Sustainable Development in the UK and the Netherlands Essay

Sustainable Development in the UK and the Netherlands - Essay Example Netherlands have extracted and prioritised the demographic factor about world population, a knowledge based economy, energy consumption and mobility, sustainable water consumption and biodiversity functioning in the earth's ecological balance (NSDO, Feb 2002) It is just because of the workings of well-known sources of market failure, that the economy is left to its own devices for 'under supply' or ignoring the environmental goods and services that make up sustainable development, such as clean air and water, parks, wilderness habitats, water levels, and plant diversity (Scott et al, 1995, p. 4). The area I have chosen for analysing sustainability is the water management. UK realises the way we survive today i.e., we drink and breathe a carbon constrained and water constrained world. This is the reason for why UK has recently proposed the Eco-towns Prospectus that requires sustainable water development as a whole should reach zero-carbon standards. The Future Water Strategy as set in March 2008 for England plans the decisions of UK Government to set for water in the future and the practical steps that will need to be taken to ensure that clean water is available for the people to drink. The current plan of 2008 looks forward towards 2030 in order to examine the water cycle that have a profound effect, from rainfall and drainage procedures to discharge and treatment (TCPA, 2008a). Flood Risk: New development is going on in terms of managing flood risk in which sequential testing method is planned to be applied. In this case "Planning Policy Statement" is applicable and requires development away from the area that is subjected to highest flood risk. Therefore technical assessment is necessary in context with FRA (Flood Risk Assessment), where assessment easily identifies the main factors behind potential risks involved with the surface water drainage and sewer flooding, therefore the development should fulfill all the requirements for a sustainable master plan. UK now being aware of the possible threats of floods have managed eco-towns to clearly demonstrate innovative approaches so as to minimise the loss of flood risk while taking into account all those longer-term impacts of climate change that somehow directly or indirectly influences the lifetime development of water management. This has provided the UK water management some options like identifying the possible opportunities to reserve enough space for water usage while strategically locating green space for flood storage in times of flood, using conveyance and Sustainable Drainage Systems and recreating functional flood plains. This way the various flood zones work in accordance with the communities to improve their performance and vigilance so that in circumstances where exceptional flood occur, an eco-town suffers the least impact. Sustainable Drainage Outcomes (SUDS): A new technique incorporated by eco-towns is the SUDS that incorporate viable and cost-effective solutions by avoiding or reducing the need for hard engineering solutions. In order to avoid the threat of eco-towns exploitation, various planning authorities work in collaboration with planning and legal agreements to secure the implementation of SUDS. The SUDS

Kearlsey Case Study Essay Example for Free

Kearlsey Case Study Essay Tony Kearsley applies for a position as a firefighter with the City of St. Catharines and was accepted on condition that he were to pass a medical examination by a doctor specified by the city. However, during the medical exam the doctor discovered that Kearsley had an atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) and refused to pass him. Kearsley took it upon himself to consult a medical specialist who advised him that his condition would indeed not affect his ability to perform his job as a firefighter. Kearsley then filed a complaint against the city with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. At the Commissions Bored of Inquiry hearing, the doctor who had originally examined Kearsley testified that atrial fibrillation led to increased risk for stroke meaning his heart could fail to pump sufficient blood to his organs during the extreme conditions that come with firefighting. The Board of Inquiry called a medical expert in atrial fibrillation. The expert testified that the increased risk for stroke in someone of Kearsley’s age was inconsequential. The expert further testified that there was no increased risk for heart failure in someone like Kearsley because he was otherwise in good health. Meanwhile, after Kearsley got turned down by the St. Catharines fire department, Kearsley had become a firefighter in the City of Hamilton, achieving the rank of first-class firefighter in October 2001. 2. Why did the Board of Inquiry rule in Kearsley’s favour? The Board of Inquiry ruled in Kearsley’s favour because they came to the conclusion that Mr. Tony Kearsley had in fact suffered discrimination. The Board noted that it would have been the City of St. Catharines responsibility to seek an expert opinion when confronted with a medical condition such as that found in Kearsley. The Board also indicated that this was the procedure used in other municipalities. The City did not follow their responsibilities which led to Mr. Kearsley’s unfair treatment and discrimination based on disability. For these reasons, this is why I think the Board of Inquiry most definitely ruled in Kearsley’s favour. 3. Do you agree with the decision in this case? Why or why not? I strongly agree with the decision of the case. Tony Kearsley was without a doubt, discriminated based on disability which is illegal in Canada. I feel like the city of St. Catharines defiantly should have handled this matter in a more ordered and professional way, as it seems that none of the facts in favour of the city of St. Catharines truly added up. I feel like the city jumped to conclusions too quickly not taking into account that Tony Kearsley was still fully capable to fulfill all duties of a firefighter. They did not treat Mr. Kearsley as an equal after finding out he had a disability; this is an act of discrimination and this is illegal. The city of St. Catharines owes at the least these things to Mr. Tony Kearsley in return for their lack of knowledge towards him while doing their job. 4. In what ways in this case a question of human rights? This case is a question of human rights because it is strongly discriminating against disability in the workplace. The Ontario Human Rights Code provides in part: 5(1) Every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to employment without discrimination because of †¦ handicap. 10(1) â€Å"because of handicap† means for the reason that person has or had, or is believed to have or have had a) any degree of physical disability that is caused by illness. 17(1) a right of a person under this Act is not infringed for the reason only that the person is incapable of performing of fulfilling essential duties or requirements attending the exercise of the right because of handicap. It is obvious at once that a person with very bad eyesight is not discriminated against when refused a job as a truck driver nor a person with inadequate strength when refused a job as a police officer or firefighter. There is no doubt that St. Catharines considered that Mr. Kearsley had a physical disability, atrial fibrillation. The issue is whether St. Catharines was justified in concluding that because of this perceived disability; Mr. Kearsley was incapable of performing or fulfilling essential duties as a firefighter. It was later found out that Mr. Kearsley could indeed perform all duties as a firefighter, as he got hired by the City of Hamilton later that year. Therefore, Mr. Kearsley was discriminated against based on disability and this is without a doubt, a question of human rights.

Brief Description Of The Economy Of Finland Economics Essay

Brief Description Of The Economy Of Finland Economics Essay Finland is highly developed industrialized country with a mixed economy with per capita of 50000$ which is nearly the same as Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Finland was not one of the developed countries until 1990s as they have lack of resources. They had Central Planned Economy as the other socialist countries. In 1950s half of the population had been working for the primary productions and Finland was relatively poor country compared to their neighbors, but in the 1970s, there was an industrial boom led by government in Finland and strengthened its competitiveness. In 1980s, Finnish government deregulated financial market and opened it to the foreign capital; therefore lots of foreign capital flowed to the firms and households. As a result, investment and consumption increased rapidly and the prices of assets got expensive. At the beginning of 1990s, Finland had suffered a serious economic risk as the collapse of Soviet Union and the economic recession in Western E urope and America. Finnish financial authorities tried to fix the exchange rate and therefore the exports decreased dramatically. Finland faced financial crisis caused by debts, and reduction of exports until 1993 and started to recover in 1994. In the course of recession, the government has proceeded restructuring its economic system. The Finnish government focused on export promotion in ICT industries by investing more in Research Development and education. Finland made dramatic changes in social and economical sectors and became one of the most competitive developed countries in the world. In the short period of time Finland has been transformed to the knowledge based economy with very high performance in the high-tech industries. Finland is a country of forest and lake. 86% of the countrys area is covered with forest and so in the past the forestry played a major role in the Finnish economy. Because of climate, the agricultural development is limited and it takes only 1/12 of the GDP. Now Finland has developed a modern, competitive economy. Export has a big impact on Finnish economy. Main exports are timber, pulp, glass ware, ceramics, stainless steel, engineering products and telecom equipments. Finland has a strong competitiveness in manufacturing the wood, metal, engineering, telecommunication, and electronics. Finland is famous for its high-tech exports such as mobile phones. The Finnish company Nokia which has 40% of market shares of mobile phone is well known all over the world. As Finland has lack of natural resources the biggest sector of the economy is services at 66%, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. With respect to foreign trade, the key sector is manufacturing. Industries like electronics (22%), machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products (21.1%), forestry (13%) and chemicals (11%) takes the major parts in the economy. Finland has wood and several mineral and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and agricultural sectors are very important for rural population because they provide most of the jobs for rural residents. The Finnish government is paying attentions on these sectors because they are very important for controlling unemployment rates. Finland is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade takes a third of countrys GDP. The European Union makes 60% of the total trade. The major flows of trade are with Germany, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands and China. As Finland has been among the free trade supporters, The European Union manages the trade policy. Finland has joined European Union in 1995 and in 2002 it became the only Nordic country to adopt Euro as its national currency instead of Finnish Mark. Employment rate in Finland was 68% and unemployment rate was 6.8% in early 2008. 18% of residents are outside job market at the age of 50 and less a third working at the age of 61. Impact of Fiscal policy and Monetary Policy on the economy There are some underlying economic factors that affect the major market trend. Factors like GDP growth rates, tax, interest rate, unemployment or threat of inflation, economic trends are the major determinants of what happens to the companies and their stock prices. Fiscal policy and monetary policy have widespread effects on the decisions and behavior of businesses and individual. Fiscal policy How the government gets the revenue, how to spend for the expenditure, how to deal with the national or public debt and how to budget are determined by the fiscal policy of the government. Fiscal policy consists of taxation, fees and fines, borrowings, government expenses on the expenditure and budgeting which affects directly to the national economy. Taxation plays major role in fiscal policy because most of the governments in the world get their revenue from taxes. Tax is a sum of money that individuals and organizations have to pay to the government at a specified rate which is imposed by government. There are two types of taxes which are direct tax and indirect tax. A direct tax is a tax that are imposed and collected on a specific group of people or organizations. For example, income tax would be a direct tax which is collected from the people who actually earn their income. On the other hand, indirect taxes are collected by intermediaries such as retailers from the consumers who actually take the economic burden. Sales tax is an indirect tax and merchants collect it from the customers and merchants actually dont take any burden. The rising in direct tax reduces the post-tax income of general public. This could motivate individuals to work more hours to maintain their target income that can lead more productivity. But on the other hand, individuals could be de-motivated since their income has reduced. The government has to introduce a low level of direct taxes like income taxes for lower income earners in order to motivate people to work extra hours and keep more what theyve earned. Changes to tax system can reduce the risk of unemployment and therefore increase the total GDP growth rate. For example, when the income tax is high, the households with low income are not trying to work extra hours as their net income is very low after the tax. If the income tax rate got lower, they can be motivated to work which increase the labor supply. The changes to indirect taxes have a strong impact on the demand of general public for goods and services. Rising tariffs on foreign cars can reduce the demand for foreign cars and helps to protect and develop the national car manufacturing industry. In Finland theyve imposed relatively high tariffs on some foods from abroad, in order to maintain stability of their agriculture. In contrast, government financial assistance (subsidy) has impact on reducing their costs of production, lowering the market price and helping to increase the demands. Tax changes can have a role on motivation of work forces and their overall efficiency and productivity. Reducing the rates of cooperation taxes and other business taxes can encourage the capital investments in the businesses. If the investment increases, the national capital stock can rise and the capital stock for the individuals can also rise. The government can also use some tax allowances to encourage more start-up businesses and increase and developments in RD. With the low rate of cooperation taxes and other business taxes can lead more inflows of foreign investment which might benefit both public demand and supply. Fiscal policy has been used as a tool of demand management for a long time by many governments in the world. The decisions of changing the fiscal policy must be made deliberately as it has a great impact on the general economy. The fiscal stance is a term that is used to describe whether fiscal policy is being used to actively expand demand and output in the economy or otherwise to take demand out of the circular flow. A  neutral fiscal stance  might be shown if the government runs with a balanced budget where government spending is equal to tax revenues. Adjusting for where the economy is in the economic cycle, a neutral fiscal stance means that policy has no impact on the level of economic activity. A  reflationary fiscal stance  happens when the government is running a large deficit budget. Loosening the fiscal stance means the government borrows money to inject funds into the economy so as to increase the level of aggregate demand and economic activity. A  deflationary fiscal stance  happens when the government runs a budget surplus. The government is injecting fewer funds into the economy than it is withdrawing through taxes. The level of aggregate demand and economic activity falls. The level of government borrowing is an important part of  fiscal policy  and management of aggregate demand in any economy.  When the government is running a  budget deficit, it means that in a given year, total government expenditure exceeds total tax revenue. As a result, the government has to borrow through the issue of debt such as Treasury Bills and long-term government Bonds.  The issue of debt is done by the central bank and involves selling debt to the bond and bill markets. Continuous running of large budget deficit can be a problem for government and the economy. The budget deficit can be financed by issuing of new government debt to investors from home and abroad. But if the budget deficit rises to a high level, the government might have to offer higher interest rates to attract buyers of the debt which will affect the general economy negatively. In the long term, government borrowings become a heavy burden as the government has to spend more each year in interest payment for the debts to the holders of government bonds and other securities. Therefore the government has to introduce a high rate of taxes which can hinder or decrease the growth rate of GDP, consumption and investment spending. This has happened in Finland in the 1990s which was the financial crisis caused by massive national debt. Fiscal policy should not be isolated from monetary policy. Monetary policy is made and developed by central bank of the nation to control supply of money within the economy. Monetary policy affects all the sectors of the economy but in different ways and with a variable impact on it. Monetary policy plays a very important role in controlling inflation, interest rate, exchange rate and money supply which has great impact on overall economy. Lower interest rates will lead to an increase in both consumer and business capital spending which increases equilibrium national income and also the growth rate of GDP. In the contrast, high interest rates will decrease the capital spending of both consumer and business which will definitely reduce the productivity and buying power. But raising interest rate can be used effectively used to control the inflation when it is caused by the bank credit. When the economy is in a recession, fiscal policy may be more effective in increasing spending and income by stimulating demands. But when there is inflation problem, it can be easier to control it by introducing monetary policies such as controlling interest rate, cash reserve ratio and open market operations. http://www.jftc.go.jp/eacpf/04/singapore_p.pdf http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/6056.pdf http://www.cuts-international.org/pdf/CCIER-2-2008.pdf http://www.isnie.org/ISNIE06/Papers06/09.3/voigt.pdf q1 http://economydetail.blogspot.com/2010/01/allocation-of-resources-in-economics.html     http://www2.gsu.edu/~ecomaa/Lecture2.pdf http://economicsworlds.blogspot.com/2010/02/resources-allocation.htm

Live With Lightning Essay -- Essays Papers

Live With Lightning The main hero of the novel is looking for an answer to the question: â€Å"What is his place as a scientist in the world.† The book focuses on the historic period from the 30s till the end of the World War II. A common American post-student wants to become a scientist. He has nothing except his talent, courage, patience, persistence, and strong will to devote his life to physics. On obtaining his diploma and his appointment as an assistant and teacher in the University of Columbia, he spent his summer washing dishes, working at a gas station in a place with a significant name High Hope. He found by chance that he had taken the job from a man who had a family to support. Eric Gorin moved on. When asked whether he is especially interested in any particular field of physics, Eric frankly answered that he didn’t know enough about any of them yet. One of Eric’s professors Hollingworth is very kind to him, but physics is only a career, his way of making money. Eric was going to teach freshman physics lab and take his own courses towards his doctorate as well. â€Å"You’ll probably find the first year rather confusing and hard work to teach between the two schedules, but things will straighten out for you after a while. â€Å" – indifferently notices Earle Fox, department chairman. Eric is proud of talking to the Nobel Price winner, such a prominent figure in science But Earle Fox is a good artist. No one could guess how empty and unhappy his life is, the life of a skeptic and pessimist, the life of stereotype and standard. He never cared for the work, never put even a spark of passion into it. No soul there could be in the pure, abstract science. The men Fox saw had a fine and delicate intelligence, but the society which had reared them, had also told them that they were working in fields that were foreign to mainstreams of ordinary endeavor. The knew the verdict pronounced on them was the opposite of justice, they had made themselves willing to believe that science which they found most interesting in life had no connection with life. They found the peace, which made work possible. So that from disenchantment with the science, he had progressed to contempt for its practitioners and to a still profounder contempt to what he did. Earl Fox is the first symbolic impediment for Eric. He asked Gorin what made a young man choose of all... ...e going to make the grade as a civilization. The millennium was at hand. But the hopes were destroyed; atomic energy was used as a threat, open or implied to frighten other countries. He preferred painful, distressing truth to a peace-giving lie. He chose his way, and understood that every lab in the country was under pressure buy the military men and the people who had deliberately confused the bomb with atomic energy. He says: â€Å" I’m not going to be any Earl Fox. No student will hear me say, â€Å" What difference does it make?† Everything makes a difference now. Indifference is condemnation of the human race said Febermaher. Indifference is innocence sinister, which makes the minds and souls deliberately atrophied. When Americans asked, with horror, â€Å" How could the Germans be made to believe such things?† Febermaher was tempted to reply, â€Å" What makes Americans think that they would be any different†. Indifference is the bovine stupidity with which a herd of cows watch one of their own number being slaughter. And this sinister innocence is the ultimate cruelty of the universal kind. In America it is called cruelty, in Europe, the other side of the coin was called practicality.

Speech: Teacher and South East High

South east has thought me a lot of things but I am very thankful that it gave me three great qualities that I still carry on today that are Respect, leadership, and professionalism. It has been long since I first lay my eyes on this school. I was 14 years old when I arrived in this country. I dint know what road to take, my thoughts were hey vacations since I originally lived and went to school in Guadalajara, Mexico.I decided that the best choice for me to take was to stay and achieve an education in the United States. I did not think twice after my uncles showed me South East High. I was like yea this is the place that I want to come to. I loved the way it looked, the way the people treated each other, and how friendly staff was. Once I started I found out that South East wasn't only a school it was something of another world. I had very good memories from all my teachers that I had had through all my four years on school.One of my biggest memories is the time when I first come at school, it was the first week of school and I want it to go back at home with my parents, brother, and sister because I really miss them but they told me that I have to be strong and achieve all my goals and here I am graduating me and starting a new beginning. One of the motivations that inspire me was the words that Martin Luther King said â€Å"I have a dream† so do I and it’s to become the greatest architect.My parents always told me that I can become whatever I want if I keep trying and doing the best that I can and never give up. Trough all this years on school I had learned so many good things here on South East High that my friends, teachers, counselors, and also others had teach me. They teach me to be who I am and not try to be who I am not. One of my teachers that I am really thankful is my ESL teacher that teaches me in the best way that he could.He teaches me how to write and speak this language. I want to say at all of you that I know and also at those wh o I don’t know that you have to do what you’re heart tells you and try to achieve all your goals not to do what other people wants you to do. I want to thank at all my teachers and family for all the help that they gave me. Thank you everybody for listed to me and Go Class of 2010 we did it.

Political culture and change alters the nature and meaning of art essays

Political culture and change alters the nature and meaning of art essays Most history of art in ancient periods comprises relationships between the political condition of a nation and the manner artists create their works of art. Two instances of this in which the nature and meaning of art were influenced by the changes in political culture are the Baroque and The Baroque era was a period of wealth and grandiosity. It was the time when luxury, political victory, and improvements in trade transpired in Europe. This era was characterized by modern lifestyles among men and women. Such development and modernization inspired many artists. Hence, most of the art works of the time represents progress and grandiose lives. Buildings and architectural structures were intricate and emphasize rich decorations. One of the architectures that illustrates luxury and elegance of the Baroque style is the Palace of Versailles. An online source The fence is covered with a sheet of gold; every room is filled with intricate carvings and elegant figurines. Each room reflects a certain time or king by the change in furniture and styleThe palace is like a museum, which shows the progress of society using art and architecture Rembrandt, a celebrated painter of the Baroque style, transformed his classical style into new light elaborating Baroque characteristics. Similar to the Baroque era that influenced the characteristics and nature of art, the era of Romanticism influenced many artists in expressing themselves against the 18th century's Enlightenment crisis, dominating attitudes, and political conditions. The arts of Romanticism were characterized by individualism, imagination, free expression, intellectual social thoughts, and criticisms. One of the well-known Romantic poets was William Wordsworth. Wordsworth was known for his literary poems that express freedom. In Romantic paintings, on the other ...