All About Chocolates Child Labor and Slavery Problem

All About Chocolate's Child Labor and Slavery Problem Do you know where your chocolate comes from, or what happens in order to get it to you? Green America, a non-profit  ethical consumption  advocacy organization,  points out in this infographic  that although major chocolate corporations rake in tens of billions of dollars annually, cocoa farmers earn just pennies per pound. In many cases, our chocolate is produced using child and slave labor. We in the U.S. chomp down twenty-one percent of the global chocolate supply every year, so it makes sense that we should be informed about the industry that brings it to us. Lets take a look at where all that chocolate comes from, the problems in the industry, and what we as consumers can do to keep child labor and slavery out of our sweets. Where Chocolate Comes From Most of the worlds chocolate begins as cocoa pods grown in  Ghana,  Ivory Coast, and Indonesia, but much is also grown in Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. Around the world,  there are  14 million rural farmers and  laborers who rely on cocoa farming for their income. Many of them are migrant workers, and nearly half are small farmers. An estimated 14 percent of them- nearly 2 million- are West African  children. Earnings and Labor Conditions The farmers who cultivate cocoa pods  earn less than 76 cents per pound, and because of the inadequate compensation, they must rely on low-wage and unpaid labor to produce, harvest, process, and sell their crops. Most cocoa farming families live in poverty because of this. They have inadequate access to schooling, healthcare, clean and safe drinking water, and many suffer from hunger. In West Africa, where much of the worlds cocoa is produced, some farmers rely on child labor and even enslaved children, many of whom are sold into bondage by traffickers who take them from their home countries. (For more details on this tragic situation, see these stories on BBC and CNN, and this list of academic sources). Massive Corporate Profits On the flip side, the worlds largest global chocolate companies are raking in tens of billion dollars annually, and total pay for the CEOs of these companies ranges from 9.7 to 14 million dollars. Fairtrade International puts the farmers and corporations earnings in perspective, pointing out that producers in West Africa are likely to receive between 3.5 to 6.4 percent of the final value of a chocolate bar containing their cocoa. This figure is down from 16 percent in the late 1980s. Over the same time period, manufacturers have increased their take from 56 to 70 percent of the value of a chocolate bar. Retailers currently see about 17 percent (up from 12 percent over the same time period). So over time, though demand for cocoa has risen annually, and has been rising at a greater rate in recent years, producers take home a decreasing percentage of the value of the final product. This happens because chocolate companies and traders have consolidated in recent years, which means that there are just a handful of very large, monetarily and politically powerful buyers in the global cocoa market. This puts pressure on producers to accept unsustainably low prices in order to sell their product, and thus, to rely on low-wage, child, and slave labor. Why Fair Trade Matters For these reasons, Green America urges consumers to purchase fair or direct trade chocolate this Halloween. Fair trade certification stabilizes the price paid to producers, which fluctuates as it is traded on commodities markets in New York and London, and guarantees a minimum price per pound that is always higher than the unsustainable market price. In addition, corporate buyers of fair trade cocoa pay a premium, on top of that price, that producers can use for development of their farms and  communities. Between 2013 and 2014, this premium poured more than $11 million  into producing communities, according to Fair Trade International.  Importantly, the fair trade certification system guards against child labor and slavery by  regularly auditing  participating farms. Direct Trade Can Help Too Even better than fair trade, in a financial sense, is the direct trade model, which took off in the specialty coffee sector several years ago, and has made its way to the cocoa sector. Direct trade puts more money into producers pockets and communities by cutting the middlemen  out of the supply chain, and by often paying far more than the fair trade price. (A quick web search will reveal direct trade chocolate companies in your area, and those from which you can order online.) The most radical step way from the ills of global capitalism and toward justice for farmers and workers was taken when the late Mott Green founded the Grenada Chocolate Company Cooperative  on the Caribbean island  in 1999. Sociologist Kum-Kum Bhavnani profiled the company in her award-winning documentary about labor issues in the global cocoa trade  and demonstrated  how companies like Grenada offer  a solution to them. The worker-owned cooperative, which produces chocolate in its solar-powered factory,  sources all of its cocoa from the inhabitants of the island for a fair and sustainable price, and returns profits equally to all worker-owners. It is also a forerunner of environmental sustainability in the chocolate industry. Chocolate is a source of joy for those who consume it. Theres no reason that it cant also be a source of joy, stability, and economic security for those who produce it.

Important things you should consider before making decision about college

Important things you should consider before making decision about college Recommendations on choosing a college When you are in the high school you face a choice of your future profession, carrier and the entire life direction at all. Thus, this choice starts with the selection of the college, which reveals to be fundamental and decisive factor, which will impact your entire life. Most of young people prefer one or another college unthinkingly, being under influence of dreams, college reputation and advertisements or opinions of elder friends, who already study at particular college. Anyway, we will recommend you to be more skeptical and scrupulous, while considering such things as your future education. Do not be guided by your momentary hesitation or blind preferences, there are so many things to be thought over at first. Specialization You already know what profession you want to obtain or at least know in what direction you should move. Study all the specialties and educational programs, which are offered by different universities. Some of the colleges do not have academic programs for the specialty, you want to receive, and others can have differences in the courses and training methods. Thus, you should consider which disciplines you will learn, whether there is enough practical training or theoretical courses predominate here. Also, find out at what field you will be welcomed to work with this degree, so that you can be sure that you head to your goals. Financial aspect While making a decision about college preferences, you should pay attention to the ticklish question concerning finance. So, you should find out about the tutorial fees at the high school you want to enter and other additional charges, like flat rent and all other possible expenses. You can make even something like a rating of universities and make preliminary calculations how much you will spend for every of them. And the most responsible part of this investigation is to make objective comparison of educational costs with your financial possibilities and determine what is affordable for you. Location The location of the university also makes some difference. If it is far from your parents, do not to count to visit them very often. And on the contrary, when the university is near, you can even live at home. Here you should decide if you want independent life or feel not ready to take care of yourself by your own. Moreover, location matters for the above mentioned question concerning money. Thus, if you chose any college in London, pay attention that it is quite cost-based undertaking. Accommodations Considering the question about your future college, find out about the accommodation conditions. Get to know if it is old or new, where is it situated and how much it will cost for you. Also learn how much you should pay for a room or flat, if there will be no place for you in the accommodation or the conditions will be unsuitable. Believe that it is better to live in the campus area, since you will save your time leaving near the college and you will have more opportunities for sports and other activities. Facilities Depending on the profession you are interested in, you should concern yourself about the educational facilities of the college. Thus, the specialties, which presuppose some practical aspects of education, require laboratories and well-equipped workshops, where you can master your skills. Though, most of students use the Internet for information search, it is great when college has a nice library, where you can find rare and unique works, which are hardly accessible in the global network. Indeed, you see that a lot of factors should be considered in order to make the right and the favorable decision concerning your education. Follow our recommendations, think, estimate, make conclusions and enjoy your study.

How does the UK degree compared to the French degree Essay

How does the UK degree compared to the French degree - Essay Example Moreover, investing in degrees in some countries is a risky investment. In countries such as Italy and France, degree certificates are often tarnished. With such eventualities, students in such countries would rather not invest in education. In France, the entry level for students in first year degree programs is 48%. Of this number, 38% proceed to complete the programs (Arias Ortiz & Dehon, 2013). Therefore, in order for students to remain relevant in the European and the global market various strategies are employed. Students improve the strength of their degree credential by joining masters as well as postgraduate programs. In relation to statistics on the United Kingdom, degree programs are considerable popular investments. Despite an increase for fees, students still fill spaces in UK universities. However, research has found a drop in the number of students from affluent background. Despite this, the number of students for degrees in the United Kingdom is considerable higher than in other countries across Europe. This paper provides a comparison between French and United Kingdom degree qualifications. It provides detailed information on qualification requirements, entry and as well as other standards. Self-study is an important aspect in the progression of students in degree programs. Self-studies assist individuals develop their discipline levels, imagination, and observation and exploration skills. Se lf study programs have been on the offing in educational programs. Individuals are now able to learn from online platforms. This comes through long-distance education or online classrooms. Both France and UK now offer degree programs for self study. In order to gain entry into a French university, students need to have passed their entry-level exams in their countries of origin. For the nationals of the country, individuals need to have held a baccalaurà ©at qualification. In spite of prospective

GLOBAL MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

GLOBAL MARKETING - Essay Example This strategy employed by the counterfeiters thus happens to populate larger parts of the global market for fashionable and luxury products. However the counterfeiting activities in regards to the fashionable or luxury products are generally divided into two aspects-deceptive and non-deceptive in nature. Deceptive practices of counterfeiting are such where the purchaser is not aware that the product procured is not a branded product, rather counterfeit in nature. Replication is created as such to totally deceit the purchaser. However in the second case the purchaser becomes aware that the product procured are a counterfeit and not a real branded product. Herein the purchaser is rendered clues by the counterfeiter of the luxury or fashionable product in regards to the area from where such commodity is made available for purchasing. Further the quality and pricing standards of the products rendered also help the purchaser in rightly identifying that the products purchased are not genui ne branded ones but rather are counterfeit products (Juggessur and Cohen, 2008, p.390). Counterfeit as a Growing Threat to the Luxury Retail Market Observation made shows that regions like China are turning out as the greatest contributor of counterfeit products in the world. The Chinese economy is found to have become the largest manufacturer and exporter of counterfeit luxury products that are seeking entry into developed markets of the world like United States, United Kingdom, Russia and several other regions pertaining to Europe. Moreover the counterfeit products are also making a foray into several Middle East nations where the demand for luxury products is indeed huge in nature. This large expanse of trade and exports pertaining to the realm of counterfeit products in luxury retail is happening to render an impending threat to the market for genuine luxury products. Market shares for the luxury products are largely being taken over by the rise in counterfeit trade practices. F urther the rise in the level of counterfeit activities largely impacts the brand image of the original luxury brands thereby making the branded manufacturers to increase the level of expenditures pertaining to its marketing and promotion. Thereby the rise in the counterfeit market on a growing scale has made the markets of genuine brands to largely shrink thereby impacting the job markets and also in making the price for the products to increase. The growing threat and impact of counterfeiting practices in regards to luxury and fashionable products can further be observed from some statistics. During 2005, the customs body pertaining to United Kingdom happened to seize a huge package of products out of which around 64 percent was found to be counterfeited. Similarly another statistics revealed during 2003 reflects that a seize made by customs body pertaining to United States contained around 6500 counterfeit products valued to around $94 billion. During the same period the customs b ody pertaining to European Union conducted a huge seize of counterfeit pr

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay Example for Free

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay It is fair to say that capital punishment is under attack, particularly in the South where it is most commonly practiced. Not only have serious criticisms been raised by scholars in criminal justice, criminology and related disciplines, but newspapers have published scathing news reports suggesting that innocent people have been sentenced to death and even executed, and alleging racial discrimination in capital punishment practice. According to Robinson (2011), four basic facts establish the realities of American capital punishment. The first is that capital punishment is practiced in most but not all United States jurisdictions. Specifically, there are 34 states with the death penalty, and 16 without. The federal government also maintains capital punishment, as does the military, but the District of Columbia does not carry out executions. However, of these death penalty jurisdictions, only nine regularly carry out an execution, meaning they have averaged at least one execution a year since 1976 when capital punishment was reinstated; thus only about one-quarter (26%) of death penalty states (nine of 34) and 18% of all states in the country (nine of 50) average one or more executions per year. Further, only one state has carried out at least ten executions per year since 1976, Texas. In fact, only about 10% of counties with the death penalty imposed a death sentence between the years 2004 and 2009. Justice is typically defined as administering and maintaining what is just or right. Robinson (2011) says that there are three broad issues discussed and debated by scholars of justice theory: freedom, welfare, and virtue. Some justice theorists argue that what matters most for deciding what is right or just is freedom; whether individual rights are respected and protected. Another school of thought is the egalitarian libertarians. These scholars suggest that what matters most for justice is equality of opportunity in society and taking care of the least advantaged citizens. Other justice theorists focus on welfare, or general well-being and happiness of people in society. They argue that what matters most for justice is the welfare of society, or its overall happiness. Finally, other justice theorists argue that what matters most for justice is virtue, or moral goodness and righteousness. The purpose of the death penalty is incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution. Incapacitation is understood as removing the ability of offenders to commit future crimes. Incarceration is the typical form whereas execution is the ultimate form. Deterrence refers to creating fear in would be offenders through punishment to prevent future crimes. Capital punishment can only be aimed at preventing crime by would-be murderers, general deterrence, since it cannot create fear in murderers who have already been executed, specific deterrence. Retribution refers to righting or rebalancing the scales of justice through punishment in order to achieve justice for crime victims. Executions are often depicted as retribution for the crime of murder, as well as a source of closure for murder victims’ families. Robinson (2011) claims that criminologists and capital punishment scholars overwhelmingly indicate that the death penalty fails to achieve these goals, mostly because of the rarity of death sentences and executions. Logically, if death sentences and executions were more common, capital punishment would be more likely to achieve these goals. Yet we also know that the more frequently the death penalty is used, the greater the costs associated with the policy, including not only additional financial costs but also a greater risk of convicting, sentencing to death, and executing the innocent. This ultimately has great significance for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment. Van Den Haag (1986) says that the death penalty is an effective form of deterrence because it is feared more than life imprisonment. Many of the convicts under death sentence appeal their sentence and try to get it reduced to life imprisonment. Van Den Haag argues that even though there is no factual evidence that the death penalty deters would be criminals more than life imprisonment, the fact that more people fear the death penalty makes it a better deterrent. Reiman (1985) agrees with Robinson’s view that the use of the death penalty is not successful as a deterrent. He gives four main reasons that refute Van Den Haag’s argument. His first reason is that although people fear the death penalty more than life in prison, nobody wants to spend life in prison either. People do not have the mentality that they can commit a crime because they will â€Å"only† get sentenced to life in prison. Although the person will be alive, they will have all freedom taken from them, which after awhile, can be seen just as horrible, if not worse, than death. Reiman’s second point is that if a person is contemplating committing a crime, they are already facing an enormous risk of being killed in the process. Roughly 500 to 700 suspected felons are killed by police in the line of duty every year and many Americans own their own guns. When taking that into account, it does not seem very likely that the would be criminal will be able to commit the crime without at least being injured by the police or the would be victim. His third reason against Van Den Haag’s view is that using the death penalty is hypocritical. The law states that a person cannot take the life of another, but when they do, their punishment could be death. It is not possible to say murder is illegal and then have it as a possible punishment. He argues that not having the death penalty better exemplifies that idea that murder is wrong. His last point is that it is illogical to practice the death penalty simply because it is feared more than life imprisonment. He says that people would fear death by torture more than lethal injection, so does that mean we should begin the practice of death by torture because more people are afraid of it? Unless it can be proven that the death penalty is a better deterrent than life in prison, Reiman (1985) argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Robinson (2011) says that as for the issue of innocence, there is little doubt that people are wrongly convicted of murder every year and that a handful are even sentenced to death. More than 130 people have been freed from death row during the era of â€Å"super due process† that began in 1976 when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Wrongful convictions often occur due to honest errors such as mistaken eyewitness testimony and faulty forensic evidence, but when they occur due to issues such as: false confessions, lying informants, government misconduct, and ineffective defense counsel. There is also little doubt that innocent people have even been executed, although most of the known cases are from prior to the era of super due process in capital sentencing. There remain at least eight widely known cases where men have been recently executed despite serious doubts about their actual guilt. On the issue of executing the innocent, Van Den Haag (1986), makes the argument that the advantages of using the death penalty as a punishment outweigh the unintended losses. He states, â€Å"Miscarriages of justice are offset by the moral benefits and the usefulness of doing justice (139). His argument is that mistakes have and do occur in innocent people being sentenced to death, but the benefits of using it are more important. It would be more of a detriment to society to stop the use of the death enalty than it is when an innocent person is executed. In regards to race, America’s death penalty has always been plagued by serious racial biases. Little evidence remains of the historic discrimination by race of defendant, although state-specific anecdotal evidence suggests blacks are still occasionally discriminated against, especially when accused of killing whites and when juries are overwhelmingly white. Robinson (2011) says that most experts now point to a â€Å"race of victim† effect, whereby killers of whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death and executed than killers of other races and. For example, a comprehensive study of race and the death penalty in North Carolina showed that killers of whites were more than three times more likely to receive death sentences than killers of blacks. In the state, 80% of those people executed since 1976 killed white people; only about 40% of North Carolina homicide victims are white. Further, a study of capital punishment practice in the state from 1999 to 2006 found that blacks who killed whites were 14 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed blacks. Also, there were six executions of blacks who killed whites during the time period, yet zero executions of whites who killed blacks. Van Den Haag’s (2011) stance on the distribution of the death penalty being discriminatory is that â€Å"punishments are imposed on persons, not on racial or economic groups† (138). The death penalty is not specifically issued to certain races. It depends on the crime that the person committed. Van Den Haag also says, â€Å"Justice requires that as many of the guilty as possible be punished, regardless of whether others have avoided punishment. To let these others escape the deserved punishment does not do justice to them, or to society. But it is not unjust to those who could not escape it† (139). Van Den Haag does not view the fact that black people or other minorities receive the death penalty more than whites as being unjust. However, what is unjust is the white people who were not sentenced to death when they should have been. Given these important empirical realities of the death penalty, the next issue to address is which of them are relevant for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment practice. As noted earlier, it depends on which theory of justice is being referred to. Libertarians ask whether capital punishment respects liberty or freedom. The most important question for egalitarians is whether capital punishment practice is equal or applied in an equal fashion. For utilitarians, the most important question is whether capital punishment increases overall utility or happiness in society. Finally, for virtue-based theorists, the question is whether capital punishment respects and promotes our values, our moral goodness, and whether it is the right thing to do. The questions above do not have universal answers. Everybody will have his or her own opinions on whether the death penalty respects a person’s freedom or whether it is the right thing to do. Reiman, Robinson and Van Den Haag all made successful and convincing arguments so it is hard to determine one view as more convincing than the other. It comes down to a personal choice and what a person chooses to believe as to whether the death penalty is fair and a proper form of justice.

Do Cleaning Chemicals Clean As Well After They Have Been Frozen :: essays research papers

Do Cleaning Chemicals Clean As Well After They Have Been Frozen Problem:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The researcher is trying to determine whether or not cleaning materials will clean as well if they have been frozen solid and subsequently thawed out until they have returned to a liquid state of matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The researcher will use Dial Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner, Clorox Bleach, and Parson's Ammonia, applied to simple bacon grease, to determine which chemical is least affected by the glaciation. Hypothesis:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The researcher feels that the process of glaciation will degrade the ability of these three household cleaning chemicals to breakdown the most common kitchen cleaning problem - grease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For example, the freezing, thawing, and then freezing again of ice cream puts the substance through the freezing process. The result is a separation of heavy and light substances which breaks down the food. The researcher feels that the same end result may happen with the cleaning materials. Experimentation Test Concept:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to determine weather the glaciation process affected the cleaning chemicals, it is first important to establish its potency prior to freezing. Accordingly, two test sets were created by the researcher. The purpose of the test was to determine how well the chemicals could break down household grease before and after the substances were frozen. The first test set would focus on unfrozen chemicals, while the second was set up for previously frozen chemicals. The Test:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To start the experiment the researcher fried four pieces of bacon until there was enough grease in the skillet to perform the test. He then put a quarter teaspoon of the grease onto two nine by thirteen casserole dishes. Each casserole dish was set up for three frozen and three unfrozen chemical cleaners. A measured amount of cleaner (both frozen and unfrozen) was added to each spot of grease. After approximately two minutes of breaking down the grease, the dishes were raised to a uniform height at one end and the broken down grease was allowed to run. By measuring how far the grease ran, the researcher could then determine how much the cleaner broke down and therefore which cleaner was

Plato †democracy Essay

Aristotle was a pupil of the famous philosopher Plato. During his lifetime (384-322 BC) he learned and taught Socratic philosophy which was taught to him. He was taught this philosophy by Plato, who is responsible for all of Socrates written works since Socrates himself did not write down his teachings. During his teen years he was enrolled in Plato’s â€Å"Academy† where he then taught for about 20 years after his graduation. After this he started his own school called the â€Å"Lyceum†. Here he  taught of philosophy and politics. His political teaching broke down regimes into six categories. These categories are then broken down into three groups of pairs. Each of these pairs has one â€Å"good† form and one â€Å"bad† form. The first tier consists of Monarchy and Tyranny. Each of these is â€Å"the rule of the one†, but according to Aristotle, a Monarchy was better than Tyranny because a Monarch puts the needs of his people before his own. The second tier is Oligarchy and Aristocracy. Both of these are  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the rule of the few† but Oligarchy was considered a better form because the Oligarchy was not necessarily influenced by money and class whereas Aristocracy was. The third tier was Polity and Democracy. Both of these were â€Å"the rule of the many† but Democracy was considered better for the same reasons that Oligarchy was better than Aristocracy. With his teachings of philosophy, and his image of an ideal regime which could possibly be attainable (unlike his predecessor Plato’ â€Å"ideal city†). he was a very influential character in the future of society. Due to his father being a court physician for King Amyntas of Macedonia, Aristotle was a childhood friend of the later King Phillip. His friendship with King Phillip was the main reason he was asked to teach Phillip’s son Alexander (later known as Alexander the Great). Aristotle played a pivotal role in the development of Alexander the Great and it is quite possible that he would have not had such a conquest as he did had it not been for Aristotle’s.