How do economic recession affect people's behavior Essay

How do economic recession affect people's behavior - Essay Example However, as the theory points out, the knowledge is never complete and this imperfection leads to economic growth. This may not always be so. In times of economic recession, the more the awareness of bad news, the greater is its impact on human behavior and the economic crisis. According to Charles Hodge, if a human being is assumed to behave out of necessity, he loses his identity as a rational person capable of deciding based on his thoughts and analysis (Hodge as cited in Cleveland, 2000). He becomes a mechanical person and can not be held responsible for the consequences of his behavior. Similarly if he is assumed to base his actions on the contingencies, he is imbibed with irrational and autocratic power of determination, acting even against his own will. Hodge rejects both these patterns of behavior that emerge from the utilitarianism theory. In the third behavior pattern viz., certainty, the individual behavior is explained by the individual’s own rational analysis of a situation and determination of what is best in his own interest, and is embraced by Hodge as the more appropriate explanation of human behavior. The subprime crisis in the USA led to large scale defaults in the mortgage industry and its contagion effect soon engulfed a host of other sectors like the financial institutions, banks and manufacturing industries. Bank failures dried up the credit available for the business and industry and this has in turn led to significant loss of jobs and consumer confidence. All the major economies of the world are facing a downturn due to globalization. Mass communications media ensures that individual behavior is influenced and aggravated by the frenzy of collective disaster. Loss of consumer confidence and credit squeeze are the major factors impacting human behavior in these circumstances. US economy which is characterized by a high degree of consumer spending, is witnessing consumer

Bill Gates had been friends since high school Essay Example for Free

Bill Gates had been friends since high school Essay Mike Basset and Bill Gates had been friends since high school. Theyd competed for 1st place all the time. Theyd spent hours together writing computer programs even before people heard in programming. They grew up together and even went to university and were joint top students. They both went in the programming business and soon each opened their own computer company Bill named his Microsoft and Mike called it Compufriek. Bill was very successful and was very famous his products all across the globe he was well know for Windows and Microsoft office. On the other hand Mike was very good but only known in the United States but still lacking behind Bill. They both got married and had children. Mikes wife Jenny was very jealous of Marry Mrs. Gates shoe always used to talk about how successful her husband is and the contacts he makes with Difrent Companys across the world. Mike is also fed up his only ambition from when he was a boy was to run the best computer company and here his best friend his standing in his way. One day Mr. Mrs. Gates invited the Bassets for a barbecue in their new mansion. It was exactly noon when the Bassets arrived at the Gates. Hello Mike said Bill, hows things going? he asked. Alright replied Mike. They sat down at a table, Bill has dismissed all the servants so they could spend some time together and do everything like the old days. I have just signed a deal with the Japanese, Worth a lot saying Bill as proud as it gets. Good I wish the best for you replied Mike but in a not meaning it sort of way. I am fed up of this hes always boasting about himself, oh I wish I was as rich and famous like Bill he was saying to himself. The day went on and they had dinner. The next day Mikes wife started to nag she kept saying how come youre not as rich as bill and youre better than him, he couldnt take it. That day he wanted to eat Chinese he went to his favorite Chinese restaurant Chin Dragon. They ate dinner and after a waitress came up to them, do you want to try our new fortune cookies some people have been very lucky and even there dreams came true she said. Well ok get us two, replied Mike Right away said the waitress. She went and came back after five minutes carrying a plate with 2 cookies. There you go, said the waitress Mike took his and snapped it in half and took the paper out. What does it say? Asked Mikes wife. Fame and fortune will come very soon, replied Mike. His wife then takes hers and snaps it in half and took her paper. Mines says your loved ones will be rich and famous! She told Mike. Can it be that my dream will finally come true? He said to himself. What does this mean? Asked Jenny. I dont know Mike replied. But lets go home Im tired and I need a rest he said. When they got home Mike couldnt stop thinking about the fortune cookies. He kept wondering was this just a coincidence that he got this in a fortune cookie, even Jenny his wife got the same thing. Can this be true can his life ambition come true? No he thought it has to be a coincidence. That night he couldnt sleep. He kept thinking if this was true what was going to bring him this fame and fortune? All hes working on at this moment is a simple hacking program for him self because of free time. His wife wakes up. She asks him why isnt he asleep. He tells her what hes thinking about and she says, I dont think your going to get fame and fortune just like thatÃ'Ž What do you mean? he replied Well, that hacking program youre working on for fun she says. Yes what about it? he replies anxiously. Is it power full? She asks. Yeah its pretty good he replies but doesnt have a clue whats all this got to do with his fortune. Why dont you access Bills files and find out what hes planning? she says quietly. You want me to betray my best friend. No forget about it he replied angrily and went to bed. The next day he gets up and goes on his computer to do a bit of work. He kept working on his hacking program until it was finished. Honey he called. Ive finished my program. Jenny walks in and congratulates him Well no you need to test it! she said. Test it? he replied. Who on? I cant try it on anyone its illegal Well test it on Bills I am sure he wont mind, you are his best friend she tells him Just see if it works properly and the switch it off Well ok he replies and starts to test it he started to input and few numbers and letters and the put search. Bills name came up on the screen. He accessed his computer. Look whats that? asked Jenny Oh it will be some of his files Ill close it now I know it works he saidÃ'Ž No Jenny said, just have a quick look, it wont hurt He sat there looking at Bill Gates files. His ambition took control of him. He spotted a file named big plan. He began looking through it. It was a massive program what was going to change the world. He froze. All his life he wanted fame and now he could get it but at his best friends cost. Jenny kept telling him to copy the file then alter it for him so he goes wrong. She called him a coward. He didnt know what to do. His wife kept nagging him. He finally surrendered to his ambition and downloaded the file to his computer and started to alter Bills file completely. Jenny kept saying how wonderful he was and encouraged him to carry on. He was finished. He worked day and night on this program until one day he had finished it. Bill rang him up that day and said that his whole life just went wrong. The program contract with the Japs he made has fallen because his program didnt work. Now he has to pay Billions of pounds in compensation and at the moment cant pay that amount so he had to sell half his company. At that moment guilt started to grow in Mikes heart. His best friends life has collapsed but his road is open. He felt very sorry for him and said he was busy. In the following week Mike made a contract with the British. He sold them Bills program for a 30 billion contract he got 50% of the shares. His name was known all across the globe and his program sold very fast. But now he was feeling very guilty hes now the famous rich and famous one while his friend was under debt. In those weeks Bill didnt even find out about Mike he was to busy sorting out his problem. He went and says the program a computer competition. He was absolutely stunned when it had looked just like the one he made. He gets a bit suspicious and goes to Mikes home straight away. When he got there he didnt even say hello to Mike the first thing he said was that program of yours when did you start making it? Mike hesitated a bit knowing Bills suspicion he replies oh Ive been on this special project for a long time, Its been a secret Bill talked to him about it and went back home. Mike was feeling awful he probably just lost his best friend. His guilt grew more and more over the days past. He didnt hear from Bill for a while now and was really scared. What he didnt know was at this time Bill was trying to see if anyone had hacked is computer. He knew that it couldnt be just anyone because his computer was protected with extra security. Bill spent hours trying to track down the thief. One day when Bill was on his computer he was going through a list of who opened the computer and when he say a weird number. He tried to find out what it meant but couldnt. Meanwhile Mike was not leading a happy life. He was rich and famous. Didnt even see his wife, she was always out and about. He couldnt go out and show his face to the public they would just give him credit for the new program and that would make things worse. One week later something very unexpected happened when Mike was at home. The F. B. I came knocking at his door. Can I help you? he asked Would you please come with us? they replied. What seems to be the matter? Mike asked knowing he was caught. You are under arrest for hacking into someones computer and steeling ideas and programs. They replied in a disappointed tone of voice. At that moment he knew his life was over his ambition just destroyed his life. He went quietly with them. As stepping out of their car and going towards the police station he says Bill. Im sorry, he said to him. From all the people I didnt want to think it was you he replied in a disappointed way. Mike walked off with the agents and into the station. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. All of the money from the program went to Bill Gates and he got all the credit. He managed to by back all his company and start dominating the computer world once again. Mike was finished he would never write another computer program again. Bills life returned to normal except for one thing he had no best friend beside him.

Coordination Chemistry of Bidentate Ligands Research

Coordination Chemistry of Bidentate Ligands Research Elham Torabi Farkhani Mehrdad Pourayoubi Pavel V. Avdreev Katarina Introduction The coordination chemistry of bidentate ligands has been studied for over thirty years [reference]. The bidentate ligands with phosphoryl and thiophosphoryl groups have been used as effective coordinating agents in the different metal chemistry, in most cases the reports were attributed to bonding between the metal cation and specific Lewis sites on the ligand, itself has number sites with potential to bind metal ions, such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. In order to recent report Hg metal ion is known to have strong affinity for nitrogen and sulfur Lewis sites [reference] which our work here is done bonding between Hg metal atom and sulfur in ligands. A search of the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) [reference] yielded a data set of 76 purely molecular structures to be used for study of coordination of metal atom with a P(S)[N][O]2 skeleton of ligand. Thus there are a number of reports on molecular structure contain M-S=P fragments with different metal atoms [reference]. An inves tigation of the reports reveals that there isn’t any publication with Hg metal, also we haven’t found any precise study on the effect of all interactions, including coordinating linkages and intermolecular interactions on the structure of Hg(II) complexes with bisthiophosphoryl ligands. Accordingly we have carried out a study on mercury (II) chloride with two different bidentate ligand with general formula (OEt)2P(S)-X-P(S)(OEt)2 where X=1,4-NH-C6H5-NH and piperazine (scheme ). Reaction of two ligand with HgCl2 generated binuclear complex C1 and C2. All compounds were charactrized by IR and NMR (1H, 13C and 31P NMR) spectroscopy and mass analysis. The structure of ligand 1 and two complexes C1 and C2 were determined by X-ray crystallography. Experimental Materials and methods Mercuric chloride (99.5%), O,O†²-diethyl chlorothiophosphate (OCH2CH3)2P(S)Cl (97%), diethylenediamine (97%), 1,4-phenylenediamine (99%) (Aldrich), acetonitrile (99%) and methanol (99%) (Merck) were used as supplied. Acetonitrile was dried with P2O5 and distilled prior to use. The 1H, 13C and 31P NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker Advance 400 spectrometer at 400, 101 and 162 MHz, respectively. 1H chemical shifts were determined relative to Si (CH3)4. 31P chemical shift was measured relative to 85% H3PO4 as external standard. Mass spectra were performed using a Varian Star 3400 CX mass spectrometer. Infrared (IR) spectra were recorded on KBr disk using a Buck 500 scientific spectrometer. Elemental analysis was performed using a Thermo Finnigan Flash EA 1112 apparatus. X-ray data collection was performed with a Xcalibur, Sapphire3, Gemini diffractometer with graphite monochromator. Synthesis General procedure for the preparation of ligands The ligands were synthesized from the reaction of 2 mmol (OCH2CH3)2P(S)Cl with 1 mmol of the corresponding diamine (diethylenediamine and 1,4-phenylenediamine) in presence of Et3N as HCl scavenger in CH3CN at 0ËÅ ¡ C. After stirring for 24 h, the solvent was evaporated and the residue was washed with distilled water and dried. Chemical structures are shown in scheme 1. Physical and spectroscopic data of the ligands are presented below: 1, 4 [(C2H5O)2P(S)N]2C4H8 (L1): Mp: 105ËÅ ¡ C. Anal. calc. (%) for C12H28N2O4P2S2: C: 36.88; H: 7.17; N: 7.17, S: 16.39, found: C: 37.81; H: 7.16, N: 7.26, S: 15.7. IR data (KBr, cm-1): 2990, 2903, 2864, 1449, 1387, 1339, 1264, 1151, 1098, 1029, 972, 792, 714.1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) ÃŽ ´: 1.22 (t,3JH-H= 7.1 Hz, 12H, CH3), 3.12 (m, 8H, C4H8), 7.00 (m, 8H, CH2), 13C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d6) ÃŽ ´: 15.57 (d, 3JP-C = 8.08 Hz, 4C, CH3), 44.84 (s, 4C, C4H8), 62.45 (s, 4C, CH2), 31P NMR (162 MHz, DMSO-d6) ÃŽ ´: 73.64. MS (70 eV, EI): m/z (%) = 390 (28), 235 (43), 195 (100), 153 (99), 120 (96), 96 (100), 28 (66). 1, 4 [(C2H5O)2P(S)NH]2C6H4 (L2): Mp: 105ËÅ ¡ C. Anal. calc. (%) for C14H26N2O4P2S2: C: 40.73, H: 6.30, N: 6.78, S: 15.51, found: C: 41.15, H: 6.34, N: 7.01, S: 15.57. IR data (KBr, cm-1): 3268, 2980, 1515, 1479, 1380, 1278, 1218, 1168, 1023, 959, 816, 726, 646. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 1.22 (t,3JH-H= 7.1 Hz, 12H, CH3), 3.12 (m, 8H, C4H8), 7.00 (m, 8H, CH2), 13C NMR (101 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 15.57 (d, 3JP-C = 8.08 Hz, 4C, CH3), 44.84 (s, 4C, C4H8), 62.45 (s, 4C, CH2), 31P NMR (162 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 73.64. MS (70 ev, EI): m/z (%) = 412 (94), 411 (100), 168 (26), 107 (89), 96 (91), 92 (39), 65 (87), 28 (88). General procedure for the preparation of complexes The complexes were prepared by a solutions of 2 eq. HgCl2 in 15 ml of methanol was added drop wise to a solution of 1 eq. the corresponding ligand in 15 ml of methanol. The clear solution was stirred under reflux for 24h. Crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction were obtained from slow evaporation of the solution at room temperature. Physical and spectroscopic data of the complexes are given below:  µ-{1, 4-[(C2H5O)2P(S)N]2C4H8}(HgCl2)2 (C1): Mp: 105ËÅ ¡ C. Anal. calc. (%) for C12H28Cl4Hg2N2O4P2S2: C: 15.41; H: 2.99; N: 2.99, S: 6.84, found: C: 15.67; H: 2.91, N: 2.99, S: 5.74. IR data (KBr, cm-1): 2976, 2895, 1444, 1383, 1344, 1266, 1121, 1037, 967, 804, 772, 702.1H NMR (400 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 1.22 (t,3JH-H= 7.1 Hz, 12H, CH3), 3.12 (m, 8H, C4H8), 7.00 (m, 8H, CH2), 13C NMR (101 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 15.57 (d, 3JP-C = 8.08 Hz, 4C, CH3), 44.84 (s, 4C, C4H8), 62.45 (s, 4C, CH2), 31P NMR (162 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 73.64.  µ-{1, 4 -[(C2H5O)2P(S)NH]2C6H4}(HgCl2)2 (C2): Mp: 105ËÅ ¡ C. Anal. calc. (%) for C14H26Cl4Hg2N2O4P2S2: C: 17.59; H: 2.72; N: 2.93, S: 6.70, found: C: 17.85; H: 2.69, N: 2.93, S: 6.53. IR data (KBr, cm-1): 3211, 2990, 1615, 1512, 1479, 1380, 1274, 1214, 1161, 988, 824, 633. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 1.22 (t,3JH-H= 7.1 Hz, 12H, CH3), 3.12 (m, 8H, C4H8), 7.00 (m, 8H, CH2), 13C NMR (101 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 15.57 (d, 3JP-C = 8.08 Hz, 4C, CH3), 44.84 (s, 4C, C4H8), 62.45 (s, 4C, CH2), 31P NMR (162 MHz, CD3CN) ÃŽ ´: 73.64. Result and discussion IR and NMR spectroscopy Mass spectroscopy The nature of the fragments observed in the mass spectrum often provides as clue to the molecular structure. The fragmentation pathways of ligands 1 and 2 were studied by electron ionization at 70 eV experiment and revealed a molecular ion peak [M]+ at m/z (%) of 390 (28) and 412 (94) for 1 and 2, respectively. The formation of the [M-1] specie from the parent ion of compound 2 was shown to exclusively involve an aromatic hydrogen atom; our results were in good agreement with previously published results. [reference]. The previous paper has been shown that dialkyl alkanephosphonates ROCH2CH2P(O)(OR)2 undergo a McLafferty rearrangement in which a ÃŽ ³ hydrogen from the alkylphosphorous moiety migrates to the phosphoryl group and a molecule of olefin is eliminated from the molecular ion [reference]. The mass spectra of compound 1 and 2 with the same structure have confirmed previously reported mechanism. The peak related to the C2H4 radical-cation with m/z = 28 are shown for two struct ures. Relative peak height = relative abundance as measured from this ion in the compound 1 and 2 are 66 and 88. For the compound 1, the base peak is appeared at m/z = 153 (P(S)(OEt)2) and in the compound 2, the base peak is appeared at m/z = 411 (M-1) fragment. For 1, the main fragmentation is based cleavage of N-P bond then produced A ion and P(S)(OEt)2 with m/z 153. The ion of A following three pathways: (1): A ion can produce a stabilized ion by loss of ethylene via the McLafferty rearrangement which generate the odd mass ion m/z 181 that it operates for ion m/z 181 capable of electronic shift involving a six-membered cyclic transition state in the molecule skeleton given in scheme 1. This will then stabilize to an even mass ion m/z 180 by elimination of an H radical. (2): in this pathway produce the ion at m/z 147 that formed through a three- membered ring as transition state by loss of two molecule of ethanol. The ion of m/z 147 indicating the relatively low stability of the P-O bond to the molecule of A in comparison with that of the P-N bond. (3). The ion at m/z 84 is formed through two step, the first is cleavage of P-N bond then in second step is formed via a 1,2 hydride shift by loss of a molecule of P(S)(OEt)2 [reference]. The same kind of rearrangement is observed for 2 and the main fragmentation is based cleavage of N-P bond then produced molecule ion with m/z 107. Scheme 1. Fragmentation pathway of compound 1 X ray crystallography Complexes of 1 and 2 were crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pbca Triclinic with space group P, respectively. Crystal data, data collection and structure refinement details are summarized in Table 1 and selected bond lengths and angles are given in Tables 2 and 3. The asymmetric unit of complexes of 1 and 2 consist of one Hg2+ ion, two Cl and one half crystallographically independent ligand (Fig 1). There are two different types of Hg-Cl bonds that included bridge Hg1-Cl2 bond (2.5904(17) Ã… in 1 and 2.4852 (7) Ã… in 2) connect the molecule into one dimensional chain extended along the c axis and terminal Hg1-Cl1 bond (2.369(2) Ã… in 1 and 2.4295 (9) Ã… in 2) linked to adjacent ones by intermolecular interaction into a chain parallel to b axis in 1 and a axis in 2. (Fig 2). So, the Hg atom adopts an Hg[Cl]3[S] coordination environment in this compound with the highly distorted tetrahedral geometry of the Hg(II) center that can be better described as a seesaw structure which two chloride atoms and Hg atom [ Hg1, Hg1, Cl2] is planar, one chloride and sulfur atoms in the pivot position. The different bond distance from the  µ-chloride atoms performed and refer to asymmetry of the halogen bonds (2.5904 (17), 2.6820 (17) Ã… in 1 an d 2.4852 (7), 2.8273 (8) Ã… in 2) and they are compared to the terminal bond of Hg-Cl slightly extended. Some selected bond angles specify the distorted tetrahedral geometry at the Hg(II) center in complex 1 are as follows: Cl1—Hg1—S1 130.91 (7) °, Cl1—Hg1—Cl2 110.98 (7) °, S1—Hg1—Cl2 104.59 (6) °, Cl1—Hg1—Cl2i 108.29 (8) °, S1—Hg1—Cl2i 105.96 (6) ° , Cl2—Hg1—Cl2i 87.47 (5) °, Hg1—Cl2—Hg1i 92.54 (5) ° and P1—S1—Hg1 98.40 (8) °. In ligand L1, the phosphorus atom has a distorted tetrahedral [N]P(S)[O]2 configuration with the bond angles in the range of 101.77 (18) ° [O2—P1—S1] to 115.80 (19) ° [O1—P1—S1]. The P=S bonds of ligand are in a trans orientation is showing respect to each other and that the sulfur atom is coordinated to the mercury center. As a result of coordination to the mercury center, as expected, the P=S bond length (P (1)–S (1) 1.97 (9) Ã…) is slightly longer than that of the free ligand The crystal structure of the complex 1 generated by the O1†¦S=P interaction along c-axis. As a result of these interactions, One-dimensional chain structure is produced. The presence of Hg-Cl and Hg-S moieties in the complex lead to the formation weaker intermolecular C-H†¦Cl-Hg , C-H†¦S-Hg interactions between the neighboring 1D chain along b-axis that create a two-dimensional array in the crystal lattice. Scheme 2. Schematic presentation of bisthiophosphoryl ligands 1 (right), 2 (left) Fig. 1 Asymmetric unit of complex 1(right) and 2 (left) are shown Fig.2 Representation of one-dimensional chain of complex 1 along the c-axis. Colour keys for the atoms: Hg †¦., P orange, O red, N blue, C light grey, H light blue Fig. 3 The title complex 1, with displacement ellipsoids drawn at the 50% probability level Fig. 4 The title complex 2, with displacement ellipsoids drawn at the 50% probability level Table 1. Crystal data, data collection and refinement for complexes 1 and 2 Table 2 Selected bond lengths (AÃÅ'Ã…  ) and angles ( °) for complex 1 Table 3 Selected bond lengths (AÃÅ'Ã…  ) and angles ( °) for complex 2

Kathleen Parker’s Article, First Three Years Aren’t That Critical Essay

Kathleen Parker’s Article, â€Å"First Three Years Aren’t That Critical†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did your mother read to you when you were six weeks old? Did she teach you how to do math problems when you were two? Recently, I read an issue of Parenting Magazine and found an article on child development. Kathleen Parker’s article, â€Å"First Three Years Aren’t That Critical† tells us that parents today are putting to much emphasis on what the media and medical journals are saying, instead of using common sense. The article emphasizes that parents are going overboard on these new studies using good argumentative techniques. Although I found not all of what she said was accurate, I still felt she got her point across. Parker uses evidence from scientists and medical books, to further persuade the reader to side with her opinion. Parker uses good persuasive techniques by showing that not everything you read in the media about child development is true or factual. Parker also shows that she is not one-sided on the issue and gives a personal comment about the opposing viewpoint. I feel the author proved her point that parents are being ridiculous in how they are raising their child these days.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first few paragraphs, author attracts the attention of the reader and explains the main point of the article. The author begins the article saying that she â€Å"Pity[s] today’s parents who want to do the right thing.† The sentence attracts the audience to continue reading the article because the sentence sparks curiosity in why the author pities today’s parents. The article continues, â€Å"They [parents] buy child-rearing books, explore over psychology articles, play Mozart in nurseries festooned with alphabet cards and the periodic table.† Parker shows good persuasive technique by describing an exaggerated scenario of what parents are doing these days to try to develop their child’s mind. Although the scenario is not believable, the exaggeration helps to prove that parents are being excessive in the way they develop their children. Parker states her position clearly when she comments that parenting should not be that challenging nor as ridiculous as parents are making it. She states that by buying books and playing Mozart to children would be going overboard. This argument could offend people who believe that reading and teaching kids early is a better way to develop their minds or peo... ...ly years is ridiculous. Parker effectively gave evidence to her argument by quoting from scientists and medical literature. Using evidence to support Parker’s overall point made the article more persuasive and convincing. Although she gave some information without evidence, such as in the Jefferson story, she still makes a point in the argument. I felt that Kathleen Parker was persuasive in showing that parents are believing too much what the media and what new medical findings are saying and not using common sense during the first few years of a child’s life. As a parent you should be concentrating on loving and nourishing your child rather than trying to teach it algebra. Parents have been raising their children for thousands of years and I do not believe that these news articles should change the way people are raising their children now. How did your mother raise you? I am sure she did not have a periodic table on hand when she was rocking you to sleep. Parents have other things to worry about rather than trying to change their parental habits because what some controversial news article said. Let parents use what their mother and father used when raising them: common sense.

Political And Economic Changes In Bulgaria :: essays research papers

Political and Economic Changes In Bulgaria Over the course of the past two months, January and February 1997, Bulgaria has undergone some sweeping political changes and its economy has deteriorated into further collapse. The following is an attempt to describe the events which took place in Bulgaria in January and February of 1997. This is somewhat of a difficult task given the current rate of political, economical and social changes which are occurring in Bulgaria. What follows is an account of the events which have taken place in Bulgaria over the last two months i.e. January and February of 1997, subject to the news material which was available to me and to the time constraints of this project. Bulgaria's economic crisis exploded into popular outrage at the beginning of January 1997, when previously quiescent Bulgarians poured into the streets to demand that the governing BSP, leave power now rather than when their four-year term expires at the end of 1998. After a month of mostly peaceful daily protests that paralysed Sofia and brought much of the country's business to a halt, the Socialists, who lack the kind of fiercely loyal police and media that have sustained President Slobodan Milosevic in neighbouring Serbia, submitted to the protesters demands on Wednesday, February 5th 1997. They agreed to hand over power to a caretaker government until new elections in mid-April, which they are unlikely to win, when recent polls conclude that only 10% of the population currently support the BSP. "We'd better celebrate now, because we have very hard days ahead," said Ivan Kostov, leader of the opposition United Democratic Forces. ( Source : OMRI Daily Digest, 18th February 1997. ). The newly elected Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov named an interim cabinet headed by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski to oversee the country and its collapsing economy until a new parliament is chosen in general elections scheduled for April 19. The appointment means that the mass protests forced the leaders of the Socialist majority in parliament to agree to a new ballot 20 months before the end of their elective term. Sofianski's caretaker cabinet includes strong critics of the BSP and has announced it will abolish the economic development portfolio created by them. This new caretaker government has already begun to dismantle the large number of government Ministries which were set up by the former Communists, the BSP. Literally thousands of Civil Servants are being made redundant, as the caretaker government attempts to pave the way for Administrative Reform in both the Central and Local Governments of Bulgaria. Just before this project went to press, on Thursday, the 27th of

How Mercantilism Helped to Shape the American Nation :: American America History

How Mercantilism Helped to Shape the American Nation In the Middle Ages, the definition of wealth was based on the amount of productive land. According to this definition, France was the wealthiest and therefore the most powerful of the European nations. During the sixteenth century the definition of wealth began to change. As the ability to conduct profitable foreign trade increased, so did the amount of cash. Thus, the new definition of wealth came to mean the gain of cash or specie. Specie included gold, silver, or bullion. The wealthiest nation became the one with the most cash, and therefore, the most powerful nation. As the redefining of wealth took hold, there was an increased desire and ability to conduct foreign trade on a larger scale as cash became the new medium of exchange in contrast to bartering. Mercantilism began to take hold of the countries of Europe. Mercantilism was characterized by the governmental regulation of industries, trade, and commerce. This was especially true with foreign trade, and was determined more b y national aims rather than individual or local interests. This new quest for trade began the Age of Expansion in the early fourteen hundreds. This era ushered in a search for new sources of revenues, and focus turned toward the colonization of the New World. The Portuguese, Spanish, and English directed many efforts of colonization and development toward this new land in an attempt to establish themselves as the economic leaders of the world. As mercantilism began to change, so did the power flux of the European countries. Thus began the shaping of North America as we know it. The Age of Expansion brought many changes to medieval Europe. During this period, the countries of Europe began to look beyond their borders. In Europe, there was nowhere to grow. This being the case, the only place to turn was west. Portugal came into existence in the early 1400's. It is a small country bordered on one side by the sea, and by Spain on the other. Out of necessity the Portuguese became the masters of the sea. They began to acquire a great knowledge of the sea and advanced in navigation, sailing, and map-making. They also founded an academy of navigation in Lisbon. In the early 1400's, the Portuguese began exploratory voyages. The Portuguese wanted to establish themselves in large-scale international trade. The four things most desired by the people of Europe were spices, sugar, precious metals, and silk.

M&M’s are commonly used as candy, but are they really?

M&M's (named after the surnames of the company founders Mars & Murrie[2]) are dragee-like â€Å"colorful button-shaped candies†[1] produced by Mars, Incorporated. The candy shells, each of which has the letter â€Å"m† printed in lower case on one side, surround a variety of fillings, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, crisped rice, mint chocolate, peanuts, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, wild cherry, and peanut butter. M&M's originated in the United States in 1941, and are now sold in over 100 countries. [1] They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years. The difference between the different colored M&Ms is the dye added to the outer coating. In July 2006, Dark Chocolate M&M's reappeared in a purple package, followed in 2007 by Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M's. Also in 2006, the company piloted White Chocolate M&M's as a tie-in with their Pirates of the Caribbean promotion. The company also offered eight new flavors of M&M's via online sales, as well as at M&M's World locations: â€Å"All That Razz†; â€Å"Eat, Drink, & Be Cherry†; â€Å"A Day at the Peach†; â€Å"Orange-U-Glad†; â€Å"Mint Condition†; â€Å"AlmonDeeLicious†; â€Å"Nut What You Think† and â€Å"Cookie Minster†. Mars also released a â€Å"Crispy Mint† variety in Australia that year. [citation needed] Also in 2006, M&M's became the official chocolate of NASCAR. In 2007, M&M's introduced a limited-edition raspberry flavor called â€Å"M&M's Razzberry Chocolate Candies. â€Å"[citation needed] Also in 2007, M&M's produced a 50-foot, smiling Lady Liberty M&M statue to kick off a campaign encouraging Americans to create their own M&M characters at mms. com. The website allows for people to log in and create their own character from scratch. They choose everything from the color and shape to hair and accessories. During the 2008 Valentine's Day season Mars introduced bags of all-green M&M's. This was due to common urban folklore that holds green M&M's to be an aphrodisiac. [20] They were brought back for Valentine's Day 2009 alongside the â€Å"Ms. Green Heats Up Valentine's Day† contest. In 2008, two new limited-edition varieties of the candy were introduced – â€Å"Wildly Cherry† M&M's, and, as a marketing tie-in with the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, â€Å"Mint Crisp† M&M's. [citation needed] M&M's also introduced another new product called â€Å"M&M's Premiums† in 2008. They come in five flavors – chocolate almond, mint chocolate, mocha, raspberry almond and triple chocolate (milk, dark, and white chocolate), which are sold in small upright cartons with a plastic bag inside. M&M's Premiums do not have a candy shell, but are coated with carnauba wax and color. Dark Chocolate was added in 2009, replacing Mocha. [citation needed] During summer of 2008, My M&M's launched ‘Faces,' which allows consumers to print the faces of loved ones on M&M's chocolate candies. citation needed] In January 2009, three new â€Å"shimmering† colors were added to the list of custom printable colors. The colors in this collection have a pearlescent finish. [21] In February 2009, M&M's launched â€Å"M&M’S Color Break-Up† Promotion in Australia where colors were sold in separate packs (one for each color): the packs included a code to win prizes. [22] In S ummer 2009, M&M's launched a limited-edition â€Å"Strawberried Peanut Butter† variant to tie in with the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. In addition, M&M's launched a limited edition â€Å"Coconut M&M's. † In July 2009, a study showed that a dye similar to that in blue M&M's showed benefits in helping paralyzed rats to walk again. [23] In April 2010, M&M's launched a new â€Å"pretzel variety. † Pretzel M&M's do not have any yellow M&M's. [24] In early 2010, M&M's Bare All were released as part of a competition in Australia and New Zealand. [25] M&M's Bare All winning packs were ordinary M&M's, but without shells (and hence had no colours). An official website, http://m-msbareall. com. au/, was launched, along with television advertisements. [26] About the time pretzel M&M'S came out, the M&M'S wrapper designs in the U. S. were redone, from the old design, used from 2004-early 2010. Almond, Dark chocolate, and Dark chocolate peanut are currently only available in larger sizes. For Spring 2011, M&M's are available in milk chocolate â€Å"Spring Pastels. † The colors are all lighter and come in yellow, pink, purple, blue and green. On them, the M is blue and some feature ei ther a blue duck, sheep head, or bunny ears and face with the eyes a blue letter M, which is slightly smaller. They were created so that little shell that contains them enables them to â€Å"Melt in your mouth, NOT in your hand! â€Å"