The Greatest Nature of Nan Liao Harbor Free Essay Example, 1250 words

In general, I started to explore deep cores of the Nan Liao Harbor after reaching that place. Its great natural surroundings elevated my power of imagination and reflection. The depth of its beauty helped to enhance the boundaries of my imagination. Going to the harbor on my own proved to be very advantageous because I discovered that nature and solitude make a very good recipe together. Sure, touring natural places accompanied by friends or family is a great idea. But, going alone is a better option if one seeks to use nature to get in touch with oneself. During my stay, I tried to fully dedicate my time to self-examination and self-acceptance. I took many long walks by the water and slowly, I started to enjoy reflecting on myself because this practice brought me closer to self-acceptance. At Nan Liao Harbor, I was closer to nature than ever before. Nature helps one in meditating and reflecting. One starts transforming into a person as nature has willed. The Present is a beautiful short story written by Dillard which also shows how overwhelmingly nature can influence a person. We will write a custom essay sample on The Greatest Nature of Nan Liao Harbor or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Claiming that a person becomes imaginative when utterly alone and surrounded by nature is a reality which I experienced in its true form at Nan Liao Harbor. It would not be exaggerated to suggest that nature can act as a mirror because Nan Liao Harbor acted as a mirror for me. It made me turn within which is a great way to assist self-reflection.

Globalization and Its Effects on Mexico - 1055 Words

Globalization and its Effect on Mexico Mexico has the size and assets which could contribute to wealth and prosperity within their borders. The nation has the second longest border with the United States, significant oil resources, and the 11th largest population in the world. Mexico underwent all the necessary free market changes to help support globalization despite initial resistance, but they are yet to complete the interior microeconomic makeover they drastically need. Mexico has many things working for them but continue to underperform when it comes to global power and economy, China out performs Mexico for low-cost manufactured goods and India is often the target for outsourcing jobs and services over Mexico (Biggs, Shiess).†¦show more content†¦Mexico is greatly reliant on their petroleum exports; this has been called the Resource Curse by many experts. The problem lies in that when they started to nationalize their oil resources, they needed foreign investment to refine petroleum into oil as they lacked the local funds to do so themselves. This results in some economic benefits due to other countries purchasing crude oil for themselves, but the process remains to be quite draining on what could be the road to economic prosperity. Mexico needs to mine the crude oil, export it to outside nations where they can refine it and then re-import it as gasoline. (Biggs, Shiess) The biggest problem that their fossil fuel dependence will bring upon Mexico is that the country is relying on the industry, and because demand and prices are high Mexico has no reason to start new industries. Oil is a fossil fuel and resources are diminishing, and when they are gone Mexico will not be in even rougher shape than they are currently. Mexico is at the crossroads when it comes to their economy and what direction those in power want to take the country in. As of right now the globalization efforts have helped the Mexican economy but due to lack of funds and a change in political scenery at the same time Mexico was unable to fully capitalize on the free market. They may have helped their trading relationships with outside countries, but not enough was doneShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Effects of Globalization on Oaxaca, Mexico1781 Words   |  8 PagesLocated in the southeastern section of Mexico, right along the Pacific Ocean, lies the diverse Mexican state of Oaxaca. Due to the â€Å"sixteen ethno linguistic groups [that were able to] maintain their individual languages, customs and ancestral traditions† (Schmal), Oaxaca is by far one of them most ethically complex states in Mexico. In fact, Oaxaca is heavily dominated by the Zapotec and Mixtec people, which are the two largest groups in Oaxaca. However, globalization has recently impacted the greaterRead MoreGlobalization And The Global Migration903 Words   |  4 Pagesthe country. Globalization is the global economic integration of the global market. In recent time, there wer e many migrations because of the process of globalization. In order for us to understand the causes and the effects of these migrations, we need to understand the relationship between globalization and global migration. Globalization is the primary reason why global migration occurs. Globalization is the (process of integration and development in the global market.) Globalization is a majorRead MoreBackground And Culture Of Mexico1209 Words   |  5 PagesBackground/Culture Mexico is located in Northern America, bordered by the United States, Belize and Guatemala. The country’s population is at currently 112.3 million with a total land area of 1,972,550 km. The majority of this population’s language is Spanish, making this country the largest Spanish speaking population in the world. 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Trade between countries, which has been a key aspect of globalization from its beginning, works as a way to fuel the economies of the countries involved as well as strengthen and/or harbor the political relations between them. This allows people from different countries all around the world to have similar experiencesRead MoreCommanding heights episode 3 Essay1346 Words   |  6 Pagesby them. The series travels to the locations where events happened, and in many cases, interviews the people who made them happen, from Bill Clinton to Milton Friedman to workers in various countries. Episode three encompasses that along with globalization and an open free market and period of peace and advancement of technologies and ideological views will happen. A global economy will introduce a path to peace and prosperity for rich and poor nation alike. 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The Catcher in the Rye Free Essays

The novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, had a huge impact on the media in the past 30 years. We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye or any similar topic only for you Order Now Two of the most famous ones are the assassination of John Lennon and the attempt assassination of President Reagan. The assassins of the two men were Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley, Jr. , respectively. They were obsessed with the character Holden and used the concepts of the book in their reasons of murder, or in John Hinckley’s case, attempt murder. Mark David Chapman was obsessed with two things: The Catcher in the Rye and John Lennon. After he read the novel for the first time, the story took a great personal significance on him, to the extent that he wanted to model his life after Holden Caulfield. He signed letters and statements with â€Å"Holden† and â€Å"the Catcher in the Rye†. In 1979, two years after his release from Castle Memorial Hospital, for clinical depression, he wrote a letter saying that he’s going crazy again, and heard voices in his head. In October of 1980, Chapman went to New York City to kill John Lennon. He left the city for a short time to get ammunition from his friend in Atlanta. He moves around again and when he comes back to NYC, he reenacts some scenes from The Catcher in the Rye in a taxi cab. He leaves Sheraton Hotel in the morning of December 8th, and leaves all his stuff there for the police to find. He left his new copy of his favorite novel with the words â€Å"This is my statement† and signs it â€Å"Holden Caulfield†. He waits for Lennon outside his The Dakota apartment but misses him when he was in a conversation with other fans and the doorman. Later that morning, he meets Lennon’s housekeeper and Lennon’s 5-year-old son and shakes hands with him. When John and his wife came back around 5 p. m. , Chapman held out an album for Lennon to sign and the couple left. Mark reported, â€Å"At that point my big part won and I wanted to go back to my hotel, but I couldn’t. I waited until he came back. He knew where the ducks went in winter, and I needed to know this. † Later that night, when Lennon was coming back, Chapman shot his gun five times and hitting John with four of them. Until the police arrived, Mark sat and read his copy of The Catcher in the Rye. John Hinckley’s crime did not relate to The Catcher in the Rye as Mark David Chapman’s. John Hinckley’s attempt assassination of President Reagan was to impress Jodie Foster, an actress from Taxi Driver that John stalked. He wrote letters to her, even made phone calls, and by assassinating the president, he thought that he could win her love and respect. The day before the attempt, he wrote a letter to Jodie detailing his plan to kill the president. The next day, he stood in the crowd surrounding Reagan’s limousine. John fired several shots at the president but missed and hit him once under his armpit, injured the press secretary, a Secret Service agent, and a Washington DC police officer. A copy of The Catcher in the Rye was found in John’s hotel room. I infer that he related himself to Holden, who was also in love with Jane Gallagher and was also sort of a rebel of society. Both of these assassins have obviously took the book too seriously, even though it was a realistic book. They found the wrong message in the novel by J. D. Salinger and should be in a mental hospital for their mental disorders. Although their crimes are extremely serious and deserve to be punished for, the two men weren’t in their right minds when they tried or did murder a person. The Catcher in the Rye was truly a tool of a madman in these two cases. How to cite The Catcher in the Rye, Essay examples The Catcher in the Rye Free Essays The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is home to the protagonist Holden Caulfield. We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye or any similar topic only for you Order Now There is no coincidence that he holds a striking resemblance to the author of the novel himself. Salinger seemed to have a similar childhood as Holden describes in The Catcher in the Rye. Both men also seemed to have a certain fascination with younger children, especially younger women. J.D. Salinger based one of his most famous characters, Holden Caulfield, on personal experience. Holden’s story in The Catcher in the Rye begins with Holden at his school, Pencey Preparatory, which is a boarding school. He was sent there by his parents, who seemed to be withdrawn from his life. Similarly, Salinger’s parents sent him to Valley Forge Military School, where he had a neighbor who always seemed to be barging in, showing a resemblance to Ackley. The reader learns that Holden is the son of wealthy parents from New York. It turns out that J.D. Salinger was also born in New York to upper-class parents. It seems as though Holden Caulfield’s childhood is an identical match to that of J.D. Salinger’s. Salinger had a deep love and fascination with young children, especially young women. In the 1970s, Salinger maintained a close connection with an eighteen year-old girl, Joyce Maynard, who eventually moved in with the author. J.D. Salinger continued to have many relations with younger women, much like this one. His fascination with young women is reflected in Holden, who has a similar mind-set. Even as a seventeen year-old, Holden is infatuated with his perception of Jane Gallagher as a little girl. It is this picture of innocence that Holden is in love with, and not what Jane is like now. The concept of, â€Å"the catcher in the rye,† itself projects his interest in children. He day-dreams about standing at the edge of the rye field catching any children that are too close to the edge of the cliff. Salinger used Holden to vent his love, and passion for children. Holden is almost an identical representation of what J.D. Salinger is truly like. His adoration for young women is shown in Holden’s love for Jane, and in the concept of, â€Å"the catcher in the rye.† Both show similarities in their childhoods, from growing up wealthy in New York, to being sent away for school. J.D. Salinger used Holden Caulfield to expose his personal life, and possibly his personal feelings. How to cite The Catcher in the Rye, Essay examples The Catcher in the Rye Free Essays Holden Caulfeild is the main character of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye or any similar topic only for you Order Now Holden is portrayed as a very troubled and alienated young boy. He alienates himself to protect himself from the hurt of losing his brother Allie, the pain of growing up, and the phoniness of the adult world. Holden grieves the loss of his beloved little brother by thinking of everyone else as not good enough. He wants to fit into this new world he’s coming into as he’s growing up, but he can’t find a place for himself. During this book Holden always describes himself as a victim of the world around him. He says to Mr. Spencer in the beginning of the book that he feels trapped on â€Å"the other side† of life. Throughout the book Holden attempts to find his way in a world that he doesn’t feel he belongs in. In chapter nine Holden tells us about some ducks that he sees in the central park lagoon. The ducks are a symbolic part of the story. The pond is a metaphor for Holden’s life and the stage of his life that he is in when this book is written. The pond is â€Å"partly frozen and partly not frozen. † It is in transition between two states, just as Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood. The deeper into this book we get the more we start to realize that the way Holden alienates himself is just to protect himself. Hilden has been hurt before and he makes that very obvious when he speaks of his brother Allie and his death. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn’t do it. It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie. (39) This quote shows us how strongly Holden did care about Allie and what a loss Allie’s death was to his life. Holden tries to pass off his alienation as him thinking he is better than everyone else and is too good to interact with them. An example of this would be when Holden is in the club and he meets three older women. Holden says, â€Å"they didn’t invite me to sit down at their table- mostly because they were too ignorant- but I sat down anyway. †(73) and â€Å"I tried to get them in a little intelligent conversation, but it was practically impossible. You had to twist their arms. You could hardly tell which was the stupidest of the three of them. †(73) These quotes show that Holden thinks of the women as stupid and below him before he even knows them. He assumes people are not as good as he is and that everyone has something wrong with them. But really Holden is the one who has a problem interacting with people. Holden is desperately in need of human contact and love. He needs someone to talk to and be close with, but he denies himself that. Which might be one of the causes of his depression. Holden also used alienation to protect himself from growing up. Holden is obviously overwhelmed by change. But instead of growing up, Holden criticizes other people for the things that he is guilty of. He rarely ever admits to being wrong or not knowing something. One of the few times where he does admit being wrong is when he speaks of sex and admits, â€Å"sex is something I just don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t†(63) This shows us that Holden isn’t really as grown up and worldly as he would like us to think. Holden puts on an act to make himself seem much older and more experienced than he really is. In most of the book he does a good job of making that image of himself believable, but this is one part where he shows us that he is still a child. Holden also uses alienation to protect himself from the phoniness of the adult world. Holden uses the term â€Å"phony† as a sort of catch all for all the things he sees in the world that he doesn’t like or doesn’t agree with. An example is when Holden describes childhood as â€Å"innocence, curiosity, and honesty†. While he says that adulthood is â€Å"superficial and phony†. Holden does not want to grow up, which could be a reason he would describe adulthood as being â€Å"phony†. A way that Holden avoids growing up and addressing his problems or flaws is by pointing out the phoniness in the world and in people around him. Holden uses many different things to alienate himself and to keep himself closed off and protected from the world. He alienates himself to avoid growing up and to avoid changing. Holden even talks at the end of the book about opening up to people. He says, â€Å"Don’t ever tell anymore anything. If you do, you’ll start missing everybody†(214) But what Holden does not see that we, as the reader, can, is that Holden’s alienation of himself is one of the pain sources of his pain and depression. We can see that if he would only trust in people and open up that he would be happy and wouldn’t feel so alone. How to cite The Catcher in the Rye, Papers

Financial statement analysis and Business

Question: Discuss about the Financial statement analysis and Business. Answer: Introduction: Tom Stemberg, who was a chain executive from supermarket business and then turned into entrepreneur, in the year 1985, through facing his own problem realised that for the requirement of office products people need supermarket. After 10 months of this incident, first superstore office was opened. Due to opening of that office, supplies for office requirement became more affordable, accessible to everyone in need. Several things altered over the past few years as they enlarged their business and number of products for dealing. Staples think that instead of changing several things, the only thing, which did not change was that customers are their first priority and they are always there to help their customers, no matter what they are expecting. They provide products to those people who want to develop new things. For more than 25 years they are working hard to construct a strong brand that people can believe, connect with and trust. In their beginning days they wanted to give the message to the people that Yeah, weve got that, so that, people could sense that they can find the items in Staples, whatever they required for office supplies. They introduced their new tagline that was easy in the year 2000. These three words helped to set their own significant identity and they realized that they were more than just selection. They also tried to offer the simples shopping experience for their customers. In todays competitive scenario, irrespective of new or established business every business is trying to gain more and introducing new things. As the customers are always busy in various sectors like hospitals, school premises, offices, at home, they require everything started from office supplies to technology and power tools. To provide the customers with more products, they introduced: At staples.com customers can have ample choice of products Customers can check their Shop by industry option If the customers cannot find their required item, they can check their Product concierge option. To provide convenient shopping experience, they offer the following advantages to their customers: Customers can find stores as per their convenience They can shop anytime through online Can visit their site through mobile app Know more about their products through pick up in store and reserve online services Can check about their requirement through Order by item option Reorder their favourite items with Easy reorder option Customers can enjoy the problem free returns each time. Evaluation of directors report: The executive committee of staples offers an opportunity for diversifying their board and leveraging their strength for guidelines in case of emergencies for the benefits of stakeholders. It is expected that the executive committee will take appropriate actions whenever necessary to accelerate their interests in their board meetings on continue basis. The board of directors are responsible for approving and reviewing the approaches for the management of risk and preparing framework for risk parameters. The audit committee supplies report regarding the risk related to companys financial report and accounting, integrity of the report, cyber security and technology including considerable responsibilities towards significant information. The audit committee provides their report at the quarterly board meeting about significant activities (Staples.com 2017). Strategies: Their board reviews their long-term approaches every year in the annual scheduled meeting held in June every year. The meeting involves presentation about strategic approaches after discussions with senior management team. Their board spend considerable time throughout the year 2015 for discuss and review the above matters related to strategic alternatives, integration planning and acquisition. The board committee also regard the strategic objectives that are within their targets, for example, involvement of the finance committee in the arrangement of finance for the transactions with the Office Depot. Their independent directors also meet in executive session on regular basis about the strategies to be implied. Evaluation: They are committed to uphold an efficient board that will work towards the interest of the shareholders as well as the company as a whole. They hold an annual self-evaluation procedure for evaluating the performance s of the directors. As a part of the procedure, a survey in written is generated for which inputs are collected from the independent directors and chair person of the board. Every director fill up the survey form and give their valuable feedback and suggestion to the outside counsel, who in turn will summarize the outcome of the evaluation and will suggest recommendations accordingly. This procedures assists the directors to offer feedback about: Oversight, planning and information about the board Operation and structure of the board Relationship of the board with the management and CEO Operation and structure of the committee Engagement, preparedness and qualifications of the director The committee of corporate governance, nominating committee and the full board of directors discuss about the outcomes in the executive session and determine the proper mix for the composition of the board and process of nomination as well as identifies the areas where the improvement is necessary. Diversity: Diversity has always been a crucial factor to staples. They always try to provide an environment for business that will offer variety of people, experience and thought and suppliers. The board reviews the proper characteristics and skills of the members from the board with regard to the board composition. Apart from diversified skill, experience, tenure, the company also gives significant importance to the ethnic and gender background. Under the approved procedures of the independent directors and the assistance and advice from the General Counsel, statements are provided to the boards chairperson. Communication related to the corporate strategies and corporate governance are expected to be forwarded, as it is more important as compared to the personal grievances and general business (Staples.com 2017). Assessment of Quality of Earnings and conclusions about Earnings Sustainability: Staples have various success aspects that contribute to their day-to-day success. One of the primary contributors to the success is the ability of differentiating themselves from the competitors. Annual report of staples includes data regarding the important accounting flexibilities and accounting policies that can be utilized to assess their earning quality and earning sustainability. It has been noticed that the disclosure quality of staples is superior as compared to its competitors. During the analysis it has been noticed that major part of their assets are financed with operating and not with capital lease that results in understatement of liabilities as well as assets. Other findings are as follows: Results from operation: Primary contributors to their operating result of 2015 as compared to the year 2014 are summarized below: They generated $21.1 billion from sales that shown a decrease 6.4% as compared to 2014 and the sales of 2014 was $22.49 billion that shows a decrease by 2.7% and the sale for 2013 was $24.38 billion Online sales and sales from North American stores decreased by 8.7% as compared to 2014 and decreased in 2014 by 5.9% as compared to 2013. Income from business was stable at 4.5% Commercial sales from commercial of North America increased by 1.1% and income from business unit increased from 6.9% to 7.2% Sales from International operation decreased by 16.3% in 2015 and by 4.9% in 2014 and the reason behind that was the unfavourable effect of exchange rates Net income of 2015 was $379 million, for 2014 was $135 million and for 2013 was $707 million. Earnings per share for 2015 were $0.59 as compared to $0.21 for the year 2014 and $1.07 in 2013 (staples.com 2017). Performance table: (Amount in billion) Years Sales Net income Earnings per share 2013 $ 24,380.00 $ 707.00 $ 1.07 2014 $ 22,490.00 $ 135.00 $ 0.21 2015 $ 21,100.00 $ 379.00 $ 0.59 Table 1: Performance analysis (Source: Investor.staples.com 2017) Trend analysis: Figure 1: Trend analysis (Source: Created by author) From the above table, it can be seen that the sales of the company is in decreasing trend and fell from $24.38 billion to $22.49 billion and further to $21.10 billion over the year 2013, 2014 and 2015. Net income of the company drastically fell from $707 billion to $135 billion from 2013 to 2014. However, the company managed to raise their net income to $379 billion in the year 2015. Earnings per share of the company also fell from $1.07 per share to $0.21 per share from 2013 to 2014. It increased to $0.59 per share in 2015. It shows that though the company has managed to overcome the drastic position of 2014 in the year 2015, still it could not achieve the level of performance they achieved in 2013. Risk related to the business: Identified risks related to the business are as follows: The mergers will not be accomplished until certain stipulated conditions such as expiration of termination period Combination of two companies might be more costly, time consuming and complicated than the expectation and the cost saving and other anticipated advantages may not be possible to realize If they cannot meet the changing requirements of the customers, their financial and business performance can be affected adversely They are not certain about transforming their business and their inability to implement the strategies successfully can affect their business adversely They operate in highly competitive market and risk are always there that they may fail to compete successfully in the long-run International economic conditions can affect their performance adversely Their global operations are exposed to inherent risks of foreign operations Evaluation of cash flows: Cash flow analysis: Particulars 2013 2014 2015 Net cash from operating activities $ 1,219,188.00 $ 1,108,286.00 $ 1,042,938.00 Net cash used in investing activities $ (342,015.00) $ (479,545.00) $ (375,293.00) Net cash used in financing activities $ (812,265.00) $(1,442,049.00) $ (492,656.00) Exchange rate differences $ 5,245.00 $ (19,889.00) $ (48,215.00) Net increase or decrease in cash $ 70,153.00 $ (833,197.00) $ 126,774.00 Table 2: Cash flow analysis (Source: Investor.staples.com 2017) Trend analysis Figure 2: Trend analysis (Source: Created by author) It can be seen from the above table that the net cash generation has fell drastically over the year 2013 to 2014 from $70,153 thousands to negative generation of $833,197 thousands. However, the company managed to generate cash amounting to $126,774 thousands in the year 2015. The adverse result in the year 2014 generated through excess spending towards financing activities that amounted to $14,42,049 thousands. Exchange rate difference has greatest impact on the incomes of year 2015 as compared to 2013 and 2014 and amounted to $(48,215) thousands. Net cash used for investing activities for the year 2014 is highest as compared to the year 2013 and 2015 and amounted to $479,545 thousands. This higher spending also contributed to negative increase of cash. On the analysis of the adverse performance for the year 2014, it is noticed that the company paid huge amount towards payment of capital lease and borrowing obligations that amounted to $910,225 thousands. The company managed to revi ve their performance in every aspect and from the devastating results of 2014 they managed to a satisfied performance in the year 2015. They maintain liquid investments with a maturity period of three months or less than that. Their receivables involve non-trade receivables and trade receivables financed under the commercial credit terms. Allowance for doubtful debts has been transacted to decrease the receivables from trade to an amount expected to be realised from customers based on particular evidence as well as past trends. Financial credit quality: As per the rating of Moody, for approval of ratings approvals from various regulations are required and the term loan shall not be funded until the formal discussions are closed. They believe that the term loan functions as bridge loan to benefit the office depot acquisition and the stated structure offers considerable flexibility with regard to the refinance or repayment. Further, downgrades from Prime-2, the commercial rating and Baa 2, the senior unsecured rating will limited to one-notch if the company exhibits the willingness and ability to decrease the leverage to 3.5 times within the acquisition closing of 24 months. Staples are not expected to fulfil the criteria within the normal time frame. Baa 2 rating regards the financial policy of staple as flexible as it connected to repurchase of shares, its ability of best-in class execution, construction of multi-channel approaches in performance that creates strong metrics for credit and balanced mix of revenue between corporate an d retail customers. The rating identifies that they provide high quality of office supplies as compared to their competitors, such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, Costco, BJs and Sams Club. All of these provide services related to expansion of home-based and small businesses. An upgrade can take be added to the rating of staples if they maintain their operating performance in solid way despite the macroeconomic challenges from Europe and US and the they maintained stable financial policy with regard to their relationships between debt holders and shareholders. Apparently, rating can also be upgraded if the retained cash inflow in relation to the total debt was comfortably maintained above 25%. At the same time, ratings can be downgraded due to weaken of financial policy and operational performance, for example, cash to net debt ratio falls below 5% or retained cash flow to net debt falls below 18%. As per the records of headquarter in Framingham, staples is the biggest retailer of office supplies with annual income of $23 billion and 200 stores approximately. It has also agreed to acquire Office Depot, Inc for a payment of $6 billion approximately. The primary methods used in the ratings was Global retail Industry published in 2011 June. Regulatory disclosures: For the purpose of ratings issued on series or class or category of debt and program, credit rating announcement assist in disclosures of certain regulations for the issuance of subsequent note or bind of the same class or category of debt, for which the ratings are ascertained from the previous rating exclusively as per the rating practices of Moody. On the other hand, for the purpose of rating of a support provider, the announcement of rating offers certain disclosures for the rating of support provider and for every rating they ascertain the rating from the credit rating of the support provider. For issuance of conditional rating, credit rating announcement assist in disclosures of certain assigned conditional rating and with regard to the definite rating that could be allotted after the final debt issuance, for every case definite rating will be allotted. For the rated companies or the affected securities that receives direct assistance from the primary companies for the rating a nd whose ratings can be altered due to this rating action, their disclosures for associated regulatory will be same as the rating of the guarantor companies. One exception to this strategy exists for the disclosures such as, disclosures received from rated entities, disclosures given for the rated entities and other ancillary services. Regulatory disclosures included in the publications apply for the rating of the credit and also for the rating review or rating outlook, if possible. Revolving credit facilities: The company on 31st May 2013 entered into a new agreement for credit with the Bank of America named as May 2018 revolving Credit Facility. The credit facility offered a maximum borrowing limit of $1.0 billion that can be increased up to $1.5 billion upon request and fulfilment of certain conditions. Borrowings may be in the form of swing loans, syndicated loans, letter of credit, multi-currency loans, the maximum limit of which cannot exceed the maximum limit of borrowing. Borrowed amounts may be repaid and again borrowed from time to time till 31st May 2018. Interest rate of borrowing may vary depending on the borrowing type and will reflect in the coverage ratio for fixed charge and credit rating as a percentage base. The Company will pay facility fee ranging from0.08%to0.225%per annum based on its coverage ratio for fixed charge and credit rating. May 2018 Revolving Credit Facility is of unsecured nature and ranks pari passu with the public notes of the company and other indebtedn ess and involves negative covenants and customary affirmative for credit facilities. The May 2018 Revolving Credit Facility also involves financial agreements that needs the Company to uphold a minimum coverage ratio for fixed charge and a maximum adjusted funded debt to total ratio for capitalization. However, the Company did not availed the facility from the May 2018 Revolving Credit Facility during the year 2014 and no amounts were due with regard to this facility at January 31, 2015. Program for commercial paper: Staples undertaken a program under commercial paper that allowed it to issue commercial paper of unsecured nature amounting up to $1.0 billion. The company utilizes the proceeds from commercial paper for general purposes such as capital expenditure, working capital, share repurchase and acquisition. Commercial papers maturity varies depend on the periods but cannot exceed 397 days in any way. In 2014, the Company borrowed under the this Program to assist its requirements of working capital. The maximum amount due under the Commercial Paper Program during2014was$150.0 million. OnJanuary31, 2015,noCommercial Paper Notes were due (Sec.gov 2017). Other credit lines: The Company has several other options of credit lines under which it can borrow up to $138.9 million. OnJanuary31, 2015, the Company had borrowings due amounted to $77.2 millionand due letters of credit amounted to$0.1 millionunder these credit lines and had$61.6 million available for credit on that date.There were no incidence of default during2014under any debt agreements (Sec.gov 2017). Deferred financing fees: With regard to the issuance of debt instruments, the company had to paid fees under the financing charge that were amortized over the debt instruments term. Financing fees amortization has been segregated as expense for interest. Fees for deferred financing amortized as interest expense amounted to$4.8 million,$3.4 millionand$2.0 millionfor2012,2013and2014, respectively. The amount for 2012 involves$1.0 millionof accelerated amortization related to the early extinguishment of$632.8 millionof the January 2014 Notes. AtJanuary31, 2015, unamortized financing fees of$2.0 millionwere included inprepaid expenses and other current assetsand$5.6 millionwere included inOther assets. AtFebruary1, 2014, unamortized financing fees of$2.0 millionwere included inprepaid expenses and other current assetsand$8.4 millionwere included inOther assets (Sec.gov 2017). Professional comparison ranking: The professional ranking published by the fortune magazine in 2015 May in their list for Fortune 500 analysed the ranking of largest public as well as private companies from US based on the annual revenue. The list of 2015 was ranked as per the annual gross revenue rather than profits of the previous year that each company included in the list. As the ranking of Fortune 500 supplies comparison between the listed companies from US among all the industries, a fall or rise in the ranking may not associate with the fall or rise in the individual revenue or performance of the company. However, while comparing the ups and downs over the years in the retail sector, a fall or rise in the ranking shows retail relevance and even among the retail companies that are not competitors. In the ranking for the year 2015 under the Fortune 500 restaurant chains, retail chains, oil companies, automobile retailers with expediency retailing and the companies having retailing as the considerable part of bu siness are included. The downward and upward trend of few bigger companies from US can be easily marked using the fortune 500 chart for comparison. The ranking of staples over the past few years are as follows: Year 2013 rank 122 Year 2014 rank 127 Year 2015 rank 133 It can be seen from the above ranking list that the ranking of the company is deteriorating over the last years, which states that the performance of the company with compared to its competitors are not favourable and their ranking came to 133 in year 2015 from the rank 122 in 2013 (Fortune 2017). As per the latest observation about the available components of SP 500 undertaken for largest market capitalization, Staples took over #454 position from PulteGroup Inc. market capitalization is a crucial factor as it keeps an eye on the investor for several reasons. The primary reason is that it gives true comparison for the attributed value through the stock market for a given stock of the company. Below shown chart is about the performance of Staples Inc. versus Pulte Group Inc. through plotting their size rank within the SP 500 over the given period Figure 3: Comparison of rank (Source: Theonlineinvestor.com 2017) Conclusion: From the above discussions, it is concluded that the stability and dependability are the key qualities that are expected from any trusted company. Staples provide the assurance of working with the standing and strong financial background supplier in the industry. Their financial strength are advantageous in the following way: Their low expenses in operation expenses assist in minimizing business costs, which in turn enable them to generate greater savings in overall performance that are passes on to the customer in next stage The company leverages the purchasing power to bargain for highly competitive savings on all the items required by the customers Their industry-leading market capitalization assists them in achieving the ability to invest continuously in critical development of their business. Recommendation: Setting goals for corporate responsibility and tracking the performances is an important way to evaluate the functions. It gives the company and the shareholders the tools and information required for making crucial decisions for present as well as for future. Some of the recommendations that can be advised to the company are as follows: Community: The Company should increase the engagement with associate community through increasing the participation and awareness in opportunities of local volunteer. They must also increase involvement in philanthropic initiatives, increase support to local companies for maximizing the community effect. They should increase the engagement of customers in community by providing assistance in market campaigning. Environment: The company must take appropriate steps to sell sustainable services and products through improving identification, sourcing and promoting greener products and at the same time must take steps to reduce the usage of packaging materials from outside. They must offer easy and simple recycling solutions to customer, minimize waste from operation process and maximize energy efficient and renewable energy through minimizing electrical intensity and reducing emissions of carbon globally. Ethics: They must take steps to increase the brand of Global Ethics Compliance Office and ethics program both and internationally and domestically. They should continue to provide easy access to associate training through online training program. The company shall support the Chief Culture Officer for the successful implementation of objectives related to ethics. Diversity: Staples should be more determined to pursuit hiring women to fill vacant positions across all business units with special importance in segments where they are underrepresented. They must try for creating programs to expand and retain the female talent. They must offer programs planned to identify and diminish bias in hiring and performance management and further involve culture of inclusion, which in turn, will enable associates to contribute as per their potentiality and assist Staples to grow further in business. Finally, they should continue their commitment to hiring and sourcing Veterans through engaging the external partners and through more healthy internal Talent Acquisition strategies. References and Bibliography: Cuzella, J., 2015. Fast fashion: A proposal for copyright protection of 3D-printed apparel.J. on Telecomm. High Tech. L.,13, p.369. Fortune. (2017). Staples. [online] Available at: https://beta.fortune.com/fortune500/staples-132 [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Investor.staples.com. (2017). Annual Reports | Staples.com. [online] Available at: https://investor.staples.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=96244p=irol-reportsannual [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Jain, N., 2011. Green Computing Practices: A solution to save environment.International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science,2(3). Sec.gov. (2017). SPLS 10-K 01312015. [online] Available at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/791519/000079151915000004/spls10-k01312015.htm [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Staples.com. (2017). About Staples Home Page | Staples.com. [online] Available at: https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/about_us/index.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Staples.com. (2017). Marketing Management Hardcover | Staples. [online] Available at: https://www.staples.com/Marketing-Management-Hardcover/product_1153870 [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Theonlineinvestor.com. (2017). Staples Moves Up In Market Cap Rank, Passing PulteGroup. [online] Available at: https://www.theonlineinvestor.com/article/201602/staples-moves-up-in-market-cap-rank-passing-pultegroup-spls-phm-SPLS02252016mbumped.htm/ [Accessed 31 Jan. 2017]. Xu, Y. and Liu, L., 2004. GIS based analysis of store closure: a case study of an Office Depot Store in Cincinnati. In12th int. conf. on geoinformaticsgeospatial information research(p. 533e540).

A lab report at uni free essay sample

Plot a graph showing you experimental results from the instance where you pressurised the vessel to 30kPa. The graph should show: Time on the x-axis. Pressure (P1) and temperature (T1) on the y-axis Label all axes and provide a legend to identify each of the data series Provide the figure with a title in the lower box. Figure 1: The variation of pressure, P and Temperature, T with time, t. 2. The specific heat ratio of an ideal gas can be determined using the following formula: Where Ps is the starting pressure (before pressurising the vessel), Pi is the intermediate pressure (stabilized once air pump is switched off) and Pf is the final pressure (stabilized after valve opening). You will need to specify the absolute values at each pressure. Note that the equipment will measure the gauge pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. Therefore you will need to add the atmospheric pressure (take this value to be 100 kPa). We will write a custom essay sample on A lab report at uni or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ensure you use a steady stable value for each pressure value. Plotting a graph of your data or analysing the data table should help you identify these values. In the box below discuss how this relates to your results and explain why there might be differences between this value and your measured results. Starting pressure, Ps – The starting pressure should have rather been 0, that is, when the pressure inside the jar is the same as the atmospheric pressure outside it. Then result would have been more accurate. Intermediate pressure, Pi – it is an approximate value after the air pump has been switched off and therefore it may not be the ideal value to be used. An average value of the intermediate pressure over a certain time could have been used to get a better result. Final pressure, Pf – this pressure value, again, could have been improved if we extend the lapse of time we used for the experiment as the pressure in the jar would stabilise and almost equally distributed and therefore a more precise result. Other than the pressure measured, the equipment we used in the experiment could be ‘inaccurate’. This could be due to a loose valve (e. g V1) and/or the jar itself is not well sealed, that is, there may be air leakage at the bottom of the jar. This would lead to pressure loss during experiment 4. In the box below describe the type of process that most closely resembled that which occurred when you rapidly expelled some of the air from the large vessel. In your answer name the process you think occurred, sketch it (diagrammatically) on a pressure-volume diagram showing the direction of the process path. Explain is there was any work done and if so was work done on or by the gas? When air is expelled through the valve V1, the temperature is observed to decrease. The other variable in this experiment is eventually the pressure inside the jar and also the volume. It should be noted when the pressure is constant, temperature also stays constant. From the graph, a decrease in the pressure of the gas results in a decrease in temperature and an increase in volume. This process is called an adiabatic process as there is no heat supplied to the system although there is change in temperature. The graph shows when the pressure is decreased by a certain amount ? P, the volume of the gas increases. Moreover, the temperature of the gas at 1 and 2 are not the same. As a result of which we can conclude it is and adiabatic change process Relating the first law of thermodynamics to the system: Since there is no heat supplied to the system, Q=0 Therefore ? U= -W We can now conclude from the equation above, that work is done by the system. Apart from the calculations we made above, we could simply think of an expansion (volume increase). For this expansion to occur, work has to be done against atmospheric pressure to increase the volume and also the internal energy of the system decreases. Which is a positive value and therefore showing that work done is also positive and therefore an expansion has occurred. As a result, work has to be done by the gas to produce this expansion. Hence work is done by system. Experiment 2 5. The following equation can be used to estimate the ratio of the tank volumes which are 23 litres (tank 1) and 9 litres (tank 2). Where: P2absi is the initial absolute pressure of tank 2 in N/m2 ( = Patm –Vi) P1absi is the initial absolute pressure of tank 1 in N/m2 ( = Patm +Pi) Pabsf is the final absolute pressure in N/m2 This equation can be derived from the ideal gas equation of state assuming that air behaves as an ideal gas. Calculate the ratio of volumes from your results. Comment on your answer compared to the actual ratio (23/9) with regard to the magnitude of your result and what might have caused any discrepancy between the measured and actual result. The value calculated above using experimental values shows that the ratio is much than the expected value 23/9. This could be explained due to the fact that, A longer time interval would produce a more precise result of the final pressure, as the molecules will be more evenly distributed across the two volumes and will take up all the ‘space’ in the system 2) The final pressure taken is only at one particular time. It is good to note that molecules keeps moving around and at one particular time, there may be more molecules in one jar than the other and therefore the values of pressure keeps on changing. As a result I would suggest that an average of the pressure is done over a certain lapse of time. 3) The absolute pressure of the initial pressure P2 should be 100kPa. However in our measurement, the pressure was higher than the atmospheric pressure. One possible reason to this is, the inner content is being affected by the temperature outside the jar(higher temperature outside will cause a higher pressure inside jar) 6. In order to ascertain the ratio of tank volumes we have used a certain type of process. What was it and why was it used to ascertain the volume ratio? Hint; think about the start and end states of the 2 tanks and the ideal gas equation. We have assumed that the number of molecules during the process stays the same and the temperature is kept constant through out the experiment. By this way, we can relate the two equations as in the question above using ideal gas equation. PV=nRT, where R is the universal gas constant. Since the number of moles, n and the temperature, T are kept constant, the only variables in the experiment are pressure and volume. Therefore equation is ? P1*V1=? P2*V2 Rearranging the equation gives us By keeping the temperature constant, the process should be isothermal as in isothermal process, and the variables are pressure and volume, which is the case here. In this experiment, when the volume has been increased, the pressure in the left jar has decreased and that on the right has increased at a constant temperature. 7. What other type of process could be used to ascertain the ratio of tank volumes? Explain your answer. Do the processes you have given as answers to questions 6 and 7 have anything in common? This time, we could make temperature and volume the variables and keep the pressure constant throughout the experiment. Using the ideal gas equation again, we get, PV=nRT , where p=constant , Note that we should also keep the number of molecules in the jar constant. This type of process is called an isobaric process. A possible PV graph would be as shown in the graph here. In the graph, moving in the direction from 1 to 2, there is an expansion at constant value pressure. The number of molecules are the same in both answers to questions 6 and 7. In addition to that the volume V1 and V2 are the variables in both answers as this is what we are supposed to find in the experiment and should therefore be the variables and appear in the equation as above.

Two american Dreams essays

Two american Dreams essays In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many themes are enclosed; the most salient of these themes is related to the American Dream. The American Dream is based on the idea that any person, no matter what they are, can become successful in life by his or her hard work. The dream also embodies the idea of a self-sufficient person, an entrepreneur making it successful for themselves. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American Dream during the 1920s, an era when the dream had been corrupted by the relentless pursuit of wealth. In this novel, the pursuit of the American Dream and the pursuit of a romantic dream are the ultimate causes of the downfall of the books title character, Jay Gatsby. Throughout the story, Jay Gatsby avoids telling the truth of his hard, unglamorous childhood. He does this to keep his superficial image of himself and to save himself from the embarrassment of being in a state of poverty during his youth. His parents were lazy and unsuccessful peop le who worked on the farm, and because of this Gatsby never really accepted them as his parents. Jay Gatsbys real name is James Gatz and he is from the very unexciting North Dakota. He changed his name to Jay Gatsby when he was seventeen years old, which was the beginning of his version of the American Dream. In all realities Gatsby arose from his Platonic view of himself, the idealistic self-view that a seventeen year old boy has of himself (Fitzgerald 104). Though concealed for most of the story, Gatsbys embarrassing childhood is a major source of determination in his attempt to achieve the American Dream. During Gatsbys early adulthood, he joined the army. He first met Daisy when he was at Camp Taylor and he and some other officers stopped by her house. He initially loved Daisy because of her extraordinary house and because many other men had been with her already. One evening in October, during 1917, Gatsby fell in love with Dai...

Changes in recent years to private health insurance Essay

Changes in recent years to private health insurance - Essay Example people reported that they could not afford to purchase a health insurance or the costs of these insurances is too expensive.1 Aiming to encourage more people to acquire a health insurance, the Australian government took the initiative in offer a 30% rebate on the cost of private health insurance premiums for people between the age bracket of 0 – 64; a 35% rebate for people aged 65 to 69; and a 40% rebate will be given to people ages 70 and above.2 The said rebates is claimable either as a reduction on the insurance premium as soon as the payment is made to the private insurer or as a rebate through the individual’s tax return. In line with the new structure set by the Australian government, this study will focus on discussing several issues which will serve as strong evidences that the 1/3 rebate strategy has been ineffective and unsuccessful in increasing the sales of private health insurance as well as maintaining the quality of the overall all health services in the country. The main goal of Australian Federal Government for implementing a 30 – 40% rebate system in private health insurance is to improve the health of Australian citizens through payments and information.3 In line with the said goal, Medicare works with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to improve its connection with the health sector. In September 2002, a total of 79.4% of the medical services that was performed in the hospitals was fully paid by the Australian government. This increased to 82.7% in December 2005.4 As a control measure, the local authorities implemented a ‘co-payment agreement’ to those who wishes to avail the medical services in the hospitals. According to Tracy Schrader, â€Å"any transfer of payment for health care from taxation to user-fees only benefits the wealthy.†5 This is primarily because of the fact that wealthy people will have a better access to the health facilities at a much lower costs. On the other hand, people belonging to

Health promotion and public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Health promotion and public health - Essay Example Children are vulnerable to various health risks. In the current age of fast foods and high-sodium, high-sugar foods, these children are also vulnerable to issues which relate to obesity. In a survey of children’s BMI, it was revealed that obesity rates have almost tripled from 5% to 14% among children aged two years to five years; for children ages 6 to 11, the rates have also increased from 4% to 19%; and among adolescents, the rates have gone up from 12 to 19% (Northborough, 2008). These rates are duplicated in other parts of the globe, with increasing rates being the predominant trend. Obesity is a major threat to health, especially the health of children because it makes them vulnerable to dangers of early onset of diseases including diabetes, heart diseases, and organ failure. In effect, childhood obesity brings about major risks to the child’s general health, increasing his health, social, and financial needs (Northborough, 2008). Due to their obese conditions, th ey have a higher risk for chronic diseases during their adult years. They would likely have higher blood pressures, higher cholesterol levels, insulin resistance, and early calcifications in their arteries. They would also be confronted with societal bias and stigmatization which can impact on their emotional health (Northborough, 2008). They would likely be teased, bullied and socially shunned due to their obesity. As a result, they would be more vulnerable to emotional issues including depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Due to these issues, the more that they would also live a less active and less social lifestyle (Northborough, 2008). This would drive them further into a sedentary lifestyle which would increase their weight even more and increase their physical and emotional risks. This often starts off children into the cycle of emotional

Eassy4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Eassy4 - Essay Example Talent, concisely, represents the ability of a person to grow and learn courtesy of using the gifts that are at their disposal. Talent management, nevertheless, forms a large part of success in the corporate world. This involves the management of the talent flow in an organizational framework using strategic, tools and procedures. The organizations in the corporate world are under obligation to derive an integrated and comprehensive set of activities that aim at ensuring that this organization operates viably in the corporate world of Human Resource management (Beardwell & Claydon, 2010). Therefore, these activities attract, motivate, develop and retain the talented groups of people that are of significance to the present and future operations of the organization. Talent management, owing to the above activities, involves the systematic identification, attraction, development and retention of such individuals with high potential. Most organizations accept the fact that talent is a critical tool that can create opportunities of value to the organizational operations, hence the reason behind talent management. The Coca Cola Company represents a company that employs talent management in the retention of its employees with specific talent. The company is the world’s largest beverage group, in terms of revenue and number of manufacturing plants. The company operates in all continents around the world, with a significant market share of the world soft drink market. This makes Coca Cola Company the most valued and recognized brand in the world. Interestingly, the company has an approximate serving of 1.5 billion each day. The products line of this company has at least 2,800 assorted products, spanning over two hundred countries in the world. Outside the North America, for instance, Coca Cola has over 80% of its sales. The vast nature of the company

Introduction To Computer Components Computer Science Essay

Introduction To Computer Components Computer Science Essay A keyboard is a computer hardware input device. keyboard is similar to the mechanical typewriter design, if we compare to keyboard with other computer hardware it is technological advance.New ergonomic keyboards can cost as much as a central processing unit or quality computer monitor. Instead of mouse the keyboard is often the principal input device on home and office computers.the basic functions of keyboards are it is used for text input,keyboards are also used to precise image, interface manipulation such as sending special commands to the operating system even controlling characters and objects in computer games. Due to advance technology now adays some keyboards includes other input and output devicessuch as card reader,usb ports or integrated trackballs. Although there are pseudo-standards regarding key arrangement, the manufacturer of keyboards are free to create original arrangements and designs. While most keyboards intended for use in English-language environments use the QWERTY layout, many keyboards are available with alternative layouts such as Dvorak. Some specialty keyboards have two or more layouts or languages printed on the keys, while others have no layout printed at all. The blank keyboards are designed for a specific purpose such as this can be use by the touch typists only, who have no need to look at the keyboard while entering informationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..till here Most conventional keyboards are built using dome-membrane technology. In these models, keys are mounted on a tray which affords them up and down movement only. The keys are supported in the up position by rubber membrane domes on which they rest. The domes are easily collapsible, and quickly return to their upright positions when released from the collapsing force. The underside of each dome houses a graphite bullet, which completes an open circuit underneath the dome when the dome is collapsed. Special circuitry senses the completed circuit, and translates this to a key press which is then transmitted to the computer. Complex circuitry grids and patterns allow most keyboards to support over one hundred different keys with only about two dozen different circuits. In fact, careful layout of specific meta keys allows two- and even three- key-press combinations to be registered. More complex key-press combinations require very specialized circuitry, which few keyboards today support. Special features of the keyboard include: Numeric keypad: In numeric keypad is a portion in keyboard whichs allows to use keyboard like a calcuclator and input numbers into application program.it has an option of numlock key when this key has been pressed it activates the portion of the keyboard so that numbers can be entered in the computer. When the num lock key is not on, there are arrow keys on the keyboard which then work to move the cursor in different directions. The NUM LOCK key is a toggle key which switches back and forth between these two modes. Caps Lock: The CAP LOCKS key works in this same manner as the NUM LOCK key. If the Caps Lock is pressed on the keyboard whatever alphabets type from keyboard will type only in capital letters. If the Cap Lock light is not lit it will type only in small letters. Function Keys: The function keys are used to initiate commands on help menus or database programs especially before the development and use of computer pointing devices. They are still used extensively today as options on the keyboard to pull down menus or to be programmed to do specific functions in application programs. Ctrl or Shift keys also work with Function keys to add more commands to programs and what are called shortcuts, ways to operate functions like saving and deleting without going through elaborate features and steps. Short cuts speed up typing and input into the computer. Escape Key: One of the most important keys is the escape key. It usually use to cancel the command or to takes you back to the previous step ina a program. Main Types Of Keyboard: Keyboards are available in various shapes and sizes . they can be large and small almost like a custom car. They come in various colours and can be designed specifically for the user especially in a case of disabledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦done QWERTY: The most popular is the standard QWERTY keyboard. The newer keyboards can have a trackball built into the keyboard. This allows the user the convenience of a built in pointing device. The trackball acts as the mouse and saves time and space in the work area. Ergonomic: This keyboard is built so that the keyboard is divided into two parts. One half fits the right hand and the other half fits the left hand. This split keyboard arrangement is built to fit the natural positioning of the hand and to help with repetitive motion hand injury which occurs when a job is carried out over and over again, such as in keyboarding. History of the Computer  Keyboard Keyboarding has 2 references nowadays; the first being typing with an alpha-numeric keyboard or typewriter, and the second of playing a piano, organ, or electronic keyboard. Keyboarding (typing) started in form with the invention of the Printing Press in the 1600s. Manual typewriters came some time later (with the keyboard layout of letters that we are accustomed to now). Additionally, there was another simple form of mono-keyboarding in electronic for with the advent of the telegraph (developed by Samuel Morse Morse Code) wherein a series of dots and dashes created letters, which spelled out words, which then composed a telegram to someone. There is another niche of keyboarding, which involves a courtroom recorder using a stenography machine. This machine has less character than a standard keyboard, and involves a system of shorthand in conjunction with fewer keys. A good example of shorthand is the use of abbreviations, such as Mfr stands for manufacturer. The invention of the computer keyboard begins with the typewriter The invention of the modern computer keyboard began with the invention of the  typewriter. Christopher Latham Sholes patented the typewriter that we commonly use today in 1868. The Remington Company mass marketed the first typewriters starting in 1877. Sholes and Glidden Type-writer: The first typewriter to be commercially successful was invented in 1867 by C. Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, although Sholes soon disowned the machine and refused to use, or even to recommend it. The working prototype was made by the machinist Matthias Schwalbach. The patent (US 79,265) was sold for $12,000 to Dens more and Yost, who made an agreement with E. Remington and Sons (then famous as a manufacturer of sewing machines) to commercialize the machine as the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer. This was the origin of the term typewriter. Remington began production of its first typewriter on March 1, 1873, in Ilion, New York. It had a QWERTY keyboard layout, which because of the machines success, was slowly adopted by other typewriter manufacturers. Because the type bars of this typewriter strike upwards, the typist could not have seen characters as they were typed. This was the case in most early keyboard typ ewriters, however, as the type bars struck upward against the bottom of the platen and what was typed was not visible until a carriage return caused it to scroll into view. The difficulty with any other arrangement was ensuring that the type bars fell back into place reliably when the key was released. This was eventually achieved with various ingenious mechanical designs and so-called visible typewriters, such as the Oliver typewriter, were introduced in 1895. The older style continued in production to as late as 1915. Inventions Leading to the Computer Keyboard A few key technological developments created the transition of the typewriter into the computer keyboard. The teletype machine, introduced in the 1930s, combined the technology of the typewriter (used as an input and a printing device) with the  telegraph. Elsewhere, punched card systems were combined with typewriters to create what was called keypunches. Keypunches were the basis of early adding machines and IBM was selling over one million dollars worth of adding machines in 1931. Early computer keyboards were first adapted from the  punch card  and teletype technologies. In 1946, the  Eniac computer  used a punched card reader as its input and output device. In 1948, the Binac computer used an electromechanically controlled typewriter to both input data directly onto magnetic tape (for feeding the computer data) and to print results. The emerging electric typewriter further improved the technological marriage between the typewriter and the computer. Typewriter/printer hybrids: Towards the end of the commercial popularity of typewriters in the 1980s, a number of hybrid designs combining features of printers were introduced. These often incorporated keyboards from existing models of typewriters and printing mechanisms of dot-matrix printers. The generation of teletypes with impact pin-based printing engines was not adequate for the demanding quality required for typed output, and alternative thermal transfer technologies used in thermal label printers had become technically feasible for typewriters. IBM produced a series of typewriters called Thermotronic with letter-quality output and correcting tape along with printers tagged Quiet writer. Brother extended the life of their typewriter product line with similar products. DEC meanwhile had the DECwriter. The development of these proprietary printing engines provided the vendors with exclusive markets in consumable ribbons and the ability to use standardized printing engines with varying degrees of electronic and software sophistication to develop product lines. Although these changes reduced prices and greatly increased the convenience of typewriters, the technological disruption posed by word processors left these improvements with only a short-term low-end market. To extend the life of these products, many examples were provided with communication ports to connect them to computers as printers. The increasing dominance of personal computers, desktop publishing, the introduction of low-cost, truly high-quality, laser and inkj et printer technologies, and the pervasive use of web publishing, e-mail and other electronic communication techniques have largely replaced typewriters in the United States. Typewriter erasers: The traditional erasing method involved the use of a special typewriter eraser made of hard rubber that contained an abrasive material. Some were thin, flat disks, pink or gray, approximately 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter by 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾8 inches (3.2 mm) thick, with a brush attached from the center, while others looked like pink pencils, with a sharpen able eraser at the lead end and a stiff nylon brush at the other end. Either way, these tools made possible erasure of individual typed letters. Business letters were typed on heavyweight, high-rag-content bond paper, not merely to provide a luxurious appearance, but also to stand up to erasure. Typewriter eraser brushes were necessary for clearing eraser crumbs and paper dust, and using the brush properly was an important element of typewriting skill; if erasure detritus fell into the typewriter, a small buildup could cause the type bars to jam in their narrow supporting grooves Computer Keyboards Send Direct Electronic Impulses Earlier computer keyboards had been based either on teletype machines or keypunches. There were many electromechanical steps in transmitting data between the keyboard and the computer that slowed things down. With VDT technology and electric keyboards, the keyboards keys could now send electronic impulses directly to the computer and save time. By the late 70s and early 80s, all computers used electronic keyboards and VDTs. Nevertheless, the layout of the computer keyboard still owes its origin to the inventor of the first typewriter, Christopher Latham Sholes who also invented the QWERTY layout. However, the computer keyboard does have a few extra function keys. Present Keyboard technologies Solar Keyboard: Two solar panels at the top of the keyboard work to keep the internal battery charged, even in low indoor ambient light. When I took it out of the box, the battery was more than 50 percent charged after spending just 15 minutes in direct sunlight. After dark, the light from a 100-watt overhead bulb was able maintain the charge. The thing is anorexic when it comes to power consumption Wireless keyboard: (With Bluetooth Device) The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and the iPad. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use. Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard This is tiny device laser-projects a keyboard on any flat surface, it can type away accompanied by simulated key click sounds. It really is true future magic at its best. With 63 keys and and full size QWERTY layout the Laser Virtual Keyboard can approach typing speeds of a standard keyboard. in a size a little larger than a matchbook. Gaming Keyboard When it comes to video game input devices, the keyboard is probably the furthest from ideal. Lets face it, keyboards were not designed to serve as game peripherals. However, PC gamers have bent their gaming habits to fit the restrictions of the standard keyboard for so many years that most prefer keyboard controls to a gamepad. The WASD control scheme for shooters has long been the default but as games have become more complex shooters especially the need for quick access to the surrounding keys has become more and more evident. Hardware manufacturers recognized the need for faster, smoother and more-precise mice as gaming became more popular and many felt they could improve on the keyboard design as well. The problem is that the keyboard is not a finesse device. Either the keys are there or they arent and either you can reach them or you cant. Multimedia Keyboard A multimedia keyboard is designed to make it one-touch simple for the user to access often-used programs. There are special keys used to access the Internet, music, and other frequently used programs such as email. A typical multimedia keyboard contains buttons that control various computer processes, such as turning on the computers power, putting the CPU to sleep, and waking it up again.

Reservoir Dogs :: essays research papers

Reservoir Dogs is a gangster movie with a difference. Instead of the gangsters being portrayed as slick professionals who always stay calm and collected, they are portrayed realistically. Reservoir Dogs is about a group of 5 professional thieves who attempt to rob a jewellery store. However, one of the team, Mr Orange (played by Tim Roth) is an undercover police officer. After the group enter the jewellery store and employee turns on an alarm and one of the men, Mr Blonde starts shooting the staff and customers, before the police get there, and the team escapes by stealing cars and shooting police officers dead. When the surviving members of the team rendezvous at a warehouse, debate begins regarding who the 'rat' is.In the movie, the story as outlined above is not presented in such a linear way. The movie begins with the team members dining with the boss, Joe at a restaurant, a comical scene where they are light-heartedly discussing the meaning of the song "Like a Virgin" and why society demands that people tip waitresses. However, the mood of this film dramatically changes after the introductory credits when the scene is changed to a stolen car, where Mr Orange is in the back seat screaming "I'm gonna fucking die!", clutching at his bloody wound is his belly. This sets the scene for the rest of the movie that occurs after the robbery, as most of what happens is arguments between various people as to who the 'rat' is, often leading to threats, and more than once, the 'teammates' draw their guns on each other, and in the end, Joe (the boss), Big Eddie (Joe's son) are killed in a triangular shooting over whether or not Orange is the 'rat'.The non-lineal sequence of events is not at all confusing, and adds to the interest and intrigue as the movie progresses . This movie would not have been so acclaimed, had it followed the traditional sequence, where we follow firs the preparation of the cop, the preparation of the robbery, the robbery and then the rendezvous. If Reservoir Dogs had been set out in such a manner, one could easily see what would happen well before it did.For the most part, this film is about 'honour among thieves", and the aspect of professionalism in crime. There is much discussion about Mr Blonde's action when the alarm went off, and Mr White emphatically states that he is a "psycho", and "unprofessional" and in the end Mr White ends up being shot because he is convinced that Mr Orange is not the rat.

Islam Essay

Field Study Research Karen Edmonds-Leach Professor Jonathan Pedrone REL212: World Religions-Summer September 4, 2011 Islam: Field Study Research After interviewing a member of the Islamic faith, I came to the realization that there are very many misconceptions about the religion of Islam and that these misconceptions are very hurtful, disrespectful, and inhumane. In this paper, I will first discuss several misconceptions that I had about the Islamic faith. I will then analyze how my prior understanding about the religion was altered through interviewing a member of the Islamic faith. Next, I will discuss my beliefs on misconceptions about other people’s religion being common or not. Lastly, I will recommend steps that can be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about religions that are not their own. I had many misconceptions about Islam before speaking with a member of the religion. The first was that Islam oppresses women. When I thought about women in Islam, I thought of the image of a woman wearing a veil, and other heavy, dark clothing, where no skin would be visible, even in the hot summer months. I thought about how women were forced to stay home, and were not allowed to drive vehicles. I also believed that the Muslim’s God, Allah, was not the same as the God in Christianity, and was a false god. I believed that Muslims worshipped Muhammad, and that Muhammad and Allah were the same thing. I did not think that Muslims believed in Jesus Christ. I also thought that Muslim men all married multiple wives. I thought that polygamy was something that was widely practiced in Islam, and was somewhat of a requirement. For those men who married one wife, I believed that they were merely â€Å"Americanized†. Another misconception I had was that all Muslims were Arabs. Not only did I think they were all Arabs, but I thought that being a Muslim and an Arab was the same thing. Lastly, just as the cross is something like a symbol of Christianity, I believed that the crescent and the star was the symbol of Islam. I had all of these misconceptions about Islam, as many other people who practice religions outside of Islam do, but speaking with a Muslim quickly changed my mind about these harsh misconceptions. Each one of my misconceptions about Islam count toward my overall understanding of the religion. My prior understanding was completely altered through my encounter with the Muslim woman I interviewed. I believed it would be a great idea to talk to a woman about how women are suppressed in Islam. I interviewed a friend of mine, named Kiran Masood. She was born and raised in the Islam religion, and continues to practice it today. She informed me that this is not necessarily the case. She stated that some Muslim countries do have laws that oppress women, but this practice does not come from Islam itself. Masood stated, â€Å"countries that have laws against women created these laws themselves. They may say that their basis is from the Qu’ran, but the Qu’ran does not suggest any oppression women† (Masood). Though this is true, there are some social constructions in Islam, where women and men are given different roles and equity. This is something that all religions accept, and is not a surprise to me in Islam. In addition, another common misconception is that a woman can be forced to marry against her will, and this is not the case at all. Masood informed me that â€Å"no one can force a Muslim girl to marry someone she does not want to marry; her parents may suggest she marry a suitable man, but by no means is this girl forced to marry someone that she may not want to marry† (Masood). I was also informed that divorce is not common, and it is used as a last resort. Masood also quickly refuted my second misconception, that Allah is a different God. â€Å"Allah is not a different God; Allah is simply the Arabic word for God† (Masood) which is something that I was not aware of. Allah is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Jews, and Christians. The one difference in Islam and Christianity is that Muslims believe the God is the one and only. The religion does not accept Jesus as God’s son, and believes that He has no human-like attributions. In Christianity, Jesus is accepted as God’s son and was basically God in flesh when He was on earth. Also, Muslims do not worship Muhammad, as I was lead to believe. Muhammad was chosen to deliver messages, but is not the founder of Islam, and Muslims do not worship him, though they do honor him and respect him, as they do Jesus, Moses, Adam, and Noah (the other prophets of the Word). My third misconception, that all Muslim men marry multiple women, also came to be false. Masood informed me that polygamy, marrying multiple spouses, is not encouraged in Islam, and is not mandatory. She stated, â€Å"In the religion of Islam, marrying multiple women is permissible, but is not something that the religion requires† (Masood). If a man decides to marry multiple women, these women cannot be forced into it, meaning if they do not want to marry a man with other wives, then she does not have to. My fourth misconception was that Muslims and Arabs are the same thing. Masood simply told me that the two are different, but I decided to do more research on the subject. There are about 1. 2 billion Muslims in the world. Muslims reside in a variety of places, including Nigeria, the Philippines, and of course, the United States. Muslims also represent many races, cultures, and nationalities. About 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world, primarily in Indonesia (Isseroff). This is far from 100% of Muslims. Lastly, I believed that the crescent and star was the symbol of Islam, which is not the case. In the days of the Prophet Mohammed, Muslims did not have a symbol; instead, they used solid-colored flags. The Turks in fact introduced the crescent as a symbol. It was adopted due to the Ottoman Empire’s conquest of Constantinople. In turn, all of my beliefs about Islam turned out to be false. In fact, some of them turned out to be the complete opposite. I believe that misconceptions about other people’s religion are extremely common. No matter what religion someone practices, they always have certain beliefs about other people’s religions. This is not to say that people disrespect other people’s religions, but they simply have their own beliefs towards them. Most times, we do not know anything about other people’s religions. We are so set in our own mindset that the religion we practice is the only correct religion; that we fail to learn anything about other religions in the world. Because we lack knowledge of other religions, we use stereotypes and misconceptions to justify why we do not agree with the other religions’ practices. Even those who do not practice any religion, I believe they use stereotypes and misconceptions about all religions, because those people are so fixed in their own belief that no religion is true, and that they all are false. It is important for people of all religions to have an understanding of others’ religions, because sometimes, people have a lot more in common than they think they do. For example, I thought that my own religion, Christianity, was completely different from Islam, but in reality, the two religions share many similarities. I was surprised at the information I learned from Kiran Masood, and it was a shock that Islam has a lot of parallels to Christianity. Every religion has certain misconceptions. In this paper, I analyzed the misconceptions of Islam, but Christianity and other religions have misconceptions as well. We always are so quick to judge others that are different from us, but instead we should be interested in learning new things about other religions. The purpose of this is not to persuade someone to convert to a different religion, but to just be enlightened and educated about the different religions that exist in our society. One step that could be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about religions not their own is for people to let their guards down and to be more accepting to people’s differences. Not everyone will have the same beliefs, but instead of stereotyping and discriminating against other religions, we can learn from each other. Just having knowledge of new things is prideful, and is an asset that we all should have. If we take the time to learn about other people’s beliefs, these misconceptions would not exist. We should educate ourselves, instead of jumping to conclusions. One way I like to think about this is that I do not like when people of different religions criticize and stereotype against my own religion, Christianity. I wish that people would not be so quick to speak negatively about Christianity, because most times, they do not know what they are truly talking about. They jump to conclusions, and did not take the time to learn the truth behind Christianity. Because I have such strong feelings about this, I should in turn not treat other religions this way, since I know how it feels. I should take the time to educate myself about different religions. Though it will not cause me to convert from Christianity, just having basic knowledge about other religions can help me make a better judgment on certain topics. No one can make judgments or participate in a debate if they have not done research on the subject. Interviewing my friend Kiran Masood gave me a lot of enlightenment. I learned so much about the religion of Islam that I did not previously know. Though we have known each other for a while, I never thought to learn more about the religion she practices. I found it to be a rewarding experience, and learning about different religions is something that I will continue to practice. It is important for us to understand that we all have differences, whether it is race, culture, ethnic background, economic status, or religion. Amongst all these differences are many similarities between us. Instead of always focusing on the differences that separate us, we should look at the similarities that bring us together. Our differences make us special, and our similarities give us things in common. Learning about people’s differences is important because it is what makes that person unique. Though we all have a variety of differences, one thing we have in common is we all are human beings with feelings and beliefs. We should all value our beliefs, and be open to learning about others’ beliefs as well. References Isseroff, A. (n. d. ). A Concise History of Islam and the Arabs. Middle East: MidEastWeb. Retrieved September 1, 2011, from http://www. mideastweb. org/islamhistory. htm. Fisher, M. P. , & Adler, J. A. (2011). Living Religions (8th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Pearson Prentice Hall.

Exercise to Practice Using the Correct Forms of Be

Exercise to Practice Using the Correct Forms of 'Be' This exercise will give you practice in applying the principles discussed in What Are the Present and Past Forms of the Verb Be? Instructions and Exercise Complete each of the following sentences with the correct form of the verb be. Use the tense (present or past) shown in parenthesis at the end of each sentence. The Hoovers (be) driving to California in an old VW bus. (present)The Hoovers (be) driving to California in an old VW bus. (past)Dwayne (be) writing another note to his grandfather. (present)George Bailey (be) visited by an angel named Clarence. (past)The Hoovers (be) planning another road trip. (present)I (be) happy to be here. (present)You (be) talking in your sleep last night. (past)Uncle Frank (be) reading a novel when the tornado struck. (past)The Hoovers (be) disqualified. (past)The game of hopscotch (be) invented by the Romans. (past)The elephant (be) the only animal with four knees in each leg. (present)The side door (be) broken. (present)King William IVs nickname (be) Silly Billy. (past)There (be) 206 bones in the human body. (present)Richard (be) once a motivational speaker. (past) Answers The Hoovers  are  driving to California in an old VW bus.The Hoovers  were  driving to California in an old VW bus.Dwayne  is  writing another note to his grandfather.George Bailey  was  visited by an angel named Clarence.The Hoovers  are  planning another road trip.I  am  happy to be here.You  were  talking in your sleep last night.Uncle Frank  was  reading a novel when the tornado struck.The Hoovers  were  disqualified.The game of hopscotch  was  invented by the Romans.The elephant  is  the only animal with four knees in each leg.The side door  is  broken.King William IVs nickname  was  Silly Billy.There  are  206 bones in the human body.Richard  was  once a motivational speaker.

Funny Quotes on Life That Teach You to Lighten Up

Funny Quotes on Life That Teach You to Lighten Up I find funny things happening around me all the time. Just the other day, my husband and my kids were tap dancing around the house. Usually, my husband is not predisposed to dancing, but here he was making tribal sounds and jerking his shoulders, as if he had been partially electrocuted. And no, this was not a new dancing style in vogue. This was simply his attempt to hunt a little spider. That little creature had suddenly decided to go bungee-jumping from the ceiling straight into my hubbys clothes. So why were the kids tap dancing too? Because they were excited, as they expected him to turn spidery and crawl up the walls, like their favorite superhero. Well, he almost made their wish come true.And if things couldnt get worse, I managed to get out of the tangled web of spiders to walk straight into a hive of angry bees at the park. Thats when I saw some neighborhood kids laughing their guts out. I wonder what could be so funny about an oversized woman running in the park with a purse above her head, and a host of buzzing bees angrily chasing her. It was probably the high heels that grabbed too much attention! Life Is FunnyLifes funny at times. You find many situations that make you smirk or smile. Perhaps you read a funny status message on Facebook or Twitter? Or perhaps a friend said something hilarious that kept you smiling through the day? Life is funny, when you look at the lighter side of things. Humor keeps stress at bay, and makes time pass smoothly, like a well-oiled machine.Humor can be a double-edged sword though. Statements laced with sarcasm can drive home a point. Want to tell your neighbor that his dog stinks? Poke harmless fun at your neighbor. Maybe he will get the message. But what if you tell your boss that you are overworked and underpaid? Try making a humorous remark that subtly drives the message home. You may actually end up with a fatter paycheck or some other perks. That is, if you dont get fired for speaking up.What If You Cant Spot the Funny Stuff?If you are blessed with a funny bone, you will see the funnier side of things. However, if you lack the ability to la ugh, you may need help. Read these funny quotes on life. These quotes inspire you to find humor in the mundane. Whether you are trying to understand humor or life, there is a lot to gain from funny quotes.Alyce P. Cornyn-SelbyA perfect method of adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large.Jane Wagner, The Search for Intelligent Life in The UniverseAll my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.Woody AllenAll people know the same truth. Our lives consist of how we choose to distort it.Yogi BerraAlways go to other peoples funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours.Herbert SamuelAn autobiography is the story of how a man thinks he lived.Mark Twain Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.Lao-TzuBorn to be wild - live to outgrow it.Robert GronockHe who sleeps on the floor will not fall off the bed.Woody AllenI am not afraid of death, I just dont want to be there when it happens.Winston ChurchillI am prepared to meet my Ma ker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.Woody AllenI do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.Whoopi GoldbergI dont like driving very much. That makes me very unhappy, because I scream a lot in the car, but other than that, life is actually pretty good.Jim RohnI find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives.Oscar WildeI put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.Dean SmithIf you’re going to make every game a matter of life or death, you’re going to have a lot of problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot.Joey AdamsIn life, its not who you know thats important, its how your wife found out.Truman CapoteLife is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.Oscar WildeLife is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.Bertrand RussellLife is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rath er than the victim. Djuna BarnesLife is painful, nasty and short... in my case it has only been painful and nasty.Bob MonkhousePersonally, I dont think theres intelligent life on other planets. Why should other planets be any different from this one?Fran LebowitzStand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.George CarlinThe day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.Robert HeinleinThe supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.Oscar WildeThere are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.Benjamin FranklinWere it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults in the first.Mark TwainWhen we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.Stephen FryA cousin of mine who was a ca sualty surgeon in Manhattan tells me that he and his colleagues had a one-word nickname for bikers: Donors. Rather chilling.Neil SimonHe’s too nervous to kill himself. He wears his seat belt in a drive-in movie.Jim CarreyI think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that its not the answer.Henny YoungmanI told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.Stephen WrightI went to a restaurant that serves breakfast at any time. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.Mae WestIs that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?Cathy GuisewiteMothers, food, love, and career: the four major guilt groups.Amelia EarhartNever interrupt someone doing what you said couldnt be done.Mark TwainNever put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.Sholom AleichemNo matter how bad things get, you got to go on living, even if it kills you.