...Chris DiMatteo Response to Broke March 13, 2014 Broke is a film that looks at the sudden boom in the wages of athletes and the impact that overnight going from minimum wage to a multi-million dollar contract can have. On one hand it is a film that sort of needs us to feel sorry for young men who are given wealth beyond the grasp of the vast majority of us but on the other hand it is a serious subject that does need someone to deal with it. As the film observes, often it is people from lower-income backgrounds who have little background in managing larger sums of money who end up winning the lottery overnight with no idea of what to do with it and the impression that it will last forever. Suffice to say that I was interested to see a film that could overcome the "screw them" factor and present the reality in a factual and interesting way. Sadly this isn't the film to do that – even though it does have its moments. The film starts out with a good collection of talking heads discussing the spending, the views, and the habits of some athletes when it comes to money and as this is discussed there are details and real examples to back up these experiences. Problem is – throughout the film it is presented in a very lively and upbeat way; this makes it more accessible as a film but at the same time it undermines itself as a documentary. This isn't helped by many of those who are contributing cannot help but enjoy relating their stories of excess and fun – so while they appear...
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...Look, you’ve got to grow. It’s what our economy is all about. Hey, it’s what our country is all about! Certainly, it’s what drives me. My father, Constantine Anaptyxi, came to America from Greece because he saw big opportunities here. He worked hard, took a few risks, and realized his dreams. I came to this company as CEO five years ago—giving up a senior VP position at a Fortune 500 manufacturer—because I saw big potential for Paragon Tool, then a small maker of machine tools. I didn’t make the move so that I could oversee the company’s downsizing! I didn’t intend to create value—for our customers, for our employees, for our shareholders—by thinking small!! I didn’t intend to shrink to greatness, for God’s sake!!! Okay, so I’m getting a little worked up over this. Maybe I’m just trying to overcome my own second thoughts about our company’s growth plans. I know it isn’t just about growth; it’s about profitable growth, as my CFO, William Littlefield, is always happy to remind me. “Nicky,” he’ll say, “people always talk about getting to the top when they should be focusing on the bottom…line, that is.” Quite a comedian, that Littlefield. But lame as the quip is, it tells you a lot about Littlefield and what, in my opinion, is his limited view of business. Sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice profits up front to make real profits down the line. To me, acquiring MonitoRobotics holds just that kind of promise. The company uses sensor technology and communications software to monitor...
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...Notes on STOCK-TRAK 1. Think of yourself as having a ten week internship as a commodity futures trader. You are a commodity trading advisor (CTA) and I am a commodity pool operator (CPO). You have $1,000,000 of my money to use for margin. 2. At the end of the ten week trading period, you are required to write me a report explaining why you should be retained as a CTA. A first draft of the report is due Thursday, March 22nd. This draft will be returned with suggestions for improvements. I expect the first draft to be an honest attempt to meet the requirements of the assignment. If I conclude that this draft is not salvageable you will forfeit your right to submit the final report. 3. Your grade will be based upon the quality of the report and not on your trading results. 4. For the report to receive a high grade it must be 1. Well written i.e. no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical mistakes. 2. Convince me (it is my money after all) that you were serious and thoughtful about what you did. What approach did you take? How did you acquire the information required. 3. Explain your approach to risk management. 5. You can only trade commodity futures and commodity futures options. That is commodities like corn, copper, oil, pork bellies, wheat, coffee, sugar, cotton, etc. You CANNOT trade interest rate futures, stock futures, stock index futures, or currency futures. It is my money and all you are authorized...
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...CASE: THE BROKEN EMPLYMENT CONTRACTION OVERVIEW: The case be form of EcoCare, a large health insurance company located in Michigan. The company hired Arthur Wayne five years ago as an Assistant to Treasurer by interviewing with Sara Bell, Ecocare’s Treasurer. Then Wayne was asked to “immediately resign” because of “continued personality conflicts;” in addition, when he had meeting with Bell and Vice President, George Findlay, Wayne was not able to provide the solid answer. After Wayne’s termination, he requested a review by the President, and Chairperson. He believed he was wrongfully discharged for some reasons: one reason, he believed he had an employment contract, and other he believed his supervisor did not follow the policy and procedures of EcoCare. Therefore, the President asked Human Resource Director, Chris Miller to investigate the facts of condition and the incidents which led up to Arthur Wayne’s termination. This case is principally beneficial in discussing about employee rights and discipline. ANALYSIS/ DISCUSSION: The main issue in the case is Wayne’s termination which he believed that the company was not fair based on the company’s policy and procedures. In fact, he recalled about his conversation with Bell when his first interview. After Wayne’ requested the President and Chairperson to inspect the termination, so the President assigned Miller to investigate the case again. According to investigation of employment contact, Arthur Wayne believed that he...
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...Abstract Although the financial meltdown of 2008 can be tied to the collapse of the mortgage industry due to sub-prime mortgages and mortgage backed securities, it rapidly became a worldwide crisis. The decisions that were made and implemented to try to provide stability in the economy and prevent disruption in the financial system failed miserably and led to the worst economic recession since 1929. This paper will take a look at the weeks of financial turmoil that shook the world’s financial system. America’s falling dollar and mounting international debt are not, as pundits often declare, the wages of profligacy and sin. They are the inevitable products of dysfunctional international financial arrangements – a system that now appears likely to come crashing down, with alarming implications for the American economy. (Aliber 1) This is a very prophetic statement in an article written in 2005 by Dr. Robert Aliber. Dr. Aliber is a Professor Emeritus of International Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago and is widely known for his theory of foreign direct investment. The credit crisis that shook the world’s financial system, which long ago moved beyond its origins in subprime mortgages, began to accelerate in September, 2008. On September 7, 2008, the US Treasury seized control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and pledged a $200 billion cash injection to help the companies cope with mortgage default losses. Although privately owned, Fannie...
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...The official definition of being “broke” is the state in which you have no, or very little money. It is also similar in nature to being poor where you lack enough money to live comfortably in society. Being broke is usually a common sight in today’s world where everybody needs to have the newest and most expensive item on the market. They go ahead and purchase it while they’re still in “impulse shopping” mode and when it wears off they wonder where all their money went. People in today’s society judge others based on appearances while walking past each other on the street and the thing the brain judges most is if you have the newest fashion apparel. Or if you have the same old hand-me-downs your brother gave you when you were fourteen. You can become broke...
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...1.) She is addressing people that have problems with their credit cards. She is trying to help people that are in need of paying off their credit cards. She gives tips and pointers on how to pay it off the easiest. 2.) In paragraph 2, Orman uses the term Broke by Choice. She goes on to explain that this means that it is the person’s own fault that they are broke because they are spending money on items that are not necessities. In paragraphs 20 and 21, Orman explains the best way to get out of credit card debt. She also states some cause and effect about credit card debt. For instance, in paragraph 22, Orman states, “As you pay down your card balances-and build a record of paying on time-your score is indeed going to rise.” This is a great...
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...Now we will focus on the mind-set because in order for anyone to execute their plan they have to be active at pursuing their goal. Let’s focus on the broke boy first. This broke boy is not broke because he squandered his means of life. No! He’s broke because he was taught to be that way. When we look and analyze what our educational program provides, it only teaches us how to work for other people companies. “Go to school get good grades; so you can get a good job.” I’m not saying anything new from what I have realized., I was also informed again therefore I acquired the necessary knowledge and it’s just a must that this is stated again to educate the uneducated and blind unbelievers. This term “Eexecution” don’t mean that we continue in...
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...boil over. I can see her frown in the reflection of the bubbly sauce or whatnot. But she’ll go, she’ll go and see. You won’t, Ed. You wouldn’t. You’re upstairs probably, sweaty and alone. You should be taking a shower, but you’re heartbroken on the bed, I hope, so it’s your sister, Joan, who will open the door even though the thunk’s for you. You won’t even know or hear what’s being dumped at your door. You won’t even know why it even happened. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and whatnot. The sort of day when you think everything will be all right, etc. Not the right day for this, not for us, who went out when it rains, from October 5 until November 12. But it’s December now, and the sky is bright, and it’s clear to me. I’m telling you why we broke up, Ed. I’m writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened. And the truth is that I goddamn loved you so much. The thunk is the box, Ed. This is what I am leaving you. I found it down in the basement, just grabbed the box when all of our things were too much for my bed stand drawer. Plus I thought my mom would find some of the things, because she’s a snoop for my secrets. So it all went into the box and the box went into my closet with some shoes on top of it I never wear. Every last souvenir of the love we had, the prizes and the debris of this relationship, like the glitter in the gutter when the parade has passed, all the everything and whatnot kicked to the curb. I’m dumping the...
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...Reflections: When Billy Broke His Head Billy Golfus, who suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident, struggles to find ways to rejoin society and understand disability as a social category (Aufderheide, 1997). Challenge of Personal Belief The theory “a person may be impaired, but it is society which causes disability” resonates with me. I agree with the concept of placing the person before the disorder. This assignment has made me take a hard look at how American culture describes impairment. A search on the Web for a synonym of “disability” finds words like: affliction, ailment, complaint, defect, disablement, disorder, handicap, impairment, infirmity. These are not positive words. Perhaps one day we will have the utopia Karl Marx envisioned, a classless society where everyone is equal regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion or impairment. Until then, a definite shift is required in the perception and definition of disability. Portrayals of PWD Interviews were conducted with highly intelligent people who engaged in political activism, who were artists and individuals who wanted control over their lives and destinies. These are atypical of how PWD are portrayed in western mainstream society. In every person there exists the innate human power to overcome challenges, the will to succeed, the desire to feel accepted by peers, and the desire to be treated with respect. The quality of “overcoming” cannot be measured. In each individual case, the...
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...The Man Who Broke The Bank of England World’s most controversial billionaire once said “I'm only rich because I know when I'm wrong... I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes." George Soros, also known as “The Man Who Broke The Bank of England”, was born in 1930 in Budapest, Hungary. On September 21st 2011, Forbes declared that Soros, now at 81, is one of ten wealthiest Americans, with a net worth estimated at $22.0 billion. Besides being a business mogul, he is also an investor, philanthropist, chairman of Soros Fund Management and Open Society Institute. What inspire me most about him are his remarkable history when he did an excellent job on currency speculation in 1992, and also his own way of thinking. According to one of The Telegraph articles, Britain had its fell on European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992, and George Soros thought the pound sterling should have been devalued since it had been struggling with the ERM too high at a rate. At that time, he also knew that the Bundesbank would agree to devaluate both pound sterling and the Italian lira since the terrible impact that British high interest rates had on asset prices. George Soros then thought of the way that he could get a profit from the devaluation situation. He borrowed pound sterling in a massive amount, approximately £6.5 billion according to the report. Next, he converted them into a combination of Deutschmarks and French francs. Then on 16 September 1992 or also known as Black Wednesday,...
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...Violet had just moved from the Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie for her father’s work. Her family had little money and fewer possessions. Violet loved her old school and was part of a great group of friends who had grown up together. Moving from school to school can be very difficult. There is always a social hierarchy labeling people. West Broke High was Violet’s new school. Located in Port Macquarie, it was very old fashioned. It was very academic and had strong expectations for its students. As her father dropped her at the new school in his rundown car, her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing. The landscape had bright green grass, filled with lots of plants. The schools walls were layered with bright red bricks and the old wooden...
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...In Katy Butler’s essay, “What Broke my Father’s Heart,” she addresses the agonizing last few years of not only her own Father, but that of her mother. Though with the advancement of medical research and in consequence the prolonging of human life, she expresses her anger and regret towards helping prolong her own father’s life at the expense of him becoming a mere shadow of his former self. Butler also expresses her disdain for the health system in the United States and how it primarily only functions to profit from patients, rather than doing what it is best for them. She also witnessed the emotional toll the burden of her father’s health placed on her mother and the resulting consequences of her having to leave her tranquil life and thrown...
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...Me and Mia broke away from the kiss. She smiled at me. "Let's go back inside and see the guys. It's a little rude for us to leave them alone." she told me. I reached for her hand and she grabbed it in an instant. We walked back and we didn't say a word to one another. I can't keep her here! I'm going to drug her and send her home. This woman is making me fall for her and I can't have those distractions! It's her birthday, I'll figure out the details later. When we were about to go inside I felt a tug on my arm. I turned around and saw Mia looking at me. "Can I ask you something?" she asked me. What does she want? "I guess so, what is it?" I asked her. "Are you catching feelings for me? I just want you to know that I think I might be falling...
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...Jeannette Walls's Half Broke Horses was nothing short of spectacular. She brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person voice that is authentic, irresistible, and triumphant. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Lily’s fiery attitude and thirst for justice lands her in trouble, which is very uncommon for a woman in the 1880’s. Lily Casey grew up on farms in sparsely populated country, learning self-reliance and doing chores without complaint. At age 5, she helped her father train carriage-horse teams and, once a week, hitched up the buckboard and drove into a nearby town to sell eggs. After the family’s dugout collapsed in a flood...
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