Thursday, October 31, 2019
Rhetorical Analysis The Four Freedoms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Rhetorical Analysis The Four Freedoms - Essay Example Therefore, he began his address on a note of warning to the Americans, with the assertion that the nationââ¬â¢s international position was ââ¬Å"unprecedentedâ⬠(2) and raised apprehensions about the security of America by stating that ââ¬Å"at no previous time has American security been as seriously threatened from without as it is today.â⬠(2) What was that threat? He did not specify and he was just trying to create deep anxiety for his audiences. By stating next, that past leaders of America did not aim ââ¬Å"at domination of the whole world,â⬠(7) he was making it clear about the new role of America in the world scenario of politics and the duties and responsibilities involved in it. To highlight the necessity of participation in World War II, he chose to belittle the importance of the previous wars and said they were not ââ¬Å"a real threat against our future or against the future of any other American nation.â⬠(12) Quickly, he had built up the suspense rhetoric well which created some apprehensions like who was the enemy precisely? What were the intentions of the enemy so-projected? What threat he constituted? At the sixth minute of his speech, the President was more vocal about describing the enemy. He specified the enemy as ââ¬Å"the new order of tyrannyâ⬠(11) who had the hidden agenda and ââ¬Å"that seeks to spread over every continent today.â⬠(11) He said ââ¬Å"every realist knows that the democratic way of life is at this moment being directly assailed in every part of the worldââ¬âassailed either by arms, or by secret spreading of poisonous propaganda by those who seek to destroy unity and promote discord in nations that are still at peace.â⬠(12) This observation was highly important. He regaled his audience and warned them that the enemy was treacherous on every count. The President was referring to the enemy dictators and their armies, the Communist countries
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Vark learning style Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Vark learning style - Research Paper Example Nilson (2010) said that the VARK (visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic) learning style assessment emphasizes on learning styles that utilize an individualââ¬â¢s senses (sight, touch, hearing). Fleming and Mills (1992) were the ones who came up with these classifications that mirror their studentsââ¬â¢ knowledge, involvement, and encounter when it comes to learning. According to Fleming (2011), individualsââ¬â¢ learning preferences are respectively assessed in the VARK Learning Style Questionnaire. Information being portrayed in symbols, colors, and other means like pie charts and fish diagrams can be readily absorbed by a student with a high visual preference. Those who score high in the aural mode can better recognize information via verbal means or other forms of audible media. For them, their sense of hearing is quite utilized in understanding data. Learners who received high results in their reading and writing category may pick up facts best when these are express ed in written words. As its category suggests, a person in this mode may prefer reading texts a lot as well as writing them. In the kinesthetic learning preference, a personââ¬â¢s experience is crucial in indicating his learning progress. Students in this mode would like to move and practice the concepts so they can better grasp the ideas being presented to them. For this group, experience is indeed the best mentor. The results in this questionnaire can reveal a personââ¬â¢s potential in learning.... Nowadays, almost anything can be accomplished with just a lift of a finger or a push of a button. Information that could be communicated in an hour through lecture can be depicted through multimedia in just 5 minutes. This kind of scenario is invading homes and minds of people. When individuals enter the classroom, many of them get uninterested especially when the teacher merely employs a single mode of instruction. Many students may get perked up when there is an involvement of power point presentations with relevant videos or pictures. Other learners feel that they can actually learn more when experience is incorporated into the discussion. Each student may have his own unique way of learning. As an example, there is a student who gained a percentage of 13 in visual, kinesthetic, as well as reading and writing. He got a percentage of 8 in the aural category. Using VARK, stability may be acquired by encouraging an educator to utilize different kinds of strategies and materials to ad dress the varied preferences of young minds. The student in this situation may help himself by incorporating techniques in his studying lifestyle. Since this person is noticeably multimodal, he may prefer understanding the lesson with the use of pictures and other figures, word games and mnemonics, including different kinds of movement. For instance, he can draw symbols on the side of his notes to give him a clue regarding the topicââ¬â¢s essence. He can also come up with acronyms to help him enumerate certain processes. Walking while memorizing or practicing a speech may also be beneficial. Analysis People do not need to be bothered for a long time with this kind of assessment. Since this type of questionnaire just employs a few items, it can be quickly answered.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Impact of Leadership Development in Healthcare
Impact of Leadership Development in Healthcare A crucial factor dominating health organisations in NSW, Australia and the world has been identified as patient safety and quality of care. Literature indicates that in order to achieve these objectives, there is need for effective clinical leadership to occur. This essay will discuss and analyse the impact of leadership development, with a focus on transformational leadership and related matters, on both the individual and health care. To understand how and why leadership in health care emerged as a necessity to avoid failure in health care, it is important to consider the Garling Report (2008) and the Mid Staffordshire Report (2013), of which both provided a multitude of recommendations for NSW and British public hospitals, following an inquiry into their systems after a number of high profile incidents which brought into question patient safety and quality of care. Garling SC (2008) and Francis QC (2013) both identified that in order to overcome these endemic issues, it is necessary to make a widespread cultural change within the public hospital system and as part of that process, it is imperative to engage frontline clinicians in ongoing leadership education and training. Garling SC (2008) also indicated the need to reform and redesign traditional leadership models in order to improve the delivery of health care, which is increasingly reliant on effective clinical leadership at all levels. Focus should be on creating an inter-disciplinary team approach to patient care, which according to evidence, produces the greatest possible outcomes (Garling SC 2008). This aims to continuously provide the best level of patient-based care and patient safety. Having considered why effective leadership emerged as a necessity, it is important to review the concept of leadership. It is an interactive relationship between the leader and followers (Kouzes and Posner 2012). For a culture shift towards a patient based care model to occur, leaders must effectively define, communicate and guide the vision for the organisation in order to ensure engagement at all levels Frampton et al. (as cited in Cliff 2012, p381). Effective leadership is vital for inspiring, engaging and motivating others to achieve greatness. Govier and Nash (2009), highlight that is through having a shared vision that moves people towards achieving the necessary common goal of providing safe and high quality health care, that leadership can occur at all levels. Covey 2006 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009), indicated that in order to increase the effectiveness of management, leadership needs to come first. This therefore indicates the need for management and frontline clinicians to work together to tackle the many challenges that exist within health care. Furthermore, this is indicated by Vaill 1996 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009) who argued that there is always a need for management in order to effectively run everyday procedures, however successful handling of the constant changes and instability, begins with effective leadership. As Kouzes and Posner (2012) suggest, to achieve this success, effective leaders must employ their Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, including; Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart. This incorporates leading by example, inspiring others through shared desires, making changes through risk taking and challenging oneself, whilst promoting an environment where team work, mutual respect and trust is exercised and where successes are celebrated. Personal experience suggests that through the variety of courses and workshops now offered via NSW health, the necessary ongoing education in leadership is occurring. As Health Workforce Australia (2013, p.4) prominently state ââ¬Ëcapable leadership, governance, and management are cornerstones of successful efforts to improve the quality of lives and to achieve the maximum impact from health investmentsââ¬â¢. Having worked the past three years within a team leader role in Occupational Therapy, continuous education has enabled successful running of a strong, caring, hard-working, energetic team, whose primary focus is on patient care and safety. After all, these are the core values of Occupational Therapy practice. Literature supports the ongoing education of leaders, as Kouzes and Posner (2012) state, leadership is a skill set obtainable by anyone. This is also consistent with Health Workforce Australia (2013) who highlights in their LEADS framework, that in order for successful improvement to occur and endure the ever-changing health care system, specific knowledge and skills are required to become an effective leader. As Covey 2006 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009) emphasised, by employing a solid foundation of core values, incorporating trust, contribution, dignity, empowerment and growth, the ability to react and adjust appropriately to these changes is possible. Garling SC (2012) emphasises that by creating individual clinical leaders throughout the health care system, patient safety and quality health care will be continuously achieved. It is through the reflection, ongoing development and improvement of oneââ¬â¢s self, that enables this leadership to begin occur (Kousez and Posner 2012; Health Workforce Australia 2013). Health Workforce Australia (2013) have created a model which encompasses the concepts of the transformational leadership theory whereby, once self-awareness and personal development is achieved, individual leaders within the organisation are able to engage others by sharing values, communicating openly and honestly, supporting other team members in growing and developing to continue to strengthen as a department, team and organisation. From here, leaders will work closely with colleagues and patients to ascertain, guide and set achievable goals that realise the shared vision. They will continue to evaluate outcomes, cele brating successes along the way. An environment fostering the awareness and need for positive changes will be promoted and encouraged, this in turn will continue to inspire others to achieve positive outcomes and best possible care for patients. The results of a study by Wylie and Gallagher (2009) around transformational leadership behaviours in allied health professionals revealed that one of the most significant influences on self-reported leadership behaviours is that of leadership training. Those who received training within the leadership area were able to score a significantly higher aggregated transformational leadership score, compared with those allied health professionals who had not. These results correspond with the findings of Kouzes and Posner (as cited in Wylie and Gallagher 2009), found that transformational leadership and self-awareness are more evident those who received leadership training. To best rise to the challenge and meet the recommendations of both inquiries, there is the need for implementation of not only leadership, but more specifically transformational leadership. This because, although over time there have been many other leadership theories, they have generally concentrated on what an effective leader is, rather than how to effectively lead (Armandi et al. 2003). Transformational leadership embodies the principles that are able to combat the instability and constantly changing environment in hospitals. Research by Halter and Bass (as cited in Armandi et al. 2003, p. 1079) and Weberg (2010), indicated that when transformational leadership is implemented within the health care setting, there is a positive impact on staff retention, job satisfaction, loyalty, burnout rates and overall staff well-being. From experience, this positive impact results in safer, improved patient care. This is supported in the article by Govier and Nash (2009), who reported that in large organisations such hospitals, there are increased levels of pressure on frontline staff to produce quality work and outcomes. If this occurs, stress levels and reduced performance also occurs and this leads to the potential harm of those being cared for. If leaders empower frontline clinicians and place ownership of care in their hands, then health care can be transformed from the bottom up, rather than top down, therefore meeting the recommendation of Garling SC (2008). Having previously worked closely with a manager and mentor, who embodied transformational leadership principles, had open, honest communication, trust and respect for all staff, this enabled both personal and professional growth, as well as positive development as a clinician and leader. As the article by Rolfe (2011) indicates, transformational leadership is a cyclical process whereby leaders empower their followers, which in turn fosters the growth and development of these followers into leaders themselves. Having experienced this first hand, it is safe to say that this enabled better leadership of the inpatient Occupational Therapy team, empowering and inspiring them to achieve positive improvements in patient care. Stepping into a team leader role three years ago was an enormous challenge. After gaining insight into recent times and history of the Occupational Therapy department, it was clear that instability, uncertainty and low morale had taken over. There had been a multitude of changes both within the hospital and wider organisation as well as within the department itself. Facing the challenge head on was the only way to make significant improvements. By closely building relationships with the individual team members and gaining an understanding into their driving forces, trust and mutual respect began to emerge. Through the implementation of a weekly inpatient team meeting, a structured environment was created to facilitate open communication and allow the discussion of complex cases and individual issues together in order to increase knowledge and solve problems as a team. This further instilled a sense of trust and confidence by showing commitment to self and the organisation, demonstrating strong open, honest communication skills and being supportive with a mentorship approach, with the main purpose of ensuring best possible care for patients. As Kouzes and Posner (2012) state that when a relationship is built on mutual respect and confidence, the greatest of difficulties can be overcome and a lasting impact remains. This is supported in the article by Govier and Nash (2009), who emphasise the importance of being a proactive leader, by solving problems with a positive approach, rather than reporting problems whilst others resolve them. They go on to say that leadership is then seen as a choice rather than a position and will therefore be focussed on ensuring that things get done in a positive way, therefore enhancing patient care. Based on experience with clinical supervision with junior staff, the traits of transformational leadership are also carried out. Regular supervision sessions with staff have enabled growth within the leadership area as well. It has enabled ongoing education and knowledge to be imparted on staff through discussion of their practices on the ward, with attention to solving complex issues and cases. Through the method of asking reflective, open-ended questions, it has empowered the team to review their own values and performance, which has resulted in an increase in staff engagement and a stronger sense of purpose, as a direct result of a leader investing in them. Evidence supports this, for instance Porter-Oââ¬â¢Grady and Malloch (as cited in Weberg 2010 p. 246), report that transformational leaders are not only inspiring, however also assist their staff or followers to solve problems by assisting them to be aware of issues and develop the necessary means to overcome their difficulti es. Transformational leadership looks at the relationship between the leader and followers and states that when followers are able to have input into a team or organisational vision, there is an increase in their sense of value and hence this relationship is improved (Rolfe 2011, p. 55). From personal experience as a trained Essentials of Care facilitator, this is accurate. The process involved being trained in working with frontline staff to make the necessary changes to improve patient-based care. Through working closely with multi-disciplinary staff to review their personal and professional values, a shared values statement emerged. It is through this shared value and vision, that staff became empowered to start making frontline changes to improve patient care. Daft (as cited in Rolfe 2011, p. 55) stated that when staff feel empowered and have a sense of purpose, then the workplace environment becomes more positive, with increased motivation and job satisfaction. This then has a direc t impact on quality of patient-based care. From personal experience, being the representative for Occupational Therapy on the hospital falls advisory committee has demonstrated such leadership characteristics as leading by example and being a role model for other members of the department. This committee focusses directly on patient care and is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team who guide and lead the hospital in falls prevention best practice. It is through teamwork and shared leadership and expertise that successes are generated (Ward as cited in Rolfe 2011, p. 56). In summary, it can be seen that in order to achieve and maintain best possible patient-based care and safety, leadership must be developed throughout all areas of health care, focussing on frontline clinicians. It is through ongoing investment in training and education in the field of leadership that this can be accomplished. Through learning and practicing transformational leadership, staff at all levels are empowered, motivated and inspired to provide the best possible care for patients. This in turn has a positive impact, which affects individual staff, teams and organisations within health care and as a result, the quality of patient care. REFERENCE LIST Armandi, B, Oppedisano, J, Sherman, H 2003, ââ¬ËLeadership theory and practice: a ââ¬Å"caseâ⬠in pointââ¬â¢, Management Decision, vol. 41, pp. 1076-1088. Cliff, B 2012, ââ¬ËPatient-Centered Care: The role of healthcare leadershipââ¬â¢, Journal of Healthcare Management Nov/Dec, p. 381-383. Garling SC, P 2008, Final Report of the special commission of inquiry: Acute care services in NSW public hospitals, Overview, prepared for State of NSW, through the special commission of inquiry, NSW. Govier, I Nash, S 2009, ââ¬ËExamining transformational approaches to effective leadership in healthcare settingsââ¬â¢, Nursing Times, vol. 105, no. 18, viewed 29 March 2014, http://www.nursingtimes.net Health Workforce Australia 2013, Health LEADS Australia: the Australian health leadership framework, Health Workforce Australia, Adelaide, SA. Kouzes, JM Posner, BZ 2012, The leadership challenge: how to make extraordinary things happen in organisations, 5th edn, Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, CA. Rolfe, P 2011, ââ¬ËTransformational Leadership Theory: What every leader needs to knowââ¬â¢, Nurse Leader, April, p. 54-57, viewed 29 March 2014, http://www.nurseleader.com Weberg, D 2010, ââ¬ËTransformational leadership and staff retention: An evidence review with implications for healthcare systemsââ¬â¢, Nursing Administration Quarterly, vol. 34, pp. 246-258. Wylie, DA Gallagher, HL 2009, ââ¬ËTransformational leadership behaviors in allied health professionalsââ¬â¢, Journal of Allied Health, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 65-73. Frances QC, R 2013, ââ¬ËMid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry Report: Executive Summaryââ¬â¢, Crown, The Stationery Office Limited, UK.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Homeschooling Essay -- Homeschool Education Teaching Essays
Homeschooling The definition of homeschooling is to instruct a pupil in an educational program outside of established schools (www.Dictionary.com). Homeschooling is a good alternative to public schools because of certain religious issues, standardized test success, and variety of options for homeschool students, but in some states homeschoolers are having trouble with the school system. Homeschooling has been on the rise in the United States and its popularity continues to grow among American families. According to the U.S Department of Education, in 2003 there were 1.1 million children in grades K thru 12 being homeschooled . The 3 most popular reasons for homeschooling are concerns about the environment of other schools, desire for religious or moral instruction, and dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools (2003 National Household Education Survey). Many parents have resorted to homeschooling their children because of certain religious issues and beliefs that these families see as not being taught in the public school systems. Many parents choose this method because most public schools do not participate in religious activities and parents want their children to be taught religion also, aside form everyday studies. Religion is also a big factor because the beliefs of these families and things they value and some believe that their child being in a public school environment will tamper with these beliefs and values. Some public schools around the country do still teach good values to their students and do believe in praying before school. There are a lot of religious organizations around the country encouraging parents to make a sacrifice for their children and teach them at home. Some... ...are put in society. Schools were setup to educate people who are not educated and help students to their best ability in order to prepare them for the outside world (Lyman,Isabel). With most schools just passing kids through school instead of taking the time to actually teach them, they are not doing society a favor because these kids have no skills to bring to society to better it. Homeschooliing provides the personal With the ever growing population of kids being homeschooled it is no surprise that more people are starting to realize the benefits of homeschooling and seeing it as an positive alternative to public schools. Some states are having problems with regulations, but most are doing just fine with the adjustment. Homeschooling is a good idea because of religious issues, its success on standardized tests, and the options open to kids who are homeschooled.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The Reality of Married Life
John J. Robinson in his book ââ¬Å"Of Suchnessâ⬠gives the following advice on love, sex and married life. ââ¬Å"Be careful and discreet; it is much easier to get married than unmarried. If you have the right mate, it's heavenly; but if not, you live in a twenty-four-hour daily hell that clings constantly to you, it can be one of the bitterest things in life. Life is indeed strange. Somehow, when you find the right one, you know it in your heart. It is not just an infatuation of the moment. But the powerful urges of sex drive a young person headlong into blind acts and one cannot trust his feelings too much. This is especially true if one drinks and get befuddled; the lousiest slut in a dark bar can look like a Venus then, and her charms become irresistible. Love is much more than sex though; it is the biological foundation between a man and a woman; love and sex get all inter-twined and mixed upâ⬠. Problems Almost everyday, we hear people complaining about their marriages. Very seldom do we hear stories about a happy marriage. Young people reading romantic novels and seeing romantic films often conclude that marriage is a bed of roses. Unfortunately, marriage is not as sweet as one thinks. Marriage and problems are interrelated and' people must remember that when they are getting married, they will have to face problems and responsibilities that they had never expected or experienced hitherto. People often think that it is a duty to get married and that marriage is a very important event in their lives. However, in order to ensure a successful marriage, a couple has to harmonize their lives by minimizing whatever differences they may have between them. Marital problems prompted a cynic to say that there can only be a peaceful married life if the marriage is between a blind wife and a deaf husband, for the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and a deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of his wife. Sharing and Trust One of the major causes of marital problems is suspicion and mistrust. Marriage is a blessing but many people make it a curse due to lack of understanding. Both husband and wife should show implicit trust for one another and try not to have secrets between them. Secrets create suspicion, suspicion leads to jealously, jealousy generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation, suicide or even murder. If a couple can share pain and pleasure in their day-to-day life, they can console each other and minimize their grievances. Thus, the wife or husband should not expect to experience only pleasure. There will be a lot of painful, miserable experiences that they will have to face. They must have the strong willpower to reduce their burdens and misunderstandings. Discussing mutual problems will give them confidence to live together with better understanding. Man and woman need the comfort of each other when facing problems and difficulties. The feelings of insecurity and unrest will disappear and life will be more meaningful, happy and interesting if there is someone who is willing to share another's burden. Blinded by Emotions When two people are in love, they tend to show only the best aspects of their nature and character to each other in order to project a good impression of themselves. Love is said to be blind and hence people in love tend to become completely oblivious of the darker side of each other's natures. In practice, each will try to highlight his or her sterling qualities to the other; and being so engrossed in love, they tend to accept each other at ââ¬Å"face valueâ⬠only. Each lover will not disclose the darker side of his or her nature for fear of losing the other. Any personal shortcomings are discreetly swept under the carpet, so to speak, so as not to jeopardize their chances of winning each other. People in love also tend to ignore their partner's faults thinking that they will be able to correct them after marriage, or that they can live with these faults, that ââ¬Å"love will conquer allâ⬠. However, after marriage, as the initial romantic mood wears off, the true nature of each other's character will be revealed. Then, much to the disappointment of both parties, the proverbial veil that had so far been concealing the innermost feelings of each partner is removed to expose the true nature of both partners. It is then that disillusion sets in. Material Needs Love by itself does not subsist on fresh air and sunshine alone. The present world is a materialistic world and in order to meet your material needs, proper financing and budgeting is essential. Without it, no family can live comfortably. Such a situation aptly bears out the saying that ââ¬Å"when poverty knocks at the door, love flies through the windowâ⬠. This does not mean that one must be rich to make a marriage work. However, if one has the bare necessities of life provided through a secure job and careful planning, many unnecessary anxieties can be removed from a marriage. The discomfort of poverty can be averted if there is complete understanding between the couple. Both partners must understand the value of contentment. Both must treat all problems as ââ¬Å"our problemsâ⬠and share all the ââ¬Å"upsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"downsâ⬠in the true spirit of a long-standing life partnership.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Correlation between Oil and Gold Prices and the US Dollar
Correlation between Oil & Gold prices and US dollar The History The forex exchange market is one of the largest and most liquid securities exchanges in the world with over $3. 2 trillion in average daily turnover. This equates to 10 times the average daily turnover of global equity markets and 35 times the average daily turnover of the New York Stock Exchange. The forex market is open 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, with the EUR/USD accounting for 27% of total turnover. There is plenty of opportunity to make and lose money in currency exchange. The gold standard era in the U. S. officially began with the passing of the Gold Standard Act in 1900. But it was not until World War II that brought about the need for a worldwide standard for currency values and exchange rates. The Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944 established two very important international institutions: the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (now the World Bank). What came from this agreement was that all the worldââ¬â¢s currencies would be pegged against the value of gold, and with the U. S. dollar on the gold standard, the U. S. dollar effectively became the worldââ¬â¢s reserve currency. The value of gold was fixed at $35 per ounce until the gold standard was effectively withdrawn in 1971 as President Nixon ordered an end to the out-dated system and the price of gold was allowed to ââ¬Å"floatâ⬠. Now, every major currency is no longer on the gold standard but rather is referred to as ââ¬Å"fiatâ⬠currency. This basically means that a countryââ¬â¢s own currency is intrinsically worthless because it is not backed by any type of reserve, such as gold. The value each currency is therefore based citizenââ¬â¢s perception of their economy, supply and demand for money in general, and how their currency is compared to other countryââ¬â¢s currency. Something to think about though is 40 years ago, the worldââ¬â¢s currencies used to be pegged against the price of gold and ultimately the Dollar. Now it would not be a stretch to say that global currency is on an Oil Standard. From 1944 until 1971, US dollars were convertible into gold by central banks in order to adjust for any trade imbalances between countries. Up to that point, the price of gold was fixed at US$35 per ounce, and the price of oil was relatively stable at about US$3. 00 per barrel. Once the US ceased gold convertibility in 1971, OPEC producers were forced to convert their excess US dollars by purchasing gold in the marketplace. This resulted in price increases for both oil and gold, until eventually oil reached US$40 per barrel and gold reached US$850 per ounce. In 1975 when the U. S. Government made a deal with Saudi Arabia and OPEC to only trade oil in U. S. Dollars, their ââ¬Å"partnershipâ⬠effectively gave the USD a monopoly over all other currencies when it comes to oil trading. The US has enjoyed inexpensive oil-based energy for nearly a century, and this is one of the prime factors behind the unprecedented prosperity of its economy in the 20th century. While the US accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population, it consumes 25 percent of the world's fossil fuel-based energy. It imports about 75 percent of its oil, but owns only 2 percent of world reserves. Because of this dependency on both oil and foreign suppliers, any increases in price or supply disruptions will negatively impact the US economy to a greater degree than any other nation. The majority of oil reserves are located in politically unstable regions, with tensions in the Middle East, Venezuela and Nigeria likely to intensify rather than to abate. Because of frequent terrorist attacks, Iraqi oil production is subject to disruption, while the risk of political problems in Saudi Arabia grows. The timing for these risks is uncertain and hard to quantify, but the implications of Peak Oil are predictable and quantifiable, and the effects will be more far-reaching than simply a rising oil price. In the early 1950s, M. King Hubbert, one of the leading geophysicists of the time, developed a predictive model showing that all oil reserves follow a pattern called Hubbert's Curve, which runs from discovery through to depletion. In any given oil field, as more wells are drilled and as newer and better technology is installed, production initially increases. Eventually, however, regardless of new wells and new technology, a peak output is reached. After this peak is reached, oil production not only begins to decline, but also becomes less cost effective. In fact, at some point in this decline, the energy it takes to extract, transport and refine barrel of oil exceeds the energy contained in that barrel of oil. When that point is reached, extraction of oil is no longer feasible and the reserve is abandoned. In the early years of the 20th century, in the largest oil fields, it was possible to recover 50 barrels of oil for each barrel used in the extraction, transportation and refining process. Today that 50 -to-1 ratio has declined to 5-to-1 or less. And it continues to decline. The Correlation between Oil & Gold Is there a strong correlation between the prices of gold and oil? It depends on which data areà used to measure. Many price movement studies suggest that the correlation between the two commodity prices over time is quite strong. Typically, these studies rely on data covering extensive periods of time and show that when oil increases in price, gold will inevitably follow. On the other hand, there are correlations calculated from data that show a weak relationship between the two prices. The data in these cases usually cover periods as short as years or months. ââ¬Å"From 1965 to 1994, the monthly correlation between gold and oil weighed in at aà veryà impressive +0. 879. From 1995 to 2000, however, this correlation seemingly vanished with a negative 0. 133 reading,â⬠according to a May 2004 article by Zeal LLC. ââ¬Å"Since 2000 though, the historical oil and gold correlation has been restored, now again running positive at +0. 715. â⬠à It would seem that gold may be well correlated with oil in the long term, but it is not necessarily so in the short term. While oil prices have exploded and gold prices have shown marked appreciation, protagonists of a tight long-term correlation between the two evoke previous historical price movements such as those in last half of the 1970s. From the mid-1970s to 1980, oil prices rose from around $20 USD per barrel toà more thanà $100 USD per barrel in 2008 dollars. Gold followed along and roughly quadrupled in price during that same time period. [pic] The long-term chart above is also very valuable to help visualize just how closely gold and oil prices tend to correlate over strategic time frames. If one looks at major secular trends measured in years, gold and oil pretty much move in lockstep. Yes, they deviate tactically over shorter periods of time as their respective supply-and-demand influences dictate, but over the long run they travel the same path. Their prices tend to oscillate around each other and periodically cross on this chart. Over the entire four-decade span of time charted on this graph, these monthly gold and oil prices have a correlation coefficient of 0. 835 and an R-Square value of 69. 7%. These are very impressive numbers over such a long period of time and really drive home just how closely gold and oil are intertwined. If one focuses his attention on the far right side of this graph, however, a glaring anomaly becomes instantly apparent. Since oil bottomed near $11 in December 1998 ($13 in 2004 dollars) it has surged up dramatically in several subsequent uplegs achieving a mammoth 312% bull-to-date gain. But over the same period of time gold has lagged dramatically, only rallying by 39% or so in nominal terms. So far the gold price has not been able to even attempt to retain parity with oil in recent years. Now the only other similar time in history when oil was strong and gold lagged was in the late 1970s. As this chart reveals, for years gold lagged oil but when it finally did decide to catch up it powered higher with a vengeance. Gold, Oil and Dollar Relationship The answer to this question begins with the historical desire of Arab producers to receive gold in exchange for their oil. This dates back to 1933 when King Ibn Saud demanded payment in gold for the original oil concession in Saudi Arabia. In addition, Islamic law forbids the use of a promise of payment, such as the US dollar, as a medium of exchange. There is growing dissention among religious fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia regarding the exchange of oil for US dollars. Oil, gold and commodities have all been priced in US dollars since 1975 when OPEC officially agreed to sell its oil exclusively for US dollars. Today, apart from geopolitical threats in oil-producing regions, supply/demand imbalances from Peak Oil and increasing demand from developing countries, the price of both gold and oil can be expected to increase as the US dollar declines. With an ever-increasing US money supply, growing triple deficits and mounting debt at all levels, the US dollar is likely to continue the decline that began in 2001. Long term trend analysis shows negative correlation between gold prices and the value of dollar but gold price does not increase proportionately to the diminishing dollar. Market is not so simple that every down-day for the dollar corresponds to an up-day for gold and every up-day for dollar correspond to down day for gold. The effect may not be immediate and the lagging can sometime be attributed to the information gap and time lag which an individual wastes in doldrums not being able how to react to the changes. Daily and weekly fluctuations are not important at all as they donââ¬â¢t give analyst any idea of clear cut trend and interrelationship between them. Inflationary 1970ââ¬â¢s saw soaring of gold above $800 while dollar fell. Dollar bounced back in 1980 and rallied before peaking in 1985, while concurrently gold peaked in 1980 and dropped all the way down to $300 during the same 5 years that dollar rallied. The Future of Gold, Oil and Dollar The word ââ¬Å"recessionâ⬠has been hurled around the biggest financial capitals in the world from New York to London to Tokyo, and no one really wants to be the one to drop the bomb. While all the experts and economists around the world want to debate who is or is not in a recession right now, it is pointless and frankly useless information. The incessant chaos and obvious current state of the global economy is clear cut enough that the world is facing major hurdles in moving forward with our economies. The fact of the matter is, all the major economies are hurting badly and answers are becoming more infrequent and costly as time continues. Amongst a multitude of important topics to discuss in relation to a worldwide recession, the currency markets are a great source of risk and sometimes guaranteed investing opportunities no matter how unpredictable the worldââ¬â¢s stock markets are trading. Itââ¬â¢s quite clear that over the past six months, the Euro was the place to be if one wanted to lose a lot of money. Sure it was trading at all-time highs versus the Dollar back in May, but with the U. S. slashing interest rates, the Euro has given all of those wonderful gains back and then some, to the tune of 2 year lows. It seemed that an even one-to-one exchange rate was the next stop for the EUR/USD, until the past 10 days when bad went to worse. As bellwether, blue-chip companies continue to fold across the U. S. the only solution the world can come up with is to give them all the money they need to stay alive and skip out on the much publicized Chapter 11. The average U. S. consumer simply cannot handle reality in times of massive financial distress and force the government to hold their hand through this horror movie that is the year 2008. With government money flooding the economy and interest rates on their way to 0% and beyond in the U. S. , inflation is on the brink of exploding and no one is going to want to be anywhere close to a U. S. Dollar. [pic] Oil Relief Rising crude oil prices over the last two years and the general rush to commodities has been a major roadblock for the U. S. Dollar. As discussed above, there has generally been a negative relationship between crude oil prices and the value of the U. S. Dollar. It is no coincidence that as oil prices peaked in May, the Dollar was at all-time lows versus the Euro, and conversely as oil prices have shed over 60% in value since then, the Dollar has rallied against most major currencies. Something that has been a very debatable topic is how crude oil prices have fluctuated so wildly in the past 12 months and the role of speculators in the commodities market. With oil prices falling this year primarily on falling consumption and increasing reserves, how countries like the U. S. and China react to the recent economic turmoil will determine the fate of crude oil prices going through 2009. The recession affecting all the major economies will remain dire without substantial relief in sight in the near future. Provided speculators do not drive the prices up and the recent terrorist attacks in India fail to spread panic in the Middle East, crude prices will remain modest and will not have a major effect on the U. S. Dollar. Nonetheless, if there happens to be a large run-up in oil prices back towards the $100 mark, the Dollar will be back on the defensive. As far as gold is concerned, with such a huge demand for gold coming from around the world, it is no wonder that the price is projected to reach an almost unbelievable $1000 per ounce. One of the biggest importers of gold is China, constituting a large chunk of the price hike. Most of the gold usage is jewellery related. Supply is also a factor. With such a high demand, gold is becoming scarcer. Miners are searching for new sources to combat the possible shortage. The Federal Reserve has a lot of control over the value of the dollar. When it raises interest rates, usually the value of the dollar goes up. Now, with the Fed lowering interest rates in hopes of promoting trade between banks, the value of the dollar is going down and so, the value of gold is going up.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Spanish Abounds With Words for Love
Spanish Abounds With Words for Love I love you. I love strawberries. The score is love all. They made love. I would love to see you. Does love mean the same thing in all of the above sentences? Obviously not. So it shouldnt come as a surprise that there are many words in Spanish that can be translated as love. Use the verb amar or the noun amor to translate all the above sentences, and youll sound foolish at best. The idea that almost any word in one language can be translated into just one or two words in another language can lead to serious mistakes in vocabulary. Similarly, the fact that literally dozens of words can be used to translate even a simple word such as love is one thing that makes computerized translation so maddeningly undependable. Understanding context is one key to effective translation. Before you go further, see how many words you can come up with that can accurately translate love as a noun, verb, or part of a phrase. Then compare your list with the list below. ââ¬ËLoveââ¬â¢ as a Noun aficià ³n (enthusiasm): Tiene aficià ³n por las cosas de su tierra. (She has a love for the things of her land.)amado/a (sweetheart): Mi amada y yo estamos tan felices. (My love and I are so happy.)amante (sweetheart, lover): No quiero que seas mi amante. (I dont want you to be my love.)amistad (friendship)amor (pure love, romantic love): Y ahora permanecen la fe, la esperanza y el amor, estos tres; pero el mayor de ellos es el amor. (And now remain these three: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of them is love.)caridad (charity): Si yo hablase lenguas humanas y angà ©licas, y no tengo caridad â⬠¦ . (If I speak in tongues of humans and angels, and have not love â⬠¦ .)carià ±o/a (sweetheart):cero (score in tennis): Cero a cero. (Love all.)pasià ³n (passion, not necessarily romantic): Tiene una pasià ³n por vivir, una pasià ³n por saber. (He has a love of living, a love of knowledge.)querido (sweetheart)recuerdos (regards): Mndale recuerdos mà os. (Send him my lo ve.) ââ¬ËLoveââ¬â¢ as a Verb amar (to love, to love romantically): Te amo. (I love you.)encantar (indicating strong like): Me encanta escribir. (I love to write.)gustar mucho (indicating strong like): Me gusta mucho este sof. (I love this sofa.)querer (to love romantically, to want): Te quiero con todo el corazà ³n. (I love you with all my heart.) ââ¬ËLoveââ¬â¢ as an Adjective amatorio (pertaining to love): Me escribià ³ muchas carta amatorias. (He wrote me many love letters.)amorosa (pertaining to affection): Las aventuras amorosas pueden ser estimulantes y excitantes, pero tambià ©n pueden ser perjudiciales y dolorosas. (Love affairs can be stimulating and exciting, but they also can be harmful and painful.)romntico (pertaining to romance): El King compuso numerosas canciones romnticas a lo largo de sus 20 aà ±os de carrera. (The King wrote numerous love songs throughout his 20-year career.)sexual (pertaining to sexuality): Los juegos sexuales son una buena forma de mantener la pasià ³n. (Love games are one good way of maintaining passion.) Phrases Using ââ¬ËLoveââ¬â¢ amarà o (love affair)amor a primera vista (love at first sight)amor mà o (my love)carta de amor (love letter)enamorarse (to fall in love with): Me enamorà © de una bruja. I fell in love with a witch.estar enamorado (to be in love): Estoy enamorada de à ©l. (I am in love with him.)flechazo (love at first sight): Fue flechazo. (It was love at first sight.)hacer el amor (to make love)historia de amor (love story)lance de amor (love affair)me quiere, no me quiere (she loves me, she loves me not)mi amor (my love)no se llevan bien (there is no love lost between them)no se tienen ningà ºn aprecio (there is no love lost between them)periquito (love bird or parakeet)por el amor de (for the love of): Por el amor de una rosa, el jardinero es servidor de mil espinas. (For the love of a rose, the gardener is the servant of a thousand thorns.)por nada del mundo (not for love nor money)por pura aficià ³n (for the pure love of it, just for the love of it): Toca el piano por pura aficià ³n. (She plays the piano just for the love of it.) prenda de amor (love token): Hoy te doy este anillo como prenda de mi amor. (Today I give you this ring as a token of my love.)relaciones sexuales (love making)vida sexual (love life)
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