Investing in Savings Bonds Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investing in Savings Bonds - Coursework Example They have been done on an annual basis from January 2011 to January 2012. The calculations are for $ 50, $ 100, $ 500, and $ 5,000. Series Denom Issue date Next accrual Final maturity Issue price Interest Interest rate Value EE $ 50 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 25.00 $ 0.12 0.60% $ 25.12 EE $ 100 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 50.00 $ O.24 0.60% $ 50.24 EE $ 500 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 250.00 $ 1.20 0.85% $ 251.20 EE $ 5000 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 2,500.00 $ 12.00 0.60% $ 2,512.00 EE $ 50 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 50.00 $ 0.76 3.06% $ 50.76 EE $ 100 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 100.00 $ 1.52 3.06% $ 101.52 EE $ 500 01/2111 02/2012 01/2041 $ 500.00 $ 7.60 3.06% $ 507.60 EE $ 5,000 01/2011 02/2012 01/2041 $ 5,000.00 $ 76.00 3.06% $5,076.00 EE savings bonds EE Savings bonds are low risk savings that are safe and pay interests basing on the current market rates. These savings bonds may be purchased directly via TreasuryDirect. If one is a owner of an account in TreasuryDirect then he can purcha se, manage, and redeem the bonds through a web browser (Thau, 20010. These savings bonds can be used to fund education, complement retirement income, and offered as a gift. The current interest rate of these savings bonds is at 0.60% which is a fixed rate. The minimum purchase is $ 25 while the maximum is $ 10,000. E savings bonds This savings were introduced in 1941. These savings bonds were being promoted as war bonds by the government of United States between 1941 and 1980. The minimum purchase is $ 25 while the maximum is $ 10,000. These savings bonds were advertised through the media and other channels thus they became popular during those times until 1980.in 1980 the series was substituted by the EE savings bonds. The savings bonds had two maturity periods of 40 years and 30 years respectively (Lasser, 2011). I savings bonds These are the newest savings bonds and they are almost similar to the EE bonds. The difference between the two comes in the calculation of their reset int erest rates. These begin earning interest immediately after issue. These savings binds can be redeemed at any time after a one year holding period. Their security is accrual-type and if they have any interest it is usually included to the bond every month. They are low risk and they earn interest while at the same time protecting the owner from inflation. They may be purchased via TreasuryDirect or with IRS tax refund. They can also be purchased directly from ones web browser. The least purchase for this is $ 50 while buying paper bonds with IRS tax refund and $ 25 when purchased directly via TreasuryDirect. The maximum value that can be purchased is $ 10,000 in TreasuryDirect and $ 5,000 with IRS tax refund. Their current rates are at 3.06% and this will remain all through to the end of April 2012 (Lasser, 2011). Savings Notes These are also referred to as freedom shares. They were issued at a discount of 81 percent of the face amount which could vary. The savings notes were mainly introduced to encourage people in United States to save by investing. This began in 1967 whereby they came alongside the E series savings bonds. They are redeemable at anywhere any time at the most recent semiannual accrual value. The original maturity for this was four and half years however there are optional extensions of two 10-year periods (Thau, 2001). The savings notes

Mary Tudor and Lady Jane Grey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mary Tudor and Lady Jane Grey - Essay Example All of these factors lead both Mary Tudor and Lady Jane Grey to the throne. At the time of Lady Jane Grey’s ascension to the throne for a mere nine days, she was not the only one with a claim to the throne. Her older sister, Margaret, had married James IV of Scotland which would make their children more of a direct line to the Tudor throne. However, Mary Tudor was a direct descendant of Henry VIII. If a woman was to become queen of all of England, Mary had more right than Lady Jane Grey. This would have been true if Henry the VIII had not declared her a bastard due to an annulled marriage with his first wife. So neither woman had a strong claim to the throne, but both became queen. The religious tumult of the time combined into the politics to make both Lady Jane Grey and Mary Tudor queen. Lady Jane Grey, along with Henry VIII’s successor, Edward VI favored the Protestant movement. Mary was a staunch Catholic. This made Protestant supporters favor Lady Jane, and Catholic supporters favored Mary. It was not a matter of the right or claim to throne at the time, but of which religion the English population favored. Lady Jane was more of a pawn of her father and brothers than Mary. She was more of a figurehead. For a region that had been Catholic for centuries, Protestants were seen as heretics. During the examination of Anne Askew, a Protestant, the following exchange occurred: Then took he my book out of my hand and said, ‘Such books as this hath brought you to the trouble you are in. Beware,’ sayeth he, ‘beware, for he that made this book and was the author thereof was an heretic, I warrant you, and burnt in Smithfield.’ (Greenblatt et al)1 Mary Tudor had two reasons for wanting to be queen. The first would be the enforcement of the Catholic religion. The second reason was to prove her birth was legitimate. This second reason supported the first. If Henry VIII had acted illegally

Special Education Research Critique Essay Example for Free

Special Education Research Critique Essay REFERENCE Rickson, D. J., Watkins, W. G. (2003). Music therapy to promote prosocial behaviors in aggressive adolescent boys A pilot study. _Journal of Music Therapy, 40_(4), 283-301. PURPOSE The hypothesis of this research study was to determine if music therapy would help promote prosocial behaviors in aggressive boys. These subjects have different social, emotional, and learning disorders. METHOD The subjects were selected from a group of 88 young boys who have intellectual, social, and emotional deficits. These boys were enrolled in a special education facility in New Zealand. The students who started before May 2000 and after March 2001, which was 49 students, were not included because of the likelihood of them leaving before the study was completed. This left a remaining 39 students. These students were given the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) test. A total of 21 students were excluded due to lack of aggressiveness and already gone through musical therapy. Researchers were left with 18 boys whose ages ranged from about 11 years and six months to 15 years and three months. These subjects had an extreme measure on the CBCL test. 12 of the boys were already diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Of the 12, five had a dual diagnosis which included Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD). Four had a general developmental delay and two had a head injury along with depression. About half of the boys were taking psychotropic medication. They were randomly assigned into two music groups of six and one control group of six. One subject was suspended right after the therapy began. Another quit after a few minutes into a session. Also, one more was suspended from school after one session due to extreme  disruptive and aggressive behavior. A total 15 students completed the treatment. The treatment was the participants were placed into different music groups. In the music groups, the students would do different musical activities and express themselves through music. RESULTS There was an increase in disruptive and aggressive behavior in Group 1. This is a negative result due to the treatment. Group 2 had no changes in behavior. Group 3 also had little to no change in their behavior at school. AUTHORS CONCLUSION No significant statistical differences were found after the treatment was completed. Because there was no difference, there can be no definitive conclusion to be made by the author. Some social workers did record small improvements that were interesting and could lead to further study. They noted that the subjects were not as aggressive as they were before the research study. The author would also like to try to do another study but have it be based on a specific diagnosis of the subject. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The usefulness of this treatment is very minimal. The results after the treatment was conducted were negative or neutral overall. If I were to try and implement it into a classroom environment, I am not sure if it will be helpful in any way. CRITIQUE I feel like this study not fully prepared or researched. The researchers did states their hypothesis, addressed the results, and the sample size. But the treatment itself was not successful. The sample size for this kind of treatment should have been bigger than just 15 students. The researchers could have gone and tested other schools or even elementary and high school.  A sample size of 15 subjects cannot represent 100 subjects. In conclusion, this musical treatment study was not well planned out.

The Struggle for Peace and Politics Essay Example for Free

The Struggle for Peace and Politics Essay The documentary â€Å"Peace One Day† is the brainchild of British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, a compelling film that has envisioned a world without war even for a day. In the process of conceiving the final output of his documentary, Gilley met with people from all walks of life—state leaders, students, religious figures and many others. Gilley’s encounters with the many different people from different cultural backgrounds indicate that the world is indeed a bastion of different. But even though there is a plurality of cultures and political beliefs across the world, Gilley’s documentary is a testimony to the idea that we still have the same yearning for global peace. Part of the documentary is Gilley’s encounters with several leaders of democratic countries as well as the members of the United Nations. Given the fact that the United Nations seeks to protect the rule of law and the rights of individuals across different countries, it can be said that the liberal principles of the international organization fitted well with the vision of Gilley to have global peace at least for one day. Indeed, it would be, as it has been, the least of all the challenges that lay ahead of him. The more pressing concern with the documentary was the fact that even though the rest of the world wants peace, there are many ways used in meeting that end. One of the compelling ways to achieve peace has been the waging of wars across different parts of the world, especially after the September 11 bombing attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Several political insights can be gleaned from the documentary such as the issues of globalization, terrorism and peacekeeping within the different states. Since one of the primary goals of Gilley through his documentary is to create an international day of peace through a declaration from the United Nations, doing so meant that the documentary had to transcend issues that have divided nations, issues such as national security and international relations. From within the countries themselves, both national security and foreign policies share a considerable role in maintaining peace within the nation. More so, the challenge of maintaining international security perhaps weighs double as it requires efforts from the international community. But here you have a documentary film spearheaded by one man trying to augment those efforts to achieve world peace even for a brief moment. It says a lot especially because the United Nations has been established for several years already and that it took them quite a while to realize the need to formally initiate a declaration of an international peace day. The fact that the United Nations listened to the message of the documentary and even supported the dissemination of the film in different parts of world suggests that the United Nations still maintains a significant consideration for individual rights in the context of the larger society. By fully supporting the message of the documentary—which is to imagine a day where the world is at peace and make that thought materialize in reality—it can be said that there is still hope in global politics. No matter how severely divided nations may appear, the leaders from each of these nations can still arrive at an agreement that, indeed, there is that ultimate need for world peace. The move of the United Nations also indicates that no matter if you are a leader of a country that is financially torn or a leader of a nation that is struggling to maintain its wealth and its relations with other countries, not one leader can resist the need for world peace. The issues of peacekeeping and terrorism have strongly resounded more than before. With that in mind, the documentary easily hits the nail hard—the post 9/11 world has never been the same again, and a documentary film highlighting the need to transcend political affiliations in order to grab the beacon of peace fits perfectly well into the mold. However, it can also be said that the same issues of peacekeeping and terrorism hinder the documentary from reaching the awareness of the public in a global scale. That is, only those individuals who have access to the mainstream media and have the â€Å"tools† of the media can be able to avail of the documentary and grasp its message. And while the documentary simply serves the purpose of reawakening the hidden desire of humanity for a lasting peace and, consequently, a better life and that these things can be said are inherent to people regardless of age, gender and ethnicity, the limitation of the documentary from being spread all-over the world means much is needed to be done. The fact that there are many languages and cultural factors which largely influence the political thought of various individuals implies that the main medium of the message—the English language—may likewise limit the ‘reach’ of the documentary. Some others may even stretch the argument that the documentary is just another form of Western expansion under the guise of the claim for a world peace day. That is, by allowing the documentary to penetrate the collective consciousness of non-Westerners, the documentary in effect influences the thinking of the ‘natives’ of foreign countries, thereby altering the ways in which they think about their respective countries. For instance, an Iraqi who may have a deep resentment towards the presence of American soldiers in Iraq—which the Iraqi may tend to interpret as American occupation—may perceive the documentary as either another form of Western expansion in a different substance or an enlightening film that enriches his understanding of the nature of his country and the need for peace right in his own land. Indeed, the efforts mounted by Jeremy Gilley along with the rest of the supporters of the film, from the United Nations to the private citizens across different countries, point to the many conflicts in the world, amplified in no small way by political differences. Realists may believe that the world is in a state of anarchy and that the need for military and economic security, but even realists cannot deny the need for world peace. Regardless of political background, â€Å"Peace One Day† reflects what all people share—the importance of peace on a global landscape.

No Art Without Freedom Philosophy Essay

No Art Without Freedom Philosophy Essay In this essay great emphasis is put on the Albert Camus Quote, that without freedom, the existence of art is something that is not existence. In that perspective, the term freedom can be defined as the ability to have the will to make individual choices. These choices should be determined by individualism and not affected by any other out ward force. Art is considered to be more spiritual than it is physical science and therefore there is a need for the freedom of the spirit to express itself to the people. It is a mere fact that the more freedom is given to artists, the more they criticize the evils in the society thus creating a positive impact in the society. Artists feel like they are prisoners of their own conscience in the event that they are not given the freedom and the chance creates. Therefore this essay tries to cover the need for freedom in response to determinism, morality, Libertarianism and the free will in regard to the artists. Creation is more spiritual and inborn than practical. This mere fact can be emphasized on the fact that artists given the freedom and the free will to express there spiritual beings within themselves. The philosophical art has developed and practiced the term free will into many ways. This is because artist tends to think that when given the will to express themselves, they can come up with better ideologies than when they lack their freedom to express themselves. Without the free will to create, man may have no progress in life. Art is known as a field where man can communicate to themselves without the need to be verbal. Through art a lot of information can be transferred from one age group to the other. For example there ancient work of the earlier artist is still in place and today to be used to transfer information for research about the cultures and the social wellbeing of the ancient people (Honderich 122). Determinism on the other hand is the concept and ideology that any occurring event is bound by cause and effect. Artists believe that in order for them to come up with practice ideas, these ideas must be caused by something. That is what triggers them to come up with pieces and small ideas in there minds in which they amplify them to have a future work. There must be a causality which lies beyond the free will of their thoughts and the freedom to deliver their art into the society. Take for example an artist who is a singer by career. Before they come up with a new song there is something that triggers there thinking ability and often leads them to writing the song and then delivering it. This thing that causes them to come up with the song is what can be termed as the determinism (Salles 167). The same applies to when artist does something that is original in their own sense. They are forced to explore that vacuum in a deterministic manner towards an ultimate new outcome. This can be clearly demonstrated by a singer. When a singer has got some new life experiences, they are compelled to come up with new ideas and lines that enable them to come up with an ultimate new and original version of there song. This version is not compelled by their free will to make a choice to come up with the song but the causality will be the events that happened prior to the writing of the song. Therefore the beauty of any form of art can only be realized if there is freedom for the artists to have the free will to conduct there business and this will cause the to come up with magnificent ideologies (Sleinis 178). According to (Honderich 45), it is a common believe that free will of artist does not coexist where determinism exists. Many artists believe that where free will exists, there is a constraint for the determinism to occur. This argument can be supported by incompatibilists who believe that all the constrained of determinism including the free will exists. They believe that the determinism is hindered by physical constraints like the imprisonment of individuals. The threat of punishment also hinders the ability for the causality of events therefore denying the fact that there is the existence of causality and effect. This is because the arguments for free will have implications in all aspects of life like religion, ethics and science. For example in ethics, it is believed that the actions for individuals have implications which can be accounted for in case of a breach (Turiel 24). Libertarianism is the concept and the ideology that humans must be given the free will to express their ideas and actions. Researchers believe that liberalization is achieved through the large-scale power decentralization. When artists have been given the power to express themselves, it becomes easier for them to deliver their expressions to the public without any constraint. Philosophers believe that artists have got the right to live life and express their divine spiritual wellbeing without any physical constraints. When people have been enslaved, they are not productive as compared to the people who are not liberated (Salles 123). Liberation is important in all forms of the society and art is not left out. The lack of liberalization is a question that should be dealt with effectively to attain the freedom of expression. The free will of artists to come up with exciting commercials is also affected by their ability to express themselves and the ability to generate new ideas which are unique and do not resemble others. The liberation and the free will to act have caused a lot of questions as the philosophers support the free will to the artists. Like when the musicians have been prohibited to talk about some issues, they never interest the public because they display the same ideas that they have been expressing even in the past. This brings the spirit of boredom to the listeners therefore causing exhaustion of their work and ideas. Morality is the term used to define the norms and the behavior of individuals in the society. Morals are the accepted norms within a society. In art there are norms that should be used. When the artists follow these norms they become obedient to the society and can cause long term changes. There are distinctive codes of conduct that defines how an artist should behave in the business environment. These codes are known ethical rules that define ability for one to perform in their specific duties. They should be respected by any artist In conclusion, art is known to be more spiritual and this fights the common view that morality that it is a practice field. Many people in the world of art today advocate for the policies whereby they would be free in order for them to deliver effectively. The success of many artists is based on the decisions that are made by the respective governments in the making of their code of ethics. This brings the question that is morality a good measure in art and should it be applied in the art? The answer is definite; every aspect of humanity needs some morals in order for the people to prosper without clashing with the public. Philosophical aspects of morality defines that morals should be used where there is freedom of expression and this will in the long run bring the essence of free will to all the people involved in art. The truth about determinism is also evident in the world of art. The cause and effect of the soft determinism can be evidenced by how the artists become affected in their lives and end up coming with new ideologies and work which is beneficial to them.

Patient Assessment and Diagnosis Essay -- celiac disease

Regina Geis is a ten-year old female who is diagnosed with celiac disease. No one in her immediate family has been diagnosed, including her parents and her younger sister. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the digestive system that is usually indicated by long-lasting inflammation in the small intestine that occurs when a protein from the plant called gluten, which is usually found in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye, is consumed, resulting in an interference of absorption of nutrients from food (Calvo, Soriano del Castillo, & Vinuesa, 2012.) Regina was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was five. After she was diagnosed, she was put on a gluten-free diet. Regina was a healthy baby, toddler, and preschooler, or so her parents thought. Regina did have some unexplained incidents. When she was just a baby, there were a couple of occasions where she cried nonstop. As a toddler, Regina visited the emergency room occasionally with intense stomach aches. In addition, when she was in preschool, her parents would sometimes get a phone call from the school nurse saying, â€Å"Regina has a tummy ache and wants to go home.† When the doctors examined her, there was no explanation or answer to what was causing her severe stomach pain. Since Regina’s incidents were very far apart from one another, her parents did not think to worry. It was not until Regina started kindergarten that she started showing symptoms characteristic of celiac disease. She was showing great fatigue and when taken to the doctor was found to have iron-deficient anemia. When further blood tests were taken, the doctors found the iron-deficient anemia to be part of a larger problem and, after more tests, formally diagnosed her with celiac disease. T... ...D: TSTGP Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) Antibodies, IgA and IgG Profile, Serum. Mayo Medical Laboratories . Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research.http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/83671 â€Å"Overview.† (2014). The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from Cureceliacdisease.org http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/ 09/CDCFactSheets1_Overview.pdf "Symptoms". (2014). The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. Retrieved March 09, 2014, from Cureceliacdisease.org.http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ CDCFactSheets2_Symptoms.pdf "Treatment". (2014). The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from Cureceliacdisease.org.http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ CDCFactSheets6_Treatment.pdf

Computer Games and Artificial Intelligence :: Video Game AI

Computer Games and Artificial Intelligence Abstract Computer games provide a challenge for mankind. A way to demonstrate his mastery over the concept of intelligence and yet a way to test that mastery. It is through a continual need to improve the artificial intelligence in computer games that man also finds a way to examine his own creativity, to reach beyond what is possible and improve himself. Developments in the artificial intelligence of computer games have shown remarkable improvement as new genres of games have been created with new advances in the technology. Newer more complex and adaptable games demonstrate an increased understanding of intelligence and furnish entertaining benchmarks of our own ability. Introduction The idea of artificial intelligence is a daunting notion. That the very thing that distinguishes humanity from all other living beings, intelligence, is reproducible even improved upon presents a certain challenge to mankind: is artificial intelligence superior to human intelligence? To avoid the philosophical chicken-and-egg argument, man has created an ingenious way to test AI: games. What were once mere entertaining diversions, computer games have become a forum for man to pit his intelligence against an artificially intelligent computer program in an attempt to validate his own self worth. Such challenges provide not only a means of entertainment but also a path to self-improvement. Consider the controversy regarding the recent victory of IBM's Deep Blue over world chess champion Gary Kasparov. Headlines relating the story typically questioned the preeminence of human intelligence in favor of the artificial intelligence represented by Deep Blue. Now more than ever, the challenge presented by computer games and artificial intelligence has created a need. This need can only be met by tests provided by engaging, creative, and intelligent computer games. This has spurred an entire industry, which accounts for billions of dollars every year. The wide-scale development of computer games continues in a variety of formats: simulation games, action/adventure games, interactive 3D games, fighting games, and others. These are all ways for man to test not only his creativity but also his own intelligence and ability to improve himself. Computer Games Early computer games required mere physical reaction and not much intelligence as game programmers struggled to develop more realistic games that would provide an environment for more complex interaction. With this aside, the advent of modern computer games required game designers to develop programs that would simulate human behavior. Simulation, thus, while not representative of original thought, is a necessary place to start in order to examine the development of computer game intelligence.