Thursday, March 26, 2020

Analysis of Trends in UK Employment and GDP as A Measure of a Countrys Wealth

UK Unemployment Trends Most people have viewed unemployment as being an indicator of economy showing the number of individuals in a particular economy who have a will and ability to work but they have no jobs. If a person is found in this situation, then that person is unemployed. Individuals who lack the will of working for any reason are not categorized as being unemployment, but they are just economically inactive.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Analysis of Trends in UK Employment and GDP as A Measure of a Country’s Wealth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economists have concluded that in case the levels of unemployment are too high in an economy, then that particular economy is just struggling to maintain its population. Under this situation, then the economy is not utilizing its resources in the best way possible. From the graph of UK unemployment 1950-2001, in 1950s and 1960s, unemployment rate s in UK were very low. According to Politics.co.uk par1 this amounts to about 3% on average. This was attributed to what is referred to as Post-war boom. During Second World War, those individuals who served as servicemen in military were promised to be given full employment after winning. At this time, there was no government that was ready to break this promise. It has been stated that, advancement in technology along with international trade that was stable and â€Å"the success of Keynesian economics and the stability of the Phillips Curve created a situation which did approach full employment – although of course, at that time the majority of women remained in the category of the economically inactive† (Politics.co.uk, par. 6). Moreover, in 1950s to late 1960s, the interest rates were very low; there were lots of incentives for those carrying out research and development as well as on general investment. As a result, there were many investments springing up month after month due to the above mentioned escalator mechanisms. Though this strategy worked in those times, in the current times the strategy is ineffective. This is because, in the current times, this strategy will make government budget to increase, the government has no additional sources of revenue. In case the government tries to increase tax, it will affect consumption as well as investments negatively. As a result, it will be very important for the government to raise PSBR with the aim of countering this problem.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, the current UK government can increase tax, and ensure that it’s spending also increases at the same rate. This balanced budget multiplier will helps the government to increase its national income in general. This is because not all extra money paid inform of tax will be spend. This extra tax will be as a result of increased investment and consumption. In 1970s, unemployment rates in UK started to increase. This has been attributed to the collapse of orthodox boom. This was caused by the energy crisis in 1973, and the ‘generated stagflation’ in 1979. These impacts resulted to high inflation rates as well as high unemployment rates in Europe. In 1972, unemployment rates topped a million for the first time in history. This is because; labours through unions were demanding more salary rates. In around 1979, there was a situation referred to as ‘winter of discontent’, where even grave diggers protested pay freezes by calling for a strike. At this time, unemployment was a 1.1 million. This was the time the Labour party was swept out of power by the Conservatives in the name that the labour party was not doing anything to deal with the situation. When conservatives were in power, it was thought that unemployment rates will decrease in 1980s, but to peoplesâ €™ surprise, unemployment rates escalated further. At this time, the number of unemployed people clocked 3 million, which was about 12 percent of the population that was working. However, this was just an average because in some parts of the country, the number was even higher. For instance, in the northern parts of Ireland, unemployment clocked 20 percent of that population that was working. Moreover, those areas that declining industries dominated, for instance coal mining industries, unemployed population was even very large. Early 1990s experienced a fall in unemployment percentage. And by late 1990s, that is 1999, the number was still bellow 2.2 million individuals. This kind of trend went on till 2005, with official figures putting the rate at around 1.398 million individuals. Nevertheless, in the last two years of Blair’s era, unemployment rates went up again. In 2008, when Gordon Brown was dealing with global recessions, figures of unemployment clocked 1.79 millio n, which has been considered as being the highest in the last decade. In May 2010, by the time the coalition government was coming to power, unemployed population was clocking 2.5 million people.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Analysis of Trends in UK Employment and GDP as A Measure of a Country’s Wealth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the current Prime Minister, (David Cameron) has promised that unemployment rates are expected to fall in the coming years under his government. He said, â€Å"At the end of this Parliament unemployment will be falling† (Politics.co.uk par. 4) Moreover, there was a fall in unemployment rate in early 1990s because most industries moved from manual production to technological production. It is clear that, though there was slight unemployment, but those who remained working ended up receiving higher salary rates as a result of increased production, hence increasing aggregate demand for money. Moreover, increased technology led to lower production costs; hence UK commodities gained lots of competitive advantage on global market, hence increased government revenues through tax. These two effects led to unemployment rate reduction in UK (Anderton 1993, 56). However, according to civil societies, unemployment has been rising month after month. For instance, between June and August 2011, unemployment has increased to 2.57 million individuals, which has been considered as being the highest since 1994. To explain this trend, it has been shown that in the entire history, policy makers have been holding a view that macroeconomic advantages of having high unemployment rates are much more as compared to its negative effects on the economy and social openness. This is what happened in 1980s. On the other hand, the government has not been having a will to allow high unemployment rates of unemployment as a result of its effects on social environm ent, the economy, as well as public costs. Moreover, figures of unemployment in UK just explain a partial story of what is happening in UK. This is because, for many years, there have been structural differences among UK regions making some parts of UK to experience higher percentages of unemployment as compared to others.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, unemployment in Wales and Scotland is much higher as compared to other developed areas like London and South East (Curwin Slater 67). This has been due to the fact that, there are some regions having fewer employers as well as business closures like the closure of mine industries in the 1980s. The recent one has been in Birmingham, where Longbridge plant was closed down. This issue has brought lots of devastating situations in such areas. The figures of unemployment in UK have been rising as a result of other complexities. For instance, â€Å"prevalence of unemployment amongst ethnic minorities, women, disabled people, young people, and people who have been unemployed for long periods of time† (Anderton 243), all of these people are grouped together, they make the current figure to be much high. However, this group in early 1950s to early 1970s were still being considered as inactive, hence were not considered as being unemployed. However, the situation has cha nged since 1980s, as they also add up to the unemployed population. Moreover, according to Begg, Fischer Dornbusch 126, during election times like in 1997 and 2001, the number of unemployed people goes down, but this might not be true, as a result, the afterwards years the unemployment rates increases again. This strategy was used by Labours party to gun up votes. This strategy has been successful due to the fact that there are two principles of measuring unemployment, namely Labour Force Survey and the Clamant Count. As a result, in some situations, Labour Force Survey has been used as it has the ability to minimize unemployment number for political reasons. Moreover, in 1980s and around 1994, UK experienced higher numbers of unemployed individuals. This is because many workers were moving from one job to the other. According to Anderton Allan 78, most people were moving from military jobs to other jobs, and the period between the two jobs, was being considered as being unemployme nt. In addition, this was the time workers were demanding higher salary rates, as a result, most workers were reluctant pick the first job they were being offered. Some reasons which led to this reluctance include occupational and geographical immobility, which made some areas to experience higher unemployed rates as compared to others; people were also having higher expectations for higher salary rates, hence many people needed well paying jobs, hence people were reluctant in picking jobs that offered low salary rates (Grand Vildler 200). However, in around 2003 to 2008, the government did much to reduce this reluctance among people. For instance, the government introduced working trials where by individuals were being given temporary jobs to ensure that in case one gets satisfied with it, then he/she picks it up. In case one is not satisfied, then is moved to another temporary job. Other measures that had been implemented by the UK government to reduce this problem include making some improvements in training and lowering people’s expectations by lowering the working hours. Though these were difficult measures to implement, but they really helped the UK government in reducing unemployment due to reluctance. Between 1994 and 1996, and between 2008 up-to date, UK has been experiencing and is still experiencing real wage unemployment. This is because salary scales had been raised to a level that some industries were making losses hence closed down. Other factors which led to real wage unemployment are setting minimum salaries and high levels of benefits. Moreover, these trends can be explained by Kondratieff wave, which provides prediction of economy success and economy failure as well as world events. According to this theory, unemployment exists for about 10 years due to industrial and trade falls. However, after that, trade and industries picks up again leading to lower employment rates. Moynihan Daniel Titley Brian 3 has argued that in early 2000, unemployment rates in UK were very low because the government as well as industries had minimized real wage unemployment. In doing this, the average real wage had been levelled to Market-clearing wage. To ensure that labour accepts this wage rates, inflation rates in UK were kept very low. As a result workers salary rates were kept constant, but in real sense they were falling in value. However, this strategy worked till 2007 where workers started realizing the effect of falling value of their salary rates. As a result, in 2008, the worst effects of inflation were experienced. For instance, commodity prices went higher as well as exchange rates. To date, this has not been dealt with, as workers are still demanding higher salary rates as unemployment rates goes higher. It is due to high unemployment rates that led to the public demonstrations against the coalition government in mid 2011. This unemployment has been as a result of UK economic recession and high population. The strategy to deal with this situation has been very difficult in the current complex labour market. This is based on the fact that, though the government has been trying to ensure that workers accept lower salary rates, but due to trade unions salary rates have remained artificially high. Sloman, Hinde Garrett 45 argue that, the main issue that is leading to high unemployment rates in UK is not really lack of job opportunities, but many employers are not willing to take those who have been unemployed for a long period of time, though this group has a will to accept employment at a lower salary rate. Employers claim that such people lack up-to date skills and experience. In dealing with this, though the Coalition government has tried to initiate retraining programs, but it seems it is not working to employers’ satisfaction. Using Philips Curve to Explain Unemployment in the UK The curve representing the relationship inflation and the unemployment rate is referred to as the Philips cur ve. According to this curve, unemployment is inversely proportional to inflation (Phillips 283). This curve can be used to explain unemployment in the UK because by the time unemployment is high in the UK, there have been chances that wage rates increases slowly, and when unemployment is low, UK has been experiencing rapid increase in wage rates. This was experienced in 1960s This is because in 1960s, unemployment rates were low, the labour market in the UK was very tight, and as a result, faster industries ended up raising wage rates with the aim of attracting the scarce labour. However, during high unemployment rates, this pressure is abated. According to the classical view of inflation in UK, inflation is as a result of money supply alteration. In case money supply is high, commodity prices also goes higher. Most economists like Phelps 265 have challenged the theoretical understanding at the height of the Philips curve. It has been observed that employers and workers who are well informed and rational concentrate majorly on the â€Å"real wages—the inflation-adjusted purchasing power of money wages† (Phelps 265). As a result, real wages are usually adjusted with the aim of adjusting labour supply to ensure that it is at equilibrium with the labour demand. As a result, unemployment will not be associated with real wages (natural rate of unemployment). In addition, the Philips curve calls for the governments to start trading high inflation rates with the aim of achieving lower unemployment rates. This is a theoretical advice that no government will ever aspire to borrow. Take it for instance that unemployment rate is at a natural rate and real wages are also kept constant in UK. At this time, workers expecting certain price inflation end up demanding higher wages to prevent their purchasing power erosion. In case the UK government uses monetary in an attempt to lower unemployment bellow its natural rate in the region. There will be an increase i n demand which will make industries to increase prices at higher rates as compared to what UK workers anticipated. Since prices will be higher, companies will start having more revenues hence taking more employers at the old salary rates and even might decide to raise such salary rates a little bit. For a short period, employees will be suffering from what is referred to as money illusion, hence they will supply more labour since their salary rates had increased, leading to unemployment rate drop. However, such employees will not realize that there has been erosion in their purchasing power because prices have increased at a very high rate than what they anticipated. However, as time goes by, workers will start anticipating higher price inflation. As a result, they will start supplying less labour but still insist on the wage increase to keep up with price inflation rates. This will lead to a situation that â€Å"the real wage is restored to its old level, unemployment rate returni ng to natural rate. But the price inflation and wage inflation brought on by expansionary policies continue at the new, higher rates† (Sheffrin 56). This analysis can be of great help in distinguishing ‘short run’ and ‘long run’ Philips curves. As a result, given the fact that average inflation rates will remain constant in the UK just as what happened in 1960s, and then it is true that inflation rates and unemployment will have an inverse proportionality. However, in case inflation rates will change regardless of the direction, particularly when decision makers try to lower unemployment rates below its natural rate, after sometime, unemployment will come back to its normal state as inflation rates remain high. This means that after labour has had enough time to adjust, natural rate of unemployment will withstand whatever the inflation rate. This short run and long run relationships have been combined to mean ‘expectation-augmented’ Phili ps curve. From this, it is clear that. â€Å"the more quickly workers’ expectations of price inflation adapt to changes in actual rate of inflation, the quicker unemployment will return to natural rate, and the less successful the government will be in reducing unemployment through monetary policies† (Friedman 5). This issue of ‘expectation-augmented’ was experienced in most countries in 1970s, where countries experienced both high inflation as well as unemployment. According to Philips theory, such state will never happen. At this time, rates of inflation rose from 2.5% in 1960s to about 7% in 1970s. On the other hand, instead of unemployment rate dropping, it increased from 4% to about 6%. This made most economists to accept the principles presented by the analysis of Friedman and Phelps. All these imply that after price inflation, employees and employers start considering inflation as a whole. These considerations will â€Å"result to employment contra cts that increase pay at rates near anticipated inflation, Unemployment would then begin to raise back to its previous level, but now with higher inflation rates† (Phelps 268). Friedman and Phelps argued that, there as a certain rate of unemployment which when maintained, unemployment rate and inflation rates will be compatible. This rate is what many economists have referred to as â€Å"non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment† (Friedman 10). GDP as A Measure of How Well-Off a Country and Its People Are In most scenarios, GDP has been used in measuring market value of all products and services that have been produced within a particular country in a given time. It is considered as being the most appropriate way of looking at the economy performance of various countries. However, GDP accounts for some things which are not helpful in assessing well-being of the country population. Such parameters include â€Å"depreciation, income going to foreigners and regretta ble like security expenditure† (Layard 126). GDP was not meant to measure how well-off a country and its people. The main objective that led to the development of GDP is measuring market value of final services and goods that are produced in a particular country. In general, GDP has four major shortcomings when used in measuring how well-off a country and its people. First of all, GDP encompasses depreciated capital replacements. However, depreciation does not contribute to peoples’ welfare in any way, in addition, the process of replacing old capital means that there is nothing that has been happening. From the chart, it is clear that GDP does not help people in any way; instead, it goes back to the replacement of physical capital. Another thing is that, GDP is used in measuring income that is produced within country, but it does not consider people’s income in that country. There is there are some income which do not go into the pockets of the country citizens, but in the pockets of foreigners. Thirdly, due to the fact that GDP only considers monetary transactions, it does not put into consideration other activities that are of more value to the country’s people, like children. The measure also does not consider the value of leisure time that people spent with their families or relaxing with friends. This is a very important parameter when measuring how well-off a country and its people. It also ignores the significance of clean and quality air and water. As a result, any important measure of well-being of citizens in a particular country has to consider the above stated parameters. Last but not least, GDP accounts for a lot of features that not in any way care for peoples’ well-being. For instance, in case earthquakes or hurricane comes and destroy the entire region, the efforts input when reconstruction process is taking place is usually considered as being a boost to GDP. This may even count when the efforts are directed towards replacing something that existed previously. Moreover, costs incurred when preventing crimes as well as setting security measures adds up to the country’s GDP, but this expenses are incurred just with the aim of creating a peaceful environment. Nevertheless, medical expenses incurred in the process of dealing with health effects which arises as a result of pollution also boost GDP. On the other hand, if this reasoning is taken to the extreme, then basic needs like food and clothing are not included in GDP. As a result, there is need for other measures. Alternative Measures According to Frey Alois 43 and Lyubomirsky et al.120, GDP cannot be used in measuring welfare of people. As a result, he proposes ‘Measure of Economic Welfare’ that includes household services values and leisure to GNP. It minuses capital cost consumptions, as well as bad things like pollution and police services in dealing with crimes. It is true that, â€Å"A very comprehensive and thorough Index of Economic Well-Being comes from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards† (Frey Alois 409). This measure considers the consumption of both the government and the private sector, though it ignores household work. It also considers the human and physical capital that is owned by the residents of a country. In doing this, the measure puts into consideration stocks of all productive resources that can be managed sustainably to ensure that they can utilized by the coming generations. Thirdly, this measure considers inequality as a Gini coefficient as well as the intensity of poverty. Lastly, this measure considers aggregated components of security like rates of divorce and unemployment rates as well. In determining people’s well-being, a weighted average of the above stated parameters is calculated. From the table provided, Norway is seen as having the highest economic welfare amongst 28 countries provided. However, though Sweden is considered as being the second, but based on GDP, it is number 17. As a result, this ranking greatly differs with the ranking based on GDP. As a matter of fact, this system favours those countries having high income levels, high equality and low levels of insecurity. There are other methods which includes more measures of human welfare. It is clear that such methods consider wealth, security consumption, and equality among other parameters. As a result, these measures include other parameters as compare to the previous method. They are based on the fact that â€Å"We have failed to see how our economy, our environment and our society are all one. And that delivering the best possible quality of life for us all means more than concentrating solely on economic growth†( Layard 125). Amongst those methods, ‘The United Nation’s Annual Human Development Index’ is the best known, though it is considered by many as being very narrow. This Index puts together life expectancy levels, education as well as GDP in measuring how well-off a country and its people are. This method is not far from the Measure of Economic Welfare because, it places Norway in the first position, followed by Sweden. However, this is because of higher education levels in such countries. However, countries like China, India and Ireland have gained more because of their high GDP. Whoever, the most comprehensive method of measuring how well-off a country and its people are is ‘Weighted Index of Social Progress’ appreciated as WISP. The index calculated in this method considers many dimensions of people’s well-being. It looks at â€Å"income, education, health, role of women, environment, social peace, diversity and welfare – although data limitations admittedly lead to the inclusion of some peculiar measures† (Kahneman et al 133). However, in ranking, this method does not differ greatly from The United Nation’s Annual Human Development Index an d Measure of Economic Welfare. This is because, though the two placed Norway as being the first, this method places Norway in the third position bellow Sweden and Denmark which were slightly below Norway in the previous methods. However, the rankings from these methods differ greatly from the ranking based on GDP. Moreover, A Happy Planet Index (HPI) on the other hand considers life expectancy in a country apart from looking at their happiness without environmental destruction. It puts data collected from life expectancy, life satisfaction along with natural resource like energy consumption. This index differs greatly from other methods as according to it, Vanuatu is placed in the first position. This is due to their environmental conservation. Countries around the equator are usually favoured by this method. It is used mainly in determining best destinations for holidays (Danziger Taussig 501). Measure of Domestic Progress is another method developed in UK with the aim of measurin g its welfare. It is stated that â€Å"From economic indicators subtract social costs like inequality, accidents; environmental costs and the loss of natural resources. The overall result is an indicator that peaked in the mid-1970s, declined until the mid-1980s and has not yet regained that peak† (Frey Alois 410). Genuine Progress Indicator is just like Measure of Domestic Progress, but it considers individual consumption, the households work value, net fixed investments, and consumer durable values. Te index also puts into consideration commuting costs, environmental destruction costs and costs of depleting finite resources. The indicators of well-being should show a wider picture of the society state as compared to what GDP provides. However, such methods have not explained how satisfied people are. As a result, the process of measuring happiness ought to take a different approach as compared to the indicators or methods described in the previous section. According to the 2004 survey, â€Å"Swedish said they were very satisfied with the life they lead – the highest share in the sample. Only 17% of Germans and just 4% of the Portuguese felt the same way, as chart 11 shows†(Kahneman et al.130). In the past 15 years, studies have indicated that though per capita income has increased, satisfaction with life has not changed greatly. Research in Europe has indicated that happiness in this region does not depend on per capita income, but on other factors like football matches and results. For instance, in France, most people were happy in 1998 the year they hosted the world cup and won it. Moreover, in Europe, individuals get satisfied with life if their compatriots are trustful. As a result, it is very difficult to manage life satisfaction sustainably in Europe. So basing on income levels alone can’t explain happiness in Europe. Works Cited Anderton Allan. Economics, London: Cousseway press, 1993. Print. Anderton Allan. Economics; A N ew Approach. Staffordshire: Collins Education, 1990. Print. Begg David, Fischer Stanley, Dornbusch Rudiger. Economics, New York: Mc Graw-Hill. 2003. Print. Curwin John and Slater Rebeccah. Quantitative Methods a Short Course, (5th ed), London. Thompson, 2004. Print. Danziger, Van der Gaag. Taussig, Smolensky. â€Å"The Direct Measurement of Welfare Levels: How much does it Cost to Make Ends Meet?’ Review of Economics and Statistics, 66.3(1984):500-505. Frey, Bruno Alois Stutzer. â€Å"What can economists learn from happiness research?† Journal of Economic Literature, 40.2(2002): 402-435. Friedman, Milton. â€Å"The Role of Monetary Policy.† American Economic Review. 58.1(1968): 1–17. Grand Steven Vildler Craig. Economics in context. Heinemann Educational: London, 2000. Print. Kahneman, Daniel., Krueger, Alan. Schkade, David., Schwarz, Norbert. Stone, Arthur â€Å"Toward national well-being accounts†. American Economic Review. 942 (2004):429-43 4. Layard, Richard. â€Å"Happiness and public policy: A challenge to the profession†. Economic Journal 116(2006): 124-133. Lyubomirsky, Sonja., Kennon, Sheldon Schkade, David. â€Å"Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change†. Review of General Psychology. 9.2(2005):111-131. Moynihan Daniel Titley Brian. Economics: a complete course. Oxford: Oxford University press. 2000. Print. Phelps, Edmund. â€Å"Phillips Curves, Expectations of Inflation and Optimal Employment over Time.† Economica, n.s. 34.3 (1967): 254–281. Phillips, William. â€Å"The Relation between Unemployment and the Rate of Change of Money Wage Rates in the United Kingdom, 1861–1957.† Economica, n.s. 25.2 (1958): 283–299. Politics.co.uk. Unemployment, 2011. Web. https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/unemployment. Sheffrin, Steven. Rational Expectations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print. Sloman John, Hinde Katherine Garrett David. Econ omics for Business, (5th ed). London: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. This coursework on Analysis of Trends in UK Employment and GDP as A Measure of a Country’s Wealth was written and submitted by user Bast10n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Texting turnaround on literacy - Emphasis

Texting turnaround on literacy Texting turnaround on literacy Theres been another U-turn on the effects of texting on childrens literacy skills. The latest research, conducted by Dr Clare Wood at the British Academy, suggests that, far from damaging their ability to read and write, using textisms like LOL and plz is actually a sign of sophisticated phonological development. Great news for the future generation, certainly. But is anyone else dizzy yet?

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Summary 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Summary 1 - Essay Example In the US, different laws deal with hazardous waste handling by organizations, fines and taxes on environmental interference, business regulation as well as municipal laws and common law. Types of common law include laws regarding nuisance, trespass, strict liability as well as dangerous s substances among others, they are all meant for human safety and in order to understand them one needs to have knowledge on how they were created. Federal environmental laws regulate all local as well as state environmental laws. Judicial precedent on air and water pollution exists. At some places, laws are created for specific criteria such environmental law enforcement; specific permits use, and crime concerning regulation of the environment. Creation of laws is the senate work while regulation is done by agencies like Environmental protection agency. For better understanding of environmental needs, states as well as municipal governments create more environmental laws. Judicial precedents also change the law of environment. The court also interprets environmental law. Historical cases are a source of understanding the need for changes as well additions on laws regarding the

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Can 'local food' ever really be local Why is it significant that Literature review

Can 'local food' ever really be local Why is it significant that 'local' is actually local - Literature review Example The question for this literature review is to define whether local food is actually local and if it is, to define the significance as to the difference between local foods and other types. Agro-Food Geography Alternative food networks have become important in recent years because consumers want to make sure they are getting the best quality of food they can get. Many supermarkets have turned to irradiated foods to preserve their shelf life. Unfortunately, no one really knows whether this food is creating health problems or not. Because of the emphasis on health, some people have worried about whether their produce should be irradiated and whether it is healthy. Instead, they have turned to organic produce. Although buying organic is sometimes more expensive, it does give the public a feeling that they are getting high quality food that is not riddled with harmful pesticides. In the rural areas of Europe, the idea of foods that are aesthetically pleasing to eat and that taste good hav e become a great concern (Sage, 2001). The concept of "social embeddedness" is important to this discussion because it is what connects consumers to the society that they are connecting to. The society understands that they can be sustainable by purchasing local food and by involving themselves in growing their won food. To begin to understand the growing alternative food market, it is important to examine how food and nature come together. Winter (2005) suggests that in rural parts of the country, there are many ways to use alternative food. Many opportunities exist for food to be brought in from rural areas to the supermarkets so that consumers have more opportunity to purchase good food. Watts, Ilbery and Maye (2005) suggest that local markets are important because farmers need to have a better share of the market. Local markets are very important to the economy because when people use these markets they are able to have better food it would seem. However, how do we know that bet ter food is more nutritional and better tasting than other foods? This research will attempt to explore this issue and understand why people are so involved with local food products. Consumer Demand for Local Food In the last several years, the emphasis around the world has been on health. Most people have returned to a lifestyle that includes regular exercise and eating healthier. Many believe that going to markets that provide local food is better than going to supermarkets because they can find organic foods. Usually organic food means that it is free of harmful pesticides and has a more flavourful taste than food from a regular supermarket. Adams and Salois (2010) state that the movement towards locally grown food has become a sort of movement as people began to change their perception of the different types of food they could consume. The organic and local markets began as an alternative to other types of food and it has grown into a demand for local food. Much of this is becau se people have changed their perceptions of what this type of food meant. The idea that this has become a movement is supported by the fact that there have been a series of books about how to use local food and why it should be bought. In fact, this has become such a movement that the word "locavore" has been coined to mean people who prefers local foods (it has even become a part of the New Oxford English Dictionary) (Adams and Salois 2010). Community supported gardens and

Monday, January 27, 2020

Light in Interior Architecture: Annotated Bibliography

Light in Interior Architecture: Annotated Bibliography Architecture and space are always defined by light. Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in the light and our eyes are made to see forms in light, said Le Corbusier. (Curtis, 1987) light become more important part of the interior architecture. Le Corbusier thinks the characteristic features of architectural spaces only come to life with light and there are no architecture spaces without light. Hence light is the way it is arranged gives an appreciation of the space and generates specific emotive and aesthetic responses. The architect, through the different forms of light, realizes an order that is a pure creation of peoples mind and the light affects our senses intensely. The light deep resonances to influence architecture and control space. It is undeniable that sometimes in a building environment, shape, color or light can be used as a theme element, that is, the creator wants to highlight a certain aspect of the information. And app reciation is indeed in this area has been clear and strong feelings. But despite this, the emphasis on one aspect does not mean that this factor can accomplish the creation of the whole atmosphere and that it must be used synthetically. Since we look at the architecture interior space changed, the modern architecture also starts to focus on the light. They use the artificial lighting as the main method to gives a new definition to space. Richard Kelly was one of the pioneers of this techniques Glass House was the significant artificial lighting works by Philip Johnson and Richard Kelly. At some transparent architecture, the biggest challenge is the clear glass which turns into a mirror at night and to reflecting the interior lighting. By illuminating the surrounding trees and minimizing the interior lighting has played a flow from the daytime into the night. In The Structure of light (Meden, 2011) Articles, it reflected his theory of lighting. That was a great influenced by the light effects found in nature. Nowadays his terminology is used to describe some conceptual background for numerous lighting solutions. In particular, his concept of distinct types of lighting: Focal glow and ambient luminescence. Focal glow is for Kelly a way to point out important elements and the Ambient luminescence is the background lighting that serves to perceive the environment in general. Use Artificial lighting to creating architecture space become central to our modern architecture and Kellys perspective is a valuable source of inspiration to use lighting to creating images of such iconic power. According to the traditional Japanese interpretation, architecture is always connected with nature. Further connections with nature are effected by the subtle transformations caused in part by delicate contrasts of light and shade. (Pare, 1996) So, Thus, you can clearly see the natural light performance in Andos architecture. In Japan, the Church of the Light was one of Tadao Andos signature Japanese architectural style work. The Church of the Light clearly pointed out that Andos personal architecture characteristic between nature and architecture, through the way in which light can define spaces is also can through the light to create new space perceptions equally. The Church of the Light was completed in 1999. The church of light focus on the cross. Andos to put the cross on the east facade allows for light to pour into space throughout the early morning and into the day. It has a dematerializing effect on the interior concrete walls transforming the dark volume and bring it from d arkness to light. Use the simple medium of creating a pure, unadorned space. The intersection of light and solid raises the temporal and spiritual cognition of audience. As a modern architecture, those minimalist structures use lots of factors of light into interior space. light is an important controlling factor in Andos architecture. Light is the original source and the wellspring of all the laws of nature, whether known to human science or not. In Kahns words, matter is extinguished light. When light ceases to be light it becomes matter. Silence tends to express something, and light creates it, gives It form. (Giurgola, 1979, p. 16) Another different contrast or form of light is the shadow to express the meaning of light. Louis I. Kahn in this regard also made great achievements and he believed that the dark shadow is a natural part of the light, Kahn never attempted a space for a formal effect with no light. For him, a rarely of light to show the level of darkness: A plan of a building should be read like a harmony of spaces in light. Even a space intended to be dark should have just enough light from some mysterious opening to tell us how dark it is. Each space must be defined by its structure and the character of its natural light. (Kahn, 1993, p. 36) Thus, the light as a source is often hidden behind louvers or secondary walls, thus concentrating attention on the effect of the light and not on its origin. Like the MIKVEH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE, Louis I. Kahn works on the ceiling, the ceiling as a smooth and white surface, when the wall opening, it will cast starkly pronounced patterns of shadow and light o to this surface. It is the particular technique in his architectural forms. Material lives by light, Wrote Louis I. Kahn. You are spent light, the mountains are spent light, the trees are spent light, the atmosphere is spent light. All material is spent light. (Giurgola, 1979, p. 36) As for the performance of the texture of the material, but also with the help of the role of light. Such as the original band structure arranged together in the suns exposure, in addition to the structure itself, the three-dimensional sense of the obvious, but also for the wall or the ground shed a shadow, this change in the formation of a visual contrast, also stressed the rhythm of the building and the depth of space, often gives a clear, simple impression. le Corbusier use the site of Ronchamp to make the establish relationship between the light and materials. Corbusier wanted the space to be meditative and reflective in purpose.   The stark white walls add to this purist mentality that when the light enters the chapel there becomes this washed out, ethereal atmosphere.   The effect of the light evokes expressive and emotional qualities that create heightened sensations in tune with the religious activities. The walls of Ronchamp give the building its sculptural char acter and each wall becomes illuminated by these differing window frames, which in conjunction with the stark whitewashed walls gives the walls luminous qualities punctuated by a more intense direct light. Rather the light is what defines and gives meaning to the chapel experientially. References Curtis, W., 1987. Le Corbusier: nature and tradition. London: Arts Council of Great Britain. Meden, R., 2011. The Structure of light: Richard Kelly and the illumination of modern architecture. Richard Kelly and the illumination of modern architecture, 48(12), p. 2299. Pare, T. a. 1.-R., 1996. ando,tadao,1941-;ArchitectureJapanHistory20th century. London: Phaidon. Baek, J., 2009. Shintai and the Empty Cross: Tadao Andos Church of the Light. Architectural Theory Review, 01 04, pp. 55-70. Giurgola, R., 1979. Louis I. Kahn. 5th Spanish/English ed. ed. Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili . Kahn, U. B. 1.-. L. I., 1993. Louis I. Kahn : Licht und Raum = light and space. Basel ; Boston: Birkhà ¤user Verlag.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 29

Someone was trying to make her drink out of a glass. Elena's sense of smell was so acute that she could taste what was in the glass already – Black Magic wine. And she didn't want that! No! She spat it out. They couldn't make her drink. â€Å"Mon enfant, it is for your own good. Now, drink it.† Elena turned her head away. She felt the darkness and the hurricane rushing up to take her. Yes. That was better. Why wouldn't they leave her alone? In the very deepest trenches of communication, a little boy was with her in the dark. She remembered him, but not his name. She held out her arms and he came into them and it seemed that his chains were lighter than they had been†¦when? Before. That was all she could remember. Are you all right? she whispered to the child. Down here, deep in the heart of communion, a whisper was a shout. Don't cry. No tears, he begged her, but the words reminded her of something she couldn't bear to think of, and she put her fingers to his lips, gently silencing him. Too loud, a voice from Outside came rumbling in. â€Å"So, mon enfant, you have decided to become un vampire encore une fois.† Is that what is happening? she whispered to the child. Am I dying again? To become a vampire? I don't know! the child cried. I don't know anything. He's angry. I'm afraid. Sage won't hurt you, she promised. He's already a vampire, and your friend. Not Sage†¦ Then who are you afraid of? If you die again, I'll be wrapped in chains all over. The child showed her a pitiable picture of himself covered by coil after coil of heavy chains. In his mouth, gagging him. Pinning his arms to his sides and his legs to the ball. Moreover, the chains were spiked so that everywhere they dug into the child's soft flesh, blood flowed. Who would do such a thing? Elena cried. I'll make him wish he'd never been born. Tell me who's going to do this! The child's face was sad and perplexed. I will, he said sadly. He will. He/I. Damon. Because we'll have killed you. But if it's not his fault†¦ We have to. We have to. But maybe I'll die, the doctor says†¦ There was a definite lilt of hope in the last sentence. It decided Elena. If Damon was not thinking clearly, then maybe she wasn't thinking clearly, she reasoned out slowly. Maybe†¦maybe she should do what Sage wanted. And Dr. Meggar. She could discern his voice as if through a thick fog. † – sake, you've been working all night. Give someone else a chance.† Yes†¦all night. Elena had not wanted to wake up again, and she had a powerful will. â€Å"Maybe switch sides?† someone – a girl – a young girl – was suggesting. Little in voice, but strong-willed, too. Bonnie. â€Å"Elena†¦It's Meredith. Can you feel me holding your hand?† A pause, then very much louder, excitedly, â€Å"Hey, she squeezed my hand! Did you see? Sage, tell Damon to get in here quick.† Drifting†¦ â€Å"†¦drink a little more, Elena? I know, I know, you're sick of it. But drink un peu for my sake, will you?† Drifting†¦ â€Å"Trs bon, mon enfant! Maintenant, what about a little milk? Damon believes you can stay human if you drink some milk.† Elena had two thoughts about this. One was that if she drank any more of anything, she might explode. Another was that she wasn't going to make any foolish promises. She tried to speak but it came out in a thread of a whisper. â€Å"Tell Damon – I won't come up unless he lets the little boy free.† â€Å"Who? What little boy?† â€Å"Elena, sweetie, all the little boys on this estate are free.† Meredith: â€Å"Why not let her tell him?† Dr. Meggar: â€Å"Elena, Damon is right here on the couch. You've both been very sick, but you're going to be fine. Here, Elena, we can move the examination table so you can talk to him. There, it's done.† Elena tried to open her eyes, but everything was ferociously bright. She took a breath and tried again. Still much too bright. And she didn't know how to dim her vision anymore. She spoke with her eyes shut to the presence she felt in front of her: I can't leave him alone again. Especially if you're going to load him with chains and gag him. Elena, Damon said shakily, I haven't led a good life. But I haven't kept slaves before, I swear. Ask anyone. And I wouldn't do that to a child. You have, and I know his name. And I know that all he's made of is gentleness, and kindness, and good nature†¦and fear. The low rumble of Sage's voice, â€Å"†¦agitating her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the slightly louder murmur of Damon's: â€Å"I know she's off her head, but I'd still like to know the name of this little boy I'm supposed to have done this to. How does that agitate her?† More rumbling, then: â€Å"But can't I just ask her? At least I can clear my name of these charges.† Then, out loud: â€Å"Elena? Can you tell me what child I'm supposed to have tortured like this?† She was so tired. But she answered aloud, whispering, â€Å"His name is Damon, of course.† And Meredith's own exhausted whisper, â€Å"Oh, my God. She was willing to die for a metaphor.†

Friday, January 10, 2020

Early Childhood Research and Practice Essay

From the heading I am able to see that the journal is going to be about â€Å"Learning Stories and Children’s Powerful Mathematics. † There are three authors in total who were part of the publishing of the journal, they are Bob Perry, Sue Dockett and Elspeth Harley. It is possible to find out a great deal of information about the authors, for example what university they attended, their current job roles and what they are interested in researching. The journal was published in the Early Childhood Research Practice, and it can only be found here. The journal has been peer reviewed. From reading the title and the abstract, I have learnt that â€Å"The approaches to teaching and learning mathematics in Australian preschools and schools can be quite different. † It is believed that different cultures are taught in different ways, however I would have to disagree with this statement, as schools today have multicultural classes, therefore every child has an equal opportunity and is taught the core subjects in the same way. The introduction made it clear that there is often conflict between this increase in formality and the play-based, child-centred philosophies of prior-to-school settings (Thomson, Rowe, Underwood, & Peck, 2005). They key to the research was to investigate young children’s mathematical experiences. The article was set out under numerous headings, separating key information into paragraphs. With-in the articles there are also tables showing how maths can be linked with play and whether it is a successful way of teaching the younger generation. Two of the authors of this paper worked with a small group of early childhood educators for two days in 2005 and two days in 2006. This paper reports how the powerful mathematical ideas and the developmental learning outcomes were brought together by a group of practicing early childhood educators into a numeracy matrix that encouraged the educators to plan, implement, and assess their practices. It also considers the use of learning stories by the early childhood educators to assess the mathematics learning of preschool children. Their list bears many similarities to other such lists (see, for example, Greenes, Ginsburg, & Balfanz, 2004; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000). Learning Stories are qualitative snapshots, recorded as structured written narratives, often with accompanying photographs that document and communicate the context and complexity of children’s learning (Carr, 2001). Luke has been given the opportunity, through the provision of time, materials, and space, to â€Å"participate purposefully in spatial tasks† and to â€Å"demonstrate flexibility and to make choices. † The article was easy to follow and fulfilled all of its set aims. Through their use of the numeracy matrix, the educators are now able to see how each of the powerful ideas contributes to the DLO. One of them was able to suggest that the work with the numeracy matrix had helped them see how the DLOs were the capstones to all that they were trying to do in all learning areas The purpose of this paper was to introduce the numeracy matrix, which has been developed as part of the Southern Numeracy Initiative in South Australia. subjective evidence from the participants in the Southern Numeracy Initiative suggest that the use of the numeracy matrix and the thinking behind it have had positive effects on the pedagogical practices of the early childhood educators involved. However some educators disagreed with this and the source can’t be trusted. The article gave a to the point review of what they were trying to achieve and also gave references so if you wanted to further your knowledge on the topic or similar reports then you could do so. Unlike previous articles, this one did not relate to anything that I have previously read. It interested me as I believe that maths is over looked and there is a great amount of ways in linking it in with everyday play and practice; however some educators do not do that. With Australia now putting this â€Å"matrix† into place others may follow suit and see the positive outcomes. References Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and Early Childhood Australia. (2006). Position paper on early childhood mathematics. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.aamt. edu. au Carr, Margaret. (2001). Assessment in early childhood settings: Learning stories. London: Paul Chapman. Carr, Margaret, & Claxton, Guy. (2002). Tracking the development of learning dispositions. Assessment in Education, 9(1), 9-37. Greenes, Carole; Ginsburg, Herbert P. ; & Balfanz, Robert. (2004). Big math for little kids. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19(1), 159-166. Thomson, Sue; Rowe, Ken; Underwood, Catherine; & Peck, Ray. (2005). Numeracy in the early years: Project Good Start. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.