Perfect Custom Essays

Perfect Custom Essays Nowadays, paper writing for college students has proved to be rather a difficult task for most of them. Consequently, this has pushed them to seek essay writing services from various agencies that offer such services. Various factors have contributed to the students turning to custom essay writing companies for help. These factors include lack of adequate material to complete the assignments, others may be non-natives and the English language appears to be difficult to comprehend. Most college students prefer English essay writing from English native speaking individuals. This is because English is their second language, and they would want their work immaculately done. This may seem unethical to some, but it is quite helpful to many as these companies offer templates that assist students in composing their original work. Additionally, these companies offer various services such as thesis writing, research papers, dissertation chapters, course work and reports among others. Proofread ing and editing of previously done work are also services offered by these companies. Subsequently, such services help in avoiding common grammatical errors such as run-on sentences, punctuation mistakes, spelling mistakes, subject verb agreements and other common typos. It also helps in eliminating plagiarism by correct citations where work has been borrowed and paraphrased to represent originality. These companies accomplish all these by employing expert writers who offer excellent and professional English essay writing skills. Some of these professional writers are English language natives while others have English as their second language but still offer excellent services to the clients available.

Edwards Surname Meaning, Origin and Family History

Edwards Surname Meaning, Origin and Family History Edwards is a patronymic surname meaning son of Edward. It derives from the early medieval English given name, Edward, meaning prosperous guardian, from the Old English Eadward, composed of the elements ead, meaning prosperity or fortune, and w(e)ard, meaning guard. Edwards is the 53rd most popular surname in the United States and the 17th most common surname in England. Surname Origin:  EnglishAlternate Surname Spellings:  EDWARDES, EDWARDSON, EDWARD, EDWART Famous People With the EDWARDS Surname Jonathan Edwards: Protestant  Theologian, Philosopher, Journalist, Educator, ScholarGareth Edwards: Welsh rugby playerBlake Edwards:  American film director, producer and screenwriterTeresa Edwards: American basketball player; Olympic medalistRobert Alan Bob Edwards:  American author, radio journalist and host  Clement Edwards:  Welsh lawyer, journalist, trade union activist and Liberal politicianPierpont Edwards: American lawyer, judge and delegate to the American Continental Congress Where Is the EDWARDS Surname Most Commonly Found? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, Edwards is the 800th most common surname in the world. It is especially prevalent in the United States, where it ranks 51st, as well as England (21st), Australia (26th), Wales (14th), Trinidad and Tobago (18th), Jamaica (14th) and New Zealand (23rd). Within England it is most common in Shropshire, where it is the 5th most frequent surname. It is also the 7th most common surname in both Flintshire and Denbighshire, Wales. Ellis is found most frequently in Wales, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler, followed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Genealogy Resources for the Surname EDWARDS Edwards Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Edwards surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Edwards query.FamilySearch - EDWARDS  Genealogy: Explore over 7.6  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Edwards surname, as well as online Edwards family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet - Edwards  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Edwards  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY - Essay Example Furthermore, language convergence and membership of a person in groups are also determined based on the languages that they know (THOMAS And WAREING, 1999). Bi-lingual or Multi-lingual Having the ability to speak two differently languages fluently marks a bi-linguist, whereas the ability to speak more than one language fluently marks a person as being a multi-linguist. Being bi-lingual or multi-lingual can be and is often for a number of reason, but mostly the adoption of more than one language occurs more rapidly in the early childhood stage of a person’s life. Whether it is because of a competent and saturated job market, parents or grandparents belonging to different nationalities or because one has migrated elsewhere, the reasons for accounting to a person being a bi-linguist or multi-linguist are many. Influences on Social identity of a person who is multi-lingual In order to case study the influences, impacts and effects of language diversity on a person, it is important to understand some majorly important terms and influences that shape the changed personal identity of a person. ... Individuals of a specific speech community communicate more often with each other than with individuals outside their speech community and so there exist preference and speech community isolation, which is also termed as communicative isolation. This is influenced by social, cultural, economic or regional similarities or preferences. To understand the term community better, we can analyze that the family of an individual is also a community and there by the language with which they communicate will form a speech community too. Furthermore, speech community is also observed with friends or the employees of the work place. It is noted that the changes in accent, dialect, written Performa or the differences in the languages spoken by individuals also mark changes and developments of speech communities (AGER, MUSKENS And WRIGHT, 1993). The community in general may have a focused set of characteristics of a language being communicated or it can be also diffused with emergence of different widely varying set of characteristics. Code-switching An individual, who is well-versed in more than one language, often tends to change or switch languages while speaking. Either to stress on a specific word, to lay emphasis on the issue or to just make someone laugh or impress the other- the use and reason for code switching varies from person to person and situation to situation. Sometimes, it also occurs unknowingly (NORTON, 2000). Linguistic convergence The lexical, phrasal, verbal or grammatical borrowings or transfusions from one language to another is often termed as linguistic convergence i.e. the convergence or merger of more than one languages, accents or dialects into another. Sometimes it is

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Research - Essay Example As a result of this, real justice calls for people to suffer for the wrongs they have done, and to undergo suffering that is appropriate for the crime they have done. Each criminal is obliged to get what their crime entails and in case of murderer what that crime deserves is death. The sentencing of murderers to death will also make potential murderers to think twice before committing murder. Capital punishment does neither solve nor contribute to reduction of murder crimes. It is just a portrayal of retribution, and as such, is not a morally punishment. This is evidenced by the fact that majority of the people who undergo this punishment are often associated with unintentional commitment of murder crimes (â€Å"Arguments for and Againsts the Death Penalty† 3). For instance, it is evident that majority of the criminals who are convicted of murder do suffer from mental illness. It is also evident that some of the people who are convicted of murder may have committed murder crimes out of uncontrolled emotions. Thus, passing capital punishment to such criminals neither reduces mental illness cases nor controls the emotions of people. â€Å"Arguments for and Againsts the Death Penalty.† Michigan State University and Death Penalty Information Center,(2000): Web. 29 Oct. 2014.

Academic degree Essay Example for Free

Academic degree Essay A person is educated if they constantly strive to attain knowledge while simultaneously recognizing that they know very little about the world around you. As a result, I am currently educating myself now, because it is my desire to pursue knowledge and understanding of life. Determining a person’s education is vital to understanding the nature of education. First of all, education is the pursuit of knowledge, not a goal that can be reached after a set number of years of doctoral study. Consequently, a person, no matter how much they know, can never stop learning because they have already attained education. Instead, people are educated when they wholeheartedly devote their lives to understanding what they do not comprehend. As a result, I, a person with a strong will to understand, am more educated than those who work within the same profession regardless of the number of degrees they may posses. People truly become educated when they truly dedicate themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. Clearly, education is a constant pursuit, and the educated person devotes his entire life to this quest for knowledge. Thus, I know that I am educated as long as I never give up attempting to understand the world around me. However, inseparable from this definition of an educated person, is the realization that no people, at least during my lifetime, can claim that they possess all knowledge and that their knowledge is irrefutable. Thus, the educated person is committed to the pursuit of knowledge, has a mind open to new theory, and never subordinates the truth to an authoritys dictate. Personally, I know I am educated as long as I remain determined to understanding the world and to maintaining an open mind. Of course, this goal of remaining educated will lead me to new heights in the future as I continue my education throughout my doctoral program. I must remain committed to learning my entire life and to making new discoveries. Education cannot be measured by the number of degrees a person has earned. Instead, education is a mind set that must last a person’s entire life.

Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - How We Define Ourselves

How We Define Ourselves in Beloved  Ã‚     Ã‚   The idea of how we define ourselves is a topic that has much force in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison.   Two of the characters in the novel have strongly opposite ideas of defining their own â€Å"selves†.   Baby Suggs displays a very healthy sense of self, completely based on only who she is as a person, and not relying on any other person to assist her in her definition.   She is an independent person and loves her own â€Å"self† greatly.   Sethe, on the other hand, has an unhealthy sense of self because who she is is strongly dependent on her interactions and relationships with her children. The above is excerpt is provided to indicate the focus of the essay. The complete essay begins below: The journey towards finding one’s â€Å"self† is a long and arduous one, twisting and turning in every direction.   The destination is a personal identity -- a definition of who one is, independent of anyone else. Some people find a straight path that leads them directly to the discovery of their â€Å"selves†.   Other people take the road that has many switch-backs and obstacles to overcome, but eventually these people make it to the destination of â€Å"self† as well.   There are still others who get lost along the way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The process of finding one’s â€Å"self† is strongly reliant upon our interactions with other people.   From the beginning, as infants, to when we are still small children, we have no idea who we are or what our relationship to the world is.   Our perceptions of the world are through the eyes of our parents or guardians and other adults who try to teach us and show us the world.   They instill in us their own ideas of right and wrong, good and bad.   As we grow, our peers have much influence over h... ...t our own sense of "self".   We never stop learning and experiencing new things, so our definitions of "self" are constantly being challenged and sometimes altered.   However, when we begin to rely solely upon other people to know who we are, our "self" is no longer our own.   A true sense of "self" is responsive to one's interactions and relationships with people, but defined only by one's own mind and heart, independent of others.   The road towards personal identity is long.   Several people may help us out along the way, hydrating us as needed; carrying us as needed.   But, in the end, we hopefully cross the finish line on our own. Works Cited 1.   Kubitcheck, M.D.   Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion.   London: Greenwood Press, 1998. 2.   Morrison, Toni.   Beloved.   New York: Plume, 1987. 3.   One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. 4.   Secrets and Lies.      

What is Drug?

A drug is any animal, vegetable, or mineral substance used in the composition of medicines. It also refers to any stuff used in dyeing or in chemical operations. It is a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic. A drug is capable of altering natural biological processes, with their manipulating nature used in medicine as a corrective measure against deviances from these normal biological processes. As described in the Webster Dictionary (1992), a drug, is a substance, other than food intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals.It is any narcotic; also any substance or chemical agent, exclusive of food, employed for other than medical reasons to obtain a given physiological effect or to satisfy a craving. The drug affects the mind or body. The effect depends on the type of drug, the amount taken, when and how it is used, and the person who takes it (Webster, 1992). Drugs may be classified as uppers, downers, narcotics, mind-affecting (hallucinogens), or volatile chemicals. Uppers are stimulants that affect the nervous system to excite the user.Downers are depressants that affect the central nervous system to relax the user. Narcotics affect the nervous system, and change many of the normal activities of the body, and often produce an intense state of excitement or distortion of the user’s senses. Volatile chemicals are depressants acting upon the central nervous system. It is important for the first aider to be able to detect possible drug abuse at the overdose level and to relate certain signs to certain types of drugs (Webster, 1992 p. FA-28). There are four levels of drug use.Abstinence means not taking any drugs or any particular drug. Experimentation means trying a drug for the first time. It could be a doctor prescribing medicine, or a young person sniffing glue. If a user likes the effects of a drug, he or she may move to casual, recreational or regular use. Casual use is taking a drug only when a person feels like it or when a it is offered. Recreational use is a drug use for enjoyment in social situations. Regular use means taking drugs almost everyday. Habitual or problem drug becomes dependent (needs to have some of the drug everyday).The user may have very little control over his or her problem drug use. The effects of this dependence can be serious, and sometimes fatal. With certain drugs, the user can develop a tolerance, or get used to the drug. He or she has to take very large amounts to feel the same effects. These drugs include alcohol, opiates, LSD, caffeine, amphetamines and tranquilisers. Psychological dependence can develop with any type of drug. The user believes that he or she will not be able to lead a normal life without taking the drug and becomes very upset if it is not available.Physical dependence, when the body cannot work without a regular supply of the drug may happen with long term use. This is common with depressants and a nalgesics. Depressants slow the nervous system and relax the body. Alcohol is the most common, but other legal depressants are abused for these effects. These include barbiturates (sleeping pills), tranquilisers and solvents (glue and gases). Analgesics reduce the user’s reaction to pain, discomfort and anxiety. Opium, heroin and codeine are obtained from opium poppies.Methadone and pethidine are synthetic (chemical rather than natural) analgesics. Many analgesics have medical uses. Withdrawal symptoms, which make the user feel unwell, can happen when a regular user stops taking a drug. When a person has an overdose, he or she takes more of the drug than the body can cope with, becomes very ill and may even die (Brown and King 1990). Mechanisms of Drug Action To describe the mechanism of drug action in the brain, whenever a person uses a drug and the effect it produces is somehow pleasant, this effect gets a rewarding quality for that person.As experimental research by behavi oural psychologists has demonstrated, all behaviours that are reinforced by a reward have a tendency to be repeated and learned. Successive repetitions, besides fixing the reward-producing behaviours, also fix all previously indifferent stimuli, sensations, and situations, eventually associated with those behaviours. Seeing particular places or persons, hearing specific music, etc, for instance, triggers in drug users the craving for their preferred drug. Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Dr.Edythe D. London and her colleagues at the Addiction Research Centre, in Baltimore, obtained images showing that in cocaine-users, cues associated with the use of the drug sparked an increase in the metabolism of glucose in brain areas that are associated with memory and learning (lateral pre-frontal cortex, amygdala, and cerebellum). Up to now, is far from complete our knowledge about the cerebral, chemical and structural changes that underlie reward and act as reinforcers for different behaviours, including that of drug use.Nevertheless, recent researches point to a chain of reactions, involving several neurotransmitters, leading to the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in a brain region. Compare and contrast the Physical Dependence and Positive Incentive theories of drug addiction. Drug addiction has two components: physical dependency, and psychological dependency. Physical dependency occurs when a drug has been used habitually and the body has become accustomed to its effects. The person must then continue to use the drug in order to feel normal, or its absence will trigger the symptoms of withdrawal.Psychological dependency occurs when a drug has been used habitually and the mind has become emotionally reliant of its effects, either to elicit pleasure or relieve pain, and does not feel capable of functioning without it. Its absence produces intense cravings, which are often brought on or magnified by stress. A dependent person may have either aspects o f dependency, but often has both. â€Å"Chipping† is also a term used to describe a pattern of drug use in which the user is not physically dependent and sustains ‘controlled use' of a drug.This is done by avoiding influences that reinforce dependence, such that the drug is used for relaxation and not for escape. Physical Dependency Model After repeated exposure to certain drugs, withdrawal symptoms appear if the drug is discontinued. Withdrawal symptoms are compensatory reactions that oppose the primary effects of the drug. Therefore they are the opposite of the effects of the drug. Withdrawal effects are unpleasant and reduction in these effects would therefore constitute negative reinforcement.[Negative reinforcement is the reinforcement of behaviour that terminates an aversive stimulus] Negative reinforcement could explain why addicts continue to take the drug. However some addicts will endure withdrawal symptoms (go ‘cold-turkey') in order to reduce their tol erance so that they can recommence drug intake at a lower dose which costs less to purchase. Concentrating on the role of physical withdrawal effects at the expense of other psychological factors led to the failure to recognize the addictive properties of cocaine.Cocaine does not produce physical dependency (tolerance and withdrawal symptoms) but it is more addictive than heroin. This diagram (redrawn from Julien, 1995), shows the changing pattern in the major drug used by patients admitted to drug treatment programs in New York City during the 1980s. It is also important to emphasize that reduction in withdrawal symptoms does not explain why people take drugs in the first place. Negative reinforcement may account for initial drug taking in some situations. For example, someone who is suffering from unpleasant emotions may experience a reduction in these feelings (i.e. negative reinforcement) following drug administration. However the most likely reason for drug taking involves posi tive reinforcement. Positive Reinforcement Model The reinforcing properties of a drug are thought to be reason why most people become addicted to drugs. Addictive drugs are positive reinforcers (Carlson, 2001). As you know positive reinforcement can lead to learning a new response, and the maintenance of existing behaviours. It follows that the behaviours associated with taking an addictive drug (i. e. injecting or smoking it) will increase in probability.One way of testing this claim is to examine the reinforcing properties of drugs in animals. We already know that conventional reinforcers support bar-pressing in animals, therefore if a drug maintains a response such as bar-pressing in an animal, it is a reinforcing stimulus. At one time it was believed that animals could not be made addicted to drugs, but that view is now rejected because technical developments have shown that animals will learn new behaviours that cause injection of drugs into their body. Explain how the study of reward circuits has provided a potential explanation of drug addiction.The study of reward circuits has provided a potential explanation of drug addiction. The reinforcing effects of drugs during intoxication create an environment that, if perpetuated, triggers the neuronal adaptations that result in addiction. Imaging studies in drug abusers as well as non–drug abusers have shown that drugs of abuse increase the extra-cellular concentration of drug addiction in the striatum and that these increases were associated with their reinforcing effects. The subjects who had the greatest increases in drug addiction were the ones who experienced drug effects such as â€Å"high,† â€Å"rush,† or â€Å"euphoria† most intensely.These studies also showed that the reinforcing effects appeared to be associated not only with the magnitude but also with the abruptness of the drug addiction increase. Thus, for an equivalent increase in drug addiction, the drug was experie nced as reinforcing when it was injected intravenously, which leads to fast drug uptake in the brain and presumably very fast changes in drug addiction concentration, but not when it was given orally, which leads to a slow rate of brain uptake and presumably slow increases in drug addiction concentration.The dependency of the reinforcing effects of drugs on fast and large increases in drug addiction concentration is reminiscent of the changes in drug addiction concentration induced by phasic drug addiction cell firing (fast-burst firing > 30 Hz), which also leads to fast changes in drug addiction concentration and whose function is to highlight the saliency of stimuli. This contrasts with tonic drug addiction cell firing (slow firing at frequencies around 5 Hz), which maintains base-line steady-state drug addiction levels and whose function is to set the overall responsiveness of the drug addiction system.This led us to speculate that the ability of drugs of abuse to induce changes in drug addiction concentration that mimic but exceed those produced by phasic drug addiction cell firing results in over-activation of the neuronal processes that highlight saliency, and that this is one of the relevant variables underlying their high reinforcing value. However, studies show that increases in drug addiction concentration during intoxication occur in both addicted and non-addicted subjects, so this by itself cannot explain the process of addiction.Since drug addiction requires chronic drug administration, we suggest that addiction results from the repeated perturbation of reward circuits (marked drug addiction increases followed by drug addiction decreases) and the consequent disruption of the circuits that it regulates (motivation/drive, memory/learning, and control). Indeed, imaging studies in drug-addicted subjects have consistently shown long-lasting decreases in the numbers of drug addiction D2 receptors in drug abusers compared with controls.In addition, studi es have shown that cocaine abusers also have decreased drug addiction cell activity, as evidenced by reduced drug addiction release in response to a pharmacological challenge with a stimulant drug. We postulate that the decrease in the number of drug addiction D2 receptors, coupled with the decrease in drug addiction cell activity, in the drug abusers would result in a decreased sensitivity of reward circuits to stimulation by natural reinforcers.This decreased sensitivity would lead to decreased interest in ordinary (day-to-day) environmental stimuli, possibly predisposing subjects for seeking drug stimulation as a means to temporarily activate these reward circuits. Imaging studies provide evidence of disrupted sensitivity to natural reinforcers in addiction. For example, in a study by Martin-Solch and colleagues, the meso-striatal and meso-corticolimbic circuits of opiate addicts were not activated in response to natural reinforcers, whereas they were in controls subjects.Similar ly, in a second study by the same group, DA-regulated reward centres in tobacco smokers failed to activate in response to monetary reward. Interestingly, decreased sensitivity of reward circuits to acute alcohol administration has also been documented in cocaine abusers compared with control subjects. These findings suggest an overall reduction in the sensitivity of reward circuits in drug-addicted individuals to natural reinforcers, but also possibly to drugs besides the one to which they are addicted (extracted from the Journal of Clinical Investment May 15, 2003).

Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism Essay

Life is drama; playing roles in relation to other people. Interest in the interaction of language and action. Symbolic Interactionist—Language is symbolic action. â€Å"Verbal symbols are meaningful acts from which motives can be derived (Griffin, p. 329).† â€Å"Human beings†¦are a symbol-creating, symbol-using, and symbol misusing animal (Littlejohn, 1978, p. 69).† A theory of Motives—why do people act (particularly rhetorically) the way they do? Assess motives. Texts/Speeches created by people to â€Å"DO SOMETHING.† Can be analyzed to determine what it is they are trying to do. Distinguishes human â€Å"Action† from Animal â€Å"Motion† Action Motion Done on purpose;Behaviors that are non- voluntary behavior purposeful/non-meaningful e.g. DramatismïÆ' ª ïÆ' ªAll animals and objects Peoplehave motion ïÆ' ªÃ¯Æ' ª Forms of ThoughtThe study of motion is ïÆ' ªmechanism Understood through motives ïÆ' ª Pentad (tool for understanding motives) Motive: Linguistic Product of Rhetorical Action Created a Grammar of Motives (â€Å"grammar† meaning rules, principles, elements, structure and/or book) Motives are viewed by Burke in terms of internal sources of action; but rather in terms of how language and terms are used to make actions understandable. Guilt as Motive: guilt is an â€Å"all-purpose word for any feeling of tension within a person—anxiety, embarrassment, self-hatred, disgust, etc. (Littlejohn, 1978, p. 70).† We communicate to purge ourselves of guilt. Guilt arises out of language. Three sources of guilt: 1. The Negative: Language allows for rules, morals, etc. that surround us and we can’t escape violating. 2. The Principle of Perfection: Language allows us to â€Å"imagine† the ideal (should). 3. The Principle of Heirarchy: Structure society with competing class and group distinctions We seek redemption (reduce or eliminate guilt) through communication/rhetoric/dramatism 1. Mortification: self-blame 2. Victimage: external enemy is the source 3. Scapegoating: blame other(s) Substance: general nature of a thing Consubstantiation: (shared substance, commonality) Identification: (same as consub) degrees of; conscious or unconscious; 1) material identification—goods, possessions, things 2) idealistic identification—values, ideas, feelings, attitudes 3) formal identification—form or arrangement of act/conventions; roles, customs, etc. Division—differences with others (source of guilt) PENTAD Tool for understanding motives Act SceneAgent Agency Purpose (Hexad: Attitude: delayed or incipient action) Statement of motives will answer: What was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how it was done (agency), and why it was done (purpose).

Kobe Earthquake 1995 essays

Kobe Earthquake 1995 essays Earthquakes are natural hazards, which occur on plate margins. Earthquakes are the result of plate movements. The strain builds up along the fault line between two plates until they move causing earthquakes. So why did the Kobe earthquake happen? Japan is at a high risk to earthquakes. Kobe is no exception. Japans second most major port is situated on a minor fault, the Nojma Fault. Unfortunately it lies above a destructive plate margin. Kobe is located above where the Philippines crust (oceanic crust) and the Eurasion crust (continental crust) meet. It was along this fault that the triggered the earthquake that hit Kobe. At 5.46am on January 17th 1995, whilst many of its citizens were still asleep, the Japanese city of Kobe was hit by the largest earthquake in Japan since 1923. It was recorded at 7.2 on the Richter scale and lasted for 20 seconds. During this time the ground moved 18cm horizontally and 12cm vertically. The earthquake was not only powerful but the epicentre was only 20km away from the city, it resulted in massive damage to property and loss of life. The worst effected area was in the central part of Kobe, a region about 5km by 20km alongside the main docks and port area. This area is built on soft and easily removed rocks; especially the port itself is built on reclaimed ground. Here the ground actually liquefied and acted like thick soup, allowing buildings to topple sideways, resulting in huge cranes in the harbour toppling over into the sea. More than 102,000 buildings were destroyed in Kobe, leaving 300,00 people homeless. The cost to repair the infrastructure of the city was est imated at $150 billion dollars, and that was just for the state owned buildings and services. The final cost makes the earthquake the most expensive natural disaster in modern history. Remember all that for just 20 seconds of earthquake. ...

Find and Claim Your Unclaimed Pension With PBGC.gov

Find and Claim Your Unclaimed Pension With PBGC.gov As of 2014, the federal Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), reports there are more than 38,000 people who, for any number of reasons, have not claimed pension benefits they are owed. Those unclaimed pensions are now north of $300 million, with individual benefits ranging from 12 cents to almost $1 million. In 1996, PBGC launched the Pension Search directory Web site to help people who may have forgotten about, or been unaware of pensions they earned during their career. The pension database can be searched by last name, company name, or state where the company had its headquarters. The online service is absolutely free and available 24-hours a day. Updated regularly, the current list identifies some 6,600 companies, primarily in the airline, steel, transportation, machinery, retail trade, apparel, and financial services industries that closed pension plans in which some former workers could not be found. Benefits waiting to be claimed range from as little as $1 up to $611,028. The average unclaimed pension is $4,950. The states with the most missing pension participants and money to be claimed are: New York (6,885/$37.49 million), California (3,081/$7.38 million), New Jersey (2,209/$12.05 million) Texas (1,987/$6.86 million), Pennsylvania (1,944/$9.56 million), Illinois (1,629/$8.75 million) and Florida (1,629/$7.14 million). Does It Work? ​ According to PBGC, in the past 12 years, more than 22,000 people have found $137 million in missing pension benefits through the Pension Search program. The states with the most found participants and pension money claimed are: New York (4,405/$26.31 million), California (2,621/$8.33 million), Florida (2,058/$15.27 million), Texas (2,047/$11.23 million), New Jersey (1,601/$9.99 million), Pennsylvania (1,594/$6.54 million) and Michigan (1,266/$6.54 million). What to Do If You Don't Have Internet at Home For those without access to the Internet at home, many local public libraries, community colleges, and senior centers make computers available to the public that can be used for searching the Pension Search directory. Searchers can also e-mail foundpbgc.gov or missingpbgc.gov if they believe they are entitled to a benefit. What Happens If You Find a Missing Pension? ​ Once the PBGC is contacted by people who find their names in the directory, the agency asks them to provide more details including proof of age and other vital statistics. The identification process generally takes 4-6 weeks. After the PBGC receives a completed application, people currently eligible for a benefit should receive their checks within two months. Those entitled to future benefits will receive their benefits when they reach retirement age. Things You Might Need to Claim Your Pension Several documents may be required or helpful in proving proof of eligibility for a pension. These include: A notification from the company of plan administrator that you are vested in the planAn individual statement of annual plan benefitsA plan exit letter (sent by the employer) noting participation in the plan and a summary plan description showing the plan’s rules, including the rules for vestingA Notice of Potential Private Pension Benefit Information, if sent by the Social Security Administration (SSA) The SSA automatically sends a Notice of Potential Private Pension Benefit Information to people who may be due pensions when they apply for Social Security and Medicare benefits. How Do Pensions Become "Lost?" Many of the names in the Pension Search directory are workers with pensions whose former employers closed pension plans and distributed benefits. Others are workers or retirees missing from underfunded pension plans taken over by the PBGC because the plans did not have enough money to pay benefits. Included in the directory are people who may be able to document that they are owed a benefit, even though current PBGC records show that no benefit is due. Some reasons pensions might go lost or unclaimed include: The company went bankrupt or simply closed and vanished;The company moved to another town, city, or state;The company was bought by or merged with another company and given a new name; orThe company was divided into separate parts, none of which retained the company’s old name. For More Information The PBGCs booklet Finding A Lost Pension also provides tips, suggests potential allies, and details numerous free information sources. It is particularly helpful for those trying to find pensions earned from former employers whose identity may have changed over the years because of changes in company ownership. About the PBGC The PBGC is a federal government agency created under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. It currently guarantees payment of basic pension benefits earned by 44 million American workers and retirees participating in over 30,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans. The agency receives no funds from general tax revenues. Operations are financed largely by insurance premiums paid by companies that sponsor pension plans and investment returns.

Case 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case 8 - Assignment Example The perception that greening affects bottom line has begun losing ground. It is a changed mindset among business organizations that has given a big fillip to myriads of environment-friendly business activities. Various measurement techniques including the Green Confidence Index or indices such as S&P/IFC Carbon Efficient Index distinguish organizations on the critical aspect of pollutants they create. Investor community patronizes those organizations that work harder reducing carbon footprint. The companies such as Wal-Mart, Google, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc, General Electric, Intel Corp. have done pioneering efforts meeting sustainability objectives. Developing countries such as China too have been found supporting sustainable business practices though many companies in the US need to create pressure on their overseas suppliers to meet certain minimum standards that protect environment. According to the writer, studies reveal that the company's performance, ov er time, improves with its greening efforts. Soon a time will come when business performance will not be measured only through growth or profitability parameters but how the company as a business organization has fared on reducing its carbon footprint. ... ening' is a new buzz word for organizations showing their commitment not only towards society but also a larger interest of sustaining life on this planet. Even if 'greening' is not good for bottom line in a conventional sense, the efforts are appreciated by all stakeholders of the organization. It is a natural transition from a process that started with producing goods fulfilling the needs of customers to satisfying the needs of environment as well. After all, survival and sustainability issues are the concerns of all that live on this earth. The fact remains that greening has become an intrinsic part of the most organizations in the US. Consumers do not patronize those business organizations that ignore this crucial aspect in their day-to-day operations. Over time, consumers have become enlightened after seeing the horrendous consequences of climate change in most part of the world due to unfriendly environmental practices followed in last several decades. The global warming has ca used catastrophic climate changes across all parts of the world leading to increased frequency of cyclones, drought, melting of icebergs leading to submergence of low lying areas causing displacement of populace, or above normal precipitation in many parts of the world. Even economic slowdown has not derailed environmental-friendly practices because the perception that greening adds to the cost has not been found true in a broader sense. When large organizations, especially in the developed countries, are putting consistent efforts reducing carbon footprints as a part of their social responsibility, it becomes imperative on part of others to follow the suit regardless of its cost implications. It is true that certain businesses such as textile processing, chemicals, color and pigments