Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal opinion article - Essay Example The article of Scism and Tergesen Getting Smart about Annuities attempts to address the economic issue in the U.S economy. The authors attempt to reveal the changes in the stock market because of the shift from defined benefits to pension plans contribution in the U.S economy. Annuity markets have started expanding but the slow economic growth in the global market has become a major problem. Annuity refers to the payment made for life insurance or it is simply referred as the U.S financial products; thus the article attempts to address the way consumers can become elegant about annuities. Annuity issue has become among the most aspects for the recent decades because of the need to improve the quality of life (Scism and Tergesen para. 1). Although financial advisers have not been popular with annuities, it has become one of the hot products in the U.S market. The products do not offer the potential for outsized gains but there is a guarantee for some benefits (Scism and Tergesen para. 3). Consumers need to be smart when dealing with these products because there are some associated risks that may arise including investment losses but it appears that annuities have irrefutable appeal. At first, annuity offers a way for restoring some financial security for golden years but there is no clear evidence that retirees with standard paychecks will be happier than those relying on exclusively social security supplement. It appears that annuities will not offer contentment to consumers; hence one needs to be smarter before making a decision about life annuity. Moreover, annuities in the contemporary global financial markets have an undeniable appeal for those grappling with investment losses (Scism and Tergesen para. 4). The problem with this is because investors may have a common idea about the importance of annuity but a few of them may recognize the strategies available for making these financial products a part of their assets. Therefore, it is crucial for one to figu re out the total amount of products one needs to purchase maybe whether he or she wants to put money to work immediately or slowly and what to invest with the remaining balance. Scism and Tergesen offer significant and best ways that one should do in order to achieve success or avoid any financial losses (Scism and Tergesen para. 3). One of them is the immediate gratification because immediate annuity can enable one to convert payment for a month, quarterly or yearly income for life. Although most immediate annuities are fixed, immediate annuities can offer considerable higher sustainable revenue than the ones being generated from the venture portfolio. For example, an older a man who purchases an immediate annuity is likely to receive about 8.4 percent of the total amount which he instead (Scism and Tergesen para. 5). This is significant because the payment has interest rates and they are guaranteed to continue increasing for the rest of one’s life. Another way is longevity rider and this is one way of preserving more for purchasing a differed-income annuity (Scism and Tergesen para. 7). This generates an income for life and one may benefit; however, the economists have attempted to argue as to whether it is significant for one to purchase for a longevity rider or conventional immediate annuity. This is in case the financial benefits outweigh the annuity pool; thus one may likely to undergo losses. However,

Crime Punishments in Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Crime Punishments in Islam - Research Paper Example For violators of its sacred rules of conduct, the traditional Islamic law provides a clear message of swift and severe punishment, (for example amputation, death by stoning and beheading) and the lingering fear of eternal damnation through Allah’s almighty power (Miethe and Lu, 163-164). Demystifying ‘Crime’ and ‘Punishment’ in the Islamic Religion When we examine the philological meaning of jinaya (perpetration of a crime), we see that it is derived from the verb jana (to commit a crime, to sin). It is defined as a crime or a sin which, if committed, makes retaliation mandatory for its perpetrator and incurs punishment in this world and in the hereafter. Thus, when it is said ‘jana ala nafsih wa ala ahlih’ (‘he perpetrated a crime against himself and his family’), such an evil is termed as jinaya. Technically, a jinaya is an aggression against a person or his rights, making retaliation or some other form of punishment mandat ory. Philologically, the word uquba (punishment) is a noun derived from the verb aqaba (to punish). It is used when a person incurs a punishment as a result of the sin that he has committed. Uquba is used to define restrictions placed by God in order to restrain men from doing what He has forbidden and to leave what He has asked them to leave (Haleem and Daniels, 29-30). Punishments under Islamic Law Punishment in pre-Islamic Arabia was based primarily on the principle of retaliation (lex talionis). Lacking a state or central authority in nomadic and tribal life to regulate conflict and disputes, punishment for wrongdoing was privately dispensed by the victim and affiliates such as extended family or patron tribes. However, because of the nature of communal life and strong kinship solidarity, there was also collective responsibility for any serious misconduct committed by a clan member (Miethe and Lu, 164). Categories of crime The Muslims categorized crime in several ways. Each cate gory of crime had a prescribed punishment. Crimes were categorized into such forms as adultery and fornication, murder and crimes to do with property and theft. Others are defamation (qadhf), crimes of taking some foods and drinks like wine among others. The distinct classifications are Hudud crimes, Qesas and Tazir. Hudud comprises of theft, adultery and drinking alcohol. Punishments for such crimes were flogging, amputations and stoning among others. Qesas crimes are retaliatory, the family of a murder victim, for instance, may demand compensation. Tazir crimes are less severe; their punishments include confinement, boycott or fines. According to Halim and Daniels, the judge in Islamic Sharia enjoys vast discretionary powers in fixing penalties, their amount, and their enforcement in such a manner that will help and restrain the culprit from the crime. This power does not extend absolutely, and is by no means free of constraints or restrictions. Rather, it is constrained by the ap propriate laws concerning this punishment and its suitability to the crime, the culprit and society, and the extent of the prevalence of crime in this society (Haleem and Daniels, 30). Haleem and Daniels further highlighted the specific punishments meant to deter the culprit and prevent crime. The punishments are imprisonment, banishment and exile from the place of the crime and the city in which it was perpetrated,

Augustus from Prima Porta Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Augustus from Prima Porta - Essay Example "The posture is that of a victorious general addressing his troops, and the emperor is shown in armor. His breastplate is sculpted with scenes of Roman military triumph and the mythological figures of gods and goddesses. The pose of the figure is clearly based on the Greek model of the Spear Carrier, and the face shown is that of a handsome man in the prime of life." (Lewis and Lewis, 230) Through an effective combination of Greek idealization and Roman realism, this marble statue creates a convincing portrait of a 'real man' and a successful image of the perfect leader. Augustus is represented in this statue as the 'pater patriae', who is looking down on his people with calm concern and complete self confidence. Therefore, it is essential to realize that Augustus of Prima Porta, which is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums, is a perfect example of the Imperial Roman statuary and Augustus, in this statue, consciously attempts to identify himself with the ultimat e authority of Rome during the Golden Age of the Roman civilization. In a reflective analysis of Augustus of Prima Porta, it becomes lucid that this statue of the emperor Augustus can rightly be considered one of the most essential examples of the enigmatic works of art from the Augustan era.

What is the Roman Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is the Roman Republic - Essay Example This class of people controlled nearly all religious offices plus issued partum auctoritas (final assent) to some of the decisions passed by the Roman assemblies. The rich had more influence on politics at that time. However, in staying in a Roman Republic and still subjected to injustice just like the eras of Kings, the poorer Roman citizens were not happy with how the current government became ran. Due to unfair distribution of land and debts, the plebians (poorer Roman citizens) became prompted to form their own assemblies and withdraw from certain city-states. The plebians principal demands remained debt relief plus equitable distribution of conquered territory to Roman citizens. In 287 B.C., wealthier, land rich plebians managed to achieve political equality to the patricians with the Conflict of orders in place. Hence, there was a rebirth of the political system consisting of plebians and patricians, a power-sharing partnership which remained up to the late 1st century B.C. The Republic had a government running it. The government had three main parts: The consuls, the assemblies and the senate. Rome managed to grow and become a metroplolis consisting of a capital city and vast conquered territory. Roman Republic had provinciae (administered territories) outside Italy like Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, and many others. As the new government acquired more wealth, so did the Roman citizens benefit. The Republic had a strong Army in place responsible for winning many battles and acquiring new territories. With Roman soldiers winning more battles and getting rewarded more, they became more loyal to their generals than the state. During the same period, Rome became increasingly plagued by many slave uprisings since they were the majority and covered most lands. Between 135-71B.C., there were 3 ‘servile wars’ that involved slaves against the Roman state. The worst of them was the third and was under the command of Spartacus, a gladiator. Furthermore, in 91 BC, social war broke out over dissent between Rome and Italy. Italy often contributed men in Rome’s military campaigns but received no rewards for their help contributed to the social wars. This led to them breaking away from Rome and becoming independent. Romans started also to wage wars with their previous allies too, like Jugurtha. In 111BC to 104 BC, the Jugurthine war became fought between Jugurtha of North Africa and Rome. Jugurtha became finally captured through treachery instead of a battle. In addition, we also had the wars between the Romans and the Carthaginians. The second Punic war involved Hannibal, a Carthaginian that attacked Rome. This had much impact on the Romans since they could not defeat Hannibal for 15 years. The Rome mastered and improved their military warfare after endless attempts in fighting with the great commander. It became the tactful help of a Roman, Scipio Africanus, that attackeds Carthege capital leading to the defeat of Hannibal in the battle of Zama. Internal unrest reached its peak as evidenced by two civil wars caused by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a consul in the beginning of 82 BC. The Roman army led by Sulla overthrew the Republic and paved way to the founding of the Roman Empire. The new wealth generated social break down and led to political turmoil, which eventually led to collapse of the Republic. In fact, they had issue of people trying to kill those in power in order to overthrow them. For instance, the first Catiline’s conspiracy occurred when Catiline intended to slaughter the new counsels on the day of election and name himself as head of office. In addition, Tiberius Gracchus got killed due to his stand to pass a law that would leave the rich

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 44

Reflection - Essay Example Indeed, as an international student from UAE, my school allocated me a class that comprised of students from other countries. Although most students came from U.K and U.S there were a significant number of students from other countries like Nigeria, Japan, and Mexico. Most uniquely, I was the only student from UAE and this posed a great challenge to my social and academic life. It was clear from the onset that most of the students came from different cultural, religious, economic, and social backgrounds. I was surprised how the differences among the new students will allow us to succeed in our academic pursuit. However, upon settling down in class, one of the administrators explained the organizational culture of the school and the need to adopt diversity in our class. The administrator defined the school’s policy and advocated for the cultural diversity and respect to the code of ethics. Indeed, he stated that English is the official language of communication and studying at the school and that all students should respect the cultural and religious backgrounds of all students. With this, the administrator guaranteed good cohesion and unity of purpose in our studies and relevant extra curriculum activities. The administrator stated that the school’s policy respects all religions and disregards any discrimination based on social and economic status. He also stated that all students have a right to interact with any students and noted that our studies will include group discussions, which will include students from different backgrounds. He therefore encouraged us to share our cultural values for purposes of adopting the cultural values that will boost our academic pursuit. This experience taught me the need to adopt cultural diversity in my studies. It also taught me that I cannot exist in isolation and that it requires the

Impressionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Impressionism - Essay Example It started as a movement in painting in France in the late 1860s and various artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley are associated with the founding of this movement. The main features of impressionism as an art movement includes its emphasis on naturalistic landscape, subjective aspect of art, the topics of modern urban life and other commonplace subject matters, portrayal of light in its varying qualities, etc. Most essentially, this movement influenced and inspired trends in other areas such as sculpture, music, and literature. Specifically, impressionism influenced literature in various ways and helped in the growth of literature considerably. As Marlies Kronegger (1973) maintains, impressionism in literature built up its own style and techniques, although painting dominated all the other art forms during the period 1875-85. From the time it originated, it has been one of the prevailing literary styles existent in world literature today and the impressionist creations in various countries are derived from the same basic idea. (Kronegger, 33) Therefore, it is important to maintain that impressionism is one of the key literary terms today as it refers to the literary styles and techniques based on the general framework of impressionism as an art movement. This paper makes a comprehensive exploration of the term impressionism in order to define and explicate impressionism as an extremely valuable rhetorical tool in literature today.

Health education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health education - Assignment Example The hair should be washed everyday using shampoo and rinsed well before it is dried. When bathing children, one should pay attention to all folds including the underarm, neck, ears and in between the feet. Clean clothes and shoes should be put on after taking a bath. Shoes should be polished; wiped or washed according to their make to improve their appearance and to make them last longer. Children should wear clean socks in closed shoes. This will absorb sweat and keep their feet dry and comfortable. They should brush their teeth before going to bed and after every meal to fight against tooth decay. They should learn how to brush their teeth by themselves, and it is better if they do it together with an adult. During the day, a child should fill his or her mouth with water and swish it to remove anything that is stuck in the teeth. Taking large quantities of sugary foodstuff should be avoided as it promotes tooth decay. Under clothes should be changed more often with clean, dry ones. They should well fitting and in good condition. This should be done because under clothes are worn directly next to the skin and they gather a lot of sweat and dead skin. Wearing clean under clothes prevents skin diseases such as itchy rashes and ringworms. The child also smells good and thus, he is confident to interact with adults and other children. Children should be encouraged to wash their hands with soap and clean water regularly. This should be done before and after handling or eating of food and after visiting the toilet. Children should be discouraged from inserting their hands in their mouths. |This is because, at playtime, they gather lots of dirt in their hands because of touching anything that interests them. Regular washing of hands reduces them from the risk of getting diseases like diarrhea, stomach upsets and typhoid. Both hand and toe nails should be trimmed as long nails collect lots of germs and bacteria during playtime. In