Week 2 Hand-in Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 Hand-in Assignment - Essay Example It consequently follows your every activity on the website that initiated it and the website proprietors receive this information. In E-commerce websites, cookies can and are frequently used to help in keeping the purchase details of each customer. E-commerce website requests for any present cookies when a customer accesses a page. The cookies tell the sites shopping cart what items are in the cart, and when the customer adds a new product or removes it, the server sends a new cookie to the browser that is up to date. When its checkout time, the updated cookie, tells the shopping cart what products have been purchased (Greenstein, 2001, p 35). The transport control protocol (TCP) is a connection-oriented service. This means that it usually has the client and server exchange transport-layer information with one another prior to the flow of the application level messages. Consequently, the client has the responsibility of starting the communication with the server and in order for the server to be able to respond to the client’s first communication, the server needs to be ready. This means that the server application cannot afford to be in an inactive state and must be running even before there is an attempt to generate the communication by the client. Thus, the server application must be executed before the client program (Rajinder, 2007, p

Computational modeling of cerebellar model articulation controller Dissertation

Computational modeling of cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) and it's application - Dissertation Example It will address simulations of the cerebellum and neural networks to accomplish biped robot leg and control leg swing in environments with obstacles, in multi output, non-linear systems. According to Miller, Glanz, & Kraft, the cerebellar mode articulation controller (CMAC) can serve as a substitute method to back propagation (Miller, Glanz, & Kraft, 1990). The method includes a footstep planning strategy that is based on the Q-learning concept for biped robot control in dynamical environments. The effectiveness of major problem solving methods in control robot technology research is also of central focus. Predictable and unpredictable dynamic obstacles encountered in the system, such as memory usage, are discussed and a strategy to overcome these obstacles is presented. The empirical analysis includes identification of likely Cerebellum Model Articulation Controller (CMAC) problems in specific environments, inputs and outputs, and viable solutions. The aim of this research is to pre sent a HCAQ-CMAC model that provides memory size and footstep planning solutions for the biped robot in a dynamic environment. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...2 ABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....3 Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 List of Figures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦6 List of Tables†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..9 Chapter 1 Overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 SECTION 1.1 Timeline of development†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦10 Section 1.2 The cerebellum†¦...12 subsection 1.2.1 INPUTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .14 subsection 1.2.2 OUTPUTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 subsection 1.2.3 CEREBELLAR CORTEX†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.15 CHAPTER 2 Brain Computer Interface (BCI) INPUT AND OUTPUT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...16 Section 2.1 Neural Networks †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 Section 2.2 Q-Learning AND FUZZY CMAC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.22 Chapter 3 theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦. 28 Section 3.1 The cerebellar mode articulation controller (CMAC)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 Section 3.2 CMAC Hierarchically Clustered Adaptive Quantization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.34 subsection 3.2.1 Mossy Fibers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.36 Section 3.3 CMAC for design of Biped Robot†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 38 subsection 3.3.2 heuristics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦40 CHAPTER 4 fOOTSEP pLANNING; fUZZY q†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦44 section 4.1 Control Strategy for obstacle Avoidance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦

Theories of Knowing

Theories of Knowing GEOG 701 Research in Practice, 2017 Ways of Knowing Comparison Name: Allan Rarai Which way of knowing from Week 2 do you select? Positivism Structuralism Which way of knowing from Week 3 do you select? Social constructionism Humanism What are the typical features of research that uses the ways of knowing that you have selected? Positivism It can be said that the philosophy of positivism dominates Science. Positivism believes in empiricism, where experiments such as observations and measurements are the core of scientific experiments, using theories to predict reality, which rely on quantitative data. Positivists believe that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. For example, the properties of weather (humidity, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction) and how these properties are related (seasonal rainfall amount). Furthermore, there is a belief in the philosophy of positivism that the incorporation of new ideas may contradict old ideas, thus ideas tend to accumulate, allowing for knowledge to expand. Also, outcomes are separate or dissociated from personal and social status, and personal emotion is ignored. Social Constructionism The typical features of research that use these ways of knowing in Social Constructionism include the following: this way of knowing focuses more on social collectives or groups rather than on individualism, that is, the groups or communities are constructed based on their norms; what they are built on such as rules and ways of living, which pinpoint them within society thus making them what they are. For example, how responsibilities are distributed and channels of communication are constructed, where power or authority is organised; how traditions and cultures are constructed. This researched philosophy also reveals what has been constructed such as meanings being institutionalized and followed. Moreover, once knowledge has been constructed and used, it may be become resistant to change. What do you see as being the benefits associated with each of the ways of knowing that you have selected? Positivism The benefits of positivism include knowledge building, that is, new ideas are built or continue to emerge from past knowledge errors or gaps. Also, results or outcomes are easily understood, visualised and compared to others. It does not involve perceptions, because it uses quantitative data to provide information that researchers use to make scientific assumptions. That is why it follows a well-defined structure during study and discussion. Social Constructionism The benefits associated with Social Constructionism are as follows: they reveal assumptions behind common sense, explain prevailing attitudes, and there is an understanding of key institutions and social transformation over time. For example, norms, values and rules constructed within different tiers of a society are transformed over a period of time and this way of knowing is well vested accordingly. Furthermore, it allows people to challenge assumptions and norms, and promotes knowledge sharing. What do you see as being the limitations associated with each of the ways of knowing that you have selected? Positivism There are many limitations to this way of knowing. It focuses on the How rather than the Why questions. It does not investigate further as to why things are happening because it relies more on data, thus, is inflexible. It does not measures things that are not visible. Moreover, it assumes that scientific results are correct and emotions and perceptions are disregarded from interferences and conclusions. Social Constructionism Limitation of social constructionism is that, constructs change over time and can be misunderstood. This depends entirely on how society is constructed within its settings. Also, it ignores individual contexts and it can be difficult to apply this kind of knowledge in a new environment. Moreover, it does not need to be true, it invites relativism. This type of knowing requires more time (time consuming) and is expensive (requires funding). In a hypothetical scenario, you are asked to conduct research in/on a forest (the research can be on anything, but must involve data collection related to a forest location). Propose two separate research questions-one for each of the ways of knowing you have selected-that incorporate data gathering opportunities in a hypothetical forest location, and provide a justification about why the research questions reflect your chosen ways of knowing. Positivism What is the Relationship between Forest Harvesting (Clearing of Forest) and sedimentation accumulation on Big Bay River on Santo Island in Vanuatu? This research question reflects this way of knowing because it requires observation and measurement of data to test the hypothesis that harvesting of a forest may have some impact on the sediment in the rivers. It will be easy to compare the results based on the analysed data (number of hectares (ha) of forest cleared amount of sediment accumulation) that has been collected. Social Constructionism Restoration of Native Ecosystem to preserve and increase number of native plants and animals. (Research question: Will restoring Native Forest (NF) helps to increase the number of native species within the forest ecosystem?) This research question reflects this particular way of knowing because it focuses on more collaborative ways of knowledge. It is common sense to assume that if a forests ecosystem is restored, native plants and animals may increase. It looks like it is interconnected with the Positivism way of knowing. This type of research requires a lot of funding and may involve different groups/ stakeholders within the context of a society.

Are Our Morals Genetically Determined or Merely Assumed? :: Philosophy Biology Essays

In a recent commentary for BBC News, Clark McCauley, Professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College, analyzed the issue of human evolution from a standpoint that drew on his knowledge of psychology: gradual and collective changes in human behavior. According to McCauley, as environments and situations changed, human behavior was forced to adapt accordingly. In his comments, McCauley cites the example of disgust; although it is now a common human reaction, McCauley claims it once did not exist. As humans became less capable of digesting raw meat, disgust became an important deterring force that, through the process of evolution, became a familiar and shared part of human existence. Evidencing his claim, McCauley pointed to the fact that humans have a shared and easily recognizable facial and bodily response to disgust. Following McCauley's line of reasoning, if there is evidence that supports changes in active human behavior over time that can be attributed to the evolutionary process, it seems likely that other aspects of human cognition and its manifestations would also be subject to evolution. This paper will address the issue of the evolution of human morality; namely, whether morality is an aspect of humanity that is constructed or innate, and, depending on those findings, whether evolution plays any role in the process of determining our morals. In order to assess morality, we must first define it and identify the prevalent philosophy behind it. In this paper, morality is defined as the rules that determine what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. In his dissertation, Van Mildert College Student Nicholas Giles notes that while we do have forces that counteract our morals (i.e. our own desires), morality is often the "limiting factor" of our behavior. We (as a majority) do not steal, because somehow we have internalized that this is a 'wrong' or immoral behavior. Giles uses the example of being nice to our friends, so as to be considered nice ourselves, to segue into a discussion of altruism. Although Giles sees altruism, the notion of giving to others at the expense of oneself, as a counterintuitive philosophy, he recognizes that it the philosophical basis for morality (1). The biological basis for altruism seems fairly straightforward: organisms that put the welfare of other organisms before their own will be less successful than 'selfish' organisms. However, there are situation specific benefits to altruism; in many cases, organisms in a group will fare better than individual organisms (1).

Curricular theory and theorists Essay

The word curriculum has its origins in the running/chariot tracks of Greece. It was, literally, a course. In Latin curriculum was a racing chariot; currere was to run. A useful starting point for us here might be the definition offered by John Kerr and taken up by Vic Kelly in his standard work on the subject. Kerr defines curriculum as, ‘All the learning which is planned and guided by the school, whether it is carried on in groups or individually, inside or outside the school. [1] This gives us some basis to move on. For the moment all we need to do is highlight two of the key features: Learning is planned and guided. We have to specify in advance what we are seeking to achieve and how we are to go about it. The definition refers to schooling. We should recognize that our current appreciation of curriculum theory and practice emerged in the school and in relation to other schooling ideas such as subject and lesson. In what follows we are going to look at four ways of approaching curriculum theory and practice: Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted. Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students – product. Curriculum as process. Curriculum as praxis. Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted Many people still equate a curriculum with a syllabus. Syllabus, naturally, originates from the Greek. Basically it means a concise statement or table of the heads of a discourse, the contents of a treatise, the subjects of a series of lectures. In the form that many of us will have been familiar with it is connected with courses leading to examinations. For example, when teachers talk of the syllabus associated with, say, the Cambridge GSCE exam. What we can see in such documents is a series of headings with some additional notes which set out the areas that may be examined. A syllabus will not generally indicate the relative importance of its topics or the order in which they are to be studied. Those who compile a syllabus tend to follow the traditional textbook approach of an ‘order of contents’, or a pattern prescribed by a ‘logical’ approach to the subject, or the shape of a university course in which they may have participated. Thus, an approach to curriculum theory and practice which focuses on syllabus is only really concerned with content. Curriculum is a body of knowledge-content and/or subjects. Education in this sense is the process by which these are transmitted or ‘delivered’ to students by the most effective methods that can be devised [3]. Where people still equate curriculum with a syllabus they are likely to limit their planning to a consideration of the content or the body of knowledge that they wish to transmit. ‘It is also because this view of curriculum has been adopted that many teachers in primary schools, have regarded issues of curriculum as of no concern to them, since they have not regarded their task as being to transmit bodies of knowledge in this manner’. Curriculum as product The dominant modes of describing and managing education are today couched in the productive form. Education is most often seen as a technical exercise. Objectives are set, a plan drawn up, and then applied, and the outcomes (products) measured. In the late 1980s and the 1990s many of the debates about the National Curriculum for schools did not so much concern how the curriculum was thought about as to what its objectives and content might be. It is the work of two American writers Franklin Bobbitt, 1928 and Ralph W. Tyler, 1949 that dominate theory and practice within this tradition. In The Curriculum Bobbitt writes as follows: The central theory is simple. Human life, however varied, consists in the performance of specific activities. Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities. However numerous and diverse they may be for any social class they can be discovered. This requires only that one go out into the world of affairs and discover the particulars of which their affairs consist. These will show the abilities, attitudes, habits, appreciations and forms of knowledge that men need. These will be the objectives of the curriculum. They will be numerous, definite and particularized. The curriculum will then be that series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of obtaining those objectives. This way of thinking about curriculum theory and practice was heavily influenced by the development of management thinking and practice. The rise of ‘scientific management’ is often associated with the name of its main advocate F. W. Taylor. Basically what he proposed was greater division of labor with jobs being simplified; an extension of managerial control over all elements of the workplace; and cost accounting based on systematic time-and-motion study. All three elements were involved in this conception of curriculum theory and practice. For example, one of the attractions of this approach to curriculum theory was that it involved detailed attention to what people needed to know in order to work, live their lives and so on. A familiar, and more restricted, example of this approach can be found in many training programs, where particular tasks or jobs have been analyzed and broken down into their component elements and lists of competencies drawn up. In other words, the curriculum was not to be the result of ‘armchair speculation’ but the product of systematic study. Bobbitt’s work and theory met with mixed responses. As it stands it is a technical exercise. However, it wasn’t criticisms such as this which initially limited the impact of such curriculum theory in the late 1920s and 1930s. Rather, the growing influence of ‘progressive’, child-centred approaches shifted the ground to more romantic notions of education. Bobbitt’s long lists of objectives and his emphasis on order and structure hardly sat comfortably with such forms. The Progressive movement lost much of its momentum in the late 1940s in the United States and from that period the work of Ralph W. Tyler, in particular, has made a lasting impression on curriculum theory and practice. He shared Bobbitt’s emphasis on rationality and relative simplicity. His theory was based on four fundamental questions: 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? 2. What educational experience can be provided that is likely to attain these purposes? 3. How can these educational experiences be effectively organized? 4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? Like Bobbitt he also placed an emphasis on the formulation of behavioural objectives. Since the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform certain activities but to bring about significant changes in the students’ pattern of behaviour, it becomes important to recognize that any statements of objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students. We can see how these concerns translate into an ordered procedure and is very similar to the technical or productive thinking steps set out below. 1. Diagnosis of need 2. Formulation of objectives 3. Selection of content 4. Organization of content 5. Selection of learning experiences.

Meaningful lives For Teenagers Essay

Many perceive teenagers today, as leading aimless lives, self-centered and not contributing to society, making their lives seem to be almost a waste. Therefore, in order to change society’s opinion as well as to make the lives of teenagers more meaningful, two areas would therefore need to be changed: the condition of the mind as well the taking of actions, which works hand in hand in causing this improvement. Firstly, having a goal in life would be the first step towards making one’s life more meaningful through the condition of mind. By setting goals, the teenager would therefore have some focus in life, providing them with the direction that would be essential in carving out their future. The goals however, must be realistic and attainable and not be too far-fetched; otherwise the goals would only prove to be a damper to the teenager’s spirit and aspirations. One must also possess self-confidence in their capabilities. By having self-confidence, the teenager would not falter along the way and have doubts in their abilities. Furthermore, with self-confidence, belief in one’s actions is guaranteed, and therefore, the teenager would be more determined to see their actions being carried out to the end, resulting in the lesser chance of them doing things halfway and therefore, lessening the meaninglessness of their lives. However, simply by altering the condition of mind is not sufficient as changing the mind without putting things into action is futile. Therefore, the above changes should be coupled with various actions that could display the meaningful lives that teenagers could have. One of the ways by which teenagers can be made to live meaningful lives is through work. Most teenagers nowadays tend to be more materialistic, and yet are unable to appreciate the value of money. Therefore, by finding work for them, they would be able to see the real world for themselves that it is not merely the comfort zone that they see and would be able to appreciate the value of money and the hardship that their parents have to go through just to earn that amount that they used to so flippantly spend. This would also  prevent them from spending so extravagantly as they did in the past. In addition, they can also take up suitable recreation in an attempt to self-improve. Through this, the teenager would have less time on their hands, and yet at the same time, they would be able to learn something new. This would also be beneficial in the near future, as they would have a diversity of skills and knowledge, providing them with an edge above the rest. For example, by taking up a non-academic course such as IT, teenagers would be able to obtain knowledge that is out of the classroom boundaries and would therefore be adept in another area that would be relevant in their future lives. Likewise, by taking up a sporty recreation such as basketball to the less common horse-riding, they would be able to keep fit and healthy while having fun in the same time, killing two birds with one stone. Also, by helping the less fortunate, the teenagers would be able to lead meaningful lives too. Through charitable activities such as community involvement services (CIP), youths are able to get involved in society’s happenings, while helping the less fortunate. This would also enable them to appreciate their current lives better, as they would see the plight of others who are much worse off than them. For example, by helping out at the children’s home, the youths would be able to appreciate their family and kin better, because as compared to the children in these homes who have no family to speak of, they are far much better off than them. This would also provide them with an opportunity to view the world in a different light, taking away the self-centered nature that surrounds them. Another of such examples would be that of voluntary work in the old folks home. By seeing the situation of these lonely old folks at the home, it would serve as a deterrent by which the youth would be unwilling to put their parents through such plight in the future, creating in them the awareness that their parents should be taken care of by themselves and not to be left in the care of the old folks home, therefore portraying how by helping the unfortunate, the youths are able to understand another aspect of life through hands-on experiences as well as the chance to contribute to their society. Finally, teenagers should travel to see other parts of the world in an  attempt to make their life more meaningful. By traveling, it provides the impetus and opportunity for the youths to gain exposure of the world, which also serve as a plus point when they enter the working world. This allows them to see the different cultures and customs that other parts of the world have, yet is lacking in their own society. For example, youths in Singapore are deprived of the four seasons due to Singapore being a tropical island, therefore, by visiting places that have such seasons, one would be able to experience the pros and cons of living in such a country, which also serves as an eye-opener for them. Likewise, by visiting developing countries around the world, youths would be grateful for their lot and would therefore not begrudge their background. They would also be more appreciative of the things they own and not be too demanding in what they do not have. Therefore, by providing youths with the opportunity to travel, they are able to live more meaningful lives through the fact that they are able to understand themselves and be more contented with their lot. In conclusion, based on the above-mentioned factors, it is indisputable that youths can and is able to lead meaningful lives through the conditioning of their mind as well as the altering of their daily actions.

Why Racism in Health Care Is Still a Problem Today

Why Racism in Health Care Is Still a Problem Today Eugenics, segregated hospitals and the  Tuskegee Syphilis Study  exemplify how pervasive racism in health care once was. But even today, racial bias continues to be a factor in medicine.   While racial minorities are no longer unknowingly used as guinea pigs for medical research or denied entry into hospitals because of their skin color, studies have found that they don’t receive the same standard of care as their white counterparts. Lack of diversity training in health care and poor cross-cultural communication between doctors and patients are some of the reasons why medical racism persists. Unconscious Racial Biases Racism continues to affect health  care because many physicians remain unaware of their unconscious racial biases, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health in March 2012. The study found that a staggering two-thirds of doctors exhibited racial bias towards patients. The researchers determined this by asking doctors to complete the Implicit Association Test, a computerized assessment that calculates how fast test subjects associate people from different races with positive or negative terms. Those who link people of a certain race with positive terms more quickly are said to favor that race. The doctors who participated in the study were also asked to associate racial groups with terms that signal medical compliance. Researchers found that the doctors exhibited a moderate anti-black bias and thought of their white patients as more likely to be â€Å"compliant.† Forty-eight percent of the health professionals were white, 22 percent were black and 30 percent were Asian. The non-black health care professionals exhibited more pro-white bias, while black health care professionals did not exhibit bias in favor or against any group. The outcome of the study was especially surprising, given that the doctors who participated served in inner city Baltimore and were interested in serving underprivileged communities, according to lead author, Dr. Lisa Cooper of the John Hopkins University School of Medicine. Beforehand, the physicians failed to recognize that they preferred white patients to black ones. â€Å"It’s hard to change subconscious attitudes, but we can change how we behave once we are made aware of them,† Cooper says. â€Å"Researchers, educators and health professionals need to work together on ways to reduce the negative influences of these attitudes on behaviors in health care.† Poor Communication Racial biases in health care also influence the way doctors communicate with their patients of color. Cooper says that doctors with racial biases tend to lecture black patients, speak more slowly to them and make their office visits longer. Doctors who behaved in such ways typically made patients feel less informed about their health care. Researchers determined this because the study also included an analysis of recordings of visits between 40 health care professionals and 269 patients from January 2002 to August 2006. Patients filled out a survey about their medical visits after meeting with doctors. Poor communication between doctors and patients can result in patients canceling follow up visits because they feel less trust in their physicians. Doctors who dominate conversations with patients also run the risk of making patients feel as if they don’t care about their emotional and mental needs. Fewer Treatment Options Bias in medicine may also lead physicians to inadequately manage the pain of minority patients. A number of studies have shown that doctors are reluctant to give black patients strong doses of pain medication. A University of Washington study released in 2012 found that pediatricians who exhibited a pro-white bias were more inclined to give black patients who’d undergone surgical procedures ibuprofen instead of the more potent drug oxycodone. Additional studies found that physicians were less likely to monitor the pain of black children with sickle cell anemia or to give black men visiting emergency rooms with chest pain complaints diagnostic tests such as cardiac monitoring and chest X-rays. A 2010 University of Michigan Health study even found that black patients referred to pain clinics received roughly half the amount of drugs that white patients received. Collectively, these studies indicate that racial bias in medicine continues to affect the quality of care minority patients obtain. Lack of Diversity Training Medical racism won’t disappear unless doctors receive the training necessary to treat a wide range of patients. In his book, Black Blue: The Origins and Consequences of Medical Racism, Dr. John M. Hoberman, chair of Germanic studies at the University of Texas at Austin, says that racial bias persists in medicine because medical schools don’t teach students about the history of medical racism or give them appropriate diversity training. Hoberman told the Murietta Daily Journal that medical schools must develop race relations programs if medical racism is to cease. Such training is vital because doctors, as studies reveal, aren’t immune to racism. But it’s unlikely that physicians will confront their biases if medical schools and institutions don’t require them to do so.

Dangerous Game essays

Dangerous Game essays Jose Rabadan was a solitary child who lived in Murcia, a small region of Spain. Apparently, Jose was a normal boy of 13 years old who went to the school and played with his neighbors and family. His family and friends realized that Jose was a little isolated and sad, but they did not think that it was important. One day, the Jose ¡s parents gave him a Play Station. They thought that it would be very funny for him. Jose showed a big happiness and emotion. At first, he played everyday but not many hours. He invited to his friends and he played with them. Day by day, The play Station began to be the most important thing for him. He begin to failed in the school and to have conflicts with his classmates. Teachers called his parents in order to explain them the problem, but they thought that it would be temporal. He stop to go out with his friends spending the whole day playing to the Play Station. Their family did not see anything weird in that and they decided not tell him nothing. He played hours and hours while their parents went to work and his sister was in a special school, so she was mentally retarded. His favorite game was one in which Samurais had to fight against animals and monsters in order to obtain more power. He loved so much that play that he began to ask their parents by a S amurai sword. At first their parents doubted, but later they thought that it would be a decorative element for the Jose ¡s room. One month later, parents and sister ¡s Jose were founded dead in their house. They were totally cut into pieces and distributed by the house. Jose was not there. Police knew that Jose were guilty of the massacre, so he had left a lot of proofs such us fingerprints and so on. Jose was to police next day finding him guilty. He told them the facts in a quiet way. Police answered him what reasons had he had to kill to their family and he answered that had not any reason. ...

Almost Sisters

I couldn’t keep my feet from fidgeting as I sat in the back seat of the car awaiting our arrival at the airport. The two hour drive seemed like ten. I was so anxious to meet the girl who had been the center of almost every conversation for the past few weeks. Everyone was so eager to know everything about the girl who would soon become my new sister for the next year. I reflected back to the night when my parents asked what I thought about hosting a foreign exchange student. We had had an exchange student four years before, and I hadn’t minded having another brother around. I actually enjoyed hearing stories about his life in Venezuela. After a short period of contemplation, I agreed to the idea of hosting another. After all, one more brother among the three preexisting ones couldn’t be so bad, but my parents weren’t exactly on the same page as I was. I had wanted a sister when I was younger, but as a freshman in high school, it had been awhile since the thought had crossed my mind. I had been the only girl all my life, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of changing that now. I tried to convince my parents that a boy would be more what they wanted and that they wouldn’t want another girl around the house, but they insisted that a male exchange student just wasn’t an option. After careful deliberation, I reluctantly decided to give it shot. The next few weeks were spent getting everything prepared for the infamous newcomer. From interviews to paperwork, it all seemed so pointless. We cleared the room that was once my oldest brother’s and made it suitable for a teenage girl. My brother was now doomed to the couch on his sparse visits home. The time went by quickly and before I knew it, it was the day before the beginning of what I projected to be the longest year of my life. By the time we got home with Vartushick, or simply â€Å"V† as we learned to call her, I was already beginning to like her. There was something about her inviting smile that let me know that we were going to have a good time. Throughout the weeks leading up to the new school year, I introduced her to friends and classmates that we ran into around town. When school finally started, I made it my personal responsibility to show her to her classes and make sure she didn’t get lost. Having a sister wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, in fact, it was actually somewhat fun. The first month or two was full of ruts in the road. Although she knew some English, there was still a big language barrier that made it difficult to understand each other. We became easily frustrated with one another as I attempted to teach her simple tasks such as sweeping and using the washing machine. There were times when I felt like she would never learn, but despite our disagreements, we eventually became as close as real sisters. The year went by much quicker than I expected, and soon, it was time for V to go back to Armenia. I was disinclined to let her go, but I knew she missed her family back home. I realized how important it had been to persevere through our struggles. If I had simply given up, like I had so often wanted to do, we both would have had a miserable year, but I hadn’t, and it brought an extraordinary friendship.

Identifying Success Factors of Implementing ERP in Small Organisations Dissertation

Identifying Success Factors of Implementing ERP in Small Organisations - Dissertation Example The paper tells that ERP systems are computer software packages that enable companies to manage all of their operations, such as sales, manufacturing, inventory, accounting, etc. using a single platform. ERP systems officially arrived in the early 1990s, though they evolved over the previous few decades as the separate programs of each functional area began to be integrated into one program. The intent of a single integrated software package was to reduce the direct costs associated with multiple packages (re-entering, reformatting, and reconciling redundant data) while aiding the communication between the functional areas of a business, such as sales and production. The market for ERP systems continues to grow faster than any other software market with significant number of companies worldwide have already implemented an ERP system. The vast scope of an ERP system magnifies the typical "risk-reward" relationship of any business initiative. Davenport described ERP systems as profound ly complex pieces of software that require large investments of money, time and expertise. Correspondingly, he stated that although implementing an ERP system could deliver great rewards for a company, implementation failure could be fatal. In fact, many well- known companies experienced significant challenges implementing their ERP systems. This led researchers to provide insight into what organisations could do to increase their chances of implementation success, resulting in the identification of ERP system implementation Critical Success Factors. ... These factors are not specific to any particular ERP software program as they are based on the organisational aspects of the implementation rather than the technical functionality of the program. Examples of such factors include strategic visioning/planning, management support, project management, and training. Proficiently addressing these CSFs should increase the chances of a successful implementation (Ehie, 2005; Thomas & Huq, 2007). However, with so many factors involved in an ERP system implementation project, there can be no guarantee of implementation success. Problem Statement ERP systems, like many other technological advances, were initially implemented only at large organisations. Over the years, software vendors began to provide ERP systems specifically targeted for midsize market price tolerance and functionality requirements, leading more and more small organisations to implement ERP systems. Small organisations have been shown to posses significantly different characte ristics when compared to large organisations (McAdam, 2002, Ghobadian and Gallear, 1996, Lee and Oakes, 1995). Their organisational structures and culture are relatively informal, their leadership is intimately involved in daily operations and typically lack long-term strategic planning. Furthermore, they have limited human and financial resources, and often lack a dedicated full-time Information Technology (IT) person. All of these factors combine into a significantly different organisational environment for an ERP system implementation when compared to large organisations. The existing research on ERP CSFs is heavily based on experiences at large organisations. This is understandable, considering that

Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Communication - Essay Example The four departments are aerospace, electronic systems, technical systems and information systems. The aerospace department creates revenue of approximately $ 10 billion annually and it has a workforce of about 23000 employees who are highly skilled individuals in their areas of expertise (Northrop, 2012). The department is a major supplier of American manned and unmanned defense aircrafts, space systems and technological knowhow in the security sector involving aviation.Examples of air defense mechanism created by the company involve the global hawk aircrafts and the F-35 lighting 11 jets. The electronic systems department is responsible for the provision of advanced electronic system for commercial and civil use, and military defense. The company has the ability to supply highly innovative and complex electronic defense machineries in marine systems, airspace management, navigation, and precision and communication systems. The company also provides electronic logistical support to government institutions and commercial organizations. ... department provides services in the modernization of existing military, communication and civil infrastructure to various government agencies, civil organizations and federal agencies. The company has competitors who are equally innovative and financially superior. Its major competitors are General Dynamics Cooperation, Lockheed Martin Cooperation and the Boeing Company. Compared to its three major competitors, Northrop Grumman is performing poorly, both in terms of its share value and revenue generating capabilities (Nasdaq, 2012). For example, the net income of Boeing Company as of June 2012 amounted to $ 4.35 billion, as compared to Northrop which stood at $ 2.10 billion, a difference of $ 2.25 billion. General Dynamics made $ 2.5 billion while Lockheed Martin made $ 2.78 billion. These figures are higher than the profitability of Northrop Grumman.In terms of their share prices, Northrop Grumman performs dismally (Nasdaq, 2012). The current value of Northrop Grumman share price st ands at $ 59.3; this is far below the share price of Boeing which currently trades at $ 72.58, a difference of $13.28. The share prices of its two other competitors are higher with Lockheed Martin share price trading at $ 83.37 and that of general dynamics trading at $ 64.13 (Nasdaq, 2012). The share values are an indicator of how well the company is perceived by the society and of its economic performance. The low share price of Northrop as compared to its competitors is an indication that the company economic performance is far below that of its competitors. There are various opportunities presentable to the company for expansion of its services and profitability. The present war on terror presents the company with an opportunity to develop high technology weapons that can be used to

Introduction to wind energy systems Research Paper

Introduction to wind energy systems - Research Paper Example Coal and nuclear energy have adverse environmental impacts despite being examples of alternative sources of energy. Wind power looks extremely promising as much as it has comparatively high costs. According to Johnson (14) a typical wind energy system has a turbine which works to harness kinetic energy and convert it into usable power. A wind energy system can also be combined with a solar panel. The introduction of a solar panel to the wind energy system is supposed to increase overall efficiency in terms of power generation. In other words, these two technologies complement one another. This power provides electricity for farms, homes, schools and business establishments. Site selection is very important in such a way that, for a small home, the site should be more than half an acre of land and the wind speed should be at least 16km/h (Johnson, 5). The size of the turbine to be installed greatly depends on energy consumption; for instance, homes require smaller turbines as compared to business establishments. It follows that the smaller the turbines the lesser the noise produced. The sound produced can easily be compared to the whispering of leaves as the wind blows past them. Wind energy systems can either be on-grid or off-grid. The off-grid system occurs when a home or business enterprise totally relies on the power generated by turbines and it is completely disconnected from the electric utility company. Studies reveal that this system is 30% more costly than on-grid. This system is made up of a wind turbine mounted on a tower (Appstate). The tower is usually wired up to a control box which works to regulate battery charging. Ecomall believes that an electric utility is expected to give credit to the owner in the event that a grid tie power system sends its electricity to the public grid. The electric company will sum up the monthly credits so as to determine the amount of money owed to the owner of the wind energy system;

Science report in Media vs. Scholarly Sources Essay

Science report in Media vs. Scholarly Sources - Essay Example Some of these tend to support the scientific views raised in various scholarly journals by asserting the relevance in the exact influence of the distance from the sun to the earth on seasonal changes. Other reports have, however, provided contesting results citing different perspectives to the development. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the scientific and scholarly sources in regard to the view on the relationship between the distances from the sun to the earth on seasonal changes taking place over the surface of the earth. Scientific literature describing the association between temperatures variations and the sun’s insulations reaching the earth at different times of the year show that the distance between the sun and the earth influence not only the time of occurrence of seasons but also the intensity and extent of occurrence for such seasonal changes. An observational study conducted by Fligge, Solanki, Unruh, FroK, & Wehrli (1998) on the amount of Pleistocene melt ice indicates different degrees of melting ice at different times of the year and at different points of the earths surface both in the northern and in the southern hemispheres. The connection between the changes experienced in the extent of glacial melts and the alignments of the earth’s orbit was first proposed by one scientific observer Adhemar. His observations were based on the fact that the Antarctic ice is present due to the fact that the winter seasons in the southern hemisphere are longer than the winter in the nor thern hemisphere by up to 8 days thus allowing additionally longer time for the Antarctic ice to form. The effect, as Fligge, Solanki, Unruh, FroK, & Wehrli (1998) observes, result in the thickness of the Antarctic ice being more than the Arctic region. Winter was defined by Adhemar as the period between the equinoxes (the period when the sun is overhead the equator). Besides these

Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Journal opinion article - Essay Example The article is found in the Wall Street Journal of March 23, 2015. According to the former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, â€Å"Efforts to strengthen regulatory oversight of financial institutions in the U.S. following the 2008 debacle should make future crises less likely to occur, or less severe if they do.† The main argument presented here is that the possibility of future crises cannot be ruled out. As such, mitigation measures like regulation of the financial sectors can help prevent the occurrence of a similar situation. Bernanke suggests that â€Å"Steps such as submitting large banks to Fed stress tests to assess risk should lessen the likelihood of another crisis or soften the broader economic impact should one occur† (Amy). Therefore, to a large extent, it is a noble idea to regulate the activities of the financial sector in order to ensure that a similar crisis does not occur in the future. Theoretically, regulation of the financial sector has its pros and cons. According to Harrison (208), borrowing from the banking system leads directly to an increase in interest rates and the Treasury Bills are likely to increase. This scenario has spiral effects on the performance of the economy. An increase in interest rates implies that the money supply will shrink resulting in less disposable income circulating among the people. Such conditions are likely to lead to the occurrence of financial crises and this is the reason why regulation of the financial sector is seen as a noble idea that can be implemented to reduce the chances of the same situation from happening again. However, regulation of the financial sector has got its own problems. A market economy should function freely and any form of regulation may gag the independence of the sector. Negative results are likely to be experienced and these may

California is the nation's greatest state (sorry Texas) Essay

California is the nation's greatest state (sorry Texas) - Essay Example To measure the highly ranked stake between the two states, the variables under consideration include crime rate, employment rate, housing costs, access to employment, health insurance, education level and excellence, mortality rate, health, property tax, and pollution from industrialization, tourist attractions, income, and human activities. Overall, California stands a better chance of appealing to visitors and residents with the friendly socioeconomic environment. Less property tax influenced residents to invest in real estate that business owners can operate from their own premises other than renting working space. On the other hand, high property tax increases reduces the accessibility and acquisition of permanent housing or investment in some types of business such as those requiring the construction of complex premises. Between California and Texas, California stands a better chance of attracting investors and permanent property ownership. This is because as of 2013, California’s property tax was at an average of 0.80% against Texas average of 1.74%. By default, home buyers and other structure buyers are more likely to invest in a state where property tax is more accommodating (Wile, para. 6). The considerate property tax has also influenced better academic institution development leading to a higher graduation rate in California as compared to Texas. It is observed that nations with good and reliable education system attract higher graduation rates than nations that do not have the same quality if education systems. The US’s higher learning institutions are renowned for producing higher quality academic elites. However, general education system cannot tell a lot about specific states such as Texas and California. In its quest to support the national education quality, California has developed an education system that sees

Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Journal opinion article - Essay Example The article is found in the Wall Street Journal of March 23, 2015. According to the former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, â€Å"Efforts to strengthen regulatory oversight of financial institutions in the U.S. following the 2008 debacle should make future crises less likely to occur, or less severe if they do.† The main argument presented here is that the possibility of future crises cannot be ruled out. As such, mitigation measures like regulation of the financial sectors can help prevent the occurrence of a similar situation. Bernanke suggests that â€Å"Steps such as submitting large banks to Fed stress tests to assess risk should lessen the likelihood of another crisis or soften the broader economic impact should one occur† (Amy). Therefore, to a large extent, it is a noble idea to regulate the activities of the financial sector in order to ensure that a similar crisis does not occur in the future. Theoretically, regulation of the financial sector has its pros and cons. According to Harrison (208), borrowing from the banking system leads directly to an increase in interest rates and the Treasury Bills are likely to increase. This scenario has spiral effects on the performance of the economy. An increase in interest rates implies that the money supply will shrink resulting in less disposable income circulating among the people. Such conditions are likely to lead to the occurrence of financial crises and this is the reason why regulation of the financial sector is seen as a noble idea that can be implemented to reduce the chances of the same situation from happening again. However, regulation of the financial sector has got its own problems. A market economy should function freely and any form of regulation may gag the independence of the sector. Negative results are likely to be experienced and these may

The Sound of Music Essay Example for Free

The Sound of Music Essay The sound of music was by far the greatest musical success for the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. I chose this musical because of the lyrical and musical talent of these two men. I have enjoyed watching this classic numerous time throughout the years due to my mothers influence. She exposed my brother and I to many different types of music, teaching us to appreciate the style of each artist. The Sound of Music was directed and produced by Robert Wise, although he was not the first choice, he did indeed prove to be the best. Richard Rodgers wrote the music with the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The music was arranged and conducted by Irwin Kostal with the choreography by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. Filming of The Sound of Music began in 1964, in and around the area of Salzburg, Austria. It then premiered in early 1965, where it stayed on the circuit for more than four years. The film won five academy awards, including Best picture in 1966. The setting for the movie was to represent the late 1930s in Salzburg, Austria, with the looming threat of Nazi occupation. The movie was adapted from the real life stories of Maria von Trapp, who had a book published about her family life during this time. The title is The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The opening scene pans across the mountains with the sound of wind blowing snow as it crosses over and down the other side. Once the forest and lake come in to view the music changes to birds chirping and the light sound of flutes playing. It continues to pan across hills and valleys with the tempo (xxi) of the music changing as instruments are added. The scene unfolds reaching Julie Andrews up on a hilltop surrounded by mountains. Here the musics dynamic level (xxvii) becomes more intense. When she starts to sing the music decreases in volume, matching her vocal range as she sings the title theme. The music that accompanies the abbey scene shows nuns walking slowly, heads bowed as if in prayer, gives the impression of spiritual devotion and a peaceful setting. In the court yard several nuns are discussing Maria with the Reverend Mother and do a call-and-response type of song called Maria. Maria is sent to Captain von Trapps as a governess for his children. The music in these next few scenes has a dissonance quality that sets the mood for her arrival at the von Trapp household. Maria soon finds out how strict the Captain is with his children and that music is not allowed since the death of his wife. She decides that God has sent her to bring joy and music back into their lives. The children come to Marias room during a scary thunderstorm. She tries to calm them with a song called A Few of My Favorite Things. This is a very light, happy, rhyming song that soon has the children forgetting their fears and having some fun. That is until the Captain walks in with a frown and sends the children scurrying to their rooms. While the Captain is away in Vienna, Maria introduces the children to having fun with music. She takes them on an outing in the hills and finds out that they dont know any songs at all. Maria teaches them Do-Re-Mi which uses the scales and has a call-and-response theme. The harmony of this tune is a favorite of mine, showing the melody of the song and timbre of each voice. When the Captain returns with the Baroness and Uncle Max, the children sing for them the songs they have learned. The Captain joins in as they sing The Sound of Music, surprising the children. Later after the puppet show they encourage their father to sing. Playing an acoustic guitar, he sings Edlewise with Lisel joining him. The song is softly played with some instrumental backup that is almost undetected. The waltz between the Captain and Maria in the garden just outside the ballroom is another favorite of mine. The orchestra playing the tune with  violins and flutes primarily in the foreground, setting the tempo of the composition as they dance and discover the attraction they have for one another. Maria escapes to the abbey after realizing she is in love with him. The Reverend Mother talks Maria into going back to face the situation and determine if the life of a nun is what she truly wishes. Upon returning to the von Trapp estate, Maria finds out from the children that their father is to marry the Baroness. Maria is heartbroken but wishes them well as they greet her. After the evening meal Gaylord sees Maria looking gloomy as she wanders the grounds of the estate. He realizes he has made a mistake and breaks it off with the Baroness. He then seeks Maria out at the gazebo, where he tries to encourage her to tell him the reason she left. Soft music plays as they declare their love for each other, becoming much louder as they start singing Something Good. The wedding scene, the music here is a rendition of Maria but, bolder with a marching tempo to it, as she walks down the aisle. Upon returning from their honeymoon the couple find that the Nazis have occupied Austria and are expecting the Captain to take a commission in Germany Navy. They use the folk festival as a front as they look for a way to escape into the mountains. They end up with help from the nuns at the abbey to get away from the Germans, and they cross the mountains into Switzerland. The music of Climb every Mountain is a very dramatic song as they show them walking across the mountains into freedom.

United States Agency for International Development Africa

United States Agency for International Development Africa William H Goss As the process of globalization inexorably ties nations, regions, and continents into a greater interconnected web of interaction, the recognition emerges that the condition of a particular geopolitical location is bound to the condition of the world as a whole. Conflict, poverty, and disease in one country may have negative consequences for another despite great spatial distance. Conversely, improvements in governance, economics, and public health in even a single city or town may have positive reverberating effects across distant continents. In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) defines specific sectors such as Agriculture and Food Security, Education, Water and Sanitation, Crises and Conflict, and Global Health, and applies specific goals to each one. As a global actor, USAID approaches sub-Saharan African countries in west, east, and south sub-regions as individual cases in need of both immediate and long-term soluti ons for relief and development. USAID’s mission is shaped by the belief that improvements to a broad range of development sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa will enhance the national security of the United States. USAID operates through public-private collaborative efforts that provide financial and technical assistance in distinct but synergistic sectors. USAID is a relatively young governmental agency that has periodically shifted its organization and strategies to achieve evolving goals worldwide. USAID was created by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which consolidated existing foreign aid organizations under one agency (Ballantyne Dugan, 2012). From the onset, USAID leaders recognized the connection between international well-being and the well-being of the United States. In 1962 President John F. Kennedy addressed Congress, stating â€Å"Our efforts to help [other nations] help themselves, to demonstrate and strengthen the vitality of free institutions, are small in cost compared to our military outlays for the defense of freedom† (Ballantyne Dugan, 2012). Countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been a focus of USAID since its inception, and have become increasingly emphasized in recent times. In the 1960’s, USAID offered assistance in thirty-one sub-Saharan African countries in order to improve levels of education , agricultural productivity, and rural road development (Ballantyne Dugan, 2012). Today, there is a multifaceted USAID plan for forty-two countries in the region (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). The region of Sub-Saharan Africa, massive in terms of size and environmental, ethnic, and cultural diversity, possesses a complex series of human issues that are influenced by history, geography, and global interactions. Of all the countries in the world, the twenty-two lowest ranking on the Human Development Index a measure of an average citizen’s health, knowledge, and standard of living are all located in Africa (Marston et. al, 2014). European colonialism has left a legacy that continues to challenge African nations. During the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference, European powers created arbitrary boundaries on the African continent that grouped distinct and sometimes hostile ethnic, cultural, and religious populations together (Marston et. al, 2014). The transitions from colonial territories to independent nations were not uniform; instead, some countries developed stable, effective democracies while others are still marred with military dictatorships, corruption, and violence. Changes to infrastructure during Africa’s colonial period are still evidenced by the exportation of cash crops introduced by Europeans, such as tea plantations in Kenya and peanuts in Nigeria and Senegal (Marston et. al, 2014). Dependence upon a small group of agricultural exports, it can be argued, have made many African nations vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand and have likely contributed to low levels economic development. The essence of USAID’s motivation for its actions around the world and in sub-Saharan Africa rests on the premise that U.S. national security is bound to the stability of regions experiencing poverty, conflict, or other social issues. USAID defines itself as â€Å"[..] the lead government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential† (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). This mission statement is compatible with larger U.S. strategic imperatives in Africa. AFRICOM, a agency of the U.S. Defense department focused on military and strategic objectives in Africa, is one such partner. Sharon Cromer, the Senior Deputy Assistant Administer in USAID’s Bureau for Africa, stated to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights that â€Å"[†¦] USAID and AFRICOM engagement is mutually supportive of U.S. foreign policy objectives. [†¦] Instability, poverty, and diseas e travel with ease across oceans and borders† (U.S Congress, 2011). Despite the overarching goal of ensured U.S. security, however, USAID is unique from other U.S. governmental bodies in its focus on humanitarian aid in a wide range of categories. The ability to provide reliable sustenance is one of the most primeval combinations of skills and knowledge that enable a population to thrive and develop. But when geographical, ecological and historical factors impede a population’s ability to feed itself, the overall productivity and well-being of society deteriorates. With less than 30% of sub-Saharan African soil able to be cultivated in addition to the devastation that pests like locusts and the Quela bird can wreak on crops African populations have necessarily developed adaptations appropriate for their respective ecological area (Marston .et all, 2014). However, the impacts of colonialism’s emphasis on export crops, as well as the effects of global climate change, have reduced the capacity of agriculture to provide food within the region. One approach USAID has taken in the pursuit of greater food security has been to provide education and technical assistance in the field of agriculture. For example, since th e 1960’s USAID has supported institutions of higher learning such as Egerton College, a Kenyan university that leads the country’s study of agriculture and biotech (Toh, 2012). Another example of USAID’s effort to boost agricultural diversity can be found in developing dairy production in Kenya. Through the 1990’s and 2000’s, financial, technical, and training assistance were provided to the Siongiroi dairy plant, the success of which spurred economic growth in farming, transportation, and exchange (Toh, 2012). Even more immediate in necessity than nutritious food is safe, reliable water for drinking and sanitation. In the midst of violent conflict, access to water can become tenuous at best. Sudan experienced civil war from 1955 to 1972 and 1983 to 1995, killing and displacing millions of people in and around the country (Marston et. al, 2014). Furthermore, the conflict destroyed physical infrastructure and social cohesiveness essential to maintaining utilities. In the recently-independent country of South Sudan, for example, USAID estimates that at least 30% of the population lacks access to safe drinking water and only 13% has the opportunity to use sanitation facilities (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). To increase the availability of clean water, USAID has made partnerships with private corporations. In Wau, South Sudan, USAID teams repaired the defunct water-treatment facility and expanded its operations under the Wau Urban Water Corp (U.S. Agency for International De velopment, 2015). Public Health is a particularly salient developmental sector that has profound impacts on individuals, families, and communities in countries and around the world. The current Ebola epidemic in west sub-Saharan Africa has garnered widespread media attention and international responses. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is caused by four of the five strains of the Ebola virus, which is transmitted through the contact of bodily fluids and is fatal in up to 50% of cases (CDC, 2015). USAID sent a Disaster Assistance Relief Team (DART) to West Africa in August 2014 (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). In that month, the number of suspected, probable, and confirmed EVD cases was 1600, with 900 deaths. In April 2015, the total number of EVD cases was 26,277, with 10,884 deaths in the countries of Liberia, Sierra Leon, Guinea, and Mali (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). This epidemic constitutes the largest Ebola outbreak in history (CDC, 2015). With such tragically hig h death rates, the fear that the Ebola virus will continue to spread has infected the minds of many citizens and leaders in far away nations, including the United States. In order to combat the threat of a continuing Ebola virus epidemic and to provide relief and stabilization in affected countries, USAID has adopted a multifaceted approach that involves collaboration between other U.S. medical and military agencies, non-governmental organizations, and local people. USAID’s DART to West Africa â€Å"includes staff from [†¦] USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services† (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2015). Possessing a large budget and hierarchical structure overseeing specialized task forces, USAID is able to organize the distribution of funding, logistical transport of goods and people, and communication with other groups to achieve a particular goal. A major strength of USAID is its resource base and ability to deliver goods with flexibility, as well as communicate with other supportive organizations. Due to the highly contagious nature of EVD, health care practitioners in affected areas need specialized protective wear such as facemasks, gloves, and aprons to protect themselves from infection. In addition, sanitizing chemicals that can neutralize the virus from the equipment are of paramount necessity. One such chemical is High Test Hypochlorite (HTH), which due to its unstable chemical nature can cause explosions if handled incorrectly. To address this safety hazard, USAID organized the delivery via cargo ship of 53 metric tons of HTH to Guinea and 38 tons to Sierra Leone, which was then distributed by truck to necessary areas (Han, 2015). Logistical assistance such as this contributes to the overall goals of containment and treatment of EVD. In the countries of Sierra Leon, Guinea, and Liberia –which have been the most heavily infected during the Ebola crisis – the dissemination of factual information to the public helps dispel myths that have inadvertently help the disease spread. Such myths held by some Liberians include the belief that the Ebola Virus is a hoax, or that patients who go to treatment clinics are experimented on (Mobula 2014). Such myths can dissuade people who are infected or at risk of infection from seeking treatment and spread the disease to others. In a country with fractured communication systems, it can be difficult to reach the ears of the larger community with clarifying information. USAID has partnered with a NGO called Internews that supports Guinean Journalists to cover stories about Ebola (Han, 2015). Some of the most effective reporting has come from within Ebola treatment centers, where interviews with health care providers, patients, and survivors transmitted via radio help to gain the trust and respect of listening native audiences. One contributing factor to the proliferation of EVD in West African countries has been the overall lack or underdevelopment of health care facilities, trained practitioners, and infrastructure. In Liberia for example, one of USAID’s focuses is to continue to develop public health services even as the number of Ebola patients continues to fall. This action is taken in the belief that future outbreaks of infectious diseases will be better able to be contained. In Liberia, USAID funded a training program that worked with a Johns-Hopkins affiliated organization called Jhpiego to instruct health care workers on proper techniques for treating EVD infected patients while remaining safe themselves (Dale, 2015). The medical knowledge specific to the Ebola virus that has been acquired and spread will also be valuable in a broader public health context. It is difficult to assess completely the complex interactions of agriculture and education, humanitarian conflicts and drinking water access, and public health in a global context. That being said, global actors such as USAID theorize that positive developments in distinct but synergistic sectors will amplify to reach the greater good of all. In sub-Saharan African countries facing social or environmental problems, USAID works to implement immediate and long-term solutions for relief and development. Through public-private collaborative efforts, USAID funds and supplies progressive actions in mutually-supportive sectors of development. Works Cited Ballantyne, J., Dugan, M. (Eds.). (2012). Fifty Years in USAID: Stories From the Front Lines. Arlington Hall Press. Coordinating Africa Policy on Security, Counterterrorism, Humanitarian Operations and Development, House of Representatives, 112th Congress. (2011). Dale, K. (2015, April 6). Moving Beyond Ebola: Rebuilding Liberias Health Care System. Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://blog.usaid.gov/2015/04/moving-beyond-ebola- rebuilding-liberias-health-care-system/ Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. (2015, April 14). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/ Han, C. (2015, April 10). How Guinea’s Journalists Are Fighting to Win the War Against Ebola. Retrieved April 26, 2015, from http://blog.usaid.gov/2015/04/how-guineas-journalists- are-fighting-to-win-the-war-against-ebola/ Han, C. (2015, March 10). USAID Takes to the High Seas to Bring Reinforcements to Guinea’s Ebola Fight. Retrieved April 26, 2015, from http://blog.usaid.gov/2015/03/usaid-takes-to- the-high-seas-to-bring-reinforcements-to-guineas-ebola-fight-2/ Mobula, L.M. (2014). Courage is not the absence of fear: responding to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Glob Health Sci Pract. 487-489. from:http://www.researchgate.net/publication/271331527_Courage_is_not_the_absence_ of_fear_responding_to_the_Ebola_outbreak_in_Liberia Marston, S., Knox, P., Liverman, D., Del Casino, V., Robbins, P. (2014). World Regions in Global Context (5th ed.). Pearson Education. Onishi, N. (2015, April 11). Empty Ebola Clinics in Liberia Are Seen as Misstep in U.S. Relief Effort. Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/world/africa/idle-ebola-clinics-in-liberia-are-seen- as-misstep-in-us-relief-effort.html?_r=0 Toh, K. (2012). Long-Term Perspectives on Aid and Development in Africa. Fifty Years in USAID: Stories From the Front Lines. Arlington Hall Press. U.S. Agency for International Development. (2015, May 4). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.usaid.gov/ United States Africa Command. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.africom.mil/ Urban, A. (2015, April 15). Working to Beat Ebola Along the Border. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://blog.usaid.gov/2015/04/working-to-beat-ebola-along-the-border/

A World Unknown (my Trip To Europe) Essay -- essays research papers

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed about traveling overseas. Strange lands, exciting places, and new cultures have always fascinated me. I've always wondered what it would be like to speak another language, to grow up learning different customs, or to live in a completely different way than I do now. This past summer my dream finally came true. I got to travel to England, France, Switzerland, and Germany with Mme. Kelly and five other girls, and suddenly the world was at my fingertips. England's green hills and city life is unforgettable. Kensington, Westminster Abby, and Piccadelli Circus are just a few parts of London full of historic cathedrals, quaint little cafes, and amazing shopping places. Harrods, where the royal family shops, supposedly sales any and everything. My favorite experience in London was riding The Underground to see the broadway play Fosse and watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. England overall isn't too different from the States. The same language is spoken and their currency, the pound, is very similar to an U.S. dollar. However, driving on the left side of the road is hard to get use to. The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, The Lourve, The obelisk, La Place de la Concorde, and Notre Dame are all located in the heart of Paris, France. Paris with its French cuisine, romantic atmosphere and historical self-being fills you with a sense of complete contentment. I'll never forget sitting at a French cafe, eating a baguette, ...

Shakespeares Macbeth - The Two Sided Lady Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Two Sided Lady Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the main characters in the Shakespearean play Macbeth, is the wife of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth.   Lady Macbeth is a very two sided character in this play.   She consistently acts differently when she is with her husband than she does when she is not.   There are various examples of this exhibitied in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most notable examples of this is contained in Act I Scene v when Lady Macbeth reads the letter written to her by Macbeth.   Shortly after reading it, she makes the comment that she feels Macbeth is too kind to   murder Duncan and that he will need her help, strength, and willpower to   commit it.   However, after she hears that Macbeth is returning home, she calls   upon evil spirits and other demonic entities to give her some aid.   She does   this because she realizes that she doesn’t have the strength of will to persuade   Macbeth into murdering Duncan after all.   Then, when Macbeth arrived, just   after she finished praying for help, she acts as if she has a heart of stone and   that Macbeth is not a man if he is afraid of killing Duncan.   This is a prime   example of her deception towards him, and how she acts differently when she   is alone than when she is around him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another example of her being two sided is the role she talks about   playing in Duncan’s death, and the role that she actually does play in it. There are a few times in the play, mostly when she is attempting to persuade   Macbeth into committing the murder, that she says he should just leave the murder to her.   Throughout the play she gradually decreases her role in the murder until it becomes Macbeth’s job to kill Duncan, not hers.   This is another very large trick on her part, but one that Macbeth also fails to see;   Whether it is because he chooses not to, or because he is too naive to realize it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last noteworthy example of her inconsistency occurs between Act I Scene vii and Act II Scene ii.   In Act I Scene vii she severely scolds Macbeth for having second thoughts about committing the murder.   She tries to get rid of his rational thoughts by saying that he must not really love her if he can change his mind on the murder, which she says he promised her he would do.

The Strange Neighbour

Mr and Mrs Brown and their two children decided to go on a holiday on Monday 22nd of December. The day was cold and windy. Mr Brown's mother did not want to go with them, so she decided to stay alone, but Mr Brown did not want his mother to stay alone so he asked one of their neighbour Mr Collins to come and stay with his mother while they are on holiday. Mr Collins was about 25 years old. He was a very interesting person to know. He was friendly but quiet and never said much about his family or friends. Normally every morning he would say hello and smile! Every morning, Monday to Saturday he would go to work from 9 am to 7 pm. Then he would go home make some dinner for himself and then sometimes go and see Mr Brown and his family to have a cup of tea together and talk for a while. They would never talk about anything so personal. Mr Brown and his family after making all the arrangements with Mr Collins left for their holiday to Scotland by car. After reaching their destination safely they phoned their mother to say they have reached safely by car and asked how she was. Afterwards Mr Brown spoke to Mr Collins, just to say hello and to make sure if everything is all right. The next morning Mr Collins went to work after having his breakfast, Mrs Brown made him bacon and eggs for breakfast. He said, â€Å"thank you and bye†. She then had her breakfast and got dressed afterwards. She went of to do the daily shopping at the local supermarket. On her way back home, she went to see her very close friend Mrs Robertson. They had a cup of tea together and gossiped for a while. Then she came back home and prepared dinner. She felt bit alone but she preferred being independent as she liked to be on her own at times, and also liked to do things alone during the day time, but still she missed her family very much. Mr Collins came home and had dinner. He watched TV for a while and then went to sleep. This is what use to happen everyday. A week had passed and it was Tuesday evening, Mr Collins started being very strange and mysterious. Whenever Mr Brown's mother used to take out her jewellery or her money, he would look at her very strangely. On that night he went to sleep bit late compared to other nights. Normally he sleep's by 10 pm. On the morning of Thursday Mr Collins went to work the usual time and returned home at the usual time. Mr and Mrs Brown and their two children were returning home on Friday. Mr Brown's mother was getting excited and was happy that Mr Brown and family were returning home next day. The next day was Friday. Mr and Mrs Brown and their two children were returning home in about three hours. Mr Collins got his things together to go home. He went home and said bye and left in a strange way he looked very strange and worried. Mr Brown's mother closed the door and then went into the kitchen to prepare lunch for Mr & Mrs Brown and their two children as they were going to return home in about one and a half hours. After she made lunch she went upstairs to get dressed and went to take her jewellery out, so she opened her cupboard, but she could not find her jewellery so she got worried. She went to see if her money was their but all of her money had disappeared as well. She then realised that she had been robbed also all her expensive things had been stolen. She called the police; they came just when Mr Brown and his family arrived. She told the police what had happened and also mentioned who was staying with her while her family had gone on a holiday. The police went to Mr Collins house, there was no one there and all his things had gone. They tried looking for him for many years but they never found him. Mr Brown and his family came to know that was the last they saw of him.

Bank Bailout 2008

Bank Bailout Outline I. Introduction II. Background III. Opposition’s point 1, refute, 1st support for thesis. a. Credit Card Act of 2009 b. No Change at all, Banks still operating the same way IV. Opposition’s point 2, refute, 2nd support for thesis. a. Creation of TARP b. $12. 2 trillion dollars of tax dollars were spent wrong c. TARP allowed many banks to allow credit again d. A majority of banks have paid back TARP money e. After TARP, Economy boosted V. Opposition’s point 3, refute, 3rd support for thesis a. Toxic assets cannot be removed easily b. Government takes more cost, then expects c.Economy will decline with removal of assets VI. 4th support for thesis a. Increased national debt b. Politicians were forced to sign this bill c. No solving of problems â€Å"Let’s hope we are all wealthy and retired by this house of cards falters† (Bloomberg, 2007). The credit crisis is known as the â€Å"House of Cards†, for years the banking indust ry has transformed many American lives, which has resulted in a troublesome economy. Many factors led to the credit crisis, such as the rise and fall of the housing market, and inaccurate credit ratings helped to create the sub-prime mortgage crisis (Issues & Controversies, 2010).Low interest rates developed easy credit, in which people could get a mortgage and credit cards based on inaccurate credit ratings with the creation of sub-prime mortgages. People have the ability to own a home, with no down payment or fixed income. In August of 2007, the United States began a loss of confidence in securitized mortgages, which resulted in the Federal Reserve injecting $20 trillion dollars into the financial markets to ease the situation (â€Å"Obama Sends Warning to Big Banks, 2010).The most important question to be answered in the decade is â€Å"How a loss of $500 billion dollars from the sub-prime mortgage resulted in a $20 trillion dollar loss in equity values and an entire shock to t he world’s financial system† (Woellert & Kopecki, 2007). The United States government should not have given the financial institutions bailout money, because financial institutions using loop holes in the system to take advantage of their clients, financial institutions operations have stayed the same, and the government’s belief of a tree market economy goes against the bailout.The credit crisis is a â€Å"worldwide financial fiasco, which resulting from sub-prime mortgages, Collateralized Debit Obligations, Frozen credit markets, and credit default swaps† (Jarvis, 2009). The credit crisis brings two people together, people on Main Street and investors. The people on Main Street represent their mortgages or houses, while investors represent their money, which also represents big institutions such as pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds; sovereign funds (Jarvis, 2009). These groups brought through the financial system, composed of banks and bro kers on Wall Street.As a result of the September 11th attack, Chairman Allen Greenspan lowered interest rates only to 1%, to allow credit to flow; however, investors have a very low return on investment (Snow, 2008). By lowering interest rates, it allows for banks to only borrow money from the Federal Government for 1% plus the surpluses from the Asian and Middle East market, which makes borrowing money easy for banks and to allow leverage (Adding up the Government’s Total Bailout Tab, 2009). The definition of leverage is, â€Å"borrowing money to amplify the outcome of a deal† and is a major way banks make their money (Princeton University, 2010).Wall Street takes out a majority of loans and uses leverage to their advantage, and a heavy flow of capital comes in. In which return, they pay back their original investment. The investors notice that Wall Street is making money very fast, and they want to create a new product to sell to Wall Street. The mortgage connects th e home buyer with a mortgage lender on Wall Street who gives them a mortgage, which is great because housing prices throughout America have been rising (â€Å"Bailed out banks†, 2010).The mortgage lender gets a call from an investment banker who wants to buy the mortgage; and the lender sells it to him, and the investment brokers buys thousands of mortgages. Every month the investment banker gets the payments from all the mortgages that he purchased from the box and cuts the box into three slices â€Å"Safe, Ok and Risky†, and then he packs the slices into the box and calls it a Collateralized debt obligation or â€Å"CDO† (Woellert & Kopecki, 2007).However, greed has risen to the investment banker and wants’ more mortgages; however, the lender does not have any more mortgages to sell, because everyone who has qualified for a mortgage already has one; and the birth of the sub-prime mortgage is born. With a standard loan, the homeowner had to prove his wor th of a home, such as a job, good standing citizen, and assets. However, with a subprime mortgage, it was basically like free money. The person did not have to state their income, nor prove that you had a job.The investment banker and the lender are taking a risk, because if a home owner defaults on their mortgage, the lender gets the house and sells the house for a profit because home values have been increasing (Issues & Controversies, 2010). While home values have been increasing, American incomes have been plummeting for years; and because of sub-prime mortgages, the person did not have to prove income, a person with a $30 thousand dollar income; could own a $300 thousand dollar home. Many people defaulted on their mortgages, and foreclosures have been on the rise. In the United States, foreclosures were up 81% in 2008 and up 225% from 206†, which equals out to 19 per 1,000 households (CBS News, 2008). Due to there was a huge increase in foreclosures, instead of housing pr ices increasing; the houses values decreased in value very quickly and resulted in more foreclosures. A $300 thousand dollar mortgages was now only worth $75 thousand dollars. So all the mortgages that was in the investment banker CDO, now are worthless, and no one wants’ to take the CDO, and now the CDO is acting like a bomb (Roney, 2007).The investment banker is now panicking because he borrowed millions of dollars to buy the mortgage, and now he cannot get rid of it; however he is not the only one. Thousands of investment bankers throughout the world have CDO’s on their hand (Bailed out banks, 2010). In result the world’s financial system has become frozen, and everyone starts going bankrupt. As a result of the failure, the United States government rolls out a new program called Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to prevent another bank failure.Under the bank bailout, creation of new legislation to protect the consumer has rapidly increased, and supporters of the bank bailout point to the Credit Card Act of 209. Not only were subprime mortgages affected, but due to the freeze in the credit market in the United States government needed a way to regulate the credit card industry, but also to stimulate spending. Under the Credit Card Act of 2009, they require the financial institutions to give the cardholders 45 day’s notice of any interest rate change and financial institutions are prohibited from using misleading terms such as â€Å"prime or fixed rate† (The White House, 2009).With this legislation in place, it protects the consumer from many of the scams that the mortgage industry used as bait to get clients into buying houses they could not afford, using the subprime mortgages (Roney, 2007). But also it allows for Congress to embrace new regulations placed on the financial institutions. The Credit Card Act of 2009 that has become part of the famous bank bailout, however, it has been shown to protect the consumer, and Co ngress will regulate the new rules placed on financial institutions.For example, â€Å"there is no cap on the interest rate the credit card companies can charge†, and while credit card companies cannot increase you interest rate but only if you are late on a payment, â€Å"However future purchases interest rates can be raised with no reason† (White, 2010). The credit card companies have the ability to raise the interest rate on any purchases, while they must still notify you of the higher interest rate, the ballooning of the interest rate can take place at any time.This is exactly the same measures the financial institutions have used to misinform their consumers and â€Å"kick them when they are down† and â€Å"corrupt the middle class of America† (White, 2010). How the subprime mortgage boomed, had to come from the terms that many of the average consumers cannot understand, and a major aftermath of the subprime/credit crisis, occurred when many people d efaulted on their homes and credit cards (Roney, 2007).Then the mortgage and home will not exist for the family any more, and the credit card companies will balloon their interest rate enough so that the card holders will not be able to pay their credit card/mortgage. In which then the financial institution hounds them and attacks them at their core roots and even calls other family members to alert them of the card holder financial problems because they cannot pay their bills. The banking and financial institution have not taken any actions to prevent another credit crisis from happening again.Supporters of the bank bailout, commonly referred to as TARP, argue that the bailout wiped all the bad toxic assets (CDO’s) which were collected as result of the credit crisis and prevented the assets from hurting the financial institutions. The major recipients were Freddie Mac; and Fannie Mae. Both were government owned enterprises which bought a majority of the sub-prime mortgages ( Roney, 2007). Removing the bad assets from the financial institutions will have a positive effect on the economy because it allows banks to start lending again and unfreeze the markets.Under TARP, some mortgages would require the government to rewrite some of the effected loans, effectively putting more Americans into homes that they will be able to afford and by rewriting the loans also increase the standard of living. John Douglas, general counsel at the FDIC, said, â€Å"It doesn’t make sense to give the authority to anybody else but the FDIC†; he goes on to say â€Å"That’s what the FDIC does, it takes the bad assets out of the banks and manages them and sells them† (Vekshin & Schmidt, 2009). However, the supporters of the bank bailout do not represent correct/valid points/facts.In a study by the IMF of the 124 banking crisis, they have concluded: Existing empirical research has shown that providing assistance to banks and their borrowers can be count erproductive, resulting in increased losses to banks, which often abuse forbearance to take unproductive risks at government expense. The typical result of forbearance is a deeper hole in the net worth of banks, crippling tax burdens to finance bank bailouts, and even more severe credit supply contraction and economic decline than would have occurred in the absence of forbearance. Valencia & Laeven, 2008) As a result of the IMF study, it has concluded that removing the bad toxic assets from the banks could actually hurt the financial institutions and a system as a whole could freeze the credit markets again with a result of an economic decline, instead of an economic incline. Also there is no definition of a troubled market or loan. If the government wants to rewrite troubled mortgages or loans, there are no set criteria to say whether a mortgage or loan should be taken by the government and given to the troubled family.Another point, as Steward said, â€Å"The only way for this pr ogram to work is for enough of the bad mortgages/loans to be purchased to connivance lenders that the problem mortgages cannot hurt the system, or to put in simple terms, the government has to purchase enough mortgages/loans to inspire intra- institution (Stewart, 2008) Furthermore, the institutions will sell the assets that will remain depressed in value; and â€Å"no one is going to sell a asset that has a higher chance of making the institution money (Obama Sends Warning to Big Banks, 2010). In result, under TARP the government has a high probability of taking a majority of the loss.With the bank bailout, the economy will decline, and the government will take a great loss of the bank bailout. Supporters of the bank bailout will say that if the government did not step in and inject $20 trillion dollars into the market, an economic collapse could have happened and set America into another Great Depression. A heavy incline of unemployment; foreclosures were through the roof, a majo r decline in incomes (Solomon, Enrich, & Hilsenrath, 2009). America was becoming a very sick nation, and the bank bailout would help the economy and stimulate the financial institutions to help start lending and unfreeze the credit market.As one writer wrote, â€Å"there was at no time better to inject the financial institutions at this time, if they collapse it may be the sign of the apocalypse† (Bailed out banks, 2010)/ If there was no bank bailout, there is a major chance that this will be a sign of the apocalypse because the United States drives the world and if the major financial institutions such as Bank of America or Merrill Lynch fails then the world economy could ultimately send the world in to another Great Depression.The major reason that the American government should not have passed the bank bailout was the cost to the government. Under the Bush administration, the national debit doubled to a record high $10 trillion dollars (Solomon, Enrich, & Hilsenrath, 2009) . There are more programs that the government has to pay for such as Social Security. Many economists call this the â€Å"polluter pays† which is defined as â€Å"polluters must pay for the cost of cleaning it up† (Princeton University, 2010).When the financial industry is bailed out of disasters, which a majority of the time throughout history, they have created those disasters. If the banking industry feels like they can be bailed out every time they make a major mistake, then the American people will pay because the bank bailout is directly connected to the taxpayer’s funds (Obama sends warning to Big Banks, 2010).A price tag of $700 billion dollar bailout has hidden costs which can go high as $3 trillion dollars, which can â€Å"be the shortfall between the economies potential output and its actual output from the crisis† (Issues & Controversies, 2010). Another factor in the bank bailout is the morality, because the banks do not pay the costs that are imposed on a world society, which the tax payers pay directly into the banks and then the banks pay back into the government. Also, the political had a major role in deciding to pass the bank bailout.A senator said, â€Å"We had no choice. We had a gun pointed at our heads. Without the bailout, things would have been even worse† (Woellert & Kopecki, 2007). While politicians did not have an actual gun to their head, figuratively speaking because they had a oversight on â€Å"saving the banks and shareholders† or â€Å"have saved the banks but let the bankers and shareholders go† because of the final tap that American tax payer will have to pay to the bailout the banks that created this mess (Solomon, Enrich, & Hilsenrath, 2009).The bank bailout was a major mistake in the evolution of the financial world because it did not solve any problems; people can still be charged higher interest rates on their credit cards/mortgages. With TARP, there is no true removal of the bad assets that caused the credit crisis to form the bank bailouts; it only hurts the government because it has to take on the debt. Truly, we have stroke the core of the American people with the credit crisis, but at the same time the financial world has been given more powers and in a free market enterprise, the credit crisis can happen again at any moment.