Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay about Parker’s Redemption - 1955 Words

Parker’s Redemption Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"Parker’s Back† introduces us to a man who feels incomplete and is seeking to fill the empty space in his soul. He attempts to do so the only way he knows how, by getting tattoos. He continues this until â€Å"the front of [his body is] almost completely covered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (514). In fact, Parker even considers getting a religious tattoo to appease his over-zealously religious wife Sarah Ruth. A brush with death that is literally a â€Å"burning bush† experience drives him to mark the change in his life by getting that tattoo. He races to the tattoo parlor and demands to see the religious tattoos. He chooses a Byzantine Christ. In this story, Flannery O’Connor tries to show that although Parker’s attempts to†¦show more content†¦Whenever he gets a chance, he looks at his tattoos, but notices that â€Å"the effect was not of one intricate arabesque of colors but of something haphazard and botc hed. A huge dissatisfaction would come over him†¦. As the space on the front of him for tattoos decreased, his dissatisfaction grew and became general† (514). He is seeking something greater. This dissatisfaction is amplified when he meets Sarah Ruth. Even though he finds her physically unattractive, he cannot help falling in love with her. She is the only person he reveals his true name to. Several factors play into this attraction. Although Parker’s â€Å"tattoos were attractive to the kind of girls he liked but who had never liked him before† (513), Sarah Ruth detests them and calls them â€Å"vanity of vanities† (515), and this playing hard-to-get fascinates him. Sarah Ruth’s religiosity attracts him as well: â€Å"She had asked him if he was saved and he had replied that he didn’t see it was anything in particular to save him from. After that, inspired, Parker had said, ‘I’d be saved enough if you was to kiss meâ€℠¢Ã¢â‚¬  (518). Although religion was something he ran from previously, Parker desires to be near to it as an attempt to appease his unrest. But more importantly, Sarah Ruth’s demand to know his full name, his identity (something she does twice), is the strongest attraction. WhenShow MoreRelatedMusic Is Exceptionally Powerful And Meaningful To People1353 Words   |  6 Pageswith Louis Armstrong) is considered by many to have forever changed jazz and to have left a legacy that permanently marks him one of the greatest saxophonists to have lived. Parker’s private life, which was full of hardships, mirrors vital themes in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† including drugs and alcohol, darkness, and escape. Charlie Parker’s life consisted of heavy heroin use and his heroin addiction ties in with the theme of drugs and alcohol in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†. In order to feel more in control in his life afterRead MoreAnalysis Of Everything That Rises Must Converge By Flannery OConnor1676 Words   |  7 PagesAs a result of this stress, the characters are defined more clearly. In many instances, they achieve a kind of self realization, and their revelations usually come with an ironic factor or consequence. O Connor’s stories, notably â€Å"Revelation,† â€Å"Parker’s Back,† and â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge,† offer a cornucopia of these flawed characters. Throughout these three short stories, each of the main characters exhibit a kind of strong prejudice. As O Connor lays out each of their flaws, theirRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Long Walk Home 1307 Words   |  6 PagesCivil Rights movement was very effective for Afric an Americans; however black women still are faced with the double standard of being a black woman. Nonetheless, agreeing with Valerie Smith’s statement, The Help, relative to other films such as Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning (1988), Martin Davidson’s Heart of Dixie (1989), Richard Pearce’s The Long Walk Home (1990), Rob Reiner’s Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), or Phil Alden Robinson’s Freedom Song (2000) each allow Americans to identify post-emancipationRead MoreA Profound Southern American Catholic Novelist, By Flannery O Connor1616 Words   |  7 PagesA profound Southern American Catholic novelist, Flannery O’Connor concealed her true spiritual intentions into many of her grotesque stories. Many of her writings involve a tale of a displaced person that is eventually lead to redemption and mercy from God. Through plenty of hardships and mistakes, her protagonists endure a spiritual transformation that leads her characters int o enlightenment. O’Connor weaves blatant instances of sacramentality, mediation, communion, mercy, and human dignity intoRead More Flannery OConnors Short Fiction Essay examples3159 Words   |  13 Pagesexistence, dovetail perfectly with the larger theological interpretation of reality seen in her writing. The Danish philosopher Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was also an influence, with his Concept of Dread which examines the whole complex of sin and redemption. His theory, that mans attempt to replace the Absolute with himself makes him pathetic and comical but never tragic (as the tragic is reserved for loss of the religious dimension) is also influential. In OConnor, the religious dimension is neverRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagescomplacent. Remember the 3 C’s of Boeing in Chapter 7, when it opened the gates for AirBus. And, dare we forget, Nike vanquished the dominant Adidas in its early days. Invitation to Make Your Own Analysis and Critique Your analysis, please, of CEO Parker’s count of different sneaker and apparel styles at 13,000. What We Can Learn †¢ 315 WHAT WE CAN LEARN No One Is Immune from Mistakes; Success Does Not Guarantee Continued Success Some executives delude themselves into thinking success begetsRead MoreMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 Pagesconflicting standards, having to decide between taking time to listen to customers and serving them fast. Page Ref: 373 Objective: 4 AACSB: Analytic skills Difficulty: Moderate 137) The advertisement for a pool reads a vinyl pool from Parkers for just $5000. When David contacted the firm for the pool, the customer service representative tells David that the total cost will be $8000. When David enquires about the extra $3000, the customer service representative says that is for installation

Monday, December 16, 2019

Learning Programs in the American Express Learning Network Free Essays

Background American Express is very large, world-wide company, which originally started as freight forwarding and delivery services. Now with the main focus being on financial services they want to train their employees with the knowledge to be efficient, knowledgeable, with good listening and speaking skills. Jeanette Harrison, a vice president at American Express, feels that compliance and control should be very important for customer care. We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Programs in the American Express Learning Network or any similar topic only for you Order Now Today American Express is the largest card issuer by purchase volume. Issued Addressed American Express developed American Express Learning Network (AELN), whose main purpose is to address the performance capabilities of their employees. With a mission statement of â€Å"ready all those who serve† the company AmEx’s main goal is to teach with their employees effective jobs skills with the best possible learning method. There were three learning techniques the company tried. The first being a completely online based, the second being classroom, the third a â€Å"blended† technique which was a combination of the first two. Janette’s personal learning theory and goal-setting theory is â€Å"learning literally changes lives†. She feels that education is the key to success and that if would help not only in work place but at home and in the community. Analysis of Issues Everyone has there on learning styles. So, it is no surprise that technique number three, â€Å"blended† learning, worked the best overall. It gave the most diverse style of learning. There was not one main style. The classroom style was incorporated with the encouragement of question asking and brainstorming and also online tools were also used to help teach as well. With all the different types of learning utilized the employees will get to see the information in many different ways and would most likely have a higher attention rate. The three styles were evaluated at six different levels to see which was most effective. The first level testing reaction from the learner, the second was the retention of the knowledge, the third was the behavior towards improved learning skills, the fourth was how it impacted the company, the fifth was the cost effectiveness of the learning style, and the sixth the application of the information into the actual job. Conclusions The â€Å"blended learning† I feel is the best method. And it holds strong to Jeanettes learning and goal-setting theories. When the results came in on the three techniques the third scored or rated the best hands down. The company feels it has the upper hand in the leadership development program. The blue box values set by the company are a true testament to what the company wanted to achieve with the AELN program: customer commitment, quality, integrity, teamwork, respect for people, good citizenship, a will to win, and personal accountability. The three operating principals also hold strong to the values Jeanette believes in and wanted to achieve with the American Express Learning Network program. One the principals being to offer superior propositions to all of their customers, another being to operate with best in class economics, and last to be support American Express brand. References http://about. americanexpress. com/oc/whoweare/ How to cite Learning Programs in the American Express Learning Network, Essays

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Mass Media and Broadcasting Unit free essay sample

Professor and class, Yes, I think the internet hurts more than helps artist. Before the Internet, artists were selling their Cads and everything was fine. Since the Internet, many problems arrived. Ten years ago, the biggest record labels were worried about online piracy. Fearing piracy and seeing the fall in the CD sales, they decided to license their records to new online services. The idea was to use a new technology, share music while collecting small fees and discourage fans from stealing music online.But It didnt work as most f the listeners hear free music online because It Is much cheaper than purchasing music. Nevertheless, many people (like myself) are aware of the fact that these artists make a living off their album so if they really like it they will decide to buy it on tunes. I believe that some artist may have difference in opinion simply because they actually understand that not everyone will have . We will write a custom essay sample on Mass Media and Broadcasting Unit or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 99 to purchase their album. Most of the artist that I listen to have a rags to riches story and can empathic with lowerIncome Individuals. I recently purchased some of the artist J. Coles songs via Tunes and in one of his songs entitled Note to Self basically said, he did not care if only two people bought the album, he just felt proud of himself as an artist. It is not all about money to some (very few actually) of these artist. To that artist that is more after the money, I guess they would take the position that technology does in fact hinder them, however to someone like J. Cole, he would say. It has no barring.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Virtual Reality and The Revolution In a Learning Experience

Virtual Reality and The Revolution In a Learning Experience Virtual reality (VR) actively gets into the educational system in order to enhance learning outcomes in comparison with traditional face-to-face and online learning activities. So far VRLE (virtual reality learning environment) is very promising in terms of the breakthrough in the studying process. Obviously, like any innovation in the education sphere, such type of learning is hard to accept for some educators, but any actions that potentially can improve learning process should be implemented, no matter how unreal or futuristic they might seem at first. The prospect of VR in an educational sphere Introduction of virtual reality in classrooms is very new and a number of students that use VR tools is not exactly estimated yet; however, new studies claim that by 2025 number of students which use VR for accelerating their studying may reach fifteen million. Some educators argue that VR is closer to entertainment than to education, but it is a known fact that education correctly combined with an entertainment can bring amazing results. The practical issues of using VR at schooling establishments Since the tools for virtual reality learning are not cheap yet, as this is a new trend in an educational field, implementing them might be an issue. However, after more and more students and teachers feel the benefit of using VR for educational purposes, the price tag might not seem so crucial and will be justified by the results. Virtual reality learning in action VR can be used in many fields of study. By some researchers, it is called an empathy tool and can be used for psychology students who via virtual reality can get immersed into the life of those who are, for example, in the heart of the wartime. Biology students can also have a unique experience of observing cells and organs which are not visible to the human eye. For those who study chemistry, it is possible to conduct the experiments without any harm while getting precious knowledge due to the bright visual picture. Astronomy students might get a unique chance to observe celestial bodies of the universe without going into the open space. Benefit of virtual reality for distance learning Studying distantly sometimes brings a feeling of isolation. With VR tools a student can have a tour around the campus and university in order to have a sense of belonging to the community. Users can easily access libraries or even laboratories of famous universities. Undoubtedly, education with the help of virtual reality is potentially very fruitful and effective. At the same time, so far VR is not wide-spread enough, so many educators are skeptical about it. The best solution might be to try using both systems for the utmost benefit of learning. Virtual Reality educating should not substitute traditional ways of learning, but using both educational ways will definitely enhance the results of the studying process.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Void Keyword Definition in Java

Void Keyword Definition in Java The void keyword in Java denotes that a method does not have a return type. However, even though a constructor method can never have a return type, it does not have the void keyword in its declaration. Examples The method displayBookData() does not have a return type as shown by the use of the void keyword. Note that the constructor method Book(String, String, String) does not use the void keyword even though it too does not have a return type. public class Book {   Ã‚  private String title;   Ã‚  private String author;   Ã‚  private String publisher;   Ã‚  public Book(String title, String author, String publisher)   Ã‚  {   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.title title;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.author author;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.publisher publisher;   Ã‚  }   Ã‚  public void displayBookData()   Ã‚  {   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  System.out.println(Title: title);   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  System.out.println(Author: author);   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  System.out.println(Publisher: publisher);   Ã‚  } }

Friday, November 22, 2019

Vital Records of Birth, Marriage and Death in France

Vital Records of Birth, Marriage and Death in France Civil registration of births, deaths, and marriages in France began in 1792. Because these records cover the entire population, are easily accessible and indexed, and include people of all denominations, they are a vital resource for French genealogy research. The information presented varies by locality and time period but often includes the individuals date and place of birth and the names of the parents and/or spouse. One additional bonus of French civil records  is that birth records often include what is known as margin entries, handwritten notes made in the side margin, which can lead to additional records. From 1897, these margin entries will often include marriage information (date and location). Divorces are generally noted from 1939, deaths from 1945, and legal separations from 1958. The best part of French civil registration records, however, is that so many of them are now available online. Records of civil registration are typically held in registries in the local mairie (town hall), with copies deposited each year with the local magistrates court. Records over 100 years old are placed in the Archives Dà ©partementales (series E) and are available for public consultation. It is possible to obtain access to the more recent records, but they are not usually not available online due to privacy restrictions, and you will generally be required to prove, through the use of birth certificates, your direct descent from the person in question. Many Departmental Archives have placed portions of their holdings online, often beginning with the actes detat civils (civil records). Unfortunately, online access to the indexes and digital images has been restricted to events older than  120 years by the Commission nationale de linformatique et des libertà ©s (CNIL). How to Locate French Civil Registration Records Locate the Town/CommuneThe important first step is to identify and approximate date of a birth, marriage, or death, and the city or town in France in which it occurred. Generally knowing just the department or region of France is not enough, although there are some cases such as the Tables darrondissement de Versailles which indexes the actes dà ©tat civil across 114 communes (1843-1892) in the Yvelines department. Most civil registration records, however, are accessible only by knowing the town - unless, that is, you have the patience to wade page by page through the records of dozens if not hundreds of different communes. Identify the DepartmentOnce you have identified the town, the next step is to identify the department that now holds those records by locating the town (commune) on a map, or using an Internet search such as lutzelhouse department france.  In large cities, such as Nice or Paris, there may be many civil registration districts, so unless you can identify the approximate location within the city where they lived, you may have no choice but to browse through the records of multiple registration districts. With this information, next locate the online holdings of the Archives Dà ©partementales for your ancestors commune, by either consulting an online directory such as French Genealogy Records Online, or use your favorite search engine, to search for the name of the archives (e.g. bas rhin archives) plus etat civil. Tables Annuelles and Tables Dà ©cennalesIf the civil registers are available online through the departmental archives, there will generally be a function to search or browse to the correct commune. If the year of the event is known, then you can then browse directly to the register for that year, and then turn to the back of the register for the tables annuelles, an alphabetical listing of names and dates, organized by event type - birth (naissance), marriage (mariage), and death (dà ©cà ¨s), along with the entry number (not page number). If you are not sure of the exact year of the event, then look for a link to the Tables Dà ©cennales, often referred to as the TD. These ten-year indexes list all names in each event category alphabetically, or grouped by the first letter of the last name, and then chronologically by the date of the event. With the information from the tables dà ©cennales you can then access the register for that particular year and browse directly to the portion of the register for the event in question, and then chronologically to the date of the event. What to Expect Most French civil registers of birth, marriage, and death are written in French, though this doesnt present a great difficulty to non-French speaking researchers as the format is basically the same for most records. All you need to do is learn a few basic French words (e.g.  naissancebirth) and you can read pretty much any French civil register. This French Genealogical Word List includes most of the common genealogy terms in English, along with their French equivalents. The exception is the localities that at some point in history were under the control of a different government. In Alsace-Lorraine, for example, some civil registers are in German. In Nice and Corse, some are in Italian.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

CRIMINAL LAW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CRIMINAL LAW - Coursework Example In the process, he releases a lion and a tiger. The lion then proceeds to kill a person nearby. The issue is whether the entry release of the dangerous animals and the subsequent killing renders Oscar liable for murder or not. In examining the murder, it is essential to evaluate if it leads to a liability of involuntary manslaughter or not. Rules In involuntary manslaughter, the actus reus is an unlawful and dangerous act. In R V Slingsby (1995), a woman died when a man conducted dangerous sexual acts on her. Although the defendant argued that it was an ordinary sexual act that had gone out of scope, it was held that he was guilty because the act was dangerous and unlawful. In R V Church (1965), the term 'dangerous' was interpreted to mean that it exposes another person to a risk of some harm. Based on this, if such an act is conducted, a person will be guilty of committing involuntary manslaughter. The mens rea of involuntary manslaughter is to commit an act that is obvious to every reasonable person as a dangerous act. In spite of this obvious indication, the defendant proceeded to commit that act. In DPP V Newbury and Jones (1976), the defendants were two teenage boys. They threw a piece of stone from a bridge into a passing train. This hit and killed a guard who was sitting in the driver's compartment. It was held that they had committed involuntary manslaughter because it was obvious to them as reasonable people that they undertook a dangerous act when they foresaw the consequences of their actions. Due to the nature of involuntary manslaughter, the most likely defence is diminished responsibility under section 2 of Homicide Act, 1957. This means that the defendant was suffering from an abnormal mind which caused him to fail to exercise willpower and committed such acts (R V Byrne 1960). Also, a person with a substantially impaired mental responsibility could be plead on the grounds of the impairment (R V Lloyd 1967). Application In this case, Oscar decide s to go to the premises of Peter's circus. He did this and released the dangerous animals because he believed they were being ill-treated. In releasing the animals to prevent them from being 'ill-treated', he failed to realize that he was releasing them into a populated area where the animals could cause havoc to human beings. Releasing a lion and tiger was dangerous. Also, it is apparent that he did not seek the consent of Peter who is licensed to keep the animals under lock and key as a circus operator. This constitutes a trespass under Common Law and makes the act illegal. It should have been obvious to Oscar that an ill-treated lion or tiger was much better caged than released into the society. This is because if the caged lion or tiger is released in an urban centre, it would cause carnage and kill a lot of people. On the balance of probabilities, it should have occurred to him that releasing the animals could cost human lives. However, he did not take time to reconsider that. This makes it a valid mens rea for the commission of involuntary manslaughter. Conclusion In conclusion, Oscar committed the actus reus of unlawfully entering the premises of Peter and releasing dangerous animals that killed a human being. Also, he was negligent and did not think much about his actions. As such, he is guilty of manslaughter. Due to the circumstances, his only credible defence is to plead on the grou

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Essay

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Experiences - Essay Example James defines religious experiences as feelings and acts of men that are dependent on what is considered to be divine. His method of studying religious experiences is based on the definition. He relies on four forms of experiences (Totor2u, 2009). The first form explains that experiences are unique to an individual and can only be explained by the person who goes through them. The second form gives an insight to the truth while the third one is short lived. Finally, the last experience is supernatural in nature, and it takes over the human body (Totor2u, 2009). His study on varieties of religious experiences addresses the usefulness of religion in human experiences. Given the fact that he does not dismiss the important role played by science in people’s lives, he tries to create a science of religion with the aim of authenticating religion. For James, it is through varieties that unscientific phenomena can be addressed (Pomerleau, 2002). According to his explanation, science cannot be sure whether religious phenomena are genuine or fraudulent. As such, means of dealing with such discrepancies must be developed. However, he agrees that religious accounts may not always be reliable because people tend to profile their experiences around that which they consider most significant (Cho, 1996). James notes that there is a gap between scientific explanation of phenomena and religious reasons that is hard to understand. The level from which situations can be explained through philosophy is different from religious understanding. He acquires evidence from people believe in supernatural forces to control events. The occurrence of unexplainable events is enough evidence to prove that these forces are real. Since it is what an individual believes in, it is perceived to be the truth (Boston, 2000). The point at which things happen without explanation takes the form

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Undergraduate research program Essay Example for Free

Undergraduate research program Essay University of Delaware is one of the leading undergraduate research universities in the country. Many students are currently enjoying the benefit of these services that the university offers. The Program Aims The university is determined to bring out the best out of their students by given them the chance of being in the forefront in the knowledge and creative works, this they achieved by making the undergraduate and even the new students work as an assistance or a junior member of their faculty research team preparing them for the research future and making them to have the opportunity to review the professional researcher’s works so as to expose them to the act of gathering ,evaluating and sharing results with the scientific, artistic or scholarly community. Participants and Eligibility The research program is open to all interested undergraduate. Student who wants to develop themselves in the area of research sometimes some exceptional students are given salaries or stipend during summer, stipends are given. The only requirement is to have a cumulative grade point index of at least 3. 00 to ascertain the level of seriousness to academics so that it would not affect the academics performance of the students Functions of the program The program provides the students with the general information about the research experiences The way to approach the faculty researcher that the students might want to work with Assistance to undergraduates that are writing their projects for the Honours Degree to make distinction in such projects Means of funding the research work through faculty sponsors and scholarships Provision of research reading room in which have the archives of the past senior research works are placed so as to make references to them Many opportunities for students to presents and show case their research papers. Reference University of Delaware (2007): http://urp. udel. edu/basics/policies. aspx. Retrieval date; 12th May, 2008.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

beethoven :: essays research papers

Beethoven Study Guide v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in 1770 in the town of Bonn, Germany v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His was given the same name as his grandfather who was a court musician in Bonn v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His father, Johann, was not a talented musician and was a cruel first tutor for Ludwig v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven had 2 brothers v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven wrote his first music composition when he was just 12 years old. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christian Neefe was Beethoven’s first legitimate tutor and quickly recognized his talents. Neefe took Beethoven to Vienna when he was just 16 years old. Vienna was the music capital of Europe at the time. In 1787, Beethoven played for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart recognized Beethoven’s talents and knew he would be a great musician, and many in Vienna considered Beethoven to be the next â€Å"Mozart†. Beethoven and Mozart met only one time. Beethoven had to return to Bonn just a few weeks later after his mother, Maria, died. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven remained in Bonn to care for his brothers. He took a job in the Bonn court orchestra. The only instrument position available was the viola. He taught himself to play it and got the job. The income allowed Beethoven to compose music in his spare time. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven met his next tutor, Joseph Haydn who would help Beethoven to return to Vienna in 1792. Beethoven quickly became a celebrity. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven had a terrible temper and mood swings. He considered himself a true celebrity and tried to convince everyone he was of noble birth because he had the word â€Å"Van† in his name. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Beethoven was in his late 20’s he began to lose his hearing. He wrote most of his most famous works while he was going deaf. Symphony number 9 was written when he was completely deaf. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven admired Napoleon Bonaparte very much and dedicated his 3rd Symphony to him. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France, Beethoven was very angry and scratched up the original score to remove Napoleon’s name from it. Beethoven, however, did not destroy the music itself, he just renamed it. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven fell in love many times, but never married. He fought his sister-in-law for custody of his nephew and won, although his nephew, Karl, hated him. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Beethoven lost more of his hearing he became more and more angry as well as reclusive. He would wander the streets of Vienna like a homeless man and then return to his apartment to compose music. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later in his life, Beethoven returned to the church and had a spiritual awakening.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The global financial system

The global financial system is experiencing banking and financial turmoil commonly referred to as the credit crunch that is said to be due to the pricking of a massive debt bubble, (Peston, 2009). There is no standard definition of the credit crunch; however, a credit crunch is generally described as an economic condition in which investment capital is difficult to obtain (Invetopedia 2009). Credit crunches have been observed to follow recessions and do seriously stifle economic growth through decreased capital liquidity thereby reducing productive sector’s ability to borrow.When this situation arises, companies are not able to borrow in order to expand their operations and many may cease production altogether thereby resulting in bankruptcies. When such a situation arises, unemployment increases, homes are lost, banks close down and governments are forced to step in to contain the crisis, in most cases with limited success in the short run. This is not the first time that suc h a crisis has occurred. Records show that there was a crisis as early as 1622 and between 18th and 20th sixty two banking and financial crashes have been experienced (Henley 2007).Among the chief credit crunches that took place in the 20th century are the Wall Street in the year 1929 and the Japanese financial turmoil in 1990s. Genesis of the crisis The genesis of the debt crisis is partly due to imprudent lending. An observation made by Liu (2008 p9), an individual without a job or reliable income and poor credit history gets a mortgage from a bank. That borrower’s debt is partly sold to another bank that partly sells that debt to another bank that partly sells that debt to another bank perhaps a foreign bank. When the borrower fails to pay, all these banks get affected.In the event that many such borrowers are involved banks will have a liquid crisis and will not be able to lend to needy customers thereby setting in motion a credit crunch. Britain as example AS stated abov e, massive borrowing and reckless lending is viewed as the major cause of the credit crunch and the situation is made worse when the money is from foreign countries. For Britain, if one aggregates together the consumer, private and public-sector debt, ratio of Britain’s borrowings to her annual economic output is estimated at over 300%, roughly GBP 40000 bn Peston (2009 p1).Households borrowed too much GBP 1200bn on mortgages alone. Gross foreign current liabilities of Britain banks rose from GBP 1100 bn in 1997 to GBP 4400 bn 2008. That is three times the size of Britain’s annual economic output. Most of this cash were the savings from foreign country banks notably China, other Asian countries and the Middle East that were used to buy foreign currency assets in Britain, but the British used this to buy. The savings that were used to buy assets in Britain were made the poorly paid workers in those countries. The tilting of the economic balance could not be sustained fo r ever.A return to equilibrium to a more balanced global economy had to come to pass at some point and this is currently what is happening with the western economies USA, Britain and others getting the pinch (Peston 2009) Credit crunch in the United States Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of Chinese Central Bank said, â€Å"Over-consumption and a high reliance on credit is the main cause of the US financial crisis† Peston (2009 p2). Up to 2007, borrowers were financed 100% of the purchase price to buy assets without any serious scrutiny being done on the ability to pay.The New Times of 19 February 20, 2009 reported that the credit crunch in US started way back in late 1990s. At the beginning of 2000, there was a decline in the stock market that made the US to slip into recession. This prompted the Federal Reserve Bank to lower interest rates to stimulate the economic growth. Lower interest rates made mortgage payments cheaper and increased demand for homes that lead to the sourin g of prices. At the same time banks lowered the refinancing rates which consequently lowered the quality of the mortgage but kept on increasing and finally led to the commencement of the defaults and delinquency in 2006.The financial institutions were not able to balance two things that were simultaneously happening that is the rise in the purchase of assets and the corresponding demand for credit prompting the introduction of securitization (Liu 2008 p4). This susceptibility could not be contained, even with the introduction of securitization, resulting inevitably into the bursting of the bubbles. The outcome was the falling of asset prices that precipitated losses to those who borrowed to buy houses and these include hedge funds, private equity finds, billionaire’s corporate raiders, banks and others.The debts started to increase and the need to sell these assets to offset debts drove the prices down resulting in further losses. With banks not being paid, their resources we re progressively depleted thereby halting 100% mortgage financing and other loans. This has the effect of driving prices further down that will lead to the contraction of the US economy as this vicious circle is bound to persist into the future. Business loans for the newly established companies that depend on credit are and will continue to be difficult to access (Tse, et al, 2008).In addition, closing major deals is not proving easy either. The economists predict that the tightening of the credit to drag on the US economy for quite sometime. Size of debt A number of governments are in the process of formulating various policies and measures to be undertaken so as to contain the negative economic and social impact of the credit crunch. To achieve this, and in order to set in a recovery mechanism, an estimate of the size of the debt has to be carried out and this is by no means straight forward.However, a rough calculation of the debt may be estimated by a jargon referred in financi al circles, notably by Bank of England, as the customer funding gap (Peston 2009 p3) that is the difference what the US banks have lent and what they have borrowed from households, businesses and institutions that are considered too small to be major players in global financial markets. Conclusion The credit crunch, also known as liquidity crisis or squeeze, is as a result of too much borrowing and lending to undeserving individual and institutions especially in the USA and Britain.This squeeze has constrained the banks ability to lend, scared away investors from buying debts thereby drying up money for borrowing. The liquidity crisis has reduced money available to spend by consumers and the business. The credit squeeze has triggered in serious ramifications for the USA economy, the developed economies and the entire globe in general. Works Cited: Henley, J September 2007. Show us the Money: The Guardian, September 19, 2007. Available at http://guardian. co. uk/money/2007/september/ 19/business accessed on 19 February 2009.Investopedia 2009: Investoprdia News and Articles available at http://www. investopedia. com/ask/answers/credit-crunch. asp accessed on19 February 2009. Liu, X (2008). CDO and the Credit Crunch: Article presented at Xiamen University. Available at http://ifas. xmu. edu. cn/Article/uploadfiles/200810/200810091551131838 pdf accessed on 19 February 2009. Peston, R (2009). The New Capitalism: BBC News. Available at http://www. bbc. co. uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/16 12_09_news_capitalism. pdf , accessed on 20 February 2009.The New York Times of 19 February 2009. Available at http://topics. nytimes. com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/credit_crisis/index. html accessed on 19 February 2009. Creditcrunch. co. uk, The UK Forum p 1 Published by Credit Crunch. co. uk. Available at http://www. creditcrunch. co. uk/home/index. php accessed on 21 February 2009. Tse, T. M and Cho, D (2008), Credit Crunch in U. S. Upends Global Markets, The W ashington Post of 9 August 2008 available at http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp accessed on 20 February 2009.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Humanitarian Intervention in Iraq Essay

In March of 2003 the United States of America invaded the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. Under many pretenses, the stage was being set for this invasion, one reason calling for the invasion was that Bush administration and its officials assured the world that the Hussein regime was producing weapons of mass destruction or WMD’s, which would pose a huge security threat to all the nations around the world. Another being the fact that Hussein supported the group responsible for the attacks on our country on September 11th 2001, which angered plenty of Americans and seemingly justified violence to be used. And also the fact that Hussein needed to be removed from power as he was a brutal dictator who was committing egregious acts of violence against his own people. Therefore a humanitarian intervention would be called for using militaristic means. The administration under President Bush pushed the idea on the American people and the world that Iraq would be a better place without H ussein in control, also making the world a safer place. This war has cost the lives of approximately 600,000 Iraqis and 3,163 American soldiers, not to mention other soldiers from other nations involved in the conflict. The actions leading up to the subsequent invasion and occupation affected Iraq negatively and caused consequences that harmed all of Iraqi society, mainly innocent people. The way the world dealt with Saddam Hussein wasn’t proper nor in the best interests going forward for the Iraqi people and the citizens of the world based on many factors. Years before boots were even on the ground in Iraq, the world had taken extreme steps to curb Iraqi aggression, most notably beginning in 1990 when Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait in August. There were many reasons why Iraq may have invaded Kuwait. Some say that it was because Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil and even the fact that Iraq owed Kuwait large sums of money after the Iran-Iraq war. But one of the very first steps that were taken was that the United Nations (UN) became heavily involved. The UN includes the UN Security Council (UNSC) which is the group that has control over UN military force and is in charge of implementing resoluti ons against regimes that may be breaking international law. The first resolution put in place against Iraq was UNSC 678, which was implemented just a few days after the Iraqi Revolutionary Guard invaded the country. UNSC 678 â€Å"authorized force against Iraq, to eject it from Kuwait and to restore peace and security in the area.† This action was ordered through all necessary means including use of the military. This was known as the Gulf War, but UNSC 678 only applied to the actions taken in 1990 through 1993 and does not include the intervention in 2003 by American and coalition forces. Next was UNSC resolution 1154, passed in 1998 and which mandated that Iraq was not allowed to be in possession or manufacture chemical, biological, or nuclear weaponry. This resolution also stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its inspectors were required to inspect Iraq’s suspected nuclear and weapons manufacturing facilities. Iraq did not completely comply with the resolution because they did not allow unrestricted access with what the IAEA inspectors wanted to see. This was seen as a shady move to much of the world and as if the Hussein regime had something to hide. A final warning to Iraq was issued in 2002 in UNSC resolution 1441, which was the last warning to the Hussein regime to comply with the demands of the previous UNSC resolutions and limit their weapons capabilities. In Alex Conte’s book, Operation Iraqi Freedom he states that, â€Å"Resolutions 678, 687, 1441, and 1154 do not legitimize use of force in Iraq† (Conte 139-162). There are only a select few instances in which the UNSC authorizes the use of force, one being if the expression â€Å"all necessary means and measures† is used in the resolution or if a member state of the UN is granted a mandate for action in another state and it is approved by the UNSC. Wording for many of these resolutions was very controversial be tween representatives of various nation states on the UNSC, regarding what powers one could legally take. But overall none of these UNSC resolutions approved of any military action to be taken in Iraq humanitarian or not in 2003; so in other words, all of the military actions that were taken were not legal in any form and against international law. The economic sanctions against Iraq also heavily affected the country before it was invaded by the coalition forces in 2003. â€Å"Iraq’s devastation is not primarily the result of American bombing†¦but the economic crisis that befell the country before the first shot was fired† (Rieff 185). The sanctions placed on Iraq were intended to hurt the Hussein regime, but in fact they just hurt the people under Hussein’s rule and put the entire Iraqi economy into terrible condition. The sanctions were a response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and reportedly used as a deterrent to Hussein’s aggression in the area, but the people hurt most by the sanctions were innocent Iraqis. â€Å"From 1991 until 2003 t he effects of government policy and the sanctions led to hyperinflation, widespread poverty, and malnutrition† (Dodge 706). This goes to show the negative effects that the sanctions had on the citizens of Iraq. Also mentioned in Rieff’s book, Democratic Dreams and Armed Intervention: At the Point of a Gun, is the fact that daily life was getting harder for Iraqis and their ability to receive the same goods as they had before the sanctions diminished drastically; â€Å"Before the sanctions Iraq imported 70% of its food, medicine, and chemicals, UNSC resolution 661 stopped all of that† (Rieff 187). These facts made the Iraqi citizens hate the crippling sanctions that were being placed on them because of the aggression of just their dictatorial leader. Many scholars believe that the sanctions made life already under a brutal dictator even more constrained and restrictive. Iraq before the sanctions was a very strong welfare state just like many of the oil rich nations of the Middle East which gave pensions to their citizens based on oil income, about â€Å"40% of Iraqi households were dependent on government payment† (Dodge 709). But because of the sanctions that same forty percent had to find other ways to receive income in a worsening economy. Many citizens such as Khaled Afra, a student opposed the sanctions just as they opposed the rule of Hussein, â€Å"Saddam was a criminal, the biggest. But the sanctions were also criminal†¦ You see the sanctions really crushed our dreams – not my personal dreams only, but those of my Iraqi people, all of us† (Rieff 193). Hussein did use the sanctions to his advantage though; he used them as premise to form Iraqi public opinion against the sanctions, the various governments of the West, and the United Nations. Huge propaganda campaigns began in the country and in a way were very successful, Hussein, for example, would convince his people that in fact he wasn’t evil and it was the nations of the West that were evil as they placed the sanctions on Iraq to try and starve innocent Iraqis. Hussein even agreed to the Food for Oil program, which help ed relieve some of the pressure and troubles faced by civilians as a result of the sanctions. The program allowed Iraq to sell its oil not for money but for food, medicine, and other supplies that were highly needed in Iraq at the time. Iraqi citizens loved this and praised Hussein for going through and agreeing with the program. A highly questioned component of the sanctions placed on the regime is why did they last so long? As mentioned earlier, the sanctions began right after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 but yet they didn’t end until 2003 when the American invasion of Iraq began. Most in the international community believed that the sanctions should’ve ceased to exist after the Gulf War was over or maybe just for a few more years after Iraqi forces were pushed out of Kuwait, but not for a full thirteen years. â€Å"Even many Arab nations who supported the sanctions at first believed that they should have been removed after Iraq left Kuwait† (Rieff 190). Most nations, even those who were against the Hussein regime saw the sanctions being in place after Iraq was ejected from Kuwait as unnecessary, cruel, and throwing salt on the wounds of a nation. The sanctions just made life worse for the regular citizens of Iraq, but the worst was yet to come. One good thing that may have come out of the sanctions is the fact that they did prevent the Hussein regime from obtaining or creating any weapons of mass destruction because the country just could not afford the types of technology needed to do so. Another factor that made conditions even worse for Iraq was the failed planning and research that should’ve been completed before the invasion of the country. â€Å"Fear that Iraq was developing a weapon of mass destruction became sufficiently unbearable to Bush and Congress that they launched and supported a preemptive war based on a poorly defined threat† (Sheenan 6). For one many were forced to believe that Hussein was in possession of WMDs which he wasn’t, therefore that threat did not even exist at all and should be exempt from reasons to invade and occupy the country. Planners of the invasion came up with a plan to oust Hussein from power using what they referred to as the decapitation thesis. The decapitation thesis is just as literal as it sounds, remove the head of the government, referring to Hussein and other high ranking Ba’ath party officials, and continue to use the body, which would be the institutions still under state control, as the head is replaced with new leadership. But the plan did not work as it was supposed to; after Hussein was ousted the country just fell into a power vacuum. Who would the people turn to for leadership? Because Iraq no longer had very strong state institutions, they were collapsed and were no longer working since the country was invaded. â€Å"In the space of two years, because of invasion a nd then state collapse, Iraq went from Rogue, the first category of problematic state, to the second, collapsed. Although military intervention into Rogue states has become increasingly common since the Cold War, it has to date been largely unsuccessful† (Dodge 706). This goes to show that largely — based on the past and places in similar situations — that Iraq was destined to fail. And besides the fact that the planners didn’t fully investigate the situation it seemed that they have even had other objectives besides the ones being expressed to the public. For example, â€Å"In April 2006, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Baghdad to intervene in internal discussions about the government and to seek assurances that any future government would allow the United States to preserve its military bases in Iraq† (Arnove 116). Why would the U.S. need to establish bases in Iraq if the primary goal was humanitarian and to free the repressed people under the Hussein regime? Humanitarian intervention was also a huge factor in why the invasion and subsequent occupation was being justified in Iraq. Humanitarian interventions are usually mandated and put in place at the request of the legitimate government that needs the intervention. In this case the government of Iraq would have needed to explicitly ask outside powers to intervene, in which they did not. â€Å"The Security Council did not approve the invasion and the Iraqi government; its existence on the line, violently opposed it† (Roth 1). The Hussein regime opposed such an intervention obviously because it would signal an end to their rule. Even if it was to be a humanitarian intervention by the rules of international law the leaders accused of the alleged crimes against humanity should be brought on trial by the International Criminal Court (ICC). This was not the case for Iraq; none of the high ranking Ba’ath party officials including Hussein were even tried.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Clean Water Act essays

Clean Water Act essays The Government and Environmental Policy The purpose of the United States' public policy law is to implement restrictions in an effort to solve problems, which can be seen with the Clean Water Act. Public policy has also been employed to reform the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Although the United States government is noble in it's efforts to preserve the environment through these acts, the internal structure of public policy often retards these acts' effectiveness. This paper will explore the many ways in which factors such as horizontal implementation, divided government and other forms of public policy affect the environmental legislation involved with the aforementioned acts. The main factors involved with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 involve horizontal implementation structure and divided government. Before one can discuss how these policies affect environmental legislation, a brief description of each must first be lucidly explained. When our government was founded, a s ystem of checks and balances was implemented between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches to ensure that no one part of government gets too much power. Although this limits the power of any one person in government, it often slows down the ability of government because a consensus can be difficult with so many people working together. Another problem is that there are many subgovernments affecting the legislation as well, such as interest groups like the Sierra Club, Administrative Agents like the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congressional Committees. Because these groups add to the total number of people working on the legislation, the original noble ideology of making policy for the good of the nation is voided. Also because there are so many differences of opinion, few drastic changes are made, instead small incremental changes are made which take up lots of time and retard the effectiveness and enforcement of the legislation. In add...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Anna Garcia Lab Report

Anna Garcia was found dead in her entry hall way by the police at 9:56 am on the notice from Doug Greene who was worried and called 911 at 9:45 am. The suspects were/are Alex Garcia, Erica Piedmont, Doug Greene, and Lucy Leffingwell. The evidence supports the case of it being none of them. I have received the suspect list, external autopsy report, and other evidence collected. So far the internal autopsy is needed to confirm any hypotheses and now all thoughts of how Anna Garcia died is only a hypothesis. Summary of Findings: Anna Garcia was found dead at 9:56 am by local police. My findings are that none of the suspects committed any crime related to Anna Garcia’s death. In support of this, the finger prints, blood analyses, shoe print, hair, and was unknown substance/Aspirin all show that none belonged to anyone but Anna. I believe that a disease or some other foreign pathogen caused her death, the thing that killed her I belief is Reye’s syndrome. To support this it is caused by aspirin and when recovering from an illness. It also causes vomiting (was on corpse), irritability and aggression (was reported she was in arguments and fighting with many people), and causes edema (on corpse in ankles). Her body also had a injury on her head were she is thought to have fallen and hit her head, I suspect on the over turned table in the crime scene. Conclusion: In all the findings support Reyes syndrome. The findings are her; blood tests, suspect stories, and fair amounts of information that suggest no person was involved all support that the manner of her death was natural, and not foul play for anyone to get ahead.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

History The american promise book. Were the americas discovered or Essay

History The american promise book. Were the americas discovered or were the conquered explain - Essay Example gh the Treaty of Tordesillas claimed duopoly of all the non-European lands with the Spanish claiming control over all the lands in contact with the Pacific Ocean. European nations such as France and England disputed the Treaty and thus went ahead and unsuccessfully established their colonies in the Americas in the 16th century, and later together with the Republic of Dutch, permanently established their colonies in the Caribbean Islands and North America. The Spanish together with their Indian allies were able to conquer the Inca and Aztec empires which controlled Central Mexico and Western South America respectively. (Roark, 2006) extensively shows how another Spanish expedition led by Hernan Kortes landed on the Gulf Coast. He allied himself with the Tlaxcallans, sworn enemies of the Aztec .This saw an increase in hostilities witnessed in the City of Tenochtiltan leading to the killings at the Main Temple and subsequent death of Moctezuma II. This led to the Spanish eventually fleeing the city before coming back to lay siege on Tenochtiltan thereby destroying the city. The Spanish then installed puppet rulers such as Andres de Tapia Motelchiuh to further their interests. Another Spanish expedition led by Pizarro Francisco had to travel back to Spain to get the royal approval to conquer the Inca Empire. They were also able to alienate the Tlaxcallans and turn them against the Tenochtiltans. The use of cavalries and cannons made it easier for them to conquer the natives. These elaborate conquests lay credence to the claim that the Americas were conquered. The conquest was resource-driven. The European Nations were interested in the wealth and treasures of the