The Golden Age Of Chamber Music - 1300 Words

Franz Joseph Haydn Down the history of music, the classical era was known as the golden age of chamber music. This chamber style of music was largely established by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Joseph Haydn was one of the most prolific composers amongst the first Viennese schools (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven), in the classical era. Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, a little Austrian village not far from Hainburg in the year 1732 on March 31st. His parents were of a poor background but loved music and hard work, maybe it is to say Haydn got his working ethics from the teachings of his parents. Haydn had always been exposed to†¦show more content†¦At the cathedral, he was taught to sing and play the violin and the piano. He was also taught other school studies like Religion, Latin, Writing and Arithmetic. Unfortunately, he was dismissed from the choir with reason being that his voice sounded terrible along with the coming years. Nevertheless, He was still hardworking and industrious and sought to seek help from people like Metastasio, (a poet) and Nicholas Porpora, (his singing master) who taught him how to compose music. Haydn was becoming famous and later got to meet Gluck, (the opera composer), Wolfgang Mozart and his father Leopold Mozart. Later on, Haydn attracted the attention of the music loving aristocracy of Vienna. At the age of 29, he was invited to become the music director (or vice-capellmeister as it was called) to the family known as the Esterhazys of a great man, Prince Paul Nicolaus Esterhazy. They were a wealthy Hungarian family known for their patronage of the arts. This was otherwise known as the patronage system which was famous during the classical period whereby kings, popes and the wealthy provided support and privileges to musicians or artists; in return, they create more music or art for their sponsors (patrons). Haydn had in possession an orchestra, an opera company, a

Business Ethics Within Today Free Essays

Business Ethics within Today’s Business See Yang University of Phoenix Business Ethics within Today’s Business Ethics are very important to all business people. Yet, many neglect ethics as an important part that plays a major impact upon a person’s success as a leader or advisor. Ethical dilemmas are faced everyday in the society. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Ethics Within Today or any similar topic only for you Order Now Which in today’s business world ethical issues like harassment, conflict of interest, and customer confidence issues does affects the community and organization. Business ethics is not something that naturally occurs within an organization. It’s a culture that upper management and employees need to build from the ground up, which helps the company to tackle moral issues confronting the business. Therefore, business ethics examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problem that arise in a business environment, which applies to all aspect of business conduct and are relevant to the conduct of individuals and business organizations all together (Trevino Nelson, 2007). However, business ethics creates professional attitudes and behaviors throughout the organization and the surrounding environment. In today’s business world, harassment is not taken lightly. Harassment or sexual harassment is sexual behavior toward another person with unwanted contact with the other person. Harassment is not when two people come together and kiss but when someone is making rude comments or trying to have sexual contact with another person without permission. Because harassment is a form of discrimination harassment is an ethical issue that stops workers from performing their duties due to miss treatment and unfairness (Trevino Nelson, 2007). Another ethical issue is conflicts of interest. Conflict of interest includes issues as bribes, influence and privileged information. For example, if an individual was working for a retail company and was also employed by another retail company at the same time would be consider a conflict of interest. Due to valuable information the individual holds about the company, therefore the company would expect the individual to quit or look for another job. Conflict of interest can also occur by holding a personal relationship with another co-worker and distributing irregular discounts to other vendors when the discount is meant just for the worker. As a company, avoiding conflict of interest is the best way to go. Conflicts could cause loss of employment and corporation or law and federal charges. Customer confidence issues are another ethical issue. It includes topics such as confidentiality and truth in advertising. Confidentiality is basically the privacy of the customer. The privacy protects the customer’s personal information on sales and finance. As an employee, truth in advertising plays a huge role in customer service. If an employee is promoting something and is not promoting the proper information, the company could lose a substantial amount of money depending on the situation. As well as losing customers and business. Customer confidence has a saying, â€Å"the customer is always right† (Trevino Nelson, 2007). Most businesses use the saying to prevent tension between the corporation and the customer and provide customer satisfaction. Harassment, conflict of interest, and customer confidence issues are some of the business ethical issues, which are common in everyday business. An individual can make a single decision that can have a negative or positive effect around his or her surroundings. Businesses make the choices through being honest or lying. However, it will determine what fate the business would fall in. A business who values work ethics would be a business valued by the customers. Reference Trevino, L. K. , Nelson, K. A. (2007). Managing businessethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (4th ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Retrieved January 3, 2010,from ecampus. phoenix. edu How to cite Business Ethics Within Today, Papers

Nathaniel Hawthornes background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter Essay Example For Students

Nathaniel Hawthornes background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter Essay Nathaniel Hawthornes background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden Biographical Note VII. He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write again to support his family IX. Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later IX. It was only intended to be a long short story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed Introduction XVI. Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel XVI. In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthornes rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the S! alem witch trials Biographical Note VII. Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general VII. Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal soapbox for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death Hawthorne 51. Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the authors interest in the dark side Introduction VIII. Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it VII. Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that caused much scandal when it w! as first published XV. The book revolves around sin and punish ment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on optimistic themes VII. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways. First of all, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene, everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being questioned about the identity of the father of her child Hawthorne 52. In her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl, a three month old baby who is experiencing life outside the prison for the first time 53. Dimmesdale is standing beside the scaffold because he is Hesters pastor and it is his job to convince her to repent and reveal the fathers name 65. A short time later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up within the crowd of people who are watching Hester after he is released from his two year captivity by the Indians 61. In the second scene, Dimmesdale is standing on top of the scaffold alone in the middle of the night 152. He sees Hester and Pearl wal! k through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrops bedside 157. When Dimmesdale recognizes them and tells them to join him, they walk up the steps to stand by his side 158. Chillingworth appears later standing beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the whole town after his Election day sermon 263. He tells Hester and Pearl to join him yet again on the scaffold 264. Chillingworth then runs through the crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the one place where he cant reach him 265. Another way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects that the sin of adultery has on the main characters. The first scene shows Hester being publicly punished on the scaffold 52. She is being forced to stand on it for three hours straight and listen to peop! le talk about her as a disgrace and a shame to the community 55. Dimmesdales instantaneous response to the sin is to lie. He stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and the fathers best interest for her to reveal the fathers name 67. Though he never actually says that he is not the other parent, he implies it by talking of the father in third person 67. Such as, If thou feelest it to be for thy souls peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer 67. Chillingworths first reaction is one of shock, but he quickly suppresses it 61. Since his first sight of his wife in two years is of her being punished for being unfaithful to him, he is naturally surprised. It does not last for long though, because it is his nature to control his emotions 61. Pearls very existence in this scene is the largest immediate effect of her parents cr! ime 52. She obviously would never had been there had her parents resisted their love for each other. The second scene occurs several years later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to play its part. It begins with Dimmesdale climbing the stairs of the scaffold in the middle of the night because it is the closest that he can come to confessing his sin 152. This scene is especially important because it shows how pitiful he has become. Dimmesdale shows just how irrational he is when he screams aloud because he fears that the universe is staring at a scarlet token on his breast 153. It also shows how much guilt he is carrying by the way he perceives the light from a meteor as the letter A. He believes it stands for adulteress while other people think it stands for angel since the governor just passed away 161. The Time Machine Book EssayUltimately, Chillingworth responds to his wifes betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge. After he discovers that his wife bore another mans child, Chillingworth gives up his independence. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge, but his new allegiance becomes finding and slowly punishing the man who seduced his wife 74. He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedic! ates all of his time to becoming his confidant in order to get his retribution 127. Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth gives up his identity. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live with him and be by his side all day, every day. The only possible way to do that is to give up his true identity as Roger Prynne, Hesters husband, and become Roger Chillingworth. Since the only person who knew his true identity is sworn to silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworths true identity 204. His largest sacrifice is by far, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth forgets that he still has a chance to lead a life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world, Chillingworth dies less than a year later because he has nothing left to live for 272. In conclusion, Hawthornes use ! of characterization gives the book a classic feeling by showing H ester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworths feelings indirectly through acts. The novel revolves around two major symbols: light and darkness and the scarlet letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear no- thing on my bosom yet 192! Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes 192. She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest 193. This short scene actually represents Hesters daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hesters constant denial of acceptance. Hesters lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, shows that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and Dimmesdales plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future 200. The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they cant get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! instead of leaving with Hester and going to England 269. A final example occurs by the way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest 206. This emotion foretells that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The scarlet letter also takes many different forms in the novel. The first and clearest form that the letter A takes is Adulteress. It is apparent that Hester is guilty of cheating on her husband when she surfaces from the prison with a three-month-old-child in her arms, and her husband has been away for two years 53. Hence, the people look at the letter elaborately embroidered with gold thread and see a hussy who is proud of her sin 54. The second form that it takes is Angel. When Governor Winthrop passes away, a giant A appears in the sky.! People from the church feel that, For as our good Governor Wint hrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof! 16. The final form that the scarlet letter take is Able. Hester helped the people of the town so unselfishly that Hawthorne wrote: Such helpfulness was found in her,so much power to do, and power to sympathize,that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it s original significance. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength 167. In closing, one of the most important reasons that The Scarlet Letter is so well known is the way Hawthorne leaves the novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of symbolism. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. Hawthorne describes the purpose of the novel when he says, Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worse, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! 272. The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in todays world. The Scarlet Letter is one of the few books that will be timeless, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation to come.

My Window to the World free essay sample

I do not have weekly press conferences and I have never experienced paparazzi. I do not have my own column in a national newspaper and I do not have a forty minute segment on the news. But, I have a window. It is not much, but it is my window. I remember the first time I wrote on it. It was just a simple, â€Å"Hi Dad!† but every time he came home, he saw the message and smiled. One day, a woman stopped me while I was outside and asked me if I had written that; I said yes, and she smiled. She told me that it made her happy when children loved their parents the way I love my Dad. That’s when it dawned on me: the things I wrote on my window were seen by everyone who went by, and my words made a difference. Even if it was just a smile on a stranger’s face, my words had created that smile. We will write a custom essay sample on My Window to the World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page About a month later my neighbor, Tony, was deployed to Iraq. It was strange for me to have someone so close to home leave for the war. I remember wishing there was something I could do to at least let him know he was in our thoughts and prayers. So that is just what I did, I erased the greeting for my Father, and replaced it with a large yellow ribbon. I knew it was not much, but it made me feel better. Even if just one person drove by my house and said a little prayer for the troops, it made a difference. My window has evolved into my message board for the world. Some days it is just the simple word, â€Å"believe,† others it is an awareness ribbon, and still others it is a quote I find intriguing. There is something incredible about knowing that someone is reading my words everyday, and even if they just glance, even if they do not think twice about themmy ideas are out there. It does not matter if storms come and beat on the outside of the window, my words are protected. It does not matter if people disagree with what I have written and roll their eyes, my words are my words, and that is that. My window has shaped my life, just by simply holding my words with pride. On bad days, I come home and throw my belongings on my floor, but just before I start to feel ungrateful, I see the pink ribbon drawn on my window. Just like that, I am reminded that somebody out there has bigger issues than my own, somebody out there is in the fourth month of their last six, somebody is struggling, and yet, here I amfeeling angry because a boy had ignored me. The window is not only a message board from me to the world, but it is a message board from the world to me. Everyday it reminds me of the events I feel most strongly about. It is a daily reminder of who I am, and what I believe in. I am only seventeen, and I know that I have a lot more learning to do, but I also know that I can make a difference. I want to be a constitutional attorney so that my voice will continue to be heard. I want to touch peoples’ lives and have my words continue to make a difference. I think my little window on Zinfandel Avenue was a good start, but I have no intentions of letting that be the last the world ever hears from me.

Watchmen and Chapter Essays

Watchmen and Chapter Essays Watchmen and Chapter Paper Watchmen and Chapter Paper Essay Topic: Watchmen In Alan Moores The Watchmen, Moore presents the reader with two drastically different characters who have one strikingly similar trait. Ozymandias is a handsome, rich, public, and powerful man. Rorschach is an ugly, poor, private, and almost worthless man. Despite all of these contrasts, they share a common philosophy: they believe that the ends justify the means. This is a major theme of the story, and through it Moore causes the reader the ask themselves the question do the ends justify the means? Before looking at the concept of the ends justifying the means, it is important to understand just how different the characters of Rorschach and Ozymandias are from each other. Rorschach is strongly right wing, even to the point of fascism. He believes that the whole world stands on the brink, starring down into bloody hell, all the liberals and intellectuals and smooth-talkersA? a‚Â ¬AÂ ¦(Volume 1 page 1) Rorschach is also an ardent subscriber to the New Frontiersman, a right-wing conspiracy magazine. Ozymandias is an extremely rich philanthropist, who once gave his entire fortune to charity. Ozymandias was the first of all the super heroes to go public, two years before heroes were required to unmask themselves by law. Rorschach never went public, choosing to live as an outlaw rather than give up his identity. Ozymandias is considered by many to be the most handsome man in the world, while Rorschach is an ugly man who does not even bathe on a regular basis. Ozymandias runs an international conglomerate, while Rorschach does not have enough money to pay his rent. These differences present the reader with two extremely different characters, their only similarities being their staunch belief that the ends justify the means. Moore presents the reader with an early visual clue to the similar natures of Ozymandias and Rorschach in chapter five, titled Fearful Symmetry. Every page of this chapter has a parallel page in the other side of the chapter. For example, pages one, two and three are nine panel pages concerning Rorschach, as is the last page, page twenty-eight, and pages twenty-seven and twenty-six. Page four has one panel the width of the page to begin with, which is then followed by six smaller panels, as does page twenty-five. These pages concern the confrontation between Rorschach and Moloch. Page twenty-five also has the one larger panel at the top, followed by six smaller panels, and this page also concerns Rorschach and Moloch. This mirror-like pattern continues until the center of the comic. While there are other characters in this chapter (Dan and Laurie, the newspaper salesman, and the two policemen), the two characters who receive the most focus in this chapter are Rorschach and Ozymandias. Even the title of this chapter is meant to cause the reader to think about the nature of Rorschach and Ozymandias. The title Fearful Symmetry comes from The Tyger by William Blake. This classic poem and its partner, The Lamb, are two poems about the nature and duality of life. While the tyger may be a predator and the lamb its prey they are both concerned about where they came from. This is a direct parallel to events taking place in The Watchmen, where although Rorschach and Ozymandias may be almost total opposites, they are both attempting to perform acts which will they believe will improve humanity. Moore hints to the reader that Rorschach believes that the ends justify the means on the very first page, when Rorschach uses his journal to tell the reader that he thinks that the people had a choice, all of them. They could have followed in the footsteps of good men like my father or president Truman. Decent men, who believed in a days work for a days pay. (Volume 1, page 1) While Truman may have had many great accomplishments, his most famous decision was to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is a real world example of the concept of whether the ends justify the means. Truman would be an obvious hero to Rorschach, as he showed that he was not afraid to make tough decisions for the good of his people. After the death of the Comedian, Rorschach enters an underworld bar to attempt to find answers as to who may have killed the Comedian. He breaks the fingers of the first man who insults him, and continues to break his fingers, until one of the patrons tells him what he wants to know. While its quite possible that this man had committed crimes in the past, Rorschach knew that the he had not killed the Comedian; however, he had no problems in breaking the mans fingers, if it would lead to more information about the true killer. The fact that Rorschach is willing to physically assault and threaten Moloch, a seventy year old man, once again shows the reader that Rorschach will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. It appears likely that Moloch would have told him all he needed to know simply on the fear of what Rorschach might do to him. In chapter six, the reader begins to see what has led Rorschach to take his hard line stance. Originally Rorschach just thought I was Rorschach.. Very naive. Very young. Very soft. (Volume 6, page 14) When asked what it was that made him soft, he replies let them live. (Volume 6, page 14) By allowing the criminals to live, Rorschach leaves a chance that they may recommit their crimes. However, by killing the criminals, there is obviously no chance that the criminal will re-offend, thus justifying his actions. Referring to his harsh actions, Rorschach says that we do not do this thing because it is permitted. We do it because we have to. We do it because we are compelled. While he does not elaborate on what it is, we can assume that it is the war that he is carrying on against criminals. Rorschach believes that he is compelled go to the extremes, and for him there is not even a conscious decision, it is simply something that he knows must be done. Later on in this chapter, we are shown the horrific sequence of events that led to the creation of Rorschachs attitude and motivation. After the shock of realizing that the six year old girl he had come to rescue had been brutally murdered, Rorschach changes the path that his life will take. He will no longer be content to react, but will now be a proactive force in the fight against evil. If, by this stance, he is required to break the law, and hurt innocent men, he is willing to do it. In chapter twelve, when faced with impossible odds, we see the lengths that Rorschach is willing to go to for his stance. When told by Night Owl that We have to compromiseA? a‚Â ¬AÂ ¦, (Volume 12, page 20) his response is No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise. (Volume 12, page 20) A short time after this, he is killed for his no compromise stance. While Moore shows the reader Rorschachs belief that the ends justify the means through a series of small events, the reader is shown Ozymandiass belief in this principle through one horrific, gigantic act. The reader is given the first hint as to what Ozymandias may be planning in chapter two. In this chapter, the reader is shown the attempted formation of a new group of super heroes, called the Crimebusters. The Comedian says that the problems facing America are much too big for a small group of heroes to handle, and then begins to burn the map of the United States. He states that It dont matter squat because inside thirty years the nukes are gonna be flyin like maybugs and then Ozzy here is gonna be the smartest man on the cinder. (Volume 2, page 11) After this the group begins to disband, Captain Metropolis becomes very upset, saying that Somebody has to do it, dont you see? Somebody has to save the worldA? ‚Â ¬AÂ ¦(Volume 2, page 11) At the same time that he is saying this, the reader is shown an image of Ozymandias staring at the torn map of the United States. Moore is using foreshadowing in this scene to show that Ozymandias will attempt to save the world. Moore shows the reader more of Ozymandiass actions, and the motives for them in chapter twelve. Ozymandias begins to tell his life story to three men that work with him. He explains that there was only one man throughout h istory with which he has felt any sort of kinship. This man was Alexander of Macedonia, a young army commander who, at the time of his death, was the ruler of most of the civilized world. Ozymandias is in awe of the fact that he could rule without barbarism, mentioning that he installed the worlds greatest seat of learning. He then hints as to his attitude when he says True, people diedA? a‚Â ¬AÂ ¦ perhaps unnecessarily, though who can judge such things? (Volume 11, page 8) This shows the reader that Ozymandias believes that acts of that magnitude can not be judged. Ozymandias states that on his trip to Alexanders hometown that I resolved to apply antiquitys teachings to todays world. Thus began my path to conquestA? a‚Â ¬AÂ ¦ conquest not of men, but of the evils that beset them. (Volume 11, page 11) This statement hints to the reader what kind of action Ozymandias might take, and what it is that he is trying to do. One important thing to remember when considering Ozymandiass actions, is that not even he was sure that there would be a nuclear war. He says that he thought the possibility of disarmament progressively more remote. (Volume 11, page 21) While he may have felt that it was remote, he did not know that it would be impossible. In chapter eleven, the reader is finally shown the true nature of Ozymandiass plan. He says that his goal is to frighten governments into co-operation, I would convince them that earth faced imminent attack by beings from another world. (Volume 11, page 25) Within the next few pages, he reveals his massiv e plan which is to teleport an alien like creature to New York, which will kill half of the people living there. While ultimately this did work, there is no denying that he used a terrible means to achieve his ends. Throughout the Watchmen the reader is presented with many different characters. The characters of Rorschach and Ozymandias have a manichaean relationship. The line between good and evil has been blurred with these two characters: it is unclear to the reader which of the two is good, and which is evil. One is rich, liberal, and handsome. The other is poor, conservative, and ugly. However, despite all of their differences, these characters share a common philosophy: they believe the ends justifies the means.

A Sudden Silence By Eve Bunting English Literature Essay

A Sudden Silence By Eve Bunting English Literature Essay A Sudden Silence By Eve Bunting Eve Bunting, born in the small village of Maghera in Northern Ireland, 1928, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. She has won several awards. She went to school in Northern Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, â€Å"There used to be Shanachiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanachie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.† This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work. In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting’s f irst published story, Two Giants, focused an Irish folktale about Finn McCool who out smarted Culcullan, a terrible Scottish giant. The first published work gave Bunting confidence and passion to pursue a writing career. explanation: ‘A sudden silence’ is a good title for this story because they don’t know who Bry has killed. And so this is a sudden silence. Place: I have no idea in which place this story is set. Because, they don’t tell it in the book. Time: This story can be set in any time, they don’t tell it. ‘It was Saturday the 20th of June at 11.30 P.M.’ The time that is covered in the story is like two months. Because it all happens very quickly. I can’t quote from the book. Main characters: Jesse: He’s the main character of the book. His personality is: he is shy but he is quick irritated. I don’t know how he looks. Jesse doesn’t change in the book. Bry: He is the brother of Jesse and he is killed by a car accident. He is deaf and I don’t know how he looks. He can’t change because he dies in the beginning of the book. Plot: Bry and Jesse are walking home from a party of Wilson Eichler. They’re walking along the highway, against the traffic, so they can see if there a car was coming. After a while, they crossed over the highway, because they were almost home. There was no traffic on the highway, but then a car came out of nowhere. Jesse dived into the bank and he yelled to Bry, that he has to jump too, but he can’t hear him. Bry is deaf. The car hit him. First, Jesse thought that the car stopped, but it didn’t, he rode on. Bry was dead. Sirens were coming. Shortly after that, a policeman asked Jesse questions about the accident. But Jesse forgot everything. Nobody was going to bed that night. Jesse’s dad called the family: the grandparents, aunt Lila and uncle Fred.

Democracy and Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Democracy and Reason - Essay Example Though the liberal democratic philosophy has always been supported from a wide assortment of philosophical quarters, realizing liberal democracy in terms of joint rational practice of community in politics has various attractive features. One attractive feature is being a perspective that comes across with the hunch so extensively introduced at the parturition of liberalism i.e. the intuition that the belief in the morals of liberal democracy and reason are not simply historically related but are linked logically in some cardinal ways. Moreover, the philosophy of logical or rational practice appears sufficiently capacious and complex to institute the whole array of values and norms present in liberalism such as equality, liberty, toleration, participation, community and rights instead of singling out and raising one of these values at the cost of rest of others. Thus there lies a possibility that liberal democratic theory can be grounded on a philosophically practicable construct of rational practice, thereby accommodating the interests of the communitarians with the best part of skeptical utilitarian as well as deontological variants of liberalism. The inclination of neo-Platonist to logically explain rationality has endured with full force in the twentieth century. It manifested not only by the widespread utilization of the term logical as a synonym for rational, but also in the propensity to interpret scientific question as applied logic and to construe languages as fallible logical calculi. This excessively idealized and constrained explanation of rationality has gained individuals by inducing the tremendously productive and significant mathematical constituents of science and by prodding all disciplines towards superior clarity and rigor. However it had various unfortunate consequences. It has impaired individuals with polarized lenses in our percepts of language and science, sorting the elements of linguist and scientific rationality that fail to fit in t he confines of rationality. And this application of excessively strict criteria for inclusion has lead to an ever-shrinking band of reason that has pushed progressively extensive domains of human practice and cognition into an unstructured slag heap of purportedly irrational phenomena. Most profound consequences are the distortion of any passable understanding of the significant and genuine function of rationality in Politics. That’s why it is quite essential for present-day political philosophy to discern that the last few decades have messed substantial improvements and alterations in the domains of philosophy that have straight impact upon the discernment of human reason. These modern philosophies were based on such assumptions that seemed to bring forth a pattern of vibrations among the neo-Kantian and utilitarian theories as each of them were not able to tackle the circumstances and situation in an adequate manner. Thus the deadlock existed in the discernment of practica l reason seemed to converge with the ethical quandary of liberal democratic theory converge at this point. The authority of the conniving model of reason has constructed a theory of combined prudence unmanageable if not inconceivable. But the most plausible and attractive way of justifying and understanding the liberal democratic exercises is to interpret them as an effort to substantiate the norms of joint prudence so as to consider liberal democracy in terms of a community of individuals who

Patch 1,2 and 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Patch 1,2 and 3 - Essay Example People are, in most cases,compelled to learn more than one language at a time, the existing knowledge of a native language affects both the pace, and level that one learns a new language. Young learners always think in their native language and relay the information in the new language. This breaks a number of semantic rules governing the use of the new language and if not corrected in time, its effect may last to affect how he or she uses the new language. Additionally, the teacher of the new language and his native language influences the manner in which their students learn the new language. In the Western world, students of new language always seek the services of a native speaker of the new language or travel to a country of the new language to learn. In the developing world, students learn second hand languages taught by fellow natives. The teachers therefore break a number of rules and pass the broken languages to their students. This explains why the English spoken in a numbe r of African countries is either pronounced differently or infused will local pidgins. The student in the case study suffers from the influence of mother tongue too. From the way he writes, it is clear that he is not an English native speaker. French sounds like English in a number of ways, some of the French words sound and mean the same to other English words. However, the greatest difference between English and French is the French attach gender to most of its words and sentences. From the write up, it is evident that the writer is trying to keep up with the English language requirements but because he keeps thinking in French, he finds himself attaching a gender to some of the English words. A remedy to this is constant practice and the ability to detach from the use of a native language while learning a different language. It is never possible to abolish the use of the first language especially when learning another but learners need concentrate on the new language and use the semantic rules of the new language. This way, they minimize the number of grammatical mistakes they make on the new language. This also makes the learning a lot faster. Another key factor that affects a learner’s ability to learn and use a new language is age. This factor is debatable but most scholars concur that young learners usually master the rules of a new language faster than older learners do. In young age, people are not preoccupied with other businesses, as is the case in old age. Children will therefore concentrate more on the new language and master it faster. Additionally, this has also contributed to the fact that children interact more with their peers than adults do. It is in these interactions that they learn from their colleagues the new language and the rules that govern the usage of the new language. Despite the faster speed of learning a language at a younger age, it is also evident that young learners have a tendency of forgetting a language that they do not use faster. There is no remedy to this apart from continuous practice and the usage of the multiple languages one learned. The writer in this case is an adult learner. His age is best determined based on the issues he addresses in his article. Some of the themes he struggles to raise are those that children cannot possibly comprehend. Writing is different from speaking.

Formative Writing †Slumdog Millionaire Essay Example for Free

Formative Writing – Slumdog Millionaire Essay The film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by British born director Danny Boyle, gives a particular insight into life in India, and more specifically the city of Mumbai through the use of setting. It is this cultural backdrop presented through the perspective of foreigner that not only makes the film special, but also sparked a lot of debate whether the image revealed is an accurate portrayal of India. The film attempts to show the shocking and disturbing realities that occur in India, including poverty, injustice, slums, gang culture and prostitution. An example of one of these realities being depicted is in the scene where Jamal and Salim have been captured by the gangster Maman who plans to blind Jamal in order to make him a profitable beggar as he will evoke more sympathy if blind. The setting of the scene is outside a remote building where the gangsters keep the children at night. These children are placed away from the rest of civilisation showing how they are unwanted and are outsiders. The lighting is minimal making it dark, eerie and scary which is also coupled with fast pace camera shots which are predominantly close-ups on things such as the acid, Maman’s face and one of his accomplices cracking his knuckles. All of these features work together in order to create an intimidating impression on the viewer as we don’t get the full perspective echoing how the children are being tricked and deceived. Salim watches one of the boys eyes being burned yet the viewer doesn’t get to see this, instead the horror is echoed through Salim’s physical reaction as he vomits. It appears that the director wants to shock the audience and present the horrors present in Indian culture, yet he doesn’t show it physically being done, creating a barrier which shields the western audience at all times. Maman asks Salim whether he wants ‘the life of a Slumdog or a man?’ This gives the impression that all Indian men should want to be and are like Maman who is evil and corrupt, giving a negative representation of men in India.

The Effect of Legal and Illegal Immigrants in the United States :: Immigration Cause Effect Essays

For many years the United States of America has been held by many to be the land of opportunity where everyone can achieve their dreams. Like in any area of the world the immigration and migration of people both legally and illegally shapes our country’s population and the economy. In the United States there are millions of illegal immigrants that struggle to find a way to live and then there are the legal foreign-born individuals that abide by our laws and still struggle to get by. A great deal of the population growth we have seen in the past and will see in the future is due to the immigration of foreign people into this land. As one studies our nation he can see there are many differences between the status and living conditions of natives and foreign-born population. There are many migrant workers that come into this country every year to work in the farms and industries that offer seasonal work with little pay. In light of the recent terrorist acts against this country t he immigration laws and border patrols are coming under greater scrutiny. Immigrants and Their Place in our Population There are all kinds of immigrants in the United States and they have different kinds of statuses. First of all there are legal immigrants that were foreign born but have become citizens of the United States. There are also people who come into the country legally and are given permission to live here permanently but are not naturalized citizens because they have either never applied for citizenship or do not meet a requirement for citizenship. We also have those who come here legally to stay for a set amount of time for things such as education, or work. On the other end of the spectrum are the millions of illegal immigrants that sneak into our country hoping to find asylum and a better way of life. As is apparent in any area that receives immigrants the influx of new people has an effect on population size and diversity. The Department of Labor expects the population of the United States to grow by around fifty percent over the next fifty years. They also say that immigration will have the biggest role in growth through mid-century and that other changes come only because of birth rate and death rates. We are to expect around 820,000 immigrants to arrive in our country every year not including those who come illegally.

Salem Witch Trials

What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria? 1692 was a year packed with excitement and terror for the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. Belief and accusations of people being witches/warlocks under the possession of the Devil swept across the town and wreaked havoc among its settlers. There are many possible ways to justify this madness. However, the 3 most valid and evidential reasons are: attention-seeking, jealousy (of one another and the amount of land owned), and lack of acceptance towards each other’s physical flaws and behaviors.Attention-seeking is bound to become an issue in a town such as Salem, merely due to the daily, mundane activities one must pursue in order to live properly. Document G states, â€Å"It was perhaps their original design to gratify a love of notoriety or of mischief by creating†¦ excitement in their neighborhood. † This quote is relating to the behaviors that people were displaying which made them a suspect.Document H revolves around the idea that maybe these young girls were acting out and faking the â€Å"convulsive attacks† that were believed to be evidence in order to give the public what they expected, or wanted. These young girls created an issue much larger than they’d planned to. They most likely were just trying to make themselves known and didn’t understand the impact that their actions would have on the vulnerable minds of their town. Although attention-seeking seems to play the most obvious role in the hysteria, jealousy was also a major contributor.Land ownership was a big deal in this time period (15th century), and the division between the farmers’ and the residents’ amount of property became a cause for vengeance (Document J). Documents K & L are perfect examples of people feeling the need for revenge. The Putnams must have believed that Rebecca Nurse did them terribly wrong when her family took over some of their land, so (as one of the wealthiest families in S alem); they used their word against hers by accusing her to be witch.They probably wouldn’t have done so if they did not genuinely believe she had something more than they had or she did something to personally attack them. This kind of resentment towards one another must’ve became a common issue in Salem, for it seems that many accusations came from people being jealous of each other. Along with jealousy, unacceptance and judgment of people’s features and behaviors became a leading cause for someone to be called a witch. Document E uses statistics to show that a majority of the accused were middle-aged, married women.This document’s information alone gives clues related to sexism and discrimination of age and marital status. In Document M, Linda Caporael suggests that Ergotism, an illness caused by a parasitic fungus called â€Å"ergot,† caused people to hallucinate, become delirious, and go through manic episodes. Perhaps these symptoms were misj udged to be evidence that someone was possessed. Or perhaps the people who ate and retracted the sickness from the food contaminated with ergot were the accusers, and they simply weren’t in their â€Å"right mind. In any event, there was a massive amount of judgment and lack of acceptance to one another, and this played a key role in the chaos of the Witch Trials. Accusations of witchcraft and possession put a scare and a drive to defeat into the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts that year. 20 people were killed, and more than 100 people were accused. There’s a multitude of different explanations as to why. All in all, though, the whole thing could have been avoided if it weren’t for people’s desire for attention, envy, and judgmental mindsets.

Instances of Free Will in Antigone by Sophocles Essay

? Free will is a gift given to man to remain in control of their lives; our fate and destiny are determined by our free will and the decisions we make. In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles Antigone demonstrates her free will when she decides to bury her brother, directly defying Creon’s law. As a result of this defiance her fate was suicide. The choice she made functions as a exercise of free will because she considered the consequences and defied Creon anyway, that defiance sealed her fate. Antigone clearly controlled her fate through free will. However this is not always the case in A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich written by Alexandr Solzhenistyn, Ivan has little to no free will because he does not make his own choices, his fate is controlled by others. Free will is a term used to describe a course of action you would take among various alternatives. Philosophers argue that the concept of free will is closely connected to the concept of moral responsibility. Acting with free will is to satisfy the requirements of being responsible for one’s actions. Antigone bury’s her brother Polyneices because she believes it is her Moral duty to do so, as he is her brother and everyone deserves a proper burial. Antigone’s free will is to act upon this moral responsibility in which she feels she is obligated to do. Our fate is not determined by us but a much more powerful force. Fate â€Å"is an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end. † According to the Webster dictionary. In the book A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich Ivan’s fate is inevitable, he is no longer in control of his life after being sentenced to 10 years in the Soviet Gulag system. In the camp Ivan is forced to live under very strict rule and if he disobeys the regulations he can be killed. Clearly Ivan has no control over his life and is forced to live a certain way in order to stay alive. Antigony goes against Creon’s law that forbade anyone to bury polyneices, her brother. Breaking of Creon’s law will result in death. Knowing the consequences Antigone bury’s her brother regardless, having guard over his body. Antigone was caught burying Polyneices and brought to Creon where she faced death. Antigone made the decision to bury her brother. This act was not forced upon her by anyone but her own morals. She determined her fate through free will. Though she knew the consequences she made the decision that she did which sealed her fate, because she knew she would die if she buried her brother. Antigone would rather die than not let her brother be buried. â€Å"And if I have to die for this pure crime,/ I am content, for I shall rest beside him;/ His love will answer mine† (lines 72-74). This quote demonstrates how Antigone makes the decision that she does knowing she will die. She is content with the idea of dying if it means her brother will get a proper burial. Antigone is pursuing her fate by burying her brother. Antigone is not looking at it as death she has a different approach to things than others, for example her sister. This approach makes her fearless, she does not see dying necessarily as a bad thing but simply the price she will pay for burying her brother. This fearlessness in her makes it so she can confidently make the decision that she does, excepting the fact that it will result to her death. Not only does Antigone decide her fate by burying her brother but she also chooses when and how she dies. Creon had planned to kill her anyway, but with her own free will she pursues her death in the fashion that she so chooses. Antigone hangs herself with the red and gold cord of her robe. Her decision to do this is her own free will. Antigone could have ignored this option and let her fate control how she dies, by either being stoned, or perhaps Creon deciding to set her free. We will never know what Antigone’s fate would have been if she did not kill herself, she deprived us of what could have happened by making her own rash decision. Antigone believes she has the right to live the way she wants, she is controlling her fate by deciding how she dies. A contrasting example comes from the book A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. The main character Ivan does not have free will. Ivan was charged with being a German spy and therefore sentenced to 10 years in the Gulag. Ivan knows he is not a German spy, however he has no control over his sentencing and is forced to serve the 10 years. Ivan no longer controls how he lives, he lives by a strict life style created by the guards of the camp. â€Å"In camp the squad leader is everything: a good one will give you a second life; a bad one will put you in your coffin. † (pg. 36) This quote illustrates how much Ivan and other prisoners lives are determined for them. He says that your squad leader determines weather or not you live. In these camps life were cruel not only because of harsh conditions but the fact that others determined your fate, whether you lived or died. Theses prisoners have very little control over their own life, they no longer worry about simple decisions, the concerns of the prisoners is who will be the one to decide their fate. Even though, the prisoners destiny is pre-determined based upon the harsh circumstances they are forced to live by, they can still make small unnoticeable decisions to maintain sanity in their life. These small choices they make are their free will. For instance, Ivan takes his hat off every time he eats a meal despite the fact that it is below freezing. Ivan has always removes his hat before eating long before he was sentenced to the Gulag, he feels he must continue this tradition as a sign of respect. Ivan is making this small decision on his own in a place that is filled with decisions that are made for you. Ivan wants to keep the little dignity he has left and by doing so he takes off his hat when he eats. This represents that no matter how confined a human is they will still find ways to pursue their own lifestyle. Ivan find this morally just to take off his hat when he eats, he is making that decision based off of free will. Because he makes this decision it greatly affects Ivan’s attitude towards things, because this small tradtion shows he has taken a piece of his ordinary life and continued that practice in somewhere as horrible as the Gulag. Ivan’s free will is to be able to take his hat off when eating. Finally, this essay shows how in the play Antigone and the book A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, both of the main characters in these two pieces of literature find ways to control their fate. In Antigones case she bury’s her brother, for she believes that it is her moral responsibility. Ivan takes control over his free will by taking off his hat when he eats. Antigone’s fate is determined by her free will to defy Creon. Ivan is not in control of his own fate, therefore he must find small ways to remain in control as much as possible of his life.

Free Essays on Persian Gulf War

There are three basic causes to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. First, Iraq had long considered Kuwait to be a part of Iraq. This claim led to several confrontations over the years (see below), and continued hostility. Also, it can be argued that with Saddam Hussein's attempted invasion of Iran defeated, he sought easier conquests against his weak southern neighbors. Second, rich deposits of oil straddled the ill-defined border and Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields. Middle Eastern deserts make border delineation difficult and this has caused many conflicts in the region. Finally, the fallout from the First Persian Gulf War between Iraq and Iran strained relations between Baghdad and Kuwait. This war began with an Iraqi invasion of Iran and degenerated into a bloody form of trench warfare as the Iranians slowly drove Saddam Hussein's armies back into Iraq. Kuwait and many other Arab nations supported Iraq against the Islamic Revolutionary government of Iran, fearful that Saddam's defeat could herald a wave of Iranian-inspired revolution throughout the Arab world. Following the end of the war, relations between Iraq and Kuwait deteriorated; with a lack of gratitude from the Baghdad government for help in the war and the reawakening of old issues regarding the border and Kuwaiti sovereignty. Iraq-Kuwait Relations Prior to the 1990 Invasion. 1961- Iraq (President Qasim) threatens Kuwait, invoking old Ottoman claims. Britain supports Kuwait and Iraq backs down. 1973, March- Iraq occupies as-Samitah, a border post on Kuwait-Iraq border. Dispute began when Iraq demanded the right to occupy the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League convinced Iraq to withdraw. 1980-1988- Kuwait supports Iraq in the First Persian Gulf War with Iran. On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The order was gi... Free Essays on Persian Gulf War Free Essays on Persian Gulf War There are three basic causes to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. First, Iraq had long considered Kuwait to be a part of Iraq. This claim led to several confrontations over the years (see below), and continued hostility. Also, it can be argued that with Saddam Hussein's attempted invasion of Iran defeated, he sought easier conquests against his weak southern neighbors. Second, rich deposits of oil straddled the ill-defined border and Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields. Middle Eastern deserts make border delineation difficult and this has caused many conflicts in the region. Finally, the fallout from the First Persian Gulf War between Iraq and Iran strained relations between Baghdad and Kuwait. This war began with an Iraqi invasion of Iran and degenerated into a bloody form of trench warfare as the Iranians slowly drove Saddam Hussein's armies back into Iraq. Kuwait and many other Arab nations supported Iraq against the Islamic Revolutionary government of Iran, fearful that Saddam's defeat could herald a wave of Iranian-inspired revolution throughout the Arab world. Following the end of the war, relations between Iraq and Kuwait deteriorated; with a lack of gratitude from the Baghdad government for help in the war and the reawakening of old issues regarding the border and Kuwaiti sovereignty. Iraq-Kuwait Relations Prior to the 1990 Invasion. 1961- Iraq (President Qasim) threatens Kuwait, invoking old Ottoman claims. Britain supports Kuwait and Iraq backs down. 1973, March- Iraq occupies as-Samitah, a border post on Kuwait-Iraq border. Dispute began when Iraq demanded the right to occupy the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League convinced Iraq to withdraw. 1980-1988- Kuwait supports Iraq in the First Persian Gulf War with Iran. On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The order was gi... Free Essays on Persian Gulf War CASE STUDY THE PERSIAN GULF WAR AND UN INVOLVEMENT The jubilation caused by the drawing down of the Cold War was dramatically overshadowed when Iraq invaded the nation of Kuwait on August 2nd 1990. Iraqi control of Kuwait and the danger it posed to Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf states threatened a vital American interest, because the United States and the West in general, remained dependent on this region for much of its oil supplies. President Bush strongly condemned the Iraqi action and called for Iraq's immediate and unconditional withdrawal. An emergency session of the UN Security Council voted unanimously to condemn Iraq, urge a cease-fire and demand the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. When Iraq did not comply with the resolution the Council reiterated the inherent right of self-defence and called for economic sanctions to be applied to Iraq (resolution 661, 6 Aug 1990). In response to this, Iraq announced the occupation of Kuwait and ordered the closing of all embassies in the country, and began taking US and British citizens in Kuwait hostage. Following the steps articulated in the UN charter the Security Council authorised naval ships in the Persian Gulf to use, 'such measures...as may be necessary under the authority of the security Council'# to enforce the sanctions. On August 8, President Bush went on national television to announce the deployment of US troops to the Middle East. The president then worked to assemble one of the most extraordinary military and political coalitions of modern times, with military forces from Asia, Europe and Africa, as well as the Middle East. Bush knew that he must get as many allied countries on his side if he had any chance of winning this battle. However, Bush had to act in an extremely diplomatic way since the future of world oil supply hung greatly in the balance of his actions. In the days and weeks following the invasion, the UN Security Council...

Derivative Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Derivative Markets - Essay Example There are several limitations in the price of future contracts and it is ensured by future arbitrage. The existence of price limits help to minimise the instability of prices by defending organizations against market overreaction. However, price limit can also make future contracts less liquid. Future arbitrage makes future contracts more valuable. Arbitrage generates a strong connection among the futures and commercial values (New York University, n.d.). Limit of arbitrage is significant for behavioural descriptions of irregularities and wider revision of asset valuation. Limit of future arbitrage is a portion of finance plan to clarify variances based on investors’ emotional prejudices. Arbitrageurs can face the following price limitations: Fundamental and non-fundamental risks Short-selling costs Leverage and margin constraints Constraints on equity capital Thus, the above statement 2 is true i.e. there are some defined limitations in future arbitrage in pricing future cont racts (Gromb & Vayanos, 2010). Statement 3 â€Å"A swap contract can create a win/win situation for two swap players plus the financial intermediary arranging the swap† The interest rate swap is a derivative to interchange interest rate for accomplishing lesser borrowing rates. Swap players can change interest rate from static to floating and vice versa. Swapping is beneficial when one player desires to get an amount with a floating interest rate while other player wishes for preventing future risks by getting a static interest rate in its place. In swapping, both players have their own primacies and desires, thus it (swapping) can create win/win situation for them... This essay states that in recent times, the world has converted into an uncertain place for financial organisations. Fluctuations in interest rates have extended, and stock markets are running through growing unpredictability. As a consequence of these variations, the financial organisations have happened to be more anxious about minimising the risks. As the demand for risk reduction techniques has enlarged, it has generated innovative financial tools named financial derivatives. These tools are very convenient in minimising the risks and help financial organisations to hedge. Hedging is a method which is used by financial organisations to counteract the regular risks of price variations. It is considered as important risk managing instrument for portfolio managers, bank executives and corporate accountants. In any derivative contract, the seller comes to an agreement to provide asset at a particular period in future and purchaser approves to pay fixed value for that asset. One can b uild a clean arbitrage if the future contract is mispriced. Majority of future contracts are priced according to arbitrage. In derivative contract, organisations need to choose investments which can provide good return with estimated price measures. It is also termed as speculation. Speculation is a procedure used in finance for securing profit from riskier investments, but it does not ensure security on investment or principal amount. Speculators use several approaches to make a decision prior to obtaining additional risks through investment.

Teenage Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teenage Sex - Essay Example Upon gathering related research articles from the UAH-Salmon Library, the moral, ethical, health, and social issues related to teenage sex will be tackled in details. Eventually, significant ways on how my cultural background and the place where I grew up affect my attitude and values regarding teenage sex will be provided in this study. Prior to conclusion, the pros and cons of incorporating sex education in the school system will be thoroughly discussed. Morality means that the act of a person should not go against religion which could lead a person to experience â€Å"defilement†, â€Å"sin†, and â€Å"guilt† (Farley, 2006, p. 175). In relation to morality, ethics is a moral philosophy which is commonly used when judging whether or not a specific human action is classified as moral or immoral. Religions like Catholics, Protestant, and Jewish acknowledges that the act of making love should be done within the context of marriage (between the husband and wife). Therefore, it is immoral and unethical for high school students to engage themselves in teenage sex. Teenage sex is a serious socio-economic problem because the act of engaging in sexual activities at an early age could lead to unplanned pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is one of the most common reasons why a young woman would drop out from school (The National Campaign, 2010). Because of the tight competition in the labor market, there is a strong possibility that a pregnant teenager who is not able to finish school will have more difficulty finding a decent job. Therefore, teenage pregnancy could lead to serious economic problems after a teenage mother gives birth. In relation to unprotected teenage sexual activity, the health of the mother is compromised because of the increased risk of becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Almost all teenage women who become

Sun Yat Sen and Democracy in China - Indispensable to each other A Dissertation

Sun Yat Sen and Democracy in China - Indispensable to each other A Critical Analysis - Dissertation Example He focused on modernizing the Chinese economy on the lines of the Western model (focusing on the British model) and sought to achieve his objective with the help of the Western civilization (British civilization). As a result, Chinese historians have been interested in examining the life, philosophy, and work of Sun Yat Sen. From Chinese historical accounts, it is clear that Sun’s contribution in the development of modern Chinese democratic republic is highly significant (Bergerie & Lloyd, 1998, p 1). Sun Yat-Sen’s family was farmers and devoted the early stages of his life (upto 6 years of age) in farming activities like herding cows. After this time, he was a member of the secret societies, such as Furen Literary Society, Revive China Society, and in 1888 he directed his efforts in voicing the grievances of the peasant communities. After 1890, he gradually became a part of the new emerging intelligentsia of the Chinese society. Yat-Sen joined the Revolutionary Allianc e (), a ‘nationalist and republican revolutionary party’ (, , , ) of China and ‘finally became its official leader’. The Revolutionary Alliance under the leadership of Yat-Sen proceeded to plan a way of putting an end to the then Chinese governmental regime (the Qing government). After this revolution in 1905 China’s famous revolution of 1911 occurred. In the aftermath of the revolution, Sun Yat-Sen became the President of the Chinese Republic for a brief period of time, from 1911 to 1912. However, the republican form of governance did not continue for long and rapidly deteriorated into a dictatorship regime. However, Yat-Sen did not lose faith in his primary mission.He believed that he could still chart out a new destiny, in 1915, for his nation with the help of his own endeavors. Yat-Sen, in 1918 set about organizing a military base in Canton, who would rally around him and help him to usurp the national power from the then ruling generals in Pekin g, such as Lu Hao-tung. In 1924, his military party was compelled to form a foreign alliance with Soviet Russia owing to the antagonism of the Western powers. This collaboration happened for acquiring arms and weapons from Soviet Russia and also to declare attacks on Britain. This partnership model (collaboration with Soviet Russia) provided Yat-Sen with the inspiration for the reorganization of the military party, the Guomingdang ( ) and the restatement of his philosophy of the â€Å"Three Principles of the People†. Bergerie suggests Sun based them all on the experiences he had with the alliance partnership with the Soviet Union (Bergerie& Lloyd, 1998, p 3-4). Chinese historians and people remember Dr. Sun Yat-Sen as one of the foremost reformers and revolutionaries in the history of the Chinese civilization. His primary objective in life was to put an end to the corrupt rule of the Qing dynasty and introduce a democratic form of government in China (Hays, 2010, p. 55). Thus , he is considered by Chinese historians to be the Father of the modern 20th century China. His political philosophies, both reforms initiated by Sun refers to these philosophies, have earned the respect of both the Chinese communist thinkers as well as the Nationalist Taiwanese reformers. During this period, in 1990s and 1920s, China was being ruled by the Qing dynasty, which had become steeped in corruption.The Chinese citizens were gradually beginning protest against the rule of the Qing dynasty. Most of the Chinese individuals were seething in anger against the corrupt rule which ignited a rebellious streak in them. They went ahead and formed secret societies which were engaged in planning and plotting against the Qing rulers.

Answer questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 12

Answer questions - Assignment Example The company should address all avenues of accident that have led to previous tragedies in the mining operations. One of the suitable approaches to pursue is increasing investment in safety at the mining site. It is also crucial to investigate tragedies that befell mines comprehensively. Subsequently, it is important to order for the immediate closure of sites that appear insecure. The company should also ensure effectiveness when adhering to procedures, policies and standards. The other important measure that Massey Energy will be compelled to takes will be to ensure speedy and appropriate response to incidences of tragedy and accidents at the mines. The closure of dangerous sites will serve as an economic stimulus because the organization will concentrate on productive sites and boost their revenue. In addition, focusing on safety system will enhance productivity and allow the organization to improve efficiency and output. It means that fewer accidents will occur and majority of the personnel will be available to

The Internationalization Of Higher Education Education Essay

The Internationalization Of Higher Education Education Essay This study on the internationalization of higher education pursues this objective. Provide a brief overview of the nature and development of internationalization in the higher education system. This will shed light on relevant concepts and strategies from a global, European and domestic perspective and provide background information for an in-depth analysis of the objectives and organizational measures of studies for foreigners in United States and studies abroad for American students. Results of the Study The following overview will give the reader a brief summary of the results of the survey. Internationalization Strategies Internationalization of higher education is guided by the ideals of academic universality, the humanitarian objectives of social developmental aid work abroad, and the incentives of securing economic productivity at home. In the age of globalization, international mobility is increasingly used to boost USAs competitiveness as a place to study. The market orientation of internationalization and the social dimension of international student mobility are two conflicting aspects of higher education that require corrective policies to bring them into balance. United States continuous attractiveness as a place to study has to go hand in hand with reforms of the structure of higher education studies and measures to improve the general social conditions of students. The market orientation of studies for foreigners involves targeting specific groups of students. SUMMARY As the number of high school graduates in the United States levels off, the competition for international students is getting fiercer as universities attempt to meet their enrollment goals. U.S. universities however are not competing only with each other, but institutions from other countries as well. Rapidly increasing numbers of students in foreign countries have boosted international mobility, resulting in 2.7 million students who study abroad every year. The main countries of origin for foreign students are China, India and South Korea. Industrial countries are the destination of these mobile students. Data shows that the U.S. currently has the largest share of international students worldwide; In terms of absolute numbers, the USA is the worlds leading host country. Mobile foreign students represent 3.7% of the total student population in the USA. However this market share is decreasing due to increased competition from other countries and a perception that international students are not wanted in the U.S. after more stringent visa policies were instituted in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 making it much harder to obtain a student visa. Having more international students enrolled in U.S. universities benefits both the universities and the U.S. government, hence there must be a more coordinated effort between the two in order for the U.S. to recoup its lost market share and maintain its rank as the top destination country for international students. In this paper I will attempt to show that the current U.S. policy of attracting international students to this country cannot sustain the demand of U.S. universities, nor effectively compete with the policies and efforts of other countries; instead international education, including curricular integration, study abroad and student exchange must be central to a new, USA High Education System Strategic Planning for the 21st century. As a result of this national strategy, the students will need to work successfully and comfortably in multiple cultural contexts with people who hold values and viewpoints which vary significantly; Students will be the future leaders and educators in an environment which increasingly requires an international perspective; What exactly is the Internationalization of higher education? Internationalization has become an important issue in the development of higher education. Sven Groennings (1987) describes it as one of the most powerful substantive development in the history of American higher education (p/2). It is perceived as one of the laws of motion propelling institutions of higher learning (Kerr 1990, 5); as a major theme for the next decade (Davies 1997, 83); and as one of the most important trends of the last decade (Teichler 1999, 6), if not of the past half century (Altbach 2000c, 2) De Wit (2002) uses three terms to highlight the complexity of defining internationalisation, namely international dimension, international education and internationalisation of higher education, each referring to a specific phase of the development. He uses three interrelated arguments in which (i) he sees the international dimension of higher education, prior to the 20th century as more incidental, than organised; (ii) states that this international dimension as an organised activity, referred to in general by the term international education, is a product of the 20th century introduced first mainly in the United States for reasons of foreign policy and national security. (iii)The third argument is that around the end of the Cold War, this international dimension evolved into strategic processes, referred to as the internationalisation of higher education and became increasingly linked to globalisation and regionalisation of our societies and the impact of this on higher education. He further argues that with the development of globalisation, the international dimension will evolve into an integrated element of higher education and move away from its present position as an isolated set of activities, strategies and processes. This is manifested in a shift in emphasis from more traditional forms of international education to strategies that are more directly related to the core functions of the university, and in a shift in emphasis from political to economic rationales. The implications of these shifts are the increasing importance of quality assessment of internationalisation strategies, the emergence of English as the common language of higher education, the increasing relevance of international networks and strategic alliance, and the gradual acceptance of the internationalisation of higher education as an area of research. De Wit points out the need to relate the internationalisation of higher education in todays world to the general roots of the university, and to place the present developments in historical perspective. His work (2002) makes a useful contribution to the unfolding of this phenomenon in the European and American higher education systems. Another study (De Wit et al., 2005) examined the internationalisation of higher education in the Latin American context. Related issues and concepts It is interesting to take a look at the third Global Survey Report on Internationalization of Higher Education, which was recently released by (IAU 2009).   This comprehensive survey is the largest of its kind worldwide, and includes responses from 745 institutions in 115 countries. For purposes of analysis, the results were clustered in the following regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, and North America (the U.S. and Canada). Even though the survey is on its third edition, it still has limitations which fortunately are acknowledged and explained in the document. According to this survey, the top five reasons for internationalizing an institution are, in order of importance, to improve student preparedness; internationalize the curriculum; enhance the international profile of the institution; strengthen research and knowledge production; and diversify its faculty and staff. However, when the information is analyzed by regions, interesting variations are found. For instance, both North America and Latin America give much more importance to international preparedness of students than Europe. Interestingly, institutions in Africa consider as the more important internationalization rationale, to strengthen research and knowledge production. The Middle East gives the highest importance equally to improving student preparedness and also strengthening research. Results suggest also that institutions in North America are not bothered with the notion of increasing their international profile.   For them, this is placed at a distant fourth level of importance in comparison with, for instance, Europe where it is the second most important rationale. I wonder if this can be explained by some degree of insularity, or a somewhat egocentric perspective of the regions status in the world of higher education. Surprisingly, all regions gave an extremely low importance to internationalizing the campus with the idea of diversifying sources of income or in response to public policies. When asked about the most important benefits of internationalization, the top three reasons at the global level listed in order of relevance were: increasing international awareness of students; strengthening research and knowledge production; and fostering international cooperation and solidarity. The only significant difference in this otherwise very consistent pattern was offered in the IAU Survey by institutions in North America for which international cooperation and solidarity was not considered as beneficial as it was in the rest of the regions. This factor placed a worrying 5th in North America Another puzzling finding of the survey has to do with to which geographic region higher-education institutions are turning their eyes for their internationalization work. The aggregate results show that no major shifts have happened in the last five years. And the winner is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Europe! (Asia-Pacific region was placed second.) The bronze medal goes to North America. Nevertheless, the analysis by region should be a matter of concern for policymakers in some parts of the world. For instance, in the Asia-Pacific region the first geographic priority for the internationalization policy in the majority of their institutions is Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe. For European institutions the first priority is placed on Europe itself and the second one on Asia-Pacific. For North America the first priority is Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe. Latin America and the Middle East consider Europe as the key regional priority. Sadly, the only region considering Africa as the principal pr iority is precisely Africa, but aside from that, none of the regions even consider Africa as a second or third priority. THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION International education has a somewhat unusual position in higher education. While recognized as an important sphere of activity, it tends to be handled by administrative offices at the top of departments of languages and literature and international affairs. The scholars involved in international education usually have their primary involvement in other teaching and research. This leads to four distinctive characteristics particular to the field of international education: 1. There is little consensus concerning the guiding theme of the field as well as its scope. Should the field stress internationalization, transnationalization, or globalization (Barrows, 2000; Committee for Transnational Competence, 2000; Hilary, 2000) 2. International education is not a prominent feature of the contemporary higher education experience. Using enrollment in foreign languages as an indicator, 16 percent of all U.S. college students were enrolled in foreign languages in the peak period of the 1960s; the proportion is currently down to 8 percent (Hayward, 2000, p. 6). 3. There is imbalance in regional coverage. The regions and languages covered at a particular institution are a function of idiosyncratic patterns of faculty recruitment. Nationally, there is reasonable coverage of Western Europe and Latin America and most European languages compared to limited coverage of Africa and the Middle East. For students enrolled in foreign languages, Spanish is the most popular followed by the other major languages of Western Europe; 6 percent enroll in Asian languages. Languages of the Middle East make up only 2 percent (1.3 being Hebrew and .5 percent Arabic). The languages of Africa constitute only 0.15 percent of enrollments. 4. Because international education is not a primary concern of most scholars in the field, research is somewhat sporadic, non-cumulative, and tends to be carried out by national organizations as part of advocacy projects (e.g. Lambert, 1989; Brecht and Rivers, 2000). The most recent example is the American Council of Educations (ACEs) Internationalization of Higher Education: A Status Report. (Hayward, 2000). Historical data Following the events of September 11, the total number of international students studying in the United States leveled off and even dropped slightly after 2002, though enrollment numbers have recently rebounded. (See fig. 1.) According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), the decline in the number of international students attending U.S. higher education institutions between 2003 and 2006 was the first drop in over 30 years. While the United States continues to be the leading destination for international students, the U.S. share of international students worldwide dropped-from 26 to 20 percent between 2000 and 2008.  [1]  (See fig. 2.) According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, since 2002 the United States image has declined in both the Muslim world and among many of Americas oldest allies. In the wake of September 11, the United States also tightened its immigration policy and made it more difficult for foreign nationals, including international students, to a pply for a visa. As we previously reported, these changes, made to help protect our nations security interests, may have contributed to our declining share of international students and the perception that the United States was an unwelcoming place for international students. (GAO 2007) The U.S. government seeks to improve global attitudes toward America through diplomatic and development assistance efforts, which include funding higher education for international students in the United States. (GAO, 2008) Nine weeks after September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush said (Bush, 2001): We must also reaffirm our commitment to promote educational opportunities that enable American students to study abroad, and to encourage international students to take part in our educational system. By studying foreign cultures and languages and living abroad, we gain a better understanding of the many similarities that we share, and learn to respect our differences. The relationships that are formed between individuals from different countries, as part of international education programs and exchanges, can also foster goodwill that develops into vibrant, mutually beneficial partnerships among nations. Americas leadership and national security rest on our commitment to educate and prepare our youth for active engagement in the international community. On February 27, 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell reaffirmed the State Departments support for foreign students: The Departments policy on student visas is based on the democratic values of an open society and the perception that foreign students make an important contribution to our nations intellectual and academic climate, as well as to our nations economy. We must continue to nurture these vital relationships even as we improve the security of our borders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ American values, including democracy, economic freedom, and individual rights, draw students from many nations. As these students and scholars from other countries gain from our society and academic institutions, they also serve as resources for our campuses and communities, helping our citizens to develop the international understanding needed to strengthen our long-term national security and enhance our economic competitiveness. The professional partnerships and lifelong friendships that are created through international education are important for a secure, prosperous future, not only for our own country but also for th e world as a whole. The New York Times, in a September 24, 2002, editorial, suggested that our efforts to spread our influence and understanding of our culture should be stepped up, not abandoned. Cautioning that government policies must not impede legitimate exchange, the editorial said, Higher education is one of the best methods we have of spreading the word about who we are and of exposing our citizens to non-Americans. Bringing foreign students onto our campuses is among the best favors we can do ourselves. While the federal government provides funds for the education for international students to achieve public diplomacy and development objectives, the vast majority of students who come to the United States to study do not receive funding from the U.S. government. According to the Institute of International Educations Open Doors 2008 report, 623,805 students came to the United States to study during the 2007-2008 academic year and nearly 9 out of 10 international students reported their primary source of funding for education as coming from either personal and family sources or from their host college or university in the United States. Who are the main players in the international market for students? In order to have a genuine perspective on the reality of the competitors that the U.S higher education institutions face, it is useful to have a look at what the international outlook has in store. According to the Institute of International Education, the number of international students in U.S. higher education institutions has increased in most years since 1955. According to IIEs Open Doors 2002, the authoritative source of data on international student enrollment for academic year 2001-2002, This years 6.4 percent increase in international student enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities equals last years increase, which was the largest increase in the past 20 years. This continues a trend of substantial growth in foreign student enrollments that began in 1997, after a four-year period of minimal growth. It is quite evident that although the absolute numbers are increasing, U.S. market share is decreasing. According to IIE, the U.S. share of internationally mobile students-the proportion of all international students who select the United States for study-declined by almost ten percent from 1982 to 1995, the last year that IIE did the calculation (39.2 to 30.2 percent). In itself, that is not an alarming statistic. U.S. market share is still healthy, and the argument could be made that our nearly 40 percent market share was unsustainable. It is what lies behind that statistic that is alarming. Merely the existence of fiercer competition is not the only reason for the declination of U.S. market share. at least two other factor can be noted. First, it is reflects aggressive recruitment efforts by the competitors of the USA-the usual suspects, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and more recently China and others-who have determined that they want to reap more of the foreign policy, economic, and educational benefits those international students bring. Combined with the distinctive absence of such a conclusion on the part of the United States, which apparently assumes that international students will always come because they always have such complacency risks the loss of this countrys leadership in international education, with the accompanying negative ramifications for our security, foreign policy, and economy. Second, the declination U.S. market share does not appear to reflect any decline in international demand for U.S. higher education. Demand is still strong. The problem is access. While competing nations seek to remove disincentives to study in their countries, U.S. policy ignores-and sometimes exacerbates-the disincentives to study here. The problem lies not in the internationally popular product, nor in the highly motivated customer, but rather in market imperfections that keep the two from finding each other. Those imperfections are all subject to the control or the influence of American public officials. If they continue to ignore these factors, the market share that the American high education currently enjoys, will continue to be eroded out to the competition. Ultimately, whats wrong with this picture is the absence of a strategy to sustain the number of foreign students coming to the USA. For a generation after World War II, the United States had a strategy of promoting international student exchange as a means of waging the Cold War and promoting international peace. But now more than ever, the U.S. government seems to lack overall strategic sense of why exchange is important-and, therefore, of what U.S. interests are at risk by not continuing to foster exchanges. In this strategic vacuum, At the most basic-and encouraging-level, the problem is not one of weakness. The United States has every resource it needs to be successful in attracting international students-and, indeed, has been successful at it. The United States has more higher education capacity than our major competitors combined, the high quality of U.S. higher education is universally recognized, and the United States is a magnet for many throughout the world. The problem is not how to make the United States and its higher education system more attractive, but how to make them more accessible. A strategic plan is needed to address them. The principal barriers to access are: (1) The absence of a proactive, coordinated effort to recruit international students; (2) Burdensome U.S. government regulations, which often effectively cancel out recruitment efforts. (3) The cost of U.S. higher education, (4) The complexity of American higher education system. All of important powers have historically used education for international students as a tool to advance diplomatic, development, economic, and other objectives, often simultaneously. In the survey of GOA 2009 titled HIGHER EDUCATION Approaches to Attract and Fund International Students in the United States and Abroad (GOA 2009), the approaches of several countries have been analyzed. For example, Australian officials said that international higher education helps Australia achieve economic goals. Education was Australias third largest export and contributed $15.5 billion in Australian dollars (about $13 billion in U.S. dollars) to its economy in 2008. International students also help Australia meet its foreign relations and diplomatic goals. According to Chinese officials, providing international educational opportunities to foreign students is part of their strategy for promoting cultural, scientific, and technological exchanges between the East and the West. China develops exchanges with other countries in the fields of education, science, and technology to strengthen friendship and understanding between the Chinese people and people around the world and to promote modernization in China. China reported that its collaboration with foreign universities and educational institutions helps to develop an exchange network that allows it to send the best students to study in the best universities under the supervision of the best advisers, mutually benefiting institutions and countries. Officials from Germanys national agency that supports international education, stated in the GOA report that international students help Germany advance several goals, including increasing the international appeal of German universities and promoting the academic, economic, and democratic development of developing countries. German officials said that their ability to advance several goals simultaneously is an important strength of international education. For example, international students studying in science and technology help advance German research and innovation goals while also advancing public diplomacy goals by returning to their home countries as unofficial ambassadors for Germany. Officials in the United Kingdom (UK) reported that international education contributes to building a high-skilled workforce, helps build relationships with people from around the world, enhances understanding about each others cultures, and opens doors to trade, investment, and political influence. The European Union (EU) also seeks to advance several international education goals, including promoting intercultural understanding through cooperation with non-European countries as well as ensuring that education and training are accessible to the global community. To promote their higher education systems internationally, countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia have developed broad marketing strategies with a focus on outreach to international students. These marketing strategies include developing a national brand through the use of logos and slogans to promote higher education systems among international communities, much as a corporation would promote a commercial brand, as shown in figure 3. The financial outlook. Internationalization of higher education is good business for the U.S. economy. While this is not in the most important reason for reaching out to such students, it is nevertheless one the basic driving force leading competitor countries to adopt proactive strategies for attracting them. NAFSA (Association of International Educators) estimates that international students and their dependents spent nearly $18.78 billion in the U.S. economy in the 2009-2010 academic year, which makes international education a significant U.S. service-sector export. (NAFSA 2003) This economic benefit is shared by schools, communities, states, and the U.S. economy as a whole. According to the Institute of International Education, more than 70 percent of undergraduate international students pay full tuition and receive no financial aid, thus allowing schools to offer more financial assistance to American students. The Statistical Analysis of The Economic Benefits of International Education to the United States for the 2007-20010 Academic Years estimates that foreign students and their dependents contributed approximately $15.54 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2007-2008 academic year; approximately $17.6 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2008-2009 academic year; And approximately $18.78 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2009-2010 academic year. Every higher education institution has more or less received ample financial benefits. For example at New Yorks Columbia University, international students accounted for 21 percent, or about 7,000, of the student body in the 2008-2009 school year. These students funneled almost $250 million to Columbia in tuition and living expenses, according to a report by its international student office. (Laya 2010). At South Florida University for example in-state U.S. citizens pursuing undergraduate studies pay $5,100 in tuition annually, out-of-state students; including those from foreign countries, pay about $15,900, more than three times as much. (Fischer 2010. Chronicle of Higher Education) For schools like South Florida, increasing the number of international students also means increased revenue. But this is not the only benefit that international students bring. United States has relied on undergraduate and graduate students from other countries as important sources of innovation and productivity in our increasingly knowledge-based economy. Such students who remain in the country after completing their studies have brought needed research and workforce skills and strengthened our labor force. For example, international students have earned about one-third or more of the degrees at both the masters and doctoral levels in engineering, math and computer science, and the physical sciences. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, says U.S. visa curbs on immigrants with special skills in science, math or technology must be overhauled.If we dont, American companies simply will not have the talent to innovate and compete, Gates said in testimony to the House Committee on Science and Technology on March 12, 2008. (Laya 2010). In addition, U.S.-educated students take home preferences for Am erican products, and business students in particular take home an education in U.S. business practices. By any measure, international education makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. Is there a correlation between the role nations to play in the international scene and the internationalization of their universities? Our ability to relate to and interact with those whose cultural backgrounds differ from our own will be among the determining factors for the future of our societies. For most people, regardless of whether they aim for international careers or life in their local communities, intercultural dialogue will become a fact of life rather than an option. Education will need to play a key role in developing the ability to conduct intercultural dialogue, which is an integral part of developing democratic culture. A panel of leading experts in national security, higher education, and foreign policy made a strong case for the need to place international education at the heart of Americas public diplomacy efforts, at a policy forum November 16, 2006. The speakers were Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Distinguished Service Professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Ambassador Cresencio Arcos, Director of International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Sanford J. Ungar, President of Goucher College; and the Honorable Jim Kolbe, United States Congressman (R-Ariz.). (NAFSA 2005) Joseph Nye stated that the presence of foreign students in American universities is a tremendous resource for American soft power.'   He told a story about the influence of educational exchanges on reform and dissident elements in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and noted that while hard power is necessary, it is [also] essential to get our story out, and the best way to [do that] in terms of winning hearts and minds, the best emissaries are really people who have been [to] American universities and return home. Nye acknowledged improvement in the visa process but said we have quite a long way to go to ensure that we keep the doors open and remain an attractive destination for international students. Goucher College President Sanford J. Ungar focused his remarks on the importance of promoting study abroad among American college students. Goucher recently instituted a new policy that requires all of its students to study abroad before graduation. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Ungar stressed that the international education of todays students must be an urgent matter of public policy and an important component of public diplomacy. Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), the final panelist, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) spoke specifically about his efforts and those of Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) to urge the establishment of an international education policy for the United States, most recently through their introduction of House Concurrent Resolution 100.   Tying together the comments of the other panelists, Kolbe said: We cant lead in a world that the American people dont understandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦We cant have a successful foreign policy with out internationally educated and aware citizens who support that foreign policy and who understand, relate and interact with the people of all countries that we are engaged with. Andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a successful foreign policy depends on our being able to educate future leaders from around the world about our way of life, our system of government, our culture, our political sy