The Continuum From Legitimacy To Fraud Research Paper

The Continuum From Legitimacy To Fraud - Research Paper Example The archival research employs the use of secondary data, making it difficult to determine proxies for managing of earnings. Several models developed for this proxy are unable to distinguish accurately amid opportunistic behavior of managers and true performance. Another archival research limitation is the inability to tap the managers’ incentives into earnings management. This research type has founded its argument on economic theory in an attempt to explain the occurrence of earnings management (Cozby, 2009). It is hard to confirm beyond doubt that firms with the motivating factors such bonuses, debts covenants and political reasons undertake earnings management because of these factors. Behavioral researchers have tried to handle these shortcomings by giving proof of the behavior of earnings management, which has greater construct validity (implying easily to measure and define) than archival perspective. Several methods can detect and measure earnings management empirically . The most discretional method is the discretional accrual, which assumes that managers can depend on their discretional ability concerning some accruals to use as the proxy testing of earnings management (J. W. Creswell & J. D. Creswell, 2009). Another method is single accrual where only one of accrual types, say depreciation estimates, exists. This method is ineffective because of difficulty in establishing the exceptional accrual required to manage earnings. In the distribution method of earnings management testing, loss reporting is avoided (McKee, 2005).... Earnings Management Stimuli Motivation of capital markets The accounting information is useful in the capital markets in influencing the stock price in the interim, and for this reason, managers alter the information to influence their firms’ performance in the stock market. The key incentive for earnings management is to promote investment in a firm through purchase of shares in the capital market. Many firms post unanticipated positive accruals, which enhance prior to initial public offer (IPO) and acquisition financed by stock. These situations increase the use of earnings management to boost incomes, making them more viable than those of other firms (McKee, 2005). Past studies of firms indirectly concur with this argument by stating that ownership of lower institutions represented by interim oriented investments with much stress on stock prices over lasting gains. In opposition, some studies illustrate the inducement of understating earnings before a management buyout. Ron en and Yaari in their study support a hypothesis showing that unanticipated negative accruals depict a decreasing income, making the buyout cheaper and easier. This permits the management of a firm to propose a price that emerges as reasonably beyond the market price but beneath the actual worth of the firm. This market price does not show the real firm’s economics (Ronen & Yaari, 2011). Another motivation reason for capital markets is to show that the earnings of the firm have met the requirements of financial management or analysts. There are firms that hardly meet or surpass the forecast of a financial analyst; hence, the management alters the earnings upwards in order to satisfy the forecast (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Besides, firms should avoid loss making and

The Vietnam War Essay Example for Free

The Vietnam War Essay The Vietnam War is a conflict with Vietnamese against itself, North Vietnam or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, wherein the Americans got involved mistakenly and honorably. (see Wikipedia) It is an effort to unify Vietnam into a single state. But then it is considered as false and dishonest theory. As per John Pilger, this war is an invasion of Vietnam’s homeland and lives. (see Global Issues) It is by far the longest war in the century of America against North and South of Vietnam. The Vietnam conflict with America is included in the Second Indochina dated 1954-1975 that grew out from the long conflict between France and Vietnam. (see Wikipedia) It is widely reflected in history and media that America lost this war because of the guerilla movement in Vietnam. (see Global Issues)   It is also believed that America lost this war due to the contribution of media that is against it. (see Global Issues) Actually, Vietnam approached US for assistance in building a nation from the Second Word War and mainly from French imperialism to achieved control for South Vietnam. (see Global Issues) It is believed that US supported Vietnam’s independence and determination. But then, US turned down the assistance that is why they turned to the other superpower at that time, the Soviet Union. (see Global Issues) Ho Chi Minh, communist leader, appealed to President Truman for assistance because Vietnamese wanted to pattern their constitution with the American government. (see Global Issues) But America declined to support their freedom and instead allied with the French. Vietnam was then forced to turn to China and the Soviet Union. (see Global Issues) United States is believed to give support to South Vietnam. They deployed personnel and US military advisers in 1956 to be responsible for training the army of South Vietnam. (see Global Issues) President Nixon purpose was to strengthen South Vietnam. US declined to support North Vietnam due to their communist belief to which US is not partaking. They came to aid the regime in the South who were said to be attacked by the North Vietnamese. (see Global Issues) The opposition said that America really lost the war. It is included in the criticism of the media. There are two most influential beliefs on why America lost this war. First, media undermined the military and political effort through media coverage, especially on television, in America. (see Global Issues) Second is that most of the journalists and broadcasters were against the war. It is on the whole of American media which resulted that war is a â€Å"failed crusade.† (see Global Issues) It has been reported that South Vietnamese had taken up arms to defend their villages and homeland. The North Vietnam Government was not recognized by the United States and the reason why US declined to assist because it is believe to be â€Å"improper† to acknowledge such correspondence. (see Global Issues) During the war, it is believed that it was the time where US dispatched its greatest ever land army and even offered the French two atomic bombs to use prior to its defeat in 1954. (see Global Issues) They pursued military strategies designed for people to abandon homes like usage of chemicals. Millions of people were killed and maimed, some were Americans and the rest are Vietnamese. The agreement to end the war included $3.25 billion of grant aid for 5 years to which was never paid. (see Global Issues) It is supposed to be for the postwar reconstruction but Vietnam did not reveal all the prisoners of the war who were supposedly part of the deal to aid. (see Global Issues) This is a tragic issue for Americans who have been unaware of the fate of their loved ones. (see Global Issues) The Vietnam conflict with the intervention of America is not really a war between the two countries. It is said that America lost this war. But America did not really lose it because in the first place, America was there to become an ally and just to support South Vietnamese for their fight against aggression from the North. Ineffectiveness is a more appropriate term. The way that Americans implemented their policy is ineffective in this conflict. America’s main goal is to unite Vietnam into one state. (see Global Issues) America failed to achieve that goal. The conflict highlighted more on the Cold War ideological battle. It reported and portrayed on the killings and tragedies that happened in the War. It focused more on the bad mistake. The good intentions were rarely questioned and carried out poorly. The media made coverage of America in an extremely one-sided story. (see Global Issues) It resulted to inaccurate reporting because only fragments were told. They mainly focused on the nature of the war. The atrocity of the war were mistakenly branded and blundered. Americans are on the side of South Vietnam that opposed the aggression from the communist, the North Vietnam. What really happened in this war was â€Å"internal aggression.† (see Global Issues) Wherein they invaded and attacked their own country and people. But then there were confusion on who really were â€Å"allies† on this war. The non-communist South Vietnam was said to be invaded by the communist, North Vietnam. (see Global Issues) United States therefore came to the side of the â€Å"democratic† regime in the South. But it was reported untrue. It is because Ho Chi Minh sent regular forces to assist the American attacks. (see Global Issues) He was persuaded to send regular armies to support the South in their opposition to American invasion. (see Global Issues) America lost the war in Vietnam. But millions of acres of forest were destroyed through herbicides poisoning, millions of people were slaughtered, rice fields were left with spots of bomb craters after â€Å"winning† its freedom. It is believed that in a war, no one really win or lose. Though they achieved what they are fighting for, they lose a great deal as well. Vietnam might have the independence and freedom they wanted but it caused them a lot before they achieved it. In contrast, America is still one of the most powerful countries in the world. They still aid and support other countries. But what is the measurement of victory? Is it shown in wealth or material possessions? Or is it measured by power? Or achieving what we really wanted though nothing was left afterwards? Winning does not end or achieve from a certain period of time. Victorious winning is seen on how you live after or if you were able to cope up with life after the battle. Fighting for what you desire and achieving it is a great reward for winning. On the process of achieving for these goals, you may lose some, but gain some as well. It really doesn’t matter if Vietnam conflict is a Winnable War. What matters most is the lesson learned from this war. The experiences happened, whether good or bad. Making things better and hoping that none of this will happen again in the future. To be able to have a peaceful world that can only be attained if we will not let selfishness rule over us. Most people believed that US lost the war. But Vietnam was destroyed to its core where it could be a pool of hope for the next generation and development option in Asia. If only plans were made and done effectively, things might have been different or it could be better than what happened. REFERENCES: Shah, Anup (29 December 2002). Media Propaganda and Vietnam. Retrieved October 15, 2006, from War, Propaganda and the Media Website: http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Propaganda/Vietnam.asp#ThemedialostthewarforAmerica Vietnam War Retrieved October 15, 2006, from Wikipedia Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_war#Richard_Nixon_and_Vietnam_.281969.E2.80.931974.29

Peers Essay Example for Free

Peers Essay For this essay, I researched how peers can influence the physical, cognitive, social and personality development of their adolescent friends. In addition to this, my research also included ways the parent-child relationships can have more or less influence on an adolescent. â€Å"Peer pressure is a specific instance of social influence, which typically produces conformity to a particular way of acting or thinking,† states Jeffrey Lashbrook, professor of Sociology at State University of New York College (Lashbrook, 2000, pg. 1). Even when just considering the time adolescents spend with their peers, it really shouldn’t be too surprising the impact and influence adolescent peers can have on one another. Cross-behavior analyses of five activities—alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, marijuana use, tobacco chewing and the adolescent’s introduction to sex were analyzed in a longitudinal study conducted by The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The study found that adolescents were twice as likely to engage in a risk behavior if their friend engaged in it also. The study found that peer influence can be both beneficial and harmful. In the use of cigarettes and marijuana, there was only influence to initiate the behavior. However, for alcohol consumption, the study showed that there was equal influence to conform to friends who drank and to conform to friends who did not drink. Whereas with tobacco chewing, there was shown to be significantly more peer pressure to stop chewing than to begin chewing. This was used as evidence that teens also can protect their peers in risk activities. One of the results the study showed was, not too surprisingly, that best friends were more influential than close peers. The study concludes to say that â€Å"peer influence is a real phenomenon that takes on varying roles across adolescent risk behavior† (Maxwell, 2000, p. 1). This includes the physical, cognitive, social and personality development of the teen. As far as the ways parent-child relationships have more/less influence, I read some additional research in this specific area. In research conducted by Barnes, Hoffman, Welte, Farrell and Dintcheff, (Barnes, 2006), 6 sets of data were analyzed including interviews of 506 adolescents to determine how parental support and monitoring influenced adolescent behavior. The results of the study concluded that effective parenting and adolescents avoidance of associations with delinquent peers proved to be important factors which correlate with the decrease of alcohol misuse, other substance use, and delinquency (Barnes, 2006). Some studies I read through seem to reiterate that parents often wait for â€Å"the right time† to influence adolescents. However, in reading through the various research, it seems to indicate that those parents who remain open to communication with their children all along will have greater influence in their adolescent’s choices. For example, in an article I read titled, â€Å"Parents Communication with Adolescents about Sexual Behavior: A Missed Opportunity for Prevention,† (Eisenberg, 2006), it stated that parents often wait to talk to their teens about sex at the time they know their adolescent is in a romantic relationship. However, the article examined how it is not parallel when the teen stated they had their first sexual experience and when the parent(s) states they believe their teen will or has had his or her first sexual experience. In the various readings I have researched for this essay, I have seen this to be the case with most things in general. Often the parents believe the adolescent doesn’t know or hasn’t experienced various things when the teen states they have. The research I have read does indicate that peers can influence their adolescent peers in a variety of ways depending upon other factors. In the research I have also found that how a parent can influence their adolescent usually begins a long time before they are adolescents and can vary from person to person.

The Current Heritage Conservation Policy In Hong Kong

The Current Heritage Conservation Policy In Hong Kong We can see that some valuable built heritage were destroyed in these few years; however, the public did not acknowledge the impacts of demolishing our precious built heritage and the importance of conserving them. Not only can cultural heritage enhance the uniqueness of the city, it also can contribute to the civic pride and a sense of belongings. Therefore, this study will discuss the effectiveness of the heritage conservation policies in Hong Kong. The current systems are the Three-tier system and Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Data were gathered by secondary research, such as governmental reports, academic theses and private sector reports. After reviewing the two policies, we found that the strategies lack statutory power to protect built heritage and the preservation of privately owned historical buildings done by the Hong Kong government is ineffective. To further establishing a comprehensive heritage conservation system, the heritage preservation experiences of Macau can provide some insights and directions to the local government. By referencing its experience, we recommend that Hong Kong can improve the current systems and the scope of protection can be extended to private historical monuments. Background In the past hundreds of year, Hong Kong has grown from a small rural community into one of the most influencing and renowned cosmopolis. By undergoing a long period of history, plenty of valuable heritage legacies can be found in every district in Hong Kong. In fact, cultural heritage can sustain peoples values and allow them to share a collective memory. Therefore, it should be considered as essential and invaluable public assets that are worthy to preserve. In 1976, in a light of protecting historical monuments and promoting the heritage value, Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was established by the British colonial government. Some related departments have subsequently set up to protect historical buildings, such as Home Affairs Bureau (HAB), Urban Renewal Authority (URA) and so on. Unfortunately, due to prompt economic development and large population growth, there are great demands for intense urban development and some significant historical landmarks have been demolished, such as the Queens Pier and the Star Ferry Pier. As a result, despite historical significance, old buildings occupying potential sites of commercial development are regarded as barriers and cannot be protected properly by legal frameworks. Introduction It is obvious to see that the heritage conservation in Hong Kong is yielded to the economic growth and urban development. The Hong Kong government has neglected the importance of conserving heritage and some monuments cannot be maintained for the future generation under the existing heritage preservation policies. Therefore, I find it essential to look into the efficacy of the current policies. This paper aims at examining the effectiveness of present heritage conservation policies and reviewing the experience of Macau. Procedure Data for the policy paper gathered are mainly secondary data which was obtained by extensive reading of relevant journal articles, theses and reports. Moreover, I accessed some governmental departments websites in order to obtain more official and factual information which are persuasive enough to support my view points. Existing measures and effectiveness Three-Tier Grading System of Historical Buildings The Grading System, which is adapted to record heritage buildings with significant historical and architectural value, is an administrative measure without any statutory power. Therefore, the record is only kept for internal reference for the government. The Grading System comprises three grades, including Grade I, Grade II and Grade III  [1]  . Since the System lacks statuary status and is only regarded as a reference list to keep record of the historical buildings, the graded buildings cannot be protected legally. Under the System, the information provided by the Grading System will just be sent to other relevant government departments such as the Planning Department which can determine whether protect the graded historical buildings or not. We can, therefore, understand that the System is not powerful enough to inhibit the monumental architectures from destroying. For example, the Murray House, which was built in 1846 with classical British style, was classified as Grade I building owing to its valuable Victorian architectural design. This historical landmark was originally located in Central; however, it was dismantled in 1982 and relocated to the Stanley in attempt to make way for the Bank of China Tower. Regrettably, due to the lost of parts of the building, this relocation failed to reflect the remarkable historical development and architectural significance of 18th Century. As a result, the AAB decided to remove the grade of the Murray House after visiting the place. We can clearly see that even the graded buildings which declared as monuments cannot be protected properly under the current system. Thus, it is critical for the government to offer legal authority to the Grade System so that the graded buildings will not be demolished easily. Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (AMO) is enacted in 1976 in an attempt to protect Hong Kong historical buildings. The AMO, which is implemented by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AM Office), provides secretarial services for Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB). In the section three of the Ordinance, after consultation with the AAB and with the approval of the Chief Executive, the Office may declare buildings, places and sites, where the Office considers to be public interest by reason of its historical and archaeological value  [2]  . Therefore, under the Ordinance, the Office is responsible for declaring antiquities and historical buildings into monuments or proposed monuments, which can prohibit them from demolishing. However, the AMO does not possess effective and comprehensive statutory power to protect privately owned historical buildings. In fact, private owners have their own right to reject the monumental buildings declaring as monuments on the grounds that they consider the land market and the profit of selling the buildings more than the value of historical value. Meanwhile, the developmental potential of the buildings and the profit may decrease after declaration, which causes them be reluctant to declare the buildings into monuments. Thus, few privately owned heritage assets can be protected and kept as declared monuments. For instance, Tiger Balm Gardens, which was constructed in 1935 by a wealthy Chinese philanthropist Aw Boon-haw, built in Chinese Renaissance Style with a unique mixture of Chinese and Western styles of artistic decoration. The owners of the Gardens submitted a proposal required the demolition of the whole heritage buildings in 1999; however when the AM Office acknowledged and approached the matter, the real estate developers had bought the land and dismantled part of the buildings for the redevelopment. Therefore, it is important for the AMO to promote private sector participation in heritage conservation and a comprehensive mechanism of compensation can be established. The Macaus experience In order to enhance the effectiveness of the heritage conservation policies in Hong Kong, related experiences of other countries will be studied. In fact, comparing the conservation policies between different places is definitely an effective way to achieve better approach to the preservation of the built cultural heritage in developed countries. In this part, the heritage conservation policies of Macau will be explored; therefore, I hope that their experiences can give Hong Kong an insight into saving heritage. The reason why I take the examples of Macau is that there are lots of similarities between Hong Kong and Macau, including the high population density and rapid economic growth. More importantly, they both colonized by Britain and Portugal, which may result in both countries possessing great historical and cultural value. Thus, it will be easier for Hong Kong to seek advice from Macau. In Macau, Cultural Institute (CI) and Cultural Heritage Department (CHD) are the core statutory departments of heritage conservation. The legal classification system of built heritage, which is under control by these two departments, is consisted of four categories, namely The Monument, The Complex, The Sites and Building of Architectural Interest. Under the classification system, authorization from the government is needed before any repairs, damages and demolition; therefore, most historical buildings in Macau are conserved well. To date, 128 built heritages are preserved and classified as cultural properties in Macau, including 52 are The Monument, 11 are The Complexes, 22 are The Sites and 44 are Building of Architectural Interest. Comparing with Hong Kong, the classification system in Macau is granted with legal force and therefore the classified historical buildings will not be demolished by any parties of society. Apart from the classification system, the Macau Government has set up a Cultural Fund in a bid to cover the cost of repairing and restoring the historical buildings. As a result, owners of privately owned heritage are willing to give consent to declare the historical buildings as monuments. Moreover, the Macau government has tried their best to invest on revitalizing the historical buildings. Ruins of St. Paulo, Sao Domingos Square and Leal Senado Square, for example, are conserved and reused for social and commercial purposes. By combining the ideas of conservation and economic development, the cultural heritage can be reversed properly and have become famous tourist attractions. We can clearly see the determination and sincerity of the Macau government in conserving the heritage. Conclusion The findings clearly indicate that the heritage conservation policies are not extensive and effective enough to protect local historical monuments. Some of the policies cannot protect privately owned heritage while other cannot access their legal force to protect monuments. It can be concluded that to encourage public involvement in heritage preservation, Hong Kong have to consult other countries opinions so that we can develop a clearer heritage conservation system to protect valuable monumental buildings. Recommendation Improvement of the grading system Since some historical buildings may not be preserved appropriately under the existing grading system, I propose that the criteria of grading buildings be more objective and transparent. Therefore, it is important for the government and relevant departments to reform the grading system. Incentives to private owners of historical buildings. Given a lack of incentives and no clear regulations regarding the compensation for conserving privately owned historical buildings, I recommend that a reasonable and comprehensive compensation be provided to encourage private owners repair and maintain the buildings. Besides, tax relief which is a financial tool to help private owners to restore and maintain the privately owned historical buildings can be offered as conservation incentives. As a result, a wide range of Hong Kongs monuments can be protected for future generation. Establishment of funding In view of inadequate support and determination of local government in heritage conservation, it is highly recommend that the government provide funding to support preserving built heritage. It may be useful and effective for the government to cooperate with private organizations and non-profit organizations. Both donations and contributions can be collected as a source of funding so that the maintenance cost of historical buildings can be covered and reduced.

Diversification of the American Workforce: Impact on Interaction betwee

Diversification of the American Workforce: Impact on Interaction between Managers and Employees Abstract The diversification of the American Workforce has changed the way managers interact with employees. This diversification is due to tighter labor markets, increased immigration, and women entering the workforce. Cultural factors, not present before, have caused managers to develop new methods of tasking, motivating, and educating these diverse employees. Essentially these new methods have been a change in interpersonal behavior, the way a manager acts and re-acts to employees. This change in behavior was necessary to increase productivity and maintain a competitive edge in the market place. I. Introduction In my Cultural Anthropology course, I had to learn and memorize the definition of culture; â€Å"Culture is an organized system of learned behavior patterns, always made manifest in a group, making that group distinctive from other groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This definition was the basis for my understanding and ability to learn about other people, different than myself and from different backgrounds, during my studies in Anthropology and Psychology. This definition has the key element of what culture is, a system of behavior distinctive to a particular group of people. These behaviors range from cultural norms to religious beliefs. In business, the effectiveness of an organization rests on the ability of the management to interact with its employees and to motivate the workforce to accomplish the goals of the company. This ability of interaction between the manager and the employees depends on the managers understanding of the cultural differences between himself and his employees. The masculine form is only being used as example for the purpose of this paper. It is understood that the managers will most likely be male or female. An organization is affected by cultural factors on many levels. The top management forms the basic foundation of an organization when they set the primary goals for that organization, the reason the organization is in business. An example would be that a car company in the United States of America would have the ultimate goal of making large amounts of profit for it’s stakeholders. This goal is derived in the root cultural tenant of capitalism. The United States was founded with capitalist ideas and so American managers will have capitalist ide... ...behavior towards diverse employees and learn to understand the cultural differences between them will undoubtedly increase productivity and gain a competitive edge in the market place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   VI. References Bernstein, A. and Rozen, S. (1992). Neanderthals at work. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Bowman-Kruhm, M. and Wirths, C. (1998). Discrimination and prejudice. New York: Rosen Publishing. Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row. Chaleff, I. (1995). The courageous follower. San Francisco: Berlett-Koehler Publishers. Creating a diverse workforce. (n.d.) Retrieved March 1, 2003, from http://www.businessweek. com/adsections/diversity/diversework.htm Daft, R. (1988). Management. New York: The Dryden Press. Devoe, D. (1999). Managing a diverse workforce. Retrieved March 1, 2003, from http://archive.infoworld.com/articles Kotkin, J. (1993). Tribes: how race, religion, and identity determine success in the new global economy. New York: Random House. Kowalenko, K. (2000). Increasing diversity in America’s science, engineering, and technology fields. Retrieved March 1, 2003, from http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/inst/dec2000

Racial and Cultural Test Bias, Stereotype Threat and Their Implications

Racial and Cultural Test Bias, Stereotype Threat and Their Implications A substantial amount of educational and psychological research has consistently demonstrated that African American students underperform academically relative to White students. For example, they tend to receive lower grades in school (e.g., Demo & Parker, 1987; Simmons, Brown, Bush, & Blyth, 1978), score lower on standardized tests of intellectual ability (e.g., Bachman, 1970; Herring, 1989; Reyes & Stanic, 1988; Simmons et al., 1978), drop out at higher rates (e.g., American Council on Education, 1990; Steele, 1992), and graduate from college with substantially lower grades than White students (e.g., Nettles, 1988). Such performance gaps can be attributed to any number of factors, such as socioeconomic status, academic preparation, and educational opportunities; however, Steele (1997) pointed out that even when background factors are held constant, subsequent achievement remains lower for minority students. Moreover, much research in this area has focused on how African America n students’ lack of motivation and negative attitudes contribute to their inferior academic performance (Ogbu, 1990); yet many Black students often report high educational aspirations (Fordham, 1996; Fine, 1991; Ogbu, 1987, 1990; Hauser & Anderson, 1991), even higher than White students of comparable class background (MacLeod, 1995). What remains certain is the urgent need to explain what accounts for the persistent academic underachievement of Black students. One widely held explanation for the achievement gap in test performance between Black and White students is that the tests are either culturally or racially biased. Jencks (1998) points out three types of biases... ...lantic Monthly, 68-78. Steele, C. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52, 6, 613-629. Steele, C., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 5, 797-811. Steele, C., Spencer, S. J., & Aronson, J. (2002). Contending with group image: The psychology of stereotype and social identity threat. (In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 34, pp. 379-440. New York, NY: Academic Press. Vars, F. E., & Bowen, W. G. (1998). Scholastic aptitude test scores, race, and academic performance in selective colleges and universities. (In Jencks, C. & Phillips, M. (Eds.), The Black-White Test Score Gap (pp. 55-85). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.)

Hurricane Wilma :: essays research papers

Damage Hurricane Wilma is the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. The atmospheric pressure was 882 millibars on Wednesday, Oct.19 making it a category 5. Wilma was the 21st storm of the 2005 hurricane season. On Tuesday, Oct.18 the hurricane was a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Wilma came just a week after Hurricane Stan, affecting some of the same countries. By Friday, Hurricane Wilma had caused at least 11 deaths in Haiti and Jamaica. Mudslides were becoming a real threat, prompting evacuations in Central America, The Caribbean, and as far as the United States. Hurricane Wilma pounded the western tip of Cuba (figure 3), where the government had to evacuate more than 500,000 people, including 7,000 people from the coastal fishing village of La Coloma. At least one hurricane shelter in downtown Cancun had to evacuate. There were about 1,000 people that had to be moved during the night because the ceiling threatened to collapse. Hurricane Wilma then headed up toward the United States, aiming tworad Collier, Florida. It cost more than 6 billion dollars in damages [1 billion dollars was recorded in Collier, Florida] in Southwest Florida, making it the most damaging natural disaster in 45 years in Florida. Recovery The American Red Cross gave 4,500 hygiene kits to the Mexican Red Cross, and 2,000 hygiene kits to the Bahamas Red Cross Society. These kits include toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and other items. The kits are being sent from relief supplies that were already in Panama. Three months after Hurricane Wilma made landfall, over 300 million dollars had been approved for Florida residents who suffered damages from the disaster.