The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Essays

The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Essays The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Paper The Role of Truth in The Things They Carried Paper Essay Topic: Everything Is Illuminated The Things They Carried The Purest Form of Truth: Truths Role in The Things They Carried â€Å"War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead† (76). According to Tim O’Brien, all of these generalizations about war are the truth. However, as O’Brien continuously reshapes readers’ concept of truth throughout The Things They Carried, one quickly comes to realize that none of these facts represent truth about war. Readers experience the essence of Vietnam through each of O’Brien and his squadron’s vivid memories: Rat Kiley’s loss of a friend as Curt Lemon stepped into his last ray of sunlight and was blown up into the trees, Norman Bowker resigning to letting Kiowa slip under the mud and out of this life, and the â€Å"dainty young man† with his jaw in his throat and his eye as a star-shaped hole that was O’Brien’s only kill. Though portrayed as true life experiences, these events and even most of these characters are eventually revealed as fabrications of O’Brien’s mind. Does this mean that the stories are not true? As explained in another passage, â€Å"You can tell a true war story by the questions you ask. Somebody tells a story, let’s say, and afterward you ask, ‘Is it true? ’ and if the answer matters, you’ve got your answer† (79). So, does it matter that O’Brien never really killed a man, that Bowker never sacrificed the Silver Star medal, and that Curt Lemon never trick-or-treated through a Vietnamese village during Halloween? After the undeniable impact on readers associated with the human experience, war experience, and essence of individuals captured within these stories, the answer to that question proves to be a resounding â€Å"no. One of the main reasons for differentiating between â€Å"story-truth† – which may not be true in real life but gives a genuine glimpse of the Vietnam experience – and â€Å"happening truth† – what really occurred – is that â€Å"happening truth† lends itself easily to glorification of war. For example, the story of a man winning a medal for outstanding bravery in saving his friend, or O’Brien’s example of a man sacrificing himself to save his group from a landmine, both convey a sense of pride, honor, and valor associated with having gone to war and even having died in Vietnam. Having been told these stories, learning that they were false would come as a shock because stories like these seem to reassure society that although hundreds of young men lost their valuable lives or came back as changed men, it was all worth some sort of grand distinction in the end. On the other hand, O’Brien’s stories, possessing â€Å"story-truth,† retain their significance whether they have â€Å"happening-truth† or not. As O’Brien puts it, â€Å"A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie†¦You can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil† (65). This quote presents a case of inherent irony in which the fabricated stories – complete with the gore of torturing a baby water buffalo after a friend’s death, the guilt of having a man die under your watch, the terror of looking a man you just killed in the face, and the disappointment of returning home only to find you’ll never fit back in – convey much more truth than most conventionally â€Å"true† war stories, which sweep the utter brutality of war under the rug. Thus, only through O’Brien’s â€Å"story-truth† do we see that these young men did not arrive in Vietnam for honorable reasons. These men went to war for fear of shaming their friends and families, these men gave their lives for a battle that did not enhance their life experiences, and even failed to result in progress for our nation, and those men that escaped with their lives were faced with the burden of death each and every day in that they could never escape the memories, could never truly communicate the horror they went through, and could never completely transition back into normal life. Though O’Brien did not truly kill a man or witness some of these events, the stories leave no doubt in readers’ minds that similar occurrences did happen in war and that the emotions conveyed by the stories truthfully capture how they made the men feel – which was anything but gratified and honored. Therefore, the lessons one can take away from these stories makes â€Å"story-truth† much more valuable than most cases of â€Å"happening-truth† about the Vietnam War. While O’Brien’s stories leave readers with the knowledge of how human emotions are impacted in a setting none of us are able to imagine, they also serve another purpose that also ceases to rely on truth: capturing the essence of a specific individual. We see this first in the case of Curt Lemon, whose personality is perpetuated throughout the novel by the stories of his best friend in Vietnam. O’Brian states that â€Å"To listen to the story, especially as Rat Kiley told it, you’d never know that Curt Lemon was dead. He was still out there in the dark, naked and painted up, trick-or-treating, sliding from hootch to hootch in that crazy white ghost mask. But he was dead† (227). Although this story about Lemon is highly exaggerated, and the question remains whether it is even true at all, readers can trust that what it reveals about Lemon’s character – his spontaneity and daring behavior – are in fact accurate, so it comes as no offence when it is revealed that Kiley regularly embellished the tale. â€Å"Story-truth† gains its final point of relevance when O’Brien describes how he uses stories to preserve his childhood love, Linda. Linda’s character compares being dead to being like a library book, safe on the very top shelf where no one has checked it out for a long, long time. Like Curt Lemon, Kiowa, Ted Lavender, and even the man Tim killed, Linda and all the memories surrounding her would tend to disappear with time if she were not illuminated by O’Brien’s novel. O’Brien remarks that now when he incorporates Linda’s essence into his stories, â€Å"She’s not the embodied Linda; she’s mostly made up, with a new identity and a new name, like the man who never was. Her real name doesn’t matter† (232). Whether â€Å"happening-true† or just â€Å"story-true,† Linda’s presence solidifies the idea that even if the characters in The Things They Carried have fake names, false actions, or entirely fictitious identities, they each bring forth a unique set of characteristics that alight on â€Å"truth. † For instance, even if Linda were not real, the way she made Tim (and readers) realize the purest form of love cannot be denied, and even if the man Tim killed had no story besides the one Tim developed, the way he represents men who never wished to fight, whose opportunities are cut off in early life, will live on forever. In this, the feigned truth of â€Å"story-truth† creates legends; it sheds light on interpersonal relationships and validates the lives of those who no longer have the ability to do so for themselves. As one progresses through The Things They Carried, it becomes more and more evident just how masterfully O’Brien has blurred the lines between truth and reality. Readers begin the book assuming it contains stories of fiction. It is not until the third chapter that one finds the narrator is a writer plagued by memories of war, and assume the stories to take on an element of truth. Soon after, one sees that O’Brien the narrator and O’Brien the author are two very different personas, and finally, towards the end of the novel, O’Brien reveals that, â€Å"†¦a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai province as a foot soldier. Almost everything else is invented† (171). Seemingly, traveling through such ups and downs of truth and falsity would be recognized as a sort of betrayal to readers. Yet, O’Brien’s framework of war stories, within the story of the Vietnam War, within the larger story of O’Brien’s actual life serves to undermine any disappointment concerning the authenticity of events. Readers quickly learn that the statement â€Å"This is true† has double meanings, and truth itself is redefined as any incidence lending sincere insight into war and how it affects people, whether it occurred, did not occur, or very well might have occurred. Overall, when it comes to opening society’s eyes to a situation capable of bringing out the most evil, the most desperation, and the most appreciation for life simultaneously, one realizes O’Brien’s novel to be absolutely and undeniably â€Å"true. † OBrien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Boston, MA: Houghton Miflin, 1990. Print.

William Henry Harrison, U.S. General and President

William Henry Harrison, U.S. General and President William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773–April 4, 1841) was a U.S. military commander and the ninth president of the United States. He led American forces during the Northwest Indian War and the War of 1812. Harrisons time in the White House was brief, as he died about one month into his term of typhoid fever. Fast Facts: William Henry Harrison Known For:  Harrison was the ninth president of the United States.Born:  February 9, 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia ColonyParents: Benjamin Harrison V  and Elizabeth Bassett HarrisonDied:  April 4, 1841 in Washington, D.C.Education: University of PennsylvaniaSpouse: Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison (m. 1795-1841)Children: Elizabeth, John, William, Lucy, Benjamin, Mary, Carter, Anna Early Life Born at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, on February 9, 1773, William Henry Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Bassett (he was the last United States president to be born before the American Revolution). A delegate to the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the elder Harrison later served as governor of Virginia and used his political connections to ensure that his son received a proper education. After being tutored at home for several years, William Henry was sent to Hampden-Sydney College at age 14 to study history and the classics. At his fathers insistence, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in 1790 to study medicine under Dr. Benjamin Rush. However, Harris did not find the medical profession to his liking. When his father died in 1791, Harrison was left without money for schooling. After learning of his situation, Governor Henry Light-Horse Harry Lee III of Virginia encouraged the young man to join the army. Harrison was commissioned as an ensign in the 1st U.S. Infantry and sent to Cincinnati for service in the Northwest Indian War. He proved himself an able officer and was promoted to lieutenant the following June and became an aide-de-camp to Major General Anthony Wayne. Learning command skills from the gifted Pennsylvanian, Harrison took part in Waynes 1794 triumph over the Western Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. This victory effectively brought the war to a close; Harrison was among those who signed the 1795 Treaty of Greenville. Frontier Post In 1795, Harrison met Anna Tuthill Symmes, the daughter of Judge John Cleves Symmes. A former militia colonel and delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey, Symmes had become a prominent figure in the Northwest Territory. When Judge Symmes refused Harrisons request to marry Anna, the couple eloped and wed on November 25. They would ultimately have 10 children, one of whom, John Scott Harrison, would be the father of future president Benjamin Harrison. Harrison resigned his commission on June 1, 1798, and campaigned for a post in the territorial government.  These efforts proved successful and he was appointed Secretary of the Northwest Territory on June 28, 1798, by President John Adams. During his tenure, Harrison frequently served as acting governor when Governor Arthur St. Clair was absent. Harrison was named the territorys delegate to Congress the following March. Though he was unable to vote, Harrison served on several Congressional committees and played a key role in opening the territory to new settlers. With the formation of the Indiana Territory in 1800, Harrison left Congress to accept an appointment as the regions governor. After moving to Vincennes, Indiana, in January 1801, he built a mansion named Grouseland and worked to obtain the title to Native American lands. Two years later, President Thomas Jefferson authorized Harrison to conclude treaties with the Native Americans. During his tenure, Harrison concluded 13 treaties which saw the transfer of over 60,000,000 acres of land. Harrison also began lobbying for a suspension of Article 6 of the Northwest Ordinance so that slavery would be permitted in the territory. Harrisons requests were denied by Washington. Tippecanoe Campaign In 1809, tensions with Native Americans began to increase following the Treaty of Fort Wayne, which saw the Miami sell land that was inhabited by the Shawnee. The following year, the Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (The Prophet) came to Grouseland to demand that the treaty be terminated. After they were refused, the brothers began working to form a confederation to block white expansion. To oppose this, Harrison was authorized by Secretary of War William Eustis to raise an army as a show of force. Harrison marched against the Shawnee while Tecumseh was away rallying his tribes. Encamping near the tribes base, Harrisons army occupied a strong position bordered by Burnett Creek on the west and a steep bluff to the east. Due to the strength of the terrain, Harrison elected not to fortify the camp. This position was attacked on the morning of November 7, 1811. The ensuing Battle of Tippecanoe saw his men turn back repeated assaults before driving off the Native Americans with determined musket fire and a charge by the armys dragoons. In the wake of his victory, Harrison became a national hero. With the outbreak of the War of 1812 the following June, Tecumsehs War became subsumed into the larger conflict as the Native Americans sided with the British. War of 1812 The war on the frontier began disastrously for the Americans with the loss of Detroit in August 1812. After this defeat, the American command in the Northwest was reorganized and after several squabbles over rank, Harrison was made commander of the Army of the Northwest on September 17, 1812. After being promoted to major general, Harrison worked diligently to transform his army from an untrained mob into a disciplined fighting force. Unable to go on the offensive while British ships controlled Lake Erie, Harrison worked to defend American settlements and ordered the construction of Fort Meigs along the Maumee River in northwest Ohio. In late April, he defended the fort during an attempted siege by British forces led by Major General Henry Proctor. In late September 1813, after the American victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, Harrison moved to the attack. Ferried to Detroit by Master Commandant Oliver H. Perrys victorious squadron, Harrison reclaimed the settlement before commencing a pursuit of British and Native American forces under Proctor and Tecumseh. Harrison won a key victory at the Battle of the Thames, which saw Tecumseh killed and the war on the Lake Erie front effectively ended. Though a skilled and popular commander, Harrison resigned the following summer after disagreements with Secretary of War John Armstrong. Political Career In the years following the war, Harrison aided in concluding treaties with the Native Americans, served a term in Congress (1816–1819), and spent time in the Ohio state senate (1819–1821). Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1824, he cut his term short to accept an appointment as ambassador to Colombia. There, Harrison lectured Simon Bolivar on the merits of democracy. In 1836, Harrison was approached by the Whig Party to run for president. Believing they would be unable to defeat the popular Democrat Martin Van Buren, the Whigs ran multiple candidates hoping to force the election to be settled in the House of Representatives. Though Harrison led the Whig ticket in most states, the plan failed, and Van Buren was elected. Four years later, Harrison returned to presidential politics and led a unified Whig ticket. Campaigning with John Tyler under the slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, Harrison emphasized his military record while blaming the depressed economy on Van Buren. Promoted as a simple frontiersman, despite his aristocratic Virginia roots, Harrison was able to easily defeat the more elitist Van Buren. Death Harrison took the oath of office on March 4, 1841. Although it was a cold and wet day, he wore neither a hat nor coat as he read his two-hour inaugural address. He fell ill with a cold on March 26, shortly after taking office. While popular myth blames this illness on his prolonged inaugural speech, there is little evidence to support this theory. The cold quickly turned into pneumonia and pleurisy, and despite the best efforts of his doctors, Harrison died on April 4, 1841. Legacy At age 68, Harrison was the oldest U.S. president to be sworn in prior to Ronald Reagan. He served the shortest term of any president (one month). His grandson Benjamin Harrison was elected president in 1888. Sources Collins, Gail.  William Henry Harrison. Times Books, 2012.Doak, Robin S.  William Henry Harrison. Compass Point Books, 2004.

The Phoenix Supermarket Fire Incident Case Study

The Phoenix Supermarket Fire Incident - Case Study Example For instance, the phoenix fire of March 2001 started on an exterior dock just like the Charleston fire. Admittedly other fires have started from the interior of the supermarket but many vital survival observations and lessons can be learnt from phoenix disaster. During the Phoenix supermarket fire incident, a fire engine attacked the fire from the exterior loading dock while a rescue company embarked on checking the interior of the building ensuring that all occupants safely evacuated the building (NIOSH, 2001). At the initial moments of the rescue mission, there was clear visibility within the building and the crew worked hard to check for extensions. As the crew advanced with a one-and-a-half inch attack line, they noticed that smoke was easing into the building from a storage area at the rear corner. As the firefighters continued with their mission, they realized that they needed backup and communicated this to the incident commander. The commander gave orders to another engine crew to advance another one-and-a-half inch line through the building. At this very time, another engine crew from the loading dock entered the storage area to attack the fire. There were11 firefighters in the building when a second alarm team was on its way to the incident scene. With time visibility levels within the main store began to reduce as a result of spreading smoke. The situation suddenly worsened as dense smoke filled the supermarket to the ground and the heat increased almost instantly (NIOSH, 2001). This necessitated the team's retreat. Meanwhile, the interior sector officer continued to give progress reports and updates to the incident commander of the worsening state of affairs and the decision to evacuate. This almost immediately led to the commander announcing emergency traffic. Within a short time, following emergency tones, the incident commander ordered that the entire store be evacuated. The condition worsened quite fast. A first mayday call was broadcast during the evacuation by Brett Tarver, a firefighter. He made a declaration that he was out of air, offline and lost. This prompted the immediate ordering of the front rapid-intervention team to take action by the commander (NIOSH, 2001). The team consisted of a ladder and an engine. Another engine was also ordered to support the rescue mission from the front of the building, and yet another went through the loading-dock region. During this time several other mayday calls were received. Post Incident Activities In total, four firefighters got injured and were taken to hospital. A fire captain was saved from the scene unconscious and spent many days in hospital, but Brett died before the rescue team could reach out to help him. Following the incident, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Phoenix fire Department have both conducted in-depth investigations (NIOSH, 2001). The investigations examined the following areas: incident command system, standard operating procedures, rapid-intervention teams, progress reports, air consumption, accountability systems, concealed systems and deep-penetration fire operations. According to report findings, the command organization was good; consisting of several sector officers and an incident commander. During the crisis, the command team reacted quickly and effectively.

Toys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Toys - Essay Example It is obvious that the trend in girls’ toys is to be pink and beauty related, whereas the boys’ toys are related to technology and building. It seems that toy companies nowadays make distinctions for us over which toys are suitable for girls and which for boys. However, Francis does not take into the consideration of supply and demand interaction in the market. Looking at the supply side, toy companies only produce their products that are selling in the market. Companies are the chief architects of branding, naming and choreographing the graphics that appear on the toy boxes. Children sometimes have no choice and essence their parents have to make a decision for them. Manufacturers and parents are directly responsible for the gender stereotyping experienced in the society today. It is, therefore, imperative to note that gender biased toys can be blamed both on the manufacturers and parents. In the past days, manufacturers did not take into consideration the branding style or what audience they were targeting with the toys. Everything that was in the toys represented the interests of the children of both genders. Later in the days, as Lepkowska notes, toys got different meanings altogether (Lepkowska, 1). In fact, there were some toys that were only left for the boys and the others were left for the girls. Lepkowska argues that the toys for the girls helped them manage their emotions impedance while the toys for the boys helped in improving technical skills as they advanced through the stages of adulthood. A research done to verify these claims would suggest otherwise. However, pundits have argued that the increased stereotyping by manufacturer warrants an in-depth analysis of the role of toys in gender gaps experienced in the society today (Day, 1). The manufacturers of toys are to take responsibility in the increased gender gaps with respect to their production and final delivery to the market. There are those toys that are produced that are

Ashkenazi Jews Essay Example for Free

Ashkenazi Jews Essay The Jews admit that they are not the descendants of the Ancient Israelites in their writings. Under the heading of A brief History of the Terms for Jew in the 1980 Jewish Almanac is the following: Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a ‘Jew’ or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew. 1980 Jewish Almanac, p. 3. http://iamthewitness.com/doc/Ashkenazis.are.not.the.descendants.of.the.Ancient.Israelites.htm JEWS Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a ‘Jew’ or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew. 1980 Jewish Almanac, p. 3. Encyclopedia Americana (1985) Khazar, an ancient Turkic speaking people who ruled a large and powerful state in the steppes North of the Caucasus Mountains from the 7th century to the mid 11th century A.D In the 8th Century its political and religious head as well as the greater part of the Khazar nobility, abandoned paganism and converted to Judaism (The Khazars are the ancestors of most Russian and Eastern European Jews). Encyclopedia Britannica (15th edition): Khazars, confederation of Turkic and Iranian tribes that established a major commercial empire in the second half of the 6th century, covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia In the middle of the 8th century the ruling classes adopted Judaism as their religion. Encyclopedia Americana (1985): Ashkenazim, the Ashkenazim are the Jews whose ancestors lived in German lands it was among Ashkenazi Jews that the idea of political Zionism emerged, leading ultimately to the establishment of the state of Israel In the late 1960s, Ashkenazi Jews numbered some 11 million, about 84 percent of the world Jewish population. The Jewish Encyclopedia: Khazars, a non-Semitic, Asiatic, Mongolian tribal nation who emigrated into Eastern Europe about the first century, who were converted as an entire nation to Judaism in the seventh century by the expanding Russian nation which absorbed the entire Khazar population, and who account for the presence in Eastern Europe of the great numbers of Yiddish-speaking Jews in Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Galatia, Besserabia and Rumania. HORUS. Sun of God Ask Any 33rd degree Freemason! Horus is the EYE above the African Egyptian Pyramid on the U.S.ONE DOLLAR BILL.

::

Our tax dollars at work - a Border Patrol Agent at Burger King! Perhaps it’s a bit radical, perhaps a bit naà ¯ve, but I believe that the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol are institutions which are no longer practical, useful, or necessary in this country. First of all, what are they really accomplishing? The Border Patrol is specifically designed to keep "illegal" or "undocumented aliens" from coming into the US. Is it working? Hardly. Oh sure, they catch a few Mexicans running the desert now and then, but the numbers that are apprehended don’t come close to the numbers of those that make it through. And what about immigrants from other countries? Are our resources able to track those that fly in or arrive by boat? According to the Arizona Republic article "Dying to Work," "The INS strategy of blockading popular border routes with high-tech gizmos and nearly 10,000 agents has yet to measurably cut the flow of illegal immigrants." In fact, it is estimated that there could be as many as 8 million illegal immigrants in the US today. Would it be so bad to just let them in? Over 1100 Mexican nationals have died since 1997 just trying to get to El Norte. Is keeping them out really worth all the expense of the Anti-Immigration agencies and the death toll involved? I would like to examine some of the issues believed to be a problem in this situation†¦ Immigrants are taking American jobs. While in the case of educated immigrants taking skilled jobs this may be true, the numbers in this situation are very small. In fact, one problem that faces many immigrants coming to this country for work is that skills or certifications that they may have had in their home country won’t transfer to professional jobs here, or the language barrier prevents them from performing professional jobs. A good example of this is with Seini from Tonga. In her home country she was a nurse, but in the US could only be a nurse’s aide. Her husband Simi went from being a teacher in Tonga to a warehouse worker. Of more concern to Americans seems to be the throngs of unskilled laborers coming from "Third World" countries. These immigrants come to the US primarily to seek employment, true, but in general the jobs they take are those that are low paying and undesirable to Americans. In speaking with the owner of Hoe-Down Landscaping Services, I was told that in 8 years of business he had not had a single white American apply for a job.

Marx’s Theory of Alienation Essay

Marx used the ‘theory of alienation† to expose what he claimed as a highly exploitative, unfair social relationship existing in a capitalist system which effectively divides society into two opposing groups. He argued that this unfair social relationship came into being because of the â€Å"concept of private property† which, according to him, refers to a situation where the means of production (such as factories and plants) are owned by private persons. This private ownership of the means of production gave birth to the two antagonistic social classes: â€Å"the property owners [or the capitalists] and the propertyless workers.† (Alienation, n.d.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Marx, here lies the first alienation of the workers in a capitalist society. The capitalists own the means of production and the workers have only their labor to sell so that they could survive. Using the plants and factories at their disposal, the capitalists utilize the labor of the workers to enrich themselves by producing â€Å"surplus value† or profit. What worsens the situation for the workers is the fact that capitalists, in order to increase their profit or maximize their surplus value, are disposed to keep wages to the minimum, often barely enough for workers to live a humanely comfortable life. Needless to say, the lower the wages paid to workers, the greater the profit for the capitalists. (Alienation, n.d.) This led Marx to assert that under the capitalist system, the only way to go is for the workers to become poorer and for the capitalists to grow richer. He cited the fact that in capitalist societies, there is an ever increasing number â€Å"in the ‘working poor’ families who remain mired in poverty although every family member works, often more than one job †¦ [because] the wealth of the few depends on the poverty of the many.† (Introduction, n.d.) In other words, capitalism, according to Marx, was tailored so that capitalists who control the means of production should get rich and the workers, whose labor produce the coveted surplus value are shamelessly exploited.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Then the workers are alienated â€Å"from the activity of working† itself.   Marx claimed that workers in a capitalist society do not work because they want to, or enjoy what they do. Neither do they work to improve their lot nor to create a happier, more humane society. Rather, they work simply because they have to earn in order to live. In other words, Marx said that they are â€Å"forced† to work – implying that workers in a capitalist society are far from being happy individuals who have no control even over the course or objective of their labor. The decision rests solely on the capitalists who have already acquired control over their labor after paying for it. Since the only goal of capitalists is more profits, their only objective, therefore, is to utilize labor to gainful undertaking regardless of whether their enterprise benefits society or endangers it. Marx declared that â€Å"If greater profits can be made with weapons than with hula hoops, then that is where they will invest their capital.† In this context, workers who are anti-war are compelled to produce war materials. (Alienation, n.d.) Marx also suggested that in a capitalist society, people are alienated from one another. He argued that workers are not only â€Å"forced† to work under any conditions and for whatever purpose in order to survive – they are also kept separate from one another, pitted against each other. This is because in their desire to live, they have to compete for work. In their craving for a comfortable life, they have to practically elbow each other out for better-paying jobs. It is not only workers who are being alienated from their fellow workers. Capitalists also turn against other capitalists in their quest for profit and power. Marx said that this never-ending competition for jobs and profits â€Å"favors the most ruthless, at other times the most opportunistic or well-connected.† In fact, Marx insinuated that this rat race which characterizes life in a capitalistic society is the start of the process of the dehumanization of man. Their failure to shape society according to their needs, their desires, and their concept of civilization, completes the process because this ability to create the kind of society that they want is what distinguishes man from the lower forms of animal.   (Introduction, n.d.) References Alienation. (n.d.). Order #32797436 attachment. Introduction. (n.d.). Order #32797436 attachment.

Microeconomics Project Essay

An overview Facebook was realized on February 4, 2004 by an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur- Mark Elliot Zuckerberg. Facebook has said it will be valued at up to $96bn ( £59bn) when it sells shares to investors this month in a record-breaking flotation. The first investment from Peter Thiel was $500,000 into Facebook. Facebook has minted four billionaires: Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin and Sean Parker. The 27-year-old Zuckerberg’s net worth was estimated at $17.5bn on the 2011 Forbes list of the wealthiest Americans. Moskovitz had a net worth of $3.5bn but pipped Zuckerberg for the title of world’s youngest billionaire, being eight days younger. The Brazilian-born Saverin, who left Facebook early on after a falling-out with Zuckerberg, had a net worth of $2bn. Parker, the Napster co-founder who briefly served as Facebook’s president, had a net worth of $2.1bn On November 15, 2010, Facebook announced it had acquired the domain name fb.com from the American Farm Bureau Federation for an undisclosed amount. On January 11, 2011, the Farm Bureau disclosed $8.5 million in â€Å"domain sales income†, making the acquisition of FB.com one of the ten highest domain sales in history Nowadays, 1 in every 13 people on earth uses Facebook, more than 900m active users, with over 250 million of them who log in every day. The average user has about 130 friends, but that has expanded in. The core 18-24 year old segment is now growing the fastest at 74% year on year. Almost 72% of all US internet users are on now Facebook, while 70% of the entire user base is located outside of the US. (Source: Facebook) At the beginning, Facebook has 1 million users. In 2008, it increased to 100 million. In 2010 the number of users reached 400 million and up to 500 million within 5 months. Google- a web search engine, it is the company’s most popular service. It began in January 1996 as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were both PhD students at Stanford University in California. Technology is enhancing us as human beings and the integrating of artificial intelligence is slowly being weaved and embedded into our activities and habits almost without us noticing. This reliance that is permeating our day to day existence even extends to a reported 60% plus of all buying decisions now starting with a Google search as we start our research online rather than walk the shop aisles and asking sales attendants questions. The first funding of $100,000 for Google was provided by Andy Bechtolsheim the co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Google’s initial public offering (IPO) took place five years later on August 19, 2004. The stock’s performance after the IPO went well, with shares hitting $700 for the first time on October 31, 2007. primarily because of strong sales and earnings in the online advertising market. In 2004: Gmail launched, Google IPO 8 billion pages indexed. They acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Android was announced in 2007 and Google Chrome was launched in 2008. The 3 charts show the Revenue, Income and number of Employee in two companies. RIVAL PRODUCTION The big question is given, why a search engine like Google to be afraid of Facebook, a social network when the field of activities of these two different companies as far as they seem completely can live peacefully. Google is famous for its searching services, the key point lead to the huge success of Google. It links to billions of Web pages, so users can easily obtain the information they want through the keywords and the operators. Google also uses its search technology for many other search services, including Image Search (photos), Google News, interactive community Google Groups, Google Maps. They also launched variety kinds of services such as Gmail, Google Earth, Google Docs, Picasa, Google Desktop, Google talk, Google Chrome, Google Translate and Android. Facebook is a social networking website for free access with more than 600 million members worldwide with hundreds of millions of activities that occur every day. The amount of data produced in a day of Facebook occupies a huge part of Internet data. Users can communicate with others, make friends, send messages and update their personal profile. Facebook has several features that users can interact such as Wall, Pokes, Photos, Status, Tag (feature of imaging applications), Facebook Notes, Facebook Username, Facebook Messages, Voice Calls, Video Calling, Facebook Subscribe. Looking closely, using the Internet for social purpose has been increasing over the years. More and more people spend longer hours of socializing than browsing so the use of the internet had tilted more on the social side. Facebook has a strong impact to our society. The social circle will suggest what to read, what to check out, where to go to and what to see. These matters may seem not important, but for the business this is such a big deal. As a result, a vast number of companies had recently shifted their focus on socializing, this led to the competition Google versus F acebook. Google is stepping into the Facebook market. Google also has promoted the search function in social network (Social Search) combined between Facebook and search engine Bing with support in 19 languages. Google Social Search helps users to find the appropriate content from the online link on their social network such as websites, blogs, articles and other content created or shared by their friends. Moreover, through many failures of Orkut (social networking and discussion), Google Buzz and Google Wave, in 2010 Google also revealed their plan about new social networking called Google Me to compete Facebook. Google Me combines best features of these social networks having failed before such as allow users check how many visitors clicked, watched, or your missed updates, provide variety kinds of games and application, control the amount of friends who have connected with your friends, stop spreading wide for what was posted. Example, both Orkut and Facebook allow users to delete the share, but this feature of Orkut is much better. This means that if you share a picture for yourself, then you want to delete them, you are allowed to erase that image on your home page, and on top of all other friends.Facebook does not do this,so Google Me is expected as a more attractive version of social networking. In 2011, Google has officially announced the Google+project, a social networking service has the functionality looks very similar to Facebook such as update status, share links and upload photos. Google+allow users to communicate separately for each group. Instead of posting a content update for everyone, Google+ allows users to display that content to the particular group (called a circle), such as classmates, colleagues, family members. Recently, Facebook is actively improving its own search engine. Old founder of the Google Wave, Lars Rasmussen, has joined Facebook, is developing a version of the search engines social networking to develop a new version called â€Å"search engines social networking†. This system will be expected to compete with the search engine of Giant Google in the future. The main purpose of the project is to develop a better search engine that can help brows through the huge amount of content created by users on social networks, as the status updates, articles, video clips and other information. Facebook expects a new email service will help them overtake Google and dominate the social networking world. In 2010, Facebook unveiled the project Titan to compete with Gmail from text messages (SMS), instant messaging (IM), email to Facebook messages. The system will combine messaging via mobile phones, email and chat messages to send to the recipients and they can reply to messages in any way. Facebook uses this project likea special strategy for competition generally on the Internet and particularly on social network. This time, there is notjust the war on email. Facebook seems want to dominate in every field. Facebook is a best place to share photos, surpassing all other services from Flickr, Picasa to Twitter even though its image quality is not high. Facebook members posted 250 million photos per day and this is the function most users use in the social network. Therefore, the Facebook pay billions for the application only works on iPhone and Android also is understandable. Moreover, they also developed a tool Facebook camera similar to Instagram. BUSINESS MODEL To understand why Google and Facebook abominate each other, it is necessary to study their business model. Facebook is now one of the largest social networks while Google is believed as the most powerful searching engine. Each tech titans have been reaping significant success in their domain. However, they both seem have the same main source of revenue is advertising. â€Å"Facebook has 901 million monthly active users (MAUs) as of March 31, 2012, an increase of 33% as compared to 680 million MAUs as of March 31, 2011. And 488 million MAUs used Facebook mobile products in March 2012†-Facebook Amended S1. With great numbers of users, people are deeply impressed by Facebook’s growth. Nevertheless, Google has crossed the 1 billion user mark, while Facebook is not far behind at 900 million — however, users spend a far greater amount of time on Facebook per day, approximately 7 times higher. Top 10 Web Brand for August 2011 (U.S., Total) Rank| Brand| Total Internet Audience(thousand)| Time per Person (hh:mm:ss)| 1| Google | 176,235| 1:47:42| 2| Facebook| 163,163| 7:45:49*| 3| Yahoo| 149,072| 2:12:08| 4| MSN/WindowsLive/Bing| 134,410| 1:43:45| Read as: During August 2011, 176.2 million unique U.S. people visited Google’s websites(Source: Nielsen) In the term of valuation, after the most crucial event of Facebook’s timeline- IPO, going public, Facebook is known being in the position of Google’s 2003. The table below indicates the comparison between Google (GOOG) and Facebook (FB) in different categories such as revenue, revenue growth, operating income and gross margin as they are in the public day. That means for Google, its first quarter is when they were in Q3, while Facebook’s would be Q1 2010 As the table shows, the growth of both companies over the time is almost equivalent as Google 19% and Facebook 16%. If taking into the specific, Google growth rate is arguably more stable than its counterpart social network. The primary reason causing such deviation is that Google was well-established. The following chart will present that point more clearly Source: GOOG data – YCHARTS In comparison, Facebook had a dramatic variable number and especially it was negative in the last quarter, Q9 with -6%.Probably, the company has not decided which its business model is yet (Husky Financial, Facebook vs Google: what you need to know post-IPO). Besides, the other factor affects a volatile Facebook’s development is the dependence in Zynga. There is 15% of Facebook revenue from Zynga (Forbes, By the numbers: Facebook investor checklist). According to the S1, â€Å"If Zynga does not maintain its level of engagement with our users or if we are unable to successfully maintain our relationship with Zynga, our financial results could be harmed†. The crucial income of two companies is generated from advertising. Google have recently proved their Google Adwords comes off well. Thousands of business could buy ads on Google and leads or sales with a proven positive ROI, return on investment. Advertising on Facebook shows much less convincing at this position. The stop in using Facebook’s ads is the forceful example. General Motors Co said on Tuesday (June 22) it will stop advertising on Facebook, even as the social networking website prepares to go public, with a source familiar with the matter saying the automaker had decided Facebook’s ads had little impact on consumers (Reuters). When going to public in 2004, raising just under $2 billion with an initial market cap of le than $25 billion, less than a decade, Google is worth close to 10 times. The IPO gave needed capital to expand their business. This scenario maybe not actually happen to Facebook, according to the previously mention. CONCLUSION A famous Chinese quote â€Å"One mountain cannot have two tigers†. Thus, a social media site or a search engine site will gain a victory? It has not exactly answered yet. However, according to several surveys and analysis in previous parts, Google has more strengthened than Facebook for some reasons: 1. We have many reasons to access Google but only a few reasons to login in Facebook. Most of us go Facebook for chatting , sharing your thoughts , seeing new update , seeing who liked our status, and sharing from our friend or using some applications and playing games . We are busy at looking the updates rather than ads on Facebook. Nobody logins in Facebook to check or to search when they can buy a cheap T shirt or which books are famous, so on. On the other hand, Google is more useful than Facebook. We can search to know any information that we need such as which college is the best or which food is good for health. When we all open up Google for the above mentioned purposes we click on various ads and indirectly generate revenue for Google. The more we search information the more revenue we will generate for Google. 2. People use Facebook less than they used to be A recent survey showed that 34% of users spend less time for Facebook over half a year ago. They assumed that Facebook is boring, not useful, not related and not safe to keep personal information. 20% users spend more time for Facebook, 1/3 users now do not login in Facebook, and nearly 50% of users login in Facebook that stay the same. In addition, a survey from 31/5 to 4/6 /2012 with 1.036 people in America by Reuters and market research company Ipsos presented that most of 80% users never buy product or service on Facebook. As a result, many advertising companies are disappointed and do not want to advertise on facebook anymore. For example: Early 2011, Facebook earned $3.7 billion through advertising. In 2012, this revenue is slowing. In fact, General Motors has recently regained about 10 million investments for advertising on Facebook because it was not effective. 3. Facebook will be forgotten Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital, said that in 5 to 8 years, â€Å"Facebook would disappear the same way Yahoo now.† Although Yahoo is still making money, still profitable, still has 13 thousand employees, but Yahoo is just 10% in value compared with their peak in 2000. Basically, Yahoo! has been considered as disappeared. † Whether Google or Facebook win, users also have benefit. Both companies are fighting to capture the heart of users worldwide. The competition gets its benefit because it can prevent monopoly situation. As long as the two companies keep on fighting, users will continue to gain benefits because the two companies will continue to improve, change, and figure out new features to attract users. For example: Currently, Google has extra the Google Plus to attract users and many other existent features such as YouTube, Feedburner, Chat, Analytics, and Docs. Facebook has the latest new Facebook Timeline feature. The competition between Google and Facebook is just at the beginning stage. We will be seeing more actions and tricks from both sides in future. As the main goal is to gather as many users as possible, both parties will take any necessary steps to capture users’ attention. In the future, users can get more benefit such as gifts, discounts, coupons, competition prize, lucky draws and many other events by just participating. Works Cited â€Å"August 2011 – Top US Web Brands.† August 2011, Top US Web Brands. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å"Facebook.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 June 2012. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å"Google Se Tao Ra Mang Xa Hoi Tot Hon Facebook.† Http://www.pcworld.com.vn/articles/tin-tuc/tin-quoc-te/2010/08/1220500/google-se-tao-ra-mang-xa-hoi-tot-hon-facebook/. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å"Google vs. Facebook.† Netchunks. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å"PGDE Scrapbook.† Enter Website Address or Keywords to Cite. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å"Và ¬ Sao Google Lai Ghet Va so Facebook.† TG&DT. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. . â€Å" 1/3 ngÆ °Ã¡ » i dung Ä‘Ã £ â€Å"ngá º ¥y â€Å" Facebook†.vietnamnet.9 June 2012. Web . 14 June 2012. â€Å"Google vs. Facebook†. netchunks.18 May 2012. Web. 14 June 2012 . â€Å"The Competition Between Facebook and Google Which Might Benefits Users†. toasteggme.24 September 2011. Web. 14 June 2012. â€Å"Why Facebook still not equipped enough to compete with Google†.aryaninfo.n.d.Web. 14 June 2012. Husky Financial. â€Å"Facebook Vs. Google: What You Need To Know Post-IPO – Seeking Alpha.† Facebook Vs. Google: What You Need To Know Post-IPO – Seeking Alpha. Seeking Alpha, 17 May 2012. Web. 4 June 2012. . Klayman, Ben, and Alexei Oreskovic. â€Å"GM to Drop Facebook Ads Due to Low Consumer Impact.† Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 15 May 2012. Web. 4 June 2012. . Nielsenwire. â€Å"August 2011- Top US Web Brands.† August 2011 – Top US Web Brands. N.p., 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 June 2012. . YChart. â€Å"Google Price: 581.53.† Google Price (GOOG). N.p., n.d. Web. 4 June 2012. . YCharts. â€Å"By The Numbers:Facebook Investor Checklist.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18

Free Essays on Acheiving Goals

A goal as defined in Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary is â€Å"a strong desire to achieve something†. When I first heard of University of Phoenix, I was extremely excited to pursue my ultimate goal in life, to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a small amount of time. The pop up message from University of Phoenix stating â€Å"turn your goal into achievements †¦ isn’t it time you achieve the success you deserve?† encouraged me to contact the Phoenix counselor. When I first spoke to the counselor, I was overwhelmed by the information given to me. Attending a prestigious school such as the University of Phoenix will allow me to accomplish my goals at a pace that fits my busy schedule. University of phoenix enables its students to acquire knowledge, think critically, communicate clearly, and lead effectively so they may enjoy fulfilling lives and successful careers. A challenging and caring institutional environment encourages and supports studen ts as they recognize and develop their potential. An extremely distinguished faculty, a milieu replete with academic activity, and an excellent online business management program which blends high quality course work and research facilities at the cutting edge of every sub-field are the factors which have motivated me to choose Phoenix University as my choice for Bachelors studies. I believe the program offered will help me acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential. Due to the practical curriculum offered by the University of Phoenix, I am able to work full-time, maintain a social and professional life without conflicting my personal life, and study at the same time. By managing my time efficiently, I can complete my Bachelor’s in Business from University of Phoenix and then pursue my goals for a better career and eventually a better life. Also, I am hoping that as a University of Phoenix student, I will learn to manage my time wisely. Juggling work and school is no piec... Free Essays on Acheiving Goals Free Essays on Acheiving Goals A goal as defined in Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary is â€Å"a strong desire to achieve something†. When I first heard of University of Phoenix, I was extremely excited to pursue my ultimate goal in life, to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a small amount of time. The pop up message from University of Phoenix stating â€Å"turn your goal into achievements †¦ isn’t it time you achieve the success you deserve?† encouraged me to contact the Phoenix counselor. When I first spoke to the counselor, I was overwhelmed by the information given to me. Attending a prestigious school such as the University of Phoenix will allow me to accomplish my goals at a pace that fits my busy schedule. University of phoenix enables its students to acquire knowledge, think critically, communicate clearly, and lead effectively so they may enjoy fulfilling lives and successful careers. A challenging and caring institutional environment encourages and supports studen ts as they recognize and develop their potential. An extremely distinguished faculty, a milieu replete with academic activity, and an excellent online business management program which blends high quality course work and research facilities at the cutting edge of every sub-field are the factors which have motivated me to choose Phoenix University as my choice for Bachelors studies. I believe the program offered will help me acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential. Due to the practical curriculum offered by the University of Phoenix, I am able to work full-time, maintain a social and professional life without conflicting my personal life, and study at the same time. By managing my time efficiently, I can complete my Bachelor’s in Business from University of Phoenix and then pursue my goals for a better career and eventually a better life. Also, I am hoping that as a University of Phoenix student, I will learn to manage my time wisely. Juggling work and school is no piec...

Free sample - BOCHK Risk Management and Financial Performance. translation missing

BOCHK Risk Management and Financial Performance. BOCHK Risk Management and Financial PerformanceBank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) is among the largest commercial banking groups in Hong Kong. The Bank has over 300 branches. Despite the Bank’s magnitude and systemic risk management, it witnessed a decline in operational income and suffered a negative shock in 2008. Thus, it is critical to analyze the Company’s risk management policies, the measurement and management risk, and comparing the 2008 results with the previous year’s results. The annual comparisons will utilize the Company’s calculated ROE, and will be critical in understanding the Bank’s performance relative to the earlier periods.  Ã‚  Ã‚   I. Overall Risk Management The Bank for International Settlements (2004) provides guidelines for conducting interest risk management. Additionally, it provides the measures that can be used in managing the overall risk to a financial institution. The analysis of BOCHK will be based on the standards provided in the above book. The aim of the analysis will be to determine whether, the company adheres to the international standards of risk management. BOCHK’s 2008 report indicates that BOCHK’s risk-management governance structure is structured to cover the entire operations of the business. The Bank adopts a swift and prudent manner in managing its various risk exposures. The risk management structure meets the standards stipulated by BIS. Initially, the report indicates that to align the management strategies with the corporate strategies the Chief Risk Officer (CFO) reports directly to the Risk Committee and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). CFO’s responsibilities are to ensure the proper implementation of policies and procedures and oversee the effective management and control of risk. The Bank publishes reports on a regular basis; this guarantees a timely assessment of the effectiveness of the risk control strategies. The determination of the effectiveness of the risk control measures lies with the Board of Directors. Additionally, the independent operation between the business units and the risk assessme nt units complies with the principle of segregation of duties. Independence is both sufficient and necessary for risk management (Khambata , Dara 2006). However, BIS requires that risk control functions report directly to the Board of Directors. Otherwise, there is a risk that the CRO and CEOmay conspire to fake the risk management reports; this would impair the objectivity of the risk management system. Secondly, BOCHK’s principal banking subsidiaries Nanyang and Chiyu, execute their risk management strategies independently. They adopt similar risk management strategies with their parent company and report to BOCHK’s management on a regular basis. Additionally, the company’s 2004 report indicates that the Bank utilizes stress testing. Stress testing is a risk management tool used in estimating risk exposure under stressed conditions, which arise from extreme but plausible macroeconomic conditions.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bank’s information systems are well established to provide timely reports within different levels of management. The CRO stipulates specific procedures concerning the promotion of new products and activities. In addition, BOCHK prudently enacts and administers operating limits so that risk exposures are consistent with internal policies. However, the mere existence of risk management mechanisms does not guarantee sufficiency or effectiveness. Enforcement of risk control policies should be applied to ensure an efficient risk management system. II. Measurement and Management of Credit Risk According to note 4 of BOCHK’s 2008 financial statements, BOCHK manages two broad classes of assets: loans and advances, and debt securities and derivatives. The Company’s overall assets exposure to credit risk in 2008 was HK$1,364,462 million. This figure includes HK$1,111,073 million on-balance-sheet exposures and HK$253,389 million off-balance-sheet exposures. To safeguard its corporate interest, BOCHK should manage the credit risk that is related to these assets in a prudent manner, especially during a financial crisis. This part of the report will investigate how BOCHK measures and manages credit risk of these assets. To minimize the credit risk BOCHK adopted credit approval policies and procedures (BOCHK, 2008). These measures are evaluated and updated by the risk management department and other relevant departments. Regarding the loans and advances, BOCHK adopts different credit control procedures and credit grading systems depending on the level of risk exposure to the customers. Additionally, the Company utilizes bank scorecard for financial institutions, credit-scoring system for retail credit transactions, and small business credit scorecard for small firms. BOCHK identifies credit concentration risk by industry, customer, geographically, and counterparty risk. For instance, the Bank’s â€Å"classified or impaired† advances are HK$1,792 million in Hong Kong, HK$323 million in Mainland China, and HK$23 million elsewhere. Besides, loans and advances are classified in five categories to improve the Bank’s ability to identify and assess credit risk: â€Å"pass,† †Å"special mention,† â€Å"substandard,† â€Å"doubtable,† and â€Å"loss.† For example, the total assets marked as substandard or below the high-risk category, accounted for 0.08% (HK$379 million). As for debt securities and securitized assets, the 2008 report indicates that BOCHK adopts external credit rating systems, such as Moody’s, to manage the Bank’s credit risk. Moody’s ratings for 2008 showed that 19.34% of BOCHK’s debt securities rated as â€Å"AAA† compared to 2.36% â€Å"lower than A3† debt securities. Particularly, BOCHK applied a comprehensive methodology to establish whether a certain asset/mortgage backed security, (ABS/MBS) is impaired. This was determined based on such factors as the mark-to-market price, external rating, and delinquencies. In addition to these factors, ABS/MBS are further required to pass the credit enhancement coverage ratio set by BOCHK. To manage credit risk in a dynamic market environment, the Bank has established policies, procedures, and appropriate credit risk limits. The corporate organization structure should define a clear line of authority and responsibility for supervising compliance with relevant rules (Khambata , Dara 2006). BOCHK’s Credit Risk Assessment Committee takes charge of assessing all credit-scoring facilities and reviewing reports submitted by risk management units independently. In addition, Khambata , Dara (2006) argue that collateral is another key element to manage credit risk. An independent appraiser determines the value of collateral for acquiring a new loan. Thus, the value of collateralized loans is determined based on the loan-to-value ratio limits. Additionally, BOCHK revalues and manages its collaterals periodically. BOCHK documents the acceptance criteria, the validity of collateral, and the revaluation of collateral on a regular basis. This is done to watch the status of co llateral. III. Financial Performance Comparison According to the 2008 reports, BOCHK’s ROA and ROE were 0.26% and 3.56% in 2008, and 1.48% and 16.64% in 2007 respectively. Additionally, BOCHK’s Profit Margin declined in 2008 to 5.97% compared to 24.24% in 2007. These were substantial declines within a year; they were attributed to the increase in impairment charges on the US non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities and other securities investment. Furthermore, a significant increase in Provision for loan losses/Total operating income from 2.22% to 24.95% and a dramatic decline in the investment-related commission income produced a negative impact on the Company’s profit in 2008. The sluggish investment environment that resulted from the global financial crisis led to increments in the provision for loan losses. As customers steered clear from the investment products, the investment, and insurance fee income decreased by 34.3% to HK$2,964 million. Note 12 shows that the net charge of impairment allowances increased from HK$1,448 in 2007 to HK$ 12, 573 in 2008. Despite the bleak financial environment, the ineffective credit risk management was still to blame for the sudden increase in loan impairment losses. From the perspective of overall risk management, it can be suggested that BOCHK should undertake more strict stress testing measures and scenario analysis to predict the sensitivity of risk factors with various degrees of severity. References Bank for International Settlements. (2004). Triennial Central Bank Survey: Foreign  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity in 2004. BOCHK. (2008). Financial Report 2008. Khambata, M., Dara, Y. (2006). The Performance of Multinational Banking: Macro-Policy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Issues and Key International Concepts. (2nd ed.). New York: Quorum Books.

Music, Movement or Creative Art Lesson Plan Assignment

Music, Movement or Creative Art Lesson Plan - Assignment Example e motor skills (Art), gross motor skills (Movement), social skills when they sing, dance and work together with other children, cognitive skills when they identify and talk about the animals and what they look/sound like as well as what they do. I can even make them sort the pictures of animals in various ways such as grouping them according to covering, to habitat or to the number of body parts. Finally, the song teaches about values because it focuses on praise and thanksgiving. I considered that all my students have different needs. For those who can join the main activity, I have prepared the song and dance and the art activities. However for my students who may not be capable of the activities due to some disability, age or lack of skill, I have also devised some ways for them to also participate such as improvising on the materials they can use (ex. Glue sticks instead of liquid glue; thick paint brushes instead of thin ones; easels instead of tables, with corresponding thicker paints). I have also considered those who may be unable to join the group movement activity to just watch the video in another room so that they can also enjoy the song while doing the small movements on their own without inhibitions. The children welcomed these differentiated strategies. Those who were sent to the video room initially just wanted to stay, and they were allowed to be with the group, but later on, they asked to see the video separately. The younger ones were able to do the Butterfly Blotto, but needed more assistance so that they control their impulse to paint the whole page instead of just the folded part. In any case, the lesson was a success! This lesson was the initial one and I did not expect mastery at once. I planned that the activities were motivators and reminders for the coming days of the lesson and activities we did. The following days also dealt with the same topic, but we focused on other areas such as what the animals ate, how they lived and which ones