Albert Camus’ Political Writing and Career

Camus’s Political Writing/Career Through his political writing, Camus expresses a variety of philosophical ideologies that are in many ways similar to those expressed in â€Å"The Stranger. † In the writing, Camus explores various ideas that are reflective of how society appears to him. * 1943 Joined a French resistance called the â€Å"Combat† who opposed the Nazis. Had an underground newspaper; Camus became the editor, under the name â€Å"Beauchard,† criticized French collaboration with the Nazis †Now the only moral value is courage, which is useful here for judging the puppets and chatterboxes who pretend to speak in the name of the people†¦ – written in the newspaper The content usually tried to convince people to act with strict moral principals This is where he developed his idea that though human life may seem pointless since everyone must meet death at one point in time, it is still sacred; and each person must be responsible for their own actions and consequences. the content of newspaper likely expressed his ultimate distaste towards the actions of the Nazis and the violence erupting due to their ambition for power. Innocent people falling under their control and abuse. his goes with Camus’s ideology that men should be responsible for what they make of themselves in the universe. However, he strongly opposes the Nazis likely because they are not held responsible for the genocide; they instead, are encouraged and feared, not held accountable for the millions of deaths they’ve caused. Meursault knows that death is the ultimate consequence to murdering the Arab; he has no personal, or emotional ties with the dead man; he accepts this truth; his insensitivity actually provides a means for him to accept the idea of existentialism. This gives the impression that Meursault sees the murder as a consequence and the cause of his current problems. Also, only during his trial and imprisonment, Meursault recognizes that he is responsible for his own life, and realizes his mortality. Through writing, it can be seen that Camus’s personal political beliefs are rather left wing, though not communism. He is a socialist. Explores the morals of humankind, and his support for anti- totalitarian government. The idea of exercising control over the freedom and will of others. This is somewhat reflective of the society that Camus chooses to portray in â€Å"The Stranger. Most people conform to society, and thus society as one has specific beliefs and ideologies that are accepted by the general population and deemed as â€Å"normal behaviour. † However, Meursault is an exception; thus, he is called â€Å"The Stranger† to the society, an outlaw. He does not care about what other people think of him, or his act ions. His actions are ultimately rejected, and thought of as heartless to the rest of society. * Shortly after World War II, he publishes â€Å"Neither Victim nor Executioner† in Combat which expresses key moral questions, in a variety of essays. Relates to the idea of genocide and murder, this piece of writing mainly expresses: 1. People are living in a â€Å"murderous world† and that they must â€Å"reflect on murder† and know and accept the consequences that come with it. It can be seen that Camus is a moralist, and strongly believes in justice. Similar to his ideology in â€Å"The Stranger† in the way that Meursault, who murdered the Arab, was actually held guilty and responsible for his actions. When Meursault was put before the judge and the public official tells him to turn to Christianity, he disagrees even though his life depended on it. This displays that Meursault values emotional honesty over protecting his own life. He accepts his punishment, and the consequences that come with murder. 2. People should â€Å"carefully weigh the price that they must pay† and Camus is debating the idea of whether through world war, conflicts will actually be resolved once and for all; that if even after â€Å"several generations of sacrifice,† they will not come closer to a world society. In â€Å"The Stranger,† Meursault shows utter indifference to the man he had murdered. He did not consider the possible consequences before he shot the man, and simply instinctively kills the Arab without much consideration for what he himself would end up as. Camus explores the idea of existentialism; the role that man plays, and that he is responsible for his own actions, in the midst of a meaningless and empty world. From the ideologies expressed in â€Å"Neither Victim nor Executioner,† it seems as though Camus purposely made Meursault blind towards weighing the price he would have to pay upon murdering the Arab, and thus places focus on the process of his realization. The war can be thought of as a parallel to the physical fight that Meursault and the Arab engaged in; the ultimate conflict was not solved through murder and physical action. Society still remained the way it was, and instead of Meursault changing the views of society, he was instead forced to submit to it. * Camus wrote for â€Å"L’Express,† from 1955-1956. This was a French magazine that opposed the war in Algeria, and also the use of torture. Similar to this, â€Å"Reflections on the Guillotine† was an essay written by Camus, expressing his opinions against capital punishment, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The absurdity of the society is reflected in its creation of a standardized justice system which uses capital punishment through the guillotine to give meaning to Meursault’s murder and actions. In order to highlight the true meaning behind the murder, society uses capital punishment to bring the matter out. The absurd overcomes rational thinking, and Meursault views death with happiness at the end, simply because he has found a genuine sense of acceptance towards the â€Å"gentle indifference of the world. †

Aig Case Solution

[pic] LEADERSHIP AT AIG: DOES STYLE MATTER? Case Overview This case deals with executive leadership styles. In particular, this case deals with American International Group, the world’s insurance company, and its CEO Maurice â€Å"Hank† Greenberg. Greenberg, an autocratic leader, was recently deposed by his board of directors after problems emerged regarding possible earning manipulation. It describes his leadership style, reasons his two sons (former employees) left the company, and Martin Sullivan, Greenberg’s successor. Like his former boss, Sullivan micromanages the organization, but is well liked by employees. Teaching Objectives ) To show students the impact of autocratic leadership style on employees. 2) To distinguish between micro and participative management in an organization. 3) To introduce the concept of leadership succession and its effects on organizations. Purpose This case presents various leadership styles used by CEOs. It suggests that executi ves who uses a more participative leadership style are more likely to create an effective employee workplace. Relationship to Part 4 The relationship of this case to part 4: leadership and its styles, possible motivation of employees through style, the encouragement of team work and communication.This case can draw on various theories in all four chapters of Part 4. Questions Question 1. AIG Chairman and CEO Maurice â€Å"Hank† Greenberg was considered an autocratic leader and a micromanager by many employees; yet the company grew dramatically during his reign as CEO. Does leadership style matter as long as the company performs well and shareholders are satisfied with their return on investment? Answer Leadership does matter. A company may perform well, and shareholders may be satisfied with their return on investment, but on another level this style of leadership may do irreparable hard to employee effectiveness and morale.Eventually autocratic leadership will take it toll o n the organization and its ability to operate effectively. Question 2. AIG’s new CEO Sullivan has been labeled a micromanager, but with a more pleasant personality. Can he, as a micromanager, develop a more participative leadership style? How? Answer It may be very difficult for a manager/leader to change his management and leadership style. There is indeed a time and place for autocratic leadership (e. g. , when time is limited), but we know that participative leadership often produces better results.While it is often difficult for executives (managers) to let go and delegate more to underlings, AIG’s new CEO Sullivan can learn to develop a more participative leadership style. He must begin to create more teams, motivate more employees to participate in corporate activities, and communicate more effective. In part, his micromanagement style may be a result of following Greenberg’s lead. As Sullivan becomes more comfortable in his new role, he should be able to delegate more effectively, especially if he is to deal with more strategic corporate issues. Leadership is a very important aspect that is prominent in our professional life.If a team is led by an effective good leader, the team is more likely to perform well as per the expectations of the project. On the other hand, if the leader is a person who just issues orders and commands the tasks to be done, the team is demotivated and does tend to perform less than they actually can. If you are a working professional, you might have got an idea about the types of leadership styles and techniques. The working and managing style of a leader plays a very important part in making the leadership role effective. There are various managers who adopt different leadership styles and methods for employee and process management.Each leadership style has its own methods, behavior, effects, and aspects. Participative leadership is a very significant leadership style that is most beneficial to employees, managers alike. What is Participative Leadership Style? As the name suggests, this leadership style relates to a method of having things done by involving team members in goals setting and decision making. Since there is an involvement of team members and employees in being a part of the management, this is by far the most useful management style in the business world.Though there is employee participation, the leader is handed over the responsibility of taking the final decision. In this corporate leadership style, the manager works with the team and not over the team, which is why he can determine even the minutest errors of the processes that have to be executed. Advantages of Participative Leadership Style There are many apparent and proven advantages of the participative leadership practice. A very important advantage is that employees and team members are motivated to work, because they realize that the management is ready to consider their suggestions and viewpoints.And if t here is such employee motivation, the team members happen to work more effectively than expected. This eventually has a good effect on the company's revenue. Secondly, since the manager becomes like a team member and takes part in the decision-making process, it has a good impact on teamwork. Thirdly, as more than one minds are working on goal setting and decision making, there is an all-round analysis of the possibilities of failures. Therefore, the manager can majorly rule out any errors and possibilities of failures in the project.You can say that there is a broader assessment of the situation which is to be worked upon. The result of participative leadership can also be effective decisions suggested by experts in the respective field. In this kind of business leadership, the manager does not only involve team members, but can also take guidance from his peers. One of the most suitable participative leadership examples can be when a manager divides project work in his team member s including himself, discusses the project requirements and expectations with the team leader and other members, and then they work on it collectively.Participative leadership surely increases employee satisfaction, reduces the workload of managers, and creates better teamwork; with all this eventually contributing to good worLeadership is a very important aspect that is prominent in our professional life. If a team is led by an effective good leader, the team is more likely to perform well as per the expectations of the project. On the other hand, if the leader is a person who just issues orders and commands the tasks to be done, the team is demotivated and does tend to perform less than they actually can.If you are a working professional, you might have got an idea about the types of leadership styles and techniques. The working and managing style of a leader plays a very important part in making the leadership role effective. There are various managers who adopt different leaders hip styles and methods for employee and process management. Each leadership style has its own methods, behavior, effects, and aspects. Participative leadership is a very significant leadership style that is most beneficial to employees, managers alike. What is Participative Leadership Style?As the name suggests, this leadership style relates to a method of having things done by involving team members in goals setting and decision making. Since there is an involvement of team members and employees in being a part of the management, this is by far the most useful management style in the business world. Though there is employee participation, the leader is handed over the responsibility of taking the final decision. In this corporate leadership style, the manager works with the team and not over the team, which is why he can determine even the minutest errors of the processes that have to be executed.Advantages of Participative Leadership Style There are many apparent and proven advant ages of the participative leadership practice. A very important advantage is that employees and team members are motivated to work, because they realize that the management is ready to consider their suggestions and viewpoints. And if there is such employee motivation, the team members happen to work more effectively than expected. This eventually has a good effect on the company's revenue. Secondly, since the manager becomes like a team member and takes part in the decision-making process, it has a good impact on teamwork.Thirdly, as more than one minds are working on goal setting and decision making, there is an all-round analysis of the possibilities of failures. Therefore, the manager can majorly rule out any errors and possibilities of failures in the project. You can say that there is a broader assessment of the situation which is to be worked upon. The result of participative leadership can also be effective decisions suggested by experts in the respective field. In this kind of business leadership, the manager does not only involve team members, but can also take guidance from his peers.One of the most suitable participative leadership examples can be when a manager divides project work in his team members including himself, discusses the project requirements and expectations with the team leader and other members, and then they work on it collectively. Participative leadership surely increases employee satisfaction, reduces the workload of managers, and creates better teamwork; with all this eventually contributing to good wor Question 3. Greenberg named his son Evan as the heir apparent. Yet, Greenberg never set a departure date.Should a good leader set a date for departure once a successor is named? Why? Why not? Answer Most of the time succession in organizations creates a host of problems. On the one hand, incumbent CEOs are less than willing to give up the power and prestige that accompany their position. On the other hand, the successor (heir ap parent) may be eager to assume the top position. If the successor has to wait too long for the top leadership position, he may decide to seek out a top level position in another company, and the company may lose a unique opportunity for a smooth leadership transition.CEOs should set a deadline for their departure so that all stakeholders are informed which can facilitate a change in leadership. LEADERSHIP AT AIG: Does Style Matter Question 1: AIG Chairman and CEO Maurice â€Å"Hank† Greenberg was consider an autocraticleader and micromanager by many employee, yet the company grew dramaticallyduring his reign as CEO. Does leadership style matter as long as the company  performs well and shareholders are satisfied with their return on investment?Leader is a person who led people towards to the common goal. In the process of managing anorganization, I believe leadership style is the one of important factor in deciding the performanceof the company. Leader’s style of lea dership changes according to the situation of the company. Based on managerial grid concept by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton, there are five style of  leadership that combine different degrees of concern for production and concern for people andthis five styles of leadership is shown in figure 1 below.In the case study, CEO Maurice â€Å"Hank†was more concern of production compare to the concern for people and of course, this kind of  leadership will produce good performance. That is why Maurice â€Å"Hank† able to bring thecompany from midlevel insurance company becomes the international company and give thesatisfaction towards the shareholders. However, to sustain the company at the same level,Maurice â€Å"Hank† kinds of leadership will causes the performance of the company to be declined  because lack of concern for people will affect the workers performance and this result would notsatisfy the shareholders.The workers in AIG will become less motivated due the pressure given  by the management practice by Maurice â€Å"Hank†. This style of leadership by Maurice â€Å"Hank† fallunder style of leadership â€Å"produce or perish† as shown in figure 1. As conclusion, the style of  leadership is the key player in determine the successful of a company. Question 2: AIG’s new CEO Sullivan has been labeled a micromanager, but with a more  pleasant personality. Can he as a micromanager, develop more participativeleadership style?How? Participative leadership style is defined as  leader  who involves his subordinatesin the process of   making decision such as setting goal, solving  problemand others, but retains the final  decision making  authority. By referring the case study, CEO Sullivan can develop more participative style leadership by segregating the works to his subordinates in order to enabling his subordinate to  play their role in the organizations and indirectly developing the trust between himself with his subordinate.This action will enable the workers especially his subordinate to create a feeling of  self-belonging towards the company. Once the trust is there, he should implement groupdiscussion or brainstorming before making any decision but while conducting the groupdiscussion, he should be the person who get all the buy-in from the group members. In the groupdiscussion, he should use his authority in deciding the decision and this kind of ways in making decision helps his subordinate to accept and thus implement the action with full enthusiasm.Besides that, he should often communicate with his workers through out the three layer of  management such as having chitchat with the workers during teatime in order to understand the needs of workers in the company and thus raise his level of concern towards people. As he developing his understanding towards his workers, he can easily delegate the works that suit the workers best and as the result, company p erformance increases and building the security towards the investor and the people in the company especially shareholders. Question 3:Greenberg named his son Evan as the heir apparent. Yet Greenberg never set adeparture date. Should a good leader set a date for departure? When should hename a successor? Every thing that starts must have an end. Leaders also have his own starts and ends in hisera of leadership. For my point of view, a good leader should set a date for his departure. This is  because a leader knows better his own limitation and capabilities. A leader should alsounderstand his abilities and weakness in managing the organization as the time passes by.I  believe that every leader would like to leave his position without tarnishing his reputation andintegrity. However, it is not wise action to take if he announced his name of successor long  before his departure date for the position. This is because the successor required a time for him toadapt with the changes in role and the leader himself required time to hand over and coaching hisnew successor to take over his positions but how long is the duration for the this process, it alldepends on the successor himself.Normally, a leader had already started to look for hissuccessor long before he announced his departure date. This is because to identify a good leader  does not happen in a single day. It will consume so much time and effort for leader to be bornand as been mention by Richard Arvey, a human resources and industrial relations professor inthe Carlson School of Management, â€Å"While environmental influences determine many of our  leadership behaviors and the roles we obtain, our genes still exert a sizable influence over  whether we will become leaders. That is why, I do believe that leadership is both inherited andacquired. As conclusion, a good leader always think three steps ahead, that’s why it is importantfor a good leader to prepare for his succession plan American International Group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search â€Å"AIG† redirects here. For other uses, see AIG (disambiguation). |American International Group, Inc. |[pic] | |Type |Public | |Traded as |NYSE:  AIG | | |S&P 500 Component | |Industry |Insurance, Financial services | |Founded |Shanghai, China (1919)[1] | |Founder(s) |Cornelius Vander Starr | |Headquarters |American International Building, New York City, | | |New York, United States | |Area served |Worldwide | |Key people |Bob Benmosche | | |(President & CEO) | | |Robert Miller (Chairman)[2] | |Products |Insurance annuities, mutual funds | |Revenue |[pic]US$ 77. 301 billion (2010)[3] | |Operating income |[pic]US$ 17. 936 billion (2010)[3] | |Net income |[pic]US$ 7. 786 billion (2010)[3] | |Total assets |[pic]US$ 683. 443 billion (2010)[3] | |Total equity |[pic]US$ 113. 239 billion (2010)[3] | |Employees |96,000 (2010)[3] | |Website |AIG. com | American International Group, Inc. NYSE:  AIG) or AIG is an American multinational insurance corporation. Its corporate headquarters is located in the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters office is on Fenchurch Street in London, continental Europe operations are based in La Defense, Paris, and its Asian headquarters office is in Hong Kong. According to the 2011 Forbes Global 2000 list, AIG was the 29th-largest public company in the world. [4][5] It was listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average from April 8, 2004 to September 22, 2008. AIG suffered from a liquidity crisis when its credit ratings were downgraded below â€Å"AA† levels in September 2008.The United States Federal Reserve Bank on September 16, 2008 created an $85  billion credit facility to enable the company to meet increased collateral obligations consequent to the credit rating downgrade, in exchange for the issuance of a stock warrant to the Federal Reserve Bank for 79. 9% of the equity of AIG. The Federal Re serve Bank and the United States Treasury by May 2009 had increased the potential financial support to AIG, with the support of an investment of as much as $70  billion, a $60  billion credit line and $52. 5  billion to buy mortgage-based assets owned or guaranteed by AIG, increasing the total amount available to as much as $182. 5  billion. [6][7] AIG subsequently sold a number of its subsidiaries and other assets to pay down loans received, and continues to seek buyers of its assets. Contents | |  [hide]   | |1 History | |2 Business | |2. 1 Holdings | |2. 2 Auto insurance | |2. 3 Travel Insurance | |3 Financial crisis | |3. 1 Chronology of September 2008 liquidity crisis | |3. 2 Federal Reserve bailout | |3. Additional bailouts of 2008 | |3. 4 Counterparty controversy | |3. 5 Post-bailout expenditures | |3. 6 Settlement of credit default swaps | |3. 7 Sales of assets | |3. 8 Record losses | |3. 2009 employee bonus payments | |3. 10 Manchester United Sponsorshi p | |3. 11 Share buyback | |4 Litigation | |4. 1 Accounting fraud claims | |5 Corporate governance | |5. Board of directors | |6 See also | |7 Notes | |8 References and further reading | |9 External links | [edit] History [pic] [pic] The American International Building in Lower Manhattan. AIG history dates back to 1919, when Cornelius Vander Starr established an insurance agency in Shanghai, China.Starr was the first Westerner in Shanghai to sell insurance to the Chinese, which he continued to do until AIG left China in early 1949—as Mao Zedong led the advance of the Communist People's Liberation Army on Shanghai. [8][9] Starr then moved the company headquarters to its current home in New York City. [10] The company went on to expand, often through subsidiaries, into other markets, including other parts of Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. [11] In 1962, Starr gave management of the company's lagging U. S. holdings to Maurice R. â€Å"Hank† Greenberg , who shifted its focus from personal insurance to high-margin corporate coverage. Greenberg focused on selling insurance through independent brokers rather than agents to eliminate agent salaries.Using brokers, AIG could price insurance according to its potential return even if it suffered decreased sales of certain products for great lengths of time with very little extra expense. In 1968, Starr named Greenberg his successor. The company went public in 1969. [12] Beginning in 2005, AIG became embroiled in a series of fraud investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, U. S. Justice Department, and New York State Attorney General's Office. Greenberg was ousted amid an accounting scandal in February 2005; he is still fighting civil charges being pursued by New York state. [13][14][15] The New York Attorney General's investigation led to a $1.   billion fine for AIG and criminal charges for some of its executives. [16] Greenberg was succeeded as CEO by Martin J. Sullivan, who had begun his career at AIG as a clerk in its London office in 1970. [17] On June 15, 2008, after disclosure of financial losses and subsequent to a falling stock price, Sullivan resigned and was replaced by Robert B. Willumstad, Chairman of the AIG Board of Directors since 2006. Willumstad was forced by the US government to step down and was replaced by Edward M. Liddy on September 17, 2008. [18] AIG's board of directors named Robert Benmosche CEO on August 3, 2009 to replace Mr. Liddy, who earlier in the year announced his retirement. [19] [edit] Business [edit] HoldingsFurther information: Holdings of American International Group In the United States, AIG is the largest underwriter of commercial and industrial insurance, and AIG acquired American General Life Insurance in August 2001. [20] [edit] Auto insurance AIG sold auto insurance policies through its subsidiary unit, AIG Direct (aka aigdirect. com). The policies they offered included insurance for private au tomobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles. AIG purchased the remaining 39% that it did not own of online auto insurance specialist 21st Century Insurance in 2007 for $749  million. [21] With the failure of the parent company and the continuing recession in late 2008, AIG rebranded its insurance unit to 21st Century Insurance. 22][23] In April 2009 it was announced that AIG was selling the 21st Century Insurance subsidiary to Farmers Insurance Group for $1. 9  billion. [24] [edit] Travel Insurance Main article: AIG Travel Guard AIG sells travelers insurance internationally through Travel Guard, headquartered in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. [edit] Financial crisis Further information: Subprime mortgage crisis,  Financial crisis of 2007–2010,  and  Liquidity crisis of September 2008 [edit] Chronology of September 2008 liquidity crisis On September 16, 2008, AIG suffered a liquidity crisis following the downgrade of its credit rating. Industry p ractice permits firms with the highest credit ratings to enter swaps without depositing collateral with their trading counter-parties.When its credit rating was downgraded, the company was required to post additional collateral with its trading counter-parties, and this led to an AIG liquidity crisis. AIG's London unit sold credit protection in the form of credit default swaps (CDSs) on collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) that had by that time declined in value. [25] The United States Federal Reserve Bank announced the creation of a secured credit facility of up to US$85  billion, to prevent the company's collapse by enabling AIG to meet its obligations to deliver additional collateral to its credit default swap trading partners. The credit facility provided a structure to loan as much as US$85  billion, secured by the stock n AIG-owned subsidiaries, in exchange for warrants for a 79. 9% equity stake, and the right to suspend dividends to previously issued common and preferre d stock. [17][26][27] AIG announced the same day that its board accepted the terms of the Federal Reserve Bank's rescue package and secured credit facility. [28] This was the largest government bailout of a private company in U. S. history, though smaller than the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a week earlier. [29][30] AIG's share prices had fallen over 95% to just $1. 25 by September 16, 2008, from a 52-week high of $70. 13. [citation needed] The company reported over $13. 2  billion in losses in the first six months of the year. 31][32] The AIG Financial Products division headed by Joseph Cassano, in London, had entered into credit default swaps to insure $441  billion worth of securities originally rated AAA. Of those securities, $57. 8  billion were structured debt securities backed by subprime loans. [33] CNN named Cassano as one of the â€Å"Ten Most Wanted: Culprits† of the 2008 financial collapse in the United States. [34] As Lehman Brothers (the largest bankruptcy in U. S. history at that time) suffered a catastrophic decline in share price, investors began comparing the types of securities held by AIG and Lehman, and found that AIG had valued its Alt-A and sub-prime mortgage-backed securities at 1. 7 to 2 times the values used by Lehman which weakened investors' confidence in AIG. 31] On September 14, 2008, AIG announced it was considering selling its aircraft leasing division, International Lease Finance Corporation, to raise cash. [31] The Federal Reserve hired Morgan Stanley to determine if there are systemic risks to a financial failure of AIG, and asked private entities to supply short-term bridge loans to the company. In the meantime, New York regulators allowed AIG to borrow $20  billion from its subsidiaries. [35][36] At the stock market's opening on September 16, 2008, AIG's stock dropped 60 percent. [37] The Federal Reserve continued to meet that day with major Wall Street investment firms, hoping to broker a deal for a non-governmental $75  billion line of credit to the company. 38] Rating agencies Moody's and Standard and Poor downgraded AIG's credit ratings on concerns over likely continuing losses on mortgage-backed securities. The credit rating downgrade forced the company to deliver collateral of over $10  billion to certain creditors and CDS counter-parties. [39] The New York Times later reported that talks on Wall Street had broken down and AIG may file for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, September 17. [40] Just before the bailout by the US Federal Reserve, AIG former CEO Maurice (Hank) Greenberg sent an impassioned letter to AIG CEO Robert B. Willumstad offering his assistance in any way possible, ccing the Board of Directors. His offer was rebuffed. [41] [edit] Federal Reserve bailoutOn the evening of September 16, 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank's Board of Governors announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had been authorized to create a 24-month credit-liquidity faci lity from which AIG could draw up to $85  billion. The loan was collateralized by the assets of AIG, including its non-regulated subsidiaries and the stock of â€Å"substantially all† of its regulated subsidiaries, and with an interest rate of 850 basis points over the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) (i. e. , LIBOR plus 8. 5%). In exchange for the credit facility, the U. S. government received warrants for a 79. 9 percent equity stake in AIG, with the right to suspend the payment of dividends to AIG common and preferred shareholders. [17][27] The credit facility was created under the auspices of Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. 27][42][43] AIG's board of directors announced approval of the loan transaction in a press release the same day. The announcement did not comment on the issuance of a warrant for 79. 9% of AIG's equity, but the AIG 8-K filing of September 18, 2008, reporting the transaction to the Securities and Exchange Commission stated t hat a warrant for 79. 9% of AIG shares had been issued to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. [17][28][44] AIG drew down US$ 28  billion of the credit-liquidity facility on September 17, 2008. [45] On September 22, 2008, AIG was removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average. [46] An additional $37. 8  billion credit facility was established in October.As of October 24, AIG had drawn a total of $90. 3  billion from the emergency loan, of a total $122. 8  billion. [47] Maurice Greenberg, former CEO of AIG, on September 17, 2008, characterized the bailout as a nationalization of AIG. He also stated that he was bewildered by the situation and was at a loss over how the entire situation got out of control as it did. [48] On September 17, 2008, Federal Reserve Board chair Ben Bernanke asked Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson join him, to call on members of Congress, to describe the need for a congressionally authorized bailout of the nation's banking system. Weeks later, Congress approved the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.Bernanke said to Paulson on September 17, â€Å"We can’t keep doing this. Both because we at the Fed don’t have the necessary resources and for reasons of democratic legitimacy, it's important that the Congress come in and take control of the situation. â€Å"[49] [edit] Additional bailouts of 2008 From mid September till early November, AIG's credit-default spreads were steadily rising, implying the company was heading for default. [50][51] On November 10, 2008, the U. S. Treasury announced it would purchase $40  billion in newly issued AIG senior preferred stock, under the authority of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act's Troubled Asset Relief Program. 52][53][54] The FRBNY announced that it would modify the September 16 secured credit facility; the Treasury investment would permit a reduction in its size from $85  billion to $60  billion, and that the FRBNY would extend the life of the facility from three to five years, and change the interest rate from 8. 5% plus the three-month London interbank offered rate (LIBOR) for the total credit facility, to 3% plus LIBOR for funds drawn down, and 0. 75% plus LIBOR for funds not drawn, and that AIG would create two off- balance-sheet Limited Liability Companies (LLC) to hold AIG assets: one to act as an AIG Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Facility and the second to act as an AIG Collateralized Debt Obligations Facility. [52][54]Federal officials said the $40  billion investment would ultimately permit the government to reduce the total exposure to AIG to $112  billion from $152  billion. 52] On December 15, 2008, the Thomas More Law Center filed suit to challenge the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, alleging that it unconstitutionally promotes Islamic law (Sharia) and religion. The lawsuit was filed because AIG provides Takaful Insurance Plans, which, according to the company, avoid investments a nd transactions that are†un-Islamic†. [55][56] As of January 2012, TARP had about $50 billion invested in AIG according to one report. Break even for the government was figured at $28. 73 a share v. then-current share price of about $25. [57] [edit] Counterparty controversy AIG was required to post additional collateral with many creditors and ounter-parties, touching off controversy when over $100  billion was paid out to major global financial institutions that had previously received TARP money. While this money was legally owed to the banks by AIG (under agreements made via credit default swaps purchased from AIG by the institutions), a number of Congressmen and media members expressed outrage that taxpayer money was going to these banks through AIG. [58] In January, 2010, a document known as â€Å"Schedule A – List of Derivative Transactions† was released to the public, against the wishes of the New York Fed. It listed many of the insurance deals tha t AIG had with various other parties, such as Goldman Sachs, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch. 59][60] Had AIG been allowed to fail in a controlled manner through bankruptcy, bondholders and derivative counterparties (major banks) would have suffered significant losses, limiting the amount of taxpayer funds directly used. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke argued: â€Å"If a federal agency had [appropriate authority] on September 16, [2008], they could have been used to put AIG into conservatorship or receivership, unwind it slowly, protect policyholders, and impose haircuts on creditors and counterparties as appropriate. That outcome would have been far preferable to the situation we find ourselves in now. â€Å"[61] [edit] Post-bailout expenditures The week following the September bailout, AIG employees and distributors participated in a California retreat which cost $444,000 and featured spa treatments, banquets, and golf outings. 62][63] It was reported that the trip was a reward for top-performing life-insurance agents planned before the bailout. [64] Less than 24 hours after the news of the party was first reported by the media, it was reported that the Federal Reserve had agreed to give AIG an additional loan of up to $37. 8  billion. [65] AP reported on October 17 that AIG executives spent $86,000 on a previously scheduled English hunting trip. News of the lavish spending came just days after AIG received an additional $37. 8  billion loan from the Federal Reserve, on top of a previous $85  billion emergency loan granted the month before. Regarding the hunting trip, the company responded, â€Å"We regret that this event was not canceled. [66] An October 30, 2008 article from CNBC reported that AIG had already drawn upon $90  billion of the $123  billion allocated for loans. [67] On November 10, 2008, just a few days before renegotiating another bailout with the US Government for $40  billion, ABC News reported that AIG spent $34 3,000 on a trip to a lavish resort in Phoenix, Arizona. [68] [edit] Settlement of credit default swaps On October 22, 2008, those creditors of Lehman Brothers who bought credit default swaps to hedge them against Lehman bankruptcy settled those accounts. The net payments were $5. 2  billion[69] even though initial estimates of the amount of the settlement were between $100  billion and $400  billion. 70] By December 2008, AIG had paid at least $18. 7  billion to various financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs and Societe Generale to retire obligations related to credit default swaps (CDS). As much as $53. 5  billion related to swap payouts are part of the bailout. [71] On March 15, 2009, under mounting pressure from Congress and after consultation with the Federal Reserve, AIG disclosed a list of major recipients of collateral postings and payments under credit default swaps, guaranteed investment agreements, and securities lending agreements. [72] Below is data fr om one of the charts AIG released, representing only a portion of the total payouts, over a period of a few months. AIG collateral postings to credit default swap counterparties, from the period September 16, 2008 to | |December 31, 2008[73] | |Counterparty |US $ posted |Counterparty |US $ posted | |Societe Generale |$4,100,000,000 |Deutsche Bank |$2,600,000,000 | |Goldman Sachs |$2,500,000,000 |Merrill Lynch |$1,800,000,000 | |Calyon |$1,100,000,000 |Barclays |$900,000,000 | |UBS |$800,000,000 |DZ Bank |$700,000,000 | |Wachovia |$700,000,000 |Rabobank |$500,000,000 | |KFW |$500,000,000 |JPMorgan |$400,000,000 | |Banco Santander |$300,000,000 |Danske Bank |$200,000,000 | |Reconstruction Finance |$200,000,000 |HSBC Bank |$200,000,000 | |Corporation[74] | | | |Morgan Stanley |$200,000,000 |Bank of America |$200,000,000 | |Bank of Montreal |$200,000,000 |Royal Bank of Scotland |$200,000,000 | |Other (unknown) |$4,100,000,000 | | | [edit] Sales of assets AIG since September 2008 has ma rketed its assets to pay off its government loans. A global decline in the valuation of insurance businesses, and the weakening financial condition of potential bidders, has challenged its efforts. If the U. S. government decides to continue to protect the company from falling into bankruptcy, it may have to take the assets itself in exchange for the loans, or offer further direct financial support. 75] As of September 6, 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported that Pacific Century Group had agreed to pay $500  million for a part of American International Group's asset management business, and that they also expected to pay an additional $200  million to AIG in carried interest and other payments linked to future performance of the business. [76] Also in 2009, AIG sold its operations in Colombia to Ecuador's Banco del Pichincha. On March 1, 2010, insurance company Prudential confirmed that it was in advanced negotiations to buy the Asian operations of AIG. [77] Prudential was to buy the pan-Asian life insurance company, American International Assurance (AIA), for approximately $35. 5  billion. 78] On June 1, 2010 the deal failed because AIG would not accept the $30. 5  billion after Prudential lowered the amount by $5  billion from the originally planned $35. 5  billion after Prudential shareholder discontent. [79] AIG agreed on March 8, 2010, to sell its American Life Insurance Co. unit (ALICO) to MetLife Inc. for $15. 5  billion in cash and stock by November 1, 2010. Alico has annuities, life and health insurance operations in Japan, Middle East (including Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan), Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. AIG said it will sell Alico for $6. 8  billion in cash and the remainder in MetLife equity.The deal leaves AIG as the second-largest shareholder of MetLife, with a stake of more than 20% in the company. On March 29, 2010, Bloomberg L. P. reported that after almost three months of delays, AIG had com pleted the $500  million sale of a portion of its asset management business, branded PineBridge Investments, to the Asia-based Pacific Century Group. [80] On September 30, 2010, AIG announced an agreement to sell two of its life insurance companies in Japan, AIG Star and AIG Edison, to Prudential Financial for $4. 2  billion in cash and $600  million in the assumption of third party debt to help repay some of the money owed to the U. S. government. 81] On November 1, 2010, AIG announced it had raised $36. 71  billion from the sale of ALICO and an initial public offering for AIA. The company will use the proceeds Federal Reserve Bank of New York credit facility and make payments on other interests owned by the government. [82] On September 2, 2011, AIG filed with the SEC to spin off their aircraft leasing firm, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), in an initial public offering. [83] [edit] Record losses On March 2, 2009, AIG reported a fourth quarter loss of $61. 7 bn (? 43bn) and revenue of ? $23. 7bn ( 16. 2bn) for the final three months of 2008. This was the largest quarterly loss in corporate history at that time. 84] The announcement of the loss had an impact on morning trading in Europe and Asia, with the FTSE100, DAX and Nikkei all suffering sharp falls. In the US the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to below 7000 points, a twelve-year low. [85][86] The news of the loss came the day after the U. S. Treasury Department had confirmed that AIG was to get an additional $30  billion in aid, on top of the $150  billion it has already received. [87] The Treasury Department suggested that the potential losses to the US and global economy would be ‘extremely high' if it were to collapse[88] and has suggested that if in future there is no improvement, it will invest more money into the company, as it is unwilling to allow it to fail. 89] The firm's position as not just a domestic insurer, but also one for small businesses and many list ed firms, has prompted US officials to suggest its demise could be ‘disastrous' and the Federal Reserve said that AIG posed a ‘systemic risk' to the global economy. [84] The fourth quarter result meant the company made a $99. 29  billion loss for the whole of 2008,[88] with five consecutive quarters of losses costing the company well over $100  billion. [89] In a testimony before the Senate Budget Committee on March 3, 2009, the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated that â€Å"AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system,† †¦ and â€Å"to nobody's surprise, made irresponsible bets and took huge losses†. [90] [edit] 2009 employee bonus paymentsMain article: AIG bonus payments controversy In March 2009, AIG announced that they were paying $165  million in executive bonuses. Total bonuses for the financial unit could reach $450  million and bonuses for the entire company could reach $1. 2  billion. [91] President Barack Obama, who vo ted for the AIG bailout as a Senator[92] responded to the planned payments by saying â€Å"[I]t's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165  million in extra pay. How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat? † and â€Å"In the last six months, AIG has received substantial sums from the U. S. Treasury.I’ve asked Secretary Geithner to use that leverage and pursue every legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole. â€Å"[93] [pic] [pic] Protester outside 60 Wall Street Deutsche Bank's US main office in the wake of the bonus controversy is interviewed by news media. Politicians on both sides of the Congressional aisle reacted with outrage to the planned bonuses. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said â€Å"I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the Americ an people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide. [94] Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) accused AIG of â€Å"Alice in Wonderland business practices† and said â€Å"It boggles the mind. † He has threatened to tax the bonuses at up to 100%. [95] Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) said â€Å"These people brought this on themselves. Now you're rewarding failure. A lot of these people should be fired, not awarded bonuses. This is horrible. It's outrageous. â€Å"[96] Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) echoed his comments, saying â€Å"This is an outrage. â€Å"[97] Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) said â€Å"This is ridiculous. † and AIG executives â€Å"need to understand that the only reason they even have a job is because of the taxpayers. â€Å"[98] Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) said â€Å"I've had it. and â€Å"The fact that they continue to do it while we pour in billions of doll ars is indefensible. â€Å"[99] Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said paying these bonuses would be â€Å"rewarding incompetence†[98] and â€Å"These people may have a right to their bonuses. They don't have a right to their jobs forever. â€Å"[96] Representative Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) said â€Å"AIG should not be on welfare from Uncle Sam, and yet paying bonuses and transferring a considerable amount of taxpayer funds to entities overseas. â€Å"[99] Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said â€Å"It makes me angry. I slammed the phone more than a few times on discussing AIG. [96] Lawrence Summers, Director of the National Economic Council, said â€Å"The easy thing would be to just say, you know, ‘Off with their heads,’ and violate the contracts, but you have to think about the consequences of breaking contracts for the overall system of law. †[100] Austan Goolsbee, of the Council of Economic Advisers said â€Å"I don't know why they would follow a policy that's really not sensible, is obviously going to ignite the ire of millions of people. † and â€Å"You worry about that backlash. â€Å"[101] Political commentators and journalists expressed an equally bipartisan outrage. [94][102][103][104][104][105][106][107][108][109][110] On March 24, 2009, The New York Times printed the resignation letter of Jake DeSantis, executive vice president of AIG's financial products unit, to Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of AIG.DeSantis stated he had nothing to do with the credit default swaps, he lost much of his life savings in the form of deferred compensation invested in the capital of AIG Financial Products; he had agreed to work for an annual salary of $1 out of a sense of duty, that he was assured many times the bonuses would be paid in March 2009, and that he believed he and others were let down by Liddy's lack of support. He also stated he was going to donate his bonus to those suffering from the global economic downturn. [111] It was reported that Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Con) (who first denied, then admitted to amending the legislation to allow the AIG bonuses), received $160,000 from employees of AIG. [112][113][114][115] A memo issued in 2006 by Joseph Cassano, AIGFinancial Products chief executive, urged AIG employees to donate to Dodd, saying that as â€Å"next in line to become chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee†¦ Senator Dodd will now have the opportunity to set the committee's agenda on issues critical to the financial services industry. â€Å"[116] [edit] Manchester United Sponsorship AIG was the principal sponsor of English football club Manchester United from 2006–2010, and as part of the sponsorship deal, its logo was prominently displayed on the front of the club's jerseys and other merchandise. The AIG deal was announced by Manchester United chief executive David G ill on April 6, 2006, for a British shirt sponsorship record ? 56. 5  million, to be paid over four years (? 14. 1  million a year).The deal became the most valuable sponsorship deal in the world in September 2006, after the renegotiation and subsequent degrading of the ? 15  million-a-year deal Italian team Juventus had with oil firm Tamoil. During AIG's sponsorship, Manchester United enjoyed one of its most successful periods in history, winning the Premier League three consecutive years, two Football League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League. [citation needed] On January 21, 2009, it was announced that AIG would not be renewing its sponsorship of the club at the end of the deal in May 2010. It is not clear, however, whether or not AIG's agreement to run MU Finance will continue.American risk consulting firm Aon Corporation was named the club's new principal sponsor on June 3, 2009, with its sponsorship of the club taking effect from the beginning of the 2010–11 seas on. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but it has been reported to be worth approximately ? 80  million over four years. [citation needed] [edit] Share buyback Due to the Q3 2011 net loss widened, so on November 3, 2011 the AIG shares has plunged 49 percent year to date. The insurer's board has approved the share buyback of as much as $1 billion. [117] [edit] Litigation |[pic] |This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable | | |sources.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008) | In November 2004, AIG reached a US$126  million settlement with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department partly resolving a number of regulatory matters, but the company must still cooperate with investigators continuing to probe the sale of a non-traditional insurance product. [118] On June 11, 2008, three stockholders, collectively owning 4% of the outstanding stock of AIG, delivered a letter to the Board of Directors of AIG seeking to oust CEO Martin Sullivan and make certain other management and Board of Directors changes.This letter was the latest volley in what the Wall Street Journal deemed a â€Å"public spat† between the Company's Board and management, on the one hand, and its key stockholders, and former CEO Maurice â€Å"Hank† Greenberg on the other hand. [119] Death Bet Circa 2010 the WSJ reported that a family sued AIG for alleged complicity in a ‘stranger-originated life insurance' scheme, whereby AIG managers allegedly welcomed people without an insurable interest to take out life insurance policies against others. The case involved JB Carlson and Germaine Tomlinson, and was one of many similar lawsuits in the US at the time. [120] [edit] Accounting fraud claimsOn October 14, 2004 the New York State Office of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced that it had commenced a civil action against Marsh & McLennan Companies for steering clients to preferred insurers with whom the company maintained lucrative payoff agreements, and for soliciting rigged bids for insurance contracts from the insurers. The Attorney General announced in a release that two AIG executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with this illegal course of conduct. In early May 2005, AIG restated its financial position and issued a reduction in book value of USD $2. 7  billion, a 3. 3 percent reduction in net worth. On February 9, 2006, AIG and the New York State Attorney General's office agreed to a settlement in which AIG would pay a fine of $1. 6  billion. [121] [edit] Corporate governance [edit] Board of directors

Is Fanfiction a Legitimate Activity for Fans? Essay

Robin Hobb (2005) defined fanfiction as the written work of fans and readers who use the author’s original characters in their own fiction without any form of consent. As an author who is against fanfiction, she wrote a full length essay to describe this genre of writing as a foul approach to the craft. On the other hand, a blogger named Justin responded to the different items Hobb listed. In this light, many have said that writing fanfiction is not a legitimate activity for fans, much less legal. As Hobb illustrated in her essay, fanfiction is definitely a genre of literature that should be heavily discouraged. Her arguments aimed to justify that legal actions should be taken upon this seemingly intellectual theft. In contrast, Justin’s arguments aimed to legitimize this form of writing, and point that fanfiction is not illegal. To illustrate the premises, the terms legal and legitimate should be defined. The online dictionary wrote that legal refers to an act recognized and permitted by law. In relation to fanfiction, there are no laws that allow writers to create fanfiction. Subsequently, there are no laws either that bans this activity. When writing fanfiction, writers are explicitly asked to write disclaimers to declare and clarify that they do not have any sort of rights over the characters by the original authors. Legitimate activities are those that are in accordance to law. The online dictionary listed that it questions the authenticity of the object or act. Fanfiction is not entirely an authentic artwork since the characters used in the stories are borrowed from someone else. However, since these rights have been wavered in the form of disclaimers, the other elements of fiction are in the hands of ‘fans and readers’, legitimizing their intellectual property over their fanfiction. The following paragraphs will present the arguments of Hobb and the responses by Justin. These are aimed to exemplify if fanfiction is truly a legal and legitimate activity for fans. How each side argues around the motion, however, does not result to a fact. This means that this is merely a deliberation between two writers regarding this issue. First, fanfiction writers compose using the author’s elements in the story: characters, settings and general plot without consent, as Hobb said in the same essay. Here, the author was trying to imply that the writers are stealing intellectual property. Justin responded to this by saying that once published materials are shared to its audience, these people become engaged and take part in its success or downfall. He also questioned why those movie tie ins are more acceptable and not categorized as fanfiction when only sponsorship sets it apart. Just because money is involved doesn’t mean that fanfiction writers are practicing intellectual theft and productions battling for movie tie ins are very welcomed. The blogger further expressed that when they sue fanfiction writers, it is as if they are suing children for drawing the many Disney characters. In this set of arguments, the legality of fanfiction is given priority. Financial affairs are usually tied with legal actions. Here, it has been said that fanfiction writers do not earn through writing this genre. These writers create stories to satisfy curiosities and fantasies that were intrigued by reading or watching an original artwork. Any writer would say that they write for entertainment first, and money maybe later. Second, Hobb implied that there is no good coming out of writing fanfiction. It does not violate any copyright law, and writers do not earn from it. Justin responded to this by stating that fanfiction creates more than possibilities along the original story lines. It allows fan communities to have a stronger bond. More importantly, it gives way to a broader creative opportunity to express themselves as writers. Many writers create stories not to earn, but simply to experience the joy of writing, something many known authors went through even before the start of their careers. By writing fanfiction, people discover other writers who have the same interests. It promotes relationships among fans, and not just their creativity. Third, Hobb said that it lowers the ratings of their works. Fanfiction is a form of identity theft. Justin immediately responded to this by saying that fanfiction can be a form of literary criticism, and that when she despises these forms of fiction, she is taking these criticisms as personal judgments. Furthermore, the author of the blog added that fanfiction widens the readers of the works of these authors, especially when the fanfiction has been well written. Hobb continued that those who read fanfiction about Harry Potter might get the wrong idea about the context of the series; Justin said that majority of those who read Harry Potter fanfiction are most likely those who have read or seen the works J. K. Rowling has authored. Fourth, the author said that fanfiction writers who create stories based from her work is in a way claiming her work, and cannot be right from any angle. Justin reacted that these writers are her readers, and that they are those who will be saying if her works have been successful or not, if she is a great writer or not. That is how the industry of writing is. One is not a successful writer if his reader was not happy about his story. Moreover, Justin added that reading is half the joy because all texts have different interpretations. Hobb can never ascertain that her readers will all have the same idea after reading her works. Everybody have different mind sets and different backgrounds, which can strongly affect how they read and understand a story. Furthermore, authors should feel privileged and honored that their works gained fanfictions because it goes to show that their stories deeply touched the hearts and minds of these people that they respond in such a creative avenue. Fanfiction writers do not tell authors that they made a mistake, and that their works are ugly. In fact, they have become inspired; they just have different interpretations. Fifth, Hobb said â€Å"the intent of the author is ignored. † The original context was changed: relationships, death, ending, and plot. Justin further emphasized that it was how the fan writers perceived their works. Nothing was written to spite the author. More importantly, nothing was written to â€Å"close† loose ends in the story. It is more of widening the possibilities in the story; the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ the audience have encountered during the course of the story. The works of the many authors are deeply loved and fully appreciated, knowing the time and effort they must have exerted to finish the novel or series of. Fanfiction writers are not holding any claim on it. Sixth, Hobb was told that fanfiction is an appropriate avenue to become a better writer. She responded by saying that if this was the truth, then karaoke creates singers and coloring books create artists. Justin just called her â€Å"ludicrous†. Among her arguments, this is by far the weakest. Of course, these are the avenues to discover talent. How else would you know if a child would be a painter if you won’t give coloring books, a musician without instruments, or a writer without books? Talent cannot be discovered without initiating its search. Seventh, to counter this, Hobb said that fanfiction is not a means to become a writer. By completely changing many aspects of the original context, this pretense of creating stories is not a good practice of writing. Justin responded to this by presenting examples like Max Ernest, Duchamps and Basquiat, Public Enemy, DJ Shadow and Negativeland, whose masterpieces must be considered as theft of intellectual property and be imprisoned. The original ideas of the authors are not stolen. They are, in way, taken into the next level. Eight, Hobb always emphasized that the original idea belongs to its creator, as Justin pointed out. However, not all plots are invented. Ideas are usually similar. They are only altered slightly, and it would seem different. In such a craft, ideas are not always new, but what matters is how it was approached and written. It usually boils down to the same theme. Critiques question craftsmanship and not the main idea alone. These points highlight that Hobb’s arguments against fanfiction are very weak and does not fully justify fanfiction as an illegal activity for fans. Plagiarism was not committed since fanfiction writers give full credit to the original authors. Moreover, these writers do not create fanfiction to earn, but simply to write and relate with other writers of the same interests. They write for growth and not selfish reasons. Hobb failed to give light to her legal and legitimate stand against fanfiction since her arguments mainly concerned personal rants and close minded opinions. This paper initially stated that the points brought out in this paper cannot fully stand on either affirmative or opposition. However, based on the given text, this paper concludes that fanfiction is a legitimate activity for fans. Works Cited Justin. November 9, 2005. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2. 5 Malaysia License. 27 December 2007 .

Gary Kelly Essay

For this paper, and from the options provided, I have selected Gary Kelly, of Southwest Airlines. He is the current CEO at Southwest, and during his 23 year long venture at southwest he has been able to do many great things for the company, making it a place where people wanted to come to work, even on their days off. He started out as a controller in 1984 and then moving on to become Southwest’s CFO in 1989, but it wasn’t until 2004 that Gary Kelley was made the CEO. During his many years at with the company he has worked very close with the co-founder Herbert Kelleher, during that time you could say that Herbert was Gary’s mentor, and as it turns out both of them have a few things in common. Both of these men were born on May 12th, both came from middle class families, and both were pretty good athletes when they attended school. Gary has some great ways he treats his employees and runs his company, and he seems to care very much for his employees I’d say to the point in which he would view them as family, and he takes care of his family. Throughout the past couple weeks in class we have used southwest as a discussion topic, and in doing this we have seen just how great these southwest employees seem to have it. days where employees are more than happy to come in even if they are off that day, and give their fellow employees a break, hiding out and surprising the crews of planes, and offering them snacks and a break while they in turn clean their plane. In one of the videos we watched a video in which Gary Kelly was at a picnic and the employees just came up to him to take pictures with him and just give him a hug, it seems that he has truly made this company a family. Gary Kelley was even named ‘Texas Public School’s Friend of the Year’, for his strong commitment to public education, and his ability to â€Å"†¦clearly see beyond the sensational headlines, and often negative politics, and understand that the success of Texas public education is everyone’s business. †(Pediatrics Week 2008). He has had a commitment to the public schools in Texas, supporting both educational organizations and employee volunteer programs. But lets not get away from the great business man he is, one article I read had this to say about him, â€Å"†¦Kelly has been as aggressive as Kelleher was in his youth – and perhaps even more confrontational, combining the instinct of a cockpit killer with the disarming, â€Å"aw-shucks† demeanor of the nice guy next door. † (Fitzpatrick, 2005) His quick thinking and out bidding his competitors, he was able to secure Chicago’s Midway Airport for around 117 million dollar bid for the assets and gates of the bankrupt ATA airlines company. As well as taking steps to open up flights to both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, in an effort to show that he’s more than happy to take on Pennsylvania’s main airline US Airways. One of the things I really like about Gary Kelly is his level of respect, in this article from Fitzpatrick, it says, â€Å"Kelly also was not willing to take credit for the airline’s recent moves, saying it is â€Å"foolish† to think that â€Å"one person deserves credit for everything. † (Fitzpatrick 2005) But my favorite part of this article was the final sentences in which Mr. Kelly says, â€Å"I’d much rather talk about Herb than me. He’s a legend and he’s earned that. I’ve been in the job for eight or nine months. I haven’t earned anything. I’m just another Southwest employee, who just happens to be the CEO. â€Å"(Fitzpat rick 2005) Through all of this that I have read about Mr. Gary Kelly, I have learned that he truly cares for those who work for him, and while he could use his position as the CEO to try and instill fear into his employees, he would rather treat them all with respect and kindness, kind of reminds me of an old saying my grandmother use to say, you can get more flies with a few drops of honey than a whole cup of vinegar, basically she just said to be kind and that will get you farther than had you behaved in a disrespectful way. So far it has worked for Mr. Kelly; I am truly impressed with Southwest Airlines and all they have done to ensure the happiness of their customers and employees, he truly is a great man.

Nationalism Is a Recipie for Peace and International Order, Discuss.

â€Å"Nationalism is a recipe for peace and international order†. Discuss. Nationalism is primarily the belief in bringing the borders of the state in line with the boundaries of the nation, yet within it exist many strands which disagree as to how this ought to be done. Liberal Nationalism champions the idea that nations are sovereign entities, entitled to liberty, and also possessing rights, most importantly the right of self-determination. Therefore Liberalism does not condone forms of foreign dominion, and hence condemns expansionism through violence, and so may be described as maintaining peace.Furthermore, Liberal Nationalists believe that the ideal world would be constructed of independent, sovereign nation-states. They also believe that these nation-states are equal, like the individuals within them, and that each will be entitled to self-determinism and as all these nation-states are equal and no chauvinism exists, it cannot be stated that Liberal Nationalists would a dvocate expansionism due to a global hierarchy, as Expansionist Nationalism does. Liberal Nationalists believe that the establishment of a world of nation-states with equal self-determination is a means of establishing international peace and order.Past wars were merely a result of the ‘old order’ which was dominated by autocratic and militaristic empires which sought to obtain the dominions of other nations through violence in order for economic reasons or ideological ones. Democratic nation states would respect the national sovereignty of their neighbours and have no incentive to wage war or subjugate others. Liberal Nationalists believe that Nationalism is a force that is capable of promoting both unity within each nation and brotherhood amongst all nations on the basis of mutual respect for national rights and characteristics.Liberal Nationalists would argue that it would be almost impossible to achieve both peace and international order in a world which is not form ulated from nation-states, as these states would not be able to correctly legislate and satisfy the desires of the individuals which compose the nation and so stimulating internal aggravation, which if existent in every non-nation-state would lead to global conflict. However though promoting peace, there seems to be an internal contradiction within Liberal Nationalism.Though it preserves self-government and forbids foreign control, it also creates a world of sovereign nation-states in which each nation has the freedom to pursue its own interests, possibly at the expense of other nations. Though this may be made less of a possibility in recent times, with mechanisms such as democracy and constitutionalism in place, unlike in societies where liberals would state a ‘Social contract’ exists which prevent peoples freedom being infringed upon through others exercising their own freedoms, on an international scale this does not exist.This suggests that when sovereign nations o perate within conditions of ‘international anarchy’, self-restraint alone may not be sufficient to ensure what Kant called ‘Perpetual peace’. Liberal Nationalists have two means of ensuring that this perpetual peace exists in the modern world. The first of these is free trade. This serves as a deterrent to war as economic interdependence means that the material costs of international conflict are so great that warfare would prove extremely detrimental to the economic state and social welfare of all those involved.Secondly, the existence and creation of international organisations capable of bringing order to an otherwise lawless international scene would serve to promote and retain peace as international disputes may be settled by these organisations acting as neutral arbiters. This is exemplified by the League of Nations envisaged by Woodrow Wilson or more currently the United Nations. However, the belief that Nationalism may be a force for peace and inter national order is brought into doubt upon examination of the Expansionist Nationalism strand of Nationalism.Whilst Liberal Nationalism focuses on the establishment of a world of nation-states through self-determinism, Expansionist Nationalism focuses on territorial expansion justified through chauvinism and the existence of a racial hierarchy. This commitment to aggression and militarism held by Expansionist Nationalists may be described as the opposite of a principled belief in national self-determinism held by Liberal Nationalists. One justification for expansionism was its importance to society.Most prominent during the colonial era, war was advocated as a means of achieving national prestige. This imperialism resulted in jingoism in the successful country and was seen as promoting the image of that particular nation and so war was not so much portrayed as a negative if the conquerors emerged victorious. However, another justification would be that it is almost a moral obligation for those more advanced in the racial hierarchy to conquer the lands and civilise those who reside within them who are further down the hierarchy.Through this expansionism those exercising it would be making the world a better and essentially more peaceful place, as if this was exercised to the extreme of world domination the whole world would then conform to the views and beliefs on this original one nation and so also establishing world order. Yet the existence of chauvinism as a force within ideology does nothing to promote peace directly, as chauvinism is primarily an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a belligerent belief in national superiority and glory which would not fail to create conflict between nations as each struggle to survive or conquer.In conclusion, though the strands vary widely on their beliefs I believe that Nationalism is a recipe for international order and peace. This is due to the fact that though Expansionist Nationalism exists, it was mainly prominent in the Colonial Era and to be exercised in the current political climate would incur serious repercussions from international organisations such as the United Nations and so it is clear that Liberal Nationalism is the more widely followed strand. It is merely the chauvinism involved in Expansionist Nationalism which would serve to break down international order and peace as a pose to building it.

Compare and contrast perfect competition and monopolistic competition Essay

Compare and contrast perfect competition and monopolistic competition. Also Explain how equilibrium is determined in the Keynesian Income Expenditure - Essay Example nother very important characteristic of the Monopolistic competition is that each firm tries to create difference in its product from the other by advertising, propaganda, attractive packing, nice smile, etc. The entry of new firms in the monopolistically competition industry is relatively easy. There are no barriers of new firms to enter the product group or leave the industry in the long run. In perfect competition model, it was assumed that there was large number of firms producing homogenous product. In the case of monopoly, there was only one seller of a product. Both these models were thus polar extremes and were considered satisfactory for the market price analysis in economic theory. Under perfect competition, the demand curve which an individual seller has to face is perfectly elastic, i.e. it runs parallel to the base axis. The competitive seller being unable to affect the market price sells its output at the prevailing market price. Hence marginal revenue equals the price of the product. The average-revenue is identical to its marginal revenue. Thus under perfect competition MR=AR=Price and the three curves coincide and are perfectly elastic. This is, however, not the case under monopoly. The monopolist is the sole supplier of a product in the market. He has full powers to make decisions about the pricing of his product. He is a price taker. If he lowers the unit price of his product, his’ sale is increased, if he raises the price, he will not lose his entire sale (Lawrence). The simple Keynesian income expenditure model builds two main suppositions: 1. Prices, incomes and the attention rate are all settled 2- production is demand determined –extra capability will be employed by firms to provide as a great deal output as clientele desire to

Management in a global enviroment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management in a global enviroment - Essay Example For companies with a very strong and specific culture it will be even harder to change. This is a huge challenge for management. Change has become a way of life for most organizations. Pressure from increasing competition, globalization, technological developments, and other forces has created an environment that rewards an organization that are capable of identifying trends and issues and responding quickly to them. Change is the only permanent thing in this world and when organizations change there are many forces of resistance against the change and culture is one of the important forces of resistance. HRM Techniques play a major role in changing the organizational culture. The major Interventions used in bringing a change include Human Processual, Techno structural, Socio technical systems and organization transformation. The various HRM Techniques include Action research, Organizational development, Sensitivity Training, Survey Feedback, Process Consultation, Team Building, Inter group development, Appreciative enquiry. The world's increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in an insular marketplace; they are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. For this reason, profit and non-profit organizations need diversity to become more creative and open to change. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity has become an important issue for management today. Managing diversity remains a significant organizational challenge and managers must learn the managerial skills needed in a multicultural work environment. Managers must shift their philosophy from treating every one alike to recognizing differences and responding to those differences in different ways and at the same time avoiding discrimination. Supervisors and managers must be prepared to teach themselves and others within their organizations to value multicultural differences in both associates and customers so that everyone is treated with dignity. - Stephen P. Robbins, Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, 10th Edition.Pg.14-15. Demographic changes (women in the workplace, organizational restructurings, and equal opportunity legislation) will require organizations to review their management practices and develop new and creative approaches to managing people. Changes will increase work performance and customer service. The need to understand diversity is also driven by women in the workplace. Today's workforce has the highest levels of employment participation ever by women. The number of dual income families and single working mothers has increased. Change in the family structure means that there are fewer men and

DRIVING THE ORGANISATION - ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Assignment - 1

DRIVING THE ORGANISATION - ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT - Assignment Example The point of debate is that whether the organizational strategy is purposely changed to adapt to the external environment or the strategy is automatically determined due to external forces, as noted by Hannan and Freeman (1977). Wieck, (1979) agrees with this stance and argues that developing mutually exclusive theories; relying one single causation, focusing on the origins and elimination of elements such as â€Å"choice† are problematic. This theory can be put to test in Sony’s case - we see that Sony’s strategic direction was determined by external and internal factors, and as a result, the external and internal environment was influenced by its direction. Some strategic choices were made due to adaptation, while the others were determined by external forces- both these forces conglomerated to create Sony’s’ strategic direction. This can be better portrayed using a Venn Diagram Given Sony’s position in the market, it can be said that it had a number of strategic choices; although most of these choices were somewhat influenced by the external environment and company decisions, but due to its size and complexity, it was able to achieve its desired outcome with the availability of multiple choices. According to the work of Porter (1980), such Companies are able to follow â€Å"differentiation and focus strategies, choose market niches or segments within the constraints laid down by the environment or alternatively pursue different strategies despite external forces†, as stated by Berle and Means (1932). Upon using Porter’s (1983) analysis of the external environment on Sony, we can understand how the external environment shaped the Sony’s strategic direction and how Sony’s decision in turn shaped the external environment. The five elements of Porter’s design include: Threat of New Entrants: For Sony, this was a major external force that based their strategic direction, and this is evident

What are environmental benefits of joining European Union Essay

What are environmental benefits of joining European Union - Essay Example Firstly, scholars have noted that the environmental standards that the European Union promotes can potentially save between 50,000 and 150,000 lives in countries that adopt EU standards; due to reduced levels of air pollution alone (Daly, 2012). With such a drastic reduction in death associated with air pollution, the society itself is not only better off and more healthy, they are able to defray a great many expenses that are associated with the long term healthcare of those individuals that suffer from this pollution. Estimates from scholars put the total cost savings that are associated with the above issue at tens of billions of pounds annually. Such a change can clearly be denoted with respect to the vastly positive shift in air purity that was represented within Romania’s air pollution index after European Union inclusion. Additionally, people in rural areas can be connected to municipal waste management systems; thereby reducing the pollution that takes place within the countryside as a result of illegal dumping. The power that this particular requirement has is oftentimes misunderstood or under-stated. However, by standardizing and centralizing the waste management of these nations, the entire ecosystem is preserved from the harm that many smaller and less stringent dumping sites would necessarily reflect (Kingston, 2010). The European Union also promotes a series of new requirements on nature protection; these will help to preserve the natural habitat of many creatures and a great many forest and swamp lands for future generations to enjoy (Bertram & Rehdanz, n.d.). Although such a consideration is oftentimes not the first concern of those individuals that wish to promote a further level of economic growth and independence, it is necessary for the preservation of the nation’s resources to consider the long term impacts that further destruction of

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 93

Journal - Essay Example His demise was so painful that whenever I think of him I shed tears. 3. Death of my idol. I am the biggest fan of Michael Jackson. His music is both entertaining and inspirational to me. His death was one of the biggest shocks for me. It took me several days to accept that he had passed on. I was very depressed. I felt like I had lost a part of me. 4. The strange kid in school. There was this quiet girl that was surrounded by mystery and creepiness. Apart from wearing dark clothes, she was also a loner and enjoyed moody songs. One day she collapsed in class and was rushed to hospital. We later discovered she had deep cuts on her thighs and hands. At first we thought it was a case of parental abuse. However, bizarre knives and other sharp objects were confiscated from her room. 5. A fish and a coin. I love fishing. One day, my father and I went fishing during the holidays. Basically, it is always my father who catches fish. However, on this particular afternoon, none of us was successful. As the evening approached, I felt my fishing rod shake. I pulled it instantly and shockingly, a fish bigger than the palm of my hand was writhing and begging for mercy beside me. The shock in my father’s eyes was priceless. As we opened the fish, guess what we found- A $25 cent

Context and process IP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Context and process IP - Essay Example Beaufort and Longest (2006) note that knowledge of the external environment enables better collection, analysis, and organization of data. This assists in the development of strategies, based on risk assessment and needs analysis carried out by the body developing the policy. Data in this case may be collected from stakeholders by holding ad-hoc meetings or through the media. The data collected will then act as the foundation from which policies are developed. The involvement of the external environment in the policymaking process leads to the development of impartial and just policies. Beaufort and Longest (2006) note that policy making involve many phases of consultation and thus require specific modes of communication. For this reason, the participation of external parties will ensure that policies developed do not favor one party while marginalizing others. Data will be collected in relation to different stakeholders and their interests especially those of the shareholders, creditors, sponsors, society and the organization itself. Once all the views and interests of the stakeholders have been established, the policymakers will then have to assume a position of compromise so that no group is discriminated (Cizek, 1999). The number of laws regulating business activities has grown over the past years. In this regard, the government regulates the private sectors by ensuring that the policies adopted are for the good of the society. In this case, it limits the private sectors from adopting policies that in its view may cause harm to other organizations, individuals, and groups during the course of conducting business. The regulation will lead to adoption of policies that allows for a free market competition. It also reduces instances of adopting policies that may give control to one business over others resulting in monopoly. This will ensure that every business, individuals, and the society at large benefits from the policies adopted (Cizek,

Summary and Conclusion to executive audience Essay

Summary and Conclusion to executive audience - Essay Example The company expects to meet all the database application and reporting requirements by development of policies, guidelines, standards, and practices in connection to the project. If all the stages of implementation are followed to the latter, then Riordan Manufacturing will successfully implement the database project for use in the finance and accounting department of the company. The diagrams used in the implementation of the project should be easily understandable and it is recommended that the users should add proper notes that would assist and aid in terms of understanding all the diagrams completely. Design is the important stage of the implementation of the project and should be done with a close coordination with all other aspects of the physical information system design. Design should be followed by documentation to guide the users. Database application will then be met if all the stages of implementation are followed to the

The Representation of Mental Illness Within Film Dissertation

The Representation of Mental Illness Within Film - Dissertation Example The popular cinema happens to serve two important purposes that are projecting the salient mass perceptions towards some individuals or groups and on the other hand informing the target audience regarding the factual information pertaining to some sections of the society. In that context, when it comes to people suffering from mental illnesses, the cinema has certainly furnished the masses with the content associated with these two expectations. That is on the one side cinema has served an important role regarding informing the masses about the facts associated with mental illnesses and on the other hand cinema has also played a big role in ossifying the stereotypical notions pertaining to the individuals and groups suffering from mental illnesses (Wahl, 1995, p. 5). It goes without saying that the way mental illnesses get represented and reflected upon in films is an issue of paramount importance as it pertains to the well being and representation of a salient section of the human p opulation (Hinshaw, 2007, p. 202). In that context the role played by cinema in the representation of mental illnesses has been mixed and ambivalent. Mental Illnesses and Expectation from Cinema It is a fact that cinema does play a pivotal role in constructing and shaping the popular mass perceptions (Rafter, 2000, p. 62). Hence, before delving on the larger issue of the representation of mental illnesses in cinema or films, I will be more appropriate to delineate the ideal expectations that an informed individual could have when it comes to the representation of mental illnesses in films. It is a fact that there is a dire need to change and alter the public perceptions about people suffering from mental illnesses, if one goes by the general public attitude towards mentally ill people. Thereby, it is expected from cinema to give way to a salubrious climate in which not only the issues related to mental illnesses get openly discussed, but which also comes heavily on the generalized s tereotypes usually associated with people ailing from mental illnesses (Rogers & Pilgrim, 2005. P. 36). For the first appropriate step in this direction will be to enhance public knowledge regarding the mental illnesses. This is because people tend to garner the knowledge and information regarding the issue of mental illnesses from a wide range of sources that could be the first hand experience, news media and print literature and the characters suffering from mental illnesses as they are represented in films or stage presentations. It is also true that it gets really difficult for cinema to facilitate a factual portrayal of the characters suffering from mental illnesses, when the popular perception tends to be so replete with standardized stereotypes. Hence, many a types, the films are in a way pushed into perpetuating the negative stereotypes about mental illnesses, shaped to a large extent by the already existent popular stereotypes and the audience expectations about the way the y want to see mentally ill people being depicted in them (Paquette, 2003). Yet, it is also true that all the creative professionals actively associated with film making, are they directors, producers, actors, script writers or editors, could indeed play a positive and realistic role in reframing the way people think and perceive mental illnesses (Chinball & Petley, 2002). By doing so they will not only be setting the scores correct regarding an issue that is of immense public importance, but as have many films shown, the films could still accrue box office records by depicting the mentally ill

Secular Humanism and the Infringement of Religious Civil Liberties Research Paper

Secular Humanism and the Infringement of Religious Civil Liberties - Research Paper Example Mainstream humanism has an uncertain relationship to religion. From one perspective, it declares that religion, fundamentally, is an outdated anti-modern method for relating people to the universe, however then again, its totalistic world perspective makes it a practical likeness conventional religious perspectives1. This clash over its religious status lies at the heart of late discussions over mainstream humanism and makes it hard to sort the position as either a religion or reasoning. Extensively, humanism might be arranged as a sensation of the advanced time that has pulled in the consideration and investment essential of scholarly people in the West. At the point when acknowledged singularly as an erudite world view, it incorporates the general investigative, philosophical, and religious viewpoints of current Western scholars. In numerous regards, it is the belief system of advancement. As a religious perspective, a few researchers have likened it with a summed up "religion of p opular government," the American common religion. Nonetheless, this article treats humanism all the more barely, as a social development attached to nineteenth-century free thought bunches and to twentieth-century liberal religions. Contingent upon the particular accentuations of unique humanists, they may call themselves religious, common, naturalistic, moral, or investigative2. Generally, humanists reject belief in a higher power and supernaturalism and stress mankinds obligation regarding its prosperity. This humanism should not be confounded with Renaissance humanism, artistic "new humanism," or Christian humanism, all of which have a few focuses in just the same as it in any case, all things considered, stem from totally distinctive roots and hold very diverse presumptions about the way of individuals and the world. The idea of mainstream humanism emerged by method for diverge from the prior expressly religious humanism upheld by the American Unitarians in the 1920s and

Kendy Oliver Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kendy Oliver - Article Example nistrative assistant in any field can really be considered a jack-of-all-trades because the support they provide allows them to gain knowledge of all activities in their department. Oliver says that the students are her biggest source of motivation. I get to work with them pretty extensively in the Student Academic Support Center and since I work at a small school, we all get to know each other, she explains. She goes ahead to describe the students as wonderful and she loves having even a small part in their academic success. Her greatest wish is to get more involved in advising as time goes on. For Oliver, working in the education sector has always been a lifelong dream; earlier on, her ambitions were on teaching elementary schools, but later she changed her career path into business. Before coming to Rosemont, she was working at a proprietary school as a Financial Aid Counselor and fell in love with the education process there. Several things attracted Oliver to Rosemont College; first, it is a small school with a similar atmosphere to Chestnut Hill College, where she completed her undergraduate work. Second, she wanted to get out of proprietary education and focus on other traditional avenues of education. Once she arrived at Rosemont, she grew to enjoy the familial atmosphere and was very happy with her decision to work here. Oliver grew up in Norristown, PA, about 15 minutes from Rosemont. Norristown is a place with a lot of potential and charm, but also many problems, she states. She continues to explain her love for the town because of all of the wonderful memories she had there while growing up, but moving forward, she would like to get more involved in measures to make her town better, such as bringing business back into town and improving the public education system. She attended Chestnut Hill College and graduated in 2012 with Bachelors in Business Administration. She admits to loving the experiences she had at Chestnut Hill College, stating that the

Fitness trainer cerfifcate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fitness trainer cerfifcate - Essay Example The initial exercise schedule involvedflexing body muscle for 10-15 minutes on daily basis. It was helpful for him to lose weight systematically without getting too much busyin gym. To go with this there was also slow twitch and fast twitch of his muscle in the work out process which was helpful for muscle fiber training. Ashe wanted to lose 20kg of weight, 3 day per week in gym wasa standard schedule for him. The gym schedule involvedproper flexing of muscle, 60-80 reps per movement under proper guidance; 4 to 6 different kind of free hand exercise was his routine in the every work out session with proper dietwas helpful for him to lose 20 kg of weight. Generally to ensure weight loss one has to ensure that insulin engine in his body is shut down. So the food preference was strictly involving less sugar, lesser consumption of meat, fat and carbohydrates. The workout routine was also consisted of daily free hand exercise for 5-10 which was helpful to keep his body mass index properly . (Ladd, 2004; 17). Following is the flowchart of his training for a 6-8 week plan to lose weight: 3 sets of sideways pull downs on cable machine; 3 sets of bicycle program; jogging on treadmill for 10-12 minutes, 3 sets of swings with dumbbells; 3 sets of bends onto stability ball and 30 minutes of brisk walking. For the next part of this exercises plan, the client was instructed to repeat he above schedule with an increase in the number of sets or movement in each steps. He was also instructed to keep in mind that the number of steps must be within his limitation and based on his power and body strength. (Lose weight in 8) He was also instructed to follow the food habit, strictly avoiding food which was rich in cholesterol and fat. Regular eating was consisting of light foods and lots of water and green vegetables to ensure that he was healthy and fit throughout the work out process. 2.

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz - Essay Example Another reason the Mexicans prefer to adopt the English names when they get to America is to make it easy for people who cannot easily pronounce Spanish names. However, Munoz feels that the main reason is the attempt to hide their identity. Munoz argues that it has now become a custom for Mexican parents to give their children English names. He emphasizes on this point by giving an example of how her nephews, as well as second cousins and other children in his hometown, have evaded their Spanish name in favour of English ones. This paper is an analysis of Manuel Munoz essay, which attempts to demonstrate how Mexican Americans are increasingly deserting their culture particularly their names to assimilate English ones. As Munoz argues, Mexicans appear not to be proud of their culture. As much as they argue that they change their names to make it easy for other people to pronounce, it is not understandable why they would do so even in their own hometown. It is for sure a cultural problem when people completely alter their own way of life to assimilate another one. Names are very crucial since they are used for identification. Most names tell where a person comes from hence his or her culture. Altering one's name is thus a sign that one does not want to be associated with his or her culture. However, I think that the Mexicans have a reason for this. It happens that a lot of stereotyping against the Spanish h speakers exists such that people tend to generalize when they speak of Spanish speaking people. A name being a way of identifying one as Spanish, then those who do not want to be associated with anti-Mexican stereotypes have no choice but to assimilate new culture and avoid being viewed as illit erate (Munoz, 2007). Self-identification is very crucial and the fact that some Mexican Americans cannot even pronounce their names well and are astonished when some do it correctly, demonstrate the extent to which they have run away from their own culture.