International Movie Revenues: Determinants and Impact of the Financial Crisis

Institute of Economic Studies Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University in Prague Empirical Project Assignment — Econometrics II Due on Friday, 13 January 2012, 11. 00 International movie revenues: determinants and impact of the financial crisis Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Table of Contents Abstract Keywords Introduction Literature survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data analysis variables used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Results model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion References primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . secondary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . data sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix Descriptive statistics for the dependent variables model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Residuals versus ? tted values plot . . . . . Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Residuals versus ? tted values plot . . . . . . Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity . The correlation matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 1 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Abstract This empirical project examines the determinants of international box o? ce revenues for movies produced in United States during 2006 – 2010. Our sample consists of 424 ? lms released in this period. We also test the hypothesis if the world ? nancial crisis had any signi? can t impact on the international box o? ce revenues. Keywords the ? ancial crisis, movie international box o? ce revenue, movies produced in the United States, budget, rating, Academy Awards, Introduction When choosing a topic of our empirical paper we were considering di? erent suggestions. As we both are pretty much interested in movies we ? nally decided to exit a viewer seat for a while and perform an empirical study on the movie industry. While being newcommers in sophisticated movie data analysis, we needed ? rst to get acquainted with important theoretical concepts and empirical papers concerning this topic. Literature survey When going down the history, [Litman, 1983] was the ? st who has attempted to predict the ? nancial success of ? lms. He has performed a multiple regression and found a clear evidence that various independent variables have a signi? cant and serious in? uence on the ? nal success of a movie. Litemans work has been gradually getting developed, [Faber & Oâ₠¬â„¢Guinn, 1984] tested the in? uence of ? lm advertising. They proved, that movie critics and word-of-mouth are less important then movie previews and excerpts when explaininng movie succes after going on public. [Eliashberg & Shugan, 1997] explored the impact of restricted-rating labeled movies on their box o? e performance. [Terry, Butler & De’Armond, 2004] analysed the determinants of movie video rental revenue, ? nding Academy Award nominations as the dominant factor. [King, 2007] followed their research and used U. S. movie data to ? nd the connection between the criticism and box o? ce earnings†¦ Many other authors has extended the initial work of [Litman, 1983], but none of them has focused on the key factors of the international box o? ce revenues as we planned to. So we ? nally decided to use [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] as our primary source. Their object of interest is very much similar to our resarch.Therefore we studied their metodology the most and we u se their results in the analytical part as a primary resource of comparison. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 2 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Data We got quickly stucked realising that the strong majority of movie data on the internet are not free available. It was quite a surprise because there are many movie-oriented sites with seemingly endless data access. But when there is a need of more profound, well structured and complete set of random data everything gets little bit tricky.After hours of searching, we luckily got to a 30 days free access to this kind of databases [opusdata. com] and got the core data for our analysis. Then we wanted to add some interesting or usefull variables just as the movie rating or the number of AcademyAwards to complete our dataset. It has been done using well known and free accessed databases [imdb. com], [numbers. com] and [boxo? cemojo. com]. Thanks to our literature survey we discovered a model which we have thought would be interesting to test on di? erent or new data. The most interesting would be to test it on our domestic data but these are quite di? ult to obtain (as explained before). Anyway, it would be possible to get data for the highest grossing ? lms but that would violate the assumption of random sample. Therefore we decided to use data from U. S. and Canada which we considered the most likely to obtain. We also wanted to test whether the ? nancial crisis have had an impact on movie box o? ce revenues and whether the world ? nancial crisis made people less likely to go to the cinema. Model We considered several models and in the end we used two models. The ? rst one is just the same as the one used in paper [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010], but it is slightly modi? d by using di? erent data plus setting the crisis variable. We considered it as a dummy variable, which was 1 if the movie was released during crisis (2008-2009), otherwise it is equal to zer o. As it was proposed before, this model has been used as a comparison to the original model [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] wihle we wanted to test whether their inference holds up with slightly di? erent and newer data. In the second model we tried to use a slightly di? erent approach. We used a time series model with year dummies and we also used all the variables which we obtained and were statistically signi? ant. Our ? rst model is basic linear regression with cross-sectional data. Our data are a random sample thanks to [opusdata. com] query which was capable of selecting a random sample of movies. We have tested all the variables for multicollinearity with the correlation matrix and there is no proof for multicollinearity in our used variables. The only high collinearity is between domestic and budget variables, which is about 0. 75. After running the regressions we have used the Breusch-Pagan test for heteroscedasticity and the chi squared was really high therefore showing s igns of strong heteroscedasticity.Even after looking at the graph of residuals against ? tted values it was clear that the heteroscedasticity is present. Therefore we had to run the regressions with the heteroscedasticity robust errors. We therefore tested in both models for presence of these: †¢ the variables which have an impact on movie international box revenues †¢ any signi? cant impact of ? nancial crisis on these revenues Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 3 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Data analysis Here we list all the used variables in both models and their a description. ariables used academy awards . . . . . . . . . number of Academy Awards a ? lm earned action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in action genre animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in animation production method budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the estimated pr oduction and promotion cost of a movie comedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in comedy genre crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dummy variable for movies released during crisis domestic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . omestic box o? ce earnings horror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in horror genre international . . . . . . . . . . . . international box o? ce earnings kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies for children rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . average user rating from the [imdb. com] source ratingR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . is a categorical variable for movies with a restricted rating romantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in romantic genre sequel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies derived from a previously released ? lm y06 ? y10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dummy vari able for movies released in a year The list of variables is followed by both model equations and reggression table comparism, while model 1 and model 2 mean the original [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] model and our new model respectivelly. model 1 international = ? 0 + ? 1 domestic + ? 2 action + ? 3 kids + ? 4 ratingR+ + ? 5 sequel + ? 6 rating + ? 7 academy awards + ? 8 budget + ? 9 crisis model 2 international = + + ? 0 + ? 1 academy awards + ? 2 budget + ? 3 domestic + ? 4 sequel + ? horror + ? 6 romantic + ? 7 comedy + ? 8 action + ? 9 ratingR + ? 10 animation + ? 11 y06 + ? 12 y07 + ? 13 y08 + ? 14 y09 Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 4 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Table 1: Model comparison model 1 domestic action kids rating R sequel rating academy awards budget crisis horror romantic comedy animation y 06 y 07 y 08 y 09 Constant Observations t statistics in parentheses ? model 2 1. 025 (13. 31) -18. 56? (-2. 29) 1 . 028 (12. 70) -13. 43 (-1. 79) 48. 33? (2. 10) 5. 922 (1. 52) 26. 91? (2. 06) 0. 309 (1. 42) 6. 978? (2. 33) 0. 68 (5. 48) -5. 320 (-1. 01) 9. 259? (2. 36) 28. 74? (2. 16) 7. 097 (2. 59) 0. 508 (4. 73) -9. 867? (-2. 23) 13. 41 (1. 79) -17. 77 (-3. 31) 52. 02 (2. 87) -7. 962 (-1. 24) 1. 182 (0. 17) -6. 748 (-1. 01) -11. 79 (-1. 30) -43. 25 (-3. 05) 424 -15. 11? (-2. 41) 424 p < 0. 05, p < 0. 01, p < 0. 001 Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 5 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Results model 1 After running the ? rst regression we get quite similar results as [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010], so their inference holds up even under our data.The similar results we get are that one dollar in revenues in US makes $1. 02 in international revenues, therefore succesful movie in US is likely to be similarly succesful in international theatres, if movie is a sequel it adds to revenues about $26 mil. , every academy award adds about $7 mil. and every additional dollar spent on budget adds about $0. 57 so there is about 57% return on budget. We also have similarly insigni? cant variables which are whether is movie rated as restricted and how great or poorly is movie rated by critics or other people.That means that international audience is not in? uenced by age restrictions and critical movie ratings. When we look at our and theirs results regarding the genres then we get quite di? erent results. They say that when a movie is of an action genre then it adds about $26 mil. whereas we obtained results that revenues for an action movie should be lower about $13 mil. and our result for children movies is two times larger and it says that a children movie should make about $48 mil. more. It could be explained that movie genre preferences shifted in the last two years.But more likely explanation is the di? erence in our data in labeling the movies. In our data we have had more detailed labeling and movies which they had labe led as action movies, we had labeled adventure movies etc. Therefore the strictly action movie genre is not so probable to make money as it would seem. Action movies are usually of low quality and many of them could be labeled as B-movies which usually are not very likely to have high revenues. The children movies could be getting more popular and taking children to the movies could be getting more usual thing.Our last and new variable is the crisis dummy which is not signi? cant and therefore we have no proof that the ? nancial crisis had any e? ect on movie revenues. Our model has quite high R2 which is about 0. 83, that is even higher then [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] have. But the main reason behind this high R2 is that most of the variation in data is explained by US revenues. If we regress international revenues on domestic alone we still get high R2 which is about 0. 59. model 2 In our time series model we get quite similar results as in the ? rst one. We have there ? e ne w variables which are genres comedy, romantic and horror, animation dummy, which tells us whether the movie is animated or not and year dummies. Our model implies that when a movie is a comedy it will make about $17 mil. less in revenues, when horror about $10 mil. less, when romantic about $13 mil. more and when animated it will add about $52 mil to its revenues. The restricted rating is now also statistically signi? cant and it should add to the revenues about $9 mil. which is quite unexpected. Y ear dummies are statistically non-signi? cant and even when we test them for joint signi? ance they are jointly non-signi? cant. Therefore even in this model there appears no reason to believe that the ? nancial crisis or even year makes di? erence in the movie revenues. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 6 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Conclusion The inferences from our models are quite like we expected. We expected that people ar e more likely to go to cinema to see movies that had won academy awards, that were succesful in U. S. theatres and that are some kind of sequel to previous succesful movies. The resulting e? cts of di? erent movie genres could be quite puzzling but these e? ects depend highly on quality of the movies released these years and on the mood and taste of current society. If we had had larger sample with data from many years then it is possible that we would have seen trends in the di? erent movie genres. The insigni? cance of the ? nancial crisis on movie revenues was also likely because the severity of the crisis and impact on regular citizen has not been so large that it would in? uence his attendence of movie theatres. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 7 of 14International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Reference primary [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] Terry, Neil, John W. Cooley, & Miles Zachary (2010). The Determinants of Foreign Box O? ce Reven ue for English Language Movies. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, 2 (1), 117-127. secondary [Eliashberg & Shugan, 1997] Eliashberg, Jehoshua & Steven M. Shugan (1997). Film Critics: In? uencers or Predictors? Journal of Marketing, 61, 68-78. [Faber & O’Guinn, 1984] Faber, Ronald & Thomas O’Guinn (1984). E? ect of Media Advertising and Other Sources on Movie Selection.Journalism Quarterly, 61 (summer), 371-377. [King, 2007] King, Timothy (2007). Does ? lm criticism a? ect box o? ce earnings? Evidence from movies released in the U. S. in 2003. Journal of Cultural Economics, 31, 171-186. [Litman, 1983] Litman, Barry R. (1983). Predicting Success of Theatrical Movies: An Empirical Study. Journal of Popular Culture, 16 (spring), 159-175. [Ravid, 1999] Ravid, S. Abraham (1999). Information, Blockbusters, and Stars: A Study of the Film Industry. Journal of Business, 72 (4), 463-492. [Terry, Butler & De’Armond, 2004] Terry, Neil, Michael Butler & D e’Arno De’Armond (2004).The Economic Impact of Movie Critics on Box O? ce Performance. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 8 (1), page 61-73. data sources [opusdata. com] Opus data – movie data through a query interface. 30-days free trial. http://www. opusdata. com/ [imdb. com] The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The biggest, best, most award-winning movie site on the planet. http://www. imdb. com [numbers. com] The numbers. Box o? ce data, movies stars, idle speculation. http://www. the-numbers. com [boxo? cemojo. com] Box o? ce mojo. Movie web site with the most comprehensive box o? ce database on the Internet. ttp://www. boxofficemojo. com Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 8 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Appendix Descriptive statistics for the dependent variables Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 9 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis model 1 Regr ession of the original model published in [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 10 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Residuals versus ? tted values plotBreusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 11 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis model 2 Regression of our model Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 12 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Residuals versus ? tted values plot Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 13 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis The correlation matrix Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 14 of 14 International Movie Revenues: Determinants and Impact of the Financial Crisis Institute of Economic Studies Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University in Prague Empirical Project Assignment — Econometrics II Due on Friday, 13 January 2012, 11. 00 International movie revenues: determinants and impact of the financial crisis Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Table of Contents Abstract Keywords Introduction Literature survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data analysis variables used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Results model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion References primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . secondary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . data sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix Descriptive statistics for the dependent variables model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Residuals versus ? tted values plot . . . . . Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity . model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Residuals versus ? tted values plot . . . . . . Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity . The correlation matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 1 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Abstract This empirical project examines the determinants of international box o? ce revenues for movies produced in United States during 2006 – 2010. Our sample consists of 424 ? lms released in this period. We also test the hypothesis if the world ? nancial crisis had any signi? can t impact on the international box o? ce revenues. Keywords the ? ancial crisis, movie international box o? ce revenue, movies produced in the United States, budget, rating, Academy Awards, Introduction When choosing a topic of our empirical paper we were considering di? erent suggestions. As we both are pretty much interested in movies we ? nally decided to exit a viewer seat for a while and perform an empirical study on the movie industry. While being newcommers in sophisticated movie data analysis, we needed ? rst to get acquainted with important theoretical concepts and empirical papers concerning this topic. Literature survey When going down the history, [Litman, 1983] was the ? st who has attempted to predict the ? nancial success of ? lms. He has performed a multiple regression and found a clear evidence that various independent variables have a signi? cant and serious in? uence on the ? nal success of a movie. Litemans work has been gradually getting developed, [Faber & Oâ₠¬â„¢Guinn, 1984] tested the in? uence of ? lm advertising. They proved, that movie critics and word-of-mouth are less important then movie previews and excerpts when explaininng movie succes after going on public. [Eliashberg & Shugan, 1997] explored the impact of restricted-rating labeled movies on their box o? e performance. [Terry, Butler & De’Armond, 2004] analysed the determinants of movie video rental revenue, ? nding Academy Award nominations as the dominant factor. [King, 2007] followed their research and used U. S. movie data to ? nd the connection between the criticism and box o? ce earnings†¦ Many other authors has extended the initial work of [Litman, 1983], but none of them has focused on the key factors of the international box o? ce revenues as we planned to. So we ? nally decided to use [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] as our primary source. Their object of interest is very much similar to our resarch.Therefore we studied their metodology the most and we u se their results in the analytical part as a primary resource of comparison. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 2 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Data We got quickly stucked realising that the strong majority of movie data on the internet are not free available. It was quite a surprise because there are many movie-oriented sites with seemingly endless data access. But when there is a need of more profound, well structured and complete set of random data everything gets little bit tricky.After hours of searching, we luckily got to a 30 days free access to this kind of databases [opusdata. com] and got the core data for our analysis. Then we wanted to add some interesting or usefull variables just as the movie rating or the number of AcademyAwards to complete our dataset. It has been done using well known and free accessed databases [imdb. com], [numbers. com] and [boxo? cemojo. com]. Thanks to our literature survey we discovered a model which we have thought would be interesting to test on di? erent or new data. The most interesting would be to test it on our domestic data but these are quite di? ult to obtain (as explained before). Anyway, it would be possible to get data for the highest grossing ? lms but that would violate the assumption of random sample. Therefore we decided to use data from U. S. and Canada which we considered the most likely to obtain. We also wanted to test whether the ? nancial crisis have had an impact on movie box o? ce revenues and whether the world ? nancial crisis made people less likely to go to the cinema. Model We considered several models and in the end we used two models. The ? rst one is just the same as the one used in paper [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010], but it is slightly modi? d by using di? erent data plus setting the crisis variable. We considered it as a dummy variable, which was 1 if the movie was released during crisis (2008-2009), otherwise it is equal to zer o. As it was proposed before, this model has been used as a comparison to the original model [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] wihle we wanted to test whether their inference holds up with slightly di? erent and newer data. In the second model we tried to use a slightly di? erent approach. We used a time series model with year dummies and we also used all the variables which we obtained and were statistically signi? ant. Our ? rst model is basic linear regression with cross-sectional data. Our data are a random sample thanks to [opusdata. com] query which was capable of selecting a random sample of movies. We have tested all the variables for multicollinearity with the correlation matrix and there is no proof for multicollinearity in our used variables. The only high collinearity is between domestic and budget variables, which is about 0. 75. After running the regressions we have used the Breusch-Pagan test for heteroscedasticity and the chi squared was really high therefore showing s igns of strong heteroscedasticity.Even after looking at the graph of residuals against ? tted values it was clear that the heteroscedasticity is present. Therefore we had to run the regressions with the heteroscedasticity robust errors. We therefore tested in both models for presence of these: †¢ the variables which have an impact on movie international box revenues †¢ any signi? cant impact of ? nancial crisis on these revenues Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 3 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Data analysis Here we list all the used variables in both models and their a description. ariables used academy awards . . . . . . . . . number of Academy Awards a ? lm earned action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in action genre animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in animation production method budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the estimated pr oduction and promotion cost of a movie comedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in comedy genre crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dummy variable for movies released during crisis domestic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . omestic box o? ce earnings horror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in horror genre international . . . . . . . . . . . . international box o? ce earnings kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies for children rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . average user rating from the [imdb. com] source ratingR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . is a categorical variable for movies with a restricted rating romantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies in romantic genre sequel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . categorical variable for movies derived from a previously released ? lm y06 ? y10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dummy vari able for movies released in a year The list of variables is followed by both model equations and reggression table comparism, while model 1 and model 2 mean the original [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] model and our new model respectivelly. model 1 international = ? 0 + ? 1 domestic + ? 2 action + ? 3 kids + ? 4 ratingR+ + ? 5 sequel + ? 6 rating + ? 7 academy awards + ? 8 budget + ? 9 crisis model 2 international = + + ? 0 + ? 1 academy awards + ? 2 budget + ? 3 domestic + ? 4 sequel + ? horror + ? 6 romantic + ? 7 comedy + ? 8 action + ? 9 ratingR + ? 10 animation + ? 11 y06 + ? 12 y07 + ? 13 y08 + ? 14 y09 Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 4 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Table 1: Model comparison model 1 domestic action kids rating R sequel rating academy awards budget crisis horror romantic comedy animation y 06 y 07 y 08 y 09 Constant Observations t statistics in parentheses ? model 2 1. 025 (13. 31) -18. 56? (-2. 29) 1 . 028 (12. 70) -13. 43 (-1. 79) 48. 33? (2. 10) 5. 922 (1. 52) 26. 91? (2. 06) 0. 309 (1. 42) 6. 978? (2. 33) 0. 68 (5. 48) -5. 320 (-1. 01) 9. 259? (2. 36) 28. 74? (2. 16) 7. 097 (2. 59) 0. 508 (4. 73) -9. 867? (-2. 23) 13. 41 (1. 79) -17. 77 (-3. 31) 52. 02 (2. 87) -7. 962 (-1. 24) 1. 182 (0. 17) -6. 748 (-1. 01) -11. 79 (-1. 30) -43. 25 (-3. 05) 424 -15. 11? (-2. 41) 424 p < 0. 05, p < 0. 01, p < 0. 001 Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 5 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Results model 1 After running the ? rst regression we get quite similar results as [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010], so their inference holds up even under our data.The similar results we get are that one dollar in revenues in US makes $1. 02 in international revenues, therefore succesful movie in US is likely to be similarly succesful in international theatres, if movie is a sequel it adds to revenues about $26 mil. , every academy award adds about $7 mil. and every additional dollar spent on budget adds about $0. 57 so there is about 57% return on budget. We also have similarly insigni? cant variables which are whether is movie rated as restricted and how great or poorly is movie rated by critics or other people.That means that international audience is not in? uenced by age restrictions and critical movie ratings. When we look at our and theirs results regarding the genres then we get quite di? erent results. They say that when a movie is of an action genre then it adds about $26 mil. whereas we obtained results that revenues for an action movie should be lower about $13 mil. and our result for children movies is two times larger and it says that a children movie should make about $48 mil. more. It could be explained that movie genre preferences shifted in the last two years.But more likely explanation is the di? erence in our data in labeling the movies. In our data we have had more detailed labeling and movies which they had labe led as action movies, we had labeled adventure movies etc. Therefore the strictly action movie genre is not so probable to make money as it would seem. Action movies are usually of low quality and many of them could be labeled as B-movies which usually are not very likely to have high revenues. The children movies could be getting more popular and taking children to the movies could be getting more usual thing.Our last and new variable is the crisis dummy which is not signi? cant and therefore we have no proof that the ? nancial crisis had any e? ect on movie revenues. Our model has quite high R2 which is about 0. 83, that is even higher then [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] have. But the main reason behind this high R2 is that most of the variation in data is explained by US revenues. If we regress international revenues on domestic alone we still get high R2 which is about 0. 59. model 2 In our time series model we get quite similar results as in the ? rst one. We have there ? e ne w variables which are genres comedy, romantic and horror, animation dummy, which tells us whether the movie is animated or not and year dummies. Our model implies that when a movie is a comedy it will make about $17 mil. less in revenues, when horror about $10 mil. less, when romantic about $13 mil. more and when animated it will add about $52 mil to its revenues. The restricted rating is now also statistically signi? cant and it should add to the revenues about $9 mil. which is quite unexpected. Y ear dummies are statistically non-signi? cant and even when we test them for joint signi? ance they are jointly non-signi? cant. Therefore even in this model there appears no reason to believe that the ? nancial crisis or even year makes di? erence in the movie revenues. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 6 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Conclusion The inferences from our models are quite like we expected. We expected that people ar e more likely to go to cinema to see movies that had won academy awards, that were succesful in U. S. theatres and that are some kind of sequel to previous succesful movies. The resulting e? cts of di? erent movie genres could be quite puzzling but these e? ects depend highly on quality of the movies released these years and on the mood and taste of current society. If we had had larger sample with data from many years then it is possible that we would have seen trends in the di? erent movie genres. The insigni? cance of the ? nancial crisis on movie revenues was also likely because the severity of the crisis and impact on regular citizen has not been so large that it would in? uence his attendence of movie theatres. Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 7 of 14International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Reference primary [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] Terry, Neil, John W. Cooley, & Miles Zachary (2010). The Determinants of Foreign Box O? ce Reven ue for English Language Movies. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, 2 (1), 117-127. secondary [Eliashberg & Shugan, 1997] Eliashberg, Jehoshua & Steven M. Shugan (1997). Film Critics: In? uencers or Predictors? Journal of Marketing, 61, 68-78. [Faber & O’Guinn, 1984] Faber, Ronald & Thomas O’Guinn (1984). E? ect of Media Advertising and Other Sources on Movie Selection.Journalism Quarterly, 61 (summer), 371-377. [King, 2007] King, Timothy (2007). Does ? lm criticism a? ect box o? ce earnings? Evidence from movies released in the U. S. in 2003. Journal of Cultural Economics, 31, 171-186. [Litman, 1983] Litman, Barry R. (1983). Predicting Success of Theatrical Movies: An Empirical Study. Journal of Popular Culture, 16 (spring), 159-175. [Ravid, 1999] Ravid, S. Abraham (1999). Information, Blockbusters, and Stars: A Study of the Film Industry. Journal of Business, 72 (4), 463-492. [Terry, Butler & De’Armond, 2004] Terry, Neil, Michael Butler & D e’Arno De’Armond (2004).The Economic Impact of Movie Critics on Box O? ce Performance. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 8 (1), page 61-73. data sources [opusdata. com] Opus data – movie data through a query interface. 30-days free trial. http://www. opusdata. com/ [imdb. com] The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The biggest, best, most award-winning movie site on the planet. http://www. imdb. com [numbers. com] The numbers. Box o? ce data, movies stars, idle speculation. http://www. the-numbers. com [boxo? cemojo. com] Box o? ce mojo. Movie web site with the most comprehensive box o? ce database on the Internet. ttp://www. boxofficemojo. com Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 8 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Appendix Descriptive statistics for the dependent variables Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 9 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis model 1 Regr ession of the original model published in [Terry, Cooley & Zachary, 2010] Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 10 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Residuals versus ? tted values plotBreusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 11 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis model 2 Regression of our model Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 12 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis Residuals versus ? tted values plot Breusch-Pagan test for heteroskedasticity Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 13 of 14 International movie revenues : Determinants and impact of the ? nancial crisis The correlation matrix Marek Kre? mer, Jan Mati? ka c c Page 14 of 14

Computers help in agriculture?

Agriculture Computers help in agriculture? It can't sow seeds or harvest crops or irrigate fields. But it can definitely help the farmers and the agricultural scientist in various stages of farming. And why haven't we used computers in agriculture till date? Just one reason, farmers are not comfortable with computers. And since there's no market for such a technology, the industry never bothered to consider that field for making any software.Countries like USA and Australia use software in their day to day farming activity. It helps them choose the right crop for their field, track the growth and accounting after harvesting. Clearly such technology is useless for Indian agriculture scenario because most farmers in India cannot effectively use it and only a few would be willing to invest in such a tool. So can computer technology really help Indian or other countries agriculture? And my answer is a big yes.It has a bigger role to play in Indian agriculture than in any other countries. Indian agriculture systems have a symbiosis between farmers and agriculture scientists. Scientists need input from farmers about their experience, to come up with new strategies for farmers. If we can somehow avail all the necessary data to scientist, they can for sure come up with better strategies. And if we can aid in their strategy planning by providing tools to do that, scientists will be able to compare different strategies.Having leveraged the scientists to come up various farming strategies, the next obvious step is to enforce these strategies through farmers by letting them choose the one which suits their land the best. Imagine software, which can predict the soil fertility of a land after harvesting a particular crop, provided we have the soil fertility information of the land and the crop to be harvested now. Well if you can predict the fertility of the soil after a particular crop harvest, it lets you decide what's the other crops can be cultivated later and helps deci de the best crop rotation policy.This would guarantee the highest yield all the time. We are not in an ideal world where everyone is a computer wizard. In such a non-ideal world, what good would it bring if given to farmers? How many farmers are out there who can efficiently use such a tool? How to make software that is so easy to use even for farmers? On the other hand, if we give this tool to scientist or government officials, they can help farmers choose the best crop for their lands.

Renewable Energy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Renewable Energy - Research Proposal Example The trend of FDI is common among developed countries of the world including the United States. In the US, technologies have been developed and utilized efficiently to meet the needs of renewable energy in the country (Nations, 2010). However, with the increasing population and their demands of daily use for home, businesses and transport, it has become important to secure basis for the USs future energy needs and so the need of FDI in the energy sector. In an official report by OCO Global (2012), it was stated that the United State is facing challenges and lack of opportunities in terms of Foreign Direct Investment. Though, during the government of former president Bill Clinton it was noticed that $1 billion were invested in coal plant and a great many improvements had been made in solar and wind turbines. It is evident from the fact, at that time 1900, jobs were opened in solar energy sector and 3,300 jobs were offered in wind turbine sectors of energy industry. FDI market reports have revealed that there is an exceptional form of political and social force that prop up the development and evolution of renewable energy sources. On the other hand, it has been evaluated by the researchers that political leaders of the US and other countries as well emphasize on clearer and more sustainable sources of renewable energy that can help the country to fulfill future needs of the population (Energy Politics, 2012). AEO (2012) report discusses that previous and present both governments has always targeted to have set goals, when it comes to alternatives for renewable energy sources. Likewise, in the United States the New Energy for American program has a 25 percent target for coming years particularly focusing 2025. Payne and Yu, (2011) report discusses that an increasing flow of FDI in the United State can potentially accelerate the economic growth and

Research into sustainable global tourism council, leading hotels of Literature review

Research into sustainable global tourism council, leading hotels of the world,locations for roll out of greener hotels and imple - Literature review Example Some of the internationally leading hotels where tourists spend time have implemented sustainability program so that they can check on the impact of tourism on culture and nature. They have adopted the greener hotels movement and have implemented the policies of sustainable tourism education. Through the international body of Global Sustainable Tourism Council, several factors that promote sustainable tourism have been identified and most of the hotels are advised to adopt the recommendation given. According to Girard, and Nijkamp (2009, p. 37) several programs have been proposed to help achieve the envisaged results of sustainability. Some of the diverse programs proposed by Girard, and Nijkamp includes; Education and Training, Accreditation, International Standard Setting, and Destinations. They informs that GSTC body provides a detailed global sustainable tourism criteria that is supposed to be adopted by all the stakeholders in the tourism sector so that they can realize the full potential of tourism as a means of alleviating poverty as well as a tool for conservation- both cultural and natural resources. Through the GSTC body that promotes reduction of negative impact contributed for by tourism, the criteria given to the hotels and tour operation can be subdivided into certain areas of concern as stated below Demonstration of Effective Sustainable Management A comprehensive reference has been availed by the GSTC body for sustainable management of the resources in the tourism destination. As reported by Branson in his Approaches towards a Sustainable Tourism Development a Strategic Concept, these concerns look into among other issues; social, cultural, health, quality, economic, and safety (2009, p. 62). All the tourism activities are expected to observe the mentioned criteria in its endeavour to make tourism sustainable. The international tourist destinations are all bound to abide by the provision so these regulations for the sustainability of tourism ind ustry. The sustainable aspect in this relation as proposed by Branson take into account planning and construction activities related to tourism, activities related to demolition, renovation design, planning and construction must respect the cultural and the natural heritage that surrounds the immediate environment (2009, p. 67). This is proposed to be done through careful planning, designing, siting, and sound impact assessment. There are also concerns of using the locally available sustainable practices and materials, the design and construction should provide accessibility for people with special need so that they can access and utilize the facilities. The guidelines as provided by Branson (2009, p.71) do not also provides for involuntary resettlement of the indigenous people, construction of the hotels are supposed to be done in tandem with the communal and the indigenous rights and states that there has to be free prior and informed consents from the indigenous people. Maximize the Social and Economic Benefits with Minimal Impact to the Local Community According to Seba in Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism: New Perspectives And Studies, the international hotels through the provision given by the sustainability body have to ensure that the local community benefits the most but with minimal negative impact

Rationalism and Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rationalism and Empiricism - Essay Example Empiricism after Hume’s philosophy, however, requires an a posteriori knowledge apart from analytical endeavor for such theory posits that matters of fact in the world may only be ascertained by perceiving through the senses. In the light of an empirical attempt for one to obtain certainty with truths that may be contingent, Hume necessitates engagement with observations wherein an observer becomes capable of designating philosophical connections with contiguity and identity of objects [2]. _____________________ 1. â€Å"Rationalism – Rene Descartes.† 2012. Web. http://science.jrank.org/pages/10983/Rationalism-Ren-Descartes.html. 2. Harrison-Barbet, Anthony. â€Å"Philosophical Connections: Hume (1711-76).† 2011. Web. http://www.philosophos.com/philosophical_connections/profile_068.html. A rationalist like Descartes proposes that the knowledge we may acquire is derived from the ideas that are intrinsic by nature. As such, the mathematical knowledge that th e sum of all three angles in any triangle is always equal to 180 degrees is an innate conception that is part of a universal set of absolute truths the discovery of which is made by reasoning. It is believed under the argument of Descartes that since genuine knowledge is inborn, God has created the natural laws for this knowledge to constitute our mental faculties inherently. The rationalist thereby goes on to state – â€Å"there is no single one we cannot understand if our mind proceeds to consider it† for the things conceived already exist as they are and are brought to cognition only to reveal their proofs yet to be unfolded in the absence of regard for senses [3]. On the contrary, nevertheless, an empiricist like Hume maintains that beliefs regarding matters of fact, hence, determine genuine progress for explicating that no self-evident relation exists when ideas bear apparent distinctions and separability within their number. For Hume, we possess no knowledge of s uch factual matters since connections in beliefs presupposed by cause and effect can only be yielded at after experiencing cases with similar characteristics that not even inferential validity of previous encounters would do alone to make adequate explications of these same beliefs [4]. What –ism seems to be stronger   in your mind and why? What are the arguments for and against Rationalism and Empiricism? Descartes is suspicious of the senses because for him, in order to fathom a significant truth, one must doubt all perceived knowledge. Since preconceptions are normally acquired by _________________ 3. â€Å"Descartes – The Rationalist.† 2012. Web. http://www.creatorix.com.au/philosophy/11/11f09.html. 4. Kemerling, Garth. â€Å"Hume: Empiricist Naturalism.† 12 Nov 2011. Web. http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/a5.htm#a-pr. the senses then these senses should be subject to scepticism as well. Once the intellect has been purged of its old content with the attached senses by the method of doubt, only then can scepticism be defeated on its own ground in the process of rebuilding knowledge upon pure cognition that enables a rational person to yield to clarity and distinction of ideas. On the other hand, Hume suspects reasoning on the

Describe fertilization, with reference to how the sperm enters the Assignment

Describe fertilization, with reference to how the sperm enters the oocyte. Explain the key changes that occur in the female during each of the three trimesters of pregnancy - Assignment Example Fertilization occurs during the union of the male sperm and the secondary oocyte producing a zygote. A zygote is the fertilized egg that develops into a fetus. The secondary oocyte has the female chromosome X whereas the sperm has both female (X) chromosome and Male (Y) chromosome. Oocytes must be supplied with various molecules needed for the growth of the embryo. A female undergoes various changes during pregnancy. These are known as trimesters consisting of three stages over the 9 month or 40 week pregnancy period. The fetus undergoes different changes in each of the three stages until it fully develops. The first trimester is the period up to 13 weeks of the pregnancy. It is the most crucial stage of the pregnancy. The female body undergoes many changes. The body structure and organs of the fetus begin to develop. This includes the eyes, mouth, ears, throat and skin. The fetus is surrounded by the amniotic sac. The placenta is developed and transfers nutrients from the mother to the baby and waste from the baby to the mother. The body of the pregnant mother undergoes changes signified by certain symptoms. These symptoms include nausea also know as morning sickness, fatigue, frequent urination and softness of breasts. Spotting or normal bleeding is common as the fetus is implanted firmly in the uterus. The experiences at this stage vary wit h different women. Some women are very tired during this stage whereas others are full of energy. It is at this stage that miscarriages, birth defects or ectopic pregnancies can occur (Tortora & Derrickson, 2009). The second trimester is from 14 to 26 weeks. This is a pleasurable time of the pregnancy. All the symptoms experienced in the first trimester are gone. There is no morning sickness and fatigue. Most pregnant mothers start planning for the birth of their baby at this stage. They sleep better and have more energy. Different symptoms develop; back pain and abdominal pain due to the increase in weight of the fetus.

Discuss the use of sound in the film Psycho (1960 by Alfred Hitchcock) Essay

Discuss the use of sound in the film Psycho (1960 by Alfred Hitchcock) - Essay Example Hitchcock work was previously known to be filled with romantic elements. In psycho, Hitchcock tries to subvert these elements; in fact, romance is particularly elusive as the audience is denied clarity or fulfillment of romance throughout the film. In this work, the past of most characters is catching up with their present. Destructive histories of the main characters are the prelude of their ruin. For example, Marion one of the main characters skips town after stealing $ 40,000 from her realtor firm. This is catching up with her as an investigation is launched and she is a key suspect. Though the film had its share of controversy perhaps its biggest attribute is how sound and voice were used. This paper will review how Hitchcock uses sound to enhance key themes in the film Psycho. The shower scene is conceivably one of the most tantalizing in the film Psycho, it signaled the pivotal point of the movie. In 2013, it was voted as the best shower scene of all time. The US Library of Con gress has since selected the film Psycho for preservation at the NFR. Though Hitchcock had intended to have imagery as the imposing feature in this scene, Herrmann works his magic to bring out an authentic mise-en-scene by using sound. ... Ultimately, this score managed to bring out the abyss of human longing, regret, psyche, and fear. Though this sequence only run for three minutes, Hitchcock put a lot of work to come up with it. It has been alleged that the scene took about a week to shot and incorporated more that seventy different cameras. The sound track in this scene is made up of shrieking violins, cello, and violas that sound like birds (Hitchcock, Alfred, and Bill 262). The sounds that depict a knife entering human flesh, screams by Marion and the blood on the shower complete a captivating mise-en-scene. Hitchcock makes good use of sound effect to enhance specific themes. Both synchronous and asynchronous sound effects are evident throughout the film. In the sequence were Bates is chasing after Lila, on discovery of Mrs. Bates, she whispers â€Å"Mrs. Bates,† but mother does not respond. The silence that unfolds, then the swivel sound of her chair and finally screams by Lila on discovery of the desiccat ed body of mother is a classic example of use of synchronous sound effects. In this instance, Hitchcock uses synchronous sound effects to depict the theme of violence and grimness. Use of asynchronous sound effects is also evident in this work. In the scene where Arbogast is killed, though we do not get to see mother in this scene, we can hear her stumbling feet on the stairs as she chases Arbogast. The enhancement of the stumbling feet sounds underscores the danger that faces Arbogast. This sequence clearly accentuates themes such as dread and survival. Hitchcock makes good use of dialogue to characterize his plot. Throughout the film, the dialogue that unfolds bounces the viewer from one scene to the next. The tension between the conversation between

What happens in the Big Bang Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What happens in the Big Bang - Research Paper Example A normal misconception about the theory is that it depicts the root of the universe. That is not exactly right. The big bang is an effort to illustrate how the universe was created from an exceptionally minor, thick state into what it is today. It does not try to illustrate what started the production of the universe, or what preceded the big bang or even what lies outside the universe. An alternate confusion is that the big bang was a sort of eruption. That is not correct either. The big bang depicts the development of the universe. While a few forms of the theory allude to a incredibly quick expansion (potentially faster than the speed of light), it’s still not a blast in the actual sense. (Gefter, 2012) Summing up the big bang theory is a test. It includes ideas that contradict the way we observe the world. The earliest phases of the big bang concentrate on a moment in which all the individual forces of the universe were a part of a united force. The laws of science start to crush down the further back we look. Inevitably, we are unable to make any deductive speculations about what is going on, since science itself doesnt apply in this situation. What is the big bang theory? Well. It is one of the most important theories in astronomy. The ideas of the theory are quite simple. All of the present and past matter in the universe came in to existence at the same time. At one particular point in time, around 13.7 billion years ago all matter was compacted into a very little ball with infinite thickness, and extremely hot called a singularity. All of a sudden, that singularity started to grow and expand and the universe came into existence. That is the essential thought of the big bang theory which will be continued further in order to make it easier for us to understand. (Chown, 2012) To start with, we might as well address the idea of what a singularity is. As per

The Demand for Health Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Demand for Health Insurance - Essay Example Alarming policy is the policy involving market-oriented solutions regarding the health insurance. Since customers have the habit of sorting themselves in certain groups, the talks on how to change the policy is based on the aborting criterion (Morrisey 87). Here, strategies should be put in place so that all level of customer should be favored and that they should not sort themselves in groups. In doing the above, the strength part of it is that all the customers will benefit equally. Weakness here is that customers are hard to understand and they tend to oppose the whole procedure for their own benefits. In most cases, health care policy in the developing country entails a government-sponsored clinics and hospital networks. The above has a goal of primarily providing access of the universe. Often, the above exists alongside the private providers systems for which pockets are paid off by individuals. In addition, it is evident as per the researchers that another health care policy includes health care clinics being prioritize, increasing success, and certain special funds being made available (Manning 4). The above is seen when President Nixon Richard decided to tackle cancer, and he planned to channel some millions of dollars to cater research work. Similarly, other health issues like the aids, small pox just to mention but a few are other forms of health policy that Medicaid put up for the fight of the health care issues.

Famous Creative Thinkers in the World Essay Example for Free

Famous Creative Thinkers in the World Essay It is said that there is greatness in everybody, and it only requires the right place and time to burst out and bless the world. This planet has been blessed to have amazing people walk among us, and they have revolutionized the way people perceived certain ideologies. Jesus Christ, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire, just to mention a few are accredited to have left a mark in this world. With none claiming to be any special than any other man, they stood out to make this world a more comfortable place to live in during their time. Quentin Tarantino, a film director, actor, producer and screenwriter is one of the great men that the 21st century has been blessed to have. With a creative, innovative and ever awe-inspiring works, Quentin has become a figure in society that many people can look up to. His films are usually characterized by non-linear storylines, a glorification of violence and a satirical subject matter that in most times results in an exhibition of neo-noir characteristics. His creative genius by the use of mix and match genre as well as an infusion of music and the morphing of old works and making them new and better are his main characteristics that define him. Quentin’s works have always had a cut above the rest because they seek to contribute largely to the society in general. Whether in educating, reminding or entertaining the society, Quentin has had movie lovers at the edge of their seats and in turn, he has received awards for the same. Quentin has entertaining movies like Pulp Fict ion (1994) that is considered one of the greatest if not the greatest movie produced of all time and Django Unchained that seeks to tell the story of slavery. Movies with stories that remind human beings of their past, or those that make them forget about the daily hassles of life have garnered him success as well as health, although without their share of problems. For example, making of a slavery movie was initially not favored by potential audiences, and it received severe criticism although it resulted to his highest grossing movie of all time. On the other hand, other movies are criticized as having too much violence which is mostly in his line of creativity. The solutions to these problems were primarily making movies that are entertaining and educative, that leave out the brutality of the times that the movies are based on. The second is that the action movies he directs or produces are made for the enjoyment of the entire family, without vulgar language and sometimes incredible humor. For a creative thinker, obstacles are a daily routine since thinking outside the proverbial box is commonplace. For Quentin, research is the initial step towards a resolute creative thinking process. This means a lot of reading and comparisons of different scripts and different possibilities. Tarantino’s creative thinking process revolves around all matters that seem reasonable and worth investing in, promoting ideologies and uplifting talented scriptwriters. Although he is attributed to having anger issues, his movies cannot be remade any better without denying the audience their intended purpose. For example, Django Unchained was meant to educate and remind the American of the past that they are too ashamed of to remember. His works fit perfectly in the 21st century movie making field where creativity and the ‘anything goes’ attitude is prime. Having been an avid movie fan, a trained actor, movie critique and an investor, Tarantino has continued to expand both h is knowledge and skill in the movie world. The age of computing has revolutionized the 21st century and the world has become a better place with computers. The age of computers, as this century is commonly referred to have experienced profound effect in all industries that have chosen to adopt the technology. Grace Murray Hopper (nicknamed ‘amazing Grace’), an American computer scientist as well as the United States navy rear admiral had notable contributions to the world of technology and modern warfare. She is among the pioneer programmers of Harvard Mark one computer, and she developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. This was her first most significant contribution to society. She is also renowned for popularizing the term ‘debugging’ as a term for fixing computer glitches. It is probably because of her sense of patriotism that she volunteered to join World War II, and she was sworn into the Navy reserve where she gained an exemption to enlist because she was underweight. This was among the first hurdles in her career, but what she did not have in physical attributes; she more than made up for them in brains. Throughout her career in both industry and academia, Hopper was a consultant for the United States Naval Reserve as well as a lecturer there. She held several posts in leadership through her career both outside the Navy and also within the Navy. Her technical and marketing skills proved to be of great use to her as she also demonstrated superb political and general business acumen. The major hurdles that she had to overcome were the computer bugs that she was working on while in Harvard. However, working alongside brilliant minds, she co-authored several papers on computers. By the virtue of patience and perseverance, Hopper was able to tackle many of the problems she faced by herself, but in some, she got the assistance of fellow brilliants. She is said to have never turned down a good idea from anyone regardless of their rank in the military of in the lab. By being involved in the successful programming of Mark I through III computers, she was awarded the Naval Ordnance Development Award. Nothing could have been done any different at the time, and up until now, the Mark computers are still formidable in the market. With the age of computing, Hopper’s works fitted perfectly with her time, and her innovations remain a valuable contribution to human beings. By being involved in the university’s academic program, Hopper was able to learn and continue to excel in her field of study and expertise. Up until her retirement, she was a lecturer and an academician whose contributions were noted and highly regarded. Until her death in 1992, Hopper remained an invaluable asset for the United States Navy, Harvard and the World at large. For that, the USS Hopper (DDG-70) Navy Destroyer and the Cray XE6 â€Å"Hopper† supercomputer were named after her in the United States Navy and NERSC respectively. References Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. (2012, March 4). Biography Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/hopper_grace.htm Everything Tarantino. (2014, May 27). Everything Tarantino. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.everythingtarantino.com/ Grace Hopper Biography. (2010, May 12). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/grace-hopper-21406809#awesm=~oFPA4E99lVVRqY Quentin Tarantino Biography. (2013, September 27). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/quentin-tarantino-9502086#awesm=~oFPAGvRhIMAhpw Source document

The extinction of the dinosaurs

The extinction of the dinosaurs Was it an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? The extinction of the dinosaurs started in the cretaceous period, around 65 million years ago, and caused the loss of up to 70% of all life on earth. The way in which the dinosaurs died is a much argued topic which can be explained by a lot of theories one of which is the Asteroid theory. The Asteroid theory There are a lot of reasons to suggest that an asteroid did hit the earth but there are much less reasons to suggest that it did kill the dinosaurs. Walter Alvarez and colleagues brought the asteroid collision theory to attention in 1980 which links the extinction event to a Bolide (an object that cannot be described as a comet, asteroid or meteorite) hitting the earth at just the right speed to cause cataclysmic damage to the Earth. Much of the evidence now suggests that a 5 to 15kilometer wide bolide hit in the vicinity of the Yucatan Peninsula, forming the Chicxulub Crater and started the mass extinction. Some scientists propose that the bolide caused a long drop in Earths atmospheric temperature (Causing the ice age); while others claim that it would have instead created an unusual heat wave. Scientists are not certain whether dinosaurs were thriving or declining before the impact event. Before the asteroid hit, the earth was on a straight axis, it had to be at some point, so this shows that the asteroid hit the earth at such a speed and at a certain angle to knock it off its axis to how it is now, which may show that the dinosaurs could then not cope with the earths new position and died because of it. Also the asteroid hitting the earth would cause a chain reaction of volcano explosions, earthquakes and other storms which may have spanned thousands of years and we may still be suffering the effects of these today. The soot and debris from the impact would have blocked out the suns rays. This would eventually kill the dinosaurs through lack of vitamin D. Agree? The asteroid theory is the most accepted one because there is more evidence that proves it than evidence that disproves the theory. Like the tilt the world is on at the moment couldnt be the same tilt the word was on at first, it must have been thrown off its tilt some time, and this asteroid is the perfect example of this. Another thing that agrees with that theory is dinosaurs died out in the cretaceous period, the same year the asteroid hit the earth. A crater can be found in the Gulf of Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula which dates back 65 million years ago, to the cretaceous period of time. Disagree? The one thing I would disagree with is the fact that scientists have found out that dinosaurs have died out over a long period of time after it would have hit and the asteroid would have wiped out the dinosaurs and most life on earth over a short period of time. Effects on marine life As a result of the asteroid hitting the levels of oxygen in the sea would have decreased as deep sea water was dragged to the surface by huge under water currents. Plankton would have died because of this sudden change in environment and temperature, as a consequence there was a huge collapse of the food chain, and certain animals would have died because of this collapse. Acid rain may also have increased the acidity of the sea, killing vulnerable species. Problems with the theory The asteroid theory is the most popular one although problems with this still puzzle scientists. There are still dinosaur fossils from the time of the asteroid impact that palaeontologists have not yet found, and there is no evidence to prove that the dinosaurs didnt die out before the impact. In fact, before the Chicxulub asteroid impacted, dinosaurs had been steadily declining for tens of thousands of years. During the life of the earth, many mass extinction events have taken place, and a large number of asteroids have hit the planet. There is no hard evidence that would suggest that the impacts have caused mass extinctions. Some species are climate sensitive, such as frogs, and these survived the cretaceous extinction event, we still have them today. This brings into question what effect in the long term does an asteroid impact actually have on the environment? The asteroid theory still remains the strongest one, in spite of the problems, for the extinction of the dinosaurs. Why the dinosaurs became extinct may not lie with one explanation but with a series of events, asteroid impacts and mass volcanic eruptions all combining together causing the climate to be unbearable to most living creatures. Was this a case of the creatures being in the wrong place at the wrong time in history? Conclusion My conclusion on this subject is that I side with those that believe it was an asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs because the evidence points more towards the asteroid than other theories. However as there is yet any real hard evidence to prove this I cannot say defiantly that this is the case. The reason that the dinosaurs became extinct is an argument that scientists will disagree on for many, many years to come. No doubt one day in the future, a scientist doing some routine research will accidentally stumble across the missing piece of this long time puzzle. Website list/Preferences http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Did-Dinosaurs-Become-Extinct?id=2230230 http://www.newuniverse.co.uk/Dinosaur.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur

Peace Education :: Essays Papers

Peace Education Peace is not a new concept. People have been studying peace ever since there was conflict, loss, and the realization that we take peaceful times for granted. Peace education, as in peace taught in schools, on the other hand, has been forming mostly over the past three decades. There are several aspects of peace education that are essential knowledge when going to teach peace. In order for peace education to happen the teacher needs to take into consideration the child’s personal history, the environment provided for learning, definitions of peace, the criticism of peace education, the rationale for peace education, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes it aims to develop, and how it relates to the general peace movement. Peace research began as a response to World War II and the publics concern about a nuclear war. It started as a social science that looked at the problems of war in a systematic way as well as the quest for peace. These studies began in France at the Insititute Francais de Polaemologie and in a few graduate programs in the United States, such as Stanford, Northwestern and Yale. It focused primarily on foreign policy changes in a hope to prevent a World War III. The critics agreed that there needed to be peace research, but they believed it needed to be broadened. As it stood, peace research consisted of researching conflict not peace, and problems not the solutions. Over time these criticisms grew until the 1960s when they were coupled with the Third World Liberation movements, which created small scale revolutions and mounted up to the Indochina war. This was a turning point in peace research. Researchers began focusing on â€Å"positive peace† instead of reactionary peace. I n 1966, John Galtung established the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO). Shortly after the establishment of PRIO, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) opened. These institutes remain to this day reputable and thoroughly used by scholars. In the United States, the peace research movement was taking form through colleges by publishing scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Conflict Resolution at Swarthmore College. The end of the 1960s marked another shift in peace research. â€Å"We must gather together all the elements of this new world and organize tem into a science of peace.† (Montessori, 31) Peace science, as it was now deemed, was shifting from physical violence and war towards structural violence, such as capitalism, racism, colonialism, and imperialism.

Baldwins Fire Next Time :: Baldwin Fire Next Time Essays

Baldwin's Fire Next Time We always say "Love conquers all" is commonly said and heard in our daily lives. Ironically, this is necessarily not true as James Baldwin views our society. He illustrates the stereotypes of both Blacks and Whites. In his argumentative autobiography, The Fire Next Time, the author brilliantly perceives the idea that love, instead of fear, liberates society. To truly "liberate" society, one must discover his/her individual and personal identity by learning to love. Baldwin describes "fear" to be ignorance, and "love" as knowledge. He joined the congressional church due to fear. He was afraid to become involved with his friends who began to drink and smoke. To avoid such situations, Baldwin was driven into the church because he "supposed that God and safety were synonymous." (16) Timidity blinded him to believe that following God's words shielded him from the evils of society. However, because of Baldwin's love for his church, he reads the Bible, only to realize that was strictly about the teachings of White people. He thought that going to the church will protect him, and shield him against what he feared. Instead of freeing the community from discrimination between Blacks and Whites, the Bible supported the existence of racial barriers by teaching one should behave. Realizing the hypprocarcy involved with Christianity, the author broke away from the congressional church, to search his own way of liberating the society. Baldwin emphasizes that liberation is love, and "love is more important than color." (71) The author states that fear creates the need for power. The Nation of Islam was fearful of the Whites dominating over the Blacks. Fear always dominated the minds of black people. This fear caused Elijah to strive for power to liberate the community. The Nation of Islam wanted absolute control of the White society. Baldwin was given the opportunity to become an influential figure in the Nation of Islam movement, he rejected Elijah Muhammed's offer. He was totally against the belief that the movement held. Baldwin says, "love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and we know we cannot live within." (95) Whites cannot love because they fear "to be judged by those who are not white.". Because Blacks are stereotyped to be "uncivilized", whites have the "private fears to be projected onto the Negro." (96) Fear only promotes further racism, and the labyrinth of attitudes. He states that the problem with racial oppression will never be resolved unless the white man gives up his power. Baldwin states that "mirrors can only lie," because they only reflect the surface of people instead of revealing the deep truth.

Purpose of Oral Hygiene in Conjunction with Chlorhexidine :: Nursing

Purpose of Oral Hygiene in Conjunction with Chlorhexidine Evidence- Based Practice Proposal The basis for the proposal is ventilator-associated pneumonia’s (VAP) occurrence can potentially be controlled by cautious consideration to the process of oral hygiene, where routine oral hygiene versus oral hygiene in conjunction with chlorhexidine (CHX) are examined to make sure the ideal outcomes for these patients occur. Background A ventilator- associated pneumonia (VAP) is a critical contamination preventable by a multitude of prevention strategies aimed at the care process. Pneumonia is an infectious disease of the organs of the lungs, with the ventilator as a device that facilitates patient respirations by providing oxygen through a tube. The tube can be located in a patient’s mouth, nose, or through a hole in the front of the neck, with the tube attached to the ventilator. Therefore, a VAP is pulmonary pathogenic infectivity that cultivates in a ventilator patient (CDC, 2010). Problem Statement A multitude of risk factors for VAP have been recognized with one of the risk factors as the colonization of the oral cavity by probable pathogens. After 2 days of entering the intensive care unit (ICU), seriously ill patient’s oral flora changes to mainly gram-negative inhabitants including more powerful organisms. Dental plaque offers an environment for microbes at fault for VAP, and probable pulmonary pathogens can colonize this plaque specifically of patients in the ICU (Munro et al., 2009). For the most part, there exist 2 approaches of intervention to eradicate the microbes on the dental plaque in critically ill patients: mechanical intervention and direct pharmacological. Even though mechanical elimination may be a successful approach for removal of oral pathogens, oral hygiene is deemed standard nursing care, often uncared for in critically ill patients or is performed by rapidly swabbing the patient’s oral cavity (Pedreira et al., 2009). Significance of Problem VAP is preventable with oral hygiene as one of the multitude of vital prevention strategies for VAP. VAP is significant because 15 % of all infectivity borne at the hospital and nearly 1/3 of all infectivity obtained in the ICU is VAP. Institutional fatality of VAP in ventilated patients is 46% measured up to 32% for ventilated patients who do not contract VAP. VAP extends ICU and hospital stay, totaling an extra $40,000 to the admission. VAP is the principal source of mortality of hospital associated infections (Pyrek, 2010). Target Population, Target Setting, Clinical Question, Objective The target population is the dependent adult oral care ventilator population susceptible to VAP.

Love and Marriage

Essay: ENG 101 Romantic Love and Marriage Love for the opposite sex has always been a controlling factor for mankind. (Brown 2nd Paragraph) Even so, romantic love is a poor basis for marriage. Many married couples are often asked, â€Å"Why did you two finally decide to get married? † A question that is answered over seventy-five percent of the time with, â€Å"Well because we are in love. † Of course, love should be a factor considered when making the decision to get married, but considering marriage in the eyes of most individuals is forever romantic love shouldn’t be the only basis for deciding to â€Å"tie the knot. There are five myths the revolve around making the decision to marry that many people consider true because of the old fashioned values their parents raised them with. Some of which are the deciding factors for those individuals when they are faced with the choice of getting married or not. Those false truths are as follows: (1) married families are happier; (2) marrying and having children is the â€Å"natural† thing to do; (3) â€Å"good† families are self-sufficient; (4) every family is a bastion of love and support; and (5) married couples should strive for the â€Å"perfect† family (Benokaritis).These myths are not only common to many Americans, but they are believed to be true as well. These myths, along with romantic love are as I stated earlier a poor basis for something as complex as marriage. There are several factors that should be considered and ever present within the relationship before a marriage should take place. Besides romantic love, commitment should be present before a couple makes the decision to get married.When you are committed to another person you are dedicated to them, but according to the Urban Dictionary commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. You are realistically making a choice to be responsible if you will, for another individual. Making the decision to st and by your significant other in all aspects of one another’s lives. You commit yourself to help that person aspire to their hopes and fulfill their obligations as well as their responsibilities. Unlike in the dating situation once you are married you are obliged to stay committed to our significant other. You can’t just utter the words, â€Å"Its over,† and expect to walk away with all of your responsibilities lifted. So, commitment is an important factor that should be present before a couple chooses to dedicate themselves to one another until â€Å"death do us part. † Trust, according to Webster’s Dictionary is defined as reliance on integrity, strength, ability, and the surety of a person; confidence. As well as the confident expectation of something; hope. I’ve heard may people say, â€Å"Without trust a relationship is nothing. A statement that I agree with whole heartedly. In a relationship, especially in a marriage you have to have a level of trust for your partner. You have to know you can rely on that person, be confident within that persons strengths, abilities, and the sureness of their choices and decisions. Along, with having the confidence to expect greater things from your partner because in a marriage two becomes one, which means the actions taken and decisions made by one partner affects both individuals within the relationship. Note: Rough copy of my essay; my entire essay isn’t included but a couple of my main points as well as my thesis are. My bibliography is also included, but I may add more sources depending on the sources I choose for the remaining points of my essay. BIBLIOGRAPHY Benokaritis, Nijole. â€Å"Marriages and Families. † Changes, Choices, and Constraints. Fourth Edition (2009) May, William. â€Å"Marriage The Rock On Which The Family Is Built. † Second Edition (2009-2010)

In Cold Blood Theme Essay

There are many prominent themes in the novel In Cold Blood, and they cover a wide spectrum of topics. They include the effects (if any) caused by environment in childhood, how a person of any of locale can be a victim of hostility, and the presence of contrasting personalities. Truman Capote gives the reader a detailed account of Perry Smith’s and Dick Hickock’s childhoods. Smith’s childhood was very problematic and scarred by years of abuse. He witnessed beatings of his mother by his father; as a result of the domestic violence, his parents divorced. Due to these problems he rans away from home, and he was â€Å"in and out of detention homes many times† (277). He is severely beaten and humiliated by a cottage mistress because of a mixuration malfunction. These violent episodes compelled his bitterness toward other humans. When Smith entered adulthood, he commited acts of thievery and acts of battery. While in the merchant marines, he once threw a Japanese policeman off a bridge and into the water. All these events had an impact on Smith, and his adulthood provided him with the opportunity to avenge the experiences that enraged him. Hickock’s childhood was marked by no horror stories. His years of childhood showed no signs of abuse or neglect, but his parents were a little overprotective. He showed no real contempt for his parents or his childhood. Dick’s inception into adulthood reveals his abnormal â€Å"tendencies,† (Reed 115) and in the novel proof is given by Hickock: â€Å"I think the main reason I went there [the Clutter home] was not to rob them but to rape the girl† (278). The two killers’ childhoods were obviously dissimilar, and their differences bring to question the formation of a killer’s mind. Is it childhood that affects the criminal mind’s mentality? Smith’s lack of companionship during his childhood led him to search for companionship in Hickock. Hickock took advantage of Smith’s need by promoting Smith’s fantasies. Hickock truly felt that Smith’s fantasies were ludicrous, but he supported his fantasies because he needed Smith’s aid to commit the murders. A second theme of In Cold Blood is the randomness of crime. The Clutter family lived in rural Kansas hundreds of miles from a major city, and people of this small community felt a sense of security. The Clutter family murder made national headlines because this crime fit no stereotype. The Clutter family was well loved and respected by the people of Holcomb, who would have never seriously considered a such a crime happening in their own backyard. The Clutter family was successful financially; they lived as well as any other family in town. However, there was no jealousy of the family’s success. This is another one of many reasons why this murder consternated the inhabitants of Holcomb, the investigators, and the rest of the nation. Another theme throughout In Cold Blood is the attraction of opposite personalities and what they can become once united. The reader sees these opposing personalities in Hickock and Smith. The first scene of Perry Smith is with a guitar and a set of road maps. The guitar appears to function as a feminine image and symbol. The reader also learns that part of what attracts Hickock to Smith is that Hickock fells â€Å"totally masculine† by this association. In one scene the contents of the criminals’ automobile is mentioned. One of Perry’s possessions is the guitar, and the â€Å"instrument that typifies his combative companion Dick†¦ a twelve gauge pump-action shotgun.† Another instance of Smith’s feminism is Hickock’s constant addressing of him as â€Å"sugar,† â€Å"honey,† and â€Å"baby.† Smith’s feminine qualities are evident; however, the reader is left to interpret their importance (Reed 113-114). In conclusion, there are many different themes throughout the novel. In Cold Blood discusses the issues of childhood influences, the randomness of a crime, and opposing personalities. These themes are unique in that they they can be molded into a nonfiction novel such as In Cold Blood.

Challenges Children Face in Divorced Families Essay

The death of a parent is less devastating to a child than a divorce. (Billota, 2012) There are long term and short effects that children face during and post divorce. There are six stations in which most couples face while going through these trials. About fifty percent of married couples will get a divorced before the children are of the age of 18. (Scott, 2010) Since divorce is so complex I will discuss some guidelines on how to ease the pain on children growing up or going through a household in which parents are getting a divorce. The death of a parent is less devastating to a child than a divorce. (Billota, 2012) After carefully analyzing this statistic I can say that I agree with the statistical fact. Speaking from personal experience, I feel like I am a creditable source and can relate to this topic of Challenges Children Faced in Divorced Families. Another statistic is that half of American children, under the age of eighteen will witness the actual break of their parents and half of those children will also witness the failure of the second marriage. The percentage of children being raised without their fathers in America is an astonishing forty percent. Children who experienced a divorce are more like to be at a higher risk for illness or injury such as asthma, headaches, and speech defects. (Billota, 2012) These are just a few of the statistical facts that children of divorce face. My name is Mayra and I am a statistic. I come from a divorced family; I witnessed the breakup of my parents and both of their second marriages. I am a divorcee, my son is a recipient of speech therapy and I was raised without a father. Divorce is a death of a commitment and a promise, but unlike a death of a parent, it isn’t someone we mourn and then slowly move forward from, it is a death that we have to deal with on a day to day basis. This is why the death of a parent is less devastating to a child than of a divorce. (Billota, 2012) â€Å"I, Mayra, take thee, Erick, to be my lawful wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better or for worse; in sickness and in health; to love, to honor, obey, and cherish; from this day forward; till death do us part.† These are common broken vows. Why do people marry? According to our text, people marry for love and commitment as well to avoid the inevitable feeling of loneliness. (Scott, 2010) A steady companionship is ideal in society and although that isn’t the sole reason for marriage, it is one of the major reason people pursue marriage. Other reasons people get married besides personal fulfillment, can be for financial reasons, wealth, power and reproductive reasons. (Scott, 2010) In a perfect world everyone would live a fairytale marriage and live a happily ever after. In today’s society divorce is what happens when couples don’t work out. Some might refer to it as a trend; do to the simple fact that in the most recent years the numbers of divorce rates have increased to a little more than 1 million a year. (Scott, 2010) Factors that affect marital stability are, but not refined just to, age of first marriage, education of individuals, income, religion, parental divorce, cohabitation, and presence of children. (Scott, 2010) There are different stages in the process of divorce. Starting from when the conflict between the married couple begins and last a period of time; to the initiation of legal paperwork; to the spouses’ adaption to the dissolution of the troubled marriage. (Scott, 2010) As mentioned above some factors that affect marital stability include the presence of children. Marriages can last longer if children are indeed present do to the fact that parents don’t want their children to grow up in a broken home; it can be imposed values or the sense of guilt. In cases when the marriage cannot be salvaged and there are children involved in the dissolution; it is best that the parents take time to careful initiate the process while providing stability and structure. (Scott, 2010; Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) The six stations that married couples face as they divorce are: emotional, legal economic, coparental, community and psychic divorce. During the emotional station, either one or both partners begin to question their marriage based on the viability or quality. One or both partners may withdraw emotionally, withhold feelings and may withhold affection. Intentionally hurting one another may occur because of the frustration, anger or resentment that they might feel towards each other or one another. Separation during this stage is common and it is common to do so after an argument or fight. (Scott, 2010) It is crucial that from this stage parents recognize that in order to avoid their children from feeling the stress and the pain of a divorce, that they provide structure, love and reassurance to the children. One thing to remember is not to belittle one another or argue in front of the children. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) During my emotional station, we both detached from one another and intentionally hurt one another by verbally insulting each other. An argument that occurred while placing an order at a restaurant was all it took to know that the person that I married knew nothing about me after 6 years of marriage. I took into account that I had a son and I didn’t want him to grow up without both parents, but I figured it wasn’t a healthy marriage and I couldn’t hide my pain, it showed and affected my relationship with my son. I left within a couple of days of that argument. Second station: The legal divorce officially ends the matrimony and gives both parties the right to remarry or see other people as they please. This is a deliberating period of time and usually takes months before it’s finalized. Divorce can be expensive and result in either spousal support, alimony, and or child support, which leads’ us to our third station: economic divorce. Economic divorce involves the economical settlements of tangible items that may have been accrued during the marriage. It includes homes, cars, bank accounts, investments and any future earnings. This station is not applicable to every marriage being that not every marriage last as long and may or may have not accrued much. Stations two and three may also affect the challenges the children face during these periods. Children may face the challenge of not seeing either parent for long periods of time and have to incorporate a new schedule and routine. It is common for a father to become less involv ed with their children during this period because of their perceptions of possible sources of support. Fathers may feel that by providing child support they no longer have resume their ties to fatherly duties. During the economic station, children may also face economical changes. It is common for the mother to have custody and usually in household incomes the father has a higher income. If they live with the mother the child may not live the life as if both parents combined their income causing stress and emotional pain to a child. (Scott, 2010) Being involved with the children after divorce is a great way to reassure them that they have both parents’ regardless of the separation. And even through the economical changes, providing the children with a safe secure home, establishing a routine, and providing structure will ease the challenges the children face. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) Children react to divorce by having feeling of denial, anger, sadness, rejection, despair and grief and loneliness. Station 4 the coparental divorce involves the responsibilities the parents have to the children that include, custody, visitation, and financial and legal aspects of it. (Scott, 2010) Engaging in custody battle adds an abundant amount of stress to all parties, especially the children. Ensuring that the children don’t get caught in between battle is important. Parents should make sure they don’t have the children chose sides and always remember it should be in the best interest of the child. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) The community divorce, station five, involves the changes of the social relationships which includes relatives and friends that are associated with a former spouse. This can act as a loss to either family member. Having to detach from relatives, such as in-laws, mutual friends, family members of the former spouse, puts a toll on everyone because people are left to feel like they have to choose sides. Children face the challenges of losing friends and the luxury of having the sense of family. (Scott, 2010) In my personal situation, mutual friends were forced to take sides because my former spouse couldn’t handle the thought of sharing anything that had to do with me. Former family members feel like they can’t invite to family parties out of respect to my ex, but it affects my son because, he misses his father’s family. Situations like these are best handled by presenting as a united front. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) The psychic divorce, sixth station, has no time frame and involves defining yourself as single person rather than a couple. During this process, people mourn their failed marriage, use the time to discover their self, distance themselves from the divorce and accept the breakup. The station of difficulty and time varies from individual to individual. (Scott, 2010) Children absorb so much through divorce and being a strong parent, who reassures them that they are not at fault or cause for the divorce helps ease the grief caused by the divorce. Helping children express emotions and committing to listen to the children without getting defensive reassures the unconditional love that you have for them. Adjusting to new circumstances is difficult for children, they can look at divorce as a loss and by supporting their feelings helps create that trust that may have been lost with the divorce. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) Divorce on children has a short term and long term effect. The short term experiences that are most commonly shared among children whose parents divorced are: rejection, anger, denial, sadness, despair, and grief. Children tend to feel guilty and blame themselves for the divorce and fantasize about parents reuniting. The stresses of this may cause health problems, both physical and psychological. Health problems may be caused by the lack of health insurance following the divorce, which creates a health problematic for children. The stress of the divorce may lead to depression and leave the children feeling incompetent. This depends on the guidance of the parents and the adjustment process of the child. Long term effects may not be as clear and consistent. Long term effects are long-lasting and interfere with the process of social-emotional developmental. (Scott, 2010) Children of divorced families are four more times likely to have problems with their peers. It is also said that boys who come from divorced parents tend to be more aggressive toward their peers than those who don’t come from a broken home. (Billota, 2012) The adult children of divorced parents show much more anxiety and have a higher rate of having failing interpersonal relationships. The more common long term effect of children of divorced parents is low self-esteem, depression and school and behavior problems. These are the negative effects and challenges children face. (Scott, 2010) Support for marriage and families can be found online, within the community and schools. Some schools provide affordable counseling services. Parents who decide to divorce are encouraged to learn about the effects children face during divorce. It may help reduce risks children might face during and after the process. There is a high risk for fathers to be less involved with their children after divorce, so it is encouraged that families promote activities that involve parents and children so that it help them stay connected (Scott, 2010) Important guidelines to help children cope are, telling the truth, saying â€Å"I love you†, addressing the changes, avoid blaming anyone, listening and acknowledging feelings, having patience, providing reassurance, and providing a structured routine. When in doubt, it is encouraged to seek professional help. (Block, Kemp, & Smith, 2012) By providing all the above, helps give the children a sense a security and perhaps the hope that everything is for the better. It would be nice if children from divorced families could break the vicious cycle of divorce. I can say that for two yours I put a lot effort into making my marriage work. I encourage everyone to take premarital counseling and post-marital counseling. I believe to have a strong successful marriage there needs to be a solid foundation of communication, trust and respect. Love is an emotion and in most cases conditional, the only unconditional love that I ever known is for my son. I can’t say that for everyone. If I would have known that I was going to cause so much emotional pain getting a divorce, never in a million years would have given up after two years. The death of a parent is less devastating to a child than a divorce. (Billota, 2012) Works Cited Billota, L. (2012, March 23). 18 Shocking Statistics About Children and Divorce. Retrieved from Marriage Success Secrets website: http://www.marriage-success-secrets.com/statistics-about-children-and-divorce.html Block, J., Kemp, G., & Smith, M. (2012, March 21). Children and Divorce. Retrieved from Helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/children_divorce.htm Scott, M. A. (2010). Marriages and Families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.