How to write about africa by Binyavanga Wainaina Essay

How to write about africa by Binyavanga Wainaina - Essay Example Binyavanga elaborates further by citing some cultural practices and traditions in Africa and the animals that inhabit the place. He also talks about the possible characters that may be included in the article on Africa. Among those characters that he mentioned are the Loyal Servant, the Ancient Wise Man, the Modern African and the Starving African (Wainaina 93). Lastly, the author suggests that writers should not forget to include the sunset in Africa. He emphasizes too that overpopulation must also be added in portraying Africa and that AIDS and WAR are the factors that contribute to its depopulation (Wainaina 95). I agree with the author that most articles about Africa touch on the topics that he enumerated. However, I feel that it is also grossly exaggerated which may be partly due to the fact that he and other Africans are severely hurt by the way they are being portrayed by most authors. I appreciate the satirical style that he employed in presenting his arguments. The essay is one whole irony which I think is effective in convincing the readers to agree with the author’s claims. The essay is replete with the various stereotypes which have been and are still ascribed to Africa, which Binyavanga wants to correct through his work. I liked the way the author ended his essay with the phrase, â€Å"Because you care† (Wainaina 95). I think that it evokes a strong message, that is, if a writer cares about Africa, then he should be more objective and truthful and portray Africa not according to the usual stereotype images and false representations. Although indirectly, I think that Binyavanga is implying that if a writer still creates an article about Africa the way he described it, then he may be considered insensitive and

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Essay Character List: Flavius tribune who breaks up crowd waiting to honor Caesars triumph Marcellus tribune who breaks up crowd waiting to honor Caesars triumph Julius Caesar Emperor of Rome Casca first to stab Caesar Calpurnia Caesars wife Mark Antony devoted follower of Caesar; defeats Brutus Soothsayer warns Caesar to Beware the Ides of March Brutus joins and then leads the conspiracy to kill Caesar Cassius organizes the conspiracy and gets Brutus to join Cicero Roman Senator Casca to whom talks on the eve of the assassination Cinna plants the forged letter for Cassius, also a conspirator Cinna (the poet) mistaken for Cinna the conspirator Lucius servant to Brutus Decius reinterprets Calpurnias dream and convinces Caesar to go to Senate Metellus distracts Caesars attention so conspirators can carry out their plan Trebonius takes Antony away from the assassination scene so he wont interfere Portia wife of Brutus Ligarius vows to follow Brutus Publius one of many who escort Caesar to the Senate meeting Artemidorus gives Caesar a letter of warning naming the conspirators Papilius wishes Cassius well in his enterprise Octavius heir of Julius Caesar Lepidus joins with Octavius and Antony, used by Octavius and Antony Pindarus servant to Cassius Lucilius captured by Antonys soldiers, mistaken for Brutus Messala reports Portias death, discovers Cassius body Varro servant of Brutus Claudius servant of Brutus Titinius officer, guards tent at Sardis Cato soldier in army of Brutus and Cassius Clitus servant of Brutus, refused to kill Brutus Dardanius servant of Brutus, refused to kill Brutus Volumnius friend and soldier to Brutus, refuses to hold Brutus sword Strato holds Brutus suicide sword Act I 1. In Scene I, what do Flavius and Marcellus want the commoners to do? They want the commoners to break up and move along; they dont want them to celebrate Caesars triumphs. 2. What is the Soothsayers advice to Caesar? The Soothsayer told Caesar to Beware the Ides of March. 3. Explain the difference between the views of Caesar held by Cassius and Brutus. Cassius openly wants Caesar out of power. He is jealous and wants better for himself. Brutus has been thinking about Caesar and the state of his countrymen, and at this point is ready to listen to Cassius. Although Brutus loves Caesar, he recognizes Caesars flaws. 4. Caesar clearly gives his thoughts about Cassius. What does he say? Caesar says that Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much and such men are dangerous. 5. Summarize Cascas explanation of why Caesar looked so sad. Antony offered Caesar a crown. When he refused it, the crowd cheered. So, although Caesar really wanted the crown, he at that point could not publicly accept it. Then he had a seizure. 6. At the end of Scene II in lines 312 326, Cassius makes plans. What plans does he make? Why? He is going to forge notes to Brutus from several citizens in order to help sway Brutus against Caesar. 7. Casca says, For I believe they are portentous things/Unto the climate that they point upon. What does he mean? He thinks the list of unnatural sights he has just told Cicero about are signs of the tragedy about to unfold in their country. 8. Why does Cassius want Brutus to join the conspiracy? Brutus is a favorite of the people. He is honorable and well-thought-of.

Through Love and War: The Korean War Story Essay -- Society Fashion Es

Through Love and War: The Korean War Story Freddie’s Market during the early 1950s would be the host of much gossip and change. The Corsica Cafà © would lend itself to long political debates and chats over coffee. Meanwhile, the Korean War would be blasting through the decade of the 1950s. The fashions, the fads, the prices, the music, the art, and the infamous Korean War tell the story of the decade we call the fabulous fifties. â€Å"I remember working at Freddie’s Market in Corsica, SD. I would sack candy, and do other sorts of jobs to earn a little money to live on. I recall that I made one hundred and fifty dollars a month, and worked every day for at least eight hours,† (â€Å"Van Zee†). This is a memory my grandma has shared about work throughout the 50s. She did not make a lot by our standards today, but it proves that people who lived during this period of time worked hard to make a living. Working in a supermarket was just one of the many ways people in a small town earned money to get by, while fighting a war overseas. Over the years, as with everything else, fashions changed. During the 1950s, women wore high heels and cotton dresses, while men wore knit pants and cotton tops. People made a lot of their own clothing and would make a lot for their children also. My grandma recalls making and wearing circular skirts, which form a circle when laid out flat (â€Å"Van Zee†) . Along with clothing, jewelry has also changed. During the 1950s it was common to see ladies wearing clip-on earrings if they did not have pierced ears. Nowadays, adults, as well as children, have pierced ears. This proves that technology and customs have changed throughout the years. Style not only changed in the clothing category, but it also changed in t... ...o see his son. Life would eventually return to normal although everything abnormal, like the war, would be forgotten. The fifties, a time of fads, fashions, and a forgotten war, will always stand out as a pivotal point in American history. The cars of the fifties rolled in and out of view, the inflation rates grew, and the minimum wage would be raised. Certain pieces of music would yet be passed on through time. Although one major event, The Korean War, would be considered forgotten, sandwiched in between the events of history. Works Cited Dowd, Alan W. (2000, September). As It Happened. The American Legion, 66-69. Sauter, Jack. (2000, September). Why Korea Was Forgotten. The America Legion, 8-11. Young, Steve. (2002, May 26). A Soldier’s Solemn Homecoming. The Argus Leader, pgs. 1A-4A. Van Zee, Mary Ann. (2004, March 17). Personal Interview.

Chaucers The General Prologue Essay -- Chaucer General Prologue Essay

Chaucer's The General Prologue Chaucer-the pilgrim starts out â€Å"The General Prologue† with detailed descriptions of each pilgrim as he views them. When Chaucer-the pilgrim arrives at the Pardoner, he becomes very focused on his physical appearance and what is seems to be missing. There is something odd about this Pardoner and Chaucer-the pilgrim can’t seem to grasp just what that is. He describes that the Pardoner is all on fire to do is job, just arriving from Rome (Bretful of pardon, come from Rome al hoot). However, his eagerness to Pardon those for God does not help his physical appearance in any respect. Chaucer-the pilgrim describes his voice as that of a high-pitched goat and points out that he has no facial hair and will presumably never have any, as his face is just as smooth as if he had recently shaved (A vois he hadde as small as hath a goot; / No beerd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have; / As smoothe it was as it were late yshave). Chaucer-the pilgrim is setting up in the reader’ s mind that of a prepubescent boy, yet as the reader knows there are no children on the jour...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Sending the Grades

COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN Advantages and Disadvantages of Sending the Grades of the Colegio de Dagupan Students to their Parents A research paper submitted to the faculty of School of Engineering In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the course in English Communication 2 Discipulo, Margie Lyn C. Espiritu, John Mark A. Fragata, Jessa C. Gapuz, Ervie R. . March Table of Contents CHAPTER I I. Introduction A. Background of the Study B. Objectives of the Study C. Statement of the Problem CHAPTER II II. Discussion A. Internet Findings B. Survey Findings C. Interview FindingsCHAPTER III III. Conclusion A. Summary B. Conclusion C. Recommendations Reference Appendix CHAPTER I Background Study Every educational institution is aiming to attain achievement through their various programs, projects and activities. They play the vital role in the implementation of new dimensions to realize visions for the brighter future. Our school serves to be our second home and our instructors which serves to b e our second parents. Students are sent to school by their parents but parents are not able to monitor their child’s in performance in school.The students have all their portals, but not all parents are informed about it or some don’t know the password of the account or maybe some are not computer literate. Nepo Mall has been built in front of Colegio de Dagupan which may create an influence on the academic performance and lifestyle of students. The world today is very different from yesterday. Students also changes. Now a days, many gadgets and technologies are coming out in the market. Students were not able to give more attention to their studies. Some parents are too busy to check their child’s performance in school even their child’s grade were not monitored.So as of this, the President of this institution implemented a new policy – it is to deliver a hard copy of every students grade in their home. In this concern, we seek if there is any adv antage or disadvantage of sending the grades of Colegio de Dagupan students to their parents. Objectives of the Study The study aim to answer the following questions: 1. To be able to identify if the new policy could help the parents monitor their child ? 2. Are the parents satisfied with the new policy ? 3. Is their any advantage or disadvantage for the students with the new policy? 4.Is the new policy well implemented ? 5. Did all students receive their grades through postal ? Statement of the Problem The study aim to determined if there are advantage or disadvantage of sending thegrades of Colegio de Dagupan students to their parents. And if the new policy is wellimplemented by the administration. CHAPTER 2 Discussion II. DISCUSSION A. Internet Findings COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN PORTAL The primary advantage is that an online. Portal can be setup to automatically grade responses and the primary disadvantage is that the best answer may not be the right answer. Local college has such a por tal and it’s great when test results are immediately posted for test-taker viewing. * Student portal it’s college online grade access for student in CDD. Advantage of writing our own is that we can make any kind of adjustments or new features on the fly. B. Survey Findings Table I. Percentage of correspondents according to school. School| Population| Percentage| SOHS| 10| 18. 18%| SOE| 10| 18. 18%| SIHM| 10| 18. 18%| SBA| 10| 18. 18%| SAS| 10| 18. 18%| SITE| 5| 9. 09%| Total| 55| 100%| Table I presents the number of correspondents from each school or department 10 out of 55 or 18. 8% from theSchool of Engineering(SOE), School of Health Sciences(SOHS), School of International Hotel and Management (SIHM),School of Business and Accountancy(SBA), School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and 5 or 9. 09% from School of Information Technology Education (SITE). Table II. Percentage of students who receive and don’t receive their grades. School| % who have receive their grades| % who haven’t receive their grades| SOHS| 60%| 40%| SOE| 80%| 20%| SIHM| 60%| 40%| SBA| 50%| 50%| SITE| 80%| 20%| SAS| 90%| 10%| Table II presents the percentage of students who was able to receive their grade from postal.Almost half of the SBA student’s were not able to receive the delivered grades. Table III. Percentage of students who agreed to add the postal fee to their tuition fee. School| Agree| Disagree| SOHS| 90%| 10%| SOE| 90%| 10%| SIHM| 50%| 50%| SBA| 70%| 30%| SITE| 40%| 60%| SAS| 30%| 70%| Table III shows how many student’s who agreed that postal fee would be added to the student’s tuition fee. Most of the students of SIHM, SITE and SAS are not in favour with this. Table IV. Percentage of students who says that postal sending of grades in Colegio de Dagupan. School| Disadvantage| Advantage|SOHS| 20%| 80%| SOE| 40%| 60%| SIHM| 30%| 70%| SBA| 40%| 60%| SITE| 40%| 60%| SAS| 30%| 70%| Table IV show about the comment of the students regarding th e advantage and disadvantage of sending the grades of the student’s to their parents. Table V. Percentage of student’s whom there parent’s are happy with their grades. School| Happy| Sad| Angry| No Comment| SOHS| 70%| | | 30%| SOE| 90%| | 10%| | SIHM| 60%| | 10%| 30%| SBA| 80%| | | 20%| SITE| 100%| | | | SAS| 90%| 10%| | | Table V shows the percentage of student whom their parents are happy, angry and sad with their grades. Table VI.Percentage of student who allow there parents to view their portals. School| Yes| No| SOHS| 10%| 90%| SOE| 20%| 80%| SIHM| 10%| 90%| SBA| 20%| 80%| SITE| 10%| 90%| SAS| 10%| 90%| Table VI presents the percentage of students who allow their parent’s to view their postal. Most of the student’s don’t allow their Table VII. Percentage of male and female correspondent in every school. School| No. of Males| % of Males| No. of Females| % of Females| SOHS| 5| 50%| 5| 50%| SOE| 5| 50%| 5| 50%| SIHM| 5| 50%| 5| 50%| SBA| 5 | 50%| 5| 50%| SITE| 2| 40%| 3| 60%| SAS| 5| 50%| 5| 50%| Table VII.Present the percentage of male and female correspondent in every school. Table VIII. Percentage of male who said postal fee is ok. School| No. of males| Agree| Disagree| % of male who agree| % of male who disagree| SOHS| 5| 4| 1| 80%| 20%| SOE| 5| 2| 3| 40%| 60%| SIHM| 5| 3| 2| 60%| 40%| SBA| 5| 3| 2| 60%| 40%| SITE| 2| 1| 1| 50%| 50%| SAS| 5| 1| 3| 66%| 34%| Table VIII represents the male who agreed that postal fee is ok to be added on student’s tuition fee. Table IX. Percentage of female who said postal fee is ok. School| No. of females| Agree| Disagree| % of females who agree| % of emales who disagree| SOHS| 5| 5| 0| 100%| 0%| SOE| 5| 5| 0| 100%| 0%| SIHM| 5| 2| 3| 40%| 60%| SBA| 5| 4| 1| 80%| 20%| SITE| 3| 1| 2| 33%| 67%| SAS| 5| 3| 2| 60%| 40%| Table IX represents the female who agreed that postal fee is ok to be added on their tuition fee. Table X. The Tally get from the Survey | 1. Did your parents rec ieive your grades? | | | Yes40| No15| | 2. Were you able to show your grades to your parents before you enroll| Yes9| No7| | 3. How did your parents reacted when they saw your grades| Happy45| Sad1| Angry No C2 7| 4.Do you agree that the postal fee is added to your tuition fee? Why? | Yes31| No24| | 5. Do you agree that your grades will be delivered in your home through postal? Why? | Yes43| No12| | 6. Is there any disadvantage for you in the new policy? | Yes26| None29| | Table 10 represent the tally made by the researcher from the survey they made. On the survey made by the researcher the following reasons are gathered: *Reasons why student don’t agree with the additional fee for Postal Fee 1. Because it wasn’t included in my discount 2. Addition fee meaning to say additioinal TF and additional expenses and additional problem. . Postal fee is useless. In fact grades were delivered late and in some no grades were delivered. *Reasons why student agree that Postal Fee c ould be added in the Tution Fee. 1. Because the money paid will be use in the payment of the postal fee that will be use in sending our grades ain our respective home. 2. Because my parents would know my performance in school. *Reasons why students agree that grades will be sent at home. 1. So that my parents will know my grades and performance in school. 2. So that we could have a second copy. *Reasons why students don’t agree that grades will be sent at home. 1.I don’t want to be scolded by my parents when they saw mygrades most specially when I have a failing grades. *Disadvantages of Sending the grades of student of CdD 1. My parents will know my grades specially when I have failing or low grade. *Advantages of Sending the grades of students of CdD 1. Our parents would be able to monitor their child’s performance in school. B. Interview Findings Based on our interviewee Mrs. Berhin R. Gapuz, agreed with the new policy implemented by the president of Colegio de Dagupan that second hard copy grades of the students of Colegio de Dagupan will be sent to their respective home.According to her, her daughter’s original grade slip was submitted to the office of Team Energy so its better to have a second copy. On the other hand, Nancy Espirirtu don’t agree with this. She emphasize that delivery of second copy of her son’s grade. In fact he could monitor his child’s performance through CdD Portal. And she could see his son’s original grade slip. She also said that parents should always monitor their child. Second copy is just a waste of money. Mrs. Rosemarie Discipulo also commented that she disagree that grades will be sent in their home. ven if postal fee is only 18 php ,that cost still matters. And in fact grades were not delivered on time. Mr. Romeo Fragata Jr. ’s opinion is that he agree with the policy . He said,† Its not that I don’t have trust on my daughter I also need to monitor he r performance in school. Chapter 3 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation This chapter presents the summary, conclusion and recommendations of the research â€Å" Advantage and Disadvantages of Sending the Grades of Colegio de Dagupan Student’s to their Parents ‘’. SummaryThe researchers conduct research, interview and survey to fulfil the study and to find out if the student or parents agree or disagree with the topic presented. Conclusion ————————————————- Based on the survey, 65 correspondents, 27 males and 28 females, almost 73% have receive their grades through postal. The remaining 27% was not able to receive their grades, but 60% of their parent’s view their grades before enrolling. Only 56% of the population agreed with the new policy that grades will be delivered at home. And only 16% of them let their parent’s view their portal. ———————————————— ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- RECOMMENDATION On the basis of the conclusions arrived at the researchers recommend the following. 1. The institutions should be alarmed with the implementation of the new policy. Grades should be delivered as early as possible for the parents to be informed. . As a student, you should your best shot to be make your parents happy with your grades. 3. Just continue the new policy for the parents to be informed with their child’s performance. Reference Survey Questionaire Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year and Course_________________________________________________________Gender_____________________ Date of Survey: ______________________________________________________________________________________ If no, do you show your parent your grades? Yes No .† 1.Did your parents receive your grades? Yes No If no, do you show your parent your grades? Yes No 2. Howdid your parentsreact when they saw your grades? Happy Sad Angry 3. Do you agree that the postal fee is added to your tuition fee? Why? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Joseph and Potiphars Wife essays

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife essays Joseph was his fathers favorite child and because of that, his brothers hated him. One day they ganged up on him and threw him into a pit. Midianite merchants came and found Joseph and lifted him out of the pit. They sold him for twenty pieces of silver to Ishmeelites who took Joseph into Egypt. Potiphar, who was an officer of Pharaohs and captain of Pharaohs guard bought Joseph as a slave. Thus, Potiphar became Josephs master or owner. Because Potiphar was captain of Pharaohs guard, it stands to reason that he was prosperous and well paid and thus, able to afford to buy a slave. The King James version of the Bible says Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him [Joseph] and that he made all that he did to prosper in his hand (Gen. 39:3). In other words, Potiphar is a perceptive individual. He sees that Joseph does everything well and has good judgment. Joseph, meanwhile, appears determined to make something good come from his situtation. He works hard and takes good care of Potiphars home and business. Because of his honest efforts, Potiphar gives him more and more control over his affairs. He made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand (Gen. 39:3). Potiphar trusts Joseph to do a good job and look after his interests. Joseph is such a gifted manager that Potiphar benefits more and more from Josephs presence. As the Bible puts it, ...from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field (Gen. 39:5). Thus, Potiphar must have felt very fortunate to have someone supervising his household so well. He didnt have to worry about anything because Joseph was taking care of everything. According to the story, he left ...

Tax Return Reviews by the Canada Revenue Agency

Tax Return Reviews by the Canada Revenue Agency Because the Canadian tax system is based on self-assessment, every year the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) conducts a series of reviews of the tax returns submitted to see what mistakes are being made and to ensure compliance with the Canadian income tax laws. The reviews help the CRA to correct areas of misunderstanding and to improve the guides and information they provide to the Canadian public. If your income tax return is selected for a review, it is not the same thing as a tax audit. How Tax Returns Are Chosen for Review Four main ways that a tax return is selected for a review are: randomlycomparing tax returns with other sources of information, such as tax information slipsthe type of tax credits or deduction claimedthe review history of an individual, for example, checking to ensure that an adjustment was made to a claim that was reviewed. It doesnt make any difference whether you file your tax return online or by mail. The process of review selection is the same. When Tax Reviews are Done Most Canadian income tax returns are initially processed without a manual review and a Notice of Assessment and tax refund (if appropriate) are sent as soon as possible. That usually is done about two to six weeks after the CRA receives the return. All tax returns are screened by the CRAs computer system, though, and a tax return may be selected for a review later. As pointed out by the CRA in the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide, all taxpayers are required by law to keep receipts and documents for at least six years in the case of review. Types of Tax Reviews The following types of reviews give an idea of when you could expect a tax review. Pre-assessment Review: These tax reviews are done before a Notice of Assessment is issued. The peak time frame is February to July.Processing Review (PR): These reviews are done after a Notice of Assessment is sent. The peak time is August to December.Matching Program: This program takes place after the Notice of Assessment has been sent. Information on tax returns is compared with information from other sources, such as T4s and other tax information slips. The peak period is from October to March. The Matching Program corrects the net income reported by individuals and corrects errors in a taxpayers RRSP deduction limit and spouse-related claims such as child-care expenses and provincial and territorial tax credits and deductions. The Matching Program also covers the Beneficial Client Adjustments initiative which identifies under-claimed credits relating to tax deducted at source or Canada Pension Plan contributions. The tax return is adjusted and a Notice of Reassessment is issued. Special Assessments: These tax reviews are done both before and after a Notice of Reassessment is issued. They identify both trends and individual situations of non-compliance. Requests for information are sent to the taxpayer. How to Respond to a CRA Tax Review In a tax review, the CRA first tries to verify the taxpayers claim using the information they have from third-party sources. If the agency needs more information, a CRA representative will contact the taxpayer by phone or in writing. When you respond to a CRA request, be sure to include the reference number found on the upper right corner of the letter. Answer within the time frame specified. Be sure to provide all documents and/or receipts requested. If all receipts or documents arent available, include a written explanation or call the number on the bottom of the letter with the explanation. If your tax return is being reviewed under the Processing Review (PR) Program, you may be able to send scanned documents online using the CRAs guidelines for submitting documents electronically. Questions or Disagreements? If you have questions or disagree with information received from a CRA tax review program, first call the phone number given in the letter you received. If you still dont agree after talking to the CRA, then you have the right to a formal review. See Complaints and Disputes for more information.

taliban essays

taliban essays Afghanistan followed the same fate as dozens of formerly Soviet-occupied countries after the collapse of Moscow's Marxist government in 1991. Islamic factions, which had united to expel the Russian occupiers in 1992, began to fight among themselves when it became apparent that post-communist coalition governments could not overcome the deep-rooted ethnic and religious differences of the members. It was in this atmosphere of economic strife and civil war that a fundamentalist band of religious students emerged victorious. By 1996, this group, the Taliban, ruled 90% of the country with a controversial holy iron hand. The other 10% of the country is tenaciously held by minority opposition groups led by president Rabbani and military commander Ahmed Shah Massoud and aided by foreign Taliban adversaries. This Northern Alliance shares critics' objections to the Taliban's extreme fundamentalist methods and especially scorns Pashtun ethnic chauvinism. Today only Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate ruling party. The United Nations still considers Massoud head of State, the US advocates a broad based government and others favor Rabbani, Zahir Shah, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or other opponents as rulers of Afghanistan. The Taliban claim to follow a pure, fundamentalist Islamic ideology, yet the oppression they perpetrate against women has no basis in Islam. Within Islam, women are allowed to earn and control their own money, and to participate in public life. The 55-member Organization of Islamic Conference has refused to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's official government. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, regarded by many as an ultraconservative, fundamentalist organization, has denounced the Taliban's decrees. Female employment and education is restricted or banned. Women must stay at home. If necessary, women who do leave the hou...

Research Project - Strategic Recommendations Paper

Project - Strategic Recommendations - Research Paper Example However, it is important to note that mergers and acquisition would badly affect the competitiveness of a business and produce other unintended outcomes if they are planned thoughtlessly. Modern business organizations take strategic initiatives from time to time to influence the industry forces in such a way to enhance their sales and profitability. This paper intends to give the Microsoft Corporation some strategic recommendations for their future performance in the light of the company analysis and industry analysis already performed in the previous papers. While going through the financial statements of the Microsoft Corporation over the recent years, it is clear that the company had achieved a considerable financial growth throughout 2012 and 2013 fiscal periods and the first half the of 2014 before it began to experience growth declines in second half of the 2014. Although the company is currently experiencing financial setbacks, it still performs better when compared to industry benchmarks. It is interesting to see that in the fiscal year ending 2014, Microsoft was the top leading player in the business software and services industry with a market capitalization of $347.51 billion when the total market capitalization of the industry was $5.728 trillion. Although the company’s cash ratio, current ratio, and quick ratio dropped notably in the recent years, the drop was still better than the industry benchmarks. When the firm’s gross profit margin has been decreasing since 2012, the operating profit margin and net profit margin improved during the period 2012-13 but later slightly dropped in 2014. According to the annual reports, Microsoft’s operating profit margin and net profit margin were 31% and 25.42% respectively in 2014. It is observed that these values were higher than the industry benchmarks at that time, justifying

Standardisation Of 0.02moldm-3 Potassium Permanganate Solution Using Lab Report

Standardisation Of 0.02moldm-3 Potassium Permanganate Solution Using Ferrous Ammonium Sulphate (Ammonium Iron (Ii) Sulphate) - Lab Report Example In this experiment, a base (Iron Ammonium Sulphate – FeSO4.(NH4)2SO4.6H2O Mr=392g/mole) will be added to 0.02moldm-3 Potassium Permanganate Solution. In this experiment Manganese reacts with Iron through a redox process by which electrons are transferred from one to the other. In this experiment, Mn goes from a +7 state (MN+7) to a +2 state (Mn+2) – i.e. each Mn+7 picks up 5 electrons – Mn is reduced. Fe goes from +2 (Fe+2) to +3 (Fe+3) i.e. each Fe+2 loses 1 electron – Fe is oxidized As a result the mole ratio in the reaction is Mn: Fe – 1:5 The point at which the reactants will have completely neutralized each other is the equivalence point. In this experiment, this will be determined by noting the color change of the reactants. Mn+7 are purple. When Fe2+ is added, redox reaction starts making the purple color to disappear due to formation of Mn2+ which is colorless. In the process, the Fe2+ is converted to Fe3+. This happens only when Fe2+ is present. When Fe2+ is used up (at endpoint) the solution will have a permanent pink tinge and this is the point where there is no further addition of permanganate.

Civil Rights Legislation and the Return of Status Essay

Civil Rights Legislation and the Return of Status - Essay Example These students would become known as the "Little Rock Nine."2 In 1960, students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter. Their mistreatment was televised to the nation and prompted reflection. Also in North Carolina, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was founded at Shaw University to give black students direction in the civil rights movement.3 1963 was an active year on the Civil Rights timeline. Martin Luther King was arrested and jailed. There, he wrote his famous "Letter From the Birmingham Jail," voicing the familiar argument that is was a moral duty to disobey unjust laws. In May, Birmingham officials unleashed fire hoses and police dogs on black protestors, once again televised for the world to see. The Lincoln Memorial was the congregation point of 200,000 who joined the March on Washington, where King spoke his "I Have a Dream" speech. Violence continued in the streets of Birmingham when four young girls were killed in an explosion at the Sixteenth Baptist Church, the location of several civil rights meetings.4 Progress came in the form of the 24th Amendment in 1964, which abolished a poll tax designed to block blacks fro

Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing Strategy - Essay Example 8), Hershey’s marketing strategy has been predicated on consistently superior product quality, intensive distribution and best possible value in terms of price and weight (p. 207). With a vision to continuously provide premium quality confectionary goods to its customers, Hershey became the market leader with a market share of 29%. Hershey’s selling and marketing organization is comprised of Hershey North America, Hershey international and global marketing groups. Hershey International markets its products worldwide and has responsibility for pursuing growth in other countries focusing mainly in Asian growing markets like India and China. The global marketing group is responsible for building global brands, developing transformational growth platforms, brand positioning and pricing strategies. Hershey has been approaching various methods in order to gain competitive advantages on its counterparts like MARS, Cadbury and Nestle. It has been operating business worldwide with various strategies that helped them to be strong in most markets like India. Taylor (1997) emphasized that Hershey had been using a range of strategies to penetrate the international confectionary markets and it had always relied heavily on direct exports to smaller markets and had participated in the processes of acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing agreements and strategic alliances of various kinds (p. 344). Acquisition of major market players has been considered to be an effective strategy in order to gain access in to global market. Accessing in to a global market like confectionary is extremely vulnerable, especially when the competition within the marketplace is fierce, the technological innovations put forward by companies are highly advanced and strategies are constantly fluctuating. But, through acquisition and mergers, the company can gain the advantages of easy access and effective marketing operations with the help of acquisitioned firms as they are well aware of the market

History113 - Research essay on the Great war Researching and Arguing Term Paper

History113 - Research essay on the Great war Researching and Arguing From an Idea - Term Paper Example Those people who win from any war are given more attention than even those who survive to give the accounts of what happened. This idea matters to others since they have to understand that war is not a game of losers or winners, but those who survive are the most important since they will live to give the testimony of what happened. This matter also matters to others since they have to change their mind on the conception they have about history and war, giving example of the Great War. The methodology that I will use in this paper is continuity and change. The Great War is also referred as the First World War. The war started in 1914 to 1918, and it was triggered by some greed for power by some European countries (Kenneth 2005). The nations which were involved in the war all had some interest since some were in support of their friend nations while others were in need of territory, great empire and wealth. During the war there was signing of some treaties between some countries where they had to support each other even in times of war. In this war, Russia, Britain and France were one side meaning they were allies and on the other side was Turkey, Australia and Germany. After some time, the war was uncontrollable and it spread out of Europe where the United States in 1917, had to intervene (Keynes 1973). The war began on the 28th of July 1914 when Australia which is also known as Hungary declared war on Serbia. Other countries joined in the war since they had signed some treaties to support each other in times of war. The worst thing of all is that six million people both innocent citizens and the armies lost their lives (Keegan 1980). For one, no one would want or wish what happened the period between 1914 and 1918 to be repeated. This is because; there is no one who enjoys when there is war. When there is war, there is no peace and most of people lose their lives and their properties. The other effect

Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing Strategy - Essay Example 8), Hershey’s marketing strategy has been predicated on consistently superior product quality, intensive distribution and best possible value in terms of price and weight (p. 207). With a vision to continuously provide premium quality confectionary goods to its customers, Hershey became the market leader with a market share of 29%. Hershey’s selling and marketing organization is comprised of Hershey North America, Hershey international and global marketing groups. Hershey International markets its products worldwide and has responsibility for pursuing growth in other countries focusing mainly in Asian growing markets like India and China. The global marketing group is responsible for building global brands, developing transformational growth platforms, brand positioning and pricing strategies. Hershey has been approaching various methods in order to gain competitive advantages on its counterparts like MARS, Cadbury and Nestle. It has been operating business worldwide with various strategies that helped them to be strong in most markets like India. Taylor (1997) emphasized that Hershey had been using a range of strategies to penetrate the international confectionary markets and it had always relied heavily on direct exports to smaller markets and had participated in the processes of acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing agreements and strategic alliances of various kinds (p. 344). Acquisition of major market players has been considered to be an effective strategy in order to gain access in to global market. Accessing in to a global market like confectionary is extremely vulnerable, especially when the competition within the marketplace is fierce, the technological innovations put forward by companies are highly advanced and strategies are constantly fluctuating. But, through acquisition and mergers, the company can gain the advantages of easy access and effective marketing operations with the help of acquisitioned firms as they are well aware of the market

Preserving illinois wetlands Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Preserving illinois wetlands - Essay Example The achievement of the measures will be put in to analysis together with how the goals and objectives of wetlands preservation in Illinois have been effective. Wetlands conservation is of international concern because they are transitional area between the open water and the dry land. They serve many function such recharging the ground and sea water, providing habitats to fish and other aquatic organisms, they also protect floods damage and improves water quality by purifying to reduce on chemicals and other harmful bodies. These benefits increase the need to preserve the wetlands. There has been establishment of Illinois Wetlands Conservation Strategy (IWCS) which is a comprehensive plan to guide the implementation and development the wetlands protection initiatives. The goal of the IWCS is to ensure there are no losses of wetlands or the functional value of wetlands is lost. Their objective is to develop and implement an ecosystem strategy that is directed towards protection, restoration and conservation of wetlands (Dunne & Knapp, 11-26). Agencies such Ducks unlimited introduced a method where it would purchase land from original owners to safe it from destruction. The government funds those agencies that work towards conservation of the wetlands which acts as a motivator to agencies to work towards such a course (Mitsch & Gosselink, 24-36). The measures have been effective in conservation of the wetlands. Ducks unlimited have registered success where it have bought the encroached land from their original owners and uses them as homes for ducks and other birds. IWSC have registered success in its implementation of the various policies which it has formulated to protect and conserve wetlands. The agencies have registered success in restoration of the wetlands where they have been able to buy land and plants trees and other plantations which will act as habitat for animals and birds. The government policy to fund agencies has

Is fundamental analysis redundant Essay Example for Free

Is fundamental analysis redundant Essay Introduction Shortly after the stock market crash in 1929, as the first batch of financial experts in the Great Wall, Benjamin Graham and David Dodd firstly mentioned the concept in a book called security analysis: Based on public information that intelligent investors are able to analyse securities and determine whether the current price of stocks and bonds is over or below their intrinsic value. The Critical thinking and strong logic make this theory become the foundation of nearly all investments theories in Wall Street. Warren Buffett, John Neff, Peter Lynch and other famous investors become the  best practitioners in fundamental analysis. This essay will firstly introduce the related theories of fundamental analysis. Secondly, the essay will explain free cash flow model to equity valuation and the qualitative and quantitative factors of fundamental analysis. Thirdly, choosing a particular company analyses the relationships between the leading financial ratios and its stock price. Finally, indicating why financial ratios and free cash flow model cannot explain Berkshire Hathaway cooperation’s stock price changed during global financial crisis. Theory Aasuumption Metholody Theory Fundamental analysis which is based on analyzing the intrinsic value of securities, focuses on factors affecting the stock price and its trend and lets investors determine what type of securities they choose to buy and when to buy. (Lee and Swaminathan 1999, 8 )The basic assumption of fundamental analysis is that value investors believe that the market price is determined by its intrinsic value and the stock price can reflect its intrinsic value in the long term. Cash flow model Fundamental analysts use cash flow model, dividend model to roughly estimate a company’s intrinsic value. They assume that the stock price of the intrinsic value is its present value of the stream of expected cash flows and the selected reference values are based on generating the cash flow data. For example, using free cash flow model to measure intrinsic value, investors firstly assume the observed company can increase at constant rate and then choose the reference value based on a constant growth rate (g)to estimate free cash flow the next 10 years. Secondly, they calculate the present value of the 10-year cash flow based on the constantly discounted rate (k). Secondly, they estimate the terminal value P10=free cash flow*(1+g)/(k-g) and calculate its present value. Thirdly, they get the present value of the company and calculate pre- share value: equity value/numbers of shares. Rational investors can make well-informed investment decisions according to the relationship betw een market price and intrinsic value. Qualitative factors On the company level, fundamental analysis focused on two factors: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have a dialectical relationship. Both analyses should join together to analysis and inspect on a particular company. Although qualitative analysis is used for physical areas, with the usage to tackle non-financial information, it can be widely useful in business and finance fields.(kesh and Raja 2005, 167) The qualitative analysis of the company level is concerned with products and services, competitive advantage, management efficiency, corporate culture. Advanced products can get increasing cash inflows and improve company value (Carter and Demissew 2008, 63) because booming demand for products and services can lead to a high reinvestment rate of the company, this creates additional wealth.( Madden 2007, 125) Competitive advantage can includes producing capacity and the efficiency of a company’s design and cost controlling better than the industry’s competitors. Generating a competitive advantage for a company will creates stakeholder value. (Vilanova, Lozano and Arenas 2009, 63) The improvement of management efficiency can lower operating costs and company culture can enhance corporate image, leading to improvement of company value. Quantitative factors The quantitative factors in fundamental analysis are based on a deep understanding of financial reports which is the process of identifying opportunities and threats from the company, so investors must be concerned with the balance sheet, cash flow statement and income statement analysis. Financial statements consist of all important historical information about the company’s operation management during a specific time period (quarterly, annually). All these information provide an overview of a company’s business activities and can help managers assess the company’s wellbeing. (Dayanandan 2010, 116) Financial statement Different users are interested in different areas of the financial statements. For example, investors and equity holders are concerned with  expected earnings and dividends of the observed companies. Company’s executives usually focus on the company’s capacity. Therefore, based on historical reports, different users can get valuable information about what they concentrate on. Financial statement analysis includes selected data from financial statements to predict the company’s financial health.( Hagos and Pal 2010, 441) Applying these data from financial reports, such as profitability ratio, liquidity ratio, management efficiency ratio, debt ratio, market performance ratio analyses year by year to determine whether to buy or sell observed companies. Based on analyzing financial statements, financial analysts are able to use profitability ratio, including gross margin, ROE to indicate how efficiently revenue is generated. The liquidity ratio such as current ratio, net working capital can be used to prove the firm’s ability to generate sufficient liquidity when needed and to meet short term obligations. For example, current ratio is an indicator as a rate of current assets to current liabilities. It measures the liquidity status of a company. With a higher current ratio over time, this company will be able to meet its current obligations and experience less financial risk.( Zaki, Bah and Rao 2011, 315) Table1 Sourced by Berkshire Year ROE Total asset turnover Debt/equity P/E P/B closed Price 2003 0.105 0.588 1.32 12.7 1.34 $84280 2004 0.085 0.394 1.20 18.8 1.6 $87900 2005 0.093 0.412 1.16 15.5 1.45 $88620 2006 0.102 0.397 1.27 12.5 1.27 $109990 Table 1 above shows the some figures provided by Berkshire corporation’s annual report from 2003 to 2006. During this period, the stock price has a significant increase from $67600 in Jan 2rd, 2003 to $109990 in Dec 1st, 2006. And from 2003 to 2006, Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s net worth is $13.6billion, $8.3billion, $5.6billion and 16.9billion respectively. Graph1: Berkshire Hathaway(BRK) Inc’s stock price between 2003 and 2006 Sourced by yahoo finance The increase of Net worth can indicate the stock price’s change during this period. The gain in net worth during 2003 was $13.6billion, which increased the per-share book value of its stock by 21% from $41727 to $50498. Because of good quarterly reports and an annual report, the stock price reflected the company’s performance, rising from $67600 to $89490. However, between 2004 and 2005, the gain in net worth increased $8.3billion and $5.6billion. Although in 2004 Berkshire’s book-value gain of 10.5% fell short of the index’s 10.9% return, the net worth fell from $13.6billion to $8.3billion, leading to fluctuation of the stock price during 2004. In 2005, the net worth fell to $5.6 billion because hurricane caused loss worth of $34billion. And in the stock market, the price fluctuated and even slightly increased. However, the price reflected the company’s performance. As a multi-business company, its main business-insurance company called GEICO improved its management efficiency at nearly 32% and warranty numbers increased by 26%. On the other hand, insurance float of BRK’s insurance company increased from 46 billion to 49 billion. Due to the capital cost rate of mostly 0% and improving competitiveness, its stock price rose sharply. Financial ratios (price to book ratio and earnings per share ratio) measure share price compared to earnings, book value per share and indicate whether the market overvalues, undervalues and appropriately values the firm’ shares. Managers use to assess investors’ perceptions of future prospects. Some investors invest in stock market based on analyzing financial statements. Table2 Table2 shows mainly the relationship between the book value and stock price. Financial analysts are willing to use book value to measure the stock price. From the table 2 above, the book value of the Berkshire Hathaway increases from $14426 in 1995to $70281 in 2006 and the companys stock movements, rising from $31900 in 1995 to $110050 in 2006. In addition to particular years, these two charts reflect clearly whether a short term or a long term, the trend of the book value and stock price is roughly the same. In the long term, the growth rate of the net worth is a useful indicator to justify intrinsic value. From 1995 to 2006, the net worth of Berkshire Hathaway’s  net worth increased from $5.3billion to $16.9billion, more than 3.18 times growth during the period. Stock price had increased 3.44 times with book value 4.87 times. Although 1n 1999, the net worth fell to 0.358billion, in the long term, this company still had a significant increase in its stock market performance . Analysts also can apply activity ratios such as total asset turnover ratio and average payment ratio period to measure management effectiveness in managing its assets and to determine whether the investment in particular asset categories is too high or too low and also find out the efficiency or speed in converting accounts to sales or cash. (Dayanandan 2010, 114)Debt ratios such as debt to equity ratio and debt ratio can indicate financial leverage and the apparent financial risk assumed by the firm’s equity holders. Application Dow Jones Graph2 Dow Jones industrial index Sourced by yahoo finance Graph2 shows the change of Dow Jones industrial index before, during and after global financial crisis. The global financial crisis started in 2007 because the burst of housing bubble caused credit crisis especially in the debt markets.( McCarthy, Solomonand Mihalekl 2012, 1277 ) the stock market highly violated between 2007 and 2009. For example, in United States, the stock market increased to the peak in October 2007 with the Dow Jones Industrial Average about 14,000. After that duration, the Dow Jones dropped sharply from 12,000 in August 2008 to 6,600 in March 2009. After 2009, there is significant increase until now, rising to 14,929. Company- Berkshire Hatchaways Berkshires core business for insurance business includes the property casualty reinsurance and special class insurance company. For the past 25 years, this company has increasingly strong capital and little debt, for shareholders to create the value of more than 25% growth on average every  year. Table 3 shows analysis ratios and stock price from 2006 to 2012. Table3 Year ROE Total asset turnover Debt/equity P/E P/B closed Price 2006 0.102 0.40 1.27 12.5 1.27 $109990 2007 0.109 0.43 1.24 13.8 1.51 $141600 2008 0.046 0.40 1.41 38.16 1.71 $96600 2009 0.059 0.38 1.19 18.1 1.11 $99200 2010 0.08 0.37 1.29 14.9 1.24 $120450 2011 0.06 0.37 1.32 19 1.18 $114755 2012 0.077 0.38 1.23 14 1.1 $133000 Sourced by Berkshire Graph3 Berkshire’s stock price between 2006 and 2012 Sourced by yahoo finance The gain in net worth during 2006 was $13.6billion, which increased the per-share book value of its stock by 18.4% to $109990. In 2007, the net worth is 12.3billion, which increased the per-share book value of its stock by 11% to $141600. However, in 2008, the stock price fell to $96600, and then there is an increasing trend from 2009 to 2012. Total assets turnover ratio Total assets turnover ratio measures the management efficiency of the firm in managing its total assets to generate sales. A high ratio suggests greater efficiency. Figures shown in table3, the total assets turnover ratio during global crisis had slight change between 0.37 and 0.40. However, the stock price changed sharply, so the stock price can not reflect the stability of this ratio. ROE indicates the rate of return realized by a firms shareholders on their investments and uses as an indicator for the company’s operation. Return on equity (ROE) Return on equity (ROE) is the best indicator to learn how much money a company is making for its investors and measurement of the company’s operations. (Dayanandan 2010, 117) However, ROE is also sensitive to leverage. Assuming that proceeds from debt financing can be invested at a return greater than the borrowing rate, ROE will increase with greater amounts of leverage. From 2007 to 2008, the debt to equity ratio increased by 13.7%, from 1.24 to 1.41. However, ROE rate fell sharply from 10.9% to 4.6%. Although ROE overreact to debt change, Berkshire’s fundamental did not change in 2008. Most of Berkshires business is affected by the economic significant downward in 2009. However, its manufacturing services and retail generated a lot of cash flow and continued to consolidate their market competitive advantage. Berkshires two most important businesses: business insurance and utilities also had a good growth rate. These businesses produced a large amount of business prof its in 2008. P/E ratio P/E ratio is a common approach used by security analysts. In practice, investors usually use expected P/E ratio for the following year and analyse whether the stock price is overvalued or undervalued on the basis. P/E ratio indicates that a stock of its P/E rate over 30 is more likely to be overpriced. The P/E ratio in 2007 and 2008 is 13.8 and 38 respectively and the stock price during the period time of 2007 and 2008 is $141600 and $96600. The change of stock price is overreact to the pre-share earnings. P/B ratio P/B ratio gives some idea of whether an investor is paying too much for what would be left if the company went bankrupt immediately. From 2006 to 2009, P/B ratio increased or decreased had no direct correspondence with the stock price. However, to most companies, the book value is always lower than the stock price. Because most companies have intangible assets such as brand name, specialized skillsï ¼Å'product pricing power. These factors can not reflect in the balance sheet, but the long term trend of the market value is similar with book value. It seems that when P/B ratio increases, the gap between book value and stock price increases. On the other hand, the gap shows investors are willing to hold the stock due to its intangible assets. Cash flow model All these financial ratios cannot explain what happened in 2008 and using cash flow model to estimate the stock price also cannot explain this situation. Because investors assume the company can increase at constant rate. Although they use long-term GDP growth rate to reduce the risk of assessing value, this growth rate cannot explain and predict what happened during the investing period. They also use CAPM to measure discounted rate given by the risk-free interest rate plus a risk premium. The formula is ki=Rf+(Rm-Rf)ÃŽ ²i. However, ÃŽ ²sometimes cannot estimate risk between the market and stock. For example, a company’s market value increases from 10billion t0 20billion is less than market value of the company from 10billion to 3billion. If the company still operate well, from the market side, the risk of buying a company of the market value of 20billion is less than buying the same company of its market value of 3billion. Conclusion Therefore, during global financial crisis, fundamental analysis was useless. It is clear that during some periods the stock price is overvalued or undervalued significantly from its intrinsic value, leading to highly volatility of market price. Any market volatility is considered as irrational performances, so these market valuations caused by behavioral finance which do not have impacts on the company’s assets valuations and  operations. (Adams, Armitage and FitzGerald 2012, 157). In the long term, the trend of the stock price is similar to the trend of its intrinsic value. On the other hand, in the short term, market price is influenced and fluctuated by political, economic, psychological factors, so market price is always undervalued or overvalued, but it is fluctuating around the intrinsic value. Some research show that sometimes earnings information cannot react to the stock market simultaneously and all the public financial information pose a gradual influence on the stock market for a while. During global financial crisis, the stock price sharply fluctuated because of financial behavior. Debt crisis caused by housing loan had a significant impact on people’s confidence. Trader’s low confidence let them make decisions irrationally. Reference list 1. Lee, C.M.C. and Swaminathan, B. 1999. Valuing the Dow: A bottom-up approach. Financial Analysts Journal 55 (5): 4-23. 2. Kesh, Someswar. and Raja, M. K. 2005. â€Å"Development of a qualitative reasoning model for financial forecasting.† Information Management Computer Security 13 (2): 167-179. 3. Carter, T. and Demissew, D.E. 2008. Value innovation management and discounted cash flow. Management Decision 46(1): 58-76. 4. Madden, B.J. 2007. Guidepost to Wealth Creation: Value-Relevant Track Records. Journal of Applied Finance 17 (2): 119-130. 5. Vilanova, M., Lozano, J.M. and Arenas, D. 2009. Exploring the Nature of the Relationship Between CSR and Competitiveness.Journal of Business Ethics 87: 57-69. 6. Dayanandan, R. 2010. Working Capital Management for Sustainable Cooperatives. Global Business and Management Research 2(1): 102-124. 7. Hagos, T.M. and Pal, G. 2010. The means of analysis and evaluation for corporate performances. Annales Universitatis Apulensis : Series Oeconomica 12 (1): 438-449. 8. Zaki, E., Bah, R. and Rao, A. 2011. Assessing probabilities of financial distress of banks in UAE. International Journal of Managerial Finance 7 (3): 304-320. 9. McCarthy, Mary., Solomon, P., and Mihalek, Paul. 2012. Financial Crisis During 2007 And 2008: Efficient Markets Or Human Behavior? Journal of Applied Business Research 28 (6): 1275-1281. 10. Adams, A., Armitage, S. and FitzGerald, A. 2012. An analysis of stock market volatility. Annals of Actuarial Science 6ï ¼Ë†1ï ¼â€°Ã¯ ¼Å¡153-170.

Fetus Is Not An Actual Person Philosophy Essay

Fetus Is Not An Actual Person Philosophy Essay Thomson believes that a mother possesses the right to request an abortion because it is her body while the fetus does not have the right to continue using the mothers body for survival since it depends on the mothers body for existence. However, Marquis contests that this notion of personhood is not morally central to the argument when compared to the value of the aspects of life that is deprived of a fetus when abortion is performed. Although it is more clear that Thomson is leaning towards pro-abortion, Marquiss argument is not that apparent and ends up addressing both sides. After a critical evaluation of both sides, I ultimately support Thomsons view that abortion is not considered murder if the fetus is not an actual person. Under the circumstances where a baby poses a threat to the mothers life, Thomson asserts in her overall argument that although it is not impartial for a third party alone to decide whether or not to abort a mothers pregnancy, it is permissible for a bystander to decline the order of a mother requesting an abortion. If the mother remains neutral and does not give her opinion on wanting an abortion or not, a third party may not make that choice for her since both the mother and the baby are innocent. For this reason we may feel that we bystanders cannot intervene (Thomson, 1971, p. 53). The woman and childs life is not threatened because of any fault they committed; rather it so unfortunately happens that both lives are in jeopardy. Since theyre equally innocent, a bystander does not have the right to determine who deserves to live more. On the other hand, if the mother asks for the bystander to abort her baby, the bystander goes from not having the right to choose to having the right to refuse this demand. Despite the fact that the mother has a right to declare what she wants done to her body since it is her body, the third party, as well, possesses the right to refuse to lay hands on people, even where it would be just and fair to do so (Thomson, 1971, p. 54). Similar to how the child and mother are equally innocent, the bystander and the mother are also equal but in terms of both being human and holding the same rights. Even though leaving the child in the womans body would likely result in the womans death, the third party cannot be held responsible for this loss of life if he simply cannot execute this abortion due to personal reasons. Not only is nothing requiring him that he must perform this act, but he also has a right as an individual to make his own decisions because he has control over his own life. However, this does not mean another person cant help carry out the abortion. Thomson argues that a bystanders freedom and right to refuse to lay hands on another person does not hinder the mothers chance to live, but instead leaves room for others to possibly want to intervene. While Thomson believes that a mother has the right to decide what she wants done to her body, Marquis argues that personhood is irrelevant to the ethics of abortion because killing anyone who has a potential future is wrong. Starting off with Thomson, she asserts that due to the fact that the mother has prior claim to her own body, she thus possesses the right to choose the outcome for her body. For whatever reason if she feels that an abortion would be best for her, no one has the right to tell her otherwise. They can refuse to perform the operation, but they cannot think and judge for the mother as to what is better for her body or her life. The mother is a fully-grown person with a functional body while the fetus is a clump of cells within that body. The mother has prior claim over her body because she has matured with it whereas a fetus does not have a body of its own yet and relies on living inside the mothers body to develop it. For this reason of dependence, the fetus does not have the right to use the mothers body as a means for survival especially since it is the mothers, not fetuss, body. Marquis deems this concept as personhood comparing the mothers notion of a person to the fetuss notion of a potential person. However, he does not think that the category of personhood is what determines abortion ethically wrong. Instead, it is the future of a standard fetus [that] includes a set of experiences, projects and activitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that [makes] abortion prima facie seriously morally wrong (Marquis, 1989, p. 31). Prima facie, in this case, refers to abortion being intuitively wrong. The value of a potential persons (fetus) future is so great that it is incommensurable. It is the sum of all there is to life and to deprive someone of that natural gift is wrong. Just because a fetus isnt physically a person yet doesnt mean that it wont possess the same future as a currently developed human being. If anything, the fetus wont even have the chance to prove that it has a valuable future if a mother decides to abort it. After critically evaluating both sides to the argument, I agree more with Thomsons view that a mother has the right to decide what she wants done to her body even if that means aborting the baby. Assuming that the mother wants an abortion, my central argument is that she holds the right to have this desire because its her own body. This assertion is similar to my previous summary of Thomsons overall argument except it disregards the notion of a third party. We, as human beings, exist throughout life by the physical body we possess. Our bodies grow and develop as we age and are a part of who we are so we have prior claim over it. Due to this responsibility we have over our bodies, we are then allowed to decide how we use it and ultimately, what the outcome of it would be. Thomson uses the metaphor of the mother owning the house or body in which the child is in. The fact that she does adds to the offensiveness of deducing that the mother can do nothing (Thomson, 1971, p. 53). It is ins ulting and wrong to tell a woman that she cannot do what she wishes to her body when in fact, it is her body and her own life. The mother has a special relationship with the fetus that no one else can have. Who are we, as human beings, to tell another equal human being that they cannot go through with abortion when its not even our own child? However, Marquis argues that it doesnt matter whose body or child it is, abortion is wrong because it deprivesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦what [the fetus] would come to value (Marquis, 1989, p. 29). It is true that removing the ability to live also takes away the potential value of a fetuss future, but nevertheless, that is the mothers decision. Im sure its already hard enough for the mother to weigh the costs and benefits of wanting an abortion, so we should leave the decision up to the womans moral conscience. Her body, not anyone elses, is the means to which this fetus is even existing so she has the right to stop providing that life support whenever she pleases regardless of how much potential value that fetus can experience when it grows into an adult. The possibility of a future-like-ours is not strong enough to strip away the mothers right and control over her own body because the fetuss value is uncertain. However, an objection to this argument would be that allowing the mother to decide to abort her baby is murder. Marquis agrees with this opposition because a fetus is biologically human and it is wrong to kill beings who are biologically human (Marquis, 1989, p. 30). Containing human tissues and DNA, the fetus possesses genetic attributes that constitute it as biologically human. Given that Marquis does not address the physical qualities of the fetus, it is implied that bodily features do no hinder the scientific fact that a fetus is biologically human. Although at first sight, the fetus looks very different from a fully grown person, its early stages of life are still part of the process of becoming a human being so Marquis considers that killing a fetus is the same is murdering a human being. Using Thomsons argument of a right to life as a basis, I think otherwise. The fact that the fetus is already relying on the mothers body for its existence is natural since being pregnant invol ves carrying a potential child around. Yet, this does not mean that the fetus has a right to continue to use the mothers body in order to live. Nobody has a right to use your [body] unless you give him such a right (Thomson, 1971, p. 55). It is a privilege, if not, gift for the fetus to already be making use of the mothers body, with her consent, before she comes to a decision whether or not she wants to keep the baby. Conversely, once the mother reaches a conclusion that she wants an abortion, thereby meaning that she doesnt want to give the fetus a right to use her body, she has every right to do so. Its not murder if the fetus was the mothers own creation and she has the authority and right to decide what she wants to do with that creation. A rebuttal to this argument is that abortion cant really be murder if the fetus is not an actual person, but just a clump of cells. [The] fetus is not a person, but only a bit of tissue that will become a person at birth; and why pay out more arguments than you have to? (Thomson, 1971, p. 48). Just from the last question, it is already evident that Thomson advocates the notion that the fetus isnt a person even though she does not elaborate on why for arguments sake. I would like to elaborate based on my reasoning that this claim is true if we apply it to any scenario. Thomson uses another analogy regarding an acorn is not an oak tree just like a newly fertilized ovum is not a person. An egg is not a chicken and so forth. Yes, the clump of cells has the potential to be a full-grown person, but we cannot live in the future when the present hasnt been decided on yet. Presently speaking, we are not murdering a person, we are simply killing the potential of the fetus to become one. Howeve r, Marquis argues that this potential is vital to the process of life and eliminating that is deliberately terminating or murdering a human. Once again, the concept of a future-like-ours comes into play. He states that that the greatest loss in a persons life is the loss of life. The loss of ones life deprives one of all the experiences, activities, and enjoyments that would otherwise have constituted ones future (Marquis, 1989, p. 29). Although the fetus cannot value all these opportunities, it will value them in the future as it is born and grows older. I can agree that life itself is the greatest gift of all, but I have to reiterate the fact that the future cannot define the present. If someone is not capable of experiencing what life has to offer, it is unfortunate but not considered murder for the owner (mother) of that person (fetus) to want to take away what is rightfully hers, which is the babys future. Also, abortion is made legal by law with the Roe vs. Wade case. Since mu rder is illegal in the United States, how can abortion be considered murder if it is declared legal by the government? Abortion should not be considered murder not only because a fetus is not an actual person, but also due to the fact that the law permits this operation. Although Thomson and Marquis both make convincing cases, I ultimately agree more with Thomson on the mother having the right to request an abortion because it is her body. My central argument revolves around Thomsons notion that the motion has prior claim over her body, which allows her to decide what she wants to do with it and I declare that Marquiss defense of the wrongness of taking away a fetuss potential for a valuable future is nevertheless still up to the mother because she created the fetus. I then provided an objection to this argument by stating that regardless of whose body it is, abortion is considered murder supported by Marquiss belief that the fetus is biologically human which makes killing it the same as murdering a human being. However, I dismissed this account by using Thomsons argument and saying that its already a privilege for the fetus to be in the mothers body as a means for survival, so aborting it would not be murder if the mother previously allowed the baby to use or occupy her body. Finally, my rebuttal to this is that abortion cannot be murder if the fetus is not an actual human being, but just a clump of cells. This opinion rests on Thomsons view that the possibility of being human is not to be mistaken for the reality of the situation, which is that the fetus is currently just an embryo. I rejected Marquiss idea that this potential encompasses all that life has to offer and depriving it would be murdering because of the absurdity that abortion is deemed murder when the state of law rules it legal.

The Misfit in A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essay -- Flannery OConnor

Misfit or Savior Should The Misfit be perceived as an evil, psychotic hoodlum as portrayed in the story, or does he save us from hearing any more religious rhetoric from the grandmother? â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† repeatedly preaches morality while giving readers the illusion that the Misfit is possibly a dark angel, in fact, the Misfit simply kills the family in order to prevent the family from giving away his route of escape. Ultimately, the act of saving one’s own life by killing cannot be judged as being wrong, the Misfit saves himself along with his supposed criminal counterparts, Bobby Lee and Hiram. The story provides no evidence or background on what crimes the Misfit and his gang have committed, therefore, the reader must not view them as being heartless animals. This essay will attempt to persuade the reader to understand the motives of the Misfit, hopefully depict him as a savior for ending the grandmother’s religious jargon, and disprove that he resembled any religious character. The Misfit is described in the story as a violent, hard-core criminal with an imbalanced mind unfit for society, a local newspaper reports that the Misfit has escaped the federal penitentiary and is believed to be extremely dangerous. â€Å"Here this fellow calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (249). The criminal justice system of the 1950’s can be described as very impartial and flawed, the story doesn’t tell the reader what crime was committed, but it does imply that the Misfit may have... ... be imagined if someone is deeply religious, and cannot simply see that the Misfit kills the grandmother because she lacks tact and to ensure his escape is successful. Although readers can assume so many symbolic coincidences throughout the story, we must face reality, symbolism doesn’t prove the existence of supernatural powers among us. The Misfit’s actions came from his motivation to survive his escape to freedom, while ending the life of a woman with ancient views of the world. Despite the grandmother’s cries for her own salvation, the absence of any supernatural being is revealed in the story. The world can look at the Misfit as a savior when it comes to eliminating a racist as well. Works Cited O?Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York. HarperCollins, 1991. 907-917.

Split Identity and Change in F. Scott Fitzgeralds Babylon Revisited :: Babylon Revisited Essays

Split Identity and Change in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," there are several major themes that are prevalent throughout the story. One of these themes is that of split identity the other is the sense of solidity and change. Both of these themes are something most readers can identify with. Fitzgerald also makes the reader sympathize with the protagonist Charlie Wales. Throughout the story the reader must decide whether Charlie is reformed or whether he is indeed "the old Wales" (10). Some readers may empathize with Charlie, as I did the first time I read "Babylon Revisited." Although, after I reread the piece I began to feel differently about "poor" Charlie, and came to the realization that he may not be what he appears to be at all. The protagonist Charlie Wales is on the brink of rectifying his life. The first time I read this short story I had great pity for poor, poor Charlie Wales. On the surface it looks as though Charlie continues to be the brunt of bad luck. He looks like a man trying to resolve his past who just so happens to hit some complications. On this level I empathize with Charlie, but, after examining the story a bit further I began to question my previous thoughts. I questioned whether Charlie was consciously or possibly subconsciously sabotaging his opportunity to get his daughter, Honoria back before she is tainted for life. It is evident that Wales is not merely a man with very bad luck, but, in fact creating his own luck. The first time this is apparent is in the beginning of the story when Charlie left Lincoln and Marion Peter's address for Duncan, an old party buddy (6). If Charlie really wanted to turn his life around, he would not have taken such an action. The reason why he does is simp le; Wales is a creature of habit. It is obvious that Charlie has not reformed because he is still torn between his previous life and his present one. One of the major themes that tie in with this is that of Charlie's split identity. There are many times in the story where the reader can see that Charlie is having a hard time staying away from his past. This is evident from the first paragraph where Charlie begins to ask about all of his old party friends (6).

Natural Law jurisprudence automatically lends

Natural law has become quite diverse foci for theories concerning human conduct, not only placing diverse requirements on the theorist, but requirements which appear to be at cross purposes. Natural law can be kept for an important, but narrow problem: the enunciation of some basic human goods or needs that any system of positive law should respect, promote, or in any case protect (William Blackstone, 1979). Theorizing concerning natural law and virtue, therefore, can be sharply famed for reasons. On the whole, for the reason of the demise of the older teleological view of nature that allowed theorists like Aquinas to correlate the analogous meanings of law and nature around the matter of natural inclinations. These inclinations, on Aquinas' view, are the soil for both virtues and the first principle of the natural law. The reason of law as well as the nurturing of the habits takes their bearing from a pre-given teleological order. Aquinas comes as near as he ever comes to a description of law in the claim that ‘Law is nothing else than an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has the care of the community, and promulgated' (Thomas Aquinas, 1988). This general definition is followed by a peculiarity between the three kinds of law–eternal, natural, and human. Now, it might seem that on its own Aquinas's categorization as applied to the specific case of human law would produce an essentially positivistic view of human law. We can obviously understand God as having care of the ideal community, and as propagating ordinances of reason for the common good of that community. We can make sense of the thought (even if we reject it) that ‘Nature' likewise works for the ‘common good' of only ‘natural' things, a standard teleological theory of biology might assert something like that. But, it can be said, the obvious way to understand the description in the case of human law is in terms of a ruler, or whoever is designated as lawmaker by the rule of respect, promulgating laws in terms of the lawmaker's discernment of the good of the community. As Aquinas said, â€Å"Human laws should be proportionate to the common good† (Thomas Aquinas, 1988, Q. 96 A. 1). ‘Nature' designates not simply the quiddities of things, the formal cause that which makes a thing what it is but more significantly the finality governing completions. Right reason, on the conventional teleological view of natural law, cannot mean simply judgment agreed with natural values, but judgment in accord with what completes these values. As the older teleological theories allowed natural law analysis to play both roles–to expound the goods embedded in human actions as well as their completions-the modern denunciation of teleological thinking guarantees that a natural law principle of recta ratio should restrict itself to discourse concerning natural goods or values (Joel Feinberg, 1986). Natural law theory in its traditional form was entwined with the realist metaphysics of customary natural philosophy. It sought to give a kind of correspondence to the real that would explicate what makes moral sentences true. The idea seemed reasonable so long as natural philosophy conceived of the universe in a moralized, teleological fashion. But while the teleological cosmos gave way to the distant and infinite universe of modern science, scientific and ethical realism leaned to break apart, and ethical theorists disposed toward realism had to work hard at finding something properly real and natural for moral sentences to correspond to. In this context, scientific realists frequently looked upon their ethical counterparts with distrust, and diverse forms of anti-realism were anticipated for ethics. The new plausibility of anti-realism in ethical theory resultant from the sense that the world, as presently understood, was capable to do something for scientific sentences that it was incapable to do for moral sentences that is, make them true. Several theorists decided that something less cosmological, something having to do with human nature or realistic reason or collective inter subjectivity, would have to be substituted for the customary correspondence relation if the idea of moral truth was to be retained. Some of the resultant programmes, called themselves natural law theories, but they were hardly of the traditional kind. Ethical anti-realists including both scientific realists and empiricists–began arguing with one another over whether the idea of moral truth must be redefined or dropped altogether. There arose new forms of ethical pragmatism (such as intuitionism, utilitarianism, and value theory) to start the third side of the triangular debate. Meanwhile, traditional natural law theory became ever more nostalgic in tone and idealistic in performance. It was treated more and more frivolously by the anti-realist opposition as an exemplification of some moderately obvious fallacy and by its realist successors as an appealing relic from a pre-scientific age. It is high time for moral philosophy to reorganize its relation to the philosophy of science. If Fine (an imminent philosopher)and others like him have appropriately diagnosed the debates over fact endemic to the latter, and the recognizable philosophical pictures of science deserve rejection, then those pictures can no longer give out as fixed points of assessment and contrast for the analysis of moral discourse. Doubts of the form, ‘But what could there be for moral sentences to correspond to?' and ‘What would it be to examine that murder is wrong?' lose an implication they once had. If philosophers of science follow Fine's advice and stop asking the issue of what sort of relation to a special something makes a set sentence true, the old reasons for wondering what on earth (or in heaven) could make a moral sentence true will disintegrate. And in their absence, the normal language user's disposition to say ‘It's true that murder is wrong' will seem entirely in order–which is to say, neither metaphysically tainted by philosophical pragmatism nor in require of being taken at something other than face value. The natural ontological attitude is to take science and its feature uses of ‘true' at face value, without the overlie of philosophical interpretation provided by something grander than evocative anthropology. This attitude promises to fall apart the triangular debate in which natural law theory participates and to reinstate moral discourse to respectability. The threat of adverse contrasts with science disappears–and together with it the rationale for viewing natural law theory as a courtly knight defending the honor of morality against its profligate modern detractors. Indeed, the line of demarcation between science and ethics begins to disappear. Thus the natural ontological attitude is fundamentally at odds with the temperament that looks for explicit boundaries demarcating science from pseudoscience, or that is liable to award the title â€Å"scientific† like a blue ribbon on a prize goat' (Arthur Fine, 1986). While Fine's attitude is applied to ethics, it leans not only to restore one's confidence in moral truth but also to recuperate the thought that moral and scientific truth are inseparably entwined. Not as the teleological cosmos has been reconstituted. One reason is that when we try to abstain from big pictures and instead try to make sense of science in the grained way, it will become not viable to avoid evaluating the human purposes, virtues, communities, and social consequences that form in the stories of scientific endeavors. Another reason is that it once all over again becomes natural to divulge that moral truths depend (though not in the systemic and deductive way natural lawyers have at times claimed) on what the world and human beings are indeed like. If it were not true, for example, that members of our species have a inclination to bleed and experience pain when cut, definite acts that is cruel and ferocious would not be. If firing nuclear missiles caused no more damage than a large grenade, numerous sentences belonging to the ethics of war would change truth values. Counterfactuals like these conserve what is worth saving from the natural law principle of the ordo quem ratio non-facit (Russell Hittinger, 1889). Thus, we can say that natural law jurisprudence routinely lends itself to the teleological approach as it relies considerably on institutional moral reasoning. Moral reasoning is concerning the evaluation and development of existing institutions requires that we recognize the goals the institutions are to serve. Institutions are human creations that must to serve human purposes, and they can be made more effectual in serving those purposes by changes that human beings can make (Martin Dixon & Robert McCorquodale, 1986). Though institutions usually are not formed deliberately, once we assume to evaluate them morally we come to consider them as if they were relics designed to achieve certain goals. To the degree that moral reasoning concerning institutions is guided by the goals the institutions in question are to provide, institutional reasoning may be called teleological. For instance, we appraise institutions of criminal justice in part by seeing how well they attain the goal of deterrence. But to say that a goal of the criminal justice system is anticipation is hardly informative unless we know what kind of behavior we are trying to deter. At least for generally liberal theories, the goal of protecting individual rights plays a main role in determining what kind of behavior to try to deter. So underlining that institutional reasoning should be teleological in the sense of being concerned with goals is not contrary with taking rights seriously. Natural law takes rights fatally is therefore teleological in the sense that it regards the protection of rights as placing restrictions on efforts to exploit the achievement of even the most commendable goals (Martin Dixon , 1993). The natural law of an existing or proposed institution needs evaluating the rules that partly comprise the institution (DJ Harris, 1991). These rules set patterns of behavior to be followed by many individuals as they interrelate over time. To find out whether the institution is in fact supporting the achievement of its goals, it is therefore essential to consider both the collective effects of large numbers of people acting on a particular rule and the interactions of the cumulative effects of conformity with the other rules the institution includes. For this reason natural law needs attention to incentives. Certain combination of rules, each of which can seem appropriate when measured in isolation, may create incentives that prevent institutional goals. At a minimum, rules must not be self-defeating in this way. Rules that give incentives that are not only consistent with, but actually promote, behavior that puts in to the attainment of institutional goals are preferable to those that do not, other things being one and the same. References:Arthur Fine, The Shaky Game: Einstein, Realism and the Quantum Theory ( Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986)DJ Harris, Cases and Materials on International Law Fourth Edition, (London: Sweet and Maxwell, 1991).Joel Feinberg, Harm to Self (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986), pp. 87–94Martin Dixon & Robert McCorquodale, Cases and Materials on International Law (4th ed., Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press/Blackstone Press, 2003).Martin Dixon, Textbook on International Law, 2nd ed. (London: Blackstone Press, 1993).Russell Hittinger, â€Å"‘Varieties of Minimalist Natural Law'†, American Journal of Jurisprudence, 34 (1989).Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1979).Thomas Aquinas, On Law, Morality and Politics (Indianapolis, 1988), Q. 90 A. 4.

I Miss your Beauty and Vibes Essay

â€Å"A Mixed Tex-Cal marriage,† an article written by the author Jose Burciaga, Texan, tells us about his new life after getting married to a Californian woman, Cecilia. At first, the author tells that he thought that he and his wife have common ideas and beliefs because they were both Chicanos. Then, he shows that he was surprised when he noticed the different customs and ideas he and his wife have because they were from different grounds. They lived for a couple of years in Washington, DC and Alexandra, Virginia, then, they settled in California near the beaches and the soft weather. The writer argues that Texas Chicanos are more attached with their traditions than Californian Chicanos who show more Americanization. After some years, he grew to like California food and drink, but still missed the weather and the smell of Texas. From Burciaga s’ article, I can understand what he went through to get used to Californian traditions. Like him, I also miss my native land. Despite the beauty and extra opportunities in Chicago, my heart still aches for Oran. Oran is a wonderful city located in the northwest of Algeria, known for its beautiful beaches and food. Chicago to me is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its beautiful tall buildings, green spices. However, Burciaga was satisfied with the weather of California, like he says,† I am totally spoiled and laid-back in Northern Califias†, In contrast it was hard for me in getting used to the cold weather of Chicago. In fact, the difference between Oran and Chicago is evident in weather, beauty, movement and food. First, the weather of Oran is often beautiful and mild. In autumn, when we are on our way to school, the wind blows softly and rapidly as if its spirit is pushing me to be on time. When going back home at 12 pm for lunch the weather is warm, the sun sparkles, the birds sing, we’d think spring has already come. However, most of the autumn nights were horrible because the wind blew strongly; it sounds like bad spirits are trying to unlock the windows. By the winter the rain fell mostly at night, the buildings seem freshly washed and the roads are already dried in the mornings but the weather is cold. Stepping to March, the gardens and forests become green and full of flowers. Once May is over, the summer is already there. The weather is warm but not stifling and the sea at the beaches is sparkling and full of life with many swimmers. This is in contrast to Chicago where the weather is often unacceptable. In the winter, when I am outside, I am afraid that I will lose feeling in my legs when the freezing sensation emerges from the soft snow. Autumn in Chicago is a lovely, pale, orange view with the golden leaves covering the streets. It is disappointing when most of springy days are cloudy and rainy. Fortunately, we can see the mild warm weather during summer in Chicago. Second, Oran is a small, pretty city full of life. From a distance you can see the long green balcony along the city center next to the short pretty buildings engraved from top to bottom. Going through the city center, cafes are already full and active at 9 am and the roads are busy with the noisy cars. I lived in Bir El Djir, a quiet neighborhood 28 Km far from the city center. Bir El Dgir is a luxury neighborhood full of villas. From the window of our kitchen, I could see our beautiful garden and our neighbors’ gardens too, I could also overhear their conversations and shouting. I felt always happy and full of life in this lively environment. It is quite different in Chicago, a big wonderful city with more stillness. Downtown Chicago is a wide stretch of tall buildings, we notice any clutter or cracks in the roads, every building and road is shiny and neat, the luxurious clothes and furniture are apparent from the stores’ wide show cases. Tourists hang their shopping bags; they seem fascinated by the beauty of Chicago. Third,Oran is a city of Haute Cuisine. Along all the big avenues of Oran, the savory sweet smell of pastry travels from the bakeries. Approaching a bakery, our eyes are stunned with the colorful cookies. In front of the showcase, we can’t choose between the attractive pieces of pastry. I remember one of the soft chocolate pastries I once picked, covered with frothy cream; as much as I describe it can tell how it really tastes. Unlike Chicago, the land of immigration, where restaurants offer many food traditions. For example, I have been once in Us’mania , an Indian restaurant, where I tasted Biryani, a tasty spicy rice with chicken. Also, we go often to Pita Inn, a Lebanese restaurant where we like to order Shawarma, a thin long piece of grilled chicken, salad and tomato twisted in a thin bred. I am glad to discover many foreign traditions; I feel that I have visited many countries. In conclusion, Chicago is very cold in the winter, but I appreciate the magical time of snow falling. When skating in the ice rink, I feel like flying in the air. Downtown Chicago, is a magnificent place that i dream to visit every day; however, I always think about the lively activity of Oran and miss the savory pizza and dishes.

Business Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Idea - Essay Example The umbrellas can be delivered at a client’s convenience upon request. The clients will be provided with our business cards so that they may refer their friends to our services and also ensure that they make request of our services. The average cost of an umbrella in UK is 20 pounds. We plan to allocate 300 pounds to purchase approximately 15 umbrellas for the start of the business. The remaining 200 pounds will be used to cater for the product of business cards and process the operational license of the business. The The unique selling point of this business is based on the fact that the umbrellas can be delivered upon request by the client. Therefore, a client does not have to under any challenge in case the rain begins falling and they do not have an umbrella. Additionally, the prices will also be relatively available. We expect to sell the umbrella at an affordable price that will favor our clients and the continuity of our business. Owing to the fact that the region experiences frequent rainfall, this business idea is strategic, targeting clients that may be faced by mobility challenges due to frequent rain. The umbrellas are also good quality; our clients will be assured of durability of their umbrellas: We intend to research and determine the most affordable and high quality umbrellas that we will take at wholesale prices to ensure that we reduce operational costs. The business targets International students in the college, specifically Russian and Chinese students, who are still not aware of the rainfall pattern of the area. In addition, it also targets local students and lecturers, who may be in need of umbrellas to improve their mobility during the rains. On the other hand, the business targets support staff within the college and other people such as visiting parents and others. These targets are believed to be lucrative for this business owing

A Visit of Charity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Visit of Charity - Research Paper Example She presents herself as a campfire girl whose main aim of the trip was to earn three points (Welty 216). In her trip, she carries along a potted plant which she takes to the nursing home. During her visit, she was quite surprised by the behavior of the old women that she met. The short visit to the home was quite a challenge to her that she even felt like fleeing from this bizarre location. This was mainly because of the behavior of the two women that she met in the nursing home. In the narrative, the writer, Eudora Welty presents concerns of selfishness and heartlessness among other behaviors in an ironic tone. This paper will discuss the short narrative, A Visit of Charity. This narration is largely centered on Marian; a 14-year old girl, who once visited an elderly nursing home. The setting of the narration is presented as a beaten block, and it revealed the winter sun like a block of ice (Welty 216). It is redecorated by spiky dark hedge plants. These scenarios imply the lack of warmth and affection from a society towards the isolated elderly citizens in the nursing home. Marian is the central character of the story. The aim of her visit was to earn a minimum of three points in her score. After speaking with the nurse at the main desk, she was taken to a room where she met two elderly women. She was shocked by their behaviors. This included the sheep bleating noise that was made often by one of elderly women in that room. These strange happenings scared the girl, almost making her flee the area. She had carried flowers in a pot which the nurse referred to as multiflora cineraria (Welty 216). Soon afterwards, the flowers were taken away from Marian by one of the old women in the room. The two women in the room started pointing out their thoughts about the potted plant after snatching it from Marian. She then sits back and listens to the two old women argue senselessly. One of the women claimed that the flowers belonging to Marian were