Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Bill Peet, Author and Illustrator of Childrens Books

Bill Peet, Author and Illustrator of Childrens Books As well known as Bill Peet became for his childrens books, Peet was even more well known for his work at Walt Disney Studios as an animator and writer for major Disney movies. Its not often that a person achieves national recognition in two careers but such was the case with Bill Peet who truly was a man of many talents. Early Life of Bill Peet Bill Peet was born William Bartlett Peed (later changing his last name to Peet)  on January 29, 1915, in rural Indiana. He grew up in Indianapolis and from childhood on was always drawing. In fact, Peet often got in trouble for doodling in school, but one teacher encouraged him, and his interest in art continued. He received his art education through an art scholarship to John Herron Art Institute, which is now a part of Indiana University. Career at Disney In 1937, when he was 22 years old, Bill Peet began working for Walt Disney Studios and shortly thereafter married Margaret Brunst. Despite clashes with Walt Disney, Peet stayed at  Walt Disney Studios for 27 years. While he started as an animator, Peet quickly became known for his ability to develop a story, having honed his storytelling abilities telling nightly stories to his two sons. Bill Peet worked on such animated classics as Fantasia, Song of the South, Cinderella, The Jungle Book. 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone and other Disney movies. While still working at Disney, Peet began writing childrens books. His first book was published in 1959. Unhappy with the way Walt Disney treated his employees, Peet finally left Disney Studios in 1964 to become a full-time writer of childrens books. Childrens Books by Bill Peet Bill Peets illustrations were at the heart of his stories. Even his autobiography for children is illustrated. Peets love for animals and his sense of the ridiculous, coupled with a concern for the environment and for the feelings of others, make his books effective on several levels: as enjoyable stories and as gentle lessons on caring for the earth and getting along with one another. His clever illustrations, in pen and ink and colored pencil, often feature funny looking imaginary animals, like the wumps, the kweeks and the fandangos. Many of Peets 35 books are still available at public libraries and bookstores. A number of his books are award winners. His own story, Bill Peet: An Autobiography, was designated a Caldecott Honor book in 1990 in recognition of the quality of Peets illustrations. While most of Peets books are picture books, Capyboppy is designed for intermediate readers and is 62 pages long. This entertaining book is the true story of the capybara who lived with Bill and Margaret Peet and their children. We discovered the book, which has black and white drawings on every page, just at the time our local zoo acquired a capybarra and that gave it a good deal of extra meaning for us. Other childrens books by Bill Peet include The Wump World, Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent, The Wingdingdilly, Chester, The Worldly Pig, The Caboose Who Got Loose, How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head and his last book, Cock-a-Doodle Dudley. Bill Peet died on May 11, 2002, at home in Studio City, California at the age of 87. However, his artistry lives on in his movies and his many childrens books that have sold millions and continue to be enjoyed by children in the United States and many other countries. Sources Homepage for Bill PeetIMDb: Bill PeetNash, Eric P. â€Å"Bill Peet, 87, Disney Artist And Childrens Book Author.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 May 2002.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Outline Note Taking. Make Studying Easier

Outline Note Taking. Make Studying Easier It’s easy to reach information-overload at college, especially when the professor talks too fast, or when you are doing final preparations for an exam. To make things tougher your brain needs time to file the information for remembering later. This all adds up to the need to organize the data right from the beginning. Outline note taking is one way to achieve this. Look Through a Practical Example Let’s assume you would like to summarize â€Å"outline note taking† as a possible examination question, in which case you might set it out in layers like this. Notice the main thoughts are down the left hand margin, with the lowest levels at the far right. Let’s use the same outline for the rest of this blog to help you get a feel and cement your understanding. Introduction to Outline Note Taking Outline note taking is a study method that uses an outline to logically structure a block of information, and make the details easier to retrieve from memory later. The data could come from a lecture, a tutorial, a textbook, or your own ideas as you get to grip with a topic. Making summary notes is as old as written history, for example the hieroglyphics on Inca and Egyptian pyramid walls. The ancients did not have space to write everything down so they created symbols for the key concepts. Outline note taking at college has a related purpose. There is so much information coming out of class you don’t have time to write it down. If you did, how would you find it in a box full of notebooks and scraps of paper? It makes so much more sense to jot down the teacher’s thoughts in a logical set of headings. That way, you can concentrate on what they are saying. Outline note taking is also a great way to summarize a chapter in a textbook so you get to see the bigger picture, and understand the overall message. How This Method Works Use a pencil and have an eraser handy because you are going to make changes throughout the process. You need to separate the main topic from the lower order ones. This is not always as easy as it seems. For example, the lecturer’s thinking may not be logical from your perspective, or the textbook chapter not directly related to your major. Most students put the key thoughts on the left and the minor ones to the right. This is entirely a matter of choice and you can do this the other way around or from top to bottom if you like. Whichever way you go it is important to use a separator between the words and phrases, so you know where one ends and the next one begins. I used a grid. Bullets, numbers, highlighter colors are equally good. Practical Application of Outline Note Taking Capturing key thoughts in the appropriate boxes is the secret to outline note taking that works. For example, if your teacher says, â€Å"Today we are going to discuss the political implications of the Civil War† you could outline it this way: There are no model answers. What works for you is right. As long as you are flexible, are not hogtied to an early idea and keep that eraser handy, you will do fine and get your mind around outline note taking soon. The words in the titles are incredibly important because they trigger your memory later of the details you are summarizing. If you are a history student, then ‘U.S. Civil War’ could be advisable. Which do you think is best: consequences, penalties or implications? This is not just semantics. Outline note taking is about words and their meanings. You may find it helpful to use ‘cue words’ as further memory triggers where the outline titles are broad. Here’s a worked example to illustrate what we mean. Again, these are just loose thoughts. Do you remember the definition earlier? Outline note taking is a study method that uses an outline to logically structure a block of information, and make the details easier to remember later. So next time you do your homework, try taking notes the outline way. See for yourself how useful that will be.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

George Herbert Mead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

George Herbert Mead - Essay Example generally, which arouse in the individual himself the response which he is calling out in the other, and such that from the point of view of that response he is able to direct his later conduct." The gesture of one individual is his response to the symbols being shown by the society. This is where the reaction of an individual comes from. Symbols always presuppose the ability of each participant in a communicative process to visualize his own performance from the standpoint of the others, to take the role of the others. In nonsymbolic interaction human beings, like animals, respond directly to one another. In symbolic interaction, where they use significant gestures, they interpret each other's attitudes and act on the basis of the meaning yielded by such interpretations. In Mead's work individual responses on the way he sees the society. It is the society that dictates his actions and responses to one another. The society has somewhat really influenced me as an individual. ... rates nonsignificant (unself-conscious) gestures, as found on the animal level, from the significant (self-conscious) gestures that characterize most human intercourse. As an individual I usually act based on intuition. What the situation or the symbols presented to me is my cue as to what my decision would be. I have learned from George Mead writing's that interpretation is important. Interpreting once gesture or symbol would lead to a better communication. However sometimes simple reaction that is not intentionally done would result in problems and wrong interpretation. That makes me think that Mead maybe had a personal experiences on the symbols and action that he has mentioned on his writing. For me what is important is how you convey your message to others. A simple tap on the shoulder of your friend would mean that you are on his side whenever he has a problem. Or others would interpret it differently. Mead had shown me the difference in the reaction of human to non human. Anim als would behave differently than man. Sometimes animals would not show any signs that he is going to attack you, while human can show that he is going to attack by his facial reactions and gestures. The communicative process includes the self conscious adjustment of the person to the conduct of others. The responses to each other conduct would include definition, redefinition and interpretation and reinterpretation. Experience is not first individual and then social. Each individual is continually involved in a succession of joint enterprises with others, which form and shape his mind. Consciousness is not a given; it is emergent. People would blame television and media when something bad happen. This resulted in many survey being done by several organization on the influence of media

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

LOVE. Review the NHS changes proposed in the Health and Social Care Essay

LOVE. Review the NHS changes proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill now proceeding through Parliament and evaluate how these reforms are to address the problems with the Service - Essay Example The reduction of inequalities in the provision of health and social care is highlighted as one of the focus areas for the secretary of state under the new Bill (Dow 2011, p13). In addition, the Bill proposes that the provision of comprehensive health services which include various aspects of health care including mental and physical through proper diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. This aspect proposes that quality of services in the health sector is raised to meet the standards set for continuous improvement in the health sector. The Bill proposes that the level of public contribution to health and social care service provision is increased (Crisp n.d., p4). Public proposals for development of the services provided are to be highlighted and considered by the NHS Commissioning Board in decisions affecting health care services. The Board will be mandated with establishing of various platforms to involve the public in the identification of the needs of the specific needs and approaches needed for improvement. Establishment of the Public Health England will be the focus of the improvement of public health care provision. The roles of the Local Authorities and commissioners of health in the provision of health and social care services are expected to be integrated under the Bill. In view of the need to provide a coordinated service, the government will eliminate unnecessary costs of duplication and offer the benefits of synergies. It is important that scrutiny of the services offered of such diverse service providers is introduced in the improvement proposed by the Bill since accountability issues derail quality service (ACKA Consulting 2008, p1). The Bill undertakes to offer regulatory authority for the various types of health and social care practitioners as required in a functional system. It is important that the professionals involved in the health care and social sector be regulated for conformity with quality and improvement as

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Greek Mythology and Perseus Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Perseus Essay King Acrisius of Argos has a stunningly beautiful daughter but wants a son, so he prays to the gods. Apollo tells him not only that Acrisius will never have a son, but also that the son of his daughter will kill him. The only way to fully prevent this prophecy would be to kill his daughter, Danae, but Acrisius fears what the gods would do to him. Instead, he imprisons Danae in a bronze house without a roof and guards her carefully. Arcisius does not expect, however, that Zeus will come to her and impregnate her. Perseus is born, and after Acrisius discovers the baby, he puts Perseus and Danae in a box and sets it out in the ocean. Luckily (or thanks to Zeus), the box washes up on a small island, where a kind fisherman named Dictys takes Danae and Perseus in. They live happily until Dictyss brother, King Polydectes, falls in love with Danae and decides to get rid of her son. Polydectes convinces Perseus to kill the Medusa, a horrifying beast with snakes for hair. But this feat seems impossible because whoever looks at the snakes will turn instantly to stone. Hermes gives Perseus guidance and a sword stronger than the Medusas scales. He tells Perseus that to fight the Medusa Perseus will need special equipment from the Nymphs of the North. Their location is a mystery, and Perseus must ask the Gray Women, three sisters who live in a gray land and are gray themselves. They share only one eye among the three, and they alternate using it. Before Perseus sets out to find them, Athena gives him her shield and tells him that he must look at the Medusa through the shield, like a mirror, in order to avoid turning to stone. Perseus finds the Gray Women and steals the eyeball, holding it hostage in exchange for the location of the Nymphs of the North. Hermes helps Perseus travel there, where he finds a land of happy people, always banqueting and celebrating. They give him his three gifts: winged sandals, a magic wallet that changes to the size of whatever its contents, and, most important of all, a magic cap that will turn whoever wears it invisible. With Hermes and Athena at his side, Perseus finds and kills Medusa. He puts the head in his wallet and flies, invisible, back toward his mother. On the way, he passes a beautiful woman chained to a rock, Andromeda, and falls in love with her instantly. She was chained there because her foolish mother had thought herself more beautiful than any goddess, so as punishment the gods told her to chain her daughter to a rock, where she would be eaten by a serpent. Perseus kills the serpent and takes Andromeda home. When he returns to the island, he discovers that Danae and Dictys have gone into hiding because Danae will not marry Polydectes. The evil king, meanwhile, is hosting a banquet with all his supporters. Perseus barges in and holds up the head of Medusa. Unable to look away in time, all the men turn to stone. Perseus finds his mother, makes Dictys king, and marries Andromeda. Optimistic, Perseus and Danae return to Argos to find her father, King Acrisius. They hope that his heart has warmed since he put them in a box out to sea, but when they reach Argos they realize that he fled the land. One day, Perseus competes in a discus-throwing contest. His disc veers far to the side and lands on a spectator in the crowd, killing him instantly. This is Acrisius, in fulfillment of Apollos prophecy. Analysis This famous tale underscores the inescapable nature of fate and prophecies in the course of telling a heros story. Although Acrisius took drastic action to change destiny, short of killing his own daughter he can do nothing to prevent his fate. Perseus is too strong to be kept down and on an island, so it is fitting that his fate is to go on adventures and quests and to be helped by gods. He fits the heroic model of an honorable man overcoming all obstacles to reunite his family and do justice. It is interesting to note that the story does not indicate whether fate or Zeus guided Perseuss box to the island. As in the Creation of Earth, the reader must wonder who is in charge. Is there a difference between fate and Zeus, and if so, what is that boundary? Who controls Zeuss fate? To the extent that Zeus does help Perseus, the story also illustrates the benefits that come with honorable behavior. Zeus, Hermes, and Athena all help Perseus at critical moments, allowing him to successfully complete his missions. Perseus, of course, contributes to his own success as well. Hospitality again proves to be beloved by the gods: Dictys, the fisherman, becomes king. In this way, the story highlights that great people can have humble beginnings. Baucis and Philemon, the most clear examples of humble hospitality, share with Dictys a selflessness that ultimately the gods reward. The gods shower these humble characters with material wealth, but why? If humility and selflessness are important, why would physical wealth be the appropriate reward? Perhaps the answer lies in the context of such physical wealth and what it means to the characters. As Perseus deals with the Gray Women, we see the imaginative nature of Greek mythology. These distinct characters, sharing one eye, all shades of gray, last in the readers mind and expand the universe which the mythology depicts. Moreover, when Perseus actually defeats them, the story underscores the recurring theme of human ingenuity. Perseus, of course, stands as a premiere example of Greek heroism. He overcomes all obstacles to defend his family and exact revenge. He proves honorable and valiant, calm and clever. As he fights for his mothers respect and hopes for his estranged fathers love, he values family and loyalty above all else. Medusa, by contrast, is one of the most famous mythical beings. In her case, it is not beauty but ugliness that causes problems for the observer. She is so terrible that one direct look at her turns a person to stone. Medusa is a direct contrast to the many beautiful characters (Adonis, Narcissus) who appear throughout the tales. In this story, as in other tales of heroes, the Greek myths become adventure tales with unforgettable drama, high stakes, and imaginative characters. Such adventures and quests make eachstory live on throughout time as astounding literature that captures our imagination.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Ethnographic study Essay -- Analysis, Whole Foods Market

This essay is an ethnographic study of Whole Foods Market which is located in Kensington, London. Whole Foods Market is a niche supermarket that sells high quality organic and natural products at high prices. In this essay, I will provide a brief orientation of ethics with regards to the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility - macroethics and Business Ethics - microethics and the theoretical frameworks of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. I will be using deontology framework in ethics devised by Immanuel Kant to assess if the marketing strategy and the products sold at Whole Foods Market support their principle of ‘organic and natural’. My ethnographic study took place at Whole Foods Market in Kensington, London. Before entering the store, I closely examined the front display windows. The products displayed include very red fresh apples that were in a stack. The apples were placed on a tray and table to provide the product with a lift and increase product visibility for all to see. Merchandised in another window, were books written by several authors whose expertise include organic foods and farming. Behind the stack of books was a poster which had a picture of each book, highlighting the authors’ names and quotes made by the authors in the book. Also posted on the display window was information about the store supporting products made by local farmers in the Kensington area. The products were sold in store and the farmers’ names were written as well as the foods the farmers were selling. Colours used by the organisation with regards to store layout and marketing posters were light brown and green which highlights Whole Foods Market green credentials to existing, new and potential customers. The layout o... ...Market making this a primary issue and placing it in their code of conduct before the business began. Lahdesmaki (2005) argued that marketing can be an ethical contract between businesses and their customers. Therefore businesses are morally obliged to inform their customers about the products in store and provide all the information necessary via marketing strategy so the customer can make informed decisions about their purchase. Whole Foods Market does display qualities of deontology framework in relation to its marketing strategy. The analysis of the organisation and its marketing strategy within deontology theory has been carried out. The supermarket performed its ethical duty by informing customers about the products in store and showing them the preparation area, thereby justifying the high prices the high quality organic and natural products are sold at.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Irc, Cva and Var †New Methods in Basel Essay

I. Introduction Last financial crisis was seen as a strong slap on the global economy. It has awakened Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) about the importance of an aggregation between market and credit risks that banks have to cope with. In accordance with Saunders and Cornett (2011), definition of market risk is â€Å"the risk related to the uncertainty of an FI’s (financial institution) earnings on its trading portfolio caused by changes, and particularly extreme changes, in market conditions†. Interest rate risk and foreign exchange risk are some typical example for market risks (Saunders and Cornett, 2011). Meanwhile, credit risk is defined as risk increased when borrowers, bond issuers and counterparties in derivatives transaction may default (Hull, 2010). According to Madigan (2010), it would be greater risks when credit and market risks associated than the sum of individual factors. Therefore, it might lead to worse impacts to banks’ operations. From the crisis’s consequences, Nout Wellink – chairman of the Basel Committee believes that it is necessary for supervisors to learn experiences from recent events, thus set up new methods for banks to cope with fore problems (Ferry, 2008). These new rules which are reflected in Basel III support each other to efficiently measure and manage correlated risks, thus calculate capital requirement to cover these risks. A report by Goeth (2010) defines Basel III as an extensive set of measures reformed in order to enhance the regulation, supervision and risk management in terms of banking. This report mentions new methods with their strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness to help banks control and measure risks effectively, especially combination of credit and market risks. They are incremental risk charge (IRC), credit valuation adjustment (CVA) and stresses value at risk (VAR) model. II. Incremental Risk Charge – IRC 1. Strengths of Incremental Risk Charge Model In order to avoid crisis, banks must satisfy capital requirement demanded by Basel Committee to cover individual as well as correlated risks. IRC is a method which helps banks to estimate minimum capital needed to cover risks from unsecuritised credit instruments caused by default and migration events (BCBS, 2009b). It means IRC model calculates the maximum risks in the worst case when banks cannot securitise any products. As a result, banks have to set up the suitable capital for their own business and make sure that they can overcome difficulties even in the worst situation. In other words, banks will be safe from default and migration events, and more importantly, they can avoid crisis by using IRC model. In Basel III, with IRC model, risks can be measured for a one-year capital horizon at 99.9% confidence level, instead of a 10-day VAR at the 99% confidence level as in Basel II (Davidson, 2009). The extension of capital horizon is one of IRC’s strengths because it can evaluate and calculate  banks’ risks more effectively and accurately than 10-day VAR. The reason is one-day or 10-day VAR cannot comprise completely large cumulative price variation occurring several weeks or months as well as large daily losses which only happen two or three times per year (BCBS, 2009b). As a result, one-year horizon is the optimal time for banks to rebalance their capital. 2. Weaknesses of Incremental Risk Charge Model Under BCBS’s approval, banks are expected to improve their own IRC models to calculate risks for individual positions or sets of positions (BCBS, 2009b). It means the Committee hopes banks will have their own choice of liquidity horizon which is appropriate with their business without any issued industry benchmarks or standards (Stretton, 2011). However, it leads to inconsistence within banking system. Furthermore, supervisors have to face with more difficulties in process of evaluating banks’ IRC model. Although IRC helps bank to capture risks more effectively, especially when market and credit risks collide, there is a significant weakness still be existing. It is the overlap of counterparty credit risk cooperated with over the counters (OTC) and repo-style transactions between IRC and CVA (Stretton, 2011). As a consequence, it will lead to duplicate capital charge for the banks. Suggested by Linsz (2010) – the corporate Treasurer of Bank of America, the Committee should apply an integrated approach to combine the overlapping risks by deleting the risk above in IRC model, hence build up more accurate capital charge for banks. In fact, Bank of America thinks duplicated capital charge is inappropriate with risk management practices (Linsz, 2010). 3. Effectiveness of Incremental Risk Charge Model According to BCBS (2009b), IRC model mainly compounds two types of risks: default risk and credit migration risk. The origin of default risks can be obligors’ default and/or default events. As a result, it may lead to direct losses and/or indirect losses respectively. Meanwhile, credit migration risks may come from internal or external rating downgrade or upgrade as well as credit migration events (BCBS, 2009b). A study by Kealhofer et al. (1998) and Kealhofer (2003) (cited in Varotto,  2011), there are two main methods applied to rate company’s performance which are Through The Cycle (TTC) rating and Point In Time (PIT) rating. Both two rating methods are used to evaluate repay ability of a business, thus bank sets up its own capital to cover risks in case of the business’s default. Nevertheless, there are several differences between TTC and PIT ratings are as follows. While TTC rating tries to achieve stable rating which is not influenced by economic variation over mid-term or long-term, PIT rating reflects changes of the market as well as credit migration through the credit rating in a short-term. A study by Benford and Nier (2007) found that banks prefer to use PIT rating because it can update market variations and reflect them through enterprise’s credit rating downgrade or upgrade more effectively. In other words, IRC model which is used to estimate capital requi rement for banks based on their risks is influenced by both credit and market risks. III. Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) 1. Strengths of Credit Valuation Adjustment A capital charge for credit valuation adjustment (CVA) is a procedure used to calculate capital requirement for mark to market losses associated with counterparties’ decreased creditworthiness (BCBS, 2011b). Compare with the traditional method, CVA is more dynamic because it allows a bank or a financial institution to have trading opportunities with large exposures that excel limits set up to oppose future risks – the thing that the traditional method does not permit (Algorithmics, 2009). In fact, based on high risk, high return theory, banks have chance to increase their profit by the trading opportunities as above. Therefore, applying CVA approach instead of the traditional one may help banks achieve much profit. 2. Weaknesses of Credit Valuation Adjustment When banks apply CVA approach, they have to face with a difficulty which is seen as weakness of CVA. It is banks cannot identify and evaluate counterparty’s credit rating accurately (Cameron, 2011). One of the reasons of this disadvantage is derivatives which are originally purchased between bank and counterparty can be transferred to the third party, then fourth party and so on†¦ As a consequence, the bank cannot control its  counterparties effectively, thus it will lead to bank’s incorrect rating counterparty. Another reason might be mistakes of rating agencies because they do not have enough information about banks’ counterparty. Therefore, it will cause inaccurate risk measure when applying CVA approach. In addition, a report undertaken in this area (Cameron, 2011) shows that there are some participants found CVA’s structuring is sophisticated to apply in several real situations. The dealer proves that there still be existing a lot of pitfalls and problems through the calculating risk process. As a consequence, it might lead to many difficulties for banks in using CVA. 3. Effectiveness of Credit Valuation Adjustment A study by Barus et al. (2010) found that CVA approach uses one-year market risk horizon instead of 10-day. It is the same horizon with model as well as VAR models; therefore it helps banks manage risks easier based on integrated time horizon between risks controlling models. In addition, BCBS (2011b) states that CVA capital charge includes charge for mark to market losses and counterparty’s devaluation in creditworthiness. If banks purchase securities at current time, then their market price decreases, banks will take an expenditure called mark to market losses. CVA captures these risks above means it covers market risk might occur to the banks. In fact, within the last crisis, only one-third of counterparty credit risks were due to actual defaults while the remaining two-thirds caused by CVA losses, especially mark-to-market losses (Goeth, 2010). As mentioned above, CVA also captures risk of counterparty’s devaluation in creditworthiness. According to BCBS (2011a), creditworthiness mentions ability to repay or meet debt obligation of an individual or an enterprise. Therefore, when the counterparty’s repay ability deteriorates, it will lead to increasing of CVA capital charge for banks (Bushnell, 2007) in order to help banks prepare an adequate capital. Put differently, CVA not only captures market risks but also cover credit risks that banks have to face with. As a result, CVA and IRC model associate and support each other to help banks measure and manage combination of market and credit risks more  completely effectively. IV. Stressed VAR 1. Strengths of Stressed VAR Model According to Butler (1999), VAR is defined as calculation used to measure â€Å"the worst expected loss that an institution can suffer over a given time interval under normal market conditions at a given confidence level.† After the crisis in the year 2007, Basel Committee realised that market condition is not always consistent. Therefore, stressed VAR was created to compute VAR which would be performed on the present portfolio of a bank in case that the related market elements were going through a stressed period (BCBS, 2009a). Based on VAR calculated, banks are required to have an appropriate amount of capital to cover their worst expected loss. One of VAR charge’s strengths is it reduces the pro-cyclical capital which are disadvantages for the banks. As stated by Christopher Finger (cited in Pengelly, 2011), recent data used for calculating VAR moved around and around, and it might lead to bad aggregation of more volatile markets, dealers’ losses and enlarged capital. 2. Weaknesses of Stressed VAR Model The weaknesses that can be easily seen in stressed VAR model is stressed VAR cannot capture migration and default risks of banks. That is the reason why banks also have to apply IRC model to capture these risks. Furthermore, stressed VAR also cannot cover mark-to-market losses which need to be measured by CVA approach. Therefore, banks have to cope with more complexity in risk measure; as a consequence, banks can make more mistakes in calculating risk process. One more important point is stressed VAR is not able to measure risk in a normal market condition, thus banks need to use one more different model – normal VAR calculation to measure this type of risk. Consequently, it will require really careful and complicated risk management system in order to measure risk accurately. 3. Effectiveness of Stressed VAR Model In accordance with BCBS (2011c), the effectiveness of stressed VAR model is performed through it can include all risks, for instance interest rate risk,  commodity risk, etc. over a period of stressed market that banks recently experienced. In other words, the more types of risks stressed VAR can cover, the more accurately banks can measure and manage risks. From the stressed VAR’s definition mentioned above, BCBS suggested that â€Å"it should be based on the 10-day, 99th percentile, one-tailed confidence interval VAR measure of the current portfolio, with model inputs calibrated to historical data from a continuous 12-month period of significant financial stress relevant to the bank’s portfolio.† It means stressed VAR uses the same time horizon with IRC and CVA in order to help banks reduce mistakes in risk calculating process due to united horizon. Concurrently, the same time horizon also assists supervisors to revise banks’ risks more effectively. Besides, in order to set up an effective risk management method, banks have to use time-series data of 12-continuous-month for stressed VAR model that includes financial stress event which is relevant to banks’ portfolio (BCBS, 2011c). As a result, the financial crisis from 2007 to 2009 is the time period suggested by the Committee to banks to be used for building stressed VAR model. V. Conclusion In Basel III, three new methods above – Incremental Risk Charge, Capital Valuation Adjustment and Stressed Value at Risk – are concurrently used by the banks and they support each other to measure and manage risks more effectively. Strengths of one method are supplementary for others’ weaknesses. That is the reason why banks are required by Basel Committee to add both of three methods into their risk management. With normal VAR model, IRC, CVA and stressed VAR approaches help banks not only control risks as individual factors but also measure and manage risks as a combination, especially the aggregation of credit and market risks more efficiently. From that, banks need to set up their own capital which is appropriate with their financial situation in order to face with difficulties that the financial crisis 2007-2009 was the typical example. Besides undeniable advantages of three new rules, the largest banks in the world, such as Bank of America, UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, still found  significant weaknesses and gave comment on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s consultative documents. Basel Committee should concern about these recommendations to readjust Basel III in order to set up an accurate and effective regulation documents for international banks to help banks in particular as well as financial institutions in general avoid disasters as the financial crisis happened in 2007 to 2009. VI. References Algorithmics, (2009) Credit Value Adjustment and the changing environment for pricing and managing counterparty risk. [Online]. Available at: http://www.algorithmics.com/EN/media/pdfs/Algo-WP1209-CVASurvey.pdf (Accessed: 02 January 2012) Barus, R., Battaglia, F., Jagannathan, R., Mendis, J., and Onorato, M., (2010) Basel III: What’s new? Business and technological challenges. [Online]. Available at: http://www.algorithmics.com/en/media/pdfs/algo-wp0910-lr-basel3-exd.pdf (Accessed: 02 January 2012) Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, (2009a) Analysis of the trading book quantitative impact study. Bank for International Settlements. Basel. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, (2009b) Guidelines for computing capital for incremental risk in the trading book. Bank for International Settlements. Basel. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, (2011a) Application of own credit risk adjustments to derivatives. Bank for International Settlements. Basel. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, (2011b) Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems. Bank for International Settlements. Basel. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, (2011c) Interpretive issues with respect to the revisions to the market risk framework. Bank for International Settlements. Basel. Benford, J. & Nier, E. (2007) Monitoring cyclicality of Basel II capital requirements. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/fsr/fs_paper03.pdf (Accessed: 28 December 2011) Bushnell, C. D. (2007) Detailed Comments on Market Risk NPR’. [Online]. Available at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/SECRS/2007/February/20070213/R-1266/R-1266_17_1.pdf (Accessed: 06 January 2012) Butler, C. (1999) Mastering value at risk: a step-by-step guide to understanding and applying VAR. London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Cameron, M. (2011) ‘Securitising CVA’, Risk, 24(2), p. 29. Davidson, C. (2009) ‘Urgency and uncertainty’, Risk, 22(4), p. 72. Ferry, J. (2008) ‘Wary of the IRC’, Risk, 21(9), p. 26. Goeth, P. (2010) Basel III – Design and Potential Impact. [Online]. Available at: http://www.garp.org/media/529782/basel%20iii_goeth112410.pdf (Accessed: 28 December 2011) Hull, C. J. (2010) Risk management and financial institutions. Boston, MA Harlow: Pearson Education. Linsz, D. M. (2010) Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, Consultative Document â€Å"Strengthening the Resilient of Banking Sector†. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs165/boac.pdf (Accessed: 28 December 2011) Madigan, P. (2010) When market and credit risk collide. [Online]. Available at: Available at: http://www.risk.net/risk-magazine/feature/1652766/when-market-credit-risk-collide (Accessed: 03 January 2012) Pengelly, M. (2011) Stressed VAR questioned by risk managers. [Online]. Available at: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8Hl5fareW-UJ:www.risk.net/risk-magazine/news/2024562/stressed-var-questioned-risk-managers+Stressed+VAR+questioned+by+risk+managers&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk (Accessed: 28 December 2011)

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

Introduction to Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor by Karen L. Enz Though a short novel, Wise Blood is a dense and complicated one with various levels of meaning. Many readers are confused and shocked by the novel as there is a distinct lack of likeable characters and there is much violence. A key element in understanding the novel’s construction and meaning is to understand the literary influences on Flannery O’Connor. Flannery O’Connor was deeply influenced by Roman Catholicism that informed her own religious sensibility which echoed in her literary voice.Her religious views envisioned a deeply flawed world that could only be redeemed by the intercession of grace. Her Southern origins brought that vision into high relief with her use of casts of grotesque characters who were often involved in violent incidents. She subjected her characters to microscopic evaluation of their religious and existential obsessions. To lighten its dark tone, Flannery O’Co nnor utilized her masterful satiric wit to increase the spectrum of the colors in her literary canvass.A second influence was O’Connor’s intense exposure to the predominant literary style, New Criticism, which was at its apex during the middle of the twentieth century. New Criticism was a complicated formulaic style that often utilized dense symbolism, paradox, irony, tension and ambiguous meaning, all hallmarks of O’Connor’s writing. New Criticism also professed that a work was to have a high degree of unity and self-containment. If we see Wise Blood through both O’Connor’s religious sensibility and its permeation in New Criticism, the structure and meaning of the novel fall more easily into place.Haze Motes, (note the symbolism of his name hazy vision and mote in the eye) is a the epitome of the religiously obsessed individual. The more he professes unbelief, the more unsure and shortsighted he becomes. The ultimate paradox occurs in his b linding, when he finally realizes his need for redemption. The text is rife with symbolism, much of it religious. The sky is permeated with clouds that look like a simplified God’s beards and curls, roadside pigs that are symbols of the devil, a shrunken man who was a symbol a false idol, an old Essex which was symbolic of a search for meaning and homecoming, and glasses that obscure vision.Some critics see the novel as a condemnation of modernity in its cult of shallow self-absorption and nihilistic pursuits. Haze is so focused on his pursuit of unbelief that he fails to see anything around him, including the needs of Enoch (who is driven by instinct â€Å"wise blood†) and Sabbath. A satiric note is sounded in Chapter 7, which can serve as a microcosm of the novel, when Sabbath receives a letter from Mary Brittle (note the symbolic nature of the name) who advises Sabbath â€Å" Perhaps you ought to re-examine your religious values to see if they meet your needs in Li fe.A religious experience can be a beautiful addition to living if you put it a proper perspective and do not let it warp you. Read some books on Ethical Culture. † Sabbath, though she is trying to seduce Haze, can be seen as a Christ figure in that mentions â€Å"I can save you, I got a church in my heart where Jesus is king. † Haze is unconvinced and he drives off leaving behind a blinding white cloud that turns into a bird with long wings that disappears in the opposite direction. Wise Blood is a complicated and multi-faceted novel that is not for the faint of heart. For those who can plumb the novel’s meaning, it can challenge and inform.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Are Unions in the 21st Century essays

Are Unions in the 21st Century essays Are Unions in the 21st Century dead? People may tell you that the union movement is dead, or dying, that unions have little relevance in today's society. The numbers of Australian union members has definitely decreased in the past few decades, but does this mean that the end is near? Because of the declining trends in union density and people thinking unions are outdated it has come up for debate Are unions in the 21st century dead? It is my role today to debate whether the statement is true or false. In my opinion I think the statement is false. Unions are frequently in the news: most people will have heard of unions and have some notions about what they are (even if these are not always accurate). And the reporting of unions usually emphasises conflict. For the same reason conflict sells newspapers, it can arouse interest among people. Unions have shaped the way most people in Australia (and in many other countries) live; they have played an important role in Australian history. Lets look at the real issue of how unions really benefit our economy. If it were not for unions we would be living like the communists did in the Soviet Union some 10 years ago. We would basically be a fascist country. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were perhaps Australias first unionists, although their involvement with this country was not one of choice. In 1833, 6 poor farm labourers from Tolpuddle, England met with a view to forming a union. They had sought a pay increase of only 1 shilling, as other farm labourers were receiving 10/-. As a result of their demands, their pay was reduced. A union seemed the only way to achieve decent pay. For trying to form a union, the 6 were charged with the obscure crime of administering an illegal oath. They had little chance of acquittal when their trial came up, as the jury was comprised of wealthy landowners. The 6 were quickly, and quietly, convicted and transported to New South Wa...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Los apellidos hispanos más frecuentes en EE.UU.

Los apellidos hispanos ms frecuentes en EE.UU. En la actualidad, 3  apellidos hispanos estn entre los 10  ms comunes de los Estados Unidos  y 6 entre los 15 ms frecuentes. Este dato no debe sorprender ya que hay ms de 57,5 millones de latinos en el paà ­s, conformando el 17,8 por ciento del total de la poblacià ³n. En este artà ­culo se enumeran cules son los apellidos latinos ms frecuentes, segà ºn datos del Bureau del Censo y, tambià ©n, su significado. A continuacià ³n se lista cules son los 10 ms comunes, sin importar el origen à ©tnico o racial y, finalmente, se incluye informacià ³n relevante sobre derechos de los nià ±os nacidos en Estados Unidos y documentos que sirven para acreditar su ciudadanà ­a. Destacar que para el Bureau del Censo, los tà ©rminos latino e hispano pueden utilizarse como sinà ³nimos y que para esta oficina del gobierno son latinas las personas con procedencia en: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Espaà ±a, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Honduras, Mà ©xico, Nicaragua, Panam, Paraguay, Perà º, Repà ºblica Dominicana, Uruguay y Venezuela. Adems, para otras agencias del gobierno, los brasileà ±os tambià ©n estarà ­an incluidos en esta categorà ­a. Apellidos hispanos ms frecuentes en Estados Unidos Estos son los 10 apellidos hispanos ms comunes, segà ºn datos del à ºltimo censo de 2010, en orden de frecuencia empezando con el ms numeroso, con especificacià ³n entre parà ©ntesis del nà ºmero que ocupa entre los 15 ms frecuentes del censo total, que incluye toda clase de apellidos. Garcà ­a (6) Rodrà ­guez (9) Martà ­nez (10)Hernndez (11)Là ³pez (12)Gonzlez (13) Adems, se encuentran entre los 100 ms comunes: Pà ©rez Snchez Ramà ­rezTorres Flores Rivera Gà ³mez Dà ­az Reyes Cruz Morales Ortiz Gutià ©rrez Significado de Garcà ­a y Rodrà ­guez y otros apellidos hispanos   Garcà ­a es el apellido latino ms frecuente en USA. Se le atribuyen diversos orà ­genes y significados. Una de las interpretaciones ms aceptadas es que originalmente pudo significar oso. Lo que sà ­ es seguro es que ya aparecà ­a por escrito en documentos de finales del siglo VIII en lo que hoy es la provincia espaà ±ola de Navarra. En la actualidad es el apellido ms frecuente en Espaà ±a y es tambià ©n muy frecuente en Latinoamà ©rica. En concreto, en Mà ©xico es el tercero ms comà ºn despuà ©s de Hernndez y Là ³pez.   En cuanto a Rodrà ­guez, su origen se encuentra en el reino medieval de Leà ³n y significa hijo de Rodrigo. En Espaà ±a es el tercer apellido ms comà ºn, mientras que en Colombia ocupa el lugar nà ºmero dos, despuà ©s de Gonzlez. En Argentina, Chile, Mà ©xico y Venezuela es, tambià ©n, muy frecuente y en Repà ºblica Dominicana es el ms comà ºn. Martà ­nez tiene tambià ©n un origen medieval en Espaà ±a, pero se le atribuyen distintos puntos de origen. Significa hijo de Martà ­n. Las familias que lo llevan, al igual que ocurre con los apellidos que acaban en -ez, no tienen un origen comà ºn, aunque provienen del antiguo reino de Castilla. Hernndez sigue la misma dinmica que los apellidos anteriores, y significa hijo de Hernando.  Por su parte, Là ³pez significa hijo de Lope, un nombre que antiguamente era comà ºn y procede de la palabra latina Lupus, que significa lobo. Gonzlez y su variacià ³n Gonzales significan hijo de Gonzalo, un nombre muy frecuente en la à ©poca medieval en Espaà ±a. Pà ©rez quiere decir hijo de Pedro o de Pero. Esta à ºltima es la versià ³n aragonesa del mismo nombre. Por su parte Snchez significa hijo de Sancho. En su origen era muy comà ºn en los territorios que hoy son las provincias espaà ±olas de Cceres y Salamanca. Y Ramà ­rez significa hijo de Ramiro. Finalmente, Torres, el à ºltimo apellido hispano que se coloca entre los 50 ms frecuentes de Estados Unidos, tiene un origen distinto. Es decir, no significa hijo de, sino que est asociado con un lugar con torres. Este apellido en su origen est relacionado con poder. Cà ³mo es que hay tantos apellidos hispanos en Estados Unidos Sucesivos flujos migratorios a lo largo de la historia han cambiando notablemente la composicià ³n racial y à ©tnica de los Estados Unidos. En el caso de los hispanos, destacar que siempre ha habido presencia de latinos. Por ejemplo, Saint Augustine, en Florida, es la ciudad con ocupacià ³n continuada ms antigua en EE.UU. y es de origen espaà ±ol.   Adems, la poblacià ³n de origen latino aumentà ³ significativamente despuà ©s de la anexià ³n de Texas en 1845, la ganancia de los territorios del suroeste americano y California tras la guerra entre Mà ©xico y Estados Unidos de 1846-1848 y la toma de posesià ³n de Puerto Rico en 1898. Pero lo que est detrs del espectacular crecimiento en nà ºmeros de latinos en las à ºltimas dà ©cadas es el aumento de la inmigracià ³n procedente de Latinoamà ©rica que ha convertido a  los hispanos en la primera minorà ­a del paà ­s, superando a los  afroamericanos. Muchos de los latinos son nuevos inmigrantes que adquirieron primero el permiso de residencia por peticià ³n de un familiar, pero en la actualidad incluso ms son latinos que son  estadounidenses de nacimiento al haber nacido en los Estados Unidos que emigrantes En los casos de personas nacidas en el paà ­s, es importante obtener cuanto antes el certificado de nacimiento. Si bien es cierto que en en algunos condados, como sucede en el sur de Texas, los padres indocumentados estn teniendo muchos problemas para obtener este documento de sus hijos para acreditar la ciudadanà ­a del menor. Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que tambià ©n pueden surgir problemas en casos de bebà ©s nacidos aquà ­ cuando los paps tienen visas de turista. Pero el censo refleja un gran aumento en apellidos latinos no sà ³lo por esos dos motivos –inmigracià ³n y nacimientos– sino tambià ©n porque a diferencia de lo que era comà ºn en à ©pocas pasadas, los inmigrantes actuales prefieren conservar sus nombres y apellidos y no hacerlos anglosajones. Esto era comà ºn en todos los grupos de inmigrantes para intentar evitar discriminacià ³n y demostrar asimilacià ³n al nuevo paà ­s, pero en la actualidad es algo infrecuente Los 10apellidos ms comunes en Estados Unidos Para las personas interesadas, esta es la lista de los apellidos ms comunes, sean latinos o no, segà ºn datos del à ºltimo censo, que es el de 2010 porque en Estados Unidos se actualiza sà ³lo cada 10 aà ±os. Hay listados diferentes pero en este artà ­culo se ha utilizado ese listado oficial: SmithJohnsonWilliamsBrownJonesGarcà ­aMillerDavisRodrà ­guezMartà ­nez Curiosidades sobre latinos en Estados Unidos Es muy interesante conocer estas  7 aportaciones de los hispanos a la cultura estadounidense  o estas 10 curiosidades que pueden sorprender y entretener. Este artà ­culo es informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

(not so sure about that)management and information system Essay

(not so sure about that)management and information system - Essay Example Of course, a lot of firms would like to know the different winning strategies that easyJet made in engaging its business online, given that a lot of business are now being done and facilitated by the internet. From this premise, this paper then would try to look at the approaches that easyJet used in establishing its presence on the internet. In this case, the researcher would try to look at the step by step approaches that easyJet made as it established its online presence as a key component of its growth. In addition, the researcher would also try to look into the different relevant scholarly readings to analyze the different approaches that easyJet made, in order to more accurately point out why these approaches actually came to be so much successful. At the end of the paper, the researcher would then summarize the different approaches that easyJet made in establishing its presence online, and would briefly give some recommendations on what may be learned from the approaches that easyJet made. ... to fly and operate on any route within the countries belonging to the European Union, which was before dominated solely by flag-carrying airlines (Pritchard, 2002). Due to this agreement, which provided for the deregulation of the airline industry for 10 years, easyJet actually began its existence (Pritchard, 2002). In the year 1995, easyJet actually began to operate, wherein the aviation company started to accommodate flights from London to nearby Edinburgh and Glasgow (Pritchard, 2002). By virtue of the companies earlier strategies, which involved offering lower fare for these routes, as well as aggressive advertising and publicity events, the company soon began to grow, albeit slowly at first (Pritchard, 2002). However, soon enough, the company began to grow rapidly by the time that it positioned itself in the world of e-commerce, and utilized the internet for projection, marketing and sales (Pritchard, 2002). In fact, just only after 28 months, the company was actually able to re ach its one millionth seats sold (Pritchard, 2002). Now, the company has already grown rapidly, being able to sell its third millionth seat, and has already merged with Go, a separate low-cost airline that was actually established by the British Airways, the flag carrier of the United Kingdom and Great Britain (Pritchard, 2002). Online Positioning and easyJet’s Success One of the first approaches that easyJet made was actually to venture into e-commerce, which was a relatively bold move for any company at that time (1998). But what is the definition of e-commerce? According to Dr, Mamooh Shah, e-commerce is actually â€Å"all electronically mediated information exchanges between an organization and its external stakeholders† (Shah, n. d.). In addition, Shah also outlines the different