Introduction To The Crap Analysis English Language Essay

Introduction To The Crap Analysis English Language Essay The year 2012, marks a pivotal moment in world history. As foretold by Nostradamus, the world may end soon and very soon, we have to account for the worlds resources as its temporary caretakers. Ever since those predictions, the accountant has tracked every aspect of barter and of life. How much tea was dumped during the Boston Tea Party? How many limestone blocks were used in the first pyramid? What was the percentage of gross domestic product loss to England because of the destruction of its exports? What was the logistics strategy that causes all to want to walk like an Egyptian? The accountant has numerated and worked these questions and so many more over time. Yet we, like those before us are still burdened with CRAP. From the forensic accountant to the in home accountant also known as mom, all have counted and fell short. CRAP, in my humble opinion, is isolated as follows: C credit card fees R rebates A auto renewals P prepaid cards Only two accounting tasks are more puzzling than this one (formally known as CRAP) : One the true tax numbers of one Willard Mitt Romney? and the other what percentage of butter is in that substance at the movie theater?. I submit, CRAP is money to burn. It is unaccounted loss, monetary deception. In other words crap is money we spend or lose without knowing. CRAP, in my humble opinion, is isolated as follows: C credit card fees R rebates A auto renewals P prepaid cards Lets begin with credit card fees. Credit card fees are crap. Credit card fees and surcharges cost consumers billions a every year. Yet, the masses seem to worship credit cards. They do make our lives so expedient. Regardless, that were paying a sky-scraping outlay for this service. In this down economy, surcharges and fees are climbing as credit card companies skirmish for your dollars. You may need a Trident Tech accountant to identify those covert, oft concealed fees we pay. Credit card applications rise every year as credit card companies make breathtaking offers to clutch your business. They lure you with no interest transfers, no annual fees, and still cash back! What accountant could resist, right? Cash back seems to be the most popular today, as may credit card provider keeps offering me a plan with 5% cash back. My judgement is, if you can afford to give me 5% back how much profit do you actually make off me? So, judge wisely. Sift through the extra credit card fees and surcharges. They will deplete your cash account or that of a small business. The best way to avoid these extra credit card costs and beat the crap is to put into action simple solutions for all those fees. Take a quick look at some universal credit card fees: The Late Fee is crap. If PAYPAL doesnt get your money to the credit card company on time, because we know its not your fault, you may have to fork out a fee of up to $35. This can cripple your cash flow. Be mindful, that if you pay your balance late on a credit card, it can and will be used against you, raising your interest rate on all your cards! What all the companies do is raise you interest rate because you paid late on another account. This includes the GE Money type accounts such as Rooms To Go. To beat the crap: Pay early and often. When confronted with a late charge because of PAYPAL or your dog ate the check, call the company and give explanation. Often our big brother will negate the late charge. Over the Limit Fee is also crap. If youre near your maximum credit line, a solo additional purchase or even a late charge will thrust you over the limit and trigger an over the limit fee. Also a high credit card balance will lower your credit rating. Having over 50% of your card charged, tells the three credit agencies that you are low on cash. To beat the crap, keep all your balances safely below your limit. Like my grandfather told me, never let you gas tank go past half. So dont charge your balance over half. If you can, pay off your whole bill every month. Make it rain on VISA and MASTERCARD. This will eliminate effectively all of the fees. Next, the inner accountant in you should be aware of how much available credit you have before you acquire a fresh charge. Get the app on your smartphone, or do it the old way and call your credit card company, to check that your balance is up to date. Note to self: The reported credit limit may be around two weeks behind your transactions. Buying that new robot vacuum when you dont have the money can put you past the limit, or you may have to do the walk of shame after rejection at the register. Hopefully it doesnt happen on a first date or your pastor is in line behind you. To beat the crap: Start up the Prius, trek to Barnes and Noble, buy Accounting for Dummies, and maintain a daily accurate record of your credit card transactions. Dont rely soleIy on the convienient Android app for your current balance. The service fee is crap. Mystery Is there really a no-annual-fee credit card? Many of them, even some of the 0% plastic cards, charge a monthly service fee. The service fee is also called the minimum finance charge costs around $6 a month. Multiplied, you have an annual fee up to $72. To find out if you are victim to this crap, simply call the credit card company and get all the information you need. The crap is in the details, so be sure you understand the terms. Accounting 101 stresses where there is a debit there must be a credit. By its vary nature, the balance transfer fee is crap. My uncles girlfriend said, All money aint good money. The balance transfer fee definitely fits that descriptor. The transfer fee is exactly like its name, a charge for moving outstanding balance to another card. The fee can be a flat rate or a percentage of the amount you moved over. To beat this crap: Look before you leap, ask before you transfer! If you cant afford the fee, dont take it. At the very least, weigh the fee versus you savings by doing the transfer. Use your inner accountant and calculate the interest saved versus the transfer fee. Also if you cant pay the balance off within a specified time, the 0% may be revoked. I prefer to pay off my card as quick as I can versus moving the bad debt to another account. The Cash Advance Fee is crap. I never get cash from my credit card. For others, in certain circumstances a cash advance may be rightly what you need, but the immense fees can drown you. After cash in hand from an ATM, one is responsible for the ATM fee (more crap), and a tacked on 10% charge or more of the amount you borrowed. When you pay back your credit card, they often credit your regular charges first and keep the cash advanced balances charged to you at the higher rate. To beat the crap: Know all the costs involved forthright. Do not pull the trigger with this advance unless you can quickly downsize the balance, or can borrow from you accounting teacher Blank check fees are crap. I know you receive those blank drafts from your credit card company in your mailbox. They actually do tempt me when I get the $2,500 blank check. The look so good, I detest them, so hear me clearly. Destroy them! This gimmick is not free. You are by and large charged a towering percentage based on the total check. To beat the crap: Refuse to use these checks unless youre prepared to cover the extra costs. Try a regular bank loan before you go this route. Always be your own accountant and watch all transactions. Remember to negotiate with the credit card company. It is more expensive for them to entice new customers, instead of writing off disputed fees and charges. We can beat the crap. Yes we can! I say again CRAP, in my humble opinion, is isolated as follows: C credit card fees R rebates A auto renewals P prepaid cards Lets transition to rebates. Rebates are crap. Manufacturers and stores make it incredibly complex to claim the refunds they I still have not got the refund from Jiffy Lube, after mailing the receipt, survey, and request form of to the semi-corporate office in Bangladesh. Now , another bargain was the ATT new phone rebate that I may get back in six months or so in the form or an ATT card! Just, consider this: The ATT ad says notes post sale rebate. First I had to pay the full price phone, complete a rebate form, and then wait months if lucky. In fact, manufacturers, offer an estimated $4 billion a year in rebates. The unknown is that millions, perhaps up to 40% of it are never paid. Some simply ignore the rebate claims to making it close to impossible to qualify. Several big names retailers have been admonished by Elizabeth Warrens new government watchdog agency. The credit companies still practice this crap. First they realize that many simply dont know how to claim the rebate. To weed out the others through disqualification there are institutional practices such as the crap below: Crap is when manufacturers may insist blue ink or block style letters must be used. Crap is when they maintain you circle the price on the receipt. Crap is when boxtop with scan code is required and you already tossed it in the garbage. Crap is when you dont submit claim on time because the small print says you had to submit your claim within seven days of purchase. Crap is when the rebate check they sent you must be deposited within three days. CRAP, in my humble opinion, is isolated as follows: C credit card fees R rebates A auto renewals P prepaid cards Lets explore auto renewals. Auto renewals are crap. It is a sneak tip clause in a contract imparts that the contract term will automatically renew, unless you give notice of intent to cancel. Most, often you dont know you are even victimized by an automatic billing renewal scam. You may get a free service like extra movie channels when you order cable. You think you have it for a specific time period, such as a year, but when the time period ends, the channel access stays on and you automatically get billed for another time period, because the cable company still has your bank information on record. When you try to resolve this crap, you discover it was easy to sign up for the service, but nearly impossible to cancel. AOL was notorious for its toll-free number to call and cancel and then -shocker! you cant get through. Now they are equal opportunity and just love to scam baby boomers who might be confused about what theyve ordered or whether they have renewed. To beat the crap, check before you sign up for something to make sure there is no automatic renewal. CRAP, in my humble opinion, is isolated as follows: C credit card fees R rebates A auto renewals P prepaid cards Lets end with a look at prepaid cards. Prepaid cards are crap. They overdose in lots of anonymous fees. Your inner accountant will be surprised when you find a dozen or so different kinds of fees. Reloadable prepaid cards akin to debit cards without a real brick and mortar bank. Often parents load cash onto them and students can use them on campus where plastic is accepted. The gimmick prepaid cards often with catchy names like the Rush Card tend to serve illegal immigrants or someone with bad credit. Areas, like low-income neighborhoods in North Charleston have a host of places to reload a prepaid card. Crap is activation fees. Just to activate a card you get a fee. Service fees and even for talking to a customer service representative in off-shore China. Other fees are less likely to be disclosed, to my surprise a fee may be charged when a purchase is declined. Now, that is truly adding insult to injury! To conclude, I covered four elements of crap in our lives. Other than these, there are many more. Consider the pennies the stores keep when they round off your change. Consider the change lost when you kid goes to the store for you. Consider the campaign contributions to the candidate you drops out and then endorses the other guy. I hope that upon reading this paper, you call on your inner accountant and recognize the crap. Once you recognize the crap you can adjust and realize true profit. I describe crap as unaccounted for money, but now this money can be accounted for by you and only you. Consider it a second chance, as if the British jumped in the harbor and got their tea back!

An Analysis Of Three Theories Of Personal Identity Philosophy Essay

An Analysis Of Three Theories Of Personal Identity Philosophy Essay Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth Alan Watts. Personal Identity play its role as to define human with quality of its own which makes him or her a unique one. The identity of a person that is in question must be able to realize them, and he must be identified by other people. In short, what makes John unique from Felicia? Both internal (mind) and external (body) views are the two essential aspects that have to be differentiated by one. There are several general philosophical theories of this identity problem. Body theory, Soul theory and Conscious Theory will come to fit into the missing piece of the puzzle of personal identity. The body theory is one of the theories that define personal identity. It can be defined as when Person A has a personal identity if and only if they have the same body X. However, two problems can be found in this definition. Qualitatively, it is right to own the same body, but if changes happened to the body, can we still define that person as the same one? Everyones body is definitely different if we were to compare at the age of 60 and 4. Another problem popped out on the matter of body alteration. If Felicia becomes injured by a mine at war, and then her legs have to be amputated, is she not the same person, Felicia? Therefore, the definition of the theory is insufficient as the same body alteration is not accounted for. On the other hand, numerically, if a person lost his finger due to an accident, does that finger is counted as a different body? What if a scientist decided to use another persons DNA to clone another person with the exact same DNA? Two people with identical body surely cannot be the same person because they are still two different people with identical body. Both of them would be living totally different lives. Hence, in defining personal identity, the body theory by itself had failed to make it valid. The Soul theory will be the next common theory in defining personal identity. Similarly to the body theory: Person A has a personal identity if and only if they have the same soul. The idea became a lot more complicated when we are trying to define a rather controversial term soul. In the religion aspect, it is thought to be spirit of a person that passes through ones body into another realm (eg. Heaven or hell). However, it is still a mysterious phenomenon since there is no proof that can prove its existence. For instance, when a cloud changes to grayish puffy substance, we will still say, the cloud had turned gray. In short, we still recognized it as a cloud. It is just many souls in one body. Therefore, the soul theory is also not valid as it fails in that the definiens is insufficient to define personal identity.   The truest and most recognized philosophy theories about personal identity are the consciousness theory. However, this theory is interpreted differently in three ways: the experiential content, conscious self, and connected stream of consciousness theories. First on the list, the conscious self-theory: he or she is said to have personal identity if they have the same self-conscious. In another words, if there is a different conscious in two people, then both of them has personal identity. At first sight, it seems like a good theory to prove personal identity. It is analogous to Descartes cogito, I think therefore I am. Secondly, the consciousness of experiences theory is the common derivatives to the theory of consciousness. It is more easily known as the experiential content. This theory comes from the Lockes theory of having the mind blank, and accumulation from experiences. One is to have personal identity because only one person can experience at one finite space. We take twins f or instance. Although they have identical bodies, the moment they were born, they are already experiencing different moments. Therefore, both of them have personal identity because they experience different surroundings and see things in a different manner. The major problem is that we do not have the ability to remember every single experience in our life consciously. For instance, one can still tell another person what they have eaten three days ago but it is impossible for a person to tell another what they ate today after 10 years. In another example, one cannot be define as having different personal identity because they were drunk and acted like another person. In other words, because the human mind has failed to consciously remember every single moment of their lives, this theory eventually is invalid. The connected stream of consciousness will be the last theory about personal identity. With its definition of a persons identity is made out of a stream of connected conscious experiences, this theory eventually had solved the problem of human being unable to remember about their experience consciously. With this theory, we will still be the same person although we are unable to remember what we have done at the age of 4 when we are 60 years old. Generally with a finite mind, conscious is affiliated in a chronological pattern. In short, we will take the river as a metaphor. If you see a river flowing every day, you will not be looking at the same part of the river (representing body or experiences), however you will not be able to dispute that is not a river. Hence, let say the river is personal identity. This theory almost had it all right then. Thomas Reid which is also my preferred option to the idea of personal identity disagreed with Lockes memory theory by reducing it to absurdity. Lockes theory was criticized for a few irrelevancies. First of all, I strongly agree with what Reid hold on to. He thinks that personal identity should be determined with something that cannot be divided into parts indivisible but not by determining by operations. He, too, stated the main problem of Lockes is his ideas are of confusing proves of another thing with itself. Officer paradox was introduced by Reid at his attempt to Lockes theory to absurdity. A U.S. author, James Baldwin once quoted, An identity seemed like it has arrived by the way when a person faces and uses his experience. Assuming that we will not be able to put everything into a complete puzzle, we are left with one choice. Pluck a rose, separate the petals one by one which each petals represents one idea. Whatever came out at the end, it is you call by your very own intuition. Rà Ã‚ µfà Ã‚ µrà Ã‚ µnÑ Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢

The Many Benefits of Section Nine :: Sports Athletes Essays

The Many Benefits of Section Nine Section Nine affects all women, not just athletes or children young enough to benefit from equalized funding. Women of all ages, all traditions, and cultures, even/especially the older generations who are being confronted with the changing image of the woman as projected through their grandchildren and children who are benefiting and changing in correlation to section nine. This is seen in all the movies we've watched this semester, and I assume is experienced in most homes and families with young woman. The value system held by the older generation is being met full on by new values, and as Jessie mentions in Bend it Like Beckam, the closer she gets to being who she is now allowed to be, the further she gets from who her family expects and knows her to be. It's not just sports or the new generation benefiting from section nine that is changing; everything is required to change to adopt this modern woman into the family structure. The first group most affected by the new young woman of today would be the older woman of yesterday. Family conflict concerning mothers and daughters in relation to sports was a theme throughout the films. In Love and Basketball, Monica and her mother finally have a confrontation, and her mother admits she gave up her dreams for her husband, children, and their house, but she also declares she would do again, that her family and their happiness became her purpose, and she wouldn't give that up. This notion of the family as the female sphere repeats especially in Bend it Like Beckham. The woman of the family seem to have a spy network of gossiping older women who actually make it their duty in life to learn about and derail inappropriate female behavior. Unfortunately for Jessie, this includes sports (or anything with her legs showing). Her mother teaches her to make a meal, and insists she learn other "wife" activities involving the home, but as with Monica, this casting of the old o n the new never quite takes because of a complete difference in cultural upbringing and its significance for women. At the end of both these movies, all the women essentially compromise. Monica's mother admired the "fight" in Monica, and she tells her to try for Q. Jessie learns to cook and play soccer, and the older women of the neighborhood become more lenient (although it does take the father, symbol of the patriarchy, to get the women to accept Jessie and her goals).

Energy Crisis Essay -- USA Oil Fuel Essays Papers

Energy Crisis Energy is important to our nation for many reasons. It is a key economic driver. It offers new market opportunities for business. Providing energy to our nation has been an exciting challenge in recent years. Many changes have been constant throughout that period. The past tells Americans that predicting the specifics of the energy future for our nation with great accuracy would be unlikely. Americans get their energy from different types of resources. With all the different resources Americans believe that an energy crunch shouldn’t happen. The crisis is a nationwide energy discontent in which natural gas rates have soared to the highest level in 15 years, and OPEC has slashed its oil output again to keep prices up. Most Americans know they are the ones who are mostly to blame for the energy crisis. Americans' greed drives us to demand more space and privacy, more power and speed, and more comfort and ease. Satisfying these demands requires the burning of more fossil fuels. Due to the large amounts of energy that Americans use, the demand for more energy resources are becoming low. The energy crisis in California could spread throughout the United States unless answers to these problems of energy consumption can be solved. If the energy crisis should happen to spread throughout the United States, there would be a large demand for more energy resources. More and more efforts are being attempted for finding new types of energy resources for the long term. Large amounts of money are being spent on different types of energy. Prices will continue to grow if there is a shortage of energy. Americans will have to pay more for energy in the years to come if the oil and natural gas prices continue to go up, due to lack of oil drilling spots. Long term energy problems will be solved with all the new types of energy out there. Early in the 1970s, natural gas was thought to be a declining fuel. Outdated and counter productive pricing regulations handcuffed the industry. The picture today is decidedly different. Natural gas is being counted on to fuel most of America’s economic expansions way into the 21st century. The regulations of the 1970s have been replaced by a restructured gas market, and the industry has responded. The demand for gas is growing faster than anyone predicted. The United States economy is also growing faste... ...ergy. Oil and natural gas will still be out there for energy sources in the future. Many Americans will probably find ways to deal with the energy crunch, by using new efficient resources. Americans hesitate to make detailed predictions about the energy future much past the present. To secure energy for the future cooperating with foreign governments and institutions to develop energy sector laws would help. Policies and regulatory processes for setting standards and opening markets, could help the energy crisis in the United States. Also, promoting energy production in the future in ways that respect health and environmental problems. Many experts agree that consumers who invest in things like better insulation and windows to make their homes more efficient will see the cheapest bills in the future. In conclusion the past years have been exciting for energy markets, energy policy, and energy supply and demand. Many people have made significant progress in understanding the importance of a basic resource, which they once took for granted. Americans can expect to have better tools for the future of energy and to be better at identifying and addressing these challenges.

Attitude :: essays papers

Attitude 20th century writers dealt with many issues and themes throughout their writing. The authors that I have chosen to look at are Updike, Beatti, Rothke and Plath. These authors and their works will each be evaluated by how they deal with the subjects love, death, loss and passing of time. The short story â€Å" Separating â€Å" by John Updike deals with the subject of love and I also believe it deals with the themes â€Å" quest for identity† and â€Å" alienation and nausea â€Å". The story talks about how two parents are going through the process of telling their children that they are going to separate. This is important to them because they do love their children very much; they want to make the timing perfect so it is easier on the children. The father and mother seemed as though they needed to find out who they really were without their children. They did all things for the kids. They said that they loved one another but yet they didn’t make each other happy. I think that they just weren’t sure what made them â€Å"happy†. â€Å"Weekend â€Å" a short story by Ann Beattie deals with the subject of â€Å" loss of time â€Å" and the same theme that Updikes story dealt with â€Å" quest for identity â€Å" .I chose the subject of time because at first they loved one another and had a good relationship and then time passed and they ended up in such a weird place in their relationship. George had control over Lenore in the way that she never knows that she can leave him and be okay. She stays with him because she does care for him but also because she has a place to put her children and herself to sleep. â€Å"Wish for a Young Wife â€Å" a poem by Theodore Rothke is one that goes into the subject of loss or the idea of loss. This is a man who is telling his wife that he hopes that even while he grows old he wishes that she were beautiful and young for eternity. H e wishes her to never endure grief or hate; these are the very things that make one old. He could be very much in love with his wife and by wishing this for her, so she never looses her beauty.

Terror and Violence in Nazi Germany from 1933-34

How far did the Nazi regime rely on terror and violence to consolidate its hold on power from 1933-34? Although most of the Nazi regime’s policies and actions were legal, the presence of terror and violence towards it opposition and citizens was most likely the key to the Nazi’s staying in power. With the aid of the SS and SA, the Nazis were able to stage coercive elections only allowing us to suggest unreliable results when it comes to answering this question.Hitler was appointed as chancellor on January 30th 1933. On the 27th of February 1933, the Reichstag building broke out into flames, four weeks after Hitler had assumed office of chancellor and weeks before his government had urged President Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag. The Nazis were able to convince the general public that this was â€Å"acts of terrorism† by communists. This meant at long last the Nazis could get rid of the KPD and all other political parties, whether they posed a threat or not. The Reichstag fire lead to the emergency decree which seized several rights of the German people such as freedom of opinion, personal freedom, freedom of the press and the freedom to organise and assemble. It also meant the German officials could detain whoever they wanted without a warrant. Three weeks after the emergency decree was announced, the Enabling Act (March 27th 1933) was passed. This gave Hitler the power to pass laws without the interference of the Reichstag or Reichsrat.As Hindenburg was aging he took less interest in day-to-day government activities, hence why he signed the enabling act as it effectively removed Presidential oversight. With the enabling act and the emergency decree both active, Hitler’s government was transformed into a legal dictatorship, allowing the Nazis to do whatever they wanted, however they wanted. The Nazis also controlled the media through propaganda minister, Dr Joseph Goebbels. On the 13th of March 1933, he was appointed head of the Reich ministry which was in charge of all media and public entertainment.On the night of book burning in Berlin, Goebbels condemned all books by Jews, liberals, leftists, pacifists, foreigners, and others as â€Å"un-German. † This lead to Nazi supporters in the educational sector, both students and professors, to burn these â€Å"un-German† books in attempt to â€Å"cleanse† German spirits. With the Enabling Act still active Hitler was able to pass a series of laws called the Gleichstaltung laws. Gleichstaltung means â€Å"coordination† or â€Å"bringing into line†. These laws were laid down to ensure a totalitarian state without any possibleobjection or opposition. They were also put into place to standardize Nazi-German lifestyle. All anti-Nazis were purged from civil service and schools. Gleichstaltung however also consisted of several organisations which were made compulsory. All these compulsory groups set up by the Nazis prepared the chosen gender or age group for life during the war. The Gleichstaltung laws allowed the Nazi’s to commence The Night of the Long Knives, within legal jurisdiction. The Night of the Long Knives was the termination or arrest of opposition to Nazis.Majority of the victims were prominent members and leaders of the SA such as Ernst Rohm and Kurt von Schleicher. Due to unemployment of up to six million, the SA had grown massively and were looking a lot less controllable to Hitler. At one point, the SA were Hitler’s personal army, great tension grew between Hitler and Rohm as they both had a difference of opinion. Another reason the SA was eliminated was due to homosexuality that was rumoured to be present in the group. This clashed with core Nazi ideology and it simply could not be overlooked by the Nazis.President Hindenburg died on the second of August 1934, this lead to Hitler combing the roles of both president and chancellor into one, known as the Fuhrer, giving him complete power over Germany. In evaluation, majority of Hitler’s rise to power was legal and even his acts of violence and terror were legal due to the Reichstag decree being active as well as the enabling act. Even with great election results, we cannot determine whether they were genuine or not due to coercive elections. Therefore it seems most of his rise to power relied on the acts of terror and violence.

Back to the Moon

More than thirty years after America’s first landed on the moon, the current President of the United States, George W. Bush, recently announced his plan of sending American astronauts back to the moon (BBC News). The President’s target is to accomplish this goal by the year 2015 (Lane, 2004). The project can be said to be merely preliminary to Bush’s more flamboyant plan, which is to prepare the exploration to Mars. Moreover, the program also intends to make up for the setbacks experienced by the United States space program, such as the Columbia shuttle disaster (BBC News).The Columbia disaster prompted Bush and a group of administration officials to develop a new plan that would use the existing space shuttles to â€Å"complete assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010† (Lane, 2004). Bush revealed his new vision for the United States human space program in a speech delivered at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headq uarters. He called for the retirement of the space shuttle to give way for building new space vehicles that would, in the future, allow travel to Mars (Lane, 2004).The space shuttle is expected to fly in about 13 or 14 more missions before its expected retirement in 2010 (Hunt, 2007; BBC News). Bush’s vision also calls for the use of robots and human manpower in the exploration of the moon. The ultimate aim of the vision is to prepare the moon as a living base and to develop means for explorations to Mars (BBC News). The Space Shuttle The space shuttle is a brainchild of improvements and inventions in rocketry. The craft contains three main engines that provide huge amounts of force compared to previous spacecrafts.It also boasts of a reusable engine and engines that weighs quite lightly considering their power (The History of Moon Exploration). Considering its characteristics, it is no wonder that Boeing boasts of it as the â€Å"most sophisticated human-rated launch vehicl e in the history of space flight† (Boeing). The space shuttle had its first flight in 1981, and since then it was able to aid more than a hundred missions involving hundreds of astronauts (Boeing). Boeing claims that the spacecraft still has 75 percent of its design life to spare (Boeing).The space shuttle plays a major role in sustaining the International Space Station, being the ISS’ heavy-lift cargo vehicle. The space shuttle is responsible for having lifted the now existing structure in orbit, which comprises two-thirds of the ISS (Boeing). Bush wants to retire the space shuttle by 2010 at the earliest, hoping that by then the International Space Station is already complete (Hunt, 2007; BBC News). Bush also hopes that by the said time, the Crew Exploration Vehicle already becomes operational (Hunt, 2007; BBC News).However, before such goals are realized and as long as the shuttle remains safe to carry on its tasks, it shall remain as the primary spacecraft aiding th e United States’ projects towards space (Boeing). Picture 2. The Space Shuttle. Photo retrieved March 6, 2007, from www. boeing. com/†¦ / hsfe_shuttle/what_is. html The Crew Exploration Vehicle Bush’s vision is an echo of a similar dream by his father in 1989, which did not come to fruition because the cost estimates ballooned up to $400 billion (Lane, 2004).Working on the premise that the desire to explore is part of human character, Bush said that his dream is to build space vehicles that could travel far beyond the capacity of the space shuttle, which only reaches 386 miles (Lane, 2004). Bush thus announced his plans to develop a new spacecraft called the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). This vehicle would be the first to take man to outer space since the Apollo spaceships (BBC News). The CEV is expected to be a versatile crewed vehicle that could carry American teams in a mission projected to be undertaken in 2014 or 2015.The CEV is expected to begin flight tes ts by the year 2008 (Lane, 2004). The CEV’s look is designed to look similarly with the bullet-like style of the Apollo-style command module (Lane, 2004). Aside from the design, however, NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe says that no design has yet been approved regarding the way of keeping the CEV boosted in the air (Lane, 2004). Robots in Space It is believed by some that robotic exploration is more beneficial than human exploration, since the former is less expensive (The Washington Post Writers Group, 2007).Moreover, Professor Robert Park of the University of Maryland claim that robots have less physical limitations than humans, which means robots have better chances of discovering scientific finds over humans (BBC News). Even other countries that spend resources on space explorations, such as China and Russia, are encouraged to use robots in such ventures (BBC News). There are current efforts using robots in space exploration. Just recently, the United States celebrated th e successful landing of its robot rover Spirit on Mars (BBC News). Budgetary ConstraintsSince the previous space plans formulated by Bush’s father failed because of budgetary constraints (Lane, 2004), Bush is careful to get around the same drawback. Naturally, huge projects such as space explorations would cost loads of money and other resources. Thus, Bush’s ambitious new vision would entail modifications on the current budget of the NASA. The NASA currently has a five-year budget plan. However, Bush requests a $1 billion boost on this budget (Lane, 2004). This means that additional $200 million per year would be allotted for the project (Lane, 2004).This amounts to a 5% yearly increase to NASA’s current budget, which amounts to $15. 4 billion per year (BBC News). A rise of another 1% after the first three years is also requested by the U. S. President (BBC News). It is reported that Bush wants that $11 billion from the existing budget be earmarked for his new vision (Lane, 2004). The exact cost of the vision was not given (BBC News), but one thing is certain: the budget would have to be approved by Congress. (Lane, 2004). The White House, however, maintains that a â€Å"sustained focus over time† would help keep the budget for the exploration in check (Lane, 2004).There is also a need to reorient the current programs of NASA, so that NASA would not exceed its current spending, which only amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal budget, despite the additional goal (Lane, 2004). The Orion Currently, a ship has been built to carry humans to the moon. This spacecraft, called the Orion, is scheduled to debut in 2014 (Hunt, 2007). However, budgetary constraints will cause a delay of about four to six months. The Orion is now set to fly in 2015 (Hunt, 2007).NASA administrator Michael Griffin stated that Congress only approved the amount in NASA’s budget in 2006, which means that the approved budget is $545 million short of Bu sh’s request (Hunt, 2007). NASA does not welcome this lack of funding and the concomitant delay in the project, as strategic and practical concerns such as the degradation of equipment and facilities, besiege the institution (Hunt, 2007). A Brief History of Explorations to the Moon A brief review of the development of moon exploration is in order, so that a clear perspective can be had as to the propriety and utility of Bush’s proposed space exploration.Chinese astronomers were perhaps the first people to notice the Moon. For thousands of years, man has been captivated by the Moon, and man’s curiosity for it has been first assuaged by the invention of the telescope in 1609 (The History of Moon Exploration). The telescope, invented by Leppershey, made thorough observations possible despite the immense distance between the Earth and the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). However, this invention was a double-edged sword: man developed an even more intense curi osity for the moon, leading man to dream of someday setting foot on the distant place (The History of Moon Exploration).Because of the enormous distance of the Moon from the Earth, reaching it would only be possible through flight. Unfortunately, air transportation took quite a while to be fully developed. The groundbreaking invention of the Wright brothers can be considered the first step towards space travel, because they invented the aeroplane, which allowed man to fly (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1943, another milestone in space exploration occurred with the development of rocketry by Von Braun. Braun was responsible for the A 4, which was the first successful ballistic rocket (The History of Moon Exploration).Despite the United States’ exposure to the latest technology at the time, such as the rocketry of Braun, it was Russia that made one of the most significant developments in space exploration. 1957 witnessed the launch of Sputnik I, which was the first artif icial satellite in space (The History of Moon Exploration). Russia was also the first to take pictures of the Moon. In 1959, its Luna satellites were able to obtain pictures of the far side of the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1963, the United States followed in the affair of obtaining pictures in space.Its Mariner Series satellites were able to acquire detailed pictures of Venus, and a year later, of Mars (The History of Moon Exploration). Saturn rockers were the next to be developed by the United States; these rockets were later used to power the Apollo Missions (The History of Moon Exploration). The country also ventured into designing moon landing vehicles, and was successful with Surveyor 6 and the Lunar Module, which proved that rocketry could bring man to the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration).The United States is also responsible for the Command and Service Module, a vehicle designed for the trip back to Earth from the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). Man’s First Walk on the Moon The United States has the credit for sending the first man to walk on the Moon. On 21 July 1969, the whole world watched in awe as clips of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon were aired in international television (BBC News). The video clips were taken by television cameras installed on the Eagle landing craft (BBC News).