Wednesday, January 29, 2020

First Day of High School Essay Example for Free

First Day of High School Essay Walking into a brand new school for the first time with a bundle of happiness and a twisted knot in your stomach indicating just how nervous you really are, sure is a way to start your first day of high school. It is natural on the part of every student to remember the first day at school. Recently, I just became a 9th grader. I remember the day as a unclear haze, that resembled a impossible puzzle to complete. The night before was spent with stories of high school back in the last couple decades or so. Ever so often was an, Oh youll blend in, Youve grown so much, and I cannot believe youre already in high school. Eventually the praise died down and it was time to climb into bed. The first thing I came to realize was a large building pacted tightly together within a compound wall. As small as I am, i couldnt not seem to put the puzzle pieces together but luckily a map became my bestfriend. The schedule was confusing at first, since it was a long summertime before I had last read one. Nothing felt stable or ordered, everything seemed like it was going to be chaotic any minute. A few seconds later the bell rang, as I thought to myself how much I did not ever recall a harsh stop and ponder during the summer about miss the bell itself. The pattern went throughout the day as a class began, and after a long period a bell ended the period and began a new class. This went on for what felt like years. I walked through the halls and tried to categorize exactly what type of people I would be dealing with and Ive realized the fact high school is anything but the type of events they describe in movies. Everyone seemed to fit each category perfectly, however it wasnt quite the match. These faces appeared more normal and friendly. I remember my imagination of what high school was like when I was younger. I was just dying to experience all the new and exciting things that awaited me. From sports to boys to all the partying, I just wanted to know what everything was like and now that Im finally here, I feel like I want to go back to when I was younger and not wish to grow up so much. As time goes on you find yourself getting to class earlier and earlier each day. Finding new routes, talking a little more, taking more time between  classes and the tension eases. The days do not get harder, but the work and study habits do. Later days of the school year are always easier then the first few. Some say that high school was the best time of my life, just like others say that high school was the worst time in their lives. To be honest, I am not sure which category I fall into yet. Ive had a good start but I know high school wont be picture perfect for me. The only thing I can say is that I am learning.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Problems with Farm Subsidies :: Economy

The Problems with Farm Subsidies Subsidies are payments, economic concessions, or privileges given by the government to favor businesses or consumers. In the 1930s, subsidies were designed to favor agriculture. John Steinbeck expressed his dislike of the farm subsidy system of the United States in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. In that book, the government gave money to farms so that they would grow and sell a certain amount of crops. As a result, Steinbeck argued, many people starved unnecessarily. Steinbeck examined farm subsidies from a personal level, showing how they hurt the common man. Subsidies have a variety of other problems, both on the micro and macro level, that should not be ignored. Despite their benefits, farm subsidies are an inefficient and dysfunctional part of our economic system. The problems of the American farmer arose in the 1920s, and various methods were introduced to help solve them. The United States still disagrees on how to solve the continuing problem of agricultural overproduction. In 1916, the number of people living on farms was at its maximum at 32,530,000. Most of these farms were relatively small (Reische 51). Technological advances in the 1920's brought a variety of effects. The use of machinery increased productivity while reducing the need for as many farm laborers. The industrial boom of the 1920s drew many workers off the farm and into the cities. Machinery, while increasing productivity, was very expensive. Demand for food, though, stayed relatively constant (Long 85). As a result of this, food prices went down. The small farmer was no longer able to compete, lacking the capital to buy productive machinery. Small farms lost their practicality, and many farmers were forced to consolidate to compete. Fewer, larger farms resulted (Reische 51). During the Depression, unemployment grew while income shrank. "An extended drought had aggravated the farm problem during the 1930s (Reische 52)." Congress, to counter this, passed price support legislation to assure a profit to the farmers. The Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 allowed the government to limit acreage use for certain soil-depleting crops. The Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 allowed the government to set the minimum price and amount sold of a good at the market. The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, farmers were given price supports for not growing crops. These allowed farmers to mechanize, which was necessary because of the scarcity of farm labor during World War II (Reische 52). During World War II, demand for food increased, and farmers enjoyed a period of general prosperity (Reische 52).

Monday, January 13, 2020

Capital Budgeting Methods for Corporate Project Selection

Capital Budgeting Methods for Corporate Project Selection In a 2001 Graham and Harvey survey of 392 chief financial officers (CFOs) asked â€Å"how frequently they used different capital budgeting methods? † Approximately 75% of the CFOs replied that they use net present value (NPV) or Internal Rate of Return (IRR) always or almost always (Smart, Megginson & Gitman, 2004, pg. 251). Projects are viewed as capital investments in the corporate world, and as such, are evaluated closely for their possible financial impacts on the â€Å"bottom line† due to their higher risk of failure.Capital investments are those that are considered long-term investments such as manufacturing plants, R&D, equipment, marketing campaign, etc. , and capital budgeting is â€Å"the process of identifying which of these investment projects a firm should undertake† (Smart, Megginson & Gitman, 2004, pg. 227). According to Smart, Megginson & Gitman, there are three steps in the capital budgeti ng process: * Identifying potential investments Analyzing the set of investment opportunities, identifying those that will create shareholder value, and perhaps prioritizing them * Implementing and Monitoring the investment projects selected This paper will focus on step two, and will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the four most common methods that are utilized for evaluating, selecting and prioritizing projects in the corporate world. Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Straight/Discounted Payback Period and Profitability Index are the four of the most come methods used during step 2 of the capital budgeting process.Four fictional potential capital investments will be used to illustrate how the different methods can affect project selection for a portfolio. THEME PARK CAPITAL INVESTMENTS A theme park senior executive management team had four capital projects presented during the last capital budget meeting. The projects are a $250M park expansion, $50M value resort renovation, $500M new moderate resort construction and $200M new value resort construction. All these projects have similar completion time frames and have 20 year life expectancies.Years 1 to 5 cash flows for each project come from the pro formas, and Years 6 -20 are based on an expected 2% per increase in cash flows. The company has $750M to invest on capital projects this year, and they must decide which projects should be approved. NET PRESENT VALUE Net Present Value is the sum of discounted future cash flows and provides the appropriate adjustments for the time value of money. In short, NPV is the reverse of compounding interest, and this process begins with the selection of a â€Å"discount rate. † According to Smart, Megginson & Gitman, pg. 01, â€Å"A project’s discount risk must be high enough to compensate investors for the project’s risk† The discount rate can be based on the inherent risk of a project, the required rate of return on shares, cost of equity, etc. The discount rate should not be one rate for all projects with in a firm, but reflect the nature of the project. The formula for NPV is: In this calculation, CFt represents the net cash flow of the year and r is the selected discount rate. CF0 usually represents the initial outlay to get the project started, and is usually a negative cash flow.As a rule, projects with a negative NPV are not approved, but a â€Å"hurdle† could be set such as projects with a NPV

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Crucible Literary Essay - 1129 Words

Literary Essay: The Crucible by Arthur Miller In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Parris is a character in the play that is very static. His character does not evolve in many ways during the course of the play. By the end of the play, Reverend Parris is still selfish, stubborn, and greedy. However, one of his most prominent flaws at the begging of the play is his selfishness. At the very beginning of the play, it is quite obvious that Parris is a selfish person. He only cares about himself, his reputation and materialistic things. â€Å"(†¦) in the midst of such disruption, my own household is discovered to be the very center of some obscene practice. Abominations are done in the forest—† (pg. 11). This quote shows that he†¦show more content†¦I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood† (both on pg. 29) these quotes show that having things/possessions are important to him and he wants them right away, and he even w ants more money on his pay to get these extras. Another example of his greediness is that he wants to break tradition to obtain the deed to the house he is given because he is a minister. Proctor: â€Å"Mr. Parris, you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to this house† Parris: â€Å"Man! Don’t a minister deserve a house to live in? Proctor: â€Å"to live in, yes. But to ask the ownership is like you shall own the meeting house itself (...)† (pg. 30). This shows that Parris wants what he wants, and he will try and get it. He wants to break tradition to own a house he is not supposed to own, and he uses his title of ‘minister’ as a way of pity to get it. Lastly, Parris wants golden candlesticks in the church instead of the regular ones. Proctor to Hale: (†¦) for twenty week He preach nothin but golden candlesticks until he had them. I labor the earth from dawn of day to blink of night, and I tell you true, when I look to heaven and see my money glaring at his elbows - it hurt my prayer, sir, it hurt my prayer. I think, sometimes, the man dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meetin houses. (pg. 65) This quote shows that Parris only cares about his image. He wantsShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible Critical Lens Essay866 Words   |  4 PagesIII, Period 7 22 November 2014 The Crucible Critical Lens Essay As Vladimir Lenin once stated, â€Å"A lie told often enough becomes truth.† This quote indicates that if you constantly repeat a lie, eventually people will come to believe it. I definitely agree with Lenin. A lie won’t stay a secret forever. Lenin’s quote remains true and evident in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible. There are many characters Miller uses to prove this quote true through the literary elements Characterization, ThemeRead MoreJohn Proctor: The Epitome of a Tragic Hero950 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a literary character of magnitude that â€Å"makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her destruction†. Unlike the Greek philosopher’s description, Arthur Miller, the author of the essay â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, considers a tragic hero to be a character of ordinary status that â€Å"is ready to lay down their life to secure his or her personal dignity†. 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AbigailRead MoreHow Writing Is A Skill That Anyone Can Be Good1161 Words   |  5 Pagesexpected to show a new level of literary maturity, to write in a way that conveys what we desire to express in a higher standard of vocabulary. We are given topics to learn and expected to express it in our own words from the information that we acquire. Like everyone else, I had to read classic literature such as Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands and The Diary of Anne Frank and analyze the meanings and context from each literary work. I learned that the context of the literary work was just as importantRead MorePace Rhythm - Ib English a Hl Paper 22293 Words   |  10 PagesArthur Miller s The Crucible variations of pace and rhythm are utilized in order to attract or heighten the attention of the audience. However, in order to determine the manner in which variations of pace and rhythm affect the audience interruptions to routines, the juxtaposition of calm and hysteria, the use of pace to reflect tension and the way in which structure influences the interest of the audience need to be taken into consideration. It is apparent that within both The Crucible and A StreetcarRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pagesminus the answer.† Choose a novel or play and, considering Barthes’ Observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affec ts your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. You may select a work from the list below or another novel or play of comparable literary merit. Alias Grace Middlemarch All the King’s Men Moby-Dick Candide ObasanRead MoreAbigail Williams1805 Words   |  8 Pagesimagining them. 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Click the link to view the mouse4 Archaic and Classical Greek Sculpture Rubric. - Much is made of the temples and