Assignment for May 4th

The Swine flu

It is a contagious respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Pigs are hit by regular outbreaks. There are many different types of swine flu and like human flu, the infection is constantly changing. The outbreak in Mexico seems to involve a new type of swine flu that contains DNA typically found in avian and human viruses.

The assignment is finding out and giving more information about this dangerous outbreak in Mexico that could eventually infect the whole world. How do humans catch it? What are the symptoms? How dangerous is it? Why should we be worried about it? What is a pandemic? Will it spread to Chile? What is being done in Chile to prevent the infection? Waiting for your posts. Best regards, Marcela.

Assignment for April 27th

Fasa admits loss of client trust following price fixing
"We have to confront it just as we have confronted this entire situation", stated Andrés Hidalgo, who is the marketing manager for the company.
Economía y Negocios Online
Sunday, April 19, 2009

SANTIAGO.- The head of marketing for Farmacias Ahumada (Fasa), Andrés Hidalgo, stated today that the company has put forth "its best effort" to compensate clients, but they are still aware that customers are distrusting due to the price-fixing agreement reached for medication.
"Apparently the trust or the feelings that some groups of customers might have, are decisions to be made by them and we have to face this just as we have faced the rest of the situation, with our eyes fixed on the future", the executive told Radio Cooperativa.
When questioned about the sum of the reimbursements, Hidalgo assured that the money awarded for damages "was established along with Sernac; they considered all of the products from the period of December 2007 to March 2008, the 220 products, the price before the hike was taken and the increase in the price was subtracted, producing a difference and that difference was multiplied by 220 and that was multiplied by the total number of products sold during the period, and that is how we reached the final sum".
Hidalgo also stated that "there is going to be an independent company, well-known auditors, which are going to make sure that the process is perfectly audited".

Waiting for your comments on this annoying situation that has affected everybody. What do you think? do you suggest any solution? Best regards from your teacher.

Assignment for Monday, April 20th

What are some strategies or activities you would use so as to be a better teacher in the classroom? Recommend websites, books, material or games you would use or have used and indicate the age and level of the students. Waiting for your posts!!! Best regards from your teacher, Marcela.

Assignment for Monday, April 13th

Legalisation of drugs could save UK £14bn, says study

Duncan Campbell
The Guardian, Tuesday 7 April 2009
Article


The regulated legalisation of drugs would have major benefits for taxpayers, victims of crime, local communities and the criminal justice system, according to the first comprehensive comparison between the cost-effectiveness of legalisation and prohibition. The authors of the report, which is due to be published today, suggest that a legalised, regulated market could save the country around £14bn.
For many years the government has been under pressure to conduct an objective cost-benefit analysis of the current drugs policy, but has failed to do so despite calls from MPs. Now the drugs reform charity, Transform, has commissioned its own report, examining all aspects of prohibition from the costs of policing and investigating drugs users and dealers to processing them through the courts and their eventual incarceration.
As well as such savings is the likely taxation revenue in a regulated market. However, there are also the potential costs of increased drug treatment, education and public information campaigns about the risks and dangers of drugs, similar to those for tobacco and alcohol, and the costs of running a regulated system.
The report looked at four potential scenarios, ranging from no increase in drugs use to a 100% rise as they become more readily available.
"The conclusion is that regulating the drugs market is a dramatically more cost-effective policy than prohibition and that moving from prohibition to regulated drugs markets in England and Wales would provide a net saving to taxpayers, victims of crime, communities, the criminal justice system and drug users of somewhere within the range of, for the four scenarios, £13.9bn, £10.8bn, £7.7bn, £4.6bn."
Titled a Comparison of the Cost-effectiveness of the Prohibition and Regulation of Drugs, the report uses government figures on the costs of crime to assess the potential benefits and disadvantages of change. The document, co-written by Steve Rolles, head of research at Transform, uses home office and No 10 strategy unit reports to form its conclusions.
It finds: "The government specifically claims the benefits of any move away from prohibition towards legal regulation would be outweighed by the costs. No such cost-benefit analysis, or even a proper impact assessment of existing enforcement policy and legislation has ever been carried out here or anywhere else in the world."
Taxing drugs would also provide big revenue gains, says the survey. An Independent Drug Monitoring Unit estimate, quoted in the report, suggests up to £1.3bn could be generated by a £1 per gram tax on cannabis resin and £2 per gram on skunk.
The report follows calls for legalisation or a full debate on reform. Last month, the Economist concluded: "Prohibition has failed; legalisation is the least bad solution."