Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats Essay Example

Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats Paper Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats I think dogs are better than cats for many reasons. I’m sure it is not without reason that dogs are called â€Å"man’s best friend. † They are loyal, obedient, and also protective. Even if their attempts at protection are sometimes unnecessary, at least they try. On one occasion while our family was setting off various fireworks on the Fourth of July, we set off a ground bloom. A ground bloom is basically a firework that spins around on the ground spewing fire in such a way as to look like a flower. Murphy, our terrier, assumed that we had fallen prey to some unknown creature of the night. He attempted to bite the thing, only to be promptly â€Å"bitten† back. Undaunted, he charged in again with the same painful result. One of us was then able to grab onto a very bewildered Murphy until the firework died. Murphy came out of the ordeal with a slightly singed muzzle and a better understanding why not to play with fire. This is more than can be said for cats, which don’t care one iota whether you live or die, so long as they have premium kitty food and a plush velvet cushion for their beauty sleep. Our own cat would rather (and often does) sit out in the rain rather then come into the house through the dog door. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Cats seem to think that they’re a superior species who deserve the very best treatment, and should never associate with other animals of a lower status. They also need to learn to toughen up a little bit. Everything they have has to be soft and fuzzy or extra chewy, ensuring that they exert as little life energy as possible. At times they don’t seem to be much more than small and furry sloths. Cats have no concern for the well-being or comfort of fellow creatures, and will not hesitate to take advantage of other weaker or kinder-hearted animals. If one of their worldly comforts is compromised in any way, they become very moody and go off to sulk until the situation is resolved. An animal with such drastic and sudden attitude changes is certainly not going to be the best pet in the world, although they may very possibly be the worst. They are also terribly ungrateful, showing no thankfulness whatsoever if they are given special treatment of some sort. They just generally assume that any special treatment is nothing more than what they deserve. Cats are overly independent as well, and enjoy pretending that they don’t need you or anyone else. Cats should definitely not be considered your best friend. For a while, our cat’s bed was a soft towel folded up on top of the nice warm hot water heater which suited her just fine until she learned that the dog had a cushion to sleep on. So whenever she had the chance, she kicked the dog off of his cushion and used it herself. We eventually decided to fix the problem by getting the dog another cushion and giving the cat his old one. The new cushion was slightly larger than the old one, which was just as well since it fit him better. The slight change in size however, did not go unnoticed by the cat, who decided that she would share with the dog and give him back his old cushion. Now the dog sleeps in the nice warm house on his large plush cushion, and the cat sleeps in the back room on her small cushion. Dogs’ eagerness to please their masters is also a commendable trait which cats simply don’t have. Without this, it would be very difficult to train dogs for the many jobs they now hold, from aiding law enforcement personnel and herding sheep, to seeing-eye dogs and even helping exterminators locate hard-to-find infestations. Cats on the other hand are difficult to train, and once trained, will rarely perform the task on command, preferring to sleep instead. Murphy certainly wouldn’t be the type of dog used for most jobs, but he’s demonstrated his ability to be trained in other ways. When I decided that I would teach him to beg, I only had to put him through the motions for around 20 minutes each day, and he learned in about three days. He learned to roll over in a similar amount of time. Now he’s even learning to walk on his hind legs! I tried to teach the cat to beg for the fun of it, but she just flopped around when I tried to hold her up, and went back to her bed as soon as I let go. She showed no talent at all as far as willingness or comprehension of what I wanted her to do. Murphy just kept trying until he hit on the right thing, and then caught on almost immediately. Dogs have also performed many heroic deeds from warning a sleeping family of a house fire to fighting to the death to protect their master. (Whoever heard of a heroic cat? ) This is why I think dogs are better than cats.

Ganster essays

Ganster essays MONEY, POWER, and RESPECT ...are the keys to life of being a gangster. Once you get the money, you get the power; once you get the power, you get the respect. Today, when people hear of gangsters, they think of a group of teenagers, who are up to know good, who like to start trouble and conflict, and just do vigorous and malicious acts all the time. Many portray gangsters as a menace to society. But, what the people do is stereotype them through what they see on television and movies. Some gangs are not like that at all. I believe that gangsters play a huge role in our society. Gangs have been and will always be a part of society. They are very influential to our society, a negative influence is put on our society if something bad happens, and it is reflected around the town. Gangsters create an environment where basically it is a family. A gang is a family, where they look after one another, and where one can find comfort. In the film Goodfellas, the Mafia is a bunch of well-known individuals around town who are all really close friends. Gangsters have been around for many years. They have in one form or another been around for hundreds of years. For example pirates were in some way or another a form of an organized gang, to cowboys, to the groups that traditionally come to mind when one thinks of modern day gangs the crips and bloods, and so on. Gangsters have changed over the years. In the Review of Goodfellas, the gang that was across the street was there to help the community. As years passed, gangs have become more violent. There are just as many gangs today as there ever were, and they are getting more violent. Children today have to worry about what colors not to wear, for the fear of making a gang claiming that color angry is a matter of life and death. Teenagers in gang wars are killing each other like target practice. This young society is out of control and no one knows what to do. We are su ...

The Contribution of Academic Institution in Childrens Well-Being

The Contribution of Academic Institution in Childrens Well-Being Hashtag: #makesafehappen Reducing Childhood Deaths through Awareness and Responsiveness The tagline â€Å"The #1 Cause of Childhood Deaths is Preventable Accidents† from #makesafehappen or Make Safe Happen campaign probably touched the heart of many. It is, in fact, encouraging us to act and become responsive and better parents to our children. There are two important issues associated with thousands of childhood deaths: The large majority of parents or about 76% are not aware of the issue of the deadly effect of â€Å"preventable† accidental injuries acquired at home.   The majority of parents or 63% lack the drive to do more about their children’s safety. In short, since the most probable solution to reducing childhood deaths from preventable injuries at home is awareness and enthusiasm of children’s guardian, the job then is to educate and motivate parents. There are many ways to educate parents but the most effective in terms of scope (a home visit is time-consuming strenuous for health workers) and motivation is to conduct parenting classes where parents can come, work together, share each other experiences, get motivated, and learn in one location. You may be interested in: Moral Failure in Academic Institutions The Limits of Academic Freedom The Value of Academic Debate The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons Is High IQ a Guarantee of Academic Success? The Contribution of Academic Institution in Improving Children’s Well-Being Many are unaware that aside from basic literacy and numerical skills, the academic institution is deeply involved in other matters concerning children and forever contributing to the improvement of children’s well-being. Let us start with the more obvious. The institution gave us the knowledge and skills that we need to meet the requirements of our chosen profession. This profession is now helping us to support the needs of our family, secure our children’s welfare, and others in need. The academic institution is the core of scientific research and producing thousands of scholarly papers aimed to improve children’s well-being. These include research and useful findings associated children’s growth, disease, mental health, parenting and childcare, learning and skills, behavior, nutrition, and more.  Moreover, the findings of these academic papers are reliable and actually used in improving children’s lives for many years. For example, academic researchers on influenza enable the U.S. Centers for Disease Control or CDC to create a strategy to prevent the spread of flu, which is now a common practice of childcare providers and other early childhood care programs. Similarly, the source of United Kingdom’s healthy eating standards and bullying prevention policy for children, are academic case studies and statistical data. The sources used by #makesafehappen or Make Safe Happen are survey results and statistical data collected and analyzed using scientific methods developed by academic intellectuals. For example, the content in their safety tips are jointly developed by two leading children safety oriented organizations that are generally using information from national statistics and scholarly journals such as â€Å"Etiology and Outcome of Pediatric Burns† study of Morrow Smith (1996), â€Å"Tap water scald burns in children† by Feldman et al. (1978), and others. It is quite clear that the actual contributors in children’s wellbeing are academic papers researched and published to improve children’s well-being. Moreover, some of these academic sources were published many years ago and therefore solid evidence of the enduring commitment of the academic institution to children’s well-being.

To what extent did the Second World War transform European societies Essay

To what extent did the Second World War transform European societies - Essay Example death kind of ending to the World War II with the atomic bombs exploding in Japan and large scale death and destruction in Europe became a great resentment for every one. The impact of the violence was never lost in that generation of people who saw death and destruction like never before. This led to the formation of United Nations on one end and on the other; there was a strong support in the social front of every nation to be out of the violence (Giddens, A. 1985). Military was slowly and steadily weaned away from the ruling community over a period of time. It happened in all major countries who were involved in the war. Though immediately after the war, the war heroes were honoured and they were dominating in the political sphere too. But soon, military lost its ground with respect to the political power and clout that they wielded. This was seen as a victory for the peace loving society at large. Many social practices were influenced by the World War II. Ideologies could not hold ground because of the violence that they were seen to breed (Hobsbawm, E. 2002). Fascism found its natural death after the huge violence that its practices preached. While large scale political changes were in the offing with the increasing effect of communism and labour right movements across the world. The class divide was coming down. Though there was large scale dissatisfaction on many of the practising ideologies, people realised the importance of non-violent protests. Never again, could there be another French revolution with large scale blood letting. Now, people could find themselves raising protests in a more democratic way though violence did and continues to show its head either as a terrorist attack or during a protest march turning itself into riots. The tendency to rope in peace in the continent was wide spread. Most people wanted peace more than anything else. But still there was the nostalgic feeling of war and the glory that victory brings. This feeling is like the

Price control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price control - Essay Example Price control policies in history were put in place as portion of a larger income policy package while inducing wage controls as regulatory element. Price control takes two forms, a ceiling price (maximum) and the floor price (minimum) that can be charged in a market. These two forms of price control act as a regulatory element during shortages to prevent from market inflation (Rockoff, 67). The application of price control is comprehensible. However, price controls fail to safeguard many consumers and offend others. Controls hold out the promise of protecting individuals that are struggling to meet increased price. Therefore, the prohibition against moneylending, charging high interest on loans, is projected to protect individuals who are obligated to borrow out of desperation. For instance, the maximum price for bread was theoretical to protect the have-nots, who relied on bread for their survival. The rent controls were proposed policies to protect those who were renting when the demand for houses exceeded the supply thus; landlords were getting ready to â€Å"gouge prices† to their tenants (Stern, 140). Despite the appeal of frequent use of price controls, economists opposed them except in times of emergencies. According to statistics of 1992, 76.3% of the economists interviewed agreed with the slogan, â€Å"A ceiling on rents reduces the quality and quantity of house available.† An extension of 16.6% agreed with qualifications, and only 6.5% disagreed with the statement. Similar results were observed when the economists were interviewed about price controls: 8.4% agreed with the report: â€Å"Wage-price controls are a useful policy option in the control of inflation.† An extra 17.7% agreed with the results; however majority of the economist disagreed with the statement by 73.9% (Rockoff, 82). The main cause why majority of economists are cynical about price control is that they alter the allocation of resources. Remark made by an economist

Factors that affect the demand and supply of houses

Factors that affect the demand and supply of houses Introduction The past couple of years have seen dramatic fluctuations in the demand and supply of houses. It has been observed that movement in house prices is a balance of the quantity demanded and supplied. In this essay, we first look into the factors that affected the prices of houses in UK in the past three years. Then, we will discuss factors that affect the sizes of elasticities of demand of houses. Factors affecting demand of houses The table below shows the various factors that affect demand of houses. Table 1: Factors affecting demand of houses. S. no. Factor Trend Reason Change in the demand curve 1. Affordability As affordability of houses increases, demand for houses increases and vice versa. Because when the price of houses goes down more people can afford to buy houses. Movement along the demand curve. FIG. 1 2. Disposable Income As the disposable income of the people increase the demand for houses increases and vice versa. People tend to buy houses when they have sufficient disposable income with them so that their weekly budget is not affected significantly. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 3. Economic Trends If the economy is booming, then there is a net increase in demand for houses. Similarly, in case of a recession, the demand for houses decreases. A booming economy means a good overall health of the economy which translates into greater demand of all goods. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 4. Supply of substitutes If the supply of substitutes such as rented accommodation decreases, then there is a net increase in demand for houses and vice versa. If the supply of rented accommodation is less, then there is an increase in the price of rented apartments. Therefore, in the long run people find that it is cheaper to buy houses than to live in a rented accommodation. Hence, then they will tend to purchase a house. Thereby, increasing the net demand for houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 5. Availability of mortgage finance If the mortgage finance is easily available then this results in a net increase in demand and vice versa. This is because it is easier for people to arrange for money to finance their houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 6. Interest rates If the interest rates are high, then there is a net decrease in demand and vice versa. This is because at higher interests rates people will have to shell out more money to repay their loan. As people have a fixed monthly income, a higher interest rate would mean that the loan instalment would form a higher portion of their monthly income. Thereby, decreasing the demand for houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 7. Consumer confidence As consumer confidence in the housing market increases, the demand for houses increases and vice versa. If prices of houses are expected to rises then consumers think it is profitable to enter the market. However, if the prices fall or remain static then consumers find no urgency to enter the market. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 8. Demographic factors As increase in immigration, number of divorces, life expectancy, results in an increase in demand for houses. An increase in immigration, number of divorces, life expectancy will result in more people needing independent houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 9. Inherited wealth An increase in number of people inheriting a huge wealth would result in an increase in demand of houses. Because these people have more money to spend on luxury products, such as houses. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 10. Tax benefits If people receive greater tax benefits by buying houses, then this would result in a net increase in demand for houses. This is because people prefer to use their hard earned money on themselves rather than paying it to the government. Shift in the demand curve. FIG. 2 Source: Nationwide, Besanko et. al 2007 FIG. 2: Shifting of the demand curve. D D Price P1 Q2 Q1 D D Quantity FIG. 1: Movement along the demand curve. Price P1 P2 Q2 Q1 D D Quantity Factors affecting the supply of houses The table below shows the various factors that affect the supply of houses. Table 2: Factors affecting supply of houses S no. Factors Trend Reason Change in supply curve 1. Price If the price of houses increases then there is an increase in supply of houses and vice versa. Because sellers can then sell houses at higher rates thus making more profit. Movement along the supply curve. 2. Cost of building a house If the cost of building a house increases then there is a net decrease in supply of houses and vice versa. As this would mean a larger initial investment for the builder. Shift in the supply curve. 3. Government regulations If government regulations are inclined towards building/selling of houses then there is a net increase in supply of houses and vice versa. This would mean lower costs from the perspective of a builder/seller, which would result in more building/selling of houses. Shift in the supply curve. Source: Nationwide, Besanko et. al 2007 FIG. 1: Movement along the Supply curve. Price P1 P2 Q2 Q1 S S Quantity FIG. 2: Showing shifting of the supply curve. S S Price P1 Q2 Q1 S S Quantity Factors that have led to changes in the prices of house in UK over the last 3 years Source: Nationwide FIG. 5: Average house rates in UK from 2008 to 2010 During the first half of 2008 there was a 5.1% drop in house prices. With the financial crisis and a looming economic recession this price fall was expected. This was evident from the clear change in the consumers housing market sentiments, with people being more reluctant to buy houses. It should be noted that there is a direct relationship between the demand of houses and the confidence consumers have in the market (See table 1). In addition, factors such as high mortgage rates, tighter lending criteria, and higher interest rates affected the house prices in early 2008. The fall in demand from the buyers was also due to the rise in unemployment and associated job insecurity. Further, the problems in the credit market led to tighter lending conditions which made it difficult to obtain loans at higher loan-to-value ratios. However, these strict rules were predicted to lead to a more stable housing market. FIG. 6: Consumer House Price Expectations and House Purchase Approvals An anomaly in this trend was the slight increase in the prices in June and July 2008. This was probably because the suppliers had responded to price decline by reducing the supply of property. The reduced supply combined with an increased demand from potential buyers, who had been priced out previously, translated into a slight price rise of houses. In addition, the slight increase in prices was because of latent demand for houses. Earlier, due to the banking crisis there was reluctance among buyers to purchase houses. However, once the buyers saw that the government was taking corrective actions to stabilize the banking system, they re-entered the market along with the added assistance of low interest rates. (Nationwide, 2008) However, this was a mere aberration and between August 2008 and March 2009 the house prices fell by 10.1% due to the overall lack of consumer confidence in the economic and market conditions. In addition, there was an additional supply of houses from homeowners, whose financial positions were impacted by higher unemployment and lower income levels. FIG. 7: UK GDP and House Price Growth between 1985 and 2007 With UK slipping into recession, even drastic cuts in interest rates didnt help in increasing the demand for houses. The reduced access to credit resulting from the financial crises catalysed the fall in prices. Then, a combination of initial fall in prices, widespread news of financial turbulence, and slowdown in the real economy prompted consumers to expect further price falls. As consumers expectations turned negative, the incentive to enter the market reduced and this led to a sharp price fall. (Nationwide 2008, 2009) Then in June 2009, the low interest rates and extension of stamp duty holidays were welcomed by borrowers as they reduced the costs of already high priced housing market. Further, notwithstanding the economic downturn, there was a notable shift in house price expectation from negative to positive. These two factors resulted in increasing the demand for houses and thus increasing the price of houses. (Guardian 2009, Nationwide 2009) The second half of 2009 was marked by rebound in house prices. This was contributed by the better than expected performance of the labour market. Even though workers were forced from full-time to part-time work resulting in a reduction in income, the impact was less severe than if they had lost their jobs completely. In addition, reduction in mortgage rates meant that fewer borrowers had fallen into arrears than expected. This led to lesser number of second-hand properties being on sale and thus stabilizing the housing markets. (Nationwide 2009) The first half of 2010 also saw a 4.1% rise in prices of houses. An important factor of price rise during this period was the low level of stock for sale as many homeowners and buy-to-let landlords preferred to wait for prices to rise. And this approach was supported by the very low levels of interest rates. As a result, many potential sellers could easily afford to wait for prices to recover further before they decided to sell. Between July and October, there was a fall in the prices of houses. The impact of increasing capital gains tax from 18% to 28% was seen in the housing market, with many second homeowners choosing to sell them in response to the tax increase. Further, the spending cuts by the new government had clearly put a pressure on the disposable incomes of households. As a result there was a decrease in the prices of houses during this period. (Nationwide 2010) Factors that affect the sizes of different elasticities of demand for houses The responsiveness of the quantity of houses demanded to the change in prices, income, price of other goods, etc. is measured by the corresponding elasticities, i.e., Price elasticity of demand of houses, Income elasticity of demand of houses, or Cross prices elasticity of demand of houses. Factors that affect the sizes of different elasticities are as follows: Availability of substitutes: It is observed that more the number of substitutes, more elastic the demand will be. If the availability of rented accommodations is high, then a slight price rise will result in a large change in demand for houses because people will prefer to live in a rented apartment than to buy a house. Therefore, making the demand for houses elastic. On the other hand, if availability of rented accommodations is low, then even a large change in price would not affect the demand because everyone needs a place to live. Therefore, the demand for houses will be inelastic. Importance of the good in the consumers budget: Expenditure on housing, according to R.K. Wilkinson (1973), is an outcome of three sets of influences on the consumer, i.e., their needs, their aspirations, and their ability to realize their needs and aspirations. The latter is measured by the consumers income and the two former qualify the way in which income and changes in income affects housing expenditure. If there is a need for a house and consumers have the ability to realize that need, then the demand of houses would be inelastic. In contrast, if there is no real need and an aspiration to buy a (bigger) house combined with no real income to realize that aspiration, then the demand for houses will be highly elastic. Time: It was observed by Hanushek and Quigley (1980) that the demand for houses is elastic in the short-run. However, in the long-run the demand tended to be inelastic. This was because higher prices dissuade buyers to buy houses in the short-run. However, in the long-run he may realize that the price of houses will rise and thus he finds it better to buy a house. Conclusion In this essay we determined the factors that affected the prices of houses in UK during the last three years and the various factors that affect the elasticities of demand of houses. Based on the above discussion, I think consumer expectation of house prices is one of the most important drivers of prices in the short-run. As for the long-run, the drivers of house prices are the economic conditions, the fiscal policies, and supply of houses.

Departments of Culture Essay

January 2009 was highlighted by delivering of long awaited the interim report â€Å"Digital Britain† issued by British Government. Summarizing the ideas expressed by Lord Carter, there is a need to underline that one of the main report’s strategies is focused on 2 megabit per second broadband connection establishing â€Å"in every British house† and weakening of BT’s obligations (USO). The report is definitely constructive due to its context; however it experiences the lack of details in the important fields. For example, in the sphere of funding, Lord Carter skipped the argumentations to minimum (Carter, 2009). The presentation of telecom sphere as a survivor at the time of economic slowdown is one of the strongest and the most attractive ideas. The presentation is followed by twenty two recommendations for modernization and industry upgrade provided. The demand for comprehensive and genius reconstruction reform for Digital Britain appeals throughout the text of report. Despite this fact, I’ve got an opinion that demanding for such crucially important changes; Lord Carter hasn’t the desire to open the secret how the process should look like. The innovations’ line offered within interim report envisages the utilization of BT’s duties on universal access to phone lines with shared obligation for broadband providing. It’s a chance for mobile operators to get the better role in providing everyone with broadband access. Certainly these changes need the new respectful law to regulate the rights and obligations of providers at all levels. This is quite new approach to the law of copyrighting, so the additional consultations among distributors and rights holders are to be organized. Building of Financially Healthy Environment for British Digital Network Modernization Nowadays, when Britain suffers from the severe recession’s circumstances the basis for economy development and support in the tomorrow competitive world is necessary. Long ago, railways and roads became such sort of instrument for Britain. Today, broadband network has all features to become the basis for new economic environment building and support. It can provide the opportunity for British Government to step aside from financial sector and open the new door. In order to receive a positive outcome tomorrow the investments in the sphere upgrading and modernization are ought to be done today. Comparing with the rest of European Community Britain stays two steps behind in this progress. The close neighbours such as Ireland and Portuguesa have already made additional investments in rollout projects in the sphere and the tenders were announced accordingly. Ideally, the actions need to follow just after Stephen Carter’s constructive report has been issued. Practically, there will be several more reports to follow across the Departments of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, as well as the Departments of Culture, Sport & Media. There is a high risk at current stage to bury the reconstructive offer in follow up reports and consultations instead of real time actions. Actions to be taken – their impact on modernization process The obvious value of report for modernization and upgrade changes and their implementation is approved and acknowledged by issuing the new Wireless Spectrum Modernization Program. This program allows resolving the disputes between mobile operators and finding the compromise for mobile broadcasting with further activities development start approximately in the beginning of summer, year 2009. Spectrum modernization is crucially important for USO (Universal Service Obligation) issues resolving. Stephen Carter stresses on the level of attention to be paid to current problem today and the required steps on its resolving and upgrading to the next level, which should be competitive up to EU services standards. Modernization and upgrade of British Government digital policy isn’t possible without taking into consideration every announced objective published by Lord Carter in interim report. The mentioned objectives are focused on the overall UK digital network modernization along with attraction of additional investments in the sphere. The content that is going to be chosen should be beneficial and interesting for the major part of UK citizens. Modernization of UK digital network isn’t possible without unification of all broadband services delivered throughout the UK within the enhancement of quality of delivered services.