Executive Compensation and WorldCom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Executive Compensation and WorldCom - Essay Example His strategy, however, failed, and the company’s expenses increased as a percentage of total revenue occasioned by a drop in growth of earning. By falsifying WorldCom’s accounting numbers, he hid the operating expenses and instead presented them as long-term capital investments, effectively but falsely showing increased assets. However, concerns arose when AT&T, the then leading telecommunication company, was posting loses yet WorldCom was seemed to be thriving, which led to internal audits that, in turn, led to revelations that accounting standards had not been followed. Eventually, the company filed for bankruptcy. Feeling unsatisfied with the low profit margins the telecommunication was comfortable with in the 1990s, CEO Bernard Ebbers of WorldCom, which was the second most successful telecommunication company then, acquired more than 60 small telecommunication companies between 1995 and 2000. After venturing into the internet and data business, by 2000 WorldCom was handling not only half of the internet traffic in the United States, but also half of the world’s total emails. In 2001, it owned a third of the United States’ data cables. From this description, WorldCom was by all accounts a telecommunication giant, only second to AT&T as a long-distance carrier. However, as has been the tradition with executive compensation and remuneration for many years, executives also earn more when the companies perform better (Neokleous, 2013). Bernard Ebbers, therefore, not only made profit for WorldCom’s shareholders and owners, his personal wealth was also growing. Yet, when the in dustry started experiencing business declines, the company was also affected and the price of its stocks dropped, reducing profits. Ebbers used unscrupulous means to show that the company was indeed making profits and, as a direct consequence, ensure his executive compensation (Jeter, 2003). This paper will

Applied Case Study report for Transnational Geographies Essay

Applied Case Study report for Transnational Geographies - Essay Example According to recent estimates 77.9 million Asians reside in different parts of the world and 215,764,000 people migrated to different parts of the globe in the year 2010 (MPI data, 2012). The figures illustrate the significance of transnational migration and provide the base for numerous research studies. Migration Information Source (MIS) is an integral part of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) that caters to the compilation and assimilation of data collected from different global organizations, government bodies and agencies on migratory trends and statistics. The data collected by the MIS is structured and collated to provide analytical evidence of transnational migration trends. The online information resource forms a vital source for information and data on migration movements enabling analysts to provide different perspectives on people movement for improved understanding of migration. The reports, data and statistics are accessible to journalists, policymakers, researchers and academicians online (MIS website, 2012). Research context – background and overview Global migration has been one of the important aspects driving the economic growth and development of any region. While migration in the ancient times was limited to trade and settlement purposes, the modern era defined new grounds for migration and the number of people migrating from one country to another continues to increase (Hamilton and Grieco, 2002). Migration of people from one region to another had immense social, cultural and economic implications. Researchers, academicians and policy makers realized the need to have instant access to migration data for analyzing social development, cultural impacts, and economic growth factors. However, there were very few reliable sources of information available on people migration from one country to another earlier. The need for an easily accessible and reliable source of data in this context was realized. The MIS was conceived as a part of the MPI, that forms a non-profit organization based in Washington. The goal of the MPI was to â€Å"deliver sound and accurate data and analysis on migration trends and refugees† (Hamilton and Grieco, 2002, p3). The online information service was thus conceptualized in the early 2000s to facilitate data collection and analysis of international migration. Numerous research studies on transnational geographies have focused on analyzing migration trends and its influence on social, cultural and economic development of any region. A research article by Radcliffe, Silvey, and Olson (2006) explored the political dimensions of transnational migration and its linkages to religious beliefs, cultural practices and economic development within a region. The paper explores the different perspectives and conclusive evidences offered by numerous research studies in this context. Another research study by Silvey (2004) seeks to explain the role of States of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in shap ing migratory trends of women between the two countries. A more recent study by Blunt (2007) focused on the inter-linkages existing between the cultural environment of a region and transnational mobility. Faist (2008) in his works on migration and transnational development reflects on â€Å"how national states structure the transnational spaces in which non-state actors are engaged in cross-border

Film journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film journal - Essay Example The experience comes over a period, and it is born out of creative and the technical expertise, and above all the love for the job of film production with the ability to choose the right talent. For a film to be able to realize itself, the producer will have the responsibility of assessing the film to ensure it is to the expected level. He will tend to the film from the time of conception to the time it will be completed. The producer will serve as the organizer of the film, and he will provide a good environment so that the entire team that is involved in the production of the film can flourish for the good of the film. Most films made in Hollywood the producers are the decision makers during studio system. This is because they supervise a variety of films at the same time, controlling the stories, the budgets and the overall production taking care of each aspect of the production on a whole, thereby being responsible for the fate of the entire films. Producers are responsible for t he development of ideas, and once they are attached to the idea, they put around the right team and go ahead to supervise the entire functioning. For instance, Irving Thalberg, who was once famously involved in over a hundred productions. David O. Selznick, the producer of ‘Rebecca’ was instrumental in bringing Alfred Hitchcock to Hollywood to direct the film because of Hitchcock’s expertise with thriller-suspense cinema. Hitchcock took charge of the film and was so good with his work that Selznick famously said that the only director he can ever trust a film with was Hitchcock. The producer, in some instances such as the one mentioned above, might have a situation that is fragmented. The producer, in such a situation, will have many associates with him so that they may help him with his tasks. In other instances, he may not be the sole producer of the film and instead have many producers with him, and each of them will be performing different roles for the produ ction. One of the producers will be in charge of the business activities while the other can handle creative responsibilities in the production of the film. One of the producers, on the other hand, can be a major investor and, therefore, may not be directly involved in the production of the film. A co-producer may buy the script or the film’s star to the production, on the other hand. Martin Scorsese’s film of ‘The Aviator’ had four producers – Michael Mann, Graham King, Sandy Climan, and Charles Evans Jr. - sharing the responsibilities. A producer is, therefore, responsible for providing the final film to the audience. He, therefore, enjoys the entire responsibility of the film. In several occasions, a writer, star of a film, or a director will produce his own film for having a full artistic control of the film. The most spectacular and perilous example being of Francis Ford Coppola who was the co-writer, producer and director of his most famous fi lm ‘Apocalypse now’. Producing children films have a different experience because the producer usually chooses to be attached to a specific project together with his team. Most of the children films have limited resources, and it is the responsibility of the producer to make the film possible. The producer will work together with his people, together with the director of the film and try to achieve the specific goal

Movie review on Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Essay Example for Free

Movie review on Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Essay Though the movie can be considered to be masterful and superior as far as the visual and technical factors are concerned, the Kingdom of Heaven (2005) becomes a less outstanding epic film since there is a great alteration on the focus of the central theme of the story. Screenwriter William Monahan writes well about the story but Ridley Scott seems to become more interested in searching and probing the evils of religion rather than making a medieval epic. The fighting scenes are even mechanical. Leading actor Orlando Bloom, furthermore, though he has fine screen presence, inadequately assumes his role since his performance was monochromatic and subdued compared to the other leading actors of the different epic films. Aside from his not totally outstanding performance, Bloom seems to sound like the character in the Lord of the Rings. It seems that the dialogues of the main character are just stolen or adopted from the other movie (The Internet Movie Database 2010). Nevertheless, the movie is not a total frustration to the audience since the movie has undeniably almost perfect visual and technical factors. The portrayal of the medieval France and the city of Jerusalem was considered to be a brilliant technical accomplishment. Other characters such as Balian’s father (Liam Neeson), Tiberias (Jeremy Irons) and the king (Edward Norton) were successful in assuming their roles. They indeed portrayed an authentic characterization for a medieval knight. In total, the movie is worth watching if and only if it entails originality, focus on the theme, and some polishing on the characterizations of the characters. References The Internet Movie Database (2010). Kingdom of Heaven. Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0320661/plotsummary.

Understanding The Road To A Liberal Democracy Politics Essay

Understanding The Road To A Liberal Democracy Politics Essay There were fundamental changes in the world of politics in 1989 and 1990 with the collapse of evil empires that had ruled since the end of the Second World War. The hegemony of the Soviet Union came to an end in Eastern Europe and at the same time the apartheid regime of the Afrikaner National Party in South Africa began a process of democratization. In 1990, Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress (ANC), was released after being imprisoned for 27 years and South Africas first non-racial democratic elections were held four years later. The ANC later went on to gain the votes of the majority that led to the formation of an interim government of national unity under Nelson Mandelas presidency in 1994. It seemed like a miracle but unlike miracles, political processes are susceptible to analysis. Firstly, this paper aims to describe South Africas passage from a racial oligarchy to a multi racial democracy. This segment provides a brief narrative regarding the historical context of African democratization. Secondly, the paper will analyze the various political factors involved in the democratization process and how they fit into the theoretical framework of Huntingtons typology of democratic transition. This section will also focus on the prevalent conditions within South Africa in order to determine what triggered the transition process. Through this, the paper will seek to answer the question of how and why democracy emerged. Finally, the paper will analyze the consolidation process of South Africa by looking at the prevalent state of her democracy. In order to accurately ascertain the level of democracy and hence, gauge whether South Africa has undergone a consolidation process, various aspects of the democracy have been described. South Africas Journey to Democracy Three transitions occurred in South Africa since the mid 1970s: transitions through transformation, after regime breakdown and through replacement respectively.  [1]   Transition through Transformation Huntington defined transformation as a process wherein the government in the authoritarian regime took the lead in ending that regime and changing it into a democratic system  [2]  . Backward legitimacy is defined as attempts of democratizing governments to legitimize a preexisting authoritarian order by insisting that the latter give birth to a new order.  [3]   In South Africa, the existing government insisted in procedural continuity and at the same time promoted backward legitimacy. Both P.W. Botha and Gorbachev introduced new rules and laws that granted more rights and freedom to the Blacks. They included legalizing black trade unions, permitting blacks to acquire freehold title, providing for electing Black township councils and creating houses of parliament for the colored and Asians but not for the Blacks  [4]  . However, these new rules and laws were not meant to fundamentally change the political system in the country but mainly to bolster the existing political system so as to make it more acceptable to all societies. Bothas reformed government attempted to neutralize standpatter opposition by weakening and reassuring them.  [5]   Transition after Regime Breakdown The ANC in exile held the assumption that the breakdown of the apartheid regime would eventually lead to the black rule. They were wrong. According to the ideology that the ANC held, South Africa was representing colonialism of a special type. Therefore, they felt that the ending of oppression would come in the form of decolonization. Despite a series of talks between the De Klerk government and the ANC, the latter continued to contend that negotiations and revolutionary transformations were not incompatible. There was a comprehensive breakdown of the authoritarian regime in the transitions of Greece, Romania and Argentina due to the disaffection of a part of the military. The military junta did not hold a major social base in the society. The situation in South Africa was different because the military remained loyal to the government; there were no defections to the ANC and the government rested on the social base of the white community. The white did not support the ANC. As of 1993, white support still remained below 5 percent  [6]  . Transition as Transplacement Huntington defines the transplacement process as a transition negotiated between the reformers within the government and the moderates of the opposition. In such a process, there is a balance of power between the opposition and the government. Dominant groups on both sides realize that they are equally incapable of determining the nature of the future political system alone and hence must co-operate with each other to achieve smooth transfer of power. In the transition process within South Africa, this can be seen in the various negotiations that took place within the government and the ANC between 1980 and 1994. Most of the negotiations in the first 3 years after the legalization of the ANC were focused on the cessation of the armed struggle, neutrality of the security forces and controlling of the escalating violence in the townships. For example, in a negotiation between the ANC and the government, it was agreed that white and other minorities had to articulate their values and interest through an alliance or a party. The ANC and other parties also entered constitutional negotiations in 1991 and finally accepted the principle of a government national unity. The ANC accepted constitutional continuity, proportional representation and the idea that a future constituent assembly would not have complete freedom to draw up a constitution but rather adhere to broad principles negotiated beforehand. There were 3 stages in the negotiating phase of transition to liberal democracy in South Africa.  [7]  In the first stage, both the government and the ANC were forced to the negotiating table by economic and international factors, which will be discussed in-depth later. However, both sides were reluctant to fully accept the need to compromise on the means of negotiation, whether to choose a multi-party conference or constituent assembly, or the model of democracy to be pursued. The NP believed that negotiations could control the pace and limit the scope of democratization because the balance of power was still on its side. The ANC, on the other hand, was keen on ending the white rule by relinquishing the power that the government had without making concessions in return. The state of the economy deteriorated and the level of violence within the country escalated, especially among the blacks. The lack of legitimacy of the police force and the easy availability of firearms resulted in high level of criminal violence within the country. Protagonists on all sides manipulated the force both legally and illegally so as to impede or influence the outcome of negotiations  [8]  . Discussions on the terms for negotiation were broken off because ANC felt that de Klerk had failed to control anti-ANC violence. It was necessary to reduce the level of violence in the country for talks to begin again. This was done by including other interest groups, particularly the Inkatha Freedom Party that was responsible for most of the attacks, in the negotiation process. The second stage of negotiations, the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) showed how far South Africa was from the ideal of a transition pact by à ©lites. The ANC withdrew from the negotiations due to the influence of the institutions of apartheid, causing the CODESA to collapse in mid 1992. Both the NP and the Inkatha wanted substantial agreement over a constitution before a constituent assembly was elected and a protracted transition of at least ten years. The ANC, however, wanted a constituent assembly and freedom to write the constitution. It was fearful of being locked in the interim government for indefinite duration where their decisions to improve the country would be hindered to a large extent. In the final stage of negotiations, the Multi-Party Negotiating Forum appeared to conform more closely to the idea of a pact between the old and the new elites. There was a lack of progress by negotiators and the ANC adopted a policy of rolling mass action, which pushed the leadership into a more military stance. The level of violence in the country escalated and the state of the economy worsened. As a result of the incident, the NPs support among all prospective voters in the republic fell from 25 percent in July 1992 to 14 percent in April 1993  [9]  .The ANC made gains by forcing the relegation of Inkatha to the position of a minor player. Both the ANC and the NP were convinced that it was necessary to reach a bilateral agreement due to the internal conditions of the country. This agreement could be used as a framework to constrain the disruptive potential of the Inkatha Freedom Party. On 5 March 1993, a new Multi-Party Negotiating Forum began its deliberation. There was a power-sharing system in which all parties receiving more than 5 percent of the votes would be given seats in cabinet in proportion to their strength and there was a substantial devolution of power to the provinces. Also, it was decided that elections would be held for a constituent assembly, which would also serve as an interim government for five years. All parties were to play a role in the drafting of the constitution and the bill of rights that formulated the general constitutional principles. The government was to remain the highest authority between the adoption of the constitution and the holding of elections but they had to consult closely with an all-party authority.  [10]  The ANC were willing to promote black advancement via affirmative action and restitution of losses sustained under the apartheid at the cost of reducing the notion of nationalization. South Africas transition from an authoritarian rule to a liberal democracy was finally consummated in the April 1994 elections. The elections allowed the participation of all South Africans, regardless of background, to participate in the democratic process of choosing their own rulers. There were many challenges that hindered the democratic process in the country- voting had to be extended for several days in order to satisfy voter demand and the reliability of the election results were highly skeptical. Nevertheless, the independent Electoral Commission declared the contest substantially free and fair and an outcome that all parties came to accept and celebrate. South Africas Transition: An Analysis Having described the events that led to South Africas transition, it is now important to analyze these events in the context of political science discourse. This segment of the paper now turns to analyze some of the important conditions that led to the transition in South Africa at that time. Causes of the South African Transition International Influences Withdrawal of Superpower support from the African government South Africa needed the support of the West but the latter was only prepared to give if internal concession allowed the economy to stabilize. The collapse of Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War removed South Africas bargaining power as a surrogate for the USA in the fight against communism in South Africa and the USSR financial support for the supply of arms to the ANC. This led to the NP and the ANC coming to the negotiating table. Introduction of Political Conditions for Western Development Assistance Due to the reasons stated above, the economy kept shrinking. Hence, the government was forced to seek political accommodation with the West. By the end of the 1980, the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe deprived the ANC of its main source of political, economic and military support  [11]  . There was increasing pressure to negotiate the limitations of the strategies of armed struggle and mass insurrection and the success of town level negotiations within the country itself due to pressure by Soviet Union and neighboring African states. Diffusion of mass pro-democracy protests The Second World War led to the development of new classes due to changes in the economic structure of the country. There was strong international emphasis on human rights and freedom. The Western governments indicated that political reform was a necessary condition for further assistance rendered to South Africa. Western governments gave due importance to democracies and encouraged countries to move towards greater pluralism, accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law  [12]  . Economic conditions Perhaps some of the more important factors leading to democratization emerged as foreign sanctions played an integral role in influencing the economic pressures. South Africa was not able to provide a safe environment for local businesses to invest in and for the country to enjoy economic growth despite having enough investment capital. The gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa declined from 5.7 percent from 1960 to 1.5 percent in 1980  [13]  . At the same time, South Africa was experiencing a budget deficit in the balance of payment as the government consumer spending rose sharply from 15 percent to 21 percent in 1991 so as to increase the employment level in the country. Private investment and the employment rate among the Blacks fell. The number of new jobs created decreased substantially from 448000 in the 1960s to 28000 in the 1980s  [14]  . This resulted in a wave of strikes across the country as existing black unions strengthened and encouraged the formation of others who wanted to end the apartheid in the 1980s.The government had to increasingly borrow money from other countries to cope with the administrative demands of the fast growing Black population and to mollify the white population who worked for the public sector causing the country to experience drastic budget deficits. The disinvestment sanction played a role in ensuring that no apartheid government could roll back sanctions in the industrialized world as state in the U.S. Congress adoption in 1986 of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. But countries refused to provide sanctions to South Africa unless she democratized. International pressure was brought on both the NP and the ANC and a UN mission headed by former US Secretary of Stae Cyrus Vance, was dispatched to South Africa to make it clear that the economic position of the country will not improve unless an agreement has been reached  [15]  . Combined, these factors meant that that there were few options for the parties involved other than to engage in the final transplacement that took place. Has democracy in South Africa been consolidated? Democratic consolidation goes beyond the mere survival of democratic institutions; it requires that participants hold themselves accountable to the rules of democracy, eschewing patronage and corruption  [16]  . This segment will now turn to assessing the quality of democracy in South Africa presently by utilizing Diamonds checklist of democratic quality to correctly conclude if democratic consolidation is possible in the future. The higher the quality of democracy, the more stable the democratic institutions and the likelier consolidation will take place  [17]  . Quality democracy is defined as one which satisfies citizen expectations regarding governance (quality of results); allows citizens, associations, and communities to enjoy extensive liberty and political equality (quality of content); and provide a context in which the whole citizenry can judge the governments performance through mechanisms such as elections, while governmental institutions and officials hold one another legally and constitutionally accountable as well (procedural quality)  [18]  . The state of democracy in South Africa will be assessed based on the following variables: Accountability Accountability is defined by the obligations of elected political leaders to answer for their political decisions when asked by votes and constitutional bodies. Horizontal accountability goes between different branches of the government while vertical accountability goes from leaders to citizens. Vertical accountability is the obligation of elected political leaders to answer for their political decisions when asked by voters or constitutional bodies  [19]  . In this aspect, South Africa seems to score rather low despite constitutional bodies monitoring each others actions and citizens being able to exercise their rights to remove leaders from powers through elections. South Africa was ranked 55 out of 180 countries surveyed in Transparency Internationals 2009 Corruption Perception Index. For example, 920 government officials were charged with corruption linked with housing fraud in November 2009 by the Human Settlement Department  [20]  . There have also been corruption charges against the current president Jacob Zuma. Competition In a democracy, there must be free, regular and fair elections held. An indicator of quality democracy is the additional attribute of competitiveness: the ease at which incumbents can be defeated and the equality of different political parties in access to mass media and campaign funding  [21]  . Since 1994, there have only been 4 elections held in South Africa. The ruling party, ANC, has dominated electoral politics and has been winning supermajorities in every democratic election. However, parties such as the Congress of People (COPE), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) are increasingly gaining support from traditional voters. The electoral process is generally fair but the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation has been accused of being pro-ANC  [22]  . Equality Legal and political equality is essential in a democracy. Active prohibitions against unfairness must check all efforts to discriminate invidiously on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, political orientation, or other extraneous conditions  [23]  . All South Africans enjoy legal equality and political rights under the constitution. However racial imbalance still persists in workplace and majority of the countrys business assets are still white owned. Equal rights for women are guaranteed by the constitution and promoted by the Commission on Gender Equality. Despite a robust legal framework, South Africa still has one of the worlds highest rates on sexual abuse  [24]  . Wage discrimination prevails in the workplace and women are not well represented in the top management positions. As of 2010, women hold 45 percent of seats in the National Assembly and lead 5 out of 9 provincial governments. Also, the premier of Western Cape Province and the main leader of the DA party is lead by Helen Zille  [25]  . Freedom There are basically 3 types of rights: political, civil and social  [26]  . In South Africa, in addition to the political rights already mentioned, the constitution caters for the freedom of religion, academic freedom, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, the press, speech and expression. The Freedom House rated South Africa as free with a political right and civil liberties score of 2. However, according to Amnesty International, problems have emerged with allegations of police torture and excessive force during arrest, interrogation and detention  [27]  . Participation Democratic Quality is regarded highly when there is extensive participation in voting, political parties, and the civil society and in the discussion and monitoring of public officials and policy. All rights necessary for political participation including those deemed necessary by Dahl have been enshrined in the constitution of South Africa. In terms of the civil society, more than 6000 groups have been formed in South Africa, many of them mostly non-governmental organizations. Voter participation has increased to 77% in the 2009 elections up from 75% in 2004. Rule of Law Everyone is equal before the law, which is fairly and consistently applied to all by an independent judiciary. The laws need to be clear, known to all, universal, stable and no retroactive. Also, laws are democratic when the legal system defends civil and political rights and procedures as well as reinforces the authority of other agencies of horizontal accountability that ensure the legality and propriety of official actions  [28]  . The system of justice in South Africa generally conforms to all of the above requirements concerning the rule of law. Judicial independence is guaranteed by the constitution and the courts operate with substantial autonomy. In South Africa, there are barriers to the assessment of justice system, poor court management and the lack of efficiency, thus affecting the delivery of justice. Also, there is a question of representation of all sectors of the society. Many people feel that the justice system within the country still reflects South African colonial and apartheid legacy. Tension will exist between the judicial and the executive and legislative branches in South Africa, as a result of the problems created by legacies of apartheid. Responsiveness Responsiveness is partly related to the aspect of accountability. A responsive democratic government is defined as one that has been induced to make and implement policies that the citizens want  [29]  . In South Africa, the infancy of democratic institutions seems to have led to the government being less than optimally responsive., The people were especially unhappy with council performance at integrating citizens into the agenda-setting and decision- making processes of local self-government. Only about one third feels that these leaders listen regularly to what their constituents have to say. The others either listen occasionally or dont bother at all. However, local councilors are seen as more responsive than leaders elected to national political office  [30]  . Conclusion There are many areas within the South African government that still lack reform. Further consolidation is required for this new fledgling democracy is necessary. Threats to consolidation and room for improvement of the quality of democracy still remain. Nonetheless, democracy seems to be commonly accepted by the Whites and Blacks in South Africa after democratization indicating perhaps that democratic institutions are here to stay and democratic consolidation is possible in the future years.

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom. Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom.

Being a High School Student Essay

A belief that I have come to hold after starting high school is that private schools fall short of the most important benefits that public schools have to offer. I have learned this through my own personal experience of going to a catholic grammar school for nine years, and then transitioning to the public high school that I currently attend. Of course, the main purpose of going to school is to gain a good education that will help you be successful in the future. This belief I do hold true; both private and public schools grant this opportunity. see more:research about tardiness But public schools and private schools each grant an entirely different social experience, and the social experience, in my opinion, is much more valuable than the academic experience. Along with gaining an education, part of being successful in life is learning how to interact and form relationships with people who are different from you. In grammar school, the majority of the people I met were white, Catholic, and of the same learning ability. Every day at school, students were expected to wear uniform clothes, uniform hair styles, and learn at a uniform pace. There were no accommodations for people with slower learning paces; everyone was expected to keep up. Growing up, this is how I expected all schools were like. For nine years I was almost blinded to the fact that people of different religion and learning pace, even physical appearance, even existed in the real world. But the fact is there are more types of people than Catholics and quick learners. For this reason, I decided to branch out and try something new by attending a public high school. My freshman year of high school was an amazing eye-opener for me. I met a greater variety of people in a single classroom at high school than I did in my entire grammar school career. I have met people with long hair, short hair, black hair, and purple hair. I have met people with different religions, and others with no religion at all. I have met people who are two years ahead of everyone else, and others who are two years behind. There are jocks, musicians, bookworms, and others with interests outside the school, but no one is judged for that; people can be whoever they want to be. I admit, all this freedom of expression was overwhelming to me, but at the same time, it was refreshing. Meeting so many different students, and also teachers, with so many different interests made me that much more interested in meeting more people. This experience made me realize how valuable the social aspect of a public high school really is. In the future, when I go to college and begin my career, I will be meeting and working with people who have different backgrounds than my own. For this reason, I will never regret the decision I have made in attending a public high school. I have heard adults tell me that high school is going to be the best four years of my life. So far, they are right. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience a public high school. I cherish every experience and relationship that I have made in my first three years of high school so far. Of course, as I move on with my life, I will value the education that high school has granted me. But it is the relationships that I have made with students and teachers that I will take with me as I graduate high school and move on to college.