JFK, MLK, LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1960s

My Bondage, My Freedom Fredrick Douglass - 772 Words

â€Å"It was not color, but crime, not God, but man that afforded the true explanation of the existence of slavery; nor was I long in finding out another important truth, what man can make, man can unmake† (Douglass 59). In My Bondage and My Freedom, Fredrick Douglass explains in detail the harsh and cruel realties of slavery and how slavery was an institution that victimized not only slaves, but slave holders, and non-slave holding whites. Fredrick Douglass could not have been more right with his observation of slavery. In my opinion, slavery is not only an institution, but is a prime example of a corrupt business model that thrives on free labor, ultimate control, and wealth. â€Å"A business is only as good as its workers.† It’s a common†¦show more content†¦Greed is the undertone upon which Douglass states that slavery â€Å"corrupted souls† and â€Å"turned good people into bad people.† The institution of slavery was based on the ultimate control and power over a human to whom he is stripped of all of his identity and becomes sub-human. Consequently, the institution forces slave holders had to buy into this concept in order to justify any and all cruelty toward slaves. Douglas states â€Å"Slave holders resort to all kinds of cruelty† and later describes various ways of torture and punishment â€Å"all are in requisition to keep the slave in his condition as a slave in the United States† (Douglass 272). Slave holders showed no mercy when reprimanding slaves. The brutality and cruelty of these punishments were more of a statement of power and control and often times the punishment was worse than t he offense. â€Å"Racism was used aggressively to divide poor white southerners from slaves. The relationship between the wealthy and the poor was aggressively exploited by the rich white slave holder to ensure the poor whites non-slave holder that they had a similar cause† (Shaping America: Lesson 16). This caused non-slave holding whites to have a similar view as latter. Non-slave holding whites were in direct competition with slaves and more often than not were forced out of work due to the free labor slavery had offered. In conclusion, â€Å"Slavery is always slavery; always the same foul, haggard, and damningShow MoreRelatedMy Bondage And My Freedom1223 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"My Bondage and My Freedom† Slavery, Hardships, and Freedom? This book describes a day in a life of Frederick Douglass. In 2013, I saw a movie called ’12 Years A Slave’ reading this book and watching the movie was eye-opening for me. ‘My Freedom’ in this book explains that young Douglass suffered as a slave, when which he failed to flee his ‘Bondage’, then eventually he escapes that life. Douglass’s story continues to reverberate throughout his life and the American Dream that he conquered allRead MoreWilliam Lloyd Garrison And Fredrick Douglass1049 Words   |  5 PagesAbolitionist W.L. Garrison and Fredrick Douglass We all realize during this day and age that slavery was just a terrible historical event in the United States during the early periods and there was a movement of Abolitionism that attempted to rid the United States of slavery. Abolitionist came from several walks of life. There were hundreds of abolitionist as well but some were at the forefront of this movement. William Lloyd Garrison was the founder of the Boston Liberator, the â€Å"LiberatorRead MoreBiography of Fredrick Douglass1294 Words   |  5 Pagesinventors, but what about the people that are in between – the people that fought for equality. Fredrick Douglass arguably had the greatest impact on American society, especially African American society, in the nineteenth century. Douglass is credited as being an abolitionist, author, editor, and diplomat. He used literature, books, newspapers, and even speeches, to leave a long lasting mark on our society. Douglass advised presidents and lectured to thousands about different causes, including women’s rightsRead MoreThe Unnatural Insitution Essay745 Words   |  3 PagesInvention and not found in nature. â€Å" Institutiones (161AD). Fredrick Douglass wrote My Bondage My Freedom as a marketing ploy based on Jurist Gaius’s idea. Slavery is an unnatural institution and it affects everyone. It affect s those enslaved, those whom enslave, and even those who are not involved with either one. It is easy to see how those whom have been enslaved are affected. The most come, or easier seen is the simple lack of freedom. Those whom are enslaved are slaves and not free men, butRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave1552 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself Theme: False versus True Christianity In this theme, Fredrick Douglass contrasts the both forms of Christianity to show the underlying hypocrisy in slavery. The results show that slavery is not religious as it exposes the evils in human bondage. These ideals however can be distorted so as to fit in the society. Two forms of Christianity are presented in â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and each of them describesRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass967 Words   |  4 Pagesslaves in the United States many slaves like Fredrick Douglass had to escape to fight for freedom to become abolitionists. To expose the terror and cruelties that he faced from his owners and overseers as a slave as narrated in â€Å"Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass.† Being a slave was difficult from the beginning. In the case of Fredrick Douglass he was a product of unwanted love. Born into slavery with no record or â€Å"accurate knowledge of age.†(Douglass) He was the son of Harriet Bailey, who wasRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass 983 Words   |  4 Pagesin the United States many slaves like Fredrick Douglass had to escape to fight for freedom. To become abolitionists. To expose the terror and cruelties that he faced from his owners and overseers as a slave wrote in the â€Å"Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass.† ​Being a slave was difficult from the beginning. In the case of Fredrick Douglass he was a product of unwanted love. He was born into slavery with no record or â€Å"accurate knowledge of age.†(Douglass) He was the son of Harriet Bailey, whoRead MoreThe Human Condition Of The United States Of America1434 Words   |  6 PagesFor as long as the human condition has existed on this planet there has always been a need to exploit a person or people. One of those exploitations comes to us in the form of slavery, a state of physical bondage denying a person their freedom. Slavery has existed on this planet in all regions around the world from ancient Sumer, ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient India, Medieval Islam, the Vikings, to Europe and the Americas in the late 1400s. Humans are not the only species that use slavery.Read MoreFrederick Douglass : A Fugitive Slave And A Free Man1192 Words   |  5 PagesFredrick Douglass (1818-1945), both a fugitive slave and a free man, was one of the most courageous and influential leaders of the abolitionist movement. His narrative, published in 1845, illustrates his childhood and early manhood experiences as a salve, as well as his escape to the North and find of freedom. Within his narrative entitled â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass,† Douglass argues that in order to achieve physical freedom, a slave must seek knowledge and an education. InRead MoreThe Underground Railroad And Its Impact On American Culture1608 Words   |  7 Pagesthat helped millions to gain America most prized passion, freedom. The Underground Railroad was a secret organization filled with various members from all walks of life. Contrary to its name The Underground Railroad was neither a railroad, nor underground; its name was simply a tip towards its terms and language used within the organization and it’s members. The underground network’s mission was to aid fugitive slaves along the way to freedom in the northern states. Established in the 1780’s it is

Children Need to Play, Not Compete Free Essays

Everyone wants to win. But should that be a child’s top priority? Children’s sports should be more focused on cooperation and pure fun. The physical and psychological negatives are not worth the feeling of winning a game or making a team. We will write a custom essay sample on Children Need to Play, Not Compete or any similar topic only for you Order Now Competitive sports have too many negatives that outweigh the positives and should be either removed or restructured. After children are fully prepared and mentally and psychologically developed, by age twelve or so, children can move on to playing to win. â€Å"Children Need to Play, Not Compete† by Jessica Statsky is an explanation as to why children sports need to be less competitive. The stress of winning seems to be getting worse and worse as time goes on. Children are losing the love for sports because the fun is slowly but surely being taken away. Statsky states that, â€Å"even when children are not injured, fear of being hurt detracts from their enjoyment of the sport. † There are also psychological issues, which shouldn’t be a problem children have to deal with. Sports should be somewhat of an outlet, an escape for children to enjoy themselves apart from their everyday life, not an added stress. As Statsky ads, â€Å"Winning and losing may be an inevitable part of adult life, but they should not be a part of childhood. † Childhood is a time for making memories, participating in things that make children happy, and enjoying their time. Instead of stressing about winning, practicing, losing, making the team, and getting hurt, children should purely be having fun playing the sports that they love. Jessica Statsky presents a very reasonable and logical argument. It is hard to disagree with her viewpoint after reading the article. All of her examples were relevant and accurate. Statsky ties together her opinion along with facts and statistics. She makes several references to various books and authors and even sources such as the Los Angeles Times. Jessica Statsky has information from a New York Little League official, which shows that from California to New York, this is an issue that is being dealt with all over the country. Statsky also has information from a professor of kinesiology, Dr. Glyn C. Roberts, at the institute of Child Behavior and Development at the University of Illinois. Her arguments are very persuasive and well worded. Over all, Statsky has put together a very well-constructed article. â€Å"Children Need to Play, Not Compete† appeals to readers emotions. Children are a part of just about everyone’s lives. Everyone was a child once, and either has or knows someone who has children. No one wants to think about a child being hurt physically or emotionally. Although parents often get involved in the desire to win, it is more important that children have positive experiences and wait until they are mature enough to have winning become a priority. Statsky refers to Martin Rablovsky, a former sports editor for the New York Times who said after the coaches whistle blows, â€Å"The spirit of play suddenly disappears, and sport become job like. † Parents don’t want to see their children lose interest in a sport they love because of all the pressure. It is a fairly reasonable assumption to say that parents would rather their children have fun without the addition of winning, then to be stressed or harmed just to have that â€Å"win†. Parents could still praise their children for performing well and see how much better they will develop and be prepared for competition later in life. There are many points in â€Å"Children Need to Play, Not Compete† that are easily agreeable. It is true that between the ages of six and twelve, children shouldn’t be involved in competitive sports. Statsky states, â€Å"One readily understandable danger of overly competitive sports is that truly entice children into physical actions that are bad for growing bodies. Children do so much growing in this time period. They don’t need negative physical and psychological impacts from sports at such an important stage in life. Children should be taught cooperation, sportsmanship, and individual performance to prepare them for competition when they are developed enough to handle it. Everyone wants to be able to look back on childhood and have good memories. Sports programs should reconsider and reconstruct to cater to ch ildren’s needs and abilities. No one wants to see the love of sports slowly disappear over time. Children have their whole lives to compete. Childhood should be about pure innocent fun and making positive memories. Sports don’t need to completely change. It would help if the level of competition progressed as the children’s age and abilities progressed. That way they could be gradually becoming prepared for high school, college, or even professional sports in their future. If taking steps toward reconstructing children’s competitive sports is going to benefit children, then that is what needs to be done. How to cite Children Need to Play, Not Compete, Papers

I Am Rain free essay sample

Rain patters softly but ceaselessly on a window, like a steady drum beating in tandem with the perpetual ticking of seconds, days, years. There is something profound about the rain. Although its drops are small, their power is unparalleled. Each individual droplet, unique and yet uniform, commands more respect than any dictator or king, and contains more pride than the greatest of man or beast. Rain is the champion of the earth. It forces grown men to their knees in desperation at its absence, and leads entire civilizations to rejoice in celebration at its arrival. Rain can be cruel or forgiving. Rain lives by no laws but its own, coming and going at its own choosing. There is something profound about the rain. It requires no invitation. Rain does not ask permission, or accept rejection. Yet, with all its power, rain is also gentle. Rain brings life. Rain brings passion. Rain brings emotion. We will write a custom essay sample on I Am Rain or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Rain is anything, and everything, all wrapped up in one little bundle. We can always recognize rain, but it never falls the same way twice. It is ever changing, and yet it is always the same. Rain is natural, mundane, and yet completely miraculous. Yes, there is something profound about the rain. I sit amongst the throngs of high school students, ordinary, unexciting, and yet I stand out. To many I am average, just another smart kid, just another theater kid. Yet, what is average? Average is a label, just a label. Average is not normal, because there is no normal. I am not average. I am rain. I am powerful, though I am small. I affect those around me, no matter how briefly I am there. I command attention, relentless in my quest to be seen, heard, felt. I am unique, yet I blend into the crowd. I am a struggle and I am a triumph. I am the success and the failure. I am meaningful. I have the strength to stand up for what I believe. I have the strength to wrestle with my own imperfections. I have the strength to recognize the battles to fight, and the ones to let pass. I am rain. I am the same as I have always been, and yet, I am different then I ever was. I hold on to my same values of family. I hold on to my same dreams of leaving my mark on the world. I hold on to my same goals of being remembered long after my death. Yet, despite all these constants, I am never the same person. Each day, I am the manifestation of that day’s energy. I am calm or wild. I am excited or depressed. I am gentle or I am intense. I am rain. Rain patters softly but ceaselessly on a window, like a steady drum beating in tandem with the perpetual ticking of seconds, days, years. Most people are afraid of this ticking, of this power, but I am not most people. I, like the rain, am my own clock, my own limitation, my own obstacle. I am rain.

Opedius Rex Essays - Operas, Oedipus The King, Oedipus, Jocasta

Opedius Rex level: grade 10 honors subject: English / Oedipus Rex score: A Title: The Transformation of Oedipus When Oedipus, as a young man, first learned from one of Apollo92s oracles that he was destined to murder his father and marry his mother, he fled his home in Corinth, attempting to defy the prophecy, and he wandered the roads of Greece. In hi s wanderings he happened upon another traveler who obstructed his path. Being too proud to detour from his course and let this other man through, Oedipus killed him. He went on to become king of Thebes by marrying the residing queen, Jocaste. Under Oedipus92 rule, the city saw immediate and lasting prosperity. But fifteen years down the line, a plague swept over Thebes, and the only cure for the city92 s troubles was for its former king Laius92 murderer to be brought to justice. Laius had disappeared fifteen years earlier, shortly before Oedipus arrived in Thebes and solved the riddle of the sphinx, freeing the city from its clutches. Oedipus sends for the omniscien t Tiresias, who is reluctant to reveal the implicating information to the king, but Oedipus 92 refuses to let his pride falter, so he blindly pursues the identity of the murderer, unawar e that he is on a mission of self-incrimination. Tiresias92 words lead Oedipus to learn that Laius was his both his father and the former king of Thebes, not to mention the traveler that Oedipus killed on his passage to Thebes. So he punishes himself by gouging out his eyes, in retribution for his crimes. It is often said the Oedipus was fated to doom, that he could have done nothing; to the contrary, Oedipus spent every moment of his life digging his own grave. His excessive pride and arrogance, as well as his notion that he could challenge a prophecy from the gods, were the shovel he dug with. All the important decisions he made in his lifetime, he made with this hubris. His judgements were all the foundation for his demise; he, not fate, constructed his path to doom. After the drunkard at a party in his home of Corinth blurted out 93You are not your father92s son,94 Oedipus embarked on a journey to Delphi to learn the vali dity of this statement. But he learned much more important matters upon arriving, namely the infamous prophecy that he would kill his father and couple with his mother, who, to his knowledge, were Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth. So Oedip us abandoned his life in the city of those who had raised him. This outright mocking of the gods92 prophecy was a big step in Oedipus92 downfall. He thought he could outrun the prediction, but instead, his arrogance pushed him into its grasp in Thebes, where his real parents, Laius and Jocaste, reigned. His own pride would again bring him to fulfill the destiny he dreaded so much on the way to Thebes. He would not stray slightly from his path to let Laius by, and he killed him. Oedipus had much more pride than it took to simply attempt to invalidate the prophecy by refraining from murder altogether; his arrogance led him to kill a stranger. Had he been able to swallow his conceitedness and let Laius by, Oedipus woul d not have proceeded to the midpoint of the prophecy. By killing his father, he fulfilled the first half of it. Oedipus goes on believing that his Corinthian caretakers were his biological parents up to and through the death of Polybus, who fell of natural causes. In fact, this reinforces Oedipus92 false belief that he could defy Apollo92s prophecy, furthering his pompous nature. Tiresias sees that Oedipus92 pride counters his desire for the excruciating truth, and hesitates to tell him. To Oedipus, this is a challenge of the king92s authority. He wants desperately to prove to the people of Thebes that he ha s saved them before and can do it again. Unwilling to accept defeat before the populatio n of the city, he accuses Tiresias and Creon of treason. As he pushes Tiresias for more information on Laius92 murderer, he pushes for his own defeat, visionless from his own pride. Not content with Tiresias92 riddle that reveals to the audience, who are not blind like the Thebian king, that Oedipus is the killer, Oedipus probes deeper into the mystery. He disregards the beckoning of his wife Jocaste to not look further into the puzzle and becomes a detective on the trail to expose himself. Determined not to look weak in front of Thebes, Oedipus has neglected the warnings of both a prophet and his wife . He tries looking everywhere but inside himself, where the answer is closer. He would have saved himself loads of trouble had he only taken a step back from the entire fiasco, and seen that all

ACT Test Day What to Expect and How to Prepare

ACT Test Day What to Expect and How to Prepare SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you taking the ACT soon? This complete guide will go over exactly what to expect on test day, from when to arrive at your testing center to when it’s safe to turn your cell phone back on. Beyond the logistics, we’ll discuss what you can do in the days and weeks leading up to the test to fully prepare and feel confident. Read on to learn what to expect on ACT test day when you arrive, take the test, and finish up, alongside the most useful tips for doing your best throughout the day. ACT Test Day: Arrival The doors to your test center are open for just a fifteen-minute window of time, between 7:45 and 8 AM. A closed door means you won't be allowed in, so it’s absolutely essential that you arrive on time. There may be a line of students waiting outside the test center. When doors open, you should be greeted by helpers that check you in and direct you to your testing room. In the rare instance that there aren’t enough helpers, you should be able to find your locationby consulting lists outside each room. Typically, students are assigned to a room alphabetically. After you check in with your ID and admission ticket, you’ll put your bags, jacket, and any other belongings in adesignated area. This area may be a locker or simply under your desk. Seats are usually assignedin alphabetical order, so you’ll take your seat according to the test proctor’s instructions. Once everyone’s packed away their things and taken their seats, the proctor will start to pass out testing materials, namely the test booklets and answer sheets. You can’t open any of these materials until told to do so and will spend the next half hour to an hour listening to instructions and filling out identifying information, like your name, email, and address. All of this should be a highly structured process, but there are a few ways you can approach the morning to make sure everything goes smoothly. Read on for tips around your arrival to your ACT testing center. Doors close at 8, so don't be late! No amount of rhyming will help fix your timing. Tips for Arrival It’s essential that you arrive on time to your ACT testing center, as latecomers won’t be admitted to the test. I’d suggest planning to be there around 7:30, or a little earlier if you’re concerned about logistics like parking. Arriving much earlier could mean you turn into a nervous wreck waiting around outside the school; much later and you’re rushing to get in after students have already started to enter. Right around 7:30 is the sweet spot. So how can you set the conditions that will enable you to arrive on time? First, you should prepare everything you need the day before, a checklist I’ll elaborate on below. You should at least try to get to sleep early, as well as get up when your alarm goes off rather than adding an extra half hour via the snooze button. Leave yourself enough time to get ready in the morning, and plan out your clothes and breakfast the night before so you don’t waste time searching for clean clothes or discovering that you just ran out of your favorite granola. In addition to preparing the day before, you should also familiarize yourself with the route before test day if you’re testing somewhere other than your usual high school. On a similar note, you should consider what traffic conditions will be like to account for any unusual delays. Underestimating the time it takes to get there would be a highly stressful way to start your day. When you enter the testing center, make sure you know where your belongings are supposed to be and double check that your cell phone is turned off. ACT, Inc. is strict in prohibiting any technology that makes sound or could possibly record testing materials, so a mistake here could result in your test getting cancelled. Finally, make sure to listen to all the proctor’s instructions and follow them to a T. The whole process is rather rigid, and you need to fill out everything correctly to make sure your test scores don’t get delayed. Plus, just as a ringing cell phone could result in your scores getting cancelled, so too could opening and looking at the test booklet before the test officially begins. The proctor will instruct you when to start, so wait for her green light before commencing on your first section. Once you’ve gotten through this morning process, you’ll finally start in on the main event: taking the ACT. Proctor says, get started! By the way, if your proctor's a Bordeaux mastiff, you should be eligible for a makeup test. ACT Test Day: Taking the Test There’s no exact time when you’ll start in on your first section of the ACT. Instead, it depends on how long it takes everything to get settled and to get through the first round of instructions. If you get through the preliminaries fast, then you’ll start around 8:30. If your group takes its time, then you’ll start around 9:00. Most test-takers will start somewhere in between. The ACT consists of four sections, or five if you opt to take the essay. These sections are always in the same order: English, Math, Reading, Science, and optional Writing. Once you start testing, the next few hours will look like this: Begin with the 45-minute English section. When instructed, move immediately onto the 60-minute Math section. Take a 5-minute break. Touch your toes, have a snack, use the restroom. Then return to your desk to complete the next two sections. Take the 35-minute Reading section. When your proctor tells you to do so, move right onto the 35-minute Science section. Gather your things and leave quietly if you’re not taking theWriting section. Enjoy a 5-minute break if you will be writing the essay. After you complete this 40-minute section, you’ll be all finished with the ACT! If you’re not writing the essay, then you’ll be finished around 12:15, perhaps a little earlier or later depending on when you started testing and how strict your proctor was about limiting the breaks to five minutes. If you do write the essay, then you’ll finish around 1:00 in the afternoon. Just as the proctor will lead you through the morning steps with instructions, so too will she tell you when to start and stop each section. She may also give you a five or ten-minute warning when the section’s about to end, perhaps writing the time left on the board. While you’ve done everything you can at this point to prep for taking the ACT, is there anything extra you can do as you test to ensure that everything goes smoothly? Prep with timed practice tests to help you win your race against the clock. Clocks don't have legs, so you're a crowd favorite for first place. Tips for Taking the Test As you’re taking the test, your prep and planning should kick in, helping you with time management strategies and the concepts you studied for the ACT. You should also have familiarized yourself with the order and timing of the test, so that you know exactly what to expect going in. Of course, you should still listen carefully to your proctor’s instructions, but ideally you already know exactly what she’s going to say. You also have to make sure to resist the temptation of flipping forward or backward in your test booklet. Getting a preview of a future section is strictly prohibited, as is going back to fill in an answer or double check a question from a section that’s already concluded. This strict structure is all part of ACT’s confidentiality thing; make sure you don’t look at any section except the one currently open, as shuffling through could result in, you guessed it, score cancellation. This rule also means that you should direct your focus on the task at hand. If you struggled with the English section, try to push it out of your mind and concentrate next on math. Try not to let one section or passage trip you up for the others. You can practice sharpening your focus and mindfulness in the months leading up to the test. In between test sections, you should also definitely take advantage of your designated breaks. The ACT is a long and demanding test that requires a lot of energy. Physically moving around and stretching will get your blood flowing and re-energize you for the sections to come. Looking away from your test will also help reduce eye strain that comes from focusing up close for a long time. Take a walk, stretch, drink water, have a snack; all of these little behaviors will help you recharge and take on the rest of the test. Finally, just as you should be familiar with the structure of the ACT, you should also be aware of your rights as a test-taker. You’re entitled to afive-minute break, or twoif you’re taking the essay. You should get a quiet testing space free of disruptions. The unfortunate reality is that not all testing centers have equal conditions, and many students have had to deal with distracting noise problems, like construction outside their window. Testing environment inequities are one more way that the ACT may not test students on such an equal playing field as it likes to claim. However, you can ensure the best possible testing conditions by being aware of your rights and speaking up if they’re not honored. If your test proctor skips over your designated break, speak up and make sure you get that time to move around and recharge. If you prepare totake the test, focus on the sections at hand, and take advantage of your break times, then you’ll be able to maximize your performance on test day. As for after the test, what do you need to know about finishing up for the day? Tip #1 for finishing up: don't start your 70s-style disco party until you've passed in your test and left the testing center. ACT Test Day: Finishing Up As you read above, your exact end time will vary depending on when you started testing and whether or not you’re taking the essay section at the end. Any discrepancies in break times could also have a small effect on end time. For the most part, students taking the ACT without Writing will be finished around 12:15, while those staying for the essay will be done around 1:00. When you’re finished, the proctor will ask all students to close their test booklets. The proctor will instruct you about any last minute tasks and finally, collect all the testing materials. When you get the green light, you can leave the testing center. Once you’re outside, you can turn your cell phone back on, call for a ride or head home, and enjoy the rest of your day! Tips for Finishing Up While you may feel like turning your cell phone on and sharing with the rest of the world that you finally finished the ACT, I’d advise waiting until you leave the testing center. Especially if you’re not taking the essay section, you should respect that people are still in testing mode and leave quietly so as not to break their concentration. All students should refrain from discussing specific test questions with one another or writing about them online. Just as ACT, Inc strictly prohibits technology, so too does it forbid the sharing of specific test questions. Basically, you should think of your test as being preserved in a big orange envelope with â€Å"Confidential† stamped across it, like a file in the Pentagon. Who knew standardized tests came with such high stakes? Once you leave the testing center, though, feel free to throw your hands up and celebrate all your hard work! Congratulations, you finished the ACT. You’ll get your scores back in about two weeks (and your essay score about two weeks after that). Now that you know the ins and outs of test day, let’s move beyond logistics to discuss what else you can do to prepare yourself for the challenge of test day. What steps can you take to tie up any loose ends and boost your confidence before the big test? How can you channel a lion, nature's most confidentand well-coiffed animal? How to Feel Confident on ACT Test Day There are several strategies you can use to feel calm, cool, and collected for test day. Some are operational, like packing your bag, while others have to do with promoting your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Let’s go over the most important ones that will help you manage your time and stress and feel your best for the ACT. Pack Your Bag the Night Before Nothing can start the day off on a stressful foot quite like losing your admission ticket. Take this possibility off the table by preparing everything you need the night before. The essential materials are your printed admission ticket, an acceptable photo ID, No. 2 pencils (with erasers), and a calculator. Beyond these necessities, you should probably also bring nutritious snacks and a hydrating drink, like water or Gatorade. You might also bring a watch, as long as it’s silent, to keep track of time. If a watch is just distracting, though, then leave it home. Finally, you could bring along backup batteries for your calculator, just in case! Make sure you don’t have any prohibited materials, like technology with audible alarms or recording capabilities (or, if you do, that they’re turned off and don’t leave your bag). You can’t bring these out at all during the test, not even during break times. Pack your bag in an organized way so that you can easily access everything you need. As long as you put everything together the night before, you can rest easy with the knowledge that the only thing you need to do the next morning is tograb your bag on the way out the door. Prioritize Self-Care Taking care of your well-being should always be a top priority, and it becomes perhaps even more important during times of stress and pressure. Taking the ACT, along with the whole college admission and planning for your future process, certainly qualifies as one of those times. By taking care of your mental, emotional, physical, and perhaps, spiritual state, you can stay healthy and happy and meet these challenges with confidence and self-awareness. How you go about self-care varies by individual, but you should set time aside to engage in activities that you enjoy and that bring you peace of mind. Some of these may include spending time outside, listening to music, doing yoga, practicing meditation, spending time with friends and family, or writing in a journal. Time management techniques might also help you reduce stress in your day to day life and divide up your responsibilities in a manageable way. Self-care is about listening to your internal voice and being kind to yourself. Seek out environments that make you feel good (or clean up the one you’re in). If you haven’t recently, drink a big glass of water. Little gestures of self-care may make you feel better, stronger, and prepared to meet the challenges coming your way. Exercise can also play a big part in the self-care equation. As we learned from Elle Woods (or, at least, my generation did), "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't [crash and burn during the ACT]." (Legally Blonde/MGM/EOnline) Harness the Power of Exercise Exercise is another great way to take care of your physical health, and it can significantly improve your mental and emotional health too. Being active can boost your endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that boost happiness and reduce stress. Getting immersed in exercise can also serve as a sort of meditation, clearing your mind of its typical chatter and allowing you to lose yourself in the present moment. Overcoming physical challenges, furthermore, can make you feel even more capable oftackling other challenges that come along, like taking the ACT. If you play on a sports team, then great; you’ve likely already got a routine of exercise, plus you can enjoy the benefits that come from being part of a team. If exercise isn’t a big part of your schedule, try to make room for walking, running, dancing, swimming, or even an at-home yoga practice. Start at least a month before the ACT, at least for half an hour three times a week, and see if it has any effect on your mood and outlook. If you’re prone to test-taking anxiety or just want to boost your confidence before test day, throwing on your running shoes or rolling out your yoga mat might just be the game-changer you need. Set the Conditions for Quality Sleep Sleeping a peaceful, uninterrupted eight hours the night before a big test mightbe more aspirationthan reality for you, but you can, at least, set the conditions to maximize your sleep before the ACT. Sleep will help you feel positive and alert, plus it’s essential for meeting that early morning wake up call before your 7:30 AM testing center arrival. So how can you try your best to sleep well? There are a few methods you can use. One, you should use the day before your test to relax. You might do a light review, but don’t worry about last-minute cramming - at this point, you’ve done all the studying you can to prepare. In the hour or two before bed, you should try a calming activity, like reading or writing. Screens just stimulate your brain, so try to put away your cell phone or computer before you want to sleep. Researchers also suggest that "blue light" can wreck your sleep, so try dimming the lights or even usinga blue light-blocking app to set sleep-conducive lighting conditions. Calming music can help, as well as sleep-boosting foods like yogurt, milk, bananas, oats, and herbal tea. Just like in our discussion of self-care above, you can consider a holistic approach to getting a good night’s sleep, considering your environment, food, and activities before you go to bed. Bananas have been shown to make people happier. So has looking at pictures of cute animals. So eating a banana while looking at this picture of a squirrel eating a banana has got to be the ultimate happy experience. Fuel Your Brain and Body with Nutritious Snacks The ACT requires a lot of brainpower, and all that power needs to be fueled by an energy source. Wholesome foods and water will sustain you as you work your way through a long morning. Plan out what you’ll eat for breakfast, ideally opting for something with protein and whole grains. Avoid foods that are primarily sugar, as they’ll just give you a spike of energy followed by a big crash. Eat breakfast before you leave, and bring a supply of snacks and drinks to reenergize during breaks. Avoid a mid-morning grumbling stomach so you can focus all your energy on taking the test. Wear Comfy Layers Just as an empty stomach would be distracting, so too would feeling cold, hot, or uncomfortable. Wear layers to prepare for unpredictable classroom temperatures, and choose clothes that are comfortable and make you feel confident. Pick these out the day before to help you get ready faster and easier the morning of the ACT. Think Positive! Have you ever heard about the power of positive thinking? Or of looking at a glass like it’s half-full instead of half-empty? Thinking optimistically can be a choice, to some extent, and it can both reduce stress and improve your performance on high-pressure endeavors, like taking the ACT. To be able to think positively, you have to understand the concept of self-talk. We often have a narrative running through our heads, drawing conclusions, shaping our perceptions, and causing our feelings. Someone who talks very negatively about herself and her surroundings will probably have a harder time succeeding in something like a big test, or, at least, will experience a good deal of stress. Someone who talks more positively about her circumstances and personal abilities may have a heightened chance of success, as well as experience lower levels of stress. Of course, people have all different experiences and circumstances, and some are more naturally prone to pessimism or optimism. Regardless of other variables, though, you can still cultivate awareness of your thoughts and how they impact your feelings and performance. By becoming more aware, you can try to challenge the thoughts that are holding you back and replace them with ones that are more likely to help you feel confident, focus, and succeed. Consider the words of encouragement you’d give to a best friend if she were nervous about the test or doubting her own abilities. Then consider giving that same pep talk to yourself. Focus on your strengths, rather than worrying about your weaknesses. Practice the power of positive thinking and be proud of yourself for taking this step toward the world of higher education! Celebrate all your fabulousstrengths, and feel proud of your commitment to higher education! To Sum Up... The ACT’s a challenging test, and you should do everything you can to prepare for test day. Empower yourself by learning exactly what to expect, and eliminate any unnecessary confusion or surprises on ACT test day. Prepare your bag, lay out your clothes, and figure out your breakfast and snacks the day before. Strike a balance with all your hard work, and prioritize self-care by making time for activities that you enjoy and that leave you feeling good. Finally, embrace the power of positive thinking when it comes to performing your best. As with all of your endeavors, you can continuously improve if you keep putting forth effort and persistence. What's Next? We’ve compiled our best content and strategy guides in one place to help you study for the ACT. Check out our ultimate guides to ACT English, ACT Math, ACT Science, and ACT Reading. Are you taking the ACT with Writing? If so, check out this expert guide to learn how to write an ACT essay, step by step. Do you have any questions about exactly how the ACT is scored? This article will explain the ACT scoring system section by section while also providing scoring charts that show your raw scores get converted to the scale between 1 and 36. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

13er Generation and Melissa Etheridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

13er Generation and Melissa Etheridge - Essay Example It was out of the bored and confused young generation of 70s and 80s of Kansas that Melissa Etheridge emerged as an achiever (Luck, 12). Her parents had been very conservative and emotionally â€Å"shut down† (Luck, 16). It was in this ambience that Melissa started trying to write songs in her basement to fill the â€Å"emotional vacuum† that she felt (Luck, 16). Melissa’s father, John Etheridge has been described as a â€Å"good and decent man who clung to hometown values† (Luck, 17). But they were a conservative family existing inside a conservative society. When Melissa made her first public appearance as a guitarist and rock singer cum song writer, Vietnam War was raging and her song was about the war (Luck, 19). Just like the present American President, Barack Obama, and many others including Eddie Murphy, Bon Jovi and Whitney Houston, Melissa Etheridge is the product of the much-discussed 13er generation era. The label, 13er generation was given to t he â€Å"generation of children born between the years of 1961-1981† (Zustiak, 19). This generation derives its name from the fact that this is the â€Å"thirteenth generation to be born since the writing of the constitution† (Zustiak, 22). This was the period marked with the rise of America as a super power in the world, an upward surge in gang killings, the chaos of a world with information overload, and with a struggle to filter out noise and grasp practical truth. The facts about this period in history define the 13er generation as the most aborted generation, having parental divorce as its most serious social phenomenon (children had twice the risk of parental divorce than boomers), home to complex family structures where previously married parents were common and shadowed with dropping grades in educational scene, as compared to the 1960s (Zustiak, 14, 30,45). With the introduction of birth control pills and with the unprecedented rise in abortions, 1960s saw the birth rates declining to very low levels (Zustiak, 30). This phenomenon of aversion to having children was so prevalent that â€Å"the number of young couples who remained childless in thise years swelled to 75%† (Zustiak, 30). It was a common observation that the 13er generation was â€Å"the most unwanted, uncared for, maligned, abused, and rejected generation to come down the pike† (Zustiak, 14). This was so because, â€Å"parents didn’t want them, teachers failed them and authority figures betrayed them† (Zustiak, 14). And the consequence was that they â€Å"rejected the values and morals of those generations who have gone before them† (Zustiak, 14). The 13er generation has been found to place their trust in their friends and peer groups rather than in their families (Zustiak, 14). It was in this generation that Melissa was born as a member. Melissa was a self-proclaimed lesbian. She advocated gays’ and lesbians’ rights. Lesbiani sm was not at all acceptable in those days. As a teenage era friend of Melissa remarked, â€Å"everybody was conservative and clean cut† in the small town of Kansas, in those days (Luck, 28). In Boston, Melissa had realized that â€Å"the only place you could meet other gay people†¦was in a bar† (Luck, 41). As she frequented bars of Boston, she picked up the habit of smoking (Luck, 42). But when she started feeling unable to sing caused by her smoking cough, she quit (Luck, 42). When Melissa started her education in Berklee College of Music, situated in Boston, she got the opportunity to get introduced to â€Å"an entire community of gay women† (Luck, 31). In 1982, Melissa arrived in Los Angeles. Soon after, she started playing in women’s bars and Melissa of that period was a â€Å"shameless flirt† according to her biographer, Luck (53). This kind of rebellious

A policy of discretion gives central bank the ability to react to news Essay

A policy of discretion gives central bank the ability to react to news about the economy. In this light discuss whether discretion is a better way to run monetary policy than following a rule - Essay Example The econometric discretion policy evaluate on fiscal and monetary policy by using the new rational expectation method of macroeconomics. This has been the substantial subject cause for increased recent year’s research. A number of factors have provided a motivation for the research. The critique of Lucas showed that traditional discretion econometric policy was flawed in its evaluation. This was supported by the fact that recognition of rational expectation is not an implication of monetary policy effectiveness as was being potted by the discretion policy. On the other hand, the finding that credibility has significant benefits which are empirical and the demonstration of time inconsistency is a blatant proof that policy rule are superior to discretion policy (Baumol & Blinder, 2011, p.41). Although it is possible to find precursors of the new policy rule research, the recent analyses have been made possible by estimation and solution techniques which are new in the wide economy equilibrium model. The empirical model development of consistent expectation of prices and wages dynamic is another key proof factor of policy rule applicability. Also, the multi-country empirical framework abilities to efficiently handle the international cash flows in the world market as a factor of occurrence has been a proof too for policy rule’s effectiveness than discretion. However, the policy rules preferred in this research description paper have generally not involved fixed settings for the monetary policy instruments. The instruments not involved are such as the phenomenon of constant growth rate for the supply of money. In this context, the rules have been proved to be responsive by calling for the changes in the supply of money, monetary base and the short term interest rates these callings are to provide a response to the changes in the levels of price

Questions based on evolution and definitions Essay

Questions based on evolution and definitions - Essay Example Batesian mimicry which is a natural selection that favors the non-poisonous butterflies due to their similarity in their color with the poisonous butterflies is an example of a negative frequency-dependent. Positive frequency-dependency is seen in morph butterflies that are within the same species but have a different color pattern. Linkage disequilibrium arises when the genotype of at two loci is independent of each other and is as a result of Mutation, Random drift and Gene flow. It can be maintained by inducing mutation, random drift or gene flow in a generation. Deterministic forces are referred to as linear pressures due to their tendency to of pushing alleles frequencies in one direction which is either up , down or towards the middle. Important forces that take place in such a situation include selection, mutation, gene flow, meiotic drive and nonrandom mating. However, stochastic evolutionary force is the genetic drift that takes place due to random sampling of individuals and genes in small populations. Both are important because they lead to evolution as they cause changes in the genetic makeup of any population. The variance of reproductive success is usually higher among males than the females because the male sperm runs faster than the female, but dies faster than the female. The effect of this is more females in the society as a result of higher chances of having a female offspring. In situations when nonrandom processes overwhelm the random processes, it leads to low levels of variation which cannot be reconstructed over ecological time scales. Moreover, variation can arise from mutation and recombination. Since selection can remove variations from a population, genetic drift takes place. Antagonistic pleiotropy is a situation whereby the one gene controls foe more than one trait where at least a single of these traits

The three models of exchange rate determination

The three models of exchange rate determination Abstract This paper presents three models of exchange rate determination. Each models are based on the equilibrium of markets in the international economy. The equilibrium of goods market determine exchange rate according to purchasing power parity; the equilibrium of money market determine exchange rate according to monetary model; the equilibrium of asset markets determine exchange rate according to portfolio model. Introduction It is in the interest of a variety of parties to understand the determinants of exchange rates. For economists, it is for their intellectual and academic pursuit to uncover the economic mechanism determining exchange rates. Policymakers would like to understand the impacts and consequences of exchange rates to the policies and vice versa. Finance managers would like analyze the fundamental factors determining exchange rates and incorporate these factors in their financial or investment decision making. Speculators in foreign exchange market would like to know the direction of exchange rate movement aforehand to make profit. In the following, we explain three models of exchange rate determination, namely, the purchasing power parity(PPP), the monetary model and the portfolio balance theory. Purchasing Power Parity The theoretical assumption of Purchasing Power Parity starts from the Law of One Price. The Law of One Price in open economy states that, if the market is competitive, no transaction cost and no barriers of trade, then identical products in different countries should be sold at the same prices, adjusted by exchange rate, i.e. under the same currency denomination. Otherwise, there is arbitrage opportunity. In notation, pi =spi* (1) for pi = price of good i at home country, pi*= price of good i at foreign country, s = exchange rate For example, the price an ounce of gold quoted at London in GBP should be the same as an ounce of gold quoted at New York in USD times exchange rate of GBP/USD. Next, we consider a model with two countries. Both of them have the floating exchange rate-regimes and Law of One Price holds for all goods in the two counties. Then, the general price level of home country is should be the same as the general price level of foreign country, adjusted by exchange rate. In notation, P=sP* (2) for P= general price level at home country, P*= general price level at foreign country P and P*, the general price level is the weighted average of all prices of goods. So if (1) holds for all goods, (2) will holds. (2) is what we called the absolute Purchasing Power Parity (absolute PPP): the general price level of every country should be the same if adjusted to the same currency. In other words, the exchange rate should be determined by the relative price level of two countries. If you can use $1 of home currency to buy a basket of goods at home country, then the $1 converted to foreign currency should be able to buy the same basket of products in foreign country, i.e. they have the same purchasing power. We can interpret that PPP is a long-run equilibrium level of exchange rate that there is fundemental force of demand and supply in goods market to retain it. For example, assume that the domestic price level is higher than the foreign price level under the same currency measure, i.e. P > sP*. If goods are identical and there is transaction cost and barriers of trade, then consumers from domestic country will not buy local products. They will use their domestic currency to exchange to foreign currency to buy foreign products, which is cheaper. The force of supply and demand of currency will drives down exchange rate to depreciate. In turn, depreciation of exchange rate will lower the price of domestic products(under the same currency measure) and then the PPP equilibrium, P = sP* is retained. Yet the absolute PPP to be too strict, economists considers a weaker form, called the relative PPP. It states that percentage changes in price levels of two countries determine the percentage change in exchange rate. In notation, ΆP/P = Άs/s +ΆP*/P* (3) The relative PPP is a weaker form of absolute PPP because if absolute PPP holds true, the relative PPP holds true also but not vice versa. Moreover, change in price level is indeed the inflation rate. The relative PPP implies that exchange rate should be adjustedΆe/e to the difference between two countries inflation rates. For example, a country with hyperinflation should encounter substantial depreciation in its currency. Empirical Support The Purchasing Power Parity states that relative price level is a fundamental determinant of exchange rate. An empirical test would like to see whether there is such a relationship in historical data. The PPP hypothesis has be enormously and extensively tested empirically by economists. The extensive tests by economists found very little empirical support to PPP. Exchange rate and the relative price level are unrelated in short run and medium run. In the long run, results found that exchange rate would converge to the theoretical equilibrium value from PPP, but at a very slow rate. At the first glace, PPP seems to be a too strict hypothesis that its assumption is unlikely to hold. In reality, there is transaction cost and barriers of trade. The general price levels indeed include non-tradable goods and different countries have different components in their general price level. These deviations of the theoretical PPP will cause the domestic price level and foreign price level not converges, but retain at some deviated level. Literature Review Officer (1982) contains a detailed summary on the theoretical and empirical works on PPP at early stage. Rogoff (1996) provides a more update survey on PPP and their empirical tests. Taylor Taylor (2004) uses more complete data and more powerful econometric tests, as they describe, retain similarly result as previous scholars. Monetary model As exchange rate is the relative price of two currencies, it is reasonable to consider the supply and demand of money be an important determinant of exchange rates. Introduction of money supply and money demand, two very fundamental macroeconomic variables, into our models The monetary approach rests on the quantity theory of money in macroeconomics. Firstly, Money supply (Ms) is a quantity determined by the central bank. In the quantity theory, money is for the purpose of medium of exchange. Money demand of an economy is directly proportional to the general price level and also the quantity of real output. For example, if the general price level is doubled, then the economy would need double amount of money for their transactions. The same idea holds for quantity of real output. Then, Md = kPy (4) Where Md is money demand, P is the price level, y is the real output and k is the velocity of money. In equilibrium, Money supply must be equal money demand, and so: Ms = kPy (5) By rearranging, we have P= Ms/ky (6) By this form, we can interpret that given a level of real output of the economy and a given level of money supply determined by the central bank, the price level of the economy will be adjusted to Ms/ky. Let * denotes the foreign currency variables. We assume the quantity theory of money holds true to foreign country also. We have Ms*= k*P*y* (7) The second important assumption of the monetary approach is that PPP holds true. The exchange rate always attains its PPP equilibrium level, as in (2). In the monetary approach, we have three relationships of variables now: the quantity money of home country, quantity money of foreign country, and PPP. Combining there three relationships and rearranging the three equations, we have: Ms/ ky = S Ms*/ k*y* (8) The quantity theory of money and PPP are two building blocks of the monetary approach. The PPP tells us that at the long run equilibrium, the exchange rate should be equal to the ratio of home and foreign price level. The quantity theory of money marcoeconomics describes that price level of a country is related to money supply of central bank and real output of the economy. Combining them, the monetary approach concluded that exchange is determined by domestic and foreign money supply (Ms Ms*), domestic and foreign real output (y y*), and domestic and foreign velocity of money(k k*). An important implication of the monetary approach is that central banks money supply policy would have primary impact to exchange rate. Start with the domestic central bank suddenly increase the money supply by a substantial amount, with all other domestic and foreign variables keep unchanged. The quantity theory of money implies that the rise of money supply without increase in real output will drives up the domestic price level, which means inflation also. The increase in domestic price level will induce domestic people to buy more foreign products and cause the exchange rate to depreciate. This is the same equilibrating mechanism described in PPP. We may consider the magnitude of depreciation of currency by increase of domestic money supply. According to equation (x), exchange rate, s, is directly proportional to Ms. So in the monetary approach, a given percentage increase in money supply will leads to the same percentage of depreciation of currency. A natural consequence of the above analysis is to see if foreign money supply would leads to what kind change of exchange rate. From equation (x), we can see that foreign money supply Ms* comes into determining the exchange rate. If the foreign central bank increase money supply, the foreign currency would depreciate as by our previous analysis. Then, in turn, the domestic currency would appreciate relatively. On the other hand, we may consider the effect of an increase in real output on exchange rate in the monetary approach. Given a fixed level of money supply, real output increase will leads to lowering price level, as described in the quantity theory of money. Then, on the open economy side, the exchange rate must appreciate, making the local products more expensive, to preserve the PPP equilibrium. So we can conclude that a rise in real output(GDP) will leads to appreciation of the domestic currency, given other thing else constant. Empirical Evidence The monetary approach is largely based on PPP. Given the failure of PPP on empirical testing, it is not difficult to imagine that empirical test on the monetary model of exchange rates should found little support. Extensive tests have been carried out to examine the relationship between exchange rate vs. money supply and exchange rate vs. real output. As representative, Frenkel (1976) and Meese Rogoff (1983) shows little empirical support on the Monetary approach. Literature review Johnson (1977) portrays a model treatment of the monetary model of exchange rates. Frenkel (1976) and Meese Rogoff (1983) are representative empirical works on the monetary approach. Portfolio Balance Model In the monetary model, the global economy is simplified as having goods and money only, and money is the medium of exchange to buy domestic and foreign goods. Exchange rates are determined by the relative demand and supply of money, domestic and foreign. The portfolio balance model takes a further step from the monetary model that there are investment assets in the global economy for people to hold. People would consider holding money, domestic assets and foreign assets alternatively on their portfolio balance. Then the relative demand and supply of these investment assets would determine the exchange rate. The portfolio balance model assumes there are three kinds of assets for people to allocate their total wealth: Domestic money (M), domestic bond (B), and foreign bond (FB). Domestic money (M), pays no interest, is a riskless asset. In term of finance, the risk-free rate is zero in this simplified model. Domestic bond and foreign bond are risky assets that payout with, with interest rate rand r* respectively. Then the actual interest rate individual receive from foreign bond is sr*. The portfolio balance model of exchange rate makes further assumption in line with modern portfolio theory. Domestic bond and foreign bond are not perfect substitutes. Holding domestic and foreign bond together in the portfolio would reduce the unsystematic risk. So people would not simply hold the bond with higher yield only, but hold a portfolio of domestic and foreign bonds. Moreover, the individuals, being are risk-averse and so they would hold some portion of riskless asset, the money. The individuals have a total wealth of W would decide how to allocate them into money, domestic bond and foreign bond respectively based on his risk preference and the returns of different assets, as in modern portfolio theory. He would purchase more of one asset if the return of the asset increase, or if the return of the alternative assets decrease. In summary, Demand of money = M(r, sr*) is decreasing in r and sr* Demand of domestic bond = B(r, sr*) is increasing in r and decreasing in sr*. Demand of foreign bond = FB(r, sr*) is increasing in sr* and decreasing in r. Total wealth, the supply of various assets, would equal to the demand of various assets., such that W = M(r, sr*) + B(r, sr*) + BF(r, sr*) (9) It means that, in equilibrium, there would be some equilibrium value of r, r* and s to balance demand and supply. To focus on the role of exchange rate in this model, we may consider r and r* as given to be stable by the bond markets and only the exchange rate varies. The equation above can be simplified as: W = M(s) + B(s) + BF(s) (10) Then, there will be a value of s to equalize the demand of various assets to total wealth. In other words, the exchange rate is determined by the equilibrium across the money, domestic bond and foreign bond markets in this portfolio balance model. Implications and evidence of portfolio balance model One of the most important implications from the portfolio balance model is that current account surplus will be associated with depreciation of currency. Current account surplus must be associated with capital account deficit, which means that the country is a net purchaser of foreign assets. The demand of foreign bond increase and so exchange rate would depreciate for the equilibrium in asset markets to restore. However, as noted by Copeland (2008), the tests of portfolio balance model, is far from satisfactory. Literature review Several articles by Branson propelled the portfolio balance model, and include empirical evidence also. Branson (1983) provides a good account of summary. Conclusions We have reviewed three different models on exchange rates. The PPP, the most fundamental one, claims that price level is the fundamental determinant of exchange rates in the long run. The market force of goods arbitrage would push the exchange rate to the equilibrium level that balance the purchasing power of the different currency to the same level. The monetary model incorporates the classical quantity theory of money in marcoeconomics with purchasing power parity. It predicts that money supply, determined by the central bank, and real output are the determinants of exchange rate. The third theory, the portfolio balance model extends the monetary model from considering the money market to the markets of a number of assets. Individuals demand each type of assets and exchange rate is determined as the equilibrium price of various asset markets. All of the models we discussed are laid on fundamental economic theory and are conceptually sound. Unfortunately, economists found little direct empirical support to these models. We should not consider rejecting these three models because of the lack of empirical support. Firstly, these three models are conceptually fundamental and shape our thinking in exchange rates. They will be extremely useful when we extend our analysis with specifications in further detail and seek more specific implications in exchange rate. Secondly, these models portray the long-run equilibrium behavior of the exchange market. It is difficult to consider the volatile, second-to-second changing exchange rate market behavior would be consistent with these models. There may exists random shocks to the exchange rate market that consistently propel the exchange rate to move in a random style and so the long-run equilibrium of the models cannot be attained.

Benefits of the world Trade Organization Essay -- essays research pape

Benefits of the World Trade Organization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the biggest firms associated with globalization is the World Trade Organization. The World Trade Organization is the only international body that deals with the rules of trading between nations. It has evolved over the past half century into an entity that contract with the trade of services, intellectual property as well as its original intent of the trade of goods. The WTO controls most trade in the world today through over 100 countries, and even more on the way. The World Trade Organization is beneficial economically and we should support its principles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The original and main goal of the WTO is to remove trade barriers between countries, which is a major idea behind globalization. Anyone who knows the slightest bit of economics knows that trade is beneficial to a country as a whole. When free trade is allowed it opens up foreign markets for domestic producers. It also opens up the possibility of foreign competition in domestic markets. This fact will lead to the reduction in price of many products, which will benefit the consumer. Trade restrictions hurt the consumer, and this is a problem that the WTO is charged with addressing.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 1980’s when Japanese cars were quickly gaining a foothold in the American market the US limited the number of imports from Japan, in theory to protect the American worker. In response to this, car prices rose extremely. If the imports were to be allowed into the United States it would no doubt have a short-term negative effect on the economy. This would all change however when a shift in the economy occurred or the American producers were forced to make better products which in the end will benefit the costumer. The long-term benefits, although hard to see by many politicians, would benefit our country in the long run.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The WTO also makes life much simpler for companies wishing to import raw materials from outside of the United States in order to make finished goods through Non-discrimination. If the WTO did not exist then the United States in all likelihood would have different import duties applying to different nations. Therefore if a company from the US wanted to import a raw material it would not be a simple case of... ... the numerous obstacles that only the larger firms were equipped to maneuver around in China. Thus all businesses working from within the United States will have the fair opportunity to extend their reach into China. China will also receive the same benefits once it enters the WTO and will be able to sell its products much easier to member countries. This fact will help the Chinese worker because member countries will tend not to buy Chinese goods if they know they were made in sweat shops or other places hurtful to the workers. The WTO will recognize this fact too and force China to provide better working conditions for its workers. The World Trade Organization’s principles should be supported and embraced. The WTO is a large step in the right direction to globalization. The long term benefits of free trade far outweigh only argument critics can come up with, which are short-term economic losses. The WTO is structured in a way that every member country is treated fairly and if not they can safely argue and settle disputes. The potential for new markets for all business world-wide are also great, and this in itself should be enough for any person to agree with its necessity.

Froebel Kindergarten Essay

Freidrich W. A. Froebel is best known as the founder of kindergarten. He was a German educationalist. Froebel was born in 1782 in a village in Germany. His childhood was difficult because his mother died when he was a baby and his father abandoned him. Froebel was given to his uncle’s care. Between 1808-1810 he attended the training institute run by John Pestalozzi at Yverdon. Froebel left the institution accepting the basic principles of Pestalozzi’s theory: permissive school atmosphere, emphasis on nature, and the object lesson. Froebel, however, was a strong idealist whose view of education was closely related to religion. He believed that everything in this world was developed according to the plan of God. He felt that something was missing in Pestalozzi’s theory: the â€Å"spiritual mechanism† that, according to Froebel, was the foundation of early learning. Froebel’s philosophy of education rested on four basic ideas: free self-expression, creativity, social participation, and motor expression. Froebel began to focus on the needs of children just prior to entering school. He envisioned a place attended by 4-6 year olds where children would be nurtured and protected from outside influences—like plants in a garden. Froebel decided to call his school kindergarten, which in German means â€Å"child garden. † Froebel began a training institute for the teachers of his schools. He believed that teachers should be highly respected people with values that the children should imitate. The teacher should also be a sensitive, open, and easily approachable person. Froebel’s first kindergarten was founded in 1837 in Blakenburg Germany. It featured games, play, songs, stories, and crafts to stimulate imagination and develop physical and motor skills. The materials in the room were divided into two categories: â€Å"gifts† and â€Å"occupations. † Gifts were objects that were fixed in form such as blocks. The purpose was that in playing with the object the child would learn the underlying concept represented by the object. Occupations allowed more freedom and consisted of things that children could shape and manipulate such as clay, sand, beads, string etc. There was an underlying symbolic meaning in all that was done. Even clean up time was seen as â€Å"a final concrete reminder to the child of God’s plan for moral and social order. † In 1848, the Prussian government ordered these schools to be closed because they did not agree with Froebel’s ideas. Then Froebel died in 1852, not knowing the impact his work would have on the U. S. school system. Then many Germans immigrated to the United States after the German Revolution. Among them were women trained in the Froebel system of education. It was these women who were responsible for bringing kindergarten to the United States. The first U. S. kindergarten was for German immigrant children in Wisconsin and taught in German. Then in 1873 kindergarten was introduced in the public American schools. Freidrich Froebel’s ideas provided the major direction for kindergarten curriculum during the last half of the nineteenth century. Many of his ideas can still be observed in kindergarten today: learning through play, group games, goal oriented activities, and outdoor time. Now applying Froebel’s philosophy of education to the Bahamas. From the National Task Force on Education (1994) Final report. This was stated about Pre-Schools. PICTURE. But yes we do have active kindergartens in many schools. I know for sure on the island of Eleuthera there is the kindergarten section in all of the primary schools. But upon my research I found that there are kindergarten sections in only a few schools here in New Providence. Example: The Bahamas Academy School. Here is a quick look at their curriculum. Then there is one in Yellow Elder Gardens and Elizabeth Estates. REPORTING TODAY FROM THE EDUCATIONAL CHANNEL, I’M VASHTE’ NAIRN.

Rain Man and Psychological Concepts

Rain Man and Psychological Concepts The vast majority of people are fond of movies and find many of them rather education and helpful to their every day life. One of the most powerful sides of any movie is raising and discussing numerous psychological problems and concepts, which help to solve vital problems and challenges and be satisfied with the results. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Rain Man and Psychological Concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of such movies, which may touch human soul and mind, is Rain Main starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. This movie describes a story of a young man, Charlie Babbit, who is eager to take his father’s business and money after the latter’s death; however, the dreams of Mr. Babbit are failed, when he gets to know that all father’s money go to his brother, he has not known before. Now, Charlie has to meet his brother, gain his confidence, and make him give money. But the even ts become more interesting, when Charlie meets Raymond and comprehends that their lives are so connected. Raymond’s autism is one of the first problems, Charlie has to cope with; but everything is not that easy as Charlie expects. Rain Man teaches people trust, care, and support each other, helps to comprehend and assist those people with autism spectrum, and explains that people are not always all-powerful, and certain whims of destiny cannot be outwitted. Psychology is regarded as a science about behavior and all mental processes, which are inherent to people and other living beings (Nevid, 2008). The major point of this science is its grounds to observations and theories, because all facts about beings have to be collected first of all, and their organized into theories in order to explain human behavior and their reactions to certain situations, predict possible consequences, and influence or even improve future behavior. Lots of psychological concepts exist and conside rably influence human attitude to current events, problems, and challenges. These concepts make people differ from each other and represent absolutely different reaction to the same situations. Some psychological concepts are perfectly described and analyzed in movies, songs, and works of arts. However, movies are the best examples of how certain psychological concepts have to be accepted by people. Rain Man is a wonderful film about complicated relations between two brothers, where one of them is suffering from autism and another is suffering from his desire to have as much money as possible. Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The concepts of autism, conformity, and trust are described in the movie; and the peculiarity of this story is that one concept is closely connected to another concept, and the consequences of one concept influence considerably the development of another one. Autism is a psychological concept that is described by unbelievable work of human mind that is not inherent to ordinary people and specific social interaction and communication with other people (Rodriguez, 2008). Raymond, the main character in Rain Man perfectly describes the concept of autism: his reactions to slight changes in his life, his attitude to people and their mistakes, his desire to follow one and the same order of events. The theme of autism is implied in the plot and even creates a wonderful and strong ground for the development of the events and other psychological concepts. The concept of trust may be examined in both main characters on the movie. Charlie, as an ordinary man, who is eager to become rich and does not take many efforts, trusts only to himself. He believes that trust to other people will make him weaker; this is why he tries to use his charm in order to make other people trust him. In comparison to Charlie, Raymond does not actually car e about this concept, because he is not aware of the consequences of trust; he even does not actually comprehend what trust should mean. This is why he listens to his brother and believes each his word. As a psychological concept, trust is used to predict human acceptance of mood and behavior by other people. In this movie, a person gets a wonderful opportunity to evaluate how the concept of trust may be used in two different ways: to trust people and be a person, whom other people trust. From this very concept, another not less important concept of conformity may be observed. Raymond trusts Charlie, this is why he obeys to each Charlie’s order. The concept of conformity, displayed by Raymond, involves acting in certain ways in order to achieve certain goals and ask Charlie to meet own demands. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Rain Man and Psychological Concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In spite of the fact that Charlie is the person, who trusts nobody, his conformity is displayed when he cannot resist Raymond demands to turn on TV and watch the program People’s Court (Rain Man). Raymond reaction to impossibility to watch his favorite program is so terrible and loud, that Charlie has nothing to do but find the way and find the TV-set for his brother. In this way, the concept of conformity demonstrates how a person can sacrifice own demands and interests in order to please another person and predict brother’s agony. The significance of these concepts is really amazing: two brothers, who should spend some time together, try to unite the above-mentioned psychological concepts, displayed within them in different ways, and understand own demands, desires, and needs. Rain Man helps to realize how one and the same concepts may have absolutely different consequences for two brothers in the same situations. The ideas, raised in the movie, help many people comprehend thi s world and its challenges better. Within a short period of time, an egoistic person turns into a caring brother, who is going to sacrifice many things and people in order to be closer. People always learn on their own mistakes, however, those people, who watch this movie attentively should evaluate the situation and make use of the story. We have to trust to each other, or each of us will become an egoist and cheapskate. Our life is too short to reduce to money and personal satisfaction. People around also deserve love and care, and if someone has a chance to share this support and love, it is necessary to use such chance soon. The analysis of three psychological concepts in the movie Rain Man provide me with a chance to comprehend that the essence of our lives is not about money, food, and satisfaction. Nowadays, it turns out to be so weird to help other people and care about own relatives, who suffer from incurable disease or inborn defects. Tom Cruise’s character serves as a good example of how egoistic people may chance because of the circumstances and teaches us to open our eyes on human problems much earlier. Raymond starring Dustin Hoffman is the character, who perfectly displays the concept of autism and the challenges, people with such disorder may face with. Each character and the director of the movie Rain Man did a good job to explain the concepts of autism, trust, and conformity and advise people how to live this life properly.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Johnson, M (Producer) Levinson, B. (Director). (1988). Rain Man [Motion picture]. United States: United Artists. Nevid, J. S. (2008). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Rodriguez, A. M. (2008). Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.

Babylon, the Glorious Ancient Mesopotamian Capital

Babylon, the Glorious Ancient Mesopotamian Capital Babylon was the name of the capital of Babylonia, one of several city-states in Mesopotamia. Our modern name for the city is a version of the  ancient Akkadian name for it: Bab Ilani or Gate of the Gods. Babylons ruins are located in what is today Iraq, near the modern town of Hilla and on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river. People first lived at Babylon at least as long ago as the late 3rd millennium BC, and it became the political center of southern Mesopotamia beginning in the 18th century, during the reign of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). Babylon maintained its importance as a city for an astounding 1,500 years, until around 300 BC. Hammurabis City A Babylonian description of the ancient city, or rather a list of the names of the city and its temples, is found in the cuneiform text called Tintir Babylon, so named because its first sentence translates to something like Tintir is a name of Babylon, on which glory and jubilation are bestowed. This document is a compendium of Babylons significant architecture, and it was probably compiled about 1225 BC, during the era of Nebuchadnezzar I. Tintir lists 43 temples, grouped by the quarter of the city in which they were located, as well as city-walls, waterways, and streets, and a definition of the ten city quarters. What else we know of the ancient Babylonian city comes from archaeological excavations. German archaeologist Robert Koldewey  dug a huge pit 21 meters [70 feet] deep into the tell discovering the Esagila temple in the early 20th century. It wasnt until the 1970s when a joint Iraqi-Italian team led by Giancarlo Bergamini revisited the deeply buried ruins. But, apart from that, we dont know a lot about Hammurabis city, because it was destroyed in the ancient past. Babylon Sacked According to cuneiform writings, Babylons rival Assyrian king Sennacherib sacked the city in 689 BC. Sennacherib bragged that he razed all the buildings and dumped the rubble into the Euphrates River. Over the next century, Babylon was reconstructed by its Chaldean rulers, who followed the old city plan. Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562) conducted a massive reconstruction project and left his signature on many of Babylons buildings. It is Nebuchadnezzars city that dazzled the world, beginning with the admiring reports of Mediterranean historians. Nebuchadnezzars City Nebuchadnezzars Babylon was enormous, covering an area of some 900 hectares (2,200 acres): it was the largest city in the Mediterranean region until imperial Rome. The city lay within a large triangle measuring 2.7x4x4.5 kilometers (1.7x2.5x2.8 miles), with one edge formed by the bank of the Euphrates and the other sides made up of walls and a moat. Crossing the Euphrates and intersecting the triangle was the walled rectangular (2.75x1.6 km or 1.7x1 mi) inner city, where most of the major monumental palaces and temples were located. The major streets of Babylon all led to that central location. Two walls and a moat surrounded the inner city and one or more bridges connected the eastern and western parts. Magnificent gates allowed entry to the city: more of that later. Temples and Palaces At the center was the main sanctuary of Babylon: in Nebuchadnezzars day, it contained 14 temples. The most impressive of these was the Marduk Temple Complex, including the Esagila (The House Whose Top is High) and its massive ziggurat, the Etemenanki (House/Foundation of Heaven and the Underworld). The Marduk Temple was surrounded by a wall pierced with seven gates, protected by the statues of dragons made from copper. The ziggurat, located across an 80 m (260 ft) wide street from the Marduk Temple, was also surrounded by high walls, with nine gates also protected by copper dragons. The main palace at Babylon, reserved for official business, was the Southern Palace, with an enormous throne room, decorated with lions and stylized trees. The Northern Palace, thought to have been the Chaldean rulers residence, had lapis-lazuli glazed reliefs. Found within its ruins was a collection of much older artifacts, collected by the Chaldeans from various places around the Mediterranean. The Northern Palace was considered a possible candidate for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; although evidence has not been found and a more likely location outside of Babylon has been identified (see Dalley). Babylons Reputation In the Christian Bibles  Book of Revelation  (ch. 17), Babylon was described as Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earths abominations, making it the epitome of evil and decadence everywhere. This was a bit of religious propaganda to which the preferred cities of  Jerusalem  and Rome were compared and warned against becoming. That notion dominated western thought until late 19th-century German excavators brought home parts of the ancient city and installed them in a museum in Berlin, including the marvelous dark-blue Ishtar gate with its bulls and dragons. Other historians marvel at the citys amazing size. The Roman historian  Herodotus  [~484-425 BC] wrote about Babylon in the first book of his  Histories  (chapters 178-183), although scholars argue about whether Herodotus actually saw Babylon or just heard about it. He described it as a vast city, much much larger than the archaeological evidence shows, claiming that the city walls stretched a circumference of some 480 stadia (90 km). The 5th-century Greek historian Ctesias, who probably did actually visit in person, said the city walls stretched 66 km (360 stadia).  Aristotle  described it as a city that has the size of a nation. He reports that when  Cyrus the Great  captured the outskirts of the city, it took three days for the news to reach the center. The Tower of Babel According to Genesis in the Judeo-Christian Bible, the  Tower of Babel  was built in an attempt to reach heaven. Scholars believe that the massive Etemenanki ziggurat was the inspiration for the legends. Herodotus reported that the ziggurat had a solid central tower with eight tiers. The towers could be climbed by way of an exterior spiral staircase, and about half-way up there was a place to rest. On the 8th tier of the Etemenanki ziggurat was a great temple with a large, richly decorated couch and beside it stood a golden table. No one was allowed to spend the night there, said Herodotus, except one specially selected Assyrian woman. The ziggurat was dismantled by  Alexander the Great  when he conquered Babylon in the 4th century BC. City Gates The Tintir Babylon tablets list the city gates, which all had evocative nicknames, such as the Urash gate, The Enemy is Abhorrent to it, the Ishtar gate Ishtar overthrows its Assailant and the Adad gate O Adad, Guard the Life of the Troops. Herodotus says there were 100 gates in Babylon: archaeologists have only found eight in the inner city, and the most impressive of those was the Ishtar gate, built and rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar II, and currently on display at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. To get to the Ishtar Gate, the visitor walked for some 200 m (650 ft) between two high walls decorated with bas-reliefs of 120 striding lions. The lions are brightly colored and the background is a striking glazed lapis lazuli dark blue. The tall gate itself, also dark blue, depicts 150 dragons and bulls, symbols of the protectors of the city, Marduk and Adad. Babylon and Archaeology The archaeological site of Babylon has been excavated by a number of people, most notably by  Robert Koldewey  beginning in 1899. Major excavations ended in 1990. Many cuneiform tablets were collected from the city in the 1870s and 1880s, by  Hormuzd Rassam  of the British Museum. The Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities conducted work at Babylon between 1958 and the onset of the Iraq war in the 1990s. Other recent work was conducted by a German team in the 1970s and an Italian one from the University of Turin in the 1970s and 1980s. Heavily damaged by the Iraq/US war, Babylon has recently been investigated by researchers of the  Centro Ricerche Archeologiche e Scavi di Torino  at the University of Turin using QuickBird and satellite imagery to quantify and monitor the ongoing damage. Sources Much of the information about Babylon here is summarized from Marc Van de Mieroops 2003 article in the American Journal of Archaeology for the later city; and George (1993) for the Babylon of Hammurabi. Brusasco P. 2004. Theory and practice in the study of Mesopotamian domestic space.  Antiquity  78(299):142-157.Dalley S. 1993.  Ancient Mesopotamian gardens and the identification of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon resolved.  Garden History  21(1):1-13.George AR. 1993.  Babylon revisited: archaeology and philology in harness.  Antiquity  67(257):734-746.Jahjah M, Ulivieri C, Invernizzi A, and Parapetti R. 2007.  Archaeological remote sensing application pre-postwar situation of Babylon archaeological site- Iraq.  Acta Astronautica 61:121–130.Reade J. 2000.  Alexander the Great and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  Iraq  62:195-217.Richard S. 2008. ASIA, WEST |  Archaeology of the Near East: The Levant. In: Pearsall DM, editor.  Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 834-848.Ur J. 2012. Southern Mesopotamia. In: Potts DT, editor.  A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p 533-555.Van de M ieroop M. 2003.  Reading Babylon.  American Journal of Archaeology  107(2):254-275.

Strategy to foster the sustainable growth in Hong Kongs retail trade Assignment

Strategy to foster the sustainable growth in Hong Kongs retail trade industry under the situation of soaring shop rents - Assignment Example was the leading causes while strategies like promotion of commercial spaces on vested lands and ceiling on rent prices can be the alternative measures. Retail trade has contributed towards employment and economic growth in Hong Kong. This study will be focused towards identifying various strategies to achieve sustainable growth in retail industry of Hong Kong during soaring shop rent situation. In this particular research paper, different factors will be outlined which has caused turmoil in Hong Kong’s retail sector. The value of retail sales has drastically decreased in recent years, approximately by 6.9% over previous year. It has been observed that sales value of certain products such as jewelry, clocks and valuable gifts, photographic equipment and electrical goods, and consumer durables has decreased by 28.2%, 15.3% and 23.9% respectively. Retail business operators in Hong Kong market are facing major challenges in present scenario in terms of retaining their market share and gaining high revenue margins. This problem has mainly occurred due to decrease in purchasing power of China’s mainland tourists and increas ed total costs in form of wages and shop rents. It is clearly evident that minimum wage legislation of Hong Kong Government and anti-corruption policies of Chinese government are policy variables. These external factors are not under control of retail operators. However these operators can adopt the best strategy for reducing shop rents so as to achieve sustainable growth in Hong Kong market. The retail trade sector is a vital component of utilities, transportation and trade supersector. This sector encompasses establishments in terms of engaging into retailing merchandise and rendering services in context of merchandise sale. Retailing process can be stated as final step in merchandise distribution. Retailers are generally organized to sell specific merchandise to general public in small quantities. There are two main categories of retailers

Disability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Disability - Essay Example As such, the firstterm is referredto as individualism, which renders disability an individual problem and thus ought to be handled individually, an aspect that has led to stigmatization of individuals with disabilities. On the other hand, medicalization is another representation of disability, which has been used to define disability as a medical problem and thus ought to be medically rectified. This has overshadowed a perception of the features of the disabled individuals as characteristicsthat are part of them and thus ought to be accepted, and instead emphasized on the need to increase medical research in the view of changing the disabled. Lastly, another representation involves normality, where society has established certain traits that they deem human, and thus they alienate any individual as disabled if they fail to meet the trait requirements as established. The author concludes that the developed meanings of disability involving all the representations have facilitated the d evelopment of mechanisms of solving individual disabilities medically, when most of them are as a result of social problems and thus measures ought to be directed towards changing the social environment in order to accommodate the varying individual needs. To establish a highly effective and in-depth meaning, disability can be viewed as a social problem that results in the suffering of the body of an individual, because of lack of opportunity, social isolation, and exclusion. There is need for a social model in the place of the medical model in the definition and management of disability. Different individuals have developed definitions of disability over the years, with some of the definitions being termed as stigmatizing. The development of societal view of the disabled individuals lieson the definitions directed towards the concept. Three major representations, namely, normality, individualism, and medicalization, have been used to define disability with contrasting views of