Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Product Risk And Uses Of Standard Deviation Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2614 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Risks and returns are the two most important concepts in the investing world. The concept of return, which is the profit on investment, is a very clear subject to many investors but the risk is often vague. Several approaches had been employed over times to measure the risks associated with investment portfolios. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Product Risk And Uses Of Standard Deviation Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Standard deviation is a popular basis for risk measurement used for investment purposes (Today Forward, 2010). Standard deviation hence helps to tell a story behind a data and the concept the normal distribution of data (Niles, 2010). This though has been a scary and sometimes complicated topic to people, students and practitioners as well (Niles, 2010; Williamson, 2010). Standard deviation was first discovered and used by a renaissance scientist in Victoria London, Karl Pearson in 1897 in his quest to help his friend Weldon to use the measure of variation to understand the evolution process and to use empirical evidence of natural selection to find out how new species emerged (Magnello, 2005). USES OF STANDARD DEVIATION Standard deviation is defined as a measure of dispersion of a set of data from its mean (Investopedia, 2010). It is calculated as the square root of variance. The more spread apart the data, the higher the deviation. It is also seen as a measure of variability among the values of a frequency distribution (Taylor Francis, 2009). Standard deviation, also known as historical volatility is also seen as the mean of the mean (Niles, 2010). However, in finance, standard deviation is applied to annual rate of return of an investment. This enables investors to measure and estimate the expected volatility of an investment over a period under consideration (Investopedia, 2010). The standard deviation is therefore given by the formula: where ÃÆ' Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ = Standard deviation; ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å" = the sum of; and = means the mean (mathsrevision.net, 2010). Standard deviation assesses the degree of how the values are dispersed around the mean. It estimates the me an by assessing the error to which the mean of the sample is subject. In addition, it finds probability of events occurring in a given period (Manager-Net, 2008). In finance, the most common use of standard deviation is to the measure risk of holding a portfolio or security. It however, represents risk associated with a given security such as stocks, bonds, etc. Risk is an important factor used to determine how to efficiently manage a portfolio of investments as it determines the variation in return on the asset or portfolio and gives the investors a mathematical basis for investment decisions (Hedge funds Index, 2010). Standard deviation shows how close various values are clustered around the mean. When the standard deviation is small, the values are therefore tightly close together and the bell-shaped curve is steep. On the other hand, the bell curve is relatively flat when you have relatively high standard deviation. This is expressed graphically below (Niles, 2010). The re d area on the above graph represents one standard deviation from the mean and this account for about 68% of the people in this group. Two standard deviations from the mean are represented with green and accounts for about 95% of the people while three standard deviations from the mean are represented with blue and accounts for 99% of the people (Niles, 2010). STANDARD DEVIATION AS A RISK INDICATOR Standard deviation is also seen to have some outstanding qualities. Fitzgerald (1999) points out that standard deviation is used to estimate how accurate the sample mean is as an estimate of the population mean. In addition, it can also be used to convert scores which are calculated on different scales to scores on standard scale known as standard scores and this in turn gives an accurate idea of its relative importance or size. This, he said has several advantages for the decision maker. In statistical analysis, standard deviation is the most widely used measure of variation. Not only that, it is regarded as an excellent means of summarizing the extent of concentration of dispersion of values and it is relatively easy to use (Social Studies 201, 2006; Sharma, 2007). It also plays a very important role in comparing skewness and correlation (Sharma, 2007). Standard deviation also provides additional understanding of the future volatility of a funds performance, comparable to volatil ity of other funds in the sector or benchmark for the fund. The higher the volatility, the higher the average returns (CFP, 2005). In risk measurement, standard deviation is seen as important in modern portfolio theory and tin risk quantification by way of price volatility for asset classes and securities. In the measure of spread, standard deviation is very useful in that if the mean and standard deviation of a normal distribution are known, the percentile rank linked with any given score can be computed and it is also mathematically traceable (Hyperstat online contents, 2010). However, standard deviation also has its defects. It is believed to be difficult to calculate and interpret. It is also a mathematical construction which may be difficult to explain intuitively (Social Studies 201, 2006). More weight is however given to extreme values and less weight to those near the mean. (Sharma, 2007). Ibrahim et al, 2006, believes that standard deviation is influenced by extreme scor es. Arguably, while some critics believe that standard deviation offers a valuable tool for comparing one type of risk and is found useful in getting a general idea of available risks, others believe that it fails to reflect the true position of what happens in the capital markets in terms of how returns are distributed around the mean (JP, 2006). Standard deviation is also flawed in that in the calculation, it assumes a normal distribution and this normal distribution seems to work well in physics and general statistic and not risk. This is because it fails analysing the tendency of investment return to suffer fat tail distribution which constantly hunts the investment world. This simply means that less than normal events can and do happen once in a while and the basic concept of standard deviation does not cover this (JP, 2006; Glogger, 2008; JP Morgan, 2008/09). JP, 2006 also believes that standard deviation should neither be neglected nor used exclusively in risk measurement as the real world imperfections demand that a collection of flawed risk measures can be put together to outline the overall risk available. Carther, 2007 also points out the importance of standard deviation in reporting a funds volatility. It indicates a tendency of funds to drastically rise and fall in a short period of time. She however sees the calculation as intimidating though useful. There has been a contention however on the reliance of standard deviation as a measure of portfolio risk. This is because it is seen as being inconsistent. It is also said to assume symmetric distributions as it treats desirable upside movements as if they were as undesirable as downside movements (JP Morgan, 2008/09). This has called for alternatives in measure of risk. ALTERNATIVES TO STANDARD DEVIATION JP Morgan, (2008/09), sees Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR95) as it defines the average real portfolio loss (gain) in relative to the starting portfolio in the worst five percent of scenarios which is based on 10,000 simulations. Unlike standard deviation which sees risk as being only a one standard deviation event and fails to capture the fat left tail effects, CVaR95 is seen to have overcome this drawback as it captures both the asymmetric risk preferences of investors which is the fear of loss being greater than the gain and the incidence of fat left tails which is prompted by skewed return distributions (JP Morgan, 2009/09). The absolute mean deviation is regarded as the most direct alternative for standard deviation. This is the average of the absolute differences between each score and the overall mean. In a realistic situation where some of the measurements are in error, the mean deviation is seen to be more efficient than standard deviation. Though the standard deviation and mean deviation are not used for same measurement, standard deviation is always greater than the mean deviation, and there is more than one possible mean deviation to standard deviation and vice versa, the mean deviation is seen to be simpler to compute than the standard deviation (Gorard, 2004). Sharpe ratio derived in 1966 by William Sharpe has been popular in risk/return measures in finance. It is given by the formula; Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sharperatio.asp Gaurav and Kat (2002) point that one outstanding quality of Sharpe ratio is its simplicity in performance evaluation. This is done by calculating the highest expected return for a given standard deviation that is attainable which is the sum of interest rate and the product on the Sharpe ratio of market portfolio and standard deviation in question. An unlimited number of normally distributed funds can therefore be evaluated using this (Gaurav and Kat, 2002). Sharpe ratio also shows if a portfo lio return are due to result of excess risk of good investment decision, as the higher the Sharpe ratio, the higher the risk adjusted performance and vice versa (Vishwanath and Krishnamurti, 2009). Arguably, in as much as Sharpe ratio is simple, popular and easy to calculate, the drawback is that it is a restricted measure in the mean-variance frame work and it does not give a full picture of the fund performance (Jiang and Zhu, 2009.) It also assumes that the risk free rate is constant and this is not true. In addition, it can be problematic when it uses standard deviation to calculate the ratio of asymmetric return as standard deviation is most appropriately used to measure strategies that has approximate symmetric return distribution. In addition the Sharpe ratio is based on historical data and historical data are not reliable because past performance is not always an indicator for future results (Quantshare, 2010). Jensens Alpha is also an alternative measure of risk to stand ard deviation. It however, measures the degree to which a stocks average return exceeds the expected return, given the firms beta. Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jensensmeasure.asp The outstanding quality of Jensens alpha is its ability to do a hypothesis test rather than comparison of the results (Beck et al, 2007). Similarly, the Treynor ratio looks like the Sharpe ratio, the difference being that the Treynor ratio uses Beta as a measurement of volatility. Treynor relies on Beta and this simply implies an assumption that non-systemic risk can be mitigated by diversification. As a result, the ratio has a limited utility in evaluating non-diversified portfolios. Treynors ratio is calculated as (Average Return of  the Portfolio Average Return of the  Risk-Free Rate)  /  Beta of the Portfolio Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/treynorratio.asp Comparatively, these measures are not suitable in all scenarios. Jense ns and Treynors ratio are not suitable for evaluation of hedgefunds as it gives no opportunity for the investment to be repriced and this, as a result can make investments appear less risky than they are. In addition, the rewards to risk ratios will most likely run for this portfolio in the premium collection cycle until a leveraged loss is sustained (Zigler, 2007). Conclusion Conclusively, in the investment world, risk is very important and cannot be separated from return and performance. Every investment, however involves some form of risk which can either low or high. Risk is therefore quantifiable both in relative and absolute terms and a good understanding of risk will help an investor or financial services make better financial decisions (Lamb, 2008). Beck, K and Niendorf, B. 2007. Good to Great, or Great Data Mining. (Online). Available from: https://69.175.2.130/~finman/Orlando/Papers/GreatDataMining.pdf. (Accessed 25th October, 2010). Carther, S. 2010. Understanding volatility measurements. (Online). Available from: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/03/072303.asp (Accessed 15 October, 2010). Certificate in Financial Planning (CFP), 2005. CF2: Investment and Risk. London. BPP Professional Education. Gaurav, A and Kat, H M. 2002. Generalization of the Sharpe Ratio and the Arbitrage-Free Pricing of Higher Moments. ISMA Di scussion Papers in Finance 2002-15. (Online). Available from: https://www.icmacentre.ac.uk/pdf/discussion/DP2002-15.pdf. (Accessed 21 October, 2010). Glogger, M. 2008. Risk and Return. (Online). Available from: https://university.akelius.de/library/pdf/risk_and_return_martin_glogger.pdf (Accessed 12 October, 2010). Gorard, S. 2004. Revisiting a 90-year-old debate: the advantages of the mean deviation. Online. Available from: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003759.htm. (Accessed 20th October, 2010). Graeme, P. 2010 Standard Deviation. (Online). Available from: https://moneyterms.co.uk/standard-deviation/. (Accessed 08 October, 2010). Fitzerald, J. (1999). The Uses of Variation. (Online). Available from: https://www.actualanalysis.com/vary.htm (Accessed 10 October, 2010) Hedge fund Consistency Index, 2010. Standard Deviation (Online). Available from https://www.hedgefund-index.com/d_standarddev.asp. (Accessed 10th October, 2010). Hypersat Online Contents, 2010. Standard Deviation and Variance. (Online). Available from: https://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/A16252.html. (Accessed 20th October, 2010). Ibrahim, A.S and Mikhail N.N.H. 2006. Measure of Dispersion (Variability). Online. Available from: https://www.seci.info/amalsamy/Epi%202.1.pdf. (Accessed 10th October, 2010). Investopedia, 2010. Standard Deviation. (Online), Available from: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/standarddeviation.asp. (Accessed 05th October, 2010.) Jiang, G J and Zhu, K X. 2009. Generalized Sharpe Ratios: Performance Measures Focusing on Downside Risk. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics. ISSN 1450-2887 Issue 30.pp. 134-136. (Online). Available from: https://www.eurojournals.com/irjfe_30_10.pdf. (Accessed 15 October, 2010). JP, 2006. In Praise of Volatility. The Capital Spectator; Investing, Asset allocation, Economics the search for the Bottom line. 12.10.2006 (Online). Available from: https://www.capitalspectator.com/archives/ 2006/10/in_praise_of_vo.html. (Accessed 15 October, 2010). JP Morgan, 2008/09. Alternatives to Normality; Some lessons from the credit crisis. LV-JPM3044. PP 4. (Online). Available from: https://www.jpmorganassetmanagement.co.uk/Institutional/_documents/JPM3044%20Alternatives%20to%20normality%20paper%20indd%20125.pdf. (Accessed 25th October, 2010). Lamb, K. 2008. Measuring and Managing Investment Risk. (Online). Available from: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/08/risk.asp. (Accessed 20 October, 2010). Magnello, M.E, 2005. Karl Pearson and the Origin of Modern Statistics: An Elastician becomes a Statistician. The Rutherford Journal; The New Zealand Journal for the history and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Vol 1.(Online). Available from: https://www.rutherfordjournal.org/article010107.html (Accessed, 05th October, 2010). Managers-net, 2008. Standard Deviation and Variance. (Online). Available from: https://managers-net.org/stddev.html (Accessed 05 October, 201 0). Mathsrevision.net, 2010. Standard Deviation. (Online). Available from: https://www.mathsrevision.net/gcse/pages.php?page=42 (Accessed 10 October, 2010). Niles, D. 2010. Standard Deviation. (Online). Available from https://www.robertniles.com/stats/stdev.shtml. (Accessed 05th October,2010). Quantshare Trading Software, 2010. Sharp Ratio- Part 2. (Online). Available from: https://www.quantshare.com/sa-90-sharpe-ratio-part-2. (Accessed 25th October, 2010). Sharma, J.K. (2007). Business Statistics. India: Dorlin Kindersely PVT. Ltd. (Online). Available from: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tVkYRf0ydE8Cpg=PA147lpg=PA147dq=disadvantages+of+standard+deviationsource=blots=RE9brmrb4ssig=NUe_zuXTriNB65PYkpQ-xsiVMCEhl=enei=OXfDTMuOB5HQjAfwx526BQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=4ved=0CCcQ6AEwAzgU#v=onepageq=disadvantages%20of%20standard%20deviationf=false. (Accessed 12th October, 2010). Social Studies 201. (2006). Standard deviation and variance for percentage distributi ons. Journal of Social Studies. Section 5.10, pp 259-264. (Online). Available from: https://uregina.ca/~gingrich/o2306.pdf (Accessed 12th October, 2010). Taylor Francis, 2009. Standard Deviation from the Dictionary of British Education. (Online). Available from: https://www.bookrags.com/tandf/standard-deviation-5-tf/. (Accessed 05th October, 2010). TodayFoward; The Simple Way to Plan, Manage, and Organize Your Money, 2010. Understanding Standard Deviation as a Measure of Risk. (Online). Available from: https://todayforward.typepad.com/todayforward/2010/04/understanding-standard-deviation-aka-risk.html. (Accessed: 07th October, 2010). Vishwanath, R and Krishnamurti, C (2009). Investment Management: A Modern Guide to Security Analysis and Stock Selection. Heilderberg, Library of Congress. (Online). Available from: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oowq_PkME3UCprintsec=frontcover#v=onepageqf=false Accessed: (20 October, 2010). Williamson, D. 2010. Accounting Business Spr eadsheeting. (Online). Available from: https://www.duncanwil.co.uk/stdev.html (Accessed 05th October, 2010). Zigler, B. 2004. No Pain, No Gain: Risk-adjusted returns in action. (Online). Available from https://registeredrep.com/advisorland/career/no_pain_no/. (Accessed 21 October, 2010).

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Racism s Impact On Our Society - 1625 Words

Racism’s Impact on Our Society In Kiese Laymon’s â€Å"My Vassar College Faculty ID Makes Everything OK†, he cites many examples of pieces of racism that he witnessed in Poughkeepsie, New York, a small town in New York on the Hudson River. This town is the last place where the stereotypes suggest racism lives, a wealthy small town in the northeast United States. Kiese Laymon looks at the experiences of black and brown people in America to highlight the effects of racism in their everyday lives. While Kiese Laymon is showing us that throughout his life he has experienced discrimination and racial profiling, these terrible experiences have helped him develop extraordinarily strong bonds with others who experience the same thing. Throughout this†¦show more content†¦Laymon also experiences racism in his own life as a professor who is treated quite poorly by his co-workers. Laymon is asked for his ID by security guards because they don’t believe that he works there and is talked down to b y professors and deans at Vassar College. Laymon writes, â€Å"I left that meeting knowing that there are few things more shameful than being treated like a nigger by †¦ intellectually and imaginatively average white Americans who are not, and will never have to be, half as good at their jobs as you are at yours† (Laymon, â€Å"My Vassar College ID Makes Everything OK†). This quote makes the reader critically evaluate those who are extremely successful and whether they could be as successful as they are if they were put in the disadvantageous position that Laymon is in. Laymon’s arguments cause his readers to think about their lives and how differently they could be if they were just born a different color. Not only does he divulge into his and other’s life experiences with racism, but he also looks at the instances where he intervened in this issues. Laymon comes to the defense of his wrongly accused and arrested students because he understands the terrible feeling that is accompanied by being racially profiled. Laymon writes, â€Å"Vassar College, ... a place so committed to access and what they call economic diversity, did its part to ensure that a black Poughkeepsie child, charged

Monday, December 9, 2019

Bill Gates Essay Research Paper William H free essay sample

Bill Gates Essay, Research Paper William H. Gates III and His Giant Bill Gates, cofounder of the Microsoft corporation, holds 30.7 per centum of its stock devising him one of the richest people in the United States. He was the selling and gross revenues strategist behind many of Microsoft # 8217 ; s package trades. Their package became the industry criterion in the early 1980s and has merely increased in distribution as the company has grown, so much that the Federal authorities is proposing that Microsoft has violated Sherman and Clayton antimonopoly Acts of the Apostless. Bill Gates # 8217 ; first involvement in computing machines began at Lakeside, a private school in Seattle that Gates attended. There he wrote his # 8220 ; first package plan when I was 13 old ages old. It was for playing tic-tac-toe # 8221 ; ( Gates 1 ) . It was at Lakeside that Gates met Paul Allen, who subsequently became cofounder with Gates of Microsoft. There they became friends and # 8220 ; began to mess around with the computing machine # 8221 ; ( Gates 2 ) . Back in the 1960ss and early 1970ss computing machine clip was expensive. # 8220 ; This is what drove me to the commercial side of the package concern # 8221 ; ( Gates 12 ) . Gates, Allen and a few others from Lakeside got entry-level package programming occupations. One of Gates early plans that he likes to boast about was written at this clip. It was a plan that scheduled categories for pupils. # 8220 ; I sneakily added a few instructions and found myself about the lone cat in a category full of misss # 8221 ; ( Gates 12 ) . In 1972 Intel released their first microprocessor bit: the 8008. Gates attempted to compose a version of BASIC ( Beginner # 8217 ; s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code ) for the new Intel bit, but the bit did non incorporate adequate transistors to manage it. Gates and Allen found a manner to utilize the 8008 and # 8220 ; started Traf-O-Data, a computing machine traffic analysis company # 8221 ; ( Clayton 452 ) It worked good nevertheless, marketing their new machine proved to be impossible. # 8220 ; No one really wanted to purchase the machine, at least non from a twosome adolescents # 8221 ; ( Gates 14 ) . Gates and Allen had more less successful enterprises in get downing a package company. In 1974 Intel announced their new bit: the 8080. The two college pupils sent off letters # 8220 ; to all the large computing machine companies, offering to compose them a version of BASIC for the new Intel bit. We got no takers # 8221 ; ( Gates 15 ) . While at Harvard, the cool thing to make was to slack off on categories for most of the semester and attempt and see how good the pupil could make at the terminal. Steve Ballmer and Gates # 8220 ; took a tough graduate- degree economic sciences class together- Economics 2010. The professor allowed you to wager your whole class on the concluding if you choose # 8221 ; ( Gates 40 ) . They did that, did non make anything for the category all semester, and studied and got A # 8217 ; s. During one of these slack off periods, Gates and Allen found a really little computing machine: the Altair 8800 # 8220 ; ( # 8217 ; Altair # 8217 ; was a finish in a Star Trek episode ) # 8221 ; ( Gates 16 ) . It had a few switches and visible radiations on the forepart that you could acquire to wink, but that was about all. This new bit had great possible, but there was no manner to plan it. After five hebdomads of non traveling to categories, non eating or kiping on a regular basis, their version of # 8220 ; BASIC was written- and the universe # 8217 ; s first personal computer package company was born. In clip we named it # 8216 ; Microsoft # 8217 ; # 8221 ; ( Gates 17 ) . Gates left Harvard on leave in 1975. Microsoft # 8217 ; s large economic interruption came in 1980 when # 8220 ; IBM- the computing machine industry leader- asked Gates to develop an operating system for its new personal computing machine # 8221 ; ( Clayton 452 ) . IBM normally did non utilize external aid in package design or hardware industry, but they wanted to let go of the first personal computing machine in less than a twelvemonth. # 8220 ; IBM had elected to construct its Personal computer chiefly from off-the-rack constituents available to anyone. This made a platform that was basically unfastened, which made it easy to copy # 8221 ; ( Gates 47 ) . IBM bought the microprocessors from Intel and licensed the operating system from Microsoft. Microsoft bought some work from another company in Seattle and hired its top applied scientist, Tim Paterson. The system became known as the Microsoft Disk Operating System, or MS-DOS. Now because of the licensing understanding between IBM and Microsoft, IBM had no control over Microsoft # 8217 ; s distribution of its MS-DOS to other companies who wanted to clone the IBM machine. This determination by IBM is still under great argument. Many industry analysts argue that IBM should hold waited for their ain package developers to develop an operating system or that IBM should hold purchased MS-DOS from Microsoft. However, from a more wide economic image of IBM # 8217 ; s determination, it may hold merely turned out for the good of Microsoft, IBM and the mean computing machine user. Microsoft # 8217 ; s # 8220 ; end was non to do money straight from IBM, but to gain from licencing MS- DOS to computing machine companies that wanted to offer machines more or less compatible with the IBM PC # 8221 ; ( Gates 49 ) . By leting Microsoft to sell MS-DOS to other companies, this made IBM # 8217 ; s Personal computer the industry # 8220 ; de facto # 8221 ; criterion. Wit h other companies scrambling to vie with IBM, Microsoft licensed MS-DOS to these companies and fulfilled one of Microsoft # 8217 ; s ends: # 8220 ; to make the criterion for the industry # 8221 ; ( Jobs 5 0 ) . Compaq Computer of Houston â€Å"launched [ the first ] ringer in 1982 and attained FORTUNE 500 position a light four old ages later† ( Schlender 42 ) . Hundreds of companies followed. MS-DOS dominated the market much like VHS beat out Betamax and how early Television gross revenues boomed. The more people bought the merchandise, the more companies produced it and with the telecasting, the more sets were sold, the more scheduling was available. This was a chief ground why Apple # 8217 ; s Macintosh merely controlled 9 % of the market ( Schlender 40 ) . # 8220 ; The Personal computer narrative would be far different if Apple had licensed its operating system package to other computing machine shapers early on # 8221 ; ( Cook 64 ) . In consequence, they had a monopoly on their ain system and package. Their deficiency of competition kept monetary values up and package choice down. Apple has merely late licensed some Macintosh runing systems to other companies. Microsoft has thrived on the ability to anticipate and understand the computing machine needs of the mean user. After Microsoft made their name with MS-DOS, they started work on a graphical based operating system much like Apple # 8217 ; s Macintosh computing machine. They called it Windows. Windows # 8220 ; swept the market # 8221 ; ( Clayton 452 ) . By 1993 it was selling over 1 million transcripts a month # 8220 ; and Microsoft runing systems ran about 90 per centum of the universe # 8217 ; s PC s # 8221 ; ( Clayton ) . Microsoft had good achieved their end of making the criterion for the industry ( Jobs 50 ) . However, because Microsoft enjoys a close monopoly, get downing in June of 1990, the # 8220 ; Federal Trade Commission, which portions antimonopoly legal power with the Department of Justice, took the first cleft, softly opening an enquiry # 8220 ; ( Cook 64 ) . Many other package companies have # 8220 ; cheered # 8221 ; ( Pain ) the authorities and offered a floo d of aid. One of the large ailments of computing machine makers is that they # 8220 ; must hold to pay package royalties # 8230 ; for every computing machine they ship, irrespective of whether the computing machine is sold with any Microsoft software. # 8221 ; It is # 8220 ; an all or nil trade # 8221 ; ( Rohm 92 ) . Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple and laminitis of Next, calls Microsoft the # 8220 ; # 8217 ; little opening # 8217 ; through which every other company must squash if it wants to take part in the Personal computer market # 8221 ; ( Schlender 41 ) . After two old ages of probe, # 8220 ; commissioners were deadlocked on whether to register an antimonopoly ailment # 8221 ; ( Cook ) . However, antimonopoly head Anne Bingaman continued the procedure with a high-profile probe. After roll uping information, carry oning interviews, and speaking to Gates, Microsoft signed an understanding that would necessitate Microsoft to do # 8220 ; minor alterations in the manner it licenses DOS and Windows to computing machine makers # 8221 ; ( Cook ) . Federal District Court Judge Stanley Sporkin rejected the proposed statement. Bingaman continued the instance. She hired Sam Miller, a test attorney from San Francisco jurisprudence house of Morrison A ; Foerster. Miller was to head up judicial proceeding against Microsoft. What will come of the case? If Microsoft agrees to the following colony, it will # 8220 ; level the playing field # 8221 ; ( Rohm 94 ) or they could stop up the following AT A ; T. It is up to those in Washington and at Microsoft. If Microsoft looses, # 8220 ; alternatively of merely DOS with its immense portion of the market, if you # 8217 ; ve got three or four runing systems each holding 25 or 30 per centum of the market, you # 8217 ; re traveling to supply a batch more inducement for those people to predisclose or unwrap interface operations to everybody # 8221 ; ( Rohm 94 ) said a attorney for the instance. The operating system that works with all applications and other runing systems wins. That is IBM and Apple # 8217 ; s Taligent and OS/2 # 8217 ; s scheme. Right now Bill Gates is constructing a multi million dollar H2O front place outside of Seattle, equipped with all the technological luxuries that a few old ages ago merely scientific discipline fiction authors could woolgather up, for he and his married woman, Melinda French. He has a 2.5 million dollar book trade that is selling now ( Lyall 20 ) . What is in Gates hereafter? He loves his work at Microsoft and continues to remain involved with running the company. He has gotten with Craig McCaw and announced programs to establish a 9 billion dollar satellite-communications by 2001. He is besides working with Sega, Time Warner and TCI merely to call a few. As for his monopolistic image in computing machine circles, merely clip will state. Cook, William J. U.S. News A ; World Report. # 8220 ; A Pain for Windows. # 8221 ; Feb. 27,1995 p64-66 Clayton, Gary E. Ph.D. Economics Principles and Practices. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 1995 Economist, The: The World This Week. March 26, 1994 p7 Economist, The: Business. January 22, 1994 p73 Fortune. June 28 1993 Gates, Bill. The Road Ahead. New York: Penguin Group 1995 Lyall, Sarah. Technos: # 8220 ; Are These Books, or What? CD-ROM and the Literary Industry. # 8221 ; Winter 1994 p20-23 Quittner, Joshua. The Seattle Times. Seattle, # 8220 ; Electronic Peek into the Future. # 8221 ; September 5, 1993 D1+ Rohm, Wendy Goldman. Wired: # 8221 ; Oh No, Mr. Bill! # 8221 ; April 1994. p90+ Schlender, Brenton R. Fortune. # 8220 ; Jobs and Gates Together. # 8221 ; Aug. 26, 1991 p50+ Schlender, Brenton R. Fortune: # 8221 ; The Future of the PC. # 8221 ; Aug 26, 1991, p40+

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Work Values

Introduction The purpose of this essay will be to determine the influence of individual work values on the commitment of an employee to an organization. This essay will seek to define the meaning of work values and also employee commitment and how work values influence the commitment of an employee to an organization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work Values specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The type of organization that will be evaluated will be a multinational telecommunications corporation (Vodafone) that has a high number of employees and handles a large customer base. The essay will seek to determine the kind of organizational factors that exist within the multinational company that affect the work values and organizational commitment of the employees as well as the available structures of work values that are used in many multinational organizations around the world. The discussion will mostly involve the use of American literature and research work that is available for the last ten years which has offered extensive feedback on the topic. The focus on Vodafone will be suitable for this study given the diverse number of employees that work for the multinational company around its global offices. The company employs over 80,000 employees around the world who are from diverse ethnic backgrounds and possess individual work values that are necessary when it comes to their job performance. The study will therefore discuss the concepts of work values and employee commitment by focusing on the global telecommunications company so as to gain a more practical interaction of how work values influence or affect employee commitment to an organization. Work Values The concept of work values has continued to receive increasing interest amongst various scholars and researchers around the world especially with regards to its influence on the individual commitment of an employee to their organizatio n.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To better understand the concept, work values are referred to as the set of traits or qualities that are considered to be important by an employee in the performance of their work duties and responsibilities. They are also defined as those qualities that employees within an organization desire to have when performing their work. Work values are viewed as measures of employee performance since they determine the efficiency and effectiveness of a worker when it comes to completing certain tasks within the organization. They also provide a measure of the work preferences, ethics, culture and beliefs of the employee which prove to be beneficial when it comes to performing organizational tasks. Work values also provide a measure of personal need and satisfaction as they allow an employee to reflect upon their individual goals and objectives in t he work place and what they have to do to satisfy their needs (Levy 2003). Dose (Cited by Matic 2008) defined work values as the standards of evaluation related to work which employees used to measure the importance and significance of work preferences. Dose further categorises work values to fall under two dimensions with the first dealing with work values that are based on moral dimensions and the second dealing with the degree of consensus that exists on the importance and desirability of particular work values. According to Matic (2008), the very first studies of work values were conducted to explain the differences of employee performance and worker motivation when it came to job performance. Researchers such as Hoppe and and Hofstede, who were some of the theorists that conducted early studies on the effect of work values, had their research work incorporated into the development of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and also Herzberg’s explanation of intrinsic and extr insic needs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work Values specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Matic (2008) noted that Hofstede and Hoppe’s work played an important part in providing a theoretical explanation of how work values motivated employees to perform their work duties. Based on both current and recent research, work values present a strong implication for many managers as they determine the level of motivation an employee will have towards their job and also the kind of job satisfaction employees will derive from performing their work duties. Before assigning any duties and tasks, managers usually observe the work values of their employees so that they can be able to determine what work ethic and motivation they possess when carrying out their work duties. Vodafone, as a multinational corporation, is constantly facing changing and evolving management practices which has forced its management to continu ally re-evaluate the work duties and responsibilities of their employees. In doing so, the company also has to consider the individual work values of its employees to ensure that the management practices and work duties do not conflict with the individual behaviours of an employee. Therefore identifying the work values of an employee plays an important role in redefining work duties and responsibilities within an organization. According to Hofstede (2001), the work values possessed by an individual worker are usually significant for two reasons; the first of which being that they provide an excellent measure of an employee’s work ethic since they are determined by sociological and cultural factors. The second reason is that work values have a direct impact on the various faucets and activities that occur within an organization such as employee motivation, job satisfaction, conflict resolution and employee commitment to the organization.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result of this, many organizations around the world have restructured their activities to encompass work values which will be important in achieving value congruence in business operations (Hofstede 2001). Because the image of an organization is closely linked to the work ethics the organization wants to convey to its various stakeholders, the individual work values of an employee in all the levels of management become increasingly important especially for a corporation such as Vodafone that has a large employee base. Work values become important since they provide managers with a perspective of what is right and wrong within an organization According to Matic (2008), work values encompass emotions, cognitive processes and behaviour that are related to the performance of work duties and responsibilities where employees demonstrate work value characteristics such as individuality, punctuality, attentiveness, subjectiveness and cooperation towards their organizational tasks and d uties. The personality of an individual is also an important factor when it comes to determining the work values of an employee and this therefore contributes to the overall performance of an employee in their work duties. The implication of work values on multinational corporations becomes important especially when it comes to organizational performance and leadership. Given the large numbers of employees who work for Vodafone, job performance becomes a top priority due to the large volume of customer queries that are handled by the global telecommunications company in a day or an hour. Leadership also becomes important to such an organization especially when managers have to delegate certain roles to their junior staff such as monitoring the floor operations of the call centre or monitoring the number of calls that have been made in an hour. Apart from organizational performance and leadership, other implications of work values to an organization are that they assist managers to p repare employees during periods of change, they assist human resource managers to develop suitable and effective reward/compensation systems, they affect changes in management practices and leadership styles and they facilitate open communication within an organization (Li, 2008). Employee Commitment Employee commitment which is at times referred to as organizational commitment is the psychological attachment that an employee has to their place of work. The most common measures that are used to determine the commitment of an employee to an organization include job satisfaction which deals with the feelings an employee has towards their job and organizational identification which is the degree of belonging and oneness that an employee derives from working for an organization. To further explain employee commitment, Meyer and Allen developed a three-component model of commitment that would be used to identify the various types of commitment that existed within an organization (Mutheve loo and Rose 2005). The affective commitment level which is the first part of the model refers to the positive emotional attachment that an employee demonstrates towards their work place. According to Meyer and Allen, employee’s who were affectively committed to an organization were able to identify with the goals and objectives of an organization which in turn enabled them to have sense of belonging. Employees who demonstrated affective commitment usually did so because they personally wanted to display attachment and loyalty to the organization. The second part of the model was referred to as continuance commitment which refers to an individual’s commitment to the organization based on their perceived cost of losing organizational membership. This perceived loss is in terms of economic benefits which the employee gains from committing to an organization, social costs such as friendship ties with co-workers and also financial costs such as rewards and compensations th at arise from belonging to an organization (Mutheveloo and Rose 2005). The third part of Meyer and Allen’s commitment model was normative commitment which refers the feelings of obligation that an employee has towards an organization. These feelings are usually derived from a variety of sources such as when an organization has invested in the training and development of the employee. An employee in such a case feels obligated to the organization to work extra hard in their work duties so that they can be able to repay the organization for the training exercise. This three component model of employee commitment therefore explains the various levels/types of commitment that an employee has towards an organization. According to Mutheveloo and Rose (2005), the concept of employee commitment forms the basis for most human resource management activities within an organization as most human resource policies are directed towards increasing the level of employee commitment with an or ganization. Various researchers such as Meyer et al have set out to identify the various types of employee commitment by viewing them as constructs that can be used to explain the attitudes and behaviours of employees when performing their work duties. Meyer et al developed three groups that would be used to explain employee commitment to an organization with the first group being commitment to their work or job where employees demonstrated feelings of attachment towards their job and work responsibilities. Employees with this kind of commitment derived a sense of job satisfaction because of their commitment to work (Mutheveloo and Rose 2005). Work/job commitment according to the researchers did not however refer to the level of commitment that an employee had to the organization or their jobs. It instead focused on the level of their commitment towards the employment itself where an employee’s sense of duty towards their work was seen as a strong measure of employee commitme nt. The second group according to Meyer et al was career/professional commitment where employees demonstrated a sense of commitment or attachment to jobs that guaranteed them career progression. This category also explained employee attachment to be in the form of any professional training offered to an employee that was meant to improve their professional qualifications (Mutheveloo and Rose 2005). The third category that would be used to explain employee commitment according to Meyer et al was organizational commitment which refers to the willingness of employees to accept organizational goals, objectives, beliefs and values as their own by working to achieve them. The researchers noted organizational commitment was a subset of employee commitment as it required the full involvement and participation of employees in work related activities Other researchers who developed models that could be used to explain employee commitment within an organization include Angle and Perry with the ir 1981 model of value commitment, O’Reilly and Chatman with their multidimensional model of compliance, identification and internalization and Jaros et al with their multidimensional model of affective, continuance and moral levels of employee commitment (Muthuveloo and Rose 2005). These categorizations and models of employee commitment demonstrate the importance of employee commitment when it comes to motivation to perform work duties within the workplace. Vodafone has conducted various employee satisfaction surveys to determine the level of commitment that its employees have to the company. These surveys usually take place once every year and they are usually conducted with the sole purpose of determining employee commitment to the global telecommunications company. The survey also assesses job security, career progression within the company, management practices of senior executives within the organization as well as the overall satisfaction of employees within the organi zation. The two most important indicators that are used in the survey include employee commitment and employee satisfaction as they form the benchmark of Vodafone in all the international and local divisional offices. Influence of Work Values on Employee Commitment According to researchers such as Mottaz, Bruning and Snyder, work values play a significant role in the commitment of an employee to an organization especially when the work values manifest themselves in the behaviour of the employee. These researchers highlight the fact that employee commitment usually arises from a set of values displayed by an employee towards their work for an extended period of time. Researchers such as Huang, Kidron and Charanyanada have viewed work values to be a major influence of employee commitment because work values strengthen the attachment an employee has towards their organization. Charanyanada in his 1980 study highlighted the fact that an employee’s investment of time and energy de monstrated the reciprocal relationship that existed between commitment and work values (Ho 2006). Since work values encompass the behaviour and personality of an individual, the interaction that exists between the individual’s personal characteristics and their work environment is termed to be dynamic as it determines the level of commitment that the employee will have towards the organization. If the interaction is weakened over time, the individual might lose their sense of commitment forcing them to leave the organization and if the interaction is reinforced the individual might decide to increase their level commitment to the organization by engaging in more work duties. The various characteristics that make up an employee’s work values therefore have a direct influence on the commitment of the employee to the organization (Ho 2006). Work values according Wollack cited by Ho 2006) are an important construct of employee commitment to an organization as they play an integral role when it comes to influencing the affective responses of an employee in their place of work. Wollack argues that the work values an employee possesses are usually gained from past work experience within the organization and they therefore play an important in determining how an employee will perform their work duties within the organization. Wollack continues further with his argument on the influence work values have on the commitment of an employee by stating that the personal characteristics of an individual employee usually interact with the stimuli and environmental conditions that exist in the work place to form the work values that an employee possesses (Ho 2006). According to other researchers such as Brown who conducted his studies in 1996, Mathieu and Zajac who conducted their studies in 1990 and Rabinowitz and Hall who conducted their studies on work values in 1977, work values have an effect on the overall commitment of an employee to the organization as the y represent the three work attitudes that are required from all employees which include job involvement, career salience and organizational commitment. Because work values represent the psychological investment an employee has placed on their work, they play a great role in determining whether an employee will remain loyal and attached to the organization. Rokeach concedes that work values are usually gained during the socialisation process that an employee goes through once they become oriented to the organization. Rokeach also concedes that the most valuable socialisation for a human being usually occurs in the home during their formative years and at work when they begin to shape their careers (Ho 2006). Other researchers who have conducted investigations into the relationship between work values and organizational commitment include Putti et al in 1989 (cited by Ho 2006) where they noted that the intrinsic work values of an employee had a more direct impact on employee commitmen t when compared to the extrinsic work values. Intrinsic values refer to those factors that determine whether the employee’s work is interesting or challenging while the extrinsic values refer to the job benefits an employee gains from tasks that are unrelated to the work job. An example of an extrinsic value is good pension plans, holiday allowances and good medical cover (Ho 2006). Employees working for multinational telecommunication companies such as Vodafone have demonstrated both extrinsic and intrinsic work values as they both determine the rates of employee turnover in the company, employee motivation and job satisfaction. According to Tayyab and Tariq (2001 cited by Ho 2006), intrinsic work values were related to normative or norm-based employee commitment to an organization while the extrinsic work values had a relation to the reward-based commitment employee demonstrated towards an organization. The two authors also identified the existence of a positive correlation between intrinsic work values and the commitment of employees by particularly focusing on executives who worked for the private sector. Based on this relationship, they were able to ascertain that these executives were more committed to an organization when their personal work values were in congruence with those of their direct line managers (Ho 2006). Huang noted that work values such as employee responsibility and personal achievement were perfect indicators of the level of employee commitment as well as job satisfaction and involvement. Huang also believed that the more work values an employee possessed, the higher their level of commitment to the organization. Other researchers Lee and Chung (2001 cited by Ho 2006) identified the instrumental work values that exist within most multinational corporations such as Vodafone that have an impact on employee commitment within an organization. These work values include the stability and freedom of anxious considerations which accordin g to the two researchers was the strongest influencing factor of employee commitment to an organization. The consideration of economic security was the second most important factor that influenced employee commitment followed by social interaction considerations which involved the social interactions that employees had with their colleagues in the work place. The consideration of stability and freedom had a direct influence on the retention commitment of an employee which meant that low job stability was more than likely to contribute to high employee turnover rates (Ho 2006). The consideration of security and economic costs directly influenced the effort commitment of an employee where the amount of economic compensation, pension benefits, medical allowance and other employee benefits determined the level of input they placed in their work duties. The social interaction consideration had the greatest influence on the value commitment of an employee where the social relationships an employee is able to have in an organization determine the level of their commitment to the organization. Properly identifying the intrinsic and extrinsic factors/work values that are possessed by each individual employee will contribute further to the proper understanding of how work values can be used to improve organizational performance. Conclusion This discussion has dealt with the concepts of work values and employee commitment within an organization and also how work values influence employee commitment to an organization. Various research work and studies have been conducted on whether work values affect employee commitment and this study has been able to refer to these works so as to build the discussion. As noted in the study, most of the findings have demonstrated that work values have an effect or influence on employee commitment as they determine the level of motivation and job satisfaction and employee has towards their job. Work values play an important role in determ ining the intrinsic and extrinsic work values possessed by an employee when performing their work duties. The study has therefore been able to ascertain that work values play a significant role in the commitment of an employee to an organization. References Hofstede, G., (2001) Culture’s consequences: comparing values, behaviours,  institutions and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Ho, C.C., (2006) A study of the relationships between work values, job involvement and  organizational commitment among Taiwanese nurses. Published Thesis. Queensland, Australia: Queensland University of Technology Levy, P.E., (2003) Industrial/organizational psychology: understanding the workplace.  Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Li, W., (2008) Demographic effects of work values and their management implications.  Journal of Business Ethics, 81, pp 875-885 Matic, J.L., (2008) Cultural differences in employee work values and their implicatio ns for management. Management, Vol.13, No.2, pp 93-104 Muthuveloo, R., and Rose, R., (2005) Typology of organizational commitment.  American Journal of Applied Science, Vol.2, No. 6, pp 1078-1081 This essay on Work Values was written and submitted by user Adriana C. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

24 formas de sacar permiso de residencia green card

24 formas de sacar permiso de residencia green card Son muchas las formas para emigrar legalmente  a Estados Unidos y obtener el permiso de residencia permanente, tambià ©n conocida como la green card o tarjeta verde. Esta tarjeta de residencia autoriza a  vivir y trabajar en Estados Unidos sin là ­mite de tiempo e, incluso, da la opcià ³n de solicitar  convertirse en ciudadano americano por medio de la naturalizacià ³n. Los caminos para obtener la preciada green card  son muy variados. A continuacià ³n se describen las opciones de las que se dispone, pero hay que tener en cuenta que los trmites, los requisitos,  y los tiempos de demora de todo el proceso son muy diferentes. Se finaliza este artà ­culo con una explicacià ³n de dà ³nde pueden surgir los problemas que retrasan o hacen imposible sacar la green card. 1- Green card por matrimonio con ciudadano americano   El  matrimonio con un ciudadano americano es una de las formas ms comunes y rpidas de obtener la residencia permanente. Sin embargo, sà ³lo casarse no significa que se obtenga la residencia de forma automtica sino que el cà ³nyuge ciudadano debe solicitarla. Adems, la presentacià ³n de la peticià ³n  tampoco significa que siempre se pueda sacar. La residencia permanente por matrimonio es tanto en los casos de matrimonios heterosexuales como los formados por dos personas del mismo sexo. Aclarar que no se puede obtener la ciudadanà ­a americana por casarse con ciudadano, lo que se saca es la residencia y, al cabo de tres aà ±os de tiempo casado con un ciudadano, entonces el residente puede solicitar la naturalizacià ³n y, asà ­, hacerse ciudadano. Finalmente seà ±alar que los ciudadanos tienen a su alcance la opcià ³n de solicitar una  visa K-1 para traer a sus novios o prometidas  y, una vez en Estados Unidos, casarse y aplicar por un  ajuste de estatus  como paso para obtener la residencia.   2- Green card solicitada por ciudadano para hijos solterosmenores de 21 aà ±os Estos casos aplican a hijos biolà ³gicos o adoptados y tambià ©n a  hijastro de ciudadano americano, si bien, en este à ºltimo, caso aplican reglas especiales. Estas peticiones son rpidas, tomando generalmente menos de 1 aà ±o. 3-Green card para viudos de ciudadanos Los viudos de ciudadanos americanos pueden solicitar, en determinados casos, la green card para sà ­ mismos.   4- Green card para hijastrosde ciudadanos fallecidos Para beneficiarse los hijastros de ciudadanos fallecidos deben cumplir con varios requisitos, entre ellos, ser solteros y de 21 aà ±os.   5- Green card para padre o madre de ciudadano Los hijos de ciudadanos deben de tener 21 aà ±os cumplidos para poder solicitar la green card para cualquiera de sus padres.  El simplemente  ser padre o madre de un nià ±o ciudadano  no da derechos migratorios. 6- Green card para hijo de ciudadano que est soltero y es mayor de 21 Es lo que se conoce como un F1. Las demoras en estas tramitaciones est entre los 6 y los 20 aà ±os, dependiendo del caso,  y se pueden verificar en el boletà ­n de visas. 7-Green card para hijo casado de ciudadano, sin importar su edad Esta peticià ³n, tambià ©n llamada categorà ­a F3,  se demora por aà ±os, incluso dà ©cadas, siendo mayor la espera para el caso de los mexicanos que para el resto de Latinoamà ©rica y Espaà ±a.   8-Green card para hermanos de ciudadanos Esta tarjeta de residencia que se conoce como categorà ­a F4  se encuentra entre las que tienen una demora mayor. Sà ³lo los ciudadanos mayores de 21 aà ±os pueden pedir a sus hermanos. 9- Green card para cà ³nyuge de residente permanente Estas peticiones, que se conocen como categorà ­a F2A, son muy parecidas a las que pueden presentar los ciudadanos, sin embargo, su tramitacià ³n se diferencia en puntos importantes. Por ejemplo, se demoran ms las solicitudes de residentes. Otra diferencia importante es que los cà ³nyuges de residentes que estn como indocumentados en Estados Unidos en ningà ºn caso pueden ajustar su estatus, sin embargo, en el caso de los cà ³nyuges de ciudadanos, à ©stos pueden hacerlo siempre y cuando hubieran ingresado legalmente a EE.UU. En la prctica esta diferencia tiene importantes consecuencias legales ya que los indocumentados que no pueden ajustar su estatus y deben salir del paà ­s para ir a la entrevista consular se encuentran con que les aplica el castigo de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os por presencia ilegal. 10- Green card para hijos solteros de residentes permanentes Estos son los tiempos de demora para este tipo de peticiones.  En este caso caben dos situaciones: para menores de 21 aà ±os, que se conoce como categorà ­a F2A, y para mayores de dicha edad, que son los F2B. En ningà ºn caso los residentes pueden pedir a sus hijos casados. 11- Green card por suerte por medio de la loterà ­a Al ganar una de las 50,000 visas de inmigrante que se sortean cada aà ±o fiscal en la  loterà ­a de la diversidad. Participar en este sorteo es gratuito y se abre la inscripcià ³n en el mes de octubre, permaneciendo abierta por un mes y producià ©ndose el sorteo al aà ±o siguiente en primavera. 12- Green card por inversià ³n que cree puestos de trabajo Invirtiendo un mà ­nimo de medio millà ³n de dà ³lares, mediante la visa EB-5. Se admite una inversià ³n directa creando una empresa o una indirecta, siendo posible  diversas modalidades. A diferencia de lo que ocurre en otros paà ­ses, en Estados Unidos la inversià ³n en una casa u otro bien raà ­z por sà ­ misma no es causa para obtener la tarjeta de residencia. Ya que es necesario que se trate de inversià ³n en un negocio. 13- Green card por autopatrocinio Peticià ³n para uno mismo sin necesidad de patrocinador de la tarjeta de residencia mediante una visa EB-1 en el caso de profesionales con una habilidad extraordinaria en Arte, Ciencias, Deporte, Educacià ³n o Negocios. Ejemplo: ganadores de premios Oscar, olimpiadas, premios Pulitzer o semejantes. Realmente el standard para cumplir con estos requisitos es muy alto. 14- Green card por trabajo en las categorà ­as EB 1, EB2 y EB3 En estos casos es necesario que una empresa o institucià ³n de los Estados Unidos patrocine ante las autoridades de inmigracià ³n al empleado extranjero. Mediante la visa EB-1 para profesores e investigadores de extraordinaria capacidad y gerentes o ejecutivos de multinacionales.Por la EB-2 para licenciados con al menos cinco aà ±os de experiencia laboral o con una habilidad excepcional en Arte, Negocios o Ciencias.Mediante la EB-3 para licenciados, trabajadores con formacià ³n profesional que requiere al menos dos aà ±os de estudios prcticos o de experiencia laboral y tambià ©n para trabajadores sin ningà ºn tipo de formacià ³n profesional pero que desarrollan una labor que no es temporal y para la que no hay trabajadores disponibles en Estados Unidos.   15- Green cardpor categorà ­a de inmigrantes especiales Mediante este camino instituciones y empresas estadounidenses pueden patrocinar mediante una EB-4 a las siguientes categorà ­as de trabajadores: Sacerdotes, monjas, ministros religiosos que lleven al menos dos aà ±os como tales.Periodistas, reporteros, escritores, traductores, productores y trabajadores semejantes que trabajen para el BBG (Radio Free Asia, Radio Liberty, etc).Mà ©dicos.Miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos.Trabajadores de organizaciones internacionales.Traductores afganos e iraquà ­es.Iraquà ­es que han ayudado de alguna manera a los Estados Unidos.Empleados de la Zona del Canal de Panam.Trabajadores jubilados de la OTAN o, si han fallecido, sus viudos e hijos. 16- Green card para cubanos Obviamente, los cubanos pueden obtener la green card de todas las formas admitidas para otros nacionales, pero adems y por aplicacià ³n de la Ley de Ajuste Cubano, pueden solicitar la green card  despuà ©s de un aà ±o en Estados Unidos. Desde que se puso fin a la polà ­tica de pies secos, pies mojados es siendo imprescindible que el ingreso se hubiera realizado  de forma legal. En otras palabras, porque en el control migratorio se le permitià ³ el ingreso como admitido o recibià ³ un parole. 17- Green card para asilados Las personas que han ganado un caso de asilo pueden solicitar una tarjeta de residencia para sà ­ mismo y tambià ©n para su familia inmediata. 18-Green card para refugiados Las figuras de refugiado y de asilado son muy parecidas, pero hay importantes diferencias entre ellas. Los refugiados que solicitan la tarjeta de residencia para sà ­ mismos tambià ©n pueden solicitarla para familiares inmediatos. 19- Green card para và ­ctimas de violencia Se pueden beneficiar de esta opcià ³n las personas extranjeras và ­ctimas de violencia a las que previamente se les ha aprobado una visa U. En este punto hay que entender muy bien los requisitos de dicha visa, ya que da lugar a muchas confusiones.   El ser và ­ctima de violencia no da derecho, por ese mero hecho, a obtener la visa U. 20- Green card para và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica El programa VAWA abre el camino para la green card para los cà ³nyuges de ciudadanos o de residentes permanentes que han sufrido violencia domà ©stica. 21-Green card para và ­ctimas de trata de personas Para poder solicitar la tarjeta de residencia es necesario tener previamente aprobada la visa T. 22- Green card porradicar en Estados Unidos por mucho tiempo Por vivir de forma continuada en EEUU desde el uno de enero de 1972 o antes y poder demostrarlo. Es lo que se denomina residencia por el registry. En contra de lo que muchos migrantes creen, por vivir 10 aà ±os en Estados Unidos no se obtiene la green card. En algunos casos de migrantes con procedimientos de deportacià ³n abiertos, serà ­a posible obtener una cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n. 23-Green card por ser inmigrantes juveniles especiales: SIJ Los menores de 21 aà ±os que estn solteros a los que el gobierno de Estados Unidos ha colocado bajo la custodia de un guardin o de una institucià ³n pà ºblica o privada porque han sido abusados o abandonados por uno de sus padres o los dos. A este grupo de muchachos se les conoce como Inmigrantes Juveniles Especiales o SIJ, por sus siglas en inglà ©s. 24- Green card por orden judicial de un juez en Corte migratoria En un caso de deportacià ³n, un juez de inmigracià ³n puede sentenciar que el extranjero se puede quedar, ajustar su estatus y, asà ­, conseguir una tarjeta de residencia. Tiempos de demora en la tramitacià ³n de la green card Cada categorà ­a tiene sus propios tiempos. En la actualidad ms de un millà ³n de personas obtienen la green card cada aà ±o fiscal. Algunos han esperado solamente unos meses, mientras que otros han tenido que esperarse incluso ms de 25 aà ±os para que hubiera una visa de inmigrante disponible para ellos. Esto se debe a que en muchas categorà ­as existen là ­mites anuales al nà ºmero de peticiones que pueden ser aprobadas y el nà ºmero de solicitudes es superior al de visas disponibles, En estos casos se produce al demora que, cada aà ±o, aumenta ms. Cundo es posible no pagar por aplicacià ³n para la residencia En casos de residencia por circunstancias especiales (inmigrantes juveniles con este estatus reconocido, registry, visa T, visa U, etc) serà ­a posible calificar para estar exento de pagar la tarifa de este trmite migratorio para obtener la residencia. Causas por las que la tramitacià ³n no acaba bien A pesar de cumplir los requisitos para calificar para un camino para la obtencià ³n de la green card el proceso puede no completarse por diversas causas. Por ejemplo, en el caso de peticiones de familia porque no se tengan recursos suficientes para patrocinar. Pero los problemas suelen surgir porque la persona que aspira a la green card es considerada inadmisible para los Estados Unidos. Las causas pueden ser muy distintas, desde rà ©cord de delitos a estancia ilegal en el paà ­s. Dependiendo de las razones y de las circunstancias del caso, puede que sea posible solicitar un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. Pero en otros casos ser imposible. Lo mejor es asesorarse con un buen abogado. Por su frecuencia, es muy importante saber cà ³mo puede afectar la presencia ilegal en Estados Unidos, actual o en el pasado y tambià ©n los fraudes migratorios. De interà ©s para potenciales migrantes Estados Unidos es un paà ­s diferente. En muchos casos, hay leyes, costumbres, impuestos, derechos, deberes, etc se desconocen.  Y como consecuencia de esa ignorancia, en ocasiones se acaban teniendo  problemas  muy serios aun cuando no se tenà ­a la intencià ³n. Por ello, no hay nada mejor que conocer las cosas bsicas que se deben conocer y las que se deben evitar.  Si es posible  se recomienda  informarse antes de emigrar.   Es tambià ©n importante saber que vez que una persona se convierte en residente tiene que esperar un tiempo antes de aplicar por la ciudadanà ­a por naturalizacià ³n. La espera depende de varios factores . Adems, es necesario tomar un examen de inglà ©s y de conocimientos cà ­vicos y de historia. Numerosas organizaciones en todo el paà ­s brindan clases gratuitas para preparar el examen para la ciudadanà ­a. Finalmente, si se est abierto a emigrar a un paà ­s que no sea Estados Unidos, estos son 20 paà ­ses en los que es posible comprar la ciudadanà ­a o/y la residencia. Las cantidades y las condiciones varà ­an entre los distintos programas. Test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre la residencia permanente Se recomienda tomar este quiz o test de respuestas mà ºltiples, con sus respuestas correctas, para garantizar el conocimiento esencial sobre la green card. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Iran History and Facts

Iran History and Facts The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known to outsiders as Persia, is one of the centers of ancient human civilization.  The name Iran comes from the word Aryanam, meaning Land of the Aryans. Sited on the hinge between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Iran has taken several turns as a superpower empire and been overrun in turn by any number of invaders. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the more formidable powers in the Middle East region- a land where lyrical  Persian poetry vies with strict interpretations of Islam for the soul of a people. Capital and Major Cities Capital: Tehran, population 7,705,000 Major Cities: Mashhad, population 2,410,000 Esfahan, 1,584,000 Tabriz, population 1,379,000 Karaj, population 1,377,000 Shiraz, population 1,205,000 Qom, population 952,000 Irans Government Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has been ruled by a complex governmental structure. At the top is the Supreme Leader, selected by the Assembly of Experts, who is Commander-in-Chief of the military and oversees the civilian government. Next is the elected President of Iran, who serves for a maximum of two 4-year terms. Candidates must be approved by the Guardian Council. Iran has a unicameral legislature called the Majlis, which has 290 members. Laws are written in accordance with law, as interpreted by the Guardian Council. The Supreme Leader appoints the Head of Judiciary, who appoints judges and prosecutors. Population of Iran Iran is home to approximately 72 million people of dozens of different ethnic backgrounds. Important ethnic groups include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Mazandarani and Gilaki (8%), Kurds (7%), Iraqi Arabs (3%), and Lurs, Balochis, and Turkmens (2% each). Smaller populations of Armenians, Persian Jews, Assyrians, Circassians, Georgians, Mandaeans, Hazaras, Kazakhs, and Romany also live in various enclaves within Iran. With an increased educational opportunity for women, Irans birth rate has declined markedly in recent years after booming in the late 20th century. Iran also hosts over 1 million Iraqi and Afghan refugees. Languages Not surprisingly in such an ethnically diverse nation, Iranians speak dozens of different languages and dialects. The official language is Persian (Farsi), which is part of the Indo-European language family. Along with the closely related Luri, Gilaki and Mazandarani,  Farsi is the native tongue of 58% of Iranians. Azeri and other Turkic languages account for 26%; Kurdish, 9%; and languages like Balochi and Arabic make up about 1% each. Some Iranian languages are critically endangered, such as Senaya, of the Aramaic family, with only about 500 speakers. Senaya is spoken by Assyrians from the western Kurdish region of Iran. Religion in Iran Approximately 89% of Iranians are Shia Muslim, while 9% more are Sunni. The remaining 2% are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Bahai. Since 1501, the Shia Twelver sect has dominated in Iran. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 placed Shia clergy in positions of political power; the Supreme Leader of Iran is a Shia ayatollah, or Islamic scholar and judge. Irans constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism (Persias main pre-Islamic faith) as protected belief systems. The messianic Bahai faith, on the other hand, has been persecuted since its founder, the Bab, was executed in Tabriz in 1850. Geography At the pivot point between the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran borders on the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.  It shares land borders with Iraq and Turkey to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east. Slightly larger than the US state of Alaska, Iran covers 1.6 million square kilometers (636,295 square miles).  Iran is a mountainous land, with two large salt deserts (Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir) in the east-central section. The highest point in Iran is Mt. Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,400 feet). The lowest point is sea level. Climate of Iran Iran experiences four seasons each year. Spring and fall are mild, while winters bring heavy snowfall to the mountains. In the summer, temperatures routinely top 38 °C (100 °F). Precipitation is scarce across Iran, with the national yearly average at about 25 centimeters (10 inches). However, the high mountain peaks and valleys get at least twice that amount  and offer opportunities for downhill skiing in the winter. Economy of Iran Irans majority centrally-planned economy depends upon oil and gas exports for between 50 and 70% of its revenue. The per capita GDP is a robust $12,800 US, but 18% of Iranians live below the poverty line and 20% are unemployed. About 80% of Irans export income comes from fossil fuels. The country also exports small amounts of fruit, vehicles, and carpets. The currency of Iran is the rial. As of June 2009, $1 US 9,928 rials. History of Iran The earliest archaeological findings from Persia date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. By 5000 BCE, Persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. Powerful dynasties have ruled Persia, beginning with the Achaemenid (559-330 BCE), which was founded by Cyrus the Great. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 300 BCE, founding the Hellenistic era (300-250 BCE). This was followed by the indigenous Parthian Dynasty (250 BCE - 226 CE) and the Sassanian Dynasty (226 - 651 CE). In 637, Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula invaded Iran, conquering the whole region over the next 35 years. Zoroastrianism faded away as more and more Iranians converted to Islam. During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Iran bit by bit, establishing a Sunni empire. The Seljuks sponsored great Persian artists, scientists, and poets, including Omar Khayyam. In 1219, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded Persia, wreaking havoc across the country and slaughtering entire cities. Mongol rule ended in 1335, followed by a period of chaos. In 1381, a new conqueror appeared: Timur the Lame or Tamerlane. He too razed entire cities; after just 70 years, his successors were driven from Persia by the Turkmen. In 1501, the Safavid dynasty brought Shia Islam to Persia. The ethnically Azeri/Kurdish Safavids ruled until 1736, often clashing with the powerful Ottoman Turkish Empire to the west. The Safavids were in and out of power throughout the 18th century, with the revolt of former slave Nadir Shah and the establishment of the Zand dynasty. Persian politics normalized again with the founding of the Qajar Dynasty (1795-1925) and Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979). In 1921, the Iranian army officer Reza Khan seized control of the government. Four years later, he ousted the last Qajar ruler and named himself Shah. This was the origin of the Pahlavis, Irans final dynasty. Reza Shah tried to rapidly modernize Iran but was forced out of office by the western powers after 15 years because of his ties to the Nazi regime in Germany. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, took the throne in 1941. The new shah ruled until 1979  when he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution  by a coalition opposed to his brutal and autocratic rule. Soon, the Shia clergy took control of the country, under the leadership of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini declared Iran a theocracy, with himself as the Supreme Leader. He ruled the country until his death in 1989; he was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Evolution of the American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Evolution of the American Dream - Essay Example Essay on The American Dream shows The American Dream all about true prosperity for all – never about false prosperity attained via government schemes. It is never about infringing the rights of American citizens for a cause that is deemed worthy of self-appointed moralists.The essay example states that The American Dream is about the natural right of a person to pursue liberty, a successful life, and happiness. Democratic service, as proposed by Martin Luther King, should mean a collective way of exercising the little power that people hold so to challenge the power levers (Adams 113). Here, power sets the norms, values and the ends that a specific society abides by. The values get to promote a society that is more just if the values are just in themselves. On the other hand, if they are unjust, they end up creating a society that is unjust – much of what we currently see at the moment. The contemporary understanding of the American dream has led to the creation of an u nfair society. Those with the power and mandate to change and remake the American society that upholds democratic values and norms must do so via active participation and critical reflection. The American Dream essay depicts a dream about life which is fuller and richer for every citizen regardless of birth circumstances or social stature. Unmistakably, countless Americans are by now weary and mistrustful of the contemporary interpretation of the American Dream. ... In simple terms, the American Dream as envisioned by our Forefathers was that every person has the God-given right to his liberty, life and pursuit of happiness – devoid of any form of interference. It is quite unfortunate that top in government’s agenda is wealth redistribution. As it appears, through subsequent brainwashing, people who have become dependent on government benefits have failed to comprehend that no cause should validate the infringement of the rights in addition to freedoms stipulated above (Schnell 322). It is time that everyone rejected the notion put forward by progressives that the Dream is about receiving security, privileges and benefits from the government of politicians. The American Dream should entail liberty. In essence, the foundation of the American Dream proffers that liberty has to be placed higher up there than the rest of the objectives. In essence, the underlying premise of this Dream is that liberty be given a higher priority compared to any other objective. The government has the mandate to protect the god-given rights that every human being inherits during their birth. America’s Founding Fathers never envisioned that the government will be the one to give rights to its subjects. Their main objective was to limit the powers of the government. This is what gave birth to the famous American Dream. Any law that permits allows the government to take people’s property without their permission no matter what, is immoral and unconstitutional. Presently, the American government is still winning its tender offer to American citizens: security in place of freedom. Any sensible American should ask himself or herself: Are these government benefits worth if it is likely that future generation may live in a police state due to the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Otto Wagner Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Otto Wagner - Term Paper Example He showed his true genius in his many monumental buildings as well as through outstanding conception and functional designs. Wagner was born on 13th July in the year 1841. The designer’s father died when he was about 5 years old. Otto attended Vienna academy and later, in between 1857-1862, he went to the polytechnic institute of structural design1. Still on his struggle for knowledge he as well attended a visual arts academy with his two friends: Eduard von der null and August Sicard von Sicardburg. Before becoming a renowned architect he was an apprentice especially in the field of visual arts and architecture. He designed several buildings with outstanding unique features but many of his works were never realized. Otto Wagner had two sons Sofia Paupie though these two couples were never married, he adopted these two sons (Mallgrave, 19933, 54). His marriages took place only due to the pressure of his mother therefore he ended up getting married twice. His first wife was Jos ephine Domhart while the second one was Louise Stiffel. He later died in the year 1918 at the age of 77 leaving behind his two wives, three sons and a daughter. In the history of design Otto remains the father of the modern architecture in Vienna. The buildings he designed define the ancient outlook of Vienna at the crack of the twentieth epoch. In the urban planning engineering, Otto is historically remembered as having designed the urban bridges, railway networks, and the well-structured railway stations in the Vienna. His design and architectural work is used as the historical references while looking back to the previous centuries. The movement Otto is linked with is the union of the Australian artists or the Vienna succession. He joined this movement in order to unite both the national and the international artists. The context and the style Otto is associated with is the facade decorations design in the structural designing systems he undertaken. Otto Wagner’s Movement and Style Otto Wagner was a member of the Vienna Secession Group of Artists whose styles were varied with no single style uniting the work of members of the Secession. One of the primary concerns of the Secessionists was to explore the possibility of developing an art movement that would be able to operate outside the confines of academic tradition. Most of the members of the group such as Otto Wagner particularly hoped to create and develop a style that is free from the historical influence. With regard to their architecture, Secessionists preferred to decorate their buildings using linear ornamentation2. With regard to his style, although the early works of Otto Wagner were primarily designed in the already established New-Renaissance style, he gradually shifted his style from New- Renaissance to Art Nouveau as was evidenced by his later architectural designs. Additionally, as an architectural school teacher, Wagner particularly stressed and fused art Nouveau/Secession style to hi s students. Art Nouveau was largely an ornamental artistic design style that flourished between 1890 and 1910 in several parts of the Europe as well as the United States. The style was characterized by the use of long sinuous and organic lines and was employed not only in architectural design but also in jewelry, interior design, posters, glass

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A view from the Bridge Essay Example for Free

A view from the Bridge Essay Eddie could not, but Marco lifted the chair by one leg and held it above Eddies head. From that point on Eddies relationships with all of the family, including the immigrants, became very tense. The first climax of this argument comes shortly after the start of Act Two, when Eddie comes back to the flat, unsteady, drunk, Catherine and Rodolpho come out of the bedroom, her rearranging her dress. Eddie realising what has happened orders Rodolpho to, Pack it up. Go ahead. Get your stuff and get outa here. When Catherine attempts to follow Rodolpho, Eddie becomes angrier, grabbing her and kissing her on the mouth as if to stamp ownership on her in front of Rodolpho. Then he is so angry that he kisses Rodolpho as well, as if to emasculate him. The second and final climax comes at the end of the play. Eddie has become so obsessed with Catherine that he phones the Immigration Authorities in order to stop her marrying Rodolpho. As a result of this Marco, Rodolpho and the Liparis two immigrants are captured. On the way out of the house Marco spits in Eddies face, shouting, That one! He killed my children! Eddie for the last part of the play becomes preoccupied with getting his name back having been shamed in front of members of his local community. In the end he dies for his name and reputation at Marcos hands. Eddies relationship with Beatrice is strained and rocky, it is obviously breaking down and continues to do so through the duration of the play. Beatrice asks Eddie, When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie its almost three months you dont feel good. She is referring to the fact that they have not slept together for three months another sign of a disintegrating marriage. They also disagree on the subject of Catherine and Rodolpho. Beatrice believes that they should have their freedom, Eddie believes that they should not go out and that Catherine should live with them, seemingly for ever. This disagreement renders their relationship fraught with problems and arguments. Their relationship has disintegrated totally by the end of the play, but at Eddies death he seems to apologise, saying simply, My B.! The most pathetic element of Eddies death is that he himself caused it. He created all the problems that started all the arguments with the immigrants; he phoned the Immigration Authorities resulting in his final confrontation with Marco; he even drew the knife that killed him in order to kill Marco with it. The fact that Alfieri refers to: seeing every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall towards a certain door. I knew where he was headed for, I knew where he was going to end. shows that he had a fate or destiny and the way he was going there was no way of avoiding it, he was going to die as a result of this quarrel. At the end of the book Alfieri makes a striking comment that helps you to feel sympathy for Eddie, however useless the petty argument that ended his life was. He says, For he allowed himself to be wholly known and for that I think I will love him more than all my sensible clients. This shows you that however critical you may be of his character you have to be sympathetic towards him as it seems that revealing your whole character to everyone, leaving nothing unknown is one of the bravest things anyone can do, and in a way it must have been that which killed him. Eddie Carbone is a very tragic character who, through his own doing caused his death and his isolation from those around him, which evokes both criticism and pity amongst the audience. However, one must feel sympathy for him, in that he bared his soul to the world and paid the ultimate price for it. Charlotte Lambie Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

Teddy Roosevelt had a very eventful life including many political positions. He was known as very enthusiastic and energetic boy. When he was a kid the doctors told him he had a weak heart and told him to get a desk job. His family was very wealth as a kid he traveled around the world and due to his illnesses he was taught by tutors and he went through a very intense physical training regimen including boxing and weightlifting. He had a very brief military life, but he received many awards including Congressional Medal of Honor. Roosevelt life is split into his early life, Political life, and assistant secretary of US navy. Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 27, 1858. Teddy as a young boy hated the nickname Teddy. His father Theodore Roosevelt Sr. of Dutch heritage and his mother Martha Bulloch was known as a southern belle. His family owned a glass import business. He spent most of his early life in his family’s home getting homeschooled due to his asthma and illness. This is where Teddy found his love for animal life, but by his teens his dad made him follow a physical routine that included weightlifting and boxing. He went to college at Harvard and by his second year his dad passed away and that caused him to work harder to achieve his goals. He was distraught because of his father’s death and wrote in his journal â€Å"the aim and purpose of my life had been taken away†. One of Roosevelt’s quote on hard work is â€Å"Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing†. Roosevelt graduated Harvard with high honors magna cum laude in 1880 and then he enrolled at Columbia Law School and fell in love with Alice Hathaway Lee of Massachusetts. Instead of finishing Law schoo... ...nd ten days later they were out of combat and by august they were home and the war was over. Teddy later in life said this about the war â€Å"the only trouble was that there was not enough war to go around†. This war gave Roosevelt many opportunities because of his actions at the Battle of San Juan hill he led his men up a hill on a risky charge exposing himself to the enemy. He was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, and then he was elected governor of New York in 1898. Roosevelt died in his sleep on January 6, 1919 in Long Island home. He was buried in the Young’s Memorial Cemetery in New York. Roosevelt throughout his life wrote more than twenty five books on history, biology, geography, and philosophy. Roosevelt was the first ever president to get the Medal of Honor. Roosevelt help fight for the hundreds of million acres of national forests in the US.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Memorable Experience

My Memorable Experience â€Å"I have something to tell you†¦ † There was a pause, her tone was worrying. â€Å"It's your grandfather, he's passed away. † I was stunned: the grandfather who had always been there for me was no longer there. I could feel someone grinding their fist through my stomach; the pain was unbearable. For the first time ever I was lost for words. Tears started to form in my eyes. I could not contain my emotion. All my memories of my grandfather seemed to rush through my head as I sat in my room isolated from the rest of the world.I had been asked to write a speech for the funeral; it seemed a daunting task at first but as my emotions took over, i found I was able to express exactly what I was feeling. The speech read: My grandfather was a man of few words who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: a bet on the horses and the odd bit of chocolate. I can still taste the Polos that he would give me whenever I came to see him and as I stand here be fore you today, I know that every-time I open a pack of Polos, my grandfather will always be in the back of my mind.As a younger child, he would often take me to work with him, down to the school or Letham's farm where he would teach me about birds' eggs, crops and the types of plants and flowers. Pleasure was found in the simple things that I (and the rest of my brothers and sisters) did with him and his country life. I would often go into the back door at Mitchell Avenue where my granddad worked to a familiar scene and the smell of ‘Old Holborn' lingering in the air. The smell of warm pastry hung in the air as my nana would always be baking and listening to Radio Two and preparing granddad's lunch for when he came in from work.We thought they were infallible and would always be there; now their bungalow stands empty as a shell. The last time I saw my grandfather, he was sitting up in his hospital chair wearing his floral shirt, looking as eccentric as Spike Milligan and with a familiar twinkle in his eye. That's how I'll remember him. The funeral was held Becoming A Dancer? By  Jennifer M. , East Providence, RI Email me when Un. contributes work Standing in front of the mirror one day, I came to the harsh realization that I fell short of the requirements of my dream. The reflection that stared back was of a skinny brown-haired girl who stood a mere five feet tall.My entire life had been about dedication and striving to be the best dancer in my studio. I'd always had elaborate dreams and high aspirations. I never noticed how hard it might be to achieve something that you really want. Most people spend their whole lives searching for their calling or their nitch, but I've known that I was born to be a dancer since the first time I stepped into Thoroughly Modern Dance Studio at one and a half years of age. I've devoted sixteen years of my life to helping my dream come true, and also taken time out of my personal life to be a dance teacher at my studio.L ast summer I attended what is called an audition class in Boston taught by a highly respected Broadway dancer. At this seminar he explained the procedures for getting into a dance company or production. While I was listening and taking notes, I was thinking that I certainly had the experience, but there was one area in which I didn't quite measure up. He informed us that at most auditions all dancers under 5 feet 6 inches are automatically eliminated or simply overlooked. He said that most casting directors are looking for the stereotyped dancer with long legs, a long neck and a size one waist.Standing half a foot under this height, I felt my heart drop to the floor. It really is hard to listen to someone basically tell you: â€Å"Sorry, but you've been working really hard for sixteen years for nothing, so find a new dream. † Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. Dancing isn't just some hobby for me; it's more like an addiction. My complete heart and soul are exhibite d in every step. Through dance I find a sense of pride and satisfaction that I don't think anyone could understand or appreciate. To have all that I've ever wanted instantly shot down created a sick feeling in my stomach.Furthermore, I knew that at that moment I could do one of two things. I could settle for a second choice, or I could commit myself to the tedious uphill battle to come. Well, I've never been known as a person who gives up easily, so I've been working even harder to make up for in skill what I lack in inches! Nevertheless, it really doesn't matter how high the odds are against me, for I will rise above them. It's time for me to â€Å"put my nose to the grindstone† because, despite what anyone sees, the only direction my life is going is up.Whether I end up becoming a professional Broadway dancer or open a local dance studio is irrelevant, because I will do one or the other by choice, not because I wasn't qualified. I'm comforted in knowing I'm not alone in thi s battle. My mentor, Lorie Bernier, who stands at 5 feet 1 inch and has taught me everything I know, always inspiring me by saying: â€Å"You have to believe you can reach the stars before you can actually touch one of them. † – Failing Successfully By  Candace M. ,  Berea,  KY More by this author Email me when Candace M. contributes work Image Credit: Hailey J. , Lake Oswego, ORMy day in the sun had arrived – my magnum opus would be revealed. I had just delivered a memorized speech that I had labored over for weeks, and I was about to learn how the panel judged my performance. The polite but sparse audience leaned forward in their folding chairs. A hush fell across the room. The drum rolled (in my mind, anyway). The contest organizer announced the third-place winner. Alas, the name was not mine. Then he read the second-place winner, and once again it was not me. At last, the moment of truth came. Either I was about to bask in the warmth of victory or rue the last several months spent preparing.While neither of these came to pass, my heart felt closer to the latter. Losing is a part of life, and I have dealt with the emotional baggage that travels shotgun with it on more than one occasion. However, it was an indescribably underwhelming feeling to drive 200 miles round trip, get up obscenely early on a freezing Saturday morning, and yet still finish fourth out of four contestants. After Lincoln lost the 1858 Illinois Senate race, he reportedly said, â€Å"I felt like the 12-year-old boy who stubbed his toe. I was too big to cry and it hurt too bad to laugh. Oh yeah, I could relate. I had spent many hours in front of a computer and in libraries doing research for the Lincoln Bicentennial Speech Contest. As I pored over several biographies, one notion stood out: Lincoln was handed many sound defeats, but he never allowed them to (permanently) hinder his spirit or ambition. While I believe many history lessons can be applied to modern l ife, I hadn’t considered â€Å"the agony of defeat† as a historically valuable learning experience. I never dreamed I could relate to Lincoln! A president no less, and the greatest at that.I thought â€Å"failing successfully† was a very appropriate topic, given the many letdowns Lincoln experienced, and so this became the title of my speech. After not placing in the first year of the speech contest, I really wanted to compete again. Lincoln had been the epitome of persistence, so I was not going to give up on a contest about a historic individual who did not give up! I reworked my speech for the following year, and while I did not come in last, again I did not place. Some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant, and this was definitely a hydrant day that brought me down for a while.I couldn’t accept the fact that I had failed twice in something that I had worked so hard on, until I contemplated the individual whom I’d s pent so much time learning about. Never mind the lost prize money (ouch, major) and praise (ouch, minor) – I had learned, really learned, about a great man who had experienced failure and disappointment, and had many chances to give up. We remember Lincoln because he didn’t take this route; he didn’t throw lavish pity-parties, and he persevered to become, according to many, the greatest American president.While I did not earn monetary awards as a result of this contest, I did gain a new perspective. Through learning about Lincoln, I discovered that I can fail successfully, and that it is possible to glean applicable wisdom from the lives of those who have come before us. Now, whenever I’m faced with a setback, I remember what Lincoln said after his unsuccessful 1854 Senate race: â€Å"The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, ‘It’s a slip and not a fa ll. ’† Not Just Any Thunderstorm Unknown Email me when Un. ontributes work Image Credit: Heather H. , LaHarpe, IL Discuss the greatestchallenge that you have faced or expect to face †¦ As the sun melted intothe distant horizon, I saw the thickening of the ominous clouds overhead. Therain began to pelt the roof of my old house, but nestled in my canopy bed underall my covers, I felt safe. Flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder shook thehouse and tears began to roll down my cheeks. This was not just any thunderstorm,it was a moment in my life when I struggled to keep my faith and hope. Ispotted my mother's face, eyes ringed with smudged mascara.I peered up at herand knew something was very wrong. â€Å"It's Dad and me,† she began. â€Å"We have decided to separate for a while until we can work thingsout. † â€Å"But you're not getting a divorce, are you? † Iquickly asked. She shook her head, but I knew things would never be thesame. Soon aft er, my dad and I packed our bags and moved in with mygrandparents. He tried so hard to be strong, but I could see that he was feelinga lot of pain. He read me books to try to help me fall asleep at night. Iremember one was about a single dad and how things around the house weredifferent without a mom.He even tried, unsuccessfully, to put my hair up in anon-bumpy ponytail. My dad helped me to develop my faith, and without it, I donot think I could have made it through this difficult time in my life. He taughtme the Lord's Prayer and we recited it together every night. But as much as hetried, he was not my mother. My life before the separation was socarefree, and I was content. The memories of the three of us vacationing inFlorida – smiling, laughing, and spending time as a family – are painful, andwill last a lifetime. How could my life change so fast?I felt like I was on aroller coaster, and as much as my parents tried to comfort me, I felt alone. Theonly hope I had wa s my faith in God. I do not remember how long it wasuntil my parents announced they were getting a divorce. This did not come as acomplete shock because I suspected when they separated it would be forever. Ittook many months of arguing in court for my parents to settle that they wouldshare parenting. I believe God blessed me because I have had an opportunity toknow both parents. I often wonder how my life would have been if myparents had worked things out, but I know I would not be the same strong person Iam today.Struggling through this rough time, I learned to put my faith in Godand never to lose hope. I thank my parents for allowing me to learn from theirmistakes, and hope that I will not make the same ones. Ultimately, I had to makea choice: to move on with my life, or dwell on my past. I thank God for all thewonderful gifts he has bestowed upon me. My parents have both remarriedand are happy. I have two new parents, whom I hold as dear as my own. I am trulyglad to see both my p arents happy. Although I still wonder what my life mighthave been like, I never wish to change where I amtoday. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *Asthe sun rose, sunlight peered into my bedroom and I could hear birds singing. Isat up in bed, relieved that the thunderstorm was finally over. I felt changed. Slowly, I opened my window, noticing the beautiful tulips blooming and the softspring breeze blowing against the trees. Suddenly I thought, I survived thestorm! I am ready to face the next one! After all, today is another day. One Typical Day Unknown Email me when Un. contributes work Image Credit: Amanda S. , Phoenix, AZ Dragging my tired self to my locker one Tuesdayafternoon, I picked up my books and shoved them into my bag.I pulled out mysports bag, dreading cross-country practice and thinking of all I had to do thatnight: write an English paper, do a practice math SAT and study for chemistry. That's when a cheery voice broke in, â€Å"Hey, Katie, don't forget about ourSPAC performance tonight at the hospital. See you at seven! † Thevoice belonged to Adam, the president of Students in the Performing Arts for theCommunity. He and a few of our school's symphonic band members (including me)started the club because we wanted to put some of our time and talents back intothe community by performing at hospitals and nursing homes.At that moment,however, I saw the performance as just one more thing to add to my list. Iarrived at the hospital with my flute in one hand and my chemistry book in theother, hoping to sneak in a little studying. I walked through the sliding doorsinto a cream-colored hall and saw an audience of older people in wheelchairs. Some were sleeping, others sat with blank stares, but a few looked joyful. Thosewere the faces, rosy with excitement, that made me smile. In their midst Ispotted a thin, pale girl who was no more than 13. Thick black braces engulfedher tiny legs, and I wondered wh y someone so young was stuck in thisplace.Toward the end of the hour, after Bach and show tunes, my friendSarah asked if anyone had any requests. The girl raised her arm and asked if shecould sing â€Å"My Heart Will Go On. † Sarah happily invited her to sharethe microphone and the girl hobbled past the sea of wheelchairs. When she andSarah began to sing, I noticed the girl's cheeks became pinker and her eyesshined. At that moment, I forgot my homework and remembered the true meaning ofSPAC: improving the quality of life for others. After the performance weall talked with the girl and discovered she wants to be a singer.She told usthat singing with Sarah had helped her remember her goal. As she spoke, shelooked down, self-consciously, at her thin legs. Then, she asked if we could allget together for a picture so she could remember this night and never give up onher dream. I stayed longer than I'd planned. I was amazed by what one hourof my time could do – help someone go from feeling like a prisoner in a hospitalto feeling like Celine Dion performing at a concert. That night, I lingered atthe dinner table with my family. I also called a friend I had not talked to in awhile.I did not do too well on the chemistry test the next day, but it was justone test, and I knew I could take it again. There could be no retake for myexperience that night at the hospital, except the one I'll always replay in myheart. Success Unknown Email me when Un. contributes work Image Credit: Michael G. , Glocester, RI â€Å"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you none otherthan the one and only Nick A.! † screamed the announcer into themicrophone, in a vain attempt to be heard over the eruption of cheers from theoverflowing auditorium. As I stood, brimming with pride, the noise grew to adeafening level.I walked slowly toward the podium, my grin growing with eachstep. The announcer shook my hand, the principal slapped me on the back, and as Istepped up to the podium, I look ed up at a gigantic banner blazing forth mysuccess. It read: â€Å"Nice Guy Builds Ramp! † Well, it probablywould never happen that way. â€Å"Nice Guy Builds Ramp! † is not exactly acommon honor at an awards ceremony. The fact is I am, for the most part, a niceguy, and I did, in fact, build a ramp. And here is another fact: the truereward did not come from any ceremony but rather because I built it for someone Idid not even know, and it made a world of difference to her.She was an olderwoman, perhaps in her 70s. I never found out what was wrong with her, but she hada gigantic oxygen tank in her simply furnished living room, and she waswheelchair-bound. The whole business began when I participated in a summerprogram where teens from all over come together to do projects for people who aretoo old or poor to get them done. With other kids, I was assigned to build a rampfor this lady who had not been out of her house in seven years. At first Icould not believe I had been talked into going to a work camp, but I soon found Ihad never felt so good or had so much fun.My crew and I really bonded, with thiscommon goal of helping a woman who was only seeing the world from her window. Instantly, our group seemed to know each other. Lindsey was tall andathletic with really stretchy skin she could use to launch pencils from her knee,a talent she often demonstrated at lunch. Matt was a year younger and muchshorter, his crew cut not helping him much in the height department. We came tocall him the Handy Man because he was never without super-cargo pants that heldmore tools than seemed humanly possible. Michelle had great,super-precisely braided hair that looked as if it had taken hours to do.I wasreally impressed until one of the braids fell out. â€Å"Oh, shoot,† shesaid, and tied it back in. My whole world came crashing down when I realized thebraids were synthetic and that lots of girls wear them. As our workprogressed, we were so involved that we bec ame impervious to the attacks ofpassersby who stopped to ask what we were doing and could not believe we wereworking for free. The big payoff came when â€Å"our† lady rolleddown the ramp for the first time. I will never forget her tears. For the firsttime in seven years she collected her mail herself. We all gave her a gigantichug.Still in a state of amazement, she invited us to visit anytime, claiming shehad plenty of soda. And as she thanked us over and over again, I'll admit it – Iteared up. Building a ramp is not the only thing I was ever praised for. Iwon a bronze medal in the Rockland Final Fencing Tournament junior year, so Iknow what it is like to have people clapping when my name is called. But I alsoknow that building a ramp was a much greater success than any medal I could everwin. All the Things I'm Not Unknown Email me when Un. contributes work Image Credit: Samantha P. , Rochdale, MATo look at me, I'm just a â€Å"pretty boy,† puton Earth for the amusement of bullies who are jealous of my appearance, andcoveted as a boyfriend. Now, if that's true, I must also be conceited(that goes without saying) and pig-headed, too! I must think I'm God's gift towomen. I'm really just a pretty face, I don't have much else going for me. Godswitched brains for dimples, I guess. I bounce from woman to woman; I'm ashameless heartbreaker. Yet, I have been in a monogamous relationship for about ayear now. My GPA's a solid B+, higher when I apply myself. I'm creative – Iwrite, I read, I play Dungeons & Dragons.Maybe I'm a nerd. I read atleast 75 comics a month, usually more. I have a favorite writer, I've read morethan the required reading for English, and more than five books without pictures. I play role-playing games. I know what HP and THAC0 stand for, and while I'venever personally lost touch with reality, I've played with people who have. I'myour resident fanboy, and own six different Spider-Man T-shirts. I know whokilled Jason Todd (I own the actual issues and the trade paperback), and I'malways ready to argue over which was the best comic series ever,†Watchmen† or â€Å"The Dark Knight Returns. I play with actionfigures. In fact, I've built an entire city in my room, and when no one's around,I pretend the figures talk (I do a great Christopher Reeve impression). I dohomework. My I. Q. is more than the change in my pocket. I didn't need acalculator for the SATs and I never took a prep course. That said, I'mprobably antisocial. I shy away from sports and physical confrontation. I'veprobably never had a date, and I probably spend all day online (maybe nights,too). I'm probably on the newspaper staff, maybe even class president. Well, Ihave a girlfriend, I'm really vocal and I only go online for research.Plus, Ican bench 200 pounds and squat twice that much and I do play sports. Maybe I'm ajock. I play a sport for every season, three for the sole purpose ofbecoming better at the main one. Yes, the wo rld is shaped like a football, andorbit is made possible by the powerful arm of Testaverdi. AC/DC's the best bandto get you pumped, and six straight losses is the best way to bring you down. Oneof my favorite movies is â€Å"Braveheart,† and although†Gladiator† was good, it doesn't even come close. I want to be likeRudy, and I never want anything that happened in â€Å"The Program† tohappen to me.I've seen things men could never show their girlfriends; I can findthe locker room by smell alone and I know for a fact that mold can grow oncotton. I've heard â€Å"Welcome to the Jungle† 986 times this year (andit's only April). I must run out of socks and underwear before I wash them, andeven then I go commando for a week. Knowing this, you might think I pickon smaller kids or hang out in large groups. You might think I have a very bigbody with a little head. You'd assume that I use the words â€Å"dude† and†cool† constantly out of cont ext (which I do). But that can't be right. I mean, I can spell football and I only fight if necessary.Heck, sometimes Ieven use metaphors. Maybe I'm one of those artistic guys. I have writtenat least one piece of any type of writing you can think of, and I enjoyed it all(except straight news articles, I really hate writing those). I'm going on myeleventh art credit. I took a fashion class and am not ashamed to admit it. Ihave a sensitive side – I cry during â€Å"Bambi. † I can appreciate theamount of time it takes to hand draw a couple hundred flowers. I know the fourkinds of self-portraits: one without looking in a mirror, one looking in amirror, one drawing from a picture and one of your hand. I know green'scomplement, and exactly what ROY G.BIV stands for. I understand Shakespeare, butnot a word of The Scarlet Letter. When essay assignments are announced, I'm theonly one who smiles, and whether you like it or not, I think this essay ishilarious. So, you would figur e I'd be pretty quiet. You know, I can't speakwell, so my writing will be my voice and such. Nope, I'm very loud. I talk andargue and sing. Maybe I'm one of those choir boys. I was the only freshmanin my school ever to get a solo, I was in the elite Florida Singing Sons, I'veperformed at nine Sea Worlds, I know all eight versions of the â€Å"HallelujahChorus† and I have two medals for excellence from NYSSMA.But that's notall; I'm also the lead singer of my very own punk rock band. It's been one yearand we've had 447 different names. I know why Kurt Cobain shot himself, and Ihope I die before I grow old. I own at least ten Misfits T-shirts, and pants thatsay â€Å"Hey, Ho! Let's Go! † on the crotch. I own leather pants and astudded bracelet. I'm currently waiting for McFarlane to wise up and make aDexter Holland figure, and I don't care what your definition of punk is, GreenDay is good enough for me.By now I'm sure you're not assuming anything, and I'msure you suspect that I also do many things to contradict this cliche, like I ownan Eminem record and Rod Stewart's greatest hits. And while I do have a few bodypiercings, none of them is life-threatening. Well, pigs can fly. Hell hasfrozen over. The world is coming to an end. Because the good-looking, faithful,singing, drawing and writing, jock fanboy is roaming the earth. They said itcould never happen, but I guess â€Å"they† were wrong. I make no excusesfor myself and pay no mind to your complaints or opinions. I'm everything thatI'm not, and I love it.A Memory Unknown Email me when Un. contributes work Image Credit: Elizabeth B. , Norwich, CT Builtof gray stone and situated on a small plateau in the middle of rolling hills ismy grandmother's three-story farmhouse. Sunken into the land, it fits like aperfect piece in the puzzle of the checkered landscape. This housefostered comfort and happiness. I trusted that it would always be there, and feltsafe in knowing I could always go back and r evel in its character and uniqueness. It was my mother's home. It was my grandmother's house. We drove up thegravel driveway and parked under the overhang.For weeks, my mom had been tryingto get me to go. The settlement was at the end of the week, and I finally gavein. Only five stepping stones away from the road was the door. Massivepine trees, only half as tall when I was born and even smaller when my mother wasyoung, shaded the front of the house and blocked the wrap-around porch on thesecond level. My mom unlocked the door with the key she'd had for years. Adraft of the scent inside hit me like a slap in the face. I let it resonate in mybrain as the smell triggered memories. Boxes belonging to strangershad invaded the living room.In the kitchen the refrigerator had been ripped out,the furniture removed. All I could see were the images of Christmas Day duringthe past 17 years. I stepped onto the porch. From the left, the streetslithered through the hills to the front door and con tinued on to the right. Withone breath I inhaled the sweet pine scent from the trees and looked at thesetting sun. Up the road was my cousin's house. Between the two homes wehad dwelled in days of simple play. In the halcyon times of summer, our bathingsuits became second skins, our bikes second sets of legs. We spent comfortablehours in the pastoral landscape, knowing the day was ours.I took one last lookat the view. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want it to be just amemory. My grandfather walked into the house carrying a camera. Muscles oflabor, skin of leather; years of hard work were in this once six-foot-tall oldman. His height had shrunk while his belly had swelled. My mom anxiouslysnapped a picture of her old bedroom. The house was retained in its splendor forthat frozen moment. My grandfather put his strong hand, a hand worthy of farming,on my shoulder. Flash. For one last time I was part of these walls. I putthe place to rest in my mind, trying to swallow the lump in my t hroat.As I saidgood-bye to an era of my life – the chapter of my childhood – my eyes welled withtears. Closing the white metal door for the last time, I carried with me a senseof security as strong as those old stone walls. Success at Last Unknown Email me when Un. contributes work Image Credit: Jason B. , Philadelphia, PA It always looked so easy when my dad did it. He cutsmoothly, his shoulder leaning so close to the water that his body lookedparallel to the cool glass. I had been itching to be free of my yellow trainingskis and ski on my own. I wanted to learn to fly over the water just like my dad,but water skiing isn't as easy as it looks.I had been trying for almost a month. First I tried two skis, but my seven-year-old stick legs weren't strong enough tocontrol them, so Dad suggested simplifying things by using one ski. Simplify? Slalom ski? My first attempts at slalom skiing were disasters, but Irefused to give up. When we took a family trip to a lake, I couldn 't wait to tryagain. After eating a big lunch on the deck overlooking the water, we went outfor a ski. I was the last to go. I reluctantly slipped into the foreboding water;this lake was a lot bigger and rougher than the one back home. The frothy waterswirled around me and I was terrified.How can I get up in this mess of whitecapswhen I can't even get up in my calm little lake? I wondered. I crouched in thewater, pulled my legs to my chest and waited. After four attempts Iaccepted defeat – but only for that outing. I was determined not to giveup. The next morning my dad's friend suggested another way of getting meup, and I said, â€Å"Sure! † I would try anything to get the chance to ski. He had me sit on the lower portion of the dock, skis in the water and rope inhand as he pulled the boat away. As I sat, I thought about falling like an anchorinto the dark water and getting splinters in my butt. Ready? † he asked. â€Å"Yeah! † I replied, shakily. Iheard the boat roar and my teeth clenched. I felt the rope gently tug my arms andsuddenly the cool air was tingling my legs and the water was splitting to let methrough. I was doing it! Success at last! I couldn't wait to get home and showoff my new skill to my friends. It took seemingly endless gallons of waterup my nose and aching, heavy arms, but now I can fly across the water almost aswell as my dad. I gained this confidence through persistence and courage -qualities I plan to apply to my life once I reach the big lake of college andeven the ocean of real life.