Financial Crisis Essay Example for Free

Financial Crisis Essay Dear Grandchildren, The last two decades have seen important milestones being achieved, not only for America, but which also have global impact and implications. These milestones are in the technological, political, and financial arenas. They are also profound in the sense that life as was known before these changes would never be the same again. Below are some of the things I believe are the most significant, simply because they are a sign of the times and which have direct impact on our lives in America. Technologically, there has been a digital revolution, with the advent of the Internet on the world scene. The home computer is now a ubiquitous item, and easily replaces the television and radio as furniture, feature display, and entertainment console. It also provides business solutions, home office setups, a vast knowledge and information database, and connectivity with the rest of the world. There is virtually no chance for anyone to be a hermit anymore. Even we old folks have mastered the basic skills of emailing, skype-ing, googling, and Facebooking. What more can we ask for? These will keep us entertained for many more years to come. There will not be time and lack of interaction for us to grow senile. The array of gadgets is simply gorgeous! Mobile phones, netbooks, iPads, and LED TV screens are now the must-have items. They increase our productivity, schedule our lives, and keep us updated on the go. Social media has given us social convergence and brought us closer as a result; ironically, sometimes, they also cause us to be indifferent and insensitive to those physically closest to us. Politically, the United States has broken through the invisible ceiling and has installed for the first time in its history, an African American president. This is simply unthinkable, and had it not been for this moment in time, would not have happened at all. That said, it may herald the possibility for other minority races in the United States to reach the top spot. Barack Obama, at one stroke, has finally achieved that which had eluded activists all along. He has achieved the realization of emancipation for all African Americans. In his becoming President, he has been able to appease both the Democrats and the Republicans and thus far, he has been even-handed and circumspect. Financially, there has been a tremendous upheaval in both the American and global economies. There was the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 which channeled much of the wealth then to the United States and Europe. This was however, reversed in 2008 when Wall Street literally collapsed, with brokerages, banks, and state institutions falling like dominoes. This has caused untold misery to millions of homeowners in America who had their houses foreclosed. This situation should be seen as completely unique to our time, for the financial equations may no longer work so effectively as before. Coupled with fraud, lack of transparency, and the sheer number of complex financial instruments that flooded the market, the whole financial sector is way overdue for a bypass and cleanup. This is the darkest period since the Great Depression in the 1930s. How will these events influence the future? I believe that these milestones represent yet another great development in the history of America and humanity in general. Technology will only continue to be improved with ever-increasing speeds and frightful ingenuity. The political climate will continue to evolve and result in hopefully a fairer system of governance that will represent the peoples of America. And financially, let us hope that the scares we went through are enough to jolt the wheelers and dealers to the fact that long-term stability is much more desirable than short-term gains and profiteering.

Techniques Used in Peter Porters Your Attention Please :: essays research papers

A poem written by Peter Porter is called â€Å"Your Attention Please†. Phrases like â€Å"Death is the least we have to fear† and â€Å"A nuclear rocket strike of at least one thousand megatons†, certainly got my attention. This poem is written in the form of a radio announcement, warning of a large nuclear attack aimed at all our major cities. It covers a serious subject and yet the tone used is used in a casual way. Many techniques are used which make this poem very effective. A rather strong feeling used throughout the whole poem is that it is satirising the government. It does so by using bureaucratic language that people often relate to officials and being organised. I felt that this acted as a disguise for the horrifying truth of the events happening. The voice had a sense of authority over me, made me feel that I should obey the advice given in commands. The poet uses this to get his opinions across discreetly using a satirising tone and allowing the reader to work it out for themselves. Words and phrases are used that intimidate you like, â€Å"To comply with the shelter Requirements published in the Civil Defence Code†, it would seem that in the time it took to say that the announcer could have moved on and stopped wasting time. We often relate this to a grander more pompous way of speaking. It makes you think almost like this attack was planned. You also feel intimidated by the use of precise times and exact measurements - such as - à ¢â‚¬Å"This announcement will take two and a quarter minutes to make†. This is also typical of a government speech, again wasting time with information you did not really need to know. Another meaning of this poem is possibly to prepare you for a nuclear attack and make you think of what you would do in this situation. This aspect of a war like this is shocking, however, it is obvious that the poet finds it ridiculous. This idea is familiar as it still works today as this threat is still existent. The idea of this happening to you and your family is genuinely chilling. This poem does contain a certain amount of poetic effect but if you were a listener it wouldn’t be obvious. Nevertheless there is a certain structure which is kept to through the poem.

Review on John Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnet 14’

Poem: Holy Sonnet XIV Name of author: John Donne Imprisoned In the poem Holy Sonnet XIV, John Donne writes about the different imprisonments of life. In his poem he is saying that he has fallen for the temptations of Gods enemy, the devil, and he is asking God to break the hold the devil has on him. John portrays that he is trapped and bound by the evils of the devil, and he wishes to be â€Å"divorced†(11) from the devil to be once again imprisoned by the love of God, either way he knows he â€Å"never shall be free†(13).The point John is making in this poem is that he loves God and no longer wishes to live with the sins and imprisonment of the devil, but rather be â€Å"enthralled†(13) by God. John first speaks of God as a â€Å"three-personed God†(1), meaning God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Throughout the poem John is at a fallen state, where he has fallen so hard it would be almost impossible for him to alone break the bond that he has with the devil, to be righteous and serve God. John is asking God to help him in breaking the bond, asking to â€Å"Batter†(1) his heart for God, breaking the unholy bond, the engagement that he has with the devil.John wishes to be the God-loving person he knows he is. John needs God’s powerful ways to make him a new person, today some call it a â€Å"born-again believer†, and John so badly wants God to â€Å"make me new†(4). John feels as if he has been taken over by the devil. John is pleading his case in this poem, to God as to why God should help him, defend him, save him, and make him new. This poem is like Johns prayer, pleading to God his reasoning in why God should help him, since God is his â€Å"viceroy†(7) that he should want to defend him.John is trapped as if he is held captive, and is weak and untrue to God, but at the same time still willingly and joyfully loves God. John uses the word â€Å"betrothed†(10) to emphasize that h e has been tied, or engaged to the devil in his actions and wished to be â€Å"divorced†(11). John is saying he is bound by the devil and doesn’t want to be imprisoned by the devil, but instead be imprisoned by God. It’s like no matter what path John is on, whether it is the path of the devil, or the path of God, he will be imprisoned either way and never be free.John grew up as a believer in God and he eventually grew to be known as â€Å"The Great Priest† by many people. A great priest doesn’t have to stray to far from God to feel as John felt in this poem because no one sin is greater than the other. This was not the first time John had felt he had strayed away from God â€Å"divorce me, untie, or break that knot again†(11). The Holy Sonnet XIV is about a man who felt as if he strayed away from God and how badly he wants God to help him get back on the right track, living for Him.John was catholic at a time when anti-catholic sentiment wa s common. He began to question his faith when his brother Henry died. John then soon struggled near poverty to support his family for almost 10 years. With him being in hard times and straying away from his religion, to then come to pick back up into his religion is an example of his life and what he wanted people to know by reading this poem. After he got back to his normal life, in religion, he then became the priest that we know him to be today.

Nietzsche Said Whoever Fights Monsters Should See To It

Nietzsche said Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you (Beyond Good and Evil, 146). Most people are convinced that they are the hero or heroine of a story, but if their motives are impure, selfish, or short sighted; they may very well turn out to be the villain. In the classic gothic novel, The Monk by Matthew Lewis in which several characters’ motives, lives, and deaths become intertwined. Ambrosio’s character proves that no person is incorruptible, while the film directed by Dominik Moll tries to add redemption to the character’s monstrous acts. In the eighteen-hundreds, when The Monk was first published it was seen as†¦show more content†¦Though neither meant to do harm, they both chose a life of sin and murder (Red Riding Hood’s â€Å"husband† ate her grandma) for a triste. While â€Å"Red† would have most likely been eaten otherwise, she still gives herself, seemingly happily, to the wolf with little thoughts of anyone else, but herself, displaying her vanity, corresponding to Ambrosio’s egotism with his audience and peers thoughts of him (Carter 110). The pious and godly man that was Ambrosio tries to make excuses for his behavior and pawns his guilt and judgement onto others. Soon every thought Ambrosio has is not that of a pious man, working for his Lord, but that of a man growing increasingly impatient for his wants; Antonia a young and innocent girl is the first on his list. Accordingly, he faults Elvira for requiring him to sneak into Antonia’s room to defile her, as Elvira has banished him from her home, for his mistreatment of her daughter, Antonia. Therefore, Dr. Jekyll and Ambrosio have very similar ideals about morality. Both seem to think that if no one perceives them as the guilty party, they are free to do as they please, while keeping their consciences clean. Ambrose uses magic to sneak around to defile Antonia secretly and Dr. Jekyll uses science to create an alternate persona to do as he wishes (Stevenson 86). Consequently, he blames Matilda for their dealings in witchcraft, deciding since she is the one wh o is doing the magic; he is blameless in theShow MoreRelatedReading Lolita s Tehr An Argumentative Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesavailable in order to persuade the reader to change. â€Å"... I have no choice but to appeal once again to your imagination.. â€Å"(26). Once again, the author throws the reader to a world of their own creation, showing them what exactly they want them to see. In order to change the purpose, using this appeal, it s allowing them to make sure that the reader understand what the other wants them to know. Enabling the reader s ability to imagine, Allowing themselves to place themselves in various differentRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 PagesGenetic modification f. Right tech for wrong reasons 3. Arts/Culture a. Arts have a future in Singapore? b. Why pursue Arts? c. Arts and technology d. Uniquely Singapore: Culture 4. Environment a. Developed vs. Developing b. Should environment be saved at all costs c. Are we doing enough to save the environment? d. Main reasons for environmental problems nowadays 5. Religion a. Religion divides more than it unites b. Religion and politics c. Science and religionRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesappropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material