Friday, November 28, 2008

DIFFERENCE PHENOMENON GENDER IN EDUCATION ISLAM

In the process of education in Indonesia in general, there is still a gender bias or partiality. Gender is a concept used in identifying the parameters of the role of men and women based on the influence of social-cultural community (social contruction) with no view of the biological and equality as a tool pendiskriminasian one of the parties because of considerations that are biological. Men more dominant in selecting majors and the ability to learn or in the field of vocational skills, technology and industry and seems specifically men prepared to become a major player in world production. Meanwhile, more women prepared to carry out the role of adjuvant, for example, a management and technology, well-tanggaan. Improvements in the system of curriculum content to ensure the realization of gender equality education berperspektif, AT-AT eliminate gender bias in education, especially in the mengkombinasi-going between the rights and obligations of men and women.

DEVELOPMENT OF ARABIAN INSTRUCTION METHOD

Development of methods of teaching Arabic language can only be done by a teacher of creative and innovative, always consider the principles of teaching languages and able to gather ideas / ideas to be mixed from the things that are normal to be extraordinary.
Therefore, in improving the quality of learning Arabic language teacher is required figure in the creative and innovative approach and implement an effective method of learning. For the purpose of writing this review that the development of effective methods used in the process of learning, especially learning the Arabic language.

EDUCATION SKETCH ISLAM AT A PERIOD OF BACKDOWN ISLAM AND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE

Backdown of islam people in its civilization happened in around 1250 M. s/d in 1500 M. That Backdown happens at all of area especially in the field of Pendidikan islam. In Pendidikan that backdown islam by some, believed because indigenous to growing of in extend traditional idea pattern. Existence of that pattern cause loss of free of thinking, tertutupnya door ijtihad, and caused direct to made religious advices of [the] past moslem scholar as [the] dogma that must accepted absolutely (taken for garanted). When islam people on the downgrade, in the world of Europe oppositely/also on the contrary experience of evocation pursues ketertinggalan they, even can crucify root of islam progresses. Science and philosophy thrive in European places. As a consequence if pattern traditional fikir that expand in the world of islam continues planted and thrive, then on-site they in Europe idea pattern rasionallah that relied on philosophy Rasionalnya Ibn Rusyd that raced their evocation pass by evocation movements. This condition is cause beralihnya drastically centers education from islam world to Europe.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

College Loans Consolidation

Federal Student Loan Consolidation

Federal student loan consolidation is a fixed-rate refinancing program that combines all of your existing federal student loans into one new loan. Consolidation is a great tool for managing your finances - providing immediate payment relief and long term benefits. With our fast and convenient eSignature, your application will be complete in just a few minutes.

* Cut your monthly student loan payment by as much as 50%
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* Improve your credit rating
* No credit checks, fees, or application charges
* Reduce your interest rate 0.6% by consolidating during your grace period

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Federal Student Loan Consolidation Payment Relief

One of the key benefits of consolidating your federal school loans is payment relief. By combining all of your student loans into one consolidated loan, you can lengthen your repayment term from the standard 10 years to up to 30 years, depending on the amount of your education debts. With a lower monthly payment, you'll have more money available to meet other living expenses, including car payments, housing expenses, and career-related necessities. Because there are no penalties for overpayment, you can make larger payments and reduce your repayment term when it becomes affordable. Learn more about how student loan consolidation works in this step-by-step tutorial.
Consolidating with Student loan Consolidator

Get one-on-one personalized customer service. Our loan counselors will educate you on the benefits of federal student loan consolidation and help you determine if consolidating is the right choice. We will explain the consolidation process and the repayment options that are available to you.
What Qualifies for Federal Student Loan Consolidation?

Federal loan consolidation can include Federal Stafford Loan consolidation, PLUS Loan consolidation, Direct Loan consolidation as well as Perkins Loans, HEAL Loans and all Federal FFELP and Direct Loans taken to pay for your education. Private student loan consolidation is different - You will lose your federal loan benefits if you consolidate your federal loans into a private loan consolidation.

Consolidating with Student loan Consolidator
Get one-on-one personalized customer service. Our loan counselors will educate you on the benefits of federal student loan consolidation and help you determine if consolidating is the right choice. We will explain the consolidation process and the repayment options that are available to you.

Betting

Betting is an important element in the popularity of horse racing. At different times in history four main types of betting have been popular: simple betting between individuals; sweepstakes betting, in which large entry fees, or stakes, are pooled and awarded to the winners; bookmaking, in which speculators offer odds against each horse and accept bets against their predictions; and pari-mutuel betting, which is the most widespread system and that used at the major American tracks. The designation pari-mutuel is a French phrase translated as “betting among ourselves.” Under the pari-mutuel system, which was developed in France during the 1860s, the betting odds on a given horse are derived from a comparison between the total amount wagered on the horse and the total wagered on all the horses in the race. The odds are automatically computed by a device called a totalizator, which posts them on a lighted tote board clearly visible to spectators. Odds are recomputed at approximately one-minute intervals until post time, when all bets must be placed and the pari-mutuel machines are locked. Winning tickets are cashed after the race’s results have been declared official, by which time computers have determined the payoffs. Pari-mutuel bettors can wager that a horse will win (finish first), place (finish first or second), or show (finish first, second, or third). In the event that two or more horses are entered by the same owner or trainer, they are coupled in the wagering as an entry. In this situation a bet on one of these horses is a bet on all of them. In some races with many competitors, horses with less chance of winning are sometimes grouped into single betting interests known as fields.

Combination wagering involves more than one horse. Such combinations include the daily double, in which the bettor must predict the winners of two consecutive races (usually the first two of the day), purchasing the ticket in advance of both. A variation of the daily double is the pick-6 (or pick-3), in which bettors must select the winners of 6 (or 3) consecutive races. To win a quinella, the bettor must predict the first two finishers in a single race without regard to the order in which they finish. To win an exacta (also called perfecta), the bettor must specify the exact order in which the first two horses in a race will finish. Such involved wagering almost always yields higher payoffs than straight win-place-show betting.

Off-track betting (OTB) is growing in popularity throughout the United States. OTB facilities offer an alternative to wagering at racetracks. As with betting done at tracks, states receive a portion of the pari-mutuel handle, or take. Off-track wagering has long been legal in the United Kingdom through private bookmaker shops.

Simulcasting, in which live races are televised at various racetracks around the country via satellite, is becoming very important in U.S. racing. It allows bettors to wager on stakes-quality horses, since simulcasts generally are reserved for the best races available. At many U.S. racetracks, whole cards of races from other locations are simulcast, both when the racetrack is also running live racing and when there is no live racing scheduled. Some tracks simulcast the races from up to eight different racetracks at the same time. Beginning in the 1970s, off-track betting and simulcasting became increasingly prevalent in the United States. By 1993 wagering via simulcasting accounted for more than 40 percent of all wagering conducted at racetracks in the United States.

Betting

Betting is an important element in the popularity of horse racing. At different times in history four main types of betting have been popular: simple betting between individuals; sweepstakes betting, in which large entry fees, or stakes, are pooled and awarded to the winners; bookmaking, in which speculators offer odds against each horse and accept bets against their predictions; and pari-mutuel betting, which is the most widespread system and that used at the major American tracks. The designation pari-mutuel is a French phrase translated as “betting among ourselves.” Under the pari-mutuel system, which was developed in France during the 1860s, the betting odds on a given horse are derived from a comparison between the total amount wagered on the horse and the total wagered on all the horses in the race. The odds are automatically computed by a device called a totalizator, which posts them on a lighted tote board clearly visible to spectators. Odds are recomputed at approximately one-minute intervals until post time, when all bets must be placed and the pari-mutuel machines are locked. Winning tickets are cashed after the race’s results have been declared official, by which time computers have determined the payoffs. Pari-mutuel bettors can wager that a horse will win (finish first), place (finish first or second), or show (finish first, second, or third). In the event that two or more horses are entered by the same owner or trainer, they are coupled in the wagering as an entry. In this situation a bet on one of these horses is a bet on all of them. In some races with many competitors, horses with less chance of winning are sometimes grouped into single betting interests known as fields.

Combination wagering involves more than one horse. Such combinations include the daily double, in which the bettor must predict the winners of two consecutive races (usually the first two of the day), purchasing the ticket in advance of both. A variation of the daily double is the pick-6 (or pick-3), in which bettors must select the winners of 6 (or 3) consecutive races. To win a quinella, the bettor must predict the first two finishers in a single race without regard to the order in which they finish. To win an exacta (also called perfecta), the bettor must specify the exact order in which the first two horses in a race will finish. Such involved wagering almost always yields higher payoffs than straight win-place-show betting.

Off-track betting (OTB) is growing in popularity throughout the United States. OTB facilities offer an alternative to wagering at racetracks. As with betting done at tracks, states receive a portion of the pari-mutuel handle, or take. Off-track wagering has long been legal in the United Kingdom through private bookmaker shops.

Simulcasting, in which live races are televised at various racetracks around the country via satellite, is becoming very important in U.S. racing. It allows bettors to wager on stakes-quality horses, since simulcasts generally are reserved for the best races available. At many U.S. racetracks, whole cards of races from other locations are simulcast, both when the racetrack is also running live racing and when there is no live racing scheduled. Some tracks simulcast the races from up to eight different racetracks at the same time. Beginning in the 1970s, off-track betting and simulcasting became increasingly prevalent in the United States. By 1993 wagering via simulcasting accounted for more than 40 percent of all wagering conducted at racetracks in the United States.

Endowment

Endowment, funds donated permanently to a college, university, or other nonprofit institution, in which the income earned each year is used to support the institution’s programs. Other institutions and organizations supported by endowments include hospitals, museums, churches, and arts organizations. Most endowments result from gifts made to institutions by individuals, with the requirement that the principal—that is, the amount of the original gift—never be spent. The gift is invested as part of the endowment and earns interest income that is spent to support the institution year after year.

The idea of endowments started in England in the 15th and 16th centuries. Wealthy individuals, often members of the royal family, made donations to endow churches, universities, and schools. The United States also has a long tradition of philanthropic giving to support institutions. In 1995, individuals, corporations, and foundations gave $143.85 billion to nonprofit organizations in the United States, including almost $18 billion to educational institutions.

Most of the large endowments provide funds for private universities. Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, holds the largest private endowment of any university in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Harvard, founded in 1636, is named for English clergyman John Harvard, who made the first gift to its endowment in 1638, the year he died. In 1997 Harvard’s endowment fund was valued at more than $9 billion, most of it from gifts by Harvard alumni and other individuals over the past three centuries.

A growing number of public, state-supported colleges and universities have substantially increased their efforts to obtain gifts for their endowment funds. These funds are often needed to replace income lost as a result of declining appropriations from state governments. In 1997 the University of Texas System had an endowment of more than $6 billion, making it second only to Harvard in the value of its endowment.

In some cases, donors to an endowment permit the institution to decide how the income will be spent each year. In other cases, donors restrict use of the income to specific purposes. Colleges and universities use endowment income for a wide variety of purposes, including student scholarships, research programs, and the salaries of certain faculty members. Professors supported by endowment funds are said to hold “endowed chairs.” These positions, awarded to especially distinguished scholars, are among the most prestigious in academic life.

Colleges and universities solicit contributions to their endowments, especially from alumni, by writing articles and letters and by making personal visits. Some individuals make gifts to endowments during their lifetime, but many others make a gift through a provision in their wills. Such a gift is called a bequest and belongs to the college only after the individual dies. Many institutions also promote the creation of charitable remainder trusts, which pay interest income to the donor during his or her lifetime and then pay the principal to the college or university after the person dies.

Endowments help meet the immediate costs of operating colleges and universities, while also providing a secure source of income for the future. In this way, endowments help to keep the tuition charged to students as low as possible and help ensure that these institutions survive to serve future generations.

GETTING A MORTGAGE

A borrower can obtain a mortgage from a bank, credit union, or other lender. Most lenders require the borrower to have a certain amount of money to use as a down payment toward the purchase of the house. For example, if an individual wants to buy a home priced at $100,000 and the lender requires a down payment of $5000, the individual will apply for a loan of $95,000 to pay for the difference.

A lender requires detailed information about borrowers to assess their ability and willingness to repay a loan. For example, a borrower will be asked about income, employment history, and credit history. The lender will also inquire about any debts, such as a car loan or credit card balances.

Before the lender agrees to a loan, an appraisal of the property by a qualified third party is required. The appraisal provides an estimate of the property's value. The lender wants to be certain that the property is worth at least as much as the loan in case of foreclosure.

If all requirements are met, the lender agrees to the loan. The loan agreement specifies the current interest rate and the loan's repayment terms. The terms of repayment specify how much the regular payments will be, how frequently they will be made, and over how many years. The interest rate and the duration, or life, of the mortgage determine the amount of the payment. Payments are usually made monthly. The life of the mortgage can be 15, 20, 30, or even 40 years.

To accept the loan the borrowers must sign a promissory note that obligates them to repay the mortgage debt. The borrower also promises to keep the property insured against fire and other hazards, and to pay any property taxes that may be owed. If the borrower fails to keep any of these obligations, the loan is considered to be in default, and subject to foreclosure.

The actual transfer of funds and property takes place at the closing. At the closing the lender transfers money to the borrower for buying the house and the borrower signs the mortgage documents. The borrower also pays the lender any fees associated with borrowing the money. These might include origination costs for creating and processing the loan, fees for obtaining reports on

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), independent agency of the United States government, created during the economic depression by congressional enactment in 1932, and abolished by Congress in June 1957. The stated purpose of the RFC was “to provide emergency financing facilities for financial institutions; to aid in financing agriculture, commerce, and industry; to purchase preferred stock, capital notes, or debentures of banks and trust companies; and to make loans and allocations of its funds as prescribed by law.” These purposes were subsequently enlarged by legislative amendment to include participation in the maintenance of the economic stability of the country through the promotion of maximum production and employment and the encouragement of small business enterprises. The basic activities of the RFC were to make and collect loans and to buy and sell securities. Originally, the capital stock of the corporation was fixed at $500 million.

For seven years following its creation, the RFC was classified as an emergency agency. In 1939 it was grouped with other agencies to constitute the Federal Loan Agency. It was transferred to the Department of Commerce in 1942 and reverted to the Federal Loan Agency three years later. When that agency was abolished in 1947, its functions were assumed by the RFC.

Approximately two-thirds of the disbursements of the RFC were made in connection with the national defense of the U.S., especially during World War II. Loans were also made by the RFC to federal agencies and to state and local governments in connection with the relief of the unemployed and the relief of victims of disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Disbursements to private enterprises included loans to banks and trust companies to aid in their establishment, reorganization, or liquidation, and to mortgage-loan companies, building and loan associations, and insurance companies. Loans were also made to agricultural financing institutions, to enterprises engaged in financing the export of agricultural surpluses, and to railroads, mines, mills, and other industrial enterprises. Hundreds of millions of dollars were disbursed by the RFC for the purchase of securities offered by the Public Works Administration, other government agencies, and private corporations.

In 1948, after the financial crisis of the depression and World War II had passed, Congress reduced the capital stock of the RFC to $100 million and provided for the retirement of the outstanding capital stock in excess of that amount. It also authorized the RFC to issue to the Treasury its own notes, debentures, bonds, or other similar obligations, in the amount of its outstanding loans, in order to borrow money with which to carry on its functions.

During 1951 and 1952 congressional investigators found considerable evidence of fraud and corruption among RFC officials. In July 1953, Congress enacted the RFC Liquidation Act, providing for the gradual transfer of the functions of the RFC to other government agencies. The RFC loan powers were transferred in 1954 to the Small Business Administration. The RFC was abolished in June 1957, and its remaining functions were transferred to the Housing and Home Finance Agency, the General Services Administration, and the Department of the Treasury. During its existence from 1932 to 1957, the RFC disbursed more than $50 billion in loans.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INSURANCE

Insurance benefits society by allowing individuals to share the risks faced by many people. But it also serves many other important economic and societal functions. Because insurance is available and affordable, banks can make loans with the assurance that the loan’s collateral (property that can be taken as payment if a loan goes unpaid) is covered against damage. This increased availability of credit helps people buy homes and cars. Insurance also provides the capital that communities need to quickly rebuild and recover economically from natural disasters, such as tornadoes or hurricanes.

Insurance itself has become a significant economic force in most industrialized countries. Employers buy insurance to cover their employees against work-related injuries and health problems. Businesses also insure their property, including technology used in production, against damage and theft. Because it makes business operations safer, insurance encourages businesses to make economic transactions, which benefits the economies of countries. In addition, millions of people work for insurance companies and related businesses. In 1996 more than 2.4 million people worked in the insurance industry in the United States and Canada.

Insurance companies perform a type of monetary redistribution—they collect premiums and eventually redistribute that money as payments. Depending on the type of insurance, redistribution can take anywhere from a few months to many decades. Because of this delay between collecting and paying out funds, insurance companies invest their funds to bring in extra revenues. Such investments help businesses and governments finance their operations, and profits from those investments support the operations of insurance companies. With these investment earnings, insurance companies can keep rates much lower than would otherwise be possible.

Not all effects of insurance are positive ones. The possibility of earning insurance payments motivates some people to attempt to cause damage or losses. Without the possibility of collecting insurance benefits, for instance, no one would think of arson, the willful destruction of property by fire, as a potential source of money.

National Insurance

National Insurance, payments made by employers and employees in the United Kingdom to fund state benefits, such as unemployment pay and pensions. The money goes into a separate fund and technically is not part of central government revenue. National insurance has some of the characteristics of a tax, although the payments employers and employees make are referred to as “contributions.” The distinction made by William Beveridge (the national insurance system set up in 1946 implemented proposals of the Beveridge Report) was “that taxation is or should be related to assumed capacity to pay rather than to the value of what the payer may expect to receive, while insurance contributions are or should be related to the value of the benefits and not to the capacity to pay.”

National insurance contributions are based on earnings. The percentage of earnings paid by employees is different from that paid by employers, and that paid by self-employed workers. Those earning below a certain amount do not have to pay any national insurance and those earning more than a certain amount do not pay national insurance on earnings above that amount. In the case of someone earning just under £23,000 (the national insurance ceiling, equivalent to about $36,300 in United States currency), the employee’s total national insurance contribution is currently set at just over £2,000, which is about 9 percent of earnings, and the employer’s contribution is higher (equivalent to slightly more than 10 percent of earnings). However, for those earning up to about £10,660, the employer’s contribution ranges from 3 to 7 percent.

Many countries operate similar systems, in which there is a distinction between taxes that finance such things as public sector wages, and compulsory social insurance that finances welfare benefits.

Federal Home Loan Bank Board

Federal Home Loan Bank Board, former independent agency of the U.S. government established, with its related units, in the 1932-1934 period to encourage thrift and economical home financing. The board set policies, issued regulations, and supervised the operations of the following units: the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which constituted a network of reserve credit for savings and home-financing institutions served by 12 regional Federal Home Loan banks; the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. (FSLIC), which insured the accounts of depositors in insured savings and loan associations and similar institutions; and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., created by the Emergency Home Finance Act of 1970 to operate a secondary mortgage market.

Under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, the Office of Thrift Supervision, a newly created bureau within the Department of the Treasury, assumed the board's regulatory responsibilities, while the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF), administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), replaced the FSLIC.

The board is administered by three members appointed to 4-year terms by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The chairperson is designated by the president.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), independent agency of the United States government created in 1933 under a section of the Federal Reserve Act to insure deposits in banks in the event of bank failure. In 1950 the section of the act concerning the corporation was amended and made a separate law, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. The act provides up to $100,000 insurance for each depositor in an insured bank. A new set of amendments to the act, which went into effect in April 2006, provides insurance up to $250,000 on individual retirement accounts (IRAs) held at banks and savings associations insured by the FDIC and at credit unions insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).

All banks that meet the standards for membership in the Federal Reserve System automatically become insured by the corporation; included are national banks chartered by the comptroller of the currency under federal law and state-chartered banks that obtain membership in the system. State-chartered banks, including mutual savings institutions that are not members, may become insured if they meet the prescribed qualifications for insurance.

In 1989 the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act abolished the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. (FSLIC) and transferred its functions to the FDIC. The FDIC now administers two separate deposit insurance funds: the Bank Insurance Fund for commercial banks and the Savings Association Insurance Fund for thrift institutions formerly insured by FSLIC.

The major functions of the corporation are to pay the depositors if an insured bank closes without adequate resources to pay claims of its depositors; to act as receiver for all suspended national banks and for suspended state banks if state authorities so request; and to prevent the development or continuance of unsound banking practices. The corporation may also make loans to or purchase assets from insured banks to facilitate a merger or consolidation if such action will prevent or reduce loss to the corporation or if the continued operation of a distressed bank is deemed essential to provide adequate banking services in a community. The corporation also regularly examines insured banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System and prescribes rules governing the payment and advertising of interest on deposits.

The most recent changes to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act raised the insurance amount from $100,000 to $250,000 for an IRA account and for other types of retirement accounts. Other types of accounts are self-directed Keogh accounts, “457 Plan” retirement accounts used by state government employees, and self-directed 401(k) accounts (see Retirement Plans). All IRA accounts were covered by these changes, including traditional and Roth IRAs. These changes went into effect on April 1, 2006. Under the new rules, all deposits at the same FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union that are held in these types of retirement accounts are insured up to $250,000. This amount is separate from other deposit accounts held at the same institution, which are still insured up to $100,000.

The IRAs must be invested in bank deposits, such as certificates of deposit (CDs). The FDIC does not insure mutual funds, stocks, bonds, or annuities sold through banks or savings associations.

The new changes also established a method for considering increases in insurance limits on all deposit accounts. Beginning in 2011, the FDIC will consider raising insurance limits every five years. The considerations will be based, in part, on the rate of inflation.

The FDIC is managed by a five-member board of directors. All are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. No more than three can be from the same political party. The FDIC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has six regional and field offices around the country.