Megadeth †“United Abominations” free essay sample

In light of the recent release of â€Å"Death Magnetic,† the highly anticipated album by Metallica, I looked back to their overlooked shadow, Megadeth. Megadeth has always been at odds and shortchanged for almost 20 years. â€Å"United Abominations,† Megadeth’s eleventh studio album, was released in 2007, and has been a success. Yet, I feel some people are put off by it. â€Å"United Abominations† attacks many of the cruel but ongoing issues of today. Topics of war, poverty, and corruption, brought together around the guitar-focused sound, makes this album a â€Å"whole† experience. Glen Drover, a new lead guitarist, was brought in to help with the production of the album. He works very well with Dave Mustaine, frontman and rhythm guitarist, who has gone through many lead guitarists. They have stayed true to their original thrash metal sound of the ’80s, which is not often seen today. The riffs are top-notch, and the solos and leads are screaming; a delight for any metal head. We will write a custom essay sample on Megadeth – â€Å"United Abominations† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The two guitars are voiced well through the lyrics, each with their own attitude and separate meaning. Dave Mustaine’s voice has matured with time, becoming deeper, and he isn’t using his signature snarl very much, which was in many of their early music. This album takes an especially hard tone with war, especially the Iraq War and its distasteful consequences. Yet, not all is somber in this album, there are some great ballads and metal songs here. If you’re not a fan of metal music, you should check it out and perhaps even surprise yourself. If you are a fan of metal music, this is a definite buy.

Free Essays on Coming Of Age In Mississippi

Life in the 1950’s and 60’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, is basically Anne Moody's autobiography from the beginning of her life, into a family of poor black share-croppers through High School, College, and finally her very active involvement in the Civil Rights movement in the 50's and 60's.This powerful and very informative autobiography from Anne Moody vividly documents the discrimination many African Americans had to face in the South in the 1950s. Anne Moody, being a very independent person, always stood for what was right, rather it was standing by herself or standing with a group of people, she was always fighting for her rights. Having a very supportive and involved family also made protest more encouraging. Her passionate fight against racism encounters many obstacles, such as finding her name on a KKK "wanted" list, being an activist in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and being beaten by the local police. Her stories are intense but full of courage and the truest convictions. In the mid 1900’s the Klu Klux Klan was revived by an Atlanta physician, Samuel Green. The Klu Klux Klan is a group of white individuals who oppose the advancement of blacks, Jews, and other minority groups. These individuals are also called the KKK or the Klan, who are people that often use violence to achieve its aims. Klan members wear robes and hoods, and burn crosses at their outdoor meetings. They also burn crosses to frighten nonmembers. During the 1960's, the Civil Rights movement began and a new wave of violence by the Ku Klux Klan was brought about. In Mississippi, three civil rights leaders were killed; in Birmingham, Alabama a church was bombed, killing four black girls. President Lyndon B. Johnson used the Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe the Ku Klux Klan and sent some Klan members to prison. Following this, Klan member ship fell to about 5,000 by the early 1970's. The Klan had their ways of informing or wa... Free Essays on Coming Of Age In Mississippi Free Essays on Coming Of Age In Mississippi Life in the 1950’s and 60’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, is basically Anne Moody's autobiography from the beginning of her life, into a family of poor black share-croppers through High School, College, and finally her very active involvement in the Civil Rights movement in the 50's and 60's.This powerful and very informative autobiography from Anne Moody vividly documents the discrimination many African Americans had to face in the South in the 1950s. Anne Moody, being a very independent person, always stood for what was right, rather it was standing by herself or standing with a group of people, she was always fighting for her rights. Having a very supportive and involved family also made protest more encouraging. Her passionate fight against racism encounters many obstacles, such as finding her name on a KKK "wanted" list, being an activist in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and being beaten by the local police. Her stories are intense but full of courage and the truest convictions. In the mid 1900’s the Klu Klux Klan was revived by an Atlanta physician, Samuel Green. The Klu Klux Klan is a group of white individuals who oppose the advancement of blacks, Jews, and other minority groups. These individuals are also called the KKK or the Klan, who are people that often use violence to achieve its aims. Klan members wear robes and hoods, and burn crosses at their outdoor meetings. They also burn crosses to frighten nonmembers. During the 1960's, the Civil Rights movement began and a new wave of violence by the Ku Klux Klan was brought about. In Mississippi, three civil rights leaders were killed; in Birmingham, Alabama a church was bombed, killing four black girls. President Lyndon B. Johnson used the Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe the Ku Klux Klan and sent some Klan members to prison. Following this, Klan member ship fell to about 5,000 by the early 1970's. The Klan had their ways of informing or wa...

Quality Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality Control - Essay Example The above example also shows the fact that there are certain parameters which can be used to measure or identify the quality level of a certain product. These are called as ‘Quality Characteristics’ by Mitra (6). These characteristics may include the aesthetics of the product, its durability, cost, utilization factor etc. 1.1. History of Quality: The sense of maintaining the quality of products and services has been existent since times immemorial. The early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans maintained quality standards in their buildings, structures, artifacts, utensils etc. The term ‘quality’ itself is however relatively newer. During the early days of industrial revolution, the need of maintaining quality in the production industry recognized but not emphasized. As a result no special workforce was designated to check the quality control. Instead, the foreman or the supervisor was the person responsible for the quality of product being made. Hence it was entir ely on his discretion what efforts he puts in order to maintain the quality standards. As the industries grew in size and the strength of personnel reporting to a particular supervisor increased in size, it became impossible for the supervisor to check the quality of each unit produced at the industry. The task of maintaining the quality was then assigned to quality inspectors. ... This moved the engineers and mathematicians to develop statistical methods of quality control. Walter Shewhart, in 1924, proposed his quality control charts which aimed at controlling the features of a product through statistical methods (Mitra 3). In 1929 he formed ‘Joint Committee for the Development of Statistical Applications in Engineering and Manufacturing’ with the support of American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), American Statistical Association (ASA) and Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). The committee made efforts to promote the principles of statistical quality control in the industries. The use of statistical methods in the quality control procedures gained wide acceptance in the days of World War II. Good quality machinery was vital for the armies to win battles hence quality control was essential. But large amount of weapons and machinery supplies has to be produced and every single unit cou ld not be checked for quality assurance. Hence powerful statistical methods were required for ensuring quality in industries. The rules of Sampling gained were widely accepted and implemented. The American Society of Quality Control was established in 1946 to standardize the quality control procedures 1.2. Quality Control and Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a technique used to measure the degree to which a process conforms to the consumer needs. It is based on the number of units produced that comply with the quality standards set by the organization or demanded by the customers. The method was developed by Motorola Corporation in 1986. Six Sigma basically focuses

Why I am not a Vegan Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why I am not a Vegan - Personal Statement Example Discussion and facts backed up by authentic research which are presented in this paper are basically meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that we humans are naturally meant to eat meat not only because our digestive systems are well suited to break down animal protein, but also because meat bags higher position on the scale of food value than plant sources. I am proud on not to be a vegan because meat fulfils my daily energy requirements better than plant foods ever can do. I find people around me, who happen to be rigid vegetarians, munching different types of snacks all day long because their energy requirements do not get fulfilled by relying on plant sources alone like tofu, soybeans, etc. and their vigor markedly recedes consequentially. In order to meet with the amount of calories required to be consumed by a person per day, vegetarians have to cook and eat some portion out of every item from a variety of plant foods at one time while people who do not hesitate in indul ging with meat consumption do not have to go through any such trouble. One meat item is more than often found equivalent to a variety of plant foods, therefore though vegetarians may claim that relying less on meat sources can save humans from many cardiovascular disease, this also remain an open reality that saying goodbye to meat means a great decline in human energy level which gets distorted as a result of consuming vegetables low in food value. People should consume meat fearlessly because even if certain diseases are found to be linked with certain cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks, this issue can be ruled out easily by reducing the amount of meat consumed on daily basis, rather than quitting meat altogether and following fake vegetarian concepts like eating a meat burger can be anything close to an unethical act. One credible defending point which can be used by meat lovers against vegetarians is that plants would be extinguished today if all humans become vegetarians which would leave no food for cattle as well. â€Å"If we only consumed plants, all the farmland now used to raise livestock would have to be used to raise edible plants, which could mean no livestock† (Hayward). I am also not a vegan because eating vegetables alone can never provide me with the kind of stamina and power which is required to fight various infection and diseases by a normal human being. Research identifies that eating meat not only maintains the balance of sound body health, but it also helps one in combating against several infections by providing enough strength to a person. It also remains a reality that though many efforts are made by vegetarians to advance their cause of saving animals and relying on vegetables, meat forms a fuller source of food for humans than vegetables or other plant sources do. Meat does not happen to be a source of high quality protein alone but research shows that it does much more to enhance human health because â€Å"its loaded with other healthful goodies, including high levels of: iron; B vitamins like niacin and riboflavin that provide healthy skin and nerves as well as help digestion† (Opposing Views, Inc.). Slacking around with minimal energy but showing off by maintaining a slim body status does not seem to form a very excitable idea for me to cut down on meat and go for plant foods,

Security Planning and Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Security Planning and Assessment - Assignment Example A very real, clear and present danger lurks just beyond the consciousness of people who work together eight to ten hours a day, five to seven days a week. It is the potential for violence to occur in workplace. Increasingly, the Human Resources function is both the target of these threats of workplace violence and the organization's first line of defense for the prevention of workplace violence. Homicide is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Nearly 1,000 workers are murdered and 1.5 million are assaulted in the workplace each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), in additional information about workplace violence, there were 709 workplace homicides in 1998. These accounted for 12 percent of the total 6,026 fatal work injuries in the United States. Of these 709 workplace homicide victims in 1998, 80 percent were shot and nine percent were stabbed. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2 million assaults and threats of violence against Americans at work occur annually. The most common type of workplace crime was assault with an average of 1.5 million a year. There were 396,000 aggravated assaults, 51,000 rapes and sexual assaults, 84,000 robberies, and 1,000 homicides reported. These figures likely fall short of the actual number of violent acts occurring in workplaces as not all acts of workplace violence are reported. The news media tend to sensationalize acts of workplace violence that involve coworkers. In sensationalizing incidents of workplace violence, they remove the emphasis from the most important targets for workplace safety programs. In fact, the most common motive for job-related homicide is robbery, accounting for 85 percent of workplace violence deaths. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides information that illustrates anyone can become the victim of a workplace assault, but th e risks are greater for workplace violence in certain industries and occupations. The taxicab industry has the highest risk, nearly 60 times the national average for potential workplace violence. A good first step for prevention in all workplaces consists of a general assessment designed to evaluate the presence of any specific risks of violence, both from within and outside the organization. Such an assessment will help the organization to fully understand the particular safety and security needs of the workplace - information that will help shape its prevention efforts. Often, forms of behavior that signaled the violence to come have preceded a violent act. If those signs had been recognized and appropriately addressed, the violence might not have happened. A prevention program will include a ''No Threats, No Violence'' policy that is clearly communicated to all employees. The policy will state the employer's commitment to provide a safe workplace, free from violence or the threat of violence. It will also set forth a code of employee conduct that clearly defines unacceptable behavior and prohibits all violence and threats on-site and during work-related off-site activities . A workplace violence program further includes an interdisciplinary team created and trained to manage any violent incidents or reports of troubling behavior made under the

The Types Of Money Used Today Economics Essay

The Types Of Money Used Today Economics Essay The types of money used today include; Coins, Paper currency, Bank drafts, Money orders, Stocks, Bonds, Treasury bills, Credit cards, ATM cards, Options, Gift certificates, Cheques,Travelers Cheques and many more. Money is converted into two categories, commodity and fiat money. 2.2.1Commodity money What constitutes a commodity? A commodity is generally accepted, without further clarification, as anything that can be bought or sold. This prompts further questioning. What is the communitys present accepted means for buying and selling? The answer is,money. A commodity therefore is a thing to which a money price can be attached and which can therefore be bought or sold with money. If money itself is a commodity, then money is a thing that can be bought or sold with money. The above reasoning not only involves a vicious circular logic of explaining and defining something in terms of itself, but also paves the way for an ascending infinite inflationary spiral (Peter Lock 2008). According to Peter Lock (2008), the definition of a commodity needs to be modified if it is to be consistent and to avoid all circular logic. An economic commodity is any marketable goods or service which has an intrinsic value in itself and whose value can be relatively assessed using an extrinsic suitable stable non-commodity money standard and hence bought and sold. In other words, an economic commodity is any marketable good, other than money, which money itself can buy. Modern money either as bits of plastic or paper, or as numbers in ledgers and computer memories, has no intrinsic value in itself. Its only value is its otherness. It does perform a valuable service in the marketplace by measuring the value of all other goods and services and facilitating their exchange. The mindset of money as a bartering device should not be included in or confused with the mindset for its use as a commodity. Their purposes and functions are self-contradictory, being diametrically opposite. The former exists as a stable extrinsic measure of worth for a community as a whole to use. The latter as an unstable intrinsic measure of marketplace purchasing power for individuals to abuse in their exploitation of the whole global community for their own personal aggrandizement and exercise of usurped power (Peter Lock, 2008). According to Peter Lock (2008), as long as money is treated as a commodity, uncertainty and insecurity must result. It is not a question of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It is simply a challenge to devise a system whereby the rich well fed haves can keep their fat share of humanitys commonwealth cake and at the same time let the poor hungry have-nots eat a just and reasonable thin slice of it as well. Money as a commodity only exists for the personal profit and increasing wealth and power of the haves: some of the rich get richer, all the poor get poorer. In an economic system where money is self-self functioning in positive feedback as a commodity, the evil treatment meted out to the have-nots who constitute the vast majority of the community becomes more and more inhumane. The term commodity money can be given to the kind of money that is at the same time a commercial commodity. Commodity money has an intrinsic value and that means it is considered to be worth something in its own right rather than simply being a token of financial value such as a banknote. The commodity itself constitutes the money, and the money is the commodity. The best known form of commodity money is gold or silver coins, though any commodity can fulfill this role. The commodity itself; since more is being produced and less being used for non-monetary purposes, the resources devoted to additional production and the benefits forgone must be counted as the price of the system. Examples of commodities that have been used as medium of exchange include gold, silver, copper, salt, peppercorns, large stones, shells, alcohol, barley and cigarettes, just to highlight a few. These items were sometimes used in a metric of perceived value in conjunction to one another, in various commodity v aluation or Price System economies With a commodity money balances is part of the markets for goods and services. Use of commodity money is more the same with barter system. The use of shells or ivory was nearly universal before humans discovered how to work with precious metals; in China, Africa, and many other areas, use of cowrie shells was common. Historically speaking, many different metals have been used as standard money: iron in ancient Sparta, tin in ancient Syracuse and probably also in early Egypt, copper in early Palestine and in early Rome, and brass until recently in many parts of China. In modern times, however, monometallism has been based mostly on the so-called precious metals, silver and gold, with an increasing preponderance of gold since the latter part of the last century. Historically, the strongest and most stable currencies were those backed by gold and silver. It was this gold/silver backing that gave the currency its intrinsic value. In most cases, a countrys currency was actually gold or silver coins. Gold and silver have always been a universal form of money and measure of wealth providing stability in an otherwise unstable world (Tony DiCicco, 2002). A commodity money can give rise to a large amount of price instability if either there are large changes in the supply of the commodity or if there are large changes in the non-monetary use of the commodity. An example of a commodity money that gave rise to price fluctuations is the cigarette currency used in POW camps in the Second World War. The price of goods in terms of cigarettes depended on the relative availability of cigarettes and goods. If no cigarettes were received in the camp for some time, the supply of them would diminish (because prisoners would use them as commodities: they would smoke them) and their value would rise. A rise in the value of cigarettes meant that cigarettes bought more, or that prices fell. When a shipment of cigarettes would arrive, their increased availability would cause their value to drop, which meant prices would rise. Its stated that the erratic delivery of cigarettes and the resulting waves of inflation and deflation were a major problem in t he mini-economy of the POW (camphttp://ingrimayne.com/econ/Money/Commodities.html). Colonists often resorted to the use of commodity money, where a colonys principal commodity would circulate as a medium of exchange. The Massachusetts Bay Colony used corn and beaver skins as its medium of exchange. In the Southern colonies, it was tobacco and rice; and throughout most of the colonies, animal skins, corn, powder and gun shot, and livestock were often used. Since the market value of commodity money was determined by supply and demand, its value as money often decreased when there was an over supply in the marketplace. In addition, commodity money lacked uniform quality, and was prone to spoilage, difficult to transport, and costly to store (http://www.bos.frb.org/education/pubs/historyo.pdf ). pictures below shows examples of commodity money that where used: Gold Silver Shells Barley 2.2.2Fiat money The currency we all use today is legal tender for taxes and debts. It has no intrinsic value, it is not convertible and it is not tyrannically imposed on all transactions. This money fiat money was born in Massachusetts in 1690. Historians have claimed that it was a simple wartime substitution of fiat money for specie, as has happened many times since then, but this view is anachronistic. Later governments learned from Massachusetts that fiat money is a good wartime emergency, but for Massachusetts this was not an obvious idea (Dror Goldberg). Dror Goldberg mentions that Massachusetts had to issue money to pacify mutinous troops who returned defeated from war. However, formally issuing money, and backing it with land (as was then standard), would have been fatal for the long-run independence of the colony. Massachusetts had lost its charter in 1684, partly because it minted its own coins (a violation of the royal coinage prerogative). Moreover, all the colonys land was temporarily considered to be the kings land from 1687-1691. In 1690, when Massachusetts had to issue money, its agents were lobbying for a new charter in London. It could not afford to upset the king by violating his coinage prerogative again and backing money with his land. The solution was to issue IOUs, as any English subject was allowed to do, not back it with land, and not force it on trade. Like any IOU issuer the colony could offset its credits with it, namely making it legal tender for taxes. It was also made effectively legal tender for debts in an elaborate, dishonest way. The outcome was fiat money (Dror Goldberg). The Massachusetts Bay Colony issued in 1776. The evolution of commodity money into paper in America Paper money first appeared in America in in the late 17th century. In 1690, the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in an effort to increase government spending while avoiding the unpopular act of raising taxes, began printing paper money to pay for its expenses. To convince the Massachusetts Bay colonists to accept the paper as payment, the government promised to redeem the paper in gold and silver coin collected in taxes at a later date. It also promised to never print paper money again. While both promises were quickly broken by the government, is is interesting to see that, again, what caused people to begin accepting paper money as payment for goods and services, is the understanding that the money could ultimately be redeemed for tangible wealth in the form of the commodity money in use at the time (Chris Lind). The pictures below is an example of fiat money: Federal Reserve Note 1941 Federal Reserve Note 1950 The evolution of commodity money into paper in China Paper money first arose in China around 800 AD during the Tang Dynasty. Prior to the existence of paper money, a merchant selling his goods in the city of Szechuan, risked loss by theft as he transported his commodity money and unsold goods back to his home city. As a way of earning revenue, the Chinese government, in posession of fortified strongholds in each city to store tax revenues, offered the following service. For a fee, a merchant could deposit their gold and silver coin with the government in city A. In exchange the merchant received a paper receipt for the gold deposited. When the merchant arrived back home at city B, he could go to the treasury of that city to redeem his paper reciept for the commodity money in use. Over time, as people learned that the commodity represented by the paper would actually be there, merchants began buying and selling with the paper receipts themselves (Chris Lind). Kuan note is the oldest known banknote in the world (Mike Hewitt) However, its use was very short-lived, by 1455, after over 600 years, the Chinese abandoned paper money due to numerous problems of over issuance and hyperinflation. The term fiat money can be given to money that comprises things with a special legal qualification and the money used today is fiat money.Fiat means let it be done or by order of authority. Fiat money basically means that the currency has no intrinsic value (nor can it be redeemed for precious metals or something of intrinsic value) and the money is based solely on faith. Rather, the currency is only backed by the goodwill of the government that issues it. Normally the government is the one that declares legal tender. With fiat money its not real but it represents goods and services that it can buy thus it can be defined as the baskets of goods and services that it represents. For fiat money to be valued, the money supply must be limited and it must be impossible to counterfeit (PÄ ±nar Yesin 2010). Fiat money is created by a narrow cadre of globalist bankers that seek a new World order. Fiat money is created out of thin air. The fiat system is based on debt. We owe and they are owed. With the power they accrue, a plan has been launched to reorganize all aspects of human life. That plan is called Agenda 21 or Sustainable Development. It is a U.N. program, agreed to by 178 nations, that is designed to create a world order where human beings are regarded as biological resources. The evolving system does not recognize unalienable rights (Michael Shaw, 2009). Since fiat money has no direct legal connection to a commodity money there is no real economic cost to its production, the supply of a fiat money can never be self-limiting; and the value of a fiat money is always largely a matter of public confidence in the economic or political stability of the issuer. Historically every major fiat money have self-destructed in what is popularly called hyperinflation caused by either unlimited increases in the supply of that fiat money by the issuer or accelerating loss of public confidence in the continued value of the money or the economic or political fortunes of its issuer or both. Steve Elwart says that today, fiat money will always bring on inflation for two reasons: 1) Politicians like to induce inflation because it gives the people the illusion of prosperity and 2) its declared value is much higher than the cost of producing it. Whether it is a $1 or $100 bill in fiat money, it costs only 4 cents to produce. In todays electronic age, the pr oduction cost for new money is zero since money creation is just a keystroke and an entry in cyber-space. On the other hand, in history, if you had a $20 gold piece, the cost of that gold piece, less the cost to produce it, was about $20 (Steve Elwart). The Barter system was prevalent before the origin of fiat currency. In this system, commodities were exchanged for commodities. For example, if one person need rice and the other one need coconut, the person who has cultivates rice has to search and find out the person having coconut. Only then the exchange will take place. This itself was the serious disadvantage of barter system. For some times the different commodities acted as money and they were named as commodity money. After years of a coin system the paper fiat currency came in to existence. In the coinage, a gold smith acted sometimes as a banker. A government body started to control the printing of all types of moneys. Banks started to deal with money. They accepted savings and gave loans in the form of money. Apart from these transactions, banks started to generate bank money ( Robert Mendez). Modern society again replaced old money with other new forms of money like, demand drafts, credit cards, etc. Now we dont need to keep a liquid form of money with us. All our transactions can be made by using credit cards. We can do all our shopping with these cards. Even if money is used in different forms, the importance of money is still not deteriorated. According to Steve Elwart in his research entitled Commodity Money and Fiat Money: A Bushel of Wheat for a Penny, says that a government puts fiat money into circulation first by connecting it to a gold or silver standard, but then cuts the link and says that gold and paper are no longer convertible, making the piece of paper legal tender for all debts public and private. It is obvious that debtors would be very happy if the pa-per money lost its value because they could pay their debts with inflated currency. In a letter to Edward Carrington in 1788, Thomas Jefferson wrote, Paper is poverty à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is only the ghost of money, and not money itself. Jefferson died bankrupt because of the early United States money (monetary) pol-icy based on paper. It is not that fiat currency is a new invention. Fiat currency actually made its appearance over 1,000 years ago. China was the first country to issue true paper money around the 10th century A.D. Although the notes were valued at a certain ex-change rate for gold, silver, or silk, conversion was never allowed in practice. The bills were supposed to be redeemed after three years in circulation, but as more bills were printed with the older notes being refused redemption, inflation became evident. Government measures to prop up the currency were unsuccessful and it fell out of favor (Steve Elwart) . Steve continues to say that at this point, people start to feel the pinch of their money buying less. They demand that their government do some-thing. Since studies have shown that voters only have a memory of one year when it comes to politics, politicians will make sure that the economy is good in an election year.6 They will artificially stimulate the economy to give voters the illusion that times are good again and reelect the incumbents. This lasts only so long and inflation, with its problems kick in again. This cycle of increasing the currency supply and price inflation ultimately ends with the collapse of the currency, sometimes preceded by hyperinflation. (Hyperinflation and its cultural effects will be covered in Part 3 of this series.) Surprisingly, the country has not learned its lesson and the devalued fiat currency is replaced with yet another fiat currency. Greece is a perfect example of this cycle (Steve Elwart). Steve Elwart says the Greek drachma was minted in gold and silver in ancient Greece and made its reappearance as a fiat currency in 1841. Since then, the value of the drachma decreased. During the German-Italian occupation of the country from 1941-1944, hyperinflation ravaged the country, ending with the issuance of 100,000,000,000 (100 billion)-drachma notes in 1944. After Greece was liberated from Germany, old drachmae were ex-changed for new ones at the rate of 50,000,000,000 to 1. Only paper money was issued, again a fiat currency. Greece then went on a program of deficit spending for social programs and inflation started once again. In 1953, in an effort to halt inflation, Greece joined the Bretton Woods system and the drachma was revalued at a rate of 1000 old drachma to one new drachma. In 1973 the Bretton Woods System was abolished; over the next 25 years the official exchange rate gradually declined, from 30 drachmas to one U.S. dollar to a ratio of 400:1. On January 1, 2002, the Greek drachma was officially replaced as the circulating currency by the Euro (again a fiat currency). Today, Greece is once again is in trouble. After years of continued deficit spending and the governments easy monetary policy, Greeces financial situation was badly exposed when the global economic downturn struck. Very quickly, the governments creative accounting practices were exposed. The national debt, put at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬300 billion ($413.6 billion), is bigger than the countrys entire economy, with some estimates placing it at 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. The countrys deficit-how much more it spends than it takes in-is 12.7 percent (Steve Elwart). This time though, Greece just cant inflate their way out of the problem. Now that they are on the Euro (in the Euro-zone), they have little control over their monetary policy. All their loans are in Euros and they must pay back the loans in Euros. One way to balance the national books is to implement harsh and unpopular spending cuts. Another way is to default on their debt. This would seriously damage the Euro as other countries look at default as a way out of their financial problems. (In fact, financial experts are predicting the demise of the Euro in as early as five years.8) A third way out is to separate itself from the Euro, go back on the drachma (fiat currency again) and then set an exchange rate of the drachma to the Euro at an artificially high number. The cycle of fiat money would then begin again. As long as a country is on a fiat currency, inflation is sure to follow. Using a fiat currency could well reduce a civilization to work an entire day for a bushel of wheat,(Ste ve Elwart). Failures of Government fiat money History has taught that lodging monopoly power over the nations stock of currency in a purely discretionary central bank, unconstrained by a monetary constitution, is highly dangerous. The money-process is likely to become politicized, with monetary policy becoming subservient to fiscal policy and with monetary authorities exhibiting a bias toward inflation. James A. Dorn mentions that a study of about 30 currencies shows that there has not been a single case of a currency freely manipulated by its government or central bank since 1700 which enjoyed price stability for at least 30 years running. Although the Fed has achieved intermittent price stability since its inception in 1913, its long-run performance has been unsatisfactory, especially when compared to commodity-based standards such as the classical gold standard. The issuance of fiat money by governments is, in truth, a white collar crime; and, as happens when white collar crimes are discovered, a highly visible paper trail le ads directly back to the wrongdoers-in this case, the central banks (Darryl Robert Schoon). In fiat based economies, time is the enemy and 95 years have passed since fiat money was introduced into the US. In America and elsewhere time is passing and the clock is ticking and recently its been sounding more and more like a time bomb (Darryl Robert Schoon) . Comparison between types of money Fiat money is the term for a medium of exchange which is neither a commercial commodity, a consumer, or a producer good, nor title to any such commodity: that is irredeemable paper money. In contrast, commodity money refers to a medium of exchange which is either a commercial commodity or a title thereto. There is no doubt that fiat money is possible. Its theoretical possibility was recognized long ago, and since 1971, when the last remnants of a former international gold (commodity) standard were abolished, all monies, everywhere, have in fact been nothing but irredeemable pieces of paper (Hans-Hermann Hoppe). As asserted by Cary A. Deck, Kevin A. McCabe and David P. Porter ( ),fiat money is a convention that allows individuals to complete trades without relying on the coincidence of wants or diverting valuable commodities to serve as money. In order for individuals to accept intrinsically worthless fiat money in exchange for valuable goods, the agents must believe that the money can be used to complete subsequent purchases of other goods or services. Advantages of Commodity money According to the information about commodities monies on the internet, the reduced value of the money will encourage people to use the item more in its commodity use. For example, if gold serves as money, and its value drops, people will increase their use of gold for jewelry, tableware, and artistic purposes. Their actions will reflect the law of demand: whenever a commodity becomes cheaper, people use more of it. Thus if there is a sudden influx of gold into a country that uses it as money, part of the influx will be diverted to its commodity use, and the effects on the amount of money, and hence on the price level, will be lessened. On the other hand, a sudden decline will also be cushioned, because as the commodity grows more valuable, people will transfer it from its commodity use into a monetary use. If the amount of gold declines and it rises in value, there is an incentive to melt down jewelry, tableware, and artistic objects and use the gold as money. Hence a doubling of gol d may not double the amount of money, and cutting the amount of gold by one half may not cut money by one half (http://ingrimayne.com/econ/Money/Commodities.html ). Another reason for price stability with a commodity money exists when that commodity is used by many other nations. When the price level in any one nation changes, the commodity will flow across borders to where it is most valuable( Robert Schenk, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1977 ). Disadvantages of Commodity Money When valuable resources are used as money, those resources cannot be used for consumption. Copper used to make pennies cannot be used to make electrical wire. The supply of money is determined by supply of the commodity. The money supply could fluctuate substantially. The discovery of new gold would mean that the supply of money would increase and the price level would rise. There is a lack of stability when a currency depends on being able to find and produce a particular naturally occurring but naturally rare substance. When gold is being used as commodity money it can be a disadvantage since the government cant meaningfully increase the supply of gold over a short period of time, for example the Fed can be able to increase the supply of fiat money in 10 weeks by more than 100%, with gold this cannot be accomplished. . Advantages of Fiat money Is an efficient form of money; since it can be produced costlessly, there is a gain from using it instead of something else that is both costly to produce and has alternative uses (Neil Wallace).Uses relatively little of societys resources. Fiat money has an advantage over commodity money in the senses that the same laws that come up with laws that created the money can also make a decision to replace the money if it ever gets damaged or destruction occurs. Fiat money has more stability as compared that of gold-backed currency in the sense that commodity based currencies are inherently pro-cyclic, increasing volatility in terms of the regular business cycle and come and go recessions. This stability allows investors, capitalists and creditors to make rational, firm decisions based on sound expectations that have little room for uncertainty; and thus make more risky and subjective investments. Studies also shows that during the Great depression, countries that used fiat currency syste m fared more stable and much better off than those dependent on commodity-based currency. As mentioned by Chris Lind, fiat money is generally seen as a convenience or a protectionist system; It is much easier to carry around a piece of paper than 50 pounds of gold or some other commodity. Trustworthiness; the community trusts that the paper receipt or certificate actually represents the tangible good printed on the paper. Fiat money can and still created in arbitrary amounts, and is made more available on a favorable basis to the government and commercial banks. With fiat money the Fed can be able to increase the supply by more than 100% within 10 weeks, the advantage of being able to do that is that the government can manipulate the system to mitigate panics and disasters. Take for example the last fall would have being a bigger mess if gold was the monetary numeraire Disadvantages of Fiat Money The longer a fiat money system exists, the greater the odds of economic collapse. Over time fiat credit money destroys economies because time exacerbates the systemic flaws of credit-based, sic capital, markets (Darryl Robert Schoon). Fiat money is not self limiting, which can make nations which rely on this type of currency extremely vulnerable to hyperinflation. Government controls money supply and it may cause inflation by printing too much money the following example shows how fiat money can really cause inflation the example is taken from a journal by Andrew Digeson White (1933), early in the year 1789 the French nation found itself in deep financial embarrassment: there was a heavy debt and a serious deficit. The vast reforms of that period, though a lasting blessing politically, were a temporary evil financially. There was a general want of confidence in business circles; capital had shown its proverbial timidity by retiring out of sight as far as possible; throughout the land was stagnation. Fiat money becomes worthless when its no longer used that is when the government declares. Fiat money distorts the time value of money and in so doing destroys both money and the economies that use it (Darryl Robert Schoon).

Quality Teachers in the American Education System :: philosophy of education, descriptive

Lately, it seems every time you pick up a newspaper it contains a story on the inadequacy of our nation’s educational system. Society is forever blaming its woes, from not being able to multiply to not being able to balance a checkbook, on a bad teacher. We all, at sometime in our education, have had to sit through the boredom and uncertainty of teachers like Christian Zowodniak’s freshman English teacher, Jeff. Teachers like Jeff made it appear that our teaching universities are turning out unqualified teachers, but this is not the case. Mediocre teachers get into the education profession for all the wrong reasons: from having summers off, to having good health insurance coverage, to having good work hours. Hopefully, these teachers quickly "burn-out" and seek employment in other professions. Unfortunately, many of them stay and become passive, unconcerned teachers, much like Zowodniak’s Jeff. Surely, we have encountered more good teachers than bad ones in our years of education. Yet, we are quick to point out the flaws of our education system and to complain about poor teachers. But seldom do we praise our greatest asset, our excellent teachers. I would like to tell you about an excellent teacher, Mrs. Joan Beers . Mrs. Beers, my senior English teacher, loves teaching. Her love for her profession is reflected in her method of teaching her students, in her method of addressing her students’ different learning styles, and in her method of assessing her students. Like Jeff, many of my high school teachers used a passive approach to teaching. The bell rang, and the teacher stood behind a podium with a notebook bulging with lecture notes. Facing her was a roomful of eager students, with notebooks opened and pens poised. Our learning consisted of a fifty-five minute lecture on grammar, during which the teacher verbally delivered reams of facts and examples, and we busily recorded her every word. We learned these bits of information and recited them word for word at exam time. The passive teacher graded us only on our ability to recall at exam time. Mrs. Beers, on the other hand, used a more active, student-centered approach to her teaching. She began class with a five minute discussion on prepositions. Then, she divided the class into small groups of three to four students and handed each student a current newspaper. Quality Teachers in the American Education System :: philosophy of education, descriptive Lately, it seems every time you pick up a newspaper it contains a story on the inadequacy of our nation’s educational system. Society is forever blaming its woes, from not being able to multiply to not being able to balance a checkbook, on a bad teacher. We all, at sometime in our education, have had to sit through the boredom and uncertainty of teachers like Christian Zowodniak’s freshman English teacher, Jeff. Teachers like Jeff made it appear that our teaching universities are turning out unqualified teachers, but this is not the case. Mediocre teachers get into the education profession for all the wrong reasons: from having summers off, to having good health insurance coverage, to having good work hours. Hopefully, these teachers quickly "burn-out" and seek employment in other professions. Unfortunately, many of them stay and become passive, unconcerned teachers, much like Zowodniak’s Jeff. Surely, we have encountered more good teachers than bad ones in our years of education. Yet, we are quick to point out the flaws of our education system and to complain about poor teachers. But seldom do we praise our greatest asset, our excellent teachers. I would like to tell you about an excellent teacher, Mrs. Joan Beers . Mrs. Beers, my senior English teacher, loves teaching. Her love for her profession is reflected in her method of teaching her students, in her method of addressing her students’ different learning styles, and in her method of assessing her students. Like Jeff, many of my high school teachers used a passive approach to teaching. The bell rang, and the teacher stood behind a podium with a notebook bulging with lecture notes. Facing her was a roomful of eager students, with notebooks opened and pens poised. Our learning consisted of a fifty-five minute lecture on grammar, during which the teacher verbally delivered reams of facts and examples, and we busily recorded her every word. We learned these bits of information and recited them word for word at exam time. The passive teacher graded us only on our ability to recall at exam time. Mrs. Beers, on the other hand, used a more active, student-centered approach to her teaching. She began class with a five minute discussion on prepositions. Then, she divided the class into small groups of three to four students and handed each student a current newspaper.

Creative Critical Response to King Lear

Creative Critical Response King Lear- 2011 Production- Lyceum Theatre As the lights of the theatre dimmed and the stage was lit up, a roar of applause broke out over the audience. The stage production of Shakespeare’s King Lear has been long awaited by many critics and Ian McKellan’s performance does not disappoint. The opening scenes reflect the opposite of what was due to come further in the play, coming from warm, homely and loving acting on stage to pure cruelty and terror.When Lear viciously banishes his loyalties, such a stir is caused by all actors on stage, that even the 21st century audience are shocked, despite it probably being a lot more shocking in 19th Century. Ian McKellan and his â€Å"tigers for daughters† make this play come alive. The audience focused only on them, feeling like being in another world. The vivid scenes of the play, such as the blinding of Gloucester, brought terror to the faces of the audience.The screams of Gloucester rebounded off the walls of the theatre, even hours after the end of the play. Without the incredible acting from these characters, the audience would not have had the same experience of the theatre. Ian McKellan gives the performance of his life, showing the downfall of King Lear convincingly and powerfully, despite his usual acting being for the camera rather than a live audience. McKellan is successful in the main aim of most stage actors; leaving the audience thinking and talking about it even after the end.He is not only successful in convincing the audience of pure dementia but also managing to do it without causing himself dementia. During the three hour long play, not a single eye was taken off the stage, in case any action or even word was missed by the engrossed audience. There were many a jump from the audience however when Lear lets out an incredible scream as if the realisation of his actions have hit him, before calmly and unobtrusively repeating the words â€Å"I shall go madà ¢â‚¬ .This point of the play marks his realisation and more importantly irreversibility of his actions. The heart-rending final scene, in which Lear brings the dead Cordelia in his arms to the audience’s view, is one of the best yet, Lear’s pure distraught over her death is shown by his piercing cries. Which not even a heart of stone could resist. Another brilliant performance was given by Jonathon Hyde, in his portrayal of Kent. The usual loyalty of Kent is shown with xtras, as Hyde goes undercover after being banished. Kent’s brilliant ideas and wittiness in this production make him one of the most entrancing actors on stage. Especially at points such as the dismissal of Oswald, Goneril’s devoted servant. Overall, this production of King Lear is highly convincing and leave the audience feeling dazed, deeply moved and oddly uplifted , which as some would describe as the feelings left after a truly horrific tragedy.

Youth In An Austrian Town Essays

Youth In An Austrian Town Essays Youth In An Austrian Town Essay Youth In An Austrian Town Essay replaced with a new town square and monuments to those that have been lost, old mingles with new, like the waters in the sea. Buchanan shows how the children have survived but are forever changed.

Southern California Institute of Architecture Admission

Southern California Institute of Architecture Admission Southern California Institute of Architecture Admissions Overview: In general, students with good grades and test scores are more likely to be accepted at SCI-Arc. Since the school is focused on architecture, students will need to submit a portfolio of work as part of the application. Additional required materials include a resume, personal statement, high school transcripts, letters of recommendation, and SAT or ACT scores. For more information, or if you have any questions about the admissions process, be sure to visit SCI-Arcs website, or get in touch with the schools admissions office. Admissions Data (2016): SCI-Arc Acceptance Rate: - %SCI-Arc has open admissionsTest Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: - / -SAT Math: - / -SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: - / -ACT English: - / -ACT Math: - / -ACT Writing: - / -What these ACT numbers mean Southern California Institute of Architecture Description: The Southern California Institute of Architecture is an independent school of architecture in Los Angeles, California. The campus is located in the rehabilitated historic site of the Santa Fe Freight Depot, at the heart of the urban art district in downtown Los Angeles. The college takes an experimental approach to architecture education, emphasizing practical experience and encouraging undergraduate and graduate students to work together in a non-hierarchical environment. SCI-Arc offers one undergraduate program, a bachelor’s degree in architecture, as well as two- and three-year master of architecture programs and two postgraduate master of design research programs in emerging systems and technologies and city design, planning and policy. Students benefit from the flexible, nontraditional program both inside and outside of class, with 24/7 access to architecture studio spaces, a unique cultural environment and various student-led clubs, activities and social events. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 519Â  (262 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 62% Male / 38% Female95% Full-time Costs (2016Â  - 17): Tuition and Fees: $42,900Books: $6,848Â  (why so much?)Room and Board: $7,260Other Expenses: $9,889Total Cost: $66,897 SCI-Arc Financial Aid (2015Â  - 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 28%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 28%Loans: 13%Average Amount of AidGrants: $18,668Loans: $5,500 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:Â  Architecture. Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 81%4-Year Graduation Rate: 67%6-Year Graduation Rate: 83% Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like SCI-Arc, You May Also Like These Schools: Pratt Institute: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCarnegie Mellon University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphRhode Island School of Design: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCalifornia Institute of Technology: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHarvard University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphRice University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphArizona State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Oregon: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCornell University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUC - Berkeley: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSyracuse University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Comparison Of Two Religions - Hinduism And Buddhism Essay

Comparison Of Two Religions - Hinduism And Buddhism - Essay Example Buddhism mostly advocates the use of meditation i.e. Prajna as one of the most important spiritual practices. Hinduism and Buddhism both are practiced today through their Temples and other places of worship. However, there is an increasing acceptance of Buddhist practices in West wherein modern practices are being adapted in the West. Hinduism, however, is being mostly practiced in India and Nepal with relatively increasing acceptance in the West also. For example, Buddhism is mostly associated with the Dalai Lama and most of the spiritual practices actually emerge from his center. Hinduism however, is also practiced in the relatively diverse way with followers visiting temples and performing rituals even within their own homes. Kumbh Mela is also one of the largest gatherings of Hindus for the pilgrimage through which the followers of Hinduism actually perform their rituals. Apart from this, various religious festivals are being performed in Hindu religion. The festivals of Holi, as well as Diwali, are two of the famous religious practices through which Hindus practice their religion. (Rinehart, 2004) Buddhism however, is being practiced through its various schools of thoughts and focuses more on the meditation as the most important way to practice. Important meditations and practices include Vappasana meditation as well as Zen practices. Apart from this, spending a monastic life is also another way to practice the religion wherein monks learn Vinaya- the specific moral code for Monks. (Armstrong, 2001)

Everything you need to kow about a computer mouse Essay

Everything you need to kow about a computer mouse - Essay Example Dr. Douglas Carl Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute (SRI) invented the mouse in early 1960s. He worked with Bill English, the man behind the hardware design of the first mouse. Engelbart's innovative ideas changed the way working with computers, from a more complicated to a user-friendly machine. The results of analyzing different characteristics of pointing input devices (such as speed and accuracy) led to the invention of the first prototype computer mouse. Engelbart first called this device as "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System," wherein it received its patent number 3,541,541 on November 17, 1970. According to an interview, Douglas Engelbart said, "SRI patented it, but they really had no idea of its value. Some years later I learned that they had licensed it to Apple for something like $40,000." So, how did this device get its popular name At first, it had its cord in front, so it was termed "mouse" and that's were it got its smart name. However, they later on changed the cord's position as the present mouse is. In early 1970s, Bill English invented the so-called "ball mouse" while he was working for Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). In 1981, Xerox Corporation introduced Star, officially known as the 8010 Star Information System, which features various technologies including mouse. Inspired by Xerox Star, Apple Computer released Apple Macintosh in 1984, which made mouse popular and indispensable for computer use. II. TYPES There are three basic types of mouse: mechanical, optomechanical, and optical mouse. Mechanical mouse has a rubber or metal ball at the base that moves against two rollers as it passed across a flat surface. As the ball rolls on a certain direction, circuits in the mouse translate its movement into signals the computer understands. Mechanical mouse must be place on a mouse pad - a rectangular rubber that provides better traction than the top of the desk. Optomechanical mouse works on the same principal as the mechanical mouse but uses optical sensors to detect the motion of the ball. Optical mouse on the contrary, has no moving mechanical parts inside. Instead, it uses light-emitting diodes (LED) to detect the mouse's movement. It is more efficient than mechanical and optomechanical mice but is also more expensive. III. CONNECTIONS A mouse can connect to your computer in several ways. Serial mouse connects directly to RS-232C serial port. Bus mouse connects directly on a small round connector (female mini-DIN-9), but this is pretty well obsolete because this mouse is difficult to install. PS/2 connects to a PS/2 connector (female mini-DIN-6); it's installed as simple as any serial mouse. Cordless mouse uses is a battery-powered device that transmits data using infrared technology of radio waves to communicate with the computer. Some users prefer to use cordless mouse because it frees him from the hassles of cords and provides much desk space. USB mouse is the easiest mouse you can connect in your computer, even when your computer is running. IV. SPEED Mouse speed is expressed in DPI (dots per inch), which is the number of pixels the mouse cursor will move when the mouse is moved one inch. V. INNOVATIONS AND ALTERNATIVE DEVICES a. Trackball is an input device with a ball mounted in its surface, which rotates to control the position of the cursor. b. Touchpad is an input device