Essay quiz Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Quiz - Essay Example In broadest possible terms, metaphysics traditionally tries to answer a couple of basic questions: What is out there in the realms of the unknown? What is the nature of that unknown or how does it look like? A philosopher generally tries to answer these questions for general people and broaden their view about the world; for example, possibilities, cause and effect, time and space, object and their properties, and also existence. Ontology is the central branch of metaphysics that investigates the basic categories of being and their relations. Cosmetology is the other branch of metaphysics that studies the origin, nature, dynamics and fundamental structure of the universe (Capaldi, 1997). Sometimes epistemology is also considered as a central branch of metaphysics. However, it is not confirmed. As far as the â€Å"Sceptical Doubts† is concerned, there are two thinking styles or types of knowledge. Those are matters of fact and the relations of ideas. Hume believed human knowledge is either necessary or contingent. Secondly, it is an ultimate truth that there should be relations between ideas. Thirdly, matters of fact are considered as contingent truth. The inherent logical contingency does not allow inductive predictions and statements of matters of fact to amount to knowledge (Capaldi, 1997). To prove this point, Hume states that the sun will surely rise tomorrow like it does every day, and it would be absurd to think that sun will not rise the next day. With this alternative concept, metaphysics can serve as a foundation for the nature of reality but not as such for reality directly. Metaphysics offers most basic accounts that are related to the nature of things like what they are and not of things like how they are. As a step to answer the first question – we need to first differentiate between the two ways in which a statement

My Journey Through Life Essay Example for Free

My Journey Through Life Essay When I started college back in 1994 I thought that this will be the last time that I would start my education at a new school, but life did not happen the way that I thought that it would. In this paper I will describe my past life experiences, and analyze my experiences that have made me the person that I am today using the adult development theories from this class. During this paper I will also state how I will look forward to accomplishing my future goals. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. As I child I grew up around my family owned garage. During this period of my life I saw my families get divided by the power of money. My father and uncle inherited the business when my grandfather passed away. Before when my  grandfather was alive everything was great in life, but ever since he passed everything changed. I saw how my uncle who was the eldest take control of the money, and how he treated my father differently than before. During this time of my life it me that money can change any person no matter who they are even if they are related. As a child growing up I played sports all year long. I played football, basketball, and baseball. Since I was the youngest one in my family I followed my older brother around and his friends. My brother is three years older than myself. I would always play sports with his friends, and it made me a better athlete competing against older kids. All I wanted to do since I was a child was to go out and play sports. Growing up my family took many vacations. My fondest times were when we would go camping all around the United States. During these times I got to see all different parts of the country and it helped us bond as a family. Each time we went on vacation my mother and father would never fight. These vacations were my fondest ones just for that reason that we seemed like the perfect family. Then once we got home my parents seemed to be the exact opposite then when we were on vacation. My dad had problems with his brother at the garage and took out his frustration on my mother. This was like night and day from the family that we were on vacation. Growing up my mother was my most influential person in my life. I remember her playing catch with me when my dad was not around. My mother would always attend my sporting events even though she did not understand any of the games that I played. My mother always told me to never let any person tell you that you cannot do anything in life that it is up to yourself what you choose to accomplish. Growing up I played sports all year long. During the course of the year I had my same coaches for many years and they became like father figures to me. They taught me that playing sports was a privilege that had to be earned. They taught that it did not matter how good you were at sports that if you did not have good grades that you were not allowed to play. Playing sports also instilled in me that you have to trust and respect others, because you cannot do everything yourself. As a student in high school I had many different teachers. I had one teacher Mr. Rice who would be very hard on me when I would make a mistake on my assignments. He would always call me out on my mistakes in front of everyone in class to let me know when I was wrong. Once I completed his  class he pulled me aside and told me that I was one of his best students since I learned from my mistakes and never quit. Growing up my parents made me get a job once I turned sixteen. Even though I played sports all year around my parents told me that not everything in life is giving to you. One of my first jobs was a stock boy at our local grocery store. During this time I had to schedule my work, sports, and school work around my work so I would not fall behind. This was a very important lesson in my life that taught me time management along with responsibilities that come along with growing up as a young adult. Once I left college after two years to become an adult I found a job at my brothers company being a micro-electronics technician. This job helped me move out of my parents’ house and become an adult. I learned some of my most valuable lessons in life. This job taught me that I was responsible for every daily activity. I had to provide my own food all the way down to paying each bill to keep a roof over my head. This was a very important lesson in my life that helped prepare myself for next job. After five years of being a micro-electronics technician I moved to Florida and found a job in the quality assurance field. This was one of my most important jobs that would affect my life. As I have grown into an adult and have integrated what I have learned. The â€Å"universal ethical principles state that ideas about right and wrong come from within after a long period of thinking, reasoning, and integrating what we have learned about life† (Witt Mossler, 2010, CH 3, â€Å"Moral Development†). This job made me realize what I wanted to do in life, and helped me think about what is right and wrong . Before this job the only thing that I cared about was the money. This job gave me satisfaction of what I do on a daily basis. This job did bring me to Florida. I lived in Massachusetts for 26 years until I took my job in the quality field. It was a total culture shook when I moved here. Before this move I was accustomed to my environment in Massachusetts. I realized that things up north move at a faster pace than things in the south. This move was a big culture change for me. This moved helped me grow in many ways than I could have never imagined. I had to learn on how to adapt to different cultures and beliefs that I was not used to. One of the greatest achievements that I have made was moving to Florida and meeting my wife. At the time when I meet her I was unemployed and was running out of money. She brought back hope in my  life and me realize that I have a lot more to offer than just walking around with my head down. Since her belief in me when we got married, I have bought a brand new house, a new truck, and I have more money in my bank account than I have ever before. Meting my wife was one of the best achievements in my life. A few months after getting married to my wife we welcomed our daughter into this world. With her arrival she has taught me many life lessons that I did not have before. She taught me the importance of putting others first. Before her I never thought really about how I could improve upon my life. Since her birth I started to think about finishing my education so I can provide her and my wife with a better life. Going back to school is a very big achievement for me. I would have never thought about going back to school at age thirty eight. But since my daughter was born many of my past thoughts have changed. I realized that I need to set a good example for my daughter. I do not want her growing up thinking why daddy did not finish his degree. By continuing my education this will â€Å"result in employment and wage gains and has a positive influence on continuing education.† (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, B. A. (2002). As a result of continuing my education my employment opportunities will open up as well as my daughter’s thoughts that you can continue education no matter how old you are. In Conclusion, I have discussed some of my life experiences that have made me the person that I am today. I have broken down some of my key experiences using adult development theories from this class. Finally I have presented my future goals and how I plan on achieving them. The experience and knowledge that I have learned throughout this course will help me as I continue in my journey throughout life. Reference National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, B. A. (2002). The First Five Years: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, 1996-2001. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Witt, G. A., Mossler, R. A. (2010). Adult development and life assessment. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) History and

Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) History and PART 2 EFFICIENCY MARKET HYPOTHESIS Introduction In order to better understand the origin and the idea behind the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), an overview of the EMH, The Random Walk Model, different degrees of information efficiency and the implications of efficient markets for investors are studied in the paper. Efficient Market Hypothesis The efficiency concept is one of the most essential concepts for investment management and analysis. Market efficiency basically revolves around three related assumptions on proper- allocation efficiency, informational efficiency and operational efficiency. Efficiency in allocation is a vital characteristic of a strong market wherein the allocation of capital is done in a proper way so that it benefits all the participants and helps in promotion of economic growth and status. Efficiency in operation is another crucial parameter which is used commonly by economists to determine and analyzes how resources are utilized in the market to benefit operational activities in the market and industry. Efficiency in information helps to determine the actual market value of shares based on its intrinsic value. The Information efficiency signifies that reflection on all available information pertaining to the security’s price must be used to determine the security’s observed market price. (Hossain,Rahman, 2006) The introduction to the idea of market efficiency was given by Bachelier (1900) and later it was termed as efficient market by Fama (1965) Fama (1970) further went on to state the vital conditions/ assumptions for maintaining efficiency: Provision of no transactional costs during the trading of securities; All information is freely available to all the participants in the market, and Agreement of all of them on the implications of the information relating to the current price and future distribution of prices of each security He identified three forms of informational efficiency, which are the weak form(underdeveloped), the semi-strong form(developing) and the strong form efficiency(developed). Forms of Market Efficiency Weak-Form Efficiency Weak form efficiency market implies that it is an efficient market which reflects all its market information accurately and does not provide profit for the investor based on past records or rates. This past records stands invalid for the market. Fama (1970) stipulates in his theory that no investor can avail greater returns when the market is weak-form efficient. Example African economy has a weak efficiency market wherein the means to attain gains on investment is narrow based on past investment experience. Example trading test, auto correlation test and run test. Semi-Strong Form Efficiency Semi Strong Form Efficiency market indicates that market is efficient and it reflects all public information. It says that the stocks are absorbant of all new information and incorporates it by adjusting to it. It is partly like the weak form efficiency market wherein the stocks rate are based upon new information that is released after the stocks are bought. So making it difficult for the market to be predictable. Fama (1970) explains the semi-strong form efficient market as the one where share price not only reflect on all information regarding its past and historic prices, but also includes additional public information which is later on integrated with the shared price and adjusted to reveal the true share value. This also implies that an investor will not be able to use the public information for the generation of gains in the evolving stock market. Event tests and time series/ regression tests are some examples. Strong Form Efficiency The Strong form efficient market relies on both public as well as private information wherein the stock prices are based and reflected upon. So an average investor cannot make much profit more than others also when he is given the new information. It incorporates both the weak form and semi strong form of market efficiency. Private information concerns the information that is not yet published or known only to the security analysts/ fund managers. The new public and private information is then incorporated into the share price to represent its true share value. This makes it even more difficult for the investor to assess share values. Examples are insiders, exchange specialists, institutional money managers and analysts who have access to new information. Fundamental analysis and technical analysis This analysis makes use of analysing and evaluating the financial statements, health of the business, efficiency of the management and their competitive advantages, while also examining the competition in the market. When applied on forex and futures market it uses production, interest rates, earnings, GDP, employment, manufacturing, housing and management analysis. While technical analysis predicts the future of market based on past prices, volume and market information. This is useful for behaviour economics and quantitative analysis. Both these methods of analysis contradict the premise and study made on efficiency market theory which states that study of market with accuracy cannot be determined by any method. Implications of EMH Market efficiency has some prominent implications concerned with both authorities and investors, which are mentioned below: When a market is efficient they must 1. Not worry about analysis on their investments, but concentrate rather on developing a diversified portfolio to get rewarded for their investments. 2. Adopt to the policy of buy and hold after establishing their portfolios as making frequent changing by shifting from one securities group to another would raise for them unwarranted transaction costs. Other implications are based on the fact that changes in price are random and cannot be predicted, investors are smart enough to not get fooled by the financial reports circulated and lastly the timing of security issues are not crucial. Investors must pay more attention to construct and hold diversified and efficient portfolios rather than taking to fundamental and technical analysis. This approach will definitely benefit them in the long run. Empirical Evidences for anomalies The empirical evidence lists some of the significant ‘anomalies which contradict the efficient market theory as listed below: The January Effect It is often noticed that the stock returns raise high abnormally in the first week of January which is defined as the January effect wherein most of the investors opt to sell some of the stocks befor the year end and later claim for a capital loss to evade tax and then go on to make their reinvestments later on. (Rozeff and Kinney, 1976) Size Effect The Size Effect is the small firm’s tendency, which holds a small capital market, to outweigh and surpass the market of larger companies and rise as an underdog over the long term. (Banz, 1981) and (Reinganum, 1981) Weekend Effect This is a notable phenomenon wherein the stock returns are observed to be comparatively lower on Mondays as against those on the preceding Fridays. ( French, 1890).. Value Effect The value effect related to the nature of stocks that hold low cost, earnings ratio to outdo other alternative portfolios of stocks which have higher cost, earnings ratio. Empirical Evidences from Developing Countries Despite huge empirical studies conducted in order to test and validate the Efficient Market Hypothesis in developed countries which witness a flourishing financial market, the pertinent studies on weak efficiency markets are limited in countries like Africa. Most developing and underdeveloped countries suffer a setback due to the problem of thin trading (Mlambo and Biekpe, 2005). Fisher (1966) who first identified this bias due to thin trading on his observation on correlation of return index, stated that the security’s price that are recorded are not similar to their respective underlying values based on theory as when a share trade fails, the recorded price remains the closing price as per the last share trade. It is also stressed that reasons like transactional costs, delay in operations and illiquidity of the market are crucial in determining a concrete statistical evaluation of the study. Bibliography Cohen, W. W., 1996. Learning trees and rules with set valued features. s.l.:s.n.vol1. Fama, E., 1970. Efficient Capital markets: A review of theory and empirical work. 1ed. s.l,American Economic Review. Fisher, R. A., 1966. The design of experiments. 8ed. New York: Hafner publishing. Mikhail, M. W. R., 2004. Do security analysts exhibit persistent Differences in Stock picking ability. s.l.Journal of financial economics. Reiter, S. W. P. F., n.d. Scientific conversations in financial economics. Burlington: Ashgate publishing company.

Foreshadowing In A Tale Of Two :: essays research papers

Foreshadowing is a technique that prepares a reader for an event that is soon to come. An author that uses foreshadowing is Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens writes many famous novels. A famous novel of his is A Tale of Two Cities. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a novel that reveals many future events through the use of foreshadowing. The French Revolution is the main event described by the use of foreshadowing. Dickens uses the phrase à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“one tall joker so besmirched . . . scrawl[s] upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy-lees à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" BLOODà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? to forecast the spilt wine as future blood shed during the French Revolution (37-38). Dickens also subtly states à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the one woman [Madame Defarge] who [stands] conspicuous, knitting, still knit[s] on with the steadfastness of Fateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and he is foreshadowing the French Revolution by comparing Madame Defarge to Fate (117). Both Madame Defarge and Fate mark people who are destined to die which leads further into the French Revolution. Lastly, Dickens presents the statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“they their very selves [are] closing in around a structure yet unbuilt, where they [are] to sit knitting, knitting, counting dropping headsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? to show that in the future, Madame Defarge and her women knit while counting the he ads being severed by La Guillotine (187). Another instance of foreshadowing is the revenge of the poor people against the aristocrats. When Dickens writes, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“there [is] a flutter in the air that fan[s] Saint Antoine and his devouring hunger far awayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? he is referring to the poor people in Saint Antoine such as the Defarges and their death craving towards the aristocrats (113). The poor that crave the aristocratsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ deaths have such a strong aura that they are a part of a living Saint Antoine, and for a moment, their death craving is delayed until a later time. Dickens also states in this novel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the knife [strikes] home, the faces [change], from faces of pride to faces of anger and pain; also that when that dangling figure [is] hauled . . . they [change] again, and [bear] a cruel look of being avengedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? which shows the poor switching from their pride to revenge against the aristocrats and the aristocracy (177). Madame Defarge makes the statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“[ v]engeance and retribution require a long timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? to her husband during his time of impatience to seek revenge against the aristocrats, and it implies that Monsieur Defargeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s revenge happens later in the future (179).

Speech about the importance of water Essay

Assalamualaikum and a very wonderful morning I bid to our lecturer and to all fellow classmates. This morning, it is my pleasure to share with all my audiences on my talk about the importance of water. As we know, water brings and sustains life in our planet. Water is something which we cannot do anything without it. After all, our bodies are made up of seventy percent water. It is quite possible to survive without food for more than a month, but without water we will perish in a matter of days. Ladies and gentleman, Before I go further with my speech, I would like to read the poem from the ancient mariner’s that cry of agony and despair in Samuel Coleridge’s poem that sound; Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. This poem clearly points to the absolute need of suitable drinking water for survival. The mariner, being the only survivor left on his ship, is desperately lost at sea for months. Having used up all the ship’s store of drinkable water, he laments on his plight; surrounded by water on all sides, but not a drop to drink. Ladies and gentleman, Water is essential to life. We require water for washing and cooking, cultivating our field, and most important, for drinking. Life becomes impossible on earth without water. Imagine a drought situation: there are no rains; the rivers and lakes have dried up; and all plant-life lay dry and wasted. When we read about the origins of life on earth, we realize at once the importance role water had played in causing living things to come into existence. Water has those unique chemical elements and properties needed to nourish the living cells of living beings. Dearest comrades, Apart from the fact that water is essential to life, water is also man’s precious resource. Water is a source of energy. Water converted into steam can be used as fuel for driving vehicles fitted with water power. In conclusion, the importance of water cannot be measure. It is not only a source of life and energy, it also sustains life on the planet. We should all be duty bound to ensure that our sources of water remain unpolluted. That’s all for my speech today. Thank you for listening.

Frankenstein Study Guide

Frankenstein Study Guide Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a classic horror novel and a prime example of the Gothic genre. Published in 1818, Frankenstein tells the story of an ambitious scientist and the monster he creates. The unnamed creature is a tragic figure who becomes violent and murderous after being rejected by society. Frankenstein remains potent for its commentary on the potential consequences of a singleminded search for enlightenment, as well as the importance of family and belonging.   Fast Facts: Frankenstein Author: Mary ShelleyPublisher: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor JonesYear Published: 1818Genre: Gothic, horror, science fictionType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Pursuit of knowledge, importance of family, nature and the sublimeCharacters: Victor Frankenstein, the creature, Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Captain Robert Walton, the De Lacey FamilyNotable Adaptions: Frankenstein (1931 Universal Studios film), Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1994 film directed by Kenneth Branagh)Fun Fact: Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein because of a horror story competition between herself and the poets Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (her husband). Plot Summary Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist whose main ambition is to uncover the source of life. He succeeds at creating life from death- a creature in the semblance of a man- but is horrified by the result. The creature is hideous and deformed. Frankenstein runs away, and when he returns, the creature has fled. Time passes, and Frankenstein learns that his brother, William, has been killed. He escapes to the wilderness to mourn, and the creature seeks him out to tell his story. The creature explains that after his creation, his appearance caused everyone he encountered to either hurt him or run away from him. Alone and desperate, he settled by the cottage of a family of impoverished peasants. He tried to befriend them, but they fled from his presence, and he killed William out of rage from neglect. He asks Frankenstein to create a female companion for him so that he may not be alone. Frankenstein agrees, but doesnt keep his promise, as he believes the experiment is immoral and disastrous experiment. Thus, the creature vows to ruin Frankenstein’s life and proceeds to kill all whom Frankenstein holds dear. The monster strangles Frankenstein’s wife Elizabeth on their wedding night. Frankenstein then resolves to destroy the creature once and for all. He follows him north, chasing him to the North Pole, where he crosses paths with Captain Walton and reveals his entire story. In the end, Frankenstein dies, and the creature vows to travel as far north as possible to end his own tragic life. Major Characters Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist of the novel. He is an ambitious scientist obsessed with the search for scientific truth. The consequences of his discovery leads to a life of ruin and loss. The creature is the unnamed monster Frankenstein creates. Despite his gentle and compassionate demeanor, he is rejected by society because of his grotesque appearance. He grows cold-hearted and violent as a result. Captain Robert Walton is the narrator who opens and closes the novel. A failed poet turned captain, he is on an expedition to the North Pole. He listens to Frankensteins tale and mirrors the reader as the receptor of the novels warnings. Elizabeth Lavenza is Frankensteins adopted cousin and eventual wife. She is an orphan, yet she finds love and acceptance easily because of her beauty and nobility- a direct contrast to the creatures failed attempts to find a sense of belonging. Henry Clerval is Frankensteins best friend and foil. He loves to study the humanities and is concerned with morality and chivalry. He is ultimately strangled to death by the monster. The De Lacey Family lives in a cottage close to the creature. They are peasants who have fallen on hard times, but the creature idolizes them and their gentle ways. The De Laceys serve as a prime example of familial support in the novel. Major Themes Pursuit of Knowledge. Shelley examines the anxieties surrounding technological and scientific advancement through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Frankensteins discovery and its disastrous consequences suggest that the singleminded pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous path. Importance of Family. The creature is shunned by everyone he encounters. Lacking familial acceptance and belonging, his relatively peaceful nature shifts to malice and hatred. In addition, the ambitious Frankenstein alienates himself from family and friends in order to focus on his work; later, several of his loved ones die at the hands of the creature, a direct result of Frankensteins ambition. By contrast, Shelleys depiction of the De Lacey family shows the reader the benefits of unconditional love. Nature and the Sublime. Shelley evokes images of natural landscapes in order to put human trials into perspective. In the novel, nature stands in opposition to humankinds struggles. Despite scientific breakthroughs, nature remains unknowable and all-powerful. Nature is the ultimate force that kills Frankenstein and the creature, and it is too dangerous a force for Captain Walton to conquer on his expedition. Literary Style Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the horror genre. The novel features Gothic imagery and is heavily informed by Romanticism. There are countless poetic passages on the power and beauty of natural landscapes, and the language often refers to questions of purpose, meaning, and truth. About the Author Born in 1797, Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley was 21 when Frankenstein was published. With Frankenstein, Shelley set the precedent for monster novels and created an early example of the science fiction genre that remains influential to this day.