My Diary Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Diary Napoleon - Essay Example The friendship had grown, without considering nationalities, language or even cultural milieu. The fact that I was a descendent of Napoleon Bonaparte did not accentuate or deter our friendship in any way. Today, I finally met Takimori and his sister, Tomoe. Takimori is a very obedient brother. His sister did not particularly favour my presence. and my friend obeyed. Nothing would stop me from appreciating his obedience and still considering him my close pal, in spite of distances. After all, circumstances twist our lives. I will have to look for shelter elsewhere in the Japanese land. Nonetheless, the world is my home! The first friend I made today in this beautiful city, is a creature that is going to accompany me through my journey. This four-legged loyal creature is my closest friend today, and will be one. The very fact that my friend is considered the most loyal creature, gives me a high. We intend to remain this way. I also met a beggar. The poor old chap was really lonely and looked down upon. He kept narrating interesting anecdotes and I felt humbled at the knowledge he possessed and his innate nature. Here's an end to my second day, the beautiful world of dreams beckons me! DAY 3 My third day in this beautiful country was quite an adventurous one. As I kept exploring and travelling with my companion, I checked in to a hotel called the Love hotel. I liked the name, it was so symbolic of the various forms of love we encounter in this world. This world is full of love and joy, trust and care. A mother's love, a sibling's love, a friend's love, a spouse's love.love comes in many forms. It simply embellishes this world and our lives, binding us together and helping build lifetime bonds. It was at this place, that I came across a lady in a disheveled state . She was intent at escaping and rushing out, but seemed to be scared. I helped her escape, since she was completely distressed. She tried running away and shying away, but I certainly tried my best to help her out. However, this angered the hotel management and they turned me out. Back to square one, my loyal companion and I have become the guests of nature this night! Day 4 The very lady whom I helped yesterday, bumped into me today. She was thankful for the help done, that she offered me food and also took me to an old fortune teller. This is the way the world functions. Goodness is spread everywhere and comes in some form, to one's rescue. Tired, as I am today, I shall continue the rest tomorrow! Statement The very purpose of initiating the journal of Gaston, from the day he arrived at Japan, is to highlight the chronology of events that take place. The biggest setback that one can receive when one trusts a friend and goes on to meet the person, is not being invited with open arms and to feel the bruise of being judged on the basis

The Story of the Star Spangler Banner By Ryan Jacobson Essay Example for Free

The Story of the Star Spangler Banner By Ryan Jacobson Essay This book is about the history of our National Anthem that was written amidst the war between the people of Maryland who were attacked by a British Fleet. This happened between 1812 and 1814 at the Fort Mc Henry where the faith of the country rested in the waiving of the flag. For 24 hours, the American flag stood still despite constant attacks by the enemies. Both parties decided that a flag truce will determine the winner of the war; in short, the last flag standing will be the victor. The climax of the story happened a little over midnight when the firing stopped and there was silence.   The soldier named Francis Scott Key which is also the main character of the story together with a friend soldier of his was held captive by the British Fleet. When dawn came they looked at Fort McHenry to see which flag is waving in the air and to be called the victor. Just as the first ray of light hit the flag they saw that it was still stars and stripes and not that of the British Fleet. In joy Mr. Key took from his pocket a pen and paper and there in the oddest place a soldier could be during a war, a boat beside the British Fleet, he wrote the poem â€Å"The Star-Spangled Banner† with all the pride and joy he have at that very moment.The British Fleet lost the battle and Mr. Key went back to the shore and gave the copy of the poem to his uncle who printed it. The soldiers sang the poem in the tune of â€Å"To Anacreon in Heaven† and since then many loved to sing the song.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book tells us a lot about the events that led to the making of our national anthem which is The Star Spangled Banner. This is good since most of the children’s books that are written about the song just tell us about the meaning of the lyrics of the song word for word. The book by  Ã‚   Ryan Jacobson says a lot about the detail and event that let Mr. Key into writing the song which years later, in 1938, was officially declared our national Anthem. I take pride and honor when hearing the song and watching our flag wave as a symbol of victory and freedom since it reminds me of how Mr. Key and the rest of our ancestors fought for our land. Source:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jacobson, R. 2006   The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner, USA

Gender Inequality In Family

Gender Inequality In Family In this essay I would like to demonstrate that achieving a greater equality in terms of reconciliation of professional and family life requires policies that not only introduce changes in labour market patterns, but also within the private sphere of family. This is to say, the reconceptualisation of womens and mens roles cannot be achieved without the political will descending from above and common social agreement emanating from below. Further along the essay, I am going to complement the theoretical arguments with some practical examples from the European context in order to discuss to what extent family policies enhance or diminish equality between men and women. Demographic changes towards new family patterns One of numerous attributes of the post-industrial era could be defined in terms of feminist claims for gender equality. Indeed, women demands have been part of policy arena in most post-industrial countries. As individuals, women firstly demanded the detachment from their traditional roles of housewives. Later on, due to demographic changes such as low fertility, womens issues became one of the top priorities on political agenda. This time, however, women reclaimed their rights not only as workers, but also as mothers. This political turn shouldnt be regarded as nostalgia for the male bread-winner model. In effect, tough conditions of labour market and economic hardship put women under pressure in terms of making a trade-off between having a family and pursuing a professional career. Subsequently, since a large proportion of women opted for stability employment rather than precariousness providing free care, the fertility rate has started dropping rapidly. Since the societys reprod uction buttresses future states economy, it remains highly questionable if national policies, originally purported to tackle gender inequality, are not more likely to be driven by political preoccupation of deleterious consequences of low fertility on productivity, profitability and competitivity of a country. The fact that until today most of the political effort to eradicate gender equality concentrated on labour market adjustments rather than finding real answers in the core of the problem in family patterns confirms the hypothesis of governments hypocrisy. From the theoretical perspective Although welfare regimes have been more or less successful in equalizing men and women in the labour market, the fact that women still perform the bulk of domestic work gives evidence about the ineffectiveness of these policies in terms of gender equity. In the theoretical field, scholars positions towards the relationship between family and gender have been rather convergent. According to Daly and Lewis (2000) the relationship between family and state has used to be defined in terms of level of contribution of individual to the labour market. Taking this criterion as a universal measure of human ´s contribution, the non-remunerated care giving activities would be therefore omitted since their social value would be considered as negligible. Although this definition would probably more likely correspond to the definition traditional society of industrial era, residues do persist in Western countries persist in form of assigning women to the private sphere of family, while stressing the duties of men as the bread-winners and therefore, the only actors in the public sphere. In tandem with the disproportional relationship between men and women, Lewis (2002:332), for instance, highlights the unequal relationship between women and labour market. She contends that women are only taken into account when working, whereas women that stay at home and care for child ren have not being recognized as legitimate enough to the contribution to the society. This is to say that despite the fact that female participation on the labour market increased steadily during the last twenty years, no considerable change has been achieved at the household level, where the majority of domestic tasks, including cleaning and child rearing activities, continues to be performed by women (Lewis, 2002). On a similar note, Fraser(1994) tries to define the post-industrial welfare regimes through two models. The universal caregiver model (1994:593) assumes men and women as autonomous individuals and aims to attain the gender equity through the guarantee of equal opportunities and equal treatment in the labour market. The other one Caregiver parity model (1994:593) aims to reach gender equity through the support of informal care and generous caregiver allowances. However, because both models are in some aspect discriminating, they fail to alter the gendered conditions of employment and reproduction and therefore, to respond to womens demands. Fraser thus deems that gender equity can only be achieved through the dismantlement of gender opposition between breadwinning and caregiving (Fraser, 1994:611). In other words, the key to achieving gender equity in a postindustrial welfare state is to make womens current patterns the norm (Ibid.). Frasers universal caregiver approach considers ch ildcare responsibilities as the alpha omega of persistent gender inequalities of current welfare systems. Peter McDonald (2002) suggests that in societies where women are treated as autonomous individuals in education and labour market, but as inferior beings in other social male dominated institutions, they are more likely to opt to not to have children. This argument would reinforce his hypothesis that low fertility rate in industrialized countries is most probably due to a persistent gender inequalities since the women willingness to have children didnt change. Surveys such as those conducted my McDonald and Fraser place the issues of childcare at the centre of recent policy making interest. For the reasons discussed above, challenges Western societies are facing since the last two decades specifically the low birth rate, longevity risk and ageing population problem have become more pronounced and have force the policy- making authorities to introduce changes not only in the public sphere, but also in the private sphere. In the second part of my essay, I am going to provide some empirical support from Netherlands and Sweden which tried to tackle the low fertility with gender neutral policies premised on reconciliation of family and work lives. Reconciliation policies in EU In 1997, the Dutch government launched the Combination Scenario programme aimed to promote equal sharing of time between paid and unpaid work among men and women. Since the Dutch culture is based on strong attachment to private and informal care (Platenga et al., 1999), the policy goal was to be achieved through widening employment patterns rather than providing extensive childcare services. Long male and short female working hours were supposed to be equalized through policies such as shorter working week. Nonetheless, whereas public opinion hailed new measures, outcomes of the latter remained far from the initial goal. Part-time contract did not diminish mens working hours, but moreover, it even pronounced the inequality of labour market since women (and not men) continued to opt for part-time contracts in order to care for their children. Platenga et al. therefore conclude: an increase in the amount of time spent in the market without any corresponding change in the organization of unpaid work will not only slow down any progress made towards gender equality, but will also have detrimental effects on the quality of our lives. (1999:109) Here again, the failure of Dutch initiative could be a consequence of putting too much emphasis into the promotion of changes in employment patterns rather than in equal distribution of care time. Some authors suggest that such working-time regimes can either promote or diminish gender equality (Rubery et al, 1998 in Platenga et al, 1999). This would depend on to what extent the institutions and political environment are favourable toward these changes. In the Dutch case, despite the public willingness of change, part-time work continued to be considered as a deviation from full-time norm as well as the care work persisted to be understood as womens responsibility and was therefore, undervalued (Platenga et al., 1999) Unlike other EU countries, Sweden, for instance, has a long history of active women participation in public sphere. Since 1970 women represented up to 50% of elected representatives at all levels of governance (Hantrais, 2000). The women -friendliness of Nordic welfare systems is supposed to be premised on this active female participation in politics. The Nordic model, also called the dual-breadwinner model is women-friendly in the sense of allowing women to participate in public life and on the same time, allowing the reconciliation of motherhood and paid work. Moreover, in 1974 the maternity leave had been replaced by gender neutral parental leave that hitherto enabled men to actively participate in child rearing (Ibid). Although the generosity of Nordic child subventions cant be disputed, Scandinavian welfare system can be also discriminating for some women. Shalev (2008) claims that mother friendly state interventions can have detrimental effects for the labour market attainments of high class women by relegating their type of employment to the public sector and subsequently, limiting their access to high managerial positions. Premised on the idea that childhood determines peoples lifecourse, the post-industrial societies should consider the investment in children as a sine qua non for sustainable development of knowledge economy (Esping-Andersen, 2002). However, due to the cultural differences, the debate about whether support for childcare should be provided through childcare allowances (Netherlands) or whether families should rather benefit from childcare facilities (Sweden) dominates the European agenda. Lewis (2006) contends that increasing attention to children in the political agenda is a result of their future role as adult citizens rather than their role as child qua child (Lewis, 2006:43). As a counter-argument , Esping-Andersen concludes that there is no empirical evidence that mothers work could have detrimental impact on childrens development (Esping-Andersen, 2002). Other authors, however, suggest that key success of equal gender treatment consists in concentrating in private sphere instead o f putting too much effort into the public sphere (Lewis 2006, McDonald 2002). In opposition to the Nordic model, where parents benefit from extensive childcare facilities, some authors deem that care provided by parents themselves cannot be substituted by any public service no matter how good it is (Folbre and Nelson, 2000). In addition to this, Etzioni (1993) deems that the transmission of informal values and norms is more likely to happen in private sphere of family. Subsequently, children socialized in childcare facilities would suffer from lack of so-called parental deficit (Ibid). From the theoretical debate it is difficult and inappropriate to make generalizations about what kind of care is more suitable for children. On the other hand, Lewis argues convincingly that evidence shows a shift in parents opinion about time spent with children from being assumed as a duty to as an important part of self-fulfilment (Lewis, 2006). This is also to say that more fathers have begun to consider their involvement in rearing activities. In Sweden, the fathers month, designed to convince more fathers to take up the parental insurance benefit, was backed up by important political support of so-called fathers group that campaigned for men to perform their role as fathers in taking the parental leave (Hantrais, 2000: 170-1). Successful strategies to tackle gender equality and reconcile work and family life, need to include combined strategies (Esping-Andersen, 2002:66) that would guarantee security through income assurance for those who want to take parental leave and also, measures to provide a stable support for mothers employment, since unemployed and single mothers face the highest poverty risk (European Commission, 2007). Monoparental families at the edge of poverty Despite measures intended to secure access to women into the labour market, solo mothers and lone-parent households continue to be the most vulnerable cohort in term of facing the risk of poverty and unemployment. By the same means, exclusion and poverty in lone-parents household is more likely to become a long-term phenomenon, since childrens development depends on parental and social investment and is very likely to be reproduced (Esping-Andersen, 2002). Following the Report enacted by European Commission, women constitute almost totality of lone parents with an exception of United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland and Germany, where the percentage of young fathers under age 35 varies from 17% (United Kingdom ) up to 25% (in Denmark) (EC, 2007:3). The singleness of lone mothers makes their position in society extremely vulnerable: unlike other forms of family, solo mothers face the double pressure to combine child care and breadwinner responsibilities on the same time. Although some critique could be raised towards Scandinavian welfare systems, Nordic countries occupy the top positions of international rankings and this is unconditionally of the type of conducted survey. However, the application of this model to the rest of European countries would require deep structural changes, especially in terms of more generous budget. Ergo, in the European continental context of scarce budget resources, lone mothers that opt for childcare benefits instead of paid employment, condemn themselves to be more vulnerable to poverty. The key issue to avoid this scenario stems from securing enough flexibility of labour market, so that lone mothers can combine the pleasure of motherhood with a decent employment. Conclusion In this essay I tried to demonstrate that increased individualization which considers men and women as autonomous individuals freed from their family and gender responsibilities does not suffice to guarantee equal conditions for every individual. Subsequently, women become more vulnerable and risk either exclusion from welfare either pressure from labour market. From the theoretical perspective, most of the authors agree that assuring reliable security net requires adjustments of social and working structures to the family, and not to the market. For example, one of the positive outcomes of the Netherlands Combination Scenario had been the application of legal minimum wage to all employees regardless of the amount of working hours (Platenga et al., 1999). This is to say that in order to avoid mens and womens occupational segregation, policy-making authorities should guarantee sufficient adjustment of child care allowances and employment policies so both, men and women can equally con tribute to paid and unpaid work.

Robert Crandall :: essays research papers fc

Leadership in Aviation American Airlines was under Robert Crandall's leadership from 1980, when he was named president and later chairman, until he retired in 1998. He possesses characteristics like intelligence, character, ability, and desire, all of which is needed to get things accomplished through people. American Airlines was transformed from a small, domestic carrier to one of the world's leading airlines with the largest jet fleet worldwide. American led the airline industry in the 1990's in revenues and operating income, and its parent company, AMR Corporation, was one of the top Fortune 500 companies under Crandall’s reign. Raised in Rhode Island, Robert Lloyd Crandall graduated from his state’s university and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School. He worked as a regional credit supervisor for Eastman Kodak and later, headed the computer programming division at Hallmark Cards. In 1966, he joined TWA (TransWorld Airlines) as assistant treasurer. He briefly left the airline industry in 1972 to become senior financial officer at Bloomingdale's Department Stores, but returned the next year when American made him its senior Vice President of Finance (Robert L. Crandall: Official Biography). From there, Mr. Crandall advanced to president. During his 18-year tenure as head of American Airlines, Robert Crandall and his self-empowered team formulated many of the innovations that helped to revolutionize the airline industry after deregulation, when many competitors went bankrupt. American was the first to recognize the value of filling empty seats with discounted tickets now known as "Super Saver Fares." These tickets offered deep discounts for advance-purchase tickets and outsold cheap charter competition. He was also quick to see the importance of restructuring and building a route system around central hub airports to which many airlines still use today. To keep American Airlines on top of the industry, one of Crandall's visions was to accelerate the company's efforts into the rich overseas markets. By tapping into voids created by Pan Am, Eastern Air, Braniff Int’l and TWA, Mr. Crandall’s ambition acquired promising overseas routes to Asia and Europe, and Latin America. Perhaps Robert Crandall's greatest contribution to the success of American Airlines was his vision in propelling the SABRE Group from an internal division of the company to one of the world's largest, privately owned computer networks. Conceived in 1959, the Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment served as an internal link between American's offices and ticket counters to help track reservations. When talks aimed at developing an industry-wide reservation system, broken down between travel agents and major carriers in the mid-1970’s, Crandall successfully marketed his airline's computer system throughout the world.

Writing and Descriptive Essay

†¢ Write down in any order about things that strike you. †¢ Put it down in black and white. †¢ Depending on the train of thought and association which the essay forms itself. †¢ Use vivid language that brings out the principle features. †¢ Comparing with some other thing will allow the senses of reader act. †¢ Effective time should be used to show change or evolution.†¢ Free play of emotions and feelings adds essence to the essay. †¢ Use adverbs and verbs to show the writer’s state of mind on the topic. †¢ Evoke images and allow the readers feel intensity. †¢ Understand the purpose of the essay and the readers who are being targeted. †¢ Outline is must. †¢ Rewrite as many times you can. †¢ Use concrete ideas and mix with abstract to make the essay alive and vital. †¢ Be natural and refreshing.Descriptive essay about a personWell, common this is, perhaps, the most popular type of descriptive essay. Students a re asked to write about their parents, friends, teachers and professors, as well as prominent people who are living now or lived in past. A descriptive essay about a person should tell as much as possible about features of character, virtues and drawback etc. You can also tell readers how this person influences your life or why you think this person is better than the others. Usually, students are given freedom in choice of a topic, so they are asked to write about the most prominent figure in the US history or the person they respect most. This is a very creative and interesting task.Descriptive essay about event celebrationIf you are a college or high school student you might be asked to write a descriptive essay about event celebration. This may be your graduation party, meeting with classmates, your sister’s wedding or your best friend’s  fancy B-day party. As a rule you are free to choose any topic you like. The key task here is to share the atmosphere of the ev ent and find the right words to describe it. Readers should feel as if they have been to this part as well.Descriptive wordsDescription essay and other write-ups of this nature must be revised and edited. These activities will sometimes be difficult if you had failed to make precise descriptions and use the right descriptive words as you began writing. You may get out that there are places that you withheld describing enough and important details. You will need to go back and make appropriate corrections. This is the more reason why it is always advised that you write using an outline. Including fresh materials or excluding irrelevant materials will be easy.Edit to make sure that you have used simple but still strong descriptive words. You have a duty to make your readers understand your descriptions clearly. Make sure that you have used enough verifications to make your description convincing and make sure that these verifications are precise and can be verified through objective m eans.Looking for an exceptional company to do some custom writing for you? Look no further than ProfEssays.com! You simply place an order with the writing instructions you have been given, and before you know it, your essay or term paper, completely finished and unique, will be completed and sent back to you. At ProfEssays.com, we have over 500 highly educated, professional writers standing by waiting to help you with any writing needs you may have! We understand students have plenty on their plates, which is why we love to help them out. Let us do the work for you, so you have time to do what you want to do!

John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Example

John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Example John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Average Americans Since 1935 middle class Americans have been able to sit in their suburban home or their urban apartment, open up a copy of the New Yorker, and read about themselves. Not literally, but rather a perfect reflection of themselves, or their next door neighbor, or their friend down the street. Of John Achievers nearly two hundred short stories, one hundred and twenty one were published in the New Yorker. He wrote primarily about the seemingly average American He takes that stereotype and creates narratives that delve so deeply into he psyches of each of his characters that their ordinary lives become immediately enthralling. He draws universal connections that make his stories instantly relate- able no matter the setting. Achievers work is generally sorted into four categories based on their location and while he manages to paint distinct pictures of the types of people in each environment we see an overarching theme throughout his writing the theme of the duality of man. Each story presents us with a main character, usually an upper-middle class American, battling between the facade they have rated for the outside world and their innermost thoughts and desires a feeling we have all dealt with at one time or another. These characters typically live tranquil lives that become momentarily uprooted which sends each into a state of turmoil, and though we can usually rely on Achiever to return them to normalcy, there is the occasional exception. Each character is treated with such care that even at their times of normalcy we find each one somehow captivating. Achiever creates a dialogue among his vast audience and bridges the gap of social differences by offering moon human conditions manifested within his characters. At the time of Achievers greatest success as a writer suburbia was still a fairly new addition to the American scenery, albeit a significant one, with the majority of Americans leaving the cities for the picturesque notion of quiet suburban living. This is the setting for some of Achievers most successful stories most notably The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and The Country Husband. Achiever has been widely referred to as the chronicler of suburban life, and though his entire body of work does not focus on suburbia, a large oration, and most certainly some of his best does. On this Achiever has said Theres been too much criticism of the middle-class way of life. Life can be as good and rich there as anyplace else. I am not out to be a social critic, however, nor a defender of suburbia. It goes without saying that the people in my stories and the things that happen to them could take place anywhere.. Many of Achievers stories are set in suburbia because it is a setting that lends itself perfectly to the concept of a characters internal struggle vs.. Their external appearance, but we also see this theme manifested elsewhere in other stories such as The Enormous Radio which takes place in a New York apartment building. In The Housebreaker of Shady Hill we meet Johnny Hake. Right away we are given every detail of his life age, height, weight, where he was born, where he grew up, where he was confirmed, etc. Simply put Johnny Hake is your average middle-aged suburban American male, that is until he becomes tired of his work environment and leaves his Job. Johnny rents a cubicle and tries to make a living for himself, but he soon finds that he can not support his family on the amount of money he is able to make. He finds himself desperate when it came time to borrow money he had nowhere to turn.. Having been taught by his mother never to speak about money, he could not bring himself to burden his wife with their financial difficulties. One night Johnny and his wife attend a dinner party at their friends, the Warburton, house. It is there that he learns about the large amount of cash the Carl Warburton tends to carry. That night he feels the desire for money as a premonition of death and explains he had never longed for anyone the way he yearned that night for money. He sneaks away in the middle of the night and enters he Warburton house stealing Carla wallet and returning home. As soon as he is safe in his own house, the weight of what he has Just done bares down on him. Oh, I never knew that a man could be so miserable and that the mind could open up so many chambers and fill them with self-reproach. His misery is unrelenting he makes note of every tiny theft he witnesses or reads about and his eyes twitch when he hears the word steal. He begins to see everyone around him as a thief and searches for someone he can blame. He begins acting unlike himself he is distracted in church and yells at his wife and children. At one point he even describes the types of people he hates and is pained to realize that he is one of them. Despite all of this, it does not stop him from choosing his next victims. However, on his way to steal from the Pewters it begins to rain, and it is this, of all things, that finally sobers him. It is as if is mind had been washed clear. There were ways out of my trouble if I cared to make use of them. I was not trapped. I was here on earth because I chose to be. And it was no skin off my elbow how I had been given the gifts of life so long as I possessed them, and I possessed them then. He the goes home and goes back to sleep. The next day he gets a call asking him to come back to work and that night he goes back to the Warburton and leaves the 900 he had taken. Johnny Hake returns to his normal life, his brief brush with his malevolent destiny soon to be no more than a nightmare. The Country Husband offers us a look inside the life of Francis Weed. At the beginning of the story Francis is on a plane traveling home. Soon there are technical difficulties and after a moment of terror and the mental image of the spreading wings of the Angel of Death the plane needs to make an emergency landing. All Francis wants is to share his experience with his family, but the house is in a state of chaos, and though he tries to tell his tale the children are fighting and his wife is too preoccupied to listen. At this point in the story we can understand Francis strife through the observations he makes of his life around him. Such as the outpouring of tearful petulance, lonesomeness, and self-pity he hears when listening to the neighbors piano playing or how the energetic golden retriever Jupiter is an anomaly and how his high spirits were out of place in Shady Hill.. Soon we see Francis spirits aka a turn for the better when he becomes suddenly infatuated with the beautiful, young, babysitter, Anne Morison. When these new passionate feelings take a hold of him he begins to see life in a new way, observing the beauty around him instead of the drabness. Birds were congressionally and the last of the robins. The sky shone like enamel. Even the smell of ink from his morning paper honed his appetite for life, and the world that was spread out around him was plainly a paradise. Francis, elated, buys his new love a bracelet and he even ends up kissing her, but problems arise when he meets the man that she is engaged to. After a heated argument with his wife, Francis finds himself in a hopeless state. He resolves himself to go see a psychiatrist and his life is returned to normalcy. The story ends on an anticlimactic note with a scene of a typical night in Shady Hill, everything is exactly as it should be. In this way Francis weeds exemplifies the typical Achiever character He is an ordinary middle-class suburban husband and father who experiences a sudden and fierce turn in his emotional state. Instead of changing his life for good he is instead trampled by his social restraints and returns to his average life, his momentary suasion replaced by apathy. Though not set in Shady Hill as the other stories are, The Enormous Radio fits perfectly into the pattern that John Achievers suburban tales follow. This story is instead set in an apartment building and creates the image of dozens of nearly identical rooms and families within, lending a similar feel to the suburbia of the other narrations. Our main characters in this story are Jim and Irene Westport who differed from their friends, their classmates, and their neighbors only in an interest they shared in serious music. Unfortunately, their radio breaks and Jim f forced to buy a new one. However, this new radio is revealed to not play music, but instead the sounds and conversations from the other apartments in the building. Soon listening to the private lives of her neighbors becomes an obsession for Irene. She begins listening to the radio every opportunity she gets, she can not reign in her curiosity and she begins to see her neighbors differently, wondering every time she sees someone who it was who said what. This begins to take a toll on her, she becomes upset over the things she hears but she still can not stop listening, she soon tarts to question her own happiness which before she had taken as absolute truth. She turns to her husband for reassurance Life is too terrible, too sordid and awful. But weve never been like that, have we, darling Have we I mean, weve always been good and decent and loving to one another, havent we And we have two children, two beautiful children. Our lives arent sordid, are they, darling Are they She flung her arms around his neck and drew his face down to hers. Were happy, arent we, darling We are happy, arent we. As desperately as she tries to confirm their perfect allegations the illusion is shattered when, towards the end of the story, Jim begins yelling at her, laying out all of her past wrongdoings. The story ends with Irene listening to the radio and hearing only the days news. The radio caused the upheaval of the average life of the Westport and exposed them to the evil of the world around them, an evil that they were before ignorant of and now they realize resides within their own family. These stories perfectly reflect Achievers tendency to portray characters in conflict with their inner desires and the reality of their external world.

Why Marine Life Is So Diverse in the Gulf of Maine

Why Marine Life Is So Diverse in the Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is one of the most important marine habitats in the world and home to a wealth of marine life, from giant blue whales to microscopic plankton. Overview The Gulf of Maine is a semi-enclosed sea that covers 36,000 square miles of ocean and runs along 7,500 miles of coastline, from  Nova Scotia,  Canada,  to  Cape Cod,  Massachusetts. The Gulf is bordered by three New England states  (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine) and two Canadian provinces (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). Water depths in the Gulf of Maine range from zero feet to several hundred feet. The deepest spot is 1,200 feet and is found in Georges Basin. The Gulf of Maine has many dramatic underwater features, which were carved out by glaciers  10,000 to 20,000 years ago. History The Gulf of Maine was once dry land covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which advanced from Canada and covered much of New England and the Gulf of Maine about 20,000 years ago. At that time, the sea level was about 300 to 400 feet below its current level. The weight of the ice sheet depressed the Earths crust, and as the glacier retreated, the area that is now the Gulf of Maine filled in with seawater. Types of Habitat The Gulf of Maine is home to a variety of different habitats. They include: Sandy banks (such as Stellwagen Bank and Georges Bank)Rocky ledges (such as Jeffreys Ledge)Deep  channels (such as the Northeast Channel and Great South Channel)Deep basins with water depths over 600 feet (such as the Jordan, Wilkinson and Georges Basins)Coastal areas near the shore, whose bottoms are composed of rocks, boulders, gravel, and sand Tides The Gulf of Maine has some of the greatest tide ranges in the world. In the southern Gulf of Maine, including the area around Cape Cod, the range between high tide and low tide may be as low as four feet. But the Bay of Fundy, which borders the northern Gulf of Maine, has the highest tides in the world. Here, the range between low and high tide can be as great as 50 feet. Marine Life The Gulf of Maine supports over 3,000 species of marine life. They include: About 20 species of whales and dolphinsFish, including Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna, ocean sunfish, basking sharks, thresher sharks, mako sharks haddock, and flounderMarine invertebrates such as lobsters, crabs, sea stars, brittle stars, scallops, oysters, and musselsMarine algae, such as kelp, sea lettuce, wrack, and Irish mossPlankton, which provide food for many larger marine species that live in the Gulf of Maine Scientists believe the Gulf is probably home to many more unidentified species, including small worms and microscopic bacteria. Information about individual marine species is available from the states Department of Marine Resources. Human Activity The Gulf of Maine is an important area, both historically and today, for commercial and recreational fishing. It is also popular for recreational activities such as boating, wildlife watching (such as whale watching), and scuba diving (although the waters can be chilly). Threats to the Gulf of Maine include  overfishing, habitat loss, and coastal development.

Spanish Plan for Colonization essays

Spanish Plan for Colonization essays When the Spanish decided that they were going to colonize various parts of Texas they did not realize the task they had before them. The Spanishs main goal was to convert the Indians into Christians or Spaniards. They decided to build missions to teach the Indians their way of life and religious beliefs. Although their goal was estimated to take ten years for each colony, they were not prepared for the realities of this uneasy assignment. Some of the main problems with colonizing the northern frontier were the conflicts between the settlers and the missionaries, the aggressive Indians, and the distance between the missions. There were many conflicts between the settlers and the missionaries. The settlers from the Canary Islands had many complaints about their way of life. The settlers complained they didnt like the church they attended and wanted a new one built. They also believed there werent enough jobs for them to make a decent amount of money. They said that the only work for them was farming and the profits were to small to benefit from because the missionaries sold the corn for cheaper. Another major problem was that the settlers wanted the Indians to be able to work for them and this wasnt allowed. Father Benito, one of the missionaries, disputed all of these things saying that they were ordinary problems that everyone has. He believed that the settlers could work together to finish the church if they wanted to. He also said there were plenty of jobs besides farming. Many of the settlers were many other things such as bricklayers, merchants, carpenters, and soldiers. The reasons that the missionaries didnt want the Indians to be day laborers with the other settlers was because this would take the time away from teaching them to be Christians. One of the main problems that hurt many of the missions was some of the more aggressive Indian tribes att ...

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Essay

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company - Essay Example Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Because of various issues, these business entities do not accept the change of management, and involves themselves in different actions that are not in favor of the organization thus, resists change. The consequences of this resistance in change is poor performance of the firm in terms of manufacturing, production and distribution and this is the reason that change management has become very essential for the firms. The operations of organizations are effectively looked-after by change management including logistics, purchases, and controlling (Scheer, et al., 2003). The organization change is not only dependent on the resources and technology of the organization, but it depends on setting mindset of the employees positively towards the organization and creating an organization culture where flexible environment is made for all employees so that the maximum output can be extracted from them (Scheer, et al., 2003). Therefore, a responsible leadership should be able to implement change s in the organization and should motivate the employees for giving their maximum energy for their organization not only for increasing the revenue, but taking competitive edge over the rivals. Dell’s Change Management: Michael Dell founded Dell in 1984 on the basis that the company will sell their computers directly to the end user. The aim of the company was to understand the needs and requirements of users and providing operating systems that will meet the needs of those users. The company is the one of the largest and most well renowned companies around the world for selling reliable IT related product. The mission of Dell is to become the most successful computer firm of the world by providing the best customer services to clients. The company has more than 40000 employees and it maintains a large corporate culture as different team members belonging to different regions works together for Dell (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The company aims for change management because of maint aining consistent growth and become the market leader in mobile computing industry. Different brands of Dell plays an important role in making the company market leader because Dell acquires products of other strong brand and then making these products merge into a large company. After acquiring these brands, Dell improves overall operations of the brand, gives comprehensive training to its employees, and introduces new technology in their systems, which help the company to introduce these brands as reliable dell products. The acquisitions of these brands results in economies of scales, which makes the distribution network of Dell stronger, and the company is able to cater many regions with the help of these brands (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The vision of Dell for making change management is to increase its business growth consistently and increasing the revenue of the company at the same time. In order to achieve this change management successfully, the company focuses on the following four elements: (i) The company focuses on taking the market share of the mobile computing industry by making efforts to improve the production of their products. (ii) Change management helps the company to improve its overall efficiency and decrease the cost of production. (iii) Dells aim to enter in new market where there is a chance of expanding and company can become the market leader in these regions. (iv) The company creates the value of shareholder by

American and Chinese economies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American and Chinese economies - Research Paper Example China and the United States economies are both the strongest economies in the world and despite the major differences they have, the major economic challenges they face are actually similar. Both countries have bifurcated economies with challenges in providing middle-class employment with talent shortage at the top while middle-class workers do not have jobs. China has 40percent unemployment rate while graduates in America are facing tough job markets. Another similarity is in education reforms, in America education programs to meet the high employment rate are not well structured, and China, on the other hand, has many engineers but they lack creative thinkers. The tax reforms in both economies create an imbalance the economy. The United States economy is the best national economy in the world. The United States dollar is the most utilized cash especially for universal exchange. It has an economy that is blended and it has managed to keep the gross domestic product steady for decade s now  (Jorgenson & Wessner, 2014). China, on the other hand, has a socialist market economy and it embraces predominance of an open market economy and a state possessed area. In China, the government possesses all property while in America private individuals own property. China outpaces America in population, while America has a long way to go to the extent of the population. China has the high level of inequality but it is concerned with poverty reduction, while America has worst poverty levels.

Welcome to India 2012 - Documentary (Episode 1 of 3) Essay

Welcome to India 2012 - Documentary (Episode 1 of 3) - Essay Example They wake up at 3am to dust the street to get gold that, in turns; they sell to Naukada- one of the gold merchants (YouTube). They get poor pay and gets frustrated. However, the have to sell to the same man as he own house in which they live in. Their struggle is highlighted as the prices for gold goes up. This means there is less available gold in dust, in the street. They opt to go for sludge. They acquire sludge in a most inhumane way, as it is full of ‘shit’. We are also shown Javeds employees working tirelessly to get pure gold (YouTube). The film also focuses on live of poor in Mumbai beach. The life is highlighted using Rajesh family. Rajesh is married to Sevita. They own a pub with no license from the council. Rajesh had been jailed due to this illegality. Sevita his wife also does part time jobs as a cleaner despite physical challenges (YouTube). The family also goes through challenges of constant eviction. They are forced to rebuild the house every time after the eviction. Rajesh is also forced to rely on moneylender to boost his stock and is faced with challenges of repaying. I disliked the way young people are forced to go through inhumane ways of making ends meet. In this film, I have learnt it is advantageous to learn how to interact and interview in order to get facts about people ways of

Stroke, Communication and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stroke, Communication and Management - Essay Example Unfortunately, this makes stroke the number six principal cause of disability in the entire world. It is indeed the case that the incidence of stroke worldwide is very alarming. Nonetheless, despite its common occurrence worldwide, it is not often obvious to people why this particular illness takes place. Not all are aware of how this disease attacks and causes permanent disability or even death to its sufferers. According to Sims and Muyderman (2009: 80 – 91), stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disturbed because of blockage of the blood flow or loss or leakage of blood. Given this, the oxygen supply to the brain cells is interrupted causing damage and death to the cells. Given this case, a permanent neurological impairment is more probably the outcome in which according to Donnan, Macleod and Davis (2008: 1612 – 1620) is due to the improper functioning of the affected area of the brain. True enough, the common disability outcomes of stroke are as foll ows: impairing the vision, paralysis or the lack of ability to move one or more limbs on a side of the body, loss of sensation on a side of the body, difficulties in swallowing, loss of thinking or intellectual capacity, loss of memory, transformation of the emotional aspect and/ or damaging the capacity to communicate competently due to problems in speech, difficulties in expressing words and trouble of understanding (Irish Heart Foundation, no date: 13 – 16). In addition to that, stroke affects its survivors in making them feel frail and weak on one side of their body (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). It likewise impacts the individual to have problems with balance and coordination since their muscles are not that strong enough as compared to those muscles prior to the attack (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). Oftentimes, as a result of the attack, they happen to be numb, have problems with controlling their bladder and bowel, and make them feel depressed (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (1995: 3). Given the permanent damage to the ability of the stroke sufferer to express himself or herself and at some points, to be understood, communication with the sufferer of the particular illness has a certain difficulty indeed. This is because after the attack of stroke, the life of the sufferer has most likely changed. As such, this requires an enormous amount of patience for everyone, in particular to the caregivers and to the family members, who has the most interaction with the stroke survivor. However, this raises a question of what kind of treatment and management should be done by the individuals around the patient who has suffered from stroke when interacting with them, in particular, in terms of communication. To make an effective communication with a person who has suffered from stroke, it is important to note that there are a number of general considerations. First and foremost, it is deeme d important to take into consideration that due to a stroke, the individual sufferer may undergo some impaired movement or skills that can be temporary or permanent. Given such difficulties, it must be understood that this is not easy physically, psychologically and emotionally for the patient. We all know and experience how frustrating it is to feel not understood. This is one of the difficulties that the stroke patient is going

Management economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Management economics - Assignment Example They want to exploit public goods (Francis). Without competition, producers can gouge consumers. With competition, consumers will choose the best option. They will choose the company that pollutes the least, or charges the least, or pays their workers the best. Workers will similarly choose the company with the best wages and benefits. When you have competition, you generally have cheaper products, better wages, better quality, and less externality and abuse of public goods. This means that, by definition, an oligopolistic market structure is a market failure Why is competition good? Adam Smith, in his seminal Wealth of Nations, argued that markets reach a so-called â€Å"harmony of interests† only when they are fully competitive (Francis). A â€Å"harmony of interest† is a situation where an individuals self-interest and the pursuit thereof also benefits society. It is also called pareto optimal. But competition has a strict definition and so is never perfectly achieved. The market must be composed of a great many buyers and sellers, almost as many as there are dollars flowing through the market, with only infinitesimal islands interrupting the free market sea. These buyers and sellers must produce and consume, respectively, only a tiny portion of the goods available. This way, no one buyer or seller can control supply and demand. Further, all the goods flowing through the market must be functionally the same. And there has to be no or extremely low barriers to exit and entry on the part of both consumers and producers. An oligopolistic market is one where a collection of large firms own a lot of the market of the market (Lecture Slides 7-9). Different markets and different economic theories mandate different amounts of coordination between the firms and different amounts of market share shared between the firms, but the general idea is the same. A bunch of companies work together, but not quite the same as a cartel. They can agree to lower

Development Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Development Communication - Essay Example (Santos, 2005) Now, Philippine democracy is safe guarded by the country’s laws and other institutions which ensure that the freedom and liberty of Filipinos will be well protected. One of such institutions that serve to protect democracy in the Philippines is the Philippine media. Mass Media in the Philippines plays serves several roles. All of such roles are aimed at ensuring the continuance of a democratic society in the country. The value of media in the Philippines is very significant. The country’s history serves as a testament to the important role of media in the country specifically in the manner by which it helps uphold democracy in the Philippines. This paper aims to analyze the role of Philippine media in the country’s democratic society. Specifically, this paper aims to determine the ways by which media helps protect the rights and liberties of the Filipino people. Also, this paper will look back on the influence of media in the way by which Philippine democracy and government has evolved particularly in the last 30 years. Development communication theories will be utilized for the analysis. Such theories will be supplemented by various published literature that tackle the subject matter. Lastly, this paper will attempt to discuss the role of Philippine media in the eradication of corruption that has long impeded the country’s democratic way of life. The role that media plays in Asian countries is not as valuable as compared to Western countries. (Laird, 1999, p. 63) Moreover, media in Asia is more regulated than media in European and American countries. This is due to the fact that democracy is not as prevalent and wide spread in Asia as it is in other continents. However, globalization has slowly contributed to the evolution of media in Asia. In today’s time and age, Asian media has taken up a more valuable role. Western thought has slowly been integrated in Asian

Stroke, Communication and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stroke, Communication and Management - Essay Example Unfortunately, this makes stroke the number six principal cause of disability in the entire world. It is indeed the case that the incidence of stroke worldwide is very alarming. Nonetheless, despite its common occurrence worldwide, it is not often obvious to people why this particular illness takes place. Not all are aware of how this disease attacks and causes permanent disability or even death to its sufferers. According to Sims and Muyderman (2009: 80 – 91), stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disturbed because of blockage of the blood flow or loss or leakage of blood. Given this, the oxygen supply to the brain cells is interrupted causing damage and death to the cells. Given this case, a permanent neurological impairment is more probably the outcome in which according to Donnan, Macleod and Davis (2008: 1612 – 1620) is due to the improper functioning of the affected area of the brain. True enough, the common disability outcomes of stroke are as foll ows: impairing the vision, paralysis or the lack of ability to move one or more limbs on a side of the body, loss of sensation on a side of the body, difficulties in swallowing, loss of thinking or intellectual capacity, loss of memory, transformation of the emotional aspect and/ or damaging the capacity to communicate competently due to problems in speech, difficulties in expressing words and trouble of understanding (Irish Heart Foundation, no date: 13 – 16). In addition to that, stroke affects its survivors in making them feel frail and weak on one side of their body (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). It likewise impacts the individual to have problems with balance and coordination since their muscles are not that strong enough as compared to those muscles prior to the attack (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). Oftentimes, as a result of the attack, they happen to be numb, have problems with controlling their bladder and bowel, and make them feel depressed (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (1995: 3). Given the permanent damage to the ability of the stroke sufferer to express himself or herself and at some points, to be understood, communication with the sufferer of the particular illness has a certain difficulty indeed. This is because after the attack of stroke, the life of the sufferer has most likely changed. As such, this requires an enormous amount of patience for everyone, in particular to the caregivers and to the family members, who has the most interaction with the stroke survivor. However, this raises a question of what kind of treatment and management should be done by the individuals around the patient who has suffered from stroke when interacting with them, in particular, in terms of communication. To make an effective communication with a person who has suffered from stroke, it is important to note that there are a number of general considerations. First and foremost, it is deeme d important to take into consideration that due to a stroke, the individual sufferer may undergo some impaired movement or skills that can be temporary or permanent. Given such difficulties, it must be understood that this is not easy physically, psychologically and emotionally for the patient. We all know and experience how frustrating it is to feel not understood. This is one of the difficulties that the stroke patient is going

Development Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Development Communication - Essay Example (Santos, 2005) Now, Philippine democracy is safe guarded by the country’s laws and other institutions which ensure that the freedom and liberty of Filipinos will be well protected. One of such institutions that serve to protect democracy in the Philippines is the Philippine media. Mass Media in the Philippines plays serves several roles. All of such roles are aimed at ensuring the continuance of a democratic society in the country. The value of media in the Philippines is very significant. The country’s history serves as a testament to the important role of media in the country specifically in the manner by which it helps uphold democracy in the Philippines. This paper aims to analyze the role of Philippine media in the country’s democratic society. Specifically, this paper aims to determine the ways by which media helps protect the rights and liberties of the Filipino people. Also, this paper will look back on the influence of media in the way by which Philippine democracy and government has evolved particularly in the last 30 years. Development communication theories will be utilized for the analysis. Such theories will be supplemented by various published literature that tackle the subject matter. Lastly, this paper will attempt to discuss the role of Philippine media in the eradication of corruption that has long impeded the country’s democratic way of life. The role that media plays in Asian countries is not as valuable as compared to Western countries. (Laird, 1999, p. 63) Moreover, media in Asia is more regulated than media in European and American countries. This is due to the fact that democracy is not as prevalent and wide spread in Asia as it is in other continents. However, globalization has slowly contributed to the evolution of media in Asia. In today’s time and age, Asian media has taken up a more valuable role. Western thought has slowly been integrated in Asian

History of Beer Essay Example for Free

History of Beer Essay Beer was probably discovered by accident, when some of the nomadic tribes of the Middle East decided to settle down to an agricultural life depending on the cultivation of grain. In times of plenty the excess might have been stored for a possible future period of failure. Due to the damp storage condition the grain might have sprouted and germinated in a desperate bid to salvage the crop they must have made porridge by boiling the sprouted grain with water. This must have released sugar into the liquid resulting in a sweet tasting porridge. This was probably left in open to cool allowing the natural yeast of the atmosphere to settle on the porridge forming alcohol or what was a crude wash. There is evidence that the brewing process was established in Babylon as early as 6000 B.C. The Egyptians improved upon this process, which was diffused along the trade routes by the Greeks the Romans. The Romans started brewing on a commercial basis to provide a substitute to wine. The term bear today covers all beer drinks such as ales, lagers stout. Beer gets it’s name from Anglo Saxon Word called â€Å"Beer† meaning â€Å"BARLEY†. Beer is the national alconolic beverage of Great Britain. Although the basic traditional method of brewing beer is still being used now the whole production process is controlled by the programme equipment so that each phase is carried out at the exact time required and can be corrected if necessary. By this centralised control, consistency of the brew from batch to batch is better.

Evolution of Investment Banking

Evolution of Investment Banking INTRODUCTION At a very macro level, ‘Investment Banking as term suggests, is concerned with the primary function of assisting the capital market in its function of capital intermediation, i.e., the movement of financial resources from those who have them (the Investors), to those who need to make use of them for generating GDP (the Issuers). Banking and financial institution on the one hand and the capital market on the other are the two broad platforms of institutional that investment for capital flows in economy. Therefore, it could be inferred that investment banks are those institutions that are counterparts of banks in the capital markets in the function of intermediation in the resource allocation. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to conclude so, as that would confine investment banking to very narrow sphere of its activities in the modern world of high finance. Over the decades, backed by evolution and also fuelled by recent technologies developments, an investment banking has transf ormed repeatedly to suit the needs of the finance community and thus become one of the most vibrant and exciting segment of financial services. Investment bankers have always enjoyed celebrity status, but at times, they have paid the price for the price for excessive flamboyance as well. To continue from the above words of John F. Marshall and M.E. Eills, ‘investment banking is what investment banks do . This definition can be explained in the context of how investment banks have evolved in their functionality and how history and regulatory intervention have shaped such an evolution. Much of investment banking in its present form, thus owes its origins to the financial markets in USA, due o which, American investment banks have banks have been leaders in the American and Euro markets as well. Therefore, the term ‘investment banking can arguably be said to be of American origin. Their counterparts in UK were termed as ‘merchants banks since they had confined themselves to capital market intermediation until the US investments banks entered the UK and European markets and extended the scope of such businesses. Investment banks help companies and governments and their agencies to raise money by issuing and selling acquisitions and other types of financial transactions. Investment banks also act as intermediaries in trading for clients. Investment banks differ from stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. However some firms operate as both brokerages and investment banks; this includes some of the best known financial services firms in the world. More commonly used today to characterize what was traditionally termed† investment banking† is â€Å"sells side. This is trading securities for cash or securities (i.e., facilitating transactions, market-making), or the promotion of securities (i.e. underwriting,research, etc.). The buy side constitutes the hedge funds, and the investing public who consume the products and services of the sell-side in order to maximize their return on investment. Many firms have both buy and sell side components. Definition An individual or institution, which acts as an underwriter or agent for corporations and municipalities issuing securities. Most also maintain broker/dealer operations, maintain markets for previously issued securities, and offer advisory services to investors. Investment banks also have a large role in facilitating mergers and acquisitions, private equity placements and corporate restructuring. Unlike traditional banks, investment banks do not accept deposits from and provide loans to individuals. Also called investment banker. Who needs an Investment Bank? Any firm contemplating a significant transaction can benefit from the advice of an investment bank. Although large corporations often have sophisticated finance and corporate development departments provide objectivity, a valuable contact network, allows for efficient use of client personnel, and is vitally interested in seeing the transaction close. Most small to medium sized companies do not have a large in-house staff, and in a financial transaction may be at a disadvantage versus larger competitors. A quality investment banking firm can provide the services required to initiate and execute a major transaction, thereby empowering small to medium sized companies with financial and transaction experience without the addition of permanent overhead, an investment bank provides objectivity, a valuable contact network, allows for efficient use of client personnel, and is vitally interested in seeing the transaction close. Most small to medium sized companies do not have a large in-house staff, and in a financial transaction may be at a disadvantage versus larger competitors. A quality investment-banking firm can provide the services The main activities and units The primary function of an investment bank is buying and selling products both on behalf of the banks clients and also for the bank itself. Banks undertake risk through proprietary trading, done by a special set of traders who do not interface with clients and through Principal Risk, risk undertaken by a trader after he or she buys or sells a product to a client and does not hedge his or her total exposure. Banks seek to maximize profitability for a given amount of risk on their balance sheet An investment bank is split into the so-called Front Office Middle Office and Back Office. The individual activities are described below: Front Office Investment Banking is the traditional aspect of investment banks which involves helping customers raise Corporate Finance (often pronounced corpfin). mutual funds) . Research and Structuring. Sales desks then communicate their clients orders to the appropriate trading desks, which can price and execute trades, or structure new products that fit a specific need. Research is the division which reviews companies and writes reports about their prospects, often with buy or sell ratings. While the research division generates no revenue, its resources are used to assist traders in trading, the sales force in suggesting ideas to customers, and investment bankers by covering their clients. In recent years the relationship between investment banking and research has become highly regulated, reducing its importance to the investment bank. Structuring has been a relatively recent division as derivatives have come into play, with highly technical and numerate employees working on creating complex structured products which typically offer much greater margins and returns than underlying cash securities. Middle Office * operational risk and the assurance Middle Offices provide now include measures to address this risk. When this assurance is not in place, market and credit risk analysis can be unreliable and open to deliberate manipulation. Back Office Operations involve data-checking trades that have been conducted, ensuring that they are not erroneous, and transacting the required transfers. While it provides the greatest job security of the divisions within an investment bank, it is a critical part of the bank that involves managing the financial information of the bank and ensures efficient capital markets through the financial reporting function. The staff in these areas are often highly qualified and need to understand in depth the deals and transactions that occur across all the divisions of the bank. New products Investment banking is one of the most global industries and is hence continuously challenged to respond to new developments and innovation in the global financial markets. Throughout the history of investment banking, many have theorized that all investment banking products and services would be copyrighted, they are very often copied quickly by competing banks, pushing down trading margins. For example, OTC contract has to be uniquely structured and could involve complex pay-off and risk profiles. Listed option contracts are traded through major exchanges, such as the CBOE, and are almost as commoditized as general equity securities. In addition, while many products have been commoditized, an increasing amount of profit within investment banks has come from proprietary trading, where size creates a positive network benefit (since the more trades an investment bank does, the more it knows about the market flow, allowing it to theoretically make better trades and pass on better guidance to clients). Potential conflicts of interest may arise between different parts of a bank, creating the potential for financial movements that could be market manipulation. Authorities that regulate investment banking (the Chinese wall which prohibits communication between investment banking on one side and research and equities on the other. Some of the conflicts of interest that can be found in investment banking are listed here: Historically, equity research firms were founded and owned by investment banks. One common practice is for equity analysts to initiate coverage on a company in order to develop relationships that lead to highly profitable investment banking business. In the 1990s, many equity researchers allegedly traded positive stock ratings directly for investment banking business. On the flip side of the coin: companies would threaten to divert investment banking business to competitors unless their stock was rated favorably. Politicians acted to pass laws to criminalize such acts. Increased pressure from regulators and a series of lawsuits, settlements, and prosecutions curbed this business to a large extent following the 2001 stock market tumble Many investment banks also own retail brokerages. Also during the 1990s, some retail brokerages sold consumers securities which did not meet their stated risk profile. This behavior may have led to investment banking business or even sales of surplus shares during a public offering to keep public perception of the stock favorable. Since investment banks engage heavily in trading for their own account, there is always the temptation or possibility that they might engage in some form of front running. Types of investment banks underwrite (guarantee the sale of) stock and bond issues, trade for their own accounts, make markets, and advise corporations on capital markets activities such as mergers and acquisitions Merchant banks were traditionally banks which engaged in trade financing. The modern definition, however, refers to banks which provide capital to firms in the form of shares rather than loans. Unlike Venture ca pital firms, they tend not to invest in new companies. Investment banks provide four primary types of services: Raising capital, advising in mergers and acquisitions, executing securities sales and trading, and performing general advisory services. Most of the major Wall Street firms are active in each of these categories. Smaller investment banks may specialize in two or three of these categories. Raising Capital An investment bank can assist a firm in raising funds to achieve a variety of objectives, such as to acquire another company, reduce its debt load, expand existing operations, or for specific project financing. Capital can include some combination of debt, common equity, preferred equity, and hybrid securities such as convertible debt or debt with warrants. Although many people associate raising capital with public stock offerings, a great deal of capital is actually raised through private placements with institutions, specialized investment funds, and private individuals. The investment bank will work with the client to structure the transaction to meet specific objectives while being attractive to investors. Mergers and Acquisitions Investment banks often represent firms in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Example projects include the acquisition of a specific firm, the sale of a company or a subsidiary of the company, and assistance in identifying, structuring, and executing a merger or joint venture. In each case, the investment bank should provide a thorough analysis of the entity bought or sold, as well as a valuation range and recommended structure. Sales and Trading These services are primarily relevant only to publicly traded firms, or firms, which plan to go public in the near future. Specific functions include making a market in a stock, placing new offerings, and publishing research reports. General Advisory Services: Advisory services include assignments such as strategic planning, business valuations, assisting in financial restructurings, and providing an opinion as to the fairness of a proposed transaction. Terms Related To Investment Bank Buying and Selling Buying Deciding on the proper time to purchase a security that you would like to add to your holdings can be a daunting task. If the price drops immediately after you buy, it may seem as if you missed out on a better buying opportunity. If the price jumps right before you make your move, you may feel as if you paid too much. As it turns out, you should not let these small fluctuations influence your decision too much. As long as the fundamentals that led you to decide on the purchase have not changed, a few points in either direction should not have a large impact on the long-term value of your investment. Similarly, the fact that an investment has been increasing in value of late is not a sufficient reason for you to purchase it. Momentum can be very fickle, and recent movement is not necessarily an indicator of future movement. Therefore, buying decisions should be based on sound and thorough research geared toward discerning the future value of a security relative to its current price. This analysis will probably not touch upon price movement in the very recent past. As you learn more about investing youll get better at deciding when to buy, but most experts recommend that beginners avoid trying to time the market, and just get in as soon as they can and stay in for the long haul. The proper time to buy a security is quite simply when it is available for less than its actual value. These undervalued securities are actually not as rare as they sound. However, the problem is simply that they are never sure bets. The value of a security includes estimates of the future performance of factors underlying the value of the security. For stocks, these factors include things like earnings growth and market share. Changes can be predicted to a degree, but they are subject to fluctuation due to forces both within and beyond the control of the company. The overall economic climate, changes in the industry or even bad decisions by management can all cause a security poised to ascend in value to become an under performer. Therefore, it is essential to practice your analysis before putting your money into action. Make some mock purchases based on your personal analysis technique and track the results. Not all of your decisions will lead to the results you were expecting, but if most of your choices turn out to be good and there are mitigating factors that you can learn from to explain your missteps, then you may be ready to put your analysis technique and investing strategy into action. At this point, the need to continuously monitor your investments does not disappear. Both under performers and overachievers should be studied carefully to fine-tune your strategy. You should also regularly look at your securities to make sure that the fundamentals for success that led you to buy in the first place are intact. If not, you may need to prepare to cash in and start looking for the next opportunity. One way to avoid the hassles of deciding when to buy altogether is to practice dollar-cost averaging. This strategy advocates investing a fixed dollar amount at regular intervals. The price when you first invest is relatively unimportant (as long as the fundamentals are sound) because you will be purchasing shares at a different price each time you buy. The success of your investment then lies not with short-term fluctuations, but with the long-term movement of the value of the security. Selling: There comes a time when investments must be liquidated and converted back into cash. In a perfect world, selling would only be necessary when investment goals have been reached or time horizons have expired, but, in reality, decisions about selling can be much more difficult. For one thing, it can be just as hard to decide when to sell as it can be to decide when to buy. No one wishes to miss out on gains by selling too soon, but, at the same time, no one wishes to watch an investment peak in value and then begin to decline. Investors often seek to sell investments that have dropped in value in the short-term. However, if conditions have not changed significantly, drops in price may actually represent an opportunity to buy at a better price. If the initial research, which led to the purchase, was sound, a temporary decline does not preclude the success that was originally predicted. Of course, things change, and if the security no longer meets the criteria that led to its purchase, selling may in fact be the best option. Selling may also become necessary if investment goals change over time. You may need to reduce the amount of risk in your portfolio or you may have the opportunity to seek out greater returns. Additionally, a security may have increased in value to the point that it is overvalued. This creates an excellent opportunity to cash in and seek out new undervalued investments. Often you will need to make this type of sale in the course of rebalancing a portfolio necessitated by gains and losses in different areas. Selling can be especially difficult when an under performing stock must be dumped. Some investors let their emotions dictate their actions and hold on to stocks that have fallen in value rather than to sell, thinking that selling at a loss is like admitting that they made a mistake. However, realizing the loss and moving on to better investments is often preferable to continuing to hold onto a loser in the hopes that it will somehow rebound. When considering any sale, you must factor in the costs of the sale itself. Fees and taxes will eat into profits, so they must be subtracted from any increases in value to understand the true impact of the transaction. Capital gains taxes are higher for gains on investments held less than one year, so its often wise to invest for the long term rather than to buy and sell quickly. On the other hand, it can be dangerous to hold an investment longer than you want to, simply to reduce the tax burden. It is essential to remember that just because an investment increases in value after it has been sold does not necessarily mean that it was sold prematurely. Managing risk and diversification are often more important than capitalizing on short-term gains in a particular security. Keeping in mind the initial goals for the investment and adjusting them to fit your present goals will allow you to make smarter decisions about selling. Principles of Investing 1. Start Investing Now We say this not just to discourage procrastination, but because an early start can make all the difference. In general, every six years you wait doubles the required monthly savings to reach the same level of retirement income. Another motivational statistic: If you contributed some amount each month for the next nine years, and then nothing afterwards, or if you contributed nothing for the first nine years, then contributed the same amount each month for the next 41 years, you would have about the same amount. Compounding is a beautiful thing. 2. Know Yourself The right course of action depends on your current situation, your future goals, and your personality. If you dont take a close look at these, and make them explicit, you might be headed in the wrong direction. Current Situation: How healthy are you, financially? Whats your net worth right now? Whats your monthly income? What are your expenses (and where could they be reduced)? How much debt are you carrying? At what rate of interest? How much are you saving? How are you investing it? What are your returns? What are your expenses? Goals: What are your financial goals? How much will you need to achieve them? Are you on the right track? Risk Tolerance: How much risk are you willing and able to accept in pursuit of your objectives? The appropriate level of risk is determined by your personality, age, job security, health, net worth, amount of cash you have to cover emergencies, and the length of your investing horizon. 3. Get Your Financial House In Order Even though investing may be more fun than personal finance, it makes more sense to get started on them in the reverse order. If you dont know where the money goes each month, you shouldnt be thinking about investing yet. Tracking your spending habits is the first step toward improving them. If youre carrying debt at a high rate of interest (especially credit card debt), you should unburden yourself before you begin investing. If you dont know how much you save each month and how much youll need to save to reach your goals, theres no way to know what investments are right for you. If youve transitioned from a debt situation to paycheck-to-paycheck situation to a saving some money every month situation, youre ready to begin investing what you save. You should start by amassing enough to cover three to six months of expenses, and keep this money in a very safe investment like a money market account, so youre prepared in the event of an emergency. Once youve saved up this emergency reserve, you can progress to higher risk (and higher return) investments: bonds for money that you expect to need in the next few years, and stocks or stock mutual funds for the rest. Use dollar cost averaging, by investing about the same amount each month. This is always a good idea, but even more so with the dramatic fluctuations in the market in the past 10 years. Dollar cost averaging will make it easier to stomach the inevitable dips. And remember; never invest in anything you dont understand. 4. Develop A Long Term Plan Now that you know your current situation, goals, and personality, you should have a pretty good idea of what your long-term plan should be. It should detail where the money will go: cars, houses, college, and retirement. It should also detail where the money will come from. Hopefully the numbers will be about the same. Dont try to time the market. Get in and stay in. We dont know what direction the next 10% move will be, but we do know what direction the next100% move will be. Review your plan periodically, and whenever your needs or circumstances change. If you are not confident that your plan makes sense, talk to an investment advisor or someone you trust. 5. Buy Stocks Now that youve got a long term view, you can more safely invest in riskier investments, which the market rewards (in general). This requires patience and discipline, but it increases returns. This approach reduces the entire universe of investment vehicles to two choices: stocks and stock mutual funds. In the long run, theyre the winners: In this century, stocks beat bonds 8 out of 9 decades, and theyre well in the lead again. According to Ibbotsons Stocks, Bonds, Bills and Inflation 1995 Yearbook, here are the average annual returns from 1926 to 1994 (before inflation): Stocks: 10.2% (and small company stocks were 12.1%) Intermediate term treasury bonds: 5.1% 30-day T-bills: 3.7% But is it really worth the additional risk just for a few percentage points? The answer is yes. 10% a year for 20 years is 570%, but 7% a year for 20 years is only 280%. Compounding is Gods gift to long-term planners. If you buy outstanding companies, and hold them through the markets gyrations, you will be rewarded. If you arent good at selecting stocks, select some mutual funds. If you arent good at selecting mutual funds, go with an index fund (like the Vanguard SP 500). 6. Investigate Before You Invest Always do your homework. The more you know, the better off you are. This requires that you keep learning, and pay attention to events that might affect you. Understand personal finance matters that could affect you (for example, proposed tax changes). Understand how each of your investments fits in with the rest of your portfolio and with your overall strategy. Understand the risks associated with each investment. Gather unbiased, objective information. Get a second opinion, a third opinion, etc. Be cautious when evaluating the advice of anyone with a vested interest. If youre going to invest in stocks, learn as much as you can about the companies youre considering. Understand before you invest. Research, research, Read books. Consider joining an investment club or an organization like the American Association of Individual Investors. Experiment with various strategies before you put your own money on the line. Examine historical data or participate in a stock market simulation. Try a momentum portfolio, a technical analysis portfolio, a bottom fisher portfolio, a dividend portfolio, a price/earnings growth portfolio, an intuition portfolio, a mega trends portfolio, and any others you think of. In the process youll find out which ones work best for you. Learn from your own mistakes, and learn from the mistakes of others. If you dont have time for all this work consider mutual funds, especially index funds. 7. Develop the Right Attitude The following personality traits will help you achieve financial success: Discipline: Develop a plan, and stick with it. As you continue to learn, youll become more confident that youre on the right track. Alter your asset allocation based on changes in your personal situation, not because of some short-term market fluctuation. Confidence: Let your intelligence, not your emotions; make your decisions for you. Understand that you will make mistakes and take losses; even the best investors do. Re-evaluate your strategy from time to time, but dont second-guess it. Patience: Dont let your emotions be ruled by todays performance. In most cases, you shouldnt even be watching the day-to-day performance, unless you like to. Also, dont ever feel like its now or never. Dont be pressured into an investment you dont yet understand or feel comfortable with. The following personality traits will hurt your chances of financial success: Fear: If you are unwilling to take any risk, you will be stuck with investments that barely beat inflation. Greed: As an investment class, get rich quick schemes have the worst returns. If your expectations are unrealistically high, youll go for the big scores, which usually dont work. It is generally a good idea to avoid making financial decisions based on emotional factors. 8. Get Help If You Need It The do-it-yourself approach isnt for everyone. If you try it and its not working, or youre afraid to try it at all, or you just dont have the time or desire, theres nothing wrong with seeking professional assistance. If you want others to handle your financial affairs for you, you will nevertheless want to remain involved to some degree, to make sure your money is being spent wisely. Initial Public Offerings Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are the first time a company sells its stock to the public. Sometimes IPOs are associated with huge first-day gains; other times, when the market is cold, they flop. Its often difficult for an individual investor to realize the huge gains, since in most cases only institutional investors have access to the stock at the offering price. By the time the general public can trade the stock, most of its first-day gains have already been made. However, a savvy and informed investor should still watch the IPO market, because this is the first opportunity to buy these stocks. Reasons for an IPO When a privately held corporation needs to raise additional capital, it can either take on debt or sell partial ownership. If the corporation chooses to sell ownership to the public, it engages in an IPO. Corporations choose to go public instead of issuing debt securities for several reasons. The most common reason is that capital raised through an IPO does not have to be repaid, whereas debt securities such as bonds must be repaid with interest. Despite this apparent benefit, there are also many drawbacks to an IPO. A large drawback to going public is that the current owners of the privately held corporation lose a part of their ownership. Corporations weigh the costs and benefits of an IPO carefully before performing an IPO. Going Public If a corporation decides that it is going to perform an IPO, it will first hire an investment bank to facilitate the sale of its shares to the public. This process is commonly called underwriting; the banks role as the underwriter varies according to the method of underwriting agreed upon, but its primary function remains the same. In accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, the corporation will file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The registration statement must fully disclose all material information to the SEC, including a description of the corporation, detailed financial statements, biographical information on insiders, and the number of shares owned by each insider. After filing, the corporation must wait for the SEC to investigate the registration statement and approve of the full disclosure. During this period while the SEC investigates the corporations filings, the underwriter will try to increase demand for the corporations stock. Many investment banks will print tombstone advertisements that offer bare-bones information to prospective investors. The underwriter will also issue a preliminary prospectus, or red herring, to potential investors. These red herrings include much of the information contained in the registration statement, but are incomplete and subject to change. An official summary of the corporation, or prospectus, must be issued either before or along with the actual stock offering. After the SEC approves of the corporations full disclosure, the corporation and the underwriter decide on the price and date of the IPO; the IPO is then conducted on the determined date. IPOs are sometimes postponed or even withdrawn in poor market conditions. Performance The aftermarket performance of an IPO is how the stock price behaves after the day of its offering on the secondary market (such as the NYSE or the NASDAQ). Investors can use this information to judge the likelihood that an IPO in a specific industry or from a specific lead underwriter will perform well in the days (or months) following its offering. The first-day gains of some IPOs have made investors all too aware of the money to be had in IPO investing. Unfortunately, for the small individual investor, realizing those much-publicized gains is nearly impossible. The crux of the problem is that individual investors are just too small to get in on the IPO market before the jump. Those large first-day returns are made over the offering price of the stock, at which only large, institutional investors can buy in. The system is one o

Burnt by the Sun :: Nikita Mikhalkov Burnt by the Sun Movies Essays

Burnt by the Sun Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun was released in 1994, a year in which over seven decades of communism were undoubtedly still a vivid memory in the eyes of the Russian people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy left them with no choice but to try and disregard their past in order to better accept the many changes that the future would bring. In Burnt by the Sun, however, the director focuses on the characters' human emotions rather than condemn their ideology or their motivations. He thus brings us close to these individuals who are clutching the remnants of the ideals they originally fought for, and who, with the return of an old friend, are suddenly forced to simultaneously confront their future and search through their past. Throughout the whole movie this is the main theme the viewer is given to reflect on: the clash between the sweet, safe, nostalgic past and the forthcoming of a bitter, dangerous, uncertain future. This theme is particularly alive in the sequence 'Arrival of Summer Santa'. By analyzing the opening segment of this sequence, we realize that it is the editing which renders the conflict so palpable. From one cut to the next, we learn Nadia and Mitia's implicit memories and desires; during their conversation, the cutting alone makes us realize what will happen; near the end of the sequence, one simple cut says more than a minute-long scene ever could have done. Thanks to the editing, we become involved with the characters, and grow fully aware of the symbolic opposition between Nadia and Mitia, between past and future. The sequence opens with various shots of the Red Army pioneers marching along the road. We gradually move to the back of the parade until we see Mitia, in disguise, marching with them. However, the camera only stays with him for a brief instant. It tilts down to reveal a young boy who is probably the same age as Nadia, and right after that we cut to a shot of her, at the gate, saluting the pioneers. That single cut reveals the entire essence of Nadia's character. She has one desire: to be a pioneer. She has been raised in a family that cultivates the memory of an idealistic communist regime, in which unity and devotion prevail. Nadia embodies the memories and desires of her people: memories of a past utopia, and desires to keep that utopia alive. Burnt by the Sun :: Nikita Mikhalkov Burnt by the Sun Movies Essays Burnt by the Sun Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun was released in 1994, a year in which over seven decades of communism were undoubtedly still a vivid memory in the eyes of the Russian people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy left them with no choice but to try and disregard their past in order to better accept the many changes that the future would bring. In Burnt by the Sun, however, the director focuses on the characters' human emotions rather than condemn their ideology or their motivations. He thus brings us close to these individuals who are clutching the remnants of the ideals they originally fought for, and who, with the return of an old friend, are suddenly forced to simultaneously confront their future and search through their past. Throughout the whole movie this is the main theme the viewer is given to reflect on: the clash between the sweet, safe, nostalgic past and the forthcoming of a bitter, dangerous, uncertain future. This theme is particularly alive in the sequence 'Arrival of Summer Santa'. By analyzing the opening segment of this sequence, we realize that it is the editing which renders the conflict so palpable. From one cut to the next, we learn Nadia and Mitia's implicit memories and desires; during their conversation, the cutting alone makes us realize what will happen; near the end of the sequence, one simple cut says more than a minute-long scene ever could have done. Thanks to the editing, we become involved with the characters, and grow fully aware of the symbolic opposition between Nadia and Mitia, between past and future. The sequence opens with various shots of the Red Army pioneers marching along the road. We gradually move to the back of the parade until we see Mitia, in disguise, marching with them. However, the camera only stays with him for a brief instant. It tilts down to reveal a young boy who is probably the same age as Nadia, and right after that we cut to a shot of her, at the gate, saluting the pioneers. That single cut reveals the entire essence of Nadia's character. She has one desire: to be a pioneer. She has been raised in a family that cultivates the memory of an idealistic communist regime, in which unity and devotion prevail. Nadia embodies the memories and desires of her people: memories of a past utopia, and desires to keep that utopia alive.