Wednesday, October 30, 2019

In this task, you will use selected resources to research and report Paper

In this task, you will use selected resources to and report on the lifestyles, values, mores, and other characteristics of at least two minority cultures living in your state - Research Paper Example The ethnic heritage of Mexican nationals is primarily defined by a mix of European and Native American (as in native to the American continent) origins, thus providing a tie between those of Mexican descent and those of Native American descent (Gutierrez, 1999, p. 7). In an examination of Mexican Americans and Paiute Native Americans in Nevada, an interesting comparison can be made between cultures and heritage. The Mexican American population comprised 73% of the Latino population in the year 2000, and by 2006 increased to 78% (Timko, 2007). The Mexican American population makes up 14.3% of the total population of Nevada and in 1998 over 1 million businesses in Nevada were owned by Mexican Americans (Stacy, 2003, p. 583). According to Miranda (1997), the Mexican American population in Nevada is not oppressed by the same kind of discrimination that other border states tend to assert over their Mexican American populations (Nevada is not directly on the border, but within very close proximity). While this may have shifted a bit since the rise in the last ten years of immigration buzz word politics, the cultural acceptance of the Mexican American populations most likely has remained at the core of the way in which Nevada determines its position. There is an economic connection that is very strong between Nevada and Mexico. In 2001 Mexico imported the second largest number of goods produced in Nevada, thus tying the success of the state to the economic stability of Mexico. Nevada exports electrical equipment, lime, salt, plaster, and cement to Mexico as a result of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) from 1994 (Stacy, 2003, p. 583). In the 1990’s there was a significant increase, however, of immigrants from Mexico into Nevada due to the economic downturn of 1991, thus creating a trend of an increasing population that has continued into the 21st century (Miranda, 1997, p. 209). There was a time

Monday, October 28, 2019

Ladybird book  Essay Example for Free

Ladybird book   Essay Question: How does the poet use language to communicate her son’s response to reading and how does she convey her own feelings to you?  Answer:  In the poem, the poet shows us about her little genius son who can do everything except for reading. Throughout the description about her son’s behavior in reading, she conveys to us her frustrated feelings when her son doesn’t have any interest in reading. Firstly, the contrast in 2 aspects which exist inside her son is clearly shown by the first stanza. In 4 first lines of the first stanza, the poet asserts that her smart son can do many things that many other kids can’t do: â€Å"make sculptures†, â€Å"fabulous machines†, â€Å"solemn advice†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The images of a smart and sensible boy is painted beautifully under poet’s pen; only mother who are supremely proud of her son can makes this masterpiece. Here, the use of exaggeration is used to describe the wonderful abilities of poet’s son, which is a leverage to pull the frustration in poet’s feelings up when she said:† but he is slow to read†. The word â€Å"but† suggests the changing in tone of the poem from excitement, pride to disappointment. Although her love spend on him is very immense, the difference between adults and children’s thinking prevents her from being optimistic consistently about her son:  When I take him on my knee  with his Ladybird book  he gazes into the air,  sighing and shaking his head  like an old man  who knows the mountains  are impassable.  The poet tries to reach her son but his action makes her down; it is a such a drag on her thinking. Listing three verbs which suggests the negative effect, she conveys to us how languid her son is in reading book. Using the simile, poet portrays image of her son like an old, thoughtful man knowing that the mountains are impassable. Facing with book her son is deactivated. Through the first stanza, mother’s feeling goes down from the top to the bottom of a mountain when she told us about her son. The contrast between what her son can do and reading puts her in tumult.  Secondly, as evidence, the second stanza is an infallible description about her son’s response to words.  He toys with words,  letting them go cold  as gristly meat  At first, he son has a little try on making words become familiar with what he is fancy in but all he can do bring him to a boring world of words. Normally, people can’t so something that it is not strong enough to attract them and in them same case, her son tries in hopeless; he can’t do reading under his mother’s pressure. One more time, the simile is used. It conveys how hard with the poet’s get close to reading like swallowing a tough, chewy meat. His response to reading is completely like the feelings of bird imprisoned in the cage: vain, empty and tedious. Finally, â€Å"the fish are released†; the son is liberated from reading. His feeling is full of beatitude.  a fish returning  to its element,or a white-eyed colt shying   from the bit – who sees  that if he takes it  in his mouth  he’ll never run  quite free again.  He enjoys his freedom like the fish returns to its element. The poet exhaled using this idiom to describe her anxiety when her son became active again after hardcore reading. Here, the mother (poet) seems to find out the inscrutable behavior of her son that makes him fed up with reading. The image of a young male horse suggests the using of metaphor. The poet’s son is forced to read and the freedom is out like the young male horse when he is bound by the bit â€Å"he’ll never run quite free again.† At this point, the poet emphasizes that her son seem to be regenerated after the reading section, which pull her down when she tries her best to help her son.  The poem is written the heart of a mother who spends all her love to him, tries to help him ceaselessly while her son can’t show his positive behavior to reading. It reflects the a difference between the adult perspective and children point of view.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Customs of the Arunta Society Essay -- essays research papers

The Arunta are a group of Australian Aborigines who have many customs and reasons for why they do what they do. Their customs reflect their society because everything they do has a reason. Some customs may have come about because of the environment, the natural resources, or possibly just beliefs. There are several customs about family and kinship. An Arunta camp usually has one to two families. The Arunta live in such small groups so they do not have to worry about hunting a lot of food for big camps. If their camp were attacked, it would be a lot easier to look after a small amount of people and belongings. It may be more efficient to hunt in larger groups, because you have more of a chance to find animals, and if one person were to be attacked by some sort of animal or person, there ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Business Research Method

Your Answer: a) The report of a pilot study. Correct Answer: d) The listing of all units in the population from which the sample will be selected. Feedback: It is important to identify a sampling frame so that a representative sample can then be taken from within a specified unit. Question 2 How will a researcher usually prevent a significant sampling error? Your Answer: b) Issue questionnaires to the entire sampling frame. Correct Answer: d) Use probability sampling. Feedback: Probability sampling allows the researcher to apply tests of statistical significance which then allow inferences to be made about the overall sampling frame.Question 3 If an organisation has 12,000 employees and the researcher is able to interview 250 the probability of inclusion in the sample is? Your Answer: a) 1 in 96. Correct Answer: c) 1 in 48. Feedback: Simple random sampling assumes that each member of the population has an equal probability of inclusion in the sample. The probability is calculated via a sampling fraction with the total population being divided by the sample size. Question 4 If a researcher wishes to obtain a nationally representative sample of trade union members but does not have the resources to travel long distances what method of sampling could they use?Your Answer: a) Stratified random sampling. Correct Answer: b) Multi-stage cluster sampling. Feedback: Multi-stage cluster sampling allows interviewers to concentrate their research more than simple random or stratified sampling. Question 5 Which of the following is not something a researcher will have to consider when thinking about their sample size? Your Answer: a) Time and cost. Correct Answer: c) Length of questionnaire. Feedback: In general bigger is better when considering sample size however all researchers need to be aware of the limitations of their resources. Question 6Which of the following is an example of convenience sampling? Your Answer: b) A random sample of employees who are absent from work through stress. Correct Answer: c) Managers attending a seminar on corporate social responsibility organised by the researcher. Feedback: It is possible that the researcher could take the opportunity of issuing a questionnaire to these managers whilst they are at the seminar. It is unlikely that the researcher will come across the other options in as convenient a manner. Question 7 Which of the following is not a benefit of snowball sampling? Your Answer: b) It is always representative of the population.Feedback: Snowball sampling is unlikely to be representative of the population because of the difficulty in establishing a sampling frame. The sampling frames that apply when snowball sampling is relevant are usually fluid and constantly shifting. Question 8 Quota sampling is used intensively in which type of research? Your Answer: d) Ethnographic research. Correct Answer: a) Market research. Feedback: Commercial research and political opinion polling are other types of research tha t use quota sampling. Question 9 The findings from a study of decision making processes within a UK financial services company can be generalized to:Your Answer: d) none of the above. Correct Answer: c) decision making processes in the researched companies. Feedback: Business and management researchers should be cautious of overgeneralizing findings beyond the researched organisation to alternative cultures. Question 10 As part of survey research design the sample was selected by the HR manager. What sort of error could this lead to? Your Answer: d) Data processing error. Correct Answer: a) Sampling error. Feedback: The choices made by the HR manager may have been non-random and could also have reflected a bias on the part of the individual making the choices

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Love at First Sight, Is There Such a Thing Essay

What is common among the Hunger Games, Romeo and Juliet, Pokemon, 500 Days of Summer and The Vampire Diaries? They all have the trope of â€Å"love at first sight†Ã¢â‚¬â€Peeta instantly fell in love with Katniss when he heard her sing on the first day of school; Romeo fell in love with Juliet the first time he saw her; Brock fell in love with every pretty girl he saw; Tom fell in love with Summer at first sight in the office; and Stefan also had love at first sight with Elena. Love at first sight is the most widely used trope in literature and film. It is so common that most people mistake it as a reality. Why do I think that love at first sight is fictional? â€Å"Love is to be delighted by the happiness of another,† said Gottfried Leibniz. If what he said is true, then love at first sight is not really love. You can’t know the happiness of a person in an instant; you’ll have to be psychic to do that. To discover an individual’s happiness, one has to get to know him/her more. This can be achieved by spending time with that person—listening and understanding him/her. Another reason why love at first sight is fictional is infatuation. Love at first sight is just infatuation. Infatuation is not love because it is mere attraction and admiration while love is committing oneself to another because he/she cares for the other. Therefore, love at first sight is not love. Although it is not love, infatuation is inevitable when it comes to love relationships, because it gives you the courage to get to know someone, confess your feelings and move on to the â€Å"next level. † Even so, it does not guarantee love. It just gives it a â€Å"push. † There may be instances when people get infatuated with each other at first sight, then end up falling in love. This situation, according to them, is love at first sight. I think not. I think these instances are what you call infatuation that progressed into love. And these encounters don’t happen often. They are very rare. There is a bigger chance of you being infatuated, but as you get to know that person, you realize that he/she is not who you thought he/she was. We get infatuated all the time—when we see super good looking celebrities, appetizing foods, and such—but love, it only happens once, and it doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye, it develops. In the end, I think that love at first sight is not truly love, but infatuation. I find it so because, again, you can’t know someone’s happiness just by the mere sight of him. So, you can’t be delighted by his happiness. Although I believe that there is an innate romanticism attached to the thought of meeting someone, and having them hit enough emotional triggers immediately at first sight, I don’t think that it is love. It is infatuation—the first step towards love which can grow into a more mature love.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on DO Not Call List

Recently, the Supreme Court struck down the â€Å"do not call† list, twice! This list is a registry that allows people to register their phone number on a list that prohibits telemarketers from calling their number. According to the Supreme Court, the call ban violates commercial free speech rights. Going against tradition, Congress voted against the ban of the â€Å"do not call† list. Despite this ruling consumers who don't want to receive telemarketing calls from particular sellers can still limit them by telling companies to put their number on each company's do not call list, which I know from personal experience is an efficient way to keep certain companies from calling your phone again. I concur with the ruling of the Supreme Court. There is no doubt about it, the â€Å"do not call† list violates the First Amendment right of free speech. I admit, that I can’t stand when telemarketers call my house several times a day, insisting they have a â€Å"once in a lifetime† offer and despite their annoyance, I understand that telemarketers are making a living calling several homes each day. If the telecommunication industry is restricted from calling millions of numbers, thousands of jobs will be lost and this country’s unemployment rate will increase, once again. After reading this article, I learned that Congress could vote against a Supreme Court ruling. In this particular case, I feel that the members of Congress are voting in favor of the â€Å"do not call† registry because they realize the annoyance and time that is wasted when people receive unsolicited calls. They receive the calls themselves and therefore, this issue hits closer to home for them. I also think the representatives in Congress know that to ban companies from trying to sell their product/program to millions of consumers over the phone, is a direct violation of freedom of speech. What I believe Americans need to fear about the â€Å"do not call† regis... Free Essays on DO Not Call List Free Essays on DO Not Call List Recently, the Supreme Court struck down the â€Å"do not call† list, twice! This list is a registry that allows people to register their phone number on a list that prohibits telemarketers from calling their number. According to the Supreme Court, the call ban violates commercial free speech rights. Going against tradition, Congress voted against the ban of the â€Å"do not call† list. Despite this ruling consumers who don't want to receive telemarketing calls from particular sellers can still limit them by telling companies to put their number on each company's do not call list, which I know from personal experience is an efficient way to keep certain companies from calling your phone again. I concur with the ruling of the Supreme Court. There is no doubt about it, the â€Å"do not call† list violates the First Amendment right of free speech. I admit, that I can’t stand when telemarketers call my house several times a day, insisting they have a â€Å"once in a lifetime† offer and despite their annoyance, I understand that telemarketers are making a living calling several homes each day. If the telecommunication industry is restricted from calling millions of numbers, thousands of jobs will be lost and this country’s unemployment rate will increase, once again. After reading this article, I learned that Congress could vote against a Supreme Court ruling. In this particular case, I feel that the members of Congress are voting in favor of the â€Å"do not call† registry because they realize the annoyance and time that is wasted when people receive unsolicited calls. They receive the calls themselves and therefore, this issue hits closer to home for them. I also think the representatives in Congress know that to ban companies from trying to sell their product/program to millions of consumers over the phone, is a direct violation of freedom of speech. What I believe Americans need to fear about the â€Å"do not call† regis...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Computer Game Narratives

Computer Game Narratives Free Online Research Papers In this paper we investigate if, and then how interaction can define narrative in a computer game. When developing computer games that include stories or story elements it seems natural to use the traditional linear narrative and storytelling methods without emphasizing that the computer is essentially different from any other media because of its interactive capabilities. Therefore it is important to investigate how it is possible to create forms of narratives that utilize the computers interactive capabilities. We approached the problem by investigating how it is possible to structure and objectify narratives so it can be understood by the computer. Through our investigation we propose that the solution to creating interactive narratives is to make procedural models that can be understood by the computer and theoretical models to work with when constructing such systems. Keywords: Narrative, Interactivity, Computer games, Introduction Storytelling is mankind’s tradition of communicating information, whether being educational, inspirational, entertaining or otherwise to get the listeners attention. We tell stories from our daily lives as a form of communicating our or other people’s experiences, ideas, or points of view. Storytelling and the narrative therein has evolved in association with advances in our society and reflects on many of its changes (Mello, 2001,  ¶ 2). As we sometimes observe; storytelling reflects social conditions, popular interests and traditions as in 19th century fairytales where characters dressed and spoke according to conventions of the story’s time and/or reflected the author’s hopes, fears or dreams. This is also true in 21st century narratives which both reflect contemporary and future interests and nostalgic flashbacks to ancient cultures of might and magic. Storytelling also serves the purpose of conserving social history, personal deeds and accomplishments; and through them we are allowed access to a grand spectrum of dramatic personal events, funny happenings and epic tales that changed the world as we know it (Mello, 2001; Latvala, 1999; Denk, 2006)? When the storyteller or author sits down to tell or write a story he is usually doing so from his own point of view, he is presenting his perspective on certain topics, and uses his abilities to lead the reader through events in the story. The storyteller /author try’s to construct causes and effect relationship between events and the characters he creates to act in these events. The method he uses to construct this is generally referred to as a narrative. As a consequence, the author is, wholly or partly, responsible for the intellectual and artistic content of his story and as such has more or less total control over its content (NLC, 2002, p.21). It is that total control that we, in this paper, want to challenge by investigating if established events and characters in a predefined story can be controlled and manipulated. By predefined story we mean, where events and characters have their own state or conditions for existence, and are subject to change when changes happen in their immediate environment, either through direct contact or alteration of objects in that environment. The changes are generated by interacting with the story, navigating and manipulation of elements therein, creating an interactive narrative. In this paper we will describe our approach to interactive narrative and some theoretic models for describing and implementing interactive narrative. We ask the following question: Is it possible to simulate interactive narrative in a computer game? By providing answers to this question we hope to provide alternative methods of experiencing narrative through interaction. Narrative The word Narrator, and its subsequent methodological denominator Narrative, derive from the Latin word â€Å"narrare† which has its Indo-European origin in the word â€Å"gnarus†, which means â€Å"to know.† (Meadows, 2003, p.5) Thus a narrative is a form of knowledge, and a narrator is one who has knowledge of something he is telling us. In their book Film Art: An Introduction, Bordwell and Thompson (2004) conclude that narrative can be described as: â€Å"†¦a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space† (p.69). While Cohn (1999) adds a more human element, when she states that narrative is a: â€Å"†¦series of statements that deal with a causally related sequence of events that concern human (or human-like) beings† (p.12) Other definitions tend to be more towards more current media formats, explaining that a narrative is: â€Å"†¦a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program† (WordNet ® -a, 2006). While others are more specific: â€Å"How the plot or story is told. In a media text, narrative is the coherent sequencing of events across time and space† (Boles, 2006). These definitions are all justifiable and include elements that are of a traditional nature and can be found in traditional storytelling. All underline a causal approach to events in a story, while the some emphasizes events in time and space and human or human-like beings as part of a narrative. It can probably be argued that human or human-like characteristics are a part of countless narratives, since even abstract entities sometimes include recognizable human elements as a means to convey messages through a story. According to these definitions we make sense of a story through narrative by identifying with its elements and linking them by cause and effect, time and space. Whether the time is backward or forward or events are remixed in seemingly random order, with hard established cause and effect relationships the fundamental purpose of narrative is to communicate meaningful messages to audiences or individual persons. With all these combined elements a narrative can be considered the overall method chosen to convey the message within a story to the reader, viewer, or player depending on the media platform (Dansky, 2006, p. 1). Narratives – Paradigm analysis Our approach is that narratives can be analyzed and broken down into, at least, character types and the functions they perform in any given story regardless of demographic or social situation. We further suggest that these categories of character types and functions can be simulated as constants and variables depending on the task at hand. These categories of character types and functions are not necessarily simulated in detail but up to the point where it is perceived to be real. Furthermore, we emphasized that building interactive narrative based on characters or entities is not entirely about building computational algorithms, but also concerns giving these characters and objects their own life by simulating what it means to exist in any given story orientated environment by simulating communication, emotions, and other complexities of human social interactions. We propose, based on the assumption that real life narrative and behavior – as it is with learning and intelligence – can be described precisely enough for it to be simulated by a machine. (McCarthy, Minsky, Rochester Shannon, 1955, p.1) This suggestion contradicts some authoritarian scholars in the field of narrative structure where they state that narrative is fundamentally a cognitive mental process that makes the human experience meaningful (Polkinghorne, 1988, p. 1) (McQuillan, 2000, pp. 7-8) and should, therefore, be at best a vague concept and hard to objectify. We counter-argue that the relationship between narrative and computer technology is at best ambiguous and that further research is needed to determine what happens to narrative when it is presented by a machine. Simulating Interactive Narrative If we are to reach the state of interactive narrative one needs to generate changes at the core of the narrative structure. If through interaction one is able to decide how the plot progresses by starting and stopping actions and events, and in what order events occur while maintaining a comprehensible plot or story he has achieved the state of interactive narrative. Narrative is there to produce meaning and comprehension, if that fails there is no narrative; only confusion. Based on this, we propose that the plot in an interactive narrative scenario be described on two levels: the author level and the player level. Furthermore, we propose that a procedural and theoretical model is needed to describe in detail the elements that are essential for a narrative to be considered interactive. Two-Level Plot By describing the plot at two different levels a form of balance could be achieved between these key elements in the game narrative: 1.High-level plot – predefined elements are under the author’s control 2.Low-level plot – the elements are freely altered by the player At the high-level, the author could retain the freedom to define the key episodes of the story while their actual implementation in the player time-frame is left to the game engine. While at the low-level the player performance can be dynamically analyzed and logically applied to the lower level details of the how and why of a specific episode or game sequence. Figure 1 shows a model describing the two-level plot. We expect that the overall effect will be that the plot becomes more dependent on the player who gains a part of the control on the development of the story. Moreover, the player is provided with a less predictable, more life-like experience with a different selection of the details in each episode and possibly the (involuntary) triggering of different sequences of episodes altogether. Interactive Narrative Model Interactive narrative needs a model of the narrative structure in any given computer game. This model should be based on analysis of traditional narrative structures and include the key elements or principals needed to successfully execute or reach a state of reciprocal course of action that triggers interactivity. The challenge is to find or construct a model that is suited to the interactive nature of computers. This model should be able to describe the procedurals of interactive narrative and not just a list of its elements. We work under the impression that interactive narrative should be based on a realistic simulation. This means that one needs to replace the action of the author statically writing the plot, with dynamic software capable of simulating the writing that is supported by theoretical structure to ensure that the storyline keeps coherent and intriguing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a form of procedural model or platform for narrative, where the player engages in interactive communication with the gaming world resulting in a state of interactive narrative or as close to interactive narrative as the simulation allows. This platform would naturally be a computer game with an intriguing storyline or a journey through multiple rising actions, main events, and conclusions manipulated through interactive action by the player. Figure 2 shows a conceptual model of one possible structure of the narrative elements and their relationship to other elements and functions within the game framework. 1.Through the game the player makes sense of the gaming world and brings his perception to it through? the story/game mechanics 2.Narrative causality and logic: Here the rules, including all possible NPC actions at any given time in the narrative, are executed. Gaming world includes the narrative causality and logic and is designed and made by the game developer. 3.Narrative sequences and events: Here the player makes a choice in the narrative; these choices are influenced by all possible actions provided by the execution of NPC rules. 4.Player perception: An adaptive process where the player is affecting and being affected by narrative events. Player is able to affect narrative sequences of events and consequently their perception of events changes. 5. The narrative causality and logic is a constant predefined element but still contributing to narrative sequences of events as perceived by the player. Conclusion We suggest that a model of the narrative is needed to provide visual representation and overview of the components needed for an interactive narrative to be comprehensible and support the plot structure provided in the story. Such a model includes physical elements such as: human like characters, environmental objects (houses, cars, and trees etc.) and subjective elements like emotions, textures, light and shadows, character identities and other references to real entities. We furthermore propose that narrative is not only a cognitive process, but can be presented as concrete units and rules that are subject to changes through interaction. As a consequence we propose that the term interactive narrative describes the result of the interaction between – predefined elements in the game formalized and developed by the author – and the subjective perception that the player will form while interacting with them. The problem is that a comprehensive plot is dependant on a successful execution of the narrative and the relationship between events that need to be established in a meaningful way. The danger is that if we leave this relationship to chance or random interactive functions, we risk that no narrative will be established. However, by analyzing traditional narrative functions and elements it is possible to isolate elements within narratives that can be considered action based and subject to active engagement and justifies the implementation of interactivity into narratives within the framework of an event based story. Having established a relationship between interactivity and narrative we conclude that interactive narrative is a real possibility given that all parameters are met. We further conclude that extensive procedural and theoretic models are needed to explain and execute a state of interactive narrative in a computer game. Reference: Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. (2004) Film Art: An Introduction, New York: McGraw Hill, 2004 (7th ed.), p.69 Cohn D. (1999) The Distinction of Fiction, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1999, p.12 Dansky, R. (2006). Introduction to Game Narrative, In Bateman, C. Game writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames. Boston Mass: Charles River Media. Retrieved 10 November, 2007, from charlesriver.com/resrcs/chapters/1584504900_1stChap.pdf Denk, K. M. (2006). Making Connections, Finding Meaning, Engaging the World: Theory and Techniques for Ignatian Reflection on Service for and with Others, p.17. loyola.edu/Justice/documents/Template_for_Ignation_Reflection.doc Latvala, P. (1999) Finnish 20th Century History in Oral Narratives. Folklore vol.12. December 1999. Retrieved 10 November, 2007, from folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/oralnarr.htm McCarthy. J., Minsky, M. L., Rochester, N., Shannon, C.E. (1955) A proposal for the Dartmouth summer research project on Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: formal.stanford.edu/jmc/history/dartmouth.pdf Meadows. M.S. (2003). Pause Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative. Indianapolis USA: New Riders Mello, R. (2001). The power of storytelling: How oral narrative influences childrens relationships in classrooms. International Journal of Education the Arts. 2(1). Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: ijea.org/v2n1/index.html WordNet ® -a (2006) Cognitive Science Laboratory Princeton University. Retrieved December 6th, 2006, from: http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=narrative Research Papers on Computer Game NarrativesMind TravelIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Incomplete Parallels

Incomplete Parallels Incomplete Parallels Incomplete Parallels By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, an associated pair of phrases are not optimally stated and organized to make their relationship clear. The discussion after each statement proposes a solution, which follows in each case. 1. Follow with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during and post-implementation. In this sentence, during and the prefix post share implementation (and post should be directly attached, with no hyphen), but a preposition and a prepositional prefix cannot share a root word, so replace post with a distinct preposition: â€Å"Follow with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during and after implementation.† 2. Millions of Americans, including younger citizens, recent immigrants, and those who do not use credit actively, have a limited or no credit history. The parallel structure of â€Å"a limited or no† is not erroneous, but the idea is more clearly communicated with more complete wording: â€Å"Millions of Americans, including younger citizens, recent immigrants, and those who do not use credit actively, have a limited credit history or none at all.† 3. Such programs should be based on a clear understanding and an evaluation of potential threats of data loss.   Understanding cannot share a preposition with evaluation, because the article an grammatically partitions the two nouns. (An cannot be omitted, because doing so will imply that clear applies to evaluation as well as to understanding.) Assign understanding its own iteration of of, and, to provide further clarity, treat the corresponding phrase as a parenthetical: â€Å"Such programs should be based on a clear understanding of, and an evaluation of, potential threats of data loss.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseWords That Begin with Q

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Risk Factors and Challenges in the Technology Industry Essay

Risk Factors and Challenges in the Technology Industry - Essay Example Moreover, business enterprises are very concerned about "outsider" company having access to the sensitive commercial information. Escalating complexity of the products and solutions: It is hard to test all the scenarios for the applications involving extremely lengthy and complex code, which sometimes leads to "bugs" and malfunctioning. Growth of in-house IT: Many non-computer firms joined the industry by adding divisions or by acquiring computer services companies. Banks, publishers, airlines, and telecommunications companies were among those whose information technology divisions were involved in this industry (SIC Computer Related Services n/p). Dependability on the readiness of the customers to engage in electronic interactions or networking: Value of network grows in line with the number of participants. If the market does not successfully adopt the new technology on a wide scale, it will not exist long. The wave of year-2000-related new equipment purchases that took place at the end of the 1990s, as well as the availability of quality used equipment from bankrupt Internet companies in the early 2000s, had a negative impact on the corporate market for new electronic devices and computers. (Electronic Computers n/p) From 1998 to 2000, reported IDC, ave... 2. Communications and Networking Changes in the industry-related regulations: For example, adoption of the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 greatly influenced operations of the telecommunication industry players. Standardization and adoption of new protocols. Emergence of many competing formats, offering lower costs and improved services to the customers: for example emergence of PCS systems as strong competition to wireless phone systems. Integration of different services (e.g. mobile phones with PDA -functions, text and multimedia messages services, WAP-internet access). Transformation of the industry structure: mergers and acquisitions in the industry (for example, recently approved acquisition of Skype VoIP-operator by the EBay Corporation). Reaching saturation in the developed-countries markets and challenges of global expansion. Dependability on the readiness of the customers to engage in electronic interactions or networking: Value of network grows in line with the number of participants. If the market does not successfully adopt the new technology on a wide scale, it will not exist long. 3. Electronics and Computer Hardware: Temporary slowdown of early 2000s in the technology spending in both corporate and private sectors caused by economic conditions and changes in the consumer behavior: The wave of year-2000-related new equipment purchases that took place at the end of the 1990s, as well as the availability of quality used equipment from bankrupt Internet companies in the early 2000s, had a negative impact on the corporate market for new electronic devices and computers. (Electronic Computers n/p) High R&D costs and consequently high break-even volumes. Increasing competition of low-cost Asian electronic

Global business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global business - Essay Example Particularly this discussion will be looking at the issues that American businesses going in Russia need to understand in order to formulate effective entry strategy. These two countries have major cultural difference in language, authority, customs and norms thus conducting businesses in Russia present a communication and management challenge. Communication is essential for any business, Russia unlike America has several official language due to the large number of ethnic communities of about one hundred (Bloshteyn, 2007). This will need the company to have people who understand a variety of these ethnic languages while in US English is their official language. Body language help to convey certain messages like nodding the head to show agreement Russians do not use body language as such like Americans do but are said to be very emotion for instance they can walk out on you during a meeting to show disagreement. Authority in Russia is centralized and chain of commands are from top to bottom and the juniors staff are expected to perform their tasks without any questioning while the Americans top managers give directions and give room for debating. Russians organizational structures are very bureaucratic in nature and this makes it difficult to do business for instance according to an executive director of Russo-British commerce chamber Stephen Danziel, ‘‘you have to fill forms for all most everything and have them signed by the right authorities usually in triplicate’’. According to Trompenaars & Woolliams ( 2003), culture is the core value of any society, businesses have to understand the cultural background of the customer in order to be able to meet their needs. The ideologies and gender views of these two countries are different, Russians are seen as communalism and believe in collectivity while Americans are entrepreneurship and very competitive. Therefore Amer icans businesses need to be aware of these background which will enable the

Friday, October 18, 2019

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION - Case Study Example The human circulatory system can generally be described as an organ system concerned with transfer of amino acids, the lymph and electrolytes on one hand and gases, blood cells and hormones on the other. From one cell to another throughout the body with the sole purpose of stabilizing the body temperature and keeping watch at disease vectors. Through lymph and blood contents, the system ensures balance in the body Ph and maintenance of the homeostatic processes (Neville, 1983 pg 678). The circulatory system comprises basically of two principle mechanisms that is; cardiovascular and lymphatic systems, the former being concerned with blood distribution and the latter being involved in return of excess filtered blood plasma from between cells and refers to as lymph. Humans exhibit a closed cardiovascular system. Two fluids are formed to circulate throughout the human body system and there are blood and lymph. Lymph is filtered blood plasma from blood cells which are returned to lymphatic systems. Cardiovascular systems comprise of the blood, blood vessels and heart while the lymphatic system comprises of the lymph vessels, lymph and lymph nodes. The circulatory system comprises of two systems, pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. Pulmonary circulation supplies blood to the lungs where blood is purified/ oxygenated whereas the system circulation supplies oxygenated blood to the rest of the body parts. Blood as a tissue constitutes 7% of the total body weight of an average adult. The components of blood include platelets, plasma, red and white blood cells. A point to note is that the circulatory system complements the digestive system in the sense that it provides nutrients the system needs for continued pumping of the heart. Systemic circulation is a system concerned with nourishment of body tissues except the lungs and heart. Blood vessels are responsible for supply of oxygen and nutrients to various body tissues. Re-oxygenated blood enters the

32. Describe the impact of race and gender on police officer Assignment

32. Describe the impact of race and gender on police officer careers.Sport - Assignment Example Therefore, men are generally more suitable for such jobs as compared to women as men are stronger physically and generally more balanced emotionally than women. â€Å"[G]ender is a highly relevant factor in examining the sources and coping strategies of stress among police officers† (He, Zhao, and Ren, 2005, p. 537). The race and gender of a police officer may provide the offenders with basis to exploit the police officer. Many people file discrimination suits against the police officers because of their gender or race. The Ohio Civil Rights Commission found that most men frequently used race as a reason to file discrimination suits against the police officers whereas women used gender for the same purpose (Gaines and Kappeler, 2011, p. 95). For example, a group of White American police officers accusing an African American of robbery may be interpreted as racism against the African American. Likewise, since there is always a variation in the representation of the police officers belonging to different races, there is risk of racism in the police department like in any other

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Cultural Shock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultural Shock - Research Paper Example Social norms and communication characteristics are the basic element of the expectancy violation theory. Expectancy Violation Theory sees communication as the medium through which people exchange information with one another. Communication can also be used to violate the expectations of another person as either negative or positive depending upon the link between the two people. However, experts also explain this theory as in communicating with others; people generally have an expectation of the way the other person will react verbally or non-verbally. The Expectancy Violation Theory assesses the way in which we react to someone’s non-verbal behavior (Kunda and Thagard, 1996). Cultural shock is when people or a person enters into a new culture when they migrate to a new place or experience new people around them. The difficulty they have in adjusting in that culture and amongst the people is known as cultural shock. Expectancy Violation Theory closely related to cultural shock as the people who are new to the society will face difficulties in keeping expectations from the people as to what their reaction will be. As the behaviors are new, there will be vague predictions about the expectations of the people on the communications made whether verbal or non-verbal (Burgoon, 1993). When having a communication with someone’s, the reaction of the person can either be positive or negative, which means that either the person will smile or will show a rude reaction (Marques, 1990). The theory examines that the people carry expectations when they interact with others and these expectations are from the culture or the individuals in that culture. They make predictions about the non-verbal communications, and there are times when their expectations violate (Jussim et al, 1987). Personal space refers to a space that has to be maintained while interacting

Literature rewiev Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature rewiev - Essay Example She likewise strongly suggested that adequate training of staff and teachers is needed to improve the quality of mainstreaming and inclusion practices. The Audit Commission Report (2002) found that there is a gap between policy and practice, citing several cases of British schools where the duty to mainstream education is absent where the education of a child with SEN is incompatible with the rest. The same report discovered that children with SEN experienced greater or lesser difficulty in gaining admission to their school of choice. Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties had most problems, followed by children with ADHD, and then those with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The report findings are supported by Sage (2004) and Wright (2003) but not by Wilkins et al. (2004). Despite the widespread adoption of policies on mainstreaming, and more recently on inclusive education for children and young people with SEN, little is actually known about the relationship between what teachers think about such policies and the type of learning environments they provide. A study (Monsen & Frederickson, 2004) in New Zealand involving 63 primary school teachers and 1,729 pupils concluded that children taught by teachers who espoused highly positive attitudes towards mainstreaming were found to have significantly higher levels of classroom satisfaction and marginally lower levels of classroom friction that children taught by teachers with less positive attitudes. MacKay (2002) challenged many of the prevailing trends in relation to disability and special education needs. Taking a broad view of developments since Warnock, and providing a fascinating insight into initiatives in Scotland, Gilbert MacKay offered an analysis of five ways in which the notion of disability, and the practical reality of our responses to it, are being unhelpfully removed from the educational arena. Whilst all can strive to promote forms of inclusion that encompass ever-widening parameters of diversity, no one's interests are served if the implications of individuals' difficulties are simply ignored or wished away. MacKay highlighted dangers in some recent trends but also points the way towards a much more responsive and productive future. Several recent research studies have come out on the experience of inclusion and mainstreaming in British education. Simmons and Bayliss (2007) discussed the role of special schools and the practicality of segregation. Carpenter (2007) focused on the role of schools as research organisations. Whitehurst (2007) emphasised the importance of learning about the experiences of the children who are the object of mainstreaming practices. Keil et al. (2006) came up with enlightening research findings on SEN and disability. Frederickson et al. (2007) assessed the social and affective outcomes of inclusion. Lindsay (2003) addressed the development of inclusion and inclusive practices, models of special educational needs and disability, and the values that underpin thinking about these matters. Basing his argument on the research evidence, Lindsay provides a searching critique of prevailing notions about inclusion and of current approaches to research. His conclusions will be of interest to everyone concerned with the education of children and young

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Cultural Shock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultural Shock - Research Paper Example Social norms and communication characteristics are the basic element of the expectancy violation theory. Expectancy Violation Theory sees communication as the medium through which people exchange information with one another. Communication can also be used to violate the expectations of another person as either negative or positive depending upon the link between the two people. However, experts also explain this theory as in communicating with others; people generally have an expectation of the way the other person will react verbally or non-verbally. The Expectancy Violation Theory assesses the way in which we react to someone’s non-verbal behavior (Kunda and Thagard, 1996). Cultural shock is when people or a person enters into a new culture when they migrate to a new place or experience new people around them. The difficulty they have in adjusting in that culture and amongst the people is known as cultural shock. Expectancy Violation Theory closely related to cultural shock as the people who are new to the society will face difficulties in keeping expectations from the people as to what their reaction will be. As the behaviors are new, there will be vague predictions about the expectations of the people on the communications made whether verbal or non-verbal (Burgoon, 1993). When having a communication with someone’s, the reaction of the person can either be positive or negative, which means that either the person will smile or will show a rude reaction (Marques, 1990). The theory examines that the people carry expectations when they interact with others and these expectations are from the culture or the individuals in that culture. They make predictions about the non-verbal communications, and there are times when their expectations violate (Jussim et al, 1987). Personal space refers to a space that has to be maintained while interacting

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Industrial Revolution and Unemployment in UK Essay

Industrial Revolution and Unemployment in UK - Essay Example Certainly, the revolution implicated increased per capita in the society, but the problem was that the rate of unemployment increased and the semiskilled laborers were rendered inefficient thus they lose their employment positions (Wilson 142). However, the rate of unemployment challenged all individuals in the UK society since the revolution presented a definite boundary between the employers and employees. Ideally, United Kingdom was the first economy that witnessed fast revolutionary changes during the industrial edge, and the people witnessed inequities in securing employment positions. Further, the differences between the society emerged in accordance to social classes, genders, and the levels of literacy challenged the society adversely. For example, an historical factory worker named Edward Carpenter from Wales who previously served as a weaver lost his employment in the height industrial revolution. Since Richard Arkwright’s introduction of the Spinning Jenny, Edward s ecured an employment position as a factory superintendent in the late 19th century involved himself in a series of deeds that led to his death, and the death of a female factory worker. The following discussion evaluates the various existing arguments on the effects of the industrial revolution with an outline of the subsequent impacts that it presented to the society. Lastly, the discussion shall also involve Edward Carpenter social life and economic progress in the United Kingdom’s society during the industrial revolution period (Garside 68). An argumentative discussion on Edward Carpenter’s issues during the industrial revolution period Arguably, the industrial revolution influenced the English society to embark on various social and economic changes during the period. Edward was a weaver and having lived during the period, he worked at the Edmund Cartwright Looming Company to carry out managerial duties (Hill 241). However, the predominant aspect in Edward’s life is that the weaving community reigned over the UK’s clothing groups thus; he was able to secure a senior position in the looming firm despite the norm that the young generation was overly accepted as the most efficient workers in the factories thus rendering most of the mature population unacceptable in the society. Similarly, industrial revolution seemed the most influential factor to social divisions as the society recurred to the use of employer and employee title depending on the position that one held in the labor industry (Wilson 146). Differences in the UK society highlighted that the industrial race introduced many of the technological advancements that led to the loss of tenure for the self-employed individuals since a task that was previously undertaken by a broad number of individuals in the society transformed abruptly to require a few workers and the use of machines to produce a worthwhile output. Therefore, such changes transformed the economical perspecti ve of Edward. Preferably, he turned out to be an employee who had limited time for other activities while his former weaving profession enabled him to address family, and other social issues (Tosh 75). Edward Carpenter’s undocumented history impounds the anti-social practices that existed during the time (Wilson 148). Child labor was prevalent, but it was poorly addressed during the industrial edge. The struggling character’s practices posed poor approaches to production, and delivery of the looms since he lacked factory-working skills, which differed broadly with his former weaving skills. Mainly, the use of machinery rendered hand weaving a useless tenure since the invented

Monday, October 14, 2019

“Pretty Little Liars” by Sara Shepard Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Pretty Little Liars† by Sara Shepard Essay Freud believes that it is part of everyone’s personality to seek pleasure through violence; it is part of the â€Å"ID.† However, the ego negotiates between the ID and superego, meaning the majority of people can regulate between the morals of society and their own pleasures. I agree with this, as does Sara Shepard, the author of â€Å"Pretty Little Liars.† I believe that people who seek pleasure through violence are ill minded, and have psychological issues, due to the fact that the ego should be able to tell the brain to follow the morals of society. ‘A,’ a character from Pretty Little Liars, nobody can solve the mystery regarding who exactly ‘A’ is, however they are ill-minded, and seek pleasure in harming others as a joke. Ill-minded people like this are evil. Most people follow the morals of society, but still enjoy violence. How the person goes about enjoying it is what differs them from everyone else. For example, an individual could can enjoy watching crime shows, such as CSI, Criminal Minds, Law and Order and many others. Even though they enjoy these shows it does not mean that they would go out and seek to hurt someone the way the criminals do to their victims in the show. In â€Å"Pretty Little Liars,† Aria, Hannah, Emily, and Spencer are all good people. They do not go seeking violence, they do not seek harm. This is the way most people in society are. These ‘good people’ have a good ego. Meaning it is negotiating their wants to work with the morals of society. A very select few are ill-minded wishing only harm upon others. ‘A’ from â€Å"Pretty Little Liars† is one of these select few. She or he makes it their goal to ruin the lives of Aria, Hannah, Emily and Spencer. For example, Aria gains an interest in a man during the summer; little did she know he was her new English teacher. They keep it a secret between only them; they were not going to let that tare their new love for each other apart. However, ‘A,’ knows everything. They know how Aria’s dad (a teacher) had an affair on his wife years ago. Due to the fact that Aria is keeping her relationship a secret she receives a text message, signed A, saying, â€Å"Aria, Maybe he fools with students all the time. A lot of teachers do†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Just ask your dad! –A† (Shepard, page 139). This quote shows how A knows everything. They know the girls’ past, and use it against them. ‘A’ is a murderer, they killed Allison during the beginning of the novel, and Ian during the end. ‘A’ did not intend to kill Ian but meant to kill Spencer. The girls have no understanding as to why they are ‘A’s’ targets. They are good people, not intending any harm. This is not a normal person. Innocent people are killed every day because people are sick. They seek pleasure in watching the suffering of an innocent individual. It is not normal or moral, for people to be this evil. I can speak on a personal level. I do not seek pleasure through violence, I do enjoy crime shows, but does that make me a bad person? No. Although someone has enjoyed taking their pleasure out on me by violence, and those that do that to an innocent person are evil. I do not think that the people that look for pleasure in violence truly understand how they affect a person. I can relate to the girls in Pretty Little Liars because they seek help, sometimes people will try and help you, other times it’s a hard concept for many to believe. Emily, Aria, Hannah and Spencer cannot trust anybody the same because of the horror and threats they are encountering that affect their daily lives. Just as I cannot do a lot of things that I use to do prior to my incident. Nothing is the same. People that seek violence do not realize what they are actually doing to other people because they only seek self-pleasure, they are ill-minded. There is always going to be a psychological battle between the ID and superego, however the ego’s ability to negotiate between the two is what will make or break an individual. There are many ill-minded people in our world, there is help. ‘A’ is an evil person, just like many in our world seeking pleasure in selfish ways because they don’t know any different. Their effects on people could be unfortunate. Not everyone is made evil, it’s a psychological illness. There is good in this world. Works Cited Shepard, Sara. Pretty Little Loars. New York: Harper Teen, 2006. 139. Print.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Lucky :: Personal Narrative Writing

Lucky When I was little, I used to dream about being the Governor of Hong Kong. I still remember the composition I wrote in my primary school, in which I conveyed my vision and even outlined the policies I planned to carry out once I became the leader of the government. After a few years, I realized that it was almost impossible for me to be the Governor of Hong Kong, because the position was in fact appointed by the British government. This was a piece of disheartening news. I tried to console myself by saying that at least I had aimed at entering politics. In my mind, politicians are not only smart, but also selfless and I sincerely appreciated their contribution to the society. In Hong Kong, however, it was unusual, if not odd, for a young boy to want to be a politician. You might accuse me of over-generalizing, but this was what I thought at that time. A few years later, as my general knowledge of the world outside my classroom gradually developed, a gleam of light was shed on my dream again. I realized that Hong Kong people would eventually have the chance to choose their own governor some years after the handover of Hong Kong back to Mainland China in 1997. The idea of Hong Kong being returned to China was frightening to many Hong Kong people in the early 80s, but the handover turned out to be a joyful and memorable moment for most of the citizens. Today, Hong Kong is no longer a colony of Britain and Chinese are holding most of the top positions in the government. More significantly, the Governor, now renamed as the Chief Executive, is also Chinese. In other words, I still have my chance. I am convinced that not only I, but the Hong Kong community in general welcomes this political change, which brings more power to the hands of Hong Kong citizens. Possessing more political rights seems to be a foreign concept to us, but it definitely sounds like something positive. People used to wonder why Hong Kong people were so indifferent to politics. I think I know the answer now. It is indeed very straightforward. Hong Kong people were essentially unable to make an impact on the government, as we were under the rule of foreigners.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Evidence of Dissociative Identity Disorder in Fight Club Essay

In the movie Fight Club we are introduced to an average, white-collared, middle aged man who is seemingly normal at first glance. However, it is clear that the narrator suffers from insomnia, anxiety, and depression very early in the film. The narrator attempts to combat these symptoms in a number of ways, however, the only way that he has found to be effective is by attending support groups on a nightly basis. The narrator soon creates an alter ego (though we do not know he is his alter ego until the end of the film) named Tyler Durden. Durden is more attractive, has a better physique, and is overall more confident than the narrator and Durden regularly takes control of the narrator without the narrator’s knowledge to carry out tasks that the narrator does not believe he has the power to accomplish. This use of dissociation is a defense mechanism used by the narrator to remove himself from situations that may produce anxiety. The narrator has many instances in which he is not able to recollect things that happened that day or in previous days, such as having sexual relations with Marla (the narrator envisions Tyler having sexual relations with Marla, while it is him having sexual relations with Marla). However, it is difficult to reason through whether or not he is having these memory lapses due to a true dissociative identity disorder (DID) or perhaps due to physical trauma that was sustained through his fighting. Although the narrator is seen consuming an alcoholic beverage on the first day he â€Å"met† Tyler Durden, it is not evident throughout the film that these blackouts/memory lapses are due to alcohol or other substances. As the film progresses the narrator continues to have issues related to anxiety and he a... ...rrator’s lack of respect for life, however, the general lack of respect for life possibly indicated that the narrator wanted to take his own life, or that the narrator felt indestructible and did not feel that his risky behaviors would cause an untimely death. It is also unclear at the end of the film whether or not the narrator actually shot himself in the head or if this was an intrusive symptom produced by dissociations. References Brand, B., & Loewenstein, R. J. (2010). Dissociative disorders: An overview of assessment, phenomenology, and treatment. Psychiatric Times, 27(10), 62-69. Sadock, B.J., & Sadock, V.A. (2007). Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences, Clinical Psychiatry (10th ed.) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Stahl, S. M., (2011). The Prescriber’s Guide. (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Blue Nile Essay

The spreadsheet I did presents a summary of Blue Nile financial results from 2005 to 2009. From 2005 to 2007 revenues and net income both increased. The deep recession which began in late 2007 seriously affected the revenue in 2008. And then in 2009 the revenue recovered and increased slightly. I am going to analysis the financial performance in three parts. First, profitability ratios. Blue Nile had steady return on asset ratios around . 1. The company utilized its assets very efficiently and outperformed their competitors. By doing research on Yahoo Finance, we know the industry return on equity is 0. 18. Blue Nile’s return on equity ratio was much higher. It created better return to investors. Net profit margins were mostly lower than the industry average level. For example in 2009, Blue Nile only had net income of 4 cents for each dollar sale. Its low margins can be explained by its low pricing of products. As Rita said, Blue Nile had a much lower markup than Tiffany. Blue Nile’s number for liquidity ratios are impressive. Such high ratios from 2005 through 2009 show the company’s great ability to pay short-term debt. One of the company’s strategies is that suppliers finance Blue Nile’s sales growth. ( ) The business model contributed to higher sales volumes with minimal additional capital investment. With respect to leverage ratios, Blue Nile had really low long-term debt to equity ratios compared to the industry. Tiffany’s long-term debt to equity was as high as . 39. Because Blue Nile offered a balance between the debt to equity range and firm’s cost of capital, its capital structure was optimal. The company had low capital investment financed by creditors and bondholders. Its debt to assets ratios are over . 5, which means it, had a lot of debt obligations. However, most of the company’s debt was current and it was able to pay off creditors in a timely manner. Creditors did not need to worry about getting paid. Blue Nile’s strong financial performance intuitively indicated the company’s strategies were pretty well-conceived and well-executed.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Amu Quiz 1- Math 302

Part 1 of 1 – 20. 0 Points Question 1 of 201. 0 Points If a variable has possible values –2, 6, and 17, then this variable isA. both a continuous and a discrete variableB. a continuous variableC. neither a continuous nor a discrete variableD. a discrete variableAnswer Key: D 1. 0 Points Question 2 of 20Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between a sample and a population?A. A population and a sample are not related.B. A sample is a group of subjects selected from a population to be studied.C. A sample is a group of populations that are subject to observation.D. A population is a group of samples that may or may not be included in a studyAnswer Key: B Question 3 of 20 1. 0 PointsWhat is the term for a characteristic or attribute that can assume different values?A. expo nentB. datu mC. sam pleD. varia bleAnswer Key: D Question 4 of 20 1. 0 PointsIf you classified the fruit in a basket as apple, orange, or banana, this would be an example of which l evel of measurement?A. ordi nalB. ratioC. nom inalD. inter valAnswer Key: C Question 5 of 20 1. 0 PointsThe amount of time needed to run the Boston marathon is an example of which type of variable?A. contin uousB. discret eC. qualita tiveD. none of the aboveAnswer Key: A 1. 0 Points Question 6 of 20An advertisement for a car states that it is 10% more powerful than its competitor. This is an example ofA. ambigu ous average sB. suspect sample sC. changin g the subjectD. detache d statistic sAnswer Key: D Question 7 of 20 1. 0 PointsWhat type of sampling is being employed if the population is divided into economic classes and a sample is chosen from each economic class to be surveyed?A. cluster samplin gB. random samplin gC. systema tic samplin gD. tratifie d samplin gAnswer Key: D1. 0 Points Question 8 of 20A pareto chart does NOT have which of the following properties?A. It is a bar chartB. The frequencies are arranged from highest to lowestC. The frequencies are arranged from lowes t to highestD. It is used to represent categorical dataAnswer Key: C1. 0 Points Question 9 of 20The total frequency of the data whose ogive is shown below is approximatelyA. 12B. 18C. 34D. 90Answer Key: C 1. 0 Points Question 10 of 20A scatter plot would be useful forA. Showing the relative number of sales of four different rands of blank DVDsB. Showing the trend of sales, over time, of five different brands of blank DVDsC. Showing the relationship between the sales of blank CDs and blank DVDsD. Showing the top selling brands of blank DVDsAnswer Key: C 1. 0 Points Question 11 of 20What kind of relationship between x and y is demonstrated by the scatter plot below?A. A positive linear relationsh ipB. A negative linear relationsh ipC. No linear relationsh ipD. This is not a scatter plotAnswer Key: B 1. 0 Points Question 12 of 20Which of the following could be a cumulative frequency graph?A. B. C. D.Answer Key: B 1. 0 Points Question 13 of 20What type of graph is the figure below?A. Pa reto chartB. pictograp hC. ogiveD. relative frequency histogramAnswer Key: A Question 14 of 20 1. 0 Points CEOSalaries. xls 14 KBThe following data are the base salaries, in thousands of dollars, of 50 chief executive officers for a sample of companies doing business with the state of Connecticut. That is, the first entry in the table below corresponds to a salary of $125,000. A copy of this data set can be found in the Excel Workbook called CEOSalaries. xls. Use these data to answer questions 14 through 17.125 157 113 127 201 165 145 119 148 158 148 168 117 105 136 136 125 148 108 178 179 191 225 204 104 205 197 119 209 157 209 205 221 178 247 235 217 222 224 187 265 148 165 228 239 245 152 148 115 150Find the mean of the CEO salaries, in thousands of dollars, rounded to 2 decimal places. Do not use a dollar sign.Note: $177,760 should be recorded as 177. 76. 172. 34Answer Key: 171. 25|173. 50Question 15 of 20 1. 0 Points CEOSalaries. xls 14 KBThe following data are the base salarie s, in thousands of dollars, of 50 hief executive officers for a sample of companies doing business with the state of Connecticut. That is, the first entry in the table below corresponds to a salary of $125,000. A copy of this data set can be found in the Excel Workbook called CEOSalaries. xls.Use these data to answer questions 14 through 17.125 157 113 127 201 165 145 119 148 158 148 168 117 105 136 136 125 148 108 178 179 191 225 204 104 205 197 119 209 157 209 205 221 178 247 235 217 222 224 187 265 148 165 228 239 245 152 148 115 150Find the median of the CEO salaries, in thousands of dollars, rounded to 2 decimal places. Do not use a dollar sign. Note: $177,760 should be recorded as 177. 76. 165Answer Key: 160. 00|170. 00Question 16 of 20 1. 0 Points CEOSalaries. xls 14 KBThe following data are the base salaries, in thousands of dollars, of 50 chief executive officers for a sample of companies doing business with the state of Connecticut. That is, the first entry in the table be low corresponds to a salary of $125,000. A copy of this data set can be found in the Excel Workbook called CEOSalaries. xls.Use these data to answer questions 14 through 17.125 157 113 127 201 165 145 119 148 158 148 68 117 105 136 136 125 148 108 178 179 191 225 204 104 205 197 119 209 157 209 205 221 178 247 235 217 222 224 187 265 148 165 228 239 245 152 148 115 150Find the standard deviation of the CEO salaries, in thousands of dollars, rounded to 2 decimal places. Do not use a dollar sign. Note: $177,760 should be recorded as 177. 76. 43. 94Answer Key: 42. 00|45. 00 1. 0 Points Question 17 of 20 CEOSalaries. xls 14 KBThe following data are the base salaries, in thousands of dollars, of 50 chief executive officers for a sample of companies doing business with the state of Connecticut. That is, the first entry in the table below corresponds to a salary of $125,000. A copy of this data set can be found in the Excel Workbook called CEOSalaries. xls.Use these data to answer question s 14 through 17.125 157 113 127 201 165 145 119 148 158 148 168 117 105 136 136 125 148 108 178 179 191 225 204 104 205 197 119 209 157 209 205 221 178 247 235 217 222 224 187 265 148 165 228 239 245 152 148 115 150Find the interquartile range of the CEO salaries, in thousands of dollars, rounded to 2 decimal places. Do not use a dollar sign. Note: $177,760 should be recorded as 177. 6. 73Answer Key: 68. 00|74. 00 1. 0 Points Question 18 of 20 A student scored 84 points on a test where the mean score was 79 and the standard deviation was 4. Find the student's z score, rounded to 2 decimal places, and place it in the blank.Answer Key: 1. 25 1. 0 Points Question 19 of 20 Find the z-score for each student and indicate which one has a better relative position. An Art Major earned a grade of 46 on an exam with = 50 and s = 5; A Theater Major earned a grade of 70 on an exam with = 75 and s = 7.A. The art major has a higher relative position han the theater major.B. The theater major has a higher relative position than the art major.C. Both students have the same score.D. The higher score cannot be determined.Answer Key: B 1. 0 Points Question 20 of 20Given the following boxplot where m is the median value, what statement could be made about the distribution of the data?A. The distribution is approximately symmetric.B. The distribution is positively skewed.C. The distribution is negatively skewed.D. No statement can be made about the data because no data values are shown on the plot.Answer Key: A

Politics and the English Language Answers Essay

In Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language, Orwell expresses his raw opinion on the deterioration of the English language and how politics is a cause for the â€Å"vagueness and incompetence† that writing has succumbed too. Though the title of the essay introduces politics first and the English language last, Orwell’s thesis seems to consist of neither; it consists of the silliness of modern human writing. He states in the second paragraph, â€Å"It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.† His thesis is a broad statement that engulfs the horrible habits of politicians who use pre-made phrases that ultimately lead to a passage that makes no sense at all. Orwell discusses his view on the English Language after he scrutinizes several passages that he uses as examples throughout the essay. With these examples, he explains the quality of writing that is used commonly throughout writers using modern English. From start to finish of his essay, Orwell analyzes the mistakes, bad habits, inability to express meaning in writing pieces. On page two, Orwell says, â€Å"The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite Orwell’s expression of the negatives in writing today, he isn’t completely hopeless; for he gives solutions and tips on how to overcome poor writing habits. Throughout his explanation and argument, Orwell stresses the incompetence, vagueness, and carelessness in writing that is commonly used in literary expositions. Orwell goes on to list general problems with writing techniques and the appearance of meaning clarity. First, he talks about the use of dying metaphors. In this paragraph, Orwell explains that people use these dying metaphors â€Å"because they save people from inventing phrases for themselves.† He analyzes the use of these metapho rs and how some are sucked out of their original meanings without the writer noticing themselves; completely altering the meaning of the metaphor or text. Next, Orwell describes the use of â€Å"verbal false limbs,† or the use of more syllables in a sentence to show symmetry. He notes that people use fancy, pre-made phrases  to replace simple conjunctions and prepositions to cushion their sentences. These pre-made phrases are used almost instantly and can ruin the meaning and clarity a text almost indefinitely. Third, Orwell goes on about the use of pretentious diction used mainly by political, scientific, and sociological writers. Pretentious diction is explained to be the use of trendy, foreign phrases and sophisticated words to show culture and elegancy. But Orwell argues that these fancy phrases are â€Å"an increase in slovenliness and vagueness† in writing. Lastly, Orwell talks about the abuse of meaningless words. He explains that writers may use a word has one meaning, but they use it in a text dishonestly with their own personal definition. These poor habits of writing are seen continuously and exemplify the demise of the English Language. Orwell’s issues are valid because the vagueness and meaningless texts are examples of the ha bits and mind of the writer. its because of the poor writing habits that Orwell says, â€Å"it consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, making the results presentable by sheer humbug.† Overall, Orwell explains the negative aspects of writing and writing habits in the modern English Language. However, Orwell remains hopeful about the improvement and changes of writing. Throughout his essay, Orwell continuously stresses the deterioration of the English Language and the vagueness and meaninglessness modern literacy. He presents six questions that every writer should ask themselves while writing: â€Å"What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?†¦Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?† Not only does he present these questions writing, he gives six quick tips to break bad habits in writing. He explains that writers should never use any type of figurative speech that is seen regularly in print, should use short words instead of long words, for writers to throw out useless words, to use the active if you can replace the passive an d to use everyday English instead of foreign phrases or scientific words. As Orwell’s last tip, he says â€Å"break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.† Orwell feels that breaking poor writing habits and following these tricks will allow anyone to achieve meaningful and clear writing. â€Å"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity.† (59) Orwell displays several different passages in his text  that are unclear and vague to even the writer. By being unclear, one can falsify the meaning of their writing, making it insincere. This quote from Orwell’s essay is a prime example of why clarity is so important in writing, especially for politicians who often use pre-made phrases, assuring vagueness and loss of meaning. Orwell writes in his essay, â€Å"†¦ready-made phrases†¦will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself.† This quote explains how important it is to be clear in writing the English Language so that words written are truthful and clear to the read and to the writer themselves. â€Å"But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.† (59) Orwell’s quote about thoughts and language corrupting each other brings us back to the thesis of his essay: â€Å"it becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.† Through these two quotes, Orwell expresses that the deterioration of the English language and of the writing skills makes it easier for us have corrupt our minds with ugly thoughts. These ugly thoughts allow us to have corrupt language; making it both language and our human thoughts to blame. The longer we use poor language, the easier and faster it will get stuck in our minds and thoughts. The longer these ill habits of writing are imprinted in our minds, the easier it is to have foolish thoughts to cause more corrupt writing.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Analyse and critically discuss the statement below Essay

Analyse and critically discuss the statement below - Essay Example ch as GE, Apple and others use these terms and their associated theoretical underpinnings to gain competitive advantages and their example becomes important while we try to understand the connection between theory and practice. For instance, when it comes to creating a purpose or strategy for an organization, GE uses the vision of the company to guide itself in where it wants to be over a given period of time. No company in the world across any industry in any location is as well respected as GE (Demos, 2006). Throughout its existence, and more recently in the last few years, analysts from the fields of management, human resources and organisational studies have all given their respects to GE (Fisher, 2006). A large part of this respect comes from the way GE handles its human resources of which examples have been given by those who have been a part of GE as well as those who have observed it from afar. In essence, the handling of human resources at GE is deeply linked with their idea of the mission and vision of the company. In theory, the functionalist paradigm of human resource management connects greatly with the idea of rationality and thus rewards as well as punishments become a rational method for ensuring continual behaviour of one type or another. Consequentially, these are an intrinsic part of the management system at GE (Kerr, 1996). Welch (2005) reports that, â€Å"We publicly rewarded people who drove the mission and let go of people who couldn’t deal with it for whatever reason (Welch, 2005, Pg. 16)†. The idea of publicly rewarding top performers ensures that those who see it happen know why some individuals are being rewarded more than others. On a simpler level, the individuals who were rewarded would have a harder time in leaving the company and their strategic relationship with the company would evolve and be strengthened (Henry, 2006). Therefore, rationality and rewards go hand in hand with the theory and strategy behind human resource

Monday, October 7, 2019

Contract provision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contract provision - Essay Example The above-named Client (hereinafter referred to as "Client") is engaging Span Systems as an independent contractor for the specific purpose of designing software, herein after referred to as "Software Design Project", to be published on the Client's account on an Internet Service Provider (ISP)/Web Presence Provider (WPP) computer, herein, or provided on disc at the Client's option. The Client hereby authorizes Span Systems to access this account, and authorizes the Hosting Service to provide Span Systems and its designer, Fawaz, with "full access" to the Client's account, and any other programs needed for this project that are included as part of the Client's service agreement/level.Compatibility - Designing a program to fully work in multiple browsers (and browser versions) can require considerable, extra effort. It could also involve creating multiple versions of code/pages. Span Systems represents and warrants that the web site we design for you will work in:While Span Systems wi ll make reasonable efforts to design a fully-functional program, our warranty does not cover programs other than those mentioned above or requested special effects that we have advised you against.4.a This contract shall cover the expectation of the completion of terms on a ninety day basis. This contract does not guarantee that the contract will be completed, but rather that the terms will be revisited and renewed upon consent of all parties.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Rules of Engagement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rules of Engagement - Essay Example ROE can be specific or general. Since they were developed, ROE have had large variations between various wars. It should be noted that ROE may be derived from national or regional law in order to be applied in a particular operation. It is designed to ensure victory through disciplined and appropriate use of force (Collins, 2005). This paper will seek to correlate the understanding of ROE with the limited war ideology and its assumptions as they are seen through the experiences and perspective of the six levels in the Vietnam War: individual soldiers in the field; battalion commanders; division commanders; General William Westmoreland; Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara; and President Lyndon Johnson. In the Vietnam War, President Lyndon Johnson made a decision of not mobilizing the National guards because he felt that doing so might signal wrong intentions to the Chinese and Soviets, leading to direct intervention into the war (Moss, 2010). The then Secretary of Defense Robert McNa mara recommended to President Johnson on July 20, 1965, that he should mobilize about 235,000 National reserves and guards. However, the President felt that the war in Vietnam would end within one year and that the soldiers would be needed to be involved in a war in Korea in case it erupts again (Dorschel, 2011). It came to emerge later that the United States failed because it underestimated the scale of the challenges in the war. Also, it failed because it backed undemocratic and unpopular government and failed to gain the approval of the people of America (Schulzinger, 1998). In direct correlation of ROE to the war, it occurred that the ranks of the National Guards swelled at the same time as the resentment of the active army. The active army started to view the Guards as dodgers. The period after the Vietnam War witnessed the beginning of the Total Force Policy era which saw the active army treating the National Guards with indifference and bias (Moss, 2010). What became clear wa s that the Guard infantry soldiers were able to rise to the occasion as required by ROE and completed their missions successfully (Logevall, 1999). ROE requires that the employment of National Guard combat units should be done by the combatant combatants for planning and requesting their participation in the campaign. The National Guard is the Army’s reserve force. They are trained and are always ready for deployment to areas of operations and can also assume the departing active units’ role. The Active Army is made up of 33 combat bridges (Moss, 2010). In the Vietnam War, General William Westmoreland commanded the United States’ military operations during its height from 1964 to 1968 (Dorschel, 2011). Later on, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Army. In accordance to ROE, General Westmoreland expressed optimism in his public statements regarding the war; he reported that American ground and air forces were wearing down the Army of the North Vietnam (Schulz inger, 1998). It should be pointed out that ROE relates ideology with international or aggressive actions. It is against this background that the American foreign policy during the war was aimed at pushing the American’s mission, and particularly safeguarding its security interests in the international arena (Collins, 2005). Ideology served to define the legitimacy of the action, as well as defining what

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Professional development, learning how to deliver Sport Education Assignment

Professional development, learning how to deliver Sport Education model - Assignment Example This study reviews all significant literature that is available in this field of professional development through sports education. The need to understand the impact of sports education on students is incomplete without a thorough understanding of how the education is provided to students in the first place. In a study to understand teaching processes, Curtner-Smith et al (2008), ran an experimental survey by interviewing six American and four British beginner level teachers of sports education. The paper is titled, â€Å"Influence of occupational socialization on beginning teachers’ interpretation and delivery of sport education†. The theoretical framework used to determine the course of action in the experimental study was the process of teachers engaging in sports education at the beginner’s level and then growing to become senior level instructors in one or more sports. To chart the journey of a teacher as he takes his job as a sports education provider seriously over PETE programmer, the different questions asked during the interview were based on three different phases of professional socialization which were acculturation, professional socialization and organizational socialization. The results found were based on all the here factors and would be considered influenced by organizational factors. The teachers were given individual space and interviewed one by one. Individual opinions were noted down and the data was collected from their comments, replies and observations. The procedures employed in the analysis included constant comparison and analytical induction. Most questions that were asked in the survey were directed towards assessing the level of occupational socialization and mode of teaching of sports education to students, which these teachers adopted. It was found that sports education was imparted to students in one of the three forms, namely, watered down version, cafeteria style and full version. The choice of teaching mode

Friday, October 4, 2019

Comparison and Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison and Contrast - Essay Example According to the contra-divorce view, family is the smallest but the most important unit of a society, it has a huge impact on various social constructs and, at the same time, it plays significant and crucial roles in shaping a child’s mind during its earliest years. The process of socialization, which decides who and what a man will be, starts from this smallest unit of society. But inevitably this familial organization significantly depends on the marital bond between a man and a woman for its existence in modern society. Consequently, divorce is considered to be a direct blow on this important societal unit. Divorce hampers a child’s harmonious mental and physical development. Family is accepted as a man’s first and foremost efficient training center through which a child becomes familiar and learns to revere the morals, rules, and regulations of the society. It is the family in which a child gets the fundamental behavioural patterns that tend to be further sh aped by other social institutions such as religious convictions, educational, political systems, etc. The issue of children’s welfare and strong marital bond are related to each other.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

A governing body Essay Example for Free

A governing body Essay A governing body is eminent in every populace. Although the governing bodies of the United States and Sweden are both administered by Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, the role they play in the politics of their respective countries differs greatly. Both countries are subject to laws set forth by age-old constitutions. There is also variance in the number of representative parties for the population of each country. It is important to look at the age of the country and its influence on the government. The period of time in which countries are founded is very important in showing why certain countries have the institutions that they do. The early Swedish government was formed by aristocrats who nominated a king that used his rule to influence religion. This aspect of Sweden’s political history differs from that of the U. S. , which was founded hundreds of years later to be ruled by representation. U. S. Government The United States is the worlds oldest representative democracy. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Constitution. Citizens are subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local levels; most areas are subject to multiple local governments, such as county or metropolitan governments in addition to municipal government. The federal government is comprised of three branches, which are designed to check and balance one anothers powers. The Legislative branch is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, and has the power of making decisions regarding the budget and taxation, also known as â€Å"Power of the Purse. † The Executive branch is comprised of the President, who appoints, with Senate approval, the Cabinet and other officers. The Cabinet administers and enforces federal laws. The president is also Commander-in-Chief of the military. The Judicial branch is the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the President with Senate approval. The Judicial branch interprets laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional. The United States Constitution is the supreme legal document that governs the American system. The document is considered a social contract for the people of the United States, regulating their affairs through government chosen by and populated by the people. All laws and procedures of both state and federal governments are subject to review, and any law ruled by the Judicial branch to be in violation of the Constitution can be overturned. The Constitution can be amended by two methods, both of which require the approval of three-fourths of the states. Officials at all three levels are either elected by voters in a secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Executive and legislative offices are decided by a plurality vote of citizens in their districts. Judicial and cabinet-level offices are nominated by the Executive branch and approved by the Legislature in the federal government and most states, although some state judges are elected by popular vote. American politics is dominated by the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Members of these two parties hold the majority of elected offices across the country at federal, state, and lower levels. Independent or third party candidates tend to do better in lower-level elections; however, there are currently two independent members of the Senate. Within American political culture, the Republican Party is considered conservative and the Democratic Party is considered liberal. Swedish Politics Information published by Nations Encyclopedia advises Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, of which King Carl XVI Gustaf is currently the head of state, but royal power is limited to official and ceremonial functions. The nations modern legislative body is the Swedish Parliament, also known as Riksdag, with 349 members, which chooses the Prime Minister. The Riksdag holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. The Riksdag is responsible for choosing the Prime Minister, who then appoints the ministers. The legislative power is then shared between the parliament and the Prime Minister-led government. The executive power is exercised by the government, while the Judiciary, unlike that of the United States is independent. Sweden’s judiciary system also lacks the ability to review laws that may be in violation of the constitution. Acts of the parliament and government decrees can be made inapplicable at every level if they are against constitutional laws. Legislation may be initiated by the Cabinet or by members of Parliament. Members are elected on the basis of proportional representation, or full representation versus the plurality voting system used in the U. S. The Constitution of Sweden can be altered by the Riksdag, which requires an absolute majority and two decisions with general elections in between. Since 1932, the Cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats. The following political parties currently hold seats in the Riksdag: Social Democrats, Moderates, Centre Party, Liberal People’s Party, Christian Democrats, Left Party, and Greens. There are six other parties, however, they do not currently hold any of the seats of the Riksdag. The six parties are: Swedish Democrats, Feminist Initiative, The Pirate Party, June List, The Health Care Party, and National Democrats. Religious and Cultural Aspects of Government Historicizing the formation of the Swedish government is to review the affects of aristocracy on government and government on religion. In the middle ages, struggle for power between powerful families and Great Men, also known as Stormannen, caused politically unstable situations. Sweden was a kingdom where the king was elected by members of a council of aristocrats; therefore, the throne was not inherited. The presence of powerful Great Men and chiefs meant that the kings influence was often quite limited. His political and fiscal control over the country depended upon support from the aristocracy. During the late Middle Ages political anarchy came about in Sweden. Constant struggle for power between a number of families and the Danish King Kristian II ended in the Bloodbath of Stockholm in the early 1500s. The result of this struggle enabled Gustav Vasa to become king in 1521. The most important reform Gustav Vasa made was the reformation of the Church. â€Å"The king was able to gain political control, as well as control the property of the Church, all Swedes suddenly became Protestants instead of Catholics†(History World, 2007). This made it possible for the king to establish himself, not the Pope, as head of the Church, and also to use the Church as a pedagogic tool on the people according to History World. Because everyone had to attend church on Sundays, the state could reach almost the entire populace with information, propaganda, and a certain amount of education. The Bible was, for instance, translated from Latin to Swedish during this time. This had a positive impact on literacy among the ordinary people. In the United States, the formation of the government was influenced by agenda and innovationists rather than religion or how politics could influence religion. â€Å"Our Founding Fathers were not known to practice Christian orthodoxy†(White House, 2007). Although they supported the free exercise of any religion, they believed there could be dangers in incorporating a religion into the creation of a government to serve all people. Most of them believed in deism and attended Freemasonry lodges. According to John J. Robinson, â€Å"Freemasonry had been a powerful force for religious freedom†(Free Masons, 2007). Freemasons took seriously the principle that men should worship according to their own conscious. Masonry welcomed anyone from any religion or non-religion, as long as they believed in a Supreme Being. Washington, Franklin, Hancock, Hamilton, Lafayette, and many others accepted Freemasonry. According to the Free Masonry Organization, in order to be a Free Mason, one must believe in the existence of a â€Å"Supreme Being,† which includes the â€Å"gods† of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion. Although many believe the anti-Biblical and anti-Christian beliefs and practices of this organization are partially hidden beneath an outward appearance of a supposed compatibility with the Christian faith, the organization supports every religion. The influence of a non-uniform Christian society on the U. S. government was probably due to the combinations of cultures and backgrounds of the individuals making up the fairly new society. The compilation of cultures that continues to make up U. S. society varies greatly from those of the Swedish culture at the time their government was developed. Sweden was a very old country; therefore, the majority of the inhabitants had lived there most, if not all, of their lives. The governments of the United States and Sweden both represent their diverse populations through their respective governments. The greatest variance in the way branches operate is in the Judicial system. In the United States, the Judicial System ensures that laws are upheld and amended to meet changing times without going against the Constitution. The Swedish Judicial branch lacks the ability to review laws that may be against their constitution.