Thursday, November 28, 2019

Prc Social Security Scheme Essays - Economy, Money, Finance

Prc Social Security Scheme PRC Social Security Scheme Major Characteristic of PRC Social Security Scheme - Only applicable to Chinese local employees - Local requirements may vary from locality to locality. Structure of Social Security Scheme - Pension - Unemployment Insurance - Medical Insurance - Housing National Requirement - Pension ?Decisions of the State Council Concerning the Establishment of a Unified System of Basic Old-age Insurance for Staff and Workers of Enterprises?(July 16, 1997) Structure of the Basic Pension Scheme - Requires mandatory participation by enterprises and employees; - Comprises 2 elements: a. Basic Pension Pooling Account b. Basic Pension Individual Account Enterprise Contribution - Maximum contribution of 20% of the total wages of the enterprises in general unless approved by Labour Bureau and Ministry of Finance. - For a foreign investment enterprise, the total wages only cover Chinese local employees' wages. - Among the 20% contribution: a. start at 7% of employee salary in 1997, to be gradually reduced to 3%, for contribution into the Basic Pension Individual Account b. 13% to 17% goes to Basic Pension Pooling Account Employee Contribution - Start at 4% of employee salary in 1997, to be gradually increased to 8% - Contribution goes to Basic Pension Individual Account National Requirement ? Unemployment Insurance ?Unemployment Insurance Regulation ? issued by State Council on January 22, 1999. Mandatory participants - Requires mandatory participation by enterprises and employees; - ?Enterprise? refers to ?Urban enterprises and institutions?, including: a. State-owned enterprises; b. Urban collective enterprises; c. Foreign investment enterprises; d. Urban private enterprises; and e. Other urban enteprises - ?Employee? refers to ?Staff and workers of urban enterprises and institution? Contribution - Employer contribution - 2% of the total wages of the enterprises; - Employee contribution - 1% of the employee's wage National Requirement ? Medical Insurance ?Decisions of the State Council Concerning the Establishment of a Basic Medical Insurance System for Urban Staff and Workers ? issued by State Council Mandatory participants - Requires mandatory participation by enterprises and employees; - ?Enterprises? refers to ?all urban enterprises?, including: a. State-owned enterprises; b. Urban collective enterprises; c. Foreign investment enterprises; d. Urban private enterprises; e. Government organizations, institutions; f. Social organizations; and g. Non-governmental non-enterprise units. - ?Employees? refers to ?employees of the above-mentioned enterprises? Contribution - Employer contribution ? approximately 6% of the total wages of the enterprises; - Employee contribution - 2% of the employee's wage National Requirement ? Housing ?Administrative Regulation on Housing ? issued by the State Council on April 3, 1999. Mandatory participants - Requires mandatory participation by enterprises and employees; - ?Enterprises? refers to ?all urban enterprises?, including: a. Government organizations, institutions; b. State-owned enterprises; c. Urban collective enterprises; d. Foreign investment enterprises; e. Urban private enterprises; and f. Other Urban enterprises. - ?Employees? refers to ?employees of the above-mentioned enterprises? Contribution - Employer contribution ? minimum contribution 5% of the total wages of the enterprises; - Employee contribution ? minimum contribution 5% of the employee's wage Local Requirements Local requirements regarding contribution ratios may be different from national requirements, which vary from locality to locality based on the relevant regulations stipulated by local governments. A Summary of contribution rations (expressed as a percentage of the employee gross wages) to social security funds in the following cities (as of July 1999) Social Issues

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Understanding Traits and How They Are Determined

Understanding Traits and How They Are Determined Have you ever wondered why your eyes are just like your mothers? Or why your hair color is similar to your grandfathers? Or why you and your siblings share features? These physical characteristics are known as traits; they are inherited from parents and expressed externally. Key Takeaways: Traits Traits are inherited characteristics from our parents that are expressed externally in our phenotype.For any given trait, one gene variation (allele) is received from the father and one from the mother.The expression of these alleles determines the phenotype, whether dominant or recessive. In biology and genetics, this external expression (or physical characteristics) is called a phenotype. The phenotype is what is visible, while the genotype is the underlying gene combination in our DNA that actually determines what is expressed physically in the phenotype. How Are Traits Determined? Traits are determined by an individuals genotype, the summation of the genes in our DNA. A gene is a portion of a chromosome. A chromosome is composed of DNA and contains the genetic material for an organism. Humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes. Twenty-two of the pairs are called autosomes. Autosomes are typically very similar in males and females. The last pair, the twenty-third pair, is the sex chromosome set. Those are very different in males and females. A female has two X chromosomes, while a male has one X and one Y chromosome. How Are Traits Inherited? How are traits passed from one generation to the next? This happens when gametes unite. When an egg is fertilized by a sperm, for each chromosome pair, we receive one chromosome from our father and one from our mother. For a particular trait, we receive what is known as an allele from our father and one allele from our mother. An allele is a different form of a gene. When a given gene controls a characteristic that is expressed in the phenotype, the different forms of a gene show as the different characteristics that are observed in the phenotype. In simple genetics, alleles can be homozygous or heterozygous. Homozygous refers to having two copies of the same allele, while heterozygous refers to having different alleles. Dominant Traits vs. Recessive Traits When alleles are expressed via simple dominant versus recessive traits, the specific alleles inherited determine how the phenotype is expressed. When an individual has two dominant alleles, the phenotype is the dominant trait. Likewise, when an individual has one dominant allele and one recessive allele, the phenotype is still the dominant trait. While dominant and recessive traits may seem straightforward, note that not all traits have this simple inheritance pattern. Other types of genetic inheritance patterns include incomplete dominance, co-dominance, and polygenic inheritance. Due to the complexity of how genes are inherited, specific patterns can be somewhat unpredictable. How Do Recessive Traits Occur? When an individual has two recessive alleles, the phenotype is the recessive trait. For example, lets suppose that there are two versions of a gene, or alleles, that determine whether or not a person can roll their tongue. One allele, the dominant one, is symbolized by a big T. The other allele, the recessive one, is symbolized by a little t. Lets suppose two tongue rollers get married, each of whom is heterozygous (has two different alleles)for the trait. This would be represented as (Tt) for each.   Traits are inherited characteristics that are expressed externally in our phenotype. Copyright Evelyn Bailey When a person inherits one (t) from the father and then one (t) from the mother, the recessive alleles (tt) are inherited and the person can not roll their tongue. As can be seen in the Punnett square above, this would happen approximately twenty-five percent of the time. (Note that this tongue rolling is just for the sake of providing an example of recessive inheritance. Current thinking around tongue rolling indicates the involvement of more than just a single gene, and is not as simple as was once thought). Other Examples of Weird Inherited Traits A longer second toe and attached earlobes are often cited as examples of a weird trait that follows the two dominant/recessive alleles forms of one gene inheritance. Again, however, evidence suggests that both attached earlobe and longer second toe inheritance are quite complex. Sources â€Å"Attached Earlobe: The Myth.†Ã‚  Myths of Human Genetics, udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythearlobe.html.â€Å"Observable Human Characteristics.†Ã‚  Nutrition the Epigenome, learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/observable/.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Indonesia Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Indonesia Market - Essay Example ncial crisis through debt restructuring, the sale of some state-owned assets, the recapitalization of the commercial banking sector, the improved supervision of the capital market, and increased investments in public infrastructure. The gross domestic product grew by 4.5 per cent in 2003, 5.1 per cent in 2004, 5.6 per cent in 2005, 6.0 per cent in 2006, and 6.3 per cent in 2007. In 2006 the Indonesian government announced a package of policy reforms to improve its investment climate by means of strengthening investment services, harmonizing regional and central government regulations, and improving customs, excise and taxation services, among others. With moderate economic growth in recent years, domestic consumption has continued to account for nearly 2/3 of the GDP, followed by investment for more than l/5 and exports for l/10. With the targeted GDP growth of 6.6 per year up till 2009, the government expects to push Indonesia to recover thereafter to its pre-crisis annual average growth rates of close to 10 per cent.. Indonesia has been chosen as target export market for US soybeans in view of several factors. It has a big population of low and middle-income consumers who have traditionally depended on cheap soybean protein side-dish for nutrition; the countrys production of soybeans has accounted for less than 50 per cent of its consumption, and the price per ton of soybean imports from several producing countries have roughly doubled during the past several months. There is therefore an unfilled demand for this agricultural product which can be supplied through the produce from US farms, and even from partial sourcing from other South American countries to be subsequently exported. The soybean (scientific name Glycine max) is a leguminous plant known for its nutritious seeds which contain 40 per cent protein and 21 per cent oil. It is an important source of vegetable protein and oil for human (and animal) consumption as well as for industrial

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Workers - Essay Example Specialization has become an important feature of complex industrial communities in Canada and worldwide. Division of labor takes place at a number of levels. More often than not there is that perception by consumers that they are making free choice with respect to individual purchases, such view is implausible with production. The first level of production division of labor is between companies. This is in view that one company can only obtain another company’s production product through exchange. Taking the example of steel company and power generating company, production of certain dependent products go hand in hand with the emergence of market by these economic sectors. In division of labor, the process of production in the company is broken down into various sequences of stages, and all workers are assigned to specific stages. It is a fact that increasing the specialization of work might lead to workers with very low overall skills and a lack of enthusiasm for the work they do. Division of labor thus plays an essential part in shaping the individual performance of these firms. Another remarkable level of division of labor exists within the company, and this is between individual workers. Depending on what the company produces, individual workers too can have division of labor. This has been due to the fact that for time workers perform similar tasks repeatedly and become known to them better. The similarities between the two are that in both cases it ignores the tastes and preferences of customers. Notably, in the two levels of division of labor there exist market share. Individuals in the economy require goods and services at all times. Private companies are not the exclusive producers in the economy, but they are also public services and house forms of production. The former avail to the economy roads, hospitals, to individual and the latter avails gardening, house

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Final Project- Step Two Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Project- Step Two - Assignment Example A good example is the use of a well labeled diagram to explain the internal working structure of the human ear in a biology class. This is more effective than the verbal version of the same information. This shows that visual representation of information is more effective due to the fact that more senses of an individual are involved when information is passed using visuals (Dartmouth, 2010). This message is very important and everyone should be able to know that the use of visuals in learning and other processes of information sharing are more effective. However, this message is specially intended for various educators. Teachers and other educators have a special and vital role of passing information to the students. It is therefore very important that they realize the value of visuals in passing on the knowledge that they have to their students. Teachers responsible for students in their early stages of education are encouraged to use a lot of visuals as this helps in developing t he senses of the child and make them understand things much better. Students to should read and understand this message. They need o realize that when reading, using visuals to read and understand a particular subject is much practical and easier as compared to the theoretical use of words without any visuals (Dartmouth, 2010). ... The main tone that I want this project to achieve is the active tone. This is a very professional tone that clearly brings out the value of a message to the audience. This therefore means that the language to be used has to be active and passive only in relevant places. I will use various visuals to support my message by involving many of them in the learning process and weighing out the most effective method between the use of visuals and other instances when visuals are not used. This is done by examining different intermediate students by using words and visuals. After this, the results are compared to confirm whether the visual techniques are most effective. I will bring in diagrams that are relevant to the topic of discussions and ask people to weigh out the most effective method that brings out the message clearly (Dartmouth, 2010). Visuals will therefore have an important role in the passing of the message. The main platform that I intend to use to communicate my message is Mi crosoft power point. As the name suggest, Microsoft power point is a very important tool in learning. With this application, one is able to embedded visuals, music and even words. It is therefore an effective way of bringing in the visuals into a real life scenario. This application not only involves the students in words but also uses visuals to accompany this message. It is for this reason that the students get engaged in the activity. Since this is a visuals message, power point is even more effective. Practically, power point is refreshing and breaks down the monopoly of boring classes due to the presence of visuals that are used in the application. The points are also short and direct and as a result ensure that the message is passed within a short time and I an efficient

Friday, November 15, 2019

Enhancing Paracetamol with Silver Metal Ions

Enhancing Paracetamol with Silver Metal Ions 1- Introduction The paracetamol (Fig. 1) is one of the famous analgesic drugs which is commonly named as N-acetyl-4-amino-phenol. Paracetamol has an antipyretic medication with little toxicological side effect [1-7]. The fluorometry [8], luminescence [9], electrochemical [10], nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectroscopy [11] and liquid chromatography [12] are different analyses techniques used to determination of paracetamol drug in pure and pharmaceutical fashions. Paracetamol has a side effect as hepatotoxic in man and animals if it was taken with over dose [13-17]. Herein in this research paper, we aimed to enhance the efficiency of the drug in the presence of silver metal ions by formation of new complex. This complex was proven using spectroscopic and thermo gravimetric analyses. Fig. 1: Chemical structure paracetamol 2- Experimental 2-1- Materials Reagents (paracetamol and silver(I) nitrate) are in analytical grade and used without further purification. 2-2- Instrumentations The elemental analysis (%carbon, %hydrogen and %nitrogen) results were measured using CHN-2400 Perkin Elmer analyzer instrument. FT-IR spectra were scanned on Bruker FT-IR spectrophotometer within 4000-400 cm-1 region. The UV-vis. spectra of reactants and silver(I) complex were scanned using Perkin-Elmer Lambda 4B spectrophotometer in dimethyl sulphoxide solvent. The thermo gravimetric analyses TG/DTG were carried out in nitrogen atmosphere using Schimadzu TGA-50H thermal analyzer. 2-3- Synthesis The 1 mmol of AgNO3 was dissolved in 20 mL distilled water and then mixed to 20 mL of methanolic solution of paracetamol with 1 mmol ratio under magnetic stirring. The pH of mixture was neutralized at 7-8 using diluted ammonium hydroxide solution. The mixture was refluxed at 60 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C and left to evaporate slowly at room temperature. The precipitate was filtered off, washy with hot methanol and dried at 60 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C. 2-3- Microbiological investigation The biological activity of silver(I) complex was tested against bacteria and fungi with more than one test organism. The organisms used in the present investigation including two bacteria (B.subtilis Gram +ve), (E. coli Gram –ve) and two fungi (Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flarus). The results of microbiological investigations of bacterial and fungi against synthesized silver(I) complex were assessments. 3- Results and Discussion 3-1-Elementl analyses The experimental data of %carbon, %hydrogen and %nitrogen are matched with the calculated values (Table 1). The elemental analyses results are support that NO3à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ ions not detected. The silver(I) complex is air stable with highly melting point > 300 oC. Table 1:Elemental analyses and physical results of Ag(I) complex [Ag2(para)] M.wt (g/mol) %C %H %N %M à ¯Ã‚ Ã…’ (à ¯Ã‚ 1. cm2.mol-1) Found Calcd. Found Calcd. Found Calcd. Found Calcd. 364.88 27.0 26.33 1.87 1.93 4.00 3.84 58.50 59.12 7.0 3-2- Molar conductivity The molar conductance value of the silver(I) complex of paracetamol drug in DMSO solvent with concentration of 1.0010-3 M was found to be 7.00 à ¯Ã‚ Ã…’ (à ¯Ã‚ 1. cm2.mol-1) at 25 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C. This data suggested that silver(I) complex is non-electrolytes. 3-3- Infrared spectra The infrared assignments data of paracetamol free drug and its silver(I) complex are tabulated in Table 2 and silver(I) complex is shown in Fig. 2. Based on the comparison between the infrared spectra of free paracetamol drug ligand and its silver(I) complex, it has been discussed that, the absorption band at 3300 cm-1 and 3200 cm-1 of free paracetamol have been assigned to –OH and –NH stretching vibration motions. These bands have been absence in the spectra of the silver(I) complex due to the involvement in complexation. The strong-to-medium absorption bands at 1650 and 1260 cm-1 in the spectrum of para drug are assigned to the stretching vibration bands of à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(C=O) and à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(C-O), respectively. These bands are shifted to lower wavenumbers at 1627 and 1100 cm-1 due to sharing in coordination mode. The presence of new absorption band at 510 cm-1 in silver(I) complex is assigned to à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(Ag -O) stretching vibration. Upon the infrared spectral assi gnments, the silver(I) ions coordinated to para drug through two place of coordination (deprotonated of –OH) and (deprotonated of –NH and oxygen of carbonyl group) as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 2: FT-IR spectrum of Ag(I) complex. Table 2: Infrared frequencies within 4000-400 cm-1 of para and its Ag(I) complex. Compound à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(OH) + à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(NH) à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(C=O) à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¤(CNH) amide group à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(C-O) phenyl group à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ®(M-O) para 3300, 3200 1650 1560 1260 [Ag2(para)] 1627 1550 1100 510 Fig. 3: Suggested structure of Ag(I) complex. 3-4- UV-vis. spectra The formation of the Ag(I) complex was also confirmed by UV-vis. spectra in DMSO solvent within the 200-600 nm range. It can see that free para has two absorption bands at 300 and 390 nm due to à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ °-à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ °* intra-ligand transition of the aromatic ring and n-à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ °* electronic transition, respectively. 3-5- Thermo gravimetric analyses The heating rate was controlled at 10à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C/min under nitrogen environment. The weight loss was scanned from room temperature till 1000 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C. The thermo gravimetric curve of silver(I) complex is shown in Fig. 4. The thermal decomposition of [Ag2(para)] complex exhibit at two step. These steps are occurring at 200-1000 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C and corresponding to the decomposition of para molecule with a weight loss of 11.4%. The final residual product is silver metal contaminated with few carbon atoms. Fig. (3): TG/DTG curve of Ag(I) complex of paracetamol. 3-6- Microbiological investigation Antibacterial and antifungal activities of silver(I) paracetamol complex are assessed against Escherichia coli (G –ve), Bacillus subtilis (G +ve) and antifungal (Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus). The antimicrobial activity scanned based on the size of inhibition zone. Ag(I) complex is found to has high activity against bacteria and fungi. The data listed in Table 3 and is shown in Fig. 4. Table 3: Antimicrobial data of para complex Fig. 4: Statistical data of biological activities of DMSO control and silver(I) complex References M.A. Jan Mens, Best Pract. Res. Clin. Rheumat. 19 (2005) 609. E. Dic, A. Ozdemir, D. Baleanu, Talanta 65 (2005) 36. A.B. Moreira, H.B.M. Oliveira, T.D.Z. Atvars, LL.T. Dias, G.O. Neto, E.A.G. Zagatto, L.T. Kubota, Anal. Chim. Acta 539 (2005) 257. B.B. Ivanova, J. Mot. Struct. 738 (2005) 233. C. Xu, B. Li, Spectrochim. Acta A 60 (2004) 1861. L.G. Binev, Vassileva-Boyadjieva, Y.I. Binev, J. Mot. Struct. 447 (1998) 235. A.M. MacConnachie, Intensive Crit. Care Nuts. 13 (1997) 238. J.L. Vilchez, R. Blance, R. Avidad, A. Navalon, J. Pharm. Biomed. 13 (1995) 119. D. Easwaramoorthy, Y. Yu, H. Huang, Anal. Chim. Acta 439 (2001) 95. H. Tanka, P.K. Dasgupta, J. Huang, J. Anal. Chem 72 (2000) 4713. J.P. Shockcor, S.E. Linger, I.D. Wilson, Anal. Chem. 68 (1996) 4431. S. Murray, A.R. Boobis, J. Chromatogr. 33 (1991) 355. A.K. Singh, R. Negi, Y. Katre, S.P. Singh Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical 302 (2009) 36. L.F. Prescott, Paracetamol over dosage. Pharmacological consideration and clinical management. Drugs, 25 (1983) 290. P.J. Harvison, F.P. Guengerich, Chem. Res. Toxicol 1 (1988) 47. L. Chavkin, H. Merkle. Us Patent (1979). F.J. Strenbenz, L. Weintraub, G.L. Cohen UK Patent. Application GB 2103 87A, 1983.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Essay --

Statistical Interpretation of United Arab Emirates Trading Patterns I have chosen to research the trade patterns of United Arab Emirates because, in my view, it is one of the most important players in the world in terms of trade. Furthermore, trade has influenced the living standard in this area, such that, the standard of living in Dubai, for example, has increased comparably. United Arab Emirates has mostly developed due to the petroleum and natural gas exports. In the following paragraphs I will present statistics and data regarding not only oil and natural gas trading patterns, but also commodities. The United Arab Emirates is one of the 10 largest oil and natural gas producers in the world, and is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). The UAE has had a great impact on oil trade because of its natural endowments. According to OPEC, its share of world reserves is of 8.1%. The most abundant factor of production, oil, has brought them a comparative advantage and specialization, which contributed to the country’s development. According to the data presented by Central Intelligence Agency, United Arab Emirates was ranked on the 24th place in the world in terms of total Imports and 19th place in total exports in 2012. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2078rank.html In the WORLD FACTBOOK it is said that the UAE has an open economy with high per capita income. In recent years, successful efforts have been made regarding economic diversification and nowadays, the GDP based on oil and natural gas output has decreased to 25%. Since the discovery of oil 30 years ago, UAE has been through important transformations and h... ...in 2012, a 38% increase since 2011. However, imports to the US from the UAE have remained approximately the same, at over $2 billion. The data can be found on the website of the US Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5200.html#2010 As a conclusion, I believe that United Arab Emirates are focusing more and more on diversifying their exports and not depending so much on the oil ones. As far as their partners are concerned, I believe that in the future India will continue to be the top trading partner of UAE, being followed by China and Japan. China is in need of more and more oil because it has recently been ranked as the World’s top importer of crude oil. Japan, on the other hand, continues to depend on the Middle East countries for oil imports, being the world’s third largest net oil importer. (US Energy Information Administration).

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Bra Boys And Belonging Essay

â€Å"Belonging is not simply about the well-being of an individual. Belonging allows humans to overcome great obstacles and moments of adversity†. Every human being possesses the urgent need to belong, to gain the strength of others and to fit into society. It is in our basic nature, our history supporting the human will to belong, as tribes were formed, urban environments assembled and modern societies bringing individuals into a group as one. A sense of belonging gives us the strength to move forward, the mental and physical support of others and allows us to feel accepted. Sunny Abberton’s documentary Bra Boys depicts the impact of belonging along with the obstacles his family and friends faced. A film conveying the struggles within the Maroubra area in the 80s/90s, that allows us to experience the connections made within the Bra Boys â€Å"surf gang† and the challenges that they are faced with. The Bra Boys demonstrate that a sense of belonging can in fact impact us to overcome great challenges, and that no matter how dire your situation, there will always be somewhere for you to belong. Humans are faced with tests throughout their lives, some more fortunate than others. In the Maroubra community it seemed most of the kids had grown up in uncomfortable situations, most of the Bra Boys parents being drug users, alcoholics, or violent. The Maroubra adolescent community seemed to have a dark lure hanging over it, violence and hardship following those who tried to belong. Gangs formed as a result and the streets became dangerous at night. â€Å"Growing up we had a lot of crazy things happen like guns held to our heads, chased down the street with people shooting at us, all sorts of things, but its good it turned us into what we are† admits Koby Abberton. One Bra Boys explains how he walked around the streets with a bat down his pants because you always had to be prepared for the worst when you were walking at night by your self. It was dangerous events like these that made Ma’s seem so safe, like nothing could ever hurt them there. Ma was the Abberton boys’ grandmother, a gentle and generous woman who opened her arms and home to all the young and struggling children associated with the Abberton boys. Most of these boys came from broken families, somewhere they  couldn’t really call home. Ma provided them with a place that was the next best thing to a home, a family of friends, somewhere that would bring the boys together into a brotherhood. They soon formed a group called ‘Ma’s hell team’ which was the beginning of it all, the beginning of the Bra Boys. Connections with people, places and the larger world can provoke a sense of belonging within ourselves, influencing where we search for meaning in our lives, and ultimately, where we belong. The Bra Boys forge connections amongst themselves by exploring each other’s passions and loyalty. It is ultimately the surfing community/beach life that brings the boys together. The beginning of the documentary presents the surfing culture, diving directly into the heart of these boy’s lives. The viewer is presented with live footage, magazine cover pages and newspaper articles to express the success and enjoyment the Bra Boys share towards the sport. Another scene featuring cross cutting strings together shots of the Bra Boy’s handshake, celebrating their literal connections to one another. The Bra Boys are all blessed with a passion of surfing, somewhere they could escape together, and without that place to free their minds and have fun sharing a hobby together, they may not have formed such sturdy bonds as they possess today. The connections we make determine how we grow and develop. Along with be being connected, acceptance has a large impact on our lives and wellbeing. Being a Bra Boy comes with responsibility, one being to accept your brothers and be there for them no matter what. Acceptance allows us to gain confidence in our lives. Without the fulfillment of fitting in human beings tend to grow lonely and feel as though they don’t belong. With that sense of approval, we can acknowledge ourselves and achieve more. Bra Boys is a documentary which greatly highlights the impact of being accepted within a certain community. Spending their days surfing and hanging out with friends, the bra boys allow us to appreciate the greater prospects of belonging. Koby Abberton, main Bra Boy, describes to the viewer how important their ‘gang’ is: â€Å"if one of the boys calls, no matter what you’re doing you come†. This depicts to us how strong and important their brotherhood is. The song â€Å"My Brothers Keeper† featured in the film, written by Jamie Holt, backs up a bond of brothers such as the Bra Boys. â€Å"My brothers, we are in  intertwined†¦. these ties shall bind us† is sung to describe the acceptance of one another and words how their ‘gang’ is literally bound to one another. â€Å"My Brothers Keeper† is also symbolized as tattoos across various Bra Boys chests. Bra Boys shows a great example of how important acceptance is in our lives and the pride it can bring to us. The Bra Boys demonstrate that that their group also accepts many multi-cultured or religious Australians. Cultural acceptance can be a huge issue within our society today. Cultures and religions can shape humans into what they believe to be their better self. There are many issues revolved around religions clashing or which god should be worshipped. No matter what you believe in or put your faith in we are all human beings and should find the strength to accept each other for who we are. Towards the end of the documentary an issue is displayed for the viewer, on such as the Cronulla race riots, brings to our attention a so-called â€Å"war† between Anglo Australians and Lebanese Australians. â€Å"One of the things ma taught us was to not judge people by how much money they had, or their skin colour, but by what type of person they were, perhaps it was ma’s wisdom that would prepare us for yet another dramatic turn in our beach community† say Sunny Abberton. Footage, images, narration and Police radio communication depict the violence that occurred. We are shown how the aggressive behavior in Cronulla makes its way to Maroubra, and how the Bra Boys gather to protect their community. After the attacks the Bra Boys decide to broker a peace deal between the warring factions. We are shown a 9 News interview where Sunny Abberton states â€Å"Maroubra’s had a very good relationship with the local Lebanese community here for around 10 years, we’re calling for calm on the beaches†. The Bra Boys wanted the ethnic community to feel accepted and wanted them to know that they did in fact belong at Maroubra beach, which is one of the most multicultural areas in Australia. The Bra Boys itself is filled with a number of different racial members, their powerful concept of belonging has transcended racial hatred. Bra Boys is a powerful documentary portraying many concepts of belonging. It shows us an authentic reality of how brutal life can be and that a group as strong as theirs can help to overcome such issues. No matter what they  faced, they had each other. They showed us how important a powerful bond is, and the positive impact a sense of belonging can make. Some of the Bra Boys say the surf saved them, some say Ma did, but ultimately, they saved each other.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Just Write the Damn Thing

Just Write the Damn Thing Joe and I scampered through the old Madrid cobblestone streets, dodging puddles and party recruiters, having no choice but to embrace the rain. I lived in the center of the city four years ago with Joe ´s older brother, Ben. This night was Joe ´s first in the Spanish capital. After a few street beers and too many patatas bravas, we settled under a bus stop to escape the unusually heavy Iberian rain. Never having spent time alone with Joe, we spoke open and honestly most of the night, as if my connection with Ben extended to his brother before me. Joe writes. A lot. Joe writes for multiple sites based in London, where he studies abroad. At home in the states, Joe writes papers for his classes and for his friends at his large state university. He shared the intricacies of Germany ´s transition from WWI to WWII as if he was there himself. Turns out he has written three papers for that class, a class he does not attend. At our bus stop in Madrid ´s Sol plaza, thousands of miles from the students Joe may be hurting As conversation turned from life abroad and Joe ´s muddy shoe to his writing adventures, I revealed my fear of putting pen to paper. I have jumped off 50 foot cliffs and squeeze my moped between cars on the streets of my new Andalucian hometown, but my fear of opening my world of ideas to the world of humans around me is one I have not conquered. As Joe interrogated me for reasons, I felt minor embarrassment relaying them. Can a gunslinger who has written at least an article a day for three months understand why I want my 600-word blog entry to be perfect? I feel unworthy. I have a million ideas rattling around in my head and my iPhone notes, but my ideas cannot possibly be worth anybody ´s time. Even scarier, the rough drafts of my ideas remain perfect inside my head and behind my fingerprint passcode. When exposed to a world of readers, they certainly will be misunderstood, right? But what if they ´re not? What if something I write resonates with a stranger from a faraway place or gives joy to a friend from down the street. What if I enjoy sharing myself with people? What if I actually am worthy? Just write the damn thing! Joe says, as if stating the obvious. My old soul was educated So here I am, just writing the damn thing.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Expert Interview with Andy Greenberg About Recruiting and Hiring

Expert Interview with Andy Greenberg About Recruiting and Hiring Andy Greenberg, CEO and president of The Recruiting Division, took the time to talk with us about his company, recruiting and hiring trends. With 17 years of experience in the field of recruiting, Andy has valuable, insightful information to offer. Heading The Recruiting Division, Andy works closely with clients and candidates to consistently find the best for the best. Here he shares a bit about that process.What’s different about The Recruiting Division that makes it so successful?We extend the capabilities of a contract recruiter with a unique solution that is team-based and on-demand. The result is a more flexible, scalable and cost-effective way of engaging a contract recruiter. What are three attributes that employers want to see in a job candidate?Intellectual curiosityPassionFlexibilityHow about three qualities they’d rather not see?InflexibilityArroganceInability or unwillingness to bring something extra to the roleWhat do you look for in a job candidate?Abilit y to self-assess, meaning that they are able to understand and articulate their strengths, weaknesses, boundaries and their own internal brandPassion!Ability to convincingly articulate why and how their background, skills and experience will translate into success for the positionWhy is it key for companies to have good relationships with recruiters like you to find the best team?Contract recruiters like those here at The Recruiting Division are able to act as a fully accountable, seamless extension of a client’s team, since we are not motivated or paid by placement fees or commissions, nor are we bound by the typical contingency-based agency model that necessitates alignment with candidates as opposed to HR and hiring managers.Are you seeing any particular hiring trends lately? If so, please tell us a bit about them.Although the economy has certainly improved, employers are still very cautious in their hiring and are willing to wait for candidates that meet all of the criter ia on their list.There is still strong demand for information technology and sales professionals, and we are also seeing an increase in temporary hiring as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Another interesting trend is a growing number of companies that are bringing jobs back to the United States after frustrations with offshoring.From a recruiting perspective, we are seeing a huge interest in social recruiting. Besides LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, there are a host of social aggregation and deep web mining tools that recruiters are flocking to, including SwoopTalent, Gild, TalentBin, Talenthook and HiringSolved.Why is timeliness so important in the hiring process?That’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is a cost associated with a company not being able to achieve its goals due to a lack of manpower. But on the other hand, there is also a cost associated with rushing the hiring process and hiring sub-par employees. We are all doing our best in the search for the holy grail of hiring top talent as quickly as possible.How do you go about finding the top talent to place?For starters, make sure that your recruiters themselves are top talent. Think about it – it takes top talent to be able recognize top talent.Those who know me know that I love to arm my recruiters to the teeth with lots of cool tools like the ones mentioned above. That said, I am the first to admit that a great recruiter can work their magic simply by using LinkedIn and nothing else. The key to LinkedIn is learning how to target the right people and then message them softly and professionally. Your goal should be to achieve a response rate of at least 30%. And anything less than 20% means that you are spamming and not doing relationship-sourcing.Also make sure that you know your company’s brand and can articulate it effectively throughout the entire sourcing and vetting process. Candidates that are in demand know that they have choices, and they are looking fo r employers with a compatible brand, mission and values.Along with company branding, do your best to provide a great candidate experience. Candidates are sharing their interview experiences on social media sites like Glassdoor and Vault, and your ability to attract top talent can be either enhanced or stymied by your reputation on social media.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Hedging Oil Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hedging Oil Consumption - Essay Example There are other inherent risks associated with business such as currency fluctuations, volatility of crude oil prices and so on. In order to reduce exposure to volatility in the market, many participants prefer hedging strategies using derivatives. A derivative is a financial instrument which derives its value from the underlying asset. One of the hedging strategies alternatives that are available to the market participants is by using futures derivative. The main purpose of futures markets is to minimise uncertainty in transactions and hence reduce risk. The basic objective of futures market is to hedge the associated risk by taking such a position so as to neutralize possibility of risk as far practicable. A futures contact is a standard contract between two market participants to buy or sell a specific asset of standard quality, quantity for a given price agreed upon on the date of contract (also known as strike price) with payment and delivery occurring at maturity date. The cont racts are standard in the sense that quantity, quality, price, strike price, delivery date, initial margin, marking to market, etc. are done via intermediary and not directly negotiated between parties involved in transaction. Hence, the refinery may enter into futures contract with its customers giving them the opportunity to purchase oil at current prices at a later date in future. In this way even if the prices of oil rises in future, the refinery would not require to pass on the higher costs to their customers (CME, 2006, pp.49-53). After discussing the concept of futures, it is now important to illustrate how futures might help the US Gulf refinery to hedge risk. There are two different methods of hedging namely short hedge and long hedge. A short hedge is suitable when the hedger owns the asset (as in this case) and expects it to sell at some time in future. Thus, the oil refinery may take short position in futures contract. A long hedge on the other hand involves taking the l ong position (buy at later date). This strategy is suitable when the hedger (in this case customer) knows that it will have to purchase a particular asset in future but would like to purchase at current price. In both the strategies payment and deliver occurs at maturity of contact which is usually three months. To further illustrate these strategies in details, consider the following example: Assuming that on June 13 (present) the oil refinery has taken a short position by negotiating a contract to sell 1 million barrels of crude oil. It is also agreed that the price applicable in the contract will be on the market price of September 13. So, for each 1% rise, the producer will gain $10,000 and similarly for each 1% decline in price refinery will lose $10,000. The standard futures contract on CME platform is 1,000 US barrels (or 42,000 gallons), hence the company can hedge exposure by shorting 1,000 September futures contracts. If the last trading close price was $90 per barrel, str ike price is $85 and assuming that price per barrel in September is actually $80, then per barrel gain of the oil refinery would be $5 (since, $85 - $80). This means the total gains for entire contract would be $5000 ($5 x 1000). Using the above example the long hedge strategy can be explained as

Friday, November 1, 2019

Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Essay

Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 - Essay Example The HSWA 1974 is divided into four key parts, and it is also divided into various sections. Part one of the Act focuses on the Health &Safety Commission and Executive, the general duties of the act, enforcement and penalties, codes of practice, and the power of making regulations. The second part of the act deals with the establishment of the employment medical advisory service. Part three on the other hand does the relations of the act to the building regulations. Finally, the forth part of the act does the coverage of other general issues and various amendments (Bennett 2012, p. 102).The 37th section of this legislation covers prosecution of managers/ directors, which is the main focus of this essay. The essay seeks to discuss the development of section 37 of the legislation analyzing the circumstance under which it operates. It also seeks to take considerations if the use of the legislation gives an effective mechanism for imposing secondary liability. Section 37(1) of the 1974 Ac t gives directives for the prosecution of managers/ directors. Section 37 of the HSWA States that in case a health and safety harm occurs to employees with the consent or connivance of a manager or director, then the manager or director together with the organization should be prosecuted under this particular section of the HSWA Act (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The section directs that employers should ensure that the safety and health of their employees is not affected by the work they do. Once the workers are affected by the kind of work they do in an industry in terms of their health and safety, then the act stipulates that the managers or directors be prosecuted. The act also tends to cover the employees’ duties at the work place. Employees in their duties at the work place are expected to take much care for good of their own safety and health and that of others who may be at risk of being affected by their acts. Employees are also expected to co-operate with their employers a nd other people at their work places when they are carrying out their statutory obligations (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The Health and Safety at Work act of 1974 provides that every organization or industry should have clearly stipulated health and safety policy if it has employed five and above employees. The organizations are also required to carry out assessments on their workers, partners, customers, and any other individual who may be at risk of being affected by the activities carried out by the organizations. The act also requires the organizations to have full access to health and safety advice that is competent. This is for the protection of its people or the staff members who may be affected by the activities carried out by the organization in terms of health and safety (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The HSWA act works alongside other regulations and Legislations in protection of health and safety of the workers. The Factories Act of 1961 and the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises A ct of 1963 are examples of Legislations that work alongside the HSWA act of 1974. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations of 1994, and the Health and Safety Regulations of 1992 are among the regulations that are operated together with the HSWA act of 1974 (Smith, 1998). In its other provisions, the act requires that employers have a working environment that is safe in operation and maintenance to avoid any harm related to health and saf