Tell how stepping outside of your comfort zone taken you on an Essay

Tell how stepping outside of your comfort zone taken you on an unexpected path to change your life. Also tell about a childhood event that you feel has most sh - Essay Example Many of the men and women involved in these construction efforts are community volunteers. Several years ago, my long-time acquaintance, "Thomas" suggested that we volunteer for a specific project, which involved a rapid construction of a two-bedroom dwelling. My initial response to his request was quite negative, offering an argument that such an activity is only suited for skilled laborers. After an extended period of disagreement, I finally relented and allowed Thomas to sign us up as contributors to the project as one-day only volunteers. Thomas and I showed up for "duty" on the final day of construction, when the kitchen flooring, cabinetry, and other finishing touches were being accomplished. We were each assigned a partner and given multiple tasks to perform. Throughout the course of this extremely arduous day, I learned valuable skills such as how to install countertops and how to lay ceramic tile. I realized the importance of do-it-yourself knowledge as it provides a broader set of skills which can be applied to everyday living. However, my learning consisted of much more than just a fundamental knowledge of home improvement. On that day, the future owner of the home came to inspect the property with her two small children. Armed with cookies, tears, and excessive gratitude, this woman made an effort to embrace the entire volunteer staff and express that the home would take her life from destitution to an opportunity for hope and a future for her children. I realized instantly that my minimal volunteer efforts had made a tremendous impact in the life of a hardened family. In one day, I learned the long-term value of compassion and community relations. This ties in with an event which I experienced as a child that fundamentally changed my viewpoint about caring. My long-time friend, "Jessica", had invited me over for our usual playtime. On this particular

Autopsy of a Crime Scene Essay Example for Free

Autopsy of a Crime Scene Essay 1.Which technique is the best choice when blood is found at a crime scene? In the genetics laboratory (under resources at the bottom of the window), who is one individual that contributed to modern genetic analysis? What did this person contribute? I would say that analyzing the blood in a lab would be the best technique. Alec Jeffreys is known as the father of genetic profiling. He invented what is now an essential technique, especially in forensic science, called a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. 2.How are computers used in fingerprint analysis? Experts examine tiny fingerprint details known as minutiae. These may be loops, dots, forks, islands, etc. Several comparison points must be perfectly matched for two fingerprints to be considered identical. 3.Who is a pioneer in fingerprint analysis? Describe a famous case that this person was involved in. Edward Foster studied fingerprint analysis in the US and introduced it to Canada. IN1911, Foster testified as a fingerprint expert in the Jennings case. Fingerprints in the wet paint next to Mr. Hiller, the murder victim, were the only clue. Foster demonstrated to the court that the prints of Thomas Jennings, who had been arrested as he was fleeing the scene, matched those left in the paint, and Jennings was convicted. 4.What is the role of the forensic chemist in crime scene investigation? These experts analyze all chemical, organic, and inorganic aspects of a sample. They separate the components and identify them using a variety of tests and devices. Their findings are used as evidence by the investigator and in court. 5.Who helped pioneer forensic chemistry? Describe one of her famous cases. France McGill became a pathologist and teacher is Saskatchewan. When Dr. McGill examined the stomachs of an elderly couple who had died on Christmas Day, she found a large quantity of strychnine, a powerful poison, along with the bran. The murder weapon was soon identified: the two of the victims had eaten bran muffins baked by their granddaughter. She had actually intended them for her father. She was charged with murder, but later acquitted. 6.In the ballistics laboratory, what is the water tank used for? Describe the analysis. To determine whether a bullet found at the crime scene actually came from the suspects weapon, it must be compared with  another bullet from the same gun. Ballistics experts fire it into a special water tank that slows and stops the bullet so that they can collect it intact. 7.Who helped pioneer ballistics analysis? What did he contribute? Wilfrid Derome was a multitalented Quebec doctor: a medico-legal expert, toxicologist, forensic photographer, medical examiner and scientific communicator. He founded the Laboratoire de recherchà © medico-legales de Montreal, the first laboratory in North America and only the third in the world. His motto: â€Å"Never allege anything you can’t prove.† 8.Why is measuring and diagramming the scene important? A police officer makes a sketch of the scene, measuring distances using measuring tapes and a laser meter. He notes the specific location of objects, Clues, and the body. The photos of this sketch will later be used to draw an accurate plan of the site on the computer. 9.What materials or tools would a crime scene technician use? A crime scene technician would use a camera to photograph the scene, a polilight to find clues that a rent visible to the naked eye, he would make diagrams and take measurements, they would use a magna brush and some type of colored powder to make any fingerprints more visible, and anything to properly take samples with. 10.From the activity and the information it had, what aspect of an investigation do you think you’d most like to work in? For example, would you prefer one of the laboratories? What appeals to you about this particular aspect of the investigation? I think I would like to work in a lab doing ballistics examination because I like to do a lot of puzzles and I believe that in some aspects it is like a big puzzle trying to figure out which gun fired the bullets at the scene.

Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Oracles and Prophecy :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus:   Oracles and Uncontrollable Fate  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King Laios the ruler of Thebes, has a son with his wife Queen Iocoste. His name is Oedipus. The soothsayer Teiresias, a loyal servant to the King and Queen tells them some disturbing news. Teiresias tells King Laios and Queen Iocoste that their son, Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. The king and queen make a decision to take the baby boy up to a mountain far away from the town. King Laios gives the baby to a servant and instructs him to bind the babies ankles and leave him on the mountain side to perish. The servant follows his instructions but instead of leaving the boy on the mountain side he gives him to a shepherd and makes him promise to take the boy to a far away place. This is how King Laios and Queen Iocaste try to avoid their fate. They are threatened by the existence of their son so they try to have him killed, to end their problem. However this plan, almost foolproof does not work. The shepherd brings the baby boy back to his city and gives him to King Polybus because the King and Queen could not have a child. Oedipus grows up as the son of Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus was a young man he was told that he was not his father’s son. He tires to dismiss this horrible accusation as that of a drunken man, but it always bothered him. One day Oedipus decides to go to the Oracle to see his knowledge of Oedipus’ birth. The oracle tells Oedipus his fate is the death of his father by his own hands and that he will marry his mother. He does not answer the original question Oedipus asked as to who his true parents are. Upon hearing this Oedipus decides to leave the city and never return as long as his parents (Polybus, Merope) are still alive. Oedipus is running from his fate as he leaves the city and heads far from there. On his travel down the road he encounters a chariot drawn by horses and they force him off the road, and as the charioteer went by Oedipus hits him, the man swings back. Oedipus hits him with a blow that knocks him out of the chariot, and the man falls dead to the ground.

The Effects of One-Child Policy on Chinese Kinship

Burt Jiang Anthropology 331 4/22/2013 Term Paper The origins of Chinese civilization derive its roots from the Huang-he and Yangtze Rivers. Like other ancient river valley civilizations, these two rivers provided early Chinese settlers with the raw materials necessary to sustain culture and society. Burgeoning from small, scattered clans, autonomous groups of Chinese villages situated around the rivers would in turn become the building blocks of the ancient Chinese dynasties to the modern day, People’s Republic of China.The system of clans became an effective method of identifying one’s own lineage through the maintenance of a single surname throughout the clan. As the social structure of the clan grew, the complex interactions among clan and non-clan members eventually synergized to create China’s own form of kinship. Anthropologists have since come to classify Chinese kinship under the broader term of Sudanese kinship. The Sudanese, and by extension Chinese, ki nship is considered the most complex system with a separate designation for almost every one of ego’s kin based on generation, lineage, relative age, and gender.As observed, the Chinese kinship system already has a strictly defined scheme of kin identification, but the monikers only serve as an outline of China’s kinship system. The true backbone of Chinese kinship draws its source from Confucian ideals, ideals that have been deeply ingrained in Chinese dogma since the late fifth century B. C. Among his teachings of filial piety and ancestor worship, Confucius outlines for the Chinese people the five most basic interactions: interactions between ruler and subject; father and son; elder and younger brother; husband and wife; and between friends.Of the five interactions, the interactions between father-son, and husband-wife, have seen the greatest amount of development and change throughout to course of China’s history. As China exited the feudal age and entered t he modern world as The People’s Republic of China, the two interactions identified experienced considerable changes while maintaining their signature Chinese accent. Feudal China’s departure, and the advent of communist China, has brought forth rapid family reform and ultimately, the initiation of the One-Child Policy. Even in the face of rapid modernization and reform, the trong influences of Confucian ideals and an intrinsic patrilineal descent pattern still characterize Chinese kinship; however, the introduction of the One-Child Policy, and its ramifications, has put stress on the traditional Chinese family structures as well as possibly creating many more problems future generations must solve. Of all the pseudo-religious institutions that took hold in China, Daoism and Zen Buddhism, most notably, the concept of ancestor worship put forth by Confucius is by far the most ubiquitous in Chinese culture and kinship relationships.Defined by the nine agnates, Confucius t ook great efforts to outline the nuclear family as clearly as possible, three generations prior to the ego, the ego, and three generations after the ego. Within the nine agnates, ancestral worship and filial piety became the driving forces that perpetuated kinship interactions in China for generations. Thus forms the cyclical cycle of Chinese kinship, the younger generations are kept in line by the rules of filial piety while the older generation is kept in memory and reverence via ancestral worship.The importance of ancestor worship can be conceptualized and materialized through the complex mourning attire and rituals exhibited by the Chinese people. Much like the suru’ai of Kwaio, individuals in mourning must display no worldly attachment, must not be seen in public, must have abstain from sexual activity, and generally must live a life of detachment throughout the mourning period (Akin March 11). The mourning period is defined by the relationship of the mourner to the indi vidual that has passed away; consequently, the duration of this period can range from three months to three years based on the strength of the bond shared.During a time of mourning, individuals must also wear complementing attire to signify which stage of mourning he/she is in; hence the attire has evolved into the five degrees of mourning attire. Chinese mourning rituals were taken very seriously within the clans and the act of proposing to an individual exhibiting any stage of the five degrees of mourning attire was considered highly immoral and taboo. Rituals of ancestor worship, like mourning ceremonies and attire, serve to underscore the importance of the ancestors to the Chinese people.The sterility, and structure, of the mourning period is an excellent example of the reverence Chinese individuals hold for their deceased kin; to interrupt the transition from individual to ancestor is still considered highly disrespectful and taboo even in modern China. Ancestor worship provide s a broad blanket of allegiance for the Chinese kinship system. The importance of ancestor worship is to keep entire clans together, but the smaller familial units require a force more tenable and exact.Within the nuclear family, Confucius saw the wisdom to conceive of another ideal that complements the notion of ancestor worship, that idea being filial piety. Filial piety, in turn, provides the construct in which the five relationships, outlined earlier, can be practically maintained and perpetuated. Confucius’ relationship of father and son is kept constant by the power of filial piety. Younger generations are taught to respect and heed the advice of their forefathers. Consequently, this interaction creates an incredibly structured kinship system in which obedience is preferential to individuality.The rules defined by filial piety culminated in the written document known as The Great Qing Legal Code, introduced during the Qing Dynasty, 1644 to 1912. This document not only p rovided, in great detail, the laws and codes regarding kinship bonds on all five levels of relationship, but it also included the punishments if those bonds were broken or tested by crime (Jones 29). Criminal activity was therefore punished more severely if the crime committed was within the clan, and further intensified if the offence was committed against a higher ranking individual.The importance of upholding the kinship relations set forth by Confucius can be seen in the Code’s punishment for breaking the first and foremost relationship of ruler and subject. Punishment for breaking China’s most important bond resulted in what is known as: â€Å"The extermination of nine kindreds†. Any individual who commits treason against his/her emperor would be subject to the complete annihilation of his/her nine agnates, effectively erasing that individual’s bloodline (Jones 16).This incredibly overt punishment trickled down, with lesser severity, to the other fou r relationships, and ultimately underlined the importance of loyalty to kin and emperor. Filial piety’s significance is further stressed in the father-son relationship because of China’s early affinity to the patrilineal descent system, echoes from the country’s roots in the clan structure. Since only males can bear and preserve the family surname, loyalty of the son to the father became critical in a patrilineal descent system.In order to ensure the lineage’s continuation, carefully arranged marriages between families would rise as the forefront solution. Chinese kinship, like many other systems, relies on the institution of marriage as bridge between two bodies of people. Recognized in Confucian teachings, a married couple is considered the most basic social unit from which other relationships stem. In Chinese culture, marriages were generally arranged by a matchmaker who would bless the union. After the marriage, the wife would be incorporated into the husband’s family; thus resulting in the importance of the production of sons to keep the family surname.Throughout history, Chinese marriages and kinship revolved around the production of viable sons to carry the family name. Like Kwaio societies, fertility of the mother proved to be of paramount importance when evaluating a marriage relationship (Akin February 20). It is important to take note, however, that while monogamy was the accepted practice, polygamy gained prominence in imperial families that could not produce a healthy male heir, a problem solved also by nurture kinship (Akin January 23).Once married, divorce was possible only if the wife was proved to have engaged in one of these seven offences: failure to observe filial piety to the parent-in-laws, failure to bear a son, consistently vulgar or lewd, harbors jealousy, has a vile disease, gossips too much, or commits a theft. Although unusual to western societies, gossip is viewed as a poison to families and clans because of its inherent proclivity to hyperbole and fabrication. Patrilineal descent’s importance can be clearly observed in marriage rituals as divorce is only possible if the female fails to produce a son or commits other errs.There are, however, three distinct situations in which a wife is guaranteed immunity from a divorce, those three situations being: the wife has no family to return to, the wife has observed a full three year mourning period for her parent-in-law, or if her husband was poor during marriage and is currently wealth. In conjunction with ancestor worship, filial piety, and the structured marriage system, Chinese kinship has developed these three hallmark pillars to safeguard strong kinship bonds of father-son and husband-wife from one generation to the next.Although only briefly mentioned earlier, the wedding ceremonies themselves are a testament to the extravagance and importance of a decision such as marriage to the Chinese people. Categorized by the si x etiquettes, Chinese wedding ceremonies consisted of: the proposal, birthdates, bride price, wedding gifts, arranging the wedding, and the ceremony itself. Each of the six etiquettes involves a highly organized succession of events that would lead to marriage of husband and wife. The first two steps, proposal and birthdates, involve a matchmaker evaluating a potential daughter-in-law for marriage.If the divination rituals, Suan Ming, are positive and both sides of the marriage accept the terms, the next step would be submitting a bride price (Wolf 102). Bride price, or betrothal gifts, is then presented by the matchmaker to the bridegroom’s family completing the pre-wedding rituals. The actual wedding ceremony is somewhat austere in comparison to its preparation. It simply involves, in western society terms, the exchanging of vows and good blessings followed by paying respects to the Jade Emperor, other deities, and each family’s ancestors.Finally, the wedding banquet is the closing event in the marriage process and is often more lively and festive. Traditionally, the groom is responsible for the cost of the wedding invitation, pastries, the banquet invitations, and the wedding itself. Wedding banquets are elaborate and consist usually of five to ten courses, with ingredients such as  shark's fin,  abalone,  lobster,  squab,  sea cucumber,  swift nests,  fish roe  in soup or as decoration on top of a dish to symbolize fertility, and local delicacies (Wolf 88).Customarily, the father of the bride is responsible for the wedding banquet hosted on the bride's side and the alcohol consumed during both banquets. The wedding banquets are two separate banquets: the primary banquet is hosted once at the bride's side, the second banquet, smaller banquet, at the groom's side. While the wedding itself is often based on the couple's choices, the wedding banquets are a gesture of appreciation, to those that have raised the bride and groom, suc h as grandparents and uncles.Additionally, this gesture incorporates the ideas of nurture kinship, in which kinship persists and even thrives beyond the nuclear family. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles, of both sides of the family would often offer help in raising a family’s child in an attempt to establish nurture kinship bonds. These bonds would then be materialized through gift exchange during the wedding banquet and other important family occasions. The two banquets serve also to ensure the relatives on each side meet the relatives on the other side (Wolf 49).Thus out of respect for the elders, wedding banquets are usually done formally and traditionally, which the older generation is thought to be more comfortable with. As one can see, the six etiquettes of the marriage and its accompanying practices come together to create a single cohesive event meant to bring two families of different clan origins together as one. The traditions and conventions of Chinese kinship that have been examined have been kept constant for much of the nation’s history until the late 19th century and early 20th century.As political turmoil and growing dissatisfaction with the incumbent Qing Dynasty rose, the Chinese population made a push towards reform. After two decades of consolidation, dynastic China emerged from the feudal era as The Republic of China in 1912 headed by Sun Yat-sen. During the Nationalist era, Chinese kinship saw a slow movement towards modernity, a topic discussed in other sources but not focused on in this paper (See Hinton and Zarrow). The one exception to the evolution of kinship in China during this period was the residual influence of The Great Qing Legal Code.Although never referred to by name since the fall of the Qing, the collection of codes put forth by China’s forefathers manifested itself as a strict penal code during the Republic era, and would be re-adapted based on socialist law during the People’s Republic era (Jon es 229). Even when the governments representing China adjust to better fit its changing political landscape, the influences of Confucian teachings still resonate deeply in Chinese kinship and culture. Ultimately, the capitalistic ways of Nationalist China began to brew dissatisfaction among the classes as predicted by the rising popularity of Marxist theory at the time.The issues described by Marx, such as class conflict, were only exacerbated by China’s already enormous proletariat population. Eventually, and inevitably, The Republic of China was usurped by the communist oriented People’s Republic of China, headed by Mao Zedong in 1949. Mao’s rise to ascendancy and the subsequent initiation family reform policies such as the One-Child Policy has had tremendous consequences on traditional Chinese kinship structure and maintenance. The communist party’s policies regarding family and kin have persisted into the 21st century with some repercussions already a pparent, and others that have yet to be evaluated.The newly formed People’s Republic of China introduced itself to the modern world as a backward, unsophisticated nation of peasants led by a few intellectuals. Needless to say, the communist party saw prudence in creating a new image for itself. Family size and structure rose to the top of the communist party’s agenda as a target for transformation. In 1979, the Chinese government embarked on an ambitious campaign of market reform following the economic stagnation of the Cultural Revolution. The government saw strict population containment as essential to economic reform and to improvement of living standards.So championed by The State Family Planning Bureau, the One-Child Policy was introduced. In its execution, the Policy did everything the Chinese government hoped for by preventing roughly 100 million child births as of 2009 (Hesketh 1173). Although effective in containing China’s population growth, the One-Ch ild Policy proved to have meaningful impacts in other aspects of Chinese culture, particularly Chinese kinship. The Policy’s repercussions are in direct conflict with China’s oldest tradition of ancestor worship.A ritual that had been a driving force of Chinese kinship since the very beginning of feudal China is now at odds with the policies of modern China. Specifically, the One-Child Policy has created a conundrum known as the four-two-one (referred to as 4:2:1) phenomenon. The phenomenon is the estimated ratio of grandparents to parents to children currently existing in China (Hesketh 1171). Immediately, the most apparent issue is the imbalance of the ratio between grandparents to grandchildren, essentially for every one child there exist four grandparents.This many not seem like an issue to western societies, but China’s enormous population, a result of post-WWII baby boom trends, exacerbates the ratio to a breaking point. Traditional kinship bonds dictate t hat the younger generations must care and nurture for their elders. However with such an unbalanced ratio of individuals between the generations, China’s sons are failing to support their fathers while jeopardizing their own livelihood. Confucius’ signature relationship of father-son is now threatened greatly by the incurred financial burden of China’s youth.Changes in kinship structure and, to a lesser degree, family structure are driven by changes in fertility and mortality. The drastic reduction in fertility has substantially reduced the number of children born to each family, so that the extensive horizontal kinship ties of China’s past have essentially been curtailed (Jiang 128). However, improvements in mortality have brought unprecedented longevity to China’s elderly, and an overlap of generations that has made vertical kinship ties increasingly common (Jiang 129).Ancestor worship is at odds with China’s new agenda of population refor m and containment. The sudden reduction of horizontal kinship bonds and gross amplification of vertical kinship bonds forces China’s newest generation to pick between financially stability, through neglecting their elders, or supporting their elders, through draining their own personal capital. Similar to ancestor worship, the Confucian concepts of filial piety and marriage are also tested by the One-Child Policy.Starting with filial piety, the stipulation that families can only bear one child has put tremendous emphasis on patrilineal descent and the birth of sons. In feudal China, citizens were given the opportunity to produce as many offspring as needed and yet some families still failed to produce sons, and lineages were lost. Now, with only one opportunity, modern Chinese families have put an unprecedented level of importance to a mother’s ability to bear a male child. This in turn critically affects the father-son dynamic established by Confucius.Instead of overt ly obeying one’s parents, male children in China now understand the importance of their position, and exploit it. China’s newest generation of males have exhibited an unrecorded level of sexual, social, and media experimentation, generations of sexual and individual repression are just now starting to be shattered (Fong 1103). Additionally, the One-Child Policy has had mixed impact on the status of females and by extension marriage. With very limited contraception available for women, the One-Child Policy has forced families to prioritize the birth of males over females.This inevitably leads to the marginalization of the female gender in modern China and an incredibly imbalanced gender ratio. However, the results of the Policy on woman’s social status in China are not completely skewed to one, negative aspect. Those women who are kept by their families have just recently seen an unparalleled lift in their social positions and powers. Daughters empowered by the s upport of their parents, with no sons to favor, are able to defy detrimental norms while strategically using ones that give them advantages in the educational system and the job and marriage markets (Fong 1105).Furthermore, divorce rates have never been higher in modern China as a result of the empowered female gender. Women are more freely seeking new relationships and marriages, a notion inconceivable during the height of Confucian marriage practices. Modernity is an atypical force. Traditional kinship relationships and marriage practices of China are not necessarily broken by modern policies, like the One-Child, but they are certainly altered from their ancestral conceptualizations in feudal China. Chinese kinship is one of the most unique and complicated kinship systems ever examined.The kinship bonds established by the Chinese people may appear outwardly strict or even ascetic, but underneath the guise of structure, is an incredibly resilient dogma that still influences kinship in China today. Confucius’ ideas of ancestor worship, filial piety, and marriage all amalgamate to create a system of kinship that has withstood dynasties, regimes, and political parties. The recent challenges presented by the One-Child Policy have certainly put strain on traditional kinship relationships like that of father to son.Yet, the elevation of the female gender and increased fluidity in marriage rituals signify that Chinese kinship is not as stagnant as some anthropologists believe. No matter how much change is imposed on China’s kinship, the voice of Confucius will always permeate families, marriages, siblings, and children. Works Cited Directly used in paper: Akin, David. â€Å"Doubts, Critiques, and Revisions of Kinship Studies. † Anthropology 331. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, 23 January 2013. Akin, David. â€Å"Totem, Taboo, and Identity (part 1). † Anthropology 331. University of Michigan.Ann Arbor, 11 March 2013. Akin, David.  "Marriage as Exchange. † Anthropology 331. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, 20 February 2013. Fong, Vanessa L. â€Å"China's One-Child Policy and the Empowerment of Urban Daughters. †Ã‚  American Anthropologist  104. 4 (2002): 1098-109. Print. Jiang, Lin. â€Å"Changing Kinship Structure and Its Implications for Old-Age Support in Urban and Rural China. †Ã‚  Population Studies  49. 1 (1995): 127-45. Print. Jones, William C. The Great Qing Code. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1994 Hesketh, Therese, Li Lu, and Zhu Wei Xing. The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years. †Ã‚  New England Journal of Medicine  353. 11 (2005): 1171-176. Print. Wolf, Arthur P. , and Chieh-shan Huang. Marriage and Adoption in China: 1845-1945. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1980. Print. Additional Research Hinton, William. Fanshen; a Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village. New York: Monthly Review, 1967. Print. Zarrow, Peter Gue. After Empire: The Conceptual Transformation of the Chinese State, 1885-1924. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2012. Print.

Quantitative Easing

Evan Schrager 11/14/2011 Quantitative Easing Research Paper The term  quantitative easing  (QE) describes a process in which the Federal Reserve expands its balance sheet through purchasing back government bonds from financial institutions with electronically created funds. The government purchases, by way of account deposits, give banks the excess reserves required for them to create new money by the process of  deposit multiplication  from increased lending in the fractional reserve banking system. As the supply of medium and long-term government bonds decreases, their prices increase. This leads to a decrease in their yield; yields are often a determinant of long-term interest rates, mortgages and most business lending. Since it is easier for individuals to borrow money, consumer wealth increases, which leads to investment and consumption increases as well. Risks include the policy being more effective than intended, spurring  hyperinflation, or the risk of not being effective enough, if banks opt simply to pocket the additional cash in order to increase their capital reserves in a climate of increasing defaults in their present loan portfolio. In the quantitative easing process, the Fed goes to a network of dealers, in search of Treasury bonds. The Fed buys the bonds in a competitive bidding process between the approved bond dealers. The Fed takes a bond certificate and gives the dealers freshly printed US dollars. The transactions are done electronically, but it is still referred to as printed money. The US  Federal Reserve  held between $700 billion and $800 billion of Treasury notes on its balance sheet before the current recession. In late November 2008, the Fed started buying $600 billion in  Mortgage-backed securities. By March 2009, it held $1. 75 trillion of bank debt, MBS, and Treasury notes, and reached a peak of $2. 1 trillion in June 2010. The primary dealers can offer to sell the Fed bonds held by their clients. The newly printed money moves from the Fed, to the dealer, to the client’s brokerage account. Cash is moving directly into the real economy. The customer can buy another bond, buy stocks, use it at the grocery store, or simply keep the cash. Right now, however, cash is earning next to nothing, so investors are motivated to find alternative stores of value. They are motivated to spend or invest their cash. With an ongoing battle taking place between inflationary and deflationary forces in the economy and financial markets, it is extremely important for investors to understand how â€Å"quantitave easing† programs will impact their investments and their long term purchasing power. Since quantitative easing represents a threat to our wealth based on its potential adverse impact, this topic warrants serious attention above and beyond a boilerplate analysis. Common references to â€Å"cash sitting at banks† will give investors a poor read on what quantitative easing is and the possible ramifications for our portfolios and the economy. In order to put QE in context, I will discuss the Japanese deflationary spiral of the ‘90s. Japan suffered from stagflation throughout the 1990’s, so the Bank of Japan instituted a quantitative easing program of its own, referred to as QEP. The QEP consisted of three key elements: â€Å"(1) The BOJ changed its main operating target from the uncollateralized overnight call rate to the outstanding current account balances (CABs) held by financial institutions at the BOJ (i. e. , bank reserves), and ultimately boosted the CAB well in excess of required reserves. 2) The BOJ boosted its purchases of government bonds, including long-term JGBs, and some other assets, in order to help achieve the targeted increases in CABs. (3) The BOJ committed to maintain the QEP until the core CPI (which in Japan is defined to exclude perishables but not energy) stopped declining. † The effect of the Bank of Japan’s liquidity injections on bank lending was muted by the substitut ion of central bank liquidity for interbank liquidity. Second, despite the dampening of the stimulus from the liquidity injections due to this substitution, there was a positive and significant effect of liquidity on bank lending. This implies that quantitative easing can affect the supply of credit, particularly during periods of financial stress. However, the overall effect was fairly small, so that huge amounts of liquidity would have been needed to achieve noticeable effects. Third, weak banks benefited more from QEP than stronger banks. However, â€Å"the rapid unwinding of liquidity infusions observed at the conclusion of QEP had little impact on lending growth once bank health and confidence in the banking system had been restored. † It is possible that QEP exerted ositive effects, but that these were simply overwhelmed by the drag on total spending coming from weakness in the banking sector and balance sheet problems among households and firms. Since there are a number of ways that QEP may have stimulated spending, we can infer that the QE programs in the United States will stimulate some spending as well, but perhaps we will overestimate the effects just like Japan did years ago. When you consi der some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds may participate in QE, you can understand the potentially broad impact of the Fed’s actions. The largest ones control billions of dollars. With the currency risk involved when foreigners hold treasury bonds, it is not a stretch to believe that some sovereign wealth funds will be interested in selling some of their treasuries to the Fed in exchange for newly printed US dollars. They may also quickly exchange the cash for gold, silver, copper, oil or stocks to reduce their currency risk. Fears of future inflation can make cash unattractive in the eyes of investors and consumers. A big part of the Fed’s approach is to increase the expectations of future inflation since it can change the investing and buying habits of businesses and consumers. Since there are many unknowns, and many moving parts, listen with skepticism to anyone who claims to know the long term impacts of QE programs on both the financial markets and the economy. † We need to better understand the QE process, and monitor and assess the market’s reaction to details as they are released by the Fed. We must be willing to make inflationary a nd deflationary adjustments based on market internals and economic data. Adopting a â€Å"QE will work or won’t work† approach in advance would be highly speculative. Flexibility is always important in the markets, but maybe more so when it comes to the possible long term impacts of QE. This newly printed money will find its way around the globe, impacting currencies, commodities, and foreign stock markets. According to Brian P. Sack of the NYFRB, â€Å"The effect of asset purchases on the economy remains a point of ongoing debate, with some uncertainty about the channels through which such purchases operate and the magnitude of those effects†¦ In particular, by purchasing longer term securities, the Federal Reserve removes duration risk form the market, which should help reduce the term premium that investors demand for holding longer term securities. That effect should, in turn, oost other asset prices, as those investors displaced by the Fed’s purchases would likely seek to hold alternative types of securities. † â€Å"Nevertheless, balance sheet policy can still lower longer-term borrowing costs for many households and businesses, and it adds to household wealth by keeping asset prices higher than they otherwise would be. It seems highly unli kely that the economy is completely insensitive to borrowing costs and wealth, or to other changes in broad financial conditions. † Notice the references to â€Å"boosting asset prices,† and â€Å"lowering borrowing costs,† and â€Å"adding to household wealth by keeping asset prices higher. From Mr. Sack’s perspective, the Fed buys intermediate term treasuries, which drives down the yield for new investors. Mr. Sack hypothesizes that those new investors will decide to purchase other bonds, perhaps with longer maturities as they search for higher yields. As the Fed pushes demand to other areas of the bond market, longer term interest rates would fall. As new investors look at their options, they may decide to purchase other high yielding assets since the Fed’s actions have made yields on more conservative investments unattractive. Since the Fed promises to remain in the market with QE for an extended period, the risk associated with holding stocks, higher yielding bonds, commodities, precious metals and real estate are reduced. If you think in extremes, if the Fed stated that all treasuries would pay no interest for the next 5 years, investors would move into investments with more risk in search of higher yields. A good way to summarize QE is as follows: QE attempts to lower long term interest rates, keep them low for a pre-defined period of time, while pouring cash into the economy in an effort to boost consumption and investment. Like gold, US dollars have value only to the extent that they are strictly limited in supply. The government has technology that allows it to produce as many US dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost. By increasing the number of US dollars in circulation, or by threatening to do so, the US government can reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is the same as raising the price in dollars of those goods and services. Thus, we can conclude that, under a paper money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence, positive inflation. The important takeaway is the concept, which is to print money, and devalue the purchasing power of US dollars in your wallet/bank account. Based on the government and Fed’s extreme actions during the financial crisis, it is safe to say that we have a determined government. Investors cannot underestimate how determined our government will be, in terms of â€Å"how much money are they willing to print? † and â€Å"what assets are they willing to buy? † For example, if buying T-bonds doesn’t work, what prevents them from moving to corporate bonds, stocks, residential housing, or commercial real estate? That sounds extreme, but five or six years ago, having the Fed buy treasury bonds or having the government take over AIG seemed extreme. But that happened right before our eyes. A problem around the globe is weak balance sheets from consumers to corporations to municipalities all the way up to the United States’ assets and liabilities ledger. There are two ways to address weak balance sheets. You can attack the asset side or the liability side. During recessions, bad debt is removed from the system when entities go out of business, defaulting on their debts. This is a painful part of a recession, but is necessary to allow capital to reform, which eventually leads to new investment and sustainable economic growth. The hard way to address our problems with balance sheets is to let those who deserve to fail go out of business. Unfortunately for the country’s long term outlook, the hard way, or short term pain, does not sit well with those in positions of power—especially politicians, who are always concerned about the next election. This is a huge flaw: we need to think in terms of what is best for the future of our country instead of thinking in the short term. If we need to reduce our standard of living in order to combat the national deficit, then so be it. Americans need to stop complaining about the recessionary conditions and must make sacrifices now in order to guarantee future standards of living. In order to understand all of the bailouts, government takeovers, and money printing, you basically need to think about powerful people in business and government who are simply trying to stay in power, regardless of whether or not their actions are in the best long term interest of shareholders, taxpayers, and ordinary hard working citizens. These comments do not apply to the select few in positions of power who still make decisions based upon sound principles and integrity, but most politicians do not. I’ll stay away from this topic because it is a political issue, but quite relevant so I felt it was worth mentioning. In a healthy credit market, banks lend while consumers and businesses borrow to invest and consume. Demand, based upon available credit, boosts asset prices and profits. As asset prices rise, balance sheets strengthen. With healthy balance sheets, businesses and consumers feel wealthy, and borrow more, invest more, and consume more. This is known as the wealth effect. As asset prices rise, the collateral backing the loans remains sound, allowing the banks to lend even more, and around and around we go, until credit causes the creation of too much supply. A good example is the recent overbuilding in the housing market. Then asset prices begin to fall. Now the wealth effect becomes the reverse wealth effect, as consumers, businesses, and banks begin to see their net worth deteriorate. When the Fed lowers interest rates, they attempt to spur borrowing and lending. This, in turn, can get the wealth effect back into gear, as borrowed money creates demand for goods, services, and assets. In the present day, traditional banks are reluctant to lend, and many consumers either don’t want a loan, or cannot get a loan. In this environment, the Fed, via QE, is trying to spark the wealth effect by attempting to re-inflate asset prices. QE II refers to the decision in November 2010 in which the FOMC announced the purchases of 600 billion longer-term treasury debt. A fair question to ask is, â€Å"Why did we pursue QEII? There are several reasons the government went through with another round of QE. Firstly, the Japanese experience with mild deflation and a near-zero nominal interest rate has been poor. Second, inflation in the US was close to the implicit FOMC inflation target during the first part of 2010. However, during 2010, a renewed disinflation trend developed and the recovery slowed down in the summer of ’10. These developments leav e the US at risk of a Japanese-style outcome. Was QEII effective? The financial markets effects of QEII looked the same as if the FOMC had reduced the policy rate substantially. Specifically, real interest rates declined, the dollar depreciated, and equity prices rose. These are the classic financial market effects one might observe when the Fed eases monetary policy in ordinary times (in an interest rate targeting environment). The QEII experience shows that monetary policy can be eased aggressively even when the policy rate is near zero. However, it is difficult to observe the overall effects of QE and QEII because of the lags involved. Effects on the real economy would be expected to lag by six to twelve months. Real effects are difficult to disentangle because other shocks hit the economy in the meantime. This happened, apparently, during the first half of 2011, and is a standard problem in evaluating monetary policy. Overall, QE2 has shown that the Fed can conduct an effective monetary stabilization policy even when policy rates are near zero. Now I will discuss investment strategies for inflationary and deflationary outcomes of quantitative easing. Inflationary and deflationary forces coupled with possible Fed intervention require a flexible approach to financial markets. Common sense tells us that money printing is probably not the path to long term prosperity, but I do believe QE can impact asset prices in a manner not fully understood by many individual investors as well as many financial advisors. If the Fed is successful for a period of time, I would invest in inflation friendly and weak-dollar assets such as gold, silver, copper, oil, and emerging market stocks. If the Fed fails in the long run, then a deflationary spiral may be the outcome, making cash, gold, dividend payers, conservative bonds, and CDs attractive. Middle of the road choices include utilities, consumer staples stocks, and other dividend payers. Financial markets tend to anticipate Fed announcements. We always have to be on our toes for information/news relevant to QE. If you read the writings of Ben Bernanke and more recently writings by James Bullard, you know the Federal Reserve is willing to use every tool and printing press in their arsenal in attempt to re-inflate asset prices and restore some semblance of the wealth effect. However, we must understand that the Fed faces high hurdles, in the form of mountains of global debt and fragile asset prices. So far, the U. S. has been able to get away with massive debts and unsustainable deficits for one simple reason. The U. S. dollar is still the world’s reserve currency, as it has been effectively since World War II and literally since the early 1970? s. Because all governments and banks in the world accept and hold U. S. dollars as the majority of their reserves, the United States is able to simply print more money whenever it cannot afford to pay for things that it needs. Besides this, the country can borrow money in its own currency at incredibly low interest rates that we have seen approach almost zero. US citizens personally benefit in another critical way every time that they stop to get gas. With the U. S. dollar as the international reserve currency, oil and almost all  commodities  are all priced in dollars. As a result, you see an enormous amount of inexpensive goods available. Food items and other items that use oil/gas as inputs are extremely cheap. This makes restaurants and other attractions affordable in America. The level of wealth seen in the United States is simply unprecedented, and most of this results from the benefits of the dollar as universal reserve currency. There will be dramatic consequences difficult to imagine if the dollar finally ceases to be the reserve currency of the world. Should this happen, then the value of the dollar will plummet. The immediate painful effects will be that commodities prices skyrocket. These would no longer be priced in U. S. dollars, and you would see the falling value of the dollar buy fewer and fewer commodities. Gasoline at five to ten dollars a gallon is not only possible, but highly likely. Along with higher gas prices, we could see higher prices for anything that uses oil to ship goods around the world. This means practically everything that you buy would all cost dramatically more. As prices skyrocket, your lifestyle would sustain a punishing drop overnight. This is a very scary succession of possible events. Unfortunately, this is not the only consequence that you would see of a dollar that is no longer the reserve currency of the world. Interest rates would rise dramatically. They could easily reach ten to fifteen percent. This would wreck the housing market far worse than it is today. It would also cause the stock market to crash by almost half in a number of weeks. As the costs of supplies and materials go up with the falling currency value, businesses would be forced to cut back on  employees  because of their falling sales. Unemployment could reach twenty to thirty percent or more as a result of this. As if this is not bad enough,  inflation  would be sky high along with the rising prices and disappearing jobs. It is important to remember that the only thing that has to occur for all of these terrible things to happen is for other countries to prefer to be paid in anything besides U. S. Dollars. In the event that non-United States holders of dollar-denominated assets decided to shift holdings to assets denominated in other currencies, there could be serious consequences for the US economy. The possibility of QE3 has some serious implications, although Bernanke has denied that there will be another round easing. The dollar has plunged nearly 20% against the euro over the last year and a half, a period that includes the run-up to and aftermath of the last round of quantitative easing, the Fed's $600 billion bond-buying program known as QE2. But a QE3 may not pack the same dollar-slamming punch. If there is a QE3, the dollar's fall could easily approach 10% on a trade-weighted basis against rival currencies, said David Woo, head of G-10 global rates and currencies research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. But â€Å"the market is now more skeptical of the benefits of QE for the economy,† Mr. Woo said. â€Å"It is possible that by extension this means any short-term [dollar] decline on the back of QE3 will be also more limited. † Instead of QE3, Bernanke and the Fed decided to implement â€Å"Operation Twist,† a widely expected stimulus move reviving a policy from the 1960s. The policy involves selling $400 billion in short-term Treasuries in exchange for the same amount of longer-term bonds, starting in October and ending in June 2012. While the move does not mean the Fed will pump additional money into the economy, it is designed to lower yields on long-term bonds, while keeping short-term rates little changed. The intent is to thereby push down interest rates on everything from mortgages to business loans, giving consumers and companies an additional incentive to borrow and spend money. Some reputable names believe the dollar is going to depreciate in value over the next decade or two. Bestselling authors Robert Wiedemer of â€Å"Aftershock† and David Skarica of â€Å"The Great Super Cycle† both forecasted the housing collapse, financial crisis, and stock market collapse years ahead of them happening. They are calling for a collapse of the dollar. This could lead to many unsophisticated investors to â€Å"hop on the train†, causing a swing in technical expectations. QE attempts to lower long term interest rates, keep them low for a fairly well-understood period of time, while flooding the economy with cash in an effort to boost consumption and investment. In my opinion, quantitative easing in the US was a mild success. The markets were in a state of flux and we needed to do something. QE2 was necessary because we needed to increase the scale to which the LSAPs (large scale asset purchases) affected the economy. As for QE3, I don’t believe it is in our country’s best interest, because it would show even greater weakness, leading many foreign investors to flee from the dollar. Somewhere down the line, I predict that the IMF will attempt to overtake the dollar as the world reserve currency, but it certainly won’t happen overnight. If this happens, Americans will have to downgrade their wealthy standard of living due to increased commodity prices. However, I don’t believe the US Dollar will lose its currency reserve status anytime soon, nor do I believe that QE3 will happen. My recommendation is to continue QE in small amounts, unwinding it under Bernanke’s plan from his September speech in Minneapolis. Bernanke has stated that there will be no more easing, but you never know with the â€Å"Bernanke, Obama, Geithner brain trust. † Thus, our best option is to remain flexible in our policy schemes and monitor and react to relevant news as best as we can. Ben Bernanke concludes his Minneapolis speech in an attempt to reassure us that our country will be okay. â€Å"The Federal Reserve will certainly do all that it can to help restore high rates of growth and employment in a context of price stability. † Let us hope they act with rationality and in the best interest of the long term growth and stability of our economy. If America is ever going to dig itself out of the enormous debts it has taken, we must not devalue the dollar to the point that it is phased out as the world reserve currency. Perhaps a downgrade in American’s standard of living is necessary to reduce the deficit by a significant enough margin. There is some hope for a return to prosperity and consistent growth, but Americans need to be aware of the implications of QE on their portfolios and their long term purchasing power. Works Cited 1. United States. Richmond Federal Reserve. By Thomas M. Humphrey. The Theory of Multiple Expansion of Deposits: What It Is and Whence It Came. Mar. -Apr. 1987. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 2. A QE1 Timeline. † Calculated Risk, 03 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 3. Ciovacco, Chris. â€Å"Video Series: Quantitative Easing. † Ciovacco Capital Management. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 4. Sack, Brian P. â€Å"Managing the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet – Federal Reserve Bank of New York. â€Å"Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 04 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 5. Bowman, David, Fang Cai, Sally Davies, and Steven Kamin. Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidenc e from Japan. †Ã‚  Www. federalreserve. gov. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. federalreserve. gov/pubs/ifdp/2011/1018/ifdp1018. pdf;. 6. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. â€Å"Foreign Exchange Report. The Wall Street Journal, 02 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. 7. Herold, Thomas. â€Å"What If The U. S. Dollar Loses Reserve Currency Status? † Wealth Building Course, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. wealthbuildingcourse. om/dollar-loses-reserve-currency-status. html;. 8. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 30 June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://research. stlouisfed. org/econ/bullard/pdf/Bullard_QE_Conference_June_30_2011_Final. pdf;. 9. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan†, in  NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2009  (2010), Univ ersity of Chicago Press   http://www. nber. org/papers/w15565 10. Cronin, Brenda. â€Å"Slow-Paced Recovery Feels Like a Recession. † The Wall Street Journal, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 011. ;http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052970203499704576623053674426690. html;. 11. Fontevecchia, Agustino. â€Å"Central Banks Dump Treasuries As Dollar's Reserve Currency Status Fades. † Forbes, 03 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. forbes. com/sites/afontevecchia/2011/03/16/central-banks-dump-treasuries-as-dollars-reserve-currency-status-fades/;. 12. Case, Karl E. , John M. Quigley, and Robert J. Shiller. Wealth Effects Revisited. Yale University, Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. ;http://cowles. econ. yale. edu/P/cd/d17b/d1784. pdf;. 13. Rooney, Ben. IMF Discusses Plan to Replace Dollar as Reserve Currency. † CNNMoney, 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 14. Weisenthal, Joe. â€Å"This Is How The Dollar Could Lose Its Reserve Currency Status. † Business Insider, 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 15. Bernanke, Ben. â€Å"The U. S. Economic Outlook–September 8, 2011. † Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 08 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . 16. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † Business Insider, 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 17. Johnson, Andrew J. â€Å"Sizing Up Dollar's Pain From a QE3. † The Wall Street Journal, 05 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. . 18. Censky, Annalyn. â€Å"Federal Reserve Launches Operation Twist. † CNNMoney, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 011. . ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Richmond Federal Reserve. By Thomas M. Humphrey. The Theory of Multiple Expansion of Deposits: What It Is and Whence It Came. [ 2 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 3 ]. Calculated Risk. â€Å"A Q E1 Timeline. † [ 4 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing, Chris Ciovacco [ 5 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing. Chris Ciovacco [ 6 ]. Bowman, â€Å"Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidence from Japan. [ 7 ]. Bowman, â€Å"Quantitative Easing and Bank Lending: Evidence from Japan. †Ã‚   [ 8 ]. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † [ 9 ]. Hamilton, James. â€Å"5 Key Arguments Against Quantitative Easing. † [ 10 ]. Sack, Brian P. â€Å"Managing the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet [ 11 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 12 ]. Wieland, Volker. â€Å"Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan† [ 13 ]. Cronin, Brenda. â€Å"Slow-Paced Recovery Feels Like a Recession. † [ 14 ]. Case, Karl E. , John M. Quigley, and Robert J. Shiller. Wealth Effects Revisited. [ 15 ]. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † [ 16 ]. Bullard, James. â€Å"QE2: An Assessment. † [ 17 ]. Videos: Quantitative Easing, Chris Ciovacco [ 18 ]. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. † [ 19 ]. Fontevecchia, Agustino. â€Å"Central Banks Dump Treasuries As Dollar's Reserve Currency Status Fades. † [ 20 ]. Eichengreen, Barry. â€Å"Dollar's Reign as World's Main Reserve Currency Is Near an End. † [ 21 ]. Weisenthal, Joe. â€Å"This Is How The Dollar Could Lose Its Reserve Currency Status. † [ 22 ]. Rooney, Ben. â€Å"IMF

Whats a Good PSAT Score for 2018

What's a Good PSAT Score for 2018 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The 2018 PSAT is coming up in mid-to-late October,and scores should come out by mid-December. When you get your score report, you'll see a bunch of different kinds of scores, including your total score (out of 1520), your section scores (out of 760), and your Selection Index (out of 228). Sorting through all of this data to figure out what's a good PSAT score can be tricky, so we've written this guide to understanding your PSAT score report. We'll begin with a quick run-through of the different types of PSAT scores, then get into how you can figure out how your score compares to that of other students. Breakdown of PSAT Score Types When you first look at it, your PSAT score report might seem a bit intimidating. All the information in it is intended to help you, but it can be hard to figure out what it means and how well you did if you don't understand what each score type actually shows. PSAT score reports have six main kinds of data: scaled total scores, section scores, raw scores, subscores, Selection Index, and percentiles. Here’s a quick rundown of what all of these terms mean and what their ranges are: Scaled total score: Your total score on the PSAT, ranging between 320 and 1520. Half of your total score comes from Math and the other half comes from Evidence-based Reading and Writing (which is a combination of the Reading and Writing and Language sections). Scaled section scores: Two scores, one for Math and one for Evidence-based Reading and Writing. Both of these scores fall between 160 and 760. Section (test) scores: Three scores: one for Math, one for Reading, and one for Writing and Language. All section scores fall between 8 and 38. Subscores: Seven scores, each on a scale of 1 to 15. Subscores tell you how you did on certain types of questions, some of which appear across two or more sections of the PSAT. You’ll get a subscore for questions that fallinto these seven categories: Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Expression of Ideas, Standard English Conventions, Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. Raw scores: Three scores, one for each PSAT section, representing the number of questions you got right. The ranges for raw scores vary by section. You can get a maximum raw score of 48 for Math, 47 for Reading, and 44 for Writing and Language. Selection Index: One score that ranges from 48 to 228. Your selection index is the sum of your three section scores between 8 and 38 multiplied by 2: (Math section score + Reading section score + Writing section score) x 2 = Selection Index The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses the Selection Index to determine whether test takers qualify as Commended Students or Semifinalists. Percentiles: Ranking of your performance compared to that of other test-takers. Percentiles tell you what percentage of other students you scored the same as or better than. If you score in the 80th percentile, then you scored the same as or better than 80% of other test-takers. There it is- all of the categories of data on your PSAT score report, explained. The next step is understanding what information in your score report matters the most for you. Out of all six kinds of data, which are the most important? Which PSAT Scores Are Most Important? All of the data on your PSAT score report is useful in one way or another, but the most important numbers are your scaled total score and scaled section scores. As you saw above, the highest you can score on the PSAT is 1520 overall or 760 on Math and 760 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. While as you take the test there are separately timed sections for Reading and Writing and Language, your scores on these sections are combined into one scaled section score (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing). As a result, your total PSAT score is 50% Math and 50% Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Another piece of information that's important for students competing for a National Merit Scholarship is your Selection Index. To make sure students from across the country are represented in the National Merit Scholarship contest, the NMSC sets different cutoffs in each state to determine which students become Commended Scholars and which become Semifinalists. The top 1% of scorers in each state are named Semifinalists, who then apply to become Finalists and win scholarship money. As for the other score data on your score report? We recommend using your non-scaled section scores, raw scores, and subscores to get detailed insight into how you did on each section and question type on the PSAT. Understanding what kinds of PSAT questions you got wrong is especially helpfulwhen you go on to study for the SAT, as this understanding of your strengths and weaknesses as a test-taker can point you towards where you need to focus your studying. For example, having a higher Math score and a lower Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score indicates that you need to focus more on the Reading and Writing sections. This is fine, but still kind of broadthat's 2/3 of the test! However, if you go deeper into your score report by checking your raw scores and subscores, you might discover that what you really need to work on is a specific type of question in the Writing and Language section (e.g. Command of Evidence questions). Now that you have the tools to sort through your PSAT score report, let’s go back to our original, million-dollar question: what makes a good score on the PSAT? Read on to find out. What's a Good Score on the PSAT? What Does That Mean? Before we can answer thequestion of what a good score on the PSAT is, we need to define what we mean by a "good score."Since everyone has different goals for the PSAT, a good score for one student may be a disappointing score for another. To figure out what a good PSAT score is, let's consider a couple of different ways a score could be "good." First, we could define â€Å"good† as meaning that you scored better than 50% or more of other test-takers. Based on this definition, we can use percentiles to figure out what makes an above-average PSAT score. Second, we can define â€Å"good† PSAT scores as scores thatqualifyfor National Merit. Actually, qualifying for National Merit means that you got excellent, amazing, near-perfect PSAT scores. What the exact scores you should aim for to qualify for National Merit is something we'll talk about in a little bit. Finally, because the PSAT is very similar to the SAT, we can use the PSAT to determine whether or not you're on track to get the SAT scores you need for the colleges you want to apply to. Figuring this out means understanding what kinds of SAT scores colleges are looking for. Let’s start by considering PSAT percentiles. How do PSAT scores correspond to percentiles? Full Chart of PSAT Score Percentiles PSAT percentiles tell you how well you did in comparison to others who took the test. For instance, if your score is in the 81st percentile, you did as well as or better than 81% of test takers (and worse than 19% of test takers). The top percentile on the PSAT is the 99th percentile. However, you don’t need a perfect PSAT score to get into the 99th percentile. We don’t have percentile data yet for the October 2018 PSAT, but we can get an idea of what to expect by looking at percentiles from the 2017 PSAT. Here’s the full chart that shows how PSAT scaled section scores compare, usingpercentiles: PSAT Section Score Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Percentile Math Percentile 760 99+ 99+ 750 99+ 99 740 99 98 730 99 97 720 98 97 710 97 96 700 96 95 690 95 95 680 94 94 670 93 93 660 91 92 650 90 91 640 88 90 630 86 89 620 84 87 610 82 85 600 79 84 590 77 81 580 74 79 570 71 75 560 67 72 550 64 68 540 60 65 530 57 61 520 53 58 510 50 55 500 46 52 490 43 47 480 40 43 470 36 39 460 33 35 450 30 32 440 28 28 430 25 25 420 22 23 410 19 19 400 17 16 390 15 13 380 12 10 370 10 8 360 8 7 350 6 4 340 5 4 330 3 3 320 2 2 310 2 2 300 1 1 290 1 1 280 1 1 270 1- 1 260 1- 1- 250 1- 1- 240 1- 1- 230 1- 1- 220 1- 1- 210 1- 1- 200 1- 1- 190 1- 1- 180 1- 1- 170 1- 1- 160 1- 1- Via CollegeBoard.org As the chart above shows, percentiles are distributed slightly differently for Math and Evidence-based Reading and Writing, with Math being a little more competitive at most score levels. For example, an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 730 ranks in the 99th percentile, whereas you’d need a 750 to get into the 99th percentile for Math. This difference shows that more students get higher scores in Math than they do in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (indicating that EBRW is in fact harder to do well on for most students). Using the PSAT percentile chart as a reference, we'll next discuss what you have to score in each section to get a "good" PSAT score (aka a score in a higher-than-average percentile). What Is a Good 2018 PSAT Score, Based on Percentiles? If we define a good PSAT score as a score that fewer than half of students get, we can use percentiles to figure out what exact score you'd need to rank higher than the majority of other test-takers. For the PSAT, to rank in the 50th percentile, you’d need at least a 510 in Reading and Writing and a 500 in Math. What if you want to rank in the 70th, 80th, 90th, or even 99th percentile? Here are the section scores you’d need to score as well as or higher than other students at those levels. Percentile Reading and Writing Score Math Score Composite Score 70% 570 560 1120 80% 610 590 1180 90% 650 640 1280 99% 730 750 1450 Oddly enough, you have to score slightly higher in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing than in Math to make it into the 70th, 80th, and 90th percentiles. To make it into the 99th percentile, though, you’d have to score 20 points higher in Math than in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. If you’re a strong test-taker aiming for National Merit, then a good PSAT score for you will be one that qualifies you for Commended Student or Semifinalist. Read on to learn what is a good PSAT score for National Merit distinction. What’s a Good 2018 PSAT Score for National Merit? The National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards students who get top scores on the PSAT a couple of different titles. Students who score in the top third to fourth percentile of all PSAT test takers are named Commended Students, while students whose PSAT scores are in the top 1%ile are named Semifinalists. However, rather than relying on PSAT percentiles, NMSC uses students' Selection Index to determine which students qualify for which honor. Each state has its own Selection Index cutoff that students need to make to qualify for National Merit. Before we go through the cutoffs for each state, though, let's quickly review how to calculate your PSAT Selection Index. How Is the Selection Index Calculated? Once you know your 8-38 scale Math, Reading, and Writing and Language scores, you can easily calculate your Selection Index score. Simply add your section scores for Reading, Writing and Language, and Math together, and then multiply the entire sum by 2 to get your Selection Index Score. Let’s say you got a 37 in Reading, a 38 in Writing and Language, and a 31 in Math. Here’s how you would figure out your Selection Index. Section Score Sum x 2 Selection Index Score Reading 37 (37 + 38 + 31) x 2 = 212 Writing and Language 38 Math 31 By adding together and doubling your section scores, you get a Selection Index of 212. Does this score qualify you to be a National Merit Semifinalist? It depends on where in the U.S. you live. Keep reading for the full chart that shows the qualifying cutoff scores for National Merit in each state. Qualifying PSAT Scores for National Merit, State by State We've created a chart that shows the Selection Index score you need to qualify for Semifinalist in everystate. While NMSC doesn't release a full list of cutoffs, they will tell you what the score cutoff is for your state (if you took the PSAT as a junior that year). Because of this, the data in the chart below is crowdsourced from individuals across the country. If any of the cutoffs are wrong, let us know in the comments! You can also confirm your own state's Selection Index cutoff by calling NMSC at (847) 866-5100. Here’s the full list of state cutoffs to qualify for National Merit Semifinalist. State PSAT Cutoff for National Merit Semifinalist Alabama 216 Alaska 215 Arizona 220 Arkansas 214 California 223 Colorado 221 Connecticut 222 Delaware 222 DC 223 Florida 219 Georgia 220 Hawaii 220 Idaho 214 Illinois 221 Indiana 219 Iowa 216 Kansas 218 Kentucky 218 Louisiana 217 Maine 217 Maryland 223 Massachusetts 223 Michigan 219 Minnesota 220 Mississippi 215 Missouri 217 Montana 214 Nebraska 216 Nevada 218 New Hampshire 219 New Jersey 223 New Mexico 215 New York 221 North Carolina 220 North Dakota 212 Ohio 219 Oklahoma 215 Oregon 221 Pennsylvania 220 Rhode Island 220 South Carolina 216 South Dakota 215 Tennessee 219 Texas 221 Utah 215 Vermont 216 Virginia 222 Washington 222 West Virginia 212 Wisconsin 216 Wyoming 212 Average Score 218 On average, students need a Selection Index score of 218 to become National Merit Semifinalists. If you live in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Washington, DC, then you need to meet the highest cutoff of 223 to qualify for National Merit. The highest possible Selection Index is 228, so getting a 223 or above requires getting at least a 37 (out of 38!) on all three PSAT sections. If you haven't taken the PSAT yet and are aiming for National Merit, I'd recommend aiming for a PSAT score that's at least two to five points higher than your state's cutoff on this list. The cutoffs can fluctuate a bit from year to year, depending on how students around the country do on the PSAT/NMSQT. Once you know what the Selection Index cutoff is for your state, how can you figure out what scores you need to qualify for National Merit? Your cutoff score for National Merit depends on what state you live in. How to Calculate Your Target Scores for National Merit If you haven't taken the PSAT yet and are aiming for National Merit, this section is for you. Earlier, you learned how to convert your PSAT section scores into the Selection Index. If you know what Selection Index you’re aiming for, all you need to do now is work backwardto figure out your target section scores. Remember how you needed to add your section scores together and then double that sum to get your Selection Index? Working backward just means dividing your Selection Index by two and then further splitting that quotient into three. Let’s say you live in North Dakota. To qualify for National Merit, students who took the PSAT in 2017 needed a Selection Index score of 212. To be on the safe side, you'll want to aim for at least a 216 as your target score (just in case the cutoff fluctuates). Our first step, then, is to divide 216 by 2. 216 / 2 = 108. Now you know that your section scores in Reading, Writing and Language, and Math need to add up to 108. You can also figure out what section score you need for each section (Math, Reading, and Writing and Language) by dividing 108 by three. 108 / 3 = 36 However, not everyone is equally strong at math and reading and writing. You might be able to aim a little higher in Math and a little lower in Reading and Writing and Language, or vice versa. As long as your section scores still add up to 108, you’ll still get a Selection Index of 216 and potentially qualify for National Merit. Once you understand what total section scores you need, you can adjust your target scores among the three PSAT sections however you want. Set realistic goals for yourself based on your own math, reading, and writing skills. Of course, only a small fraction of students who take the PSAT do so with the intent of becoming National Merit Semifinalists. And only 16,000 of the 1.6 million who take the PSAT will receive this distinction. Disappointed with your PSAT performance? Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: We've already discussed how a good PSAT score could be one that is better than what most students get or one that qualifies you to become a National Merit Semifinalist. We'll now go into the third and final way of defining a good PSAT score, which is a score that shows you’re on track to achieving your SAT goals and getting into college. What Is a Good PSAT Score for College? Since the PSAT is extremely similar to the SAT, your performance on the PSAT can help predict your SAT score. Almost everyone's score goes up if they take these kinds of standardized tests more than once, sothe PSAT is a useful trial run. As a result, if you take the PSAT first you'll likely score higher on the SAT than you would if you hadn't taken the PSAT. You can use your PSAT score report to see your current scoring level and findout what skills you need to improve to hit your target SAT scores. To figure out your target SAT scores, you'll need to do some college research. Find schools that you’re interested in and look up the average SAT scores of accepted students. You can then use this information to set your own SAT score goals. Once you know what scores you need to get into your colleges of interest, you can use your PSAT score report to design a study plan. Use the data provided by section scores and subscores to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, then type yourself up a personalized SAT study plan that targets your weak areas. Depending on how much you want to improve, you can roughly predict how much time you'll need to set aside to prep. Here’s an estimate of how many hours you need to study to improve different increments on the SAT. 0-50 SAT composite (out of 1600) point improvement: 10 hours 50-100 point improvement: 20 hours 100-200 point improvement: 40 hours 200-300 point improvement: 80 hours 300-500 point improvement: 150 hours+ If you’re already scoring close to your target SAT scores on the PSAT, then you can feel satisfied with your PSAT scores. But if you fell short by a hundred points, then you need to kick your test prep into gear and devote several hours a week to getting ready for the SAT. Fortunately, if you have months to prepare and use that time effectively, you can definitely see a big improvement in both your skills as a test-taker and your SAT score. Your PSAT score report offers a useful starting point for your SAT prep. Whether or not you think you did well on the PSAT, you can still achieve a good score on the SAT with enough commitment. In closing, we'll go over the key points you need to remember about what a good score for the 2018 PSAT is. What SAT score do you need to be a good candidate for your dream school? Your PSAT scores can help you achieve your dream. 2018 PSAT Scores: Key Takeaways If you take the PSAT in 2018, you'll get your scores back mid-December. The score report you get might be confusing at first, but you now know what PSAT scaled scores, section scores, and subscores mean (and you can always use this article as a refresher if you forget!). Students aiming for National Merit should also check Selection Index score to see if it's above past years' qualifying scores for their state. Everyone has their own definition for what is aâ€Å"good† PSAT score. For example, what you might think a good score could simply be one that's higher than most other students' scores. In that case, you can use percentiles to figure out what makes a good score on the PSAT. If you’re a high-achieving student who has spent time prepping for the PSAT, then a good score for you might mean receiving National Merit distinction. National Merit is extremely competitive and only top scorers across the country get named Commended Scholars and Semifinalists. Before taking the PSAT, you should use the Selection Index cutoff for your state to set your PSAT score goals. Finally, scoring well on the PSAT can inform how you prep for the SAT. You can set a PSAT score goal based on the SAT score you'll need for your eventual college applications. If you make it, then great; if not, you'll then know you need to put in more time prepping for the SAT to get into the sweet spot for the colleges you want to apply to. Taking the PSAT can tell you about your strong and weak areas (which you can use for the PSAT prep) as well as qualifying you as a National Merit Semifinalist. In the end, you should decide what a good PSAT score for you is based on your personal goals and plans. What’s Next? Once you're named a National Merit Semifinalist, what's the next step? Find out how to move on in the competition and win scholarship money with our complete guide on how to become a National Merit Finalist. How does the PSAT differ from the SAT? Should you prep for both at once or one at a time? Learn more about the similarities and differences between the PSAT and SAT here. How much time do you need to set aside to get a killer SAT score? We advise you how much ahead of time to start prepping and how long you need to study for the SAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Important Health-Related English Vocabulary

Important Health-Related English Vocabulary Learning to express yourself in English when talking about your health can be difficult. While you dont need to understand the more technical, scientific, or medical language doctors and other healthcare providers use, it is helpful to know basic health-related vocabulary. This page provides some of the most common English  vocabulary used to talk about health and healthcare. Youll find important categories with an example sentence to help show context for each word provided in this vocabulary overview.   Illnesses Ache - The ache is getting worse. What should I do?Earache - Ive got a horrible ear ache today.Headache - I woke up with a pounding headache this morning.Stomach ache - Dont eat too much chocolate or youll get a stomach ache.Toothache - Go to the dentist for your toothache.Cancer - Cancer seems to be the plague of modern life.Cold - People sometimes work if theyve only got a cold.Cough - He has a strong cough. He should take some cough syrup.Flu - Its common to feel aches and pains, as well as have a slight fever when youve got the flu.Heart attack - A heart attack doesnt need to be fatal in modern times.Heart disease - Heart disease affects a lot of families.  Infection - Make sure to clean the wound so you dont get an infectionInfectious disease - She caught an infectious disease at school.Pain - Where do you feel the pain?Virus - There is a virus going around at work. Take lots of vitamins. Minor Injuries Bruise - I have this bruise from hitting myself with a door!Cut - Put a bandage on your cut.Graze - Thats just a graze. Its nothing serious.Wound - That wound needs to be treated by a doctor. Go to the emergency room. Medical Treatment Bandage - Use this bandage to stop the bleeding.Check-up - I have a check-up next month.  Dose (of medicine) - Make sure to take your dose of medicine at ten oclock.Drugs - The doctor can prescribe drugs if necessary.  Injection - Some medicine is given by injection.Medicine - Regularly take the medicine and you should have no problems.Operation - Ron has a serious operation on Friday.  Pain-killer - Opiates are a type of pain-killer that can be very addictive.  Pill - Take one pill before you go to bed.Tablet - Take one tablet with each meal.Tranquilizer - This tranquilizer will calm your nerves so you can rest. People in Healthcare Dentist - The dentist gave me a check-up and cleaned my teeth.Doctor - The doctor can see you now.General Practitioner - Most families have a general practitioner to help them with most needs.  Midwife - Many women choose to have a midwife help with the birth of their baby.  Nurse - The nurse will come in to check on you every hour.Patient - The patient has a broken rib and nose.Specialist - The specialist was excellent but extremely expensive.  Surgeon - Surgeons need to have nerves of steel as they cut into the flesh during an operation. Places in Healthcare Hospital - Ill meet you at the hospital and we can stop in to see Peter whos recovering from surgery.Operating Room - The surgeon entered the operating​ room and began the operationWaiting Room - You can sit in the waiting room until hes finished.Ward - Mr. Smith is in the ward at the end of the hall. Health-Related Verbs Catch - Most people catch a cold from time to time.Cure - It took the doctor six months to cure the illness.Heal - A wound can take a long time to heal.Hurt - The boy hurt his ankle playing basketball.Injure - I injured myself climbing a tree!Operate on - The surgeon will operate on the patient at three oclock.Prescribe - The doctor prescribed an antibiotic to help the wound heal.Treat - Well treat anyone who has a health issue. Health-Related Adjectives Fit - Hes a fit young man. He shouldnt be worried.Ill - Unfortunately, she looks ill today.Sick - Do you feel sick?Healthy - Eat healthy food and get regular exercise.  Unhealthy - Eating fatty foods and lots of sweets is very unhealthy.Painful - The painful arm was held in a cast.Unwell - Many students are feeling unwell.Well - I hope you get well soon.

A Guide to Chinese Citizenship

A Guide to Chinese Citizenship The ins and outs of Chinese citizenship are outlined in China’s Nationality Law, which was adopted by the National People’s Congress on September 10, 1980. The law includes 18 articles that broadly explain China’s citizenship policies. Here is a quick breakdown of these articles. General Facts According to Article 2, China is a unitary multinational state. This means that all nationalities, or ethnic minorities, that exist within China have Chinese citizenship.   China does not allow dual citizenship, as stated in Article 3. Who Qualifies For Chinese Citizenship? Article 4 states that a person born in China to at least one parent who is a Chinese national is a Chinese citizen.   On a similar note, Article 5 says that a person born outside of China to at least one parent who is a Chinese national is a Chinese citizen- unless one parent has settled outside of China and has acquired foreign nationality status.   According to Article 6, a person born in China to stateless parents or parents of uncertain nationality who have settled in China will have Chinese citizenship. (Article 6) Renouncing Chinese Citizenship A Chinese national who voluntarily becomes a foreign national in another country will lose Chinese citizenship, as mentioned in Article 9. Additionally, Article 10 states that Chinese nationals can renounce their Chinese citizenship through an application process provided they have settled abroad, have close relatives that are foreign nationals, or have other legitimate reasons.   However, state officials and active military personnel cannot renounce their Chinese nationality according to Article 12. Restoring Chinese Citizenship Article 13 states that those who once held Chinese nationality but are currently foreign nationals can apply to restore Chinese citizenship and renounce their foreign citizenship if there are legitimate reasons.   Can Foreigners Become Chinese Citizens? Article 7 of the Nationality Law states that foreigners who will abide by the Chinese Constitution and laws can apply to be naturalized as Chinese citizens if they meet one of the following conditions: they have close relatives who are Chinese nationals, they have settled in China, or if they have other legitimate reasons. In China, local Public Security Bureaus will accept applications for citizenship. If applicants are abroad, citizenship applications are handled at Chinese embassies and consular offices. After they are submitted, the Ministry of Public Security will examine and approve or dismiss applications. If approved, it will issue a certificate of citizenship. There are other more specific rules for the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

Literature-Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature-Shakespeare - Essay Example A woman who had declined to marry, almost certainly because she would lessen her own status and ability to rule by doing so, although her father’s various mishaps will also have had their influence. At the time most women were in a very restricted place in society, either under the control of their father’s or husbands, and unable to make decisions for themselves In many production of the play the parts of the queen of Athens and that of Titania are played by the same person – does Shakespeare therefore show them as reflecting different parts of the same character? .It should be remembered that it was not until the time of Charles II that women appeared legally on the English stage, so that these parts would have been played originally by young boys. The Plot This is a complex one involving 4 couples , Theseus , Duke of Athens and his bride to be , Hippolyta: Oberon and Titania the fairy king and queen: and two pairs of young people - Hermia and Lysander: Helena and Demetrius. After many tricks and turns, including of course the play within a play, love conquers all. At the beginning Theseus dominates his bride to be, reminding her of how he had wooed her, the queen of the Amazons, :- woo'd thee [Hippolyta] with my sword, And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. (I.i.16-19) Hippolyta is therefore portrayed a conquered former enemy and apparently compliant. Is that how Shakespeare sees royal spouses or merely how he portrays them? He was born after the death of Henry VIII and Mary Tudor had died in his infancy so he had no personal experience to go on. . Hippolyta’s response is minimal, especially as they are interrupted by the entry of others. . He has conquered her by his physical strength. How much choice did she have in the matter? Would the audience understand erotic references in ‘sword’ and ‘injuries’ at a time when chastity in a bride was so prized? She merely discusses the short time left until the wedding. The rulers have had their quarrel and settled it as mature adults before the play begins. They have resolved their own differences. For the others though the action is all ahead of them and they do not have as much control over their own affairs as the rulers enjoy. Hippolyta does not appear again until near the end of the play ( Act iv) when she enters with her husband and Egeus. Theseus comes over as being very much in charge, giving orders to others. To Hippolyta, although he still tells her what is going to happen, he does address her as ‘Fair queen’. Her response is merely to reminisce. In Act v she disagrees with her husband - he thinks the lovers stories are mere fables, but she accepts them as being true witnesses ‘ More witnesses than fancy’s images. However this isn’t an argument really. By the end of the play Hippolyta seems merely world weary. She wants the rustic’s play to be over - Act V , scene 1, ‘I am a weary of this moon, would he but change’ and ‘I hope she will be brief.’ She criticizes ‘ His speech was like a tangled chain’ ‘ It is after all her wedding night. There are more important things to come than watching a silly and badly done play about thwarted lovers. Hermia The play is very much of its time . Rulers, if not Elizabeth I, did marry for political reasons. For others there was not much more choice. The idea of young people marrying because they were passionately in love was still an alien

The impact of law and legislation on Close Protection Essay

The impact of law and legislation on Close Protection - Essay Example The training programme for the licensing of CPOs includes various areas of focus like first aid, health and safety communications, conflict management, and knowledge of the relevant legislation, among others. (The Katana Specialist Security website) An important part of this training deals with familiarizing the CPO with various aspects of law that are significant to his/her field of work. This paper will focus on these legislations that impact the work of a CPO. The paper will first will discuss the role of CPOs and the various aspects of civil and criminal law that have a direct relevance to their work. Some of the relevant laws that will be dealt with include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Act and the Health and Safety Act, the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 and the Public Entertainment License (Drugs Misuse) Act 1997, The paper will also deal with several issues pertaining to the responsibilities of a CPO. Some of the aspects include the 'use of force', and ensuring the maintenance and practice of safety systems. Another key aspect covered is dealing with drugs and drug addicts. The paper will conclude with a discussion of how a CPO is in a position of great responsibility and why the knowledge of relevant legislations can make a significant difference to the performance of a CPO. The Security Industry Authority states that the purpose of Close Protection ... The first prerequisite is an understanding of the various aspects of the civil and criminal laws. The CPO must always act within the limitations set by these laws. The Human Rights Act of 1998 is perhaps the most important and fundamental among the laws of significance to a CPO. Article 2 of Chapter 42 of this act deals with the 'Right to Life'. A CPO must understand that his/her prerogative is to protect life as specified by this law. A basic understanding of what comprises criminal law is also important for a CPO. Several acts are classified as 'crimes' under the criminal law. The definition of these is very significant, as the nature and seriousness of these offences are varied. A petty theft is less serious and a 'minor' crime, when compared to rape or murder. (University of London External Programme) In the context of his/her responsibilities, it is essential for a CPO to understand the definition, nature and impact of several acts of crime like theft, burglary, aggravated burglary, and robbery. Offenses like obtaining property by deception, intent to endanger life, and holding offensive weapons are also crimes that could have serious consequences. The CPO must understand the significance of his/her role when dealing with such crimes, and must take care to act within the boundaries of the law. In the course of duty, the CPO may be faced with situations when the use of force is essential. To keep within the limits of the law, he/she must remember the specifications in the Human Rights Act of 1998, which state that force can be used under circumstances where it is 'more than absolutely necessary'. Section 3 the Criminal Law of 1967 deals in detail with the issue

How I Dress and Customize Myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How I Dress and Customize Myself - Essay Example My dressing manifests the decency, the body exposure, and the minimum dressing requirements that my religion and culture accepts. Indeed, my personal beliefs and values also define the tightness and type of clothes that I should put on. Actually, I put on clothes that will not expose or outline my body since that is against my personal beliefs and values. I dress to achieve and maintain my dignity and to respect mu cultural values. I also dress to support my personal belief of being joyful every day since that gives me energy for the day. I also dress to express my love for style. Personally, I do not envy body adornment like tattoos because I have a personal belief that they do not reflect decency, they are against my cultural values, and are equally painful. Nevertheless, I put on watches to support my personal belief of keeping time. I also have a personal belief of drawing attention and hence I dress to be stylish and attract attention. RESPONSE 2 I make these dressing and body a dornment to express my emotions. Moreover, my dressing decisions and choices seek to justify my beliefs and values. At the same time, I make these choices to abide by the lessons that my parents have taught me for years. Indeed, I seek to copy my parents’ dressing tastes as they reflect our cultural values. I also make these choices to avoid the recurrence of my own life experiences where my dressing embarrassed me. Additionally, in my dressing I present my class and respect for others. My choices also seek to dress appropriately for the occasion and venue where places like class, church, workplace, and sports ground require different clothing choices. Moreover, I make these choices for the sake of my health and manners where body adornments like tattoos maybe unhealthy and undignified. I also dress to achieve my professional requirement of decency. RESPONSE 3 Indeed, my dressing and body adornment have changed over the years. The surrounding, my parents, and peers influenced my dressing and body adornment choices. As I moved from one college to another, this changed my environment as well as my experiences on dressing. Indeed, I moved to a place where the dressing was more liberal than my hometown and I had to adapt to that norm. My experience of people who are no afraid to express their beliefs through dressing also motivated me to change my dressing for purposes of expressing my personal beliefs and values. As such, I have changed my dressing to reflect the local dressing ways. My peers have also changed my way of dressing as I sought to identify with them. Indeed, over the years I have had different peers with different dressing styles, which I have respectively adopted. I have also been copying my parents dressing which have changed overtime but remained decent. Moreover, as l grow and mature I gained the capacity to make my own dressing decisions, which manifest in the changes in my dressing. Ultimately, when I got a corporate job, I had to change my dressing choices thus reflecting how my dressing has changed over the years. RESPONSE 4 The core beliefs and values in my family were dignity, professionalism, decency, and emphasis on respectable and appropriate dressing. Ideally, dressing and body customization communicated these beliefs and values. My parents wore nice and decent clothes to work which reflected their professionalism and respect for others. They put on shirts, trousers, and skirts that reflected their decency and dignity. Moreover, even during holidays and outings, my parents always dressed appropriately and I had to adopt their dressing behavior as it maintained our core beliefs and values. Additionally, my parents never had tattoos because they believed that tattoos did not reflect