Real Estate Investment Trusts KIMCO

Introduction KIMCO Reality is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) company that is mainly based in the United States, Canada, and South America (Deloitte 4). As a REIT company, KIMCO Reality owns and runs multiple real estate properties that mainly include shopping centres. The backbone of KIMCO operations is in the US where the company operates the largest database of shopping stores in 44 states.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Real Estate Investment Trusts: KIMCO specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In total, KIMCO operates over 900 shopping stores within North America and South America included in a leasable area of over 120 million square feet. KIMCO Reality trades at the NYSE (Emily 128). The focus of NYSE includes acquiring, developing, and running multiple shopping centres within the US, North America and South America. Despite multiple challenges in the real estate industry, especially the REIT seg ment, REIT presents a range of opportunities to investors (Deloitte 4). Economic Status The US economy is still recovering from the recession that started a few years back. Multiple sectors of the economy, including the real estate sector, are heavily reliant on the state of the economy. Although some economists are of the opinion that the US economy will need more years to completely emerge from economic recession, a range of indicators predict an improving economy. The rate of unemployment is now 7%; thus, indicating that thousands of jobs are starting to re-emerge in the market (Deloitte 4). Over the last three years, the US economy has grown by an average of about 2.5% (Deloitte 4). Although such a growth is below the 3% threshold required to create considerable jobs for the economy, a positive growth has contributed to the expansion of the US economy (Andrew 87). Generally, the US economy provides a good business environment for companies. Here, the US consists of a capital mar ket regulated by appropriate legal provisions and a suitable environment for business growth. The US is mostly an industrial service economy; hence, a relative high wage bill for workers. Although a high wage bill presents US consumers with a capacity to invest in high expense opportunities such as in real estate, such a direction is resulting in several shortcomings. Multiple multinational companies have transferred operations from the US to cheaper labour markets such as China.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, although many economies in South America and North America remain affected by the economic crisis, Canada is making significant progress in strengthening her economy; thus, providing a strong base of future investments in real estate. Moreover, despite the economic crisis, the US accounts for a total of about 45% of all real estate securities (Deloit te 5). Population Trends The US consists of a large, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic population. The current population of the US stands at about 320 million people. Here, European whites form about 65% of the US population. About 13% of US citizens are African Americans while the Hispanic population is about 16%. However, there are a large number of undocumented immigrants in the US (Deloitte 4). The estimate number of undocumented immigrants range from 12 million to 30 million (Deloitte 4). The average birth rate in the US stands at about 1.85% (Deloitte 4). The replacement rate is just below 2. Such a direction would imply a decreasing population (Emily 128). However, the high number of immigrants who enter the United States from Mexico and other parts of the world is contributing to a high population increase in the United States. The proportion of Hispanics is especially projected to increase significantly in the near future. Despite a high number of Hispanic immigrants who cros s to the United States from Mexico, Mexican women have a higher birth rate when compared to white women (Andrew 89). However, such a projection can change as a result of decreasing birth rates among Mexican women who permanently settle in the US. About 38% of the US population consists of persons aged 25 years and below. On the other hand, senior adults (aged 65 years and above) form about 12% of the US population (Deloitte 8). Capital Capital investments in REIT companies are on an upward trend. Here, an array of parameters that include good cash flows in REIT companies, the weakening of the US dollar in comparison to other currencies and partnerships between the US REITS and foreign subsidiaries contributes to high investment in REIT securities (Emily 128).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Real Estate Investment Trusts: KIMCO specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Currency Risk Because of its use as the main currency of trade in the international market, the US dollar is a very stable and low risk currency as well. However, currency risks could occur from a necessity to exchange into other forms of currency that are rarely used in the international trade. Taxation Usually, REIT companies are under a legal obligation to pay a minimum proportion of 90 percent income to shareholders. KIMCO pays as much as 100% of its income to shareholders (Emily 128). As such, REIT companies are not under an obligation to pay corporate tax (Deloitte 11). However, shareholders pay tax on dividend benefits (Deloitte 7). Market The backbone of KIMCO operations (about 80%) is in the US where the company operates the largest database of shopping stores in 44 states. In total, KIMCO operates over 900 shopping stores within North America and South America included in a leasable area of over 120 million square feet (Deloitte 3). The focus of KIMCO is thus in the operation of shopping canters. In 2009, KIMCO init iated a program of disposing unusable assets. As a result, KIMCO disposed over 80 assets valued at about $850 million. Apart from disposing non usable assets, the management of KIMCO is acquiring strategic properties in the international REIT market. Such a direction is leading to the strategic growth of KIMCO. Indeed, KIMCO’s path for growth has remained clear over the past years. MOAT/ Competitive Advantage A critical requirement for companies to grow is a recognition and use of competitive advantages against rivals. One if the most distinct factors present in KIMCO, unlike other REIT companies in the US, includes its low cost capital. KIMCO utilizes low cost funds in strategic investments. Such a direction is leading to a high return to capital ratio; thus, increasing the value of KIMCO shares (Andrew 87). Here, KIMCO has a knack of disposing non critical assets as well as obtaining new strategic assets. Because the shares of KIMCO are projected to continue in an upward tr end in the coming years (due to an effective use of cheap capital there), the idea of a MOAT holds in KIMCO.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Investors can thus buy KIMCO shares at the current price (cheap) with an expectation that the shares will significantly increase in value in the following years (Deloitte 4). The latest report of the 2012 first quarter financial results indicate a robust management of resources. Here, the total asset value of KIMCO stores stands at just over one billion dollars. Moreover, KIMCO sold over 1.6 million square feet of leasable space for undisclosed value. The management of KIMCO consistently evaluates low performing stores with a view of increasing income. Robust management and investment at KIMCO is leading to a significant increase in the total value of the company (currently valued at about 16 billion dollars). Issues of Control All important indicators of performance such as growth in profits, increase in share price, and a high income to capital ratio point to good results at KIMCO. The high performance KIMCO is mainly as a result of an effective management team which is not deterr ed by the main shareholders. The interest of the management to increase the value of KIMCO mainly aligns with the interest of shareholders to increase the value of their assets (Andrew 87). No series conflicts of interest have been reported between the KIMCO management and major shareholders. Still, there are clear provisions on the handling of disputes that could arise between the management and the major shareholders. Top Shareholders A number of institutions form the top ten shareholders of KIMCO group. About 7 billion of the total equity at KIMCO is from institutions while about 4 billion is from mutual funds. On the other hand, insiders contribute about 230 million dollars of the total equity at KIMCO. The table below provides the detail of major shareholders at KIMCO group (Deloitte 15). Table 1: Current Top Ten Shareholders at KIMCO Name Shares Percentage of Shares Vanguard REIT 25,353,347 6.23 Fidelity Real Estate 8,149,300 2 Rowe Price Real Estate 4,916,100 1.21 Vanguard Mid Cap 5,194,277 1.3 America Funds Capital World 4,964,193 1.2 Goldman Sachs Mid Cap 4,132,329 1.02 iShares Cohen and Steel Majors 4,217,036 1.01 iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate 3,996,332 0.99 DFA Real Estate Securities 3,896,058 0.95 Permanent Portfolio 3,688,342 0.9 Source: Investors.morningstar.com As indicated in the table above, there is no institute/individual that is currently holding shares worth over 7%. However, a number of major shareholders offloaded significant amounts of KIMCO shares in previous trading. Such a direction is inevitable due to the ever increasing price value of KIMCO shares. Short Positions As of mid October 2012, about 20.5 million shares were sold short. Here, the number of short position shares reduced by about 2% from the previous session of trade. Incentive for Managers Like any other large corporation, KIMCO group is designing programs that compensate the top management for performance. KIMCO management is paid on two vari ables. Therefore, part of the salary for KIMCO management is fixed. On the other hand, part of the salary for KIMCO management is based on performance. The high level of performance witnessed at KIMCO in the past years is a direct result of effective management. A program that adequately compensates the top management to improve performance is therefore fruitful in enhancing the capacity of KIMCO. Benchmark In comparison with other REITs companies in the US market, the performance of KIMCO is top class. The consideration of performance parameters such as stock value, profits, ratio of income to capital, among others indicates a top performance at KIMCO group (Andrew 87). KIMCO remains among the high yielding REITS at the New York Stock Exchange. Besides, KIMCO is among the best performing REITS that specialise in the management of shopping canters. KIMCO has a healthy leverage ratio. Here, the ratio of debt to equity is about 0.8 (Deloitte 4). Analysis Performance As noted earlier, the financial performance of KIMCO has generally been good. The use of cheap capital to invest in strategic properties is paying off for KIMCO management. The balance sheet of KIMCO group is generally good. Although KIMCO group is among the highest yield performers in the US REITs, dozens of other REITs produce better yields than KIMCO. However, KIMCO is among the best performing REITs in terms of low leverage ratio. Investors that buy KIMCO shares are thus guaranteed of consistent (about 0.2 dollar per share) returns on their shares over a long-term period (Emily 128). Since the yield on KIMCO shares is consistent over a long period of time, KIMCO shares offer a better alternative to investment that treasury rates. Figure 2 shows the value of 10 year bond treasury rates in previous years. As it can be seen below, the value of treasury rates has significantly decreased over the past years. On the other hand, the value of KIMCO shares is steadily increasing due to increasing equity t here. It is therefore more profitable to invest in performing REIT shares, such as KIMCO shares, than in treasury bonds. Short term investors can exploit the large MOAT capacity at KIMCO to sell shares at a much higher price in the future. The cap rate of KIMCO stands at a healthy 6%. Moreover, long term investors can hope for consistent returns on invested shares. Still, it is important to note that at an average of 20 dollars, KIMCO shares remain overvalued. A theoretical valuation of KIMCO shares yields a market value of about 15 dollars. Since KIMCO shares are currently trading above their theoretical value, some stock market analysts are advising investors to wait for the stock value of KIMCO shares to fall before buying. However, a consistent and a high dividend payout may contribute to a high value of REIT shares (Emily 128). Although a fluctuation in real estate prices (as it happened at the start of the US economic crisis) may affect real estate companies including REITs, t he focus of REITs on property management can help to limit the risk of property fluctuations (they can always generate income by running business properties). Figure 2: Graph showing the value of treasury rates (10 year) from 1980-2010 Figure 3: Five Year Share Chart Key Ratios As observed earlier, KIMCO is among the US REITS with a low leverage ratio. Currently, KIMCO’s leverage ratio stands at a healthy 0.8%. KIMCO is showing signs of improvement over the past years due to a falling leverage ratio. For example, the leverage ratio has decreased from 1.25 in 2008 to just 0.8 in 2012. KIMCO’s cape rate (return on capital rate) is also very healthy at 6.0%. On the other hand the WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) discount rate for KIMCO group is 10.0%. Financial Recap Figure 4: Financial Recap for KIMCO: 52 Weeks Period Component Value Range of Share Value 19.3-19.6 Average Volume 3.2 Million Market Capitalization 7.6 billion dollars Price per Earning R atio $65 Dividend /Yield 0.2/4.3 Total shares 407.61 Million Percentage of Shares owned by Institutes 97% Generally, the data above shows a healthy financial performance at the KIMCO group. Importantly, multiple parameters above ascertain the capacity of KIMCO group to perform consistently in the coming years. For example, the share price of KIMCO group is within a stable range. Besides, most of the shares at KIMCO group (97%) are held by institutions; thus, helping to stabilize the share price of KIMCO shares due to the long term interest of institutions. Apart from having a significant rate of yield return, KIMCO returns considerable dividends from yields; hence, offering a good opportunity for real security investment (Andrew 87). Legal Risks Like other business corporations, REITs can encounter multiple legal risks. Since KIMCO and other US REITs are mainly international companies, a conflict in different legal provisions within countries of operation can frustrate thei r operations. Besides, the business of acquiring and running properties can easily result in multiple legal disputes on ownership. To mitigate legal risks, REITs functionalities must limit themselves to legal procedures, rules, and provisions in areas of operation (Emily 128). Conclusion Because of their versatility and capacity to serve business communities, REITs provide a better alternative of investing in real estate than other segments of the real estate such as the housing segment. Moreover, REITS provide a framework where the input of the management has a great bearing on performance than other real estate investments. REITS will thus continue to offer multiple opportunities for investment in real estate securities. The success of REITs can be enhanced through the creation of economies that have necessary support infrastructures such as non-hostile tax rates, a suitable legal environment, and a robust business environment. Works Cited Andrew, Robert 2012. Investors, PDF file. 7 Nov. 2012 Investors.morningstar.com Deloitte. REITs and Infrastructural Projects: the next Investment Frontier, New York: McMillan, 2011. Print Emily, Jones. The risk of REITs Securities, Washington: McMillan, 2011. Print This research paper on Real Estate Investment Trusts: KIMCO was written and submitted by user Aria N. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Illad essays

The Illad essays "The Iliad", an epic tale told by the famous Greek author Homer, is focused primarily on the Trojan War between the Greeks, or Argives, and the Trojans. This war was filled with bloody battles and a massive loss of life. Homer tells stories about a duration of time during this fighting, and not the entire war. He uses his story-telling abilities to focus the audience on the garish and sometimes mundane drudgery of war. Due to his removal from the actual time of these battles, his stories may be embellished or not completely accurate descriptions of what did or did not happen. Overall, however, the Iliad is believed to be mostly true. Homer was born, most likely, in the 8th Century B.C. He is widely believed to be the best and most popular of the Ionian poets. His birthplace is not known beyond a doubt. Some have even said that he may have been blind. This idea has its share of critics though, since Homer details specific landscape scenes all throughout his works, and most of his writing is focused on the vision of the scene in which he describes. Homer relies heavily on descriptions to get his points across to the audience. In Homer's time, stories were told orally. Therefore, as a good writer, he attempted to write eloquently to convey to the audience the overall feeling of his stories. William Shakespeare did the same thing in his writing. Shakespeare knew that his work was going to be performed, and that his audience was predominantly illiterate. He knew that if he created a quality story and told it in an interesting way, he would gain greater popularity by allowing those who didn't understand to be entertained anyway. Homer used this to his advantage in his time also through the use of elaborate descriptions of battles and scenes, and with similes and metaphors. The similes and metaphors of The Iliad, in my opinion, are the real attention-grabbing parts of the story. Homer's descriptions using similes are mostly very deta...

Talking Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Talking Styles - Essay Example 1). The more sync functions words are used by partners, the more their relationships are sustained; the lesser the match, the greater the indication of waning relationship. I definitely agree to the results of the research that language style matching is an indication of people liking each other through the same manner of speech, the same words chosen for conversation, and the same level of conversational competencies. However, in addition to the function words that were indicated, I believe that the similarity in background or experiences contribute to the similarity in words or topics for everyday conversations. The results of the Language Style Matching (LSM) developed by Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc. which tested the similarity of languages used by me and a close friend generated an above average score of 0.76, which, according to the website determines the level of similarity between us using language as the parameter (Pennebaker Conglemerates, Inc., N.D. ). Again, I agree beca use this close friend of mine had been sharing life’s experiences and the joys and trials of life for a long time now.

Early Childhood Educator and NAEYC Code of ethics Essay

Early Childhood Educator and NAEYC Code of ethics - Essay Example Although everything written in the Code of Ethics is significant to the well-being of children, some stood out for me among the rest. Some are on the issues of children’s assessment. I 1.6 states: â€Å"To use assessment instruments and strategies that are appropriate for the children to be assessed, that are used only for the purposes for which they were designed, and that have the potential to benefit children†. I 1.7 states: â€Å"To use assessment information to understand and support children’s development and learning, to support instruction and to identify children who may need additional services† (Decker, Decker, Freeman, and Knorpf, 2009, p. 356). For several years in the past, assessment techniques were limited to written quizzes, exams, oral recitation, individual and group projects, etc. Assessment methods either fall under the more traditional approaches that expect students to regurgitate information previously fed to them or authentic asses sment that traverse a wider range of academic disciplines and skills as well as assessment approaches that attempt to evaluate the â€Å"whole child† in a wide span of application of his knowledge and abilities (Darling-Hammond et al, 1993). Although the basic assumption behind traditional and authentic assessment is common, which is to develop prolific citizens, the former approach tests the students on the possession of certain knowledge while the latter tests the students on the application of knowledge. Consistent with constructivist philosophy, authentic assessment entrusts the reins of learning to the students. They â€Å"are required to provide rigorous intellectual commitment and perseverance, and teachers must continually connect student’s previous and current knowledge to the emerging curriculum† (Wescombe-Down, n.d., n.p). Hence, assessment methods should include learner-centred activities

The Caregiver Chosen by God Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Caregiver Chosen by God - Dissertation Example The situation becomes even more complicated if the patient is the caregiver’s own mother who had to deal not only with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia but also with a leg amputation. Providing this special patient the continuum of care while ensuring the patient’s comfort and dignity, is profoundly challenging and physically taxing (Lindstrom, et al., 2011). Further confounding the intricacy of caregiving for a family member is the negativity connoted in the workplace for employees who are honest enough to disclose their dual role as caregivers of the elderly at home, in terms of promotions and pay raises (Hendershott, 2000). This researcher had first hand experience in this regard, to the point of having lost both her job and her house. It is not unusual, though, that despite awareness of the travails of caregivers, many good-hearted individuals are being drawn towards this line of work. The essence of care giving dates back to biblical times as recounted by Je sus Christ, himself, in his parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). The good Samaritan took care of a wounded man he passed by on the roadside, offered the man a place to stay and commissioned someone to take care of the man until he is well.

Introduction To Forensic Science

Introduction To Forensic Science Over the past decades, Forensic science has evolved and has been embraced by most states as a vital constituent of modern legal practice. It is widely used in courts as a major source for the outcome of a verdict. Forensic science has attained a merit of its own although it is relatively new in the jurisprudence world. As technology and science have evolved with time, more and new methodologies and practices in law realm have been established. In United States (U.S.) specifically, the application of utilizing forensic analysis has become a routine (James,2009). The rate at which forensic evidence is used in criminal courts depends on the type of offence. For example, for murder cases forensic science evidence is presented almost always. In criminal cases, a prosecution team commissions most of the forensic assignments. On the other hand, the legal team of the defendant can commission forensic assignments to challenge or check the prosecutions forensic evidence or to determine the innocence of the defendant. Forensic evidence has enabled to link offenders to their victims and crime scenes using physical evidence and also in identifying individuals without peer. With perspiration, a fleck of blood, saliva on a cups rim, a piece of hair among others has been successfully used to link a suspect to a crime. Innocent and wrongly accused individuals have been exonerated using such evidences. Persons who have been jailed for years have later been exonerated after DNA analysis has been carried out to prove their innocence. To yield positive results, crime laboratories have enforced professionalism, adopted reliable procedures and coordinated with both the legal and the scientific communities. Presently, for a scientific system to be accepted before a court, the evidence derived from it does not have to go through a prescribed test. For future admissibility of scientific evidence in court to be shaped, development of more newer and advanced forensic tools and techniques is being embraced as technology and time progresses. Thus, courts are increasingly relying more on scientific evidence to deliver a judgment. Problems Associated with Forensic Science and DNA Evidence. Evidences of forensic science should always be neutral. Scientists should not have any stake in the case outcome though this is not always the case. Numerous deficiencies have threatened to limit forensic services to the society and have therefore weakened its presumed scientific foundation. Below are some of the major problems in forensic science and DNA testing: Astounding Frequency of Cross-Contamination and Sample Mix-Ups A surprisingly high rate of errors in the laboratory is one of the emerging problems which involves cross-contamination and mix-up of DNA samples. Such errors appear to be persistent and crop up even in the accredited DNA labs. The forensic scientists though have managed to reduce such instances and thus the rate of DNA testing errors have been claimed to be low thus negligible, but growing evidence suggests otherwise. Bad Laboratories Uneven state of forensic DNA labs is another recognized chronic problem. Labs differ significantly in the care with which they authenticate their methods and the severity with which they are carried out. Procedures that are followed religiously in quality assurance and quality control in some laboratories are disregarded or followed constantly in others. Bad laboratories have always been there but detection of their shoddy work has always been complex (Neubauer, 2009),. This is because such labs are in jurisdictions which have traditionally safeguarded crime labs from external examination. For example according to Strutin: It is now recognized that the Houston Police Department (HPD) Crime laboratory did grossly inadequate incompetent and biased DNA and serology work for well over a decade before a team of television journalists exposed the problems in late 2002. Dishonest DNA Analysts Test results are at times falsified by deceitful DNA Analysts. This emerging problem has led to the analysts faking test outcome to cover up errors that come up from sample mix-ups and cross-contamination of DNA samples. Connecting the evidence and the suspect Nuclear DNA analysis being an exception, there is no other forensic method that has severely shown the capacity to persistently, with a high degree of assurance, exhibit a connection between a specific individual or source and the evidence. For instance, fingerprint analyses have more available research and conventional protocols than for bite marks analysis. There are also notable variations within the disciplines. For instance, all fingerprints evidence is not equally good reason being that the determination of a true value evidence is the latent fingerprint image quality. These disparities within and between the forensic systems disciplines bring to light a serious problem in the forensic community. Inadequate legal counsel is another major problem DNA testing will not solve. In some instances, defense counsel never consulted scientific experts. DNA Analysis in the forensic science is taking a slow speed on its road to admissibility. Insufficient funds are evident in certain jurisdictions and they therefore cannot send evidence items to private labs or establish own lab. Labs that perform tests have often had backlogs measured in months. A great burden is imposed by defense counsel, prosecutors and courts on labs time in discovery battles that often transpire when there are upcoming new techniques on forensic scenes. Though valuable forensic DNA evidence can be found in decades old samples, the DNA left in scenes of crime can be affected by factors like: sunlight, bacteria, moisture and heat among others. As a result, such DNA may not be used to give evidence and just like the fingerprints, analysts will not use DNA testing to give the time period when a suspect was at the scene of crime or at what time the suspect was there. Exoneration Based on DNA Evidence Cases that would have been impossible to prosecute before the arrival of DNA typing are now prosecuted. A number of states created DNA data bases on offenders that are known which they compare against unsettled crimes. Matches are provided from their databases which assist to successfully prosecute a handful of them. Persons wrongly convicted are exonerated by use of DNA which is termed as a legislative reform movement. Convictions can be successfully challenged using DNA analysis on existing evidence. To ensure that testimony and results can withstand rigorous examination and that they are of high caliber, high standards are maintained for the collection and preserving of evidence. DNA methodology of testing must also meet precise scientific criteria for accuracy and reliability. In future, we expect miniaturized portable instrumentation to provide crime scene analysis that will be computer-link remote analysis. This will allow quick identification and rapid elimination of innocent suspects. Availability of markers will also be needed to identify physical qualities of the DNA contributor. Using this information, it will be easy to narrow a suspect search with increase in efficiency and accuracy of operation. Conclusion It is clear that the United States justice system depends on the use of natural science-based forensic evidence, and admissibility is simply one of the steps evidence must satisfy to be utilized in the justice system. In the near future, it is very likely that the admissibility of science as evidence will be challenged in the United States Supreme Court as technology develops and allows researchers to gain precise results and understanding of the human body. At the present, it is too early to determine whether the Federal Rules of Evidence are outdated, however this does not mean that the construct of the legislation should not be reexamined. Forensic analysis, though controversial in many aspects, constitutes a primary source of information for the tier of fact when determining a verdict for a case. Thus, natural science-based forensic evidence should be carefully studied and examined thoroughly in order for justice to be properly achieved.

Existentialist Views on Death Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Existentialist Views on Death What is Existentialism? Existentialism is a philosophy developed chiefly in the 20th century that attempts find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. The central theme of existentialism is that an individual must assume all responsibilities for his or her acts of free will without any absolute knowledge of what is right or wrong. Existentialism analyzes this somewhat dismal situation mankind has been thrown into, and produces a model for how an individual should live his or her life. However, why should someone attempt to live a life of morals and meaning in a cold and indifferent world? An analysis of existentialist views on death may lead to an answer to this question. A Brief History of Existentialism Existentialism developed from the ideas of Rene Descartes and his contemporary Blaise Pascal. Pascal rejected the rationalist attempt of Descartes to explain God and humanity, seeing that a systematic philosophy presuming this knowledge was a form of pride. He instead described life, like later existentialist writers, in terms of paradoxes (Akram). Soren Kierkegaard, the first philosopher to refer to himself as existential, developed a philosophy in reaction to the absolute idealism of G. W. F. Hegel. Instead of claiming a rational understanding of the human situation, Kierkegaard stressed the ambiguity and absurdity of it. He asserted that the only way to survive in this situation is for an individual to lead a totally committed life, where this commitment could only be understood by the individual. A person must be prepared to defy social norms in order to serve the higher authority of a personally valid way of life. Being a Christian, Kierkegaard advocated that this commitment sh... ...s are lacking. One fears his or her inevitable finiteness for fear of being unable to transcend existence. These fears cause anxiety, which eventually leads to the reality that ultimate despair means necessary existence. This gives mankind courage to realize its finitude and mobilizes it into action. By fighting death, man will eventually find a satisfactory way to transcend it. Works Cited Akram, Tanweer. Existentialism. 18 January 1991. 6 March 2001. http://www.columbia.edu/~ta63/exist.htm. Green, Celia. The Human Evasion. 6 March 2001. http://www.deoxy.org/evasion/toc.htm. Kemerling, Garrth. Philosophy Pages. 1997-2001. 6 March 2001.http://www.philosophypages.com/. Koestenbaum, Peter. The Vitality of Death. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1971. Pratt, Alan. Nihilism. 1999. 6 March 2001. http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/n/nihilism.htm.

Critical Review of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932-1940 by William E. Leuchtenburg.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932-1940. by William E. Leuchtenburg. Harper & Row, 1963. The Great Depression created a political landscape in the United States that demanded bold action, calling forth people ready and willing to challenge the conventional establishment and allowing them to thrive. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the prime example of how adversity creates a forging ground were dynamic individuals shape history. In his book Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal Leuchtenburg meticulously describes how Roosevelt changed American during his first two terms and cast some light on why he was the one to succeed in holding the great responsibility of steering the country through the depression without blind praise or unjustified criticism. The author, William E. Leuchtenburg, was born in the early 1920s, therefore was old enough to remember the atmosphere in which the New Deal was happening, though not from the standpoint of an adult, giving him the edge of knowing the actual feel of the era over a younger historian. This may also account for his admiration of Roosevelt, as he often expresses in his book Roosevelt was widely popular amongst a majority of Americans at the time. He has written several books mainly centered around Roosevelt and became a distinguished professor of history at the University of North Carolina. He has also served as President of the American Historical Association. There is no doubt that he is very qualified to write a book on the subject of Roosevelt and even though he obviously is a great admirer of the President, he never shies away from pointing out Roosevelt’s flaws. Leuchtenburg begins by setting the stage that brought Roosevelt into power by describing the Great Depression and how the Hoover administration handled it, not completely negatively stating â€Å"no president ever worked harder in the White House than Herbert Hoover. † Here he first describes Roosevelt with a brief history and leads into how he became President, describing his energy and charisma as key factors. It becomes evident that Leuchtenburg painstakingly presents rounded historical facts to eliminate the chances of a biased presentation and continues to do so through out the book, often leaving a quarter of a page of footnotes. The third chapter is were Roosevelt’s presidency begins. Leuchtenburg describes â€Å"The Hundred Days† were the new president rushed to try to turn the country around with a flood of new legislation and bold acquisition of executive power. He does a good job at pointing out how some legislation, such as the emergency banking bill, passed with little opposition and how other legislation was shaped by opposition or, in the case of the NRA, was generated to curb legislation Roosevelt didn’t favor. Successes and failures are pointed out proportionally and the reasons behind the fate of much of the Roosevelt administrations actions is often speculated on in a well informed and unbiased manner. After much about legislation and policy Leuchtenburg moves to describing those who would challenge Roosevelt and how they shaped Roosevelt’s policies. The introduction of new conflicts here seemed to add a renewed sense of urgency to the book which, along with the extravagance and extremist views of characters such as Hugh Long, managed to renew the pace of the reading. The book goes on to describe interest of lower classes such as laborers and migrant farmers and how Roosevelt was pulled more to the left for what is known as â€Å"The Second Hundred Days† and of course describes the process of securing reelection. Social Security is addressed in a surprisingly negative manner, â€Å"In many respects, the law was an astonishingly inept and conservative piece of legislation† he goes on explaining â€Å"by relying on regressive taxation and withdrawing vast sums to build up reserves, the act did untold economic mischief. † This provides both a prime example of his unbiased approach to the subject and his tendency to ensure no statement goes unexplained. This is broken up by a chapter on foreign policy and continued with Roosevelt’s struggles with the Supreme Court and an increasingly dissident congress before leading up to what would become World War 2 and concludes by outlining what Leuchtenburg believes to be the important points of the New Deal. To begin with, the book takes on a pretty heavy load, and does so in a thorough manner. This leads it into being pretty dense, it is definitely dense enough to through off anyone who is not a serious history student from reading it cover to cover. Leuchtenburg definitely did his best to get all he could into one book, which is a good thing from a research point of view, but makes it unwieldy for a casual reader. There are times I could have done with less information, thankfully I had notes on hand while reading to supplement the book or else I would have become lost in the barrage being tossed out at the thickest sections. This is amplified by the fact the book sometimes goes quite a few degrees of separation from its core subject, or could be more accurately titled â€Å"Roosevelt 1932-1940†. This is evident in chapter 9, which is centered more on the politics of foreign policy, and not just in ways that had a direct effect on New Deal policies. I feel if the book were trimmed down a little more it would make it a lot more accessible, thus justifying the narrower scope. In addition, this would provide more room to hammer in the more relevant subjects with brief overviews so readers such as myself without an in-depth prior knowledge of the New Deal could better understand its intricacies without going back between chapters after these breaks in subject. However, he does his best to make the book flow, especially by keeping it in chronological order for the most part. He mainly departs from this structure when he is explaining policies and events which are usually better explained grouped together, such as foreign policy. Assuming Leuchtenburg did not have a casual reading audience in mind when he wrote the book, its weightiness s not a major downfall. Also, Leuchtenburg does put forth a great deal of effort to provide balanced information. He says himself that â€Å"the New Deal left many problems un solved and even created some perplexing new ones. † It is common for him to follow up a list of success with a list of flaws, or vice-versa. I think he does such a good job at this because he keeps things in a historical perspective. For example, while it is easy to criticize Roosevelt’s initial shying away from government spending or break from the gold standard now, back when there was little precedent for these actions these must have seemed much more radical. This shows a thorough knowledge of the limitations of our government that extremist often ignore. By using an objective view his argument that Roosevelt was ultimately successful despite his downfalls is a thousand times more convincing than a biased pro-Roosevelt outlook would have been. On the other hand, this creates a calm, collected view through out the book which is not as invigorating as more sensational works and fails to incite as strong an emotional response . While not necessarily a negative as far as historical accuracy, it takes away from the books ability to provide enjoyment making it easier to put down. Overall, I believe Leuchtenburg did a good job at explaining such a large, intricate subject without it either reading like an unending encyclopedia of events or skeletal time line, he expresses his opinion in a unobtrusive fashion that maintains historical accuracy and balance and avoids sensationalism, and even though its not flashy it does its job. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal is a very informative book that provides a convincing argument that Roosevelt and the New Deal were a positive turning point in American history. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932-1940. by William E. Leuchtenburg. Harper & Row, 1963. (13) Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932-1940. by William E. Leuchtenburg. Harper & Row, 1963. (132) Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932-1940. by William E. Leuchtenburg. Harper & Row, 1963. (346)

Imagery and symbols Essay

Quotations from the text are in italics. ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a play enriched with imagery and full of expressionism: it shows the world through the characters’ emotions rather than how they literally perceive it. Throughout this play, Tennessee Williams uses various forms of imagery and symbolism to explain and highlight themes and moods. The play often uses symbols to accentuate the thoughts and emotions of the characters, and it is these expressionist elements that I will go on to discuss in this essay. In this piece of writing, I will not only look at the imagery used and the meaning behind it, I will also try to evaluate its role in the functioning of the play. The main motifs of symbolism used in this play are: o Light o Heat o Music o Colour o Titles & Names o Clothes o Reference to animals The most significant imagery in the play is the use of light and shade in the play. Light is, in many ways, a playwright’s biggest asset: light (or the lack thereof) can denote tension, fear, and suspense and can be used to draw the audience, to rivet their attention on a certain point. In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Tennessee Williams, while using it for all of the above reasons, manipulates light in a unique way: light is a physical manifestation of the truth. For this reason, Blanche hates light, she is afraid it will destroy her illusions: ‘I don’t’ want realism.’ By looking at light as synonymous with truth we can see her aversion to light stems from her desire for magic (‘I’ll tell you what I want. Magic!’). Blanche’s disgust at naked light bulb (‘I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or vulgar action.’) expresses her inability to face reality, and so she puts ‘a paper lantern over the light’: the paper lantern which represents her illusions, and the faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade she presents to the rest of the world. Stanley has no patience with her fantasies, and so ‘he tears the paper lantern off the light bulb.’ This action of his is a symbol for his revealing her true self. There is also a more apparent and less subtle reason for Blanche’s terror of light: she wants is very subconscious about her age, and she has fears of being scrutinised under the ‘merciless glare’ of the light. Light also has other connotations in the play. For Blanche, it represents first love. When she was very young ‘the searchlight’ was switched on, and after Allan’s death it suddenly went off again, after which ‘never for one moment has there been a light stronger’ than the soft glow of a candle. Through this we can clearly see that the tragic events of her past, and the loss of her first love, have led to Blanche’s fear and intense loathing of light: she was dazzled by love early in life, and after Allan’s death, she avoided all light. For Blanche there is a difference between the soft shimmer of the candle, which she takes comfort in, and the harsh glare of the light bulb. This leads to another, more obscure, connotation of light in the play. If the light bulb represents reality, then the candle represents hope. Blanche acknowledges that ‘candles aren’t safe’, and she associates the burning out of the candle with the loss of innocence, ‘and after that happens, electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainly’. Therefore, she associates light (reality) with the loos of innocence, specifically hers which was cruelly snatched away from her at Allan’s death. This fear of light/ reality portrays her inability to grasp anything real or solid, which is demonstrated when she gasps at her reflection in the mirror. As can be seen, the symbol of light has a major role in the play, and it is impossible to conceive how the play would even function without it. Therefore, we can see that, in the case of the motif of light, the imagery and symbolism related thereof is very important in the play. Another form of symbolism in the play, and closely linked to light, is the theme of heat. This time, however, the imagery is just not related to Blanche, it relates to many of the main characters in the play. In ‘A Streetcar named desire’, heat represents different individuals response to their body image. Stanley is confident, assured about his image, full of ‘power and pride’, and his level of comfort with his physical image is the reason why he easily says, ‘my clothes’re sticking to me’. He sums up his outlook on his self-image when he says ‘Be comfortable is my motto’. In this play, heat is also used to accentuate the differences between the characters, and the differences between Mitch and Stanley are emphasised in this way. Stanley simply says ‘Do you mind if I make myself comfortable’, whereas Mitch says he is ‘ashamed of the way he perspires’. This reference to heat by both characters shows us the difference between them. It also shows that, if Stanley’s body image is bold, brash and confident, Mitch’s is shy, clumsy and insecure. Blanche’s issue with her appearance has already been glimpsed in the previous section, through her trying to conceal her age and wilting beauty. This can be discussed in greater detail from the perspective of the motif of heat. Stella says that Blanche takes baths to ‘cool down’, which seems to directly relate to the motif heat. However, is that really why Blanche bathes so often? Some critics feel that Blanche’s frequent bathing is a vent for her feelings of guilt over her stained past. Perhaps her frequent bathing is a result of her preoccupation with washing away sins and making a ‘fresh start’. She likes bathing because it makes her feel like ‘a brand new human being’. However, I disagree with this interpretation, as Blanche herself does not feel she has done anything wrong: ‘I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth. And if that is sinful, let me be damned for it!’ Therefore, it is unlikely that her bathing is a result of her guilt. In my opinion, her frequent bathing is a result of her insecurity about her age and appearance. She herself states that the baths are a form of ‘hydrotherapy’: it assuages her fears of her tarnishing beauty. Overall, although the symbol of heat is not as major or well-developed a theme as light, it enriches the play and adds many nuances to the personalities of the characters. Names and titles are also used symbolically in this play. One critic has said that ‘Essentially this is a play about Desire and Death and the effect these have on the human soul.’ From this, and indeed simply from the title, we can see that Desire is an important theme. This theme is portrayed through the imagery of ‘A streetcar named Desire’. In his own life in New Orleans, Williams observed two streetcars (trams), one named desire, the other called cemetery. As he observed their movement, he was impressed by the symbolism of this and their relevance to life in general. In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Desire’ and ‘Cemetery’ are two journeys we make in life: one towards our desires, our hopes, dreams and ambitions, and another toward the cemetery, through death (‘they told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemetery. These streetcar titles are especially relevant to Blanche and her past life. She has travelled on ‘Desire’ to get here: it is because of her lustful desires that she is in a position wherein she has to come to Elysian Fields to live with her sister. Other names and titles also hold significance in this play. ‘Elysian Fields’ is a name that brings an image of peace and tranquillity, which is a definite contrast to the violent actions of the habitants of ‘Elysian Fields’. ‘Elysian Fields’ also indicates a resting place for the dead, and this once again reflects symbolically on the themes of Desire and Death. The last significant name in this play is the title of the plantation, ‘Belle Reve’. Earlier on I looked at hope from the point of view of Blanche, and we can see that ‘Belle Reve’ is a personification of that hope, as ‘Belle Reve’ means beautiful dream. For Blanche, when she looses ‘Belle Reve’, she has fully lost all her hopes and dreams, and her journey of ‘Desire’ begins to come to a halt, and her journey towards the ‘Cemetery’ begins. In general, the symbolism of titles and names is essential to the theme of the play, and therefore holds a great deal of importance in this play.

Why You Should Experience BookBub.com

Why You Should Experience BookBub.com If you are an avid reader and have not yet explored BookBub.com, consider this your lucky day. Not only is the service free- its an incredible way to find new books recommended by your favorite authors and amazing deals on e-books within your preferred genres. Whether you are in a book club and looking for great suggestions or simply organizing your shut in for the Winter reading list, youre sure to find exactly what you need through one of BookBub.coms many reader resources.What Is BookBub?Think of BookBub as your own personal shopper who knows your reading taste well and has an eye for great deals. While the service doesnt actually sell books, it provides curated lists and handpicked recommendations based on your personal profile and the genre selections you choose. It then provides links to purchase the e-books from any number of e-book retailers available.Signing up is as simple as creating a BookBub profile. After submitting your email address, the website guides you through a g enre selection page that asks you to check off your preferred genre (fiction and non-fiction are included). Following this selection, youre guided to a page that lists both new and bestselling authors within those genres. You can then follow specific authors to receive curated news and e-book purchase links focused on the author(s) of your choice.For a trial run, I selected the category Psychological Thriller and was shown the following page of authors in that genre:The results of my BookBub.com trial run.Note that you can choose as many genres and authors as you like on these selection pages, but I limited it to one genre to get a feel for how BookBub is set up.Finally, since BookBub doesnt sell the e-books on their site, youll need to choose with e-book retailer you typically use to download e-books. The selection I was given included Amazon Kindle, Barnes Noble Nook, Apple Books, Google Play and Kobo. Once you make a selection, when BookBub shows you deals, it will limit the sel ections to the retailer(s) you choose. This is especially useful if you have a subscription or discount package with a specific e-book retailer.Your personal BookBub pageOnce you choose your preferred genre(s), author(s), and e-book retailer(s), youre taken to a personal BookBub page that immediately shows great e-book deals available for books within your chosen categories and retailers. Its really that simple. In addition to your personal recommendation page, BookBub also gives you the option to receive weekly email updates showing the currently available deals within your chosen genre(s). Many of the options I was shown were available for a few dollars or less! You really cant beat that, especially if you read a lot and prefer to own your own digital copies of your favorite books.DealsIn the menu at the top of the screen on the BookBub website, youll find tabs that make the site easy to navigate. One of my personal favorite tabs is Deals, in which a single click will take you to a page showing recent deals on e-books in the genre(s) of your choosing- many of which are free! Thats right, you read that correctly. Through the BookBub Deals tab, you will be able to find e-books within your favorite genre(s) to download and read absolutely free. The other deals on the page included many titles that were 99 cents or a few dollars, at most. Its like having a library at your fingertips, except you get to keep the books you download.BookBub offers links to great e-book deals.How are these deals selected?Since BookBub offers deals showing books within specific categories, I was interested to learn how these deals are chosen. After digging a bit into the site, I found the following information:Publishers and authors submit hundreds of book deals every day for consideration. BookBubs editorial team reviews each of these submissions in detail to determine the best ones, taking into account a number of factors, including the books critical acclaim, price point, reader re views, author background, and cover design. The editorial team evaluates the subject matter of a book based on historical reader reaction for that genre. Only 10-20% of submissions are selected to be featured on BookBub.BookBub.comReal-time updates from your favorite authorsAnother great perk to the website is the real-time updates from the favorite authors you choose when you set up your account. If the author(s) you choose has a new release or a pre-order available, BookBub will alert you by email and on your personal recommendation page. The individual author pages also show all of the books that have been previously published by that author, along with links to download the digital copies of them.You can also see other BookBub members who follow your favorite author, along with any recommendations given by those members. In this sense, BookBub is a social hub allowing avid readers to find fellow like-minded bookworms who can offer suggestions for their next great read.Recommenda tionsIn addition to the great deals, BookBub alerts you to recommendations from your favorite authors, BookBub editors, and your friends and family (if they are registered on the site, as well). For more well-known authors, such as Gillian Flynn, the site does note that some of these recommendations have not come directly from the author (unless the author has claimed his or her BookBub page). Rather, the information was collected from a data partner. I did notice, however, that many of the author pages contained recommendations that came directly from the author.The BookBub blogWith multiple new posts per week, the BookBub blog is a well-rounded resource for book lovers interested in knowing the latest and greatest reads on the market. From exclusive excerpts to best of lists, the blog contains hundreds of curated lists and reading suggestions sure to keep you (or any book club youre a part of) busy delving into great stories.The BookBub blog offers great best of lists.One of the b est features of the blog that I noticed is that each best of list or book suggested includes handy options to note whether you want to add the book to your wish list, you want to read it, youre currently reading it, or youre not interested, along with a link to purchase the book on one of the e-book platforms mentioned previously. This allows you to curate your personal selections even further, as well as recommend the book to others (if its one youve already read). If youve invited friends or family to join BookBub, this is a great way to know the perfect gift to purchase for birthday or holiday celebrations, since they can add books to their wish list directly from the blog posts they read.Here is a sampling of some of the most recent blog articles available on the site. Most of these are from December (to give you an idea of the frequency of blog posts on the BookBub website):The Most Heartbreaking Books Coming in 201923 of the Best Books for Second GradersThe Most Anticipated Bo oks of 201916 Books Recommended by BookBub Employees This Year25 of the Best Debut Novels of 20187 Things To Know About Mary Poppins Returns7 Royal Historical Books Recommended by Jennifer RobsonThe New York Public Librarys Most Checked-Out Books of 201824 of the Best Romance Books of the Year30 Gifts for Every Book Lover in Your Life31 Bookish Gift Ideas for Book LoversThe Best Classic Novels of All Time, According to BookBub ReadersForbes Announces the Highest-Paid Authors of the Year6 Books I Read in Under 48 Hours This Year19 of the Best Psychological Thrillers of 2018BookBub Editors Share Their Favorite Books of the Year34 of This Years Highest Rated Books on BookBubRead an Exclusive Excerpt of Lisa Jewells Watching YouThe Best Historical Fiction Books of 2018Reese Witherspoon to Adapt Where the Crawdads SingMy general impressionAs an avid reader, I was especially excited to discover BookBub.com and the many reader resources it offered through a user-friendly website. The blog contained several useful articles and curated lists that will keep me busy with new reading material for a while. I was especially interested to find new authors within my favorite genre, and have access to multiple e-books that I could download for only a few dollars (and many for free). I also plan to recommend it as a marketing tool to several indie authors I know who are looking for ways to build their audience. I will be using the site often and recommending it to others who I know are voracious readers, as well.

Aircraft accident Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aircraft accident - Term Paper Example The victim had serious burns on the face, stomach and hands. The other body parts had minor burns and stretch marks.   His shoes were scattered on the left hand side of his body and this tells that he dropped dead from the aircraft.   There were no signs of the victims trying to escape. The first victim was later identified as Mark Henderson. Body 2 was found towards to the tail of the aircraft just a few inches from the cockpit. The victim appeared to be a female adult aged 30-40 years. She was wearing a blue checked trouser and a sky blue top with long sleeves. The victim had severe burns on the face, back and hands. The other body parts had numerous bruises. There was a lot of blood oozing from the head and left arm. The victim was later identified as Jean Rhodes. No further evidence in form of body parts, clothes that was found to indicate the existence of the third person. The Forensic team was satisfied that the victims of the aircraft accident were two, a male and a female aged 30-40 years and having been on private jet, the victims might be probably be a couple on a vacation trip. According to the NTSB 830 reporting and preservation of aircraft wreckage, the jet crash site is fatal due to the death of the passengers on board. In addition, the death occurred during a flight. The lead investigator of NTSN arrived at the crime scene at 1440; two minutes earlier after our arrival, hence had no information on the initial happenings to the accident. According to the eyewitness- Peter and the police who had arrived.

Text in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Text in context - Essay Example On an annual fishing trip, in isolated high country, Stuart, Rocco, Carl, and Billy find the body of a girl in the river. They think it is too late for them to report the case and decide not to get back to the road. Even all next day, they get too engrossed in their fishing engagement and do not bother going to report the case of the dead body they had found the previous evening. There is, in fact, a feeling among them that it doesn’t concern them so much; they don’t have to do it anyway (Carver 76). When they finally return home to report the case, their wives are shocked that they could find a dead human body and stay fishing all next day without caring to report the case early next if they thought it was too late to do so at the time they found it. What shocks the wives more is the fact they left the body lying there. The men, however, have an opinion that the girl had died and didn’t need help in her dead state anyway. Even if she did, it wasn’t going to be urgent as their wives wanted to make them believe. They just didn’t see anything they could do with a dead body that wasn’t feeling any pain anymore. Stewart’s wife Claire is the last to know. The plot becomes thicker and she already can tell that something horrible happened. Stuart refuses to admit it, neither is he even will to talk about it. There is a callousness about all of this which disturbs her deeply. Stewart is not convinced that he has done anything wrong. Claire’s faith in her relationship with her husband is shaken to the core. The men and their entire family, including their wives and kids start getting haunted by some bad spirits (Carver 77). This is the point they start feeling they hadn’t done something good, but it’s too late for them to do anything about it. There is totally no undoing it, at least not at this point. This turns out to be the heroic moment for Claire. She is the only one that’s able to understand that something extremely