Trading decisions of individual investors Evidence of psychological Essay

Trading decisions of individual investors Evidence of psychological biases - Essay Example The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors†, Barber and Odean (2000). Barber and Odean (2000) studied data of stock market transactions undertaken by 78,000 households, from January 1991 to December 1996. Under the overconfidence model, investors who are overconfident about executing a profitable trade will trade more frequently in the market, and because much of their market action will be based on emotion (overconfidence) rather than deliberate and pragmatic study, their trades will be of lower expected utility. The resulting net return of households with high turnover will be inferior to those less frequently traded accounts. By comparison, the rational expectation framework of Grossman and Stiglitz posit that when investors trade, it is because they perceive that the marginal benefit they will realize is greater than the marginal cost they will incur. Since such investors trade only when such opportunity presents itself, which probably will be as often as not, then the rational investor transacts less frequently, incurring a lower aggregate transaction cost. The study discovered that households that have lower turnover (and thus traded less frequently) had larger accounts that those households that had higher turnover. This may be explained by the fact that investors who trade less frequently are longer-term investors whose objective in entering the market is for capital appreciation rather than the â€Å"quick buck†. They will tend to select stocks of â€Å"blue chip†, investor, quality, and to maintain that position for years. The earlier investigation done by Odean (1998) sought to discover whether or not individual investors tended to maintain a losing position too long and, conversely, close out on their gaining stocks too soon. This has direct bearing on the Prospect Theory by Kahneman and Tversky (1979), originally conceived as a

Management of Information System Essay Example for Free

Management of Information System Essay Supply chain management is the general, strategic interaction of the business functions within a particular firm and throughout businesses within the supply chain with the aim of improving the long-term performance of individual firm and the supply chain as a whole. The functions of logistics are key operating elements of a firm that need design and management agreeable with corporate strategy and changing competitive scenarios. The functions of purchasing focus on various processes such as contract writing, buying, demand planning, budgeting, supplier base and vendor management, and customer relationships. A firm may execute an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in order to automate its inventory management as well as sales and order process, including the related approval process. The ERP system is an extension of manufacturing resource planning and material requirements planning (MRP) systems, which link a firm’s demand side with its supply side by categorizing demand into requirements for components and parts. The ERP system provides a complete set of supply chain functionalities, including the planning and implementation of marketing activities, inventory and shop floor management and the potential of authorizing ordering and receiving to the end-user. It has also the capability of Internet integration and enterprise application integration through customized interfaces and XML. Customer relationship management analytics are capable of determining the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, projecting customer trends, identifying unprofitable clients, up-sell opportunities and clients who are likely to defect, measuring the effectiveness of incentive programs to meet overall sales goals, monitoring the performance of the sales staff, distributing resources in terms of customer needs and value, analyzing the cost-to-service ratio per client segment, and delivering the more suitable levels of customer service. Reference . Themistocleous, Marinos (2005). Enterprise Resource Planning and Enterprise Application Integration. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing Limited.

Strategic Human Resource Management: British Petroleum

Strategic Human Resource Management: British Petroleum William DArcy of Anglo-Persia Oil Company is the founding member of BP, in the year 1901. However, BPs first retail gas station first ever opened in Britain in 1921. Through the years it has grown massively due to its brand reputation worldwide. It has since become a very powerful Oil company and enjoys a fair market share. Upon merging with Amoco- a USA Oil Company, in 1998, BP then rebranded its retail gas stations and convenient stores. BPs is into the extraction and refining of oil and natural gas. Their retail ventures are under subsidiaries of Arco and BP filling stations. Since the turn of the millennium, BP took into investing into research and development, focussing on alternative energy sources like bio fuels and so far it seems to be leading in this regard. In 2009, BP was reported to be worth over $238 billion in assets with equity of $101.6 billion. With the ever increasing oil prices, their profits were reported to be nearly $21 billion in revenues of $291 billion. Today they have since gone beyond the above quoted amounts of 2007. They employ over 96, 000 people worldwide. MISSION, VISION AND VALUE STATEMENT BP has a slogan statement that has not officially been says What we stand for BP wants to be recognised as a great company that is competitively successful and a force for progress. We have a fundamental belief that we can make a difference in the world. We help the world meet its growing need for heat, light and mobility. We strive to do that by producing energy that is affordable, secure and doesnt damage the environment. PRODUCTS BP products include; Bio fuels, Gas and petrol stations, Motor oil and lubricants Route and journey planner, Gas and petrol station locator Target neutral a non profit carbon offsetting initiative Liquefied petroleum Gas Solar energy Business investments include; Air BP, Arco Aluminium, Aromatics Acetyls, Asphalt and bitumen, BP Crudes, Franchising, Shipping Gas and fuel cards, gas and power energy, Natural Gas Liquids, Solar power Industrial lubricants, Invoice tracking systems, Marine fuels and lubricants Organisational Structure This is the line of command in an organisation. It is a hierarchal structure that shows the composition and relation between the different departments within the organisation, showing clearly the channel of command, which may either, be a tall or flat kind of structure. BPs organisational structure Board of Directors Robert Dudley Iain Conn Byron Grote Executive Management Mike Daly Sally T. Bott Rupert Bondy Mark Bly Lamar Mckay Bob Fryar Bernard Looney Andy Hopwood Steve Westwell BPs Executive Management (bp.com) includes; Robert Dudley Group Chief Executive He became Group Chief Executive from 1st October 2010, taking over from Tony Haywood. Dr Byron Grote Chief Financial Officer Is a member of BP board of directors and a member of the executive management team. His responsibilities include, accounting for BPs integrated supply and trading activities. Iain Conn Chief Executive Refining and Marketing He is the chief executive of the BP Groups refining and marketing business and also holds regional responsibilities for Europe, Southern Africa and Asia Pacific. He is a member of the board of directors and a member of the BP executive management team Mark Bly Executive Vice President Safety and Operational Risk His responsibilities includes strengthening safety operations, Risk Management and the systematic management of operations across BP corporate group Rupert Bondy Group General Counsel He is responsible for legal function, trademark, patents and licensing and compliance Sally T. Bott Executive Vice President Human Resource She has held the post since her appointment, in 2005. Bob Fryar Executive Vice President EP Production His responsibilities are for the Safe and Compliant Exploration and Production and Stewardship of resources across all regions Mike Daly Executive Vice President Exploration He is accountable for the leadership of BPs access, exploration and resource appraisal activities and the long term replacement of BPs resource base. Andy Hopwood Executive Vice President, EP- Strategy and Integration Has worked in various positions in which he has been successful. He is also a member of the executive team Bernard Looney Executive vice President -Development Is responsible for Drilling and completions and project activity in the upstream Lamar Mckay President BP America. He is the chief BPs representative in the United States. Based in Houston Texas, where BP business units are involved in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining chemicals, shipping and alternative energy Steve Westwell Executive Vice President Strategy and Integration He is accountable for BPs alternative energy businesses and manages all of BPs corporate activities in strategy and policy, internal communication media, press, investor relations, economics and long term research and technology. 4.2 ANALYSE THE IMPACT OF BPS CULTURE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES. Organisational culture is the collection of relatively uniform and enduring values, beliefs, customs, traditions and practices that are shared by an organisations members, learned by new recruits and transmitted from one generation of employees to the next. (Buchanan Huczynski 2004). It has been very successful in line with its brand name and corporate reputation. Its culture reflected in their statement slogan as below BP is progressive, responsible, innovative and performance driven. They have further defined this statement as: Progressive They are restless in the research and development and improvement in exploration and refinery of oil, gas and fuels. They believe they have the principle of mutual advantage and can build productive relationships between themselves, their clients and partners. Responsible It is committed to the safety and development of its people and the communities in the societies in which they operate. They aim for no accidents, no harm to people and protecting the natural environment. Innovate we push boundaries today and create tomorrows breakthroughs through our people and technology Performance Driven BP is committed to deliver on their promises through continuous improvement and safe, reliable operations, by learning from their mistakes BP has over the years, has maintained a culture that, as exhibited in its code of conducts and their governance procedures in place. One characteristic business strategy that BP has continued to use in its system is that of Mergers. Over the years, BP has merged with other oil companies in most parts of the world and this had lead to the organisations diverse corporate culture. Generally BP has a large market share and has always had the potential to grow- thanks to other strategies, such as Acquisitions, Franchising and licensing .The BP brand is so strong and successful world over and enjoyed a good reputation. Unfortunately, the fatal accidents at the refineries (2005) and the latest oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 are not helping the current situation that the organisation is in. It has presumed that BPs outmost interest is profit marginalising than the welfare of employees and the general environment within which the firm operates. Trends of its culture in the nex t few months to come are expected to have been improved, if not changed completely, in relation to how the organisation operates. BP is primarily made up of two segments: Exploring and Production and the Refining and Marketing, along with other business units including alternative energy. BP prides its human resource capital and refers to them as our people. The organisations Human resource management aims to get the right people in the right jobs, accessing different specialist skills and promoting excellent performance. They carry out a focussed recruitment procedures, they analyse performances and reward accordingly and invest in training and development. The human resources department is made up top level executives and these make up what is known as People Committee, which takes the overall responsibilities for policy and decision relating to the employees. BP being a multinational corporation, and having employees from different countries, altogether, ensures that has one of the most biggest BPs human resources are highly skilled and efficient. The organisations Human Resource professional act as business partners, some delivery strategic guidance, while others support the day-to-day needs of managers and employees. In supporting its employees, BP invests in systems, data and core processes like governance, policy and compliance, so as to enable its human resource to respond quickly and effectively to the fast changing energy industry. 4.3 EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IS MONITORED IN THE ORGANISATION BPs Human Resource management is one of the tops around the world. Its activities have also been admired and BP used to be one of the top priorities for employment in the energy sectors. Human Resources Systems This is the systems that BP has set in place in terms of its human resource management. It involves; Recruitment BP is committed to a culture of diversity, this helps them attract, develop and retain outstanding talent- regardless of background, age, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, sex orientation, gender or marital status (BP code of conduct document) (BP sustainability review 2009) BP was named as the best energy company to launch a career in, based on factors like pay, rapid advancement and training programmes. (Business Week 2009) The organisation has schemes like the student and graduate employment facility which offers interested students and graduates intern opportunities. BP recruits graduates from a wide range of technical disciplines. In 2009, BP employed about 6500 out of which 470 were graduates. As BP is ever expanding, it requires qualified and skilful workers for its various projects around the world. Reward Systems BP has redesigned its reward strategies and processes, in such a way that, they can identify and reward top-performing businesses and individuals. In addition to pay, employees are rewarded according to how well they perform against specific objectives that must be clearly linked to the goals of the team as a whole. BP ensures to have benefit packages that are fair, attractive and sustainable for the long term for its employees. It states on their website, that as of 2010, they introduced a new flexible benefits plan in the UK, which includes private medical insurance and health screening, as well as a cash allowance for new hires to purchase benefits and defined contribution pension plans for those employees no longer eligible for the defined benefit plan Executive Reward packages Remuneration for executives is in cash and equity. This policy has been established by the remuneration committee of the board, whereas the policy for all other employees is by the group people committee. According to BP, their reward packages, strike the appropriate balance between rewarding individual performance and reflecting group performance. Performance Management BP does recognise that its high organisational growth and market share is due to the employees great performances (both individually and as a team). It strives for a performance -driven culture, with a clear alignment between team performance, individual performance and bonuses that are received. BPs performance approach entails that each BP business plan is designed to accomplish elements of the groups overall strategies. Objectives and milestones for each individual are set in accordance with the team plan. There is a direct link between the goals set by BP board and that or other BP key businesses, and the performance contracts of their executive leadership. Standard approach is that, the executives performance is evaluated against their performance contract. BP carries out an internal and external evaluation processes in developing plans for these group leaders Managers, peers and team members review leaders performance, using a 360ÂÂ ° feedback tool, to identify their top three relative strengths and weaknesses. It runs Career Acceleration programme which supports rapid development of employees who have the highest potential and are expected to achieve For Managers, it runs a series of development programmes called Managing Essentials. This is aimed to assists line managers in attaining leadership skills. They encourage leaders to develop, as they expect the leaders or managers to not only exhibit valuable expertise, but also to influence and motivate employees and be able to act decisively and deliver high quality results. RECOMMENDATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN BP Having researched and discussed the Human Resource Management in BP, I hereby recommend the effectiveness of the Human Resource Management. Their current systems in comparison to most local jobs (companies) are indeed second to none. Some of the highlighting points I base my recommendation on, includes the following working conditions: BP recognises the needs of individuals and has set out innovative working practices that encourage employees to enjoy a happy and productive work and life balance at every stage of their career. Flexible working BPs Information Technology infrastructure helps support flexible working and there are a variety of flexible working arrangements e.g. part time, and depending on employees role, they have home-based working or teleconferencing in some circumstances replaces the need to travel. Time to live As a global business, there are occasions when people have to work very hard an unsociable hours. If this is the case, BP may consider whether to provide extra time off and or additional benefits. Family time BP supports family friendly policies, such as career breaks and adoption leave, aimed at allowing people to contribute to their families without compromising their professional development aspirations Global Diversity and inclusion Council in the lead, is the Group Chief Executive. He ensures that the managers have the support they need to promote diversity and inclusion at every level of BP. It includes other senior managers and together they share their focus on making diversity and inclusion priority. Global Affinity Groups These are local affinity groups, employee-led teams of individuals who share interests or backgrounds. These groups offer support, information and the opportunity to help the business reach its diversity and inclusion goals. BPs Human Resource Management aims to attract and retain the best people, by offering opportunities to employees to learn and develop both informal training and mentoring. Teams set out to support individuals through their progress, by assisting new employees discover their talents and abilities. BP has a focused performance management system is one of the best in the world When employed, BP will align the individual objectives with the goals of the area of specialisation, upon which will be measured to ascertain the effectiveness of the individuals performance against the objectives and contributions to those goals. Norman Rockwell: Artist Biography Norman Rockwell: Artist Biography Norman Rockwell was born in 1894. Rockwell enjoyed drawing at an early age and soon decided he wanted to be an artist. At age 15 he left high school and enrolled in two art schools simultaneously. His mornings were spent at the National Academy of Design, and his afternoons, spent at the Art Students League. He is perhaps best remembered for his countless Saturday Evening Post illustrations and artistic contributions to the advertising industry. His early covers made Rockwell a star, and his paintings appeared in magazines and advertisements for the next half-century. Rockwell never considered himself an artist, but rather a commercial illustrator. After all, Rockwell never painted freehand, and almost all of his paintings were commissioned by magazines and advertising companies. No matter how many contributions Rockwell made to the commercial arts over his career, they all had something in common. He understood the importance the drawing process had in order to achieve effective ill ustrations for his advertisements and magazine covers. In the beginning of his career Rockwell worked from real life. He used models drawing directly onto his canvas. It has never been natural for me to deviate from the facts of anything before me, he says, so I have always dressed the models and posed them precisely as I have wanted them in my picture; then I painted the thing before me. If a model has worn a red sweater, I painted it red I couldnt possibly have made it green. I have tried again and again to take such liberties, but with little success. To keep up with the demand for a quicker turnaround for finished art, Rockwell began to use photos as a reference for his drawings. For twenty-three years I did all of my drawing and painting without any help from the camera. Even today I often work without photographs, yet I have found that if they are properly utilized they can sometimes prove an invaluable aid. I feel very strongly, however, that no one should resort to photographs until he has learned to draw and paint extremely well without them.In Guptills book Norman Rockwell Illustrator a description of Rockwells technique is given in extensive detail. The first step was to get an idea. Without a good idea right at the start, only failure can result, Rockwell said. Once he had an idea, his procedure was to make small scale thumbnails with pencil. When the idea was approved, the models were selected. He commonly used friends and neighbors and his models. He always insisted on getting the perfect model even if it entailed a len gthy search. Rockwell then acquired the necessary props and would hire a photographer to shoot the scenes, while he directed the models. With his okayed preliminary pencil sketch and his selected photographs, Norman then did a small sized study in pencil. This was done to organize his materials and his thoughts about layout and composition. Next, he made a full size detailed charcoal drawing on architects detailpaper. This was made to the exact size which he intended his final painting to be which varied according to the subject matter it was used for.Now the photographer was called again to reshoot the desired layout. Rockwell then painted from the photographs and did several color studies which allowed him to make tweaks to the tone, form or color. Rockwell then made a transfer from his full size charcoal layout on to his prepared canvas. First, he would trace this ona sheet of architects tracing paper, which he would then attach to his blank canvas. Between the tracing paper and the canvas he would place transfer paper and traced it onto the canvas. After all this meticulous prepping he was now ready to paint. Eventually, Rockwell altered his sketching process by using an opaque projector called a balopticon, which allowed him to cast photographic images onto his drawing surface, and lightly trace them. Rockwell said, When using the balopticon in this way, I do not simply copy everything which is projected from the photograph. Instead, I make many, many changes, large and small, in order to make the drawing like the image in my mind of what I want to portray. I cannot emphasize this point too much. The real danger in using the balopticon is that you will develop the lazy tendency to follow the image exactly instead of following the creative idea or image within yourself.Painting from photographs canbe a wholly creative performance if the artist himself is creative. To copy the form, tone and color of a photographic print certainly is not creative. But one can be creative by modifying drawing, values and other aspects of the photo to realize the creative needs of the subject. The camera is no substitute for those creative faculties of mind and hand which have always produced art and always will. The artist who cant draw or paint will never getanywhere trying to work from photographs. Probably the most important stage in Norman Rockwells technique was the drawing stage. In this stage, subjects were drawn in great detail, going so far as to indicate differences in light and shade by filling in areas with varying values of grey. If you look closely at a Norman Rockwell painting, much of his pencil lines can be seen lurking below the paint. I take the making of the charcoal layouts very seriously, Rockwell once remarked. Too many novices. I believe, wait until they are on the canvas before trying to solve many of their problems. It is much better to wrestle with them ahead through studies. Knowing that the success of his covers and advertisements depended on the strength of his ideas, Rockwell struggled to develop engaging picture themes. With the emphasis on preliminary drawings this allowed Rockwell to produce strong illustrations for his commissions. His successes in commercial art and the advertising industry are a result of those drawing phases. With his art on cover of the Saturday Evening Post, Norman Rockwell became an American icon. Although hesitant about approaching the Saturday Evening Post, he had dreamed for years of having his illustrations on the cover. Rockwell put aside his fears and in 1916 took two paintings and three sketches to Phildelphia and Mr. Lorimers office. Mr. Lorimer liked the two paintings and approved the three sketches for future covers for the Saturday Evening Post. The first Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover was published May 20, 1916. Entitled Boy with Baby Carriage (See fig. 1), it shows 2 boys in baseball uniforms making fun of another boy dressed in his Sunday suit pushing a baby carriage. One of Norman Rockwells favorite models, Billy Paine, posed for all three boys. On June 3, 1916, the second Saturday Evening Post Norman Rockwell cover was published. His second effort featured a kids circus with one kid in long underwear being the strong man. Another kid in a top hat was the ci rcus barker, extolling the other kids in the painting to see the show (See fig 2). This was the second of the two finished paintings Rockwell originally showed to Mr Lorimer. All in all, more than 300 Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers were published. Norman Rockwells painting of a colonial tavern sign painter in the February 1936 issue of The Saturday Evening Post had caught the eye of Princeton architect Thomas Stapleton, who decided to commission Rockwell to do a mural for the reconstructed 1756 Nassau Tavern located in Princeton. Rockwell enjoyed doing colonial subjects and because Princeton was the site of a major Revolutionary War battle, a painting of Yankee Doodle seemed appropriate. Yankee Doodle was placed behind the bar to be enjoyed by all the male guests (See Fig. 3). Rockwell researched and had new costumes made for his models. He engaged his friend, Fred Hildebrandt, a professional model and illustrator, who had posed as the colonial sign painter, to pose as Yankee Doodle. This painting underwent several phases in preparation for the oil painting. First, a drawing was done from the model, with very little changes being done (see fig 4). Second, a drawing was done from the first drawing. In this version the drawing was pushed further. Here he makes the body thinner, the arms and legs are elongated, and the shape of his nose is changed. The clothing also adds to the character and his action. The vest now creates a more interesting silhouette, while the smaller scarf helps thin the shape of his upper body. The negative space between him and the saddle, as well as the disheveled hat, flowing hair and coat, convey a bouncing ride (see fig. 5). Third, the drawing is transferred and a color-study is done (See fig. 6). Finally, the finish changes are made. Most are subtle, but there is improved contrast to the coats folds, and changes to the negative space in relation to the elbow. (see fig 7). These process images support Rockwells comments that the ability t o draw is the most import. In the cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post on April 16, 1955, Art Critic, Rockwell was far from beginning his final painting when he completed this drawing. His photographer recalls that Rockwell considered this one of the most difficult paintings he had done. He spent more time on it than on almost any other Post cover. Using his wife Mary as the model, the face of the woman in the portrait changed no fewer than 17 times. (See fig 8). For each alteration, Rockwell painted a separate oil-on-acetate sketch, which he then could place for consideration within the portraits frame. At some point Rockwell replaced the 17th-century landscape on the opposite wall with a group portrait of Dutch cavaliers. The cavaliers critical observation of the students close examination of the ladys pendant added a new dynamic and further compelled the viewers participation in Rockwells painting. You can also see Rockwells process drawings leading up to his finished Post cover paintings in Fix ing a Flat August 3, 1946 (See Fig. 9) and Weighing In June 28, 1958 (See Fig. 10). Record of his work process is rare and really provides insight in to his technique. On the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, Norman Rockwell earned his reputation as an artist. Inside, however, his work was just as moving. His paintings regularly appeared inadvertisements. Rockwells advertising career started in 1914 with a Heinz ad in the Boy Scout Handbook and ended 64 years later in 1976 with Lancaster Turkeys. Rockwell also did advertising illustration for companies like Jell-O, Willys cars, Grape Nuts and Orange Crush. He is also remembered for his numerous advertisements for such companies as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, and Sun-Maid Raisins. Even in Rockwells advertisement illustrations he continued his technical processes and the use of drawing with models and photographs. When people ask why I sometimes resort to photographs, I tell them what a job it is to get models to take and hold poses like in this Interwoven Socks advertisement. Any time you wish to become a model, try either of these poses for a few minutes, says Norman. (See Fig. 11). In the Fisk Tire advertisement he draws from a live model rather than a photograph to create his painting (see fig. 12). In this case my model was old Pop Fredricks, known to all illustrators. He was a great guy, an old actor. He used to pose twenty-five minutes and then rest. Before the pose we would set the alarm clock, a noisy Big Ben. Waiting for the blasted thing to go off was nerve-racking; after about twenty minutes I would be on edge. Once I had Pop in a sleeping pose and he actually fell asleep, I let him sleep until noon. One of Rockwells advertising campaigns resulted i n 81 black-and-white drawings. The Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. commissioned him to create scenes reflecting family life for a national advertising campaign. Rockwell reportedly used a hard, grease-free type ofcrayon for the sketches (see fig.13). Massachusetts Mutual chose the black-and-white medium because it represented a contrast to the color advertisements used by most companies in the 1950s and 1960s, and the company hoped it would grab peoples attention. The company ran ads with the drawings in The Saturday Evening Post, Time and Newsweek.

All the Pretty Horses Essay -- essays papers

All the Pretty Horses John Grady Cole, the last in a long line of west Texas ranchers, is, at sixteen, poised on the sorrowful, painful edge of manhood. When he realizes the only life he has ever known is disappearing into the past and that cowboys are as doomed as the Comanche who came before them, he leaves on a dangerous and harrowing journey into the beautiful and utterly foreign world that is Mexico. In the guise of a classic Western, All the Pretty Horses is at its heart a lyrical and elegiac coming-of-age story about love, friendship, and loyalty that will leave John Grady, and the reader, changed forever. When his mother decides to sell the cattle ranch he has grown up working, John Grady Cole and his friend Lacey Rawlins set out on horseback for Mexico, a land free of the fences and highways that have begun to invade west Texas, a land where the boys are not able to read the look in a man's eye. As they approach the Rio Grande, they are joined by the youthful and mysterious Jimmy Blevins, wh ose fine horse, hot-blooded temper, and talent with a pistol are as certain...

How many grams of fat can you consume in a day

a. How many grams of fat can you consume in a day and not exceed 30 percent of your calories from fat? Use the CNPP recommendation for your daily calorie recommendation to calculate your answer. How did you do in this area for the day you recorded?On the â€Å"standard† daily calorie intake of 2,200 recommended for very active young women, the upper limit for fat intake is 73 grams (660 calories). If I was to be sedentary man or an active woman, I would roughly have to meet the same requirement, which is not to take in more than 73 grams of fat in a dayb. How many grams of saturated fat can you consume in a day and not exceed 10 percent of calories from saturated fat? How did you do in this area for the day you recorded?  I need to consume only ten percent of calories from saturated fat, meaning, I may not exceed more than 300 mg of saturated fats in day. Saturated fats such as cholesterol, and trans fat which is not only bad for my diet but will also clog up my aorta(major heart vein).c. For the day you recorded your intake if you ate a serving of a high-fat food, for example, lasagna, how could you avoid exceeding the recommended fat intake for the day?  During the event that I eat food containing high amounts of fat, to be able to balance the amount of fat intake, I eat food that contain less fat and eat foods that were boiled, broiled or grilled. In doing so, I end up taking in less fat and still eating a lot. Because even if we avoid frying food it will still most likely contain fat, so I will at least minimize the amount of fat included in everything else I eat.d. If you could substitute a serving of lower fat lasagna for the higher fat choice, what effect would this have on your other food choices and on your calorie and nutrient intakes for that day?  Replacing the lasagna, which contains a large amount of fat with lasagna that contains a lot less, will definitely make it a lot easier for someone to compensate concerning the other food opti ons that I may have. Instead of having to choose low calorie and fat containing food, which may turn out to be bland, I can opt to eat regular food options that can not only fill my stomach but also fill my calorie requirement for the day.e. Considering regular lasagna, which ingredients most likely contribute most to the total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in the higher fat lasagna selection?  Perhaps lasagna could be included in one’s diet once a week, like on Sundays or special holidays. Making lasagna, with all its calories and fats, a part of one’s daily diet is not only irrational but is also risky when it comes to one’s health.f. How could you change those ingredients to reflect a reduction in fat content?  I can reduce the fat content of lasagna by placing whole-wheat lasagna instead of the regular pasta, decreasing the amount of virgin olive oil that is placed in it, placing less butter, and also using ground chicken rather than ground beef.g. How did the day’s recorded total for calories and vitamins compare with your recommended amounts? Did the day’s meals meet or exceed your need for energy? Describe how your actual intake varied from the CNPP recommendation.  Happily, I was able to exceed the needed amounts for calories and vitamins for the day. As for the vitamins, I was happy to see that I exceeded it because it means that I am eating a healthy diet. Although for the calorie intake, it scares me a bit because eating a calorie pack food without expending it properly will result to added body fats.h. Did your meals present too little of any of the vitamins and minerals listed in the CNPP materials? Which ones?  Actually, my vitamin intake for the day exceeded what was expected from me greatly. I was able to take in more than what was required from me according to CNPP, which means none of them where under-represented.i. What changes in your choices among those foods would have improved the energy o r vitamin or mineral totals for the day?  Improvement when taken in a standard meaning would actually mean to increase, but in my case, to improve my diet I would have to decrease my energy intake and simply maintain my vitamin and mineral intake for the day.j. Did your choices provide enough folate to meet your requirement?  I am glad to say that I actually met the required amount of folate that I had to take in within one day. In fact I was able to take in twice the required amount of 400 micrograms and was able to take in 784.5 micrograms.k. What are the sources of niacin in your day’s meals?  Niacin is not really that abundant in standard food. Niacin can actually be found in whole refined grains. When mills refine grain they are required by law to add folic acid, NIACIN, iron and riboflavin. So therefore eating refined grains at least once a day may add to my Niacin intake.l. What about Vitamin C? What percentage of your daily need of Vitamin C did your meals provi de? Which individual foods were the main contributors? To what food groups do they belong?  I was able to take in a total of 126.78% vitamin C within one day. Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid is abundant in Citrus filled drinks and meals such as lemons, oranges and lime, all of which are in the Fruits part of the Food Pyramid. Also aside from normal food intake, it is easy to receive vitamin C by simply buying it in a local drugstore.m. How did your total energy intake compare with your energy recommendation? Is this consistent with your nutritional goals?  In my food intake, I was able to take 6604 kcal worth energy, which is three times more the recommended 2339 kcal goal for a day. It is very impressive to see that I was able to take in that much energy. However, it is also true that if I am not able to expend that energy within a day, it turns to body fat which is terrible to have.n. Which of your foods are â€Å"vitamin bargains†? Those would be foods which are vitamin-den se, providing the most vitamins for the fewest calories.  Fruits and vegetables of course give me the most amounts of vitamins without having to increase my total number of calories significantly. In fact it can be noted that the best source of vitamins are vegetables because they don’t contain fructose like fruits do, but they contain a minimal amount of starch which makes up a good low calorie diet.o. Breakfast cereals are a great source of vitamins. What characteristic of these foods makes them so rich in vitamins?  Breakfast cereals are made from plants specifically corn, wheat, and grains. Corn in itself is full of vitamins and wheat and grains may contain some vitamins as well. In addition, the fact that when we eat cereals it always comes with full cream or filled milk, which adds a significant amount of vitamins in a persons diet.p. What can you say about your recorded food intake and the vitamins and minerals that you obtained from the foods you ate that day?   I can say that I actually exceed the requirements that are set for a balanced diet. Although this is not such a good thing because too much of certain food groups may cause complications to my health.ReferencesDietary guidelines and the Guide to the Food Pyramid. West Virginia University, December 22, 2007, from http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/fypubs/WLG_132_Food_Pyramid.pdfDietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, USDHHS, USDA, December 22,2007. from www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelinesKantor, L.S. December 22, 2007, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer772/aer772a.pdfLawrence J. Appel, M.D., M.P.H., Benjamin Caballero, M.D., Ph.D., and Fergus M. Clydesdale, Ph.D. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. December 22, 2007, from www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelinesNational Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

buy custom Hamlet’s and Titus’s “Madness” and Its Function essay

buy custom Hamlet’s and Titus’s â€Å"Madness† and Its Function essay Madness in its function as a theme in both the works of Hamlet and Titus is a major theme. Madness itself by definition is a mental incapacity that could have been caused by an unmentionable injury. Most of the injuries are internal within the mind of the subject and do not reveal themselves until put in the right set of circumstances such as instances of stress. The Titus and Hamlet stories have been replayed in the form of film as well as in paperback. Their stories are having similar themes of madness that have been expressed in different ways. Perception of Titus The movie version of Titus Andronicus sees him as the protagonist. He is the great general quite similar to Maximus Aurelius in the gladiator film, full of dignity and chivalry just returned from war. The people revere and admire their great general and request that he become their king in their time of chaos. He is quite an honorable person, and a loving father. He is the type that sticks to tradition and this is where his weakness lies where he fails to read and adapt to the changing emotional climate around him. According to the religious ritual, he mercilessly sacrifices the son of the Goth queen. This is the first act that helps tip the dominoes in the order of events. The rest of the events proceed to fall into place after this act. He falls into a madness that rivals that of the great king Lear. The armor that surrounded the world around him and gave him protection is shattered and, thus, he cannot maintain a steady view of the world that he currently is in. In other words, he became acutely aware of how the world worked and this shatters the confidence he once had in the way that it works. This is the injury that we cannot see and yet manifests itself in the stressful situations that he faces. He once acknowledges in a scene, which would be bittersweet and a bit absurd that the goddess of justice had fled the world. In this respect, he finds a solution in writing letters and strapping them around arrows and shooting them at the heavens in a bid to solicit attention from the gods on the wrongs he experiences. This leads him to transform his madness into vengeance and he embarks on a path that sees him as a mystery chef. Here, he ends up serving up his enemies in pies and their mother eats these. Perception of Hamlet in the play The plot for Hamlet follows a similar path of madness whereby, the death of his father sees the young prince Hamlet return home from studies in Wittenberg to the Danish court. At this time, less than two months had passed since the passing of the king and yet the older brother had taken over things in many ways. He became the ruler of Denmark and the second husband to Gertrude who is the mother of Hamlet. The prince is quite disturbed by the new turn of events. On the one hand, he is grieving for the death of his father, and on the other, his brother has insulted his memory by marrying his mother. His brother has also taken leadership of the empire. He needed to make sense of the new world he lived in at that time. Element of madness The ghost of the dead king appears to Hamlet and tells him that Claudius, Hamlets brother, killed him. It tells him to resort to kill him in revenge and avenge the death of the king. In response to this, Hamlet vows not to think of anything else in view of these events. Unfortunately, Hamlet has a wide intellect and this serves to rile his conscience into working against him. He begins to question the righteousness of what he plans to do. On the other hand, he has sworn allegiance to the ghost of the king to execute his revenge. Thus, he is torn between the two, he decides to feign madness to his brother in order to conceal the true intentions of what he plans to do, and this while he seeks to attain the concrete proof of his guilt. On the other hand, Hamlet shows a romantic interest for Ophelia who is the daughter of Polonius. He advises his daughter to reject the advances of the prince. When he observes the subsequent odd behavior of Hamlet after pursuing Ophelia and this leads him to claim the prince has been turned mad by his love for the woman. The king distrusts his stepson and in resorts to send two of his friends to Wittenberg in order to discern the true state of mind of Hamlet (Maraden 2). Hamlet is guilt ridden and doubts himself about why he did not execute the agreement that he made with the ghost of his dead father. This leads him to ask a band of thespians to re-enact the death of his old father in front of the new father. Claudius reacts violently and reaffirms the intentions of Hamlet that now willingly plots to assassinate him. The theme of madness in Hamle is such that he does not know about it and his mind pulls a veil in front of his eyes thus, he views his actions as quite rational. However, to an objective eye, Hamlet is just reacting as expected to a world that has gone mad. His mother has remarried, but with his older brother. His father is dead, but no one wants to acknowledge that he was alive. It is only rational that he starts hearing voices in the form of the ghost of his dead father and acts in accordance with his consultations with what he sees and hears. It seems that he has another world that he conceals to himself, one of which is his property and which relates to his suffering from grieving the death of his father. The other thing is that he retains a mild amount of control within this world. At least, in a world where his fathers ghost exists, the feelings brought out are his innermost desires and suspicions about his fathers death. He cannot say all of this within the presence of his elder brother because the real world would not tolerate these notions. Comparisons between Titus and Hamlet These notions only had space in his mind where they would thrive undisturbed. Titus is in a similar position by default. It seems that Shakespeare used a similar character trait while plotting out the stories of these two people. They were both of noble character they had been away from their home and were nostalgic of the way things were at their respective homes. It is here where they share their madness as from a similar source. They both relate in the manner that they both were used to a particular system of change. They were both rigid and slow to adapt which is a defining element in both of their personalities. Suddenly an event happened in both of their worlds that changed everything for them. Their inability to adapt to the situation caused the break from reality because they were not able to deal with it. In response to this, they created their own separate realities where they were able to control events or at the least have their desires receive an audience and all of this happened without their knowledge. In the case of Titus, he goes about his duties with the best interest of his loved ones at heart in a way that he feels the world ought to work. The public wants him to rule, but he forfeits the power to give it to Saturninus. He even throws his daughter to be his wife as part of the bargain and in the end, the emperor goes on to marry the prisoner or war, Tamora, whose son he killed (Koumakpai, 75). In the first place, she was the only one in opposition when Titus took it upon himself to slay her son in accordance with the tradition. She swore revenge and when she got married to the emperor, she was promoted to a very senior position in Rome. It was one of the things, which spelt the end for Titus. At the same time, it was one of the tiny things, which would be termed as extreme changes to his world. Thus, explaining the earlier thesis of this paper. The inability to change to suit their environment in the characters of Hamlet and Titus was their downfall and led to their madness. If a person who cannot respond to their surroundings with the appropriate adaptation, then when a situation arises that causes great stress, they get mental abuse. This may translate to a break from reality. Some writings of Titus attribute his madness to grief and sorrow that he went through (Davis 44). This sorrow comes from the fate of his sons who died while in battle. Justification for Titus madness Their losses to him pierce his heart and soul and remain wounds that remain unseen, but haunt him nonetheless. This punishment is more than which he can take, but he continues to sacrifice for the good of Rome. He experiences further hardships targeting his body and especially his family. His daughter is raped and mutilated and his own hand is cut off (Skubal 130). Not to mention, that his two sons were beheaded and one was banished. Therefore, he has to struggle with feelings of betrayal and shame. His sons either are dead or considered not a part of the society. On the other hand, his daughter who is the remaining child he has around is defiled and probably will not retain her dignity ever. His family name has been soiled in the process. This is a man that gave so much for the glory of Rome including risking his life in battle and sacrificing one of his sons. In return, Rome made his enemy the wife of the emperor and allowed the defiling of his daughter. Any person would understand, his break from reality, it was warranted and necessary for his survival in the bottom line. In the film version of the movie Hamlets portrayal by the actor Branagh is quite interesting because Hamlet is indeed mad though he does not see it through his own eyes and his own minds fools him into pretending he was mad to keep him from discovery, which was rather brilliant. In this way, he has to conceal the fact from himself that he was truly mad; however, he was a genuine intellect in the film. Distinguishing Hamlet from Titus and the theme of tragedy He still had quite a few wits about him and he probably would not have brought himself to kill himself for the purpose of revenge yet his madness was driving him steadily to a point of self-destruction. The root of his madness seems to stem specifically from his father. Most people would attribute it from the love of the mother, as previous tales would follow. Hamlet does not seem to be overtly oedipal (Anderegg 132). In this case, he would seek out her honor and try to avenge it. Her husband is also her son, which is a major violation and disgrace, which would probably cause shame to her in the first place. However, he does not do it for her love or he does not show it. He approaches the problem from the angle of the son wanting revenge for his father. Having a little of his wits about him, he collects himself to create a pretense of his madness to divert suspicion away from himself and present himself as harmless. Titus uses the same ploy. The ploy works well for a while to serve the two protagonists purposes. However, it is not as successful in the case of Hamlet. He only manages to eliminate one of his enemies, the father of Ophelia, Polonius who was against his courtship of Ophelia. He misses his target who was Claudius. On the other hand, Titus experiences some extent of success. He feigns madness by ordering the shooting of arrows into the sky to the Gods to petition their negligence. In response, Tamora arrives at his home with her two sons and they are disguised as the Gods of revenge rape and murder. When he sees this, he begs Tamora to leave him alone with the Gods of rape and murder who were her sons. He proceeds to have them tied up and gagged. Then he has their throats slit and his daughter collects their blood, which is spilt. He prepares a pastry with their blood, crushed bones, and prepares a pie by baking their heads. This goes on to culminate to the climax. He invites the emperor, his wife Tamora, as well as Lucius and Marcus. He serves Tamora with the flesh of her two sons and kills his daughter to put her put of her misery. He then explains to Tamora what he did and goes on to stab her (Shakespeare Theatre 10). In response, her husband turns and kills him as a reaction; however, Lucius kill Satarninus himself. Therefore, Lucius assumes the throne. It seems that Titus goal was that of self-destruction like a kamikaze pilot even if he himself was not aware of his plot. His plot for revenge got fuel from his madness and directed toward Tamora and her family for destroying his image of the world. One could say it was his remaining reason to live from all of the tragic happenings in his life. His want for revenge became tragic because it consumed him completely until there was nothing left. Everything that he would term as part of himself was destroyed in the plot to kill his enemies. Hamlet is much like Titus and is consumed by his need to avenge the death of his father. At the same time, everything he does has a way of coming back to haunt him just as Titus. This includes the killing the father of his love interest even if it was by accident. The daughter is haunted by the actions that she drowns herself. Conclusion Her brother, Laertes sees what she has done, sees the involvement of Hamlet, and plots revenge against him with the help of the king Claudius. In this way, Hamlet differs from Titus because he does not become self destructive to the point that he would knowingly cause his own suicide/ murder. He dies at the hands of another, although, they planned his death the whole time. He is an intellectual rather than a fanatic that wants to play out his revenge at any cost. In this case, the tragedy is that so many people had to die because of feigned or actual madness (Mercer 6). There is no ghost in Hamlet and so that could be considered as evidence for madness on the part of Hamlet. However, other than that he does not exhibit any signs of insanity. This situation mixed with the hostile environment and paranoia that exists in his brother is enough to set events in motion to end in the deaths of almost everyone involved just as in the tale of Titus Andronicus. Both tales show the effects of their revenge plots as having sad and tragic endings with the deaths of the protagonists as well as their loved ones. Buy custom Hamlet’s and Titus’s â€Å"Madness† and Its Function essay

Gingerbread house essays

Gingerbread house essays Once you've decided on a pattern, the next step in creating a gingerbread house is making and baking the gingerbread dough. The dough recipe below will make two or three small houses, but if you only want to make one, you can use the rest for cookies. Heres what you need: Optional ingredients: a dash of cardamom, allspice or cloves Put the molasses, shortening and sugar into a pot and set it on the stove over medium heat. You want to cook these wet ingredients until they are well blended, for approximately 10-15 minutes. Stir them occasionally. While this is cooking, work on your dry ingredients. Put 4 cups of flour in a bowl. Youll have a fifth cup of flour left over for later use. Now its time to add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. You can also add a little cardamom, allspice or cloves if you want. Finally, add the baking soda. Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your cookie sheet and kneading surface. Most recipes will tell you to lightly flour your kneading surface, but lightly greasing it tends to be more effective in keeping your dough from sticking. You are now ready to mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Use a spoon to mix it until you have a nice, round ball of gingerbread dough. Youll have to start using your hands when it gets too thick to stir. Now youre going to use your fifth cup of flour not all of it, just a little bit at a time. Too much flour will make your dough too crumbly. Divide the dough into two or three sections and roll a section on the greased surface. Get the dough down to about 1/8 inch thick. Cover both sides of each pattern piece with shortening and ...