Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Free Essays on The Californians

Becoming Californian One of Gertrude Atherton’s many novels, â€Å"The Californians†, captured much about the lives of the privileged class of San Francisco during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. In chapter six of her novel, Atherton tells the story of two young women named Magdalena Yorba and Helena Belmont who reside in a very nice part of northern San Francisco. They are the daughters of very wealthy and powerful men known as Don Roberto Yorba and Colonel Jack Belmont. The two daughters decide one evening to rebel against their parents and sneak off to get a closer look at a fire in a bad part of town. During these times upper-class females were not suppose to be alone in public and therefore Magdalena and Helena head towards South of Market Street dressed as a boy accompanied by a muchacha from Spanish town. Magdalena is of New England Spanish decent while Helena is half New England and half Southerner. However, before the night was over, these two young explorers felt simply as Californians. For the first time in their lives Magdalena and Helena were able to catch a glimpse of the life of poverty that many endure in downtown San Francisco. The two girls even began to feel sorrow for the people who were watching their businesses and homes burn to the ground. The two friends seem to put themselves on the same social level as the less well-off victims of the fire when Helena says, â€Å"Oh, the poor things! They’ve been burnt out. Let’s talk to them.† While their previous upbringing had taught them to stay away from peoples lower than them, Magdalena and Helena had developed a new spirit to gain a better understanding about the people who lived so near to them, but who were also much different. This sense of closeness to the people helped them to feel more a part of California. As the story continues, Magdalena and Helena end up being brought in by a police officer for dressing as a boy and being vagrants.... Free Essays on The Californians Free Essays on The Californians Becoming Californian One of Gertrude Atherton’s many novels, â€Å"The Californians†, captured much about the lives of the privileged class of San Francisco during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. In chapter six of her novel, Atherton tells the story of two young women named Magdalena Yorba and Helena Belmont who reside in a very nice part of northern San Francisco. They are the daughters of very wealthy and powerful men known as Don Roberto Yorba and Colonel Jack Belmont. The two daughters decide one evening to rebel against their parents and sneak off to get a closer look at a fire in a bad part of town. During these times upper-class females were not suppose to be alone in public and therefore Magdalena and Helena head towards South of Market Street dressed as a boy accompanied by a muchacha from Spanish town. Magdalena is of New England Spanish decent while Helena is half New England and half Southerner. However, before the night was over, these two young explorers felt simply as Californians. For the first time in their lives Magdalena and Helena were able to catch a glimpse of the life of poverty that many endure in downtown San Francisco. The two girls even began to feel sorrow for the people who were watching their businesses and homes burn to the ground. The two friends seem to put themselves on the same social level as the less well-off victims of the fire when Helena says, â€Å"Oh, the poor things! They’ve been burnt out. Let’s talk to them.† While their previous upbringing had taught them to stay away from peoples lower than them, Magdalena and Helena had developed a new spirit to gain a better understanding about the people who lived so near to them, but who were also much different. This sense of closeness to the people helped them to feel more a part of California. As the story continues, Magdalena and Helena end up being brought in by a police officer for dressing as a boy and being vagrants....

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to answer problem solving interview questions

How to answer problem solving interview questions When you’re going on interviews in the hopes of landing a new job, you may invest some time in practicing how you’d handle the sorts of questions you think you might encounter while you’re in the real thing. The truth is, it’s impossible to predict how an interview will unfold. However, one thing you can expect during most interviews is the â€Å"problem-solving question,† in which you’ll be asked about how you’d either handle a hypothetical on-the-job problem from beginning to end or how you handled a real-world problem during your previous work experience.What’s the best way to handle a problem-solving question if it comes up? Keep reading!Stay positive and confident.When you’re hit with a problem-solving question on an interview, you’re being evaluated before you even open your mouth. Your body language and facial expressions are on full display while you’re listening to the interviewer either describe a problem-solving scenario or ask you to dig an example up.When the question comes up, do you cringe and swallow hard, with sweat forming at your brow as you squirm in your seat? Or do you appear relaxed, measured, and confident, and sit up straight and tall? Clearly, the second option will reflect more favorably on your perceived ability to confidently face a challenge.Of course, what you say and how you respond to a problem-solving question is crucial, and you want to reflect an aura of positivity and confidence. For starters, pay attention to the tone of your voice- is it measured and unwavering or do you sound nervous and hesitant? Which one do you think will make you seem like an ace problem solver to hiring managers?Resist the urge to go negative- a problem-solving question may pose a truly tough challenge or dredge up a horrific past experience that you’d just as soon forget forever, but don’t let that affect your composure during an interview. Resist playing the blame game on a company or colleague, talking about how impossible the problem is or was, and don’t play â€Å"hot potato† and pass off the problem to someone else as fast as possible. Problems arise at every job, and interviewers want to see if you’re the sort of person who will face them in a positive and confident manner.Demonstrate teamwork, leadership, and innovative thinking.Problem-solving questions are great opportunities for you to demonstrate some of the qualities that make you a great employee. Think about how you and others have handled a problem well, at work or elsewhere. It’s often the case that that those who demonstrate leadership, as well as an ability to work well with others and come up with innovative solutions, really shine when facing a work challenge. Make sure that your response to this question in interviews reflects your ability to boldly confront a problem, come up with new and creative ways to solve it, and work with colleague s towards an effective solution.Show an eagerness to meet challenges head-on.A good employee doesn’t shy away from problems in the workplace- but a great employee is eager to face challenges head on. When a problem-solving question is presented to you during an interview, you should respond in a way that demonstrates that you enjoy tackling problems head on and are a good resource to have on staff when issues arise- because they will.Are you ready for the challenge?You should treat every interview you go on as an opportunity to demonstrate your value to a potential employer, and what’s more valuable to a company than having a confident and effective problem-solver on their team? Use these strategies for answering problem solving questions and you’ll be sure to demonstrate your value as a prospective employee.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Nutrition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Nutrition - Research Paper Example It mainly consists of proteins, fats, water, carbohydrates as well as macro minerals (Instah, 2010). This topic will cover the importance of proper nutrition for children. Nutrition is vital for child’s development. It can also ward off many diseases and health related problems like obesity, weak bones, and diabetes. It also helps in development of children’s brain which is important for them as they are constantly learning new things during this period. The five nutrients mentioned below are most crucial for child health and body: Fiber: It is needed for healthy growth and proper nutrition. Fiber helps in dealing with the problem of constipation. Foods like legumes, vegetables and wheat are rich in fiber (Harvard School of Public Health, 2010). Antioxidant nutrients: It includes vitamin C, E, mineral selenium and beta-carotene. It helps in improving the child’s immune system. These nutrients are found in foods like tomatoes, cherries, carrots and spinach (Swanson, 1999). Calcium: It is one of the richest minerals found in body and is responsible for the growth of bones. It was found that children between four to eight years need 800 milligrams of calcium per day (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 2010). Protein: It is another important nutrient for child body. It is present in every tissue of the body. Four to eight year old children need 19 milligrams of protein daily to meet the requirements of protein. It is also important during infancy (Lifeclinic, 2010). Iron: As iron helps in development of brain and its function, it is considered as one of the main nutrients in child’s diet. Deficiency of iron can lead to anemia which results in severe weakness. Foods like meat, seafood, chicken and spinach are rich in iron (Chillemi, 2005). Poor nutrition can result in health problems ranging from small health issues to fatal diseases. The main

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Discussing incentives to conserve marine biodiversity conservation Assignment - 1

Discussing incentives to conserve marine biodiversity conservation within the framework of impure public goods - Assignment Example e into limestone, the ability of the oceans to provide sustenance in the form of sea life to tens of millions around the globe, and the ability of these oceans to dissipate the heat that the sun emits forms an integral part of why the oceans and the marina diversity that is exhibited within them is of such extreme importance. Through such a level of understanding, the following discussion will be concentric upon defining what an impure public good is, the externalities associated with these impure public goods, the technology of public good supply, and the types of economic incentives that are created for impure public goods. Firstly, an impure public good is that which is represented to all members of society but one that dilutes the utility that an individual might otherwise gain from enjoying a completely and entirely â€Å"pure† public good. For instance, in the case of the world’s oceans and marine bio-diversity, an example of the impure public good would be the level of toxic waste that is dumped into these oceans each and every year. As this pollutes the environment and creates a hardship on the marine biodiversity that would otherwise be evidenced, the destruction to the environment decreases the utility that a person could stand to gain from this otherwise â€Å"pure† public good. The externalities to this are clear, food that is harvested from the world’s oceans then in turn is sickly and likely to diminish in overall quality; or at the worst – have high levels of toxins evidenced throughout their bodies. As a means of understanding the further nuances and dynamics of public goods, the weakest link rule denotes that the socially available amount equates to the minimum of the overall quantities that can individually be provided. By means of contrast and comparison, the â€Å"best shot† rule states that the socially available amount denotes the maximum individual quantity. Naturally, incentives, both positive and negative, can impact upon the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The use of beauty in Disney movies Essay Example for Free

The use of beauty in Disney movies Essay Growing up nowadays most children in the US are brought up watching mostly Walt Disney movies. The Millennial generation was raised with the Disney renaissance film era, and the newer Generation Z is also being raised with the classic Disney films and the newer films like Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. As kids grow up, they begin to relate many of the stories and characters that they were so fond of to everyday things, whether it is their toys or Halloween costumes. Along with this is a clear placed biased view on behalf of the Disney corporation that most of the characters that are physically attractive or appealing to look at are going to be the â€Å"good guys†, while the less attractive characters are typically the â€Å"bad guys†. With this influence over children, it has led to greater stereotyping, body image problems, an ageism debate, and created greed to want to have Disney related memorabilia. These animated children/family based films have caused more controversy than ever expected. In the majority of the Disney films with the main exceptions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast, there is a clear and definite difference between good and evil within the characters simply by their appearances. In 2010, the University of North Carolina and Appalachian State University carried out a study analyzing twenty-one Disney films made since 1938, and asked the participants to rate 163 characters on a scale of one to ten in terms of â€Å"goodness†. They were asked to also score them on their attractiveness, intelligence, aggressiveness, romantic involvement, and their life outcome aka their â€Å"happily ever after† (Leach). In almost every movie, the â€Å"good† characters were the more attractive, more intelligent and less aggressive. Some of the characters that exemplified these ideals were Cinderella, Prince Charming, Princess Aurora, and the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. This study appeared in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology concluded that, â€Å"as ratings of beauty increased, so did ratings of friendliness, goodness, intelligence, favorability of the character’s outcome, and romantic involvement†. (Leach) Using this study as reference, researchers then set out to determine how much the idea of beauty is good and ugly is bad, is based off of a specific film. Forty-two children between the ages of six to twelve were put in a different study and had them watch either Cinderella or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Those two films have both characters that are beautiful and good natured, and also an unconventional hero that is less attractive to the eye. From that researchers then showed the children photographer of other children and were asked what they thought of that person from their looks, and whether they would want to ever to friends with them (Jacobs). Doris Bazzini, Lisa Curtin, Serena Joslin, Shilpa Regan and Denise Martz were the people behind this extensive project. Bazzini and her colleagues were able to conclude that it didn’t matter which film the child watched, their answers were all pretty consistent to each other. The researchers were able to pull that the children all had a greater desire to befriend or talk to an attractive peer, rated them as being more desirable to be friends with, less likely to get into any form of trouble, and were seen as being the better person compared to an unattractive peer. These thoughts were not just applied on human characters but also animal ones as well. (Jacobs) Bazzini stated in response to this project, â€Å"It may seem heartening to many parents that a single movie viewing did not induce greater use of the beauty is good stereotype. However, this may be due to the fact that the stereotype [has] inconsistent depictions of the low-beauty bias film are simply not potent enough to unravel a steadily developing propensity to judge attractiveness positively, especially when such stereotypes involve females†. The researchers then decided to suggest to parents that these movies should be used in aiding the parents as they teach them valuable life lessons in their young age rather than just letting them watch those movies with no dialogue about what they just watched. (Bazzini) Even though these films are animation and not live action, they have created these images of the human body which have led to people striving to look like people who do not exist in real life. The Disney characters are drawn to look and coincide with their roles within the movie; this has led to the Disney Princess Effect. The Walt Disney film corporation has rendered the female leads of their animated motion pictures as archetypes of the perfect female figure. (Travali) This gender/image construction in Disney films is so important because of the messages to sends to the main audience: children. The messages that these characters give to children are how to act, look, and interact with others. While this can be good, the looks part can lead to high expectations and lower realities. (May) The Disney animators have created the heroines to be perfect in their physique. Almost every Disney heroine has a perfect waistline, a perfectly proportioned face, skin tight or even revealing clothing, and those ever so desirable curves that make them wanted by the male characters, or their Prince Charming. These images have become a prime factor in teenage eating disorders and depression because just like Barbie dolls, these unrealistic perfect bodies cannot be actually attained in real life. (Travali) Young girls feel such pressure from the media to look like perfect Barbie dolls, and with the media Disney is a large part since the female heroines all have these perfect bodies. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among girls between the ages of 12 to 25. And even sadder is that the mortality rate associated with anorexia is twelve times higher than the average death rate for young girls for all causes of death. (Growing) Young girls buy outfits to look like their favorite Disney characters, whether it is for Halloween or to wear for fun, and they strive to look just like them. Even young boys feel the need to look like the heroes or Prince Charming, being physically fit and handsome. (Travali) These body image problems start at a young age thanks to the Disney franchise. A vast majority of children with body image problems start young with their exposure to Disney princesses and their perfect bodies, then over time as they see more media and media begins to mold their ideals for the perfect body. (B. P) This has negatively impacted the self-confidence of today’s youth. Growing up on Disney films has created a stereotype of attractive ideals that most youth have come to expect from society and it often lowers their own confidence when they cannot look like the animated characters or cannot find their â€Å"Prince Charming’s†. (B. P) The Disney Princess franchise has molded many youth throughout the years and never received criticism about ethnic diversity until recently. And even since The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, there is still criticism about the lack of diversity or from the other end of the spectrum, the bias that an African American princess is not a true Disney Princess. (May) Tiana is much different from the other princesses as she is more independent and has future job orientated goals, but of course has the Disney wish for a prince charming. Tiana was the first new princess since the Disney renaissance of the 90s and the first since Mulan was released in 1998. Disney has tried to create Disney princesses that would reach out to a greater racial audience. Creating princesses like Mulan, Pocahontas, and Tiana, has shown how the Disney Corporation has branched out to fill ethnic diversity. (May) But the Disney franchise is never safe from criticism, they have called out for making the ethnic diverse characters carry too many of the stereotypical features that are associated with their races. From Dumbo’s crows to the ear cutting barbarians in Aladdin to the savages in Pocahontas, Disney combined racial stereotyping into their characters. (Bartyzel) Another cause of controversy within the Disney Princess franchise has been transforming old characters into newer, sexier ones. Figure’s One and Two show the changes that the corporation has implemented. Figure One shows the changes made to characters Mulan and Pocahontas, and Figure Two shows the most controversial change with Merida from the movie Brave. Merida from the movie Brave was a character specifically designed to challenge the Disney princess stereotype, but instead of sticking with this endured hero and her making the movie the eighth top grossing film of 2012, Disney decided to give her the â€Å"princess makeover† and officially coronate her into a Disney Princess. The fiery, rebellious Scottish girl that audiences fell in love with was turned from her wild hair and conservative dress into a hardly recognizable character. Her hair was tamed, her breasts enlarged, a smaller waist, and a more form fitting and revealing dress was part of her becoming a certified Disney princess (Bartyzel). And from this transformation, Disney then decided to give all the princesses a new sexier makeover. In Figure One there is the original Mulan in the center top frame, and on either side of her is the new version. She has gone from a young Chinese woman to a girl with regular features, the only Asian aspects are that her skin is pale and the animators gave her Asian eyes. Pocahontas received lighter skin, an elongated face, larger eyes, and more makeup. But these changes did not go unnoticed by the public. In fact especially over Merida, there was a massive public outrage to the point that Disney released a statement that Merida’s makeover was not an official redesign but more of a one-time thing to go with her coronation. Disney was not expecting such a public outcry to these changes and has even lightened Mulan’s transformation having her wearing less makeup and the corporation has made no other references to doing any like that again (Bartyzel). Disney princesses can positively affect children in terms of mentality. Minus the body image problems, the more attractive characters are most of the time the bravest characters and great role models for children. While there are the negative aspects of these super attractive, unrealistic characters, they usually are the good guys and were actually transformed role models for the youth. (Klein) Princesses like Mulan, Merida, and Pocahontas are the heroes in their stories. Mulan showed young girls that they could have strength and protect their families and not be seen as the weaker sex. Merida showed girls that they did not have to conform to the princess ideals and instead be a fierce warrior. And Pocahontas showed there should be peace between people of other cultures and to take time to understand other customs that may be unfamiliar. (Bartyzel) The appearance of the characters affects children more so than adults. Studies about the attractiveness/unattractiveness of animated cartoon characters have shown that with a broad audience including children and adults, that the younger audience is more affected by the physical appearance of said characters in relation to their actions. (Klein) Beautiful people are more superior to those who are not. Psychologists in the early 1970s first thought that, â€Å"highly attractive people were smarter, more socially adept and generally superior to the rest of us, and they tend to live happier lives† (Jacobs). This harsh stereotype based on looks learned at an early age, impacts peer interaction. Kids begin to associate good looking people as being the good guys, and less attractive people as being the bad guys. The concept of judging a book by its cover. (Bazzini) Disney movies and the media go hand in hand with the ideals of beauty are good. While the media does not constantly showcase â€Å"beauty is good†, â€Å"ugly is bad†, in most advertisements, the idea is that sex sells. (Bazzini) The more attractive characters are happier and more apt to live ‘happily ever after’. This creates an ideal for youth that the more attractive they are, the more likely they are to find romance and have their own fairy tale endings. The more attractive a character is, the more likely they are to be loving. While there is a clear exception with this with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this is an accurate portrayal of most characters. (Klein) Research with kids has shown that they will lean more towards an attractive person. Consistent outcomes have shown that kids have â€Å"an overall greater desire to befriend an attractive peer, rate the child as more likely to be desired as a friend by other children, less likely to get into trouble and as nicer relative to an unattractive peer† (Jacobs). The beauty is good, ugly is bad stereotype is not only limited to the human animations. Studies show that kids even will view the cute, good animal like Flounder in Little Mermaid as the good guy rather than the big, bulky, mean Gantu in Lilo Stich. (Bazzini) The good is beauty and evil is ugly debate also brings ageism into light. In many Disney movies the older characters are portrayed as being more dependent on others or they are not present whatsoever in some films. (Jamieson) The media does not always support the less attractive characters, even if they are the good guys. Disney’s Pixar’s film Up, was turned down by investors and toy manufacturers because the main character was a grumpy 78 year old man, who by media standards was not commercially attractive. (Jamieson) Disney portrays characters in a one dimensional manner, and leaving out older characters affects children. In a 2007 study at Brigham Young University at Provo, found that animations could be a leading cause to ageism. The persistent portrayal of elders could lead to children forming the wrong impression of their seniors. (Leach) From the study at Brigham Young University, it looked at 93 characters that appeared to be by definition elderly in 43 Disney films going from Snow White to The Lion King. While the majority of these characters were actually good guys in the movies, the more memorable characters were the bad guys. Characters like the Wicked Queen and Cruella de Vil have been accused of creating a negative image for older people as in numerous films they are the villains. Cruella de Vil is seen as one of Disney’s most evil character. She is ominous with an unhealthy and frightening interest in the puppies, and has an obsession with their fur in 101 Dalmatians. (Womack) While the movies have good stories of triumph and moral battles, it creates greed. Part of the Disney franchise is to make sure their merchandise sells, and mostly their film merchandise, the need for movie novelties creates greed with young kids. To need to have more and more. (Wynne-Jones) A clear example of this is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the Disneyland resorts, where girls can be transformed into princesses and boys into princes/knights. This shows the need to look like the film characters and the extremes that the parents will allow their children to go through by paying vast amounts of money to become â€Å"pretty†. Parents anywhere up to almost two hundred dollars for their daughter to be turned a Disney princess. These princess packages include anything from simple makeup to an elaborate, fully detailed princess outfit and getting to meet a Disney princess. (Disneyland) The need for Disney related propaganda has sparked discussion of whether Disney is â€Å"exploiting spirituality† to sell its products according to Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex. He brings the point that while the stories in the movies do have a moral message to take away from; it has in turn created an even more materialistic culture. Fr Jamison believes that stories have messages showing good triumphing over evil; he reasons that it is a ruse to convince people that they should buy Disney related products to be like those stories and characters in the films. Films like Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians have strong moral struggles, and they are also popular in terms of merchandise (Wynne-Jones). Fr Jamison strongly criticizes the Walt Disney Company for their selling tactics of their movie and character products to the public, â€Å"The message behind every movie and book, behind every theme park and T-shirt is that our children’s work needs Disney†. The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 and has grown into one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies. To date it owns eleven theme parks around the world, and several television networks. They own networks like ABC, ABC Family, ESPN, ESPN2, and the numerous Disney channels. In addition they have their Hollywood studios that have produced more than two hundred feature films, and have recently purchased Lucasfilm. (Wynne-Jones) While they are entertainment powerhouses, they are now seen as faces of many everyday household items. Disney related items include children foodstuffs like cereal or fruit snacks, to the ever popular Disney related clothing. Almost anything related to infant merchandise has some sort of Disney character on it whether it is clothing to diapers to pacifiers. The public is completely surrounded by the Disney franchise without even realizing it and it has become an engrained part of culture. People will say that these films are a major part of culture and that people are simply reading too far into these films. While this makes sense that it is just people simply overanalyzing these family oriented family films, but these films have truly affected the public in many different ways. The Disney films offer an escape from reality and open the door for imagination for the viewers. But even then the films carry such strong messages that can be taken too literally like to be a princess, one must have their Prince Charming otherwise they won’t be happy in life. This has led to children having these unrealistic expectations of how their life is going to play out like a fairytale. The Walt Disney Company started out so small in 1923 and has since turned into a multi-billion dollar global franchise. Who would have ever thought that a man making simple animation would turn into a global faucet? The Disney movies and franchise need to be careful and start taking into consideration the criticism about their role in media, society and the lives of the growing generations. They are the future, and they are filled with racial stereotyping, unrealistic body images, ageism, and the firm grip on society of a powerful, global corporation.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Debated and Hated SUV Essay -- Transportation Cars Vehicles Papers

The Debated and Hated SUV Since the early 1990s, the car market has become saturated with sport utility vehicles. While SUV’s have been enthusiastically received by a wide spectrum of the demographic – everyone from teenagers to soccer moms -- not all are excited by its arrival. Some of the current complaints with SUVs have to do with their ridiculous size and relative fuel inefficiency. Others criticize the vehicles as being unsafe, and certainly unnecessary, for the tasks for which they are commonly used. But even with the recent campaigns to educate the public on the possible physical and environmental risks posed by the automobiles, SUV purchases continue to be on the rise. Indeed, with car sales on the decline, and the SUV being seen as a possible savior -- or at least band-aid -- for the struggling motor industry, any movement to ban SUVs in the near future is unlikely. There have been many arguments made for and against SUV’s. Anti-SUV groups have made good points by closely entwining logos and pathos arguments. Often anti-SUV arguments use crash statistics and environmental research to make there clams. While their use of statistics is good, anti-SUV arguments can err on the side of being so emotional they create a pathos fallacy. SUV advocates make arguments also based on statistics, but they rely more heavily on pathos based argument. One of the most prevalent fallacies made in pro-SUV arguments is that of distraction by focusing on the anti-SUV groups rather than discussing the issue at hand. Both anti and pro groups have made fallacies, but they have also made several great arguments. The desire for self-preservation is present in all people; this is why SUV safety is such a huge issue. â€Å"Ask a typic... ...e. There are those that would ban SUVs, and others that would rather just regulate them. Those that proudly drive their SUVs feel that all the bad press is directed at them. In the end there are several good arguments made on both sides. Works Cited Davidson, Ross. â€Å"The Bully on the Block.† Salon. Dec. 8, 1997 http://www.salon.com/news/1997/12/08news2.html Flint, Jerry. â€Å"The Holy War on SUVs.† Forbes. 03.03.2003. http://www.forbes.com/global/2003/0303/051.html Kirn, Walter. â€Å"Why I Love My SUV.† Time. Feb 24, 2003 v161 i8 p42 Mencimer, Stephanie. â€Å"Bumper Mentality.† Washington Monthly. December 20, 2002 http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14839 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ SUV Info Link, The. â€Å"Environmental Double Standards for Sport Utility Vehicles.† http://www.suv.org/environ.html The Debated and Hated SUV Essay -- Transportation Cars Vehicles Papers The Debated and Hated SUV Since the early 1990s, the car market has become saturated with sport utility vehicles. While SUV’s have been enthusiastically received by a wide spectrum of the demographic – everyone from teenagers to soccer moms -- not all are excited by its arrival. Some of the current complaints with SUVs have to do with their ridiculous size and relative fuel inefficiency. Others criticize the vehicles as being unsafe, and certainly unnecessary, for the tasks for which they are commonly used. But even with the recent campaigns to educate the public on the possible physical and environmental risks posed by the automobiles, SUV purchases continue to be on the rise. Indeed, with car sales on the decline, and the SUV being seen as a possible savior -- or at least band-aid -- for the struggling motor industry, any movement to ban SUVs in the near future is unlikely. There have been many arguments made for and against SUV’s. Anti-SUV groups have made good points by closely entwining logos and pathos arguments. Often anti-SUV arguments use crash statistics and environmental research to make there clams. While their use of statistics is good, anti-SUV arguments can err on the side of being so emotional they create a pathos fallacy. SUV advocates make arguments also based on statistics, but they rely more heavily on pathos based argument. One of the most prevalent fallacies made in pro-SUV arguments is that of distraction by focusing on the anti-SUV groups rather than discussing the issue at hand. Both anti and pro groups have made fallacies, but they have also made several great arguments. The desire for self-preservation is present in all people; this is why SUV safety is such a huge issue. â€Å"Ask a typic... ...e. There are those that would ban SUVs, and others that would rather just regulate them. Those that proudly drive their SUVs feel that all the bad press is directed at them. In the end there are several good arguments made on both sides. Works Cited Davidson, Ross. â€Å"The Bully on the Block.† Salon. Dec. 8, 1997 http://www.salon.com/news/1997/12/08news2.html Flint, Jerry. â€Å"The Holy War on SUVs.† Forbes. 03.03.2003. http://www.forbes.com/global/2003/0303/051.html Kirn, Walter. â€Å"Why I Love My SUV.† Time. Feb 24, 2003 v161 i8 p42 Mencimer, Stephanie. â€Å"Bumper Mentality.† Washington Monthly. December 20, 2002 http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14839 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ SUV Info Link, The. â€Å"Environmental Double Standards for Sport Utility Vehicles.† http://www.suv.org/environ.html

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Coral Reef Pollution Can Hurt Bermuda’s Tourism Industry

Environment and Development in a Global Perspective State of the Environment Report Coral Reef Pollution Can Hurt Bermuda’s Tourism Industry Introduction Waste management techniques in Bermuda have adverse effects on the coral reefs and can hurt the island’s tourism industry. This is a state of the environment report on the islands of Bermuda that serves to shed light on the pollution of the coral reefs due to waste management problems and the subsequent potential adverse effects it can have on the Tourism industry.I actually used to live in Bermuda during the period of 2006 to 2010 so I would like to think that I have gained valuable insight into the social and human development threats that this pollution problem poses to the general population. The tourism industry is the 2nd largest industry in Bermuda and is already in decline so it should be one of the island’s top priorities to maintain or even rebuild tourism to its former self. This report consists of th ree main parts. Firstly, a description of the environmental issues affecting the coral reef communities around the island.Secondly, a description of the human development issues and socioeconomic effects that the degradation of the coral reef community has or will most likely lead to on the island. Lastly, the report explores some proposed remedies for the environmental issues. State of the Environment For over a century, heavy metal waste from the islands of Bermuda has been stored on the shores of a large natural harbor called Castle Harbour. It is located between the north eastern end of the main island and St. David’s island and it just happens to be a mere two hundred meters away from the nearest coral reef community.Most of the waste being dealt with is from the population itself. There are about 67,000 people living on the islands and it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. (Central Intelligence Agency) All of the country’s solid waste and sc rap metal are either dumped at the site in Devonshire to be incinerated or stored at Castle Harbour, also known as the ‘airport dump’. â€Å"Bermuda has been disposing of waste at the airport dump for nearly 40 years with little thought of the impact on the environment,† read a 2010 article in the local newspaper, the Royal Gazette. Bardgett, 2010) Figure 1 shows a portion of the Castle Harbour site and really gives you an appreciation for the proximity of the waste to the water itself. As you can imagine there is not much land flow acting as a buffer before pollutants leach into the ocean. Figure 1. Old cars stacked at the Castle Harbour ‘airport dump. ’ (Bardgett, 2010) In addition to cars, appliances such as refrigerators release harmful chemicals like anti-freeze and oil into the ocean surrounding the Harbour.These chemicals have already caused irreversible damage to the coral reef and are having a notable effect on the black grouper fish populat ion (Bardgett, 2010). It is worth noting that the coral reef in the area has already been through irreversible sedimentation damage in the past from a dredge and fill operation that occurred 60 years ago. Since the 1970s, there was a decrease in percent cover from 12% (Dryer & Logan, 1978) to 2% and is not completely gone only because the brain coral Diploria labyrinthiformis was sediment tolerant (Flood, 2004).In Castle Harbour sedimentation is chronic so this new threat of chemical leakage is a blow to an already wounded environment. Figure 2 shows a brain coral from Castle Harbour that has been damaged by sedimentation. The dimple type formation is characteristic of sediment damage (Flood, 2004). Figure 2. Dimple formations on brain coral affected by sedimentation at Castle Harbour (Flood, 2004). Unfortunately, in addition to the sedimentation and the chemical leaching, the coral reef colonies are also subject to pollution from raw sewage. Bermuda does not have a sewage treatment plant.The island itself is made entirely of limestone, as it is land formed by a now dormant volcano. Households rely on pits dug into the limestone that stores and processes sewage along with used water from sinks and laundry. This mixture eventually reaches the oceans after it percolates through the limestone. Larger structures such as hotels and apartment complexes use pipes to transport waste offshore. According to this report, human sewage might cause the algae on the reef to â€Å"overgrow and shade the corals and eventually kill the reef† (â€Å"Bermuda’s inshore waters,†).Sewage waste that had been dissolved and pumped three miles offshore from Paget Parish in the south has caused a growth surge in marine weeds that choke the slower growing corals. Now this is an ecological imbalance and is currently ongoing so scientists are monitoring it (Jones). Also, the extra nutrients will cause the phytoplankton to grow in numbers and turn the water from crystal clear to green (â€Å"Bermuda’s inshore waters,†). During the summer months an average of 400,000 tourists visit the islands and cruise ships significantly contribute to the amount of sewage produced by the population.Sewage from the City of Hamilton and surrounding areas as well as the cruise ships are disposed of at the Seabright Point submarine sewage outfall. 500,000 to 1,000,000 gallons of raw sewage is discharged every day, at peak flow (â€Å"Seabright point monitoring,†). According to a Pastorok and Bilyard report, the three components of sewage effluent most detrimental to coral communities are nutrients, sediments and toxic substances (Pastorok & Bilyard, 1985). Castle Harbour is primarily providing sediments and toxic substances while the nutrients are being pumped about the islands at different locations but mainly from Seabright Point.The same report explained that anthropogenic inputs of dissolved nutrients and organic particulate matter can limit oxygen levels. This is important because it directly affects the marine life in the area that depends on the oxygen. Bermuda’s coral reefs are the most isolated and northern reefs in the Atlantic. It is actually extremely rare to find long distance dispersals by corals to isolated reefs like Bermuda’s. These coral reefs are located just on the outskirts of the environment that it thrives in so it does not have an abundance of different types of coral.The coral species that happen to be there have adapted to the seasonal weather that these higher latitudes bring. However, because there are a limited number of species, the entire reef’s ability to bounce back and respond to environmental change is limited. Therefore, any damage to the coral reefs will have persistent impacts. Related Human Development Issues Besides tourism, there are many ways that coral reef degradation directly impact humans. As mentioned before, coral reefs provide shoreline protection by buff ering wave energy and reducing coastal erosion.As they become degraded, they will become weaker and the waves do not only cause more coastal erosion as they get stronger but they also aid in the breaking up of coral so once degradation has begun it tends to be a very slippery slope. Correspondingly, loss of coral reefs means loss of critical habitat for reef fish. Two of Bermuda’s local delicacies are codfish and potatoes, which are traditionally, enjoyed on a Sunday morning and rockfish which is a soft tasty dish that you can find at any restaurant on the island. Both of these fish are directly linked to the coral reefs and a reduction of habitat would mean a reduction in fish to catch.This would negatively affect both food supply and associated economic activities. Finally, coral reefs have pharmaceutical compounds and a degraded one can no longer provide medicinal resources for drugs to treat heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses (â€Å"Socioeconomic impacts,†) . Figure 3 shows the different reasons that Bermuda’s coral reef communities are used and their associated values. Figure 3. Total Economic Value (TEV) of Bermuda’s coral community divided into sectors (Sarkis, van Beukering & McKenzie, 2010).Figure 4 corresponds with Figure 3 and provides the monetary value of the different sectors that the coral reef community TEV is divided into. Figure 4. Average Annual Value of services provided by Bermuda’s coral reefs (Sarkis, van Beukering & McKenzie, 2010). Bermuda’s tourism industry is already struggling but continues to be the 2nd largest industry in Bermuda (Central Intelligence Agency). The economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and since Bermuda has the fourth highest income per capita in the world, it’s safe to say that the country is truly affluent (Central Intelligence Agency).However, the wealth in the country is certainly not divided equally as the c ountry’s wealth relies so heavily on these two industries. People with direct influence in the tourism and business community hold the majority of the island’s wealth but the population of locals in this category is very limited because many of the business executives and workforce are expatriates who come to the islands to work for some time and leave.This occurs because of the law in Bermuda that prevents foreigners from ever gaining citizenship and because most of the business is international and would more likely hire their own people for the higher positions. It is also extremely hard to become a resident without marrying a local and foreigners cannot even own land, or buy houses that are under the annual rental value of USD $177, 000 (â€Å"Bermuda residence and,† 2012). This means that the recorded 19% of the entire population that lives under the poverty line is actually a larger percentage of the truly local population.This is an extremely large number of people for a country that has five times the GDP per capita of the USA (Central Intelligence Agency). With jobs and positions in the business market essentially saturated, locals have been obligated to work in the service and hospitality sector where the tourism industry is the major provider of income. It is such a shame that the obvious candidate, the depression, is negatively affecting the industry. With the decline in tourism, a larger gap is being created between the rich and the poor.Also, since the initiative was taken to make the tourism industry a joint effort between the government and the community, a further decline in tourism would directly affect family owned hospitality businesses as well as single person jobs and will undoubtedly increase the percentage of the population living under the poverty line. So it would be even more shameful if the tourism industry were further perturbed by other factors on a local scale such as the pollution of the coral reefs due to p oor waste management.Besides marine tourism and aesthetics, tourists mainly come to the island because of its world-renowned ‘pink sand’ beaches. The coral is responsible for the pink sand and clear water and most importantly acts as a buffer for wave action. Therefore, if there is less coral then there will be more coastal erosion and this would truly be detrimental to the beaches and Bermuda’s tourism. Proposed Remedies and Conclusion Now that we have established that the two main problems are the Castle Harbour leaching and the sewage disposal, we can talk about potential solutions.Greg Wilcox, president of Midway Auto Parts in Kansas City, Missouri, visited the island in 2010 with a few of his colleagues and explained that he was surprised at the situation at Castle Harbour because it was something only expected of a third world country (Bardgett, 2010). He is now working with the environmental group Greenrock on an initiative that would benefit all sectors o f the community including insurance companies, auto repair shops and the government. In the US there are auto parts recyclers who deal with ‘white material’ and sell the second-hand parts (Bardgett, 2010).Having lived in Bermuda, I know for a fact that there is an abandoned airstrip behind the airport itself that would be a prime location for something of that nature. Transporting the material from Castle Harbour will not be a problem because it is literally across the street. It is already the first thing the tourists see when they get to the island but at least this way it can be contained within warehouses inside a compound and white material can be drained and disposed of properly.For the sewage system problem, the most obvious remedy would be to build a sewage treatment plant. However, because of the linear dispersal of the island it would be very difficult to dig up the roads to lay down sewage lines (Wingate, 2006). The public also are strongly against a sewage t reatment plant being anywhere near their houses and in the central district of Hamilton there is hardly any vacant land available. The only option to mitigate the amount of sewage leaking into the ocean would be to upgrade the method of treatment for each household or complex.If the government were to import small-scale self-contained tertiary treatment plants in bulk for each household it will be more affordable (Wingate, 2006). Having said all this, no action will be taken for at least another four years because the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab just launched a five year assessment of the marine environment and coral reef ecosystem in 2012. The assessment is centered on the Seabright Point sewage outfall and is supposed to determine the fate of the sewage as well as the impact on the reef ecosystem (â€Å"Seabright point monitoring,†)Final Word Count: 2416 References: 1. ) Central Intelligence Agency. (2013). The World Factbook: Bermuda. Updated February 13, 2013, Retri eved March 19, 2013, from https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bd. html 2. ) Bardgett, Robyn. (2010, December 1). Vehicle recyclers visit from US Pollution at airport dump causes concern. The Royal Gazette, Retrieved from http://www. royalgazette. com/article/20101201/NEWS07/712019915 3. ) Pastorok, R. A. , Bilyard, G. R. , 1985. Effects of sewage pollution on coral-reef communities.Marine Ecology Progress Series. 21, 175–189. 4. ) Dryer, S. , Logan, A. , 1978. Holocene reefs and sediments of Castle Harbor, Bermuda. Journal of Marine Research. 36(3), 339–425. 5. ) Flood, V. S. (2004). Coral Community Structure and Patterns of Sedimentation in Castle Harbour Bermuda. Retrieved from http://athenaeum. libs. uga. edu/bitstream/handle/10724/7970/flood_vanese_s_200412_ms. pdf? sequence=1 6. ) Bermuda's inshore waters. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. coexploration. org/bbsr/coral/html/body_bermuda_inshore_waters. html 7. Jones, R. (n. d. ). Environmental issues. Retrieved from http://www. moon. com/destinations/bermuda/background/the-land/environmental-issues 8. ) Seabright point monitoring. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. bios. edu/research/projects/seabright 9. ) Socioeconomic impacts. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. reefresilience. org/Toolkit_Coral/C2c2_Socioecon. html 10. ) Sarkis , S. , van Beukering, P. J. H. , ; McKenzie, E. Bermuda Department of Conservation Services, (2010). Total economic value of bermuda. Retrieved from website: http://www. onservation. bm/coral-reef-economic-valuation/ 11. ) Bermuda residence and property. (2012, November). Retrieved from http://www. lowtax. net/lowtax/html/bermuda/jbrres. html 12. ) Wingate, D. Bermuda Zoological Society, (2006). Conservation in bermuda  (CON-02). Retrieved from website: http://www. gov. bm/portal/server. pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_11280_207_227543_43/http;/ptpublisher. gov. bm;7087/publishedcontent/publish/new_min_of_environment/environmental_prot ection___project_nature_fact_sheets/conservation_in_bermuda_0. pdf

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Epistemology and Knowledge Essay

For centuries philosophers have questioned whether knowledge exists and if we know anything at all. This discipline is known as epistemology. Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, is a branch of philosophy related to the scope and nature of knowing. The subject focuses on examining the nature of knowledge and how it relates to beliefs, justification and truth. It is actually quite hard to define knowledge. The dictionary defines it as a general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles, but philosophers on the other hand define it as a belief which is in agreement with the facts. So what are the facts, and what do we know exactly? Christopher Norris, the author of Epistemology: Key Concepts in Philosophy, states that whatever we believe now, is only an approximation of reality and that every new observation brings us closer to an understanding. Therefore, knowledge is forever changing/evolving and not pertaining to one’s beliefs. â€Å"†¦ ‘water’ was once defined vaguely as the kind of stuff that fell as rain, filled up lakes, was liquid under normal ambient conditions, boiled or froze at certain temperatures, †¦ etc† (Norris 44). Due to evolution, we now know  that liquid; water, is made up of the molecular structure H20. We no longer believe that the liquid once vaguely defined is anything other than water (H20); now we are knowledgeable. Norris believes science must be integrated with the natural world and the social world to truly understand knowledge. â€Å"When we try to explain all our knowledge of the world as Descartes does we try to understand how the things we believe in science and in everyday life are connected with and warranted by the bases or grounds on which we come to believe them† (Stroud 209). Beliefs are things people have. They aren’t things that can be picked up along the side of the road. Just because a person believes they can fly doesn’t make it true. For many philosophers, this is important. It implies that what someone thinks, could be wrong. In other words, it implies that what one thinks about the world may not match up with the way the world really is. â€Å"†¦ truth occurs when ideas in the mind agree with external conditions or objects †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Soccio 322). Therefore, there is a distinction between belief and truth. Truth is not in your head. Truth is out there. Truth is factual. The molecular structure H2O is factual; therefore it is truth. Knowledge is a kind of interaction. It involves asking questions and inference. One can’t merely know because they believe. Although a person can believe that they know something, that isn’t legitimate knowledge. Knowledge is a belief which is in agreement with the facts. Works Cited Norris, Christopher. Epistemology: Key Concepts in Philosophy. New York: Continuum, 2005. Print. Soccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. Print. Stroud, Barry. The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism. New York: Oxford, 1984. Print.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

5 Excellent Reasons Not to Fear the Garden Spider

5 Excellent Reasons Not to Fear the Garden Spider SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you noticed a large black and yellow spider making its home in your yard? This species is commonly known as the garden spider, and they are widespread throughout North America. Should you be concerned about you or your pet being bitten by a garden spider? Are garden spiders poisonous? On the contrary, garden spiders are a beneficial garden inhabit and are key to keeping insect populations down. Read this guide to learn more about this striking spider species and their unique characteristics. What Are Garden Spiders? To start, what are garden spiders? Is any spider you find wandering across your lawn a garden spider? When people talk about garden spiders, they’re referring to one species of spider. Its scientific name is Argiope aurantia, but it has many common names, including garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, yellow garden spider, writing spider, garden orb weaving spider, corn spider, zigzag spider and banded garden spider. The most distinctive feature of garden spiders are the black and yellow markings that often appear as bands or spots across their abdomen. Only female garden spiders have these colors though, along with a white or gray cephalothorax (front part of the body). Males are significantly smaller, with a thinner abdomen, and have a duller red-brown color. Females range from 0.75 to 1.1 inches (19 to 28mm) long, while males are about a quarter the size of females: 0.20 to 0.35 inches (5 to 9mm) long. Like all spider species, garden spiders have eight legs (in four pairs) and multiple small eyes. Because of their larger size and bright colors, female garden spiders are noticed much more often than male garden spiders. A female garden spider on the left and a male garden spider on the right. Source: Wikimedia Commons Where Do Garden Spiders Live? Black and yellow garden spiders have a wide range. They’re native to North America and are found in every US state except Alaska. Their range also extends to northern Central America and southern Canada. Garden spiders prefer to live near sunny, grassy areas that are out of the wind so that they can build their webs. They typically build their webs on tall plants or low buildings. This is why they are found so often in gardens! Tall grasses, shrubs, even the eaves of houses are all ideal places for garden spiders to live. These spiders are active during the day, and they can often be found on or near the webs they build. Are Garden Spiders Poisonous? If you see a garden spider, don’t worry about being bitten by it. Garden spiders aren’t aggressive, and they’ll leave you alone as long as you don’t bother or provoke them. In the rare cases that garden spiders do bite, you still don’t need to worry. Garden spider venom isn’t poisonous, and the bite will feel similar to a bee sting, with only minor pain and swelling. This is true for both humans and animals, so you don’t need to worry if your dog or other pet is bitten by one of these spiders. The only people who need to worry about getting bitten by garden spiders are those who are allergic to the spider’s venom, but this is very rare. If the bite or other parts of your body (such as your face) become very swollen or you have trouble breathing, call 9 or get to an emergency room immediately. Despite some articles explaining how to get rid of garden spiders, they are a harmless and often interesting addition to yards and gardens. In the next section we explain how garden spiders can even benefit you! 4 Key Black and Yellow Garden Spider Facts Want to know more about garden spiders? Below are some of the most important and interesting facts to know about this species. What Do Garden Spiders Eat? Not only are garden spiders harmless, they can help make your garden a more enjoyable place to be! Garden spiders eat insects, including many common pests like mosquitoes and wasps. Garden spiders trap their prey by spinning webs that the insects fly into. They don’t chase or hunt their prey (so any stories about garden spiders chasing after humans are false). Insects make up the majority of a garden spider’s diet, but they may also eat slightly larger prey, such as small lizards, if they get caught in the spiders’ webs. What Does a Garden Spider Web Look Like? Garden spiders are known for having large, intricate webs. The webs can be up to two feet across and are circular in shape. They have the classic spiral rings and radial lines that most people envision when they picture a spider web. Their webs often have a distinctive zigzag of silk running through the center, known as the stabilimentum. Female garden spiders typically build much larger webs than male spiders. Once the web is complete, the spider will often sit in the middle of it, waiting for prey to fly into the web. Garden spiders will use the same web for several months, maintaining it as needed each night. However, they may build new webs more often if they decide to move locations or the web is damaged. How Long Do Garden Spiders Live? Garden spiders live, on average, for one year, although some females can live for several years if they live in areas that don’t have hard frosts (a frequent killer of garden spiders). Garden spiders typically spend their entire lives in one area, so your yard may be the site of an entire garden spider life cycle! How Do Garden Spiders Reproduce? Garden spiders reproduce one to two times a year. The male garden spider dies immediately after mating and is sometimes eaten by the female. After mating, the female lays several thousand eggs which she covers in brown silk. The eggs hatch in the spring or fall, and the baby garden spiders (the vast majority of which won’t survive to adulthood) either stay in the area or get carried by the wind to new places. Summary: Garden Spider Even though they may look frightening, black and yellow garden spiders are actually a harmless, and sometimes even beneficial, addition to your yard. The garden spider, officially known as Argiope aurantia, is a widespread spider species that is nonaggressive. Even if a human or animal is bitten by one of these spiders, the reaction will only be similar to that of a bee sting, with minor swelling and pain. The garden spider web is often large and intricate, and it’s one of the most obvious signs that this spider is living in your yard. Female garden spiders are the only ones with the bold black and yellow coloring, and the species eats primarily insects, including many pests that frequent gardens. They play an important role in the ecosystem and keeping insect populations down, so there’s no need to worry if one of these spiders makes its home in your garden! What's Next? Looking for more spider facts? We dissect 4 popular camel spider myths here. Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you. What's Vygotsky scaffolding? It actually has nothing to do with buildings! Learn everything you need to know about this important education term in our complete guide to Vygotsky scaffolding. Did you know that water has a very special density? Check out our guide to learn what the density of water is and how the density can change.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Photo-Montage

Tips for Creating a Better Script for Video/Photo-Montage Although I am a writer, I am also a Voice Talent for webmercials, e-learning, and audiobooks. This week, I have been hired for a real-estate agencys web video, and find myself in a common situation: The person creating the script is not familiar with writing for this medium. Hence, I created a how-to, useful whether you are creating a video-trailer for your book or writing for a corporate website! * TIME (step one) Watchable time is 3 minutes, and most quick web pieces are less. Three two-minute pieces are better than one 6 minute piece; most people click away at 1.5 minutes. 200 words is around 1.5 minutes, so aim for 200-350 words. With that in mind, write down EVERYTHING that you think is important. Read aloud at a medium pace, and time it. Your written piece is probably five minutes. Now prioritize what you think is important, and write those concepts down in bullet form. Note if you like a certain tone (Cheery? Mellow? Dramatic? Authoritarian? Snarky?). * IMAGES (step two) Ask yourself: ==Do I have images for each of my bulleted ideas? Make a note next to your bullets of how many images you have for each and what they look like. Yes, you can write an image into more than one category- although you will not SHOW the image twice, writing it in two places gives you placement options. If there are ideas WITH NO IMAGES, then you need to get some OR decide to use written text (like â€Å"Comes in red as well†) OR save that idea for a later project. ==Do I have enough images for a whole sentence? This is a biggie. Watchable time for each image is 2-3 seconds. Lovely long compound sentences do not work, nor do sentences where the main object or verb is at the end of the sentence - people need to hear information that explains, modifies, colors what they are seeing. ==Which images are strong and should be first? I know it seems bass- ackwards to think about how it looks rather than what you want to say, but this is a visual medium first and foremost - your message is embedded in the images, not the other way around. ==What if I am having a video/photo professional create my images or use my existing images to decide which goes where? Highly recommended. HOWEVER, you should still have a notion of what KIND of images best show your idea and what kind of image might be a most-compelling initial visual! * SEQUENCE (step three) Start and end with the strongest images. Which ideas do they match on your bullet sheet? You may have to do some realigning of ideas and images, and that is okay. The strongest image/concept-clump is now first. What should come next? The second section is often a lesser point. In general, organize your sequence with main points separated * SCRIPT! (step four) Remember- SHORT AND SWEET. How can you talk about your ideas beautifully, dynamically and succinctly? Remember, each slide will only be 2 or 3 seconds and that your total time is 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. Now touch base with your visual artist (if you have one). As an expert in the visuals, s/he will tweak your concept to give the piece have your tone and tell an interesting story. * REVISIT/REVISE (final step) Your video-photo person will send you the piece for alterations. Send back your thoughts with any script changes, then wait for the final awesome project!!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Main Accounting Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Main Accounting Principles - Essay Example This paper will shed light upon how JP Morgan Chase has modified their accounting principles in the past and what impact has the same had on their growth. An Analysis of JP Morgan Chase Business environment is consistently changing, some changes bring unprecedented challenges and these challenges should be met in order to consistently keep doing well. The likes of AIG, Lehmann Brothers could not sustain during the period of recession and as an inevitable result of which suffered hefty losses. This paper will expansively present the accounting policies and the changes adapted by JP Morgan Chase in order to successfully face the modern day challenges. A complete analysis of the major changes incorporated by JP Morgan chase will be expansively presented in this paper. The oldest financial services in the world is without a doubt JP Morgan Chase, it has its presence in well over 60 countries. They are the leaders in investment banking, wealth management and a host of other services. The biggest change that ever took place in the history of the financial institutions was the merger with Bank One. This change primarily took place because the other banks like the Bank of America were almost ready to merge with other big banks like FleetBoston. This merger took place because the financial institutions came under increasing pressure during the time of recession. The announcement of this merger was made on 14 January 2004. The Wall Street reacted very positively because of this merger and the NASDAQ witnessed growth soon after the merger took place. This change took place because the two financial institutions wanted to downsize and cut the deadwood out. The aim was to save about $2.2 billion over three years  and it was planned to eliminate as many as 10,000 people. This again goes to show how desperate even the biggest financial institutions were at the time of recession. Mergers and acquisitions were very common and these overtures were the initial signs which showe d that almost all the big financial institutions were panicking. Volatile corporate banking was the major factor on which JP Morgan primarily functioned. â€Å"Wall Street analysts generally praised the merger, and investors climbed on board. Typically, the shares of the acquirer fall, reflecting the cost of the acquisition. In this case, investors are signaling they believe the combined company will make up for that cost by holding the shares in the $39-$40 range, about where they were before the deal was announced. J.P. Morgan has been on a roll, with its shares up about 74% in the past 12 months. Bank One shares jumped about 15% when the deal was announced, matching the premium J.P. Morgan will pay. Such a move is typical in an acquisition.† (JP Morgan Chase) The investors looked less enthusiastic with the deal between Bank of America and Fleet-Boston. This deal was for a whopping $48 billion. The shares of Fleet-Boston were driven up as a result of this deal because Bank of America offered 40% premium in this deal. The shares of Bank of America however came down and the investors lost a lot of money consequently. Big mergers take place because both the companies involved in the merger want to grow at a tremendous pace but this merger was not very useful for both the financial institutions. The collapse of WORLDCOM in the year 2005 signaled trouble for JP Morgan chase, the institution had to pay a whopping sum of $2 billion. This sum was paid to the different shareholders who had lost a lot of mon

Friday, November 1, 2019

Identify the specific and unique culture of social networking Annotated Bibliography

Identify the specific and unique culture of social networking - Annotated Bibliography Example The article concludes that there exist distinct differences among those individuals that use various forms of social sites. It was found most of the Facebook users came from a privileged background as compared to MySpace users. Moreover, the academic achievement determined individual preference to any particular social site. The difference was most common among teenagers. The insight on this culture has been through the usage of social sites. By using the sites, I have come to realize that certain social sites are a reflection of groups such as professionals, academics, and celebrities. For example, joining some site that does not fit your group makes it difficult to interact and communicate with those that are well suited in that site. Bode, Leticia, Vraga, Emily, Borah, Porismita and Shah, Dhavan. â€Å"A New Space for Political Behavior: Political Social Networking and its Democratic Consequences.† Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Wiley.com. Web 17 February 2013. . The article notes on increased political participation due to social networking sites. Moreover, the authors note that the majority of these sites have received a high concentration of young people. The authors further notes that there is growing political realm on the sites. The authors seek to note what has encouraged people participating in the sites to engage in political discourse. Moreover, they seek to establish what the effects of increased political participation. On the other hand, the author notes that there has been increased use of the sites among the politicians. Further, they note that the sites have been significantly used as a political tool in various parts of the world. The authors conclude that the use of social sites by young people has led to increased relevance in the political arena. Moreover, they note that these sites have increased the level of