AIG turism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

AIG turism - Essay Example However, because the portions of the securities which AIG had guaranteed were judged to be almost risk free, there was not much thought that had been given to the scenario. At the end of the year 2007, through the different swaps, AIG had covered around $61 billion in securities with exposure to the different subprime mortgages. There are several prominent people that were involved in the fall of AIG, the most prominent was Martin J. Sullivan who at the time was the CEO of the company. Sullivan was blamed on taking on tens of millions of risk that was associated with the mortgages. Sullivan did not purchase any reinsurance on the risk as it was the norm Robert Willumstad, the chairperson of AIG Board of directors was also another prominent person involved in the fall of AIG. Joseph Cassano who was the AIG financial production division was accused of insuring to more than $441 billion value of securities that were in the first place rated AAA. Several companies were associated with the fall of 2008, they included the European Investment bank referred to as Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley and Merrill were also involved in the mess that came with the fall of AIG. AIG credit default swaps were insurance contracts that were unregulated, therefore, AIG did not put anything any capital as collateral and consequently it maintained what can be described as an AAA credit rating. Further, the company did not build any capital to back the insurance that they had sold and the profits it booked in any way never materialized. The default rates that were on mortgage securities were underwritten in the year 2006, and the year 2007. The underwritten securities increased in their worth and the by the last part of the year 2007, the securities that were in the banks which they claimed were AAA rated ended up being worth around $0.15 on the dollar. In the year 2008, there was the collapse of the credit default swap market which also meant that most investment

Community teaching work plan proposal Assignment

Community teaching work plan proposal - Assignment Example The theory is very significant because it incorporates both cognitive and behavior learning theories. The theory shall be utilized during teaching to change the behavior and attitude of the audience through giving them real examples on the advantages of healthy eating habits. Video shall be shown to the audience on how to plan their daily diet, and the audience shall be expected to practice that daily. NWS-10 Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are considered obese. There is increased number of children and adolescents who are obese in the countr, and the number is escalating at alarming rate. Poor eating habits have been associated as the major cause of this escalation. Obesity is one of the leading lifestyle diseases that cause morbidity and mortality in US. According to Alma ata health for all global initiative, one of the pillars is to increase healthy life expectancy to all. Therefore, this objective is anchored on this pillar since it aims at enhancing health. I shall evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching plan after teaching the audience; this shall be done immediately after the lesson. I shall achieve this through self-videotape during my teaching as well asking a colleague to observe me while I am teaching and offer me a genuine feedback on the overall teaching. The process of evaluation shall encompass: I identifying the program and setting objective, designing lesson to meet the objectives, carry out the learning activities, assess the audience learning, and finally use the assessment results to improve the program and objectives Some of the potential barriers shall be like: coping with grammar and jargons by the audience. I shall overcome this by the use of simple terms and avoid medical jargons. Another barrier can be of technological breakdown for example computer crash or problem with the overhead projector. This shall be overcome through the use of other backup system like having the teaching information printed on

Time Travel Essay Example for Free

Time Travel Essay People often wish that they could go back to the past and correct their wrong behaviors or go to the future and see what it turns out to be like. The idea of time travel has been the topic of science fiction movies and novels, and has been studied by great scientists throughout history. â€Å"Ideas of time travel have existed for centuries, but when Albert Einstein released his theory of special relativity, he laid the foundation for the theoretical possibility of time travel. As we all know, no one has successfully demonstrated time travel, but no one has been able to rule it out either. Time has fascinated people throughout the dawn of civilization. People have spent their life thinking about these concepts and the ideas behind them† (Kulkarni,2011). Although the possibility of time travel has been criticized, a lot of modern scientists still argue that time travel is possible. This paper attempts to prove that time travel is possible. To better understand this assertion, we first need to study where this concept started and primarily the theories supporting this claim. Then, how it would be possible to travel to the future and to the past. Also, the philosophical understandings which include paradoxes and other arguments that tend to disprove the possibility of time travel. Ideas about time travel has been passed from generations to generations and it could be traced back to the years before the birth of Jesus Christ. â€Å" Time travel is the concept of traveling forward and backward to different points in time, much as we do 4 through space† ( Crystalinks, 2010). Many of the early works featuring elements of time travel have been claimed to be the earliest so there is no widespread agreement as to which written work should be recognized as the earliest example of a time travel story. Ancient folk tales and myths sometimes involved something the same to traveling to the future in time for example, in Hindu mythology, Mahabharata and Urashima Taro which is a Japanese tale. â€Å"Memoirs of the Twentieth Century† by Samuel Madden was an early story with ideas of time travel backwards. The first time travel was described through the book of Charles Dicken entitled â€Å" A Christmas Carol† , Ebenezer Scrooge, as the main character, is transported to Christmas past, present and yet to come. Two stories entitled â€Å"El Acronopete† and â€Å"The Time Machine† written by Gaspar y Rimbau and H. G. Wells respectively are the first stories to feature time travel with the aid of time machines. Again, a lot of people have been talking about the concept of time travel since years before the birth of our Lord and until now. What are the theories about time travel and what are Einsteins theories supporting it ? The answers are the most notably theories of time travel: forwards and backwards and supported by the theories of relativity: the special and general relativity. According to Brian (2001) â€Å"Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity can be used to actually prove that time travel is possible†. In 2011 Kulkarni claimed that â€Å"the special theory gives a unified account of the laws of mechanics and of electromagnetism. Einstein rejected the concepts of absolute space and time and made two postulates (a) the laws of nature are the same for all observers in uniform relative motion and (b) the speed of light is the same for all such observers†. Therefore, with the knowledge and understanding of the ideas of physics particularly on the theory of special relativity of 5 Einstein, one will be able to believe that time travel is possible. â€Å"In 1915, Einstein developed his ideas to form the General Theory of Relativity, in which he considered objects that were being accelerated with respect to one another. He compared the forces of acceleration and gravity and found them to be indistinguishable. For example, an astronaut standing in a rocket on a launch pad would feel himself pressed against the floor because of gravity. If the same rocket was in outer space and not affected by gravity, but with its engines turned on so that it was accelerating, the astronaut would again be pressed against the floor. If the acceleration due to the engines were the same as the acceleration due to gravity, the astronaut would have no way of telling whether the rocket was at rest on the earth or accelerating in outer space unless the looked out of the window. Einstein stated that the attraction to the Earth of a rocket that is resting on a launch pad is equivalent to the acceleration of the rocket. So although in three-dimensional space, the rocket remains stationary, in four-dimensional space-time the rocket is in motion along its world line. The upshot of this motion in space-time is that gravity also makes time run slower†( Kulkarni, 2011). What are the kinds of time travel and what are the ways that will help scientists prove that time travel is possible? The two kinds of time travel are time travel forwards and time travel backwards, which will be made through time dilation, time perception, the use of wormholes, and special-spacetime geometries. Studies conducted by scientists reveal that there is a possibility to time travel to the future. There are two ways presented by them in which a person can time travel forwards: time dilation and time perception. Hawking (2010) states â€Å"I do believe in time travel. Time travel to the future. Time flows like a river and it seems as if each of us is carried 6 relentlessly along by times current. But time is like a river in another way. It flows at different speeds in different places and that is the key to traveling into the future. This idea was first proposed by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago. The first course is to use the idea of time dilation. It has recently been claimed ( Cutnell and Johnson, 2006, p. 610) that â€Å"An observer who is in motion with respect to the events and who views them as occurring at different places measures a dilated time interval. The dilated time interval is greater than the proper time interval, according to the time dilation equation†. For example, an observer might take a trip away from the Earth and back at relativistic velocities, with the trip only lasting a few years according to the observers own clocks, and return to find that thousands of years had passed on Earth†. Indeed, â€Å" once spaceships are built that could fly faster than the speed of light a day on board would be equivalent to a year on Earth. Thats because -according to Einstein- as objects accelerate through space, time slows down around them† (Hawking,2010). Cutnell and Johnson (2006, p. 60) noted, â€Å"A striking confirmation was achieved in 1971 by an experiment carried out by J. C. Hafele and R. E. Keating†. Consequently, time dilation will genuinely help time travelers to time travel to the future if they are able to travel in space. In addition, time travel to the future would be possible through time perception, where the body temperature and metabolic rate of the creature is decreased. Some scientists research on the possibility of time travel to the past and the results demonstrate that it will become true. Certainly, they displayed two possible methods which will help an individual to be able to travel backwards, these are by using wormholes and through the idea of special space time geometries. One view (Brian, 2001) is that, â€Å"Wormholes appear to be the main way that time travel into the past would be 7 possible. Wormholes are holes in the fabric of four dimensional space-time, that are connected, but which originate at different points in space and at different times†. Crystalinks (2010) asserts that â€Å"A proposed time-travel machine using a wormhole would (hypothetically) work something like this: A wormhole is created somehow. One end of the wormhole is accelerated to nearly the speed of light, perhaps with an advanced spaceship, and then brought back to the point of origin. Due to time dilation, the accelerated end of the wormhole has now experienced less subjective passage of time than the stationary end. An object that goes into the stationary end would come out of the other end in the past relative to the time when it enters†. Although, it is hard to build a time machine like a huge spacecraft, still small time machines are possible to be made enabling human beings to travel backwards. Therefore, the use of wormholes is one of the best course to enable a man to time travel to the past. Likewise, time travel to the past will be possible through the idea of special space time geometries that describes the universe under a system of field equations, and there exists solutions to this equations. What is the paradox that hinder the possibility of time travel and what is its resolution? The answer is the grandfather paradox and the Novikov self-consistency principle. Grandfather paradox is a logical contradiction of time travel. Mendham (2005) states that â€Å"This is a very simple idea with serious repercussions for the concept of time travel. Lets say that I invent a time machine and travel into the past. I meet my own grandfather when he was a boy and kill him. The result? One of my parents is never born, therefore I can never be born† . But, a resolution of this paradox was discussed. Mendham (2005) further expained that â€Å"An interesting technical approach to resolving the paradox 8 is the Novikov self-consistency principle proposed by Dr. Igor Novikov. This essentially says that paradoxes wont happen its impossible to create a paradox however hard you try. In this view the universe is in some way self-righting. If you attempt to shoot your grandfather then something will go wrong youll miss, the gun will jam, etc. Or, if you succeed, youll later learn that your father was adopted; so he still gets born and still marries your mother. This reminds me of the anthropic principle: the universe is this way because if it wasnt we wouldnt be here†. Therefore, there is always a possibility traveling forwards and backwards . In conclusion, time travel is possible even though some say it is not. Studies confirmed that time travel is possible. Although others have presented a paradox, the resolutions have also been made. The methods of traveling forwards and backwards are elaborated and they really help in a way to make time travel possible. In addition, critics didnt clearly prove that time travel will be impossible. Therefore, the issue on time travel has been solved even though no one has actually experienced time travel much as we see in movies. In the end, the future development of our technology is in the hands of our scientists and the possibility of time travel is also at them. 9 Bibliography Brian. (2001). Brians View on Time Travel and Interdimensional Voyages. Available: http://www. brianbosak. com/ Crystalinks. (2010). Time Travel. Available: http://www. crystalinks. com/timetravel. html Cutnell, J. D. Johnson, K. W. (2006 ) . Essentials of Physics (1st ed. ). USA: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Gott, J. R. (2002). Time Travel in Einsteins Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time. Boston: Mariner Books. Hawking, S. (2010). Stephen Hawking: â€Å" Time Travel To The Future Is Possible†. Available: http://www. dailygalaxy. com/my_weblog/2010/07/stephen-hawking-time-travel-to-the-future-is-possible. html Kulkarni, D. (2011). thus Time Travel is Possible. Available: http://www. buzzle. com/editorials/6-20-2004-55679. asp Mendham, T. (2005). Time Travel Paradoxes. Available: http://www. horology-stuff. com/time/travel/paradox. html Miller, Kristie (2005). Time travel and the open future. Disputatio Nahin, Paul J. (2001). Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction. Springer-Verlag New York Inc.. Toomey, David (2007). The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics. W. W. Norton Company.

Essay on The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead :: My Brother Sam Is Dead Essays

The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead During childhood and adolescence, we are all faced with decisions that will affect our futures. Even a simple choice such as choosing books to read or clothes to wear can make an impact on our lives. The decisions made by Will Parker in The White Mountains and Sam Meeker in My Brother Sam Is Dead, however, are of a much greater magnitude. Their difficult decisions change the lives of many other characters. By choosing to go against their families' beliefs, Will and Sam both become orphans. The two young men are cast out into a dangerous world and have to learn about independence and its hardships. From the very beginning of The White Mountains, Will Parker clearly observes that Capping is a questionable and unethical process: "Why should the Tripods take people away and Cap them? What right have they?" (19) He believes that each person should be allowed to control him or herself and that no machine should be in supreme command. Will's decision to leave home shows this, and his escape to the mountains proves that the Tripods can't make everyone a follower. Will and his friends experience many close calls but are never captured. Will also is tempted to become Capped by the lure of a pretty girl's face (Eloise). He learns that "Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion. . . . When the Cap was put on the doubts vanished" (133). After hearing this, Will almost gives in to Capping, but then he realizes that in doing so, he would be going against all of his beliefs. In My Brother Sam Is Dead, Sam Meeker clearly shows what he believes by enlisting in the American Revolutionary Army. Even if it means losing his father's love and trust forever, Sam feels that what England is doing to the colonies is wrong. He also knows that if he doesn't fight on the American side, his soul would never rest. Sam Meeker risks everything, including his life, to support and defend the new United States and all of his beliefs. He and the other soldiers could have easily given up and gone home, but they know that by letting the British win, they would show everyone how weak the American army, as a whole, really is. His brave decision to stay does cost him his life, but it also helps to ensure that the Unites States would be free of England.

Tax Havens

TAX HAVENS DEFINING Tax Havens †¢ Def 1:A tax haven is a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all. †¢ Def 2: Tax haven or fiscal paradise are terms used to refer to a jurisdiction which enables its foreign residents or companies to reduce their tax liabilities from their homelands. †¢ Def 3: â€Å"What †¦ identifies an area as a tax haven is the existence of a composite tax structure established deliberately to take advantage of, and exploit, a worldwide demand for opportunities to engage in tax avoidance. (The Economist – description by Geoffrey Colin Powell ) †¢ Def 4: US Government Accountability Office was unable to find a satisfactory definition of a tax haven but regarded the following characteristics as indicative of a tax haven: 1) nil or nominal taxes; 2) lack of effective exchange of tax information with foreign tax authorities; 3) lack of transparency in the operation of legislative, legal or administr ative provisions; 4) no requirement for a substantive local presence; 5) self-promotion as an offshore financial center. TYPES of Tax Havens ) Universal Tax Haven is a country's offer to entrepreneurs and investors with a wide range of financial and tax benefits. Such havens include colonial territories and also mini countries. In order to attract both entrepreneurs and investors they offer attractive political, economic, fiscal and judicial arrangements. 2) Special Tax Haven allows for special types of activities. A result of such an orientation a situation may be created in which high taxes exist concurrently with the low fiscal rate for particular economic branches or tax payers. BENEFITS and ADVANTAGES of tax havens †¢ profit transfer is a term used to describe profits achieved from selling goods and services at cost. As a result profits are higher in the country where corporation tax is lower. †¢ rotary company is a company which can be bought or set up in one of the tax havens. Registration procedure is simple: the company's owner does not have to reveal his personal data and therefore can use fictional names. Such companies, often called rotary, are used for providing services, purchase transactions or particular joint stock companies sales. offshore company allows for income to accumulate in a low tax jurisdiction. and is used mainly by corporations and rich people from the world of art. †¢ treaty shopping helps tax payers avoid barriers imposed on them by a double tax agreement, which aim is to prevent people from seeking tax benefits in third countries. †¢ Personal residency †¢ Asset holding †¢ Trading and other business a ctivity †¢ Financial intermediaries DISADVANTAGES of Tax Havens †¢ Some people worry about the inaccessibility of their money as it is located in a far away offshore tax haven. However, in this day and technological age this is not an issue. With the advent of online banking, it is now possible and, indeed, expected in many offshore financial centres that their clients will conduct their transactions online. †¢ The main disadvantage for offshore companies located in tax havens is that many government and governmental agencies will not accept tenders from these types of offshore entities. These contracts would include defence, civil engineering, education, health authority and other such civil contracts. EXAMPLES of tax havens †¢ The U. S. National Bureau of Economic Research has suggested that roughly 15% of countries in the world are tax havens, that these countries tend to be small and affluent, and that better governed and regulated countries are more likely to become tax havens, and are more likely to be successful if they become tax havens. The following are designated as offshore financial centres by the IMF(International Monetary Fund ) or the FSF (Financial Stability Forum): Andorra ; Anguilla ; Antigua ; Aruba ; Bahamas ; Bahrain ; Barbados ; Belize ; Bermuda ; British Virgin Islands ; Cayman Islands ; Cook Islands ; Costa Rica ; Cyprus ; Djibouti ; Dominica ; Ghana ; Grenada ; Guernsey ; Hong Kong ; Isle of Man ; Israel ; Japan ; Jersey ; Labuan, Malaysia ; Lebanon ; Liechtenstein ; London ; Luxembourg ; Macau ; Malta ; Marianas ; Marshall Islands ; Mauritius ; Micronesia ; Montserrat ; Nauru ; Netherlands Antilles ; New Zealand ; Niue ; Palau ; Panama ; Philippines ; Puerto Rico ; Samoa ; Seychelles ; Singapore ; St Kitts and Nevis ; St Lucia ; St Vincent and the Grenadines ; Switzerland ; Tahiti ; Tangier ; Thailand ; Turks and Caicos ; United States (particularly, Delaware, but some other states have offshore characteristics) ; Uruguay ; Vanuatu OECD and Tax Havens: List of Uncooperative Tax Havens In a report issued in 2000, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ) identified a number of jurisdictions as tax havens accordi ng to criteria it had established. †¢ Between 2000 and April 2002, 31 jurisdictions made formal commitments to implement the OECD’s standards of transparency and exchange of information. †¢ Seven jurisdictions (Andorra, The Principality of Liechtenstein, Liberia, The Principality of Monaco, The Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Republic of Nauru and The Republic of Vanuatu) did not make commitments to transparency and exchange of information at that time and were identified in April 2002 by the OECD’s Committee on Fiscal Affairs as uncooperative tax havens. All of these jurisdictions subsequently made commitments and were removed from the list of uncooperative tax havens. †¢ Nauru and Vanuatu made their commitments in 2003 and Liberia and the Marshall Islands in 2007. †¢ In May 2009, the Committee on Fiscal Affairs decided to remove all three remaining jurisdictions (Andorra, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Principality of Monaco) from the list of uncooperative tax havens in the light of their commitments to implement the OECD standards of transparency and effective exchange of information and the timetable they set for the implementation. †¢ As a result, no jurisdiction is currently listed as an uncooperative tax haven by the Committee on Fiscal Affairs. THE END THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Visual Basic

Biography of Charles Dickens, English Novelist

Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812–June 9, 1870) was a popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and to this day he remains a giant in British literature. Dickens wrote numerous books that are now considered classics, including David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. Much of his work was inspired by the difficulties he faced in childhood as well as social and economic problems in Victorian Britain. Fast Facts: Charles Dickens Known For: Dickens was the popular author of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and other classics.Born: February 7, 1812 in Portsea, EnglandParents: Elizabeth and John DickensDied: June 9, 1870 in Higham, EnglandPublished Works: Oliver Twist (1839), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1850), Hard Times (1854), Great Expectations (1861)Spouse: Catherine Hogarth (m. 1836–1870)Children: 10 Early Life Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsea, England. His father had a job working as a pay clerk for the British Navy, and the Dickens family, by the standards of the day, should have enjoyed a comfortable life. But his fathers spending habits got them into constant financial difficulties. When Charles was 12, his father was sent to debtors prison, and Charles was forced to take a job in a factory that made shoe polish known as blacking. Life in the blacking factory for the bright 12-year-old was an ordeal. He felt humiliated and ashamed, and the year or so he spent sticking labels on jars would be a profound influence on his life. When his father managed to get out of debtors prison, Charles was able to resume his sporadic schooling. However, he was forced to take a job as an office boy at the age of 15. By his late teens, he had learned stenography and landed a job as a reporter in the London courts. By the early 1830s, he was reporting for two London newspapers. Early Career Dickens aspired to break away from newspapers and become an independent writer, and he began writing sketches of life in London. In 1833 he began submitting them to a magazine, The Monthly. He would later recall how he submitted his first manuscript, which he said was dropped stealthily one evening at twilight, with fear and trembling, into a dark letter box, in a dark office, up a dark court in Fleet Street. When the sketch hed written, titled A Dinner at Poplar Walk, appeared in print, Dickens was overjoyed. The sketch appeared with no byline, but soon he began publishing items under the pen name Boz. The witty and insightful articles Dickens wrote became popular, and he was eventually given the chance to collect them in a book. Sketches by Boz first appeared in early 1836, when Dickens had just turned 24. Buoyed by the success of his first book, he married Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a newspaper editor. He settled into a new life as a family man and an author. Rise to Fame Sketches by Boz was so popular that the publisher commissioned a sequel, which appeared in 1837. Dickens was also approached to write the text to accompany a set of illustrations, and that project turned into his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, which was published in installments from 1836 to 1837. This book was followed by Oliver Twist, which appeared in 1839. Dickens became amazingly productive. Nicholas Nickleby was written in 1839, and The Old Curiosity Shop in 1841. In addition to these novels, Dickens was turning out a steady stream of articles for magazines. His work was incredibly popular. Dickens was able to create remarkable characters, and his writing often combined comic touches with tragic elements. His empathy for working people and for those caught in unfortunate circumstances made readers feel a bond with him. As his novels appeared in serial form, the reading public was often gripped with anticipation. The popularity of Dickens spread to America, and there were stories told about how Americans would greet British ships at the docks in New York to find out what had happened next in Dickens latest novel. Visit to America Capitalizing on his international fame, Dickens visited the United States in 1842 when he was 30 years old. The American public was eager to greet him, and he was treated to banquets and celebrations during his travels. In New England, Dickens visited the factories of Lowell, Massachusetts, and in New York City he was taken to the see the Five Points, the notorious and dangerous slum on the Lower East Side. There was talk of him visiting the South, but as he was horrified by the idea of slavery he never went south of Virginia. Upon returning to England, Dickens wrote an account of his American travels which offended many Americans. A Christmas Carol In 1842, Dickens wrote another novel, Barnaby Rudge. The following year, while writing the novel Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens visited the industrial city of Manchester, England. He addressed a gathering of workers, and later he took a long walk and began to think about writing a Christmas book that would be a protest against the profound economic inequality he saw in Victorian England. Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December 1843, and it became one of his most enduring works. Dickens traveled around Europe during the mid-1840s. After returning to England, he published five new novels: Dombey and Son, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Hard Times, and Little Dorrit. By the late 1850s, Dickens was spending more time giving public readings. His income was enormous, but so were his expenses, and he often feared he would be plunged back into the sort of poverty he had known as a child. Later Life Epics/Getty Images Charles Dickens, in middle age, appeared to be on top of the world. He was able to travel as he wished, and he spent summers in Italy. In the late 1850s, he purchased a mansion, Gads Hill, which he had first seen and admired as a child. Despite his worldly success, though, Dickens was beset by problems. He and his wife had a large family of 10 children, but the marriage was often troubled. In 1858, a personal crisis turned into a public scandal when Dickens left his wife and apparently began a secretive affair with actress Ellen Nelly Ternan, who was only 19 years old. Rumors about his private life spread. Against the advice of friends, Dickens wrote a letter defending himself, which was printed in newspapers in New York and London. For the last 10 years of his life, Dickens was often estranged from his children, and his relationships with old friends suffered. Though he hadnt enjoyed his tour of America in 1842, Dickens returned in late 1867. He was again welcomed warmly, and large crowds flocked to his public appearances. He toured the East Coast of the United States for five months. He returned to England exhausted, yet continued to embark on more reading tours. Though his health was failing, the tours were lucrative, and he pushed himself to keep appearing onstage. Death Dickens planned a new novel for publication in serial form. The Mystery of Edwin Drood began appearing in April 1870. On June 8, 1870, Dickens spent the afternoon working on the novel before suffering a stroke at dinner. He died the next day. The funeral for Dickens was modest, and praised, according to a New York Times article, as being in keeping with the democratic spirit of the age. Dickens was accorded a high honor, however, as he was buried in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey, near other literary figures such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, and Dr. Samuel Johnson. Legacy The importance of Charles Dickens in English literature remains enormous. His books have never gone out of print, and they are widely read to this day. As the works lend themselves to dramatic interpretation, numerous plays, television programs, and feature films based on them continue to appear. Sources Kaplan, Fred. Dickens: a Biography. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.Tomalin, Claire. Charles Dickens: a Life. Penguin Press, 2012.