Generals Die in Bed †Plot Essay

When he thought war contained glory and glamour, he finds himself wrong when his comrades start to die, beginning with Brown. A while later, he is emotionally affected when he kills a German with his bayonet. His emotional status worsens when another of his friend dies. The narrator then goes on leave for 10 days in England, where a prostitute makes him forget about the war. When he comes back, an attempt to raid the Germans takes place where the rest of his friends, except Broadbent dies. The general tells the new team that the Germans sank a hospital ship, and organizes another raid, this time to kill everyone. The narrator has wounded his foot, and discover that Broadbent was mortally wounded too. Broadbent’s leg is hanging by a string of flesh, but then dies by blood loss. Then the war is over. The recruits are told that the general lied, the Germans didn’t sink a hospital ship. It was a ship filled with weapons. He then realizes war is basically a chess game for the generals, and the soldiers are just young boys, listening to the orders, with meaningless ideals Wikipedia

Trashed

Largest Landfill in the World Soon going to the will no longer be a vacation option unless you do not plan to swim. There will probably be a huge amount of plastic and trash in the water. This is due to the Pacific trash vortex. All of the plastic that has accumulated over the years had either eended up in a landfill or in the ocean. It is however, more likely that the trash has ended up in the ocean. Trash that people just toss in the water ends up in the ocean. Americans fail to realize that bodies of water connect to larger bodies of water which eventually leads to that onee fun special vacation spot.A trash vortex is a big lanfill of garbage and plastic that ends up in the water. It is also known as a garbage patch. Sometimes the vortex is hard to see because the materials sink down to the bottom of the ocean floor. There has been much more garbage placed in the ocean than most people realize. Until you actually research this understanding how much trash ends up in the ocean is n ot possible. â€Å"Because of its durability and our increased use in recent decades, scientists estimate that plastic makes up 60 to 80 percent of marine debris worldwide. ( â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") This essay will further summarize what the pacific trash vortex is, describe the impacts the trash vortex has on the environment, talk about some of the biggest controvesies around this issue, and give my point of views on the issue. A trash vortex is a large area of garbage in the ocean. This area of garbage in the ocean takes up a large amount of space in the ocean. â€Å" It is roughly the size of Texas, containing approximately 3. 5 million tons of trash. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean†). This area is so very large that it can not be hidden.Sometimes the materials just float, but then there are several types of materials that sink into the water and are not very visible by humans. â€Å"The expedition easily spotted some types of plastic. But a larger problem may lurk below the surface. †(â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented-A First 5). Most of the trash that has been found in the ocean are things such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, old household materials, etc. There is more than just one trash vortex around the world. â€Å"The Pacific Vortex isn’t the only one.The Atlantic and Indian ocean, which have different current patterns, have plastic gyres of their own†(Walsh, Bryan 1). About ten percent of all the plastic produced in the world ends up in the ocean. â€Å" Perhaps ten percent of the two hundred and sixty million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year end up in the sea-much of it in the swirling currents of the North Pacific Gyre and other ocean vortices. ( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first 2) Plastic can not be broken down so if there is nothing done about it over a period of time the ocean will just accumulate more plastic. Most of our waste today is comprised of plastic. Plastic, which is made from petroleum, is a material that the Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") If there is more plastic accumulated there will be more animals in the ocean that die. No one knows exactly when trash started becoming a problem in the ocean or why it became a problem. The trash vortex has been known to kill several animals in the ocean. The trash gets into the ocean a few ways.One of the ways that the trash gets into the ocean is by people throwing trash on land and the rain washing it into things such as sewers. There are several different sizes of garbage that have been thrown in the ocean. â€Å"A single one litre drinks bottle could break down into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the entire world. These smaller particles are joined by the small pellets of plastic which are the form in which many new plastics are marketed and which can be lost at sea by the drum load or even a whole container load. (â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). Not all of the things that are thrown in the ocean are large. â€Å"While large pieces are common, the garbage patch is not an island of plastic, the team found on their 19-day expedition in August. Much of the debris is in the form of countless thumbnail-size scraps. †( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first†1) Sewers and rivers all lead to the ocean. All the garbage that ends up in the sewers eventually end up into the ocean. Another way that garbage ends up in the ocean is by us directly throwing things into the water.The trash vortex has a very unknown impact on the community. There is an unknown impact on the community because not many people know that all this trash exists in the ocean. Some of the people that know the trash vortex exist do what they can to help stop the issue. The trash vortex has a very negative impact on its environment. All the garbage in the ocean has killed several marine animals. Birds are dying because they are mistaking the trash in the ocean for food and an animal can not digest plastic materials. So this leads to the death of several marine animals such as birds and turtles.It has become such an issue to the point where there may not be many marine animals if there is more plastic put into the ocean â€Å"In the ocean, plastic waste accumulates in swirling seas of debris, where plastic to sea life ratios are 6:1; where birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration with bellies full of plastics; where fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat. â€Å" (â€Å"Garbage Patch. â€Å") There has also been an issue with the plastic because of an essiential organic compound called zooplankton.They have been finding more trash in the ocean than zooplankton and that is not good because zooplankton is essential to the ecosystem. Zooplankton are little tiny organisms that are important because they feed the animals in the water. Algae is a type of zooplankton. The trash in the water has also been known to absorb organic pollutants which are there for a reason. When they are gone it will be hard to acquire more. People will not realize the full effects that this issue has until it becomes a very severe problem and leads to the death of many marine animals.It can also become a severe problem by effecting the way we have a great time at the beach or on a river trip. The trash vortex in the Pacific ocean is a big issue mainly because it is starting to be a lot more trash than is needed. Trash in the ocean can not be broken down and it does not decompose. â€Å"The very thing that makes plastic items useful to consumers, their durability and stability, also makes them a problem in marine environments. †(â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). That means that the animals that eat the trash will eventually die.That also means that the number of marine animals will decrease tremendously. That also means that the trash will begin to pile up worse than it is now. That can also affect our water supply because the water we drink on a daily has to come from somewhere. Our water has to be kept clean or it could become a problem to the environment around us and the ecosystem. I believe that this issue does not have to stay an issue. The trash vortex can be handled over a period of time if we all work together to take care of the water.If we clean up and recycle more the garbage patch will not be as big as it is now. The things we can do from our location are make sure that others recycle more and to make sure that we do not become apart of the issue by throwing things in bodies if water. There are a few organizations that try to help by going to some of these areas and cleaning up the land around them. It is not easy to clean up once the plastic has drifted to the bottom of the ocean floor. The issue has not become a huge problem yet, b ut people have not begun to look at the long terms affects to the environment.If the issue does not stop I feel that it will most certainly become a problem. It will have a negative effect on the marine animals. It is very possible that if the problem does not get any better that we could possibly be looking at some future endangered species. In conclusion, there are so many unknown things floating in the ocean you will be amazed at what people find floating in the ocean â€Å"shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles too numerous to count are only part of what can be found in this accidental dump floating midway between Hawaii and San Francisco. (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. †). The Pacific trash vortex is still an unknown mystery. There are still things that scientist can not figure out about this garbage patch they are actually still trying to figure out all the details. â€Å"Researchers are keen to learn how the massive influx of plastic pieces in recent decades affects area animals from larger creatures such as fish and birds- which swallow toxic plastic- to tiny organisms such as bacteria and plankton.This plastic may also be hosting invasive bacteria or other species researchers say†( â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented- A First 3). Trash vortex have been slowly killing birds and other types of animals. This is something that needs to be stopped as soon as possible if we want to help save our animals and our land. Everyone can help in the process whether it is realized or not. The land is something that should not be taken for granted. If we want future generations to have a land then it is our job to protect the land.Work Cited â€Å"Garbage Patch. † Think Beyond Plastic. â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented -A First. † National Geographic News. 28 Oct 2010 â€Å"Planet100: The Pacific Trash Vortex Explained. † Online Posting. Youtube, 7 June 2010. Silverman, Jacob. â€Å"Why is th e worlds biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean? † How stuff works. â€Å"The trash vortex. † Greenpeace International. â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. † Ocean Portal. 2010 Walsh,Bryan. â€Å"Expedition Sets Sail to the Great Plastic Vortex. † Time Science. 01 Aug 2009 .

Comparisons of two Information Security Management Frameworks Essay

Comparisons of two Information Security Management Frameworks - Essay Example Security responsibilities in an organization are all-embracing that is why it is important to associate the employees in formulating the program. SQL information system management used in health care The health care information technology system in several instances is predisposed to various risks and threats among other vulnerabilities. The situation gets worse when such vices are channeled towards the information system targeting patients with life threatening conditions. Some of the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities include and are not limited to accessing public internet without authority, hacking resulting to penetration of IT infrastructure, and fire torching primary data (Rodrigues 56). In most instances, health-care centers have put in place web-based patient and physician portals to enable visibility in the organizations financial and clinical data. The physician portal is normally used for various purposes including viewing radiology and laboratory results, obtaining elec tronic medical records and completing charts. Similarly, the patient portal enables accessing patient’s information including test results, billing information, prescribed medication, scheduled appointments, and medical conditions. However, if secure coding of the web application is not implemented, vulnerabilities such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting are likely to occur. This occurs based on actions of exploitation from unauthorized users who may compromise sensitive information confidentiality via the internet (Gentile 69). Notable tools employed in the identification of healthcare related online risks include the Web inspect scanner by Hewlett, Web vulnerability scanner by Acunetix and the watchfire Appscan by IBM. Application of the above systems would then go ahead in selective selections of authentic databases, passwords, and user identities as far as the internet security is concerned. In order to tackle various threats and risks, sections of clinical system s have adopted wireless networks, which they use to present and obtain information at the point of care. For example, this has been applied at bedsides (Gentile 41). The wireless network policy enables the use of wireless network infrastructure to handle patient’s information systems. This kind of system with proper coding plays a significant role in ensuring that there is integrity, confidentiality, and reliable availability of patient’s information. If proper securing of information is not enhanced under such circumstances, it would greatly affect the organizations internal systems. The wireless network system ensures that proper regulations and procedures are put in place to handle the patient’s information systems. These include performance logs and network security. Training of steps in this field would then enable justified users such as permitted staff to understand encryptions and authentication of wireless mechanisms that are in use. To identify where u nauthorized access points and rogue users are located, system administrators should use wireless scanning tools. On the same note, hospitals offering free access to wireless network for the public must always ensure that the person accessing information is

A study of the elderly victim of sexual abuse Essay

A study of the elderly victim of sexual abuse - Essay Example , it is evident that elderly sexual abuse and mistreatment cases are of paramount importance for the society and research from a number of large and small organizations must be incorporated in one research paper to properly analyze the situation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the current trends of elderly sexual abuse and its effects on the US population. The study of elderly sexual abuse and its effects produced an urge to conduct a research on the causes, effects and situational analysis of such incidences. The aims of this paper are hence to cover a number of topics related to it. The research questions that are answered in this paper are as follows: Are the current trends of elderly sexual abuse in the US getting better? What are the effects of such cases on physical, psychological and social wellbeing of the US population? What is the Government doing to reduce such cases and for the welfare of victimized elderly population? The goal of this paper is to incorporate as many researches as possible to support the claim that elderly sexual abuse is harming the society terribly. This paper has an objective to expose the statistics related to elderly sexual abuse cases and the effects of it on people. The harms of such incidences remain for longer periods and damage the social, psychological and physical health of victims. The study is basically prepared to analyze the situation from the victims’ perspective. The research area in question covers a wide range of topics that may be looked into. Hence it was difficult to carefully select from that list of topics. Once selected, in order to answer the research questions, it was difficult to find ample statistics. Most of the sexual assault cases are not reported by the elderly victims due to fear, harassment, hesitation and humiliation. It was not possible to conduct a survey for individual study on the victims. The victims are not usually responsive and open to the questions that are being

Research Topics with Explanations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Topics with Explanations - Assignment Example Furthermore, the existence of various regulations regarding the use of cell phones especially while driving in the various states in the country is a major cause of confusion. As such, the research investigates the nature of the regulations in various states and analyzing the effects of such disparities. The audience for the research will include road users and legislators who make laws in the country. The research argues that standardizing the regulations will enhance uniformity thereby improving road safety (Sturnquist, 2006). The outbreak of measles in numerous states within the United States has been a major source of concern for both parents and legislators. The refusal by most parents to take their children for vaccination further heightens the safety concern especially in such public places as schools among any others (Link, 2005). The research investigates the most probable ways of encouraging and compelling parents to take their children for the vaccination (Wells, 1984). The audiences for the research are school administrators, parents and legislators among many other interested parties (Levine, 1997). The research argues that the government should adopt a radical measure such as banning unvaccinated pupils from attending public schools. The United States is the leading democracy and economy globally. Additionally, the country is a leading champion for the improvement of the treatment of such vulnerable groups as children, women and the LGBT community. As such, the country has a role to play in encouraging the adoption of fair labor laws globally (Jackson & Management Information Service, 1985). The adoption of fair labor laws is the surest way of enhancing the economic freedom of such communities. Such laws protect employees thereby creating a conducive environment for the employees to work and enhance their productivity. The research investigates the appropriate ways for the American

Design a system to pay the credit card bills via handset Essay

Design a system to pay the credit card bills via handset - Essay Example The application allows the task to be carried out through a text message. Credit card bill payments can be stressful from a cardholder’s perspective. A visit to a bank or pay point may not be convenient to a busy person. Besides this, the time consuming queues can make a person avoid the payment exercise completely. An individual facing a low liquidity situation is more likely to avoid making the payment in the face of the added difficulty of the payment process. Cardholders are often wary of accessing the net and carrying out banking transactions due to the confidential information that they have to share. Security is a major concern for electronic transactions. WAP-enabled communication devices like mobile phones and PDA can be used for information access and banking transactions. This system allows the use of phones to pay credit card bills regardless of time and location. The success of this payment options is that the user is not expected to go out of his way to access this feature. The technology is flexible and adapts to the habits of the user. It provides an additional channel for transacting at no extra cost to the user. If the issue of security is well managed, this mode of transacting will be widely used. â€Å"M-Commerce reflects a change in distribution technology innovations in the card payment industry. Mobile banking functions as a phone channel, meaning banks no longer have to depend on the branch network to reach the customer frontier. As competition increases, banks realise the importance of providing integrated delivery channels; branch, phone, Internet, digital television and hand-held computers all add value to the traditional card-based services.† (93) Mobile Commerce is clearly this decades biggest growth opportunity. The Web and its features can be accessed within constraints of time and location. There are a few other restrictions such as power failures or disasters like fires. Wireless communication paves the

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Strategic Management - Essay Example The scope of the report is centered on analyzing the external and internal conditions of the organization. This gives details of the position of the organization in the industry in which it operates in. The internal analysis provides essential factors that are necessary for Fortescue’s growth as an organization in both the short run and the long run. On the other hand, the external analysis is based on three major fronts which include competitor environment, industry environment and general environment. The sources of information used to gather data for the report are quite reliable and sufficient. The SWOT Analysis Between Myth and Reality, is a journal that has widely been used to explain the internal analysis of the organization that helps reveal various factors that the organization has put into consideration as far as strategy is concerned. Another major source that has been used is Contemporary Strategic Management to explain the strategic approaches that the organizatio n uses. However, these sources had various limitations. Some of the sources were not easily available and some of the website sources are subject to change due to updates. However, the report was able to deduce substantial findings from the sources. The external analysis, such as the political element, is influenced by which policies the government employs. The strategies that the Fortescue tries to engage are adjusted to fit the changes that occur in the external environment. On the other hand, the organization has complete control of the internal factors, such as its strength, and can always manipulate it in order to remain competitive in the market. There are various recommendations that have been made by the report. As a start-up business, Fortescue should always be on the look out of the opportunities that are available for it in both the external and internal environment. They should utilize every possible opportunity in order to increase its competitiveness in the

Ell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ell - Research Paper Example lish Language Learners such as different linguistic backgrounds, varying levels of proficiency in English, varying levels of proficiency in native language, and cultural factors, it is important to design the most appropriate type of assessments for these learners. Various types of assessments for English Language Learners include formative and summative assessments, objective and subjective assessments, informal and formal assessments, and internal and external assessments. While formative assessments such as quizzes and practices tests strengthen memory recall, summative assessments including tests and exams are designed to evaluate knowledge, skills, and abilities of the learner. Apart from these, the two types of assessments that are commonly used with ELLs include large-scale assessments and alternate classroom assessments. â€Å"A comprehensive assessment system tied to instructional improvement is an essential aspect of a quality educational program that will directly impact children’s early academic achievement. Many studies have confirmed the powerful effect a well designed early education program with appropriate assessment can have on ELL’s emerging bilingualism, in addition to English language acquisition and overall cognitive development.† (Espinosa and Là ³pez, 2007, p. 20). In short, it is essential to design the most appropriate type of assessments for English Language Learners in order to improve their language abilities in every aspect. 2. Why is it important to include language objectives as well as content objectives in a lesson plan? How should you post them and share with students? Write a content and language objective from the content area English language learning. The lesson plan section of the effective instructional strategy incorporates language objectives as well as content objectives in order to help the educators be focused on the outcome of classroom instruction. This has been one of the important guidelines for the educators

Salt-water Invasion in Coastal Wells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Salt-water Invasion in Coastal Wells - Essay Example This paper declares that  most importantly, they require a reliable source of freshwater for drinking and for other related purposes. Therefore, it is of great importance that the government and other stakeholders prevent saltwater invasion into the coastal wells by ensuring supportive maintenance of ground water supply.This study outlines that ground water supply amounts to one-third of the water supply within the great coastal areas of Los Angeles. Surprisingly, saltwater is continuously penetrating into some parts of the supply hence a significant part of the remainder is at risk. Relatively, the U.S. Geological scientists are working in conjunction with other local water agencies with view of establishing the main connection between coastal aquifers and the offshore geology in order to understand better saltwater intrusion processes and pathways. Finally, saltwater intrusion into coastal wells is proving to be a serious menace since without treatment, the contaminated water doe s not conform to either drinking water or agricultural standards. Nevertheless, the U.S. government is seeking to contain this disaster by carrying out intensive research. U.S Geological scientists are collaborating with Long Beach Harbors in data collection using reflection seismology acoustic technique. This collected data will help experts understand the mechanism surrounding the saltwater intrusion into coastal wells that will in turn provide the relevant measures required in order to stop the intrusion permanently.

Law Task Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Law Task - Essay Example The third element to be used by Jigger on building his case is that while Frankie was taking his ipod, he used violence or threat to violence. To consider the concept of threat, the law makes emphasis on â€Å"presence†. The property must be in the presence of the victim so that it may be proven that in deed the victim was in apposition of defending his property were it not that violence was used or threat to the violence was used, then the victim would have been in a position to defend the property. 2In this case Jigger was with his property, which means that had it not been that Frankie used threat to violence, he would not have given away his ipod. It should be noted that the concept violence, needs not physical injury or physical contact being made. Had it been that Frankie grabbed the ipod from Jiggers hand, then the court would be able to charge Frankie with robbery with violence. The case of against Frankie falls under two circumstances. While Frankie would argue that he only hit Jigger after he had taken the ipod, Jigger would argue that at the point of taking of the ipod, Frankie had used threat in the case he did not cooperate. At this point, the case of robbery shall have been built strongly. In the next instance, Jigger would file for the case against Frankie to be just violence. There is no certainty that the action of violence directed to Jigger by Frankie was to facilitate the taking of Jigger’s property. This is because by the time violence was being committed, Frankie already had the ipod. Jigger therefore must file the violence case against Frankie separate from the robbery

US Economic Policy Essay Example for Free

US Economic Policy Essay The United States of America is one of the richest nations of the world, with nearly a fifth of the world’s Gross Domestic Product emerging in the country. The US has the highest level of output in the world. The total GDP in the country in 2006 was 13. 2 trillion dollars. With a population now reaching 300 million people, the per capita income in the US now is nearly 45000 dollars per annum. In the last three years however, there have been concerns voiced about the health of the economy. The chief concerns have been in the housing market, which many feel has been overvalued. The savings rate has been coming down and therefore impacting the growth rate negatively. Also the US budget has now seen a deficit on the current account as revenue expenditure has been growing faster than revenue growth. The deficit might get worse later in 2007 as the economy weakens further. Wage costs have traditionally been high, and in a tight situation have increased even more causing some amounts of inflation. The Economic Intelligence Unit of the Economist has highlighted these problems faced by the US economy in recent times and also pointed to the falling exchange rate of the dollar with respect to the Euro as an indicator of the weakening American economy. The special report of the EIU released in August 2007 points out to the fact that the emergence of the European and Asian economies in the past have led to a fall in the pivotal importance the US economy had in the world economy. The report points to the recession in the US economy leading to a likely fall in growth rates in the country in 2008 and onwards. It is in this context that it becomes important to look at the state of the economy in the US in the past three years. In the past, the US economy had been doing well, despite the slowdowns seen in the rest of the developed world. With low interest rates, high employment levels and a strong construction sector, the economy had seen balanced economic growth with a robust export performance in the decade of the nineties. Right at the outset it will be important to underline the role played by the free market operating in a democratic context. The US has remained wedded to the concept of a free market economy governed under unwavering democratic principles. This has allowed a strong civil rights movement to flourish, consumer lobbies to argue strongly for anti monopolistic practices and a competition regulatory mechanism in place. It is indeed this fundamental strength that allows the US to remain the world’s most powerful economy in the democratic framework it works on and the political freedom the constitution guarantees. It is political freedom that enables the optimal use of resources in any country. Interest groups exert pressure on governments and ensure widespread and sustainable growth. Free market based economies like the US work on the principles of rule of law, property rights and enforcement of contracts. This way growth is robust and is not vulnerable to shocks that are inherent in a globalized world. Lipset (1959) and Sen (1999) have argued that it is democracy that fosters economic growth across the world. Foreign trade and exchange rates After joining NAFTA, in its 1994 version and now with the revised agreement, the US economy is now increasingly integrated with the North American economy. As a result any slowdown in the US economy have been balanced out by the growth seen in Canada and in Mexico. The economic policy in recent times is characterized by a relatively stable prime interest rate, the exchange rate falling gradually and a healthy foreign exchange reserve. With healthy increase in exports of more than 11% last year, US external trade is critical to the economy and that is the most important reason for the monetary policy aimed at keeping the dollar a floating currency. A free float enables a currency to absorb shock. And countries that are so clearly exposed to external shocks need to be able to cushion external changes. Historically, the US’ monetary policy as regards the currency rate has been one where the state intervened in currency transactions and the central bank monitored the exchange rate. However this has now changed and the exchange rate regime follows a true floating mechanism that would change with the market situation as regards imports and exports. In the year 2006 past, the trade deficit in trade in goods and merchandise has reached US$838bn in 2006. This is primarily on account of the huge trade deficit with China, and this could give rise to some protectionism in the US economy. The cheaper local currency that is being seen now will encourage exports and discourage imports taking the trade deficit towards a positive value. Monetary policy Monetary policy is often a toll that is defined and determined by the inflation rate. In democratic countries, price rise is often politically unacceptable especially with frequent elections. Hence the central bank and the treasury tend to keep a close watch on the inflation and on the customer price index. On this front, the US economy has performed well with modest inflation helped by an interest rate that is stable. The low inflation rate might have an impact on domestic demand, as the aggregate supply curve would tend to flatten given stable prices. Also with a low unemployment rate and stable salary levels the demand curve too would be flat. Therefore growth would be restricted to growth in external trade helped by a favorable exchange rate that is what the US economy is witnessing. As a result, the major factor that would impact the economy now is the business cycle. In economic theory, business cycles show growth in initial phases, then a stability followed by a decline. These are periodic swings that most economies pass through. During these cycles production and supplies go up due to price and demand increases and then as demand stabilizes, so do prices. Producer surplus comes down, and investment levels stabilize. Then when the curve starts sliding down, prices reduce, demand levels fall and till the supply reaches a new equilibrium the economy goes downhill resulting in unemployment and retarded growth. Each country goes through such alternating phases of growth and stagnation, though the length of the cycle is very often uncertain and unpredictable. Economic expansion is the phase where the real GDP rises steadily and recession is the stage where the real GDP falls. This is followed by a phase of economic recovery. The US business cycles have not been any different from the rest of the world. A globalized economy is prone to expansion and recession in the rest of the world. The first big recession was seen in 1929. However the economy stabilized soon after thanks to some tight monetary policies and a harsh fiscal policy, where the government taxed its citizens at high rates to keep the public sector functional and to provide social security to those hurt by slowdowns. Each slowdown affects jobs, growth and economic prosperity adversely. In the post war period, the economy has been relatively stable and has only passed through two serious recessions. Since then, the US has seen a period of healthy economic expansion and prosperity, despite a slowdown in services trade and the internet bust that pushed the US into a recession at the turn of the century. Fiscal policy Fiscal policy is a tool the state uses to ensure that public expenditure is met through revenue mobilization using various taxes, levies and fees. Historically, it the monetary and the fiscal policy have been used by governments to run their economies and handle various pressures on expenditure, investment, unemployment rates and inflation. Fiscal Policy is the tool that governments use to ensure an addition or reduction in expenditure and revenue levels so the economy can be steered in a particular direction. While fiscal policy focuses on changes in the governmnet level of expenditure and revenue mobilisation, monetary policy concentrates on the money supply in the economy and by giving incentives to the citizen, governemnts encourage or discourage the velocity of money flow in an economic system. The US tax structure has been criticized for charging high taxes on business. However, over the years tax rates have been cut and now the federal corporate income tax rate is down. However, while US personal income tax rates are lower compared to most developed economies, corporate taxes, because of the various tiers of taxation are still comparatively higher. With the increase in government spending on welfare and old age pension plans, these tax rates are unlikely to reduce. The fiscal policy reflects the concerns of the political leadership in seeking to increase government revenue and expenditure. The health system is huge and needs constant doses of capital to sustain itself. In addition to the health sector, the social security system and the education system too is largely subsidized and calls for higher tax rates. Increasing tax rates tend to dampen demand and slow down the growth rate as higher taxes lead to a slowdown in supply, which also gets affected by higher unemployment. However government revenue goes up and government expenditure can increase as a result of higher tax collections. The business cycle then goes into a recessionary phase. But with increased government expenditure, public utilities get benefited. Therefore fiscal policies need to be well balanced and not cause an irreversible slowdown of the economy leading to spiraling inflation rates. In globalizing economies, the threat of borrowing slowdowns is as serious a concern as the opportunities that come through foreign expansionary phases in global business cycles. Fiscal measures tend to shore up the domestic economy in the face of external pressures. The US fiscal policy in that sense has prudently tried to balance growth with inflation, and increase government expenditure whenever unemployment threatens to increase. Also, tax revenue has enabled the setting up of a health and education system that supplies most of the skilled labour force that works in the large service sector. When there is fall in money supply, this causes a decline in demand and hence a fall in prices. However, what could very well result is a slowdown or a stagnation of the economy that could give rise to job losses and high unemployment. However, with inflation in check, the fiscal policy too has not been as drastic as it could have possible been. Conclusion The US requires a stable financial system that is able to meet the expectations of depositors, investors and the government. The democratic system and economic structure, which is heavily dependent on the world economy and the success of the WTO, presents many challenges to the formulation of its monetary and fiscal policy. It is important that the fiscal policy takes into consideration the key issues of public and government expenditures. The monetary policy should be formulated accordingly so as to bring down the threat of fiscal deficits. Taking the need for institutional changes into consideration, there should be potential improvements in the economy in order to provide the right directions to the policymakers. It is felt that the quality of expenditures at federal and provincial levels has been deteriorating over the period of time; therefore it is very important for the government to have a rational approach towards these expenditures. Expenditure restructuring must accompany expenditure control. Privatization combined with increased competition, plays a major role in reducing the fiscal deficits. Tax rates have to be brought down as the economy looks for increased investment. It is not feasible to have high tax rates in a world competing for global investments. Interest rates cannot be kept high for a long time and must compete with the interest rate mechanism in the rest of the world. Aggregate supply and aggregate demand in the US is intrinsically tied up with supply and demand in the household sector, and apart from the construction sector, all other sectors of the economy now closely follow the business cycle that is predictable. The integration of the world economy impacts North America considerably, especially by way of rising oil prices, which have a way of impacting almost all sectors of the economy. A monetary policy that ensures a stable exchange rate, low levels of inflation and higher levels of employment along with a fiscal policy that tends not to dampen GDP growth, is what the future would demand. References 1. Lipset S. M. (1959) Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy. American Political Science Review. 2. Mansfield, E. (1982). MicroEconomics – Theory and Applications. 4th Ed. W. W. Norton and Company. 3. Ohmae, K. (1999) The Borderless World: Power and Strategy in the Interlinked Economy. New York: Harper Business. 4. Sen, A, (1999) Democracy as Freedom. Oxford University Press. 5. EIU, (2007). Heading for the rocks: Will financial turmoil sink the world economy? EIU Special Report, London.