Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Transportation Costs Essay Example for Free

Transportation Costs Essay Today, crude oil price is valued at $53. 30 per barrel, but is still in contention with other sources of energy such as biofuels. Biofuels today are getting cheaper and cheaper due to the new technologies such as the development of several other feedstocks such as jatropha and corn stover. However, in Malaysia, due to the dropping down of oil prices during the past 6 months, their proposed biofuel which is made from palm oil is suffering because presently, regular diesel prices are much cheaper than blended diesel. Prices are RM 2. 80 for blended diesel, compared to the RM 1. 70 price of regular diesel. Transportation Costs In the Philippines, transportation costs went down by a miniature amount, considering that the gas prices there have already gone down by almost 50%. Fare price for the most popular mode of transport – the jeepney is discussed in the following sentences. Transport groups in the Philippines are arguing that they are still in big deficits considering that during the peak of the oil price hike, fares are only P7. 50, only P1. 50 higher than when the diesel prices were about half of the value of the peak prices. Currently, transport costs are P7. 00 even when the price of diesel is down to P22. 60 from a high of about P54. Other modes of transport experienced increases but have already reverted back to their original prices after the costs of gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (main fuel for most of the taxi cabs) have gone down. Cost of Food During the 2007 global food crisis, the world experienced inflation in the prices of basic goods such as corn. This is due to the food versus fuel debate which was sparked by the eagerness of the entire world to embrace the use of biofuels. Today, the prices of corn and other basic food crops have been stabilized thanks to the development of other materials that can be used to produce the ethanol needed for biofuel blends. Some of these new materials include plants such as jatropha as well as marine algae. Presently, governments are starting to regulate the amount of land which can be used for the planting of crops that will be used for ethanol production.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Fyodor Dostoevsky, A Tortured Genius Essay -- Biography biographies bi

Dostoevsky biography as related to his works It is often remarkable to see the relation between events in an author?s life and that of his works. Many great authors have transcribed the pivotal moments of their existence onto paper for readers to enjoy, sympathize, or rage. Certainly, Fyodor (or Fedor) Dostoevsky, being no different than that of the very best of his profession, lived a life with experiences that influenced his writings a great deal. His masterpieces stand as ultimate manifestations of his tumultuous affair with pain, sorrow, anger, misery, for, each tells of dark worlds and conflicts with social status, money, or oneself. Overall, Dostoevsky?s past of living in constant torment with himself and his ideals transfers itself onto each page of his novel Crime and Punishment, indeed, difficult lessons he learned from his own mistakes jump out from the page at readers, as if he wants us also to learn something. Born in Moscow 1821 during the rule of tyrannical Russian tsars and slavery with the nicer terminology of serfdom, the young Dostoevsky witnessed first-hand the violent nature of an alcoholic. As son of a vicious army surgeon whose brutality after drinking led the family serfs to choke him to death one day by pouring whisky down his throat (Leatherbarrow 13), his aversion to and disgust of alcohol is easily understood. In an unexpected turn of events, Nicolas I liberated all serfs during Dostoevsky?s teenage years and as a result left him and his family on the edge of destitution. In the wake of emancipation, however, he matured into a fierce advocate for serf rights and even called for government subsidies to aid them in starting afresh (15). His campaign for better conditions for peasants and fi... ...ld when he died in 1881 (Leatherbarrow 30), Dostoevsky left the world a legacy of amazing works that probe into the depths of the human soul: The Double, The House of the Dead, Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, The Brothers Karamazov, etc (31). Works Cited "Dostoevsky's Life and Career, 1859-1863." LESSON 8 Dostoevsky, Notes From Underground. Russian 5421, University of Minnesota. 28 Dec. 2007, . Knapp, Liza. Giants of Russian Literature: Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Prince Frederick, MD: Modern Scholar, 2007. Leatherbarrow, William J. Fedor Dostoevsky. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1981. Leone, Bruno, Brenda Stalcup, Bonnie Szumski, and Tamara Johnson, eds. Fyodor Dostoevsky: a Literary Companion. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. 54-83.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

How Society Shapes the Beliefs of Our Children

We live in a context and not a vacuum. Our culture and the society around us play a very dominant role in the values we choose. Sometimes this is planned, overt, and intentional. Sometimes it is unplanned, unseen and unintentional. Sometimes we choose to accept the values of others. Sometimes we choose to rebel against them. Either way they are influential. The nuclear family is the first part of society that shapes us. Our parents and siblings (good, bad, indifferent) play a major role in how we choose to live. The great poem Children Learn What They Live, by Dorathy Law Nolte expresses this truth very well.Here are just a couple of lines for example. If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness. If children live with fairness, they learn justice. Perhaps the second most influential institution beyond the nuclear family is our educational system. We lo ok up to our teachers and for the most part take what they say and the information in our text books as valid and valuable. However, there may come a time that we don’t agree with what we are being taught.Yet even here our rebellion is in the context of society. Often we know more what we are against than what we are for. The presence or absence of faith and religion in our lives is another source within society that shapes our personal values. Sooner or later you will have contact with a wide variety of spiritual choices. Each exists in our culture and society. Each is a positive or negative influence towards our personal values. Let us not forget advertizing. â€Å"You deserve a break today. † This is a value statement if there ever was one. Who says you deserve a break? Do you agree or disagree with this value?Do you value faster and faster high tech communication? Is it important to be sexy? Do you value professional sports enough to invest in a big screen TV? Last , but not least, nor even finally there is societal politics. Do you value spending or saving? Do you like taxes or austerity? Do you have more kids so you can get more welfare? Do you give to charity so you can have a bigger write-off? These days many people think they are not accepting societal values. â€Å"I pick and choose what I want. † However, even such a view of choice is a current Post Modern societal value. Similar essay: Our Changing Society

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Notes On Self Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

Dynasty Allen English 2270 10/3/2016 Journal Entries (1-5) Analytic Journal #1: Self- Reliance Self-Reliance is a transcendentalist essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The essay was published in 1841 during the transcendentalist movement. It was a way for writers to respond to or protest the general state of intellectualism and even spirituality. He speaks in this essay about ways to avoid conforming and also how each person should follow their own instincts and ideas. Emerson split many of the topics in this essay into different sections. In one of the sections he speaks of the relationship between each individual and non-conformity and how each person can be self- reliant. Self-Reliance favors individualism, which promotes that people use their own thoughts and desires rather than that of a group. In the beginning of the essay Emerson says, To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius. His statement captures the essence of what he means by self-reliance, namely the reliance upon one s own thoughts and ideas. He mentions that people like Moses, Plato, and Milton, were so important because they spoke their minds and did not only recite what was written in or memorized from books. Emerson tells his readers to Trust thyself. Emerson also preaches for people to become nonconformists. In the essay, he explains that for a nonconformist, No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. GoodShow MoreRelatedNotes On Self Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pages10/3/2016 Journasl Entries (1-5) Analytic Journal #1: Self- Reliance Self-Reliance is a transcendentalist essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The essay was published in 1841 during the transcendentalist movement. It was a way for writers to respond to or protest the general state of intellectualism and even spirituality. He speaks in this essay about ways to avoid conforming and also how each person should follow their own instincts and ideas. Emerson split many of the topics in this essay into differentRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s Song Of Myself1178 Words   |  5 Pagesimperative indivisibility of self-reliance. He shares many of the same ideas as Emerson, such as the importance of the self and views on religion. There are some differences in certain ideas, images and the language; however, these differences do not take away from Whitman’s fulfillment of Emerson’s vision of the self. Whitman’s â€Å"Song of Myself† shows the ideals of self in Ralph Waldo Emerson s Self-Reliance at work and therefore fulfills Emersonâ⠂¬â„¢s vision of self as true to inner voice and purposeRead MoreRalph Waldo Emerson And Thoreau975 Words   |  4 PagesThere are two who comes to mind; Thoreau and Emerson. Where Emerson and Thoreau were clear examples of Bright Romanticism exemplified by the inclusion of nature, a positive view of mankind, and a poetic style that broke traditional method. Ralph Waldo Emerson exemplified him being a clear examples of Bright Romanticism with his first inclusion of nature. An excerpt talking about the author about this manner can found in Cliff Notes under the title of â€Å"Emerson’s Nature SummaryRead MoreEssay on Response to Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson883 Words   |  4 Pagesto Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson I believe that, essentially, life consists of a series of choices. A grouping of these choices in one direction or another makes us who we are, and ultimately we have control over our lives. What makes one person different from another is his own set of choices. When going through life’s motions, we develop certain worldviews and ideas and values to live by. We develop an opinion of what makes a person â€Å"great.† In the well-known essay â€Å"Self-Reliance†, RalphRead MoreTranscendentalism in Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinsons Literature984 Words   |  4 Pagesthe civil war (Boller 1). One man that is considered to be a notable leader in the Transcendental Movement is Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was born on Election Day, in 1803 (Rusk 1). He’s birth could be considered a spiritual foreshadowing of what the future was to hold for Emerson; he was to become a leader of a movement that changed the world’s view of literature and religion. When Eme rson was young he had to bare the death of his brother and father. After his father’s death majority of the items belongingRead More Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay1326 Words   |  6 PagesRalph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. Early in his life, Emerson followed in the footsteps of his father and became minister, but this ended in 1832 when he felt he could no longer serve as a minister in good conscience. He experienced doubts about the Christian church and its doctrine. These reservations were temporarily alleviated by his brief association with Unitarianism, but soon Emerson became discontent with even their decidedlyRead MoreRalph Waldo Emersons Response To The Emersonian Experience832 Words   |  4 PagesIn this paper, I argue that Ralph Waldo Emerson offers the best resources for understanding and responding to the past. He teaches us that a meaningful existence looks at the past with both reverence and suspicion. I focus on three of Emerson’s best-known essays to illuminate his view. I first examine â€Å"Self-Reliance† and â€Å"Circles† in isolation, indicating how they propose to deal with the past. I then explain how â€Å"Experience† challenges his judgments and why the view he adopts in later years succeedsRead More Evil in the Works of Melville and Emerson Essay1736 Words   |  7 PagesEvil in the Works of Melville and Emerson Herman Melville, like all other American writers of the mid and late nineteenth century, was forced to reckon with the thoughts and writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson celebrated the untapped sources of beauty, strength, and nobility hidden within each individual. Where Emerson was inclined to see each human soul as a beacon of light, however, Melville saw fit to describe and define the darkness, the bitter and harsh world of reality thatRead MoreTranscendentalism In Emersons The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1735 Words   |  7 Pagesthe self-agency Douglass utilizes to escape the bondage of slavery seems similar to the actualization that comes through trusting one’s own interior instincts Ralph Waldo Emerson urges readers to cultivate in his 1841 essay on â€Å"Self-Reliance†; and the similarities and differences between key passages in both texts ultimately help characterize the nature of the link between the transcendentalist school of thoug ht and the abolitionist movement. The transcendentalist thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson buildsRead MoreRalph Waldo Emerson And Emersons Theory Of Transcendentalism865 Words   |  4 PagesSelf-Reliance Self-reliance is defined as the reliance on ones own efforts and abilities. Self-reliance is part of a movement called transcendentalism led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other famous figures in history such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Emerson discusses society, and individuals, and how they relate to the idea of self-reliance. He also recounts the business, religious, government, and family implications of this concept. Through his use of vivid language