Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational Essay

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational use - Essay Example This comparison significantly influence public perception on the issue. In analyzing the arguments on for and against marijuana, supporting the legalization of marijuana has more benefits to the society than its negative effects. Consequently, marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Most criticism on marijuana are based on the medical impact on the user. Similar to most drugs, marijuana has side effects. However, the side effects of the drug can be easily addressed. In comparison to legal and most abused drugs in the United States, marijuana poses the less significant health risks. In an argument by Brewer the health risks associated to cigarettes and alcohol cannot be compared to that of marijuana (1). For instance, numerous studies have shown the cancerous effects of tobacco. Apart from studies, it is proven that cigarette use is a major cause of cancer. This is dissimilar to marijuana. The drug still has zero proven cases reported as a cause of cancer. Still on cigarettes, tobacco is highly addictive compared to marijuana. Rampant users have difficulty in refraining from its use. On the other hand, marijuana addiction are rare as users easily cope with absence. Comparing the two drugs, Brewer is of the assumption that tobacco is hugely dangerous to human hea lth than tobacco (1). The author further asserts that tobacco has been a cause of death of 500,000 people annually in the United States (Brewer 1). From this provisions, one may assert that is cigarette is a legal drug, marijuana should also be legal. The argument is based on the adverse effects of tobacco on human health as compared to tobacco. The same comparison could be made on the effects of alcohol. As reported by the CDC, 25,000 deaths caused by alcohol overdose were reported in 201 (Brewer 1). In addition, 16,000 liver disease deaths were contributed to alcohol abuse (Brewer 1). These statistics display the impact of the health hazards associated with alcohol abuse. The same

Footwear International Essay Example for Free

Footwear International Essay Footwear International is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of footwear with 83 companies in 70 countries with one of these locations is in Bangladesh, where John Carlson is the managing director. Bangladesh has had a turbulent history in the 20th century and over 85% of the population is Moslem (Thomas, 2003). An article in the Meillat, a newspaper with pro Libyan preferences, made reference to the design of the insole of a sandal included the Arabic spelling of the word â€Å"Allah† and since this design was on the insole of the sandal and next to the foot it is a sign of great disrespect to Moslems. The article also stated Footwear International was owned and operated by a Jewish family and was linked in the shootings of people in Palestine by Jews. This incident seemed to be escalating rapidly as youth groups began calling for demonstrations against Footwear, a lawyer had filed charges under the criminal code that forbade deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious believers. To make matters worse the prime minister had voiced his concerns in the matter as well. Public opinion towards Footwear International has now turned negative due to the erroneous claims published in the Melliat. The newspaper had stated that Footwear was under Jewish ownership which is untrue as the family that owned Footwear International was Christian. The design on the insole of the sandal was based on Chinese temple bells that the designer had purchased and was approved by her supervisor who was Moslem (Thomas, 2003). Numerous other people had seen the new logo during the design process and no one had made objections in regards to this logo either. How this logo incensed the Moslem community and more importantly how should Footwear International and especially John Carlson handle the allege claims against the company? It appears that Footwear International has two alternatives: one option is not to do anything and hope the problem will go away or the second option is to address the situation and resolve the conflict. The first option of not doing anything is not a very a good decision to make by Footwear International. The problem will not go away but will continue to grow until Footwear International ceases all operations in Bangladesh and with that the loss of revenue. Timing is the key in the second option and is more complicated as there are several major hurdles that John Carlson must address in a short period of time. It was indicated that two youth groups were planning on demonstrating against Footwear International. The first obstacle Carlson must be concerned with is for the safety of all his employees and their families especially the four other managers that were named in statement. He may wish to seclude the managers and their families in a safe location to protect them from the demonstrators. Carlson might request extra security personal from the corporate headquarters to ensure their safety. Religion and culture are very sensitive subjects to people of any country and due to the fact the opposition newspaper had printed false information about Footwear International, Carlson must use all types of media to set the record straight. Carlson will need to explain that Footwear International is owned and operated by individuals who are Christians and not Jewish as the newspaper article had stated. Carlson must capitalize on the company’s presence in the country that began in the 1930’s, the first manufacturing plant constructed in 1962, in 1971 the managing director was a freedom fighter, in 1985 Footwear International went public and two years later spearheaded the largest private sector foreign investment in the country and employees over 1800 Bangladesh people in 81 stores and agencies (Thomas, 2003). Carlson must be very sincere as he communicates to the different media outlets on how the design used was based on Chinese temple bells and that the designer who created this logo is Muslim as well. I believe Carlson must compare the design logo to the Arabic spelling of Allah and emphasize that the design logo was not intended to offend anyone of the Muslim society. Footwear International must review the procedures they use in the design process and new policies should be implemented going forward so this type of situation will not occur again. It is important for Carlson to admit this mistake and I think he must make a bold move and announces the recall of these sandals, this may be a costly decision, however it will the show the people he is sincere in trying to remedy the problem. Carlson must also be concerned with the legal actions that a local lawyer has filed against him and if by chance the lawyer does not rescind these charges it may be necessary for him to seek legal help from the corporate headquarters. Footwear International executives should use any means available to open up dialogue with the prime minister in hopes of him recanting his remarks. If the prime minister addresses the situation and reissues a statement supporting Footwear International attempts to correct the situation this would probably pressure the lawyer in dropping the charges. If I was in Carlson’s place I would meet this situation head on and utilize all resources at my disposable to correct this honest mistake. Mistakes happen and it is how we fix these mistakes that people judge our integrity by.

The Washington Consensus, 1989

The Washington Consensus, 1989 Introduction: Economists have been trying to develop policies as a unique pattern of guaranteed growth independently of its development level. One such attempt was called the ‘Washington Consensus presented by John Williamson in 1989, which referred to a combination of principles adopted from various international policies unified in ten main steps as a way of creating a growth pattern for a country (mostly developing and transitioning countries; especially in the region of Latin America) (Williamson, 2004). Another international organization, called the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been trying to help in creation of liberalized trade environment and push forward economically undeveloped countries by supporting their integration into a multilateral trading system worldwide. Even though, both the Washington Consensus and the World trade organization have acquired quite much negative connotation, the WC for its attempt to generalize growth pattern and the WTO for providing advantageous treatment to some of the organizations members, the positive results emerging from their existence are very visible in the international trading environment. Washington Consensus, source of many debates: The Washington Consensus, initially developed in 1989, as explained by his author John Williamson was not meant to become a policy viewed as a universal growth and development prescription but it was his way of listing ten policies that were held in the city of Washington aimed to set off the economic growth in the area of Latin America. However, according to his own words he did not necessarily include all of the policies that promote development but the primary common feature that must have been their nature of consensus. (CID, April 2003). The Center for International Development at Harvard University listed the following policies as the common denominator of the Washington Consensus provided by Washington-based institutions for the Latin America area: â€Å"Fiscal discipline, A redirection of public expenditure priorities toward fields offering both high economic returns and the potential to improve income distribution, such as primary health care, primary education, and infrast ructure, Tax reform (to lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base), Interest rate liberalization, A competitive exchange rate, Trade liberalization, Liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment, Privatization, Deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit), Secure property rightsâ€Å" (D. Bloom, D. Canning, J. Sevilla, p.58, 2003). This list of policies serving as a piece of advice for launching an economic growth rate increase in developing countries received much critique afterwards. Highly accomplished economists have expressed their opinion that this model was a huge step towards neoliberal models, which are nowadays used interchangeably with the term of the Washington Consensus. (Williamson, 2004). However, the criticism was not constructive because they perceived the idea of the ten principles from a different perspective than it was actually formulated by its author. Williamson decided to react and enter a never-ending debate surrounding his original concept and that leads to creation of two mainstream variations of his Washington Consensus. He was inspired by Mr. Stiglitz and Rodrick critics, and did his best to object them in his work The Washington Consensus as Policy Prescription for Development (Williamson, 2004). He explains that Stiglitzs critique upon the Consensus, which was marked as a ‘P ost-Washington Consensus was actually only a transformation of the former one put in different words. However, the main idea of pursuing â€Å"equitable development, sustainable development and democratic development† (Williamson, 2004) after all have stayed the same. Williamson has also applied further discussion towards the arguments of Mr. Rodrick and expresses an agreement with his description of developed countries systems and successes. On the other hand, everyone interested in international economics, international relations and international law is knowledgeable about current situation of enhanced economies and their mutual interaction. What Rodrick actually failed to do is naming resources of the well being in developed countries and assessing them as a logical pattern or a manual for less developed countries, which are to seek this kind of a growth rate hint nowadays and also in the future. Moreover, Rodrick added to the original Williamson thought other points: â⠂¬Å" Corporate governance, Anti-corruption, Flexible labor markets, WTO agreements, Financial codes and standards, â€Å"Prudent† capital-account opening, Non-intermediate exchange rate regimes, Independent central banks/inflation targeting, Social safety nets and Targeted poverty reduction.â€Å" (CID, April 2003). Another strong current, formed as an anti-globalization movement, has been criticizing the Washington Consensus and its trade liberalization. Many of the critics, including Tariq Ali and many others have seen the Washington Consensus as a labor-exploitation policy of poor and undeveloped countries. Contradiction has been found in a reduction of tariffs that allowed free movement of goods while on the other hand labor market was restricted of moving freely due to the requirements of visa and work permits and therefore leading towards restriction of human rights. (STWR, May 2007) Despite such strong arguments against the Washington Consensus, anti-globalization movement has never been taken seriously. The reason for that was found in the positive outcomes that have arisen of Washington Consensus policy, such as the positive attitude towards sustainable development of undeveloped. Basically, the Washington Consensus did take a challenge and tried to create such a pattern that could work not only on the Latin American countries but could be also applied to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on their pursuit towards economic growth. (CID, April 2003). Although, there are also many exemplary countries such as India, China, Vietnam , Chile, etc. that have achieved an extraordinary turn around in the economic development on their own without following any kind of a universal manual, such unique accomplishments will be seen in future because of the need for finding a recipe to enhance developing economies is a must-do policy. Therefore, economists like Williamson would and will continue their work of seeking the right combination of the components of an international trade policy that would prove as a helpful strategy in future economic situations. The WTO, its efforts, controversy and reflections toward future: Compilations of policies like The Washington Consensus are in the center of attention of international organization namely The World Trade Organization (WTO), which seeks to promote the international trade and economic globalization with least harmful effects. The misconceptions about the Washington Consensus as explained above have been one of the main arguments of anti-globalization movement across the world. These groupings of people perceive it as a deathtrap of powerful countries imposed on developing countries with the intention of causing even deeper crises and putting them into greater disadvantage on global market. â€Å"The World Trade organization officially was established on January 1, 1995, as the successor to GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and as the legal and institutional foundation of the international trading systemâ€Å"(D. Palmeter, P.C. Mavroidis, page 13, 1999) Moreover, the World Trade Organization is dealing with various trade regulations between the participating countries: â€Å"It provides a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants adherence to WTO agreements which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.† (Fairtrade, 2010). Moreover, disputes that may arise between the countries are mostly the main topics on WTO trade negotiations Currently the negotiations dealing with great issues like agriculture, tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade and trade concept amendments are in progress and close to the end at the 4th WTO Ministerial at Doha, Qatar. The discussions were launched in 2001 and according to Ian F. Fergusson in his Congress Research Service Report there are â€Å"three issues among the most important to developing countries, in addition to concessions on agriculture. One issue, now resolved, pertained to compulsory licensing of medicines and patent protection. A second deals with a review of provisions giving special and differential treatment to developing countries. A third addresses problems that developing countries are having in implementing current trade obligations.† (I. F. Fergusson, page 3, 2006) The special and differential treatment provisions imply prioritized position for developing countries in international trade negotiations. In terms of international politics â₠¬Å"developing countries are guaranteed: longer time periods for implementing agreements and commitments measures to increase trading opportunities for these countries provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries support to help developing countries build the infrastructure to undertake WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standard Provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) membersâ€Å" (WTO, 2001) However, according to further findings the situation is quite different and no matter how the intentions may be stated the United States of America along with international financial institutions and multinational corporations play main role in the game of international politics no matter whether a pattern like the Washington Consensus is in place or an organization like the WTO is leading some negotiations to favor poorer nations development. To explain the argument more precisely, the WTO has a clause which guarantees one vote for each of its members but most of the decisions are not made by the voting process because they depend upon consensus. Therefore, opposing voices like to use several disputes as examples of the discrimination of the developing countries (e.g. environmental issues, banana case, textile case, etc.). One of the most visible cases was so called banana case when the decision of the WTO was presented as a move favoring the USA and putting the developing countries in disadvantage. To be more precise the decision was a ruling against the EU and not against developing countries in first place. The whole issues started and ended with tariffs set on bananas, which were preferential to African and Caribbean countries producers, mainly French and British colonies members of LomÃÆ' © Convention (The Assosiated Press, 2008). The WTO made an objective decision based on its agreements. Furthermore, there is another event to mention and it is a fact that four other developing countries out of Latin America including â€Å"Ecuador, the worlds largest banana producer (The Assosiated Press, 2008) protested together with the US against EUs banana tariffs. Yet the WTO policies contain dispute settlement clauses, which have been used quite many times successfully when fighting back the decisions made by developed countries. The developing countries also have a chance to turn in proposals for the WTOs future programmers in order to change their current position in multilateral trading system next to developed countries. Among other requests â€Å"these include: belief that better implementation of existing WTO agreements, including faster removal of textiles restrictions, longer transition timetables for developing countries and greater technical assistance, should have priority over negotiation on new issues, desire to change or ease some WTO rules which they believe give inadequate weight to their situation, disappointment at continuing barriers to their exports, particularly against processed products based on their own natural resources, concern at the practical burdens involved in taking part in WTO work for the small delegations o f developing countries, and at the cost of dispute cases.â€Å" (WTO, 1999). To conclude, an inference that the WTO favors big powerful countries and MNCs and therefore it is pain in the eyes of public audiences cannot be completely disproved at any stance. However, evidence provided above has concluded efforts of the organization and its members toward including more of the concerns about developing countries difficulties and implementation of the appropriate solutions. Summary: To sum up, both the Washington Consensus and the World Trade Organization have common vision of promoting economic development via core set of rules and policies. As to every controversial topic there are advantages and disadvantages to mention but in order to survive their results must be positive otherwise there is still room for improvement or termination. Both Mr. Stiglitz and Mr. Rodrick were right in their lectures on economic growth policy guidelines but they did not assert any statement what so ever that would be contradictory to the Washington Consensus in its fundamental essence. However, the great increase in development growth rate examples of China, India, Vietnam, etc. are spotlights in current global economic scene due to their considerable difference when compared to the Washington Consensus idea pursued by the IMF or the World Bank. Achievements of these countries are a foretoken of a completely new approach to the development of developing nations. Future predictions It is relatively hard to make any predictions considering the future of the WC and WTO. Washington Consensus did indeed create healthy basis for the WTO future but there is hardly enough space for both organizations on the international scene. Most likely the Washington Consensus will become only a term used for comparison with more current and up-to-date development approaches. The World Trade Organization, on the other hand, has a long way to go and its members are here to predefine its future path. The WTO is neither undemocratic nor it undermines the sovereignty of its member states and their governments. However, there are still many problems in relation to negotiations with developing countries to resolve and providing special and differential treatment to them will not solve those problems but may help along the way towards sustainable development.

Environmental Dispossession Essay -- Canada

Canada has a vast and prominent Aboriginal population that requires diverse and culturally safe health care. Milligan (2010) reports that as of 2006 there were 1,172,785 identified Aboriginals residing in Canada. British Colombia is home to 196,075 Aboriginals, the second largest provincial population in Canada, with 7,050 individuals of this reported Aboriginal population residing within Kamloops. This large provincial population of Aboriginals accounts for approximately 5% of BC’s total population and therefore it is vital that the disparity in both access and outcome of health care related shortcomings, which are highly publicised, be addressed. One major health problem, which has gradually increased in prevalence within this vulnerable population over the past several decades, is diabetes. Health Canada reported in 2000 that the prevalence of diabetes among aboriginals is a minimum of three times higher than that of the non-aboriginal population in Canada. This increa sed risk of diabetes can be attributed to numerous factors such as, genetic predisposition (Thouez et al. as cited in Health Canada, 2000) or decreased access to education or services that benefit aboriginal people (Barton, 2008). This paper will analyze the effects of environmental dispossession as a determinant of health, while concurrently connecting intervention strategies with current practices. Definitions For the purpose of this paper, it is important to define several key terms that will be used. The term Aboriginal will encompass individuals who identify as First Nations, Inuit or MÃ ©tis people. Although from a statistical standpoint, there is some noticeable variation in degree of risk regarding diabetes, it is important to recognize that enviro... ...ada. (2000). Diabetes among aboriginal people in Canada: The evidence. Ottawa: Health Canada. Johnson, J. A., Vermeulen, S. U., Toth, E. L., Hemmelgarn, B. R., Ralph-Campbell, K., Hugel, G., . . . Crowshoe, L. (2009). Increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes among the status aboriginal population urban and rural Alberta, 1995-2006. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 231-236. Raphael, D., Curry-Stevens, A., & Bryant , T. (2008). Barriers to addressing the social determinants of health: Insights from the Canadian experience. Health Policy, 88(2-3), 222-235. Richmond, C. A., & Ross, N. A. (2009). The determinants of first nation and inuit health: A critical population health approach. Health & Place, 15(2), 403-411. Shelly, M. (2010). 2006 Aboriginal population profile for Kamloops. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.

Vonneguts Changing Women :: essays research papers fc

Vonnegut's Changing Women What follows is an argument to the effect that, in the novels written before 1973, Vonnegut's female characters generally are presented negatively, either as pro-authority anti-individualists or as helpless or male-manipulated victims who never "grow" in either a personal or literary sense. In addition I maintain that, in at least two of Vonnegut's later novels, certain female characters exercise individuality in their own existences and effect positively the awareness and attitudes of male characters. From the beginning of Player Piano (1952) through Slaughterhouse Five (1969), Kurt Vonnegut describes the characters of his various worlds in terms of their victimization at the hands of a dehumanizing, or perhaps a better term might be "deindividualizing," technologically fixated, industrial/militaristic society. Time and time again in these novels the role of the individual is subsumed in the miasma that passes for "social responsibility." Like the real world in which every human being exists, Vonnegut's literary worlds feature nameless and faceless authorities (when such authorities are offered at all) who seem to be the masters in local, regional, global, and sometimes interstellar chess games. Often, as is the case in Vonnegut's 1951 "All the King's Men," these "manipulators" move their all-too-sentient pieces in what at times, for the victims, must seem to be diabolical--and what certainly are tragic--maneuvers. In The Sirens of Titan (1959) and Slaughterhouse Five the "accidental" nature or intergalactic point of view of the authority that seems to be "in charge of things" serves to distance humans from personal responsibility for the results of such maneuvering--as such results are described in the novels. In Sirens, for example, the inappropriate and often asinine behaviors of Malachi Constant are shown to be products of the direct influence of the Tralfamadorians who for millennia have manipulated human societies simply to communicate with a mechanized messenger shipwrecked on Saturn's largest moon. The same excuse can be made for the ultimate human manipulator in the novel, Winston Niles Rumfoord, as it can for the actions and attitudes of Bee, Rumfoord's wife and the mother of Constant's son, Chrono. That the communications sent to Salo on Titan consist of such inane and, given the non-human nature of the receiver, unimportant content as, "Be patient. We h aven't forgotten about you," and, "You will be on your way before you know it" (271), only makes more pathetic the fact that Tralfamadore has influenced directly the rise and fall of countless human civilizations in order to deliver such messages.

Low cost airlines are an environmental disaster

A low-cost carrier or low cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a low – or lower – operating cost structure than their competitors. Through popular media the term has since come to define any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services regardless of their costs. While most discount airlines have more fuel-efficient fleets than older carriers, their significant contribution to sky traffic is unprecedented. Commercial passenger airlines, especially low cost and Internet sales-based carriers, are experiencing growth internationally. In the United States, airline flight sales dropped 30 percent directly following September 11, but have since made a comeback and are now experiencing slow but steady growth.Today, the U.S. has been able to maintain its place as the leading nation in air travel, and North America accounts for 40 percent of worldwide air traffic. Low-cost airlines such as Jet Blue Airways have led this domestic growth, topping the Bureau of Transportation charts for domestic profit gains. Airline sales in Asia are escalating as well, and the skies are becoming increasingly more crowded. In China alone, the market is projected to grow more than 200 percent from 1999 to 2014. While these flares may seem like a dream come true for low-budget travelers, the resulting surge in air traffic carries with it major environmental costs. Even with the more fuel-efficient technology that has evolved over the last 30 years, air travel remains a significant contributor to climate change. Air transport has increased twice as fast as road transport over the last 40 years. Air travel produces more carbon dioxide per km travelled for each passenger than car travel. There are clearly environmental effects increasing as a result of air travel, while others are decreasing or staying constant. Environmentalists say airlines rate as one of the most polluting forms of transport, with 16,000 commercial jets producing over 600 million tonne of carbon dioxide every year. Meanwhile, precise guidelines on international aircraft emissions are excluded from the Kyoto Protocol, with the stipulation that airline emission reform must be taken up by a separate organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Internationally, fuel used for aviation is tax exempt, and according to ICAO Secretariat John Crayston, â€Å"While the ICAO has established emissions standards for certain emissions there are no standards for CO2.† The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that aviation's share in climate change is at about 3.5 percent of the total contributions, which is predicted to climb to five percent by 2050. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), aerosol particles that are emitted in aviation such as soot, metals and sulfuric acid can indirectly influence climate change by causing additional cirrus clouds to form, which in turn trap the heat rising from the Earth's surface. The IPCC projects an overall global temperature increase from 34.7 to 40.1 degrees Fahrenheit between 1990 and 2100. Unlike in the US where a large number of domestic flights emit carbon dioxide over one area, the SDC has said that 97% of UK air transport is non-domestic, with carbon dioxide emissions generated on flights between countries. PARIS – The European boom in †low-cost† airlines, fueled by tax incentives, is increasing the level of toxic gases in the atmosphere and displacing less polluting and more efficient means of transportation for shorter distances, like trains. The Kyoto Protocol and the UK government's energy White Paper targets do not currently cover emissions from international aviation, as there is no global agreement on the allocation of these emissions to countries. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Numbers passing through UK airports expected to double to 400m by 2030.Air travel is growing globally at about 5% a year. At the forefront of this revolution are the low-cost, no-frills carriers such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Buzz, which are growing at a phenomenal rate. In June, Easyjet passenger numbers were up more than 50% on the same month last year. Ryanair increased by 34% and Go saw an incredible 72% rise. The lesson learned from these airlines, especially post-11 September, is as clear as it is simple – the cheaper your fares, the more people will fly. But if air travel is allowed to grow unchecked in this way, it will spell disaster for the planet, say environmentalists. More flights mean bigger, busier airports, which in turn means more noise and growing problems with air quality for those who live and work close to airports. But perhaps the biggest concern is the effect on global warming. The problem for environmentalists is that while efforts are being made to cut CO2 emissions from cars and industry, nothing is being done to rein in the airlines. Climatic change Burning aviation fuel releases greenhouse gases predominantly carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment, causing the Earth to heat up leads to global warming and the process of climate changes such as higher sea levels, devastating floods and droughts. Air traffic worldwide produces emissions of more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, it releases nitrates, ash, sulfates and water vapor. Some of these substances deplete ozone in the atmosphere. This layer of ozone gas is crucial for protecting life on Earth from the Sun's harmful rays. Flying also releases nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides, and even the vapour trails – contrails – left by planes are thought to be a hazard. It's been suggested that they add to the insulating effect of cirrus clouds on our climate. The Britain-based environmental group Tourism Concern predicts that by 2015 half of the annual destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by commercial air traffic and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation causes 3.5 per cent of man-made global warming and that figure could rise to 15 per cent by 2050. NASA scientists say condensation trails from jet exhausts create cirrus clouds that may trap heat rising from the earth’s surface. This could account for nearly all the warming over the United States between 1975 and 1994. The guidelines on international aircraft emissions were excluded from the Kyoto protocol on climate change and aviation fuel is tax exempt. Aerospace firms have made huge leaps forward, with commercial jets now 70 per cent more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre (mile) than they were 40 years ago, thanks to better engines, lighter materials and aerodynamic designs. Optimists, including Easyjet, pin their hopes on technology to make planes more efficient. And cost-obsessed carriers are continuously searching for ways to use capacity better, find more direct flight paths and cut congestion in order to trim the hefty fuel bills which make up 25 per cent of airline operating costs. Most discount airlines have young, more fuel-efficient fleets and newer airlines in regions such as Asia have leap-frogged older technologies to buy new planes. Hundreds of flights by subsidized airlines in Europe are endangering the global climate and the ozone layer. For now, they fly free of environmental regulations. The industry believes this Air Passenger Duty (APD), which raises  £800m a year, can be regarded as a form of environmental compensation. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. Since April this year, airlines that use Heathrow Airport have been charged for nitrogen oxide emissions and carriers emitting less receive a rebate. This will happen in Gatwick in a year or so. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Under this scheme, to help with the environmental costs caused by civil aviation pollution, by 2008, the industry would pay for other industries, such as the nuclear fuels sector, to reduce their carbon emissions. The proposal has been put forward to the European Commission, and includes an incentive for airlines to pay less into emissions trading if they use more environmentally friendly aircraft. The FOE says emissions trading, and the proposal to differentiate landing charges at airports according to noise levels and air pollution, outlined in last year's aviation White Paper, has potential. The issue of an aviation fuel tax is not top of the international climate change agenda, because it will have to be confronted at a global level. There are a lot of domestic issues the government has to deal with, areas that damage the environment more than the 5% of carbon dioxide emissions caused by the airline industry.On this basis, the likelihood of low-cost air fares rising in the near future is an unlikely one. References BBC news Europe. 2005 . EU plans airline CO2 reductions. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/4287048.stm . [ 18 November 2006] Christian Dietsche. 2005. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://www.cafebabel.com/en/ [18 November 2006] Daniel Mann. 2004. Calls to control low-cost flights.[online]   [ 18 November 2006] Jonathan Duffy. 2002. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2327487.stm [ 19 November 2006] Julio Godoy.2004. EUROPE: The True Cost of Flying. [online] http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=26687 Michael Smith. 2006. Branson launches plan to cut aviation emissions.[online]. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/060927/business/business_airlines_virgin_col Nicolas E. Antoine . , Ilan M. Kroo. 2002. Aircraft optimization for minimal environmental impact. 9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization. 4-6 September 2002, Atlanta, Georgia

Video Conferencing

CompareBusinessProducts. com What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Video conferencing has become â€Å"the next best thing to being there† for many businesses. Facilitating face-to-face collaboration for people who are in different locations, it can help businesses increase productivity while saving money on business travel expenses. With video conferencing, you can still have dynamic â€Å"in-person meetings† and â€Å"live† presentations and events – even if you’re on opposite ends of the country, or even in different countries.Video conferencing is also considered a â€Å"green† technology as it eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions that result from driving and air travel. But how do you know what to buy for your organization? The first step in determining this is to understand your main objectives for the system, including your usage requirements today and what they might be over the next 3-5 years. You don’t want to buy more than you need, but you do want a system that is going to scale with your business.Video conferencing has become â€Å"the next best thing to being there† for many businesses. Facilitating face-to-face collaboration for people who are in different locations, it can help businesses increase productivity while saving money on business travel expenses. With video conferencing, you can still have dynamic â€Å"in-person meetings† and â€Å"live† presentations and events – even if you’re on opposite ends of the country, or even in different countries.Video conferencing is also considered a â€Å"green† technology as it eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions that result from driving and air travel. But how do you know what to buy for your organization? The first step in determining this is to understand your main objectives for the system, including your usage requirements today and what they might be over the next 3-5 years. You don’t want to buy more than you need, but you do want a system that is going to scale with your business. ContentsKey Questions o How Big Is My Audience? o Personal, Group Conferencing, or Both? Key Features to Look For o Easy Integration with Your Computer, Network, and Unified Communications Systems o Full Video and Audio Capabilities o Recording of Audio, Video, and Data o Flexible and Comprehensive Moderator and Presenter Controls o Customizable, Brand-able o Easy to Install, Easy to Use, and Easy to Maintain o Attentive, Accessible Customer Support o Competitively Priced and Great Value –  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Key Questions How Big Is My Audience? Consider the size of your audience – or the maximum number of attendees you will ever have for your video conferences, and who they are. If you plan on having international conferences, you’ll wa nt to discuss this with your vendor to ensure all networking and equipment standards are compatible. Consider the size of the rooms where attendees will take part in the video conference. Will you have 0-10 participants, up to 100, up to 500 or more?Will attendees mostly watch from their desktops, on a lap top while traveling, on a mobile device, in the board room, in a conference hall, or all of the above? Having a very clear picture of how the system will be used will enable you to make the right decision. Personal, Group Conferencing, or Both? When it comes to group or personal videoconferencing, there is a difference in what you’ll need. Essentially, all conferencing requires a camera, microphone, speaker, monitor, and a codec, which is a small â€Å"compression-decompression† program that helps large files travel across the Internet quickly.Personal videoconferencing systems are meant to work within an office or home environment and are designed for the personal c omputer, or now, increasingly, mobile devices. Speakers, microphones, and cameras are designed for close ups use and privacy. These systems now enable rich media collaboration, data sharing, and instant messaging. Group conferencing equipment is obviously more complicated, requiring cameras that â€Å"pan,† â€Å"tilt,† and â€Å"zoom,† as well as projectors, large flat panel monitors and other displays, microphone pods, and a variety of speakers.Key Features to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Easy Integration with Your Computer, Network, and Unified Communications Systems You’ll want to make sure that the system you buy easily integrates with your existing technologies, including your phone systems, the type of computers employees use, existing flat screen monitors, speakers, etc. You’ll want to check to see if the system complies with current standards or if they are proprietary technologies. You want a system that will communicate freely with all other standards-based systems vs. nly with products from the same manufacturer. You don’t want to invest in a system that will become obsolete within a short period of time  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 3 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Full Video and Audio Capabilities It may seem obvious, but make sure your system can play actual videos during the video conference, not just a PowerPoint presentation or other document. You’ll want high definition for best viewing quality.In addition, many systems provide a variety of screen layouts, so that attendees can simultaneously watch a video in one section of the screen, the presenter in another, and attendees in another. The system should have a video gateway that performs the translation between various technology protocols, including audio and video encoding formats used by the other components. When it comes to audio capabilities, make sure the system is going to be versatile an d loud enough for your audience to hear it, and that is complies with broad standards.Recording of Audio, Video, and Data Your system should enable you to record the audio, video, and even data portions of your conference. It can be very useful to record important, interactive presentations to share with others, such as hosting on your company’s website Intranet, or even YouTube for later viewing. Flexible and Comprehensive Moderator and Presenter Controls Easy to use and comprehensive controls are essential, especially when it comes to live presentations and meetings.Your conference moderator should be able to control who’s presenting, what attendees can view and hear, screen resolution, bandwidth, phone call admission, call routing, and more. You’ll also want a system that can pass control of the conference to other presenters to create a dynamic and interactive meeting. Controls should also include presentation mode, when the focus needs to be solely on the p resentation and not interactive dialogue and desktop sharing for flexibility, for example going back and forth between presentation decks to a website to a video.Customizable, Brand-able While you’re buying this system from a vendor whose brand will undoubtedly be showing up on the equipment, you’ll also want to make sure your organization’s branding appears for your conference – so you want a system that is customizable and flexible enough to display your company’s look and feel in the presentation and visuals.  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 4 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Easy to Install, Easy to Use, and Easy to Mainta in Check to make sure the system is not so complicated that it’s unusable, or even that some of the key features are not usable.It should have a clear, concise, and easy to use menu and an intuitive user interface. Many IT people have a knack for learning how to use new technologies. For this reason, have a few others in your organization try it out and use it before buying. Attentive, Accessible Customer Support When it comes to video conferencing, you cannot underestimate how important customer support is – including technical support – for your system. A video conference is a live event with a live, interactive audience.When something goes wrong, and all too often with new technologies it will – it’s like a dropped phone call during a critical business negotiation – but to the 1,000th degree. You want to make sure that you can access support and get solutions ASAP if you have any issues with your equipment or connection. Competitively Priced and Great Value Today, the popularity of video conferencing among businesses has skyrocketed, and hence there are many players who have entered the market.This is good news for buyers because these companies are competing for your business. You want a company that has a good track record of success and one that can prove it with existing customers testimonials, case studies, and references. And as with other parts of your business, be clear about your objectives first and what you aim to achieve with your video conferencing system, including your return on investment, before you open up your wallet.  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 5