U.s. Scourge Spreads South Of The Border :: essays research papers fc

U.S. SCOURGE SPREADS SOUTH OF THE BORDER   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a recent newspaper article written in the San Diego Union Tribune called â€Å"U.S. Scourge Spreads South.† A very disturbing fact was opening drug doors just south of our own community, which is why I chose to do an in depth study of the easiness of drug purchase in our southern neighbor. It's not new news but a overwhelming growth in the usage of drugs, especially Rohypnol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Mexican border town called Tijuana across from San Diego, California, once was a famous as a playground for drunken sailors and college students. Today, authorities on both sides of the border warn, it has turned into a gangland run by a growing number of ruthless cartels that sell drugs. It is no longer just marijuana (pot), but a growing problem with other types of drugs like Heroin, Crystal Methamphetamine, and Cocaine.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I recently visited the neighbor city of Tijuana and rode in a Tijuana taxi and was immediately met with a taxi driver named Jose, a Tijuana taxi driver in an open-necked, baby blue silk shirt, he sizes up the tourists trudging off the footbridge from the United States. â€Å"Taxi, sir? You want pharmacy? I get you a good pharmacy,† he urges, stepping from a line of beckoning taxi drivers in big belts and straw cowboy hats. â€Å"Good prices! No prescriptions!† Do I look like I want drugs?! I didn't even solicit the business. I almost felt weird because this is exactly what I was planning to do my paper on. Soon he is nosing his long yellow Oldsmobile through scruffy streets choked with pharmacies. I asked for Somas-a drug that gives the user a feeling of drunkenness without all the liquor, and illegal in the United States. In less than 45 minutes I was able to purchase the drug right over the counter. Of course, I didn't actually purchase the drug, but kindly told the pharmacy that his price was too high.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This just goes to show you how easy it was to get an illegal drug just 30 minutes from SDSU. And instead of being sold by gun-toting drug traffickers, it is available in much of Latin America with a doctor's prescription--often easily obtained. It appears to be crossing the U.S. border via booming pharmacies in cities such as Tijuana.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sudden popularity of the drug (Somas) has returned the spotlight to Mexico's border drugstores, which for years have done a thriving business with Americans but have recently exploded in number with the Tijuana residents. â€Å" Tijuana residents are nearly twice as likely to have used an illegal drug as

Nordsee – the Different Fast Food Restaurant

The Different Fast- Food Restaurant (Case Study for Marketing Course) [pic] MK 300 Michaela Ouzka F03 B April 27, 2005 Summarizing the Facts: As Slovakia becomes an integrated European country, it is increasingly involved in globalization. As a result, many foreign citizens, Slovak business people, and professionals come especially to Bratislava for investment or for other reasons and obviously, as they spend more time in town, there is a higher demand for good quality restaurants.Nordsee is a non- traditional fast food restaurant; it offers quality sea food with self- service. Moreover, a part of the restaurant is a snack-bar for the busier people or for students and there also exists a sea-food store with delicate and fresh sea specialties for the more demanding customers. Nordsee is a German company which was established in 1896. Originally, it was a small firm that consisted of 7 steam boats and was fishing all kinds of sea-food in order to sell it in its own store as fresh as po ssible. Nowadays, this company is Europe’s No. sea-food restaurant with stores all over Germany (364 restaurants combined with snack-bars and stores), Austria and Switzerland due to its 100 years of know-how, its technology, and its outstanding product quality. State the Problem/ Opportunity: Other fast-food chains have already entered the Slovak market and did very well, as for instance McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. However, Nordsee differs a lot from these traditional high-sugar, high-fat burgers and low-carb pizzas. Its meals are very healthy, tasty, and even suitable for vegetarians.It these days, more and more people care about their weight and their lifestyle, and Nordsee can certainly help to reduce the people’s weight and to stay in shape. The main dishes in the restaurant are for instance salmon, shrimps, and many different kinds of sea-fishes, squid or lobster for attractive prices combined with salads, potatoes or soups and sauces. Slovakia represents a go od opportunity for Nordsee to expand to Eastern Europe. It provides low labor-cost and a still rather open market.The target market would be students (snack-bar), labor, professionals or business people (self-service restaurant), and the gourmets (store). The probably biggest problem would be the relatively high prices for the top-quality sea food and the competition from other already existing fast food restaurants. Analyze the Causes of the Problems: †¢ Problem No. 1: Relatively High Prices of the Products This is certainly true if we are speaking about top-quality lobster or salmon. But there are also other, cheaper products in the self-service store or in the snack-bar, as a part of a restaurant.As you can see there is a wide range of many different products and therefore of many pricing levels from cheap to affordable, but of top quality. An average salmon sandwich with salad and a tasty herb-sauce would probably cost just as much as a high-fat McRoyal. Which one would you chose? †¢ Problem No. 2: Competition Obviously there are already fast-food restaurants or baguetterias, but they offer almost no variety and they are incomparable with a Nordsee restaurant, as you sit down in a nice atmosphere and you eat the dishes with knife and fork, and not with your bare hands.You can also have a special fish-soup or a salad with shrimps if you chose to. It is a self-service restaurant; therefore, it wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to eat a full meal. It would be completely innovative and that is why there would be no real competition in that sense. Of course it would be necessary to open such a store in some shopping center or in the city center of Bratislava where there are many potential customers located. Alternative Solutions: 1.Nordsee opens its own store in Bratislava and if it approves, other stores can be opened in Banska Bystrica or Kosice. Strenghts: Over 100 years of know-how, technology, excellent product quality Weaknesses: It is a German company and it does not completely know how to operate in Eastern Europe (lack of knowledge and experience) Opportunities: Number 1 self-service restaurant with sea-food in Slovakia Threats: Competition, too high prices for Slovak market 2. FranchisingStrenghts: Low risk-taking for Nordsee, other Slovak entrepreneurs invest their money and have better know-how of their domestic market Weaknesses: Nordsee has to provide them with their technology, their expertise and product supplying Opportunities: Nordsee receives payment from Slovak entrepreneurs and without much risk-taking it can become leading fast-food restaurant Threats: Entrepreneurs can stay profitless, Nordsee Company may have therefore damaged reputation, it can no more expand successfully on its own to other Eastern European countries . Slovak entrepreneurs open a similar store with other brand name on their own Strenghts: They do not have to pay Nordsee for franchising; they do not have to obey the standards and orders from Nordsee (independence) Weaknesses: They might not have the required equipment and know-how Opportunities: Opening a similar store but with a different product line and therefore a different, eventually lower pricing Threats: Competition from other, already existing fast-food chains, which are more organized and already experienced Recommended SolutionFranchising would probably be the most suitable choice in order to successfully expand to Slovakia. It would be inevitable to go to Nordsee headquarter in Germany to have a negotiation with the suitable persons to ask for a license to distribute their products and to receive their technology for the preparation of their food. After their agreement, it is necessary to pay for this license and for the equipment for the stores, as they are standardized and are therefore almost identical in every location. This would be called â€Å"niche-marketing†, as there is no other sea-food self-service restaurant in Slovakia yet.J ustification and Evaluation: Franchising would be the most effective choice, as I have worked out the 4 P’s (marketing mix): †¢ Product: Sea-food (fish specialties, shrimps, soups, salads, etc. ) †¢ Price: In a similar range as already existing fast-food restaurants in Slovakia (e. g. McDonald’s) †¢ Promotion: Advertising through TV-spots (depending on the extent of the promotion budget), billboards, flyers, free samples in the stores within the first week of the opening, newspapers, magazines, fitness centers, etc. Place: Bratislava’s city center, shopping malls, etc. (eventually Banska Bystrica and Kosice) To sum up, Nordsee has an enormous potential in Eastern Europe, especially Slovakia through franchising. It is evident that it would certainly do quite well under such conditions especially in Bratislava. There are still no, or just very few, good restaurants with high-quality food where you can eat within a few minutes. There would also be sp ecial offerings for small children with an exceptional dish with a little toy (such as the â€Å"Happy Meal† in McDonald’s stores).As you can see, the potential market is wide-spread and I am positive that Nordsee would definitely be a good alternative to all the fat pizzas and burgers that we all weekly consume with disregard to our health.

The eNotes Blog 5 Tips for Writing Your College ApplicationEssay

5 Tips for Writing Your College ApplicationEssay Happy college app month! Your college application essay isnt the sole determiner of where you go to school, but it should live up to the rest of your stellar qualifications. Read our  following tips to turn in the best essay you can, and good luck! 1. Be you. This may seem obvious, but a college application essay is meant to show its audience something about your character. Its your opportunity to show off something about yourself that cant be deduced from your transcript. That means that you should not  launch into a list of your many achievements and activities over your high school career. Instead, choose an anecdote that shows the depth of your personality that cant be seen in mere test scores. Have a clear focus and write one story well. 2. Develop your tone. Before writing the story of you, think about how youd like to come across to a complete stranger reading your essay. Though the goal is to let readers know how great you are, too much of that can sound like youre bragging. On the flip side, holding on to disappointments or injustices you may have encountered in your education can sound like youre whining. Brain storm on paper some adjectives that describe how youd like to be perceived and keep them in mind as you write. Strike for somewhere along the spectrum of proud and humble, and if you can add a touch of humor for levity; besides a well-woven story, tone is what helps you really jump off the page. 3. Submit a polished essay. More so than ever before, this is one essay that you really need to read and revise multiple times before you submit it. Even better, you should have others read it too. Ask them if the writing is clear and if they can see any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Because essay readers have so many submissions to read, its sometimes the little details that can cause distractions and betray an otherwise well-written essay. So, proofread, proofread, and proofread again! 4. Look at others essay samples. If youre lost on how to begin writing your application essay, there are many examples online that can point you in the right direction. However, dont rely on these too much. Remember rule #1 is to be yourself! Theres no special formula you can find in others essays that will magically help you get into the college of your dreams. That said, you might find inspiration in seeing the interesting directions others have taken their essays. Check out the 8 samples of excellent college essays here at quintcareers.com  or head to this page at internationalstudent.com  for two sample prompts and essays, plus an explanation of why each was successful. 5. Ask for help. Even if you have help from others around you ready and willing to read your essay, you might want to seek out objective advice from someone who doesnt know you. Essay Lab is a great resource for that; here you can post your essay and receive feedback, comments, and edits from real teachers and professors. Head to the Essay Lab Homework Help page here to give it a go! Browse others already answered questions for free or post your own for one-on-one help. Also in the Essay Lab is this helpful and free how-to guide with more tips on writing your best college application essay. Follow  these tips and youll be on your way to the college of your choice! Got more suggestions for applicants? Share them in a comment below.

Planarian essays

Planarian essays You'll never forget this flatworm once you have looked into its eyes. The planarian seems to be a cross flatworm. It's not very hard to spot these planarians. All you would have to do is shake some pondweeds onto a pan and most likely flatworms will often be released from their hiding places, or you can just turn over stream rocks and look carefully at the rock surfaces. One effective method to collect these flatworms is to put a small piece of canned pet food in an old nylon stocking and secure this bag in streambed overnight and in the morning you may find a collection of your very own flatworms crawling over the bag. Planarians are carnivorous worms. Planarians are known as the worm feeds on daphnias. The planarian will hunt down the prey while enzymes serrated from the mouth soften the tissue. The planarian feeds by using the mouth to suck in the food and the digestion part is later completed inside the planarian cells. The planarians belong to the Phylum Platyhelminthes, and flatworms. Planarians are free-living, which means they are able to find their own food. These freshwater worms seem to have the remarkable ability to regenerate their lost body parts. The planarian lives mostly in lakes, ponds, streams, and other freshwater bodies. What the planarian usually feeds on is decaying meat. The body of this worm is constructed simply of a nervous system that includes a brain, muscles, an internal reproductive system, a blind gut that spreads throughout the body, an excretory system that includes special cells called flame cells. They can respond stimuli, and display the ability to overcome a maze they can also transfer the memory from one worm to another. To keep planarians alive follow these tips. Use only spring water or pond water, not distilled water. Distilled water doesn't contain the minerals and nutrients they need to survive, tap water doesnt work either they don't like chlorine or ...

Free Essays on An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

along with the hyphen present a clear and discrete image. They describe the beginning of a dream, where everything seems out of place at first, but become very real and clear to the dreamer. Often times in a dream, a person believes themselves to be able to achieve a task they wouldn’t be able to do in their everyday life. â€Å"What splendid effort!-what magnificent, what superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine endeavor! Bravo!† (1482) Peyton is now under water after falling from the bridge, and struggling to get the ropes off his wrist. He sud... Free Essays on An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Free Essays on An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge The story, â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce, a man by the name of Peyton Farquhar is hanged for opposing the Northern troops. The story is broken into three chapters or sub-stories. The first chapter sets up the scene of the hanging and its location. The second brings to light Peyton’s personal life and his character. The third and final chapter tells of his escape from the soldiers, which is actually a dream sequence. Bierce gives minute and delicate clues to let the reader understand Peyton is actually dreaming and not escaping. The very first lines of chapter three give numerous clues as to what has actually happen to Peyton. â€Å"As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was awakened-ages later, it seemed to him-by the pain of the sharp pressure upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocation.† (1481) Bierce basically uses the first line to explain that Peyton was now dead, and the reader would believe it. He then purposely throws in a twist with the second line, saying Peyton was now awakened and feeling the pain of the rope suffocating him. From a reader’s perspective, Peyton is actually alive, fighting for his life, but there are two keys words that Bierce uses to hint to the reader that this is actually a dream, â€Å"ages later.† These two words along with the hyphen present a clear and discrete image. They describe the beginning of a dream, where everything seems out of place at first, but become very real and clear to the dreamer. Often times in a dream, a person believes themselves to be able to achieve a task they wouldn’t be able to do in their everyday life. â€Å"What splendid effort!-what magnificent, what superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine endeavor! Bravo!† (1482) Peyton is now under water after falling from the bridge, and struggling to get the ropes off his wrist. He sud... Free Essays on An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge†, Ambrose Bierce tells not only of humanity’s will to survive, but also of the willingness to become greater than, and more powerful than that which is natural. The story is about the hanging of a civilian, Peyton Farquhar, because of his attempt to help the Confederate forces. Before Farquhar was hanged, however, his mind takes him through a heroic escape. Bierce does an excellent job of describing the escape in a dream-like fashion. He shows the mind’s ability to escape reality, and to escape the inevitable. The first sighting of Farquhar’s supernatural capabilities came after he closed his eyes to think about his family. ''A short distinct, metabolic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; They hurt his ears like the thrust of a knife†¦ What he heard was the ticking of his watch.'" (Bierce 571). The mind will enhance the senses before death. It will allow aspects of nature to be highlighted and to appear most significant. As in this case, Farquhar was able to hear a pocket watch tick in his pocket. The sound, he thought, was extremely bothersome and was almost overbearing. Like anyone would do, Farquhar planed his escape at the end of the first section. He thought about freeing his hands, throwing off the noose, and eluding the bullets in order to get home. We can see from Payton Farquhar’s dream that our visions can seem real and life-like when in desperate situations. His journey begins with the â€Å"survival† of the fall from the bridge. '"†¦he swings through unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like vast pendulum, then all at once, with terrible suddenness†¦ The rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream.'" (571). Farquhar started his escape; he freed his hands in the water and took the noose off from around his neck. Bierce alludes to the dream-like nature of the hero when Farquhar congratulate... Free Essays on An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce is the author of â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.† It is a very powerful and suspense filled story. It tells all the fears of a young father coming to light as his life swings in and out of reality. This story is written in third person omniscient. This point of view certainly heightens the mood of the plot, by conveying Payton Farquhar’s feelings and emotions to the reader. The plot deals with the theme of death and the waiting of it to come. The story begins with Payton standing on a bridge with a noose around his neck about to be hung. Payton is about to be murdered for a war crime unjustly. The unique writing style of Ambrose Bierce is what brings to life the true feelings of a condemned man. Ambrose Bierce writes this story during the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century. During this time period the two writing styles of romanticism, and realism were coming together. This melding of styles was a result of the romantic period of writing and art coming to an end, just as realism was beginning to gain popularity. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† is a perfect example of this transition of styles as it combines elements of both romanticism and realism to create a story that can be far-fetched while still believable at times. The author has plotted the story in a very gratifying manner. The setting plays a big part because it is dived into three different sections. Sections I, actually tells the reader about when Payton was about to be hanged, and leads us from the beginning of the ceremony to the end where he is actually hung. It then goes on to Section II, where it tells us how he found out about Owl Creek Bridge, and what could happen if a civilian interfered with anything dealing with the bridge. Last of all Section III, tells the reader about Peyton’s hallucination of escaping the hanging. When reading the story for the second time, it appears to be more interesting becaus...

Efficient Market Hypothesis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Efficient Market Hypothesis - Case Study Example In fact investors can predict the future stock prices, based on the past stock prices and even by analyzing financial information such as company earnings and asset values. This paper would examine the relationship between EMH and the future predictions of stock prices based on technical and fundamental analysis. When stocks rose by high percentages the analysts could say that it was due to the efficacy of stock markets and therefore the positive rally reflected the true performance of the company. Efficient markets do exist in theory (Dobbins, & Witt, 1979). For example according to financial theory there are efficient stock markets that especially don't permit market manipulation by investors. However the practical scenario negates this proposition very often. For instance the rally of the stock could be attributed partially to the equity issue and not to the efficiency of the markets. According to many financial economists that future stock/share prices are partially predictable on the basis of past stock price patterns as well as some fundamental valuation metrics. Further economists pointed that these predictable patterns lead investors to earn excess returns with reference to excess risk adjusted rates. The following three problems explain why excessive reliance on fundamental financial analysis isn't going to benefit the investor or shareholder. As(a). Asset substitution problem As and when debt to equity ratio increases investors tend to substitute new assets through new investment thus relatively increasing debt in place of equity. Assuming that investing is riskier, there is still a fairer chance of success against failure thus obliging both debt-holders and share holders to condone such risky investment decisions on the part of management (Campbell, 1987). Successful investments on shares lead to cumulative share holder benefits while unsuccessful ones lead to cumulative debt-holder woes.(b). Underinvestment problem Investors would not hesitate to reject investment in shares with positive Net Present Value (NPV) because they would not be bothered to increase the value of the firm any more than to allow the accrual of benefits associated with riskier debt to debt-holders themselves rather than to share holders.(c). Free cash flow problem Finally there is the problem of free cash flow. In the absence of free cash flow benefits accruing to investors, the management has a tendency to reduce the value of the firm through prodigal behavior, such as granting bonuses and higher salaries. Therefore higher levels of leverage would act as a preventive factor of such behavior and ensure discipline. 2. Overall analysisNext there is the problem of taxes. When corporate taxes are considered the firm is entitled to interest expense deduction which enables it to increase value of its assets. According to Modigliani and Miller (1963) the tax exemption allows the firm to reduce the leverage-based premium in the cost associated with raising the equity capital. Subsequently Miller added personal taxes to the equation.Some authors go a long way to discuss the most efficient ways in managing systematic risk, unsystematic risk and total

Organizational Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Security - Essay Example Some of the data is also available in the asset inventory. For instance, the number of failed network switches can be found in the section containing equipment meant for disposal. Risks the Institution Faces Absence of an IT Technician The IT technician is a very valuable member of staff. He is responsible for ensuring that all IT equipment function as expected. These include desktop machines, laptops, servers, projectors, switches, wireless access points, and LAN access ports. The technician is always on standby to respond to queries raised by users. In addition, the technician works with the system administrator, and IT manager, to install software, configure equipment, and implement any IT related project within the institution. The absence of the IT technician, perhaps due to sickness, death, resignation, or termination of employment, leaves a vacuum as far as his duties and responsibilities are concerned. As such, any tasks that require the technician’s input go unattende d to, hence, resulting in failures within the departments that rely on IT services. In order to protect the institution from the risk of lacking an IT technician, the IT department should make sure that there are at least two technicians on duty at any one time (Azari, 2003). If the department does this, then it will be highly unlikely that it loses the services of both technicians. Even if one is unwell, fired, or is away attending to other business, the other technician will be there to handle the queries. The Failure of the Software Development Process The IT department is tasked with the duty of providing applications for the institution. These applications are used to manage some of the activities in the institution; they include student registration and release of exam results. The department can either choose to develop the software or buy it off the shelf. The processes involved in development and purchase of software are complex and can fail if not handled carefully. Some o f the reasons that may cause failure are: i. The finances allocated for acquiring the software may not be sufficient. This happens when the department chooses to develop the software. There are instances where the department runs out of money and has to wait, for the next financial year, to receive additional funding. This creates delays or even leads to the termination of projects. ii. There is a high risk that software purchased from commercial vendors may fail to meet requirements. iii. Failure to adhere to recommended software development procedures. iv. Lack of cooperation from those targeted to use a software system. The university can carry out the following activities to ensure that it acquires quality software: i. Ascertain that designers get the precise requirements of the desired software, before making a decision on the appropriate option to take. ii. All the stakeholders should be included in the improvement process. This will inculcate a sense of ownership in them.