Rennisance Essays - Medieval Philosophy, Renaissance, Humanism

Rennisance Renaissance The 14th, 15th and part of 16th century was a glorious time for Europe, it was the reformation of many old ideas and the formation of many new, this was called the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought many changes to Europe, the economy was greatly boosted by of all the new explorations. The flourishing economy helped to inspire new developments in art and literature. And from that many new beliefs were formed. The European economy flourished during the Renaissance due to many factors. There was a large income coming in from over seas exploration. Spain alone received added income from Christopher Columbus and when he stumbled across North America on his way to find a shorter rout to the Indies. The exploration down the coast of Africa also brought in a lot of extra income. This income came from the exploitation of the Africans by kidnapping them and selling them as slaves. Income also came from establishing colonies in Africa and setting up gold mines and mines for other needed metals. With all of this extra income coming into the European countries they had more money to help fund the arts. During the Renaissance there were many drastic changes in the style of art. Giotto was a very influential painter, during the start of the Renaissance. In Giotto's work he used three dimensional images, this was a drastic change from the classic art where depth was not used. His painting were very realistic and life like, unlike the previous centuries art. Giotto's work inspired artists by the likes of Leonardo de Vinci, Raphael and Michaelango. Michaelango painted the Sistine Chapel, which is located in the Vatican in Rome. The Sistine Chapel depicted the book of Genesis. The manner in which it was painted was unlike another at the time, all the characters in the Sistine chapel are very life like and realistic. Also it was one of the first times that religion was painted by the painters opinion of the events. The arts led to new ways of thinking. With the arts the artists began to think on their own and those movements began to spread. It was not just what the church said anymore that was right. Humanism, one of the new beliefs which was formed during the Renaissance, said that people should read the works of the greats and focus on writing, and the arts. Humanists believed that they were equal with the ancient Greek and Roman writers and philosophers. Petrarch was the original humanist, and a writer who wrote many letters to the people of ancient Rome. In those letters he spoke as if he was an equal with them. Another of the new beliefs was scholasticism, which was the opposite of humanism. Scholastics thought that people should spend more time the sciences, they also wanted the church and science to be brought together as one. As new scientific discoveries were made many of the churches theories were beginning to be questioned. Some of the new scientific discoveries consisted of theories which went against the churches beliefs. One theory which was proven true about the Earth revolving around the sun. This was contrary to the churches view that everything revolved around the Earth. This theory was proven true by Copernicus who is considered the father of modern astronomy. Kelper an astronomer and astrologer also discovered about the rotation of the planets. As the church began to be questioned more and more. And soon there were new religions forming. The major religion that was formed during the Renaissance was the Protestant religion. The Protestant religion began to spread throughout Europe, at one point of time the official church of England was a Protestant church. This new and improved Europe was mainly came to be from the blustering economy, the explorations, art, literature, and new discoveries, but this new growth of a western power was not just a natural development, in fact it was inspired by a superior civilization, the Chinese. If it was not for the Chinese version of the Renaissance which occurred about a thousand years earlier there would be no European Renaissance. The Chinese had many useful inventions which the Europeans exploited unlike the Chinese. One crucial Chinese invention was the compass,

Free Homeschool Programs for Texas Students

Free Homeschool Programs for Texas Students The state of Texas offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free.  Virtual schools that offer no-cost instruction include online charter schools, statewide public programs, and private programs that receive public funding. Online Texas Charter Schools and Public Schools Texas has multiple options for students wishing to take free virtual courses. Some are provided through state-funded school districts, and others are provided through private academies: Texas Connections Academy: A fully accredited online school, Texas Connections Academy offers courses for students in grades three through 12, including Honors and Advancement Placement courses that can be applied for college credit. The school uses LiveLesson technology to provide live teaching over the web. In addition to standard curriculum, Texas Connections Academy also offers college preparation and counseling, including SAT prep classes and assistance with the college application process.Texas Online Preparatory School: Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS) is a state-funded program run by Huntsville Independent School District. It provides personalized, tuition-free education for students in grades 3 through 12. Flexible pacing allows students with other commitments to meet their educational needs on their own schedule. Although most of the instruction is done remotely, the school organizes field trips, picnics, and other outings throughout the year to give students to chanc e to meet and socialize. Texas Virtual Academy: Like TOPS, Texas Virtual Academy is a state-funded program. It is run by Hallsville Independent School District in northeast Texas. The school offers a traditional curriculum as well as courses in Career and Technical Education (CTE) such as computer science, web design, audio engineering, sports medicine, and accounting. Students can also take special courses through the University of Texas of the Permian Basin for both high school and college credit.iUniversity Prep: Designed for students in grades five through 12, iUniversity Prep is a virtual school run by Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District. It is focused on college preparedness. Students work together with teachers and learning coaches to develop and reevaluate customized learning plans. The school encourages and helps plan extracurricular activities so that students who cannot participate in traditional education have an opportunity to meet their peers. More information on virtual learning opportunities for Texas students is available through the Texas Virtual School Network. About Online Schools Most virtual schools are charter schools  that receive government funding and are run by  private organizations. Online charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, they are reviewed regularly and must continue to meet state standards. Some states also offer their own  online public schools. These virtual programs generally operate from a state office or a school district. Statewide public school programs vary. Some online public schools offer a limited number of remedial or advanced courses not available in brick-and-mortar public school campuses. Others offer full online diploma programs, like those available through Texas Virtual Academy and Texas Online Preparatory School. Choosing a School When choosing an online public school, look for an established program that is regionally accredited and has a track record of success. Be wary of new schools that are disorganized, are unaccredited, or have been the subject of public scrutiny.

Forecasting Crude Oil (Spot Price) Volatility Dissertation

Forecasting Crude Oil (Spot Price) Volatility - Dissertation Example Daily prices for crude oils are effective in volatility forecasting. 17 It was also imperative to use the two cluster analysis in the paper. 17 In the case of GARCH to obtain the unknowns the formula was applied where the initial value Xk was taken to be 25.56 where a= 0.001 (fixed) 17 b= 0.00 18 c= 0.00 18 In using the same formula the values for a, b and c were P-GARCH established to be 18 a= 0.001(fixed) 18 b= 0.394 18 c= 0.050 18 Xk= 25.56 18 For GARCH GJR, the values were found to be 18 a=0.001 (fixed) 18 b= 0.488 18 c= 0.110 18 Xk= 25.56 18 for E GARCH a=0.001 (fixed) 18 b= 0.488 18 c= 0.11 18 From the findings captured in the spread sheet, we can derive various important factors about the GARCH family models and answer important questions arising from the same. These are 19 The data should be within range in order to get rid of outlier values.The data is reliable since the projection/ forecasted values are within limit. There are no outlier values as a result of projection. 19 The null hypothesis – Garch models predict uniformly 19 Alternative hypothesis- GARCH models predictions differ. Based on the results, it is clear that there exists variations among the four models. Thus it is rational to conclude that the alternative hypothesis holds. 19 The best model should be as closer to the baseline as possible. GARCH is a replica of the baseline and hence cannot be taken to be the best.Of the four GJR GARCH varies the least from the baseline hence is the best. 19 EGARCH has the largest variation from the baseline hence is the worst. 19 20 BIBLIOGRAPHY 20 APPENDICES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.20 METHODOLOGY AND DATA Introduction Volatility is a concept that refers to the spread of all possible outcomes within an uncertain variable. Finance discipline has various unc ertain variables such as prices of products, returns on assets, and share prices amongst others (Olowe, 2010). Modeling and forecasting of volatility have been attributed to increasing uncertainty in financial aspects and components (Day & Lewis, 1993). Oil price fluctuations in the global arena experience significant uncertainties thereby invoking interests amongst financial and market participants (Kang, Kang, & Yoon, 2009). The main reasons explaining such significant interest include the fact that oil price fluctuations affect decision making process for both producers and consumers in addition to investors’ decisions. Whereas oil price fluctuations affect strategic planning and appraisal of projects for producers and consumers, investors continue to face challenges in investment, allocation of portfolios, and management of risks decisions (Campbell, Lo, & MacKinlay, 1997). Policy and decision making within the oil markets require accurate forecasting of the crude oil pri ces (Olowe, 2010). Attaining accurate and adequate forecasting require adequate and accurate data. In most cases, daily prices of crude oil are used to predict or forecast volatility (uncertainty) for purposes of developing effective policies and decision making processes (Campbell, Lo, & MacKinlay, 1997). Forecasting volatility of crude oil prices have been done for a