The Benin Empire

The pre-colonial Benin Kingdom or Empire was located in what is today southern Nigeria. (It is entirely separate from the Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dahomey.) Benin arose as a city-state in the late 1100s or 1200s and expanded into a larger kingdom or empire in the mid-1400s.  Most of the people within the Benin Empire were Edo, and they were ruled over by a monarch, who held the title of Oba (roughly equivalent to king).   By the late 1400s, the capital of Benin, Benin City, was already a large and highly regulated city. Europeans who visited were always impressed by its splendor and compared it to the major European cities at the time. The city was laid out on a clear plan, the buildings were reportedly all well-kept, and the city included a massive palace compound decorated with thousands of intricate metal, ivory, and wood plaques (known as the Benin Bronzes), most of which were made between the 1400s and 1600s, after which the craft declined. In the mid-1600s, the power of the Obas also waned, as administrators and officials took more control over the government. The Transatlantic Slave Trade Benin was one of many African countries to sell slaves to European slave traders, but like all strong states, the Benin people did so on their own terms. In fact, Benin refused to sell slaves for many years. Benin representatives sold some prisoners of war to the Portuguese in the late 1400s, during the time when Benin was expanding into an empire and fighting several battles. By the 1500s, however, they had stopped expanding and refused to sell more slaves until the 1700s. Instead, they traded other goods, including pepper, ivory, and palm oil for the brass and firearms they wanted from Europeans. The slave trade only began to pick up after 1750, when Benin was in a period of decline. The Conquest of 1897 During the European Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s, Britain wanted to extend its control northwards over what became Nigeria, but Benin repeatedly rejected their diplomatic advances. In 1892, however, a British representative named H. L. Gallwey visited Benin and reportedly convinced the Oba to sign a treaty that essentially granted Britain sovereignty over Benin. Benin officials challenged the treaty and refused to follow its provisions in regard to trade. When a British party of officers and porters set out in 1897 to visit Benin City to enforce the treaty, Benin attacked the convoy killing almost everyone. Britain immediately prepared a punitive military expedition to punish Benin for the attack and to send a message to other kingdoms that might resist. The British forces quickly defeated the Benin army and then razed Benin City, looting the magnificent artwork in the process. Tales of Savagery In the build-up and aftermath of conquest, popular and scholarly accounts of Benin stressed the savagery of the kingdom, as that was one of the justifications for conquest. In referring to the Benin Bronzes, museums today still tend to describe the metal as being purchased with slaves, but most of the bronzes were created prior to the 1700s when Benin began to participate in the trade. Benin Today Benin continues to exist today as a Kingdom within Nigeria. It might best be understood as a social organization within Nigeria. All subjects of Benin are citizens of Nigeria and live under Nigerian law and administration. The current Oba, Erediauwa, is considered an African monarch, however, and he serves as an advocate of the Edo or Benin people. Oba Erediauwa is a graduate of Cambridge University in Britain, and prior to his coronation worked in the Nigeria civil service for many years and spent a few years working for a private firm. As the Oba, he is a figure of respect and authority and has served as a mediator in several political disputes.   Sources: Coombes, Annie, Reinventing Africa: Museums, Material Culture, and Popular Imagination. (Yale University Press, 1994). Girshick, Paula Ben-Amos  and John Thornton, Civil War in the Kingdom of Benin, 1689-1721: Continuity or Political Change? The Journal of African History 42.3 (2001), 353-376. Oba of Benin, Kingdoms of Nigeria web page.

The Life of Fidel Castro Essay - 760 Words

Fidel Castro Throughout history, when you look back, you find many countries that fall under a control that turns things in an opposite direction of where they were pointed. In Cuba, this was under Prime Minister, Fidel Castro. Born on August 13, 1926 in the wedlock at his father’s farm, Castro would live here until age 8 when he would go live with his teacher. He was not well behaved, and would find himself traveling in out of different schools. He did not excel academically and found his place in sports instead. Although not extremely disciplined to work, he attended The University of Havana, studying law. He joined student activist groups, this school though was known for their violent gang like culture. He was strongly against†¦show more content†¦This lead to a mess and they did not get the results in their favor. Castro was sent to prison with many others and many were executed. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but something was bound to change, this was not the end. When the presidential elections came up, Batista said Castro was no threat and released him out of prison. In 1955, bombings and violence broke out, and Fidel and his brother, Raul left Cuba to escape the chance of being arrested. After many battles he faced, he was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959. Castro’s government was focused on making Cuba’s standards of living better. He focused on education, and opened many new education systems. His â€Å"force† or regime remained popular with the lower class, while the upper and middle class did not like him and emigrated to Florida. Conservative press showed disapproval towards his government, Castro started arresting people who would show any signs of retaliation. While relations with United States and Cuba were dwindling, Castro and Khrushchev, the Russian Leader at the time were growing a tighter bond. Many event’s occurred during Castros leadership position including the Bay of Pigs Invasion. This was when the United States was trying to rise up and overthrow Castro. The CIAs made it seem like a great idea to Kennedy, president at the time, and it lead to Cuba losing many men, and also led to the Cuban MissileShow MoreRelatedThe Life of Fidel Castro631 Words   |  3 Pages Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, born in Birà ¡n, Cuba on August 13, 1926, changed his country ever since he came to power. Castro’s father, à ngel Castro y Argiz, was a wealthy plantation owner and was an immigrant from Galicia, Spain. His mother, Lina Ruz Gonzà ¡lez, was à ngel’s mistress and house servant while à ngel was still married to Maria Luisa Argota. Castro was educated in many Jesuit boarding schools, from grade school to middle s chool, in which he was a mediocre student and was not well behavedRead MoreEssay on Life of Fidel Castro834 Words   |  4 PagesThe Life of Fidel Castro Fidel Castro, is the well-known dictatorial leader of Cuba for nearly five decades. 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Samsung Free Essays

Samsung Electronics Co. , Ltd. and its subsidiaries Stevenson Saby Lesly Castillo American Intercontinental University September 7, 2012 Nicole Pringle Abstract The for-profit organization of interest we selected is Samsung electronics co. We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung or any similar topic only for you Order Now , ltd. and its subsidiaries. We researched the unusual or conflicting accounting principle that has impacted Samsung electronics co, Included in this research we present, a review and analyze the organizations published accounting statements of the last two years. Specifically, our research paper will: Identify the core functions of each department, their strengths and weaknesses, and make recommendations for improvement, as appropriate. This paper Identifies and describe the underlying problems, Compares the alternative courses of action, Explain the effects at issues, Recommend options that would be consistent with the organization’s accounting practices, accounting processes, and accounting-related departments. Last includes the last two years of published accounting statements From its inception as a small export business in Taegu, Korea, Samsung has grown to become one of the world’s leading electronics companies, specializing in digital appliances and media, semiconductors, memory, and system integration. Today Samsung’s innovative and top quality products and processes are world recognized. This timeline captures the major milestones in Samsung’s history, showing how the company expanded its product lines and reach, grew its revenue and market share, and has followed its mission of making life better for consumers around the world. SAMSUNG All rights reserved) To identify the core functions of each department, Samsung organization structure consist of Vice Chairman, US executive team and a Board of directors. http://visiblebusiness. blogspot. com/2009/11/samsung-samsung-ar-2008. html Samsung has recently been involved one of the largest patent laws of its kind, Apple Inc. has sued Samsung for $2. 525 billion for copyright infringeme nt of the iPhone and iPad with Samsung’s Android technology smart phones. Apple claims, Samsung owes â€Å"substantial monetary damages† for when they illegally â€Å"chose to compete by copying Apple. † You might hear some comments like â€Å"Apple is better â€Å"or what’s so good about Samsung. First let’s identify, Samsung throughout the years has been very successful in providing consumers with innovative technology. Samsung has revenue of 247. 5billon, Assets of 384. 3 billion, Equity of 224. 7 billion and net income of 18. 3 billion with 344, 00 employees. Samsung Electronics Co. , Ltd. and its subsidiaries) Apple has pulled together 434 LTE patents in order to counter a legal threat from Samsung, according to reports on Tuesday. Samsung has vowed to sue Apple if, as expected, if it unveils an LTE-enabled iPhone 5 during the launch event now confirmed for September 12. Anticipating this, Apple has been acquiring and developing enough LTE patents to combat the legal challenge, according to the Chosun Ilbo website. Samsung is planning to make the air-condition product category more strong with unique technology called ‘Triple protection proposition’ Samsung is the India’s official ‘Olympic partner’ for the 2012 London Olympic and recently launched ‘Olympic Ratna Program’. This will result enhance brand awareness and increase the sales. Samsung Mobile and Home appliance has future plans of launching Customized products for Indian market. This will improve the market share in rural market being that Apple is filling injections on a lot of their products. The Indian youth population is growing and mobile phone sales is expected to increase due to lesser call rates, Its financial position is strong and there is a scope of entering into unrelated diversification. Two years published accounting statements 2011 http://www. samsung. com/us/aboutsamsung/ir/financialinformation/annualreport/downloads/2011/SECAR2011_Eng_Final. pdf (http://www. samsung. com, 2011) http://www. samsung. com/us/aboutsamsung/ir/financialinformation/auditedfinancialstatements/downloads/consolidated/2012_con_all. df (Samsung, 2012) Samsung’s core functions of each department, their strengths and weaknesses were identified, recommendations for improvement were addresses. We hit on possible course of actions Samsung could take with the drop in market shares as well as the alternative courses of action. Samsung Has been in the Industry to long to make a mistake as big as they did in the lawsuit against apple but they are innovators and will continue to make grea t products and make profits as represented in the financial statements provided. How to cite Samsung, Essay examples

Motor Function Measure and Quantitative †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Motor Function Measure and Quantitative. Answer: Introduction Muscular dystrophy is characterized by progressive muscle mass loss and eventually loss of strength. Muscular dystrophy is muscle-wasting disease that affects one in every 5,000 males. The main reason for this disease is genetic mutation interfering with muscle protein production that is necessary for building and maintenance of healthy muscles (Mah et al. 2014). The signs and symptoms of disease includes wadding gait, stiffness and pain in muscles, difficulty in jumping, sitting or standing and prone to frequent falls (Smith et al. 2014). Dystrophin is a complex protein that anchors components within muscles linking it to outer membrane-sarcolemma. The largest coding genes that is known, dystrophin is almost absent or deformed that worsen the symptoms and aetiology of muscular dystrophy. People suffering from muscular dystrophy face difficulties at workplaces that bind their working abilities and limit their mobility. Workplace designing is required for the people with this particul ar disability that involves ergonomics as poor workplace designing can cause fatigue, frustration and further harm of workers (Pontonnier et al. 2014). Poor worksite designing can be painful for the workers that lead to poor quality and low productivity. Therefore, the following report deals with the ergonomic investigations at the worksite and recommendations so that workers with muscular dystrophy can better adapt to his or her duty at the workplace. People with MD are unable to continue working if the workplace environment is not better adaptable for them. They face difficulty in joining workplace, as it is a muscle debilitating disease. During the early phase of the disease, the movements appear to become labored and there is visible physical changes noticed in walking and sitting positions. An also enlarged calf muscle causes difficulty in walking as the heel tendons become tightened. The person with MD may have trouble in standing and from sitting position s the muscles start to become weak in the legs (Landfeldt et al. 2016). As individuals with MD are prone to falls, it become difficult for them to stand from sitting position and in this course, they might fall on floor. Another challenge people with MD face is picking of objects from floor and stair climbing. Climbing stairs increases muscle stress and hastens damage of muscles. MD mainly poses challenge for people in the voluntary muscles that affect arms and legs. Concisely, MD pose challenges in the movement of voluntary muscles and they face difficulty in walking, standing from sitting position and moving arms (Soim et al. 2016). As the companys main business is construction work, workers are assigned to work at the building construction sites to carry out welding of metals that are very common at these workplace sites. One day, a worker complained of difficulty in walking in his legs and deep pain in calf muscles. After the worker consulted doctor, he confirmed that it was initial sign of muscular dystrophy that worker is suffering from. After this diagnosis, an investigation is carried out with causes of MD effect on the worker. After the investigation, it was found that worker was using welding machine to join the metal rods on the windowpane. During this process, the worker found difficulty in getting up from the sitting position after the welding process. It was also found that he has to hold the welding arc steadily with his right hand and hold the shield with his left hand in order to protect his eyes and perform soldering with his right hand. Then, he used his finger to pull witch of the machine. MD results in losing of muscular strength and therefore, assessment is required to determine the degree of decrement so that proper interventions can be developed. Motor assessment for the valuation of motor function and muscle force is important for the worker for measuring the strength of extensors of elbow, shoulder, ankle, knee, wrist and strength of flexors. Motor Function Measure (MFM) was done to measure score that identify significant muscle strength loss and ability to perform activities that is important for evaluation of ergonomic evaluation (Vuillerot et al. 2013). When this assessment was done, he scored one in the test that indicates high risk for loss of muscle strength in upper proximal part of the body. As a part of survey method, this assessment is used in ergonomic investigation of workplace for assessing the extent of loss of muscle strength due to MD. After observation, it was found that the final score of one showed high risk for loss of muscular strength of the worker and require implementation of changing of work or engineering control methods that eliminate or reduce MD risk and its effect (Fischer et al. 2016). Questions Yes No NA Remarks Is the worker performing the right task? The supervision activities is well suited Does the activity require excessive force? Need to apply excessive force for welding Does the worker need to bend or move wrist in awkward position? After getting up from sitting position, the worker loses control and prone to falls Does the worker require repetitive movements? The welding is continuous process that require hands in repetitive motion Is any job rotation happened for the reduction of long exposure? No job rotation happened Does worker encounter any kind of difficulty while performing this task? Worker encountered difficulty in making movements of arms and legs. Is there any other way to carry out the task for the elimination of MD effect? Job rotation can be used for the reduction of ergonomics. Recommendation: There is need for job rotation with proper scheduling and assigning of supervisor for the conduction of ergonomic training. After the completion of checklist, interview questionnaire is given to worker for a better understanding of challenges that he is facing with the task. Sr No. Questions and Answers 1. Q. How long do you perform the welding task repetitively? A. In the morning from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 2. Q. How long you have break between works. A. No break except for lunchtime. (12:00-1:00) 3. Q. How frequently the task is performed in a day. A. Almost every day, but at different intervals. 4. Q. Do you feel any pain or discomfort while performing the task and in which part of the body? A. Yes, discomfort, pain in arms and legs while standing from sitting position. 5. Do you need to sit in that awkward position for long time? A. Yes, as I have to stand up and sit down according to the welding needs at height or ground level 6. Q. Do you need to remain in one position for longer time whether sitting or standing? A. Yes, need to hold the arc and machine until the welding process is done. Recommendation: It is important to lessen the prolong holding of arc and soldering machine with frequent breaks, job rotation and ergonomics training. After the process of conduction of checklist and questionnaire, the worker is 30 years. There is risk for pain in arms and legs while being in sitting position, then standing, and prolonged holding of welding machine and arc. The risk for increase in pain due to MD is likely to increase and in extreme cases, he might feel contractures around his joints (shortening of tendons or muscles) or inability to work. There is difference between persons with and without MD where there is limited movements of arms and legs. Sr/No. Normal person MD persons 1. Increased productivity and ability to work for longer durations Decreased productivity as inability to work for long intervals 2. More motivation Worker feel fatigue and stressed to work for longer hours 3. More concentration to work and as a result, reduction in workplace accidents Less concentration as they lack stamina and fatigue 4. Better working relationships and increased team work Frustration, stress and exhaustion 5. Good stamina and sustainability to perform work Prone to workplace accidents due to exhaustion MD effect can be reduced by preventing the use of welding tools and arranging workstation for the task. The control or elimination of risk factors need to be designed using the solutions listed below: Worker Augmentation- Ekso Bionics Zero G ergonomics tool arm can be helpful in relieving the stress applied on muscular skeletal system that can allow worker to perform his task as one normally do. This engineering solution is effective and direct that reduces the incidence of effect of MD on skeletal muscular system. The technology investment is small and relative to muscular skeletal injury at workplaces. This method is significant for the reduction of injury during manual handling of welding machine (Pruess et al. 2016). Workstation designing- This solution ensures to keep the physical area safe for the optimization and reinforcing of ideal body movements and reduction of awkward positions. Muscular stress can be reduced by designing of workplaces where the necessary components for the worker is within reach and reduces the events of bending down, getting up while the worker needs anything. This easy access and workshop trolley system that help to make the worker get adapted to the workplace and use of parts or tools that are heavy needs to be avoided (Golabchi et al. 2015). Administrative control- Worker rotation and frequent breaks can be helpful for minimizing the MD effect. Rest breaks would aid in counteracting the exposure of worker to holding of welding tool and arc. The tight schedule can result in fatigue and risk for further skeletal muscle damage. As mentioned above, there are no frequent breaks given except for lunchtime from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. that can result n prolong working times that can further increases the risk for MD damage (Martin, Kolomitro and Lam 2014). Ergonomics training- This method is effective that increases the level of awareness among the worker for the prevention of MD effect and associated injury. The program requires considerable amount of time and so, workers cannot attend training conducted by construction safety personnel (Kincl et al. 2016). Recommendation As agreed, Ekso Bionics Zero G ergonomics tool arm will be used for the reduction MD effect. This tool has numerous advantages where the worker does not have to apply prolong pressure by holding the arc and welding machine to weld the metal bars together. The worker would feel less effect by applying this ergonomic tool to work piece. Firstly, this tool can be used for manoeuvring heavy tools weightlessly. It helps arms to balance weight used in sanding, welding and other applications. This tool also aid in holding heavy loads and balances weight that will allow worker to move safely, freely and accurately balance load in any direction without fatigue or injury (Young and Ferris 2017). Job rotation can also be useful that lessens stress, physical fatigue and weakness of muscles and tendons by shifting his job among others. The worker can be assigned for supervision job at the construction workstation by the administrative control body where he can have a scheduled job rotation. The worker can rotate job every 3 hours between his task and supervision work for the prevention of prolonged working hours of holding machine. This would be helpful for the worker by lessening the exposure to prolonged welding process (Padula et al. 2017). Supervision and monitoring by safety personnel should be appointed so that briefing of associated MD risk is explained and related consequences of musculoskeletal disorders and implementation of control measures to reduce MD effect. Ergonomic training can also be helpful for the worker where it improves his level of awareness regarding ergonomic issues and recognition of hazards arising from MD effect. In this way, he can pay more attention to prevention of an injury and as a result, decrease in pain and stress. Frequent breaks can also be helpful that reduces the prolonged holding of machine where the worker can prevent further MD related risk. A break of 15 mins after 11:00 a.m. and then after 3:00 p.m. can be helpful in reducing the exposure to prolonged holding or sitting position during welding process. It is also advantageous in reducing the chances of prolonged sitting and then standing position and putting pressure with his right arm. After the implementation of these measures, evaluation and follow-up is required to ensure its effectiveness and motion of his arms and legs. The Ergonomics Programme in the company helped in managing hazards associated with workplace. Management Committee helped in creating a safer place by providing ergonomics training, adequate resources, tools, and implementation of access by workers by defining individual roles and responsibilities. Employee participation helped in enhancing motivation, improving workplace condition and employee satisfaction. Employees cooperated in reporting of any potential work related injury affecting muscular skeletal system. Implementation of Ergonomic training- This would help to create awareness regarding ergonomic risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders. Proper monitoring and evaluation of ergonomic issues with active reporting and feedback should be done. Medical Management- Treatment for ergonomic injuries should be done to prevent further worsening of situations that may result in permanent disability. Evaluation and periodic review- The programme needs to be evaluated periodically for ensuring that programme elements are effective and adequate. Ergonomics auditing can also be helpful at workplace to ensure productivity and efficiency of workers. After one-month evaluation, Motor Function Measure (MFM) assessment was again done to evaluate ergonomic program. The below chart illustrates the motor function scale assessment test on a scale of 5 where the worker scored one previously that depicts no joint movement, but muscle movement. After the administrative control measures, there was movement at the joint scoring 2, however, not against gravity. Conclusion In the above report, it is evident that worker working at construction sites with prolonged holding and sitting are subjected to high MD risk. The ergonomic improvements are found to be useful at the workstation that kept ergonomic risks under control. Training programs are also advantageous for controlling ergonomic issues and in increasing awareness levels among workers in reducing MD risk effects. Appropriate equipments like tool arm can be adapted to reduce musculoskeletal disorders risk as per ergonomic standards to have enhanced efficiency and productivity at workplaces with reduced injuries. References Fischer, D., Hafner, P., Rubino, D., Schmid, M., Neuhaus, C., Jung, H., Bieri, O., Haas, T., Gloor, M., Fischmann, A. and Bonati, U., 2016. The 6-minute walk test, motor function measure and quantitative thigh muscle MRI in Becker muscular dystrophy: A cross-sectional study.Neuromuscular Disorders,26(7), pp.414-422. Motor function test is a validated test for clinical assessment in musculoskeletal disorders like muscular dystrophy as it provides validated clinical scores. Golabchi, A., Han, S., Seo, J., Han, S., Lee, S. and Al-Hussein, M., 2015. An automated biomechanical simulation approach to ergonomic job analysis for workplace design.Journal of Construction Engineering and Management,141(8), p.04015020. Workplace designing is an ergonomic approach for the reduction in musculoskeletal injuries or occupational injuries. Risk assessment for musculoskeletal injuries helps to estimate internal injuries and motion of selected joints of worker. Kincl, L.D., Anton, D., Hess, J.A. and Weeks, D.L., 2016. Safety voice for ergonomics (SAVE) project: protocol for a workplace cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in masonry apprentices.BMC public health,16(1), p.362. Landfeldt, E., Lindgren, P., Bell, C.F., Guglieri, M., Straub, V., Lochmller, H. and Bushby, K., 2016. Health?related quality of life in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a multinational, cross?sectional study.Developmental Medicine Child Neurology,58(5), pp.508-515. Mah, J.K., Korngut, L., Dykeman, J., Day, L., Pringsheim, T. and Jette, N., 2014. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the epidemiology of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.Neuromuscular Disorders,24(6), pp.482-491. Among the musculoskeletal disorders, DMD are more prevalent than BMD according to global estimates as well as case ascertainment sources. Martin, B.O., Kolomitro, K. and Lam, T.C., 2014. Training methods: A review and analysis.Human Resource Development Review,13(1), pp.11-35. Nunes, M.F., Hukuda, M.E., Favero, F.M., Oliveira, A.B., Voos, M.C. and Caromano, F.A., 2016. Relationship between muscle strength and motor function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria,74(7), pp.530-535. Padula, R.S., Comper, M.L.C., Sparer, E.H. and Dennerlein, J.T., 2017. Job rotation designed to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and control risk in manufacturing industries: a systematic review.Applied ergonomics,58, pp.386-397. Job rotation is an effective method for reducing the impact of musculoskeletal injuries and its related risk at workplaces, however, requires more studies that are rigorous in this regard. Pontonnier, C., Dumont, G., Samani, A., Madeleine, P. and Badawi, M., 2014. Designing and evaluating a workstation in real and virtual environment: toward virtual reality based ergonomic design sessions.Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces,8(2), pp.199-208. Pruess, A., Meadows, C., Amundson, K., Angold, R., Lubin, J., Solano, M., Mastaler, T., Fleming, N. and Sweeney, M., Ekso Bionics, Inc., 2016.Human Exoskeleton Devices for Heavy Tool Support and Use. U.S. Patent Application 15/339,293. An artificial arm is useful for providing support to the arms, thighs and hips like exoskeleton for people who use heavy tools. They are designed to transfer weight of the tool to the exoskeleton structure. Smith, A.E., McMullen, K., Jensen, M.P., Carter, G.T. and Molton, I.R., 2014. Symptom burden in persons with myotonic and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.American journal of physical medicine rehabilitation/Association of Academic Physiatrists,93(5), p.387. Soim, A., Lamb, M., Campbell, K., Pandya, S., Peay, H., Howard Jr, J.F. and Fox, D., 2016. A Cross-Sectional Study of School Experiences of Boys with Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy.Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services,35(2), pp.1-22. Vuillerot, C., Payan, C., Iwaz, J., Ecochard, R., Brard, C. and MFM Spinal Muscular Atrophy Study Group, 2013. Responsiveness of the motor function measure in patients with spinal muscular atrophy.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation,94(8), pp.1555-1561. Young, A.J. and Ferris, D.P., 2017. State of the Art and Future Directions for Lower Limb Robotic Exoskeletons.IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering,25(2), pp.171-182.

Beginners Guide How to Build a Digital Product Marketplace on WordPress

Looking for a solution to build a digital product marketplace on WordPress? While in the past you might have needed a development team to get your digital product marketplace off the ground, now you can create your marketplace using simple, pre-made extensions.In this article, youre going to learn how you can use WordPress, a premium theme called Marketify, and the freemium Easy Digital Downloads plugin to create a digital product marketplace with similar functionality to stores like ThemeForest and iTunes.We cant promise youll grow as big! But you will be able to create a marketplace that sells all kinds of digital files, including:PhotosFontsAudio filesVideoseBooksetc.Ready to get started? Heres your step-by-step guide to creating a digital product marketplace on WordPress. Getting Started Setup Guide  in your WordPress dashboard:We wont walk through all of the steps in the setup guide as the guide does a good job of explaining everything. By following the guide, youll handle im portant steps like:Enabling a child theme.Turning on automatic updates.Installing the necessary plugins for full functionality, including the Easy Digital Downloads plugin.Importing demo content.Customizing your site.Once you finish the setup guide, youll be able to go to the frontend of your site and see a pretty good looking design. It starts to appear similar to what the demo showed, without some of the premium images and plugins from that demo.Step 3: Configure the Easy Digital Downloads pagesWithin the setup guide, theres a bulk installer for all of the recommended plugins. One of them is called Easy Digital Downloads, which is a platform for selling digital products from your WordPress site.While the setup guide handles installing the plugin, youll need to configure a few settings to make it work right.To get started, go to Downloads Settings in your WordPress dashboard to set up the core Easy Digital Downloads pages.Easy Digital Downloads uses shortcodes to set up each page. For example, the Checkout page has its own shortcode that must be placed on one of your pages.Therefore, you would create a new page in WordPress, add the [download_checkout] shortcode to the page, then go back to this Settings module to set that page as your Checkout page. The same must be done for the Success, Failed Transaction, Purchases History, and Login Redirect pages.Step 4: Install necessary premium plugins for your  digital product marketplace on WordPressAs youve already learned from buying the Marketify theme, youre not making a marketplace for free. You can have a decent digital marketplace with just the theme and Easy Digital Downloads, but there are a few other plugins that make your digital product marketplace on WordPress much better.For example, I cant imagine a marketplace that doesnt have some sort of commissions system in place. This way, youre able to automatically divide the right commissions between vendors when a user checks out with products from multipl e sellers.Thats why its required to download and install the Commissions extension from Easy Digital Downloads. After you install the plugin, youll see a Commissions tab under Downloads  where you set automatic calculations for vendors.Step 5: Install the Frontend Submissions add-on so users can add productsThe second requirement for a respectable multi-vendor marketplace is the Frontend Submissions add-on from Easy Digital Downloads. This opens a frontend registration form for potential vendors. After they submit their information to you, theres a button for approving the vendor and opening up access to the vendor dashboard. Here, they can upload their own products, manage payments, and tweak their storefront.On the admin backend, youll go to the EDD FES tab, then to Vendors. This gives you all sorts of control, with information on your vendors, approval buttons, suspension buttons, sales numbers, and information on products.Step 6: Consider some other premium add-onsAs for the a dd-ons, the most important ones include the Commissions and Frontend Submissions add-ons. However, some marketplace owners might want to improve the functionality and make the interface better for customers.The best value would be to purchase the Digital Marketplace Bundle for $499.You also have the option to buy all of these add-ons  separately. The bundle includes the following add-ons:Acquisition survey Reveals a survey right as the customer checks out. This way you can learn about where customers are coming from and how the experience was.Commissions We covered this above, but its for paying your vendors the right amounts.Frontend Submissions Also talked about abovefor fielding and accepting vendor candidates.Reviews Create a system where your customers can write reviews about your vendors.Recommended Products For cross-selling items throughout your website, increasing sales, and giving customers relevant suggestions.Wish Lists With this, customers can save products they love and want to buy later.Wallet This is similar to what ThemeForest uses, where customers must buy store credits prior to purchasing anything on your site.Step 7: Customize your site and add a productLuckily, the majority of the design work is done for you by installing Marketify. The WordPress customizer has some extra tools for changing items like colors and logos, but your main focus should be on activating the right pages for the digital product marketplace on WordPress.Marketify has several predesigned page templates for some of the following:Homepage.Product grid.Product reviews.Audio product page.Video product page.Register page.Pricing page.All you have to do is make a completely new page on your website, then choose the desired page template. After that, you might want to link to some of the pages by adding them to your main menu.In terms of adding a product, youre the admin of the site, so the goal is to get the vendors to do this for you. However, its important to see how the product creation process works. To do so, approve yourself as a vendor (through the Frontend Submissions add-on) and go to your author page.This area has an Add Product tab, where you can fill in information like the product name, description, preview image, and more. You then upload the product file and hit the Publish button.After that, you can navigate to the frontend and see that product page with all of the details you just typed in.Enjoy your new digital product marketplace on WordPressAfter completing the steps above, youre ready to start recruiting vendors and marketing to buyers. Several other steps can be taken to tweak your  digital product marketplace on WordPress, but those are all optional and can be found in the Marketify documentation.If you have any further questions after walking through this tutorial, let us know in the comments below. Learn how to create a digital product marketplace on #WordPress. #tutorial

Interview With Socrates Essays - Socratic Dialogues, Free Essays

Interview With Socrates Essays - Socratic Dialogues, Free Essays Interview With Socrates Greek philosopher and educational reformer of the fifth century B.C.; born at Athens, 469 B.C.; died there, 399 B.C. After having received the usual Athenian education in music (which included literature), geometry, and gymnastics, he practised for a time the craft of sculptor, working, we are told, in his father's workshop. Admonished, as he tells us, by a divine call, he gave up his occupation in order to devote himself to the moral and intellectual reform of his fellow citizens. He believed himself destined to become a sort of gadfly to the Athenian State. He devoted himself to this mission with extraordinary zeal and singleness of purpose. He never left the City of Athens except on two occasions, one of which was the campaign of Potidea and Delium, and the other a public religious festival. In his work as reformer he encountered, indeedhe may be said to have provoked, the opposition of the Sophists and their influential friends. He was the most unconventional of teachers and the least tactful. He delighted in assuming all sorts of rough and even vulgar mannerisms, and purposely shocked the more refined sensibilities of his fellow citizens. The opposition to him culminated in formal accusations of impiety and subversion of the existing moral traditions. He met these accusations in a spirit of defiance and, instead of defending himself, provoked his opponents by a speech in presence of his judges in which he affirmed his innocence of all wrongdoing, and refused to retract or apologize for anything that he had said or done. He was condemned to drink the hemlock and, when the time came, met his fate with a calmness and dignity which have earned for him a high place among those who suffered unjustly for conscience sake. He was a man of great moral earnestness, and exemplified in his own life some of the noblest moral virtues. At the same time he did not rise above the moral level of his contemporaries in every respect, and Christian apologists have no difficulty in refuting the contention that he was the equal of the Christian saints. His frequent references to a divine voice that inspired him at critical moments in his career are, perhaps, best explained by saying that they are simply his peculiar way of speaking about the promptings of his own conscience. They do not necessarily imply a pathological condition of his mind, nor a superstitous belief in the existence of a familiar demon. Socrates was, above all things, a reformer. He was alarmed at the condition of affairs in Athens, a condition which he was, perhaps, right in ascribing to the Sophists. They taught that there is no objective standard of the true and false, that that is true which seems to be true, and that that is false which seems to be false. Socrates considered that this theoretical scepticism led inevitably to moral anarchy. If that is true which seems to be true, then thatis good, he said, which seems to be good. Up to this tome morality was taught not by principles scientifically determined, but by instances, proverbs, and apothegms. He undertook, therefore, first to determine the conditions of universally valid moral principles a science of human conduct. Self-knowledge is the starting point, because, he believed, the greatest source of the prevalent confusion was the failure to realize how little we know about anything, in the true sense of the word know. The statesman, the orator, the poet, think they know much about courage; for they talk about it as being noble, and praiseworthy, and beautiful, etc. But they are really ignorant of it until they know what it is, in other words, until they know its definition. The definite meaning, therefore, to be attached to the maxim know thyself is Realize the extent of thine own ignorance. Consequently, the Socratic method of teaching included two stages, the negative and the positive. In the negative stage, Socrates, approaching his intended pupil in an attitude of assumed ignorance, would begin to ask a question, apparently for his own information. He would follow this by other questions, until his interlocutor would at last be obliged to confess ignorance of the subject discussed. Because of

The Benefits and the Drawbacks of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Research Paper

The Benefits and the Drawbacks of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Telephony - Research Paper Example In simple terms, VoIP can be considered to have similar function like that of telephone but this process has many extended features. The project will broadly analyze the importance of this technology and all those areas where it can be widely implemented and applied. The study will also comprise of the scope of development of this particular technology and the extent to which this technology can be made popular and relied upon. Furthermore, all those broad measures will also be highlighted that can be implemented for making widespread application of the technology. Beside the importance, the problems that will be faced while identifying the measures along with the drawbacks associated with this technology will also be listed and discussed upon. The study will also encompass the various issues related with the security and privacy concern associated with the use of VoIP. Additionally, it will also highlight the other essential features of VoIP reflecting its efficiency in terms of cos t of the technology, accuracy, quality, and timely delivery of services among other factors. THESIS STATEMENT The main aim of the study would be to analyze all those broad factors that can prove to provide opportunities of growth for Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology. ... VIEW Identifying the Network System Used In the VoIP Telephony According to Hiwasaki, Ohmuro, Mori, Kurihara and Kataoka (2006), a very high tech networking process is followed in the process of VoIP. The networking system allows uninterrupted communication process both in audio and video modes. The network codifies the signals in such a way that all round clarity is maintained in the overall communication process (Hiwasaki, Ohmuro, Mori, Kurihara and Kataoka 1-7). Defining the Importance of VoIP Telephony for the Business World As per Garrie and Wong (2007), there are various factors that can be considered for determining the importance of VoIP telephony for the business world. Accordingly, if the voice that transmits through the networks is regulated properly over the internet protocols then it would be able to create a positive impact in the overall voice process. Furthermore, if the voice is processed and transmitted from one channel to another in a more precise form then it woul d provide great benefits and this efficiency can also be utilized in a business and can prove to derive much better results. It can be strongly admitted that applicability of VoIP telephony is widely gaining popularity in the business segment as an effective modes of communication. It has been ascertained that VoIP telephony offers quick dissemination audio-visual messages relatively at lower costs and at higher speed (Garrie and Wong 550-574). Evaluating the Benefits of VoIP Telephony in the Global Communication Kerner (2005) suggested that the use of VoIP is becoming widespread and is continuously being utilized in the overall market. It has been argued that the application of VoIP can be made even more efficient if more stress is laid upon providing end to end results. It has been

African American Stereotypes in Trading Places Assignment

African American Stereotypes in Trading Places - Assignment Example There have been several theories proposed regarding how race is represented in the media. To understand the concept fully, it is necessary to understand how media influences society, with examples from the movie Trading Places. Even in the world of strict entertainment, the media continues its long-standing tradition of reinforcing middle-class society’s concepts of the world. â€Å"Above all, the media are defensive about the sacred institutions of society – whereas black people most encounter problems in this sensitive power-areas: employment, public discrimination, housing, parliamentary legislation, local government, law and order, the police† (Hall, 1974). In order to appeal to the middle class, many of the films that come out of Hollywood tend to reflect the hopes and dreams of this class of society. This typically involves the concept that the lifestyle of the very wealthy is the only lifestyle worth having. It also reinforces the thought that it is only through hard work and struggles that one can appreciate this good life. The black man, and occasionally a woman, is allowed to enter this world only at the invitation and assistance of a white man while the typical portrayal con tinues to hold him down at the lower rungs of society. This type of portrayal reinforces the concept that black men are not capable of success and white men are not very capable of failure. As Hall (1974) makes obvious, even comedies that are merely supposed to entertain, such as Trading Places, can contain several unremarkable messages that serve to maintain and promote the existing power relations within society, representing the black man as a necessary failure. Within the movie Trading Places, these ideas can easily be traced.

Importance of FDI and Export push to China Essay

Importance of FDI and Export push to China - Essay Example   Foreign direct investment and the export-push remain important to the economy of China. The foreign direct investment and the export push have played a significant role in making reforms and continuous improvements in both internal and the external economic environments of China. The foreign direct investment in China occurs in joint ventures, cooperative enterprises, and the foreign owned enterprises. From the late 1980s, the China entered into a period of large-scale industrialization and an active reform on the FDI, exports, and domestic market consumption, which form the primary drivers of its economic growth. China has built its economy on matters of exports much faster than the other economic heroes of Asia have. The foreign direct investment is also another very important factor in the economic development of China. There is a good establishment relationship between the foreign direct investment and the international export trade in that the FDI usually follows exports by its logic (Lu and John 2002:312). The huge FDI influx recorded has increased an annual rate of China by more than 10 per cent since 1985 on wards. This has been accountable for the China’s economic growth. The recent studies have reaffirmed the importance of inward foreign direct investment for the sustainable growth in China. The phenomenal growth of the export links and the inward foreign direct investment of China have various indications. The annual total growth within the same span of time was 21 per cent.   China by this time accounted for 0.75 per cent of the world’s export in 1978. The share rose to 3.3 per cent a year later. By 1994, china exported manufactured goods worth 100 billion US dollars clinching the eighth position in the world in terms of production. The foreign direct investment has a direct influence on the export rate of the republic of china. In an isolated case in 1970s, the Chinese republican produced the largest share in the world export ma rket. The country also took the second position in terms of foreign direct investment after the United States. Since 1993, the total FDI of the republic of china has been raising up to 200 billion US dollars, which amounts to 31 per cent of the total FDI in all the developing countries (Chen 2012:397). The share of foreign exports of china increased from negligible amounts in the early 1980s to 20 percent in 1992 then to 41 per cent in 1998.

St Brigid of Kildare

St Brigid of Kildare Around 450 C.E. in Ireland, a girl born to a father, Dubtach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and a mother, Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptised by Saint Patrick. This girl, St Brigid, became a symbol of kindness, generosity and sanctity in her distant future (Preble, 2013).   Ã‚   Saint Brigid of Kildare, or of Ireland is one of Irelands patron saints, along with Patrick and Columba (Jestice, 2004). Her parents were baptized from St. Patrick, who brought faith to the country. Brigid was influenced by that environment, and began to take an interest in the asceticlife of the nun. As Brigid grew up, she grew in her love for Jesus and she wanted to devote her life to Jesus (Daughter of St. Paul, 2011). Jesus Christs life was full of love and kindness. Throughout his long holy life, Jesus showed his love for others by blessing and serving the poor, the sick, and the distressed (The Church of Jesus Christ, 2008). He told His disciples that, This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you (John 15:12). St Brigid conformed herself to the way of Jesus, by imitate the love and compassion of Jesus, especially for the poor (Daughter of St. Paul, 2011). It is said that the Lord would grant Brigid anything she would ask, and that what she desired was always the same to satisfy the poor, to banish every hardship, and to save every sorrowful man (Doss, n.d.). She looked for Jesus in the poor and often brought food and clothing to them. She became a nun with the help of St. Mel, St. Patricks nephew, and formed a religious community with seven other young women. Brigid started the first Irish convent at Kildare and became its abbess. She also founded a school of art, which won fame for its beautifully illuminated manuscripts. The monastery at Kildare became a centre of education and spirituality (Daughter of St. Paul, 2011). God performed many miracles through Brigid during her lifetime, believers say, and most of them have to do with healing. One of the very famous miracle story of St Brigid is that when she gave away a whole pail of milk, she began to worry about what her mother would say hence prayed to the Lord to make up for what she had given away, and when she got home, her pail was full again. Eventually, Brigid became known as the Mary of the Irish regard to her love and compassion that remind people of the Blessed Mother (Daughter of St. Paul, 2011). The life full of helping and healing, Brigid lived the life she wanted, conforming Lords message, ended in 525 C.E. and was buried at Downpatrick near St. Columba and St. Patrick (Daughter of St. Paul, 2011). Even long after her death, the meaning of sacred life of Saint Brigid, that passes through centuries, now offers society a new insight into the virtue of hospitality, the cheerful, generous giving of food and shelter (Doss, n.d.). Brigidine Sisters is the most well know congregation of people who have been inspired by the values of Brigid. The history of this congregation began in the year 468, as St Brigid formed the first ever female monastic community together with seven other dedicated women. They helped the poor of the time and were attributed with many miracles (Green, n.d.). However, the Penal Laws of the 18th century had wrought what seemed irreparable chaos on the once far-famed Land of Saints and Scholars, leaving Irelands oppressed and largely pauperised people bereft of their proud Gaelic cultures, including the Sisters of St Brigid (Brigidine Sisters, 2015). After a long time of the havoc, miraculously and very fortunately, the Sisters of St. Brigid were restored by Bishop Daniel Delany, who founded the Congregation in response to the urgent need for education for life and faith at the time when Ireland was emerging from the oppressive Penal Laws (Solas Bhride Centre, n.a.). Brigidine sisters commit themselves to gather to celebrate and explore the Brigid tradition for our time and for the future; to seek inspiration through regular reflection; and to take action that seeks justice and the common good (Brigidine Sisters, 2015). WIth these commiments, throughout the past few decades, there has been a strong justice and peace thrust in this congregation. Brigidine Sisters practise and fulfil the message of St Brigid, love and satisfy the poors, in many ways globally, including the supports and sponsor for the asylum seekers and the victims of women and child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation engages. We dedicated a portion of this earth as a final resting place for her and her corporeal is no longer alive. However, we believe that her disembodied spirit transcends time and still alive next to us even long after her death, to deliver the message that she tried to convey throughout her whole life with her countless precedes. We will continue to communicate with Brigids message of loving and carrying poor, that transcend time by her and her descendants. Word count 845 Words Jestice Phyllis G. 2004, Book: Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 3 pp 140-, ABC-CLIO. Retrieved 1 February 2013, Viewed on 22nd Feb 2017, https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMCpg=PA140> Prebel Peter M. 2013, St Bridget of Kildare, Viewed on 22nd Feb 2017, http://www.frpeterpreble.com/tag/saints-of-the-british-isles> Doss, Mary D. n.d. A Gift of Hospitality Saint Brigid, Abbess of Kildare, Viewed on 27th Feb 2017, http://www.roca.org/OA/107/107e.htm#4> The Church of Jesus Christ, 2008, Behold Your Little Ones: Nursery Manual Lesson 5: Lesson 5: Jesus Christ Showed Us How to Love Others pp 24 27, Viewed on 25th Feb 2017, https://www.lds.org/manual/behold-your-little-ones-nursery-manual/lesson-5-jesus-christ-showed-us-how-to-love-others?lang=eng> Daughter of St. Paul, 2011, Saint-A-Day: February, Viewed on 28th Feb 2017, http://www.jclubcatholic.org/stories/SaintADay.aspx?sjc_month=2> Green M. n.d. St Brigid The Other Saint, Viewed on 1st March 2017, http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/saintbrigid.htm> Brigidine Sisters, 2015, Our Beginning, Viewed on 1st March 2017, http://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-beginnings/> Solas Bhride Centre, n.d. General History of the BrigidinesFrom the Acorn to the Oak, Viewed on 2nd March 2017, http://solasbhride.ie/our-history/ > Brigidine Sisters, 2015, Our Colleagues Associates, Viewed on 1st March 2017, http://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-beginnings/>

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay -- Toni Morrisons The Bluest Ey

The Bluest Eye There are many themes that seem to run throughout this story. Each theme and conflict seems to always involve the character of Pecola Breedlove. There is the theme of finding an identity. There is also the theme of Pecola as a victim. Of all the characters in the story we can definitely sympathize with Pecola because of the many harsh circumstances she has had to go through in her lifetime. Perhaps her rape was the most tragic and dramatic experience Pecola had experiences, but nonetheless she continued her life. She eliminates her sense of ugliness, which lingers in the beginning of the story, and when she sees that she has blue eyes now she changes her perspective on life. She believes that these eyes have been given to her magically and in some respects her eyes begin to corrupt her as an individual. The story begins to take a turn and the reader realizes that the main character has begun to entirely rely on self-image in order to build confidence. This leads to the question of h ow significant are the "Blue eyes" to society and how does the theme of beauty and ugliness linger throughout the story. With this in mind, how does this make Pecola a victim of society and a victim in herself? If any person can be credited for creating the obsession of beauty that Pecola builds it is Pauline (Pecola’s mother). Pecola experiences many insecurities and it can definitely be said that many of these are because of the way that Pauline acts in society and around Pecola. It was stated in the story that Pauline would always go to the movies and rate the characters on their beauty. This is one example that shows the obsession that Pauline has with beauty and looks. This rubbed off on to her daughter and that is where Pecola received her lack of self-esteem. It is clear that Pecola idolizes the ideals of being beautiful. It is interesting that Pecola is not the person telling the story in this book, and it is Claudia instead. It seems that the author wants the reader to build an immense amount of sympathy for Pecola because it would just be less effective if Pecola was telling the story. If it Pecola that was narrating in many parts then it would be more difficult to see her as a "total victim". The structure and way this book is organized is a good clue of how Morrison wants us to see Pecola’s and all black peoples situations. Instead of ord... ...could work miracles." This comes from the character Soaphead who finally realizes what it must be like to be an African American in a racist society. If only Pecola could literally see life through the eyes of someone who is not oppressed by their society. Pecola only wants to live up to the image of a blue-eyed white person. This is important, and it shows that the author is not only speaking to the black person about their sorrows, but also to the white person which shows how a racist social system can wear down an innocent mind. Basically being white is being successful and Pecola has no hope in this society. It is not solely because of racism that Pecola is not accepted. Not only does she have to deal with the hatred she receives from the white person, but also she is an outcast in the black infrastructure. This proves that Pecola is a "total victim" because she has no way out and the only way she can be normal is to try to change who she is in order to be someone she is not. Basically Pecola is totally entrapped by everything, her past (rape etc..), her present (society both black and white) and her future (she has very little hope at being an contributing member of society).

Christianity Essay

Trade and merchants play a major role in Christianity and Islam from their origins to the 1500’s, and even though both had similar attributes yet differed as well. Christians and Islam both had a negative outlook, both had their religious viewpoints, as well as both changed their views towards trade. Despite this, Christianity began to open up to trade, even tolerating it, while Muslims became stricter on merchants and trade. Furthermore, Both Islam and Christianity had a negative attitudes for instance, in the Bible, Jesus preaches to his disciples how a rich man will never reach heaven. This is due to their behavior, for merchants are greedy and lying people whose only content is to get rich, which goes against Christianity’s belief. Moreover, Thomas Aquinas explains how unfair and unjust merchants are for they price their goods higher than what the product actually cost. By the tone of the document as well as how he explains trade and its problems show his dislike. L ikewise Ibn Khaldun describes merchants as weak, and disgusting men and how they negatively affect the government. His tone is harsher however, which indicates his anger towards the merchants. Merchants constants rip-off of the people by selling their goods at a high price as well s giving their all their goods to those who pay more. The Islamic Court in Ankara had to deal with a case in which merchants would give all their cotton to a single person, if they pay extra high price in addition to the merchant’s high prices. Document seven contains quotes from that of the people who have complained about the merchants. Both Christianity and Islam share the same pessimistic attitude towards merchants and trade because of their behavior and how they sell their goods. Anyways, I would have like to see a document from a merchant, it would have help me better indicate if merchants were really sneaky and unfair as spoken in the documents given. Some looked to the Christianity’s and Islam’s beliefs, to determine their view on merchants and trade for both religions impacted all their followers. In the Bible, Jesus says that no rich man will ever reach heaven. The small passage comes from the bible, which heavily every Christians view. Which is also why he emphasized how the quote from the bible and how i t fit into the situation. The Muslim Qur’an also circled around honesty and truthfulness which the Muslims and Muslim merchants had to follow if they wanted to reach paradise. Thomas Aquinas who was also heavily influence by Christianity, and its bible, for he states a line out of the bible. He indicates the bible  because he knows that adding the bible would persuade many of the Christians which was his intended target audience. Reginald, a monk of Durham also says explains the life of Godric and how he became a successful merchant, only to become tired of it and soon devoted himself to God giving away all his possessions to the poor. Reginald’s attended audience was Christian followers, he also helps justify document 1 in Godric went from rich to poor in order to devote himself to god. I would have liked a document from a person not Christian or Islam because it would have allow me to understand how much both religions influence the views of its subjects. Despite the similarities Christianit y religious views seem to rather negative and stricter than the Muslims were lighter and positive. Merchants and trade in the eyes of Christianity and Islam began to change significantly overtime. Ibn Khaldun says how beneficial the merchants are to the capital, for they buy goods in one area, only to sell at a higher price in an area in demand. Which the Qur’an also depicts, however it encourages trade as long as it is fair and truthful. Yet Ibn Khaldun gives us evidence of laws which were established in order to control merchant’s behavior. In addition, document 7 shows how the Islamic court had power over merchants and could affect their behavior as well as. Unlike Islam which began to become stricter, Christianity began look towards it positively, such as, letter C of document 6 describes an order being canceled for English wool, and the consumer seemingly brings god name into it, which suggest the consumer does not think of trade conflicting with Christianity. Which letter A also identify for both letters show how the merchant’s goal is to make a profit, and they see no problem with. In conclusion, Christianity and Islam attitudes towards trade and me rchants were similar in certain aspects as, of the beginning both viewed it negatively, and on a religious level. However, both began to change their views on trade and merchants. For Christianity began approving trade, while Islam began harsher treatment towards trade and merchants.

Free Essays on War Is Real

The U.S. moves coincide with reports from Afghan officials in the border area that the United States and its allies were readying another major operation against members of the al Qaeda network and Afghanistan’s Taliban militia, which was ousted from power last year. The United States has blamed al Qaeda for the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and New York. Advertisement U.S. military officials yesterday reported two firefights in the area, in which U.S. and Australian special forces troops killed four al Qaeda fighters. Army Maj. Gen. Franklin L. â€Å"Buster† Hagenbeck, the U.S. ground commander in Afghanistan, said the two fights occurred northeast of Khost, about a mile from the Pakistani border. In the first incident, Australian forces were attacked with mortar and rocket-propelled grenades, and returned fire, killing two, according to Australian military officials. In the second clash, Hagenbeck said, U.S. and Australian troops ambushed fighters who were moving near Khost before dawn yesterday, killing another two. The operation that appears to be looming promises to be smaller and more diffuse than the offensive against al Qaeda fighters by U.S. and allied forces in the Shahikot region west of Khost in early March. In that battle, which the U.S. military refers to as Operation Anaconda, al Qaeda fighters had dug-in positions with heavy weapons, such as long-range mortars and machine guns configured to shoot down aircraft. TRACKING HANDFULS OF FIGHTERS Cement was poured in some areas to provide firing platforms for the mortars. A communications wire ran from an entrenched position atop a 10,000-foot-high ridge to a nearby bunker serving as a command center, which was powered by a solar collector with a back-up car battery. In the border area, by contrast, U.S. intelligence has not detected massed groups of al Qaeda and Taliban members with prepared figh... Free Essays on War Is Real Free Essays on War Is Real The U.S. moves coincide with reports from Afghan officials in the border area that the United States and its allies were readying another major operation against members of the al Qaeda network and Afghanistan’s Taliban militia, which was ousted from power last year. The United States has blamed al Qaeda for the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and New York. Advertisement U.S. military officials yesterday reported two firefights in the area, in which U.S. and Australian special forces troops killed four al Qaeda fighters. Army Maj. Gen. Franklin L. â€Å"Buster† Hagenbeck, the U.S. ground commander in Afghanistan, said the two fights occurred northeast of Khost, about a mile from the Pakistani border. In the first incident, Australian forces were attacked with mortar and rocket-propelled grenades, and returned fire, killing two, according to Australian military officials. In the second clash, Hagenbeck said, U.S. and Australian troops ambushed fighters who were moving near Khost before dawn yesterday, killing another two. The operation that appears to be looming promises to be smaller and more diffuse than the offensive against al Qaeda fighters by U.S. and allied forces in the Shahikot region west of Khost in early March. In that battle, which the U.S. military refers to as Operation Anaconda, al Qaeda fighters had dug-in positions with heavy weapons, such as long-range mortars and machine guns configured to shoot down aircraft. TRACKING HANDFULS OF FIGHTERS Cement was poured in some areas to provide firing platforms for the mortars. A communications wire ran from an entrenched position atop a 10,000-foot-high ridge to a nearby bunker serving as a command center, which was powered by a solar collector with a back-up car battery. In the border area, by contrast, U.S. intelligence has not detected massed groups of al Qaeda and Taliban members with prepared figh...

Internal environment of business Essay Example

Internal environment of business Essay Example Internal environment of business Paper Internal environment of business Paper The structure and politics of an organization affects the manner in which the organization responds to environmental change. Furthermore, it can be difficult to change cultural attitudes when the nature of an organizations business environment has changed. Along with the external environment, internal environment Of an organization also keep on changing. The five elements of the internal environment which are physical, technological, social, political, and economic, influence how the manager functions will be performed. The physical element of the internal environment includes such factors as air quality, temperature, noise, dust, addition, and other conditions affecting me people health and safety. Managers revealed a high percentage of dissatisfaction with aspects of the physical environment of the workplace. The technological element of the internal environment relates closely to the physical element. It consists of the layout of the workplace; the process by which the work is performed; and the tools, equipment, and machinery used to perform the work. These factors in turn determine both the way work is processed and the requirements of the jobs performed by managers. The way in which work is organized affects interpersonal relations and in traction among the manager and employees within a work area. It influences the formation of in formal work groups and the degree of cooperation or conflict among manager and employees. The social element reflects the attitudes and behaviors of managers. Because of their influential place in the organizational hierarchy, top managers play an extremely important role in determining the quality of the social element. The rules and regulations they devise, the concern they have for employees, the rewards and support they provide, and the tolerance they have for raying opinions are major factors in determining the organizational climate. Politics is an important social process found in all organizations. Organizational politics, of course, has the potential for being helpful or harmful to organizations and individuals. The economic element of a firms internal environment reflects the organize Zions financial condition. The more favorable this condition, the more financial resources the organization will have to support its human resources, including employee compensation and benefits. An organ nations culture is particularly relevant to managers. These constraints are rarely explicit. Its unlikely that theyll even be spoken. But theyre there, and all managers quickly learn what to do and not to do in their organization. The link between values such as these and managerial behavior is fairly straightforward. If an organizations culture supports the belief that profits can be increased by cost cutting and that the companys best interests are served by achieving slow but steady increases in quarterly earnings, managers throughout the organization are unlikely to pursue programs that are innovative, risky, long term, or expansionary. For organizations that value and encourage workforce diversity, the and, thus, managers decisions and actions should be supportive of diversity efforts. In an organization whose culture conveys a basic distrust of employees, managers are more likely to use an authoritarian leadership style than a democratic one. The culture establishes for managers what appropriate behavior is. For instance, at SST. Lakes advertising agency in London, a culture shaped by the value placed on freedom of expression, a lack of coercion and fear, and a determination to make work fun influences the way employees ark and the way that managers plan, organize, lead, and control. The organizations culture is also reinforced by the office environment, which is open, versatile, and creative. An organizations culture, especially a Strong one, constrains a managers decision-making options in all management functions. Managers shape their culture by having an organizational stories typically contain a narrative of significant events or people including such things as the organizations founders, rule breaking, reactions to past mistakes, and so forth. For instance, managers at Nikkei feel that stories told about the companys past help shape the future. Whenever possible, corporate storytellers (senior executives) explain the companys heritage and tell stories that celebrate people getting things done. These stories provide prime examples that people can learn from. To help manager learn the culture, organizational stories anchor the present in the past, provide explanations and legitimacy for current practices, and exemplify what is important to the organization. Corporate rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the values of the organization, what goals are most important, and which people are important and which ones are expendable. One of the best-known corporate rituals is Mary Kay Cosmetics annual meeting for its sales representatives. Looking like a cross between a circus and a Miss America pageant, the awards ceremony takes place in a large auditorium, on a stage in front of a large, cheering audience, with all the participants dressed in glamorous evening clothes. Salespeople are rewarded for their success in achieving sales goals with an array of flashy gifts including gold and diamond pins, furs, and pink Cadillacs. This show acts as a motivator by publicly acknowledging outstanding sales performance. In addition, the ritual aspect reinforces founder Mary Says determination and optimism, which enabled her to overcome personal hardships, found her own company, and achieve material success. It conveys to her salespeople that reaching their sales goals is important and that, through hard work and encouragement, they too can achieve success. Your second author had the experience of being on a flight out of Dallas one year with a planeload of Mary Kay sales representatives headed home from the annual awards meeting. Their contagious enthusiasm and excitement made it obvious that his annual ritual played a significant role in establishing desired levels of motivation and behavioral expectations, which, after all, is what an organizations culture should do. Many organizations and units within organizations use language as a way to identify members of a culture. By learning this language, me beers attest to their acceptance of the culture and their willingness to help to preserve it. For instance, Microsoft, the software company, has its own unique vocabulary: work judo (the art of deflecting a work assignment to someone else without making it appear that youre voiding it; eating your own dog food (a strategy of using your own software programs or products in the early stages as a way of testing them even if the process is disagreeable); flat food (goodies from the vending machine that can be slipped under the door to a colleague whos working feverishly on deadline); facsimile (actually talking to someone face-to-face; considered by Microsoft employees a technologically backward means of communicating); death march (the countdown to shipping a new product); and so on. Over time, organizations often develop unique terms to describe equipment, key response, suppliers, customers, or products that are related to their business. Managers are free intently overwhelmed with acronyms and jargon that, after a short period of time, become a natural part of their language. Once learned, this language acts as a common denominator that unites members of a given culture. When the financial health of a firm is strong, there is a tendency to expand managers activities such as training and development, employee assistance programs, and recreational activities. If the organization is growing, there is the possibility of expansion leading to manager recruitment, selection, and orientation. Conversely, when financial re sources are low, an organization tends to reduce its manager budget and to cut back the managers services it offers to its employees. The way in which work is organized affects interpersonal relations and in traction among employees within a work area. It influences the formation of in formal work groups and the degree of cooperation or conflict among managers. More and more, technological systems are being integrated with the social sys teems of an organization, creating what is referred to as a esthetically system. Job design is based on human as well as technological considerations.

Influences on the Declaration of Independence Research Paper

Influences on the Declaration of Independence - Research Paper Example Jefferson listed a number of grievances against King George III, implying that these could have been supposed, or actual circumstances regarded reliable means for complaint. The appointment of Jefferson into the drafting of the Declaration of Independence forms a strategic approach. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson’s friend, strived to have Thomas Jefferson appointed to the special team of the man-committee set to draft the declaration. The committee discussed the general outline of the declaration after which Thomas Jefferson was recommended to draft the declaration. Jefferson’s appointment took place in June 1776. Thomas Jefferson portrayed unique character traits which earned him credit in the sight other writers like John Adams. He is described to have had profound ideas and eloquent language. These features contributed to Jefferson’s selection as the preferred Declaration of Independence draftsman. Above the talent of Jefferson in writing, he had a successful history in writing. Some of the prior works included the Virginia Declaration of Rights. It was clear that the ideology regarding the independence was not appreciated by every colonist. While many held that British violated the basic rights, the witnessed violation did not add up to warrant a rebellion. Contention Congress did not take longer than one year to consider independence. It was after this consideration span that the first shots got fired at Concord and Lexington. â€Å"Magna Carta and Its America Legacy.† National Archives & Records Administration. Washington DC. 700 Pennsylvania Avenue N W. Retrieved on 14th October 2011 from . Liberty: â€Å"THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, CLASSROOM MATERIALS.† The Declaration of Independence An Analytical View. Retrieved on 13th October 2011 from . â€Å"The Glorious Revolution and the English Bill of

INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTS ( INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW) Essay

INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTS ( INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW) - Essay Example is put at 6% works out to a staggering figure of the US$ 420 million per year3 A bulk of this amount represents cost of using the documentary letter of credit. About 30 % of the import trade of the U.S. is paid through this letter of credit mode.4 The percentage of six as the transaction cost is not a small amount. Major portion of this cost is attributed to the return or refusal of the bankers involved at various stages of the routing of the documents from the importing end to the exporting end for reasons of accompanying documents not complying with the descriptions stipulated in the governing letters of credit. Although the ICC 5 sponsored UCP 5006 of 1993 governing the handling of the letter of credit during the course of transactions between the importers and exporters has recently been simplified by the UCP 600 7 in 2007 for hassle free transactions, it is still inadequate to keep pace with the fast paced transactions in the wake of electronic commerce that has emerged during t he last few decades. This paper seeks to highlight the various legal barriers that parties involved have to face in the documentation of the international trade, different modes of payments in practice including the documentary letter of credit and justify the need for a more favourable climate for documentation which can be more aptly called as negotiation of documents for collection of payments for goods and services supplied in the course of international trade. This is the predominant type of mode of payment for international transactions for goods and services which the UCP 600 (formerly UCP 500) is entirely devoted to. The payment is collected through the party usually a bank or two corresponding banks trusted by the buyer and seller. The buyer’s bank is the issuing bank and the seller’s bank is the confirming bank. Since the buyer and seller come from different legal jurisdictions banks are invariably different enjoying the confidence of the respective sides i.e the buyer

State-Church Issues in the Film Boenhoffer Dissertation

State-Church Issues in the Film Boenhoffer - Dissertation Example The paper "State-Church Issues in the Film Boenhoffer" identifies similar conflicts between the politics of the state and personal religious belief. The paper also discusses if in the film "Boenhoffer" given the odious nature of the Nazi regime the decision by Boenhoffer to resist the state is unlikely to be questioned or criticized.Bonhoeffer's do not resemble the religious and political extremists of the Middle East because his actions were aimed at ending an authoritarian rule as opposed to the Middle East Extremists who fight religion and extend the fight to the Christian related political ideologies. Adolf Hitler is known in history for murdering people, Jews, but the Middle East extremists fight the Christian ideologies that have never claimed lives like the Hitler’s regime. Therefore, Bonhoeffer's actions are not similar to the Middle East extremists of political insurgency.It is permissible to break the law when a political regime does not respect humanity and uses an authoritarian rule like the Adolf Hitler case. On the other hand, it is permissible to break the rule when the pursuance of religious scruples serves to protect human rights and as such, is directed towards denouncing inhumane acts. However, the danger of such sacrifices may result in severe penalties in the case of Bonhoeffer's prosecution and can comprise an individual’s personal liberty through imprisonment. The Gestapo used the statement to accuse Bonhoeffer of going against his religious belief.

Visual Literacy Essay Example for Free

Visual Literacy Essay Visual Literacy throughout the history of our world has been important; dating back to cave drawings and carvings, and developing all the way to automated street signs signaling vehicles when to slow, stop, or go. Visuals are a part of our daily lives today as much as they were at the beginning of man’s time-and other living beings’ time-and his, first ability to communicate, visually. Communication was not something that was first spoken or written, it was something shown or demonstrated; such as dance for instance, while someone else was viewing/watching, to portray a message or a feeling to that other person. Whether the Visual Literacy or communication is hand signals-similar to sign language, facial expressions-as simple as the way an individual winks at another individual today, a nod to another person, or something as complex as an artists’ message through a painting, sculpture, other, or not; Visual Literacy is and always will be the first mode of communication in the past, present, and future. Visual Literacy can be a considered a universal language because everybody, or most individuals understand pictures, drawings, artwork, or hand signals/sign language of today. â€Å"The only individuals who do not understand visuals are the blind community-however, this handicap is adapted by the body and other the other body senses become enhanced greatly† (B. Kennedy, 2010). Perhaps sign language varies throughout different regions of the world, but the basics will always be well-known, regardless. For example, pointing to oneself means me, no matter what country you are residing in. A simple sign such as this is a basic way to communicate, and is universal. If two individuals from different countries who did not understand each other were to sit down together and draw a picture of a house, hut, or dwelling of some sort; each individual would understand the drawing, or picture of a dwelling as a home. This is considered Visual Literacy, as well. These two individuals may not be speaking with their mouths, or sounds, but they are communicating with visuals. Brian Kennedy provides an excellent portrayal of what he believes Visual Literacy to be in today’s world. However, our text provides a wonderful explanation of Visual Literacy within the business world today as well, and between both of these resources is a wealth of information. Mr. Kennedy takes a very literal look at Visual Literacy- no pun intended. Kennedy believes that what we view each day through sight is a way that we can learn and communicate if we pay attention. Most of the time, however, we do not pay attention. In fact, he states, â€Å"everything we see is an image, but unless we connect cognition and memory, we do not remember what we see† (B.  Kennedy, 2010). We see hundreds of images everyday throughout our lives, but unless we have some connection to the image, we do not retain it. However, if we â€Å"slow-look, we can look, see, describe, analyze, and interpret or construct meaning† (B. Kennedy, 2010). As with this prior quote, Mr. Kennedy made many other interesting statements within his presentation. For instance, â€Å"we read non-text 60,000 times faster than written text,† and â€Å"90% of what we learn is taken in visually† (B. Kennedy, 2010). Regarding our text, and the definition provided regarding Visual Literacy compared to the video containing Brian Kennedy speaking about the subject, our text is more business oriented, or technically derived. The text this week seems to focus on the high-tech aspect of Visual Literacy. This includes television, billboards, computer images, etc. Also, there almost has to be a difference between the two definitions because one was presented visually, and the other was presented in a written format. Within the text, there are other terms for Visual Literacy, such as media literacy, for example. Also, within our text (W.Ryan, 2012), are two authors (Avgerinou and Ericson, 1997) featured who present this opinion of the definition of Visual Literacy along with 9 other definitions, but will not get into in this paper: â€Å"Visuals may be objects, events, actions, pictorial representations, nonverbal or digital symbols, written words, or numbers. They then argue that visual literacy refers to the use of visuals for communicating, thinking, learning, constructing meaning, creative expression, and aesthetic enjoyment. For example, supplementing a business meeting with visuals created in PowerPoint or Prezi communicate information in a manner alternative to the  spoken word, may engage visually literate audience members in critical thinking about the message, and help them learn more than they may have if they had only heard the message. When these media are used effectively and appropriately, they may stimulate creative thinking and generate affects or liking among audience members through the use of charts, graphs, audio, images, and video† (Avgerinou and Ericson, 1997). It seems that our text is much more technical as far as addressing the definition of Visual Literacy, than the video created by Brian Kennedy. Perhaps it seems that way because the definition that Brian Kennedy offers is visual, as well as audible, but it does seem that he offers a much easier explanation. Communication, through visuals such as photographs for example, have been a way of communicating across borders, oceans, and continents over the decades. One photograph that finds its way on a national magazine cover can convey much more than an entire book devoted to a certain topic. A wonderful example of this comes from our text this week, and that is The National Geographic cover of â€Å"Afghan Girl† that was the cover of the magazine when this girl featured was just 17. It touched many people, and many lives, enough for the photographer to search her out years later without even knowing her name. She was found, and reunited with the photographer, but how does a girl who did not want her picture taken to begin with, react to a huge worldwide reaction to her picture so many years ago, and now with so much attention? She never even knew, or saw her picture. That says quite a bit, as well, as far as Visual Literacy. Perhaps it does not reach as far as we think it does. Globally, perhaps we are not there yet, with our Visual Literacy-or, as easy of a definition, communicating visually. Perhaps we are still a bit Visually Illiterate when it comes to the way we want to portray others, our art, our people, or people from other countries. Also, we should be aware of the way that other countries present us visually. That is something that The United States has not really worried about too much, it seems. We find ourselves upon a pedestal at times and just burst in and start snapping pictures, or slapping paint, etc. The story regarding â€Å"The Afghan Girl† was a reminder of that. We, as a Great Big Beautiful, Wonderful, Intelligent Country believe that all of our media reaches every crevice in the entire world, yet it does not, by any means. We must be mindful of that, while still trying to see everything we are looking at†¦. References: Avgerinou, M. , Ericson, J. (1997). A Review of the Concept of Visual Literacy. British Journal of Educational Technology. Kennedy, B. (2010). Brian Kennedy’s TedTalk: Brian Kennedy: Visual Literacy and Why We Need It . Retrieved From: (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=OefLEpds5Is). Ryan, W. (2012). Visual literacy: learning to see. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Features of spoken English

Features of spoken English Task 2 Spoken discourse It is broadly accepted that spoken English has some features different from written English. Some scholars have generalized these characteristics. For example, Leech (2000) has put forward linguistic characteristics of the grammar of spoken English. Cornbleet and Carter (2001) also analysed certain features of spoken English. With the examples from the provided text1 and text2, some of these characteristics can be found and examined. Leech mentions one of the characteristics of the spoken language grammar: the use of personal pronouns which appears in both the two texts. Within the first text there are the first person I and the third person he frequently used; whereas the frequent pronouns are the first person I and the second person you in text 2. The use of substitutes and ellipsis also embody in the texts. In text1 line4 and line6, he can be viewed as a substitute of Doc Timm. Example of ellipsis can be found in text1 as well: in line 7 and I always remember putting that ether on me, the sender of giving the action of putting ether in the clause is omitted. Same ellipsis occurs in the next line. The sixth characteristic given by Leech, vague meaning can be seen in text2. Like that in line5 and line7 and that bit in line12 are rather vague expressions. Yet the lack of variety in word choice and the use of questions and imperatives are both distinct characteristics of spoken English. For example, in text1 the speaker uses took twice, putting and put respectively once. Text2 seems to be more obviously lacking the word variety: loop three times, twist twice, pull three times, which are frequently used and repeated with few alternatives. As for the imperatives and questions, many examples can be found in text2 as well. The speaker C keeps asking questions like That one?, Twist it? and so on, while speaker R answers with many operatives, for instance, line2, Then make it smaller in line6, Do a loop in line11, And then put your fingers out in line14. The eleventh one indicates that the discourse markers, response forms, and greetings are used in spoken English. As Cornbleet and Carter (2001) say discourse markers mark the beginning of a turn and the end of it (p.65). From text1, we can find that the speaker begins his monologue by a discourse marker So. A response form Yeah, thats it in line6 can be found. Subordinates, modals, adverbs are frequently used in spoken English. This characteristic is echoed by the examples from text. In line1 text1, who is in the clause as a subordinator. A lot of adverbs can be found in text2 as well. And then occurs all together seven times. Others include there in line4, just in line2. Hesitation, pauses, fillers and repeats are also common in spoken English. Pauses seem to be frequent in text2. In line2, there are two pauses. And others appear in line4, line6, line7, and line11. In line6 text2, Then make it smaller by pulling the stringby putting your fingers like that seems contain a hesitation between by pulling the string and by putting your fingers. From Cornbleet and Carters view, spoken English has a common feature that is deixis, which is used to orient the conversation and the listener (2001). The speaker C from the txet2 is trying to make sure his operation is right before move on through like that in line5 and line13 while this phrase would make a different sense outside this context. In text1, there is deixis as well. That ether appears in line7 and line9 specifying the unique item to the speaker. What is more, Cornbleet and Carter say that back-channelling signs in conversation indicate speakers attention. In the text2, Speaker C asks short questions in line5, line7 and line10 to ask for speaker Rs clarification and explanation. In spoken English, incomplete clauses and simple clauses are frequently used. Simple clauses such as I always remember in text1 and so its like crossed in text2 are commonly seen. Meanwhile, an incomplete clause so its can be found in line2 of text2. Task 4 Grammar The analysis is problematic in the eighth sentence which can be divided differently by two means. The difference lies in how to deal with the preposition phrase at the next full moon. It can be divided into the previous clause, or be divided as a separate adverbial. The meanings are subtle: for the former, we might start waiting and looking forward from now; but for the latter, it means that we may just start waiting for something to happen at that certain time, the next full moon. In a traditional EFL grammar, verbs are examined and discussed a lot. Swan (1995 p. 606) claims that different verbs can be followed by different kinds of word and structure. Some structures can be found in those given sentences. For example, some verbs can be followed by other verb structures. Jack seems to have been killed in sentence 5 embodies that structure: the first verb seem does not show the subject Jack does, while the following verb infinitive gives the real information. About the passive voice, sentence 2, 3 and 5 can be used as examples. Moreover, the first sentence is a good example of showing the relation of apposition which is common between two noun phrases in which David Kessler and Jack Goodman is the appositive. And within sentence 7, a relative clause that attacked them is embedded in the first simple sentence of this compound sentence. According to Hopper, there is a tendency of verbal dispersal in discourse grammar. One of the expanded verb expressions in English formulation is like this: one of a small set of common verbs with a noun denoting an action (1997 p. 97). Makes a terrifying visit in sentence 6 can fit this, containing a common verb make with a noun visit illustrating the action. There is also a preference for extended verbal expression (Hopper, 1997). For example, are backpacking around in sentence1 and seems to have been killed in sentence 5, may fall prey to in sentence 7. In those eight sentences few have solitary verbs, except sentence4 containing a single verb sees following the inanimate subject morning seemingly de-personalized. Jackson values the notion pattern which is important to our conception of grammar and especially when we consider the syntactic cooperation of individual words (Jackson, 2003 p. 156). According to Hunston and Francis, a pattern is description of the behavior of a lexical item, or one of the behaviours of that item, as evidenced in a record of large amounts of language use ( Jackson, 2003 p. 156, reprinted from Pattern Grammar: A corpus-Driven Approach to the Lexical Grammar of English (2000) ). There are two aspects which pattern grammar explores: each different syntactic structure of a word is associated with a different meaning; and words with similar syntactic structures tend to have related meanings. With regard to the first aspect, examples can be found in the given sentences. In sentence 2, the first welcoming appears in a preposition phrase followed by Yorkshire inn which is a place name; whereas the second one is followed by locals referring a group of people. Within different syntactic structure, their meanings differ: the first welcoming means not friendly to someone who is visiting or arriving, yet the second one means unattractive and discomfortable to be somewhere. Thus their slight difference can be seen. Similarly, another example, sees in sentence 4 is used after an inanimate subject of time morning and before an object modified by a preposition phrase which indicates a event; see in sentence 8 appears in a verb phrase after wait and before a nominal clause which indicates something in future. Their meaning difference also exits: the first sees means to be the time when something happens while the second see referring to figuring out something by waiting. Task 6 Lexis According to Lewis, a collocation is a predictable combination of words and he judges that some combinations may be very highly predictable from one of the component words (2000 p. 51). Moreover, as he mentions that all collocations are idiomatic and all phrasal verbs and idioms are collocations or contain collocations (2000 p. 51). Some examples from the given text can support his view to a large extent. In line 1, the collocation at the age of twelve is an example. People can easily tell which kind of words should be after of, because it is predictable as the existed rest parts, especially the noun age. Some place names as set combinations are highly predictable. For instance, Gold Gate Park in line 12 and Speckels Lake in line 11 and San Francisco in line 16 are predictable particularly to those local people who are familiar with the places. To most people, it is also easy to predict one of the collocation willow tree and park bench in line 19. Many other collocations are viewed so common that they hardly seem worth remarking upon (Lewis, 2000 p. 51). A lot of common collocations can be found in the given text, like look back in line 6, a pair of eyes in line16, look(ed) up in line 21, early-afternoon sun in line 12. These common collocations are abundant in peoples daily speaking and are regarded as natural combination or gathering. According to Lewiss suggestive way, collocations basically can be divided into several types, many of which can be seen in the text: adjctive+noun, like a frigid overcast day in line 1; noun+noun, for instance, willow tree in line 19; verb+adjective+noun, like remember the precise moment; verb+adverb, like look back in line 6; verb+preposition+noun, like propelled by a crisp breeze in line 13. With regard to metaphor, it is defined as understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another conceptual domain in the cognitive view (K?vecses, 2007 p. 4). The two domains are known as the source domain and the target domain. Knowles and Moon give us the definition which examines the language use of resemblance or make a connection between the literary meaning and its figurative meaning (2006 p. 3). As an excerpt from a literature work, this text contains several metaphors. For instance, Because the past claws its way out. in line 6 falls into the category of metaphor. The writer compares his past to an animal, endowing his past experience and memory some characteristics of living creature so that them can claw its way out which they originally cannot. In line 14, red with long blue tails, soaring in the sky is also a metaphor. The writer compares the kites to certain animals perhaps birds so that it has tails and can soar. The next long sentence is full of metaphors. In They danced, he compares the kites to human beings enabling them to dance which is traditionally used for human. Floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco also contains metaphors. Here looking down indicates that the writer compares the kite to a living creature with eyes so that they would be able to looking down. From a holistic view, it is natural to conclude that the metaphors i n this excerpt tend to associate the kite(s) with the domain of living things. Sinclair illustrates the idiom principle as language user has available to him or her a large number of semi-preconstructed phrases that constitute single choices, even though they might appear to be analysable into segments (1991 p. 111). He also shows that it is complementary to the open-choice model for explaining how meaning arises from language. Many phrases allow internal lexical variation is one of the features of the idiom principle according to Sinclair (1991 p. 111). Examples from the given text can be found. glanced up in line13 and looked up in line21 seem to be close both in form and meaning with little space to choose between them. There is also little to choose between I became what I am today in line1 and the phrase made me what I am today in line23. Another feature of the idiom principle is many uses of words and phrases attract other words in strong collocation (Sinclair, 1991 p. 112); for instance, look back in line6, look down in line16, and look up in line 21 show that look has this feature. And repeated appearance of a pair of:a pair of kites in line14 together with a pair of eyes in line16, demonstrates this phrase also has this feature. What is more, according to Sinclair (1991 p.112) many uses of words and phrases show a tendency to occur in a certain semantic environment. For example, the phrase peek into is often associated with some secret scenes and in this text it does connected with this scene the alley near the frozen creek or the deserted alley where something miserable happens. Task 7 Register and genre It is generally believed that variation based on the use of language and variation based on the user of language are two main types of language variations (Gregory 1967, cited in Ghadessy 1994 p. 288). Register, to be exact, here stands for the variation based on the use of language (Ghadessy, 1994 p. 288). Halliday (1978, cited in Ghadessy 1994 p. 288) terms register with three variables known as field, mode and tenor: Types of linguistic situation differ from one another, broadly speaking, in three respects: first, as regards what actually is taking place; secondly, as regards what part the language is playing; and thirdly, as regards who is taking part. These three variables, taken together, determine the range within which meanings are selected and the forms which are used for their expression. In other words, they determine the register. Painter describes that the field can be seen as the cultural activity or subject matter with which the speaker/writers are concerned (2001 p. 173). The given text concerns introducing and crucially promoting selling a town house which is non-technical. This field to a great extent determines the used vocabulary and some grammatical features of the language. The text producer needs to persuade his potential customers to buy the house therefore a friendly and unbiased manner is popular and demanded. The inanimate subject sentences are used throughout the whole text, together with short phrases like marked by and Cricketers Green, Yeadon. In this way, the text producer seems to be objective in his persuasion; meanwhile language is concise and clear with those short phrases. Certainly, many house related words are used in this text, like vestibule, kitchen, garden and parking place. Tenor refers to the social relations between the interactions in any discourse (Painter, 2001 p.174), which determines the level of formality and the level of technicality of the language to a great extent. In terms of the tenor, the given text involves the advertisement producer/marketing person and his potential customers; they are in a relationship of persuading and to be persuaded. His language is not casual but formal. It can be seen from the imperative mood Phone the agent which seems commanding and cold. This is relatively formal because their social distance is not short: the advertisement producer who has already known most information about the house whereas readers have not. The marketing person needs to inform and persuade others who have not the same common share with him. Meanwhile, there are almost no technical words within the text which can cause barriers in readers understanding as most are common words. Mode is deemed as the medium of communication, in particular whether it is spoken or written, which will have far-reaching effects on the language used (Painter 2001 p. 175). Obviously, the mode of this given print text is written not spoken. The use of inanimate subjects in sentences, like The accommodation incorporates a number of attributes, is a feature of written language. According to Allison, genre which traditionally serves to indicate different kinds of literary and artistic works has been introduced and expanded to identify classes of language use and communication in all areas of life (1999 p. 144). Swales (1990) put forward some important features of examples of genres; some of them are worth mentioning here. For instance, the given text belongs to the category of advertisement in terms of specific name for genre. The purpose of the text can be identified as informing and prompting a sale of the house to potential customers. It is connected with certain discourse community, here referring to the community of people who are looking for a property. Bhatia (1998) advances seven moves within a structure used by writers for product promotion in business settings. Further, he develops a specific move structure in advertisements (2007). A series of the feature structure moves can be found within this text. Although it is short, the schematic structure of this text is clear and straightforward to readers. A striking headline which specifies the name, location and price of the house to be sold in bold tells makes people notice it is relevant with estate sales; a companied photo demonstrating the appearance of the house can be seen as a move of offering product, moreover, the eye-catching photo may also stimulate readers to read more or even consider to buy; the following part seems equivalent to soliciting response which lists the marketing person and the contact details including the agent phone number in strikingly bold which is necessary for getting potential customers response as well as for the advertisement producer to achieve h is final goal to sell the house; the last part, product details as well as the positive evaluation, which contains the detailed introduction of the house is for readers consideration thus can be regarded as essential detailing and indicating values of the offer in introducing the offer phase. References ALLISON, D. 1999. Genre, ELT Journal, vol. 53 no 2, pp 144. Bhatia, V. K. 1998. Analysing Genre: language use in professional setting, London New York: Longman Bhatia, V. K. 2007. Words of Written Discourse, London: Continuum. Cornbleet, S. R. Carter. 2001. The Language of Speech and Writing. London: Routledge. Ghadessy, M. 1994. Key concepts in ELT: Register, ELT Journal, vol. 48 no 3, pp 288-289. HOPPER, P. J. Discourse and the category verb in English. Language and Communication, vol.17 no 2, pp 93-102. Jackson, H. 2002. Grammar and Vocabulary: a resource book for students. London New York: Routledge. Knowles, M. R. Moon. 2006. Introducing Metaphor. London New York: Routledge. K?vecses, Z. 2002. Metaphor: a practical introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. LEECH, G. 2000. Grammar of Spoken English: New outcomes of Corpus-Oriented Research. Language Learning, vol.50 no 4, pp 675-724. Lewis, M. ed. 2000. 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