Comparing Life Experience Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparing Life Experience - Research Paper Example Upon the meeting of the blind person, all this thoughts get dispelled. Carver ensures the blind man becomes humanized as a human being so the present stereotypes’ get broken. Everyday Use is the short story about a mother, Ms. Johnson and her daughters Dee and Maggie. Maggie got burnt badly by a fire. She still has the scars all over the arms and legs. Dee, her sister is healthy and has no problems. Whereas the world rejected Maggie, Dee was always the favorite. Every day use I about how one’s culture and heritage should become applied daily so as not to forget the traditions. Dee is ashamed of her families’ heritage, and the narrator in the Cathedral is uncomfortable with the blind person presence in their home. From the stories, we are able to see that, those with the problems are not the people with disabilities rather the people treated as superior to the disabled people. In Cathedral, Carver demonstrates that salvation lies in the contacts of humans and the connection. In the introduction of the story, it is evident that the narrator (also the husband) was indeed lonely. He had a poor relationship with his wife as he questioned if he loved her, since he did not want to invite Robert (the blind man) her friend whom she truly cared for. The wife told the narrator; that if he loved her, he would do that for him, and if not, okay (Carver 1). The narrator felt insecure by Robert, especially since she had told Robert about him and they had never met. He also had no close relationships with other people. The narrator is jealous of his wife’s first husband, smokes marijuana daily and is envious of her wife’s friendship with the blind man. Just like in the cathedral, in the short story Everyday Use, Maggie is nervous because of the presence of her sister in the home. According to the author, Maggie is nervous about her sister Dee, because of her burn scars. She feels inferior to her sister because she has had many opportunities th at she did not have. Mama says, â€Å"Maggie will still be nervous until her sister leaves† (Walker 14). In the narrative, Alice Walker, personifies the different ways of culture and heritage in Dee, the mother, and Maggie. Each one of them has different qualities and philosophies of life. Nevertheless, contrary to the cathedral, Mama and Maggie are both proud and happy of her life. Mama is happy of the life she is living. Dee, on the other hand, is like the narrator in the Cathedral; she is not happy and thinks that she is in control of her life. She believes in her own self and does not to get associated with her sister and mother. The mother explains how she always wanted the best things and how she always got what she wanted. The narrator writes, â€Å"At sixteen, she had her own style and knew what style was† (Walker 20). This gets seen in the story when she wants the churn top and the dasher and also the old quilts that the mother had promised to give Maggie. Mag gie, on the other hand, has accepted life as it is and lives in the uneducated world with happiness in her heart and not material possessions. In the short story, the only names mentioned were of Robert’s wife who died (Beulah) and Robert. The narrator refers to himself as I and is not associated with a name together with the wife. This is dehumanizing to both the husband and wife. The husband feels that he gets stuck in

Chinese Cuisine in the United States

Chinese Cuisine in the United States Since last century, Chinese food has become very popular throughout the United States. The history of American Chinese food begins before the 20th century. During the Gold Rush in California, a lot of Chinese immigrants came to the United States to build railways. They started making Chinese food in the United States, and after the Second World War, numerous numbers of Chinese restaurants have been built in this country. Since that time, people can easily find a Chinese restaurant in any city of any state. The reason why Chinese food is so popular in America is because many Americans love it. Although, most Americans do not actually know that most of the Chinese food they are eating in the United States is not authentic. American Chinese food tend to focus more on American style cooking, and contrast significantly from tradition Chinese food. Most Chinese food in the United States is deep-fried or stir-fried, but authentic Chinese food is not. Americans should know that they have the option for a better Chinese diet, which is more delicious and healthier. American Chinese cuisine should be replaced by authentic Chinese cuisine because American Chinese cuisine is unhealthy for us due to the cookings poor quality. Chinese American cuisine started adapting to unhealthy cooking methods. The foundation of American Chinese food started when Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States. The first group of Chinese immigrants came from the Guangdong Province of China mainland. When they just arrived in the United States, they tried to make their hometown food. It was impossible for them to find raw food materials and traditional ingredients here. Cooking authentic Chinese food has a stringent requirement for raw food materials; the requirement requires all meat and vegetable products to be fresh. The Chinese immigrants only used all of what they could find for cooking. When railroad work was no longer available, the Chinese workers started to open restaurants. Their main customer groups were Caucasians Americans and Americans usually prefer a sweeter taste in their food. Thus, in order for the Chinese immigrants to make profits from their restaurants, the Chinese food chefs had to alter the taste of their hometown food to satisfy their local customers. Traditional Chinese food is usually saltier with rich flavors. Although, sugar is a very common ingredient for most dishes in the United States, so Chinese food chefs eventually started using sugar far more often for their dishes. Not only that, MSG (monosodium glutamate) is used very often in American Chinese cuisine for a flavor enhancer to stimulate the customers appetite, and to mask meats that are not fresh. Some problems MSG can lead to are diabetes, headaches, obesity, and addiction to MSG products. All these methods are definitely not a natural and healthy way to make food, leading American Chinese foods with higher fats and calories. The lack of professional chefs is another reason to explain why American Chinese food is dissatisfactory. As mentioned above, the earliest Chinese food chefs were railroad workers. They had never been trained to cook. In China, there are a lot of cooking schools. They provide different styles of cooking lessons and a beginner normally needs to spend two years to graduate. There are also eight distinct Chinese cuisines in China: Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Fujian, Hunan, and Anhui. However, American Chinese cuisine only develops from Guangdong cuisine, so many other authentic Chinese cuisines have not even been exposed in America widely. American Chinese chefs though, they usually learn of the skills from other previous chefs and lack a lot of experience and knowledge. As mentioned previously about adding sugar to their dishes, a lot of cooks use it as a method to cover their inexperienced cooking techniques and make their dishes taste more desirable to the Americ an taste. The American Chinese chefs eventually started to create their own dishes as well. Today, a very popular and good example would be Orange chicken. Orange chicken is deep-fried chicken covered with sweet soy sauce. It is the most popular Chinese dish in the United States and it is usually served at most Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, in China, no one has ever heard of Orange chicken because the American Chinese chefs created it in the U.S. Therefore, many American Chinese dishes you may have experienced in the U.S., could be foreign to many people in China. American Chinese cuisine is also fast food. The bad dietary habit of Americans leads American Chinese food to be unhealthy. Americans like fast food, so Chinese American restaurants often cook quickly. They normally can prepare one dish in five minutes, but in an authentic Chinese restaurant, a dish would normally take more than fifteen minutes. How can they cook that much faster? It is because they only use one cooking method, which is frying. Fried foods are most definitely unhealthy for us. It can damage our body and brain in many ways. Fried foods can also cause us to be overweight and lead to obesity. A large percentage of people in the United States have problems with their weight. In recent years, people have turned their attention to their daily diets and claim that it is time to give up fast food. Most people only think restaurants such as McDonalds or KFC are fast foods, but American Chinese cuisine is also considered fast food. The quality of the food is poor and cooking a uthentic Chinese cuisine takes more than simply one method of cooking. American Chinese restaurants simply finish your orders in 5 minutes! You can either sit down to eat it or take it home. When you order Chinese take out and go back home to enjoy your delicious orange chicken, you call your friend and tell him you are having Chinese foodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦No! That is not Chinese food. It is American Chinese food and that is fast food. However, many Americans would disagree with the idea of replacing American Chinese food with authentic Chinese cuisine. The Chinese cuisine in America is westernized to appeal to Americans and that is what they are most familiar with. It would be equivalent to taking their Chinese food away, because technically American Chinese food was invented and invested in America. The Chinese food here is deep-fried, grease-soaked, and as well as imitated (i.e. imitation crab). That sounds a lot like most American foods and replacing American Chinese cuisine would be the same as taking away Americas invention of Chinese food. Another factor is complication. The idea of replacing American Chinese cuisine with authentic Chinese cuisine would most definitely use a lot more money and time. That time and money would go into training new chefs, establishing new restaurants, investing in many new cooking styles, and the list would go on. Also, most Chinese restaurants in America are well established a nd are spread across the states. It is not easy to change something that became successful in its own ways. It is not saying authentic Chinese cuisine is bad, but Americans find American Chinese food good, and in America, if something is good, then there doesnt need to be change. It is true that changing American Chinese food to authentic Chinese food will be complicated, but that complication is worth the investment. Unlike the American Chinese cuisine, authentic Chinese food is a lot healthier. Food is very important to Chinese culture. Most Chinese people are highly likely to pay attention to their daily food. The most important nutritional concept is Yin and Yang. Yin means cold. Yang means Hot. Every food has a specific way of heating or cooling humans body. For example, most spicy foods and meats are generally thought to be Yang. Then, green vegetables and soup are thought to be Yin. An authentic Chinese chef would know of the concept and know how to incorporate the concept to make a balanced meal. In an American Chinese restaurant though, meat is always the main role on the table, which is totally against with the Yin and Yang concept. Authentic Chinese cuisine not only promotes a more balanced meal, it promotes a healthier diet, and this is important for changing the bad dietary habit in America as mentioned earlier. Of course an investment such as this would take up a lot of time and money. It doesnt hurt to start small or at least give it a try. Already well-established American Chinese restaurants should consider lowering the number of fat contents and calories as well as balancing their meals in order to promote a healthier diet. New Chinese restaurant chefs should consider going through extensive training, study Chinese culinary, or develop different choices of authentic Chinese cuisine other than the main Guangdong cuisine that most people are familiar with. Yes, if something is good and familiar to us why change it? Although in America, they also love change! If the change is for the better, why not give it a try? America should certainly attempt some effort to give authentic Chinese cuisine a try. Chinese cuisine restaurants are still spreading rapidly throughout America. Americans should know they have the choice for a more delicious and better diet, therefore Chinese cuisine should be replaced by authentic Chinese cuisine because American Chinese cuisine is unhealthy for us due to the cookings poor quality. Most American Chinese restaurants adapt to unhealthy cooking methods, inexperience techniques, and also Americans should know that most Chinese food they are eating is also considered unhealthy fast food. There should be a Chinese food revolution; people should limit themselves fried Chicken and sweet meat as a choice for Chinese food. The only way to escape from this vicious circle fast is to hire many professional educated Chinese chefs from China and start establishing from there on. However, realistically speaking that may be far complicated and may cost a lot of money. Then again, if the change is worth the investment people should certainly give it a try. Some small starting up ideas include, already established restaurants to alter their meals to promote the Yin and Yang balanced meal concept, new chefs to consider being well educated and trained first, and also encouraging restaurants to create more other authentic Chinese cuisines that differs from todays dominant Guangdong cuisine. Variety will bring more culture to the Chinese cuisine and also shows that Americans have better choices to choose from rather than that orange chicken they always order. A lot of people are guilty of that, but if authentic Chinese cuisine can be brought up in America, then we can start bragging about the real good Chinese food we are having.

Mapp vs. Ohio: Illegal Search and Seizure Essay -- Court Case Mapp Ohi

Mapp vs. Ohio: Illegal Search and Seizure The case of Mapp vs. Ohio is one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of the last century. Until this decision, the rights against illegal search and seizure had no method to be enforced. Up until this time, previous cases at set precedents provided little or no protection from illegal searches and seizures for the accused facing state prosecution. On May 23, 1957, Miss Dollree Mapp heard a knocking at her door (170 Ohio Street). When she asked who it was, three men identified themselves as Cleveland police officers. The officers stated that they believed a fugitive was hiding in her home. Miss Mapp told the officers that there was no one else in her home. They asked her for entrance. Miss Mapp phoned her attorney, and was instructed not to let the police into her home. The police grudgingly left, and set up surveillance around the home. Around three hours later, the police officers returned to Miss Mapp's residence, and was met by four additional officers as well. The officers gave Miss Mapp little time to respond to their presence, and almost immediately forced entry through several of the entrances to Miss Mapp’s home. Miss Mapp's attorney arrived on the scene to provide council, but was met by the police instead. The police held him outside, preventing him from meeting with his client. When Miss Mapp was confronted by the officers, she demanded to see the search warrant. An officer held up a piece of paper, which is believed to be a fake warrant. Miss Mapp grabbed the paper, and put it down her blouse. The police then forcibly tried to retrieve the "warrant" from Miss Mapp's blouse. They handcuffed her for being "belligerent". The police then proceeded to search every room in the entire house. In the basement, they found a trunk, which they opened. Inside they found materials that they considered to be â€Å"obscene†. They retrieved all the materials, and charged her with the possession of obscene material (Ohio Rev. Code, 2905.34: "No person shall knowingly . . . have in his possession or under his control an obscene, lewd, or lascivious book, magazine, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture . . . or drawing . . . of an indecent or immoral nature . . . . Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than two hundred nor more than two tho... ...ow meant that citizens had different rights depending on what state they lived in. This allowed another way for prosecutors to abuse the system. They could attempt to get cases to be heard in states which did not have an exclusionary rule adopted. By applying the federal exclusionary rule to all the states, all citizens would be equally protected. While a controversial decision at the time, the creation of the exclusionary rule is now one of the backbones of the accused rights in American society. As a review, Mapp's rights were clearly violated by the Police department and by the State of Ohio. Had it not been for the Supreme Court to enforce her constitutional rights, her conviction would have gone unjust. Theres many arguments between the prosecutors, police, and defense about the Mapps case. Views such as "how is the police department supposed to stop crime if they cant search it out and find it with the disability the fourth amendment brings to them". How can defense attourneys defend subjects/victims if they have no privacy due to the lack of support on the fourth amendment. The Mapps case is a perfect example of how the Supreme Court impacts our society.

Can Computers replace Teachers?…No Essay

I don’t believe it can be true! I will now justify my reasons. Teacher is the best guide of a child.One machine can do the work of 50 ordinary men. But no machine can do the work of one extra-ordinary man.and teachers are extraordinary It would be easier for a computer to build informative children but to repair a broken one a teacher is needed.. These days there is an onslaught of technology on the modern classroom. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students alike are being told that technology is the whetstone with which we can all sharpen our education system. Technology can open doors, expand minds, and change the world. That may be true, but it’s not the panacea that it’s been made out to be. As much innovation as the iPad may bring to the classroom, it’s not going to replace a teacher anytime soon. In fact, the influx of technology like iPads means there is a greater need for teachers. We need teachers who are part early adopter, part integrator , and part mad scientist. The modern teacher is willing to take chances and able to figure out just not how technology works, but how it works for each student, and where its use is most appropriate.A computer can never do all these. I too believe that personalized tech-infused learning is the future of education. However, There is a problem.It’s not about the technology. Rather, the sleek and ever more powerful devices that are coming down the pipeline are simply one part of a teacher’s toolkit. The technology is not the lesson, it is there to enhance the lesson. Our classrooms are changing, and without a doubt they will look quite different in five or ten years than they do today. New technologies are being developed quickly, and with so many different trends taking hold, it is yet to be seen what will be shaken out and what will stick. BUT One thing we feel strongly about: teachers aren’t going anywhere. Whatever word you choose – teacher, tutor, preceptor, or something else – the role a teacher plays in the classroom is huge. Everyone knows this on a personal level, and can identify a teacher or mentor who has had influence on us or changed our trajectories in a positive way. They encourage students when they struggle, and inspire them to set and reach for their goals. They are role models, leading by example and giving direction when necessary. A computer can give information, but a teacher can lend a hand, or an ear, and discern what’s necessary for a student to succeed, and to want to succeed. A computer is also unable to meet the emotional needs of the students. While  teache can relate to their her students by their past experience as they too are humans. Teacher can solve a child’s problem but of course computer can’t solve a child’s problem. A computer cannot keep order in a classroom so what would keep the students behaving? They would only misbehave more when someone isn’t there to tell them that what they are doing is wrong! So yes, technology is going to play a critical role in the future of education. But not as big a role as that of a teacher.

Frankeinstien Unit Test Part 2

Name: |Date: 3-11-13 | |Graded Assignment Unit Test, Part 2: Frankenstein Answer each question using complete sentences. Answer Questions 1 and 2 with responses of no less than one paragraph. Answer Questions 3 with a response of no less than three paragraphs. (15 points) |Score | | | 1. Explain Mary Shelley’s use of reoccurring ideas (motif) in Frankenstein and provide at least two examples of this reoccurring image or idea from the text.Answer: -The women in the story were passive and suffered silently, like Justine who was executed for a crime she didn’t commit. Also abortion, Victor aborts his act of creating the female monster. (15 points) |Score | | | 2. What does duality mean? What examples from the text can you give as examples of duality? What do these examples say about the nature of human life in general? Answer: Duality is the state of quality of being two or in two parts.The monster shows duality in his ability to have and show love for others, and wanting for people to love him too. The flip side to that is his hatred for himself and wanting to destroy his creator for making him. (25 points) |Score | | | 3. Think about some of the characteristics (are they smart, dumb, tall, short, loud, quiet, funny, caring? ) of the 2 main characters in this story: Victor Frankenstein and his monster. How are these 2 characters similar?How are they different? Which of these two characters do you have compassion for the most? Why? Please give examples (quotes) from the novel. Answer: Victor and his monster are alike because they both share a dislike for each other, and the monster. Victor and his monster are both alone. They are different, because victor was raised by his family who loved him, while the monster was brought to life and basically abandoned by his creator who didn’t love him. |Your Score |___ of 55 |

Water Pollution in the Philippines Essays

Water Pollution in the Philippines Essays Water Pollution in the Philippines Paper Water Pollution in the Philippines Paper Essay Topic: Water pollution The Philippines is an archipelago, which means it is made up of a group of islands and is rich in bodies of water such as the oceans, rivers, and lakes. However, according to the data released by Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEEP) in 2005, 42. 89% of the waters in the Philippines are contaminated. These contaminated waters have not only been continuously harming people, but also the aquatic ecosystem Of the country. It is said that approximately 31 percent of illness monitored for a 5-year period were caused by water borne sources. Moreover, more and more ecosystems are being polluted, causing serious diseases, water shortages, and extinction of aquatic animals and coral reefs. In this essay, I would like to discuss about three main sources of water pollution in the Philippines and its possible solutions: one, domestic waste; two, agricultural waste; and three, industrial waste. The first reason concerns domestic waste. Domestic waste refers to the organic pollution that usually comes from our houses by generating activities such as using the toilet, doing the laundry, and washing dishes. Unknown to any Filipinos, their homes are the biggest source of water pollution, contributing 48 percent of the organic pollution in the country. The reason for this is that most of the houses in the Philippines are not connected to a water sewerage system, which results to the contamination of groundwater with effluents and wastes from septic tanks. Exposure, ingestion, or contact with this contaminated water, which usually occur in the less fortunate area of the country, kill 1,997 people per 1 00,000 population by either cholera, bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, or typhoid fever, the Department of Health stated. Most Filipinos are not aware of this issue, and if they were, most would not be able to afford connecting on a sewerage system. The next reason concerns the running off of agricultural waste. The Philippines is mainly an agricultural country with a land of 30 million hectares, 47 percent of which is agricultural. Having stated this, agricultural waste in the Philippines contributes 37 percent of the water pollution in the country. No one would question the critical value of water and food to human civilizations. However, these agricultural productions possess a serious threat to the rivers. The agricultural production of the Philippines has been based upon a large amount application of chemicals to the land. Fertilizers used for farming contain a large quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus. These enrich the soil near the lakes and rivers, and help algae grow at a considerable rate. These algae use all the oxygen and do not leave anything for the rest of the aquatic life around. Moreover, algae formation blocks the passage of light and air for the other aquatic animals. This has an adverse effect on the biological life of these aquatic animals, which is termed Transportation. The third reason concerns the discharge of industrial waste. The industrialization of the Philippines has led to more and more infrastructure constructions and factories starting to line up along the rivers. These factories find rivers and oceans a convenient place to dump their waste materials such as acids, toxic metals, oil, and pesticides. For example, in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, an oil depot built along the Passing River has been releasing liquid and solid wastes that worsened the contamination of the river, making the river a huge sewer system. These toxic substances are quite armful for humans as well as aquatic animals. Living near these contaminated rivers means surrounding ones self with infected mosquito that can give people dengue fever. In addition, with all these waste in the rivers, our fish get sick or are killed, leading to extinction of fish and decrease of food production in the Philippines. It is important that action is taken to combat these problems. For example, to lessen the distribution of domestic wastes to the water pollution in the Philippines, proper assassination of the masses about the need for proper disposal of domestic waste should be implemented. Educational projects where the people are taught about the importance and proper domestic waste disposal should be set up. This will deal with the problem of the ignorance of the masses. Setting up adequate waste handling, such as putting biodegradable and non-biodegradable trash cans in schools and public areas, disposal facilities and a proper disposal location with proper management will save people from carelessly disposing waste. Moreover, the government should enforce existing laws and restructure the budget for environmental issues and ensure at least 50 percent of the houses are connected on a water rage system. To lessen and stop agricultural wastes that pollutes water, prevention of the usage of harmful chemical as fertilizers are needed. While people may find nitrogen and phosphorus helpful, much of their volume is being washed off on lawns and into the nearest waterways. These also tend to degrade the quality of the soil, causing more and more reliance on the chemicals over time. Transportation can be avoided by using minimal required amounts Of chemical fertilizers and or by using natural fertilizers such us manure or compost. Making sure that the fields where these chemicals and fertilizers are to close to the rivers, taking extra care while using fertilizers during rainy seasons in the Philippines usually from June to September, which can run-off and transmitted to the waters and can cause blockage of waterways, death of marine life and breakage of food chain should be done immediately and seriously. For the reduction of industrial wastes, the government should not permit factories and buildings to be built near or along the oceans or rivers. Building these infrastructures away from the waters will prevent the discharge of waste materials such as oil and toxic metals. These companies will have no other options, but to segregate their wastes and dispose it properly. Any offender shall be punished by the law and pay a big amount of fine, which will be then used to treat the contaminated water by filtration and sedimentation. This way, companies will be more careful about their decisions in choosing locations on where to build their factories. Moreover, this law will only have positive outcomes because the money that the offenders pay will be for a good and better cause. In conclusion, the Philippines is a country enriched of seas, rivers, lakes, ND other bodies of water that are now polluted due to different human activities. There are three main sources of water pollution in the Philippines. The first is domestic wastes which come from houses when people bathe, wash clothes, and wash dishes. Learning about proper waste disposal and enforcing laws should be done to lessen this pollution source. The second source is agricultural waste, which refers to the large amount of chemicals put in the land for food production, which after used, are washed away to the waters and produces algae that harms the aquatic ecosystem and pollutes it. Reversion of the usage of chemicals used in agricultural work will help decrease the amount of pollution. The third source is Industrial waste. Industrial wastes are the effluents coming from big factories that are built and connected to the rivers and lakes. Making new laws that will punish these factories and companies will contribute to minimizing water pollution in the Philippines. To sum up, human activities in general are the main reasons for the severe water pollution in the Philippines and we humans, are also the only ones who can stop this critical environmental problem.

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me As a freelance writer, I dislike when editors don’t respond to a query. That frustration hampers my marketing, deterring me from sending queries to major markets very often. My list of feature article ideas sat unused for a long time, longing for homes. Until now. Last month I stumbled onto a writer’s blog about making querying a numbers game where they suggested a class entitled â€Å"30 Queries in 30 Days.† That same day I read Jerry Seinfeld’s approach to productivity: Mark an x on the calendar every day you’ve finished your task, and never break the chain. (SEE: Mridu Khullar Relph mridukhullar.com/ecourse-30-days-30-queries ) Soon I was cranking up Fleetwood Mac’s song â€Å"The Chain† and establishing my calendar. As the band echoed â€Å"You must never break the chain,† I looked at February. Can I write 28 queries or submissions in 28 days? Did I need a class or should I just buckle down? I chose the latter. Here’s what I learned from writing a query a day for a month: Ideas breed more ideas. Ever just brainstormed? The same creativity applies with queries. I started February with a list of 28 ideas, but ended with 40. As I would work with one query, I would think of another idea. Build it, and they will come. Surprise! I heard back from some national markets. If they said no, they said why. They consider professional queries. I have a journalism degree, worked at a CBS affiliate in college, and wrote for a federal agency’s press office for a decade. As a freelancer, I’ve had articles and essays published in locals, regionals, trades, anthologies. With clips and a website, you build infrastructure - voila, your last paragraph of a good query. He’s just not that into you. When the editors don’t respond? Face the fact your idea is not for them. They know their readers better. Or they’ve run something similar. Follow-up, then target the next market and revise. Your email works! Whenever I didn’t get an answer from a sporadic query, I wondered if my email was working or was considered spam on the other end. However, once I regularly sent queries daily, using the premise it’s a numbers game, I got more responses. (Though most haven’t responded yet.) The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. Because you’re rushing to tailor a query Your paid subscriptions to freelance newsletters are worth it. I checked MediaBistro, TOTAL FFW, ASJA, and Freelance Success archives. Checked Writer’s Digest/Writer’s Market and the magazines masthead to get a editorial contact or email formula. A little help from your friends. When I emailed a writer-friend because she had written for a magazine I was querying, she warned me of issues there. Be helpful with other writers, and they’ll reciprocate. You’ll experience â€Å"rejectance.† Another writer-friend coined this term about acceptance in a rejection. Some editors asked for more ideas from me. Another editor gave me the lowdown on recent changes there. Some explained exactly why they couldn’t use it. Helpful rejections = rejectance! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I heard some no’s. I was also asked to give away an article for free (no). When a door is closed, open a window; re-work it for another market. A February rejection is a March submission; think follow-up opportunities. While I wish I could say I have 28 yesses in my inbox, I cannot. But as I await answers, I’ve beaten procrastination, released ideas, gained editorial contacts, generated leads, and felt productive marking an x on each day of my calendar. â€Å"Never break the chain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or yada yada yada. Thanks, Jerry.

Cholera Map of Dr. John Snow

Cholera Map of Dr. John Snow In the mid-1850s, doctors and scientists knew there was a deadly disease called the cholera poison rampaging through London, but they werent sure how it was being transmitted. Dr. John Snow used mapping and other techniques that would later be known as medical geography to confirm that the transmission of the disease occurred by swallowing contaminated water or food. Dr. Snows mapping of the 1854 cholera epidemic has saved countless lives. The Mysterious Disease While we now know that this cholera poison is spread by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, scientists in the early 19th century thought it was spread by miasma (bad air).  Without knowing how an epidemic spreads, there is no way to stop it. When a cholera epidemic occurred, it was deadly. Since cholera is an infection of the small intestine, it results in extreme diarrhea. This often leads to massive dehydration, which can create sunken eyes and blue skin. Death can occur within hours. If treatment is given quickly enough, the disease can be overcome by giving the victim a lot of fluids, either by mouth or intravenously. In the 19th century, there were no cars or telephones and so getting quick treatment was often difficult. What London needed was someone to figure out how this deadly disease spread. The 1849 London Outbreak While Cholera has existed in Northern India for centuries (and it is from this region that regular outbreaks are spread) it was the London outbreaks that brought cholera to the attention of British physician Dr. John Snow. In an 1849 cholera outbreak in London, a large proportion of the victims received their water from two water companies. Both of these water companies had the source of their water on the Thames River, just downstream from a sewer outlet. Despite this coincidence, the prevailing belief of the time was that it was bad air that was causing the deaths. Dr. Snow felt differently, believing that the disease was caused by something ingested. He wrote down his theory in the essay, On the Mode of Communication of Cholera, but neither the public nor his peers were convinced. The 1854 London Outbreak When another cholera outbreak hit the Soho area of London in 1854, Dr. Snow found a way to test his ingestion theory. Dr. Snow plotted the distribution of deaths in London on a map. He determined that an unusually high number of deaths were taking place near a water pump on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Snows findings led him to petition the local authorities to remove the pumps handle. This was done and the number of cholera deaths was dramatically reduced. The pump had been contaminated by a dirty baby diaper that had leaked the cholera bacteria into the water supply. Cholera Is Still Deadly Although we now know how cholera is spread and have found a way to treat patients who have it, cholera is still a very deadly disease. Striking quickly, many people with cholera dont realize how serious their situation is until it is too late. Also, new inventions such as airplanes have aided the spread of cholera, letting it surface in parts of the world where cholera has otherwise been eradicated. According to the World Health Organization, there are up to 4.3 million cases of cholera each year, with approximately 142,000 deaths. Medical Geography The work of Dr. Snow stands out as one of the most famous and earliest cases of medical geography, where geography and maps are utilized to understand the spread of disease. Today, specially trained medical geographers and medical practitioners routinely use mapping and advanced technology to understand the diffusion and spread of diseases such as AIDS and cancer. A map is not just an effective tool for finding the right place, it can also save a life.

Management and behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management and behaviour - Essay Example I should say that for as long as I can remember, I am not a team player. I prefer working on individual assignments. Working in a group project, therefore, as a requirement for this module was some sort of a struggle for me. This paper is a self-assessment of my team working skills based on how I evaluate my performance in our group project at British Airways. As much as possible, I exerted every possible effort not to compromise the objectivity of the assessment. However, since this is a group project, the assessment is still in relation to how I see myself as a part of the group. The first thing I noticed was that there was difficulty right at the start. It seemed very difficult not just for me but for the entire group to get going. I began to think then that I might be stalling the progress of the group. It was, therefore, a relief that I stumbled upon a book by Levi (2001) which revealed that â€Å"start up-activities take up longer than anticipated †¦ [because] it takes time to decide on the definition and goals of a project and to develop social relations and procedures for effective teamwork† (p. 40). It was also quite a revelation to discover from this reading that the most difficult stage of a group work is the definition of the project itself. For the first time, I was reading a book that I can relate to in real life. I felt an interest in being an active and productive member of a working group. The group was assigned tasks related to booking and reservation with British Airways. We were simply given a list of tasks to complete and we we re on our own. To make the long story short, almost every one in the group would like to take on technical tasks. The first group brainstorming session ended with no tangible results. The same thing happened to the second group session to thresh out problems in the first session. To

Medicare vs. Medicaid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Medicare vs. Medicaid - Essay Example It covers inpatient expenses such as rooms, meals and tests. Part B, known as supplementary medical insurance pays for necessary doctor, laboratory and some outpatient medical costs. It is financed by premiums paid by enrollees. Part C is the Medicare Advantage Program through which private plans provide benefits to enrollees. Part D is a prescription drug plan that covers some costs of drug and is extended to anyone eligible for Medicare. Taxes collected through the Federal insurance Contributions Act and Self employment Contributions fund the program. The government uses this to refund the services providers (Stanfield, Hui & Cross 2011). On the other hand, Medicaid is the second largest health insurance program that serves low income citizens. Each state has its own Medicaid eligibility criteria. Recipients include children under 6years and family income is at or below 133% of Federal poverty level, adults, elderly (over 65 years) and disabled persons who have no or no income and receive state assistance such as foster care assistance (Stanfield, Hui & Cross 2011). As mandated by the Federal government, Medicaid covers the cost of outpatient and inpatient care, family planning services, laboratory tests, X-rays, transportation, rehabilitation and physical therapy services. Payments by the State are made to the healthcare providers based on a fee for service terms or through health maintenance organizations. Then each state is reimbursed for a share of their Medicaid expenditure. Beneficiaries are exempted from copayments from family planning and emergency services. Both Medicaid and Medicare have had an impact on all stake holders. These programs have increased the number of citizens seeking medical and health services, therefore, is predicted growth in employment in the health sector. Demand for primary care is on the rise especially from physicians and nurses with advanced degrees. According to Stanfield, Hui & Cross (2011), as more

Relationship between natural environment, social development, and Essay

Relationship between natural environment, social development, and economic progress - Essay Example He argues that the modern world’s inequalities trace its origin to many centuries ago. He notes that archaeological discoveries and histories show that different continents were experiencing different rates of development from 11, 000 B.C. to A.D. 1500, thus resulting to inequalities that were experienced in A.D. 1500, and to a greater extent in modern times (Diamond 1). He observes that while many Native American peoples and Aboriginal Australians remained Stone Age hunter and gatherers, many Eurasian peoples and most peoples of the sub- Saharan Africa and Americas gradually developed metallurgy, complex political organization, and agriculture (Diamond 2). Environmental/ external conditions are critical for development; this assertion is greatly evident in Diamond’s discussion on Papua and its inhabitants. The inhabitants of Papua were mostly hunters and gatherers and had the simplest technology compared to most people of that time. They did not have shields, specialized stone tools, and could not start fire among other characteristics of â€Å"underdevelopment†. The environment that they lived in seemed to be the main reason leading to their situation at that time. They did not have contact with the rest of the world since the bridge that was initially linking them to the land had been severed. Prior to the coming of Europeans in the mid- seventeenth century, they were completely isolated from other humans. To make the matter worse, Papua inhabitants were not just isolated but they were also the smallest of the human population in the world (Diamond 9). As such, accumulation of innovations could not happen thus inhibit their development. Furthermore, Diamond is of the opinion that man inspired the collapse of civilizations as evidenced by Easter Island. His opinion is informed by the argument that the Europeans invaded Easter Island for slaves, in addition to spreading

English Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English Hamlet - Essay Example One thing which stands out in the play is the ability of Shakespeare to manipulate the language; this has been very effectively done in the play. The play is based upon revenge; Hamlet takes revenge of his father's death in the play. Revenge is a very dangerous motive but a very powerful one. This paper will throw light upon the fates of the characters of Hamlet, did they deserve what they got. A comprehensive analysis will be provided on the same. Let's now take into consideration the character of Hamlet, as discussed earlier, it can be easily made out that Hamlet was an impulsive person. His Father was the king of Denmark and he was killed by Claudius, who has now become the king by marrying Hamlet's mother. A ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by King Claudius and this allegation was later proved. Based on this assumption that Claudius killed his father, Hamlet decides to take revenge of the death of his father. Hamlet's rash actions go on to decide his fate. In the sense that he succeeds in killing King Claudius but prior to this Hamlet ends up killing innocent old man by the name Polonius. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius while he was praying; this causes an unnecessary delay and only goes on to make the readers believe that the actions of Hamlet were very Impulsive. To conclude with the character of Hamlet it can be said that since revenge was his sole aim, no one could have predicted the future and there are risks involved when a person seeks revenge, so it is fair to say that the death of Hamlet was not surprising as a reader and he pretty much deserved it. This is purely based on the fact that anything can happen when one seeks revenge. Let's now take into consideration the character of Claudius, the villain in Hamlet. He is a very lustful and shrewd character in the play; the same also makes him different from all the other male characters in the play. He is a different male character in the play because all the other male characters in the play strive for justice and moral balance. The readers get a very positive opinion about Claudius initially; he gives a very impressive speech addressing some of the most important issues like death of his brother (Hamlet's Father) and the tensed situation with Norway. Claudius is seen to be putting his mind to good use in the play, he makes the people comfortable because he knew that failing to do so may lead to a rebellion as there was a change in the government and this was because he took over the throne, so to safeguard his interest he cleverly makes the people comfortable so as to make sure that no conflict at a later stage arises. "His speech juxtaposes the people's loss with the new beginning they will have under his care, and he uses the death of Hamlet's father to create a sense of national solidarity, "the whole kingdom/to be contracted in one brow of woe" (Claudius, 11 October 2008). Claudius should be looked at a multi faced villain who lets his desires get the better of him. Considering the fact that he kills Hamlet's father, the ex king of Denmark. He deserves what he gets in the play. He deserved to be killed for the murder of Hamlet's father, so it is very fair to say that he got what he deserved. Polonius is a very corrupt character in Hamlet, he betrays people whom he should be loyal to. He is a hypocrite, his sole aim was to make sure th

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Sufficient research studies have been undertaken linking Human Resource Management to the overall growth of a firm or organization which is essentially its financial performance. It has been observed that there is a strong positive relationship between the two. In order to be successful, organizations need to invest in and build organizational capability which can be provided by focused HRM practices by HR professionals who create value by increasing organizational competitiveness. This value is created across board, in every division, every team and every individual. The responsibilities of an HR Department are focused on the Human Capital which has begun to enjoy prestige as the most dynamic factor of production. The tasks are multifaceted and includes some of these, listed in order of priority hereunder: People Extends from the day a need is established for taking on people, screening and recruitment, salary negotiation, placement and job profiling, orientation, training and development, periodic reviews and appraisals, handholding, welfare initiatives, exit, replacement. Regulations Knowledge and intervention regarding all laws, regulations, facilities whether state run or internal, that directly or indirectly impact the employees. Various job profiles and content definitions of the Human Resource function have been created and recreated time and again. To have a better view, let us first analyse the challenges that face any organization today.

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 8

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example These are the challenges that the organisation face when they do not plan their change program (Flamholtz, and Randle, 2008). Generally it has been noticed that the flawed decisions of the management are responsible for creation of such barriers. However, in case of this study, the change process would be viewed from the perspective of 5D AI method. The AI method comprises of 5D, namely, 1) Define, 2) Discover, 3) Dream, 4) Design, and 5) Deliver. However, before discussing the case study of D2, the basis of AI model has to be understood, so that the readers can understand how this model would be useful in meeting the objectives of the study. The model of AI is based on the hypothesis that the question that is generally asked by someone, focus towards a particular direction (Armenakis, and Harris, 2009). Other methods evaluate and assess the situation and propose solutions on the basis of the deficiency model. Generally it has been noticed that changes and other prerequisites related to changes are seen as a challenge in the deficiency model, while AI model consider it as a deficiency and it takes an alternative approach (Bauer, 2011; Barry, 1997). Through this process change becomes easy and all the members in the organisation gets motivated and also understand the importance of change and value that it might add. Appreciative Inquiry AI approach in change management is different from simple problem solving method. Problem solving begins with the identification of the problem, while this model begins with appreciation, and identifying the best things in the system. Problem solving analysis the cause of the problem, which AI envisions what should have been the cases, which reveals a positive attitude again.... This essay stresses that challenges are faced during unplanned as well as planned change. It is a wrong notion that leaders do not face challenge if they go for plan change in their organisation. Firstly, resistance from employees even before the change process is implemented is a major challenge in both cases. Even in D2 the leaders will face the resistance when they will disclose their decisions to the employees. The leaders in the organisation have a critical role to play in this situation, as they need to prepare the people of D2 UK plant for the change. In case of unplanned change, the leaders do not have a step wise strategy to deliver the change process. To some extent the change decisions of D2 is an example of an unplanned change. This paper makes a conclusion that during the change process leaders will faces complex situations, where they might face hindrance. For example the employees at France or Spain might resist accepting employees from UK plant, and work with them. If the company plans to relocate the employees then they need to be provided the due facilities to those human resource too, which the company should consider in to their relocation cost. Teams in UK plant of D2 can take up responsibility to identify solution for different issues. Employees in the plant can even come up with excellent ideas to revive the plant at UK, rather than relocating, without increasing the cost further. This might drive the management to change their decision of closing the UK plant.

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Sufficient research studies have been undertaken linking Human Resource Management to the overall growth of a firm or organization which is essentially its financial performance. It has been observed that there is a strong positive relationship between the two. In order to be successful, organizations need to invest in and build organizational capability which can be provided by focused HRM practices by HR professionals who create value by increasing organizational competitiveness. This value is created across board, in every division, every team and every individual. The responsibilities of an HR Department are focused on the Human Capital which has begun to enjoy prestige as the most dynamic factor of production. The tasks are multifaceted and includes some of these, listed in order of priority hereunder: People Extends from the day a need is established for taking on people, screening and recruitment, salary negotiation, placement and job profiling, orientation, training and development, periodic reviews and appraisals, handholding, welfare initiatives, exit, replacement. Regulations Knowledge and intervention regarding all laws, regulations, facilities whether state run or internal, that directly or indirectly impact the employees. Various job profiles and content definitions of the Human Resource function have been created and recreated time and again. To have a better view, let us first analyse the challenges that face any organization today.

Capital Assets- Aviation Leasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capital Assets- Aviation Leasing - Essay Example We are going to use these first ten planes as a leverage to buy future planes. When customers order planes, the minimum order requirements will prevent them from making large purchases. This will make them come for these services. We must design strategic means to attract customers; this is by designing favorable terms. To be exact, we can get the ten planes at .30 on the dollar. This is in reference to the fire-sale. The 10% over cost and the favorable relations with Boeing are strategic initial plots which will boost the business idea. The relationship with Boeing may also open up new market opportunities (Loren and Bazley 12). The venture will use favorable terms to attract airline companies. We will use a strategy where the revenue per unit is minimal, while aiming at a high rate of leasing turn over. With this strategy, we will have the capabilities of venturing in different airlines companies. We have to influence the ideas from the customers; this is by demonstrating advantages associated leasing. We should begin with subsidized prices; this will create a strong customer basis. This will help in building a network where we will offer services to enhance the relationship. We should also publicize the venture so that potential customer will contact relevant staffs. It will be advisable to increase public figure by participating in different public activities such as sponsoring games, among

External And Internal Determinants Of Capital Structure Finance Essay

External And Internal Determinants Of Capital Structure Finance Essay 1: Introduction 1.0 Introduction The literature on capital structure theory has made significant progress after the trend setting publications of Modigliani and Miller in1958. After the publication of Modigliani and Miller research work, various researchers have developed theoretical models based on the balancing of tax effect and inefficient distribution of information. Recently, there are many models that focus on the relationship between product and market or the effect of a particular ownership structure on the capital financing decisions of a firm (Bhaduri 2002). These models have been developed pertaining to many different sectors of economy such as manufacturing by Long and Malitz (1985) and Titman and Wessels (1988). Miller and Modigliani (1966) tested these models in the context of power generating and electric companies, while Jensen and Langemeier (1996) have focused on the agricultural firms. Among the noteworthy models proposed by researchers, the static trade off theory carries the primary importance. Modigliani and Miller (1958) contended that the static trade off theory is based on the assumption of friction and information-wise perfect markets. They also proposed the irrelevance theorem which implies that the financing decisions of firms have nothing to do with the value of organisation and their cost of financing. Titman and Wessels (1988), Rajan and Zingales (1995) and Graham (1996) have conducted their empirical research to investigate the important determinants of capital structure proposed in the theoretical models by finance commentators. In the majority of research, they found that firms decisions to achieve the target capital structure are spontaneous. In the imperfect market, these target ratios are not instantaneous and incomplete while in perfect market, these financial decisions are perfect and spontaneous. It means that firms try to adjust their optimal capital structure spontaneously as the cost of capital varies in the market. Marsh (1982), Jalilvand and Harris (1984) found that the main impediments in the way of adjusting capital structure are the adjustments and transaction cost associated to market imperfections. These imperfections arise due to the inefficiencies in financial market such asymmetric distribution of information and transaction cost etc. These researchers have found that the firms financial decisions usually taken in a two step process. Marsh (1982) and Jalilvand and Harris (1984) explained that in the first step, a firm decide its target capital structure and in the next phase, it strives to attain that target. Spies (1974), Taggart (1977), Jalilvand and Harris (1984) and Ozkan (2001) stated that financial behaviour of a firm can be best described by the partial adjustment model. In this partial target adjustment model, it is assumed that a firm adjusts to the target capital structure spontaneously. One common attribute in the research is that the capital structure of a firm varies with the change in industry type. Even after the efforts of numerous researchers, no single universally accepted capital structure theory exists. There are also a comparatively small number of empirical researches conducted up till now on this topic. One possible reason for the small number of empirical research is the intangible and conceptual nature of determinants proposed by the authors (Titman and Wessels 1988). However, the available empirical research has focused on certain factors such as the size of firms; profitability and volatility of earnings before interest, tax and depreciations etc. These determinants came out after the studies conducted in the developed countries such as the United States (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK). After the integration of markets, it is becoming increasingly more important to study these markets to test the validity of these determinants. Because of the confl icting ideas pertaining to the financial behaviour of firms, it is important to have practical research based on theoretical foundations to establish a valid capital structure determinant model. 1.1 Objective This research paper will endeavour to determine the factors which serve as an impetuous for changing the capital structure of firms across the different industries operating in the United States of America (USA). The main objective of this research will be achieved investigating the relationship between following determinants; Capital structure and profitability Capital structure and tangibility Capital structure and economic growth of the country Capital structure and rate of inflation Another objective is to find and evaluate the impact of internal forces which play an important role in changing the capital structure of a firm. Literature Review: 2.0 Introduction This chapter attempts to establish the theoretical foundation of determinants of capital structure. First of all, the effect of different industry types on the capital structure has been given. Then the different capital structure theories have been described. After that, all the possible external and internal determinates of capital structure has been discussed. Lastly, the latest development in the macro and micro environment, which have significant bearing on the capital structure of a film, are discussed 2.1 External and Internal Determinants of Capital Structure In this time of financial distress, where many companies are facing impending bankruptcy because of the liquidity crunch and mismanagement of resources, it is imperative for financial managers to use the optimal mix of debt and equity in order to drive down the cost of capital and thereby increasing the profitability of their firms. Another impetuous for using optimal mix is that the financial analysts, investment houses, common stock buyers and bond rating bureaus usually compare the financial leverage of a firm with industry average figures before taking investment decisions (Moyer et al. 2009). Hence, it is in the very interest of a firm to decide its optimal capital structure in order to make its financial health more conducive to further investment by yielding handsome returns (DeAngelo and Masulis 1980). As per definition, capital structure of a firm is the mix of the total long and short term debt plus the total amount of equity (both preferred and common) which is raised by a company to finance its total capital requirements (Investopedia 2009). According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2001), there are many internal and external factors which a financial manager has to be mindful of before chalking out business plans and policies. Similarly, decisions of capital structure are the outcome of many internal and external variables (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). External variables consist of many macroeconomic factors such Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, inflation, interest rates and tax policies etc (Besley and Brigham 2007). GDP is the accumulated market worth of finished goods and services produced within the boundaries of a country during a particular period of time, usually one year (Investopedia 2010). Nominal GDP (inflation not adjusted) should not be confused with real GDP (inflation adjusted) as the increase in nominal GDP (merely increase in prices) doesnt mean that country has made more money during a certain period (Investopedia 2010). Inflation means the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services over a period of time, usually measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and GDP deflator (a ratio of nominal and real GDP) (Investopedia 2010). Some other important variables of macro economy are the economic growth, budget deficit and poverty. These macroeconomic factors indicate the aggregate economic performance of an economy (Investopedia 2009). As these macroeconomic factors are the result of many sub factors which collectively make a very complex economic system (Campbell, McConnell and Brue 2008). These factors, by nature, are out of the control of a firms manager so he/she cannot influence the determinants. They instead have to adjust the proportion of debt and equity according to their respective costs. Some other important external variables which affect a specific capital structure are the taxation, profitability, the interest expense, the effect of agency cost and the level of business risk faced by the company (Moyer, McGuigan and Kretlow 2009). Besides these external variables, there are many internal factors which a business manager has to consider before selecting a particular mix of debt and equity. These internal variables can be the industry specific variables such as the effect of seasonal levels of sales or these can be the internal to the firms such as the style and attitude of management. Entrepreneurial organisations, for example, have the tendency of taking bolder and riskier business decisions as compared to bureaucratic ones which shows more risk-averse behaviour. Among the most prominent internal variables are the level of profitability, degree of risk appetite of business managers and the tangibility of fixed assets etc. 2.2 Effect of industry type on the capital structure of a firm There are a lot of variations in the capital structure of firms across the different industries all over the world (Scott and Martin 1975). Capital structure of firms varies with the change in type of industries and even within the same industries (S. Titman 1984). It is evident from the Table 1 that the firms which are operating in the drugs and industrial machinery sector do not use a large amount of debt as compared to firms which are in the retail and utilities business (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). Some possible reasons are the uncertainties inherent in the research projects carried out by these firms or the chances of product liability law suits (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). Due to the low level of debt financing, these firms are also experiencing low level of financial distress (i.e. the times interest earned ratios are high) as compared to the other sectors as shown in table 1 (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). However, the firms which belong to the utilities sector usually rely heavily on debt financing which is evident from their common equity ratio as shown in table 1 (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). The major portion of total debt comprises of long term debt which they usually raise by issuing securities and mortgage bonds against their huge fixed assets (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). Another rational behind this phenomenon is the stable sales figures as compared to the other firms which have volatile sales (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). This factor enables these types of firms to use more debt financing because they can easily forecast the expected level of future sales and can have an optimal business risk (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). 2.3 Theoretical Foundations of Capital Structure Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller (famous as MM) (1958) are pioneers, having studied the impact of internal and external determinants on the capital structure of an organisation (cited in Bhaduri 2002). In the years since, there has been a large volume of research by many researchers to determine the individual effect of these environmental factors on the capital structure of a firm in different countries of the world (Al-Najjar and Taylor, 2008). Modigliani and Miller proposed that in a supposed no-competition world, the value of a firm is independent of its capital structure (cited in Bhaduri, 2002). Further they also assumed that their theory is valid under the assumptions of perfect competition, no taxation cost, not transaction cost. They also stated that the productivity of firms is not dependent on mode of financing (cited in Bhaduri, 2002). In the above mentioned scenario, internally generated sources of funds are almost the perfect substitute of external funds (Bhaduri, 20 02). Hence, companies are indifferent to the sources of financing. After the publication of their work, researchers have found some imperfections such as Kim (1978) introduced the idea of bankruptcy cost. The idea of facility of tax shield was introduced by DeAngelo and Masulis (1980) and the agency cost by Jensen and Meckling (1976). All these researchers agreed that the optimal capital structure is the most realistic solution to the capital structure dilemma faced by the todays firms. As the cost and benefits of leverage changes from one industry to the other, many previous researchers are of the opinion that industry must have significant impact on the capital structure of firms (Scott and Martin 1975). Every firm tries to chase the average industry ratios (Tucker and Stoja, 2007). Ang (1976) said that firms can only have an optimal gearing ratio rather an ideal universal ratio for all in the real world scenario. Remmers et al. (1974) agreed with the Ang (1976) by stating the gea ring ratio of firms varies with industries. They also said that firms that belong to the same industries face same environmental conditions which lead them toward common earning and sales patterns (Remmers, Wright and Beekhuisen 1974). Scott (1972) and Scott and Martin (1975) said that most of the firms tries to choose the gearing ratio that is appropriate to their risk/return profile and their inherent business risks. Antoniou et al. (2002) found that the UK, German and French firms continuously adjust their debt ratios according to the target ratio, but at their own rates which is contingent to whether they belong to the manufacturing or services sector. Bradley, Jarrel and Kim (1984) said that the agency cost and bankruptcy cost are just the partial determinants of leverage. It means that these factors also have impact on the capital structure of firm but in a less likely fashion. Many researchers endeavoured to tackle the issue of optimal capital structure (Bhaduri 2002). All these works have collectively contributed in the development of financial theory (Bhaduri 2002). In spite of all these efforts, there is no one comprehensive solution to the capital structure dilemma (Titman 1984). Moreover there have been very little practical evidence regarding determinants of capital structure till recently (Harris and Raviv 1991).The main reason behind this limited number of empirical research evidence on this topic is the abstract nature of determinant such as size of firms, their growth rates, intensity of capital, gross profits, volatility of future sales and free cash flows and the impact of taxation on changes in the capital structure of a firm (Harris and Raviv 1991). Another important issue is pertaining to the geographical locations that most of the available research works have focused on the United States of America (USA) market (Bhaduri 2002). Less economically developed countries (LEDCs) lag behind due to the neglected role of the private sector in the economic development of country and the limited sources of funds for the companies belonging to the LEDCs (Bhaduri 2002). 2.4 Main Factors Influencing the Capital Structure of a Firm The chief determinants of capital structure are the attributes and factors that have very significant impact on the leverage ratio of a firm. The following is the detail of the most relevant determinants of capital structure of a company. Asset Structure According to the agency cost and asymmetric information theories, the composition of tangible assets owned by a company greatly affects its capital structure (Jensen and Solberg 1992). Agency cost theory states that shareholders of a firm, which has high proportion of debt in its capital structure, have the intention to invest sub-optimally (Galai and Masulis 1976; Jensen, Solberg and Zorn 1992). A positive relationship has also been found between the collateralisable assets and debt structure of a firm. Another factor is the over consumption habit of business managers which ultimately reduces the value of a firm (Bhaduri 2002). Financial Distress If a firm is using a huge amount of debt and it has to pay heavy payments periodically, there is very high probability that it will go bankrupt in the case of falling revenues or future free cash flows (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). This implies that the firms, which are having volatile sales figures, usually use less debt financing in order to avoid probable financial distress (Ensen and Meckling 1976). Fear of bankruptcy forbade the firms to rely heavily on the debt financing (Bhaduri, 2002). Non-Debt Tax Shield DeAngelo and Masulis (1980) said that one of the firms objectives of using debt financing, is to avail the benefit of a tax shield because interest expense reduces the taxable income of a firm. So the firms which have a large non-debt tax shield are likely to use less debt financing. Size There are is large number of evidences that the firms which are large in size and well diversified are less likely to experience financial distress (Demsetz and Lehn 1985, Remmers, Wright and Beekhuisen 1974). This encouraged them to use relatively large amount of debt financing (Warner 1977; Ang and McConnell 1982). Age The age of firm is also a very pertinent factor that influences the firms decision about having a specific of capital structure (Scott 1972). Young firms are more intended to use debt financing because of the high appetite for risk taking and limited amount of information at hand (Scott 1972). So they find borrowing from banks a cheaper and convenient way as compared to use equity financing. Growth Fast growing firms experience a higher cost of agency problem as compared to the firms which not growing very fast. Bhaduri (2002) said that fast growing firms have more chances of adjustments in the coming years. Hence there is a negative correlation between the longer term debt and the future growth of a firm. Myers (1977) said that the short term debt is the remedy to this problem. By doing this, fast growing firms dont need to enter into long term debt contrast and can easily adjust their capital structure according to the requirements of growth and financial conditions (S. Myers 1977). Profitability If managers of a company are not capable and credible enough to convince venture capitalists to lend capital, they will preferentially rely on the internal sources of revenue (e.g. retained earnings) (Myers and Majluf 1984). Myers and Majluf (1984) noted that profitable firms usually have more money as retimed earning in order to invest in the growth projects. Hence there must be negative relationship between debt proportion and historical profitability of the company (Myers and Majluf 1984). Uniqueness It is found that the firms which are producing unique kind of products usually have low leverage ratio (Bhaduri 2002, Antoniou, Guney and Paudyal 2002). These firms face great difficulty in borrowing debt from the financial institutions because in case of liquidation, their assets cant be used for some other substitute purposes (Auerbach 1985). Industry effect It is one of the most important variables that affect the capital structure of firms (Harris and Raviv 1991). The companies which belong to those industries where there is greater degree of uncertainty in the research projects and expected future sales, they rely less on debt financing (Remmers, Wright and Beekhuisen 1974). Contrary to this, the firms which have more level of certainty in their future cash flows and huge amount of fixed assets, they intended towards more debt financing (Remmers, Wright and Beekhuisen 1974). Maksimovic and Zechner (1991) said that the diversity of technologies used by firms is also the key determinant of using their capital structure. They argued that the firms which are using multiple technologies have the facility of sourcing capital from various sources of financing (Maksimovic and Zechner 1991). Where these firms can raise their funds from multiple sources, they can also reduce their risk by spreading over the wide range of technologies (Maksimovi c and Zechner 1991). 2.5 Most Important Capital Structure Theories 2.5.1 Static trade-off theory This theory of capital structure assumes that company should pursue a financing mix where tax shield advantage should be equal to the interest rate expense, keeping the other factors constant such as credit crunch and probability of bankruptcy costs (Jensen and Meckling 1976). This theory mainly deals with the pros and cons of issuing fixed asset securities like debt (S. Myers 1977). It assumes that there exists an optimal point under which the value of the firm is maximized. This optimal point is achieved by balancing the benefits and cost of issuing more debt (Myers 2001). One of the main advantages of issuing more debt is to take the benefit of tax deductable. This simple benefit can be more complicated when manages and owners have to pay personal tax and the issue of an absence of tax shield (Myers 2001). Debt financing also reduces the chances of agency conflict (Maksimovic and Zechner 1991). The rational is that the use of debt reduces the amount of free cash flows at the dispo sal of managers and there reducing the chances of conflict between managers and shareholders (Jensen and Meckling 1976). 2.5.2 The Trade-Off Theory of Capital Structure The basic idea behind this theory is that a firm normally conducts the cost-benefits analysis before taking any decision regarding its capital structure (Tucker and Stoja 2007). It means that company will just rule out the possibility of convenience in this important financial aspect as stated by the pecking order theory (Jensen and Meckling 1976). In spite of criticism by Miller (who called it a comparison of horse and rabbit), the advanced dynamic model of this theory is very robust and practical (Tucker and Stoja 2007). 2.5.3 Pecking order theory The pecking order theory talks about the cost of asymmetric information (Myers and Majluf, 1984). It says that firms choose their sources of financing according to the rule of least effort or least resistance (Myers and Majluf 1984). This implies that the firms will choose the equity financing as a financing mode of last resort (Myers and Majluf 1984). According to this theory, firms will prefer debt financing as long as it is feasible and when it is no longer possible, then they will opt for equity financing (Myers and Majluf 1984). 2.6 Capital Structure and Financial Risk The Financial risk of a firm is the risk associated with a lack of a sufficient amount of future free cash flows in order to meet its short term obligations (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). In other words, financial risk also increases as the use of fixed income securities increases like preferred stock increases in the total financing of the firm (Harris and Raviv 1991). Brigham Ehrhardt (2001) asserted that as the amount of debt increases in the overall mix of capital structure, the degree of financial leverage increases. Financial leverage means that the total amount of debt that is used in the capital structure of a firm (Harris and Raviv 1991). Another related concept is that of operating leverage which means that the portion of fixed cost used in the total cost of production of a particular product or range of products (Moyer, McGuigan and Kretlow 2009). Investors are very much concerned about the financial risk of firms because this is the kind of additional risk which they have to bear because of debt financing besides equity, in the firms total capital structure (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). It is the main objective before the financial managers to design the capital structure so that the value of the firm is maximized and at the same time mitigate the risk at hand (Harris and Raviv 1991). To gauge the financial risk of a firm, Times Interest Earned (TIE) ratio carries special importance in the eyes of these investors (Besley and Brigham 2007). Times interest ratio is of immense importance to analyse the true interest cost coverage ability of a firm (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). TIE depends upon three important factors: the amount of debt in the total capital structure, the cost of debt and the profitability of the firm (Haugen 1995). Usually the industries which are less leveraged such as Drugs and electronics etc. have a very high TIE ratio (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). However, the firms which are in the business of retailing or utilities which rely more on debt financing, have low interest coverage ratios (see table1) (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001).There are also variations in the capital structure of individual firms operating in the same industry due to the different attitude of managers and their particular risk/return profiles (S. Myers 1977). The firms where manger s are more aggressive and have high risk appetite usually use more debt financing than those firms where managers are risk-averse (Hull 2008). The tools used to find the optimal capital structure are EBIT/EPS Analysis and EPS indifference Analysis (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). 2.6.1 EBIT/EPS Analysis Earnings Per Share (EPS) of a firm vary with changes in the amount of debt in the capital structure of a firm (Warner 1977). Theoretically, as the amount of debt increases in the capital structure, the financial risk increases (Warner 1977). Because of this high financial risk, investment houses change higher interest rates for the further debt which ultimate increases the cost of capital for a firm (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). Surely extra amount of financial leverage increases the capability of a firm to earn higher earnings per share in the coming years (Jensen and Solberg 1992). Brigham Ehrhardt (2001), however, suggested that EBIT/EPS ratio should range from 0 to 5%. To find the exact point in this range, financial managers have to conduct an EPS indifference analysis. 2.6.2 EPS indifference analysis The purpose of this analysis is to find out the point where a firm is insouciant as to whether it uses debt or equity for the same ratio of EPS (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). Brigham and Ehrhardt (2001) found that a firm will report higher EPS at a low level of sales and firm is using the more equity than debt. On the other hand, an organization will experience faster increase in EPS with the increase in sales if a firm is using more debt than equity (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). The point worth noting is that if business managers are confident about a certain level of sales of their firm, they should go for debt financing and vice versa (Besley and Brigham 2007). Financial risk of a firm is usually measured by interest coverage ratio, fixed charge coverage ratio and longer debt ratios (Moyer, McGuigan and Kretlow 2009). These ratios are usually compared with industry average ratios to gauge the true financial health of a firm (Moyer, McGuigan and Kretlow 2009). These ratios are also compared to the previous years ratio of the same firm to determine the trend of firms performance over a period of time (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2001). The Financial risk of a firm depends upon a number of factors such as financial leverage, Operating leverage, expected future free cash flows and so on. Because of the intense competition and uncertainty in the market, it becomes essential for the finance executives of companies to manage the risk of their organisations by either diversification, adopting an optimal capital structure, or using the sophisticated derivative securities (Hull 2008). An optimal capital structure is to arrange the financial structure of the firm in such a way that minimises the weighted-average cost of capital and thereby maximises the value of the firms stock (DeAngelo and Masulis 1980). The dilemma here is that when a firm is trying to maximise its EPS by increasing the amount of debt, its financial risk also increases at the same time (DeAngelo and Masulis 1980). On the other hand, if a firm tries to minimise its financial distress, it has to reduce its financial leverage which ultimately hurts the EPS of the firm (Bhaduri 2002). Hence there arises the need of an optimal financial structure which increases the EPS of a firm and reduces its overall finan cial distress simultaneously (Bhaduri 2002). This choice of the optimal capital structure depends upon a number of factors such as the size of firm, its growth rate, cash flow projections and product and industry characteristics. (Bhaduri 2002). There is a school of thought advocating that derivatives are the most useful tool to hedge financial risks at the firms level (Jalilvand, Tang and Switzer 2000). Yet there is another group who believe that there are some alternative (i.e. using less debt financing) as compared to the typical hedging techniques available which can be used to reduce the financial risk at corporate level (Berkman, Bradbury and Magan 1997). From these studies, it is evident that managing the financial risk of firms is very important for firms in order to be competitive in the market place. Some companies have made internal risk management policies as part of their corporate business strategy (Maksimovic and Zechner 1991). Smith and Stulz (1985) commented on the goal of risk management in these words: The primary goal of risk management is to eliminate the probability of costly lower-tail outcomes those that would cause financial distress or make a company unable to carry out its investment strategy(p. 3 95). It is clear from the words of Smith and Stulz (1985) that the main goal of companies is to manage risk by either means. During the last decade, there has been a lot of research on the impact of industry in deciding the capital structure of firms (Booth, et al. 2001). Booth et al. (2001) studied whether the factors affecting the capital structure of firms are country specific or not. For this purpose, their study focussed on ten developing countries: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Jordan and Korea. They reported that: In general, debt ratios in developing countries seem to be affected in the same way and by the same types of variables that are significant in developed countries. However, there are systematic differences in the way these ratios are affected by country factors, such as GDP growth rates, inflation rates and development of capital market (Booth et al. 2001 p. 118). The institutional owners who hold large amount of shares of a firm also play a very significant role in deciding the capital structure of these firms (Al-Najjar and Taylor 2008). As these owners have the right to elect the board of directors, they can influence the mangers of their firms to adopt specific risk management policies and finance capital in a certain and specific manner (Al-Najjar and Taylor 2008). 2.7 Financial market Dysfunction In developing countries, banks and other financial institutions are main sources that provide liquidity to the economic system by advancing credit to the films (Demsetz and Lehn 1985). In repressed financial system, banks provide short and medium term loans to the young and established entrepreneurs; while big and developed financial institution provide long term loans to the big corporation (Kester 1986). These loans are mostly given to the particular sectors of national economies such as agriculture and transport and housing (Antoniou, Guney and Paudyal 2002). Governments used to influence these commercial institutions to favour certain sectors and advance soft credit to the small industry (Leech 1987). Regularity agencies mostly restrict the banks from advancing credit to certain limits (DeAngelo and Masulis 1980). Antoniou, Guney and Paudyal (2002) said that the limitation on the financial institutions by the authorities result in the form of credit rationing. Another hu

Compare and contrast what the poems My Last Duchess and The Laboratory :: English Literature

Compare and contrast what the poems My Last Duchess and The Laboratory are saying about human relationships. Compare and contrast what the poems ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘The Laboratory’ are saying about human relationships and how the poet makes the poems interesting. The laboratory is about a woman wanting to poison/ kill her rivals so she can be the kings mistress. My Last Duchess is about a man describing his last Duchess, and how the painter flirted with her, he describes her features that show the painter was flirting with her. Both ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ are of anger and resentment, in ‘The Laboratory’ it is the discarded mistress who is jealous about other women flirting and dancing with the King, and in ‘My Last Duchess’ it is of the Duke, and he is showing dis-pleasure in the way the his last Duchess conducted herself with other men. The quotes that back these up are, In the Laboratory. ‘Soon at the King’s, a mere lozenge to give And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live! But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her head, And her breast and her arms and her hands should drop dead!’ and in ‘ My Last Duchess’ it was ‘Too easily impressed; she like whate’er. The writer in the poems are trying to say relationships break down for one reason or another, in these cases it’s infidelity, one person casting off someone for others, and in ‘The Laboratory’ she is fascinated with the process of how the alchemist makes the poisons, she thinks the poisons are beautiful, but they are very deadly, she uses beautiful words to make the poisons seem beautiful e.g. ‘ And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue, sure to taste sweet,- is that poison too.’ She wants the poisons to be quick and effective, and if they suffer it would be a bonus. The poets wrote them this way because they are ballade, and use rhyme and rhythm almost as if telling a story, the poets use alliteration ‘which is the poison to poison her prithee’ and onomatopoeia ‘Grind, Mash, Pound’ and in ‘My Last Duchess’ he uses similes ‘look as if she

Use of Pathos in Writings on Torture Essay example -- Who Walk Away fr

Torture is a loaded word. It conjures images in a readers' mind of any number of horrors, physical and mental. Many writers rely on this reaction and use pathos in their articles to illicit a strong response in their audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal used to gain sympathy and trust from the audience and works for people of all intellectual levels. It often casts the author or characters in a story as an Everyman, easy to identify, and therefore see eye to eye, with. In my opinion, the more an author is able to create a personal connection to torture, the stronger their argument becomes. Strong emotions create a more appealing argument for an everyday audience. Michael Levin's â€Å"The Case for Torture† uses a few moments of pathos to convince the audience of the potential benefit of torture. He poses several scenarios of terrorists planning attacks on large numbers of innocent people and then asks, â€Å"If the only way to save those lives is to subject the terrorist to the most excruciating possible pain, what grounds can there be for not doing so?† Even if you don't agree with him, he urges the reader to â€Å"face the question with an open mind.† By doing this, Levin uses pathos as well as ethos to present himself as a nice guy who's not unreasonable. Though his argument is different from Levin's, Andrew Sullivan tries a similar approach in his article, â€Å"Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led†. The article demonstrates a clear use of pathos from the beginning. Sullivan begins with some personal information about himself, showing that is is one of the regular people. His imagery is subtle but power ful. By implying that the government's behavior is in some way akin to the Nazis, he conjures up a powerful imagine in the readers min... ...Oct. 2008 . Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Mr. President, stop the torture!" US Catholic Magazine Online. July 2004. 26 Sept 2008 news_iv_ctrl=1341&abbr=usc_&JServSessionIdr001=anotsvvjc1.app45a> Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Speak Truth to Power Defender – Interview with Dianna Ortiz." Speak Truth to Power. 26 Sept 2008. . 26 Sept 2008. Sullivan, Andrew. "Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led." Times Online. 7 October 2007. 23 Sept 2008 andrew_sullivan/article2602564.ece> Porter, Henry. "America's Dirty Torture Secret." The Guardian. 10 Sept 2003. 1 Oct 2008 .

The Iceman

This 1936 painting entitled â€Å"The Iceman† done by Jacob Lawrence was completed sometime during the Harlem Renaissance. The painting is a typical portrait of and an honest reflection of daily life in 1930s Harlem, New York. It can easily represent any urban city during this time period. The artist uses the painting to show the connection, or lack thereof, between the neighborhood’s residents, as they seem to go about their daily routines without the social interaction that allied people during times of struggle.Lawrence employs symbolism and imagery to show how the neighborhood lacked connection. On first glance of the painting, three residents are noticed, all in their own apartments, being sold ice by the iceman standing on the street, and his helper. As the apartments are all in such close proximity of one another, one would believe that the residents would be interacting with each other. But at a closer glance, it is seen that they are all minding their own busin ess. This is strange for the era. It is well known that during the 1930s, segregation and racism were at their worst.In the north, tensions were high between the black and white classes due to the increased number of African-Americans migrating to larger cities. In the minds of the whites, the blacks were â€Å"taking over†. In most cases, when tragic or intense situations like this occur, it is typical for people to ban together and tread through the problems as a whole community – except in this case. Whether or not these people were real Harlem residents, it is quite unlikely that this separation of community would have really happened.Community is defined as â€Å"an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location†, with â€Å"interacting† being the keyword. The characters made up in this painting include the iceman and his helper with the pushcart, a window washer, a woman possibly ironing or cooking, a man trying to hold onto his dog, and a darkened figure in an alley. Though these people appear to be financially on the poorer side, they still go about their lives separately, and with the ease of daily routine. It would be expected that at least two of these characters would be interacting with each other, for the sake of survival.Surprisingly, though, none of the residents are looking at each other, and they seem not to even notice the person living next to them. It is possible that Lawrence used this imagery after witnessing a lack of connection within a community such as this one. He might have wanted to influence Harlem residents to unify during these times of segregation. Jacob Lawrence used subtle symbolism to convey the neighborhood’s physical lack of connection. It is not immediately seen, but if one were to be inside the painting at the scene, there would be tangible evidence of the lack of connection – the fire ladder.It doesn’t seem to have any initial importance, oth er than being a source of escape, but in taking a closer look, it can easily be a symbol of disconnect within the community. Most fire escape ladders are constructed so that when they are necessary to be used, they can be pushed downward and the ladder will reach all the way to the ground. In this painting, the ladder does not reach the ground, making it more difficult for its users to escape. The ladder not connecting to the ground can be paralleled with the residents not connecting with one another.Tragedy has proven time and time again to be a unifier of worlds when people seem to be at their most distant, especially for African-Americans in the 1930s, except in the case of â€Å"The Iceman†, in which the community remained separated, even though their lives overlapped. Jacob Lawrence seemed to want to bring about a wave of pride in his people by painting this and using artistic elements to influence his audience. He put forth the use of subtle symbolism and imagery to rev eal a lack of connection within this Harlem neighborhood.

Oedipus The Great Essay

In the book Oedipus The King, there was a curse that stated that Oedipus was to kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta. So when Oedipus’ parents find out that Jocasta is pregnant they have the baby and give it to a man to take to the top of a mountain. But instead of the man taking the baby, Oedipus, to the mountain top he gave him to a family and the family then raised Oedipus. When Oedipus was older he was traveling to the town of Thebes when he ran across some people that demanded that Oedipus get off the road and let them get pass. Being himself Oedipus got mad and killed them all, what he did not know was that that was his father and when he got to Thebes he would marry his mother, the queen, and become the new king of Thebes. Oedipus always had trouble controlling his anger and in that moment it went all down hill. In Oedipus The King, written by Sophocles, Oedipus exhibits the following tragic flaws : he jumps to conclusions, he’s controlling, he has anger problems, and he’s too confident. The first tragic flaw of Oedipus is his problem of jumping to conclusions. In every bad situation with Oedipus, which happens to be quite frequent, he always assumes something before a conclusion ever occurs. He never just waits to see what someone has to say or to see what happens, it’s like he always controls the ending of every situation and he likes it until everything goes wrong. In the book Oedipus jumps to the conclusion that Tiresias is conspiring with Creon to keep the secret that they had killed King Laius. He does not consider the fact that they are looking out for him so that he wont expose himself. But Tiresias finally gets tired of the things that Oedipus is saying and he says, â€Å" I am going. But first I will say what I came here to say†¦ The man you are trying to find, with your threatening proclamations, the murderer of Laius that man is here in Thebes†¦ He will be revealed as brother and father of his children with whom he now lives, the son and husband of the woman who gave him birth, the murderer and marriage partner of his father. Go think this out. And if you find that I am wrong, then say I have no skill in prophecy†, Tiresias then leaves Oedipus standing there stunned(Oedipus the King pg. 40). After that Oedipus gets so upset and starts to yell and starts to tell the people of Thebes that Tiresias and Creon are lying. That they just want the blame off of themselves and on to him. He says this because he does not believe it and because he wants to make a scene and just wants to be the center of attention and he wants everyone on his side just in case something happens and he need someone to stick up for him. And because Oedipus is the king the people will listen to him because they trust him and they trust what he says when he says that he did not kill Laius. Another tragic flaw of Oedipus is the fact that he’s controlling. Oedipus controls, well he tries to control, everything that everyone does. He never wants anyone to say anything about Laius’ death or about his background. He tries to control every situation, every conversation and so forth. When he was talking to Tiresias, Tiresias decided to leave because his conversation with Oedipus was getting nowhere. Tiresias said, â€Å" I will go, then. Boy, lead me away†, and then Oedipus say, thinking he had to, said, â€Å" Yes take him away. While you’re here you are a hindrance, a nuisance; once out of the way you wont annoy me any more. † (Oedipus the King pg. 30 & 31). He thought that would make him seem in control of Tiresias life and the things he did in his life but Tiresias did not like that and he came back at Oedipus even harder making Oedipus go to his palace and think about what has just happened. The only logical thing that Oedipus could have been in control of was the town of Thebes because he was now the new king of Thebes, but everything was messed up when everyone found out that he had killed their previous king Laius. The next tragic flaw of Oedipus is his anger problems. In every situation with Oedipus he always ends up yelling at someone. He cant control his feelings and this problem will eventually end his life. Like with the conversation he was having with Creon they ended up having a screaming match because of Oedipus and his horrible tragic flaw of jumping to conclusions. Creon found out that Oedipus has put the death of their old king Laius in his and Tiresias’ hands. When Creon confronts Oedipus, Oedipus gets angry and says to Creon, â€Å" You! What are you doing here? Do you have the face to come to my palace-you who are convicted as my murderer, exposed as a robber attempting to steal my throne? †. He gets upset and has to have his wife/ mother, help get him under control and calmed down He acts like a little kid and the one person who can help keep him under control is his wife/ mother. Another tragic flaw of Oedipus is the fact that he is too confident. Its okay to be confident in yourself and what you do, but when you become too confident you can become cocky and sometimes over-bearing which indeed happens to Oedipus. Oedipus always goes around boasting about how he is king and that no one should step to him because he could have them killed, how he was the one to solve the riddle so he earned the the spot as king. With Oedipus, he takes the concept of being confident to a whole other level. He makes it seems as though being confident is something that should be thought about because it tears it whole world apart. So throughout Oedipus’ life he has been lied to and made and a fool of and mainly by himself. Oedipus’ problems are mainly because of his tragic flaws. His tragic flaws are the fact that he jumps to conclusions, he’s controlling, he has anger problems, and he’s too confident. Maybe some people may say that being confident is a good thing and that people should be confident but when you go to overboard and be outrageous with it, it just makes people hate you and try to make other people see that you are a horrible person and have a horrible personality.