduction in oil production will cause a severe energy shortage in the US since the non-petroleum fuels are not sufficient to meet the country’s energy needs. Environmental Concerns Increasing oil supply in the US will definitely result into increased environmental degradation. Low prices wi ll â€Å"lead to an increase in the use of oil in production and transportation†. As a result, the rate of greenhouse gas emission in the US will significantly increase. For instance, the transport sector alone accounts for 44% of oil consumption in the US. Thus, an increase in oil consumption in the industry will force the country to exceed its greenhouse gas emission limits. This problem will be exacerbated by the fact that investing in tight oil will shift capital away from clean energy production because it requires a lot of financial resources. A rise in the use of oil in the US will be an â€Å"incentive to rapidly developing countries such as China, Brazil, and India to increase their greenhouse gas emission rates†. In particular, the US will have no moral basis to prevent emission of greenhouse gasses at the global level if it encourages the use of oil within its territories. The resulting increase in environmental degradation will cause a significant decline i n food production and poor health outcomes globally. This will lead to violent protests from citizens in the US and other parts of the world.  Therefore, the best way to ensure energy security in the US is to reduce oil consumption. The government should begin to transition to an economy that depends less on petroleum products such as gasoline to reduce the aggregate energy demand in the country. Imposing a high tax on gasoline can significantly reduce the consumption of oil in the transport sector because it will increase prices. Undoubtedly, the public will oppose a high tax on gasoline. Thus, the tax revenue should be invested in research and development to improve access to new technologies that will facilitate production of adequate cheap and renewable energy. This will avert resistance to gasoline taxes. Apart from taxes, â€Å"stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) should be introduced†. Moreover, tradable gasoline permits should be introduced to limit the a mount of gasoline consumed in the country.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reducing consumption of petroleum products will ensure energy security by minimizing the risks associated with disruptions in oil supply. Furthermore, reducing oil consumption is a cheaper way of ensuring energy security than increasing oil supply. For instance, automobile manufacturers have consistently reduced the prices of hybrid cars by using new technologies. However, the cost of drilling oil keeps rising. Reducing oil consumption will also help in protecting the environment. Conclusion Increasing oil supply in the US will not ensure energy security due to three reasons. First, only a small percentage of the large oil deposits in the US can be recovered in a profitable manner. Second, increasing oil supply in the US will significantly reduce international oil prices. Eventually, oil production will not be sustainable due to the low prices. Finally, increasing oil supply will worsen environmental degradation. In this respect, the government should focus on reducing oil consumpti on rather than increasing its supply to ensure energy security. Bahgat, Gawdat. Energy Security: What Does it Mean? And How can we Achieve it? Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies 33.1 (2008): 85-98. Print. Behrendt, Sven and Paul Freund. The New Energy Security Paradigm, Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2006. Print. Deutch, John and James Schlesinger. National Security Consequences of US Oil Dependency, New York: The Council on Foreign Relations, 2006. Print. Frances, Gonzalo. Market or Geopolitics? The Europeanization of EUs Energy Corridors. International Journal of Energy Sector Management 5.1 (2011): 39-59. Print. Jewell, Jessica. The IEA Model of Short-term Energy Security: Primary and Secondary Fuels, Paris: International Energy Agency , 2011. Print. Joffe, George. The Impact on OPEC of Rising North American Oil-and-Gas Production, London: Aljazeera Center for Studies, 2012. Print. Mankiw, Gregory. Principles of Macroeconomics, New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Pr int. Nanda, Ved. Climate Change and Environmental Ethics, New Brunswick: Transaction Publishing, 2012. Print. Pierrehumbert, Raymond. The Myth of Saudi America. Slate 6 Feb. 2013: 1-2. Print. Rosenberg, Elizabeth. Energy Rush: Shale Production and US National Security, New York: Center for a New American Security, 2014. Print. Speight, James. An Introduction to Petroleum Technology, Economics, and Politics, Massachusetts: Scrivener Publishing, 2011. Print. Varchaver, Nicholas, Abrahm Lustgarten and Jenny Mero. How to Kick the Oil Habit: Gas Prices are Soaring, Pipelines are Burning, Oil Supplies are Tight. Fortune 23 Aug. 2004: 1-13. Print. Webb, Tim. OPEC Strongleheld will be Broken by Shake Revolution. The Times 17 Jan. 2013: 1-3. Print.

The Battle of Concepcion of the Texas Revolution

The Battle of Concepcion of the Texas Revolution The Battle of Concepcià ³n was the first major armed conflict of the Texas Revolution. It took place on October 28, 1835, on the grounds of Concepcià ³n Mission outside of San Antonio. Rebel Texans, led by James Fannin and Jim Bowie, fought off a vicious assault by the Mexican Army and drove them back into San Antonio. The victory was a huge one for the morale of the Texans and led to the subsequent capture of the town of San Antonio. War Breaks out in Texas Tensions had been simmering in Mexican Texas for some time, as Anglo settlers (the most famous of whom was Stephen F. Austin) repeatedly demanded more rights and independence from the Mexican government, which was in a chaotic state of disarray barely a decade after gaining independence from Spain. On October 2, 1835, rebellious Texans opened fire on Mexican forces in the town of Gonzales. The Battle of Gonzales, as it came to be known, marked the beginning of Texas armed struggle for Independence. Texans March on San Antonio San Antonio de Bà ©xar was the most important town in all of Texas, a vital strategic point coveted by both sides in the conflict. When war broke out, Stephen F. Austin was named head of the rebel army: he marched on the city in the hopes of putting a quick end to the fighting. The ragged rebel â€Å"army† arrived at San Antonio in late October  1835: they were heavily outnumbered by Mexican forces in and around the city but were well-armed with lethal long rifles and ready for a fight. Prelude to the Battle of Concepcion With the rebels camped outside the city, Jim Bowies connections proved vital. A one-time resident of San Antonio, he knew the city and still had many friends there. He smuggled a message to some of them, and dozens of Mexican residents of San Antonio (many of whom were every bit as passionate about independence as the Anglo Texans) surreptitiously left the town and joined the rebels. On October 27, Fannin and Bowie, disobeying orders from Austin, took some 90 men and dug in on the grounds of the Concepcià ³n Mission outside of town. The Mexicans Attack On the morning of October 28, the rebellious Texans got a nasty surprise: the Mexican army had seen that they had divided their forces and decided to take the offensive. The Texans were pinned against the river and several companies of Mexican infantry were advancing on them. The Mexicans had even brought cannons with them, loaded with lethal grapeshot. The Texans Turn the Tide Inspired by Bowie, who kept cool under fire, the Texans stayed low and waited for the Mexican infantry to advance. When they did, the rebels deliberately picked them off with their lethal long rifles. The riflemen were so skilled that they were even able to shoot the artillerymen manning the cannons: according to survivors, they even shot down a gunner who held a lighted match in his hand, ready to fire the cannon. The Texans drove off three charges: after the final charge, the Mexicans lost their spirit and broke: the Texans gave chase. They even captured the cannons and turned them on the fleeing Mexicans. Aftermath of the Battle of Concepcià ³n The Mexicans fled back into San Antonio, where the Texans dared not chase them. The final tally: some 60 dead Mexican soldiers to only one dead Texan, killed by a Mexican musket ball. It was a heady victory for the Texans and seemed to confirm what they suspected about the Mexican soldiers: they were poorly armed and trained and didnt really want to be fighting for Texas. The rebellious Texans remained camped outside of San Antonio for several weeks. They attacked a foraging party of Mexican soldiers on November 26, believing it to be a relief column loaded with silver: in reality, the soldiers were only collecting grass for the horses in the besieged city. This became known as the Grass Fight. Although the nominal commander of the irregular forces, Edward Burleson, wanted to retreat to the east (thus following the orders that had been sent from General Sam Houston), many of the men wanted to fight. Led by settler Ben Milam, these Texans attacked San Antonio on December 5: by December 9 the Mexican forces in the city had surrendered and San Antonio belonged to the rebels. They would lose it again at the disastrous Battle of the Alamo in March. The Battle of Concepcià ³n represented everything the rebellious Texans were doing right†¦and wrong. They were brave men, fighting under solid leadership, using their best weapons - arms and accuracy - to best effect. But they were also unpaid volunteer troops with no chain of command or discipline, who had disobeyed a direct order (a wise one, as it turned out) to keep clear of San Antonio for the time being. The relatively painless victory gave the Texans a great morale boost, but also increased their sense of invulnerability: many of the same men would later die at the Alamo, believing they could hold off the entire Mexican army indefinitely. For the Mexicans, the Battle of Concepcià ³n showed their weaknesses: their troops were not very skilled in war and broke easily. It also proved to them that the Texans were dead serious about independence, something that had perhaps been unclear before. Not long after, President/General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna would arrive in Texas at the head of a massive army: it was now clear that the most important advantage the Mexicans possessed was that of sheer numbers. Sources Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004. Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States.New York: Hill and Wang, 2007.

Relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin Essay

Relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin America - Essay Example There seems to be both a negative and positive impact of democracy on economic development in Latin America. Therefore, it can be said that there exists a relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin America. It is difficult to generalise the effect of democracy on economic development on whole of Latin America. Different countries in the region have had different experiences with respect to democracy. Democracy has numerous indirect and favourable effects/impacts on political stability, inflation, levels of economic freedom, human capital, civil liberties, rule of law, etc. It is difficult to draw conclusions about the direct effects of these impacts on economic growth on the whole of Latin America but regional trends of positive and negative impact have been observed. Therefore, with respect to Latin America as a whole, it can be said that democracy does not have a strong and detrimental relationship with economic growth. Non-democratic countries have shown economic growth with democratic have failed to progress economically in the region. The reason for this, as cited by some experts, is that democracies succumb to popular demands of immediate consumption and fail to realise the profits associated with long-term investments. Also democracies fail to swiftly mobilise resources and are prone to class, ethnic and social struggles. On the other hand, authoritarian governments are more capable to suppressing conflicts and implementing measures that are necessary for achieving rapid as well as long-term growth. These reasons can explain the current economic conditions (crisis) in Latin America. The support for democracy from majority of the population also plays a role in the effect that democracy can have on economic growth. This gives raise to another question of whether there must be a choice between pro-growth policies and

Financial System at NEXT Plc in Relation to Its Performance Case Study

Financial System at NEXT Plc in Relation to Its Performance - Case Study Example Exploring the impact from the global conditions on the performance of the company being highly effective on firm understudy the report also assessed the future prospects for NEXT brand. The assessment upon developing concluding remarks suggests recommendations for business to maintain success. The recommendation includes a business suggestion to expand with a premium brand and adopting acquisition strategy and efforts to enhance value to gift line and sports. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Table of Contents 2 MANAGING THE ORGANISATION 5 The Financial Statements and Current Performance 5 Company Performance Comparison with Industry and Sector 8 The Impact of the Global Economy 12 Future Prospects of the Company 14 CONCLUSION 14 RECOMMENDATION 15 List of References 16 Appendix 18 INTRODUCTION NEXT has been in the business for around 150 years. Group in 1982 revolutionized business and created the brand NEXT. The brand put forward the retailing business for NEXT corporate with co llections of branded women wear and accessories. NEXT Plc offered an affordable line of offerings with distinctive styled products. Over years NEXT expanded the range to men wear in 1984; home interiors line has been introduced in 1985; children wear were introduced in 1987; in 1988 Next Directory was introduced offering a range of products for home shopping. In 1999 NEXT has launched online shopping version entitled NEXT Directory. This expansion credited NEXT Plc pioneer among the businesses offering sales services from triple modes i.e. from shops, by phone and then online. NEXT started day delivery standard and transferred almost 80% of the business online by 2001. NEXT Plc then launched ‘NEXT flowers’ followed by the launch of ‘NEXT gift line’ in the year 2005 (Next, 2012). Continuing with affordable offerings with distinguished style, NEXT Plc has expanded the signature brand in 2007 offering homeward and fashion. 2010 noted NEXT’s launch of NX Sports and then became official staff ware and another textile supplier for the Olympics Athletes Village (Next, 2012). Next Plc currently has 540 stores in the UK while NEXT Directory is serving almost 60 counties of the world with the majority of them being served directly and 14 countries being served through six partners. The success of NEXT can be gauged with fact that only NEXT Directory has 3.3 million active customers. NEXT Plc international has 170 stores in around 33 countries operated through a franchise business. The brand also has 19 company-owned stores in 7 countries (Next, 2012). Other areas of operation include NEXT Sourcing, the segment responsible for designing, sourcing, buying, merchandising and quality control operations of Next Plc products. NEXT Sourcing has the operation in the UK as well as China, Sri Lanka, India, and Hong Kong. In 2008, Next has also acquired fashion brand which is targeting younger women entitled Lipsy and the firm also generates busine ss through property management (Next, 2012). Figure 1 shows the share of business and profits in segments of business in all of Next Corporation for the year 2013. A share price of NEXT Plc has been trading at ? 43.36 as on 11/04/2013 with market capitalization? 6.99 billion (Next, n.d). Share price performance of Next Plc in comparison with FTSE and the general retailer has been shown in figure 2 in the appendix section.  

Inheriting My Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inheriting My Culture - Essay Example I remember very well it was on the 24th of August 2009, a Thursday afternoon when I received a call from my mother. Little did I know that this would be the call that would change my attitude towards the culture of my people. I was with my friends shooting pool at the campus lounge. She told me that my grandfather who we nicknamed â€Å"Pa† had asked for me to go visit him in hospital. At the time he was eighty years old and had been diagnosed earlier in the year with throat cancer. By the time the cancer was caught it had grown so much that the doctors said he had a maximum of eight months to leave. So after being given the news by my mother I left my friends and decided to go see him. On reaching the hospital I found my mum and my extended family waiting in the hall way with most of them soaked in tears. Instantly I assumed the inevitable had happened and I also broke down into tears. When my mother saw me she told me that my grandfather was still alive but the doctors had informed them that he only had a few hours of life. I went to the cancer ward and entered his room. When he heard the door he immediately asked;† Chang is that you?† and I answered while crying; â€Å"yes grandfather†. He turned his head with a lot of effort after noticing I was crying and stretched out his hand towards me and told me that there was no need for crying because he was going to a better place. I went closer to him and held his hand. He told me that there was not much time left and that he had something to important to tell me. He pointed at the closet and told me to go pick a brown leather bag. I did as he instructed and brought it to him. He asked me to open th e bag and after opening the bag I saw two sets of painting brushes and some ink. This is where he informed me that we come from a family of brush painters and that the art was handed down from father to son for hundreds of years. He then told me that since my father was not alive and I was the oldest male child in our family that it was my turn to continue the family culture and that I should also hand it down to my siblings in future. He started coughing heavily and managed to utter â€Å"do not forget your roots Chang† before the doctors and nurses came in and asked me to go outside. I went to the hall way and five minutes later the doctor came to where we had sat in the waiting hall while nodding his head. Everyone broke into tears as we found out â€Å"Pa â€Å"had passed on. According to our culture, if an elderly person dies, a wake should be held for at least three days then the body is cremated. Due to financial constraints, the family decided to hold a wake for my grandfather one week after we had raised money to clear the enormous hospital bill. I decided to research on the tools my grandfather left me in order for me to paint a picture within that one week for it to be displayed during the wake in memory of my late grandfather. After doing a lot of research in the library about the painting brushes my grandfather left me I discovered that I come from a generation of remarkable painters. I discovered that our family was specifically renowned for a type of painting known as Chinese brush painting. This is a type of art painting in China where once a paint brush strokes the Painting paper with painting ink, it is neither corrected nor is it improved (Cherrett, 2). No sketch or model whatsoever is used in the course of brush painting. From the