Fear Crime Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fear Crime Report - Essay Example This report is to summarizes the findings of the survey carried out and give a general outcome of the findings (Chatterton and Hollands, 2002). Table one Table one shows a survey taken in Kingston, considering various attributes like the age group, gender, disability, ethnicity of a person, focusing on the minority ethnics. It also targeted those who were residents in RBK, adults, in full time education, how they travel to town, the purpose of visit and if they were aware that there was the presence of CCTV in the areas (Gant, 2010). There have been public concerns about the safety of the public because, despite the good record of low crime, there have been exceptional cases of crimes occurring at the town. The table gives statistics of the research from the year 2007 to 2012. It is evident that the number of people willing to participate in the survey increases every time. The highest recorded number of people in the survey hit a record of 1136, in the year 2010 (Table 1). These peo ple are then divided in age groups of under twenty five years, between twenty five and thirty nine years, between forty and fifty nine years, and finally sixty years and over. According to the statistics, those who were under twenty five years among all the age groups, were the ones with the highest number of fear of crime, whereas those who were at the age of sixty years and over, had the least fear of crime in the town. This explains that it is the young ones who have a lot of time in their hands and commit these crimes. Most criminals fall in the age gap of below twenty five. When assessing between the male and female? In all the years, the female is more afraid of crime in the town than their male counterparts. However, these statistics have dropped from a high of 59, to a low of 50.8 in the year 2011. This is encouraging because it shows that the fear of crime has reduced, and this could be attributed to the facts that criminal offences have reduced, and the public safety is en sured. For those who are in full time education, in the town, the story is different because the fear tends to escalate drastically. Another record worth taking note of is the means that people use to travel to the city center. Those who travel by motor cycle are the least fearful of the group, but statistics still shows that the fear of crime has increased, although it is still lower than other means of transport (Oc and Tiesdell, 2001). Those who travel by means of vehicles, that is by bus or personal cars. This shows that these people experience a high rate of crime, therefore they fear for their property and lives. Those who go to school at the city center have the most fear of crime. This was equated to crimes committed in school like bullying, being beaten up and harassment from their fellow students. An exceptionally large number of people are aware of the availability of CCTV in public areas within the town. This gives them the sense of security, since they believe that ther e safety is assured and do not have to fear. It was also reported that some of the crimes committed include vandalism, graffiti, antisocial behavior. Table 2 Table two shows the reported experience of victimization in percentage, in the years 2007 to 2012. The levels of personal victimization are reviewed in the table, and from

Ideas And Issues In The Visit And A Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Essay Example for Free

Ideas And Issues In The Visit And A Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Essay Many works of contemporary literature discuss ideas and topics which are seen in the world around us today. These themes are either directly demonstrated or implied. Two works as such are The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt and A Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The issues raised in these two books are justice, communication, tradition, and moral values. Tradition is the ongoing obligation to commit to something, which is an act that has existed for many years. More often than not, tradition helps keep a community in one piece, much like laws do. In other cases, tradition obligates people and makes them do things they normally wouldnt do. In A Chronicle of a Death Foretold, tradition is one of the forces that drives the Vicario twins to kill Santiago Nasar and therefore clean their familys name. However, the Vicario brothers try to escape tradition. They had a debt which they greatly doubted and criticized. They know what the whole town expects them to do. But on the other side, their everyday life and friendship with Santiago Nasar, their victim, fills them with haste to fulfill tradition and do their pre-said duty. In The Visit, its tradition in the first place that brings the much anticipated lady Zachanassian to Guellen. So, in other words, tradition kills Ill as well as Santiago Nasar. Intertwined with the complications of tradition are the moral values behind any clearly human act. The only reason tradition has always been so difficult to adhere to is because of the moral issues behind the acts that tradition is composed of. This is seen in both pieces. In A Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the Vicario brothers are in a state of great misfortune not only because of the shame inflicted upon the Vicario family name but also because of the deed the have to carry out. However they also want their duty to be done. In an attempt to combine both, the twins unsuccessfully try to be caught whilst looking for Santiago Nasar. In other words, they seek someone to stop them by telling the whole town of their intentions. ,in reality it seemed that the Vicario brothers had done nothing right with a view to killing Santiago Nasar immediately and without any public spectacle, but had done much more than could be imagined to have someone stop them from killing him, and they had failed (p. 56). In The Visit, the town tries to hold its moral values despite the ironic reward the people and state will get if they do not. Later on in the book, even though Guellen has completely lost its morality and plans on doing Maddamme Zachanassians bidding and killing Ill, the townspeople will not admit, whatsoever that they have lost their towns values. Moreover, they blame Ill for not having any morality and tell him that if he had any values he would use a gun on himself outright. Ill, however denies the Mayors suggestion. Mayor: Pity. Youre missing a chance to redeem yourself and be a more or less decent human being. (p. 81) Tradition and the morality behind it are the two most ancient forms of justice. Today, justice is defined by laws and mainly is democratic and clear. But every person has their own form of justice for things, often acquiring either guilt or praise thereafter; or none of the two. Self-justice is reflexively self-justifying. In The Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the Vicario brothers want Justice. However, their morality, as discussed above, does not allow them to justify their familys shame by killing Santiago Nasar. For the sake of tradition they kill Santiago anyway. Pablo and Pedro Vicario tell everybody they come across that they will kill Santiago Nasar, hoping to get caught.. That way, they would have done their justice and duty as the brothers of Angela Vicario, the violated girl, by attempting to kill Santiago and not actually slaying him. They do not commit a crime the do not want to commit and which they consider immoral. Also, when Santiago appears to them, the Vicario twins do not face him head on. Instead they give him a chance of escape by remaining of the opposite side of the street and giving him a head-start through their body language. Clara Zachanassian in The Visit loses all of her moralities during her childhood as a prostitute and thus ends up defying the right and wrong of justice. Therefore, she goes ahead and offers money for an assassination. The townspeople of Guellen try to force back their moralities but fail to do so. As a result they take an alternative route to solving their problem. They masquerade the immorality of the crime of murder as justice. What follows is that they kill Ill with their bare hands. For justice and tradition to be enforced, a clear communication line must be drawn. Communication is what leads to the smooth flow of traditions and miscommunication to their collapse of justice. Morality has to do with a persons ability to communicate to oneself what they truly consider right or wrong; in this case it is contributed to justice and questionable traditions. Pedro and Pablo Vicarios failure to alert the whole town of Riochacha of their imminent crime is a result of poor communication. They misinterpreted the ability of the townspeople to pass on information and the rate in which the news would diffuse their way to Santiago Nasar or to the police. However they did not take one aspect of tradition into account: But most of those who could have done something to prevent the crime and did not consoled themselves with the pretext that affairs of honor are sacred monopolies [according to tradition], giving access only to those who are part of the drama. (p. 114). So, according to tradition, most people in town could not tell the authorities, nor anyone for that matter, about the Vicario twins and on top of that they could justify themselves by blaming it on the towns ethics. Destiny makes us invisible (Quote, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1928) The town of Guellen, on the other hand, had a level of communication between them far better than any other. They could communicate through the sub-conscious. It is not exactly stated that the Guelleners had actually decided upon killing Ill, so this could be assumed. They were very well organized and swift in killing Ill, as they were able to put many new products they wanted, more than needed, on account. As is clear, tradition, morality and justice are all connectable aspects which are usually bound together by a means of communication. Situations become elaborate and complications arise. The Chronicle of a Death Foretold and The Visit are two great examples of a situation that results from the combinations of those four issues.

William Blake uses this poem in order to convey a message to the :: English Literature

William Blake uses this poem in order to convey a message to the audience regarding childhood. He does this by using various literary and linguistic approaches throughout this piece of writing. The reader can depict that there are two voices used in this poem and they have been presented in a creative way. Blake has chosen to write six stanzas; the first three in the voice of a child, and the second three in the voice of himself. In the first three stanzas, Blake demonstrates contrasts between the feelings of the child. The first stanza is written in the first person narrative, which gives the text a more personal effect. â€Å"I love to rise in the summer morn† This opening line of this poem shows the reader the enthusiasm shared by the child. The abstract noun ‘love’ immediately gives the poem emotion. Its shows exaggeration and gives the reader a pictorial image of how the child would rise in the summer morn. However, this happy emotion is contradicted in the second and third stanzas. The author uses lexical choices such as ‘sighing’, ‘dismay’, and ‘drooping’ which shows the reader that the emotions of the voice in the opening stanzas have been reversed and the atmosphere is no longer pleasant like in stanza one. Blake uses two settings in which the scene is set in this poem. The first stanza reveals the scene as being set in the outdoor. References are made to ‘birds’, ‘winds’ and ‘sings’ which are all things associated with happiness and the outdoors. These are dynamic verbs; used to help emphasise the atmosphere and to what extent the child likes it. The second and third stanzas reveal the scene of being at school, in a classroom. â€Å"But to go to school on a summer morn† This shows us that the child is expressing his feelings towards his school life. The connective ‘But’ gives the reader the impression of uncertainty and hesitation, which strengthens the fact that the child does not enjoy school. The mood of the poem suddenly changes and the reader is made aware of the fact that the child does not enjoy the process in which he is educated. Various contrasts are made throughout the poem to symbolise the contrasting feelings of the child when in the outdoors compared to when at school. â€Å"I love to rise in a summer morn† is contrasting to â€Å"†¦ at times I drooping sit† The author has used opposing verbs in these lines, which shows the difference between what the child voice feels towards two different settings. These two sentences give the reader the impression that the child is eager to get up in the mornings to explore the outdoors

Andres Resendez “A Land So Strange” Essay

Thesis: The author posits that the derivative of a tragically unsuccessful colonization effort results with an epic ten-year odyssey of survival, assimilation, and revelation as the first Old World outsiders to athwart and live in the interior of North America. The culmination of the experiences of Cabeza de Vaca, man of influence, stranded in unexplored lands, encountering and existing with countless Native American tribes as guest, slave, trader, and healer engenders an atypical ideal of humane colonization and coexistence. Summary: Resendez retells the story of the ill-fated Narvaez expedition to Florida, placing the survivors story against the context of contemporary Spanish politics, culture, and power struggles associated with colonization amid the pre-contact Native American sphere. The stage is set with a brief description of the relationships of Velazquez, Narvaez, Cortes, and the Spanish court (15,17, 22). This background information clarifies the near impenetrability of ob taining a royal charter and the complicated, perfidious, and competitive maneuverings of the Spanish explorers (30-33). Cortes’ alleged treachery becomes heroic conquest slighting competitors Velazquez and Narvaez who after years of petitions receives an adelantamiento in the New World (73). The expedition, three plus hundred men and women, lead by Narvaez experiences a litany of encumbrances that resulted in the unrealized and in due course unpropitious landing at Tampa Bay, over nine hundred miles off course (77). A landing party of three hundred men, including Cabeza de Vaca, set out to find Panuco, encountered Native Americans that enticed the group to search for prosperous Apalachee further north (94). By this time the group was suffering severely from hunger, disease, and at the hands of Native Americans, driven by desperation rafts were built to carry the men along the coast of Louisiana, a tumultuous trek of starvation, drowning, and further Indian attacks, landed along the coast of Texas (134). Attrition claims all but four, deVaca, Dorantes, Castillo, and Moroccan Estebanico, whose lives over the next ten years are analogous to Homer’s Odyssey. Initially treated as guests, cared for and fed by local indigenous peoples, soon to become slaves of many itinerant tribes for six years (145). During captivity, the survivors learned native languages, cultures, intertribal repositioning (146), and in the case of de  Vaca became a thriving trader with autonomous travel privileges (149-151). The four escape their captors and implausibly achieve the status of healers, combining Catholicism and native traditions in their ministering, are then used by Native Americans leaders in a heal for profit scheme were passed from one tribe to the next, and achieved pseudo celebrity status (183). Contact with Spaniards and reintroduction to civilized life proved very difficult for the survivors after nearly ten years of aboriginal living and certainly suffered from culture shock, Cabeza d e Vaca mentions difficulties wearing western clothes again (215). Cabeza de Vaca, like Friar Las Casas twenty years earlier (21), shared an epiphany to defend and advocate for peaceful cohabitation and humane colonization of America, neither realizing this ambition (221). Critique: The author employs pertinent primary sources, including the narrative of Cabeza de Vaca, in chorus with reasonable speculative insertions of the conditions and behaviors to make a compelling and more authentic story. However, Resendez states that â€Å"they†, the four survivors, all left the experience with the epiphany to advocate for â€Å"humane† colonization. The author only provides direct evidence that supports this claim in the case of Cabeza de Vaca, not that for his three survivor companions.

Operant Conditioning Paper

Operant Conditioning Vanessa Mejias November 28, 2011 Ross Seligman PSY/390 Operant Conditioning In a world that was ruled by psychoanalytic studies, and Thorndike’s puzzle box to explain behaviorism, B. F. Skinner was a revolutionary in the world of psychology. His studies and reports on operant conditioning has not only survived ridicule and skepticism in his time but has also survived the passage of time and social evolution to incorporate his theories several decades later. By learning from and expanding upon Skinner’s schedule of reinforcement the world of social and academic learning has evolved from a puzzling act to a learned process that could be understood the world over. During his research Skinner developed a theory to modify behavior believing that behavior can be created because of a positive or negative stimulus or environment, instead of just instinctually responding to stimuli, like scratching an itch. While he did not create the foundation of behavior modification, his research allowed him to expand upon already existing theories developed by Pavlov and Thorndike. Skinner’s theory consisted of two types of behavior, respondent and operant behavior (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). To go along with, and help modify unwanted behavior Skinner developed two types of conditioning. Type S also known as respondent conditioning and Type R also known as operant conditioning. Type S conditioning is the equivalent to classic conditioning as described by Pavlov and focuses primarily on the significance of the stimulus creating a preferred response or behavior (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). Whereas type R conditioning is similar to Thorndike’s instrumental conditioning, by focusing upon the response after the stimulus (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). The theory of operant conditioning focuses on the four types of stimuli that can elicit a response. Positive reinforcement is an act that adds to a reinforcement that will emit an increase in behavior, while negative reinforcement is an act that takes away a reinforcement that will create an increase in behavior. Whereas punishment follows the same guidelines with positive and negative punishment however the difference lies in the behavior. While reinforcement will increase behavior punishment is supposed to decrease behavior. Extinction however is the act of eliminating the reinforcement or punishment to eliminate the behavior and go back to the behavior prior to attempted modification. The differences between positive and negative reinforcements are not that profound. In actuality the similarities are sounder than the differences. Reinforcement is the act of increasing behavior, however it is the type of reinforcement used that causes the differences. If positive reinforcement is used then the stimuli will add to the behavior, for instance a dog is told to sit while the trainer pushes down on the hind side. Once the dog sits he or she is given a treat. Again the act is repeated with the same reinforcement given, so in this instance the dog is learning that once the required behavior is preformed it will receive a treat, the treat is adding to the increased and desired behavior. However, in the form of negative reinforcement a stimuli is taken away to increase the desired behavior. For instance, if a child wants a donut but will not eat their food, then the caregiver will take away the donut and tell the child they need to eat their lunch before they have their snack. In this instance the snack is taken away so that the child will increase the behavior of eating what is required before unhealthy foods. Although reinforcement, punishment and extinction all have their uses, it is debatable which is more effective. Skinner determined that punishment was not as effective as reinforcements. However the debate is whether positive or negative reinforcement is more effective. Upon review, it seems that positive and negative reinforcement has the same affect yet need to be administered under different circumstances based upon the behavior required, the environment, personality and cultural influences that play significant parts in an individual’s behavior. Throughout Skinner’s research he created a method in which behavior modification could be observed. This is called a schedule of reinforcement. Although Pavlov started to experiment with partial reinforcement with classical conditioning, it was the comprehensive research that Skinner performed that resulted in the complete understanding and effectiveness of scheduled reinforcement. An example of operant conditioning that uses scheduled reinforcement is toilet training. Toilet training incorporates operant and classical conditioning, however it is through the use of reinforcement that creates a positive outcome. During toilet training the child is introduced to the continuous reinforcement schedule, which means that every time the child controls their bladder and uses the toilet a reinforcement will be given. After a time this schedule can be altered to incorporate the fixed interval reinforcement schedule, what this means is that after a set amount of time the child will use the restroom on their own and receive a reinforcement afterwards, so the child will learn to anticipate the reinforcement prior to the use of the toilet. Once toilet training is complete the child will go from operant conditioning [using the toilet for reward], to classical conditioning [using the toilet to feel relief from the discomfort of a full bladder]. Although Skinner’s methods have been ridiculed and are abstract compared to other behaviorists’ theories, his research has allowed the field of psychology to move onto other avenues of possibilities. Whereas, Thorndike, Hull, Pavlov and other known greats have set the foundation to psychology, it was Skinner’s methods and emphasis on operant conditioning that allowed mankind to evolve in the understanding of behavior in animals and humans alike. As a result of Skinner’s radical views educators, animal trainers, psychologists, and caregivers are given hope that change in one’s behavior is attainable and eliminates the ‘blame’ method of humanity. Skinner’s work defines what it means to be ‘responsible for one’s own actions’. References Olsen, M. , & Hergerhahn, B. R. (2009). An Introduction to Theories of Learning [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSY390 website. Operant Conditioning Paper Operant Conditioning Berline Jean Baptiste PSY/390 March 4, 2013 Esther Siler-Colbert Abstract When thinking about conditioning in general, one will, most likely, refer to classical, and operant conditioning right away. Furthermore, those who study psychology will associate classical conditioning with Ivan Pavlov who was a famous Russian psychologist and operant conditioning with B. F. Skinner, who was a very influential American psychologist. Even though both types of conditioning differ greatly from each other, they are still equally significant to education.Operant Conditioning If one follows the assumptions of a behaviorist, then not all behavior is genetically determined. Since it is not, it is either a function of responded or operant conditioning. Skinner surely followed the footsteps of E. L. Thorndike, who used the term â€Å"of instrumental conditioning instead of operant†. Both, however, believed that animals and humans are capable of more complicated behavior, albe it gradually. According to Skinner, this form of learning was a conditioning one, but one that was of a different kind from the one proposed by Pavlov.For instance, in respondent behavior, one does something in a passive manner to the environment; however, in operant conditioning, one does it because somewhere in the past this kind of behavior was associated with a pleasing outcome or with trying to avoid the occurrence of an unpleasant one. Therefore, quite opposite from what respondent behavior is, this kind of operant is always conditioned. Very important to indicate that the probability of a behavior occurring again, increases or decreases with the merit of its consequences. Clearly, it can be said that one learns to colligate an action to its consequence.The bond between the action and the consequence is referred to as contingency, which further declares one’s behavior in the future (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). In Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning there are three different terms, which are needed, and they are stimulus, response, and reinforcement, and as acknowledged by Skinner on several occasions, life is full of reinforces. There are different kinds of reinforces too, such as food or sex, to which one responds instinctively. These kinds of reinforces are known as primary reinforces and do not need to be learned.However, one responds mostly to reinforce that were conditioned, referred today to as secondary reinforces (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). There are three components in operant conditioning named positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment. According to Skinner’s theory, reinforcement is a consequence that will result in a behavior repeating; punishment has the opposite effect. It is very important to know that the terms positive and negative do not refer to something being just pleasant or unpleasant but instead, they indicate if a stimulus was added or taken away.To further simplify, in positi ve reinforcement the behavior is strengthened by adding a stimulus and in negative reinforcement, the behavior is weakened by removing one. Still, it is very important to point out that negative reinforcement is very often confused with punishment. One needs to keep in mind that one kind strengthens behavior, such as the reinforcement, whereas the other one, the punishment, eliminates behavior (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). It is difficult to define clearly, which reinforcement is the most effective one.Two major factors, the organism itself and the kind of circumstances, come into play when trying to make a decision of this kind. While for some, positive reinforcement may work truly well, for others the effectiveness of a negative reinforcement might do more. In addition, the results one seeks could also influence which one might be the better choice. So for instance, if one is in a restaurant and had a great dinner, he or she will most likely leave a big tip. In this scenario, po sitive reinforcement will most likely have a greater impact than a negative one.However, one would use negative reinforcement when trying to remove something annoying, such as a loud noise. Using a seatbelt in a car will remove the annoying beep noise that is usually there when one is unbuckled. Therefore, using the seatbelt is reinforced because it removes a stimulus. In summary, it can be acknowledge that both kinds of reinforcement are very effective since they increase the chance of a future response. In addition to positive and negative reinforcement, there is also the positive and negative punishment.For instance, positive punishment can be one adding an angry voice to an argument while negative punishment can be removing privileges, which parents often do when trying to punish their children for bad behavior. Once again, what kind of reinforcement, and even punishment, is the most effective, truly depends on different aspects (Schunk, 2008). The use of operant conditioning ca n be very often observed in parents raising their children. The same can be applied to me. I am a mom of two boys, one who is almost two years old and the other who is two months old. They not only differ in their physical appearance but also in their character.It seems while negative reinforcement might work truly well on the 19 months old, it probably would not work well on my two months old when his older. Since my 19 months old is usually very active, behave extremely well, like to read his book, and due his daily learning charts if this would suddenly change, I would try to apply negative reinforcement to shape his behavior. Even though my two months old is not yet old enough to take action towards, but if he starts crying after his diaper has been change and he’s been fed then I will use positive reinforcement to shape his behavior.Knowing my 19 months old, I am assuming the only possible way to shape his behavior and have him read his book and also have him do his dail y learning charts constantly would be by having him spend more time indoors, instead of playing outside. Therefore, the choice to use negative reinforcement is the perfect one for him and for this kind of situation. If he wanted to go outside more and play, he would be able to gain more of this time back by not falling behind. Once doing so, he could go outside again and play with his friends. In this case, good behavior would decrease the time he would have to stay indoors.If my two months old decided not to stop crying and would require some attention, I would use attention to shape his behavior, which in this case would work as a positive reinforcement. Paying attention to him, showing him that I am here even when he is not being held would make him feel more secure and won’t mind lying in his swinger. In addition, depending on the situation, continuous reinforcement might not always be possible. For instance, I might not always have the time to give him all of my attentio n because I do have to share myself between him and my other son.Maybe additional strategies, such as the use of reinforcement schedules, might be necessary. There are four kinds of reinforcement schedules called fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval. In my son’s case, variable ratio might work well. He knows he will get the attention when I can; however, he won’t know when it will happen. However, if both, the positive and negative reinforcement, seem not to work, then there is the possibility of using punishment. In this case, I would take privileges away from both of them so that their behavior can be shaped (Martinez, 2010).References Alloy, L. , B. , Riskind, J. , H. & Manos, M. , J. (2005). Abnormal psychology: Current perspectives (9th. ed. ) New York, NY: The McGraw-Hills Companies Inc. Martinez, M. , E. (2010). Learning and cognition: The design of the mind. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Olson, M. , H. & Hergenhahn , B. , R. (2009). An Introduction to theories of learning. (8th. Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Schunk, D. , H. (2008). Learning theories: An educational perspective (5th. ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

3 Cases of Missing Commas

3 Cases of Missing Commas 3 Cases of Missing Commas 3 Cases of Missing Commas By Mark Nichol The presence or absence of a single punctuation mark can create confusion or ambiguity about the meaning of a sentence. Three sentences illustrating this problem, each followed by discussion and revision, follow: 1. These factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors given the board’s crowded agenda. The lack of punctuation preceding given creates the implication that it is a verb that refers to something the directors are being handed. But here, given is a preposition signaling that information about a mitigating factor is about to be imparted, and punctuation should separate this tacked-on phrase from the main clause: â€Å"These factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors, given the board’s crowded agenda.† (The additional phrase could also begin the sentence: â€Å"Given the board’s crowded agenda, these factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors.†) 2. It’s not a real pleasant experience to tell you the truth. As written, this sentence suggests that the writer does not enjoy telling the truth to the reader (or, if the sentence is a quotation, to someone the speaker is talking to), but this is not the writer’s (or speaker’s) intent. To signal that â€Å"to tell the truth† is simply a conversational aside, it should be separated from the main clause: â€Å"It’s not a real pleasant experience, to tell you the truth.† (As in the previous sentence, the modifying phrase can begin the sentence: â€Å"To tell you the truth, it’s not a real pleasant experience.†) 3. The coach had pursued a star athlete only to have a deal fall just short. This sentence reads as if the coach had tried to recruit an athlete for the sole purpose of having a deal fall short; only could be misconstrued as a synonym for merely. But the part of the sentence starting with only is a modifying phrase describing the result of a sincere recruiting effort, and it should be set off from the main clause: â€Å"The coach had pursued a star athlete, only to have a deal fall just short.† (Unlike the dependent clauses and the main clauses in the sentences above, this pair of clauses cannot be transposed without heavy revision.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their Synonyms45 Idioms About the Number One

A Look at Instant Messaging essays

A Look at Instant Messaging essays Instant Messaging, or IM for short, is a way of communicating via typing on a PC, wireless phone, or other Internet appliance or device. Using something called presence, which is the capability to alert the user to whenever somebody on their private list is online, the user can create a private chat room with another individual and exchange messages across the internet or network. IM differs from a chat room by having the conversation between only two people, rather than several people. Besides just sending messages to other users, most instant messaging services also allow users to create chatrooms and transfer files, as well as allowing webcams and streaming content, such as stocks and news updates. Prior to 1996, communication was a slow and deliberate process, considering one's choices were limited to telephones, letters, and face-to-face contact. Even E-mail took a while to send and receive replies and was too slow for some. The idea of sending discussion online was beginning to blossom in the mid-nineties with the introduction of online bulletin and discussion boards. Instant messaging gives you the chance to connect with many different people. You can send messages to anyone on your list, and it also gives you a chance to meet new people. (Tyson, J) Before the Internet became popular, a lot of people were already online through the use of bulletin boards and online services. A bulletin board is comparable to a single, isolated Web site that you reach using special communications software and a modem. You create an entry in the software for the bulletin board that contains the board's direct phone number and any special parameters for connecting to the computer hosting the bulletin board. Once connected to the board, you normally use a series of menus to navigate through the board's contents. To reach another board, you have to disconnect from the first board and dial up to the other one. (Tyson, J pg 1). Online s...

The Story of the First Lawn Mower

The Story of the First Lawn Mower Formal lawns made of short, well-maintained grass first appeared in France around the 1700s, and the idea soon spread to England and the rest of the world. But the methods of maintaining lawns were labor-intensive, inefficient or inconsistent: Lawns were first kept clean and tidy by having animals graze on the grass, or by the use of scythe, sickle, or shears to hand-cut the grass lawns. That changed in the mid-19th century with the invention of the lawnmower.   Machine for Mowing Lawns The first patent for a mechanical lawn mower described as a Machine for mowing lawns, etc. was granted on August 31, 1830, to engineer, Edwin Beard Budding (1795-1846) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.  Buddings design was based on a cutting tool used for the uniform trimming of carpet. It was a reel-type mower that had a series of blades arranged around a cylinder. John Ferrabee, owner of Phoenix Foundry at Thrupp Mill, Stroud, first produced the Budding lawn mowers, which were sold to the Zoological Gardens in London (see illustration). In 1842,  Scotsman Alexander Shanks invented  a 27-inch pony drawn reel lawn mower. The first United States patent for a reel lawn mower was granted to Amariah Hills on January 12, 1868. Early lawn mowers were often designed to be horse-drawn, with the horses often wearing oversized leather booties to prevent lawn damage. In 1870, Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana designed a very popular human pushed lawn mower; while it wasnt the first to be human-pushed, his design was very lightweight and became a commercial success. Steam-powered lawn mowers appeared in the 1890s. In 1902, Ransomes produced the first commercially available mower powered by an internal combustion gasoline engine. In the United States, gasoline powered lawn mowers were first manufactured in 1919 by Colonel Edwin George.   On May 9, 1899, John Albert Burr patented an improved rotary blade lawn mower. While marginal improvements have been made in mower technology (including the all-important riding mower), some municipalities and companies are bringing back the old ways by using grazing goats as a low-cost, low-emission mower alternative.

Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Strategic Management - Case Study Example The marketing projection is done by taking into consideration the entire products of Fujifilm and its market growth in the past years. The operational estimation is conducted by considering the set marketing plan. The outer and inner environment of the company and the competitors’ strength, as well as weakness, facilitates to estimate the operational prediction. The financial analysis is done by examining the marketing and operations of the company and their performance along with income statement of the previous years. The paper also covers the process of implementation of major objectives in order to achieve success. Finally, the paper is completed with a brief conclusion. The sales projection relates to the estimation of potential sales of a company at a certain time period. The sales projection of Fujifilm’s products and services can be prepared for the coming five years. The marketing projection of Fujifilm for successive five years from the present scenario is based on several factors. There may be external or internal factors that affect sales projection (Sane Jose State University, â€Å"Process for Sales Projection†). The marketing and sales of the product of Fujifilm have helped to increase its market share and proper planning will enhance its growth in the coming years. The various factors that are responsible for Fujifilm’s future projection are seasonability aspect prevalent in business, comparative situation of the economy, fashions of new products, changing population and productivity, income of consumer, present market share, innovative product lines, inventory shortage, recent trend in sales and price changes among others (Sane Jose State University, â€Å"Process for Sales Projection†). The various marketing products of Fujifilm are ‘electronics products’, ‘highly functional materials’, ‘medical imaging’, ‘life science’, ‘graphic arts’, ‘optical devices’ and ‘documents’. These products are expanding globally and are in huge demand in the market. To maintain its demand in future, the company needs to develop various marketing techniques. The market share of LCD FUJITAC in a global market is 80% and for WV film it acquires 100%.

PESTLE Analisys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PESTLE Analisys - Essay Example There is minimal political interference since the company deals with entertainment products. Though, the government once ordered the CDs produced by HMV to be investigated. This is simply because the company was making too much profit that led to a rise in suspicions of the eligibility of the CDs. Economically, several factors pose a great effect on the company. The crash on the company finances due to the acquisition of Waterston’s agency had a severe impact. The company’s shares performed poorly in the London stock exchange. The great impact made the company to have a partial closure. The unstable currency in the past recession years had a great impact on the company’s economy. This is because currency exchange from the signed deals produced futile results. Another factor that greatly affects the economy of HMV is the decline in the company’s performance in 2009.This affected the market as many customers felt that the company did not offer the best. The overall decline in the entertainment industry by 3.4% in 2008 had diverse effects on the company too. Firms in other countries working under the brand name of HMV contribute revenue to the company empowering it economically. The sales revenue of the company rose by 3.1% in 2010. This increased popularity of the brand and the cash inflow. On the sect of social factors, change in consumer demands or else lifestyle changes affects the company. This is whereby the customers drift their demand from one product completely to the other. If there were large stocks of the product, the company may experience a loss. It is mostly brought about by celebrities and other influential people. Advertising these items on a more apparent note helps to adhere to the lifestyle changes by reducing stock. The tapping of music and entertainment is another social factor. Most people can easily burn personal CDs posing a great challenge on the markets of HMV. They can also transfer music from one device to t he other without necessarily purchasing it. On the technology trends, several factors are considered. These include; Online business. Most of the music and computer games can be sold online. This is in line with business protection. The use of DVD s may not be applicable anymore since the sale of music can be easily done through the internet. The company can direct its focus on dealing with such issues to keep up with the pace of the fast developing technology.HMV has created a website whereby it sells its products through an online market. Another one is filming technology. There is the use of high filming technology that provides a live coverage of events. It can be used to record live performances of celebrities. The performances can be sold online for example through YouTube. This easily copes the growing technology. The company also utilizes the social media sites, for example face book. These sites can be used as advertisement centres. This is because they can be accessed by a large number of people. The various products offered by the company are displayed to the customers giving updates on the trending issues (Adams, J. L, 2002, 44). There are ecological factors that can be depicted. The shift from plastic DVDs to using the internet in order to protect the environment is a considerate factor. The plastic CDs that are not re-used but instead disposed off, can affect the environment since they are non-biodegradable. The cost of purchasing CDs is higher than that of selling music

History US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History US - Essay Example to world power status. The New Deal provided numerous economic programs that stabilized the economy through giving support in banking and finance, unemployment, and agriculture. In banking and finance, President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered significant credit facilities to industry and agriculture. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) also insured savings-bank deposits up to $5,000. Moreover, to reduce unemployment that affected 13 million Americans, Roosevelt created job-stimulating programs. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a program that gave mostly conservation jobs to young men between 18 and 25 years of age (IIP Digital, 2008). The Public Works Administration (PWA) gave employment to skilled construction workers for different medium- to large-sized projects, among other programs (IIP Digital, 2008). In addition, to improve agricultural revenues, the Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) in 1933. It gave economic relief to farmers by increasing crop prices throug h paying farmers a subsidy to reimburse them for deliberate cutbacks in production (IIP Digital, 2008). Despite these job and financial programs, the New Deal did not restore the Gross National Product (GNP), consumption levels, and employment rates to pre-Depression years (West, n.d.). World War II created complete economic recovery because of greater federal spending that improved employment rates both for men and women and for whites and colored people. Military spending by the federal government jump-started the economy, increasing GNP, consumption levels, and employment rates more than the New Deal did. By 1943, California’s aircraft and shipbuilding industries hired 243,000 and 280,000 people correspondingly, and tens of thousands worked in plants in Pacific Northwest (West, n.d.). In Seattle, the Boeing Company’s sales of aircraft in 1944 reached ten times that of the total city’s industries five years before (West, n.d.). With bustling

Project Management The effectiveness of the plans Essay

Project Management The effectiveness of the plans - Essay Example Project management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of company resources for a relatively short-term objective that has been established to complete specific goals and objectives. For planning and organizing the resources, Program evaluation and review technique(PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) are widely used techniques for better planning and control in project management. It forms the basis for all planning and predicting and these techniques provide the management with the ability to plan for the best possible use of resources to achieve a goal within the stipulated time and allotted budget. These techniques which were used for defense during the World War II, are now used by business managers across the world to get a visibility of the activities involved in the project so that repetition of activities is reduced. It helps the management to handle the uncertainties involved in the program by analyzing how much time is required for each activity and which activity is crucial for the timely completion of the project. It is useful for the management to collect all the relevant information for making decisions. The major deficiency of other methods such as the Gantt, milestone or bubble chart is the inability to show the interdependencies between event s and activities, which is overcome in the network analysis. The foremost advantage of PERT is that it requires planning in detail to create a network of activities. Network development and critical path analysis reveal interdependencies and problem areas that are not very clear if other methods are used. The technique lays its focus on determining where the greatest effort should be made for a project to stay on schedule. The next greatest advantage of network analysis is that the business manager can know about the probability of meeting specified deadlines by development of alternative plans. Another advantage of this analysis is that we can evaluate the effect of changes in the program. For example this technique can evaluate the effect of contemplated shift of resources from the less critical activities to the activities that are identified as probable bottlenecks. Thus resources and performance tradeoffs can be evaluated. This analysis also helps to present even the most complicated data into a diagram which can be presented to the custo mer/ management which makes the understanding and decision making easier. The network diagram and the calculation of total float is shown in the appendix - 1 and 2 respectively. The total project duration is 73 days and the critical path for the project includes the activities A, B, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, R. If the project starts on May 5th, 2008, the earliest date it will be completed is 13th August, 2008 if it is assumed that there are 5 days working in every week. From the analysis, we can say that when there is a 4 day delay during Q or E, there will not be any change because these activities are not a part of the critical path. When activity P is finished one day in advance, then the whole project will

Infrastructure for Data Storage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Infrastructure for Data Storage - Essay Example In simple words, Direct Attached Storage (DAS) is a storage device directly attached to a host system, such as the internal hard drive of a server computer. In order to store data for the computer system, the DAS is the most well-known method. This is considered as the core element that is promoted by Oracle and several other startups. In 2004, the Sun’s Honeycomb filter box introduces Nutanix’s Compete Cluster and Oracle’s Exadata and Exalogic along with incorporated server or storage supplies. The DAS model is then reinvented by these modern developments and a kind of clustered DAS. There is a threat according to the dominant nature of SAN among the direct-attached storage and SAN preference. Moreover, SAN provides extraordinary and well-organized storage elements to many servers as compared to DAS. In a typical SAN display, the server-based applications obtain storage I/Os completed in a constantly short time and data is saved from missing. In addition, many servers share the infrastructure provided by SAN to access the application. However, SAN data can be accessed by any independent servers. The applications assume that they are using DAS while but in reality, they are accessing a SAN. In order to speed up the applications, the SUN Honeycomb is implicated by placing NAS disks into the similar inclusion while using multiple servers and advanced file systems. This proposal did not spread commonly but it worked for Sun. Moreover, once the Oracle is purchased by the Sun, the class was generated for super charged Exalogic and Exadata boxes. The typical SAN was produced and created earlier than utilization of VMware and server virtualization. If this is accomplished, the servers can get a larger number of cores and sockets. For instance, a physical servers including CPU in working condition along with Windows became a two socket, quad-core computer and contain eight cores.  

Project Management The effectiveness of the plans Essay

Project Management The effectiveness of the plans - Essay Example Project management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of company resources for a relatively short-term objective that has been established to complete specific goals and objectives. For planning and organizing the resources, Program evaluation and review technique(PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) are widely used techniques for better planning and control in project management. It forms the basis for all planning and predicting and these techniques provide the management with the ability to plan for the best possible use of resources to achieve a goal within the stipulated time and allotted budget. These techniques which were used for defense during the World War II, are now used by business managers across the world to get a visibility of the activities involved in the project so that repetition of activities is reduced. It helps the management to handle the uncertainties involved in the program by analyzing how much time is required for each activity and which activity is crucial for the timely completion of the project. It is useful for the management to collect all the relevant information for making decisions. The major deficiency of other methods such as the Gantt, milestone or bubble chart is the inability to show the interdependencies between event s and activities, which is overcome in the network analysis. The foremost advantage of PERT is that it requires planning in detail to create a network of activities. Network development and critical path analysis reveal interdependencies and problem areas that are not very clear if other methods are used. The technique lays its focus on determining where the greatest effort should be made for a project to stay on schedule. The next greatest advantage of network analysis is that the business manager can know about the probability of meeting specified deadlines by development of alternative plans. Another advantage of this analysis is that we can evaluate the effect of changes in the program. For example this technique can evaluate the effect of contemplated shift of resources from the less critical activities to the activities that are identified as probable bottlenecks. Thus resources and performance tradeoffs can be evaluated. This analysis also helps to present even the most complicated data into a diagram which can be presented to the custo mer/ management which makes the understanding and decision making easier. The network diagram and the calculation of total float is shown in the appendix - 1 and 2 respectively. The total project duration is 73 days and the critical path for the project includes the activities A, B, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, R. If the project starts on May 5th, 2008, the earliest date it will be completed is 13th August, 2008 if it is assumed that there are 5 days working in every week. From the analysis, we can say that when there is a 4 day delay during Q or E, there will not be any change because these activities are not a part of the critical path. When activity P is finished one day in advance, then the whole project will

The Future of Muslim Brotherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Future of Muslim Brotherhood - Essay Example What influenced the development of Muslim Brotherhood throughout the world is a shared set of religious values in which the basic social sentiment is that Islam should be the guiding force for a society as well as in governing the social lifestyle of people (El-Sherif, 2014). In the Middle East, Islam is the most dominant religion with substantial devotion and following by society members practicing its ideology (Knudsen, 2003). Islamists believe that the Quran’s guiding principles could satisfy the divine, thus serving as the most relevant political model for a society in order to ensure that devoted precepts of the Quran are the fundamental goals of society (El-Sherif, 2014; Knudsen, 2003). To not establish Islamist values in society and politics is considered unfavorable secularism and unfaithfulness to Islam. In fact, their inability to achieve this communion is quite unfavorable for the devoted Islamist. Hence, it adds pressure to establish the Muslim Brotherhood througho ut the world. The development of this ideology is a modern belief or idea that the practice of conservative Islamic values and liberalism can successfully be reconciled in a single political governance system which can be used to guide the society and allow the state to function well in a globalized world (El-Sherif, 2014). In relation to the political and social revolutions in Egypt, this study aims to determine whether or not the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt could maintain long-term support from the local citizens.

The Meaning of Torture Porn Essay Example for Free

The Meaning of Torture Porn Essay Stephen King once wrote, in his seminal book on horror, Danse Macabre, â€Å"I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud† (Kaye 3). From the sequence of horror movies that have flooded the market over the past couple of years, it’s obvious that many of the filmmakers behind him aren’t too proud either. Horror cinema seems like it has become an ocean of gore, and the current trend has even gotten its own name: torture porn. The term â€Å"torture porn† has little to do with real pornography. There is virtually no sexual activity involved, although the victims are usually nude or partially nude. Torture is defined by Dictionary.com as â€Å"the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty†. It expresses the idea that its viewers are intensely aroused by the sight of human bodies – usually young and quite often female that are getting torn into bloody chunks in the most awful ways imaginable (Williams 1). The next part of the term, porn, has nothing do to with what is going on onscreen and when placed alongside torture, has nothing to do with the definition of either word. Porn is a shortened form of pornography, which Dictionary.com defines principally as â€Å"†¦sexually explicit pictures, writings, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.† Seeing a naked body onscreen isn’t extremely explicit or sexually arousing in many situations, especially if the nude is being hacked to pieces by a fictional serial killer with a prop knife. In short, the characters in most well-known torture porn films are not usually developed enough to make us feel much sympathy for them; they’re simply, men and women, set up to be sliced apart. â€Å"There’s a definite distinction between being grossed out and being terrified and I think many filmmakers have lost sight of that†, says Ryan Rotten, managing editor of the horror Web Site ShockTilYouDrop.com (Kaye 3). According to Rafe Telsch, an assistant editor of Cinema Blend website: Almost everyone I know goes to the movies for similar reasons. We go to the movies because they entertain us. In the movies exists a world where the good guys win, hope prevails, and love conquers all. Movies make us feel better about ourselves and the world we live in and sometimes offer that aphorism of wisdom we need to make it through rough times. A horror movie primarily serves to scare or horrify, to haunt someone long after they’ve watched, or terrify them while they are watching it. However, in recent years, sadly, we are mostly seeing gore, more females, or should I say â€Å"hotties†, being tortured for most of the film, beaten, tied up, faces cut off, limbs cut off, legs caught in some kind of traps – and for what? The films serve little or no purpose in storytelling or character development. This is not horror, it does not scare or leave you scared to turn the light off, and the films end usually in an easily predicted way. Our generation is past desensitization after watching countless disgusting mutilations slowly destroy the human bodies onscreen. So, do torture porn movies really serve any purpose, other than to gross the audience out and put them off their food? I personally cannot reason why movie audiences would find this recently popular sub-genre interesting. Instead of promoting the good in mankind, these movies promote the worst possible traits of the human race. In the real world, we take people who kidnap, torture, mutilate, maim, and kill innocent people and lock them away, even putting some to death. Nowadays, a group of filmmakers want to recreate that same concept in a fictional environment, glorifying sick behavior to sell tickets. Even worse, people are buying those tickets, maintaining the strength of these kinds of films and ensuring more to come. To be clear, my problem is not with the horror genre as a whole. A lot of horror exemplifies the idea of good versus evil with good eventually saving the day (not always, but frequently). I’ve been a horror fan almost since I could watch movies, which is somewhere around the age of 6. I remember the times when I visited my grandparents with my younger brother during the summer, and we couldn’t wait until 10 o’clock to see a horror movie, since our parents stayed in the city. Our grandparents would always go to bed early, and we knew that on weekends, starting from 10 o’clock most of the channels would show some type of a horror movie. Usually, my brother would ask me to shut off the TV and go to bed as soon as the best part of the movie began (by which I mean the scariest part), but I stayed, even though I had my eyes covered with a pillow for the majority of the movie. As I got older, I no longer needed the pillow. Most of the American movie-going society is familiar with the Saw films initiated in 2003 by James Wan and Leign Whannell, and with Eli Roth’s two Hostel films (released in 2005 and 2007), which represent the most lucrative horror films of the 21st century and serve as the most prominent examples of torture porn (Sharrett 32). So, when Saw 5 came out in 2008 and my friends dragged me into theater to watch it, I was shocked and sat in astonishment as Jigsaw’s victims were tortured. Jigsaw, the main antagonist of the series, places his victims in death traps that can only be stopped by the murder of another person. That night I left the theater wondering why anyone would ever want to watch torture in a movie when there’s enough of it in the real world. I understand that for some of us horror movies allow us to confront our fears in a safe setting, but it’s a huge difference thinking about that when you’re watching someone torture another human being, in all of its ugliness, on-screen than when you’re watching the nightly news. If we can gain positive lessons about life from the movies, then what kind of moralistic values are torture porn movies instilling in our culture? As Rafe Telsch asked, â€Å"Are we cultivating a crop of sadistic killers by allowing these kinds of movies to be made and shown?†(1).What is even more disturbing about torture films is that while I was watching My Bloody Valentine (2009) in the cinema, people seemed to take great delight in laughing or cheering when an innocent character was injured or murdered. This, again, shows how horror films are moving away from what they originally stood for: the ultimate triumph of good over the worst evils in humanity. Additionally we, as an audience, aren’t supposed to be cheering for the â€Å"bad guys†, we’re supposed to want the heroic characters to overcome the evil and survive the horrors. By now most of you have probably heard about the controversy surrounding Captivity billboards as part of the film’s outdoor ad campaign in Los Angeles and New York. Captivity is a â€Å"torture porn† film starring Elisha Cuthbert. The depicted four panels with the headlines â€Å"Abduction, Confinement, Torture, Termination† along with the appropriate modern horror florescent lighting color scheme and scary visuals (Brodesser –Arkner 13). This film outdoor campaign outraged some residents in the Los Angeles area. â€Å"Parents went nuts†, said Courtney Solomon, a partner at After Dark Films, a company that has a multi-picture deal with Lionsgate and that were responsible for marketing the film (13). Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote, â€Å"I felt like I needed to take a shower just from having been within a hundred feet of it (Brodesser-Arkner 13).† And that’s only two adults expressing their feelings about the billboard. I have never seen Captivity, but based on the pictures I can easily imagine why parents would be concerned while driving with their kids on the highway and seeing this picture.

Ethnic Conflict Between Blacks And Whites

Ethnic Conflict Between Blacks And Whites In todays world we have one common phenomenon which can be found in everywhere because of some political and sociological situations that our world has. The phenomenon is called as an ethnicity or racism, and normally the problem that we have can be called as ethnic conflict. As we know that conflict refers to some form of friction, discord arising, or disagreement within one specific group or between two different sides. Normally in order to have a conflict, there has to be some relationships, and all kinds of relationships can create one or more conflict in a given society as a group. According to Ross ; Conflict occurs in virtually all communities, but there are important cross-cultural differences in its levels and forms (Marc Howard Ross 304). As how Ross pointed out the importance of cross-cultural differences related with conflict, we have to know more detail information about one specific conflict to understand how it started and what kinds of effects does it has. As we know that ethnic conflict also shows a lot of differences from culture to culture. Therefore, firstly we have to define what ethnic or race conflict is. According to Ross ; The term race refers to groups of people who have differences and similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people differently because of them (Ross 308). Defining one phenomenon is one of the most challenging things, because all experts explain ethnicity or race in different ways owing to their different perspectives and knowledge background. The ethnic conflict mostly can be found in America and Africa continent. According to Payne ; While it is common to associate racial and ethnic discrimination with blacks in United States, it must be pointed out that there are other groups which have experienced some things as blacks. Such as Native, Mexican, Puerto Rican Americans (Charles Payne 1). Most specifically I focus on the conflict that America has b etween blacks and whites as an ethnic conflict, because the historical background of ethnic conflict is very ancient in America. Owing to the conflict that American society had in the past, we can see some irrefutable and irrepressible effects on people who live in America, most importantly on black people. As we know that the problem did not solve since the time period of American Civil War. This is because as I mentioned that the socio-cultural differences and the relationships between blacks and whites have different variables. Since the time of problematic period which can be called as inequality between black and white people or seeing black people as secondary American citizens, nobody can find reliable solutions for this case. Because of this unsolved problem, black American citizens who are also called as African Americans have been suffering both morally, politically, educationally and economically. In this research, my main concern is education related with how African Ame rican students are affected by ethnicity and racism in schools. Briefly, black students can be humiliated because of some ethnic problems that they face in their schools and I believe that the successes of African American students are affected by ethnic conflict because of three reasons which are historical background of ethnicity in America, social identity problems that African American students have and the problem of educational utility which is related with how African American students are educated and does the education effective. With these three reasons, mostly I focus on the effects of ethnic conflict in America between black and whites and related with all these information I will try to find most reliable and successful solution way in education to protect African Americans. First of all, as we know that the historical background of ethnicity in America includes a lot of variables, and related with these factors I believe in the African American can be humiliated. This is because tribes about black people in America which play crucial role in decision making processes which are done by mostly white American people. In America we have general tendency to see African American people as a weak owing to the historical knowledge, ÄÂ ±f we look the side of racist white American people. Firstly, we have to point out that some things have changed and some things have not related with ethnic conflict case in America. According to Jim Wallis ; What has not changed is the systematic and pervasive character of racism in the United States and the condition of life for the majority of African Americans. In fact, those conditions have gotten worse (Wallis 198). Basically we can understand that the situations of African American people are still bad and can be wors e than how it is now. As I mentioned that the tribes which cause worse conditions of African American people come from the past which is the time period of 1400 and 1500, and the ethnicity / racism started with slavery in American continent. Wallis explains the historical background of slavery very clearly with these sentences; In the United States, the original purpose of black racism was to justify slavery and its enormous economic benefit. The particular form of racism, inherited from the English to justify their own slave trade, was especially venal, for it defined the slave not merely as an unfortunate victim of bad circumstances, war, or social dislocation but rather as less than human, as a thing, an animal, a piece of property to be bought and sold, used and abused (Wallis 198). The thing is clear without any doubt, as we can see from Walliss thoughts that the slaves in the past were seen as an animal, and they did not have any civil right as human beings. As I mentioned tha t some things have changed by the time, according to Wallis what has change is described in this way ; The personal racial attitudes of many white Americans and the opportunities for some African Americans to enter the middle levels of society. The word middle is key here, in so far as African Americans have yet to be allowed into most of the upper echelons and decision-making positions of business, the professions, the media, or even the fields of sports and entertainment where black progress has so often been celebrated (Willis 199 ). As how Willis asserts that we have some recoveries, however despite the improvement of black Americans conditions in society, we have one problematic area which is not solved yet. This is also again related with the historical background of ethnic conflict in America. This area is called as education. In brief, historical background of slavery and the tribes that American society has related with racism are two important key feature of racist conflic t which can be found in education. Secondly, as I mentioned that ethnic conflict can be found in education, most specifically ethnic conflict force student to select their sides as an identity and it creates identity problems related with African American students, and also this problem affects African American youths academic performance. According to writers; Although African American youths academic performance has received a great deal of attention from both popular media and research scholars much of this attention has focused on how African Americans compare academically to other racial groups (Ciara Smalls, Rhonda White, Tabbye Chavous and Robert Sellers 299). We always compare the successes of different ethnic groups, owing to this tendency we have little concern about the causes of academic success or failure related with African American students. Rather than compering how Afro-Americans are more successful than other groups or not, we have to focus on the primary causes of academic success which can also be called as academic engagement. According to researches about this case; Academic engagement encompasses linking ones personal identity to the roles of student and learner , showing sustained curiosity and interest in class, and displaying intense efforts in learning tasks ( Sellers et al. 300). However the ethnicity problem sets indestructible borders in front of African American students, because of their beliefs about race and ethnicity. It is explained by writer in this way; it is likely that African American adolescents levels of academic engagement are influenced, in part, by their beliefs about the meaning of race and their experiences with racial discrimination ( Sellers et al. 300). Thirdly, educational utility is also main problematic issue which is related to how African American students are educated and does the education effective on Afro-American students despite the ethnic problems that most schools have. According to Rowley; Educational utility is defined as the value that student places on doing well in school and on getting a good education (Rowley 4). However in most part of United States, African American students show tendency to lower academic success, and all experts and sociologists like Rowley have been trying to find main causes of this unsuccessfulness. Basically Rowley evolved Cluster Analysis to easily understand the relationship educational utility, African Americans performance and the ethnic conflicts effects on these students academic performances. According to Rowley; Utility as having two dimensions that are relevant to African American students. The first dimension, idealistic educational utility, is based on the Protestant work ethic -hard work in school is directly related to success and the second dimension of educational utility values, is context-specific educational utility, and reflects the idea that education does not always result in occupational success-that because of discrimination, education is less useful for African Americans than it is for members of other racial or ethnic groups (Rowley 5). Normally we can understand that we have two different dimensions for African American students. Firstly, hard working in schools like schools which have protestant work ethic can bring success to Afro-American students. Therefore according to Rowleys analysis, African American students can only be successful in this type of schools. However this analysis also gives counter argument by saying that the context-specific educational utility cannot always be the way of successful education for African American students, this is because of contextual factors such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status constrain t he value of education. Basically, we can say that the context-specific educational utility is not suitable as much as others, because the context-specific educational utility component also refers specifically to race and education. If I take all these point into consideration, I can say that without any doubt ethnic conflict is one of the greatest problem in American society. They have been trying to solve it by using different ways. For example, African American students families try to protect their children by providing some new ways against the racial things that occur in American education system by using homeschooling. However educational problems related with ethnic conflict unfortunately is not solved yet. African American students suffer so much. For instance, they cannot take adequate education as much as how White American students are educated. Huge conflicts can be found in America, most specifically in education because of the historical background of ethnic conflict, identity problems that African American students have and the education utility related with how African American students take education and how does education affect their social condition. To solve these conflicts between ethnic g roups in America most specifically between blacks and whites in education, we have to know historical background of ethnicity and effects of its on American society very well to find most reliable solution ways.

Themes and Symbols in Poes The Masque (Mask) of the Red Death Essay

Themes and Symbols in The Masque of the Red Death  Ã‚     Ã‚   The literature of Edgar Allan Poe can either be viewed as extremely simple or incredibly complicated, and his short story "The Masque of The Red Death" is no exception. This story can either be viewed as a simple story of horror, with no deeper imbedded meanings, or it can be broken down into many symbols with several possible meanings. Perhaps this story tells of the struggle between man and death, perhaps it speaks of an author's struggles and dreams, or perhaps it was merely written as a tale of horror. Arguments can be made to support all of these overall themes, and there are even more points of view offered about the story that can be explored if someone wishes to find a view with which he or she can better understand or identify. One possible theme of the story is that it is nothing more than the imaginings of a dreaming mind. According to Richard Wilbur, this is partially shown through the geometry contained in the story. He states that, "Poe quite explicitly identifies regular angular forms with everyday reason, and the circle, oval, or fluid arabesque with otherworldly imagination" (269). If Poe used unusually shaped rooms to show dreams, and the supernatural, then with his description of the seven chambers being, "so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect" (qtd. In Wilbur 269), it would appear as though either a dream is in progress, or something supernatural is taking place. In this interpretation of the story, Poe is taken quite literally in some ways, such as his terming the lords and ladies at the costume ball as being "dr... ... to a reader personally, and give that person an opportunity to form an individual opinion over it. Works Cited Etienne, Louis. "The American Storytellers-Edgar Allan Poe." Affidavits of Genius. Ed. Jean Alexander. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1971.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   134-139. Halliburton, David. Edgar Allan Poe: A Phenomenological View. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque Of The Red Death." Bridges: Literature across Cultures. Eds. Gilbert H. Muller and John A. Williams. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McGraw-Hill, 1994. 495-498. Wilbur, Richard. "The House of Poe." The Recognition of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. Eric W. Carlson. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1966.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   269-277. Womack, Martha. "Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Masque of the Red Death.'" The Poe Decoder. Online. Internet. 20 May 1998.      

Capital accumulation, Essay

Name two types of market failure. Explain why each may cause market outcomes to be inefficient. Externalities and Market Power. Externalaties are byproducts of a product. Exteranlities can lead to a failure because buyers and sellers do not consider the side effects, which can lead to imbalance in equilibrium based on a societal standpoint. Market Power occurs when there is a single buyer and seller (or small group of them) with the ability to control market prices. This can lead to failure because it keeps prices and quantity away from the equilibrium of supply and demand. 2. What happens to consumer and producer surplus when the sale of a good is taxed? How does the change in consumer and producer surplus compare to the tax revenue? When a product is taxed both consumer and producer surplus drop. This change in surplus is gained in tax revenue, but producers earn less and consumers get less for their value. 3. How do the elasticities of supply and demand affect the deadweight loss of a tax? Why does this effect occur? The elasticities of supply and demand affect deadweight loss in that when: supply/demand is elastic, then the deadweight loss is high. If the supply/demand is inelastic, then the deadweight loss is small. This occurs because taxes change the behavior of buyers/sellers. If tax increases price of buyers, they consume less. If tax reduces profit of producers, then they produce less. 4. What does the domestic price that prevails without international trade tell us about a nation’s comparative advantage? If the domestic price is low, then it says that county can produce that product cheaply, and has a comparative advantage. If it is high, then that country is at a disadvantage compared to other countries. What is the difference between the unilateral and multilateral approaches to achieving free trade? Give an example of each. Unilateral approach is when the country reduces trade restrictions on its own. ‘Isolandia’ removes tariffs on imports. Multilateral approach is when a country reduces it trade restrictions while other countries do the same (through bargaining) ‘Isolandia’ removes tariffs on imports if ‘Seclusia’ also removes theirs. 6. Why do economists use real GDP rather than nominal GDP to gauge economic well-being? Define the GDP deflator. Nominal GDP is GDP (goods and services produced, and their prices) calculated at current prices. Real GDP is GDP calculated at constant prices(goods ands and services produced). We use Real GDP because it reflects changes in production vice changes in prices. The GDP Deflator allows calculating only the prices of goods and services. 7. What is the CPI? Which do you think has a greater effect on the consumer price index: a 10 percent increase in the price of chicken, or a 10 percent increase in the price of caviar? Why? Consumer Price Index, is a measure of the overall cost of goods and services bought by a typical consumer. A 10% increase in chicken will have a greater affect on the CPI because more people typically by chicken than those who buy caviar. 8. Describe the three factors that make the consumer price index an imperfect measure of the cost of living. Then explain how the GDP deflator differs from the CPI. Substition Bias: Consumers substitute towards goods that cost less Introduction of new goods: A new product is introduced allowing more choices. This reduces cost of maintaining same level of economic well being. Unmeasured quality change – if a goods quality goes down, but remains at same price – then the dollar is worth less than previously. If the quality goes up, and price remains the same, then the dollar is worth more than previously. GDP deflator accounts for goods produced domestically, while CPI accounts for all goods purchased. GDP Deflator also accounts for all currently produced goods, while CPI accounts for a fixed set of goods, that may not include new goods or include goods that no longer exist. 9. List and describe the determinants of productivity. Physical Capital: Quality of tools the worker has – better quality, the more production. Human Capital: Knowledge and Skills – education, experience and training. Better training = better efficiency. Natural Resources: Resources made available for input into production. Either renewable or non-renawable. Access to resources reduces costs of importing them – but is not necessary. Technical Knowledge:Refers to societies understanding of how the world works. (Human capital refers to recources expended to transmit this understanding to its workers) 10. Explain how a higher savings rate can lead to a higher standard of living. What might deter a policymaker from trying to raise the rate of saving? Saving now and consuming less now, allows for investments and ability to consume more in the future. Diminishing returns are what might deter a policy maker raising rate of savings. At a low capital, an extra increase in capital increases production. But as you continue to invest capital, the growth of production is at a lesser amount. It continues until a point in where a large increase in capital only gives a minor increase in production.

Microsoft’s Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Essay

When we are talking about software, technology, computers involving manufacturers, licenses and supports, what is the company that’s the most popular and operates efficiently? Of course it is the Microsoft Company. Microsoft thought that technology can create occasions and opportunities for many people and organizatiobs around the world. So, they developed new technology that releases creativity, productivity, and opportunity for more and more people around the world. Nowadays, because the world is changing and there are new challenges about the environment, they want to solve these challenges and create new opportunities for people everywhere. They strive to use corporate social responsibility using three approaches. that’s the customers, their employees and human rights. When talking about Corporate Social Responsibility in Microsoft Thailand Company. First, they must look after the customer at the beginning service and after service, because Thai people prefer service more than the quality of products. They sometimes consider than the product maybe doesn’t work so they want the insurance of products or the guarantee from the company that they’ll received a new product if they have problems with the product. And they need to do some activity that’s shed light to care of environment by Promote the activity of conservation though some location such as the mall or market because when their product was produced, it’ll affect to the nature and make much pollution. Second, their employees and organization. Because their employees are innovators from every corners of the world, they have to pay attention to compensation and benefits. If Microsoft pays them high, it will be motivation. Because of their diverse life experiences, ambition, skill, ability and commitment makes Microsoft working efficiently and help understand customer needs. Not only the compensation but Microsoft must look after employees healthy and safety too. Finally, this is the one important factor of Corporate Social Responsibility , that is the human rights. Human Rights are the rights you have simply because you’re human. Millions of Thai people consisting of workers or students prefer Microsoft products more others, so what does it mean? Because Thai people believe that the first technology product come from foreigner’s country will make whole  them life better than before whether they are at home or anywhere in the world. So, Microsoft company in Thailand must interested about Thai customers and take care of them. First is about Insurance or guarantee of products. When Thai people buy a product they areafraid that the product might not work. Microsoft must check carefully about the product before the customers purchase it. If the product really doesn’t work, they must give a new product to the customer concerning the agreement. Next topic about Microsoft Corporate Social Responsibility to customer is Promote the activity of conservation, that’s will make Thai people believe that’s Microsoft is helping to save the world. Why Microsoft company should to do that? Because when their are producing something, it’ll affect to the nature and make much polution. The pollution will effect people’s health, So conservation is the important activity that’s the company must do. According to Lisa Brummel, Chief People Officer (2012), â€Å"Life at Microsoft is about more than just the work. it’s about who we are as people. We have a passion for life, for creating outstanding products, and for helping othersrealize their full potential†. She want to mean the important factor that’s will make products useful and efficiently are the people consist of employee, officer and organization. Microsoft must to take care this factor in three way. First is Compensation and benefits. Microsoft offers good pay, performance awards and attractive benefits packages for their employees. They also shift a portion of stock-award targets into employee base salaries. They also increased funding to deliver 100 percent of target bonus and stock awards for approximately 85 percent of eligible employees. Second, training and development. Microsoft makes their employees never stop seeking new opportunities to grow up. They continually evaluate and evolve their training opportunities to meet their specific needs. They do this by adapting programs to meet a variety of learning styles, in the classroom, online, through video, and in other forms. (Training magazine’s Top 10 Hall of Fame, 2012). Finally is about Health and safety of the employees. Microsoft has prepared a robust Employee Safety and Health Manual. â€Å"We also enhanced the ability of employees working in labs or in research and development to get quick and easy access to information about chemicals used at Microsoft by making nearly 1600 material safety data sheets available to  them in the cloud. (Susan Lucas-Conwell, CEO) In conclusion, Microsoft indicated that they have perfect human resource management. So, Microsoft has been well-known as one of the top companies for corporate social responsibility relating to human resource management. If you asked Thai people, â€Å"What are human rights?† you would get many different answers. They would tell you the rights they know about, but very few people know all their rights. So, The United for Human Rights explained about this, â€Å"Human Rights†, means â€Å"The rights you have simply because you’re human†. According to Jean-Philippe Courtois, President Microsoft International (2012), †People all over the world exercise fundamental human rights when they use our technology. Respecting these rights is one way we help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.† So, Microsoft significance about the human rights and applied in the organization. Privacy and data security is the first topic of the human rights in the Microsoft company. As people spend more time online, the risk of privacy and data security attacks continue to rise. So they launched a companywide response with the Trustworthy Computing initiative, which made privacy and data security our highest priorities in product development. They continue to find innovative ways to protect theircustomer’s privacy and keep their information secure. Next is the Freedom of expression. Internet freedom may seem like a given to some, but for many people around the world, it’s not that simple. They adopted a freedom of expression policy to guide their decision making when approached by governments that want to filter or censor Internet content. After that, they continued to support the free exchange of ideas and information online through their membership in the Global Network Initiative. In conclusion, after Microsoft has success in the field of human rights that’s make the trust to the world and reputation is continue enhancing until today. For the aforementioned reasons, Microsoft won’t stop develop their operations because the above functions are important to them. And they are committed to responsible practices in their own operations, with policies and programs that ensure they act as a good corporate citizen everywhere they do business. Because of their good basic aspects of business character  consist of integrity, values, and transparency made the public trust their corporations. Thai people also trust their operations and products but Microsoft have to notice what are Thai people also Additional need something? And continue survey what are they want. The survey can do by many ways its up to the company decided such as face-to-face interview, telephone survey, written questionnaire and focus group. In closing, Microsoft is a successful company with many products. Their products make the company well-known and famous so much such as B-Ing, the famous search engine. X-Box, Gaming console that many people enjoy. Microsoft Office, the useful tool with many applications that is helpful to students and teachers in education. And Microsoft Windows, the most famous software in the world. Until today no company can produce the products that’s better than Microsoft and I believe that the Microsoft will be the top of mind of people around the world forever.

Bitter Melon Nutrition Facts Essay

Bitter melon is the immature pod vegetable, popular in many Asian countries. This widely grown as edible pod is, in fact, among the most bitter of all culinary vegetables. Bitter melon is a temperate /tropical vegetable probably originated in South-East Asia. Like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, this plant is a fast-growing, trailing or climbing vine with thin stems and tendrils and requires trellis to support the climbing vine. The pods are characterized by smooth lengthwise ridges and uneven pebbly surface. Depending upon the cultivar type, immature pods are light to dark green and have oblong or oval shapes with a pointed tip at the blossom end. Internally, the flesh is white with rough edged seeds, somewhat similar to ridge gourd seeds. As the fruits begin to mature, they gradually turn yellow or orange. Health benefits of Bitter gourd * The vegetable is very low in calories, providing just 17 calories per 100g. Nevertheless, its pods are rich in phytonutrients like dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. * Bitter melon notably contains phyto-nutrient, polypeptide-P; a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. In addition, it composes hypoglycemic agent called charantin. Charantin increases glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the cells of liver, muscle and adipose tissue. Together, these compounds are thought to be responsible for reduction of blood sugar levels in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. * Fresh pods are an excellent source of folates, contain about 72 Â µg/100g (Provides 18% of RDA). Folate helps reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in the newborns when taken by mothers during early pregnancy. * Fresh bitter melon is an excellent source of vitamin-C (100 g of raw pod provides 84 mg or about 140% of RDI). Vitamin-C, one of the powerful natural antioxidants, helps the body scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancer development. * It is an excellent source of health benefiting flavonoids such as ß-carotene, ÃŽ ±-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin. It also contains a good amount of vitamin A. Together; these compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease processes. * Bitter melon stimulates easy digestion and peristalsis of food through the bowel until it is excreted from the body. Thus, helps in relieving indigestion and constipation problems. * In addition, the vegetable is an also good source of niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, manganese and magnesium. * Early laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.

Diversity in Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity in Organizations - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that workforce is the basis of success of any given organization. Much as there are other factors of production to consider in determining the likelihood of success of any organization or business entity, human capital is the most significant. This is because; no operations can become successful regardless of the capital input, unless they are well managed and implemented. Thus, the need for adopting a flexible human resource program that integrates diverse cultures and personalities within the operations of the organization is paramount. The encompassment a different people, from different backgrounds in religion, socio-cultural activities, education, and exposure ensures that the organization can uphold variant ideas, opinions, and judgments. These are the basis of development. Owing to the fact that teamwork is the basis for success of any given organization, diversity comes in handy. Where diversity is non-existent, the individuals involv ed cannot interact and share ideas and opinions freely. This means that there is low or no chance of devising new ways of doing things. It is through the free interaction of individuals and their teamwork attitude that creates avenues for innovations and inventions. Various methods can be adopted to enhance diversity climate in an organization. Education that entails equipping the management team with relevant and diverse training skills is one such method. This serves to ensure that the management team is better placed to adopt different individuals and incorporate them in their labor force. Such training enhances the management ability of ensuring every member of their team feels appreciated and equally important, not withstanding their differences in personalities, cultures, religious backgrounds e.t.c. The establishment, enforcement, and implementation of a set of code of ethics is yet another method. The basic step in achieving this is through the recruitment of individuals fro m different spheres of life. Exposure, through establishment of equity and accountability, as a core value of the organization is another method that applicable in enhancing the climate of diversity in an organization. This ensures that all the individuals are treated equally, regardless of their gender, origin, race, religion e.t.c. any group, committee or panel formed to undertake different tasks for the organization should be representative of the different personalities in that organization. Each group or individual should feel well represented in that formation. This goes a long way to enhancing respect and cooperation from all the individuals in the organization. There are three procedures followed to establish diversity climate at a work place. The first is the moderate open- minded change, where some basic rules are established in work place to foster teamwork, flexibility, and diversity. At this stage, the workers are promoted solely based on merit and performance. Such rul es as those guiding promotions are established and implemented by the policy makers. However, the problem associated with this is that not all aspects of diversity are implementable through formal rules. The second procedure is the essential change stage, where the organization adapts measures beyond formal rules to guide the achievement of diversity in the organization. At this stage, even though two members of the same affiliation are better placed to be promoted based on their performance, an allowance for equity is created by promoting another individual of a different affiliation. The last procedure is the revolutionary change, where the short-run and the long-run needs of the organization come into play. Under this stage, the organization establishes equity and diversity in the short-run, while buying time to consolidate a system that will afford automatic flexibility and diversity