Tuesday, December 31, 2019

11 Easy Meal Ideas for College Students

Cooking in college presents a challenge to even the smartest student. These ideas and recipes can quickly—and cheaply—transform a lackluster meal or snack option into something much more exciting (and delicious!). Breakfast Ideas 1. Spruced-Up Bagels Grab some bagels and cream cheese, slice a tomato (save the rest for later) and pour yourself some fresh orange juice to create a quick and energizing meal. 2. Quick Pancakes Dont have a lot of time, supplies (like eggs, milk, and flour), or cooking tools? Grab a container of Bisquick Shake n Pour, add water, pour into a frying pan, and voila ... hot, steamy pancakes! Dont forget to bring the syrup. 3. Blueberry Pancakes in Disguise Krusteaz makes a pretty decent—and usually pretty low-priced—Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix. (Its in a box, usually on the same aisle as the flour.) However, thanks to a recipe on the back of the carton, you can quickly turn it into blueberry pancakes. 4. Egg Sandwich to Go Crack an egg into a coffee mug, sprinkle in some cheese and beat it with a fork. Microwave for 45 seconds, then scoop the cooked egg onto an English muffin (toasted, if you can). Youre out the door with a filling sandwich in hand in less than 5 minutes! Just make sure you rinse out the mug before the egg is permanently caked on. Lunch andDinner Ideas 5. Macaroni and Cheese With multiple, easy-to-make options available, theres no reason why you cant enjoy a dish of mac and cheese now and then. You can add ingredients yourself and cook it on the stove top, or you can buy the simple stuff that just requires you add water and microwave it. Add some veggies on top to up the nutritional value. 6. Simple Bread and Cheese Grab a small baguette, a chunk of your favorite cheese and something nice to drink. This makes a great snack or small meal and is easy to eat while studying. Add salami if youre extra hungry or a dollop of jam if you want to sweeten it. 7. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup If you have a stove or toaster oven, making grilled cheese is about as easy as it gets when it comes to comfort food. Melt some butter in a frying pan to crisp both sides of the bread, then add some cheese between the slices. Heat up tomato soup on the stove or in the microwave to complete this classic meal. 8. Microwave Quesadillas Grab some tortillas and shredded cheese, and pop em in the microwave. In under two minutes, youve got a delicious snack that leaves very little mess behind. 9. Roasted Veggies Anything If you have an oven, chop up some of your favorite vegetables, toss them in olive oil, add salt and pepper and roast them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 60 minutes. Broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions, and carrots make a good mix. You can use them in a different dish every day: roasted veggie burritos, roasted veggies over rice, roasted veggie pizza, roasted veggie pasta or roasted veggie panini. You can do a lot with them, and they keep in the fridge for about a week. Desserts 10. Fruit and Yogurt Parfait Its pretty self-explanatory: Add fresh (or thawed frozen) fruit to a cup of yogurt, top with your favorite granola and voila—a healthy-ish dessert. 11. Mug Cake You can find all sorts of recipes online, but heres the gist: Put together all the ingredients you need to make a cake in a microwave-safe coffee mug, microwave them for about 2 minutes, then let your creation cool for 30 seconds before adding toppings or diving in.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Immanuel Kant And Kant s Philosophy Essay - 2094 Words

Immanuel Kant in his work â€Å"An answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?† reflects his understanding of immaturity as the main source for not being enlighten(p.41). It is true that Kant animalized human beings ,â€Å"It is so easy to be immature† is best understood as an attack towards human beings’ because of our naivetà ©. It is only normal for us to apprehend knowledge from others. Immanuel Kant emphasizes on the lack of self-esteem, caring, and trustworthiness in ourselves. The lack of zeal to discover what is good for thyself and what is not. An immature person has always been known as somebody who cannot take care of himself. The immature will never seek to understand on his own but borrow ideologies from others. According to Kant immaturity is the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another (WE p.41). Assuredly, we can see throughout the text that Kant is not stressing on an age or period in our lives to be able to eventually be matured enough to takes â€Å"grown up† affairs into consideration and become mature. What he really means is that we must learn how to be dependent by ourselves, Kant states† for after falling a few times they would end. certainly learn to walk ( WE p.41). However, the claim that Kant mentioned does not mean that we must learn how to become geniuses by our own instinct, this would be quite a ludicrous claim to state, but he is trying to emphasize on the fact that we take too much time to do so after we have the means andShow MoreRelatedImmanuel Kant s Philosophy And Philosophy1389 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Paper- Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was a famous philosopher whose philosophical influences impacted almost every new philosophical idea, theory, concept etc. In a sense, he was considered the central face of contemporary philosophy. 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Moral philosophy refers to the branch of philosophy concerned with ethics, in other words, What actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances?. Although there are two apparent options to choose from (the ‘right’ one, and the ‘wrong’ one), morals and ethics are more complicated than what we perceive it to be at first glance. For example, who decides which of the two is the more morally ‘correct’ option? What one perceives to be the ‘right’ optionRead MoreImmanuel Kant s Philosophy On Moral And Good And Evil Behavior1413 Words   |  6 Pages Moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy which focuses and investigates the ideas of right and wrong and good and evil behavior. Moral philosophers have researched and justified the logical consequences of moral or ethical beliefs.When we think of morals, we think of rules that tell us which actions are right and which are wrong. But, do human beings have the ability to judge for themselves, based on the facts of a situation, what is right and wrong, what they should do and not do? Well, accordingRead MoreKant And David Hume Views On The Matter1457 Words   |  6 Pagesresult in choices that lead to an individual to both reason and feel some sort of emotion. Objectively speaking, there is a no fine line between reasoning and how one feels, however there seems to be a distinct difference between the philosophers Immanuel Kant and David Hume views on the matter. Both are life changing philosophers with very opposing views. One sees the feelings in human nature while the other seems to see nothing but rationality. One can argue both are used but according to these twoRead MoreLying, By Jeremy Bentham1613 Words   |  7 Pagesthe more you do it the more comfortable one may become. Lying becomes a habit to many people, a habit they have a hard time breaking. Lying can simply be defined in one word, deception. Jeremy Bentham who is a British philosopher in the 1700’s and early 1800’s believed in the principle of utility otherwise known as utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham thinks it’s permissible to tell a small lie because in the long run Bentham is looking for the ultimate amount of happiness. Bentham believes in the greatestRead MoreThird Breaking Down His Most Important Philosophies1097 Words   |  5 PagesMichael Diaz Professor Keedy April 17, 2015 Core Comp. II Discovery Draft Part 2 Third-Breaking down his most important philosophies: I. Present and explain in depth the each of the following: A. How he came up with such ideas. B. Provide example/ apply to life: 1. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals 2. Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science 3. Critique of Practical Reason 4. Critique of the Power of Judgment 5. Critique of Pure Reason a. Knowledge b. Metaphysics Topic: CritiqueRead MoreKantian Ethics And The Categorical Imperative Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of Kantian Ethics and critiques In Elements of Pure Practical Reason Book, I, Immanuel Kant, a prominent late Enlightenment Era German philosopher discusses his most famous ethical theory, the â€Å"Categorical Imperative.† The â€Å"Categorical Imperative† is a proposed universal law in stating all humans are forbidden from certain actions regardless of consequences. Although this is the general definition of this ethical theory, the Categorical Imperative† exists in two above formulations, A strictRead MoreKant : The Father Of Enlightenment1071 Words   |  5 PagesStanford Marquis Essay 2 Kant: The Father of Enlightenment The 18th Century is referred to as the Age of Reason or Enlightenment as it was during this period that reason and individualism was advocated as a means of power. Science and reason were revolutionizing society by challenging the facts deeply rooted in tradition. This new rational way of thinking used logic to arrive at conclusions. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, was one of the primary figures of this era that cultivated reason andRead MoreJohn Stuart Mill And Immanuel Kant1387 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers. Two of these philosophers are John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant. Mill, in Utilitarianism defines happiness as pleasure without pain. He builds upon this idea of happiness when establishing his moral philosophy, stating that the action that would bring about the maximum amount of happiness is the most moral action. On the other hand, Kant establishes happiness as well-being and a satisfaction with one’s condition. Kant, however, argues that happiness is too ful ly based upon one’s own

Sunday, December 15, 2019

The Vampire Diaries The Fury Chapter Four Free Essays

Something yanked Elena out of the tree and, yowling a protest, she fell and landed on her feet like a cat. Her knees hit the ground a second later and got bruised. She reared back, fingers hooked into claws to attack whoever had done it. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Four or any similar topic only for you Order Now Damon slapped her hand away. â€Å"Why did you grab me?† she demanded. â€Å"Why didn’t you stay where I put you?† he snapped. They glared at each other, equally furious. Then Elena was distracted. The shrieking was still going on upstairs, augmented now by rattling and banging at the window. Damon nudged her against the house, where they couldn’t be seen from above. â€Å"Let’s get away from this noise,† he said fastidiously, looking up. Without waiting for a response, he caught her arm. Elena resisted. â€Å"I have to go in there!† â€Å"You can’t.† He gave her a wolfish smile. â€Å"I mean that literally. You can’t go in that house. You haven’t been invited.† Momentarily nonplussed, Elena let him tow her a few steps. Then she dug her heels in again. â€Å"But I need my diary!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"It’s in the closet, under the floorboards. And I need it. I can’t go to sleep without my diary.† Elena didn’t know why she was making such a fuss, but it seemed important. Damon looked exasperated; then, his face cleared. â€Å"Here,† he said calmly, eyes glinting. He withdrew something from his jacket. â€Å"Take it.† Elena eyed his offering doubtfully. â€Å"It’s your diary, isn’t it?† â€Å"Yes, but it’s my old one. I want my new one.† â€Å"This one will have to do, because this one is all you’re getting. Come on before they wake up the whole neighborhood.† His voice had turned cold and commanding again. Elena considered the book he held. It was small, with a blue velvet cover and a brass lock. Not the newest edition perhaps, but it was familiar to her. She decided it was acceptable. She let Damon lead her out into the night. She didn’t ask where they were going. She didn’t much care. But she recognized the house on Magnolia Avenue; it was where Alaric Saltzman was staying. Elena licked her lips. â€Å"No,† Damon said shortly. â€Å"This one’s not for biting. There’s something fishy about him, but you should be safe enough in the house. I’ve slept here before. Up here.† He led her up a flight of stairs to an attic with one small window. It was crowded with stored objects: sleds, skis, a hammock. At the far end, an old mattress lay on the floor. â€Å"He won’t even know you’re here in the morning. Lie down.† Elena obeyed, assuming a position that seemed natural to her. She lay on her back, hands folded over the diary that she held to her breast. Damon dropped a piece of oilcloth over her, covering her bare feet. â€Å"Go to sleep, Elena,† he said. He bent over her, and for a moment she thought he was going to†¦ do something. Her thoughts were too muddled. But his night black eyes filled her vision. Then he pulled back, and she could breathe again. The gloom of the attic settled in on her. Her eyes drifted shut and she slept. She woke slowly, assembling information about where she was, piece by piece. Somebody’s attic from the looks of it. What was she doing here? Rats or mice were scuffling somewhere among the piles of oilcloth-draped objects, but the sound didn’t bother her. The faintest trace of pale light showed around the edges of the shuttered window. Elena pushed her makeshift blanket off and got up to investigate. It was definitely someone’s attic, and not that of anyone she knew. She felt as if she had been sick for a long time and had just woken up from her illness. What day is it? she wondered. She could hear voices below her. Downstairs. Something told her to be careful and quiet. She felt afraid of making any kind of disturbance. She eased the attic door open without a sound and cautiously descended to the landing. Looking down, she could see a living room. She recognized it; she’d sat on that ottoman when Alaric Saltzman had given a party. She was in the Ramsey house. And Alaric Saltzman was down there; she could see the top of his sandy head. His voice puzzled her. After a moment she realized it was because he didn’t sound fatuous or inane or any of the ways Alaric usually sounded in class. He wasn’t spouting psycho-babble, either. He was speaking coolly and decisively to two other men. â€Å"She might be anywhere, even right under our noses. More likely outside town, though. Maybe in the woods.† â€Å"Remember, the first two victims were found near the woods,† said the other man. Is that Dr. Feinberg? Elena thought. What’s he doing here? What am I doing here? â€Å"No, it’s more than that,† Alaric was saying. The other men were listening to him with respect, even with deference. â€Å"The woods are tied up in this. They may have a hiding place out there, a lair where they can go to earth if they’re discovered. If there is one, I’ll find it.† â€Å"Are you sure?† said Dr. Feinberg. â€Å"I’m sure,† Alaric said briefly. â€Å"And that’s where you think Elena is,† said the principal. â€Å"But will she stay there? Or will she come back into town?† â€Å"I don’t know.† Alaric paced a few steps and picked up a book from the coffee table, running his thumbs over it absently. â€Å"One way to find out is to watch her friends. Bonnie McCullough and that dark-haired girl, Meredith. Chances are they’ll be the first ones to see her. That’s how it usually happens.† â€Å"And once we do track her down?† Dr. Feinberg asked. â€Å"Leave that to me,† Alaric said quietly and grimly. He shut the book and dropped it on the coffee table with a disturbingly conclusive sound. The principal glanced at his watch. â€Å"I’d better get moving; the service starts at ten o’clock. I presume you’ll both be there?† He paused on his way to the door and looked back, his manner irresolute. â€Å"Alaric, I hope you can take care of this. When I called you in, things hadn’t gone this far. Now I’m beginning to wonder-â€Å" â€Å"I can take care of it, Brian. I told you; leave it to me. Would you rather have Robert E. Lee in all the papers, not just as the scene of a tragedy but also as ‘The Haunted High School of Boone County’? A gathering place for ghouls? The school where the undead walk? Is that the kind of publicity you want?† Mr. Newcastle hesitated, chewing his lip, then nodded, still looking unhappy. â€Å"All right, Alaric. But make it quick and clean. I’ll see you at the church.† He left and Dr. Fein-berg followed him. Alaric stood there for some time, apparently staring into space. At last he nodded once and went out the front door himself. Elena slowly trailed back up the stairs. Now what had all that been about? She felt confused, as if she were floating loose in time and space. She needed to know what day it was, why she was here, and why she felt so frightened. Why she felt so intensely that no one must see her or hear her or notice her at all. Looking around the attic, she saw nothing that would give her any help. Where she had been lying there were only the mattress and the oilcloth-and a little blue book. When she finished, she was weak with fear and horror. Bright spots danced and shimmered before her eyes. There was so much pain in these pages. So many schemes, so many secrets, so much need. It was the story of a girl who’d felt lost in her own hometown, in her own family. Who’d been looking for†¦ something, something she could never quite reach. But that wasn’t what caused this throbbing panic in her chest that drained all the energy from her body. That wasn’t why she felt as if she were falling even when she sat as still as she could get. What caused the panic was that she remembered. She remembered everything now. The bridge, the rushing water. The terror as the air left her lungs and there was nothing but liquid to breathe. The way it had hurt. And the final instant when it had stopped hurting, when everything had stopped. When everything†¦ stopped. Oh, Stefan, I was so frightened, she thought. And the same fear was inside her now. In the woods, how could she have behaved like that to Stefan? How could she have forgotten him, everything he meant to her? What had made her act that way? But she knew. At the center of her consciousness, she knew. Nobody got up and walked away from a drowning like that. Nobody got up and walked away alive. Slowly, she rose and went to look at the shuttered window. The darkened pane of glass acted as a mirror, throwing her reflection back at her. It was not the reflection she’d seen in her dream, where she had run down a hall of mirrors that seemed to have a life of their own. There was nothing sly or cruel about this face. Just the same, it was subtly different from what she was used to seeing. There was a pale glow to her skin and a telling hollowness about the eyes. Elena touched fingertips to her neck, on either side. This was where Stefan and Damon had each taken her blood. Had it really been enough times, and had she really taken enough of theirs in return? It must have been. And now, for the rest of her life, for the rest of her existence, she would have to feed as Stefan did. She would have to†¦ She sank to her knees, pressing her forehead against the bare wood of a wall. I can’t, she thought. Oh, please, I can’t; I can’t. She had never been very religious. But from that deep place inside, her terror was welling up, and every particle of her being joined in the cry for aid. Oh, please, she thought. Oh, please, please, help me. She didn’t ask for anything specific; she couldn’t gather her thoughts that far. Only: Oh, please help me, oh please, please. Her face was still pale but eerily beautiful, like fine porcelain lit from within. Her eyes were still smudged with shadows. But there was a resolve in them. She had to find Stefan. If there was any help for her, he would know of it. And if there wasn’t†¦ well, she needed him all the more. There was nowhere else she wanted to be except with him. She shut the door of the attic carefully behind her as she went out. Alaric Saltzman mustn’t discover her hiding place. On the wall, she saw a calendar with the days up to December 4 crossed off. Four days since last Saturday night. She’d slept for four days. When she reached the front door, she cringed from the daylight outside. It hurt. Even though the sky was so overcast that rain or snow looked imminent, it hurt her eyes. She had to force herself to leave the safety of the house, and then she felt a gnawing paranoia about being out in the open. She slunk along beside fences, staying close to trees, ready to melt into the shadows. She felt like a shadow herself -or a ghost, in Honoria Fell’s long white gown. She would frighten the wits out of anyone who saw her. But all her circumspection seemed to be wasted. There was no one on the streets to see her; the town might have been abandoned. She went by seemingly deserted houses, forsaken yards, closed stores. Presently she saw parked cars lining the street, but they were empty, too. And then she saw a shape against the sky that stopped her in her tracks. A steeple, white against the thick dark clouds. Elena’s legs trembled as she made herself creep closer to the building. She’d known this church all her life; she’d seen the cross inscribed on that wall a thousand times. But now she edged toward it as if it were a caged animal that might break loose and bite her. She pressed one hand to the stone wall and slid it nearer and nearer to the carved symbol. When her outspread fingers touched the arm of the cross, her eyes filled and her throat ached. She let her hand glide along it until it gently covered the engraving. Then she leaned against the wall and let the tears come. I’m not evil, she thought. I did things I shouldn’t have. I thought about myself too much; I never thanked Matt and Bonnie and Meredith for all they did for me. I should have played more with Margaret and been nicer to Aunt Judith. But I’m not evil. I’m not damned. When she could see again, she looked up at the building. Mr. Newcastle had said something about the church. Was it this one he meant? She avoided the front of the church and the main doorway. There was a side door that led to the choir loft, and she slipped up the stairs noiselessly and looked down from the gallery. She saw at once why the streets had been so empty. It seemed as if everyone in Fell’s Church was here, every seat in every pew filled, and the back of the church packed solid with people standing. Staring at the front rows, Elena realized that she recognized every face; they were members of the senior class, and neighbors, and friends of Aunt Judith. Aunt Judith was there, too, wearing the black dress she’d worn to Elena’s parents’ funeral. Fell’s Church was here, every seat in every pew filled, and the back of the church packed solid with people standing. Staring at the front rows, Elena realized that she recognized every face; they were members of the senior class, and neighbors, and friends of Aunt Judith. Aunt Judith was there, too, wearing the black dress she’d worn to Elena’s parents’ funeral. â€Å"†¦ share our remembrances of this very special girl,† he said, and he moved aside. Elena watched what happened after with the unearthly feeling that she had a loge seat at a play. She was not at all involved in the events down there on stage; she was only a spectator, but it was her life she was watching. Mr. Carson, Sue Carson’s father, came up and talked about her. The Carsons had known her since she was born, and he talked about the days she and Sue had played in their front yard in the summer. He talked about the beautiful and accomplished young lady she had become. He got a frog in his throat and had to stop and take off his glasses. Sue Carson went up. She and Elena hadn’t been close friends since elementary school, but they’d remained on good terms. Sue had been one of the few girls who’d stayed on Elena’s side after Stefan had come under suspicion for Mr. Tanner’s murder. But now Sue was crying as if she’d lost a sister. â€Å"A lot of people weren’t nice to Elena after Halloween,† she said, wiping her eyes and going on. â€Å"And I know that hurt her. But Elena was strong. She never changed just to conform to what other people thought she should be. And I respected her for that, so much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sue’s voice wobbled. â€Å"When I was up for Homecoming Queen, I wanted to be chosen, but I knew I wouldn’t be and that was all right. Because if Robert E. Lee ever had a queen, it was Elena. And I think she always will be now, because that’s how we’ll all remember her. And I think that for years to come the girls who will go to our school might remember her and think about how she stuck by what she thought was right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This time Sue couldn’t steady her voice and the reverend helped her back to her seat. The girls in the senior class, even the ones that had been nastiest and most spiteful, were crying and holding hands. Girls Elena knew for a fact hated her were sniffling. Suddenly she was everybody’s best friend. There were boys crying, too. Shocked, Elena huddled closer to the railing. She couldn’t stop watching, even though it was the most horrible thing she had ever seen. Frances Decatur got up, her plain face plainer than ever with grief. â€Å"She went out of her way to be nice to me,† she said huskily. â€Å"She let me eat lunch with her.† Rubbish, Elena thought. I only spoke to you in the first place because you were useful in finding out information about Stefan. But it was the same with each person who went up to the pulpit; no one could find enough words to praise Elena. â€Å"I always admired her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"One of my favorite students†¦Ã¢â‚¬  When Meredith rose, Elena’s whole body stiffened. She didn’t know if she could deal with this. But the dark-haired girl was one of the few people in the church who wasn’t crying, although her face had a grave, sad look that reminded Elena of Honoria Fell as she looked on her tomb. â€Å"When I think about Elena, I think about the good times we had together,† she said, speaking quietly and with her customary self-control. â€Å"Elena always had ideas, and she could make the most boring work into fun. I never told her that, and now I wish I had. I wish that I could talk to her one more time, just so she would know. And if Elena could hear me now†-Meredith looked around the church and drew a long breath, apparently to calm herself-â€Å"if she could hear me now, I would tell her how much those good times meant to me, and how much I wish that we could still have them. Like the Thursday nights we used to sit together in her room, practicing for the debate team. I wish we could do that just once more like we used to.† Meredith took another long breath and shook her head. â€Å"But I know we can’t, and that hurts.† What are you talking about? Elena thought, her misery interrupted by bewilderment. We used to practice for the debate team on Wednesday nights, not Thursdays. And it wasn’t in my bedroom; it was in yours. And it was no fun at all; in fact, we ended up quitting because we both hated it†¦ Suddenly, watching Meredith’s carefully composed face, so calm on the outside to conceal the tension within, Elena felt her heart begin to pound. Meredith was sending a message, a message only Elena could be expected to understand. Which meant that Meredith expected Elena to be able to hear it. Meredith knew. Had Stefan told her? Elena scanned the rows of mourners below, realizing for the first time that Stefan wasn’t among them. Neither was Matt. No, it didn’t seem likely that Stefan would have told Meredith, or that Meredith would choose this way of getting a message to her if he had. Then Elena remembered the way Meredith had looked at her the night they had rescued Stefan from the well, when Elena had asked to be left alone with Stefan. She remembered those keen dark eyes studying her face more than once in the last months, and the way Meredith had seemed to grow quieter and more thoughtful each time Elena came up with some odd request. Meredith had guessed then. Elena wondered just how much of the truth she’d put together. Bonnie was coming up now, crying in earnest. That was surprising; if Meredith knew, why hadn’t she told Bonnie? But maybe Meredith had only a suspicion, something she didn’t want to share with Bonnie in case it turned out to be a false hope. â€Å"Thank you,† Bonnie said, wiping her streaming eyes. She tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, either to regain her poise or to get inspiration. As she did, Elena saw something that no one else could see: she saw Bonnie’s face drain of color and of expression, not like somebody about to faint, but in a way that was all too familiar. A chill crawled up Elena’s backbone. Not here. Oh, God, of all times and places, not here. But it was already happening. Bonnie’s chin had lowered; she was looking at the congregation again. Except that this time she didn’t seem to see them at all, and the voice that came from Bonnie’s throat was not Bonnie’s voice. â€Å"No one is what they appear. Remember that. No one is what they appear.† Then she just stood there, unmoving, staring straight ahead with blank eyes. People began to shuffle and look at one another. There was a murmur of worry. â€Å"Remember that-remember-no one is what they seem†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie swayed suddenly, and Reverend Bethea ran to her while another man hastened up from the other side. The second man had a bald head that was now shining with sweat-Mr. Newcastle, Elena realized. And there at the back of the church, striding up the nave, was Alaric Saltzman. He reached Bonnie just as she fainted, and Elena heard a step behind her on the stair. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Four, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Approaches for Predicting Corporate Bankruptcy

Question: Describe about the Approaches for Predicting Corporate Bankruptcy. Answer: Abstract The report explores about financial statement analysis and how it is not the only approach to rely to predict financial crisis by exploring the examples of Lehman Brothers, WorldCom and Enron. How Lehman Brothers breached US standard for leverage ratio, how WorldCom window dressed its financial statements and how did Enron deceive its shareholders all is explained in the given repot below. Further, report will give an idea that there are certain non-financial approaches available like corporate governance and support the argument by discussing corporate governance. Introduction Financial statement analysis is an essential skill in a variety of occupations including investment management, corporate finance, commercial lending and the extension of credit. (Alvarez, Fridson 2002). On elaborating the term financial statement analysis, it is analysis of various financial terms like ratios, cash flows, balance sheet of the firm to know the strengths and weakness of the firms in terms of finance. The major objective of the report is to give an idea about how financial statement analysis determines the bankruptcy of firm through various methodologies. Further to bring in view that financial statement analysis is not the only approach to predict bankruptcy of firms by enlightening the financial crisis of three major economic scandals like Enron, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers and discussing non-financial approach like corporate governance. Further, describing the corporate governance and how corporate governance help in predicting financial distress. To summarize, we say that we support the argument that financial statement analysis is not the only approach available there are various non-financial approaches like corporate governance is there and same should be applied by corporates to predict financial crisis. Further discussion is also done regarding composition of board of directors, segregation of duties of board of directors and proportion of independent directors. Financial statement analysis not the only approach for predicting bankruptcy From the view of financial statement analysis, it is the process of reviewing and analyzing a companys financial statement to make better economic decisions. It includes balance sheet, cash flow statements, and a statement of change in equity. To describe failure of corporates two technical words are insolvency and bankruptcy. A firm is considered as insolvent whenever its book value of assets is less than those of its liabilities. In this case a company is considered insolvent when it files for bankruptcy in court. However, as per economic conception, insolvency is defined as failure to repayment of debt, inability to pay dividends etc. In this situation a firm can or cannot lead to judicial proceedings (Levratto, 2013). On the note of discussing the major corporate scandals Enron, WorldCom and Lehman Brothers, the major reason of their bankruptcy was misinterpreted financial statements. Major cause for the collapse of Lehman Brothers was extending subprime mortgage loans to customers, who were otherwise not extended due to poor credit score. But, due to boom in 2007 Lehman extended these kinds of loans. Thus, two major blunders identified were one Lehman has no accurate future projections and secondly, even if management was known about possible changes, they were busy in increasing shareholders wealth. Another financial fraud which appeared was its leverage ratio was 31:1 which was against the set U.S. regulations of not more than 15:1.This high leverage ratio raised a question on the liquidity of Lehman Brothers. Another major financial fraud made by Lehman Brothers was repurchase agreement transactions (repos). REPOS denote percentage of assets sold in comparison to cash received. Lehman showed r epos of 105 and 108 which means assets sold were 5% and 8% more than cash received, thus it was window dressing of financial statements to deviate shareholders of the company. However, on various other aspects Lehman Brothers auditors Ernst Young defended quoting that the international accounting standards supported company transactions. (Gyamfi, 2016). Similarly, in case of fall of Enron also basic fundamental principal of preparing financial statements was not followed i.e. true and full disclosure of facts. Enron executives never disclosed to its employees about selling of stock, it was only when Enron bankruptcy news evolved employees came to know about companys selling out the stocks. Also, it was seen that failure of Enron was due to massive accounting errors like enhancing accounting for special purpose vehicles and strengthening internal accounting system. (Li, 2010). WorldCom was again involved in questionable accounting practices. WorldCom has huge amount of contractual ob ligations and when went under reconstruction it was found that vendors, creditors would not be able to generate revenues. Thus, again a big financial fraud was there. (Gertmenian and Chuvakhin, 2003). Thus, with this discussion we can say that financial statement analysis is not the only option available to predict the bankruptcy of corporates. With discussing above financial frauds, we analysis that not only quantitative factors considered but also qualitative factors. With considering qualitative factors along with quantitative factors for credit risk analysis it helps to correctly classify the companies. Qualitative factors or non- financial factors are generally selected with the help of management discussions and business policies. However, corporate governance is a good qualitative factor. Corporate Governance is the structure that is intended to make sure that right questions asked and that checks and balances are in place to make sure that the answers reflect what is best for the creation of long term, sustainable, renewable value. (Minow, and Monks, 2011). Corporate Governance include large number of variables like Board of Directors characteristics, Board Committee, internal control factors, shareholders influence on Board of Directors. As financial scandals were increasing over number of years, the requirement to consider non- financial factors and provide an interaction between financial and non-financial factors became important. From early eighties only discussion regarding corporate governance and its influence in financial distress or bankruptcy are there. In corporate governance, conflicts arise among shareholders and management regarding assigning of roles. Basically, it is ethical conflicts among management and shareholders as in case of financial distress management prioritize their personal aim rather than overall companys objective. Now, there are two ways to analyze financial distress from corporate governance point of view. Firstly, firms with high ownership concentration are likely to have high financial distress and secondly, firms with high board ownership have less risk to financial distress. Firm having high institutional ownership they try to focus more on long term benefits rather than short term benefits as management do. However, if there is high ownership of institutional investors they try to control the management. Coming on second aspect that is where there is high board ownership. With respect to board it is seen as ability of directors to act efficiently, has been regarded as major factor in determining corporates financial distress. Thus, if a company has poor or weak board of directors, it increases the opportunity of management controlling shareholders and extracting money from shareholders. Thus, as per corpor ate governance board of directors should have independence. This independence can be defined as separating the role of chairman, chief executive directors, and independent directors. In separating the roles of chairman and chief executive directors is to ensure the effectiveness and independence of the board. However, other theories say that instead of separating the role of chairman and chief executive officer it should be accumulated in one power i.e. CEO, so as to reduce the cost and to avoid conflicts of interest. Apart from segregating the role of chairman and CEO another aspect is to increase the proportion of number of independent directors in board. Independent directors are basically directors who have no financial interest in company. Their work is to monitor the directors and to avoid selfish motive of management so that they can work in the interest of the shareholders. However, proportion of independent directors depends on the size of the board. A board having large si ze with less number of independent directors is likelihood of having more financial distress due to imbalance in board and conflict of interest, while a firm having smaller board size and large number of independent directors increases transparency of corporates thus preventing corporates from financial distress. However, corporate governance mechanism, ethics code, legal system to predict financial distress varies according to the country. Example of this is Spain. In Spain, corporate governance methodology was different regarding ownership concentration, unitary board system and voluntary good corporate governance practices lead agencies to conflict of financial distress. Thus, we can support argument that beyond financial statement analysis also there are non-financial factors to predict bankruptcy of corporates. (Elshahat, Elshahat, Rao, 2015). Conclusion On concluding the above discussion we see that financial statement include balance sheet, cash flow statement, and ratio analysis. For long time corporates were relying on financial data for predicting the corporates financial position. However, with major scandals like Enron, WorldCom, and Lehman Brothers who all were involved in financial frauds through window dressing their financial statements brought out an argument that whether financial statement analysis is the only approach to predict corporates financial situation. On, further study we support the argument that financial statement analysis is not the only approach to rely upon. Various journal articles supported the arguments and concluded that while analyzing corporates position not only financial aspects but also non-financial aspects should be considered. One of such non-financial aspect is Corporate Governance which focus not on financial aspect of the firm but it is basically considering management, board of directors and their influence in board and level of independence We further concluded that firm having small board size with large number of independence directors, will be less exposed to financial distress as there will be consistent monitoring over board of directors by independent directors. Thus, we support the argument that corporate should consider other aspects to predict bankruptcy of corporates. References Alvarez, F., and Fridson, M.S. (2002) Financial statement analysis: A practitioners guide. 3rd ed. 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