Internet Impact on Thinking free essay sample

The digital revolution has brought about a plethora of information accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, as long as they are hooked up to the internet. Considering the pervasiveness of the Internet in our lives, it is certainly having an effect on our brains. After all, everything we do, is related to our brain and affects it in some way, either positive or negative. In the article â€Å"Impact of Internet on Thinking† Alan Greenblatt touches various aspects of how the growing dominance of internet is affecting our thinking, our attention span, and how it is leading us to a world of temptation. He introduces the work of Nicholas Carr, the author of â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid† to support the ideas that Internet is having bad effect on our brains. Jonah Lehrer’s ideas are also introduced in the article, who thinks that Internet is keeping our brains active and also doing a great deal to improve our efficiency. We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Impact on Thinking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is true, but even then, we cannot deny the fact that the impact of information overload is having damaging effects on our lives. Internet is having profound effect on our intelligence and our attention span; and the temptations of new technologies are leading us to a world of addiction. Internet is making our intelligence level go down. Before the wide spread use of Internet, it was brain’s work to store information, and to memorize the things, but now everything is stored digitally. Machines have taken up a greater share of the tasks, once done by human brain. Everything can be looked up instantly, so nothing needs to be remembered. Internet helps gather up information quickly and easily. This rapid transmission and accumulation of knowledge and flood of information leaves people with no time to think. Internet makes it hard to memorize information because of the continuous influx of the competing messages, which interferes with the physical mechanism of the brain. The information can then only get to the short-term memory system and it cannot be moved up into long-term memory storage. Continuous stimulation of the brain prevents the learning process. Internet talks only to primitive parts of the brain, the parts that do not connect to the deep thought and contemplation. When we read online, we tend to become â€Å"mere decoders of information. † Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged. Therefore, Internet use is only concerned with the superficial learning and no deep thoughts and no long-term memory storage, which results in low- level of intelligence as a whole. Just because we have more information, doesn’t necessarily mean that the information is better. In fact, this information is being dumb-down and infantilized due to our ever-shrinking attention spans. Internet has brought about a super abundance of things to do. There are e-mails, texts, audios, videos, competing graphics, and hyperlinks to much more pages. Everything goes on simultaneously and our curiosity to know about what new is happening around, instigates us to keep switching from one page to another and we cannot focus on just one thing. Even if we try to focus on one thing, the e-mail alerts, the status-updates, the pop-up advertisements etc. , distract that focus. This continuous stimulation to the brain to keep switching from one page to another, has changed the ability of the brain to function as it used to be. As a result it’s not just the long articles for which we have lost our attention span or our focus, but similar is true for the classroom lectures and other things which need our attention. This problem was much less common before the development of technology, so it is clear that it’s not an inherent change in the way we are thinking now. It’s a change in technology that forces us to change our focus often. According to an example given in the article, Ellas Aboujaoude, a psychiatry and behavioral science professor at Stanford University states, â€Å"Studies suggest that people who spend a lot of time online have shorter attention spans†, therefore this change in our focusing ability is very much due to the impact of technology. Too much of anything can be harmful and the same is true for the internet use. People get overwhelmed by the attraction of different websites and want to visit those sites again and again. Not only the sexual things (pornography sites), can be attractive or seductive, but equally seductive could be a very simple thing like an e-mail in-box. The thrill of getting the new message in the in-box can make the person keep sticking to it. It’s like a slot machine, in the hope of getting some reward (even a juicy gossip can be a reward), often people make it a habit to keep checking the site again and again and later on these habits become so strong, that they take the form of addiction Excessive use, often associates with a loss of sense of time or even neglect of basic drives leading to poor nutrition, anxiety, irritability, This addiction can even cost the relationships and ork or schoolwork. Greenblatt gives an example of Tim O’Leary, the head of a marketing firm who says that he is tied to his laptop as it was an oxygen machine and he must carry it all around to keep breathing. So, people make such strong habits that they feel like they can’t just live without these devices and this is not anything less than an addiction. Ultimately, it is clear from the article that these ever-developing technologies are not only beneficial to us in our everyday lives, but equally harmful are the side-effects. So, as the article states â€Å"With ever more capable technologies comes a greater burden to choose wisely and well†, it is now our responsibility to choose and act wisely; and to get the best out of it by eliminating as many negativities as we can.

Iran History and Facts

Iran History and Facts The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known to outsiders as Persia, is one of the centers of ancient human civilization.  The name Iran comes from the word Aryanam, meaning Land of the Aryans. Sited on the hinge between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Iran has taken several turns as a superpower empire and been overrun in turn by any number of invaders. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the more formidable powers in the Middle East region- a land where lyrical  Persian poetry vies with strict interpretations of Islam for the soul of a people. Capital and Major Cities Capital: Tehran, population 7,705,000 Major Cities: Mashhad, population 2,410,000 Esfahan, 1,584,000 Tabriz, population 1,379,000 Karaj, population 1,377,000 Shiraz, population 1,205,000 Qom, population 952,000 Irans Government Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has been ruled by a complex governmental structure. At the top is the Supreme Leader, selected by the Assembly of Experts, who is Commander-in-Chief of the military and oversees the civilian government. Next is the elected President of Iran, who serves for a maximum of two 4-year terms. Candidates must be approved by the Guardian Council. Iran has a unicameral legislature called the Majlis, which has 290 members. Laws are written in accordance with law, as interpreted by the Guardian Council. The Supreme Leader appoints the Head of Judiciary, who appoints judges and prosecutors. Population of Iran Iran is home to approximately 72 million people of dozens of different ethnic backgrounds. Important ethnic groups include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Mazandarani and Gilaki (8%), Kurds (7%), Iraqi Arabs (3%), and Lurs, Balochis, and Turkmens (2% each). Smaller populations of Armenians, Persian Jews, Assyrians, Circassians, Georgians, Mandaeans, Hazaras, Kazakhs, and Romany also live in various enclaves within Iran. With an increased educational opportunity for women, Irans birth rate has declined markedly in recent years after booming in the late 20th century. Iran also hosts over 1 million Iraqi and Afghan refugees. Languages Not surprisingly in such an ethnically diverse nation, Iranians speak dozens of different languages and dialects. The official language is Persian (Farsi), which is part of the Indo-European language family. Along with the closely related Luri, Gilaki and Mazandarani,  Farsi is the native tongue of 58% of Iranians. Azeri and other Turkic languages account for 26%; Kurdish, 9%; and languages like Balochi and Arabic make up about 1% each. Some Iranian languages are critically endangered, such as Senaya, of the Aramaic family, with only about 500 speakers. Senaya is spoken by Assyrians from the western Kurdish region of Iran. Religion in Iran Approximately 89% of Iranians are Shia Muslim, while 9% more are Sunni. The remaining 2% are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Bahai. Since 1501, the Shia Twelver sect has dominated in Iran. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 placed Shia clergy in positions of political power; the Supreme Leader of Iran is a Shia ayatollah, or Islamic scholar and judge. Irans constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism (Persias main pre-Islamic faith) as protected belief systems. The messianic Bahai faith, on the other hand, has been persecuted since its founder, the Bab, was executed in Tabriz in 1850. Geography At the pivot point between the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran borders on the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.  It shares land borders with Iraq and Turkey to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east. Slightly larger than the US state of Alaska, Iran covers 1.6 million square kilometers (636,295 square miles).  Iran is a mountainous land, with two large salt deserts (Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir) in the east-central section. The highest point in Iran is Mt. Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,400 feet). The lowest point is sea level. Climate of Iran Iran experiences four seasons each year. Spring and fall are mild, while winters bring heavy snowfall to the mountains. In the summer, temperatures routinely top 38 °C (100 °F). Precipitation is scarce across Iran, with the national yearly average at about 25 centimeters (10 inches). However, the high mountain peaks and valleys get at least twice that amount  and offer opportunities for downhill skiing in the winter. Economy of Iran Irans majority centrally-planned economy depends upon oil and gas exports for between 50 and 70% of its revenue. The per capita GDP is a robust $12,800 US, but 18% of Iranians live below the poverty line and 20% are unemployed. About 80% of Irans export income comes from fossil fuels. The country also exports small amounts of fruit, vehicles, and carpets. The currency of Iran is the rial. As of June 2009, $1 US 9,928 rials. History of Iran The earliest archaeological findings from Persia date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. By 5000 BCE, Persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. Powerful dynasties have ruled Persia, beginning with the Achaemenid (559-330 BCE), which was founded by Cyrus the Great. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 300 BCE, founding the Hellenistic era (300-250 BCE). This was followed by the indigenous Parthian Dynasty (250 BCE - 226 CE) and the Sassanian Dynasty (226 - 651 CE). In 637, Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula invaded Iran, conquering the whole region over the next 35 years. Zoroastrianism faded away as more and more Iranians converted to Islam. During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Iran bit by bit, establishing a Sunni empire. The Seljuks sponsored great Persian artists, scientists, and poets, including Omar Khayyam. In 1219, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded Persia, wreaking havoc across the country and slaughtering entire cities. Mongol rule ended in 1335, followed by a period of chaos. In 1381, a new conqueror appeared: Timur the Lame or Tamerlane. He too razed entire cities; after just 70 years, his successors were driven from Persia by the Turkmen. In 1501, the Safavid dynasty brought Shia Islam to Persia. The ethnically Azeri/Kurdish Safavids ruled until 1736, often clashing with the powerful Ottoman Turkish Empire to the west. The Safavids were in and out of power throughout the 18th century, with the revolt of former slave Nadir Shah and the establishment of the Zand dynasty. Persian politics normalized again with the founding of the Qajar Dynasty (1795-1925) and Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979). In 1921, the Iranian army officer Reza Khan seized control of the government. Four years later, he ousted the last Qajar ruler and named himself Shah. This was the origin of the Pahlavis, Irans final dynasty. Reza Shah tried to rapidly modernize Iran but was forced out of office by the western powers after 15 years because of his ties to the Nazi regime in Germany. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, took the throne in 1941. The new shah ruled until 1979  when he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution  by a coalition opposed to his brutal and autocratic rule. Soon, the Shia clergy took control of the country, under the leadership of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini declared Iran a theocracy, with himself as the Supreme Leader. He ruled the country until his death in 1989; he was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A Sample of Expository Essay Free Help from Top Writers

A Sample of Expository Essay Free Help from Top Writers Here is a good expository essay sample to help you understand the rules of expository writing. An expository essay is meant to describe, explain and inform the reader. The sample expository essay below explains the correlation between the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and gas prices in the USA. While this essay by far exceeds the five paragraph standard,  this essay  was written to conduct a  deep analysis of the situation with gas  prices  within the USA after the 9/11 attacks. Please note the structure of the essay despite exceeding the five paragraph format, it still consists of the introduction, body, and conclusion. If you are looking for a top quality, a  custom-written expository  essay with a proper language and formatting, feel free to visit our order page.  Our experienced writers will come up with a tailor-made solution  that fully matches your requirements and will help you to master expository writing. Gas Prices pre and post 9/11/2001 and Its Effect on U.S. Economy Petrol, or commonly known as gasoline in North America, is a liquid mixture that is obtained from petroleum or can be considered as one of the main products obtained from refining crude oil. Gasoline is mainly made up of aliphatic hydrocarbons and is usually improved through the addition of aromatic hydrocarbons toluene, isooctane or even benzene to further raise its octane ratings. Primarily, gasoline is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines such as in automobiles and light trucks and accounts for almost 17 percent of United States’ energy consumption. Gasoline, or â€Å"gas† as its colloquial term, is also used to fuel recreational vehicles, boats and most of the  equipment  that is used  on  farms and in construction. Though the production of gasoline occurs year-round, there are still extra volumes of gasoline that are made to meet the gasoline requirements during the summer driving seasons. Gasoline has three main grades and these are premium, regul ar, and mid-grade, which is all derived from oil refineries. Several pipelines that are linked to a massive distribution chain are used to serve 168, 987 retail gasoline stations. The three main grades have different octane level, and their prices also vary according to the grade of the gasoline. Though usually, the price differential that is present between the grades is constant. Generally, gas prices have been increasing before the 9/11 incident, and it affects the economy of US and other countries either directly or indirectly through the consumers, especially their buying power. The cost that is included in the production and the transportation of gasoline from the source to the consumers is the cost of crude oil to refiners. Furthermore, the marketing and distribution costs, the refinery processing costs and the retail station costs along with the imposed taxes of that state on gasoline  are also included in the costs of production and manufacture of gasoline. All of these costs are mainly reflected in  the amount that the consumers pay in the gasoline stations. A large component that is included in the retail price of gasoline is the taxes imposed in it, either it may be Federal, State or local. The taxes account for more or less 19 percent of what the consumers pay for  every gallon of gasoline. Almost 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline is from the Federal tax and more or less 21 cents per gallon of gasoline is due to the State tax. Furthermore, the implementation of eleven States levy added State sales and other taxes and the additional local county and city taxes that is applied on gasoline, imposes a significant effect or impact on the price of gasoline. The difference in the price of gasoline that is observed from one state or town to the other is due to the varying taxes imposed and due to the varied formulations implemented in the different parts of the state, county or region. Only 19 percent of the amount paid by consumers is due to refining costs and profits while only 9 percent of the retail cost paid by consumers per gallon of gasoline is due to marketing, distribution, and retail dealer costs. Gasoline prices normally increase or decrease even if the price of crude oil that is used in the production of gasoline is stable, generally because of factors such as changes in crude oil prices, seasonality in the gasoline supply and demand balance, and unusual events or trends affecting the supply and demand balance. Also, local retail station competition could affect the prices of gasoline. Domestic problems that could disrupt the crude oil supply may include refinery outages and pipeline outages or demand, which includes differences in the specifications set by a particular region, area or season on the product. The effect of unusual events or trends had always influenced the price of gasoline and these includes a weakening economy, an increase  in the production of gasoline from refineries but a decrease in the demand for gasoline for jet fuels and automobiles and the September 11,  2001, terrorist attacks. These factors account for almost, but not greater than, 30 cents pe r gallon of gasoline. September 9, 2001, commonly known as 9/11, includes a series of coordinated terrorist attacks by a nineteen terrorists who were said to be affiliated with the Al-Qaeda, whose also hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners and committed suicide attacks, crashing the each of the planes into four different targets. The World Trade Center in New York City is one of the terrorists’ targets, resulting  in  the collapse of the two buildings. Due to the 9/11 incident, rumors on the increase of the gasoline price had spread onto consumers like a forest fire. Panic buying had occurred, and the demand for gasoline increased. The 9/11 incident does not have any impact on the gas supply, therefore, should not have any impact on the gasoline price and their effects on the economy are not directly connected. Crude oil and gasoline prices constantly increase  before the September 9, 2001  terrorist attacks.  Ã‚  On January 1, 1999, the average retail regular price for crude oil and gasoline was almost 39 dollars per barrel. This price increased up to 40 dollars per barrel then decreased to 36 dollars per barrel in March 1999. But this decrease in the crude oil and gasoline price was not continuous. In May 1999, the crude oil and gasoline prices increased tremendously to 48 dollars per barrel. Since then on, the prices kept increasing and decreasing, then again increasing at a higher price (dollars per barrel) every month in the year 1999 up to July in the year 2000 almost equal to 70 dollars per barrel. By August and September 2000, the prices of crude oil and gasoline decreased greatly up to almost 59 dollars per barrel and increased slightly in October 2000 to 65 dollars per barrel. The prices of crude oil and gasoline no longer increased any higher than this but decreased up to 58.80 dollars per barrel in January and April 2001. The prices of crude oil and gasoline started to increase rapidly by the second week of May 2001. The average retail regular price of crude oil and gasoline was at its peak in the second week of May 2001, with almost 72 dollars per barrel. The price ranged from 70 to 72 dollars per barrel from May up to the end of July 2001. Then it had rapidly decreased up to almost 57 dollars per barrel in August 2001. The decreased in the price of crude oil and gasoline was not continuous. Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the prices increased due to panic buying from the consumers. Rumors of a tremendous increase in the crude oil and gasoline prices struck fear among the consumers. The scarcity of gasoline and crude oil supply also added to the consumers’ fear of having to avail gas at an unimaginable price. Lines to gasoline stations in the days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were really long, where customers had to wait hours just to get gasoline. The sudden increase in the demand for gasoline made gasoline stations and dealers hungry for more profit, led to an increase in the price of gasoline, higher than the price in August 2001. From almost 57 dollars per barrel in August 2001, prices increased to almost 66 dollars per barrel in the second week of September 2001. The prices of gasoline and crude oil continued to be sold at a range of 64 to 66 dollars per barrel up to October 2001 (Burdette, 2001). The prices of crude oil and gasoline because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were alarming, especially to the regulatory board on the prices of crude oil and gasoline. The government started to place penalties and fines to gasoline stations, dealers, and suppliers who would impose gasoline prices that are above or higher than 2 dollars per gallon. Information dissemination was also done by the government to inform consumers of the actual price of crude oil and gasoline. The supply of crude oil and gasoline was also shown to the consumers in order to avoid further panic buying. The action of stabilizing the price of crude oil and gasoline made by the government resulted in a decrease in the gasoline price back to 58.80 dollars per barrel in October 2001. According to Michael Burdette, a consultant to the Energy Information Administration, â€Å"as of October 29, 2001, the national average retail price of regular gasoline was 1.235 dollars per gallon, its lowest level sinc e November 8, 1999† (2001). Since September 17, the average price of gasoline had already fallen up to 29 cents in just six weeks. In Midwest,   the average retail price of regular gasoline had reached a very sharp decline of 33-cents drop. This drop occurred in the national average in of 10 weeks during the Memorial Day up to the first week of August and it was only interrupted by a brief 17-cent rise in the second week of August. All in all, a decrease of almost 48 cents of the national average retail price of the gasoline was achieved from its peak in May and it is considered to be the widest one-year range in retail prices since 1990, especially considering the time frame of just five months. Economically, the sudden increase in the demand for gasoline had boosted the amount or barrels of gasoline sold in the market within a short period of time. The prices at first seemed to be a burden for consumers, but due to government regulations on the price of gasoline, the burden was lifted. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks had a large impact, not only in the prices of gasoline but in the economy (especially in the world markets) as a whole. A temporary reduction or decrease in the contract with banks was done by the Federal Reserve whereas, by September 11, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, and NASDAQ were all closed and remain as it is until September 17. When the stock market re-opened, the U.S. stocks lost $1.2 trillion in value for the week. The 9/11 incident also has extended effects to other states. Supply of gas fuels ran out in other states the next morning after the terrorist attack. In Iowa, prices were said to reach 4.65 dollars per gallon, in Michigan, it is almost over 5 dollars a gallon. A convenient store under the Casey’s Inc. in Illinois was investigated and would be penalized $50,000 if found guilty of price gouging. The company initiated customer refunds immediately. Another effect of increasing fuel prices is th e reduced productivity growth in the general economy (National Research Council (U.S.), 1988, p.124) The gasoline prices before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have been observed generally to increase, with some small decrease in gasoline price on months between intervals of an increase. The gasoline price had reached its peak of 72 dollars per barrel in May 2001. The price increase at its highest has been attained even before the 9/11 incident. Before the terrorist attack, the gasoline price had already decreased largely and the price gouging and consumer panics on September 11 and the day after that had increased the gasoline price, but not to a level that is greater than the price of gasoline in May 2001. It can also be noted that after a week or month after the 9/11 incident, gasoline price reached its lowest price of 1.235 dollars per gallon, its lowest price since November 8, 1999. This is due to the strict implementation and immediate action done by the government and regulatory boards on the price of gasoline. The gasoline prices had affected consumers greatly for they are the ones who suffer any price gouging done by dealers or retailers. Economically, gasoline price, after its regulations and stabilization, had increased the buying power of the consumers specifically on gasoline since no additional or reduced prices on other commodities were reported. The huge decrease in the world markets and stocks can be greatly attributed to the 9/11 terrorist attack, but not on the gasoline price. Therefore, any increase or decrease in the price of commodities is not due to gasoline prices but due to the incident. Furthermore, the 9/11 incident should not have had any impact on the gasoline supply.

Critically discuss the developments in banking regulation that have Essay

Critically discuss the developments in banking regulation that have been, and continue to be, put in place as a result of the ec - Essay Example A wide spread unemployment, inflation, poverty, layoffs, financial stress were the words normally echoed on all types of media during the entire period beginning from 2007 to the end of 2009. In the same period, the rates of foreclosure were inversely attached to the housing price inflation (Taylor, 2009). Many investment banks were struggling to survive, mergers, bankruptcies, acquisitions and nationalization became common (The WTO Doha Round and Regionalism, 2009). Many causes contributed towards the development of the financial crisis. Sub-prime loans, low interest rates, financial innovations, a lack of proper supervisory and regulatory measures from the side of regulatory and supervisory authorities, and the total collapse of integrity of credit rating agencies added fuel to the fire of the global financial crisis. Additionally, many authors believe that Basel Committee on Banking Supervision was ill-equipped and confused over some of its basic definitions towards the risk manag ement, and as a result, this also contributed its share in the global financial crisis. Soon after its impacts, the world financial and political leaders gathered to discuss and devise corrective actions in response to the financial situations. In EU, at micro and macro levels, different regulatory and supervisory sound regulations were recommended; European Systemic Risk Council (ESRC) was recommended to play it’s for the risk management. At the same time, European System Financial Supervision (ESFS) was devised to monitor the financial affairs at the micro level, while in the United States of America, Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), strong regulatory and supervisory measures for financial firms and financial markets were proposed. As the financial crisis has affected the global economy, undoubtedly, it requires the international financial institutions to coordinate their efforts, ensure transparency. And, the international regulatory convergence has become nece ssary to avoid such financial crisis in future. In the subsequent parts of this paper, causes of financial crisis, different interpretations over the issues are discussed after the section critically highlighting causes. Subsequent to that, in U.S. and the EU, the corrective measures are explained followed by some recommendations and proposals are provided. Then, international context and effectives of these banking regulatory measures are mentioned. Causes of the global financial crisis Many causes contributed towards the financial crisis. First, sub-prime loans and the real estate bubble were among the main causes (Lannuzzi & Berardi, 2010). Udell (2009) explains that the sub-prime loans were easily available to the ordinary Americans before the financial crisis emerged. This type of loan was given to those individuals and institutions that did not have positive credit worthiness. They were those whose loan applications were declined by many credit lending financial institutions. Furthermore, many under-developed states were transferring their savings into American banks and other financial institutions ((Shomali & Giblin, 2010). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a considerable amount of savings were attracted by many American banks and other financial institutions. Since many of these countries were enjoying economic growth

The Blacks and the British-Americans in the United States of America Essay

The Blacks and the British-Americans in the United States of America - Essay Example The black race of the United States of America also known as the African-Americans are all the descendants of the African people who were taken to America as slaves in the year 1619. These slaves had their own quarters and they were branded slaves for life. When the slaves were freed many of them settled in the southern area of Georgia while other slaves moved north into New York. Majority of the slaves lived in poverty. Racial discrimination was ripe and this meant that the blacks were not welcome in the white territories. The blacks were denied many privileges like accessing health care or even schools for their children. To solve this problem, the Africans reacted being independent through the formation of their own schools, hospitals and starting their own businesses (Edmonds 122). The British Americans the people who migrated willingly into the United States of American and they initially settled on the island of Jamestown. The British were interested in acquiring land and other resources in the United States of America. These people enjoyed various privileges like good hospitals, schools for their children and good houses. When the Americans gained their independence, many Britons were assimilated quickly into the American culture as compared to the African slaves who were not considered as American Citizens whatsoever (Elaine 210). The positive integration of the blacks in to the American Society is that they were able to interact with the American people and be able to integrate the important culture of the Americans and they were able to integrate the new technologies from the American people in their areas of work, hospitals and even schools (Edmonds 123). The Americans benefitted from the cheap and readily available source of labor from the African people. The British people were able to establish strong ties with the American people through their diplomatic skills. Business, therefore, flourished among the two races. There are many areas in the United States of America that are named after various places in Britain, for example, New Hampshire named after Hampshire (Gunnarsdottir and Nora 153).

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example for Free

Same Sex Marriage Essay Same sex marriage is a legally or socially recognized marriage between two people of the same biological sex or social gender. This topic is an issue in marriages and families today because there has been an ongoing debate, arguments and so much confusion involved with same sex marriage for a very long time. There are many reasons that are given as to why same sex marriages should be discouraged. Some of these include; others feeling that marriage is an institution between one man and one woman while others feel that this type of marriage is not a good environment to raise kids. Same sex marriage affects almost everybody, some people are unhappy while others are happy with lots of confusion that needs to be cleared and at the same time other people are dying due to the choices that they make. If one decides to go for same sex marriage, they are either shunned by family, friends and the society. Others might be beaten to death or even tortured. In other gay marriages, I feel that the children in the families might be going through a hard time in trying to fit in. Children have a hard time in school which might lead to more issues with the children and trying to fix the situation. In this course, one learns ways and means of dealing with all these issues and they can be in a better position to avoid some of them. Through this paper, I intend to explain the benefits of same sex marriage to those that are in this type of marriage and why it is essential to them; the children in these types of marriages and their living situations and at the same time, I will include some of the reasons why a lot of people are so much against this idea. Same sex marriage is one of the biggest debates that has been going on for a very long time since people can never come to a consensus about this whole issue with lots of different Same sex marriage3 reasons. People feel that churches would be forced to marry gay people against their will. If gay marriage is legalized, homosexuality would be promoted in the public schools. The 2000 United States Census revealed 594,000 same-sex couples nationwide, with 46,490 in New York alone figures that may undercount the true number of couples by as much as 62 percent. There’s a gay baby boom accelerating over the past decade, 34.3 percent of female same-sex households and 22.3 percent of male households have children nationwide (the figures for New York are 34.3 percent and 21.7 percent, respectively). These rates are not that much below the national rate for married opposite-sex couples of 45.6 percent and of unmarried opposite-sex couples of 43.1 percent. Using reasonable estimates, this would suggest around 400,000 children being raised by same-sex couples nationwide, and 31,000 in New York. Same sex marriage should not be encouraged because there’s so much controversy involved around it. There are different reasons given for the benefits for those in the same sex marriage. (www.religioustolerance.org) Examples include; the financial security, dignity respect and the equal rights. Denying one group the right to marry has many adverse emotional and financial consequences. Examples of these are Social Security, Medicare, medical leave, and other benefits; property inheritance; the right to visit their spouse in hospital, and make medical decisions if they are incapacitated; security of the couple and of their children. In todays economic environment, it often takes two incomes to live. A married couple shares rent, utilities, and other bills, which are often difficult for one person to take on alone. This is especially truly if a dependent person is involved such as a child. In addition, a married couple can often financially support each other when times get tough, such as when one of the two is out of work. The other can continue to pay the bills until the unemployed person gets back on his/her feet. Same sex marriage4 As for the equal rights, denying marriage to same-sex couples removes from one group a fundamental, important human right which is the right to marry the person that one loves and to whom one has made a commitment. That is unfair and unjust in a democracy. At the same time, The institution of marriage conveys dignity and respect towards a couple that make a lifetime commitment to support each other. â€Å"Same-sex couples deserve this dignity and respect. Another benefit is that it encourages people to have strong family values and give up high-risk sexual lifestyles. One of the main arguments against gay marriage is that it would further erode family values; however, the opposite is true. www.balancedpolitics.org. The problems related to sexuality in our society such as STDs stem from carefree, frivolous lifestyles; in other words, having frequent, unprotected sex with many partners. Marriage encourages people to settle down and to give up that type of lifestyle. Married people commit themselves to one partner and work to build a life together. Isnt that the type of behavior we want to encourage? (The marriage and family experience Bryan strong Pgs. 368-369); talks about the children in the same sex marriage. Aware of the social stigma and lack of support, gay and lesbian families face, there may be a tendency to minimize differences in the children’s behavior. In so doing, some differences that might be strengths of gay and lesbian families may go under-emphasized. According to (www.religioustolerance.org); those opposed to same-sex marriage (SSM) often point to studies which show that children raised in families headed by a father and mother fare much better, both in childhood and later as adults. But further examination shows that most of these studies are not applicable here, because they compare families with opposite-sex parents to single-parent families, not with those headed by same-sex parents. Of course, many perhaps most children in single-parent families will be disadvantaged because of Same sex marriage5 poverty and the lack of a second parent to give the children more care and attention than one parent can provide. Those who advocate same-sex marriage often point to studies which show that children raised in two-parent families do well, regardless of whether the parents are of the same sex or opposite sex. But most of these studies are deeply flawed because: They involve self-selected subjects, and/or, they do not study families over a sufficiently long interval, and/or they demonstrate bias on the part of the researchers. Children raised in families led by same-sex parents would be continually exposed to homosexuality. They may choose to become gay or lesbian at a higher rate than those raised by a father and mother. Men and women have very different personalities, brain structure, talents, etc. They are designed to fit into very different roles within the family. In order for children to be properly socialized, they need to be brought up by both a father and a mother. The long range effects on children who are brought up by two women or two men are unknown and can only be speculated upon. Children of same-sex couples will be exposed to a great deal of ridicule and hatred by their fellow students and this could negatively affect their development. The desire to marry and settle down with a companion for life is very strong in some adults. So is the desire to have children. Other people also believe that if same sex marriage is not allowed, then at least some homosexuals may well be motivated to marry a person of the opposite sex, to leave the homosexual lifestyle, and to become an ex-gay or ex-lesbian. Others feel like same-sex marriage would weaken the institution of marriage by creating a counterfeit version of marriage which will harm the entire population, including children. Some studies show that the incidence of Same sex marriage6 violence between same-sex couples is higher than that between opposite-sex couples. This may also be true of same-sex couples in loving, committed relationships. If so, then children are bound to be harmed by the presence of violence in the home. These are some of the more reasons why many people are against same sex marriage. www.bidstrup.com. Most religions consider homosexuality a sin. Virtually every religion in the world, including the major ones in this country, consider homosexuality unacceptable. It is offensive and a swipe to the religious freedom of the majority to have to recognize a relationship they consider sinful. The legal system in the United States evolved out of the laws contained in the Bible. We shouldnt go even farther to tear down those laws. It would weaken the definition and respect for the institution of marriage. The 50 percent divorce rate has already weakened the definition of marriage. We shouldnt be taking further steps to define what marriage is. A law allowing gay marriage would increase the number of joke or non-serious marriages, such as a couple of friends who want to save on taxes. Marriage is the most sacred institution in this country, and every society considers it the joining of a man and a woman. It makes biological sense since only a man and woman can pro-create. It would further weaken the traditional family values essential to our society. The building blocks of our society and the thing that makes it strong is the traditional family of man, woman, and children. It is what has sustained us through two world wars, terrorist attacks, a Great Depression, and numerous other challenges over the centuries. While friends lovers come and go, your family is always there. The main reason our culture and values have started to crumble is the weakening of families. Introducing another form of family would only make the Same sex marriage7 situation worse. It could provide a slippery slope in the legality of marriage (e.g. having multiple wives or marrying an animal could be next). Gay rights activists claim that these marriages should be allowed because it doesnt hurt anyone, but it could start a chain reaction that destroys the whole idea of marriage. If someone wants to marry his dog, why shouldnt he be able to? What if someone wants to marry their brother or parent? What if someone wants to marry their blow-up doll or have 10 wives? Unless we develop some firm definition of what a marriage is, the options are endless. If these options sound absurd, remember that all it takes is a few activist judges to use the statute to open the door. It doesnt matter if 95 percent of the population disagrees with the policy; one judge can interpret the case the way he or she wants. Do you remember how two judges in California recently declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional? If the decision hadnt been overturned, it would have prevented millions of children from being able to say the pledge every morning, despite the fact that 95+ percent of Americans disagreed with the decision. A lot of people feel that same sex marriage is not something to be encouraged, as a lot of research shows it leads to a much lower life expectancy, psychological disorders, and other problems. Studies show that homosexuals, for a variety of reasons, have life expectancies of approximately 20 years less than the general population. Just like a lifestyle of smoking, drinking, unhealthy lifestyles should be discouraged. www.religioustolerance.org. Same sex marriage is a debate that will always be there no matter what happens but people should never judge the same sex couple who decide to come together and get married. So long as they are happy and the children are well cared for, we should be happy for them. Same sex marriage8 REFERENCES Bidstrup, Scott (2009, June 3). Gay Marriage, The Arguments And The Motives http://www.balancedpolitics.org/ same sex marriage The marriage and Family Experience http://www.ibiblio.org/gaylaw Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: Focus on the Facts Post-2004 Election Edition by Sean Cahill. You tube Video The ViewArgues over Gay Marriage www.religioustolerance.org

Kathe Kollwitz Mothers :: Essays Papers

Kathe Kollwitz Mothers In 1914 a war was going on in Germany. At the same time, Kathe Kollwitz was capturing images of poverty, unemployment, homelessness and things that ailed Germany. Following WW1 Kollwitz’ son, Peter Kollwitz, joined the German army to later be killed in battle. This inspired Kollwitz to begin a series of works illustrating the effects that war had on women, one of which is â€Å"The Mothers†. In this work, and many, Kollwitz uses lithography to produce very dark yet sharp images. The use of color itself gives the audience a doleful view of her works. When first looking at this work, a deep sadness and sorrow is perceived. The expressions on the mothers’ faces give it away almost immediately. Viewing this piece from left to right, the first mother seems as if she has lost a loved one or is reminded of one. The way that she hides her face in her hands not wanting anyone to see her pain, shows the audience how devastating it is to lose a loved one. The other two mothers seem more collect about their thoughts but at the same time thankful. They seem thankful by clutching tightly to their young, firmly holding their infants and keeping the children close by their side as if the kids are the only loved ones that the mothers’ have left. When glanced at, this work attracts the eye because of its photographic characteristics. Dark black lines are used to outline each figure with its own characteristics. Dark colors are abundantly used in this work to represent a gloomy image of sorrow, although in this work, they are used to show the feelings and thoughts of the suffering mothers to be unfortunate. I’m sure that the mothers’ in this piece were not alone and Kollwitz realized this.

Parmalat Accounting Scandal Essay

Summary After eluding financial analysts and investors for a long time, Parmalat went bankrupt later in December, 2003 and many of their board of directors have been arrested since then. Here is a brief summary of the events: In the late 1980’s, Parmalat’s financial situation was poor due to investment in side businesses. i.e. TV network, Parmatur, football teams (Palmeiras, Parma, etc). Cash siphoning through these companies was estimated to be total of â‚ ¬ 10 Bn. In 1990, Parmalat went public which enabled them to tap into the capital markets. Early 1990’s, the company began to acquire dairy producers around the world in order to try to hide the growing debt. Parmalat entered into a series of bond issuances and securitization of receivables to generate cash. A series of other fraudulent accounting practices occurred during the following years. In December 2003, Parmalat was not able to make a U$ 150MM bond payment and raised the attention of the entire market. When the fraud was brought up, Calisto Tanzi (Parmalat founder) and Fausto Tonna (CFO) was arrested along with another 10 individuals. Grant Thornton and Deloitte & Touchà © were Parmalat’s accounting firms during the last 2 decades. Partners of both firms were charged for fraudulent activity. Case analysis From the analysis we made, there are several items that can be appointed as accounting principle violation: A) Overstatement of Assets Assets Selling: Parmalat sold firms to private entities and individuals to re-buy it later in a fake operation, as the money came from other offshore entities just to create liquidity in the books; thanks to that, they could keep issuing bonds to cover their debts Accountable Receivables recognition: Double billing the Italian supermarkets and other retail customers Fake bank accounts: false document have been created to prove the existence of â‚ ¬ 3,9 Bn cash at Bank of America. Again, with more liquidity, more easily got the loans B) Overstatement of revenues Revenue Recognition: False income sales through its offshore companies C) Understatement of liabilities Debt eliminating: Parmalat reduced approximately Euro 3.3 Bn of debt. Misclassification of liabilities: describing sales of receivables as non-recourse, when the company maintained obligation to ensure payment. Proper accounting practices that should have been used A) Assets The firm recognizes revenue when the transaction meets both of the following conditions: 1. Completion of the earnings process: the seller has done all (or nearly all) that is promised to do for the customer. That is, the seller has delivered all (or nearly all) of the goods and services it has agreed to provide 2. Receipt of assets from the customer: The seller has received cash or some other asset that it can convert to cash, for example, by collecting an account receivable Accountable receivables recognition (billing twice) In this case, Parmalat generated double accounts receivable for the same operation billing both, their distributors and the final customer. The revenue from the final customers was recognized on the books, but the billing for the distributors were considered as transfer and accounted for credit owed. Revenue recognition What happened here is that the seller never done what was written in the books, as the operation never existed and customer never received the goods. B) Liabilities Debt Eliminating Parmalat eliminated paid down debt by a series of capital market transactions, mainly bond issuances and sale of receivables. These financing transactions were made possible by overstating their assets. Misclassification of liabilities Parmalat misclassified the financing transaction of selling their receivables. Although, Parmalat sold its receivables (assets) to financial institutions/investors, they were not a true non-recourse sale and Parmalat maintained obligation to ensure that the receivables were ultimately paid, therefore Parmalat should have classified this financing as a liability.

What It Is Called Legitimate Knowledge for Clones

What it is called legitimate knowledge for clones. An educational institution is a form of institution that is used to educate people. Educational institutions are essential for society to produce knowledge people (workers). Schools are designed to produce limitless knowledge in every aspect of life. However, the â€Å"men† behind schools tend to be selective in producing knowledge and constructing ideas. This paper intends to give an explanation of how schools can be hazardous by using concepts of Stuart Hall in his book, Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, and Michael W.Apple and Nancy R. King in the article of â€Å"What Do Schools Teach†. These concepts applied to the hailsham case in the novel of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro to indicate that an educational institution like hailsham can be harmful due to the controlling and manipulating information for other purpose so that it generates what it is called legitimate knowledge for t he clones. Hailsham is the sole source in constructing inhumane ideas to the students that reflect their destiny as donors and perceived a short life.In the novel of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, students are taught that they are destined to be donors, and after the fourth donation their short life is granted. According to Stuart Hall in Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, he brings up a topic about discourse, power and knowledge, which created by Michel Foucault. Hall believes that in Foucault’s theory of discourse can be define as â€Å"’how human beings understand themselves in our culture’ and how our knowledge about ‘the social, the embodied individual and share meanings† (Hall 43).In other words, hall stated Foucault’s idea about discourse as how people discuss or understand the idea of things in certain society. Hall also stated Foucault’s idea about only certain social institutions, such as s chool, have the power to construct meaning, create truth or knowledge about things among society. That is to say that school is one of the sources that plays an important role in shaping students understanding of something.Therefore, being the sole sources that creates ideas on people’s mind, telling them to be donors and have a short live is not a pleasant idea to be embedded in people’s minds. Beside the concept above, Educational institutions can be harmful due to the knowledge control. According to Michael W. Apple and Nancy R. King, â€Å"the study of educational knowledge is a study in ideology, the investigation of what is considered legitimate knowledge (be it knowledge of the logical type of â€Å"that,† â€Å"how† or â€Å"to†) by specific social groups and classes, in specific institutions, at specific historical moments.It is, further, a critically oriented form of investigation, in that it chooses to focus on how this knowledge, as di stributed in schools, may contribute to a cognitive and dispositional development that strengthens or reinforces existing (and often problematic) institutional arrangements in society† (Apple and King 342). To simplify, the available knowledge and the hidden knowledge are being selected to be presented to students as proper knowledge, base on the ideology at a certain society at a time.Thus, educational institution can be defective due to the knowledge validity. According to the paragraph above, institutions control what can and cannot be presented. This theory can also be applied in the novel of never let me go. According to the book Miss Emily said that â€Å"We had run hailsham for many years, we had a sense of what could work, hat was best for the students in the long run, beyond hailsham. Lucy Wainright was idealistic, nothing wrong with that. But she had no graspof practicalities.You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take from you, and we were able to do that principally by sheltering you. Hailsham would not have been hailsham if we hadn’t. Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. Yes in many ways we fooled you (Ishiguro 268). In other words, hailsham and its people is trying to hide the latent facts in order to protect children and for the continuity of the school itself. Therefore, institutions can be harmful in terms of controlling knowledge and information.Another concept is that the basic function of schools or educational institutions is that schools should prepare students in terms of life skills to be able to do well in life. According to Michael W. Apple and Nancy R. King, â€Å"schools seem by and large, to do what they are supposed to do, at least in terms of roughly providing dispositions and propensities â€Å"functional† in later life in a complex and stratified social and economic order† (Apple and King 341). To clarify, Apple and king believe that schools have their own function to prepare students in the real life.The last concept above is inversely reflected with the case of Never Let Me Go novel. In the novel, Kathy H as the narrator show the readers that in hailsham student do not get sufficient knowledge about life. Most of the time in hailsham, they only do painting and philosophies. Guardians or teachers do not teach them life skills. In the novel, Kathy H, as the narrator told us that â€Å"looking back now, I can see we were pretty confused about this whole area about sex, that’s hardly surprising, I suppose, given we were barely sixteen.But what added to the confusion-I can see it more clearly now-was the fact that the guardians were themselves confused† (Ishiguro 95). This is the evidence that students do not get educated about sex sufficiently. Another example is when Kathy H said that â€Å"there was incidentally , Something I noticed about this veteran couples at the cottages-somethi ng Ruth, for all her close study of them, failed to spot-and this was how so many of their mannerisms were copied from the television† (Ishiguro 120).In other words, Kathy observes that their seniors are copying certain behaviors that are depicted from the movies in order to reflecting a normal person in life. This case shows that students are lack of understanding of the world until they have moved from hailsham. Educational institutions such as hailsham can be hazardous due to the production of knowledge that is designed to keep students from knowing the truth. Boarding schools such as hailsham can prevent students from growing properly. Their lack of understanding of the world produces insecurity and anxiety to face the actual life.Moreover, they are designed not to be rebellious instead, they are steered to be obedient and hopeless due to the lack of life skills and they are told in the first place that they are destined to be donors with short life. Works Cited Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go : New York : Vintage Canada, 2005. Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices. London: SAGE, 2003. Apple, Michael W. , King, Nancy R.. †What do Schools Teach? †. Curriculum Inquiry 6:4. 1977:341-358.

Individuality Brings Leadership Essays

Individuality Brings Leadership Essays Individuality Brings Leadership Essay Individuality Brings Leadership Essay In a community where one is expected to fit in with the group and not standout, anyone who expresses individuality is bound to stand out and make an important identity in that society. Individuality can make leaders, which have the potential to bring a long-term positive change to a modern society. Individuality creates leaders in any society. When a human has an attitude of being content with themselves to the point where they can freely express themselves, it brings out a great deal of self confidence. This confidence can be positive, and because humans are naturally attracted to people with self-confidence, these people that show individuality will have the ability to then command the respect of their peers and naturally rise to be leaders. Martin Luther King was a person that used Individuality to be a leader in his society. Without this great leader thinking the way he wasnt supposed to, and leading peaceful revolutions to stop slavery and segregation we wouldnt have the United States we have today. Because of his self-confidence, individuality, and support from people that followed him, he was successful in changing history to make his community and the world a much better place. Being a good leader can bring change to a society in many ways. Particularly, the implementation of a positive leader itself can bring change due to the ability for people to have a strong figure to look up too. When human beings have a feeling of loyalty to a figure they will automatically want to work hard to please him/her. With the majority of the people working hard/compassionately, the society will start to already see a change economically and politically rising. When the area becomes economically and politically strong due to the efforts of the people, the region starts to gradually get edified and bring in more and more of a population, bringing more diverse opportunities, such as scientists, engineers, artisans, and different cultures and skills. This increase of population will also come an increase in enemy eyes, but the ability for a leader to accumulate an army becomes effortless with a large population. The implementation of a leader easily brings many changes to a society in many different aspects. As you can see, individuality and respect earned from your fellow peers can automatically bring leaders into an area. Leaders have the ability to bring many costive changes to a modern society, such as political/economic growth, and different opportunities. In History, many of our great leaders like Martin Luther King used individuality to change a very unfair system of segregation, while also changing the United States forever. This is one of many instances of leaders using individualistic views to make long-term changes in an area. This shows that individuality is a very important trait for a leader to have to acquire success, and power. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Mark Twain

Definition and Discussion of Lexical-Function Grammar

Definition and Discussion of Lexical-Function Grammar In linguistics, lexical-functional grammar is a model of grammar that provides a framework for examining both morphological structures and syntactic structures. Also known as  psychologically realistic grammar. David W. Carroll notes that the major significance of lexical-functional grammar is the shunting of most of the explanatory burden onto the lexicon and away from transformational rules (Psychology of Language, 2008). The first collection of papers on the theory of lexical-functional grammar (LFG)Joan Bresnans The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relationswas published in 1982. In the years since, notes Mary Dalrymple, the growing body of work within the LFG framework has shown the advantages of an explicitly formulated, non-transformational approach to syntax, and the influence of this theory has been extensive (Formal Issues in Lexical-Functional Grammar). Examples and Observations In LFG, the structure of a sentence consists of two distinct formal objects: C[onstituent]-structure of the familiar kind plus a functional structure (or F-structure) which displays certain additional kinds of information. Most important in the F-structure is the labeling of grammatical relations like subject and object (these are called grammatical functions in LFG).The first part of the name reflects the fact that a great deal of work is done by the lexical entries, the dictionary part of the framework. Lexical entries are usually rich and elaborate, and each one inflected from a lexical item (such as write, writes, wrote, written and writing) has its own lexical entry. Lexical entries are responsible for dealing with many relations and processes handled by different machinery in other frameworks; an example is the voice contrast between actives and passives.(Robert Lawrence Trask and Peter Stockwell, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2007)Different Kin ds of StructuresA natural language utterance is rich in structures of different kinds: sounds form recurring patterns and morphemes, words form phrases, grammatical functions emerge from morphological and phrasal structure, and patterns of phrases evoke a complex meaning. These structures are distinct but related; each structure contributes to and constrains the structure of other kinds of information. Linear precedence and phrasal organization are related both to the morphological structure of words and to the functional organization of sentences. And the functional structure of a sentencerelations like subject-of, object-of, modifier-of, and so onis crucial to determining what the sentence means.Isolating and defining these structures and the relations between them is a central task of linguistics. . . .Lexical Functional Grammar recognizes two different kinds of syntactic structures: the outer, visible hierarchical organization of words into phrases, and the inner, more abstract hierarchical organization of grammatical functions into complex functional structures. Languages vary greatly in the phrasal organization they allow, and in the order and means by which grammatical functions are realized. Word order may be more or less constrained, or almost completely free. In contrast the more abstract functional organization of languages varies comparatively little: languages with widely divergent phrasal organization nevertheless exhibit subject, object, and modifier properties that have been well-studied by traditional grammarians for centuries.(Mary Dalrymple, John Lamping, Fernando Pereira, and Vijay Saraswat, Overview and Introduction. Semantics and Syntax in Lexical Functional Grammar: The Resource Logic Approach, ed. by Mary Dalrymple. The MIT Press, 1999) C(onstituent)-Structure and F(unctional) StructureLFG contains multiple parallel structures each modeling a different aspect of linguistic structure. The main syntactic structures are (c)onstituent-structure and f(unctional) structure . . .C-structure models the surface syntactic form of language: it is here that surface precedence and dominance relations are encoded. C-structures are phrase-structure trees, characterized by a particular form of X theory . . . designed to accommodate the large amount of phrase structure variation found cross-linguistically, from the relatively strict configurationality of languages like English to the more radically non-configurational languages of Australia. . .C-structures are always base-generated; there is no movement. . . . [T]he effect of movement is achieved by the fact that different c-structure positions can be mapped into the same f-structure via unification.The level of f-structure models grammatical relations. Unlike c-structures, which a re phrase structure keys, f-structures are attribute-value matrices. F-structure attributes may be grammatical functions (e.g. SUBJ, OBJ, COMP, also nonargument functions TOP(IC), FOC(US)), tense/aspect/mood categories (e.g. TENSE), functional nominal categories (e.g. CASE, NUM, GEND), or the predicate (semantic) attribute PRED. . . . The contents of f-structure come from the lexical items of the sentences themselves, or annotations on the nodes of the c-structure linking pieces of c-structure to parts of the f-structure.(Rachel Nordlinger and Joan Bresnan, Lexical-Functional Grammar: Interactions Between Morphology and Syntax. Non-Transformational Syntax: Formal and Explicit Models of Grammar, ed. by Robert D. Borsley and Kersti Bà ¶rjars. Blackwell, 2011) Alternate Spellings: Lexical-Functional Grammar (capitalized)

How to Use a Wood Material in Computer Hard Disk Drives Essay

How to Use a Wood Material in Computer Hard Disk Drives - Essay Example Therefore, coming up with new and easily available materials for the manufacture of hard disks would lower the cost of their installation. This report aims at coming up with a hard disk made up of wood materials. The report will commence by outlining the main parts of the device, as well as their main functions. Further, the choice of materials for each part of the appliance will be discussed. This will be tackled in two broad areas of the usage of wood currently where the same can be utilised to come up with efficient and effective hard disks. The report will conclude with a highlight of the importance of the use of wood in the manufacture of hard disks and the recommendation for the same. Breakdown of the Main Parts of the Hard Disk and the Main Function of Each The hard disk is made up of various components for data storage. Every computer possesses a hard drive; a majority of computer users are not much familiar with the hard disk and its composition. It is the brain of the compu ter and contains the following parts: (a) Heads or the Head Stack Assembly This part of the hard disk is very crucial in the sense that it magnetically reads and writes data to the platters that are in an incredible high-speed motion. This is done in extremely precise positions to achieve its function (Rubtsov, 2009). The heads can be termed as the eyes of the drive and float slightly higher from the platters approximately one micron. It is a sensitive, precise instrument and is generally the most frequent cause of hard drive malfunction (Braun 2009). (b) Spindle The spindle is highly crucial in rotating the platters at a certain speed that is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). According to The Computer Technology Documentation Project, modern spindles have been modified to move at speeds as high as 4800 and 7200 rotations per minute. This is expected to be higher in the future with innovations to enhance the seek speed: this is the amount of time it takes the hard disk to se arch for a certain area of data. With growing file sizes and the speed of transfer, like a crucial part of computing, the platter must spin extremely fast (Rubtsov, 2009). (c) Platters Platters are found at the centre of the hard disk to hold all data on the hard disk. A hard disk may have one or more platters depending on the intended capacity. They are round with holes in the centre similar to a record used on a record player. In cases of a platter having a motor, it holds the platter together and rotates it at a certain speed measured in revolutions per minute (Braun 2009). The result is the creation of air pressure that lifts the read of write heads of the platters. The platters are very effective in holding the hard drive’s information and their sensitivity is very high (Rubtsov, 2009). A number of drives have contained more than one platter while others have only one. In cases of a drive having multiple platters, the spacing between them is consequently very precise, an d in case of misalignment, the data on the drive is mostly lost forever. (d) Electronics The green circuitry found at the bottom of the hard drive is the electronics board. It constitutes of all the electronic resistors, capacitors, and other bits holding the parts in place (Osborne, 2010.). Their function is the provision of connection with the rest of the computer and contains information referred to as firmware that informs the hard drive on how to