Blanche of Castile, Queen of France

Dates: March 4, 1188 - November 12, 1252 Known for: Queen of France, 1223-1226; Queen Mother 1226-1252regent of France 1226-1234 and 1248-1252queen consort of King Louis VIII of Francemother of King Louis IX of France (St. Louis) Also known as: Blanche De Castille, Blanca De Castilla About Blanche of Castile:Â   In 1200, the French and English kings, Philip Augustus and John, signed a treaty which gave a daughter of Johns sister, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, as bride to Philips heir, Louis. Johns mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, traveled to Spain to look over her two granddaughters, daughters of Eleanor of England and King Alfonso VIII. She decided that the younger, Blanche, was more suited for the marriage than the year-older Urraca. Eleanor of Aquitaine returned with the 12-year-old Blanche, who was married to the 13-year-old Louis. Blanche as Queen Accounts of the time indicate that Blanche loved her husband. She delivered twelve children, five of whom lived to adulthood. In 1223, Philip died, and Louis and Blanche were crowned. Louis went to southern France as part of the first Albigensian crusade, to suppress the Cathari, a heretical sect that had become popular in that area. Louis died of dysentery which he contracted on the trip back. His last order was to appoint Blanche of Castile as the guardian of Louis IX, their remaining children, and the kingdom. Mother of the King Blanche had her oldest surviving son crowned as Louis IX on November 29, 1226. She put down a revolt, reconciling (in a story with chivalric tones) with Count Thibault, one of the rebels. Henry III supported the rebelling barons, and Blanches leadership, with the help of Count Thibault, put down that revolt as well. She also took action against ecclesiastical authorities and a group of rioting university students. Blanche of Castile continued in a strong role even after Louis 1234 marriage, taking an active role in selecting his bride, Marguerite of Provence. Granted dower lands in Artois as part of the original treaty that brought her to her marriage, Blanche was able to trade those lands for ones closer to Louis court in Paris. Blanche used some of her dower income to pay dowries for poor girls, and to fund religious houses. Regent When Louis and his three brothers all went on crusade to the Holy Land, Louis selected his mother, at age 60, to be regent. The crusade went badly: Robert of Artois was killed, King Louis captured, and his very pregnant Queen Marguerite and, then, her child, had to seek safety in Damietta and Acre. Louis raised his own ransom, and decided to send his surviving two brothers home while remaining in the Holy Land. Blanche, during her regency, backed an ill-fated shepherds crusade, and had to order the destruction of the resulting movement. Death of Blanche Blanche of Castile died in November, 1252, with Louis and Marguerite still in the Holy Land, not to return until 1254. Louis never accepted Marguerite as the strong advisor his mother had been, despite Marguerites efforts in that direction. Blanches daughter, Isabel (1225 - 1270) was later recognized as Saint Isabel of France. She founded the Abbey of Longchamp, connected with the Franciscans and Poor Clares. Marriage, Children husband: Louis VIII of France (married 1200)children who survived to adulthood (of 12):1214: Louis IX, fifth child, first to survive1216: Robert, Count of ArtoisAlphonse of PoitiersSaint Isabel of FranceCharles of Anjou (Charles I of Sicily) Ancestors Father: Alfonso VIII of CastileMother: Eleanor, Queen of Castile (also known as Eleanor of England)Eleanor was the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine

How to Grade Papers and Assignments When Homeschooling

For classroom teachers, grading tests and papers is second nature. However, if you are a homeschooling parent, you may be unsure about the best way to figure percentage grades, letter grades, and grade point average. You may not even be fully convinced that assigning grades is necessary, choosing instead to work to mastery on each assignment. How to Calculate Percentage and Letter Grades If you decide to grade your students’ schoolwork, use these simple steps to determine the percentage and letter grade for any assignment or test. To calculate a grade, you will need to figure out the percentage of questions that your student  answered correctly. All you need to know to find the grade is the total number of questions on the assignment and how many answers are correct. After that, you will just need to plug a simple equation into a calculator and convert the percentage to a letter grade. Heres how: Correct the paper.Determine the number of total questions.Count the number of questions answered correctly.Take the number of correct answers and divide by the total number of questions. (Example: 15 correct answers divided by 20 total questions equals 0.75)Multiply this number by 100 to turn it into a percentage. (Example: 0.75 multiplied by 100 equals 75%)Grade ranges often vary among professors and teachers. However, a typical, easy-to-use grade scale is: 90-100% A80-89% B70-79% C60-69% D59% and below F Using the examples above, 75% would earn a C letter grade. How to Calculate GPA If you’re homeschooling high school, you will likely need to figure your student’s overall grade point average (GPA) for his high school transcript. Calculate the cumulative GPA  by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of credit hours attempted. A typical grade point scale is: A 4.0B 3.0C 2.0D 1.0 There are variances for /- grades that will vary based on the percentage grade scale you use. For example, if you use the ten points per letter grade scale, a 95% might indicate an A- which would translate to a grade point of 3.5. Here’s how: To figure out your student’s cumulative GPA: Determine the total number of grade points earned. For example, if your student received three A’s and one B, his grade point total would be 15 (3x4 12; 1x33; 12315).Divide the grade point total by the number of credits attempted. In the example above, if each course reflected one credit hour, your student’s GPA would be 3.75 (15 grade points divided by 4 credit hours 3.75) Why Do Homeschoolers Need Grades? Many  homeschooling families choose not to bother with grades since they don’t move on until a child fully understands the concept. Working to mastery means that the student would ultimately never earn less than an A. Even if your homeschooling family works to mastery, there are a few reasons you may need to assign percentage or letter grades for your students. Some students find the challenge of getting good grades motivational. Some kids like the challenge of seeing how many answers they can get correct. These students  are motivated by earning high scores. This may be especially true for kids who have  been in a traditional school setting  or those who homeschool using a more school-at-home approach. They don’t see the point of completing worksheets or tests if they dont receive a grade for their work. Grades can provide valuable feedback for these students to understand how they are performing.   Grades provide an objective means of assessing student performance. Many homeschooling parents find it difficult to strike a balance between being overly critical and overly lax about their student’s academic performance. It can be helpful to  create a grading rubric  so that both you and your student know what’s expected. A rubric can help you assess your student’s work objectively and force you to focus on specific issues. For example, if you’re working on teaching  him to write a descriptive paragraph, a rubric can help you stay focused on descriptive elements and ignore run-on sentences or grammar errors until another assignment. High school students may need grades for their transcript. Even if you prefer not to assign  grades in your homeschool, homeschoolers who will be applying  for  college admission  may need them for their high school transcripts. Some  courses may be difficult to assign a  percentage  grade, particularly more  interest-led topics. An alternative is to assign  a letter grade based on your student’s understanding of the topic and the effort put forth in doing the work. For  example, a strong understanding and effort  might earn an A. Solid knowledge and a decent but not outstanding effort might earn a B. You might assign a C if your student understands the topic well enough to move on without repeating the course and/or  you would have liked to have seen more effort applied. Anything less would mean repeating the course.   Some homeschooling laws may require grades. Your state homeschooling laws may require submitting grades to the county or state school superintendent, umbrella school, or other governing bodies.   Assigning percentage and letter grades doesnt have to be difficult. These simple steps can make it easy no matter which route you choose. Updated by Kris Bales

China And The United States - 1167 Words

China and the United States has its own unique culture. What is culture? According to Kluckhohn and Kroeber ‘Culture consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling, and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups’ (Dowling, Festing, Engle, 2013, p. 24). There are many interesting facts surrounding their culture. In this paper I will compare China’s culture to the culture of the United States to determine if China is a good match for a United States multinational firm who is looking to enter a foreign market. The aspects of culture difference I will be focusing on will include the following: language, religion, music, cooking, social norms and customs. The paper will end with a conclusion of my findings. The Chinese and English language have many significant differences. China does not have a single language, they have many different versions or dialects that include Wu, Taiwanese and Cantones e. Mandarin, also known as Northern Chinese is the mother tongue of about 70% of Chinese speakers and is the accepted written language for all Chinese (Language differences: English - Chinese, n.d.). However, English is the only language of the United States. Another difference between language in China and the United States is that the Chinese language do not use an alphabet system, they use a system call logographic where instead symbols represent words (Language differences: English - Chinese, n.d.). TheShow MoreRelatedThe United States And China917 Words   |  4 PagesLike Athens and Sparta, were the United States and China drawn into a war neither power wanted because of their alliances? Introduction The United States and China were eagerly ready to be drawn into the Korean War. Why wouldn’t they be? After WWII, Japan was forced to relinquish Korea, among other territories that it claimed , and Korea was left to fend for herself. Korea was managing but the country could not come to an agreement on a major topic: The type of government the country shouldRead MoreThe United States And China Essay999 Words   |  4 PagesThis has been going on for many, many years. The United States and China are two good references to compare. Emissions are gases and particles that are released into the atmosphere. This is caused by burning fuels and other processes. Even though humans contribute most air emissions, animals can also contribute a portion of carbon dioxide and methane into the air through digestive processes. The primary sources of emissions in the United States, which are released by human beings and naturalRead MoreThe United States And China1521 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States and China have long had a complex relationship. The tension between the two powers is related to the communist regime in China. The United States and China have almost always been on opposing sides in a conflict such as the Korean War, the Tibetan uprise, or the race for nuclear weapons. However, just as the United States has grown in power, China has done the same. China is and always has been the most influential state in Asia. While it has been on the world stage for sometimeRead MoreThe United States And China1255 W ords   |  6 PagesI decided to write my paper on the United States and China. Upon comparing the two countries on the Hofstede s Six Dimensions of Culture, this is the results I got out of it. The first dimesion of culture is the power distance. When I compared the two, the United States was at a 40. China was double that at 80. So what exactly is power distance? Well, it is defined as,†the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power isRead MoreThe United States And China2217 Words   |  9 PagesThe United States and China have had a long history of diplomatic relations in the past few hundred years. Their history can go as far back to when the U.S. was a newly founded country back in the late 18th century but within the past century, these two countries have faced more difficulties on what their governments see eye-to-eye over. Prior to World War II the relationship between the United States and China was neutral, and the two countries did not face a major change until the dispute betweenRead MoreChina Collapse Of The United States And China1323 Words   |  6 PagesChina Collapse Almost 7 years removed from the 2008 Financial Crisis, many global economies have returned to a modest resemblance of stability and growth. In fact, by the end of 2015, the U.S. Federal Reserve and other leading economies had anticipated raising interest rates and abandoning quantitative easing. In order to stabilize the economy, the Federal Reserve imposed quantitative easing for multiple years; leaving interest rates near zero. Apart from Greece, even areas of the Eurozone haveRead MoreThe United States And China1650 Words   |  7 PagesApparently, transferring activities to China provides the firm with the greatest chance to succeed. This in spite of the US branch’s ‘excellent performance’ over the past few months. As expected, you are visibly troubled and wish to relieve some tension for the time being. Unbeknownst to you, the stress ball that you reach for, the water bottle that you sip from and the cut-price pillow you lay your head on were all direct re sults of the ever so famous ‘Made in China’ Initiative. More and more AmericansRead MoreChina And The United States940 Words   |  4 Pages China and U.S. have been in a constant back and forth intelligence war for decades. The end of the Cold War allowed the U.S., in particularly the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to refocus its counterintelligence efforts to combat not only Russia, but also China. The Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s equivalent to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), was waging an espionage war to gather on the U.S.’s nuclear programs, counterintelligence programs, and other military technologyRead MoreComparing China And The United States1401 Words   |  6 Pagesexamines the comparison of the justice system in China and the United States. Exploring the ideas and views, which include the confidence in police, informal and formal crime control, and views on capital punishment. China and the United States can be considered comparable in different interpretations, views, and ideas. These cultures are both very popular in the current world. China is a one party system co ntrolled by communists where as the United States is a multiparty, grounded on a extremely democraticRead MoreUnited States Relations Between China And China Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States of America and China have a complex relationship that has been created through years of interaction. There have been times of great trade and trust between the countries but there has also been great tension. Today America and China trade freely between each other. However, the countries do not completely trust one another due to their opposing views on foreign policy and ideology. These past incidents have created an odd combination of opinions in China and the United States. In

Analysis of Introducing Euro for ASEAN Countries †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Analysis of Introducing Euro for ASEAN Countries. Answer: Introduction The present report demonstrates an analysis of introducing a common currency like Euro for ASEAN countries as well. A common currency like Euro is formed when different countries join their currencies together to develop a single currency. The development of Euro currency represents a major example in this context that is commonly accepted as a single currency among all the countries in the European Union. In this context, this report aims to presents an evaluation of the development and structure of Euro and its benefits and drawbacks. This has been done in order to analyze whether Asean countries should adopt a common currency like Euro. Critical Analysis of Asean Countries Adopting a Common Currency like Euro: Creation of Euro The European Union (EU) introduced a common currency of Euro for all its member countries in the year 1999. The Euro currency was developed on the basis of political deal for enhancing peace and co-operation between all the member countries. The establishment of European Economic Community in the year 1990 that is presently known as EU initiated the process of adopting a common currency Euro for the European nations. The major idea behind its creation is to promote the trade and sharing of resources between the member countries so that there develops co-operation between them and there is less chances of occurrence of war. The development of a common currency will help in reducing the trade and cultural barriers thus promoting the economic growth and development of European countries. The Euro has helped in developing of a free trade zone for better political and economic integration between the member countries. The free trade zone also known as Eurozone has 27 participating Europea n countries out of which the major four countries are France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (Daniels and VanHoose, 2014). The EU has created the currency of Euro for exchange between the member countries while the people within the countries use their domestic currencies only. The main motive of the EU for introducing Euro is to facilitate trade and removing the risks arising from currency exchanges. The adoption of Euro will also improve the market transparency and thus promoting competition between members. Also, the work efficiency will increase by better transport of labor and goods across the borders and thus improving the productivity of the participating nations. As such, it can be said that the main purpose for the creation of Euro was to adopt a common currency throughout Europe for improving the market efficiency and financial growth (Mulhearn, 2009). Structure of EU The EU system comprises of EU institutions that are developed by the national governments for achieving specific goals determined in the treaties. The European Council is the main political body of the EU that enhances co-operation between the political leaders such as presidents and prime ministers of the member states. The EU continually meets on three months for indentifying the major issues that helps in determination of general policy objectives of EU. The members of the council publish a conclusion that is mutually agreed between all the participants. The EU comprises of following members: The European Commission: It is a permanent political and administration institution of the EU. It undertakes the role of developing legal laws for implementing the EU objectives, monitors the budgets and compliance of EU as per the legislations, acting as treaties guardians and representing EU in external trade negotiations. The President of the Commission holds the responsibility of developing the functions of the European Commission. The Commission by carrying all the executive and management responsibilities can be said to be the main center body of the EU (Mulhearn, 2009). The European Parliament: This EU institution is recognized by its distinguishing feature of being elected directly by the member states. As such, it is an independent body that is elected for a fixed period of time and cannot be dissolved by other bodies. The European Parliament acts independently and develops its own goals and objectives. Also, it is actively involved in the appointment of the European commission president and also its other members. The European Parliament also possesses the power of dissolving the commission and thus plays a major role in the functioning of the European Union. The functional activities of the Parliament are carried out in association of the political parties and the committees. The political parties controls all the Parliament work and deciding the positions of the members. The specialist committee holds the responsibility of developing the legislations that directs and controls all the legislative work of the parliament (Masson, 2007). The Court of Justice: It undertakes the responsibility of reviewing the role of governments and other public bodies of the EU. It decides on the matters whether the member governments carry out their roles as per the EU law. It sets out the fundamental principles of the EU and its links with the national law. The European Court of Auditors: It plays a central role in maintaining the financial structure of the European Union. It develops an annual report for providing information in relation to the implementation of budget within the EU. It examines the revenue and expenses of the EU as per its legal laws (Parga, 2015). The system of EU is very complex and therefore very difficult to be understood by the outside parties. Its legal laws are developed after its proposal is accepted by the council and the parliament. The process is initiated by the European Commission that develops a formal policy proposal for the adoption of the legislation. The consultation is obtained from the interested parties and the government before its final submission. The proposal is then passed to the council and the parliament which is then subjected to their review for its approval or rejection. The national institutions also play a central role in developing the policies of the EU. In addition to this, it also plays an important role in adoption and enforcement of legislative laws of the EU. As such, it can be said that the system of EU is developed for promoting co-operation between the members states so that they can work in integration with each other as per the own political systems (Charter, 2014). Pros and Cons of Joining EU The EU is known to be union of 28 countries that is developed for enhancing the political and economic co-operation between the member countries. As such, the pros and cons of EU can be stated as follows: Pros of European Union Promoting Free Trade: The member of the EU receives the benefit of free trading without having nay tax implications. This in turn helps in reducing the price of goods and services in the member countries. Enhancing Opportunities: The free movement of labor and resources between the member countries provides an attractive opportunity to the countries to create more job opportunities and also gain advantages of better resources of the neighboring countries. Common Currency: The adoption of a common currency that is Euro by all the member countries facilitates in carrying out businesses, travelling and purchasing things from other countries in a relatively simple manner. Preventing War: The member countries of the European Union works in integration with each other and this helps in creating a better economic and political environment within these countries and promoting peace among the continent (Daniels and VanHoose, 2014). Cons of the European Union: Barriers of Communication: The presence of different culture among the member countries of the European Union makes it rather difficult for EU to interact effectively with all of its citizens. Thus, it can result in lack of integrity between all of its citizens. Difficulty Faced in leaving: The member country if want to exit from the EU have to face extreme difficulty due to complex procedures involved. Discrimination: The member countries of the EU should be of Europe only which have undefined boundaries. Thus, it provides authority to the EU to select the member countries as per their own will. Power over Government: The EU possesses the power over government in all of its member countries and thus can select the political leader as per their own interest. This can lead to the occurrence of corruption in the government sectors. Protect the Interest of the Overall EU: The EU implements the decisions that promote the interest of the overall EU and not of the individual countries. This can cause the downturn in many of the small countries of the EU (European Union Pros and Cons, 2014). Should Asean Countries adopt a common currency like Euro The development of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in the year 2015 for economic integration of the Asian countries has caused the occurrence of debate whether it would eventually also lead to monetary integration of these countries such as in the European case. In this context, some have argued that the adoption of a common currency such as Euro by the ASEAN countries would provide benefits such as trade integration, lower transaction costs, reduced exchange risk and price stability (Launey, 2012). However, these benefits should be compared with the problems that ASEAN countries can face in the future by the adoption of a common currency. The EU is presently facing the difficulties such as increasing debt in the Eurozone that can eventually result in ending the Eurozone. The Eurozone has not achieved success in attaining its determined goals due to large differences between the economic mature countries of France, Germany as compared to the economically weak countries of Ireland and Greece. This lead to the occurrence of instability in the economic policies of the EU such as is interest rate policy. The moderate interest rates set out in the Eurozone are in accordance with the economic growth of the big countries while it is not in favor of the countries with slow economic growth such as Ireland (Why ASEAN will not have a common currency, 2013). Thus, the ASEAN countries need to consider both the cost and benefits of adopting a common currency such as Euro. It is very difficult to quantify both the cost and benefits but the ASEAN countries need to properly analyze both these factors before deciding over the matter of common currency adoption. In this context, it has also been argued that ASEAN countries ranks high in wages and price flexibility and thus supporting their decision of monetary integration and adopting a common currency. In addition to this, there is more flexibility in the labor markets o the ASEAN countries and also they have high GDP ratios. In addition to this there is relatively small difference between the economic maturity level of different ASEAN countries which in turn supports the monetary integration of the member countries. The establishment of Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA) can be regarded as an effective step towards the monetary integration and adoption of a common currency for ASEAN countries. Howe ver, they need to undertake proper analysis of the development of euro as a common currency by the European Union before adopting a common currency. This is necessary so that the problem faced by the European Union does not occur in the common currency adoption by the ASEAN. (Source: https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/blog/unit-4-macro-the-euro-zone-crisis-revision) The benefits of adopting a single currency can only be achieved when the region becomes an optimal currency area. Thus, the ASEAN countries should consider that adopting a single currency before that time can lead to the occurrence of several problems such as that faced by the Eurozone. The crisis faced by the Eurozone is presently regarded as a min reason fro ASEAN countries not adopting a single currency. However, in the future context ASEAN countries should aim to reduce the gap between the macro-economic policies of different countries before common currency adoption. As such, the ASEAN before adopting a common currency should aim to promote economic integration and regional co-operation. This can be regarded as the building blocks before monetary integration of the member countries (marsdttir, 2015). Conclusion Thus, it can be inferred from overall discussion hels in the report that both the costs and benefits should be examined in detail by ASEAN countries before adopting a common currency like Euro. References Charter, D. 2014. Europe: In or Out: Everything You Need to Know. Biteback Publishing. Daniels, J. and VanHoose, D. 2014. Global Economic Issues and Policies. Routledge. European Union Pros and Cons. 2014. [Online]. Available at: https://apecsec.org/european-union-pros-and-cons/ [Accessed on: 25 October, 2017]. Launey, G. 2012. Asean single currency unlikely after eurozone 'lesson'. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-17595960 [Accessed on: 25 October, 2017]. Masson, R. 2007. The Growing Role of the Euro in Emerging Market Finance. World Bank Publications. Mulhearn, C. 2009. The Euro: Its Origins, Development and Prospects. Edward Elgar Publishing. marsdttir, S. 2015. Should ASEAN even consider a single currency? [Online]. Available at: https://www.cariasean.org/news/should-asean-even-consider-a-single-currency/ [Accessed on: 25 October, 2017]. Parga, A. 2015. The Euro Area Crisis in Constitutional Perspective. Oxford University Press. Why ASEAN will not have a common currency. 2013. [Online]. Available at: https://www.rappler.com/business/economy-watch/38664-why-asean-will-not-have-a-common-currency [Accessed on: 25 October, 2017]