Academic Articles

         The amount of articles available about how to gain financial freedom is innumerable.  Regardless of the author, the time, or the platform, they all tend to put forth the same ideas about how the reader can attain financial freedom.  The basic tenants they all propose can be summed up in a few basic ideas: have a budget, establish an emergency fund (preferably 3 months worth), live within your means, put money into a savings account weekly, invest your money (make your money work for you), have insurance, cut up all your credit cards, and so on.      Oftentimes these articles are followed up by comments detailing how that plan will never work for the average reader.  A budget, you say?  You cannot budget zero.  An emergency fund, and three months at that?  Most are still paying for things they purchased three years ago.  Living within your means is easier said than done, especially when you have...

                                    What is Birth Control?     When it comes to birth control, the idea of being against it or for it, comes down to what an individual defines birth control as being. In some opinions, anything that prevents or terminates a pregnancy would be considered some type of birth control. Others would limit their definition of birth control only to those things that actually prevent a pregnancy, (i.e. birth control pills, condoms, diaphragms, or surgeries such as hysterectomies). For the purposes of this paper, the definition of birth control will be limited to those forms that simply prevent pregnancy and not those that terminate a pregnancy. Arguments For Birth Control      In what is probably the most hailed purpose for birth control is its usage as a means of controlling the population. Proponents of this idea state that th...

It's About You; Not the Guests One of the largest expenses a couple will incur is also their first: a lavish wedding that most people really cannot afford. While it may seem like a good way to celebrate the marriage, it is in reality a display of pride and arrogance. At a time when the emphasis should be on what the future husband and wife plan on doing for each other, it now becomes a ritualistic display of what they can do to impress others. Since this gaudy display is put on for the benefit of the guests and not the couple, the audience becomes the focal point, and the bride and groom are relegated to the backseat. When a couple spends an exorbitant amount of money on their wedding, they run the risk of starting their marriage out so far in debt that it is nearly impossible to dig themselves out. This in turn leads to financial difficulties that can haunt them for many years. Consequently, if the situation isn’t corrected early (which in most cases it isn’t) the end result i...

The following article was a required paper for World Civilizations I (HS250) at Ashworth College. Alexander III, better known today as Alexander the Great, was born in Pella, Macedonia in 356 B.C. Born the son of Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander inherited his kingdom at an early age when his father was assassinated; however, this wasn’t his first foray into power. Four years prior, at the age of 16, his father had promoted him to regent of Macedonia, and two years later he was put in charge of the Macedonian army during the battle of Chaeronea. Alexander would be credited with the victory, and it would be the launch of an unimaginable military career. Even before these accomplishments Philip, and his wife Olympias, seemed to have been preparing their son for a life of military conquests. Alexander had gone on military campaigns with his father, and so had already seen many battles from an early age. After seeing his young son break a horse which no one else seemed to be able ...

Yang Guang (left in black) depicted as Emperor of Sui      The Sui Dynasty was a short lived dynasty that lasted only 37 years (581-618). It was ruled by two different emperors: Emperor Yang Jian who ruled from 581-604, and Emperor Yang Guang who ruled from 605 to the end of the dynasty. Despite good intentions, the Sui Dynasty would fall due to the Emperor's overambitious projects and reforms, which would lead to revolts from the overworked people. Yang Jian Unites North and South China      Following a chaotic period of roughly 3 centuries in which the Northern and the Southern Dynasties were constantly at war, Yang Jian, a nobleman who was the prime minister under the previous emperor, united the political and military powers and through his defeats of the other dynasties was able to finally unite both north and south China. Although he established the Sui Dynasty in 581 A. D., it wasn’t until the defeat of the Chen Dynasty in 589 that the ...

     Genetic diversity is the variation in the characteristics inherited from the parent organisms in a population of a specific species.  This diversity is extremely important for the survival of a species as it allows for the survival of certain members when a portion of the group is destroyed either through disease, changing environments, or other factors that are detrimental to their survival.  Genetic diversity can come about through a number of ways: mutations, sexual reproduction, migration, and population size.      Mutations are changes in the alleles that introduce new genetic information into a group.  While some mutations are readily visible (two-headed snakes, five-legged sheep, frogs with six-eyes, etc.), many other mutations are not so obvious.  An organism that is susceptible to a certain disease, for example.  While mutations will introduce new characteristics into a populatio...