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CBS) Attorney General John Ashcroft denounced Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling that overturned a law banning computer simulations and other fool-the-eye depictions of teen-agers or children having sex, saying it would make prosecutions more difficult. Where possible, he said, the Justice Department will restructure prosecutions it has brought to pursue "general obscenity charges against those who have victimized children." Child pornographers "will find little refuge" in the decision, he said. "We will continue to use whatever resources we can to identify and prosecute child pornography cases to the fullest extent of the law." Ashcroft also said that he was eager to work with Congress to revise the law. Youthful sexuality is an old theme in art, from Shakespeare to Academy Award-winning movies, the court found in striking down the 1996 child pornography law on free speech grounds. The law would call into question legitimate educational, scientific or artistic depictions of youthful sex, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for a 6-3 majority. "The statute proscribes the visual depiction of an idea — that of teen-agers engaging in sexual activity — that is a fact of modern society and has been a theme in art and literature throughout the ages," Kennedy wrote in a decision joined by four other justices. Clarence Thomas, one of the court's most conservative justices, wrote a separate opinion agreeing with the outcome. The court invalidated two provisions of the Child Pornography Prevention Act as overly broad and unconstitutional. Free speech advocates and pornographers had challenged the law's ban on material that "appears to be" a child in a sexually explicit situation or that is advertised to convey the impression that someone under 18 is involved. Another section of the law was not challenged, and remains in force. It bans prurient computer alteration of innocent images of children, such as the grafting of a child's school picture onto a naked body. CBS News Correspondent Bob Orr reports the adult entertainment industry, which led the challenge, hailed the decision as a victory for free speech. "The creators of art who can now safely deal with the important topic of teenage sexuality without fear of the most severe possible government sanctions," said Jeffery Douglas of the Free Speech Coalition. Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer signed Kennedy's opinion. Thomas, in a separate concurring opinion, said the court's ruling appropriately strikes down a ban that was too sweeping but leaves a window for future regulation of some kinds of virtual child pornography.

Unit Outcome

Schools need to develop their policy on confidentiality (with particular reference to giving support and advice to children and young people on issues relating to sex and relationships). It is important schools have an established procedure for dealing with confidentiality, which is understood by pupils, staff, parents, careers and visitors rather than develop ad hoc arrangements in response to a crisis. The procedures need to be consistent and protect the interests of both pupils and staff.Having a policy will help to ensure there is a shared understanding of how confidentiality operates in your school community. A consistent, shared ethos and practice will help pupils, staff, parents, careers and visitors deal with ND know where they stand with confidential issues and will help you to deal with disclosure of information and establish ways of working (for example in SHE) which respect privacy and avoid unnecessary personal disclosure.This document does not suggest that all members o f the school community should offer the same levels of confidentiality. Steps need to be taken to ensure that confidential disclosures are made to the appropriate person at the appropriate time. In order to ensure this, all members of the school community need to be aware of the limits of confidentiality available in different circumstances and by different individuals.As part of a whole school policy on confidentiality schools should consider other aspects of school life where confidentiality may be pertinent, such as handling pupil data. You should also consider the professional support and supervision that teaching and non-teaching staff, including volunteers, such as mentors, need to ensure the protection, health, safety and well being of both the pupils and staff and practical considerations which require school staff to share information in the best interests of individual pupils and all pupils collectively.Human Rights Act 1998: Gives everyone the right to â€Å"respect for his private ND family life, his home and his correspondence†, unless this is overridden by the ‘public interest', e. G. For reasons of Child Protection, for the protection of public safety, public order, health or morals or for the rights and freedoms of others. Data Protection Act 1998: This applies to personal data of living, identifiable individuals, not anonymous data; manual and electronic records.Schools need to be clear, when collecting personal data, what purposes it will be used for and schools should have policies to clarify this to staff, pupils and parents. Freedom Of Information Act 2000: Amends the Data Protection Act. Gives everyone the right to request any records a public body, including schools, holds about them. A school may withhold information it has if it is considered the information may damage the recipient, if disclosed. A School's data or record keeping policy should also cover the requirements of this Act. . Children and young people particular ly can feel vulnerable about making disclosures for fear of being in trouble themselves, the repercussions of anyone else getting into trouble and fearing they might be guilty or responsible themselves. They do not always rationalist on wider issues such s the fact that problems do not always go away by themselves, their own human right to respectful treatment and are capable of not speaking and dwelling on problems and perhaps enlarging them in their own minds.

Essay on Charge of the Light Brigade

How is inner and outer conflict represented in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘the charge of the light Brigade’? Whereas ‘Romeo and Juliet’ contains a lot of inner conflict as well as outer conflict, Lord Tennyson’s ‘Charge of the light Brigade’ contains many techniques to enhance the conflict as well as glamorise the ‘light Brigade’ in various ways. Tennyson presents the cavalry men of the Crimean war (1854- 1856) as great victors and a powerful army. This glorious army is bragged about in the form of a poem by Tennyson.Imagery is one of the techniques which Tennyson uses to build the conflict up as a picture to let the audience visualise the conflict on the battlefield. He talks about the dangers the light brigade are up against as well as enemies, ‘cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them’ the light brigade are in a perilous position, the repetition of the phrase â €˜cannon’ nearly creates a picture in the audience’s mind of the cannons and dangers the light brigade are up against.This is a sense of outer conflict due to the fact that they are cavalry men with spears up against guns and cannons. In addition to this construction of imagery in the audience’s mind Tennyson uses metaphors to describe the walk of the light brigade into their deaths. ‘Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred’, The phrase valley of death indicates that the army is going to die, how ever the inner confliction here is that the army knows they are going to die, they almost walk into valley of death.The valley of death is probably a monument or a place where many others have fallen or a place of bereavement or a great genocide, this line is repeated at the end of every stanza but is varied eventually towards the end of the poem. Rhythm is also a technique which Tennyson expresses through out most of the poem for effects on the au dience. Repetition is also present in this poem on top of the regular fast-paced rhythm to poem. This regular fast paced rhythm is created by regular number of syllables in the lines, end rhymes (rhyming couplets), repetition of line structures and words along with repetition of variation of last line.For example the last line of the first couple of paragraphs is ‘Rode the six hundred’ which continuously repeats itself through out the poem however as soon as the audience approaches Stanza 4 they will all realise that it says ‘ they rode back, but not the six hundred’ this is almost the climax of the poem when the audience will start to realise that the light brigade are slowly diminishing in number, they are starting to be defeated in battle. This variation of the last line of stanza 4 tells the audience that the Light brigade are perishing in battle and are not the heroes they were at the beginning of the poem.So rhythm plays a huge part in the understandi ng of the poem, as well as enhancing the poem. As well as rhythm, Onomatopoeia also enhances the poem, to glamorise each stanza and increase the heroism of the light brigade and enliven the dangers and enemies the light brigade come across, ‘Volley'd ; thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell’ the light brigade are being shot at and they are on the battlefield, the Phrases ‘volley’d’ and ‘Thundered’ emphasise the situation of the stanza and more or less make it easier for the audience to imagine the battlefield and the situation of the stanza.The conflict is shown through the Onomatopoeia and the way they emphasise the understanding the stanza and help with the imagination of the enemies. Sound also plays a huge part in the enhancement of the understanding and imagery of the poem, for instance ‘Shatter'd & sunder'd’ tell us how they were attacking or what their surrounding sounded like, this physical conflict is emphasised by the sounds and the words that describe the action and scenery.In total there are 6 stanzas (amazing fact), but did you know that each stanza has its own theme, for example the theme of Stanza 1 is ‘A league of their own’ or the theme of stanza 4 is ‘the fall’, the transition from stanza 1 to stanza 4 is almost a whole journey, the audience would have seen the heroism and then the fall of the brave soldiers. The themes help to build up the poem and the climax, this plan is a general base for the audience to know what to expect in each of these stanzas. The conflict is built up slowly over each stanza and then finally publicized.Duty and obeying in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of the similarities as of ‘The charge of the light brigade’, in this case Juliet must obey her parents orders but most of all her fathers, for during those times it was a patriarchal society, so when her father asked her hand in the marriage of her and paris, s he had to obey, but she could not, due to her strong love for Romeo, this conflict against the order of the ‘boss’ of the house, this failure to follow orders will result in a loss, in Juliet’s case she will lose the love of her father and presumab y her mothers as well, her father will disown. Juliet will live but this is not the case for the light brigade, they must follow the orders of their commander, and if they refuse to follow orders, then it is a possibly different case, they would probably be Court Marshalled, this procedure will most probably end their lives. This commander made decisions and gave orders with out realising the dangers up ahead.This conflict, Either physical or inner, is shown through the Enhancers of the poem as well as the actions of the characters, these are represented in the most common of ways, Duty and obligation are common but not the consequences, both the poem and the play contain inner conflict, the inner conflict in ‘Ro meo and Juliet’ is shown through the words of Romeo and his inner confusion if this is his true love, and ‘the Light brigade’ must follow orders even if they wish other wise.Conflict overall is easier to identify in the light Brigade and is mostly outer and physical conflict which is emphasised by the techniques which glamorise the ‘light Brigade’ this glamorisation is the factor to which makes the Soldiers look like heroes. Essay word count: 1096

SAT Standard Deviation What Does It Mean for You

SAT Standard Deviation What Does It Mean for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you've ever glanced through any of the year-end College Board data reports, you may have seen information about the SAT standard deviation. Unfortunately, the reports just list the numbers and then move on, without explaining at all what these numbers mean. So how is info about the SAT mean and standard deviation useful to you? In this article, we’ll explain what the term standard deviation refers to and what it means for you and your SAT score. Feature image credit: Bell Curve by Abhijit Bhaduri/Flickr Bonus: Looking for the very best guides to every SAT section? Check out our top guides for every single section of the SAT. Choose the score level you're aiming for: 800 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring a 600 or above on a section, and you want to get the highest SAT score possible. 600 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring below a 600 on a section, and you want to boost your score to at least a 600 level. These are the very best guides available on boosting your SAT score, section by section. They're written by Harvard grads and perfect SAT scorers. Don't disappoint yourself - read these guides and improve your score today. What Is the SAT Standard Deviation? The standard deviation of a set of numbers measures variability. Standard deviation tells you, on average, how far off most people's scores were from the average (or mean) score. The SAT standard deviation is195 points, which means that most people scored within 195 points of the mean score on either side (either above or below it). SAT standard deviation is calculated so that 68% of students score within one standard deviation of the mean, 95% of students score within two standard deviations of the mean, and 99+% of students score within three standard deviations of the mean. If the standard deviation of a set of scores is low, that means most students get close to the average score (in this case, 1060). This is pretty clearly not the case with the SAT, because otherwise schools that boast 1300+ average SAT scores for admitted students would have no students. By contrast, if the standard deviation is high, then there’s more variability and more students score farther away from the mean. Based on the most recent data released for the SAT, the standard deviation is relatively high, meaning that there is quite a bit of variability in how students score on the SAT. Below, we’ve created a table with the data about the SAT mean and standard deviation for each section of the test, as well as the mean and standard deviation for total SAT scores. SAT Participation and Performance Mean Standard Deviation Total 1060 195 EBRW 533 100 Math 527 107 Note: this table only includes data drawn from the most recent test scores of 2017 high school graduates. Hardeep Singh/Flickr What Does the SAT Bell Curve Look Like? The bell curve for SAT scores is pretty close to an ideal normal curve. Since the average score is higher than the midpoint of the range (1060 instead of 1000), it's a little shifted over to the right, but otherwise the SAT bell curve is a regular bell shape. Because the SAT standard deviation for total SAT scores is 195 and the mean is 1060, we can do a little quick math to figure out the score ranges for the first, second, and third standard deviation. % of SAT scores in range Total Score Range EBRW Range Math Range 68% 865-1255 433-633 420-634 95% 670-1450 333-733 313-741 99+% 475-1600 233-800 206-800 To help you better visualize the distribution of SAT scores, we've graphed out the SAT bell curve (in blue) for composite SAT scores (out of 1600) and added in lines for the mean and each of the standard deviations. The green line in the chart is the average SAT score (1060), while the lines on either side of the mean represent the boundaries of the different standard deviations. The two yellow vertical lines on the chart represent the first standard deviation scores, 865 and 1255. The scores of 68% of all students who took the SAT fall in between those two lines. The two orange lines on the chart represent the second standard deviation scores, 670 and 1450. The scores of 95% of all students who took the SAT fall in between the two orange lines (including the 68% who scored between an 865 and a 1255). The two red lines on the chart represent the third standard deviation scores, 475 and 1645. Technically, because the SAT only goes up to 1600, there are no students who scored above that, which is why the blue curve of all student SAT scores stops abruptly at 1600. The scores of about 99% of all students who took the SAT fall between the two red lines, with the remaining 1% falling below the leftmost red line (scores of 475 and below). Extra Advice: Want to get into the best college you can? Read our famous guide on how to get into Harvard, the Ivy League, and your top choice college. In this guide, you'll learn: What colleges are looking for in your application How to impress your top choice colleges Why you're probably wasting your time on activities that don't matter Even if you're not actually interested in Ivy League schools, you'll still learn something fundamental about how to apply to college. Read our top college admissions guide today. Why Does the SAT Standard Deviation Matter? As a student, the exact details of the SAT bell curve and standard deviation aren't going to be all that relevant. Most of the info you’d get from standard deviations you can just as easily get from the information about your percentile rank that's included on your score report. For instance, knowing you’re in the 98th percentile is probably more useful to you than knowing you’re a little more than two standard deviations above the mean SAT score. Learn How Much Scores Vary The size of the standard deviation can give you information about how widely students' scores varied from the average. A larger standard deviation means there was more variation of scores among people who took the test, while a smaller standard deviation means there was less variance. As we discussed above, the SAT standard deviation is 195, which is relatively high and therefore indicates there's a lot of variation in scores among students who take the SAT. Practically speaking, this means that high-achieving students have to get relatively high scores in order to distinguish themselves. To do better than 98% of students on the SAT with a mean of 1060 and a standard deviation of 195, you must get a 1450 or higher on the test. Discover How Your Score Stacks Up The standard deviation of SAT scores is also useful information because it gives you a good general idea about how well you performed, compared to other students. Based on which standard deviation you fall into, you can even figure out your rough percentile score (if you don't know it). If your SAT score is more than one standard deviation above the average SAT score, then you did better than about 84% of students, which puts you in a strong position for most state schools (including UMass Amherst, University of Cincinnati, and UT San Antonio) and some private schools (like Pace University, Temple University, and Quinnipiac University). Similarly, if your score is more than two standard deviations above the mean SAT score, then you did better than around 97% of students, which is great and makes you a strong candidate for more competitive schools like NYU, UMich (Ann Arbor), and even Ivy-League schools like UPenn and Brown. On the other hand, if your score is more than one standard deviation below the mean, you definitely have your work cut out for you if you want to be a competitive applicant for most schools. You’ll need to put in some serious study time to boost your score up to an 860+ score level. Bonus: Want to get a perfect SAT score? Read our famous guide on how to score a perfect 1600 on the SAT. You'll learn top strategies from the country's leading expert on the SAT, Allen Cheng, a Harvard grad and perfect scorer. No matter your level, you'll find useful advice here - this strategy guide has been read by over 500,000 people. Read the 1600 SAT guide today and start improving your score. What’s Next? Ready to get more precise information of how your SAT score compares to other students' scores? Check out our article on SAT scores and percentiles to figure out where you fit in. Are you a high-achieving student with high SAT score dreams? Learn what SAT scores you need to get into the Ivy League here. What if you're worried your score might be too low to get you into college at all? Find out what the minimum SAT score for college is here. Need to figure out what SAT score to aim for in the first place? We have a complete guide to setting your target SAT score in this article. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Academic Decathlon †How to Prepare for the USAD Test

The Academic Decathlon – How to Prepare for the USAD Test The Academic Decathlon – How to Prepare for the USAD Test Academic competitions are common. There are spelling bees and robotic competitions on a national level, for example. There are school-wide, regional, and state competitions. One of the most interesting national academic competitions is the Academic Decathlon, a product of the U.S. Academic Decathlon Association (USAD). The competition was created in 1968 by the Superintendent of Schools for Orange Country, California just for California. It was later expanded to a national competition, and today most states and a few international schools now participate. What is Unique About the Academic Decathlon Most competitions involve the very best students that schools can put together as competitors. But this one is different, in the following ways: Each team is made up of 9 students. 3 are considered â€Å"honors† with GPA’s between 3.75-4.0; 3 are named â€Å"scholastic, with GPA’s between 3 – 3.74; 3 are named â€Å"varsity† with GPA’s of 0.00 – 2.99). There are ten events, and all students compete as individuals in their classified divisions. Team scores are determined by taking top scores from each division in each of the events and then added up for a total score for the team. Competitions begin at the local level, and the winning team from each state then moves on to the national competition. Tests of the Competition The ten events of USAD cover all academic disciplines that typical high school students study. These are as follows: 7 multiple-choice tests in language literature, math, science, social studies, economics, art and music. There is a Super Quiz that is either in science or social studies There is an essay to write, based upon optional prompts Each student must prepare a speech on a pre-selected topic Each student will be interviewed by judges. Obviously, the multiple-choice tests are objective measurements. The other three events are assessed subjectively by the judges, although the judging criteria is published on the organization’s website. Students don’t Go In â€Å"Blind† Every year the organization publishes its curriculum in every subject on its website. This provides students with an outline of the skills and content to be included in the 7 objective tests. This curriculum is developed by a 10-member panel. Anyone contributing to the curriculum must have a Bachelor’s degree in the subject. Once the curriculum is created, it is then checked by others for accuracy. There is also a USAD â€Å"theme† developed for each year, and the tests all relate to the theme. In the language and literature section, for example, a novel or set of plays is selected each year and provided to students. In music and art, students are provided with specific works that they must research and study. If, for example, the theme were to be â€Å"Africa,† as it was one year, social studies, language and literature, economics, art, and music tests will all relate to that continent, and contestants are provided specific topics to study. The Subjective Portions of the Competition As the term implies, there are no right or wrong answers to these parts of the event. Speech: This event is divided into two parts. The first is a prepared speech on a pre-provided topic, and it is to be 3  ½ - 4 minutes long. The second part is an impromptu speech. Contestants are given three optional prompts, choose one, and then deliver a 1  ½ - 2minute speech on that topic. The Interview: This is a formal event, during which the student is asked a series of questions and expected to respond. Questions have included such things as â€Å"Who is your role model and why?† The Essay: Contestants are given three prompts, choose one, and have 50 minutes to write their essays on the chosen topic. The prompts relate to the theme of that year and come from the language and literature or the Super Quiz areas. How to Prepare for the USAD Test There is a wealth of information published and updated each year on the organization’s website. This includes the theme and â€Å"curriculum† in each of the seven objective testing content areas. Information is released according to a calendar. For the 2017-2018 USAD competition, for example, the theme and general topic was posted March 1, 2018; the outlines for each curricular topic area on May 1; and more specific curriculum materials (e.g., study guides) will began to be shipped out to team coaches and state directors on May 15. The competition takes place in November, 2018, giving teams the summer months to spend time in strong preparation. Materials for Study – The Objective Multiple-Choice Tests The study materials that are provided by the USAD, including the topic areas and outlines are all free and can be downloaded from the website, and this is a good start for preparation. The more specific study materials – resource guides, study guides, etc. must be purchased by each team, and the cost is $1000. While there have been lots of complaints about charging for these materials, the organization claims that it has to in order to meet its over $1 million budget each year. This can put an additional burden on schools and school districts that are from poorer areas, and that has been a point of controversy. There are also USAD practice tests that are developed each year by third-party for-profit companies. These are sold to teams, and, when schools are able to provide this kind of financial support, the tests can be a big help. The USAD does not support or encourage the purchase of the practice tests; however, they are well-done and can give a team a pretty big advantage. Any time students have the opportunity to take practice test, research shows that they do better on the real thing. With all of this information and all of these study materials, most teams can be well-prepared for the objective testing events, provided they have a good coach and they spend a lot of time studying the material. The objective tests are very fact-based and do not require critical or creative thinking. It is really a matter of memorization. Because of this, a number of educational associations, such as the ASCD, have criticized the objective portion of the event. The criticism relates to the fact that students are basically engaged in straight memorization of facts rather than any higher-level thinking skills, such as application, analysis, or synthesis. The Association’s response is that, because the event is theme-based, students will become â€Å"experts† of sorts on those wider curricular areas and will have a knowledge base that they would not get in a regular school curricular environment. Materials for Study – The Subjective Portion of Testing No one can completely prepare for this portion of the event. However, given that the USAD theme for each year is published, and given that the essay and speech prompts will all relate to this theme, preparation can be in the following forms: For the essay portion of the exam, students can review and study essay samples in the general topical theme areas. And just as they would practice for an ACT or SAT essay, they should write several essays on their own that also relate to the theme and the language and literature and super quiz curricula. Speech Preparation: The ability to deliver a good speech is as much about self-confidence as it is about the content. Students should practice preparing and delivering speeches on the thematic topic areas of course. It is the impromptu speech event that will probably present the greatest challenge. But there are tactics and strategies that can be learned and practiced. During the time they have to prepare for USAF test, students should be given topics from their coaches that relate to the theme and take the one-minute of allowed preparation time to gather their thoughts. The most important parts of any speech are the opening and the ending. Practice using your minute of allowed preparation time to craft a great opening sentence and a solid ending. These will be the most memorable. Again, practice is the one thing that will get you over that anxiety and nervousness. The Interview: you will not be able to anticipate the questions you might be asked in a formal interview situation. The key to success, though, will be in your ability to stay calm, focused, and poised. Again, the key to a successful interview is practice. Your USAD coach should set up several interview sessions and ask difficult questions. Your goal is to take a minute, think about the question being asked, and form a response that relates directly to that question. Part of evaluating your performance will be your ability to stick to the topic of the question, to speak clearly and with confidence, and to keep your response relatively brief. The biggest mistake that people make during interviews is veering off topic and giving an answer that is disjointed and incoherent. Outside Research – It is Valuable You have the outlines and the study guide and resource materials. You know what the theme is. This year, for example, it is Africa. So, how much do you really know about Africa – it’s history, its development, it political, economic and social challenges? Most high schools do not offer a course in African studies, so you may not know much. You can take the study guides and gain a lot of factual information about Africa, but do you really have a solid, general understanding of the continent? Chances are you don’t. Take some time during the summer months before the competition to make Africa your focus of study. There is an amazing amount of online resources about this continent and the richness of its history, geography, and societies. Your goal should be to get a broad base of general knowledge, so that the factual information you may need to memorize actually makes sense to you. For example, you can access the National Geographic website and find a huge amount of information about Africa. In fact, there is a TV series on our African beginnings, narrated by Morgan Freeman, that is soon to start. Likewise, there are news stories about Africa published daily by online news organizations. The more general knowledge you can absorb about Africa, the more you will be able to appear as an â€Å"expert,† especially during the subjective portions of the event. You just never know when you may be able to throw in some information you have about Africa that will impress the judges. Above All – Take the Time You Need When you study for final exams, you have two choices. You can organize your material regularly throughout the semester and study a bit at a time. Or, you can â€Å"cram† at the last minute, perhaps 1-2 days before that exam and get help from essay services. Students who choose either option can be successful and get good exam grades. But preparing for the Academic Decathlon is different. It’s not like a final exam in history or social studies that covers a finite amount of material. It is an examination that covers all content areas. There is no way to â€Å"cram† at the last minute. Fortunately, your team will have a coach who will prepare a schedule of work and study over a longer period of time. You can study and learn in a relatively stress-free environment, and this means that you will retain much of what you learn long-term. So, if you study a piece of literature without the stress of an immediate exam, that more relaxed environment allows you to absorb information, to think critically about the piece, and to â€Å"cement† your understanding. Likewise, the longer preparation time will allow lots of practice for the subjective parts of the event – those speeches, the interview, and that essay. In these areas, it is practice, not study, that will make the difference. Above all, you need to understand that you are a part of a team with a coach. While you will be scored on your individual performance, it is important that you have the mindset of being a member of a team. Each member’s accomplishments should be encouraged and applauded – that’s what teamwork is all about.

Twentieth century in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Twentieth century in America - Essay Example Its militarism snared for it various colonies such as Cuba, Mexico, Hawaii, in the Philippines, in Puerto Rico, Guam, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The main political principle used by previous administrations to justify this expansionism was the so-called Manifest Destiny, that it was inevitable for America to rule the world. Many events comprise the twentieth-century for America, but some of these events admittedly are more impactful than others, in terms of their continuing influence on the course of events for the country even today. Some events were celebratory, victorious or triumphal, but sadly also, some events were traumatic which seared the American citizen consciousness. It takes great discernment for an expert of history and political science to connect or relate the significance of these events to the current happenings all over the world. However, it is also incumbent on a student of history to detect and realize the subtle changes occurring in the country, which if these are viewed over the long term, form a distinct historical pattern. It is the purpose of this brief paper is to discuss some of these events and their perceived impacts. The most significant events are re-examined and a major theme is propounded to explain it. Discussion Some of these big events were the two world wars (First World War, 1914-1919 and the Second World War, 1939-1945), first flight by humans due to the Wright brothers (1903), the rise of free-market capitalism with the advent of big business barons (tycoons) who in turn controlled most of the American economy during the years of the Industrial Revolution such as banking, railways, manufacturing industries, the telegraph, mining, and shipping, the Great Depression (1929-1941) which destroyed a big portion of the nation's wealth and its citizens. It was preceded by the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 but one positive outcome of it all was that monetary and fiscal authorities are now better able to control e conomic crises than before, by lowering interest rates instead of raising the rates which worsened the depression. The Vietnam War (1959-1975) is the only modern war which America had lost but it created a new awareness among Americans about how their country conducts foreign policy. The loss has cast a long shadow over the way America now avoids any long-term involvement in military conflicts, extricating itself from Iraq and soon, from Afghanistan too. Citizens keep questioning the ethics of a preemptive war that has no clear objectives; its bitter memories are a constant reminder to how mission creep can drag a war with no hope for a victory. This lead to a growing sense of pacifism and conservatism, how the nation should use soft power in its international relations instead of relaying on regime change by overthrow (Kinzer 552). President Dwight D. Eisenhower became the foremost proponent of this change to a reliance on diplomacy rather than military power alone, by warning abou t the ill effects of the growing military-industrial complex which drains precious tax dollars away from important projects like education, health care, and infrastructure (Eisenhower 7). Growing involvement of the federal government in the national economy and in society as well started with Franklin D. Roosevelt in his New Deal programs but which

Medicare and Medicaid High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medicare and Medicaid High School - Essay Example Medicare covers many of the costs of health care for senior citizens, but its associated payments make it expensive to use for many of its beneficiaries. Medicare benefits will cover the cost of hospitalization, skilled nursing home care, and prescription drugs. However, these benefits are often subject to a significant co-pay or deductible and have limitations on their amount of benefits. For example, in-patient hospital care is covered for a period of 60 days, but is subject to a $1,024 deductible payment from the patient. An extended hospital stay, beyond 60 days, may require a co-payment of $256 per day. To deal with these costs, low income people may also be covered under Medicaid or carry supplemental Medicare insurance. Supplemental insurance, known as Medigap, is meant to cover the cost of these co-payments or deductibles and may even cover additional hospitalization days. Medicare also covers the cost of a limited stay in a skilled nursing facility. Eligible patients are covered for up to 20 days after which the patient is required to pay a co-payment of $128 per day for a period of up to 100 days.