Free Essays on The Protagonist Of The Scarlet Letter

Dimmesdale: The Bearer of the Scarlet letter Who should bear the stigma of sin? Hawthorne’s novel is a story of adultery, social judgment, and moral redemption. Hester cannot hide the consequences of her mistake, so she is exposed to public judgment and forced to wear the scarlet letter. However, it is Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience and struggle to rise above the sin that makes the essence of the narrative. The argument for Dimmesdale as a protagonist lies in the answers to the following questions. Does Dimmesdale’s character change throughout the story? Does he have an antagonist and a helper? Do his actions bring about the climax of the story? Finally, does he solve the problem? Hawthorne uses character development to show how a person can change. A well-developed character stirs emotions in the reader to make a powerful story. All three main characters, Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale undergo changes that mark the development of events. However, it is Dimmesdale who changes the most. The reason for his change is the sin he commits with Hester. At the beginning of the book, we meet a young and self-confident minister who is trusted by the townspeople, as their moral and religious leader, â€Å"So powerful seemed the minister’s appeal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (74). As the story progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically, due to his moral torment â€Å", who’s health had severly suffered† (119). In Chapter 8, we see him through Hester’s eyes, as a man who â€Å"Looked now more careworn and emanciated than as we described him at the scene of Hester’s public ignominy: and wether it were his failing health, or whatever the cause might be, his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depth† (124). For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale becomes both, very sick physically and ment... Free Essays on The Protagonist Of The Scarlet Letter Free Essays on The Protagonist Of The Scarlet Letter Dimmesdale: The Bearer of the Scarlet letter Who should bear the stigma of sin? Hawthorne’s novel is a story of adultery, social judgment, and moral redemption. Hester cannot hide the consequences of her mistake, so she is exposed to public judgment and forced to wear the scarlet letter. However, it is Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience and struggle to rise above the sin that makes the essence of the narrative. The argument for Dimmesdale as a protagonist lies in the answers to the following questions. Does Dimmesdale’s character change throughout the story? Does he have an antagonist and a helper? Do his actions bring about the climax of the story? Finally, does he solve the problem? Hawthorne uses character development to show how a person can change. A well-developed character stirs emotions in the reader to make a powerful story. All three main characters, Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale undergo changes that mark the development of events. However, it is Dimmesdale who changes the most. The reason for his change is the sin he commits with Hester. At the beginning of the book, we meet a young and self-confident minister who is trusted by the townspeople, as their moral and religious leader, â€Å"So powerful seemed the minister’s appeal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (74). As the story progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically, due to his moral torment â€Å", who’s health had severly suffered† (119). In Chapter 8, we see him through Hester’s eyes, as a man who â€Å"Looked now more careworn and emanciated than as we described him at the scene of Hester’s public ignominy: and wether it were his failing health, or whatever the cause might be, his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depth† (124). For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale becomes both, very sick physically and ment...

Free Essays on David Koresh

â€Å"If the Bible is true, then I’m Christ.† Welcome to the thoughts of one named Vernon Howell. America knows him better as David Koresh. Anyone even half way familiar with current events knows the David Koresh that the media portrayed before the compound went up in flames on April 19, 1993, but what was David Koresh like up to the events leading to this event? After reading this paper one should have a better understanding of David Koresh as a person and his religious ideas. David Koresh was born to a single mother in Houston, Texas in 1959. Growing up he was an indifferent student, yet very interested in the Bible and it’s teachings. He spent hours on end as a teenager memorizing Bible passages word for word. His next love to the Bible was playing the guitar. Later on in life he would use these two acquired talents to recruit his followers. Koresh’s religious experiences picked up its pace after he dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. He was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, yet he felt more at home as a radical thinking teenager in the teachings of a spin off known as the Branch Davidians. One should be aware that Koresh did not create the Branch Davidian cult. Their roots trace back to Victor Houteff, a Bulgarian immigrant who was expelled from an L.A. church in 1929. Houteff’s main interest was passages found in the Book of Ezekiel. These passages dealt with an angel of God separating the faithful f rom the sinful right before Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians. Houteff created a spin-off congregation in 1935 on the outskirts of Waco. From this action begins the cycle of cult leaders in Waco. After 20 years of leading his cult Florence, the wife of the now deceased Houteff, took over the branch. She controlled it for about five years until it broke up after failing to accurately predict the beginning of the end of the world. This occurred on April 22, 1959. Almost all of the me... Free Essays on David Koresh Free Essays on David Koresh â€Å"If the Bible is true, then I’m Christ.† Welcome to the thoughts of one named Vernon Howell. America knows him better as David Koresh. Anyone even half way familiar with current events knows the David Koresh that the media portrayed before the compound went up in flames on April 19, 1993, but what was David Koresh like up to the events leading to this event? After reading this paper one should have a better understanding of David Koresh as a person and his religious ideas. David Koresh was born to a single mother in Houston, Texas in 1959. Growing up he was an indifferent student, yet very interested in the Bible and it’s teachings. He spent hours on end as a teenager memorizing Bible passages word for word. His next love to the Bible was playing the guitar. Later on in life he would use these two acquired talents to recruit his followers. Koresh’s religious experiences picked up its pace after he dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. He was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, yet he felt more at home as a radical thinking teenager in the teachings of a spin off known as the Branch Davidians. One should be aware that Koresh did not create the Branch Davidian cult. Their roots trace back to Victor Houteff, a Bulgarian immigrant who was expelled from an L.A. church in 1929. Houteff’s main interest was passages found in the Book of Ezekiel. These passages dealt with an angel of God separating the faithful f rom the sinful right before Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians. Houteff created a spin-off congregation in 1935 on the outskirts of Waco. From this action begins the cycle of cult leaders in Waco. After 20 years of leading his cult Florence, the wife of the now deceased Houteff, took over the branch. She controlled it for about five years until it broke up after failing to accurately predict the beginning of the end of the world. This occurred on April 22, 1959. Almost all of the me...

Concert report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Concert report - Essay Example I think it is important for me to recognize what the limited amount of knowledge led to with my expectations with the concert as well as hesitations which were noted before going because of my misunderstandings of the concept of Celtic music and what the concert would entail. When I went to this concert, the only understanding was based on the ability to listen to cultural music which I had only limited introduction to in the past. Sound The sound of the concert was inclusive of four members which led the Celtic music. This included the flute and concertina, bouzouki, guitar and banjo, fiddle and finger style guitar. The four individuals changed the instruments, depending on the tune and the needed settings for both harmony and melody. This was followed by the interchanges which were heard with singing and rhythmic options that were used with some of the dance pieces. The sound and the interaction with the different instrumentation provided the basis for the experience and allowed th e expressions to be easily heard within the different pieces of music. I noticed that the banjo and finger style guitar were used for fast moving chords while the guitar was more often used for the chord structures. The banjo would also sometimes be used for melodic lines. The other instruments interchanged with melodies, specifically between the flute and the fiddle. The sound which was heard was not only based on the basics of the instrumentation, but also the complexities which were heard with some of the pieces. The songs which intrigued me most were the Celtic dances which were played. These were difficult in nature, not only with the individual lines but also with the entire group. My interest was set on the finger picking guitar because of the fast lines and movements made to keep the harmony and rhythm with the other players. I was also intrigued with the flute and violin which often played difficult passages at fast paces and in unison. This particular style is one which I believe would be difficult to play. However, the melodic line was never lost and the rhythmic pace continued with the dance style which allowed the sound of the Celtic music to be a main part of the tune. The other intriguing part of the sound which I was drawn to was the other side of the rhythm, harmony and melody. The folk tunes and ballads which moved at a slower pace were refreshing to listen to and provided a sense of relaxation. The words from the main melodic lines as well as the melodies held by the flute or violin were simplistic; however, they were also soothing and had a comforting effect when listening to the different sounds. The harmonies added into this, specifically with the guitars that held the chords or picked the different sounds as well as the background sounds which moved through the harmonies. While these weren’t complex in nature, the ability to capture the sound and to create an expression of the culture added a magical tone to the concert. The music ians made these ballads seem like there was a reminiscing over an older culture and expression which was often not a part of contemporary society. Setting The place for the Celtic music, at the UU Church, was one which at first didn’t seem comfortable for the Celtic music. The four instrumentalists were at the front stage, usually where the preacher is, and had an organ that was in back of them.

Dark Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dark Tourism - Essay Example On the other hand, the prevalence of the practice seems to indicate that there is wide appeal among people from all walks of life for dark tourism, and that there seems to be no common agreement as to whether the practice appeals to those who are seemingly inclined to dark tourism to satisfy some inner dark craving, or whether dark tourism as a practice is one that is essentially spiritual, or that serve some higher spiritual purpose. At any rate it is apparent from the large body of literature on the subject matter that dark tourism is prevalent, is institutionalized, and does not seem to incite people to commit crimes, or to trample on the rights of other people, and in some cases have some spiritual merit for those who pursue dark tourism, in terms of being able to precisely confront death and the darker side of human nature. This paper posits that depending on the motive and depending on whether the practice transgresses the fundamental rights and liberties of people, then from a philosophical perspective, dark tourism can be philosophically ethical or not. This paper further posits that some forms of dark tourism are ethical and some are not ethical, and it is the duty of the authorities to make sure that places that become popular dark tourist destinations are configured, and the travels and trips so structured, so that they do not cause harm to others both living and dead, and conform to common standards of decency and ethics. (Katz 2006; Mulin 2013; Stone and Sharpley 2008; Roberts 2013).

Is Humor Persuasive Essay Example for Free

Is Humor Persuasive Essay Humor can be one of the most effective tools to use with persuasion, as it can provide many benefits with very little cost or drawback. Some of the benefits of using humor to communicate an argument include increased attention span, an overall more enjoyable reading experience, not to mention the comfortable environment comedy will give for the writer to communicate their ideas. Enter humor columnist Dave Barry and his essay, â€Å"Road Warrior,† which introduces the quality of road rage that is said affect the American public today, and he also sheds a humorous light on how easily people are angered. His use of various techniques in his writing makes his approach to the problem of road rage effective, because humor can make something that is tedious become interesting. The techniques he utilizes include the use of metaphors, rhetorical questions (a figure of speech in the form of a question without the expectation of a reply), capitalized words, sarcasm (a sharp, bitter, or cutting remark; or a bitter taunt), and labeling. Barry’s use of humor in his writing contributed greatly to the overall effectiveness of the essay. Through the use of humor, Barry not only contributes to the overall funny tone of the essay, but he sheds a humorous light on a rather tense subject. Road rage is a disease that has been affecting motorists since the time when horsepower compared the power of vehicles to that of the horse. People have been known to express anger towards various situations in many different ways, most commonly being â€Å"flipping the bird. † First, road rage can cause stress while someone travels, which would in turn create health problems. Secondly, road rage can be deadly whether a person is the victim or the offender, as some accidents are known to have been caused by chancy driving due to road rage. Essentially, road rage is an important quality to try to avoid in today’s society for those two very important reasons, and more. The first reason why Barry’s essay was effective is his use of metaphors. Barry uses metaphors throughout the essay to describe the various types of anger he experiences in daily life. For example, in paragraph four, Barry compares the size of Miami driver’s brains to cashews when he is introducing Miami as the Inappropriate Lane Driving Capital of the World,† due to â€Å"being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind by testosterone driven youth. † Barry will also use a metaphor when he compares the speed that some motorists travel in the â€Å"fast lane† to that of diseased livestock when describing slower travelling Miami drivers who travel in the left hand lane or the â€Å"fast lane. † Another reason why Barry’s essay is effective is his use of rhetorical questions and capitalization of key words. During his description of â€Å"Parking Lot Rage,† he asks â€Å"What the hell are they doing in there? when describing the times that he would look for a parking spot, and wait for somebody to vacate theirs. He goes on to describe instances where â€Å"nobody ever  signals or yields, and people are constantly  cutting us off,† during his description of the problem of youth with aggressive driving habits he also asks â€Å"After a while we start to feel some rage, OK? You got a problem with that, mister news media opinion-maker? † These questions and capitalized words are Barryâ€℠¢s own way of putting emphasis on certain points, which contributes a unique touch to the essay. A third reason why Barry’s essay was effective is Barry’s use of sarcasm in his writing. His use of sarcasm gives a sense of playfulness, which skillfully keeps true to his underlying meaning. For example, in paragraph six, Barry refers to the left hand lane as a public recreational area when he is talking about drivers that will travel slowly in the left lane. Barry is also sarcastic while he is describing the driver training youth receive in Miami, stating â€Å"we are being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind by testosterone driven youths who got their driver training from watching the space-fighter battle scenes in Star Wars. He is being sarcastic about the fact that youth in Miami get their driver training from watching space-fighter battle scenes in Star Wars. Lastly, another reason why Barry’s essay is effective is his coining of his own terms when labeling the various events that upset him in his daily life. Such as, in paragraph six, Barry labels Miami as the â€Å"Inappropriate Lane Driving Capital Of The World,† while speaking about the slower travelling motorists that stay in the left lane. Barry also comes up with a name for another upsetting occurrence he experiences, which he refers to as â€Å"way too many product choices rage† when describing the difficulty of having so many options to choose from when shopping for grocery items. In conclusion, Barry deftly uses various techniques to get his ideas across, including metaphors, rhetorical questions, capitalized words, sarcasm, labeling, and humor; which not only contributes to the overall funny tone of the essay, but he is able to shed a humorous light on a rather tense subject.

Stop the Killing: Pass Gun Control Legislation Now Essay -- Argumentat

A study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that the rate of firearm death of children 14 and under is nearly twelve times higher in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized nations. When comparing the high U.S. gun murder rate to that of other nations, it is vital to realize that the U.S. is also unique in one other relevant way: lax gun ownership restrictions. Almost all industrialized nations have more stringent regulations on weapons possession than the United States, and not surprisingly, all of them have a lower murder rate. Many people are finally beginning to recognize the rather significant correlation between high firearm murder rates and high accessibility of guns. Although an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize the need for stricter gun control laws (including 80 percent polled in New Jersey this year), conflict still exists, especially in the world of politics. Many politicians still insist that gun control is not the answer to gun violence, echoing th e sentiments of Republican Presidential frontrunner George W. Bush, who blames recent firearm-related deaths not on guns but on "a wave of evil passing through America." What they must realize is that while there may be some "evil" involved, malevolent intentions are harmless in the absence of the sufficient means to execute them. Guns provide these means, and the results are unfortunately instantaneous and irreversible. Fact: In 1997 alone, 32,436 Americans were killed with firearms.   This is about 1,000 fewer than the number of Americans killed in the Korean War and more than half the number killed in Vietnam. Fact: In 1997, over 11 children and teens (ages 19 and under) were killed with guns each and every day in the U.S. Fact: Guns kept... ...antage of this opportunity have been few and weak, immeasurably affected by the money and lobbying of the socially irresponsible NRA. If Congresspersons either refused to submit to NRA pressures or passed stricter campaign finance rules, there is no limit to the progress that could be made. Background checks at gun shows would be only the beginning of the beginning. There could be a licensing system for all gun owners. There could be even stricter limits on who can own a gun. After all, 90 percent of adult murderers have a previous adult criminal record; how about preventing anyone with a criminal record from owning a gun? There is no limit to what can be done, but as for now, we are at a standstill. There are still many kinds of assault weapons for legal sale. It is up to us to do everything we can to force Congress to do what it was meant to do: serve the people.

Issues in educational Research Essay

Educational setting as used here refers to areas like schools, colleges, universities and primary schools where education is carried out. There are several issues that are related to research and may therefore be addressed by a relevant research (Joan 2002, p. 218). The issues range from those which are related to the learning environment, those concerned with infrastructure, economic factors as well as social issues in the learning institution. Issues of research may include for instance, how effective education policies are to a given or to all institutions or how ineffective they are, whether new changes in college policies have any significant impact, a study of the behavior of students in relation to a certain administrative issue, a study on which education tools are most effective in terms of content delivery as a measure of their performance, a study of relevance or appropriateness of a certain education system for schools, a study comparing effectiveness of teaching and learning methods in both private and public schools, study of social behavior of students at different levels of education or at private compared to at public schools, an inquiry in to why some students fail exams and others pass even after being exposed to similar treatment at school environment, the role of parents and guardians in contributing to children’s performance†¦. the list of educational research issues is endless(Biklen 1992, p. 73). Quantitative methods used in an educational setting One of the quantitative methods appropriate is collection of data about the issue of study. It may be done by collecting primary data about the students directly which may be done by taking a total count of the population under study or just developing a sampling frame where a section of the population is selected, without bias, and studied to obtain information about the whole student population (Mechthild, 1996, 69). Questionnaires may also be administered where students may fill their data and then analyzed using appropriate statistical technique such as SPSS, Excel among others. Secondary data may be used by obtaining information from their records kept by administration. Data obtained this way may be about performance, grand social misconducts, etc (Michael 2005, p. 46). Ethical considerations for research in educational settings Researchers are faced with the responsibility of researchers in the field of education in conjunction with the funding bodies as well as the host institutions to uphold the general human rights in the processes of conducting research in as far as the field of education is concerned (Elliott & Stern 2007, p. 567). The ethical issue with this respect addresses the privacy rights as well as the freedom to give information. In consideration to the rights of the children, there is a special need for the protection of the children from any possible harm and at the same time ensuring that the children have played an active role as positive participants in the processes of decision making the clear fact is that research in the field of education mostly targets children to whom the research is most often directed. In the realization of the fact that this is the vulnerable segment of the society, the educational researchers have the responsibility for the protection of the children in the process of conducting their research, and at the same time addressing the issue of the maintenance of the integrity of the intended research and the community at large (Gross & Ruby, 2003, 321). The researcher should pledge to accomplish this objective through the maintenance of the right competency and a progressive evaluation of the research for its adequacy in matters of ethics as well as scientific competency. Research in this field incorporates education as well and it should therefore not be rigorous but capable for the noble contribution to the enhancement of the quality in education in the society (Elliott & Stern 2007, p. 67).

Skewed Unemployment Rate

Define the Problem: The real national unemployment rate is higher than the U. S. Department of Labor’s December figure shows. When the underemployed and discouraged are added to the unemployment numbers, the national unemployed rate rises to 16. 6%. This causes morale to be low and Americans seem to be giving up. Variables Identified by Order of Influence: 1. The government no longer counts people as unemployed when they stop looking for work. The unemployment numbers don’t account for part-time workers or people seeking advanced degrees to improve their chances of landing a higher paying job. 2. More jobs were reported created than were really actually reported. Problem Statement: Unemployment fell by almost half a percentage point in December, dropping the national unemployment rate to 9. 4%, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, January 7, 2011. Unemployment has been high but relatively stable throughout 2010, ranging from 9. 5 to 9. 9%. December’s figure of 9. 4% is the lowest unemployment rate for all of 2010. The official unemployment index, based on a monthly survey of sample households, counts only people who reported looking for work in the past four weeks. The national unemployment rate wrapped up 2010 by significantly dropping to 9. 4 percent in December, the lowest level in 19 months despite a constant 9 percent unemployment rate for 20 months in a row, a new post-World War II record. There are two main reasons for the skewed unemployment numbers. The first key reason for the drop was that the government no longer counts people as unemployed when they stop looking for work. It doesn't account for part-time workers who want to work more hours but can't, given the tight job market. And it doesn't include those who have given up trying to find work. The second reason is that more jobs were reported that were grossed. Meaning jobs were posted but never existed and thus lowered the actual job openings lowering the unemployment rate. It's bad enough that the nation's jobless rate is 9. 4%. But the real national employment rate is even higher than the U. S. Department of Labor's December figure shows. The truth is that even the broader measure of unemployment doesn't fully capture how difficult the job market is for U. S. workers. It doesn't include self-employed workers whose incomes have shriveled. It doesn't look at former full-time employees who have accepted short-term contracts, without benefits, and at a fraction of their former salaries. And it doesn't count the many would-be workers who are going back to school, taking on more debt, in hopes that advanced degrees will improve their chances of landing jobs. The purpose of this report is to discover and offer a solution; if for no other reason, to provide a better education on how the U. S. Department of Labor manipulates the actual employment rate. Definition of Terms BLS- Bureau of Labor Statistics Corporate Outsourcing- Creation of jobs overseas by American businesses. Literature Review Many researchers have studied statistics of unemployment, available jobs, and causes related to the influx of unemployment in recent years. The following resources were very interesting and useful for my research. (IStockAnaylais. com, New Haven Register) This source discusses the issues regarding job growth over the last 2 years. Wall Street views this report as that the job expectations fell short of everyone’s expectations and the unemployment rate was likely skewed by seasonal factors. Public jobs grew at a steady rate but the government slashed many jobs due to congressional mandates set at an earlier time period. Work hours were also mentioned throughout my research of this article. Shorter work weeks having many worthy job seekers and economists scared and with the decline work hours many are starting to stay in panic mode. This article touched many key points regarding the number unemployed as well as the averages associated with the overall hours worked in a normal work week. (Newsday. om) Provide me with handy research data. I found this article to be instrumental for my research. This article covered the overall drop in the unemployment rate and it’s significant in ones respect because a falling unemployment rate during the job market recovery has often just reflected a rise in the number of discouraged workers – those unemployed people who have given up looking for a job and thus aren't included in the unemployment rate. Economist cautioned no t to expect too much too fast and to stay upbeat. The article also mentioned the difference between the recessions, stating this period was different because of the low amount of work hours involved. According to the article many Americans were involuntary forced to work part-time and counted as employed. Factor in these involuntarily underemployed workers plus the burgeoning number of discouraged job seekers, and California's real unemployment rate is 20%. Many people have been unemployed for lengthy periods of time and have giving up all hope. These people were also not reported in the overall national unemployment rate. EmployeeIssues. com) reported the unemployment rate does not include workers who are involuntarily working only part time and with fewer benefits, if any, such as no health, disability or life insurance, because they can’t find full-time jobs or their work hours were cut. The article went into detail regarding how much the average part-times wages were and how people were unable to maintain adequate healthc are coverage for their immediate families. The article went on to say the unemployment rate also does not include â€Å"marginally-attached† unemployed workers. The BLS does not count them in the official rate because they stopped looking for work, for reasons such as school attendance, family matters or their collective perception that there simply are no jobs. With the average person collecting unemployment for 26 weeks the article countered that by giving numbers more in the 33 week range for collecting benefits. There were many factors involved with work hours and other limiting issues covered within this article which supported my research. (Examineer. com) contained valuable information vital to my research. Some major issues were discussed within this article to include one final example of the disconnect between government reporting and the reality of the situation comes in the world of Unemployment Insurance. In many states across the union, unemployment benefits have been extended to unprecedented lengths. In Michigan, one could maintain their benefits for more than two years depending upon their circumstance. However, normal unemployment benefits are granted in intervals of 26 weeks for those who held the same position for one year. Here is the denominator to this equation. Anyone who has been collecting unemployment benefits for more than 26 weeks will not be counted among the unemployed. Thus, those who are still receiving state benefits in their 27th week are considered ‘out of the labor force' or 'employed'. Summary The issue that comes to the forefront of the debate on the reality of unemployment in the United States is that of honesty in government disclosures, the ability to skew statistics to create false optimism among the populace and the overall contradiction of cumulative job losses against a declining rate of unemployment. To understand this fully, one must understand how the government classifies citizens in their surveying as well as the political implications associated with this monthly report. There are millions of people out there without jobs, who have exhausted their benefits, who are simply not being counted. The above resources will help me determine the actual cause and how it will impact the struggling economy’s advancement towards a manageable workforce and improved lifestyle. Report the Findings Many researchers have studied statistics of unemployment, available jobs, and causes related to the influx of unemployment in the recent years. The following resources were very interesting and useful for my research. The Labor Department's statistics don't include the underemployed and those who have stopped looking for work. This alternative measure creates a much higher number. The federal government uses metric analysis to determine unemployment numbers each month, and sometimes per week. However, those metrics are skewed by political anomalies put in to try to make the numbers fit the agenda. For example, the nefarious birth/death rate assumptions which have no true basis for statistics, but in reality keep the numbers low to form a more positive or less negative outlook on unemployment. According to (Newsday. com) the overall drop in the unemployment rate was significant in one respect because a falling unemployment rate during the job market recovery has often just reflected a rise in the number of discouraged workers – those unemployed people who have given up looking for a job and thus aren't included in the unemployment rate. But this was not the case so much in December 2010. We're on a growth path,† said Ken Goldstein, economist for The Conference Board, a Manhattan business research group. But he cautioned not to expect too much, too fast. â€Å"It has gone up a lot because a lot of people have been put on short hours,† said economist Gary Burtless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization. â€Å"And there are a lot of discouraged workers. † Shortened work hours are, in fact, one of the ways this recession is different from the ones in the early 1980s and early 1990s, Burtless said. Another difference is the huge number of people who have been permanently laid off. â€Å"Some people have lost their income altogether, and others have seen a drop in hours even if they remain employed,† Burtless said. â€Å"It was a double whammy for labor income. † The two trends are especially apparent in California, where the official unemployment rate is 12. 6%. Severe layoffs in early 2009 wiped out 100,000 jobs a month, according to Michael S. Bernick, a research fellow at the Milken Institute and a former head of California's labor department. The number of people working less than 35 hours a week has exploded. The recession has left 1. 5 million Californians involuntarily working part time, though they are classified as employed. Factor in these involuntarily underemployed workers plus the burgeoning number of discouraged job seekers, and California's real unemployment rate is 20%. Another difference in this recession — and a likely reason for the high number of discouraged job seekers — is the number of people who have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks. The Wall Street Journal) reports that 7 million Americans have been looking for work for 27 weeks or more, and the majority of them — 4. 7 million — have been out of work for a year or more. California, the number out of work more than 27 weeks is almost 900,000, more than the population of San Francisco. â€Å"That largely reflects how more severe this recession has been than of 1982 and of the 1990s,† said Bernick, who has worked in the job-training field since the late 1970s. Now, although severe layoffs are no longer occurring, hiring has not picked up significantly, the labor market is still very, very slow,† Bernick said. â€Å"Each job (opening) brings tens, usually hundreds, of applicants. † According to (EmployeeIssues. com) â€Å"The unemployment rate does not include workers who are involuntarily working only part time and with fewer benefits, if any, such as no health, disability or life insurance, because they can’t find full-time jobs or their work hours were cut. Counting part-timers and full-timers, the average workweek in December was unchanged from November at 4. 3 hours. Average hourly earnings increased by 3 cents to $22. 78. † The unemployment rate also does not include â€Å"marginally-attached† unemployed workers. The BLS does not count them in the official rate because they stopped looking for work, for reasons such as school attendance, family matters or their collective perception that there simply are no jobs. The number of involuntarily part-timers was around 8. 9 million in December, down from about 9. 1 a year earlier. The number of marginally-attached unemployed workers was a little over 2. 6 million, up from about 2. million in December 2009. Among the marginally-attached, about 1. 3 million were so-called â€Å"discouraged workers† who gave up looking for work due to their shared perception that there are no jobs, about the same as in November but up by about 389,000 from a year ago. The BLS counted a total of about 14. 5 million workers as unemployed in December, down by 556,000 from November and thus, why the unemployment rate dropped from 9. 8 to 9. 4 percent. The average period of unemployment was 34. 2 weeks, up from 33. 9 in November and 29. 3 a year ago. The number of long-term unemployed workers, those who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, increased from about 6. 3 to 6. 4 million in December, accounting for 44. 3 percent of the unemployed workers that the BLS counted as such. State unemployment benefits typically last only 26 weeks without state or federal extensions. The job growth, while encouraging, did not match economists' expectation that the nation would have added 150,000 to 200,000 jobs last month. Hopes were high, especially after payroll and staffing firm ADP reported earlier this week the economy added 279,000 last month. We underperformed a bit on the job front,† Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist at Data Core Partners in New Haven, said of the government report. Job figures and the unemployment rate come from surveys of businesses and households. â€Å"The numbers which carry more weight are the job numbers, by far,† Klepper-Smith said. â€Å"It's all about jobs, jobs, jobs. † The une mployment rate, meanwhile, likely was skewed by seasonal factors in December, he said, since â€Å"there is no good justification fundamentally for a four-tenths-of-a-point decline. According to the (Examiner. com) one final example of the disconnect between government reporting and the reality of the situation comes in the world of Unemployment Insurance. In many states across the union, unemployment benefits have been extended to unprecedented lengths. In Michigan, one could maintain their benefits for more than two years depending upon their circumstance. However, normal unemployment benefits are granted in intervals of 26 weeks for those who held the same position for one year. Here is the denominator to this equation. Anyone who has been collecting unemployment benefits for more than 26 weeks will not be counted among the unemployed. Thus, those who are still receiving state benefits in their 27th week are considered ‘out of the labor force' or 'employed'. Explanation of Findings What these findings paint is an unrealistic picture, continuing claims and the jobless rate help provide a snapshot of the overall condition of employment. While the jobless rate can, over time, somewhat track the more prominent unemployment rate found in the monthly labor report produced by the BLS, it has its flaws. The Labor Department provides the following explanation: â€Å"Some people are still jobless when their benefits run out, and many more are not eligible at all or delay or never apply for benefits. So, quite clearly, UI information cannot be used as a source for complete information on the number of unemployed. † That is, they're not counted as unemployed, but likely would be in the BLS report. Therefore, fluctuations in the jobless rate might not necessarily be reflective of what the trend in the unemployment rate will look like in the monthly labor report. Initial claims data are used to detect emerging employment trends. Outsized gains garner attention because they suggest looming employment weakness, which could spread to the rest of the economy. Outsized decreases imply impending employment strength. This data series is volatile. Extreme weather conditions create commensurate extremes in the data. This can happen for two reasons: either weather conditions prevented people from filing, or it temporarily or permanently put them out of work. Seasonal adjustments sometimes do an inadequate job of capturing seasonal changes. It can take several weeks for the data to be considered representative of what's really going on in the economy. The unemployment rate is calculated as (# of unemployed people)/ (# of unemployed + # of employed people) as calculated by the surveys run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (assuming you're in the US, most developed countries have similar statistical bureaus that run similar surveys). I haven't checked what the BLS definition is, but in Australia unemployed means that you were actively seeking work or were waiting to start work – the idea being that this excludes people who are unable to work, or retired, or otherwise wouldn't get jobs even if there were jobs to get. In that sense, the unemployment rate has nothing to do with how many jobs there are out there to lose. However, the movement in the unemployment rate could certainly reduce not because the economy is improving but because it can't get any worse. Also, there's some argument over the definition of â€Å"employed†, since international convention allows for anyone who worked at least one hour to count as employed, meaning that people with part-time or casual jobs with very few hours would be able to work more hours if they were available may be â€Å"underemployed† (which is not measured in the unemployment rate). Recommendation for Change There are millions of people out there without jobs, who have exhausted their benefits, who are simply not being counted so the government can look like heroes. I suggest all people who have exhausted benefits write their congressman so they can be counted. If the people don't speak up, then nothing will be done. Nothing is getting better. There are no jobs (unless you are in the health care field), and the economy still stinks. A simple solution would be for the state to continue having people who are unemployed to claim weeks online even after benefits are exhausted. This would require a simple upgrade to the state's already-existing database, to include ineligible claimants as well. If all states did the same, a true jobless figure could be attained, and the seriousness of the problem would be brought to light. Corporate outsourcings of American jobs are what have hurt our country's financial infrastructure, nothing else. If we don't stop them now, it may not be our country anymore in the future. The people need to wake up and start writing. Don't believe the drivel they feed us every day!

Free Essays on The Effects Of F.A.S

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an increasing problem in our nation today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States alone, there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS, 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 8.7 per 10,000 in 2000 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In the report, â€Å"Substance Abuse and the American Womanâ€Å", sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Unfortunately, these figures are increasing, making FAS one of the leading causes of birth defect in our country. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman’s consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy. It is a series of both mental and physical birth defects ranging from mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, cranial and facial abnormalities, and behavioral . In addition, FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation, above both Spina Bifida, and Down’s Syndrome, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2001 (nofas.org/stats.htm). There are many terrible effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The Institute of Medicine’s article, â€Å"The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention and Treatmentâ€Å", reports that alcohol produces the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus compared to other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana (nofas.org/stats.htm). There is a wide range of effects and disorders that are a result of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes physical, mental and emotional effects, which are irreversible. As stated before , FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation. There... Free Essays on The Effects Of F.A.S Free Essays on The Effects Of F.A.S Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an increasing problem in our nation today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States alone, there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS, 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 8.7 per 10,000 in 2000 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In the report, â€Å"Substance Abuse and the American Womanâ€Å", sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Unfortunately, these figures are increasing, making FAS one of the leading causes of birth defect in our country. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman’s consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy. It is a series of both mental and physical birth defects ranging from mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, cranial and facial abnormalities, and behavioral . In addition, FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation, above both Spina Bifida, and Down’s Syndrome, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2001 (nofas.org/stats.htm). There are many terrible effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The Institute of Medicine’s article, â€Å"The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention and Treatmentâ€Å", reports that alcohol produces the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus compared to other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana (nofas.org/stats.htm). There is a wide range of effects and disorders that are a result of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes physical, mental and emotional effects, which are irreversible. As stated before , FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation. There...

Facts About Tylosaurus, a 35-Foot Cretaceous Predator

Facts About Tylosaurus, a 35-Foot Cretaceous Predator Name:  Tylosaurus (Greek for knob lizard); pronounced TIE-low-SORE-us Habitat:  Shallow Seas of North Ameria Historical Period:  Late Cretaceous (85-80 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 35 feet long and seven tons Diet:  Fish, turtles and other reptiles, including dinosaurs Distinguishing Characteristics: Long, sleek body; narrow, well-muscled jaws A Large and Vicious Predator The 35-foot-long, seven-ton Tylosaurus was about as well-adapted to terrorizing sea creatures as any marine reptile could be, considering its narrow, hydrodynamic body, blunt, its powerful head suited to ramming and stunning prey, its agile flippers, and the maneuverable fin on the end of its long tail. This late Cretaceous predator was one of the largest and most vicious of all the mosasaurs- the family of marine reptiles that succeeded the ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs, and plesiosaurs of the earlier Mesozoic Era, and that is distantly related to modern snakes and monitor lizards. Like one of those extinct plesiosaurs, Elasmosaurus, Tylosaurus figured in the famous 19th-century feud between the American paleontologists Othniel C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope (commonly known as the Bone Wars). Squabbling over a set of incomplete Tylosaurus fossils discovered in Kansas, Marsh suggested the name Rhinosaurus (nose lizard, a great missed opportunity if ever there was one), while Cope touted Rhamposaurus instead. When both Rhinosaurus and Rhamposaurus turned out to be preoccupied (that is, already assigned to an animal genus), Marsh finally erected Tylosaurus (knob lizard) in 1872. (In case youre wondering how Tylosaurus wound up in landlocked Kansas, of all places, thats because much of  the western U.S. was submerged beneath the Western Interior Sea during the late Cretaceous period.) Dazzling Discovery While Marsh and Cope squabbled endlessly, it was left to a third famous paleontologist, Charles Sternberg, to make the most dazzling Tylosaurus discovery of all. In 1918, Sternberg unearthed a Tylosaurus specimen harboring the fossilized remains of an unidentified plesiosaur, its last meal on earth. But thats not all: an unidentified hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) discovered in Alaska in 1994 was found to harbor Tylosaurus-sized bite marks, though it seems that this dinosaur was scavenged by Tylosaurus after its death rather than plucked, crocodile-style, directly off the shoreline.

Research Paper - Canadian Art - The Group of Seven Essay

Research Paper - Canadian Art - The Group of Seven - Essay Example The original group members comprised of Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, F.H. Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. Macdonald, and F.H. Varley. Interestingly, they started out as magazine illustrators. Their main objective was to adhere to a uniquely Canadian method of painting landscapes (Smith, n.d.). In particular, Harris was an art student in Berlin before he came back to Toronto (Smith, n.d.). He started drawing inspirations from the Laurentians and the Alogonquin Park (Naasgard, 2008). He became specifically fascinated by the northern part of Canada because of its extensiveness and seeming mystique. It was in 1912 that Harris met Macdonald, Jackson, and eventually the rest of the unit members (Naasgard, 2008). The rest of the Group of Seven’s history sprang from there. It was inevitable though that some members would come and go. Johnston for instance, went away after their first art show and was replaced by A.J. Casson (Smith, n.d.). This makes Casson truly a part of the Group of Seven. Moreover, the group opened itself to other members who want to join in their exhibit. They didn’t have to be landscape artists in specific. Even a woman, in the person of Emily Carr, was one of those the group invited. What was important for the Group of Seven was that both members and non-members promote a different way of depicting Canadian art. In general, the Group of Seven art was characterized by a joyful and attractive style. Their works featured an original way of depicting landscapes by producing visuals of the Northern part of Canada that were not explored before. The colors that were often seen in the paintings included browns and burst of oranges (Adamczyk, 2008). But in the case of Harris, he also incorporated his uniqueness by the way he stripped some details off from his painting. To point out a few, he had the tendency to portray trees losing their

Assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

2 - Assignment Example Good West Rubber Corporation, price designation of fair market value was definite enough to support an action for specific performance, since at the signing of the contract; both parties had agreed to use fair market value which would exist at the end of the lease. It is clear that Devine is an intended third party beneficiary of BIW-Dx contract, since according to the common law doctrine of privity of contract defines an intended third party beneficiary as the one whom the terms of contract and the circumstances surrounding the contract manifests intent to benefit. It is clear that Devine was to benefit from the BIW-Dx contract, since NorDx’s results was to determine his accessibility to obtaining a job with Bath Iron Works (BIW). According to Emerson (2009), employees whose job security and reputation have suffered as a result of false test results should be allowed to sue the drug testing labs for tort negligence, since in such situations, the drug-testing labs owe employees duty of care when conducting the tests. As part of this duty of care, it is within the drug-testing labs’ duty to handle employees’ samples and to produce the most accurate result on the