Free Essays on Around The World In 80 Days

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is a novel about the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his servant Passerpartout. One day while Phileas Fogg is with some friends, he reads in a newspaper that it is possible to travel around the world in eighty days. No one believes this is true, except Phileas. Then Phileas bets them that he could make the journey in eighty or under days, and then leaves along with his servant immediately. The thing Jules Verne concentrates most on during Around the World in Eighty Days is how precise Phileas Fogg is. In the beginning, Mr. Fogg fires his servant because the water he brought him to shave in was four degrees of the correct temperature. I thought this was quite comic. When Mr. Fogg hires Passerpartout, he instructs him exactly when to prepare breakfast, exactly how hot his water should be and many other silly things. When Phileas is talking to his friends after making his bet he told them exactly when he would return and exactly where he would be. One thing about Around the World in Eighty Days is this entire notion of taking eighty days to travel around the world. When Jules Verne wrote this book, he probably had no idea about how much the world would advance. Today, with the technology we have, we can physically travel around the world in about a day. But also today, we have the power to travel around the world in about eight seconds with computers.... Free Essays on Around The World In 80 Days Free Essays on Around The World In 80 Days Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is a novel about the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his servant Passerpartout. One day while Phileas Fogg is with some friends, he reads in a newspaper that it is possible to travel around the world in eighty days. No one believes this is true, except Phileas. Then Phileas bets them that he could make the journey in eighty or under days, and then leaves along with his servant immediately. The thing Jules Verne concentrates most on during Around the World in Eighty Days is how precise Phileas Fogg is. In the beginning, Mr. Fogg fires his servant because the water he brought him to shave in was four degrees of the correct temperature. I thought this was quite comic. When Mr. Fogg hires Passerpartout, he instructs him exactly when to prepare breakfast, exactly how hot his water should be and many other silly things. When Phileas is talking to his friends after making his bet he told them exactly when he would return and exactly where he would be. One thing about Around the World in Eighty Days is this entire notion of taking eighty days to travel around the world. When Jules Verne wrote this book, he probably had no idea about how much the world would advance. Today, with the technology we have, we can physically travel around the world in about a day. But also today, we have the power to travel around the world in about eight seconds with computers....

General Braxton Bragg in the Civil War

General Braxton Bragg in the Civil War Braxton Bragg - Early Life: Born March 22, 1817, Braxton Bragg was the son of a carpenter in Warrenton, NC. Educated locally, Bragg yearned to be accepted by the higher elements of antebellum society. Often rejected as a young man, he developed an abrasive personality that became one of his trademarks. Leaving North Carolina, Bragg enrolled at West Point. A gifted student, he graduated in 1837, ranked fifth in a class of fifty, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd US Artillery. Sent south, he played an active role in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and later traveled to Texas following the American annexation. Braxton Bragg - Mexican-American War: With tensions heightening along the Texas-Mexico border, Bragg played a key role in the defense of Fort Texas (May 3-9, 1846). Effectively working his guns, Bragg was brevetted to captain for his performance. With the relief of the fort and the opening of the Mexican-American War, Bragg became part of Major General Zachary Taylors Army of Occupation. Promoted to captain in the regular army in June 1846, he took part in the victories at the Battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista, earning brevet promotions to major and lieutenant colonel. During the Buena Vista campaign, Bragg befriended the commander of the Mississippi Rifles, Colonel Jefferson Davis. Returning to frontier duty, Bragg earned a reputation as a strict disciplinarian and an obsessive follower of military procedure. This reputedly led to two attempts on his life by his men in 1847. In January 1856, Bragg resigned his commission and retired to the life of a sugar planter in Thibodaux, LA. Known for his military record, Bragg became active with the state militia with the rank of colonel. Braxton Bragg - Civil War: Following Louisianas secession from the Union on January 26, 1861, Bragg was promoted to major general in the militia and given command of forces around New Orleans. The following month, with the Civil War about to begin, he was transferred to the Confederate Army with the rank of brigadier general. Ordered to lead Southern troops around Pensacola, FL, he oversaw the Department of West Florida and was promoted to major general on September 12. The following spring, Bragg was directed to bring his men north to Corinth, MS to join General Albert Sidney Johnstons new Army of Mississippi. Leading a corps, Bragg took part in the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1862. In the fighting, Johnston was killed and command devolved to General P.G.T. Beauregard. After the defeat, Bragg was promoted to general and, on May 6, given command of the army. Shifting his base to Chattanooga, Bragg began planning a campaign into Kentucky with the goal of bringing the state into the Confederacy. Capturing Lexington and Frankfort, his forces began moving against Louisville. Learning of the approach of superior forces under Major General Don Carlos Buell, Braggs army fell back to Perryville. On October 8, the two armies fought to a draw at the Battle of Perryville. Though his men had gotten the better of the fighting, Braggs position was precarious and he elected to fall back through the Cumberland Gap into Tennessee. On November 20, Bragg renamed his force the Army of Tennessee. Assuming a position near Murfreesboro, he fought Major General William S. Rosecranss Army of the Cumberland on December 31, 1862-January 3, 1863. After two days of heavy fighting near Stones River, which saw Union troops repel two major Confederate attacks, Bragg disengaged and fell back to Tullahoma, TN. In the wake of the battle, several of his subordinates lobbied to have him replaced citing the failures at Perryville and Stones River. Unwilling to relieve his friend, Davis, now the Confederate president, instructed the General Joseph Johnston, commander of Confederate forces in the West, to relieve Bragg if he though it necessary. Visiting the army, Johnston found morale to be high and retained the unpopular commander. On June 24, 1863, Rosecrans initiated a brilliant campaign of maneuver which forced Bragg out of his position at Tullahoma. Falling back to Chattanooga, insubordination from his subordinates worsened and Bragg began to find orders being ignored. Crossing the Tennessee River, Rosecrans began pushing into northern Georgia. Reinforced by Lieutenant General James Longstreets corps, Bragg moved south to intercept the Union troops. Engaging Rosecrans at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 18-20, Bragg won a bloody victory and forced Rosecrans to retreat to Chattanooga. Following, Braggs army penned the Army of the Cumberland in the city and laid siege. While the victory allowed Bragg to transfer out many of his enemies, dissent continued to foment and Davis was forced to visit the army to assess the situation. Electing to side with his former comrade, he decided to leave Bragg in place and denounced those generals who opposed him. To save Rosecrans army, Major General Ulysse S. Grant was dispatched with reinforcements. Opening a supply line to the city, he prepared to attack Braggs lines atop heights that surrounded Chattanooga. With Union strength growing, Bragg elected to detach Longstreets corps to capture Knoxville. On November 23, Grant opened the Battle of Chattanooga. In the fighting, Union troops succeeded in driving Braggs men off of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The Union attack on the latter shattered the Army of Tennessee and sent it retreating towards Dalton, GA. On December 2, 1863, Bragg resigned from command of the Army of Tennessee and traveled to Richmond the following February to serve as Davis military advisor. In this capacity he successfully worked to make the Confederacys conscription and logistical systems function more efficiently. Returned to the field, he was given command of the Department of North Carolina on November 27, 1864. Moving through several coastal commands, he was at Wilmington in January 1865, when Union forces won the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. During the fighting, he was unwilling to move his men from the city to aid the fort. With Confederate armies crumbling, he briefly served in Johnstons Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Bentonville and ultimately surrendered to Union forces near Durham Station. Braxton Bragg - Later Life: Returning to Louisiana, Bragg oversaw the New Orleans Waterworks and later became chief engineer for the state of Alabama. In this role he oversaw numerous harbor improvements at Mobile. Moving to Texas, Bragg worked as a railroad inspector until his sudden death on September 27, 1876. Though a brave officer, Braggs legacy was tarnished by his severe disposition, lack of imagination on the battlefield, and unwillingness to follow-up successful operations. Selected Sources Civil War: Braxton BraggCivil War Trust: General Braxton BraggGeneral Braxton Bragg

Consumers' Unethical Belief and Attitude toward Counterfeiting Essay

Consumers' Unethical Belief and Attitude toward Counterfeiting - Essay Example The main issue is the consumer has the benefit of choice. A product may be counterfeit. But it may be as good as or better than the original. The customer is in no position to ascertain the true value of the product unless he buys it. However, his unethical belief may be product-specific. He may or may not be willing to test counterfeits of each and every product. For instance, clothes. The fashion business is highly fluid in the matter of originals and counterfeits (Ha, Sejin & Lennon, Sharron, 2006). Depending on the government's strength and the rule of law prevalent in the region, the consumer's reliance on counterfeits may be rewarding or counterproductive and the question of ethics does not bother the consumer because he has paid for the goods even if it is counterfeit (Tatnall, Professor Arthur, 2008). Consumer's belief and attitude rotates around the single, dominant factor that he is paying for the product and hence it does not matter if the product is counterfeit. If the counterfeit provides him with as much or better services than the original, his purchase of such goods does not bother him at all on the matter of ethics. It is true that an informed society is more tolerant of unethical belief. It also has a higher anti-business attitude because there is greater awareness of what is going on in big business houses. Big business houses have problems with ethics (Friedman, Hershey H et al, 2008, p38). They make choices between the greater evil and the lesser evil in the regular course of their business. This does not get reflected in their balance sheets or profit and loss account. They have to gloss them over. With globalization and use of the information technology, large (and even small) business houses make no bones about dubious business practices. The original manufacture too deigns to resort to counterfeiting to realize cost and other benefits. The practice is too ingrained and enmeshed between the original and the counterfeit to separate one from another. Nothing is lost in the process except consumer's cynicism and respect for the original (Decker, Melissa A, 2004, p6). In the ultimate analysis, it is difficult to hold on to ethics and do business at the same time. By our view of ethics, we even blame the Almighty for committing many blunders. Also, the different shades of ethics do not have the same order of value in the eyes of different individuals. The world highly differs in ethical standards between individuals. Business must serve its own interests, setting the best examples in the process. Sometimes, their choice may not appear morally correct. Technically, however, business may not have committed any offence. Nonetheless, if the consumer is unhappy with a company's stance, it will result in anti-big business attitude (Sender, Katherine, 2002). Consumers with more tolerant of unethical belief will have lower social cost of counterfeit attitude If the consumer takes social cost into account, he will not be able to make use of his freedom of choice. The

Ethnic Views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnic Views - Essay Example Settling in a different context would also result to cultural conflict where the dominant group isolates the minorities due to ethnic and other differences. In this text two incidences; the myth of the Latin women and the American dreamer will be explored to portray how cultural conflicts occur and lead to stereotyping. Fredrickson, M. George put forward four models of ethnic relations and how they are embraced as well as their effects on the affected parties. In this case one-way simulation, a model that tries to forcefully integrate the immigrants into the new ways of the native people in America will be analyzed in the two narratives above and the specific cases outlined to relate the cases occurrences with the model as postulated by Fredrickson. The American dreamer The American Dreamer is a narrative of an Indian woman; specifically from the Bengali speaking tribe who went to study in Canada in the 50s only to be met with harsh racial sentiments and highly contrasting cultural p erspectives that makes her to forget her real identity in a confused racial conflict situation. The hierarchical classification society that she was used to was replaced by a contradicting westernized lifestyle that encompasses virtually everything that her cultural background describes as social norms. The westernized ways of life such as 5 minutes wedding in a lawyer’s office was the climax of departure from a well structured cultural that the writer has abandoned and tries to fit in to a different cultural perspective that is not welcoming. This makes the writer and her family to move to the United States, where she becomes a committed immigrant from being detached onlookers that she had been reduced to. The writer later becomes an advocate of integration among cultures and critically discourages the idea of cultural retentions, a view that did not go well with many scholars and especially those of Indian origin who blames her for leaving her culture, and advocating agains t those cultural lines in America. The writer describes America as having a good bill of rights meaning, that there were chances of equal treatment among the cultures with increased advocacy. Analysis From the story above, Fredrickson model of one way assimilation is evident in both the Canadian and the US platforms though on a lesser extent on the latter. One way assimilation recognizes that humans are equal in treatment and rights, but on terms that strictly specify that the native or dominant culture; in this case the American culture is more superior, pure and has to remain unchanged by the immigrants or new cultures from outside the American culture (Frederickson, 635). This was observed when in 1994 when the Florida Lake country School board announces it policy that required that all middle class teachers to instruct their students that American culture, meaning the European-American culture was â€Å"inherently superior† to other foreign or historic cultures. The case of some of Indian born academics in the US campuses appointing themselves as the guardians of the purity of ethnic cultures also portrays a case of one way assimilation, and this explains their disgust with the writer’s efforts. The myth of the Latin woman This case is a case of stereotyping and culture a conflict between a student of the Hispanic origin and the English culture in Britain. The student is humiliated and undergoes psychological torture as the English speakers isolate her due to her Hispanic looks and view her

A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice Essay Example for Free

A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice Essay This article has responded to both internal and external forces resulting from gradual and dramatic transitions based on historical perspectives. This has permitted a reasonable reflection and a sense of wisdom that is susceptible to loss when one engages in it. The underlying reason is the critical dimension to the present day events and issues analysis resulting from the broadened reading culture. In the late 20th century, reading became a recognized study field with systematic research programs aiming at ascertaining its fundamental nature and its acquisition process. This resulted from the confluence of social, educational, political and economic factors. Quantitative and qualitative changes in U. S. public schools’ systems after the World War II provided favorable environment for the reading transitions. Reading processes and skills were broken down into constituent parts which were practiced and reinforced in a systematic and orderly manner during classroom sections. Reading became a conditioned behavior based on certain environmental contingencies. Individuals positively responded to learning from repeated and controlled stimulation from the environment. This stimulus-response relationship was accompanied by rewards and punishments led to the habituation of the reading act (Alexander Fox, 2004). Therefore, academic learning involved identification of the preferred behaviors prerequisites and training. This aimed at untangling the chained links in reading so as to train the learner in each component skill. In addition, material effectiveness was structured and controlled in the delivery of environmental stimulation and practice opportunities. Emphasis on studying observable behavior focused on reading as a perceptual activity which included identification of visual signals and validating diagnostic instruments and remedial techniques. However, alternative human learning theories which focused on perceptual process as a whole still operated on underground which examined that reading is per introspection rather than through behavior. Human beings could make a coherent sense out of the perceptional data through whole-word recognition, context comprehension and word identification thus considering reading as a unique human activity owning definitive characteristics. Increased interest in internal mental structures and processes ignited by the advancements in neurology and artificial intelligence has caused transformations in the learning institutions. Moreover, the dissatisfaction with behaviorism as an explanatory system caused changes. The article points that present institutions should conceptualize learning as a natural process rather than conditioning and that language should be developed through a meaningful use. Also learning to read should be viewed as an inherent ability rather than a reflective action with laborious skill acquisition. As a result, reading research unified the literacy field through language arts. Learning to read became a matter of arriving at a facility due to the understanding quest within a language-rich environment. The growing attention to the structure and processes of the human mind and increased federal funding by the Unites States led to creation of research centers caused another theoretical transformation. These new researchers explained human language as an interaction between symbol system and mind. Learning as a natural metaphor was replaced with a mechanistic information processing metaphor. Text-based as a form of learning, involved knowledge which was organized and stored within the individual mind (Alexander Fox, 2004). In addition, Knowledge base was depicted as powerful, persuasive, individualistic and modifiable since it was linked to the individual’s perspectives on what they had read, their interpretation and recall out of the written text. The information processing of this period resulted in cognition-related constructs which strengthened the aforementioned characteristics of knowledge. Furthermore, it focused on the individual mind. This was because the computer-based guiding had little considerations of socio-cultural influences in processing linguistic information. To add on, the research studies stressed on individualistic interpretations of written text and exhibited that the knowledge of the students could be greatly modified through training, direct intervention and/or overt instructions. Other contributors of improved text comprehension were instructional environments and pedagogical techniques. In view of any reading approach, there must be a shift away from the neurological argument to much concern for naturalism in the materials and procedures used to teach reading. Moreover, they should create unity within the language arts. The cognitive psychology gave a new viewpoint for literacy and educational researchers. It studied literacy with naturally occurring texts in natural settings with holistic and aesthetic school of thought. It aimed creating a mutual understanding arising in the social interaction of individuals in particular contexts at a time (Alexander Fox, 2004). The dominant perspective was learning being a socio-cultural collaborative experience and the learner being a member of the learning community. Reform on modern schools  Present day schools should anticipate for motivation in the form of readers’ achievement of goals, interest and involvement in the learning experience with change in perception of texts, reader and reading. This can be achieved due to the introduction of the hypermedia and hypertext forms of learning which has increased the attention in classroom discourse thus improving the students’ academic. Effective orientation has to be done so as to capture the complexity of reading and recognize the changing nature of reading as the reader engages in a range of reading-related, goal-directed activities. With the dichotomization of reading into learning to read and reading to learn, it has led to integrated and developmental learning perspective. Engaged learning has led to the acknowledgement of the fact that reading extends to the texts students come across daily such as nonlinear, interactive, dynamic and visually complex materials transmitted using audiovisual media. Current learning institutions should learn about the potentials of alternatives nonlinear media and examine how pedagogical techniques and learning environments can be adapted to aid readers from struggling with traditional texts. Students should be encouraged to participate in meaningful and goal-directed text-based learning. Moreover, attention should be drawn to create a personally and socially valuable body of knowledge. Strategies are put in place to promote reflection, choice and deliberate execution on the learner’s part which actively engages the leaner thus developing the reading perspective. To be complete, readers, and learners should focus on demonstrating fluency in reading and other basic linguistic skills. Workable solutions  Some of workable solutions would include provision of personally relevant texts, both traditional and alternative that will promote deeper and wider student engagement in their learning. Putting in place technological advancements capable of transforming learning and teaching through production of proliferated information sources and different text types can also be productive. Involving high-stakes testing and efforts to institute national standards have hastened the students’ learning since they prescribe the content and skills learners should have acquired at various institutional levels. Investments in basic reading skills and components in special education institutions have helped struggling readers since researchers have greatly supported. Changes which might improve things One of major consideration that should be put in place is recognition of the fact that reading is invariably physiological, psychological and sociological thus an integrated orientation is a prerequisite. Therefore physical, visual, and neurological stimuli to the learning processes should also be employed. In addition, every reading process needs to enhance the psychological interpretation, storage and retrieval of text, goals formulation and expression of interests. Sociologically, a reading culture that focuses in intra-individual and inter-individual communication through linguistic media that are socio-culturally influenced can also play a big role in changing the existing education. Lastly, a fine-grained reading view that incorporate brain structures and mental activities of an individual and social behavior have to be integrated meaningfully throughout these orientations.

Galactosemia Essay -- essays research papers

Galactosemia Galactosemia is an inborn error of metabolism. Because of energy barriers, essentially none of the chemical reactions that take place in living things could occur at any measurable rate without the presence of a catalyst. Most catalysts in living things are enzymes that depend on their structure to be able to function. Their structure is determined by their coding on DNA. Inborn errors of metabolism, like the one seen in galactosemia, are caused by defective genes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Galactosemia is an inherited metabolic disorder in which the transformation of galactose to glucose is blocked, allowing galactose to increase to toxic levels in the body (Chung 1997). Galactose epimerase, the enzyme in the liver that is required to break down galactose, is deficient in galactosemia patients (â€Å"Galactosemia† 1995 and Wohlers, Christacos, and Harreman 1999). This enzyme works as a catalyst to speed up the breakdown of galactose. When there is a deficiency of this enzyme, the body cannot metabolize galactose as quickly as needed, causing a toxic buildup (Olendore, Jenyan, and Bayden 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, this means that galactosemia is only present in individuals with two defective copies of any one of the three genes that causes it (Chung 1997). These genes are the genes that code for the three enzymes, galactosemia-1-phosphate-uridyl transferase (GALT), galactokinase (GALK), and uridyl disphosphogalactose-4-epimerase (Olendore, Jenyan, and Bayden 1999). Although carriers have less than normal enzyme activity, carriers of the disease are unaware that they are carrying a defective gene since no symptoms are evident (Chung 1997). If two carriers of the same defective gene have children, the chance of their child getting galactosemia by having two copies of the same defective gene is 25% for each pregnancy (Elsas 1999). Every cell nucleus has two copies of each gene, therefore, if only one of the two copies is defective, enough of the enzyme is made and the pathway of galactose metabolism is not blocked (Ol endore, Jenyan, and Bayden 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most states have now included testing for galactosemia in newborn screening programs (â€Å"Galactosemia† 1995). However, if galactosemia is not found in a screening program, some symptoms appear within the... ...al of death (â€Å"Galactosemia† 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately, many children are born each year with galactosemia and there is no medication that can treat it (Chung 1997). However, galactosemia is manageable and the symptoms can be greatly reduced by taking a few precautions. First of all, babies whose GALT activity is less than 10% need to have all their milk products replaced by formula such as Isomil or Prosobee, which are free of lactose. Soy products contain other sugars such as sucrose, fructose, and non-galactose polycarbohydrates, which supply the needed energy to the baby. All lactose containing foods such as dairy products, tomato sauces, candies, and medicines should be avoided fro the remainder of the patients life (Elsas 1999). Finally, legumes, organ meats, and processed meats also contain galactose and should be avoided (Olendore, Jenyan, and Bayden 1999). Management of the diet becomes less important after infancy and early childhood because milk products are no longer the primary source of ene rgy (Elsas 1999). So, although galactosemia can be fatal, it is highly treatable and a patient can live a normal life with only a few changes in their diet.

Philosophy †Empiricism Essay

Immanuel Kant set about to show that the skepticism of the empiricists was unfounded and that science was possible. How does he do this and is his solution viable (that is, did he actually rescue science from the skeptics)? Through his theory of knowledge, Immanuel Kant provided a philosophical answer to Hume’s skepticism. Kant agreed that knowledge did have a source the humean element of sensory impressions, however he claim that there was an additional element in knowledge, which was not derived from sensory experience. The second element that Kant spoke of was derived from the mind itself. Kant felt that the human mind, outfitted with its own pure concepts was nothing like the human mind of empiricists Locke and Hume, whom claimed the mind was as a blank tablet or empty cupboard. Opposing Hume, Kant proposed that the mind was furnished with twelve pure concepts of understanding broken down into four categories. Additionally, Kant argued that the mind was not passive at all, as Hume and the other empiricists had claimed. Quantity Quality Relation Modality unity affirmation substance-accidents possibility plurality negation cause-effect actuality totality limitation causal reciprocity necessity The mind for Kant, was indeed active, it actively interprets the world rather than simply receiving and recording into memory, what it gathers from the external world through the senses. Through the above-mentioned categories, the mind organizes the sensory flux and gives it meaning as substances. Kant considered that the categories were â€Å"logically prior to experience, presupposed by all experience; and that they are independent of experience;† thus experience could never alter them. Kant deemed the categories were responsible for one’s experiences and knowledge, and ultimately were one’s source of understanding. The categories or priori furnished the necessary component for which Hume believed knowledge lacked. Kant denied Hume’s theory of knowledge, which reduced one’s experience and knowledge to nothing but sense impressions. Kant reduces Hume’s theory to nothing at all, as it did not account for the fact that human posses scientific knowledge outside of animal faith. Kant believed that Hume avoided the key questions of â€Å"How is experience of objects possible†, and â€Å"How is science possible. † For this reason, Kant felt that Hume’s theory failed to distinguish that knowledge consisted of both the empirical element and the categories. Kant’s solution in my opinion is viable, as the categories show that there is a necessary connection between the causes and effects.

Tricia Smith Vaughan’s “Not Homeschooling? What’s Your Excuse?” a Critical Response

Should public, or government, schooling be avoided? In the essay No Home-schooling Vaughn Argues that Homeschooling is the best schooling for children and that government schooling should be avoided. Parents put forth the excuse that they are not smart enough to teach their children. Parents believe that government schooling teaches their children both academics and socialism. â€Å"The government schools are not teaching your child Judeo-Christian values; they are going to teach him or her how to survive in a group†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Public schooling in the United States is set up to dumb children down.Homeschooling provides one on one attention to a child, and so they do not have to fight for attention from a teacher in governmental schooling. Public schooling is being used as propaganda changing the way your child may think whereas homeschooling provides your child the opportunity for a parent to teach the values of true freedom and individuality. Children need to be tested for their values instead of their knowledge and this simply cannot be done in government schooling.Homeschooling is not for every child, some students learn better in a group environment where they learn the social skills necessary to succeed academically. Just because one thing is good for a certain child does not mean it is beneficial to another. All children have different learning styles specific to their personality. Some children need one-on-one attention to be able to comprehend academics to the best of their ability, and other students can learn in a group. It all depends on the child which education is best for them. Learn how your children are being tested for their values instead of their knowledge. †(p647) Government schooling is secular thus there is no values of Christianity, but what about private schooling, or private Christian schooling? There are many other options for your child to obtain a great education. Different schools teach different values depending on the cla ssification of the education, and you have to choose which is best for your child’s learning behavior. In private schooling children usually have smaller class sizes which allow for one-on-one attention.Government schooling gives a better education than private schooling and homeschooling to the funding received and the children who want to learn. I think sometimes children that are homeschool or receive a private school education take their education for granted because they have opportunities that children in public school may not receive. In private schools children are taught values of Christianity and academics. In public schooling children are taught values of social survival and how to outsmart a classmate.Socialism is always beneficial for a child, but it is how a child is taught the morals of socialization at a young age. I find that the author has a very biased opinion on Homeschooling. She uses her own child as an example on how homeschooling is best for every chil d. What the author fails to explain is that government schools are different all over the country. It depends on where the child lives, and how the state government is working to improve the education. The values a child is learning whether it is in any school private, public, or home they are learning the skills and values necessary to function socially in the world.Education is different for every child; it all depends on their learning style. Children will be taught the values and skills necessary to socialize in the world through any kind of education. The government may not teach Christian values, but those can be taught out of school. Government schools are different all over the country it just depends on where you live that would provide a good education or not. Children just have to find out where they learn best and then they are going to thrive, and it may not be homeschooling but a government school.

Analysing the Role of Government Intervention in Resolving the Financial Crisis The WritePass Journal

Analysing the Role of Government Intervention in Resolving the Financial Crisis Abstract Analysing the Role of Government Intervention in Resolving the Financial Crisis ). The main objective of the interventions, which was to stop the financial panic and bring back normality to the financial markets, was achieved. The intervention programmes were successful in helping financial markets to return to their normal functions (Webel Labonte, 2010). A more realistic way of evaluating whether the government had succeeded in its intervention efforts is to determine if financial normality was reinstated at the least cost to taxpayers. At the height of the crisis, non-intervention would have likely resulted in more costly losses for the national economy in terms of productivity and this would have worsened the government’s finances (Webel Labonte, 2010). Non-intervention could also prolong the crisis as successive bankruptcies may contract the economy. The government receives assets in return for interventions (i.e. recapitalization, guarantees, etc.). These assets provide the government with legal entitlement to the potential revenues of the companies it had assisted (Webel Labonte, 2010). Therefore, the interventions do not actually cause permanent losses to the government’s finances. These arguments put to rest the claim that the interventions should have not been made at the cost of taxpayers’ money. In defence of bailout packages Due to fears that the financial crisis would spiral out of control in September 2008, the leaders of western developed countries undertook radical measures to rescue financial institutions, which were in danger of collapsing. The US, in particular, embarked on the most extensive government economic interventions with the doling out of huge bailout packages for its beleaguered financial institutions. It was estimated that the US government spent USD $1.3 trillion on bailout packages; while European countries spent an aggregate amount of USD $2.8 trillion to rescue their financial institutions. This amounts to a combined total of USD $4.1 trillion (Aikins, 2009). The popular sentiment towards these government sponsored bailout packages is that it created a moral hazard because it only served to increase the risk-taking of banks. The argument is that by failing to penalize banks for their improper practices, banks may make riskier investments because their leaders believe that the government will always bail them out during the crisis (Poctzer, 2010; Norberg, 2009). Although this sentiment is understandable (and may even prove to be true in some cases), the primary purpose of the bailout packages was to restore confidence in the financial system in the short-term (Psalida, et al., (2009). From this standpoint it is apparent that government intervention had worked to stop or, at the very least slowdown, the crisis from escalating. More importantly, the public wanted to see that their government was doing something to resolve the crisis. Leaving the market to run free, in anticipation that it would inherently fix the imbalances by itself, might be difficult for most ordinary citizens to understand. At that point in the crisis, the lack of action by the government would be met with even more criticism by the public. (Aikins, 2009) Table 1. US Commitment to Financial Sector Bailout in USD $ billions (as of Nov 13, 2008)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Program Amount Description Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) 700.00 Intended for purchasing troubled mortgage-related assets; later on was used for cash injections on banks Commercial Paper Funding Facility 243.00 The Fed purchases commercial paper (short-term debts) from banks to help fund daily operations Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac 200.00 The Fed took control of mortgage firms; cash injections are used to keep them afloat AIG 112.50 Excludes $40 billion taken out from TARP; AIG successfully negotiated a bigger bailout package with easier terms Bear Sterns 29.00 Special lending facility that guarantees losses on portfolios of investment banks FDIC (Federal Bank Insurance Corporation) Bank Takeovers 13.20 The FDIC put up this fund to cover deposits on failed banks Total USD $1.3. trillion Source: (Aikins, 2010) Table 2. Western European Nations’ Commitment to Financial Sector Bailout in USD $ billions (as of Nov 13 2008) Country Amount Description United Kingdom 743.00 Half of the package is used to guarantee bank to bank borrowing; 40% was allocated for interim loans; and 10% is used for recapitalization Germany 636.50 Most of the amount is for undertaking medium-term bank borrowing; 20% is for recapitalization France 458.30 Majority of the fund is to secure bank debts; $50 billion is for recapitalization Netherlands 346.00 For guaranteeing bank to bank borrowing Sweden 200.00 For credit warranties Austria 127.30 For bank acquisitions, inter-bank borrowing, bank bond insurance guarantees Spain 127.3 For bank acquisitions; inter-bank borrowing; bank bond insurance guarantees Italy 51.00 Purchasing of bank debts Other countries 110.60 Total European USD $ 2.8 trillion Source: (Aikins, 2010) Poctzer (2010) also found that despite the possibility of increased risk-taking by banks after being bailed out, there are indications that recapitalization is an effective tool for stimulating lending, but it is most helpful for bigger banks and when implemented in combination with an asset purchase program. Figure 2 shows the comparison of risk taking by recapitalized and non-recapitalized firms. It can be observed that recapitalized firms tend to be more risk-taking compared to non-recapitalized firms. On the other hand, Figure 3 shows that recapitalized firms tend to increase their lending activities compared to non-recapitalized firms. Figure 4 illustrates that asset transfer firms have the most lending volume compared to recapitalized and non-recapitalized firms.    Figure 2. Time Series of Risk Measure between Recapitalized and Non-Recapitalized Banks    Figure 3. Time Series of Average Lending Volume between Recapitalized and Non-Recapitalized Banks Figure 4. Time Series of Average Lending Volume between Recapitalized Banks, Non-Recapitalized Banks, and Asset Transfer Firms Lessons learned The bailout packages served their purpose at the height of the crisis. However, the government cannot always employ capital injections to rescue financial institutions as this have implications not only on the issue of moral hazard (Poctzer, 2010), but more importantly, these have major impacts on the national budget and taxpayers’ trust (Webel Labonte, 2010). Breitenfellner Wagner (2010) recommend that only financial institutions that are non-liquid but solvent should be saved and the institution must pay significantly for the bailout. The authors also argue for stricter regulation, enhanced risk awareness, more advanced risk management, and a more effective alignment of interests among stakeholders. Gertler, Kiyotaki Queralto (2011) argues that a bank’s decision over its balance sheet is highly dependent on its risk perceptions, which in turn are dependent on major disruptions to the economy and their expectations on government policies. The authors also found that the incentive effects of risk taking may potentially diminish the benefits of credit policies that are intended to stabilize financial markets. It is therefore important to design appropriate and efficient macroeconomic policies to mitigate moral hazard costs. The role of the government in managing the economy cannot be overlooked. The lack of a suitable economic policy and regulatory structure will make the financial system vulnerable to recession and may jeopardize the stability of the whole economy. The government therefore should establish appropriate economic and regulatory policies: (a) to defend against market failure; (b) avoid political and institutional intrusions in the regulation of financial institutions; and (c) avert supervisory tolerance, arbitrage, and capture (Aikins, 2009). References Aikins, S. (2009). Global Financial Crisis and Government Intervention: A Case for Effective Regulatory Governance. International Public Management Review. 10(2), p.23-43. Breitenfellner, B Wagner, N. (2010). Government intervention in response to the subprime financial crisis: The good into the pot, the bad into the crop. International Review of Financial Analysis. 19(4), p.289-297. Gertler, M, Kiyotaki, N Queralto, A. (2011). Financial Crises, Bank Risk Exposure, and Government Policy. NYU and Princeton. Available: princeton.edu/~kiyotaki/papers/GertlerKiyotakiQueraltoJune7wp.pdf. Last accessed 23rd May 2013. Canova, T. (2009). Financial Market Failure as a Crisis in the Rule of Law: From Market Fundamentalism to a New Keynesian Regulatory Model. Harvard Law Policy Review. 3(1) Hodson, D Mabbett, D. (2009). UK Economic Policy and the Global Financial Crisis: Paradigm Lost. Journal of Common Market Studies. 47(5), p.1041-1061. Laeven, L Valencia, F. (2012). Resolution of Banking Crises: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. International Monetary Fund. Available: imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2012/fincrises/pdf/ch13.pdf. Last accessed 23rd May 2013. Norberg, J. (2009). Financial Fiasco: How America’s infatuation with homeownership and easy money created the economic crisis. Washington, DC: Cato Institute Psalida, LE, Elsenburg, W, Jobst, A, Masaki, K, Nowak, S. (2009). Market interventions during the financial crisis: How effective and how to disengage. International Monetary Fund. Available: imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/2009/02/pdf/chap3.pdf. Last accessed 23rd May 2013. Webel, B Labonte, M. (2010). Government Interventions in Response to Financial Turmoil. Congressional Research Service. Available: fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41073.pdf. Last accessed 23rd May 2013.

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are a lot of great federal aid options out there, for every type of student. The Perkins loan may just be one of many types of federal loans, but it comes with a lot of perks that make it worth an in-depth look.I'll go through all the information you need about this loan program, before telling you how to get your own Perkins loan. What Is the Perkins Loan? Like the Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized programs, Perkins are government-backed, low-interest loans that are meant to help students pay for school. Certain federal aid programs don't require students to demonstrate financial need as an eligibility requirement, like Direct Unsubsidized loans. The Perkins is meant for students who demonstrate exceptional financial need, however; as such, there are some extra perks built into the loans. Before I talk about some of the benefits of the Perkins loans, I'll talk briefly about how loans usually work. Then, I'll go into more Perkins loans details, and explain how this loan program differs from the norm. What It Means to Take Out a Loan When you take out a loan, by definition, you're borrowing a sum of money (a principle) from a person or institution (a lender), with the promise that you'll pay this money back at a later date. You'll likely also agree to repay extra money in addition to the principle (interest), over a certain time period (the length of the loan). People usually pay back their student loans by making monthly payments after they graduate. A part of the payment covers accrued (accumulated) interest, whereas the rest of it goes towards paying back the principle. Interest accrues on your loan at a certain rate, usually starting when the loan amount is given out to you (disbursed). The higher your interest rate, and the longer it takes you to pay back your loan, the more interest will accrue. Standard repayment terms for federal student loans (unless the loans are quite small) are 120 monthly payments, or 10 years. Finally, interest can also capitalize, or be added to your principle amount. What this ultimately means is that interest is now accruing on a new, larger principle; the bigger the principle, the more interest will accrue. The rate of capitalization depends on your loan, but some student loans capitalize at graduation. As you might have deduced by now, one method of saving money on your loans is to minimize the amount of interest that accrues and/or capitalizes. You'll see in the next section why Perkins loans make this process a little bit easier on student borrowers. Interest may just come to pennies a day, but it can add up to a significant amount over time. What's Unique About Federal Perkins Loans? In the previous section, I noted that interest usually starts accruing when the loan is disbursed. If I take out a loan my freshman fall, interest will accrue through all 4 years of college. When I graduate, I'll owe my principle + 4 years of interest - and depending on the type of loan, this interest may capitalize when I graduate. With Federal Perkins loans, you won't see any interest accrue while you're in school, during grace period, or during a period of deferment. The grace period for a Perkins loan is also a bit longer than the standard: 9 months vs. 6 months, which means another 3 months of no interest post-graduation. Here's an example of how loan repayment might play out. In this example, I have both a Perkins loan and an unsubsidized loan, both disbursed at the beginning of my freshman year. Even though the interest rate is higher for the Perkins loan, you end up paying out a lot more for the unsubsidized loan: Perkins Loan Unsubsidized Loan Interest Rate 5% 4.29% Principle $5,000 $5,000 Balance Due 6 Months Post Graduation $5,000 $5,911 Monthly payment (based on standard 120 month repayment) $53.03 $60.66 Total Amount Paid $6,363.60 $7,279.2 Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, Perkins loans give students the option of loan cancellation or loan forgiveness if they pursue particular job or careerpaths. If you play your cards right, you could walk away without owing any money on your loans. I'll talk more about loan cancellation in the next section. Loan Details The Perkins loan interest rate is currently at 5%, which is only slightly higher than interest rates on Direct Unsubsidized and Direct Subsidized loans. Like I mentioned in the previous section, interest does not accrue during school, grace periods, or deferment periods. There are no other loan fees. Loan money is applied directly to school-related charges (tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board). If there is any money left over after the loan is applied to these charges, you'll receive a refund from your school. You can use this money on any other school-related costs (e.g. transportation, books, personal expenses). Repayment You have 9 months after you leave school, graduate, or drop below half-time status before you have to start making monthly payments on your loan. The standard federal loan repayment option has borrowers making 120 monthly payments (10 years) to pay off the loan in full. Loan Cancellation Cancellation sounds like it would be a bad thing, but when it comes to student loans, cancellation arguably the best thing that can happen. Your Perkins loan debt could be wiped, or canceled, in part or in full if you spend time working in particular fields. There are many different situations that could make you eligible for loan cancellation.Examples of cancellation-eligible positions include law enforcement officer or firefighter, teacher, nurse, medical technician, and even attorney. Factors such as your length of employment, the area you're working in (e.g. if you're serving low-income communities), and the demand for certain services (e.g. if there's a higher demand for teachers in certain subjects) could all affect how much loan cancellation you're eligible for. Working in a cancellation-eligible job would constitute a period of deferment, so no interest would accrue! You can apply for Perkins loan cancellation through your school, or your school's loan servicer.Don't ever assume that your loans will be eligible for cancellation; run everything by your school's financial aid office first, and don't stop making payments until your loan is officially deferred. Loan cancellation won't be right for everybody, but it's a great debt-erasing option for people interested in certain career paths. Perkins Loan Eligibility and Limits As great as the Perkins details sound (especially with the possibility of cancellation), there are unfortunately some eligibility restrictions and limits to keep in mind. In order to be eligible for a Perkins loan, you must: Meet basic federal aid requirements (learn more about these requirements here) Be an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student enrolled in a participating school Demonstrate "exceptional" financial need. Perkins loan borrowers are typically from low-income families; 30% of families with dependent students who took out Perkins loans in 2012 made less than $30,000. The amount of money you can take out in Perkins loans depends on (1) your financial need, and (2) how much money your school can lend. Not everyone who meets basic eligibility requirements will receive Perkins loan options. As such, it's difficult to estimate ahead of time how much money you'll get through the Perkins loan program. Although there's not much you can do to estimate your Perkins loan amount, you can keep loan limits and averages in mind: Maximum undergraduate annual amount: $5,500 Maximum undergraduate lifetime amount: $27,500 Maxiumum graduate annual amount: $8,000 Maximum graduate lifetime amount (includes any undergraduate Perkins loans): $60,000 The average new Perkins loan award is about $2,000, much lower than the annual limits for both undergrads and graduate students. How to Apply Perkins loans sound like pretty good options, right? You can apply for Perkins loans by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The application isn't just for Perkins loans - when you submit a FAFSA, you're also considered for Pell Grants and other federal loans. You can get step-by-step instructions for submitting a FAFSA here. Although Perkins loans are government-backed, your Perkins loan lender would be your school, not the US government. Because schools need to have a certain amount of available funds in order to offer these loans to students,not all schools participate in the Perkins loan program. You can find out if a school offers Perkins loans by contacting its financial aid office. As you might have expected, Perkins loan funds tend to be limited, and often run out before the official FAFSA deadline. In order to optimize your chances of getting a Perkins loan, try to submit your FASFA early in the spring semester for the next academic year. For example, if you'd like aid for the 2016-2017 academic year, plan on submitting your FAFSA in January or February of 2016. What's Next? Perkins loans aren't the only federal loans with competitive interest rates. Check out our guide comparing Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loans. As great as low interest rates sound, even with the possibility of loan cancellation, there's something even better than money you have to pay back: free money. Learn more about Pell Grants here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Globalization of South Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization of South Africa - Essay Example In early days of 17th century, South Africa was sparsely populated. Major trade and commerce developed only after the first European settlement that took place in southern part of Africa in 1652. The objective was then to establish a supply base at the site currently known as Cape Town. South African history made major upheavals in the year 1867 when mines of diamonds were discovered near and around Kimberley and Cape Town. Economic activities got further intensified when worlds largest deposit of gold was discovered in the year 1886. South Africas first integration to global economy was seen through its exports of diamonds and gold. At the same time, the country imported variety of agricultural products. Mining industry continued to expand with increasing gold and diamond exports from the shore of South Africa. The wealth so generated was used to import consumer goods from Europe. This can be seen as South Africas first integration to global economy that continued until at least Wor ld War I (South Africa, 1996)) After 1920, the government started imposing tariffs to safeguard local manufacturers. By 1930s, most of the manufacturing activities came under the fold of state-owned enterprises keeping blacks outside the main economy. World War II saw new growth in manufacturing activities with the government increasing its control on industries. With the onset of great depression in 1930s, South Africa also suffered heavily due to economic down cycle. The government had already started its efforts in 1920s to consolidate state-owned enterprises with the objective to provide impetus to import-substitution industries. The Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom) and the South African Iron and Steel Corporation (Iscor) were founded in 1920s to spearhead domestic industries. The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) came into operation in 1940. The IDC became instrumental to promote other