Fast Food vs Organic Essay Example for Free

Fast Food vs Organic Essay Have you ever sat and back and wondered why there are so many obese people in the U. S.? You would think that with all of the buzz about organic foods that we have available, that we would slowly be getting better with our weight as a country. Unfortunately the reality of the situation is organic food are expensive and with the way the economy is today many people are working on a budget and simply cannot afford to splurge on the organic items. So now that we know that lets look at the second half of that equation, Fast Food! Now as much as people criticize the fast food industry it’s convenient and like the name says fast. Now days most people do not want to come home after a long, hard day of work and slave over the stove to cook a hot meal for their family. However what they don’t realize is how much that food is poisoning us. Take McDonalds for example, it has been brought to the public’s attention just what goes on when they are making their food. The food looks like food that you would make in your kitchen, but it is actually manufactured. French fries use to be made by potatoes peeled in the back room and cut into strips. Today they are made in large factories, frozen and processed. Some of the ingredients are very fatty. Even though they have said that they â€Å"were† injecting the chicken nuggets with a pink dye, people are still running to the franchise for their food. I am not judging anyone by any means just stating my observations. Now if you think about it most families probably spend about $100 a week on fast food. Why would so people spend so much money on fast food you ask? Its simple its easy, and its convenient and inexpensive. Compared to other foods its something that working people and ordinary people can go out and enjoy. The design of a fast food restaurant is very well thought out. We form our eating habits as children so they try to nurture clients as youngsters. Its very important that the fast food companies make sure that their fast food meals for children are healthier. In contrast the benefits of eating organic foods are great and if you can afford them should definitely take advantage of them. The are good for both the earth and the environment. The animals are living stress-free, free-grazing on the land and not being manufactured in deplorable living conditions. Organic farmers use less energy, less water resources, and NO pesticides. Organic farmers’ soil stays rich in content, moisture and nutrients due to careful management of land and using only natural organic matter to grow their crops. When industrialized agriculture arrives in farming communities, many farmers are forced out of business. Each month dozens of new pesticides, show up in local supermarkets and stores. Because they are advertised heavily are purchased and used and thus the destruction of the earth continues slow and steady. Organic farmers, live cleanly. Free of pesticides and toxins.

Ski Stories, Retold :: Personal Narrative Writing

Ski Stories, Retold My parents were avid amateur skiers. For years they have told me the stories of their attempts down the hills and across the countries of Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland. My dad becomes animated, imitating the huffing and puffing of his trips and laughing until his belly bounces, a result of less physical activity since those adventures. My mom laughs more quietly and requires more questions to keep her stories going. But both remember the same highlights and downfalls. When they were both stationed in Bitburg, Germany they signed up for the USAFE (pronounced u-safe-y) ski team. USAFE is the United States Air Force – Europe, the American Air Forces in Europe and European Air Forces. â€Å"Some were very good. They had made the Junior Olympics [before joining the Air Force],† Mom said, â€Å"but we were just doing it for fun and a free vacation.† They had minimal ski practice beforehand, but couldn’t pass up the prospective of a free vacation. They got TDY (temporary duty elsewhere) for the ski competitions, so they didn’t have to take leave time. One competition lasted for a week in Berchtesgaden, Germany, a small village near Austria. Mom did the giant slalom and the downhill. The giant slalom is a downhill event with two parallel poles called gates spread apart from other gates all the way down the mountain. The object is to ski through the gates in a specified order as fast as possible. Mom can’t remember how well she did but she â€Å"maybe made it down.† She said, in reference to the downhill event, â€Å"I made extra turns to try to slow myself down. I was fourth place or something; there weren’t many in it. Dad did well in his cross-country event. He was tenth.† Dad said, â€Å"We were lousy.† He chickened out at the top of the downhill. â€Å"We had to stand up there, all cold and holding our poles close, and then just throw ourselves down. We got so stiff, and it hurt so bad.† Mom joined in, â€Å"The tension. Oh, we were so tense. Our neck muscles and shoulders. Because you’re up there and so scared. [Those nights] we filled up the hot tub several times.† Both remembered Harry Morse, the ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat doctor).

Management Forecasts

â€Å"Management Earnings Forecasts: A Review and Framework† by D. E. Hirst, L. Koonce and S. Venkataraman explained the antecedents, characteristics and consequences interlinked with earnings forecasts. Antecedents are characteristics that are prevalent prior to the consequence such as the existing environment/firm specific characteristics; and consequence is the outcome from antecedents and characteristics. Characteristics are the choices the management has deciding on how the report will be issued. The article guides the reader giving explanations of why management decides to release earnings forecasts, interactions of the three variables and its findings and how these findings may impact one period to another. Studies have found that management may issue forecasted earnings to reduce difference of opinions and/or information with the shareholders, to avoid litigation risks when the entity needs to make bad news disclosures and when managers have equity-based compensation tied to extend their wealth. Case Summary According to the case, â€Å"Management Earnings Disclosure and Pro Forma Reporting† by Mark T. Bradshaw and Jacob Cohen states that companies too often exclude information that negatively impacts the company’s earnings per share on their pro forma reports prior to releasing the financial statements that is in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles which is based on companies who have released such reports and the response to such reporting by the regulators. According to the case, pro forma reporting was originated by the SEC to provide earnings comparability for investors for differing time periods based on a â€Å"what if† analysis, meaning, what would have happened if this transaction had occurred and what would’ve been its impact on later reporting periods (Regulation S-X 1982). However, multiple incidents have shown that companies abuse the system. Proxim and Cisco, Inc. , both released their pro forma reports prior to their financial statements being released where both of the companies excluded the research and development costs, restructuring charges, mpairment/amortization of goodwill, which resulted in an overall positive net income with net income per share, whereas the financial statements in accordance with GAAP resulted in a loss with loss per share for both of the companies. Managers who are trying to disclose bad news about the company are more likely to issue earnings forecasts in order to avoid litigations (Skinner 1994, 1997). In addition, Trump Hotels and Casino, Inc. DJT) also excluded a onetime charge while including a onetime gain of $17. 2 million, exceeding the analysts’ estimates of $0. 54 per share to $0. 63 per share on their pro forma reporting (Burns 2002). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) responded to their incautious reporting and DJT acknowledged the findings and consented to unyielding commitments if similar violations were to take place again. The DJT incident was the first time the commissions took action against abusing pro forma reporting. Financial forecast data rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s (S&P) recommended for companies to include in their operating earnings such as restructuring charges, write-downs of assets, stock-option expenses and research and development costs and furthermore S&P suggested companies to exclude from operating earnings the following four categories: 1) goodwill write-downs 2) charges for litigation 3) gains and losses on asset sales and 4) expenses related to mergers and acquisitions (Leisman and Weil 2001). Although S&P made recommendations, Proxim, Inc. , still excluded restructuring charges, research and development costs while Cisco Systems, Inc. , also excluded restructuring, stock option exercise and research and developments costs on their pro forma reports, one of the reasons might be based on the belief that stock prices will fluctuate with high volatility, for example, when Rainforest Cafe announced earnings per share that was lower than expectations the stock price plummeted by 40% on a single day (Sloan and Skinner). Although managers may want to convince the investors their company’s value by providing pro forma reports that is plausible, they may want to consider the fact that this is only short term credibility because according to Hirst et al. (1999) only when the prior forecast is accurate do they consider future forecasts. The choices aren’t clear-cut on why the management continues to release misleading pro forma reports, the incentives behind them may be bonuses tied to stock prices or on the other hand management may want to release pro forma reports that is symmetrical to financial statements to reduce the asymmetry of information between managers, analysts and shareholders (Ajinkya and Gift 1984; Verrecchia 2001). It would be best for management to issue accurate pro forma reports to maintain creditability with the shareholders and the analysts because in the long-run the investors will depend on the entity’s reports for accuracy thus creating creditability which is the fundamental foundation of any business.

Who Is the Longest Reigning British Monarch

On September 9th, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in the whole of British history. She came to the throne on February 6th, 1952 and, having previously become the oldest monarch ever to rule Britain, took the longest reigning title aged 89. She remains an overwhelmingly popular figure, both in Britain and around the world. She was crowned in 1953, and her long marriage to the Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, means she is the only reigning British monarch to experience a diamond wedding anniversary. In contrast, the longest ruling Prime Minister in Elizabeth’s reign was Margaret Thatcher at over eleven years, there have been twelve Prime Ministers, and seven popes. Elizabeth has outlasted many world rulers. With a rule of sixty-three plus years there are several generations of Britons who have never known any other head of state, and her passing will be a particularly uncertain time for a country that has changed so much. With the exception of a small public relations blip in the 90s, she has adapted to change well and there is little precedent to follow. Her life has been dedicated to fulfilling the role of Queen. When the royal family has had criticism, Elizabeth has mostly avoided it. She has certainly avoided outspoken comments and has supported her governments quietly behind the scenes. Prime Ministers, who have regular private meetings, speak highly of her and the relationships she has with them. When Britain was voting on whether to leave the European Union, newspapers tried to involve her, but she managed to stay out of the decision. The same occurred with a vote on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom, although there never appeared to be any question of the country rejecting the queen as well as their neighbors. The Former Longest Reining British Monarch Elizabeth II took the title from Queen Victoria, also a ruler of the combined Britain.  Queen Victoria took the throne on June 20, 1837, and died on January 22, 1901, for a total of 63 years, 7 months and 3 days. Unusually for a monarch with a long reign, both took the throne as adults, Victoria a few weeks after her eighteenth birthday, dying aged 81. Elizabeth was twenty-five when she succeeded; Victoria was her great, great grandmother. Its very common for monarchs with long reigns to have started when they were children, which makes Elizabeths longevity all the more remarkable. Victoria reigned over a far larger area than Elizabeth, as the British Empire was at its height, whereas Elizabeth is head of state in the UK and fifteen Commonwealth countries. The Longest Reigning Monarch in Europe While sixty-three years is a long period of rule, it’s not the longest in European history. That’s believed to belong to Bernard VII of Lippe, who ruled his state in the Holy Roman Empire for eighty-one years, two hundred and thirty-four days in the fifteenth century (and lasted despite earning the nickname The Bellicose). Close behind him is William IV of Henneberg-Schleusingen, whose over seventy-eight and a half year rule was also in a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Longest Reigning Monarch in the World King Sobhuza II of Swaziland had an advantage when it came to long reigns because he inherited the throne while just four months old. He lived from 1899 to 1982 and clocked up eighty-two years and two hundred and fifty-four days; believed to be the longest period of rule in the world (and certainly the longest that can be proved).