Macroeconomics Interview Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macroeconomics Interview Assignment - Essay Example as a set of actions and conditions that were fundamental attributes of a financial crisis and ensuing recession, which become evident and visible in 2008. Some of the actions or factors that contributed to this crisis of rise and fall of housing costs are attributed of the securities held by the financial institutions. The ensuing years leading to the crisis, the United States had received large sums of money in terms of foreign loans from fast developing economies such as Asia and other oil manufacturing nations (Rao, and Sisodiya, 11). The huge inflow of foreign funds and low U.s rates of interest between 2002 and 2004 is attributed to the volatile milieu characterised by easy credit conditions. This environment is immensely attributed to the housing and credit bubbles. However, the immediate cause of the subprime crisis was the bursting of the US’s housing bubble. The bubble peaked between 2005 and 2006. The crisis was characterized by an increase in subprime mortgage negligence and foreclosure, and the consequent decrease of securities that were guaranteed by the said mortgages. The mortgages included the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and the collateralized debt obligations (CDO). The securities offered attractive incentives and rates of return in the beginning; nonetheless, the abnormally low credit factor eventually resulted to substantial defaults (Rao, and Sisodiya, 27). Fundamentally, the crisis is connected to numerous factors; however, the primary ones include the inability of homeowners to submit the mortgage payments due to predatory lending and speculation factors. Other factors include high level of personal and corporate debts, poor monetary and housing policy, global imbalances and inapt government regulation, which aimed at expanding homeownership. It is imperative to note that, the MBS, CDO and credit default swap caused the disproportionate housing debt. For the case of the home sellers and business people, the increase and sharp fall of

Gender Segregation in the Workforce

Gender Segregation in the Workforce The occupational sex segregation in various countries It has commonly been assumed that, the gender inequality in occupations is reflected in many aspects, such as the pay gap, gender discrimination, education qualification, traditional patriarchy concept and welfare. The essay are mainly focus on the occupational sex segregation, it is likely that senior job position almost attribute to male, female often stay lower statues in career. For example, women are often excluded from tradesmen, as the spelling of the word implied, tradesmen seems like male-dominant. The segregation is quite obvious in occupations, (Barbalescu and Bidwell 2013) found that men prefer the job in construction, medicine, law, engineering while women are defined as cheap labor force and the substitute of men, their job are considered as unskilled, non-professional and less paid (England, 2005). In the UK, women were expected out of labor market in the past, in 1980, less than 1 percentage women are profession and male as breadwinner in family. By 2002, the percentage of women profession increased by 40. By 2011, there is about 30 percent increase in female earner and small grow in dual-earner which exceeds the percentage of traditional male breadwinner (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013) but women are still underrepresented in certain jobs. According to Cotter et al (2004), in US, men remain supervisory position in the past, but their status are decline gradually with the continued increase of womens participation in labor market even in male-dominate job, currently, a majority of women are emerged in the work such as teachers, nurse and clerk (Preston, 1993). The essay is based on the literature research to explore the reason of the gender segregation in occupations and how it result the undervaluation of womens work. Cases of male-dominant and famine-dominant job Cejka and Eagly (1999) suggested that the male-dominant job requires physical strength, because it is full of competition and under high pressure environment. The masculine character is described as aggressive, brave, courage, endurance and resolute, they are more likely to handle the hard work. For example, construction work are dangerous anytime, with the possibility of death, frequently hurt and getting ill (Health and Safety Executive, 2001,Jones et al., 2003) which always be linked to masculinity. In film and TV industry, women are less likely to hold the job, according to the study of Lang (2015), in 2014, the proportion of female is just 14à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ¦as film industry directors and only 20à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ writers, 8% cinematographers. Besides, there is no obvious increase of womens involvement in this period (Follows, Kreager and Gomes, 2016). Female are limited to direct the film, as a result, they are restricted to be employed or only employed for certain types of work. Furthermore, women have limited ability to gain experience and recourses thus remain lower status. Skillset (2007) described that, a majority of women are more likely to be employed in make-up, dress up, personal assistant and cleaning work. Although the proportion of the entrance to the film and IT industry is nearly half and half, segregation start after they come into the industry ( Follows, Kreager andGomes, 2016). Besides, the job nature are long working hours, women cannot meet physical standard, Gi ll and Pratt (2008) added that it is difficult to keep and balance friendship, family life and other relations. Another case are going to be demonstrated is nurse, people apply for nurses are almost female. Base on the data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the ratio of female to male in nurses filed is differential, in Kentucky, female ratio is 12 while male is only 1, the biggest difference is in Iowa and south Carolina, the proportion is 15 female to 1 male, even the smallest gap is 6 to 1 in California. Female are dominant role in nurse, although there has seen some increase in mens participation but still underrepresented (Rappleye, 2015). Another example of male-dominant job is engineering and science, from Marder (2012) statistic, in 2008, 41 percent men of college student are going to choose the science and engineering as their major while women are only 30 percent. After graduation, men also exceed women in science and engineering field, women obtain only 20 percent degrees which also affect their working condition (Hill, Corbett Rose, 2010). According to the the report, women shows more interest in the field of biology, social and behavioral sciences than men, but lag in computer science field, as data reveals, women only account for 19 percent of software developers compared to mens leading role in computer science and physics (Marder, 2012). Jobs can be done by anyone regardless of gender There are some arguments that, women employed in male-dominant job when the labor is short, they are regarded as labor reserve and substitution. Most people insist that women are weakness that cannot bear the primitive work environment and hard job (Health and Safety Executive, 2001, 2003; Jones et al., 2003). A majority of female chooses male-type work gradually that break the traditional deep-rooted male privilege and inequity gender segregation (Paechter, 2007). According to Grusky and Charles (2004), in developed countries, the ratio of men and womens dominant work are nearly equal. NHS, start to open permission to anyone, finally, get more profits (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013). As figure shows, women has become an main labor force, in middlesborough, womens participation achieve 55 percent, in Liverpool, the number is 54.5, as for Glasgow and Manchester, the percentage is 51.5, even in Sheffield, it is 50.8 percent (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). It is convictive that the gender difference is not the whole thing, women are lack of opportunities to challenge and transform the situation. With more and more tradeswomen emerging, it is proved that most of the construction work can be done by women and overturn the ideology that women cannot do such work, the traditional statu s of men as supervisor also face the threat, they are lacking power to drive women out of the labor market (Ness, 2012). Further focus on medicine to explore the jobs can be done by anyone. Based on the numbers, there is an increasing amount of women who are qualified as doctors from 1970, which was seen as mens work formerly, in 2007, most of women are working in medicine field and the number are 10 times greater than before (Crompton Lyonette, 2011), Now, women doctors even outweighs male doctors in the UK. Khan (2012) predicts that this trend will happen to general practice as well in the further. Male also increasingly access to female-dominated job which is reflected in nurse. Men are excluded from nurse field previously, now, university encourage men to choose nurse major. From the information collected, only about 3 percent registered nurse is male in 1970 while in 2011, the number increase to about 10 (US Census Bureau, 2013). According to the man who worked as a nurse now, when he is in school from 2008 to 2009, the percentage of male choose to study nurse is only six percent, until he graduates and works in hospital, there is an apparent increase of men work as registered nurses from 147000 of 2.9 million in 2000 to 168000. Wilson (2009) explain that, people believe nurse is the title of female, but after engagement, people recognize this is not a sexualization job. The undervaluation of womens work It is suggest that sex bias still exist, women are often defined as lower productivity, unskilled, cheap labor force and flexible substitution that are less likely for senior position, even at the time of labor force are not enough, employers are not willing to hire women, so they have limited choice on job and receive lower pay (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). Base on the date from Office for Budget Responsibility (2010), women job losing rate are reaching to about 56 percent in 2011 compared to about 37 percent in 2009, by 2014-2015, more than 330000 women have no job, it is estimated that the percentage will continues. In addition, exclusionary make women be hostile when they enter male-dominant job, because male believe women will threat their supervisor status (Ness, 2012). As winter (2006) state, women are always excluded from infantry, not only because their physical drawback but also the loyalty matters (Woodward and Winter, 2006). According to a mining engineer Gina, man could do what they are supposed to do while women have to concern on what they are able to do (Herman, Lewis Humbert, 2013). So the next section is going to explore what factors cause this situation. Why OGS result in the undervaluation of womens work The motherhood and part-time status of women One of the most important reason reflecting the development of womens career is motherhood. Mother are not supposed to be an idea worker that they undertake main responsibility for family, they have to combine childbearing with the job, hence women shift their full time job to unskilled part-time job or remain unemployed. (Crompton, Lyonette, 2011) state that having children means great conflict with womens work but unchanged for men, for example, women are not suitable in some professional position, therefore they often delay to have children. When women becomes a mother, they invest less in their career and no interested in promotion thus find lower paid job, their finance are almost depend on their husband, consequently, they neglect the training and human capital, happy to stay in low status and earn less (Mincer and Polachek, 1974). In UK, the childcare system is not comprehensive that women care their child themselves, consequently, the job and working hours are restricted for women (Dale, 1987). From statistics, womens part-time work increase by 33 percent from 1971 to 1991, while women with no child are only 29 percent work as part-time (Blackwell, 2001). Specifically, most of women are family-centered, as a mother of 3 children clams, she will focus less on work and take care children primarily, because the baby will not wait to grow up. The factors of supply and demand 5.2.1 The supply side In terms of the supply side, culture and social factors shape different preference and interest in choosing job of men and women which result the segregation in occupation. Barbalescu and Bidwell (2013) summaries 3 factors influencing the choice, reward level, identification and expectations. While some argue that individuals preference is easy to be changed. It is no doubt that everyone prefer the most valuable job both intrinsic reward such as money and external reward including parent leave, flexible working hour. For the meaning of identification, people apply the job which is most compatible with them. According to research, when people start a new career, they are likely to keep consistent with their identification and the standard (Cross and Markus, 1994). To exam the gender preference, a survey from Barbalescu and Bidwell (2013) found a trend that men are more likely to apply for consulting, trading and finance-related job whereas management, care and service work are more common among women, including human resources, nursing, marketing, teachers, these are perceived as femininity which consist with womens identity. The survey also found the belief of employed in finance filed is quite small among women due to the consideration of their ability and identification. It is tested that the propensity of womens job are greatly influen ced by their motherhood identification. Besides, women often choose the job with most female. Refer to expectation theory, the successful outcome in job can be a great force to motive men and women making choice, applicants expect their effort are useful to guarantee the job position (Barbalescu and Bidwell, 2013). The brief and expectation of they can success in the work also reflect their decision, the theory are able to be explained in the example that women are believed limited in engineering or finance filed, thus they are less likely to apply and employed in masculine job because lack of self-identity (Tomlinson, Olsen and Purdam, 2009). In addition, if the organization has sex discrimination previously, they will refuse to enter the organization (Barbalescu and Bidwel, 2013). As explored above, the 3 factors are interconnected that the preference is the consequence of socialization and culture structure. It is likely that, women prefer job with work-life balance and expect regular time off, men are more likely to pursue reward and power than women while women show less desire on money. 5.2.2 The demand side The demand side will emphasis on employers important role that decide whom will be employed through their behavior (Glick, Zion, Nelson, 1988). It is likely that womens career opportunity is limited while men occupied in the most desirable job (Blackburn and Jarman, 1993). The reason why women are excluded and hard to be employed in some field is men and women are treated differently, from employers perspective, male are dominant and prerogative (Reskin, 2005) thus they prefer hire male especially in gendered work. It is believe that women should balance the work and life, so they often work part-time, as a result, employers offer more training to man to maximize their profit (England, 2005). Besides, labor surplus make employer regard women as cheap labor reserve and substitutes, it is because of the scanty of men in labor market when female are employed in male-dominant work (Reilly et al, 2006), According to statistics, women who have experience on industry and IT filed previously are more likely to be offered a male-dominant job. To test the reason affects the gender segregation in hiring progress and the perspective of employers discrimination and inequitable brief, first, arbitrary culture make employers hold the view that different job fit for the specific sex. For example, only female are regarded as good carer and resist men applying for such job. Women are also considering not competent in math due to their limited ability (England, 2005). Second is statistical discrimination, which means they regard a group as average to predict individual, the discrimination often against women entering high skill, profession work even men and women are hold same qualification (Cohen, Bianchi, 1999), consequently, women are long-term worried to apply for the job. The discrimination also reflects on the pay gap which is a reason for gender segregation. Markus (1977) point out that women are less paid and the pay level are conflict with their ability, the lower pay is also a result of excessive female job due to few wom en entre into male-dominant job (Bergmann 1974). Education, policy and partarchy Lack of equality legislation includes minimal wage standards and subsidy (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013). High level of legislation will offer men and women equal opportunities and help to balance their dual roles. As Dench et al (2002) described, after carry out the legislation about fair opportunity, female employment rate in UK raise from 48 to 57 percent. In addition, in France, policy on paid childcare support, parental leave are provided for women to manage their family and work (Faulkner, 2009) According to Jarman and Blackburn and (1993), in 1938, the education degree is 2 percent and only 0.5 fewer for women. It is likely that low education level will be discriminated and women hold high qualification and skills are benefit for their career, hence, the absence of education and training investment on women is another factor result in the distinct occupations on gender (Crompton Lyonette, 2011). It is important to notice that, inflected by traditional gender class and the theory of patriarchy, men dominant and controls the society and they are the meaning of power and leader, it is hard for women to have equal opportunity (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). According to Cockburn (1991), women and men will be allocated to different job accordingly reduce the competition, thus prevent mens job being attacked by women. Besides, man are seen as active in labor market as breadwinner while women concern on domestic work which make womens work undervalued by such segregation (England, 2005). 6. The acceptable work for male and female and conclusion As the essay explored above, women seems more acceptable to work as nurse, school teacher, human resource manager, childcare worker, custom service staff and accountant (Elkins, 2015). The essay also collect the data that male are more likely to do the job in engineer, electricity, industry, army and also a majority of men work as computer software engineer and doctor. The essay then base on the example to prove that womens work are treated unequally, not only the pay gap but also the exclusion of senior position, in addition, women are often regarded as unskilled and cheap labor force because their weakness in physical strength (Health and Safety Executive, 2001, 2003; Jones et al., 2003). These inequities provide the evidence that sex discrimination is an issue should be noticed. Finally, the essay find out the reason behind the phenomenon, first, women as a role of mother should combine work and life which made them have limited time and energy enroll the job, thus, women often wo rk as part-time and some are even unemployed. Second, the shortage of education, training and equal policy for women made employers not willing to hire female, they are often regarded as labor reserve and have limited choice and opportunities. The traditional patriarchy also results in the undervalued work of women. Then the essay concentrates on the supply-demand side, both applications preference and employers discrimination impact the result. Elkins (2015) state that the disproportion should be concerned and the equally gender proportion in occupations would increase the productivity. For further study, the essay will look closely to find more details about the occupations in each filed and make the data more up to date.

Death of a Salesman and All My Sons as Optimistic Tragedies Essay examp

Death of a Salesman and All My Sons as Optimistic Tragedies   Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay deals with Arthur Miller, and his uniqueness as a tragic playwright. The research question that this paper attempted to answer was, why were Miller's plays different from many other tragedies. Two of Arthur Miller's tragedies were used in this essay, Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. The thesis of this essay is, Arthur Miller deviates from the standard perception of tragedy in his plays, Death of a Salesman and All My Sons because unlike other tragedies, they are optimistic in that the main character causes the tragedy for what they perceive to be the greater good. The body of this essay starts out with a discussion of tragedy, and the commonly viewed perception of it, one of pessimism. It goes into detail of several different definitions of tragedy, made by literary critics. The "tragic flaw" is discussed and proven to be a major part of a tragedy, especially Miller's. Death of a Salesman is used to prove this statement. The idea that Miller's plays are optimistic is discussed in great detail. Both plays are used to prove this concept, as well as essays written by literary critics with opinions on this topic. One of the major points in this essay is Miller's use of love. Love is a dominant emotion throughout the tragedies. The important thing about the love is that it is one of the main reasons that the characters do what they do to cause the tragedy. The conclusion of this essay enforces the idea that Arthur Miller's plays are unique from other tragedies. It reinstates the thesis and the reason that it is true. The conclusion also summarizes the most important points of the essay and ends the paper tying everything together. Introd... ... 7. Carson, Neil. "A View from the Bridge and the Expansion of Vision." Bloom, Harold, ed. Arthur Miller: Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. (1987) p 94. 8. Hayman, Ronald. Arthur Miller. New York: Frederick Ungar Publiching Co. (1956); p 43. 9. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: The Viking Press (1958); p 133. 10. Hayman, Ronald. Arthur Miller. New York: Frederick Ungar Publiching Co. (1956); p 55. 11. Miller, Arthur. "Introduction to Collected Plays." Weales, Gerald, ed. Death of a Salesman: Text and Criticism. New York: Penguin Books (1996); p163. 12. Miller, Arthur. Six Great Modern Plays: All My Sons. New York: Dell Publishing Co. (1956); p 420. 13. Gross, Barry. "All My Sons and the Larger Context." Martine, James J., ed. Critical Essays on Arthur Miller. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co. (1979); p 12.

Effectiveness of Airasia’s Performance Measurement System Essay

We could see that this system used by AirAsia is successful as they have been doing really well and improving since year 2001 from first airline in the world to introduce mobile booking, to be a public listed company on the Malaysia Stocks Exchange (Bursa Malaysia), after having on 22 November 2004. In line with its growth and expansion plans, AirAsia has secured a 175 aircraft commitment with Airbus for its A320s. The 175 aircraft order will place AirAsia as the single largest customer for the aircraft in Asia-Pacific, and potentially one of the largest airline fleets in the region. On 23 of March 2006, AirAsia successfully moved its operations to the new Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). This is a major milestone as it is the first dedicated terminal for low cost carrier operations in the world. Besides that, they have achieved many more heights even in the past 2 year. AirAsia are focus on its performance measurement system and made sure that whatever they do are in line with the system and try as hard to meet its benchmark. For example, to ensure the safety of guest and employees, the â€Å"List of Checks for Airbus A320† is created. These safety procedures include strict aircraft maintenance, constant updating and training of technicians and flight crew. Once any problems occur during this checklist, immediate action will be taken, making sure it is safe and no problems will occur. Because if the safety are threaten, it will influence the investors, potential customers and rest of the stakeholders to loose confidence in AirAsia, making it hard for AirAsia to achieve their vision. With all this achievements, awards and significant milestones in just 6 years, it is obvious to see that the performance measurement system that AirAsia is using is effective and efficient. This system set a very good benchmark to all the key elements in helping AirAsia achieve its vision and goals. By following the system, AirAsia gives priority on areas like cost efficiency, branding, product development, growth, human capital, safety of guest and employee. The performance measurement system applied manage identify prominent areas that will affect its business and lead it towards its goal and vision.

Thermal Imaging

The case involved a Mr. Smith whos house was suspicious of growing marijuana. The police used thermal technology to scan Mr. smiths house where they found high amounts of heat. The police then got a search warrant and found marijuana growing in his house. Smith was then arrested and entered a conditional guilty plea. Now the high court had to make a decision that would challenge even the greatest lawyer and justice to ever step into the Supreme Court. The case started off with the lawyer for Smith making his case for Smith. The lawyer stated that that the thermal imaging on Smith's house was indeed a search and that this search was unecessary. His house and privacy were protected by the 4th amendment of the United States. The technology was not used properly and unconstitutionally viewed contents on the inside of Smith's home without a warrant. The thermal imaging devices should have not been able to view just his complex and if he was singled out then everyone should be subject to the same thermal imaging of their homes. In his final statements Smith's lawyer said that thermal imaging is infact a search and that the thermal imaging had no probably cause and he should go free for this violation of his 4th amendment. The next speaker was the lawyer representing the United States. The lawyer for the United States said that the thermal imaging device brought about a probable cause in the triplex and that he was previously suspected for having marijuana so they had to do it for public safety. He also pointed out that a warrant was issued for the search of his house. The United States lawyer ended his statement stating that Smith is a criminal and thermal imaging was used in the case of probable cause. The next speaker was the Solicitor General of the United States. The general was in favor of Smith. He stated that thermal imaging is a search. The thermal imager had no probable cause and that using this high tech device that no normal person can afford should be used without a warrant. The General finished with saying that Smith should go free for this because he was illegally searched. The fourth amendment of the constitution guards against unreasonable search and seizures when the search party has â€Å"reasonable expectation of privacy†. The amendment specifically requires search warrants be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. It was adopted as a response to the abuse of search warrants in the American Revolution. The debate of the definition of search has been challenged in many cases in the history of the United States and is brought up again in this case. The Supreme Court ruled that a search occurs only when a person expects privacy in the thing search and society beliefves that expectation is reasonable. This was decided in Katz v. United States in 1967. In Katz the Court ruled that a search had occurred when the government wiretapped a telephone booth. Now seizure is the other part of the 4th amendment. A Seizure of propert occurs when there is meaningful interference by the government with an individual's possessory interests. The exclusionary rule also falls under seizure. The exclusionary rule states that voluntary answers to questions given to officers are offered into evidence in a ciminal prosecution. The government may not detain and individual even momentarily without reasonable, objective grounds, with few exceptions. The refusal to listen or answers does not answer these grounds. The invasion on people's privacy is only minimal and is usually only in speical cases. Some of these exceptions are at borders and ports of entry into the United States as well as Roadblocks. Another big part of this case was the question is a warrant needed. A warrant is issued by a judge and only then may a officer legally search someones property. Without this warrant it was unconstitutionally searched and therefore is void. Warrants are required for any search of property. Some exceptions to a warrant are Consent, Plain View, Open Fields, Curtilage, Motor Vehicles and Searches incident to a lawful arrest. Consent is if a part allows a search to happen. Plain view is if something is viewable by the officer he can confiscate it. Open Fields such as farm fields, opne water, and woods may be searched without a warrant. Curtilage is the outdoor area immediately surrounding the home, which is protected by the 4th amendment. Courts have determined that this area is an extension of the house and is subject to privacy. People in automobiles have reduced privacy because vehicles are not used as homes. Vehicles cannot be randomly stopped and searched , there must be probable cause or ciminal activity. With probable cause officers may search any area inside a car. However, they cannot search passenger without probable cause to search them. The Searches incident to a lawful arrest are used to prevent the arrested individual from destorying evidence or using a weapon against the officer. It is reasonalbe for the officer to search the area within the arrestee's immediate control. A search of lets say the room they were arrested in is acceptable. Now comes the issue of Probable Cause which was brought up many times in this case. The police must have legally sufficient reasons to believe that a search is necessary. And during this search they must uncover criminal activity or contraband. The Supreme Court had many cases involving Probable Cause. In Carrol V. United States the Supreme Court stated that probably cause to search is a â€Å"flexible, common-sense standard. † So the issue of probable cause can be a toss up and can't really be determined directly (Adapted from History Book and Wikipedia. com). If I were a justice on the Supreme Court I would rule in favor of Smith. The use of thermal imaging reveals the contents of the inside of his home. This violates his right of security and thus violates the 4th amendment. The officers did have probable cause to search his house because of his alleged marijuana growth. But that doesn't mean they could search his house without a warrant. They needed to get judicial consent before using the thermal imaging to search his house. Plus thermal imaging is not available to everyone so they could not use it without consent. Our class found Smith innocent. The police unlawfully searched his house with the use of thermal imaging. Even though we came to this verdict it could have easily gone the other way. It all is based on your view of the Constitution. Unless you are one of the people who wrote the Bill of Rights I guess we can never truly understand the constitution fully and it is proven with the countless cases brought to the Supreme Court over the years. I think instead of us trying to understand the constitution in our own ways, we should study the founding fathers into depth and learn the true meanings of their words and the reasons for why they created this great rules. Even with the addition of new technologies and advanced software we need to continue to look back at our roots which created this great nation. If we do not do this our nation will likely fall due to our own negligence and feeling of superiority over everyone in the world. We need to learn from our mistakes and build a more simpler life as they had back in the 1700s. Only then will we truly understand The Constitution and the reasons for why we have made it this far as a nation.

Buster

Buster Buster Buster By Maeve Maddox A reader has a question about the word buster: Is the word buster ebonics or not? Where does this word come from? And how is it formed? The reader does not specify which of the several uses of buster prompted the question, but in any case, the word was in the language well before any significant development of the English dialect known as ebonics. Note: For readers unfamiliar with the term ebonics, the word was coined in 1973 and defined in 1975 by its proponents as â€Å"the linguistic and paralinguistic features which on a concentric continuum represent the communicative competence of the West African, Caribbean, and United States slave descendants of African origin.† The term quickly proved to be unwieldy and politically charged. A more neutral name for the distinctive English dialect associated with US black culture is African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The first nineteen or so  Africans  to reach the English colonies arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, brought by Dutch traders who had seized them from a captured Spanish slave ship- just five years after the first documented use of buster in English. In the earliest citation in the OED (1614), buster is used to mean â€Å"a person who or thing which ‘busts’ a specified thing, or causes it to break or burst†: Now death, I pray thee what is it, but a buster of bonds; a destruction of toyle? (i.e., Death is seen as a â€Å"buster† of figurative chains, freeing people from bondage and toil.) This meaning of the word is evident in various terms. For example, a bronco-buster is a cowboy who prepares horses to be ridden by breaking their will to resist. Note: The Spanish adjective bronco means rough or rude. It was adopted into English as a noun to refer to an untamed or half-tamed horse. A gangbuster (1930) is an officer of a law-enforcement agency who is known for successfully, and often aggressively, fighting organized crime, breaking up gangs, and apprehending gangsters. Eliot Ness is a well-known gangbuster. By extension, gangbuster/s can mean something that is outstandingly successful; a winner, a hit. The word is used as both noun and adjective: Better than  last season, but not  gangbusters   I think this is going to be a  real gangbuster season. Another quarter, another three months where  gangbuster  growth remains AWOL.    My radio show is  going gangbuster.  I just picked up my third top-ten radio station in Chicago. The music business is  going gangbuster. Were celebrating all month  long  with a  gangbuster  sale. Another meaning of buster is â€Å"a person who or thing which is impressive or remarkable, especially in being more than typically large, loud, etc.† Presumably, the person or thing has â€Å"busted† a norm of some kind. The OED gives the example â€Å"What a buster of a lunch it turned out to be.† Buster is used as a form of address, sometimes with affection and sometimes with hostility. For example, a parent or babysitter might say to a child, â€Å"Time for bed, Buster.† On the other hand, someone being annoyed by a stranger might say, â€Å"Don’t come any closer, Buster, or I’ll call a cop.† The popularity of Buster as a nickname for little boys may owe something to the fame of the actor Buster Keaton (1895-1966). The son of vaudeville performers, Keaton was famous as a child actor long before his adult successes. According to legend, he acquired his nickname when he fell down a flight of stairs and Harry Houdini, who was present, quipped, â€Å"That was a real buster!† Keaton’s father immediately created â€Å"Buster Keaton† as his son’s stage name. The comic book character Buster Brown, created by cartoonist Richard F. Outcault in 1902,  was another cultural icon that popularized the name Buster. When a shoe manufacturer adopted the character as its logo in 1904, the name received a boost from national advertising. I suspect that plenty of Americans of a certain age can still sing the Buster Brown jingle. Buster is popular as a name for pets. Here are some reasons pet owners chose the name: We  named him Buster because  he had a busted nose.   My neighbor  named him Buster, cause he was a Buster to try and catch. You see my friends from the special ed place that my aunt works at  named him Buster because  he got into a lot of trouble and got caught.   I have  named him Buster because  he is somewhat bossy and pushy with my sisters steer.   I named him Buster because  he was tossed out of the car. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"How to spell "in lieu of"The 7 Types of Possessive Case

Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great

Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great Under Emperor Valentinian I (r. 364-375), army officer Flavius Theodosius was stripped of command and exiled to Cauca, Spain, where he had been born in about 346. Despite such inauspicious beginnings, Theodosius, with his 8-year-old son installed  in name  as ruler of the Western Empire, became the last emperor to rule the  entire Roman Empire  in fact. Probably two to three years after Valentinian exiled Theodosius (and executed his father), Rome needed Theodosius again. The empire was a formidable power at this time. Thus it was against all odds that on August 9, 378 the Visigoths trounced the  Eastern Empire  and killed its emperor (Valens [r. A.D. 364-378]) at the momentous  Battle of Adrianople. Although it took a while for the after-effects to play out, this defeat is a major event to look at when tracing the  fall of the Roman Empire. With the eastern emperor dead, his nephew, the western Emperor Gratian, needed to reclaim command of  Constantinople  and the rest of the eastern part of the empire. To do so he sent in his best general- the formerly-exiled Flavius Theodosius. Dates: A.D. c. 346-395; (r. A.D. 379-395)Place of Birth: Cauca, in Hispania [see sec. Bd on Map]Parents: Theodosius the Elder and Thermantia Wives: Aelia Flavia Flaccilla;Galla Children: Arcadius (made Augustus on 19 January 383), Honorius (made Augustus on 23 January 393), and Pulcheria;Gratian and Galla Placidia(by adoption) Serena, his niece Claim to Fame: The last ruler of the entire Roman Empire; effectively put an end to pagan practices. Theodosius Hazardous Rise to Power Theodosius own father had been a senior military officer in the Western Empire. Emperor Valentinian had honored him by appointing him magister equitum praesentalis Master of the Horse in the Presence of the Emperor (Ammianus Marcellinus 28.3.9) in 368 and then executed him in early 375 for unclear reasons. Perhaps Theodosius father was executed for trying to intercede on behalf of his son. At about the time Emperor Valentinian executed his father, Theodosius went into retirement in Spain. It was only after Valentinians death (November 17, 375) that Theodosius regained his commission. Theodosius obtained the rank of the magister militum per Illyricum Master of the Soldiers for the Prefecture of Illyricum in 376, which he kept until January 379 when Emperor Gratian appointed him co-Augustus to replace Emperor Valens. Gratian may have been coerced into making the appointment. Barbarian Recruits The Goths and their allies were ravaging not only Thrace but also Macedonia and Dacia. It was the eastern emperor, Theodosius job to suppress them while the western emperor, Gratian attended to matters in Gaul. Although Emperor Gratian provided the Eastern Empire with some troops, Emperor Theodosius needed more because of the devastation that had been caused by the Battle at Adrianople. So he recruited troops from among the barbarians. In an only partially successful attempt to stave off barbarian defection, Emperor Theodosius made a trade: he sent some of his new, questionable recruits to Egypt to be exchanged for presumed-loyal Roman soldiers. In 382 Emperor Theodosius and the Goths reached an agreement: Emperor Theodosius permitted the Visigoths to retain some autonomy while living in Thrace, and many of the Goths enlisted in the imperial army, and especially the cavalry, which had proved to be one of the Roman weaknesses at Adrianople. The Emperors Their Domains From Julian to Theodosius Sons. (Simplified) NB: Valeo is the Latin verb to be strong. It was a popular base for mens names in the Roman Empire. Valentinian was the name of 2 Roman emperors during the lifetime of Theodosius, and Valens was that of a third. Julian Jovian (West) (East) Valentinian I / Gratian Valens Gratian / Valentinian II Theodosius Honorius Theodosius / Arcadius Maximus Emperor In January of 383, Emperor Theodosius named his young son Arcadius successor. Maximus, a general who had served with Theodosius father and may have been a blood relative, may have hoped to be named, instead. That year Maximus soldiers proclaimed him emperor. With these approving troops, Maximus entered Gaul to face Emperor Gratian. The latter was betrayed by his own troops and killed in Lyons by Maximus Gothic magister equitum. Maximus was preparing to advance on Rome when Emperor Gratians brother, Valentinian II, sent a force to meet him. Maximus agreed to accept Valentinian II as ruler of part of the Western Empire, in 384, but in 387 he advanced against him. This time Valentinian II fled to the East, to Emperor Theodosius. Theodosius took Valentinian II into protection. Then he led his army to fight against Maximus in Illyricum, at Emona, Siscia, and Poetovio [see map]. Despite many Gothic troops defecting to Maximus side, Maximus was captured and executed at Aquileia on August 28 , 388. (Valentinian II, Theodosius brother-in-law through his second marriage, was killed or committed suicide in May of 392.) One of the defecting Gothic leaders was Alaric, who fought for Emperor Theodosius in 394 against Eugenius, another pretender to the throne which he lost in the civil war battle on the river Frigidus in September and then against Emperor Theodosius son, but is best known for sacking Rome. Stilicho From the time of Emperor Jovian (377), there had been a Roman treaty with the Persians, but there were skirmishes along the borders. In 387, Emperor Theodosius magister peditum praesentalis, Richomer, put an end to these. Conflict over Armenia picked up again, until another of Emperor Theodosius officials, his magister militum per Orientem, Stilicho, arranged a settlement. Stilicho was to become a major figure in Roman history of the period. In an effort to tie Stilicho to his family and presumably strengthen the claim of Emperor Theodosius son Arcadius, Emperor Theodosius married his niece and adoptive daughter to Stilicho. Emperor Theodosius appointed Stilicho regent over his younger son Honorius and possibly (as Stilicho claimed), over Arcadius, as well. Theodosius on Religion Emperor Theodosius had been tolerant of most pagan practices, but then in 391 he sanctioned the destruction of the Serapeum at Alexandria, enacted laws against pagan practices, and put an end to the Olympic games.  He is also credited with putting an end to the power of the Arian and Manichean heresies in Constantinople while establishing Catholicism as the state religion. Sources DIR - TheodosiusNotitia DignitatumMagnus Maximus (383-388 A.D.) Theodosius(www.suc.org/exhibitions/byz_coins/present/Theodosius_I.html 06/26/01) Theodosius IAmmianus, Theodosius and Sallusts JugurthaThe Roman Magistri in the Civil and Military Service of the Empire, by A. E. R. Boak.  Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol. 26, (1915), pp. 73-164.