Saturday, November 30, 2019

Problem solving Assignment free essay sample

Assignment Problem Solving Stimulation At first when I was reading the situation thought about how easy this was going to be to figure out. So I immediately went to the next page and started at it and failed time after time. I thought in my head for a minute on how this seems impossible, no matter one of them is going to eat other. I did exactly what it says not to do when it comes to the first thing to do in interpreting a problem. The first step in solving a problem is called problem representation, which means interpreting or defining the by tempting to leap ahead and try to solve a problem just as it is presented, but this impulse often leads to poor solutions. What I should have done was to use divergent thinking or thinking that involves generating many different possible answers. By doing that it would have led to me thinking of all the different possibilities until I figured out which one was going to work. We will write a custom essay sample on Problem solving Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I knew that the dog and mouse could be left together that is called convergent thinking or thinking that narrows its focus in a particular direction. So when trying to interpret the problem the strategy I used first was problem representation. After quickly learning that wasn’t going to work I tried convergent thinking. This helped me to figure out how this problem was going to work. I figured out that I was going to have to keep that cat with me since the cat can’t seem to be left alone with either two. It took me a while but sometimes it’s good to take the time to figure out and evaluate a problem before jumping right in and that is exactly what this assignment taught me. I did encounter a few problems while trying to do this activity. I thought for a while how this might be impossible. I think that a lot of time the stress of a problem makes us to make careless mistakes. Also I felt as if this problem was going to simple which also caused me to have obstacles. When I was working through this process at first, like I said before, I thought it would be simple to figure out and that I wouldn’t need to use any thought process. After trying a few times I realized that I was going to have to really think this through to figure out how I could make this work without them killing one another. I feel that this assignment really helped me with understanding better the importance of the thought process when dealing with problems. Sometimes we forget about something so simple that would be so beneficial if we just took a little extra time to do it. I know I do as well as others think we know it all and are smart and that sometimes gets in the way of trying to work through a problem.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How Checks and Balances Work in the US Government

How Checks and Balances Work in the US Government SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’ve tuned into the news lately, you’ve seen the checks and balances system of government at work. Whether it’s courts striking down executive orders or governors vetoing legislation, checks and balances are constantly working to keep the United States government functioning. But what are checks and balances, exactly? And how do they help make democracy work? Although it’s important for everyone to understand the checks and balances system, it’s especially critical for you to understand if you’re taking a government course. Additionally, since a system of checks and balances plays an essential role in the U.S. federal government, the concept will also be a heavy contender for an AP exam free response question. That’s a lot to cover, huh? Not to worry, though! By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to Answer the question, â€Å"What are checks and balances?† Write your own checks and balances definition Identify pros and cons of a checks and balances government Explain various checks and balances examples Analyze real-life examples of checks and balances Let’s get going! What Are Checks and Balances? Definition and History A system of checks and balances places limitations and controls on the power and responsibility of each branch of government. You probably already know that the United States government isn’t the only government in the world that depends on a system of checks and balances to function properly, but for our purposes, we’re going to focus on how the system of checks and balances functions in the United States’ form of government. To really understand why checks and balances are such a big deal in the United States government, we need to start with the following: Where the idea of checks and balances comes from How checks and balances fit into the United States’ form of government Understanding the history and background of our checks and balances government will lay the foundation for a checks and balances definition that you can use on the AP exam. Where the Idea of Checks and Balances Comes From Two key influences shaped the Founders’ decision to build a system of checks and balances into the United States Constitution: The Founders’ experiences with the government of Great Britain The writings of the eighteenth century French political philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu The overbearing behavior of the English monarchy inspired the thirteen colonies to declare independence and influenced the Founders to form a government system that was built on the ideas of liberty and freedom. They wanted to form a government in the United States that guarded against the kind of overreach they’d witnessed in the English government. That’s where the writings of Baron de Montesquieu came in. Montesquieu originated the political doctrine of separation of powers within a government. (Spoiler alert: checks and balances are the result of this idea!) In his The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu argued for a constitutional government comprised of three separate branches. And these separate branches, Montesquieu argued, should have specific abilities to check the powers of the other branches. In other words, Montesquieu imagined a balanced government where no one branch was more powerful than the other. Montesquieu’s philosophy heavily influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution and the Founders’ establishment of the three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The Founding Fathers believed that implementing a system like this in the United States would help keep government power in check and allow citizens to have more freedom. A Constitutional Democracy: The Vehicle for a System of Checks and Balances The Founders’ vision for a government that separated powers took the form of a constitutional democracy. A constitutional democracy is a political system in which the federal government gets its authority to govern from the people. (Actually, you can learn tons more about it means to be a democracy in this article!) But in general, constitutional democracies like the United States are designed to do two things. First, their primary job is to protect the fundamental rights of every citizen, regardless of economic status, race, or class. Second, constitutional democracies limit the amount of government power through a series of limits established by the United States Constitution, which are more commonly referred to as â€Å"checks and balances.† These checks and balances include things like: Separation and sharing of powers among the different branches of government Giving adequate power to different branches to check the powers of other branches Protection of individual rights by due process of law. Elections at frequent intervals that enable changes in leadership and transfer of governmental authority. So what’s important for you to remember about this description of a constitutional democracy? The big takeaway is that the system of checks and balances was written into the U.S. Constitution because the Founders knew it would be essential to the proper functioning of the United States’ form of government. But implementing a system of checks and balances doesn’t end with writing it into the Constitutionthat’s just the beginning. The Constitution holds the three branches of the U.S. federal government responsible for adhering to the system of checks and balances. To add to your working checks and balances definition, we’ll explain the three branches of the federal government and how they work within the system of checks and balances next. The 3 Branches of the United States Federal Government Checks and balances can work in many different ways and hold varying levels of importance in a government that employs such a system. In the U.S. Constitution, the three branches of the federal government were designed to operate separately and independently, but to be equal. In other words, no single branch should have more power than either of the others. Here’s how the system of checks and balances works in practice in the United States: one branch is given the power to take a given action, and another branch (or branches) is given the responsibility to confirm the legality and appropriateness of that action. That’s just a fancy way of saying that every time one branch makes a decision, it’s the responsibility of the other branches to evaluate it. The system of checks and balances facilitates a reciprocal relationship between the different branches of the U.S. federal government. The three branches need each other- under the Constitution, the federal government couldn’t fulfill its duties to the people without the proper function of each individual branch. To understand how the three individual branches work independently and together in a system of checks and balances, let’s define and examine each branch next. The U.S. Capitolbuilding The Legislative Branch The legislative branch of the federal government is established by Article One of the Constitution and is known as the United States Congress. Congress is in charge of creating laws and is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislative branch is big: there are 100 members of the Senate, called Senators, and 435 members of the House of Representatives, called U.S. Representatives or Congresspersons. As the biggest branch of the federal government, Congress has a lot of responsibilities, which include: Passing bills Broad taxing and spending power Regulating interstate commerce Controlling the federal budget Borrowing money on the credit of the United States Sole power to declare war and to support and regulate the military Overseeing and making rules for the government and its officers to follow Defining the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary by law in cases not specified by the Constitution Ratifying treaties Sole power of impeachment and trial of impeachments You might be gathering from the list of responsibilities above that the legislative branch’s overarching responsibility is creating, providing for, and controlling: they draft laws, pass bills, make rules, declare things, and make sure that the other branches are following the rules. In other words, they legislate. The U.S. White House The Executive Branch, Defined The executive branch of the federal government is established by Article Two of the Constitution and is made up of the president, the vice president, the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees. When we hear the word â€Å"executive,† a powerful individual in a well-tailored suit might pop into our minds. Just because the President of the United States is the head of the executive branch doesn’t mean they’re a lone wolf, though. All of the other members of the executive branch support and advise the president, and actually do a lot of the work in the executive branch. The Cabinet is comprised of the vice president and the heads of the fifteen executive departments. These department heads have titles like â€Å"secretary,† â€Å"director,† or â€Å"administrator,† and they’re in charge of everything from the Department of Homeland Security, to the Department of Transportation, to the Department of Education. For example, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury are both heads of their respective departments and members of the president’s Cabinet. The Secretary of State advises the president on foreign affairs, and the Secretary of the Treasury advises the president on economic affairs. The Cabinet may also be asked to advise the president on responsibilities or decisions that pertain to executive checks on the other two branches, or the executive branch’s response to checks initiated by the other two branches on the executive branch. This is one key way that the president receives both support and accountability in carrying out the duties of the executive branch. Now that you know who makes up the executive branch, let’s look at the executive branch’s key responsibilities: The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces Executes the instructions of Congress May veto bills passed by Congress Executes the spending authorized by Congress Declares states of emergency, publishes regulations and executive orders Makes executive agreements and signs treaties Makes appointments to the federal judiciary, federal executive departments, and other posts Can grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. You’re probably gathering from this list that the executive branch’s main role is to implement and enforce federal laws. It’s called the â€Å"executive† branch for a reason, right? The executive branch executes: it makes sure that the right stuff gets done. It puts plans into action and carries out different laws and orders. The U.S. Supreme Court building The Judicial Branch, Defined The judicial branch is established by Article Three of the Constitution, and it’s the judicial branch’s job to evaluate, interpret, and apply laws. The judicial branch is made up of three different courts: the Supreme Court, the Appellate Courts, and the District Courts. Let’s look at what each of the three courts within the judicial branch can do. The Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the United States and is the head of the judicial branch. It’s made up of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Appointments to the Supreme Court are made for life, so when the President nominates justices and the Senate approves them, it’s a really big deal. The Appellate Courts The Appellate Courtsalso called courts of appealsare the intermediate courts of the U.S. federal court system. There are thirteen of them, and they serve as a sort of go-between for the Supreme Court and the more numerous District Courts. The Appellate Courts hear appeals from the District Courts and, when appropriate, appeals court decisions to the Supreme Court. The District Courts The District Courts are the final component of the judicial branch. The District Courts are where federal trials happen, which is a big responsibility, as there are 94 juridical districts in the United States. Their jurisdiction covers both civil and criminal federal cases. The Judicial Branch’s Responsibilities Now that you know about the different courts that make up the judicial branch, here are the primary responsibilities of the judicial branch: Determining which laws Congress intended to apply to any given case Determining how Congress meant the law to apply to disputes Determining how a law acts to determine the disposition of prisoners Determining how a law acts to compel testimony and the production of evidence Determining how laws should be interpreted to assure uniform policies through the appeals process Reviewing the constitutionality of laws through judicial review You can probably tell from the language used in the list of responsibilities above that the Judicial branch’s primary responsibility is dealing with interpretation: the Judicial branch interprets laws, policies, cases, testimony and evidence through the Constitution. The system of checks and balances works like gears in a machine. It takes the work of all three branches of government in unison to keep the country running. How Does the Checks and Balances System Work in the United States? Now you know about the three branches of government: who the key players are, what they do, and why they do it. Examining the checks and balances that are assigned to each individual branch is the next step to getting you better acquainted with how each branch works. When we described the responsibilities of each branch in the previous sections, we were simultaneously describing how they check the other branches of the federal government. But we think it might be easier to envision how those responsibilities function explicitly as checks and balances if we place them side by side in a table. If you’re a visual learner, this is for you! Looking at all of the checks and balances in one place can also help you think critically about the reciprocal relationship between the different branches and the specific ways that they work together on different topics, issues, and areas of the federal government. To give you a better idea of how the branches work together to check each other, we’ve laid out the different checks and balances in a table below. Each row explains how the branches of government check and balance each other around a specific topic. Let’stake a look: Checks and Balances of the 3 Branches of Government Legislative Branch Powers Executive Branch Powers Judicial Branch Powers Creating Laws Writes and enacts laws May override presidential vetoes by a two-thirds majority in each house May veto laws Determines whether a law is unconstitutional Determines how laws should be interpreted to assure uniform policies in a top-down fashion via the appeals process Foreign Treaties Must approve foreign treaties Can make foreign treaties Determines the legal meaning of treaties Implementing and Interpreting Laws Can limit the power to review the constitutionality of laws May propose amendments to overturn judicial decisions Can set the jurisdiction of the judiciary May veto laws Can petition Congress to approve laws Determines whether a law is unconstitutional Determines which laws Congress intended to apply to any given case Determines how a law acts to determine the disposition of prisoners Determines how a law acts to compel testimony and the production of evidence Official Role Appointments Confirms presidential appointments of federal judges, executive department heads, ambassadors, and many other officers Has impeachment powers over federal officers Appoints federal judges, executive department heads, ambassadors, and various other officers Polices its own members Supreme Court justices and federal judges have lifetime appointments War Has sole power to declare war, and makes the rules for the military Wages war at the direction of Congress Appointing Judges and Justices Creates federal courts except for the Supreme Court Sets the number of justices on the Supreme Court Nominates Supreme Court justices Appoints federal justices Creates conduct rules for judges Can remove judges from their positions in rare instances Executive Branch Actions May investigate actions of the executive branch Rules on whether specific actions of the executive branch are legal and/or Constitutional Whew! That’s a lot of checks and balances and political jargon. Let’s make sense of all this info by identifying some pros and cons of how the powers and responsibilities are distributed in the U.S.’s version of the system of checks and balances. 5 Pros and Cons of a Checks and Balances System Now you have a visual for how checks and balances are assigned and distributed among the three different branches of the U.S. federal government. But what does this all mean? First, it’s important to recognize that the different branches of the federal government aren’t in some kind of antagonistic relationship because of the system of checks and balances. They don’t act like rival sports teams (usually)! Instead, the powers and responsibilities assigned to each branch were intricately coordinated by the writers of the Constitution so the government would operate collectively in the best interest of the people. But it’s a fact of political life that no government system is perfect in practice. On the AP exam, you might be asked to explain or analyze an instance in which the system of checks and balances didn’t do its job, or perhaps to analyze a situation when the system of checks and balances worked to the advantage of U.S. citizens. In order to do this, you’ll need to understand some of the pros and cons of the U.S.’s checks and balances system so you can give a stellar checks and balances definition and analyze and explain checks and balances examples on your own. Check out our list of 5 pros and cons of checks and balances below to help grow your understanding of how the system can work in action. Pro: They Keep a Single Group From Grabbing too Much Power We’re bringing this one up again because it’s the main concept behind implementation of a system of checks and balances: checks and balances guard against tyranny and abuse of power by preventing an individual or small group within the government from seizing too much power. We see this exemplified best in the relationship between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches where creating and passing laws is concerned. The legislative branch can propose bills or laws, the executive branch can veto them, the legislative branch can override the executive veto through a two-thirds vote, and the judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional. In the process of passing legislation, then, no one individual or branch can grab an undue amount of power, and that’s one of the things that the system of checks and balances does best. It distributes power as evenly as it can among the different branches of the government. Pro: They Get the Government to Self-Regulate What’s key in thinking about checks and balances as an important way to prevent tyranny is that they make the government to check itself and limit its own influence. Though it isn’t fun to think about the possibility of our government becoming tyrannical, the system of checks and balances prevents any self-interested minority within the government from grabbing too much power and acting only in the interests of its group. On the flip side, smaller factions or groups in the minority within the government are always going to keep a close eye on the group that’s in the majority. They’ll be eager to make sure the majority group aren’t getting up to any funny business. If there are corrupt practices going on in the majority, the minority groups in the government will certainly call those out. Political parties are a classic example of how self-regulation can occur in the government. For instance, when the Republican party holds the majority in the House or the Senate, the Democrats in the House and the Senate are extra vigilant about keeping the Republican majority in check. Loyalty to political parties presents plenty of challenges to the system of checks and balances, but the inherent competition between the different political parties represented within the legislative branch can often serve to check the power of self-interested groups. Pro: They Provide Constitutional Support for Disagreements Between the Branches Checks and balances enable the three branches of government to disagree. In a system that separates power among different institutions comprised of many different people, multiple minds work to interpret the Constitution. And when multiple minds are doing that interpreting, disagreements about what is and is not constitutional can arise. That might seem antagonistic and counterproductive to getting things done in the government, but the ability for the different branches to disagree is in the interest of the liberty of the people. When the different branches of the government have the opportunity to work through disagreements about various decisions that affect the people, decisions are made more deliberatively. And the government has the power to make huge decisions, so the slower pace of decision-making enabled by the system of checks and balances can help ensure that these decisions are the best ones. Con: They Can Complicate Policymaking The flip side of constitutional support for disagreements among the different branches is that policymaking can be much more time consuming. One branch can propose a law, another can veto it, and another can say that that law violates the Constitution, and so on. Sometimes the three branches won’t agree and a stalemate will ensue . . . meaning no policy changes occur, or they’re put off for a long time. This can be a good thing in some cases, especially when there is a majority in the House and the Senate who only have the interests of one political party or ideology in mind in policymaking. But sometimes the people want change, and the main thing standing in the way of changes occurring is the different branches’ uses of the system of checks and balances. Con: The System Doesn’t Always Work as Originally Intended Interpreting the Constitution has proven tricky as the United States has grown and changed. For example, the writers of the Constitution couldn’t have predicted the United States’ massively expanding population, the technological revolution, or global conflicts like World War I and World War II.. All of these changes affect the way the Constitution is interpretedwhich includes how checks and balances are understood and implemented. This has led to internal conflicts within the three branches of government. There have been points in history where different branches have tried to expand their power beyond what was originally outlined in the Constitution, and sometimes, the branches have succeeded. For example, to defend the U.S. and its economy against fascist foreign powers, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal restructured the federal government and greatly expanded executive powers. So why is this a â€Å"con,† exactly? Remember: the system of checks and balances exists to make sure that no one branch of government is stronger than the other. When one branch tries to expand its power, it runs the risk of throwing the â€Å"balance† part of the â€Å"checks and balances† process out of equilibrium. That opens up a chance for an overreach of power, which can potentially put citizens’ freedoms at risk. Former President Bill Clinton, who was the President of the United States from 1993–2001 What Are Checks and Balances Like in Action? To really hone your understanding of checks and balances, examples are essential! Checks and balances can play out in interesting ways in real-life situations, so we’re going to summarize and break down one example for you to reference here. The example we’re going to look at is the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, which led to a Supreme Court case involving President Bill Clinton in 1998. This example is kind of a doozy- the checks and balances enacted by all three branches in this situation played out over a decade . . . and the Line Item Veto Act still failed to win approval in Congress and become law. Let’s get into the details of the Act and the case and see what it can teach us about checks and balances. The Line Item Veto Act of 1996: Background The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 allowed the president- Bill Clinton, at that time- to veto parts of bills selectively, rather than vetoing bills in their entirety. The main purpose of this Act was to give the president more control over the details of the federal budgeta power that was constitutionally reserved for Congress. Congress successfully passed this legislation in 1996. How did that happen? Well, in the federal midterm elections of 1994, Republicans took over the House and the Senate from Democrats. This was seen as a pretty big upheaval. It’s even been called the â€Å"Republican Revolution!† The Republicans also succeeded in taking the majority in Congress by making a pretty hefty campaign promise to the American people in the form of the â€Å"Contract with America.† The Contract with America was basically a long list of actions the Republican candidates promised to take if they gained control of Congress. The Line Item Veto Act was a key piece of the Contract with America. The American people liked this Act because it promised to ensure congressional fiscal conservatism. In fact, they had that in common with then-President Clinton: the only provision in the Contract with America that he was willing to support was the Line Item Veto Act. Since Republicans controlled Congress, and since the president supported the Line Item Veto Act, it passed both the legislative and executive branches without being vetoed or rejected. And then things started to get a bit ugly. The Judicial Branch Acts In the time that the Line Item Veto Act was law, President Clinton did a lot of line item vetoing. In fact, he applied the line-item veto to the federal budget 82 times. Does that sound like a lot? It did to the people who were affected by the president’s line-item vetoes, and that’s where the checks and balances started coming into play. When the Act was passed in 1996, lots of Democrats broke with President Clinton to oppose it. A congressman even sued to prevent use of the line-item veto. At the time, the Supreme Court held that the congressman’s case lacked standing because he couldn’t give any specific examples of how the Line Item Veto Act was causing harm to people. But when President Clinton began using the line-item veto a little more liberally, more people filed suit. Since Clinton was making ample use of his new power, this time, the plaintiffs had specific examples of how the line-item veto was causing harm. The City of New York itself and several other healthcare organizations alleged fiscal injury from President Clinton’s cancellation of various provisions from Acts that were passed in 1997. The case- Clinton v. City of New York- went before the District Court, and the Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. This time, the Court held that the Line Item Veto Act was unconstitutional. The District Court then used its power to appeal to the Supreme Court. The case was headed to the highest federal court in the United States. In 1998, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Line Item Veto Act violated the Presentment Clause of the Constitution, which outlines a specific practice for enacting a statute that the Act did not follow. The Supreme Court used their power of interpretation to rule that the Constitution expressly prohibited the actions that the Act enabled the President to take. The majority of the Supreme Court, in other words, believed that the Act violated principles of the separation of powers and threatened individual liberty by giving the President the power to reward or favor certain groups and punish others. Former President George W. Bush, who was President of the United States from 2001–2009 The Legislative Branch Acts In 2006, the Line Item Veto Act came up again. That year, President George W. Bush asked Congress to enact legislation that would return the line item veto power to the executive branch, and announced his intent to make this request in his State of the Union Address. In March 2006, President Bush sent a legislative proposal to Congress and urged its prompt passage. Anticipating dissent from some members of Congress and the Supreme Court, members of President Bush’s Cabinet argued that his version of the Act was different from the Line Item Veto of Act of 1996 because the new proposal would seek congressional approval of all line-item vetoes, instead of giving the executive unilateral authority for such vetoes. Many members of Congress didn’t buy this argument. Some still believed that the legislation would take away parts of Congress’s constitutional power and give it to the executive branch instead. After hearing arguments from constitutional law experts about the constitutionality of the bill, the House Budget Committee approved the proposed Act through a majority vote. The full House of Representatives voted and approved the same bill soon after, but it failed to win approval in the Senate. But because the Act didn’t win full approval by Congress, the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006 didn’t become law. Summary of the 4 Checks and Balances Involved in This Example If you were paying attention, you may have picked out some of the checks and balances that were involved in the whole scenario surrounding the Line Item Veto Act. To help you out, here’s a list of the checks and balances that we found playing a role in this legislation: The legislative branch wrote and enacted a law: the Line-Item Veto Act of 1996. The judicial branch determined whether that law was unconstitutional in 1998. The executive branch influenced the legislative branch with its proposed agenda in the State of the Union address in 2006, when President Bush announced his plan to attempt to pass the Legislative Line Item Veto Act. The legislative branch rejected the Legislative Line Item Veto Act by a vote in 2006. The Line-Item Veto Act of 1996 is a great example of how we can understand the federal government’s powers as being both divided and shared. In some aspects of this case, branches used their powers to work together to keep another branch from doing something that was not constitutional and that potentially threatened the liberty of the people. By checking each other in this case, the different branches also defended their own constitutional powers by preventing the executive branch from claiming powers that the Constitution assigned to the legislative branch. This example shows how real-world cases of checks and balances in action have a lot of layers: there’s a lot to analyze and unpack, and sometimes who’s right and who’s wrong isn’t easily defined. That’s why it’s important to look at both the big picture situation and all of the details, which is key to making sense of checks and balances in action! What's Next? This is just an overview of how checks and balances work within the United States government. (We know...it’s a lot!) There’s a lot more to learn about how each individual branch checks the other. A good place to start is learning more about how the Executive branch checks the Judicial branch. The AP U.S. Government exam is about more than just how the federal government works, though. That’s why we’ve developed the best 5-step guide to help you prepare. Once you’ve worked your way through that, it’s time to drill deeper into the material you need to know to ace the exam. Here’s a list of the best AP U.S. Government notes on the internet, and here’s a step-by-step guide to acing the AP U.S. Government’s FRQs. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Ashley Robinson About the Author Ashley Sufflà © Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Count Above 10,000 in Chinese

How to Count Above 10,000 in Chinese Mandarin numbers up to 9,999 follow the same basic pattern as English numbers, but numbers 10,000 and higher are quite different. In English, numbers larger than 10,000 are stated in terms of thousands. However, large numbers are written and read as divisions of 10,000 in Chinese. Ten Thousand The Chinese character for 10,000 is è  ¬ / ä ¸â€¡ (traditional / simplified), pronounced wn. Any number higher than 10,000 read in terms of the number of 10,000s. For example, 20,000 would be å… ©Ã¨  ¬ / ä ¸ ¤Ã¤ ¸â€¡ (liÇŽng wn), or two ten-thousands. 17,000 would be ä ¸â‚¬Ã¨  ¬Ã¤ ¸Æ'Ã¥ Æ' / ä ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¸Æ'Ã¥ Æ' (yÄ « wn qÄ « qiÄ n), or one ten-thousand seven thousand. 42,300 would be å››è  ¬Ã¥â€¦ ©Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾ / å››ä ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¸ ¤Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾ (sà ¬ wn liÇŽng qiÄ n sÄ n bÇŽi), or four ten-thousand  two thousand three hundred.   So on and so forth, any number from 10,000 up to 100,000,000 is constructed by the following pattern: number of 10,000snumber of 1,000snumber of 100snumber of tensnumber of ones If there is a zero in the hundreds, tens, or ones place, it is replaced by é› ¶ là ­ng. If there are a series of zeros, as in 21,001, they are replaced by a single é› ¶ là ­ng. Examples of Large Numbers Here is a list of more large numbers. Audio files are available and marked with ââ€" º to help with pronunciation and listening comprehension skills. See if you can say the number out loud without looking at the Chinese version. Or, listening to the audio file and see if you can write out the number. 58,697ââ€" ºwÇ” wn bÄ  qiÄ n lià ¹ bÇŽi jiÇ” shà ­ qÄ «Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¨  ¬Ã¥â€¦ «Ã¥ Æ'å… ­Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ¹ Ã¥  Ã¤ ¸Æ'ä ºâ€Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¥â€¦ «Ã¥ Æ'å… ­Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ¹ Ã¥  Ã¤ ¸Æ'950,370ââ€" ºjiÇ” shà ­ wÇ” wn sÄ n bÇŽi qÄ « shà ­Ã¤ ¹ Ã¥  Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¨  ¬Ã¤ ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ¸Æ'Ã¥  Ã¤ ¹ Ã¥  Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ¸Æ'Ã¥  1,025,658ââ€" ºyÄ « bÇŽi ling à ¨r wn wÇ” qiÄ n lià ¹ bÇŽi wÇ” shà ­ bÄ Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã©â€º ¶Ã¤ ºÅ'è  ¬Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥ Æ'å… ­Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥  Ã¥â€¦ «Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã©â€º ¶Ã¤ ºÅ'ä ¸â€¡Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥ Æ'å… ­Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥  Ã¥â€¦ «21,652,300ââ€" ºliÇŽng qiÄ n yÄ « bÇŽi lià ¹ shà ­ wÇ” wn liÇŽng qiÄ n sÄ n bÇŽiå… ©Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â‚¬Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¥â€¦ ­Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¨  ¬Ã¥â€¦ ©Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¤ ¸ ¤Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â‚¬Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¥â€¦ ­Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¸ ¤Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸â€°Ã§â„¢ ¾97,000,000ââ€" ºjiÇ” qiÄ n qÄ « bÇŽi wnä ¹ Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸Æ'ç™ ¾Ã¨  ¬Ã¤ ¹ Ã¥ Æ'ä ¸Æ'ç™ ¾Ã¤ ¸â€¡ Even Larger Numbers After ten thousand, the next largest number unit used in Chinese is one-hundred million. One-hundred million in Mandarin Chinese is å„„ / ä º ¿ (ââ€" ºyà ¬). It can also be expressed as è  ¬Ã¨  ¬ / ä ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¸â€¡ (wn wn). Following are the series of numbers larger than one-hundred million. Each number is 10,000 times larger than the previous one. åž“ / å…† zho 1012ä º ¬ jÄ «ng 1016åž“ gÄ i 1020ç § ­ zÇ  1024ç © ° rng 1028æ º  / æ ²Å¸ gÃ… u 1032æ ¾â€" / æ ¶ § jin 1036æ ­ £ zhÄ“ng 1040è ¼â€° / è ½ ½ zi 1044 Learning Tips Using numbers units like è  ¬ / ä ¸â€¡or å„„ / ä º ¿ can be confusing at first. Here are a few tips for quickly knowing how to read large numbers out loud. One tip is to move the comma one place to the left. A number is usually separated every three digits by a comma. For example: 14,000. Now, lets move the comma over by one digit. By seeing a number 1,4000, it becomes easier to read numbers in terms of ten-thousands. In this case, it is  Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¨  ¬Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¥ Æ' /  Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¥ Æ', or one ten-thousand four thousand.   Another tip is to simply memorize a few large numbers. How do you say one million in Chinese? What about 10 million?

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Sociology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Sociology - Research Paper Example History can show the dangers of ethnocentrism. The Third Reich is an extreme example of ethnocentrism. Hitler felt the way to protect his Aryan race was to kill inferior races. The genocide in Rwanda committed by the Hutus against the Tutsis is another extreme example of ethnocentrism. Slavery was a form of ethnocentrism. Today examples of ethnocentrism are white supremacist and radical Islam. These groups are at war with all other cultures. In order to protect their superior culture, ethnocentrism believers fight all other groups. The dangers of ethnocentrism are the reasons for social integration. Due to modern technology, war, and population growth, the world is shrinking. Large chunks of one culture or people are becoming less common. Unless living in an isolated location, where one never leaves and others do not visit, individuals will encounter different cultures during their lifespan. Especially in America, where many cultures live, work, and make up communities, the need for social integration is essential. More social integration will lessen the violence, discrimination, and verbal aggression between cultures. The less violence in between races will help communities to get along and reduce hate

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Decision to Prosecute Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Decision to Prosecute - Essay Example This paper declares that in Hong Kong, in safeguarding the fundamental freedoms, the decision to prosecute plays a crucial role. If a decision is made for prosecuting an individual, the resources and the powers of the government are triggered off against the individual who has been charged with an offence. When contrasted with these accessible to the ordinary citizen, the resources can be formidable. Thus, the government attorney when he is contemplating to level allegations against an accused which has been vested in him by the authority can impact an ordinary citizen’s life significantly, and in case of that citizen, if levelled with charge, the court may interfere, and he may be finally freed by the court. This discussion explores that the police make an analysis and make a statement of the available proof and make a recommendation to the government attorney the offences if any committed by an accused. Based on the following two standards, the government formulates its verdict to book the accused namely if alleged, if there exists a rational chance of punishment and the government attorney has to find out whether it is in the public interest to prosecute a person or not. Thus, there should be enough proof to establish all the components of specific charge of criminal nature afar from realistic suspicion. In general, the courts in Hong Kong in criminal cases will look more into the proof gathered and decide whether the charge is established or not.2. As regards to the decision not to prosecute, it is alleged that Department of Justice is arrogating the role played by the court in making a decision not to prosecute. Under Hong Kong common law setup, there exists well described and separa te task earmarked to the court and the prosecuting authority. These functions are part and parcel of the constitutional setup for making sure that there exists a division of authorities in respect of prosecutions. In respect of an alleged offence, it is the prosecuting authority which makes a decision whether a person should or should not be prosecuted as regards to an alleged offence. However, some critics argue that it is the responsibility of the prosecution to initiate the court proceedings against indicted and the court

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Artifact That Best Describes My Personality Essay Example for Free

The Artifact That Best Describes My Personality Essay The artifact that best describes my personality is my 1993 Nisson pickup truck. It is an automatic so it is a classic because they only made five hundred automatics that year. I have been told by everyone that has met me that I am a very classy lady. My truck is a 4-cyclinder engine that is very thrifty on gasoline. Put twenty dollars of gas in the tank and drive for two weeks. In fact, I am very thrifty with every item I buy. At home and at work I save money for the company I work for and for myself . Mechanics are surprised at what a good engine it has for as old as it is. My doctors are surprised at all the activities I do and that I am so healthy for my age. Most people think I am twenty years younger than I am. The same people think my truck is five years younger than it is. This year both my truck and I have aged. My trucks original paint has started to chip and rust has started to show by the tires. The visors have both broken off and the passenger mirror fell off. They say It will fall off again if it is reattached. I have been unemployed for a year so I am more stressed, gained some weight, and I do not sleep as well. This has made me age dramatically. My truck is very durable, it starts every day, blizzard, hot weather, or rain. I get something accomplished seven days a week, even when I am ill I will do something with my brain. Hopefully, I hope we both last a long time with less maintenance and repairs. I can get my truck repainted and I can lose some weight and get more exercise. Then we will both look better.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Writing Style of Notes to a Native Son Essay -- James Baldwin

Thoughts of a Man Life is a great tapestry of events and emotions that one feels and/or experiences on a daily basis. No day plays out the same way and no two people experience the same things. Certainly one can say that life is jumpy, if not completely unpredictable. In order to explain life or the things that go on in life, one must be able to communicate on not only a narrative level, but also an analytical level. Any great writer must possess the skill to fully and completely portray a feeling or idea. James Baldwin, an African-American writer born in Harlem in 1924, fully possessed this special ability. Baldwin is considered to be one of the best essayists of the twentieth century and wrote during a time of great racial injustice. One of his greatest assets was his uncanny ability to intertwine narrative and analysis throughout the course of his essays. In his famous essay, â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†, or â€Å"Notes† for short, Baldwin shows some of his best w ork in this style of writing. In â€Å"Notes,† Baldwin performs a masterful job of weaving analytical thought into specific events from his life or the public life around him. This style allows the reader to better understand the thoughts of a very intelligent, educated, and opinionated man who lived during a very difficult time in American history. At first glance, â€Å"Notes† may seem to be a simple story about Baldwin’s father and the strained relationships that Baldwin and his siblings had with their father. But at a closer look, the essay serves a deeper purpose than initially expected, which can be seen in an analysis of Baldwin’s writing style. Baldwin uses a writing style that moves from story to analysis in order to paint a very specif... ...eeded the guidance that sometimes only a father can give. This is an interesting idea and this tying up of loose ends is a powerful example of how Baldwin constructed and framed his essays. His style went from a specific example to a general feeling of some deeper meaning than the story or example alone could portray. The transitions from narrative to analysis that he used were logical and flowed well. As a reader, it was difficult to actually pick out the change without carefully reading and analyzing the essay as one reads it. This style, which really is more like a gift, paints a very vivid picture for the reader and places Baldwin among the best essayists of the twentieth century. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York, New York, Library of America, 1998. 63-84.

Monday, November 11, 2019

College Debate Essay

In Katherine Porter’s essay, â€Å"The Value Of a College Degree†, Katherine answers the question to whether continuing education beyond high school is worth it or not. Since college costs are increasing radically every year, many students and parents aren’t considering a two- or four-year college education a necessity. Her essay is reaches out to those parents and students who are in doubt, with the use of cited evidence and her many research studies, she is determined into convincing those who question attending college to pursue further education. Although the question of whether continuing education beyond high school is worth it or not remains unsettled by many, it should definitely be considered. First off, a valuable college education brings out the best in a person; it makes them stronger and builds an immense amount of confidence. Some may consider pursuing a college education as something that’s completely out of reach, but I might just have to say that you’re wrong. A college education not only builds strength and confidence, it also helps you grow. College students are situated in different types of situations, environments and or settings in which they encounter all kinds of people. To explain much further, as said in a source found in Google: â€Å"College education has a profound effect on a person and his or her life. It helps people choose their careers more wisely and the college experience makes people become more confident and can make better and well judged decisions.† (Google.com, Value of College Education) A College education develops growth in terms of adulthood and maturity, built from experience. Many high school students believe that doing well academically would be enough. That is only somewhat true; most colleges consider well-rounded students, like those who participate in extra curricular actives, activities such as being involved in sports, volunteering, and community work. Keeping an open mind when considering college selections is a very important factor when it comes to decision making. Parents and students should not allow money or locations limit their thinking when researching schools. By attending college fairs, and purchasing college guide books they’ll learn about colleges that ‘fit’, in an overall aspect. Scheduling interviews, preferably on-campus interviews, will allow students to demonstrate genuine interest and allows him or her the opportunity to make a valuable link. All in all, the key factor isn’t getting a college degree itself but the degree owner. A college education is now a necessity, and the average American couldn’t possibly make it through these times and those that are to come without one. â€Å"Get in(worry about the money later.†

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Inception Reflection Essay

After watching inception twice I am still confused as to what was real and what was not. I have come to the conclusion that the entire movie was Cobb dreaming. I believe this because Cobb’s totem used to be his wife’s totem. He only retrieved the totem when they were stuck in limbo. He said never to let anyone else feel the weight of your totem. Meaning that he himself has no way of knowing the actual weight or feel of his wife’s totem. In other words Cobb has no totem, no way of knowing what is real and what isn’t. The totem only shows Cobb what he wants to believe. Since the entire movie was a dream of his making, his subconscious may have led the totem to drop/ wobble when he wanted to believe he was in reality. I believe that Cobb’s wife Mol was the one trying to pull them back to reality. Mol kept trying to draw him out when in reality he kept falling further and further. Cobb didn’t join Mol in jumping off the building to get into reality. Cobb has been dreaming for so long and so deep that he has lost reality. The main reason I believe Cobb has been dreaming all along is because of the ending. When Cobb thinks he has arrived back to reality and back to his children, they are wearing the same clothes, and in the same position as he last saw them. He became suspicious and spun the top. Cobb finally saw his kid’s faces and walked away from his totem. Seeing his kid’s faces was enough reality for him. Cobb created his own reality. He formulated the entire dream to justify his belief in what was real and what wasn’t. He needed the elaborate dream to lead him back to his children which signify his reality. With that being said, I believe the movie argued for idealism. Cobb’s reality was based on the mind. If the totem had not been his wife’s, and had not been found in a dream, I would have argued for realism. Because the material thing, or totem, would be what determines reality. The top was supposed to keep spinning in a dream, and wobble or drop in reality. However as stated before Cobb found the totem in a dream, and it wasn’t even his totem, therefore it holds no significance in determining reality. With my interpretation of the entire movie being a dream of Cobb’s, the movie would have to be based on empiricism. Cobb experiences things that I don’t believe were reality yet he takes them to be true. For example, if the movie was in fact all a dream of Cobb’s, then his wife’s suicide was just a projection of his imagination. Yet as he dreams deeper he believes it to be true. Cobb’s knowledge is based on experience because really there is no reason or rational to rely on when your dreaming within a dream within a dream within a dream, etc. Like Cobb said, once you make it down to limbo it is hard to sense what reality is. Cobb’s only grip on reality is his totem, which I explained before, was never really his in the first place. He has no reason. He only has experience to rely on. His experiences in his dreams become his reality. What reason do you have to cling to when the biggest determination of reality(the totem) isn’t real. In the end when Cobb see’s his children’s faces, the experience of being with them is all he needs to justify reality. Hence why he walks away from his totem. Cobb’s experiences within a dream are what formulate his reality. If it was reason that formulated his reality, he wouldn’t be in limbo anymore. He would have listened to his wife and figured out that he is still dreaming by now. He would have never accepted that totem as his own. I would like to argue both pragmatic and coherent theories for my take on Inception. However, I do believe the coherent theory fits a little better. The coherent theory states that something is true if it is consistent with other beliefs that are held to be true. The problem in this theory is that there is no definition or criteria of what a logical belief is. Cobb thinks his wife is stuck in limbo and that he is in reality. Basically any thought that he has that coheres with that main thought is true. Him believing he was hired to plant an idea in Fishers mind was in fact true to him. The capability of planting an idea in someone’s head was true to him. Why? Because his core belief was that he himself had planted an idea in his wife’s head before, causing her to lose touch with reality. All belief’s Cobb had were consistent with his main belief, that he was not longer in limbo. Cobb believed that the totem actually did tell him when he was or wasn’t dreaming. However as stated before the totem wasn’t his to begin with so how could that be true? How could it be true that when the totem wobbles or falls he is in fact in reality? He found the totem in limbo, so he doesn’t know what the true weight or feel of that totem is. Yet he believes in this totem because he needs to. His mind has created a scenario to help him retrieve what he craves, reality. The elaborate dream and all of his truth’s cohere in order to get him back to happiness. Although Cobb may not be in reality, his belief of being so is enough to satisfy him. Cobb’s mind created what he wanted to believe was reality. I guess if you have no grip on reality anymore, creating the closest thing to it would be your best shot at happiness.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How successful was Peels Ministry 1841-1846 Essays

How successful was Peels Ministry 1841-1846 Essays How successful was Peels Ministry 1841-1846 Essay How successful was Peels Ministry 1841-1846 Essay Peels ministry essentially benefited the nation as a whole, which would suggest that Peels ministry was very successful. However, in doing so he split the party we had worked so hard to bring together. Therefore when considering whether his ministry was a success or not it has to be assessed whether a ministry has to primarily look after the partys interests or the nations. Most historians including the likes of Donald Read take the view that the nations interests should be the priority, and this is why Peels ministry is considered successful. Despite diluting some of the Traditional Tory views which agitated the landowners, and eventually splitting the party through the Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 Peels ministry improved the living and working conditions of the average person. He managed to do this most importantly through his financial reforms which were very successful, as well as his social reforms. Peel aimed to be fairer to the poor, although at some expense of the landowners. The decline of radical groups within Britain though out Peels ministry marked its success, and although he did carry out a number of unsuccessful polices in Ireland, he critically prevented them from leaving the Union through good work in 1843. Peels financial reforms were the most important reasons for its success despite their unpopularity in some sections of the party. In 1941 he inherited  £7million of debt from the Whig government before him, but through a selection of significant reforms, most notably the 1842 Budget he was able to boast a  £5 million surplus by the end of 1865. Much of the financial reform that Peels ministry passed could be considered as social reform too, which was very important in improving the conditions for people in Britain. The 1842 Budget aimed to appeal to the rich through a sense of justice and self preservation, at the same time as showing the poor there was a fairer system. Peel boldly reintroduced income tax for 3years which affected those wi th annual incomes of  £150 or more. This was hugely unpopular with the landowners, and therefore a great section of his parties support base however, it was greatly successful and despite being expected to raise 3-4 million a year it actually raised  £5million. The removal of duties on 600 goods, and the reduction on 500 more, considerably reduced the cost of living for the majority of the British population. It was also a step towards free trade, an issue which Peel had been greatly influenced by a free trade philosopher, Adam Smith, who argued the fewer restrictions, the better the economy would become. Peel also passed reform in 1844 with the Bank Charter Act creating a more efficient banking system on which the government could trust and rely, as well as the Companies Act which monitored companys progress and improved the nations financial health. Some historians have accused Peel about being too focused on his financial policies, however throughout his ministry he made genuine attempts to improve the conditions for workers, especially in mines and factories. Peel had always shown sympathy for the less-well off, and even early in his career in 1829 he had shown this through some of his reforms. His government set up of the National Relief Fund in 1841 to investigate the conditions for workers in growing industrial cities in addition to the pressure from leading figures like Lord Ashley, which prompted social reform. The reforms he made were not really radical, but were common sense and made the working environment for workers safer, reducing fatalities where death was frequent. The 1842 Mines Act forbade women and children under 10 to work underground, and the 1844 Factory Act which was largely driven by Peels home secretary, Sir James Graham, limited the hours children under 13 could work, and recommended safety improvements. The reform was successful in improving working conditions for some, and it reduced the death rates at work places as environments became safer. However, this did come at a cost in that it frustrated many Tory supporters as the efficiency of their industry was being compromised. Peels ministry also introduced The Railway Act in 1844 aimed to regulate the activities of railways to safeguard passengers interests, and called for a parliamentary train to run once a day which stopped at every station on the line. The improvement in living conditions for most people, and therefore success of Peels ministry, was marked by the decline of radical groups such as the chartists. One historian, Donald Read said Peel was: The hero of equally the newly enfranchised, the middle classes and of the unenfranchised property less masses. Peels ministry really benefited the poor and the middle class, as it narrowed the gap in some way between them, and the monopolising landowners through the introduction of fairer policies. The popularity of such groups like chartists depended on economic crisis which Peel effectively contained through timely and accommodating reform which kept the majority happy. Peel vitally saw that although it was important to maintain traditional Tory values to retain the support of much of his party, they were holding the party back in many ways, most of them unfairly and unnecessary. He worked around this by successfully diluting traditional policies to appeal to a wider number of people. Peels political career was closely intertwined with Ireland and OConnells career, an Irish political figurehead. Peels policies towards Ireland were on a whole relatively unsuccessful, and his attempts to win over moderate Catholic opinion while retaining the key features of the established church greatly failed, in some cases actually angering both Protestants and Catholics. The Irish Colleges Bill in 1844 which Peel hoped would bridge gaps between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland ironically did the opposite. However, Peels policies to Ireland were hindered by Protestant Peers, and the self-interested landowners constantly slowing and refusing most of it, in the case of the Maynooth Grant in 1845, although it won over some catholic opinion it was passed too late, and just increased tension within the Conservative Party between Tory Ultras, and Peel. Despite Peels overall disappointment on the issue of Ireland, in 1843 he crucially took firm action to prevent the Repeal of the Union Act 1800, which made Ireland part of Britain. OConnell tried to use mass agitation to force the repeal as it had worked for him in 1829. However, when Peel recognised the seriousness of the threat from the Repeal Organisation as it became known, he made it clear he would be prepared to use force to uphold the act. Peel also took more decisive action in 1843 by passing a Coercion Act which banned OConnells huge meeting at Clontarf, and arresting him for conspiracy. This approach was successful in keeping Ireland in the Union, one of the many problems Peels ministry faced, although it did come at some cost as Irish nationalists now rejected OConnells constitutional approach and resulted to violence to bring about change. Peel has been named a betrayer of his party by some historians such as the modern historian Eric Evans who said Peel: Either ignored his followers sensibilities or bludgeoned them into submission. However, as Prime Minister of Britain he was using his skills as a leader and administrator not only to represent and benefit a small select group, but fairly to the whole nation. A successful ministry has to primarily address its nation and not its partys interests; this is what Peels ministry did. Although Peel had the backing of many Ultra Tories to get into government, Peel had very much created a new conservative party that stated they would reform if and when they saw necessary. In 1846 Peel saw the Corn Laws as the last major obstacle of achieving free trade. He believed that by repealing the Corn Laws British industry would become more competitive, and exports would be increased. He knew that he risked the unity of his part, and his own career but he believed that agricultural protection was no longer necessary or fair. They were in place for political and not economic reasons, and despite the Conservative partys negative view towards reform, Peel believed it would boost manufacturing, and lower prices for living, as well as demonstrate he was in touch with the needs of ordinary people. Peel did ultimately split the party he had created by forcing through the Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 however, he did it in the nations best interest, Britains economic prosperity for the next 30 years bearing witness to this. Some may argue that by splitting his party and not abiding to polices he was elected on, most notably he had promised not to repeal the Corn Laws, Peels ministry was a failure. He caused such a split in the party that it took around 30years for the conservative party to really find its feet again. Peels policy to winning over moderate opinion had been hugely successful nationally except it had come at a cost. Peels ministry from 1841 can be considered a success despite it concluding in the split of the Conservative party in 1846. This is because on a whole, the nation benefited greatly from moderate reform which caused working conditions to improve and the cost of living to be reduced, which improved living conditions. A greater deal of economic stability was reached as well as the national debt being eradicated. The reduction in radical activity emphasised the fact that conditions were improving in Britain at this time. As the average man of Britain benefited from Peels ministry, it came at a cost to the landowners and Tory Ultras who were a considerable part of the Conservative partys support base. In a sense Peels ministry was unsuccessful in terms of the negative impact it had on the Conservative party, and the tension that it created which peaked in 1846 as the Corn Laws were repealed and the Conservative party split. However, Peels ministry was prevailingly successful, in comparison to its party failure, as it greatly benefited the nation as a whole, most importantly though its financial reform, and also reaching its climax in 1846 with the Repeal of the Corn Laws.

Monday, November 4, 2019

An exegesis of matthew

An exegesis of matthew An Exegesis of Matthew 5:1-12 Matthew 5:1-12, commonly known as the Beatitudes, has been loved by every generation since first pronounced by Christ two thousand years ago. Matthew writes this record of the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus, and he places this message soon after Jesus’ baptism and calling of the disciples. The Beatitudes are the opening section of the Sermon on the Mount, the longest recorded teaching during Christ’s lifetime. We will begin by looking at this section as it lays within the book of Matthew and then go to a more in-depth exegetical study. Literary Context The most popular approach to Matthew’s structure is the presentation of five major discourses, each ending with a formula statement that is foreign to other Biblical discourses, placed in a framework of narrative[1] (Talbert 15). In fact, â€Å"the five discourses are so clearly marked, from a literary point of view, that it is well-nigh impossible to believe that Matthew did n ot plan them† (Carson 63). Each of these discourses brings forth a topic of central importance for both the gospel rendition of the historical Jesus and the later experience of the church (Batdorf 26). The narrative section leading to the first discourse, from Matthew 3:1 to 4:25, chronicles not simply the biography of a man preparing for ministry, but the establishment of Messianic history and authority. We come to an understanding of Matthew’s first and foremost discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, only on the basis of chapters 1-4 (Batdorf 24). This sermon, which immediately follows the choosing of the twelve, marks the beginning of Jesus’ training of His disciples and a change in His method of teaching. It is His first systematic delineation of the kind of people and the conduct expected of them under the standards of God’s kingdom (Russell 8). Batdorf outlines the apex at which the Beatitudes stand: â€Å"If Jesus is the Messiah and his life on earth really does set the pattern that his disciples should match, then his [Matthew’s] words here and in all the following discourses make sense. If this is not so, then the bottom drops out of Matthew’s whole argument. In this light the Beatitudes become the hinge upon which the whole of Matthew’s structure turns† (Batdorf 28). At the forefront of Matthew’s first discourse are the Beatitudes, a collection of eight imperative statements of blessing. The term ‘beatitude’ derives from the Latin word beatitudo and is designated by many scholars as its own literary genre. As such, it is a literary form found in a wider spectrum of wisdom literature not limited to Jewish or Christian writing. Some scholars have even proposed Egyptian wisdom literature as a conceivable origin (Betz 92). Poetic parallelism can be found in the Beatitudes as a carryover from the poetry of the Old Testament. The arrangement in quatrains of parallel lines containing pa rallel or corresponding ideas is very common and Psalms 8 is a prime example (Russell 15). Matthew’s eight beatitudes are composed of two quatrains, each ending with the word ‘righteousness.’ The terminology generally used for this is an â€Å"envelope figure† and Matthew uses it again in Matt. 7:16-20. Although scholars often attribute this arrangement to the composer of the Logia, Russell points out that it is â€Å"highly probable that so poetic a spirit as Jesus, brought up as he was in the Hebrew tradition and accustomed from childhood to the poetry of the Psalms and other Old Testament literature, would use parallelism for his words of gnomic wisdom as well as for his utterances of exalted imagination and lofty feeling† (Russell 16).

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The Volcker Rule and its Consequences for the Financial and Banking Essay

The Volcker Rule and its Consequences for the Financial and Banking System - Essay Example Federal Reserve has publicly announced that the banking system of US does not need to accept and operate according to the rule before the month of July of 2014 but the banks will have to conduct the process of â€Å"good faith planning efforts† to get ready to accept the rule in the future and during the temporary phase. As banks and the financial system is still not aware of the bans that will be levied, there will be a cloud of uncertainty that these systems will experience for two years (Ciro 2012). These systems are experiencing ambiguity in understanding what does the Federal Reserve means by good faith planning efforts. The ambiguities are making condition worse thus decision makers should make the scenario clear and present the effects of the rule on US and other nations. The cloudy situation was made clear when a draft of the regulation was prepared and this draft consisted of details regarding the services offered by financial system and the way these services are use d by the common public. The situation is still quite unclear for financial institutions as even the draft wasn’t clear enough to identify the effects that the rule will have on financial sector. The European Union and other countries have even showed concerns as they expect that the rule will decrease the liquidity in world financial markets, thus it is quite clear that the rule will impact the financial systems negatively. Body The delay in implementing and clearing the effect of the rule may not help the banks and make situation worse as banks do not have the correct idea of when the rule will be implemented and banks will have to accept the rule legally regardless of whether they understand its effect or not. Legally it is stated that those banks that have operated in good faith effort during the temporary implementation phase will experience less problems in complying with the actual rule. The policy makers should make the scenario clearer instead of making the financial system of US and overseas operate according to their own guess work. The delay is making the financial system take decisions under ambiguous situation which is already hurting the system. Volcker Permitted Bank Activities According to the rule there are certain permitted activities that can be performed by the banks, these activities comprise of banks acting as market maker, underwriter, hedger, deals of government securities and other activities that are stated under the act as permitted activities. These activities have been permitted to ensure that banks continue to provide liquidity to the markets and help companies in raising capital. But these activities have been restricted to ensure that banks do not cross the line and the funds with the bank do not become unsafe. If the permitted activities cannot be conducted in a safe environment and without risky conditions, then the federal system has the right to barge banks from conducting such activities or increase charges and fines on these activities so these activities become unfavourable to the banks. The activities that have been stated as acceptable in the rule are done on the basis that the bank conducts these activities for the customer and only to meet the short term demands of the customers. Rule Effect The Volcker Rule has received its name from the Paul Volcker who was the Federal Reserve Chairman during the period of the financial crises of 2008. The