Ive Watched Agents Laugh

Ive Watched Agents Laugh Having been to my fair share of conferences, Ive picked up a habit that started during a frustrating conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I noted that the sea of agents in attendance tended to cluster. They whispered to each other, stealing glances at other attendees. As a shy writer, I truly understood partnering with a like soul at a strange event, and assumed that was their motive. But at the banquet, the agents filled a couple of tables en masse, not sitting with any of the writers who paid to brush elbows with these professionals. They texted, emailed, chuckled, and passed notes to each other as the keynote was delivered. I recall writing down all their names, vowing never to submit to them (Ha! Showed them, huh!?), but better yet, never placing them in my newsletter. To this day I study agents at events, watching to see if they are taking the conference seriously, or if they seem to be just putting in their hours until they can fly back to New York. But a BIG however goes right here. Not all agents are like that. Ive met some quite pleasant ones. And diligent ones. And ones that believe to the tips of their toes that their authors are grand. Just like not all self-published books come up lacking, not all agents are arrogant. We cannot afford to lump self-publishing, traditional publishing, agents and publishers into walled boxes of stereotypes. Each and every category has its shining stars . . . and its flawed participants. Thats why you do your homework to learn the facts, not the rumor and opinion, of each tentacle in this octopus we call publishing. Ive already been chastised this month But you have to know what you are doing. You cant self-publish and expect other people to do it for you. You have to be resilient and innovative, doing the things that a traditional publisher usually does . . . what an agent usually does. Accept the responsibility and do it right. Use the proper rules and tools to make your work professional, not homespun. Not jerry-rigged. Not amateur. What if I told you never to paint your bedroom, grow your garden or fix your car? What if I told you the only way to deal with these do-it-yourself tasks was to hire a professional? Youd balk, because some of us are very equipped to handle DIY ventures. I just painted my bedroom and my garden is glorious. But Ill hire a mechanic. Its all in knowing our strengths and weaknesses capitalizing on our skills yet recognizing when to fall back on the skills of others.

Frida Kahlo, Mexican Surrealist and Folk Art Painter

Frida Kahlo, Mexican Surrealist and Folk Art Painter Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907–July 13, 1954), one of the few women painters that many can name, was known for  her surrealistic paintings, including many emotionally intense self-portraits. Stricken with polio as a child and injured badly in an accident when she was 18, she struggled with pain and disability all her life. Her paintings reflect a modernist take on folk art and integrate her experience of suffering. Kahlo was married to artist Diego Rivera. Fast Facts: Frida Kahlo Known For:  Mexican surrealist and folk art painterAlso Known As:  Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon, Frieda Kahlo, Frida Rivera, Mrs. Diego Rivera.Born: July 6, 1907 in Mexico CityParents: Matilde Calderà ³n, Guillermo KahloDied: July 13, 1954 in Mexico CityEducation: National Preparatory School in Mexico City, entered 1922, studied medicine and medical illustrationFamous Paintings: The Two Fridas (1939), Self Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940), Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940)Awards and Honors: National Prize of Arts and Sciences (conferred by the Mexican Ministry of Public Education, 1946)Spouse: Diego Rivera (m. Aug. 21, 1929–1939, remarried 1940–1957)Children: NoneNotable Quote: I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration. Early Life Kahlo was born in a suburb of Mexico City on July 6, 1907. She later claimed 1910 as her year of birth because 1910 was the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. She was close to her father but not so close to her often-depressed mother. She was struck with polio when she was about 6 years old and while the illness was mild, it did cause her right leg to be withered- which led to the twisting of her spine and pelvis. She entered the National Preparatory School in 1922 to study medicine and medical illustration, adopting a native style of dress. The Trolley Accident In 1925, Kahlo was nearly fatally injured when a trolley collided with the bus on which she was riding. She broke her back, pelvis, collarbone, and two ribs, her right foot was crushed, and her right leg was broken in 11 places. A handrail of the bus impaled her in the abdomen. She had surgeries throughout her life to try to correct the disabling effects of the accident. Diego Rivera and Marriage During the convalescence from her accident, she began to paint. Self-taught, in 1928 Kahlo sought out Mexican painter Diego Rivera, more than 20 years her senior, whom shed met when she was in preparatory school. She asked him to comment on her work, which relied on bright colors and Mexican folk images. She joined the Young Communist League, which Rivera headed. In 1929, Kahlo married Rivera in a civil ceremony despite her mothers protests. The couple moved to San Francisco for a year in 1930. It was his third marriage and he had many affairs, including with Kahlos sister Cristina. Kahlo, in turn, had her own affairs, with both men and women. One of her brief affairs was with American painter Georgia OKeeffe. She changed the spelling of her first name from Frieda, the German spelling, to Frida, the Mexican spelling, in the 1930s as a protest against fascism. In 1932, Kahlo and Rivera lived in Michigan, where Kahlo miscarried a pregnancy. She immortalized her experience in a painting titled, Henry Ford Hospital. From 1937–1939, Leon Trotsky lived with the couple. Kahlo had an affair with the Communist revolutionary. She was often in pain from her disabilities and emotionally distraught from the marriage, and probably addicted to painkillers for a long time. Kahlo and Rivera divorced in 1939, but then Rivera convinced her to remarry the next year. Kahlo made that marriage contingent on remaining sexually separate  and on her financial self-support. Art Success Kahlos first solo show was in New York City, in 1938, after Rivera and Kahlo had moved back to Mexico. She had another show in 1943, also in New York. Kahlo produced many paintings in the 1930s and 1940s, but it was not until 1953 that she finally had a one-woman show in Mexico. Her long struggle with her disabilities, however, had left her by this point an invalid, and she entered the exhibit on a stretcher and rested on a bed to receive visitors. Her right leg was amputated at the knee when it became gangrenous. Death Kahlo died in Mexico City in 1954. Officially, she died of a pulmonary embolism, but some believe she deliberately overdosed on painkillers, welcoming an end to her suffering. Even in death, Kahlo was dramatic; when her body was being put into the crematorium, the heat caused her body to suddenly sit up. Legacy Kahlos work began to come to prominence in the 1970s. Much of her work is at the Museo Frida Kahlo (the Frida Kahlo Museum), also called the Blue House for its cobalt blue walls, which opened in 1958 in her former Mexico City residence. She is considered a forerunner to feminist art. Indeed, Kahlos life was depicted in the 2002 biopic, Frida, starring Salma Hayek as the title character. The film received a 75 percent critics score and an 85 percent audience score on the movie review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. It also received six Academy Award nominations (winning for Best Makeup and Best Original Score), including Hayeks nomination in the Best Actress category for her dramatic portrayal of the long-departed artist. Sources â€Å"17 Frida Kahlo Quotes to Inspire You to Turn Pain Into Beauty.†Ã‚  Goalcast, 19 Dec. 2018.Anderson, Kelli, and Shovova. â€Å"Art History: The Stories and Symbolism Behind 5 of Frida Kahlos Most Well-Known.â€Å"Major Achievements.†Ã‚  Frida Kahlo.â€Å"MUSEO FRIDA KAHLO.†Ã‚  Frida Kahlo Museum.Paintings.†Ã‚  My Modern Met, 23 Aug. 2018.â€Å"Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings.†Ã‚  Henri Matisse.â€Å"Frida (2002).†Ã‚  Rotten Tomatoes.

Case study of (Starbucks has not paid The UK corporation tax 2012)

Of (Starbucks has not paid The UK corporation tax 2012) - Case Study Example According to this theory, an organisation is part of the society in which it operates (Benoit, 2000). An organisation, therefore, is supposed to adhere to certain, explicit or implicit, norms and values. The voluntary disclosures therefore are seen as biased because they are influenced by the interaction of the firm and that particular society. This theory, therefore, emphasizes that the vehicle for voluntary disclosure and the information disclosed be analyzed in context of the society in which the organisation operates (Benoit, 1995). Closely related to the system oriented theories is the legitimacy theory. This theory states that the organisation derives its legitimacy from the society in which it operates. Therefore, the society has a multitude of implicit and explicit expectations on the organisation which the organisation should not forego. A firm can only be seen as legitimate if its status, condition or operations are in sync with the society’s expectations. The societ y supports legitimate businesses (Islam and Deegan, 2010). One of the ways to legitimize a business is by making voluntary disclosures for the benefit of the society. ... This theory states that when a crisis becomes a threat a reputation-conscious organisation will always respond to save its image, identity or reputation by voluntarily releasing information that directly counters that which is eroding its reputation. This theory proposes a wide variety of measures to be taken including excuses, justification, denial and apologies (Freeman, 1984). The Case Context Starbucks is the second largest restaurant chain globally after McDonalds. It is valued at $40 billion. The company has many units distributed across the globe and the focus of this literature will be the UK unit. In the year ending September 30th 2012 the company’s UK unit recorded a loss in its operations consequently failing to pay the corporate income tax for the third year in a row (Bergin, 2012). The information was first released by Reuters who asserted that even though the company was recording losses, its management was still declaring it as a viable undertaking with lessons to be emulated by other firms and branches. This mixed information to investors and the taxman brewed a crisis with the esteemed customers with the British government accusing Starbucks of tax evasion (Neville, 2012). Data In its 14 years of operations in the UK, Starbucks had never recorded a profit; this is despite making sales of over $4.8 billion (3 billion UK pounds). According to Her Majesty Revenue and Customs authority, Starbucks had failed to declare any profits during its entire period in operation in the UK managing to pay only 8.6 million UK pounds in 14 years. McDonalds, its main rival, managed to pay as corporate income tax of 80 million UK pounds from its 3.6 billion worth of sales in the UK market and the third largest