Consumption Function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumption Function - Essay Example In technical language, consumption is a function of (determined by) income. This relationship between consumption and income is termed as 'consumption function' or 'propensity to consume'. Keynes (1936) believes this relationship to be 'a fairly stable function'. At an empirical level, consumption function portrays a schedule of various amount of consumption expenditure corresponding to different levels of income. As can be seen in Table 1, when the consumer's income is $0, the consumer spends $60 either from his/her past savings. When the consumer's income is $100, the corresponding level of consumption is $150, which indicates that the consumer's income is inadequate to meet the expenditure. It is only when the consumer's income reaches $250 that the consumption equals income. Until this equilibrium point consumption exceeds income leading to negative saving, and beyond that point the consumer's income exceeds expenditure resulting in positive savings. In Figure 1, income is measured on the X axis and expenditure on the Y axis. The unity line C= Y, which is basically a 450 line, presents a scenario that consumption corresponds to income at all levels of income. The C curve is a non-linear consumption function based on the assumption that consumption increases by a decreasing amount. Its upward slope to the right indicates that consumption is an increasing function of Income. Types of consumption functions: Depending on the consumption pattern of a consumer, the actual functional form of the equation can be linear with a constant slope or curvilinear with a changing slope. 1. A linear consumption function beginning from the origin can be written as C = bY where C = Consumption expenditure, Y = Income and 'b' represents the fraction of income which is spent on consumption, and it represents the slope of the consumption function. 2. A linear consumption function beginning at an intercept can be written as: C = a + bY, where C represents consumption expenditure, Y is income, 'a' stands for the intercept and 'b' symbolizes the slope. The intercept 'a' measures the amount of consumption when income is zero. The value of intercept 'a' is positive, and it is conceptually referred to as 'autonomous consumption'. The term 'autonomous consumption' is used to explain the situation in which the consumer's consumption is unrelated to the level of income (Begg et al 1997). As presented in Table 1 as well as Figure 1, when consumer's income is zero, the consumption expenditure accounts for $60, which is described as 'autonomous consumption' since it is not related to the level of consumer's income. 3. A nonlinear consumption function beginning from the origin can be written as: C = bYn, where n is a positive constant

To the board of the Renaissance University Essay Example for Free

To the board of the Renaissance University Essay I am writing this recommendation letter on behalf of Adam Levine. Adam’s life revolves around his band and music. The experience and passion Adam holds are powerful qualities in his favor. He is a zealous music coach and musician. He helps his students and team on The Voice by inspiring them and pushing them to sing outside of their comfort zone and to explore different genres. He challenges young musicians and singers to grow as artists and helps them explore who they are as performers. Adam is young and talented himself, and because of that he communicates well with younger students. Adam Levine is a well-rounded, independent person. Not only is Adam famous for his musical talents he has branched out into television, starting from a comedic role on Saturday Night Live to his fulltime role as a judge on the reality show The Voice. Adam has struggled his whole life with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He started a world-wide project known as â€Å"The Own It Project†, which is his way of encouraging young adults and adults to tell their story about how they deal with ADHD. Adam also is a big supporter of lesbian and gay rights (LGBT) and strongly believes it is something you are born with. His brother, Michael, is openly gay which the family has known about since Michael was two years old. Adam Levine has worked hard to gain confidence and overcome an in-born shyness he had since he was a little boy. His love of music, family, and friends has shaped him to be the man he is today. Adam now exhibits a personality so lively and outgoing that people are enamored by his entertaining qualities. In my eyes Adam has a very gentle personality. People are drawn to him, because he radiates warmth and a caring nature. Adam is the peacemaker on The Voice, always making an effort to find the good in the contestant’s performances, rather than being too critical of their mistakes. People sense Adams desire for a loving and spiritual environment. Adam may not have had strength when he was younger for the music business, but he has proved himself to be able to do anything he sets his mind to. Yours truly, ______________

Analysis Of Story Of An Hour English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Story Of An Hour English Literature Essay Kate Chopin (1851-1904) did a story that gets into the readers mind and moods. Freedom is a pleasure that is extremely forbidden, and none should think about it in public. Despite its shortness, the storys every word has a truest sense of meaning and plays a role in making it complete. The protagonist in this story is Mrs. Mallard or Louise who has a problem with her heart. Her husband, Brently Mallard, passes on, and the news have to be delivered to her in one of the gentle most manners due to her fragile heart (Berkove 152). Louises sister, Josephine and Richards, a friend of Brently, delivers the news. Both Richard and Josephine are unsure of how to break the news to Louise considering her fragile heart. Louise breaks down in grief upon hearing the news and retreats into her bedroom to think of her newfound freedom in privacy. She prays for a long life so that she can savor the fruits of being free only to be called by her Josephine. After getting out, Brently Mallard opens the do or and gets in; Louise screams upon seeing her husband and passes on due to the enormous joy of getting and loosing freedom (Jamil 220). This essay illustrates the causes the alienation that the Louise feels during her married life. Louise feels alienated in her marriage. Her main source of alienation is culture-driven whereby women give in to the decision of man. In many marriages, the man is considered the head of the household. Their decision and action is usually final; thus, the woman feels like the second party that is very dependent on man. This makes a woman feel like she is chained to the other party or the husband by religious vows or society. The other source of alienation is religion especially Christianity. Most religions often put the man at the head. If something good comes from a family, the man is appraised but, if it is bad, the woman is reprimanded. Religion somehow represses the freedom of a woman. A man can get out and engage in illicit behavior while the wife is at home; being faithful and waiting. If she discovers, the woman is told to forgive but, if it is the woman who engaged in illicit behavior, the man could threaten death, divorce or anything. This uneven ground is the source of estr angement for most women like Louise who are in marriage or trying to respect and uphold the institution of marriage. In this story, the perception of status greatly affects the behavior of Louise. Although she is estranged in her marriage, she cannot express herself in public. She has to pretend to be grief-stricken and has to retreat into privacy to think about her newfound freedom. Status is a thing that is created and imposed by society against the will of man. Louise stays in her marriage because she fears how society will look at her. She cannot walk out on her marriage to be free because she innately considers society. She cannot say exclaim with joy upon receiving the news of her husbands death because this will be contrary to societys expectations. Josephine and Richard also try to do what society expects of them; delivering the news in the softest manner possible (Berkove 153). As Brently walks in, Richard tries to shield Louise from seeing her husband in order to protect her fragile heart fro getting a heart attack. All these characters try tot live by the status that has been set by soci ety and not by their own jurisdictions. In this story, Louise plays the role of loss of freedom in marriage. Josephine and Richard play the role of society in the story. They deliver news and somehow check if Louise has received the information and reacted in accordance to how society states. The presence of Richard and Josephine is a representation of society, and they force Louise to retreat into her bedroom to think about her newfound freedom. This implies that, to act against the expectation of society is a thing that can only be done in private. The metaphor à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦delicious breath of rain in the air, peddler crying his wares, clouds piled one above the otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ refer to the taste of independence that comes with the death of a spouse (Jamil 217). This is very common in the popular culture since according to the wedding vows it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦till death does us part. This implies that Louise is free! Relationship problems in Louises marriage make her wish for the taste of freedom. It is obvious that, in marriage, there has to be compromise, and the looser is always the wife. Loss of freedom in marriage is what makes everything to go wrong. However, society and family are ever on pronging into the marriage to see that the people stay married. This is what makes many people estranged because almost everyone wants the marriage to work contrary to personal wish. Louise somehow celebrates the death of her husband. Most people especially family could label this as opting for the wrong path. Death is not something that people wish for and enjoying the freedom that comes with the death of a spouse is seen as very wrong in society. The enjoyment reflects relationship problems that were in the marriage before one spouse died. Josephine and Richard act as representations of society. They try to protect Louise from reality that her husband is alive which is wrong. I sympathize with Louise because of the path she has chosen. Although she celebrates her loss, she should know that life without companionship is empty and hard. At times, ever person needs comfort, which is a tonic in the ever stressing life. Society and its representatives like religion and the institution of marriage is faulted in this story. Religion plays the role of keeper, and shapes values and norms. With the help of close family and friends, marriages are coerced to stay even when they are failing as people bid their time and wait for the death of their partner. In this story, the irony is that the gain and loss of freedom cause too much joy until the protagonist, Louise dies. There is a conflict in what Richard and Josephine believe in. In real life, they think that Louise will be so saddened by the news; and she may have a heart attack (Jamil 215). They fantasize the way she will weep, get into trauma at upon receiving the news. On the contrary, Louise finds happiness in the news. It is unreal that a woman will rejoice at the death of her husband and prays for a long life to enjoy her freedom. This fantasy does not happen in reality. If a spouse loose husband or wife, they are sad and life is never the same. It is also unreal that a man confirmed dead by two messages could be alive. This could be true but it has the least probability of occurring in real life. It is also unreal that the joy Louise has of seeing her husband is what causes her heart attack. Perhaps the sorrow (of being bound forever) sends her to the grave (Jamil 220). Nature and society makes women or girls to be victims. Their fate is usually dictated by society and nature. Everything in society seems to reinforce the weakness of women. They are bound to relationships, marriages that are strenuous just for the society to be satisfied. They have to go by what society wants or else they are ostracized. Education tries to free women but, men and society will always put them back in their place where they have to give in to societal demands. This is represented by the fact that Louise thinks freely in privacy. She has to mourn upon receiving the news of her husbands death. In addition, she knows that she will have to cry upon seeing her husbands body so that society can sympathize with her loss. This story does not effectively show the way men become victims of society. However, when they fail to provide their women with a good life (flashy car, beautiful home, bright and healthy children, advance their career). Whenever they fail to go into these expectations, they are labeled as failures by society. Men who are divorced are labeled as failures. Both men and women fear failed marriages and people like Mallard try to enforce their will to make everything in marriage to work. In so doing, the will of the woman is completely lost making her feel lost. The moral issues that arise in this story are; rejoicing in loss, freedom in death and the evilness of marriage. Louise rejoices the loss of her husband. Divorced people are not welcome in society, and through the death of a spouse, people accept you. This shows the wrongness of society. It does not want anyone to be free from its standards. It is evil to rejoice in the death of a person but in this case, Louise celebrates her newfound freedom thus indirectly rejoicing in the death of her husband.

Malvolio in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night Essay -- Malvolio Will

Malvolio in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night The problem involving Malvolio in Twelfth Night has been known for a long time but still very difficult. The gist of it is this. A lot of modern readers or spectators feel that the way in which Malvolio is treated is extremely bad. We expect him to become the centre of humour; we know that in the business of comedy, a very puritanical and rather joyless figure is likely to receive comedic humiliation; but in this case the humiliation that Malvolio gets, seems protracted and harsh. The harshness of Malvolio's treatment seemed to also have a negative effect on the ending, his attitude seemed to cloud the joyful atmosphere. We could argue that Malvolio bought this mistreatment on himself and perhaps deserved it after his bad treatment of the other characters; In some way Malvolio thought that he had superiority over Feste and as a result treated him unsympathetically and intolerantly. He also put Feste down repeatedly. Malvolio was also a killjoy and during the play ...

Is Christmas Pagan?

As every year draws to an end, so the atmosphere of Christmas starts to fill the air. The 25th of December is a day that has caught the heart of most Christians and filled it with gratitude- for it is said – that it is the day that Jesus Christ was born. It is marked on calendars as a public holiday, but it is written on hearts as a celebration of the birth of our savior. It is the time when families and friends gather together, bearing gifts for one another and where feelings of love are evident and friendships are strong. But, what if Christmas is not what it appears to be? What if we just imagine it to be this great celebration of Jesus birth, but in reality Jesus Christ was not in Christmas at all? There is a snare inside this honeycomb we call Christmas. It lays dormant, unseen, it appears harmless, and when one partakes in it, it tastes sweet in the mouth but is really bitter in the spirit. The following essay will emphasis the pros and cons of what hides behind Christmas, and will explain the roots of the traditions, rituals and celebrations that people practice over Christmas. If Christmas is not the birth of Christ, then where did it come from and what does it mean? Allow me to show how and where it all started. The celebration of Christ’s birth was not even a consideration until the third century. It was only about AD 350 when a Roman Catholic, Pope Julius I, decided to introduce the celebration of Christmas as the birth of Christ, and then the thought of honoring Christ’s birth materialized into a documented festival. Why would a Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, choose December the 25th to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ? Scripture reveals that Christ was not even born in December, as shown In Luke 2:8 when the three shepherds saw the star signaling the place of Christ’s birth they were â€Å"abiding in the field keeping watch of their sheep by night†. If it had been December, they probably would not have been sleeping in the field because of the severity of the winters in Palestine at that particular time of year. Pope Julius I also knew that the transition of Paganism to Christendom was hard. He decided to find a compromise – a gray area. He knew that if only he could chisel away at the righteousness of the Christian faith, then he could bridge the gulf between Paganism and Christianity. So herein he found an answer. Pope Julius I strategically set Christ’s birthday on the 25th of December so that the Babylonians would feel accepted as they worshipped the birth of their messiah, Tammuz. The Romans would feel able to participate for they too were worshipping Saturn, and the Egyptians would feel comfortable as they worshipped the rebirth of Mithra. This was the only way that Christians would not feel excluded from their surrounding community but be able to participate in the celebration and festivals. Were they right? Christmas traditions bear their roots in Babylon, as I will explain a little futher. As the Babylonians would worship and honor the son of the Babylonian Queen of heaven, Tammuz (the Babylonian Messiah) they used certain rituals, which later were adopted by the church and established as Christmas traditions. In Babylon their celebration was known as the winter solstice festival. It was recognized by the thrill of having parties, feasts, and the privilege of giving gifts to one another. Every family would cut down an evergreen tree – they would kill the tree and decorate it as a way of commemorating the premature death of Tammuz. The Catholic Church adopted this Pagan tradition of cutting trees as well as decorating them. This act being contrary to scripture, as described in Jeremiah 10:1-5, â€Å"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workmen, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammers, that it move not†. One of the other traditions that were held during the Babylonian celebration was the burning of candles on the night before the celebrations began, in Catholicism one of the watermarks of Christmas is burning candles around the house on Christmas Eve. Babylon was not the only nation that contributed to the forming of Christmas and its traditions, but Rome also played a considerable part in this merge. The Romans used the 25th as a time to honor their agricultural god, Saturn. They called their holiday Saturnalia. The purpose of Saturnalia was to celebrate, and thank the god’s for the coming summer. Every year when the days shortened, Romans, had no way of knowing if the days were going to lengthen again. When the days lengthened in December they saw it as a sign of the end of winter – the mercy of Saturn, the god of agriculture. This lengthening would allow them to prepare for the planting season. They had decided to use the time to commemorate and celebrate the mercy of their god – thus festivities began. Saturnalia’s practices such as dancing and singing naked in the streets became caroling and singing house to house on Christmas evening. Merrymaking and feasting, became the Christmas lunches and dinners practiced by so many Christian families each Christmas. The exchanging of good-luck gifts in Rome are the gifts we see under the Christmas trees today. Romans would deck their homes and doors with boughs of greenery and candles and today the Christmas practice is the decorating of our homes with lights, wreaths and mistletoe. The mistletoe was considered a sacred plant. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe began a ritual to bring fertility to the couple. Holly berries associated with Christmas cakes and also in the decorations were really thought of as the food of the gods. In northern Europe the pagans celebrated their own winter solstice, which they called Yule. The word Yule means â€Å"wheel,† which is a pagan symbol for the sun. Yule was symbolic for Mithras (the sun god’s) birth, which was believed to be on the shortest day of the year. The thought was as Mithras grew so the days because longer, and his ability to warm them became stronger. In all hopes to encourage Mithras to reappear the following year, it was customary to burn Yule logs to represent the warmth that the sun gives. In modern day Europe they still burn logs on the fire. It was also traditional to light candles to signify the light that the sun produces. The question that looms over this essay is, â€Å"Is Christmas a truly Pagan Festival? I will say a definite yes! It is clear, that because Christmas has been a worldwide tradition for so long but the clarity of its roots have long been forgotten The very thought of the celebration of Christ’s birth was not an idea that originated from any form of scriptural background at all, but it materialized from a Pope seeking to dilute the pureness of the Christian faith with Pagan trad itions. This is a pure compromise – a huge compromise! I have shown the heresy of Christmas and the detachment that Christians should have from it. Anything that tries to reduce the magnitude, r detract from the holiness of Christ, cannot be from the spirit of Christ and therefore it must be the spirit of the antichrist. If something is held up by the pillars Paganism, supported by the beams of the spirit of antichrist, then it cannot be for Christians to partake in. The scripture in Jeremiah 7:17-20 says â€Å"Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the father’s fondle the fire, and the woman knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke to anger? † says the Lord. â€Å"Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces†? The refusal of Christians to recognize the importance of relinquishing demonic association is a powerful indicator that the Christian world has gone astray, and forsaken the truth that once burned in the hearts of men. The Lord says, â€Å" My spirit will not always strive with a man†. We should not fight God, but rather be quick to submit to his word lest we do not see ourselves start to fall away. We must be careful that by taking part in Christmas we are not paying tribute the false gods that birthed this tradition.

5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer

5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer 5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer Kathy Strahs is the award-winning author of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, and the founder of Burnt Cheese Press. Her work has been featured on Oprah.com, TODAY.com, and numerous national publications. She lives with her husband and their two children in Silicon Valley. In this article, she shares  the five top reasons why her recent collaboration with a book designer went  above and beyond her expectations in getting her book just right.Even before they peruse the content itself, people first notice and compliment how The Lemonade Stand Cookbook looks. It’s bright, bold, and engaging throughout - everything I hoped it would be when I first embarked on the project. My goal for this book   - the third I’ve written, and the second I’ve published under Burnt Cheese Press - was to inspire and empower kids to start cooking, get crafty, and become entrepreneurs. I knew that the cover and interior design were the most important means of conveying these themes to readers, and it would take a designer with a special skill set to get them just right. "The cover is the most important means of conveying the theme of my book to readers." @KathyStrahs I feel extremely fortunate to have found Paula Riley through Reedsy, not only for her enviable talent but also for her initiative, commitment, work ethic, and overall personability. Paula and I were very successful in our collaboration on The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, and now that the project is complete I’ve had a chance to reflect on what I believe made it work so well. Arguably, Paula’s most significant above-and-beyond initiative was her recommendation to hire an illustrator. I’d initially considered taking step-by-step photos for each of the 44 lemonade stand recipes and crafts in the book, but time constraints simply weren’t going to allow it (I also wear the photographer hat for my books, and I was completely out of bandwidth). Hiring an illustrator would take our recipe and craft pages to the next level, but it also would add a layer of complexity for Paula’s role, in terms of art direction, coordination, and layout. Like I said before, she was committed to giving her best to this project. Meshing perfectly with Paula’s colorful, graphical style, Carol Yoshizumi’s beautiful step-by-step illustrations became a unique, core feature of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook of which I’m immensely proud. When you collaborate  with someone who goes above and beyond, you yield extraordinary results. Publishers Weekly praised our â€Å"polished design† in a recent review of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, which was much-appreciated validation for this independently-published endeavor. Paula’s skills and expertise were a perfect match for this project from the start, and our collaborative approach, open communication, and shared commitment to excellence led us to success.The Lemonade Stand Cookbook  is available on Amazon.Please  share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Kathy and Paula, in the comments below!

The CIA

The CIA The Central Intelligence Agency has remained on the front lines of American foreign policy for more than 50 years. The CIA's mission is to provide accurate and timely intelligence to the President and other leaders to prevent terrorism as well as to protect national security. Over the past few years the CIA has received some negative attention for both September 11th and the war in Iraq. While its failures are harshly criticized, many of the successes are never known. They work behind closed doors of our government, and the truth is, we don't know all that much about them (Wiki).The United States has been involved with espionage since its creation, the revolutionary war was known for having hundreds of spies. However, a espionage organization was never created, because the Army had always handled intelligence gathering. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941, and the country entered World War II, government officials soon realized that wars were won by those with the best in formation.Deputy Director of Central Intelligence addressed ...The government then created the department was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). By end of the war the Soviet Union emerged as its rival and the Cold War got underway. The need for foreign intelligence was greater than ever. "Donovan, the creator of the OSS, proposed that the OSS be demilitarized and become an independent central agency responsible for all matters of intelligence gathering. (Wiki)" In 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act, which creating the CIA."The CIA is the United States foreign intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to various branches of the U.S. government. (Wiki)" They gather information and conduct secret operations to protect national security. It is there job to analyze information from all U.S. intelligence agencies,