Early Virginia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Virginia - Essay Example The English law at that moment did not protect the rights of the Africans, and they ended up being overworked and mistreated. Their hard work and high production rate formed the backbone of the successful and rigid economic status that prevails in the American continent. Although not only Africans who were victimized by slavery, they formed the greatest percentages of manual laborers since they were much stronger physically and were easily available. The labor shortage in America promoted slave trade, and the European powers were competing on the number of slaves. The same completion remains, but has been converted into economic and power competition. An estimation of over fifty million Africans were taken as slaves as early as the year 1800. Most of these slaves were separated from their families and ended up disappearing far away from their people (Zinn 27). Zinn says that slavery is the root of racism since the inferiority of Africans started secondary to slave trade (Zinn 29). The American economy at this period was controlled mainly by agriculture and the richest people were those doing agriculture. Most of this people later ventured into other businesses, which fostered the rapid economic growth of the American continent. The Americans were not concerned with the well-being of the slaves and they even killed the slaves with little work rate. They were inhuman and their only interest was limitless profits from their agriculture. The Africans, on the other hand, were not united due to their ethnic diversities and could not come together to aid themselves out of European slavery. The first slaves from the American continent went to Jamestown at around 1619 and they were used in agricultural firms. The area experienced faster agricultural growth and this led to other English settlers demanding for African slaves to work on their farms. With

States with Stricter gun laws don't have a dramatic difference in gun Term Paper

States with Stricter gun laws don't have a dramatic difference in gun violence crimes compared to States with less laws - Term Paper Example Statistics have it that in the year 2010, the murdering of more than 358 people were carried out using rifles. A total of 6,009 people were killed by the use of handguns and others 1939 people were murdered by firearm. It is rather absurd to note that states with the highest increased gun ownership have the largest rates of violent crimes. More than thirty one states have implemented such laws commonly referred to as â€Å"shall issue laws†. These laws permit the adults to handle concealed handguns on condition that they do not have a criminal record or a bad history of vital mental illness (Stephen, 2000). This goes beyond odds to disapprove common sense that implies when most people carry guns the crimes involving guns will be greatly reduced. This can be looked at from the perspective that criminals are given huge penalties because a higher arrest and conviction of criminals reduces the rate of crime. This has been considered to imply that someone committing a crime will se ek the help of another person who is in a position to help him or her. Surprisingly there is a high negative relationship between the number of law –abiding citizens who have permits and the number of crimes committed (Stephen, 2000). These occurrences are taken to imply that as more people get gun permits, the rate of crimes related to guns reduces greatly. It has also been observed that murder rates keep on reducing by 3 per cent , rape cases by 2 per cent and robberies by above 2 per cent for every year that handgun law has been in place (Dowlut, 2002). Violent crimes are believed to have reduced by concealed handgun mainly because they lower the occurrence of attempted crimes now that criminals are not sure which possible victims can safeguard them and also victims who poses guns can easily secure themselves at most times. Stricter laws are seen in Connecticut in terms of gun ownership than most states (Dowlut, 2002). Contrary Opinion Some recent studies by a pro-gun cont rol the San Francisco organization gives an opposite view with regards to the gun laws and the rates of crimes related to guns. The study has it that the firm restrictive laws as witnessed in California and Connecticut experience lower rates of gun-related killings while states with less restrictions on firearms have an increased rate. California was regarded as having the firmest laws on gun controls in the entire nation as per the Law Centre to Prevent Gun Violence which is behind the firearms regulation promotion. Connecticut comes fourth when it comes to states with the strongest gun laws and the impact was seen when it recorded the sixth -lowest gun deaths. States with less strict laws like Alaska, Louisiana and Montana recorded the highest number of deaths resulting from gunfire doubling the number witnessed in California. The federal Centres for Disease Control report had it that California experienced 7.88 gun deaths for every 100,000 residents in comparison with the 20.28 r ate in Alaska (Burton, 2010). Another research conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham on states in need

Factors Affecting Tea Production Schemes

Factors Affecting Tea Production Schemes FACTORS AFFECTING FARMERS’ CHOICE REGARDING PRODUCTION SCHEMES OF TEA PRODUCTION IN PHU THO PROVINCE, VIETNAM I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Since the economic reform named â€Å"Doi moi† in 1986, Vietnamese economy transformed from centrally-planned economy to socialist-oriented market economy. Thanks to the reformation, Vietnam gained remarkable achievements in economic development. In period from 1986-2010, annual per capital GDP growth of Vietnam was 5.3%, staying at the second to the fastest GDP growth rate among Asian countries (McKinsey Global Institute, 2012). Consequently, poverty rate has declined significantly from approximately 70% at the end of 80th decade to about 10% in 2004 and Vietnam became a low middle-income country in 2008 (Tran, 2013). Along with the development of economy, agricultural sector has experienced improvement and contributed significantly to overall economy. Production value of agriculture, forestry and aquaculture in 2012 according to constant price in 1994 was 255.2 thousand billion dong, increasing 3.4% compared to 2011. Moreover, export value of agricultural and forestry produc ts reached 17.7 billion USD in 2012, increasing 18% compared to last previous year (General Statistics Office, 2013). Tea is recognized as one of the strategic commodity for exportation of Vietnam. In particular, in 2012, Vietnam exported about 146.7 thousand tons of tea and export value was 224.6 million USD, increasing 8.67% in terms of quantity and 9.29% in terms of export value compared to 2011 (GSO, 2013). Vietnam is the fifth largest exporter of tea in the world after India, China, Sri Lanka, and Kenya in terms of export volume. Export market of Vietnamese tea ara Pakistan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Russia, China, USA, etc. In order to have such achievement in terms of export, tea production has expanded over last 12 years. In 2001, harvested area of tea in Vietnam was 74.7 thousand ha and it was expanded to 115.8 thousand ha in 2012, compound annual growth rate for the period 2001-2012 was 4.06%. Meanwhile, compound annual growth rate for tea production in such period was 7.8%, from 340.5 thousand tons in 2001 to 923.1 thousand tons in 2012 (GSO, 2013). Tea is planted in many places in Vietnam, but mainly focus on five regions: Northwest (Son La, Lai Chau), Northeast (Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai), Northern midlands (Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Bac Can, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, Nam Tuyen Quang), North Central (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh), and Central Highlands (Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kontum). 1.2 Statement of the Problem Phu Tho is an upland province located in Northeast of Vietnam. This region has high poverty rate of Vietnam with 17.39% in 2012 (MOLISA, 2013). In which, the poverty rate of Phu Tho province in 2011 was 17% (GSO, 2012). Thanks to natural conditions that are favorable for tea production, tea product from this region has been well-known in Vietnam. Tea production plays an important role in economic production of Phu Tho province. Tea production has been expected to created job opportunities and enhanced income of tea farmers. In order to encourage tea sector in local area, Phu Tho province has many favorable policies, programs to support farmers regarding seeds, fertilizers, techniques, extension services, and so on. Specifically, decision 23/2001/QÄ -UBND dated 20th December 2011 of People Committee of Phu Tho province mentioned support of agricultural programs in period 2012-2011, including tea commodity. However, tea production in Phu Tho province still has existing problems. Tea productivity is low due to old tea trees. In 2011, average productivity of tea in Phu Tho province was only 0.84 ton/ ha (Quoc, 2013). Furthermore, the problem of overuse of pesticides also brings about low quality of tea products. Moreover, the integration in production and consumption among farmers and tea processing enterprises in Phu Tho province is weak. Last but not least, tea farmers lack of knowledge and skills of modern production techniques and harvesting techniques as well. According to Thang, et al (2004), tea farmers have 4 different classifications including: unlinked farmers, contract farmers, worker farmers, and cooperative farmers. Corresponding with that are 4 schemes of production: Individuals, contract farming, waged agricultural workers and cooperatives. However, Wal (2008) stated that there are three main schemes of production corresponding to three types of tea producers in Vietnam: individual farmers (mostly smallholders), contracted farmers and worker farmers. 1.3 Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study is to determine factors that affect famers in selection of production schemes of tea production in Phu Tho province, Vietnam. Moreover, this study specifically aims to: + Identify the production schemes of tea farmers in Phu Tho province. + Identify difficulties and opportunities of farmers in each type of tea production; and + Recommend solutions that would help farmers to promote tea production and to improve their livelihood. 1.4 Significance of the Study The study of â€Å"Factors affecting farmers’ choice regarding production schemes of tea production in Phu Tho province, Vietnam† would help local officials and policy makers to have better understanding about those types of tea production. Therefore, appropriate policies would be recommended. Then, tea production and livelihoods of tea farmers in Phu Tho province would be improved. II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Review of contract farming 2.1.1 Definition of contract farming Contract farming has been applied all over the world for long time and there are many definitions about contract farming from different scientists and studies. Eaton and Shepherd (2001) stated that contract farming is a kind of agreement which farmers and processing or marketing firms agree with each other in integration regarding production and supply of agricultural products at fixed prices. Contract farming is also considered as a form of vertical integration in agricultural commodity chains. The firms, therefore, would have better control over production, quantity, quality, and the time to decide what commodity is produced (Prowse, 2012). 2.1.2 Types of contract farming The form of contract farming can vary in reality depending on the agreement of farmers and firms. According to Eaton and Shepherd (2001), contract farming can be divided into five models: The centralized model; the nucleus estate model; the multipartite model; the informal model; and the intermediary model. The centralized model: This is a kind of vertical integration where the firm purchases products from farmers and the firms will process and market the products. This kind of contract farming is often applied for tobacco, cotton, sugar cane, bananas, coffee, tea, cocoa and rubber. The extent of the involvement of the firms is diversified. The firms can provide only seed or provide land preparation, seeds, fertilizers extension services, and so on. The nucleus estate model: The firms have their own estate plantation where they make a pilot model of production for particular crop. Then, the firms will introduce the techniques of such models to farmers. The model is often used for people who are resettled and transmigrated. The multipartite model: This model involves a number of stakeholders including legislative bodies with farmers. Those bodies would be international company, provincial companies, joint-venture companies, and village committees, etc. Each stakeholder with be responsible for each stage of production and marketing such as inputs, credit, processing, and marketing. The informal model: This kind of model is suitable for individual enterprises or small firms. Specifically, the firms have contracts with farmers based on season that is why such contract is applied to fresh vegetables, and tropical fruits. In this kind of model, inputs are limited to seeds and fertilizers. Apart from that, technical advices are only available for grading and quality control. The intermediary model: When it comes to this kind of contract farming, the firms usually purchase products from collectors or middlemen who have informal contract with farmers. Since collectors appear between farmers and the firms, it brings about problems of lower income for farmer, and poorer quality. 2.1.3 Benefits to farmers from contract farming Access to reliable market: Market can be considered as one of the most important issues for farmers. Farmers usually face difficulty in terms of market, they lack of information and they do not know where they can sell products with better price. Thus, farmers should know where they can sell their products before they produce it. Contract farming can help farmers to deal with this issue by linking farmers with reliable markets. This is consistent with study of Eaton and Shepherd (2001) and Setboonsarng (2008). Access to credit: Farmers often encounter problem of credit to buy inputs or to expand production. This problem for small-scale farmers is more pressing than that of large-scale farmers. Setbonarng (2008) argued that farmers are constrained to credit in developing countries, even in places where microfinance exist. This is due to the fact that bank usually offer loans to microenterprises rather than agricultural production. Consequently, many smallholders cannot access credit at all (Glover Kusterer, 1990; Hayami Otsuka, 1993). The study of Simmons (2002) also has same conclusion regarding credit issue. + Provision of inputs: By joining contract farming, farmers can be provided inputs by firms or contractors. Those inputs would be seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Provision of inputs would reduce transaction cost per unit of output (Nagaraj, et al, 2008; and Bijman, 2008). + Reduction in risk of price fluctuation: farmers, who do not have contract and often sell their products to the spot market, usually have to face price fluctuation. Contract farming would overcome this problem. This is owing to the fact that the firms would specify the price in advance and this process is made during the time of contract negotiation (Eaton and Shepherd 2001; Setboonsarng, 2008; and Baumann, 2000). + Improvement of technology: Simmons (2002) argued that in the absence of contract farming, farmers have to face high cost of gathering technical information. Frequently, contract farming requires a certain level of quality. Also, the firms would support extension services and introduce new technology to farmers in order to have better quality for the products. This is also the same with conclusion of Bijman (2008) and Eaton Shepherd (2001). 2.1.4 Empirical studies on contract farming in agriculture The situation of contract farming between Tanganda Tea Estate and farmers is an example. Tamgada Tea Company has operating an outgrower schemes for large-scale farmers for several years. Then in 1975, they started their business with small-scale farmers. The form of contract is verbal in English and vernacular and there is no definite duration for the contract. Under the agreement, the company supported inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and credit with low interest rate to farmers. The payment will be deducted at the payment of final green leaf. Company also provided free technical advice and transport services to farmers. In 1998, the company had full-time outgrower Extension Officers who help small-scale farmers to increase technical production (Woodend, 2003). Can (2008) stated that the largest contract farming in rice sector exists between Ankor Kasekam Roonoeung Co Ltd (AKR), a private company, and rice farmers. The company mostly exports Neang Mails (an aromatic Cambodian rice variety) to international market. The number of people joining the contract with the company has been increasing from 100 farmers at the beginning to 27,345 farmers in 2003 and 32,005 farmers in 2008. Under the contract, the company plays an important role in every stage of production and marketing as well. The company is the one who choose suitable area for growing rice, establish farmers associations, recruit new farmers, deliver seeds and technical support, monitor and solve problems in production, collect and purchase rice from farmers, sort and classify milled paddy into different kinds, and export to other countries including European countries, Australia, and Hong Kong. According to the contract, the company distributes Neang Mails seeds in credit to farmers in July, and then the company will buys output from October to January of the following year. The contract clearly includes the amount of seeds that the farmers have to return, the minimum prices, and penalties for contract violation. However, the contract does not include explicitly the penalties to the companies when they do not buy output of farmers at the negotiated prices. Moreover, the company establishes commune associations to support implementation of the contract. Each association has function of monitoring process and reporting to the company. Aside from that, associations also provide technical advice to their members. Setboonsarng, Leung, and Stefan (2008) had study about rice contract farming in Lao PDR. Authors mentioned a case study of contract rice farming in Vientiane province. Lao Arrowny Corporation was established in 2002, a joint venture between Lao and Japanese investors. The company produces Japanese rice and exports to Japanese expatriates in Southeast Asia. In 2004, the company had contract with approximately 2,000 farmers and total rice land of 800 ha. The criteria of the contract include three main points: farmers own their own rice land; farmers who want to become member of farmers’ association have to work hard and the decision will be given by fellow farmers; and farmers are not allowed to use chemical fertilizers in production. By implementing contract with the company, farmer will receive premium price which is included in the contract. In addition to this, the company supplies seeds, fertilizer and technical assistance. 2.2 Review of cooperatives 2.2.1 Definition of cooperatives 2.2.2 Benefits to farmers from cooperatives 2.2.3 Empirical studies on cooperatives in agriculture III. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 3.1 Conceptual framework 3.2 Hypotheses of the study V. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Types and Sources of Data Primary data would be collected by deep interviews key informants in production chains of tea sector at Phu Tho province. Also, deep interviews will be implemented with Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Tho province, Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, etc. Moreover, Implementation of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in order to collect general information about current situation of tea production and factors that affect choice of tea farmers among production types at Phu Tho province. Last but not least, questionnaire survey will be conducted to collect information about situation of tea production, factors that affect choice of tea farmers in production integration at Phu Tho province, constraints and opportunities of farmer in each chain of tea production. In terms of secondary data, Documents related to tea production at Phu Tho province will be collected to have better understanding of current situation of tea production at Phu Tho province. 4.2 Sampling Method Sample size will be chosen by Yamane formula (1967) as follows: Where:n = sample size N = population size e = sampling error, e = 5% Analytical Tools To analyze factors that impact farmers’ choice in production types, the multinomial logit (MNL) model will be used. Because sum of the probabilities must equal to one, we have J types of production, and therefore we have J-1 estimated equations. And the most common type of production will be chosen as reference category. According to Greene (2003), the general formula for MNL is as follows: Where: Yi is random variable that denotes the farmers’ decisions among production types. xi is 1xK vector of farmers’ characteristics. ÃŽ ²j is a Kx1 vector of parameters. From equation (1), we can compute J log-odds ratios: Marginal effects could be computed by taking derivative of equations (1) with respect to xi as follows: LITERATURE CITED BAUMANN, P., 2000. Equity and Efficiency in contract farming schemes: The experience of agricultural tree crops. Working paper 139. UK: Overseas Development Institute. BIJMAN, J., 2008. Contract farming in developing countries. CAI, J. et al., 2008. Rice contract farming in Cambodia: Empowering farmers to move beyond the contract toward independence. ADB Institute Discussion Paper No. 109. DECISION 23/2001/QÄ -UBND dated 20th December 2011 of People Committee of Phu Tho province mentioned support of agricultural programs in period 2012-2011. DECISION No. 80/2002/QD-TTg of June 24, 2002, on policies to encourage agricultural product sale via contract farming. EATON, C. and SHEPHERD, A.W., 2001. Contract farming – Partnerships for growth. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 145. GLOVER, D. and KUSTERER, K., 1990. Small farmers, big business: Contract farming and rural development. Macmillan, London. HAYAMI, Y. and Otsuka, K., 1993. The economics of contract choice. Oxford University Press, Oxford. MCKINSEY GLOBAL INSTITUTE, 2012. Sustaining Vietnam’s growth: The productivity challenge. MOLISA, 2013. Decision 749/QÄ -LÄ TBXH dated 13 May 2013 about approval of result of poverty household in 2012. NAGARAJ, N. and et al., 2008. Contract farming and its implications for input-supply, linkages between markets and farmers in Karnataka. PROWSE, M., 2012. Contract farming in developing countries – a review. QUOC, V., 2013. Baophutho.vn, Efficiency improvement of tea commodity in Phu Tho province: current status and solutions, [online] available at: http://baophutho.vn/kinh-te/cong-nghiep/201210/nang-cao-hieu-qua-cay-che-phu-tho-thuc-trang-va-giai-phap-2200410/> [Accessed 26th Jan 2014]. SETBOONSARNG, S., 2008. Global partnership in poverty reduction: contract farming and regional cooperation. SETBOONSARNG, S., LEUNG, P. and STEFAN, A., 2008. Rice contract farming in Lao DPR: Moving from subsistence to commercial agriculture. ADB Institute Discussion Paper No. 90. SIMMONS, P., 2002. Overview of smallholder contract farming in developing countries. THANG, T.C. et al., 2004. The participation of the poor in agricultural value chains: A case study of tea. TRAN, V.T., 2013. Vietnamese Economy at the Crossroads: New Doi Moi for Sustained Growth. WAL, S.V.D., 2008. Sustainability issues in the tea sector. A comparative analysis of six leading producing countries. WOODEND, J.J., 2003. Potential of contract farming as a mechanism for the commercialization of smallholder agriculture, the Zimbabwe case study. APPENDIX Appendix: Export volume and export value of tea commodity in period 2002-2012 GSO and trademap, 2013

Mike Roses Lives on the Boundary Essay -- Mike Rose Lives Boundary Es

Mike Rose's Lives on the Boundary Mike Rose’s Lives on the Boundary is an Educational Autobiography. The book begins at the beginning of his life and we follow him up into his adult years. The book focuses on the â€Å"struggles and achievements of America’s educationally underprepared† . The Alien   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to understand Mike Rose, and his book Lives on the Boundary, you must first understand where Mike is coming from and examine his past. Mike was born to a first generation immigrant family, originally from Italy. He spent his early childhood in the mid-west and then in his latter childhood, parents not knowing any better, in East Los Angeles. Mike’s father suffered from arteriosclerosis. Neither Mike’s mother nor his father had completed high school and no one in his family had ever attended college. This is the setting, background, and characters of Mike’s tale of â€Å"struggles and achievements of America’s educationally underprepared† . Through this book Mike constantly is emphasizing three main themes. First, the importance of an educational mentor; later in this treatise we will examine several of Mike’s mentors. Second, social injustices in the American education system; specifically the lack of funding and bureaucracy’s affect on the public educational system. Third and lastly, specific teaching methods that Mike has used to reach out to kids on the boundary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Mike’s life, he had the fortunate experience of having some inspirational mentors. I have identified four of his numerous mentors as the most critical to his development, both educationally and personally. Achieving Abnormality The first of Mike’s mentors I would like to discuss came into his life just after his father passed away, beginning of his senior year. His name was Jack MacFarland. Jack, as described by Mike Rose is, †¦a beatnik who was born too late. His teeth were stained, he tucked his sorry tie between the third and forth buttons of his shirt, and his pants were chronically wrinkled. With a cultural background like Mike’s, survival in the American educational system is a difficult struggle at best. However, Jack helped fill in some of the critical cultural blanks. â€Å"He slowly and carefully built up our knowledge of Western intellectual history – with facts, with connections, with speculations† . And Jack served as more than simply a source of numb... ...t seems that every-other president and every-other governor refers to himself or herself as the education president or education governor, yet they fail to deliver the necessary funding to maintain a high level of education for all of his or her constituents’ children. Why is it that class and culture is the determining factor for who receives a quality education, this social injustice must be remedied. My Awakening Much like Mike, I have had some amazing academic mentors that were not afraid to get down in the trenches with me and ask what I was trying to say. I had Ms. Lewis my freshmen year of high school, she would sit down with me and rip apart my paper and rework it as necessary. During my senior year of high school, I had the privilege of taking a U.W. English class that was a seminar format where the instructor would frequently conference with us, and he gave me the tools to continue my education. However, something we all need to remember, especially at PLU, is to not be afraid to be a mentor to someone else. In life, we are all teachers. We tell one another our stories, and by doing that we are teaching them what it is like to look at the world through our lens.

Health Risks of Energy Drink Essay

Introduction People want immediate results in the middle of the busy day, after exercise, or any other activity which requires them to recharge themselves. So, instead of focusing on key natural ways such as sleep habits, improving diets we used to go for certain energy drinks available in the market without knowing the pros and cons of these drinks related to our health. Recent researches on the consumption of energy drinks have proved that the excessive use of these types of drinks can cause severe health risk including increase in systolic pressure, insomnia, and various other discussed later in the paper. It is the common phenomena that energy drink used to rebuild the energy lost during the exercise, which is not right. Similarly, it does not help burn calories, neither it speed ups the metabolism nor it provides long lasting energy to our body. Energy drinks are the fastest growing beverages market (Bornstein, 2011). Youth is reportedly consumers more energy drinks than other demographic variable. There are various energy drinks available in the market targeting the same type of crowd with different slogan and appeals. Some have focused on athletes, some on teenagers and students etc. Excessive caffeine can cause various health problems such as insomnia, jitters, nervousness, gastrointestinal problems, and heart palpitations. Background Statement We see various TV ads focusing on red bull, 5-hour ENERGY, monster etc so are these drinks shelved at the supermarkets. However, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and UK drug inspecting agencies has reported severe health related issues on the consumption of energy drinks. The sales of energy drinks in UK and other parts of the world is increasing so are the concerns after the researches made on this particular subject. Hence, the need is to review the myth surrounding energy drinks consumption. What are energy drinks? According to UK soft drink report (2012), soft drinks are â€Å"traditional glucose based energy drinks; functional or stimulation energy drinks which claim a particular energy boost from caffeine, Guarani, turbine and ginseng or other herbs or some combination of these ingredients†. The ingredients used in these energy drinks act as a stimulant to the central nervous system of our brain. These include caffeine or Guarani and vitamins etc. Health Risk There are various serious health risks associated with the consumption of energy drinks. Some of these health risks are discussed in this section. Drinking energy drinks in moderation is not necessarily harmful. Excessive consumption of energy drinks containing caffeine, however, can result in the same health effects related to consuming too much caffeine, such as insomnia, jitters, nervousness, gastrointestinal problems, and heart palpitations. Like sodas, the amount of sugar and empty calories (calories that do not contain nutrients) in energy drinks contribute to poor dietary health when consumed regularly. Hence, the affects of these drinks are short term as well long term. These affects are categorized below: Short term affects †¢ Hurts performance †¢ Increased heart rate †¢ Abnormal heart rhythm and other problems †¢ Crabby †¢ Trouble Concentrating †¢ Negative interactions with medications †¢ Increased Blood Pressure Long term affects †¢ Caffeine Addiction †¢ Liver Failure †¢ Sleep Apnea †¢ Kidney Failure †¢ Cardiovascular Disease So, it is better to be aware of these health issues and do not use more than 100mg/day of the caffeine as per health official recommendation. Conclusion After reviewing the ingredients, myths, and other factors surrounding the energy drinks it can be concluded that excessive use of caffeine i.e. by consuming more energy drink will certainly lead us to the several health risks which might be short term as well as long term. So, the need for the people is to get educate themselves, so is the responsibility of the energy drink manufacturers to warn the customers of the potential health hazards associated with the particular drink. References Roy-Bornstein, C. (2011). Just Say No to Energy Drinks. Pediatrics For Parents, 27(7/8), 11. UK soft drink report (2012) Available at: http://www. britishsoftdrinks. com/PDF/UK%20soft%20drinks%20report%202012. pdf.

When Disruptive Technologies Attack

Christensen, in his article, it says that in the mainstream market, there is the idea of covering products that could sweep the mainstream trend in the market. This disruptive technologies appear not so in demand to the customers. However, as these disruptive technologies undergo improvement and continuously interrupt the flagship of the mainstream industry, it would make sense to the customers until it overrun the modern and mainstream trend in the market.And companies would tend to look for those products that have potential of being disruptive technologies, then eventually send it to the market and disturb the noise of the mainstream by the commotion of its disruption. Among the examples that have been presented by Christensen, I was most persuaded by his citation of the hard disk and its development in the industry. This example could be witnessed by every one of us.Aside from the fact that he presented a recent study on the particular hard disk industry, the hard facts and the d ata presented in the text were all comprehensive such that it showed clearly the trend of how the hard disks became one of disruptive technology. Also, nowadays, we really witnessed and experienced the disruption of hard disk industry especially those who owned a personal computer or computer notebook. This could be more appreciative in terms of the people and readers for them to understand more about the disruptive technologies and hot it works. There are different ways in which companies make these disruptive technologies.One of their way to come up with such product is through identification of the potentiality of a product, that is, if it could be disruptive or not. They use some basis like the supporters of the product to come out in the market. Obviously, those in higher positions like managers and marketing officers would disagree in disruptive technologies sine the incentive of making profit here is at high stake. Another way is that companies locate the target project after identifying one product if it is disruptive or not. In this case, they prefer the target which has lower risk of emerging the product as threat or otherwise, it would be a threat.It is one of the most critical ways since it would determine the outcome of being a disruptive product to the industry. And still, another way is the establishment of an organization that would be a fixed factor for the disruptive product to surpass the mainstream market. At this point, well established companies are mostly the ones who could form such organizations which are often called disruptive organization. At one point or another, Christensen’s thesis has managed to present all sides in the aspect of emerging disruptive technologies. Thus, no points of rebuttals could make sense after the good presentation of the trend and processes. Reference: Brower, J. L. and Christensen, C. M. (undate). Disruptive Technologies, Catching the Wave. Harvard Business Review ON POINT. Retrieved on September 27, 2007 from Harvard University Online Library on the World Wide Web: http://www.hbsp.com/relay.jhtml?name=mylibraryWhen Disruptive Technologies Attack