Tips for College Students Finding Applying for Internships

Getting an internship is all part of the college experience. College is a place where you can explore a range of academic interests and get the opportunity to get some hands on experience to figure out which career path to take. Some students take on jobs and internships during the school year, but most try to dedicate their summers to a 2-3 month experience to boost their resumes. With summer approaching, if you’re still looking, here are some tips for college students who are looking for and applying for internships: 1. Update your profiles on job sites! If you don’t already, you should create your LinkedIn, Angelist and WayUp profiles. Even if you don’t yet have experience, it’s helpful for you to have your LinkedIn and Angelist profile ready with your education background and career interests. You’re able to showcase the courses you’ve taken in college that is related to what you would like to do in your career. Additionally, you’ll also be able to indicate you’re actively looking for an internship, so companies looking for interns can match up with you! 2. Be on the hunt for new job postings. Don’t rely on the job sites to do all the work for you. While it’s helpful to get recommended job matches, you need to take responsibility for your own internship hunt. Filter by the type of internship you want or in the field you want it in. Create a spreadsheet with all the jobs you’re interested in applying to, so you can keep track and follow up with the appropriate contact. LinkedIn, Angelist and WayUp are great job hunting sites, but there are others like Internships.com and Indeed you can check out too! 3. Familiarize yourself with the career center. It’s easy to go straight to online resources since there are so many job sites out there for college students to access, but don’t forget about your college’s career center! They, too, have a lot of resources and connections that might be helpful to you. They host interview tips, resume editing sessions, and more to help students to secure an internship over the summer. Similarly, don’t forget to also check out your university’s job posting site. This is an advantage of being a college student. If employers are posting on your university’s career site, that means they are looking for students at your school. Don’t miss out on those opportunities! 4. Let your advisor know. Develop a relationship with your academic advisor. If you haven’t chosen a major yet, this will likely just be your dean. While your dean can be a great mentor to you, your major academic advisor can really point you in the right direction. As a professor in the department you’re studying in, your professor would really be able to offer career path suggestions for you to take! Plus, your professor might be able to connect you with someone who is looking for interns. 5. Perfect your cover letter. Once you start finding internships that interest you, put together your cover letter. For those of you who don’t have much professional experience yet, don’t fret! You have other forms of experiences. Whether it’s in a student organization you’re involved in or through volunteering, you can showcase your strengths. More importantly, highlight your desire to learn on the job and how you’d go about doing that. If you already have some experience, don’t make the mistake of regurgitating what is already on your resume. Use your cover letter to expand on things you may have mentioned as a short bullet point to demonstrate your abilities. And, make sure to highlight relevant skills that are pertinent to the job you’re applying to. Here’s an article to help you with your cover letter. 6. Prepare for your interview! Interviews sound scary, but they are really not as bad as you make it out to be in your head. Having said that, make sure you prepare for your interview beforehand and arrive ready. Run through your resume. What are some examples that you can share that demonstrate the points you’ve made on it? What are some of your strengths and how would you explain that? What are some weaknesses? What do you want to take away from your internship? And finally, how can you add value to the company? Prepare your interview questions! On the day of your interview, have a printed version of your resume handy, and bring a notebook and pen so you can jot down notes during your interview. If you’re doing a phone/Skype interview, you should still dress up! It will help you feel more professional. Good luck finding a summer internship! Need more tips? Here are more tips on landing your dream internship. While you wait to hear back from your last job interview, share your college application journey with us and help others who are interested in your school better understand the application process. Plus, get paid while you’re at it. What are you waiting for? Create your college profile now!

4 Ways Customer Feedback Determined Our Greatest Design Features

4 Ways Customer Feedback Determined Our Greatest Design Features Your feedback matters. Here at , we want to be the #1 marketing calendar for everything you need organized. And we know that it’s the little things that matter the most†¦ which is why we are constantly making improvements to your calendar, so you can focus on the big things. In the past six months (yep, just six  short  months), made a few AWESOME updates: Calendar Refresh: Updated the format of your calendar so you can easily track and manage your content from the master view. Custom Content: Added more content types (not just the ones we originally thought you needed), and now you can organize them to boot. New Content Editor: Eliminated distractions from your content editor by creating a simplified and clean interface. And starting today†¦.NEW custom color labels (keep reading)! All of these updates were because of YOUR feedback. Your ideas make even better, and let’s be honest, they help us  get more organized, too. Which is why we are excited to announce the launch of our newest feature†¦

Accounting Information Systems

Accounting Information Systems 3-1. The text provides seven reasons why documenting AISs is important: (1) depicting how the system works, (2) training users, (3) designing new systems, (4) controlling systems development costs, (5) standardizing communication with others, (6) auditing, and (7) controlling end-user support costs. Additional reasons include: (1) to help evaluate the performance of system personnel, (2) to help evaluate the adequacy or efficiency of an existing system, and (3) to provide design specifications to outside vendors who might be proposing new systems. Accountants are interested in system documentation for all these reasons. For example, inadequate documentation makes it difficult to use an integrated accounting package effectively, design one for others to use, or audit a system intelligently. Flowcharts and similar systems documentation are also important to auditors. These charts can help auditors spot internal control weaknesses that are not apparent from prototypes or not obvious wh en observing a system in use. 3-2. Document flowcharts are a type of system flowchart. Whereas system flowcharts are process-oriented, document flowcharts focus on the flow of physical documents through the processing system. Document and system flowcharts are similar in that they use similar symbols in their construction. A few additional symbols, such as envelopes and hand trucks to depict movement of goods, are more likely to appear in document flowcharts than system flowcharts. But system flowcharts contain more detail about processing logic. Accountants can use data flow diagrams (DFDs) to depict the physical flows of data through an AIS (like document flowcharts), or the logical flow of data through an AIS (like system flowcharts). Like document or system flowcharts, their main objective is to document data flows in an orderly, graphic, and easily-understood format. But DFDs use fewer symbols than either document or system flowcharts, and do not require columns (like document flowcharts). Program flowcharts are really the lowest level of system flowcharts because they outline the logic sequence for a particular application program. Thus, they are more used by programmers and system analysts than by accountants and auditors. Still, auditors will need to understand these program flowcharts when looking at program logic and program controls. Program flowcharts use many of the same symbols found in system flowcharts, but also use some special ones such as the decision symbol. 3-3. A document flowchart is a pictorial representation of the physical data flow through the various departments of a business. A document flowchart is used in designing or evaluating an accounting information system. 1. A systems analyst uses it when evaluating a system to see if each department is receiving the necessary data and that unnecessary data are not transferred. 2. A system designer uses it when there is interest in improving or replacing an existing system. 3. A computer p rogrammer can use a document flowchart when preparing system flowcharts. 4. An auditor uses it to help define, follow, and evaluate an audit trail. 5. An internal data security expert uses it to indicate weaknesses in internal control and data control. 3-4. Guidelines for creating document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams are listed in the text. See relevant chapter sections for document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams.

Biomedicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Biomedicine - Essay Example First, it is necessary to examine the sociocultural values which have lead to our own de-habilitating illnesses. We live in a fast, paced society in which there is little room to stop for a breather. This has been influenced by the internet and the ability to access information at the speed of light. Many jobs are now conducted straight out of the office and usually involve sitting behind a desk at the computer. Due to declining economic conditions around the world, many jobs are requiring longer hours to work as well as increasing layoffs causing stress in the local population. These increasing hours along with the stress associated with the fear of layoff and daily stresses such as traffic, family dynamics and other interpersonal problems has lead to an enhanced sedentary lifestyles as well as poor dieting and use of alcohol/tobacco which has lead to inherent chronic disorders and diseases. Poor dieting has lead to an increase in obesity across most of the western countries. This c an be due to multiple things. First, it is important to recognize that the onset of fast food restaurants has made it easier for the population to have access to high calorie and high fattening foods at a low cost. This is based on the 80/20 principle in human reasoning in that the decision to eat fast food over is influenced by the ease of access and quickness over the fact that it is not nutritionally sound (Gardner, 2006). Another important aspect is that G20 populations have an increased sedentary lifestyle. Due to the stress and fatigue associated with working a job, it is a de-motivational aspect which leads to a lack of physical fitness. It is also seen at the early childhood level as there has been a detrimental increase in childhood obesity. There has been a greater emphasis on academics and children spending more time in the classroom learning which has cut time which has usually been allotted for physical activity (Buckmaster, & Brownell, 1988). This is all a result of ou r progressive lifestyle which has led to obesity. In order to meet the classification for obesity, a person must meet a BMI, body mass index, of 27 which correlates to 120% of the desirable weight in comparison to height. As a result, this excess weight has added physiological and psychological illnesses. Metabolic associated diseases associated with obesity can be insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, and hyper tension (Dwyer, 1994). In insulin resistance, insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. Certain cells in muscles and fat become affected due to the disruption of glucose and insulin. The decrease in the amount of insulin being secreted by the pancreas associated with insulin resistance can lead to type II diabetes. Hyperglycemia occurs when there is too much sugar in the blood (Myers, 2004). This can be caused by a lack of exercise, consuming too many daily calories, etc. There are many debilitating factors associated with hyperglycemia such as kid ney, neurological, and cardiovascular conditions. Hyperuricemia is a condition which is associated with an abnormal increase in uric acid. Lastly,

Building an Access Control System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Building an Access Control System - Case Study Example Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system.   The use of smart cards will be implemented in this case scenario. Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system. The microelectronic access control system allows access based on the permit presented on the cards. When access is allowed, the door is unlocked for a programmed time frame and the operation is recorded on a database located in another location on a computer. When access is not granted, then the door remains locked and the attempted entrance is recorded onto the system to assist in future auditing. The system is also expected to monitor the door and provides an alarm sound notification in case the door remains open for long after being unlocked or in the event the door is forcefully opened. The term access control denotes the exercise of limiting access to a building, a property, or a room to accredited persons. Thus, for an access control system, there are a set of policies that are mandatory for configuration onto the system with an expertise and high level trusted the programmer to administrate the system. This event is expected to involve a read operation on the smart card to acquire entity information. A write operation can be involved after authentication of the read operation on the card to verify the credentials of a given user who wants to access the system at a given time. This process entails the authentication of cards information and its linkage to a particular user registered on the system. Credentials are essential to be able to trace back transaction and document them on the data storage units allied to the system databases. The identification process is aimed at verifying that the entities involved with the system are allowed and their identities are bound to them. This can be a PIN number or serial number assigned to them by a system administrator. In this case scenario, the use of smart cards will have barcodes or magnetic codes which aid in information storage about a single user.

Is Technology a Boon Essay Example for Free

Is Technology a Boon Essay Technology is very much a part of modern life. Many people see technology as a force that has escaped from human control. Others feel that technology has improved the quality of life. Do you think that the contribution technology has made to modern life has been positive or negative? State your position on this issue and support it with appropriate examples. Technology has become a part of our lives. The issue of decide if this part is or not good for life is a controversial one. Many believe that contribution technology has made to modern life improve the quality of life in different aspects. Others believe that technology is out of human control and they see adverse effects in modern life. After careful analysis of different fields such as daily life, medicine, and education, I feel that contribution technology has made to modern life has been really positive and help to improve the quality of human lives. The first reason for me to believe contribution technology made to modern life is just the daily life to unprecedented levels. Houses security systems, for example, connected to the police, is more powerfully because is build on technologies developed in the last years. As women increase their roles in society in the last times, daily homework such is cook, make laundry or vacuum take less time to do it than before, and its permits women to dedicate this time to other activities such is study, working, and other activities. Not only the daily live is benefited by advances of technology, another field is medicine. Thanks to advances in technology, many diseases that before was the cause of massive death, now is a past true, with the advances in technology, scientific and doctors find different vaccines to help people be healthier. The medical equipments advances help process such as surgery in a way that was never possible before. Nowadays, it is routine to get a heart replacement, which in the past such situations was simply impossible. Most importantly, we can see how scientific are in the process of looking for the solution to current diseases, and this will be possible, with the use of advanced medical technology. The best reason for me to applaud contribution technology made is in the field of education. I see how the advances in technology help students in their learning. For instance, the use of projectors and video conferences help in important amount in the process of learning; by using these approaches, different kinds of students intelligence can be addressed. Computers are another example of contribution that technology made to educational field. The use of well equipped computer lab is truly helpful for students because they have the chance to learn computer skills that are very important in almost all the work environments. Nowadays, teachers can find information they can use in their daily lessons. For instance, in a math class, teachers can use updated statistical information finding in computers (by just a click), and they can infuse these information into a lesson, making the lesson related with real life situations for students. In the final analysis, I think the benefits technology offer to improve the quality of life outweigh the deficits. I do not think technology is out of human control and by the exposed in lines above we can easily see how technology helps and improves the quality of human live in the daily routine, Medical advances allow humans to live longer and more healthy lives than ever before and technological advances make the learning more easy. Ultimately, Technology is developed by people to help improve quality of human lives and all of us are using technological advances in many different ways, also to indicate that it is incontrollable.

The beach :: essays research papers

Review from Los Angeles Times Book Review, 02/02/1997: "[A]rresting though no masterpiece....Garland's message is complex and acute. The self-indulgence of a generation of young Westerners--seeking isolated and well-funded paradises and ignoring the miseries and needs around them--can itself breed monsters. There is more than one kind of Vietnam....The reader's suspense in this intelligently conceived and often effective novel, may consist more in wondering what the author will do than in what his characters will do." -- Richard Eder Review from Times Literary Supplement, 10/18/96: "This exceptional first novel by...Alex Garland creates a picture of an ideal society gone awry through the heady conjunction of a secret beach on an island in southeast Asia and a cultural breadth of reference determined by pop songs, the Vietnam War, and Nintendo Gameboys." -- Giles Foden First Line: Vietnam, me love you long time. All day, all night, me love you long time. "Delta One-Niner, this is Alpha patrol. We are on the northeast face of hill Seven-Zero-Five and taking fire. Immediate air assistance required..." Publishers note The Khao San Road, Bangkok--first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists, bequeath to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach." The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumoured, a carefully selected international few have settled in a communal Eden. Haunted by the figure of Mr. Duck--the name by which the Thai police have identified the dead man--and his own obsession with Vietnam movies, Richard sets off with a young French couple to an island hidden away in an forbidden to tourists. The beach :: essays research papers Review from Los Angeles Times Book Review, 02/02/1997: "[A]rresting though no masterpiece....Garland's message is complex and acute. The self-indulgence of a generation of young Westerners--seeking isolated and well-funded paradises and ignoring the miseries and needs around them--can itself breed monsters. There is more than one kind of Vietnam....The reader's suspense in this intelligently conceived and often effective novel, may consist more in wondering what the author will do than in what his characters will do." -- Richard Eder Review from Times Literary Supplement, 10/18/96: "This exceptional first novel by...Alex Garland creates a picture of an ideal society gone awry through the heady conjunction of a secret beach on an island in southeast Asia and a cultural breadth of reference determined by pop songs, the Vietnam War, and Nintendo Gameboys." -- Giles Foden First Line: Vietnam, me love you long time. All day, all night, me love you long time. "Delta One-Niner, this is Alpha patrol. We are on the northeast face of hill Seven-Zero-Five and taking fire. Immediate air assistance required..." Publishers note The Khao San Road, Bangkok--first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists, bequeath to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach." The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumoured, a carefully selected international few have settled in a communal Eden. Haunted by the figure of Mr. Duck--the name by which the Thai police have identified the dead man--and his own obsession with Vietnam movies, Richard sets off with a young French couple to an island hidden away in an forbidden to tourists.

Christmas Tradition Essay

All over the world people have their own traditions and customs. Some traditions and customs have been passed on to generation to generation, others are beginning to build their own whether they choose a holiday, a summer vacation, or a special event to celebrate each year. My family tradition did not come from generations past; however, ours began when my parents started their own family as husband and wife. My parents did not have any traditions in there generation. My mom and dad were always there for me we did everything together as a family; for instance, spending holidays together, vacations, birthdays, and Sunday night dinners. My parents have taught me the true meaning of family. I have built everlasting memories so that I can carry on my family’s tradition. Years later, I want to pull out that file of memories, think of my parents and smile. Thus when I think of Christmas time, what comes to my mind is a sense of togetherness, happiness, and laughter. Our family begins with getting a tree, decorating, baking cookies, opening our gifts we got from Santa Claus, and then finally have Christmas dinner. This marks the beginning of my family’s Christmas tradition. My family was not a big family, yet there were six of us: my mom and dad, my two sisters Danielle and Jennifer, my brother Christopher and me. We were living in Louisiana; it was my favorite out of all the other states we had lived in. It was in the country where all we saw were bamboo sticks which, were actually sugar cane fields; instead, I thought we lived next to a field of giant Pixie-Sticks. I ask my mom if we can get some of the giant canes for the Christmas tree. Of course my mom does not want to tell me they are too big for the tree; instead, she tells me to wait until we select a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is a big part of my family’s tradition. Every year my Dad took my siblings and me to get the Christmas tree; meanwhile my mom got the decorations down from the attic. We did not have to travel to get our tree because we had our own private enchanted forest; of course, it was one of the advantages of living here. Our backyard was bigger than two football fields combined. I remember walking along with my brothers and sisters following my dad showing us where the wooden bridge was where we all had gone fishing, naming all the different names of the trees. We had oak, walnut, pecan, and pine all sizes ranging from very little bitty to the biggest tallest ones that seemed to touch the clouds high in the sky. It was time consuming picking out the one tree we all agreed on; eventually, we did when my dad would remind us that Santa Claus only brings gifts to good children. Once we get back and dad sets up the tree in the living room by the window our favorite spot, so you can see it from the outside. Since we had to wait until dad was ready for us; at the same time, our mother has made the popcorn for us to make popcorn garland strings. We put the tree up in the same order every year, the lights, ornaments, popcorn garland, candy canes, and tinsel. My favorite part of decorating the tree is when my mom and dad tell me stories about the ornaments that they got when they were married, when my brother and sisters and I were born. I knew Christmas was around the corner because my dad told us a story every night, my favorite is the â€Å"Twelve Days of Christmas† because my dad only told us what he gave my mother gift every day till the twelve day to win her heart. My dad was good at making up stories that had all of his kid’s names in them. My mom was always in the kitchen baking cookies and I was always willing to help. I could only mix the eggs or put sprinkles on the cookies. We always had cookies and milk for when Santa Claus. Christmas day was finally here and my siblings and I were up before dawn running over to the tree to see if Santa Claus came. We were so excited there were so many presents wrapped perfectly with each of our names on it. We never had to wake our parents up I guess four kids squealing happily would wake up everyone. After we opened our gifts we would play with all of new toys. My sister Danielle was older so she got clothes and jewelry and music she loved to listen to, Jennifer and I were younger we got Barbie dolls and a dollhouse that reached us up to our waist, my brother Christopher got Matchbox cars and a race track to race the cars on. We played all day and watched the Christmas parade on the television. Our Christmas dinner is not your traditional turkey dinner. My mom would make us Italian food. It was the one time she made all of our favorite dishes: baked ziti, lasagna, cheese ravioli, and eggplant parmesan. We all would have a little of each dish . When we were done with dinner we would all sit and watch Miracle on 34th. Street. In conclusion I would say that I would not change my family’s tradition, I would pass it on to my kids when I have a family of my own.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 24~25

Twenty-four The Sheriff Sheriff John Burton stood by the ruins of Theo's Volvo, pounding the keys of his cell phone. He could smell the cow shit he'd stepped in coming off his Guccis and the damp wind was blowing cowlicks in his gelled silver hair. His black Armani suit was smudged with the ashes he'd poked through at Theo's cabin, thinking there might be a burned body underneath. He was not happy. Didn't anybody answer their goddamn phone anymore? He'd called Joseph Leander, Theophilus Crowe, and Jim Beer, the man who owned the ranch, and no one was answering. Which is what had brought him to Pine Cove in the middle of the night in a state of near panic in the first place. The second shift of crank cookers should be working in the lab right now, but there was no one around. His world was falling down around him, all because of the meddling of a pothead constable who had forgotten that he was supposed to be incompetent. Crowe's line was ringing. Burton heard a click, then was immediately disconnected. â€Å"Fuck!† He slammed the cell phone shut and dropped it into the pocket of his suit jacket. Someone was answering Crowe's phone. Either he was still alive or Leander had killed him, taken his phone, and was fucking with him. But Leander's van had been parked at Crowe's cabin? So where was he? Not at home, Burton had already checked, finding nothing but a sleepy baby-sitter and two groggy little girls in nightgowns. Would Leander run and not take his daughters? Burton pulled out the phone and dialed the data offices at the department. The Spider answered. â€Å"Nailsworth,† the Spider said. Burton could hear him chewing. â€Å"Put down that Twinkie, you fucking tub of lard, I need you to find me a name and an address.† â€Å"It's a Sno Ball. Pink. I only eat the marshmallow covers.† Burton could feel his pulse rising in his temples and made an effort to control his rage. In the rush to get to Pine Cove, he'd forgotten to take his blood pressure medication. â€Å"The name is Betsy Butler. I need a Pine Cove address.† â€Å"Joseph Leander's girlfriend?† the Spider asked. â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"Please, Sheriff,† the Spider said with a snort. â€Å"Remember who you're talking to.† â€Å"Just get me the address.† Burton could hear Nailsworth typing. The Spider was dangerous, a constant threat to his operation, and Burton couldn't figure out how to get to him. He was immune to bribes or threats of any kind and seemed content with his lot in life as long as he could make others squirm. And Burton was too afraid of what the corpulent information officer might really know to fire him. Maybe some of that foxglove tea that Leander had used on his wife. Certainly, no one would question heart failure in a man who got winded unwrapping a Snickers. â€Å"No address,† Nailsworth said. â€Å"Just a P.O. box. I checked DMV, TRW, and Social Security. She works at H.P.'s Cafe in Pine Cove. You want the address?† â€Å"It's five in the morning, Nailsworth. I need to find this woman now.† The Spider sighed. â€Å"They open for breakfast at six. Do you want the address?† Burton was seething again. â€Å"Give it to me,† he said through gritted teeth. The Spider gave him an address on Cypress Street and said, â€Å"Try the Eggs-Sothoth, they're supposed to be great.† â€Å"How would you know? You never leave the goddamn office.† â€Å"Ah, what fools these mortals be,† the Spider said in a very bad British accent. â€Å"I know everything, Sheriff. Everything.† Then he hung up. Burton took a deep breath and checked his Rolex. He had enough time to make a little visit to Jim Beer's ranch house before the restaurant opened. The old shit kicker was probably already up and punching doggies, or whatever the fuck ranchers did at this hour. He certainly wasn't answering his phone. Burton climbed into the black Eldorado and roared across the rutted ranch road toward the gate by Theo's cabin. As he headed out to the Coast Highway to loop back to the front of the ranch (he'd be damned if he'd take his Caddy across two miles of cow trails), someone stepped into his headlights and he slammed on the brakes. The antilocks throbbed and the Caddy stopped just short of running over a woman in a white choir robe. There was a whole line of them, making their way down the Coast Highway, shielding candles against the wind. They didn't even look up, but walked past the front of his car as if in a trance. Burton rolled down the window and stuck his head out. â€Å"What are you people doing? It's five in the morning.† A balding man whose choir robe was three sizes too small looked up with a beatific smile and said, â€Å"We've been called by the Holy Spirit. We've been called.† Then he walked on. â€Å"Yeah, well, you almost got to see him early!† Burton yelled, but no one paid attention. He fell back into the seat and waited as the procession passed. It wasn't just people in choir robes, but aging hippies in jeans and Birkenstocks, half a dozen Gen X'ers dressed in their Sunday best, and one skinny guy who was wearing the saffron robes of a Buddhist monk. Burton wrenched his briefcase off the passenger seat and popped it open. False passport, driver's license, Social Security card, stick-on beard, and a ticket to the Caymans: the platinum parachute kit he kept with him at all times. Maybe it was time to bail. Skinner Well, the Food Guy finally got a female, Skinner thought. Probably because he had the scent of those mashed cows on him. Skinner had been tempted to roll in the goo himself, but was afraid the Food Guy would yell at him. (He hated that.) But this was even better: riding in the different car with the Food Guy and his female and the Tall Guy who always smelled of burning weeds and sometimes gave him hamburgers. He looked out the window and wagged his tail, which repeatedly smacked Theo in the face. They were stopping. Oh boy, maybe they would leave him in the car. That would be good; the seats were chewy and tasted of cow. But no, they let him out, told him to come along with them to the small house. An Old Guy answered the door and Skinner said hi with a nose to the crotch. The Old Guy scratched his ears. Skinner liked him. He smelled like a dog who'd been howling all night. Being near him made Skinner want to howl and he did, one time, enjoying the sad sound of his own voice. The Food Guy told him to shut up. The Old Guy said, â€Å"I guess I know how you feel.† They all went inside and left Skinner there on the steps. They were all nervous, Skinner could smell it, and they probably wouldn't be inside long. He had work to do. It was a big yard with a lot of shrubs where other dogs had left him messages. He needed to reply to them all, so each could only get a short spray. Dog e-mail. He was only half-finished when they came back out. The Tall Guy said, â€Å"Well, Mr. Jefferson, we're going to find the monster and we'd like your help. You're the only one who has seen it.† â€Å"Oh, I think you'll know him when you see him,† said the old guy. â€Å"Y'all don't need my help.† Everyone smelled sad and afraid and Skinner couldn't help himself. He let loose a forlorn howl that he held until the Food Guy grabbed his collar and dragged him to the car. Skinner had a bad feeling that they might be going to the place where there was danger. Danger, Food Guy, he warned. His barking was deafening in the confines of the Mercedes. Estelle Estelle was fuming as she cleared the teacups from the table and threw them into the sink. Two broke and she swore to herself, then turned to Catfish, who was sitting on the bed picking out a soft version of â€Å"Walkin' Man's Blues† on the National steel guitar. â€Å"You could have helped them,† Estelle said. Catfish looked at the guitar and sang, â€Å"Got a mean old woman, Lawd, stay angry all the time.† â€Å"There's nothing noble in using your art to escape life. You should have helped them.† â€Å"Got a mean old woman, Lawd, Lawd, Lawd. She just stay angry all the time.† â€Å"Don't you ignore me, Catfish Jefferson. I'm talking to you. People in this town have been good to you. You should help them.† Catfish threw back his head and sang to the ceiling, â€Å"She gots no idea, Lawd, what's hers and what's mine.† Estelle snagged a skillet out of the dish rack, crossed the room, and raised it for a rocketing forehand shot to Catfish's head. â€Å"Go ahead, sing another verse about your ‘mean old woman,' Catfish. I'm curious, what rhymes with ‘clobbered'?† Catfish put the guitar aside and slipped on his sunglasses. â€Å"You know, they say a woman was the one poisoned Robert Johnson?† â€Å"Do you know what she used?† Estelle wasn't smiling. â€Å"I'm making my shopping list.† â€Å"Dang, woman, why you talk like that? I ain't been nothin but good to you.† â€Å"And me to you. That's why you keep singing that mean old woman song, right?† â€Å"Don't sound right singin ‘sweet old woman.'† Estelle lowered the pan. Tears welled up in her eyes. â€Å"You can help them and when it's over you can stay here. you can play your music, I can paint. People in Pine Cove love your music.† â€Å"People here sayin hello to me on the street, puttin too much money in the tip jar, buying me drinks – I ain't got the Blues on me no more.† â€Å"So you have to go wreck your car, or pick cotton, or shoot a man in Memphis, or whatever it is that you have to do to put the Blues on you? For what?† â€Å"It's what I do. I don't know nothin else.† â€Å"You've never tried anything else. I'm here, I'm real. Is it so bad to know that you have a warm bed to sleep in with someone who loves you? There's nothing out there, Catfish.† â€Å"That dragon out there. He always be out there.† â€Å"So face it. You got away from it before.† â€Å"Why you care?† â€Å"Because it took a lot for me to open my heart to you after what I've been through, and I don't have much tolerance for cowards anymore.† â€Å"Call it like you sees it, Mama.† Estelle turned and went back to the kitchen. â€Å"Then maybe you better go.† â€Å"I'll get my hat,† Catfish said. He snapped the National back into its case, grabbed his hat from the table, and in a moment he was gone. Estelle turned and stared at the door. When she heard his station wagon start, she fell to the floor and felt a once warm future bleed a black stain around her. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch The cave lay under a hillside, less than a mile from the ranch road at Theo's cabin. The narrow mouth looked down over a wide, grassy marine terrace to the Pacific, and the interior, which opened into a huge cathedral chamber, echoed with the sound of crashing waves. Fossilized starfish and trilobites peppered the walls and the rocky floor was covered with a patina of bat guano and crystallized sea salt. The last time Steve had visited the cave it had been underwater, and he had spent a pleasant autumn there feeding on the gray whales that migrated down the coast to Baja to bear their young. He didn't remember the cave consciously, of course, but when he sensed that Molly was searching for a hiding place, the map in his mind that had long ago gone to instinct led them there. Since they'd arrived at the cave, a dark mood had fallen on Steve and, in turn, over Molly. She'd used the weed-whacker on the Sea Beast several times to try to cheer him up, but now the sex machine was out of gas and Molly was developing a heat rash on the inside of her thighs from repeated tongue lashings. It had been two days since she had eaten, and even Steve refused to touch his cows (Black Angus steers, now that Molly knew he couldn't tolerate dairy). Since the coming of the Sea Beast, Molly had been in a state of controlled euphoria. Worries about her sanity had melted away and she had joined him in the Zen moment that is the life of an animal, but since the dream and the horrible self-consciousness that had descended on Steve, the notion of their incompatibility had begun to rise in Molly's mind like a trout to a fly. â€Å"Steve,† she said, leaning on her broadsword and staring him squarely in one of his basketball eyes, â€Å"your breath could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon.† The Sea Beast, rather than go on the defensive (which was fortunate for Molly, because the only defense he could think of was to bite her legs off), let out a pathetic whimper and tried to tuck his huge head under a forelimb. Molly immediately regretted her comment and tried to patch the damage. â€Å"Oh, I know, it's not your fault. Maybe someone sells Tic Tacs the size of easy chairs. We'll get through it.† But she didn't mean it, and Steve could sense her insincerity. â€Å"Maybe we need to get out more,† she added. Dawn had broken outside and a beam of sunlight was streaming into the cathedral like a cop's flashlight in a smoky bar. â€Å"Maybe a swim,† Molly said. â€Å"Your gills seem to be healing.† How she knew the treelike growths on his neck were gills, she wasn't sure – perhaps more of the unspoken communication that passes between lovers. Steve lifted his head and Molly thought that she might have gotten his attention, but then she noticed that a shadow had come over the entrance to the cave. She looked up to see half a dozen people in choir robes standing at the opening of the cathedral. â€Å"We've come to offer sacrifice,† one woman managed to say. â€Å"And not a breath mint among you, I'll bet,† Molly said. Twenty-five Theo H.P.'s Cafe was crowded with early morning old guys drinking coffee. Theo downed three cups of coffee quickly, which only served to make him anxious. Val and Gabe had ordered a cinnamon roll to share, and now Val was feeding a piece of it to Gabe as if the man had somehow managed to reach middle age and earn two Ph.D.s without ever having learned to feed himself. Theo just wanted to blow the bitter chunks of indignation. Val said, â€Å"I certainly hope that the presence of this creature isn't responsible for how I feel right now.† She licked icing from her fingers. Right, Theo thought, the fact that you've fucked up all the previously fucked-up people in town and committed a string of felonies in the process shouldn't be the rain on your little love parade. However, Theo did sub-scribe to the â€Å"honest mistake† school of law enforcement, and he honestly believed that she was trying to right a wrong by taking her patients off their medication. So although Val was currently irritating him like a porcu-pine suppository, he was honest enough to realize that he was merely jealous of what she had found with Gabe. That realized, Gabe started to irritate him as well. â€Å"What do we do, Gabe? Tranquilize this thing? Shoot it? What?† â€Å"Assuming it exists.† â€Å"Assume it,† Theo spat. â€Å"I'm afraid if you wait for enough evidence to be sure, we'll have to find you an ass donor, because this creature will have bitten yours off.† â€Å"No need to be snotty, Theo. I'm just being sensibly skeptical, as any researcher would.† â€Å"Theo,† Val said, â€Å"I can write you a scrip for some Valium. Might take the edge off your withdrawal symptoms.† Theo scoffed. He didn't scoff often, so he wasn't good at it, and it appeared to Gabe and Val that he might be gacking up a hair ball. â€Å"You all right?† Gabe asked. â€Å"I'm fine. I was scoffing.† â€Å"At what?† â€Å"At Dr. Feelgood here wanting to give me a prescription for Valium so Winston Krauss can fill it with M&Ms.† â€Å"I'd forgotten about that,† Val said. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"It would appear that we have multifarious problems with which to deal, and I don't have a clue where to start,† Theo said. â€Å"Multifarious?† Gabe said. â€Å"A shitload,† said Theo. â€Å"I know what it means, Theo. I just can't believe it came out of your mouth.† Val laughed gaily at Gabe's kinda-sorta humor. Theo glared at her. Jenny, who was almost as cranky as Theo for having had to close H.P.'s the night before and then open the restaurant in the morning when the morning girl called in sick, came by to refill their coffees. â€Å"That's your boss pulling up, isn't it, Theo?† she asked, nodding toward the front. Out the window Theo could see Sheriff John Burton crawling out of his black Eldorado. â€Å"Back door?† Theo said, urgent pleading in his eyes. â€Å"Sure, through the kitchen and Howard's office.† Theo was up in a second and halfway to the kitchen when he noticed that Val and Gabe had missed the entire exchange and were staring into each other's eyes. He ran back and slapped the table with his open palm. They looked at him as if they'd been dragged out of a dream. â€Å"Attention,† Theo said, trying not to raise his voice. â€Å"Sheriff coming in? My boss? Deadly drug dealer? We're criminals. We'll be making a break for the back door? Now? Hello?† â€Å"I'm not a criminal,† Gabe said. â€Å"I'm a biologist.† Theo grabbed him by the front of the shirt and made for the kitchen, dragging the biologist behind him. The criminal shrink brought up the rear. The Sheriff â€Å"I'm looking for Betsy Butler,† Burton said, flipping open a badge wallet as if everyone in the county didn't immediately recognize his white Stetsonover-Armani look. â€Å"What's she done?† Jenny asked, putting herself between the sheriff and the door to the kitchen. â€Å"That's not your affair. I just need to talk to her.† â€Å"Well, I'm on the floor alone, so you have to follow me if you want to talk or I'll get behind.† â€Å"I don't want to talk to you.† â€Å"Fine.† Jenny turned her back on the sheriff and went to the waitress station behind the counter to start a fresh pot of coffee. Burton followed her, suppressing the urge to put her in a choke hold. â€Å"Do you know where she lives?† â€Å"Yes,† Jenny said. â€Å"But she's not home.† Jenny glanced back through the kitchen window to make sure that Theo and his bunch had made it through to Howard's office. Burton's face was going red now. â€Å"Please. Could you tell me where she is?† Jenny thought she could jerk this guy around for another ten minutes or so, but it didn't look as if it was necessary. Besides, she was pissed at Betsy for calling in anyway. â€Å"She called in this morning with a spiritual emergency. Her words, by the way. The flu I can understand, but I'm working a double after closing last night over her spiritual emergency – â€Å" â€Å"Where is Betsy Butler?† the sheriff barked. Jenny jumped back a step. The man looked as if he might go for his gun any second. No wonder Theo had bolted out the back. â€Å"She said she was going with a group up to the Beer Bar Ranch. That they were being called by the spirit to make a sacrifice. Pretty weird, huh?† â€Å"Was Joseph Leander going with her?† â€Å"No one's supposed to know about Betsy and Joseph.† â€Å"I know about them. Was he going with her?† â€Å"She didn't say. She sounded a little spaced out.† â€Å"Does Theo Crowe come in here?† â€Å"Sometimes.† Jenny wasn't volunteering anything to this creep. He was rude, he was mean, and he was wearing enough Aramis to choke a skunk. â€Å"Has he been in here today?† â€Å"No, haven't seen him.† Without a word, Burton turned and stormed out the door to his Cadillac. Jenny went back to the kitchen, where Gabe, Val, and Theo were standing by the fryers, trying to stay out of the way of the two cooks, who were flipping eggs and thrashing hash browns. Gabe pointed to the back door. â€Å"It's locked.† â€Å"He's gone,† Jenny said. â€Å"He was looking for Betsy and Joseph, but he asked about you, Theo. I think he's going up to the Beer Bar to find Betsy.† â€Å"What's Betsy doing at the ranch?† Theo asked. â€Å"Something about making a sacrifice. That girl needs help.† Theo turned to Val. â€Å"Give me the keys to your car. I'm going after him.† â€Å"I don't think so,† the psychiatrist said, holding her purse away from him. â€Å"Please, Val. I've got to see what he's up to. This is my life here.† â€Å"And that's my Mercedes, and you're not taking it.† â€Å"I have guns, Val.† â€Å"Yeah, but you don't have a Mercedes. It's mine.† Gabe looked at her as if she'd squirted a grapefruit in his eyes. â€Å"You really won't let Theo use your car?† His voice was flat with disappointment. â€Å"It's just a car.† They all stared at her, even the two cooks, burly Hispanic men who had until now refused to acknowledge their existence. Val reached into her purse, brought out the keys, and handed them to Theo as if she were giving up a child for sacrifice. â€Å"How will we get home?† Gabe asked. â€Å"Go to the Head of the Slug and wait. I'll either pick you up or call you from my cell phone and let you know what's going on. It shouldn't take long.† With that, Theo ran out of the kitchen. A few seconds later Valerie Riordan cringed at the sound of squealing tires as Theo pulled out of the restaurant parking lot. Skinner Skinner liked chasing cars as much as the next dog, and they didn't get away as easily when you chased them in another car, but despite the excite-ment of the chase, Skinner was anxious. When he had seen the Tall Guy come out to the car, he thought that the Food Guy was coming too. But now they were driving away from the Food Guy and toward the danger. Skinner could feel it. He whined and ran back and forth across the backseat of the Mercedes, leaving nose prints on the window, then jumped into the front seat and stuck his head out the passenger window. There was no joy to the turbo-charged smells or the wind in his ears, only danger. He barked and scratched at the door handle to warn the Tall Guy, but all he got for his efforts was a perfunctory ear scratching, so he crawled into the Tall Guy's lap, where it felt at least a little safer. The Sheriff Burton first noticed the Mercedes behind him when he turned onto the access road to the Coast Highway. A week ago he might not have thought twice about it, but now he was seeing an enemy in every tree. DEA wouldn't use a Mercedes, and neither would FBI, but the Mexican Mafia could. Except for his operation, they ran the meth trade out of the West; perhaps they'd decided that they wanted the whole trade. That would explain the disap-pearance of Leander, Crowe, and the guys at the lab, except that it had been a little too clean. They would have left bodies as a warning, and they would have burned down all of Crowe's cabin, not just the pot patch. He pulled his Beretta 9 mm. out of its holster and placed it on the seat next to him. He had a shotgun in the trunk, but it might as well be in Canada for all the good it would do him. if there were two or less in the car, he might take them. If more, they probably had Uzis or Mac 10 machine guns and he would run. The Mexicans liked to have a crowd in on their hits. Burton made a quick right off the highway and stopped a block up a side street. Theo Why hadn't he let Skinner out at the cafe? He hadn't been able to figure out the electric seat adjustment on the Mercedes, so he was driving with his knees up around the wheel anyway, but now he had an eighty-pound dog in his lap and he had to whip his head from side to side to keep Burton's Caddy in sight. The Caddy made an abrupt turn off the highway and it was all Theo could do to get the Mercedes around the corner without screeching the tires. By the time he could see around Skinner's head again, the Caddy was stopped only fifty yards ahead. Theo ducked quickly onto the passenger seat and tried to call on THE FORCE to steer as they passed the Caddy. The Sheriff Sheriff John Burton was prepared for a confrontation with DEA agents, he was prepared for a high-speed escape, he was even prepared for a shoot-out with Mexican drug dealers, if it came to that. He prided himself on being tough and adaptable and thought himself superior to other men be-cause of his cool response to pressure. He was, however, not prepared to see a Mercedes cruise by with a Labrador retriever at the wheel. His Uber-mensch arrogance shriveled as he stared gape-jawed at the passing Mercedes. It made an erratic turn at the next corner, bouncing off a curb before disap-pearing behind a hedge. He wasn't the sort of man who doubted his own perceptions – if he saw it, he saw it – so his mind dropped into politician mode to file the experi-ence. â€Å"That right there,† he said aloud, â€Å"is why I will never support a bill to license dogs to drive.† Still, political certainties weren't going to count for much if he didn't get to Betsy Butler and find out what had happened to his prized drug mule. He pulled a U-turn and headed back to the Coast Highway, where he found himself looking a little more closely than usual at the drivers in oncoming cars. Molly There were thirty of them all together. Six stood side by side at the cave entrance; the rest crowded behind them, trying to get a look inside. Molly recognized the one doing the talking, she was the ditzy waitress from H.P.'s cafe. She was in her mid-twenties, with short blonde hair and a figure that promised to go pear-shaped by the time she hit forty. She wore a white choir robe over jeans and aerobics shoes. â€Å"You're Betsy from H.P.'s, right?† Molly asked, leaning on her broadsword. Betsy seemed to recognize Molly for the first time, â€Å"You're the craz – â€Å" Molly held up her sword to hush the girl. â€Å"Be nice.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Betsy. â€Å"We've been called. I didn't expect you to be here.† Two women stepped up beside Betsy, the pastel church ladies that Molly had chased away from the dragon trailer. â€Å"Remember us?† Molly shook her head. â€Å"What exactly do you all think you are doing here?† They looked to each other, as if the question hadn't occurred to them before this. They craned their necks and squinted into the cathedral chamber to see what was behind Molly. Steve lay curled up in the dark at the back of the chamber, sulking. Molly turned and spoke to the back of the chamber. â€Å"Steve, did you bring these people here? What were you thinking?† A loud and low-pitched whimper came out of the dark. The crowd at the entrance murmured among themselves. Suddenly a man stepped for-ward and pushed Betsy aside. He was in his forties and wore an African dashiki over khakis and Birkenstocks, his long hair held out of his face with a beaded headband. â€Å"Look, man, you can't stop us. There's something very special and very spiritual happening here, and we're not going to let some crazy woman keep us from being part of it. So just back off.† Molly smiled. â€Å"You want to be a part of this, do you?† â€Å"Yeah, that's right,† the man said. The others nodded behind him. â€Å"Fine, I want you all to empty your pockets before you come in here. Leave your keys, wallets, money, everything outside.† â€Å"We don't have to do that,† Betsy said. Molly stepped up and thrust her sword into the ground between the girl's feet. â€Å"Okay then, naked.† Molly said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"No one comes in here unless they are naked. Now get to it.† Protests arose until a short Asian man with a shaved head shrugged off his saffron robes, stepped forward, and bowed to Molly, thus mooning the rest of the group. Molly shook her head dolefully at the monk. â€Å"I thought you guys had more sense.† Then she turned to the back of the cave and shouted, â€Å"Hey, Steve, cheer up, I brought home Chinese for lunch.†

No, Oil Does Not Come From Dinosaurs

No, Oil Does Not Come From Dinosaurs In 1933, the Sinclair Oil Corporation sponsored a dinosaur exhibit at the Worlds Fair in Chicago on the premise that the worlds oil reserves were formed during the Mesozoic Era, when the dinosaurs lived. The exhibit was so popular that Sinclair promptly adopted a big, green brontosaurus (today wed call it an apatosaurus) as its official mascot. Even as late as 1964, when geologists and paleontologists were starting to know better, Sinclair repeated this trick at the much bigger New York Worlds Fair, driving home the connection between dinosaurs and oil to an entire generation of impressionable baby boomers. Today, Sinclair Oil has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur itself (the company has been acquired, and its divisions spun off several times; there are still, however, a few thousand Sinclair Oil gas stations dotting the American midwest). The premise that oil originated from dinosaurs has been harder to shake, though. Politicians, journalists, and even occasional well-meaning scientists have repeated this myth. Which prompts the question, Where does oil really come from? Tiny Bacteria, Not Huge Dinosaurs, Formed Oil You may be surprised to learn that oil reserves were actually produced by microscopic bacteria, not house-sized dinosaurs. Single-celled bacteria evolved in the earths oceans about three billion years ago and were pretty much the only life form on the planet until about 600 million years ago. As tiny as these individual bacteria were, bacterial colonies, or mats, grew to truly massive proportions (were talking thousands, or even millions, of tons for an extended colony). Of course, individual bacteria dont live forever; their lifespans can be measured in days, hours, and sometimes even minutes. As the members of these massive colonies died off, they sank to the bottom of the sea and were gradually covered by accumulating sediment. Over millions of years, these layers of sediment grew heavier and heavier until the dead bacteria trapped below were cooked by the pressure and temperature into a stew of liquid hydrocarbons. This is the reason the worlds largest oil reserves are located thousands of feet underground and not readily available on the earths  surface in the form of lakes and rivers. When considering this, its important to try to grasp the concept of deep geologic time, a talent possessed by very few people. Try to wrap your mind around the enormity of the figures: bacteria and single-celled organisms were the dominant forms of life on earth for a whopping two and a half to three billion years, a virtually incomprehensible stretch of time when measured against human civilization, which is only about 10,000 years old, and even against the reign of the dinosaurs, which lasted only about 165 million years. Thats a lot of bacteria, a lot of time, and a lot of oil. Does Coal Come From Dinosaurs? In a way, its closer to the mark to say that coal, rather than oil, comes from dinosaurs- but its still dead wrong. Most of the worlds coal deposits were laid down during the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago- which was still a good  75 million or so years before the evolution of the first dinosaurs. During the Carboniferous period, the hot, humid earth was blanketed by dense jungles and forests; as the plants and trees in these forests and jungles died, they were buried beneath layers of sediment, and their unique, fibrous  chemical structure caused them to be cooked into solid coal rather than liquid oil. There is an important asterisk here, though. Its not inconceivable that some dinosaurs perished in conditions that lent themselves to the formation of fossil fuels- so, theoretically, a tiny proportion of the worlds oil, coal, and natural gas reserves could be attributed to rotting dinosaur carcasses. You just have to bear in mind that the contribution of dinosaurs to our fossil fuel reserves  is  orders of magnitude smaller than that of bacteria and plants. In terms of biomass- that is, the total weight of all the living organisms that have ever existed on earth- bacteria and plants are the true heavyweights; all other forms of life amount to mere rounding errors. Yes, Some Dinosaurs Are Discovered Near Oil Deposits Thats all well and good, you might think- but how do you account for all the dinosaurs (and other prehistoric vertebrates) that have been discovered by work crews searching for oil and natural gas deposits? For example, the well-preserved fossils of plesiosaurs, a family of marine reptiles, have been unearthed near Canadian oil deposits, and a meat-eating dinosaur accidentally discovered during a fossil-fuel drilling expedition in China has been given the well-deserved name gasosaurus. There are two ways to answer this question. First, the carcass of any animal that has been compressed into oil, coal, or natural gas wouldnt leave any identifiable fossil; it would be entirely converted into fuel, skeleton and all. And second, if the remains of a dinosaur happen to be discovered in the rocks adjoining or covering an oil or coal field, that simply means the unfortunate creature met its end hundreds of millions of years after that field was formed; the precise interval can be determined by the relative location of the fossil in the surrounding geologic sediments.

Summary of a research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of a research paper - Essay Example It would be therefore be interesting to review findings of such study which presents contradicting results and concludes from the perspective of investors that there are substantial variances in annualized stock returns in the long run. The journal article refers to previous studies including Siegel (2008) and Campbell and Viceira (2002, 2005) that have concluded that both unconditional and conditional variances in stock returns are greater in the shorter time frame as compared to the longer investment horizon. The study by Pastor & Stambaugh is carried out from investors’ perspective and suggests that stock returns have greater volatility in the long run mainly due to two conditions which investors face. These include inability of investors to know the drivers of conditional expected return from stocks and also investors are of the view that even observable factors influencing stock returns forecasts do not sufficiently predict changes in conditional expected return. ... The study adopted vector autoregression (VAR) model with assumptions that predictors are imperfect, which is a different approach as compared to previous studies by Stambaugh (1999), Barberis (2000), Hoevenaars et al. (2007). The study reflects that on the basis of imperfect predictors there are significant direct and indirect values in the long run. The study considered five components of variances observed in the long run including the uncertainty pertaining to independent and identical distribution of returns over the term of analysis i.e. true variance, mean reversion, uncertainty of future and current expected stock return, and estimation risk. The study reveals that there is a positive relationship between long term variances and these components of variances except mean reversion. This implies that higher values of these components result in higher volatility of stock returns Mean reversion, which is an assumption that current negative shocks in the stock return are offset by positive return shocks in the future, has a negative impact on variances. This does apply in the long run but its relevance is offset by other four components of long term variance. It is suggested in the research article that investors are not able to observe the variances and instead they rely on historical data of returns to predict future returns. Therefore, in the presence of imperfect predictors of returns there is a high degree of predictability which leads to greater volatility in the long term stock returns. The analysis of data in the report is divided into nine sections. Expressions for five components of long term variations are developed using VAR and then using a predictive system conditional expected returns

Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Obesity - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss the definition and measurement of obesity, the current state of obesity among high school students, the causes, and the possible measures that can be taken to address the issue. The nature of obesity makes it difficult to clearly define the condition. However, most researchers define obesity as the presence of excessive fat in the body that is characterized by the presence of adipose tissue. Using the above definition, presence of 30% fat in females was considered as obese while for males, presence of 25% fat in the body was considered obese. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most common tool used to measure obesity. The BMI is the ratio of an individual’s weight in kilograms to the square of their height in meters. The BMI percentiles are used together with a growth chart to assess levels of obesity among various age groups. Currently, the rate of obesity among high school students stands at 13.7% while the number of overweight students is 16.6% of the total population of high school students in the US. On the boys’ category, the rate of obesity among white American students stands at 16.5%. The rate is slightly higher among Latin American students whose figure stands at 19.0%. However, this rate for African American students with this group’s figure recorded as 14.8%. On the girls’ category, 9.7% of white American students are obese while the figure for Latin American students increases slightly and is recorded at 11.4%. African American students at 16.7% recorded the highest rate of obesity for this category. According to these statistics, African American girls have the highest rate of obesity among high school students white American girls have the lowest rate. Latin American boys have the highest rate among boys. The above statistics indicate that obesity is most prevalent among African American students. White Americans have the smallest rate of