Ron Artest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ron Artest - Essay Example In spite of these tremendous victories and the immense talent that Ron possesses, he has been destiny's favourite child, in terms of getting into controversies. It all started off when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. He had applied for a job with Circuit City, in order to avail employee discounts! Next, when he was with the Indiana Pacers, he once attended practise in a bathing towel and he also asked his coach for permission for exemption from practise, in order to promote a music album under his production company! This is not all, the star player has also come under criticism and suspension for destroying a television camera, for getting into verbal duels with coaches and for using fouls. He has even changed the number on his shirt a number of times, which again was a topic of discussion. All these instances portray Ron's bad boy image and has earned him the wrath fo the media and other professionals in his sphere. However, this has not deterred the 27-year-old player from being one of the best defensive players and neither has it dwindled the love of his fans.

Juice Bar and Boost Juice Essay Example for Free

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Local Area Network Protocol Standards Information Technology Essay

Local Area Network Protocol Standards Information Technology Essay Local area network referred to a network that works inside a building such as office, company and home office. LAN are used in small geographical area. LAN is capable in transferring data in a very fast speed that can up to 10Mbps in limited network distance. There are two types of network architecture that can be implemented in the local area network, peer-to-peer networking and client-server networking. The common types of connections that used in LAN are Ethernet and Token Ring. LAN Standards and Protocols Each network has its own rules and standards. Therefore, protocols are use in network technology to govern the communication between network and network. There are many different kinds of protocols, the most common protocol used in the OSI data link layer in LAN are Ethernet and Token Ring. Ethernet Ethernet is the most well-known type of local area network that most widely installed in offices, home offices and companies. The standard of an Ethernet is IEEE 802.3. Ethernet normally are used coaxial cable and sometimes different grades of twisted-pair cable as the transmission medium. Token Ring Token Ring is a network that connects computers in a star or ring topology. It is originally developed by IBM Company. There will have a token ring that passed through the network to allow computers to access the network. The standard for Token Ring network is IEEE 802.5. A token bit will move around the ring from computer to another computer. If the computer wants to transmit a data, the data will attach to the token and pass to the next computer. It has to keep passing through computers in the network until it comes to the destination. If the computer doesnt want to transmit any data, the token ring will just pass to the next computer. Ethernet Token Ring Advantages Cost Effective Flexible to use in star and bus topologies Simplicity of installation Scalable, support upgrade Allow packets to take turns to transmit, avoid collision. Disadvantages System will down during the heavy traffic in the network. Needs proper network planning before installed. Difficult to install. Not cost effective. Justification After comparing both Ethernet and Token Ring, I had chosen Ethernet as the LAN protocol for the network. The very main reason of using Ethernet is because of its availability and popularity in todays network system. Secondly, it is simple to install and its scalability support upgrades in future. This is very important for the company as the company is still developing and probably will be adding more workers in the future. Thirdly, the speed of Ethernet is fast and can support transfer speed from 1Mbps up to 100Mbps. Wide Area Network (WAN) Wide area network referred to a network that connecting multiples of LAN network together in a wide range. The distance range of a WAN can be between country and country. A very good example of WAN is the Internet. WAN are connected using a router. A router can help to choose the most suitable path for a connection to reach to the destination. WAN are categorised into two main ways which is circuit switching and packet switching. Circuit Switching Circuit Switching is a connection will be establish between 2 network nodes before they can start transmitting data. The bandwidth is only dedicated for the particular connection. The connection will be terminated after the data transmission ends. Examples for circuit switching are the telephone networks. Packet Switching In packet switching, data is broken up into packets before transmitted to the destination. There is a destination address and sequencing information in every packet. When reaching at destination node, the packets need to be reassembled. Justification Leased lines will be used in the proposed network. Leased lines normally are used in private networks. Advantages of using a leased line is because it is dedicated for private use only, people from other network will not have the chance to access the leased line. The disadvantage of using leased lines is it is very expensive compare to other WAN standards. Therefore, the transferring speed when connect each office in WAN is very fast and reliable. Leased lines connection is available 24 hours every day. Therefore, it is very suitable to Internet Connection In order of to connect the users to the Internet in the network, we need to have an internet connection to access the Internet. In here, I choose Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) for the company. SDSL provides the equal bandwidth for downstream and upstream for the connection. This is very suitable for business companies because they have big usage on uploading information to the Internet and also download information from the Internet. Here, we used T1 line which is 1.54Mbps with the SDSL for the internet connection of the company. SDSL will require a modem in order to connect to the Internet. The modem will be provided by the local service provider. Networks Architecture Peer to peer networking Peer to peer networking is defined as a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities (About.com, 2010). Small Scale Peer to peer networking is a network architecture which designed for small scale business that can support 10-15 numbers of users. Therefore, if the company is having a plan to upgrade the network in the future, peer to peer networking definitely is not suitable for the company. Resource Sharing Secondly, peer to peer networking doesnt have the ability of sharing files, printers, projectors and etc. Therefore, if the company uses peer to peer networking, they probably have issues on resources sharing. Data Redundancy Thirdly, as in terms of peer, means there is no centralized server for the network, each computer works as individual. As a result, it is difficult for user to retrieve data and synchronize data as the data are stored separately at different computers. Advantages Disadvantages No dedicated administrator. No security on the network No dedicated server required.   No centralization on network Each workstation has individual resources.   Limited numbers of user. Cost effective Too many passwords to remember Client-server networking Client-server describes a type of computer application architecture within network computing that designates tasks between clients that instigate requests and servers that process requests. (E-How.com, 2010) Centralization In client-server networking, information are stored in a centralized server and allows ten computers or above to access them and share information throughout the network. Centralization also makes the finding of resources easier as all the resources are stored in a centralized server. Scalability Scalability is also one of the important fact in client-server network. Using this architecture, the network is able to scale to a certain numbers of users and also can expand in the future if needed. Security Thirdly, security is no more an issue in client-server networking because only qualified user with valid login username and password can access to the system. Advantages Disadvantages Scalability can support upgrade. Not cost effective due to the high price of server. Higher efficiency and optimization. Dependability on server. If any point of the server fails, the system will be facing failure. Centralised network, resources, users are control through the server. Need to maintain by high skill technician, hence higher maintenance fees. Flexibility, new technology can be integrated into the network easily. Will be suffering from congestion during heavy traffic. Justification After comparing both peer-to-peer networking and client-server networking, the architecture that would best suits the company is client-server networking. Considering the company is still growing and probably having expansion of networking in the future, the number of staffs in the company in the range of 35-40 users, the scalability, flexibility, centralization and security characteristic of client-server network are the best choice. Topology Star Topology The star topology is the most common network topology that most home and office are using. Computer and other devices in star topology are connected to the center and attached on a small device called the central hub. The central hub plays the role of a switch to control the flow from the source machine to the destination machine. The central can either be a hub, router or switch. Mesh Topology Every computer and device in this topology will have a dedicated link to each device. They are connected using point-to-point. If a network has n device, then the network will have n (n-1)/2 link connected to each device. Bus Topology Bus topology is a network that connects all computers in a single backbone. The backbone functions as a sharing platform where all devices in the network can use the backbone to transfer data. Ring Topology In ring topology, computers and devices are connected with the device on the both side of it and forms a ring shape. A signal will be passed along the ring shape in only one direction from one to another till it reaches its destination. The device in the ring topology incorporates with a repeater to regenerate the signal and passed them through the network. Topology Cable Media Advantages Disadvantages Star Twisted Pair Fiber Optic Easy to install because of its simplicity. Easy to install, replace or remove computers or other devices during expansion When one node fails, it wont affect the other nodes. Fully dependent on the central hub, when the hub fails the whole network will fail. Need a lot of cabling to connect many computers. Mesh Twisted Pair Coaxial Has dedicated link to each computer Easy to identify the fault node. Lack of centralization. Data redundancy at each computer. Bus Twisted Pair Coaxial Fiber Optic Less cabling Low cost Easy to extend System will slow down during heavy network traffic If the back bone failed, it will affect the whole system Ring Twisted Pair Easy in installing or reconfiguring If one node fails, the whole network will be affected Difficult to add new nodes to the network. Difficulty in troubleshooting. Justification In this assignment, we were asked to determine a suitable topology that the ICT Resources Malaysia Public Limited Company will be need within the office. Therefore, after doing a lot of researches in network topologies, we finally decided to choose star bus hybrid topology as the companys topology. Hybrid topology Hybrid topologies basically is a topology which combines two type or more than two types of basic topology and inherits their advantages and make it more powerful and usable compare to using only one type of topology. Advantages Disadvantages Hybrid topology are customize designed to meet the requirement of the network. Nodes in the network can be expanded and removed easily. Combines the simplicity and fault tolerance from bus and star topologies. Can find out the failed node when a node is not working and carried out diagnostic test without affect the other part of the network. Some specific device in hybrid topology might not suitable to use in other network topology and they become not reusable. Transmission Medium Transmission media allows a connection between sender and receiver. Transmission medium are categorized into two main categories which is guided media and unguided media. Twisted pair cable Twisted pair cable is a type of wire that twists together in pairs. The reason why the cable is being twisted together is to decrease the electromagnetic interference and noise that affect the data transmission along the cable. Twisted pair cable has two different categories, Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP). Coaxial Cable Coaxial cable is a type of cable that contains a copper conductor in the center. It also has a metal foil layer and braid which both is covered by an outer conductor. The metal foil layer helps to block interference that will affect the cable. The coaxial cable carries a higher frequency signal compares to twisted pair cables. Coaxial cables are categorized by the radio government rating which called the RG numbers. Fiber Optic Cable Fiber optic cables have glass conductors in its center. Fiber optic cables use light to transmit data instead of using electricity signal. It uses reflection to guide light travels along the channel. Fiber optic has two propagation mode, single mode and multi-mode. Multi-mode has two forms which are step index and graded index. Twisted Pair Coaxial Fibre Optic Frequency 100Hz-5MHz 100Khz-500MHz Bandwidth 4mbps 100mbps 10Mbps- 600Mbps Up to 2Gbps Advantages Reduce noise and cross talks Cost effective Readily available Flexible Lighter weight compare to other media. Easy to install Higher bandwidth Less vulnerable to interference than twisted pair Resistance to noise Less signal attenuation Higher Bandwidth Disadvantages Vulnerable to signal distortion. Low bandwidth. Expensive to purchase Bulky compared to twisted pair. Very expensive. Difficulty in installation or maintenance Need skillful technician for maintenance. Fragility- Glass fiber inside the cable are easily broken Justification UTP and Fibre Optic Cable are chosen for this network. The fibre optic cable will use as the back bone for the Ethernet and the UTP will be used as connecting the machines and devices in the network. The reason fiber optic cables are used as the back bone in Ethernet because it has a very high bandwidth. In bus topology, the bandwidth of the backbone will decrease during heavy traffic; therefore if using fiber optic cables, the bandwidth will increase and wont decrease easily. Fiber optic cable is highly security and not affect by electromagnetic interference. For the UTP, its weight is lighter compare to STP because it doesnt have the outer shield. Secondly, it is cost effective than using coaxial cable. Besides that, UTP has high availability in the market. When the cables are broken, replacement cable can be purchased from the market easily. Servers File Server File server is a central storage of a network. It provides access control for user to access files, folder in a same network. User can share files and information without physically transfer using USB drive or portable hard disk. FTP Server File transfer protocol server is one of the oldest of the Internet service. It provides security and transfer control in transferring files. Web Server Provide web access and web storage to the users on the network. Application Server Application server acts as a middleware of the back-end application of the network and the front-end user. It allows users access the applications which stored in the database. Print Server Print server allows users in a network to share printers. User can use any printer in the network to print files instead of connecting every computer with a printer. This will reduce the cost to buy printers. Database Server Database server is a server that stores database for a company in a server. Database servers do job such as analyzing data, data storage, data manipulation and etc. Email Server Email server responsible in receiving emails from the network and send out the email to the receivers in another network. Email servers use SMTP (Simple Main Transfer Protocol) and POP3 (Post Office Protocol) when sending and receiving email. Protocols There are 5 protocols that I choose to apply in the network: HTTP Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is a protocol that used in accessing data in the Internet. It transfers information such as image, hypertext, audio, video and etc. It used the service of TCP to transfer information. HTTP is used in the application layer of the OSI model. DHCP Dynamic host control protocol is a protocol that will auto assigning dynamic IP address to the machines on the network. When a computer connects to the network, it will send a request to the DHCP Server and ask for IP assigning. Then the server will send an offer to the machine then the machine will accept the IP. The machine is then connected to the network. IP Internet Protocol is the most common protocol that used in the Internet. It is used in the network layer in the OSI model. Its job is to send data from one computer to another. Data are broken into packet and every packet contains a header and its own information. TCP TCP is a protocol that allows two hosts to make a connection and transferring data. It also guarantees the transfer of data packets and make sure they arrived at destination in the same order like they were sent out. It is in the transport layer of the OSI model. ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is a protocol that used to test the response of destination. LAN Diagram WAN Diagram Floor Plan Ground Floor The departments that located in the ground floor are the Human Resource Department and the Sales and Marketing Department. The human resource department has 4 workers whereas the sales and marketing department has 6 workers. There are two printers in this floor. First floor First Floor The CEO and secretary room is located at the 1st floor. The server room of the network also located at the 1st floor. There are two other departments in this floor which are Operation Department and Financial Department. Each of the departments has six workers. There are two printers in this floor. Second Floor At the second floor, there are customer service department and IT department. Customer service department has 3 workers and IT Department has 6 workers. Limitation Security Although the network has a firewall to prevent network attack from hackers, it is still not good enough to fully blocking hackers from attacking the network. Therefore, the security of the network s Performance Performance of this network will be affected by the switches in the star topology. If the switches failed, the department will be affected. The performance of the network also will be affected by the backbone of the bus. Gantt chart

Essay on Freedom in Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Spirit of Freedom in The Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God Freedom takes many different forms. There is personal freedom, societal freedom, mental freedom, and physical freedom. Freedom is not tangible, but may be achieved through many experiences. Different aspects of freedom are apparent in both The Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God. In The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, the freedom moves from the outside into Celie and then out again. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the freedom stems from within Janie but is prompted by certain outside forces. Both women experience freedom, and the freedom grows from within and is radiated outward. In The Color Purple Celie evolves from being oppressed by Mr.____ and society to being free in every possible sense. The spark of freedom starts from within her and radiates outward with each new catalyst. Shug is Celie's first source of freedom. She teaches Celie to be free in her thoughts and to respect what she thinks and feels. Shug makes Celie realize that it's okay to think what she thinks and to feel what she feels. "Why Miss Celie, she say, you still a virgin" (Walker p.81). Sofia is Celie's second source of freedom. While Sofia herself does not tell Celie anything, she relates free feelings and ideas to Celie. For a time, Sofia was, in every way, unfree. And Celie knew that Sofia did not want to be that way. Celie learned that she could never give up hope, and that made her actions free. Although Mr._____ oppressed and hindered Celie, he was finally a source of freedom. When he gave Celie the telegram that said Nettie was dead, and all her letters t... ...her life. When he was gone she had nothing else to look after in life except herself. She was like a little seed, able to blow in the wind and go wherever she chose to go. Janie's mind, spirit, and body were free. "She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net... [and] she called in her soul to come and see" (Hurston p. ?). Freedom is a central theme in these two novels. Freedom is a subjective concept and each person must ultimately find his or her own freedom in order to be truly free. The character's freedom often stems from other characters or events but is always a result of inner strength and will-power. The supporting characters or events act only to bring out the inner freedom and to empower that freedom. As Epictetus once said, "He is free who lives as he chooses." And both these characters were finally able to live as they chose.

Meaning Of Research According To Different Authors Essay

Research is a careful, systematic and objective investigation conducted to obtain valid facts, draw conclusions and established principles regarding an identifiable problem in some field of knowledge. -Clarke and Clarke Research is a systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, theories and concepts, resulting in prediction for seeing and possibly ultimate control of events. -John .W. Best Research is a careful enquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles, a diligent investigation to ascertain something. -Clifford Woody It is the process of arriving at dependable solution to the problems through the planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data. -Mouley â€Å"In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge.† -Martyn Shuttleworth â€Å"Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue†. It consists of three steps: Pose a question, collect data to answer the question, and present an answer to the question. -Creswell â€Å"a studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws† -The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Research is a systematic, formal, rigorous and precise process employed to gain solutions to problems or to discover and interpret new facts and relationships. -Waltz and Bausell, 1981 Research is the process of looking for a specific answer to a specific question in an organized, objective, reliable way. -Payton, 1979 Research is systematic, controlled, empirical and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about the presumed relations among natural phenomena. – Kerlinger, 1973 Research is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment; the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solutions to a problem. -Kothari, 2006 Importance of Studying Research Research is important because it gives direction to deal with a specific problem. Whether the problem is thoroughly solved or not is not the forte of the research work. Accumulating amicable and all the possible solutions hypothetically are in itself considered a commendable achievement.

Dying vs. Dyeing

Dying vs. Dyeing Dying vs. Dyeing Dying vs. Dyeing By Maeve Maddox A reader sent me this example of the incorrect use of dying for dyeing: This term [technicolor] was coined by the company of the same name, and the trademarked term described the company’s process of dying film to create a color print from black-and-white originals, replacing the time-consuming hand-coloring method. Mixing up the verbs dye and die and their participles dyeing and dying in modern English is comical, but before the nineteenth century, the spelling distinctions were not always observed. For example, in his dictionary (1755), Dr. Johnson (1709-1784) spelled the words for both meanings as die. Joseph Addison (1672-1719), on the other hand, rendered both words as dye. Nowadays, however, the spellings die and dying are reserved for the sense of â€Å"cease/ceasing to live,† while dye and dyeing have to do with coloring or staining something. The words are often the source of punning. For example, the headline, â€Å"Dyeing to Succeed† refers to dyeing one’s hair in the attempt to overcome age discrimination in the workplace. A common expression with the word dye is â€Å"dyed-in-the-wool,† meaning â€Å"unchangeable in one’s feelings or beliefs,† for example, Never ever get involved with a dyed-in-the-wool feminist. Fran Klein, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Frederick Douglass [said] â€Å"I am a  Republican, a black, dyed-in-the-wool  Republican† I am a dyed-in-the-wool, diehard, 1000-percent Trekkie, and I say Trekkie, not Trekker, and I don’t care what the nomenclature has become. Akiva Goldsman The expression comes from the fact that when dye is applied to a substance in its raw state, such as wool before it is spun, the resulting color is deeper and more lasting. The dyeing process produced another expression, more commonly heard in earlier times, but not entirely defunct: â€Å"scoundrel of the deepest dye,† meaning, â€Å"an out-and-out rogue.† You have proved yourself a scoundrel of the deepest dye, by maliciously interfering in matters which do not in the least concern you, to the detriment of some of our citizens.† from a letter addressed to Hamilton Wilcox Pierson (1817-1888) The man with the good personality may be a scoundrel of deepest dye, and the one with no personality may have the strongest character of the lot. from a handbook for Christian missionaries (1954) At other times, when he [Rudolph Valentino] portrayed a scoundrel of the deepest dye, he was made up to look quite repellent from a 2003 feature in The Guardian The distinction between die/dying and dye/dyeing is firmly established in modern usage, so you will want to avoid such gaffes as, â€Å"When did Eminem die his hair black?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†What is Dative Case?Confusion of Subjective and Objective Pronouns

Free Essays on Congenital Analgesia

Congenital Analgesia What would it be like to go throughout life without having the feeling of pain? Most people would love not being able to feel the car door slam on their fingers, that tiny little paper cut, and many other pains that would hurt intensely. Pain we all know what it feels like, whether it's the short sharp shock of a scratch to the knee, or the nagging throb of a joint. It's an unwelcome sensation, but it's part of being human. In fact there are those few born unable to feel pain that are born with a condition known as congenital analgesia. Well there is this disorder that people are born with that causes a person to have no sense of pain in their bodies at all. Its called congenital analgesia, this disorder has different causes, many signs and symptoms, and significant ways to cope with it. Congenital analgesia also known as insensitivity to pain is a disorder that people are born with. "A syndrome characterized by indifference to pain despite the ability to distinguish noxious from nonnoxious stimuli. Absent corneal reflexes and mental retardation may be associated. Familial forms with autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant patterns of inheritance have been described†(Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1343). There are many causes of this disorder like structural abnormalities in peripheral nerves which are the peripheral pathways carrying electrical impulses from pain sensitive nerve endings in both superficial and deep tissues. In Congenital indifference to pain, the peripheral nerves are intact and the defect is apparently in the central structures such as the thalamus where painful impulses are normally interpreted. Indifference to Pain almost certainly exists as an independent condition, but is very rare. Congenital analgesia is usually classified under the more general heading of Hereditary and Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy (HSAN). The different categories are distinguished according t... Free Essays on Congenital Analgesia Free Essays on Congenital Analgesia Congenital Analgesia What would it be like to go throughout life without having the feeling of pain? Most people would love not being able to feel the car door slam on their fingers, that tiny little paper cut, and many other pains that would hurt intensely. Pain we all know what it feels like, whether it's the short sharp shock of a scratch to the knee, or the nagging throb of a joint. It's an unwelcome sensation, but it's part of being human. In fact there are those few born unable to feel pain that are born with a condition known as congenital analgesia. Well there is this disorder that people are born with that causes a person to have no sense of pain in their bodies at all. Its called congenital analgesia, this disorder has different causes, many signs and symptoms, and significant ways to cope with it. Congenital analgesia also known as insensitivity to pain is a disorder that people are born with. "A syndrome characterized by indifference to pain despite the ability to distinguish noxious from nonnoxious stimuli. Absent corneal reflexes and mental retardation may be associated. Familial forms with autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant patterns of inheritance have been described†(Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1343). There are many causes of this disorder like structural abnormalities in peripheral nerves which are the peripheral pathways carrying electrical impulses from pain sensitive nerve endings in both superficial and deep tissues. In Congenital indifference to pain, the peripheral nerves are intact and the defect is apparently in the central structures such as the thalamus where painful impulses are normally interpreted. Indifference to Pain almost certainly exists as an independent condition, but is very rare. Congenital analgesia is usually classified under the more general heading of Hereditary and Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy (HSAN). The different categories are distinguished according t...

The eNotes Blog 8 Books for RecentGraduates

8 Books for RecentGraduates ‘Tis the season for pomp and circumstance! Graduation can be an exciting yet emotional time for students as they transition from one chapter to the next. After the diplomas have been stamped and the caps have been tossed, it’s normal to feel unsure about what comes next. Whether you’ve recently graduated or are looking for something to gift a grad, these eight books offer empowering narratives and thoughtful insight on how to navigate life beyond the classroom. 1. Becoming  by Michelle Obama Michelle Obama is undoubtedly one of the most influential women of our time. Her memoir, Becoming, is a reflection on the triumphs and tribulations that have shaped her into the woman she is today. From growing up on the South Side of Chicago to making history on Pennsylvania Avenue, Michelle shares her intimate perspective on being a wife, mother, humanitarian, and the first African American First Lady in United States history. Page count: 426 Genre: Memoir Publish date: 2018 2. Congratulations, by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness by George Saunders Three months after George Saunders gave the commencement address at Syracuse University, the transcript of the speech was published in The New York Times. Within days, Saunders’s heartfelt reminder to lead kinder lives was shared more than a million times. While Saunders, admittedly, doesn’t have all the answers as to what to expect after graduation, his advice is sincere, uplifting, and timeless. Page count: 64 Genre: Speech, Self-help Publish date: 2014 3. Educated by Tara Westover Born to survivalists in backcountry Idaho, Tara Westover grew up isolated from mainstream society. When her brother informs her of life beyond the mountains, Tara decides to pursue a new kind of life, starting with attending college. Educated is a coming-of-age story of Tara’s quest for knowledge and a meditation on what lies at the heart of education. Page count: 352 Genre: Autobiography Publish date: 2018 4. The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward Inspired by James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, Jesmyn Ward gathers short essays, memoirs, and poems from some of the most influential contemporary voices discussing the dimensions of race in the United States. Amid the Black Lives Matter Movement and widespread national protests, The Fire This Time analyzes the racial reality of our country and calls to action the next generation to make a change. Page count: 226 Genre: Essay, Poetry Publish date: 2018 5. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Traditionally, retiring professors are asked to deliver a â€Å"last lecture† to share their insight into what really matters in life. For Randy Pausch, his last lecture titled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, was literally his last after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer. Intertwined with personal anecdotes and principle life lessons, The Last Lecture is Randy Pauschs farewell address to the people he loves and the moments that have made life worth living. Page count: 224 Genre: Self-help Publish date: 2008 6. This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace This Is Water is the published text of David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class of Kenyon College. His candid and articulate address encourages graduates â€Å"to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out.† This speech is the only public talk Wallace ever gave about his views on life and his lasting wisdom seems more relevant than ever in this age of distractions. Page count: 137 Genre: Speech Publish date: 2005 7. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Adapted from the TEDx talk of the same name, We Should All Be Feminists emphasizes the need to redefine feminism in the twenty-first century. Drawing from personal experiences and observations of gender inequality, Adichie advocates the need to reexamine the term â€Å"feminist† so that it can be used to empower and embrace both men and women. As women continue to fight for their rights, Adichie’s essay has never been more relevant or necessary than it is at this particular moment in history. Page count: 52 Genre: Nonfiction; Essay Publish date: 2014 8. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Written in his last year of his life, Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air is a profound rumination on life and death. A bright neurosurgeon with a promising career ahead of him, Kalanithi had his world turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Kalanithi reflects on his own life and how he manages to hold on to his identity in the midst of a debilitating illness. This book will leave readers reaching for a tissue and inspire a new appreciation for the little things that make life worth living. Page count: 426 Genre: Memoir Publish date: 2018

How did American jazz influence Brazilian guitar music Essay

How did American jazz influence Brazilian guitar music - Essay Example The earliest effect of jazz on Brazilian music may be traced back to Choro music which is considered the precursor of Brazilian jazz and bossa nova. Choro bands appeared as early as 1870 and by 1920s this music was made popular by prominent national composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. This music resembled New Orleans Jazz known as ragtime (Candelaria and Garcia 93). Livingston-Isenhour et al (104) trace the influence of American jazz on Brazilian guitar music. According to them, in the beginning, it was actually American audience mesmerized by exotic freshness of the Brazilian music sung by Carmen Miranda in 1940-1950. However, they posit that American music influenced Brazilian culture much more, thereafter. American music being sophisticated and cosmopolitan was also considered a threat to Brazilian culture by some. During World War II Roosevelt began a good neighbor policy to keep Brazil on its side. As a result of this policy American creative artists such as filmmakers and musicians al so traveled to Brazil. Though the cultural exchange did flourish American music in Brazil but American Jazz had become popular in Brazil much before the good Neighbor policy of Roosevelt. As early as in 1920s American jazz music was available in Brazilian market. By 1940s American music overtook Brazilian music in record sales and frequency of transmission on radio.

Water Scarcity and Conflict - Prospects for Human Security Essay

Water Scarcity and Conflict - Prospects for Human Security - Essay Example Increasing demand for this important resource is distressing many countries in the globe and a number of avenues are being instituted to avail fresh water to everyone. Water is productive resource to human being considering its diverse use in the society particular in economic and social sector. Water is used to serve different domestic purposes and so is in economic sector where it is used in manufacturing processes, hydropower generation, and agriculture (Smithies, 2011). This clearly manifest that fresh water is a basic human necessity because without it several industrial processes will stall and all life will eventually become extinct. This means that when people feel that their livelihood and survival is threatened by water scarcity it is likely that they will turn hostile owing to fear, desperation and competition to protect the scarce resource. Earth is undoubtedly a water planet but unfortunately, approximately 1% of earth water is available for human use in an easily access ible way in its freshest form from either the lakes or rivers (Arsenault, 2012). Large part of the earth water approximately 97% is in the oceans and seas while the remaining percentage is held in deep underground water table and icecaps. However, unlike other natural resources water is substantially renewed through a natural cycle whereby rain falls from clouds onto the land and into the rivers and finally to the ocean where they evaporate once again and form clouds. At least 44,000 cubic kilometers of water gets on to land annually as the earth’s hydrological system pumps and transfers the water. Geologists estimate that the word boasts of at least 1,700 cubic meters per person, which is the minimum threshold that is required for household, agricultural and industrial use (UNDP, 2006). However, the biggest challenge is the wide disparity in the distribution of this vital resource considering certain countries are endowed with vast water resources while other have less or no ne at all. This difference in availability varies with regions. For instance, countries in Latin America boast of at least 12 times more water per individual compared to those in South Asia. Individuals can understand water scarcity from the dimension of supply and demand equation whereby demand surpasses supply. However, the biggest challenge lies in understanding what is leading to increasing water scarcity and its ultimate consequences. Hydrologists consider 1,000 cubic meters of water per person to be a state of water scarcity and below 500 cubic meters to be absolute scarcity. In most countries around the globe with the exception of perennial arid areas, water has been seen as an unlimited natural resource owing to the seasonal renewal through rainfalls (UNDP, 2006). Because of this reason, human population has continually exploited available water resources with little regard for future costs of overexploitation. People continue to misuse water to the extent that countries wit h adequate water supply owing to consistent rainfall are experiencing high level of scarcity. Most of these countries especially in African continue to battle with drought and crop failure and perennial hunger. It is unfortunate that public view about water security is only focused on scarcity. In other words, people are only concerned about the world running out of water while ignoring an important aspect of water insecurity, which involves mismanagement. Water security revolves around risk and vulnerability. This is evident in societies that have managed to harness the productive

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the Essay - 8

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the liability of employers for references. How, if at all, does - Essay Example These include defamation, invasion of privacy, retaliation and negligent referral or breach of duty to warn (Flanders & Clegg, 2006 p.8). This paper critically evaluates the liability of employers for references, in relation to the common law duty of care. In addition, the paper examines how the liability of a university such as the University of Sussex deters regarding references given to potential employers in respect to current or former students. As mentioned earlier, there are four sources of liability arising from the provision of employment references to prospective employers. It is necessary to critically examine each one of them. Defamation arising from the common law In common law, defamation refer to any communication that tends to harm the reputation of another with the aim of lowering them in the estimation of the community or preventing third persons from associating with them. In determining whether a communication is defamatory or non-defamatory, the applicable test a t common law is how the subject of the communication interpreted the communication (Deakin & Morris, 2005 p. 56). There are compensatory and punitive damages available for a successful defamation claim. This depends on the level of malice towards the defamed party. Thus, punitive damages may be available in instances where the communication was made with express malice or actual malice. There are two major defenses to defamation claims: truth and privilege. Truth is an absolute defense to defamation claims. In order to establish truth defense, an employer must affirmatively prove that the information or statement given was truthful. In this case, the plaintiff is not necessarily required to prove that statement or information was false. The most commonly used defense is that of privilege. In this regard, it is argued that the employer has a particular privilege in making the defamatory statement. Thus, the defense of privilege provides that an employer is immune from liability from making defamatory communication. Further, there are two types of privilege: absolute privilege and conditional privilege. When an employer has an absolute privilege regarding their comment about former employees it implies that the employer has complete protection irrespective of the motive of communication. Thus, this privilege does not apply in employment reference situation (Wedderburn, 2002 p.19). More often than not, absolute privilege applies to communication made by judicial officers, legislators during legislative proceedings, as well as communication made by some government officials. On the other hand, conditional privilege provides protection based on the employer’s motivation. Thus, it applies to those people who have legitimate common interest with the recipient of the communication. For instance, a conditional privilege may be used to protect the employer when the information is given to business partners, fellow shareholders, fellow corporate officers and other professional interests. Based on this, employers have a duty of care to protect those they have legitimate common interest from risk that could be posed by employing such Privacy implication of employment information As a source of liability arising from the provision of employment references to prospective employers, privacy implication of employee information is meant to prevent the disclosure of information regarding their privacy. Through this, it is evident that employers have a duty of care to safeguard the private information regar

Fanshawe Gate Farm Vegetation Monitoring Strategy Essay

Fanshawe Gate Farm Vegetation Monitoring Strategy - Essay Example A phase one survey has been undertaken and information obtained from this will be useful to understand the current conditions of fields 2 and 6 and provide a context to carry out a phase 2 survey and a National Vegetation Classification (NVC). To successfully survey the two fields, technical and scientific approaches should be used to achieve all the needed objectives (JNCC 2010). The process starts by defining the objectives, devising a strategy o help achieve the set objectives. Once the strategy is put together, it should be tested by implementing it. The final step is to review and finalize the strategy. Legal requirements should also be maintained throughout the process to ensure the analysis and strategy is standard and as should be. Monitoring Strategy Objectives of the survey To know what type of vegetation is found in the fields. To establish the type of soil in the fields and what vegetation would do best in the given fields. To have a clear picture of the situation in the fields: climate and all To come up with ways to help improve the fields. Increase the diversity of grassland Have more unimproved grassland Analysis or Survey of fields 2 and 6 The fields have areas with tall ruderal vegetation with certain areas characterized by thistles (cirsium ssp). The vegetation in the fields also includes nettles (Urtica dioica). Generally, the fields have semi-improved grassland. This vegetations tends to change across the two fields (some patches have tall grass while others have short grass, others are bare while others have grass, especially under trees). Besides the grass, the waxcap fungi, (Hygrocybe spp) was formed part of the vegetation in the fields. The fungi is an indicator of unimproved grassland in both fields. However, some slight differences were found in field 6. In field 6, marshy grassland was evidenced around the area where a small stream ran. This changed and the vegetation became a bit scarce where the ground rose above the water table. I n areas where the land was sloping, the vegetation cover was constituted by acid grassland, some scrub and Hygrobe calyptiformis. Monitoring Strategy A) Field 2 According to the survey, field 2 was established to have a sloping topography 2 with semi improved grassland and some species of unimproved grassland (Hydrocybe caliptiformis). The unimproved grassland was found in the lower down part of the slope in the field. To attest this, samples would be taken from across the whole field. The samples would help determine if the grassland was becoming more unimproved as one moves further down the slope. To measure the variation in plant species along the sloppy part of the field, quadrants could be studied in two parallel belt transects. The field would be split into quadrants on both belts, from where samples would be taken. To have reliable results, the belts will be divided into 25 quadrants where each will be 0.5 by o.5 m. This is highly recommended so as to get a reliable frequency of the unimproved indicator species of vegetation. All quadrants will be studied. The study would help prove right or wrong the hypothesis for the analysis that towards the bottom of the slope, the species of unimproved grassland increased. Some changes will be carried in the way the field was managed. The expected result of this is a gradual increase

Market Efficiency and its implications for Macroeconomic Behaviour Essay

Market Efficiency and its implications for Macroeconomic Behaviour - Essay Example This paper studies all aspects of market efficiency and its implications for macroeconomic behavior. The behavioral economics challenged market efficiency hypothesis, which supposedly incorporates all information rationally, and instantly. The argument is based on that markets are not rational, but are driven by fear and greed. There were a lot of research in the cognitive neurosciences, which suggests that these two perspectives are opposite to each other. When money is put into the market, it is done with the aim of generating a return on the capital. Many investors try not only to make a profit but also to outperform, or beat, the market. According to the EMH, no investor has an advantage in predicting a return on a stock price . In order for a market to become efficient, investors must perceive that a market is inefficient and possible to beat. Investment strategies intended to take advantage of inefficiencies are actually keeping market efficient. Investment strategies intended to take advantage of inefficiencies are actually the fuel that keeps a market efficient. There are three identified classifications of the EMH: strong efficiency, semi-strong efficiency, and weak efficiency. The random walk theory asserts that price movements will not follow any patterns or trends and that past price movements cannot be used to predict future price movements. The debate about efficient markets has resulted in many empirical studies attempting to determine whether specific markets are in fact "efficient" and if so to what degree.

Constructivism and international relations Essay

Constructivism and international relations - Essay Example Thus the debate between liberals and realists forms an axis of contention regarding international relations. Constructivists reject the idea by neorealism that states have a one-sided focus on material advantage. Wendt for example argues the most significant character of international relations is based on social term and not material items . Furthermore, social reality is subjective to international affairs. The social and political world cannot define international relations as a physical institution outside human cognizance. The main focus is, therefore, the extent of anarchy and power in relation to interaction and learning. Wendt (1992) focuses his argument more on rejecting the neorealist position to which constructivism results to anarchy which is mainly geared to self-help of states . In these aspects, state identities and interests come from the relationship subsisting between international and domestic societies. Constructivists argue that state interests are not defined by egoistic terms. This situation is effective because egoistic interests do not form a significant aspect of individuality and are based on individual representation relationships. The relative stabilities in these individual relationships act as if they were authorized by an institution. A lot of convergent factors expose states towards egoism, which in most cases do not preclude collective interests. Constructivism is interested in converging domestic values from a transnational scale through the establishment of democratic institutions.

Fanshawe Gate Farm Vegetation Monitoring Strategy Essay

Fanshawe Gate Farm Vegetation Monitoring Strategy - Essay Example A phase one survey has been undertaken and information obtained from this will be useful to understand the current conditions of fields 2 and 6 and provide a context to carry out a phase 2 survey and a National Vegetation Classification (NVC). To successfully survey the two fields, technical and scientific approaches should be used to achieve all the needed objectives (JNCC 2010). The process starts by defining the objectives, devising a strategy o help achieve the set objectives. Once the strategy is put together, it should be tested by implementing it. The final step is to review and finalize the strategy. Legal requirements should also be maintained throughout the process to ensure the analysis and strategy is standard and as should be. Monitoring Strategy Objectives of the survey To know what type of vegetation is found in the fields. To establish the type of soil in the fields and what vegetation would do best in the given fields. To have a clear picture of the situation in the fields: climate and all To come up with ways to help improve the fields. Increase the diversity of grassland Have more unimproved grassland Analysis or Survey of fields 2 and 6 The fields have areas with tall ruderal vegetation with certain areas characterized by thistles (cirsium ssp). The vegetation in the fields also includes nettles (Urtica dioica). Generally, the fields have semi-improved grassland. This vegetations tends to change across the two fields (some patches have tall grass while others have short grass, others are bare while others have grass, especially under trees). Besides the grass, the waxcap fungi, (Hygrocybe spp) was formed part of the vegetation in the fields. The fungi is an indicator of unimproved grassland in both fields. However, some slight differences were found in field 6. In field 6, marshy grassland was evidenced around the area where a small stream ran. This changed and the vegetation became a bit scarce where the ground rose above the water table. I n areas where the land was sloping, the vegetation cover was constituted by acid grassland, some scrub and Hygrobe calyptiformis. Monitoring Strategy A) Field 2 According to the survey, field 2 was established to have a sloping topography 2 with semi improved grassland and some species of unimproved grassland (Hydrocybe caliptiformis). The unimproved grassland was found in the lower down part of the slope in the field. To attest this, samples would be taken from across the whole field. The samples would help determine if the grassland was becoming more unimproved as one moves further down the slope. To measure the variation in plant species along the sloppy part of the field, quadrants could be studied in two parallel belt transects. The field would be split into quadrants on both belts, from where samples would be taken. To have reliable results, the belts will be divided into 25 quadrants where each will be 0.5 by o.5 m. This is highly recommended so as to get a reliable frequency of the unimproved indicator species of vegetation. All quadrants will be studied. The study would help prove right or wrong the hypothesis for the analysis that towards the bottom of the slope, the species of unimproved grassland increased. Some changes will be carried in the way the field was managed. The expected result of this is a gradual increase

Constructivism and international relations Essay

Constructivism and international relations - Essay Example Thus the debate between liberals and realists forms an axis of contention regarding international relations. Constructivists reject the idea by neorealism that states have a one-sided focus on material advantage. Wendt for example argues the most significant character of international relations is based on social term and not material items . Furthermore, social reality is subjective to international affairs. The social and political world cannot define international relations as a physical institution outside human cognizance. The main focus is, therefore, the extent of anarchy and power in relation to interaction and learning. Wendt (1992) focuses his argument more on rejecting the neorealist position to which constructivism results to anarchy which is mainly geared to self-help of states . In these aspects, state identities and interests come from the relationship subsisting between international and domestic societies. Constructivists argue that state interests are not defined by egoistic terms. This situation is effective because egoistic interests do not form a significant aspect of individuality and are based on individual representation relationships. The relative stabilities in these individual relationships act as if they were authorized by an institution. A lot of convergent factors expose states towards egoism, which in most cases do not preclude collective interests. Constructivism is interested in converging domestic values from a transnational scale through the establishment of democratic institutions.

Developing a Training Plan Essay Example for Free

Developing a Training Plan Essay Organizations can help to improve employee communications and ethical practices among employees by having a successful training program in place. When a successful training program is in place, those trainings can provide other unique opportunities for organizations because those trainings can help to give employees important information that can help them be more successful at their job. When employees are successful at their job, that then equals more success for the organization. Training new employees and team environments is best implemented when the organization develops a training program that will give the employees useful information they will need to get a full understanding of the organizational structure, policies, and goals of the company. This paper will review some practices that prevented Enron from collaborating and communicating effectively, provide training ideas that could have helped the management staff be successful and lastly, address how this training plan could have improved Enron’s management team and other employees. When developing a successful training plan, one must identify the issues that were present within Enron’s leadership and management team. Training should start from the top, that way, the people with leadership status, including the management team, will be well prepared to successfully train their staff to do a job well done. Organizational Behavior 12th ed stated that norms are the acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the groups members (2007). When it comes to Enron, the norms of the leadership and management team displayed unethical behavior. It is imperative that leadership and management staff know that they are a team working towards the overall success of the company. This wasn’t the case at Enron, the management team did not work together as a team. When working in a team, communication plays a huge part in having a successful outcome. The management staff at Enron did not have effective communications. Management staff thought more of how contracts could be beneficial to them, instead of how beneficial those contracts were to Enron’s overall success. Another downfall to Enron was the fact that they didn’t conduct a competitive bidding process. Not conducting a competitive bidding process ultimately affected the business as a whole and the employee’s job stability. When the leadership and management team decided to have disregard to their obligations, but more regard to unethical decisions, the downfall of Enron began. With that being said, a training plan would have definitely been beneficial for Enron to implement. The downfall of Enron happen because there was no successful training plan implemented. In order for teams to be successful and effective at what they are trying to accomplish, they must communicate and communicate clear and concise, which would have been in the training plan. Effective communications can mean the difference between success and failure. Being that, an effective training plan should include information ranging from employee communications, ethical practices, conflict resolution, decision making and any other useful information that will help the team work together to reach overall success. This training plan will focus on effective communications, the structure and responsibility of the Enron team, conflict resolution, team building and ethical decision making. These are things that are important to any team working towards achieving their goals and objectives set by the organization. When it comes to structure and responsibility, the leaders at Enron did not train their management staff to make the right choices and do the right thing. Leadership in Organizations stated that managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing (2007). The leaders at Enron did not do the right thing, so the managers could not do things right. Without proper training, leadership and management staff can not delegate task and implement strategies in a successful manner, because there weren’t taught themselves. A training plan would instill in Enron employee’s the vision and integrity the leaders, managers and employees have.

Mise-en-scene is the language of films

Mise-en-scene is the language of films It is vital to understand the meaning of Mise-en-scene before describing it in any movie. Mise-en-scene is basically a French word, which in English means; putting into the scene. In short, Mise-en-scene is the language of films through which the viewer is able to gather and extract relative information. It helps in showing the viewer, about what is going on in the film, the motives, and most importantly it helps conveying the film makers message. Tim Burton however, has a very distinctive style in filmmaking, considering the use of various elements of Mise-en-scene in almost all of his films, especially Edward Scissorhands in 1990. Tim Burton has his own imagination of good and bad people, which have nothing to do with appearance, for him they could be very misleading. In Edward scissor hands, after looking at Edward one can easily mistake it with a horror film and that Edward is some cold blooded monster, just because of his leather garments and his scissor hands, his appearance is deceiving. Behind the clothes, the pale face full of cuts, long sharp scissors and messy hair, there is a child with genuine goodness who can be trusted. Jhonny Depp, who played the character of Edward in Edward Scissorhands, has remarkably carried out the roll, just as Tim Burton would have wanted him to. Due to his acting skills, the viewers were able to sympathize with the character. His expressions showed the viewers how innocent and well mannered Edward was. Behind that horrible attire there laid a heart, which needed some love and care. Whereas, Tim Burton, in order to give the audience the right idea of the main character, other than the acting skills, costume and make up, has competently used the camera angles, lighting etc. But that completely depends on the role that has been chosen for the actors. For instance, in Sweeny Todd, again Jhonny Depp, who played the role of Sweeny Todd himself, was white, pale and lacked a lot of sunlight. Other than sunlight, just after one glimpse anyone could easily tell that he is deprived of life and something terrible has had happened with him. In this movie, he lived up to his getup; He looked evil, and he was evil. The way Tim Burton makes Jhonny Depp dress up, wear his costume, and the makeup itself is Mise-en-scene, which is very either fascinating or unexpected. It is always a mystery after looking at the character, what the movie would be about or what role would the actor be playing. When it comes to manipulating the audiences attention, Tim Burton is always one step ahead. Furthermore, Tim Burton usually uses contrasting colors. Colors also play a high role in his Mise-en-scene which he easily uses for manipulation. For example, in Edward Scissor hands, the mansion where Edward lives and the mountain on which the mansion is are set in a dark grey shade with black clouds above, which strongly contrasts to the pastel colors of the suburb below. This is also seen in the dress code of the people. Edward wears black leather clothes and even later he dresses up in black and white while the others dress up in soft pastels and look too colorful. Since black is denoted for evil, at first glance the viewers mistake Edward for being evil, his Scissorhands complimenting his image. If Edward was dressed up in pastel colors too, the image would have never been able to be achieved. The manipulating part comes in, like already mentioned the suburbs were of pastel colors and so were the people, which are very harmless colors yet the people living in there were more malevolent than the black and white, monster like looking Edward with his terrifying scissor hands. The colorful people kept on taking advantage of Edward and as soon as they had enough of him, the abandoned him. Moreover, the contrast between residents of the suburb and Edward is maintained throughout the movie, denoting every time no matter what Edward does, he shall always remain an outsider. Similarly in Sleepy Hollow, again the colors have enhanced the mood of the film, straight away hinting the viewers what kind of a movie it would be. Tim Burton was able to keep his audiences engaged by the way he was able to create dramatic effects by desaturated colors, using dark colors with splashes of grey, red, white and other bold colors. Which immediately felt oppressive and created a feeling of tension and anyone could tell that the movie is going to be quite unpleasant. In the film, the town of Sleepy Hollow is shown gloomy, dark and lifeless. Even the colors of trees and the landscapes are shown in a cool grey color. That represented the people living there, and how they were feeling with the mishaps going on in their hometown. In fact, the clothes worn by many people in the town are also oppressive and dark except for the Van Tassel family, who rather believed in wearing refined and elegant clothes. The eye- catching part were the clothes Katrina always wore, mostly bright colors perhaps, reflecting her youth and innocence which could not be seen anywhere else in the town. I believe by using bright colors on Katrina and using contrasting backgrounds against her, Tim Burton was able to catch the viewers interest.

Dale Chihuly: The Man Behind the Masterpiece Essay -- Artists Artist A

Dale Chihuly: The Man Behind the Masterpiece The artist is known not only for his glasswork—which displays exuberant colors, exotic shapes, and a dramatic scale—but also for his outlandish lifestyle and appearance. According to William Warmus, author of The Essential Dale Chihuly, â€Å"Henry Geldzahler, former curator of contemporary art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, once said that the striking Chihuly ‘looks like a pirate and sometimes acts like a pirate,’ leading the life of a nomad and traveling the world over to orchestrate museum shows, glassblowing sessions, and installations of his work† (10). Chihuly’s trademark look includes: About the artist: â€Å"One of my favorite artists is Harry Houdini. Maybe that’s what I’m trying to be—a magician.† Dale Chihuly was born on September 20, 1941, in Tacoma, Washington. A butcher’s son, he was born into a humble, working-class family. His only brother died in a navy training accident in 1957. Months later, his father suffered a fatal heart attack. Chihuly was devastated by the loss, but his mother convinced him to go on to college. While attending the University of Washington, Chihuly completed an assignment to use nonfiber material in a weaving†¦As Warmus recalls: This proves to be the occasion of his first serious glass artwork, Glass Weaving, in which glass shards are interlaced with metal wires that he has fused into glass. Smitten with his new art form, Chihuly is awarded the Seattle Weavers Guild Award in 1964 for his innovative use of glass and fiber. (Warmus 17) The Child and the Adult: Many of Chihuly’s childhood experiences influenced his art later in life: Young Dale spends much of his childhood at the beach with his family, and enjo... ...p of that, Chihuly has his own publishing company, Portland Press, and published several books on his own. Some of these can be found on his website at http://www.chihuly.com/biblio/writings.html. the big picture: Besides the colossal glass works that Chihuly has spread across the planet, how is he contributing to society? Although most known as Dale Chihuly, the artist, it is Dale Chihuly, the character, who has contributed the most to society. He is an unrestrainedly free spirit, seeking out energy, life, and peace of mind through a pursuit of beauty. It just happens that art is his way of sharing these sensations with the world. References Chihuly. 20 Nov. 2001 . Form From Fire: Educator Resource Packet. Dayton: Dayton Art Institute, 2001. Warmus, William. The Essential Dale Chihuly. New York: Wonderland Press, 2000.

Sociology of Racial and Cultural Groups Essay -- Sociology Racism Prej

We live in a culturally diverse society where there are many differences among various racial and ethnic groups. When these different groups come into contact with one another they interact in many different ways. Prejudice and discrimination are key factors in understanding intergroup relationships. Competition, religious ideas, fear of strangers and nationalism are elements that contribute to prejudice. Many expressions of negative prejudicial attitudes, stereotyping and discriminatory behavior can have negative impact on the social relationships between dominant and minority groups. Many prejudices are passed along from child to parent and the influence of television and movies perpetuate demeaning portrayals about specific groups. Although prejudice continues to flourish, education plays an import role in combating prejudice and racism by providing courses and programs that help to recognize the distinction between various ethnic groups and develop an appreciation of these cul tural differences. The word prejudice is derived from the Latin word " praejudicium" and refers to prejudging without any factual evidence. Being prejudiced usually means having preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. Discrimination is the "differential and unequal treatment of other groups of people, usually along racial, religious or ethnic lines." The distinction is that prejudice then refers to people's attitudes and beliefs, and discrimination to their overt behavior directed at another group. (Parrillo 76) Prejudices shape our perceptions of various people and influence our attitudes and actions toward particular groups and prejudicial attitudes that are negative often lead to hostile relations between domi... ...and appreciate the cultural values and be tolerant of diversity. Changes in the law have also helped to alter some prejudicial attitudes. REFERENCES >>Chang, Mitchell. "Measuring the Impact of a Diversity Requirement on Students' Level of Racial Prejudice" Retrieved September 19, 2014 (http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/W00/research2.html) >>Dugan, Maire A. "Prejudice" (Retrieved September 15, 2014 (http://www.beyondintractability.org/m/prejudice.jsp) >>Parrillo, Vincent J. 2003. Strangers to These Shores. New York: Allyn and Bacon. >>Sandhu, Daya Singh and Sherlton Pack Brown. 1996. " Empowering ethnically and racially diverse clients through prejudice reduction." Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development"

TM Allegory

Ululating miss Kanji Ms. Huggins AP Literature 1 15 Jan aura 2015 Gorge's Metamorphosis as Allegory An allegory is a story in which characters, events, and settings symbolize abstract act or moral concepts from the real world. Using PASSAGES/ QUOTES from the entire text as needed, explain the following allegorical connections to The Metamorphosis. In other words, explain how/when these ideas are developed in the text.The isolation of an individual results in a spiritual death that dehumidifies the lonely person. In what ways is Gregory â€Å"euthanized† by his isolation? What about his life leads him to feel isolated? â€Å"He found it difficult to bear lying down quietly during the night and soon eating no longer gave him the slightest pleasure. So for diversion he acquired the habit of crawling back and forth across the walls and ceiling. He was especially fond of hanging from the ceiling. † (Kafka, 1915) Gregory is left alone most of the time. He only time he isn't l one is when his sister comes to feed him. Isolation has brought out more insect like characteristics in Gregory. He feels more comfortable hanging upside off the ceiling like a bat. A normal human cannot enjoy being upside down like he did. The transformation and the fear that he will hurt or scare his family members A real life situation that relates to this passage is the history of African Americans and Jewish people.

Macroeconomics vs. Microeconomics Essay

hese are two branches or rather methods of exposition of the science of economics. The distinction between them can best be explained by comparing their main features. As the terms suggest, macroeconomics deals with the market on a large-scale and its aggregate problems, while microeconomics concerns markets on a small-scale and individual aspects of the problems. There are six distinct aspects of the two approaches that are shown as in the following table: Microeconomics Macroeconomics (a) Units of the study Individual consumers, producers workers, traders, etc. Aggregate units such as state National or International economy. (b) Activities Optimization and maximization of personal gains and profits. Long term growth, maintenance of high levels of production and employment. (c) Origin Micro activities emerge on the demand side of consumer’s choices. Problems of long-term growth depend upon the supply of productive resources (d) Conditions This approach is functional under static conditions and small time intervals. This approach is functional under dynamic conditions and complex long run changes. (e) Methods It is concerned with small adjustments, for which the application of a marginal method is suitable. It deals with complex, dynamic changes inviting the use of advanced mathematical techniques. (f) Levels Micro adjustments in resource A allocation are made in response to changes in relative prices of goods and services. The aggregate level of income or total economic activities is considered to be constant. Macro approach attempts to find the conditions of long-term expansions in output as a whole, assuming relative prices as constant (or significant). This distinction between micro and macroeconomics as presented above is only a matter of theoretical convenience. The two approaches are complementary and not competitive; one cannot consider these to be watertight compartments

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

natural gas† {Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1}. Recently, Chesapeake finished the transformation from an aggressive exploration company focused on developing short-reserve life, to a lower-risk, longer reserve life natural gas producer. Chesapeake†s operations are focused on â€Å"developmental drilling and producing property acquisitions.† These operations are â€Å"concentrated in three major areas: the Mid-continent, the onshore Gulf of Mexico and far northeastern British Columbia, Canada† [Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1]. Aubrey K. McClendon is Chesapeake†s Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Tom L. Ward is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Director. â€Å"McClendon met cofounder Tom Ward in the 1980†³s. Both were independent oil producers; they teamed up in 1983† [Morgenson, p. 2]. They each have more than 16 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. All other members of the management team have multiple years of experience in the industry. Chesapeake has concentrated on expanding its holdings in natural gas since the company†s incorporation in 1989. Chesapeake thinks that natural gas will be the fuel choice of the 21st century. The company has been highly competitive in both its exploration activities and efforts to increase its inventory of undeveloped leasehold land. This combination should enable Chesapeake to remain a competitive force in the energy producing industry. New technology in the oil and gas industry has made exploration and production more profitable. This is key for the survival of American businesses that compete with OPEC and other foreign cartels that have very low production costs. New technology, including three-dimensional imaging, which has greater resolution than the previously existing technology, will enable Chesapeake to detect reserves more accurately. Also, horizontal drilling has enabled companies to drain more than one reserve at a time. With profits continuing to be squeezed within this industry, new technology is necessary to help American businesses compete on a global scale. The oil and gas industry is truly a global market. The industry boosted gains in 1999 from increased production efficiency and a decrease in the current supply. U.S. firms, along with OPEC, have voluntarily reduced their total production, which has increased the price. OPEC currently supplies approximately 40% of the world oil production. If OPEC chooses to produce at a lower output, Chesapeake could easily increase production with its low production costs and huge reserves. Many other nations are emerging as competitors, such as the former Soviet Union and Latin American countries. The continuing increase in supply from other nations would potentially saturate the market, causing lower prices and lower profits. Demand is expected to rise only slightly more than two percent through the year 2005. The outlook for this industry is for increased competition domestically (from smaller companies) and internationally from emerging nations. The U.S. has superior technology, which will help keep profits up as supply increases and demand remains relatively constant. Natural gas makes up 72% of Chesapeake†s revenue. They usually sell the product to third parties and are not dependent on any one buyer. Less than 10% of their revenues are generated from two buyers. Governmental Regulations – Operational and Labor Relations The oil and gas industries are subject to considerable government regulation. These laws and regulations are primarily directed toward â€Å"the handling and disposal of drilling and production waste products and waste created by water and air pollution control devices† [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 10]. The oil and gas industry is accountable to numerous government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, the State Department and the Department of Commerce. Virtually every aspect of operations is subject to complex and ever changing regulations. The oil and gas industry is tightly regulated in regard to labor relations by government department and agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Some states have their own state sponsored occupational safety plans, while the remainder must comply with federal OSHA regulations. Some of the topics covered under OSHA include personal protective equipment, hazardous communication (HAZCOM) and safety process training. Chesapeake had 453 employees as of March 15, 1999. None of these employees were represented by organized labor unions. The company considers its employee relations to be good [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 13]. Unocal (NYSE: UCL) employed 7,880 people as of December 31, 1998, of which 575 were represented by various U.S. labor unions [Unocal 10-K, 1998, p. 12]. Both companies are subject to new laws and regulations regarding the environment and labor. Chesapeake and Unocal cannot predict what adverse financial conditions the new laws and regulations will bring. However, short-term and long-term costs will increase as companies improve existing operations to become and remain compliant with government regulations. As a result, all companies in petro-chemical industries are experiencing tremendous difficulty operating profitable businesses. Several businesses have ceased operations as a result of increased regulation coupled with poor profit margins. Chesapeake is at a higher risk regarding this scenario since most of its operations are domestic. Unocal, although a U.S. based company, operations are concentrated primarily overseas, and therefore experience increased leniency regarding environmental and labor regulations. During the last two years, Chesapeake Corporation took a significant hit in terms of earnings, stock price and credit ratings. Positive 1996 earnings turned to a loss in 1997 and tumbled to a bigger loss of $10 per share in 1998. This earnings decline caused the stock price and credit rating to plummet. The company also faces a class action lawsuit stemming from alleged violations of federal securities laws. Top management and directors are accused of using insider information to sell personal holdings in the company at artificially inflated prices. Chesapeake had very disappointing years in 1997 and 1998 as evidenced by the fall in the stock price. The company underwent a substantial repositioning to increase natural gas holdings and reduce risk. As a result of this repositioning, Chesapeake incurred considerable debt and is dependent on the market prices of oil and natural gas to increase, and in effect, improve profit margins. Additionally, in 1997, Chesapeake changed their fiscal year end from June 30th to December 31st. As part of the repositioning, Chesapeake increased long term debt over $400 million to a total of $920 million, coupled with a short-term indebtedness of $25 million. This increased borrowing drastically reduced the company†s ability to obtain additional financing. Standard Poor†s and Moody†s placed Chesapeake on review with a negative outlook. The ability to meet obligations for this additional debt will depend on the production and financial performance of the company, market prices of oil and natural gas, and general economic conditions. Common Size Income Statement Analysis Chesapeake had an extremely large write-down of assets (impairment) as a result of reduced oil and gas prices during the past few years. This charge increased operating costs by over $1.2 billion during 1997-98 with 72% of that cost coming in 1998. The asset write-down, combined with expense increases in production, marketing and interest, were the main contributors of total operating costs to be over three times total revenue. The result was 1998 EBIT of ($920) million, and a non-existent ROE, since the company had a net loss approaching $1 billion. Unocal†s ROE was 5.9% in 1998 and 25.1% in 1997. The impairment cost reported by Chesapeake is questionable because of the very large amount that was charged. In perspective, Unocal with over $5 billion in property assets recorded an impairment charge of $97 million during 1998. If oil and gas prices rise in the near future, the impairment costs may be reversed giving the impression that the company is doing very well. Future investors of Chesapeake equities should consider this fact prior to making any investment decisions. Chesapeake had a $140 million reduction to both sides of the balance sheet. The repositioning of the firm focused on increasing inventory of natural gas reserves, â€Å"the fuel of choice for the 21st century† [1998 Annual Report, pg. 18]. Oil and gas properties nearly doubled from 1997 to 1998, totaling $2.2 billion. However, nearly $1.6 billion was depreciated, depleted and amortized. Additionally, cash decreased nearly $100 million, short-term investments were liquidated, and paid-in capital exceeded $1.1 billion over the past two years to provide additional cash for purchases of gas reserves. As a result, total property, plant and equipment was 85% of total assets in 1998 compared to 77% in 1997. In comparison, Unocal†s PPE was 66% and 64% of total assets respectively. Long-term debt increased over $400 million in 1998, totaling $920 million compared to $510 million in 1997. The $920 million was 113% in relation to total liabilities and owners equity of $813 million. In 1998, current liabilities were $131 million compared to current assets of $118 million. This resulted in a reduced current ratio of .90 from a 1997 ratio of 1.42. The Unocal current ratios during 1998 and 1997 were 1.01 and 1.29 respectively. Chesapeake has relied primarily on cash flow through financing activities during the past few years. Cash flow from operations was approximately $95 million in 1998 and $180 million in 1997, while cash flow from financing was $365 million and $278 million respectively. Sales accounted for $378 million in 1998 and appear to be rising approximately 35% annually from 1996 and 1997. However, an accurate comparison is unavailable because of the change in the company†s fiscal year end. Low oil and gas prices forced Chesapeake to borrow, sell equity, and liquidate short-term investments in order to continue operations and invest in oil and gas properties. The company is dependent on the rise of prices during 1999 to continue operations and provide shareholder wealth. The company has several restrictions from being able to borrow additional funds. Additionally, the price of stock has dropped from a high of $34 in 1996 to a low of $.63 in 1998. This has further reduced the company†s ability to generate cash. The current ratios for Chesapeake Energy are as follows: 1.00 (June 96), 2.03 (June 97), 1.42 (December 97), and .90 (December 98). Current liabilities remained constant over this period, ranging from a high of 19% (June 96) to a low of 15% (June 97), with the current level at 16% of total assets. Extreme levels of change in current assets caused the current ratio to fluctuate drastically. Current assets declined from a high of $297 million (31% of total assets) to a current low of $117 million (15% of total assets). This decline in current assets caused the deterioration of the current ratio. The acid test ratios are as follows: .94 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.37 (December 97), and .81 (December 98). As previously mentioned, current liabilities remained constant. Net accounts receivable remained flat as a percentage of total assets: 9% in 1996, 7% in 1997 (Both June December), and 9% in 1998. Marketable securities were sold off during the past three years, decreasing from 11% ($104 million) of total assets to zero. Cash decreased from 13% ($124 million) of total assets in 1997 (both June December) to 4% in 1998. The combination of severe decreases in both cash and marketable securities are the reasons that the acid test ratio decreased so dramatically. The quick ratios are as follows: .96 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.38 (December 97), and .86 (December 98). As mentioned previously, current liabilities remained constant and current assets declined. As with the current ratio, the main reason for the deterioration of the quick ratio is the continued loss of current assets. The above ratios and the reasons for their poor trends indicate Chesapeake is currently in a liquidity crisis. This, in combination with the increased debt liabilities, is an extreme warning to both investors and management. This condition also adds to the suspicion that assets are being sold off to fund current debt obligations. The firm†s ability to meet its obligations with cash, as they come due, is approximated by the cash flow liquidity ratio. As previously mentioned, solvency improved and then deteriorated as indicated by the current and quick ratios. The trends are confirmed when looking at cash flow. From 1995 to 1997, Chesapeake†s cash flow liquidity improved from 1.47 to 1.8. 1997 to 1998 showed a large drop in liquidity from 1.8 to 0.95. The company†s financial statement data gives an indication as to why. From 1995 to 1997, short-term solvency improved from 1.47 to 1.8. When looking at the data, cash from operations rose from $55 million in 1995, to $139 million in 1997. The 1997 rise was due to a change in the accounting period. During this same period, cash on hand rose from $56 million to $123 million and marketable securities rose from zero to $13 million. While cash was increasing, current liabilities rose from $75 million to $153 million. Current liabilities doubled during this period, while cash flow increased 150%. The larger increase in cash flow, relative to short-term obligations, accounts for the improvement in solvency during the 1995 to 1997 period. During the 1997 and 1998 periods, liquidity deteriorated as shown by the decrease in the cash flow liquidity ratio from 1.8 to 0.95. The data indicates that cash from operations dropped approximately 32% to $95 million. When looking at the Cash Flow Statement, the large decrease in operating cash is mainly due to the large net loss incurred during the period. At the same time, cash dropped 76% to $30 million while marketable securities fell to zero. Much of the cash appears to have gone to fund the company†s payables and accrued liabilities. Current liabilities were reduced 15% to $131 million. The larger reduction in cash flow relative to current obligations accounts for the deterioration in short-term solvency. The cash flow data confirms that Chesapeake†s liquidity suffered severe deterioration. A reduction in current liabilities is a good sign, but the little amount of cash generated and being used to fund current obligations is not enough. Cash assets are being used to fund these obligations as well. In comparison to the industry debt ratio of .31, Chesapeake ended with a debt ratio of 1.31 in 1998 compared to .71 in 1997. The long-term debt to total capitalization ratio increased from .64 in 1997 to 1.37 in 1998, while the industry average was .44. The tremendous increase in debt was attributable to significantly lower oil and gas prices during the past three years, and a failed drilling venture known as the Louisiana Trend. The company was forced to liquidate assets and take on a substantial amount of debt to meet operational expenses and increase oil and gas field reserves. Chesapeake was added to the Standard Poor†s â€Å"CreditWatch with negative implications† [Yahoo Finance, Nov. 14, 1999] in December of 1998. The low price of fuel during fiscal years 1996 through 1998 was the primary reason for Chesapeake†s troubles. The debt incurred has covenants restricting the company from seeking additional debt and from paying dividends to preferred stock holders. Principal on a large portion of the outstanding debt is not due until 2004 allowing the company time to improve operations. This will also give fuel prices a chance to rise, which is determinant to the company†s survival. The industry average for times interest earned is 5.2, while Chesapeake†s operating profit was ($856) million. The ratio equated to well below zero in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, interest payments were more than $68 million. The financial leverage index could not be computed since there was not a return on equity. Chesapeake overextended their credit by substantially financing with debt and has jeopardized their ability to make obligated payments for their debt and fixed costs. Chesapeake Energy Corporation natural gas† {Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1}. Recently, Chesapeake finished the transformation from an aggressive exploration company focused on developing short-reserve life, to a lower-risk, longer reserve life natural gas producer. Chesapeake†s operations are focused on â€Å"developmental drilling and producing property acquisitions.† These operations are â€Å"concentrated in three major areas: the Mid-continent, the onshore Gulf of Mexico and far northeastern British Columbia, Canada† [Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1]. Aubrey K. McClendon is Chesapeake†s Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Tom L. Ward is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Director. â€Å"McClendon met cofounder Tom Ward in the 1980†³s. Both were independent oil producers; they teamed up in 1983† [Morgenson, p. 2]. They each have more than 16 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. All other members of the management team have multiple years of experience in the industry. Chesapeake has concentrated on expanding its holdings in natural gas since the company†s incorporation in 1989. Chesapeake thinks that natural gas will be the fuel choice of the 21st century. The company has been highly competitive in both its exploration activities and efforts to increase its inventory of undeveloped leasehold land. This combination should enable Chesapeake to remain a competitive force in the energy producing industry. New technology in the oil and gas industry has made exploration and production more profitable. This is key for the survival of American businesses that compete with OPEC and other foreign cartels that have very low production costs. New technology, including three-dimensional imaging, which has greater resolution than the previously existing technology, will enable Chesapeake to detect reserves more accurately. Also, horizontal drilling has enabled companies to drain more than one reserve at a time. With profits continuing to be squeezed within this industry, new technology is necessary to help American businesses compete on a global scale. The oil and gas industry is truly a global market. The industry boosted gains in 1999 from increased production efficiency and a decrease in the current supply. U.S. firms, along with OPEC, have voluntarily reduced their total production, which has increased the price. OPEC currently supplies approximately 40% of the world oil production. If OPEC chooses to produce at a lower output, Chesapeake could easily increase production with its low production costs and huge reserves. Many other nations are emerging as competitors, such as the former Soviet Union and Latin American countries. The continuing increase in supply from other nations would potentially saturate the market, causing lower prices and lower profits. Demand is expected to rise only slightly more than two percent through the year 2005. The outlook for this industry is for increased competition domestically (from smaller companies) and internationally from emerging nations. The U.S. has superior technology, which will help keep profits up as supply increases and demand remains relatively constant. Natural gas makes up 72% of Chesapeake†s revenue. They usually sell the product to third parties and are not dependent on any one buyer. Less than 10% of their revenues are generated from two buyers. Governmental Regulations – Operational and Labor Relations The oil and gas industries are subject to considerable government regulation. These laws and regulations are primarily directed toward â€Å"the handling and disposal of drilling and production waste products and waste created by water and air pollution control devices† [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 10]. The oil and gas industry is accountable to numerous government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, the State Department and the Department of Commerce. Virtually every aspect of operations is subject to complex and ever changing regulations. The oil and gas industry is tightly regulated in regard to labor relations by government department and agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Some states have their own state sponsored occupational safety plans, while the remainder must comply with federal OSHA regulations. Some of the topics covered under OSHA include personal protective equipment, hazardous communication (HAZCOM) and safety process training. Chesapeake had 453 employees as of March 15, 1999. None of these employees were represented by organized labor unions. The company considers its employee relations to be good [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 13]. Unocal (NYSE: UCL) employed 7,880 people as of December 31, 1998, of which 575 were represented by various U.S. labor unions [Unocal 10-K, 1998, p. 12]. Both companies are subject to new laws and regulations regarding the environment and labor. Chesapeake and Unocal cannot predict what adverse financial conditions the new laws and regulations will bring. However, short-term and long-term costs will increase as companies improve existing operations to become and remain compliant with government regulations. As a result, all companies in petro-chemical industries are experiencing tremendous difficulty operating profitable businesses. Several businesses have ceased operations as a result of increased regulation coupled with poor profit margins. Chesapeake is at a higher risk regarding this scenario since most of its operations are domestic. Unocal, although a U.S. based company, operations are concentrated primarily overseas, and therefore experience increased leniency regarding environmental and labor regulations. During the last two years, Chesapeake Corporation took a significant hit in terms of earnings, stock price and credit ratings. Positive 1996 earnings turned to a loss in 1997 and tumbled to a bigger loss of $10 per share in 1998. This earnings decline caused the stock price and credit rating to plummet. The company also faces a class action lawsuit stemming from alleged violations of federal securities laws. Top management and directors are accused of using insider information to sell personal holdings in the company at artificially inflated prices. Chesapeake had very disappointing years in 1997 and 1998 as evidenced by the fall in the stock price. The company underwent a substantial repositioning to increase natural gas holdings and reduce risk. As a result of this repositioning, Chesapeake incurred considerable debt and is dependent on the market prices of oil and natural gas to increase, and in effect, improve profit margins. Additionally, in 1997, Chesapeake changed their fiscal year end from June 30th to December 31st. As part of the repositioning, Chesapeake increased long term debt over $400 million to a total of $920 million, coupled with a short-term indebtedness of $25 million. This increased borrowing drastically reduced the company†s ability to obtain additional financing. Standard Poor†s and Moody†s placed Chesapeake on review with a negative outlook. The ability to meet obligations for this additional debt will depend on the production and financial performance of the company, market prices of oil and natural gas, and general economic conditions. Common Size Income Statement Analysis Chesapeake had an extremely large write-down of assets (impairment) as a result of reduced oil and gas prices during the past few years. This charge increased operating costs by over $1.2 billion during 1997-98 with 72% of that cost coming in 1998. The asset write-down, combined with expense increases in production, marketing and interest, were the main contributors of total operating costs to be over three times total revenue. The result was 1998 EBIT of ($920) million, and a non-existent ROE, since the company had a net loss approaching $1 billion. Unocal†s ROE was 5.9% in 1998 and 25.1% in 1997. The impairment cost reported by Chesapeake is questionable because of the very large amount that was charged. In perspective, Unocal with over $5 billion in property assets recorded an impairment charge of $97 million during 1998. If oil and gas prices rise in the near future, the impairment costs may be reversed giving the impression that the company is doing very well. Future investors of Chesapeake equities should consider this fact prior to making any investment decisions. Chesapeake had a $140 million reduction to both sides of the balance sheet. The repositioning of the firm focused on increasing inventory of natural gas reserves, â€Å"the fuel of choice for the 21st century† [1998 Annual Report, pg. 18]. Oil and gas properties nearly doubled from 1997 to 1998, totaling $2.2 billion. However, nearly $1.6 billion was depreciated, depleted and amortized. Additionally, cash decreased nearly $100 million, short-term investments were liquidated, and paid-in capital exceeded $1.1 billion over the past two years to provide additional cash for purchases of gas reserves. As a result, total property, plant and equipment was 85% of total assets in 1998 compared to 77% in 1997. In comparison, Unocal†s PPE was 66% and 64% of total assets respectively. Long-term debt increased over $400 million in 1998, totaling $920 million compared to $510 million in 1997. The $920 million was 113% in relation to total liabilities and owners equity of $813 million. In 1998, current liabilities were $131 million compared to current assets of $118 million. This resulted in a reduced current ratio of .90 from a 1997 ratio of 1.42. The Unocal current ratios during 1998 and 1997 were 1.01 and 1.29 respectively. Chesapeake has relied primarily on cash flow through financing activities during the past few years. Cash flow from operations was approximately $95 million in 1998 and $180 million in 1997, while cash flow from financing was $365 million and $278 million respectively. Sales accounted for $378 million in 1998 and appear to be rising approximately 35% annually from 1996 and 1997. However, an accurate comparison is unavailable because of the change in the company†s fiscal year end. Low oil and gas prices forced Chesapeake to borrow, sell equity, and liquidate short-term investments in order to continue operations and invest in oil and gas properties. The company is dependent on the rise of prices during 1999 to continue operations and provide shareholder wealth. The company has several restrictions from being able to borrow additional funds. Additionally, the price of stock has dropped from a high of $34 in 1996 to a low of $.63 in 1998. This has further reduced the company†s ability to generate cash. The current ratios for Chesapeake Energy are as follows: 1.00 (June 96), 2.03 (June 97), 1.42 (December 97), and .90 (December 98). Current liabilities remained constant over this period, ranging from a high of 19% (June 96) to a low of 15% (June 97), with the current level at 16% of total assets. Extreme levels of change in current assets caused the current ratio to fluctuate drastically. Current assets declined from a high of $297 million (31% of total assets) to a current low of $117 million (15% of total assets). This decline in current assets caused the deterioration of the current ratio. The acid test ratios are as follows: .94 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.37 (December 97), and .81 (December 98). As previously mentioned, current liabilities remained constant. Net accounts receivable remained flat as a percentage of total assets: 9% in 1996, 7% in 1997 (Both June December), and 9% in 1998. Marketable securities were sold off during the past three years, decreasing from 11% ($104 million) of total assets to zero. Cash decreased from 13% ($124 million) of total assets in 1997 (both June December) to 4% in 1998. The combination of severe decreases in both cash and marketable securities are the reasons that the acid test ratio decreased so dramatically. The quick ratios are as follows: .96 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.38 (December 97), and .86 (December 98). As mentioned previously, current liabilities remained constant and current assets declined. As with the current ratio, the main reason for the deterioration of the quick ratio is the continued loss of current assets. The above ratios and the reasons for their poor trends indicate Chesapeake is currently in a liquidity crisis. This, in combination with the increased debt liabilities, is an extreme warning to both investors and management. This condition also adds to the suspicion that assets are being sold off to fund current debt obligations. The firm†s ability to meet its obligations with cash, as they come due, is approximated by the cash flow liquidity ratio. As previously mentioned, solvency improved and then deteriorated as indicated by the current and quick ratios. The trends are confirmed when looking at cash flow. From 1995 to 1997, Chesapeake†s cash flow liquidity improved from 1.47 to 1.8. 1997 to 1998 showed a large drop in liquidity from 1.8 to 0.95. The company†s financial statement data gives an indication as to why. From 1995 to 1997, short-term solvency improved from 1.47 to 1.8. When looking at the data, cash from operations rose from $55 million in 1995, to $139 million in 1997. The 1997 rise was due to a change in the accounting period. During this same period, cash on hand rose from $56 million to $123 million and marketable securities rose from zero to $13 million. While cash was increasing, current liabilities rose from $75 million to $153 million. Current liabilities doubled during this period, while cash flow increased 150%. The larger increase in cash flow, relative to short-term obligations, accounts for the improvement in solvency during the 1995 to 1997 period. During the 1997 and 1998 periods, liquidity deteriorated as shown by the decrease in the cash flow liquidity ratio from 1.8 to 0.95. The data indicates that cash from operations dropped approximately 32% to $95 million. When looking at the Cash Flow Statement, the large decrease in operating cash is mainly due to the large net loss incurred during the period. At the same time, cash dropped 76% to $30 million while marketable securities fell to zero. Much of the cash appears to have gone to fund the company†s payables and accrued liabilities. Current liabilities were reduced 15% to $131 million. The larger reduction in cash flow relative to current obligations accounts for the deterioration in short-term solvency. The cash flow data confirms that Chesapeake†s liquidity suffered severe deterioration. A reduction in current liabilities is a good sign, but the little amount of cash generated and being used to fund current obligations is not enough. Cash assets are being used to fund these obligations as well. In comparison to the industry debt ratio of .31, Chesapeake ended with a debt ratio of 1.31 in 1998 compared to .71 in 1997. The long-term debt to total capitalization ratio increased from .64 in 1997 to 1.37 in 1998, while the industry average was .44. The tremendous increase in debt was attributable to significantly lower oil and gas prices during the past three years, and a failed drilling venture known as the Louisiana Trend. The company was forced to liquidate assets and take on a substantial amount of debt to meet operational expenses and increase oil and gas field reserves. Chesapeake was added to the Standard Poor†s â€Å"CreditWatch with negative implications† [Yahoo Finance, Nov. 14, 1999] in December of 1998. The low price of fuel during fiscal years 1996 through 1998 was the primary reason for Chesapeake†s troubles. The debt incurred has covenants restricting the company from seeking additional debt and from paying dividends to preferred stock holders. Principal on a large portion of the outstanding debt is not due until 2004 allowing the company time to improve operations. This will also give fuel prices a chance to rise, which is determinant to the company†s survival. The industry average for times interest earned is 5.2, while Chesapeake†s operating profit was ($856) million. The ratio equated to well below zero in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, interest payments were more than $68 million. The financial leverage index could not be computed since there was not a return on equity. Chesapeake overextended their credit by substantially financing with debt and has jeopardized their ability to make obligated payments for their debt and fixed costs.