Week 4 class discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 4 class discussions - Essay Example You can then figure out how that point moves based on different decisions (say, price point). I like it because it’s a very easily understood concept, and can be easily visualixed and internalixed for decision making purposes. I do agree to the post of the student regarding breakeven analysis. As the student has written the post in his own words, therefore, he has not able to represent the exact concept of the breakeven analysis technique. I think I will choose Breakeven Analysis.   It is a technique used by accountants and management.   It determines the point which revenue equals the costs that are associated with receiving revenue.   Break-even analysis analyzes the costs of the sales.   If something costs $50 to produce a widget and the fixed costs are $5000.   The break-even point will be: From what I have read in the book, and from what I have learned in previous classes, the difference between a procedure and a function is the fact that a function will return a value while a procedure does not. In my previous classes, we just called them all functions. If I am missing some finer point of the difference during my discussion on them, Professor, please let me know. A procedure is a piece of code that will, when called, execute a piece of code without returning and values back to the place where it was called from. A procedure may, or may not take any parameters. Example of procedure prototypes (are they called that as a function is?) would be: A function on the other hand would return a value when it is done executing its code back to where it is called from. What we have been writing on every piece of code so far is an example of a function: The above post is well organized description of difference between the â€Å"Procedure† and â€Å"Functions†. The student has clear concept and sound knowledge regarding the topic. The student has discussed the topic with simple and high-quality explanation of the

Cannabis Industry Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cannabis Industry Leadership - Essay Example From the study it is clear that Ethan Nadelmann is among the individuals who are enforcing moves towards marijuana legalization. He serves as the Drug Policy Alliance administrative director. He stipulates that the government should not interfere with the activities of those individuals who use marijuana. Nadelmann has for about two decades has adopted reforms that influence deliberate awareness, arguing that the fight against cruel laws on drugs is not only about fighting for the rights of individuals that use drugs. He also targets popular substances such as marijuana. The move targets fighting against the overreach actin exercised by the federal government hence end the pointless drug ban among humans. As the report explores legalization of marijuana was a neglected issue 20 years ago before the Nadelmann’s entry to the field. At this period, only criminal growers participated in the practice by issuing leaflets in various shows to demand the government to stop interfering with the marijuana industry. Presently, however, the efforts that Nadelmann has put forth have led to the legalization of cannabis in two states, while it is used for medicinal purposes in an additional 16 states. Nadelmann is also an influential policy entrepreneur who targets any issue affecting domestic matters. The major force that drove Nadelmann to support the legalization of marijuana was the idea that drug abuse was considered a crisis in the public health field.

Pricing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Pricing Strategy Essay To set a pricing strategy, there are number of steps taken into consideration as follows: Step 1: Our pricing objectives are to maximize market share and increase sales volume. This strategy will be used when TrackR is being launched into the market. We charge a reasonable price in order for TrackR to be accessible in the market as quickly as possible and also to encourage the interest and excitement of a product. Because of the low price, we are able to raise the sales volume easily, maximize the market share and reach the economic of scale as soon as possible. In order to boost the sales even more, we will offer promotion followed by the product launch, which will later be discussed in the later section. Eventually, we can penetrate the market and create brand awareness. Step 2: Being a monopoly of TrackR, we have a sole power of controlling price and quantity, but before we set a final price, we must observe the demand. TrackRcan be classified as normal goods for specific groups of people. While the price remains unchanged, people tend to buy more normal goods when their income increases and they less likely to buy normal goods when their income falls. TrackR is price elastic meaning consumers are responsive/ sensitive to a change in price. If we decide to elevate the price of TrackR, the quantity demand will be declined. Step 3: We also need to estimate the costs associated with TrackR. All costs can be broken down into 2 categories; fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs include salary, rent, PR and promotion and sales promotion, which come down to 3 million baht per month while the variable costs comprise of unit cost, shipping fee and exchange rate which are 375 baht per unit. Step 4: Analyzing competitors’ costs, prices, and offerings. Our competitors can potentially be online retailers, for example, eBay or Find my iPhone. TrackR eBay Find my iPhone Price ? $25 ~ 800 baht Free Cost No additional cost Shipping fee + duty Offering Warranty, Service No after sales service Apple products only Step 5: We divide our consumers into 2 segments; B2B and B2C so we will use different strategies to different potential buyers. For B2B buyers, we will sign a contract and sell them over a large volume at a reasonable price range regarding the numbers of unit purchased. By having cost advantages over competitors as you can see on the previous slide, we are able to build up a barrier protecting us from new entrants entering the market. On the other hand, as we aim to achieve our objective of increasing the sales volume, we set an affordable price making it accessible to B2C consumers so we can increase the sales volume and eventually achieve economic of scale. We begin using value based pricing approach for both buyers, which sets prices primarily upon the value perceived/estimated by the consumers rather than the costs of the product. In other words, value based pricing is a valuation of good or service according to how much consumers are willing to pay. We have done a market survey to see at what price consumers would like to spend. It could be somewhat arbitrary but it greatly assistances in an effective marketing of product in understanding impact of good or service has on consumers. We then use break-even analysis, which represents a point at which total cost and total revenue are equal: there is no loss or gain at this point. It purposely uses to determine the minimum output that must be reached in order to make a profit. It is a rough indicator of a marketing activity and also provides a dynamic view of relationships between costs, sales and profits. We also use quantity discount for B2B purchaser, which is an incentive offered to our potential purchasers resulting in a reduced cost per unit of goods when acquired in a greater volume. A quantity discount will be proposed to tempt our buyers to purchase in larger quantities. Step 6: Now, we have come down to a conclusion of TrackR’s final price. Here are the base prices for both B2B and B2C buyers.

Factors Influencing Academic Performance | Literature Review

Factors Influencing Academic Performance | Literature Review Ema Marie Attard Extra (or essential?) Curricular Activities As stated by (Goldberg, 1946), extra-curricular activities, before they act as and become potentially enhancing to something else, we could say that they are beneficial in themselves. We can say this because they seem to present substantial values and skills to the participant, whatever the extra-curricular activity is. Whether the activity is sports or drama, dance or music, a successful participant of this activity will, at the very least, endure â€Å"satisfaction and joy for its own sake† (Goldberg, 1946). That being said, there are ‘secondary’ uses (so to speak) for these extra-curricular activities and studies (Miller, Moyer Patricl, 1956, Sybouts Krepel among others) have proved and seem to be continuing to prove, the effects of these extra-curriculars are real and valid. So much so, that they might even lead us to temporarily forget the aforementioned intrinsic value of said activities. In fact, advocates of extracurricular activities (Fozzard, 1967; Miller, Moyer, Patrick, 1956; Sybouts Krepel, 1984) claim that this less formal aspect of education is partially responsible for contributing to the development of good citizens, the development of a healthy approach to life, both mentally and physically, the direction of use of an individual’s leisure time, the development of personal interests and talents, as well as a positive outlet for creative expression. The belief in the significance and validity of extra-curricular activity involvement pervades many academically respected institutions. For example, as McCormick (1999) noted, the University of Chicago’s undergraduate admissions could fill the ‘freshman’ class to come entirely with Valedictorians, however the university specifically chooses not to do so in favour of opting for those students who possess more than just a high academic performance. That being said, the idea that extra-curricular activities are essential for important skills is not a view that is shared universally. There is a long-standing question if extra-curricular activities have any value at all (Coleman J. S., 1959). Some research actually states that extra-curricular activities may serve for little other than social function and detracting from more important academic work (Gose, 1996). Impacts of Extra Curricular Activities on Academic Performance Immediately what comes to mind when thinking of extra-curricular activities is the idea that participation in an extra-curricular activity could potentially help a student adjust to working within a team, help build and increase his/her self-confidence, learn to become more efficient and more social (Goldberg, 1946). We can also propose that it helps reap tangible rewards; such as the payments of a service given, or merely the satisfaction of, say, a public performance. Not to mention the fact of the possibility of hobbies becoming careers (the tennis player becomes the coach) and the friendships that stand the test of time and somehow enrich the individual’s future (Goldberg, 1946). We can also talk about the discipline it requires to properly engage in an extra-curricular activity and the added discipline it takes to maintain it whilst maintaining a satisfactory academic performance. That being said, the exact opposite has also been argued; the fact that extra-curricular activities are a distraction, that they split focus, are too demanding in of themselves and are a general waste of time. In fact, one of the foremost beliefs about extra-curricular activities is that they should, whenever it was deemed possible â€Å"grow out of curricular activities and return to curricular activities to enrich them† (Millard, 1930). However, as time passed activities which were not directly related to the academic were being perceived as frivolous and were beginning to be deemed as disadvantageous and detrimental to academic achievement (Marsh Kleitman, 2002), which then led to them starting to be discouraged. Another point that could also be made is that it is those adolescents who already have more developed interpersonal skills choose to participate in extra-curricular activities and therefore such activities are not necessarily responsible for the development of the skills (Rubin, Bommer, Baldwin, 2002). It has only been in more recent years that we have come full circle and educational researchers are, once again, taking a more favourable approach to extra-curricular activities and their effect on accomplishments in academia (Marsh Kleitman, 2002). According to Broh (2002), total extra-curricular activity participation (TEAP) is in fact correlated to an improved grade point average (to use American jargon), decreased absenteeism and also elevated academic goals and aspirations.. Although we can argue that, for the most part, researchers agree that extra-curricular activities do have an impact on academic performance, the National Educational Longitudinal Study found that while participation in select activities improves achievement and performance, participation in others reduces it. As cited by Broh (2002); Eccles (2003) and Marsh Willis (2003) found that participation in sports had a consistently higher rate for enrolment in colleges. Synder Spreitzer (1990) also found that college attendance was significantly higher for those who participated in sports than those who did not; to use their words â€Å"the athletic role enhances the academic role† Extra Curricular Activities Formal Education We live in a world in which it is the norm and tendency to view formal education as a place where information is simply passed on to students. These students are seen as no more than passive recipients who merely absorb and gather this knowledge which has been passed on to them. In an article, Swanson (2002), attempts to change the perspective on students’ behaviour as he begins to look at it from the point of view of â€Å"purposive action†. This view is one where both the formal as well as the non-academic pursuits serve as resources in which adolescents may deem fit to invest in, with the intention of attaining any possible future goals. In other, older, studies (Winner, 1923), emphasis is placed on the structure of schools and the formation of extra-curricular activities within the school. However, more recent literature wants to call attention away from this and focus on the possibility (and probability) of a wider selection of activities that could have a significant effect of the achievement of educational aims that occur outside the formal educational system, in other words: the classroom. At this point we have established that the way in which adolescents decide to use their free time will somehow probably affect their performance academically in some way or other. Schlesser (2004) states that students who participated in co-curricular activities were three times more likely to have a higher grade point than those who did not participate in extra-curricular activities (Schlesser, 2004). The National Centre for Educational Statistics (1999) also reported that students who used their time by engaging in extra-curricular activities had a significant (positive) difference to those who did not engage in extra-curricular activities. Factors such as unexcused absences, skipping class were significantly lower in students who participated in extra-curriculars, it was also found that theses students not only did well academically but were ranked in the highest quartile on math and reading, not to mention the fact that they were expected to earn a Bachelor’s degree or hig her. The Centre for Comprehensive School Reform (CCSR) carried out another study which talks about the correlation between the student involvement in activities and their performance in the classroom. It states that activities aid the students in forming strong and successful relationships among adults and peers alike, an attribute that is of the utmost importance both within a classroom and to the outside world. They also state that activity programmes help foster within individuals more personal expectations of excellence and dedication to academic success. Not to mention, of course, the fact that they promote a positive psychological, social, emotional and healthy well being all around. Adolescents as Rational Actors Investors Returns on Investment If when examining social behaviour we choose to take a rational choice perspective we are implying that, the reason for an adolescent taking any form of action is due to an intention of somehow increasing, to the fullest extent, that adolescent’s own personal interest in goals of importance to them. We are aware that in this respect, adolescents states of mind are more normally portrayed as being the result of their surroundings and their all-encompassing environment rather than being self motivated â€Å"rational actors† (Swanson, 2002). Despite this pre-conceived notion, as Swanson continues to argue, the decisions adolescents are confronted with, for example, in terms of time management and motivation, can in fact be seen as influential in their capability of fulfilling important milestones in their lives. Findings show that participation in activities shows criteria of both social exchange and that of investment. In the previously cited study done by Swanson (2002), there was evidence supporting high returns for college enrolment when there was involvement in both the official academic curriculum as well as in extra-curricular activities. In  economics, the law of diminishing returnsis understood to be the decrease in theoutput of aspecific production  process as the quantity of a single  factor of production  is gradually increased, while the amounts of all other aspects of production stay constant. The law of diminishing returns states that in most productive processes, increasing more of a particular factor of production, while keeping all others stable will eventually produce lower returns per unit. So, in tandem with Swanson’s idea of return on investment, when associations with overinvestment (of extra-curricular activities) were made, indications of diminishing returns were seen. The Zero Sum Hypothesis This ties in, naturally, with those studies that propose that not only do extra-curriculars not have a positive effect of academic outcomes but rather that extra-curricular activities are in fact, a hindrance to any positive educational outcomes. This hypothesis is largely credited to James Coleman (1961) who, in The Adolescent Society, is often referenced as the source on the ‘zero-sum’ model of transaction between extra-curricular activities and academics (Holland and Andre 1987; Marsh 1992). A very watered down explanation of the concept of the ‘zero-sum’ hypothesis is that one investor’s profit mirrors another investor’s loss (whereby for every 1 euro someone makes, somebody loses 1 euro). In his study, Coleman investigated the social order structure of students in the typical American High School. He notes that whereas popularity is pre-eminent (leading to participation in activities such as athletics and cheerleading), academic excellence is a ‘secondary consideration’. The zero-sum logic is very typically used in studies about participation in extra-curricular activities whereby time is a fixed commodity split among a various number of activities, due to the nature of the formulation (that there are only two competing alternatives) and that the total amount of time available is constant, the individual must reduce the time spent on one activity in order to increase time devoted to the other. Time The Zero Sum Hypothesis Hence, according to Coleman (1961) time used on extra-curricular pursuits must necessarily diminish any and all academic pursuits. We can also speculate that, it could be the case that time is not the most fitting variable to measure returns on participation in a particular activity. The amount of time dedicated to a pursuit in actual fact, tells us very little about the level of dedication the person has invested in it and even more so about how productive they have been during that time. An individual might use time from areas of strength in order to support possible weaker areas of performance. By doing this, we can see time is not a used like a ‘currency’ that can be spent on any activity but rather represents a ‘resource to invest’, used strategically on the activities that will knowledgably have the highest possible rate of returns on the investments. This idea problematises the straightforward relationship adopted by the zero-sum hypothesis regarding the return of extra-curricular activities and the time spent pursuing them (Swanson, 2002). That being said, other studies also support the idea of limiting time of extra-curricular activities so as not to encroach on time of studies. Laurence Steinberg (1996) in his book the Classroom: Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do, criticises the fact that a large amount of students are completely too wrapped up in extra-curricular activities. He even suggests to parents to limit the number of hours (not more than ten) that their children are allowed to take part in extra-curricular activities. However, another assumption of the above model is that all academic pursuits are uniformly beneficial versus the fact that all extra-curriculars are intrinsically disadvantageous. That said, years of research conducted have now consistently shown positive academic results associated with extra-curricular participation, thus increasing the tendency for the discreditation of the zero-sum model’s main predication. For example, the fore-mentioned Synder Spreitzer (199 0) study which showed that participation in Sports increases college enrolment, among others (Spady 1970, 1971; Otto 1975, 1976; Otto and Alwin 1977; Marsh 1992). Social Capital Cultural Capital Social Capital Mullis, Rathge Mullis in their study Predictors of academic performance during early adolescence: A contextual view (2003), attempted to decipher the relationship between academic performance in adolescents and their contextual variables. In particular, their study consisted of testing the idea that commonly known aspects of resource capital, social capital and student behaviour can in actual fact predict academic performance in young adolescents. Mullis, Rathge Mullis quantified social capital in two particular components; through parental networks and student activity networks. For the benefit of my study I will mostly be taking into consideration their findings and hypothesis on social capital in relation to student activity networks; whereby we mean student reports of school activities and non-school activities. According to their research conducted, the links between the idea of social capital and academic performance was not as significant as expected and documented in other research (Coleman, 1988; Schneider Coleman, 1993; Steinberg, 1996; Steinberg, Dornbusch, Brown, 1991) mentioned. What this research did state is that through these social networks, the student’s opportunities are somehow boosted which, in turn, could lead to a more favourable environments that lend themselves to achievement (Mullis, Rathge, Mullis, 2003). This means that, due to the fact that they have increased opportunities to succeed, they do in actual fact succeed more; however not due to the individual being more equipped to succeed but by just being more exposed to times when succeeding is an option. Cultural Capital Similar in terminology, though not so much in meaning; another concept is that of Cultural Capital. The term Cultural Capital references the social, non economic attributes that contribute positively to the idea of social mobility beyond financial means. For example, level of education, IQ and physical appearance. All these give a person advantages which in turn give them an elevated status within society. Pierre Bourdieu divided this idea of cultural capital into three subtypes: embodied, objectified and institutionalised (Bourdieu, 1986). Cultural capital is not something that one acquires instantaneously or at one moment in time. Rather, it is embedded over time as it leaves an impact on one’s ‘habitus’ (character and way of thinking). Exposure to different activities and different disciplines in the form of extra-curriculars may inherently add to the adolescent’s cultural capital by adding to their pool of knowledge and skills. At the more basic level, cultural capital refers to the understanding of the central conceptual and normative codes that are inscribed in a culture. In the article Does Cultural Capital Really Affect Academic Achievement (Jà ¦ger, 2011), Jaeger is reflecting on Bourdieu’s famous hypothesis that cultural capital is actually an important resources that adds to a person’s academic success. According to Bourdieu, as stated previously the cultural capital one has, i.e. knowledge, skills and general idea of knowing ‘the rules of the game’ is wh at in fact the educational system is after and rewards. This subject is one that has fascinated not only Bourdieu. In fact, a long series of quantitative research has been done and found that various measures of cultural capital are indeed correlated in a positive way to academic attainment and educational achievement. Among those who have researched said topics are DiMaggio, 1982; Cheadle 2008; Crook 1997; De Graaf, de Graaf, and Kraaykamp 2000; DiMaggio and Mohr 1985; Dumais 2002; Farkas et al. 1990 and van de Werfhorst and Hofstede 2007, among others. Even though we might be unawares, the educational system is in fact structured to recognise and reward cultural capital, whereby teachers and other individuals in the educational system misinterpret a child’s cultural capital as actual academic brilliance and hence encourage upwardly biased ideas of these children. In turn, these biases contribute to the possible positive returns the children with cultural capital receive as fruit of these perceptions and preferential treatment (Jà ¦ger, 2011). We could say that individuals are not academically stronger because their cultural capital has in some way affected their academic prowess but rather because their cultural capital sets them apart in terms of how their educators view them. This altered view, somehow induces preferential treatment from their teachers and peers which strengthens their academic development. Research has consistently found that participation in extra-curricular activities has had a somehow positive effect on academic achievement (Cheadle 2008; Covay and Carbonaro 2010; Lareau 2003). In terms of Jaeger’s research, he found that cultural capital has a causal direct effect of on academic achievement also, which is an important result due to the causality that is proven rather than merely an influence. Counterculture Analysis: Al Capone Counterculture Analysis: Al Capone Joey Hagel Al Capone was one of the most notorious leaders of a criminal syndicate in the 20th century (Biography). So how can Al Capones reputation as a gangster be interpreted as a counter culture? Firstly, a counter culture is a sub-culture that rejects the culture of the larger society (Thomas). Al Capone is notorious for his smuggling of alcohol during the Prohibition era (Biography). Establishing himself and the Chicago mafia as a counterculture (Biography). Alphonse Capone was an Italian immigrant living in New York at a young age (Biography). He dropped out of school during the sixth grade and joined Johnny Torrios street gang in New York City (FBI). After Johnny Torrio moved to Chicago Al Capone followed him there assuming the role as his right hand man (FBI). Torrio taught Capone the importance of an opulent and respectable front while running the businesses behind the scenes (Biography). Eventually Torrio retired giving the lead way for Al Capone to take charge after already establishing a fearsome reputation (FBI). It was the beginning of prohibition during the time Torrio retired and Capone took charge smuggling alcohol into the city conceiving the genesis of Capones fortunes (Biography). As a sign of his position Capone never walked around armed, he instead traveled with two bodyguards at all times (Biography). Capone eventually gained office in Cicero City after threatening voters with violence and kidnapped election workers (Biography). After the assassination of Capones mentor Johnny Torrio, Capone gained full titles as head of the mob, by owning Torrios nightclubs, whorehouses, breweries, and gambling dens and attaining a government position (Biography). After gaining power Capone was always out, unlike other gangsters, Capone was always well dressed and wanted to be viewed as a businessman (Biography). His bootlegging of whiskey and alcohol was making him rich, but a few incidents including the Valentines Massacre and the Adonis Club Massacre, Capone was blamed for these incidents but was never incarcerated due to lack of evidence (Biography). Finally, in October 1931 Capone was charged with tax evasion, but was never charged for smuggling alcohol (Berger). The Jury found him guilty on two misdemeanor and three felony counts (Berger). Capone was sent to Alcatraz until 1940 when he was released (Biography). The sociological perspective is a view that involves looking at social life in a scientific systematic way (Thomas). This view assists you in identifying the fact that all people are social beings, in finding a balance between personal desires and demands of your social environment, and in viewing your own life within a large social and historical context (Thomas). Using the sociological perspective one can develop a sociological imagination; which is the ability to understand your place in society and how your actions affect others in your society (Thomas). The actions of this counter cultural group has affected the American government immensely. Laws were changed due to the actions of the Chicago Mafia and Al Capone. By continuously smuggling alcohol into the cities of the United States and making a fortune for themselves, an amendment to the constitution was formulated in order to negate the amendment prohibiting alcohol (Constitution). This brought back the ability to sell liquor in the United States once again (Constitution). Not only that but they broke other important laws that brought attention to the government and fear to society (FBI). Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones culture is superior than other cultures (Thomas). Ethnocentrism is imminent in the larger society of America who restricts the sale of alcohol. Where Al Capone was smuggling and selling alcohol to the society that forbid the action to occur (Biography). The larger society of America established a law that prohibited the sale of alcohol in the United States (Constitution). Since the subculture, the Chicago Mafia, did not agree with the amendment they decided to sell the liquor illegally going against the norms of the larger society (Biography). So the larger society found this group as a counter culture for not only bootlegging alcohol, but for braking other laws and going against other norms as well. They have also murdered, ran a whorehouse, and frequently gambled (FBI). These actions have defied the laws that the larger society created and due to the attempt of their incarceration found themselves to be a more superior culture. Cultural relativism is judging a person with the standards of that persons culture not your own culture (Thomas). I believe that the Chicago Mafia acts the way they do because of the 18th amendment which prohibits the sale of alcohol (Constitution). Not only did they disagree with this they saw the opportunity to make profits off of this prohibition; which seemed to be quite fruitful considering Capone made millions of dollars (Biography). Due to the defying of these laws the U.S. government, or larger society, they attempted to incarcerate the people behind these crimes (FBI). Which brought on more crime from the Chicago Mafia involving murders and shootouts with cops (Biography). One of these shootouts resulted in the death of one of Capones brother which may have affected Capones choices of action during this time period (Biography). So due to the laws of the larger society, the Chicago Mafia made actions that defied these laws due to disagreement, desperation, and a chance at opu lence (Biography). Personally I agree with the philosophy of the sale of alcohol; although I do not agree with the direction of the actions that the Chicago Mafia underwent. I agree that the ethnocentric view from the larger society possessed its flaws through the prohibition of alcohol which could have made the government money instead Al Capone took advantage and made the profits for himself (FBI). I do not agree with the actions Capone took to have the ability to sell liquor (FBI). Some of those involving murders including some massacres (Biography). With a sociological imagination one can understand the emotions of the society Capone effected through his actions. Although by understanding cultural relativism one can understand Capones actions which involved the smuggling of alcohol into American cities (Biography). Through these sociological understandings one can understand the actions of the counter culture and the emotions and reactions of the larger society. Works Cited Al Capone. Biography.com. AE Networks Television, 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Al Capone. FBI. FBI, 20 July 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017 Berger, Meyer. The New York Times. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Eighteenth Amendment. Constitution. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. LaVerne, Thomas. Sociology. N.p., 2003. Textbook. 11 Mar. 2017.

Literature: Tool For The Masses To Grasp And Form Opinions On A Subject :: essays research papers

Literature: Tool For The Masses to Grasp and Form Opinions on A Subject Over the centuries, one of the most important tools available to protesting groups was literature. Some of the most famous protest literature in the world has its roots in American history. For example, some great American authors of protest literature include Thomas Paine, Thomas Nast, John C. Calhoun, and Martin Luther King. Through eloquent, sometimes subtle means, these authors became the spokesmen for their particular protest movements. Thomas Paine was an English-born man who seemed to stir controversy wherever he traveled. Paine's forceful yet eloquent prose made him a hero for the three great causes to which he devoted his life; the American Revolution, religious reform, and the natural rights of man. At the age of 37, Paine strove for the fabled shores of America, determined to forget his past. He made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin, and settled in Philadelphia. There, Paine was eventually hired into the profession of editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. He published a series of minor essays, but his first important work was an essay written for the Pennsylvania Journal in which Paine openly denounced slavery. This was Paine's first foray into the world of protest literature, and it clearly whet his appetite. Paine soon became fascinated with the ongoing hostility in Anglo-American relations, and, much to the dismay of his publisher, could not seem to think of anything but. Therefore, in late 1775, Paine had begun what was to become a 50-page Pamphlet known as Common Sense. In this work, Paine stated that: Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a Government, which we might expect in a country without Government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise (Fast 6). This very biting and controversial stance is what characterized Paine's writing. He went on to dismiss the King as a fool, and stated that natural ability is not necessarily related to heredity. Paine argued that the colonies existed only for British profit, and that the colonies must unite quickly if they were ever to form a single nation. This latter argument was more than likely influenced by Franklin's famous "Join or Die" cartoon. Finally, Paine argued that the only way to gain the rights desired by the colonists and help from outside powers was

What caused the Hindenburg explosion :: essays research papers

The Hindenburg was a luxury airship, from nazi Germany. This "Titanic of the skies" (no pun intended) was destroyed by a flash fire in 1937 while landing in New Jersey after making its 10th transatlantic crossing. Thirty-five of the 97 people aboard and one ground crew member were killed when the blimp burst into flames and was rapidly consumed by the fire. The Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen gas which is lighter than air. The gas was stored in sixteen large gas cells inside the ship. Like all gases, hydrogen expands when heated. If the hydrogen gas in the Hindenburg were to overheat, the gas could expand enough to burst the gas cells and send the ship plummeting to earth. The Hindenburg's engineers knew about this potential danger and came up with a solution to the problem; they painted the surface of the airship with a chemical "doping compound" that contained powdered aluminum and iron oxide. This compound was chosen because it did a good job of reflecting the rays of the sun, therefore ensuring that the gas cells inside the ship would not overheat. There have been three main theories as to what happened to cause such a disaster. The official story has always been that the Hindenburg disaster was caused by the ignition of the flammable hydrogen gas used to lift the zeppelin. This has been over and over proven to be incorrect because witnesses of the explosion proclaim that it was like a fire works display, ummm... hydrogen burns without color.... Even pictures depicting the explosion show that the blaze from it contains pigment! The second theory is that the cause of the explosion was an electrical conductor. The â€Å"doping compound† that was used to prevent the hydrogen from heating up was extremely flammable. On the night before the Hindenburg was landing their was an electrical storm, and the surface of the ship became electrically charged. Engineers had already planned for this however, they attached mooring lines, ropes, that would go down to the ground and take the static charge to the ground with them as the ship landed. There were, however, panels that remained charged. Eventually, this built-up electricity inside the remaining panels took the form of a spark. Since the charged panels were covered with the doping compound's highly reactive metal powders, this spark caused them to ignite and burn very rapidly.

My Thoughts About “Do You Speak American?”

After watching this video, I asked myself â€Å"Do I speak American? † Absolutely, the answer was no. In the past, I thought American English was only a language which pronounced â€Å"r† heavily. Surprisingly, according to the map of dialect, America can be divided by seven parts. They are Eastern New English, NYC,Philadelphia, The North, The Midland, The South and The West. And different regions of America have different dialects. In terms of the dialect of American English, I have a re-understanding of this language. I find it is interesting, even surprising, and I am more curious about that.The dialects of American English is really interesting. Honestly, when I hear a conversation or a speech, I can hardly recognize the accents without special note, although sometimes I can recognize the obvious accents according to the meaning of the sentence. For example, most young California say [? ] to replace [? ], say â€Å"like† as â€Å"lake†. According to my personal experience, when I traveled to Miami, Florida, I heard that most people in there said â€Å"lift† as â€Å"left†. Moreover, Net English used among young people is another part of interest.For example, â€Å"das kool† equals â€Å"that is cool†, â€Å"lol† means â€Å"laugh out loud†, â€Å"How ya doin hun† is â€Å"how are you doing honey? †, â€Å"g2g† means â€Å"got to go†, etc. Maybe they think typing English in this way is more convenient and fashionable, however, I do not think so. Furthermore, experts recommend that TV series is a good way to recognize and learn dialects since the actors of a program are come from different regions. At last, teenagers prefer to use some new words of phrases to express an common meaning, such as â€Å"bling bling† refers to expensive jewelry.This is popular and sometimes I also use that to express myself. Actually, I am surprised about the dialects of Americ an English in the following aspects. Firstly, in North America, people will laugh at lobsterman’s dialect and make fun with the way they speak. As far as I am concerned, we should respect different languages and cultures. Even though we cannot understand the way of communication, every dialect must has its own value to exist. Moreover, although people dislike some dialects, they can always imitate those dialects they hate. It is unbelievable.In addition, I watched these three DVDs without subtitle. So when I watched the CD2 which introduced the dialects in the mid-land, I found it was difficult for me to understand what people said. However, it is easier to understand what the north and west people said. I think it means that the people of mid-land and south have strong accents. Frankly, there are some points that I do not know before I watching this video. First of all, Philadelphia shakes the American speech more than any other city. Secondly, the Black and the White cannot communicate with each other by using English at the beginning.Thirdly, some people who come from the mid-land consider New Yorker speak bad English, since New Yorker say â€Å"water† as â€Å"[w? :d? ]†. To be honest, as for me, I like the dialect of New York. Fourthly, some pronounciation of dialect are totally different from the original pronounciation. For example, in Ohio and Michigan, â€Å"yins† means â€Å"you†, and in north, â€Å"ayuh† is equal to â€Å"yes†, etc. Finally, looking at magazines to find new words is a job, its purpose is to update the dictionary. To sum up, I don’t think I am speaking American even though I am in New York now.The dialects in United States are diverse. In my opinion, dialect is a component of cultural activities. And some dialects are related to history, some are related to the life style of different region. There are a variety of expressions for dialects. Those include the differences of pron ounciation, the new words for common meaning, net English, etc. Most important, no matter what kind of language we say, we should respect all of them and admit the existence value of them. At last, I think watching different American TV series is a good way for me to improve my American English.