Saturday, December 28, 2019

Homelessness Poverty And Lack Of Permanent And Stable...

Homelessness is the situation where individuals lack safe and adequate housing resulting in sleeping in the streets, their cars, and family or friends homes or in shelters. According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a homeless person is an individual who does not a have a permanent residence place, but rather has a temporary nighttime residence which is not designed for the accommodation of human beings (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, n.d.) Such nighttime residences include abandoned buildings, camping grounds, car parks and bus stations among others. Other agencies define homelessness as a situation whereby an individual lacks the necessary resources or networks to obtain permanent residence. Although there are different ways in which people experience homelessness, all types of homelessness are characterized by poverty and lack of permanent and stable housing. Homelessness can be short-term, long-term or even chronic. Regardles s of the type of homelessness, the underlying intervention to end the issue of homelessness is to have measures or strategies that provide permanent and affordable housing to the homeless (National Alliance to End Homelessnes, 2015). The following essay is a proposal on how best to help the homeless in the community. The essay will begin with a brief analysis or statistics of the problem in the US. The essay will also outline the main reasons attributed to homelessness. State of homelessness inShow MoreRelatedIs Homelessness a Big Problem In America? Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pageshomeless.† Getting a paycheck every two weeks does not mean a person cannot become homeless. Many would think only drug abuse and being poor are the reasons for homeless. There are many other ways to become homeless and for some people it becomes permanent. Many people that are homeless are single with kind, had/have welfare and do not have much work experience. The children are so youth that they develop emotional and mental problems. Drug and alcohol abuse become greater once people become homelessRead MoreIssues and Adversities Faced by the Homeless Population in America1060 Words   |  4 Pagespopulation in the United States (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2010), and approximately 1.5 million children—1 in 50 youngsters—are homeless each year in the United States† (p. 389). These homeless families often struggle to find permanent residency as a collective unit. There are several types of housing situations available for homeless families such as temporary housing, transitional housing settings, and shelters, yet the housing situation for homeless families often causes stressRead MoreHomelessness On The Rise Of Homelessness1353 Words   |  6 PagesHomelessness affects men, women, families, children, youth, and veterans. While structural factors, like the unequal distribution of income and lack of affordable housing, cause homelessness, certain vulnerabilities may determine who is at higher risk for homelessness. These include addictions, mental illness, domestic violence, medical conditions, and lack of education or job skills. This research paper will shed some light on the issue of homelessness and how we can prevents it with some suggestedRead MoreHomelessness : The Homeless Population Essay1703 Words   |  7 PagesHomelessness affects millions of people every year. Homelessness is an endle ss epidemic that continues to grow. There isn’t one specific causal factor to this every increasing population. Individuals experiencing homelessness come from various backgrounds and cultures physically, financially, and emotionally. They could be considered the melting pot for diversity. Often times individuals experiencing homeless are judged by their outer appearance with no regard for the contributing factors to theRead More How Many People are Homeless? Essay1591 Words   |  7 Pagesis misleading. In most cases, homelessness is a temporary circumstance -- not a permanent condition. A more appropriate measure of the magnitude of homelessness is therefore how many people experience homelessness, not how many people are homeless. Studies of homelessness are complicated by problems of definitions and methodology. This fact sheet describes definitions of homelessness, methodologies for counting homeless people, and recent estimates of homelessness. Additional resources for furtherRead MoreHelping The Homeless - Original Writing1672 Words   |  7 Pagespeople who don’t have a home (â€Å"Why Homeless?†). While there are ways to combat homelessness, a program called Housing First should be implemented in the Fairfax County area to address this issue and get homeless people into stable living conditions. Solving homelessness across America is an overwhelming task, but providing aid to the homeless in one specific area is something that can be done. This problem of homelessness may not disappear completely, but the number of homeless people can be reducedRead MoreThe National Alliance For End Homelessness Essay1331 Words   |  6 Pagesconditions, diseases, and lack of safety. There hasn’t been much progress on this issue, and if this continues, the number of homeless people will only increase. In a few states the topic is being named as a â€Å"statewide emergency†, but unfortunately this problem is national. Instead of focusing on state programs, local programs and non-profit organizations to fix the housing issue, we must all contribute to ending this epidemic. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released an articleRead MoreThe Effects Of Homelessness On The United States1218 Words   |  5 Pagesof homelessness with 983 documented homeless individual s according to a 2015 Modesto Bee study and sadly, the amount increases as surrounding areas begin to enforce strict laws. These laws criminalize and relocate homeless folk to our county. There are no exceptions to the cold reality of homelessness: men, women, children, military veterans, individuals, and families are included in the rising numbers of homelessness in Stanislaus County. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness andRead MoreAnnotated Outline Homelessness Essay1592 Words   |  7 Pageswhom are incapable of caring for them-selves. The fact is, that there are millions of homeless in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing had lead people to live on the streets. Many of the homeless are women that have become divorced or have left home because of physical abuse. These women have no education because they have not been given the chance to go and get the education thatRead MoreHomelessness Is The Main Driving Force Behind The Rise Of Homelessness889 Words   |  4 PagesHomelessness affects an estimated 650,000 Americans in the United States daily and the number of people experiencing homelessness is continuing to rise across the United States and more specifically in Massachusetts. According to the 2014 Annual Homelessness Assessment, between 2013-2014 Massachusetts saw the fourth largest increase in homelessness in the United States and on any given night an estimated 3000 individual shelter beds are occupied (Basic Facts on, 2016). Furthermore, homelessness

Friday, December 20, 2019

Coginitive Workings of the Brain and Medical Treatment

While therapists and physicians write prescriptions for various ailments, everything from changing the morning routine to antidepressants and chemotherapy to aspirin, there is a change occurring within the confines of the brain. While it is much more difficult to precisely diagnose cognitive workings, good or bad, than it is to check physical fitness, the fact remains that there are multiple accounts from both patients and doctors as to changes in the brain’s functions, specifically after certain incidents. Just like a fall from a bike will make a person a bit more reluctant to attempt to ride that bike, or any other, again, when the functions of the mind are analyzed, the self-awareness it presents becomes an almost instant catalyst for change. People who have cancer are almost always changed cognitively as well as physically, for example. Facing mortality is a difficult thing that prompts a change in the person’s view of the world; what is worth getting upset over. Wh en people attend therapy, of any kind, they look at themselves in a new light. They examine their own short-comings and cannot face away. When a person sees themselves the way other people see them, or simply face their issues, their perceptions change. When perceptions change, the areas of the brain that are functioning at certain times change as well. For example, a right-brain person sees a work of art and decides to attempt to view the painting, not for its meaning, for its proportions, the mathematics of

Thursday, December 12, 2019

My Scene free essay sample

Let me set my scene for you. It is 11:46 p.m.on a cold Saturday night. I am in my attic room, keeping warm in my bed.Envelopes, books, CDs and AP psychology notes are strewn beside me, and clothesdot my floor. I cannot see my windows, but I know they are there. Ivelooked out them so many times Ive memorized the view: a well-kept lawn in theforeground with a snow fence expecting winter, beyond that a two-lane highwaylight gray from many winters of salt, beyond that a hayfield, a dairy farm, asilo, a hill, another hill, a mountain chain. The Adirondack Mountains. Past thatI can see Lake Champlain, a plateau, Canada. A game of pick-up hockey is formingjust outside Montreal. The goalie is late, and players shoot at an empty netwhile waiting for his tired red pick-up truck. My radio is playing,alternative songs spilling out like a hard-to-keep secret. We will write a custom essay sample on My Scene or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My mom, who long agothought all daughters fall asleep before midnight, asks me to turn the volumedown. I do, and switch to a jazz station. Miles Davis sweet melodic horn begs meto slow dance. When I close my eyes I see my dancing partner a dashingblack-haired boy I once knew. Hes a good James Bond, wearing a black tux and afancy wristwatch, and he dances just as well. When he dips me, I smile. Theceiling is peppered with glowing stars. As we leave the dance hall, I lookup at the brilliantly clear December sky. The moon is shining brightly, and Iimagine myself skipping on its surface, collecting rocks for NASA to analyze backon Earth. Kneeling to finger the dusty surface with my clumsy spacesuit glove, asong floats to me: Well, Id like to visit the moon On a rocketshiphigh in the air Yes, Id like to visit the moon, But I dont thinkId like to live there. Though Id like to look down at theEarth from above I would miss all the places and people Ilove So, although I may go, Ill be coming home soon Davis ends his song with a mournful vibrato. I walk over to my radioand turn the music off. Returning to my bed, I fluff my pillow,straighten my sheets and crawl under my flannel comforter. I turnoff my light.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Australian Tax Law Market Valuation

Question: Discuss about the Australian Tax Law for Market Valuation. Answer: 1. Issue The information provided highlights the case about Hilary who receives offer from a particular newspaper so as to write her autobiography. Since she is a famous mountain climber, hence it was expected that this book would have commercial value and hence, the newspaper offered a total amount to the tune of $ 10,000 for the book and all rights associated with the same. Hilary accepts the offer and writes and book and realises $ 10,000 from the newspaper for the rights, $ 5,000 from Mitchell Library for the manuscript and $ 2,000 from the museum for the photographs of the expedition, In this light, the core issue is to determine whether the above sum of payments received by Hillary would be considered as income from personal exertion or not. Rule It is critical to distinguish capital receipts from revenue receipts to arrive at appropriate taxation treatment. While capital receipts arise from the liquidation or transfer of capital assets but revenue receipts typically arise from normal course of business or employment. The capital receipts are not taxable but any capital gains that are realised would be subject to Capital Gains Tax or CGT as per Section 10-5 (Woellner, 2013). However, the revenue receipts would be taxed as ordinary income under Section 6-5. In accordance for receipts to be recognised under income from personal exertion, it is pivotal that it should be either business activity or employment which is essentially repetitive in nature. It is noteworthy that isolated transactions with the intention of profit making also contribute to ordinary income (Barkoczy, 2015). In order to understand the classification of copyright as a capital asset or income from personal exertion, the discussion in the Brent v. Federal Commissioner of Taxation(1971) 125 CLR 418 is highly relevant. In the given case, there was an agreement between the appellant i.e. Mrs. Briggs with regards to narration of her stay with her husband who was involved in a famous robbery. She accepted one of such offers and thus narrated the story to a couple of journalists who then produced a story based on her account and gave her for modifications and suggestions if any. In lieu of the appellant indulging in story-telling to the journalists which spanned four five days, the appellant was made partial payments but the remaining instalments promised in the contract were never made (Krever Black, 2007). As a result, there was a dispute with the tax commissioner and hence the matter went to court where the central issue was to determine whether the proceeds would be capital or revenue in thi s case (Deutsch et. al., 2015). The court ruled that the given receipts were of capital nature. This is because the only contribution of appellant in the given case is with regards to the secret information in relation to her life spent with her husband, She disclosed these facts to the journalists and also authenticated the story by putting her signature on all pages is the relevant consideration for the newspaper to enter into a legal contract. The imperative aspect was giving of information with the remaining services that were offered in terms of any photographs, token etc. were incidental to the contract. Thus, due to the transfer of copyright and information, the income was earned and hence it was a capital transaction where an asset has been realised for cash. Thus, no income tax was levied on the payment received although the same was held subject to CGT (Sadiq et. al., 2015). Application In the given case, taking a cue from the decision in the Brent v. Federal Commissioner of Taxationcase, it is apparent that the local newspaper has approached Hilary not because of her superior writing skills as she has never written anything before. The real motive of the newspaper was to extract secret information about her personal life which except Hilary no one knew. Further, the copyright with regards to the book indicates that Hilary would not share this information with anyone else for the act of publishing. Thus, even though Hilary had indulged in writing the book, it is mere incidental and quite likely would have been modified by the newspaper before publishing. The real asset in the given case is the knowledge and secret information which Hilary had. Hence, by passing on the copyright to the newspaper, there is essentially a transfer of ownership of capital asset, The same can also be concluded about the income derived from photograph and manuscripts, Hilary is not engaged in the profession of writing or photography, hence the income is derived and not earned. Conclusion The total receipts of $ 17,000 would be termed as capital receipt which have effectively been derived and not earned and therefore would not be taxable as ordinary income. However, these would be subject of CGT in accordance with Section 10-5 of ITAA, 1997. (b) The answer in above case would not differ even if Hilary was driven by self-satisfaction instead of profit making intention. This is primarily because the commercial value of the writing, photograph and manuscript would not be derived on the basis of writing or photographic skills but on the basis of the copyrighted information she has about her personal life which she is sharing through the book and the photos (Barkoczy, 2015). 2. Issue The son approaches her mother for seeking financial help to the tune of $ 40,000 which he promised to repay after five years. The mothers intention while extending the financial help was only to help the son and hence she did not expect any interest payment in lieu and only required that principal be repaid. However, the son claimed that he would provide an interest of 5% pa. The total principal of $ 40,000 was repaid by the son before the scheduled five years. Repayment of principal happened after two years with an interest payment of $ 4,000 over and above the principal repayment of $ 40,000. $ 4,000 has been computed as 5% of the principal taken. The aim is to determine the tax treatment which would be extended to the payment received in reference to assessable income. Rule In accordance with Section 6(5) ITAA, 1997, interest payment is included in the taxable income and is assessable as it falls under the ambit of ordinary income. The following interest payments contribute to ordinary income (Woellner, 2013) Investment in any particular interest bearing security Operating a money lending business In order to distinguish a casual transaction with a full-fledged business, it is imperative to compare the character of the transaction and intent with the actual business transactions. If the isolated transaction is done in a business like manner, it can very well constitute a business. Additionally, it is imperative to note that the interest derived from a given transaction need not be paid directly but can also be paid on a lump sum basis to be included as part of the ordinary income (Sadiq et. al., 2015). Besides, as per TR 2005/13, the rules associated with classification of a payment as gift are enumerated below (Deutsch et. al., 2015). It is requisite that ownership must be transferred. The transfer made must be made voluntarily. Benefaction is the key driving force behind the transfer. There must not be expectation of any potential gains in return Application It is apparent in the given case, that the mother is not running a business of money lending. This is apparent from the non-commercial conduct while extending the loan which was extending without any collateral in the absence of any formal loan agreement and without any intention of earning interest income. Essentially, the incremental amount given as interest would amount to gift in this case because of the following reasons. The payment of $ 2000 has indeed been transferred to the mother. Even though the mother did not want any interest, but still the son voluntarily makes the payment. Clearly, the payment is driven by the mother son relation. By making the payment to the mother, the son has no expectations with regards to the future. Conclusion On the basis of the above discussion, it is apparent that the incremental amount over the loan repayment amounts to gift for the mother and would not contribute to assessable income of the mother. 3. Capital gain on a particular asset is the difference in value of the derived sales proceeds and the cost base of the given asset. For long term capital gains, there are two available methods available for deriving the net taxable capital gains namely discount method and indexation method (Barkoczy, 2015). In discount method, the long term capital gains are reduced by 50% and the remaining amount is subject to capital gains tax. This method can be availed only by taxpayers who are individuals. The indexation method is available to both individual taxpayers and companies. It relies on increasing the assets cost base using inflation figures and thus minimise the liability on account of capital gains (Woellner, 2013). Part a) It is known that property has been sold on March 1, 2015 for a consideration of $ 800,000 The total amount spent on construction is $ 60,000 while the valuation of land when house construction commenced was $ 90,000. The taxable component of capital gains in accordance with the two methods stated above is shown below. It is noteworthy that land was purchased in the pre-CGT era and hence no capital gains would be incurred on the sale of land (Sadiq et. al., 2015). Percentage share of value by house = (60000/(90000+60000))*100 = 40% Thus, sales proceeds from house which is subject to CGT = 40% of 800000 = $ 320,000 Capital gains = 320000 60000 = $ 240,000 Discount = (50/100)* 240,000 = $ 120,000 Hence, capital gains that would be levied CGT as per discount method = 240000 120000 = $ 120,000 Indexation Method CPI value in 1999 = 68.72 CPI value in 1986 = 43.2 Hence, indexation factor = 68.72/43.2 = 1.59 Hence, indexed construction cost of house = 60000*1.59 = $ 95,400 Taxable capital gains = 320000 95400 = $ 224,600 It is apparent from the calculation done by two methods that the discount method leads to a lower CGT liability and hence would be preferred by Scott. Part b) There has been a change in the customer who buys the property to Scotts daughter which hs resulted in the selling price being significantly lower at $ 200,000. As per Section 116-30(2), in cases where it is evident that the selling price is significantly lower than the existing market price, in such cases the capital gains would be computed by assuming the higher of these two prices as the sale price (ATO, 2015). As a result, the answer in this case would be the same as above. Part c) The owner of the property is a company and thus the only option available is indexed method (Deutsch et, al, 2015). As seen in part (a), the taxable capital gains in accordance with indexation method amount to $ 224,600. References ATO 2015, Why do you need a market valuation, Australian Taxation Office, Available online from https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/In-detail/Real-estate/Transferring-real-estate-to-family-or-friends/?page=3 (Accessed on August 22, 2016) Barkoczy, S. 2015. Australian tax casebook. CCH Publications, Sydney Deutsch, R, Freizer, M, Fullerton, I, Hanley, P, Snape, T 2015, Australian tax handbook 8th eds., Thomson Reuters, Pymont Krever, R Black, C 2007, Australian taxation law cases 2007, 4th eds., Thomson ATP. Pyrmont, N.S.W Sadiq, K, Coleman, C, Hanegbi, R, Jogarajan, S, Krever, R, Obst, W, and Ting, A 2015 ,Principles of Taxation Law 2015,8th eds., Thomson Reuters, Pymont Woellner, R 2013, Australian taxation law 2012, 6th eds., CCH Australia, North Ryde