Monday, October 28, 2019

Soldiers and civilians alike Essay Example for Free

Soldiers and civilians alike Essay This essay will consider a poem and an extract from two different authors, each writing about events in the First and Second World Wars The first piece to be considered is a poem called Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. In this poem, Owen describes the atrocities of war by describing a group if men returning from the front line, experiencing a gas attack in which one of them dies and then goes on the address the people back at home and ask them whether war is actually as noble and as glorious as it is made to be. Owen portrays the soldiers by using similes and metaphors. In lines 1 and 2, Owen uses words like: Old beggars and Hags to give a visual description of the soldiers walking back from the front line. This shows how young soldiers have aged though the hardships of war. They have been reduced from proud and strong young men in the prime of their lives to old beggars literally the lowest of the low. They are bent double not only by the heavy equipment they are carrying (the average soldier in WW1 used to regularly carry weights in excess of) but also by the experience of war itself. Own goes on to describe how they were trudging, not walking or marching but that they cursed through sludge. Cursed is not actually a word to describe movement but shows how every yard of the way brought obscenities to the lips of these men who have had enough of the appalling conditions. The phrase An ecstasy of fumbling is an unusual one. Typically used in association with joy, it is possible Owen used the word ecstasy to portray the adrenalin rush caused by the panic of the gas attack. It is as almost as if the soldiers. Own the goes on to describe how one man dies. In recalling this scene, he uses the phrase: In all my dreams before my helpless sight. This and an earlier reference to Haunting flares, suggests that Own suffered from nightmares in consequence of war. Own uses very graphic and disturbing imagery in lines 17-24, describing how the man dies under the gas attack. For example, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. and He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. These quotes tell us that the narrator sees the man suffering at the peril of the gas; he refers to the gas as a green sea, and describes the man drowning. In the last few lines of the poem, Own sends a very clear message that death in war is not, as is often described, glorious or honourable but is in fact gruesome and ghastly, scarring to those who witness it.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay --

The Islamic revolution in 1979 resulted in the collapse of the secular regime of the Pahlavi dynasty ruled by Muhammad Reza Shah in favour of an Islamic republic under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. The revolution came about due to multiple internal and external social and political factors that mobilised the Iranian people. This essay will discuss the ways in which the people of Iran were discontented by the oppressive regime of the Shah and its various economic failures, the government’s programme of secularization and Westernisation and its close relationship with the United States, and how the views of Arabs internationally and in the Middle East affected the revival of Islamism in Iran. Mohammed Reza Shah’s oppressive regime motivated many people to protest against the social injustices carried out by the state. The government was wasteful, elitist and corrupt, and the people of Iran recognised it as such. The role of the secret police (the SAVAK) was heavily criticised by leftist, nationalist and Islamist movements for its political oppression and violent methods, which were seen by many factions of society as being violations of the Iranian Constitution of 1906. In 1975 the government abolished the existing two-party system and introduced a single political organization, the Resurgence Party, which all Iranians were required to join, thereby establishing their control over the people. The highly personalised system prevented competition, which led to dramatic divisions within the army and the political elite . The authoritarian system was subsequently undermined by the Shah’s indecisiveness and apparent weakness in the face of protest, which add ed momentum to the Islamists’ revolution. Because the regime was n... ... Middle East. The state of affairs in the Arab world is therefore linked to the need of many Muslims to return to a traditionally Islamic way of governance, and can thereby explain the vehement Islamic-oriented revolution in Iran. In conclusion, the corrupt regime and poor leadership of Muhammad Reza Shah created social injustice which the population protested, and the economic failures of the government alienated members of the Iranian population and incited revolutionaries to action. The attempted secularization and Westernization of Iran furthered the people’s discontent, and Khomeini’s movement heavily criticised Iran’s close relationship with the West. In Iran as well as in the Middle East as a whole there was a desire for a return to Islam provoked by events such as the June War. All these social and political factors contributed to emergence of a revolution.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Policies issues Essay

By watching the video for this assignment I agree that these children are getting abuse and by the environment they come from they will grow up and may follow the steps of their parents. The mother had put a restraining order on the boyfriend. Until she had to call the police cause he kept coming to her house. Her small son was scare and child protector services (CPS) had to get on involve and replace him in a foster home. There are different factors. Some kids are taking drugs because they grew up around their parents or friends doing drugs. There some kids that physical abuse is involve in the family. In the video also addresses Policy implications or recommendations of the crime. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a personal crime. The abuse come from the family itself or someone known by the family. I believe that the abuse effects all young kids. These abuse kids will show depression, anti-social, anger, rebellious, and will lead them to take drugs. Before its misinterpreted wrong it is very important to understand the various kinds of child abuse that does occur. Child abuse is not just rigorously a bodily problem, but it is more than just that. This is what child abuse is; physical violence, verbal abuse, emotional, rape and psychological torment, sexual molestation, and abandonment. It important to see the background of these crimes and see if there is a pattern that were the abuse is coming from. Child abuse is an inexplicable subject to so many people like the courts and child protective service. There is a few children that are found murdered every day from child abuse and nearly millions reports are made every year. REFERENCES: www.futureunlimited.org/pdf/DVintervention.pdf https://www.ncjrs.gov/works/wholedoc.htm

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Capital Budgeting Methods for Corporate Project Selection

Capital Budgeting Methods for Corporate Project Selection In a 2001 Graham and Harvey survey of 392 chief financial officers (CFOs) asked â€Å"how frequently they used different capital budgeting methods? † Approximately 75% of the CFOs replied that they use net present value (NPV) or Internal Rate of Return (IRR) always or almost always (Smart, Megginson & Gitman, 2004, pg. 251). Projects are viewed as capital investments in the corporate world, and as such, are evaluated closely for their possible financial impacts on the â€Å"bottom line† due to their higher risk of failure.Capital investments are those that are considered long-term investments such as manufacturing plants, R&D, equipment, marketing campaign, etc. , and capital budgeting is â€Å"the process of identifying which of these investment projects a firm should undertake† (Smart, Megginson & Gitman, 2004, pg. 227). According to Smart, Megginson & Gitman, there are three steps in the capital budgeti ng process: * Identifying potential investments Analyzing the set of investment opportunities, identifying those that will create shareholder value, and perhaps prioritizing them * Implementing and Monitoring the investment projects selected This paper will focus on step two, and will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the four most common methods that are utilized for evaluating, selecting and prioritizing projects in the corporate world. Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Straight/Discounted Payback Period and Profitability Index are the four of the most come methods used during step 2 of the capital budgeting process.Four fictional potential capital investments will be used to illustrate how the different methods can affect project selection for a portfolio. THEME PARK CAPITAL INVESTMENTS A theme park senior executive management team had four capital projects presented during the last capital budget meeting. The projects are a $250M park expansion, $50M value resort renovation, $500M new moderate resort construction and $200M new value resort construction. All these projects have similar completion time frames and have 20 year life expectancies.Years 1 to 5 cash flows for each project come from the pro formas, and Years 6 -20 are based on an expected 2% per increase in cash flows. The company has $750M to invest on capital projects this year, and they must decide which projects should be approved. NET PRESENT VALUE Net Present Value is the sum of discounted future cash flows and provides the appropriate adjustments for the time value of money. In short, NPV is the reverse of compounding interest, and this process begins with the selection of a â€Å"discount rate. † According to Smart, Megginson & Gitman, pg. 01, â€Å"A project’s discount risk must be high enough to compensate investors for the project’s risk† The discount rate can be based on the inherent risk of a project, the required rate of return on shares, cost of equity, etc. The discount rate should not be one rate for all projects with in a firm, but reflect the nature of the project. The formula for NPV is: In this calculation, CFt represents the net cash flow of the year and r is the selected discount rate. CF0 usually represents the initial outlay to get the project started, and is usually a negative cash flow.As a rule, projects with a negative NPV are not approved, but a â€Å"hurdle† could be set such as projects with a NPV

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Definition and Examples of Linguistic Variation

Definition and Examples of Linguistic Variation The term linguistic variation (or simply variation) refers to regional, social, or contextual differences in the ways that a particular language is used. Variation between languages, dialects, and speakers is known as interspeaker variation. Variation within the language of a single speaker is called intraspeaker variation. Since the rise of sociolinguistics in the 1960s, interest in linguistic variation (also called linguistic variability)  has developed rapidly. R.L. Trask notes that variation, far from being peripheral and inconsequential, is a vital part of ordinary linguistic behavior (Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics, 2007). The formal study of variation is known as variationist (socio)linguistics. All aspects of language (including phonemes, morphemes, syntactic structures, and meanings) are subject to variation. Examples and Observations Linguistic variation is central to the study of language use. In fact it is impossible to study the language forms used in natural texts without being confronted with the issue of linguistic variability. Variability is inherent in human language: a single speaker will use different linguistic forms on different occasions, and different speakers of a language will express the same meanings using different forms. Most of this variation is highly systematic: speakers of a language make choices in pronunciation, morphology, word choice, and grammar depending on a number of non-linguistic factors. These factors include the speakers purpose in communication, the relationship between speaker and hearer, the production circumstances, and various demographic affiliations that a speaker can have.(Randi Reppen et al., Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation. John Benjamins, 2002)Linguistic Variation and Sociolinguistic VariationThere are  two types of language variation: linguistic and sociolinguistic. With linguistic variation, the alternation between elements is categorically constrained by the linguistic context in which they occur. With sociolinguistic variation, speakers  can choose between elements in the same linguistic context and, hence the alternation is probabilistic. Furthermore, the probability of one form  being chosen over another is also affected in a probabilistic way by a range of extra-linguistic factors [e.g. the degree of (in)formality of the topic under discussion, the social status of the speaker and of the interlocutor, the setting in which communication takes place, etc.](Raymond Mougeon et al.,  The Sociolinguistic Competence of Immersion Students. Multilingual Matters, 2010) Dialectal VariationA dialect is variation in grammar and vocabulary in addition to sound variations. For example, if one person utters the sentence John is a farmer and another says the same thing except pronounces the word farmer as fahmuh, then the difference is one of accent. But if one person says something like You should not do that and another says Ya hadnt oughta do that, then this is a dialect difference because the variation is greater. The extent of dialect differences is a continuum. Some dialects are extremely different and others less so.(Donald G. Ellis, From Language to Communication. Routledge, 1999)Types of Variation[R]egional variation is only one of many possible types of differences among speakers of the same language. For example, there are occupational dialects (the word bugs means something quite different to a computer programmer and an exterminator), sexual dialects (women are far more likely than men to call a new house adorable), and educational dialects ( the more education people have, the less likely they are to use double negatives). There are dialects of age (teenagers have their own slang, and even the phonology of older speakers is likely to differ from that of young speakers in the same geographical region) and dialects of social context (we do not talk the same way to our intimate friends as we do to new acquaintances, to the paperboy, or to our employer). . . . [R]egional dialects are only one of many types of linguistic variation.(C. M. Millward and Mary Hayes, A Biography of the English Language, 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2012) Linguistic Variables- [T]he introduction of the quantitative approach to language description has revealed important  patterns of linguistic behaviour which were previously invisible. The concept of a sociolinguistic variable has become central to the  description of speech. A variable is some point of usage for which two or more competing forms are available in a community, with speakers showing interesting and significant differences in the frequency with which they use one or another of these competing forms.Furthermore, it has been discovered that variation is typically the vehicle of language change.(R.L. Trask,  Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics. Routledge, 1999/2005)- Lexical variables are fairly straightforward, as long as we can show that the two variantssuch as the choice between soda and pop for a carbonated beverage in American Englishrefer to the same entity. Thus, in the case of soda and pop, we need to take into account that for many U.S. southerners, Coke (when used to refer to a beverage and not the steel-making fuel or the illicit narcotic) has the same referent as soda, whereas in other parts of the U.S., Coke refers to a single brand/flavour of the beverage . . ..(Scott F. Kiesling,  Linguistic Variation and Change. Edinburgh University Press, 2011)

Monday, October 21, 2019

US Budget Deficit History

US Budget Deficit History The budget deficit is the difference between the money federal government takes in, called receipts, and what it spends, called outlays  each year. The U.S. government has run a multibillion-dollar deficit almost every year in modern history, spending much more than it takes in. The opposite of a budget deficit, a budget surplus occurs when the government’s revenue exceeds current expenditures resulting in an excess of money that can be used as needed. In fact, the government has recorded budget  surpluses in only five years since 1969, most of them under Democratic President Bill Clinton.   In all-too-rare times when revenue equals spending, the budget is called â€Å"balanced.†Ã‚   [  Debt Ceiling History  ] Running a budget deficit adds to the national debt and, in the past, has forced Congress to increase the debt ceiling under numerous presidential administrations, both Republican and Democrat, to allow the government to meet its statutory obligations. Although federal deficits have shrunk markedly in recent years, the CBO projects that under current law increased spending for Social Security and major health care programs, like Medicare, along with increasing interest costs will cause the national debt to rise steadily over the long term. The larger deficits would cause federal debt to grow faster than the economy. By 2040, CBO projects, the national debt will be more than 100% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and continue on an upward path – â€Å"a trend that cannot be sustained indefinitely,† notes the CBO.   Notice particularly the sudden jump in the deficit from $162 billion in 2007, to $1.4 trillion in 2009. This increase was due primarily to spending for special, temporary government programs intended to re-stimulate the economy during the great recession of that period. Here is the actual and projected budget deficit or surplus by fiscal year, according to Congressional Budget Office data for modern history. 2021 -  $916 billion budget deficit (projected)2020 - $987  billion budget deficit (projected)2019 - $984  billion budget deficit (projected)2018 - $833  billion budget deficit (projected)2017 - $665  billion budget deficit2016 - $585  billion budget deficit2015 - $439  billion budget deficit2014 - $514 billion budget deficit2013 - $719 billion budget deficit 2012 - $1.1 trillion budget deficit 2011 - $1.3 trillion budget deficit 2010 - $1.3 trillion budget deficit 2009 - $1.4 trillion budget deficit 2008 - $455 billion budget deficit 2007 - $162 billion budget deficit 2006 - $248.2 billion budget deficit 2005 - $319 billion budget deficit 2004 - $412.7 billion budget deficit 2003 - $377.6 billion budget deficit 2002 - $157.8 billion budget deficit 2001 - $128.2 billion budget surplus 2000 - $236.2 billion budget surplus 1999 - $125.6 billion budget surplus 1998 - $69.3 billion budget surplus 1997 - $21.9 billion budget deficit 1996 - $107.4 billion budget deficit 1995 - $164 billion budget deficit 1994 - $203.2 billion budget deficit 1993 - $255.1 billion budget deficit 1992 - $290.3 billion budget deficit 1991 - $269.2 billion budget deficit 1990 - $221 billion budget deficit 1989 - $152.6 billion budget deficit 1988 - $155.2 billion budget deficit 1987 - $149.7 billion budget deficit 1986 - $221.2 billion budget deficit 1985 - $212.3 billion budget deficit 1984 - $185.4 billion budget deficit 1983 - $207.8 billion budget deficit 1982 - $128 billion budget deficit 1981 - $79 billion budget deficit 1980 - $73.8 billion budget deficit 1979 - $40.7 billion budget deficit 1978 - $59.2 billion budget deficit 1977 - $53.7 billion budget deficit 1976 - $73.7 billion budget deficit 1975 - $53.2 billion budget deficit 1974 - $6.1 billion budget deficit 1973 - $14.9 billion budget deficit 1972 - $23.4 billion budget deficit 1971 - $23 billion budget deficit 1970 - $2.8 billion budget deficit 1969 - $3.2 billion budget surplus Looking at the Deficit as a Percent of GDP In order to put the federal deficit into proper perspective, it must be viewed in terms of the government’s ability to pay it back. Economists do this by comparing the deficit to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- the measure of the overall size and strength of the U.S. economy. This â€Å"debt-to-GDP ratio† is a ratio between the cumulative government debt and the GDP over time. A low debt-to-GDP ratio indicates that the nation’s economy is producing and selling enough goods and services to pay back the federal deficit without incurring further debt. In simple terms, a larger economy can sustain a larger budget, and thus a larger budget deficit. According to the Senate Budget Committee, in the fiscal year 2017, the federal deficit was 3.4% of GDP. For the fiscal year 2018, when the U.S. government operated under its largest budget in history, the deficit was estimated to be 4.2% of GDP.   Remember, the lower the debt-to-GDP percentage, the better. Clearly, the more you spend, the harder it is to pay back your debts.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The History of Hair Styling Products and Tools

The History of Hair Styling Products and Tools Brushes were used as early as 2,500,000 years ago in the cave paintings of Altamira in Spain and PÃ ©rigord in France. These brushes were used to apply pigment to the cave walls. Similar brushes were later adapted and used for hair grooming. Brush Comb Trivia On New Years Day in 1906, Alfred C. Fuller, a 21-year-old entrepreneur from Nova Scotia, started the Fuller Brush Company from a bench located between the furnace and the coal bin in the basement of his sisters New England home.Camel hair brushes are not made of camels hair. They are named after the inventor, Mr. Camel.African American, Lyda D Newman patented a new and improved brush on November 15, 1898. Walter Sammons received a patent (US patent #1,362,823) for a comb. Hair Spray The concept of an aerosol spray originated as early as 1790 when self-pressurized carbonated beverages were introduced in France. However, it was not until World War II, when the US government funded research into a portable way for servicemen to spray malaria-carrying that the modern aerosol can was created. Two Department of Agriculture researchers, Lyle David Goodhue and W. N. Sullivan, developed a small aerosol can that was pressurized by a liquefied gas (a fluorocarbon) in 1943. It was their design that made products like hair spray possible, along with the work of one other inventor named Robert Abplanal. In 1953, Robert Abplanal invented a crimp-on valve for dispensing gases under pressure. This put the manufacture of aerosol spray can products into high gear as Abplanal had created the first clog-free valve for spray cans. Hair Styling Tools Bobby pins were first introduced to America in 1916. The very first hair dryers were vacuum cleaners adapted for drying hair. Alexandre Godefoy invented the first electric hair dryer in 1890. Thermo hair curlers were invented by African American inventor Solomon Harper in 1930. The pressing/curling iron was patented by Theora Stephens on October 21, 1980. Charles Nestle invented the first perm machine in the early 1900s. Early permanent wave machines used electricity and various liquids to perm hair and were difficult to use. According to Salon.com Technology columnist Damien Cave, Rick Hunt, a San Diego carpenter, invented the Flowbee in the late 1980s after marveling at an industrial vacuums ability to suck sawdust from his hair. The Flowbee is a do-it-yourself home haircutting invention. History of Hair Dressing Styling Hairdressing is the art of arranging the hair or otherwise modifying its natural state. Closely related to headgear, hairdressing has been an important part of the dress of both men and women since antiquity and, like the dress, serves a number of functions. Hair Dye The founder of LOreal, French chemist Eugene Schueller, invented the first synthetic hair dye in 1907. He named his new hair dye product Aureole. Baldness Treatment On February 13, 1979, Charles Chidsey received a patent for a treatment for male baldness. U.S. Patent 4,139,619 was issued on February 13, 1979. Chidsey was working for the Upjohn Company.