My Beliefs Essays - Capital Punishment, Law, Penology, Social Policy

My Beliefs The idea of putting another human being to death is hard to completely imagine. I think the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyong my own understanding. I know it must be painful and sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsability as a society to see that it is done. There are many reasons why I am in favor of the death penalty. It prevents the murderer from ever murdering again, it removes the burden from taxpayers, it is an efficient way to lower crime in this country, and it is also a good punishment because people in this country deserve to feel safe. I feel strongly toward using the death penalty as punishment for unspeakable crimes. I feel that it is an obstacle for criminal activity because of its severity and it will never allow a murderer to kill again and destroy another family. I do, however, feel that restrictions should be put on its uses. Not all crimes deserve the death penalty. Let the punishment fit the crime. If a criminal performs an intentional cruel murder he should be put to death. It is that simple. If the convicted offender shows no remorse for his actions, then the decision should be even easier. Repeat offenders and people who enjoy killing do not deserve to walk on our streets. The death penalty is the only method that completely separates murderers from our society. Supporters of the death penalty ask themselves the same question, "why should I have to pay to support a murderer for the rest of his life? Why not execute them and save our society the cost of their keep?" I don't think it is fair for us to pay so they can have all the luxuries they have in prison. Shouldn't they be miserable and have to work for the bare necessities, just like the working class has to? Crime in today's world has become more gruesome with the times. With the crimes comes jail, so more jails are being built for the prisoners. More criminals are being sent to jail and getting the death penalty. Some feel that the death penalty is also a gruesome act of murder, but people who commit crimes should get what they deserve and if that's the death penalty then they should get it, mostly because they are taking up our space, time, and our money. We all live in a society with the same basic rights. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with equal opportunities. When someone intentionally and outregously attacks the basis of our society by murdering another human being, robbing them of all they are, and all they will ever be, then I think that person can no longer be a part of this society.

Reached Back Like A Pimp

Reached Back Like A Pimp Free Online Research Papers When four teenagers drive to the movies on a Friday night with the music blaring and â€Å"Boyz N the Hood† comes onto the radio, it does not matter whether the young adults in the car are black, white, male or female, when it arrives at the line â€Å"reached back like a pimp slapped the ho† everyone joins in. Why? Because it is catchy, popular, and as ridiculous as the world has become, the song is cool. No one notices that the singer has become abusive because his girlfriend has said something to annoy him. No one realizes at the time that the singer is intoxicated, because it does not matter. The song is fun, the lyrics well known. Countless young Americans memorize the lyrics to this song and many others because of the constant exposure through popular media, wit the average listening to two hours a day (Martino 430). For some, it is simply music, aural enjoyment while involved in other activities. Others wish to emulate the actions they hear about. Dr. Steven Martino, one of Yale’s most acclaimed professors of psychiatry, contends that speeding up sexual behavior is a result of exposure to exploitive and suggestive lyrics. He also explains that leaving questionable musical content unchallenged allows the idea of sex to become distorted (RAND). Regardless, when music becomes incredibly popular, the concepts within the music also become popular. Current popular music idealizes the exploitation of women by demoralizing them, provides justification and acceptance of dysfunctional relationships, and motivates young listeners to partake in dangerous relations and/or situations. As a disclaimer, not just current music conveys the message of misogyny. The Rolling Stones have been preaching the message since their earliest songs. In a 1965 song â€Å"She Said Yeah† Mick Jagger sang â€Å"Come on baby I want to make love to you† and â€Å"Try a little bit to make my mouth dribble†. Both of these quotes made the message clear of what the song and its singer wanted from women. This issue is not a new one. Society long ago set this standard; Radocy and Boyle, two well-known music psychologists, acknowledge: †¦social influence affects all music preference. Musical preferences are more than an interaction of inherent musical characteristics and individual psychological and social variables. Societal pressures influence preferences. A person making a musical choice considers opinions of other who are significant in his or her life, as well as cultural messages in and about the music (qtd. in Droe 27). Society sets the standard for these types of popular culture. Dr. Janice Killian, a distinguished music professor and researcher from Texas Tech, also examines this tangent when she explains the relation between imitation and perception: The specific characteristics of a model appear to affect an observer’s tendency to imitate that model. Observers who believe they are similar to the model are more likely to model that behavior (Bandura Walters, 1963); indeed, observer perception of any subject/model similarity can lead the subject to adopt other characteristics of that model (Burnstein, Stotland, Zander, 1961; Stotland, Zander, Natsoulas, 1961). Race and sex are two salient model characteristics that affect observer tendency toward imitation. Imitation of same-sex and same-race models has been noted across such diverse behaviors as infants’ responses to strangers (Feiring, Lewis Starr, 1984) (116). This would explain why certain races and/or genders are disproportionately affected by this degrading popular culture. Nonetheless, it is still relevant and is bringing about several negative impacts that are being largely ignored by all races. In much of the popular music, women and their appeal are a common theme. Despite their presence, the ideal that the music expresses portrays them in a less than favorable light. Buckcherry’s â€Å"Crazy Bitch† uses offensive lyrics; women are described as only able to ahead by taking off their clothes and keeping their mouths shut. Such behavior was typical before the feminist movement but in modern times can be considered highly offensive. However, the song was ranked number three on U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks. Songs of this subject matter demoralize women and uphold the patriarch by placing them as lower than men. It is exploitive for women to be viewed as sex objects, created solely for the purpose of male pleasure. As offensive as the lyrics may be, the video certainly drives the message home. Located in a Los Angeles club that has been made to look like a strip club, women are scantily clad, dancing, and expressing bisexual tendencies. The popularity of such music and the common person’s favorable reaction to seeing these types of videos encourages women to act this way and men to ask them to do so. Musicians do not just express their lower opinions of women in music and videos. For some, it is a way of life. When popular rap artist Snoop Dogg attended the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), clothing and jewelry were not his only accessories. In each hand he held a leash, and attached to the collars were two young women. Collars and leashes are meant as restraining devices for pets or a way for an owner to control property, one can only assume that Snoop Dogg intended for these two young women accompanying him to be viewed the same way. The VMAs are broadcasted nationally with an enormous audience. Women are exploited by popular music through way of lyrics, videos and the general lifestyle of musicians. As preciously discussed, in the song â€Å"Boyz N the Hood† lyrics include a man hitting his girlfriend and then throwing her across the room. The provocation of this was something she had said, making it easy to believe that this was not the first occurrence of abuse. Other popular artists have also discussed physical abuse between women and men. Eminem, a popular rap artist, discussed leaving handprints on a woman in one of his songs. Abuse in relationships is not healthy for anyone involved. However, would a person realize that from popular music? No. Very simply speaking, when a musician speaks of beating their significant other and one never hears about there being negative consequences, its sending a message of approval for that sort of action. Steven Martino offers his valuable experience about teen imitation: This theory would predict that listening to musicians sing about having sex with no unfavorable consequences would lead teens to perceive this behavior as appropriate and desirable, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will imitate the behavior. The likelihood of imitation increases when the model is perceived as attractive or similar to the self. Highly popular music artists can, therefore, serve as especially potent role models for teens (431). Not only does it make it appear to be okay for males to abuse females, but it also makes females feel like its okay for them to be abused. Popular music is now guilty of â€Å"triggering assaults, rapes and homicides all over the place and detonating a national barrage of criticism and controversy† (Bennett 1). If it is what is popular and okay in music, listeners will be lead to believe that it is okay in their own lives. The RAND Corporation found explicit lyrics often advance sexual conduct. It is common for those who are less wealthy and less famous to want to be like the famous celebrities. If people cannot have the property and publicity of the stars then it is not unusual to think that they might attempt to act like them. Bennett explains how the blurring of reality and fantasy is an inevitable product of this exposure (2). The dysfunctional relationships of celebrities are recreated in the dysfunctional relationships of their fans. Dysfunctional relationships are unknowingly encouraged by society today, and even humored. Millions of Americans are exposed to the ideas of countless affairs, and annulled marriages in a matter of hours. This same audience gazes on while the common person is abused; abuse can be physical, verbal, or mental. A Harris Poll from earlier this summer gives staggering numbers that have left many stunned. Over 33 million or 15 percent of U.S. adults (which would be anyone over the age of eighteen) admit that they were a victim of domestic violence; even more shocking is the six in ten that admit they know someone who has also personally experienced domestic violence. These statistics prove the seriousness of today’s issue of domestic violence, and only a realization of these problems will allow society finally to make a change for the better. It is important to remember that the definition of dysfunctional relationships is not limited to physical abuse. Celebrities are infamous for their short relationships, their even shorter marriages, and their promiscuity. Pop princess, Britney Spears is infamous for hers fleeting loves: her first marriage to childhood sweetheart lasted just 55 hours. K-Fed and Spears have two young children who will now be subjected to the uncomfortable heat of the spotlight. These actions also have an effect on the mass public. Once more, when someone wishes to be the celebrity, he or she has no problem simulating his or her actions. The influence of music does not just degrade women or legitimize dysfunctional relationships. The ideas and morals conveyed through popular music leads to physically dangerous consequences as well. Sex and violence are the subject of the majority of popular songs. Casual sex is looked upon with much enjoyment and violence seen as a necessary means to an end. When these activities are practiced in real life, the consequences last much longer than the three minutes a song lasts. Martino’s theory also predicts that a lessening of the exposure to this content could prevent an early onset of sexual misconduct (431). In a Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention study, over five hundred females from the same background were studied over a six-month period. Recording the viewing lengths of rap videos, the participants were surveyed to discover if there was a difference between those with more exposure, and those with less (#). The RAND Corporation has found a direct correlation between music containing questionable content with earlier sexual progression. Females with more exposure were less likely to have their partners wear condoms and were more likely to have gained a new STD. â€Å"Talking with their children about musics sexual content can also give parents a chance to express their own views about sex, and may prompt teens to think more deeply about the ways in which sex is portrayed – and perhaps distorted – in the music they listen to,† Dr. Martino conveyed. Other negative impacts include dangerous behaviors such as the glorification of drugs, an increase in violence and arrests, and a higher rate of pregnancy (Wingood 437). The negative effects are not just dealing with psychological matters. Young adults have pliable minds, and as Martino describes they invent solutions to their problems from societal pressure: Some have argued that, because popular music is such a large part of adolescents’ everyday experience, youth cannot be understood without a serious consideration of how music fits into their lives. From music, adolescents gain information about society, social and gender roles, and expected behavior, and they use music to facilitate friendships and social interactions and to help them create a personal identity. It is reasonable to expect, therefore, that the messages conveyed in popular music have significant implications or adolescent socialization and behavior. (431) The ties between music and health risks cannot be easily ignored because of the great effect they have on their listeners. Martino agrees with the assumption that repeated exposure to such gender roles makes them internalized. When four young people are driving to the movies on Friday night, there is no way to prevent them from singing along with the lyrics of the songs on the radio. Perhaps, a better route is to let musicians know that the message they are sending is not appropriate for anyone, of any age. The lyrics they sing should represent a culture that harms no one. Dr. Bell says we should stop creating the negativity that surrounds our children and ourselves. We have to stop glorifying and praising based on music that enslaves and mystifies and destroys. The consequences of common lyrics cannot be compared to that extra thousand records sold. One’s choice in music should not lead to them being exploited, abused, or diseased. Music is meant for enjoyment, and just enjoyment. Bennett, Lerone Jr.. Sex Music Has It Gone Too Far: Backlash over Lyrics, Violence and Threat to Young Women grows.† Ebony Oct 2002: Droe, Kevin. Music Preference and Music Education: A Review of Literature.† UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education 24.2(2006): 23-32. Harris Interactive. â€Å"Over Thirty Million Adults Claim to be Victims of Domestic Violence.† 06/16/06. . Killian, Janice N.. Effect of Model Characteristics on Musical Preference of Junior High Students.† Journal of Research in Music Education 38.2 (1990): 115-123. Martino, Steven C., et al. Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth.† Pediatrics. 118.2 (2006): e430-e441. Martino, Steven C., Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2006. Radocy, Rudolf E., and J. David Boyle. Psychological foundations of musical behavior. 3rd ed. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd, 1979. RAND Corporation. â€Å"RAND Study Finds Adolescents who listen to a great deal of music with degrading sexual lyrics have sex sooner.† 11/07/06. . Wingood, G.M., et al. â€Å"A prospective study of exposure to rap music videos and African American female adolescents’ health.† American Journal of Public Health 93.3 (2006): 437-439 Research Papers on Reached Back Like A PimpHip-Hop is ArtWhere Wild and West MeetEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andResearch Process Part OneIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBringing Democracy to Africa

Charles Law Example Problem

Charles Law Example Problem Charles law is a special case of the ideal gas law in which the pressure of a gas is constant. Charles law states that volume is proportional to the absolute temperature of a gas at constant pressure. Doubling the temperature of gas doubles its volume, so long as the pressure and quantity of the gas are unchanged.  This example problem shows how to use Charles law to solve a gas law problem. Charles Law Example Problem A 600 mL sample of nitrogen is heated from 27  °C to 77  °C at constant pressure. What is the final volume?Solution: The first step to solving gas law problems should be converting all temperatures to absolute temperatures. In other words, if the temperature is given in Celsius or Fahrenheit, convert it to Kelvin. This is the most common place mistakes are made in this type of homework problem.T K 273  °CTi initial temperature 27  °CTi K 273 27Ti K 300 KTf final temperature 77  °CTf K 273 77Tf K 350 KThe next step is to use Charles law to find the final volume. Charles law is expressed as:Vi/Ti Vf/TfwhereVi and Ti is the initial volume and temperatureVf and Tf is the final volume and temperatureSolve the equation for Vf:Vf ViTf/TiEnter the known values and solve for Vf.Vf (600 mL)(350 K)/(300 K)Vf 700 mLAnswer:The final volume after heating will be 700 mL. More Examples of Charles Law If Charles Law seems irrelevant to real life situations, think again! Here are several examples of situations in which Charles Law is at play. By understanding the basics of the law, youll know what to expect in a variety of real-world situations. By knowing how to solve a problem using Charles Law, you can make predictions and even start to plan new inventions. If you take a basketball outside on a cold day, the ball shrinks a bit as the temperature is decreased. This is also the case with any inflated object and explains why its a good idea to check the pressure in your car tires when the temperature drops.If you over-inflate a pool float on a hot day, it can swell in the sun and burst.Pop-up turkey thermometers work based on Charles law. As the turkey cooks, the gas inside the thermometer expands until it can pop the plunger. Examples of Other Gas Laws Charles law is only one of the special cases of the ideal gas law that you may encounter. Each of the laws is named for the person who formulated it. Its good to be able to tell the gas laws apart and cite examples of each one. As automobile tires heat up during driving, their pressure increases. (Amontons Law: Doubling temperature doubles pressure at constant volume and mass.)When you blow bubbles underwater, they expand as they rise to the surface. (Boyles Law: Doubling pressure halves volume, at constant temperature and mass.)Inhaling fills the lungs with air and expands their volume. (Avogadros Law: Doubling the mass or number of moles of a gas doubles the volume at constant temperature and pressure.)

Water shadow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Water shadow - Essay Example is structured into diverse parts that include the formation of water wave shadows, factors that contribute to their formation, how water waves move, and the strength of water wave vibration when an object is placed in a water tank. The structures promote the understanding of how water waves movement influence life on atmospheric of the building. The key observations or propositions evident are that, the used of the physical theories and case studies to understand the theoretical framework, test ideas and evaluate the potential for an architecture and design project that highlights awareness of the metaphysical. The paper also covers the role of reflection in enabling individuals to notice the shadows and water waves. As hypothesized, water waves shadow is outlined to how effective atmosphere can be created in architecture through invisible media? The invisible waves also show the interaction that exists between water, audience, and light. This highlights the importance of the atmosph ere and human beings in the development of architectural designs building. Water waves are beams that cause immense ripple effect as the intensity of light from a particular source increases. The waves also promote cultural practices in various communities as they enable individuals to formulate viable ideas and shape perceptions on the nature of atmosphere including how people interact. Notably, water waves are a unique type of waves as compared to light and sound waves since they show up in various substances. There interaction within the space is also imperative in promoting effective design of buildings. Effective interaction enlightens individuals knowledge on the kind of design that is necessary towards the realization of harmony, peace, and wellbeing in the atmosphere. In most cases, the shadows are evident in liquid substances especially on the underneath part of tanks where they show up. The shadows are characterized with high wavelength capacity, lack of clarity underneath

Easy Shop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Easy Shop - Essay Example This trend has been all the more marked with the emergence of new urban centres that are more or less sub-urban in nature. With the creation of new urban centres and with the rapid expansion in the Indian middle class there is good reason to believe that retail businesses would do well in a country like India. This reasoning has led to the development of new shopping centres and retail businesses throughout India. This report will look into the survivability of Argos’s Easy Shop concept located in a suburb of New Delhi, India’s capital. The nature of the city and the nature of the retailer will be looked into to see the suitability of business. Furthermore, the cash flow statement of the retailer will be presented in order to discern if the retailer would be able to survive the current market conditions. The basic approach will be to contrast earnings from sales and the incurred costs. A worst case scenario or a pessimistic business picture has also been developed in or der to assess the survivability of the business if faced with overwhelming odds in the first year. The major expense areas have been identified realistically along with the local taxation scheme in order to present as realistic a picture as possible. 2. GURGAON CITY’S DEVELOPING ECONOMIC PROWESS 2. Gurgaon City’s Developing Economic Prowess Gurgaon has emerged as the second largest urban centre in the Indian state of Haryana becoming its chief most industrial and financial hub. The urban centre can also be looked at from the perspective of New Delhi’s suburb given that it is only a 30 kilometres ride from New Delhi. As such Gurgaon is considered as one of the four major satellite cities that surround New Delhi (Sustainable Cities Collective, 2011). The city also hosts the third highest per capita income in India (Behl, 2009) making it a particularly attractive place for launching a retail business. Most of the city’s workers are employed by Fortune 500 companies as well as local businesses in and around Gurgaon (Taleja, 2009). This ensures that the local population have high levels of disposable incomes which are essential to the survival of any retailing business. Disposable incomes are particularly higher in the younger generation so there is no dange r of sustainability in terms of business. Also the chances for disposable income to increase are on the rise given that Gurgaon is fast becoming one of India’s largest outsourcing hubs (Government of Gurgaon, 2010). Instead there are chances that operating a retail business in a financial and industrial hub such as Gurgaon would lead to expansion in upcoming years. This fact can also be gauged from the presence of over forty five different malls around Gurgaon that are only set to increase further in upcoming times. 3. Background to Argos Argos is one the largest catalogue merchants being based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Within the geographic domains of the United Kingdom, Argos is the largest retail brand with over 800 stores around the United Kingdom. Argos is owned and operated along with its sister concern Homebase by the Home Retail Group. Argos relies on catalogue retailing and so offers a wide range of brands that it owns and operates thereby adding greater val ue to both the consumer’s purchase and the business. The more notable brands being operated under Argos include Elizabeth Duke, Chad Valley, Sun Pearl, Challenge, Alba, Schreiber and Bush as well as a number of other brands (Intellectual Property Office, 2012). Argos is now looking to expand into the Indian market using the Easy Shop concept which would serve as a retail outlet for the Indian market. The first retail store is planned for Gurgaon in order to enter the Indian

Definition of Groupthink. Retrieved from Essay Example for Free

Definition of Groupthink. Retrieved from Essay I have always had a different idea of what groupthink really means, to me I thought of it as a bad idea from someone amongst a group of people that had not been voiced seemingly because the person having this thought lacks confidence or backing. More like trying to proof to your business partners that an idea of using an outdated tactic to target a young crowd is not the best idea In its own definition Wikipedia(2013) describes groupthink as a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect or deviant decision- making outcome, whereas it can also be viewed as the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. All different versions of what it is but also giving a detailed well round idea and description. Good examples of groupthink situations as studied by Janis in the book â€Å"fiascoes† are such as the United States government failure to anticipate the Pearl Harbor attacks, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the escalation of Vietnam War, and the ill-fated hostage rescue in Iran (Janis,1972) Some recent past examples of groupthink would be in the hastened decision making of the Bush administration and Congress to pursue an invasion of Iraq based on a policy of â€Å"preemptive use of military force against terrorists and rogue nations.† It is definitely an undeniable fact that groupthink has been a large part of decision making in the United States government for a long time. As we speak, arguably the best current example of groupthink that the American government is facing is the Obama Care. This is so because some might see it as a majority of democrat leaders refusing to see or identify with different ideas that are outside theirs, thus leading to what psychologist consider as a mental deficiency commonly known as groupthink. â€Å"Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups† (Janis, 1972). I found it rather interesting reading the article by the net advisor to bring out reasons as to why the Obama care was created under the influence of groupthink. The net advisor article reads â€Å"the patient protection and affordable care act or â€Å"Obama Care† was passed by majority of the then Democratic House. The house leadership under Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refused to allow the US senate of any party to even consider debating, let alone voting on Obama care. The house by passed the entire U.S. senate by using a controversial self-executing rule or â€Å"deem and pass† procedure then quickly sent it to president Obama to sign†(Net advisor). This brings out the question, what if the Democratic Party had not made such an irrational decision to pass the Obama Care, would it have made any difference in the case of the government shutdown. Since the main reason that led to most of the republican members to oppose raising the debt ceiling that would have prevented the government from shutting down was primarily a disagreement in the Obama care. This is arguable in both sides since the republican party might also have made a groupthink decision to prevent the Obama care under any circumstances, leading to a government shutdown that has dented the government debt even more, ironically an issue that they (republican party) are trying to avoid with the Obama care. The united states is established in two well defined parties and many are the times that the conflicting views from each party, makes it harder to make any decisions or view the others opinion. Hopefully in the future the decisions from our leaders can be viewed in a more universal dimension, thus the administrators of our president can challenge each other to eliminate groupthink. References Janis, I (1972, Victims of groupthink (1st edition ed) retrieved from http:// leadership theory 3450.blogspot.com Obama care is an example of Groupthink gone wrong. Retrieved from http://netadvisor.org/2013/09/26. Definition of Groupthink. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

Edna Pontellier’s Sin in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay examples --

Nora's Sin in The Awakening      Ã‚   In writing this paper, I believe, God has given me wings, strong wings, to help me fly above common literary convention. The prophet Isaiah said, "[T]hose who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. . ."(Isaiah 40:31). Because I believe the Bible is the complete word of God, I must conclude that that "The Awakening," by Kate Chopin, is "not a healthy book"(Culley 146). The truths presented in the Bible that lead me to this conclusion are the following. "The Awakening" has a central message that is contrary to Biblical Christianity, denying the headship of Christ and making it seem that people are basically animals and should be able to do whatever they want. It would be possible to argue that Kate Chopin is simply projecting that man is an animal lacking moral obligations without bringing Christianity into the picture, but Kate Chopin made several attacks on Christianity in her fable, and her seeming obsession with tearing down Christ ianity opens her up to Biblical criticism.    On two occasions, Chopin uses terms probably from the King James Version of the Bible, including the term for Christians as "the salt of the earth" and the "Holy Ghost." According to Chopin, Edna, lulled by the sea into deep self contemplation, "received [from herself] perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman"(Chopin 32). Why did Chopin have to bring the Holy Ghost into this? The Holy Ghost, termed Holy Spirit in modern translation, is acknowledged as being equal and one with God. She is using her own twisted irony to imply that Edna's awakening is a step superior to Christianity. The moral or ideal being projected to the read... ...iliar world that it had never known"(Chopin 136). This rebirth, very much different from the Christian rebirth or salvation, is an assertion that life isn't worth living when you are just an animal. This is the awakening that is being glorified by Kate Chopin, and it is not healthy.    Works Cited: Chopin, Kate. Walker, Nancy A. ed. The Awakening Boston, NY Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press. (c) 1993. Crowley, Aleister. The Book of the Law. Access via the world wide web.   URL: http://www.crl.com/~thelema/crowley.html Culley, Margaret. Ed. The Awakening: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism NY WW Norton, 1976. Nine Satanic Statements, The. Access via the world wide web.   URL: http://www.marshall.edu/~allen12/cosstate.html The King James Version of the Bible as set forth in 1611.   Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, Illinois. 1983.

American Dream (Pointless)

â€Å"As time goes on we get closer to that American Dream of there being a pie cut up and shared. Usually greed and selfishness prevent that and there is always one bad apple in every barrel. † While Rick Danko’s quote about the American Dream does not quite relate to the essay at hand, you can’t obviate how right that is. So, yes, the American Dream. It’s become a widely accepted sociocultural, aesthetic, and philosophical set of fake ideals that makes America the proud of country of what the world is.It is a fine antonomasia (officially used nickname) for the metaethics America follows, a world of legend and where everyone else that is not an America is subhuman. Apple pie, rolling hills of green and yellow, baseball, cloudless and sunny skies, lawyer haters, coffee inhalers, pharmacies, drive-through banks, Diet Coke, hypocrites, rich folk who are still lawyers, Green Berets, and the world’s second highest incarceration rate. Now that – t hat’s a damn fine country. Okay, all jokes aside, The United States of America really is one of the best countries in the world, if not the.The rumors are true and having always been true, ever since its inception in 1776, on that faithful day. I’m sure that every American and his or her dog have heard about the so-called American Dream, an accepted nickname for the ‘Dream’ that all Americans follow, what immigrants want and expect when they set sail into our country, where age is just a number. The set of ethics we follow to become true and proud members of America, bout doing what you want to be successful in. It is about going for your dream(s) no matter what anyone says. It focuses a great deal on individuality and power that one could hold.It is about freedom to think, say, and do what one wants to do. †¦So why again are there so many unemployed? Okay, no, that’s certainly not the point of this essay. It’s to actually delve into whe ther modern day society actually follows these ideals or not. Do they? Most of the time. But not all, and certainly not where it entirely matters. There’s not an exceptional amount of Americans who actually follow both the stereotypical and factual American Dream, but there’s certainly not a low amount. A hundred years ago, you would be caught dead before breaking the rules or going outside what the Dream expected you to†¦ well, dream.So what’s changed? Lack of Desire to Work Let’s get this straight – greed is a thing. People keep posting about greed and money as if it is the most evil thing in the world, but Greed is good as it is evolution in a nutshell. A good amount of the American Dream’s ethics is that it encourages all people to work in a middle-class Capitalist society: where it is the exploitation of man by man and communism is the reverse. We only called it the American Dream because we are Americans, but the truth is every hu man being has dreams and goals; the dream in itself is extensive and infinite, just like your ideas.But certainly one of the main things the Dream pushes people to do is just this: to work. The American dream is something each generation should work harder to attain. So why is it that our society is going downhill? The answer is simple: nobody is trying to work hard anymore. You see your friends not caring and so you stop caring for fear of persecution, but if you stopped caring and your friends followed, it would be a chain reaction, would it not? US Unemployment Rate is at 7. 90%, compared to 7. 80% last month and 8. 90% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 5. 80%.It’s a very common topic in politics, as evidenced by the exciting-as-watching-dirt-talk debates of recent times, that there should be more jobs because it’s an endless competition. (We can stop blaming the Recession eventually) From a critical perspective, that makes a certain amount of sense. And yet, it’s a pointless topic to talk about, because even with more jobs, there will still be enough people that do not get by. Half the time it’s because of not having the funds or resources to actually obtain a job, and the other half because of a lack of desire to actually work towards living an ndependent, self-made life. It would appear to some that now the â€Å"American Dream† has become a rather materialistic one in which individuals seek to barely work, but possess many things. It’s difficult to accurately blame it on consumerism, and impossible to blame it on capitalism, largely because if you don’t want to work, that’s your problem. America is a country where you can support your loved ones actively and also your family or culture, even; but for the most part, you’re on your own in such a competitive world where people fight to obtain an actual career.From a brutally pragmatic perspective, that’s not the Ame rican Dream, but only in the brutally pragmatic sense. It’s a long way of basically saying the process of actually becoming a true American is†¦ well, it’s difficult. The American Dream is the hope that every one of us has the chance to be all we can be, and the way we can do that is, amongst other things, by working and earning money. But money does not make the world go ’round, even though it certainly saves your pale white ass in many occasions. To have all the necessities of life, including opportunity to have the fruits of your labor.If people work and do not get ahead, do not better themselves, what is the point? Keep trying. Respect your Fellow Americans I rather resent the opinion of those that the American Dream can be achieved from working harder, but I sure as hell won’t say they’re wrong unless we do it purely for the sake of friendly debate (well in a way, they’re not wrong). Seriously, it means being kind, decent, and resp ectful of others no matter what the cost. I’m not talking about being a doormat either. Its about supporting your neighbors and helping someone in need if you can.Helping someone can be as simple as having a two-minute conversation with a complete stranger and just asking them how they are today. This is only one of many ways to show you care about others. (i. e. don’t say something like ‘just because I’m moody doesn’t mean you’re irritating) Well, it seems that with the rise of conservative and democratic tension, not to mention American youth and bullying, this feels just a bit invalidated. I’m not saying this in a cynical sense by any means, but it’s become a common fact that everyone is divided in the way we think, and that’s what makes us unique.It’s a common human emotion that they want people to think like them; okay, that’s fine. But with the rise of the election coming up, I might as well point this out: there are some fucking arrogant and mean people out there. I’d like to think that, in the street sense, if you don’t have haters you aren’t doing anything right, but a little hate goes a long way. Have you seen the presidential ads, for example: it’s almost emotional sadism the way that some people will dig so deep just to score a few votes.It’s completely okay to have a different opinion and have opponents, but there comes a point where you don’t have to be a semi-Nationalist about it, especially when you won’t make any difference to America. (Unless, of course, you’re the President or a candidate, but be realistic they’re a few in millions) But the bigger issue at hand is not political or even religious (I really don’t want to touch down on that one), but the status quo about how American youth treats one another. Cyberbullying, actual bullying, teen suicide, antisocial behaviors (that’s more of a p sychological issue), it’s all very prominent and very anti-American dream.I can understand that it’s hormones and blah blah blah, but if you don’t learn anything from that behavior, then where do you go in life, then? I’m not perfect, nobody is perfect (therefore, nobodies are perfect), but do try to be decent to your fellow American. Perfection is just not humanly possible. Since we all have failings, we will undoubtedly do imperfect things. Freedom Okay, last, everyone wants to be free. Now, I’m not talking anarchic, though if you do feel like that, it’s alright as long as you don’t actually do it.No society can have one hundred percent of liberty, equality, fairness, happiness etc available to all its citizens at all time. But United States, thanks to our wise founding fathers comes pretty close to it. Now see, here’s the thing: there are a lot of people who still feel imprisoned due to the fact that it’s just ‘ pretty close’. Just because the American Dream doesn’t happen for everybody — or doesn’t happen the way someone wants it — doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. America is the land of opportunity, and offers freedom and chances to those who aren’t able to acquire it elsewhere.That was what the American Dream originally was and, if you think about it, it’s still true today. Final, Personal Notes So there’s my own analysis of the American Dream. Jesus christ on a pogo stick, that took a bit of a while. America is still an incredible place, and it always will be; no amount of unemployment, Capitalism, or the idea that every morning is the dawn of a new error will change this. If it ain’t broke, don’t break it. Simple as that. I don’t want this to become longer than I originally intended, and I’m not going to obviate how intensely boring this probably is, so I’ll end here with a few no tes.I worry education has become too expensive. No education, no job opportunities other than self employment, which is risky and tough. K-12 costs $150,000 per student. A four year degree is $160,000 for private school and $80,000 for public with half subsidized by taxpayers. A $300,000 education is too expensive. I’m also slightly worried about racism and sexism maybe running through, but the American people have improved on that since the time we had to flex and improvise in the 1900? s and what not. God, I wanted this to be a bit funnier, I’m just not witty enough. Maybe that wasn’t the point of the essay, whatever. Goodbye and goodnight.

Technology Helps Starbucks Find New Ways to Compete Essay

1. Analyze Starbucks using the competitive forces and value chain models. The environment in which the specialty coffee industry had to compete during the 2008 was made up of cheaper fast food chain and global economic downturn. Compare with McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks offers a unique experience: high-end specialty coffees and beverages, friendly and knowledgeable servers, and customer-friendly coffee shops. However more and more customers complain that the Starbucks lost their hip and local feel. Under this circumstance, the new entrants are much more easy to enter the specialty coffee area, because Starbucks would generally lost their specialty in coffee industry, and coffee industry does not put a high premium on economies of scale. The primary substitute products posing a potential threat to specialty coffee were the caffeinated soft drinks produced by Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Competitors like Pepsi and Coca-Cola offered beverages, which had the caffeine in herent in specialty coffee, at significantly lower prices. (Quelch, 2006) Since the taste of the customers never discount, Starbuck need to refine their product and service quality. Moreover, with the development of the technology, Starbuck customers would require intelligent IT support during their consumption. Thus the suppliers of Starbucks has branched out to app suppliers and IT industry suppliers. In order to deal with the profits plunge in 2008, Starbucks decide to overhaul its business using in store technology, aggressive product differentiation strategy and lean their management and working processions. By using the in store technology, Starbucks district managers can do most of their work sitting at a table in one of the stores they oversee. To enhance human resource, Starbucks created a 10-person â€Å"lean team† whose job is to travel the country visiting franchises and coaching them in lean techniques made famous by automaker Toyota’s production system. To save the time the employee to make a drink, Starbuck set out to streamline the business processes used in each of its stores so that baristas do not need to bend down to scoop coffee, cutting down on idle time while waiting for coffee to drain, and finding ways to reduce the amount of time each employee spends making a drink. Thanks to the improvement of technology, human resource, procurement and firm infrastructure, Starbucks elevated their support activities and expend their margin. 2. What is  Starbucks’ business strategy? Assess the role played by technology in this business strategy. First, the company has revamped its in-store technology and sought to integrate its business processes with wireless technology and the mobile digital platform. Also, rather than copy the practices of competitors, Starbucks pursued a more aggressive product differentiation strategy, intended to emphasize the high quality of its beverages and efficient and helpful customer service. At the same time, however, Starbucks also focused on becoming ‘lean’, like many of its competitors, eliminating inefficiency wherever possible. 3. How much has technology helped Starbucks compete? Explain your answer. The technology helped Starbucks increase the in-store presence of district managers by25 percent without adding any extra managers. And the use of digital mobile platform and Wi-Fi make Starbucks welcome among customers. In Action: 1. What functions are provided by the Web site? The website of Starbucks provides their company cultures, coffee profiles, coffee house, responsibility, card and deals, on-line shops and on-line customer service. 2. How does the Web site support Starbucks’ business strategy? The web site provide on-line coffee house to give their customers more than their expected, the music WI-FI community provide the entertainment, on-line community and IT support all together. At the same time, the coffee profile and menu show the diversity of their products and service. Burton Snowboards Speeds Ahead with Nimble Business Processes 1. Analyze Burton using the value chain and competitive forces models. From the competitive forces point, Burton controlled almost half of the market at its peak, that is to say the barrier for the new entrants to this industry is quiet high, because Burton has occupied most market, and the way to compete with Burton means large economic scale investment. And the core techniques of Burton had been refined for years. If the new entrants want to break the predomination of Burton, they should have much more edgy management and skills. Same rules, the threat of substitute production is low. While its market power of suppliers is stable, because material of snowboard is simple  and the component of snowboard is relative exclusive and the manufacture technique will not face fluctuant revolution. On the other hand, customers require more and more diversified and delicate service, especially for the young customers who would ask for more personal designs. To enhance the value cha in, Burton snowboard need to add technology support, improve its systems for inventory, supply chain, purchasing, and customer service. In the past, Burton’s information systems were a hodgepodge of inconsistently implemented and underutilized software. The company had to manually allocate product to customers and orders. But now, Burton applied SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to resolve problems this way without adding new layers of complexity to its IT infra-structure, and the company gained proficiency with SAP enterprise software in the process. For the primary activities, since Burton revamped their data and order system, Burton’s inbound logistics and outbound logistics become much more scientific and effective. Therefore, the dealers reorder with Burton to replenish their stock or to buy new products. 2. Why the business processes are described in this case such an important source of competitive advantage for Burton? Because Burton wanted to speed up this process so that its dealers and retail customers would have more precise information about the availability of products not currently in stock. 3. Explain exactly how these process improvements enhance Burton’s operational performance and decision making? SAP analysts helped Burton identify the top five transactions that were the most critical to busi-ness operations and that needed optimization from a systems standpoint. Other processes in need of improvement included the order-to-cash process (receiving and processing customer sales, including order entry, fulfillment, distribution, and payment); the handling of overdue purchase orders in the procure-to-pay process, which consists of all the steps from purchasing goods from a supplier to paying the supplier; and the electronic data interchange (EDI) inventory feed extra ct transaction In Action: 1. What is the purpose of this Web site? How does it support the company’s goals? The web site is aimed to achieve product advertisement, Prospect generation, Direct sales, Business-to-business sales, Customer support and Education. Burton set a concise and attractive web site to attract customers  to drill down into the culture of the product and the company so that to show their product confidence as well as their humanistic service. 2. What functions at this Web site are related to the business processes discussed in this case? How did improving those processes impact the Web site? The website displays all Burton stores on it to guide customers for a better shopping. Also, the website provide Help column to deal with techniques problems and service reflection. Since the website opens on-line shopping channel, the order information can processed directly in their ERP system . Will Technology Save the Publishing Industry? 1. Evaluate the impact of the Internet on newspaper and book publishers using the value chain and competitive forces models. When the information dynasty comes, publishing industry, the torch bear of civilization, has to facing the big revolution. As a pass way to deliver knowledge and news, publishing industry’s competitors are television, radio, and theaters and so on. But now the powerful new entrant: internet, is driving publishing industry to a digital division. Instead of traditional paper based book and newspaper, the e-book is a much more popular substitute products. At the same time, suppliers are pursuing a higher margin between high cost printed publications and low cost e-publications. And more and more your readers prefer to use electric devices to read â€Å"books† and â€Å"newspapers†. 2. How are newspapers and book publishers changing their business models to deal with the Internet and e-book technology? One option is to share revenue with Internet partners such as Google and Yahoo. Another is to charge fees for newspaper content delivered to new reading devices, including smartphones, e-readers, iPads, and tablets, which enable online newspapers to be read everywhere. A third option is to charge fees for â€Å"premium† news and opinion. But because advertising remains a major source of revenue, the newspapers must clearly figure out how to grow their online revenue fast enough to offset their losses from print advertising. 3. How can newspaper and book publishers take better advantage of the Internet? What will it take for them to benefit from e-books? Explain your answer. Publishing companies have begun investing more resources in the Kindle and iPad as delivery platforms for their books and less money in traditional delivery platforms, like print news and bound books. Through this digital platform, publishers can win the  new channel to sale publications as well as win back their ad sponsors. 4. Will technology be able to save the newspaper and book publishing industries? Explain your answer. Yes, technology will provide a new way to publishers which is publishing through digital information system such as e-readers, ipad, mobile devices and on the internet. The essential meaning of publishing industry is still brisk, only the outer form changed. DEFINITION: BPR: This radical rethinking and redesign of business processes is called business process reengineering (BPR). BPM: Business process management (BPM) is an approach to business which aims to continuously improve business processes. Disruptive technologies: disruptive technologies are substitute products that perform as well or better than anything currently produced. Value Chain Modelï ¼Å¡The value chain model highlights specific activities in the business where competitive strategies can best be applied (Porter, 1985) and where information systems are most likely to have a strategic impact. This model identifies specific, critical leverage points where a firm can use information technology most effectively to enhance its competitive position.

Punctuation on ACT English Apostrophes, Colons, and More

Punctuation on ACT English Apostrophes, Colons, and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What's the difference between a periodand a semicolon? Between a comma and a dash? These questions bedevil not just students, but evenprofessional writers. Punctuation can be one of the weirdest, most confusing parts of writing. However, the ACT English section isn't writing- it's a multiple choice test, which means that every question has to have only one correct answer. The ACT tests a specific set of punctuation rules, most of which deal with commas. Icovered commasin a separate post- here I'll be explaining the other punctuation rules you need to know, which deal with apostrophes, semicolons, colons, and dashes. Here's brief rundown of everything this article will cover: Using apostrophes in possessives and contractions Understanding the differences between semicolons, colons, and dashes Answering ACT English questions on punctuation ACT English practice questions Feature Image Credit: xlibber Apostrophes: Possessives and Contractions Apostrophes on the ACT can be really tricky. You mayassume you know the rules, but the ACTtests these concepts in its ownweird way. As such, I'm going to briefly review the relevant rules, and then go over in detail how these concepts are tested on the ACT and what the common errors that you need to watch out for are. Possessives The basic rules for forming possessives are quite simple. If a word is singular or if it's plural but doesn't end in "s," then you add "'s" to the end of the word. the fox → the fox’s the women → the women’s To create a possessive for a plural word thatdoes end in "s," you simply place an apostrophe at the end of the word, after the "s." the archaeologists → thearchaeologists’ Let's look at how this works in a sentence: At the tinkers convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather workersstall. Clearly, this sentence is missing a number of apostrophes. Theconvention is for a lot of tinkers, so there should be an apostrophe after the s. It's probably just one leather workerat the stall though, so the apostrophe should go before the s. At the tinkers' convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather worker'sstall. On the ACT English, possessives questions aren't so much about knowing the rules as they are about determining whetheryou need an apostrophe at all and, if so, whether the noun is meant to be plural or singular. Should This Noun be Possessive? Happily, there's an easy trick to determine whether a noun should be possessive. "Sally's ball" is just another way of saying "the ball of Sally." So if you want to figure out whether a noun is meant to be possessive, take the noun, put an "of" in front of it, and stick it after the noun or phrase that follows it. This may sound complicated, but it's actually very easy. Let's walk through an example. When my computer crashed, I lost a months work on my plan to take over the world. Should month be possessive? Try switching it around: When my computer crashed, I lost thework of a month on my plan to take over the world. That makes sense: the point is that I lost all the work I did in a month. The correct version of the sentence is: When my computer crashed, I lost a month's work on my plan to take over the world. It's easy to assume that because a month isn't a person it can't be possessive, but that's not the case. Any noun can be possessive. In general, when dealing with possessive nouns, you're more likely to see questions where there's a necessary apostrophe missing (or misplaced, which we'll discuss shortly), than you are to see ones with extra apostrophes that you don't actually need. Is the Noun Meant to be Plural or Singular? The other factor you'll need to consider when placingapostrophes is whether the possessivenoun is meant to be singular or plural. Whether "the neighbor's dog" or "the neighbors' dog" is correct is dependent on whether there is only one neighbor or more than one. When working on ACT English questions, you'll need to look at context clues to determine how many of the noun there are meant to be. Let's revisit our example from above: When my computer crashed, I lost a months work on my plan to take over the world. We've already established that "months" should be possessive. But how do we know that it's "month's" not "months'"? The singular article "a" gives us the clue- "a months" makes no sense, so the noun has to be singular. Consider a slightly different version of the sentence: When my computer crashed, I lost somemonths work on my plan to take over the world. "Some" indicates more than one. So when we make "months" possessive, we need to put the apostrophe after the "s": When my computer crashed, I lost somemonths' work on my plan to take over the world. Keep in mind that the relevant context clues may sometimes be trickier to spot, so check the sentences before and after the underlined one if you're unsure. ACT Example The ACT tests possessives in almost exactly the same way we just discussed. Take a look at this example from an official ACT English section: Let's go through our two questions in order. Should "family" be possessive? If we switch around the word order to "the farm of his family" that makes sense, so yes, the noun should be possessive. (In this example, you might also say "family farm" but you'll notice that isn't an answer choice.) Is it "family" or "families"? First, think about what clues you can use- "his" is a good one. We're talking about Banneker's family specifically, and people generally only have one family. The singular form is correct. Nowwe know that we need an answer with "family" and an apostrophe, which narrows it down to A and B. We need to pick the one that correctly places the apostrophe before the "s" (since we're dealing with a singular noun), which is B. Whoever wrote this sign didn't know the correct rules for apostrophes ( ©Leo Reynolds) Contractions When working with contractions, you only really need to know one rule: the apostrophe replaces the missing letter or letters. Do not→ don't (apostrophe replaces the second "o") They have→ they've (apostrophe replaces the "ha") There are a few weird cases like "won't," but you don't need to worry about them. In fact, the ACT English generally doesn't ask about spelling of contractions. Why are we going over this rule then? Because there are a couple of very common contraction-related errors that the ACT English does test. Could Of vs. Could've If you've doneany ACT English practice you may have seen the construction "could of," "should of," or "would of." For example: I should of gone to bed early, but I stayed up to play video games instead. This sentence sounds fine if you read it aloud, but it's actually incorrect. I'm trying to say that I should have gone to bed- the correct spelling is"should've" not "should of": I should'vegone to bed early, but I stayed up to play video games instead. Should of, could of, and would of are always wrong. If you're trying to determine if a contraction is correct in general, though, replace it with the fully written out form. This technique will come in handywith our next category of errors as well. Pronouns One of the most common mistakes students make on the ACT English is mixing up "it's," "its'," and "its." Do you know the difference? It's - it is or it has Its - possessive form of it Its' - not a word Think about it this way: a contraction must have an apostrophe to replace the dropped letters while no other pronoun possessives (his, her, my) have apostrophes. Its', meanwhile, is just a weird construction that only shows up on the ACT- it is never correct. To summarize: for pronouns, an apostrophe ALWAYS indicates a contraction. Though they're less common, errors with they're, there, and their and errors with who's and whose may also appear on the test. For more details on those, take a look at our post on word choice. Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes: Connecting Clauses and Phrases We've covered apostrophes (above) and commas (elsewhere)- that leaves only three more punctuation marks: semicolons, colons, and dashes. Like commas, which they're often tested in conjunction with, these punctuation marks help clarify the relationships between clauses and phrases. Also like commas, you are far more likely to make an error by adding an unnecessary punctuation mark than by removing a necessary one, so err on the side of less punctuation. We're going to go over the exact uses for each of these punctuation marks, but, first a quick disclaimer. Semicolons, colons, and dashes are almost always tested with commas or in the context of sentence fragments and sentence structure. We have separate posts on each of those, so make sure to look at them as well. Semicolons Semicolons are basically wishy-washy periods (or so their detractors claim); they connect two independent clauses. That previous sentence is an example! A semicolon is only correct if it could be replaced with a period. Incorrect: After seeing that the amusement park hadfour roller coasters; Maria was determined to ride them all. Correct: The amusement park has four roller coasters; Maria was determined to ride them all. In the first version of the sentence, a semicolon is being used incorrectly in place of a comma to connect a dependent and an independentclause. In the second version, it is correctly placed between two independent clauses. Remember that semicolons are interchangeable with periods- this means that you will never be asked to choose between them. If the only difference between two answers is that one has a period and the other semicolon in the same spot, both answers must be wrong. There is one other, much less common, use of semicolons: to separate items in a list, especially if they include commas. For example: My whole family was at the reunion, including my cousins, Kirsten and Jeremy; my aunts, Tracy and Megan; and my grandparents, Carl and Jen. Again, there's a small chance you'll see this usage on the test, but it'sverysmall. Don't worry about it too much. Make sure to keep your semicolons happy by only using them between independent clauses! ( ©Mauricio Balvanera) Colons Colons are easy to mix up with semicolons because the two punctuation marks look similar and have similar names. Colons can, in fact, connect two independent clauses, but they are usually used to introduce lists or explanations (you may have noticed that I tend to employ them for the latter purpose quite a lot). The key rule for colons is that they must come after a complete sentence. You should be able to put a period at the end of the clause before the colon and have it make sense. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you're introducing a list or explanation, it's still wrong. Incorrect:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween, including: fake blood, plastic spiders, and a witch’s hat. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: fake blood, plastic spiders, and a witch’s hat. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: a holiday when people dress up in scary costumes and eat a lot of candy. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: she was planning to dress up as a zombie witch. The first sentence is incorrect, because the part that comes before the colon isn't a complete thought; "Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween, including" makes no sense on its own. The other three versions all correctly locate a colon at the end of the independent clause, "Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween." You may have noticed that semicolons, colons, and periods can all be used between independent clauses. However, as I mentioned in regard to semicolons, you will never be asked to choose between the three- the distinctions are purely stylistic. If you have more questions on this topic, read our guide to sentence fragments and run-ons. Dashes Dashes are a strange and flexible punctuation mark- personally, they're my favorite! However, for the sake of the ACT English, you really only need to understand two of itsuses: markingoff a non-essential clause or phrase (just like a comma)and introducing a list or explanation (just like a colon). Non-essential clauses and phrases provide extra information that can be removed without altering the meaning of the sentence. When dashes are used with non-essential clauses or phrases, the key is making sure that you don't mix them with commas. Both are equally correct, but you have to stick to one or the other. Incorrect: Allie was minding her own business when her brother, a mischievous eight-year-old- snuck up and surprised her. Correct:Allie was minding her own business when her brother- a mischievous eight-year-old- snuck up and surprised her. Correct:Allie was minding her own business when her brother, a mischievous eight-year-old, snuck up and surprised her. To mark off non-essential clauses is by far the most likely way you'll see dashes tested on the ACT English. However, you may also see dashes used to introduce a list or explanation, like so: Allie’s eight-year-old brother surprised her- he snuck up behind her and yelled â€Å"boo!† Dashes are relatively rare on the ACT, so just understandroughly how they can be usedand you'll be fine. ACT Example As I mentioned above, these punctuation marks are often tested together. You cansee what that looks like in this official ACT question: On questions like this one, it's often easier to determine what doesn't work than what does. So let's start with the semicolon; "but versatile boat" definitely isn't an independent clause, so we know a semicolon can't be correct. This construction alsoisn't a non-essential phrase (if you take it out the sentence no longer makes sense), a list, or an explanation, so we canrule out the dash. The comma is tempting because it's right before the coordinating conjunction "but," but it's actually incorrect. Think about what commas, dashes, colons, and semicolons are all meant to do: clarify relationships between clauses and phrases. That means you generally shouldn't stick them in the middle of a thought. "simple but versatile boat" is one idea, so you don't want to interrupt it with unneccesary punctuation. B is the correct answer. Remember to always consider whether you really need a punctuation mark- you often don't. Breaking the rules is great sometimes, but not on the ACT. ( ©Edward SImpson) Applying Punctuation Rules on the ACT English We've covered a lot of rules and strategies for answering punctuation questions on the ACT English. I've rounded up the key points below, so that you can seethe key rules to remember and best strategies to implement! Key Rules for Punctuation: Possessives: theapostrophe goes before the s for singular nouns and plural nouns that don't end in s and after the s for plural nouns that do end in s Contractions: the apostrophe replaces themissing letters Possessive pronouns don't have apostrophes Semicolons connect twocomplete sentences Colons come after a complete sentence and introduce a list or explanation Dashes mark off non-essential clauses or introduce lists and explanations Helpful ACT English Strategies: Use "of" to check whether a noun should be possessive Use context clues to determine whether a possessive noun is plural or singular Remember that non-person nouns can be possessive Answer choices that are always wrong: should of, could of, would of, its' You'll never be asked to choose between interchangeable punctuation marks: either you're missing something or both answers are wrong Make sure the punctuation marks around a non-essential clause or phrase are always the same: either a pair of commas or a pair of dashes, never one of each Since there are a variety of different punctuation marks that serve similar purposes, use process of elimination to rule out the ones that can't be right, rather than trying to figure out what you think it should be If onechoice doesn't have a punctuation mark at all,be sure togive it carefulconsideration- it will often be the correctanswer Make sure to study the related topics of commas and run-on sentences as well Put Your Skills into Action! The best way to improve on the ACT English is to practice. To that end, I've created some sample ACT style questions where you can test out your new knowledge. 1. The twomain types of camels are; bactrian camels, which have two humps, and dromedary camels, which have one. A. NO CHANGE B.are: bactrian C.are bactrian D.are, bactrian 2.Tootsie Pops are beloved forthe lollipops chocolatey centers, even thoughno one knows how many licks it takes to get to them. F. NO CHANGE G. lollipops' H. lollipop's J. lollipop 3.Adding to the drama, Joe according to the rumor mill- stole Alfonso's girlfriend. A. NO CHANGE B.Joe, C.Joe who D.Joe - 4. Even though she's been trying to cut it down, Fran's action albumcollection is still impressive: over 400 vinyl records, 2000 CDs, and even a handful of tapes. F. NO CHANGE G. impressive; over H.impressive over J.impressive, it's Answers: 1. C, 2. G, 3. D, 4. F What's Next? Make sure you also understand the comma rules on the ACT English. Commas are often tested in conunction with other forms of punctuation. Not sure what else you need to study? Check out our guide to the most commonly tested ACT grammar rules. Start thinking big picture! Learn the 5 key concepts you need to ace the ACT English and the 9 steps to a 36 (as tested by a perfect scorer). Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

How Biobutanol Can Be Used as a Motor Fuel

How Biobutanol Can Be Used as a Motor Fuel Biobutanol is four-carbon alcohol derived from the fermentation of biomass. When it is produced from petroleum-based feedstocks, its commonly called butanol. Biobutanol is in the same family as other commonly known alcohols, namely single-carbon methanol, and the more-well-known two-carbon alcohol ethanol. The importance of the number of carbon atoms in any given molecule of alcohol is directly related to the energy content of that particular molecule. The more carbon atoms present, especially in a long carbon-to-carbon bond chains, the denser in energy the alcohol is. Breakthroughs in biobutanol processing methods, namely the discovery and development of genetically modified microorganisms, has set the stage for biobutanol to surpass ethanol as a renewable fuel. Once considered usable only as an industrial solvent and chemical feedstock, biobutanol shows great promise as a motor fuel due to its favorable energy density, and it returns better fuel economy and is considered a superior motor fuel (when compared to ethanol). Biobutanol Production Biobutanol is derived mainly from the fermentation of the sugars in organic feedstocks (biomass). Historically, up until about the mid-50s, biobutanol was fermented from simple sugars in a process that produced acetone and ethanol, in addition to the butanol component. The process is known as ABE (Acetone Butanol Ethanol) and has used unsophisticated (and not particularly hearty) microbes such as Clostridium acetobutylicum. The problem with this type of microbe is that it is poisoned by the very butanol it produces once the alcohol concentration rises above approximately 2 percent. This processing problem caused by the inherent weakness of generic-grade microbes, plus inexpensive and abundant (at the time) petroleum gave way to the simpler and cheaper distillation-from-petroleum method of refining butanol. My, how times change. In recent years, with petroleum prices heading steadily upwards, and worldwide supplies getting tighter and tighter, scientists have revisited the fermentation of sugars for the manufacturing of biobutanol. Great strides have been made by researchers in creating â€Å"designer microbes† that can tolerate higher concentrations of butanol without being killed off. The ability to withstand harsh high concentration alcohol environments, plus the superior metabolism of these genetically enhanced bacteria has fortified them with the endurance necessary to degrade the tough cellulosic fibers of biomass feedstocks such as pulpy woods and switchgrass. The door has been kicked open and the reality of cost competitive, if not cheaper, renewable alcohol motor fuel is upon us. Advantages So, all of this fancy chemistry and intense research notwithstanding, biobutanol has many advantages over here-to-fore easier-to-produce ethanol. Biobutanol has a higher energy content than ethanol, so there is a much lower loss of fuel economy. With an energy content of about 105,000 BTUs/gallon (versus ethanol’s approximate 84,000 BTUs/gallon), biobutanol is much closer to the energy content of gasoline (114,000 BTUs/gallon).Biobutanol can be easily blended with conventional gasoline at higher concentrations than ethanol for use in unmodified engines. Experiments have shown that biobutanol can run in an unmodified conventional engine at 100 percent, but to date, no manufacturers will warrant use of blends higher than 15 percent.Because it is less susceptible to separation in the presence of water (than ethanol), it can be distributed via conventional infrastructure (pipelines, blending facilities and storage tanks). There’s no need for a separate distribution network.It is less corrosive than ethanol. Not only is biobutanol a higher-grade more energy dense fuel, but it is also less explosive than ethanol.EPA te st results show that biobutanol reduces emissions, namely hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Exact values depend upon the engine state of tune. But that’s not all. Biobutanol as a motor fuel- with its long chain structure and preponderance of hydrogen atoms- could be used as a stepping-stone in bringing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to the mainstream. One of the biggest challenges facing hydrogen fuel cell vehicle development is the storage of onboard hydrogen for sustainable range and the lack of hydrogen infrastructure for fueling. The high hydrogen content of butanol would make it an ideal fuel for onboard reforming. Instead of burning the butanol, a reformer would extract the hydrogen to power the fuel cell. Disadvantages It is not common for one fuel type to have so many obvious advantages without at least one glowing disadvantage; however, with biobutanol versus ethanol argument, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Currently, the only real disadvantage is there are many more ethanol refining facilities than biobutanol refineries. And while ethanol refining facilities far outnumber those for biobutanol, the possibility of retrofitting ethanol plants to biobutanol is feasible. And as refinements continue with genetically modified microorganisms, the feasibility of converting plants becomes greater and greater. It’s clear that biobutanol is the superior choice over ethanol as a gasoline additive and perhaps eventual gasoline replacement. For the past 30 years or so ethanol has had most of the technological and political support and has seeded the market for renewable alcohol motor fuel. Biobutanol is now poised to pick up the mantle.

International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International Trade - Essay Example Political realities do influence international trade. Countries that are facing political instability are most avoided for trade as there is great deal of uncertainty there, nobody knows when their policies do get amended and the trading partner has to face loss. Trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas are other political tools that are used by governments to control the amount and composition of international trade happening in their economy (Oh & Reuveny, 2010). There are also some countries that avoid much trade with each other due to their rivalry and differences that eventually affect their economies. India and Pakistan, besides being neighboring countries avoid much trade with each other. However, unofficial trade continues between them for many years amounting around billions of dollars. US has imposed embargo over Cuba (Schwab, 1999); at the same time ongoing trade between mainland China and Taiwan shows an example that trade can even flourish even in the presence of hostile relations (Yu, 1997). This world has now become a global village and there is huge interdependence of countries on one another. Under developed, developing and developed nations all require trade with each other to grow, sustain and flourish their nations. Importance of no nation can be undermine thus limitations of political influence is a better idea. As for today, no nation can survive and grow in isolationism (Fioretos,