Fluctuating Gas Prices Will Never End Essay -- essays research papers

These days, gas prices seem to be a weekly topic on local and national news channels. Every time there is some type of fluctuation, it causes an uproar, usually because it is a difference of ten cents or greater. The reasons as to why is definitely a mystery with new myths popping up each day and almost all the supposed reasons being incorrect. The real discussion should be not as to what causes the price change but how it affects our everyday lives. Should we adjust our way of life to accommodate less driving or have we already? In the U.S., we saw gas prices go as low as $1.75 and as high as $3.00 in 2005. In 2006, we saw almost the same trend with a low of $2.10 and so far we have leveled out around $3.00 or so. While I can agree that $1.75 works a lot better on my budget with two kids and a lot of ground to cover in my SUV each day, there is actually some good reason as to why we see such change each year. The first and most obvious reason would have to be that during the winter months when we drive the least, prices drop to accommodate the resulting increase in supply and the opposite occurs in summer months when we drive the most. Another major cause in price change occurs when there is a change in value in crude oil, also dependant on the supply and demand factor. With many large worldwide issues such as weather and war affecting the supply, this can be part of the reason but is definitely not the main factor as many people believe. You may be pondering though, â€Å"Why does the price of fuel go up with the price of each barrel but not back down with it as well?† That is a simple answer as well – supply and demand. With the prices rising, less gas is purchased during a time that the companies have to sell extra to make ... ...ust get in the car and drive for no reason? I definitely do not, I don’t have time too! And I’m sure most other people don’t either. When we get in our cars, we usually have somewhere to be and I need groceries and I need to go to work so I can’t cut down on how much I drive even if I wanted to. So in conclusion, we should all quit blaming the politicians, who in fact have lowered the taxes by a small margin to assist during the hard times and the oil companies who have faced the largest ratio of production costs in history. So unless you can setup a carpool and split the cost of gas with others or are willing to utilize public transportation, there is no sense in worrying about what you can do because there isn’t much we can do. We should adjust our budgets and not our way of life because an increase in everyday life costs is inevitable and just a fact of life.

Korea

I. Introduction Korea is divided country of eastern Asia. It occupies a peninsula, about 450 miles (725 km) in length, between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. China and a tip of the Soviet Union border Korea on the north. The nearest Japanese islands are about 30 miles (48 km) away, in the Korea Strait.  Since 1945, Korea has been divided into two political units—the Democratic people’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). They are separated by a demilitarized zone, about 2  ½ miles (4km) in width, along the armistice line established in 1953 at the close of the Korean War. The total area (including the demilitarized zone) is 85,049 square miles (20, 538 km2) and South Korea 38,025 square miles (98, 484 km2).  This paper intents to: (1) know the physical geography of Korea; (2) understand the culture and customs of the country; (3) be acquainted on how basic human needs are met (types of careers, vocations, jobs, average yearly); (4) be aware of their language, religion, education, and types of food in their diets; (5) know about their television, newspapers, and other media and; (6) know its cultural differences related to the expected roles of men & women. II. Background A. Physical Geography In terms of land, the Korean Peninsula has rugged, mountainous terrain, with barely one-fifth of its surface in lowlands or plains. Few of the mountains are high compared to those of some other Asian countries, but they are so extensive that there are few places in Korea where mountains cannot be seen. Rivers are generally short, winding, and fast-flowing. A few streams drain northward into the Yalu or Tumen rivers. Among the larger rivers are the Taedong, the Han, and the Kum.  With some exceptions, the climate resembles that of the eastern seaboard of the United States from Maine to the Carolinas. There are sharp contrasts between the seasons, with cold winters and warm, humid summers. The climate is strongly affected by seasonal monsoons. In winter, cold dry air flows out of Siberia, dropping average temperatures over most of the peninsula (McCann, 2000). III. Discussion A. Culture, Customs and Holidays of Korea Distinct styles of living have emerged over the centuries and in much of Korea remain unchanged. The typical house in rural Korea is a two- to four- room structure with walls of clay or pounded earth and a thatched roof. Windows are small and may be of semi-transparent paper rather than glass. There is a crude outhouse but no bathing facilities. Water is obtained from a well often a village well. Most rural dwellings do not have electricity. Houses of the urban middle class and of well-to-do Koreans have walls of stucco, often with red and blue painted designs and perhaps a stone or cement foundation. Windows are of glass, sometimes set in fancy wooden frames, and roofs are tiled. Toilet facilities may be inside, but Western-style plumbing is rare. There may be a running outlet in the courtyard, but seldom inside the house. New housing mostly deviates from this traditional pattern, in the direction of the bungalow and other Western styles (McCann, 2000).   There is a considerable residue to Japanese-style homes, and many wealthier people live in essentially Western-style houses, though with some Korean or Japanese features. There are few apartment buildings. Principal national holidays are New Year’s Day, Samil Day (March 1, the anniversary of the 1919 independence), Constitution Day (July 17), Liberation Day (August 15) and many traditional festive days are still celebrated by some Koreans, especially the older generation in the countryside. Chief of these are the birthday of Buddha on April 8 and tano on May 5 (celebrated by feasting). B. How basic human needs are met? South Korea’s economy was largely agricultural at the time of the Korean War, when much damage was inflicted on the nation. Reconstruction and recovery were rapid after the war, in part because of large amounts of economic aid from the United States and other nations. In the early 1960’s industry began to grow rapidly; by the mid-1980 and at present, South Korea had become one of the world’s chief exporters of manufactured goods. While on the other hand, with the division of Korea after World War II North Korea acquired most of the mineral resources, hydroelectric dams, manufacturing plants, and industrial facilities developed during the Japanese occupation. Much damage was quickly repaired with aid from the Soviet Union and other Communist nations (Yi, 2001). Moreover, the South Korean government played a major role in directing and developing the economy, particularly through central planning and direct and indirect control of many manufacturing industries and banking. Rapid industrial development was also aided by large investments of capital and technology from the United States and Japan and by an abundance of skilled, cheap labor. Though few in number, corporate conglomerates—called chaebols— produce most of the nation’s goods and services. At present, there are various jobs which South Korea has offered to its people especially it is an industrialized nation and many investors invested their capital aside from agriculture, fishing, lumbering and mining. While it North Korea, all industry is nationalized, agriculture is collectivized, and the entire economy is rigidly planned. North Korea’s total output of goods and services is roughly one-third to one-fourth that of South Korea’s (Yi, 2001). Soviet technical and financial aid has played a major role in the development of North Korea’s economy. C. Its Language, Religion, Education, and Types of Food in their diets The Korean language is believed to be unrelated to any known tongue. There is, however, a strong infusion of Chinese words in the vocabulary. A phonetic alphabet—originally 28, now 24 letters—has been in use since 1443. Korea’s principal religions are Buddhism, Christianity, and Chondokyo (a native faith combining elements of Christianity and Buddhism). Korean ethics and morals are also shaped by Confucianism, which is not strictly a religion in the Western sense. Shamanism is strong in some rural areas. North Korea largely represses religious practices. In South Korea, education is free and compulsory through six years of primary school, which begins at age six. It is followed by three years of middle school and then three years of high school. The chief institution of higher learning is Seoul National University. In North Korea, education is free and compulsory through five years of primary school (which begins at age six), four years of middle school, and two years of high school. The major institution of higher learning is Kim II sung University at Pyongyang.   Technical education and the teaching of Communist ideology are stressed in North Korean education (Yi, 2001). Moreover, Korean people are known to be fond of noodles, rice, meats and vegetables. Steamed rice is the main dish of any Korean meal, so much so that the word for cooked rice, pap, has come to mean â€Å"food† or â€Å"meal†. Rice is eaten together with a variety of side dishes (panchan), the most basic of which is kimchi, a fermented saladlike food prepared mostly from a white radish (mu) and Chinese cabbage (paechu). Soups are frequently served and usually contain seaweed or chunks of meat or fish. Korean dishes typically are very highly seasoned. Beef and pork are the common table meats, chickens being something of a delicacy (Caldwell, 2004). D. Its television, newspapers, and other media. Publishing. The daily press of South Korea is predominantly concentrated in Seoul. Leading Seoul papers are the Dong-A Ilbo, Chosan Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, and Kyunghyang Sinmun. The first two were founded in 1920 and boast proud records as voices of Korean nationalism. The Korean press is noted for detailed economic reporting, although it is often biased in favor of government policy. It is also depends on one semi-official news agency for foreign coverage. The Pusan Ilbo and the Taego Maeil Sinmun are prominent provincial papers (Schmid, 2002). More than one thousand periodicals are published regularly in South Korea, many devoted to business topics.  Popular Arts and Entertainment. Radio is dominated by the government’s Korean Broadcasting System, with three main and 39 affiliated local stations. Of 12 private stations, four are owned and operated by Christian groups (Schmid, 2002). The native film industry is very largely a development of period since 1945. A great many foreign films, especially American, are imported, and they draw four fifths of the movie audience. Korean filmmakers contribute an annual domestic production of about 100 titles. E. Cultural differences related to the expected roles of men & women Marriage in the old Korea was arranged by the parents through a go-between, and the most important consideration was the social standing of the bridegroom’s family. In yangban, or upper class, families it was customary for boys to be married when they reached 12 or 13, sometimes even earlier, in many cases to girls in the late teens. This custom has entirely changed, and men often are 30 or more before they can undertake the financial responsibilities of marriage. Social pressure still requires girls to marry relatively early. Marriage within the same clan is still forbidden by law. Concubinage is far less common today than it was in the past, but it is not rare for a man simply desert his wife for another woman (Caldwell, 2004). Women may now have recourse to the divorce court, though at the risk of social opprobrium. IV. Conclusion Nowadays, Korea is one of the most admired countries. Its people are really working hard to make their country more progressive and developed. The sciences are still in their fancy. There is an advanced of experimental technique, and facilities for scientific education and are research are improving. Reference: Caldwell, John C. (2004) The Korea Story. Henry Regnery. Chicago. McCann, David R. (2000). Korea Briefing: Toward Reunification. M. E. Sharpe. Place of Armonk, NY. Schmid, Andre. (2002). Korea between Empires, 1895-1919. Columbia University Press. Place of Publication: New York. Yi, Chae-Hyon (2001). Korean Perspective: A Picture and Word Tour through Old and New Korea. Office of Public Information, Republic of Korea. Seoul.

North Carolina Code Of Ethics - 1005 Words

The North Carolina Code of Ethics can be described as a constitution for fellow educators. The purpose of the North Carolina Code of Ethics is to guarantee a secure, honest, and professional environment for both students and teachers. As the Code of Ethics states, â€Å"The educator strives to maintain the respect and confidence of colleagues, students, parents and legal guardians, and the community, and to serve as an appropriate role model†. In the North Carolina Code of Ethics there are three categories an educator must commit to. The categories are as followed, Commitment to the Student, Commitment to the School and School System, and Commitment to the Profession. The category that stood out the most to me was the Commitment to the†¦show more content†¦Of course, my parents were also my role models but there was a difference between my parents and my teachers. Being a daughter of immigrant parents had its obstacles. For example, when it came to completing my assig nments I struggled because of my parent’s low proficiency in the English language. I was not receiving the assistance and support that I should have been of receiving. Having a positive and strong relationship with my teachers facilitated my decision to seek for the assistance I needed. My teachers never looked down on me or embarrassed me because I could not grasp the material at the same pace as the other students. They understood my situation and offered my family and I the assistance we needed to best aid in my success in accomplishing my work and contributing to the learning environment of the classroom. I was never given any kind of privilege or special treatment. I always worked diligently to thrive in my courses. Without that strong and positive relationship with my teachers I would have never found the motivation and inspiration to continue with my education through grade school and attend a four-year institution. 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Mrs. Frye. Period 3. 6 January1415 Words   |  6 PagesZea Robinson AP Seminar Mrs. Frye Period 3 6 January 2017 (Ethics) Banning the Death Penalty The death penalty is a serious and permanent sentence. The prison system should not hand out this sentence freely; yet 1,442 people have been executed since 1976. (DPIC) This is unacceptable due to the fact that the procedure is not a guarantee against â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† (Unah). Also some of those who were given the death sentence were wrongly accused (Simonovic). Should it then be legal to