How has the spread of communicotions technology affected cultures Essay

How has the spread of communicotions technology affected cultures around the world Assess the extent to which the tnternet is a medium for Western culture alone - Essay Example In fact, the change brought about by the use of the computer during the 80s and 90s in the western world, can best be described as a general awakening that has since then spread to virtually every part of the world (Tony Schirato, 2001). In fact, a new vibrant culture is being built about constantly through an increasing desire among people to communicate. This culture has its roots in a desire among individuals for new technology and is also driven by social aspirations. Moreover, people are dissatisfied with remaining localized and are in constant need for newer technologies that can enable them to establish global connections. The development of communications technology has linked the various regions, facilitating easy communication among people and cultures around the world. Everyone belongs to a variety of cultures. During the earlier days, the farthest a person could aspire for in terms of knowing about developments was restricted to a region and can at best be termed as provincial even in the context of nations. In fact, news of an event in Australia or India would take many hours or even days to reach the United States and this was virtually the case amongst far flung nations and regions. Today, people have the facility of numerous communication technologies such as the Internet, social networking mediums, chartrooms, VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phones etc (Gunther Kress, 2007). In fact, people across the world have become more informed of the existence of other cultures through the use of new communications. Consider the case of Tibet, which is struggling for liberation from Chinese authority. People during the preceding decades had no knowledge of the practices and lifestyles of the Tibetan people let alone know of their struggle for independence. The slow pace of communication implied that the Chinese government was able to withhold much of the information on events in the region. Things during the recent years have however

A Rhetorical Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

A Rhetorical Analysis Paper Essay DR. Michael Hawes gave an informative speech on Economics, politics, pipelines and the election: as well as Canada-US relations in an increasingly complex world. He used a PowerPoint to portray his ideas and talked about topics such as roots of Canadian foreign policy, the rising impact of the U.S, free trade and North American integration, and diversification. His speech wasn’t that interesting to younger adult’s such as me because he talked a lot about politics but he was very funny keeping me entertained which is always a plus. He established a clear central thesis, although he said â€Å"this is my central thesis† and established his main points. He transitioned into each point individually and took time to explain each concept it took a long time but he didn’t shy away from all the details. Dr. Michael Hawes speech was credible because he is a professor of political science, a tireless advocate of international education, and a proud alumnus of the fullbright program. He assumed the leadership of Fulbright Canada in September of 2001 and has had the privilege of directing the program through some very exciting times. He is Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America, Executive Director of the Canada U.S. Fulbright Program, and Executive Director of the Killam Fellowships Program. Under his direction Fulbright Canada has witnessed dramatic growth in its programs and in the number of students and scholars that the program supports. DR. Michael Hawes appealed to the audience because he took his time to explain he concept he was talking about with full detail. He used statistics sparingly but with great effect because they were such interesting statistics. He was funny and made the audience laugh several times during his speech. He used a PowerPoint as a visual aid to we could clearly see the trends he was talking about and to see things visually which is always a plus. He appealed to me as a very funny but profession man who wasn’t just some stiff figure who made me fall to sleep. His body got pretty dull during the end though after the talk of politics and relations though. DR. Michael Hawes appealed to my emotions as well as the other audience members I believe because of his style. He didn’t stand at the podium and talk he actually came down at one point and still talked to us. He gave real and true eye contact. He showed passion and enthusiasm for the topics he was talking about and answered peoples questions at the end he didn’t understand one of the questions and you could tell but he still gave a pretty good answer to whatever he though the question was. In conclusion Dr. Michael Hawes I believe was a very good speaker one thing I didn’t like though was the PowerPoint and how he had to look at it to explain some of the concepts because it cut his connection with the audience. I left feeling good about the speech I just saw though maybe just a little bit tired though because it was long. I did learn a lot though from his presentation which was really nice, I also wanted to read up more about what he was talking and learn more about the topics he talked about after I got back to my dorm.

Missiles in Cuba: Thirteen Days, Robert F. Kennedy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This novel tells the story of a small-town, working-class life in the mid 1900’s. The daughter of a meatpacking company millwright, Cheri Register tells about the event, which divides her small town of Albert Lea during time of depression. Albert Lea, Minnesota was an industrial town of only 13,545 people. Surrounding the area was cornfields, lakes, cattail marshes, knolls, and oak groves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Albert Lea still was in the 1950’s when this story began. Cheri was an elementary student. Her school plans many field trips, which tend to be excursions in industrial technology. Cheri and her classmates visit places, which serve an entertainment and educational purpose.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They have visited placed such as printing press, Coca-Cola, and egg hatching victories. Their next trip was different. Cheri and her class were to visit the Wilson & Co. meatpacking industry. This was where Cheri’s father had worked since 1943. Not speaking much of his job Cheri didn’t know much about her fathers work. This trip consisted of a parent’s signature because of the scene it may bring to the youngsters. Each kid had the option not to participate in the activity that morning since once they entered there was no turning back. They describe the trip as very scenic and educational. For the rest of the day the kids talked to each other about th e incredible views, which they encountered. Such as the hundreds of people who worked there and how the assembly lines for the animals just never ended, one after another after another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilson & Co. was a gigantic industrial factory in which many of the mid-class working life men supported their families by. During this time the eight-hour working day laws were supported and workers did just that. An eight-hour day at Wilson & Co. itself was extremely demanding and tiresome to the workingman. Cheri’s dad at this time was in a verbatim pattern of a workday, dinner, and falling asleep attempting to relaxing. Wilson & Co. decided to demand â€Å"mandatory overtime† of two hours. This made workers furious. Cheri’s dad himself would often work overtime just for the cash for odds and end payments needed around the house. Workers fought their boss in saying they didn’t have to obey this demand. Wilson & Co. reacted with a â€Å"yellow-dog contract† threatening if their workers didn’t sign agreeing to work these extra hours then they would be asked to leave the plant and not return.

Battle of Trafalgar Essay

The Battle of Trafalgar was the most significant battle won by the British against the combined forces of the French and Spanish fleets during the Napoleonic Wars. This battle also had significant impact on the concept of navigation when it comes to the Naval Doctrine of War. This battle proved that tactical unorthodoxy could win battles; even though you might be outmanned and outgunned by your opponent you can still win battles by deviating from the old Naval Doctrine. This battle was part of a much larger campaign called the Trafalgar campaign which included several different battles that led up to the final battle at Trafalgar. This campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet maneuvers carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets and the opposing moves of the British Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve a successful invasion of the United Kingdom. The plans were extremely complicated and proved to be impractical. Much of the detail was due to the personal intervention of Napoleon, who was a soldier rather than a sailor. This was largely because Napoleon failed to consider the effects of weather, difficulties in communication, and the intervention of the Royal Navy. Despite limited successes in achieving some elements of the plan the French commanders were unable to follow the main objective through to execution. The campaign, which took place over thousands of miles of ocean, was marked by several naval engagements, most significantly at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. The naval doctrine at the time dictated that both sides should line up parallel to eachother in a straight line so that they could engage in battle and bring all their guns to bear against the enemy. One of the reasons for the development of the line of battle was to help the admiral control the fleet. If all the ships were in line, signaling in battle became possible. The line also had defensive properties, allowing either side to disengage by breaking away in formation. If the attacker chose to continue combat their line would be broken as well. This type of warfare allowed each side to fight a battle and then to disengage at any time to minimize the losses to their fleet. However with England under threat of invasion by Napoleon and his grand army, British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson needed to ensure that the British were in control of the seas. In order to do this Nelson needed to fight and win a decisive battle that would clearly establish Britain’s naval supremacy. However in order to do this he would have to make sure that the combined French and Spanish fleets actually remained in the battle long enough to win a decisive victory. What Nelson planned on doing was instead of lining up parallel to the opposing fleet, Nelson would take his navy and charge at the enemy and deliberately cut the their battle line in two. This type of deviation from normal naval warfare in terms of navigation was unheard of at the time. Despite the risk to the British fleet, Nelson believed that this was the best way to engage the enemy fleet in the upcoming battle because it had numerous advantages. The primary advantage was that this would allow the British to cut half of the enemy fleet off, surround it, and force a fight to the end. This is unlike normal engagements where the battle was often inconclusive due to the fact that both fleets would withdraw before a clear winner could be seen. The plan had three principal advantages. First, it would allow the British fleet to close with the Franco-Spanish fleet as quickly as possible, reducing the chance that it would be able to escape without fighting. Second, it would quickly bring on close quarters battle by breaking the Franco-Spanish line and inducing a series of individual ship-to-ship fights, in which the British were likely to prevail. Nelson knew that the better seamanship, faster gunnery, and higher morale of his crews were great advantages. Third, it would bring a decisive concentration on the rear of the Franco-Spanish fleet. The ships in the front of the enemy fleet would have to turn back to support the rear, and this would take a long time. Additionally, once the Franco-Spanish line had been broken, their ships would be relatively defenseless to powerful broadsides from the British fleet and would take a long time to reposition and return fire. The main drawback of this strategy was that sailing the British fleet into the combined French and Spanish battle line, the British ships would be fully exposed to the enemy broadsides without the ability to return fire. In order to lessen the time the fleet was exposed to this danger Nelson would have to drive the fleet straight into the enemy battle line as fast as he could. This was yet another departure from navigation rules of naval warfare. Nelson was also well aware that French and Spanish gunners were ill-trained, nd would probably be supplemented with soldiers. These untrained men and would have difficulty firing accurately from a moving gun platform. This was in stark comparison to British gunners who were well drilled, and the Royal Marines who were expert marksmen. Another advantage that the British fleet had was that the enemy was sailing across a heavy swell, causing the ships to roll heavily and exacerbating these problems. Nelson’s plan was indeed a gamble, but a carefully calculated one. The battle itself started exactly as Nelson wanted it to. The British fleet was able to successfully cut the French and Spanish battle line in half thus forcing a close quarter’s battle. Despite the huge risk that Nelson was taking his plan ended up working. Nelson scored a huge victory against the combined French and Spanish fleet. He managed to capture over twenty of the enemy ships and inflicted heavy casualties against while suffering few casualties himself. Unfortunately during the battle Nelson was pierced by a musket ball and died from his wounds before he could see the outcome of the victory. Some argue that his loss outweighed any gains made by the British Navy. Following the battle, the Royal Navy was never again seriously challenged by the French fleet in a large-scale engagement. Napoleon had already abandoned his plans of invasion before the battle and they were never revived. This battle firmly established Britain’s naval supremacy over France. In terms of navigation, this battle was very significant. The most important thing is that it proved that following standard navigational techniques during an engagement won’t always win a battle. The best tactic is to be unpredictable so that the enemy has to adapt to what you are doing thus giving you the tactical advantage. This is exactly what Nelson did in the Battle of Trafalgar and it paid off. He proved that sometimes in battle deviating from the norm of battle navigation is the best thing to do, and ever since navies around the world have looked to the strategies employed by Nelson. What is being done today is that naval commanders are being educated about naval history so that they can learn and even employ these types of strategies if they need to in battle. In conclusion, the Battle of Trafalgar was a turning point in which ships would fight naval battles in terms of navigation due to the tactical unorthodoxy employed by Nelson. This battle has had long term effects and even today commanders look back and employ some of the same strategies used. The importance of this battle cannot be underestimated because not only was it the turning point in the Napoleonic Wars for the British in terms of establishing naval supremacy at the time, it was a turning point in naval warfare. Navigation would never be the same thanks to one man and one decisive battle.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 18

Jez heard herself scream, but only faintly. There was a roaring in her ears as if the BART train was coming at her again. And a pain that engulfed her whole body, sending agonized spasms through her limbs. It centered in her chest, though, where something white-hot was lodged inside her, crushing her lung and dislodging her internal organs and burning right beside her heart. She'd been staked. What she had done so often to others had been done to her. She hadn't realized anything could hurt like this. She was glad none of her victims had lived long to keep suffering. The wood of the stake was poisoning her heart, she knew. Even if it were removed, she would die. No vampire could survive contact between living wood and its undead heart. Still, she would live for a little while-in unimaginable agony as the poison ate through her. A voice was screaming in her mind. Jez-JezJezJez†¦ Over and over, incoherently. Morgead, she thought. And she hoped he wasn't feeling any of what she was feeling through the silver cord that connected them. Hugh and Claire were sobbing. Jez wished they wouldn't. They had to stay calm; to think of a way to save themselves. Because she couldn't help them anymore. Over the sobbing she heard a shrill and angry voice. Lily. â€Å"What is wrong with you?† Lily was saying. â€Å"Don't you see what's happening to her? Don't you want to save her?† Through the red haze that filled Jez's vision, she felt dim approval. They were doing what she'd told them. Whichever of them was the Wild Power was suppressing it Good. That was what mattered. Although she couldn't really remember why any longer†¦. Suddenly a face broke through the red haze. It was Lily, bending over her. â€Å"Don't you understand?† Lily yelled. â€Å"You can stop this right now. Ill have him kill you cleanly-all the pain will be over. All you have to do is tell me who it is.† Jez smiled at her faintly. She couldn't breathe to answer, and she didn't want to try. Would you believe that I don't know? she thought. No, I don't think you would. †¦ The pain was getting less by itself. It was as if Jez was moving farther and farther away from it. â€Å"How can you be so stupid?† Lily was screaming. Her face was twisted, and to Jez's vision, floating in a scarlet mist. She looked like a monster. Then she turned and seemed to be screaming at someone else. â€Å"All right. Get the other vampire down here, too. Morgead.† She was looking at Jez again. â€Å"We'll just have to stake your friends one after another until the Wild Power decides to reveal itself.† No. No†¦ Suddenly everything was much clearer around Jez. She could see the room again, and she could feel her own body. There was still the roaring in her ears, but she could hear Claire's sobs over it. No. Lily couldn't mean it. This couldn't be happening†¦. But it was. They were shoving Morgead down on the floor beside her, and Claire and Hugh beyond him. The thugs with spears were getting into position. No. No. This can't happen. Jez wanted to scream at them, to tell the Wild Power to do something, because everything was lost now anyway. But she didn't have air to scream. And she felt so adrift and confused anyway†¦. Her universe had become disjointed. Her thoughts seemed to be unraveling at all once, past memories combining with flashing sensory impressions from the present, and with strange new ideas†¦. If it was involuntary, why didn't the Wild Power work magic more often? Unless there was some other requirement†¦. I can't let this happen. The dampness of blood spreading around her heart. †¦ Claire's nails digging into her arms. â€Å"When there's no physical way to escape †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Power in the blood. Claire on the floor there. Screaming and screaming†¦ Something building inside her, hotter than the stake. Morgead beside her whispering, â€Å"Jez, I love you.† Pierce with the stake over him. Morgead looking up unafraid†¦. Hotter than the heart of a star. Hugh in the distance saying almost quietly, â€Å"Goddess of Life, receive us; guide us to the other world. . . .† Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than the moon, like fire that burned and froze and crackled like lightning all at once. Something that filled her with an energy that was past rage and past love and past all controlling and that she recognized in her soul even though she'd never consciously felt it before. It was swelling Jez to bursting, a pure and terrible flame that was never meant to be unleashed like this†¦. â€Å"Do it!† Lily shouted. And Jez let it free. It came roaring out from her in a silent explosion. Blue fire that streamed from her body and blasted in all directions, but especially up. It came out and out and out, engulfing everything, flowing from her in a never ending torrent. Like a solar flare that didn't stop. It was all she could see. Blue flames, streaked with blue-white lightning that crackled almost soundlessly. Just like the fire that had cocooned her on the BART tracks. Except that now she could tell where it was coming from, even if she couldn't direct it. She knew how to let it out, now, but once out it did what it wanted. And it wasn't meant to be used this way. That was the only thing she knew clearly about it. She'd been letting it slip out when she was desperately upset-when she was worried for someone's life, and she knew that she couldn't do anything else to save them. That was forgivable, because it had been unconscious. This wasn't. She was probably violating some law of the universe or something. The blue fire was only meant to be used in the last battle, when the darkness came and the Four were called to stand against it. I suppose that means I should try to stop now, Jez thought. She wasn't sure how to do it. She guessed that she needed to call it back, somehow, to draw it down into her body again. Maybe if I sort of tug†¦. She did-something. A gathering-up with her mind. It was harder than letting the fire go had been, but it worked. She could feel it returning, flooding back inside her, as if she were sucking it in. †¦ And then it was gone, and Jez could see the world again. Could see what it had done. The house had disappeared. Or most of it, anyway. There was about a foot and a half of ragged wall left all around, with charred insulation spilling out. Blue energy like electricity ran along the edges here and there, fizzing. Other than that, no house. Not even chunks of wreckage lying around. There were fine bits of debris floating down, making the sunlight hazy, but that was all. It got†¦ vaporized, Jez thought, searching for the right word. No Lily. No Azarius. No Pierce. And none of the ugly thugs. Goddess, Jez thought. I didn't mean to do that. I only wanted to stop them from hurting Morgead and Claire and Hugh. †¦ What about them? she thought in a sudden panic. She turned her head, painfully. They were there. And alive. They were even stirring. The cords they'd been tied with were lying on the carpet, sizzling with that same blue energy. It's so weird to have a carpet without a house to go with it, Jez thought fuzzily. She was going away again. And that was too bad, but at least it didn't hurt anymore. The pain was gone completely, replaced by a warm and sleepy feeling-and the sensation of gently floating outward. Her eyelids felt heavy. â€Å"Jez? Jez!† It was a husky whisper. Jez opened her eyes to see Morgead's face. He was crying. Oh, dear, that was bad. Jez hadn't seen him cry since†¦ when was it? Sometime when they'd been little kids†¦. Jez, can you hear me? Now he was talking in her mind. Jez blinked again, and tried to think of something comforting to say to him. â€Å"I feel warm,† she whispered. â€Å"No, you don't!† He said it almost in a growl. Then he looked behind him, and Jez saw Hugh and Claire crawling up. They were all shining with golden light. â€Å"You're so pretty,† she told them. â€Å"Like angels.† â€Å"This isn't the time for your weird humor!† Morgead shouted. â€Å"Stop it! Don't yell at her!† That was Claire. Claire was crying, too, lovely tears that shone as they fell. She reached out and took Jez's hand, and that was nice, although Jez couldn't exactly feel it. She could see it. â€Å"She's going to be all right,† Morgead was snarling. â€Å"She's lost blood, but she'll be okay.† Someone was stroking Jez's hair off her face. She felt that; it was pleasant. She frowned slowly at Morgead, because there was something important to tell him, and talking was difficult. â€Å"Tell Hugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. â€Å"Tell Hugh your freaking self! He's right here! And you're not going anywhere.† Jez blinked with the difficulty changing focus. Yes, there was Hugh. He was the one stroking her hair. â€Å"Hugh†¦ the prophecy. I figured out what the two eyes watching were. They're the sun and the moon-get it? Two eyes†¦ for somebody who belongs to both worlds.† â€Å"The Day World and the Night World,† Hugh said softly. â€Å"You got it, Jez. That was so smart.† â€Å"And blood,† Jez whispered. ‘†Power in the blood'-that's why I couldn't do it anytime I wanted. Blood has to flow before you can let out the power. The first two times Claire was scratching me. And this time . . .† Her voice died off, but it wasn't important. Everybody could see the blood this time, she knew. Hugh's voice was thick. â€Å"That was smart, too, Jez. You figured it out. And you saved us. You did everything just right.† â€Å"No†¦ because there's only going to be three Wild Powers now†¦.† â€Å"No, there aren't,† Morgead raged. â€Å"Listen to me, Jez. There's no reason for you to die-â€Å" Jez couldn't manage a smile anymore, or a sentence. But she whispered gently, â€Å"Wood†¦ poison.† â€Å"No, it isn't! Not to humans. And you're half human, Jez. You're vampire enough to survive something that would kill a human, but you're human enough not to be poisoned by wood.† Jez knew better. She couldn't see much anymore. Only Morgead, and he was getting indistinct. It wasn't that the world was dimming, though-it was getting brighter. Everything was golden and shining. Four less one and darkness triumphs, Jez thought I'm so sorry about that. I hope they can manage it somehow. It would be so sad for everything human to be lost. There's so much good in the world, and so much to love†¦. She couldn't even see Morgead now. Only gold. But she could hear. She could hear Claire whispering to her in a voice broken by tears, and feel wetness dropping on her face. â€Å"I love you, Jez. You're the best cousin anybody could ever have.† And Hugh. He was crying, too. â€Å"Jez, I'm so proud to be your friend†¦.† And then, through the mist and the gold and the warmth and peace, came a voice that wasn't gentle at all. That was roaring in sheer outrage and fury. â€Å"DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME, JEZEBEL! DON'T YOU DARE! Or I'll follow you to the next world and KILL you.† Suddenly, in the pretty gold mist, she could see something else. The only thing in the universe that wasn't golden. It was a silver cord. â€Å"You come back and you do it right now,† Morgead bellowed in her ears and in her mind. â€Å"Right now! Do you hear me?† The peace was shattered. Nothing seemed quite so warm and wonderful anymore, and she knew that once Morgead got into one of his Excited States, he wouldn't stop yelling until he got what he wanted. And there was the cord right in front of her. It was strong, and she could feel that the other end was somewhere in. Morgead's heart, and that he was trying to drag her back to him. All right. Maybe if I just grab on†¦. Somehow, she was holding on to it, and bit by bit, pulling herself back. And then the golden light was fading and she was inside a body that hurt and Morgead was holding her and kissing her and crying all at the same time. Claire's voice came from beyond him. â€Å"She's breathing again! She's breathing!† â€Å"I love you, you stupid human,† Morgead gasped against Jez's cheek. â€Å"I can't live without you. Don't you know that?† Jez whispered, â€Å"I told you never to call me Jezebel.† Then she fainted. â€Å"Time for a nice bath,† the nurse said. â€Å"And then we can have a visitor.† Jez eyed her narrowly. The woman was kind, but she had some mania for sponge baths, and she was always putting strange-smelling ingredients in the water. Which was actually not that surprising since she was a witch. â€Å"Skip the bath,† Jez said. â€Å"Let the visitor in.† â€Å"Now, now,† the witch said, shaking a finger and advancing with the sponge. Jez sighed. Being a Wild Power in a Circle Daybreak sanctuary meant that she could have pretty much anything she wanted-except that everyone was still treating her like a little kid. Especially the nurses, who spoiled her and flattered her, but talked to her as if she were about three. Still, she was glad to let the Circle take care of some things. Keeping her relatives safe, for instance. Although she was almost fully recovered, thanks to a strong constitution and a lot of healing spells from the witches, she wasn't up to that yet. Uncle Bracken and the entire Goddard family needed constant protection, since Hunter Redfern and the Night World Council were all undoubtedly after them by now. The Circle had imported some experts from back East to take care of it. A rival vampire hunter, of all things, named Rashel something. Plus her soulmate, a vampire-turned-Daybreaker called Quinn. At least they were competent. They'd gotten Jez's uncle Bracken, as well as the remnants of the gang out of San Francisco, a city that was going to be bad for their health for a while. Morgead was trying to get the gang to join Circle Daybreak for their own good, and he said that Raven, at least, was showing some interest. Val and Thistle were being stubborn, but that was hardly surprising. What was important was that they were alive. Pierce, on the other hand, was simply gone. No one had seen a trace of him or Lily or any of her people since Jez blasted them. Apparently they had truly been vaporized, and Jez couldn't bring herself to feel too badly. â€Å"All done!† the nurse said brightly, straightening Jez's pajama top. Which was just as well because at that moment a black head came poking in the door. â€Å"What is going on in here? You getting ready to go to the opera or something?† Jez raised her eyebrows at Morgead. â€Å"Maybe. Are you telling me I can't?† He snorted and came in as the nurse went out â€Å"I wouldn't dare tell you that. You're the princess, right? You can have anything.† â€Å"Right,† Jez said, with huge satisfaction. â€Å"So how*re Hugh and Claire?† â€Å"Claire's fine; she fits right in with the witches here. I think she's trying to get them to put up a Web page. And Hugh's just his same stupid self. He's off saving chipmunks from toxic waste or something.† â€Å"And how about the kid?† â€Å"The kid,† Morgead said, â€Å"is living it up. The Day-breakers are crazy about her; something about one of the oldest Old Souls ever found:-I dunno. Anyway, they're trying to talk her mom into letting her live here. She says thanks for saving her life and she's drawing you a picture.† Jez nodded, pleased. It would be nice if Iona came to live at the sanctuary; it meant Jez could see her a lot. Not that Jez planned to live here all the time herself-she and Morgead needed their freedom. They couldn't be penned in; they had to be able to come and go. She just hadn't gotten around to telling the Daybreakers that yet. With the people she loved taken care of, she could turn her attention to other matters. â€Å"Is that chocolate?† â€Å"It's the only reason you like to see me, isn't it?† Morgead said, allowing her to take the box. He sat beside her, looking tragic. â€Å"Nah,† Jez said with her mouth full. She swallowed. â€Å"Everybody brings 'em.† Then she grinned. â€Å"I like to see you for a different reason.† He grinned wickedly back. â€Å"I can't think what that could be.† â€Å"Hmm†¦ you're right†¦ maybe there is no other reason.† â€Å"Watch it, Jezebel,† he growled and leaned forward menacingly. â€Å"Don't call me that, idiot.† â€Å"You're the idiot, idiot.† â€Å"And you're-† But Jez never got to finish, because he stopped her mouth with a kiss. And then his arms were around her-so gently- and the silver cord was humming and everything was warm and there were only the two of them in the world. One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark. [The End]

Surprise! Good Luck With Your Raisin. Professor Ramos Blog

Surprise! Good Luck With Your Raisin. I remember going to the hospital to simply run some tests, after an appointment with my OBGYN- obstetrician/ gynecologist- showed some minor concerns. I still hear one of the nurses talking down to me because of the many glasses of strawberry lemonade I had for lunch beforehand. She told me because it’s because she was concerned with my sugar intake, she assumed I drank like that all the time. My mother -who’s a short, blond haired, blue eyed woman- had left me so that she could have a smoke break, which was not a real concern. By the time the doctor and his colleagues came in, I was annoyed and not particularly worried about the baby. As this elderly man with a routine expression and a calm demeanor stepped into the room, he proceeds to say, â€Å"I’m afraid I don’t like the baby not being as active as she should,† I froze, completely terrified within an instant, â€Å"so, me and the other doctors want to induce you.† I was all alone not rea lly registering what was being said. â€Å"Okay,† I muttered, â€Å"when?† Without hesitation, â€Å"right now.† Eighteen hours later Luna Esther-Kay, this beautiful purple little raisin was plopped into my arms. The first thing you learn as a parent is to enjoy that first moment, the surreal experience of love in its purest form. That night in the hospital I couldn’t help but wake her to check if she was still breathing, still alive, and, to this day, I still do. If only I had known what was really in store for our future, learning to be a mother and parent at a young age, because by this time so much has changed already. The Day Luna was Born At the end of my first year in college I was working thirty-nine hours, getting my soul sucked out at a dead-end job, and selling chicken to rude customers in WingStop. I was also attending classes at Crafton Hills and, at the time, I stacked my course load to thirteen and a half units. Towards the end I was exhausted, mentally and physically, and when I became homeless I wanted to give up on even wanting to try any further causing me to quit my job, and I stopped going to class, which later put me in hot water with Financial Aid. I took up work on a ranch where, to my surprise, I became pregnant. The last two years since has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions and experiences, having to learn to be a parent, a mom, to an overly upset little human being. It wasn’t until I had Luna in my arms our second night, my mom struggling to figure out how to attach the car seat, that I tasted the first hints of motherhood. Luna cried inconsolably the whole ride home from the hospital. Completely drained we arrived, only to have her go into a second fit of screams. Tears in my eyes I looked at my mom mustering the words, â€Å"mom, what- what do I do she won’t stop crying?† She responded with complete sympathy in her eyes, â€Å"She’s probably just hungry.† Even though I fed Luna before the ride home, she was starving by the time we arrived and later that night she provided even more of a challenge, as I woke every hour to her screaming. I would feed, change her diaper, put her back down and as I slowly drifted to sleep, she would wake again. It’s hard to say if I developed mother instincts where I could sense if she was waking up, or that I felt her movements and stirring in the night but, eventually, w ith time, I got so skilled at being in tune with her, that I would wake and feed her before she even began crying. Luna smiling because she distracted mommy from her homework I was on my last leg of sanity, sleep depravity wise by the sixth month because at this point, for one hundred eighty days, I had received no longer than three hours of sleep within a single stretch of time. I thought perhaps I was developing permanent brain damage, and maybe I still do. Luckily around two months, having little reward for my nightly efforts, as I snuggled my nose into Luna’s cheeks, she cracked a smile. Which was a far cry from her odd occasional cross-eyed incidents, having me run to my mom in fear that I did something wrong. Now, little by little, my little one was becoming a human being. I had a lot of help from my mom’s wisdom, she taught me how to ask for help. Eventually, with time, she was sleeping through the night, in her own crib, all it took was for me to get her in her own bed. With that my sanity came back as I finally got a full nights sleep as well. An even bigger accomplishment she made was when she started to walk and crawl. At two months she was army crawling -crawling without the use of the legs- and at eleven months she was walking. She clearly did not want to stay in one place, and I had to learn this very early on, as she showed curiosity towards all things, to observe all sounds and actions. Her adventurous personality shows to this day as she runs to anything of interest, making it very difficult to keep her safe. Somehow, she can find the oddest things to put in her mouth, even when I’ve cleaned the whole house. In our small garden there’s a chive plant, and it’s her kryptonite. She tears down the long flimsy stalks and chews away. Her skills continue to progress as she mastered coordinated crawling and, later walking, a new adventure unfolded for me and her as we began to try solid foods, which helped establish her independence. She needed me less, which opened me up to do other things while she w as eating in the highchair. Lunas First Birthday Often, I sincerely believe my daughter has inherited my picky eating and tastes. When Luna first started trying solids, she was fairly easy to tend to, she’d simply eat anything you put in her mouth! Unfortunately, by some reason, or another, she grew to throw tantrums about the kind of foods I’d give her. Specifically, she didn’t want to be fed with utensils, she wanted to feed herself by hand, and that was that. She was an independent baby and had no time to wait for you to feed her with a spoon. She’d truly get angry if she couldn’t eat her baby Cheetos, bread and fruit by herself. You should see it; if a spoon comes near her, â€Å"she fiercely shakes her head† pushing to squirm out of the highchair. Although, now I’ve learned that all she wanted was to feed herself. Slowly things have gotten easier, because of her growing independence.She’s able to learn and be disciplined because all her needs have been met. In psychology they call this a childs emotional tank. â€Å"By speaking your child’s own love language† -there are five- â€Å"he is much easier to discipline and train†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chapman and Campbell 17) I think, perhaps this is why things are easier because all her needs are constantly being met. Also, her daycare helps but with that, the difficult vice is not spending time with her as much. When Luna turned nine months old, I finally received the phone call from our local daycare center informing me of an opening. Soon I toured the center, the excitement in my chest rose as I observed the activities and amount of attention she would be receiving. I was so grateful for this help, for I was in desperate need by this point. Daycare allowed me to have a break to do other productive things like laundry, dishes and going to the store without having to lug Luna around in a heavy car seat. Luna had also turned into a grumpy, destructive, curious little shit monster, getting into everything she wasn’t supposed to. Daycare seemed to settle her curiosity enough. Despite the difficulties I still find myself feeling jealous and resentful towards her teachers, because she has bonded with them more, especially since I started working again. Lunas First Paining in Daycare I was utterly surprised when one morning I awoke to a text that read: â€Å"Hey Melissa. How’s it going, girl? I know you never thought you would hear from me again. But. Hi, I need to ask a question.† It was from my old WingStop manager. I was taken aback but happily curious as to why she was contacting me. I wrote back that the Lord works in mysterious ways, she told me that they were hiring at the place she worked. Well, to be perfectly honest I wasn’t really, at this point in time looking for work because I had signed up for summer and fall classes. Because of my past I was afraid to put myself in a situation that was too much to handle. Regardless of that fear I responded that I was interested. One week later I was working as a hostess/busser the hours long and exhausting. Especially as it just took more time from my daughter. Things were only going to become harsher when summer classes started. Proverbs 3:5-6 School, in itself, has never been particularly difficult for me. It’s the sitting on your ass for hours on end listening to a professor excitedly talk about the most –to them- amazing, but truly boring subject. Then I come home to do more homework as my daughter begs for my attention, tearing my work, crumbling it in her sweet chubby hands. I’ve had to change where and when I do my homework to try to work around spending time with Luna. Its hard to be a parent while trying to get your life together. But I remind myself that I’m doing this so I can provide for her in the future. All the moments my daughter has gifted me in the last year have truly made me grow and mature into the person Im content on being. In the last year, learning how to feed, teach, care for a child all while going back to school and work has been difficult and my attention has been on work and school so that possibly later my attention can solely be on my daughter I’m still learning on how to be a mother every step of the way. Its truly been a journey and I cant wait for more to learn. Campbell, Ross Chapman, Gary. The Five Love Languages of Children. Chicago, Moody Press, 1997.

Comparing Odysseus and Norman essays

Comparing Odysseus and Norman essays By hero, we tend to mean a heightened man who, more than other men, possesses qualities of courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, charisma, above all, selflessness,(Zweig) is what Paul Zweig said in 1974. Mr. Zweig defined a hero as someone who has courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, charisma, and selflessness more than the average person. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus displays characteristics of a hero, especially his charisma. In Sphere by Michael Crichton, Norman has heroic attributes, especially with his resourcefulness by using objects on the ship in times of need. Both Odysseus and Norman are characters who strive for a set goal, and thus display definite heroic attitudes, while both handling themselves in different ways. First, Odysseus and Norman show distinct differences in the way they approach people. Norman is a shy person when he handles himself in front of his crewmates. While speaking with Beth, he expresses his view on the creature that is terrorizing them. Beth, realizing Normans passiveness, attacks his ideas. The other members of the crew notice Beths harshness, and some sided with the soft-spoken Norman. The attribute of being shy when he talks to people was not, in fact, a weakness, but a distinct strength. This strengthens his support because it makes people more comfortable with him as a regular person without major motives, although this is not always true. On the other hand, Odysseus is a person who people feel comfortable with because of the confidence in his voice. When he is in Phaecia, he speaks of all his adventures up to that point in his attempt to relate to the people that he is speaking to. In his charismatic story telling, he becomes very popular with most of the citizens. Due to the bonds people feel with him, he parts with many fine gifts, finally heading home. Odysseus and Norman use different persuasive techniques to be persuade people t ...

Free business-writing tips on new website - Emphasis

Free business-writing tips on new website Free business-writing tips on new website Writing-skills experts Emphasis launch a series of online resources A new, interactive website launches today, giving users practical advice and expert feedback on their business-writing skills. Launched by leading business-writing trainers Emphasis, the site features a comprehensive set of resources designed to help anyone who has to write emails, reports, tenders, proposals, letters or other documents at work. Users can sign up to receive a regular podcast and writing tips e-bulletin. They can also access a unique writing-skills forum where the Emphasis trainers guarantee to respond to any queries within two working days. One of the sites main advantages is that users can improve their writing in private and in their own time. People often feel uncomfortable about revealing any weakness in their writing skills, explains Rob Ashton, Chief Executive of Emphasis. With the resources available on this site, they can improve their writing in private and whenever they like. The Write On podcast, presented by the BBCs Clare McDonnell, is effectively the UKs first business-writing radio programme. Its full of expert advice and insight on everything from writing better executive summaries and press releases to speech writing, emails and the psychology of proofreading. Other resources include a blog with contributions from writing experts and the comprehensive Knowledge Bank. Visitors can even order a free copy of the Emphasis style guide, The Write Stuff, directly from the site. Press enquiries For more information, please contact us on +44 (0)1273 732 888. or email us here. Notes for editors Emphasis Training Ltd is the UKs leading business-writing training company, providing bespoke courses for a huge range of private and public sector organisations, both in the UK and internationally. Since 1998 it has helped thousands of people in government departments, law firms, blue-chip companies, universities and charities to produce first-class business writing. With headquarters in Brighton, East Sussex, Emphasis has a dedicated team of experienced, specialist trainers who run bespoke courses on-site for organisations across the UK. It also runs open courses for smaller groups or individuals throughout the year in London.

Leadership, Teambuilding, and Communication Research Paper

Leadership, Teambuilding, and Communication - Research Paper Example   There are various types of leadership styles and interpersonal forms of powers used in various organizations and how they impact organization’s performance. Leadership in an organization can refer to the practices of controlling and guiding of individuals in the work environment. It is the art of getting other doing what one believes in or wants (Griffin & Moorhead, 2013). Traditionally, leadership is perceived as a method where the power is given to the leaders. The traditional behavioral theory identifies different leadership styles among the people. It recognizes several behavioral styles namely autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire styles, transformational and transactional. Autocratic or authoritarian leaders assume absolute powers over the workers in an organization (Hislop, 2013). Those leaders may use threat or force to compel the employees to pursue the organizational goals or impose their will on the workers. They perceive workers as incompetent, irresponsible an d lazy who cannot perform without authority and control (Griffin & Moorhead, 2013). Authoritarian managers do not consult the employees or allow them to give their contributions in the decision-making process. Such leaders are sole decision makers and will issue directives to the workers at all times. Military leaders mainly use authoritative powers to achieve their targets.   Democratic leaders value the contribution of their workers and always work in collaboration with the employees in order to achieve common goals.  Ã‚  

Anti Discrimination Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Anti Discrimination Law - Case Study Example Discrimination is strictly condemned and discouraged everywhere in Europe, though there are slight differences between the European law and the English law in the determination of rights and obligations delegated by the constitution to the public at large. It is, therefore, the courts and tribunals adjudicating the cases, both civil and criminal in nature, take into serious consideration the facts regarding whether there is any sign of prejudiced behavior made by any member or organization of society while dealing with the complainant or treating as well as interacting with him under the biased attitude. In addition, the law forbids bestowing of more favors to anyone because of his personality traits and features. The provisions of law aim to set up a society where equality, justice, and fair play can be observed in all walks of life. Hence several acts have been issued and bills have been passed in order to combat the discrimination dilemma with an iron hand. Though law always recom mends equality and justice to all and sundry, it is not actually the case in reality. On the contrary, exploitation of minority groups and biased behavior towards the weaker stratum of society is actually in vogue in almost all societies of the world. Before embarking upon the topic under study, it would be advisable to define anti-discrimination law. Anti-discrimination law refers to the statute of law that prohibits any special rights or privileges to the individuals belonging to some particular race, gender, ethnicity, age group or towards the persons obtaining any physical as well as mental abilities or disabilities. The law also prohibits violation and condemnation of human rights of the individuals on the basis of their innate characteristics.

Nursing Informatics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Nursing Informatics - Coursework Example Any information that is considered private and confidential should never be disclosed to the third party unless that patient gives consent. Patient information should not be shared without his knowledge, as there are various ethical complications associated with disclosing any health information. The information can be revealed for the best interest of the patient, is autonomy, and the public interest. If an individual has a contagious disease, the medics can reveal his health information for the public’s interest (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Supporting the patients’ autonomy is important and it is possible to avoid ethical problems by giving patients enough information about information disclosure. Some information may be disclosed without the patient’s consent especially when it is to the best interest of the patient that the information be disclosed to the relatives. Confidentiality is important to the patients as it provides a secure environment conducive for them to seek medical care and be open with the details of their illnesses. Confidentiality also makes the public have trust on the health professionals and ensure that the respect for the patients autonomy is respected. People have the right to choose people who can access their health information although the medical practitioners can breach confidentiality when necessary. Data breaches in hospitals and health centers are on the rise posing a challenge in protecting electronic patient health information. There are various steps for health care organizations to take to safeguard their patients’ information such as using secure transmissions by using a minimum of 128-bit encryption when transferring sensitive data (Rehg, 2014). The medical professionals can also perform an annual risk assessment and address any security issues, especially with the current cloud computing. Beefing up physical security and having clear access control policies will help identify whether people

Journalist's Perspective Influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalist's Perspective Influences - Essay Example Two news articles about this story appeared in the Tulsa World immediately after the event occurred, one by Rhett Morgan and one entitled â€Å"Kevin Durant’s life in a lockout.† These articles were similar in their focus on the strange way the NBA lockout has affected Kevin Durant and their relatively conversational tone, but differed in their point of view, with one telling the story from Overbey’s point of view and the other from Durant’s, and in their format, with the first being an in depth narrative and the second being a series of snippets putting the main story in context. The first article, by Morgan, begins by detailing the process through which Durant got involved in the flag football game, including the exchange of twitter messages that Durant and Overbey sent to each other. It then goes on to describe the game itself, how many fans attended, how many touchdowns Durant threw and received and so on, before closing with a series of quotes by Over by about Durant’s amazing character, lauding what a humble and fun-loving person he was to come out to the flag football game. ... Following this, it retells a large number of other activities that Durant has participated in since the NBA lockout began, including filming a movie, and playing pick-up basketball. The overall tenor of this article is relatively impersonal; it attempts mostly to inform the reader about Durant’s activities during the NBA lockout. The first similarity that both focus on the idea that the NBA lockouts have put players in strange positions, including this one of Durant playing a touch football game against a group of college students. The first article touches on the NBA lockout through Durant’s twitter messages. By quoting the detail that Durant complained that he was â€Å"bored during the NBA lockout† before requesting something to do, it draws the reader’s attention to the fact that Durant would not have been willing to do this in all likelihood were it not for the lockout, a point the article reinforces by referencing the wiped out opening game of the Ok lahoma City Thunder at the end of the article (Morgan). The second article takes a more direct approach, talking directly about the fact that Durant playing flag football is a direct result of the lockout. For instance, the article opens saying that Durant has â€Å"plenty of free time† do to the lockout, and puts the story of flag-football along with a laundry list of other things Durant has been doing to pass the time since he is unable to play in the NBA (â€Å"Life in a Lockout†). Both articles make the lockout a central part of the story of Durant playing flag football. The second major similarity that both of these articles share is the fact they have a relatively conversational tone for an article in a major news publication. The first article

Business and Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business and Ethic - Essay Example Members of different groups traditionally have been underrepresented and disadvantaged socially, politically, and economically. Also, critics distinguish social categorization processes; the nature of evaluative, conscious, and affective issues that are elicited; and the sign of stereotypes and differentiated emotional changes (Gilbert et al 2001). Discrimination and prejudices are unethical because they violate constitutional rights and freedoms, they are illegal and unlawful. Social and individual differences have a great impact on human relations and discrimination issues and lead to such problems as low motivation and poor communication, unequal treatment, unfair labor relations and aggression. Thus, the constitution and modern society is based on freedom of expression and freedom of speech. every individual has a right to express different attitudes and opinions, have certain religious beliefs and belong to a particular culture. In spite of these issues, the main cause of discrimination is different attitudes caused by social variations and backgrounds. Complicating the interpersonal dimensions of dealing with competence, of course, is the competitive atmosphere, both within and among firms. In order to avoid discrimination and prejudices, definitions and descriptions of competent work must be clear, consistent, and fairly applied.

Journalist's Perspective Influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalist's Perspective Influences - Essay Example Two news articles about this story appeared in the Tulsa World immediately after the event occurred, one by Rhett Morgan and one entitled â€Å"Kevin Durant’s life in a lockout.† These articles were similar in their focus on the strange way the NBA lockout has affected Kevin Durant and their relatively conversational tone, but differed in their point of view, with one telling the story from Overbey’s point of view and the other from Durant’s, and in their format, with the first being an in depth narrative and the second being a series of snippets putting the main story in context. The first article, by Morgan, begins by detailing the process through which Durant got involved in the flag football game, including the exchange of twitter messages that Durant and Overbey sent to each other. It then goes on to describe the game itself, how many fans attended, how many touchdowns Durant threw and received and so on, before closing with a series of quotes by Over by about Durant’s amazing character, lauding what a humble and fun-loving person he was to come out to the flag football game. ... Following this, it retells a large number of other activities that Durant has participated in since the NBA lockout began, including filming a movie, and playing pick-up basketball. The overall tenor of this article is relatively impersonal; it attempts mostly to inform the reader about Durant’s activities during the NBA lockout. The first similarity that both focus on the idea that the NBA lockouts have put players in strange positions, including this one of Durant playing a touch football game against a group of college students. The first article touches on the NBA lockout through Durant’s twitter messages. By quoting the detail that Durant complained that he was â€Å"bored during the NBA lockout† before requesting something to do, it draws the reader’s attention to the fact that Durant would not have been willing to do this in all likelihood were it not for the lockout, a point the article reinforces by referencing the wiped out opening game of the Ok lahoma City Thunder at the end of the article (Morgan). The second article takes a more direct approach, talking directly about the fact that Durant playing flag football is a direct result of the lockout. For instance, the article opens saying that Durant has â€Å"plenty of free time† do to the lockout, and puts the story of flag-football along with a laundry list of other things Durant has been doing to pass the time since he is unable to play in the NBA (â€Å"Life in a Lockout†). Both articles make the lockout a central part of the story of Durant playing flag football. The second major similarity that both of these articles share is the fact they have a relatively conversational tone for an article in a major news publication. The first article

Results and Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Results and Discussion - Essay Example After leaving the substance in the test solution for some time, it is weighted to measure the extent of loss in its weight. It is considered to be the effective method of testing the material’s characteristics. In this chapter, a graphical representation of corrosion testing is given. The corrosion testing was performed with the solution of Nacl with the quantity of 0.9%. Ocp vs time A Pictorial Representation of OCP verses Time with sliding and no-sliding depiction. On x and y-axis, allocation of time and potential mV is given. 4.2 Tribocorrosion The second phase of experiment involves testing the tribocorrosion properties of materials. In the process of potentiostatic measurement, an application of a potential that is constant is applied on the sample with the measurements taken within a period of time. A curve is obtained as a result of this electrochemical process. Here the results of the experiment have been presented in graphical form and in the form of profiles. It has been shown that the effect is of two types in which one consisted of sliding and the other with no sliding. When sliding is done with OCP, it causes damage in the passive film. However, on current, sliding has the effect of increasing it at a significant level. It is important to mention that tribocorrosion is considered to be an invaluable area of research which needs further investigation by various researchers in future. The figure describe the test 1 in a graphical form where time versus potential mV is plotted at x and y-axis. The potential is shown to be increasing slightly with the time till the end. It can be seen from the figure given above that OCP as depicted in blue remains constant throughout except at starting and a near end point at 8000 and reach 0.3. However, HE OCP as exhibited in red color reached at a higher point at 0.4 where other points are the same as OCP. The figure represents the testing of distill water in a graphical form. The graph shows distill water go ing at the point between 0.4 and 0.5 reaching at 7000. The water was shown to be increasing rapidly at the starting point and slightly decreased at the other points till end. The figure represents the test at -750mV with the comparison of HE at-750mV. It is clear from this graphical representation that at-750mV final point is 8000 with 0.5 at y-axis. However, HE at-750mV is at the point above 0.4 but lower than 0.5. In the figure given above, a comparison of at+ 500mV has been given with HE at +500mV in a graphical form. -500mV is at the point 0.3 ranging from 0 to 10000 x-axis. However, HE at+500mV is shown at the starting point of zero from where it started increasing. The rate of increase remained constant for a while with a great decrease at the point of 10000. In this figure the load effect has been seen in forward direction and the results show slightly varied levels of load. The graphs depicts that at the load 0.5 COF began to increase and gets stable with the passage of time . However, the other loads show the stable position of COF at various points. This figure is the representative of effect of load in forward direction and shows average COF to increase considerably with loads. However, it decreases after some time and in the end does not require dependency of a load. The graph represents the effect of load in reverse form in which

Select Three of the Big Five Personality Traits Essay Example for Free

Select Three of the Big Five Personality Traits Essay Out of the Big Five personality traits, I believe the two that best suit my personality would be agreeableness, and extraversion. Extraversion, according to the text, is a trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness. I do not believe that this one fits me to a â€Å"T,† but I can be very excitable, and I tend to express myself with my emotions which at times, may not always be the best course of action. I am also not very assertive unless it comes to protecting the people I love. When it comes to agreeableness, this personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. I think this personality trait is the one that best defines me. I am extremely affectionate, and kind to others, sometimes to the point of being too kind. I would have to say I am at the extreme point on this trait, especially when it comes to the altruism aspects of the personality. Everyday life is filled with small acts of altruism, from the guy at the grocery store who kindly holds the door open as you rush in from the parking lot to the woman who gives twenty dollars to a homeless man. I would have to say that I have a â€Å"soft spot† for others’ feelings and try to be very considerate of others. So, agreeableness would have to be the personality trait I think fits me overall.

Psycholinguistics And Second Language Acquisition

Psycholinguistics And Second Language Acquisition In general, Lennebergs critical period hypothesis proposed that certain linguistic events must happen to the child during the Critical Period for development to proceed normally and language is acquired most efficiently during this period. Traditionally, the Critical Period Hypothesis is used to explain why second acquisition is so difficult for older children and adults. In this essay, the role of critical period in second language acquisition will be examined by using authoritative experiments, as well as my own experience. To begin with, the way in which Critical Period accounts for second language acquisition should be clearly clarified. Johnson and Newport (1989) refine the formulation of the Critical Period Hypothesis and explain how it interprets second language acquisition. They distinguished two further hypotheses: Exercise Hypothesis and Maturational State Hypothesis. Both of them assume that humans have a superior capacity for learning language early in life. These two hypotheses predict that children will be better than adults in acquiring the first language but only the latter one predicts that children will be superior at second language learning. Indeed, the Exercise Hypothesis even suggests that adults might be better than children because of their better learning skills possibly. Research has addressed the issue that whether there is an age-related effect on second language acquisition. First, there is a research states a point of view contrary to popular opinion. Most people think that children are better in acquiring both first and second language. However, Snow (1983) proposed that adults were actually no worse in acquiring second language and may be even better. Although it is difficult for a fair comparison because children have more time to learn language adults, Snow and Hoefnagel-Hohle (1978) conducted a research by comparing English children and adults in the first year of living in Holland learning Dutch. The young children (3-4 years old) scored lowest of all groups. Experimental and anecdotal evidence suggested that adults have a persistent foreign accent and phonological development might be the one area for which there is a critical period. Even if there are limitations of this study, it is possible that adults can acquire second language more e fficient than children. Certainly, there is some evidence for a critical period for second language acquisition. Johnson and Newport (1989) found evidence for a Critical Period for second language acquisition. They looked at native Korean and Chinese immigrants (3-39 years old) to the USA and found a large advantage for younger over older learners in making judgements about whether a sentence was grammatically correct. They found that their participants correlated strongly and significantly in the early arrivals (age 3-15) but not in the older arrivals (age 17-39). Johnson and Newport took this to suggest that à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"language learning ability slowly declines as the human matures and plateaus at a low level after pubertyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . This study is an important evidence of the presence of the Critical Period in second language acquisition. In fact, there is another study which examined the effects of maturation on pronunciation by using immigrants with various ages of arriva l as subjects can also show that the Critical Period really exists in SLA. Thompson (1991) collected data from 39 Russian-born subjects (4-42 years old) who had immigrated to the US. The result pointed to a strong link between a subjectà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s age of first exposure to English and the nativeness of his or her accent. From these two researches, it can show that the Critical Period really exists in second language acquisition. Apart from the authoritative experiments mentioned above, my personal experience of learning Putonghua can also support the Critical Period in second language acquisition. When I learnt Putonghua in primary school, my knowledge of Putonghua, especially the pronunciation, was acquired easily and quickly by imitating the pronunciation of my teacher immediately. However, I did not learn Putonghua in secondary school and learnt it again from last year. In other words, all the knowledge of Putonghua has lost and I needed to learn it from the beginning. Actually, I found it is more difficult for me to learn Putonghua when getting older with the influence of my first language Cantonese. Since the vocabularies and pronunciations of these languages are similar, I easily pronounced incorrectly or used some wrong vocabularies like Cantonese. Compared with the learning experience in primary school, I need to use much more time acquire Putonghua as second language more accurately and develop my l anguage proficiency at adult stage. To conclude, there is still some debate on whether there is a critical period for acquiring language. However, there is a general agreement that childhood immersion in a second language environment leads to widespread success in achieving native-like proficiency in that language. Likewise, the exposure to a second language in adulthood is marked by a failure to attain native-like competence. Therefore, the importance of age effects on second language acquisition is hardly controversial by a number of supportive studies on this hypothesis. (818 words) Reference Harley, T.A. (1995). The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory. East Sussex, UK: Erlbaum. Johnson, J.S. Newport, E.L. (1989). Critical period effects in second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language. Cognitive psychology, 21, 60-99. Lenneberg, E. (1967). Biological foundations of language. New York: Wiley. Snow, C.E. (1983). Age differences in second language acquisition: Research findings and folk psychology. In K. Bailey, M. Long, S. Peck (Eds.), Second language acquisition studies (pp. 141-150). Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Snow, C.E., Hoefnagel-Hohle, M. (1978). The critical period for language acquisition: Evidence from second language learning. Child Development, 49, 1114-1128. Thompson, I. (1991). Foreign accents revisited: The English pronunciation of Russian immigrants. Language Learning, 41, 177-204.

The Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) :: botany

The Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) Rubber is a valuable commodity in today's economy. A vast number of products are made from it, including washers, gloves, gaskets, tubing, waterproof clothing, toys, erasers, belts, elastics, bottle stoppers, and insulation for electrical wiring. The largest single use of rubber is in the manufacture of pneumatic tires which consumes 60% to 70% of the total world production each year. Demand for rubber has grown remarkably since the beginning of the industrial revolution. It is one species, Hevea brasiliensis, which makes up 99% of the world's natural rubber production. In 1989 that production was worth an estimated 4 billion dollars. Hevea brasiliensis (the para rubber tree) is a South American native that can grow to a height of 150 feet. The trees have a smooth bark and palmately compound leaves. They are monoecious and have small inconspicuous flowers. The seeds are akin to castor beans. On ripening, the fruit capsule explodes and propels the seeds away from the tree. Hevea brasiliensis is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae (the spurge family). Euphorbiaceae is a diverse family with approximately 290 genera and 7,500 species. Within the family, there are herbs, shrubs, trees, and fleshy cactus-like species. Some plants from this family are used for their medicinal properties and edible parts. Others are used simply as ornamentals. While there are many useful plants in the family Euphorbiaceae, the sweet and bitter cassava plants (Manihot dulcis and Manihot esculenta), as well as the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis), are of greatest economic importance. Latex bearing plants are found in some 20 botanical families. The most prominent families include Sapotaceae, Moraceae, Compositae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, and Euphorbiaceae. In total there are about 18,000 species of latex-producing plants. Yet, only a few species are currently exploited. Commercially useful rubber-producing species include Hevea benthamiana (Para rubber), Hevea guianensus (Para rubber), Manihot glaziovii (Ceara rubber), Manihot dichotoma (Jeque rubber), Castilla elastica (Panama rubber), Ficus elastica (India rubber), Funtimia elastica (Lagos rubber), Landolphia kirkii (Landolphia rubber), Landolphia gentilli (Landolphia or Madagascar rubber), Landolphia heudelotii (Landolphia or Madagascar rubber), Landolphia owariensis (Landolphia or Madagascar rubber), Crytostegia grandiflora (Madagascar rubber), Crytostegia madagascariansis (Madagascar rubber), Parthenium argentatum (Guayule), Taraxacum kok-saghyz (Russian dandelion), Taraxacum megalorhizon (Russian dandelion), Palaquim gutta (Gutta percha), Manilkara bidentata (Balata), and Manilkara zapata (Chicle). Depending on the species of plant, the latex may be found in a number of locations. It may be within the cells or intercellular spaces of the roots, stems, or leaves of the plant.

Leadership transformation

The authors determined that team values are an influencing factor, which has an effect on the team member's response o the transformational leader, and in turn to the team's performance. Research question(s) (Article 1) What questions(s) does the author present? Hypothesis 1. â€Å"Mediated moderation exists when the Interaction between two variables (diversity and transformational leadership) affects a mediator, which then affects a dependent variable† (Morgan-Lopez & MacKinnon, 2006). Hypothesis 2.Task-relevant information has an effect on the relationship between leader and follower performance with regards to the team's educational diversity, age, and nationality. Hypotnesls 3. How tne team views Olverslty 0T Tellow team memoers ana leader as a â€Å"collective† team in regards to performing as a team. Research Question(s) (Article 2) How does the subordinate's performance have anything to do with the leader's values and behaviors? Do transformational leaders enhanc e team performance?The â€Å"transformational leader inspires others to go beyond self-interest, impressions, and limitations in order to motivate followers to become more effective in reaching common goals† (Bass, Avolio, Jung, ; Berson, 2003). The authors focus on team alues, and the effect that those values have on the performance of the team by comparing and contrasting results from results of study done on team members in the United States and Hong Kong. Literature Review —How is this organized? What are the main themes found in the review? Who are the main authors used?

Red bull Essay

Red Bull is a functional beverage founded by Austrian entrepreneur, Dietrich Mateschitz, in 1984. Containing ingredients such as taurine and caffeine, Red Bull beverages are specially developed for those who wish to be physically and mentally active. The various product variants under Red Bull aim to enhance performance, concentration and stimulate metabolism which improves the overall well-being of consumers. Red Bull is currently present in over 162 countries, and holds 65% of the worldwide energy drink market. With a witty slogan â€Å"Red Bull gives you wings†, the product is marketed through advertising, extreme sports tournament sponsorships, sports team ownerships, athlete endorsements, online games and a record label, Red Bull Records. However, in the fast progressing beverage industry cluttered with many substitutes and large competitors, Red Bull might face issues concerning its lack of product variability as well as arising health concerns with regards to its high caffeine content. In order to tackle these issues, we will first conduct a SWOT analysis to determine the internal and external environment which Red Bull is operating in. Secondly, we will conduct an in-depth analysis on Red Bull’s market structure and control systems to determine if these systems are effective complementing strategy implementation. Lastly, we will provide relevant recommendations to address the issues and problems faced by Red Bull in its strive expand and grow globally. 2.0 SWOT Analysis of Red Bull Strengths †¢ Market share leadership with approximately 65% market share in the energy drinks market. †¢ Strong reputation especially backed up by strong customer loyalty from Generation Y †¢ Strong brand identity since its incorporation in 1987 with steady growth into a market giant and is now synonymous with brand and product excellence. Weakness †¢ Small product base as Red Bull markets only 4 branded products (Red Bull Energy Drink, Red Bull sugarfree, Red Bull energy shot and Red Bull Cola), therefore vulnerable to market fluctuations †¢ Lack of product innovation thus being left behind when a number of new energy drinks have been launched in 2004. Opportunities †¢ Could diversify retail outlets and distribution network by means of capitalizing on vending machines as a new route to increase sales as well as keep up with industry trends. †¢ Potential to extend product lines by adding new products, such as new flavours, forms, colours, added ingredients and packages sizes. †¢ Marketing their products as functional drinks so as to capitalize on strong consumer awareness of its brand. †¢ Geographical expansion in the Asia Pacific regions by building upon developing markets such as India. Threats †¢ Imminent threat of new entrants as the energy drink industry has always been considerably attractive due to its high profit margin †¢ Near zero switching cost for consumers makes it even easier and more attractive for new entrants to capture market share †¢ Real threat of substitute products which serve the same functional purpose of Red Bull but main ingredient of caffeine replaced by electrolytes, which is a healthier choice. †¢ Government regulations could pose as a threat to the expansion and penetration plans of  Red Bull as their products is not just another flavoured beverage in the market; the high caffeine content in the drink has always been a concern to certain interest groups. †¢ Recent popularity with organic food and drinks products could eat into Red Bull’s market share, especially when Red Bull’s market is seen to be in the maturing stage. 3.0 Analysis of Red Bull’s Market Structure and Control Systems 3.1 Market Structure 3.1.1 The number of players in the Energy Drink Market  Red Bull belongs to an oligopoly market structure where the market is dominated by a few large players. The degree of market concentration is relatively high with a large % of it taken up by Red Bull. There are currently more than 30 types of energy-drink products in the market, with Red Bull occupying the largest market share of approximately 65%. With the number of players in the market, there is therefore certain degree of interdependence between firms and it is necessary for Red Bull to take into account the likely reactions of other firms during strategy planning. 3.1.2 The Degree of Product Differentiation in the Market Being in an oligopoly market structure, Red Bull produces branded products where advertising and marketing is an important feature of competition. The different types of energy drinks in the market serve as close substitutes to Red Bull. Hence, Red Bull presents itself as a premium product, having â€Å"a unique combination of high quality ingredients† (Red Bull, n.d.) which â€Å"vitalizes body and mind† (Red Bull, n.d.). It segments its market differently from its competitors, focusing on performance-oriented individuals who want to have a clear, focused mind and a fun and active lifestyle. This has resulted in Red Bull pricing its product higher than its competitors. For instance, an 8.4 fl oz. can of Red Bull retail for $2.59 whereas a 16 fl oz. can of Rockstar retails for $1.50, which constitute to about half the price per fl oz. as compared to Red Bull. 3.1.3 The Ease of Entry and Exit Into And Out Of the Energy Drink Market There are huge, though not insurmountable, barriers to entering the energy drink market. One prevalent barrier is brand loyalty which Red Bull has built up over the years. This strong brand loyalty has the effect of reducing consumer  consideration of alternatives in the marketplace. Also, the high initial capital cost associated with research and development prior to formulating energy drinks could deter potential competitors from entering the market. In addition, government policies pertaining to licensing and patents create the biggest barrier to entry, which aids in the dominance Red Bull enjoys today. 3.2 Marketing Control System In order to ensure that the company’s objectives are achieved, Red Bull markets its energy drink in three ways, namely the media advertising, sports and event sponsoring as well as sampling. The three marketing techniques not only increase the brand awareness of Red Bull, but assist the management in terms of market control. Additionally, Red Bull also performs control techniques in the following ways. 3.2.1 Intensive Research Work Firstly, Red Bull conducts on-going research to determine if consumers are satisfied with its product. This includes sampling to its primary target market – tired people who need energy. Through sampling, consumers are able to provide feedback on the product, essentially its taste, packaging and effects. If there is negative feedback received, Red Bull will then look for ways to improve so as to meet consumer needs. 3.2.2 Internal Statistics Secondly, Red Bull uses statistics such as sales, revenue and market share to assess if its marketing strategies are successful. Based on analysis, a total of 4,204 billion cans of Red Bull were sold worldwide in 2010, which signifies an increase of 7.6% against 2009 (Red Bull, n.d.). This can be one of the factors indicating that Red Bull is heading in the right direction in marketing its product. 3.2.3 Marketing and Pricing Strategies Thirdly, Red Bull employs advertising strategies that are suitable to its primary target market. Hence, at this moment, Red Bull does not need to adjust its strategies to change consumer perception. Nonetheless, if Red Bull has decided to introduce new uses for its product, changes have to be made to the advertising strategies to market the new uses. However, unlike most companies which adopt pricing strategies that involve adjusting the  product prices to meet market changes so as to remain competitive, Red Bull does otherwise. Consumer reviews state that Red Bull is being priced steeper as compared to other energy drinks in the market. Despite that, Red Bull continues to maintain its premium price as it has positioned itself as a premium product. 4.0 Solutions and Recommendations Q1. Red Bull should construct a market-oriented mission statement, focusing on customer needs rather than products. A product-centered mission statement is too myopic and does not reflect the long-lasting basic market need. Red Bull’s mission statement has to reflect the company’s core product, position in the market, distinctive competencies, and lastly, it has to be motivating. Our group proposal of Red Bull’s mission statement: â€Å"As a market leader, Red Bull promotes an active lifestyle by providing high-quality energy drinks to the global market, empowering our customers to live to their fullest potential and have the courage to achieve their dreams.† Q2. Red Bull has managed to identify the best target market. Red Bull has segmented the market as follows: Demographic segmentation Red Bull is targeting young teenagers to busy working adults. It targets students who often suffer from exhaustion, blue collared workers who require strength for their manual jobs, and office professionals, who require concentration to focus in meetings and their respective work. Psychographic segmentation Red Bull targets markets based on the consumers’ lifestyles. These consumers include party-goers, sportsmen and gamers. In terms of the personalities of the customers, Red Bull targets those who are able to connect with the brand image of Red Bull, which is to live with zest and lead a fun, happening and risk-taking lifestyle. Product – Red Bull does not have a wide variety of flavours – only original, sugar free, cola and Red Bull shot. The rationale for this is mainly to establish a clear core product. Furthermore, Red Bull is recognized as an energy drink that gives a strong and immediate energy boost to improve performance. In terms of design and packaging, a Red Bull can is small and easy to carry which is chromed, making it reflective and hence, it can catch a customer’s eye easily. As for recommendations, Red Bull could produce an alcoholic beverage of its own, which can be sold over-the-shelf in stores. This would be able to create new product that mixes Red Bull and alcohol. Thus, the non-party-goers can have a taste of an alcoholic Red Bull as well. Promotion – One of the most well-known activities that Red Bull has been involved in for many years is Formula 1. This is a form of above-the-line advertising done by Red Bull to increase consumer awareness of Red Bull. Other than that, Red Bull also engages in â€Å"Opinion Leader Marketing† by having more than 250 agreements with top athletes. This is to attract people who follow and look up to these athletes. Red Bull’s strategy of attracting celebrities to endorse their products is very unique because they do not pay the celebrities a single cent. Instead, they approach athletes who support Red Bull wholeheartedly. Q5. Red bull’s competitors come in two forms – direct and indirect. This is measured by how close these competing products are in relation to Red Bull’s. The direct competitors would be those who produce similar utility/functional products, such as Monster, Rockstar and Naughty G. Indirect competitors would be other drinks that are somewhat similar but do not give the same benefits as Red Bull. Examples would be Pepsi and Coke (caffeinated and soft drinks, but not energy drinks) and 100 Plus and H20(sports and soft drinks, but not caffeinated). Clearly indirect competitors are furthest away in terms of substitutability. Examples are Nescafe (caffeine only), Sprite (soft drink only) and Gatorade (sports drink only). Q6. Currently, we think Red Bull’s marketing strategy is already very successful. In relation to how Red Bull reaches out to ‘tired’ and ‘exhausted’ people by giving them free samples, we feel there might not be such a strong need to raise more awareness about the product as it has already established itself adequately. Instead, Red Bull can invest in product Research and Development, which might enable Red Bull to introduce more flavours and variety to its current line of products. Red Bull can introduce â€Å"limited edition† flavours, where they can bring in new flavours for a limited period of time, and then see how well the sales of the new flavours turn out to be before deciding to permanently add them to their product line. For example, Red Bull can come out with a product comprising of natural ingredients, such as Siberian/American Ginseng(natural alternatives to caffeine), or add in some vitamins like vitamin C to its existing products , which might capture more of the ‘health-conscious’ consumers. Furthermore, this might attract Asian consumers who prefer traditional/herbal ingredients. Control measures: Analysis of how the market share amongst Asian consumers is affected(look at sales, growth, etc.). Red Bull can also give free samples to consumers, just like how it does for its existing products through its Red Bull vehicles. Along with their free samples, they can conduct surveys on the consumers and ask for their feedback. Also, they can conduct online surveys, as the use of online social media is largely pervasive today. Red Bull can build a theme park comprising of extreme rides. It can aim to break the world records for the highest roller coaster drop or have the fastest ride. In this theme park, it can also provide complementary Red Bull drinks to its visitors. This will also be a great avenue for new flavours to be sampled. Such an extreme theme park would create much buzz all around the world, and people who visit the theme park will definitely share their extreme experiences with their friends. Thus, Red Bull would have come out with another form of its already famous buzz marketing. Control measures: By calculating the theme park’s return on marketing investment. Building such a theme park has a lot of fixed costs, like the costs of land and constructions. Hence, it is easy to calculate total cost. Furthermore, sales can also be easily calculated by simply looking the number of tickets sold. Therefore, it would be easy to calculate the theme park’s return on marketing investment. ​ Q7. Small Asian Businesses have relatively lower financial power as compared to big companies. They face difficulty competing with the big companies given similar products. To simply put it, they are the small ‘fishes’ regardless of the size of the market. Firstly, like Red bull, they can focus on a small product base and differentiate their products from the competitors’. They can identify the right market segments and target markets which have been relatively untouched and fit their products to be the most attractive for the consumers in their targeted markets. Like Red Bull, small Asian businesses should create an efficient Marketing Informatics Systems (MIS) and have an  appropriate mix of marketing research and intelligence, so that they are constantly able to discover new opportunities and cater to the needs of consumers, and at the same time be aware of their competitors’ strategies. Also, small Asian businesses can adopt Red Bull’s stealth marketing approach. This eliminates costs such as large scale advertising costs coming from big billboards or banners for example. Red Bull has also shown through stealth marketing that doing something unorthodox and not merely following what everyone else does can also lead to success. Therefore, small Asian businesses can draw inspiration from this and be creative and brave in their marketing strategies. References http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Red-Bull-Energy-Drink/001242937921959 Drawert. http://www.drawert.com/red_bull_1.php

Report on Multi User Operating Systems Essay

Resources Sharing – Concepts of Resource Sharing A multi user operating system can support more that one user at a time, this means that multiple users can share the same system resources simultaneously. The users of a multi user operating system can share both hardware and software resources, the operating system carries out complicated routines to manage all the processes that the users are running. – List of shared resources: – * Hardware CPU Power, RAM, Hard drive, Peripherals (printer, Scanner, CD ROM) Other peripherals may be made available in a MUOS for users who require them (Floppy disk drive, Speakers, Head Phones, Video Cameras etc.) * Software – Scheduler Software (needed to manage and prioritise tasks). – Batch Job Some processes take a long time to complete and can often disturb other computer tasks that are important. A Batch Job is a file that does not require any user interaction, so it is set up to run a number of processes at a later time, often late at night. One example is overnight maintenance at a bank when they update all the accounts so it will not disrupt the other processes during the day. Multi-Tasking – Concepts of multi-tasking Multi tasking is when the operating system switches between tasks at a very high speed, it can sometimes seem as though it is performing more than one task at a time. For example, a user could be printing and typing at the same time, and listening to a CD. Many users can access the same resources at (what appears to be) the same time. One disadvantage of this is that it requires a great deal of memory and the processes may run slower. The two types of multi-tasking are co-operative and pre-emptive: * Pre-emptive – This is when the applications are forced to give up the CPU after a certain length of time so that the other processes get an equal share of CPU time. (time-sliced). * Co-operative multi-tasking is when it is the current running tasks responsibility to share the CPU to the other processes. One task must finish before the other starts. It is called Co-operative because all the tasks must co-operate for this type of processing to work and there is no time limit on each task. (Round Robin). – Advantages / Disadvantages An advantage of Pre-emptive multi-tasking is that some important tasks may be allocated a more time slices so it will not be stalled by other smaller tasks. A disadvantage of both types of multi-tasking is that it requires a large amount of memory to work properly. Background Processing – Concepts of background / foreground processing When a task will require a long time to process and requires no user input e.g. downloading a large file from the internet, it can be processed later when the computer is not processing other tasks. Background processing is often used in banks and businesses to process the customer’s accounts at the end of each day, the operating system can be left to run the process overnight or when the CPU is not currently being used by a task that requires a great deal of processing. – Unix command to run background processing Control-Z = Leave process running in background bg = Continue process at background Control-C = move foreground process to background Fg = move the process to foreground – Example of a background process If you need to run a large print job, e.g. printing out one hundred copies of a Workbook for a group of students, it can be set as a background process and will only use CPU power when other tasks are not running. Types of Multi-User Operating System Multi-Processor – More than one CPU Multi user operating systems can sometimes have more that one processor. In some expensive operating systems it is possible to connect more CPUs to the system and have them work together to execute tasks. Multiprocessing can significantly reduce the time taken to execute each process. An operating system with multiple processors can perform different tasks separately or a task can be split up and processed by different CPUs. – Advantages / Disadvantages An advantage is that multi processing systems can be very speedy at completing tasks. A disadvantage is that this type of system is very expensive. Time-Sliced As multi user operating systems share resources, different processes can require different amounts of time. It is possible and to interrupt a large process so that a smaller process to be completed. If you were using a time slicing system then the processor will switch between processes at timed intervals (Pre-emptive). The amount of time allocated to each process is called a time slice. The length of time given for each time-slice is allocated by a program called a scheduler. – An advantage is that larger or more important processes may be given more time slices than a smaller task so it can be completed, however this could also be a disadvantage if there are many users executing smaller tasks as they will take longer to be finished. Distributed The distributed system is where a number of systems are connected through a Local Area Network. This can be more powerful than a single processor system and it is capable of online sharing. Hardware Components Processor – The CPU is the brain of the operating system. It responds to and processes and instructions that control the computer. The control unit in a CPU controls everything which happens within, the ALU does calculations and is responsible for decision making and the accumulator stores the last data that was decoded for future processes. There are various registers within the CPU, they are the instruction register, which holds the instruction that is being decoded, the program counter stores what part of the program we have reached, the memory address register points to the location where data is being fetched or written and the memory data register is a storage area for data that is currently being transferred between the memory and the CPU. – The Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle has three important stages. * FETCH – The CPU collects an instruction from the RAM * DECODE – The control unit figures out what to do with it. * EXECUTE – The instruction is carried out – The speed of an FDE cycle depends on how fast the processor is (the length of time it takes for the signals to be sent to the control bus, and how many T-cycles each assembly instruction takes to execute. Memory Random Access Memory is sometimes known as ‘main memory’. RAM is volatile, which means it loses all the stored information when the power is cut off. Some computers also use virtual memory, which is stored in the hard drive but acts like RAM, this is much slower than physical memory. Another type of memory is Read Only Memory (ROM) which can be written to but cannot be erased. Data Storage Devices – Floppy disk – can be written to and erased, 1.44Mb – CD ROM – Can be written to but not erased, 700Mb – Hard Drive – stores many Gigabytes, can be written to and erased – Zip Drive – can be written to and erased, 100 – 250Mb Terminals – Dumb Terminal – A dumb terminal has no processing capabilities as they have no memory or processor of their own, it has only a monitor, keyboard and mouse. They are connected to a central processor. – Intelligent Terminal – An intelligent terminal contains memory and a CPU and is a standalone device. It only has to connect to the central processor when needed. – Command to find terminal type – terminfo Input / Output Devices Dumb Terminal – Input – keyboard and mouse. – Output – monitor Intelligent Terminal – Input – keyboard, mouse, scanner, touch screen. – Output – monitor, printer, speakers Software Components Kernel The Kernel is the heart of the operating system, the lowest level or the central part. Communication with the hardware is through the kernel. In multi user operating systems it is the kernel’s job to keep each process and user separate and to organize access to the system hardware, including CPU, memory, disk and other I/O devices. Device Handlers A device is any piece if hardware that is used in an operating system. A device handler is a piece of software within the operating system that communicates with the devices and tells them what to do. This is part of the operating system that is responsible for servicing requests of the device request queue. Spoolers (Simultaneous peripheral operations on-line) Spooling is used when data is waiting to go to an output device after it has been processed. The data is placed into a queue so that the CPU can process something else instead of having to slow down to the speed of the output device. Spoolers are used on mainly old devices e.g. old printers that can only handle one job at a time User Interface This is how the user can view the data within the operating system. The main types of user interfaces are; the graphical user interface e.g. Windows and Command driven interface e.g. MS DOS and standard UNIX. The CDI was more complicated to use than a GUI as you would have to know certain commands to do very basic tasks. Bibliography Index http://physinfo.ulb.ac.be/cit_courseware/opsys/ostart.htm http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/operating-system1.htm http://physinfo.ulb.ac.be/cit_courseware/opsys/ostart.htm http://www.canberra.edu.au/~sam/whp/unix-cmd.html http://cm.bell-labs.com/