When I Have Fears.... Essays (338 words) - Sonnets,

When I Have Fears.... ?When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be? There are many aspects of the world today that give us reason to overthink and be fearful. John Keats', ?When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be,? discusses this and warns the readers of what may happen if this is taken to an extreme. The narrator goes through life until finally he understands the inevitability of time and realizes the things most precious to him. In the first quatrain of the poem, Keats uses a substantial metaphor comparing the gathering of grain with the gathering of his thoughts. The speaker is concerned that he wont complete his poetry. To die young is to die before one has the opportunity to harvest the fruits of the mind that have been ?ripened? from old age. Keats then goes on showing how the speaker doesn't want to die ignorant. The night's starr'd face? (line 5) is symbolic of the ultimate questions in a person's life and the speaker is fearful that he may die before he discovers them. The third quatrain helps to discuss the transience of things. The ?fair creature of an hour? (line 9) is probably a lover. The speaker is addressing the lover but it is evident that she is not the main concern. This unreflecting love the only love he may get. ?Then on the shore/ Of the wide world I stand alone, and think/ Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink? (lines 12-14). In Keats' rhyming couplet he is saying that if the speaker has fears, then he is alone. He is standing on the ?shore,? on the edge, separated, and far apart from the rest of the world. The things the speaker finds precious, ?Love? and ?Fame,? in the end are insubstantial and dissolve to ?nothingness? because he never did anything about them. Thinking will lead to a person's destruction. Being too self-conscious takes away from living one's life. Keats' speaker warns us that if we live in fear then this will lead to death both physically and mentally. Bibliography keats when i have fears that i may cease to be Poetry Essays

Earthquakes

Earthquakes Free Online Research Papers On October 17, 1989, as my family and I were preparing to watch game 3 of the World Series, a special news break announced that there had been a devastating earthquake that had struck the San Francisco bay area. News cameras quickly began showing the devastation that this magnitude 6.9 earthquake had wrought. Buildings were on the verge of collapse and the two tier bay bridge had partially collapsed trapping hundreds of motorists. 63 people lost their lives due to the earthquake, 3,500 were injured and over 100,000 buildings were damaged (bbc.co.uk, 2005). Earthquakes are notorious throughout history as devastating phenomena, but what causes them? In order to understand what makes the earth tremble so violently, you have to delve deep under the Earth’s surface. At one time, scientists thought that the earth’s crust or Lithosphere was continuous without any breaks or cracks but in the 1960’s, new research showed that the lithosphere was actually a fluid puzzle of irregular segments, or plates. These plates are made up of cool, solid rock that is four to forty miles thick. These enormous blocks of Earth’s crust vary in size and shape and cut through continents and oceans. There are nine major plates. Six of them are named for the continents they are embedded in: the North American, South American, Eurasian, African, Indo-Australian, and the Antarctic. The other three are oceanic plates called the Pacific, Nazca and Cocos plates. These plates are in constant motion and it is along their boundaries that tremendous energy is released changing the earth’s surface. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. Although the plates appear to be moving independently of each other they are connected and a plate cannot move without affecting the other plates. The plates are either pulling apart or coming together. For example as the South American plate pulls away from the African plate, making the Atlantic Ocean larger in a divergent boundary, the pacific sea floor is being consumed in deep subduction trenches or a convergent boundary. The â€Å"Ring of Fire† around the margins of the Pacific Ocean is caused by a convergent boundary or subduction zones found around the edge of the Pacific plate. These are plate margins where one plate is overriding another, thereby forcing the other plate in to the mantle beneath it. All the old oceanic crust is going into these systems as new crust is formed at the spreading centers. In this way the Earth recycles its self. And it is why crust older than the Cretaceous cannot be found in any ocean basin because it has already been destroyed by the process of subduction. Subduction zones are the location of very strong earthquakes, which occur because one plate is overriding the other. The third type of boundary or margin is called a transform boundary because plate material is neither created nor destroyed, rather the plates slide past each other along faults. The San Andreas Fault in California was responsible for the World Series Earthquake, and it occurs as the North American plate and the Pacific plates move past each other. There are many earthquakes along this fault which are caused by the accumulation and the release of the strain as the two plates slide past each other. Faults are surfaces along margins in which rocks have fractured and been displaced. The tectonic stresses caused by plate motions build up over time and eventually cause breaks in the crust of the Earth along which the rocks grind past one another. When this happens, an earthquake occurs. The stresses that are released along these faults are what cause the movement we feel when the Earth trembles during an earthquake. Earthquakes are measured and detected by using seismographs. Inside a seismograph used to measure horizontal motion, a weight is freely suspended. As waves from the earthquakes reach the seismograph the weight stays in the same place, while the ground and support move around it. This movement is recorded on magnetic tape by a pen attached to the weight or mass. In a seismograph designed to measure vertical motion, the weight is connected to a spring, so as the ground and support move up and down, the pen on the weight measures the vertical motion. The metal tape which the motion is recorded on is marked with lines that correspond to one minute intervals. When motion is recorded, a seismogram is created, which tells about the waves, how big they were and how long they lasted. Using information from the seismogram, the epicenter and focus of the earthquake can be determined. The focus is the point on the fault at which the first movement occurred. The epicenter is the point directly ab ove the focus. Waves, or the motion that seismographs pickup are created when stress is released as energy in earthquakes. There are three types of waves. The P wave, or primary way, is the fastest of the three waves and the first detected by seismographs. P waves are able to move through both liquid and solid rock. P waves are compressional waves which mean that they compress and expand matter as they move through it. S waves or secondary waves are the waves that directly follow the P waves. As S waves move they cut the rock they travel through sideways at right angles to the direction of the motion. S waves are the most dangerous type of wave because they are larger than P waves and produce vertical and horizontal motion in the ground surface. Both S and P waves are called body-waves because they move within the Earth’s interior. The speed of these waves varies depending on the density and the elastic properties of the material they pass through, and they are amplified as they reach the su rface. The third type of wave is called the surface wave. This type of wave moves close to or on the surface of the ground. Earthquakes are measured in several ways. Intensity is the measure, in terms of degrees, of damage to the surface and the effects on humans. Intensity records observations of effects on the curst, not actual ground motion or wave amplitudes which can be recorded by instruments. The second type of measurement is called the Magnitude of the earthquake. Magnitude is measured by wave amplitude and distance. Magnitude is determined using mathematical formulae and information from seismograms. The Richter scale is a magnitude scale that is logarithmic, which means each step in magnitude is greater than the last. To determine the Richter magnitude, a seismograph is used. Using a seismogram, the time difference between the recording of the P wave and the S wave is determined and matched to a corresponding distance value. The single maximum amplitude recorded on the seismogram is calculated and a line is drawn between the amplitude scale and the distance scale. The line crosses another scale, which corresponds to the magnitude. A new type of measurement, called GPS, allows scientists to monitor the movement of the Earth’s crust all over the world, between and during earthquakes. From these measurements, maps and models can be created to show how fast and in what direction the crust is moving due to both plate and fault movement. Through using GPS technology, it will be possible in the future to reduce the risk of damage caused by earthquakes. Although scientists have gained a lot of knowledge regarding earthquakes and the other forces that shape our planet, they are still unable to predict impending earthquakes the way they are able to predict other natural disasters such as hurricanes, or tornados. There is still much to learn. Only through research and the development of new technologies, will man finally be able to understand the destructive forces that are churning away beneath our feet. References bbc.co.uk. (2005, October 17). 1989:Earthquake hits San Francisco. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from On This Day: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/17/newsid_2491000/2491211.stm. Earthquake. (2008). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: search.eb.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/eb/article-9106195 Research Papers on EarthquakesHip-Hop is ArtThe Spring and AutumnQuebec and Canada19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XTwilight of the UAWLifes What IfsThe Fifth HorsemanAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Genetic Engineering

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 88

History - Essay Example It is at this point that one could say that the Author is trying to establish an impression that the book is supposed to descriptively tell something about the Baroque period, and the ultimate way of understanding it is to look at the common trends or patterns in politics, economics, religion, arts and sciences at that period of time. In this case, the Author simply did not try to single out the basic concept of understanding history. In fact, there is a use of the same methodology of establishing or creating clear ideas of a certain historical period. The book starts to talk about â€Å"The Patteru of Politics and Economics† (Friedrich 1-67) in Chapter I, then down to religion, war, science and so on. The discussion specifically ends with Bibliographical essay (Friedrich 3271). In other words, the book is organized in a way that the readers can learn many things about social, political and economical issues associated with the Baroque period. It is interesting at some point, because the book does not only focus on artistic expression, but rather the descriptive events during the period as far as the association of the arts is concerned. The Author simply pointed out at some point that there are many things to learn about the Age of the Baroque aside from the art and relevant artistic expression. There were primary sources involved in the discussion, supporting the Author’s main argument. These also include some supporting materials like secondary information from credible intellectual works. In other words, the Author tried to establish a significant justification so as not to defeat the purpose of the entire book. The supporting details were necessary requirements in order to come up with the better perspective and descriptive thought about the Baroque period. At some point, considering that the entire work is quite exploratory in its nature, there might be remarkable

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example I would like your amplification on an issue that is not clear to me in your post. How can you use your strengths and those of the nurse to foster trust between her and her colleagues?. Effective communication skills as a manager are important in terms of communicating organizational as well as individual objectives within organizations. Therefore, your post has helped me understand this clearly Kinsey Weathers. Offering a listening ear as well as your full attention as you do when employees come to your office is a strength that could propel you far in your career. I am in agreement that eye contact is imperative when communicating with others. Advising the nurse and helping her address her personal problems affecting her work is a form of coaching. Tyra (2008) supports your application of your strength through coaching and asserts that "The coaching relationship provides support and accountability for clients to help them change feelings, and beliefs that are blocking them" (112). In my organization, we use trainings, either on-the-job training or holding seminars, to coach employees on how they can apply their strengths in dealing with difficult situations. This has enabled them to improve their performance

Wall Street Journal Executive Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Wall Street Journal Executive Summary - Essay Example This lending has brought a new life to Ms. Mathews’ family business and also to her bank. â€Å"For a lot of the big regional banks, the future is a return to the past, â€Å"says Eric Wasserstrom, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities LLC. ’’It’s more like their traditional lending, more balanced† (Sterngold Web). After the recession, some businessmen and lawmakers, said banks were not playing their part in economic growth, although they received a lot of funds from the government. Banks increased their lending across the country in the second quarter of 2012.since then they have increased their lending. However, not all banks accelerated their lending. Some local banks increased their lending to businesses earlier than the national banks in past recession period. The volume of commercial and industrial loans at the major street banks is larger in dollar terms than at regional lenders, although the loans only make a small amount of their total share. For example, Bank of American Corp. made $233.6 billion in loans in 2014 which was 26.5 percent of its total and Citigroup Inc. 6.4 percent of its total. Large banks are mostly concentrating on giving the other types of loans; smaller banks put much emphasis on loaning business persons. KeyBank, for instance, increased its commercial and industrial loan by 12.3 percent in 2014, taking a lion share among its peers in 2014. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its bank loan by 4 percent last year and PNC Financial Services grew hers by 10 percent. KeyBank is established in 12 states, from Maine to Alaska. In July it announced that it had agreed to own Pacific Crest Securities, a technology focussed investment bank. The stock price for KeyCorp, the holding company which consists almost entirely of the banking operation has out competed most of its competitors. During the recession of 2008 and 2009, KeyBank just like the other banks was affected by the economic crisis. It

Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites

Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites soft ecotourism often occurs on a large scale within certain accessible areas leading to the observation that ecotourism can and often does occur as a form of mass tourism (Weaver and Lawton, 200: 362). Critically evaluate, using examples, the social, economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism sites. From my studies and research in this subject area of geography it is evident that there is a link and indeed a relationship between ecotourism and mass tourism. In order to understand this relationship however we must take into account what exactly tourism means, and subsequently what is meant by ecotourism and mass tourism. What essentially is tourism? Undoubtedly there are many varying definitions to describe tourism but essentially tourism . . . is the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs (Alister Mathieson and Geoffrey Wall 1982, p.1) Tourism is unquestionably a leisure activity and there are many various forms of tourism including; Cultural tourism. Sex tourism. Adventure tourism. Geotourism. Event tourism. The tourism sector has experienced significant increase in later years due to higher incomes and greater transport amenities and accessibility. According to the Central Statistics Office Ireland website, www.cso.ie the number of trips by Irish residents on domestic travel has increased from 7,001 in 2004 to 8,340 in 2009.  [1]  The increase or enhancement of tourism within certain areas has varying impacts, both positive and negative, on the economic, social and environmental aspects. Ecotourism or ecological tourism essentially refers to travel to an area possessing natural, physical or cultural beauty for example rivers, beaches, mountains and wildlife ecosystems. The main purpose associated with this form of tourism is to maintain, protect and respect the value of the area. According to Mike J. Stabler et al, ecotourism refers to . . . a sustainable, non-invasive form of nature-based tourism that focuses primarily on learning about nature first-hand and which is ethically managed to be low impact, non-consumptive and locally orientated (control, benefits and scale). It typically occurs in natural areas, and should contribute to the conservation of such areas. (Mike J. Stabler et al, 2010, p.360). Ecotourism incorporates a wide range of activities from visits to natural ecosystems for example the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, physical activities such as mountain climbing and visits to see wildlife animals for example gorillas which I will discuss later in thi s essay. There are two main types of ecotourism; soft ecotourism and hard ecotourism. Soft ecotourism is generally the more popular form of ecotourism and usually involves short-term experiences which are nature led by a tour guide and in which the individual returns to a facilitated area. Due to the popularity of soft ecotourism it is more likely that mass tourism could develop as a result. Hard tourism on the other hand refers to the individual involving themselves in an intense experience devoid of amenities like accommodation, restaurants and shops for example The Hollies Centre in County Cork. Mass tourism can be quite difficult to determine as there are no insights as to how many tourists would classify as mass tourism. However it fundamentally refers to large scale tourism where there is a great or large amount of tourists in a given area at any one time. Mass tourism has come to the fore due to higher incomes and accessibility as previously mentioned and in addition to these the introduction of package deals has also played a vital part in this form of tourism. It is essential to note that there is a relationship between these two forms of tourism and one can influence the other hugely. Throughout this essay I will discuss the impacts, socially, economically and environmentally of mass tourism on ecotourism sites with reference to various examples. By controlling and managing potential mass tourism on an ecotourism site the negative social and environmental impacts are significantly reduced, ensuring the overall preservation and conservation of the site. Rwanda is a small country which is located in central Africa and is famous for its beautiful geographical scenery such as the scenic beaches at Lake Kivu and its vast series of mountains. In addition to the beautiful scenery, it also boasts an abundance of wildlife including various species of birds and the rare mountain gorillas. (Figure 1) Rwanda is known worldwide for these mountain gorillas and this undoubtedly is a main attraction for tourists. According to the Rwanda Tourism website, www.rwandatourism.com, the number of visitors in Rwanda increased from 826,374 in 2007 to approximately one million in 2008.  [2]  In addition to this gorilla tourism in Rwanda has grown significantly and reached a peak in 2008 when 17,000 tourists were recorded visiting the Volcanoes Nat ional Park alone (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.2.), with peak season being the months of July and August. Although the increase in Rwandas tourists would not be classified as mass tourism on a global scale, it is essential to note that this increase has had significant impacts in Rwanda. The Volcanoes National Park is located in northern Rwanda and lies on the border of Virunga National Park in the Congo and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The Volcanoes National Park enables tourists to experience the extraordinary gorillas up close. The level of tourism certainly has impacts on the ecotourism site socially, economically and environmentally. The local community in Rwanda has experienced both positive and negative impacts as a result of the increase in tourism. In relation to social impacts Rwanda has undoubtedly benefited. The income received in the country as a direct result of tourists in the park has meant that the local communities have socially grown. Under the ORTNP and with the support of the government, a tourism revenue scheme was initiated in 2005, meaning that 5% of revenue from park fees goes towards supporting local communities and projects. The following are examples of projects undertaken in Rwanda as a result of the revenue scheme; Schools; the construction of ten schools within the locality has dramatically cut down on travel time for locals to school. This enables pupils to focus on their studies, thus improving the quality of education in the area. Water Tanks; over 5,000 families within the locality have benefited from the construction of water tanks which provide 20,000 litres of water per person per day. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.11) The Rwandan community possesses a rich cultural society which is present in their arts and crafts for example woven baskets, pottery and painting. Tourist expenditure on such cultural crafts shows interest in local traditions and rituals and ensures the native culture survives amongst the varying cultures of tourists. Environmental impacts are a considerably important feature when referring to gorilla tourism in Rwanda. Due to the fact that these mountain gorillas are rare and endangered species conservation and protection of these animals is a priority. One can argue that tourism itself can have a detrimental impact on the animals and this undoubtedly is a fair argument. Gorilla tourism can and does present a threat to gorilla conservation as tourists can put stress and disturbance upon the gorillas. This can adversely affect the behaviour and health of the gorillas. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.16) Evidentially these factors could be responsible for a decline in populatio n size. However, as people in Rwanda have realised the potential danger, they are now managing mass tourism in the following ways in order to conserve the eco-site; Anyone who wishes to take part and experience closer contact with the gorilla species must purchase a permit which is expensive and limited. Tourists are willing to pay high prices for these permits and this essentially means that tourists are aware of and are supporting the ecotourism code of minimising ecological impacts. In addition to the high cost of permits and as briefly mentioned earlier, the revenue scheme means that 5% of this money is fundamentally re-invested back into the conservation and protection of the national parks. A set of rules and regulations have been introduced which prohibit risk to the gorillas. These rules are enforced by staff employed within the park. The following are some examples of rules and regulations enforced; Tourists have to keep a distance of 7 meters between themselves and gorillas. There is a daily limit of one group of tourists per group of gorillas, a limit to the number of tourists within that group and they are required to remain together. Visits are to have a limited time span of one hour. Minimum age requirement of 15. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.4) If we are to imagine this ecotourism site without any means of managing tourist numbers what would be the impacts environmentally? Undoubtedly the gorilla species in the Volcano National Park would become extinct. The population of the gorilla has already decreased in recent years and there is no question that extensive large scale tourism (larger than what Rwanda is currently experiencing) would decrease it even more. In terms of economic impacts with reference to tourism in Rwanda we can see that tourism is acting as an economic asset to the local communities. Employment in gorilla tourism is very significant and at least 180 employment opportunities have been created within the park including tour guides, anti-poaching teams and gorilla groups trackers. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.12) Benidorm is a coastal town situated in the province of Alicante in Spain. It is home to beautiful sandy beaches which attract numerous tourists every year. Originally prior to the 1960s it was a small village where farming and fishing were the main sources of income. During this time period Benidorm experienced little or no tourism.   Since then however Benidorm has developed tremendously and attracts as much as ten million tourists per year. As a result of this dramatic change the lives of the local people and indeed the landscape have changed dramatically. Tourists are attracted to Benidorm due to easy accessibility, cheap package deals, abundance of accommodation, the beautiful sandy beaches, nightlife and golf courses. The town of Benidorm developed rapidly in order to cater for this large scale tourism and this development has had social, economic and environmental impacts as a result. The construction of tourism related infrastructure has negative environmental impacts in the vicinity of Benidorm. Over consumption, over development, pollution and artificial reconstruction are amongst these negative impacts. Many high rise hotels were constructed in order to cater and maximise tourism within the town which immediately diminishes the beauty of the town and decreases attractiveness.   Pollution is an ongoing problem in the area. Tourism leads to extreme litter and extreme pressure on sewerage systems. Cheaper package deals have led to an increased level of air travel, thus increasing the levels of nitrous oxide, hydrocarbon and lead in the air. Over consumption of natural resources for example water is another negative impact of tourism in Benidorm in the past with tourists exploiting the resource in hotels and swimming pools. Reconstruction of beaches, and production of golf courses decreases originality, portrays a modern town and drains images of the picturesque fishing village that was once there. (Figure 2) According to an article on the BBC news website however, www.bbc.co.uk/news/ , Benidorm is now highlighted as the new face of ecotourism. The author describes the recent environmental positive impacts which were acknowledged and have occurred as a result of the initial negative impacts of mass tourism. In one hotel the lights immediately turn off upon vaca ting the room and many of the taps are foot-pump operated in order to save water which in turn tackles the overconsumption of the natural resource. In addition low energy street lighting is used. In relation to the economy of Benidorm there are both positive and negative impacts. The tourism industry is worth an impressive amount to the economy and is a vital asset in terms of job creation. The restaurants, pubs, hotels and shops employ a large amount of people from Benidorm and the surrounding areas which would perhaps be unemployed if it was not for high tourism levels. The majority of food is locally sourced which essentially means that money earned by local businesses is essentially going back into the local economy. However tourism in this town has negative impacts also. Many of the hotels in Benidorm are chain hotels and are foreign owned. This acts as a drain on the local economy as money leaves the country. The cost of living increased as a result of mass tourism with prices of houses and goods and services putting pressure on the locals. Socially, the huge numbers of tourists visiting Benidorm has resulted in a wide range of cultures which can have has both positive and negative effects. The wide multicultural society as a result of mass tourism indeed positive yet this can have strongly influence negative impacts. It can simply drown out the Spanish culture of the town and with such a diversity of cultures anti-social behaviour has occurred and remains a possibility when misunderstandings or insulting of different cultures occurs. In addition to this mass tourism can have adverse impacts socially for the locals. Mass tourism has led to a rise in inappropriate behaviour with tourists engaging in such activities as drug use and excessive drinking. Tourism also interrupts local access to amenities such as shops, roads, public parks and sporting facilities as well as public transport. From the examples I have discussed throughout this essay it is evident that there is indeed a relationship between the two forms of tourism- ecotourism and mass tourism. In relation to my two examples, gorilla tourism in Rwanda, Africa and tourism in Benidorm, Spain, it is essential to note that I took two different approaches in terms of discussing them. When referring to ecotourism in Africa, I discussed the impacts that managing tourist numbers has had on the ecotourism site. It is evident from this example that ensuring the impacts of tourism numbers on this destination are monitored and managed is vital for sustainable tourism industry. Without the management gorilla numbers would decrease and would eventually become extinct. Therefore the ecotourism site would not be viewed as a must-go destination and tourism would possibly cease. With specific reference to the tourist destination of Benidorm in Spain, I discussed the impacts which mass tourism had initially created on the are a. In contrast to this, in more recent years I have given an insight to how Benidorm has evolved from an area of mass tourism to an area portraying potential eco-touristic qualities. Tourism management in a destination that is in line with local communities preserves and enhances the environment and protects its wildlife, while providing a more authentic tourist experience and eliminating the negative social and environmental impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism site.

Balances Of Values And Academiic Freedom Of Inquiry Essay -- essays re

Balances of Values and Academiic Freedom of Inquiry Dear Mr. R. Kirby Godsey,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the process of life we face many challenges and many crossroads. We have many choices and many decisions to make. In making these decisions we must keep in mind the moral values our parents have taught us since we were born. Those Christian values should guide our lives and the choices we make. These same values should also guide at school as well. In our pursuit of knowledge, we should keep these values in mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our never-ending road of learning, we are granted with many academic freedoms. We have the freedom to question and try to learn new ideas. We also have the freedom to disagree with the material presented to us. We can disagree and voice our opinions, but in an orderly fashion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In exercising those freedoms, we should do so with maturity and responsibility. As students, we are responsible for learning all the content of any course we study. We are free to take exception to the views or information presented to us, and we are free to reserve judgment about matters of opinions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometimes, in our quest for knowledge, there becomes a conflict between our beliefs we are accustomed to and the material presented to us. When there is a difference, we should not ignore the idea or block it out. We should feel free to learn and question new ideas. Just because we learn somet...

Recession in American economy Essay

The economic meaning of the term recession is, â€Å"A period of economic decline in a Country, characterized by reduced trade and industrial activity, production decline and increased levels of unemployment. It normally lasts between one and two quarters consecutively†, (Tremblay; 2007). In the US, incidences of recession have occurred since 1854. This paper, seeks address the reasons for recession in the US, with reference to the principles of consumer behavior and the firm as a whole. Observers were not expecting an incidence of recession this time round. Most observers have been persuaded to expect moderate economic growth rates in the US, of about 2 to 3 percent and a moderate inflation of around 2 percent (George. S, 2008). This is due to the fact that the US economy has proved to be the most resilient in the world. They however (the observers), have good reasons to back their predictions; 1. They have placed their hopes on relatively stimulative monetary policy to keep consumption and investment spending up and expect the worst of the housing decline to be over. 2. With stock prices making new highs, some point out that presidential and stock market cycles are favorable to higher stock prices since investing during 27 months before a US presidential election has proved in the past to be more Profitable than investing during 21 months after elections. In the October 16th issue of Headwinds, 2007 for the US economy, it is explained that macro-economic conditions make it a matter of months before the US economy and the dollar begun to experience some downward pressure (recession). This is probably the time for this recession. The US is the country with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world, with a GDP of $13 trillion . This has however reduced in the recent past. Employment levels have also declined. Production levels have gone down owing to cut-throat competition from emerging world producers like China and other Asian Countries. An attempt by the households to save more from a given income led to the decrease in actual amount they succeeded to save-paradox of thrift, (Lachman, 2008). Different reasons can however be put forward to explain the causes of this recession; 1) The outgoing administration’s short term reaction that they gave the economy before the 2004 and 2006 elections through a combination of large tax cuts and large increase in military spending. This ended up being a waste as billions of dollars were spent on a futile war (Trembley, 2007) 2) Record budgetary and current account deficits have severely neutralized the federal monetary policy attitude, because interest rates cannot be reduced substantially for fear of a collapse of the US dollar from the federal budgetary deficits as they are being reigned on. (Lachman, 2008) 3) With all this taking place at the same time that the construction industry is in disarray and housing prices have tapered off or are declining. Be that as it may, it is important to note that home ownership is more widespread than stock ownership; slightly more than two thirds of Americans own their homes, while less than half own equities. The objective of the households is to maximize utility. By spending more on home ownership than on stocks, utility is attained quickly and it is within the consumers budget space (Ingdahl, 2008). 4) This rules the question of how long the American consumer will keep up the high pace of spending in such a context. During the years of the housing boom, consumer spending was driven by the accumulation of wealth and record consumer indebtedness, most of it in the form of mortgages as the price of houses increased. Now that the reverse is occurring and banks and other loaners are reclaiming property for unpaid debts, a retrenchment in consumer spending cannot be ruled out (Trembley, 2007). 5) Protectionist push from the Democrat controlled congress, risks putting in jeopardy the flow of capital of about $2 billion a day that the US economy is borrowing from abroad (mainly from China and Japan). Trade frictions between the US and China could force banks to raise interest rates and not lower them. In any case, the banks would not lower the interest rates as expected to make up for the housing crisis (Trembley, 2007). 6) Collapse of one and possibly several major financial institutions under the pressure of bad loans and record foreclosures (take possession of somebody’s property usually because they have not paid back an agreed part of the loan). Particularly at risk is the sum $2. 5 trillion mountain debt concentrated in sub primes and loans. One major sub prime lender, (New Century Financial) filed for bankruptcy protection. Others are likely to follow suite because 2007 was the year when a large number of sub prime real estate locus had to be renegotiated at higher interest rates. Foreclosures rate is bound to shoot upwards. This will culminate in the next few years into a financial hurricane (Trembley, 2007). 7) The seventh and final reason is a geopolitical factor. The outgoing US administration has created some tension between the US and some countries in the Middle East. The Middle East, is the world’s largest oil producing region. In the coming years, the world economy will have to adjust to a peak in oil production and higher prices after the current lull. Geoplitical mistakes made by the outgoing administration have turned the richest oil producing region into a hot war zone making the US economic situation disastrous (Lachman,2008). The above listed reasons shed some light on why the US economy could be undergoing some kind of recession. They however do not provide a conclusive explanation or reasons as to why the American economy could be in recession. Unlike other forecasts, one can only tell when recession started and ended after it has ended. The determination of recession is left to the National Bureau of Research (Campbell. R. M & Stanley. L. B, 2005). However, it is possible to tell whether or not the economy is in recession by looking at past cases of recession. The great depression was the worst economic slump ever in the U. S history. It began in 1929 and lasted for close to a decade. Just like a recession, many factors led to the great depression; however, the main cause for the great depression was a combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920’s and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the latter part of the same decade. Money was distributed disparately between the rich and the middle-class, between industry and agriculture within the United States, and between the U. S and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive speculation in the late 1920’s kept the stock market artificially high, but eventually lead to large market crashes, (Gusmorino, 1996). Almost eighty years later, the U. S might be facing the same situation though not as severe as it was then. Wealth disparities are all over the world today. Although the worst cases are not experienced in America, cases of unequal distribution of wealth are still in America. As mentioned earlier, the American household does not invest much on stocks but in acquisition of homes. Speculations in the stock market are relatively high though not as high as it was then. It is not easy to conclude that the American economy is in recession. Whether or not there is a recession, depends on both on actual economic activity and economic analysis in the future. The facts as they are right now, show that the American economy is in recession. REFERENCES. Campbell, R. M. & Stanley, L. B. (2005). Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Gusmorino, P. A. (1996). Main causes of the Great Depression. Washington: Planet Press George, S. (2008). The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means. Chicago: Public Affairs. Furchgott, D. (2007). The Great Recession of 2008. New York: An over view of the US economy, (22) 9:31-35 Ingdahl, W. (2008). Global Financial Markets Want an Immediate, Bold, and Coordinated Policy Response. New York: London Press Lachman, D. (2008). What can global policymakers learn from the Swedish financial crisis of the early 1990s? Washington: US economic crisis, (31) 11:67-90. Trembley, R. (2007). A Slowdown or a Recession in the U. S. in 2008? Carlifonia: Global financial crisis, (14)6:101-143.

Free Essays on The Sun, The Moon, And The Stars

When life pulls you down into the darkest hole you’ve ever been in, insecurity seems to get the best of you. You start to do things that you never thought you would do before, and it is all just to make yourself feel better. You feel yourself wrapped up into a ball wondering what part you are supposed to play, why god brought you into this world, or why you even exist. You find your relationship with the person you love falling further into the hole with you, and you need someone to make you feel like you are important. Because the person you love more than anything has already become one with you, it’s even to the point where they can’t pull you out. That’s when you start to feel insecure, like you need something else, just as Yunior does with Magda. Because as you start to start to think about the beginning, it’s the end, and your life is revolving around the one decision you didn’t make for yourself, your insecurity made it for you. â€Å" I’m like everybody else: weak, full of mistakes, but basically good.† Yunior describes himself to be naturally a good person, who has made a costly mistake. In the selection, The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, by Junot Diaz, Yunior is a Dominican man that has cheated on his girlfriend Magda. Magda has an extremely hard time understanding why Yunior has made such a mistake, and although she appears to be trying, the relationship is drastically failing. Although I believe that cheating is wrong, I do not believe it makes you a bad person, and therefore, I believe in the statement Yunior made. Cheating is a form of insecurity. When two people are together for a long time, at some point in their relationship it is natural for them to feel insecure. They are expected to know how important they are to their lover, and expected to feel ok with the fact that their lover may be the only person that feels that way about them. It all depends on how strong you are as a person, or how you feel about... Free Essays on The Sun, The Moon, And The Stars Free Essays on The Sun, The Moon, And The Stars When life pulls you down into the darkest hole you’ve ever been in, insecurity seems to get the best of you. You start to do things that you never thought you would do before, and it is all just to make yourself feel better. You feel yourself wrapped up into a ball wondering what part you are supposed to play, why god brought you into this world, or why you even exist. You find your relationship with the person you love falling further into the hole with you, and you need someone to make you feel like you are important. Because the person you love more than anything has already become one with you, it’s even to the point where they can’t pull you out. That’s when you start to feel insecure, like you need something else, just as Yunior does with Magda. Because as you start to start to think about the beginning, it’s the end, and your life is revolving around the one decision you didn’t make for yourself, your insecurity made it for you. â€Å" I’m like everybody else: weak, full of mistakes, but basically good.† Yunior describes himself to be naturally a good person, who has made a costly mistake. In the selection, The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, by Junot Diaz, Yunior is a Dominican man that has cheated on his girlfriend Magda. Magda has an extremely hard time understanding why Yunior has made such a mistake, and although she appears to be trying, the relationship is drastically failing. Although I believe that cheating is wrong, I do not believe it makes you a bad person, and therefore, I believe in the statement Yunior made. Cheating is a form of insecurity. When two people are together for a long time, at some point in their relationship it is natural for them to feel insecure. They are expected to know how important they are to their lover, and expected to feel ok with the fact that their lover may be the only person that feels that way about them. It all depends on how strong you are as a person, or how you feel about...

A Peoples History of the United Zinn A Kind of Revolution Essays

A Peoples History of the United Zinn A Kind of Revolution Essays A Peoples History of the United Zinn A Kind of Revolution Essay A Peoples History of the United Zinn A Kind of Revolution Essay Alana Martin October 18, 2010 APUS-3 Strong â€Å"A Kind of Revolution† If one were to look back on most of the tales of the American Revolution, they would see stories of full of patriotic heroes and colonists risking their lives for their country. Zinn on the other hand realizes that these stories are too good to be true and exposes the truth of the American Revolution. The fighters in the American Revolution all had purposes behind their gunshots, however very few of them were for independence. John Adams broke the colonists into thirds in their viewpoint of the war, one third in approval, one apposing, and the other neutral. However this did not include every single person, in what would later be known as the Unite States, at the time because Indians, free slaves, white servants and free poor white men were not approved to fight. Only in the most desperate times were the poor white men called in to battle. Even then the colonists were not all fighting for the same reasons. Howard Zinn recognizes that patriotism was not sweeping the nation rather peoples own self agenda. While the struggle between upper and lower classes was still occurring in the colonies, the lower classes were given an incentive to fight due to the possibility of being able to climb the social ladder. People were risking their lives not for the benefit of their country, but for themselves. Also Zinn points out that the great unity between all the colonists didn’t exists. Rarely were upper class citizens rushing to the battle fronts, they sat back comfortably as the lower classes worked to achieve that kind of comfort for themselves. The beginning battles were not won by the colonists, but the smaller and more essential ones were which eventually lead to the defeat of the British. In the end the upper classes push on the lower classes to join the war and even going so far as jailing those who did not fulfill their military duty paid off with their victory. The victory looks great in the textbooks, but Zinn points out it did not bring what most colonists believed they were fighting for. Although equality was promised, it wasn’t really true equality. Slaves were nowhere near equal o the upper class and the class structure that already exists didn’t change radically. Even farmers who were promised land for their military services I not receive what they expected on the other side. In addition the now free colonists were hungry for land and took this as their opportunity to seize all Indian land and never look back. Blacks also struggled to make their way in a white society while the whites struggled to get what they believed they deserved from this new government that they fought so hard to create. Howard Zinn exposes the American Revolution for what it was and not what it appeared to be. While it may seem that the colonists were fully united as one, each individual seemed to have their own reasons for why they actually fought the war for independence. Even after the war concluded, life did not result in what was promised and everyone seemed to be working at fighting just as hard as they were before the war. This story of the American Revolution may not be as glamorous but it is the undying truth.

Personal statment Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Statment - Personal Statement Example Artists retrieve satisfaction and motivation from their ability to transpire their ideas into reality so that they can be appreciated and used by the audience. During my school years, I nurtured my art skills by indulging in all sorts of art ranging from sketching to modeling. My work is greatly inspired from the themes of love, life, mortality, and beauty. I experiment with colors, tools, and ideas to come up with unique models and systems. During my art journey at the university, I once had a workshop with the famous Italian artist Fabarizio where we studied the movements of dunes rather than water. Living in Dubai has nurtured my appreciation for art in many ways. I have been privileged to live in a city where art exhibitions, performing arts functions, and world’s most luxurious and aesthetically mesmerizing structures are omnipresent. Even the interiors of almost every house have been heavily inspired by the awe-inspiring state-of-the-art designs and aesthetic elements and practices being adopted outside. Being in Dubai, one is constantly surrounded by the most fashionable forms of art, one way or the other. The contemporary market is very competitive and it is hard for the newcomers to set their foot in it. In order to have a secure future, it is imperative that I am educated at least till the Master’s level, which is why I want to do Master of Fine Arts oriented around graphic design from PSU. Having the degree of PSU in my hand will make me potentially trustworthy and reliable in the eyes of the clients and open doors to new opportunities in my field. I shall find plentiful opportunities even in my homeland which, as a developing country, primarily depends upon the young generation for development and economic growth. In my quest to find the right university to graduate from, I have scanned through a number of reputable universities but PSU has been second to none because of the depth of the course it offers, the level

Economics for Business and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Economics for Business and Management - Essay Example Market is a distributed system and can be effectively used in taking decisions. These people think so because they believe that the market based system can really attend to the features of new world system. The following issues are addressed by market system: The market system is responsible for supporting a dense set of social goals. Social goals of people also include taking resource allocation decisions by people. The participants take their investment decisions by quantifying the benefits perceived on each of the investment options. It is the market that provides its participants initiatives to take the decisions wisely. Thus market system is such that it helps the investors maximise the overall value and take efficient investment decision. The prevalence of a currency in the market helps the participants express value for the decision variables. The currency is used as a medium of exchange between the economies of the world. For example if the currency is open, it is generally assumed as a mean to acquire huge amount of goods and services. In such situation, it can be used as an incentive for resource providers to increase their services and vice versa. Thus currency can be used as a medium that allows market to admire those who provide valuable resources to the market. Market system is a platform that provides the investors the set where they can express their desires and holdings. Markets are broadly used to take complex resource allocation decisions. The examples of difficult decision situations can be the wireless spectrum auctions, energy market and airline landing slot exchanges. These are the situations of extreme intricacies where market system has worked effectively in resolving problems. The market system provides scope for those systems that run in parallel and help offer various access to unique resources such as many scientific tools. For example, a situation can be imagined where a physics researcher