Important Issues Facing The European Union Today Economics Essay

Important Issues Facing The European Union Today Economics Essay The European Union is an integration of European states that encompasses different histories, institutions, political systems and economies. At present the EU boasts 27 member countries with a combined population of over 500 million. The creation of a single currency, the euro, has led these citizens to depend heavily on the union for the success of their respective economies. Furthermore, many others nations out with EU jurisdiction rely on the EU for trade, finance and investment aid. Political historians such as Leonard (2005) have argued that the EU has been in a state of crisis since its inception. However, despite such problems, the EU has emerged as a strong, steady and powerful force in the global political arena. The dawn of the 21st century has brought with it fresh challenges for the EU to address. Many of these issues were outlined by EU President Jose Manuel Barroso in a speech at the European Parliament in 2007. Barroso cited economic reforms, unemployment, social justice and climate change as being matters of pressing concern (2007). This essay serves to highlight these problems and explain why they are the most important issues facing the European Union today. One of the major problems facing the EU is the ever increasing levels of unemployment affecting the majority of the member states. Barroso (2007) stated that close to 20 million EU citizens were classed as unemployed. More worryingly, Barroso stressed that many of those out of work were of a younger demographic. Modigliani (2005) warned that such rates of unemployment can lead to resources being wasted, a decline in output and thus a loss in savings and investment within the economy. Modigliani also hastened to add that unemployment levels can lead to complicated and long-standing social problems as individuals affected can grow despondent and discouraged by the lack of job opportunities. Therefore, unemployment is an important issue impinging on all of the EU states. Bertola (2000) alluded to labour market participation rates, wage inequality, employment dispersion across EU regions and market performance as being the major causes of high unemployment levels within the EU. Labour market performance is guided by government and institutional policies in the EU which in turn control minimum wages, taxation and unemployment benefits. Room (2006) and Barroso (2007) argue that although there are many ways to reduce unemployment, such as wage differentiation and geographical mobility, such measures could alter the economic and political equilibrium currently in place in the EU. Additionally, Wallstrom (2007) is quick to point out that although the elimination of unemployment subsidies across the EU states would reduce unemployment levels, it would in consequence increase the poverty and crime rates thus leading to accelerated levels of social exclusion. As a result, these repercussions have raised alarming concerns for both public and politicians alike as the EU struggles to implement a programme of reform to address the situation. Access to the member states products, capital and labour resources could provide economic efficiency but the levels of regulation required would prove extremely hard to sustain. In response to the growing problems with unemployment, the EU Commission has proposed some measures designed to tackle the issue. These include a revamp of the member states growth and job strategies as well as increasing investment on research and development. It is hoped that this in turn would lead to increased economic output and thus the creation of jobs in the process. However, Wallstrom (2007) argues this could prove a difficult task given the heterogeneous social and economic structures of the EU member states. Additionally, the collapse of the world economy in 2008 has lead to a global recession and has seen employment levels in the EU increase dramatically. The Employment in Europe Report (2009) estimated unemployment levels in Europe would break the10% mark in 2010 and would continue to rise. The issue of climate change has come to the fore spectacularly in the 21st century and is another important issue facing the European Union. Changes in climate variations are occurring around the globe raising genuine concerns about the stability of the planets ecosystem. According to Schroter (2005) these deviations may have a direct affect on levels of food production and water supplies. For example, Berkhout (2005) noted harvest failure within a country can impact the price of certain food commodities in the EU due to imports. Brandt (2001) explains that these growing concerns lead to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol an environmentally friendly policy sanctioned via the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change designed to bring greenhouse gas emissions under control in 1997. In the summer of 2003, a heat wave engulfed much of Europe resulting in record temperatures being recorded. Beniston (2004) stated that the heat wave bore a resemblance to the type of temperatures anticipated by the end of the 21 century. Beniston (2004) concluded that due to an enhanced atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gas, summer temperatures could be expected to increase by 4 degrees celsius on average. According to Christiansen Wettestad (2003), the EU generates one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 25% of the worlds production. Brandt (2001) states the EU expects that there will be a 0.8% increase in CO2 emissions annually. Furthermore, the EU faces additional problems with its failure to persuade its members to adopt the carbon tax due to the many rules and regulations incorporated in the policy (Christiansen Wettestad, 2003). The use of fossil fuels is another factor that leads to global warming and can have a detrimental long term affect on the climate. Kruger Pizer (2004) cite that increased emission levels due to the development of the transport sector have led to further issues for the EU to address. These substantial growths in emission output can have a direct impact on allowance prices if the EU attempted to meet Kyoto Protocol targets by using offset purchases. The growing carbon market is another area of concern for the European Union. Howse Eliason (2008) argue that it is crucial levels of carbon footprint are monitored in order to reduce emissions in the air. According to Kruger et al. (2007) the European Union launched an emissions trading program in 2005 with the aim of meeting the Kyoto Protocol targets for tackling climate change. However, the complexity of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is causing the member states to experience various political and economic challenges as they attempt to meet the targets set by the Kyoto Protocol. Howse Eliason (2008) cite that an investigation carried out by the Financial Times concluded that a number of companies operating within EU boundaries receive unjust carbon credits and that this is causing an unfair subsidy distribution in EU states. Howse Eliason, (2008) claim this is an issue because the results do not coincide with emissions reduction. Therefore, the EU needs to devise strategies to regulate such outcomes. The issue of security is another obstacle facing the European Union. Kicinger (2004) writes that external threats to security present far greater problems than those posed internally. To put it simply, this is because these threats cannot be predicted. One such threat is terrorism. Wallstrom (2007) argues that although Europes policy of passport-free travel is beneficial for business and tourism, it allows cross-border terrorists and criminals freedom of access within the member states. Terrorism is a major issue because innocent peoples lives are at stake. Schilder Hauschild (2004) note that EU states are also used as a base to plan and devise terrorist attacks. These criminals deploy state of the art resources, have well maintained networks and are capable of resorting to horrific levels of violence. Kicinger (2004) writes that Al Qaeda an Islamist fundamental group formed in the late 1980s and renowned for its terrorist activities housed logistical cells in the EU member states of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. Therefore, the concentrated effort of the EU to tackle such problems is crucial. Another security concern for the EU is the technological advancements in modern arms. This puts the current security measures in place by the EU in question. Flow of trade and investment within the European states has given rise to the prosperity of the EUs inhabitants. However, in spite of the advantages that free trade has brought, it has also heightened the threat of internal terrorism. Europe is now a playground for organised crime and is rife with drug trafficking, illegal immigrants and prostitution (Schilder Hauschild, 2004). Cross-border and neighboring threats also add to the security concerns of the European Union. Disputes in Kashmir and the Korean Peninsula as detailed by Schilder Hauschild (2004) affected the EU member states both directly and indirectly. The European Union Commission has pledged to combat the security threat and via foreign policy and crisis management initiatives have made provisions for security. According to Barroso (2007), these include securing borders with member states and with international countries more effectively. Moreover, the EU is attempting to forge policies and agreements with their transatlantic partners in order to minimise any threats posed to security although this is proving a difficult task to achieve. In conclusion, since its formation in 1993, the European Union has served to address a great number of important issues. These issues are not solely confined to the borders of EU but are commonly dealt with throughout the world. This essay has highlighted the EUs growing problems with unemployment levels, focused on the pearls of climate change and has detailed the threat of terrorism to the EUs stability. These are just a few of the important issues facing the European Union today.

Hemingway Style Analysis Essay -- essays research papers fc

1 Earnest Hemingway is one of Americas foremost authors. His many works, their style, themes and parallels to his actual life have been the focus of millions of people as his writing style set him apart from all other authors. Many conclusions and parallels can be derived from Earnest Hemingway's works. In the three stories I review, ?Hills Like White Elephants?, ?Indian Camp? and ?A Clean, Well-lighted Place? we will be covering how Hemingway uses foreigners, the service industry and females as the backbones of these stories. These techniques play such a critical role in the following stories that Hemingway would be unable to move the plot or character development forward without them. In ?Hills Like White Elephants? Hemingway utilizes the waitress as a method to help develop the character of the lead male. His interaction at the beginning of the story with the waitress in her native language show his intellectual superiority which is also emphasized in the following line, ?The girl looked at the bead curtain. 'They've painted something on it,' she said. 'What does it say?'? (Hemingway). This setup is a crucial transition from the blank slate we start at with both characters. The story of course unfolds following what the interaction with the waitress and bar setting created for us. One in which the lead male character is dominant, controlling and a person who provides information and answers not available to the female character. Additionally the male characters treatment of the female waitress creates the building blocks for our understanding of how he interacts with females. He never mentions please or thank you 2 when ordering or receiving their first drinks and by the second round acts in the follow way, ?The man called 'Listen' through the curtain.? when addressing the waitress (Hemingway). It is only a few lines later he begins semi-jokingly and in condescending manner scolding his female partner. The condescending remarks start with, ?'Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything.'? the man replies to her assertion that he hasn't seen white elephants (Hashmi). Besides being hot in this story, the males only burden is that he is trying to persuade his female partner to his views as he tries to coach her through the remaining portion of the dialog manipulative lines such as, ?'Well,' the man said, 'if you don't want to you don't ha... ...hite Elephants? The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. R. V. Cassill. New York: W. W. Norton, 1990. - - -. ?Indian Camp? The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. Ed. Martin Kohn. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1966. Secondary Sources Nagel, James. ?Earnest Hemingway : A Centennial Assesment?. Online http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/books/1999/hemingway/stories/nagel/ Hashmi, Nilofer. "Hills Like White Elephants": The Jilting of Jig." Hemingway Review Vol. 23 Issue 1; fall (2003): 72. Fantina, Richard. ?Hemingway's Maschoism, Sodomy, and the Dominant Woman? The Hemingway Review. Online. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hemingway_review/v023/23.1fantina.html Strychacz Thomas. ?Hemingway's Theaters of Masculinity? Louisiana State University Press. Online. http://www.lsu.edu/lsupress/catalog/Fall2003/books/Strychacz_Hemingway.html

Physics of Self Bailing Boats and How I Built One :: physics boat boating ship

The Basic Principle behind a Self Bailing Boat Actually the idea is quite simple really, it consists of a floor above the hull with open drain plugs in the rear of the boat and above the water line. By this simple method as water comes in to the boat it will drain right out of the back. If too much weight is in the boat then water will simply come in through the drain holes. This is no worry to me because I can always just put some plugs in the drain holes when carrying a heavy load. I made the decision to build the aluminum skiff 17ft long and strong enough to hold an outboard motor with a mass of 141kg (approx. mass of 90Hp Mercury). My Boat Dimensions I made the decision to build the aluminum skiff 17ft long and strong enough to hold an outboard motor with a mass of 141kg (approx. mass of 90Hp Mercury). Knowing the amount of material I would need; I then went on to estimate the mass of the boat when finished to be 239kg. I also made the decision to build a fuel tank in the front of the boat holding 141kg of gasoline (≈ 38gal). The design of the boat permits the boat bottom to have an estimated area of submersion of 5.55m2 (L= 3.7m W=1.5m). With these measurements in hand I knew I needed a way to determine the height from the bottom of the boat at which I should build my second deck and drain plugs. I got a value from a veteran boat builder but surely there was an equation to help me out. Archimedes’s Principle for Floating Objects: So hears the theory: Archimedes principle says that the magnitude of the buoyant force always equals the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. This buoyant force always acts upward through the point that was the center of gravity of the displaced fluid. In the case of floating objects the buoyant force is equal to the force of gravity on the object. Knowing that the change in pressure is equal to the Buoyant force per unit area (ΔP = B/A) we see that B = (ΔP)A and ΔP = Ï gH where Ï  is the density of the fluid g is the acceleration due to gravity and H is the height of the fluid displaced.

Education Background

Qian Zhang 151 Washington Ave. Apt. E, Rutherford, NJ, 07070 (660) 541-2361 [email  protected] com Objective To obtain the Assistant position. Education Background Bachelor of Science in Financial Management, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO * GPA: 3. 59, December 2010 Curriculum of Financial Management Finance—Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Business Law I, Fundamental of Business Finance, Intermediate Finance Management, Financial Institutions, Investment Principles, Selected Cases in Finance * Accounting—Accounting I & II, Tax Accounting, Intermediate Accounting I, * Math—College Algebra, Calculus, Economic Mathematics, Statistics * Computer Science—Computer and Information Technology, MIS, * Management—Principles of Management, International Business, Managerial Communication, Operations Management, Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior and Theory, Negotiation, Business Society, Organizational Policy and Decisi on-Making Awards and Scholarships * Northwest Transfer Scholarships every semester referred to GPA and campus activities * Edward Jones and Company Award Scholarship of Finance department * Society of International Ambassadors Scholarship Award * Nominee of the Outstanding Student of the First Student Organization and Leadership Award Work Experience Office Coordinator ~ Business/International and Intercultural Center, Maryville, MO August 2009 – December 2010 Improved the cooperation between university and international partners, assisted the supervisor on all kinds of projects and meetings * Provided support for partners and students by sending information and documents and communicating with international students, giving them advice and introducing regulations * Developed and updated webpage information for international partners, potential and current students * Scheduled, hosted and attended various visits, meetings and banquets * Worked with coworkers and other functio nal departments or work independently on the projects, and followed up on the progress and feedbacks of projects * Organized the hiring event, including filtering CVs and interviewing candidates, * Coordinated orientations, prepared training programs and trained new employees * Communicated with all international organizations time from time to make sure all activities are undergoing with regards to the bylaws of Northwest Missouri State University Accounting Assistant, Full Time Intern ~ eGTran Inc. , Camarillo, CA June 7 – July 30, 2010 * Prepared journal entries for accounting supervisor Keyed in data from forms, correspondence, reports, and other documents * Maintained accounts of internal departments and external agencies and did budgeting * Maintained and updated records of monthly and quarterly financial statements such as Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Income Statement and Statement of Retained Earnings, prepared payroll * Worked with other departments to adjust all accoun ts timely and effectively * Did some other agendas as assigned by supervisor Translator~ Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College, Maryville, MO September- December 2009 * Translated English documents and class categories into Chinese * Volunteer as a translator of the communication activity between USDA and Ministry of Health P. R. China Office Assistant ~Business/ Intercultural and International Center, Maryville, MO June – August 2009 Received, answered phone calls and scheduled appointments * Assisted other staff and other departments on various projects and assignments, provided supports with office machines, such as fax machine, scanner, copy machines * Promoted to be the Office Coordinator Leadership Activities and Volunteer Experience * Leader of Student Orientation – Assisted and guided new students * Leader of Junior Achievement – Hosted business classes and organized related activities * Secretary of International Student Organization—Held annual banquet and organized various activities to help international students communicate with American communities * Member of Delta Mu Delta, International Honor Society in Business Administration * Member of Financial Management Association * Member of Asian Student Association * Currently studying CFA contents Skills Language—Native in Mandarin (Chinese Proficiency Certificate holder), Fluent in English (both written and spoken), Basic in Japanese * Computer—Microsoft Office Suite Interests * Reading—Learn various knowledge from books * Sport—Exercise to make body strong * Fine Arts—Is fond of Chinese calligraphy * Travelling—Experience diverse cultures and adapt myself with different environments References * Dr. Chi Lo Lim, Chairman of Marketing and Management Department, Northwest Missouri State University 660-562-1758 * Dr. Jeffrey Foot, Director of International and Intercultural Center, Northwest Missouri State University 660-562-1367 * Caroline Merker, Controller of eGTran Inc. , 805-482-1088

Full House

Full House â€Å"What you see is not all you get† portrays a theme that includes entertainment, consumer products, and advertising. This is a topic that all human beings can relate to. We all have either a â€Å"hero,† who now in days has to do with celebrities, food, beverages; and they all part of our culture today. While I was reading American Idol Worship, I thought about a show I had seen that made me suspect a hidden message or agenda and I came up with Full house, a popular television show.Full House was loved by every age group because the family had different age and gender actors. It was a show that taught a lesson from each episode regardless of the age group that was watching, but people did not pay attention to the hidden message. For example, seeing such a big family stick by one another and learn from each other’s mistakes, which does not happen too often in real life. Problems do not get solved that easily, and life is way come complicated than wh at it was being demonstrated in the show.It was a show that a family could have watched together because it was not just about children, love, or work but about a regular Americans that dealt with problems that many of us were able to connect to within the only thirty minutes; which is unrealistic. Thomas de Zengotita in his article â€Å"American Idol Worship† mentioned, â€Å"American Idol drew almost twice as many viewers than awards show† and I can connect this to full house. When a show consists of artists of actors’ people can relate to.They tend to bond and somehow find similarities between them and their â€Å"hero†. Many start to pay attention to their acts, style, and much more. â€Å"Before you know it these celebrities become people’s heroes,† and they start expecting their loved ones and others to act like their â€Å"heroes. † For instance, many of the parents compared their children to the actors and they expected them to act the same way as the children in the show. Children wanted their father, and uncle to be just like Danny and Uncle Jesse.Another example would be Uncle Jesse who was the handsome looking, talented, but yet the bad boy that all the viewers were in love with. We all tend to believe and get attached to the media really fast and it makes our lives complicated. â€Å"What you see is not all you get† does not hit us in the spot. We have to talk and talk about it to find out the hidden messages, and aspects in commercials, movies and shows that at first brain wash us.

Romeo and Juliet Film Review

Probably the worlds most famous love story has been retold in 1997 under the watchful hand of Baz Luhrman (Also directed Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom) who is trying to give this old Shakespeare classic, a more modern touch. Baz Luhrman simply takes the tragedy from the past, and drops it into the 21st century. In this strange new setting, the swords are tossed aside for guns but the old language, remains. Also the film is refreshed by young popular actors such as Leonardo di Caprio. This creates a bizarre mix, where the audience is left to think whether this is still the same old tragedy or something completely different. The actors mostly play their parts very well, but I think that Pete Postlethwaite (Friar Lawrence) who was also seen in In the Name of the Father and Miriam Margolyes (Nurse) were outstanding at portraying their characters and the best actors on the set. On the other hand I found the performance by the main figures Leonardo Di Caprio(Romeo) and Claire Danes (Juliet) appauling and it kind of felt like they knew their lines, but had no idea what they were actually talking about. An example of this is how Romeo sometimes says his words without expression or with expression in the wrong place. I think that these roles should have been taken over by more experienced actors, who have played Shakespeare plays before but Leonardo Di Caprio will probably be a reason for many teenagers to see this film so the reason why he was cast is probably because he will attract a bigger young audience There are not many special effects in this film, but definitely many more than in other versions of the story. I think that the camera was one of the major participants in this film as Luhrman did so many different types of shots and scenes that it just makes this film much more viewable. Examples of this are at the very beginning of the film, there are about 30 different shots right after one another which creates a very fast pace. Other examples include long shots of Verona which are shown very often all through the film, where you can see two big buildings, one with a Montague sign and the other one with a Capulet and a twirl of the camera as transitions between scenes. As always in love stories or tragedies, music is also a major helper in this film. A slow, romantic song is played when Romeo and Juliet first meet and funky loud music when Romeo and his friends enter the ball. What Luhrman mainly tries to do with this film, is to make the story more interesting and more appealing to a younger audience, which has decided to try and achieve this with more action packed scenes and fighting. This does though sometimes make the film seem unrealistic, childish even, like a teenagers version of the tragedy. This is for sure the most modern and action filled version of the play and I think it can be described as something fresh and new and completely different. This film is a great way of getting a younger generation of people interested in Shakespeare, as it included lots of action and fighting but I am not sure if this film is really a better version of Romeo and Juliet. Although it may not be as interesting and action packed, I think I still prefer the old boring classic Shakespeare tragedy.

Buad 3010 Text Bank Chp 1

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