Sunday, December 29, 2019

Juggling Online Classes and Work

Almost 20 million students are enrolled in college, according to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics. Close to 2.5 million college students are enrolled in distance learning programs, and the vast majority of them are working adults. Staying abreast of academic requirements is a job in itself, but for students trying to balance a job while pursuing a college degree, it’s a Herculean task. Fortunately, with some planning and discipline, there are ways to successfully juggle both school and work.   Dr. Beverly Magda is the associate provost for strategic partnerships at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Harrisburg, PA, and has over 15 years of experience in higher education with a focus on non-traditional, adult learners, continuing education, and online education. She believes that there are three keys to achieving success while working and taking online classes. Change Your Mindset One advantage of distance learning is the lack of time spent commuting to a college campus. Also, students can usually view classes at their convenience. As a result, there is a tendency to view this type of learning as easier, and this mentality can set students up for failure if they take a lackadaisical approach to their studies. â€Å"Students must set aside time weekly, if not a few minutes daily, to dedicate to the online courses,† Magda tells ThoughtCo, adding that online courses – whether core requirements or not - entail more time than most people realize. â€Å"Students think online courses will be easier, but once they get into them, they realize the courses take more work and concentration.† Its a sentiment shared by Dr. Terry DiPaolo, executive dean for online instructional services for the LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications at Dallas County Community College District. First, study of any kind isnt easy - it requires a great deal of time, commitment and perseverance, DiPaolo explains.  Ã‚   In some ways, studying online can be harder for some students - feeling isolated from instructors and feeling like they dont get a chance to really to get to know others students is something online students commonly report. Organize/Get a Head Start Staying on top of assignments is critical, and getting ahead can provide a cushion if something unexpected arises (such as contracting a 3-day virus or a temporary increase in work demands). Magda recommends that students start thinking of ways to get ahead. â€Å"As soon as you sign up for the course, read the syllabus and think about what work you can do ahead of time and do it.† Dawn Spaar also works at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Spaar is the director of adult and professional studies, and she tells ThoughtCo that students need to organize and prioritize their academic work. â€Å"Decide what needs to be done today versus next week instead of procrastinating or cramming at the last minute.† Some assignments may include group projects. â€Å"Coordinate early with classmates for group work and/or to get together to finalize an assignment,† Spaar recommends. Creating an effective calendar system will also help students hone their study habits during this juggling act. â€Å"Organize and plan—plan your semester on a calendar that incorporates due dates for projects at work, travel, your childs events, and other events.† Manage Your Time There are 24 hours in a day, and there’s nothing you can do to add more hours. However, as performance coach Michael Altshuler says, â€Å"The bad news is time flies; the good news is youre the pilot.† Managing your time and honing your study habits may be the most difficult part of the juggling online classes and working. â€Å"First, make a plan for the times and places you can complete school work with no or minimal interruptions,† Spaar advises. â€Å"For example, you may find it best to study late at night or early in the morning when the kids are asleep.† Also, Spaar says don’t be afraid to ask your family for some alone time.   While it’s important to stick to your schedule, that’s easier said than done. â€Å"You can be sure that something will tempt you away, but be firm and stick with plan,† according to Spaar. And if you get off track, be willing to make the necessary adjustments. â€Å"Eliminate a favorite TV show and catch it later, and put off the laundry for another day,† she says. The good news is that you don’t need large chunks of time. For example, Spaar recommends finding a quiet place at work to study during lunch breaks. In fact, Dan Marano, director of User Experience at Cengage, tells ThoughtCo that students can study in 15-minute spurts. â€Å"You don’t need to have marathon cram sessions or pull all-nighters to get school work done,† he says. â€Å"Make the most of your commute on public transportation and time spent waiting in line to fit in readings and quick reviews of your course materials.† And Marano advises students to take advantage of the various tools that may be available through online programs. â€Å"For example, many digital course materials come with free mobile apps that make catching up on readings or studying in short bursts easy and convenient on your mobile device, no matter where you are.† Marano warns against underestimating the impact of these short intervals of time – and he says they help students to avoid getting burned out.   The final step in time management may sound contradictory, but you need to schedule breaks. Marano explains, â€Å"Make the most of your free time by planning a fun or relaxing activity ahead of time so you feel less inclined to take unnecessary breaks.† Several studies have shown that taking breaks can boost productivity levels. By effectively managing your free-time and scheduling designated breaks from schoolwork, you can avoid procrastinating and actually increase your productivity level and also spur creativity.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Pulp Fiction Vs. Kill Bill - 1694 Words

Pulp Fiction Vs. Kill Bill I was a little late on the Kill Bill train and did not watch the movie until last year. As soon as the film started, I knew that it was going to be extremely intense. The same goes for Pulp Fiction. These two films directed by Quentin Tarantino were very different from all the other films that I’ve seen in my life. The mise en scene, dialogue, and music, were all different factors that intrigued me. I watched Pulp Fiction after watching Kill Bill and at first I thought that Pulp Fiction was an odd spin off to Kill Bill or that it took place in the same kind of universe because the worlds are so similar, the characters are just as intense, and the amount of violence was just as common. These are just a few things that make Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill similar. In this essay I will be discussing more similarities and slight differences between the two films. Kill Bill is about a woman named â€Å"The Bride† who was a member of an assassination squ ad before getting pregnant. Once she found out that she was pregnant, she decided to leave her killer life behind. She flew to Texas and met a young man and planned to get married. Unfortunately, on her wedding day, her jealous ex killed her husband and took her somewhere that is not revealed to the audience. The Bride woke up four years later without her baby and quickly set her agenda on getting revenge on everyone involved in ruining her life. As a side note, Uma Thurman played the main characters in bothShow MoreRelated The Legend of Ed Gein and His Filmic Rebirth Essay1992 Words   |  8 PagesThe Legend of Ed Gein and His Filmic Rebirth So you want to hear a legend hmm? Well, Ill give you what you want, but taint nothin ‘bout it fiction. Now, you one of them scholarly types aint ya–college and libraries and all that crap, right? Well, college kiddy you may think you know it all, but I know a thing or two about a thing or two. You havent seen nothin. You dont know a damn thing until you step right into the path of a cold-blooded killer. ‘Til you look that crazy sumabitchRead 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 Pagesrulers and the local, colonized people in offices, shops, industries, and schools, although not as much in recreation. The results of this interaction were unpredictable. In addition to the social science literature, biographies, autobiographies, fiction, drama, and films are filled with the stories of indigenous people and colonial rulers who were transformed in one way or another through their interactions with the diverse residents and the institutions of the European colonial cities, often

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Putting an End to Deforestation - 1941 Words

Putting an end to deforestation has been a political goal for many years. The forest provides us with essential materials that we need for our everyday lives, like paper. It is a source of renewable energy for some people and it has become one of their main sources for food and living. Wood is also still the main source today in heating and cooking. Demand for wood products is increasing in these past few years. Trade in forest products increased by 15 percent in 2010. (Global Forest Product Trade Slows on Weak Demand From China, EU, USDA) It contributes to more than 4% of global trade. The restoration of the forests would provide economic benefits up to $80 million. Moreover, deforestation can also result in species extinction because the habitats of animals are destroyed by wildfires. Most importantly, it affects us as humans because the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is lessened. Therefore, deforestation is a global major problem because it increases the chances of global warm ing occurring and forests should be sustained because they benefit the economy and the environment by providing us essential materials, habitats for animals, and the basic necessity we need in order to survive, oxygen. Firstly, there are many factors that contribute to deforestation, the main one being for agricultural reasons. People would cut down trees to make land for homing and land available to farmers that want to grow crops. As cities are growing and more buildings are being built, moreShow MoreRelated Deforestation and the Elimination of Natural Habitats Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pagesand loss of the natural habitats and forests that prevent these catastrophes. Anti-deforestation activists struggle for the protection of animals? natural habitats and forests, arguing that their loss is irreparable and the Earth will become unable to sustain a sufficient balance. In turn, this endangers the human race. In defense of deforestation, logging companies and other companies that profit from deforestation argue that they replant that which is lost at a rate faster than they are cuttingRead MoreClimate Change Is Caused By Humans1339 Words   |  6 PagesClimate change used to happen naturally, but right now we are having the first climate change that has been caused by humans. Humans have are the key reason to climate change right now, and it is because of the massive amounts of pollutants we are putting into our atmosphere. Gasses like methane and carbon dioxide are causing the Earth’s temperature to rise 1.53 degrees fahrenheit from 1880 to 2012. 3. Climate change is causing natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and droughts which are affectingRead MoreRecycling For Sustainability And Commerce Essay1287 Words   |  6 Pagesyear in the United States ends up in one of the over 3500 landfills (Center for Sustainability Commerce). This trash that ends up in the landfill consist of metals, steel and aluminum can, plastic bottles, and paper along with other miscellaneous items. The issue with this is that the majority of these items will never decompose and just sit in the ground forever. While other items like paper will eventually decompose there is still a better alternative than putting it into a landfill. This alternativeRead MoreGlobal Warming : Global Climate Change1209 Words   |  5 Pageseffect is gradually increasing the temperature of the earth because humans are constantly burning natural gases and oils, greenhouse gases being trapped in the atmosphere, deforestation, and the lower-level atmosphere is expand ing exponentially. These every day routines may not seem as if they are effecting anything, but in the end this change in the global climate could harm the lives of all people and living organisms. According to the Environmental Protection Agency â€Å"Carbon Dioxide is the primaryRead MoreGlobal Warming Is A Big Problem1320 Words   |  6 Pagesgreenhouse gases created. Another big solution to global warming is stopping deforestation, which is cutting down trees or forests for land. Deforestation has a large impact on global warming for example, †Tropical deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s heat-trapping emissions — equivalent to the annual tailpipe emissions of 600 million average U.S. cars†(Global Warming Solutions. Union). The main reason deforestation occurs is so the land can be used for farming or to build houses onRead MoreAnalysis Of Earth s Blanket 1253 Words   |  6 Pagesto the National Geographic, one of the largest scientific and education intuitions in the World, deforestation is clearing Earth s forest on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the land, (National Geographic, Deforestation). This plays a very critical role in the greenhouse effect, since trees absorb the many greenhouse gases that fuel global warming (National Geographic, Deforestation). According to our book, Ongoing monitoring by the United Nations indicates that the extent ofRead MoreClimate Changes And Climate Change Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pagesit? Well, in both cases we would be right. The climate change can be affected by natural factors, such as solar output, volcanic eruptions, and the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Also, climate change can be affected by human activities such as, deforestation, burning fossil fuels, causing ozone hole, and building mass destructive weapons and using them on earth that causes a huge radioactivity on earth. Currently, the threat of global climate change does not threaten some nations to the extent of othersRead MoreStrategic Interagency Board On International Climate Investment972 Words   |  4 PagesU.S. will recognize and respect the natural resource rights of those developing countries. Both of these objectives seem noble, but they are broad and contradictory. By helping developing countries reduce deforestation, greenhouse gases wi ll lower, but the bill itself states that deforestation in developing countries is not the major culprit in climate change, however the bill is still more focused on adapting developing countries than the U.S. who is the bigger culprit. Additionally, the U.S. promisesRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Deforestation1399 Words   |  6 Pagesclean water and air. Deforestation is occurring at an outrageous rate. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, and other gases that could be potentially harmful to you, thus creating oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis. Imagine walking outside and the smog is so thick and dense, there is no visibility. These things are not up for an argument, oxygen and water are necessities for human existence. An unknown author from National Geographic stated â€Å"The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. FarmersRead MoreDeforestation : Deforestation And Deforestation2094 Words   |  9 Pagesto deforestation. The Amazon is the world’s largest t ropical rainforest and it is the world’s source of oxygen. Deforestation has slowed down years ago, but now, it is starting to increase and does not show that it will slow down. Earth without tree’s, the human race and animals would not be able to survive. Today’s society is not taking deforestation as a serious matter. If deforestation were to be left alone, the planet and animals would not be the only ones suffering from it. Deforestation is

Friday, December 20, 2019

Health Care Delivery System Throughout The United States

Health Care Delivery System in the United States Healthcare is a hot topic for all Americans and everyone has their own views on how the healthcare system should run. This includes the public and the politicians. Today we are going to address issues in the United States healthcare system including access to care for both physical and financial reasons, how payment for care runs the industry, and quality of care in the aspects of internal factors including: public insurance plans, and private insurance, as well as the external factor of the economy. With the United States population living longer and the Baby boomers retiring there is a shortage of providers and provider appointments to meet the needs of all patients. This along with†¦show more content†¦The physical issues go hand in hand with the financial issues. As far as financial issues for access to health care are concerned, according to the CDC (2013), children gaining access to health care at about the same rate across the board with only a large difference with access in families that have private insurance at .8 compared to 2.9 for uninsured and 2.3 for public insurance. According to Leininger and Levy (2015), there are many issues affecting access to care for children. One of them is the overall cost of care. There was a study done called the RAND Health Insurance Experiment (HIE) showing that for the level of income and type of insurance including cost of co-pays, it does not affect over all health of the children until it comes to dental care. The children who have free insurance with no co-pays over all had properly filled teeth no decay and no missing teeth with the rate of proper care at .19 teeth compared to .44 teeth for children who’s families had to pay in some way for dental care. A way of making sure that all children have access to health care are the programs that were put in place in 2010 by congress to largely expand public health insurance and currently the Affordable Care Act that was designed to make health insu rance affordable for all people. The study that I looked at addressed children healthcare. The statics

Friday, December 13, 2019

Distracted Driving On The Rise Essay Example For Students

Distracted Driving On The Rise Essay Distracted driving something that is known too well, and can been seen on a day to day basis on the road. But what is the underlining cause, and biggest reason for the negative impact of distracted driving. The conversation addresses the issue of DD (distracted driving), convey that adults and teens need to educate themselves about distracted driving. To inform adults and teens, 3 main points will be addressed in this paper, what is counts as distracted driving, what is the culture of entitlement, and lastly address some data. First off what even counts as distracted driving, since there can be many ways adults and teens can be distracted well driving. To start, there are many different parts to DD, in which one must look at what the classifications of DD. What is considered to be distracted driving in today’s world, is it just using devices or talking. Well in research article from BMC Public Health, â€Å"DD is an activity that can take a driver’s eyes off the road and divert his/her attention to something else†. Distracted driving includes but is not limited to using a mobile device, using a GPS, personal hygiene, talking to passengers, reading, even just adjusting the radio/stereo and list goes on and on. So how do adults and teen drivers classify these, well it is broken down in to 3 different parts. Visual, Manual, and Cognitive. Each equal having a negative effect on adult and teen drivers, cause them to become a DD. These three categories of DD, as found in Maclean’s Mag azine, that each one has a certain effect on adult and teen drivers causing them to lose focus on the road in which makes them unaware of their surroundings. The Visual side is anything that cause the adult or teen driver to take their eyes off the road in which causing them to place their eyes on something else. The Manual side is in which the adult or teen driver takes his/hers hands off the wheel for something else in which takes control of motor vehicle away from driver. Finally, last example is Cognitive, in which driver’s mind engages with or in another activity, in which driver no longer is paying attention to what is happening on and around road around them. (Bernstein 2) In 2015 (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety) found that using a Bluetooth or hands-free for phone conversation, which is legal, is mentally demanding and associated with moderate to high levels of cognitive distraction. This is why DD is and has many types of ways in which Adult and teen drivers become DD and why it has a negative effect on driver but others. To continue the conversation, one must address the effect that today’s culture and the entitlement that adult and teen drivers have in which creates new hazard. A quote from Maclean’s Magazine, â€Å"Just having your eyes open isn’t enough to see dangerous situations; your brain has to be engaged.† (DiCicco 44) This is one of many points of this culture today where it has become a normal to be an adult or teen DD. The fact that DD now accounts for more fatal car accidents then impaired driving and the culture hasn’t shifted DD habits. (DiCicco 44) Todays culture has become this â€Å"Me First† behavior, in which there is a disregard for traffic signs, running through red lights, not sharing the road and road rage. In this which is not just effecting drivers but everyone around them wither in a motor vehicle or a pedestrian on sidewalk. Some would even say it is immoral to expose others to risk, evidence found in the stores from real people. C onsider Sheryl Sandberg’s widely circulated Facebook post last year after her husband died of a heart attack. On Facebook it recounts the â€Å"unbearably slow trip to the hospital in an ambulance because drivers refused to get out of the way†. (Kingston 44) This was something as simple as Adult and teen drivers yielding and getting out of the way for emergency vehicles. This is what the culture has become and is what it will be because of the way the current culture is entitled and privileged. That’s why culture has such a high impact on DD because it effects the drivers of today adults and teen drivers. .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .postImageUrl , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:hover , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:visited , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:active { border:0!important; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:active , .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud09bfc63ac2be2be4eccd0cb1ebb86ab:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay about Distracted Driving and Car AccidentsNow on the other side of the argument, one must address the aspect of multitasking. Is multitasking effective and does it help people be more productive. This is true in some situations multitasking can be beneficial, but on the flip side when one is multitasking and driving we become a DD because it is a Cognitive distraction in which our mind is taken of the focus of task at hand. The facts prove it to be true, in fact texting and driving which is one of the most hazardous and deadly of DD, since it uses visual, manual, and cognitive attention. (Kingston 45) Found in 2011 (from article by BMC Public Health), at least 26%, w hich is 1.3 million, of car accidents, involved a cell phone. That is 1.3 million of car accidents, think about that for number, and that shows adult and teen drivers the effect of DD. The reason for this is driver is not able to respond to sudden changes in the road conditions. This is why DD has a negative impact on not only one’s self, but also affects others and the environment around adults and teens. The conversation will continue on until laws or something is put in place, until then DD accidents will continue to be on the rise. One way students and celebrities have taken action has been through campaigns in which one pledges not to text well driving or be a DD. Just think if adults and teen drivers don’t speak out and stand up, then DD will just continue to have an effect on this culture and many people’s lives. So the question is will adults and teens stand up and educate themselves about DD and not be a victim of distracted driving.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

He Was My Motivation free essay sample

Looking back, it was Christian’s face that made me persevere- even though the money was not going to him and I may never see Christian again. But it was for Christian that I chose to sell my bracelets. On January 12th, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake decimated Haiti. When the images rolled in of the destroyed houses, the rubble, and the bodies, I felt compelled to do more than sit and watch. Ever since a mission trip with my church to Juarez, Mexico, where I had met Christian, I had wanted to continue working with people living in poverty. When the earthquake hit, I responded by using my time and my skills to help. For just under a year I had been teaching myself to make bracelets out of embroidery floss. Each time I mastered a new design, I challenged myself to learn a more complicated and intricate bracelet. Soon I was making more bracelets than could fit on my wrist! After hearing the news from Haiti, I decided to launch my own business on Facebook. We will write a custom essay sample on He Was My Motivation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I explained that all the proceeds would go to the earthquake victims, and I added pictures of the thirty different bracelets I could make along with their prices. Within one week I had sixty-five orders, and forty more interested people. I had orders from my volleyball teammates, from kids at school I had never met, and even one from my brother’s college roommate in Walla Walla, Washington. I found that I needed to finish a bracelet a day to keep up with the demand. Then three of my teachers learned about the project and allowed me to work on the bracelets during class. The support of my entire community of friends, family, and classmates was especially gratifying. Just walking down the halls and seeing kids with my handiwork on their wrists was very encouraging though there were times when I questioned the value of the project. How could a few hundred dollars make a difference to kids who had lost everything? Then I would remember the two peso coin that Christian gave me w hen we said goodbye at the end of my Mexico trip. He explained that he wanted to give me a gift and the best thing he had was this coin. I realized the coin meant a lot to him and his generosity touched me. Christian had very little, but he still wanted to share it. The kids at the Haitian orphanage would appreciate whatever I had to offer, just as I still treasure Christian’s gift. After four months, I had raised $720 and made over a hundred bracelets. I chose to send the money to Hope for the Children of Haiti, an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, which my church has supported for many years. I was glad that the money I had earned would go to kids like Christian, who deserved to live enriching lives but were not. As I placed the check in the mail, I imagined how the orphanage would use the money. I hoped the children would eventually have comfortable beds and new books and maybe some soccer balls to share. Sometimes I worried that I was taking on too much by myself. But then I would think about all the people willing to pay, sometimes up to $20, for just one of my bracelets, about Christian’s encouragement, and about my teachers who heard what I was doing and affirmed me. A multitude of people wanted to help Haiti and supported my project. I have learned that it is the things we do not do, not the things we choose to do that we regret the most. I am pleased with the amount of money I raised but I am particularly satisfied that I responded to the need I saw.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Dynamic Role Of State And Nonstarter Actors -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Dynamic Role Of State And Nonstarter Actors? Answer: Introduction: Financial crisis is one of the economic phenomenons that seem to occur in a cyclical process. With ever-increasing connectivity among the different economies, effect of the financial crisis now a days have far reaching effect more or less on every economies. It not only affects the epicentre of the economy, moreover spreads like an epidemic throughout the various other economies leading them towards a dwindling situation (Bntrix, Lane and Shambaugh 2015). Among many economic crises, Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 is a remarkable one, owing to its magnitude, range and effects. It not only crippled the economy of the United States (US) moreover, affected almost 8 countries from European Union (EU) along with Mexico, Egypt, South Africa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries worldwide (Dijkstra, Garcilazo and McCann 2015). GFC is acknowledged as the second largest global economic crisis next to Great Depression of 1929 due to its magnitude and far reaching eff ect. This essay is going to analyze the effect of GFC on the various countries and trace out the reason for its occurrence. Besides this, it will try to find out the whether there is any possibility to occur GFC again or not. To conclude, the essay will analyze various reforms taken by the government to control the GFC and proposed reform to make the world economy better. Possible causes of Global Financial Crisis: GFC is one of the largest economic disasters that shook the whole world gradually. Since 2006, there were various signs that entailed the US economy regarding the occurrence of this financial disaster; however, government authorities deliberately overlooked them (Claessens, and Kodres 2014). Once the effect of recession started to phase out, there were various studies regarding the possible caused of GFC. Most of them have similarities to some extent; however, each research came up with different theories regarding the possible reason of GFC. According to the Harvie and Van (2016) one of the main reasons for the global financial outbreak was real estate bubble of the US economy that deliberately brought in the subprime mortgage crisis into the economy since 2006. Back in 2004, Federal Reserve enhanced the Fed Funds Rate and it effectively decreased the housing prices. This reduction in prices of the houses made it affordable to the US citizens and the demand started to rose gradually, which ultimately forced the price of the affordable houses to go up. Community Reinvestment Act aided the realtors to enhance the supply of the house and grabbing the opportunity, lenders started to provide loans at 100% or more than the real value of the new houses. Besides this, banks of US found that it is more beneficial to sell derivatives than providing loans. Capturing the opportunity of unregulated derivative market, US banks sold derivative in a large amount overlooking a major concern; if the derivative business needs to be continu ed, then the banks required continued flow of mortgages (Kapan, and Minoiu 2013). Once the prices of the houses started to fall, supply suppressed the demand, which trapped the owners into the cobweb of mortgage and the flow of newer mortgages started to reduce. In order to check this, banks reduced their lending standards; however, the breaking down of the mortgage framework already has been started. Once the boom in the mortgage sector ended back in 2006, cost of the derivatives started to decrease. Everyone now wanted to cash their securities; however, banks did not have that much cash during that time leading to a chaos in the economy. According to the researches of Treeck (2014), income disparity among the US citizens is one of the main reasons that lead the economy towards this vicious cycle. With rise in Fed Rate, houses become cheap, however, excessive demand lead to higher price. One the other hand realtors provided loans to the house buyers at a higher rate and invested all the money into derivatives that become plumped, once the economy started to cripple. Income disparity lead to discrimination among the citizens and it constrained the US citizens to afford the house at higher price. Claessens and Kodres (2014) argued that, main reason for GFC is Gramm-Rudman Act, which allowed the banks to engage themselves into trading. Post the Gramm-Rudman Act, banks started to sell their profitable derivatives to the investors and the greed for more profit started to increase. Overlooking various important parameters bank relied upon the Mortgage Backed Securities to safeguard their derivatives. However, once the economy started to break down it did not came to any help, rather it lead to too many of toxic assets in the banking framework. As the rumours of economic system breakdown started, stock market also started to cripple. The Repercussion effect of the fraud activities of the mortgage agencies of US and the banks lead US into a largest financial crisis and the financial disaster has been spread to various economic systems worldwide. According to the researcher of this essay, besides the above-mentioned factors, Commodity Futures Modernization Act is another reason that allowed the GFC. It allowed credit default swaps that overruled the state laws regarding gambling. It allowed the banks to trade in energy derivatives that aided to the growth of subprime crisis. Examples of effect of Global Financial Crisis: Subprime mortgage crisis is one of the largest effect that brought in GFC, which not only affected the US economy, moreover hit hard several other economies over the world. Subprime mortgage being a mortgage backed security, collateral, which essentially need to be home loan. This derivate introduced an insatiable demand in the market for mortgage leading the derivatives impossible to price. Besides this, Credit Default Swaps can be treated as another example of effect of GFC that lead the US banks resold the mortgages in tranches. Moreover, Libor rate also rose up and intra-banking lending stopped that lead the bankers to panic and absorb the respective losses due to lack of money to support the Credit Swap. Impact of Global Financial Crisis in Australian economy: Australian economy is connected with US economy well. US economy depends upon on the Australias mineral resources largely and thus, the financial crisis of US has affected the country too. Signs of distress started arise, when two US financial companies, who deal in the Australian market, displayed serious problems with their holdings of Mortgage Backed Securities (Reinhart and Rogoff 2009). As the result, Australian banks refused to provide loans to the US banks. Besides this, export gradually reduces to some extent and it increased the interest rate in the Australian market. However, according to the assessment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics the financial crisis did not affect the Australian economy largely owing to its strong domestic economy that efficiently absorbed the shock in the market. However, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian stock market faced largest ever reduction in the equities during the period of GFC. During November, it reduced almost 54 percent, which is the highest reduction in the chart of Australian equities and it recovered sharply during the January to march of 2008. However, if compared with the equity market of other countries, then the reduction is the lowest among all and it portrays that Australian economy is potent enough to absorb any external financial shock. During 2008 to 2009, share prices of Australia dropped by 3% and there were high volatility in the market (Ravenhill 2017). Though there was a reduction, in cash rate during 2008 to 2009, overall interest rate was high at that time and bond pricing of the Australian banks has been reduced substantially. Considering this, it can be stated that Australian market is more resilient compared to the other economies that deal with the US. Chances of Global Financial Crisis repetition: GFC had taken place back in 2008 in the US economy, which affected almost every economy more or less, that are attached with the US through trading. According to the economic cycle, as shown in the figure 1, Global financial crisis returns after 7 year once an economy survives through recession and reaches to peak, suppressing the recovery stage (Xu and Couch 2017). Considering this, if US economy can be contested, then it will be found that the economy has gone through recession back in 2008 and now it is under the recovery stage. It is expected that economy will reach to peak by 2020 and later that, according to the economic cycle theory, GFC can arise again (Rey 2015). US Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen has recently said that there will be no more GFC ever again with strong governmental holdings on the market and economic reform plans. However, according to Richard Sylla, there is 70% to 80% chance that GFC will repeat in coming years again. Main reasons for his statements are as follow (Rousseau and Wachtel 2017): Interest rate is still lower that influence the prospect buyers to take loans for new houses. High yield rate in free market is at an alarming rate. With 8% yield rate, US possess the highest yield rate. It portrays that government is manipulating the economy and transferring almost 2.4 USD every year from the US savers to borrowers. Taxation rate is much higher than the natural rate, same as the taxation rate of 2008. According to the thought of the researcher of this essay, scope of occurrence of GFC is considerably low. Though private debt bubble is attractive to the investors; however, they need to abstain them from the trap again. Debt to GDP ratio of US is considerably lower than the other developed nations like UK, China, Australia, Korea and Belgium that aids the economy to sustain in long run (Minsky 2015). However, it can be seen that private debt rate of the country is growing higher, which is an alarming situation. Reforms to control Global Financial Crisis: Back in 2006, alarm bell has already been raised regarding the incoming of GFC in the economy; however, negligence of the US Federal Reserve and greed of the US banks, mortgage firms lead the economy towards the financial crisis (Corbo, De Melo and Tybout 2015). Term Auction Facility from the Federal Reserve back in 2007, in order to pumping in liquidity in the US monetary market in order to raise the growth has made the final blow. To control the deteriorating situation, the US government has introduced various packages. One of the main bailout packages was of US$700 billion that was aimed to safeguard the US banks from bankrupted. Besides this, Economic Stimulus Package was also introduced by the then US President Barrack Obama. Along with this, there were unemployment benefit of $224 and $275 for public works. Moreover, the government tried to aid the economy with a college tax cut of $2500 and $8000 for homebuyers (Or and Aranda 2017). In 2009, government brought in the Homeowner Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) that was aimed to provide affordable home to the homebuyers, without moving into the mortgage trap again. By this time unemployment rate was as high as 10% and to control this US government introduced American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (APRA) as a stimulus package to the economy (Duffie 2017). Moreover, it has been proposed by the government to amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act prope rly, then it will be beneficial for the economy. Republicans of the US senate proposed plan to let the economy become capitalist market, where deregulation can be beneficial and it will do its work to ensure GFC does not happen again. Conclusion: This essay has studied the Global Financial Crisis and tried to trace out its possible reason of occurrence. From the analysis, it has been found that fraud activity of the US banks and mortgage firms has been one of the main reasons that took the economy towards the crisis. Besides this, subprime mortgage risk along with disparity in income is the different factors that caused the economy to face financial crisis. The essay has found that, crippling of financial condition not only affected the US market, moreover brought devastating effect for the other economies too. As the measure to control the crisis, there has been various stimulus package and proposed plan. Most of them have successfully triggered the economy to bring in a favourable condition by the end of 2009. With rising GDP of the country and reducing unemployment, the essay suggests that, there will be no GFC again like 2008 Reference: Bntrix, A.S., Lane, P.R. and Shambaugh, J.C., 2015. International currency exposures, valuation effects and the global financial crisis.Journal of International Economics,96, pp.S98-S109. Claessens, S. and Kodres, L.E., 2014. The regulatory responses to the global financial crisis: Some uncomfortable questions. Claessens, S. and Kodres, L.E., 2014. The regulatory responses to the global financial crisis: Some uncomfortable questions. Corbo, V., De Melo, J. and Tybout, J., 2015. What went wrong with the recent reforms in the Southern Cone. InDeveloping Countries in the World Economy(pp. 21-54). Diaz, D., Theodoulidis, B. and Dupouy, C., 2016. Modelling and forecasting interest rates during stages of the economic cycle: A knowledge-discovery approach.Expert Systems with Applications,44, pp.245-264. Dijkstra, L., Garcilazo, E. and McCann, P., 2015. The effects of the global financial crisis on European regions and cities.Journal of Economic Geography,15(5), pp.935-949. Duffie, D., 2017. Financial regulatory reform after the crisis: An assessment.Management Science. Harvie, C. and Van Hoa, T., 2016.The causes and impact of the Asian financial crisis. Springer. Kapan, M.T. and Minoiu, C., 2013.Balance sheet strength and bank lending during the global financial crisis(No. 13-102). International Monetary Fund. Minsky, H.P., 2015.Can" it" happen again?: essays on instability and finance. Routledge. Or, N.H. and Aranda?Jan, A.C., 2017. The Dynamic Role of State and Nonstate Actors: Governance after Global Financial Crisis.Policy Studies Journal,45(S1). Ravenhill, J. ed., 2017.Global political economy. Oxford University Press. Reinhart, C.M. and Rogoff, K.S., 2009. The aftermath of financial crises.American Economic Review,99(2), pp.466-72. Rey, H., 2015.Dilemma not trilemma: the global financial cycle and monetary policy independence(No. w21162). National Bureau of Economic Research. Rousseau, P.L. and Wachtel, P., 2017. Episodes of financial deepening: credit booms or growth generators?.Financial Systems and Economic Growth, p.52. Treeck, T., 2014. Did inequality cause the US financial crisis?.Journal of Economic Surveys,28(3), pp.421-448. Xu, H. and Couch, K.A., 2017. The business cycle, labor market transitions by age, and the great recession.Applied Economics, pp.1-2

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Insight into the Psychology of Criminals and Eyewitness †Samples

Question: Discuss about the Insight into the Psychology of Criminals and Eyewitness. Answer: Insight into the psychology of criminals and eye witness Crime is a word, which possesses flexibility to destroy the order and harmony of the society. However, delving deep into the word crime, it involves the mentality, which brings noticeable transformation in the personality traits of the individuals. In-depth knowledge about this mentality is provided by the field of criminology. Viewing from the other perspective, placement of the word justice besides the word criminal reduces the intensity of the crime (Gronlund et al., 2015). The word system can be considered as the approach of the law officials to support the victims for restoring the lost glory and honor. The previous sentence brings the words system and criminal in the same alignment. Countering this, the word system can also be the attempt of the government officials to alter the predicament of the culprits into a good human being. Within the verdicts of crime, eye witnesses play an important role. As a matter of specification, eye witnesses are crucial in terms of deciding the fate of the victims and culprit. Herein lays the correlation with the phrase impact of and on as proposed in the subject matter of the report. Sometimes the verdicts given by the eye witness are incorrect (Dysart Lindsay, 2014). This is due to the lack of understanding regarding the appropriate actions. This lack of understanding attaches an interrogative parameter to the plight of the culprit and the victim, who are battling for justice. In other circumstances, the eye witnesses are dominated by the influential people for not suppressing the instance that they witnessed. This kind of orders and instructions contradicts with the true essence and functionality of eye witnesses. Hence it can be said that in the criminal justice system or the legal system the consequences of identification error is extremely deep because it adversely affec t life of both the innocent as well as the criminal. Because false identification may lead to false conviction ultimately spoiling the life of an innocent person, on the other hand non-identification of criminal may set him free to commit more crimes (Gronlund et al., 2015). In both the cases it can be seen that how important is the role of eye witness in the criminal justice system as it affects the social peace and order. Attachment of the word testimony with eye witness makes the report a philosophical one. In-depth knowledge can be achieved through theoretical perspective. As a matter of specification, behavioral theory is appropriate in this context. Bad companion compels an individual to indulge into wrong actions, which makes them deviate from the targeted goals. Selection of friends depends on the likes and dislikes of the individual (O'barr, 2014). These likes and dislikes portray the whole individual. This selection is one of the traits of the individual. Lack of control over the performance of activities alters the personality of the individuals. This alteration possesses positive as well as negative connotations. However, most of the times, it is the negative connotation, which dominates the good one. The dominance of the bad one relates with the criminal psychology. Although in legal system eye witnesses are considered as reliable source of information to pronounce justice. The role of eye witness is very crucial, so huge research has been done in this area to study the behavioral patterns of eye witness. The research has found that there are many psychological factors which affect eye witness testimony like- anxiety/stress, reconstructive memory, weapon focus and leading questions. According to the researcher the eye witnesses are more likely to remember to remember a real life anxious and more stressful event, even after passage of few months. Famous British psychologist Bartlett has developed a theory on reconstructive memory, which is also known as Bartletts theory of reconstructive memory. Through this theory he evaluated the reliability of testimonies of eye witness; according to him memory plays an important role and it is not just the factual record of the incident that has occurred but it is subject to personal interpretation of the eye witness- including his norms, values, culture and the way he perceived the world. Again weapon focus is a situation in which the eye witness focuses more on the weapon rather than other details of the crime. Many of the time it has been noticed that, the eye witness remembers description of weapon more accurately than the physical feature of the person committing crime. Other psychologists Loftus and Palmer particularly focus of misleading information that could be visual or imagery as well as misleading questions in relation to testimony of eye witness. As per their research finding memory of an event is highly flexible, if new information is incorporated between the interval of actual happening of the incident and recalling it, this new information may influence the original memory up to the level of modifying, changing or supplementing it O'barr, 2014). Deep research on eye witness testimony, it can be considered as an experiment with the psyche and memory of the eye witnesses. Mostly, the derived results prove to be true, as under such circumstance, the eye witnesses speak out the truth. This is to defend himself from the harsh punishments. Countering this, the eye witnesses undergo psychological turmoil and obscurity regarding the doable in this condition (Sah, Robertson Baughman, 2015). This obscurity sometimes paves new avenues before them. In other times, these circumstances adversely affect the psyche of the individuals, acting as an obstacle in the performance of the basic tasks. Therefore, under such circumstances, the verdicts produced by the eye witness are considered to be reliable. There are certain factors, which deviate the eye witness from their focus regarding the narration of the instances that they viewed. Asking provocative and leading questions are one of the typical examples of this factor. This makes them anxi ous about the verdict, which they would produce before the court (Smalarz Wells, 2015). The judge is a high ranking official, outpouring the answer before him is equal to experiencing a spine chilling effect upon watching a horror movie. This experience relates to the climactic stage of Yerkes Dodson curve. The provocative and leading questions leads the eye witness to this climax. These questions bear resemblance with point of waking and optimal level. Here the level is very high in contrast to the restless memory. Viewing from the other perspective, refraining from asking provocative questions would straighten the curve. This might be a distortion of the structure of the curve; however, it projects the straight forward focus of the eye witness in terms of giving his verdict regarding the visual experience of the incident. Applying the concept of horror movie scenes in this context, the horrifying scenes alarm the individuals regarding their present status (Smalarz Wells, 2015). The previous sentence projects the significance of waking point, which takes the individuals to the optimal level and finally to the climax, where they are aroused. The eye witnesses also undergo the same predicament, when the culprits exert force upon them to safeguard themselves. Critical reflection of sources The article entitled, Handbook of eye witness testimony provides a basic insight into the concept of eye witness testimony. The subtitle, Memory for people seems inappropriate with the main heading of the article. The preposition for seems to be a guidance for the people regarding the memory that they need to possess (Lindsay et al., 2013). This perspective can be correlated with the dominance, which the opposition parties exert on the perturbed soul of the eye witness. Under such situation, the memory of the eye witnesses are so entrapped that they hesitate to voice out the things that they perceived. Attention needs to be given on the word testimony, which finds its applicability in the cases, where the eye witness is incapable of giving a verbal statement of the incident, which he has visualized. The previous sentence contradicts the proposed statement. Countering this, psychological research, like the counseling, therapies brings out the inaccuracies within the verdict produced b y the eye witness. Plurality of the word they portrays a class of eye witnesses undergoing the same predicament. Herein lays the appropriate correlation of the word contamination as mentioned in the name of the article, Contamination of eye witness self reports and mistaken identification. The action of self-reporting reflects the attempts of the eye witnesses to narrate the incidents with their exactness (Smalarz Wells, 2015). However, the word mistaken adds vagueness to these attempts, which adversely affects the individuality of the eye witnesses. There are several key factors which result into contamination of eye witness and mistaken identification in which the most important one are- Witness Age (identification accuracy is closely related to age of the witness); Witness Intoxication (mostly leading to false identification); Perpetrator Appearance (distinctive faces are more accurately identified); Perpetrators Race (high accuracy of identification when perpetrator and eye witness are from same r ace); Distance and Exposure Duration (distance is inversely proportional to identification accuracy on the other hand duration of exposure is directly proportional to the identification accuracy); Stress and Fear (will also influence witness identification performance) (Smalarz Wells, 2015). Crime is a stately matter. Taking the charge of law into ones own responsibility aggravates the complexities. On the contrary, taking the assistance of law officials mitigates the intensity of the crimes. Along with this, it also helps the eye witnesses to voice out what they have seen, without the fear and hesitation of the opposition parties. Considering the example of China in this context might be a deviation from the requirements of the discussion; however, it expands the scope and arena of the report to develop a comparative study of the criminal justice systems of Australia and China. Herein lays the correlation with the article entitled One country two cultures: Are Hong Kong mock jurors mainlandized by the predominant Chinese criminal justice concept of confession? Duality evident in the cultures portrays the dominance of Western countries on the memory of the Chinese people. The word mainlandized can be said to secure the psyche of the eye witness (Hui Lo, 2015). The placem ent of the word mock before the role of the jury adds insecurity to the secured plight of the eye witness, the result of which is the confession. This result might be the yearning of the eye witness in terms of progressing towards the closure of the legal procedures. The article Eye witness confidence and the confidence accuracy relationship in memory for people soothe the perturbed mind and psyche of the eye witness. Herein lays the appropriateness of the word confidence. Accuracy in the legal procedures preserves the stability in the relationship between the eye witness, culprit and the victims. Countering this, culprits cannot be placed in the same alignment with the eye witness and the victims. This is due to the dominant threats, pressures and forces, which they have exerted on the victim party and the eye witness. The preposition for dictates their actions, destroying their individuality (Leippe Eisenstadt, 2014). Herein lays the correlation between the articles Handbook of eye witness testimony: Volume 2 Memory for people and Eye witness confidence and confidence accuracy relationship in memory for people. The conjunction between both the articles excavates confidence as one of the greatest strengths for eye witness in terms of overcoming the dominance of the criminals. Committing crimes projects the animalistic trait of the criminals. Maintenance of consistency in this direction restricts the exposure of positive traits. In order to maintain this positivity, rehabs, trainings, counseling and therapies of the criminals are needed. Strictness of the managers and government officials for these trainings, counseling and therapies would alter the perspective of the criminals. Along with this, involving them in various and wide ranging extracurricular activities would broaden their perspectives (Beaudry et al., 2015). References Beaudry, J. L., Lindsay, R. C., Leach, A. M., Mansour, J. K., Bertrand, M. I., Kalmet, N. (2015). The effect of evidence type, identification accuracy, line?up presentation, and line?up administration on observers' perceptions of eyewitnesses.Legal and Criminological Psychology,20(2), 343-364. Dysart, J. E., Lindsay, R. C. L. (2014). The effects of delay on eyewitness identification accuracy: Should we be concerned?.Handbook Of Eyewitness Psychology 2 Volume Set, 361. Gronlund, S. D., Mickes, L., Wixted, J. T., Clark, S. E. (2015). Chapter One-Conducting an Eyewitness Lineup: How the Research Got It Wrong.Psychology of Learning and Motivation,63, 1-43. Leippe, M. R., Eisenstadt, D. (2014).Eyewitness confidence and the confidence-accuracy relationship in memory for people.The handbook of eyewitness psychology,2, 377-425. Liang, B., He, N. P., Lu, H. (2014). The deep divide in Chinas criminal justice system: contrasting perceptions of lawyers and the iron triangle.Crime, Law and Social Change,62(5), 585-601. Lindsay, R. C., Ross, D. F., Read, J. D., Toglia, M. P. (Eds.). (2013).The handbook of eyewitness psychology: volume ii: memory for people(Vol. 2). Psychology Press. O'barr, W. M. (2014).Linguistic evidence: Language, power, and strategy in the courtroom. Elsevier. Sah, S., Robertson, C. T., Baughman, S. B. (2015).Blinding prosecutors to defendants' race: A policy proposal to reduce unconscious bias in the criminal justice system.Behavioral Science Policy,1(2), 69-76. Smalarz, L., Wells, G. L. (2015). Contamination of eyewitness self-reports and the mistaken-identification problem.Current Directions in Psychological Science,24(2), 120-124. Hui, C. Y., Lo, T. W. (2015). One country, two cultures: Are Hong Kong mock jurors mainlandized by the predominant Chinese criminal justice concept of confession?.International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology,59(10), 1104-1124.