Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Rights of the Nonhuman World by Mary Anne Warren Assignment

The Rights of the Nonhuman World by Mary Anne Warren - Assignment Example Humans can experience humiliation and etc. in similar circumstances. The same thing is with a moral right on life: animal don’t suffer morally from ruined hopes, or long term plans, while humans do. 3. Firstly, despite being not fully capable of a moral behavior, nonparadigm humans still possess a potential or partial moral autonomy. Thus, humans respect their moral rights in order to keep an existing moral attitude (order) among human beings. Secondly, it’s simply hard to define a degree of a moral autonomy when it’s full, or when it’s partial for nonparadigm humans. 4. Nonsentient natural entities are a great part of natural environment on Earth. They influence life of other entities and thus, trees and mountains etc. have an intrinsic value for other entities. Yet that can’t be discussed in terms of moral rights because nonsentient entities aren’t capable of pain or satisfaction. 5. Both land ethic environmentalists and animal liberationists deny a homocentric view on moral rights. Warren says they complete, because they both are wrong. Land ethical environmentalists neglect a difference of â€Å"logical foundation† when discussing moral rights of nonsentient and sentient natural entities, while animal liberationists don’t see how different is content and strength of human and animals’ moral capacities (Warren

Monday, October 28, 2019

Huntington Theory - Military Professional Essay Example for Free

Huntington Theory Military Professional Essay Scholars like Kaplan, Friedman, Huntington and Barnett have postulated various theories on military service. Samuel P Huntington is one of the scholars who have postulated theories of military service. His theory is also referred to as the normal theory. This paper seeks to show how Huntington’s theory impacts on one’s future in military service. Discussion Owen M (2010) gives credit to Samuel Huntington for his role in developing the normal theory. Owen points out that through this theory Huntington endeavored to solve the dilemma of â€Å"how to guarantee civilian control of the military while still ensuring the ability of the uniformed military to provide security. † Huntington cited in Owen (2010) says the solution to this dilemma lies in â€Å"a mechanism for creating and maintaining a professional, apolitical military establishment, which he called â€Å"objective control. In this regard, Huntington cited in Williams (1995), says the community should have control over the military and army professionals should be denied some of the privileges enjoyed by civilians like political affiliations. Politics is a game of numbers, in my view, this may disadvantage military officers who harbour ambitious of venturing in politics because they are denied involvement in political parties affairs. This impacts negatively on their popularity with the voters. However, there are those candidates such as 2008 republican candidate John McCain who used their experience in the military as a campaign tool to endear themselves to the voters. In my view, professional and experienced military officers make better commander in chief of the armed forces. Additionally, Idsa (2010) concurs with Huntington that one way of achieving civilian control of the military is by ensuring that the funding of the military is left in the hands of the civilian institutions. Idsa points out that civilian institutions should allow the military to advise them on military matters but ultimately the military should only executive those decisions approved by the civilian institutions. In my view this may endanger the lives of military officers. Due to high budgetary needs of a country, military equipment needed in times of war may be sacrificed to meet other needs in another sector of the economy. Huntington theory goes along way in developing responsible and knowledgeable persons. As Idsa (2010) points out military professionals should present their considerations within the appropriate â€Å"channel of authority and communication. † To effectively carry out his/her duties, Huntington as cited in Williams (1995) states that an army officer must be highly expertise, cooperative and responsible in his profession. He meant that an officer must be well knowledgeable in combating violence. Williams (1995) while says that after training the officers should only work with three words â€Å"duty, honor, country. † As a result, Huntington envisaged a military force free of corruption. The officer is expected to be different from other skilled workers in that money should not play any part enticing one to join the forces. However, the army professional should be well rewarded so as to promote hiring, maintain the officers in the force and boost their morale. Williams (1995) says that Huntington argued that a well skilled army professional should be willing to observe the legal requirements made by citizen organizations recognized by law. In addition, the officers should accept to act as subordinates to individuals as required by legalized community organizations. The military officers are expected to hold a high opinion of their career and should not cause civil unrest or run the government. Since the army professionals are recruited with certain levels of qualification, and by the virtue that they belong in the same profession and hold same competencies, the officers tend to exhibit cooperativeness. This supports the statement of Huntington as quoted by Williams (1995) that â€Å"the members of a profession share a sense of organic unity and consciousness of themselves as a group apart from laymen. . This attribute is fostered by their common training which take quite a long duration, collective discipline and sharing of their societal tasks (Williams, 1995). Conclusion In view of the above statements, Huntington theory helps in creating and maintaining cordial relations between the civilians and the military officers. A professional force envisaged in this theory will go along in ensuring peaceful co-existence helps fight vices such as cor ruption and military coups.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Algae :: Sea weed

Recently, I interviewed someone from the Island of Orkney, off the northern shore of Scotland. He described the seas as being nutrient rich and crystal clear. Traditionally, sea weed, (called sea vegetables in Scotland) has been used for herbal remedies, food products, animal food, cosmetics, and fertilizers. Two of the major species I was informed of were Laminaria, and Carrageen Chondrus crispus (Irish moss). Laminaria, (commonly called "kelp") has it has the ability to re-growth extremely fast, making it an almost infinitely sustainable crop. Auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins exist in large amounts, which are used for animal food supplements. Laminaria is the main seaweed used in Scotland, but Red-weed, green-weed, purple-weed, and pinkweed each with its own unique benefits. The various species are used for health products, cosmetics and natural fertilizers for gardens. The seaweed is currently used for animal and human consumption. Red seaweed gel is used for respiratory problems in animals, (particularly horses), and green seaweed gel, is used as an animal food supplement for growth and minerals. For human consumption, Red seaweed extract is used as a general tonic and Red seaweed beautifying cream and a seaweed skin rub for sports people. An interesting fact is that Orkney Gold's Seaweed Supreme won The Scottish Food Award in 1995 and 1996. It is made of different flavored kelp dips which can be substituted for tartar sauce, horse radish, mint sauce, dips for French fries, spread for sandwiches and salad dressings. The old Norse word for seaweed is ‘tang’ and ‘gathering ther tangs’, as it used to wash up on the beaches after each winter storm. It was also the only form of land nutrition available to the crofters and early farmers.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pierrot Le Fou, Art, and You

Pierrot Le Fou, Art, and You Jean-Luc Godard's film Pierrot Le Fou is in itself a challenging piece of cinematic art. The film, which experiments with elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing in an unconventional, intricate, and artistic manner, represents a milestone in the film genre known as the French New Wave, and continues to be important to the history of cinema today. With Pierrot Le Fou, director Godard expresses commentary on such things as mass culture, politics, America, literature, music, art, and cinema itself.These opinions are communicated to us throughout the film not only through the filmic techniques employed, but by the actors themselves; through their dialogue and their acknowledgment of the spectators presence. It is Godard's choices to employ a garish color scheme, references to mass culture, narrative intransivity, and the destruction of the â€Å"fourth wall† that allow for Pierrot Le Fou to highlight the dominant pop art movement occurri ng at the time as well as to confront viewers, express commentary concerning literature and cinema, and break the audience's willing suspension of disbelief.Bright, vivid, and often primary shades of color, in addition to subject matter concerning references and depictions of elements present in mass culture describe the collective term of the artistic phenomena occurring in the 1950's and 60's known as â€Å"Pop Art. † In Pierrot Le Fou, we are made highly aware of such a movement as much of the film is styled according to such. This can be seen as early as in the opening credits, which slowly piece together in shades of bright red and blue (depicting at first a bunch of A's, B's, and C's) a title and credit screen.With such a flashy opening, characteristics of pop art are instantly alluded to; and continue to remain present throughout the remainder of the film. One of the most significant scenes in which this is conceptualized is the sequence in which the main character, Fe rdinand, attends a cocktail party. The party sequence, which is shot entirely on a 2D plain in which the actors are arranged facing each other against the wall, is also filmed through bright, primary colored filters. Throughout this sequence, every cut is marked by a change in color scheme.Beginning in a garish shade of red, the sequence then alternates between shades of bright white, yellow, blue, and finally – in the last shot, a combination of yellow, orange, pink, and purple hues. This sequence, through Godard's choice of color filtering, represents not only colors characteristic in much of the â€Å"Pop Art† produced during this period; but makes reference to advertising and consumer products. This is evident in a shot during the sequence in which we are shown a man and a woman sitting together against a wall within a blue colored frame.During this shot, the woman speaks about her â€Å"hairdo†, which is, â€Å"able to keep it's shape all day thanks to a c loud of Aquanet. † After uttering this, she continues to enthusiastically talk about the Aquanet product to the man as if she were advertising it to the general public. Not only are references to consumer culture made here through such dialogue, but the depiction of her hair after having been sprayed with Aquanet allude to the Pop Art movement of the time in its reflection of consumer culture.Besides making us aware of such a dominant artistic phenomena, Godard's use of episodic structure to separate scenes in Pierrot Le Fou constantly challenges us to re-concentrate and re-focus our attention, as well as explores the notion of cinema as a topic in the narrative. The film, which is divided into different chapters; thus enables for the introduction of interruptions into the narrative. It can be said that such a technique is borrowed from literature – which is a theme that is present not only in this way throughout the film, but implied in numerous other scenes.While chal lenging the viewer with such narrative intransivity – a term used to describe Godard's constant interruptions via his introduction of new scenes as â€Å"chapters† – Pierrot Le Fou also challenges the notion of the power of the cinema to â€Å"capture† it's audience without apparently having done so (in terms of making it think or changing it). i In terms of the narrative and cinema, Godard also introduces to us in Pierrot Le Fou the idea of film as a process of writing in images – and by doing so, raises the topic of cinema itself within the narrative.Throughout Pierrot Le Fou, there are numerous instances in which elements of cinema are dissected, and are representational of what they construct. In one such instance, Marianne is shown looking at the audience in a close-up shot with a scissors literally â€Å"cutting† across the screen to mark the cut that follows. In another occurrence, Ferdinand is shown in a close-up pointing a gun at th e audience – to signify a shot. Representationally, both of these instances convey elements of cinema directly to the audience through the objects that the characters present.Thus, these shots, while raising topics concerning the cinema; also break the narrative surface by allowing for the characters direct engagement with the audience. This intentional destruction of the â€Å"fourth wall†, brought to us in the film by shots featuring a confrontation between the spectator and the characters (where we can observe them observing us), not only breaks that spectator's willing suspension of disbelief, but poses questions about the level of truth in the diegesis but also in terms of cinema itself.Such notions of the misleading and deceiving nature of appearances are constantly touched upon throughout the film, always in a way that is confrontational; and at times, representational. In the scene in which Marianne is asked by Ferdinand about whether or not she will ever leave him, instead of a shot of Ferdinand asking the question, a fox is shown walking around. After the question is asked, a close-up of the fox looking at the audience is presented as Marianne answers, â€Å"Of course I won't. † Immediately after answering, this shot is cut to another close-up shot of Marianne looking out at the audience.These two shots are representational not only of each other, but of such notions of deceit. First of all, it is obvious in the presentation of these two shots that we are to draw a parallel between the creature and Marianne – as they look very similar and both are framed and looking out to us in the same way, one immediately right after the other. The deceptive and cunning nature known to be associated with a fox is also representational of Marianne's expression in the shot, as she appears to look so – and such qualities are further highlighted by the close-up framing of her face.By these two shots alone, notions associated with cin ema and fiction are raised as well. It is as if, by being directly engaged with the fox and Marianne, the audience is asked to actively participate in the formulation of questions concerning such things. By allowing for characters to directly engage themselves with the audience, Pierrot Le Fou, through such shot compositions, challenges the audience directly to engage itself in the film not simply as a spectator, but rather, as active participants questioning and creating meanings.By implementing such elements, with Pierrot Le Fou, Godard has created a film stylized to not only highlight, but to comment upon and furthermore challenge notions of Pop Art, cinema, and literature/fiction. It is through such unconventional means of expressing his ideas in his use of mise-en-scene present in the lighting of the garish color scheme, the cinematography choices he made in terms of framing the characters, and how editing was employed to draw parallels and create meaning, that the film conveys its intentions in a diegesis that is complex, artistic, and confrontational.While the entirety of the diegesis's motives may not be initially apparent, due to the complexity of the narrative and the amount of themes and questions Godard raises with the film; we as an audience can recognize how such filmic techniques employed by the director have come together to create such meanings. After all, the movie, like an intricate artwork, takes some studying to truly figure out. Nichols, Bill. Movies and Methods. Vol. II. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California, 1985. Print.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Relationship between Politics and Religion

Between the fourth and eleventh centuries, the relationship between politics and religion included religion being used for military aid, papal primacy, rulers enforcing religious orthodoxy, and religion being used for legltlmlaatlon. One of the relationships between religion and politics was papal primacy (church power over ruler power) as seen in documents 3, 4, and 5, In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius told the Roman emperor it was important to deter to papal authority.He wrote this in a demanding and domineering way in order to maintain power over secular rulers Gelaslus I's letter Illustrates the Idea of papal primacy where he tated, â€Å"[P]iously bow your neck to those who have charge of divine affairs† (doc. 3). Since the pope argued that rulers should â€Å"bow† to the clergy, this Indicates the power ot the pope over secular rulers. Similarly, Pope Gregory VII asserted his power over princes and their subjects. Since the Dictatus Papae was a letter. which was candid. It probably portrays the pope's view'S accurately.In the letter the pope claimed he had the power to release people from their ruler's authority, which suggests the pope was superior to rulers In terms of their power (doc. 4), Gregory VII also railed dgdlnst Idy nvestiture (kings appointing bishops). As a pope, he would of course see matters of faith as most Important because he was head of the Church. HIS decree exemplifies papal primacy because he proclaimed, â€Å"[N]o clergyman shall receive Investiture from the hand of the emperor, or the king† (doc. ). By reserving the power to appoint bishops, the pope had more power than emperors and Another document that might further this analysis of papal primacy would be a comparison of the land holdings of kings versus the papacy. This might indicate whether or not wealth contributed to the papacys sense ot superlorlty wer secular rulers. Another relationship between politics and religion was the use of religion for mili tary support as shown In documents 2 and 8.In the late sixth century, Gregory wrote in the account of the conversion of king Clovis bringing about the history of his armys victory between the fight of the Franks and the Alemannl. In the document, It is mentioned that Clovis' passion tor Jesus Christ earned his victory with the fight between his army and the Alemanni and the address of this, suggests that Gregory as the 81shop of Tours was for the divinity of this particular faith. Clovis proclaimed, â€Å"Jesus Christ†¦ o is said to give aid to those in distress and victory to those who hope In you† (doc. 2). This gives off the Impression that religion was much valued when it came to winning a tight between armies. Charlemagne wrote to pope Leo Ill indicating that religion provided for the support of the military. As the king of the Franks, he Is dedicated to have the faith concerning of Jesus Christ whom he Is to glorify and having the authority as the head of the churc h, the belief of Christ Influenced his thoughts on the mllltdry did.The king addressed, â€Å"Cod willing and granting, the Christian people will torever achieve victory over the enemies ot His ame†, which indicates his favor towards the Invocation for military support from his Lord In relation to religion being Invoked for military aid, another document that might further this analysis would be a reference from the annals which might show an L]nblased point of view of religions towards the act of military.Relationship between Politics and Religion BY asdf0801 religious orthodoxy, and religion being used for legitimization. power over ruler power) as seen in documents 3, 4, and 5. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I told the Roman emperor it was important to defer to papal authority. He secular rulers. Gelasius I's letter illustrates the idea of papal primacy where he Since the pope argued that rulers should â€Å"bow' to the clergy, this indicates the power of the pope ov er secular rulers.Similarly, Pope Gregory VII asserted his power over princes and their subjects. Since the Dictatus Papae was a letter, which was candid, it probably portrays the pope's views accurately. In the letter the pope claimed he had superior to rulers in terms of their power (doc. 4). Gregory VII also railed against lay faith as most important because he was head of the Church. His decree exemplifies apal primacy because he proclaimed, â€Å"[N]o clergyman shall receive investiture bishops, the pope had more power than emperors and kings.Another document that contributed to the papacy's sense of superiority over secular rulers. military support as shown in documents 2 and 8. In the late sixth century, Gregory army's victory between the fght of the Franks and the Alemanni. In the document, it is mentioned that Clovis' passion for Jesus Christ earned his victory with the fght as the Bishop of Tours was for the divinity of this particular faith. Clovis proclaimed, hope in yo u† (doc. 2). This gives off the impression that religion was much valued when it came to winning a fght between armies.Charlemagne wrote to pope Leo Ill Franks, he is dedicated to have the faith concerning of Jesus Christ whom he is to influenced his thoughts on the military aid. The king addressed, â€Å"God willing and granting, the Christian people will forever achieve victory over the enemies of His name†, which indicates his favor towards the invocation for military support from his Lord. In relation to religion being invoked for military aid, another document that an unbiased point of view of religions towards the act of military.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Vietnam Essays (2501 words) - Vietnam War, Free Essays, Term Papers

Vietnam Essays (2501 words) - Vietnam War, Free Essays, Term Papers Vietnam Vietnam: The War We Should Have Won Essay written by Chris Styduhar The Vietnam War is one of the most disgraceful periods in American history. Not only did the greatest superpower in the world get bested by an almost third-world nation, but we lost badly. Perhaps this war could have been won, or even prevented in the first place. The United States could have and should have won this war, with a combination of better weapons usage, better tactics, and better support from their home country. Before the War Even years before the war, Vietnam was a hotly disputed territory. Many countries had taken Vietnam over, and after World War II, Vietnam was in the hands of France. Obviously, the Vietnamese wanted their own country, and their long history of being a colony prompted the oppressed people to fight for their independence in the French-Indochina war. 7 Ho Chi Min, a leader of the Communist party, organized the Vietnamese independence movement, Viet Minh. Asking for support from America first, Ho Chi Min did not want to have to turn to communist support for the freedom of his people. Since the United States viewed helping Ho gain his independence from France as a move against their own allies, they declined. It was only after Russia and China offered to help that Ho adopted communist ideals and wanted to make all of Vietnam communist. The Vietnam war started simply because Ho Chi Min and his communist supporters wanted South Vietnam to become communist after the South split off in 1954 to become its own democratic nation. The United States saw this as a threat to democracy, and using the Domino theory, successfully threw the U.S. into the one of the worst wars it has ever seen. If only the United States had looked past its petty alliances and helped another country gain its independence like we had gained ours so many years ago, this war would have been completely avoided. Unfortunately for the families of over 64,000 soldiers, it wasn't. Beginnings of a Nightmare As early as 1954, the United States started sending financial and military aid to South Vietnam, hoping to stop the spread of communism. The flow of 'military advisors' from 700 to over 14,000 1 built up steadily through John Kennedy's presidency, and after he was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson escalated the war to the point of no return. Johnson used the ludicrous domino theory to justify the military buildup in Vietnam. American people were so scared of communism by McCarthyism in the 1950's, that they were willing to do anything to stop communism where it started. The people of the United States let Johnson build up a huge force in Vietnam, and he was also almost unanimously backed by congress. By the end of the war, Johnson was so ashamed that he didn't even try to run for reelection. If the American populous would have stopped and thought about what they were getting themselves into and not jumped gung-ho into a frivolous war, their representatives wouldn't have felt so pressured to back Johnson. In 1964, the event every war-hungry Commie-killer was waiting for happened. In the Gulf of Tonkin, several VC torpedo boats reportedly fired on a U.S. vessel. 6 Even though the American ship sustained no damages, Johnson drafted the 'Gulf of Tonkin Resolution', which authorized him to use any force necessary to beat back the North Vietnamese. Congress never declared war or even directly authorized troops, but Johnson twisted enough words around to have his own little executive war. Early in the War At first, Johnson limited the conflict to an air war, hoping to pound away and demoralize the VC into submission. He used planes such as the B-52 bomber and the F-4 Phantom to try to win the war as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the United States' air power had many shortcomings. The F-4 Phantom was the latest and greatest piece of technology out there during Vietnam. Manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas, this plane was capable of multiple roles, as a dogfighter, bomber, recon, and support aircraft. However, the F-4 had its share of problems. First, the engineers who designed it neglected to mount any type of gun on the F-4A through the F-4D, thinking that the Phantom's frightening compliment of

Monday, October 21, 2019

Ericson - Freud essays

Ericson - Freud essays Describe the developmental process and problems that might arise in 1 of the first 3 developmental stages (ericson freud) and how these might affect the counselling relationship Freud developed a frame work for understanding the process of human development and broke down the various stages of childhood development into The Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency The Process of the Anal Stage of Development Perhaps the biggest influencing factor in a persons life is their childhood. An adult has the capability to make conscious decisions and develop attitudes to life where as a developing childs world is dominated by parents or significant primary care figures e.g Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of small children (Brandon Lee, Film: The Crow 1995) A child has no experience of life to base their beliefs on - no way of understanding weather they are experiencing a positive or negative influence. To a child their world simply is what it is. Good parents may try to consciously teach their children a strong belief in themselves and an independent and autonomous nature, but they may also inadvertently teach their children beliefs in themselves, which may be negative or detrimental. It may be that the parents inherited these beliefs and pass them on to their own children - much like inheriting a garden where its up to you to grow what you will - but within your garden will already be some weeds. Everyone can live with a few weeds in the garden - but if the weeds are many and fertile then they can start to block out the sunlight and the growth of the flowers may be stunted. The anal stage generally occurs around the second and th...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store These days, everyone seems to be blogging. It’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress make starting your own blog simple. But you only have to spend a short time perusing other blogs to discover that there’s much more to it than making it look pretty. Virtually anyone can write a blog post. Writing awesome blog posts that others are eager to read takes much more effort and skill. When you’re just starting out, that can seem like looking up a huge mountain. You wonder if you can achieve those blogging dreams. I know.   I’ve been blogging for almost ten years and I’m still learning new tricks to make my posts more engaging and readable. One question I get asked most as a writing coach is if there’s an easy way to consistently write awesome blog posts. I’d never describe writing captivating content as easy - but it’s easierwhen you have the right tools. In this ultimate guide, I’ll show you how. The Key Ingredients Fine-dining chefs know that the quality of their culinary masterpieces depends on the quality of their ingredients. Likewise, the best blog writers understand that the quality of their writing depends on a set of ingredients that can’t be compromised on. As a writer, you’ll know that different types of writing need different skills. Writing a blog post isn’t like writing a novel - and if you’re used to writing long pieces of content, writing blog posts can be a sharp learning curve. To make it more complex, there are different types of blog posts, too. Listicles, articles, how-to-guides†¦ the list is endless. But, blog posts of all kinds share common key ingredients you can use as a kind of formula to create blog posts that your readers will find irresistible. 1. Hard-Working Headline Headlines are like hooks that snare your readers in and entice them to keep reading. For centuries, newspaper editors have been using headline psychology to increase readership. Yet when it comes to blogging, writers often fall into the trap of thinking the body of your posts matters more than the headline. It doesn’t. Well, technically the content matters more to give value to your readers - but without a hard-working headline, no one will read the blog post, anyway. You can see how that’s a problem. I know writers who spend more time writing their headlines than they do their content - and they’re the writers who see their blog posts go viral. Go figure. So, what makes a headline hard-working? These kinds of headlines are powerful, persuasive - and tell the reader what to expect. Smart bloggers use psychology to get into the heads of their audience and write headlines that can’t be ignored. The best way to learn how to write these kinds of headlines is to Google your topic - and see what the top ranking blog headlines are. Study them. Learn from other bloggers who’ve been where you are now and have reached that pinnacle of success you’re aiming for. Want to perfect your headline-writing technique to make creating epic blog posts easier? Spend an hour every day writing headlines - and re-writing them to make them better. Practice makes perfect - plus, you’ll be generating hundreds of blog post titles for future use. Types of headlines include: How-to... List (tip - use an odd number, e.g. 7, 13, 45) Warning! (exploit the reader’s FOMO) The ultimate guide to... Why... Headlines that tease your reader without giving too much away virtually guarantee they’ll read your post. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers - and write the kinds of headlines that would make you click and read.   2. Irresistible Intro The headline hooks your reader. The intro convinces them to keep reading. To write irresistible intros you need to understand your readers, be able to relate to their problems, know what they’re looking for - and speak to them in a language they ‘get’. My background is in Linguistics, so when I first wrote blog posts, they were dire. Not because I didn’t know how to write - but because I was used to writing academic papers. My blogs would have delighted my professors - but they didn’t speak to my readers. A powerful and irresistible intro uses empathy to convince your readers you get them. You care about them. You want to help them with some problem or give them something they’re looking for. Exploiting emotions is another trick you can use to craft enticing intros. Which emotions you exploit depends on the post you’re writing - but before you start writing, know what feelings you want to cultivate in your reader. Learn from bloggers who’ve been in your shoes. Look at how they do it. The top ranking bloggers are at the top of the search results because they’re at the top of their game. Study their techniques - and start practicing. 3. Epic, Valuable Advice Want your readers to love your blog so much they can’t wait to share it on Facebook or Twitter? Of course you do - that’s how you grow your readership and build your reputation as a kick-ass writer. But we’re a consumer-culture. You don’t get anything for nothing. You want your readers to do something at the end of the post? Give them something valuable in return. I don’t mean you have to buytheir recommendation. You want to compel them to take action, not force them. The value is in what your blog post offers them. Do you have a solution to their problem that no one else has suggested? Can you help them learn a skill they need? Figure out what your readers will value most, and give it to them. Prove that you know what you’re talking about - and get them eager to read your next blog posts, too. But don’t just stop there. Give them more than they’re expecting from a blog post. The more you give them, the more they’ll love you. It’s really that simple. If other bloggers are giving 10 tips for something, give 15, 20 or even 25 - and maybe throw in a PDF they can download (in exchange for their email address). Make your advice easy for them to read, digest, and act on. This part of your blog post is the meat - and if you don’t make it easy to digest, you risk losing your reader - no matter how valuable your advice is. Subheadings and short paragraphs are the blogger’s best friend. If a paragraph is over four lines long, it’s too long and needs breaking up. Watch the length of your sentences, too. Tons of people read blogs and more on smartphones - and long paragraphs on a desktop are even longer on a smartphone. You’re aiming to improve your reader’s life - so don’t make it hard for them to read! 4. Kick-Ass Conclusion Finishing your blog post strong is sometimes harder than starting it. How do you close your post off with a bang when you’ve already delivered so much? It takes practice to get this part right. You want to motivate your readers and get them coming back for more. But you also need to keep it short and punchy. What you must avoid in your conclusion is adding new information. Readers hate that. All the hard work you’ve done so far can be undone with a poorly thought out conclusion. The key to writing a powerful, motivating conclusion is to write it to yourself. Yes, that sounds weird, but it works. You’re an expert on the topic, so you’ve been in your reader’s shoes. So, what would you write to your former self now you’ve overcome the challenges? What did you wish someone had said to you back then? What encouragement did you long to hear? Maybe you didhear it. So give your readers a pep talk, empower them - and give them the confidence to put all your valuable advice into action. Style Matters That’s the ingredients taken care of. But you can’t throw a load of ingredients into a pot and expect a culinary masterpiece to emerge. There’s more to producing consistently awesome blog posts than the ingredients. Your style matters, too. The style of your posts will vary according to your audience. It’s easy to forget you’re writing for them, not for you. Don’t make that mistake. To write to your readers and forthem: Use the language and style they use Speak to them directly Avoid jargon they won’t understand Present information logically Readability Readability is a big thing in the blogging world. The Flesch Reading Ease scale is a great tool for bloggers to use to check how easy your writing is to read. There are tons of different tools you can use to measure it. Keeping an eye on your readability score can really improve your blog writing. It helps you focus on your reader’s comprehension, not on using big words and technical jargon. You should aim for a readability score of 60 or more. Since I’ve been using a readability tool, my score’s gone from an average of 58-60 to an average of 78-82. It works. Putting in Your Personality Allowing your personality to shine through your writing adds a personal touch to your blog posts that readers love. They’re more likely to subscribe to your blog posts - or at least bookmark your blog - when you add that human element. It creates a kind of relationship - and makes your blog posts sound different from all the other blog posts competing for your readers’ attention. Breaking Grammar Rules Writing consistently awesome blog posts means you have to break rules. Grammar rules, that is. All those things you were taught in school about split infinitives and contractions - your readers (mostly) don’t care about. Unless you’re writing a blog about grammar, of course. Blogs are much more informal. You’re speaking to your readers, not writing them an essay. Writing in a style they can relate to matters so much more than maintaining the rules of grammar. Polishing Your Posts Never hit the publish button until you’ve polished your posts. Ever. Your first draft might be perfect. It might be utterly awesome and epic. But don’t publish it yet. Please. Every writer’s different. Some leave their writing for a few days before they edit. Others leave it a few hours. It’s up to you - as long as you edit. When you come back to your blog post, you’re looking to polish till it’s perfect: Cut unnecessary words Add more emotion Break up any paragraphs that look too long Fact check Check the flow Add highlights Spark the senses Check your consistency Creating Irresistible Content, Consistently You want to write irresistible blog posts your readers will love, and you want to do it easily. The good news is that you’ve now got a formula for awesome blog posts. The bad news is that the formula makes it easier rather than easy. Writing awesome blog posts takes effort. It takes time. It takes practice. But you can do it. You’ve got all the tools you need to write blogs your readers will love. Yes, you’ll have moments of doubt. We all do. That’s just part of being a writer. You’ll look at the blog posts that the top ranking bloggers have written and wonder if you can ever compete. You can. You can’t let fear or intimidation stop you. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t believe, somewhere deep down inside, that you have it in you to write consistently awesome blogs. Learn from the writers who have gone before you - but don’t be intimidated by them. They were in your shoes not so long ago, and look where they are now. You’ll never get there if you don’t start, though. Start today. Start with hard-working headlines, and work your way up until it’s your blog that’s sitting at the top of the rankings and you that the world is turning to for advice.       About the author: Ariella is an experienced copywriter, editor, and digital marketing consultant. Driven by a passion for writing and content creation she takes pride in producing articles that deliver the latest information in an engaging manner and marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Ariella has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Creative Writing (First), an MA in Theology and Ministry, and is a published author of three novels and a bestselling non-fiction book. A creative at heart, Ariella has 14 years’ industry experience and always aims to keep abreast of current trends and developments. She lives in the UK with her three beagles Zeke, Hope, and Sandy, who always make life interesting. The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store These days, everyone seems to be blogging. It’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress make starting your own blog simple. But you only have to spend a short time perusing other blogs to discover that there’s much more to it than making it look pretty. Virtually anyone can write a blog post. Writing awesome blog posts that others are eager to read takes much more effort and skill. When you’re just starting out, that can seem like looking up a huge mountain. You wonder if you can achieve those blogging dreams. I know.   I’ve been blogging for almost ten years and I’m still learning new tricks to make my posts more engaging and readable. One question I get asked most as a writing coach is if there’s an easy way to consistently write awesome blog posts. I’d never describe writing captivating content as easy - but it’s easierwhen you have the right tools. In this ultimate guide, I’ll show you how. The Key Ingredients Fine-dining chefs know that the quality of their culinary masterpieces depends on the quality of their ingredients. Likewise, the best blog writers understand that the quality of their writing depends on a set of ingredients that can’t be compromised on. As a writer, you’ll know that different types of writing need different skills. Writing a blog post isn’t like writing a novel - and if you’re used to writing long pieces of content, writing blog posts can be a sharp learning curve. To make it more complex, there are different types of blog posts, too. Listicles, articles, how-to-guides†¦ the list is endless. But, blog posts of all kinds share common key ingredients you can use as a kind of formula to create blog posts that your readers will find irresistible. 1. Hard-Working Headline Headlines are like hooks that snare your readers in and entice them to keep reading. For centuries, newspaper editors have been using headline psychology to increase readership. Yet when it comes to blogging, writers often fall into the trap of thinking the body of your posts matters more than the headline. It doesn’t. Well, technically the content matters more to give value to your readers - but without a hard-working headline, no one will read the blog post, anyway. You can see how that’s a problem. I know writers who spend more time writing their headlines than they do their content - and they’re the writers who see their blog posts go viral. Go figure. So, what makes a headline hard-working? These kinds of headlines are powerful, persuasive - and tell the reader what to expect. Smart bloggers use psychology to get into the heads of their audience and write headlines that can’t be ignored. The best way to learn how to write these kinds of headlines is to Google your topic - and see what the top ranking blog headlines are. Study them. Learn from other bloggers who’ve been where you are now and have reached that pinnacle of success you’re aiming for. Want to perfect your headline-writing technique to make creating epic blog posts easier? Spend an hour every day writing headlines - and re-writing them to make them better. Practice makes perfect - plus, you’ll be generating hundreds of blog post titles for future use. Types of headlines include: How-to... List (tip - use an odd number, e.g. 7, 13, 45) Warning! (exploit the reader’s FOMO) The ultimate guide to... Why... Headlines that tease your reader without giving too much away virtually guarantee they’ll read your post. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers - and write the kinds of headlines that would make you click and read.   2. Irresistible Intro The headline hooks your reader. The intro convinces them to keep reading. To write irresistible intros you need to understand your readers, be able to relate to their problems, know what they’re looking for - and speak to them in a language they ‘get’. My background is in Linguistics, so when I first wrote blog posts, they were dire. Not because I didn’t know how to write - but because I was used to writing academic papers. My blogs would have delighted my professors - but they didn’t speak to my readers. A powerful and irresistible intro uses empathy to convince your readers you get them. You care about them. You want to help them with some problem or give them something they’re looking for. Exploiting emotions is another trick you can use to craft enticing intros. Which emotions you exploit depends on the post you’re writing - but before you start writing, know what feelings you want to cultivate in your reader. Learn from bloggers who’ve been in your shoes. Look at how they do it. The top ranking bloggers are at the top of the search results because they’re at the top of their game. Study their techniques - and start practicing. 3. Epic, Valuable Advice Want your readers to love your blog so much they can’t wait to share it on Facebook or Twitter? Of course you do - that’s how you grow your readership and build your reputation as a kick-ass writer. But we’re a consumer-culture. You don’t get anything for nothing. You want your readers to do something at the end of the post? Give them something valuable in return. I don’t mean you have to buytheir recommendation. You want to compel them to take action, not force them. The value is in what your blog post offers them. Do you have a solution to their problem that no one else has suggested? Can you help them learn a skill they need? Figure out what your readers will value most, and give it to them. Prove that you know what you’re talking about - and get them eager to read your next blog posts, too. But don’t just stop there. Give them more than they’re expecting from a blog post. The more you give them, the more they’ll love you. It’s really that simple. If other bloggers are giving 10 tips for something, give 15, 20 or even 25 - and maybe throw in a PDF they can download (in exchange for their email address). Make your advice easy for them to read, digest, and act on. This part of your blog post is the meat - and if you don’t make it easy to digest, you risk losing your reader - no matter how valuable your advice is. Subheadings and short paragraphs are the blogger’s best friend. If a paragraph is over four lines long, it’s too long and needs breaking up. Watch the length of your sentences, too. Tons of people read blogs and more on smartphones - and long paragraphs on a desktop are even longer on a smartphone. You’re aiming to improve your reader’s life - so don’t make it hard for them to read! 4. Kick-Ass Conclusion Finishing your blog post strong is sometimes harder than starting it. How do you close your post off with a bang when you’ve already delivered so much? It takes practice to get this part right. You want to motivate your readers and get them coming back for more. But you also need to keep it short and punchy. What you must avoid in your conclusion is adding new information. Readers hate that. All the hard work you’ve done so far can be undone with a poorly thought out conclusion. The key to writing a powerful, motivating conclusion is to write it to yourself. Yes, that sounds weird, but it works. You’re an expert on the topic, so you’ve been in your reader’s shoes. So, what would you write to your former self now you’ve overcome the challenges? What did you wish someone had said to you back then? What encouragement did you long to hear? Maybe you didhear it. So give your readers a pep talk, empower them - and give them the confidence to put all your valuable advice into action. Style Matters That’s the ingredients taken care of. But you can’t throw a load of ingredients into a pot and expect a culinary masterpiece to emerge. There’s more to producing consistently awesome blog posts than the ingredients. Your style matters, too. The style of your posts will vary according to your audience. It’s easy to forget you’re writing for them, not for you. Don’t make that mistake. To write to your readers and forthem: Use the language and style they use Speak to them directly Avoid jargon they won’t understand Present information logically Readability Readability is a big thing in the blogging world. The Flesch Reading Ease scale is a great tool for bloggers to use to check how easy your writing is to read. There are tons of different tools you can use to measure it. Keeping an eye on your readability score can really improve your blog writing. It helps you focus on your reader’s comprehension, not on using big words and technical jargon. You should aim for a readability score of 60 or more. Since I’ve been using a readability tool, my score’s gone from an average of 58-60 to an average of 78-82. It works. Putting in Your Personality Allowing your personality to shine through your writing adds a personal touch to your blog posts that readers love. They’re more likely to subscribe to your blog posts - or at least bookmark your blog - when you add that human element. It creates a kind of relationship - and makes your blog posts sound different from all the other blog posts competing for your readers’ attention. Breaking Grammar Rules Writing consistently awesome blog posts means you have to break rules. Grammar rules, that is. All those things you were taught in school about split infinitives and contractions - your readers (mostly) don’t care about. Unless you’re writing a blog about grammar, of course. Blogs are much more informal. You’re speaking to your readers, not writing them an essay. Writing in a style they can relate to matters so much more than maintaining the rules of grammar. Polishing Your Posts Never hit the publish button until you’ve polished your posts. Ever. Your first draft might be perfect. It might be utterly awesome and epic. But don’t publish it yet. Please. Every writer’s different. Some leave their writing for a few days before they edit. Others leave it a few hours. It’s up to you - as long as you edit. When you come back to your blog post, you’re looking to polish till it’s perfect: Cut unnecessary words Add more emotion Break up any paragraphs that look too long Fact check Check the flow Add highlights Spark the senses Check your consistency Creating Irresistible Content, Consistently You want to write irresistible blog posts your readers will love, and you want to do it easily. The good news is that you’ve now got a formula for awesome blog posts. The bad news is that the formula makes it easier rather than easy. Writing awesome blog posts takes effort. It takes time. It takes practice. But you can do it. You’ve got all the tools you need to write blogs your readers will love. Yes, you’ll have moments of doubt. We all do. That’s just part of being a writer. You’ll look at the blog posts that the top ranking bloggers have written and wonder if you can ever compete. You can. You can’t let fear or intimidation stop you. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t believe, somewhere deep down inside, that you have it in you to write consistently awesome blogs. Learn from the writers who have gone before you - but don’t be intimidated by them. They were in your shoes not so long ago, and look where they are now. You’ll never get there if you don’t start, though. Start today. Start with hard-working headlines, and work your way up until it’s your blog that’s sitting at the top of the rankings and you that the world is turning to for advice.       About the author: Ariella is an experienced copywriter, editor, and digital marketing consultant. Driven by a passion for writing and content creation she takes pride in producing articles that deliver the latest information in an engaging manner and marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Ariella has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Creative Writing (First), an MA in Theology and Ministry, and is a published author of three novels and a bestselling non-fiction book. A creative at heart, Ariella has 14 years’ industry experience and always aims to keep abreast of current trends and developments. She lives in the UK with her three beagles Zeke, Hope, and Sandy, who always make life interesting.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Telecommuting, aka Tele-working Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Telecommuting, aka Tele-working - Research Paper Example Telecommuting has significantly altered the traditional offices through the introduction of phones, computers and other telecommunications tools at off-site locations. Golden (2001) stated that the formation of telecommuting has been explored through several terms such as telework, distance work, remote work, flexi work and home based work among others. However, there are no clear definitions that exist regarding the term telecommuting. Several authors have provided varying definitions regarding telecommuting. For instance Olson (1987) denoted telecommuting as an organizational work which is executed outside of the company premises. It is augmented by information technology (IT). Telecommuters are employees who habitually spend about two to four days in a week, performing their tasks at home. Korte & Wynne (1996) recommended that there are three dimensions of telecommuting namely location, implementation of IT and communication network. In the US, telecommuting is referred as telewor king while in Europe telecommuting is denoted as distance working and off-site working. Hamilton (2002) stated telecommuting as a schedule where employees conduct their work at home for a certain percentage of core working time. The place of work can be at home, at a remote office location or some other places which are outside of main office premise. Considering this aspect, it can be stated that telecommuting is an alternative method of work system where employees spend a consistent amount of time at a location other than office, essentially working from home through using computer and telecommunication system. According to Cross (2013), telecommuting means performing work at a location away from workplace and then sending the outcome of the performed work through the electronic medium. The following figure depicts the telecommuting work system: Fig 1: Telecommuting Work System Fig 1: Cross (2013) From the above figure, it can be stated that telecommuting usually supplements diffe rent office based functions. Green, Lopez, Wysocki & Kepner (2003) defined popular terms which cover telecommuting as a remote work, ‘location independent tasks’ and ‘home distributed data processing’ among others. Telecommuting is basically preformed on a terminal which is connected by modem and telephone line to mainframe computer of office. Telecommuting is also performed through personal computer systems where the competed tasks are transmitted over telecommunication media to the organizations’ computer facilities (Green, Lopez, Wysocki & Kepner, 2003). Telecommuting work provisions have a range of procedures depending on the requirements of employees and organizations. For instance, part time telework permits employees to avoid regular travels to the main office, which may or may not be conveniently reachable. Part time telework comprises work of editors or designers who frequently perform as outworkers. On the other hand, full time telework all ows employees to perform as a part of virtual teams who assemble through electronic media from different locations in order to conduct organizational tasks. An example of full time telework comprises medical transcriptionists who perform their tasks at home for an established organization (Green, Lopez, Wysocki & Kepner, 2003). Current telecommuting technologies Successful telecommuting necessitates a number of technologies which permit employees to efficiently communicate with coworkers, supervisors and clienteles. A few of the

Other than the obvious (Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams) Essay

Other than the obvious (Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams) which American political or military leader do you think had - Essay Example The founding fathers of America worked hard to make a revolution that was both resolute and changeable, and tried to supply basic principles that could be re-interpreted, changed, or even thrown out completely should they not prove considerable to the general population. This spirit of flexibility fits well with the Enlightenment conception of the renaissance man- a man who could be objective, while still participating actively in the revolution. These characteristics perhaps had their culmination, though, in the political figure of Samuel Adams. A well-educated, powerful advocate of freedom and liberty, Adams was an articulate architect of the American revolution as we know it, or would like to; that is, a revolution which is the servant of the people it represents, not their master, and a revolution that led to a government which is an ongoing continuation of the American revolution’s free spirit. One of the main ways that Adams contributed to the Revolution was the way in w hich he led crowds. When the Stamp Act of 1765 ordered the colonists to purchase stamps from England, Samuel Adams began to protest in earnest. He told the crowd what to do. In 1766, the Stamp Act was ordered, and Adams warned the crowd that if their trade goods were going to be taxed, their land would be next, along with everything else they had. Adams also planned, and participated in, the Boston Tea Party. To help coordinate the resistance to what he saw as attempts by the British government to violate the Constitution to the detriment of the colonies, in 1772, Adams and his colleagues set up the basic framework of the revolution, connecting the rhetoric and complaints of patriots throughout the colonies, and organizing resistance against the British. Increased resistance to British policy led to the Boston Tea Party 1773, and, thanks to Adams, the advent of the American Revolution. After Parliament approved compulsions in 1774, Adams attended the Continental Congress in Philadel phia, which was convened to coordinate a response to the harsh colonial rule of George III. Adams helped guide the Congress to the issuance of the Declaration of Independenc

Friday, October 18, 2019

The management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The management accounting - Essay Example This shift in orientation has brought with it the requirement to induct new practices and upgrade exiting practices. In this endeavour, a change in the orientation of management accounting is required. Rather than just supporting internal processes and providing information for decision making by top management, management accounting has taken a more strategic outlook (Baines and Langfield-Smith, 2003). Management accountant, from just being focused on operational issues have added new responsibilities in their job description. These responsibilities are more strategic and have to do with knowledge regarding customers, financials, human resources, and processes. Thus, management accountants have become strategic accountants in this new and evolved business environment (Dixon, 1998). In reaction to a more pronounced competition, companies have started doing competitor appraisals, changing from its previous practice of internal assessment. A framework for strategic management accountin g, based on contingency theory has been adopted by companies. This framework allows companies to better adapt their internal business processes to fit the underlying variables in the external business environment (Langfield-Smith, 2008). The internal business processes should correspond with factors like the firm’s size, business strategy, and market orientation etch. In order to design business processes in this way, the urge is to use management accounting techniques which have strategic applications, and use the insight of management accountants in strategic decision making. The second point requires giving management accountants a more active role in the strategic management processes (Cinquini and Andrea, 2007). These changes, although very dramatic, are essential to maintain a sustainable business. Businesses from being mechanical have become more organic, making them sensitive to the slightest of change. But in order to maintain a competitive business operation changes in the way things are done is required. The development of commercial management expertise, including marketing, general management and financial management, has become essential (Atkinson, Banker, Kaplan, and Young, 2011). This has given rise to the concept of looking at the business holistically. This concept of looking at the business from a 360-degree viewpoint has given precedence to the build-up of cross-functional teams, team-based structure and horizontal integrations. This new approach has blurred the line between boundaries and has lead to a culture build around information sharing and collective decision making. Firms who believe in this have merged their activities across their supply chain to become more customer and competitor focused (Bisbe, Batista-Foguet, and Chenhall, 2007). As mentioned earlier, management accounting has taken a more strategic outlook, with a focus on strategy, long term future oriented time frame, and an external focus, whereas previously, this focus was more towards internal processes and a short-term time frame. Thus this change is more of a strategic nature rather than of any other reason (Potter, 2005). Consequences of the changes: As highlighted earlier, businesses in order to face the hostile business environment effectively and efficiently have become more nimble and strategic in orientation. Traditional functional departments have been dissolved to form cross functional teams. Functional areas are working keeping in

Justice and Peace by J milburn Thompson chapter 5 Essay

Justice and Peace by J milburn Thompson chapter 5 - Essay Example It all depends on the concerned individual or family if they still want to be and consider themselves a part of the nation in which they belong. An example of a nation is the Chinese nation. Wherever they are, they all share the same pride of their language, culture and traditions. Almost in every country around the world, there is a Chinatown where the Chinese people continue with their age-old culture and traditions. They still speak their language, celebrate Chinese holidays, use Chinese medicine and follow Feng shui. These people are already citizens of the countries where they reside and yet they are still distinguishable from the rest of the population. These people may be American citizens or Canadian citizens and yet they still identify themselves as Chinese and the rest of the country’s citizens recognize them as such. On the other hand, the term state refers to a sovereign country that exercises control over a population within a defined territory. A state is managed and administered by a government which has legal authority over its people. Membership in a state is determined by the criteria set forth by the government. A state is considered as a legal person in international law that may enter into contracts and agreements with other countries, corporations and individuals.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Langauge structure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Langauge structure - Assignment Example Arabski (1979 pp.135-143) says that making errors is part of the process of acquiring a language and is mostly influenced by transference and simplification. English and Arabic languages are different in many ways and as expected Arab speakers encounter many phonological, morphological and semantic problems when learning English. Arabic speakers do not recognize how to use adjectives in sentences. This is because in Arabic adjectives come after the noun whereas in English adjectives come before the noun. Most Arabic speaks erroneously transfer their knowledge of adjectives during the course of learning English (Cruse 1986 pp.40). This paper will discuss how Arab speakers struggle using adjectives while giving specific learner errors. The discussion will focus on some published language teaching material and it will analyze, compare and evaluate these errors. Project Description Theoretical Framework Studying errors second language learners make is a field that has created a buzz amon g linguists. Several theories have been advanced, and one such theory is the Contrastive Analysis This is a process that explains the comparative aspects of the Mother tongue (MT) and the Target Language (TL). James (1998) provides examples for instance consonant clusters, tense and comparison of the form and meaning of the two languages. This according to Fries (1945) is supposed to determine the oddities that result to interference and error. The reason being a second language learner may find some aspects of the target language easy to learn and others hard. The assumption second language learners make is that it will be easy to learn those aspects that are similar to their native language and very difficult to learn those aspects that are different from their native language. Contrastive Analysis has been conducted on many languages. Khuwaileh and Al Shoumali (2000) studied the writing of Arabic learners of academic English. He was focusing the frequent errors on coherence tense errors, lack of cohesion and parts of speech errors. The study compared the Arabic language and English. Bataineh (2005) investigated the problems Arab learners of language and translators’ encounter when translating Arabic sentences. The focus was on articles. Contrastive Analysis has faced some criticism and thus other theories emerged to fill the gap. The theory advocating for the existence of a â€Å"psychological structure latent in the brain† brought in the idea of Interlanguage (IL) seen in the process of learning a second language. Selinker (1972 pp.209-231) claimed that second language learners created some interim grammars in trying to achieve the target language but this vocabulary changes depending on the task of extraction and the context. IL is influenced by Transfer of training, Language transfer, Strategies of second language communication, Overgeneralization and Strategies of second language learning. As it is impossible to acquire a second language w ithout making errors, many linguists have invested time and resources in analyzing errors and why they occur. There are several reasons for studying errors. According to Corder (1975 pp.122-154) errors can tell a linguist how much a second language learner has acquired and what other aspects of the language require to be emphasized. Also as, James (1980) put it, errors are also markers of how the process of acquiring a second

Health and safety Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health and safety - Article Example The completion of review, of the consultations’ results, will enable the ministry and its system partners to design and administer certain prevention programs for improving the health and safety system. This article’s connection to human resources is that employers and employees are collectively responsible for preserving the health and safety of workers. Employers are obliged to exercise due diligence, by adopting every reasonable measure to ensure the health and safety of their workers (Dessler, Munro, & Cole, 2008, p. 282). The aim of the public consultation on prevention programs, to be undertaken by the Labour Ministry is to strengthen health and safety at the workplace. This requires the coordination and effective involvement of all the stake holders of the program. Moreover, the Labour Ministry has to ensure the optimal design and administration of the program, by collaborating with the other members of the program. MacBride, C., & Skeaff, B. (2014, November 10). Strengthening Health and Safety Culture. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from Ontario Ministry of Labour:

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Langauge structure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Langauge structure - Assignment Example Arabski (1979 pp.135-143) says that making errors is part of the process of acquiring a language and is mostly influenced by transference and simplification. English and Arabic languages are different in many ways and as expected Arab speakers encounter many phonological, morphological and semantic problems when learning English. Arabic speakers do not recognize how to use adjectives in sentences. This is because in Arabic adjectives come after the noun whereas in English adjectives come before the noun. Most Arabic speaks erroneously transfer their knowledge of adjectives during the course of learning English (Cruse 1986 pp.40). This paper will discuss how Arab speakers struggle using adjectives while giving specific learner errors. The discussion will focus on some published language teaching material and it will analyze, compare and evaluate these errors. Project Description Theoretical Framework Studying errors second language learners make is a field that has created a buzz amon g linguists. Several theories have been advanced, and one such theory is the Contrastive Analysis This is a process that explains the comparative aspects of the Mother tongue (MT) and the Target Language (TL). James (1998) provides examples for instance consonant clusters, tense and comparison of the form and meaning of the two languages. This according to Fries (1945) is supposed to determine the oddities that result to interference and error. The reason being a second language learner may find some aspects of the target language easy to learn and others hard. The assumption second language learners make is that it will be easy to learn those aspects that are similar to their native language and very difficult to learn those aspects that are different from their native language. Contrastive Analysis has been conducted on many languages. Khuwaileh and Al Shoumali (2000) studied the writing of Arabic learners of academic English. He was focusing the frequent errors on coherence tense errors, lack of cohesion and parts of speech errors. The study compared the Arabic language and English. Bataineh (2005) investigated the problems Arab learners of language and translators’ encounter when translating Arabic sentences. The focus was on articles. Contrastive Analysis has faced some criticism and thus other theories emerged to fill the gap. The theory advocating for the existence of a â€Å"psychological structure latent in the brain† brought in the idea of Interlanguage (IL) seen in the process of learning a second language. Selinker (1972 pp.209-231) claimed that second language learners created some interim grammars in trying to achieve the target language but this vocabulary changes depending on the task of extraction and the context. IL is influenced by Transfer of training, Language transfer, Strategies of second language communication, Overgeneralization and Strategies of second language learning. As it is impossible to acquire a second language w ithout making errors, many linguists have invested time and resources in analyzing errors and why they occur. There are several reasons for studying errors. According to Corder (1975 pp.122-154) errors can tell a linguist how much a second language learner has acquired and what other aspects of the language require to be emphasized. Also as, James (1980) put it, errors are also markers of how the process of acquiring a second

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Scepticism around the two articals of Drs Woo Hwang and Shin Moon Essay

Scepticism around the two articals of Drs Woo Hwang and Shin Moon about stem cell - Essay Example This raised further problems concerning human cloning, as the embryos created would contain the same genetic material as the host, creating a clone. As the scientific and ethical debate continued, extensive research was still being made, leading to the breakthrough, and later discredited research of Woo Hwang and Shin Moon. In two papers, entitled "Evidence of a Pluripotent Human Embryonic Stem Cell Line Derived from a Cloned Blastocyst" published in the journal Science on 12 March, 2004 and "Patient-Specific Embryonic Stem Cells Derived from Human SCNT Blastocysts" published in Science on 17 June, 2005, Woo Hwang and Shin Moon as primary researchers claimed that they managed to create human embryonic stem cells from a cloned embryo. ... Theoretically, as the researchers state, the cytoplasm of the oocyte would deactivate certain genes concerned with somatic functions and would activate the embryonic genes located within the nucleus concerned with proliferation and differentiation. They continue to explain one of the basic principles in stem cell research, as the inner cell mass is removed from the blastocyst, forming a specific stem cell line, that will be used either for research to or to treat a wide spectra of diseases like type I diabetes, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's disease, burn injuries as well as a variety of cardiovascular diseases, and possibly most important of all, an effective and safe transplantation and replacement therapy, as rejection would be non-existent by the host who has the same genetic material as the imported cells (Hwang et al, 2004). Before beginning the experiments, the researchers asked and received an approval to perform the experiments by the Institutional Review Board on Human Subject s Research and Ethics Committees from Hanyang University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. In the experiment, they used metaphase II 242 oocytes taken from consented volunteers, and after the oocyte DNA, the scientists performed a test by imaging the cells after using a fluorescent dye in order to determine that the DNA was removed from the oocytes before performing SCNT. It should also be mentioned that at the time when the experiments were performed, an effective SCNT protocol for use on human oocytes did not exist, so the researchers had to modify several step of the procedure, including reprogramming time, or the amount of time necessary for the

Monday, October 14, 2019

Big business affects public relations ethics Essay Example for Free

Big business affects public relations ethics Essay Big business today affects public relation ethics. â€Å"U. S. corporations devote hundreds of millions of dollars annually to ? public relations in order to create goodwill for themselves. A major public ? relations goal is to make people believe that an organization exerts a ? positive and desirable force in society. This process is called image building; ideally, it creates credibility. † (Blohowiak 1987) There are two reasons regarding the deterioration of public relation ethics. First, people are driven by self gaining attitude. Second, because of the self- gain mentality, people treat costumers or the â€Å"other† as only an object or a means to achieve their desire. Individual’s self gain has been one of the strongest considerations of a man in indulging himself to a business or corporation. It is always automatic that man will seek for gain in any undertaking. Man desires for material things in life and is always in constant act of assimilating these things. This assimilation contributes to the malady of the business world today. Because of this drive of man to gain, man, most of the time is on a self- centered mode. Man is likely not to consider others in order to achieve his desires. He does not consider what ethical means to be done in order to achieve his goal rather, seeing only means that can contribute to his gain. Man becomes glued by the desire to gain. Instead of a brotherly relationship with a co- employee or a client, the relationship becomes just a functional relationship because people see each other as only a means to a desired end. They interact only by means of functions and with the reason of only accomplishing something. The relationship becomes an objective relationship and that they don’t care to other employees and costumers. The â€Å"I† and â€Å"thou† relationship is no where to be found. Customers and other employees are treated up objects. They are not recognized as also beings with human dignity. People in doing business do not look at the welfare of the â€Å"other† and becomes glued with self centeredness. Because of self gain which gives birth to treating others as only objects of their desire, the public relations ethics deteriorates. The business world today is full of deception that a lot of cases and dilemmas have been produced. People does not give emphasis on the quality of service they render instead their emphasis is on the amount of profit they will get from every transaction. Money becomes the criteria of doing business and of everything. The true meaning of inter human relationship vanishes. People do away from the very essence of it. They find meaning in assimilating material things which is a true deviation from their essence. Their essence as social being is to treat others as subjects, as beings with human dignity. People also deviate from the will of God because the will of God dictates that they must treat others with respect and love. God wants people to have a harmonious inter human relationship. It makes Him sad to see people using other people just to satisfy caprices. Greed becomes the theme of the business world today and great virtues and values are hard to find. The drive of man for self gain is very strong. It is very difficult to overcome. This is the reason why we have a deteriorating public relations ethics. People seem to care for the assimilation of money and nothing else. Material possessions drew people’s attention and they become fixated with it. Even in a lifetime, it is very difficult nowadays to detach from this sad reality of our existence. Life in the business world is always a tale of thinking to do what’s right and thinking to do what is beneficial to one’s self, very hard but interesting battle that every people is facing. With big business processing big investments for big profits, big business executives will not think twice in manipulating public relations activities to make the picture suit their interests over other competitiors.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Effect of Perceived Anonymity of Group Task Social Loafing

Effect of Perceived Anonymity of Group Task Social Loafing Title: The effect of perceived anonymity upon individual effort in a group task. Abstract: Social loafing according to Latanà © et al (1979) is the decrease in personal effort that occurs when an individual works within a group. However, when people feel as though their input is identifiable they are motivated to exert more effort, thereby mitigating social loafing. (Harkins Jackson, 1985) In an attempt to discover if this effect could be replicated, an opportunity sample of 52 participants was recruited to partake in an independent measures experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the public group or the private group. Both groups were asked, via email, to provide suggestions on how their town centre could be improved. The â€Å"public† group believed their results would be attributed to them publicly whilst the â€Å"private† group were assured anonymity. It was hypothesized that the public group would provide more suggestions than the private group. The â€Å"private† condition resulted in a lower mean number of respon ses (M 3.8, SD 2.6) than the â€Å"public† condition (M 6.8, SD 2.22) which supported the hypothesis. Introduction: Social loafing is the propensity for group members to come to be less productive as the group size increases (Latanà © et al, 1979). This effect reveals the converse relationship that exists between group size and an individual’s input to the accomplishment of a task. While examining the association between performance effectiveness and group productivity, Ringelmann (1913) discovered that having members of a group work collectively (in this case, pulling a rope) actually resulted in considerably less effort being applied than when the individual carried out the task independently. Ringelmann also revealed that as more individuals join a group, the group frequently grows progressively inefficient; rejecting the premise that group effort reliably leads to increased productivity. He suggested that groups fail to maximise their potential as several interpersonal processes diminish the group’s overall ability. Williams, Harkins and Latanà ©, (1981) attributed two distinct processes as potential sources for the reduced productivity within groups: motivation loss, and coordination issues. However, group members largely believe that they are contributing to their full potential when asked; evidence has indicated that individuals exhibit loafing without realising (Karau Williams, 1993). In order to facilitate a reduction in social loafing, several suggestions forwarded. Kerr Bruun (1983) state that individuals who exhibit social loafing often fail to contribute as they believe other group members will compensate for them. Therefore, each member of a group should be made to feel like they are vital to the completion of the task at hand. By increasing the individual’s perceived importance of their part of the group, members tend to expend more effort towards achieving the required outcomes. Harkins Szymanski (1989) assert that groups that establish explicit goals tend to outperform groups with unclear objectives. Setting clearly defined aims is believed to encourage many production-enhancing processes, such as increased commitment, comprehensive planning and quality monitoring of group tasks, and increased effort (Weldon, Jehn, Pradhan, 1991). Similar results can be achieved by decreasing the group size; as group size reduces, each members role in the group becomes increasingly integral, so the opportunity to loaf is reduced. Finally, and the focus of this study, when people feel as though their individual contribution is identifiable, they become motivated to work harder on a group project (Harkins Jackson, 1985). This is due to the individual experiencing evaluation apprehension, thereby increasing productivity through social facilitation. Social facilitation is an improvement in performance produced by the presence of others, as in the â€Å"audience effect† as demonstrated by Dashiell (1935), However, should a project allow individual members to remain anonymous, they feel less anxiety about being judged by others, resulting in social loafing (Harkins Petty,1982). The research hypothesis for this study is: Participants in the public group will provide more suggestions than participants in the private group. Method: Design: An Independent measures experimental design with two groups was employed. The independent variable, attribution of comments, was manipulated so that one group was informed that their comments would be publicly attributed to them while the other group was informed that they would remain anonymous. The dependent variable was the total number of responses. Participants: 52 Participants from the experimenter’s friends, family and workplace were asked via email to participate. Participants were assigned, on an alternate basis, to either the â€Å"public† or â€Å"private† condition. The number of participants in each condition was equal. Materials: Standard (2013) desktop PC running Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2010 was used for all email correspondence, data collation. Ethical consent form obtained from a university representative prior to experiment. (See Appendix A). Participant consent form (See Appendix B). â€Å"Public† group instruction form (See Appendix C). â€Å"Private† group instruction form (See Appendix D). Response collation form (See Appendix E). Participant debrief form (See Appendix F). Procedure: Each participant in the first instance was contacted via email to ask if they wished to take part in a research experiment. Participants who agreed were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the â€Å"public† group or the â€Å"private† group, by means of order of response. For example the first participant to agree to take part was allocated to the â€Å"public† group, the second to â€Å"private† and alternated thusly until all participants had been assigned a group. Each was then sent, via email, an instruction form relating to their group and a consent form to complete. Each participant was asked to follow the instructions provided and return both the consent form and their responses by email within 48 hours. Once the responses were received the debrief sheet was sent out to inform the participant of the true nature of the experiment and advise them that they could remove their data and consent should they wish to. As no consent was withdrawn all dat a gathered was utilised. The total number of responses for each participant was counted and recorded under the appropriate group heading on the response collation form for statistical analysis. Results: The results from the two groups were collected and collated into a table of raw data (See Appendix G). Summary statistics are provided in Table 1 and the mean values are displayed in Figure 1. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the number of responses in â€Å"public† and â€Å"private† conditions (See Appendix H). There was a significant difference in the scores for the â€Å"public† (M=6.8, SD= 2.2) and the â€Å"private† (M=3.8, SD=2.6) conditions; t (50) =4.52, p= Figure 1. Mean number of responses for â€Å"public† and â€Å"private† conditions. Discussion: The results generated in this study support Harkins and Jackson’s (1985) assertion that identification increases group productivity in that the â€Å"public† group provided a significantly higher â€Å"response† mean. It also suggests Ringelmann’s (1913) observations and Latanà © et al’s (1979) â€Å"social loafing† may occur even when group members are not physically part of a group. A possible issue of using an independent measures design for this type of research is the potential for error arising from individual differences between participants, for example it may have been that those selected for the â€Å"public† group may have been, in general, more civically minded with a greater personal investment in their home town. As a result the â€Å"public† group might return more responses, not as a result of the independent variable being altered but of the individual differences in participants. To mitigate this effect more information would need to be gleaned from participants to ensure equal distributions between groups. Social loafing and social facilitation, in general, are viewed as distinct lines of research in social psychological literature. It appears, however, that these two phenomena may be closely related as the latter appears to mitigate the former. Further research into the extent to which they interact would be useful in uncovering the depth of the relationship. A pertinent question would be; is there a situation where social facilitation fails to affect social loafing? References: Dashiell, J. F. (1935). Experimental studies of the influence of social situations on the behavior of individual human adults. Harkins, S. G., Petty, R. E. (1982). Effects of task difficulty and task uniqueness on social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(6), 1214. Harkins, S. G., Szymanski, K. (1989). Social loafing and group evaluation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,56(6), 934. Karau, S. J., Williams, K. D. (1993). Social loafing: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration.Journal of personality and social psychology,65(4), 681. Kerr, N. L., Bruun, S. E. (1983). Dispensability of member effort and group motivation losses: Free-rider effects. Journal of Personality and social Psychology, 44(1), 78. Latanà ©, B., Williams, K., Harkins, S. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing.Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,37(6), 822-832. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.37.6.822 Ringelmann, M. (1913). Research on animate sources of power: The work of man.Annales de l’Instuit National Agronomique,12, 1-40. Szymanski, K., Harkins, S. G. (1987). Social loafing and self-evaluation with a social standard.Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,53(5), 891-897. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.5.891 Weldon, E., Jehn, K. A., Pradhan, P. (1991). Processes that mediate the relationship between a group goal and improved group performance.Journal of personality and social psychology,61(4), 555. Appendix: Appendix A Completed ethical consent form obtained prior to study. Research Projects UHI Students All Undergraduate, Taught Postgraduate and Research Students registered on any UHI programme undertaking a research project must seek ethical approval via their Project Supervisor prior to undertaking any form of fieldwork or data collection exercise. Please read the UHI Research Ethics Framework before completing this form and submitting it to your Project Supervisor for approval and signature. Please pay close attention to the guidance notes, as it may be necessary for you to complete another form as part of this exercise. Further information on UHI’s Research Ethics Policy and the ethical approval process can be found at http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-enterprise/resource/ethics Research Ethics Checklist Please complete as appropriate If the answer to the above question is â€Å"Yes†, compliance with NHS Guidelines will be required (see www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/Research/Pages/ResearchEthics.aspx ), and there is no need for you to answer the remaining questions. Please complete and sign the declaration at the end of this form and submit it to your Project Supervisor. If the answer is â€Å"No†, please continue to Question 2. If the answer to the above question is â€Å"Yes†, please answer the remaining questions. If the answer is â€Å"No†, please complete and sign the declaration at the end of this form and submit it to your Project Supervisor. If you have answered â€Å"No† in each case to Questions 3-14, please complete the Declaration and pass this form to your Project Supervisor for approval. If you have answered â€Å"Yes† to any of the questions, please complete Form REC1-D Student and submit it to your Project Supervisor along with this form. DECLARATION *please delete as appropriate PROJECT SUPERVISOR AUTHORISATION I confirm that: Comments ‘Approved’ or ‘Not Approved’: Thank You. Once authorised, please pass this form, along with Form REC1-D Student if relevant, to the UHI Research Ethics Officer Appendix B Participant consent form. Consent Form Name: Age: Top of Form Gender: MaleFemale Would you like a copy of the completed report? Yes No Bottom of Form Appendix C â€Å"Public† group instruction form. Instructions – Public Group Thank you for volunteering to take part in this project. You are in a group of about 40 people from your local community who have been asked to provide suggestions on how your local town centre can be improved (e.g. provision of litter bins, other shops you would like to see/not see, activities etc). All group members will receive a copy of all suggestions and their authors, made by the group. You can provide as many suggestions as you like. Please send your suggestions by return email within 48 hours. You will then receive a debrief sheet. Appendix D â€Å"Private† group instruction form. Instructions – Private Group Thank you for volunteering to take part in this project. You are in a group of about 40 people from your local community who have been asked to provide suggestions on how your local town centre can be improved (e.g. provision of litter bins, other shops you would like to see/not see, activities etc). No-one else in your group will see your suggestions or name and participation will be in the strictest confidence. You can provide as many suggestions as you like. Please send your suggestions by return email within 48 hours. You will then receive a debrief sheet. Appendix E Result collation form. Appendix F Participant debrief form. Debrief sheet Thank you again for taking part in this project. You have in fact been taking part in an experiment into social loafing. You were amongst a group of 40 participants who were randomly assigned to one of two groups, a public group and a private group. The aim of the experiment was to compare the amount of suggestions provided by each group. It was anticipated that the public group would provide more suggestions as they believed they would be identified and as such would not want to appear to be putting the overall performance of the group down, the private group were expected to provide less suggestions as they were not to be identifiable and it would not be known if they provided only one suggestion for the group, and therefore more prone to ‘social loafing’. The data has now been collated and we did indeed find that the public group provided more suggestions than the private group. These findings along with a report will be written and submitted to the University of Highlands and Islands as part of an assessment carried out by 3rd year Psychology Degree students. Your personal details will not appear in the final report other than the amount of suggestions provided and you will be referred to by number only. We apologise for deceiving you and accept that you may wish to withdraw your data from this study, if so please inform us by return email and we will remove your data from the group. In order for us to use your data, please complete the attached form and return by email as soon as possible. Should you wish to receive a copy of the report, please tick the appropriate box on the attached form. Thank you again for your participation in this study. Appendix G Raw data collated from participant responses. Appendix H Independent Samples T Test results. 1

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Ethical Issues of Sex Pre-Selection Essay -- Exploratory Essays Re

The Ethical Issues of Sex Pre-Selection Although science is at a peak for overwhelming and astonishing outbreaks, the ethical issues concerning these â€Å"out breaks† have been inadequately addressed. As the options that couples that are desperate to have a child expand, so do too the expectations of whom the child becomes. Couples are able to choose a donor, of either gender, based on characteristics that they see fit to their liking. Although imperfect, couples now have the ability to choose their child’s gender. â€Å"Medicine tends to be patient-driven at the moment.† Said Charles Strom, MD, PhD, director of medical genetics at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. â€Å"A patient needs something and physicians do all they can to provide that service, and that sometimes makes one shortcut the ethical considerations.† With our vast opportunities in reproductive technology, â€Å"one thing that’s not been well defined is what really constitutes research and what is [merely] improvement in clinical design,† Dr. Strom said. (Foubister) Sperm retrieval, in which an elec...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Eating: Personal or Public? Essay

I am writing this essay as a rhetorical analysis of Radley Balko’s article â€Å"What You Eat is Your Business† and making a recommendation for or against publication in The Shorthorn based on the request from my editor. I believe the rhetorical appeals that Mr. Balko makes in his article will be somewhat persuasive to the readers of The Shorthorn as he makes some valid points. However, most members of the UTA community have a previous understanding about the obesity epidemic that is plaguing this country and may not completely agree with his arguments. Obesity is a major concern in the United States because of the prevalence of heart disease, liver and kidney failure, and sleep abnormalities that plague a large portion of the population. It is a hot topic and debated regularly. The main argument is whether obesity should be a personal issue or whether the government should take action to modify individual’s health choices, essentially forcing a healthier lifestyle on the population. Balko’s central claim is that the government should make the cost of obesity a private matter with incentives for individuals to maintain a healthy lifestyle as opposed to making the public pay for the poor life decisions of some of the population. He believes that â€Å"Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health and well-being.† Balko insists that we are becoming less re sponsible for our own health and more responsible for everyone else’s. It is a trend that he believes will not foster positive changes since there is no incentive â€Å"to put down the cheeseburger† if the government is paying for the individual’s anti-cholesterol medication. Balko maintains that a society where everyone is responsible for everyone else’s well-being is a society more apt to accept government restrictions such as what McDonalds can put on its menu, what Safeway or Kroger can put on grocery shelves or holding food companies responsible for the bad habits of unhealthy consumers. He believes that a growing army of nutritionist activists and food industry foes are egging the process on and that the best way to alleviate the obesity â€Å"public health† crisis is to remove obesity from the realm of public health. He asserts that if policymakers want to fight obesity, they should halt the creeping socialization of medicine, and move to return individual Americans’ ownership of their own health and well-being back to individual Americans. His plan includes freeing insurance companies to reward healthy lifestyles, and penalize poor ones. Another idea he expresses is that Congress should increase access to medical and health sa vings accounts, which give consumers the option of rolling money reserved for health care into a retirement account. Balko believes that these accounts introduce accountability into the health care system, and encourage caution with one’s health care dollar. His assumption is that â€Å"when money we spend on health care doesn’t belong to our employer or the government, but is money we could devote to our own retirement, we’re less likely to run to the doctor at the first sign of a cold.† While readers of The Shorthorn may accept Balko’s rationale, they may not agree with his principle argument that obesity should not be part of the public sector. The readers may believe that some people need to be restricted in order for change to occur. If McDonald’s has to be regulated in order for an individual to make a healthier lifestyle choice then that is what needs to happen. If it takes government intervention to enforce changes in obesity levels of the population then so be it. I think readers of The Shorthorn would tend to agree with Balko’s suggestion t hat Congress could make available medical and health savings accounts but they would see that the realistic chance of that happening is pretty slim. The pharmaceutical and medical markets would be highly against losing revenue because of the incentive to go to the doctor less. Since there is a lot of money and influence (political support) from the pharmaceutical companies, there is less likely to be a change in the handling of obesity from the public sector to the private sector. Balko does not make any attempts to address any counterarguments. He expresses his displeasure with the current state of affairs and gives his opinion on what should be done to fix it. He does not give any mention to the positive aspects of the government’s proposed anti-obesity measures. To the readers of The Shorthorn, it would have been nice to see him address these points as it would make his argument more valid and believable. Balko attempts to establish credibility by referencing different aspects of the government’s plan to battle obesity and how he believes it is not the correct technique. He gives his own opinion but fails to demonstrate how he has come to those decisions. Throughout the article, Balko’s rationale is based on his personal biases and feelings. He does reference some minor facts in his article such as â€Å"President Bush earmarked $200 million in his budget for anti-obesity measures. State legislatures and school boards across the country have begun banning snacks and soda from school campuses and vending machines. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, among others, have called for a â€Å"fat tax† on high-calorie foods. Congress is now considering menu-labeling legislation, which would force restaurants to send every menu item to the laboratory for nutritional testing† however for the majority of his article there is no empirical evidence demonstrated. While his ideas do make a lot of sense, some of the options he has put forward are improbable and the readers of The Shorthorn are most likely going to want to see that he can demonstrate a more mature argument (accepting and understanding of governmental involvement in obesity) before he can establish his credibility with them. Balko appeals to the emotions of his Shorthorn readers by using visual stories and explanations that help his cause. Early in the article, Balko uses imagery and strong stories to get the reader’s attention. He talks about the television show â€Å"How to Get Fat Without Really Trying† by ABC News and the outrage that show generated in him. He states the rationale for the show is to â€Å"relieve viewers of responsibility for their own condition† and he displays his displeasure with that ideal. Balko believes we should all be accountable for our own health decisions. By personally expressing his discontent with that television show, Balko is appealing to the emotions of his reader by picking a side of the argument and demonstrating strong emotions himself so that he does not appear to be lifeless. After reading this article, Balko’s argument does have some valid points that I think his readers in The Shorthorn will agree with. However they will want to see some evidence before they can truly accept his point of view. Since obesity is such a hot topic in today’s society and truly affects each and every one of us going forward, I conclude that most of The Shorthorn readers will enjoy this piece because it gives a different opinion from the mainstream view of how obesity should be handled and I suggest we should publish this article in the upcoming issue.