Bonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bonds - Essay Example On yield, even though TGT bonds have a lower yield rate that would result in higher price volatility, the difference of 1% is not significant enough to overshadow the other factors. WTM bonds therefore have higher price volatility. The duration based estimate of return is different from the actual return calculated based on expected price changes because of the following reasons. First, the duration-based approach views the entire duration of the bond from a given point in time. Given that the bonds earn interest at different rates, the durations for the bonds are also different and are less than their terms respectively. Also, when durations are considered, bond prices are affected hence resulting in different interest rates of return. Changes in prices, which are imminent in this case, are also not taken into consideration in the former case contributing to the difference. I think the interest rate for WMT bonds are going to fall over the next year. This is because of lower interest rates and longer duration that would result into lesser demand for the bonds hence a reduction in prices. However, I expect the TGT bond prices to rise because of higher interest rates and shorter durations. I would therefore recommend the WMT bonds since over the next year their prices will rise and you can sell them for a greater price than you will buy them and at the same time get higher interest over the

The Meaning of Life -Opinion Essay Example for Free

The Meaning of Life -Opinion Essay My beliefs on the meaning of life in religion and interpretation of such things. In approaching the question of the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning itself. Meaning, is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some greater being, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of good and evil. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a greater being as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals that humans can conceive. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal for life and the universe is not necessarily valid as a meaning of life, the universe, and himself. For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so, why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even greater being, but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression. When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a gentlemans bet with Satan that Jobs worship is genuine and not inspired by Gods kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and Ill swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and well see if he still comes when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions Gods throwing of the rock. Gods response is consistent with his goal of inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Jobs grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose. The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the interpretation of humans, who may be created in Gods image with one crucial difference, the need to worship. Perhaps then, God is after the meaning of life. Imagine a being so powerful as to be able to create and mold the universe, who, like Roman and Greek gods, is only marginally more intelligent than his creations. Perhaps God, in all his ridiculous power, cannot change himself. In order to find the meaning of his own existence he creates the human race so that we might evolve to an intelligence greater than his own, in much the same way that a computer programmer wishes to create true AI, an intelligence greater than human, which might evolve within a computer. We are given the title of pet and the instinct of worship while the creator waits for a companion in the search for meaning. Of course this is wrong, or I would have been struck by a lightning bolt during that last sentence and brought to Gods side. Or perhaps God is not aware of his own success yet, or perhaps I am not the first to uncover Gods purpose, and my predecessor is debating meaning with God as we speak. Or perhaps I am intended to continue to search from the perspective that has proved so useful. In any case, this may amount to Christianity being a giant misunderstanding. At the very least, it means I can walk up to a Christian, tell him I believe in God and everything in the Bible, and ask him what the candles and the cathedrals are for. Back again to the one and only point: if a meaning exists it is not necessarily the purpose of our creation or existence. It has a larger scope, and can refer to the meaning of the existence of the being or force creating us, if such a force exists. This whole essay may seem simply a chance to bash Christianity and give intelligence even more of a right to inspire ego. Yet is it not the egotistical nature that is present in celebrating the most God-like trait in man, his intelligence, more forgivable and less blinding than the egotististical nature of comparing the meaning of ourselves to the meaning of the universe?

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Essay -- Muscle Disorder Psuedohypertrophi

Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, also known as psuedohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, is a typical sex-linked disorder in which the muscles degenerate throughout a person's life. It literally means "faulty nutrition of the muscles." Muscular Dystrophy has no cures, and this particular type of muscular dystrophy affects only males. One in 3,500 baby boys are born with this disorder and survival is rare beyond the early 30s, death is usually caused by a respiratory disease. (ygyh.org) Duchenne's muscular dystrophy is named after the French neurologist, Guillaume B. A. Duchenne, who lived from 1806 to 1875. In 1861 he became the first person to describe the disorder. In 1951 Elizabeth Shull Russell, an American geneticist, accidentally observed Duchenne's muscular dystrophy in a colony of mice with which she was working. Over a number of years she discovered that muscular dystrophy was a sex linked trait contained on the x-chromosome. (Narins, 798.) Sex-linked disorders only affect males and are passed down through female carriers. A boy inherits the disorder when he receives an X chromosome with a mutated dystrophin gene (the genetic cause) from his mother. The dystrophin gene is the largest gene found in nature and was identified through a positional cloning approach. It's a highly complex gene, a large rod-like cytoskeletal protein which is found at the inner surface of muscle fibers. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Three different tests are used to determine if a male has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. A CPK (also known as a CK) assay will detect muscle damage, but not the source. CPK is an abbreviation for Creatine Kinase Assay, which is essentially a blood test. Muscle biopsies are also common, a needle is inserted... ...nerated and replaced by fat. Recently, specific compounds in the oil have been identified, they produce regeneration that is even more amazing than that produced by the oil itself. (Gerras, 1056) This form of MD is normally appears in males, but there are a few extremely rare cases where it has appeared in females. Most of the statistics found only dealt with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the U.S., so it is assumed that the disorder is more prominent in the United States. Also, there was no evidence that it affected any race more than another. (www.ygyh.org) Concluding, Duchenne?s muscular dystrophy is an excellent example of a sex-linked disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure but research is being used to find more effective treatments. Most deaths caused by the disorder aren?t directly due to the muscles, but due to a respiratory disease or disorder.

The History of the Boston Massacre

I was interested in the Boston Massacre and found many testimonies and other primary resources there. However, as I read through I was intrigued by a comment in my readings about Captain Thomas Preston’s â€Å"London Letter†. In Preston’s letter to London, he intended only Londoners to read it and when the article was later published in the Boston Gazette it added annoyance to the already frustrated public in Boston. I was now, intrigued and determined to find Captain Preston’s newspaper article. I, then, asked for help from the research and technology desk.They guided me through the library database to find a website called American Historical Newspapers. They had many articles from 1700-1850 and I was able to find the actual article, with Captain Preston’s recollection of the â€Å"unhappy affair† (Preston’s quote), posted in the Boston Gazette from June 25th 1770, as well as, the original letter to London first published, in April 2 8th, in the London newspaper the Essex Gazette. Originally this article was a letter sent by Captain Thomas Preston, to London intended for â€Å"His Majesty† the king. The letter was delivered to the Essex Gazette, a London newspaper, and printed in April 28th 1770.Captain Preston produced this account of what came to be known as the Boston Massacre, after being jailed and accused of ordering his men to â€Å"fire on a crowd of angry townspeople†. Two months later, (the amount of time it takes to get to America from London by ship) the Boston Gazette published Captain Preston’s article under the headline, â€Å"A Narrative of the Late Transactions at Boston. † During the trial of Captain Preston and his soldiers, copies of â€Å"A Narrative of the Late Transactions at Boston† began to circulate around Boston and surrounding areas.Captain Preston’s descriptions of the events were biased and unsympathetic to the townspeople, painting a pictur e of the soldiers trying to do their job and the townspeople not abiding and being â€Å"unruly† and â€Å"abusive†. Captain Preston declares that leading up to the incident the townspeople had increasingly â€Å"provoked and abused the soldiers†. Furthermore, Preston explains that an informant had warned him that there was a â€Å"mob† of angry townspeople that were planning to storm his soldier’s barracks â€Å"carry off a soldier and murder him†.Preston goes so far as to pin the guilt of giving the order to shoot by yelling â€Å"fire, fire† on members of the â€Å"unruly mob† and assures the reader that he was yelling â€Å"don’t fire†. Captain Preston never deviates from the staunch defense of his innocence and the threat to himself and his soldier’s lives throughout his entire narrative. Preston’s article being published in the Essex Gazette reveals that he is attempting to rally support for hi s innocence, from not only the king but all of London too. When the Boston Gazette printed the article they did not change the words of Captain Preston’s letter to London.They instead must have realized their audience, the Boston public, would receive Captain Preston’s description of the events much differently than the king or the people of London did. However, the Boston Gazette editor does put a negative introduction of the article at the top of Captain Preston’s letter to London, stating â€Å"how greatly the conduct of the town has been misrepresented. † This quote reveals the stark contrast of interpretation of the letter between the king of England and the Boston public.Both newspapers print the same article but have two completely different audiences with two completely different opinions of the need for British troops in Boston. The American Promise text, uses a more comprehensive approach when explaining the events of the Boston Massacre. The te xt gives more information about the transactions between the Bostonians and the soldiers leading up to the bloodshed on March 5th, 1770. For example, the soldiers are explained as â€Å"grating on the nerves of the Bostonians† by conducting drills on the town Common and â€Å"playing loud music on the Sabbath†, a day of rest and contemplation for the townspeople.Furthermore, during this time, colonists were beginning to assert their independence from England by boycotting trade with the Nonconsumption Agreements in 1768 and the Virginia Resolves in 1765. This period of time in the colonies is glutted with conflict between the uncompromising rule of the monarchy of England and the desire for representation and independence of the colonies. These two aforementioned Captain Preston’s recollection of the events were, like all peoples point of view, biased and sympathetic to oneself. The Bostonians had a contrasting interpretation of the events.And the textbook seems to collect all of these opinions and present them the best that it can. By reading Captain Preston’s primary document about the Boston Massacre, one can get a deeper understanding of what his emotional response was to the events. Reading someone’s opinion of an event draws the reader into the author’s point of view for a few moments and allows one to begin to understand what it must have felt like for the author. Primary documents have are a great way to step back in time and look at the world through someone else’s eyes. Someone who has grown up in a different place with different rules and standards.

Current Events in Business Research Essay

INTRODUCTION There are six basic stages to the research process. Stage 1 is clarifying the research question. This would be the process in identifying the problem that is prompting the research. Stage 2 is proposing research, which would be the act of identifying the resources necessary to do the research. The third stage is designing the research project, or deciding which method to use to gather the information. Stage 4 involves data collection and preparation, which is gathering the data and making it ready to be evaluated. Stage 5 would be the data analysis and interpretation stage. Stage 5 is defining what the data is saying about the problem. The final stage, stage 6 is reporting the results. This is breaking down the interpretation into a presentation that shows the meaning of the data collected. (Cooper & Schindler, 2014) This is the process used by Paramount Pictures recently when it was in contract negotiations with the DVD rental company, Redbox. THE DILEMMA As the major Hollywood studios took sides for and against Redbox, Paramount Pictures was staying neutral. The studio had signed a first-of-its-kind trial deal guaranteeing that its titles will be available from the fast-growing $1-a-night DVD rental company through the end of the year. During that time, Paramount would study the effect of Redbox rentals on its total home-entertainment revenue, examining whether there is any decrease in the sales of its DVDs at stores that house Redbox kiosks. Under the terms of the agreement, Paramount would have the option at the end of the year to trigger a five-year deal with Redbox similar to ones recently struck with  competitors Sony Pictures and Lionsgate. The estimated value of the agreement was $575 million. Redbox President Mitch Lowe agreed because Paramount movies performed better at the box office that year. A Paramount agreement would give the studio a share of rental revenue, meaning it could earn more than $575 million if its movies prove popular. Sony and Lionsgate are selling their discs wholesale to Redbox. Though it doesn’t have a formal deal with the company, Walt Disney Studios allows its wholesalers to sell discs to Redbox as well. (Fritz, 2009) â€Å"There has been a lot of debate in the industry about the impact Redbox is having and will have, and we felt the best way to make a decision is by getting the information,† said Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore. â€Å"Then we can make an informed decision based on what we will have learned over the next four months.† Guaranteed access to Paramount’s movies was important for Redbox. The studio released two of that summer’s biggest movies, â€Å"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen† and â€Å"Star Trek.†(Fritz, 2009) A movie that plays well in the theaters tends to do well when it is available to rent. Rental revenue could also provide a much-needed boost to the bottom line of Paramount. Lowe said he was confident that providing detailed data to Paramount would help resolve the heated disputes in Hollywood about his company’s effect on the entertainment business. Lowe has previously said his company’s research found that DVD sales dropped less than 1% in stores that installed a Redbox kiosk. â€Å"Many studios do their own analysis that we know is not as reliable and is aimed at coming to the answer they want to hear,† he said. â€Å"We find that when we can form a relationship with a studio and share real data, it results in a positive step forward.† Moore said he hadn’t reached any â€Å"definitive conclusions† as to what steps he would take if the data showed that Redbox rentals do in fact reduce overall revenue. So, the dilemma that Paramount has is w hether or not partnering with Redbox will reduce its sales income more than it will increase its rental revenue. THE PROCESS Paramount and Redbox did the research to determine whether or not rentals available the same day to buy decreased the sales revenue any more or less than those studios who decided to wait 28 days to make them available. Despite some content executives recently having touted the benefits of a  28-day window for DVD titles, Coinstar Inc.’s CEO Paul Davis said the company’s own research showed Redbox Automated Retail LLC kiosks have a minimal impact on DVD sales. â€Å"We did a major study, a little over a year ago, with a major studio and a major retailer and we found that the impact on new product sales as a result of our $1-a-night being out there, day and date, was less than 1%,† Redbox worked closely with Paramount, and they did a lot of testing as well, and the fact that they decided to go with day and date (of release) I think speaks volumes.†(James, 2010) CONCLUSION After reviewing the data collected by themselves and Redbox in 2009, Paramount Pictures made their decision. In June, 2010, Paramount exercised its option to extend its revenue-sharing license agreement with Redbox, which gives Redbox access to Paramount’s newly released DVDs and Blu-ray titles on the same day they are released in the sell-through market. Paramount’s extended agreement with Redbox runs until the end of 2014, though the studio will had the option to terminate the agreement early at the end of 2011. (James, 2010) As a result of the research, Davis thought that studios that have the 28-day window might opt to tweak their Redbox agreements to get certain DVD titles out for rental sooner. â€Å"Especially as more and more data gets out there and †¦ as the studios that have opted for the 28-day window, as they have a year or so to look at the data, see how it’s impacted their new product sales †¦ it could move that we get some titles earlier,† he said.(James, 2010) The process that Paramount and Redbox used, and the data they collected, could prove to be useful data to the other studios as to whether or not they should wait the 28 days. Reference Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods (12th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. Fritz, B. (2009, Aug 26). COMPANY TOWN; paramount to give redbox a spin. Los Angeles Times Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/422289074?accountid=458 James, S. B. (2010). Impact of day-and-date redbox rentals on DVD sales less than 1%. SNL Kagan Media & Communications Report, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/869743836?accountid=458