Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Killing Of Mudeye Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The Killing Of Mudeye Essay, Research Paper Reading Diary This novel is about the violent death of a little stripling troubled male child whom was labelled Mudeye because he was a existent victim. I think that Ned is guilty because he has made Linton Begg even weaker because he refused to manus out a friendly relationship to Mudeye. He did this because he was to good to be his friend and he didn? T want to be payed out for hanging about with person so low and non liked. Ned, Mudeye and Goldfinger have many things in common that include the desire to be popular, the deficiency of felicity, they all are smart, they are all rich, Goldfinger and Mudeye both have strengths such as Mudeye being smart at composing and Goldfinger necessitating to acquire a better grade. They are all good at their work and they all have jobs with insecurity. We will write a custom essay sample on The Killing Of Mudeye Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I think Ned could hold saved Linton Begg because he could hold become his friend and helped him to be more secure. He besides could hold stopped people from aching him mentally every bit good. Ned didn? T aid Linton because had his ain insecurities and was excessively selfish to assist. The violent death of Mudeye is like a game in life and decease where people are rewarded or punished. This is because there is a leader of the game, Goldfinger, and he rewards and punishes people. Goldfinger particularly does this to Mudeye. He punishes him to excess. When he stole Mudeye? s glasses he punished Mudeye by doing him beg. He besides rewarded him into their group by doing him hold a joint and acquiring him ill. The penalty to Mudeye was a wages to Goldfinger. He loved to see people weaker than him. He gained strength from watching them suffer. The novel is mostly about green-eyed monster. It is approximately Ned being covetous of Goldfinger because he is so good and has the best looking gir cubic decimeter in the school and Goldfinger is followed by everyone. There is even jealousy of Mudeye from Goldfinger because Mudeye is such a good author and Goldfinger gets covetous ; he makes Mudeye make his work so he can acquire a better grade. Goldfinger is besides covetous because Mudeye is liked more by one of the instructors so Goldfinger is and so Goldfinger attempts to acquire back at that instructor. He wants to penalize them. When Linton Begg writes, ? I am merely born to endure? he is truly talking the truth because his whole life was about agony and being picked on and non liked by anyone. His life was a entire agony right up to where he hung himself. He had a job, though it was Schizophrenia, where he heard voices and was ever depressed. He was like this because of his parents every bit good because they didn? Ts like him and didn? T attention about him. They didn? T want him in their lives. Mudeye is killed by his mental upset but besides his insecurity. He truly did acquire the mental upset because he was so insecure and cipher wanted to cognize him non even his female parent and male parent. He was entirely and marginalised continually by everyone. The Killing of Mudeye is about rapprochement with the past and Ned does accomplish it really good because he is truly disturbed when he relives his whole school life. He decides to confront where the violent death of Mudeye is done and it makes him experience a batch better. His boy had helped him to because he found a friend like Mudeye and didn? T attention and it made his male parent feel better. Linton Begg dies and a batch of the people in the book did acquire what they want even Ned who faces all his jobs existent good. Linton Begg besides ends up happy because all his hurting is gone and he is eventually free. Bibliography the violent death of Mudeye ( book )

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Narodnaya Volya (The Peoples Will, Russia)

Narodnaya Volya (The People's Will, Russia) Narodnaya Volya or The Peoples Will was a radical organization that sought to overturn the autocratic regime of the Tsars in Russia. Founded in:  1878 Home Base:  St. Petersburg, Russia (formerly Leningrad) Historical Context Narodnaya Volyas roots can be found in the revolutionary impulse that swept Europe in the late 18th and 19th century. Some Russians were deeply impressed by the American and French  revolutions and began seeking ways to encourage  ideals  of the French Enlightenment in Russia as well. The ideals of political liberation were intermixed with socialism- the idea that there should be some equitable distribution of property among societys members. By the time that Narodnaya Volya was created, there had been revolutionary stirrings in Russia for nearly a century. These crystallized in the late 19th century into a plan of action among the Land and Liberty group, who began to take concrete steps toward encouraging a popular revolution. This was also the goal of Narodnaya Volya. At that time, Russia was a feudal society in which peasants called serfs worked the land of wealthy notables. Serfs were semi-slaves with no resources nor rights of their  own and were subject to the despotic rule of their rulers for their livelihood. Origins Narodnaya Volya grew out of an earlier organization called Zemlya Volya (Land and Liberty). Land and Liberty was a secret revolutionary group organized to encourage revolutionary impulses among Russian peasants. This position stood in contrast to the other view of the time, in Russia, that the urban working class would be the primary force behind a revolution. Land and Liberty also used terrorist tactics to achieve its goals, from time to time. Objectives They sought democratic and socialistic reforms of Russian political structure, including the creation of a constitution, the introduction of universal suffrage, freedom of expression and the transfer of land and factories to the peasants and laborers who worked in them. They saw terrorism as an important tactic in achieving their political  objectives and identified themselves as terrorists. Leadership and Organization The Peoples Will was run by a Central Committee that was tasked with planting revolutionary seeds among peasants, students, and workers through propaganda and to bring that revolution into effect through targeted violence against government family members. Notable Attacks 1881: Tsar Alexander II is assassinated by a Narodnaya Volya bomb in St. Petersburg, following several earlier attempts to kill him.1880: A bomb is set off below the dining room of the Tsars Winter Palace, in one of the efforts to kill Alexander. He was unharmed, reportedly because he was late for dinner, but nearly 70 others were injured.Other government officials in Russia, selected for their symbolic significance.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Free Online Computer Courses for Adults

Free Online Computer Courses for Adults Whether you are new to the computer or just want to brush up on your skills, you can find a free course online to meet your needs. Working through tutorials is a great way to practice computer skills you can use every day at home or at work. Entry-Level Courses There are numerous computer classes designed for beginners; they cover a variety of topics, from email and web browsing to word processing and graphic design. GCFLearnFree:  This treasure trove of free classes is designed for all computer owners, whether youre a PC, Mac, or Linux fan. Free classes cover basic skills, email, internet browsing, and Mac and Windows basics. For more advanced users, free classes in social media, cloud storage, image editing, and mobile devices bring you up to date with the most recent hardware and software.ALISON:  ALISON ABC IT is a free online information technology  course that teaches everyday computing as it relates to work and life. The course focuses on Microsoft Office  applications and touch typing. Topics include computer software and hardware, file management, IT safety, email, and word processing. The program takes 15 to 20 hours to complete. A score of 80 percent or more in each of the course assessments qualifies you for a self-certification from ALISON.Home Learn: All the free online tutorials at the Home Learn site are aimed at complete beginners. You dont need any experience to get st arted. Tutorials cover Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 10. Several courses cover dealing with spyware. The beginners guide to going wireless addresses the basics, including routers, what you need to buy to go wireless, and safety. Outlook Express is the subject of 10 tutorials. Free-ed: Offers a  collection  of free e-books, courses, and tutorials on computer programming, operating systems, database operations, web scripting, and design, networking, communications, game design, animation, and virtual reality.Meganga: Provides free basic computer training for beginners and seniors.  The video tutorials cover computer basics, Windows, troubleshooting, Word, Outlook, and other topics.CT Distance Learning Consortium: The CTDLC offers a free four-module tutorial that covers computer skills, email, word processing, and web browsing. Each of the modules is self-paced and comes with review questions so you can evaluate your progress. The computer skills module includes instruction on using a mouse, click and double-click, opening and closing files, locating saved files, and copying and pasting between files and text.Education Online for Computers.com: Offers both free and paid training. The free training includes instruction on computer software including Wor d, Excel, Access, Outlook, Powerpoint, Photoshop, Flash, and web development. Intermediate and Advanced Courses Once youve mastered the basics, you may wish to explore more advanced computer applications, including program design, data analysis, and cybersecurity. FutureLearn: Offers hundreds of free online courses from top universities and other organizations. These classes last up to several weeks each and are suitable for intermediate and advanced computer users. Topics include robotics, social media, digital accessibility, managing your identity, searching and researching, and cybersecurity.Skilledup: Offers a collection of free online computer science courses. Although some classes are self-paced, some  require weeks or months of study, just like real college courses. Among the topics covered are cryptography, compilers, program design, hardware security, fundamentals of programming, web development, web intelligence, and big data.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Critical Response Paper 1 Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Response 1 - Research Paper Example A Third Cinema, in this case, is described as an ongoing phenomenon that the filmmakers still apply in themes like politics and aesthetics. The Battle of Algiers is a film about the real events that led Algerian war of independence. The film narrates the story of the National Liberation Front (FLN), a movement that posed a danger to French occupation in Algeria (Mellen 16). The French troops defeated FLN during revolutionary movements. However, the movement strengthened and united other liberation movements throughout Algeria, which made them defeat French troop in 1962. The Battle of Algiers is a representation of Fanon’s arguments about violence and veil as an accepted means of anti-colonial struggle. Pontecorvo, producer of Black Skin, White Mask, is specifically concerned with how the Algerians achieved their independence and dignity through violent struggle. The Battle of Algiers is a justification of Fanon’s theory that the war and violence, during the anti-coloni al struggle, help people to gain their independence and dignity (Stam & Macmillan Films 11). It portrays French settlers as brutal and ignorant. The French colonial institution portrayed itself as a body that cannot be negotiated with through non-violent movements like the National Liberation Front. ... Therefore, the use of force and violence in this case should be perceived as mechanical but not brutal. Additionally, the use of violence does not entail any scorn as in the case of Colonel Mathieu, who lit cigarette after successfully launching a bomb attack that killed several members of FLN. In the Battle of Algiers, official representatives and settlers of French colonial power are not concerned about the well-being of Algerians. They mistreat and abuse men, women, and children. This is reflected during a private party organized by French police officer, his colleagues, and their wives. The French officer, at that moment, was organizing a large bomb attack on civilians in the Arab quarter of Algiers, the Kasbah (Stam & Macmillan Films 26). Light classical music played in the background during the party contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. The wealthy, lightness, and beauty of French lifestyle displayed in the movie leaves the audience to question their dark side of politics of its colonial organization. The party scene then smoothly transforms to the bombing scene, representing settlers’ brutal encounters with the colonial politics. This implies that the French colonial institution perceived the killing of civilians as a habitual and normal activity. This scene also creates a non-hermetic structure, where it gives the audience the opportunity to deconstruct the party scene as a positive self-representation of French colonizers as â€Å"uncivilized group†. This is because the way in which they plan bomb attacks against Algerians is perceived as an â€Å"uncivilized† behavior (Mellen 27). Similarly, the manner in which Frantz Fanon develops a non-hermetic structure that does not present a self-enclosed universe in Black Skin, White Mask, can

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Bussiness Management and Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Bussiness Management and Outsourcing - Essay Example Moreover, the threat of significant job losses allows large firms to demand changes to labor legislation that further weaken labor. In addition to endangering jobs, wages, labor standards and union powers, globalization also hastens the decline of social safety nets (Becker, 1993). Citing international competitiveness, business has been able to shift the tax burden to labor. But job losses and low wages will erode this tax base, reducing governments' ability to finance welfare programs. Globalization thus undermines labor strength, reinforcing the impact of higher levels of overall unemployment on capital's ability to control the workplace in the developed economies (Bateman and Snell 2004). Service Industry Analysis At the beginning of the 21st century, IT is viewed as a strategic tool which helps organizations to expend their activities and increase profits. IT outsourcing is often seen as an opportunities to provide a competitive advantage and increased value for the enterprise. The absorptive capacity based on appropriate technology related skills needs to be measured against both the demands of the international economy and the local environment where a skills base for using IT is even more important. Changes in management philosophy are giving opportunities to the small and medium-sized enterprises that cater to the demands of national and internationally operating companies (Cullen and Willcocks, 2003). However, the businesses that fare well under the new management organizational scenario are those which acquire the necessary business, commercial, and technological skills. The main causes of outsourcing are prices and wages, communication and transportation costs. For many companies, cap acity building to develop appropriate skills is a dynamic process. As... It is stated that today, the UK economy mostly depends upon international labor supply and international business relations. Taking advantage of technology transfer opportunities, their rapid industrialization has been aided by the introduction of advanced technologies that result in labor costs substantially below those in similar industries in the developed economies. This in itself would contribute to the surge in exports to the developed economies. There are several problems with outsourcing faced by the state and companies. Recent years, a large number of engineers have been sent abroad by SMEs and TNCs. Thus, critics admit that the UK needs these research projects to be kept at home. In conclusion, IT outsourcing helps companies to improve their main operations and service quality, gain competitive advantage and save costs. It proposes company opportunities to reduce labor costs and increase service volumes and a number of traditional services proposed to customers, restructure business and invest in personal growth and development. Companies are increasingly finding that, if they combine their information assets with those of other companies, the combined information resource is considerably more useful to all sides. In this new environment, small companies may have advantages created by outsourcing, because their contact with customers will mostly be channeled through the telephone, or increasingly e-mail, they will be able to record and keep track of their customer's preferences and needs much more effectively.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Art History Essay Example for Free

Art History Essay This paper will attempt to give a descriptive analysis and comparison of two medieval sculptures viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first sculpture entitled, â€Å"Virgin and Child;† attributed to Claus de Werve, a Netherlandish sculptor by Pierre Quarre a curator and chief of Musees de Djon and a leading authority on Burgundian sculpture. Claus de Werve was commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of the town of Poligny to create this statue for the convent which was headed by a Francisean nun named Colette between 1415-1417. The statue which is made of painted limestone is believed to be a gift that was commissioned for the convent. The second sculpture is entitled, â€Å"Mother and Child; Mali† which was created in Mali by the Bomana peoples. The statue of Virgin and Child is a religious humane figure of the Virgin Mother Mary and Jesus as a young boy which is associated with the Catholic Church and Christianity. This sculpture illustrates a mother and son involved in a tender moment. The statue is big in size and its dimensions are 53 x 42 x 28 inches and sits in the center of the Medieval Art exhibit in room 304 of the museum. The Virgin Mary in this sculpture appears very large in size as compared to the child. Her curly brown hair is positioned back away from her face, which is long and cascades down the sides of her face on to her shoulders. The skin of this sculpture resembles those associated with Caucasians with thin lips and long pointed noses. Her complexion or skin color I cannot tell because it is featured in a very dark room of the museum. On top of her head there appears to be a cloak or hood like garment that comes up to the middle of her head. She is wearing a long free flowing gown or dress underneath the cloak while she is sitting on a bench or piece of wood like structure. The child in this sculptured art has short curly brown hair and is wearing loose fitted clothing from that time period while sitting on the lap of the Virgin Mary. He appears comfortable as he sits in an angular position backwards gazing up into her face. As he sits on the lap of the Virgin Mother he gazes up into her face so matter of factly while he talks with her about the discoveries found in this book called the bible. The child appears to be pointing specifically to an important scripture or words of wisdom to emphasize perhaps to his mother the importance of learning this knowledge from the bible. The child’s actions and facial expressions appear to illustrate that he is the teacher and she is the student getting lessons on Christianity. Upon looking at the child’s posture the viewers can immediately assume that this child possesses a special quality or trait not found in other children. The facial expressions displayed on both mother and child signals a special unique moment that can only be shared between the two. The loving manner in which she firmly and carefully cradles her son with her left arm while holding the bible with her right lets viewers know that she wants to keep him safe from harm and prevent him from falling to the ground. At the same time her posture appears regal and straight as she looks down adoringly at her son with head slightly bowed while quietly and intensely listens to her son. On her face is a small smile that evokes pride for being selected as the chosen one to give birth to this special gift. The facial expressions of the Virgin Mary face appears to send encouraging signals to continue practicing his teachings so that she can perhaps help spread words of wisdom to others.. The second sculpture that will be discussed is entitled Mother and Child; Mali, which was created and carved out of wood by peoples living in Western Africa, called Bamana peoples. These individuals have artistic traditions in pottery, sculpture and beautiful cloths that are very distinct and connected to their cultural history that dates back to the 17th century. This group is located in the Bougouni or Diola area of Mali, which is located in western Africa. The Bamana individuals are part of the Mande culture and reside in the village of Bougouni. These individuals are taught while growing up to follow strict cultural practices regarding life experiences, such as hard work, responsibilities and taking care of a family. All members of this society have a specific purpose and it is up to all individuals who reside within this society to fulfill that purpose. One of the cultural practices of the Bamana peoples is to have large extended families. These extended families can grow as large as 100 to 1000 members. This may lead others to believe that most individuals within the Bamana society work together towards one common goal and the well being of all individuals regardless of blood ties. . Even though the Bamana society is mostly controlled by males, females or mothers are regarded highly and respected as individuals responsible for bringing forth life in their society. This respect is illustrated in the wooded sculptured entitled, Mother and Child; Mali. This figure was carved from wood by the elders of the Bamana village and symbolizes a mother or matriarchal figure that appears to act as a protector over her young child. The dark brown wooden sculpture is featured in the African and Oceanic section at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sculpture is very tall and is approximately 49 inches tall. The material of this sculpture consists of dark brown wood that was just recently cleared by the museum according to one of the security guards there. At first glance when I approached this sculpture it reminded me of some sort of totem pole, because some of the body features are exaggerated on this sculpture. The torso and arms on the Mother and Child sculpture appear exaggerated and longer than most human figures. The female in this sculptured illustration appears to be seated on a throne like chair protecting her young. The female figure does not have on a top and her breasts are carved like two long triangles. On the female’s lower body a short cloth covers her hips as she sits on a bench cradling a small child. On the mothers right arm is an upper arm bracelet or rings and on her left arm there appears to be a sheath with a long knife concealed inside. On her head is a hat which is also cone shaped and inserted into the hat there appears to be sharp like objects sticking out. Along the sides of her head coming down from the hat are two thick braids that rest on her shoulders. The facial features portrayed on this sculpture feature big almond shaped eyes with a long thin nose and lips, which is consistent with the features found on the Bomana peoples living in that region or area. The facial expressions of the woman featured in this sculpture appear to be smiling as the figure looks out from above. Her posture as she sits on her throne like wooden structure is very straight and upright. The infant in this sculpture appears to be clutching or clasping at the mothers body for a secure place to hold onto. The infant featured is completely nude and his face against his mother’s torso as the legs straddles around the waist of the mother. A cloth like fabric appears to be at the waist of the mother separating the lower body proportions from touching. The mother sculpture is featured without any feet only legs and I do not know if the object was purposely created in that manner or if this art work was damaged and the feet destroyed. The similarities discovered in both sculptures depict the mother and child as aloving caring protectorate of the young. In both of these sculptures the mother is cradling the child in her arms on her lap while sitting down on a throne like structure. The child or son created in both works of art appears to be seated on their mother’s lap. addition the mothers size featured in both works are proportioned larger to the child displayed. others featured in both works of art portray the mother figure as a very large and powerful being in proportion to the child. Both appear to be seated on a throne like structure while holding or cradling a child in their arms. Both sculptures have a deeply rooted spiritual religious connection in their society. The Virgin and Child is a symbol of hope for all who live and believe in Christianity. The young child Jesus is known to all to be the one sent by god to save the peoples of the world from hell. While the mother and Child of Mali sculpture is also viewed and symbolizes the strength and power that a mother possesses. This art work also is connected to the Bamana society as a religious symbol of hope for the future, because without women in society there would be not be a future. These sculptures also evoke a sense of peace and serenity to individuals when viewing them. The difference viewed in both is that Mother and Child was constructed out of limestone polychromy and gilding, and the Virgin and Child; Mali was constructed from carved wood. The Virgin and Child sculpture appears to have life like features while the Mother and Child sculpture physical features appear to have been exaggerated with the long torso and large hands. One was created in France and the other in Mali Africa. One artist was used or named on the sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary while a group of Bamana elders are credited with the Mother and Child sculpture. The female body figure’s is completely covered in cloth. Only her hands, face and neck can be viewed, the child she is holding is also covered from head to toe in a loosely fitted garment, which may lead one to believe that the society in which these individuals resided are very conservative. The Mother and Child; Mali sculpture depicts individuals in a very primitive and natural manner. A society that does not place limits and is not afraid to display the beauty of human anatomy for all to see. The female in the sculpture has hardly any clothes covering her body and the infant is completely naked the physical features on the virgin Child sculpture although created thousands of centuries ago can still be viewed clearly. While the Mother and Child: Mali physical features of the figures appear to be weathering with time. This artwork in addition is only 500 years old. To conclude both sculptures reflect the ancient cultures by which they were made and focus on the importance of life in their societies during their respective time periods. They were selected because I enjoy observing art work that connects to my culture and history. It is very interesting to look through the eyes of the artist and view their interpretation of how the physical appearances of individuals during the biblical era were portrayed. I am a Roman Catholic and I was completely drawn to the sculpture at the museum, because it sort of reminded me of the statues in my church it immediately had this calming effect on me while I stood there staring at the piece attempting to sketch it for this assignment. As mentioned earlier in the paper I really thought the Virgin and Child; Mali was a totem pole because of its size and big wide eyes and head. However, after realizing that this sculpture stood as a symbol of motherhood in Africa I began to appreciate for bringing importance to all mothers in that society and around the world. Unlike the Virgin and Child sculpture it did not bring about a calming effect it kind of emitted power and strength. You got the sense that this mother would attack you in a minute if you attempted to bring harm to her child. All in all my experience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was very pleasurable and in the future I plan to visit it again to look for other sculptures that I can connect with in the future. Through the eyes of other artist you can visualize history and the life of individuals who lived in the past.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay example -- Sonnys Blues James Ba

Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin A captivating tale of a relationship between two troubling brothers in Harlem, "Sonny's Blues" is told from the perception of Sonny's brother, whose name is never mentioned. Baldwin's choice of Sonny's brother as a narrator is what makes "Sonny's Blues" significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of "Sonny's Blues" lies in the way Sonny's brother describes their relationship based on what he observes, hears, and feels, and how he struggles trying to understand Sonny through the course of the story. This is a story of how two African Americans brothers take their own path through life as they struggle to find meaning in their lives. Sonny's brother point of view is shared in this story as he feels responsible to keep his brother safe. The brother learns to listen throughout this story to better understand Sonny's life. This story is primarily about Sonny's brothers' life, how he struggled in his life and how he is now watching his younger brother Sonny go through the same situation. He worries about Sonny's life; that Sonny might not be able to escape the turmoil that life brings especially being a musician with no ties to family and job security. Sonny's brother sees Sonny trying to become a jazz musician, he watches and listens as Sonny goes through many difficulties in life. He doesn't want Sonny to be a jazz musician, because there is no future in this. At the end of the story, Sonny's brother attends the nightclub to watch... ...Blues" illustrated how life was growing up in an African American family during 1930 Ââ€" 1960's. Black Americans struggled to make their imprint on society. The life of the amazing blind musician Ray Charles comes to my mind as I struggle to understand how the African American culture learned to survive during this time. Sonny and Ray Charles had many of the same life experiences, in particular relying on drugs to forget their past and living in a society where the black man struggled to make a living. Both men used their music of rhythm and blues to gain respect from family and friends. In particular they learned to use music to survive in times of racism, segregation and poverty.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The Invisible Man

In the novel, The Invisible Man, there are many characters that go against the Invisible Man and try to keep him from succeeding. The definition of a Villain is: A wicked or evil person; a scoundrel; A dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero. Since the Invisible Man is the protagonist of the novel, Dr. Bledsoe would fit as a villain towards him. Dr. Bledsoe is the president of the IM’s college, and the IM looks up to him until he turns out to be a big phony. While Dr. Bledsoe preaches a doctrine of hard work and humility as the key to black advancement, he retains his power as president of the college by â€Å"playing the nigger† – he scrapes, bows, and all the while deceives the powerful white men upon whose patronage his power depends. Thus Dr. Bledsoe's supposed commitment to his race is a sham; at one point he declares that he would see every black man in the country lynched before he would give up his position of authority. What makes Dr. Bledsoe such an influential villain is that the protagonist (IM) truly did trust in him and look up to him as a role model. Bledsoe had the IM’s fate in his hands. One of the most important things to the IM was to go to college and become successful, but Bledsoe had the power to take all of that away. Bledsoe has three faces: one he shows to important whites, another he exhibits officially to the students of the college, and the private and true side he reveals to the IM. When the IM sees Bledsoe's true nature, he soon comes to realize the corruption and malevolent methods that Dr. Bledsoe utilizes. This is the IM's first encounter with such deep-seated corruption. The IM's perception is that his world is at its deepest levels corrupted by certain varieties of radical dishonesty and manipulation. He sees this, when the man he idolizes, Dr. Bledsoe, is heavily entrenched in dishonesty and manipulation. Dr. Bledsoe attributes his success to a similar ability to feign humility. The power hungry Bledsoe would have done anything to keep his power, even deceive a vulnerable student or the white trustees. Bledsoe advocates lying as a good way to interact and manipulate Mr. Norton and the white trustees. His belief is that deceit is a means to obtain dignity and status. Because of Bledsoe’s false identity, the IM recognizes his grandfather’s sentiment that true treachery lies in believing in the mask of meekness. For, echoing Booker T. Washington’s philosophy, Bledsoe practices humility and preaches the virtue of humble contentment with one’s place; but, in fact, he uses his seeming passivity to mask his true aims. Bledsoe employs this mask of meekness not only as a method of self-preservation or even self-empowerment but also as a method of actively grabbing power. He uses the college and Washington’s ideology to gain a position of power rather than to achieve broad social progress for his people (something that the IM initially looked up to him for). Bledsoe’s declaration that he has â€Å"played the nigger† long and hard to get to his position and won’t have one young, naive student erase his accomplishments reveals his priorities: his concern for the college’s image masks his greater fear that his own image will be defiled and his power stripped. The IM’s grandfather advised his family to use masks as a form of self-defense and resistance against racist white power, but Bledsoe uses masks as a weapon against members of his own race. Moreover, he uses deception to achieve an influential position within the white-dominated power structure rather than to dismantle that structure. One can argue that Bledsoe’s character shows the ultimate limitations of the grandfather’s philosophy: African Americans will not win true power for themselves as a people if they continue to lead double lives. This is a major theme in the novel, and it’s something that the IM does not truly understand until the end of the book. Dr. Bledsoe, although a villain to the IM and to the entire black community, the IM is still able to learn a lot about him when it comes to his invisibility. The IM learns that to be invisible is to be unacknowledged by others, and he learns that by â€Å"playing a role† or pretending to be something that you are not (mask’s) you end up losing your true self and sense of identity. Behind the many masks of Bledsoe, he ends up getting lost in his multiple identities and does not know who he is. Bledsoe seems to be blind to the fact that he too is black, and although he may have a higher position than other blacks, he is still â€Å"invisible† in the eyes of the white people to whom he â€Å"sucks up† to. Dr. Bledsoe is a villain who seems to be lost in his own evil, power hungry motives. Dr. Bledsoe is blind to the truth of his own identity, and therefore it causes the IM to rethink his life. Bledsoe serves as a villain because of the many roles he played to fool people. He did not care about anyone else but himself. Bledsoe had many twisted morals, but the protagonist, the IM was able to learn from Bledsoe’s blindness and ignorance. He learned that your true identity does not come from the power of putting others down, but it comes from the realization that you are powerless but that you can still make an effort to change things for the betterment of all people.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Exxon Mobil Stock Analysis

STOCK ANALYSIS REPORT – Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) –August 15th , 2011 [pic] Industry: Oil and Gas Operations Sector: Energy Recommendation: SELL Price: $74. 29 (as of  Ã‚  August 15th 2011, 4:00pm ET) Intrinsic Value: $52. 10 or 42. 6% overvalued Fundamentals Grade: A Investment Style: Large Cap Blend CORPORATE INFORMATION [pic] Location: 5959 Las Colinas Boulevard Irving, TX 75039 Phone: 972-4441000 Fax: 972-4441348 Web Site: http://www. exxonmobil. com/ Employees: 83,000 Exchange: NYSE BUSINESS SUMMARY Exxon Mobil Corporation (Exxon Mobil) through its divisions and affiliates is engaged in exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas, manufacture of petroleum products and transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products. †¢ ExxonMobil is the largest integrated oil company, with operations in over 200 countries. This globally diversified enterprise produces superior returns in its business segments when compared to other major oil and gas companies. †¢ Exxon has a strong balance sheet with a cash position of approximately $13B and 0. 7 Debt-to equity. Exxon has the liquidity and credit to invest in high return projects around the world. †¢ Prices for oil and gas are expected to rise in the foreseeable future. Emerging market growth and increasing need for energy will place upward pressure on prices. Exxon will benefit as the world’s largest oil and gas company (by reserves, excluding national oil companies). The average industry return is 27%, which is greater than that of S&P500 (21%). †¢ Exxon’s all-stock purchase of XTO Energy is dilutive to share holders and not expected to increase EPS in 2011 or 2012. Exxon’s size and breadth of operations make it difficult to find investments large enough to produce market beating growth. We expect Exxon’s growth to slightly lag the overall economy, especially smaller exploration and production companies that have better investment opportunities relative to their size. †¢ Exxon’s inability to organically replace reserves means that it must acquire oil and gas assets to supply its operations with replacements for the reserves it consumes. Acquired assets will likely come at a higher price and produce a lower return. Production from Exxon’s Upstream segment (exploration and production of oil and gas) has been declining (down 30% since 2006). While the acquisition of XTO will replace some of this lost production, it is expected that the company will continue to experience declining production from its existing fields. KEY STATISTICS |Market Cap (intraday)5: |360. 57B | |Enterprise Value (Aug 17, 2011)3: |363. 1B | |Trailing P/E (ttm, intraday): |9. 78 | |Forward P/E (fye Dec 31, 2012)1: |8. 21 | |PEG Ratio (5 yr expected)1: |1. 32 | |Price/Sales (ttm): |0. 91 | |Price/Book (mrq): |2. 0 | |Enterprise Value/Revenue (ttm)3: |0. 93 | |Institutional Ownership |49. 12% | |Earnings Yield |9. 28% | |Return on equity (RoE) |24. 69% | |36 month Beta |0. 9 | |Dividend Yield |2. 48% | |Profit Margin |8. 51% | |Current Ratio |0. 97 | |Debt to equity ratio |0. 07 | [1]Source: Yahoo finance; http://ycharts. om/companies/XOM/return_on_equity ANALYSIS Exxon Mobil (XOM) is the largest market capitalized oil company in the world which in 2008 obtained the highest quarterly and annual profit in United States history. The Company plans to invest $125 billion over the next five years to develop new technology, deliver new Upstream projects, increase refining capacity, and grow their Chemical business. Exxon Mobil’s revenue and profit have increased 60% and 79% respectively in the last 5 years. The Company exhibits a healthy profit margin and return on equity of 8. 51% and 20. 4% respectively and maintains an above average earnings yield of 10. 27%. Exxon Mobil has plenty of liquidity enabling the Company to pay all its long-term debt in less than three months on profit alone. Exxon Mobil is valued at $52. 1 as of August 15th 2011. The Company is 42. 61% overvalued for the current price of $74. 29. The PB ratio is slightly above the industry average of 2. 0. Risks to Exxon Mobil include depreciating reserves, decreasing number of new oil fields, adverse environmental impacts, government regulations, geopolitical risks, market volatility, macroeconomic difficulties, etc. Balance Sheet The balance sheet of XOM is pristine. Debt comprises only 9% of total capital, and in a business that is very capital intensive, that’s a great sign. The current ratio is low at 0. 94, slightly lower than the generally accepted â€Å"safe† level of 1. $30 billion in earnings in 2010 is more than enough to repay the roughly $15 billion in total debt the company has in only a few years. Return on Equity The return on equity closely followed the rise of oil prices up until 2008, the fall in 2008- 2009 and the subsequent increase ever since. Right now Exxon-Mobil has a high return on equity of 20%. Given the high oil prices, I expect ROE to reach its 2008 highs this year. Rather than focus on absolute values for this indicator, I generally want to see at least a stable return on equity over time. Dividends Exxon Mobil has paid an increasing dividend for the past 27 years, and according to their website, averaged 5. 7% over that time period. The most recent increase came on April 27 of this year, when they raised the quarterly payout 6. 8% from $0. 44 to $0. 47 a share. This is an annual raise from $1. 74 to $1. 88, or 8%. Projections: 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Dividends Per Share $1. 4 $2. 00 $2. 04 $2. 07 $2. 10 Dividend Growth 11. 7% 2. 7% 2. 4% 1. 3% 1. 3% DIRECT COMPETITOR COMPARISON | |COP |CVX |XOM |Industry | |Market Cap: |91. 75B |195. 65B |360. 57B |26. 52B | |Employees: |29,900 |62,000 |83,600 |11. 00K | |Qtrly Rev Growth (yoy): |45. 70% |30. 60% |36. 30% |8. 0% | |Revenue (ttm): |210. 76B |216. 90B |392. 72B |18. 63B | |Gross Margin (ttm): |23. 43% |32. 58% |31. 45% | 32. 51% | |EBITDA (ttm): |28. 78B |45. 90B |65. 78B |4. 19B | |Operating Margin (ttm): |9. 46% |15. 07% |12. 74% |11. 65% | |Net Income (ttm): |11. 3B |23. 01B |37. 93B |N/A | |EPS (ttm): |7. 93 |11. 45 |7. 59 |2. 46 | |P/E (ttm): |8. 43 |8. 53 |9. 78 |12. 94 | |PEG (5 yr expected): |6. 21 |1. 61 |1. 32 |1. 14 | |P/S (ttm): |0. 43 |0. 90 |0. 91 |1. 39 | P/E ratios are higher for firms with strong growth prospects, other things held constant, but they are lower for riskier firms. All the three companies have P/E lower than the Industry average. Profit margin is very useful when comparing  companies in similar industries. A higher profit margin indicates a more profitable company that  has better control over  its costs compared to  its competitors. Here again, XOM has a relatively good control of cost. As per the comparison of the ratios with industry average, Exxon Mobil is high performing company with higher ratios than industry standards. Current Market Price (as of 08/17/11) of the Stocks: |  Company name |Current Market Price | |Chevron Corp |$92. 02 | |ConocoPhillips |$62. 29 | |Exxon Mobil |$74. 29 | EXXON MOBIL’S INTRINSIC VALUE: †¢ Current US 90 days Treasury Bill – Rate of Return: 3. 5%   †¢ Historical return on long term Treasury Bond = 5. 8% †¢ Long term risk free rate = rRF = 5. 8% (historical return) Return for the market or an average stock(rM): For this project, it is assumed that the historical rate of return for the S&P500   is same as the market risk = 10. 4%. I am using CAPM method to estimate the market risk premium and calculating the historical risk premium by comparing historical to historical rates. The historical risk premium is 10. 4 -5. 8 = 4. 6% Required Return on Common Stock Required return on common stock (rS) for Exxon Mobil rS = rRF + (rM – rRF)*b = 5. 8% + (10. 4% – 5. 8%) * 0. 49   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = 8. 05% Dividend Growth Model: Common stocks provide an expected future cash flow stream, and a stock’s value is found as the present value of the expected future cash flow stream. The expected final stock price includes the return of the original investment plus an expected capital gain. The expected cash flow consists of two elements: 1. the dividends expected in each year. 2. the price investors expect to receive when they sell the stock. Formula1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   P hat 0 = D1/rS – g Where P hat 0 = intrinsic value of the stock today as seen by the investor D1 = D0 (1 + g) = expected dividend in the first year. D0 = recent dividend paid g = expected dividend growth rate. rS = required rate of return Formula2: r hat S = D1/P0 + g Where r hat S = expected rate of return D1/P0 = expected dividend yield P0 = actual market price of the stock today. g = expected growth rate or capital gains yield. One would buy the stock only if expected rate of return is equal to or greater than required rate of return. For Exxon Mobil: D0 = $1. 8; g = 5. 7 %; rS = 8. 05% P0 = 1. 38 (1+ 0. 057)/ (0. 085 – 0. 057) = 1. 457/ 0. 0280 = $52. 1 The current price is greater than intrinsic value, the Exxon Mobil stock is overvalued by $22. 20 r hat S = 1. 96% + 5. 7% = 7. 66% The expected rate of return is less than required rate of return, which means investor will not buy. Conclusion: SELL Comparing the averaged value of $52. 10 a nd the closing price on 08/15/11 of $74. 29, XOM is adversely overpriced price, with an approximate 42. 6% difference. At this point in time, I think Exxon Mobil’s risks outweigh the potential opportunity here. While I feel the dividend is safe (at a 25% payout ratio) and the current yield is adequate (2. 48%), the Company's ability to increase the payout and create outsized returns for investors is limited by the Company's cyclical market and weak consensus estimates. Sources: †¢ http://financialanalysisonline. com/ †¢ http://www. thedividendpig. com/? p=1395 †¢ http://investing. money. msn. com/investments/stock-price? symbol=xom †¢ http://www. stock-analysis-on. net/NYSE/Company/Exxon-Mobil-Corp/Valuation/Ratios#Current-Valuation-Ratios †¢ http://www. dailyfinance. com/2011/08/08/big-oil-outlook-major-oil-stocks-with-bullish-opti/? ource=TheMotleyFool †¢ http://www. exxonmobil. com/Corporate/Files/news_pubs_sar_2010. pdf †¢ http://www. exxonmobil. com/corporate/investor_dividend. aspx †¢ http://ycharts. com/companies/XOM/price_to_book_value †¢ http://financialanalysisonline. com ———————– [1] 1 Data provided by Thomson Reuters 2 Data provided by EDGAR Online 3 Data derived from multiple sources or calculated by Yahoo! Finance 4 Data provided by Morningstar, Inc. 5 Shares outstanding is taken from the most recently filed quarterly or annual report and Market Cap is calculated using shares outstanding.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The industrial revolution essays

The industrial revolution essays The Industrial Revolution and its Implications The industrial revolution brought change throughout the world. The world not be nearly the same as it is today if it had not been for the industrial revolution. Society, Industry, Technology, and most everything we see in our daily lives is the way it is because of the industrial revolution. However, I cannot discuss all of these points. Instead I will focus on the changes in social structure, the lives of women, and the lives of the working class and the issues surrounding them. Personally, I believe that one of the most important changes that came as a result of the industrial revolution was the changes in the structure of society and the class systems. Before the revolution, every man and woman was born into his or her social class. Your position in life was determined solely by you birth and your blood. With the industrial revolution came radical change in this system. Almost immediately, peoples own accomplishments and skills began to become the dominant factor in determining a persons position in life. This is thought by many to be a pivotal ideal of the United States. This was the idea that brought so many immigrants to the US in the early to mid 90s. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lives of women. The amount of change that occurred as a result of the industrial revolution is not only an example of the changes in social structure, but rather a point in and of itself. Before the industrial revolution the lives of women were very limited. Outside of getting married or joining a convent, women really had no other options. All of this changed with the advent of factory work. Now women were able to go out and earn a living on their own. In fact, the idea of being independent and going into the workplace and meeting new people became quite an attractive option. Mill Girls were a prime example of this. Mill Girls were women who wo ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Toxic Elements With No Nutritional Value

Toxic Elements With No Nutritional Value Have you ever wondered which elements are toxic? Everything is toxic if the dose is high enough, so Ive compiled a short list of elements that have no nutritional value, even in trace amounts. Some of these elements accumulate in the body, so there is no truly safe exposure limit for those elements (e.g., lead, mercury). Barium and aluminum are examples of elements which can be excreted, at least to a certain extent. Most of these elements are metals. The man-made elements are radioactive and toxic whether they are metals or not. AluminumAntimonyArsenic (metalloid)BariumBerylliumCadmiumHexavalent Chromium Cr6 (Cr3 is necessary in trace amounts for proper nutrition)LeadMercuryOsmiumThalliumVanadiumRadioactive MetalsPolonium (metalloid)ThoriumRadiumUraniumTransuranium elements (e.g., polonium, americium)Radioactive isotopes of metals that might not otherwise be highly toxic (e.g., cobalt-60, strontium-90) Surprises on the List One of the biggest surprises on the list is that aluminum serves no known biological function in humans. Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earths crust and the most abundant metal. Another surprise is that you cant use flavor to identify toxic elements. Some poisonous metals taste sweet. Classic examples include beryllium and lead. Lead acetate or sugar of lead was actually used as a sweetener until fairly recently.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Business Ethics- Cosmetic Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics- Cosmetic Industry - Essay Example Though this industry is continually growing at leaps and bounds, it is though wrought with a wide array of ethical issues from sourcing of cosmetic ingredients to testing of the cosmetic products to determine safety to the marketing of such products and services (Betton 7-9). The essence of ethics is all about determining the rightness or wrongness of certain human actions, and the number of ethical controversies that plague the cosmetic industry have tremendous moral, environment, social, legal, and health implications to the stakeholders involved (Skov 3). This paper analyses the business ethics of the cosmetic industry with a focus on make-up industry globally. Brief Overview of the make-up cosmetics Industry The make-up industry is the one of largest segment within the cosmetics industry after skin care and fragrances, and mainly consists of face make-up, lip make-up, eye make-up and nail make-up. For the year 2010, the global market generated sales worth $34.5 billion and growin g at 4.2% compounded annual growth rate over the period 2006-2010. This growth is as depicted in figure 1. With most of the world economy still in recovery, the growth rate over the period 2010-2015 has been projected to be at 4.1% annually with the market value projected to rise to $42.2 billion by the end of 2015 (Datamonitor 9). Figure1: Global make-up Market Value, Source: Datamonitor, 2011, pp. 10 The highest growing markets are the markets in the Americas and Asia Pacific with these markets exhibiting a 4.3% and 4% growth rate respectively (Datamonitor 9). The biggest consumer of make-up cosmetic products though is Europe accounting for 41.2% of the global market value followed by t he Americas which account 30.5% of the global make-up market, Asia-Pacific 25.7% and Africa and the Middle east at 2.5% (Global insight 1; Datamonitor 13). The leading player globally is L’Oreal followed by Proctor & Gamble and Estee Lauder Companies as shown below in figure 2: Figure2: Glob al Make-up market share. Source: Datamonitor, 2011, pp.14 With most cosmetics companies increasingly claiming to produce their make-up products in the most ethical manner, ethical considerations impacting the industry have increasingly become issues to contend with. Key ethical issues within the industry The ethicality of an issue is mainly determined by how right or wrong an issue or action is. There are a number of ethical issues faced by cosmetic industry, and in specific the make-up industry. These include testing of products on animals, misleading advertisements concerning the performance of the cosmetic products, inclusion of harmful ingredients into the cosmetic products, unethical alliances between academic institutions and professional dermatologists with cosmetic companies to endorse the use of the company’s products purporting them to be scientifically proven as safe and with high efficacy, and unethical sourcing of products ingredients (Betton; The Environmental A ssociation for universities and Colleges; Hussain & Yamaguchi). These ethical issues have plagued the cosmetic industry with most cosmetic industries which claim to be ethical mainly showing that they source their raw materials ethically following fair trade policies and that they do not use animal testing for their products. Most cosmetic companies have at some point tested their cosmetic products on animal