Curriculum Foundations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Curriculum Foundations - Research Paper Example The first part is to cover all the important events up to the end of the civil war while the second part to proceed with all the reconstructions through to the present. It aims and overcoming all the shortcomings of the old curriculum and ensure that students can effectively, understand and appreciate our heritage and the manner the country evolved. In this way, they will gain a better understanding of the current problems we face and develop a good strategy on how we should move to make the most desirable changes. This will be targeting all the elementary schools, the junior high schools and the high schools of Mesa Unified School District, Arizona. Firstly, the new curriculum aims at aligning with the standards set by the state, which is one of the major requirements since the curriculum must be compatible with the guidelines set by both the state and the federal government. Each instructor will be capable of measuring the standards of their lessons to ensure that the students get the right content effectively. Secondly, the curriculum aims at providing a detailed explanation of the significance of one historical occasion relative to the other events. This is to enlighten them to understand how one event contributed and shaped the occurrence of the other. Thirdly, it also intends to impart the required critical as well as creative thinking abilities as the students move to college to critically anslyse the events and make meaningful judgements. Lastly, the curriculum aims at ensuring that students can clearly understand how the past events shaped our present status and make excellent plans for our future. Although it is the oldest approach of all the existing approaches to curiculum development, the behavioral approach is the most relevant one to employ. The approach, according to Ornstein and Hunkins (2009) will pave the way for the specification of the goals as well as the objectives of the curriculum that we clearly, understand. The approach also

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal - Essay Example First New Deal The First New Deal started functioning during 1933 and ended during 1935, during this period, various reforms were made to strengthen the institutions of US. These reforms include the AAA or Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, this act was passed with the aim of insuring minimum wages for the farmers. According to this Act, farmers were paid in order to produce less so prices of agricultural produce could increase. Another reform made during the period of 1933 was the NIRA or National Industrial Recovery Act, this act was proposed and accepted in three different parts. Under this act, PWA or Public Works Administration was created for the management of government projects. The administration hired huge number of people while spending a total of $7 billion on development of projects. The Administration even created various labour procedures for working hours, competition, banning of child labour and wages. Individuals hired by this administration were paid a minimum wa ge of $1.25/hour and they were permitted to work for eight hours per week. Another adjustment made under this act was related to membership of trade unions. This act allowed trade unions to participate in business matters and these unions were legally allowed to bargain on behalf of the employees. The president even passed the Emergency Banking Act due to which banks reopened and money and gold being saved by the public were deposited back to the banks. According to this act only the best banks of US were allowed to start functioning again, and that too under the supervision of the government and these banks were lend money under compulsory situations. Banks that were smaller in size experienced shutdown and merger with banks that were larger in size, depositor’s money was returned on the basis of 85 cents for each $1 deposited by the customers. Later Glass-Steagall Act was passed by the president; the purpose of this act was to restrict the participation of commercial banks in securities firms. The president even created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, though this corporation, deposits that were higher than the amount of $2500 were insured, and this move was made to decrease the risk of deposit getting out of banks. Second New Deal The second New Deal refers to the next 100 days of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, during this period; he passed various acts and created various programs for correcting the relationship between the government and the public and to further strengthen existing institutions. One of the greatest acts passed by the president was the Social Security Act, under this act under which benefits were forwarded to those who were retired and to the children of those families that that existed without a father. The pensions and the benefits forwarded to the people under this act were to be financed by the taxes paid by the citizens of US. The president even created the Works Progress Administration which helped in prov iding employment to over 8.5 million individuals who worked on the development of government projects such as roads, highways, public offices, irrigation system and playgrounds. These projects not only helped in decreasing unemployment in US, these projects even helped in building the infrastructure of US

Real Estate Development, Construction, Economy Thesis

Real Estate Development, Construction, Economy - Thesis Example The correlation of real estate, construction and economy is so big that a downfall in the industry can jeopardize the whole economy for years. Japan has faced it in the eighties and economies of USA, Britain and many other are facing today. The real estate and construction sectors combined had of late been a booming business all over the world and make up one of the largest business segments in the U.S. economy. Real estate development takes place in three major areas: Residential, Commercial and industrial. In residential segment consumers are encouraged to buy houses on account of low interest rates prevailing in the market, Sub-prime lending, lower return from other segments or stock market investment. Home owners are interested in remodeling old houses that is also part of construction industry real estate According to 'The Economist' the total asset in residential property in developed economies was worth $48 trillion and in commercial property worth $14 trillion in 2002. This was 54% of the total assets in two classes of assets, Property and financial.1.(Wikipedia) From the sources of Bank of International Settlement and wall Street journal it has been found that over three years from 2001-2004 housing values have moved up 63% in Spain, 48% in France, and nearly doubled in South Africa. In single year in 2004 prices have rises 48% in Bulgaria, 19% in Hong Kong and scaled up in China, UK, Australia and India. 2. (Global Real Estate Boom) Real estate prices had unprecedented rise for so long and so fast in many countries of the world-America, Britain, Australia, France Spain, and China. Rising property prices helped to prop up the world economy after the stock market bubble burst in 2000" According to estimates by The Economist, over the last five years the total value of residential property in developed economies has gone up by more than $30 trillion. Over the past five years, to over $70 trillion. This is an increase of about 100% of the combined GDP of those countries. This dwarfs any previous house-price boom. It is larger than the global stock market bubble in the late 1990s or America's stock market Real Estate Dev..3 bubble in the late 1920s (55% of GDP). It is perhaps going to be the biggest bubble in history. There is a definite comparison between the real estate bubble of Japan in 1989 and that of 2005 in USA/UK Real Estate bubbles are created from time to time in some countries at certain intervals though it is not fixed and not forecast able. It occurred in 1920, 1980 and again they are threatening to raise heads in 2007-08 in USA, UK China and some more countries. This time the house prices have been rising up for long. More than 25% of homes bought in USA and UK are for investment purpose not for owner occupation showing that the investment in housing is for speculative motive. Majority of first time buyers did not make any down payment for the loan sanctioned. The home prices in most of countries have gone

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal - Essay Example First New Deal The First New Deal started functioning during 1933 and ended during 1935, during this period, various reforms were made to strengthen the institutions of US. These reforms include the AAA or Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, this act was passed with the aim of insuring minimum wages for the farmers. According to this Act, farmers were paid in order to produce less so prices of agricultural produce could increase. Another reform made during the period of 1933 was the NIRA or National Industrial Recovery Act, this act was proposed and accepted in three different parts. Under this act, PWA or Public Works Administration was created for the management of government projects. The administration hired huge number of people while spending a total of $7 billion on development of projects. The Administration even created various labour procedures for working hours, competition, banning of child labour and wages. Individuals hired by this administration were paid a minimum wa ge of $1.25/hour and they were permitted to work for eight hours per week. Another adjustment made under this act was related to membership of trade unions. This act allowed trade unions to participate in business matters and these unions were legally allowed to bargain on behalf of the employees. The president even passed the Emergency Banking Act due to which banks reopened and money and gold being saved by the public were deposited back to the banks. According to this act only the best banks of US were allowed to start functioning again, and that too under the supervision of the government and these banks were lend money under compulsory situations. Banks that were smaller in size experienced shutdown and merger with banks that were larger in size, depositor’s money was returned on the basis of 85 cents for each $1 deposited by the customers. Later Glass-Steagall Act was passed by the president; the purpose of this act was to restrict the participation of commercial banks in securities firms. The president even created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, though this corporation, deposits that were higher than the amount of $2500 were insured, and this move was made to decrease the risk of deposit getting out of banks. Second New Deal The second New Deal refers to the next 100 days of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, during this period; he passed various acts and created various programs for correcting the relationship between the government and the public and to further strengthen existing institutions. One of the greatest acts passed by the president was the Social Security Act, under this act under which benefits were forwarded to those who were retired and to the children of those families that that existed without a father. The pensions and the benefits forwarded to the people under this act were to be financed by the taxes paid by the citizens of US. The president even created the Works Progress Administration which helped in prov iding employment to over 8.5 million individuals who worked on the development of government projects such as roads, highways, public offices, irrigation system and playgrounds. These projects not only helped in decreasing unemployment in US, these projects even helped in building the infrastructure of US

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay Example for Free

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay The mythical legends surrounding the Goddesses of the Middle East date back to around 2500 B. C and form a part of some of the earliest recorded literature about ancient civilizations. These legends centre around the Divine Entities worshipped and revered in various sub regions in what was once known as the Ancient Near East but today is known as the Middle East. Though the religious beliefs in these regions were distinctive and each Civilization followed their own Gods and Goddesses most of these divine entities reacted to human conditions and were a product of the cultures that created them. As these cultures evolved over time, so did the Gods and Goddesses who protected and created them. Some of the prominent religions and civilizations who’s Divine Entities were revered and worshipped in the region known as the Ancient Near East includes: (Gordon 1965) †¢ Assyro-Babylonian religion followed in most of Mesopotamia include Sumer, Assyria, Akkad †¢ Ancient Egyptian religion followed in Ancient Egypt †¢ Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region including Canaan, Ugarit, Ebla, Mitanni †¢ Hittite, and Hurrian Religions originating in Anatolia and followed by the Hittite Empire including Assuwa, Arzawa †¢ Minoan religion followed by the Minoan civilization including Cyprus and Crete among others. The goddess in early classical mythology has traditionally played the role of a creator. She is believed to have existed before everything and has been credited with creating both heaven and earth as well as giving birth to both other gods and subsequently to human beings. In nearly all early civilizations the Goddess symbolized noble and basic concepts such as birth, death, honour, and justice. She was revered for her divine beauty and also for protecting her husband and children. While the male gods were relegated the duties of guarding the underworld, it was the goddesses who were given the responsibilities of providing comfort and standing guard over the dead until they were given a funeral and send to the underworld. Most of the civilizations depicted above sprung up around great rivers in the Middle east including, the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Ganges. The presence of these rivers nourished a rich agricultural landscape and provided sustenance to agricultural gave civilizations which were predominantly matriarchal societies. (Sasson 1995) These civilizations were heavily influenced by both the blessings and ravages of nature. The rivers that they depended upon for sustenance would both give them abundant crops and wreck immense havoc and destruction in the form of devastating floods. People in these civilizations believed that there was a link between their lives and the pattern of birth –maturity death and re-birth that they observed in the plants and animals around them. The religious beliefs of most of these civilizations compelled them to worship or hold sacred what they thought provided them life and sustenance and also protected them from ravages and destruction the importance of goddesses in the myths and religious beliefs of these civilizations reflected this. The myths and legendary tales of powerful beautiful goddesses who had magical powers and controlled the various forces of nature helped t the people of these ancient civilizations understand the mysteries that pervaded their existence, birth, death, seasons, floods, harvests and drought all made so much more sense when they believed that there was a Supreme or Divine Deity who controlled it all and who they could appease through worship and prayer. In most of these matriarchal societies, this supreme deity was the Great Mother Goddess, who personified all the blessings and peculiarities of Mother Earth. Though there are countless Goddesses who were revered and worshiped in the ancient civilizations of the Middle East the most popular and common ones who were personified in the role of being creators, sustainers and the universal source of nourishment include(Christ 1998) Asherah –This is one of the names of the Sacred Goddess worshiped by the ancient Semitic Civilizations. Other names of this Great Goddess include Goddess of the Tree of Life, Goddess of the Grove. Wet-nurse of the gods. among many others This Goddess worshiped widely in Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region was symbolized by a multi branched tree and considered the very force of life that could be found in flocks of cattle and among groves of trees. This Goddess was often worshipped before childbirth and at planting time to grant sustenance. In popular mythology Asherah sometimes appears as curly-haired Goddess riding a sacred lion often holding lilies. Ishtar: Another very famous and popular Babylonian Goddess often known as Light of the World. Righteous judge, Forgiver of Sins and the Framer of all decrees are also few of her other roles and names that she was worshipped by. This Great Goddess is often depicted in breast-offering pose and is also known as the Mother of the fruitful breast. Inanna – was a very powerful Sumerian Goddess who was believed to provide earth with its source of life-water. Often called the Source of the Earths life blood it was believed by the ancient civilizations that this Goddess filled the wells, rivers and springs of the land with her own blood Isis- a very popular and powerful Goddess worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians Isis is perhaps the most famous of all Ancient Middle Eastern Goddesses. Some sources claim that her name means: She of throne, while other sources imply that her name means: She of flesh. Isis’s was revered for using her powers of magic and healing to help humanity Ashnan – She was the ancient Sumerian Goddess of Grain who controlled agricultural sustenance for the civilizations that worshipped her. Belit-Ilani – Worshipped by the ancient Babylonian this Goddess was often held in esteem as the Mistress of the gods. In popular depictions she is portrayed as a woman bearing baby on her left arm and blessing a child with her left. Anath Worshipped by Canaanites, Amorites, Syrians, Egyptians, Hebrews and the Phoenicians. This Goddess symbolized the strength of Life and was the Queen of Heaven and also the Mistress of all the Gods. Anatu – She was the Great Mesopotamian Goddess, often considered the Ruler of the Earth and Queen of the Sky. Chaabou – was held in high reverence by the Semitic religion and relegated as Earth Mother responsible for sustenance and nourishment. Achamoth – Worshipped by the Early Gnostic Christians. She was the Mother Goddess, who was responsible for giving birth and was the effective creator of the material universe, Deborah – was the Sacred Goddess worshiped frequently in the Mycenae and Anatolia regions often identified with the Tree of Life. Erua – was the Babylonian Goddess often revered as the Queen of Heaven. She was responsible for controlling the birth of all creatures big and small in her land. Gula – was another popular Babylonian Great Goddess who was also known as the Fate Goddess and the Great Doctor who was believed to cure any kind of sickness or ailment . Lahmu- a famous Goddess in Akkadian mythology, who is considered to be the mother of Anshar and Kishar, who are credited to have fathered the first Gods of that great ancient civilization. Persian mythology which also plays a part of ancient Middle Eastern Mythology also held the Goddess. Rudaba† in great esteem. This Goddess gave birth to Rostam, the greatest hero in Persian mythology. Derceto –was the Babylonian Sea Goddess also known as the Goddess of Justice. Kadi –was a Babylonian Goddess believed to have the body of a Serpent and the head and breasts of a Woman. Mari –was revered as the Mother Sea, who gave birth to the gods, Shebat was worshipped as the Mesopotamian Moon Goddess responsible for bringing night after day. Tirgata – was revered as Fish Goddess of Syria who controlled the sea and all life within it As these Civilization evolved so did the role of their gods and goddesses. By 2400 B. C religious and devotional practices began to change as aggressive tribes with strong beliefs in worshipping a supreme male god began to invade the matriarchal communities whose supreme diets were Goddesses . New myths developed in which these goddesses were made evil, slain or made inferior to the patriarchal god of the conquerors. The goal in creating these myths was to defame and to dethrone the goddess from her traditional role of Creator and sustainers and to give this role to a new generation of patriarchal warrior Gods who ruled the world through valour and heroic endeavour. As a direct consequence the role of the Goddess in the Patriarchal societies underwent a change from being a loving supreme deity to a vengeful, spiteful Entity who had to be either slain or made subordinate to the male gods in order to control her powers. Many Ancient Babylonian and Mesopotamian Goddesses who were once revered as the Source of Life and Sustenance was discredited slain or made subordinate to a new patriarchal male warrior God. (Christ 1998) One example of how ancient myths of Goddesses changed in patriarchal societies is the legend of the Mesopotamian divinity Tiamat. Revered by the ancient Sumero-Babylonian civilization as a Serpent Goddess of the Watery Abyss a Mother, from whose formless body the Universe was born. She was believed to nourish all life and rule the ocean. Tiamat, in her role as Mother Goddess and Mother Earth, reflected the matriarchal civilization that created her. (Christ 1998) In a patriarchal society the role of Tiamat and the legend surrounding her changes drastically. According to these new myths The Goddess once credited with the creation of the Universe is upset when her husband Appu is slain and decides to destroy what she has created. She gives birth to a race of evil monsters to help in her quest. Together the Goddess and her army of monsters wreck chaos and havoc on all around them. There is no one who can stop Tiamat until Marduk accepts the challenge. In violent battle, Marduk manages to wedge open the mouth of the serpent goddess and fill it with winds of a horrible storm. While the serpent goddess is distracted he slains her by cutting her womb. After killing the Goddess the patriarch warrior feels glorified. He then desecrates the womb that previous mythologies and civilizations revered as the Source of All Life. The myth ends by establishing that the supreme deity is now male and that he and his cohorts of warrior Gods will now be responsible for protecting the civilization. In a patriarchal society the role of the God is relegated from giving birth and nurturing traditionally seen as motherly tasks to being the protector traditionally seen as fatherly tasks The roles of the goddesses in these societies were reduced to subservient status In the new patriarchal civilization, the myths regarding the Goddesses were recreated and often retold till they achieved credibility and became part of a new folklore designed to promote the religion of the new civilization. In this fashion countless legendary myths depicting the creative, nurturing and forgiving nature of the female goddesses were desecrated and in their place grew new myths propounding their evil deeds. In many of these myths the goddess is first discredited and then engaged in battle with the patriarch God. At the end the Patriarch God achieves victory over the Goddess and she is either slain or looses her powers. Another myth which was refashioned along these lines was that of Hathor an Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Hathor, in Ancient Egyptian mythology was revered as the goddess responsible for evoking emotions such as joy, love, dance and song. (Christ 1998) She is fabled to have provided her own nurturing milk to the living and also carried the dead to the underworld. But somewhere in mythology the Hathor who is revered for her very instincts of Love and joy is also painted as a demon that wrecks death and destruction on Humanity. Acting on the directives of the sun god, Ra, who was under the impression that some of his subjects were planning to Kill him Hathor was sent on a mission to destroy the plotters Hathor who also manifested herself in the guise of a lioness known as Sekhmet, attacked all the plotters killing them instantly. Ra was forced to intervene to stop the bloodshed by tricking Sekhmet into believing that she had killed a lot of people so by pouring a massive amount of pomegranate coloured liquid over the battlefield . Sekhmet mistook the liquid for blood stopped the slaughter and transformed back into her goddess form of Hathor. It is ironic in the least to observe that in cultures where the feminine spirit has always been seen as nurturing, loving and creative the role of goddesses of mythology is associated with evil deeds. Perhaps these mythologies have been restructured to assimilate in Patriarchal Societies where the god is associated with social order and discipline. But regardless of their role in mythology many famous Goddesses of the Middle East continue to live in popular imaginations even though the religions and cults associated with them have now been banished. Though the Middle East is now home to new religions such as Christianity Judaism and Islam and the age of idol worship and plural Gods is over, these deities have become part of the common folklore. The Worship of these Goddesses may now be defunct but their legend lives on and continues to pervade subsequent cultural practices in these regions. Works Cited Gordon, Cyrus. The Ancient Near East, 3rd Edition, Revised. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , New York, 1965. Christ Carol: Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality Routledge; 1st edition 1998 James. E. O. The Ancient Gods: The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, 1960. Sasson Jack: Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1995. Morton Smith, The Common Theology of the Ancient near East, Journal of Biblical Literature 1952.

Illegal Downloading Essay

Illegal Downloading Essay Illegal download of music can be best defined as use of free sharing programs such as LimeWire, Bit Torrent, Ares and E-mule to share or obtain copyrighted music or music software without due permission from the copyright holder. From the article, we can deduce and comfortably argue that the illegal download of music is indeed harmful and should be banned and discouraged at all cost. For one, illegal download of music denies musicians the right to profits and hence prevent them from earning their living. It also kills their morale when taken to the fact that it degrades and devalues their products i.e. the music files. On the argument that artists make more money from concerts, this needs to be explicitly clarified, because download of music can actually bring an artist more money than concert appearances. Take a scenario for instance where a musician has a hit song all over the globe which is all over the internet and media outlets. This will translate to more demand, and they will get invited to numerous shows and events all over the world. Whereas anyone in any place around the globe can download the particular song or other songs by the artist no matter the time of the day. The artist himself is limited in the number of shows or concerts he or she can attend hence he might end up making more money from this than actual concerts which requires his physical appearance. The value of musical compact discs (CDs) has been viewed by some as ridiculously high, as the article reports. It will be important to understand this vital point that when a consumer really needs and wants a certain product and appreciates its value the price notwithstanding. (Aksomitis, 2007) He or she would most definitely go out of the way to purchase it this is no different when it comes to musical CD sales. If the notion that downloading of music illegally is harmless and does not really cost the artist much should be dispelled and the following will act to disabuse any such thoughts in any potential illegal music downloader. Jupiter research -a UK based research firm published a report in 2009 titled the analysis of the European online music marketing development and assessment of future opportunities. The report came up with a final conclusion that illegal music downloaders were free loaders who had little or no will /ability to pay for music. This coupled with the fact that the United Kingdom trade value of the domestic music sales had fallen to a sobering twenty five per cent in the last decade is a clear indication of the ills of illegal music download. Another study done in Netherlands by a group called TNO/SEO/IVIR in 2009 established a direct link between a drop in music sales and downloading over the internet: ups and downs-economic and cultural effects of file sharing on music, films and games. The bottom line facts and figures all point out illegal music downloading over the internet, as one of the major culprits that has led to decline in revenue and sales in the music industry worldwide. This is because a seemingly harmless action of downloading a music file over the internet has caused a wide destructive ripple effect in the industry affecting more than one individual /musician. There exist many key industry players who are negatively affected by this. The music producer for one, music managers, record label employees, music promoters, disc jockeys (DJ) and other professionals. Who include video producers, dancers, event organizers and other affiliated industry players together with thousands if not millions of employees earning a living from music and music related products. When music CD sales drops due to illegal download of music, publishers naturally feel the pinch from losses incurred. Drop in album sales lead to firing and lying off of employees by record labels and music production houses. (Noah, 2011) The musician at the end of the line is cheated off their rightful earning by the same illegal downloading. It will be of great importance to note that music CDs are on their way to becoming obsolete and outdated. Therefore soft copy downloading is becoming a more and more preferred mode of music and music software Access Avenue by fans worldwide. This means music downloads are in the future going to be perhaps the only way a part from performances and product endorsements that a musician can earn a living and make sales from his/her music. All this is a clear pointer that illegal music download is indeed harmful and musicians therefore should declare an out and out war against these offenders. Who exhibits dishonest, unscrupulous, unethical and selfish practice which amounts to mass theft of intellectual property and copyright infringement not to mention theft. It is important that there exist legal and recognized channels for music downloading where there is a good and reliable system of music downloading. This is because there would be an important source of data whereby an artist can keep tract and do a self-evaluation of his/her music progress. Other key players such as producers and music promoters would also find this handy and useful in keeping tract if their artist progress in development while keeping tabs on sales and marketing data .Ranking and artist valuing can also be easily timelines and tracked down to minute details. The government would also heavily benefit from the same when it comes to the crucial issue of taxation and revenue collection. Where there is a legal and recognized mode of music download, tax deductions and revenue payment can be smoothly and flawlessly carried out which in turn will help the government to be able to protect the musicians and assure them of continued earning from their music. This will in turn lead to high morale in the musician who will continue churning out more quality and standard music for the fans to enjoy. It is however important to take in to consideration the issue of music previews where potential downloads review and sample music before downloading. The article argue that if allowed access to sampling and previewing of music prior to online purchase, the potential customers will not value the illegally downloaded music. Resulting, into temporally use of files then deleting without actually engaging in the actual purchase of the song. There should be such a platform streamlined such as in the case of movie trailers where a sneak preview of the song is availed without unnecessarily exposing much or the whole song to potential buyers. A small part of the song such as the chorus should be coded into the system with an expiry security lock for temporal use. We must keep in psyche that prior to one goes to download a song there must have been motivators and factors that lead to his or her action. (Johnson Broida, 2002) By this, we can take into account music previews and reviews in various contemporary music shows in radio and television programs. Also written music reviews by entertainment writers and critics who are well informed about music of various genres and types they report for therefore the downloader has a pretty good idea what he/she is going to download. Up to that point all will agree that illegal download of music does more harm than good. Therefore should be severely reprimanded and allow for musicians effort to be duly recognized and appreciated when protecting and appreciating copyright and intellectual property of the artist. Musicians should come out vocally and in numbers to condemn and fight this detestable vice. This can be best done by the formation of strong reliable and powerful artist associations and bodies which will have the mandate and tasks of monitoring and ensuring music download is done legally and they benefit from the same. There is a need for existence of independent and cooperate copyright agent monitors. Who will work closely for or with the government music bodies, record labels, music distribution companies media houses. (Johnson Broida, 2002) Additionally, music promoters and online marketers of music together with the website owners to ensure efficient tracking of music download. Enabling to keep the actions in the right track and eliminate illegal music downloading or keep it to a bare minimum. The government needs to step in the fight against illegal music downloads by setting up agencies and departments to monitor and control the same. Legal actions should be taken against those found engaging in illegal music download and heavy fines and penalties imposed on the culprits to punish them. Get legal settlements to compensate the musicians and deter and discourage other potential illegal music down-loaders. There should be also financial implications for any individual, company, group or institution whose members engage in this act with full knowledge of the relevant authorities. Disciplinary actions therefore should be taken against students in educational institutions where this practice is done at an alarming rate, mostly with impunity since the perpetrators hide under the veil of the majority of numbers and institutional cover. CONCLUSION In a nutshell, the long and short of it is that if allowed to continue, illegal music download will continue hurting musicians and also the perpetrators when stun action is taken against them. The eventual effect is the ruining of the music industry and killing of dreams, new talents and music. The question is if one loves music so much, why not go out and legally purchase it?

ROI in the Public Sector :: essays research papers

ROI in the Public Sector Interest in return on investment (ROI) by public sector organizations continues to grow. This interest is not isolated to large federal agencies. Myths regarding the use of ROI in government abound, prevents many agencies from developing a comprehensive approach to evaluating human resources, training, and performance improvement initiatives. The key is distinguishing what is myth versus what is reality. Efforts have been made toward more responsible performance management and measurement in the public sector. The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 was enacted to improve the management practices of the federal government and to ensure the production of reliable and timely financial information for use in managing and evaluating federal programs. The government Management Reform Act of 1994 added to the Chief Financial Officers Act by requiring all federal agencies to prepare and make public annual financial reports. It also authorized the Office of Management and Budget to implement a pilot program to streamline and consolidate certain statutory financial management and performance reports into a single, annual accountability report. One piece of legislation that has had influence in enhancing accountability in government agencies is The Government and Performance and Results Act of 1993. GPRA (or the "Results Act") is the primary legislative framework through which agenc ies are required to set strategic goals, measure performance, and report on the degree to which goals are met. Basically it requires government agencies to develop performance plans that outline the link between strategic goals and day-to-day operations. ROI is not the first private sector practice to be applied to public sector organizations. Total quality management (TQM), zero-based budgeting, and the balanced scorecard all had their initial beginning in the private sector and to some extent have been applied in government. While the fundamental use of ROI comes from accounting and finance (earnings divided by investment), the process of cost-benefit analysis is grounded in welfare economics and public finance. Both account for the financial benefits of a program, project, or initiative compared to the costs. The difference in the two equations is that cost-benefit analysis results in a ratio comparing monetary benefits to the program costs (BCR); ROI results in a percentage that presents the net monetary benefits (earnings) compared to the costs (investment). For many years there has been a great divide between traditional program evaluation and evaluation coming from business. Program evaluators have long been concerned with the correctness of use of methodologies, expending whatever time necessary to ensure purity of research.