Financial Managment worksheet 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Managment worksheet 3 - Essay Example The investors who invest their money in the firm for hope to get a return on their investment are called stockholders or shareholders. In other words, evaluation of a proposed project should be based on the project's cost of capital (Vernimmen, 2005). This is because when a company raises capital, there is usually no direct links between the return to the supplier of the company's capital and the return on individual project. The corporation then uses the weighted average of these capitals for mixing in the firm's overall equity to analyze the capital budgeting decisions. It takes into consideration the weighted average of all the capital and is thus referred as weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital expenditure. Although actual level of debt and equity may vary somewhat over time, most firms try to keep their financing mix close to a target capital structure. As we know that the WACC is a weighted average of relatively low-cost debt and high cost equity, so precisely we can say that capital structure change will affect the WACC to increase or decrease with respect to the change that occurs in the capital structure. The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital structure. ... ecisely we can say that capital structure change will affect the WACC to increase or decrease with respect to the change that occurs in the capital structure. OPTIMAL CAPITAL STRUCTURE: The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital structure. The fundamental source of a company's value is the stream of net cash flows generated by it assets. This stream is usually referred to as the company's net operating cash flow or earning before interest and taxes (EBIT). The capital structure adopted by a company divides the stream between different classes of investors. If a company is financed entirely by equity and there is no company tax, this entire stream is available to provide income to shareholders. If a company also borrows funds, the lenders have the first claim on the net operating cash flow and shareholders are entitled to the riskier, residual cash flow that remains after the lenders have been paid (Vernimmen, 2005). Manager should choose the capital structure that maximizes shareholder's wealth. The basic approach is to consider a trial capital structure based on the market values of the debt and equity, and then estimate the wealth of the sharehold ers under this capital structure. This approach is repeated until an optimal capital structure is identified. We have to take 5 steps into consideration to determine an "optimal capital structure", the steps are; 1. Estimate the interest rate the firm will pay 2. Estimate the cost of equity 3. Estimate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) 4. Estimate the free cash flow and their present value, which is the value of the firm 5. Deduct the value of the debt to find the shareholders' wealth which we want to maximize An investor in a company with a low debt-equity ratio is likely to attach a low

Fast food Essay Example for Free

Fast food Essay 1 Departm ent of Clinical Biochem istry , Gentofte Hospital Univ ersity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denm ark of Hum an Nutrition, Centre for Adv anced Food Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences, Univ ersity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denm ark 2 Departm ent Correspondence: A Astrup, Departm ent of Hum an Nutrition, RVA Univ ersity , 1 9 58 Frederiksberg C, Denm ark. Em ail: ast @kvl. dk Abstract. Although nutrition experts might be able to navigate the menus of fast-food restaurant chains, and based on the nutritional information, compose apparently healthy meals, there are still many reasons why frequent fast-food consumption at most chains is unhealthy and contributes to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Fast food generally has a high-energy density, which, together with large portion sizes, induces over consumption of calories. In addition, we have found it to be a myth that the typical fast-food meal is the same worldwide. Chemical analyses of 74 samples of fast-food menus consisting of French fries and fried chicken (nuggets/hot wings) bought in McDonalds and KFC outlets in 35 countries in 2005–2006 showed that the total fat content of the same menu varies from 41 to 65 g at McDonalds and from 42 to 74 g at KFC. In addition, fast food from major chains in most countries still contains unacceptably high levels of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (IP-TFA). IP-TFA have powerful biological effects and may contribute to increased weight gain, abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. The food quality and portion size need to be improved before it is safe to eat frequently at most fast-food chains. Key words: trans-fat t y acids, fast food, energy densit y Introduction In the documentary film Super Size Me, the character Mr Spurlock ate McDonalds food three times a day for 30 days and gained 11 kg. It is quite obvious that one can purposely overeat on almost any diet, but the film raises the question of whether fast food poses a special health risk. To what extent this behaviour is a realistic trait in the general population, and to what extent fast-food consumption contributes to obesity and other morbidities such as type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, is still debatable. Before drawing any conclusion as to whether there are causal links between intake of fast foods and disease, ideally randomised trials should be conducted to provide robust evidence on this issue. However, it is highly unlikely that such trials comparing frequent and infrequent fast-food consumption will ever be carried out. We therefore have to rely on observational epidemiology and on mechanistic studies. www. nature. com/ijo/journal/v31/n6/full/0803616a. html 1/5 1/3/14 International Journal of Obesity Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy Epidemiological studies A number of observational studies have assessed the association between frequent fast-food intake and weight gain. The American population study Cardia suggests that frequent fastfood consumption is positively associated with weight gain and risk of insulin resistance over 15 years. Individuals who had meals at fast-food restaurants more than two times a week gained 4. 5 kg more weight and had a 104% greater increase in insulin resistance, at both baseline and follow-up, than individuals who ate less than one fast-food meal per week. 1 This study was the first long-term project to find that people who frequently expose themselves to fast foods are at increased risk of weight gain over time and of developing type 2 diabetes. The study had several limitations such as the population size of only 3000 individuals and the fact that self-reported information about diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors has inherent measurement errors. These factors, however, would normally tend to underestimate the strength of the identified associations. Other observational studies have to some extent supported the existence of a causal link. However, observational studies cannot prove that the association between fast-food consumption and weight gain is causal. It remains possible that frequent fast-food consumption is simply a marker for a generally unhealthy lifestyle (e. g. , less restrained eating behaviour, fatty and sweet food preferences, and a sedentary lifestyle), factors which are the real culprits in weight gain and in the increased risk of diabetes. Although every effort is made to adjust for potential confounders, one cannot adjust for unmeasured or unmeasurable lifestyle factors. Mechanisms by which fast food can be obesogenic Portion size. Despite the above-mentioned limitations in epidemiological observational studies, most of us would accept that the link between intake of fast foods and weight gain is causal because there are several mechanisms whereby fast foods could produce weight gain. At least two important features of fast food could explain why fast food is fattening, namely, large portion sizes and high-energy density. It is well established that the bigger the portion size, the more we consume. 2 Portion sizes of burgers, fried potatoes, pizzas, and soft drinks at fast-food outlets have all increased 2–5-fold over the last 50 years. 3 Energy density In addition to large portion sizes, fast food is also characterised by high-energy density, that is high energy-content/food-weight ratio. The energy density of the entire menu at fast-food outlets is typically 1100 kJ/100 g. 4 This is 65% higher than the average British diet ( 670 kJ/100 g) and more than twice the energy density of recommended healthy diets ( 525 kJ/100 g). Humans have only a weak innate ability to recognise foods with high-energy density and to downregulate the bulk eaten to meet energy requirements appropriately. 4 Industrially produced trans fat. French fries and fried meat from fast-food outlets contain high amounts of industrially produced trans-fatty acids. Trans fats are fats in margarines, spreads, and frying oils, produced by industrial hardening of vegetable or marine oils, to make the product more stable and robust for handling and storage. The hardening results in the creation of a so-called trans double bonds in the fatty acids of the lipids, in contrast to the normally occurring cis double bonds. This increases the melting points of the fats, thereby increasing shelf-life. Trans-fatty www. nature.com/ijo/journal/v31/n6/full/0803616a. html 2/5 1/3/14 International Journal of Obesity Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy acids are also found naturally in meat from ruminants and in dairy products, but not nearly to the same extent as in industrially produced trans fat (up to 5%, as compared to up to 60% in fats), and not of the same types as in IP-TFA. In a worldwide study of the content of IP-TFA in fast foods, biscuits, and snacks, we found contents of IP-TFA ranging up to 50% of the fat in the products, enabling consumers to ingest 36 g of IP-TFA in a single meal in the US. 5 A daily intake of 5 g trans fat, corresponding to 2 energy percent, is associated with an approximately 30% increase in CHD risk. 6 Observational studies have found that a high intake of IP-TFA is stronger associated to the risk of weight gain and gain in abdominal fatness than to the intake of other fat sources. 7 Although unaccounted residual confounding cannot be ruled out, other sources of research support that the relationship is causal. First, IP-TFA serves as ligands for the PPAR- system and can exert a biological effect that promotes abdominal obesity. 6 Second, a recently reported long-term randomised trial in monkeys delivers robust evidence that IP-TFA induces weight gain and abdominal obesity. Kavanagh et al. 8 reported their findings at the 66th ADA meeting in Washington, D. C. For over 6 years monkeys were fed two different isocaloric, western-style diets that contained either 8% of their calories from trans fat or the same amount of fat calories as cis-monounsaturated fat. After 6 years, the IP-TFA fed monkeys had gained 7. 2% in body weight, compared to a 1. 8% increase in body weight in monkeys fed with cis-monounsaturated fats. CT scans showed that the monkeys on the trans-fat diet had deposited 30% more abdominal fat than the monkeys on the cismonounsaturated fat diet. Taken together these studies suggest that IP-TFA is obesity promoting, and that they particularly facilitate the deposition of the harmful abdominal fat associated with CHD. These findings can contribute to explaining why high intakes of IP-TFA may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. 9 Fat content in fast-food menus To select more healthy choices at the fast-food restaurants, nutritional labelling must be both available and accurate. While most chains provide nutritional information about total calories, calories from macronutrients, and fibre content of their products, we do not think that the average consumer who eats at a fast-food chain has the time or ability to make a reasonable estimate of health consequences of such meals or their contribution to the days caloric intake. The results of our analyses of total fat and trans fat in 74 French fries and fried chicken (nuggets/hot wings) samples bought in McDonalds and KFC outlets in 35 countries during 2005–2006 are given in Figure 1. The figures represent the total fat and trans fat content in 160 g of chicken meat and 171 g of French fries, corresponding to a large serving at an American McDonalds outlet. In these meals the total fat content varies from 41 to 65 g at McDonalds and from 42 to 74 g at KFC; the trans fat content varies from 0. 3 to 10. 2 and 0. 3 to 24 g, respectively. The differences in total fat content can – at least in part – be due to local taste preferences, but this is not the case for trans fat, which does not add a special flavour to the food. The results show that the same product, by the same provider, can vary in fat calorie content by more than 40%, and in trans fat content by several orders of magnitude. This demonstrates that the same product, unknown to the consumer, can vary substantially in its compliance with recommendations for healthy food. Figure 1. The entire length of the bar (both colours included) indicates the am ounts of total fat in a large fast-food m eal consisting of 1 7 1 g French fries and 1 6 0 g chicken nuggets. The darker colour indicates the am ounts of industrially produced trans fat. The v alues in parenthesis are the am ounts of trans fat as a percentage of total fat. www. nature. com/ijo/journal/v31/n6/full/0803616a. html 3/5 1/3/14 International Journal of Obesity Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy Full figure and legend (305K) Conclusions Fast-food restaurant chains may argue that the evidence linking their products to the supersizing of their customers is too weak. But should not the customer be given the benefit of the doubt? Appropriate actions would include reducing portions to normal sizes, eliminating industrially produced trans fat, and selling burgers of lean meat, whole grain bread/buns, fatreduced mayonnaise, more vegetables, lower-fat fried potatoes, reduced-sugar soft drinks, etc. Moreover, reliable nutritional information should be given by the chains, which requires better standardisation of the foods used. 10 Although these measures may raise prices, such changes in fast-food meals would have no adverse health effects but quite the opposite! References 1. Pereira MA, Kartashov AI, Ebbeling CB, Van Horn L, Slattery ML, Jacobs Jr DR et al. Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet 2005; 365: 36–42. | Article | PubMed | ISI | 2. Diliberti N, Bordi PL, Conklin MT, Roe LS, Rolls BJ. Increased portion size leads to increased energy intake in a restaurant meal. Obes Res 2004; 12: 562– 568. | PubMed | 3. Young LR, Nestle M. Expanding portion sizes in the US marketplace: implications for nutrition counseling. J Am Diet Assoc 2003; 103: 231–234. | Article | PubMed | ISI | 4. Prentice AM, Jebb SA. Fast foods, energy density and obesity: a possible mechanistic link. Obes Rev 2003; 4: 187–194. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort | 5. Stender S, Dyerberg J, Bysted A, Leth T, Astrup A. A trans world journey. Atheroscl Suppl 2006; 7: 47–52. | Article | 6. Mozaffarian D, Katan MB, Ascherio A, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Trans fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 2006; 354: 1601– 1613. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort | 7. Koh-Banerjee P, Chu NF, Spiegelman D, Rosner B, Colditz G, Willett W et al. Prospective study of the association of changes in dietary intake, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking with 9-y gain in waist circumference among 16 587 US men. Am J Clin Nutr 2003; 78: 719–727. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort | 8. Kavanagh K, Jones K, Sawyer J, Kelly K, Wagner JD, Rudel LL. Trans fat diet induces insulin resistance in monkeys. Diabetes Care 2006. Proceedings of 66th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association: Abstract 328-OR. www. nature. com/ijo/journal/v31/n6/full/0803616a. html 4/5 1/3/14 International Journal of Obesity Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy 9. Salmeron J, Hu FB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Rimm EB et al. Dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Am J Clin Nutr 2001; 73: 1019– 1026. | PubMed | ChemPort | 10. Astrup A. Super-sized and diabetic by frequent fast-food consumption? Lancet 2005; 365: 4–5. | Article | PubMed | Acknowledgements SS and JD declare no conflict of interest. AA is medical advisor for Weight Watchers, and is member of several advisory boards for food producers. The Department of Human Nutrition receives/has received research funding from over 50 Danish and international food companies. Otherwise, I declare no conflict of interest. International Journal of Obesity This journal is a m em ber of and subscribes to the principles of the Commit t ee on Publicat ion Et hics. ISSN 03 07 -056 5 EISSN 1 4 7 6 -54 9 7 About NPG Privacy policy Nat urejobs Cont act NPG Accessibilit y st at ement Use of cookies Legal not ice Nat ure Asia Nat ure Educat ion Help Terms RSS web feeds Search: go  © 2 0 1 4 Na t u r e Pu blish in g Gr ou p, a div ision of Ma cm illa n Pu blish er s Lim it ed. A ll Rig h t s Reser v ed. pa r t n er of A GORA , HINA RI, OA RE, INA SP, ORCID, Cr ossRef a n d COUNT ER www. nature. com/ijo/journal/v31/n6/full/0803616a. html 5/5.

Dmitri Shostakovich and the Soviet State Essay -- Soviet History

Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. He achieved fame, but with much hardship along the way. He was censored and threatened with not only his life but that of his wife and children by playing the role of a public figure in Soviet Russia. The question is was he a committed communist or a victim? The events in his life, good or bad, shaped the music that he created and led to one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century, his Fifth Symphony. Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on September 25, 1906, Shostakovich was the second of three children born to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. His father was of Polish descent but both his parents were Siberian natives. Dmitri was a child prodigy as a pianist and composer. He began taking piano lessons from his mother at the age of nine. He displayed an incredible talent to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson and would get caught pretending to read the music, playing the music from his last lesson instead of what was placed in front of him. In 1919, at the age of thirteen, he was allowed to enter the Petrograd Conservatory in Saint Petersburg and studied piano with Leonid Nikolayev. Because the conservatory was poorly funded, it did not have heat; the students had to wear coats, hats and gloves constantly only taking off their gloves when composing. Because of these poor living conditions Dmitri developed tuberculosis of the lymph glands in spring 1923 and had to have an operation. Nevertheless, he completed his final piano examinations at the conservatory in June with his neck still bandaged. Shostakovich, though very intelligent and talented, was seen as immature in his fin... ...alled. Works Cited †¢ Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A history of western music. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print. †¢ Fanning, David. Shostakovich studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. †¢ Hurwitz, David, and DmitriÄ ­ Dmitrievich Shostakovich. Shostakovich symphonies and concertos: an owner's manual. Pompton Plains, N.J.: Amadeus ;, 2006. Print. †¢ Norris, Christopher. Shostakovich, the man and his music. Boston: M. Boyars, 1982. Print. †¢ Volkov, Solomon, and Antonina W. Bouis. Shostakovich and Stalin: the extraordinary relationship between the great composer and the brutal dictator. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print. †¢ David Fanning and Laurel Fay. "Shostakovich, Dmitry." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 14 Apr. 2012 .

History Ia 2013

A. Plan of the investigation The focus of the study is on the event of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and how the Chinese Communist Party government shocked the world. Moreover, the study focuses on the aftermaths and the international effects like how the United States decided how to deal with this violent act or how this event possibly encouraged protestors to fight against their corrupt government. This research paper will evaluate the extent of how international countries were affected by this event.Ranging from countries such as Germany to the United States, this investigation will encompass the mass effects and influences on other countries. Several of the sources used in the essay, include The Price of Heavenly Peace: Tiananmen Square 15 Years Later by Michael J. Thompson and a news article Where Capitalism Won, But Not Democracy interview of Robyn Meredyth about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. These sources will be identified for their origins, values, limitations, and credibil ity. B. Summary of Evidence On a night in June of 1989, the unthinkable happened.Otherwise known as the June Fourth Incident, the Tiananmen Square Massacre was the bloody result of seven weeks of continuous rebellion of Communist Party of China’s policies. â€Å"Perhaps thousands of people were killed in cold blood when the troops fired into crowds and army tanks ran over people† (Wong 2). Ranging from university students to faculty workers to intellectuals, this protest was executed mainly to promote freedom of speech and press, economic growth, help in education funds, and most importantly, a change towards democracy. After the tragic incident, societies began to question China’s motives and actions.The fight for democracy created great tensions between the people and the government. â€Å"†¦20 years later, China’s Communist Party remains solidly in power. It still suppresses dissent. In China, capitalism is championed, but democracy is still verb oten† (Meredith 2). Essentially this source discussed how even though the fight for democracy was lost by the people; China gained a severe change in the capitalistic features. For example, China’s Five-Year Plan was introduced before the Tiananmen Square incident, but the effect of the incident caused this plan to move towards a more industrialized turn.Eventually, China became known more for their capitalistic features than their infamous communist cover. The world-known Tank Man is said to have been one of the most influential figure of his time. â€Å"It all started with a man in a white shirt who walked into the street and raised his right hand no higher than a New Yorker hailing a taxi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  quoted James Barron, a writer for The New York Times (This newspaper article was published the day after the incident June 5, 1989). The descriptions of the tank man possibly lead to many historical events in the future.This demonstrated how if one lone individual has the courage to stand up against such a powerful government, why couldn’t a group do the same with their corrupt government in their countries? Over to the West of Asia, East and West Germany were suffering similar problems in that the two want to, once again, become one country. Shortly afterwards, the demolishing of the Berlin Wall began after protest which was deducted by the Tank Man’s courageous actions. Nearby locations such as Macau and Hong Kong have hundreds of thousands of protesters which disfavored the actions of the Communist Chinese Government.In Hong Kong, over 200,000 citizens protested in support of the brutal massacre. Because Hong Kong was still under British rule in 1989, they were afraid to be under Communist China’s rule, they were still scarred with fear in case of reunification with China. As a result of the terror, many Hong Kong citizens fled to other countries in hope to escape the confusion (On a side note, though Hong Kong is geograp hically in China, under British rule, the city is democratic). Though the international political effects of the massacre were definitely prominent amongst the countries, we must not forget the economic results of this event.Contrastingly, where democracy isn’t as prominent as in the United States, the Chinese weren’t as avid in protesting as the Hong Kong citizens were, but they viewed this incident as though it was a normal rebellion. In other words, the Chinese North Americans knew there would be a big turnout of events that will occur as a result of this protest. Other country’s views on China were significant to the economy in the foreign trading aspects because after this massacre, many of them feared that China would no longer be loyal to them. Major companies and corporations dislike doing business with suffering countries.At the time, China’s government and economy, have been slowly rising to become the leading nation, but due to this event, thei r growth was temporarily halted. Many worldwide companies were indecisive to whether or not they should help out their ally by encouraging trade once again which sparked China’s drive towards their capitalistic beginnings. After this event and ever since Google has been around, many citizens in China attempted to learn more about the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but to their disappointment, this searching capability is blocked â€Å"due to relevant laws, regulations and policies† (Thompson 8).Terms such â€Å"never forget† or â€Å"candle† have been censored in Chinese search engines in hope for the government to cover up their tracks. This action was very significant because although it helped China conceal information about the event so citizens wouldn’t dare question or further seek knowledge regarding the topic, other countries began hypothesizing the real reason behind China’s motives. C. Evaluation of sources Jan Wong is a Chinese-Canadi an who vacationed to Beijing. This interview was about a first-hand account of the witness of this event live from her balcony in a nearby hotel room.The vivid descriptions of her details make her account seem reliable enough to the point where an individual can distinguish her knowledge on this topic. Few people may question whether this is source is credible or not because she is part Chinese. Thompson carefully wrote his sources to depict the mysteries and after effects of China’s actions. Having visited the Tiananmen Square several times, Thompson writes in his research paper the great, vivid event that occurred that one night in 1989. He uses much data to support his claims between China and other foreign countries.Thompson sees the Tiananmen Square a burden to China’s progress in capitalistic development along with the rest of the world. China is known greatly for its censorship and how greatly they can cover up reasons that could probably allow other countries t o question their government. Gregory Clark, a former Australian diplomat who focuses on Chinese affairs, wrote an article in Japan Times stating that the Western culture was spreading a â€Å"myth† about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. This shows the extent of China’s power to censor what they feel should be heard and what should not.In order to protect the face of their government, even though there are eye-witness accounts of their wide-spread murder, the Chinese government had to take major precautions to ensure a sustainable relationship, economically and politically, with other international countries. D. Analysis In Jan Wong’s interview of her account in China during the Tiananmen Square Massacre, she mentions, â€Å"I wasn’t the only person watching; everybody on the street was watching† (Wong 3). Because Jan Wong was present during the time of the event, she witnessed the actions of the tank man.If any regular civilian were to see this event and be in complete awe of the actions of this courageous twenty year-old man, it reveals how there can be many more people in this world who might see the common man in a white T-shirt with plastic shopping bags. There are billions of people in this world and those who know about Tiananmen Square, and the millions that do, probably heard about the tank man. Though the tank man still remains anonymous after 23 years, this individual managed to influence the whole world not just on a social level, but also on an economic and political core.E. Conclusion This protest is considered one of the top 10 most influential protests along with the Boston Tea Party, Purple rain protests, and the Civil Rights March. The Tiananmen Square protest was originally meant to spread democracy in China and abandon communism. Through the years of peaceful protests, many lives were lost. After the Tiananmen Square incident though, countries from around the world were influenced by figures such as the Tank Man who had enough courage to step in front of the corrupted government in hope for it to change for the better.In addition to its efforts and outcomes, China’s capitalism is now becoming one of the leading nations in the world. The influence of Tank Man spread to East and West Germany which helped the taking down of the Berlin wall and once again uniting the two into one. F. Sources cited Conachy, James. â€Å"Ten Years since the Tiananmen Square Massacre. †Ã‚  World Socialist Web Site. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . This source was a political lesson for the knowledge of the working class.The website is rather significant to this Internal assessment because it discusses about parts of the aftermath, and more importantly its effect on capitalism. This particular source is a very straightforward and unbiased work. The majority of this website was dedicated solely on the history. Ranging from important political figures such as Deng Xiao Ping to Liu Bin Yan, this we bsite helped narrow down descriptions of many political movements. Meredith, Robyn. â€Å"Where Capitalism Won, But Not Democracy. †Ã‚  Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. .This source focuses mainly on the detailed history of Tiananmen Massacre. The significance of this article to the essay is the background information and just the overall gist and feels of this head-turning movement. After the description of the event, Meredith then discusses the major impacts the massacre had on the fall of the Berlin Wall. Tiananmen massacre is not only large event hoping to draw attention from the Chinese government, but little do they know that this movement called for revolutions all over the world. Overall, the source was significant because of its focus on detail of the actual event.Thompson, Michael J. â€Å"The Price of Heavenly Peace: Tiananmen Square 15 Years Later. â€Å"Michael J. Thompson. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Similar to the article with â€Å"1 0 years†, the 15 year goes into more detail and begins to discuss more about the outside influence of different countries such as Russia. Also, Thompsons describes the influences on different beliefs all around the world. The article also talks about China’s original need for change which was the want for democratic power, but instead, they ended up as a capitalist country.This article helps provide the necessary information for the building blocks of repetitive reform. Wong, Jan. â€Å"Interview: Jan Wong [Witness of the Tank Man]. †Ã‚  PBS. PBS, 11 Apr. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. The interview with Jan Wong adds a whole new perspective to my knowledge on this topic. Her account may by the closest account because she was witnessing the event as it went on. As a third generation Chinese-Canadian, Wong recounts vivid details of her being in her hotel room nearby watching this protest take place. She describes in detail the horrific scene and the ominous area. AFTERM ATH AND LEGACY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE. †Ã‚  Facts and Details. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . This website is dedicated to the more recent news even those from post-2000. A wide-variety of articles should be used because it allows the readers to see the events from different aspects of time periods. A perspective from the 1990s as opposed to the one in 2005. This article focuses mainly on the point of views from this time period. For example, now that we’ve evolved more from the time of the event, we see the massacre in a whole new way.

Modern Christian Movement

Christian Fundamentalism is both a movement and a code of rules, referring to the adherence to the religion and Biblical teachings (http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/index.htm, 2003). Nowadays, the term is often corrupted to describe extremists and terrorists, who attack multiculturalism, democracy and the basic concepts of family planning. The present paper is designed to discuss the movement and the underlying doctrine in details and compare it to the similar Islamic and Judaist religious movements and trends. The Modern Christian Movement emerged in the beginning of the 20th century in response to modernism, industrialization and the following reformations of social life towards democracy (Appleby et al, 2003). â€Å"The five â€Å"fundamentals† of Christian belief that were enumerated in a series of 12 paperback volumes containing scholarly essays on the Bible that appeared between 1910 and 1915. Those included: 1) Biblical inerrancy; 2) The divinity of Jesus; 3)The Virgin Birth; 4) The belief that Jesus died to redeem humankind; 5)An expectation of the Second Coming, or physical return, of Jesus Christ† (www.sullivan-county.com, 2003). Furthermore, the tracts contained the criticism of technological progress and modern theology and insisted upon the return to the initials, i.e. to the first century, when original Christianity was spreading.   The whole Bible was declared inerrant, in contrast to the other Christian movements, which refuted certain parts of the Gospel. Furthermore, fundamentalists had true hostility to those who didn’t share their beliefs up to the last point, as they alleged there was nothing redundant or useless in the Bible (Appleby et al, 2003), as the scriptures should have been viewed as instructions rather than edifying stories and narratives. The followers of the movement also believed in the sixth-day Creationism and therefore rejected the whole evolutionary science. More importantly, they asserted   that Bible should not have been interpreted, as it had to be understood literally, without searching any mystic contexts, as the scriptures were written specifically for ordinary people’s understanding (Appleby et al, 2003; Armstrong, 2001). Furthermore, fundamentalists prioritized faith over virtuous lifestyle, whereas the latter was nevertheless to correspond with the exact fundamentalist teachings. It also needs to be noted that fundamentalists viewed human being as basically sinful and violent: â€Å"Because Calvin, Luther, and Augustine all see humans as â€Å"depraved† and â€Å"born into sin† produced a very negative outlook on humanity. Also their idea of the â€Å"elect† creates an attitude that they are somehow â€Å"chosen† above all others. This puts them at odds with â€Å"mainline† or liberal Protestant churches that reject the Augustinian notions of human depravity† (www.sullivan-county.com, 2003). The history of the movement itself is also interesting and controversial. In the early 20th century, the disciples of the fundamentals began to establish churches and denominations in the United States and United Kingdom (Appleby et al, 2003). In 1910, the northern Presbyterian Church proclaimed the five aforementioned principal pillars. In 1919, the World’s Christian Association was found, and W.Riley agreed to head it. In 1920, the term â€Å"fundamentalist† was first used by Curtis Lee Laws, but the contemporary fundamentalists perceived the term ambivalently, as it sounded like a conceptually new religious movement (http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/fundamen.htm, 1997). Due to the penetration of liberalism into a number of American churches, fundamentalists began to criticize widely the transformation and peculiar ‘democratization’ of Baptist and Protestant churches. Furthermore, they rejected and even attempted to curb the contemporary efforts to re-interpret and reformulate the biblical teachings, and were themselves most consistent with the content of the King James Bible, published in 1611(Armstrong, 2001; Appleby et al, 2003). â€Å"Church struggles occurred in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Protestant Episcopal Church, and even in the southern Presbyterian Church, but the grand battles were fought in the northern Presbyterian and northern Baptist denominations. Machen was the undisputed leader among Presbyterians, joined by Clarence E.Macartney† (mb-soft.com, 1997). Consequently, a number of organizations were created on the basis of the reformed Baptist and Presbyterian churches, which began to utilize the five fundamentals: the Fundamentalist Fellowship (1921), the National Federation of the Fundamentalists of the Northern Baptists (1921) and the Baptist Bible Union (1923). The unions developed their own policies in such issues as ordination of clergy ad education, and a number of particularly enthusiastic preachers denied the importance of literacy and declared Bible as their only ‘reader’ in the course of training (Armstrong, 2001; mb-soft.com, 1997). Approximately at the same time the fundamentalists began to interfere with the policies of public schools, specifically, with their curricula which included Darwinian evolution as a mandatory subject (Appleby et al, 2003). Since the 1940s, the fundamentalists split into two groups, the first one accepted the term â€Å"fundamentalism† and began to run to some extent separatist policies, whereas the second camp regarded the term as humiliating and positioning the followers of the movement as narrow-minded fanatics. The latter group, as one can understand, wished to expand the influence over Protestant churches and therefore declared their teaching as â€Å"evangelical†. This group soon ‘softened’ their hard-line Christian belief and gradually accepted the contemporary liberal ideas, expressed by a number of Protestant Church executives. Towards the late 1970s, there was a peak of the fundamentalists’ popularity, as   during Ronald Reagan campaign (Appleby et al , 2003), they were able to find answers to the most troublemaking issues like economic and social crises (in fact associated with the Vietnam War, but the adepts of the movement manipulated with the fall of the population’s moral and optimism and stated the contemporary mentality was erroneous). â€Å"They identified a new and more pervasive enemy, secular humanism, which they believed was responsible for eroding churches, schools, universities, the government, and above all families. They fought all enemies which they considered to be offspring of secular humanism, evolutionism, political and theological liberalism, loose personal morality, socialism and communism† (mb-soft.com, 1997). Thus, they employed the most powerful PR tools to influence public consciousness and arranged a number of protest actions, including the picketing family planning centers, certain education institutions and scientific laboratories in attempt to undermine the reputation of the mentioned organizations (Armstrong, 2001). Such religious activists as Jerry Falwell, pat Robertson and Hal Lindsey appeared on TV-screens as often as very popular politicians or the president and continued to encourage citizens to refuse from technological advancements, democratic ideology; the most radical fundamentalists even tried to curb immigration and force foreigners of different faith to leave the United States. The Fundamentalist Movement of the 1990s and the new millennium is still strong, but the organization has become much more ‘secluded’. Nowadays, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has launched a new project that encourages scholars in the United States and around the world to study fundamentalism (http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/fund.html, 1998). They also theorized the religious doctrine and outlined the its basic characteristics, which include the manifestation of religious truth which must not be secreted, religious idealism as the major aspect of fundamentalist identity and demonization of any movements which diverge from the doctrine. Furthermore, â€Å"fundamentalists envision themselves as part of a cosmic struggle; they seize on historical moments and reinterpret them in the light of this cosmic struggle; they envy modernist cultural hegemony and try to overturn the distribution of power† (religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu, 1998). Appleby also discusses the major characteristics of the organized movement and stated and its primary course is the increase of the popularity of Christian religion. Furthermore, the members of the movement are selective and reject specific aspects of technological progress rather then modernity in general; the organization itself has â€Å"an elect or chosen membership; sharp group boundaries; charismatic authoritarian leaders and mandated behavioral requirement† (ibid, 1998). As one can understand, Christian fundamentalism has a lot in common with Islam and Judaism, especially in terms of the structure of the movement. For instance, both Orthodox Judaist and Islamic fundamentalist movements have the same organizational characteristics and regard themselves as the participants of a cosmic struggle. This trend, however, is not very notable in Judaism, whereas the most hard-line Muslim leaders (of radical organizations like al-Qaeda) wage true war against otherwise-minded, and, similarly to Christian fundamentalists, demonize anyone who dares challenge the teachings from the Holy Scriptures perceived as central. Judaism has always been less radical and its fundamentals are more related to the controversy over the origin of the Torah, which, as most Orthodox Judaists hold, derives actually from God rather than from humankind (Armstrong, 2001). Judaist Fundamentalism also includes â€Å"Laws of Rabbinic decree to better enforce Torah law (e.g. the prohibition of eating/cooking mixtures of milk and poultry); these laws are held to be created by the rabbis and are divinely inspired† (Armstrong, 2001, p. 385) and observes Rabbeinu Gershom’s prescriptions concerning the ban on reading letters, addressed to another person, the possibility of divorcing a female without her compliance and the regulation of eating habits. Islamic Fundamentalism refers to Sunni Islam, which recognized the Koran, Haddith and Sunnah and accordingly rejects the Shi’a laws. Similarly to the Christian Fundamentalism, the corresponding Islamic teaching includes the notion that â€Å"the problems of the world stem from secular influences. Further, the path to peace and justice lies in a return to the original message of Islam, combined with a scrupulous rejection of innovations† (Armstrong, 2001, p. 396). Technological progress is also partially rejected in the Judaist Fundamentalism – for instance, the Torah teaches that human face should not touch blade, that’s why Orthodox Jews avoid using razors and wear long beards. On the other hand, the Christian Fundamentalism has one unique feature, Messianism, which is not emphasized in the other two doctrines, as most Judaists do not view Christ as an influential religious person, whereas the concept of God’s son is absent is Islam. As one can understand, fundamentalism is to great extent synonymous to conservatism. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the contemporary fundamentalist movement are based not purely upon the religious doctrines, but also on the aspects of PR, promotion and, if necessary, violence and compulsion. Furthermore, all of them enclose considerable restrictions upon human daily activities, – in Islam, for instance, practically all daily routines have certain algorithms; moreover, all of them challenge humanism and the principles of individual freedom, imposing personal responsibility and accountability to society or community (especially in Judaism) instead. Reference list Sullivan Country Resources. (2003). Christian Fundamentalism exposed. Available online at: http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/index.htm Religious Movements Homepage. (1998). Fundamentalism. Available online at: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/fund.html Believe Web-Resources. (1997). (Christian) Fundamentalism. Available online at: http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/fundamen.htm Appleby, R., Almond, G. and Sivan, E. (2003). Strong Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Armstrong, K. (2001). The Battle of God: A History of Fundamentalism. New York: Ballantine Books.            

Quick Facts on the Korean War

Quick Facts on the Korean War The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and ended on July 27, 1953. Where The Korean War took place on the Korean Peninsula, initially in South Korea, and then later in North Korea as well. Who North Korean communist forces called the North Korean Peoples Army (KPA) under President Kim Il-Sung began the war.  Mao Zedongs Chinese Peoples Volunteer Army (PVA) and the Soviet Red Army joined later. Note - the majority of the soldiers in the Peoples Volunteer Army were not really volunteers. On the other side, the South Korean Republic of Korea Army (ROK) joined forces with the United Nations. The UN force included troops from: United States (approx. 327,000)Great Britain (14,000)Canada (8,000)Turkey (5,500)Australia (2,300)Ethiopia (1,600)The Philippines (1,500)New Zealand (1,400)Thailand (1,300)Greece (1,250)France (1,200)Colombia (1,000)Belgium (900)South Africa (825)The Netherlands (800)Sweden (170)Norway (100)Denmark (100)Italy (70)India (70)Luxembourg (45) Maximum Troop Deployment South Korea and UN: 972,214 North Korea, China, USSR: 1,642,000 Who Won the Korean War? Neither side actually won the Korean War. In fact, the war goes on to this day, since the combatants never signed a peace treaty. South Korea did not even sign the Armistice agreement of July 27, 1953, and North Korea repudiated the armistice in 2013. In terms of territory, the two Koreas returned essentially to their pre-war boundaries, with a demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing them roughly along the 38th parallel. The civilians on each side truly lost the war, which resulted in millions of civilian deaths and economic devastation. Total Estimated Casualties South Korea and UN troops: 178,236 killed, 32,844 missing, 566,314 wounded.North Korea, USSR, and Chinese troops: Numbers are unclear, but American estimates range from 367,000 to 750,000 killed, about 152,000 missing or taken prisoner  and 686,500 to 789,000 wounded.South Korean civilians: 373,599 killed, 229,625 wounded, and 387,744 missingNorth Korean civilians: estimated 1,550,000 casualtiesTotal civilian deaths and injuries: approximately 2.5 million Major Events and Turning Points June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South KoreaJune 28, 1950: North Korean forces capture southern capital, SeoulJune 30, 1950: US pledges troops to UN effort for defense of South KoreaSept. 15, 1950: ROK and UN troops confined to Pusan Perimeter, launch counter-offensive Invasion of InchonSept. 27, 1950: UN troops recapture SeoulOct. 9, 1950: ROK and UN troops drive KPA back across 38th Parallel, South Koreans and allies invade North KoreaOct. 19, 1950: ROK and UN capture northern capital of PyongyangOct. 26, 1950: South Korean and UN troops mass along Yalu River, the North Korea/China borderOct. 27, 1950: China enters war on North Korean side, pushes UN/South Korean troops backNov. 27-30, 1950: Battle of Chosin ReservoirJan. 15, 1951: North Korean and Chinese troops retake SeoulMarch 7 - April 4, 1951: Operation Ripper, ROK and UN push combined communist forces above 38th parallel againMarch 18, 1951: UN forces recapture Seoul once moreJuly 10 - Aug. 23, 1951: Truce negotiations at Kaesong amidst continued bloody fighting Nov. 27, 1951: 38th parallel set as line of demarcationThroughout 1952: Bloody battles and trench warfareApril 23, 1953: Kaesong peace talks resumeJuly 27, 1953: UN, North Korea, and China sign armistice, ending fighting More Information on the Korean War: Detailed Timeline of the Korean WarPhotographs from the Korean WarThe Invasion of IncheonMap of the Pusan Perimeter and the Invasion of Incheon

What Really Is The Best Headline Length

What Really Is The Best Headline Length How long should my headline be? Youve asked yourself this, and with good reason. In the content marketing world, a lot of  attention has been given to the headline of your blog post in recent years. Theres so much headline information out there, so many dos and donts, so many great tips that youre drowning in advice and you have no idea of what to actually do. You want a definitive answer in the form of a number or at least a firm set of guidelines. You dont want to hear  it depends. The truth is, it does depend. Sort of. It depends on what you want your headline to do. Do you know what you want from your headline? What Really Is The Best #Headline Length? #blogging via @JulieNeidlinger Write The Best  Headlines With A  Free Headline Analyzer The headline analyzer  will help you: Use headline types that get the most traction for social shares, traffic, and search engine ranking. Make sure you have the right word balance to write readable headlines that command attention. See the best  word and character length for search engines like Google and email subject lines, while also seeing  how your readers will scan your headlines. Try The Free Headline Analyzer Now How To Write The Best Headlines The Old School Way There are two schools of thought when it comes to headlines. Traditionally, headlines should be, according to Jakob Nielsen: Short, typically 5 words or less. People dont read very much online. Information-rich. The headline should summarize the article. Starts with keywords. People tend to scan, and read the first words most of all. Understandable, even out of context. Headlines often appear on their own, without articles. Especially in social media and search engine results. Predictable and match reader expectations. Dont frustrate your reader. They should get what they expect when they click. Nielsens shorter headlines arent the label variety. Label headlines are those which are short, but not terribly information rich. For example, a Nielsen headline might be Speeding Car Crashes Into Wall while an uninformative label-type headline might read Speeding Car. I Want My Headline To Perform Well On Social Media The second school of thought, however, is what we tend to see online now. And it seems to be  the exact opposite of what Nielsen says. A headline that performs well on social media is one that people share a lot, and click through a fair amount. But mostly share. The headline is often shared as much as the people sharing it will read. This is a unique situation in headline history. Instead of being helpful in the traditional sense (as described above), headlines are now meant to  invoke curiosity and capture clicks. Write #headlines to invoke curiosity and capture clicks. via @JulieNeidlingerThis is particularly important on social media, where news feeds are quickly cycling through, competition with other headlines is fierce, and you have to pull out all stops to get someone to notice. Long, rambling, and sometimes bordering on bizarre. Headlines now are often quite long and almost a story unto themselves. Though that is shifting somewhat from 2014 (the year of Upworthy-styled headlines), headlines still maintain a longer approach than Nielsen might recommend. Emotion-rich. What the article is about doesnt matter. Emotion does. Keywords are sparse. Few keywords, with more attention given to emotional subtexts. Not much context. Without the article, the headline is a worm on a hook and little more. Rely on shock/emotion/curiosity factor. Readers dont know what to expect, and thats why they click. How does that speeding car headline read for the social media age? How about 5 Reasons You Should Fear That Speeding Car. The social messages that accompany your blog posts wont necessarily be your headline. Youll probably customize them for repeated shares. But if you do rely on your blog post headline to be the body of the social message, then the ideal social message length will matter for your headlines. Buffers Kevan Lee has written a seriously comprehensive blog post about the ideal lengths of just about anything you could put online. Its packed with information on the length of just about everything, but check out what he discovered for the most popular social networks: Twitter: 71–100 characters Facebook: 40 characters Google+: 60 characters LinkedIn:  80–120 characters Depending upon which network you lean most heavily or get the most traction, you should consider making your headline fit the ideal length for that social  network. Within those character ranges, remember the importance of emotions in a headline that does well on social media. Emotional headlines, with specific trigger words, get shared more on social media. I Want My Headline To Do Well In Email Just like social media, you have the ability to customize your emails so that you rework how your headlines appear in the subject lines. But not everyone does. Sometimes the work you put into finding that perfect  headline can carry right on through to your email subject line. So how long should they be? MailChimp, the popular email provider, has stated that it doesnt really matter how long your subject lines are. Last year, we carried out our own tests on how our email subject lines fared. We found that an email subject line with around 50 characters fared the best. The conclusion? Find out what works for you by testing if you dont believe either MailChimp or our results. As you test your headlines in your email to determine what works, remember the difference between open rates and click-through rates. Open rates are not the same as click-through rates. An open rate is the percentage of total recipients that opened the email. In some email software, just by opening their inbox they open emails. The click-through rate is the percentage of those who opened and then clicked at least once. Aim for a high click-through rate as the basis of what a successful headline does, not just an open rate.