European Union Policy
The minor European Union Policy or EUP is a minor program provided by the ASIS School of international business on the Avans University of applied sciences in Breda. It’s offered to third year students and coordinated by Mr. J. Frencken. After almost having completed the minor, I can say that it is an interesting, well structured and organized minor. To support these words I will give a brief overview of the strong and less strong points of this minor. After this, I will give a general conclusion with some recommendations.
Strong points:
One of the strongest points of this minor is the way it is organised. Compared with other block I’ve studied as a student at the Avans University of applied sciences, this has by far been the best organized block. Assignments are clear, schedules are clear, the order of assignments and topics is logical and most importantly, the teachers and coordinator are well prepared. If there, for any reason, is a shift in the schedule or assignments this is well communicated and acted upon so only a few to none misunderstandings might occur. The structure is consistent so everybody knows what is expected from them. All documents are published on bb and teachers are open for questions any time so it is easy to keep up even if you have been ill for a while. Moreover, most assignments were interesting and relevant to the topics of that week. Another thing what I really like about this minor is the fact that assignments are in sometimes to be completed in groups and sometimes individually. This gives the students some alternation. Of course, some subject is more interesting then another but this is something that will always happen and it is greatly dependent on personal opinions.
Less strong points:
What I personally don’t really like in this minor is the fact that you are required to read very much. So in other words, it is rather theoretical with in overload of information that needs to be processed. Again, this is a really personal opinion. Something else that could be improved in my opinion is the amount of lessons. In this minor, very few lessons and training sessions are scheduled and students are supposed to do a lot of self study. Although, I do think that self study is a good thing, it could be a little less. The additional interactive time with teachers I’m talking about, should in my opinion be spend on extra training sessions. This makes it easier for students to understand specific topics, especially very complicated ones. The third and last thing that could have been done better in a different way is the English course. In stead of in the second part of the minor, it might be better to place this in the first part. In the first part students are less busy so they have more time for English. In the second part students also need to write a paper so if you include English in this part, it becomes really busy in the second part of the minor.
The overall assessment of this minor would definitely end up in a sufficient mark. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give it an 8. To score even higher, more lessons should be implemented and either the paper or the English course should be replaced to the first part of the minor.
vrijdag 9 januari 2009
Credit Crisis
The credit crisis
Everybody has heard of the credit crisis lately, it has been in the news for several weeks now and it is almost as if there is nothing else on the news. There are a lot of different views on this crisis and there are several ways to solve it. I personally do think that this crisis is going to get worse coming year but on the other hand, it is a well known fact that in every economic cycle a recession pops up every now and than. There are however, various ways to deal with this crisis and this is in fact what I would like to discuss. The thesis statement is: The government should intervene in the credit crisis. I will try to persuade you that is in fact true and I will use the following main arguments for it:
1. It prevents companies from going bankrupt
2. It will create consumer confidence
3. It is positive for the employment rate
After there arguments, a short conclusion will be given in which it becomes clear that government should indeed intervene in the credit crisis.
1. It prevents companies from going bankrupt
It is obvious that whenever a credit crisis occurs, companies are having some difficulties with their finance. What happens if companies don’t generate enough money anymore to cover its costs is that they will need to cut costs. If the government, at this moment gives a capital injection to such a company, it gives the company a buffer and it will thus prevent them of cutting jobs for example.
2. It will create consumer confidence
For this argument government intervention in the banking world is mainly important. When consumers notice that the government financially supports the banks, it will show the consumers that they will not let banks go bankrupt. This adds to the confidence in banks, which will lead to less mass withdrawing of savings. This is good for the market of course because this money can be lend to businesses in trouble.
3. It is positive for the employment rate
If consumption is stimulated and the government can support important businesses financially, these businesses are less likely to let go of employers.
Adding these arguments up, it is obvious that government intervention is good for the tackling the recession. Therefore, the government SHOULD intervene in the credit crisis.
Everybody has heard of the credit crisis lately, it has been in the news for several weeks now and it is almost as if there is nothing else on the news. There are a lot of different views on this crisis and there are several ways to solve it. I personally do think that this crisis is going to get worse coming year but on the other hand, it is a well known fact that in every economic cycle a recession pops up every now and than. There are however, various ways to deal with this crisis and this is in fact what I would like to discuss. The thesis statement is: The government should intervene in the credit crisis. I will try to persuade you that is in fact true and I will use the following main arguments for it:
1. It prevents companies from going bankrupt
2. It will create consumer confidence
3. It is positive for the employment rate
After there arguments, a short conclusion will be given in which it becomes clear that government should indeed intervene in the credit crisis.
1. It prevents companies from going bankrupt
It is obvious that whenever a credit crisis occurs, companies are having some difficulties with their finance. What happens if companies don’t generate enough money anymore to cover its costs is that they will need to cut costs. If the government, at this moment gives a capital injection to such a company, it gives the company a buffer and it will thus prevent them of cutting jobs for example.
2. It will create consumer confidence
For this argument government intervention in the banking world is mainly important. When consumers notice that the government financially supports the banks, it will show the consumers that they will not let banks go bankrupt. This adds to the confidence in banks, which will lead to less mass withdrawing of savings. This is good for the market of course because this money can be lend to businesses in trouble.
3. It is positive for the employment rate
If consumption is stimulated and the government can support important businesses financially, these businesses are less likely to let go of employers.
Adding these arguments up, it is obvious that government intervention is good for the tackling the recession. Therefore, the government SHOULD intervene in the credit crisis.
Comment on article
The Arabs and Israel
The hundred years' war
This article describes the conflict between Israel and Arabs of Palestine. It is well organised and it addresses several aspects. The article is divided under a number of headings and the writer has written it in a fairly objective way. In this blog I will give my personal opinion on the subject, I will discuss the presentation of the article and whether I like subject.
Personal opinion:
In my view, this conflict shouldn’t be solved through war. Of course, this conflict goes back a long time and there have been ‘little wars’ several times. The only thing that these wars cause is hundreds and hundreds of innocent casualties. It is my opinion therefore, that the leaders of these groups need to talk with each other and come to a solution. And if they refuse to do this, or if it doesn’t work out, world leaders like the president of United States and the president of the EU should be present during the meeting. In other words, these countries need to be forced to stop the war and to come to a solution. Of course I understand that this isn’t that easy to solve, but I’m convinced that if these political leaders are forced to come to a solution by the super powers of the world, it can be done.
Presentation of the article:
As briefly mentioned before, I think that this article is well written and well organised. The article begins with a clear introduction in which the subject of the article is explained. After this, a historical overview is given. After this overview, a detailed explanation about the cause of the fight is given. The following heading discusses the problem from the angle of Israel and the last heading is about the angle of the Arabs of Palestine. Moreover, the English used in this article is sometimes a bit difficult but overall is not too difficult to understand.
Interestingness of the subject:
I find the subject, the conflict between Israel and the Arabs of Palestine very interesting. I have always been interested by conflict which leaded to wars. I must admit that I don’t really know a lot about this particular conflict. I’ve only followed this conflict on television and in the papers. Nevertheless, I do find this an interesting subject.
Overall, I would say that this article is interesting, well written and well organized.
The hundred years' war
This article describes the conflict between Israel and Arabs of Palestine. It is well organised and it addresses several aspects. The article is divided under a number of headings and the writer has written it in a fairly objective way. In this blog I will give my personal opinion on the subject, I will discuss the presentation of the article and whether I like subject.
Personal opinion:
In my view, this conflict shouldn’t be solved through war. Of course, this conflict goes back a long time and there have been ‘little wars’ several times. The only thing that these wars cause is hundreds and hundreds of innocent casualties. It is my opinion therefore, that the leaders of these groups need to talk with each other and come to a solution. And if they refuse to do this, or if it doesn’t work out, world leaders like the president of United States and the president of the EU should be present during the meeting. In other words, these countries need to be forced to stop the war and to come to a solution. Of course I understand that this isn’t that easy to solve, but I’m convinced that if these political leaders are forced to come to a solution by the super powers of the world, it can be done.
Presentation of the article:
As briefly mentioned before, I think that this article is well written and well organised. The article begins with a clear introduction in which the subject of the article is explained. After this, a historical overview is given. After this overview, a detailed explanation about the cause of the fight is given. The following heading discusses the problem from the angle of Israel and the last heading is about the angle of the Arabs of Palestine. Moreover, the English used in this article is sometimes a bit difficult but overall is not too difficult to understand.
Interestingness of the subject:
I find the subject, the conflict between Israel and the Arabs of Palestine very interesting. I have always been interested by conflict which leaded to wars. I must admit that I don’t really know a lot about this particular conflict. I’ve only followed this conflict on television and in the papers. Nevertheless, I do find this an interesting subject.
Overall, I would say that this article is interesting, well written and well organized.
woensdag 10 december 2008
Café Bolle
If you would like to go out in Tilburg, I advice you to either go on a Saturday night or on a Thursday night. These nights are by far the most vivid ones. In the city center of Tilburg there are several nice bars but there is one that is more fun than the others. The name of this bar is Café Bolle and it is located on the Piusplein, right across the Mac Donalds.
Bolle is very easy to find and there are plenty of ways to get there. Right around the corner there is a big guarded parking facility which is open 24 hours a day. So, a great option for those who like to go out by car. Besides this parking space, it’s on walking distance from the central train and bus station of Tilburg. There is even a bus stop in front of Café Bolle so it is possible to come by bus too. For everyone who would like to come by bike, there is a guarded parking place for bikes and scooters within a distance of 100m of Bolle. Adding this up, there is no argument whatsoever, relating to transport, to not go to Bolle.
Next to the rich transport facilities around Bolle, the bar itself is a real recommendation. It is spacey and there is a special stage for those of you that like to dance. Of course, dancing is possible in the rest of the bar as well. The music played in Bolle is very diverse; it ranges from hip-hop to pop to classics. With other words, there’s something for everyone.
A third positive point about Bolle is that the youngsters who go there vary from the age of approximately 18 till 23, this is exactly the perfect target group for youngsters of our age. Moreover, the bar personnel are nice and skilled so you never have to wait a long time before you get your drinks. Last but not least, the drinks are relatively cheap compared to other bars in this area.
Bolle is very easy to find and there are plenty of ways to get there. Right around the corner there is a big guarded parking facility which is open 24 hours a day. So, a great option for those who like to go out by car. Besides this parking space, it’s on walking distance from the central train and bus station of Tilburg. There is even a bus stop in front of Café Bolle so it is possible to come by bus too. For everyone who would like to come by bike, there is a guarded parking place for bikes and scooters within a distance of 100m of Bolle. Adding this up, there is no argument whatsoever, relating to transport, to not go to Bolle.
Next to the rich transport facilities around Bolle, the bar itself is a real recommendation. It is spacey and there is a special stage for those of you that like to dance. Of course, dancing is possible in the rest of the bar as well. The music played in Bolle is very diverse; it ranges from hip-hop to pop to classics. With other words, there’s something for everyone.
A third positive point about Bolle is that the youngsters who go there vary from the age of approximately 18 till 23, this is exactly the perfect target group for youngsters of our age. Moreover, the bar personnel are nice and skilled so you never have to wait a long time before you get your drinks. Last but not least, the drinks are relatively cheap compared to other bars in this area.
vrijdag 28 november 2008
Never back down
Jake is the new guy at some Orlando public school. Since his dad died in a car accident, he's been moody, aggressive, and arrest-prone. He was kicked-out of is previous school because he ran into fights too often and when he started a fight during a football game, he had used up all of his credits and had to leave school. This ‘football fight’ of Jake was video taped and put on the internet.
At the Orlando public school fighting was very popular and whoever was the best fighter, was the most popular. When someone came across Jake’s fighting video, he became popular all of the sudden and he got invited to a party by one of the ‘hotties’ of the school named Baja.
The party is at somebody's mansion. At the beginning everything is great but then Ryan introduces himself. He runs the school combat club, and because Ryan saw Jake’s fighting clip, he wanted to fight with him. When Jake refuses to fight, Ryan starts to provoke him by insulting Jake his father. Jake bites and the fight starts. Ryan happens to be a trained fighter whereas Jake has never had any fighting lessons or whatsoever. Jake gets his ass kicked big time and goes home all embarrassed and angry. Not only because he lost the fight, but also because Baja, who turns out to be Ryans girls, persuaded him to go to the party.
The next hour and a half is spent getting Jake in shape for the Beatdown, the movie's ‘end’ fight where Jake gets another chance to fight Ryan. Jake gets trained by Jean Rogua, who is a martial arts phenomenon in the movie. Besides training, Baja breaks up with Ryan and hooks up with Jake. This pisses Ryan off even more and thus makes the Beatdown fight even more interesting. Off course at the end and after almost passing out, Jake wins the fight with Ryan at the Beatdown.
In my opinion, this movie isn’t that good. Although the fights are spectacular, the story itself is rubbish. Everything is predictable and after the party where Jake gets his ass kicked you already know what will happen in the rest of the movie. Nevertheless, I think it is a fun movie to watch with some friends on a late Saturday night so you don’t have to think too much.
At the Orlando public school fighting was very popular and whoever was the best fighter, was the most popular. When someone came across Jake’s fighting video, he became popular all of the sudden and he got invited to a party by one of the ‘hotties’ of the school named Baja.
The party is at somebody's mansion. At the beginning everything is great but then Ryan introduces himself. He runs the school combat club, and because Ryan saw Jake’s fighting clip, he wanted to fight with him. When Jake refuses to fight, Ryan starts to provoke him by insulting Jake his father. Jake bites and the fight starts. Ryan happens to be a trained fighter whereas Jake has never had any fighting lessons or whatsoever. Jake gets his ass kicked big time and goes home all embarrassed and angry. Not only because he lost the fight, but also because Baja, who turns out to be Ryans girls, persuaded him to go to the party.
The next hour and a half is spent getting Jake in shape for the Beatdown, the movie's ‘end’ fight where Jake gets another chance to fight Ryan. Jake gets trained by Jean Rogua, who is a martial arts phenomenon in the movie. Besides training, Baja breaks up with Ryan and hooks up with Jake. This pisses Ryan off even more and thus makes the Beatdown fight even more interesting. Off course at the end and after almost passing out, Jake wins the fight with Ryan at the Beatdown.
In my opinion, this movie isn’t that good. Although the fights are spectacular, the story itself is rubbish. Everything is predictable and after the party where Jake gets his ass kicked you already know what will happen in the rest of the movie. Nevertheless, I think it is a fun movie to watch with some friends on a late Saturday night so you don’t have to think too much.
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