Got Those OPEC Blues Again And Rational Exuberance :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Got those OPEC Blues Again† and â€Å"Rational Exuberance† SUMMARY Since March of 1999, when the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was at $13 a barrel, we have seen a steady increase in prices in all phases of the economy. OPEC, the organization that is largely responsible for setting production goals in the Middle East, was under fire to find ways to increase prices. OPEC members at this time â€Å"pledged to cut back the supply of crude and push oil prices higher.† (Business Week, 48) The results were better than most expected: crude oil prices were almost $27 a barrel on November 23, 1999, the highest price since the 1991 Gulf War. (Business Week, 48) The demand for oil is outpacing current supply by 2.8 million barrels, causing some in Congress to push for relief by tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. (Business Week, 49) The rapid increases in prices have had a welcome effect on â€Å"Big Oil†, however. Companies such as BP Amoco, Chevron and Royal/Dutch Shell Group have posted 15% increases in earnings (Busines s Week, 49) This trend is expected to continue, with L Bruce Lanni, an analyst at CIBC World Markets Inc. noting, â€Å"I see clear sailing ahead for the next two to three years.† (Business Week, 49) â€Å"Happy days are here again!† This quote, noted by Jodie Allen of U.S. News and World Report, refers to the booming U.S. economy. (Allen, 71) The stock market, as of November 8, 1999 was flying high, posting strong gains, prompting inflationary fears and a hard once-over of the situation by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. However, the numbers are extraordinary. The Gross Domestic product surged at an annual rate of 4.8% in the third quarter of 1999. The employment cost index, which measures total compensation paid to workers in a broad sampling of jobs, rose by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months. (Allen, 71) But, cautions Princeton economist Alan blinder, â€Å"this is a change in the measurement system, not in the reality.† (Allen, 71) Still, he concedes, â€Å"the underlying reality was looking good even in the older data.† (Allen, 71) Even in this seemingly booming economy, Greenspan warns â€Å"It is not clear† whether interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve has already made will suffice to prevent overheating of the economy (Allen, 71) APPLICATION In the case of OPEC’s decision to cut supply to raise prices, it is clear that all sectors of the economy will be affected in some way.

Simple Justice

The chapter shows the deep relentless struggle of the black community and the racist white people who would not allow it. This case would take 4 years before getting to the courts of the government of the United States. Insane! Its appalling to think of the deep level of HATE and evil that the local white people in these areas had back then. The white schools got two-thirds more money towards their education and had full operating bus systems, while the black kids actually had to pay for their education. This lead to the case of Briggs v.Elliot. It was very interesting to read about how the â€Å"N-double A-C-P† had an influence in the uprising of this bus moment in this community. The level of bravery by the black community and the leaders in this moment are amazing and I love the level of courage and righteousness they had to of had. Over those four years, the illegal government manipulation to suppress and try and stop the black communities efforts in court to obtain equal rights for education is horrific and upsetting, it's a mindset I can not understand.Black farmers lost their land, some had to watch their corps die because whites oldest allow there corps to be bought or use necessary equipment to reap the land. Black people who signed the partition for a lawsuit in Summerset and their spouses were fired from their Jobs and threatened. This book made me think about what racism is and the utter disgrace and hate that it signifies; it is so saddening to read about. This was only 60 years ago, that is one human beings lifetime.Nothing is more upsetting than these actions by hateful whites to use the United States Constitution as evidence for their reasoning for segregation and slavery. White preachers saying it's Gods will that segregation is meant to be and white superiority. To believe that all men are equal but not apply that line in reality behooves me. What is racism? What act is considered racism in our day and age? Calling someone a racial slur is racism, so is hating someone for the color of their skin tone.But what was going on since the beginning of the United States Unionization to the mid sass's seemed to be a whole other deeper sinister level of racism. The black people in these communities were not Just facing racial slurs, they were facing death every minute ND they knew it, that is why every black individual in the south who fought for equality in education and constitutional freedom are heroes; all the people who signed there names on court documents to try and change the illegal injustices of segregation and inequality are heroes.This level of racism is a ruling an oppressive savagery that is disgusting to try and comprehend. The courts allowed the slavery to continue and progress, and the courts eventually ended it. It is Just saddening it took so long. Mr.. Slugger's writing style Mr.. Kluges paints a clear brush stroke of the scene and atmosphere of the time eroded. His style is a bit wordy but the words he uses are colorful, expressive and flow nicely. However, at times I felt inpatient and wanted him (Kluges) to get to the point.He wrote eloquently but I would prefer the â€Å"streamlined version† that tells me the setting and story, not paint a picture of all intimate and personal features of every individual. He bought up a very interesting point how a lot of black men fought in WI against racism and racial murder of Jewish culture but they (black American men) came back home were facing similar acts of oppression, murder and occupation. An then you realize the time period your reading about is in the mid sass's!It is still sad to see the residue of hate lingering and living here and now. Mr.. Kluges was successful in his diligence and service towards an unbiased account of the time period during Brown v The Broad of Education and the time period leading up to the case, where he eloquently described historical cases that lead to and showed the momentum towards the final verd ict. Also Mr.. Kluges was successful in his last chapter showing the history of the Brown v The Board of Education 50 years after the fact. Oppression Mr..Kluges softly shows the level of oppression during this time period. He at times gingerly portrays a situation then presents quoted lines from someone during the time period that would bring a knockout punch of shivery. The real life quotes of some of the people from that time period really helps to place the reader in the time period being written about. While reading the book I how did these communities last this so long, and are they still going on like this? Are there hateful mindsets still living in communities throughout the US?Throughout the world? Unfortunately I know the answer to those questions, but how do they continue to persist. Slavery Over four centuries of slavery before the verdict of Brown v The Board of Education. It is appalling to and impossible to fathom that time frame for a federal verdict to acknowledge t hat all humans are created equal. Mr.. Kluges showed how Brown v The Board of Education represented a long and indentured fight for the recognition and legal right of freedom for black humans in America.The verdict acknowledged a lifetime of of inequality for black people in American history. What this book has taught me What this book has taught me is the power of the court systems. How men, Judges and lawyers can be socially wrong about personal freedoms and impose these beliefs as natural law. How they (Supreme Court Judges) used twisted truth and words like â€Å"natural law' to segregated and beat-down another human being based solely on their skin tone – this is horrific.But its amazing that the same court system and new judges and lawyers were able to get the verdict right. It is Just sad how long it took and how many people died. I am concern of the hate and ignorance that is still embedded in the minds of people n our society. We need not look further than the curre nt media story of the Los Angels Clippers basketball team. About the team owner speaking hateful and racial comments about African-Americans. Here 2014 and the same slave master mentality of property ownership of African-Americans and their inferiority.We have came far in our society because with this basketball owner incident he was banned from his team and forced to sell, this verdict was swift from the NAB and a majority of people are in favor of the owner's life time ban. The Book One of the most gripping moments in the book is when Mr.. Kluges described the the slavery condition in the south which can be considered the worst ever treatment of human slavery in human history. When the length of US slavery is considered it is outrageous to believe this kind of treatment went on for centuries.Unprecedented slavery conditions never seen in such length and non-revengeful fashion. Back during Romans, Greek and Persian times slaves were captured as enemies unlike Africa slaves who had done now harm to the Angelo-Saxon people, the African people ere captured and stolen from their land for the pure intent of like being cattle. It is downright disgusting. In a section from the book: â€Å"Slavery as practiced in the American South, it is now generally acknowledged, was probably as severe as any form of it in recorded history.This is especially so if one considers that the African blacks were not brought to America for punitive reasons: they had committed no transgressions against the people who purchased and then savaged them. If the system was to work in a sparsely settled land, white repression ad to strain the limits of black endurance. † What was a shocking moment when reading was about how black men could not be good father back they by today standards because family life was not allowed as it was for white families. The black man was simply there to breed.A father couldn't protect his wife if she was badly treated, harmed, harassed or raped by a white m an; nor could that father show any protection for the son. How could men be closely attached to their family when they could so easily be sold off to another plantation for the next years harvest, sold of like a mule. The slave masters treated the African Americans like cattle, by federal law African Americans weren't even considered human, they were property, like a commodity to be bought, sold and owned.They (slaves) had no rights, they had curfews, could not be in big groups together and were only given a few clothing items a year. An excerpt from the book states, â€Å"A slave had no legal standing. He could take no action to control his sale. He could not be a party to a lawsuit. He could not offer testimony except against another black. He could not swear an oath that would be legally binding. † Founding Fathers Furthermore I am completely appalled at the contradictory behavior of our founding fathers actions and their hypocrisy.As Mr.. Krueger stated, â€Å"Fifteen of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention owned slaves†¦. Neither the word â€Å"slave† nor â€Å"black† nor â€Å"Negro' nor â€Å"African† nor â€Å"colored† was therefore written anywhere in the document those men composed that very long summer. † I learned that slave was a hot topic and the leaders from the north who may not of had slaves sure perpetuated the ability for the slavery to continue and also even if they (north delegates) didn't ant slavery the majority still saw the black man as two-thirds a human.

Research Project Sample on Folklore Genres

Understanding the phrase research projects relies on first analyzing the meaning of the word research and its application in the academic world. The word research, originated from the French word recherchà © which literally means to seek closely. Therefore, research project generally involves investigating a topic with the aim of learning more about the chosen subject matter. Investigating folklore genres is an apt project sample that takes into consideration the concept of research and how it aids the understanding of diverse cultures. Folklore is the traditional beliefs, customs and stories of a community passed through generations by either orally or in writing. The term community when used in describing folklore, covers both rural and urban settlements thereby debunking the myth that folklores originate solely from rural communities. The multifaceted characteristics of folklore genres and their originations also create multiple sub categories or genres covering the different yet important facets of folklore. The 1965 Alan Dundee’s essay What is Folklore? explored the possibility of multiple folklore genres and came up with a simplistic breakdown which covered some important categories on religious beliefs, music and art. These sample genres include material culture which refers to the psychical objects, living spaces, architecture and resources people use to define their culture. In rural communities, folklores are created out of the production tools, homes and places of worship its people use, while in urban communities, folklores originate from schools, work places and information technology (IT) trends peculiar to a community. Beliefs and religion play a huge role in defining the culture of a community and the folklores that emanate from the community. Religion consists of ideals and beliefs about God, values and morality. In most cases, stories, edicts and holy books are used in teaching the adherents a religion which in turn leads to the creation of religious folklore. Music is one of the most powerful forms of storytelling for it consists of both words and sounds coming from musical instruments. Communities both rural and urban have created folklores out of their legendary figures or musical heroes since the beginning of time. As a folklore genre, music as a form of documenting a culture cannot be overstated and will continue to be used by generations to tell their own stories. A narrative is the use of the word of mouth or written words to tell stories to an audience. In the early days of humankind, the word of mouth served as the means of creating and transferring folklores through generations, while the use of written words as a medium is a more modern way of narrating stories. These narratives may cover urban legends, folk tales, proverbs and personal experiences which form the bulk of most folklores. In todays urban societies, each folklore genre still plays an important role in keeping our cultures alive. As mothers narrate stories to daughters, fathers teach sons to play musical instruments and you download books to your kindle, a culture is being kept alive through folklore. References Bascom, W. (1965). Four Functions of Folklore.  The Journal of American Folklore, 67(226), pp.333-349. Giraudon, D. (2007). Supernatural Whirlwinds in the Folklore of Celtic Countries. Bà ©aloideas, pp.1-23. Kinahan, F. (1983). Armchair Folklore: Yeats and the Textual Sources of â€Å"Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry†. 83C, pp.255-267. Dundes, A. (1980). Who Are the Folk? In Interpreting Folklore. Dundes, A. (1965). The Study of Folklore, 20, 40-41. Bauman, R. (1992) . Folklore, Cultural Performances, and Popular Entertainments: A Communications-centered Handbook, 45