milfoil in the northwest essays

milfoil in the northwest essays In Northern Idaho weed infestations of lakes, rivers, and streams have been increasing over the last few years. Doug Freeland is the Northern Idaho expert on a particular type of underwater weed, milfoil, that is rapidly spreading through many freshwater sources in Idaho as well as the rest of North America. Freelands expertise has been used by Idaho counties, Washington counties, and the US Forest Service on the particularly nasty weed. Eurasian milfoil, or formally, Myriophyllum Spicatum L, comes from the Latin "mille" and "foille" meaning "thousand leaf." This is an accurate description of the weed; from a thin stem that rises from the bottom of lakes or rivers, many small, delicate green leaves about 2 to 5 inches in length emerge. The stem can continue to grow to the surface of the water and bloom a small flower above the surface for pollination. Eurasian milfoil spreads and grows quickly like dandelions in a lawn, but milfoil presents more of a problem than an eyesore. In some Washington lakes and streams, milfoil is a leading killer of native underwater plant life and native fish. Milfoils chemical processes are poisonous to most fish that try to feed on the plant and other plants cannot compete with its rapid growth. Milfoil has caused even more problems though. Swimmers have become tapped and drowned in some thickly grown infestations in Western Washington. Obviously, milfoil has become an ecological and s afety issue over the past few years. Doug Freeland has been heading the battle in Northern Idaho to control the weed. Milfoil spread is due mostly to humans because boat bottoms, boat motors, fishing equipment, and other water craft catch the milfoil spores or pieces of milfoil and can easily spread the weed to a different body of water. There is a possibility of natural spreading of the weed; for example, spores could attach to the bottom of a duck that flies to another lake or stre ...

Using Antes and Related Spanish Phrases

Using Antes and Related Spanish Phrases Antes is a common way of saying  before, but it is often necessary to use it in the phrases antes de and antes de que.   How To Use Antes The easiest way to think about the differences between antes by itself and the two phrases is to consider which part of the sentence antes connects with. If it affects the meaning of the entire sentence or of a verb, then its functioning as an adverb and stands alone. Another way of thinking about this, although it doesnt cover all instances, is that  if it makes sense to translate antes as beforehand or earlier (theyre both adverbs) then you should use antes by itself: Antes fuimos a la ciudad. (Earlier, we went to the city.)No lo habà ­a visto antes. (I had not seen it beforehand.)Yo corrà ­a ms antes.  (Earlier, I used to run more.)Antes habà ­a muchos casos de tuberculosis en las zona. (Before, there were many tuberculosis cases in the area.) Antes de (not antes de que), on the other hand, functions like a two-word preposition and connects with a noun that follows (or an infinitive functioning as  a noun): Fue difà ­cil viajar antes de la era industrial.  (It was difficult to travel before the industrial era.)Yo tenà ­a miedo antes del comunicado oficial.  (I was afraid before the official announcement.)Llene este formulario antes de salir.  (Fill out this form before leaving.)No creers cà ³mo Disney hacà ­a sus pelà ­culas antes de las computadoras. (You will not believe how Disney made its films before there were computers.) Finally, antes de que (or antes que, a regional variation used the same way), functions as a subordinating conjunction, which indicates the connection between one event and another and is followed by a noun and a verb (or a verb where the noun is implied): Necesito perder peso antes de que empiece el verano. (I need to lose weight before summer begins.)Mi padre se fue antes que yo naciera.  (My father left before I was born.)Antes de que estudiemos el sol, aprenderemos un algo sobre los tomos de hidrà ³geno.  (Before studying the sun, we will learn something about hydrogen atoms.)Controle su ira antes de que ella le controle a usted. (Control your anger before it controls you.) Note that as in the above examples, the verb following antes de que or antes que is in the subjunctive mood. This is true even when the subjunctive verb refers to something that definitely will or already has happened. One way of understanding the differences is to look at the three variations used in sentences that begin the same: Lo sabà ­a todo antes. I knew it all before. (Antes affects the meaning of the entire sentence and functions as an adverb. This is the only example of these three where beforehand or earlier would work as a translation.)Lo sabà ­a todo antes de hoy. I knew it all before today. (Antes de functions as a preposition with hoy, a noun, as its object.)Lo sabà ­a todo antes (de) que comenzara el trabajo. I knew it all before the job began. (Antes (de) que indicates the time connection between what could otherwise be two sentences.) Ante vs. Antes Although ante is sometimes translated as before, it should not be confused with antes. Although the two words are clearly related, they have separate uses. In modern Spanish, ante is a preposition that means before only in the sense of being in the presence of or in the face of. Common translations include in front of or facing. It can also be translated at considering or compared to. Ha subido las escaleras y se ha colocado ante la estatua de la diosa. (He had climbed the stairs and had planted himself in front of the statue of the goddess.)En una ocasià ³n me invitaron a hablar ante las estudiantes de la Escuela de Negocios de Harvard. (One time they invited me to speak before Harvard Business School students.)Tenemos que aprender a ser tolerantes ante nuestras diferencias raciales. (We need to learn to be tolerant in light of our racial differences.) ¿Te gustarà ­a vivir ante la playa y con maravillosas vistas a mar y montaà ±a? (Would you like living facing the beach with marvelous views of sea and mountain?) Key Takeaways Antes functions as an adverb that, when used by itself, typically means before or earlier.The phrases antes de and antes de que function as a two-word preposition and three-word conjunction, respectively.Ante is a preposition that often means in front of or considering.

Case #3 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

#3 - Case Study Example Innovation is forming new ideas and coming up with solutions for the problems which arise in the future. It is a tool which the entrepreneurs use as an opportunity to acquire sustainability in the business and differentiating the product from that of the competitors. Through the use of innovation, competitive advantage can be acquired and this enables the businesses in acquiring a dominant position within the industry (Muller, Và ¤likangas, & Merlyn, 2005). Innovation is integral for the organizations in the modern day business environment. Innovations allow businesses to manage operations successfully and allow to come up with new ideas which support the business. The change in the locality is one of the biggest factor which impacts on innovation. Culture of the economies assists in the way organizations operate and propose methods through which the competitive advantage can be acquired. The culture of the society, success factors in the past, productivity in the area, efforts applied and management practices are dominant factors which aid the process of innovation. In the entrepreneurial setup, the factors such as knowledge sharing, development of competencies, quality control, culture of the organization, research & development and availability of funds can be considered as major contributors of the process. All these factors which prevail in the culture determine the study and performance of the firms. Allocation of funds and planning appropriate methods for utilizing the funds are extremely important for the business. During the planning and implementation phase the entrepreneurs need to adapt appropriately to the process (Zayas, & Garcà ­a, 2008). The small business entrepreneurs need to focus on the business operations. This is another important factor apart from innovation and breakthrough ideas. Strong management skills and catering exactly what the customers need are important for managing the business (Fenwick, 2003). From the research, it

Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait Essay

Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait - Essay Example There are several cases that domestic workers, who have been abused by their employers tries to escape and the Kuwaiti law allows the employers to sue these domestic workers for trying to abscond and they get these workers deported at the end of the day (Human Rights Watch, 2010). This trend can only encourage modern-day slavery in Kuwait as there have not been stringent laws to curb the excesses of employers that abuse their domestic workers. This situation is rather different from the one in the United States of America as the government of the country has made efforts to reduce the problem of modern-day slavery to the barest minimum. The US government has given the domestic workers the right to sue their employers whenever they feel they have been maltreated by them. Thus, the modern-day slavery in Kuwait seems to be more terrible than the one in the US and this is due to the fact that the domestic workers in US have the right to protest against harsh treatment, while the ones in Kuwait have not been granted that privilege (Human Rights Watch, 2010).

Assess the Consequences of the Civil War for American Politics Essay Example for Free

Assess the Consequences of the Civil War for American Politics Essay With a single shot of John Wilkes Booth’s pistol, the greatest President that ever served America was dead. With the Civil War barely over and with the country in a complete state of moral and political chaos, Abraham Lincoln’s death could not have come at a worse time. (1) The great leader, the brave revolutionary, the progressive politician – Abraham Lincoln was the man who held an ever-changing America together, the only candidate to lead America forward and leave the brutalities of the Civil War, and of course slavery, behind. As it was, Lincoln’s death at Ford’s Theatre could not have come at a worse time for the nation – the death of a national hero, when the people needed him most. (1) His assassination marked the beginning of political chaos within America’s upper echelons, and most unfortunately condemned the south to decades of isolation and the races to a long arduous painful struggle, which remains. (4c)(1) With one single bullet, the soul was immediately ripped out of American politics and all the work of one great man nearly undone. Never before was a strong leader more needed to capitalise on this great opportunity for the country, than after Lincoln’s murder. A man to carry the mantle for this new â€Å"free† America, a great leader to unite the people once again, a man to make America great. Unfortunately, all they got was Andrew Johnson. If the people had wanted a replica of Abraham Lincoln, they were hugely disappointed. As a Democrat from the border state of Tennessee, Johnson was never going to be a mould in Lincoln’s image. (4c) He became very much his own man – whether this was to the benefit of American politics, is highly doubtful. Never before had a President distanced himself so much from Congress. He was egotistical and narrow-minded and never seemed to fully comprehend the complexity of the war that had taken place. As a white southerner, Johnson’s feelings towards blacks were at best mixed. This was seen in his instruction to ex-rebel states to draw up state constitutions and allow ex-confederate leaders to dominate these state governments. (1) Johnson gave these states pretty much â€Å"free rein† over their own affairs and his policy of silence and non-interference was damaging to the freedmen, allowing the states to remain loyal to â€Å"the ause†. (1) Slavery was officially dead, but oppression was thriving. Violence against the freedmen became commonplace and with the introduction of the hugely controversial â€Å"Black Codes† in many states, blacks were denied all but their basic civil rights. Overall, there was a ridiculously ignorant and narrow-minded, yet widely accepte d, view that â€Å"the blacks at large belong to the whites† (Carl Schulz). (1) The infamous Ku Klux Klan (1865) carried out unprecedented violent attacks on the freedmen. (4f) The cowardice of Johnson was seeing all hopes for a brighter future unravel before the freedmen’s eyes. What would Abe Lincoln have thought? However, Johnson was not allowed have an easy ride – Congress fought back and moved to exclude Johnson’s own senators and representatives from the house. (1) To further rile Congress, Johnson in turn vetoed a proposed Fourteenth Amendment (4d)– which defined a U. S. Citizen (including African Americans) – gave extension of powers to the Freedman’s Bureau, and included a reformed civil rights law. (4d) There was now a complete split between the President and the Republican Party. This in turn united the Republican Party; they were united in their hatred of Johnson and now abandoned him. (1) Inevitably, impeachment proceedings were brought against Johnson instigated by Edwin Stanton (the first of its kind to be brought against any American President). These were rightly rejected by Congress. If this had been passed it would have threatened the basis of the Constitutional system that would have caused political chaos. (4a) However, one positive outcome of the whole affair was that it warned all future Presidents not to follow Johnson’s example. In other words, don’t mess with Congress! In 1868, Johnson was finally replaced through the normal political process, by the people’s choice, the hero of Appomattox and Vicks, Ulysses S. Grant (4c) – a very much passive President whose hunger and dedication to the role must come into question. (1) However, despite Grant’s failings as President, at least Congress was united once again and the Congressional majority could now concentrate on the problem of the South and the blacks without interference. Proposed plans for reform in the South were defeated – plans to industrialize it and form the South in the image of the progressive North deemed impossible. For the South had changed greatly – it was now riddled with economic problems with the death of slavery leaving a void in Southern institutions. The general consensus among many was that it must be left for the southerners to sort out – black and white. (1)(4e) Meanwhile, the radical Republican programme was continuing to make massive strides forward: in March 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed giving blacks the vote: â€Å"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by any state on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude†. 2)(4d) The Unionists now had the help of black voters and educating them how to vote and more precisely, how to vote Republican, was a priority. (1)(4e) The freed men were now willing and eager to make the most of their freedom – they were no longer irrelevant in American society – for the first time they had a voice. The freedmen’s cause also had a large volume of support behind it from varying sectors: the scalawags and carpetbaggers (essential to radical reconstruction and always eager for change in the South), the capitalists and industrialists (wanting to capitalise on the rich mineral wealth of the South – coal, iron, oil – and of course to maximise its labour supply), and support also from the national institutions (army, church, Freedman’s Bureau, state militias, Union League). (1) With this formidable force behind it the black’s status was gradually improving. Public education was provided and property qualifications for voting were scrapped along with a framework of law not introduced in southern states. (2) This all helped the modernisation of the South (e. g. famous universities such as Howard, Atlanta and Fisk date from this time). (4e) However as the North progressed at a rapid rate, it found new excitement, new pleasures, new factories, new farms and its people and politicians became increasingly bored with the backward South. Time killed off radical leaders and the passion of newly elected civil war leaders died. Times were changing. 1) The Democratic Party now campaigned for black votes and the Republicans did likewise for white supremist votes. The North was now much more concerned with hating the new threat to American liberty, the Irish and European immigrants. (1)(4b) The South, however, had a different, less passive attitude than their Northern cousins. The South was an entirely different place to the North – it may as well have been another world. Reconstruction for the North involved reintroducing states to the political fold on tolerable terms; for the South it meant rebuilding society from its foundations. 1) The divisions in the South at the time were plain for all to see; divisions between blacks and whites, (2) confederates and scalawags, and the classes (farmer class and planter class. ) There was also the economic problem – a southern economy that was based almost solely on cotton suffered hugely as a result of the abolition of slavery and the resulting shortage of a cheap labour supply. (1)(4f) As a result the despair of the South was expressed through savage race conflict and physical force. (4f) â€Å"This is a white man’s government†. This was a call, made ever louder by the growing power and influence of the Ku Klux Klan. Attempts to prevent blacks from voting, drive them from landholdings and intimidate them to prevent them gaining any confidence were all brutally achieved. (1) â€Å"Corruption is the fashion†. (1) Meanwhile, American politics was going through its most dishonest era in history. With unmanageable debts arising from attempts to rebuild South and with corruption and incompetence rife throughout the entire Grant administration there was a split in the Republican party. 1) The 1872 election was fought between the Democrats and now â€Å"Liberal Republicans† – thus proving that two-party politics was here to stay. Grant just survived the Democratic challenge. Now, however, the Democrats had a new lease of life, a new optimism based on the anti-business Jacksonian platform. (1) This optimism was further inflated with the Democratic victory in the Congressional election in 1874. (1 ) Was Reconstruction coming to an end? As it turned out, no. Republican party candidate Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration undoubtedly rigged the 1876 Presidential election in his defeat of Samuel Tilden. Reconstruction was however unofficially dead and by the looks of it, American politics and morals had gone with it. To avert another civil war and to calm the fuming Democrats – a compromise was reached (The Compromise of 1877). (4G) Hayes promised investment in the South in return for the improved treatment of African – Americans. As it turned out this did turn out to be too good to be true. There were still united attacks on blacks and a general decline in the blacks’ social status. Similarly, Hayes returned the compliment in showing little interest in the South – in a region that always voted Democratic. 1) Overall, it must be said that Reconstruction had failed in almost every way. The South was still in turmoil. The blacks were still being treated as second-class citizens (at best) and the southern whites coping with poor land, poor capital and seemingly no hope for the future. Reconstruction did bring about the 14th and 15th amendments giving a solid grounding for blacks in the North. These amendments however did not properly affect blacks in the South for another hundred years. (1) What would Abe Lincoln think? This was a time when the title â€Å"President† mattered very little. Passive and corrupt Presidents became very much the norm – Presidents seemingly doing their utmost to undo the great work of Abraham Lincoln. President Rutherford B. Hayes rigged 1874 election; (4g)(4c) President Garfield will only be remembered for being shot by Charles J. Guiteau; President Arthur was a quiet dignified President, that’s all. (4c) Congress held all the great power now and this is also where the corruption in American politics was most prevalent. Selfish Senators often used their power and exploited their influence to get wealthier off big business corporations. (1) It was clear, politics stank. It is true that the need to eradicate corruption was not helped by the two-party system that now was clearer than ever in American politics. (3)(2) This old-style Jeffersonian system left states to their own devices thus making the disease of corruption almost untreatable, and of course the corruptors almost untouched. (1) It was the mixture of old politics and a new society – a society unable to cope with the rapid changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution changed America into what it is today – a continental nation, rich and productive economically populous, and industrialized, with various ethnic origins. 4b)(1) America was effectively the first fully modern society but as we have seen, was in a constant struggle with itself to adapt to this new â€Å"Gilded Age†. (3) In my opinion, this proves and merely underlines the flaws in the Constitutional Political system: it is a system that proved incapable of abolishing slavery peacefully and now was evide ntly unable to industrialize America morally. Meanwhile, it was now a fact that the big business millionaires and capitalists that were resulting from industrialisation practically owned state governments. Entrepreneurs such as Frick, Carnegie and Rockefeller held absolute control over this new breed of greedy politician. (1) The businessmen competed furiously with each other taking potentially huge risks in the hope of claiming potentially huge profits. (3) Although the politicians in question were by no means godly, it must be said that they were always loyal to their party and extremely patriotic. They kept promises and looked after their own people. They were in politics to make a good living – it was the â€Å"American Way†. However, the Mugwumps were the first group to make their dissent about this continuing epidemic of corruption matter – a group consisting of mainly liberal Republicans. Although the Mugwumps never posed any major threat to politicians they did have their achievements: (1) helped defeat of James Blaine (Republican) by Grover Cleveland in 1884 election. (2) pushed for introduction of secret ballots by 1892 in thirty-three states ( in an attempt to avoid violence and bribery present in past elections). (3) were essentially the spokesmen for the American conscience at the time. The new expanding free education in America now taught children Mugwump ways – taught morals, patriotism and loyalty. Ultimately, however, the Mugwumps never fulfilled their great potential as a serious political party as they were blind to providing for the poorer classes – unlike the established politicians. (1)(4i) Meanwhile, relatively speaking, times looked healthy for the American economy: abundant rainfall, good harvests, easy credit all resulted in benefits for both towns and farms. The winter of 1886-87 changed all that: cattle were destroyed and so-called ‘cattle-kings’ were ruined. Similarly, the summer of drought in 1887 meant that the Kansas harvest failed. (‘In God we trusted, in Kansas we busted’). (1) Now times looked bad. Income for farmers naturally decreased and instead of blaming their own faults, turned their anger towards the mismanaged railroads. (3) The ruthless competition of building railroads in the East, resulted in the businessmen allowing Free Fares for Congressmen for using certain lines and provided ‘rebates’ for big shippers (e. g. Standard Oil). This resulted in the farmers having to pay more to railways to cover the capitalists’ costs adding to the problems of drought. Farmers were now convinced that there was some kind of conspiracy against American agriculture. (1)(3) Everything the American farmer believed in was under threat from this new monster of industry and commerce. All sections of farmers in both the South and West (despite civil war) came together to form the Farmers’ Alliance in an attempt at improving the farmer’s lot. (4i) Farmers now expressed themselves through politics. In 1888 several farmer’s parties contested state elections and fared well (though at Presidential level everything stayed as normal with Benjamin Harrison (Republican) replacing the sterile Cleveland) The newly formed People’s Party in 1892 was another sign of success on the farmers’ part. The real strength of the party was in the enthusiasm of its supporters – the Populists, headed by General James Weaver, did extremely well in the 1892 Presidential election, gaining a very respectable 1029840 votes. (1)(4i) It was a party aiming to restore the soul of America, a soul that had been eaten away in a haze of corruption and greed since the great Lincoln’s murder. The Populists now set out on this great political crusade (not seen since 1840) and laid the agenda for reforms for the next twenty years. They sought dramatic changes: (1) (1) the free coinage of silver (2) a form of income tax be introduced (3) the sub treasury plan of the Farmers’ Alliance (4) the nationalization of railroads (5) the introduction of the secret ballot system in all states (6) a restriction on immigration (which had risen to unprecedented levels with the arrival of Europeans in search of a better living in America. (7) the limit of one-term for Presidents and vice-Presidents (8) Senators to be chosen by the people (9) and most controversially, it called for a national currency to be introduced that could adapt to the needs of the people. (1)(4) The currency question caused a complete split in Congress between the free traders and the protectionists. This substantial divide meant that no rational tariff would be possible. (4j) Grover Cleveland was one man oppo sed to a high tariff. Siding with the ordinary, working-class views, Cleveland’s popular vote naturally increased and he was re-elected for a econd term in 1892. It would be fair to label this term in office as an unqualified failure. (1)(4c)(4j) The economy immediately floundered. He failed to prevent or withdraw the 1890 McKinley Tariff, which undoubtedly favoured the monopolists. Attempts to restore business confidence failed, as businessmen remained unwilling to take risks at such an unsteady time. Efforts by Cleveland to defend the gold-standard (he was widely known as a staunch ‘gold-bug’) only served to widen the gap between himself and Congress. It cannot be denied that this ’gold-bug’ administration completely failed to help the ordinary people through this economic depression – Cleveland failed to revive the economy. (1)(4j) As expected, the Democrats did badly in the 1894 Congressional elections as a wave of strikes swept the country in a vain attempt to prevent mass lay-offs. And what did Cleveland do to help these people most affected by this economic deadline? He introduced labour injunctions and sent federal troops to Chicago to break the railroad strike. (1) The people demanded and deserved more. Discontent grew, as did socialist ideas (similar to Populist ideas. There was a growing demand for greenbacks to be introduced (Fiat money), (1) which would allow the government to regulate the circulation of money. However Weaver made the fatal mistake of concentrating solely on the currency question in the lead up to the 1896 election as this issue had no appeal for those struggling industrial workers – they just wanted work! In the end, the election transpired to be economically irrelevant – instead it became a straight battle between the industrial society and farming communities and settled the identity of the Democratic and Republican parties for good. The Republicans, led by William McKinley and his influential understudy Marcus Alonso Hanna represented the higher class society in America and lectured on the importance of the gold standard (Hanna certainly dominated the campaign while coaching McKinley how to behave). (1)(4k) The Democrats, on the other hand, aimed to rid themselves of all Cleveland’s work. In effect, the populists had captured the Democratic Party and this was confirmed when William Jennings Bryan was chosen to head their campaign. 4k) He was a man of reform and spoke for the plain, ordinary people of rural America. â€Å"You shall not press down upon the brow of labour this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold†. (1) Emphatic and deeply biblical, the language spoke of something of huge importance to the Democrats. It must be said that Bryan re-committed the party to its original principles – principles that kept the party out of office for sixteen years, however , principles that were ultimately beneficial to it. McKinley took the election and the Republicans captured both houses of Congress, which signifies the shift from America from a rural nation to an urbanised one. American politics now had a system and the parties had an identity. Hanna brought Republicans to the wealthy side, while Bryan put the Democratic future firmly into the hands of the poor and weak. (1)(4k) In my opinion, this makes the 1896 election the most important Presidential Election in American history. And then for some reason, the economy picked up. Businesses began to boom again, farmers’ hopes improved and most importantly that famous American self-confidence was restored. (1) As it entered the 20th century, times began to look good again. The nineteenth century ended as it began, in violence. McKinley’s declaration of war on Spain in 1898 put a brief halt to the nation’s progressiveness. It was a brief, yet intensely fought conflict that ultimately led to a victory for the U. S. Navy, resulting in the Spaniards relinquishing their claim to ownership of certain parts of the Caribbean and Pacific, to the Americans. The Spanish/American War – April/July 1898). (4h) Many questions had to be answered going into a new century. Could America fulfil its potential? Could the societies of industry and agriculture live in harmony? Could blacks be accepted as equals? Could immigration be controlled in a way to help American citizens? Could America ever find another leader in the mould of Abraham Lincoln? Could American politics regain its moral values? Could America become the great nation that Lincoln once spoke of? As the great man once said; â€Å"With malice toward none, with harity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations† (Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. March 4, 1865). (4c) It was now up to America itself to make him proud.

Modern Crime :: essays research papers

"She's just another Hollywood whore, an immoral porn queen. She's beyond redemption," he muttered to himself as he paced back and forth outside her apartment building. He had been constantly walking around outside the building for hours now, harassing people passing on the streets with crazed questions. Suddenly, overcome with resolve, the man stomped back to the building and rang the bell. She had rejected him once, but never again. He had given her a chance, but she had turned him away from her life. How could she do this to him, her biggest fan? After letting go of the buzzer, Robert Bardo hid himself in the bushes by the door. This was the only choice he had left after such a rejection. Twenty-one year old Rebecca Schaeffer, actress on the sitcom My Sister Sam, answered the door for the last time in her life. She had politely turned away a disturbing man earlier that day after explaining to him that she had to study her lines for her next show. However, when she answered the door this time, there was no one there. Bardo saw his chance and acted on it. He burst from the shadowy confines of the bushes and pushed a gun into Schaeffer's chest, pulling the trigger after he had her in his grasp. The bullet barely missed the young actress's heart as she fell to the ground, bleeding from a mortal wound. As Bardo flew from the scene, he stashed the incriminating evidence into the bushes. After interrogations performed by the LAPD, it was found that Bardo had been stalking Schaeffer for a very long time. However, this was not the usual case of a voyeur or a stranger trailing someone throughout their day. Bardo had traced Schaeffer through the use of the computer and its vast resources. With the use of computer databases, Bardo was able to find out where Schaeffer lived, what her telephone number was and who she called, what kind of vehicle she drove, and where she spent her money. It was as if Bardo could look through a window and clearly see all of Schaeffer's personal, intimate secrets (Rothfeder 13-14).This is the perfect example of a modern crime, in which all of an individual's privacy and personal information have become little more than a commodity, easily accessible to anyone with very little hassle. In the highly modernized society in which everyone lives, people compromise their privacy in order to live comfortably.

Qrb/501 Week 6 Deliverable Essay

Week Six News Article Summaries Post Lehman Brothers Stock Market Crash Discussion In 2006, Brothers David and Tom Gardner started a community database to help consumers choose stocks. Developing the concept of longer-term investments over extended periods, versus the forecast method based on timing and risk. Motley Fool, the name chosen for the firm, asked staff to interview the firm’s top 18 investors to discuss lessons learned from the demise of Lehman’s Brother Stock at the five-year anniversary mark. Seth Jayson has learned to invest a little bit each month into the best companies and has stopped looking for quick fixes. Morgan Housel, discusses his lessons: cash= options, and debt= loss of options. Another point is to consider purchasing more when the stock crashes and to view risk as a gift. The forecast profession is deceptive, and to recognize that the market has recovered in four years. David Gardner predicted the fall of Lehman Brothers six months prior to the fall, which reinforced his methods of helping investors, succeed in the market. LouAnn Lofton recommends separating emotion form investing, to think long term and purchase stocks at lower rates during the crash. Alyce Lomax indicates her fears that people have not learned from the crash and that history has a habit of repeating itself. Alex Dumortier, who is CFA, explains his perspective of considering the unimaginable as possible and to prepare for uncertain measures. Jim Mueller recommends his tool for success has b een to keep a journal. Stating his process is to analyze motivations and trends before choosing to purchase stock. Charley Travers firmly reinforces investing in companies with cash rich balance sheets and strong free cash flows. Matt DiLallo took a time out from the market post-crash and looked for longevity instead of timing, stating â€Å"timing in the stock market is a fool’s errand† (Motley Fool Staff, 2012, n.p.). Chuck Saletta shares his process of choosing based on a solid balance sheet. Isaac Pino believes that Main Street has learned and suffered post-crash but not Wall Street, claiming that banks are still carrying too much debt and leverage. Patrick Morris supports what he learned during college studying finance, that â€Å"stocks are priced to be the present values of future cash flows,† and supports rate of return for stocks yielding more than savings (Motley Fool Staff, 2012, n.p.). Frank Thomas believes in planning and building a buying list whil e maintaining enough cash to support daily living costs. John Divine stresses the need to remain calm and keep the long-term goals in the big picture. Joe Tenebruso viewed the crash as an opportunity to move capital into strong companies and developed a new strategy he named Tier 1. Jake Keator learned that investing takes time and to be patient. Anders Bylund recommends the approach of keeping 10% of retirement liquid. John Reeves expresses that in a down market good companies like â€Å"Starbucks and Apple,† are misrepresented in the stock market but will bounce back in time (Motley Fool Staff, 2012, n.p.). In conclusion, the firm of Motley Fool explains skills learned to excel in the stock market: reinforcing long-term goals with companies in good financial shape, and consider purchasing those companies’ stocks during down markets to maximize return. 2008 Crisis Still Hangs Over Credit-Rating Firms This article has some direct links to business math principles because it addresses some concerns from the 2008 financial crisis. In 2008, some financial guru(s) compared it to the great depression, revamping the name to the â€Å"great recession† (Krantz, 2013, n.p.). During this time many major corporations, financial mainly, went into some sort of bankruptcy and got a bail out from the government. In this article the author addresses how some credit rating agencies were excusing poor credit ratings and banks allowing approval of risky mortgages when they should not have. In 2008 the agencies’ ratings played a critical role in the marketing of risky mortgage-backed securities, such as collateralized debt obligations. Investment banks had also bundled collections of individual mortgages, which alone can be hard to trade, into baskets that could be bought and sold like any bonds. These financial instruments were sold to investors but to sell them, the investment banks relied on the receipt of stellar ratings from the agencies to tempt investors starved for return. The author questions whether or not these companies have learned from their mistakes to avoid making the same mistakes again. This article links to this week’s objectives of applying business principles to make finance and operational business decisions because, in these aforementioned instances, credit rating agencies did not do that. They did not follow the basic math principles of business and instead took a road that surpassed logic and went more into greed. By applying the business math principles these agencies would have known that the risk was too great and would not have approved such deals because of the severity of the risks. Obama to Use Lehman Anniversary to Cite Progress * In this article, the author discusses President Obama’s progress on the economy. He is using the fall of the Lehman Brothers to show how much progress he has made in the economy. He is using certain math principles to try to help America get out of the financial crisis. He is trying to create a budget system but is clashing with Congress on the decisions he is making. President Obama argues that a better capitalized and regulated financial sector will give more credit. This will in turn help fuel the economy. According to the article, the federal government has paid back the debt that the accrued during bailouts of 2008. According to the Pew Research Center poll, the public is not convinced that the economy is fixed. The unemployment rate is at 7.3%, which is high. The article states this high rate is because some people have left the workforce and stopped trying to join it again. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts democra t stated, â€Å"We should not accept a financial system that allows the biggest banks to emerge from a crisis in record-setting shape while ordinary Americans continue to struggle† (Kuhnhenn, 2013, n.p.). Obama wants to continue with his budget and use part of the $700 billion that has been allocated to help bail out other companies. The public accepted this a general success. The end of the article states that the federal government will bring in more revenue this year but still has $700 billion budget deficit. There is a spending problem, and it must be addressed. As a business it has to have an income through goods, sales, etc. to succeed. This needs to exceed the liabilities and expense. In the end, this is not what is happening. * The DOW has a Good Week The Dayton Daily News reported that the DOW Jones industrial average had one of its best week’s this year, rising 75 points (0.5%). The speculation for this positive performance included reports showing both inflation remaining stable and consumers purchasing more. Another helpful act came from Intel’s stock rising 66 cents (3%). Analysts found that reports varied on how the economy performed: some showed that although Americans purchased more items like cars and electronics, major clothing retailers cut profit projections for the remainder of the year because of lower sales. Wholesale prices, however, did not grow much, lending evidence that inflation is relatively stable. Investors stated that trading will likely change drastically after the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on September 17-18, citing that they will decide plans for the bond purchasing program and how much they will cut back spending on those bonds. This article relates to the course objective quite directly. This week’s learning objective ties this course together, taking business math principles and using them to make operational decisions. The DOW Jones shows businesses how they stand against competitors and reveal areas for potential investment. Many corporations have investment advisors watching the stock market and advising when and what to buy or sell. Business leaders watching and analyzing the DOW Jones not only reveals insight into how individual businesses perform but also shows them the prices in certain markets. This is a useful tool for investors to know where to put their money, buying stocks when prices in one market are low and selling stocks in another market where prices have peaked. Your Money: Keeping retirement on track takes focus The main focus of this article was how the financial crisis five years ago has made it harder for people wanting to retire. People today when they want to retire have to take into consideration that in order to retire today there must be a savings in place. According to a retirement survey done by PNC Perspectives people that originally planned to retire between the ages of 60 to 62 will have to work longer than originally expected (Tompor, 2013). According to the survey, â€Å"About 43% of those who are not yet retired and still working said they have a pension; but about 64% of those who are retired have a pension†(Tompor, 2013). This article also shows interviews done with Thomas Palka and Connie DeMetsenare. Thomas is a self-employed business man that does not currently have a pension plan. Thomas at the age of 52 has no plans on retiring any time soon. He knows he has to continue to work in order to have income coming in. Connie is 48 and current is investing in a 401(k) plan through her employer. He and her spouse paid cash for their current house they live in to eliminate being stuck paying a mortgage they may not be able to afford once they retire. Connie plans to retire at the age of 67. Based on this article many aspects can stop a person from retiring. Those aspects include not having a pension or 401(K) plan in place, financial crisis that can affect retirement funds, and having too much debt. To live comfortably a person must have a savings plan in place and eliminate their current debt. Reference AP, A. (2013, September 14). Dow has good week. Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/business/dow-has-good-week/nZwx2/ Krantz, M. (2013, September 13). 2008 crisis still hangs over credit-rating firms. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/13/credit-rating-agencies-2008-financial-crisis-lehman/2759025/ Kuhnhenn, J. (2013, September 14). Obama to use Lehman anniversary to cite progress. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/14/obama-lehman-anniversary/2813687/ Motley Fool Staff, (2013, September 12). Five Years After Lehman: Investing Lessons from the Financial Crisis. Retrieved from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/9/12/5-years-after-lehman-investing-lessons-from-the-fi.aspx?source=ihpsitth0000003&lidx=1