Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Why i attend college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why i attend college - Essay Example I have been incisive on this notion for quite a long while now and I believe this is the right step forward – attending college would help shape me up in a better fashion than anything else. Attending college would give me a boost in terms of my personality and character building regimes. It would help manifest my true basis within the army as well as make my grooming complete from all sides. I have envisioned a life which is filled with success and accomplishment and this can only take place once I educate myself in a wholesome manner. I have stepped on to this pathway and I opine that I am doing something for my own betterment, in the long run. I know this for sure that remaining within the army would bolster my career but attaining higher education by attending college at this juncture in my life would make me a resolute and firm believer of the positives that I could draw from attaining such education. This will strengthen my base and provide me a platform to grow and develop in the long term scheme of things. I would consider myself very lucky if I attend college now because to remain abreast of the changing educational patterns is indeed something which goes down well with the prospective employees. I do not wish to miss on this tangent at all. In essence, attending college would open up alternatives after I retire from the army. It would make me into a contented individual – one who is completely at home with his feelings, desires and sentiments. I would see myself progressing smoothly with the changing norms and conditions of my life and I would not find myself within any difficulties if I remain glued to the cause of attaining education even at that age. Thus the start must come today and my attending college would give me the much needed base upon which I can build my edifice upon. Undoubtedly army will provide me success but my education will instill

Monday, October 28, 2019

Der Rattenfanger Essay Example for Free

Der Rattenfanger Essay Page fifteen opens with ‘pipe music’, this gives the audience a sense of what the story of Der Rattenfanger is about even if they fail to understand the German title. Pipe music is usually associated with the story of the Pied Piper, which is what we later discover Der Rattenfanger expresses. As Faith reads the title of Der Rattenfanger Eva asks her ‘Mutti’ the question of what an abyss is, this is significant in regards to describing the character of The Ratcatcher, an abyss is usually associated with separation and loss, both of which The Ratcatcher personifies. That he is mentioned with association to an abyss foreshadows what is to happen with Eva and the relationship that she currently shares with her ‘Mutti’. Page sixteen is the Ratcatcher’s first appearance in the play, he materialises from Faith and the audiences imagination and his first lines are rhetorical questions â€Å"Who is not counting? †, â€Å"Who has forgotten their blessings? † . The rhetorical questions are intended to influence the audiences’ opinion rather than requiring an answer to the questions posed. The cross-dialogue between Helga and The Ratcatcher ensures that all of The Ratcatcher’s lines are declaratives â€Å"I will find you†, â€Å"I will search you out whoever wherever you are†. This enforces the idea of The Ratcatcher being a dominant character, The simile â€Å"eyes as sharp as razors† creates the impression that The Ratcacther is a being who inspires fear and gives the idea of an entity that haunts one’s nightmares. The dynamic verbs that are used when describing The Ratcatcher’s speech are all associated with antagonists, â€Å"It hissed†, â€Å"It spat†, referring to The Ratcatcher as an ‘It’ rather than a he dehumanises the character and adds to the antagonist or even entity feel. â€Å"A train whistle blows. Sounds of busy railway station† the whistle of the train can be interpreted as symbolic of the Der Ratenfanger, the pied piper of Hamlen lured the children away from the town of Hamlen with his music when they refused to pay him for using the same method to rid them of their rat infestation, like the Ratcatcher the Kindertransport is taking the children away from their families and what they know into the unknown, it could also be a metaphor for Hitler, it was a direct result of his actions that led to the children being forced from their home country, rats is an nti-Semitic term for being Jewish, Goebbels wrote: â€Å"It is true that the Jew is a human being, but so is a Rat a living being – one that is none too pleasant . . . our duty towards both ourselves and our Conscience is to render it harmless. It is the same with the Jews†. The rats in the pied piper story could be interpreted as a metaphor for the children that would become victims of Nazi persecution. I will take the heart of your happiness away† I interpret the heart of you happiness as being a metaphor for the loss of the children in the town of Hamelyn. The Ratcatcher is omnipresent throughout the play, he embodies all of the male antagonists, the guard, the Nazi, the border guard, and the station guard, the organiser and the postman are all derived from him, each character appears and creates tension for the audience, they all inspire fear in Eva and are the embodiment of loss and separation for both Eva and Evelyn, e. . , the loss of Eva’s money to the officer who searches her on the kindertransport, in contrast to this the postman actually delivers a parcel to Eva, which we discover is a letter from her mother along with a Jewish prayer book and her story book Der Rattenfanger. It seems that even when Eva attempts to run from her past der rattenfanger is always there on the edge of her mind and steadily creeping closer. The Ratcatcher is the origin for provoking the characters and the audience into thinking about family and identity, he also forces the characters to contemplate how the present is affected by the past, and learning how to come to terms with our insecurities and fears, for instance at the end of Act one, Scene two where the â€Å"pipe music† and â€Å"shadow of the ratcatcher looms†, The Ratcatcher, who has already been established as an antagonist and representing fear and punishment foreshadows what is to come. By the end of this scene we begin to realize the depth that Eva’s insecurities and fear of The Ratcatcher run, the cross-dialogue of Eva speaking with her future self-Evelyn gives the audience the impression that Eva/Evelyn may suffer from a duel personality or in the very least a severe mental condition, Eva being the naive and frightened voice here whilst Evelyn is the mature and dependable voice. Evelyn’s closing line for this scene â€Å"He won’t take you anywhere ever again†. The he she refers to being the Ratcatcher, further enforces the idea that The Ratcatcher is the embodiment of loss and separation for Eva/Evelyn, the fact that Evelyn confronts the personification of her fear in this scene gives the audience the impression that Evelyn is beginning to come to terms with her past, although The Ratcatcher is still presented as a dark and brooding presence that Evelyn attempts to suppress and bury in the recess of her mind.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Computers: Past, Present And Future :: Information Technology

I have been using computers for as long as I can remember, whether it is for entertainment use or work use, computers are part of our everyday lives. They have an effect on almost everything you do. When you buy groceries at a supermarket, a computer is uesed with laser and barcode technology to scan the price of each item and present a total. Barcoding items (clothes, food and books ) requires a computer to generate the barcode labels and maintain the inventory. Most televison advertisiments and many films use graphics produced by a computer. In hospitals, bedide terminals connected to the hospital's main computer allow doctors to typw in orders for blood tests and to schedule operations. Banks use computers to lool after their customers' money. In libraries and bookshops, computers can help to find the book you want as quikly as possible. This has not always been the case though; computers did not always exist, and are continuously changing to this day. I think one group said it best,† Companies promote it for their employees. Parents demand it for their children. Those who have it believe they have a competitive edge. Those who don't have it seek it out. "It" is a computer. We are rapidly becoming a "computer society" Until recently computers were found only in environmentally controlled rooms behind locked doors. Only computer professionals dared enter these secured premises. In contrast today computers are found in millions of homes and just about every office. In fact there is a computer for one in every eight people in the world. Eventually all of us will have at least one computer and will use it every day for work and leisure.† -EYAL POLAD, YARON TWENA, DORON FREIBERG, and GILAT ELIZOV. Role of Computers in the Past â€Å"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.† –Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 First Generation Almost everything invented or created, has one specific person who has been credited with their invention or creation, but this is not so with the computer. Many people throughout history have added their part to the computer. This could include programs to help the computer run better or faster, some created different kinds of computers, but either way they contributed to the computer we know today. The first â€Å"computer† was developed in 1936 by Konrad Zuse and was named Z1.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Canterbury Tales Essay :: essays research papers

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Canterbury Tales†, many characters suffer from Dante’s â€Å"Seven Deadly Sins†. I have chosen to write about The Skipper, for his avariciousness and wrath; The Miller for his pride and avariciousness; and also The Franklin for his gluttony, avariciousness and slothfulness. I have found examples for these in â€Å"The Prologue† by Chaucer. The Skipper is avaricious and also suffers from wrath. He is avaricious because he would gain someone’s trust so they would do business with him and then he would steal from them and cheat them. In â€Å"The Prologue†(pg. 103 lines 407-408), it reads, â€Å"He’d drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored. The nicer rules of conscience he ignored†. He also suffered from wrath, anytime he had extra people on his ship, he would make them walk the plank. In â€Å"The Prologue†(pg.103 lines 409-410), it says, â€Å"If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank, he sent the prisoners home: they walked the plank†. The Miller was inflicted by pride and avariciousness. He was very prideful. He would boast about anything that he could do well. In â€Å"The Prologue†(pg. 107 lines 557-558), it says, â€Å"Broad, knotty and short-shouldered, he would boast, He could heave any door off hinge and post†. He was an avaricious man. He would steal grain for himself. In â€Å"The Prologue†, it says, â€Å"His was a master-hand at stealing grain. He felt it with his thumb and thus he knew its quality and took three times his due†. (Pg. 107 lines 570-572) The Franklin suffered from gluttony, lust and slothfulness. He ate all the time. He had way too much food and it was all for himself. In â€Å"The Prologue†, it reads, â€Å"His bread, his ale were the finest of fine, and no one had a better stock of wine. His house was never short of bake-meat pies†¦..†(Pg. 101 lines 351-354). He lusted for pleasure. That is all he wanted from life. In â€Å"The Prologue†, it says, â€Å"He loved a morning sop of cake and wine, he lived for pleasure and always have done†. (Pg.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Arbitrage in the Government Market Essay

In 1991, major discrepancies in the prices of multiple long maturity US Treasury bonds seemed to appear in the market. An employee of the firm Mercer and Associates, Samantha Thompson, thought of a way to exploit this opportunity in order to take advantage of a positive pricing difference by substituting superior bonds for existing holdings. Thompson created two synthetic bonds that imitated the cash flows of the 8 ¼ May 00-05 bond; one for if the bond had been called at the year 2000, and one for if it hadn’t been called and was held to its maturity at year 2005. The first synthetic bond combined noncallable treasury bonds that matured in 2005 with zero coupon treasuries (STRIPS) that matured in 2005. The synthetic bond had semiannual interest payments of $4.125 per $100 face value and a final payment of $100 at maturity in order to exactly match the cash flows of the 8 ¼ May 00-05 callable bond if it had been held to maturity. Thompson found the price of this synthetic b ond by using this formula: The ask price of the two bonds were given as $129.906 and $30.3125, respectively. She calculated the number of units needed of the 2005 treasury bond by dividing the semi-annual callable 00-05 coupon rate by the semi-annual 2005 treasury bond (4.125/6). The only part of the equation that she did not have was the number of units needed of the 2005 STRIP. She had to calculate the correct amount in order to imitate the cash flows of the 00-05 callable bond. Thompson did this by using this equation. The final cash flow of the 00-05 bond was $104.125, the final cash flow of the 2005 treasury bond was $106, and the final cash flow of the 2005 STRIP bond was $100 as there are no coupon payments in STRIPs. She found that the number of units needed of the 2005 STRIP bond was 0.3125, and then found that the synthetic price of this bond was $98.78. The second synthetic bond combined the noncallable bonds maturing in 2000 with STRIPS maturing in 2000. This synthetic bond also had semiannual interest payments of $4.125 per $100 face value and a final payment of $100 at maturity in order to exactly match the cash flows of the 8 ¼ May 00-05 callable bond if it had been called in 2000.  Through similar calculations of the first synthetic bond, she found that she needed 0.0704 units of the 2000 STRIP, and the price of this synthetic bond was $100.43. What Thompson found was surprising because both of these synthetic prices were less than the ask price of the 00-05 treasury bond. In normal markets this shouldn’t be the case because the synthetic bond would be worth more to investors since it does not have a redemption right to the government. In other words, the callable bond should have a lower price than the synthetic noncallable bond. 2. There are two ways that Thompson could exploit this pricing anomaly that she found. If she already held the 00-05 treasury bond, then she could immediately capitalize on the price discrepancy by selling the 00-05 treasury bond for the bid price of $101.125 and buying one of these synthetic bonds. Whether to buy the 2000 synthetic bond or 2005 synthetic bond is up for debate and opinion but it might be suggested to go with the 2005 one since the price of $98.78 is even smaller than the price of $100.43 and there would be larger price impact. By selling the 00-05 bond and buying the 2005 treasury bond, she would be getting the same cash flows for an immediate lower price. The second way that Thompson could exploit this pricing anomaly would be if she does not currently hold any bonds at all. A profit could be earned by establishing short positions in the relatively overpriced security and long positions in the relatively underpriced security. Thompson would borrow the 00-05 treasury bond from a dealer and then sell it. With that money, she would buy a synthetic bond and wait for the 00-05 treasury bond to decrease in price as prices converge. Once they do, she would buy the 00-05 bond for a lower price and give it back to the dealer, while pocketing about $2 (given that she bought the 2005 synthetic bond). There’s plenty of risk when trying to take advantage of pricing arbitrage. For example, the prices may never converge and Thompson might end up waiting almost 15 years without anything happening. Another risk is that the dealer might call the bond back while the money is tied up in the synthetic bond. Because of these risks, it might be better if she doesn’t try and take advantage of the pricing arbitrage at all. 3. Through close examination, a multitude of factors could have come into play resulting in the odd pricing of Thompson’s evaluated bonds. In studies conducted by Longstaff (1992) and Eldeson, Fehr, and Mason (1993) they found that negative option values were very common, ultimately implying that callable treasury bonds were significantly overpriced (35). Although it seems odd to have a negative option value, Thompson found herself in a rapidly changing bond market with the earlier introduction of derivative securities and STRIP bonds. With the introduction of STRIP bonds in 1985, problems arise in valuing callable treasury bonds using solely zero-coupon STRIP bonds being that they tend to undervalue the implied options (Jorden et al. 36). In addition, since negative option value bonds do not have implied volatilities, this raises the question whether callable bonds are priced rationally (Bliss and Ronn 2). Furthermore into Longstaff’s (1992) research, they exercised the â€Å"striplets† approach to investigate implied call option values. The â€Å"striplets† approach uses a U.S. Treasury coupon STRIPS and a coupon bond to synthesize a noncallable bond with the desired coupon (Jordan et al. 37). Longstaff finds that â€Å"61.5% of the call values are negative when estimates are based on the midpoint of the bid and ask prices, whereas 50.7% of the negative call estimates are large enough to generate profits even after considering the bid-ask spread† (38). Ultimately, the odd pricing in Thompson’s current situation is most likely due to the mispricing of callable bonds at the time due to the method of callable bond valuation and the early introduction of new types of bond securities in the market. 4. â€Å"Callable debt gives the treasury the right, but not the obligation, to redeem the callable treasuries at par (100) on any semiannual interest payment date within five years of maturity, provided that it gave investors four months’ notice† (Arbitrage in the Government Bond Market). There are multiple upsides for a company to issue callable debt. The main reason for this is to give the company (treasury) a sense of security in that they can redeem the bond in the event of an interest rate drop. For example, if the company issues bonds to investors at a 10% interest rate and then this rate  goes down to 8%, the company may redeem the callable bonds they’ve issued and replace them with the lower interest rate (8%). Callable debt is essential to have when there are long maturity dates. If you issue a non-callable bond for a fixed amount of years, there is a tremendous amount of risk for the treasury. For instance, if you issue a non-callable bond with a maturity of 25 years and the interest rate goes down over the years, this negatively affects the company. â€Å"Callability enables the treasury to respond to changing interest rates, refinance high-interest debts, and avoid paying more than the going rates for its long term debt† (Why Companies Issue Callable Bonds). Bibliography 1. â€Å"Bonds 200.† Why Companies Issue Callable Bonds. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. 2. Jordan, Bradford D., Susan D. Jordan, and David R. Kuipers. â€Å"The Mispricing of Callable U.S. Treasury Bonds: A Closer Look.† Journal of Futures Markets 18.1 (1998): 35-51. Web. 3. Bliss, Robert R., and Ehud I. Ronn. â€Å"Callable U.S. Treasury Bonds: Optimal Calls, Anomalies, and Implied Volatilities.† The Journal of Business 71.2 (1998): 211-52. Web. 4. â€Å"Bonds 200.† Why Companies Issue Callable Bonds. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. 4. 5. â€Å"Harvard Business School.† Arbitrage in The Government Bond Market. N.p., 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 June 1995. .

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Benefits of Writing Concisely - Proofread My Paper

The Benefits of Writing Concisely - Proofread My Paper The Benefits of Writing Concisely Despite popular belief, wordiness – using more words than necessary to make a point – doesn’t make a paper sound more intellectual. Rather, it clouds your ideas and detracts from the impact of your writing. Writing concisely, on the other hand, will improve your work by: Keeping your point focused Ensuring your arguments flow clearly Helping you stay within the word allowance of your assignments But how do you make sure your written work is always concise? Focus on Your Thesis Somewhere at the beginning of your paper, you should have a clear statement of your thesis. This will guide the rest of your paper, since every point you make should add to your argument. If something in your work is not relevant to your thesis, consider whether it needs to be there. Faster! Harder! Stronger! (aka Editing Ruthlessly) The first draft is only the starting point in writing a good academic paper. Once you’ve got everything down, re-read it carefully, looking for errors and considering potential improvements. In terms of readability, this will typically include eliminating unnecessary words, tightening sentence structures and making sure that each paragraph flows smoothly to the next. Avoid Redundancy and Repetition Beware of redundancy and repetition. Redundancy is when we use a phrase that includes additional terms for no reason: in â€Å"the car was green in color,† for instance, â€Å"in color† is redundant because we know that â€Å"green† usually refers to a color. Repetition, meanwhile, is the unnecessary inclusion of the same point twice. If you’ve already introduced a concept in your work, for example, there’s no need to reintroduce it later on. Cutting repetition can make your writing much more succinct. Words, Not Phrases Try not to use several words when one will do. For instance, the sentence: It was an experience that I found very interesting for many reasons and from which I learned a lot. Could be rewritten more concisely as: It was a fascinating and educational experience. Simply put, â€Å"fascinating† and â€Å"educational† are an economical way of saying â€Å"I found interesting for many reasons† and â€Å"from which I learned a lot† respectively. As such, the rewritten sentence is easier to read.

Monday, October 21, 2019

IRAQ VS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

IRAQ VS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: HOW MUCH LONGER WILL INNOCENT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DIE UNTIL SANCTIONS ARE LIFTED? In the year 1990 the Middle East was in a tense position after the attack of Kuwait by its Iraq neighbours and its President Sadaam Hussein. This was only to beginning of what turned out to be a war, which many were hurt, and many countries felt the effect as a result of this war. The Gulf War did not start until 1991 but tension was building between the world and Iraq. Iraq was left out on its own to fend off the world. This war turned out to be Sadaam vs. the world. Countries felt threatened by the mere existence of this man Sadaam considering him a menace to society. Sadaam proved over again that he was after land first invading Iran and then taking over Kuwait. When Sadaam took over Kuwait he was after the Kuwaiti Oil. Iraq wanted to be the second largest to Saudi Arabia in Oil production and only could achieve this by taking over Kuwaiti soil. The Gulf War turned out to be a hard fought war led by the United States of America and George Bushs Administration. The Bush Administration was determined not let Kuwait be walked over by a stronger country in Iraq. This administration was not entering into this war without its own interests addressed since they received $6 billion (US) from Kuwait in support for the United States forces. The USA had its own interests in mind and the most important to them was not the safe return of all Kuwaiti land but rather the oil with which Kuwait would owe them for returning their land. This war was also known as the Desert Storm. Desert Storm was not only about Iraq since it affected many countries around Iraq. Some have suggested that Israel felt threatened as a result of the power which Sadaam and Iraq had gained and that is what brought the United States into the war. At the end of the war when the cease-fire was achieved a new war had just begun. Th...