Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Windows Upgrade Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Windows Upgrade Report - Essay Example XP is termed a real operating system capable of working on a separated mode giving maximum benefits in terms of server features for home and office use. Windows 7 came to live in 2009 as a replacement for Window XP. The Edition was designed for business, home and desktop use. The graphic features improved those of XP and implored the 3D. The â€Å"super bar† improved the architecture of the task bar with better coding scheme for instant access. In addition to Windows Media player, the new revolutionary Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery updated the media segment (Er. Vivek Sharma, 2013). Windows 7 is available in many versions and present different features. Windows 7 is available in Starter, Premium, Enterprise, Professional and Ultimate. A user has a choice of these versions according to their needs. The system adopted higher requirement specifications than those of XP. Windows 7 is characterized by 64-bit and 32-bit architecture with 64-bit 1 GHz processor. The minimum RAM size mandatory is 2GB with a lowest amount of 20 GB hard disc. The 32-bit architecture has a RAM requisite of 1GB. This is the disadvantage with Windows 7 if the current hardware does not suite the requirements. Another issue is that Windows XP is not easily upgraded to Windows 7. Window 7 Enterprise has a number of features that minimizes cost for the business user. Direct Access is one such feature. Like the Direct Access, Branch cache is another application in Windows 7 that can be utilized together Windows server 2008 to improve the speed of extracting data from remote locations by caching the information in the intranet or the internet the first time it is requested. Other advancements include VDI, App locker, Federated search and Language Pack (Abraham Silberschatz, 2013). Windows 8 was first released for manufacturing on August 2012 and is an extension of the 6.2 version of the Windows NT Kernel. The new

Monday, October 28, 2019

Difference Between Fasb and Iasb Essay Example for Free

Difference Between Fasb and Iasb Essay Major similarities between FASB and IASB: Same organizational structure FASB and IASB are each belongs to an organization that has four main bodies. Also, the internal structure and responsibility assignment of these organizations are basically the same. FASB and IASB are the standard setting board of the organizations. Other three parts of the organizations are there to support the standard setting process, such as selecting board members and deal with emergency issues (Kieso, et al. , p7-9). In addition, both boards have members from varies industries including accounting, finance, business and academia (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p283). Private entities Both boards are private entities that have been assigned the role and responsibility of developing and deploying Accounting Standards (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p284). By private, it means the standard setting process is not affected by politics. However, since the governments are also relying on standard set by these private institutions, both FASB and IASB are sensitive to politics to varies degree. Similar procedure of making rules Despite any internal and external influences, the procedure of drafting and publishing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are similar. Generally, the process is as follows: discuss whether to add new project to agenda mostly based on recommendations from investors; plan for the project; draft the standard; vote and publish the standard once it is approved(FASB: Financial Accounting Standards Board, n. d). However, since each board has different members and they are setting rules based on its own investor’s concern, also by other external influences, they produce distinct rules. Differentiations between FASB and IASB: Scope of operations The jurisdiction of the IASB could be the whole world of commerce and industry, include EU nations and states, the latter is confined mainly to the United States and its trade partners (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p303). Because of this, the citizenship of the trustees has become a problem. The IASC Foundation has huge pressure of balancing the culture background of the board member; nevertheless, European members are still the majority of the board with a proportion of nearly 50% (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p307-308). This problem shows that the IASB standard setting has more outside interference. Political settings Different political settings for FASB and IASB authorized them different degree of independence. In the US, the standards set by FASB are implemented unless the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) interferes and prevents it for being accepted. However, in the case of IASB, standards set by the IASB do not gain value and authority unless these are passed by the European Commission (EC) (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p291). Funding The FASB is now financed through an obligatory contribution system, and therefore sheltered against financial influence. The IASB is financially depending on noncompulsory contribution from financial institutions, thus there is relatively huge financial pressure on IASB. Recently IASB has taken significant steps to widen the source of funding but the degree of mprovement varies from countries (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p292-298). Which approach to support? I would like to say the FASB standard setting approach is more appropriate considering your accounting background. Since many of your clients are Fortune 300 companies who would find FASB more in harmony with their preparation and presentation of periodic accounting statements and records. FASB is also in line with mo st widely accepted accounting norms and practices in the US. With less external influence, more freedom in standard setting and sufficient funds, I believe the FASB standard setting process is more trustworthy.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Abortion -The Wrong Choice :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Abortion-The Wrong Choice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The abortion debate is raging in America. The opposing sides in the debate each strongly believe they are right. The pro-choice supporters see a woman's right to choose as central to the debate. The life of the baby is the most important concern of the pro-life advocates. Very little middle ground exists on the issue of abortion. Abortion is murder and should be illegal except in instances when the mother's life is endangered by the pregnancy. Abortion is murder. The embryo is a person from the moment of conception. According to Shettles, "Scientists identify the first moment of human life as that instant when a sperm cell unites with an ovum or egg cell" (18). Most pro-choice supporters do not believe the fetus is a person until the first or second trimester. Pro-choice people do not think abortion is murder because they consider the aborted fetus a mass or cells or tissue (Shettles 20). Abortion is the taking of innocent human life, which is wrong under virtually any circumstances. An unborn baby is more than potential life. An unborn baby is meaningful human life that should not be considered expendable. After conception, no event occurs in the development of the fetus that indicates a change in the fetus from not being human to becoming one (Foster 33). Human life begins with conception. A middle-aged person, a teenager, and an unborn baby are all in stages of human life. Killing the unborn baby is no more justifiable than killing the two other people. Abortion is a practice that should be prohibited by law because it basically amounts to murder. An unborn baby's right to life should have priority over a woman's right to choose. No woman or man should have the power to decide if a baby is allowed to live. Pro-choice advocates believe women's rights are being jeopardized when the right to an abortion is taken away. The pro-choice camp fails to take into account that the baby has a right to life. A woman's rights over her body do not give her the right to an abortion (Schwarz 113). If a woman has rights over her body, then the unborn baby has those rights too. The child has the right not to be killed. The appeal to a woman's right over her body as a justification for abortion backfires because the right must also be extended to the child (Schwarz 123).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Contributions and Drawbacks of Marxism

Contributions and Drawbacks of Marxism Marxism is a theoretical system that created by Marx and Engels based on labor movements in the 19th century. Marxism was written upon a materialist interpretation of history. The Marxist theoretical system consists of three parts: Marxist philosophy, Marxist political economy and scientific socialism, which were created on the basis of the German classical philosophy, the British classical political economy and French utopian socialist influence respectively.In their writing the two most important terms are â€Å"socialist† and â€Å"communist†. When reading them, it is always important to know what the writer means by them. For Marx socialism was the more comprehensive term; communism was an advanced stage of socialism. Socialism would prepare the way by nationalizing the â€Å"means of production† (factories, farms, mines, transportation, etc. ) and putting them under the control of those he viewed as the sole producers o f wealth: the workers.He viewed political equality and freedom as incomplete (or even illusory) without economic equality. Therefore this redistribution of economic power was aimed at extending democracy far beyond the limits envisioned by earlier democratic revolutions. Social services like health, education, and housing would be provided free, but people would still be paid wages according to their work. When all nations had developed socialist economies, they would begin to evolve into an international communist society.The vision of communism was very similar to that of anarchism: a stateless society in which central government had â€Å"withered away,† local, ground-up control of all affairs by strictly democratic processes based at the place of work, abolition of the market system (no money, no buying and selling) and its replacement by a system according to which people would voluntarily work for the common good to the extent they were able under the understanding that they could receive whatever they needed for free (â€Å"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs†).National boundaries and governments having been eliminated, war would cease. Since Marx published the â€Å"Communist Manifesto† in1848, the banner of the communist was high erected, from Europe to the Americas, Asia, hundreds of millions of people struggled to achieve this beautiful ideal. People’s enthusiasm changed from faith to practical action. Communist revolution had continued for more than a century and had significant impact on the world’s modern history: 15 socialist countries were born, two global camps were formed and the conflict of different ideological forms evolved into conflict of international relations.After World War II, socialist practice developed from one country into multi countries. The formation of the socialist camp ended the dominance of capitalism. However, after nearly half century’s development , the Soviet model of socialism did not fully demonstrate its superiority. They became rigid, dogmatic and stagnated. At the same time, capitalist forces gathered together to against the socialist countries, and launched the â€Å"peaceful evolution† plan.Through the economic warfare, political warfare and the culture wars, finally in the 90s, the Soviet Union collapsed and majority of Eastern European Socialist Countries changed to capitalist. Since then the international communist movement entered into a setback stage. There is always a question been asked: if the socialist system is more superior than capitalism system, why most socialist countries failed and the remaining countries haven’t catch up with capitalist country?Because the development of socialist countries and that of capitalist countries lack a comparable basis: First, they have different starting points of economic development. Most socialist countries originally are feudal, colonial or semi-colonial countries. They don’t have any accumulated capital and wealthy like capitalist countries do. Under the control and plunder of western countries for decades, they barely have anything left. The difference between the two kinds of countries is significant. Second, they use different means of economic development.The history of capitalism is a history of bloody fortune. As Marx said, capitalist production process is the process of exploitation. Even today, with the advance of technology and dominant of capital, they are still doing unequal exchange with developing countries, which helps them to grab wealth. But the development of socialist countries mainly relies on people’s hard working. Third, they have different lengths of the economic development. From the establishment of the first socialist countries, only 80 years has past. Most of the socialist countries only have a history of forty or fifty years.They are still in the early stage of development, their economic, p olitical and social operating mechanisms haven’t been fully developed. And they are still on their way searching for proper methods for improvement. But capitalism has three hundred and sixty years of history. It has accumulated a solid capital foundation and rich experience. Even so, among the capitalist countries, only around twenty of them are in the category of â€Å"developed countries†. Especially for those newly independent countries in the 20th century who use capitalist system, none of them is in the â€Å"rich club†.Fourth, the development environment is different. From the establishment of the first socialist state, the world’s capitalist countries start to apply economic blockade, military siege and even the armed aggression, the development environment for socialist countries is very dangerous. However, when the capitalist start developing, the old feudal system are almost collapse thoroughly from a global perspective. The international envir onment for the development of capitalism is very favorable. From the reasons above, I think it is not fair to compare the development level of socialist countries and capitalist countries.Even socialism did not success in a global point of view, it should be noted some of them have had great achievement. Before the collapse, the Soviet Union maintained an average industrial production growth rate of 21% from 1928 to 1940, ranking first in Europe and second in the world. And they completed in twelve years what capitalist countries achieved in 100 years. From 1951 to 1980, the Soviet major economic indicators are1 to 2 times higher than the U. S. In 1950, the Soviet industrial output is less than 30% of U. S. ’s industrial output, while in 1980 it reached 80%.In addition, the Soviet Union has significant achievement in science and technology, education, culture, military and many other fields. From the development of the Soviet Union, we can see the socialism has certain kinds of advantages. We should also notice that the eighty years of socialist development history has a huge and far-reaching impact on the human social history. The establishment and development of socialism, breaks the operation system of colonialism and imperialism, propels the international political and economic order to a more equal and reasonable direction.The socialism analysis of the conflict between productive forces and production relations also helps with the improvement of the capitalist system. So socialism is conducive to the common progress of human society. But like other theories, Marxism, by the limitations of the era, has a series of shortcomings: The class struggle theory. It is easy for the dogmatists and violence advocates to take advantage of. Some people exaggerate the power of class struggle. They do not realize the probability of class change (proletariat to propertied class) and the class cooperation, so it can lead to widespread violence, legalized terrorism e asily.The proletarian dictatorship theory. The starting point of protecting people is good. But if the bad guys control the government, they may suppress people and dissent in the name of proletariat comrades. The theory of surplus value. Marx thinks, in a market economy, the exploitation of surplus value is from production. Surplus value is the value worker created minus the employment expense of that labor. Although this theory of exploitation has a positive side in recognition of exploitation, its bias and extreme part is obvious. Marx's mistake is that he ignores capitalists’ management of complex operation and the business risk they bear.Capitalists’ income should include their general labor income (he works as a worker), complex management income (he conducts the operation and management, decision-making and other complex activities), capital income (he puts in capital), the risk income (the principle of market economy is the risks and benefits equals; he bears t he investment risk, so he should have a higher income). Moreover, Marx does not realize that in the old socialist society, because of high concentration of power in planned economy, some problems will be created: corruption, plunder of resources and people is a more serious exploitation. The plan economy theory.Marx negates the market economy, advocating elimination of private ownership and replace with full ownership. He promotes the idea of â€Å"distribute according to the work contributed†. He encourages eliminating commodity and currency and replacing them with a comprehensive economic plan, distributing consumer goods by needs. Moreover, Marx states that full ownership will become state ownership, the planned economy will be under the control of government, and distribution by work is actually by the length working time. Those policies will certainly leads to unclear property rights, irresponsibility and egalitarianism.There will be no competition and people will have n o incentive to work. Some other problems also need our attention: Is public ownership really efficient? Will egalitarian distribution inhibit creativity? Will planned economic encourage bureaucracy, and lead to laziness and waste? And so on. Sources: http://www. douban. com/group/topic/4691689/ http://baike. baidu. com/view/680726. htm http://baike. baidu. com/view/8059. htm http://public. wsu. edu/~brians/hum_303/manifesto. html http://wenda. tianya. cn/wenda/thread? tid=0aa8581c30d4c1ea;hl=vbgood http://www. marxists. org/archive/bukharin/works/1933/teaching/intro. htm

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Deconstruction Final

Leadership's contingency theory focuses on the importance of a leader related to heir situation, (Morehouse 2010, p. 123); transformational theory focuses on a process that changes and transforms people, (Morehouse 2010, p. 200); and authentic leadership focuses on leadership being morally grounded and responsive to needs, (Morehouse 2010, p. 237). Aristotle Rhetoric discusses how a leader must be able to observe and discern what persuasion might be effective using deferent internal arguments. Aristotle defines pathos as emotions of the listener, ethos as character of the speaker and logos as logic or reason.Leaders must master rhetoric skills In both written and verbal communications to succeed. Immunization that strikes a positive chord with the listener Is Important in order to guide a team to achieve a goal. Each leader in 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society had a clear goal and understood how to drive their group that goal. 12 Angry Men is in a sass's courtroom, where 12 men fro m various backgrounds and different personalities, find themselves deciding the fate of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father.The vote must be unanimous and without doubt, with a guilty verdict resulting in the death of the young man facing trial. Dead Poets Society Is In a 1 puffs all male boarding school, (Walton Academy), which prides Itself on excellence, tradition, honor, and discipline. Walton Is rolled In Its' educational methods and Is not open to today's ‘talking outside the box' mentality. John Keating is a new poetry professor and a Walton alumnae, who wants to Inspire Nils young men to KICK at ten world Transiently, to â€Å"suck ten marrow out AT life†, (Oxford University Press USA, 2011), and find their own place in the world.With 12 Angry Men, Juror #8, (Fond), was not the assigned Jury leader but emerged as the primary leader within minutes of the group sequester. Fond's situation allowed his leadership traits to apply with success. Fond's leader ship was due to his ethical need for a Jury decision without reasonable doubt. Fond is authentic when presenting his reasoning for the not guilty vote. After casting the single not guilty vote, Fond used inductive reasoning to ask questions that triggered a battery of emotional and logical discussions ensuing internally and externally with each man.Fond appealed to each of the 11 other Jurors by asking probing questions and his first being â€Å"l Just want to talk†¦. Let's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first† (Lumen, 1957). This inductive statement is also an appeal to emotions of others, asking them to engage before making such a pivotal life decision. Fond was using pathos or emotions to persuade. This results in the group allowing a one-hour deliberation before taking a second vote. Fond requested the second vote be secret ballot, showing his supportive skill, to allow those not quite comfortable to vote their conscience .Juror #9, (Sweeney), is the first to change his vote to not guilty, basing it solely upon Fond's single stand signifying character the eldest of the group. Fond was using ethos or hereafter to persuade. After Sweeney's not guilty vote, Fond continues his appeal using logical arguments, presented in a manner that promote respect of others, statements as â€Å"suppose that†¦. † And â€Å"is it possible. Fond is appealing to those quieter, possibly of lower social status and unsure to voice their thoughts.Fond's rhetoric of emotion, character, and logic appeals to each Juror in differently and draws them into to his goal of discussing the trial and ensuring their decision is without doubt. Fond begins to gain their respect and supportive input into the discussions. Juror #5, (Clunking), relates to the accused as he grew up in similar situation and once he moved to reasonable doubt, assists in logically arguments with how a switchblade knife is used. Clunking physically ac ts out how a person would use a switchblade. Fond transforms other Jurors into leaders and supporters of reasonable doubt argument.Fond questions the fact that the knife used to kill the father is unique, he wonders if there could be other similar knives to the group. The knife that killed the father is brought to the Jurors and as the group discuss its' uniqueness. Fond resents a second knife identical to the knife of evidence. This one act of logic presents reasonable doubt. Another example of logical argument is the eyeglass marks on the female witnesses' nose. The female witness identifies the young man at night as the murderer; noise awoke her and she saw the young man from her window. The female witness had nose marks but no glasses during the trial.Fond asks Juror #4, (Marshall), who wears eyeglasses if anything else besides glasses could make nose marks like found on the female witness. Marshall says no. As Fond gathers support, en moves Trot Inactive to actively reasoning W alt social arguments, presents more passion and his own thoughts causing reasonable doubt. An example of his passion is specific to El train argument. Fond goes to great lengths on asking if someone is able to hear other noises over the El Train, if there was enough time for the elderly male witness to make it from his bed to the door while the El Train passed.Fond counts off the length the elderly male witness would have to walk from his bedroom to the apartment door, would the old man be able to make the distance in the time of the El train passing. This is an appeal to logic and contradicting to the witnesses' statement. Fond exhibits contingency theory aspects, maneuvering through the discussions with the other Jurors, due to his position of power because of logical arguments. Fond rewards or punishes Jurors based on their level of support with his attention level.Fond accepted a cough drop from Juror #2, (Fiddler), but refused gum from juror #7, (Warden); offered water to Sween ey but not to Juror #10, (Begley). 12 Angry Men is biased in presentation, (I. E. All white male Jury, Puerco Rican/ minority accused, effectiveness of America's Judicial system, Juror personal biases), and within some of Fond's arguments, (I. . Ignoring some aspects of discussions). Each Juror also brought some personal bias to the story: Juror #g's (Cob) intolerance of most anything or Juror #ass's, (Begley), racists aspect of us/them mentality.Fond's character bias appears through ignoring of topics he did not agree with or did not help his reasonable doubt argument, (ignoring the thought of sunglasses also causing nose marks the same as eyeglasses). With Dead Poets Society John Keating was a leader due to his situation of being a Walton Academy professor. At the same time, his leadership is contingent upon the needs of his ‘key students. Todd is new to Walton but is following in his older brother's valedictorian status, which causes self-doubt. Neil desires control over hi s own life but his father is dismissive and overbearing.Charlie is the most outspoken of the group but desires more freedom. Knox is painfully shy. Keating starts his first class off extraordinary; challenging students to think for themselves, be daring, communicating they are powerful men who have a wonderful life to live. Settings first class is interactive and passionate; he is interested in the boys and their thoughts. Keating presents poetry in a different light; it is what ascribes humans. Keating challenges the boys to live life to the fullest by showing them past alumnae pictures and stating, â€Å"They're not that different from you, are they?Same haircuts. Full of hormones, Just like you. Invincible, Just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, Just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, Just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? † (Hok iest Dead Poets Society, 2011). This question alone invokes emotion and logic, which are woo of Aristotle internal arguments, (pathos, and logos). He is appealing to their youth to KICK toward transformation of all. ten Torture.I Nils Deigns ten teacher-student connection Ana Keating is interesting to the boys. The boys find Seating's old yearbook where he has Dead Poets Society, (DIPS), as an activity, which prompts them to ask about it. Keating tells the boys is it a secret club where boys meet in a nearby cave to read poetry, discover life and become true to themselves. Neil decides that the group should start DIPS up again, find their own place in the world, allowing poetry to inspire. The boys initiate a new DIPS, with Todd Joining as long as he does not have to read poetry aloud.Keating is using inspired motivation to enable his students to grow and expand their minds beyond the rigid Walton walls. DIPS is a method allowing the boys to challenge their own beliefs and be creati ve, which is intellectual stimulation. DIPS meetings ensue in a nearby cave at night where the groups of boys begin to read poetry, share their thoughts and dreams, discuss subjects, allow rebellious behavior, and bond. This is a step in team building, support, and starting to lead heir own lives. The boys are building trust, collaboration, and are transforming into leaders of themselves.As the movie progresses, Keating gains more stamina and enthusiasm because of the boys' responses. Keating uses unorthodox yet inspiring ways of pushing the boys to self-awareness and thinking for themselves. Keating presents how individuals in a group conform without awareness by having the boys march as a group, at first discordant, but soon in unison. Keating berates Todd to create a poem off the cuff in front of the class and Todd succeeds. Keating expresses his pride with Toddy's success: â€Å"Don't you forget this†, (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011).Keating has each stud ent stand on his desks to see the room from a different perspective. All these acts touch on transformational leadership points: idealized influence, motivation, or intellectual stimulation. The students themselves continue to transform, becoming more like independent and freethinking. Neil auditions for a play and secures a part knowing it will displease his father. Knox is interested in a girl named Chris, who has a popular football player boyfriend. Nook's vision of dating Chris is clear and as he finds self- inference secures a date with Chris.The group is supportive of each other via various examples: Neil tossing Toddy's duplicate birthday gift from his parents into the wind, the boys attending Nil's play, and the boys supporting Knox in his quest for Chris. The boys are cohesive. Seating's inspiring direction in the hands of young men is unregulated and without the tempering of experience. The boys do not understand where to draw the line in the quest for becoming individuals . Charlie sends a letter from â€Å"DIPS† to Welter's administration requesting acceptance of women. Welter's administration is splashed and demands the culprit for punishment.Charlie admits guilt, does not supply DIPS memoir names, Ana receives punishment. Keating attempts to point out expression must be tempered with logic with â€Å"There is a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for', (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011). Keating suggest Neil tell his father, (Mr.. Perry), how he feels about acting and that he wants to take part in the play. Mr.. Perry disapproves of Neil participating in the play, however, Neil does not tell Keating this. Neil participates in the play. Mr..Perry removes Neil from Walton and tells him he will attend military school and become a doctor. Neil is not self-assured enough or experienced enough to withstand his father's rule and commits suicide. Mr.. Perry blames Keating for his son's death a nd request a school inquiry. The school headmaster, and to a degree the parents, coarse the boys to sign documents stating Keating is the cause of Nil's suicide. Walton Academy dismisses Kitten. The next day the headmaster takes over Settings somber poetry class during which Keating enters to secure his belongings.As Keating is leaving, Todd stands upon his ask exclaiming â€Å"†Oh captain, my captain†, (Weir, 1997). Todd finds his voice, his inner leader and expresses his support and appreciation to Keating with this one act of defiance. In conjunction, Toddy's statement is an emotional and character appeal to the boys to do the same. One by one the boys forever changed by Keating stood on their desks. Dead Poets Society biases appear in presentation and in characters. Walton Academy is a learning institution that is not open to other methods of teaching.It appears the means is more important than the end, which is not true for all educational institutions. The movie d oes not explore fully the impact Keating had on other professors. In a short snip toward the end, Keating sees another professor taking his class outside which alludes to his impact but no farther. Keating bias is realism and idealism, shown by his action of ripping out the first chapter of the poetry class book, which is the realistic method of poetry. Keating is not open to teaching poetry methods. 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society are not only entertainment movies but also lessons in leadership and rhetoric.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Shunammite by Ines Arredondo

The Shunammite by Ines Arredondo Introduction The title â€Å"The Shunammite† preempts the details of this particular short story because it is derived from the Bible in the book of 1 Kings 1:1-4. Here, King David had grown old and his years on earth had been long. He was constantly sick and always cold. His servants, therefore, decided to look for a young virgin who would lie beside King David in the hope of fulfilling and inducing some of the old King’s deepest desires.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Shunammite by Ines Arredondo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After looking throughout Israel, Abishag; a Shunammite woman was found, and she was brought to the king to comfort him. From the beginning of the short story, Licha embodies purity and innocence when she comes to attend to her Uncle. However, she soon gets entangled in an abusive marriage to meet her family obligations. It is through characterization that one gets to unde rstand the predicaments of the protagonist Licha who must struggle with her wishes and family duty. Character in the Shunammite Through characterization, readers can empathize with Licha. One can feel what she is feeling and hence feel the sense of reality projected in the narrative. One way in which characterization can be depicted is through the kind of dialogues that Licha has with the other people in the story. One realizes that she has the noblest intentions and often wants to look out for the interests of others before herself. On the other hand, as one continues, one sees the helplessness she is. For example, when her uncle talks to her about Polish jewelry, Licha realizes that this is a vital family treasure that must be relished. Her uncle quickly insists that she should have the jewelry and immediately turns his head away from her (Arredondo, 4). This kind of bullying continues in the rest of the story even when Licha is told to get married to her uncle. One, therefore, se es the kind of victimization that plays out in the story’s setting. Nonetheless, the protagonist is not just a two-dimensional character; she has her motivations and ideas. One cannot help but see her as a victim because she was unable to speak against the unfairness imposed upon her by her family members. The author often talks about Licha’s inner thoughts. For example at the beginning of the story, the protagonist says that â€Å"I was certain I had the power to domesticate passion, to purify everything in the burning air that surrounded me without consuming me† (Arredondo, 4).Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These inner reflections continue throughout the story, and they often bring out Licha’s motivations. For example, when Licha is required to get married to her uncle, she obliges because she was concerned about his well being. Late r on, when he miraculously recovers, she continues to live with him because of her strong sense of loyalty. The author has put the protagonist in a difficult situation and how she handled this situation is what endears her to readers. Licha often struggles to place her experiences in context and sometimes she was not able to do that successfully. The author successfully illustrates what it means to be defenseless as a Mexican woman through her protagonist. The author wanted people to understand the plight of women in her setting. She wanted individuals to know that they were more than mere objects of male desires. Licha has dreams and ambitions; she is not a second class human being as most individuals had assumed in her culture. Perhaps another critical role that Licha’s character plays in the book is to illustrate how women in this society were slammed to a life of servitude. Licha was bound to her uncle’s bedside after his recovery even though she had initially been married to him so that she could inherit his possession. She is one who submits under the domination of a male figure. She is powerless even when the person exploiting her is physically weak. Licha is submerged in her circumstances and cannot do anything about it. Another interesting character in the book is Licha’s uncle; Apoloni. He first comes off as a caring relative who wants to impart knowledge to his niece. In fact, at the beginning of the story, one would be forgiven to assume that the narrative would be about death and how Uncle Apoloni dealt with it. He starts by talking about the past, some of the accomplishments made by the family, the year of hunger, the year of the yellow corn and many of his other memories during the past (Arredondo, 4). His arthritis has shriveled him up because he was now at a point where he was ‘floating on his bed.’ However, we soon realize that Apoloni is not a harmless old man. As his niece attends to him, he starts getting overwhelmed by incestuous thoughts. He longs for the purity and innocence that Licha so quickly puts across. He harbors these thoughts even though it would result in an abusive relationship and would put an end to Licha’s hopes and wishes. As the story progresses and Apoloni recovers, he changes from being a vulnerable and weak individual to a predator and selfish being. The purity that attracted him to his niece in the first place would be destroyed if she started something with him.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Shunammite by Ines Arredondo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One can also see that this individual did not care for his niece because if he did, then he would not have made those demands. One can also see that this uncle started the abusive relationship because he knew that he could get away with it. Other family members, including his wife, were too loyal to their family ever to oppose his a ctions. His wife cared too much about family honor and public perceptions of the family. This was why she became an accomplice to his unforgivable behavior. Uncle Apoloni is, therefore, a manipulative and dominating character that puts his needs first even if it involves destroying the needs of another person. The author does not paint a picture of an innately evil character in Apoloni. He is multifaceted and has strong points as well. Readers can identify with some of his struggles such as arthritis and the impending death. One can also see that it is these insecurities about his own meaningless life that cause him to act out. He was missing something and hoped to find it in the fresh beauty of his niece. The character of this antagonist also reflects another critical component of the story. He is engaged in an endless search for the supreme which is epitomized in the purity of Licha. His niece was a virgin and therefore represented an entire state to him. The problem was that this search was relentless because uniting with such a pure being would result in her corruption rather than his purification. This illustrates the extent to which this individual was mistaken. The author, therefore, succeeds in characterization because she has not portrayed a stereotype of a typical dying man. She complicates Apoloni’s character by showing how he fell victim to his lustful thoughts. Aunt Ponchita; Apoloni’s wife was also another surprising individual. At the beginning of the story, she seems to like this caring character. Licha has very fond memories of her as she goes to see her ailing uncle. However, when Ponchita learns about her husband’s wish to marry his niece, she does not react to it or oppose it in any way. She hides this fact because of her need to maintain a certain family image. Aunt Ponchita is, therefore, a representation of betrayal on the part of women. She should have been there for her niece but instead chose to help out her manip ulative and predatory husband. One can, therefore, see that she lacks the compassion characteristic of most aunts. Additionally, even a sense of dignity does not cause this woman to act morally. She is concerned about her sense of well being and self-preservation. She is not strong enough to speak out against this grave misdeed, and she watches as her niece’s life gets destroyed.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Perhaps another critical role that her aunt plays in the story is to demonstrate the degree of subservience that women in that Latin America society were expected to possess. They were not bold enough to confront elements of their culture that oppressed them. In this regard, Aunt Ponchita is a stereotypical image of a Latin American woman at that time. In essence, the author of this short story does an excellent job of giving depth to her characters (Giona and Kennedy, 12). They are fully developed because they have histories. They reflect upon or talk about their childhood memories, their ambitions and the like. A lot of the story is rooted in providing backgrounds for the characters so that their actions can be interpreted thoroughly. Also, because of the dynamic changes that take place in the middle of the narrative, characters soon become dynamic as well. For example, Uncle Apoloni first appears to be weak and helpless. However, as the story progresses, he changes and becomes th is lustful individual who then defies expectation by causing his niece to lie with him. That dynamism of the character adds a lot of flavor to the story and leads to much progress in the narrative. Additionally, realistic characters often help in making this story such a good piece of literature. It is possible to relate with all the individuals in the story because struggles, challenges, and ambitions are common to all human beings which are depicted throughout the story. Licha is not a cardboard character; her subservience is a testimony to her weakness while her sweet and caring nature is her main strength. This intermingling of character traits creates superior individuals who make the story worthwhile. It can also be said that this story is more focused on character than plot. In other words, it is the characters that lead to developments in the story over and above the plot within the story. It is admirable the ease with which these characters have been developed even though i t is a short story. Since there is little room to give too much history about them, the author needed to be very careful about the information she picked out or chose to convey in the story (Stauffer, 35). For example, when she tells us about the fond memories that Licha had about the place where her uncle was located, one can relate that to the immense sense of loss that Licha felt when she was told that her uncle was ailing. Furthermore, one can also understand why she chose to submit to her uncle’s incestuous wishes later on in the story. It is also interesting that the author does not fall into the trap of creating flat characters whose primary function is to offer information about the protagonist or other main characters. The beauty of this literary piece is that the main character is the narrator of the story. One, therefore, relates experiences in the novel to her point of view. This is why it is easy to understand why she chooses to make the decisions that she does i n the story. Conclusion Characterization in this short story reflects the realism of this piece. Each has his or her flaws thus depicting a rational image of the people in the story. Some of the developments in the tale are particularly disturbing, and it is through characterization that members of the audience can feel as though those developments are happening to them. Readers are also able to relate to these characters because of the inner dialogue that the protagonist keeps having and the external conversations that she has with other people she interacts. In the end, the story has become compelling and quite impressive. References Arredondo, Ines. Underground river and other stories: the Shunammite. NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1996 Stauffer, Marilyn. Outline on literary elements. The University of South Florida. 5 August 2007. Web. Gioia, Dana Kennedy, J. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing Eleventh Edition. NY: Longman, 2006

Monday, October 21, 2019

Slaves Essays - Marxist Theory, Socialism, Slavery, Marxism

Slaves Essays - Marxist Theory, Socialism, Slavery, Marxism Slaves In what way do proletarians differ from slaves? The slave is sold once and for all; the proletarian must sell himself daily and hourly. The individual slave, property of one master, is assured an existence, however miserable it may be, because of the master's interest. The individual proletarian, property as it were of the entire bourgeois class which buys his labor only when someone has need of it, has no secure existence. This existence is assured only to the class as a whole. The slave is outside competition; the proletarian is in it and experiences all its vagaries. The slave counts as a thing, not as a member of society. Thus, the slave can have a better existence than the proletarian, while the proletarian belongs to a higher stage of social development and, himself, stands on a higher social level than the slave. The slave frees himself when, of all the relations of private property, he abolishes only the relation of slavery and thereby becomes a proletarian; the proletarian can free himself only by abolishing private property in general.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Art of Atomic Diplomacy

The Art of Atomic Diplomacy The term â€Å"atomic diplomacy† refers to a nation’s use of the threat of nuclear warfare to achieve its diplomatic and foreign policy goals. In the years following its first successful test of an atomic bomb in 1945, the United States federal government occasionally sought to use its nuclear monopoly as a non-military diplomatic tool. World War II: The Birth of Nuclear Diplomacy During World War II, the United States, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain were researching designs of an atomic bomb for use as the â€Å"ultimate weapon.† By 1945, however, only the United States developed a working bomb. On August 6, 1945, the United States exploded an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. In seconds, the blast leveled 90% of the city and killed an estimated 80,000 people. Three days later, on August 9, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. On August 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced his nation’s unconditional surrender in the face of what he called â€Å"a new and most cruel bomb.† Without realizing it at the time, Hirohito had also announced the birth of nuclear diplomacy. The First Use of Atomic Diplomacy While U.S. officials had used the atomic bomb in order to force Japan to surrender, they also considered how the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons could be used to strengthen the nation’s advantage in postwar diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. When U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the development of the atomic bomb in 1942, he decided not to tell the Soviet Union about the project. After Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, the decision of whether to maintain the secrecy of the U.S. nuclear weapons program fell to President Harry Truman. In July 1945, President Truman, along with Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in the Potsdam Conference to negotiate governmental control of already defeated Nazi Germany and other terms for the end of World War II. Without disclosing any specific details about the weapon, President Truman mentioned the existence of an especially destructive bomb to Joseph Stalin, leader of the growing and already feared Communist Party. By entering the war against Japan in mid-1945, the Soviet Union  placed itself in a position to play an influential part in the allied control of post-war Japan. While U.S. officials favored a U.S.-led, rather than a U.S.-Soviet shared occupation, they realized there was no way to prevent it. U.S. policymakers feared the Soviets might use its political presence in post-war Japan as a base for spreading communism throughout Asia and Europe. Without actually threatening Stalin with the atomic bomb, Truman hoped America’s exclusive control of nuclear weapons, as demonstrated by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would convince the Soviets to rethink their plans. In his 1965 book Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam, historian Gar Alperovitz contends that Truman’s atomic hints at the Potsdam meeting amounted to the first us of atomic diplomacy. Alperovitz argues that since the nuclear attacks on ​Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not needed to force the Japanese to surrender, the bombings were actually intended to influence postwar diplomacy with the Soviet Union. Other historians, however, contend that President Truman truly believed the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing were needed to force the immediate unconditional surrender of Japan. The alternative, they argue would have been an actual military invasion of Japan with the potential cost of thousands of allied lives. US Covers Western Europe with a ‘Nuclear Umbrella’ Even if U.S. officials hoped the examples of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would spread Democracy rather than Communism throughout Eastern Europe and Asia, they were disappointed. Instead, the threat of nuclear weapons made the Soviet Union ever more intent on protecting its own borders with a buffer zone of communist-ruled countries. However, during the first several years after the end of World War II, the United States’ control of nuclear weapons was far more successful at creating lasting alliances in Western Europe. Even without placing large numbers of troops inside their borders, America could protect the Western Bloc nations under its â€Å"nuclear umbrella,† something the Soviet Union did not yet have. The assurance of peace for America and her allies under the nuclear umbrella would soon be shaken, however, as the U.S. lost its monopoly over nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb in 1949, the United Kingdom in 1952, France in 1960, and the People’s Republic of China in 1964. Looming as a threat since Hiroshima, the Cold War had started. Cold War Atomic Diplomacy Both the United States and the Soviet Union frequently used atomic diplomacy during the first two decades of the Cold War. In 1948 and 1949, during the shared occupation of postwar Germany, The Soviet Union blocked the U.S. and other Western Allies from using all roads, railroads, and canals serving much of West Berlin. President Truman responded to the blockade by stationing several B-29 bombers that â€Å"could† have carried nuclear bombs if needed to U.S. airbases near Berlin. However, when the Soviets did not back down and lower the blockade, the U.S. and its Western Allies carried out the historic Berlin Airlift that flew food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies to the people of West Berlin. Shortly after the start of the Korean War in 1950, President Truman again deployed the nuclear-ready B-29s as a signal to the Soviet Union of U.S. resolve to maintain democracy in the region. In 1953, near the end of the war, President Dwight D. Eisenhower considered, but chose not to use atomic diplomacy to gain an advantage in peace negotiations. And then the Soviets famously turned the tables in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the most visible and dangerous case of atomic diplomacy. In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961  and the presence of U.S. nuclear missiles in Turkey and Italy, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev shipped nuclear missiles to Cuba in October 1962. U.S President John F. Kennedy responded by ordering a total blockade to prevent additional Soviet missiles from reaching Cuba and demanding that all nuclear weapons already on the island be returned to the Soviet Union. The blockade produced several tense moments as ships believed to be carrying nuclear weapons were confronted and turned away by the U.S. Navy. After 13 days of hair-raising atomic diplomacy, Kennedy and Khrushchev came to a peaceful agreement. The Soviets, under U.S. supervision, dismantled their nuclear weapons in Cuba and shipped them home. In return, the United States promised never again to invade Cuba without military provocation  and removed its nuclear missiles from Turkey and Italy. As a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. imposed severe trade and travel restrictions against Cuba that remained in effect until eased by President Barack Obama in 2016. The MAD World Shows the Futility of Atomic Diplomacy By the mid-1960s, the ultimate futility of atomic diplomacy had become evident. The nuclear weapons arsenals of the United States and the Soviet Union had become virtually equal in both size and destructive power. In fact, the security of both nations, as well as global peacekeeping, came to depend on a dystopian principle called â€Å"mutually assured destruction† or MAD. While President Richard Nixon briefly considered using the threat of nuclear weapons to hasten the end of the Vietnam War, he knew the Soviet Union would disastrously retaliate on behalf of North Vietnam and that both international and American public opinion would never accept the idea of using the atomic bomb. Since both the United States and the Soviet Union were aware that any full-scale first nuclear strike would result in the complete annihilation of both countries, the temptation to use nuclear weapons during a conflict was greatly diminished. As public and political opinion against the use or even the threatened use of nuclear weapons grew louder and more influential, the limits of atomic diplomacy became obvious. So while it is rarely practiced today, atomic diplomacy probably prevented the MAD scenario several times since World War II.   2019: US Withdraws from Cold War Arms Control Treaty On August 2, 2019, the United States formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia. Originally ratified on 1 June 1988, the INF limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,417 miles) but did not apply to air- or sea-launched missiles. Their uncertain range and their ability to reach their targets within 10 minutes made the mistaken use of the missiles a constant source of fears during the Cold War era. Ratification of the INF launched a lengthy subsequent process during which both the United States and Russia reduced their nuclear arsenals. In exiting the INF Treaty, the Donald Trump administration cited reports that Russia had been violating the treaty by developing of a new land-based, nuclear-capable cruise missile. After long denying the existence of such missiles, Russia recently claimed the missile’s range is less than 500 kilometers (310 miles) and thus not in violation of the INF Treaty. In announcing the US’ formal withdrawal from the INF treaty, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo placed sole responsibility for the demise of the nuclear treaty on Russia. â€Å"Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system,† he said.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

What does it mean to be a preacher and what is preaching in today's Essay

What does it mean to be a preacher and what is preaching in today's - Essay Example .You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The hundreds and multitudes following after Jesus reveal a great model to the disciples to reach the people in ministry. Craddock (1985) illustrated the receiving of call for preaching and the mode of preaching from past through medieval and the explains the changing paradigm of gospel preaching and the necessity for shouted from the Housetop (p.60). Jesus preached in the towns and villages all across Israel, serving a variety of needs of the people. During His ministry on earth, He not only just preached but also manifested His intention to establish the ‘Kingdom of God’, where a Human being can experience the Devine abundance by raising above the problems of this physical world? Preaching’s of Jesus Christ manifested such revelation of the Devine Kingdom through miracles, signs and wonders. The basic needs of the human life were fulfilled through the sermons and His presence. The hungry were fed, sick were healed, people in bondages were delivered, Dead were raised, people were comforted and added into the kingdom of God opening their spiritual eyes. The necessity of such a multi fold ministry is still increased with the increasing needs of the society. Tubbs Tisdale (1997), recognized the same fundamental preaching of the communities, which moves them- that speaks to them on a deep and personal level about matters of faith and life. ( p 4). A modern concept of "preaching" may bring to mind a picture of a man standing behind a pulpit with a congregation of people in front of him. If sound were added to the picture the preachers voice would fluxuate and at times he would make gestures with his hands. His effectiveness as a preacher would often be judged by his ability to hold his audiences attention. We find a different picture presented in Acts 8:26-39. Philip’s preaching to an official from Ethiopia, who is reading aloud from the

Psycholigical Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Psycholigical Disorders - Essay Example Discussion will also produce possible hospitalization therapies as well as when individuals should be admitted to a hospital based on symptoms. Finally, a brief summary of a case study will round out the discussion. One of the main disputes surrounding hallucination therapeutic evaluation is if the disorder is standalone or a side-effect of a much more psychological disorder such as Schizophrenia. The terminology surrounding hallucinations defines it as "a perception in the absence of sensory stimulation that is confused with reality (Psychology: Concepts and Connections, pg 518). As many psychiatrists evaluate their patients in a clinical surrounding, it would be circumspect to immediately label a person who is suffering from hallucinations as being diagnosed with Schizophrenia. One of the more important aspects of the diagnoses as to if the individual is suffering from hallucinations is to follow the same procedural steps in diagnosing any person with an ailment and that is to start with the symptoms Symptoms of hallucinations can either result from a traumatic event, results of other medical disorders such as epilepsy, olfactory seizures or from a variety of means of neurological aetiology. To understand the symptoms of these various forms of hallucinations, there is a need to understand the different types of neurological hallucinations that lead to correct diagnosis of symptoms. These include: GustatorGustatory hallucinations: are seldom found as an early sign of cognitive derangement. Clinical evolution could point toward early manifestations of Alzheimer's Dementia. Patients suffering from psychotic depression may also, report the illusion of bad taste in their mouth. Peduncular hallucinations: They originate from lesions of the mid-brain tegmentum. They may be elaborated and complex, rich in color, and depict landscapes, familiar faces, buildings, or lilliputian visions. Feeling tone may be absent, and the patient witnesses them with calm amusement. Auditory and Vertiginous Hallucinations: 1 Auditory: Stimuli of the transverse gyrus of Heschl of the temporal lobe, may elicit auditory events. 2. Vertiginous: Meniere's disease is the cause of severe kinesthetic hallucinations , accompanied by nausea, dizziness, and malaise. It may be also have tinnitus, often described as "chirping", or as the sound of crickets. This must be clinically differentiated from acoustic neuroma, vertebro-basilar artery syndromes, and other posterior fossa entities. Autoscopic hallucinations: These are a blend of visual and proprioceptive hallucinations. In these cases, the vision is of one's double, like in a mirror, sometimes repeating one's gestures, and on occasions busy with other activities, a veritable doppelganger. They may be secondary to hypnopompic hallucinations, migraine, seizure disorders, delirium, encephalitis, post-concussion syndrome, or even non-neurological events such as: transcendental meditation, mystic events, use of hallucinogens, and near death experiences (Boza, 1981) The symptoms, as mentioned above vary from patient to patient depending on their neurological dysfunction. The Merck Manual of Geriatrics entertains hallucinations as an ongoing concern for the elderly patients under doctor's care and suggests that the symptoms of hallucinations in the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Environmental Ethics. Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Ethics. Assignment 2 - Essay Example It is a fact that human beings will perish if they do not constrain their actions towards the ecosystem or nature. The notion of anthropocentric is synonymous to human centeredness, which indicates that all ethics are related to humans. As far as it is concerned, only human beings are can reflect on the ethical aspects of disciplines; therefore all moral debates are usually human centric. Zoos are not immoral only because they provide an unnatural habitat to the animals. Zoos cannot be considered immoral as they help animals to survive. Good zoos try to lessen the impact on animals by providing them with the surroundings similar to their natural habitats. Some animals are kept in the zoos for their own safety and for the preservation of their species. Many of the endangered species of the animals are present in the zoo so that they may repopulate their society and at some point of time they may return back to their natural habitat. Tree-hugger is basically the term used for the environmentalist campaigners. It is also referred to the practices which prevent trees from felling down. The notion of tree hugger is all about the broad ideology, philosophy and social movement related to the protection of environment and the improvement of its health. The idea of tree hugger is also related to the environmental ethics as it is all about protecting the trees, which are considered to be one of the important natural resource of the ecosystem. Tree huggers speak about the environmental ethics related to the trees and about their sustainable management. Sustainable living offer the human beings an ongoing opportunity for practicing the spiritual mindfulness. Each of the eco-friendly acts performed by the humans (such as repairing, composting, recycling, reusing, eco-wise shopping and conserving energy and water) are also considered to be the acts of spiritual mindfulness. It is degree of mindfulness that we

OLI model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

OLI model - Essay Example The above approach neglects critical issues, which are critical in defining a multinational firm. The model has three areas where its main advantages are based, that is; It has its advantages in explaining the MNEs existence. Ownership has its advantages in the sense that it addresses the question of why that some firms will go abroad and not others, it postulates that there are some benefits that allow it to overpower the cost of operating abroad. Since firms are the collection of different assets and MNEs candidate has a higher-than-average asset level to have an internal public goods character. The assets can be used in the production in various areas without reduction of their effectiveness. The assets include product dimensional factor, common to model in terms of a single index of the production of the firm. The highest sophisticated treatment in these lines is found in immediate work on non-homogeneous firms that combines the horizontal simplest version motive for FDI, with an assumption of their productivity differences (Faeth, 2009). The OLI model has an aspect to pay a sunk cost in productivity determination. Low-production can be produced only for the purposes of the home market; while medium productivity ones are chosen to pay for export fixed costs, but the most productive ones chosen to pay for higher costs for FDI engagements. The above predictions are in accordance with the evidence. On a further contribution, the model provides that industries with greater heterogeneities have more firms engaged in the FDI. Location advantages address the question of where the firm chooses to locate. Though the theory of international trade has taken ownership advantages just for granted, to make them in more obvious ways, this model has emphasized more on exploration of alternative motives to be located by MNEs abroad. The major factor that has created much attention is the clear distinction between vertical and horizontal FDI. Horizontal FDI happens when

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction Assignment

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction - Assignment Example The technology has influenced our educational system in a number of ways. While it has served as a means to improve the quality of education, the use of technology has also greatly facilitated a better understanding and developed a mutual respect in the ongoing teacher-pupil relationship. The wide ranging implications of the use of technology in education, has been an ongoing concern of the authorities who have continued to introduce better learning facilities and optimise the learning process leading to quality education. The inclusion of computer technology in the curricula has greatly facilitated the reading, writing and comprehension skills of the students, including those with special need. The essay would be looking at the three major ways of using technology into the reading instruction that improve and improvise the achievement skills of the students: Web quest; PowerPoint; and use of websites and special web pages. While teaching is an important aspect of teachers, the train ing of the teachers is equally relevant. The world is fast changing and therefore it is important for the teachers to keep abreast with the changes that are taking place. The need to learn advanced techniques and teaching methodologies is an essential part of a teacher’s training. The use of technology in teaching has become an integral part of the curricula so knowledge of various technological teaching aids like computers and interactive boards has become vital for teachers. WebQuest is one device that vastly promotes learning process in the classroom.

Ethical Issues in Business DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Issues in Business DB - Essay Example American culture however, does not recognize friendship in business. As a result, practices such as personal contacts towards monetary appreciations in transactions are considered corrupt and are unethical. A practice may therefore be ethical in one community but unethical in another community because of the involved cultural differences that establish ground for ethical considerations (Ambler, Witzel & Xi, 2009). Taking part in corruption in an international transaction may therefore be ethical or unethical, depending on a person’s culture. An individual whose culture considers corruption ethical will therefore assume its morality in an international business transaction while a party whose culture considers corruption unethical will assume a corrupt activity in an international business transaction to be immoral. Corruption in international business may also be legal or illegal. This is because of difference in domestic laws that may allow for or prohibit corruption (Czinkota, Ronkainen & Moffett,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction Assignment

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction - Assignment Example The technology has influenced our educational system in a number of ways. While it has served as a means to improve the quality of education, the use of technology has also greatly facilitated a better understanding and developed a mutual respect in the ongoing teacher-pupil relationship. The wide ranging implications of the use of technology in education, has been an ongoing concern of the authorities who have continued to introduce better learning facilities and optimise the learning process leading to quality education. The inclusion of computer technology in the curricula has greatly facilitated the reading, writing and comprehension skills of the students, including those with special need. The essay would be looking at the three major ways of using technology into the reading instruction that improve and improvise the achievement skills of the students: Web quest; PowerPoint; and use of websites and special web pages. While teaching is an important aspect of teachers, the train ing of the teachers is equally relevant. The world is fast changing and therefore it is important for the teachers to keep abreast with the changes that are taking place. The need to learn advanced techniques and teaching methodologies is an essential part of a teacher’s training. The use of technology in teaching has become an integral part of the curricula so knowledge of various technological teaching aids like computers and interactive boards has become vital for teachers. WebQuest is one device that vastly promotes learning process in the classroom.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Future of Tourism in Oman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Future of Tourism in Oman - Essay Example There are many difficulties in the development of this industry, because the locals do not want to exceed the limits of a local tourism promotion and thus they are prevented from a global expansion. Tourism in Oman Oman has many different privileges. First of all, this country makes large investments in ecotourism and first class tourism and tourism in this country can be interested for both Western and Eastern tourists. Oman can assure tourists of the absence of corruption and there are many perspectives for business development in this country. Oman is opening its doors for tourists†¦ The spectators are so much attracted by the new territories and numerous sightseeing that the pleasure of exploring this country transfers the borders of traditional tourism. There is no doubt that Arab hospitality is legendary. People from those countries are full of hospitality and there is no doubt that the Westerners will be greatly impressed by a large number of attractions in this country. There are two million inhabitants in Oman and this is an independent state of the Arab world. Tourists are mainly attracted by â€Å"vast coastline, over a thousand miles long, stretching from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Yemeni border in the south† (The Seven Stars of the Gulf; Oman: Traditional Terraced Village Scubadiving off the Coast of Fujairah, 2009). Moreover, there are deep historic roots in this country. The Oman museum in Muscat is rather attractive for tourists and there is no doubt that people in this country are proud of their legendary heroes, such as Sindbad the Sailor, for example. There is an evident harmony between the ancient port of Muscat and modernization of this port nowadays. A feeling of cleanness and safety is everywhere. There are different perceptions of the northern and the southern frontiers of Oman. Thus, tourist from different countries can find the places to live and to visit with respect to their own interests (Martin, 200 5). Nevertheless, it should be noted that the most explored part of Oman, which is favorable for tourists is Salalah. Tourist agencies are attracting new tourists speculating on the following things: â€Å"waters are inviting, the sand the softest and silkiest, and the birdlife extraordinary, a visitor's guide cautions you against wandering away "while wearing a sea dress" (Beirman, 2003). Oman provides tourists with different opportunities of having rest. There is an essential technological impact exerted on Oman and the Western tourists can exert a serious negative impact on cultural, moral and social values in Oman (Richards, 1999). On the one hand, in the modern global world such issues as traditional clothes or color of hair can be different even among Omani people. In their hearts and souls these people are religious and they do not have any intention to change their religion or culture. There are many difficulties for Oman and its ability to adapt social and cultural changes with respect to the Western traditions and customs. With this respect, it can be claimed that countries around the world are interested in promotion and support of their interests. In case the residents of one country want to get acquainted with the values of people and nations from another country, there is no doubt that the former should be tolerant to another country and preserve historic uniqueness and dignity of another nation. There is a high cultural

Monday, October 14, 2019

The main cause of the Wall Street Essay Example for Free

The main cause of the Wall Street Essay I do not agree wholly with that statement. The panic selling of shares was the immediate cause to the Wall Street crash. However, if there had not have been the panic selling of shares then there would not have been such a dramatic slump but a smaller one. America was doing well in the end of the 1920s; the boom had made half the population happy. However, now that all the people who could afford it had brought electrical goods, cars etc there was no one else left to buy the surplus products. This is called overproduction, this means that there are too many products and the market is saturated, this usually starts off a slump. The companies were then starting to do not as well, this meant a fall in the share prices. The people in the know at the time had sold their shares and then all the other people who had invested in them panicked to sell their own shares causing the Wall Street crash. In the 1920s the wealth had not been evenly split, blacks, immigrants and farmers were not doing as well, this meant that half the population could not afford to buy the new products being mass-produced causing overproduction to happen quicker, if the wealth had been evenly spread then I do still think that there would have been a crash, however, it would have been a few years later. To increase the boom in the 1920s America put taxes on products coming in from abroad to make it a stronger economic country. The countries in Europe then retaliated and put a tax on all American goods. This meant that there were a lot of extra products not being sold; this was a part of overproduction. In the stock market a lot of speculators were playing with borrowed money from the bank because they felt that they were confident enough to win it back. Speculators were people who knew nothing about stocks but saw that a company was making profit in shares so they would invest in them if they were confident enough. This meant that companys products were worth a lot more in stock than they were in real life. This meant that at the time of the crash there was a hell of a long way to go down causing many people to go bankrupt. Because of overproduction many experts in the know decided to sell their shares, other people who owned shares in the same company then started to panic and quickly tried to sell there shares causing the prices of the company to plummet. The panic selling of shares technically was the Wall Street crash. I do not think that the panic selling of shares was the main cause for the Wall Street crash; I think that it was overproduction. Overproduction was always going to happen, it could have been postponed a few years if the wealth in America had been spread evenly or if Europe hadnt put a tax on all American goods. Even if this had been the case overproduction would have happened sooner or later. Overproduction caused some people to sell their shares that then lead to everyone panicking to sell their shares causing the Wall Street crash. If speculators had not have put in so much money there would not have been such a big slump but there would have been one. The panic selling of the shares was the last thing to happen and probably the most influential thing to happen before the crash. However, the thing that started the crash off was overproduction.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Holocaust Rememberance Day :: Free Essays

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We’ve been taught that it is important to know history so that we can understand and learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future. On May 2nd, millions of people worldwide will remember the victims of the Holocaust as we observe the Holocaust Remembrance Day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holocaust is the term that refers to the tragedy of the World War II, specifically the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Nazis. Counting around 11 million deaths, it is undoubtedly one of the most horrendous crimes committed against humanity. Holocaust encompasses the time period from 1938 to 1945; its victims range from Jews to physically disabled. Singled out as the primary target, the Jewish people suffered around 6 million deaths during the Holocaust, that being nearly 65% of European Jewry. However, they were not the only ones.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Germans sought to really â€Å"cleanse† the human race. They targeted all the people who were somehow different from their â€Å"norms†. 5 million people other than Jews were killed during the Holocaust; these included homosexuals, gypsies, disabled, Jehova’s witnesses and Polish people, the list goes on and on. Asides from all the deaths, Nazis are famous for notorious experiments that they performed on â€Å"lower† races in and outside of their concentration camps. They tore apart families, often making parents watch their children being escorted to the gas chambers. 11 million people fled during the Holocaust, imagine how many lost their families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On May 2nd you will see black tablecloths and burning candles on them. You can also see some movies and statistics. When you do see this, stop for just a second and think about those 11 million. If anything good can ever come out of the Holocaust, let it be the lesson for future generations. This lesson can be summarized in words of Martin Niemoller, an anti-Nazi German

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Achilles Respect for Authority in The Iliad :: Iliad essays

Achilles Respect for Authority in The Iliad Respect for authority plays an important role in The Iliad. Achilles is a major character in it whose views on authority change throughout the book. In Book One, he seems to have no respect for King Agamemnon. Achilles questions his judgment as well as rebelling against his authority. This is shown best when Achilles says, "What a worthless, burnt-out coward I'd be called if I would submit to you and all your orders." (Pg. 87 line 43-45). This is an outright lack of respect directed toward Agamemnon. By Book Twenty-four however, his views seem to have changed. Achilles talks to King Priam of Troy with respect. An example in Book twenty-four is when Achilles and King Priam weep together over their losses. Book One portrays Achilles as an individualist. This was the accepted way of life in the Bronze Age, which is when Achilles lived. The people who lived in Greece during that era were very selfish and self-centered. Achilles is not the only character in The Iliad who acts this way. Agamemnon, king of the Greeks, is also a very selfish character in this epic poem. The conflicts between these two major characters have catastrophic results. Because Agamemnon doesn't want to give up Chryseis, his war-prize, Apollo cast a plague on the Greeks. Achilles goes to Agamemnon and asks him to return the girl to her father so the plague will end. He agrees to return her, but he doesn't want to be left empty-handed. He returns Chryseis to her home, and he takes Briseis, a war-prize of Achilles. Achilles is so angry with Agamemnon that he vows to stop helping him fight the Trojans. As the battle goes on, Agamemnon realizes how important Achilles and his Myrmidons are to the Achaean troops. The King of the Greeks then swallows his pride and offers gifts to Achilles if he will come back and help fight. Achilles, however, is so stubborn that he refuses all the gifts and will not allow his troops to fight. When he is offered the gifts he rudely responds, "I hate the man [Agamemnon] like the very gates of death who says one thing but hides another in his heart."(Pg. 262 lines 378-379) This quote shows how much

Friday, October 11, 2019

Blood Sports (Debate) Essay

Blood sports should not be banned; whatever problems there are with the sport can be fixed with reforms. The World Health Organization has called for tighter regulation, including â€Å"Simple rules, such as requiring medical clearance, national passports to prevent players from fighting under more than one name, restricting fights for fixed periods after knockouts, requiring that ringside physicians be paid by the state and not the promoter, and making sure that the players are aware of the potential long-term consequence of blood sports, may help protect them to some degree. †The Australian Medical Association additionally â€Å"recommends that media coverage should be subject to control codes similar to those which apply to television screening of violence. †Finally, the World Medical Association suggests that all matches should have a ring physician authorized to stop the fight at any time. It has been reported that no safety regulations would be effective if head blows remain – however such authors incorrectly apportion blame on boxing for a group of diseases known as Parkinson’s syndrome. Blood sports can result in chronic traumatic neurological conditions if fighters are not well matched, and fight without regulations in regard to their exposure. Boxing cannot cause Parkinson’s disease or other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease as those are genetic conditions – so to include them together as one set of conditions is incorrect and misleading. About 80% of deaths are caused by head, brain, and neck injuries, so the removal of the head as a scoring region may make a huge difference to the injury outcomes for this sport. However it would also change the very nature of the sport; and may mean people won’t participate in it. Ultimately, governments should do what they can to make blood sports as safe as possible, without losing the essence of the sport or banning it entirely. ————————————————- (Banning blood sports would force people to channel their aggression into more harmful, violent activities) There is no conclusive scientific evidence linking increased contact sport participation with being more violent in social settings. Such statements make it sound as thought we would have not violence in society if all contact sport was removed – and we all know that is untrue. Blood sports isn’t about violent aggression, it is about controlled aggression – this is very different to violent behaviors. In a report on â€Å"violent† sports in schools, conducted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a martial-arts instructor explained, â€Å"Contact and combat sports allow students to deal with their aggression in a safe environment, rather than in the context of the classroom or school hallway. †This type of outlet is not only important for youth, but for adults as well. Jason Brick said, â€Å"Positive Views on Violence In Sports,† Live strong, January 7, 2011, accessed July 13, 2011, With /proposition (The Effect of blood sports on the viewers) Blood Sports have been around for decades. Viewing violence generally triggers or serves in the increase of aggression of an individual. Sports such as wrestling (smack down) and Ultimate Fighter Competition (UFC) are bloody sports and have mostly negative effects on those who watch them. The objective of these two sports is to beat an individual into unconsciousness, make them tap out by inflicting pain, if none of these is accomplished within a time frame, the match is to be stopped and the judges decide who wins. Many children, teenagers, and even adults tend to try and imitate a knock out or combos that were seen performed at one of these fights onto an individual in an uncontrolled environment whether it is their sibling, friend, coworker, or a stranger for different reasons that includes but is not limited to a misunderstanding or horse playing. Watching this sport leaves the viewer psychologically aggressive. For example, if someone watches a match and gets into a fight with another person later on, that person is more likely to use a technique he saw during the fight, and since there is no referee to stop the fight in case of suffocation or tap-out, the victim is more likely to bleed, pass out or even dies. During the 1980’s, two men were in a bar discussing the Marvin Haggler and Sugar Ray Leonard fight that had occurred several days before, and in the process on trying to show exactly how one of the punch landed, both men went outside, drawing a crowd with them. The demonstration turned tragic when one of the men landed a punch to the jaw of the other, and such was the power of the blow, that the victim fell, hit his head on the pavement and started to bleed, and had to be buried a few weeks later. Seeing and permitting violence to be seen makes it seem normal and legal when in fact it is not normal and it is horrible, but here is where lies another problem which is called desensitization. Many years ago when a horrible scene was about to be portrayed on your television set, there would first appear a window saying ‘the images that you are about to see might injure the sensibility of certain people’ or words to that effect. Well, have you noticed that now they no longer even bother showing that little window? It’s as if the media know that human kind are used to everything by now. That nothing is going to affect them that much. So what does this show? It shows that us human beings are getting desensitized to everything and when that happens it also means that we don’t get so emotional about anything anymore and so consequently don’t fight any more either in order to strive for a change. We have all come to a point where nothing moves us that much anymore. (Pain and Injury as the Price of blood sports) Many people think about sports in a paradoxical way: They accept violence in sports, but the injuries caused by that violence make them uneasy. They seem to want violence without consequences— like the ?ctionalized violence they see in the media and video games in which characters engage in brutality without being seriously or permanently injured. However, blood sports are real, and it causes real pain, injury, disability, and even death (Dater, 2005; Farber, 2004; Leahy, 2008; Rice, 2005; Smith, 2005b; Young, 2004a). Ron Rice, an NFL player whose career ended when he tackled an opponent, discusses the real consequences of blood sports. The brutal body contact of the tackle left him temporarily paralyzed and permanently disabled. He remembers that â€Å"before I hit the ground, I knew my career was over. . . . My body froze. I was like a tree that had been cut down, teetering, then crashing, unable to break my fall. † Research on pain and injury among athletes helps us understand that blood sports have real consequences. Studies indicate that professional sports involving brutal body contact and borderline violence are among the most dangerous workplaces in the occupational world. The same could be said about high-pro? le power and performance intercollegiate sports in which 80 percent of male and female athletes sustain at least one serious injury while playing their sports and nearly 70 percent are disabled for two or more weeks. Research shows a close connection between dominant ideas about masculinity and the high rate of injuries in many sports. Ironically, some power and performance sports are organized so that players feel that their manhood is up for grabs. Men who de? ne masculinity in terms of physically dominating others often use violence in sports as an expression of this code of manhood. Until they critically examine issues related to gender and the organization of their sports, they will mistakenly de? ne violence as a source of rewards rather than a source of chronic pain and disabilities that constrain and threaten their lives.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Skype

INTRODUCTION I. 1 Background People rely on technology for every aspects of their lives and technology gives a significant impact to people’s lives. Technology is constantly changing, growing, and of course forcing the world to change as well. For people nowadays, it’s hard to imagine life without technology and all of its luxuries that are provided from it. Some technology exists and causes lives of people to change and improve. Up until now, internet is still arguably the best and most widely used piece of modern technology.We can do anything with internet, and almost every aspect of our everyday lives is relying on internet, such as work, school, social relationships, and especially, communication. As a human being, communication is important for our lives, human have social needs to interact with other people, and after all, human cannot live alone. There are many ways of communicating besides face-to-face communication. Thanks to technology, people now can communic ate in many ways, and internet really plays a big role on this aspect. With internet, we can communicate through e-mails, instant messages, chat groups, voice calls, and even video calls.Video call has made communicating and travelling through the years a lot simpler and easier. The most widely used video chatting software is Skype. Skype is software that can make free video calls and we can physically see our family, friends and relatives via videos. Skype is not only for making video calls, but with Skype, we can also make voice calls, instant messaging, and file sharing, all free of charge. It is obvious that with the invention of Skype, people now can communicate through the distances and Skype makes us easier to communicate with each other.Until September 2011, Skype has 663 million registered users around the world. I. 2 Problem 1. What is Skype and what are its features? 2. How to operate Skype? 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Skype? I. 3 Purposes The pu rposes of writing this paper is to know more about Skype and its features, how to operate on this software, and to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of using Skype. II. BODY II. 1 History and Background of Skype Generally, Skype is a voice-over-Internet Protocol service that allows users to communicate with peers through voice, video, and instant messaging over the Internet.Phone calls may be placed to recipients on the traditional telephone networks. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free of charge, while calls to landline telephones and mobile phones are charged through a debit-based user account system. Skype is also popular for its additional features, such as file transfer and videoconferencing. Unlike most VoIP services, Skype uses hybrid peer-to-peer and client–server system, and makes use of background processing on computers running Skype software.Originally, Skype was to be named â€Å"Peer-to-Peer†, but it was too long so it wa s shortened to â€Å"Skyper†. However, there were some domain names that named â€Å"Skyper† as well, so eventually the â€Å"r† was deleted and the founders took the name â€Å"Skype† for the software. Skype was discovered in 2003 by Janus Friis from Denmark and Niklas Zennstrom from Sweden. The software itself was developed by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn, who together with Janus and Niklas were also behind the peer-to-peer file sharing software Kazaa.Finally, in August 2003, the first public beta version was released. Skype headquarters are located in Luxembourg, and most of Most of the development team and 44% of the overall employees of the division are situated in the offices of Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia. On 10 May 2011, Microsoft agreed to purchase Skype’s license for $8. 5 billion. The company was incorporated as a division of Microsoft, and on 13 October 2011, the purchase was finally completed. II. 2 Skype†™s Features II. 2. 1 Calls between Skype and Landline or Mobile Phone Numbers a. SkypeOutSkypeOut allows Skype users to call traditional phone numbers, including mobile phones, for a fee. However, SkypeOut doesn't support calls to toll-free or premium rate numbers, and SkypeOut in other countries. SkypeOut also doesn't support calling emergency numbers such as 1-1-2 in Europe or 911 in the United States. The quality of SkypeOut service is not guaranteed, broken connections, there are drop-outs and compression distortion are frequently observed by users. Since then, Support for the above toll free numbers in Canada has been effectively removed since January 2012. b. Caller ID for Outgoing CallsSkype has a feature that allows users to set the caller ID for outgoing calls to normal telephone numbers. There is a set-up verification that involves a SMS text messaging to a selected mobile phone number, then typing the verification code into a web form. It can only be used by owners of m obile phones, since most regular home and business cannot receive text messages. However, SMS messaging from Skype’s system has not been working correctly in various locals, and even though Skype maintains the problem and it has been corrected, it continues to be inoperative, recently in the United States and Canada. . Online Numbers A feature named Online Number (until 2010 named SkypeIn) allows Skype users to receive calls on their computers dialed from mobiles or landlines to a Skype-provided phone number. The number need not be in the same location as the user. Skype offers numbers in Australia, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.In Russia some third party companies, including SIP operators, provide direct numbers, redirecting calls to Skype. II. 2. 2 Subscriptio n Calling Calls Skype offers several monthly subscription calling plans that it calls unlimited. However, Skype limits these subscriptions to 10,000 minutes per month, 6 hours per day, and 50 telephone numbers per day. If one of these limits is exceeded, any additional calls are billed at regular rates and connection fees. II. 2. 3 Voicemail Skype Voicemail was released on March 10, 2005.This service allows callers to leave voicemail messages for Skype users who are offline. This is currently a service that users have to pay for, though several companies, provides a Skype voicemail service for free (However, these voicemail services only work when the program and the computer is online). Skype Voicemail had experienced numerous problems over the years and users complain that they never receive any voicemails. Moreover, the Online Number feature occasionally fails to record certain incoming calls on the program's history page II. 2. 4 Video Calling and Screen SharingSkype 2. 0 (and l ater) supports video calling for Skype-to-Skype calls between two parties on Microsoft Windows (DirectX 9. 0 or above required), Mac OS X, and Linux. Skype 3. 6 and later supports high definition video on Windows. Skype 3. 0. 0 on iOs allows iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users to call each other, as well as Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Later on Skype 5. 0 support video calls via third party hardware. Skype can also be installed through Facebook Video Chat with Skype (a Facebook product), and screen sharing in Skype will be available for Skype Premium.II. 2. 5 SMS text messaging Skype users can send SMS text messages to mobile phone numbers. In the United States, China, and Taiwan, Skype uses a â€Å"generic, pre-defined number† as the sender ID. In other countries, the message can be set to appear coming from a verified mobile number, allowing recipients to reply, or else show the first 11 characters of the Skype username. However, as of March 2011, Skype users cannot receive SMS, despite a continuing series of requests and complaints. II. 3 How to Operate and Use Skype II. 3. 1 How to Download SkypeBefore you can register on Skype, all you need is to download the application software. Since the user used Windows OS, then the user will show you how to download Skype on Windows. What you’ll need before downloading Skype are: 1. A computer with a broadband internet connection, you can’t use dial up connections since it’s too slow. 2. Speakers and a microphone. Many computers will have these built in (especially laptops), and many webcams (see below) also have microphones built in. If you don’t have speakers and a microphone, you can buy it separately. 3. A webcam.This is a small camera that connects to your computer through a USB port, if it isn’t already built into your screen. A webcam isn’t that necessary if you’re not using video calls, but if you want to use this feature, then you definitely need a webc am. Step-by-Step of Downloading Skype 1. Go to the Skype. com home page. 2. Click ‘Get Skype’ in the bar at the top. A list of computer platforms will appear. Click the one that matches your computer (most likely ‘Windows’). 3. You can choose by signing up for Skype Premium, which will cost you (but allows group video calls), or Skype Free.If you have decided your option, then click Download Skype. 4. A page will appear where you can either sign in (if you’ve registered already) or input your information to create an account. You can also register your Skype with your Facebook account if you have one. There are also a number of boxes to fill in to create an account. a. To begin, fill in your first name and last name and your email address (and repeat it). These are all required. No one will be able to see your email address. b. Profile information.All of this will be available for anyone to see on Skype, except for your mobile number, which will be r estricted to your own contacts. c. You can choose to tell Skype how you intend to use its service by clicking one of the options in the drop-down menu. d. Skype Name Enter the name that you want your Skype friends to see and which you’ll use to log in to Skype. None of the 650 million users of Skype can have the same Skype name, and the system will automatically check to see if your name has been claimed by anyone else and, if it has, will suggest alternatives. e. Password Enter (and repeat) the password you’d like to use.It must consist of 6 to 20 characters and contain both letters and numbers. f. If you don’t want promotional emails from Skype, you can uptick the two boxes towards the bottom. g. The ‘captcha’ box: This is designed to make sure that you are you and not a naughty computer. Look at the text in the first box and then type it into the box below – in this case, ‘’. If you can’t read the text, click the Refres h button and you’ll be given another bit of text to copy. h. And finally, read the terms of use and privacy statement and, if you have no objections, click I agree – Continue. . You’ll be taken to a page headed ‘Thanks for choosing Skype’. Depending on your web browser, your download should start automatically or a window should appear asking you to confirm the download. In this instance, you should click OK. 6. Your browser should have downloaded the Skype install file on to your computer – to your desktop, to your ‘Downloads’ folder or to wherever you have chosen to send downloaded files. Go to the relevant place and double-click the file labelled Skypesetup or simply Skype. 7. A window will pop up asking you which language you wish to proceed in.You can also check the end user licence agreement, privacy statement and some basic options. When you’re ready, click I agree – next to move on. 8. A new window will open . This contains a progress bar that will fill up while the Skype program downloads and installs. Once it’s done, Skype will automatically start. 9. Another window opens in which you should sign in. If you already have a Skype account, enter your Skype name and password here. If not, click Create a new account. 10. You’ve now reached your Skype home page, which gives you two options: Find friends on Skype and Dial a number.