Socrates and Plato - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 835 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category People Essay Tags: Socrates Essay Did you like this example? According to the University of Florida, In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. (FSU, Department of Philosophy). It is defined as the love of wisdom. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Socrates and Plato" essay for you Create order In simpler words, it is the way that a person may think about the world or universe (spirit, and mind), and what it is made up of to understand the mystery of existence. It is thinking about thinking. The subject of philosophy is so arguable so the term isnt exactly be defined. There are many philosophers that have many different views and opinions on philosophy. In the western tradition, prehistoric philosophy and belief was produced and arose from philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thales, Anaximander, and etc. A great deal of greek philosophers were important, and many things that they have said are still said the same, or in a rephrased state today. For example, Socrates said, The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. This has been rephrased by my grandmother as the fool in the room always makes the most noise. Many of those believers ideas are still accepted today throughout many different countries and religions. Out of all of the philosophers, I believe that the philosophers who have made the most significant differences are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Their thoughts and beliefs are similar yet different, and are still accepted in modern society all over. From this course I have learned that you couldnt really study or learn the world of philosophy without bringing up those three philosophers. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, Socrates was a Greek philosopher and is considered the father of western philosophy. Plato was his most famous student and would teach Aristotle who would then tutor Alexander the Great.(Mark, Joshua). Socrates lived from four hundred sixty nine BCE to three hundred ninety nine BCE. In my opinion, he is one of the most powerful and persuasive Greek philosophers. He created the method of elenchus, which is also known as the socratic method. This method is an open space where someone or a group of people can sit and ask open ended questions about a topic to unfold a better, more deeper understanding. It is a system of thinking where for example, a person asks a question in a study group. After the question is presented, the rest of the circle goes around, one at a time answering the same question. It simply works by breaking down big problems, into smaller, less complicated problems. Biology.com states that, Socratess life is chronicled through only a few sources†the dialogues of Plato and Xenophon and the plays of Aristophanes. The writings were not really written to report his life, and none showed a true image of what actually happened. Even-so, they give of a different and clear picture what of Socrates personality and philosophy was like. According to Plato, a just person can be related to a just society; both of them function similarly as a whole. Social justice occurs when each member of society plays the role for which his nature best suits him. Individual or moral justice occurs when the individual is harmonizing and keep all factors of his being in balance. Platos view of a just society and a just individual is the aspiration for the gain of the whole over the individual. All of these ideas ties together Platos ideal republic. Plato claims that justice occurs when all three parts of the whole performs their legitimate functions. Plato carried on Socrates unique approach to philosophy and extended it one step farther. He expanded largely on Socrates works on immortality of the soul, truth, the existence of man on two planes, and why, only after death, one could see truth more clearly in one of his most acclaimed works, the Doctrine of Pure Form and Ideas. The doctrine of pure form and ideas illustrated how man was deceived by his senses and that they masked the real truth. In fact, Plato argued that a man would see a horse for example, in a whole new light after death, because only then could he see the pure form after the mask of his mortal senses was lifted. Furthermore, he believed that a pure form, in other words an essence that can see all for its genuine truth created the world, which many consider the true beginning of monotheism. On the other end of the spectrum are his political contributions, whereby he took Socrates criticism of democracy to a new level. Plato Originally, the term philosophy related to any structure of knowledge or recognition. Works Cited Mark, Joshua J. Socrates. Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 6 Dec. 2018, www.ancient.eu/socrates/. Timmons, Greg. Socrates. Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/socrates-9488126. University, Florida. Department of Philosophy. What Is Philosophy?, 2018, philosophy.fsu.edu/undergraduate-study/why-philosophy/What-is-Philosophy.

The Death Of A Beloved Creature - 1525 Words

Silence Gliding through the water, so gracefully. Happy as can be with no care in the world. The water so calm and serene with all the different hues of blue, reflecting the bright blue sky. Near the shore it was pale blue, nearly translucent, and as its depth became eternal it changed from pale blue to a deep sapphire. The trees on the far side of the lake were mirrored within, the leaves fraught with color; and as the lake rippled, they seemed to dance with a passion all their own. Until, a disturbance arose. The death of a beloved creature. Too abrupt. She was young and beautiful. She was the embodiment of every ideal and every principle. She was unusual. Authentic and true. With a gray ¬brown head and a brownish, green crest.†¦show more content†¦The fact of trash being everywhere provides an endangerment for wildlife in urban areas due to habitat destruction. The ruining on wildlife’s habitat means that they easily can get killed by some of the many dangerous items of litter that is pretty much everywhere. With that much amount of littering going to trash, you can literally understand how much litter there really is, and how much dangerous items there honestly could be out there to potentially harm animals. With all that money to pick up billions of dollars’ worth of trash you can see how a seemingly small problem like littering really is, and know how much of a massively important problem that littering really is. The amount of resources it takes to fix this problem is heartbreaking. That could be going to schools, reconstruction, the economy, new technology, and the bettering of the community. That one or couple pieces of trash that fall is all it takes for an innocent animal walking by to eat, or try to put its head in and get killed in a matter of mere minutes. A glass bottle that falls out will shatter and an animal walking by can eat glass and die a gruesome and agitating death. A wrapper can easily be swallow whole by an animal only to be stuck in its throat to slowly choke away, by a seemingly non ¬dangerous item. It is amazing how a small amount of litter and all the dangerous it can cause in an environment. There are some many places it can come from too. People

Discursive Essay free essay sample

Discursive Essay Cosmetic surgery is not widely available on the NHS. Only in certain situations do the NHS pay for cosmetic procedures, but where should the line be drawn between cosmetic surgery necessary and beneficial and people using it because of physcological reasons. The NHS spend around ? 5. 7million on giving people surgery, should costs be cut or rules be tighter. Only on rare occasions do the NHS pay for cosmetic surgery, only if it is required to protect someone’s health. For those with facial disfigurement it would be very difficult to feel ‘normal’ or comfortable with themselves. It seems fair procedures like removement off a faicial birthmark or congenital condition or disfigurement cause by illness or injury to be free on the NHS. People with this kind of problem simply cant help it, and may not have the money to spend on surgery. People in these situations must feel deeply grateful for the NHS’s payments. It would also benefit the government as they would not have to give out unnecessary benefits to people who should not have children. Though in saying this the person that would benefit from stopping teenage pregnancy would be the child itself. No child would want to grow up in slum conditions within a scheme, this being where the majority of underage mothers hail from. Going by some of these would be mothers lives the baby would be better off unborn than to grow up in a community such a scheme. Though with the help of local health clinics and general practitioners it has been proven that in some case of the pill being handed out there have been more pregnancies because of it. The reason being, it encourages the teens to have sex at the age they are at. Why you ask? It encourages them because it allows them to have sex without the worry of getting pregnant. Though at that age kids won’t have a clue on how to use it properly. This put a huge question hovering over the government. Is making the pill easier to acquire for young girls the best idea to cut teenage pregnancy down? Probably not now those studies have found that it can raise pregnancy in teens higher than without it. Though the government has told school nurses to issue the morning after pill to teenage students across the nation in an attempt to tackle teenage pregnancy. This has caused an outrage in parents everywhere as the schools have done this without consulting them first. Some parents asked about this situation have been very angry about the whole thing and have even contacted the police as some of the schools have said they had not known about the situation until they were alerted by it in the news. This is not the case for all of the parents as they said it would be a good idea as long as it has a good outcome. The only thing that bothered this group of parents was that the schools did not run it by them first. Dr David Paton, an economist at Nottingham University Business School, studied records of how many under-16s became pregnant and how many visited family planning clinics in 16 UK regions over a 14-year period. In particular, Dr Paton studied the impact of the case brought by morality campaigner Victoria Gillick in the mid-1980s, in which a court ruled that doctors should tell parents if they gave contraceptives to under-age girls. He found that a year after, the number of teenage girls attending family planning clinics had dropped by a huge margin. This ruling was opposed by many as it was said to increase many teenage pregnancies. Dr Paton said â€Å"Although family planning may make sexually active teenagers less likely to get pregnant, it seems that it also encourages others to start having sex. † His view on it was the same as many and pointed out the fact that the pill can create many more pregnant teenagers. Other doctors are saying giving out pill to schools is a great idea but only as a wide programme. If they are given out to one girl at a time then the girls might not know what to do properly or might not want to talk to their friends about it. So the doctors are advising the schools taking part in the scheme to get the teenage girls to take part in a programme that would them know what taking the pill is about. This gives the girls a chance to ask questions without being embarrassed, to talk to their friends about it and to take the pill properly if needed. Though again it brings up the main fear that easier access to the pill will lead to increased promiscuity in young girls. This is because these schemes are giving girls as young as thirteen a licence to take part in illegal sexual intercourse instead of the protection of the law that the age of consent is there to give. Issuing the pill to underage girls would be a terrible idea as it would probably lead to more underage mothers across the nation. Not only this but it would end up creating incongruous girls that have barely just learnt how to do their multiplication tables. Not handing out the pill in schools would stop underage pregnancies and would mean the child would not have to grow up with poor help from the underage mothers.

Systems thinking Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges

Question: Discuss about the Systems thinking Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges. Answer: Sustainability challenges hinder the use of balanced approaches of runningbusiness operations as well as economic affairs. Systems thinking plays an important role in the success of an organization by maintaining growth, development, and sustainability in the industry ad business environment (Mingers and White, 2010, p.1150). Managers in different firms have embraced different methods of solving problems. These methods have not provided any notable solutions that can help to solve challenges concerning sustainability. These complex problems have only been addressed through the adoption of systems thinking technique of solving sustainability challenges. After understanding the complex system, a manager has a better opportunity of developing a better solution to address the challenges facing the firm in the industry. Wicked problems such as increasing womens participation in senior executive roles in Australian corporations have been a distracter to sustainability of companies in diffe rent sectors, both the private and public industry and systems thinking remains to be the perfect technique of resolving this issue. Discrimination challenges kind prevent Australia from achieving its full potential and acts as a huge reason behind their failure to develop a critical solutions of solving sustainability challenges. The essay is based on the agreement that adopting systems thinking helps in coming up with critical solutions that can be used to tackle sustainability challenges, and in particular lack of women participation in development projects. This is because systems thinking concepts have helped and contributed a lot in integrating and exploring new ideas in other great nations and firms (Nguyen and Bosch, 2013, p.110). These ideas will help the corporation or the nation to be more competitive as they will learn new ways of production which can make their products more improved than before and this will assist them to be able to kick out rival companies out of business. These ideas also help an organization to grow as it will have a larger market for its products and services. This step will enable the firm to command a larger market share, and this will result in more sales which in turn leads to more profit which can be invested in trying to develop critical solutions to sustainability cha llenges. The purpose of this essay is to show how adopting systems thinking can help to solve problems that may cripple our globe's economy. Rebranding or repackaging has been influenced by systems thinking. This has enabled organizations to create products which are more improved, and this will help to attract more customers. Customer loyalty which is one of the most sought things in business organizations will be achieved. This rebranding helps firms to positions their products in a place that is high position than those of their competitors, and this enables the organization to have more sales which encourage businesses to expand to international markets or even e-commerce so that they can have a market for their products. This helps organizations to develop solutions that solve sustainability challenges (Nguyen and Bosch, 2013, p.110). Systems thinking creates a more appealing vision of the future. This helps firms to have a well-defined vision which enables organizations to achieve their clearly set objectives and goals more effectively and efficiently. This vision enables companies to direct all their resources and energy towards the achievement of the well-set goals. According to the many managers I have had contact with, this vision saves the firm a lot of resources as it helps to avoid wastage of resources and the protected resources can be re-invested elsewhere so as to help achieve the main aims of the organisation, hence contributing to solving sustainability challenges (Mai, 2010, p.11 ). Systems thinking approach helps organizations to understand and solve complex problems. First, systems thinking enables managers to analyze the complex problems and understand their causes so that they may come up with the most efficient methods of solving various problems more efficiently. This will enable the organization to achieve its objectives because the first step towards healing is to understand the problem. By doing so, the managers will be able to develop solutions to sustainable challenges (Mingers and White, 2010, p.1150 ). Systems thinking can help to design new systems. This will help the firm to have more creative and innovative structures for performing various tasks in the organization. This makes production to be more efficient. This in return helps the team to save on consumption of resources. The new systems enable the firm to produce their products and services with minimum wastage which causes the firms to have lower production costs. By achieving lower production costs, the corporation is in a better position to sell its products and services at a lower price. This translates to increased demand for the firm's commodities which aids in avoiding sustainability challenges such as stiff competition (Best and Holmes, 2010, p.150 ). Systems thinking can help to provide a better way of creating strategies and making sound decisions. These policies and decisions benefit corporations in many nations to come up with very helpful methods of how to tackle sustainability challenges without forgetting to fulfill their core course of existence which is to achieve their goals and objectives. The core missions of many businesses are to create value, control a larger market share, make more profit and the most important one being to increase shareholders value. With the use of systems thinking businesses can achieve these goals and still be able to help develop critical solutions to sustainability challenges (Jackson,2010, p.135 ). Through the adoption of systems thinking, many organizations will be able to deal well with change. Change is one of the things which cannot be avoided in businesses as it can be caused by various factors. The change may occur due to the following factors which include a shift in tax rates, economic changes and even change of legal regulations and structures. For any business to cope well with these changes, it will have to adopt systems thinking which will enable it to come up with various options and alternatives which can be taken if the business wants to flourish and stay competitive. This helps the firm be able to develop critical solutions to sustainability challenges and promote sustainability development for better economic conditions (Jackson, 2010, p.135 ). Even after agreeing that systems thinking can be of much help when tackling sustainability challenges, it also has few drawbacks which no one in his/her sound mind can fail to notice. One of the drawbacks is that systems thinking concepts are very complicated and comprehensive. This forces its users to seek further training as it only offers many less useful options. It does not provide details on how these many options can be achieved or attained. Failure to provide straight forward solutions forced many corporations to seek other methods of solving this challenge of sustainability which is forcing many nation's economies to be stagnant (Goh, Brown, Spickett, 2010, p.307). Systems thinking as a way of providing a solution to sustainable challenges requires a firm to invest a substantial amount of resources in it. In simple words, the cost of adopting systems thinking is unbearable by many states. This is because for systems thinking to work effectively as expected, it requires technological structures to be set up and this is very costly. Many managers fail to possess the needed skills and knowledge to make good use of this systems thinking concepts, and this means they require training which is also very expensive (Flood, 2010,p.180 ). This has caused many organizations to be reluctant in adopting this way of solving sustainability challenges as it may cause them to divert their valuable resources to this systems thinking and this may prevent them from achieving their goals and objectives. This wicked problem of increasing women participation in senior executive roles in Australian corporations can be addressed by adopting systems thinking. This will enable many companies in Australia and even in other nations to achieve their goal and objectives more efficiently and effective. Women attend same schools as men, and in my opinion, they should not be denied chances of heading large enterprises like men because this is discrimination by gender. Using systems thinking will enable corporations to realize that organizational practices have changed. Courts in Australia have decided to invest more resources in cases that involve women discrimination, and they are working tirelessly to ensure that no single female faces employment discrimination (Davidson and Burke, 2011, p.280). By doing so, many women have been able to assume top seats in many organizations in Australia, and this has enabled them to grow in different ways. This is because many women are more suited to lead so me companies better than men can do due to various reasons such as better understanding of the business. Australian NGOs and corporations are also advocating for equal employment opportunities. This has encouraged many women to apply for top jobs in large enterprises and at the end of the day, they end up securing the jobs and do pretty well. This change of organizational practices has enabled many firms to be able to solve some sustainability challenges (Clarke, 2011, p. 500). By embracing systems thinking, many companies will realize that leadership role have evolved and changed. This means that the stereotype that only men can head corporations has changed and no one in his/her right senses can still believe it. This shift has created a more conducive environment where women can pursue their dreams without fear of if they will make it to the top seats. This change in leadership roles has caused many firms to accept the fact that women can also head big corporations and perform like men and even outsmart them. Embracing this change has enabled companies to grow to greater heights and also in a better position to solve sustainability challenges (Davidson and Burke, 2011, p.280). Embracing systems thinking enables organizations to realize that women have changed in various ways. One of the ways is that women are investing most of their time not in domestic roles but paid labor. This has enabled many women to pursue their dreams which had been shattered by domestic chores. By doing so, women have been able to work in different organizations which have enabled them to gain the relevant experience which is needed to lead big corporations in Australia. This has provided many women with an opportunity to head big firms in Australia as employers have realized that even women have what it takes to propel these big companies so that they can achieve their goals such as sustainability (Branson, 2011, p.793). In conclusion, systems thinking should be adopted by all managers in all corporations. This is because apart from helping companies understand their complex structures and systems, it also helps in providing alternatives that can help it run more efficiently, help it to be more innovative and creative, help it design new systems and even help it go through the process of change. Systems thinking without no doubt is one of the methods if there is any other that can help corporations be able to develop critical solutions to sustainability challenges. References Ackoff, R.L., Addison, H.J., Gharajedaghi, J. and Carey, A., 2010. Systems thinking for curious managers: With 40 new management laws. Triarchy Press Limited. and Action Research, 23(4), pp.269-284. Best, A. and Holmes, B., 2010. Systems thinking, knowledge and action: towards better models and methods. Evidence Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, 6(2), pp.145-159. Branson, D.M., 2011. Initiatives to place women on corporate boards of directors-a global snapshot. J. Corp. L., 37, p.793. Clarke, M., 2011. Advancing women's careers through leadership development programs. Employee Relations, 33(5), pp.498-515. Davidson, M.J. and Burke, R.J. eds., 2011. Women in management worldwide (Vol. 2). Aldershot: Gower. Flood, R.L., 2010. The relationship of systems thinkingto action research. Systemic Practice Galbreath, J., 2011. Are there gender-related influences on corporate sustainability? A study of women on boards of directors. Journal of Management Organization, 17(01), pp.17-38. Goh, Y.M., Brown, H., and Spickett, J., 2010. Applying systems thinking concepts in the analysis of major incidents and safety culture. Safety Science, 48(3), pp.302-309. Jackson, M.C., 2010. Reflections on the development and contribution of critical systems thinking and practice. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 27(2), pp.133-139. Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M., 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), pp.59-68. Mai, T.V., 2010, August. Systems thinking approach as a unique tool for sustainable tourism development: A case study in the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve of Vietnam. In Proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of the ISSS-2010, Waterloo, Canada (Vol. 54, No. 1). Matsa, D.A. and Miller, A.R., 2013. A female style in corporate leadership? Evidence from Quotas. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 5(3), pp.136-69. Mingers, J. and White, L., 2010. A review of the recent contribution of systems thinking to operational research and management science. European Journal of Operational Research, 207(3), pp.1147-1161. Nguyen, N.C. and Bosch, O.J., 2013. Systems thinking approach to identify leverage points for sustainability: a case study in the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 30(2), pp.104-115. Nguyen, N.C. and Bosch, O.J., 2013. Systems thinking approach to identify leverage points for sustainability: a case study in the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 30(2), pp.104-115. Swanson, R.C., Cattaneo, A., Bradley, E., Chunharas, S., Atun, R., Abbas, K.M., Katsaliaki, K., Mustafee, N., Meier, B.M. and Best, A., 2012. Rethinking health systems strengthening: key systems thinking tools and strategies for transformational change. Health policy and planning, 27(Suppl 4), pp.iv54-iv61. White, K., Carvalho, T. and Riordan, S., 2011. Gender, power, and managerialism in universities. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(2), pp.179-188. Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., and Redman, C.L., 2011. Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science, 6(2), pp.203-218.

Motivational Reasons for Failure in School Essay Example

Motivational Reasons for Failure in School Essay In August of 2009 two boys began their school year at public schools in Southeastern Idaho. Both boys had been raised in similar settings of a two parent home, average income, and raised in a demographically rural community. These boys have had equal opportunities in the educational system of supportive parents and teachers and after school programs. Intellectually both boys have the ability to succeed in school. This tale of two Southeastern Idaho boys, and of millions of children just like them, raises the question of why some students educationally excel and others do not. If both boys in this scenario have the same opportunities, the same environmental settings, and the same level of intelligence then why will one excel and the other not? Research has shown that motivation reasons, such as fear of failure, incuriosity, and lack of ambition, can cause low classroom achievement. Have you ever been so afraid of failing at something that you decided not to try it at all? Or has fear of failure meant that, subconsciously, you undermined your own efforts to avoid the possibility of a larger failure. Many of us have probably experienced this at one time or another. The fear of failure can immobilize – it can cause us to do nothing, and therefore resist moving forward. But when we allow fear to stop our forward progress in life, we are likely to miss great opportunities along the way. According to the Reiss Motivational Profile, fear of failure in the number one reason for low achievement in school. Students that display this fear of failure often feel that failure hurts less if they don’t try to succeed. We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Reasons for Failure in School specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Reasons for Failure in School specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Reasons for Failure in School specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Signs that a student may have a fear of failure are a reluctance to try new things or get involved in challenging projects, procrastination, and low self-esteem or self-confidence. We have defined the emotion and identified the symptoms, now how can we help overcome. Students with fear of failure may be at their best when parents and teachers stand behind them and encourage them. Positive encouraging words and actions are observed and taken in. Students will respond if the classroom atmosphere is uplifting and rewarding. Students should be made aware that in everything they do, there’s always a chance that they will fail. Facing that chance, and embracing it, is not only courageous, but it gives them a fuller, more rewarding life. According to Steven Reiss incuriosity scored as the second motivational reason why students have low achievement is school. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary incuriosity is define as lacking a normal or usual curiosity: uninterested. Students in school seem to regulate how much thinking they do. Some need to think a lot, these students need many interests to satisfy their high need for intellect. Others aim to think very little. It is not just one or two topics they hate thinking about, they just dont like to think for any length of time. At least, that is what they say and how they behave. These school children need many practical activities to gratify their need to minimize thinking. They hate school because it makes them do something [think] they dont want to do for longer than a few minutes at a time. Teachers need a general sense of how long each individual student needs to think versus how long he/she needs to rest from thinking. Incurious pupils enjoy thinking for below-average periods of time and need long periods of rest. Teachers should break down the material into small bites and to give emphasis to the practical application of the curriculum. Lack of ambition was rated number three for motivational reason why students have low achievement in school. Lack of ambition is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as absence of the desire to strive toward achievement. For students in school, it manifests as an inability to consistently take action toward goals – or even the inability to create goals in the first place! Without accepting full responsibility for the direction of their life, students will not be able to commit to a plan of action, and will ultimately remain sitting on the fence. These students find it easy to blame people and situations for their failure to move forward in life. Students can be motivated differently for a variety of reasons, from age to culture to special needs. Teachers will need to incorporate various scenarios. Some motivations might work better than another or a combination of the two is a better approach. Individual students respond differently, some may respond to tangible rewards, stickers, and praise. Motivation for others will be a sense of accomplishment, responsibility, and pride. The tale of the two junior high boys in Southeast Idaho illustrates the role that fear of failure, incuriosity, and lack of ambition plays in low achievement at school. Both boys had equal opportunities educationally and environmentally. Their internal self shaped the outcome of their achievement. Teachers can encourage and inspire our children to overcome these setbacks of fear, incuriosity, and lack of ambition. Success can be a

The life of robert frost essays

The life of robert frost essays Born March 26, 1874 in a small apartment located in San Francisco, Robert Frost, one of Americas leading 20th century poets, was born. Robert Frost was the first born son to William Prescott Forest and Belle Isabelle Frost. Robert Frosts home life had much influence on his life and his writings. William Prescott Forest was a rebellious teen who ran away to serve under the leadership of Robert E. Lee, his hero whom he named his son after. His personality was disliked by many but he gained the respect he always wanted. Despite his parents and many other peoples doubts of him, he was accepted at Harvard and lived the college life - gambling and drinking but managed to graduate with honors in 1872. His goal was to enter politics, but after doing some journalism his senior year, doing literary work attracted him. He hated New England and aspired to someday move to the West coast following in the adventurous footsteps of Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Ambrose Bierce - each of whom found San Francisco a good place for a young man with literary ambitions. In order to raise money to make the transcontinental journey, he took a job as principle of Lewiston Academy with the intentions of quitting after one year. He was described in the yearbook as dashing and energetic. In the fall he m et a young teacher (the only other teacher at the small private school) who was to teach him stenography - a skill he rightly guessed would come in handy when he turned his hand to journalism. Isabelle Moodie, a woman with a slight Scottish accent, gladly accepted this task not knowing what lay ahead. Isabelle Moodies father, Thomas Moodie, drowned at sea when she was eight years old and at age eleven her mother, Mary Moodie, shipped her off to live with a wealthy aunt and uncle in Ohio. Obvious differences between Isabelle and Will got in the way of their courtship. She was a rel...

Remembering an event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Remembering an event - Essay Example It is hard for me to decide which one to bring down in pen and paper. But, I have chosen to write about a day which started in perplexity and ended at giving such confidence that became a treasure for me for the rest of my life. The day I am talking about was when my graduation ceremony was held, and I was the MC of the ceremony. I was graduating from my high school in the April, 2009. The excitement was mounting since the exams were over and everybody including teachers and students were preparing for the graduation ceremony. Teachers were arranging different shows, and the students were clearing off any dues left with the university. The farewell feeling was in the air. Everybody was talking about parting. One day, my professor called upon me and gave me some papers. I looked down at them wondering what they could be. To my surprise, he told me that they were the script I was chosen to speak at the graduation ceremony. I felt my head spinning. I am sure my mouth was open with surpr ise. I told him that I had never been an MC at any ceremony in my life. And he told me that he knew that I had guts enough to be an MC and that I should not miss that wonderful opportunity. I accepted the script with reluctance but I remember my professor’s words. ... I spoke out the lines if front of my family and friends. People told me that I was good enough. But I was not sure. Every day I would stand in front of the mirror and rehearse. And then, the big day came. The ceremony was being held in the Sheraton Hotel Dubai and it was to start at 7pm. I rushed toward the place one hour ahead of time. I was scared of being late. I reached the backstage for a last rehearsal. The ceremony started and I was required to step onto the stage to say the opening lines. I felt as my feet had got numbed and I thought I was not able to move. But, I gathered courage and somehow managed to step onto the stage in front of the audience. I wanted to hear my voice which seemed to have gotten stuck in my throat. There was silence. The audience was waiting for me to speak. I looked at the audience and then at my paper, and started speaking. I was astonished at my pitch of voice and the confidence with which the words were coming out of my mouth. I had never spoken th at way, so boldly and so courageously. I welcomed the guests and started the ceremony, telling the audience which show was ahead and who would come on stage. The starting was difficult, and then everything seemed to be happening automatically. I did not know, it was going to be that easy. I looked toward where my professor was sitting. His eyes were sparkling with pride. He waived at me with a smile and I felt flying in the air with joy. The ceremony ended as it was supposed to be. Everything went fine, and I was a graduate now. Whenever, my mind flashes back and the memories of that day come rejoicing me with their flavor, my eyes get wet with tears remembering how my professor’s words had come true. I am sure that I ended up learning that confidence is the key to success

Starwood Project Part Three Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Starwood Project Part Three - Research Paper Example What this means is that if the steward falters in ensuring that such roles are performed to their logical perfection, the facility will be affected severely because customers will not be pleased. As with all profit based organizations, once the customer is not pleased, the resulting circumstance is that profits will begin to decline (Schein, 2002). Another critical aspect of stewarding as applies to the present case of Phoenician Resort is the fact that the processes undertaken by the steward go a long way to determine the speed of work at the facility. Once speed is directly related to the amount of work that can be done within a given timeframe, it could also be said that the processes and the speed for that matter affects the efficiency of the whole facility (Barney, 2001). To sum it all, the present process analysis would therefore look at ways of making the work of the steward more effective and efficient. A flowchart illustrating the new process The benefits that the POI progra m can bring to Starwood As outlined in the overview, a consideration of the whole processes that take place at Phoenician Resort presently would directly impact on the efficiency and effectiveness at the facility. Luckily, the adjustment of the present process into a new model is directly incorporated into the roles of the POI. What this means is that the PI program brings to Starwood as a parent company, an efficient and effective workforce that is led by the stewards. Interestingly, both effectiveness and efficiency have some rates of affecting the productivity that is recorded at the workplace positively (Al-Ghorfa, 2009). For instance if the processes are adjusted such that the steward can perform his roles more effectively by delivering high quality tasks, more and more customers are going to be pleased and would consider this as excellent customer service. Hitherto, those whose commitment levels were low in terms of doing business with the company would have their decisions re scinded because they are going to have reasons for assured quality of service. On the part of efficiency, it would be expected that as more customers become pleased with the quality of service and they demand for more service, the factor of efficiency would be there to match up the demand. At the end, there will be as much supply as demand from customers would pose and this would be a very positive factor for improving productivity. In all, the POI program would benefit Starwood because it would ensure and increase quality, which would subsequently increase patronage and then productivity, which would also increase revenue for the company. Extending Benefits to other processes and properties within the Starwood system Indeed, the workforce at Starwood that makes up the Starwood system is interrelated and coordinated. In such a situation, the shortfalls and strengths of one sector affect what happens in most other sectors (Barney, 2001). Given the case of the benefits that the POI wo uld have on the processes of the stewards, it can boldly be said that indeed, these benefits can be extended to other processes and properties within the Starwood system. The reason why this is so, is that Phoenician Resort represents Starwood as a larger corporate image. Subsequently, the proposed benefits of efficiency and effectiveness, which would be translated into productivity and revenue, would

How Schools and Services Support and Protect Children and Families Essay

How Schools and Services Support and Protect Children and Families - Essay Example The epidemic proportions of the incidents of child abuse and neglect are very alarming and call for instant action on the part of government, schools and private institutions. As the rate and the extent of these problems increase, there is also a need for a more unified response on the part of the school, government and other social service providers. The social services along with schools can aid in providing the necessary guidance, support, and direction to the children and their parents. The primary functions of the schools to soundly educate are the best protection a child can get. However, in today’s world, the social and physical problems of the children have grown so large and complex that it is rather foolish to focus on just the academic needs of the children. The problem of physical violence and crime is becoming a commonplace issue in schools. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that the number of robbery or violent crime incidents on or near school grounds is 3 million per school year (Hatkoff 1994). The fact that an increasing number of children are fearful and cautious about taking a trip to and from school and tend to avoid particular places at school out of fear of an attack. The issue of violence and assault in schools is extremely complex and the concern over its consequences is increasing as it has long-lasting physical and emotional consequences. The government authorities are realizing this and initiating program and directing funds to local school districts for the purpose of making schools safer. There are many programs which are being initiated at schools to help students recognize that bullying is wrong and a cowardly act by people with low self esteem. Children who are known to be affected by domestic abuse or substance misuse are supported effectively at schools. The value of this service is unparalleled as it manages the children’s behavior and supports their development. A study issued by The Department of Education reflects the role of the school in helping the student to build healthy relationships inside and outside the school. The study recommends involving the parents and community to collaborate and aid in building disciplined, safe and healthy relationship of the students with the outside world (U.S. Department of Education, 1993). The teacher having influence and authority over the students can be helpful in creating a safe environment, free of any kind of physical abuse or violence.Teens, Crime and the Community (TCC) is one interactive program that incorporates the students in execution at all the stages of the program. It is launched by the National Crime Prevention Council and it has an aim to educate young people about crime, delinquency and involves them in projects which help them to make their schools and communities safer (National Crime Prevention Council, 1993). This program has been successfully implemented in more than 500 US sch ools in 40 states, involving more than 400,000 youths.

Political Disenchantment As The Greatest Threat Politics Essay

Political Disenchantment As The Greatest Threat Politics Essay Since the 1960s protests have become a normal part of politics in democracies. Does this threaten the stability of a democracy. So dissent occurs in democracies when there is a challenge to the legitimacy of the state or social system, or to dominant beliefs and values. The reason for political disenchantment is that citizens are also offered very little in terms of understanding the issues at stake by organisations or campaigners who treat the citizens as political observers when parties lose membership. But there are many more reasons as to why Political disenchantment seems to be on the rise. As constantly with the media there has been a dumb down in the news coverage so citizens have become less likely to understand underlying issues in respect of politics. Politics can be seen to fail when what it delivers is judged on a framework. The media feeds a culture where fact opinion and speculation, merge into one with a cynical view on politics. But the problem with this is that it disengages people and states that in the end selfishness will triumph. People therefore So when the media reflect on events that have taken place in the political arena it connects with political disenchantment as politicians are always the subject of the news for somethin g that they have done wrong. For example lying, yes politicians do lie sometimes but it generally rests upon to points; that being firstly we all lie some of the time and secondly there are many halfway houses that politicians may have to occupy uncomfortably to meet our expectations. A further example would be that people are very sensitive about the increasing rise in corruption and through corruption the reputations of politicians and political systems have been damaged. The real problem with politics even in democracies is that it is destined to disappoint, as it is a tough process of squeezing collective decisions out of multiple and competing interests and opinions. Populists see themselves as true democrats who defend the neglected interests of the people Gerry Stokers (stoker 2006) criticism of populists is that it fails to see the complexities of politics as changing the world as to how you want it, is a matter of capturing the will of the people. It should deliver what the people want, if it does not then it is down to corrupt politicians, the influence of do-gooders or big businesses. Additionally looking at globalisation and technological challenges to politicians in the 21st century, citizens have a sense of doubt that politics will be unable to deal with big issues effectively as people are more concerned with the planet and human species. Stoker insists that most people believe that their government does not act according to their wishes, this being because many people living in democracies are alienated from politics and feel that it does not work properly, so the types of people that the public would like to see with more power include intellectuals (writers and academics) and religious leaders. When it comes to politics most people are amateurs they have no intention about making it a career, as so Stoker further believes that people should be more reflective in their approach to politics and become more challenging included amateurs. Opportunities need to be more expanded for citizens to have a say about the issues they care about. People want a politics where they can say what is important to them, as having a say means wanting to influence. Not decide. But people tend to judge political decisions according to their own interests and circumstances , as people tend to assume that most other people agree with them. it would be false to say that a democracy without dissenters is a failed democracy, as if you have no one to disagree with you everyone would remain happy, no argument, no debates and it could only improve the world in which we live today, as people would be changing and making better laws, decisions not just made to help a single person but to benefit everyone. The statement is true as if this were to happen then it would not really be a democracy, as democracy is about trying to compromise and reach an agreement and so without dissenters you dont really have a democracy. Without dissent new laws cannot be set up as it really doesnt give any meaning. You are unable to limit the power of freedom of speech. Democracy is about equality so everyone has a right to vote, so without dissenters, the lower minorities could not get their views across, no line on opinions but a line in which they are expressed. When examining if it is terrorism that is the greatest threat to western democracies, some people see violence as a part of politics, others see it as when politics breaks down. Macintyre (Macintyre 1971) believes there are many reasons for people to use violence on political ends. On the other hand Honderich (Honderich 1986: 20) sees political violence or terror as a considerable destructive use of force against person or things a use of force prohibited by law directed to a change in the policies system. Terrorism is not a political ideology, but targets specific enemies as well as the innocent. E.g. Nazi Germany and the USSR rule under Stalin. Targets of terror could not defend themselves in law or by changing their behaviour. This can be seen in Italy under Mussolini as it was a repressive regime not a terror one because the legal system remained intact this can be seen with the amount of prosecutions (5,619) and the amount that were found guilty (998) as well as only 47 people being killed between 1921-1943. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union it has brought about greater uncertainty and diversity, as to what new type of ideologies are being formed. So when George Bush declared war on terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11 it fell in line with cold war imagery of the fight against communism, but terrorism or political terrorism is like no other isms. The crucial idea behind terrorism relates to the justification for the use of terror as a strategy, using violence to endanger and cause fear for those political ends. Terrorist groups and regimes are associated exclusively with either left-wing or right-wing thinking. Looking at the IRA it could be argued that the Brighton bomb was a political violent act according to O`Kane (OKane 2007: 27-48). But there were many attacks that were terrorist e.g. Dublin unless you can accept the warnings that were first. These warnings were for their supporters in order to let them know that they were trying to minimize their casualties. Hoffman and Graham state that you cannot be a terrorist if you are oppressing a repressive regime (Hoffman Graham 2009: 455). In conclusion disenchantment is the greatest threat to a democracy. Therefore if disenchantment was to occur in many or all western democracies citizens would leave the government to itself without taking any concern until an issue arises that affects them, (in a bad way) there will be revolt until something is done where these revolters are listened to and citizens could take to the form of political violence which in turn could lead to terror. So disenchantment does matter as it affects democracy, because democracy is a way of demanding through politics that all citizens have a right in what affects them, and so it is a guide as to how we should take collective decisions in society. This in turn should deliver what the people want as it is a way for people to get their voices heard. People like the idea of a democracy as it is the closest thing to self rule. But if terrorism was to take a massive boost in its members it would certainly be a great threat towards western democracies as terrorism targets both the guilty and the innocent, therefore not producing fear from intimidation but fear that comes from the unknown where there is no means of control.

Word Processing, Database and Spreadsheet as Applications of Productivi

Word Processing, Database and Spreadsheet as Applications of Productivity Software Throughout the course of a person’s life, he or she will probably use a computer, which maybe for school, work, or personal reasons. These tasks could become tedious and long. But, there is certain software that has been developed to ease the difficulties of getting these things done. Productivity software can help to make people’s activities more effective as well as efficient. Three widely used applications are word processing, database, and spreadsheet. Word processing is a popular application that is used for creating, editing, and formatting text-based documents. These documents include letters, memos, reports, fax cover sheets, mailing labels, newsletters, and many others. All of the things can be formatted by changing fonts and font size, changing the colors of characters, and organizing text. Many other functions are applied by word processing. Changing margins, adding and deleting text, adding clip art and pictures, finding and replacing text, using headers and f...

Macbeth Charachter Essay

Macbeth Character Essay In Act 1, Macbeth is described by Duncan as â€Å"O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman! † By the end of the play, Malcolm calls him a â€Å"dead butcher†. Trace the changes in Macbeths’ character, analysing the reasons behind them. Macbeth’s ruthless seeking journey for power, urged on by his wife, becomes his tragic flaw which leads to his downfall in all ways. The tragic hero is used by Shakespeare to show how the tragedy lies in the greatness that could so easily have been Macbeth’s.Inevitably, his conversion in character all results in his ambition which causes him to act in such brutal ways. We note how an idealised individual such as Macbeth’s changes into a despised one. We observe Macbeth’s greatness and bravery in combat through the Captain’s account of the battle. Macbeth is described as â€Å"Valour’s minion† who â€Å"carved out his passage till he faced the slave†. One exam ines the respect enclosed in his companion soldiers who give him the name â€Å"brave Macbeth†.This is followed by a line of reassurance which is â€Å"well he deserves that name†. Macbeth’s honour and excellence in battle is demonstrated in Duncan’s words â€Å"O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman! †. His lack of fear displays his courage and heroism presented in the line â€Å"As cannons over-charged with double-cracks†. Shakespeare uses this to highlight the greatness he once had. We immediately suspect the thought of Duncan’s murder in Macbeth’s mind through the line â€Å"Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that sound so fair? . Macbeth’s ambition seems to take control of him as he continuously orders the witches to inform him of the prophecies in the lines â€Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers! Tell me more† and â€Å"Speak, I charge you! †. One can imagine Macbeth’s subsequent actio ns in the line â€Å"nothing is but what is not† as through it we realise that the only values that exists for Macbeth are those which he does not yet have, the Kingship. This continues to demonstrate how his ambition takes full control over him.Macbeth realises that he must act quickly as â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland† is â€Å"a step on which he must fall down, or else o’erleap†, which continues to indicate how his ambition is taking over him and triggers his thought of Duncan’s murder which will soon become a reality. Macbeth recognizes the various reasons of why he should not kill Duncan and is tormented about these doubts, however he resolves to his â€Å"Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other†. However the loyalty shown to King Duncan in previous scenes is forgotten completely and his true colours are really being shown.We can see how Macbeth deceives Banquo by replying: â€Å"i think not of them† when Banquo says he dreamt of the witches. This is linked to the theme of â€Å"appearance vs. reality† as we see the â€Å"false face† Macbeth has put on. Macbeth’s guilty, overwrought brain induces him to see visions before he does the murder. His guilt becomes outwardly visible to his own eyes, which he calls â€Å"a dagger of the mind†. This is a sign of the great turmoil in his mind where this fearless soldier is now tormented by images of blood and fear of the unknown.After Duncan’s murder Macbeth realizes that because of the deed he has just committed he has lost the possibility of ever receiving blessing. He appears to be conscience stricken as he struggles to say â€Å"Amen†. He realises perfectly well the extent of his guilt as we see in the lines â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s Ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No† and â€Å"The pluck out mine eyes†. Macbeth’s guilt induces loss of sleep and, since he has lost his peace of mind, his innocence and guilt will torture him. His guilt becomes clearly evident in the line â€Å"Wake Duncan with thy knocking!I would thou couldst† and this shows how he will be scarred and damned for eternity. Macbeth’s mind is tormented by the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings of Scotland and convinces murderers that Banquo has always been their enemy while forcing them to kill him. This imposes the reprehensive position with which he has become, even worse than the murderers. Macbeth’s guilt and wickedness is also embodied in the ghost of Banquo which appears to torture Macbeth at the banquet he has organised for the succession of the throne.As soon as Macbeth hypocritically mentions Banquo, he sees his ghost however Macbeth attributes his hallucination of the ghost to being a result of him being a beginner in murder. In later murders Macbeth appears to be quite hardened to the horrors o f murder. He does feel guilt but this is not enough to keep him from committing further murders as he says that he is â€Å"in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more returning were as tedious as going o’er†. Macbeth derives security from the witches as he typically interprets the apparitions in his favour, rejecting what is unfavourable to him.We remember Hecate’s words: â€Å"security is mortals’ chiefest enemy†. By the end of the play Macbeth becomes completely ruthless and irrational and decides that â€Å"The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand†. He therefore resolves to attack Macduff’s castle and kill his family. This accentuates Macbeth’s evil even more while showing the degeneration in his character as he murders a defenceless woman and her children. Macbeth no longer has any soul searching as he does not justify himself anymore with soliloquies before doing his deeds.This causes h im to become completely ruthless and unscrupulous, making him an outright villain. Although throughout the book Macbeth seems to be influenced by his wife and the witches, it is Macbeth and his will to become king that performs each and every deed. Macbeth could so easily have been a righteous and respectable person however it is his ambition and will that induces him to become a â€Å"hell hound† and a â€Å"dead butcher†. Although Macbeth has become a changed man his only kingly characteristic was his courage to fight until he, the lonely saddened yet ruthless character, died in battle.

Most Popular Articles April 2008

Most Popular Articles April 2008 Most Popular Articles April 2008 Most Popular Articles April 2008 By Daniel Scocco Below you will find the most popular articles of the past month. Check them out to make sure you have not missed any. English to Become the Official and Obligatory Language of the Internet: The Central Authority for Internet Control (CAIC) announced today that they plan to make English the official and obligatory language of the Internet, and that by 2010 all the web pages should already be using English exclusively. Let’s Keep Some of the Old Verb Forms: When it comes to some irregular verbs, I really hate to see the old past participle forms â€Å"regularized† to the dominant â€Å"-ed† ending. How and Where to Publish Your Short Stories: One reader asks: â€Å"What advice would you give to someone who has bags of passion and loves life and just happens to have lots of stories and would like to know how to publish or where to publish?† That vs. Which: Before I come on to the â€Å"that†/†which† rule, just a reminder that â€Å"who† should always be used when referring to people. Five Words You Can Cut: One of the best ways to make your writing stronger is to cut unnecessary words. Many people tend to over-write, often in a similar way to how they would speak. Words creep in that add no meaning and can make a piece of writing sound vague and woolly rather than confidence and precise. Funny Images Conjured up by Web Comments: Sometimes I’m more amused than annoyed by spelling errors and incorrect word choices that I see in blogs and comments. Keeping a Writers’ Notebook: If you’ve ever had aspirations towards fiction-writing, you’ve doubtlessly heard the advice to keep a notebook on you at all times, to jot down those elusive flashes of brilliance that come at the most inopportune moments. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk†When to use "an"

The Directory, Consulate End of the French Revolution

The Directory, Consulate End of the French Revolution The Constitution of Year III With the Terror over, the French Revolutionary wars once again going in Frances favor and the stranglehold of the Parisians on the revolution broken, the National Convention began to devise a new constitution. Chief in their aims was the need for stability. The resulting constitution was approved on April 22nd and was once again begun with a declaration of rights, but this time a list of duties was also added. All male taxpayers over 21 were citizens who could vote, but in practice, the deputies were chosen by assemblies in which only citizens who owned or rented property and who paid a set sum of tax each year could sit. The nation would thus be governed by those who had a stake in it. This created an electorate of roughly a million, of which 30,000 could sit in the resulting assemblies. Elections would take place yearly, returning a third of the required deputies each time. The legislature was bicameral, being comprised of two councils. The lower Council of Five Hundred proposed all legislation but did not vote, while the upper Council of Elders, which was composed of married or widowed men over forty, could only pass or reject legislation, not propose it. Executive power lay with five Directors, which were chosen by the Elders from a list provided by the 500. One retired each year by lot, and none could be chosen from the Councils. The aim here was a series of checks and balances on power. However, the Convention also decided that two-thirds of the first set of council deputies had to be members of the National Convention. The Vendà ©miaire Uprising The two-thirds law disappointed many, further fuelling a public displeasure at the Convention which had been growing as food once again became scarce. Only one section in Paris was in favor of the law and this led to the planning of an insurrection. The Convention responded by summoning troops to Paris, which further inflamed support for the insurrection as people feared that the constitution would be forced onto them by the army. On October 4th, 1795 seven sections declared themselves insurrectionary and ordered their units of National Guard to gather ready for action, and on the 5th over 20,000 insurgents marched on the Convention. They were stopped by 6000 troops guarding vital bridges, who had been placed there by a deputy called Barras and a General called Napoleon Bonaparte. A standoff developed but violence soon ensued and the insurgents, who had been very effectively disarmed in the preceding months, were forced to retreat with hundreds killed. This failure marked the last time Parisians attempted to take charge, a turning point in the Revolution. Royalists and Jacobins The Councils soon took their seats and the first five Directors was Barras, who had helped save the constitution, Carnot, a military organizer who had once been on the Committee of Public Safety, Reubell, Letourneur and La Revellià ©re-Là ©peaux. Over the next few years, the Directors maintained a policy of vacillating between Jacobin and Royalist sides to try and negate both. When Jacobins were in the ascendant the Directors closed their clubs and rounded up terrorists and when the royalists were rising their newspapers were curbed, Jacobins papers funded and sans-culottes released to cause trouble. The Jacobins still tried to force their ideas through by planning uprisings, while the monarchists looked to the elections to gain power. For their part, the new government grew increasingly dependent on the army to maintain itself. Meanwhile, sectional assemblies were abolished, to be replaced with a new, centrally controlled body. The sectionally controlled National Guard also went, replaced with a new and centrally controlled Parisian Guard. During this period a journalist called Babeuf began calling for the abolition of private property, common ownership and the equal distribution of goods; this is believed to the first instance of full communism being advocated. The Fructidor Coup The first elections to take place under the new regime occurred in year V of the revolutionary calendar. The people of France voted against the former Convention deputies (few were re-elected), against the Jacobins, (almost none were returned) and against the Directory, returning new men with no experience instead of those the Directors favored. 182 of the deputies were now royalist. Meanwhile, Letourneur left the Directory and Barthà ©lemy took his place. The results worried both the Directors and the nation’s generals, both concerned that the royalists were growing greatly in power. On the night of September 3-4th the ‘Triumvirs’, as Barras, Reubell and La Revellià ©re-Là ©peaux were increasingly known, ordered troops to seize Parisian strong points and surround the council rooms. They arrested Carnot, Barthà ©lemy and 53 council deputies, plus other prominent royalists. Propaganda was sent out stating that there had been a royalist plot. The Fructidor Coup against the monarchists was this swift and bloodless. Two new Directors were appointed, but the council positions were left vacant. The Directory From this point on the Second Directory rigged and annulled elections to keep their power, which they now began to use. They signed the peace of Campo Formio with Austria, leaving France at war with just Britain, against whom an invasion was planned before Napoleon Bonaparte led a force to invade Egypt and threaten British interests in Suez and India. Tax and debts were revamped, with a two-thirds bankruptcy and the reintroduction of indirect taxes on, among other things, tobacco and windows. Laws against à ©migrà ©s returned, as did refractory laws, with refusals being deported. The elections of 1797 were rigged at every level to minimize royalist gains and support the Directory. Only 47 out of 96 departmental results were not altered by a scrutinizing process. This was the coup of Florà ©al and it tightened the Directors grip over the councils. However, they were to weaken their support when their actions, and the behavior of France in international politics, led to a renewal of war and the return of conscription. The  Coup of Prairial By  the start of 1799, with war, conscription and action against refractory priests dividing the nation, confidence in the Directory to bring about the much-desired peace and stability was gone. Now Sieyà ¨s, who had turned down the chance to be one of the original Directors, replaced Reubell, convinced he could effect change. Once again it became obvious the Directory would rig the elections, but their grip on the councils was waning and on June 6th the Five Hundred summoned the Directory and subjected them to an attack over its poor war  record. Sieyà ¨s was new and without blame, but the other Directors didnt know how to respond. The Five Hundred declared a permanent session until the Directory replied; they also declared that one Director, Treilhard, had risen to the post illegally and ousted him. Gohier replaced Treilhard and immediately sided with Sieyà ¨s, as Barras, always the opportunist, also did. This was followed by the Coup of Prairial where the Five Hundred, continuing their attack on the Directory, forced the remaining two Directors out. The councils had, for the first time, purged the Directory, not the other way round, pushing three out of their jobs. The Coup of Brumaire and the End of the Directory The Coup of Prairial had been masterfully orchestrated by Sieyà ¨s, who was now able to dominate the Directory, concentrating power almost wholly in his hands. However, he was not satisfied and when a Jacobin resurgence had been put down and confidence in the military once again grew he decided to take advantage and force a change in the government by use of military power. His first choice of general, the tame Jourdan, had recently died. His second, the Director Moreau, wasnt keen. His third,  Napoleon Bonaparte, arrived back in Paris on October 16th. Bonaparte was greeted with crowds celebrating his success: he was their undefeated and triumphant general and he met with Sieyà ¨s soon after. Neither liked the other, but they agreed on an alliance to force constitutional change. On November 9th Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother and president of the Five Hundred, managed to have the meeting place of the councils switched from Paris to the old royal palace at Saint-Cloud, under the pretext of freeing the councils from the – now absent – influence of Parisians. Napoleon was put in charge of the troops. The next stage occurred when the entire Directory, motivated by Sieyà ¨s, resigned, aiming to force the councils to create a provisional government. Things didn’t go quite as planned and the next day, Brumaire 18th, Napoleon’s demand to the council for constitutional change was greeted frostily; there were even calls to outlaw him. At one stage he was scratched, and the wound bled. Lucien announced to the troops outside that a Jacobin had tried to assassinate his brother, and they followed orders to clear the meeting halls of the council. Later that day a quorum was reassembled to vote, and now things did go as planned: the legislature was suspended for six weeks while a committee of deputies revised the constitution. The provisional government was to be three consuls: Ducos, Sieyà ©s, and Bonaparte. The era of the Directory was over. The Consulate The new constitution was hurriedly written under the eye of Napoleon. Citizens would now vote for a tenth of themselves to form a communal list, which in turn selected a tenth to form a departmental list. A further tenth was then chosen for a national list. From these a new institution, a senate whose powers were not defined, would choose the deputies. The legislature remained bicameral, with a lower hundred member Tribunate which discussed legislation and an upper three hundred member Legislative Body which could only vote. Draft laws now came from the government via a council of state, a throwback to the old monarchical system. Sieyà ©s had originally wanted a system with two consuls, one for internal and external matters, selected by a lifetime ‘Grand Elector’ with no other powers; he had wanted Bonaparte in this role. However Napoleon disagreed and the constitution reflected his wishes: three consuls, with the first having most authority. He was to be first consul. The constitution was finished on December 15th and voted in late December 1799 to early January 1800. It passed. Napoleon Bonapartes Rise to Power and the End of Revolution Bonaparte now turned his attention to the wars, beginning a campaign which ended with the defeat of the alliance ranged against him. The Treaty of Lunà ©ville was signed in France’s favor with Austria while Napoleon began creating satellite kingdoms. Even Britain came to the negotiating table for peace. Bonaparte thus brought the French Revolutionary Wars to a close with triumph for France. While this peace was not to last for long, by then the Revolution was over. Having at first sent out conciliatory signals to royalists he then declared his refusal to invite the king back, purged Jacobin  survivors and then began rebuilding the republic. He created a Bank of France to manage state debt and produced a balanced budget in 1802. Law and order were reinforced by the creations of special prefects in each department, the use of the army and special courts which cut into the crime epidemic in France. He also began the creation of a uniform series of laws, the Civil Code which although not finished until 1804 were around in a draft format in 1801. Having finished the wars which had divided so much of France he also ended the schism with the Catholic Church by re-establishing the Church of France and signing a concordat with the Pope. In 1802 Bonaparte purged – bloodlessly - the Tribunate and other bodies after they and the senate and its president – Sieyà ¨s – had begun to criticize him and refuse to pass laws. Public support for him was now overwhelming and with his position secure he made more reforms, including making himself consul for life. Within two years he would crown himself Emperor of France. The Revolution was over and empire would soon begin

Gastroesophageal reflux disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gastroesophageal reflux disease - Research Paper Example If the stomach motility is disturbed then it is possible that the contents would last their much longer and this would increase the bulk of the gastric contents which would reflux into the esophagus (Kumar et al 2005; Dore et al 2008). The reflux from the stomach can lead to esophagitis which means inflammation of the esophagus. The gastric juices entering the stomach can lead to an injury of the gastric mucosa of the esophagus and this leads to irritation in the esophagus. Most of the cases of GERD are primarily seen in children and the clinical features show heartburn, hematemesis or melena. The damage to the esophageal mucosa does not depend upon the symptoms of GERD but rather depend upon the time for which these symptoms have been occurring. If a reflux is not stopped for a long time then it is possible that much of the esophageal mucosa would be damaged. If the condition of GERD gets severe a person would face the problem of bleeding, ulcers, strictures and may possibly develop Barrett Esophagus (Kumar et al 2005; Hall & Guyton 2006). References KUMAR, V., ABBAS, A. K., FAUSTO, N., ROBBINS, S. L., & COTRAN, R. S. (2005).  Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease. Philadelphia, Elsevier Saunders. Hall, J. E., & Guyton, A. C. (2006).  Guyton & Hall physiology review. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders. Top of Form Dore, M.

The New Deal for 18-24 year olds (New labour deal) Essay

The New Deal for 18-24 year olds (New labour deal) - Essay Example It offers help for 18-24 year olds who have been unemployed for about six months. Its ultimate aim is to reduce employment by helping young people to get jobs and assist them in many other possible ways. Everyone on New Deal gets a personal adviser who is his or her point of contact throughout the programme. The personal adviser is appointed to understand you, let you share your experiences, interests and goals. The idea is to get you into a suitable job. Its aim is to meet your needs of finding and keeping a job, or becoming self-employed. New Deal for Young People gives you a chance to take the skills and experience you may have already and polish them to create better opportunities for work. New Deal help people with job search, skills acquisition, work experience, and so on. The main aim for the deal was to reduce the unemployment outflow rates, and how far it has succeeded in this aim will remain dependent on the facts and figure to decide. According to the research by (Anderton bob, Riley Rebecca and Young Garry, 1999) 1. While unemployment was lower in the first half of 1998 than it had been in the first half of 1996 for all age and duration categories, it had fallen by more in the pathfinder than the comparison areas. The largest relative decline was for 18-24year olds who had been unemployed for more than 6 months (the target group). ... 2. Outflows from unemployment in the pathfinder areas relative to the comparison areas clearly rose for the target group. There is also evidence of a rise in relative outflows of older long term unemployed. 3. Outflow rates from unemployment were generally higher in the first half of 1998 compared to the first half of 1996. The outflow rates of the target group rose substantially in the pathfinder areas. 4. While outflow rates were generally higher in the first half of 1998 than two years earlier, the increase was more marked in the pathfinder areas for virtually all age and duration categories. 5. Inflows to unemployment were generally lower in the first half of 1998 compared to the first half of 1996. This pattern was common to both the pathfinder and comparison areas. Another briefing (Briefing document, May 2004) argues that the New Deal has, overall, been successful. It discuss that however there have been some successes but that was in some part of the country. It mainly focuses on some major groups, more particularly the black ethnic groups has gain less from the new deal than any one else. It states that Britain has the problem of racial inequality in employment. "Black and minority ethnic people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white British people. There is a gap of nearly 17 percentage points in employment rates." Says the report. According to (tutor2u) Data on New Deal, participants published in the autumn of 2000 showed that up to the end of July 2000, over 518,000 people had passed through the New Deal scheme, 402,000 have left leaving 116,000 currently on the programme. 237,040 young people had entered employment. Of which 180,600 were in sustained jobs, and 56,440 in jobs lasting less than 13 weeks. 79,000

The math behind the Pendulum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The math behind the Pendulum - Research Paper Example As the period of a pendulum is constant, pendulums were used to regulate the movement of clocks. Until the 1930’s pendulums were the most accurate time keeping devices of the world. In 1583, the Italian scientist Galileo first noted the constancy of a pendulum’s period by comparing the movement of a swinging chandelier in a Pisa cathedral with his pulse rate. He found that the time was not a function of how wide the chandelier swung. As the wind was blowing the chandelier, it was swinging different distances side to side or amplitudes. Galileo found that the pendulum swung more slowly. Over a shorter swing, the chandelier took just as many of his heartbeats to complete a swing with greater amplitude. Galileo made an error in the calculation of the angle of the chandelier. In 1656, the Dutch mathematician and scientist Christian Huygens invented a clock controlled by the motion of a pendulum (Huygens and the Pendulum, Princeton). The accuracy of mechanical clocks improve d in the span of a couple of decades in the early 17th century from plus or minus half an hour per day to one second per day. This quantum increase in accuracy of timing enabled previously unimagined degrees of precision measurement in mechanics, astronomy and other fields of study. Time then for the first time was expressed as an independent variable in the investigation of nature. For example, each of the following could be reliably investigated for the first time: The effect of force on objects over time The distance of fall over time The change of speed over time The radial movements of planets over time The progress of chemical reactions over time All these investigations required that the time could be accurately and reliably measured. Thus the pendulum held a very important place as a time keeping device. Competent time measurement was a requirement for modern science and the pendulum enabled this to happen (Story behind the science, Web). The pendulum played more than a scie ntific and technical role in the formation of the modern world. It also indirectly changed cultures and societies through its impact on navigation. Position on the Earth’s surface is given by latitude and longitude. A traveler sailing across the sea must know the coordinates of his present position as well the coordinates of his destination. Hence the knowledge of position was essential for reliable traveling and trading. Accurate time measurement was long seen as the solution to the problem of longitude determination which had vexed European maritime nations in their efforts to sail beyond Europe’s shores. Treasure fleets from Latin America, trading ships from the Far East were all getting lost and running out of food and water. The pendulum thus played a pivotal role in resolving the longitude problem and thus holds an important place in Physics as well as History. This thesis will focus on the interesting aspects about the period of a pendulum and its mathematical d erivation. According to Hooke’s law, the restoring force of a spring is directly proportional to its displacement. Fig 1: Physical representation of Hooke’s law The above figure shows a spring elongated through a length x. F is the force that wants to drive the spring back to equilibrium. By Hooke’s law, |F| ? |x| F = -kx where k is the spring constant measured in Newton/metre (N/m) Here, the negative sign represents that the direction of F is opposite to that of x. Moving further on, consider the case

On the Road Essay Example for Free

On the Road Essay Response: Chapters 1-2 From the very first pages of the book it becomes clear that the book is a novel of characters rather than a novel of plot. I think the novel captures the audience due to unexpected movements of the main characters. First chapters show that the whole plot centers on the character of Dean Moriarty. The novel starts with Sal’s descriptions of his life before Dead. He has just split up with his wife, has recovered from serious illness and, we see that he simply doesn’t know where to move and how to arrange his life. Sal seems to be weaker personality than Dean, who manages to direct Sal’s actions the way he likes. Sal feels tired and depressed and I think that he has lost sense of life. It is Dean that sparks Sal’s personality into motion. It is possible to say that Dean is personification of Sal’s dreams. Sal has always dreamed of moving to the West and Deans arrives from there. Dean lives in San Francisco, travels across the country. Dean drinks a lot, uses drugs and has many women. Moreover, he is a father of four children from two different women. In the first two chapters Kerouac juxtaposes the ideas of the East and the West. The East is presented as old, intellectual, critical, saddened and stagnant, whereas the West is presented as passionate, wild, young and exuberant. Sal and Dean are described with attributes of the places they are from. The West is a new horizon for Sal, and the East is a new horizon for Dean. The novel is told from Sal’s perspective and we are allowed only to see and to feel through Sal. In the first chapters Sal remain unchanged; he is only sparked with the idea of something new and unexplored. Sal is impressed by Dean’s impulsiveness and recklessness. I think that Sal is willing to have the same qualities as Dean, he realizes that he may change his life, to introduce something new and wild in his bored lifestyle. Response: Chapters 3-4 We see that Sal’s adventure with Dean begins. Sal is very excited as he will become acquainted with places he has never been to. Thus, his descriptions of the passing places are exuberant and vivid. I think Sal fees younger, stronger and more confident. Through the long sentences and paragraphs, Kerouac shows that Sal’s exciting feelings are constant, they are rolling in motion. Sal reminds a child who is allowed to something secret, forbidden, something he has never been allowed to do. Relative lull occurs in the Des Moines hotel, when Sal awakes in the morning and can’t understand where he is, who he is and what he is doing. He realizes he is somewhere halfway across America, between the East and West. I think Sal realizes he is halfway from his long-awaited dream. Sal’s emotions are paralleled with surrounding geography. Through geography Sal manages to provide his emotions, ideas and dreams with definite forms. Sal’s emotions are changing and geography is changing as well. Interestingly, Sal feels when approaching the west everything is better and bigger. Even the ice cream and apple pie are testier. All the characters Sal meets on the road are individuals, they are epitomes of the region, embodiments of better living standards. To signify all events and characters, Sal describes everything in superlatives – the best, the prettiest, the hugest, etc. It shows that he is really fascinated with his journey and really obsessed with the West. For Sal, Denver is the Promised Land, Nebraska resembles the Nile Valley, and San Francisco is the greatest among them. Sal visits Denver, where Dean was born. Again Sal thinks Dean is envisioning the West. These chapters are the climax of Sal’s compassion, excitement and clear-eyed tolerance. We see Sal simply follows Dean in everything; he even reshapes his values and beliefs. Response: Chapters 5-6 Sal’s adventure with Dean continues: new impressions, new acquaintances, new ideas and new dreams. Sal realizes that the West is approaching, and he feels more confident that his dream will come true. Nevertheless, we see that Sal remains modest about himself, although he envisions place and people in grand terms. Sal is constantly pleased, and, at the same time, he seems not to believe that he may approach the West. He has been dreaming of the West for many years, and I think it is difficult for him to understand that his dream may be accomplished. He is thankful to Dean for opportunity of self-expression and self-realization. In my opinion, I can’t say that Dean is positive character. Yes, he has influenced Sal showing him new opportunities and new horizons, but Dean is too wild and mad. Sal didn’t understand yet possible outcomes of their so-called friendship. Dean is zealous and wild personality, though he is captivating as well. And his wildness and craziness attracts Sal who used to live a calm life. Sal begins picturing himself in the eyes of his new friends. He stumbles into Denver considering the city mysterious. Nonetheless, we know that Sal is too earnest and infatuated to affect something or someone. Sal is the person who is affected, not the one who affects. Despite Sal is with his friends, he feels less- confident. When he gives a cryptic answer, he is criticized and, instead of defending his position, he explains that he doesn’t know what they try to get at. In these chapters Kerouac shows that Sal is more an observer rather than performer. He faces new world and he doesn’t know how to cope with it, how to behave, what to expect from it. I think that the majority of Sal’s idealistic visions are nothing more than facades, and in future they will definitely result in sadness and disillusionment. However, Sal is mot aware of that fact.

Eric Eazy-E Wright A Life Interrupted by Taylor Evans :: essays research papers

Eric Eazy-E Wright A Life Interrupted by Taylor Evans Born September 7, 1963, Eric "Eazy-E" Wright's early reputation on the streets of Compton, California, was a hustler eager to apply his street knowledge to his legitimate game. He dropped out of high school in the tenth grade, but refused that to interrupt his success. In the late `80's he turned to rap music. Along with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and M.C. Ren established the most successful and controversial rap group in history. As N.W.A, they blasted police cruelty and challenged the establishment. They eventually took their message of inner-city struggle to millions of fans worldwide. As a soloist, Eazy's career was even more incredible. He launched Compton/Ruthless Records in 1987 and by 1988 had two hit acts-JJ. Fad and Michel'le. During the summer of the same year, N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton LP frightened the media into labeling the group "gangsters". This was a label the group wore and exploited with such force that by the time Eazy released his solo project Eazy-Duz-It that fall, the stage of musical funk and lyrical fight had long been set. "Boyz-N-The-Hood" , "We Want Eazy", "Eazy-Duz-It". His voice fueled a legion of hits. In the early `90's, he joined other West Coast rappers, including M.C. Hammer, Ice T, Tone-Loc, and Young MC, in a stop the violence campaign led by the single "We're All In The Same Gang". With N.W.A, Eazy broke down all the doors of mass exposure previously closed to rap music. Attempts to rock the young musician's foundation were generally useless. Arrests for performing N.W.A's biggest hit "F*** The Police", and other attempts at censorship only helped pave the way for his success. By the time the group had released its last album, Efil4zaggin, in 1991, they had sold more than six million records. As a businessman, Eazy had built a solid commodity with his Ruthless Records label. Some of his more famous signings were: Above The Law, Bone- Thugs-N-Harmo ny, and D.O.C. His ability to promote and market these acts was on the strength of his radio show, "Ruthless Radio Show". As an on-air personality, Eazy gave his audience tickets to his performances, talked to fans, and also became more famous with the young black Americans. Few really knew the man behind the scenes. His charitable nature benefited such organizations as Athletes and Entertainers For Kids, United Colors, and the Make A Wish Foundation.

Symbolism in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor Essay

in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor uses symbolism to give more meaning to her short story. O'Connor writes a story of a Grandmother versus a Misfit, or good versus evil. This short story is about a family going to Florida, who takes a turn down a dirt road, which only causes them to get in an accident, and be found by the Misfit. This encounter prevented them from ever arriving Florida, because the Misfit ends their lives. Using symbolism, O'Connor creates a story with much meaning to the Grandmother, nature, sky, woods, their surroundings, roads, and cars to portray the constant battle between good and evil. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" the Grandmother is a main character that symbolizes a savior. O' Connor describes the Grandmother as a savior with grace, who is saving the Misfit from evil. ." O’Connor determinues that the Grandmother shall be the Misfit’s savior, even though she may not seem so in the story† (Bandy, 151). She reaches out to the Misfit with a "touch of grace" because she is portrayed as the "good character" in the story. The Grandmothers purpose is trying to save the Misfit, or the "evil character." At the end of the story, when she was talking to the Misfit after she realized that he was going to kill her she murmurs, "'Why you're one of my own babies. You're one of my own children!' She reaches out and touches him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest" (O'Connor). Here the significance is that the Misfit was offered grace from the Grandmother, but denies it. â€Å"When the Misfit shoots the grandmother he is recoiling from whatever grace she offers. He is rejecting not just any warmth conveyed in the touch, but also th... ...993. 31-51. Print. Martin, Carter. "'The Meanest of Them Sparkled'" Beauty and Landscape in Flannery O'Connor's Fiction" Women Writers Texts and Contexts. By Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Frederick Asals. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1993. 127-137. Print. Excerpt from Realist of Distances:Flannery O'Connor Revisited. Ed. Karl-Heinz Westarp and Jan Nordby Gretlund. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press, 1987. 147- 159. Prunty, Wyatt. â€Å"’The Figure of Vacancy.’† Shenandoah 46.3 (1996): 38-55. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 61. Farmington Hill: Gale Group, 2003. 151-159. Print. Raiger, Michael. â€Å"’’Large and Startling Figures’: The Grotesque and the Sublime in the Short Stories of Flannery O’Connor.’† Seeing into the Life of Things: Essays on Literature and Religious Experience (1998): 242-70. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Symbolism in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor Essay in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor uses symbolism to give more meaning to her short story. O'Connor writes a story of a Grandmother versus a Misfit, or good versus evil. This short story is about a family going to Florida, who takes a turn down a dirt road, which only causes them to get in an accident, and be found by the Misfit. This encounter prevented them from ever arriving Florida, because the Misfit ends their lives. Using symbolism, O'Connor creates a story with much meaning to the Grandmother, nature, sky, woods, their surroundings, roads, and cars to portray the constant battle between good and evil. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" the Grandmother is a main character that symbolizes a savior. O' Connor describes the Grandmother as a savior with grace, who is saving the Misfit from evil. ." O’Connor determinues that the Grandmother shall be the Misfit’s savior, even though she may not seem so in the story† (Bandy, 151). She reaches out to the Misfit with a "touch of grace" because she is portrayed as the "good character" in the story. The Grandmothers purpose is trying to save the Misfit, or the "evil character." At the end of the story, when she was talking to the Misfit after she realized that he was going to kill her she murmurs, "'Why you're one of my own babies. You're one of my own children!' She reaches out and touches him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest" (O'Connor). Here the significance is that the Misfit was offered grace from the Grandmother, but denies it. â€Å"When the Misfit shoots the grandmother he is recoiling from whatever grace she offers. He is rejecting not just any warmth conveyed in the touch, but also th... ...993. 31-51. Print. Martin, Carter. "'The Meanest of Them Sparkled'" Beauty and Landscape in Flannery O'Connor's Fiction" Women Writers Texts and Contexts. By Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Frederick Asals. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1993. 127-137. Print. Excerpt from Realist of Distances:Flannery O'Connor Revisited. Ed. Karl-Heinz Westarp and Jan Nordby Gretlund. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press, 1987. 147- 159. Prunty, Wyatt. â€Å"’The Figure of Vacancy.’† Shenandoah 46.3 (1996): 38-55. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 61. Farmington Hill: Gale Group, 2003. 151-159. Print. Raiger, Michael. â€Å"’’Large and Startling Figures’: The Grotesque and the Sublime in the Short Stories of Flannery O’Connor.’† Seeing into the Life of Things: Essays on Literature and Religious Experience (1998): 242-70. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec.

America Online Inc Case Study Essay

3. Was AOL’s policy to capitalize subscriber acquisition costs justified prior to 1995? Ans: AOL’s accounting policy was labeled aggressive and capitalized its subscriber acquisition costs when its archrival CompuServe didn’t. AOL’s biggest expenditure was the cost of attracting new subscribers and maximizing shareholders’ value: 1. Separate registration numbers and passwords were issued to customers. They cost more than $40 per new subscriber in 1994. 2. AOL aggressively marketed its online service both directly and indirectly. 3. To retain new subscribers and increase customer loyalty & satisfaction, AO The noteable accounting procedures followed by AOL were as follows: :a. AOL’s amortization period for subscriber acquisition costs was about 15 months, such aggressive accounting was attributed to the bundling & direct mail marketing practices b. During September 1995, the company modified the components of subscriber acquisition costs as incurred Analysis a. It is not advisable for AOL to capitalize the marketing costs because in 1990s Web was being established. This would definitely impact the sales. Instead of amortizing the Acquisition Costs for 15 months, if we treat it as single lumpsum cost, the Income statement shows a loss for the period. Capitalizing the expenditure for 2 years contained an implicit assumption for the coming two years. This was unlikely with the online industry as it had acquired most of its customers in the last 36 months, If AOL were to write off all capitalized subscriber acquisition costs the effect on the 1995 balance would be a $77,229,000 reduction in other assets and stockholders’ equity. If all the subscriber acquisition costs incurred in fiscal year 1995 were expensed in 1995, the effect on the income statement would be an increase in marketing expense of $50,837,000 and an increase in net loss of $50,837,000