Thursday, October 31, 2019

Using Economic Theories to Analysis Apple Inc Essay

Using Economic Theories to Analysis Apple Inc - Essay Example The behavioural process of consumers, suppliers and other business stakeholders of a firm can be thoroughly assessed with the help of appropriate economic theories (Heracleous, 2013). This report aims to interpret commercial success and failure of the famous multinational company of Apple Inc. For making the analysis, the researcher will use theories of economics such as, that of demand and supply, consumer behaviour, absolute advantage, rational choice and market structure (Hutt and Speh, 2013). It is highly rational to conduct this type of a research because the researcher will finally provide specific recommendations based on the analysis, that will help the company rectify few of the business problems. Apple Inc. is a publicly traded company founded in 1976, situated in California. The company engages in providing computer hardware and software products. Popular products of the company comprise iMac, iPhone, iPad, iOperating system and iTunes. At present, the company headquarters is located at Cupertino, California in the United States. The company conducts operations in almost all world economies. The organization was founded by three proficient business leaders, namely Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Woznaik (Apple Inc., 2012). It was estimated that in 2010, the organization owned over 425 retail stores across different marketplaces. The company provides services through both online and offline selling means. In 2012, the net income of Apple Inc. was estimated as US $ 41.733 billion, but in 2013, it was astonishing to note that income of the company had declined to US $ 37.037 billion (Hutt and Speh, 2013). However, the organization experiences huge scale and scope of trade a nd recruits over 80000 skilled workforce around the world. Though the net income or profit is falling, yet the company appears to experience increasing revenue. The revenue of Apple Inc. in 2012 was US$ 156.508 billion, which had increased to US $ 179.91 billion in 2013 (Apple

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

History of architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

History of architecture - Essay Example The plans did not contain all the elements in the actual buildings, which were requisite of the architectural drawings. The separation between technology and architecture was achieved by the gross structure and physical plants of the sectional drawings. This implies that architecture focused on the structure of a construction while technology handled the rest of the physical plant. The modern practice combines all the technological and structural requirements of buildings by including every aspect in the plans (Banham 14). I think ancient architectural designs were just concentrated on the complete finishing of buildings. This gave the engineers the freedom to add new concepts pertaining to the preference of the home owners. The article indicates that some of the olden features of a building were not included in the plans, but revealed the skills of the builders. This implies that the principles guiding modernists did not apply then and this was risky to the welfare of the home owners. It is evident that the article highlights the milestones that architectural works have surpassed to give modern designs and inspirations (Banham 16). The article also gives examples of ancient architects who inspired designs and plans that contributed to the developments in the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Criticism of Action Research

Criticism of Action Research The use of action research in higher education is growing (Mertler, 2006). Action research involves a systematic inquiry wherein educators can utilize their knowledge as practitioners to change and improve educational practices (Kemmis, 2009; Craig, 2009). By systematically and intentionally studying problems within the educational community, they not only contribute to knowledge production but to meaningful reforms as well. Action research is defined as a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a community of practice to improve the way they address issues and solve problems (Riel, 2010). The aim of action research is to understand practice and to articulate a philosophy of practice which improves practice (McCutcheon Jung, as cited in Herr, Anderson, Herr, 2005). As a research design, action research is relatively new. Despite its recent popular application, there is still debate on where action research real ly falls as to its nature of inquiry (Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh Sorensen, 2009). Some research experts associate it more with the qualitative tradition, while others assert that its concrete application in research has showed that it relies more on quantitative inquiry (Burns, 2007). However, literature would suggest that action research possesses certain overall characteristics that are different from other research approaches. These are: Problem-solving is highlighted in the scientific study (Pine, 2008; Koshy, 2005; Methodological tools are not rigid and can be modified to suit the demands of the research situation (Cooke Cox, 2005); The research is process is cyclical (Schmuck, 2006; Riel, 2010); There is leaning toward practitioners as researchers (Mertler, 2006; Walter, 2009); No great attempts at objectivity are intended (Kock, 2005); The inquiry has a social dimension (Walter, 2009, IISD, 2010). What sets action research apart from other research approaches is its cyclical nature. This means that as a research method, it proceeds through a chain of steps repeatedly. Unlike traditional research, action research does not end upon the determination of findings and the formulation of conclusions on the contrary, this sparks a renewal of the research process. Hence, action research follows what Riel (2010) calls progressive problem solving (see Figure 1). In the entire research process, there could be multiple cycles and multiple foci of the study. In one research cycle, an action research proceeds in five general steps: 1. identifying an area of focus; 2. Developing an action plan; 3. collecting data; 4. analyzing and interpreting data; 5. reflecting (Herr, Anderson, Herr, 2005, p. 15). Beginning with the identification of the problem, the researcher/s come up with research questions and identifies the type of data needed. Types of data involved in action research can be quantitative or numerical, qualitative or descriptive, but usually both (Creswell, 2005). After data collection, the researcher/s interpret and analyze data. Conclusions are the drawn followed by a period of reflection which researchers engage in to be able come up with another plan of action to improve practice. This goes on until the problem identified is solved or objectives are met (Koshy, 2005). Another important characteristic of action research is that it is value-laden. It rejects neutrality and instead, situates its inquiry in a setting where there are conflicting values or power differentials. It challenges traditional notions of power and values and investigates a problem by analyzing day-to-day realities of the people or community involved. Still another important characteristic of action research is its reflexivity. Reflexivity is essential to action research because it aims to interrogate and examine received proposals for change or improvement by analyzing who benefits of actions implemented in the end (Craig, 2009). Since the foundation of action research by acknowledged pioneer Kurt Lewin, several approaches have emerged and albeit similar in purpose, differ in method and steps toward inquiry (Craig, 2009). Reviewed are three action research methodologies that have been used by researchers in higher education and other disciplines to come up with solutions to pressing problems: practical, participatory, and teacher action research. A discussion of advantages and disadvantages of action research is also discussed. Practical action research Practical action research focuses on a specific research question with the aim of improving practice (Schmuck, 2006). This is sometimes referred to as practical-deliberative action where the researcher (an outsider) collaborates with practitioners in identifying research problems, its causes, and possible forms of intervention. Kemmis (2009) defines it as action research which sharpens individual practical reasoning (p 76). Problem identification is done after dialogue between research and practitioner until consensus is reached. In this sense, the end of practical action research is to improve practice through the application of the personal wisdom of the participants (Grundy, as cited in Pine, 2008, p. 76). Practical action research was influenced by Lewins research within organizations which relied heavily on group dynamics, field theory, and T-groups. While practical action research works toward the improvement of practice, it takes a conservative stance and works in reforming the status quo without addressing power structures or differentials. Practical action research is also a vehicle toward generating practical knowledge (Manfra, 2009). Supporters of practical action research believe that practical knowledge is the most important form of knowledge in teaching (Koshy, 2005) and that the focus of action research must be on teachers issues and problems because they produce knowledge helpful to them in redefining their profession. Practical action research is more concerned with examining real classrooms and real schools (Manfra, 2009, p. 2). In the context of higher education, practical action research aims to help teachers become better practitioners. Because Conducting research has helped teachers we know to consolidate new knowledge, learn about new issues, and develop new teaching methods and strategies (p. 176). Proponents of practical action research emphasize the practicality of action research for teachers as they strive to become better practitioners. Since practical inquiry is more likely to respond to the immediacy of the knowledge needs teachers confront in everyday practice and to be foundational for formal research by providing new questions and concerns, (Cochran-Smith Lytle, as cited in Mertler, 2006, p. 43) practical action research is deemed to be the more authentic methodology for education practitioners. There are criticisms on the authenticity of practical action research (Kemmis, 2009). Some have accused practical action research as straying from the unique spirit of action research because it was influenced by techniques and inputs of outsiders (Pine, 2008). In effect, it ran the risk of research questions being externally formulated and issues which were not reflective of real sentiments and problems of practitioners (Kemmis, 2009). Practical action research is often associated with testing the effectiveness of practices or the applicability of findings conducted elsewhere to local settings. While in general, these studies may contribute to the improvement of practice, practical action research becomes vulnerable to being exploited to legitimize reputations of outsiders reputations than being applied meaningfully in practice (Ary et al., 2009). Participatory action research (PAR) While practical action research is deliberative in purpose, participatory action research takes on a more emancipator role. Traditional research seeks only in the investigation of phenomenon whereas the critical analysis is entrenched in PAR. While practical action research only describes classrooms and schools, PAR is more concerned with how to change structures and in the transformation of society. PAR promotes emancipatory praxis in the participating practitioners; that is, it promotes a critical consciousness which exhibits itself in political as well as practical action to promote change (Grundy, as cited in Manfra, 2009, p. 4). A primary aim of PAR is to transforming educational theory and practice toward emancipatory ends and thus raising fundamental questions about curriculum, teachers roles, and the ends as well as the means of schooling (Cochran-Smith Lytle, as cited in Manfra, 2009, p. 5). As a result, PAR has two overarching objectives (Cooke Cox, 2005): Knowledge production and action for the benefit of a group of people through study, research, education, and sociopolitical action. Empowerment of people by enabling them to construct and use their own knowledge. The key elements in PAR are participation and action (IISD, 2009). These elements are the foundation of the PAR method. With action, research entails beyond merely seeking information but having that action factor that enables positive change. With participation, research should be a participatory process with equal and collaborative involvement groups or communities of interest. Hence, unlike practical action research, PAR does away with process consultancy or the use of outsider experts going into communities and examining, theorizing, and proposing solutions for problems (Kemmis, 2009). The research topic, questions, and solutions must emerge from the communities themselves. Practical action research is not intended to be participatory because the aim is generally extractive; meaning, researchers retain power over process. PAR on the other hand, seeks at empowering the community of interest by opening up the entire research process to their participation. Practical action research is collaborative and is not shy on taking outside partners in planning, data gathering, and data analysis phase. PARs research goals are politicized and aims to illuminate on how social, economic, and political constraints affect the marginalized and powerless sectors in society (GDRC, 2009). Teacher action research Teacher action research is research that is done by teachers for themselves (Johnson, as cited in Mertler, 2006, p. 72). This type of action research enables teachers to make their own classrooms, their methods of instruction and assessments the focus of the study in order to inform and improve practice. Teacher action research benefits teachers by allowing them to understand their work better and from there, come up with ways to improve their effectiveness in the classroom. As a teacher-centered approach to action research, teacher-action research acknowledges first and foremost that the teacher is the most knowledgeable person when it comes to conditions on the ground and recognizes their expertise in carrying out research for the improvement of educational processes and outcomes. There are several motivations for adopting teacher action research: This approach respects and gives significant to the position of the teacher about the problems and issues at the classroom level. Simply put, it acknowledges the teacher as a local expert who has more knowledge about classroom issues than outside experts or consultants (Mertler, 2006). By acquiring data about their own classrooms and practices, teachers are better situated to reflect upon them and are in a better position to implement policies or measures that will enhance their effectiveness. Teacher action research is a feasible way in improving instructional practice and enhancing the intellectual environment among educators. Educators are uniquely positioned to evaluate the classroom situation, implement plans of action, and evaluate them afterwards (Creswell, 2005). Methods, data collection, and analysis The three forms of action research do not differ in their methodology but in the assumptions made and participants worldviews that influence the choice of methodology to be used in implementing the action research (Grundy, as cited in Manfra, 2009). The method of action research involves four general stages of collectively 1) planning, 2) acting, 3) observing and 4) reflecting. This phase leads to another cycle of action, in which the plan is revised, and further acting, observing and reflecting undertaken systematically to work towards solutions to problems whether of a practical or emancipatory nature. Action research accommodates all types of data collected through various techniques. Action research even considers it important to collect multiple measures on the variables of interest in a given study. It allows and in fact, encourages the researcher to triangulate the collected data for greater research credibility. There are four main categories of data collection in action research (Craig, 2009; Mertler, 2006; Cooke Cox, 2005): Observations recorded through fieldnotes or journals to describe in detail what is seen and heard. Interview data through interviews or surveys. Existing documents or records such as lesson plans, student portfolios, school newspapers, minutes of meetings, attendance records, etc. Quantitative measures such as ratings, checklists, tests, or scoring rubrics. Data analysis in action research occurs beginning data collection and afterwards. Most quantitative researchers begin analyzing data after all data is gathered. Qualitative researchers begin analyzing data at the start of the data collection process. Action research combines both processes. Johnson (as cited in Mertler, 2006) suggests that as you collect your data, analyze them by looking for themes, categories or patterns that emerge (p. 87). Analyzing data allows other foci to emerge and influences the research on what other data to look for. Data analysis is not really as exhaustive or as complex in action research as it is with traditional research. However, action research lately has been influenced to adopt more quantitative analysis in order to establish integrity and credibility in the findings. Coding, content analysis, and other qualitative forms of analysis are sometimes buffered with inferential statistics to boost credibility (Sagor, 2005). Critique of action research Action research is applied, empowering, collaborative, democratic and emancipatory. Unlike other research methods, it offers practical solutions toward positive change in practice and in society. It also has its flaws. Its disadvantages include: Subjectivity. One of the main criticisms of action research is that when left unchecked, results are laden with subjectivity (Kock, 2005). There is a tendency for the researcher to be over-involved to the extent that personal biases come into play in the analysis of the findings. Vulnerability to pressure. Another risk factor in doing action research is that the researchers are often subordinates in an organizational setting. When the researcher is an insider in an organization, power relations and differentials may complicate the conduct. Researchers might be pressure or coerced to alter the findings to suit organizational objectives (Noffke Somekh, 2005. Time consuming. The cyclical research process in action research is aimed at understanding and action. The initial research question is rough and may be refined thereafter depending on initial findings. Critics of action research question the fuzzy methodology in action research and the equally fuzzy answers that it gets (Walter, 2009). The redefinition of the research question and the refining of methodology takes time, making the entire research process time-exhaustive and complex. In particular, PAR is inherent undefined in terms of end date. There is no clear timeline when the research is stopped because technically, it stops only upon the resolution of the problem. In terms of knowledge production, PAR is unpredictable and is unlikely to be included in referred journals or get competitive funding (GDRC, 2009). Proposed action research process Despite acknowledged weaknesses, action research is still a viable tool among education leaders in influencing change within the organization. I propose a collaborative teacher action research to enhance professional identity of mid-career faculty leaders through mentoring activities. Enhancing the professional identity of teachers is important especially as they transition into later leadership roles. Like any organization, teachers need to be part of an active and supportive community to guide them in the process of transition. Some teachers in my local setting are ill-prepared to take on leadership roles. Mentoring has been found to improve self-awareness, skills in collaboration, leadership skills, sense of community and commitment to the teaching profession. Since this is a collaborative teacher action research, I will find other teacher-researchers willing to work with me to address the problem of leadership preparation among mid-career educators. We will need to establish understanding about action research as a way to improve leadership capabilities among teachers. Since this is a collaborative research, workload and responsibilities will be divided through consensus and everyone will be a co-researcher to the project. The research action process will proceed in eight steps (Mertler, 2006): Identify the problem (lack of leadership preparation among mid-career teachers) Gather information (done through informal interviews) Review related literature (research on possible solutions) Develop a research plan (meet with co-researchers and come up with a plan) Implement the plan and collect the data (through questionnaires, interviews) Analyze the data (content analysis, descriptive statistics) Develop an action plan (plan a mentoring strategy to solve the problem) Share and communicate results

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Role of Power in Obedience Essay -- Political Science Law Politics

To Obey or Disobey: The Role of Power in Obedience People’s decision to obey or disobey the law is based on how much power (in its various forms) they perceive the law to have behind it. The power of coercion is one maintained by every government in human history: the power to punish. The power of legitimacy is a much more subtle power: the power to appear as an authority and let others presume that you know best. While enforcing law, authorities will exercise both these powers. Both powers underscore government and society’s ability to control us and to get us to obey. Why do we obey? Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority, a series of experiments in which subjects were told to administer what they believed to be high-voltage electric shocks to people who they thought were experimental subjects, shows us the disturbing extent of people’s obedience in the face of power. Whereas it was hypothesized that few of the subjects would actually shock their supposed experimental subjects, the actual experiments showed a â€Å"disturbingly high level of compliance with authority figures despite the apparent pain evinced by the false experimental subjects.† (Cover 223) Even when the false experimental subjects (actually just a tape recording of responses) screamed with supposed agony, the vast majority of the subjects, although showing some hesitation and concern for their â€Å"victims†, still nevertheless shocked them again and again at the behest of the authority, even after the â€Å"victims† had gone silent. (Cover 223) The almost blind obedience of these subjects was due to the power of legitimacy and expertise they perceived the authority figures behind the experiment to have. The 2 authorities were able to impose their will ... ...human, we will always retain our freedom of thought and our decision to obey or disobey. 5 Works Cited Cover, Robert M. â€Å"The Violence of Legal Acts.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 223. King, Martin Luther. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 158-162. Kropotkin, Peter. â€Å"Law and Authority.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 158-162. Tyler, Tom. â€Å"Why do People Obey the Law?† Introduction to Legal Studies: A Reader. Ed. Thomas Hilbink. Amherst: Collective Copies. 475-495. The Role of Power in Obedience Essay -- Political Science Law Politics To Obey or Disobey: The Role of Power in Obedience People’s decision to obey or disobey the law is based on how much power (in its various forms) they perceive the law to have behind it. The power of coercion is one maintained by every government in human history: the power to punish. The power of legitimacy is a much more subtle power: the power to appear as an authority and let others presume that you know best. While enforcing law, authorities will exercise both these powers. Both powers underscore government and society’s ability to control us and to get us to obey. Why do we obey? Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority, a series of experiments in which subjects were told to administer what they believed to be high-voltage electric shocks to people who they thought were experimental subjects, shows us the disturbing extent of people’s obedience in the face of power. Whereas it was hypothesized that few of the subjects would actually shock their supposed experimental subjects, the actual experiments showed a â€Å"disturbingly high level of compliance with authority figures despite the apparent pain evinced by the false experimental subjects.† (Cover 223) Even when the false experimental subjects (actually just a tape recording of responses) screamed with supposed agony, the vast majority of the subjects, although showing some hesitation and concern for their â€Å"victims†, still nevertheless shocked them again and again at the behest of the authority, even after the â€Å"victims† had gone silent. (Cover 223) The almost blind obedience of these subjects was due to the power of legitimacy and expertise they perceived the authority figures behind the experiment to have. The 2 authorities were able to impose their will ... ...human, we will always retain our freedom of thought and our decision to obey or disobey. 5 Works Cited Cover, Robert M. â€Å"The Violence of Legal Acts.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 223. King, Martin Luther. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 158-162. Kropotkin, Peter. â€Å"Law and Authority.† Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Eds. Bonsignore, Katsh, d’Errico, Pipkin, Arons, Rifkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 158-162. Tyler, Tom. â€Å"Why do People Obey the Law?† Introduction to Legal Studies: A Reader. Ed. Thomas Hilbink. Amherst: Collective Copies. 475-495.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Flowers for algernon playlist Essay

Wish You Were Here – Avril Lavigne The song I Wish You Were Here represents how Charlie misses his best friend Algernon. It was really difficult for Charlie to know that his friend died. Algernon was the only loyal friend that Charlie had, and it was the only one who understood him. They both went through the same process, and the same operation to become smarter. It was difficult for Charlie because he knew that if Algernon died maybe he could die too. We will place this song in the part were Charlie began to work on his project â€Å"The Algernon-Gordon Effect†. Lucky – Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat Charlie’s best friend was Alice; she was always there for him, even when his IQ wasn’t increase yet. Alice believes they couldn’t be together because of his condition but they still could be friends. This song is appropriate because it shows how Charlie is in love with his best friend â€Å"lucky I’m in love with my best friend†, and he is really happy that she is always by his side. We will place this song when Charlie and Alice went on their first date, when Charlie said â€Å"I told you I liked you. I should have trusted myself to say I love you.† I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz This song represents that even thought Charlie can’t be with Alice because that is what she thinks is best for him. Charlie really loves her so he tried many times to be with her, no matter what people say, like in this quote â€Å"My feeling for you won’t change because I’m becoming intelligent. I’ll only love you more†. The name of this song explains everything, which is that Charlie won’t give up trying to be in a relationship with Alice. The lines â€Å"I’m giving you all my love† in the song represent Charlie situation with Alice. We will place this song in the part were Alice said to Charlie that is better to stay just friends because he may be â€Å"confused†. Who’s Laughing Now – Jessie J This song shows how everyone used to laugh about Charlie before the operation. The lines â€Å"Mummy they called me names, they wouldn’t let me play†, shows Charlie’s situation because kids around Charlie called him dumb and wouldn’t let him join their games when he was young. But as soon as he got operated people stop laughing at him because now he was smarter than the rest â€Å"People at the bakery are changing. Not only ignoring me. I can feel the hostility.† After Charlie got his IQ increase he can laugh about others because of his intelligence. We will place this song when Charlie goes to the bakery and he can make the machine work and everyone is amazed by it. Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars Alice and Charlie had always loved themselves the way they are. Before the operation, when Alice was his teacher, she still had loved Charlie. The lines â€Å"Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shinin’† in the song represents perfectly what Charlie discover when he got operated. â€Å"Why haven’t I ever noticed how beautiful Alice Kinnian is? She has pigeon-soft brown eyes and feathery brown hair down to the hollow of her neck.† We will place this song in the part where they go to the movies, and had a romantic moment. Fix You – Coldplay This part of the song â€Å"when you try your best, but you don’t succeed† fits perfectly for Charlie. Although Charlie has mental retardation, he had always tried his best and always wants to learn even more. When Charlie went to the school for retarded adults he was the best in the class, and Alice was really proud of him. We will place this song in the part were Charlie goes into the operation room. Maze – Phish The lines â€Å"embarrassed with failure, I try to reverse† fits perfect for Charlie situation when he began to compete against Algernon in the maze. Charlie felt frustrated because he was really confuse about the paper he had in front of his eye, â€Å"I dint understand the amazed and we used up a lot of papers.† Every time Charlie lost he tried to go back and make it right. He didn’t want to disappoint the doctors, because he thought maybe they wouldn’t operate him anymore. We will play this song when Charlie and Algernon are racing. Other Side – Red Hot Chili Peppers The song Other Side represent Charlie’s mistake through his life. â€Å"I thought it up it brought up the past/Once you know you can never go back† make representation of the regrets Charlie had because of his childhood. Through the book we can see that Charlie makes mistakes, after and before the operation, so this song represent it perfectly. The song could be played at the end of the movie, as a conclusion.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

GAAP for zero-interest-bearing note Essay

Wie Company has been operating for just 2 years, producing specialty golf equipment for women golfers. To date, the company has been able to finance its successful operations with investments from its principal owner, Michelle Wie, and cash flows from operations. However, current expansion plans will require some borrowing to expand the company’s production line. As part of the expansion plan, Wie will acquire some used equipment by signing a zero-interest-bearing note. The note has a maturity value of $50,000 and matures in 5 years. A reliable fair value measure for the equipment is not available, given the age and specialty nature of the equipment. As a result, Wie’s accounting staff is unable to determine an established exchange price for recording the equipment (nor the interest rate to be used to record interest expense on the long-term note). They have asked you to conduct some account research on this topic. (a) Identify the authoritative literature that provides guidance on the zero-interest-bearing note. Use some of the examples to explain how the standard applies in this setting.†¨(b) How is present value determined when an established exchange price is not determinable and a note has no ready market? What is the resulting interest rate often called?†¨(c) Where should a discount or premium appear in the financial statements? What about issue costs? ———————————————————————————— This work requires that you consider the fair value of the note on the seller’s books (note receivable). Portion of the codification are cut and pasted into the document for you. There are two pieces of purchasing an asset with a note. The asset value and the value of the note. Here, the asset value is not known. Below it discusses that if you don’t know the value of the asset, you use the value of what was exchanged for it. Quotes from Codification†¨360 Assets†¨845 Nonmonetary Transactions†¨10 Overall†¨30 Initial Measurement 30-8 Fair value should be regarded as not determinable within reasonable limits if major uncertainties exist about the realizability of the value that would be assigned to an asset received in a nonmonetary transaction accounted for at fair value. An exchange involving parties with essentially opposing interests is not considered a prerequisite  to determining a fair value of a nonmonetary asset transferred; nor does an exchan ge ensure that a fair value for accounting purposes can be ascertained within reasonable limits. If neither the fair value of a nonmonetary asset transferred nor the fair value of a nonmonetary asset received in exchange is determinable within reasonable limits, the recorded amount of the nonmonetary asset transferred from the entity may be the only available measure of the transaction.†¨310 Receivables†¨10 Overall†¨30 Initial Measurement†¨Certain Receivables 30-1 The following provides initial measurement guidance for certain notes receivable, specifically those exchanged for cash and those exchanged for property, goods, or services. Such notes may be originated by an entity or purchased from a third party. 30-3 As indicated in paragraph 835-30-25-8, notes exchanged for property, goods, or services are valued and accounted for at the present value of the consideration exchanged between the contracting parties at the date of the transaction in a manner similar to that followed for a cash transaction. 30-5 As indicated in paragraph 835-30-25-10, in circumstances where interest is not stated, the stated amount is unreasonable, or the stated face amount of the note is materially different from the current cash sales price for the same or similar items or from the market value of the note at the date of the transaction, the note, the sales price, and the cost of the property, goods, or services exchanged for the note shall be recorded at the fair value of the property, goods, or services or at an amount that reasonably approximates the market value of the note, whichever is the more clearly determinable. 30-6 Paragraph 835-30-25-11 explains that, in the absence of established exchange prices for the related property, goods, or services or evidence of the market value of the note (as described in paragraph 835-30-25-2), the present value of a note that stipulates either no interest or a rate of interest that is clearly unreasonable shall be determined by discounting all future payments on the notes using an imputed rate of interest as described in Subtopic 835-30. Paragraph 835-30-25-11 explains that this determination shall be made at the time the note is acquired; any subsequent changes in prevailing interest rates shall be ignored.†¨Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ Now, to your questions†¦ Wie Company has been operating for just 2 years, producing specialty golf  equipment for women golfers. To date, the company has been able to finance its successful operations with investments from its principal owner, Michelle Wie, and cash flows from operations. However, current expansion plans will require some borrowing to expand the company’s production line. As part of the expansion plan, Wie will acquire some used equipment by signing a zero-interest-bearing note. The note has a maturity value of $50,000 and matures in 5 years. A reliable fair value measure for the equipment is not available, given the age and specialty nature of the equipment. As a result, Wie’s accounting staff is unable to determine an established exchange price for recording the equipment (nor the interest rate to be used to record interest expense on the long-term note). They have asked you to conduct some account research on this topic. (a) Identify the authoritative literature that provi des guidance on the zero-interest-bearing note. Use some of the examples to explain how the standard applies in this setting. The literature says that you value assets acquired by the value of that asset. If you don’t know it, you are supposed to figure it out, if possible, by looking at the cash price you could have paid (but didn’t). Or, if there is just no way to figure it out reasonably, then you look at the fair value of the item traded, in this case the note. So, you see if there is a market value for the note. Is it traded? Does it bear an interest rate so you can get the present value of it? No! The value of this note isn’t immediately apparent because you don’t have an interest rate to use to discount it back to the present value. So, you have to impute an interest rate (whole other section in the codification!). Another example of difficulty valuing an asset exchange would be when a firm leases, rather than sells, their inventory. What is the selling price? The present value of the minimum future rentals are used to establish a likely selling price for the purpose of re cording the sale and the gross profit from the sale. Another example of difficulty valuing an asset exchange is when assets are traded and there is no cash price or cash exchange. You would use the value of whichever asset is more readily determined, such as the price of the stock on actively traded exchanges. (b) How is present value determined when an established exchange price is not determinable and a note has no ready market? What is the resulting interest rate often called? You have to discern an interest rate by looking at the prevailing interest rates for  similar instruments with firms of similar credit status to this one. This is called the imputed interest rate. (c) Where should a discount or premium appear in the financial statements? What about issue costs? The discount or premium is a contra account to the note receivable on the issuer’s books (reduces assets in the balance sheet). Cost to issue should be spread over the life of the note (capitalized as asset in the balance sheet and amortized over life of note).

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Air Canada Takes Off with Maintenix Essays

Air Canada Takes Off with Maintenix Essays Air Canada Takes Off with Maintenix Paper Air Canada Takes Off with Maintenix Paper Air Canada Takes off with Maintenix Read the Interactive Session: Technology, and then discuss the following questions: 1. What problems does Air Canada hope that Maintenix will solve? 2. How does Maintenix improve operational efficiency and decision-making? 3. Give examples of three decisions supported by the Maintenix system. What information do the Maintenix modules provide to support each of these decisions? Answer: 1. What problems does Air Canada hope that Maintenix will solve? The Air Canada hope that the Maintenix will solve the problem that the system weren’t able to interact with one another or with finance and inventory systems. The Air Canada hope that the solution will provide additional functionalities to Air Canadas Engineering, Planning, Materials Management, Line Maintenance and Technical Records departments and is expected to be fully implemented at all Air Canada locations by 2010. 2. How does Maintenix improve operational efficiency and decision-making? Ma tintenix provides a system platform that is accessible via the Web and easy to deploy to all stations around the world. About operational efficiency :Mxi claims that their software reduces repetitive tasks and time chasing missing or incomplete information by allowing maintenance, engineering, and finance divisions to easily share information. The Mxi Maintenix(R) software uses a modern architecture and provides advanced capabilities such as a role-based Web browser interface, automated workflow, integration adapters, electronic signatures, and support for portable wireless devices. In addition to supplying Maintenix, Mxi provides a full range of services including Maintenix implementation, business consulting, systems integration, training, and support. 3. Give examples of three decisions supported by the Maintenix system. What information do the Maintenix modules provide to support each of these decisions? maintenance engineering, line maintenance, and materials management modules. Examples1, the maintenance engineering module: the airline can set up a â€Å"logical onfiguration†, which describes aircraft components, part relationships, and compatibility rules. The Mix modules used to establish the configuration hierarchy, rules, and maintenance program that all of the other modules depend upon. Examples2, the line maintenance: this module allows Air Canada to ensure that qualified technicians are available before they schedule maintenance. The Mix provides line station planning applications based on the capabilities of the line station facilities as well as the aircrafts’ scheduled locations. Exmaples3, the materials management module: The Mix ensures that minimum amount of each part is always in inventory without causing engineers to be short on parts at any times. When Air Canada technicians work on airplanes, they use several different legacy software packages that have been installed over the last 15 years. The systems don’t always talk to each other or the finance and inventory systems, so the Montreal-based airline has hired Mxi Technologies Ltd. of Ottawa to replace it. The companies announced this week Air Canada is scheduled to start installing Mxi’s Maintenix software next year. The companies did not disclose( ) the total cost, though the contract is worth â€Å"multi millions of dollars,† said Hans Downer, Mxi’s executive vice-president for sales and support. Maintenix is designed to let maintenance, engineering and finance divisions share information, and Mxi claims this reduces repetitive tasks. â€Å"One of the benefits of the Mxi product is, all of this is integrated into a single system, gives us a single view and a single planning mechanism for our entire fleet,† said Steve Bogie, Air Canada’s program director for the software implementation. It gets us off that legacy platform and puts us on to a Web platform that we can deploy to all of our stations around the world. † Maintenix uses â€Å"n-tier† architecture that separates the business logic part from the database and from the user interface. From ComputerWorld Canada Kronos wins another Air Canada contract It has integration adapters, which are sold separa tely and lets the software share information with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, plus flight operations applications, general ledger, supply chain optimization nd human resources systems. It includes workflow functions and can be supported by a third-party application service provider. Air Canada plans to hire a company to host its implementation, though it has not chosen a provider, Bogie said. Its six modules are maintenance engineering, line maintenance, heavy maintenance, shop maintenance, materials management and finance. Air Canada is using all six modules, though the heavy maintenance, shop maintenance and finance modules will only be implemented partially. This is because a separate contractor, Air Canada Technical Services (ACTS), also maintains Air Canada planes. ACTS has been spun off as a separate company and is not a subsidiary, said the airline’s media relations manager, John Reber. Bogie said Air Canada plans to implement the full set of maintenance engineering, line maintenance and materials management modules. The maintenance engineering module is used to establish rules and users can pre-populate the data. They can also set up a â€Å"logical configuration,† which describes the aircraft components, part relationships and compatibility rules.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Ralph for President Lord of the Flies Essays

Ralph for President Lord of the Flies Essays Ralph for President Lord of the Flies Essay Ralph for President Lord of the Flies Essay Essay Topic: Lord Of the Flies Leadership is the act of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldnt happen otherwise.In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is a group of young English boys that are flying to safety from their war zone town and they are shot down andstranded on a deserted island.When they finally wake up and are more aware of what exactly is going on, they group up on the beach. There are two dominant boys Ralph and Jack.They realize that within this group of young boys where there are no adults that they need a leader.They vote and pick Ralph as their leader which makes Jack jealous throughout the whole book the two boys try to prove who is better by their actions and decisions. Ralph is the better leader of them both and this is proven by the way he acts.Ralphs actions consist of the way that he cares for every person on the island no matter the age or personality, the establishment of a central government for the boys, and keeping the big picture in mind, which c oulg get everyone off the island safely. One of the main reasons that Ralph is a better leader is shown in the way that he treats everyone.Ralph is a very caring person who cares for the welfare of all of the kids on the island.An example of his personality is when he built the huts for the littluns (the younger boys).The littluns are always scared and homesick and Ralph sees that and acts on it.They talk and scream. The littluns.Even some of the others (56).He is referring to building forts to comfort the boys and to make them feel more at home.Another way that Ralph shows compassion is the way he sticks up for Piggy.Piggy is a chubby boy that wears thick glasses and is very shy.He is often not taken seriously even though he is probably the smartest kid on the island.Piggy is an easy target to pick on and Jack takes advantage of that and makes fun of Piggy and leaves him out of everything.After an argument between Jack

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Charles Murray Essay Example for Free

Charles Murray Essay The New Right came from the work of the American Sociologist Charles Murray who viewed welfare payments has causing lone parenthood which in turn created an underclass. Charles Murray visited the UK in 1989 and said it has a developing underclass. Murray said: â€Å"the underclass are defined by their behaviour. Their homes are littered and unkempt. The men in the family are unable to hold down a job. Drunkenness is common. The children grew up ill-schooled and ill-behaved and contribute to a disproportionate share of juvenile delinquents† Murray saw underclass as behaviour a lifestyle choice, a disease which infects certain groups of people. ‘When I use the term ‘underclass’ I am indeed focusing on a certain type of poor person defined not by his condition, for example, long-term unemployment, but by his deplorable behaviour in response to that condition, for example, unwilling to take jobs that are available to him.’ This shows how members of the underclass define themselves as different by their own behaviour. Murray singles out three forms of behaviour that define underclass status: * Parenting behaviour * Criminal behaviour * Labour market behaviour Specifically, it is illegitimate births to young women, habitual crime and particularly violent crime, and the refusal of young working class men to enter employment that determines the existence of an underclass. ‘If illegitimate births are the leading indicator of an underclass and violent crime a proxy measure of its development, the definitive proof that an underclass has arrived is that large numbers of young, healthy, low-income males choose not to take jobs. (The young idle rich are a separate problem).’ (Murray, 1990) Since, in his analysis, it is the poor themselves that are to blame for their poverty, because they either choose to act in a certain way, or are conditioned to do so by over-generous government welfare, the policy solutions that flow from this analysis are, not surprisingly, aimed at changing the behaviour of the poor. The alternative, improving the effectiveness of the welfare programmes, is not considered. Indeed for New Right theorists, the welf are state is a major part of the problem. What such theorists would seek is the dismantling of the welfare state, and a situation set up that would make it dysfunctional for individuals to act in deviant ways. David Marsland Sociologist David Marsland has adopted the new right approach and does not believe that poverty is as bad as others are making out. He claims that groups such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation purposely confuse poverty with inequality and completely exaggerates the extent of poverty. He argues that there is only absolute poverty and that relative does not exist. Marsland is very critical about universal benefits and services such as health care, education and child benefits. He believes that people who are on low income are results of the state being too generous in their benefits and services rather than the individual’s inadequacy to work (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008). A quote from Marsland : â€Å"the expectation that society, the state, the government, â€Å"they†, will look after our problems tricks us into abdicating from self-reliance and social responsibly† (Marsland 1989). However, Marsland has been criticised by Bill Jordan who says that he is wrong to b lame the culture of dependency to universal welfare provision. He argues that selectively means testing benefits can trap people in a life of poverty. It often turns out that people are better off on benefits than they would be in work. It also can exclude the individual from the rest of society and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed that they receive benefits. Also, if education and health care are private then people with disability and unskilled workers may not be able to afford or find work. Jordan also claims that societies that rely upon means-tested benefits and private health care, tend to develop a large underclass, who have little chance of escaping from poverty; this is the case in countries such as America. Jordan states that poverty is a result of societies being too harsh. He argues that the only way to break the cycle of poverty is by universal benefits that are at a high enough standard so people can afford to work and get back up on their feet (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008). Despite this, the New Right approach has been influential across Western countries, and the Conservative party is in power in Britain today. Charles Murray. (2016, Mar 23). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Greek Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Greek Civilization - Essay Example The Greek Civilization Civilization is a phrase that was coined from Latin word to mean the state of advancement in the social, cultural and material status of a society or a civil organization and existence of man. The development in the Greek tradition and the advance of the society during the 18th century is believed to have influenced the growth and development of modern world. The migration of the Greeks from their motherland believed to be somewhere in middle Asia has been attributed to the rise of Greece civilization and as start point upon which their development was based. In this paper, the factors that influenced the historical development of the Greek civilization will be evaluated to help find out reasons for such an extraordinary civilization. Other civilizations also occurred after or during the Greek civilization and this paper will seek to identify if the Greek civilization was more superior to these other civilizations like the Near Eastern civilization. A number of agricultural, industrial and medical practices have roots in the Greek culture and this explains the extraordinary nature of the Greek civilization. Pruning, an agricultural practice was discovered in the Apulia when in the process of feeding, asses ate the shoots of vines and this resulted into increased yields. This happened despite historical evidence that points to Africa as th e home of many plants that later domesticated into food crops. Large scale and plantation farming also began in Greek and this is attributed to the emergence of the growth of food crops in large scales to feed the increasing population. Greek devised the processed of fire making through the Athenians, the also developed the first ship in Alesiai, an important invention in the development of transport systems (Bruce 12). The strength and source of knowledge that guided the Greek development into a major pioneer of civilization has remained a puzzle for many modern historians. The exact source of information and innovation power that influenced their ability to understand the various inventions they made is a puzzle. However, Greeks believed in the power of the myths that were said of their origin, ancestors, migrations and heroes. Greek gods were also common and they differed based on the role that each played and how this influenced the lives of the people. The myths points to the g eographical settings of the ancient Greek as a major determining factor in the development of civilization in the Greek colonies. The myths points a Greek that was filled with animated hills, dale and sea coasts which are believed to have influenced the quality of their lifestyle hence the need for innovations and civilization (Marc 28). The Greek civilization followed the Egyptian civilization and some historians argue that the influence of the Egyptian civilization accelerated the growth of the Greek civilization. However, the Greek empire controlled a number of colonies in Europe before the emergence of the Roman Empire; however, during this time of civilization, the roman invasion was rising and Greek was beginning to the feel the impacts of the pressure exerted by the Romans. Civilization and the development of new methods of doing things were necessitated by the competition that existed between these empires to control more colonies in Europe. Greeks may have stepped into the feet of Egypt to increase its agricultural production by adopting newer methods of crop production and means of transport in an effort to gain economic strength as compared to the roman empires. In explaining the progress and vigor of the Greek civilization, a number of factors have been floated and discussed in relation to the developments that characterized this period. Greek mythologies

Friday, October 18, 2019

Th Ntur f Pristhd in th Church f nglnd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Th Ntur f Pristhd in th Church f nglnd - Essay Example Th nly high prist in Gd's systm tdy is in hvn" Christins r prists f Gd. Th pristhd undr th lw ws vry hnrbl nd scrd ffic, Hb. 5:4, "nd n mn tkth this hnr unt himslf, but h tht is clld f Gd, s ws rn." It ws n ccunt f this hnr tht ths prud mn, Krh nd his cmpny, nvid rn; nd Gd ssrtd nd vindictd rn's right t it, by cusing his rd t bud. It ws n hnr which, bfr th giving f th lw, whn vry prticulr fmily ws wnt t ffr scrifics fr thmslvs, th firstbrn usd t clim, nd thrfr th birthright ws s much stmd nd vlud. Thrfr Jcb hd such dsir f hving th birthright f his brthr su, nd su's dspising f it is spkn f s grt instnc f his prfnnss. Prist in th Church f nglnd is sid t b chif mn mng his ppl, Lv. 21:4, "But h shll nt dfil himslf, bing chif mn mng his ppl, t prfn himslf." Bcus th ffic f th pristhd is s hnrbl, it is nticd s wickd cntmpt f it in svrl wickd kings, tht thy md f th mnst f th ppl prists. Pristhd is vry scrd ffic, nd tht bv ll thr ffics. Lv. 21:6, "Thy shll b hly unt thir Gd, nd nt prfn th nm f thir Gd, fr th ffrings f th Lrd md by fir, nd th brd f thir Gd, thy d ffr; thrfr thy shll b hly. Thy shll nt tk wif tht is whr, r prfn, nithr shll thy tk wmn put wy frm hr husbnd; fr h is hly unt his Gd. Thu shlt snctify him thrfr, fr h ffrth th brd f thy Gd, h shll b hly unt th: fr I, th Lrd, which snctify yu, m hly." Church f nglnd blivs tht... Th pristhd nw is n lngr cnfind t n fmily, t rn nd his sns, but ll th tru Isrl r prists. vry tru Christin hs wrk nd ffic tht is s scrd s tht f th prists ws undr th lw, nd vryn is dvncd t lik hnr, nd indd t grtr. But hw vry tru Christin is prist f Gd will ppr in th fllwing things. Undr th nglish Church ll wh hv "btind ccss t this grc in which w stnd" r prists f Gd (Owen, Dorothy, 2002). Ths wh nc wr nmis, whn rcncild t Gd, bcm His ministrs, thrugh Him wh lvs us nd hs frd us frm ur sins by his bld nd md us kingdm, prists t his Gd nd Fthr. N wndr tht clstil vics ris in pn f pris unt Him in th stirring wrds:"Wrthy rt thu t tk th scrll nd t pn its sls,Fr thu wst slin nd by thy bld didst rdm mn fr Gd Frm vry trib nd tngu nd ppl nd ntin, nd hst md thm kingdm nd prists t ur Gd" (Rv. 5:9, 10). Th trms "high prist" nd "chif prist" r fund but 123 tims in th Nw Tstmnt nd thus th pristhd is highly rspctd in nglish Church. Th Grk wrd fr prist is hirus, nd th trm "prist" is fund 33 tims in th Nw Tstmnt, whr it rfrs t th Lviticl prists 18 tims. f th 15 rmining ccurrncs, 8 rfr t Christ, 3 t Mlchizdk, 1 t th pgn prist f Jupitr, nd th thr 3 t th ntir mmbrship f th church f ur Lrd, wh r dsigntd s kingdm, vn prists. In n cs is th trm pplid t spcil ministry r cst in th cngrgtin f ur Lrd. N gspl prchr, bishp, r dcn ws vr rfrrd t s prist in ny distinctiv sns; n such individul ws prist by right f ffic (Best, 1995). S pwrful r th mbitins f mn, nd s wid sprd r th ids f scrdtl cst in th rlm f rligin tht it is virtully impssibl t limint th id f spcil clrgy frm th minds f mn s thy my mk cmplt rturn t pstlic simplicity in wrk nd wrship. Thr is n lmst univrsl id mng th "prists f Gd" tht thy my hir r cntrct with smn f suprir tlnt t pprch Gd in thir bhlf

Merrill Lynch Change Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Merrill Lynch Change Management - Case Study Example The goal of change management is to make sure that change is not being resisted by employees and is being properly incorporated. To make the process of change smoother, a structured and systematic approach should be used. One thing we should always remember is that even though it can be necessary, we should not bring about a change just for the sake of changing. Normally these changes are done to stay competitive, to upgrade the company. The necessity of change does not take place from within the firm; it is usually because of outside drivers or forces. There are many models which help in change management. One of these is the AKDAR model; Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. According to Tech-FAQ, this model says: "Awareness is sharing the knowledge of why the change is taking place. Desire is having the motivation to participate in the change process. This desire must exist for the employees and the organisation as a whole. Knowledge of how to change must be known, not just that there is a need to change. Ability is making the change happen by changing behaviours and implementing new skills. Reinforcement is when individuals and organisations are reinforced to sustain the changes; making them the new behaviour otherwise they will go back to their old behaviour". Literature Review The force field analysis, developed by Kurt Lewin was developed initially for social situations. It talks about forces which can help you achieve your goals or factors which will hinder the process of getting towards your goals. According to 12-Manage, Lewin's view of this analysis is that "issue is held in balance by the interaction of two opposing sets of forces - those seeking to promote change (driving forces) and those attempting to maintain the status quo (restraining forces)". The driving forces should be more than the restraining forces; this would shift the equilibrium and a change will occur. The force field analysis is a method which helps in identifying the most important target groups for a campaign, identify competitors, it helps in identifying how to influence these target groups and helps in investigation the balance of power regarding an issue. The driving forces are written on the left while the restraining forces are written on the right. The force field analysis consists of a series of steps according to Valuebasedmanagment.net, 1. Analyse the current situation 2. Know the desired situation3. Identify where the current situation will go if no action is taken 4. List all the driving forces toward the desired situation 5. List all the restraining forces toward the desired situation 6. Question all of the forces: are they valid Can they be changed Which are the critical ones 7. Give a score to

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Screenplay, Imagism and Modern Aesthetics - It's Evolution, Past Essay

The Screenplay, Imagism and Modern Aesthetics - It's Evolution, Past and Present - Essay Example Screenplays are rarely read outside the confines of the film world and academe, and they have been very little studied. Boon says this means that we should take care before we judge the genre because the facts are simply not adequately researched. The origins of screenplays are traced back to the early years of the twentieth century when cinema was just taking off. Prevailing ideas in the arts like imagism and an emerging modernism are suggested as the most suitable foundations for studying screenplays. Poetic works are cited as comparable to screenplays because they use â€Å"concrete images in a direct style that compacts the information into a tight rhetorical presentation.†3 Two further principles of imagism are suggested as belonging also to the screenplay, namely â€Å"1) the establishment of new rhythms and 2) a focus on common speech. 4 Because screenplays must be performable, they must remain very close to experience, and Boon sees their narrative rhythm, and also th e realism of the dialogue, matching modern fiction and poetics. On the format and layout of screenplays, Boon notes the rigid requirement for speaker name, colon, and spoken text in a screenplay, and argues that in novels and poems a similar approach is taken, usually but not always using quotation marks, and sometimes being omitted when the context makes it clear who is speaking. Boon notes these significantly different graphical methodologies, but somewhat perversely stresses what the two have in common: â€Å"Despite these differences, practical necessity guides the marking of dialogue in both modern prose and in the screenplay.†5 In one area Boon concedes that screenplays and novels or poems are different and that is in the impossibility of directly presenting introspection and psychological machinations in a screenplay. The use of symbolism, or of a rather intrusive narrative voiceover are the only techniques that allow the screenplay author to cover this important dimen sion. Boon finishes the article with a repetition of his main thesis: â€Å"Like any other more widely acknowledged literary forms (fiction, poetry, essay, drama), the screenplay is, in the final assessment, a creative literary form, and subject to the same historical and theoretical influences as any other creative writing.†6 There are some serious points in this article about the differences between a written text such as a screenplay and a motion picture which exists in film or nowadays also DVD form. It is certainly true that of all the participants in the making of a film the creator of the screenplay is often the least visible. Actors are used in all the publicity ventures, and the director usually takes part in interviews and is cited with the film title in all the catalogues. Authors of screenplays receive a mention the credits, and appear to receive prizes in their own special Oscar category, but beyond that, they mostly do not attain much public notice or fame. In a nother more lengthy work on the subject of screenplays, Boon reveals his own particular bias: â€Å"The lack of critical attention paid to screenplays has not been lost on screenwriters, many of whom expected screenwriters to achieve more status than they actually have.†

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British Essay

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British - Essay Example Many members of the clergy were torn as to which side they should choose. In some parts of the country, religion flourished, under the banner that God with the â€Å"Patriots† side. John Butler, a writer for the Department of the Interior, discussed that other churches and denominations suffered losses in attendance and, like the Anglicans, had to begin shutting their doors.1 The Quakers were by nature pacifists. They were opposed to any kind of acts of violent warfare. However, they entirely supported the colonists when they boycotted British goods. To the Quakers, this was an acceptable form of non-violent, peaceful resistance. Some Quakers were accused of being loyalists but generally, they considered themselves to not be a part of the revolution. Minorities at the time faced difficult challenges, as well. African American slaves found themselves on both sides of the revolutionary war. Many fought on the side of the â€Å"Loyalists.† However, the reasons were most likely based on the fact that the British offered to free those slaves that abandoned their â€Å"Patriot† masters. Native Americans were, also, caught in a difficult position. The Native Americans were already focused on trying to save their homeland; they hardly wanted to be caught in between the British and the Americans. They aimed to remain uninvolved in the warfare. However, eventually, the tribes were forced to make the choice. An article, in association The National Endowment of the Arts, explained that this ultimately ended with different tribes on different sides of a war that was not  theirs.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Globalisation and Mental Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalisation and Mental Disorders - Essay Example The results of the study shall be indicative of the current situation and are valuable in the improvement of treatment provision for a population that is increasingly becoming culturally diverse due to the large influx of people from other cultural backgrounds. With this knowledge, the society shall then be able to identify and take the appropriate steps to improve the way depressed people are being treated. Funding in the amount of  £2,800 is requested for expenses incurred during research the bulk of which shall be used for access to publications whose material is available only for a certain fee. To what extent has the relationship of depression, culture and treatment explored and how is the knowledge gained from this exploration being applied in the formulation of treatment for depressed patients? The researcher hypothesizes that there is little substantial research in this field and that results are limited due to the complexity of dealing with the subject of culture and associating it with another complex subject called depression. Hence, a lack of understanding of depression, within various cultures and communities exists, including the comprehension of the diagnosis and treatment of this condition. There is a desperate requirement for general medicine and public health services to understand the cultural needs of individuals when generating a diagnosis or treatment regime. Depression can have debilitating effects on the individual as it can lead to self-inflicted injuries and other destructive behavior. If left unchecked, it could also have severe consequences to society as evidenced in the school shootings and stabbings by clinically depressed individuals. However, in the field of depression treatment, there is the general tendency to adopt standards and procedures which has been developed in the past with one cultural group in mind.  

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British Essay

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British - Essay Example Many members of the clergy were torn as to which side they should choose. In some parts of the country, religion flourished, under the banner that God with the â€Å"Patriots† side. John Butler, a writer for the Department of the Interior, discussed that other churches and denominations suffered losses in attendance and, like the Anglicans, had to begin shutting their doors.1 The Quakers were by nature pacifists. They were opposed to any kind of acts of violent warfare. However, they entirely supported the colonists when they boycotted British goods. To the Quakers, this was an acceptable form of non-violent, peaceful resistance. Some Quakers were accused of being loyalists but generally, they considered themselves to not be a part of the revolution. Minorities at the time faced difficult challenges, as well. African American slaves found themselves on both sides of the revolutionary war. Many fought on the side of the â€Å"Loyalists.† However, the reasons were most likely based on the fact that the British offered to free those slaves that abandoned their â€Å"Patriot† masters. Native Americans were, also, caught in a difficult position. The Native Americans were already focused on trying to save their homeland; they hardly wanted to be caught in between the British and the Americans. They aimed to remain uninvolved in the warfare. However, eventually, the tribes were forced to make the choice. An article, in association The National Endowment of the Arts, explained that this ultimately ended with different tribes on different sides of a war that was not  theirs.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The High Dropout Rate for College Students Essay Example for Free

The High Dropout Rate for College Students Essay Everyone should believe that our education is crucial being that this would actuates the amplitude of progress of an individual’s civil and industrial contentment. You can’t tell me one specific person who would not want to have a degree under their belt along with attaining a very high paying job in the future. What a lot of people fail to realize is that prior to accomplishing a degree, and reaping the benefits, adversity as well as many different problems has to be conquered first. These same adversities and problems are the leading causes why most college students were and are still unable to graduate and they just give up and dropout. That is because when starting school they don’t prepare themselves for these things so when they come along the most inconsiderable thing for them to do is give up. The cause of students dropping out of college is not entirely the student’s indiscretion alone but comparatively with different circumstantial and social elements. Overall dropping out of college is a huge issue for many people today and in this paper I will discuss the many causes why there are high dropout rates and the remedies there is to empower us to finish (www. solutionsforamerica. org). Many undergraduates find that college is not exactly what they thought it would be and that definitely includes me. In my opinion as I’m sure any other college student would agree, whether they be young or old is that there is a lot more reading, studying, you have greater expectations that you have to fulfill and of course the work is much harder. Many people can testify to the fact that the workload is a bit much compared to what we were used to doing back in high school. The whole idea of having to read a whole lot then having to sit and listen to lectures and takes notes believe it or not scares a lot of people; my sister was one of them which is the reason why she dropped out her first time around. Some people have a lack of self control and balancing the new work load with their so called social lives isn’t what they really want to do. Some students are used to the high school teachers staying on top of them for the works that needs to be done, but when you are in college you get a list which is called a syllabus for every class with all the assignments that needs to be done and when they are due. When you don’t have any motivation to push you, this can be one of the very reasons why many person dropout of college. Its obvious that one of the reasons why the dropout rates for college students is so high is they financially just cannot do it. Yes there is the option of financial aid but there are many rules and regulations behind it. For instance I wanted to attend college right after I got my GED in 2006 but because my grandmother did not want to sign any papers for me or give any of her information I was not allowed to. I had to wait until I was of age to be considered an independent student to apply for my FAFSA and be eligible. There are a lot of low income families where they have to work in order to survive because they have large families and going to just isn’t what is in their interest. Tuition for college can be very expensive and if you can’t get a loan they paying for it will be a headache. My sister attends Mercy College and her tuition is almost $9000 a semester and that’s not even including books, possible school supplies or any other charges (Krystal Berry). Some students don’t get enough financial aid and are forced to drop out because they can’t get any loans or find a job that will cover the remaining balance. Most of the time they are unaware of the other options that they have but I will speak on that later on in my essay about the things that can be done to help people in these different situations. Attending college is no walk in the park and there will be many hurdles, hardships, trials and tribulations along the way but we just have to fight through it and not let our finances by any means hold us back. Studies show that most students who enter into the ninth grade won’t graduate with their peers four years later. The reason being is because many of those same children live in these in these under privileged areas and most of them can’t read better than a third grade level. A lot of things showed that because these students can’t read past the third grade level they have a higher chance of dropping out of high school and never make it to college. The high dropout rates in college and the dropout rates in high school have a lot to do with each other in more ways than we think. There a lot of things that advocate that the students are not being supported in any way in their education and honestly that’s sad. Most people in those areas urge the young people to get a job instead of making them understand that if they stay in school and do well that when they finish they can get an even igher pay. These students aren’t prepared for what’s to come in high school, let alone are able to survive enough to make it to graduation and then into college. There are these programs called the GPS-NYC and STEPS that work with these students. The GPS-NYC (Graduate, Prepare, and Succeed) helps ninth grade students with a history of chronic absen teeism graduate on time and ready for college. GPS works to significantly improve educational outcomes throughout New York City through a program policy proposition. STEPS (Supporting Transitions from Early Education to Public Schools) wishes to better early grade literacy by ensuring that a child’s learning and development needs are perpetually met in the first eight years of life. The point is to help bridge the gaps between pre-school and elementary schools (www. unitedwaynyc. org/education). I think with these programs it has helped these students continue on to get a better education; it starts from young. A majority of the people that dropout of college just don’t go to class; they party all night and sleep all day. They have the mentality that going to class is a waste of time; they don’t feel the need to study because in high school they didn’t have to and still passed. Most people are just not prepared for what’s to come in school which is a horrible thing. A lot of high schools reassure the students that they are preparing them for the college life but in actuality aren’t even coming close to what they need to be taught. I think that when entering in college for your first year you should have a guidance counselor to somewhat guide and counsel you. Though there are some student advisors that may act as counselors because they truly do care about the students they have other things to do. When in high school it should be required for all students to take at least two college level course and if they did exceptionally well then some credits will be received for it. It’s the lack of interest that is the reason why now more than ever the high dropout rates are kind of increasing. Financial reason is the number one reason why there is a high dropout rate in college and I don’t know about any other school or state but there are many options. You can either get financial aid or even get a loan from the bank if your credit is good or you can get a co-signer. There are certain programs that if you qualify for you will get funding some kind of funding to help you with school. Most people have the mentality that they have to take four classes at a time when in reality you really don’t have to. Many individuals can afford to pay for at least one class with some serious sacrifices but they don’t want to shell out the money for it; if it’s not financial aid paying for it then they don’t want to do it which is a shame. We all should at least take one class if possible to prevent from staying out for so long. Smaller classes, better communication, and increase supervision are some things that can prevent the high dropout rate in college. If there were a lot more good teachers who keep the classes interesting and parents were more involved that would make it a lot easier. Most parents kind of forget about their children and are not as active in their lives when they go to college especially if they go away (www. dosomething. org). .

Monday, October 14, 2019

Refugees and Biopolitics

Refugees and Biopolitics Refugee: The Victim of Biopolitics While we acknowledged as citizens of our country are enjoying our basic rights as a human as well as a citizen, have turned a blind eye to those millions of people around the world who are forced to live on the margins of social, political, economical and geographical borders. These people are known as the refugees; people in search of a refuge. They can also be called immigrants or asylum seekers. Victims of their nation’s political functioning these people are forced to find haven on an alien land. At times, these people (called the ‘Others’) are constructed as a danger to ‘Us’. â€Å"Fear of the Other is produced, circulated and capitalized on to achieve political and economic purposes† (Robin). The questions that arise here are as many as why are these refugees treated as the ‘Others’? Aren’t they humans like ‘Us’? Weren’t they born as Man and, as a result, are entitled to be acknowledged with the basic human and citizenship rights? And most importantly, why and how do these people become the victims of biopolitics? This paper is an attempt to find the answers to such questions. In his book Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life, Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben has devoted an entire section titled ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’ to describe the suffering of these refugees who are denied even the basic human rights in a new country. Becoming a victim of his fate â€Å"the very figure who should have embodied the rights of man par excellence the refugee signals instead the concept’s radical crisis† (Agamben 126). The crux of Agamben’s essay is based on Hannah Arendt’s claim that the fates of human rights and the nation-state are linked together, which means that the decline of one also implies the end of the other. This means, that by altering the rights of these people who later become refugees, the nation is leading towards its own decline. â€Å"The paradox from which Arendt departs is that the very figure who should have embodied the rights of man par excellence the refugee signals instead the concep t’s radical crisis† (Agamben 126). Agamben completely understands the refugees’ condition as it is and that’s why he has titled his book as Homo Sacer. To understand the meaning behind this we need to go back to the Roman antiquity, where the cancellation of a citizen’s rights by the sovereign produced the threshold figure of homo sacer, the sacred man who can be killed by anyone as he has no rights but can’t be sacrificed because the act of sacrifice can only be done within the legal context of the city from which homo sacer has been banished, as can be seen in the case of refugees from Rwanda (Agamben 133). â€Å"He is an outlawed citizen, the exception to the law, and yet he is still subject to the penalty of death and therefore still included, in the very act of exclusion, within the law† (Downey). Homo sacer blurs the line between an outlaw and a citizen and, hence aptly portrays the figure of Agamben’s refugees. In his essay ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’, Agamben has talked about the devastating impact of biopolitics on the refugees. The word ‘biopolitics’ has been formed out of two words: bio (the life) and politics, and means the â€Å"regulation of the life of populations† by politics (Zembylas). When Agamben says â€Å"Biopolitics† or â€Å"Biopower†, he refers to the social and political power that the nation-state has over human life. In order to protect the population’s biological well-being, the state acts preventively and thus it goes against the ‘Other’: â€Å"If you want to live, the other must die† (Foucault 255). And in this way, the killing is justified in the name of security. Biopolitics â€Å"establishes a binary categorization between ‘us’ and ‘them’, or between the ‘normal’ (legitimate citizens) and the ‘abnormal’ (illegal immigrants, un-qual ified refugees or bogus asylum seekers). The former deserve to live, while the latter are expendable† (Zembylas). Agamben talks about the first move of classical western politics: the separation of the biological and the political. This can be seen in Aristotle’s separation between life in the polis. Bios is the political life and zoÄâ€Å" is the bare life. â€Å"The entry of zoÄâ€Å" into the sphere of the polis the politicization of bare life as such constitutes the decisive event of modernity and signals a radical transformation of the political-philosophical categories of classical thought† (Agamben). For Agamben, at the political level, biopower means that what’s at stake is the life of the citizen itself; not only his existence but also his life. Agamben also examines the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, 1789 and concludes that the bare natural life (birth) is the source and bearer of rights as mentioned in the first article of the Declaration, which says that â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights†. This should mean that despite leaving their country, the refugees deserve equal rights. But at the same time, he reminds us that the very natural life vanishes into the figure of the citizen, in whom rights are â€Å"preserved†. This means, that although a man is born free and has equal rights, these rights are valid only as long as he is a citizen. So, when he leaves his country and becomes a refugee, he is devoid of any citizenship rights. And, since the Declaration can attribute sovereignty to the â€Å"nation†, Agamben says, â€Å"the nation closes the open circle of man’s birth† (Agamben). Now, that the sovereignty lies with the nation, this is where the biopolitics enters the scene. Now, when biopolitics enters the scene, what we can see is the discrimination it does. A format of this discrimination can be seen in the real life accounts of Mexican-American writer, Luis Alberto Urrea, who in his book Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border, talks about his experience in Tijuana (a city in Mexico adjacent to the Mexican-American border) where thousands of immigrants/refugees from different parts of Central America arrive every day, with the hope that they might be able to cross the Mexican-American border and make it to The United States. He provides an account of the struggles of these refugees, who after spending all their money, leaving their homeland behind and facing all sorts of violence do make it to Tijuana but only to face more violation. Reaching Tijuana isn’t the most painful hurdle for them, the real struggle begins after they reach there and begin the journey of crossing the highly-guarded Mexican-American border. The border, strengthened by Border Patrol, makes the idea of reaching the other side of the fence (USA) a ‘dream’ for these refugees. The biopolitics comes here in the form of both nations’ Border Patrols who stop these immigrants from entering North America. The danger is present not only in the form of the ‘foreign’ Border Patrols but also in the form of the ‘local’ coyotes (guides) who at times turn on these refugees and take all their money away from them. If the coyotes don’t attack them, there are rateros (thieves), if the rateros don’t, there are pandilleros (gangs) who will. If the refugees are lucky enough (or rather, smart enough) to avoid these thugs, they will eventually collide with the authoritative Border Patrols who catch them and transport them back to Tijuana, forcing these desperate refugees to start their struggle from scratch. When these refugees return back unsuccessfully to Tijuana they are without a place to live, without any money to fulfill their basic needs, sometimes they are even without clothes and shoes. In many cases they are even â€Å"bloodied from a beating by pandilleros, or an â€Å"accident† in the Immigration and Naturalization Service compound. They can’t get proper medical attention. They can’t eat, or afford to feed their family. Some of their compatriots have been separated from their wives or their children. Now their loved ones are in the hands of strangers, in the vast and unknown United States† (Urrea 17-18). It is clear that North America doesn’t want these Central American refugees, and after a time even these refugees’ spirit starts to break. They start ‘living’ in Tijuana where they sell chewing gum, their children sing in traffic and at every stoplight they wash the car windshields. â€Å"If North America does not want them, Tijuana wants them even less. They become the outcasts of an outcast region† (Urrea 19). All these circumstances are a result of biopolitics which stops these ‘Others’ from mixing with the ‘Us’. These refugees are not welcomed in Tijuana, which is a place that itself isn’t welcome in Mexico. Tijuana is Mexico’s cast-off child. Although, she brings money and attracts foreigners, no one would dare claim her. Some people there don’t count Tijuana as a part of Mexico. For them the border is nowhere. But, in reality a border does exist there. That borer is ‘invisible’. Here, we can refer to Etienne Balibar’s concept of ‘inner borders’ which are â€Å"invisible borders, situated everywhere and nowhere† (Balibar 78). While talking about Europe’s Schengen Convention, Balibar says that â€Å"one of the major implications of the Schengen Convention [†¦] is that from now on, on ‘its’ border [†¦] each member state is becoming the representative of the others† (Balibar 78). By this, he is referring to the exploitation a refugee/immigrant/asylum seeker faces when more than one (Schengen) nations come together to exploit these refugees by prohibiting them entry (to asylums, etc.) in nearly every European nation (who have signed the Schengen Agreement). The border of these Schengen nations is biopolitically constructed, and â€Å"is indeed the only aspect of ‘the construction of Europe’ that is currently moving forward, not in the area of citizenship, but in that of anti-citizenship , by way of coordination between police forces and also of more or less simultaneous legislative and constitutional changes regarding the right of asylum and immigration regulations, family reunion, the granting of nationality, and so on† (Balibar 78). Although, the Declaration of Rights, (based on the birth-nation link and leading to national sovereignty) was expected to succeed the collapse of the ancien rà ©gime (where the concept of national citizenship was absent), Agamben clearly says that after World War I â€Å"the birth-nation link has no longer been capable of performing its legitimating function inside the nation-state, and the two terms have begun to show themselves to be irreparably loosened from each other† (Agamben 132). This leads him to talk about the immense increase of refugees and stateless persons in Europe. He lists several Europeans (1,500,000 White Russians, 700,000 Armenians, etc.) who were displaced from their countries in the first half of 20th century. Then, he talks about the mass denaturalization and denationalization of their own populations committed by France in 1915 with respect to naturalized citizens of â€Å"enemy† origin and by Belgium in 1922 who revoked the naturalization of citizens who have committed â€Å"anti national† acts during the war. He then mentions the â€Å"most extreme point† of this process when the Nuremberg laws on â€Å"citizenship in the Reich† and the â€Å"protection of German blood and honor† introduced â€Å"the principle according to which citizenship was something of which one had to prove oneself worthy and which could therefore always be called into question† (Agamben 132). This highlights the fact that by u sing the biopolitical weapons of Fascism and Nazism, countries stripped their own citizens off of their citizenship and human rights and ultimately pushed them towards their death. Agamben claims that, â€Å"Today it is not the city but rather the camp that is the fundamental biopolitical paradigm of the West† (Agamben 181). The two resulting phenomenons: 1) The massive increase in the number of refugees and stateless persons in Europe, and 2) European states allowing the mass denaturalization and denationalization of their own populations, â€Å"show that the birth-nation link, on which the Declaration of 1789 had founded national sovereignty, had already lost its mechanical force and power of self-regulation by the time of the First World War† (Agamben 132). What actually happens is that the governments suspend civil rights during social crisis and decide who is to be excluded and who is to be included. The refugees are the ones who are excluded. The camp signifies a state of exception in which â€Å"the originary relation of law to life is not application but Abandonment† (Agamben). The one who is banned is not simply set outside the law but rather abandoned by it. This highlights the fact that the nations and their biopolitics truly lack the humanitarian aspect. Agamben sees a separation of humanitarian concerns from politics. Instead, what’s visible to him is a solidarity between humanitarianism and the political powers it should fight. This contradiction is a primary reason for the failure of several committees and organisations (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for example) who work for the problem of refugees and the protection of human rights. They simply refuse to comment on the actions of political regimes. â€Å"This distinction is also seen in the general populace of many nation-states in which great compassion is demonstrated by donating millions of dollars to fund humanitarian aid, while showing great hostility to those same suffering faces when they are more proximate strangers† (qtd. in Zembylas). Although, these organizations function for the right of these refugees, they fail to resolve their problems in any way. These humanitarian organizations â€Å"maintain a secret solidarity with the very powe rs they ought to fight† â€Å"The separation between humanitarianism and politics that we are experiencing today is the extreme phase of the separation of the rights of man from the rights of the citizen† (Agamben 133). Now, the big question is how to stop the exploitation of these refugees at the hands of nations’ biopolitics? Some might suggest that since the concept of ‘refugees’ is a result of ‘borders’, a ‘borderless world’ would aptly solve the problem of refugees. But, â€Å"such a ‘world’ would run the risk of being a mere arena for the unfettered domination of the private centers of power which monopolize capital, communications and, perhaps also, arms† (Balibar 85). By saying this, Balibar is pointing towards the omnipresence of biopolitics which makes the fact clear that a world without borders and biopolitics can only exist in a state of utopia. First of all, what Agamben suggests is that the concept of the refugee must be separated from the concept of the human rights because refugees are devoid of any of those rights. It should be clearly visible to everyone where they stand. Secondly, the refugees are born in a nation and they should belong to it but they aren’t allowed to, and since they are born as Man they should be considered citizens but they aren’t. This is why the refugees must call into question the existing fundamental concepts of the nation-state: the birth-nation and the man-citizen links. Refugees should make nations and humanist organizations see how much they are lacking in their humanitarian approach. Lastly, refugees have got the power to ask the nations to renew their existing political categories where â€Å"bare life is no longer separated either in the state order or in the figure of human rights† (Agamben 134). If there would be no separation of bare life, then there wouldnâ€℠¢t be any discrimination against the refugees. This way they will be recognized as humans and citizens just like any other person and their discrimination at the hands of biopolitics will eventually see a decline. Works Cited Agamben, Giorgio. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1995.  126, 132, 133, 134, 181. Print. Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace World,  1966. N. pag. Print. Balibar, Etienne. Politics and the Other Scene. London: Verso, 2002. 78. Print.  Downey, Anthony. Zones of Indistinction. http://www.sothebysinstitute.com/files/research/zones.pdf. Sothebys Institute of Art, 26  Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. Foucault, Michel, and Mauro Bertani. Society Must Be Defended: Lectures at the Collà ¨ge De  France, 1975-1976. New York: Picador, 2003. 255. Print. Robin, Corey. Fear: The History of a Political Idea. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. N. pag. Print. Urrea, Luis Alberto. Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border. New York:  Anchor, 1993. 17, 18, 19. Print. Zembylas, Michalinos. Agambens Theory of Biopower and Immigrants/Refugees/AsylumSeekers. Journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/viewFile/195/83. Journal of  Curriculum Theorizing, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Last Season of the Last Year :: Personal Narratives Sports Track Football Essays

The Last Season of the Last Year My final year was one of the best experiences of my life, full of surprises one of which was me going out for a totally different sport that totally changed my view against obstacles that I face. It was right after the football season when I made a decision to go out for track with a friend of mine who encouraged me and without him I would have had a very different outcome. This is quite similar to the pact because of the same encouragement and competition that Sampson, Rameck and George received from each other. The football season was great despite our record. Tom, a friend of mine from high school, together we had a great time maybe because we were seniors. In the past seasons, we didn’t have as much fun, going to practice was like going for a punishment especially during conditioning where we had to run for hours and do all sots of drills. With a little fun we turned this the other way round and had the best senior football season. During practice me and Tom, who were both wide receivers just kept on telling jokes which the coaches didn’t like so much but they let it go because we also competed against each other in the process, like whenever we run plays, we would see who could do it faster and more agile, we also had to catch the ball. Some times we pulled off one handed catches just to gain more points. That is a monument in my life I would like to relieve. I had so much fun but have you ever realized that a lot of fun just doesn’t last, before we know it, it was t he and of the football season and that was if for me and Tom since we were seniors. I moved into class rater swiftly, I was late as usual but didn’t get in trouble. I liked my teacher very much, he was also the track couch. The teacher every one in school liked and am glad I had him not only as a teacher but as a very good friend. I found him still sited on his desk besides his computer, still telling jokes that he always told at the beginning of class. â€Å"Kenneth my man† he said so loudly that he actually scared me a little. â€Å"Your fast man, why don’t you join my track team† he added.