Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 40

Economics - Essay Example That makes lending conditions more difficult, especially at smaller banks. The March loan-to-deposit ratio of 83 per cent  for Chinas small and midsize banks was already above the 75 per cent  limit set by the regulator. In aggregate, though, it isnt clear the banks are short of funds to lend. The level of reserves banks hold above the requirement held steady at 2.2 percentage points in March, up from 0.8 points in the middle of 2011. The seven-day interbank lending rate was 3.2 per cent  Friday, down from an average of 4 per cent  in 2011. Both measures suggest that liquidity conditions are improving. With no shortage of funds in the banking system, but new loans low, the obvious conclusion is that it is constrained demand for loans, not a constrained supply of credit, that is the problem. The shrinking share of long-term loans in the total for new lending - down to 28  per cent  in April from an average of 51 per cent  in 2011 - suggests businesses dont see so many opportunities for profitable investment. In the past, demand for loans was always strong. Increasing supply by lowering the reserve-requirement ratio was a sure-fire way to give growth a boost. If demand is now less assured, opening the lending taps may no longer provide a quick

George Tenet and the Last Great Days of the CIA Essay

George Tenet and the Last Great Days of the CIA - Essay Example Serving as director from 1997 to 2004, he was able to balance the policies of the both President Clinton and then President Bush Jr. This means that his time as director allowed him to witness the unfortunate terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the invasion of Iraq, among other controversial events of the late 90’s and early new millennium. White (2008) points out that, â€Å"Few other central intelligence directors have served for so long, so energetically, or amid so much controversy† (para. 1). With so many events happening in rapid succession, it is difficult to cover each one with any depth. White does a great job, however, highlighting major policy issues and decisions that Tenet was faced with during his tenure. In addition, much of the article deals with government and public perception of his job performance. It has been said that George Tenet was certainly blunt and straight forward, but he was also fiercely loyal. White (2008) notes that Tenet was a w orkhorse who likely got this from his parents. He grew up in Queens, where his parents settled after emigrating from Greece (para. 4). His parents ended up scraping together enough money and bought a diner. That is where the family worked 16-hour days together. He took this same work ethic and devotion to the job with him to Washington. The article recounts that George Tenet began his career in government as a legislative assistant in 1982 for Senator John Heinz. From there, he moved on to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is where he got his passion for security and intelligence. He became quite a force around Washington and moved up through the ranks. The article walks the reader through these early years and tells about Tenet landing a place on Bill Clinton’s transition team to the Presidency. He informed the President on issues related to intelligence. He so impressed President Clinton, that he was kept on and began performing various functions until movin g to the CIA in 1995, and eventually earning the appointment as director in 1997 (White Para. 6). This brief description provided in the article really enables the reader to understand the process by which George Tenet came to be director and the philosophies and style of work that he would bring to the office. Now that White has established what bought Tenet to the most powerful position in the intelligence world, he spends the next part of the article discussing the state of the CIA at the time. We discover that the entire organization was really in bad shape. White hammers this home by reminding readers that, â€Å"The agency had suffered inconsistent leadership since the fall of the Soviet Union, and [Tenet] was the fifth Director of Central Intelligence in seven years† (White, para. 10). This is where the explanation of where Tenet’s work ethic comes into play. He was not afraid to put in the hours required to turn around the agency. We learn in the article that t he Agency had recently lost nearly 20 percent of its workforce (White, Para. 10) and that morale was at an all time low. To combat this, Tenet immediately set out to bring back some seasoned officers who had recently retired, and he began to resurrect a budgetary system that was in shambles. This would enable the CIA to get a grip on recent technology that it was missing out on and become a major player in

Young Entrepreneurs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Young Entrepreneurs - Assignment Example His latest project in the solar-powered (LED) lantern has been described by many as the greatest innovation in recent time to cushion those who cannot afford the electricity. This project also aimed at providing light to school going children from poor families who could not stand the smoke of the local kerosene lamp The idea of developing the solar-powered lantern was originally presented by Wadongo at a local congress of young innovative youth’s forum in Kenya and was picked as a promising one with the potential to solve the problem in their communities. Wadongo did a lot of his research on the design and the sizes that most suited the targeted population. Through his various attempt to design the sustainable product that would not only last for long, but also provide a cleaner source of energy, he came up with something that has been appreciated worldwide. His bright idea that only started in a small village in Kenya has been recognized worldwide in various forums. According to the locals, Wadongo’s project is one that has helped more children go back to their schools and the impact being felt almost immediately. The performances have increased in most schools that have adopted the use of the solar-powered lantern. According to Wadongo, his project has not reached its peak yet w ith several additions intended to be made. He wants to extend the scheme to cover more areas in the country, and the same time sells his solar tapped power to major towns. He said that â€Å"this approach will work best for him due to the frequent power blackouts experienced in those towns’’. His idea was driven by the fact that 90% of the country’s power is generated from hydropower stations and the need for other reliable means of power generation was needed. According to Wadongo, the current power rates in the country are very high, and the consumers will welcome any form of cushioning. With the rates currently at Ksh 75 per Kw unit, he intends

Amended Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Assignment

Amended Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Assignment Example The New England Journal of Medicine published a survey study conducted by Dr. David Eisenberg, of Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School, which showed that 85 million Americans are using alternative methods for their health care needs, most of which is not covered by their insurance, and furthermore, the number of times they used alternative medicine practitioners was considerably more than the number of times they used allopathic doctors (Eisenberg, Kesler, Foster, Norlock, Calkins, & Delbanco, 1993). Why isn’t the new health reform program taking this preference into account? Exploring who the 8% uninsured will be, I am led to understand that Native Americans, people with financial hardship, and those with religious objections make up at least part of this group, and that everyone else will be required to have insurance or they will be fined, and the fines are fairly high (Galwitz, 2010).