The speed-up in the growth rate of the U.S. economy since 1995 Essay

The speed-up in the growth rate of the U.S. economy since 1995 - Essay Example This is opposed to a hard landing, which involves the slowing down of the economy without also causing a recession. Soft landings give economies the chance to improve themselves. It allows for moderate growth, but for low inflation. Hand-in-hand with the soft landing, the growth rate of the United States sped up due to business inventories rising relatively compared to sales. As well as the former, the costs of exporting goods and supplies to other countries have dropped considerably. In 1995, the Federal Reserve was not as active as it had been in previous years. At the beginning of 1995, it did raise interest rates, which pushed up the federal funds by half of a percentage, moving the rates to six percent. The interest rates dropped remarkably. The cut of the federal rates allowed them to decline, though they also leveled-off, rose a bit, but then declined once again. â€Å"Growth is no longer concentrated in consumption.† (Taylor) Investment in equipment grew, assisted by the expensing provisions of legislation, while orders and shipments data are signaling further gains. Interest rates have been the lowest since the 1960s, sparking a record pace of new home sales and allowing automakers to boost sales by offering generous financing and discounts. The productivity growth for 1995 was well ahead of the average it held between 1973 and 1995. A strong platform for expansion was set up by flexible labor, low inflation, goods and capitol markets, and the growth in productivity. The goal in this, to keep the growth rate increasing, involves adopting the right economic policies (Taylor). There are certain methods to be taken in to account when it comes to controlling something as growth rates of an economy, any economy. The amount of tax cuts and the decrease of unemployment has aided the growth rate of the United States economy. Prior to 1995, rates were unstable -

Why woman should not ever have an Abortion Essay

Why woman should not ever have an Abortion - Essay Example God condemns abortion. The reason abortion is prohibited is not just the fact that it is murder, but also because of a whole range of consequences that it causes. In many cases, abortion poses risk to the life of the mother. Even if the mother survives the initial risk, she is quite susceptible to bearing the huge burden of guilt of having killed her own child. Many mothers experience many negative emotional and psychological effects of abortion for a long time in their life. Owing to the fact that life starts at conception, every abortion results in the killing of a human being. To make it even worse, that human being cannot even speak for his/her rights, he/she does not even know about any rights, and is in the most innocent form. The moment a child starts developing inside the mother’s womb, the mother’s body does not remain just her body, but also becomes a home shared by her child. All these points lead to the conclusion that abortion should be

Dan Marino and Joe Montana Essay Example for Free

Dan Marino and Joe Montana Essay There I was, a three-year-old little girl watching a football game on TV with my grandfather. The game on TV was the 1985 super bowl, and the teams playing are the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. My grandfather was a big 49ers fan and Joe Montana was the big time star quarterback at the time. My grandfather asked me, â€Å"Well little girl, what team do you want to win? † The response he got was not expected, â€Å"The Dolphins, Papa! † His response was, â€Å"why? † I said, â€Å"They have pretty colors and dolphins on their helmets. My love for the Dolphins grew from that day more than anyone in my family could have expected. As the years passed my love for the game and Dan Marino grew deep. Growing up in the era of big time quarterbacks with Joe Montana considered the king with four super bowl rings, being a Marino fan was hard. At the time Marino entered the league in 1983, Montana had already played for four years, and Marino was a rookie in this game. Marino entered the super bowl in 1985, his second year in the NFL to take on Montana who had already won a super bowl. Marino had a lack of rings and a loss in the super bowl to Montana. Even though Marino lost this super bowl, the battle of who the better quarterback was began because Marino’s talent could not be ignored. Dan Marino was the better quarterback on and off the field than Joe Montana, despite the fact that Montana won more super bowls. Sure, Joe Montana had the super bowl rings but, Dan Marino held the record for touchdown passes, completions and yards. Marino is classified to me as the better quarter back because he held more records in his career than Montana did as an individual. Marino held 49 team records with the Miami Dolphins, and broke 24 NFL records (2). Marino also won the NFL MVP once before retiring in 1999 (2). To Marino’s credit he held this title and had never won a super bowl. Montana did win the NFL MVP three times and also won four super bowls in his career, but he only broke a handful of records as an individual (1). While researching Montana, the only supporting information given is pertaining to his career in super bowl wins. Out of all four of his super bowl wins he was crowned MVP three times which is a huge accomplishment. Montana also held 14 team records with the 49ers, which he left in 1992 to play for the Chiefs, but only held 2 NFL records (1). Now, if Marino had a chance at 4 super bowls instead of one, in my opinion he would have broken more records than Montana ever did in the super bowls he played in. A major question asked by NFL experts is, if Marino had played for a better team would he have won a super bowl? Montana had a record breaking and fellow hall of famer Jerry Rice on his team as his wide receiver, and a superior defense. Montana was a part of a great team and organization. Montana also was a great clutch winner and could win a game in the last two minutes of a game. It took the coach of the 49ers at the time to put faith in to his capabilities for him to shine. The Dolphins’ organization failed to supply Marino with the teammates he needed to win the big game. Marino had a great wide receiver, Mark Clayton, at his side to help assist him with achieving his records, and Don Shula as a coach. The Dolphins’ organization lacked a strong defense and this was ultimately the weakness on why they could not clinch the big wins in the playoffs. In the midst of Marino’s career, the Dolphins’ organization changed coaches, and the Dolphins as a team struggled toward the end of his career. If Marino had played with the 49ers, there is no doubt he would have gone to the super bowl multiple times and achieved his individual greatness as well. Marino’s greatness not only reflected on the field but also off-the-field as well. Off-the-field, Marino and Montana always have been family men first but Marino and his family are very supportive of charity. Marino is married to his wife, Claire, and they have six children. Three of these children, all boys, are biological and the other three children are adopted girls (2). Montana is married to his wife, Jennifer, and they have four children three girls and one boy (1). Montana’s son currently is playing college football as a quarter back (1). Since retiring in 1994, Montana and his family live in northern California wine country and are raising horses (1). Marino, on the other hand since retiring is working as a sports analysis for the show â€Å"Inside NFL. † Marino and his wife also created The Dan Marino Foundation prior to retirement, after their son Michael was diagnosed with autism (2). Even after Dan retired, they are still actively involved with their charity. The charity has donated more than 22 million to research (2). Both men are great role models for people to look up to, but Marino, in my eye’s, has the edge. Dan Marino and Joe Montana were both great athletes and accomplished a great amount of goals as athletes. There were records broken, trophies won and titles given, but as an individual quarterback, Marino is the best. Marino broke more records and even without winning the big game, took his team into the playoffs 10 times in his career (2). Montana as a team player went to the playoffs 16 times and won the super bowl four times (1). This in people’s eyes classifies him as the best quarter back in history. Montana did lead his team into victory four times but this makes him a great team player and a great leader. When it comes to being better than Marino at the quarterback position he is not. When concerning life after football it depends on how you view it but Marino is more successful as well. Marino is still involved with the sport and leads a charity in his own name. While Montana leads a life of solitude with his family out of the spot light which is a respectable life. Like I have stated before, both men are great role models and were both among the greats in football but Marino is still the better quarter back, both on and off the field.

The objectives of Vodafone and how the stakeholders are influenced

The objectives of Vodafone and how the stakeholders are influenced Introduction The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate the objectives of Vodafone and how the stakeholders are influenced by the company. It further illustrates the impact of the economic, social and global environment on Vodafone and how it helps them in making decisions. Moreover, the second half of the assignment shows how organizations in general act, role of the market structures and what are the strategies employed by the organizations to deal with them. Finally, The last task gives a good knowledge of how UK businesses have been affected by the European Union and whether joining the European Monitory Union is a solution to overcome recession. Mission, Objectives and responsibilities of an organization within its environment Mission, objectives and values: Vodafone is relatively a new company if it is compared with other UKs leading multinational companies such as Shell, BP and Rolls-Royce who have been in the industry for more than a century. Vodafone has defined a consistent set of values to achieve the aim of being a respected and pioneering company that puts the customer at the heart of their business. The essence of who they are underpins their values. They emphasize in the importance of; Speed   Vodafone is focused on speed to market, meaning they persistently prioritise and pursue the outcomes that matter to their business. Simplicity   They make things simple for their customers, partners and colleagues. Trust   They are reliable and transparent to deal with. They deliver for others, and believe on others to do the same. Their objective just like any other organization is reasonably high but they make no compromises in achieving their goals by not only having a bigger portfolio then the rivals but also by making sure that all the stake holders are influenced by the companys products and services. Influence of Stakeholders Vodafone believes in having constant feedbacks therefore dialogue between stakeholders is a part of normal business practice to them. This way the stakeholders are kept influenced by the company. Vodafone has the following stakeholders; Customers: Customers are the first priority and Vodafone ensures they are taken good care of. No customer would expect to be the cash cows hence it is essential that they are not overcharged for the products or services they use. They ensure this by marketing honestly; communicating openly and making sure customers are happy. Employees: Vodafone strongly believes that for customer satisfaction it is essential that the staff is well trained and have good knowledge of the products and services they are offering. Vodafone does that by recruiting and retaining the best people, invest in improving their skills and motivate employees by setting clear goals and reward them for achievements. Shareholders: They are the ones who have invested their money and time in the organization and therefore expect great returns or the share value of their company will decrease. Supply chain partners: The suppliers demands fairness and want to be dealt effectively and paid on time or it may cause a bad name for the company. Local community: They participate in local and national charities through The Vodafone UK Foundation, observe and aggressively reduce the impact of the business on the environment by recycling  mobile phones, reducing waste and energy saving activities. They also make certain that the concerns of local communities, pressure groups and all other stake holders are heard and considered before coming to a decision. Government: The governments controls organizations by putting laws and acting as watchdogs what the wants taxes, regenerate the area to reduce unemployment and ease disaffection amongst communities. Achieving the objectives of Stakeholders: Customers: Vodafone has 10% of the worlds market for mobile telephony and they have achieved this by safeguarding the rights of customers by setting up objectives and ensuring they are met precisely. Their reputation depends on earning trust of their customers and therefore they rely on the following main aspects for customer satisfaction. Content standards: Due to the large range of contents available online on mobile phones, Vodafone introduced a supervisory body where inappropriate content for all customers, especially young users are protected. Responsible Marketing: They make sure communications are always legitimate, decent, reasonable, authentic, straightforward and sensitive to the views of different groups in society. Pricing Policies: Clarity and affordability of pricing across the markets have been improved by introducing simpler price plans, and making tariffs more liable and flexible. They have also reformatted bills to help communicate the new price plans in a simpler way. Driving Safety: They support national legislation to promote safe use of mobile phones to drivers. For this reason they have invested in advertising and campaighing to Drive Safe! and also recommend hands-free kits to be used in cars for emergency. Product Safety: Before purchasing products, they conduct risk assessments to identify any health and safety issues. In the event that a product or piece of equipment is found to be unsafe, an immediate incident investigation is required and acted upon. Employees: Vodafone relies on it employees. Its their enthusiasm, talent and commitment that brought the company where it is today. Vodafone aims to treat all employees equally, ensuring healthy employee relations through open communication and consultation processes. Equal opportunity: Employee diversity is an asset to them, having employed people from different phases of life and of different gender and ages it helps them to serve customers all around the world. By instructing the recruitment consultants to recommend a suitable female candidate for every vacancy at management level, ensuring mobility needs are met for disabled employees and by international rotation of the employees; Vodafone aims to focus on Gender, Cultural and Disabled diversities, respectively. Reward and recognition: On meeting the targets they are given bonuses and benefits. They offer benefits such as medical insurance, subsidised mobile phones, share plans and retirement benefits. Training and Development: They provide training and development prospects to support employees gain new skills, and inspire them to reach their full potential. Vodafone offers a wide range of online courses related to specific aspects of the business or key skill sets. Community: Vodafone invests heavily in the community and has been working with various charities and welfare organizations to serve the community. For this reason they launch campaigns on a regular basis globally and domestically where they either contribute directly by giving charities, medical health to desired countries organizing events and asking the local people, their own employees and customers to participate in it for free. Vodafone also believes in being an environment friendly organization and therefore it encourages recycling of mobile phones and for this reason they are working on several campaigns as well. Responsibilities and Strategies employed to meet them: Vodafone is largest telecommunications Network Company in the world by turnover and they achieved this by being a pioneer in bringing revolutions. Being at this stage when they have other companies that look onto them, it is their responsibility to maintain their position. For this reason Vodafone is one step forward than its competitors. Vodafone does not only focus on the buying and selling of its products but also ensures that all the stakeholders are kept happy with their products by working on building a sustainable future. They are doing this by meeting societys needs and focusing on the areas where their interventions can address sustainability challenges most effectively at the same time as offering an attractive commercial return for their shareholders. They have set clear priorities to; Capturing the potential of mobile to bring socio-economic value in both emerging economies and developed markets, through broadening access to communications to all sections of society. Delivering progress against stakeholder expectations on the key areas of climate change, a safe and responsible internet experience and sustainable products and services. Ensure their operating standards are consistent and of an appropriate level across the group. Economic, social and global environment in which the organisations operate 2.1) Economic Systems: An economic system is a set of basic rules that a country implies to organize the ownership and allocation of economic resources.   From the countrys point of view, production of goods and services are influenced by the limited supply of elements as labour, land, natural resources and capital. Types of economies In general different countries adapt different types of economic systems. They are as follows; Planned Economy: In this type of economy the government controls the resources and has the command over every decision which is why it is also called Command Economy Mixed Economy: In a mixed economy both the sectors, individuals and the government, play a vital role in economic-decision making of the country. Market Economy: In such an economy market decisions are mainly dominated by supply and demand and the government. Government plays a minor role and the consumers drive the economy according to their needs. 2.1.1) Effective use of resources: The essential economic problem in any society is to provide a procedure for distributing resources and consumption among individuals who cant satisfy their wants, given limited resources. Every nation, no matter how the government works, who controls the government or how rich or poor the government is, three basic economic questions must be answered to allocate effective use of resources; What and how much to produce? From whom will it be produced? How will it be produced? UK Economic System: The United Kingdom operates a mixed economic system, where most of the decisions are to be made by the free market but at the same time the government has maintained a minimum wage, set out certain rules and regulations for environmental protection and provides medical facilities for the member of public. 2.2) Impact of Social welfare and industrial policy on organizations and wider community In 2007-08, about  £158 billion was spent on social security benefits in Great Britain. This amounts to approximately  £2,580 for every man, woman and child in the country and represents 25.6 % of total government expenditure. The UK believes strongly in the constant welfare of its people and therefore a public sector organization has been formed that ensures anyone who cant afford the basic necessities is given funds by the government through the tax payers money so that they can overcome poverty. Benefits are given from the day a child is born until the day he/she is deceased, provided they are entitled to it. One can be eligible for benefits if he/she is; Un-Employed Needs extra help with student finance On low income Expecting or bringing up children Ill or injured Disabled In retirement Caring for someone Although the social services system was introduced for the welfare of people, it has now been found out that a number of people have been misusing it and this has caused the government billions of pounds. Therefore in the recent budget the government has announced welfare cuts like freezing child benefits for 3 years, housing benefits restricted to a maximum of  £400 a week, a proper medical assessment for people claiming disability from work and so on and so forth. In my own opinion many of the benefits that are being reduced should not have existed in the first place. Vodafone and the benefits to employees: Depending on the location, Vodafone offer benefits such as medical insurance, subsidised mobile phones, share plans and retirement benefits. Retirement benefits are provided through a variety of arrangements, including defined contribution schemes. These vary depending on the conditions and practices in the countries concerned such as local market practice, taxation, legislation and the quality of the states pension. Industrial Policy: The issue of climate change is affecting the whole world and steps are to be taken to slow down this process. The UK Government is committed to showing international leadership in this area by taking possible steps to overcome this global issue. However, UK alone cannot overcome this because it is only responsible for roughly 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Vodafone and the environment: Vodafone takes climate change very seriously and has therefore set themselves a goal of being recognized as a green brand by 2010. For this reason they have already started working on securing the future by working on the following initiatives; Handset recycling   Fewer upgrades Universal and Solar chargers Reduced packaging E-billing Behaviour of organization and the market environment 3.1) How does market structures deviate from model of perfect competition Usually, while starting a new business firms start off in a perfect competition market, meaning they have many competitors and buyers. This basically gives them a chance to dissolve in the market. However, an aim for every successful organization is to be able to set a price they want and produce products that no one else is making. For this reason their approach from the beginning is to become a monopoly organization. However, Monopoly between organizations used to exist few years back but now it is impossible to have Monopoly because there is a lot of competition and the regulatory bodies ensure that no one has the right to take over the market all to themselves. Since becoming a Monopoly organization is not possible, the next best option is to adapt an oligopoly structure. This means there are not many competitors compared to what you find in perfect competition but its the maximum an organization can go to. In oligopoly they have a command over their pricing because not many buyers are selling it so they can set up a price accordingly and then approach the consumers. 3.2) Porters five forces: To start a business one needs to find out what problems they might face while entering a new market, for this reason Porters five forces are taken into consideration. Porters five forces go along with the market structures and it helps in finding out how each market structure may be affected by porters forces. Competitive rivalry With o2, orange, virgin, 3 and t-mobile operating in the market, there is a high rate of competition and therefore Vodafone ensures they are always offering services that give them a competitive advantage over it rivals. Bargaining power of customers The customers of Vodafone hold a very strong bargaining power because they can buy similar products and services from other rivals as well. For this reason Vodafone has to ensure that their pricing are very competitive and customer satisfaction is always taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion. Bargaining power of suppliers Due to the geographical existence and being one of the worlds leading mobile services providers, Vodafone has a good control over the suppliers. Vodafone has approximately 1550 suppliers worldwide and this enables them to have a command over the bargaining power of its suppliers. Threat of substitutes Vodafone faces  a low threat of product  substitutes. It is very difficult for the competitors to launch a similar substitute at a lower rate because Vodafone has already penetrated the markets and keeps itself up to date with the price changes and technological advancements. Threat of entry Threat of entrants is only possible when your products are either not according to the needs of customers or are relatively higher in price. For this reason Vodafone continuously keeps an eye on the market behaviour and reduces the costs compared to the competitors. Vodafone  being the  major supplier of mobile products  and services can reverse  the  trend set and make  it harder for the competitors  to make  a potential  entry. 3.3) Role of Competition Commission and regulatory bodies: Competition Commission and regulatory bodies act as a watchdog over the unfair competitions within the countries. They do this by limiting uncompetitive practices between the firms, allowing mergers and preventing monopolies from taking over the market. Regular checks are carried out by the committees on the organizations to ensure they are working on a fair trade. On 7 January 2002, Competition Commission made a ruling on Vodafone, along with o2, orange and T-Mobile over the call terminating charges. The committee did an investigation on this issue and declared that mobile termination charges were substantially high and therefore commanded the mobile networks to reduce it within a period of 4 years. Regulatory bodies such as competition commission play a vital role in maintaining a healthy competition within the markets. It is because of them that the emerging organizations can join the market and compete with the other maintained organizations. This gives the consumers an opportunity to choose from a variety of companies and get a better value of money. Significance of international trade and European dimension for the UK 4.1) Importance of international trade, economic integration and global markets to UK business organizations Resources are scattered around the world and there is not a single country that has everything it needs for continues development. Therefore international trade, economic integration and allowed entry of global markets in different countries are very important. The UK economy has one of the most open economies and is based on the services sector. It therefore encourages free trade with the rest of the world. Through this they are not only fulfilling the basic and essential needs of their people but also providing job opportunities within their country and throughout the world. Importance of Globalisation to UK Overseas Investments: There has been an increase of overseas investments both inwards and outwards in the UK economy. When companies from different parts of the world open a business in UK, they obviously bring a lot of investments, job opportunities and competitive products to the country and this helps in building the UK economy. Rising level of import penetration Particularly in those industries where Britains previous comparative advantage has been eroded such as textiles and clothing and the manufacture of lower-valued added electronic products. Developing a competitive advantage Through international trade there is no such thing as a monopolistic company in the UK. There are a range of similar services and products offered by different companies. These help the consumers in choosing from different suppliers and get a value for their money. Structural changes in industries For example the long-term loss of output and employment in industries such as textiles and other manufacturing sectors. This creates problems where factor resources are occupationally and geographically immobile In my view, Globalisation has definitely increased competitive pressures on British businesses in tradable goods industries. Cheaper prices for many international commodities and finished manufactured goods have certainly helped to control inflation in recent years and therefore reduce inflationary expectations. However, on the contrast due to Globalisation many of the well-known UK companies are now outsourcing their services which has resulted in lack of job opportunities within the country. This is weakening our economy and not leaving a good impact on our own people. 4.2) Impact of two policies of the European Union on UK business organizations The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states, primarily in Europe. Together these states merged to form the union so that they could have a mutual identity. Various policies have been imposed by the EU which benefits all the members in some way or another. The most important out of them are, Working rights: EU has given people from all the member states a great opportunity to find employment and study in other member countries. According to the EU commission, more than 15 million EU citizens have moved to other EU countries to work. This has given the developing countries like Poland a chance to utilize their skills in countries like UK and earn a decent livelihood. On the other hand, a large no. of people within the UK believes that the Europeans are stealing their jobs and they should not be allowed work in the UK but in actual they are just employed on the unskilled sector. In my opinion, there are still unskilled jobs in the UK market but the British either cant or dont want to work at the rates it is viable to employ them. So if you were to take all the Europeans out of the country, there will still be no jobs for the British in the unskilled sector. Free Trade: Easier cross-border trade within the EU means that small and medium sized organizations now have access to new export markets, which previously were not an option because of the cost and hassle that was involved with border bureaucracy. Single market has brought major benefits to the businesses in the UK. The free trade of goods have enabled the physical movement of goods within the UK and people across EU easily. This means that there are no trade barriers between the countries and people can freely expand their businesses. 4.3) Implication for the UK of entry into EMU In the past decades currency unions have failed so it is doubtful if the EMU will be a success either. As for the UK joining the EMU, I doubt this will be of any good. It is believed that UK might recover from recession if it joins the EMU but it is quite obvious that UK did not get into recession because of its currency. The Euro economy is also entering a recession and how can we expect to be saved by just joining the EMU is questionable. Moreover, in times like this it is more important that the UK should be independent of any monetary policy so that it could cut interest rates if necessary. Example, if the Euro economy recovers before the UK economy, interest rates may increase too quickly and harm the UKs recovery. The UK market for housing is quite sensitive to interest rates and many people have high mortgages. So, if the interest rate was to be increased or decreased it will have a great impact on buyer spending which can lead to either an inflationary boom or a deeper recession. I agree to the fact that the UK couldnt benefit from membership of the Euro currency which would have helped the tourists in using the same currency throughout the Europe and not be affected by the currency exchange rates, but it would be a very small percentage and would not have a great impact on UK economy because companies who are willing to expand and exchange business always get a much better deal than the tourists. Conclusion: This assignment in a nut shell has helped me in investigating what Vodafones economic environment is like, how it differs from other well-known organizations and what impacts does it have due to the social, economic and global factors. Vodafone is a global organization and their main aim is to satisfy all its stake holders, may it be the society, customers, employees and even government. It ensures this by having a clear vision and an approachable objective. For this reason, Vodafone always make use of effective use of their resources and take initiatives to overcome any sort of social and industrial issues while the regulatory bodies like competition commission act as a watch dog and ensures that there is always a healthy competition between organizations. Globalisation has affected everyone, in a good or a bad way. As for UK, where emphasize has been on the services sector it has been of a great use and is continuously building the economy because of the investments made by the global markets. However, the entrance of UK into European Monitory Union is still debatable because it may affect general public and the society.

Siberian Tigers :: essays research papers

What it looks like: Siberian tiger is the largest and most rare of all members of the cat family. This cat is 8-10 feet long, excluding their 25-38 inch rattling tail. This species of tiger weighs 400-700 pounds. Like all members of the tiger family, males are significantly larger than females.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fur of the Siberian tiger is long, thick and yellow with dark black stripes running through it. The coat of this animal is reddish colored in the summer months. The underside of the Siberian tiger is bright white, and the tail area is white and black. What its eating habits are: Like all members of the cat family, tigers are carnivores. The Siberian tiger hunts a wide range of prey, including small mammals, deer, water buffalo, wild pigs, and birds. Tigers ambush their prey, often camouflaging themselves and observing their intended victims for long periods of time. Siberian tigers are strong animals, able to tackle large animals almost twice their size, and render the victim helpless by inflicting a series of deadly bites into the animal's spine or throat. This semi-nocturnal animals covers 6-12 miles each night in search of food. MATING: Siberian tigers mate in winter months and following a 3-5 month gestation period, the female produces 3-4 cubs. Cubs weigh just over 2 pounds each and are born blind. The small litter of cubs stay close to their mother for the first 8 weeks of life. By 18 months, the young are capable of hunting on their own. Young stay with their mother for 2 years, at which time they leave the pact and travel solo. The life span of the Siberian tiger is 15 years in the wild, and significantly longer in captivity. LIFESTYLE: The Siberian tiger at one time ranged through Korea, China, parts of Russia, and Siberia. Today, they are near extinction in all areas, except Russia. The Siberian tiger is a solitary animal, preferring to travel and hunt alone or with a small pack. This animal lives in mountainous regions and heavily forested areas. The tiger's first line of defense is the rattle at the end of its tail. The Siberian tiger will shake the tail to warn off enemies or communicate to others the threat of danger. This cat is a powerful jumper and climber, also capable of running at high speeds. The paws of the Siberian tiger are equipped with long, sharp, dagger-like retractable claws.

Essays --

In my thesis, I would like to analyse the representation of football stars in two iconic British magazines. My aim is to show how two distinct magazines contribute to the ongoing narratives of football players and managers. The first is one of the most famous football magazines around the globe, the authoritative FFT and the second is the original lad’s magazine, Loaded. Naturally, the proper investigation of this complex topic requires knowledge from various fields of cultural studies. In the following, I will introduce the theories and ideas related to my study. First of all, the term ‘football star’ should be examined closely. Although stars permeate the media, the meaning of sport star is not necessarily self-evident. Everyone has a rough idea about stars and stardom, but as I concentrate strictly on football stars in my study, a precise definition cannot be omitted. The main reason for this is that sport news is not only about sport stars but also players and managers who are not part of the star system. Smart states that the foundation of becoming a sport star is a unique sporting moment which shows the player’s exceptional talent. In order to keep this status, the player has to demonstrate his special skills repeatedly under pressure, against opponents in a highly competitive field (Smart 2005, 156). In addition, he has to grab the audience’s attention through media coverage and promotion. Cultural intermediaries and the audience together elevate the player to the star level. When this happens, exceptional qualities and original characteristics are being attached to the player’s name (Smart 2005, 156-157). Smart points out that appearance strongly increases media attention. He supports this point by claiming that David Be... ...hat Europe is a collection of individual nations. Even when discussing teams and fans of other nations, national reference points are frequently used. Pan-European identity almost exclusively appears in conjunction with references to the nation. Typically, Europe is only imagined as ‘self’ when it is dominated by English culture and fits into the framework of the English nation, otherwise it is considered to be ‘other’. The author concludes that the nation is essential to the sports media industries, as football basically relies on the idea of national ‘us’ and ‘them’. Moreover, the concept of nation is at the centre of fan cultures and popular culture surrounding football. In football culture, national stereotypes are a key source of humour. While all Europeans seem to celebrate football similarly, they are divided into national collectives (Inthorn 2010, 791-798).

A Nation Symbol

A symbol that we occasionally see, are familiar with and slightly know about. To say of its importance would be clichà ©. How it became popular, eventually universal and now essential, most won't know. Though indeed its significance has gradually risen through history. That symbol is the flag, specifically the flag of a nation. A nation of course being a body of people with a government head, with focus here on the United States of America (USA or US), and nationalism being the system promoting that nation's interest. But what is it about these two variables – flag and nationalism – that make them relatable? More so, how closely associated is the national flag with a nation's nationalism? And to be specific, is the US flag most closely associated with its nation's nationalism? Nationalism, is the ideology that one specific nation is better than the rest. The most obvious example, that first comes to mind, is what happened to Germany in the 40s and the extent to which that ideology went to. Thus because of that result, today, nationalism is usually linked with extremism, militarism, fascism etc. And is therefore seen as a bad thing that is to be, or tries to be, be avoided; due to its destructible effects when given to its full potential. It is a hard thing to suppress it though; as it is also about one's identification with that nation and their support for whatever it does – even if it means affecting other nations wellbeing. When thinking, of the other variable, the word flag: the most prominent variant of that symbol that usually comes to mind first is, the flag of a nation and or in other words one's national flag. The most famous ones being of course the British, French and American flags. A national flag represents a nation e.g. historically in use of military (its origins being in naval warfare), more so recently in sports (e.g. the Olympics and World Cup) and importantly in the use of identification – as in identifying the nation or a citizen from that nation.The methodology for this hypothesis is a qualitative study, and its case-type – a ‘case study'. The reason for this is due to finding out whether the flag of a nation (keyword being ‘a') most correlates with that nation's nationalism – the nation here, being the US. Therefore, the study and research of one specific country would be appropriate enough to fill the criteria. Research on the specific nation of how closely its citizens identifies with their national flag, will need to be looked at. If the citizens of that country aren't or are nationalistic then the research material is able to be established, thus answering the hypothesis. The reason for this case-type is because with a specific nation one can make a more direct conclusion on the hypothesis and analyse how effective and true it is. As questioned if the US flag is most closely associated with its nation's nationalism, one must first look at the symbolic meaning of it. Historically, between 1777 and 1960 the US government changed the design and arrangement of the flag, 28 times, to make it possible for each new state to represented. As known, the US national flag has metaphorical meaning: such as the 50 stars – which represent the 50 states; and the 13 red and white stripes – which represent the 13 original states that created/founded the US. Each star though is more than just a state, it's as if each person (individually) has a place within that star/state and furthermore the flag/nation as a whole, with the star/state being a component of it and thus the person's connection to the rest of the nation. More so the colours of the flag are symbolic as they symbolize valour – red, purity – white, and justice – blue. Today uses of the American flag can be seen everywhere from government and public-service buildings, to restaurants and retail, etc, showing the extent to which Americans are willing to go to display their flag, but more so its importance to them. As well the flag is often seen in the US military, representing the honour and sacrifice of those who served under it: a notable example of this being in funerals, where the coffin of a soldier is often draped with the US flag on it. Therefore, with these symbolic meanings and examples which express the importance of the American flag and what it means to its citizens. More so the flag is needed, as it creates a bond and reminds one of their citizenship to the nation, thus producing ideas and feelings that its citizens should have (though how strong those ideas and feelings can get is to be of concern). As it is a flags function, when people see it they are more likely to think and behave in a more nationalistic way. Because of this the flag thus reinforces the connection between a nation and its citizens.Secondly as mentioned, the American flag is a famous icon and is known for being related to values such as liberty and freedom, both major components in the American national identity. Besides other meanings connected with the flag including unity, loyalty and sacrifice to one's nation. This is due to American history which is about and embodies these values in their struggle for freedom – the American Revolutionary War; defence of freedom – the American Civil War; and more recently that the US military is seen as guaranteeing force for this freedom wherever it goes (for example Afghanistan). This thus produces a sense of commitment to the flag and the nation's values it represents.Thirdly on a more wide and in-depth level, Americans perceive themselves, as superior over the rest of the world. In relation to the American flag; this can be seen in one's contact with it which increases one's attachment to the nation (as said the flag embodies the nation), a basis for nationalist superiority. In simplistic terms, the flag serves as a reminder of this perception and produces a sense of nationalism in Americans. Thus, the flag promotes the view that the US is superior to other nations and should be a world power.