Economic Geography Increasingly free essay sample

Economic Geography increasingly rests upon the social, the environmental as well as the economic dimensions of contemporary life. Discuss (1500-2000 words) Economic geography is a broad term which can define many aspects of everyday life, in reference to everyday people, from all types of backgrounds. Economic Geography has to do with things, and services. It concerns not only the people and places that provide them, but the people and places that consume them as well. Economic Geography discusses things as commodities, created for exchange, and the exploitation of the labour invested. It concerns the mediation of exchange amp; pathways which move from production to consumption (from the birth to the death of a product) (Mackinnon and Cumbers, 2007, p. 173-213). In this essay I will talk about many ways in which the above statement can be proved, by using well-known examples to demonstrate my case. With regards to the social dimensions of contemporary life, they make up a big part of Economic Geography. We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Geography Increasingly or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are many social aspects of economic geography to do with all stages of production of a product, from start to finish. These aspects have to do mainly with (1) workers, and (2) consumers and buyers. Socialisation occurs between workers as they become acquainted with each other, mainly through the communication of business deals. These business deals are vital to ensure that everything runs smoothly. They occur when the journey of a product is being planned and supervised from beginning to end. Take for example the rice crop. It would need a plan of where and how the plant would be grown, how it would be cultivated, prepared for consumption and packaged, as well as transportation to the marketplace. This would all involve work by many people by communicating with one another and making a set plan, so that the product would be able to be sold on the marketplace for the cheapest price with a marginal profit, so as to provide for all the workers along the way. Exploitation can often happen as part of the manufacturing process of a product, whereby a person of authority would exploit a worker to make a better profit for themselves, without thinking of the working/payment conditions that the worker needs. Workers are often forced to work in poor conditions like a complete disregard for health and safety measures, such as little ventilation, cramped working spaces, and working with dangerous equipment without the proper safety precautions being taken. They are often made work long hours while being paid below the minimum wage, which isn’t sufficient for the workers financial needs. Conflict can arise between the employees and employers when the employees stand up for themselves and fight for their rights. The main concern of a business is to make a profit. As a result many workers are inevitably mistreated in the workplace. This conflict between employers and employees leads to many trade unions fighting for the rights of these employees. Fair Trade is an option whereby consumers can pay a slightly higher than average price for a select amount of goods, while the farmers, workers, and manufacturers are paid a fair price for partaking in the production process. There is a set clear minimum and progressive criteria to ensure that the conditions for the production and trade of a product are socially and economically fair and environmentally responsible (http://fairtrade. e). They are given good working conditions, and they are not mistreated by their employers, unlike what happens in some countries. Take for example the banana tree crop. If one buys fair trade bananas, they are contributing to the wellbeing of the farmers who grow and produce the crop, as well as the people who work in the manufacturing process to maintain a superior quality of the product. There are many environmental issues which can be discussed when talking about Economic Geography. An example I will talk about is the story of Love Canal in Niagara, in America. This is a strong example of how one does not need a lot of money to make a huge environmental impact. What happened in Love Canal over the last decade was clearly extremely damaging to the land used and also to the lives of what would be the future inhabitants of the area. Love Canal was a 1 mile long trench that was built in the town of Niagara in the 1890’s. Due to unforeseen economic circumstances the project was cancelled and what was left was a long vacant trench . This was to have a huge impact on the environment around this area, and as a result this influenced many families in the vicinity. In 1920 the city of Niagara used the canal as a landfill and then in 1942, Hooker chemicals used the site for burial of ‘nearly 20,000 tonnes of toxic waste’. ‘The waste was sealed in metal drums in a manner that has since been declared illegal. The canal was then filled in and the land was given to the expanding city of Niagara Falls by the chemical company. ’(http://education. yahoo. com) Niagara then built residential units and a school on the site. As a result, there was ill-health in the community in the years that followed, with ‘unusually high rates of birth defects, miscarriages, cancer, illness, and chromosome damage’ (http://education. yahoo. com). The Love Canal Homeowners association were opposed by Hooker Chemicals and the government because they had ‘no proof’. In 1978, the President of the USA at the time, Jimmy Carter, announced a federal emergency at Love Canal and he relocated 800 families . A superfund law was passed, and in 1995, Hooker Chemicals (now Occidental) were sued and agreed to pay the federal government $129,000,000. http://education. yahoo. com) This story shows how Hooker Chemicals mistreated the land that they bought, and how this brought about grave consequences for the residents in the area. Hooker chemicals believed that they could escape any penalties for what they did, by selling the land back to the government for $1. Consequently they had to pay for the many lives that they devastated due to their carelessness. This demonstrates how economic geography rests upon environmental dimensions of contemporary life. Another way in which environmental dimensions can be thought about when in relation to economic geography is by thinking about the significance of natural resources as part of economic development, and to highlight their continuing importance in the world, national and regional economies. One way in which we can think about natural resources and economic development is the topic of sustainable development. The main way in which we can put rates of resource use into line with the process of sustainable development is through using renewable resources as energy. Most of these esources are natural, and they can all be relatively cheap, as well as being environmentally friendly. There are many types of renewable resources that can be used as energy, such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, biomass, and geothermal energy. Not all of these can be applied to every area of the world, as weather conditions can restrict the use of some of these, for example, wind power would not be very effective if it was to be put in force in an area which has little wind, i. e. Spain. Ireland itself is very suitable for wind farm’s as there is a vast amount of hilly terrain with high speeds of wind in plentiful supply. As for economic dimensions of contemporary life themselves, they have probably had the biggest influence on economic geography. Wall Street, in particular is the single most influential entity to affect the world’s economy. Wall Street, in New York City, is the most powerful stock market in the world. Depending on whether shares in stock’s rise or fall, these can make or break a person’s financial state. For example, this recent recession that we are still trying to overcome is due to the fall in many stock shares in a short space of time. Anybody who had a large amount of shares at that time would have lost a substantial amount of money. Many businesses and firms went bankrupt and a countless amount of jobs were lost. Due to this economic recession, our economic climate, in particular Ireland has been left in complete chaos. Many people have been put under extra financial stress to try and cope with the increase in prices. Also, for many businesses to stay up and running, it has been necessary to cut the pay of many workers, putting additional financial stress on the employees. Many people have been forced to cut down everyday living essentials just to keep going. Also, as a result of the amount of jobs that have been lost, many people have resorted to living from the jobseeker’s allowance (the dole), as there are very few jobs available for people who may be unskilled. The problem with the jobseeker’s allowance is that it is often easier to live off of it rather than to get a small job, which may be all that is available. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, the salary they receive may be less than what they would get if they were living from the jobseeker’s allowance. As a result, many unemployed people in Ireland at the moment have a disincentive to go back to work. This is having a worse impact on our economy as fewer people are out there working to build Ireland’s economy back up to what it used to be. Thus, at this current time, Ireland is still finding it difficult to overcome this major economic depression that we are still presently in. To conclude the thesis that economic geography not only rests on the economic dimensions of contemporary life, but also the environmental and social dimensions of contemporary life, I will summarise my main points to follow through this argument. To prove that economic geography rests on the social dimensions of contemporary life, I will state that business would not be possible without manual labour, and business deals made by humans. The ways in which our economies work in today’s world would completely fall apart if we left it all to the work of computers alone. In order to demonstrate how the environmental dimensions of contemporary life are constantly rested upon by economic geography, I shall express how important they are, as a part of economic geography. I have previously talked about the story of Love Canal, and renewable resources as sources of energy. These two cases show how one does not need to use a lot of finance to destroy an environment, or in order to preserve an environment. With regards to the economic dimensions of economic geography, one could not be without the other. The economic state of the world was tipped upside down by the change in stock shares in a matter of days. This one thing, even as small as it seems, had a major impact on the economies of the world, and we are all still trying to recover from the recession that shortly followed. These verify that the statement that ‘economic geography increasingly rests upon the social, the environmental as well as the economic dimensions of contemporary life’ is indeed true and that there are many ways in which this can be interpreted, as well as the many ideas that I have discussed above.

Russian History free essay sample

This was due to Peter I (Peter the Great) because of his accomplishments forced the West to take notice of his nation. Peter The Great When Peter I came into power in 1689, he had two basic goals for his country: †¢Modernize his country in the western fashion. †¢Gain warm water ports to access to the west, thus, bringing more trade, recognition, and respect by the other European powers. Dealing with the West Peter set out his plans by sending a grand embassy to the European powers in 1697 to enlist their help against Turkey. He went along too, pretending to be a ships carpenter, and worked in English and Dutch shipyards. He studied everything from anatomy and engraving to European industrial techniques in order to gain as much information as possible. He was determined to give Russia an outlet to the sea, both on the Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea. He brought European shipbuilders to Russia. We will write a custom essay sample on Russian History or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Then in 1696, with a new fleet, he was able to capture Azov, the chief Turkish fortress on the Sea of Azov. As Captain Peter Alekseevich, he commanded from the Principium – a ship built by his own hand. In 1700, he felt ready to attack Sweden. With Poland and Denmark as allies, he started the Great Northern War, which lasted until 1721. Peter defeated the Swedes and gained an outlet to the Baltic Sea. The Treaty of Nystad (1721) ended the war and gave Russia the prized Swedish provinces on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. Sweden became a second-rate military power, and Poland was reduced in status. As a result of the victory, the Russian Empire was formed on October 22, 1721. On that day Peter was acclaimed Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, and emperor of all the Russia’s, by the Russian Senate, in gratitude for victory in the war. Internal Affairs Peter was organizing and modernizing his country internally as well as externally. He was ruthless when he ruled Russia as he was so determined for his country to be recognised. He forced his subjects to conform to his ideas, founded a navy, introduced factories, and organized a modern army. He also created a new Russian capital, St Petersburg. In 1703, Peter began construction a fortress on territory that he had won – which became the new capital city of St Petersburg – and moved his imperial court there in 1712. In order to populate St Petersburg, Peter forced all upper-class Russians to move there. One problem was that the country had no proper means of transportation. What roads there were only ran east to west, and even then, they were difficult to traverse, especially during the Russian winter. Peter westernized his subjects by using taxation and implementing new laws. Some examples are: †¢He put a high tax on beards and Oriental dress to force the people to adopt Western dress. †¢He modernized the calendar, simplified the alphabet, unified the currency, and introduced universal taxation

Pablo Escobar essays

Pablo Escobar essays Pablo Escobar was a man of power and riches during his time in history. Escobar was listed as the seventh richest man in the world in 1989. Coming from Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, Escobar started off as a small time gangster and a car thief. His small time crimes would never amount to what he was going to become. In the late 1970s Escobar and his cartel became one of the most powerful organized crime organizations. The cartel consolidated the cocaine industry controlling as much as 80 percent of cocaine worldwide. Escobar, a heavy pot-smoker cultivated a relaxed, informal life style with his friends and associates. Escobar was not as friendly to his enemies he was vicious and feared by everyone. For example when one of Escobars bombs brought down an Avianca Airliner in Colombia in November 1989, Killing 107 people, he become one of the most feared terrorists in the world. He was considered the brains of the cartel and had a stand up reputation with the people of Medellin. He built many things for the community such as a hospital, housing for the poor and other types of charity. Which lead to being elected as an alternate to Colombia Congress in 1983, Escobar enjoyed widespread popularity among the poor in Colombia, especially in his home state of Antioquia. Some called Escobar the Robin Hood-type criminal among Colombias poor. At the height of his power in the late 1980s, he was in control of the multibillion- dollar export of Colombian cocaine to the United States. He was at that time the most notorious drug trafficker in the world running his cocaine business surrounded and protected by the Colombian army. Estimates were made that 70 to 80 tons of cocaine were being shipped from Colombia to the United States every single month, and Escobar and his cartel controlled the bulk of it. This soon turned violent in 1984, when Colombia began cracking down on the cocai...

23 Uplifting Things to Do on Thanksgiving Day You Must Try This Year

23 Uplifting Things to Do on Thanksgiving Day You Must Try This Year Thanksgiving is one of the most bright and cheerful holidays of the year, a day to spend with your family and friends and get together for a tasty meal and peaceful evening. Here are some things to do on the Thanksgiving day to make it memorable and fun. Celebrating With Your Family For many families, Thanksgiving weekend is a chance to enjoy rare meetings and festive mood. 1. Cook a dinner. Cooking a dinner with your family is a touchy and precious moment for you and your family to remember. Its also a great way to show your gratitude and lend a helping hand to the hostess. 2. Watch Thanksgiving Day Parade. Parades are held in many cities and watching them on TV or in real life makes this day really special and festive. 3. Play sports. There are multiple health benefits of spending time with your relatives outdoors. Sports activities are useful in particular considering a full course dinner ahead. Tennis, basketball or frisbee are great activities for big families. 4. Watch an old movie. Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to sit altogether by the TV. Your family may choose a movie to watch annually and make it a good family tradition. 5. Look through family photos. Make this holiday a little bit nostalgic: your elder family members will enjoy that. Some of your family members could even start asking you awkward questions about your life in college. 6. Decorate the table. Dont forget about fancy napkins and candles! Beautiful decorations will set up the mood for tasty dinner. 7. Take a trip to the countryside. Living in a big city might be stressful so spending a weekend in the countryside is a relaxing and healing way to celebrate. 8. Make a wish by breaking wishbone. While carving a turkey take out a wishbone and let it dry. After the dinner, two family members pull at it and the winner makes a wish. 9. Participate in Turkey trot race. Burn up some calories before the big dinner and also raise some money for low-income families. Celebrating With Your Friends Friendsgiving Being away from home doesnt mean that Thanksgiving is canceled. Make it into Friendsgiving which tends to gain popularity through last years. Even with poor cooking skills, you can still throw an amazing party and even set up a new tradition among your friends. 1. Play video and board games. Entertainment is an important part of the holiday. So dont forget to prepare the list of games you and your friends will enjoy. Apples to Apples, Jenga, Clue are not taking too much time to play as Monopoly so are a better choice for a fun evening. 2. Watch annual football game. If you and your friends enjoy sports, its a good idea to watch a sports channel together and cheer for your favorite team. 3. Watch the best episodes of favorite sitcoms. Share the episodes you enjoy the most with your friends. Holiday-themed episodes will fit the most. 4. Set up a picnic. If the weather is fine and you dont want to stay inside, go ahead and pack for a picnic in the nearest park or wood. Fresh air and the beauty of fall weather are great for active games and sincere conversations. 5. Ride bikes in a park. Fast and active ride in a park can easily burn off calories you’ve consumed this holiday weekend and also set up a good mood for the rest of the day. 6. Pajamas party. Its more untraditional way to celebrate Thanksgiving but definitely a fun one. Cozy pajamas, chilling music and tasty snacks among holiday lights will create a relaxed holiday mood. Sounds nice, doesnt it? However, there are even more party ideas for students to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. 7. Play football. Team active sports are great before big festive meals. Football is a traditional game for this holiday and it is fun to watch for those, who choose not to participate. Celebrating on Your Own Dont be depressed if you are celebrating this day without guests. Make it a real holiday for yourself and do what makes you happy. 1. Take a good nap. Thanksgiving weekend is a wonderful time to shake off stress from studying and working the whole year. So take a time to relax and get a good rest. 2. Take popcorn and watch a favorite movie. Is it Scream or Batman? Grab a big bowl of popcorn and turn on your favorite movie or sitcom. 3. Take a long walk or ride. Sometimes you really need to fresh up your thoughts and walking in the fresh air is a way to do it. And its a great cardio exercise. 4. Prepare for Black Friday. If you are about to go shopping on a Black Friday, make a list of things to buy and shops to visit the next day. This will help you to concentrate on things you really need and not to be distracted on sales. 5. Volunteer. Your local churches or homeless shelters may need some help, especially at this time of the year. You can help with cooking and serving a meal or donate redundant clothes to charity. By the way, did you know how many benefits you get from volunteering? 6. Make a thankful list. This is more than just a good tradition but the way to concentrate on aspects of the past and stay positive for the future. So go ahead and make a list of things that have brought you happiness this year and what you are thankful for. 7. Watch Thanksgiving documentary. There are plenty of amazing historical movies about pilgrims and origin of Thanksgiving Day which you will find interesting. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and don’t forget to give your thanks!

Classroom Practice for Children with Asperger Syndrome in a Mainstream Essay

Classroom Practice for Children with Asperger Syndrome in a Mainstream School - Essay Example As the paper outlines the strategies would include; â€Å"carefully structuring the seating arrangement, providing a safe haven, preparing for changes in routine, using available resources and making needed accommodations† among other things. Seating Arrangement and Group Work: the reporter will avoid seating Terry close to bullies and aggressive students, but seat her next to her peer buddies. However, this would be based on the analysis of where the Terry works most effectively. He will ensure that he avoid self selection when assigning student groups and teach students the importance of working as a team. This study stresses that Terry being an Asperger Syndrome patient gets overwhelmed by crowds and social interaction thereby resulting in stress and anxiety. Instead of removing Terry from difficult academic tasks and the playground activities, the reporter might consider offering an â€Å"alternative to attending these events†. This can be achieved by ensuring that Terry has a trusted contact person with whom she feels comfortable. He will give Tarry access to quiet and private places where she can have her free time, rest and refresh away from the hustles of trying to fit into social groups. As a classroom teacher, he would also consider giving Terry additional time to complete difficult class assignments and offer her extra tuition time to attain her academic potential. Peer Interactions: As a class room teacher would create ways to connect Terry with empathic peers so as to promote social acceptance and friendships in her life.  

My Position On A Healthcare Or Social Issue Essay

My Position On A Healthcare Or Social Issue - Essay Example ld be afforded quality healthcare is the main concern and how to go about it when most of these individuals are employed secretively without contributions to major healthcare services. From a personal view, I believe illegal immigrants should be granted the same quality healthcare provisions as the American citizen regardless of their financial or career status. There are many risks associated with hospitals and clinical environments when dealing with illegal immigrants, as many diverse demographics of immigrants do not have access to the same variety of healthcare providers as those who contribute weekly to such programs through their place of employment. The risks include non-payment after services have been rendered or simply having this group exploit the system through fraudulent activities. Even though there are failsafes to prevent this, in areas of the country where there are concentrated populations of immigrants, this becomes a significant concern especially for the self-practicing physician networks that rely on timely revenues from patients. Illegal immigrants, especially certain ethnic groups, have large family networks either domestically-born or travelling as a group into the country without governmental support. Poor wages and lack of access to quality healthcare providers, such as Health Alliance Plan or Blue Care Network, bring into question whether or not these large family groups will be pursuing medical treatment on an ongoing basis as part of preventative care services. There is already over-crowding in certain clinical environments which puts tremendous strain on physicians and patients alike, thus these immigrants pose risks to the general community population. However, the reason I feel so strongly about the importance of providing healthcare to this group, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, is due to my personal beliefs on the ethical value of human beings. The American healthcare system is one of the most advanced in the

The Affordable Health Care Act Essay Example for Free

The Affordable Health Care Act Essay The Affordable Health Care Act Introduction            This paper puts into a critical and analytical focus the diversity and benefits of the Obama care. It seeks to answer fundamental questions about the advantages and necessity for the act. The affordable healthcare act mirrored with both merits and demerits deciphers its complex nature. The bill signed into law on twenty-third of March 2010 to make critical reforms in the health sector. The health care provision has attracted much of sharp reactions especially from the wealthy society protesting hefty taxes.            The goal of the Obama care is to give access to all Americans quality and affordable health care. This plan focuses on the reduction of growth in health care spending. A significant percentage of the benefits will accrue to the low and middle-income families and citizens. It achieves this through consumer protection, subsidies, taxes, regulation and insurance exchanges. Fundamentally, the Obama care provision is not a replacement to Medicare, private insurance or Medicaid (Wilensky, 2012). The primary focus of the health care facility is regulation of health insurance and practices that affect the sector.            Nevertheless, the contrasting fact is that the Obama care posse’s a lot more significant bunch of questions. Is there a need for health insurance for the richest country in the world? Is it the best the government can offer for the needs of Americans? However, the complexity of the answer to these questions is not a fragment of a sentence. Therefore, before the induction of such a debate some ground rules are principal (Mulligan, 2014). First is an agreement of the fact that the government cannot have an individual approach to protecting the desires of every citizen. Secondly is that the health cover such as the Obama care primary target, is the vulnerable middle class and poor society.            The wealthy society though consistently and constantly complaining about the plan also will benefit from the program. An optimistic look at the system ensures the acknowledgement of certain advantages. The policy prevents against gender-based discrimination, unjustifiably high insurance rates. Significant benefits worth discussion with regard to the annual limits imposed by insurance firms, as well as the right to rapid appeal of the insurance company decisions. This benefits cut across the divide from the middle class to the wealthiest in the society.            The health care industry has seen to the growth in wealth and stature of many fraudulent characters. This includes one who prescribes very expensive drugs even though the cheaper ones can work just for profits (Tate, 2012). The doctor who insistent on surgery whiles a consistent observation of the patient will ensure recovery. A doctor is busy ensuring the readmission of patients who he can monitor at home. Some companies sell machinery at extraordinary hiked prices just for profits. These cases among others ascertain an advantage of the rich over the employed middle class and the poor.            This trend in the health sector increases the cost of living since most Americans are profoundly concerned about their health. A critical look at the developed world countries alienates the United States in health insurance policies. Most of the developed world has a medical insurance policy. In contrast, one of the most riches of them argues about, politicizing the fact that it is a necessity. Fact remains that the multinational companies and big business have created their wealth through the citizens. Most of them are taking advantage of the smaller businesses or the society’s lack of knowledge. Through the articulation of the health care, the businesses get to give back to the society. This may deem improper by many who are in this class, but to some extent, it is a kind gesture.            However, the consideration of certain healthcare statistics is important. A significant 30.1 million people purchase private insurance. Many of them have had their plans cancelled by the company since it does meet the ten essential health thresholds. The cost of replacement of such is very high due to services such as maternity that they may not need. A significant 4 million people could lose their company sponsored health care plan (Wilensky, 2012). This is because many companies will prefer paying the fines and allow their employees to buy their plans. Conclusion            There is a genuine sense in negative approaches to affordable health care. Nevertheless, framework solutions created specifically will solve these issues. A trivial approach to the impediments may have worse negative repercussion to the minority in the society. This will result to the upwelling of negative economic growth. The return of the United States to the set-up of insurance policies existent before will not solve problems in the health sector. Rather a degradation and increase in fraud in the health care section will form complete dominance. The health care program will be successful if approached with a positive mindset and inclusion of all individuals with equality. References Mulligan, C. B. (2014, September 8). The Myth of ObamaCares Affordability. The Wall Street Journal . Tate, N. (2012). ObamaCare Survival Guide . West Palm Beach: Humanix Books. Wilensky, G. R. (2012). The Shortfalls of Obamacare. The New England Journal of Medicine , 1479-1481. Source document