Consumption Function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumption Function - Essay Example In technical language, consumption is a function of (determined by) income. This relationship between consumption and income is termed as 'consumption function' or 'propensity to consume'. Keynes (1936) believes this relationship to be 'a fairly stable function'. At an empirical level, consumption function portrays a schedule of various amount of consumption expenditure corresponding to different levels of income. As can be seen in Table 1, when the consumer's income is $0, the consumer spends $60 either from his/her past savings. When the consumer's income is $100, the corresponding level of consumption is $150, which indicates that the consumer's income is inadequate to meet the expenditure. It is only when the consumer's income reaches $250 that the consumption equals income. Until this equilibrium point consumption exceeds income leading to negative saving, and beyond that point the consumer's income exceeds expenditure resulting in positive savings. In Figure 1, income is measured on the X axis and expenditure on the Y axis. The unity line C= Y, which is basically a 450 line, presents a scenario that consumption corresponds to income at all levels of income. The C curve is a non-linear consumption function based on the assumption that consumption increases by a decreasing amount. Its upward slope to the right indicates that consumption is an increasing function of Income. Types of consumption functions: Depending on the consumption pattern of a consumer, the actual functional form of the equation can be linear with a constant slope or curvilinear with a changing slope. 1. A linear consumption function beginning from the origin can be written as C = bY where C = Consumption expenditure, Y = Income and 'b' represents the fraction of income which is spent on consumption, and it represents the slope of the consumption function. 2. A linear consumption function beginning at an intercept can be written as: C = a + bY, where C represents consumption expenditure, Y is income, 'a' stands for the intercept and 'b' symbolizes the slope. The intercept 'a' measures the amount of consumption when income is zero. The value of intercept 'a' is positive, and it is conceptually referred to as 'autonomous consumption'. The term 'autonomous consumption' is used to explain the situation in which the consumer's consumption is unrelated to the level of income (Begg et al 1997). As presented in Table 1 as well as Figure 1, when consumer's income is zero, the consumption expenditure accounts for $60, which is described as 'autonomous consumption' since it is not related to the level of consumer's income. 3. A nonlinear consumption function beginning from the origin can be written as: C = bYn, where n is a positive constant

To the board of the Renaissance University Essay Example for Free

To the board of the Renaissance University Essay I am writing this recommendation letter on behalf of Adam Levine. Adam’s life revolves around his band and music. The experience and passion Adam holds are powerful qualities in his favor. He is a zealous music coach and musician. He helps his students and team on The Voice by inspiring them and pushing them to sing outside of their comfort zone and to explore different genres. He challenges young musicians and singers to grow as artists and helps them explore who they are as performers. Adam is young and talented himself, and because of that he communicates well with younger students. Adam Levine is a well-rounded, independent person. Not only is Adam famous for his musical talents he has branched out into television, starting from a comedic role on Saturday Night Live to his fulltime role as a judge on the reality show The Voice. Adam has struggled his whole life with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He started a world-wide project known as â€Å"The Own It Project†, which is his way of encouraging young adults and adults to tell their story about how they deal with ADHD. Adam also is a big supporter of lesbian and gay rights (LGBT) and strongly believes it is something you are born with. His brother, Michael, is openly gay which the family has known about since Michael was two years old. Adam Levine has worked hard to gain confidence and overcome an in-born shyness he had since he was a little boy. His love of music, family, and friends has shaped him to be the man he is today. Adam now exhibits a personality so lively and outgoing that people are enamored by his entertaining qualities. In my eyes Adam has a very gentle personality. People are drawn to him, because he radiates warmth and a caring nature. Adam is the peacemaker on The Voice, always making an effort to find the good in the contestant’s performances, rather than being too critical of their mistakes. People sense Adams desire for a loving and spiritual environment. Adam may not have had strength when he was younger for the music business, but he has proved himself to be able to do anything he sets his mind to. Yours truly, ______________

Analysis Of Story Of An Hour English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Story Of An Hour English Literature Essay Kate Chopin (1851-1904) did a story that gets into the readers mind and moods. Freedom is a pleasure that is extremely forbidden, and none should think about it in public. Despite its shortness, the storys every word has a truest sense of meaning and plays a role in making it complete. The protagonist in this story is Mrs. Mallard or Louise who has a problem with her heart. Her husband, Brently Mallard, passes on, and the news have to be delivered to her in one of the gentle most manners due to her fragile heart (Berkove 152). Louises sister, Josephine and Richards, a friend of Brently, delivers the news. Both Richard and Josephine are unsure of how to break the news to Louise considering her fragile heart. Louise breaks down in grief upon hearing the news and retreats into her bedroom to think of her newfound freedom in privacy. She prays for a long life so that she can savor the fruits of being free only to be called by her Josephine. After getting out, Brently Mallard opens the do or and gets in; Louise screams upon seeing her husband and passes on due to the enormous joy of getting and loosing freedom (Jamil 220). This essay illustrates the causes the alienation that the Louise feels during her married life. Louise feels alienated in her marriage. Her main source of alienation is culture-driven whereby women give in to the decision of man. In many marriages, the man is considered the head of the household. Their decision and action is usually final; thus, the woman feels like the second party that is very dependent on man. This makes a woman feel like she is chained to the other party or the husband by religious vows or society. The other source of alienation is religion especially Christianity. Most religions often put the man at the head. If something good comes from a family, the man is appraised but, if it is bad, the woman is reprimanded. Religion somehow represses the freedom of a woman. A man can get out and engage in illicit behavior while the wife is at home; being faithful and waiting. If she discovers, the woman is told to forgive but, if it is the woman who engaged in illicit behavior, the man could threaten death, divorce or anything. This uneven ground is the source of estr angement for most women like Louise who are in marriage or trying to respect and uphold the institution of marriage. In this story, the perception of status greatly affects the behavior of Louise. Although she is estranged in her marriage, she cannot express herself in public. She has to pretend to be grief-stricken and has to retreat into privacy to think about her newfound freedom. Status is a thing that is created and imposed by society against the will of man. Louise stays in her marriage because she fears how society will look at her. She cannot walk out on her marriage to be free because she innately considers society. She cannot say exclaim with joy upon receiving the news of her husbands death because this will be contrary to societys expectations. Josephine and Richard also try to do what society expects of them; delivering the news in the softest manner possible (Berkove 153). As Brently walks in, Richard tries to shield Louise from seeing her husband in order to protect her fragile heart fro getting a heart attack. All these characters try tot live by the status that has been set by soci ety and not by their own jurisdictions. In this story, Louise plays the role of loss of freedom in marriage. Josephine and Richard play the role of society in the story. They deliver news and somehow check if Louise has received the information and reacted in accordance to how society states. The presence of Richard and Josephine is a representation of society, and they force Louise to retreat into her bedroom to think about her newfound freedom. This implies that, to act against the expectation of society is a thing that can only be done in private. The metaphor à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦delicious breath of rain in the air, peddler crying his wares, clouds piled one above the otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ refer to the taste of independence that comes with the death of a spouse (Jamil 217). This is very common in the popular culture since according to the wedding vows it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦till death does us part. This implies that Louise is free! Relationship problems in Louises marriage make her wish for the taste of freedom. It is obvious that, in marriage, there has to be compromise, and the looser is always the wife. Loss of freedom in marriage is what makes everything to go wrong. However, society and family are ever on pronging into the marriage to see that the people stay married. This is what makes many people estranged because almost everyone wants the marriage to work contrary to personal wish. Louise somehow celebrates the death of her husband. Most people especially family could label this as opting for the wrong path. Death is not something that people wish for and enjoying the freedom that comes with the death of a spouse is seen as very wrong in society. The enjoyment reflects relationship problems that were in the marriage before one spouse died. Josephine and Richard act as representations of society. They try to protect Louise from reality that her husband is alive which is wrong. I sympathize with Louise because of the path she has chosen. Although she celebrates her loss, she should know that life without companionship is empty and hard. At times, ever person needs comfort, which is a tonic in the ever stressing life. Society and its representatives like religion and the institution of marriage is faulted in this story. Religion plays the role of keeper, and shapes values and norms. With the help of close family and friends, marriages are coerced to stay even when they are failing as people bid their time and wait for the death of their partner. In this story, the irony is that the gain and loss of freedom cause too much joy until the protagonist, Louise dies. There is a conflict in what Richard and Josephine believe in. In real life, they think that Louise will be so saddened by the news; and she may have a heart attack (Jamil 215). They fantasize the way she will weep, get into trauma at upon receiving the news. On the contrary, Louise finds happiness in the news. It is unreal that a woman will rejoice at the death of her husband and prays for a long life to enjoy her freedom. This fantasy does not happen in reality. If a spouse loose husband or wife, they are sad and life is never the same. It is also unreal that a man confirmed dead by two messages could be alive. This could be true but it has the least probability of occurring in real life. It is also unreal that the joy Louise has of seeing her husband is what causes her heart attack. Perhaps the sorrow (of being bound forever) sends her to the grave (Jamil 220). Nature and society makes women or girls to be victims. Their fate is usually dictated by society and nature. Everything in society seems to reinforce the weakness of women. They are bound to relationships, marriages that are strenuous just for the society to be satisfied. They have to go by what society wants or else they are ostracized. Education tries to free women but, men and society will always put them back in their place where they have to give in to societal demands. This is represented by the fact that Louise thinks freely in privacy. She has to mourn upon receiving the news of her husbands death. In addition, she knows that she will have to cry upon seeing her husbands body so that society can sympathize with her loss. This story does not effectively show the way men become victims of society. However, when they fail to provide their women with a good life (flashy car, beautiful home, bright and healthy children, advance their career). Whenever they fail to go into these expectations, they are labeled as failures by society. Men who are divorced are labeled as failures. Both men and women fear failed marriages and people like Mallard try to enforce their will to make everything in marriage to work. In so doing, the will of the woman is completely lost making her feel lost. The moral issues that arise in this story are; rejoicing in loss, freedom in death and the evilness of marriage. Louise rejoices the loss of her husband. Divorced people are not welcome in society, and through the death of a spouse, people accept you. This shows the wrongness of society. It does not want anyone to be free from its standards. It is evil to rejoice in the death of a person but in this case, Louise celebrates her newfound freedom thus indirectly rejoicing in the death of her husband.

Malvolio in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night Essay -- Malvolio Will

Malvolio in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night The problem involving Malvolio in Twelfth Night has been known for a long time but still very difficult. The gist of it is this. A lot of modern readers or spectators feel that the way in which Malvolio is treated is extremely bad. We expect him to become the centre of humour; we know that in the business of comedy, a very puritanical and rather joyless figure is likely to receive comedic humiliation; but in this case the humiliation that Malvolio gets, seems protracted and harsh. The harshness of Malvolio's treatment seemed to also have a negative effect on the ending, his attitude seemed to cloud the joyful atmosphere. We could argue that Malvolio bought this mistreatment on himself and perhaps deserved it after his bad treatment of the other characters; In some way Malvolio thought that he had superiority over Feste and as a result treated him unsympathetically and intolerantly. He also put Feste down repeatedly. Malvolio was also a killjoy and during the play ...

Is Christmas Pagan?

As every year draws to an end, so the atmosphere of Christmas starts to fill the air. The 25th of December is a day that has caught the heart of most Christians and filled it with gratitude- for it is said – that it is the day that Jesus Christ was born. It is marked on calendars as a public holiday, but it is written on hearts as a celebration of the birth of our savior. It is the time when families and friends gather together, bearing gifts for one another and where feelings of love are evident and friendships are strong. But, what if Christmas is not what it appears to be? What if we just imagine it to be this great celebration of Jesus birth, but in reality Jesus Christ was not in Christmas at all? There is a snare inside this honeycomb we call Christmas. It lays dormant, unseen, it appears harmless, and when one partakes in it, it tastes sweet in the mouth but is really bitter in the spirit. The following essay will emphasis the pros and cons of what hides behind Christmas, and will explain the roots of the traditions, rituals and celebrations that people practice over Christmas. If Christmas is not the birth of Christ, then where did it come from and what does it mean? Allow me to show how and where it all started. The celebration of Christ’s birth was not even a consideration until the third century. It was only about AD 350 when a Roman Catholic, Pope Julius I, decided to introduce the celebration of Christmas as the birth of Christ, and then the thought of honoring Christ’s birth materialized into a documented festival. Why would a Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, choose December the 25th to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ? Scripture reveals that Christ was not even born in December, as shown In Luke 2:8 when the three shepherds saw the star signaling the place of Christ’s birth they were â€Å"abiding in the field keeping watch of their sheep by night†. If it had been December, they probably would not have been sleeping in the field because of the severity of the winters in Palestine at that particular time of year. Pope Julius I also knew that the transition of Paganism to Christendom was hard. He decided to find a compromise – a gray area. He knew that if only he could chisel away at the righteousness of the Christian faith, then he could bridge the gulf between Paganism and Christianity. So herein he found an answer. Pope Julius I strategically set Christ’s birthday on the 25th of December so that the Babylonians would feel accepted as they worshipped the birth of their messiah, Tammuz. The Romans would feel able to participate for they too were worshipping Saturn, and the Egyptians would feel comfortable as they worshipped the rebirth of Mithra. This was the only way that Christians would not feel excluded from their surrounding community but be able to participate in the celebration and festivals. Were they right? Christmas traditions bear their roots in Babylon, as I will explain a little futher. As the Babylonians would worship and honor the son of the Babylonian Queen of heaven, Tammuz (the Babylonian Messiah) they used certain rituals, which later were adopted by the church and established as Christmas traditions. In Babylon their celebration was known as the winter solstice festival. It was recognized by the thrill of having parties, feasts, and the privilege of giving gifts to one another. Every family would cut down an evergreen tree – they would kill the tree and decorate it as a way of commemorating the premature death of Tammuz. The Catholic Church adopted this Pagan tradition of cutting trees as well as decorating them. This act being contrary to scripture, as described in Jeremiah 10:1-5, â€Å"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workmen, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammers, that it move not†. One of the other traditions that were held during the Babylonian celebration was the burning of candles on the night before the celebrations began, in Catholicism one of the watermarks of Christmas is burning candles around the house on Christmas Eve. Babylon was not the only nation that contributed to the forming of Christmas and its traditions, but Rome also played a considerable part in this merge. The Romans used the 25th as a time to honor their agricultural god, Saturn. They called their holiday Saturnalia. The purpose of Saturnalia was to celebrate, and thank the god’s for the coming summer. Every year when the days shortened, Romans, had no way of knowing if the days were going to lengthen again. When the days lengthened in December they saw it as a sign of the end of winter – the mercy of Saturn, the god of agriculture. This lengthening would allow them to prepare for the planting season. They had decided to use the time to commemorate and celebrate the mercy of their god – thus festivities began. Saturnalia’s practices such as dancing and singing naked in the streets became caroling and singing house to house on Christmas evening. Merrymaking and feasting, became the Christmas lunches and dinners practiced by so many Christian families each Christmas. The exchanging of good-luck gifts in Rome are the gifts we see under the Christmas trees today. Romans would deck their homes and doors with boughs of greenery and candles and today the Christmas practice is the decorating of our homes with lights, wreaths and mistletoe. The mistletoe was considered a sacred plant. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe began a ritual to bring fertility to the couple. Holly berries associated with Christmas cakes and also in the decorations were really thought of as the food of the gods. In northern Europe the pagans celebrated their own winter solstice, which they called Yule. The word Yule means â€Å"wheel,† which is a pagan symbol for the sun. Yule was symbolic for Mithras (the sun god’s) birth, which was believed to be on the shortest day of the year. The thought was as Mithras grew so the days because longer, and his ability to warm them became stronger. In all hopes to encourage Mithras to reappear the following year, it was customary to burn Yule logs to represent the warmth that the sun gives. In modern day Europe they still burn logs on the fire. It was also traditional to light candles to signify the light that the sun produces. The question that looms over this essay is, â€Å"Is Christmas a truly Pagan Festival? I will say a definite yes! It is clear, that because Christmas has been a worldwide tradition for so long but the clarity of its roots have long been forgotten The very thought of the celebration of Christ’s birth was not an idea that originated from any form of scriptural background at all, but it materialized from a Pope seeking to dilute the pureness of the Christian faith with Pagan trad itions. This is a pure compromise – a huge compromise! I have shown the heresy of Christmas and the detachment that Christians should have from it. Anything that tries to reduce the magnitude, r detract from the holiness of Christ, cannot be from the spirit of Christ and therefore it must be the spirit of the antichrist. If something is held up by the pillars Paganism, supported by the beams of the spirit of antichrist, then it cannot be for Christians to partake in. The scripture in Jeremiah 7:17-20 says â€Å"Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the father’s fondle the fire, and the woman knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke to anger? † says the Lord. â€Å"Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces†? The refusal of Christians to recognize the importance of relinquishing demonic association is a powerful indicator that the Christian world has gone astray, and forsaken the truth that once burned in the hearts of men. The Lord says, â€Å" My spirit will not always strive with a man†. We should not fight God, but rather be quick to submit to his word lest we do not see ourselves start to fall away. We must be careful that by taking part in Christmas we are not paying tribute the false gods that birthed this tradition.

5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer

5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer 5 Secrets to a Successful Collaboration with a Designer Kathy Strahs is the award-winning author of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, and the founder of Burnt Cheese Press. Her work has been featured on Oprah.com, TODAY.com, and numerous national publications. She lives with her husband and their two children in Silicon Valley. In this article, she shares  the five top reasons why her recent collaboration with a book designer went  above and beyond her expectations in getting her book just right.Even before they peruse the content itself, people first notice and compliment how The Lemonade Stand Cookbook looks. It’s bright, bold, and engaging throughout - everything I hoped it would be when I first embarked on the project. My goal for this book   - the third I’ve written, and the second I’ve published under Burnt Cheese Press - was to inspire and empower kids to start cooking, get crafty, and become entrepreneurs. I knew that the cover and interior design were the most important means of conveying these themes to readers, and it would take a designer with a special skill set to get them just right. "The cover is the most important means of conveying the theme of my book to readers." @KathyStrahs I feel extremely fortunate to have found Paula Riley through Reedsy, not only for her enviable talent but also for her initiative, commitment, work ethic, and overall personability. Paula and I were very successful in our collaboration on The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, and now that the project is complete I’ve had a chance to reflect on what I believe made it work so well. Arguably, Paula’s most significant above-and-beyond initiative was her recommendation to hire an illustrator. I’d initially considered taking step-by-step photos for each of the 44 lemonade stand recipes and crafts in the book, but time constraints simply weren’t going to allow it (I also wear the photographer hat for my books, and I was completely out of bandwidth). Hiring an illustrator would take our recipe and craft pages to the next level, but it also would add a layer of complexity for Paula’s role, in terms of art direction, coordination, and layout. Like I said before, she was committed to giving her best to this project. Meshing perfectly with Paula’s colorful, graphical style, Carol Yoshizumi’s beautiful step-by-step illustrations became a unique, core feature of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook of which I’m immensely proud. When you collaborate  with someone who goes above and beyond, you yield extraordinary results. Publishers Weekly praised our â€Å"polished design† in a recent review of The Lemonade Stand Cookbook, which was much-appreciated validation for this independently-published endeavor. Paula’s skills and expertise were a perfect match for this project from the start, and our collaborative approach, open communication, and shared commitment to excellence led us to success.The Lemonade Stand Cookbook  is available on Amazon.Please  share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Kathy and Paula, in the comments below!

The CIA

The CIA The Central Intelligence Agency has remained on the front lines of American foreign policy for more than 50 years. The CIA's mission is to provide accurate and timely intelligence to the President and other leaders to prevent terrorism as well as to protect national security. Over the past few years the CIA has received some negative attention for both September 11th and the war in Iraq. While its failures are harshly criticized, many of the successes are never known. They work behind closed doors of our government, and the truth is, we don't know all that much about them (Wiki).The United States has been involved with espionage since its creation, the revolutionary war was known for having hundreds of spies. However, a espionage organization was never created, because the Army had always handled intelligence gathering. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941, and the country entered World War II, government officials soon realized that wars were won by those with the best in formation.Deputy Director of Central Intelligence addressed ...The government then created the department was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). By end of the war the Soviet Union emerged as its rival and the Cold War got underway. The need for foreign intelligence was greater than ever. "Donovan, the creator of the OSS, proposed that the OSS be demilitarized and become an independent central agency responsible for all matters of intelligence gathering. (Wiki)" In 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act, which creating the CIA."The CIA is the United States foreign intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to various branches of the U.S. government. (Wiki)" They gather information and conduct secret operations to protect national security. It is there job to analyze information from all U.S. intelligence agencies,

Learn More About the History of the United States Postal Service

Learn More About the History of the United States Postal Service On July 26, 1775, members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, agreed . . . that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United States, who shall hold his office at Philadelphia, and shall be allowed a salary of 1,000 dollars per annum . . . . That simple statement signaled the birth of the Post Office Department, the predecessor of the United States Postal Service and the second oldest department or agency of the present United States of America. Colonial TimesIn early colonial times, correspondents depended on friends, merchants, and Native Americans to carry messages between the colonies. However, most correspondence ran between the colonists and England, their mother country. It was largelyto handle this mail that, in 1639, the first official notice of a postal service in the colonies appeared. The General Court of Massachusetts designated Richard Fairbanks tavern in Boston as the official repository of mail brought from or sent overseas, in line with the practice in England and other nations to use coffee houses and taverns as mail drops. Local authorities operated post routes within the colonies. Then, in 1673, Governor Francis Lovelace of New York set up a monthly post between New York and Boston. The service was of short duration, but the post riders trail became known as the Old Boston Post Road, part of todays U.S. Route 1. William Penn established Pennsylvanias first post office in 1683. In the South, private messengers, usually slaves, connected the huge plantations; a hog head of tobacco was the penalty for failing to relay mail to the next plantation. Central postal organization came to the colonies only after 1691 when Thomas Neale received a 21-year grant from the British Crown for a North American postal service. Neale never visited America. Instead, he appointed Governor Andrew Hamilton of New Jersey as his Deputy Postmaster General. Neales franchise cost him only 80 cents a year but was no bargain; he died heavily in debt, in 1699, after assigning his interests in America to Andrew Hamilton and another Englishman, R. West. In 1707, the British Government bought the rights to the North American postal service from West and the widow of Andrew Hamilton. It then appointed John Hamilton, Andrews son, as Deputy Postmaster General of America. He served until 1721 when he was succeeded by John Lloyd of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1730, Alexander Spotswood, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia, became Deputy Postmaster General for America. His most notable achievement probably was the appointment of Benjamin Franklin as postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737. Franklin was only 31 years old at the time, the struggling printer and publisher of  The Pennsylvania Gazette. Later he would become one of the most popular men of his age. Two other Virginians succeeded Spotswood: Head Lynch in 1739 and Elliot Benger in 1743. When Benger died in 1753, Franklin and William Hunter, postmaster of Williamsburg, Virginia, were appointed by the Crown as Joint Postmasters General for the colonies. Hunter died in 1761, and John Foxcroft of New York succeeded him, serving until the outbreak of the Revolution. During his time as a Joint Postmaster General for the Crown, Franklin effected many important and lasting improvements in the colonial posts. He immediately began to reorganize the service, setting out on a long tour to inspect post offices in the North and others as far south as Virginia. New surveys were made, milestones were placed on principal roads, and new and shorter routes laid out. For the first time, post riders carried mail at night between Philadelphia and New York, with the travel time shortened by at least half. In 1760, Franklin reported a surplus to the British Postmaster General , a first for the postal service in North America. When Franklin left office, post roads operated from Maine to Florida and from New York to Canada, and mail between the colonies and the mother country operated on a regular schedule, with posted times. In addition, to regulate post offices and audit accounts, the position of surveyor was created in 1772; this is considered the precursor of todays Postal Inspection Service. By 1774, however, the colonists viewed the royal post office with suspicion. Franklin was dismissed by the Crown for actions sympathetic to the cause of the colonies. Shortly after, William Goddard, a printer and newspaper publisher (whose father had been postmaster of New London, Connecticut, under Franklin) set up a Constitutional Post for inter-colonial mail service. Colonies funded it by subscription, and net revenues were to be used to improve the postal service rather than to be paid back to the subscribers. By 1775, when the Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, Goddards colonial post was flourishing, and 30 post offices operated between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Williamsburg. Continental Congress After the Boston riots in September 1774, the colonies began to separate from the mother country. A Continental Congress was organized at Philadelphia in May 1775 to establish an independent government. One of the first questions before the delegates was how to convey and deliver the mail. Benjamin Franklin, newly returned from England, was appointed chairman of a Committee of Investigation to establish a postal system. The report of the Committee, providing for the appointment of a postmaster general for the 13 American colonies, was considered by the Continental Congress on July 25 and 26. On July 26, 1775, Franklin was appointed Postmaster General, the first appointed under the Continental Congress; the establishment of the organization that became the United States Postal Service nearly two centuries later traces back to this date. Richard Bache, Franklins son-in-law, was named Comptroller, and William Goddard was appointed Surveyor. Franklin served until November 7, 1776. Americas present Postal Service descends in an unbroken line from the system he planned and placed in operation, and history rightfully accords him major credit for establishing the basis of the postal service that has performed magnificently for the American people. Article IX of the Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, gave Congress The sole and exclusive right and power . . . establishing and regulating post offices from one State to another . . . and exacting such postage on papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office . . . . The first three Postmasters GeneralBenjamin Franklin, Richard Bache, and Ebenezer Hazardwere appointed by, and reported to, Congress. Postal laws and regulations were revised and codified in the Ordinance of October 18, 1782. The Post Office Department Following the adoption of the Constitution in May 1789, the Act of September 22, 1789 (1 Stat. 70), temporarily established a post office and created the Office of the Postmaster General. On September 26, 1789, George Washington appointed Samuel Osgood of Massachusetts as the first Postmaster General under the Constitution. At that time there were 75 post offices and about 2,000 miles of post roads, although as late as 1780 the postal staff consisted only of a Postmaster General, a Secretary/Comptroller, three surveyors, one Inspector of Dead Letters, and 26 post riders. The Postal Service was temporarily continued by the Act of August 4, 1790 (1 Stat. 178), and the Act of March 3, 1791 (1 Stat. 218). The Act of February 20, 1792, made detailed provisions for the Post Office. Subsequent legislation enlarged the duties of the Post Office, strengthened and unified its organization, and provided rules and regulations for its development. Philadelphia was the seat of government and postal headquarters until 1800. When the Post Office moved to Washington, D.C., in that year, officials were able to carry all postal records, furniture, and supplies in two horse-drawn wagons. In 1829, upon the invitation of President Andrew Jackson, William T. Barry of Kentucky became the first Postmaster General to sit as a member of the Presidents Cabinet. His predecessor, John McLean of Ohio, began referring to the Post Office, or General Post Office as it was sometimes called, as the Post Office Department, but it was not specifically established as an executive department by Congress until June 8, 1872. Around this period, in 1830, an Office of Instructions and Mail Depredations was established as the investigative and inspection branch of the Post Office Department. The head of that office, P. S. Loughborough, is considered the first Chief Postal Inspector.

Ethical Dilemma Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Dilemma Essay - Assignment Example Therefore, since there is no choice in the matter, there is no breach of confidentiality or ethical violation when a student discusses a case with a supervisor. The second condition for an ethical dilemma is that there should be an alternative course of action to choose from. The third condition is that no matter the choice of action, some ethical principles should be compromised i.e. there is no proper solution (Cheryl R. Lehman, 2010). In order to determine what constitutes an ethical dilemma, it is important to make necessary distinction between ethics, morals, values, laws and policies. Ethics comprises of propositional statements used by members of certain profession or a group to determine what is right and wrong in a given situation. Ethics rely on rational and logical criteria during the decision making process. On the other hand, values describe the ideas that we value the most. To value something means to hold it dearly and feel a sense of worthiness in it. Morals describe a certain code of behavior that an individual ascribes and used to negotiate and strengthen our relationship. Since employees take most of their time during the weekday in the office, they are tempted to carry out their own businesses in the company’s time. This may comprise of such instances like setting up an appointment with a doctor using the company’s phone lines, use of the company’s computers to make vacation reservations or even making freelance calls during office working hours. At the first instance, this ethical dilemma is quite clear: it is time and other abuse of employer’s time and resources to do personal business especially during the official working hours. But here are some shades of gray. Suppose your spouse calls to inform you that your children are sick? Is it right to look for a doctor’s appointment? It is very essential for an employee to check with his supervisor or manager so as to clarify what amounts to an actionable

Radicals and Liberals in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Radicals and Liberals in USA - Essay Example The 1954 coup de tat in Guatemala was planned by the CIA who had the intention of fighting communism in Guatemala and encouraging social, political and economic justice for the people of Guatemala. The U.S took part in the Coup because they believed that Guatemala could cooperate and join the U.S.S.R which the U.S.A was in cold war with. The U.S feared the soviet infiltration of the western hemisphere. This coup depicts how the United States of America has plays the role of protecting vulnerable citizens from anarchy. America presents modern concept in which issues are handled in a revolutionary modern way which shows that everything is a product of new and fresh thinking. Some of those who had lived in America argued that Americans lacked respect and that they discriminated people from other countries in that it was difficult to engage in communication with Americans and that it was not easy to get a servant when in the U.S.A. But according to Barzini, all these complain made no sen se because America has evolved and knew how to mingle with visitors. The U.S.A is depicted as materialistic and utilitarian nation in the world whose major aim is to explore other countries and deprive them of their valuables. Barzini came to change his perception about America when he came to realize the sight of depression, unemployment, poverty, fear and hopelessness being the order of the day in America during the 1920s. The world held the perception that America was in a position to create new jobs, produce more goods, wealth and success. After the Second World War, Americans sat in conference rooms to discuss a decision which they agreed upon unanimously so that nobody could be blamed in case of potential mistake. As a result of interaction, America influences other countries in that it tries to implant its culture on others. For instance, the Chinese people crashed their traditional culture by trying to fix in the America culture. America is being viewed as a threat to the wo rld because of its development in industrial, technical and scientific progress which translates into materialistic society by showing the American industrial power and material wealth. On the other hand, America’s role in the world has been viewed positively in that foreigners are urged to send their citizens to America so that they can learn advanced techniques, production process and scientific progress. They will study and adopt the best features of American society, a modern democratic, progressive society in which people find work, security, shelter and satisfaction. This process of knowledge transfusion from a wealthier nation like the United States is necessary and fruitful for development of other countries of the world. In the Truman speech, America was concerned with economic status of Turkey and Greece. These countries saw America as the only country that could aid them from financial instability. The U.S intervened in this situation with the aim of maintaining it s political and economic hegemony and with the need to help countries that loved peace and promoted its democratic ideals. In addition, the U.S supported Greece and Turkey so that they could build internal order and peace. There was no other country that would help democratic Greek government. This reveals that the U.S has been given the role of supporting and maintaining freedom in vulnerable countries. In 1958, those people who opposed American ideologies pelt the then vice president of U.S

Looking for Richard Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Looking for Richard - Movie Review Example His sole purpose however seems to bringing Shakespeare to the ordinary citizen , capture their thoughts and make them understand the gravity of the matter when it come to these works of literature. To him they are not just forms of entertainment set out to trigger only the human emotions but pathways to opening the human mind, how we think and how our words and actions affect people around us. On the other hand Al Pacino takes on a humble role in the documentary seeking to learn more on how Shakespeare’s works are actually supposed to be performed; he ventures into the difficulties encountered when acting this Shakespearean play and its translation. He learns of the importance of the iambic pentameter which is explained as the rise and fall of the words in a five beat sequence. It is presumed by the academics as the sole key into bringing out the diction in the plays, the accent needed and the emotions Shakespeare tries to bring out in his plays. He then seeks out every character; analyzing their behavior and the impact they have on the play thus being able to come up with a suitable actor for the role. He does this by taking up Frederic Kimball; a scholar Shakespearean literature who helps him decipher the acts of the plays and also helps in co-writer and also elicits helpful criticisms from academics. As a film runs we see the effort Al Pacino takes not only into understanding the play but the history behind it and its writer. He visits places such as the birthplace of the playwright in Stafford and the grand theater in London where the play was first performed with an aim of seeking inspiration for the scenes and get to see the environment which gave inspiration for the development of the acts. It is quite evident from the documentary that picking out the scenes for the acts had been a problem and that it took a while

Primary Source Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Primary Source Analysis - Research Paper Example He describes the rise of Christians against the Jews as an error in thinking and wonders whether was really inspired by God. Albeit of Aura wanted to portray that the attacks on Christian were not motivated by their duty to defend their religion, but it was out of pure greed for wealth. He claims that in all the successful expeditions the Christians took and shared the large amount of Jews wealth Ekkehard of Aura describes Emico, a Christian soldier as to be of ill morals and compares him to the biblical Saul whose main aim was to persecute the Christians. He describes expeditions over Emico’s leaders as inconsiderate and ruthless. Ekkehard states that the Christian’s were out to attack any Jew they came along with no consideration on their support of Christianity. He tries to bring out a point that, Christian’s goal was to destroy the Jews and rob them of their possessions. Ekkehard and Albert’s claims are somehow different from the letter of Aymeric to L ouis II of France. Aymeric letter’s was meant to put across a message of suffering the Christian’s were facing in the hands of the many organized Jews. The letter was written in such a way to convince the King to offer the Christians support as a fight back toward the many Jews. Aymeric portrays a weak Christian society against a large group of Jews. Albert and Ekkehard notes the Christian’s cruelty, lack of mercy and persecution of the Jews because of their own race. From their presentation of the message the two authors describes Christian’s acts towards the Jews with a lot of personal feelings attached. He portrays their support for the Jews especially where they use strong abusive words to describe the Christians as greedy, cruel, and merciless and error minded. Amyrec on the other side on his letter to the king of France is seen requesting on enforcement against the Jews. The attacks on the Jews that occurred during the first crusade were cruel and u nnecessary acts that have drawn the line between the future Catholics and Jews. But there is no clear evidence on whether the Catholics organized the crusades specifically targeting theJews or it what motivated by the need to rob them their wealth. Amyrec letter shows the catholic Christian’s request for assistance from the western world (France). If the attacks on the Jews originated from the western world, then this doesn’t display the so called a strong tradition of hatred to the Jews communities. If what Ekkehardof Aura witnessed is anything to go by then, it was wrong for very many innocent Jews to be killed on the eyes of the concerned Catholics, with no act to alter the situation, and that so many people were misled into doing injustices and enter into conflicts with strangers whom they had nothing to hold against, whose possessions made them a viable target for greedy and inhuman soldiers. The evidence portrayed by the following authors could install fear, misu nderstanding and hatred among the Jews and the Catholics but it’s not strong enough to claim that there is a tradition for the Jews people. Such claims on the part of the Jews sympathizers will arouse the negative sentiments toward the Christians as the Jews considered them as idolaters and for this reason they had no respect for the Christian’s symbols and religion at large. A large group of soldiers consisting of

Compare 2 Films Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Compare 2 Films - Term Paper Example Perhaps most notable among the two films is that they embody the underlining touches of the auteur. Auteur theory was perhaps most seminally articulated by Andrew Sarris in his Notes on Auteur Theory. In this essay he considers earlier formulations of the auteur theory, dating back to its consideration by Andre Bazin in Cahiers du Cinema who indicated that while cinema, as compared to painting or the novel form, is more a collaborative element, there is nonetheless a distinct feature of artistry that can be tied to the individual director. In comparing him to director George Cukor, Sarris even speaks of the auteur tendencies of Ingmar Bergman. Sarris extends this articulation, adding his own theoretical elements. He states, â€Å"Over a group of films a director of films, a director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style, which serve as his signature. The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels† (Sarris, pg. 662). Sarris goes on to further elaborate on this theoretical formulation by indicating that the films of an auteur explore a certain personal concern that he equates to some degree with the singular aspect of the soul. It follows that auteur theory consists of both the external elements of technique, and the internal elements of personal vision. One of the primary elements of the auteur is that their personal style and vision is not expressed simply through one film, but comes to be a characteristic element throughout their work. Ingmar Bergmans work clearly meets this criteria. As one examines another of Bergmans seminal films – the Seventh Seal – in regards to Bressons work in the Trial of Joan of Arc its clear that there are both stylistic and thematic tendencies that demonstrate the films as elements of an auteur in the classic sense. In considering the Seventh Seal

Key microeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Key microeconomic - Essay Example CPI should not pose a threat to firms such as Proctor and Gamble. The firm can be position in a segment of the market where it would not have to compete directly with the market leaders. The best way to achieve that goal is by implementing a differentiation strategy. A variable that can help the company achieve a differentiation strategy is the quality of its products. A second important economic variable that CPI has to consider is pricing. The pricing strategy is very important because price determines the ability of a company to achieve superior profits. Products that are underpriced may sell well but its overall effect in the profitability of a company is not optimum. CPI has to study the market prices of all the products it sells. In a pricing study the firm should analyze the market price of each product in the US, internationally and online. Selling the products at a premium price can help the firm differentiate from low cost producers. The price structure of the company shoul d be sufficient to pay off for all variable and fixed cost while at the same time leaving a hefty surplus of profits. The profit margin of the enterprise should be equal or better than the industry average.

Primary Source Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Primary Source Analysis - Research Paper Example He describes the rise of Christians against the Jews as an error in thinking and wonders whether was really inspired by God. Albeit of Aura wanted to portray that the attacks on Christian were not motivated by their duty to defend their religion, but it was out of pure greed for wealth. He claims that in all the successful expeditions the Christians took and shared the large amount of Jews wealth Ekkehard of Aura describes Emico, a Christian soldier as to be of ill morals and compares him to the biblical Saul whose main aim was to persecute the Christians. He describes expeditions over Emico’s leaders as inconsiderate and ruthless. Ekkehard states that the Christian’s were out to attack any Jew they came along with no consideration on their support of Christianity. He tries to bring out a point that, Christian’s goal was to destroy the Jews and rob them of their possessions. Ekkehard and Albert’s claims are somehow different from the letter of Aymeric to L ouis II of France. Aymeric letter’s was meant to put across a message of suffering the Christian’s were facing in the hands of the many organized Jews. The letter was written in such a way to convince the King to offer the Christians support as a fight back toward the many Jews. Aymeric portrays a weak Christian society against a large group of Jews. Albert and Ekkehard notes the Christian’s cruelty, lack of mercy and persecution of the Jews because of their own race. From their presentation of the message the two authors describes Christian’s acts towards the Jews with a lot of personal feelings attached. He portrays their support for the Jews especially where they use strong abusive words to describe the Christians as greedy, cruel, and merciless and error minded. Amyrec on the other side on his letter to the king of France is seen requesting on enforcement against the Jews. The attacks on the Jews that occurred during the first crusade were cruel and u nnecessary acts that have drawn the line between the future Catholics and Jews. But there is no clear evidence on whether the Catholics organized the crusades specifically targeting theJews or it what motivated by the need to rob them their wealth. Amyrec letter shows the catholic Christian’s request for assistance from the western world (France). If the attacks on the Jews originated from the western world, then this doesn’t display the so called a strong tradition of hatred to the Jews communities. If what Ekkehardof Aura witnessed is anything to go by then, it was wrong for very many innocent Jews to be killed on the eyes of the concerned Catholics, with no act to alter the situation, and that so many people were misled into doing injustices and enter into conflicts with strangers whom they had nothing to hold against, whose possessions made them a viable target for greedy and inhuman soldiers. The evidence portrayed by the following authors could install fear, misu nderstanding and hatred among the Jews and the Catholics but it’s not strong enough to claim that there is a tradition for the Jews people. Such claims on the part of the Jews sympathizers will arouse the negative sentiments toward the Christians as the Jews considered them as idolaters and for this reason they had no respect for the Christian’s symbols and religion at large. A large group of soldiers consisting of

Key microeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Key microeconomic - Essay Example CPI should not pose a threat to firms such as Proctor and Gamble. The firm can be position in a segment of the market where it would not have to compete directly with the market leaders. The best way to achieve that goal is by implementing a differentiation strategy. A variable that can help the company achieve a differentiation strategy is the quality of its products. A second important economic variable that CPI has to consider is pricing. The pricing strategy is very important because price determines the ability of a company to achieve superior profits. Products that are underpriced may sell well but its overall effect in the profitability of a company is not optimum. CPI has to study the market prices of all the products it sells. In a pricing study the firm should analyze the market price of each product in the US, internationally and online. Selling the products at a premium price can help the firm differentiate from low cost producers. The price structure of the company shoul d be sufficient to pay off for all variable and fixed cost while at the same time leaving a hefty surplus of profits. The profit margin of the enterprise should be equal or better than the industry average.

Desert Economy Struggling To Stay Afloat Essay Example for Free

Desert Economy Struggling To Stay Afloat Essay When Americas economy fell into a recession in 2008, it took down mexico along with it. America is by far the largest buyer of Mexican products, last year alone doing $400 billion in business. The Economist article, Making The Desert Bloom, brings to light the condition that Mexicos economy is currently in, restricted by cartels, monopolies and its unfortunate situation with America. When stocks plummeted and jobs were lost in america, Mexicos economy as a whole fell by 6.1%, the northern state of Coahuila getting hit the worst with a drop of 12. 3%. Until the recession, Mexico was on schedule to have a reasonable decade but with personal income growth now at only 0.6% , some of the worst in the world, it doesnt look promising. Mexicos unemployment rate peaked at 6.4% in 2009 and is only slowly getting better. The foundation of Mexicos economy is based on its exports. With americans share of Mexicos exports falling from 89% to 78% and expecting to get worse, mexico has a problem on their hands. At the beginning of the decade, Mexico claimed the largest Latin American economy but since has been over taken by brazil with a GDP grow to more then 2 times that of Mexicos. In 2010, the murder rate was 17 out of every 100,000 people, expected to cause a 1% drop in Mexicos annual growth rate. Foreign direct investment has fall from $30 billion to just half that over the last 5 years. With so many problems limiting Mexicos potential, the country needs to get everything in order to to revive itself from the current recession. Mexico has been hit by the steepest recession of any latin american country. A recession can be explained by a significant decline in activity across the economy effecting in industrial production, employment, income and trade. Between 2008 and 2009, 700,000 jobs were lost in Mexico. In certain parts, 4 in 10 business shut down. The head of economic planning in Mexicos fiancee ministry, Miguel Messmacher, has seen a major shift in the direction of exports out of his country. Sales to latin America and asia are growing twice as fast as those to America. Mexicos largest export is the automotive industry, although its exports to America make up only 65%. Eduardo soils head of the industrys national association thinks this is a good sign because it always Mexico to establish markets in other countries, opening up more opportunities. His goal is to get it down to 50%. Others argue that Mexico can not become a commodity exporter. just because countries like china have a demand for soy beans, doesnt mean that Mexico should start growing and export this product. They believe the economic future still lies in Americas economy. They way out of the recession is to gain a bigger piece of Americas slowly growing economy.

Production Of Speech Sounds English Language Essay

Production Of Speech Sounds English Language Essay The production of speech sounds involves two essential components: initiating a flow of air in and through the vocal tract; Some method of shaping or articulating the air-stream so as to generate a specific type of sound articulation; A third component, present in most, but not all sounds phonation. Initiation Initiators: lungs in English the only initiator (in other languages also closed glottis or tongue (combined with velar closure). Lungs sponges that can fill in with the air, contained within the rib cage. The expiratory air stream is further processed to bronchi, then to trachea/windpipe and then the larynx  [1]  . The space between the vocal cords/vocal folds is the glottis. Articulation Organs participating in articulation are called articulators (above the larynx): Pharynx  [2]   a tube stretching from above the larynx, its top end is divided into two parts: One part being the back of the mouth; The other part beginning off the way through the nasal cavity. In the production of English sounds it serves mainly as a container of a volume of air that is set into vibration in accordance with the vocal folds vibration  [3]   Oral cavity plays the most important role. It is within the oral cavity that the greatest variety of articulatory motions occurs. The articulatory organs in the mouth: i/ passive the maxilla, the teeth, the alveolar ridge, the hard palate. ii/ active the jaw, the lower lip, the soft palate. The velum/soft palate raised (the airflow cannot escape through the nose) or lowered a (the air passes through the nose). The most active organ in the mouth is the tongue. The tongue: the tip (apex), the blade (dorsum) and the root (radix). The outer end of the mouth is provided with the upper and lower lip. The vibration of the vocal folds inside the larynx/voice box produces the sound of voice and this process is called phonation. The larynx is situated in the neck. It has several parts; its main structure is made of cartilage (material similar to bone but less hard). The larynx consists of four cartilages: 1 cartilago thyreoidea 2 cartilago cricoidea 3 cartilagines arytenoideae 4 epiglottis covering the entrance into the larynx Inside the larynx there are vocal folds (two thick flaps of muscle rather like a pair of lips). At the front the vocal folds are joined together and fixed to the inside of the thyroid cartilage. At the back they are attached to a pair of small cartilages called arytenoid cartilages, so that if the arytenoid cartilages move, the vocal folds will move too. The arytenoid cartilages are attached to the top of the cricoid cartilage but they can move so as to move the vocal folds apart or together. The term glottis is used to refer to the opening between the vocal folds. States of the glottis: 1. Not vibrating: 1) If the vocal folds are closely together and they part after the final phase of articulation Voiceless Plosives 2) If the vocal folds are loosely open, no vibration, no voice is produced Voiceless Fricatives and Affricates are produced. 3) If the vocal folds are held closely only in their front part, the cartilage-like part is set apart Glottal Fricative (the sound /h/) is produced. 2. Vibrating: Further narrowing of the glottis brings it into position for the production of voice. The vocal folds can be held closely together and vibrate. This produces tones /vowels. The vocal folds can be loosely together and their vibration is weak. This produces: Voiced Plosives, Affricates and Fricatives. The number of cycles of opening and closing the glottis per second is referred to as the fundamental frequency of voice (Hz). A single cycle happens in the region of 1/100th second, therefore, the cycle repeats at the rates in the region of between approximately 80-200 cycles per second. This rate is far too rapid for the human ear to be able to distinguish each individual opening /closing of the folds. However, human ear is able to perceive variations in the overall rate of vibration as changes in the pitch of the voice  [4]  . The vibration averages roughly between 200 and 300 times per second in a womans voice and about half that rate in adult men. Acoustic aspect Sound is formed by means of the vibration of air molecules and is transmitted in sound waves in all directions. The voice comes into existence on the basis of vocal folds vibration. The periodic vibration gives rise to tone, whereas aperiodic vibration results in the production of noise. The tone is characterized by three basic qualities: The pitch given by the frequency of the vibrations in cps. The pitch is in direct proportion to the number of cps and in indirect proportion to the cycles period. The intensity is the amount of energy transmitted through the air. It is related to the amplitude of vibration. The intensity is proportionate to the square of the amplitude. The timbre is given by the composition of the tone. Simple tones are non existent because any object vibrates not only as a whole but also in its individual parts. The vocal folds vibrate in such a manner that in addition to the fundamental frequency (a basic vibration over their length) they produce a number of overtones or harmonics which are simple multiples of the fundamental or first harmonic. The combination of these components makes up the acoustic spectrum. A visible recording of speech is produced by computer analysis and it refers to the following dimensions: Time / duration on the horizontal axis, given in ms Frequency on the vertical axis, given in cycles per second Intensity indicated by relative blackness of the markings. The component bands are called formants and are numbered from bottom upwards. It is the first two formants (F1 and F2) that contribute most to the distinctive character of the vowels. From articulatory point of view F1 is correlated with tongue height (the pharyngeal formant), F2 with front-to-back tongue placing (the oral formant). Auditory aspect The perception of a sound is mediated by the brain rather than by ear itself. The ear has three major functions: To collect stimuli To transmit them To analyze them. The upper limit of frequency which can be perceived is maximum 20, 000 cps. The ear is subdivided into the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear leads to the ear drum. The middle ear is a small air-filled cavity containing a chain of three tiny bones connected to the ear drum at one end and the inner ear at the other. The main part of the inner ear is the cochlea shaped like a snails shell whose function is to convert sound vibrations into nerve impulses. Speech sounds are perceived in terms of four categories (pitch, loudness, quality and length). The categories are subjective and must not be equated exactly with the related physiological and physical categories. Consonants: Plosives, Fortis Lenis The differences between vowels and consonants are in the way they are produced (vowels voices, consonants noises); vowels fulfill the role of the peak of the syllable whereas consonants fulfill the marginal function.. Classification of consonants see Chart of Consonants (P. Roach, p.62). It is customary to divide consonants into several groups according to several criteria. The most important are: According to their place of articulation According to their manner of articulation A/ Classification according to the manner of articulation: The articulators involved form a closure: /p, t, k/; /b, d, g /. The consonants produced in this way are called Stops/Plosives. The articulators involved form a narrowing (as for /f, v, s, z,  Ã¢â‚¬ ,  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾,  Ã¢â‚¬Å",  Ã… ¡, h/). The consonants produced in this way are called Fricatives. The articulators form a closure combined with a narrowing (as for t Ã¢â‚¬Å", d Ã… ¡). The consonants produced in this way are called Affricates. Plosives As for place of articulation: bilabial, apico-alveolar, velar. Plosives four phases (approach, hold, release, post-release). Distributions All the three plosives in all positions: initial, medial and final. Initial position: CV In /p, t, k/ during the transition to voiced sound the wide-open glottis takes some time to close sufficiently so that the vocal folds can start vibrating, consequently there is a period of voicelessness aspiration (puff of air). Final position: VC The syllables closed by voiceless consonants are considerably shorter than those that are open, or closed by voiced consonants. Fricatives They include /f,  Ã¢â‚¬ , s, v,  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾, z, h/. Manner of articulation: Two organs are brought and held sufficiently close together for the escaping air-stream to produce strong friction. This friction may or may not be accompanied by voice. A/ Place of articulation: /f, v/ labiodental / Ã¢â‚¬ , Ã¢â‚¬Å¾/ dental /s, z/ alveolar / Ã¢â‚¬Å",  Ã… ¡/ palato-alveolar /h/- glottal Length of the preceding sound: The value of the final /f,  Ã¢â‚¬ , s, v,  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾, z/ is determined by the length of the syllable which they close. Dental fricatives: / Ã¢â‚¬ ,  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾/ / Ã¢â‚¬ / spelling: always th distribution: word initial, word medial, word final; word initial clusters, word final clusters / Ã¢â‚¬Å¾/ spelling: always th distribution: word initial, word medial, word final; word initial clusters /d/ does not occur in initial clusters, word final clusters Manner place of articulation: The tip of the tongue makes a light contact with the edge and inner surface of the upper front teeth. With some speakers the tongue-tip may protrude through the teeth. Affricates Affricates are complex consonants, beginning as plosives and ending as fricatives (Roach). Palato-alveolar Affricates /t Ã¢â‚¬Å", d/ /t Ã¢â‚¬Å"/ when final in syllable: effect of reducing the length of the preceding sounds. Nasals Bilabial nasal /m/ Alveolar nasal: / Ã‚ ®/ Velar nasal: / Ã… ½/ (spellings: ng or n followed by a letter indicating a velar consonant: tongue, anxious) distribution: word medial: singer, hanger, anxiety; word medial + g: finger, angle, angry, hunger; word medial + k: anchor, monkey, donkey; word final: sing, wrong, tongue; word final + k: sink, rank; word final syllabic: bacon, taken, organ Roach: rules for the pronunciation of the nk and ng digraphs: in nk the /k/ is always pronounced in ng the following /g/ is pronounced in mono-morphemic words (finger, anger, linger) and in comparatives superlatives of adjectives (younger, the longest) otherwise the /g/ following the / Ã… ½/ is never pronounced!!! Laterals Articulatory features: articulated by means of a partial closure, on one or both sides of which the air-stream is able to escape through the mouth. Only one, alveolar, lateral consonant occurs in E. Within the /l/ phoneme 3 main variants occur: a/ clear /l/, with a relatively front vowel resonance, before vowels and /j/ Roach /i/ resonance b/ voiceless /l/ following accented (aspirated) /p, k/ (less considerable devoicing after /f, s,  Ã¢â‚¬ /, or weakly accented /p, t, k/) c/ dark /l/, with a relatively back vowel resonance, finally after a vowel, before a consonant, and as a syllabic sound following a consonant Roach u resonance Clear /l/ the front of the tongue is raised in the direction of the hard palate at the same time as the tip contact is made. Dark /l/ the front of the tongue somewhat depressed and the back raised in the direction of the soft palate. Approximants /r/ Distribution: word initial (red, raw), word medial, intervocalic (mirror, very), word final /r-link/ (far away, poor old man); in consonantal clusters (price, crow) Manner place of articulation: the tip of the tongue held in a position near to, but not touching, the rear part of the alveolar ridge. Lip position according to the following vowel. BBC /r/ distribution: only before a vowel. /j/ palatal /w/ labio-velar English vowels: short vowels long vowels Vowels are specified in terms of 3 parameters: vertical tongue position (high low; close half-close half-open open) horizontal tongue position (front back) lip-position (unrounded rounded) In accented syllables the so-called long vowels are fully long when they are final or in a syllable closed by a voiced consonant, but they are considerably shortened when they occur in a syllable closed by a voiceless consonant. The same considerable shortening before fortis consonants applies also to the diphthongs. Diphthongs The sequences of vocalic elements included under the term diphthong are those which form a glide within one syllable. They have a 1st element (the starting point) and a 2nd element (the point in the direction of which the glide is made). BBC diphthongs: 1st element is in the general region of / Ã¢â‚¬ °, e, a, ÊÅ  , Ɔ , Æ / 2nd element is in the general region of / Ã¢â‚¬ °, ÊÅ  , Æ / division into closing (direction towards / Ã¢â‚¬ °, ÊÅ  / and centering (direction towards /Æ /. Generalizations referring to all RP diphthongs: 1/ Most of the length and stress associated with the glide is concentrated on the 1st element, the 2nd one is only lightly sounded; in Slovak the ratio between the lengths of the two elements1:1, in English it is approximately 2:1; 2/ They are equivalent in length to long vowels and are subject to the same variations in length; in the reduced forms there is a considerable shortening of the 1st element; 3/ No diphthong occurs before /ņ¹/; Phonetics Phonology Phonetics phonology are the two linguistic sciences investigating the phonic aspect of language communication and its generalization in the minds of the language users. Phonetics investigates the phonic material of speech (the sounds). The speech sounds are analyzed from two aspects; Aspect of the speaker/producer; Hearer/receiver. The former aspect covers the activity of articulatory organs, the latter: the transmission of acoustic entities perceived by the listener and the process of decoding. According to the subject of investigation, phonetics is further subdivided into: i/ genetic/articulatory production of speech sounds ii/ acoustic transmission of sounds, acoustic characteristics of speech sounds iii/ auditory perception of speech sounds Phonology speech sounds from the aspect of their function they fulfill within a linguistic system, how they are organized into systems, how they are utilized in languages and what the relationships among them are. We can divide speech up into segments and we can find great variety in the way these segments are made (their pronunciation differs from speaker to speaker; even the same speaker never pronounces the same segment in the same way. But there is an abstract set of units as the basis of our speech; otherwise we would not be able to understand other speakers of the same language, communication among people would be impossible. These units are called phonemes, and the complete set of these units is called the phonemic system of the language. The phonemes themselves are abstract (the sound patterns stored in our mental grammar), we do not produce phonemes, we produce sounds or phones. Phonemes are the minimal sequential contrastive units of the phonology of languages, (Catford). contrastive: phonemes are contrastive in the sense that they are the bits of sound that distinguish one word from another: bit , pit: solely by the contrast between the initial consonants /p/ /b/ the two words are distinguished. The bits of sound manifesting these contrasts are phonemes. minimal: phonemes are minimal units, because if you take a stretch of speech and chop it up into a sequence of phonological units, the shortest stretch of speech sounds that functions as a contrastive unit in the buildup of the phonological forms of words is the phoneme. The phonological structure of English, like that of other languages, can be described as a hierarchy of units. The largest, or most inclusive, unit in English is the intonation contour or tone-group: Jane was here yesterday. We can chop up each tone-unit into smaller units, namely into successive rhythmic units, or feet: (the fact that these feet are contrastive, meaning differentiating units, is demonstrated by the fact that we could divide the utterance into feet differently, and this would convey a slightly different meaning). Next, we can divide each foot into still smaller chunks, namely into a sequence of syllables. Finally, we can divide up each syllable into a sequence of still smaller units and here it is necessary for us to go into phonetic transcription: At this point we can do no further chopping. We have reached the lowest rank in the phonological hierarchy, the smallest sequential; or linear units phonemes. There are no smaller meaning-differentiating units. Sequential: following in sequence. Phoneme an abstract unit operating on the level language as a system. Symbols Transcription Types of Transcription 1/i/ Phonological transcription, phonemic transcription: The choice of symbols is limited to one symbol per one phoneme. 2/ Phonetic transcription: Very detailed, each single realization of a sound is recorded. The Syllable Human beings cannot produce a sound smaller than a syllable. The syllable seems to be the essential unit of speech segmentation and speech recognition. J. Lavers definition of the phonological syllable is as follows: The syllable is a complex unit, made up of nuclear and marginal elements. Nuclear elements are vowels, and marginal elements are consonants. A/ Languages differ in syllable types: The minimum syllable V (I, Oh); CV (consonantal beginning an onset): (e.g. me) open syllable; VC (consonantal end a coda): (e.g. am) closed syllable; Some syllables have both onset and coda: (e.g. him). The most common type of syllable among the languages of the world is CV. CVC is also common among the languages of the world. English syllables: a wide variety of syllable types, both open and closed. B/ Languages also differ on constraints on the segments which can occur at the beginning or end of a syllable. No syllable in E can begin with /ņ¹/; /Ê’/ and /ÊÅ  / are rare. Almost any consonant can occur in syllable-final position, except for /h/, /j/, /w/, /r/ (only in rhotic accents). Syllable types in E: Beginning: a vowel (see the constraints above), one, two or three consonants. Ending: a vowel, one, two, three or four consonants. Syllable structures in English: Beginning: a vowel zero onset (/ÊÅ  / rare); a consonant except for /ņ¹/, /Ê’/ having an onset; two or more consonants a consonant cluster. C/ Initial two-consonant clusters: i/ pre-initial /s/ is followed by one of about 10 initial consonants (p, t, k; f; m, n; l; w, j, r); with /l, r, w, j/ a two-way analysis is possible (e.g.: slow, sky, swim); ii/ initial (p, t, k; b, d, g; f, ÆÅ ¸, s, h, v; m, n; l) followed by a post-initial /l, r, w, j/ (e.g. proud, queen, friend). D/ Initial three-consonant clusters: There is a clear relationship between the two groups: /s/ is the pre-initial /p, t, k/ are initial and /l, r, w, j/ are post-initial (e.g. split, square, strike). E/ Final consonant clusters: No final consonant means that there is no coda, i.e. it is an open syllable. One consonant means that the syllable is closed. Any consonant except for /h/, /w/, /j/, /r/ can occur in syllable-final position. F/ Two-consonant clusters: i/ pre-final (m, n, ņ¹, l, s) is followed by a final (e.g. bend, bench ask); ii/ a final consonant is followed by a post-final /s, z, t, d, ÆÅ ¸/ (e.g. fifth. asks, robbed). The post-final consonant often corresponds to a separate morpheme. Pronunciation: the release of the first plosive of a plosive + plosive cluster is usually produced without plosion and is therefore practically inaudible. G/ Final three-consonant clusters: i/ pre-final + final + post-final: (e.g. helped, twelfth); ii/ final + post-final 1 + post-final 2 (e.g. fifths, next); H/ Final four-consonant clusters: i/ pre-final + final + post-final 1 + post-final 2 (e.g. twelfths); ii/ final + post-final 1 + post-final 2 + post-final 3 (e.g. sixths). The syllable: onset + rhyme / peak + coda Difficulties encountered by foreign learners: Unknown consonant clusters: usually two strategies are applied: i/ vowels between the consonants are inserted; ii/ one of the consonants is deleted. That is simplification of the syllable structure of the E word by making it conform to the pattern of the native languages of the learners. Deletion exists in E but these deletions do not occur randomly. Stress in English The syllable or syllables which stand out from the the other szllable or szllables of a word are said to be stressed, to receive the stress. Gimson: a stressed syllable the one upon which there is relatively great breath effort and muscular energy. As for perception the stressed syllables are perceived to be more prominent because they are louder, longer, pronounced on the pitch different from that of the other syllables and they contain a vowel sound differing in its quality from neighboring vowels. The most powerful effect is produced by pitch, the length comes second, loudness and quality of the vowel sounds is less important. Types of stress: (Kenworthy): Three levels of stress: primary, secondary, tertiary are heard in long E words: i/ when said in isolation; ii/ the word is in a position in a sentence where it is very strongly stressed; iii/ full vowels are used. Placement of stress: English stress is: A/ Variable, i.e. the main stress is not tied to any particular syllable (in Slovak it has delimitative function, i.e. denotes word boundaries; in E it has distinctive function, i.e. it differentiates the meanings of words); B/ Fixed, i.e. the main stress always falls on a particular syllable in any given word; C/ Mobile, i.e. having become familiar with one form of a word, learners will assume that the stress stays on the same syllable in other forms of the word (or they will assume that prefixes and suffixes make no difference to the placement of the stress) but this is not the case of the E language (e.g. photography photographer photograph; advertising advertiser advertisement; librarianship librarian library). Word Stress Rules When considering the stress placement several factors should be taken into account: the structure of the word (whether the word in question is a simple or complex); the grammatical category of the word (noun, adjective or verb) the number of the syllables in the word; the phonological structure of the syllables. 1. The structure of the word: Simple word not consisting of more than one grammatical unit morpheme (although this is sometimes difficult to decide); Complex words two major types: i/ words made from a basic stem word with the addition of an affix (derived words) affixes: two sorts: prefixes and suffixes. They have three possible effects on word stress: the affix itself receives the primary stress (i.e. -ee, ese); the affix will not influence the placement of stress, (i.e. -ing the word will be stressed just as if the affix was not there); The stress remains on the stem, not on the affix, but it is shifted to different syllable (i.e. magnet magnetic). ii/ compound words made of two (or occasionally more) independent E words. There is no clear dividing line between two-word compounds and pairs of words that simply happen to occur together quite frequently. Spelling inconsistency: solid (one word, e.g. sunflower); words separated by a hyphen (e.g. fruit-cake, whistle-blower, cabinet-maker); two words separated by a space (e.g. coffee table, tax inspector, weather forecast). Word stress rules 2. The number of the syllables syllable structure TWO-SYLLABLE WORDS Verbs: Oo 60%. If the second syllable contains a long vowel/diphthong, or if it ends with more than one consonant the second syllable is stressed (e.g. apply, attract, achieve). If the final syllable contains a short vowel and one/no consonant or the diphthong / Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢/ the first syllable is stressed (e.g. enter, open, follow). Adjectives: follow the verbs (e.g. lovely, even, hollow, divine, correct). Nouns: Oo 90%. If the second syllable contains a short vowel, the stress will usually come on the first syllable. (e.g. table, sofa, picture). Otherwise it will be on the second syllable (e.g. estate, balloon). Adverbs, Prepositions: behave like verbs and adjectives (e.g. evenly, correctly). THREE-SYLLABLE WORDS Verbs: oOo, ooO. If the last syllable contains a short vowel and ends with not more than one consonant that syllable will be unstressed and the stress will be placed on the preceding/penultimate syllable (e.g. encounter, determine). If the last syllable contains a long vowel/diphthong, or ends with more than one consonant, that final syllable will be stressed (e.g. entertain, resurrect). Nouns: Ooo, oOo. If the final syllable contains a short vowel and the middle syllable contains a short vowel and ends with no more than one consonant, both final and middle syllables will be unstressed and the first syllable will get the stress (e.g. library). If the final consonant contains a short vowel or /Éâ„ ¢u/, it is unstressed if the middle syllable contains a long vowel/diphthong, or it ends with more than one consonant, the middle syllable will be stressed (e.g. potato, mimosa, disaster). Adjectives: follow the nouns (e.g. derelict, insolent). DERIVED WORDS Prefixes stress rules governed by the same rules as in words without prefixes. Suffixes: carrying stress themselves (e.g. -ee, -ese, -eer, -ette); not affecting the stress placement (e.g. -able, -al, -ful, -less); influencing the stress in the stem (e.g. -ive, -ic, -ion, -ious); stress on the penultimate syllable (e.g. words ending in -phy (e.g. photography); -cy (e.g. democracy); -ty (e.g. reliability); -gy (e.g. prodigy); -al (e.g. critical). COMPOUNDS Nouns: Two noun elements: the first element stressed (e.g. typewriter, suitcase, sunflower). Adjectives: Adjective + -ed: the second element is stressed (e.g. bad-tempered); first element a number: the second element is stressed (e.g. first-class, five-finger, three-wheeler) Adverbs, Verbs: usually final stressed (e.g. ill-treat, down-stream, North-East, half-timbered). Note: What a beautiful black bird! Look at that big blackbird! Stress tending to go on syllables containing a long vowel/diphthong and /or ending with more than one consonant. 3. The grammatical category of the word nouns, adjectives, verbs. Compounds nouns usually stressed on the first element (e.g. summertime, grandfather, silverware, schoolteacher, bathtub). When the second element is a polysyllabic word it retains its stress pattern, but when speaking more rapidly, the stress of the second element may be lost (the secondary stress, e.g. trade exhibition). Some compound nouns late stress exceptions: Late stress: First element material, ingredient the second element is made of (e.g. plastic cup, turkey sandwich, cherry pie). Compounds containing juice, cake take an early stress!!! (e.g. fruit juice, fruit cake, lemon juice). Names of squares and roads thoroughfares (roads for public traffic, e.g. Walnut Avenue, Cambridge Crescent, Belgrade Square, Oxford Drive). Those containing street, however, have an early stress (e.g. Baker Street). The first element identifies a place or a time (e.g. town hall, kitchen window, summer holiday, London transport, April showers). Sentence Stress In sequences (sentence, clause, discourse) not all the words are equally important, which in E is shown by means of sentence stress and sentence focus. Why is it important? As listeners, it is essential that we are able to spot points of importance in the stream of speech; As speakers, we must highlight points in our messages, or E listeners will have difficulty in interpreting what they hear, in deciding how it relates to what has just been said and predicting what the speaker is possibly leading up to. Thus sentence stress and sentence focus are vital for intelligibility. The placement of sentence stress is closely related to the function the word fulfills within a sentence. According to their function the words in E are divided into: Content words/lexical words; Grammar words/function words/structure words. The former bear the lexical meaning while the latter are structural markers, denoting grammatical categories and syntactic relations. The classes appear to have physiological and neurological validity. Some brain damaged persons have greater difficulty in using, understanding or reading content words and structure words (e.g. in inn; which witch). Content words normally carry the most of information. They generally have in connected speech the qualitative pattern of their isolate form and therefore retain some measure of qualitative prominence even when no pitch prominence is associated with them and when they are relatively unstressed. Structure words do not carry so much information. They do not have a dictionary meaning in the way we normally expect nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs to have. All structure words

Essay --

e of performance enhancing drugs in sports Performance enhancing drugs should be prohibited in all associations in sports. Not only because it dismantles the playing field for all athketes but it ruins athlete’s lives and careers in many ways. Titles can be revokes and winnings can be rejected. The side effects are horrendous and it ruins the love for the sport each true athlete participates in. Athletes think that performance enhancing drugs level out the playing field and let all of the current athletes compete on the same level. This only will make things worse than they already seem. Currently there are players who trained day in and day out, putting in hard work every hour of the day, compete on the same level, and go the extra mile for the sport they love. They all compete to be the supiroror athlete but these are the ones that are being pushed to the side and not receiving any credit for their achievements. Athletes who use performance enhancing drugs have a huge advantage over athletes who don’t. athletes who do use these drug have a gain in strength, less body fat, and better bone density . Lance Armstrong is the best Cyclist out there today. He would win race after race, tour after tour, but he only accomplished this because of the use of performance enhancing drugs. He used a drug called EPO which is an illegal transfusion of oxygenated blood cells that are put into an athlete’s body to help their blood cells stay oxygenated. This drug would take the athletes ability to perform for a long period of time to a whole knew level. This gave players, cyclist, and runners such an advantage that they could be stripped of their titles or medals received if they were caught. Oprah Winfrey interviewed lance about his use of drugs.... ...e. He stated, â€Å"My son would walk the halls and tell kids that his dad did not use drugs or his dad was clean† (Oprah and Lance Armstrong). All competitors know that using performance enhancing drugs is wrong. But some know that it helps them get a step ahead of other athletes, risking their lives, family bond, and career. Even though these drugs are very desirer able the side effect are just not worth the risk. These drugs dismantle the playing field in all sports. It is not fair to other athletes who work their butts off day in and day out to achieve greatness. These drugs are not worth the risk. It’s not worth knowing that the only way you got to the top of the game was by cheating. A saying that everyone knows is cheaters never win... so get rid of performance enhancing drugs in sports or watch the concept of sports take a huge turn for the worse in the future .

Similarities and Differences in the Two Poems, Cousin Kate and The Sedu

The two narrative poems, ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘The Seduction’ have a number of similarities between them, such as the poems are both based on love and the misuse of women. However, the two poems are also very different in some ways. For instance, the reactions to love vary in the poems. ‘Cousin Kate’ was set in the 1860’s and ‘The Seduction’ was set in the 1970’s, therefore, the poems are set one hundred years apart from each other. It is due to this that they have many differences between them. The difference in time contributes to the language that the poems have been written in. The two poems are also set in different areas. ‘Cousin Kate is set in the rural countryside, and ‘The Seduction’ is set in an urban area. An example of a difference is the way their emotions and views on love are presented. For the reason that the poems are set in different centuries, people thought of love differently, they did have the same morals or reactions to the pregnancies. ‘Cousin Kate’ was written by a female poet called Christina Rossetti. The poem is divided into six stanzas. It consists of an abcb rhyming scheme. For instance, the poet has rhymed ‘air and fair’. The rhyming of the words allows the poem to be read fluently and in a rhythmic pattern. The poem could be sing-songed to seem more interesting to listen to. This poem consists of three main characters – the Cottage Maiden, Cousin Kate and the Great Lord. The three characters have three very diverse personalities in the poem. The poem is written in the first person, from the Cottage Maiden’s point of view, therefore, she is describing her feelings throughout the poem. On the other hand, you can only observe Cousin Kate and the Great Lord through the Cottage Maiden’s eyes and conseq... ...to live. Ultimately, as well as having their differences, the poems are very alike. They both have the same moods throughout the poem – anger, sadness and betrayal. The themes are also comparable – betrayal, respect, pain and love. However, they are different because of the way the poems have been written. ‘The Seduction’ is more like a story, going through the different stages in her life. Whereas, ‘Cousin Kate’ could be seen like a diary, the Cottage Maiden is talking about her feelings and emotions about different aspects of her life. I think that both of the poems succeed in what the poet set out to do. In ‘Cousin Kate’ I experienced the emotions the Cottage Maiden encountered. In ‘The Seduction’ I saw how inconsequential the girl’s life was to the boy. She was not ready to be a woman, but she had no choice. I felt the loneliness and betrayal she experienced.

Five Pillars of Islam Essay

What are the central beliefs of Islam, and how are they reflected in the â€Å"Five Pillars† (McInerney, 2003)? Which of the Five Pillars do you feel would be easiest to fulfill, and which would be the most challenging (McInerney, 2003)? Monotheism is one of the main central beliefs of Islam. This is the belief that there is only one God and that God is Allah. The Islam’s believe that their purpose for humanity is to only serve their God Allah and to construct a moral lifestyle. The five pillars are considered obligatory for all Muslims to follow. The five pillars can be found within the Qur’an which is Islam’s holy book. The first pillar is the shahadah. The Shahadah is the accepting that Muhammad is God’s messenger. Islamic culture believes that the prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam’s faith. The second pillar is the daily prayers. In order to do this a Muslim must be in a state of ritual purity. One must prayer at least five times within a day. Muslims believe that doing so will bring them closer to God and they will be able to learn more about him. The third pillar is the fasting during Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the Islamic month for fasting. Muslims have to avoid any type of drinking, eating and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. This is done in order for Muslims to learn about patience, humanity, and spirituality. The fourth pillar is called alms giving which is the giving of 2. 5 percent of one’s annual earnings to the poor and needy. Lastly, the fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca. This is a core practice and must be carried out at least once in a Muslims lifetime. The fourth pillar which consists of giving 2. percent of one’s annual pay to the poor and needy would be one of the easiest pillars for me to follow. I think everyone should do this. I’m a Christian and every Sunday that I go to church I always give to the needy whether its five dollars or two dollars that I have on me at the time. My religion believes that by giving we will receive blessings from our God. The pillar that would be difficult for me to follow would have to be pillar number three which is fasting. This would be difficult for me because I always have to be drinking water. I am also anemic and if I don’t eat after a while I tend to black out.

Choices: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Essay

What is happening in each poem? How do they compare and contrast? What is the main idea to both poems? The poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a very sentimental poem, because it is about a choice. On the other hand, the poem â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† is about the choice that someone made already. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken† the person chose to take a road with an unknown ending, and is less traveled. Moreover, the writer was letting people know that sometimes taking the less traveled path makes a huge difference. The evidence I found was â€Å"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (Frost, 2008)† This poem is basically about a life choice, because sometimes people comes to a fork in the road, and they have to decide which way is better for them. However, sometimes people do not make the right choice, but it’s a life lesson to be learned. In â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† the writer was talking about slowing down to enjoy life. Too many people try to get caught up in life, but if they would just slow down and look around they might feel relaxed and safe. The evidence that I found to make me believe this poem was are slowing down for life was â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow, (Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, 2008)† and â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep (Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, 2008)†. Both poems compare to one another, because one is about making a choice while the other is about enjoying it. Those poems tones were the same sad, yet hopeful, which makes me believe the writer, Robert Frost, was a very sad person full of hope, and the desire for something grater. I would recommend those poems to teenagers up to adults, because that is when life starts taking hold, and that is when choices become.

Health Communication verses Social Marketing and allocationof Essay

Health Communication verses Social Marketing and allocationof resources - Essay Example The role of the nutritionist would be to supervise the entire nutritional portion of the program wherein the requirements as delineated by the USDA. He/she would be employed as a consultant and would plan the lunch menu on a for the week and endure the menu meets the minimal energy level of 664 kcal with a fat content of less that 30% of the total calorific content, no less than 10g of protein, 286mg of calcium, 3.5mg of iron, at lease 224 retinol equivalents of vitamin A and at lest 15mg of vitamin C. The salary for the nutritionist would be approximately $15/hour for 10 hours per week. This salary is based on the Hourly Rate Survey Report for Job: Nutritionist (PayScale, Inc. 2007). A chef would also serve as an integral part of the proposed program, the role of the chef would be such that he/she would work in collaboration with the nutritionist to ensure that the calorie and other nutritional requirements of the proposed program are met. This would be achieved through healthy culinary techniques, portion control and the close monitoring of all those involved. The chef would be an additional employee procured specifically for this program. This employee would be a part-time employee and would garner a salary of approximately $20/hour for an average of four hours per day and twenty hours per week. In addition to the nutritionist and the chef, the program would utilize a physical education/health and nutrition teacher. Currently, the department of education within each and every state utilizes physical education/health and nutrition teachers. These teachers are on staff on a full-time basis. In order to maintain the guidelines of this program, it would be necessary for these teachers to undergo specialized training in order to deliver the necessary fitness and education programs as these programs are age-specific. In addition to the age specificity, these programs are accompanied by specific guidelines