Sunday, November 3, 2019

Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin - Essay Example At first, having a baby made the couple happy, and the husband even more tender. However, after a few months, the once loving Armand became cold and distant, due to the baby being born with a very dark skin. Armand accused Desiree of not being white, since their child was not white (Chopin 206). No matter how much Desiree pleaded, her husband thought of her as a slave, which made her feel even worse and depressed. She went back home to her mother, and the last blow was when her husband did not even turn around to say goodbye. Months later, just when Armand was burning the remnants of his married life, including her letters and clothes, he stumbled upon the knife-hitting truth: a letter from his mother to his father revealed that it was actually him, who has the blood of a slave race, concluding the story of how his son came to look like one. During the time the story was written, it can be deduced that there were already interracial marriages between the blacks and the whites. However, it was still being frowned upon by the society, which made some relationships fall apart, like in the story of Desiree and Armand. Even though Desiree has hands whiter than Armand’s, she was still presumed to be a descendant of slaves, since she was the one who bore his child (Chopin 206). Because people were not fully aware of this, many people would marry and would be surprised to have a dark-skinned baby. This proved to be the measure of Armand’s love for Desiree, and sending her away would not give him any redemption after learning that it was he, not her who has the blood of slaves (Chopin 208). A reason why Armand was never told of his true identity by his parents was in order for him to be able to live at peace with himself. It can be seen in this narrative that aside from the prejudice blacks and their descendants re ceive from the whites, there is also the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Social science research methods and ethics Essay

Social science research methods and ethics - Essay Example Social research methods are important to give a valid reason for any particular condition or issue. It helps in understanding the cause and consequences of particular situation which further is utilized to develop policies, guidelines and improvement of human life and living conditions. Researches are done for vast reasons and various ways. Social research of any kind is obviously a complex activity. It is carried out within a variety of cultural, legal, economic, and political environments which are bound to influence the research, its scope and its focus.1 This is a person who conducts research. The research can be a group activity or an individual activity depending upon the requirement and resources allocated for the research. In both the cases there are ethical issues involved at various levels. This group is the respondent group who is an important part of the research. The interest and protection of this group is one of the prime concerns area if there are any suspect of being harmed due to the result. The research process starts with selection of an appropriate topic for the research. The research topic should be such that it contributes to the area of work. The problem is defined. The literature on the similar work or related work is reviewed and the findings of literature reviews are considered to formulate hypothesis. Once the hypothesis is formulated the appropriate research method is chosen. The research method chosen should be good enough to cover the hypothesis and topic of research. Data collection is the next step. This is a tedious process and very much depended on the responded and ability of researcher or interviewer. The collected data is compiled and analyzed for the logical results. The results are compiled in the report format and shared with others. There are six types of research methods i.e surveys, participant observations, secondary analysis, documents, unobtrusive measures and experiments. Each of these

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Begay v. United States Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Begay v. United States - Case Study Example The main question in the case was to establish what kind of crimes fall under the category of violent crimes enumerated under the ACCA (1984). In this determination, the court had to establish whether reckless driving or driving while intoxicated as proscribed by the New Mexico’s DUI law could constitute a violent felony in the auspices of the ACCA (1984). In overall, the court had to establish the extent to which a commission of an act threatening the consequence of injury to another person can be treated as a violent crime under ACCA (1984). The Supreme Court under the guidance of Justices Roberts C.J., Stevens Kennedy, Ginsburg J.J. and Scalia J held that driving under the influence of alcohol is not a violent felony as envisioned in The Armed Career Criminal Act (1984). The court further held that the most significant question is not on how the defendant had engaged in previous crimes but on how the statute defines the crime of violent felony. The court was of the opinion that regardless of the risk of injury posed to another person or group of persons, the crime in itself is milder to the example of crimes covered under the ACCA. In arriving at the above decision, the Supreme Court justices considered a strict interpretation of the New Mexico’s Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offense in relation to the benchmarks provided for under the ACCA. The court was convinced that New Mexico’s DWI is not in the ordinary sense a violent felony when interpreted alongside the ACCA residual clause which only encompasses violent and active property crimes that are characteristic of violent criminals, which become more dangerous when committed with a firearm. Begay succeeded in his argument to convince the court that this definition excluded DWI felony as enumerated under the New Mexico Criminal Statute. The argument by Begay’s defense that a violent felony

Monday, October 28, 2019

Macroeconomics Tutorial Test Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomics Tutorial Test Essay Question 1. (i) Identify and briefly explain the main features of the business cycle. (2 marks) Business cycles are usually characterized by periods of transition from peak to trough and then from trough to peak. The peak of a business cycle is the high point of GDP prior to a downturn whereas a Trough is the low point economic activity prior to a recovery. The period in which the economy is moving from a peak to a trough is called a contraction and the period in which the economy is moving from a trough to peak is an Expansion. (ii) Explain the concepts of (a) potential output and (b) the output gap. (3 marks) Potential Output (y*) or full employment output is the level of GDP an economy can produce when using its resources, such as labour and capital, at normal rates. This is not the same as maximum output. Potential output grows over time with growth in labour and capital and with growths in technology. At any point in time, the difference between the economy’s potential output and actual output is called the output gap (y y*). A positive output gap, which occurs when actual output is higher than potential output and when resources are being utilised at above-normal rates, is called an expansionary gap. This is related to firms operating above normal capacity and can lead them to raise prices (inflationary). On the other hand, a negative output gap, which occurs when potential output exceeds actual output and when resources are not being utilised, is called a contractionary gap. This is related to capital and labour not being fully utilised (cost in terms of forgone output). (iii) Explain the concept of Okun’s law. Discuss the implications of Okun law for policymakers. (5 marks) Okun’s law states that each extra percentage point of cyclical unemployment is associated with about a 1.6 percentage point (for Australia) increase in the output gap, measured in relation to potential output. The quantitative relationship is (y-y*)/y* = -B(u-u*). This describes how an additional percentage point of cyclical unemployment is associated with a B percentage point decline in the output gap. The output losses associated sustained in recessions, calculated according to Okun’s law, can be quite significant. Calculations using this relationship depict that output gaps and cyclical unemployment may have major costs. Therefore, we can conclude with the fact that the public and policymakers have concern in relation to contractions and recessions. Question 2 (i) Discuss the role played by fixed (or sticky) prices in the Keynesian model of income determination. Briefly explain what would happen if prices were fully flexible in the short run. (2 marks) New Keynesians assume prices and wages are fixed or sticky, meaning that they do not change easily or quickly with alterations in supply and demand, so that quantity adjustment prevails. When prices are sticky, higher aggregate demand raises production, and this raises incomes. If prices were fully flexible in the short run, economy’s resources would be fully employed and thereby the economy would return to the natural level of real GDP. Firms would stop producing when price is lower than production cost, so there would be less competition. (ii) Explain the concept of Planned Aggregate Expenditure (PAE). How does PAE differ from Actual Expenditure? (2 marks) Planned Aggregate Expenditure is the total planned spending on final goods and services. In equilibrium, planned expenditure and actual expenditure must equal in the economy. The difference between planned and actual expenditure is unplanned inventory investment. When firms sell fewer products than planned, stocks of inventories increase. Because of this, actual expenditure can be above or below planned expenditure. (iii) Use the Keynesian aggregate expenditure model and appropriate diagrams to explain the following: The paradox of thrift The effect on equilibrium GDP of an exogenous increase in exports. (6 marks) Question 3 (i) Explain what is meant by the multiplier? Why, in general, does a one dollar change in exogenous expenditure produce a larger change in short-run output? (3 marks) The income-expenditure multiplier, or the multiplier for short, is the effect of a one-unit increase in exogenous expenditure on short-run equilibrium output. For example, a multiplier of 3 means that a 6-unit decrease in exogenous expenditure reduces short-run equilibrium output by 18 units. Therefore, a one dollar change in exogenous expenditure produce a larger change in short-run output as initial amount of expenditure leads to raised consumption spending resulting in an increase in national income greater than the initial amount of spending. (ii) Explain the role played by the marginal propensity to import in determining the size of the multiplier. Other things equal, how does an increase in the marginal propensity to import affect the size of the multiplier? (3 marks) The marginal propensity to import is the change in imports divided by the change in disposable income. It decides the slope of the aggregate expenditures line and is part to the multiplier process. Similar to taxes, the marginal propensity to import tends to lower the size of the multiplier as demand for domestically produced final goods and services falls. An increase in the marginal propensity to import increases the value of the denominator of the equation, which then decreases the overall value of the fraction and thus the size of the multiplier. (iii) Use a diagram to illustrate the concept of short-run equilibrium in the Keynesian aggregate expenditure model. Suppose the economy is initially not in equilibrium, explain the process by which the economy adjusts to equilibrium. (4 marks) Question 4 (i) What are the main instruments of fiscal policy? Explain how each might be used to close an expansionary output gap. (4 marks) Main components of Fiscal Policy: Government expenditure: Government spending of goods and services, investment and infrastructure directly affects total spending. If too much or too little total spending causes output gaps, the government can help to guide the economy toward full employment by changing its own level of spending. Taxes or transfer payments: In contrast, changes in tax or transfers do not affect planned spending directly. When disposable income rises households should spend more. Thus tax cut or increase in transfers should increase planned aggregate expenditure. Similarly, an increase in taxes or a cut in transfers, by lowering households’ disposable income, will tend to lower planned spending. This stimulates spending and eliminates contractionary gap. (ii) Explain what is meant by the government budget constraint. Indicate how it provides a link between fiscal policy and public debt. (3 marks) Government budget constraint is the term given to the concept that government spending in any period had to be financial either by raising taxes or by government borrowing.We can denote government expenditure undertaken by the government in period t by Gt and transfer payments by Qt. Therefore, the total spending activities of the government can be noted as Gt+ Qt. Also, the government has three means at its disposal to finance this expenditure: 1. Taxes available to be spent by government it time t – denoted by Tt. 2. Issued security when government borrows money – This is a financial asset that obliges the government to repay the loan, and pay interest, over some designated time period. Bt-2 is the stock of securities that the government still has owing at the end of the last period. Any new borrowing that the government unde rtakes in period t will be denoted as Bt Bt-1. The stockpile of debt that accumulates when government continues borrowing money is called the public debt. 3. Interest needed to pay on government’s stock of debt – in any time t the government pays interest of rBt-1 where r is the real rate of interest. Government expenditures (purchases, transfer payments and interest payments) in any period need to be funded by taxes or by borrowing. This is the Government budget constraint summarized as below: Gt+ Qt + rBt-1 = Tt + (Bt Bt-1). If we rearrange this so that gross taxes are on the left-hand side, the link between fiscal policy and the stock of public debt becomes readily apparent: Gt+ Qt Tt + rBt-1 = (Bt Bt-1). (iii) Explain the difference between discretionary fiscal policy and automatic stabilisers. Which one of these will be the main influence on the size of the structural budget deficit? Explain. (3 marks) Discretionary fiscal policy refers to deliberate changes in the level of government spending, transfer payments or in tax rates. Automatic stabilizers refer to the tendency for a system of taxes and transfers, which are related to the level of income to automatically reduce the size of GDP fluctuations.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Bacon Roger :: Essays Papers

Bacon Roger Roger Bacon was an English Scholastic philosopher, scientist and one of the most influential teachers of the 13th century. He was born in Ilchester, Somersetshire in 1214. Roger Bacon was educated at the universities of Oxford and Paris. He remained in Paris after completing his studies and taught for a while at the University of Paris. When he returned to England in about 1251, he entered the religious order of the Franciscans and lived at Oxford. He carried on active studies and did experimental research in alchemy, optics, and astronomy. Bacon was critical of the methods of learning of the times, and in the late 1260s, at the request of Pope Clement IV, he wrote his Opus Majus (Major Work). In this work he represented the necessity of a reformation in the sciences through different methods of studying languages and nature. The Opus Majus was an encyclopedia of all science, embracing grammar and logic, mathematics, physics, experimental research, and moral philosophy. The response of the pope to Bacon's masterpiece is not known, but the work could not in any circumstances have had much effect in Bacon's time, because it reached Clement during the period of his fatal illness. Bacon's revolutionary ideas about the study of science caused his condemnation by the Franciscans for his heretical views. In 1278 the general of the Franciscan order, Girolamo Masci, later Pope Nicholas IV, forbade the reading of Bacon's books and had Bacon arrested. After ten years in prison, Bacon returned to Oxford. He wrote Compendium Studii Theologiae (A Compendium of the Study of Theology, 1292) shortly before his death. Despite his advanced knowledge, Bacon accepted some of the popular but later disproved beliefs of his time, such as the existence of a philosopher's stone and the efficacy of astrology. Although many inventions have been credited to him, some of them undoubtedly were derived from the study of Arab scientists. His writings brought new and ingenious views on optics, particularly on refraction; on the apparent magnitude of objects; and on the apparent increase in the size of the sun and moon at the horizon. He found that with sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, a substance (now known as gunpowder) could be produced that would imitate lightning and cause explosions.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

History 5.01

Step 1: Think about these big questions: 1. When was the tipping point at which the United States could no longer be considered an isolated nation? OI think the tipping point could either be when Pearl Harbor was bombed or when the Lusitania was attacked 2. At what point could the United States no longer avoid involvement in World War II? OI think when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor was when the United States could no longer avoid being involved in the war. Step 2: Respond to each of the prompts below in a separate paragraph: 1. Explain the reasons for U. S. neutrality during the 1920s and 1930s.How did ideas about neutrality change during the period from the end of World War I to the passage of the Lend-Lease Act? Be sure to include any events, terms, or people that may support your response. ODuring the 1920s and 1930s the US had always been an isolationist country. The United States ended up sending help to the Allied forces because they were more democratic. The Axis forces I believe were more authoritarian. I think the United States felt they had to help the other countries because it would make them stronger allies and could benefit us. 2. In your opinion, what was the point at which U.S. actions were no longer neutral? Explain your reasoning with supporting details from the lesson. OI think when the Lend-Lease Act was involved the United States was no longer neutral. 3. Criticize or defend each of the U. S. actions surrounding World War II that are listed below. Justify your opinion with supporting details from the lesson. o1st Neutrality Act OI would agree with the first Neutrality Act because the United States was doing what they were familiar with sense they had been neutral for a long time. I think it could also benefit the US if we were to be attacked. oCash and CarryOI would have to disagree with the Cash and Carry amendment because we were supplying war efforts to our allies. oU. S aid to China OI think I would support this act because China was under attack by Japan. I think the fact that the Japanese were allies with Germany who was also at war with our allies, means that we should have stepped in and helped China. oLend-Lease Act OI would totally agree with this act. I think this act will help make things better between the United States and other countries if we feel like we can trust each other. It also helped Britain who was struggling with Germany.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Operation and Productivity Question

Chapter 1 1. )The 10 decision of OM are applied at Frito-lay as followed; at Frito-lay, product development kitchens experiment with new products, submit them to focus groups, and perform test marketing. Once the product specifications have been set, process capable of meeting those specifications, and the necessary quality onsite inspection of the potatoes used in ruffles and the corn used in Fritos. The continuance of quality throughout the manufacturing process, with statistical process control of product variables such as oil, moisture, seasoning, salt, thickness and weight. Quality continues when evaluations are conducted throughout shipment, receipt, production, packaging and delivery. 2. )To determine the productivity of the production process at Fritos-lay you must look at the amount of production. The production process at Fritos-lay is designed for large volumes and small variety, using expensive special-purpose equipment, and with swift movement of material through the facility. Fritos-Lay’s, typically have high capital cost, tight schedules, and rapid processing. The company rewards employees with medical, retirement, and education plans; also vendors must be chosen with great care. 3. )At the Hard Rock Cafe, being a service organization, the 10 decisions of OM differentiate from Frito-Lay because Frito-Lays have a production process organization. In a production process company such as Frito-lay, a production line is created and designed for balance throughput and high utilization. The production line is there to manage with sanitary issues since fast processing of productions put a premium on an efficient layout. At Fritos-Lay product development kitchens experiment with new product, submit them to focus groups, and perform test marketing. Unlike Frito-Lay, at the Hard Rock Cafe it being a service industry, the operation managers’ deal with economic activities typically produces. They deal with economy stuff, for example, trades, financial, and other professional occupations.