Louisiana Serial Killer Ronald Dominique

Louisiana Serial Killer Ronald Dominique Ronald J. Dominique of Houma, LA has confessed to murdering 23 men over the course of nine years and dumping their bodies in sugarcane fields, ditches and small bayous in six southeast Louisiana parishes. His reason for killing? He did not want to return to jail after raping the men. The First Victims In 1997, authorities found 19-year-old David Levron Mitchells murdered body near Hahnville. The body of 20-year-old Gary Pierre was found in St. Charles Parish six months later. In July 1998, the body of 38-year-old Larry Ranson was found in St. Charles Parish. Over the next nine years, more bodies of men ranging in age from 19 to 40 would be found dumped in sugarcane fields, desolate bayous, and ditches in remote areas. Similarities in 23 of the murders lead investigators to suspect the men were victims of a serial killer. The Task Force A task force made up of nine South Louisiana parish sheriffs offices, the Louisiana State Police and the FBI were formed in March 2005, to investigate the murders. Investigators knew the 23 victims were mostly homeless men, many who led high-risk lifestyles, which included drug use and prostitution. The victims had been asphyxiated or strangled, some raped and several were barefooted. The Arrest After receiving a tip, authorities armed with forensic evidence, arrested Ronald Dominique, 42, and charged him with the murder and rape of 19-year-old Manuel Reed and 27-year-old Oliver Lebanks. Just days before his arrest, Dominique had moved from his sisters home into the Bunkhouse shelter in Houma, LA. Residents of the home described Dominique as odd, but no one suspected he was a killer.​ Dominique Confesses to 23 Murders Soon after his arrest, Dominique confessed to murdering 23 southeast Louisiana men. His tactics in capturing, sometimes raping then murdering the men was simple. He would lure homeless men with the promise of sex in exchange for money. Sometimes he would tell the men he wanted to pay them to have sex with his wife and then show a picture of an attractive woman. Dominique was not married. Dominique then led the men to his home, asked to tie them up, then raped and eventually murdered the men to avoid arrest. In his statement to the police, Dominique said the men who refused to be tied up would leave his home unharmed. Such was the case with one unnamed man who reported the incident to the task force, a tip that eventually led to Dominiques arrest. Who Is Ronald Dominique? Ronald Dominique spent much of his youth in the small bayou community of Thibodaux, LA. Thibodaux sits between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and is the type of community where everyone knows a little about each other. He attended Thibodaux High School where he was in the glee club and sang in the chorus. Classmates who remember Dominique say he was ridiculed for being homosexual during his teen years, but at the time he never admitted he was gay. As he got older, he seemed to live in two worlds. There was the Dominique who was helpful to his neighbors in the small trailer parks where he lived. Then there was the Dominique who cross-dressed and did bad impersonations of Patti LaBelle at the local gay club. Neither world embraced  him, and among the gay community, many remember him as someone who was not particularly well liked. Through most of his adulthood, Dominique struggled financially and would end up living with his mother or other relatives. In the weeks before his arrest, he was living with his sister in a single-wide trailer. He was suffering from declining health, having been hospitalized for a severe heart condition and forced to use a cane to walk. Outwardly, there was side to Dominique who enjoyed helping people. He joined the Lions Club just months before his arrest and spent Sunday afternoons calling out Bingo numbers to senior citizens. The membership director said he was well liked by everyone he had met through the Lions Club. Maybe Dominique had finally found a place he felt accepted. What sparked Dominique to move from the comfort of his sisters home to the dismal surroundings of a shelter for the homeless is uncertain. Some suspect the family grew uncomfortable by the 24-hour police surveillance and Dominique, knowing he was soon to be caught, moved away to avoid getting his family involved in his arrest. A Criminal History Dominiques past arrests include forcible rape, disturbing the peace and telephone harassment. Feb. 10, 2002 - Arrested in Terrebonne Parish after he allegedly slapped a woman during a Mardi Gras parade. According to the reports, Dominique accused a woman of hitting a baby stroller in a parking lot. The woman apologized, but Dominique continued to verbally assault her, and then slapped her across the face. He was arrested but entered a parish offenders program instead of standing trial. Reports show he met all his conditions in the program in October 2002.May 19, 2000 - He received a summons to appear in court on disturbing the peace charges. Since it was a misdemeanor, he was able to plead guilty and pay a fine to avoid appearing in court.Aug. 25, 1996 - Dominique was arrested on forcible rape charges and booked on a $100,000 bond. According to neighbors, a partially dressed young man escaped from the window of Dominiques home in Thibodaux, screaming that he had tried to kill him. When the case was brought to court, the victim could not be found to testify. In November 1996, the judge continued the case indefinitely. May 15, 1994 - Arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and speeding.June 12, 1985 - Arrested and charged with telephone harassment. He pleaded guilty, paid a $74 fine and court costs. Three days after Dominiques arrest for killing Mitchell and Pierre, investigators said Dominique confessed to 21 other murders, giving details only the killer would know.

Reach More Customers by Sending an Email Newsletter

Reach More Customers Email newsletters are one of the best ways to keep your readers, clients, and supporters updated on what’s going on with your work. While email has been around for awhile, it’s effectiveness has not waned. In fact, email marketing can drive more purchases than other forms of marketing, including social media. You may already be sending other types of emails, but if you aren’t using a newsletter to communicate with your customers, you could be missing a good opportunity. It’s a great way to help build and maintain relationships with your readers and customers, which can ultimately lead to more sales. Read on to find ideas for creating a good newsletter and content ideas too. Creating a newsletter A newsletter can be anything you make it and can contain updates on books, publishing news, tips, or events you’re attending. Really, any content or information that your customers would love to know about and can help your sales is fair game. But you’ll need to keep your newsletter content fresh to keep your readers engaged, and you’ll have to send it regularly. Here are four tips to keep your newsletter generating interest: Manage expectations When people sign up to get your email newsletter tell them what type of content they can expect and how often you plan to mail. You’ll want to send at least once per month, but more often will keep your work in your reader’s minds. Don’t let the frequency scare you off, you can decide how much information should be in each one. that can hold their attention. People tend to skim emails until they find something they really want to read, so make your content easy-to-read and digest. be sure they know what they’re supposed to do when they finish reading it. Want someone to make a purchase? Go to your Facebook page? Fill in a survey? No matter what the purpose of your email, using a call-to-action can help your readers complete the action you’re looking for. Use phrases like â€Å"Read an Excerpt,† â€Å"Find Out More Now,†Ã‚   or simply â€Å"Buy Now.. Don’t forget images While a writer may not agree that a picture is worth a thousand words, they do serve important purposes in emails, so be sure to include them. An image can help sell a product, they lead your readers further into the email, and they make it easier to read Content ideas Coming up with new content for each email you send may seem daunting, but you can use a surprising amount of things you’ve already created as content. The infographic 25 Content Ideas for Your Email Newsletter has lots of great suggestions such as: Product updates Be sure your customers know about exciting new changes to your product or service. Let them know exactly what the changes are and most importantly, how these changes will (or won’t) affect them. Happy Birthday/ Anniversary Is your business celebrating a company anniversary or other milestone? Virtually invite your customers to share in the fun. FAQS Rather than waiting for customers to email you with questions, anticipate their needs and send out a list of FAQs with thoughtful answers. FAQS may seem like something outside of what a writer might need, but if you make it fun and answer common questions you get, your customers will love it. Thank you, Thank you When it comes to your customers, donors, event attendees, etc. it’s always appropriate to send an email to say, â€Å"Thank you.† Wrap up want to read. And remember, you don’t have to create everything you share in your newsletter yourself. If there’s an infographic, image, event, or blog post that someone else has created, give them credit of course, but share that with your readers. They’ll enjoy a different perspective and it can save you a lot of time. Plus you’ll look like a genius for sharing great information they may not be able to find on their own. will look forward to them, open them when they arrive and become loyal customers. Source: 25 Content Ideas for Your Email Newsletter

Growing online gambling industry and its effects socially, Research Paper

Growing online gambling industry and its effects socially, economically - Research Paper Example Instant messaging has replaced the meet-and-greet sessions that were always held as part of family tradition (Powers 45). To add salt to an injury, the most socially revered types of gaming, gambling, was introduced into the virtual world. People were allowed to take their gambling into the virtual world with loads of money at stake and with addiction becoming a key concern amongst several social researchers (Gainsbury 21). The internet then led to an increase in the number of gambling options that an individual could ascribe to with each improvement making betting more lucrative and enticing to people. Research shows that approximately 8 million people participated in online gambling in the year 2001 with the exponential growth expected to hit a higher percentile in the forthcoming years (Shaffer and Hall 169). Despite a myriad of legislations being passed, gambling has become a lucrative business with more people joining and more side effects being felt by those who are around the players. The report herein will seek to identify any social and economic side effects that have resulted with the continued growth of online gambling in the world and what legislations have been put in place to check such increases. To start with, gambling is defined as the waging of money or anything that may of material value based on an event and its outcome. It requires one to bet and thus forfeit the placed bet in case the outcome of the event is on the contrary. The main intent of all those placing their bets is to win with the stakes depending on how the outcome is. Thus, the fact that it has been allowed to go on by the increasing number of laws and betting sites on gambling, means that it has been accepted as a legal way of doing things and has to be conducted according to the gaming rules (Powers 50). The internet brought about the virtual connectivity of each player and made it easier for people to gamble from closed doors and in the comfort of their own homes. It has

Fukushima power plant disaser Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fukushima power plant disaser - Essay Example The events resulted in an explosion and partial nuclear meltdown in three operational reactors of the plant. However, it never caused serious fatalities given the rapid response including evacuation efforts. Even though the disaster never caused many deaths, it comprises of the significant occurrences in the global history. It remains as the biggest nuclear disaster that took the authorities about 14 days to completely shut down the facility and several years to decommission and restore the effects. The collapse began when the tsunami severely damaged three operational reactors in plant number 1 and 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi. Subsequently, the shutdown stopped operations of the site by stopping the backup diesel generators thereby leading to a site blackout. The blackout and tsunami resulted in the failure of seawater pumps thus hindering cooling of the reactors. It then led to the meltdowns in the three primary reactors of the facility. In response, the government issued an evacuation notice for people within the 3-kilometre radius and later 10 km radius because of the magnitude of the challenge (Fukushima Accident). The radiations contaminated the Pacific Ocean water and caused massi ve air pollution. It also led to displacements of people, disruption of the way of life, the decline in the economic activities. The Tokaimura accident in 1999 triggered the development of radiation-resistant robots. However, a task force that included the representatives of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) discredited the robots in 2002. Besides, no nation or plant projected the possibility of occurrence of a disaster similar to the Chernobyl. The firms also showed belief in the skilled employees to manage and limit the occurrence of nuclear accidents. Hence, dissolution of radiation robots enhanced Japan’s vulnerabilities and limited the response options to the Fukushima disaster (Lochbaum, Lyman and Stranahan 40). Earlier on, the Tokyo Electric Power

The Effect Of Cartoon Violence Media Essay

The Effect Of Cartoon Violence Media Essay Research Question: Does the violence depicted in cartoons have a negative influence on young viewers between ages 3-5 in America, and does it promote aggression and/or violent behavior. Introduction: Nowadays it is a common belief that the violence portrayed in cartoons might have a negative impact on the behavior of young children. The main aim of this Essay will be to determine whether cartoon violence has a negative influence on the behavior of young children aged 3-5 in America or whether this assertion is merely a false presumption. If the claim is true, we will be considering any possible effects it may have on the behavioral development of those children in the future. My main scope of research will be consisting of various analyses of popular cartoon shows in the United States, along with various books, articles and online forums containing relevant information in order to aid me in providing a suitable solution to the research question. Many young children in America are believed to be spending an average of up to 30 hours of television a week  [1]  and the majority of their free time watching cartoons on television where they could be exposed to a variety of harmful scenes. Allowing young children to watch high amounts of cartoon violence might result in unwanted consequences and perhaps an undesired change in the behavior of the child. Presumably this is because the majority of cartoons that are displayed on the television contain some form of violent activity which could affect the undeveloped minds of young children in an undesired way, as well as possibly promoting violent behavior. Violence in cartoons can be extremely harmful to children of young ages as they have difficulties distinguishing reality from fantasy because their brain has not yet reached a state of maturity.  [2]  Americans are concerned because preschoolers social and emotional development could be negatively linked with cartoon violenc e and aggressive behavior.  [3]  While on the other hand it is believed by many people, especially by adults, that the violence depicted in cartoons has no serious or dangerous effects on young viewers in America which are worthy of concern.  [4]   This topic is worthy of investigation because the number of children being exposed to cartoon violence is supposedly increasing each day with the average rate currently standing around 1hour of television per day, most of which is made up of cartoons  [5]  . This could potentially result in aggressive and/or violent behavior by the preschoolers towards others in their surroundings. This information is worthy of notice because some of the most popular and most frequently watched cartoons have been featured to contain some of the highest amounts of violent and aggressive activity on television  [6]  which may have undesirable consequences on young viewers if overly exposed to such content. Accordingly this topic should be carefully investigated in order to be capable of preventing, and treating any unwanted outcomes of overexposure to violence in cartoons because investigation towards the effects of cartoon violence may be able to help prevent or minimize the development of vio lent behavior patterns among preschoolers in the United States. Development: Today it commonly known that many young children all around the world, including preschoolers in America, spend most of their day and a majority of their spare time watching the television. In fact recent studies have shown that in America, preschoolers alone were known to be watching an average of up to 30 hours of television a week.  [7]  It has been discovered that an average four year old child in America watches anywhere between 50 and 70 minutes of television a day, consisting mostly of cartoons.  [8]  This information is worthy of careful observation because some of these cartoons have been featured to contain some of the greatest amounts violent and aggressive scenes on television.  [9]  Research has shown that in-between years 1973 and 1993, over 90% of childrens weekend morning programs contained some form of violent activity, with an outstandingly high average of over 20 violent scenes per hour.  [10]   According to IMDB (Internet Movie Database) which is the third largest online database containing information mostly about movies and television programs and is considered to be one of most popular online entertainment destinations with over 100million unique users each month and over 41million registered users, where viewers are able to rate and comment on any television shows theyve watched  [11]  . Some of the top rated, and most frequently watched cartoons by preschoolers in America such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tom and Jerry, Ben 10, The Power Puff Girls  [12]  , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The list is endless and it is because of cartoons like these which are believed to contain some of the highest and most prominent levels of violent scenes from which the question on whether overexposure to such content may have any unwanted outcomes, arises. Among the most popular cartoon broadcasting channels were Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon  [13]  , which display all of the previously mentioned cartoons containing noticeable amounts of violence, and are mostly portrayed during Saturday and Sunday mornings when young children in America are mostly exposed to television. These cartoons which are frequently displayed and which contain violence are often those which get people of America worrying that overexposure to such content may result in an unwanted negative influence on preschoolers. Let us look at a summary of Tom and Jerry for instance. Tom and Jerry  is an  animated cartoon  , which is mostly focused on a rivalry between a  mouse  (Jerry) and a cat  (Tom) who chase each other throughout each episode which always contains some form of violence. Tom and Jerry is said to be  one of the greatest cartoons of all time.  [14]   It is a cartoon which was created in the 1940s and still today is considered to be one of the most popular and highly rated cartoons among young viewers in the United States according to IMDB scoring an outstandingly high 8.7 out of 10 score which was voted by viewers  [15]  . It is mostly displayed during prime time hours and on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Cartoon Network where it is mostly exposed to preschoolers in America. A Parents Guide section on the IMDB website where viewers and adults are capable of commenting on various television shows indicated how most viewers interpret the cartoon to be very violent and to contain dangerous weapons and abusive behavior towards animals and people. In addition there are times where the characters die at the end of an episode and come back alive in the next episode which may cause preschoolers in America exposed to the cartoon to get a false misinterpretation of death and the consequences of the actions displayed in the cartoon and in real life. In almost every episode of this show there is some form of violent activity where objects are smashed over either Tom or Jerrys head. Toms owner was very brutal and bizarre in the way he disciplined Tom. Many of the episodes feature Tom dying at the end, but he always came back in the next episode. Guns are used very frequently in the show,  but they never really show any real harm apart from blowing hair off or grazing the characters.  [16]   Despite the tremendous amount of violence which is displayed in the cartoon, it still is considered to be suitable, and is recommended for children of all ages. The most troubling thing of all is that Tom and Jerry is only one of many cartoons which portray such prominent levels of violence yet they are still recommended for all audiences. All of the previously mentioned cartoons (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Power Puff Girls, Ben 10) all contain some sort of violence, usually in the form of aggressive physical force in order to prove a certain cause, or to defeat the evil characters. While examining the effects violence in cartoons on children, Haejung Paik and George Comstock found that all children, including preschoolers in America, demonstrated increases in violent behavior and manifested aggression when they were exposed to violent content from cartoons. Various studies conducted by the two have confirmed the suggestion that the aggressiveness of preschoolers increases after they have been exposed to a cartoon which contained some form of violent content, and also where the characters in the cartoons demonstrated aggressive behavior.  [17]   A Study conducted by psychologist Albert Bandura showed how this information which was gathered is linked with the social learning perspective indicating that preschoolers learn to behave by observing other people or characters in their surroundings and try to imitate how they would react in certain situations.  [18]   Bandura also found that the aggressive behavior which young preschoolers were demonstrating was mostly coming from violent cartoons. He concluded that children were behaving aggressively towards others because they tried to simulate the actions of the characters which they saw in those cartoons. He discovered that this behavior which the children had observed from the characters, had then been generalized into other forms of violent deeds by the preschoolers themselves such as aggressively playing with plastic swords and guns.  [19]   Bandura and Huston found that the observation of violent and aggressive acts in cartoons by 3-5 year old children in the United States, regardless of which character was involved and what connection they had with the child, was a sufficient condition for producing imitative aggression  [20]  for preschoolers. Moreover children who have been known to watch many cartoons containing a decent amount of violent activity are more likely to express some form of that aggression towards their peers or even adults, in contrast with those children who do not view much violent content in cartoons.  [21]   Bandura has conducted studies showing that those actions by the characters in cartoons which are rewarded are more likely to be remembered by the preschoolers, rather than those which are punished.  [22]   A report by the NTVS (National Television Violence Study) showed how almost 70% of violent acts in childrens cartoons did not result in any harm or pain to the characters who were involved. Another study also showed how less than half of the childrens cartoon shows had any form of punishment for these violent and aggressive actions of the characters.  [23]  As a result the violence which young preschoolers view from cartoons on the television may give them the wrong impression of what the outcomes could be in real life and in a real-life situation. The preschoolers are able to see how in most cartoons when an act of violence is implicated by one character towards another, the one who has demonstrated a violent or aggressive act towards the other character does not get punished for his/her actions in most cases, and does not suffer any consequences. In fact, in the cartoon Ben 10, the main character (Ben) destroys large amounts of the city in some situations including public and private property and inflicts damage in order to capture the villain, this mass destruction always goes unpunished, which may leave a false impression among young viewers that just because one bad guy was caught might approve or act as a justification for the destruction of other peoples property or hurting others. In fact the most common way of teaching moral lessons by protagonists in cartoons is by aggressive or violent acts.  [24]  This type of behavior is often rewarded and the character is considered a hero when he defeats the bad guy by using various forms of physically aggressive force such as the Power Puff Girls, who always inflict severe amounts of damage with their super powers in order to defeat the villain/s and are always considered heroes and are praised after every episode. Such cartoons in which the acts of violence are rewarded although in some cases are considered to be extremely harmful or pain inflicting, mislead the young children in perceiving those acts of violence as the right thing to do. By watching how the characters can almost always get away with it, and seeing how that sort of behavior is usually rewarded in the cartoons, the preschoolers in America might get the wrong impression of how they should be reacting in specific situations, and how they should be treating and behaving around others in their surroundings. Children often view the characters they see on television as their role models. They consider them to be heroes and observe how they are rewarded and praised for committing violent acts as well as possessing not only very aggressive attributes, but the characters also consisted of very attractive and appealing qualities as well.  [25]  . This leads preschoolers to draw conclusions that the aggressive behavior by their favorite characters is justified since there is no form of punishment, or consequences to show that it is wrong, as a result the 3 to 5 year old children have an increased motive to try and reproduce this behavior.  [26]   Many people fear that overexposure to cartoon violence may have long term effects on preschoolers behavior in America, especially if they are consistently being overly exposed to violent content in cartoons at such an early age.  [27]   There are many different theories suggesting what possible effects overexposure to violence in cartoons could have. Professor Dolf Zillmann developed his excitation transfer theory which suggests that while children are watching television or cartoons containing violence, they suddenly feel a need to transfer negative energy towards something/someone else, resulting in antisocial behavior and perhaps inflicting damage to other children in their environment.  [28]  Another famous theory founded by Professor George Gerbner was the cultivation theory which indicates that overexposure to television increases the likelihood of a mainstreaming effect where young children might confuse what they see as a twisted representation of the real world and real-life situations,  [29]  Which in turn may result in children developing a misinterpreted view of violence in the real world.  [30]  John Flavell, an  American psychologist, discovered that the understanding which preschoolers p ossess regarding whether the cartoons they watch on the television are real or imaginary is either very limited or not present at all. Meaning that there is a very high possibility for those young children to confuse reality from fantasy and comprehend what they see from cartoons as real.  [31]  Accordingly it has been discovered that 6-7 year old children had difficulties understanding the distinction between real world capabilities and those portrayed in cartoons and that they appear to have difficulty understanding television conventions that violate real-world possibilities.  [32]  We can form judgments from the previous findings because if 6 and 7 year old children arent fully capable of understanding the conventions on television and linking them with the real world, then preschoolers, being of a much younger age and generally unaware of the meanings of the events taking place in cartoons, would have an even poorer understanding of what they are watching and what possi ble connections it may have with the real world. It has been discovered that when a specific character in a cartoon exhibits aggression or acts violently towards another character, and at the same time provides a clear explanation justifying the reasons for his/her actions by the use of words, was far too intellectually advanced and overly complex for young children in between ages 3-5 in America to interpret and understand completely.  [33]  This may leave the preschoolers with a false memory or intuition of only an aggressive or violent act by one character towards another without any reasoning or justification involved. In order for young children to become fully capable of understanding the reasons behind the actions of the cartoon characters and their intentions, they need the assistance of an adult who is willing to explain the means of the situation and why the use of aggression should or should not be punished, and what possible consequences would be necessary to the characters who have demonstrated some form of aggress ion towards others.  [34]   Ronald Drabman and Margaret Thomas found that children lose all forms of sensitivity and feelings towards victims in cartoons by the time they leave preschool,  [35]  which could mean that the young 3 to 5 year old children are finally becoming capable of distinguishing reality from fantasy, and that they are becoming aware that the cartoon characters are not real. While on the other hand this information could mean that the children have lost interest or possibly gained the wrong impression of the consequences of the actions of the characters. E.g. if they watch a cartoon in which one character shoots another character, and the other character does not receive any injuries of any kind then the children may mistake guns for being incapable of inflicting any damage to other people in real life which could lead to serious consequences. While looking at the unrealistic capabilities of most characters from cartoons, in their fantasy worlds, we cannot really determine whether this violence is considered harmful to young children. Even though not all television networks and adults, especially parents approve that they are comfortable with the amount of violence depicted in cartoons, many older and mature people who watch adult television comprehend cartoons and fantasy as something which has nothing to with extreme violence what so ever, and so they do not find young children being exposed to this type of content worrying.  [36]   In fact Some of the worlds largest and most famous television networks such as Warner Bros. also characterize cartoon episodes to be a reflection of good versus evil that particularly underline the importance of loyalty and how punishment for being selfish is necessary under certain circumstances.  [37]  Consequently the violence which occurs when the good characters have to defeat the evil characters is justified because it is the morally correct thing to do, and these cartoons try to pass on the message how in order for a whole community to feel safe and enjoy their lives, some people have to suffer and be punished. Research shows that when children are able to interpret a cartoon with real life and compare the scenes which occur in the cartoon with real life situations, then there is a greater chance for the child to demonstrate aggressive behavior. Whilst on the other hand if the Childs understanding of the cartoon is rather poor and in their eyes is seen as unrealistic, then the chances of the preschooler showing any forms of violence or aggressive behavior, is significantly lower.  [38]   Research is continually proving that children in America between ages 3 and 5 do not completely understand the meaning of the cartoons they watch and that their apprehension of the shows they are being exposed to is very poor and could remain that way all the way through to until they are 8 years old.  [39]  By looking at this information we can conclude that because preschoolers have a poor understanding of the meaning and the plot of the cartoons which they are watching, the chances of inheriting any unwanted aggressive or violent behavior from those cartoons by the preschoolers will be significantly lower. A study performed by Hodapp showed how 5 and 6 year olds could not recall what they had learned while watching educational programs and how they were simply incapable of performing and putting those skills to action in real life in order to help themselves in difficult situations.  [40]   Therefore this leads us to a conclusion that preschoolers, being of a younger age and not as intellectually advanced as a 5 or 6 year olds, may also be incapable of interpreting the actions they see in violent cartoons. So as a result they will not acquire any negative influences or bad behavior from watching cartoons containing violent and/or aggressive scenes. Moreover the National Television Violence Study (NTVS) reported that for all cartoon programs, just over 30% of the characters who demonstrated some forms of violence in cartoon shows, also possessed some good and sympathetic attributes such as helping and caring for those in need  [41]  , which could be beneficial for preschoolers in America and teach them to exhibit concern and empathy for others in their surroundings. Judging by their age, preschoolers have been proven to have a relatively high ability of drawing conclusions about moral reasoning  [42]  such as recognizing and determining when the character has acted selfishly or whether their actions are morally wrong.  [43]   The preschoolers in America are known to be capable of identifying the difference between morally acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in society.  [44]  Meaning that they are aware of the rights and welfare of others in their surroundings and how they should be treated equally and with respect. In addition the investigators of this topic believe that 3 to 5 year old children are fully aware of the distinction between socially acceptable and socially unacceptable behavior and how they are capable of making judgments based on whether it is real life situation of something theyve seen from a cartoon.  [45]   This understanding of such situations at an early age may aid young preschoolers in finding a balance between the violence they view in cartoons and real life situations and it may not result in a negatively affected behavioral development in the future. Conclusion Does the violence depicted in cartoons have a negative influence on young viewers between ages 3-5 in America, and does it promote aggression and/or violent behavior. answer the research question. Throughout this investigation we have discovered that children between ages 3 and 5 in America may have difficulties when attempting to differ reality from fantasy which might intensify or negatively stimulate the preschoolers motive to act and behave differently and aggressively towards others in their surroundings. However we cannot conclude that a preschoolers aggressive or violent behavior is the result of being exposed to violence in cartoons. In order to make such assumptions we must first take into consideration the childrens perception of the violence depicted in those cartoons and the way in which the preschoolers understand what is happening and why. Therefore we cannot confidently say that the children will show similar behavior in the real world only because the characters may have acted aggressively or violently in the cartoons. When we focused on the most popular cartoons among preschoolers in America we found that they are clearly violent and how they might potentially influence the behavior of the young children in a negative way. However we also found that some of the acts of the characters could teach the preschoolers in America to act morally and to apply the skills they observe from television in real life which could be beneficial. In order for us to summarize the effects of cartoon violence on preschoolers in America it is crucial that we first determine how well the children understand and what they learn by watching cartoons. We found that if the children are capable of differentiating the transgressions which are present in the cartoons from those in real life and if they realize a distinction between socially acceptable and socially unacceptable behavior which they view in cartoons, then cartoon violence would not have such a negative impact on the behavior of the preschoolers as assumed. All in all cartoons which portray large levels of violence and aggressive activity will continue to do so and will remain a popular source of entertainment among the 3 to 5 year old viewers in the United States. The children will continue to spend most of their free time watching these cartoons which will perpetually be displayed on television during prime-time hours and throughout childrens weekend morning shows. Adults, especially parents in America play a vital role in influencing the impression preschoolers obtain by observing potentially harmful scenes in cartoons and the violent actions portrayed by the characters as an act of justice, and determining the moral and social acceptability of those actions. All in all the impact that overexposure to violent or aggressive content has on the more vulnerable audiences in the United States such as 3 to 5 year old children will remain unresolved as we have found evidence supporting both sides and various different views towards the topic and the possible effects which cartoon violence might have on preschoolers in America. I would suggest that adults watch cartoons alongside the children as they will then have the opportunity to answer any potential questions the children may have, and with the aid of an adult the children may interpret and gain a more clear understanding of the motives and reasons for the violent or aggressive actions which have been depicted by the protagonists in cartoons, therefore minimizing any possible unwanted outcomes. Word count approx = (4258)

Case Study of Lyons Document Storage Corporation

Case study of Lyons Document Storage Corporation: Bond Accounting Introduction The Lyons Company is currently a company providing storage of documents for other corporate customers. Lyons had operated conservatively without any long-term debt until it issued bonds in 1999. The bounds issued were $10 million in 20-year bonds, offering a coupon rate of 8% with interest paid semiannually, and sold to yield the 9% market rate of interest at the time. In the following essay, we take it as Alternative 1. These bonds were issued on July 2, 1999 and would be due July 2, 2019. But now, the investment bankers told the company’s owner, Mr.Lyons, that $10 million in new 6% bonds with semiannual interest payments could be issued to provide the company with exactly $10 million in principal at the end of 10 years. The new interest payments would be $200,000 less each year than old bonds, which still had 12 years before they would be paid off. We take issuing these new bonds as Alternative 2. If it is selected, 11542K/1K=11542 new bonds will Lyons have to issue to refund the old bonds. There is also a third alternative: Issuing $11. 54 million of 10-year 6% bonds to completely pay-off the existing bonds with no need for additional cash from the company.Now, we are facing the problem that if Lyons should issue one of the new bonds with lower interest rate or keep the existing bonds. One Concept about Bond First I want to talk about the terms of â€Å"premium† and â€Å"discount†. Usually there will be difference between the face value of the bond and the actual amount of money that the borrower receives when the bond is originally issued. This difference is called premium or discount. If the amount received is larger than the face value, it is called premium. If it is smaller than the face value, it is called discount. With this definition, we come to compute exactly how much the company eceived from its 8% bonds amount received by the borrower. The value, VN, is given by the following equation. VN=rZ(P/A,i%,N)+C(P/F,i%,N) Where: VN: bond value or balance sheet liability with N remaining periods r: bond interest rate Z: bond face value i: prevailing yield at time of issued C: redemption value at maturity For the old bonds, r=8% with semiannual payments, i=9%, Z=C=$10 million, N=40(one period is half a year). VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 40)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 40)= 9. 08 million. Thus, the company actually received $9. 08 million from the old bond, which is less than the face value $10 million. This is a discount bond.We can also using this equation to recalculate the amount shown in the balance sheet at December 31, 2006: VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 25)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 25)= 9. 26 million (number of remaining half-year period=25) At December 31, 2007: VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 23)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 23)= 9. 29 million The current market value of the bonds outstanding at the current interest rate of 6% equals to the actual amount of money the borrower will receive at that time. We can also use the above equation to do the calculation. This time r=6% with semiannual payments, i=6%, Z=C=$10 million, remaining number of period=21.VN=0. 03*10(P/A, 3%, 21)+10(P/F, 3%, 21)=$11. 54million Comparison between three Alternatives We can compare these three alternatives based on two aspects: cash flows and book earnings. First, let’s compare the cash flow. Here we use the differential PW method and set alternative 1 as the base. For Alternative 2, there is $1. 54 million cash outflow in Jan. 2009, since $11. 54 million is paid to retire the old bonds. In the following years, alternative 2 will pay $100K less than alternative 1 semiannually, till July. 2019. But for alternative 3, as the new bonds’ face value is $11. 4 million, we do not have to pay the $1. 54 million in Jan. 2009. And the differential annual cash flow is $53. 8K, which is $11. 54 million times 3% interest rate. Besides, we need to pay $1. 54 million more when it co mes to maturity. This is because the redemption value equals to the face value, $11. 54million. The differential cash flow is listed in Exhibit 1. With the cash flow of every period, we can calculate the differential cumulative PW. The differential cumulative PW for alternative 2: PW2=-1542K+100K(P/A,3%,21)=-$0. 5K. The differential PW for alternative 3: PW3=53. 8K(P/A,3%,21)-1542K(P/F,3%,21)=$0. K. The negative differential PW for alternative 2 means the company will eventually pay more money compared to alternative 1. The positive differential PW for alternative 3 means it will eventually receive more money. From the cash flow perspective, it seems the company may issue the $11. 54 million of 10-year 6% bonds. Another aspect is book earnings. Earnings will be affected by: (i) the $2. 2 million loss on refunding in 2009, (ii) differential interest payments in every period, and (iii) differential â€Å"amortized discount† expense in every period. The $2. 2 million is from $11 . 4 million spent to retire bonds minus the $9. 3 million listed on the balance sheet at that time. The differential interest payments are the same as those in the cash flow perspective. The amortized discount of alternative 2 and 3 is zero for each period. This is because the interest expense is $10 million*3%=$300K semiannually. The actual payment is also $300K semiannually. There is no difference between these two values. Therefore, the old amortized discount equals to the differential amortized discount. Old Amortized Discount=Interest Expense-Payment. (See Exhibit 2) For alternative 1, first we use $9079. K, which is calculated in â€Å"One Concept about Bond†, as the liability at the beginning of the first period. The interest expense of every period equals to the liability at the beginning of that period times the interest rate. Liability at the end of the period before payment (column D) equals to column B plus column C. Finally, after deducting $400k from column D, w e get the liability at the end of the period, which is $9088. 5K. Use this value as the liability at the beginning of period 2 and repeat the calculation above, we can finish the left side part Exhibit 2. This table shows how the liability increases with each period.At the end of the 20 years it is exactly equal to $10 million face value. To compare the differential book earnings for alternative 2 and 3, we just add an extra part to the left side of the original table. There will be a $2. 2 million loss in the first period, and differential interest payments and amortized discount in the following periods. We add up these 3 differential values and get the New Earnings Effects. (See Exhibit 2 and 3) Conclusion From the book earning perspective, we can see that if the company issue any kind of new bond, there will be increases in future years’ earnings and a loss in current year’s earnings.The loss will make Mr. Lyons unhappy. As a matter of fact, this perspective just g ives us an implication of the company’s financial status. It is more reasonable to use cash flow to compare these 3 alternatives, since it takes the time value into consideration. From the cash flow perspective, since PW3> 0 but PW2< 0, which means Alternative 3 finally makes us pay less money than Alternative 1 but Alternative 2 finally makes us pay more money than Alternative 1. Thus we should choose Alternative 3.

Nucor Corporation The Face Of Innovation Essay - 1953 Words

Nucor Corporation Millennials The Face of Innovation Nasheemah L. Kennedy 12/6/2016 Abstract Nucor Corporation is an American producer of steel and related products founded in 1940 and presently headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Currently Nucor Corporation is the largest mini mill steelmakers in the United States. Nucor also ranks as the largest steel producer in the United States of America. Nucor prides itself on focusing on its commitment to the growth and their team mates, the elimination of hierarchy in management as well as looking internally for innovative ideas to remain technologically and economically competitive. Nucor attributes their success to their team. So the questions I will propose in this paper is with the majority of the company’s workforce being skilled workers. Can a millennial be successful in a corporation of this magnitude? Will Their innovative ideas be over shadowed by their inexperience? The History In 1905 Ransom E. Olds creator of the Oldsmobile left his company Olds Motor Works to form REO Motor Company. This company evolved into the Nuclear Corporation of America which was later named Nucor. REO had gained great success with its heavy reliance on defense contracts, until the end of the Korean War in 1955. Due to the end of the war and defense contracts at that time REO assets were merged with Nuclear Consultants Inc. to form Nuclear Corporation of America. In 1962 Nuclear Corp. acquired Vulcraft. 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We are accomplishing this by being the safest, highest quality, lowest cost, most productive and most profitable steel and steel products company in the world. We are committed to doing this while being cultural and environmental stewards in our communities where we live and work. We are succeeding by working together. Strategic Profile and Case Analysis Purpose Nucor is a leadingRead MoreNucor Case Study3420 Words   |  14 PagesCase Background The Industry Nucor Corporation has been moving in a very challenging industry which has faced various problems in recent years. The steel industry experienced slowed demand for steel which resulted from substitution of alternative materials. Furthermore, it also had to cope up with increased foreign competition and strained labor relations. But despite all these obstacles, Nucor Corp. still managed to have a five-year sales growth average of 23%, which is 11 percentage pointsRead MoreNucor Case Study3405 Words   |  14 PagesCase Background The Industry Nucor Corporation has been moving in a very challenging industry which has faced various problems in recent years. The steel industry experienced slowed demand for steel which resulted from substitution of alternative materials. Furthermore, it also had to cope up with increased foreign competition and strained labor relations. But despite all these obstacles, Nucor Corp. still managed to have a five-year sales growth average of 23%, which is 11 percentage points higher