Monday, December 30, 2019

6 Strategies to Successfully Pass a School Bond

A school bond provides a financial avenue for school districts to meet an immediate specified need. These specified needs can range from a new school, classroom building, gymnasium, or cafeteria to repairing an existing building, new buses, upgrades in classroom technology or security, etc. A school bond issue must be voted on by the members of the community in which the school is located. Most states require a three-fifths (60%) super-majority vote to pass a bond. If the school bond passes, property owners in the community will foot the bill for the bond issue through increased property taxes. This can create a dilemma for voters in the community and is why many proposed bond issues do not receive enough â€Å"yes† votes to pass. It takes a lot of dedication, time, and hard work to pass a bond issue. When it passes it was well worth it, but when it fails it can be extremely disappointing. There is no exact science for passing a bond issue. However, there are strategies that when implemented can help improve the chances that the bond issue will pass. Build a Foundation The district superintendent and the school board are often the driving forces behind a school bond issue. They are also responsible for getting out into the community, building relationships, and keeping people informed about what is happening with the district. It is vital to have good standing relationships with powerful civic groups and key business owners within a community if you want your bond to be passed. This process should be continuous and ongoing over time. It should not happen just because you’re trying to pass a bond. A strong superintendent will make their school the focal point of the community. They will work hard to forge those relationships that will pay off in times of need. They will make community involvement a priority inviting members into the school not only see what is going on but to become a part of the process themselves. Potentially passing a bond issue is just one of the many rewards that come with this holistic approach to community involvement. Organize and Plan Perhaps the most crucial aspect of passing a school bond is to be well organized and to have a solid plan in place. This begins with forming a committee that is as dedicated to seeing the bond passed as you are. It is necessary to note that most states prohibit schools from using their own resources or time to lobby on behalf of a bond issue. If teachers or administrators are to participate on the committee, it must be on their own time. A strong committee will consist of school board members, administrators, teachers, advisory councils, business leaders, parents, and students. The committee should be kept as small as possible so that a consensus can be reached easier. The committee should discuss and create a detailed plan on all aspects of the bond including timing, finances, and campaigning. A specific task should be given to each committee member to carry out according to their individual strengths. A school bond campaign should start approximately two months before the vote is scheduled to occur. Everything occurring in those two months should be well thought out and planned in advance. No two bond campaigns are the same. It is likely that parts of the plan will have to be abandoned or changed after realizing that the approach is not working. Establish a Need It is essential to establish a real need in your bond campaign. Most districts have a list of projects that they believe need to be completed. When deciding what you are going to put in the bond it is vital to look at two factors: immediate need and investment in your student body. In other words, put projects on the ballot that will resonate with voters who understand the value of education and show them there is a need. Make those connections apart of your campaign and bundle things where appropriate. If you are trying to build a new gymnasium, package it as a multipurpose facility that will not only serve as a gymnasium but as a community center and auditorium so that it can be used by all students and not just a select few. If you are trying to pass a bond for new buses, be prepared to explain how much money you are currently spending to maintain your bus fleet that is outdated and run down. You can even use a deteriorated bus in your campaign by parking it in front of the school with information about the bond. Be Honest It is essential to be honest with the constituents in your district. Property owners want to know how much their taxes are going to go up if the bond issue is passed. You should not skirt around this issue. Be direct and honest with them and always use the opportunity to explain to them what their investment will do for students in the district. If you are not honest with them, you may pass the first bond issue, but it will be more difficult when you try to pass the next one. Campaign! Campaign! Campaign! When campaigning begins it is beneficial to keep the message simple. Be specific with your message including the voting date, how much the bond is for, and some simple highlights of what it will be used for. If a voter asks for more information, then be prepared with more details. Campaigning efforts should be holistic with a goal of getting the word out to every registered voter in the district. Campaigning occurs in many different forms, and each form may reach a different subset of constituents. Some of the most popular forms of campaigning include: Build a Website – Create a website that gives voters detailed information about the bond issue.Campaign Signs/Posters – Put campaign signs in supporters’ yards and posters in high traffic locations such as the post office.Speaking Engagements – Schedule speaking engagements with civic groups in the community such as the Senior Citizen Center, Masonic Lodge, etc.Organize a Voter Registration Drive – A voter registration drive allows you to recruit newcomers and potential supporters who might not vote otherwise.Door to Door Canvassing – Simple word of mouth campaigning may make the difference especially in reminding voters to get to the polls.Telephone Committee – A simple way to poll voters in the community as well as to inform them about the bond issue and to remind them to vote.Direct Mail – Send flyers highlighting the bond issue out a few days before the vote.Media – Use the media to get the message out when possible. Focus on Uncertainty There are some constituents that have their minds made up on a bond issue before you even decide to do it. Some people always vote yes, and some people always vote no. Do not waste time on trying to convince the â€Å"no† votes that they should vote â€Å"yes†. Instead, focus on getting those â€Å"yes† votes to the polls. However, it is most valuable to invest your time and effort on those in the community that have not decided. Visit with those on the fence 3-4 times throughout the campaign to try and sway them to vote â€Å"yes†. They are the people who will ultimately decide whether the bond passes or fails.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Effects Of Social Anxiety On Higher Education

To begin we take a look at two studies that were done on college students and the effects of social anxiety in higher education, researchers were able to conclude that social anxiety does have an impact on the wellbeing and success of students in each study. In our first study, students from Sydney, Australia, were accessed using many psychological tests, scales, and inventories to obtain scores for accurate study. The topic of the study is Impairments in Goal-directed actions that predict treatment response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety. The participants who were involved gave written consent to be a part of this study, and those who were on medications were properly stabilized before participation began. This study involved showing participants â€Å"fractal images† of food as a reward to measure goal-directed actions in predicting treatment response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (Alvares, G. A., Balleine, B. W., Guastella, A. J. (2014). â€Å"Anxiet y has been argued to be related to an inability to process rewarding information appropriately to guide actions† (Alvares, et. al, 2014) and â€Å"changes in outcome values† (Alvares, et.al, 2014). The results found that those who had a social anxiety disorder showed higher impairments in goal-directed action that â€Å"predicted poorer response to treatment† (Alvares, et.al, 2014). The participants were given a test of how much a reward affected the outcome of goal-directed actions. Those who kept responding even afterShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy On Preterm Delivery And Intrauterine Growth Restriction766 Words   |  4 Pages2013). -Smoking, alcohol or drug use: Women who smoke tobacco cigarettes have higher rates of preterm delivery and intrauterine growth restriction (Hammoud et al., 2005). Hammoud’s study of pregnant smokers found the odds ratio for intrauterine growth restriction was 2.4 (95% CI, 2.34-2.53), and the odds ratio for preterm delivery was 1.2 (95% CI, 1.13-1.28). The more cigarettes the women smoked per day, the higher the reductions in birth weight; −111 g, −175 g, and −236 g when women smoked 1 toRead MoreAnxiety And Its Affect On Academic Achievement Essay1268 Words   |  6 Pages Anxiety and Its Affect on Academic Achievement Roger Morales University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Abstract Anxiety is a common occurrence today especcially among students in a college or university. Even though there has been some studies into anxiety and how it affects a person s academic achievement there needs to be more done in order to know better the relationship between them. Self questionnaires will be handed out to all participants who agreed to participate and their academicRead MoreRelationship Between Depression And Anxiety980 Words   |  4 Pages For the midterm paper I have chosen to discuss the relationship between depression and anxiety in transgender people. For this paper I am using Transgender to mean: â€Å" a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate.† (Gladd.org) The reason I chose this social issue is with modern media with individuals such as Caitlyn Jenner and shows like Orange is the New Black; we are learning more about Transgender. I wanted to learn moreRead MoreImpact Of Autism And Anxiety On Children And Adolescents1349 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Autism and Anxiety on Children and Adolescents One regarded as rare, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) – which includes autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), have received a great deal of professional and scientific attention (White, Oswald, Ollendick, Scahill, 2009). ASDs are characterized by impairment in social communication as well as the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests (American PsychiatricRead MoreEmotional And Behavioral Disorders Impact Today s System Of Learning1459 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of the emotional and behavioral disorders is the best way of maintaining the control of productive educational learning. To understand how both emotional and behavioral disorders affect the relationship between teachers and their students’ education, all diagnosed cases should be examined thoroughly. This paper explains several types of disorders that may occur and the studies of credited authors that pr oposed their thoughts on how to adapt and conquer different disorders to allow an environmentRead MoreVideo Game Reduces Social Anxiety901 Words   |  4 PagesVideo Game Reduces Social Anxiety Whether it is in a real world or cyber space, meeting people seems to be an almost inevitable part of modern daily life. Meeting or interacting with new people can be stressful. When people encounter a stranger, they try to avoid or reduce it by getting as much information as possible in the course of the conversation or interaction. There is an average of two gamers in each game-playing U.S household as shown in the research of ESA Entertainment Software AssociationRead MoreThe Effects Of Bullying In Schools1136 Words   |  5 Pages p. 6). Bullying has long and short-term effects on an individual such as alienation, engagement in violence, decline in attendance and academic performance and a higher chance of developing a mental illness (Spears et el 2008, p. 8). Recent research indicates that’s one in four Australian students are bullied in school (Baker, 2015). This demonstrates that the issue of bullying is prevalent in Australian schools. Research indicates that bullyin g effects not only the perpetrator, but also the victim’sRead MoreAcademic Procrastination And Statistics Anxiety1394 Words   |  6 Pagesprocrastination and statistics anxiety†. Assessment Evaluation in Higher Education. 29 (1), 3-19; a quantitative statistical analysis that attempts to demonstrate varying degrees of procrastination in graduate students, the correlation between statics anxiety and how this type of anxiety effects the graduate student in accomplishing deliverables for a registered course. The research methodology in the article was designed around previously established theories in statistic anxiety with the intention toRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesMs. Hendricks symptoms of worry, and feeling overwhelmed is closely related to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a highly prevalent disorder characterized by excessive worry or anxiety about everyday events, whether they are internal or external or originating in the past, present, and/or future (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder result from increase, typical, inflexible interactions of cognitive, imaginal, andRead MoreManaging Anxiety While Undergoing Diagnostic Evaluation for Breast Cancer1111 Words   |  5 PagesManaging Anxiety While Undergoing Diagnosic Evaluation for Breast Cancer Literature Review Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In 2008, more than one million women underwent a diagnostic evaluation for suspected breast cancer. Approximately 182,500 women of the more than one million that received an evaluation also received a positive diagnosis (Montgomery, 2010). Risk factors linked to Breast Cancer include: gender, age, family history, prior

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Martin Luther Free Essays

THEMES IN U. S. WORLD HISTORY Task 2 Roberta Gauvin Two of the most significant social and/ political changes that occurred as a result of the actions of one individual was Nelson Mandela. We will write a custom essay sample on Martin Luther or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mandela represented an example of a powerful leader who inspired millions of people around the world. First of all Mandela won the first multi-racial elections in South Africa thus creating a significant change in perception and building of a color blind society in Africa and around the world. Prior to becoming a president, people knew him for his anti-apartheid violent actions, his actions attracted attention to the existing problem. His actions made him well known around the world. Martin Luther King was well known around the world for his significant movements for the society. Martin Luther King became an iconic figure, whose courage inspired countless people. First, Martin Luther King advocated for civil rights by means of the peaceful method and never encouraged using violence for achieving the goals. His speech â€Å"I Have a Dream† encouraged the creation of a colorblind society and society based on equality among all people. â€Å"When he was notified of winning a Nobel Peace Prize, he stated that all the funds were to go to further the civil rights movement (King, M 1964). He actively addressed issues of poverty and contributed to the end of the War in Vietnam. References I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King in Text and Pictures. , New York, Time Life Books, 1968. â€Å"Martin Luther King, Biography†, Nobel prize (1964), Retrieved 14 September 2011 from http://www. nobelprize. or g/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio. html Themes in History, Individuals and Institutions (2006), retrieved 14 September 2011, from http://history. webtexts. com/courses/4573-history/toc/chapters/389802-individuals-and-institutions-as-mechanisms-of-social-change/assignments/342712-7-nelson-mandela How to cite Martin Luther, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Hard Earned Virtues free essay sample

I have been stabbed with a fork more times in my lifetime than anyone should have to count. What a random tribulation, an odd occurrence, and yet there was a time in my life where my younger sister would pursue me almost daily with the intent of plunging cutlery into the back of my hand. There was a part of her that lost control intentionally so as to cause injury, but an even larger part that could not control her sudden mood swings due to rather unique compilation of behavioral disorders. In the midst of these tantrums, my job has always been to remain patient and in control of my faculties, and, in the spirit of honesty, I should have been fired many times over.It is not my natural inclination to quietly wait for her mood to pass or to speak soothing words to other siblings, rather a skill, that through the course of my life I have been forced to learn. We will write a custom essay sample on Hard Earned Virtues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My little sister, Jena, although I love her dearly, has added a layer of tension to my life that would otherwise not have been there. Most of my childhood revolved around finding ways to avoid setting her off. Lord knows, that my stepping across the line was a catalyst for an explosive reaction. There have been times when she is constantly moving ever closer to loosing her temper and I send up the continuous prayer, â€Å"give my patience, give my patience, give me patience†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to deal with Jena. And, ultimately, I have learned to be patient. As a High School student, patient people are few and far between. There is an ever-present anxiety over the looming college applications and trying to achieve the highest possible grades so as to overcome this ultimate challenge, and we, as a people group, get wrapped up in the selfish need to attend to only our own learning. In this transitional phase, it is hard to give grace to our fellow students and remember that we all are reaching for the same goal. For instance, in math, our school district has adopted a new method of teaching: instruction in the team format. The difficulty in this is that everyone works at their own pace, and as a math geek, I want to put my nose to the grindstone and plow through all the problems to complete them for my own understanding. Unfortunately, this is not a good way to help my teammates. We all work at a different pace, and slowing down to explain complex calculus takes a great deal of patience but works towards a higher learning outcome than applying mathematical theorems. In this setting, patience leads to understanding the value in teamwork and relationships rather than focusing on annihilating a list of math questions. Patience is a valuable character trait, and I am thankful to have been born into a position where I have had to develop this attribute. In walking alongside Jena, and watching her grow, I have developed patience and understanding as a skill that can be easily applied to life scenarios. Whether it’s solving a list of math problems, or working towards a learning outcome, patience has become my most treasured tool, and my little sister is to be thanked. Although my hand still twinges a bit at the thought, I can be grateful for the fact that I have someone in my life willing to stab me wi

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Paying Athletes Essays - Student Athlete, , Term Papers

Paying Athletes As you sit at the stadium or in your home and watch college football, basketball, or even baseball, do you ever wonder where the money goes from all the ticket sales? Colleges make a lot of money from their athletics. I feel that the profit that is made should partly go back to the student athlete. College athletes should be paid for their participation in sports, since sports make a lot of money for the college. A student athlete's schedule is very hectic. There are many activities that have to be attended daily. A student athlete is expected to go to class every day; and later in the day they are expected to meet at practice, no matter what the sport. After practice, the student athlete must eat dinner. Then the person has to go home to their dorm to do homework, which can last for hours. There is very little time during the day, to allow the student athlete to get a job. Most of the time coaches will not allow the students to work, due to schedule conflict, and it is also hard on the student's studies. If the coach doesn't allow a job and there is no time for one, where does the student get money? Student finances are very limited. Most of the money that students have is from parents or student loans. Students need money for food, gas and laundry. If a student eats three meals a day, it would usually cost then about fifteen dollars. For a five-day week it would be around seventy-five dollars. Usually the student athletes do not travel much, so gas expenses would be minimal. However there are those occasional trips home to see family. The student also needs money for laundry. Laundry runs around five or six dollars per week. Several years ago, student athletes at colleges and universities were given laundry money, which was twenty-five to thirty dollars a week. The money could be spent freely. It was like an allowance that your parents would give you every week. I feel that this little support would at least help the student when money is hard to come by at home. With the financial help of the college a student athlete parents would only have to supply around fifty or sixty dol lars per week instead of eighty or ninety dollars. A student would have less financial troubles if they were compensated for athletics. If athletes were paid they could have a better start out of college. For instance if the student athlete has to get a loan during college because he or she has no money for necessities, that student athlete has started to dig a financial hole. That hole will be a burden to the student athlete when her or she graduates from college. Also the student athletes parents will not be financially troubled when the student graduates from college. It would make it easier on student athletes and their parents mentally and physically if student athletes were paid. Mentally the parents would not have to worry about paying the bills when tuition is due. Physically the parents and students would not have to break their back to work overtime, or to have a job while in school, and play athletics as well. I feel that student athletes have a lot to worry about. One is their grades; two is there performance in games. I feel the last thing a student athlete should worry about is how they are going to make money to pay for the education, since the student plays a sport that makes money for the college. Student athletes should be compensated for their participation in athletics while attending college. Sports and Games

Monday, November 25, 2019

Howard Shultz essays

Howard Shultz essays Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks, was born in 1952 and raised in a Brooklyn, NY housing-project. At the age of twenty, he was unsure about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Growing up in a fairly poor family, Schultz knew that he wanted to make a better life for himself; he did not want to be burdened with financial problems. Schultz had a very unique entrepreneurial drive to try to improve himself and his standing in life, because he did not want to be part of that class of people who did not have access to the American dream. It took Schultz a year to convince the Starbucks owners to hire him. When they finally made him director of marketing and operations in 1982, he had another epiphany. He introduced the idea of not only serving coffee, but also transforming Starbucks into a coffee bar- a meeting place with a comfortable environment to enjoy coffee. But in Seattle, the Starbucks owners resisted Schultzs plans to serve coffee in their stores, saying they didnt want to get into the restaurant business. Frustrated, Schultz quit and started his own coffee-bar business, called II Giornale. It was so successful, that a year later Schultz bought Starbucks for $3.8 million. The company began with eleven Seattle stores and fewer than one hundred employees. Schultz has since led Starbucks to become a half billion-dollar company. Schultzs mission for Starbucks is to establish the company as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.(Mission Statement) Howard Schultz manages his company based on the following guiding principles: 1) Provide a great work environment, 2) Embrace diversity, 3) Highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee, 4) Develop satisfied customers, 5) Contribute positively to our communities and our environment, and 6) Recognize that profita...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Gender Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Issues - Essay Example Society has assigned role to men and women creating specific gender roles since the begging of time. This essat discusses gender roles, that are rapidly and difference between today’s roles and the gender roles fifty years ago obvious. In the past, women traditionally were expected to get married, and raise a family. Today the role of women has changed dramatically obtaining education and working outside between raising their families and their career. Regardless of this confusion of a result of new gender roles women have more choices then in the past. Men on the other hand are entering into a new gender role and are getting the shorter end of the stick. Women entering the work force are diminishing the amount of jobs available to men. The researcher believes that the situation will somehow grow worse for men in our current 21th century. Mental disorders like depression and eating disorders like anorexia, which has been described in the essay and predominately been female ill ness, will make an appearance in men sooner or later. As the divorce rate increases these days, active fathers whose children are ripped away suffer from depression. Men who choose to be a stay at home dad will suffer from depression and possibly eating disorders. In conclusion, the researcher tries to predict future realities for both genders and suggests in the essay that in order for gender challenges to become nonexistent societies gender roles for men and women should blend equally into one norm for both sexes.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Rap music's effect on American culture Research Paper

Rap music's effect on American culture - Research Paper Example Corporate brands such as Nike, Coca cola, Sprite, McDonalds, in addition to many more corporate giants have been able to capitalize on this phenomenon. Despite the fact that hip hop and rap culture critics seem to be fixated on messages like violence, harsh language, and sex, the genre has a plethora of positive tenets ascribed to it. This art form has substantial potential of mending ethnic relations (Dill 2009). Between 1950 and 1960, the ‘beat culture’ acted in challenge of the status quo in a manner that has greatly unified individuals (the youth in particular), across a diverse ethnic spectrum. Recent years have seen mounting controversy surround rap music, and at the heart of the American media. From the West Coast-East Coast hype that marked the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur, to the castigation of modern music in light of Littleton Colorado’s school shootings, it appears that media and political groups have quickly blamed rap for an ap parent trend of youth violence. Rap music, in a similar fashion to other music forms, cannot be comprehended until it is studied minus the frame of its social and historical context. Today, rap music ascribed its origin to the hip hop culture of urban, working-class, young African-Americans, and its roots in the oral traditions of Africans. Its function is seen as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group, and its popularity has grown along with appropriation and commercialization by the music industry. The paper herein discusses the rap music as a genre and its influence on America (Dill 2009). Rap’s commercial history can be traced back to 1979, the year during which ‘the Sugar Hill Gang’ released the considerably successful song known as ‘Rappers Delight’. Contemporary rap music’s beginning can be traced back to the mid-1970s in the Bronx. Rap music was a way for the urban black youth to express themselves rhythmically. Rap music together with

Monday, November 18, 2019

Review about Orientalism by Edward Said Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

About Orientalism by Edward Said - Movie Review Example In the video, Said makes several points about the way our opinions as Westerners about the East are incorrect. The first point he makes is that we as Westerners tend to think of the East as having a single identity. Whether the individual in question is from Egypt, Palestine, Iraq or India, we tend to think of them all as existing under the same identity. Said makes this point by showing a map that has an overlay of three different men, each wearing a different traditional outfit and each associated with a different region of what we consider the ‘East’. Even though these people were obviously very different, the graphic has these images come together so that they are all stacked on top of each other. While it may be common for us to try to blend these people together under a single identity, the graphic keeps this error clear by not allowing the shapes to blend so that they look awkward and incorrect. This identity Westerners have created is relatively well-defined and has very little in common with the reality. This idea is based on ancient conceptions of the East and idealized images provided through centuries of artistic expression. As Said points out, most of the information distributed about the East was information that all referred back to a single source. That single source had given a very limited view of what he understood about a very small segment of the East. In keeping with our ideas that the men of the East are all the same, there is also an idea among Westerners that the women of the East are essentially non-people. Constantly depicted wearing silks and seductive clothing when inside or being completely covered when outside, these women are shown to be nothing more than the toys of the men in depictions in the West. This is pointed out by Said at several points during the video. In the West, we were given the impression that these women are

Friday, November 15, 2019

Impact of interest rate changes on bank profitability

Impact of interest rate changes on bank profitability Over the years, banking system in Pakistan shown enormous growth and potential. The performance and stability indicators showed significant improvement in the profitability of banking system. But now a days banking sector going under pressure. Such as liquidity crunch and solvency problem have significant impact on the performance of banking sector and economy. The financial institution could have managed the situation without any trouble if they have sufficient amount of liquidity available to fulfill their obligation. Since they are operating in very tight market conditions. So, they are forces to pay attractive rates to depositors to attract liquidity. Although the State Bank of Pakistan reduced the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Requirement (SLR) on demand and Time Liabilities to ease the liquidity in the market. The governments instead of developing their own recourses empower banks to generate money and then borrow from banks. The huge amount of borrowin g from banks by the government its disturbing the economy. The government not only curtails its borrowing from banks but also put some sort of check on power of money. All these factors have combined to set a stage where lending rates are high and having great amount of burden on banks financials. The amount of non performing loans increased at rapid speed despite of heavy amount of provision created by the bank in recent years. The increasing asset quality concerns would force the banks to book heavy provisions for non performing loans (NPLs). The stability of the banking system is conditional upon the stability of overall economy. A stable macroeconomic environment contributes to effective and efficient growth of saving and investment decision. Appropriate macroeconomic measures should support the functioning of the banking system more specifically in the areas of financial stabilization, transparent fiscal policy and monetary policy. The major contributor role of effective and efficient growth in the economy is played by the State Bank of Pakistan and provides guideline to the financial institution to play their role in the development by mobilizing the resources of the economy and facilitating the investors. The success of a bank also depends on the ability to forecast and avoid risk, to cover the losses brought about by the arisen risk. Profit is the important requirement of a competitive banking institution and the cheapest source of funds. It is essential to see it not simply as a result, but also a necessity for successful banking in a growing competition on financial market. These important facts together are the reason for this to focus on the current topical issue of banks profitability. We will highlight problems which are influencing on banks effectiveness and efficiency to manage their portfolio such as assets and liabilities in aiming at to achieve profitability and identify the areas where it might have possible room for raising the bank profitability. Banks assets are grouped into two categories earning assets and non earning assets. Earning assets means those on which banks earns interest income and non earning assets means those which used for the purpose reserve requirem ent, fixed assets to run day to day operational activities. In this study we have focus on earning assets. This included Placement and lending to financial institution, investment in securities and loan advances. These assets are the major source of income for bank. Therefore, it is apparent that average income generation ability of these assets has a decisive influence on the banks profitability. As financial intermediary, banks play a vital role in the operation of most economic development. The efficiency of financial intermediation can also affect the economic growth. Banks are different from other firms in that they provide financial services, the reward to which is an interest rate, and the most of the funding are financed by the deposits or borrowing, the expense of which is also an interest rate. Interest margin, the difference between what a bank has earns on its earning assets and what is paid to depositor. It has been on upward trend during the last decade. An increase in the spread would affect the depositor or the borrower or both stand loose at same time. The lack of alternate avenues of financial intermediation aggravates the adverse impact of spread. For example, if the State Bank of Pakistan based on the monetary policy change the interest rate. Then the change in the interest rate influences the cost of capital that in turn affects the level of consumption an d investment decision. If the increase in the spread is due to decrease the rate to depositors then this discourage the saving, and alternatively if due to increase the rate it would have adverse impact on investment. Therefore, these changes in the interest rate have important implication on the economy. Banks are more sensitive to interest rate changes than most of the other institutions. The effect of interest rate changes on banks profitability has been an important issue for banking system. It has been argued that bank exposure to interest rate risk perhaps the most important issue in participating the saving and investment crises. 1.2: Problem Statement The impacts of interest rate changes have a significant impact on the bank profitability. When interest rate changes it would result in increase or decrease in the interest income of the bank and also have adverse affect on depositors saving and borrower investment decision. 1.3: Objective This research aims to study the impact of interest rate changes on banks profitability based on the following variables directly affecting the banks profitability Interest rate Balances with other banks Deposits accounts Lending to Financial Institution Investments Loan Advances 1.4: Research Scope and Limitation The scope of this research is to find out the impact of interest rate changes on banks profitability. There are few limitation involved in the study. The sample selection consists of five major banks. Which covers the 57% market share of the Pakistan banking industry. The basis for calculation of income is KIBOR rate. The banking system starts using as benchmark as KIBOR rate from 2002 onward. Therefore, our study period is 2003 2008. 1.6 Chapter Summary The banking sector shown enormous potential in previous years. Banking sector achieved high profitability and economy was stable. But from 2008 onward banking sector going through a financial crises such as liquidity and solvency problem. To control the uncertain condition of the country. The central bank reduces the Cash Reserve Requirement and Statutory Liquidity Requirement. So, banks have more liquidity to fulfill their obligations. On the other hand Central Bank increases the discount rate to control the money supply in the market. Which result in higher interest rates. Due to the increase in interest rate and financial crises borrowers default ratio increase and financial institution suffer large amount of losses during the period. This increasing amount of asset quality concerns would force the bank to book heavy provision for non performing loans (NPLs). The stability of the banking system is dependant on the economy. A stable macroeconomic condition will contribute to effect ive and efficient growth of saving and investment. Banks play as role of financial intermediary in the development of economy. If the central bank made any change in the monetary policy it will affect the performance of financial institution. Then the changes in the interest rate will affect the saving and investment. If the spread increases due to decrease in the rate to depositor then it will discourage the depositor and alternatively if due to increase in the rate to borrower then it will affect the investment decision. Therefore, banks are more sensitive to interest rate changes then the other institution. The effect of interest rate has been todays most important issue for banking sector. Chapter 2: Literature Review The study of Flannery, (1981) showed that large banking organizations (1978 assets greater than $2 billion) are well hedged against interest rate fluctuations. The large banks made necessary adjustment to avoid interest rate fluctuation by revising the repayment schedule rate as per the agreement with customer to minimize their interest rate risk. The some of the borrower pay quarterly, half yearly and annual payments. So, as per the agreement schedule bank revise the rates which minimize the risk of bank. When market rate change, the large banking organization made necessary adjustments to avoid interest rate volatility in revenue and cost. The mostly organization have mis matched balance sheet such as they borrow from customer and financial institution at shorter period or maturity and give lending to customer and financial institution at longer period. It would create mis match between balance sheet. Therefore, banks are exposing to interest rate risk and liquidity risk. To avoid the liquidity risk the banks develop relationship with financial institution to overcome their liquidity problem on immediate basis and for interest rate they minimize the risk by revising the interest rate of the contract as per the agreement. The finding of this article suggests that most bank posses a sufficient range of assets and liabilities choices to avoid the risk. This study employs annual data from the federal Reports of Income and Condition on individual insured banks in continuous existence from 1960 through 1978. Twelve banks were chosen at random from the national population in each of five asset size categories (based on year-end 1978 assets): less than $25 million, $25- 25-49.9 million, $50-99.9 million, $100-299.9 million, and greater than $300 million. Holding company subsidiary banks were excluded from the first four size million, $100-299.9 million, and greater than $300 million. Holding company subsidiary banks were excluded from the first four size groups; 3 banks above $300 million were included regardless of their subsidiary status, since large independent banks may not be representative of the population Flannery, (1983). In this study data collected from the federal report of income and condition f rom 1960 to 1978. Population of Twelve banks randomly chosen for analysis and break into 5 different assets size categories on the basis of 1978 assets: less than $25 million, greater than $25 and less than $49.9 million, greater than $50 and less than $99.9 million, greater than $100 and less than $299.9 million and greater than $300 millions. In this study holding companys subsidiary excluded from first four groups and greater than $300 million includes the subsidiary banks of holding company and regression techniques had been used in the analysis. The result of the study showed that commercial banks groups are substantial exposed to interest rate risk and individual bank choose alternatives to avoid such risk. Bank possess sufficient amount of funds available in the form of assets and liabilities to minimize those risk and try to get productive results. The study of Barajas et.al (1999) showed that a key variable in the financial system is the spread between lending and deposit interest rates. When it is too large, it is generally regarded as a considerable impediment to the expansion and development of financial intermediation, as it discourages potential savers with low returns on deposits and limits financing for potential borrowers, thus reducing feasible investment opportunities and therefore the growth potential of the economy. The key point of financial institution is the spread between Loan and deposits rate differences. When the lending rate is high and deposits rate is low then which results in higher the profitability for the financial institution but on the other hand it will discourage the depositor. Because the depositors getting low return on their savings and also discouraging for the borrowers because the financial institution charging high interest rate. If the financial institution doing the same then it would red ucing the saving confidence on depositor and borrower will try to avoid to borrow from financial institution. Which resulting in reducing the investments opportunities because the saving money not contributing to the economy. Financial system of developing countries showing larger spread difference as compare to the developed countries. Based on the balance sheet and profit loss information the author derived two data base. One data base developed on basis of quarterly data from 1974-1988 and other on the basis of monthly data from 1991-1996. In the period 1974-1980 the spread between loan and deposits increasing steadily and then start decreasing during the period 1981-1988 reached to 19 percent and again decreased during the period of 1991-1996. The evidence provided by the author clearly suggest that the during 1974-1980 spread increased and then during the 1981-1990 significantly decreased. This showed that the loan quality during the period remained stable and reserve ratio re quirement decreased and consistent spreads and cost lower the productivity of the state bank. A study of Maisal, Robert (1978) showed that financial markets is the degree and rapidity with which financial institution react to new information and shift funds among asset and liability classes so as to equalize marginal cost and returns. Many analysts assume that markets are efficient, that transaction and information costs are negligible or unimportant, and that borrowing and lending hedging and arbitrage are simple and available at or close to risk free rates. As a result, they believe that they can successfully predict the results of all types of markets actions and reactions without concern for institutional forces. The financial markets are so efficient that they get rapidly information and on the basis of information they are making quick decision regarding the fund management such as assets, liability, cost and income. When all the information readily available then it reduces the cost and increase efficiency of transaction such as hedging and arbitrage without taking any risk on the basis of available information analyst predict their results of any market without considering the forces. The study conducted by author on the basis of cost and revenue of cross section banks during the period 1962-1975 estimation made on the basis of net rate of income and cost of book value of assets. The net rate is the difference between the gross revenue from assets minus cost of asset and rates are net of servicing, processing and overhead cost. The result showed that major shift occurred during the period of 1970-1975. Net returns of assets considerably differ when computed on the basis of average. The study of Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt, Harry (1999) showed the differences in interest margins and bank profitability reflect a variety of determinants: bank characteristics, macroeconomic conditions, explicit and implicit bank taxation, deposit insurance regulation, overall financial structure, and underlying legal and institutional indicators. A larger ratio of bank assets to gross domestic product and a lower market concentration ratio lead to lower margins and profits, controlling for differences in bank activity, leverage, and the macroeconomic environment. Foreign banks have higher margins and profits than domestic banks in developing countries, while the opposite holds in industrial countries. Also, there is evidence that the corporate tax burden is fully passed onto bank customers, while higher reserve requirements are not, especially in developing countries. The study showed that variation between spreads and profitability comprised of various determinants. Such as economic condi tions, regulations and financial structure. As the banks have a high ratio of asset with respect to gross domestic product and have small profit margin and banks profits. Because of debts and economic conditions. Foreign banks usually have greater margin of profits as compare to the local or domestic bank in the developing countries and different outcome for industrial countries. This study also evidence that corporate tax had a direct burden on the bank customer because bank transfer the tax burden to their customer while reserve requirement of central bank doesnt not have a significant effect on banks. The data collected at the level of banks for 80 institutes and period comprised of 1988-1995 on the size and decomposition of banks spreads and profits. Regression technique had been used to find out the determinate of interest rate spreads and banks profitability. Taxation and regulation have big impact on bank customer and overall bank position. The banking system varies from coun try to country around the world in size and composition and structure. All banks have different influence of macroeconomic conditions, regulation and market conditions. Several countries data had been used for analysis to find out the bank characteristics and conditions which affect the banks performance such as interest margins and profitability. Some variable have positive relationship with each other and some of them have a negative relationship with each other i.e. reserve ratio to profitability. The study of Samuelson Paul A, (1945) showed that the banking system as a whole is not really hurt by an increase in the whole complex of interest rates. It is left tremendously better off by such a change. If a bank were a university, nobody would doubt that it would be made better off by an increase in the interest rate. At worst, it could continue to hold all existing gilt-edge securities to maturity and be no worse off. As these matured, the proceeds could be invested at higher rates with a resulting increase in income. It would be better off in the sense that ceteris paribus it could hire more teachers per year, spend more money on buildings and stadia, and engage in more research. The only exception would be in the limiting and unrealistic case where all its money was invested in perpetuities. But even here it would be no worse off. In every other case it would be better off. The increase in the interest rates usually not affects the performance of bank, its actual effect on th e borrower. When the interest rate increases then borrower will bear the effect of increase interest rate. But it would not affect the bank performance .The reason is that the bank pay low return to depositors and charge more to borrower as interest rate increases. So, both depositor and borrower will bear the cost. In this article author taken the example of university. If this loan given to the university it certainly impact on the university performance because of increase in the interest rates. As the interest rates increases it would become more costly for the university and difficult to pay to the bank on time. The increase in the interest rates would not hurt university as its decreases capital value. This change would have a better impact on university. The study of Coleman George W, (1945) showed that the banking system would recover these losses over a period of time, the length depending upon the maturity distribution. During that period, it would be frozen in to a given maturity pattern. The earnings of the banking system upon the existing portfolio would increase. He states that immediately after interest rates have risen and capital values have scaled down, all parts of the portfolio, old as well as new, began to earn the higher rates. The rise in the interest rates bank can come up with some loss on the portfolio such as investing in the securities of longer period. The bank can recover this cost over the period of time and get desired returns and also increase in the capital of the bank. When the investment is carried at cost then it would amortize cost. It means banks amortize the investments over the period of agreement until it becomes zero. When the interest rate rise it would have immediate effect and bank re-prices the portfolio on the current interest rate and gets benefit of the opportunity. The objective of the study to find that increase in interest rate would not a sufficient impact on banks. Its directly influence on the saver or borrower. Which ultimately result in decrease in saving and investment. The management of bank continuously monitoring and updating their portfolio policies to minimize such risk. The study of Khawaja, Musleh, (2007) showed that Interest spread of the Pakistans banking industry has been on the rise for the last two years. The increase in interest spread discourages savings and investments on the one hand, and raises concerns on the effectiveness of bank lending channel of monetary policy on the other. The interest rate spreads in banking sector on the upward move. When the interest rate increases its discourages the depositor and borrower. Such as saving and investments. Banks giving low returns to depositors which results in discouragement and getting high return from borrower by charging high interest rates inclusive of spreads. Spreads are much high in Pakistan. When spreads taken into account ultimately the interest increase and banks gets high returns on lending and investments. The depositor not has any other option to save his money and also the strict requirement of SBP capital requirement. The industry has rapidly merger and acquisition. This results in decrease in the option for saving. In this study author used data of 29 banks. Variant model had been used to check variables relationship. The results showed that inelasticity in deposits supply have positive impact on interest rate spreads. To lower the spread margin central bank play a vital role to reduce the spread and other alternative would be the financial intermediary which lower the spreads. The study of Chirwa, Montfort, (2004) highlighted the importance of financial liberalization in facilitating economic development and growth. While there is no complete agreement on the removal of financial repression, usually characterized by control of interest rates, imposition of credit ceilings, and credit rationing, leads to significant amelioration of growth prospects, the dominant view is that financial liberalization and growth usually go together. Financial liberalization had a great influence on improving the economy and increasing growth. There is no certain agreement made on the financial repression. The management made certain tool and polices to control the interest rate impact on credits. Such as by applying tool of checking limits and there purpose of credit extension. The good control over the interest rate would have a significant on the performance of economy and growth of the country. Financial liberalization and growth of the economy work to gather and run head to head and boost the development of economy. The determinants of interest spread and bank profitability have been often used in the model. In portfolio choice bank trying to maximize their good portfolio. This maximizes the profitability of the banks. Bank usually made feasible choice of assets and liabilities with respective tenor interest rate. This study used monthly panel data from banking system between 1989-1999.the findings of that study showed that the after liberalization the interest rate significantly increased. The main cause of that increase was the increase in nonfinancial cost, provision for doubtful debts, taxation and variation in the inflation rates. The study of Marisel Peter, (2002) showed that in the world of endogenous money, the central banks role in monetary policy is reduced to the setting of a very short term official rate of interest, which indicates the price at which it will make liquidity available to the banking system. However; it is changes in market rates that affect behavior; and so the ability of the central bank to influence anything at all depends, first, on the interaction between official and market rates. In this paper, we use a vector autogressive error correction model to explore the response to changes in the central bank rate of three short-term market rates that have been featured previously in this journal in debates about the demand for endogenous money. The main responsibility of the state bank is to control or reduce the rates which affect the price and liquidity of the banking system and affect the availability of liquidity of the banking organizations. The fluctuation in the market interest rates will affect the function of the banking system and as well as the behavior of the consumer and economy. In this study autoregressive correction model had been used by the author to find out the responses of interest rates changes and its effect. When spread between Corporate Government bond increases then the market assume that the risk on the bond increases. When they see then they try to predict the coming slowdown and recession in the economy. After testing they have found that it would have a positive effect on the economy. They have used the Autoregressive model to test the fluctuation in prices and interest rates. The result of the paper showed that the short term interest rates have a significant impact on the banking system as compare to the long term interest rates. Short term interest rates were the major instrument of the monetary policy of the central bank. In monetary policy central bank advice the interest rates which would affect the banking system as well as the ov erall economic activities of the country. 2.1: Chapter Summary The impacts of interest rate changes have a significant impact on the bank profitability. When interest rate changes it would result in increase or decrease in the interest income. The Pakistan banking industry use Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (KIBOR) for earning assets to find out the interest income. The major portfolio reprice on 6 M KIBOR. Bank is exposing to interest rate risk. But usually bank hedge against interest rate risk to minimize its impact on bank performance. The major impact of interest rate changes would affect the depositors and borrowers. Because when interest rate changes it would discourage the saving and investment decision.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Problems with Abortion and Solutions Essay -- Abortion Pregnancy M

The Problems with Abortion and Solutions Abortion is referred as the termination of a pregnancy or of a fetus that is incapable of survival (Dictionary.com). Abortion is morally wrong and illegal because the fetus is a person. It is the same thing as murder. The reasons people have abortions are they are not ready to handle the responsibility of another human being, the fetus may have a birth defect, mother’s heath is an issue, rape, or simply because they don’t want any more children (Abortioninfo). The majority of people that have abortions are teenagers. Abortion is flat out wrong and should be banned. Being that abortion is immoral no matter the circumstances, justifies the need for a law to make it illegal. Abortion has been taking place since the beginning of time. It was not called abortion back then. Pregnant women were abused which caused their children to be born prematurely. Their children were either killed or left to die (Abortioninfo). Today, this procedure is way more intentional and is decided on by the mother or as the fetus knows it; their home for the next nine months. Abortion has become so common these days, that there are various ways of terminating an unwanted pregnancy. The RU-486 pill is a type of drug that produces an abortion after the mother misses her first period (SilentScream). This pill causes the blockage of a useful hormonal nutrient that causes the fetus shrivel up and die. This pill is used when the fetus is about two to three weeks old (SilentScream). The fetus has a beating heart and brain waves that move rapidly. This drug has many side effects which can be lethal. These side effects consist of liver damage, kidney destruction, heart muscles co mpromise, pulmonary failure... ...ly members. Those choices are much better than killing an unwanted child and they wouldn’t lay to heavily on the mother’s conscience. There is a slightly good chance of abortion becoming illegal in the years to come. Our President, George Bush recently signed a ban on abortion and plans on taking it to court to make it illegal (Entous). This ban will cover partial-birth abortions. This type of abortion has been the subjects of many disputes and failed to make it to court. Many people were outraged and upset because it didn’t protect women’s rights. Who knows if abortion will ever become illegal? The way the world is going, it may never become illegal. Our values and morals have diminished and things may continue to worsen. As long as America has a strong president that stands up for what he believes in concerning the issue, we may one day see it happen.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Policy Report On Dispersal Of Asylum Seekers

IntroductionThe UK has been second home to asylum seekers for a very long time, having witnessed an influx of immigrants since the seventeenth century, some of which were looking for refuge. With time, the UK residents felt bothered by increasing concentrations of ethnic minorities in the UK and especially their clustering in particular areas which led to congestion. In response to the increasing uneasiness of the public, the government opted to come up with means through which they could redistribute the ethnic minorities in other areas so as to decongest the cities and encourage assimilation.This led to the formulation of the Asylum and Immigration Act in 1999 which led to the dispersal of ethnic minorities to various corners of the United Kingdom. The dispersal policy has however come under heavy criticism with claims that it isolates the asylum seekers from the renders them vulnerable to racially charged attacks. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the dispersal policy of asylu m seekers, examining its background and development. It will also offer as critique of the policy which will largely determine whether it is a viable policy or not.Background policy reviewPrior to the 1990s, many Europeans thought of refugees as a problem of the third world which needed to be contained by the third world.   Europe would only be involved in charity but refugees needed to remain within their own borders. When it became involved, Europe only admitted a selected few refugees and settled them under controlled circumstances (Robinson et al 2003, p. 3). The attitude that many Europeans held towards refugees especially those from the third world was that they were immigrants looking for economic opportunities and as such, they did not deserve to be accorded asylum status.In the UK, the number of people seeking asylum was rapidly increasing (Robinson et al 2003, p. 4). During the post war period, Britain needed manpower for economic reconstruction and since it was not able to fill these positions, it decided to turn to the commonwealth, leading to an influx of immigrants especially from Asia. Thus Britain has been multiethnic for a long time. While some of the immigrants were coming to look for work, others also started coming to Britain in search of refuge. As early as the seventeenth century, some 50,000 French Huguenots arrived in London seeking refuge. In the 1880s, Jews also arrived in droves to look for refuge as they escaped the pogroms. Thus by the turn of the twentieth century, Britain had developed a reputation as a place of refuge (Robinson et al 2003, p.103).In 1905, an Aliens act was passed which ended this particular type of migration but the influx of both voluntary and forced immigrants continued. Jews fleeing Nazi Germany settled in the UK, so did some Italians and Chinese immigrants. Rapid immigration led to a concentration of certain ethnic communities in particular areas such as Chinatowns and dockland black quarters. Britain used this immigrant manpower for labour due to local shortages (Robinson et al 2003, p.104). This development of ethnic quarters was a cause of concern for the public who even directed hostility at the immigrants for this reason; the state saw the need for dispersal of refugees as well as ethnic minorities even before the formulation of the dispersal policy (Robinson et al 2003, p.104).It started an informal dispersal program in which the government attempted to settle people in different areas. Public opinion showed that many Britons were xenophobic and did not approve of the way some economic groups were clustering in the country; fearing that this would have an impact on the national identity of the British. Racial exclusion became an aspect of life in many regions of the UK in the 1960s to such an extent that it became a matter of popular as well as political concern. Some parents even objected to the number of black children who were being allowed to attend local schools. This led to the ‘Boyles Law’ being passed which stated that local schools should accommodate a maximum of 30% of ethnic minority children.The Department of Education and Science even suggested some policies to prevent ethnic concentrations from building up. In the 1970s, many people became increasingly supportive of the dispersal of ethnic minorities. Dispersal was aimed at reducing the hostility directed at them and facilitating their access to better chances. It was felt that living in mixed neighbourhoods would challenge the stereotypes that were associated with ethnic minorities (Robinson et al 2003, p.106-107).In 1969, the Cullingworth committee investigating public housing in the UK expressed concern over the residential concentration of ethnic minorities especially in the inner city; a factor that had led to overcrowding and which, they felt could lower the standards of education. For this reason, they proposed dispersal albeit voluntary. In the years that followed howeve r, there were increased calls for the compulsory dispersal of ethnic minorities (Robinson et al 2003, p.107).In the 1970s however, the assimilation concept began to be viewed as outdated, politically incorrect and linked to a belief of ethnic supremacy. No policy makers or those in power wanted to be associated with the assimilation concept lest they be viewed as extremists (Robinson et al 2003, p.108). The development of the dispersal policy can be linked to the changing welfare ideologies of the UK. The ideology of social democracy was evident especially in the years immediately after the Second World War.This ideology prevailed in the post war period and was associated with recognition of the needs of all people including the working class, as opposed to the bourgeois only. Thus everyone, even the immigrants who constituted the working class, benefited from a wide range of welfare benefits. The recent third way ideology seeks to promote welfare to work program and it has been lik ened to the principles of neo- liberalism. It claims to attempt to blend the principles of social democracy with neo- liberalism and involves welfare to work program whereby people must be helped by to find work by helping them overcome the dependency on passive benefits, inculcating in them a sense of responsibility.The welfare reform program consists of welfare cuts; something that greatly affects the asylum seekers. Government wishes to reallocate welfare payments to those who are working as opposed to those not working such as the asylum seekers. Their benefits have practically been abolished under this program and they have to undergo rigorous testing to be eligible if at all (â€Å"the retreat of social democracy†n.d). The evolution of such welfare ideologies determines how asylum seekers are treated since they rely mostly on welfare.Asylum seekers dispersal policyUnder the informal dispersal program prior to the 1990s, there were stories of how asylum seekers were tran sported to remote areas only to find that their destinations were neither expecting nor prepared for them. For this reason, many of them returned to London just a few days after having been dispersed.The asylum seekers were not very willing to be dispersed and some of then refused to be assisted if it involved dispersing them to areas outside the capital. In response to the failed Local Government Association dispersal program, in 1999, the government passed the use of the Asylum and Immigration Act; a new compulsory policy that radically modified the reception of asylum seekers. It is worth noting that it was not mandatory for all asylum seekers to be dispersed but those who needed financial support had to agree to it since the government would offer financial support only to those who were in agreement with the dispersal policy (Robinson et al 2003, p.123).The objectives of the dispersal act were to control the number of people who were seeking asylum in the UK, hasten the assessm ent process for asylum claims and overhaul the mechanisms of financial support for asylum seekers so that they stop coming to the UK merely for welfare benefits. Under the Act, the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) was formed. Its purpose was to choose which asylum seekers qualified for state benefits, provide them with these benefits and disperse them from London as well as the South East (Robinson et al 2003, p.123). It would provide asylum seekers with housing in some areas which came to be referred to as cluster areas under a more centralized dispersal process.This act meant that asylum seekers were not entitled to benefits and they were subject to compulsory dispersal by NASS so as to decongest the cities (Griffiths et al, n.d). Asylum seekers would apply to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for asylum and the Directorate would decide whether their claim was true or unfounded. Meanwhile, those who had been temporarily admitted would be forwarded to NASS who would provide them with emergency accommodation if they did not have means of supporting themselves.Within a seven day period, NASS decides who qualifies for support and disperses them to cluster areas outside London and the South East. The needy asylum seekers are given free housing inclusive of utilities cost and financial support. Once settled temporarily, the asylum seekers would know the fate of their claims within a two month period and could appeal within the four months that follows. The entire procedure is expected to be completed within a span of six months maximum.The Act also proposes an integration of the relevant authorities into consortia that would be responsible for the long term integration of asylum seekers who had been granted refugee status (Robinson et al 2003, p.124). The aim of the dispersal act is to redistribute the costs of catering to the asylum seekers, diffuse social tensions and discourage would-be applicants. The dispersed asylum seekers are taken care of and integrated into their communities by NASS which offers them accommodation within the clustered areas (Griffith et al, n.d).Critique of the Asylum seekers dispersal policyFrom its inception, the asylum seekers dispersal policy was met with severe criticism due to the critical issues that it raises to concerned citizens as well as the perceived risk that it poses to the asylum seekers themselves. This section uses the â€Å"othering† theory and the critical race theory to examine how asylum seekers are received in the UK and other developed nations, especially those which have a similar policy to UK’s dispersal policy.Critical race theory helps one to understand the prevailing social situation in terms of races, racism and the subsequent game of power. The critical race theory helps in determining how the society has organised itself especially along racial lines and how relationships between the races are organised in a hierarchical manner. Furthermore, it strives f or social justice and a betterment of the situation; a betterment of the relationship between the races (Delgado and Stefancic 2001, p.3). Central to understanding why races tend to group themselves together is the concept of ‘othering’.‘Othering’ is an important part of identity formation. As Dominelli (2004, p.76) puts it, the ‘self’ is in existence due to the presence of the ‘other’ who can be used to as a measure of comparison to oneself. This dichotomy facilitates the externalization of the other to such an extent that he or she is viewed in an antagonistic manner, thus creating hierarchical relations. In the formulation of policies therefore, ‘othering’ processes generate divisions such that those who are labelled as the ‘other’ are set apart from the normal population.They generate barriers that prevent those who have been excluded from mingling with others, and distinguish them as undeserving of fa vourable treatment (Dominelli 2004, p.76). In the UK, asylum seekers as well as refugees are subjected to ‘othering’ which makes them easy prey for violence. For instance, almost all asylum seekers in Scotland are located in Glasgow; a city rife with gangs that attack them for the ethnic minorities who are ‘othered’ based on their looks, their language as well as culture. Just looking different in Glasgow can make one a victim of racial harassment on a level that has been described as shocking by a Scottish executive study.The reason given by the gangs for these often brutal attacks targeted at asylum seekers is that they are usually given the best houses in the area; a result of the dispersal policy which is responsible for settling the asylum seekers in scattered places and providing them with financial support. What the gangs cannot understand is why the ‘others’ should be accorded such favourable treatment when the ‘deserving’ inhabitants of the regions can probably not even afford the lifestyle accorded to the others (Stewart, 2007). According to Morris (2007) asylum seekers are put at risk by the dispersal policy which, in an effort to decongest the main cities procures the houses for asylum seekers in far off places which are invariably poor. That the asylum seekers are given the best housing in the area makes them targets of prejudice and violence.This main reason behind such attacks is that the residents feel that the asylum seekers are being given preferential treatment. Most of the places where the asylum seekers are settled are volatile areas that have witnessed recurrent attacks on asylum seekers. For example, both the Moston district and the Cheetham district in Manchester continue to receive many refugees even though they are considered to be very dangerous and unpleasant. Other dangerous areas which continue to receive asylum seekers are Everton, whose residents felt that the asylum seekers we re being favoured, and Toxteth which have both witnessed several cases of racial harassment that are targeted at asylum seekers as well as refugees. Furthermore, some asylum seekers are placed in areas where there is none of their kind and where they have difficulty in communication. The dispersal system thus tends to isolate foreigners, making them vulnerable to hostility.In several studies carried out in the UK and documented by the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR n.d), it was established that most people were very concerned about the influx of immigrants into the UK with several of them expressing concern that immigration was out of control. Of particular concern was the question of asylum seekers, with most people wondering just how genuine these ‘supposed’ asylum seekers were. The study found that many people were concerned about the increasing numbers of asylum seekers and how genuine their claims were. A number of people felt that the influx of asylum seekers was economically motivated.They felt that if such immigration was left unchecked, then it would eventually threaten the British society in terms of their values, health, ethnicity as well as religion. The British economy would also suffer due to the asylum seekers becoming burdens to the economy, increasing competition and engaging in acts of criminality since asylum seekers were often associated with deviance which could lead to acts of illegality. The study also revealed that most people felt that the asylum seekers were favoured and were in fact, better off than the average white Briton. Most of the problems that asylum seekers face are have either been created or exacerbated by the dispersal policy since it tends to put the immigrants in places where they can be easily ‘othered’ and isolates them; thereby making them susceptible to prejudice.ConclusionThe dispersal policy has been faced with severe criticism due to the perceived danger that it poses to the asylum seekers. Isolated in foreign communities and not understanding the British system, they suffer racial prejudice and violence directed at them by the locals who cannot understand why these outsiders are being treated in a more favourable manner by the government yet they are just immigrants while the locals continue to be ‘worse off’ than these immigrants.The increased cases of violence directed at immigrants should sound alarm bells for the relevant authorities and lead to a review of the dispersal policy. It is crucial for nations to grant asylum to people fleeing the countries. However if this is done in a manner that puts offends the locals and puts them at risk, then the provision of asylum defeats purpose. It does not make sense for people fleeing death from their countries to be granted asylum in another, only for them to be met with the hostility that probably drove them from their countries in the first place. Thus the government should halt the di spersal policy or modify it so that the asylum seekers are not placed at risk.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Richard II essays

Richard II essays Richard II is located in various parts of England and Wales. The tournament scene (Act I, Scene 2) is at Coventry, in the Midlands. Bolingbroke, although coming from Brittany, in France, lands on the north coast of England and undertakes the tediously long march southwest through the Cotswolds to Berkeley and on to Bristol. Richard returns from Ireland and lands at Barkloughly. He moves in a northwesterly direction towards Flint Castle, where he encounters Bolingbroke. The climactic scene takes place in Parliament in London. Then Richard is sent to the prison of Pomfret Castle, which is in Yorkshire. King Richard - Richard, the play's protagonist, is a poetic and intensely charming man, but a fatally weak monarch. His unshakable faith in his own quasi-divinity constitutes his tragic flaw, as does his bad judgment. He enjoys the role of performer, and after he is deposed, he casts himself as a martyr. Henry Bolingbroke - Bolingbroke is the Duke of Hereford and the son of John of Gaunt. After the latter's death, he becomes the Duke of Lancaster. Bolingbroke is a practical and ambitious man who replaces Richard on the throne. At the beginning of the play, Bolingbroke believes in the divinity of kings and in the need to obey them, regardless of their cruelty. He meekly accepts his sentence of exile. Only after his father dies and Richard reveals the extent of his corruption does Bolingbroke transform. However, he has misgivings about assuming power. As king he becomes Henry IV. John of Gaunt - He is the Duke of Lancaster and uncle to Richard. Gaunt is immensely powerful and wealthy. Shakespeare also casts him as a figure of great wisdom and dignity. He is loyal to Richard and cautions him from his deathbed against the flatterers who surround him; he also berates him for misappropriating royal funds. Duke of York - The Duke is modeled on the historical figure, Edmund of Langley. Initially, he is the strongest supporter ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

John Marshall and his influence on the supreme court essays

John Marshall and his influence on the supreme court essays John Marshall had a significant impact on the development of the Supreme Court during his term as Chief Justice. Many of the cases he worked on helped to define the Constitution, and also many laws. They set precedent for the Supreme Court laws and customs still followed today. However his obvious political conflict with Thomas Jefferson and the opinions of his colleagues regarding his court decisions caused him to be severely criticized throughout his judicial career. John Marshall was born to well educated parents in Prince William County, Virginia and was the oldest of fifteen children. In the American Revolution, he served as an officer from 1775-1781. Marshall served in the Virginia House of Delegates on and off from 1782-1790 and also from 1795-1796. President George Washington offered him several political positions, but unfortunately financial problems prevented him from accepting office in any of them. Before his days with the Supreme Court, Marshall served several terms in the state assembly and the executive council. He also helped to ratify the Constitution and was involved in the infamous XYZ Affair. After his work with the XYZ Affair, John Marshall had gained immense popularity and also the sufficient funds to pay off his mortgage debt. He served in political offices until he went to the Supreme Court. Shortly after declining a nomination from President John Adams in 1800 for Secretary of War, Marshall agreed to become Secretary of State. The next year he was chosen by President Adams to become Chief Justice on January 20, 1801. This was undoubtedly the most important presidential act of President John Adams, given the incredible imprint left by Marshall on the American Supreme Court. Ironically, his first act as Chief Justice was administering the presidential oath to Thomas Jefferson, who was his political rival as well as his cousin. However, President Jefferson did experience feelings of relief at the fact ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

No topic - Essay Example The youth is engaged in disturbing activities with mothers losing. The shady nooks frighten the souls by raising questions over the state of the society. The state of extraordinary poignance has been highlighted with a tinge of hip hope that drives into a different world of distress. On the other hand â€Å"Whatever you like† song highlights a happy story full of positivism and high energy with little rap making it all the mire soothing. The song depicts the emotions of a man for whom buying sources and resources is an easy task. He often states that the girl can buy whatever she wants as the whole world is in a happy state full of sources and resources. He often states that buying good education and luxury items is within the reach and anything can be bought within no time. Comparing both the songs, it can be assumed that the grandmaster takes into the world of distress and little hope while â€Å"Whatever you like† takes into the world of happy sights, positivism and high enthusiasm. The contradiction made in the two songs belongs to two different worlds that highlight the difference between the rich and poor. Both songs can be considered as beautiful depiction of availability and paucity of emotions and

Friday, November 1, 2019

Physics of cheerleading Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Physics of cheerleading - Term Paper Example According to Newton’s law of reaction, when two objects act together the force on one object becomes the same as the magnitude but in opposite direction to the other. Studies reveal that, when two objects act together, there are several forces. This is because, one object tends to exert force on the other one which acts upon it hence the reaction forces defined in the third law of motion. The action forces always accelerate towards the earth while the reaction moves away from the earth. This can be presented in an equation with variables in the normal force which acts on both forces as: The speed of rotation into the air can increase or decrease when the distance of mass and axis is changed. When performing a stunt, the cheerleader may not gain momentum if on the ground since velocity and position are zero. Incase one jumps to decrease the distance between the body and axis of rotation, then the angular momentum remains constant since there is no outer torque which has taken place in the radius of X. Today, most of the cheerleaders are expected to poses athletic shape with gymnastic foundation. So as to gain the force required to spin into the air without anybody increasing or decreasing the momentum while in the air. According to Hewitt, Paul and Wolf (2008, p 136), the main principle behind physics of cheerleading is to set up a good weight allotment in the stunts, for example in pyramids. This is created by putting a great number of people at the bottom than at the top. The strong members of the group form the base while the lighter members are put on the top. This makes it possible for the team to perform stunt that involve holding and tossing the cheerleader up in the air. Stunt depends on having the right number of people forming the top and bottom in the pyramid. In stunt, balancing is important so as to help in supporting the weight exerted at top of the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Candide by voltaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Candide by voltaire - Essay Example Voltaire maintains that the world is not perfect, and that there might be no reason or justification for the atrocities that one faces in life, such as his characters facing or witnessing tortures of flogging, rape, earthquake, and others (Voltaire). Linked to this is the concept of a God, who, in His infinite Wisdom, can justify such hardships. By denouncing optimism, Voltaire denounces the existence of God (Voltaire). He also writes against theoretical philosophy and mere rhetoric in favor of practical work and constructive thinking, for while Candide is trapped beneath the rubble of the earthquake, instead of helping him, Pangloss lectures him on the philosophical causes of the tragedy (Voltaire). This is in contrast to the happiness and contentment that Candide feels at the end when he is in his garden, and he tells his companion, â€Å"let us cultivate our garden† (Voltaire) . This demonstrates the triumph of labor over

Monday, October 28, 2019

Teaching career Essay Example for Free

Teaching career Essay Source A is a memoir written by Elizabeth Makinson, who finished her teaching career in Bradford 1913. A memoir is a collection of memories based on a certain theme. This source would have come into existence, because Elizabeth will have reached a certain age and would want to review her childhood experiences and her early teaching career. Elizabeths memories are based on her education in a Board School called Belle Vue, and her early teaching career in Drummond Road, which was another Board School. Bell Vue was mainly for lower middle class children, as rich upper class children would have Governesses or would go to College. This particular school was on Manningham Lane, which at the time was a very desirable place to live. The education wasnt free, as the children would pay 6 pence per week. This wasnt considered expensive as the children would receive a high standard of education. They would learn a wide range of subjects, these were Arithmetic, Euclid (Greek), Geography, History, Drawing and Painting, Songs, Tonic Solfa (Singing in Ranges), English Literature, Physiography, Physiology, Cookery and Domestic Science, French, Elementary science, Practical and Theatrical Chemistry. This school was well funded as there was expensive equipment including Bunsen Burners, Crucibles, Test tubes, Retorts, Beakers and Small, Brass Balances. The school was funded for gym kits and other gym equipment such as climbing frames, vaulting horse, parallel bars, ropes and dumb-bells. The Headmistress Miss S. L. Beszant would take the children on school outings to the Bradford Destructor, Esholt Sewage works, and to the Theatre Royal to see the matinee showing of Romeo and Juliet, featuring the famous actress, Ellen Terry. In the next paragraph of the memoir she describes the school where she worked called Drummond Road Board School in the infants department in 1900. She received a place in this school when she passed the Teachers Entrance Examination. This school would not have been well funded and would have probably been free for lower class and working classes, who attended. This source would be quite useful to a historian who is studying schooling, because it illustrates what types of schooling were in use after the 1870s Education Act and the quality of education in these schools. However, as it is a memoir Elizabeth tends to remember the good points rather than the bad. This would therefore cause the source to become less valid, but in looking at other sources we can see how reliable this source is. Source B is a photograph of a Board School in 1894. This photograph was possibly taken, because towards the late nineteenth century photographs were taken to demonstrate poverty; therefore this photograph could have originally been taken for this purpose rather than education. This source tells us that there were only nine pupils, which is a very small class. This was because some of the pupils would have been half-timers, which means that they would work six hours in the mill and then attend school afterwards. The children in the photograph are frowning, however this does not necessarily mean that they did not enjoy going to school. This is because in Victorian times photography was a very long process; therefore it was easier to frown rather than smile. This source could be slightly unreliable, because photographs can be set up and arranged in order to gain a desired opinion. However this statement does not necessarily mean that the source is completely unreliable, because by looking at other sources we can see how true it is.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Governmental Opposition of Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Governmental Opposition of Cloning Human cloning is a prospect no longer left to the fantastic realm of science fiction novels; rather it is a modern possibility. In 1997, embryologists in Scotland cloned the first mammal, a sheep named Dolly. Shortly thereafter, scientists in the United States cloned a set of monkeys. These scientific advancements and the ethical dilemmas they pose quickly grabbed the attention of the President, Congress and the American public. In its desire to allay anxieties raised by human cloning, Congress proposed the Human Cloning Prohibition Act ( S. 1601, or the â€Å" Bill † ) (Cannon and Haas 637 ). Unfortunately, in their haste to pass federal legislation, the Bill’s drafters ignored important procedural safeguards, employed vague statutory language, and created a bill with significantly diverse implications. After exploring the ethical dilemmas associated with human cloning, the Recent Development critiqued S. 1601 and concluded that congress should craft more suitable legislation. One of the ethical concerns prompting anti-cloning legislation is that human individuality may be undermined if parents can custom order the traits and other characteristics of their children. In the article, â€Å" The Human Cloning Prohibition Act: Did Congress Go Too Far ? †, the authors Cannon and Haas have cited the views of President Clinton on this issue. President Clinton fears that human cloning â€Å" could lead to misguided and malevolent attempts to select certain traits, even to create certain kinds of children ---- to make children objects instead of cherished individuals. † ( Cannon and Haas 638 ). In 1997, within days of the announcement of Dolly’s successful birth, President Clinton instituted a ban on federal funding of human cloning research. President Clinton further ordered the National Bioethics Advisory Commission to report on whether the United States should either regulate human cloning or completely ban it with laws similar to those passed in Belgium, Britain and many other countries. Soon thereafter congress attempted to pass federal legislation. The Bill, as proposed by Senators Christopher Bond, Bill Frist and Trent Lott, prohibits any person or entity from using human somatic cell transfer technology and from importing an embryo produced through such technology.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Savage Journey in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essays -- Heart Da

Heart of Darkness:   Savage Journey  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. History is loaded with examples of atrocities that have occurred when one culture comes into contact with another. Whenever fundamentally different cultures meet, there is often a fear of contamination and loss of self that leads us to discover more about our true selves, often causing perceived madness by those who have yet to discover their own self.   Joseph Conrad’s book, The Heart of Darkness is a story about Man’s journey into his self, the discoveries to be made there and about Man confronting his fears of insanity, death, and cultural contamination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During Marlow’s mission to find Kurtz, he is also trying to find himself. He, like Kurtz had good intentions upon entering the Congo. Conrad tries to show us that Marlow is what Kurtz had been, and Kurtz is what Marlow could become. Every human has a little of Marlow and Kurtz in them.   Marlow says about himself, "I was getting savage (Conrad)," meaning that he was becoming more like Kurtz. Along the trip into the wilderness, they discover their true selves through contact with â€Å"savage† natives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Marlow ventures further up the Congo, he feels like he is traveling back through time. He sees the unsettled wilderness and can feel the darkness of its solitude. Marlow comes across simpler cannibalistic cultures along the banks. The deeper into the jungle he goes, the more regressive the inhabitants seem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kurtz had lived in the Congo, and was separated from his own culture for qu... ...ure, a self-discovery happens. Both cultures realize that deep down inside, all humans are essentially the same. We all posses a good and an evil side, and no culture no matter how "advanced," is exempt from that fact. This discovery often causes madness as this evil side is allowed out. Only those who have completed the "journey into self" can understand the actions of people such as Kurtz. They are alone in this world of horror. Works Cited Conrad, James. Heart of Darkness and Other Tales. New York, Paperbacks ltd.   1996. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Underline titles of novels. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When writing quotes, the last quotation mark should come immediately after the last word of the quote, not after the parentheses. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Great work on the works cited. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The introduction should be limited to one paragraph.   5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, your paper is well-organized.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Causes of World War Essay

World War 1 was the first war in history that had most of the world dragged into conflict against one another. There were many causes of WW1 the main one that actually started it was a short term cause, the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungary Empire. But there were a lot of long term causes that were building up to war like the arms race with military sections such as navy being built up especially between Britain and Germany. Also Imperialism was a great cause because Germany had only just unified in comparison to the rest of the world they wanted to get themselves on the map in regards to some colies but there wasn’t much free space rest in the world, also there was the alliance systems that actually pulled everyone into the war. Nationalism also played a role, basically its patriotism so it cone sides with the alliance system especially to do with Britain and all its colonies such as Australia and Canada, they join the war because of the alliance but also because Britain is basically there mother so even though they were independent they still were going to help out their oldest and greatest ally at that time. The only short term cause was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28 1914, this act committed by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo; Bosnia was the match that started the fuse that led to war. The reason for this assassination was mainly because he and his group wanted to break free of the Austria-Hungary Empire and have an independent Yugoslavia. This caused the spark of the war because Austria-Hungary found out that Serbia helped to provide some equipment and weapons. So they decided to teach Serbia a lesson by going to war with them and were planning on crushing them but they couldn’t because Serbia was allied with Russia but they did anyway pulling there ally, Germany, in and causing the whole conflict to kick off. The death of one royal family member and the actions of one man to commit that murder ended up getting approximately 16 million people killed in the process. The arms race then ensued when Germany started to build its navy in compaction with Britain use 4,532,000 tonnes of iron and other materials and had 63 separate Dreadnoughts built. Those figures were just for the dreadnoughts that does not include other ships like destroyers and torpedo boats. That shows the pure magnitude of the want that Germany had to out-class and over power the amazing and massive British Navy that had been dominate in the oceans of the world for hundreds of years. There is a reason for the saying â€Å"Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves.† The whole arms race was because Germany wanted to become the world power over Britain and to do that they needed a navy but they couldn’t really build massive ships in secret so the British found out and started to up there navy power as well, to stay ahead. One of the main ways they did that was by introducing the HMS Dreadnought; it was a new design that was faster and stronger than any other ship that had been built to date. It was launched on the 10th of February 1906 starting a new class of ships, the Dreadnought class. The whole naval arms race was a product of Germany’s imperialism and want to become a major world power but because they had only unified in 1871 they didn’t have much of a chance to get many colonies but they got a few and needed a navy to defend them but they had other plans on what to do next. There was also an arms race on land/ sky but it was no were near as large or cost as much because ships are a lot bigger and more expensive. But ever since wright brothers flew their first plane the military was interested in using them as weapons and they did, Biplanes made their combat debut during WW1 and it was the first time battles had taken to the skies and there was more than just ground forces to consider when planning out tactics. Also it was during but there was also the invention of the Tank or as it were first called Land ships. Imperialism was a major stir between the European powers as they were all trying to get more colonies and more land, but during this time Germany still wasn’t Germany it was Prussia and because they unified late they didn’t have a chance to colonies the world but they did do it in time to participate in the scramble for Africa and its resources. The reason for it being a part of the build up to WW1 was that Germany was envious of the rest of the European powers and how many colonies they possessed, especially Britain. This might not seem that important but to be a world power you needed influence around the world or a lot of land (like Russia) but Germany had neither but the wanted to be conceded a world power but they couldn’t really because there was not much land left that the Germans could Colonise. Germany was also involved in the Morocco crisis because they wanted equal economic benefits from Morocco including Morocco’s natural resources. This whole situation was a big problem between the European power and who would control Morocco. Nationalism is just patriotism on an extreme level, during the early 1900s’ all powers in Europe had their populations tricked because they all thought their ideologies were the best and their army could crush any opponent. Basically the major powers thought they were the biggest and the best. This was especially important between Russia and Germany the main reason Germany agree to support Austria-Hungary is because the tension between Russia and Germany was building. But because of nationalism was so strong in Germany they thought, well war is inevitable so we may as well crush them now. But Russian people had the same idea. On the outbreak of war Germanys mobilised with the strength of 3.8 million in there general army compared to Russia’s 5.25 million. You can see that Russia’s military was a lot bigger but Germany had it going through their minds that they could win anyway, even though on the outbreak they sent most of their troops towards France to destroy them quickly, that was the plan anyway. The whole reason most empires/ countries got involved was because they thought their armies were so amazing that their contribution would end the war in under a year, which was not true because of the stalemate that old tactics with new equipment caused, because as soon as machine guns were introduced trench warfare was outdated. The alliances were the main long term cause of WW1 they are what brought everyone into the war making it a world war, because it involved most of the world. The first treaty that was called upon was Serbia calling on Russia because of the treat from Austria-Hungary and Serbia could definitely not stand up on its own to such a large empire such as Austria-Hungary. There  was no signed treaty but Russia wanted to keep the peace in the Buckland’s area and to do that they need to mobilise their military. And the mobilising of Russia’s military marked the start of many chain reactions of treaties/ alliances that would be called upon that cause one assassination to turn into the First World War. The Duel Alliance was the defence agreement between Austria-Hungary and Germany it was brought in, in case Russia attacked which was most likely at the point when the treaty was signed in 1879. Also ironically it was signed to limit war but it did the exacted opposite. But even though it was called upon for an offensive movement it was still defensive from Russia because Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia cause the Russian’s to move there army towards Austria-Hungary so they called for support from Germany and they got it. These were the first two alliances call upon and they started the First World War. The Franco-Russian Alliance was between Russia and France it was mainly to contain the threat of Germany because if Germany decaled war on either of them they would have to fight on two fronts because France and Russia were right next to Germany but on opposite geographical sides. It was signed in 1836 and its purpose was to dissuade Germany it worked for a while but ultimately it failed and Germany declared war on both of them. The Treaty of London was signed 1839 and its point was to recognise and guarantee Belgium’s independence and Neutrality. Because it was so old Germany called it The Scrape of Paper and when Germany planned to disregard Belgium’s neutrality by going through Belgium’s boarders to invade France they expected no one to care or act upon it. Not only was this seen as war mongering but Britain stayed true to their word to Belgium and got involved in the war because of that. And with the entry of Britain brought all her allies from her colonies; Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa. With that most of the world was involved and it truly had become a World War. Then finally there was America. America was not obliged to join the war at any point by a military alliance but as soon as Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917 trying to restrict shipping to Britain and force them to surrender by starving them American shipping was in danger because America shipped food and other goods to help them in the war effort indirectly. But with their shipping naval personnel in danger they didn’t have much of a choice to declare war on Germany thus America entered the war. In conclusion there were many reasons for WW1 to start but most of them had been building up for years behind the scenes it just took the match of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to light the fuse and the world exploded into chaos and destruction with roughly 16 million people dead, 20 million wounded, and 8 million missing it was one of the biggest wars in the worlds history. BIBLIOGRAPHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YREY33W24 Published on 4 Aug 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njINCi9iIrA Published on 25 Jun 2010 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/gcselinks/wars/firstwwlinks/worksheets/causeswwi.pdf Published on (No date found) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_I Published on 29 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Published on 29 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Published on 27 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavrilo_Princip Published on 5 Aug 2014 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archduke-franz-ferdinand-assassinated Published on (No date found) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-German_naval_arms_race Published on 19 Jul 2014 http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/imperialism/ Published on (No date found) http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/moroccan_crisis_1905.htm Published during May 2012 http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/nationalism/ Published on (No date found) http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3415778 Published on 24 Sep 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Serbia_relations Published on 11 Jun 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Alliance_(1879) Published on 2 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Russian_Alliance Published on 23 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1839) Published on 23 Aug 2014 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/america_and_world_war_one.htm Published during 2006 The First World War, Robin Lobban, Oxford University Press Text book from school, page 91 (white)