Tropical Rain Forest Essay Example for Free

Tropical Rain Forest Essay Afterward, biodiversity suffers. Decomposers like leaf-cutter ants, termites, bacteria, and fungi live on the forest floor. These decomposers quickly turn fallen leaves and dead organisms into nutrients. This creates food for trees and other plants and animals. Today, we know that the soil of the tropical rainforests is thin and very low in nutrients. Decomposers like leaf-cutter ants, termites, bacteria, and fungi quickly turn falling leaves and dead organisms into nutrients. Plants take up these nutrients the moment they are available, so they don’t get a chance to enrich the soil. Keeping Tropical Rainforests Healthy Conservation of tropical rainforests should be easy. They have survived for millions of years. The trick to keeping them healthy is to not take too much too fast. This gives the rainforests time to recover from human activities like logging. But many countries that have tropical rainforests are poor. They can make money by cutting down and developing the rainforests. But uncontrolled development results in deforestation, erosion, and loss of biodiversity. Carving up the Forests Roads are cut through previously untouched rainforest to make way for logging trucks, mining equipment, and farm machines. These roads cut forest habitat into small pieces. This isolates the animals in those areas, which makes it harder for them to travel and find mates. One of the most damaging effects of development has been dividing the rainforest habitat into little patches of forest. This is called fragmentation. Today, many species are isolated in these small areas of forest because they will not or cannot enter open habitats. The result is that species such asorangutans cannot connect with one another to mate and have babies. Conservations Efforts

The Universal Living Wage Essay -- Essays Papers

The Universal Living Wage In 1906 Father John Ryan, a renowned social and economic intellectual within the Catholic Church, published a book titled A Living Wage: Its Ethical and Economic Aspects. The book introduced to America workers the idea of a guaranteed minimum pay determined by the basic costs of living and set the stage for later minimum wage legislation during the 1930’s. Over the last decade, the idea of a living wage has resurfaced as workers have become more outspoken about the inadequacies of the federal and state minimum wage levels. Living wage legislation for government workers has taken effect in major U.S. cities such as Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Jose, Detroit, Boston, and many more. This paper will discuss the moral, social, and economic implications of instituting these laws as well as labor conditions around the world and the need for guaranteed living wages in countries such as India and Mexico. First of all, a clear definition of the living wage should be established. The Universal Living Wage Campaign Organization says that if a person works forty hours a week, a living wage should provide the worker and his/her dependents with proper nutrition, health care, housing, clothing, and transportation. Some debate has arisen around this definition though for a few reasons. First of all, the number of dependents the wage-earner must support has a huge impact on the calculation of the living wage. A wage-earner who only has to support himself can survive with a much lower wage than a wage-earner who must support a family of five for example, so how should legislation take this into account? If the idea of the living wage is to pay workers based on need, a law that provides a wage capable of supp... ...> - Clean Clothes Campaign. < http://www.cleanclothes.org/campaign/liwa99-11- 3.htm>. - â€Å"Universal Living Wage Effect on Business and Taxpayers†. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/ulwwhitepaper.html - Pritchard, Justin. â€Å"U.S. Study Concludes That 'Living Wage' Reduces Poverty†. < http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0314-03.htm >. 2002 - Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras. â€Å"New Study: Mexicans Unable to Live on Sweatshop Wages†. . 2001. - CFO â€Å"Protecting the Rights of Maquiladora Workers†. - Pritchard, Justin. â€Å"Study: Living Wage Laws Work†. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/14/national/main503712.shtml - http://www.epinet.org/issueguides/minwage/figure1.gif

City of Kelsey Budgeting

Tiera Bristol November 19, 2012 Policing in Kelsey: Budget Report Professor Charles McClelland Abstract Working as the budget director for the mayor of the city of Kelsey, we have recently been getting numerous complaints from the citizens about an increase in crime and also an issue of the public demanding for more police officers. With the population of the city growing daily, the increase of crime is continuing to progress as well.The mayor has informed us that this past year is the highest increase in crime in the city’s history, that the federal government has reduced the federal pass-through money for the state and that the budgeting group needs to revamp the budget for the coming year. Within this document as the Budget officer, we will take a close look at the present budget to determine the changes that need to be made in order to come up with a solution that is politically feasible.In doing so we will examine numerous things in depth which includes looking at how the changes affect the fiscal cycle of your budgeting, how the preparation, execution, and evaluation of the budgeting cycle would change, our budgeting approach based on the changes and the reasons, differences of the chosen budgeting approach from those not used, a plan to address the crime issue, and lastly a summary of the cost-benefit analysis of your plan. Main According to Apollo Group (2007), â€Å"Kelsey is nestled in the hills of the Northwest Valley.With a population of 625,000 Kelsey offers the amenities of the big city, but still retains its small town charm† (para. 1). In addition to the limited budget, there has been a recent budgetary reform at the federal level, which has put additional pressure on local police agencies to use the federal money before it expires. The state Chiefs of Police Association is lobbying the state for a 15% public safety tax for a temporary 3-year period in order to make up the deficit. The state legislature and local governments are wa ry of adding any additional new taxes on citizens.In addition, the state’s Sierra Club organization is putting pressure on state and local government to hire less police officers, build more prisons, and develop the state’s infrastructure. There are different types of budgeting that businesses typically use and those include Operating budgets, Capital Budgets and there are many subtypes that exist because a budget can also be created for special events, the recruitment and retention of new staff, and to manage the advertising expenses and return on investments for a business (Demand Media, 1999-2012).According to Demand Media (1999-2012), â€Å"An operating budget outlines the total operating expenses and income for the organization, typically for the period of a fiscal year. Capital budgets evaluate the investments and assets of the business, and a cash budget shows the predicted cash flow in and out of the business over a period of time† (para. 2 ). According to the Cost-Benefit Analysis (2012), â€Å"Capital budgeting has at its core the tool of cost-benefit analysis; it merely extends the basic form into a multi-period analysis, with consideration of the time value of money.In this context, a new product, venture, or investment is evaluated on a start-to-finish basis, with care taken to capture all the impacts on the company, both cost and benefits. When these inputs and outputs are quantified by year, they can then be discounted to present value to determine the net present value of the opportunity at the time of the decision† (â€Å"Cost-Benefit Analysis,† 2012).In taking steps to resolve these issues in the city of Kelsey and coming up with a solution that is politically feasible we will use the cost-benefit analysis which is the process of determining costs and benefits for programs, decisions, and projects and making a true yet equal determination for an end result. This process in my opinion is almost like a predict ion for what the end result will look like†¦ â€Å"In governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a proposed project in monetary terms and compare them with its costs† (â€Å"Cost-Benefit Analysis,† 2012).When it comes to looking at different Business decisions that would use the cost-benefit analysis, the reasoning could be, but not limited to â€Å"whether or not to add employees, introduce a new technology, purchase equipment, change vendors, implement new procedures, and remodel or relocate facilities† (â€Å"Cost-Benefit Analysis,† 2012). According to the Cost-Benefit Analysis (2012), â€Å"Cost-benefit analysis is the exercise of evaluating an action's consequences by weighing the pluses, or benefits, against the minuses, or costs.It is the fundamental assessment behind virtually every business decision, due to the simple fact that business managers do not want to spend money unless the resulting benefits are expected to exceed the costs. As companies increasingly seek to cut costs and improve productivity, cost-benefit analysis has become a valuable tool for evaluating a wide range of business opportunities, such as major purchases, organizational changes, and expansions† (â€Å"Cost-Benefit Analysis,† 2012).In coming up with a plan that demonstrates how the preparation, execution and evaluation of the budgeting cycle would change would look like this, according to the Cost-Benefit Analysis (2012), â€Å"A formal cost-benefit analysis is a multi-step process which includes a preliminary survey, a feasibility study, and a final report. At the conclusion of each step, the party responsible for performing the analysis can decide whether continuing on to the next step is warranted.The preliminary survey is an initial evaluation that involves gathering information on both the opportunity and the existing situation. The feasibility study involves completing the information gathering as needed and evaluating the data to gauge the short- and long-term impact of the opportunity. Finally, the formal cost-benefit analysis report should provide decision makers with all the pertinent information they need to take appropriate action on the opportunity.It should include an executive summary and introduction; information about the scope, purpose, and methodology of the study; recommendations, along with factual justification; and factors concerning implementation† (â€Å"Cost-Benefit Analysis,† 2012). When it comes to coming up with ideas to address the issue of crime there are no set strategy that can be deemed perfect. Instead it is a good idea to proactive, alert and daily trying to come up with new ideas to address this issue.Crime is on the rise and everyday criminals are getting smarter and coming up with new tactics and ways for committing crimes, therefore it is critical for law enforcement, as a unit to put just as much time and effort, if not more, in coming up with new/advanced approaches, tactics, plans and policies to deter crime. Through research I found that Governor Snyder’s plan to fight crime in the State of Michigan to very interesting. After examining the Governor’s plan we feel that it would also be a good idea to look at some of the same things within the city of Kelsey around coming up with a plan to address the current crime issues.According to Michigan Radio Newsroom (2012), â€Å"Secure Cities Partnership (provide local assistance and coordinate teams of local, state and federal law enforcement officers to direct patrols and provide investigative resources), Fire and first responders (forming an advisory council that will recommend ways to provide better emergency services statewide with a long-term, sustainable cost model), Prosecutorial support (investment for prosecutorial support in distressed cities), Mental health courts (They can require individuals to comply with treatment, whi ch may keep them from committing crimes), Drug courts (Drug treatment courts address the revolving-door cycle in which drug and alcohol offenders move in and out of the justice system; a high-risk, high-need drug court initiative that expands drug court programming), Human trafficking (protects victims and goes after the individuals who profit from this crime), New paths for young people (help teens from urban areas realize that promising opportunities exist), Removing abandoned buildings (Abandoned buildings often are havens for illegal activity. orbid individuals with unpaid taxes or who own blighted properties from buying any more property at auction), Truancy (placing more social workers within public schools)† (para. 3). Conclusion Throughout this document we have analyzed ways to come up with a solution that is politically feasible in making corrections to the budget. Using the cost-benefit analysis tool is essential and highly beneficial in determining what will stay an d what organizations will be dismissed. We have looked at the Governor of Michigan plan and approach to address the crime issues and of those mentioned and described, would be necessary to analysis within the city of Kelsey. Reference Apollo Group. (2007). The City of Kelsey. Retrieved from

Brutal Treatment of Women Suffragists at Occoquan

An email has been circulating that tells of the brutal treatment in 1917 at Occoquan, Virginia, prison, of women who had picketed the White House as part of the campaign to win the vote for women. The point of the email: it took a lot of sacrifice to win the vote for women, and so women today should honor their sacrifice by taking our right to vote seriously, and actually getting to the polls. The author of the article in the email, though the emails usually omit the credit, is Connie Schultz of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland. Alice Paul led the more radical wing of those who were working for womens suffrage in 1917. Paul had taken part in more militant suffrage activity in England, including hunger strikes that were met with imprisonment and brutal force-feeding methods. She believed that by bringing such militant tactics to America, the publics sympathy would be turned towards those who protested for woman suffrage, and the vote for women would be won, finally, after seven decades of activism. And so, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and others separated in America from the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), headed by Carrie Chapman Catt, and formed the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CU) which in 1917 transformed itself into the National Womans Party (NWP). While many of the activists in the NAWSA turned during World War I either to pacifism or to support Americas war effort, the National Womans Party continued to focus on winning the vote for women. During wartime, they planned and carried out a campaign to picket the White House in Washington, DC. The reaction was, as in Britain, strong and swift: the arrest of the picketers and their imprisonment. Some were transferred to an abandoned workhouse located at Occoquan, Virginia. There, the women staged hunger strikes, and, as in Britain, were force-fed brutally and otherwise treated violently. Ive referred to this part of woman suffrage history in other articles, notably when describing the history of the suffragist split over strategy in the last decade of activism before the vote was finally won. Feminist Sonia Pressman Fuentes documents this history in her article on Alice Paul. She includes this re-telling of the story of Occoquan Workhouses Night of Terror, November 15, 1917: Under orders from W. H. Whittaker, superintendent of the Occoquan Workhouse, as many as forty guards with clubs went on a rampage, brutalizing thirty-three jailed suffragists. They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head, and left her there for the night. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed, and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate Alice Cosu, who believed Mrs. Lewis to be dead, suffered a heart attack. According to affidavits, other women were grabbed, dragged, beaten, choked, slammed, pinched, twisted, and kicked.(source: Barbara Leaming, Katherine Hepburn (New York: Crown Publishers, 1995), 182.) Related Resources An image of Emmeline Pankhurst, who led the militant British woman suffragists, including hunger strike tactics, which inspired Alice Paul  and the National Womans PartyA firsthand account of this is in Doris Stevens Jailed for Freedom (New York: Liveright Publishing, 1920. (Gutenberg text)The movie Iron Jawed Angels focuses on this period of the woman suffrage movement.Sewall-Belmont House, home of the National Womans Party, is now a museum that includes many archives of these events.The Library of Congress presents some photos of women suffrage prisoners: Suffrage Prisoners