The Intelligent Civil Rights Activist By Frederick Douglass

The intelligent civil rights activist Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland on February 1818. His born given name, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, seemed to be a fairytale name to an unusual life because his father was a white planation owner who was most likely Douglass s first slave master, named Captain Anthony. Possibly it was Harriet Bailey who gave her son Frederick such a distinguished name wishing that his life would be superior than hers. His mother couldn’t imagine that her son s life would continue to be a foundation of awareness and motivation for all abolitionists. It would be hard to find anyone who symbolizes the Black History Month theme, like Frederick Douglass when he fled the terrors of slavery to relish a life of liberty and freedom, but his exceptional personal ambition to attain justice and freedom for slaves and all Africans led him to dedicate his life to the abolition of slavery and the crusade for civil rights. His outrageous orat ory skills and unexpected achievements shaped a legacy that leads his inspiration across the centuries, making Frederick Douglass a role model for the rest of eternity, especially to those who saw him as savior like figure. When it comes to slave history in America, Frederick Douglass should be the first name to pop into your head. One reason Douglass s story remains to prosper is that his life symbolizes the American dream of overcoming difficulties and reaching greatness. At a young age heShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglass And The Fight For Women s Suffrage1357 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass was a major black-male voice in the fight for women’s suffrage. Douglass unlike many men believed that women too were people and deserved all of the rights a man was given. He believed this because black men were previously apart from the equality of all men, and they too should be apart in gaining this equality for all. Douglass, along with other strong willed women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, among others, they became the forefrontRead MoreEssay about The Virtrues of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass543 Words   |  3 PagesThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin seem to prove to everyone how articulate, intelligent and sophisticated this man w as. He wrote about the trials he underwent to become the writer he is known as today. He even was so intelligent he sought out to publish in his autobiography what virtues would have you â€Å"arriving at the door of moral perfection† (90). He wanted to show everyone that becoming perfect wasnt as arduous as everyone had thought. Benjamin Franklin was true Renaissance Man born at aRead MoreBiography of Fredrick Douglass1294 Words   |  5 Pagesthe people that fought for equality. Fredrick Douglass arguably had the greatest impact on American society, especially African American society, in the nineteenth century. Douglass is credited as being an abolitionist, author, editor, and diplomat. He used literature, books, newspapers, and even speeches, to leave a long lasting mark on our society. Douglass advised presidents and lectured to thousands about different causes, including women’s rights. A cause he felt a strong connection with wasRead MoreFrederick Douglass : A Old Man At The Age Of 201654 Words   |  7 PagesFrederick Douglass, The History Frederick Douglass was one of the staples in African American history and was a well-educated anti-slavery activist that was passionate in African American’s freedom. At a young age, Douglass was thrust into the world of slavery but, nevertheless, was able to escape enslavement and become a powerful, anti-slavery and civil rights activist. Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, the abolitionist who was able to finally become a free man at the age of 20, was aRead MoreThe Meaning Of Freedom940 Words   |  4 PagesDespite disagreements about rights given to black Americans after the Civil War, white Americans and black Americans agreed on the meaning of freedom during and after the Civil War to a moderate extent. However, there were many ambivalent feelings in the ways in which the two groups agreed and disagreed. Foremost, one must consider the meaning of freedom. Throughout the Civil War, the meaning of freedom, and the meaning of equality, kept changing. This can be seen through the passage of the thirteenthRead MoreThe New Land Of America Essay1619 Words   |  7 PagesThere were those that were for slavery and those that were against. These conflicting points of view were one of the reasons for the Civil War. There was the North who was the proponents for free people and there was the South that was unwilling to abolish slavery. Both the North and the South fought eventually leading to the North’s victory over the south; after the Civil War slavery officially abolished but the ideologies of slavery still lingered in America and with the people creating problems forRead MoreElizabeth Cady Stanton : Women s Rights1922 Words   |  8 Pagesof America by succeeding in her work to guarantee rights for women and slaves. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader in the 19th century for women ’s activist and women’s suffrage leader. As an active American abolitionist, she gave many lectures and wrote books. Among those fighting for women’s rights, she was a primary leader. Though she was interested in women’s rights from many perspectives, Elizabeth realized that success hinged on women’s right to vote. Elizabeth often worked with Susan B. AnthonyRead MoreEssay Life and Work of Martin Luther King Jr.2061 Words   |  9 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist from the 1950’s to 1968 with a strong religious background. A strong advocator for all minorities, King did all in his power to end barriers of community; poverty, racism and militarism. The principle he focused more on, however, was racism. King defined racism as prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, or discrimination against disabled groups and stereotypes. Later turning his efforts toRead MoreE ssay on Anna Julia Cooper2476 Words   |  10 Pagesdevelopments in African-American and Ameri can life during the century following emancipation. Like W.E.B. DuBois, Coopers life is framed by especially momentous years in U.S. history: the final years of slavery and the climactic years of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Coopers eclect ic and influential career mirrored the times. Although her life was privileged in relation to those of the majority of African-Americans, Cooper shared in the experiences of wrenching change, elevating promiseRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesMichael Adas for the American Historical Association TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS PHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas for the American Historical Association. p. cm.—(Critical perspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical

Essay on Smoking In Public Places Should Be Banned

Smoking In Public Places Should Be Banned There should be rules enforced for smoking in public places. Smokers just do not know the negative influence they are spreading. A puff of cigarette can harm a smokers health. When I go to a restaurant I do not like to leave smelling like smoke. It is the same going to a garbage dump, and smelling like garbage. I am not a smoker, and I cannot stand having the stench of smoke on my clothes. The smell of smoke is not harmful, but secondhand smoke is. Smokers should not be able to smoke in the public vicinity. Smokers are spreading harmful chemicals into my lungs. Smokers should respect a non-smokers health. The risk of cigarette smoke is deadly to an human beings lungs. For a smoker to be†¦show more content†¦Those who tried their first cigarette did so under the influence. If the smokers were not around the public smoking, I believe we would see less people try their first cigarette. Someone who tried their first cigarette did so because they felt pressured when around all th e smokers. Smoking is addictive and smokers cannot go within an hour of not smoking a cigarette. If smokers did not have an area where they could smoke then less people would smoke, and influence another individual to smoke also. The effects of a smoker can damage someone’s health, habit, and life. The average person consumes smoke without even taking a puff of the cigarette. There are many risks when people smoke in front of a non-smoker’s face such as liver disease, cancer, and a bad colon. An average person breathes in smoke unconsciously, and secondhand smoke has become a major issue in America. Being in the presence of non-smoker can he harmful, and some people do not even realize it. Although some people are comfortable with a smoker blowing smoke in their face, what they do not realize is the consequence of their health. Smokers should be aware of how they affecting a person’s lungs. In conclusion, smokers should not smoke in public, or around non-smokers . Smokers do not care about the smoke that comes from their cigarette is affecting another life. Just because you are in a non-smoking section, it doesShow MoreRelatedShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?941 Words   |  4 Pagesindividuals get older they try to cope with the stresses of everyday life by continuing to smoking. It makes them feel more relaxed and at ease. Whatever the reason is, it is a hard habit to break once one starts. For many smokers today it is getting hard to find a place to smoke. Comedians joke about going to another planet just to light up. Smoking should be banned in public places because smoking is just as bad for nonsmokers as it is for smokers. The effects of secondhand smoke orRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?864 Words   |  4 PagesSmoking is one of the practices which is considered highly dangerous to our health because it impacts the smoker and the people around them. There are approximately one billion smokers. Smoking is a big issue that the nonsmoker faces. For example, when the smokers smoke in public places like restaurants, universities and other public places it hurts the non-smoker. The non-smoker breathing the cigarette, marijuana or hookah smoke from the smoker do both of them are breathing toxic chemicals. In aRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?950 Words   |  4 Pagesday I walk in to public place with a friend right away we sat down to eat, we were having a conversation later we smell cigarette smoke in the air. I start coughing from the smell of smoke. I also notice a lot of customers who like eating dinner at a public place smoking cigarette. Smoking is a big health p roblem I feel it is not fair to take away cigarette for people who smoke in American who desire smoke cigarette. Even thought the same as the concession is able to be taking place on this topicRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?885 Words   |  4 Pagesday I walk into public place with a friend right away we sat down to eat, we were having a conversation later we smell cigarette smoke in the air. I start coughing from the smell of smoke. I also notice a lot of customers who like eating dinner at a public place smoking cigarette. Smoking is a big health problem I feel it is not fair to take away cigarette for people who smoke in American who desire smoke cigarette. Even thought the same as the concession is able to be taking place on this topicRead MoreSmoking in Public Places Should Be Banned Essay474 Words   |  2 PagesSmoking in Public Places Should Be Banned I feel very strongly that smoking in public places should be banned. I will list my reasons for my thinking below and explain why I think this. I cannot stand walking down a street behind someone who is smoking. Every time they exhale I then have to walk into a cloud of their smoke. My clothes smell, because they have been saturated with the smoke, it gets into my hair too. It also affects my health. It was found that sevenRead MoreSmoking Should be Banned in Public Places Essays1464 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the past few decades it has come to light that smoking kills. The federal government mandates that every pack of cigarettes carry a warning on it that smoking can lead to health problems including death. But the messages are rather clinical, for example: â€Å"Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.† Smoking is a danger to one’s own health but there is now evidence that smoking can affect others as well. Second hand smoke has been shown to cause cancerRead MoreEssay Smoking Should NOT Be Banned in Public Places730 Words   |  3 PagesSmoking Should Not Be Banned in Restaurants      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the perfect situation, smoking policy would be set by bar or restaurant owners, and customers would patronize the establishments with the policy they prefer. Customers would decide-without the governments help-if they want to avoid smoke-filled rooms or enter them. They might even choose to sit in an area sectioned off for smokers or non-smokers, but the ultimate issue is choice (Ruwart 1). When the government starts telling restaurantRead MoreEssay about Smoking In Public Places Should be Banned766 Words   |  4 Pages Do you mind people smoking around you in public places? According to the pro-smoking group Air Initiative 7 in 10 of you do. Do you think it is fair to discriminate against smokers, forcing them to stand outside and smoke? On the other hand is it fair that non-smokers should have to inhale second hand smoke which can dame their health? (Do you support this ban or do you oppose it?) Personally I oppose it as I believe that non-smokers shouldn†™t be subjected to a smoky environment on a night out.Read MoreNationwide Smoking Ban: Smoking Should be Banned in All Public Places899 Words   |  4 Pagesthe public about its dangers in 1972 (Schick Glantz, 2005). Do people knowingly have the right to put others’ health at risk? No, they do not. Exposure to cigarette smoke is a public health risk. Therefore, smoking should be banned in all public places, nationwide. There has been no attempt to impose a national smoking ban by the U.S. government. All current bans are in place because of state and local legislation. Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights lists the various state and local smoking lawsRead MoreEssay about Smoking Should be Banned in All Public Places1133 Words   |  5 PagesSmoking Should be Banned in All Public Places Every year thousands of people die because of having cancer or other tobacco related illnesses due to smoking. Smoking is seen everywhere from our own television screens to even the world wide web; the internet. Tobacco is the substance that is in these cigarettes. These tobacco products are promoted through tobacco ads that are found almost everywhere you turn. They are in magazines, television screens, on the internet

Essay about Shakespeares Othello Jealousy Sexual in Nature Essay Example For Students

Essay about Shakespeares Othello: Jealousy Sexual in Nature Essay Othello: Jealousy Sexual in Nature  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello manifests a lot of activity motivated by a variety of passions, some good and others not so. Let’s analyze what many critics consider to be the dominant passion on the part of the protagonist’s most significant actions.    A. C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, describes the dominant motivating passion in Othello:    In the second place, there is no subject more exciting than sexual jealousy rising to the pitch of passion; and there can hardly be any spectacle at once so engrossing and so painful as that of a great nature suffering the torment of this passion, and driven by it to a crime which is also a hideous blunder. . . . But jealousy, and especially sexual jealousy, brings with it a sense of shame and humiliation. For this reason it is generally hidden; if we perceive it we ourselves are ashamed and turn our eyes away; and when it is not hidden it commonly stirs contempt as well as pity. Nor is this all. Such jealousy as Othello’s converts human nature into chaos, and liberates the beast in man; and it does this in relation to one of the most intense and also the most ideal of human feelings. (169)    H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, discusses the place of jealousy in the play:    Under the deft ministrations of Iago, we witness a remarkable transformation in him. The man of judgment, the commander â€Å"whom passion could not shake,† becomes a credulous fool, transported with jealous fury, so infatuated that while he demands evidence of Desdemona’s guilt he never sees anything save through Iago’s suggestion, so beguiled that he. . gic Heroes. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1970.    Ferguson, Francis. â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare: The Pattern in His Carpet. N.p. : n.p., 1970.    Gardner, Helen. â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from â€Å"The Noble Moor.† British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.    Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.      Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.

Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy

Many personalities have contributed immensely towards the understanding of the concept of development. Economic development is one of the major pillars that are used in analysing the developmental status of a given nation or continent. A number of theories have been advanced to explain the general economic growth pattern.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper seeks to provide a summary of the content of Chapter 6 in Gilbert Rist’s book, â€Å"The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith†, written by Rostow. The essay will review Rostow’s theory of economic growth which he has categorised into five key stages. Furthermore, it will also highlight Rostow’s opinion on anti-communism versus Marxism without Marx. Finally, two more people, besides Rostow, with different perspectives o f economic growth will be mentioned; Francois Perroux and Dudley Seers. Rostow’s work, just like other theorists, was very influential on policy development especially in the early 1960s. His theory developed initially from lectures that he used to deliver at Cambridge University in 1958 (Rist 93). The focus of the work was on addressing the challenges that were faced then, including European economy, and the impact of the then decolonised states on economy and development. Rostow’s aim was to ensure that a clear pattern of progress was developed towards successful modernisation by the countries of the world. As a result, a philosophy of history focusing on Rostow’s stages of economic growth was developed (Rist 94). The five categories in which a given society can lie are: the traditional society, the preconditions for take-off, the take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass-consumption. His witty use of words to create ‘development’ jargon contributed to the success of the book. Firstly, according to Rostow, traditional society is a form of degree zero of history corresponding to a natural state of ‘underdevelopment’ (Rist 95). He claims that this stage is characterised by the negligence of modern technology by some countries or regions resulting in significantly low-level production compared to other industrialised societies. ‘Primitive’ societies are depicted as fighting against scarcity and thus their need to embrace modern technological means of production. Secondly, the stage of ‘preconditions of take-off’ is characterised by the spread of the idea of the possibility of economic prosperity which is a necessity for other desired societal conditions (Rist 96). This belief results in the disintegration of the traditional societies leading to the creation of a ‘modern culture’. Take-off is the third stage in Rostow’s economic growth model. This stage i s an interval between the old obstacles to steady progress and the eventual triumph (Rist 97). The take-off stage paves way for a steady economic growth in the society. The rise in commercialised production and extensive use of modern technology is a characteristic of the take-off stage.Advertising Looking for article on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fourthly, there is the ‘drive to maturity’ stage which comes immediately after the end of take-off with a period of about forty years in between before maturity is attained. At this level, the society has completely overcome the challenges faced at the traditional level, thanks to the use of new technologies (Rist 97). The last stage of economic growth, in Rostow’s opinion, is ‘the stage of high mass-consumption’. Here, most of the gains from increased productivity are distributed to workers with an aim of increasing consumption (Rist 98 ). Europe and Japan, according to Rostow, entered this stage in the 1960s, a time during which the Soviet Union was striving to achieve. With the belief that growth has no limit, Rostow attempted to superficially offer an explanation of what happens after the ‘final stage’. He said that the future of a given society should fall within the trajectory defined by past experiences. Furthermore, Rostow, in his book, tries to demonstrate how the situation in USSR in the late 1950s ‘deviated’ from the general theory of modernization (Rist 99). He believes that the Soviet Union disintegrated when, instead of entering the stage of mass-consumption, it tried to impose communism on its people. USSR resorted to investing 20% in arms race, and creating a police state to threaten its citizens (Rist 100). Such a situation was only possible for workers in a capitalist state, according to Marx. The response by the nationalists, according to Rostow, helped create the present day Russia. He goes ahead to explain the concept of Marxism and economic growth. Rostow’s stages of economic growth were very popular during his time and were perceived as a prophetic book for the world. However, there were other personalities, though not very popular, who had different perspectives on economic growth and related issues. Francois Perroux exerted significant impact on theories of ‘development’ in France. He criticised classical and neo-classical economics on the basis of their mechanistic concepts of equilibrium which disregards the inequality between actors (Rist 104). He contributed a method of analysing real economics rather than the use of abstract models.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Dudley Seers is another individual who made notable contribution in the field of economic development. He argued that the economics taught in Universities were based on the state of ‘developed’ countries and thus could not be applied in examining the economic growth of ‘underdeveloped’ countries. He strongly objected the universal validity of some economic claims (Rist 106). Seer’s critique was so tough to such an extent that the corporation f economists opted not to respond and avoided controversy (Rist 108). The essay has summarized Rostow’s five stages of economic growth as well the concept of anti-communism versus Marxism in relation to economic growth. It has also mentioned the theoretical contributions of two individuals during Rostow’s time. Work Cited Rist, G. The history of development: from western origins to global faith. Zed Books, 2002, Pp. 93-108. This article on Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy was written and submitted by user Karla Gibson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Goldman Sachs Essays

Goldman Sachs Essays Goldman Sachs Essay Goldman Sachs Essay The Goldman Abacus Fund: Ethics You Can Count On Or Ethics That Don’t Add Up Set Up Imagine a physician is on the golf course with one of his colleagues, who happens to be a cardiologist. Somewhere on the back nine the cardiologist begins to tell the physician about one of his patients, a 52 year old man with blood pressure of 145/99, who is 40 lbs. overweight, chain smokes, and enjoys 7 to 8 martinis a day. In spite of medications, in the words of the cardiologist, the patient is â€Å"a ticking time bomb. The first physician asks for his friend’s patient’s personal information, and after the golf game, goes to see his State farm agent, where he takes out a 1 million dollar life insurance policy on the ‘time bomb† guy. Are the actions of the physician ethical? Taking out such a policy is of course illegal, as the doctor does not have what is known as an insurable interest. But assuming the doctor took no steps to encourage th e man’s death, under the theory of rational egoism his actions would be justified. Furthermore, as macabre as the doctor might seem in betting on the death of another human being, Sternberg would consider his actions to be within the realm of ordinary decency. In 2007, amid historic economic development, a scenario emerged similar to the one just described. Although the players and events were quite different, the same philosophical question was raised: is it ethical to benefit from someone else’s demise. Living in a society riddled with envy and resentment, many onlookers thought so. Two parties in particular did not. They were John Paulson Co. , a hedge fund company established in 1994, and Goldman Sachs Co. a global investment banking and securities firm founded in 1869. The Events The story has its beginnings in 2005 when 49 year old Paulson, a man with a Wall Street reputation of mediocrity, hired an out of work analyst, Paolo Pellegrini. Pellegrini’s job was to crunch numbers on a befuddling trend which â€Å"everyone† seemed to be maki ng money on except Paulson (Zuckerman). After a year’s worth of late nights, Pellegrini determined that not only were housing prices soaring independently of interest rates and well beyond the pace of inflation, but that when the bubble did pop, it would send home prices down more than 40%. : When Pellegrini showed his charts and figures, Paulson couldn’t believe his eyes. Finally the housing market boom made sense to him. What also made sense to him was the market’s inevitable crash. Paulson had to find a way to make money on this prediction. Initially Paulson and Co. bought large lots of credit default swaps, which in effect were insurance policies against â€Å"risky† subprime mortgage debt (Zuckerman). Paulson was paying up to an 8% premium to guarantee against the default of mortgages he didn’t even own. Paulson and Co. spent months accumulating these mortgage insurance policies before deciding that the process was too slow. Paulson needed another way to short the housing market, preferably one with great leverage. A collateralized debt obligation seemed to be the perfect means to Paulson’s desired end. To understand how Paulson was able to make a $15 billion profit on his market prediction, a closer look at the 3 main financial instruments used is needed. Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS), Collateralized Debt Obligations, and Credit Default Swaps are all financial instruments used by both commercial and investment banks. RBMSs are bonds which are backed by a pool of residential mortgages. These bonds have different ratings based on the default risk of the varied prime and subprime mortgages. Even though the initiating bank may continue to service the loan to the homeowner, the mortgage itself will likely end up being sold again and again, often being pooled as an asset base to compose a RMBS. Collateralized Debt Obligations are securities collateralized by debt. Basically, a CDO is where a financial institution bundles a bunch of debt and sells it as a package to other financial institutions (Stephen D. Simpson). CDOs commonly take RMBSs a step further by packaging a series of them into one portfolio. The CDO collects cash from the pool of bonds it contains, and from this cash, distributes interest and principle payments to the CDO’s investors. If the underlying securities fail (as in the case of a defaulted subprime mortgage), the investors lose the money they put into the CDO. In the case of the Goldman Sachs Abacus deal, rather than a cash-based CDO, a synthetic CDO was packaged. A synthetic CDO differs from a CDO in that it does not own the underlying asset (portfolio of bonds). Instead it uses credit default swaps to mimic the risk associated with the assets (bonds) listed in the portfolio. A credit default swap is a means to achieve risk transfer from the bond holder to another party. When a bond holder buys a CDS, he is buying insurance against the bond defaulting, by paying a series of premiums to the CDS seller. In the event of default, the CDS seller must compensate the bond holder with the face value of the bond. Back in 2006, these vehicles were viewed as free money. Many economists and banking institutions believed the U. S. had reached a period of indefinite, sustained growth, meaning the likelihood of mortgage default, even at the subprime level, was low. The top banks, with presumably the most savvy, sophisticated money managers in the world, took advantage of this by heavily participating in these high leverage instruments. In 2005, senior traders from Bear Sterns to Goldman Sachs shared the sentiment that the housing market was solid and in no danger of collapse. By December of 2006 however, though not going public with its stance, Goldman decidedly turned bearish on the mortgage industry. Early in 2007, Paulson approach Goldman requesting that they structure a CDO with (allegedly) the inclusion of 123 hand-picked RBMSs which Paulson believed to be most likely to default (Quinn). He also asked Goldman to help him find another party who would take the other side of his desired market position. Goldman agreed, was paid $15m in fees by Paulson and Co. , and Abacus was born. Goldman assigned 29 year old a junior bond trader named Fabrice Tourre with managing and promoting Abacus to investors. Tourre approached IKB Deutsche Industriebank, who expressed interest only if a third party choose the RMBS. As such, Goldman enlisted ACA management to choose the RMBS which would compose Abacus. At this point, Tourre allegedly led ACA to believe that Paulson was going to invest $200M into Abacus. Thinking this, ACA also directly invested $42m into Abacus and took on the role of insuring $909M worth of credit default swaps; (unknown to ACA, Paulson was on the other side). With a third party (ACA) now selecting the RMBS, Tourre convinced IKB to invest $150M into Abacus. Ultimately these were the events which led the SEC to file charges against Goldman on April 16, 2010. The Outcome A year after Abacus was assembled and marketed, Paulson’s prediction came true. 99% of the CDO had been downgraded, rocketing the value of the credit default swaps he bought. John Paulson netted $1bn. n what Gregory Zuckerman of the Wall Street Journal would call â€Å"the perfect trade. † IKB lost nearly its entire investment of $150M. ACA Management lost $841M. When the dust settled, eyebrows were raised and eventually charges were filed. Goldman was charged with fraud in structuring and marketing of a CDO which was secretly intended to fail. The fraud charge alleged that Goldman allo wed Paulson to strongly influence ACA in selecting the RMBS which would make up Abacus. The charge also alleges that ACA was deceived to think that Paulson had an interest in the CDO’s success rather than failure. Paulson was not charged and has maintained that ACA â€Å"had sole authority over the selection of RMBS in the CDO (Quinn). The Facts ACA Management was both the portfolio selector and the largest investor to Abacus. Owned by one of the largest banks in Europe, ABN Amro, ACA management specialized in CDOs and portfolio selection. Put another way, they knew exactly what they were getting into, they just happened to be wrong. Paulson had been unsuccessfully â€Å"betting against† the housing markets since 2005. During 2006-2007 insurance against defaulting mortgages (CDS) became extremely cheap. During the period, many banks were selling CDS to collect what they saw as low risk insurance premiums. ACA was to collect $1,545,300 in premiums per year through insuring Abacus. Paulson’s role in Abacus was not made clear to investors, but the anonymity he maintained is both legal and commonplace on Wall Street. All the players at the table were among the most sophisticated banking institutions in the world, which could not be better equipped with experts to perform the due diligence of investigating a prospective investment. Ethical Analysis In a 2009 Rolling Stone article, Matt Taibbi accused Goldman Sachs of being â€Å"a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity,† Goldman he states, was the cause of the housing bubble through creation and use of financial instruments such as CDOs and CDSs (TAIBBI). The dramatic description hardly instills an image of ethical behavior. But is it true? Taibbi has it backwards. The Housing and Community Development Acts of 1974, 1982, and 1987 had been making mortgages easier to obtain long before the 1994 invention of Credit Default Swaps, (although the first CDO was issued by Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1987) (Frej). It is because we live in a society where there exists too much envy and resentment that media figures such as Matt Taibbi point the finger at those who succeed, and scream â€Å"hey, that’s not fair! † When people defaulted on their home mortgages, it was not because of Paulson or anyone else making money. It was because of their own greed and desire. People acted like children giving in to the impulse to grab the â€Å"shiny object† i. e. large mortgage, when in fact it was their responsibility to perform due diligence and conclude whether or not such mortgages were financially feasible. Was it unethical for Goldman/Paulson to benefit by means of others’ demise? Just as in the opening example of the patient who was certain to die, so too were historical numbers of mortgages destined for foreclosure. And while wealth creation is not a zero sum game, equity trading often is; every buyer needs a seller. ACA management and IKB were trying to profit by knowingly taking risks. They lost. For Goldman and John Paulson, it was â€Å"just business. † There were no intentions beyond profit maximizing, nor did they act in any unfair or unethical way. Goldman and Paulson did their best to maximize the long term value for their investors in a business designed around risk. In the end it was Paulson and Company’s countless hours of research and study which led them to the decisions they made. Had anyone else done the same, they likely would have gained similar compensation. This would be in line with Sternberg’s principle of distributive justice. Conclusion There has been recent talk from the likes of Warren Buffet to Barack Obama about the evils of complex financial instruments. They say CDOs and CSOs should be banned or at least controlled with more regulation. This is a much too simple solution to the problem of financial responsibility. If CDOs and CSOs get banned, another instrument with the same potential effect (good or bad), will be right around the corner. Living in a period of record government hand-outs, it is no wonder people think everything either is free or obtainable with minimal effort i. e. mortgages. Financial responsibility must be taught at an early age, whether at home or at school. The path away from any future financial crisis will be seen when people have an understanding of money and make gains through distributive justice.

Why are Nursing Home Jobs Getting Tougher to Find

Why are Nursing Home Jobs Getting Tougher to Find There’s constant buzz about the shortage of healthcare providers and bustling job market as we enter an era in which people over the age of 65 will account for nearly 20 percent of the population by the year 2030, according to the Administration on Aging. Picturing a society full of nursing homes overflowing with white-haired seniors? Think again. Nursing homes have been steadily on the decline in this county for years, and there’s no indication of a reversal in sight. Declining along with them? Nursing home jobs. Let’s take a closer look at this phenomenon, and what it means for nurses and other nursing home professionals.The 411 on Nursing Home JobsNursing home and residential care facility jobs fell by a whopping 4,800 jobs this past March, continuing a trend in that sector. The majority of these jobs were in nursing homes - the sole sector that’s seen a decline over the past year.However, health care overall added 22,300 jobs last month, largely drive n by outpatient care options, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. While jobs for nurses and physicians continued to experience growth, nursing homes positions remained the one stagnant area.Why the Decline?Today’s seniors want different things for their retirement, and the stigma of nursing homes weighs heavily upon them. Because people want care that’s closer to home and less â€Å"institutional† in feel, outpatient settings are experiencing significant growth. While this increases the demand for healthcare professionals in ambulatory roles, it decreases jobs for nursing home workers.It’s not exactly a surprise that the decline in nursing home jobs corresponds to other related declines, both in terms of nursing homes as well as older patients in nursing homes. Many healthcare professionals hoping to land nursing home jobs are finding themselves in an unexpected predicament: without job prospects in one of the most sought after sectors.This doesn’t mean they have to settle for the unemployment line, however. Instead, it may mean expanding their search parameters to different settings which offer similar care to older patients.The â€Å"New† Nursing HomePartly in response to demand from patients and partly due to the shrinking of Medicaid financing, many nursing homes are turning to a new model: Managed Care at Home programs. Also referred to as PACE (â€Å"Program of All-INclusive Care for the Elderly,†) this option includes many responsibilities that overlap with those in traditional nursing homes while allowing patients to stay at home. In short: long-term care no longer must take place in a nursing home; rather seniors can now gain access to 24-hour care at home. Many believe that patients can not only gain access to equally quality of care with these Managed Care at Home programs, but will also pay less. It’s no surprise, then, that these programs are expected to continue to grow.While n ursing homes are unlikely to ever disappear completely, competition for nursing home positions will grow steeper. Meanwhile, new career options will skyrocket thanks to a number of factors, including the increasing senior population, the influx of patients into the American healthcare system due to the Affordable Care Act, and the rise in managed care at home programs designed to meet financial concerns and patient needs alike. Trained and flexible healthcare workers will have plenty of options from which to choose.

Eastern Meditation Meets Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Eastern Meditation Meets Christianity - Essay Example This type of meditation is a practical way to achieve real peace of mind, and leads to a deeper wisdom and clearer understanding of the truth. Misconceptions: There are some common misconceptions about meditation in Western countries. Some people think that "meditation is not for them because they are Christians, or that meditation is about just sitting and thinking nothing." In fact, meditation is about reality-seeing things as they are. There are no beliefs to adopt which might conflict with one's religion. Although there are some differences between Christian and Eastern spiritual practice, both of them share many similarities in the practice of listening to the spirit, the method of prayer and meditation and the spiritual and mental changes these bring about. All religious traditions, not only Buddhism and Christianity have different processes, movements and transformations for seeking answers from spiritual sources. Each faith tradition has grown over so many centuries and has been practiced in different societies and cultures. There is a fundamental difference between Christianity and Buddhism. The Buddha teaches people to remain fully in the realm of human experience, but Christ offers us a hope outside ourselves. The hope of a Christian is to have faith in God and Jesus Christ, but not in man or the earthly life. One of the main goals of meditation is to learn by observing what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our mind and our worlds. The continual process of meditation greatly enhances our understanding of things around us. However, Christians mainly focus on developing more faith and a better relationship with God and Jesus Christ through prayer, using this to communicate with God, and possibly receive a personal revelation from Him, described sometimes as the Spirit of the Lord. But if we look at how people participate in meditation and prayer, we can highlight the similarities between the Buddhist and Christian approaches to spiritual practices. Meditation can lead to spiritual communion with God through the Holy Spirit. President David O. McKay (date) from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints explains We pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion. Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as a form of private devotion, or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued refection on some religious theme. Even Jesus Christ also meditated during the forty days of fasting; he communed with himself and his father, and contemplated upon the responsibility of his great mission. One result of this spiritual communion was such strength as enabled him to say to temper "...Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only salt thou serve." (Matthew 4:10.) What is Meditation: In Buddhism, meditation plays an important role in developing peace, compassion and awareness. Challenges and afflictions in life make the Kositjaroenkul 3 heart yearn for the a perfection of peace, a pure love from someone, and compassion flowing through our hearts. When beginning the process of meditation, a person will focus on clearing the minds from everything around them. It is a moment of peace, calmness and mindfulness. The next part of the