More hits from the right Essay Example For Students

More hits from the right Essay Officials in Cobb County, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, voted to cut all county arts funding in late August, after initially moving to pass a resolution to restrict funding to organizations and programming that advance and support strong community and family-oriented standards. The anti-arts vote sidestepped the issue of free speech guarantees by eliminating support to the arts across the board. It came after productions of David Hwangs M. Butterfly and Terrence McNallys Lips Together, Teeth Apart at Theatre in the Square in Marietta sparked stormy controversy between members of the countys Board of Commissioners, the local arts community, gay rights activists and antigay factions. The proposed amendment to the Cobb Countys Cultural Affairs Policy stemmed from reports that the McNally play promotes gay lifestyles, although the play features no gay characters and the production received no negative audience response. It was in fact selected the best show of the season by the theatres patrons in their annual award ceremony. But commissioner Gordon Wysong who did not see the play proposed the restriction, adding that future programming should be taken into account before any grants are awarded. The chairman of the commission, Bill Byrne, supported the restrictions, citing his experience at Theatre in the Square the previous season, when he and his wife were so offended by the material in M. Butterfly that they left before the final curtain. The controversy raged in the Atlanta suburb for much of the summer, with arts advocates accusing the commission of censorship. Theatre in the Square artistic director Michael Horne defended his theatres programming, noting that it produces a wide range of plays, and that we didnt get here by doing bad work or work thats out of touch with the community. Suspension of its county funding would represent a loss of about five percent of the theatres operating budget. Last year, the theatre received nearly $41,000 from the countys $123,000 arts fund. While county commissioners were still deliberating the outcome of the proposal by holding two public hearings, they passed a second measure declaring that gay lifestyles are incompatible with community standards and in support of established state laws regarding gay lifestyles. Although the intent of this measure was to prohibit the extension of domestic partnership benefits to county employees a reaction to the city of Atlantas recent decision to do just that many members of the community saw the two proposals as intrinsically related. After gay rights groups threatened legal action against the county if funding restrictions were aimed at arts groups or projects with homosexual themes, the county Board of Commissioners voted to eliminate all county arts funding and redirect the $123,000 annual appropriation to be used by local police. Exhibiting the offensive   On another front, Martin Mawyer and the Christian Action Network whose evangelical anti-NEA fervor prompted a lobbying campaign for total agency defunding because of the Whitney Museums Abject Art exhibit continued their attacks in Washington right up until recess. In late July, the Christian Action Network assembled a display of photographs of offensive art works allegedly funded by the NEA and sent invitations to every member of Congress to view the exhibit in the Capitol building, but the showing was banned before anyone arrived. Rep. Philip Crane (R-Ill.) had reserved the room, which is under the jurisdiction of the House Ways and Means Committee, but permission was withdrawn by Rep. Sidney Yates (D-Ill.) and Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.) when they determined that rules on lobbying in the Capitol would be violated if the exhibit were allowed. Later, House Speaker Thomas Foley (D-Wash.) closed the exhibit down after 15 minutes in a House annex room, which Mawyer claimed had bee n booked through Rep. Cranes office, but which Foleys staff said was never confirmed. .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .postImageUrl , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:hover , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:visited , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:active { border:0!important; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:active , .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367 .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua19138661aba0585d773776685e2a367:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bridging the gulf EssayIn a statement released by Mawyer on the day of the exhibit, he vowed that the Christian Action Network will continue to monitor the NEAs funding practices and continue to expose those artists and works of art which are patently offensive to most Americans. Just as the furor over Mawyers accusations were beginning to die down, the NEA faced another controversy. In early August, newspapers reported that three California artists were giving away most of a $5,000 NEA grant to illegal immigrants in the San Diego area in a project called Arte-Reembolso/Art Rebate. Flyers accompanying the bills stated, This $10 bill is part of an art project that intends to return tax dollars to taxpayers, particularly ~undocumented taxpayers. The art rebate acknowledges your role as a vital player in an economic community indifferent to national borders. Subsidized giveaway   By giving the money away in $10 bills, the artists said they were making an artistic and political statement about the interaction of physical space with intellectual space and civic space and demonstrating the economic role illegal immigrants play in southern California. The project received NEA funding from the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, as part of an exhibit called La Frontera/The Border, one in a series of exhibits in a four-year project at the museum titled Dos Ciudades/Two Cities, which received a $250,000 NEA grant that was matched three-to-one with state, city and private funding. According to the museums director, Hugh Davies, the NEA financed only the four-year project and did not know about the money giveaway. Republican Congressman Randy (Duke) Cunningham of San Diego was quick to respond with outrage. I can scarcely imagine a more contemptuous use of taxpayers dollars, he wrote to the NEA, while NEA spokesman Josh Dare told the press that not only did the agency know nothing about the project in advance or fund it specifically, but these three artists are very adept at pushing peoples buttons.

The Dividend Tax Cut and Interest Rates free essay sample

President George W. Bush announced a package of tax cuts with the hopes that, when implemented, the tax cuts will stimulate the currently slow U. S. Economy. The centerpiece of the Bush plan is to eliminate the taxes investors pay on dividend income. Currently, any money an investor receives when a stock she owns pays a dividend to its investors is added to her total income at tax time. So dividend income is treated the same way, and is taxed at the same rate, as income from working. If the Bush plan becomes law, dividend income will no longer e added to an investors total income. As a result the dividends become exempt from taxation. The exact details of the plan are not currently known, because it has not been debated or passed by Congress yet. As well, there is some uncertainty as to how the government will define dividend and what exemptions, rules, and loopholes will be written into the law. For the purpose of this article, we will assume that the dividend tax cut will be wide ranging and cover most stocks when Congress passes it. The Bush Administration hopes that by eliminating the dividend tax, investors will be encouraged to buy more stocks. This, they believe, will cause a rise in the value of the market. The main question is: where will investors find the money to buy more stocks? Incomes are not likely to increase a lot in the short-term. Thus, if investors are buying more stocks, they must, necessarily, be buying less of something else. It is likely that consumers will buy less of the good that is the closest substitute to stocks, and for most consumers that good is bonds. Bonds are, in essence, a loan taken out by a government or corporation, with the remises to pay back, to holder of the bond, a fixed amount at a later date. Bonds are a close substitute for stocks, because the two goods share many attractive qualities. Both stocks and bonds tend to appreciate in value over time. Also, unlike investments like real estate and collectibles, both bonds and stocks are liquid assets, meaning it is easy and inexpensive to find a buyer anytime one wishes to sell. There are millions of brokers and organizations that will gladly buy your bond at market rates; finding a buyer for your rare beanie baby collection would be much more difficult. Since bonds and stocks are substitutes, and the dividend tax cut will make owning stocks more desirable and bonds would become less desirable to investors. Bonds would be purchased in smaller quantities. Economic theory, as well as common sense, dictates that when demand for a good falls, the price of that good will fall as well. So the dividend tax, while having the intended effect of a rise in the price of stocks, will see a corresponding fall in the price of bonds. Ads Aka Battista Ha HOPSCOTCH broker. Rue rentable cobble19 8 Mope 30TH aqua COCOA Activate days enjoyment noggin Eligibly, Kenneth, CAPTIVITY www. Rusk. Rue Composite Koran Noah. Rapacity Ha monopoly_VIII 2 raga! XX Beach, gal._VOW, Waynesboro-m. Rue object-1 Kaplan a XX Beach AT 21 MM. Tanoak, annotate. Oceanographers! The Dividend Tax Cut and Interest Rates [Part 3: The Dividend Tax Cut How Does This Effect Interest Rates? ] More of this Feature Part 1: The Dividend Tax Cut Bushs Plan Part 2: The Dividend Tax Cut Substitution of Bonds for Stocks Part 3: The Dividend Tax Cut How Does This Effect Interest Rates? Part 4: The Dividend Tax Cut How Does Interest Rate Increases from Bonds Effect You? Part 5: The Dividend Tax Cut The Supply Side Part 6: The Dividend Tax Cut Have Your Say Related Resources Bush Offers Dividend Tax Cut Plan Dividend Tax Cut and Economic Stimulus Plan White House Release Dividend Tax Cut and Economic Stimulus Package Tax Policy Center Information on Dividend Tax Cut What does any of this have to do with interest rates? Well, the interest rate on a bond is inversely related to the price of the bond, meaning that as one goes up, the other goes down. Consider a discount bond with a maturity length of one-year. Suppose you buy a $100 bond with a maturity length of 1 year for $90. This meaner that you pay $90 today, and on this date one year from now, you receive $100. The interest rate you get on this bond (formally called the yield-to-maturity) is calculated by: r = (value price) / value In this equation r is the interest rate (or yield to maturity), price is the price you pay for the bond, and value is the amount you get in one year. Now as the price decreases, the interest rate increases. This increase in the interest rate as the price creases is shown in the following chart for a discount bond with a maturity length of one year. This rise in interest rates will not be limited to Just bonds. Banks and other financial institutions use their customers deposits to either buy bonds or to loan to other customers in the form of mortgages, car loans, and business loans. These loans usually carry an interest rate of Prime + X%, where X is a number based on the likelihood the borrower will go bankrupt and default on the loan. The more likely the lender is to default on the loan, the higher X is: this is why Bill Gates gets a utter rate on his mortgage than you do. Since interest rates tend to be calculated based on Prime and the likelihood of the borrower to go bankrupt, there is a perfect relation between them and the prime rate. The prime rate is the interest rate at which banks lend money for a short- specified term to large corporations that have little chance of going bankrupt in the near future. These loans are, in reality, bonds, since the large corporations have to pay them back at a specified date, and the banks can sell these loans to other banks or institutions if they wish. Thus, if the demand for bonds decreases and causes a rise in the interest rate on bonds, the prime rate will increase (because it is as an interest rate on a bond), and cause the rate of interest to rise on all loans. So far we have Just examined changes in demand, but we know that two factors always affect price: demand and supply. What effect will the elimination of dividend taxation have on the supply of stocks and bonds? We know that consumers are now willing to pay more for stocks, and less for bonds. Corporations obtain funds for new projects by either selling bonds or by issuing new stock. Since selling stocks is now more lucrative than issuing bonds, because of the relative change in prices, we should see more companies selling stocks, and fewer companies issuing bonds. Since the supply of bonds by corporations is decreasing, we should see the price of these bonds increase. So this will mitigate the fall in bond prices caused by changes in demand. In theory, it is possible for the supply effect to outweigh the demand effect; this would happen if there were large enough reductions in the amount of bonds issued. This would cause an overall rise in bond prices, and a lowering in interest tats. This is exactly the opposite of what Ive been arguing so far. However, a dramatic fall in the amount of bonds issued is highly unlikely for two reasons. The first is that companies usually prefer to sell bonds instead of issuing new stocks. This is due to the fact that when a company sells stock, it is diluting the ownership of the company. If a company issues too much stock, there is the risk that the a single investor or group of investors will be able to buy enough stock in the company to take it over, which is called a hostile takeover. Because of this, a big rush of new stock issues is unlikely. The second reason this is unlikely is that corporations are not the only entities that sell bonds. The federal government, along with state and municipal governments and public utilities all issue bonds for their funding needs. Most governments are currently running into budgetary crunches and many are running deficits for the first time in years. The federal government will be forced to run a deficit due to increases in spending and declining revenues due to this tax cut. To finance these deficits, governments will be forced to issue more bonds. Because the number of government issued bonds will increase, we should not expect to see a dramatic drop in the total overall value of bonds issued. Most economists feel that the elimination of the dividend tax will have the intended effect of raising the demand and price of stocks, which will cause a rise in the value of the various stock market indices. However, for any change in policy, we must not just examine the intended impact of the policy, but we must determine what its unintended consequences will be. One of the unintended consequences will be that the dividend tax cut will cause a rise in interest rates. This is bad news if youre planning to buy a car or house in the future, as your monthly payments will rise due to higher interest rates. Unfortunately, I havent seen any scientific studies on how much interest rates will rise due to this policy change. Economic theory can only tell us that interest rates will rise; an extensive econometric study is needed to determine what the magnitude of the rise will be. If you have any thoughts or predictions on what will happen, or know of a study I may have missed, please Join us in the forums. I look forward to hearing your input.

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The eNotes Blog 8 Ways to Celebrate Poem in Your PocketDay

8 Ways to Celebrate Poem in Your PocketDay With only a few more days left in National Poetry Month, we want to highlight one of the last major events of this month’s celebration: Poem in Your Pocket Day. This year, Poem in Your Pocket Day will be held on April 26. It’s a day to carry around pocket-sized works of poetry to encourage the sharing and spreading of the art. Whether you choose to carry a poem you have written yourself or something by a treasured poet, there are tons of ways to get involved. Participating in Poem in Your Pocket day is all about the celebrating the art of poetry and its impact on our culture. Lets look at eight ways you can get involved with Poem in Your Pocket Day.  Ã‚   Image via Unsplash 1. Share on social media Sharing a poem on social media is one of the easiest ways to participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day. Use the hashtag #pocketpoem to circulate your work and connect with others that are sharing theirs. This is a great way to promote poetry across a variety of social media platforms, and we have a feeling if Emily Dickinson had a Twitter, shed be all over this idea. Image via Unsplash 2. Distribute during your day Handwrite or type up some pocket-sized poetry cards that you can distribute during your daily routine. You can pass them out to friends, colleagues, or even random passersby on the street. If youre feeling inspired, add some color, drawings, or tie them up into little Shakespearean scrolls. Who knows, your simple act of kindness might just inspire someone else to pay it forward. Image via Unsplash 3. Put it on display Find a space in your home, at work, or in another public setting where your poem is guaranteed to be seen. Bulletin boards, refrigerators, and even bathroom mirrors are all great places to display short works of poetry. You could even create a tear-away flyer so   individuals can take a piece of poetry with them. Image via Unsplash 4. Send a poetic postcard When’s the last time you actually received a postcard? Postcards are undoubtedly a great surprise to receive in the mail, so why not personalize it with some poetry? A poetic postcard is sure to be appreciated and admired.  After all, some of the  greatest poets loved writing and receiving postcards, so it only seems appropriate to send a Poe-stcard. Image via Youtube 5. Make a paper fortune teller Back in the playground days, paper fortune tellers were a hot commodity. Why not revive the craft for Poem in Your Pocket Day? You can design a fun poetry inspired fortune teller to spark conversation and entertain your peers. If you have no idea how or where to start, there are a plethora of instructions online. Image via Unsplash 6. Try poetry-inspired origami If you’re feeling crafty, try creating some origami covered in poetry. There are a variety of different shapes and structures into which you can fold your pocket-sized poetry. This is a thoughtful way to pass along poetry in a unique form, which is sure to brighten someones day. Image via Unsplash 7. Create a collaborative piece Create a collaborative poem by writing a couple lines and then hanging it somewhere so others can contribute to it. At the end of the day, collect your original piece and see how many people have interacted with it. Whether it ends up being a fluid poem or not, its an exciting experiment. Image via Suppertime 8. Write on a receipt Writing a mini poem on the bottom of a receipt is a subtle way to pass along poetry. If you need to sign a receipt during your day, before returning it, write a few lines on the bottom. It’s a sure way to make your waiter smile. There are so many ways to get involved with Poem in Your Pocket Day without actually having to carry around a poem in your pocket. I encourage you to find something that you can do to participate in the celebration and help keep the spread of poetry alive in our culture.

NCAA Athletic Arms Race Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NCAA Athletic Arms Race - Assignment Example In 2013, the National Collegiate Athletic Association reported that the median operating expenditure for athletics increased 49% between 2010 and 2013. In this regard, the paper would discuss the athletics arms race that various colleges and universities are facing. What the aggravating factors are as well as suggestions on how to address the financial implications of the arms race. Most colleges and universities are spending millions of dollars in athletics due to the increased revenue generated from athletics. For an average athletics program, the highest spending categories include salaries and benefits, tuition-driven-in-aid, facilities maintenance and rental, team travel, recruiting and equipment supplies, fund-raising costs, and game-day expenses. According to Barr and McClellan (2011), athletics expenses are increasing a yearly rate of 7%. The arms race puts universities in the college sports business. There is a growing divide between the haves and the have-nots in college sp orts due to the commercialization of intercollegiate athletics. Since the inception of intercollegiate sports, the disparities between the poor and rich athletics have been a major concern. In the recent years, the gap has widened since large universities are chasing after television deals and corporate sponsorships to finance the new facilities, as well as lure celebrity coaches with multimillion-dollar salaries (Thomas, 2009), Millions of dollars, are being spent in construction. College sports is a carnival of construction (Brown, Raschre, & McEvoy, 2010). Schools are building bigger, nicer, and more state-of-the-art facilities for their teams. For example, Nebraska is finishing up a $63.5 expansion of its Memorial stadium while Wisconsin is renovating its Camp Randall Stadium at $86 million. It is argued that more athletic spending results in more victories thus more revenue. There are various ways of addressing the financial implications of the arms race: Reducing the size of t he travelling squads, reducing salary expenses to athletics’ employees, reducing the number of scholarships and lower tuition, renting the existing facilities to generate revenue other than building new ones, and better transparency and accountability.  

Animal testing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Animal testing - Research Paper Example The same applies to cosmetics since researchers investigate for the suitability of such products in animals. Animal testing therefore is a vital practice in education, defense and breading researchers with most governments formulating appropriate legislations to guide the use of animals in studies as the discussion below portrays. Government regulation is essential in safeguarding the rights of both the animals and the humans who engage in the practice. Proponents of animals testing argue on the positive attributes of the practice key among which is the fact that animal testing enhances the growth of knowledge thereby bettering such vital sciences as medicine and social arts among many others. â€Å"they feel that the scientific advances that have emerged from animal testing-such as polio vaccine and measles, cancer chemotherapy and open heart surgery- far outweigh any pain, suffering or death the animals may experience† (Hayhurst 72). Opponents of the practice on the other hand argue in favor of the animals. They claim that using animals is both unethical and breaches the rights of the animals. The studies disrupt the natural existence of the animals in their respective habitats. Furthermore, the testing includes inserting harmful substances in the bodies of the animals possibly endangering or killing such animals. Such individuals oppose the practice based on the ethical implications and the rights of the animals. Despite the above arguments, both parties contend that animal testing is important and advantageous in medical practice among others. Toxicology testing is one such important tests conducted on animals. Just as the name suggests, it refers to the testing of the toxic levels in such finished products as pesticides thereby establishing the suitability of such products. The tests investigate for the effectiveness of such pesticides and their effects on other animals including humans. The tests include testing both the

Examining Government Regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Examining Government Regulations - Essay Example The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the states chapter of the National Organization for Women both questioned whether the mandated tests violate a womans right to privacy and the right to make her own medical decisions (Richburg, 2007, Pg. 1)†. Additionally, it is reported that 98 percent of women want to get their children tested for AIDS at birth and this makes the law unnecessary as well. On the other hand, lawmakers believe that the risk of exposing children to a mother who is a carrier of the virus is simply too great to allow for testing to be conducted at will therefore mandatory testing should be made a requirement in New Jersey. The government is certainly worried about the AIDS issue and has made advisory councils to give recommendations towards preventing an AIDS epidemic in New Jersey (McGreevey, 2003). In fact, there are several other groups which support the idea for screening unborn children and amongst them, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) believes that HIV screening should be made a part of the regular prenatal tests that are conducted in America. Thus HIV Tests would be made a part of the basic testing for unborn children for which no written authorization is required (Richburg, 2007). The scientific evidence at hand certainly supports this idea since early detection and treatment with retroviral drugs reduced the chance of transmitting the disease from mother to child to less than 2 percent. The present rate of infection from mothers to children in New Jersey is minimal since in 2005, only seven such transmissions were recorded with more than 100,000 births. In 2006, only two such cases were reported in New Jersey and this situation makes some people think that the law is a case of too little too late (Richburg, 2007). On the other hand, New Jersey’s syringe exchange program was the last one to be started in the Northeast since New Jersey was