Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Expository Essay Sample on a Great Leader Who Is That

Expository Essay Sample on a Great Leader Who Is That Expository essays on what makes a great leader are focused on explaining the difference between an ordinary leader and a great leader. Although these two are both leaders, there is a big difference between the two. There is a debate that great leaders are born, yet, there are those whose argue is great leaders are nurtured. This debate has brought into question what really makes a great leader. A leader should have the qualities that cause him or her to be regarded as a great leader. Not all leaders are great leaders, and the difference is because of the qualities that such leaders portray. A great leader should not be a dictator. Instead, leaders should always be focused, visionary, possess sharp perception, be responsible, and reasonable. Leaders who are effective take into account their strengths as well as their weaknesses. They evaluate themselves when they ask questions like, â€Å"Am I a good leader? What can I accomplish, and what are my limits?† If a leader identifies his or her areas of weakness, he will try to turn his weaknesses into his strengths by working towards improving them. Some leaders tend to think that they have the ability to accomplish anything within or outside their domain. They are disillusioned into the thinking that leaders are always knowledgeable and nothing can outdo their thinking powers. This is a fallacy in thinking because there is no complete individual who is able to perform all duties. Leaders should be assisted by other people who are professionals in different fields and areas of knowledge. These other persons assist the leaders in compensating for their weaknesses. Leaders should recognize the abilities of those who work with them. Doing so helps them to be regarded as effective leaders. The perception of a leader is important. It helps in evaluating whether a leader is an effective or not. Leaders should be effective in their communication and should build a good relationship with those who serve under them. Leaders should ensure a good environment where everyone feels they have something of value to contribute. Conflicts should be recognized and addressed appropriately. A leader will be perceived to be a good leader if those who work with him talk positively about his leadership skills and what he is being able to accomplish. Leaders should also be responsible and accountable just like any other person. They should never be above the law. They should keep in accordance with the rules that govern them. They should never go beyond their limits. They should avoid the notion that they are powerful and, therefore, can bend the rules to suit themselves. The leaders’ incentive should be the goals of the organization or group they are leading. Good leaders should ha ve the goal as their central concern and work towards realizing the goal with the interest of the organization or the group they are leading. Tips on writing an expository essay on this topic: The purpose of an expository essay is to express a personal opinion on a given topic. The topic should be interesting to your targeted audience. A good way to decide on a topic is to listen to news reports and social media on the hot topics of the day. Find something that interests you and do some preliminary reading on that topic. Do you have an opinion? Develop that opinion into a thesis statement. Then develop some major points to support that opinion. Look for examples or personal experiences to add as details for those support points. As always, make sure to organize your ideas logically and to use transitional devices to help your thoughts flow smoothly. Finally, be sure to edit your essay and to conduct a final proof-reading.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

English Capitalization Rules and Example Sentences

English Capitalization Rules and Example Sentences This guide to capitalization rules is especially for ESL students. It contains clear explanations for each rule with simple examples of correct sentences. Once you understand these rules, try a capitalization rules quiz to test yourself. First Word in a Sentence Always capitalize the first word of a new sentence. There is something wrong with this cheese. However, Im hungry.Strange things have happened recently. I think the police should investigate. The Pronoun I Only the pronoun I is capitalized. All other pronouns (she, they, him, me, us, etc.) are NOT capitalized. He asked me where I had bought my jacket.If I see her, I will give her your message. Proper Nouns There are many special rules concerning proper nouns. Generally, Proper  nouns  can be understood as the names of specific people, places, things, pets, organizations, etc.  Here are some specific rules to follow: I visited California on my vacation.She gave Peter a present for his birthday. The Directions   Capitalize North, South, East, and West when contained in the name of a place (state, country, etc.) but not when used for giving directions. Correct My friend lives in South Carolina.We are planning a vacation in South Africa. Incorrect She lives in Southern Europe. SHOULD BE She lives in southern Europe.Im going to visit my friends in Eastern Oregon. SHOULD BE Im going to visit my friends in eastern Oregon. Members of an Organization The Neighborhood Players are presenting a musical next week.Some Washington Democrats would like to see the company up. Names of Companies The name of a company is similar to the name of a person and needs to be capitalized.   My niece loves Converse shoes.Do you prefer Siesta or Aloha products? Periods of History Capitalize periods of time in history that have specific names. The Dot Com Era lasted far shorter than many people expected. Events Names of specific events should be capitalized.   I went to the Tomato Growers Conference in Salinas last weekend.Have you ever attended the Technoland Convergence Festival? Acronyms Each letter of an acronym (a letter for the first letter of every word: CIA - Central Intelligence Agency) I prefer to watch PBS tv whenever possible.The ICAM commissioned a study on OBLOG. The Gods Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. The word god is generally not capitalized if it is used to refer to the generic idea of a deity, nor is it capitalized when it refers to multiple gods. Wotan is one of the gods in Wagners Ring Cycle.The pastor prayed that God should deliver us from our sins. Days, Months But Not Seasons Both days and months are capitalized but not NOT seasons.   Correct She flew to Dallas in September.Do you have any time on Monday? Incorrect I love skiing in Winter. SHOULD BE I love skiing in winter.They visited Bob last Summer. SHOULD BE They visited Bob last summer. Countries, Languages, and Nationality Adjectives All words the indicate a specific country should be capitalized including adjectives describing food, customs, etc.   I lived in Italy for over 10 years.Have you ever had any really expensive French wine?Do you speak Russian? Mom and Dad Capitalize family relationships when used in place of a name Have you given Mom her present yet?I think Dad needs some time off work. Titles Before Names Titles are capitalized only when they are part of the name.   Correct The soldier wrote to General Smith and asked for advice.Have you spoken to Vice Principal Smithers yet? Incorrect George Washington was the first President of the United States. SHOULD BE George Washington was the first president of the United States.Peter Smith was elected Mayor in 1995. SHOULD BE Peter Smith was elected mayor in 1995. Beginning and Ending of Letters Start and end your letters with capital letters.   Dear Mr. Smith,Best regards, First Word in a Quote This is true even if the quote occurs in the middle of a sentence. The last time I talked to Peter he said, Study hard and get to bed early!Thomas Patterman was a simple man who said, Give me life, liberty and a bottle of rum! Main or Content Words in Titles Remember that content words include nouns, pronouns, principal verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Rainy Days and MondaysHow to Win Friends and Influence your Neighbors First Word in Each Line of Poetry Each first word in a poem should be written with capital letters.   Roses are redViolets are blueI think I said Hes in love with you!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Article Summary about acqusition and consolidation Term Paper

Article Summary about acqusition and consolidation - Term Paper Example Acquisition aims at building on strong point or weak point of the subsidiary or parent company. The acquisition can be retained or discarded depending on the performance. An evaluation on processes and how they are performing is done, and a decision is made. Consolidation is the process of combining the financial statements of a parent company as consolidated financial statements. It is necessary for the parent company which is independent to control the subsidiary which is not independent through financial operations. This is shown when financial operations of the parent company are consolidated to the subsidiary in a financial statement. The purpose of an acquisition is for it to be successful by achieving more rapidly and gainful growth than ordinary. This can only be seen if a detailed consolidated financial statement is outlined. The article on Google acquiring Buffer-Box http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57556528-93/google-acquires-bufferbox-provider-of-delivery-lockers/ will be the case study. Google is a multinational company which provides internet-related products and services. While, Buffer-Box is an on-line pick up site for goods and services bought online. Most e-commerce operations for Google are in Waterloo which is where most of its online shopping functions are assembled. Therefore, by acquiring Buffer-Box Google will add to its mobile shopping sector. Buffer-Box, on the other hand, fights the challenge of low customer base and gets to leverage Google’s resources to grow their business. In preparing a consolidated financial statement for the parenting company, Google and the subsidiary Buffer-Box, needs to gather the necessary paper work on cash, accounts payable and inventory. In order to avoid double-counting when making journal entries, Google should not include transactions to the subsidiary. The statement should reflect incorporated cash flow showing sales, opening and closing

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Understanding & Managing Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Understanding & Managing Organisations - Essay Example Understanding and Managing Organisations As such, human resource (HR) has to find means wherein the management of people becomes the foundation for the success of the organisation (Boxall & Purcell 2003). In this regard, this study will look into HRM, its meaning and functions and on how strategic HRM becomes an essential development in the field. From this perspective, the study will focus on five aspects of HRM, namely, resourcing, employee engagement, job design, employee development and leadership. This is undertaken with the purpose of gaining more insight and better understanding of HRM. The paper will be having the following structure. The first section will deal with the nature of HRM. This will provide the framework in which the five related functions of HRM are appreciated. The second part will deal with some questions pertinent to the five aspects of HRM, which is the focus of the study. This is essential as it affords a way wherein some concerns relevant to these five functions may be clarified. Finally, the thi rd part will be the conclusion. In the end, it is the aim of the writer to be able to produce a clearer vision of the relationship between organisational behaviour and HRM. HRM: Its Nature and Definition Before, HRM has been concerned with administrative functions in people management. However, with developments in technology, HRM administrative functions are no longer its main concern, but it is now focused on coming up with strategies that position the right staff in the right job at the appropriate time and carrying out task effectively. (Lawler & Morhman 2003). As such, human resource management is â€Å"strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives† (Armstrong 2006, p 2). Observable in the definition is the notion that people are considered to be as the â€Å"most valued assets of the organisation†, this position breaks from the traditional perception that employees are deemed as costs rather than assets. This is a significant condition because there are some who are claiming that there is a difference between HRM and human capital management (HCM) and that the main difference between the two is the actual practise (Armstrong 2006). It is contended that HRM also sees personnel as assets, however, since they have several concerns, only a few of HR people admits in implementing the philosophy and belief system underlying HCM (Armstrong 2006). On the other HCM uses measurable data to come up with policies, strategies and programmes that will help the management develop the right training, learning and opportunities that will further improve the employees. Nonetheless, although the discourse regarding the difference between HRM and HCM is continuing, what is necessary is that HRM and HCM may be combined in order to with better HR policies, strategies and programmes that best suit t he needs and goals of both employees and the organisation. With people as valuable assets as its ethos, HR works within a system wherein there is a clear HR philosophy that serves as a guide to managing people. It also has to have clear HR strategies that will lead HRM to its goals and vision. Likewise, it has to have HR policies that will set as the standard in addressing HR concerns while HR procedures are necessary concrete methods or processes adopted by the organisation as it implements HR policies. At the same time, there are

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Fleet of Foot Essay Example for Free

Fleet of Foot Essay Up until now, Navado Carrillo’s present strategy was working just fine. Her idea of providing high-end running shoes made her a very good return on her investment in the first 10 years. Selling mainly Nike products was also a very good idea Navado had because Nike was well accepted and seen as top quality to her customers. Her current strategy of also adding other Nike shoes, including walking shoes, shoes for aerobic exercise, basketball shoes, tennis shoes, and cross trainers was a good idea for the business because it offered her loyal customers different options of shoes now that jogging is becoming too demanding. I think where Navado went wrong is adding in a line of sportswear and putting more emphasis on fashion. Her business is known for high quality running shoes and other shoes, not fashion. Other companies like to sell other brands and have a few line of sportswear fashion to separate themselves from well-known shoe stores like Navado’s. Now that she added this extra line and incorporated more fashion into her store, she is in direct competition to other stores, which results in her losing business and having her sales flatten out. To help her sudden fall in business, Navado tried an experiment that was great in my opinion, where â€Å"she took a line of high-performance athletic shoes that were made to order. The distinctive feature of these shoes was that the sole was molded to precisely fit the customer’s foot† (Perreault). This was a great idea because when someone came in looking for high-end running shoes, her sales clerks would tell them all about it and once the shoes came in two weeks later, they were delighted. Since those shoes were going for $170, only serious runners would buy them but seeing how they were happy with the product, they could spread the word about these shoes to other runners, which would increase Navado’s sales. However, the company that offered them ran into financial trouble and went out of business. The alternative strategies Navado is considering is going through another company that is offering a very similar custom shoe program. The only problem is that this new company requires many more requirements that the other company didn’t require. Having to spend more money on updating the website to promote this company, as well as travel, hotel, and food expenses for the two day training program for her salesclerks makes Navado uncertain in what to do. Personally, I think she should do this even though it would cost her several thousands of dollars to begin with. The other strategy she is considering is making fashion her main attraction because of the recent success of other women’s wear businesses. This would not be a good idea because she would just be competing with more powerful fashion retailers in which she would lose business and go astray from what she built her business upon. I believe Navados primary problem isn’t her emphasis on running shoes or emphasis on trying to hang on to her current customer, but instead, her indecision on who her target market should be. To fix this problem, I think Navado should solely focus on selling high-end running shoes as well as other Nike athletic shoes to gain customers who are just looking for a good pair of shoes. Also, seeing how she had success in the custom molding shoes before that company went out of business, I think she should go through this other company so that she can expand her running shoes into making custom ones for customers. Although it would cost several thousands of dollars to begin with and there are more promotional expenses that this company requires, the company in return provides exclusive sales territories that would separate Navado’s business from her competitors. Selling women’s apparel and adding a line of sportswear just results in more competition and a loss of business for Navado. Keeping her main focus on high end, custom running shoes and other athletic shoes would increase her sales, keep her loyal customers coming in and stay with what made her business flourish in past years.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Gender Roles in Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls Essay -- Boys and Girls E

In Alice Munro’s short story â€Å"Boys and Girls,† our narrator is a young farm girl on the verge of puberty who is learning what it means to be a â€Å"girl.† The story shows the differing gender roles of boys and girls – specifically that women are the weaker, more emotional sex – by showing how the adults of the story expect the children to grow into their respective roles as a girl and a boy, and how the children grow up and ultimately begin to fulfill these roles, making the transition from being â€Å"children† to being â€Å"young adults.† The adults in the story expect the children to grow into the gender role that their sex has assigned to them. This is seen in several places throughout the story, such as when the narrator hears her mother talking to her father, â€Å"I heard my mother saying, ‘Wait till Laird gets a little bigger, then you’ll have a real help’†¦. ‘And then I can use her more in the house’† (Munro 495), when her grandmother comes to visit and tells her all the things girls aren’t supposed to do, and when she is roughhousing with her little brother and the farm hand, Henry Bailey, tells her, â€Å"that there Laird’s gonna show you, one of these days† (Munro 497). While the narrator disagrees with the adults, and tries not to conform to their expectations, at the end of the story both she and her brother end up acting exactly as a child of their age and gender would be expected to act: the preteen girl crying with no apparent logical re ason, and the young boy excited to have been included with the men, and talking about the thrilling tale of slaying a horse. At the beginning of the story, the narrator and her brother are just â€Å"children,† but by the end of it the narrator is a â€Å"girl† and Laird is a â€Å"boy†; they have become very d... ...le older and a chance to show off her bravery emerges in the form of Flora making her escape, she doesn’t even consider playing the part of the hero, she simply follows her father’s orders, and even that she goes back on when she leaves the gate open. She doesn’t daydream of action and excitement anymore; she instead imagines herself in a love story. Throughout the story, the different roles and expectations placed on men and women are given the spotlight, and the coming-of-age of two children is depicted in a way that can be related to by many women looking back on their own childhood. The narrator leaves behind her title of â€Å"child† and begins to take on a new role as a young, adolescent woman. Works Cited Munro, Alice. â€Å"Boys and Girls.† Introduction to Literature. Ed. Isobel M. Findlay et al. 5th ed. Canada: Nelson Education, 2004. 491-502. Print.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Narayan Murthy’s Retirement Speech Essay

Different people run out of endurance and intellectual horsepower at different points of time. Some people drop out of the marathon since they do not see any value in an organization when their own time under the arc light is over. A leader’s responsibility is to recognize this, provide them opportunities outside the organization, and usher in suitable replacements. Infosys’ journey is replete with many such examples. The Essence of Leadership : Many intelligent people possess a high ego and low patience to deal with people less capable than themselves. Leaders have to manage this anomaly very carefully; counsel these errant people from time to time, and allow them to operate as long as they do not become dysfunctional and start harming the organization. If they do cross the threshold it takes courage to inform the individuals that their time in the organization is over and that they have to leave. However, one aspect that marks out a truly superior organization is the ability of its employees at all levels to be driven by values and to ensure adherence and compliance under any circumstance. No individual is high or important enough for an organization to put up with non compliance. Leadership by example is what creates trust in people to follow a leader. As long as a leader is able to show his or her sacrifice and commitment to a cause others will follow him or her I am glad we decided on respect from our stakeholders (customers, employees, investors, vendor, partners, government of the land and the society) as the primary objective of the company. I have seen hundreds of instances of such leadership-by-example at Infosys. A sense of ownership among employees is extremely important to build a long term future for a corporation. Such ownership comes from fair merit based and generous sharing of wealth and perquisites among each member of the company. This is my answer to many of my friends who wonder why when Infosys was founded I took a small percentage of my earlier salary while every other cofounder’s salary was increased by at least 10 per cent. The same friends tell me that they do not know of any other instance where as much as 10 to 15 per cent of the company equity was given to co-founders who had just 12 to 18 months of work experience. I do not know of any Indian company that has given away as much as Rs 50,000 crore (at current stock prices) of stock options to employees. Today; every Indian employee at every level who joined us on or before March 2010 is a stockholder of Infosys. The point I would like to make is that such acts demonstrate that our leaders walked the talk in sacrifice and commitment. Strategy is about ensuring sustained differentiation m a changing environment for better net income margins Differentiation without better net income margins is meaningless. In my opinion operating margins and earnings before taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) are not appropriate measures. In fact the best measure of differentiation is the per capita free cash flow generated. Such cash flows bring cash to invest in better people research and development infrastructure training and better customer and employee confidence The famous Harvard historian Niall Ferguson says in his book Civilization: The West and the Rest that the six attributes that have made Western civilization dominant during the last five hundred years are ompetition, science, property rights, medicine, consumption and a good work ethic. I have been saying for many years now that the factors that differentiate a corporation from its competitors are an enduring value system open mindedness, pluralistic and meritocratic approach and practicing speed, imagination and excellence in execution. Leaders have to focus on creating such an environment. The Essence of Leadership : Leadershi p is about taking bold and firm decisions with incomplete information in an environment of uncertainty: Leaders who waffle do not inspire confidence in their people. It is important to use as much data and modeling as possible to eliminate clearly bad decisions. My decision to walk away from a Fortune 10 company when they contributed 25 % of our revenue was one such example of decision making under uncertainty. It was a tough decision that was taken so firmly and calmly that the head of sales at Infosys at that time thought I was not bothered about the future of the company! I had to explain to him that I did indeed agonize over it but that as a leader I could not be driven by panic since such an important decision required a calm and composed mind. Every leader must have a mental model of his or her business with at best five to seven parameters that determine sensitivity to revenue and net income. It is important to update that model suitably as the business landscape changes. Any leader who cannot quickly do such sensitivity calculation would not be able to take quick and bold decisions. Even today I carry and update the mental model of our business in my mind. Generosity is an essential part of a leader. It is the foundation on which teamwork is built. The ability to share the limelight with ones colleagues, the ability to step aside and give opportunity to younger people when they want that fame, power and glory: and the ability to provide a safety net of advice for them is an important aspect of strengthening the future of an organization. It is not easy to give up power, particularly when you have been the object of so much adulation. I must say that Infosys has done a good job in bringing two such transitions before I leave the portals of this company. What Makes an Organization Worldclass : Scalability is the true test of the endurance of an organization. The ability to grow successfully without losing quality productivity employee investor and customer satisfaction and the spirit of a small company is what makes Infosys a great company. We have grown from 50 customers to 620 customers from 10 projects to 6,500 projects from 100 employees to 130,820 employees from 100 sq ft to 28 million sq ft of built up space and from 100 investors to over 450,000 investors. Such a scalability exercise has been successful thanks to our PSPD model of operation. PSPD stands for Predictability of revenues, Sustainability of such predictability, Profitability of such realized revenues and Derisking. Predictability happens because of a good forecasting system that derives realistic data from the trenches and tempers it with the wisdom of senior business leaders. Sustainability refers to the systems that help the efforts of sales people beating the pavement and meeting customers to make the prediction true, the efforts of our delivery people to deliver quality products on time within budgets, and to the efforts of our finance people raising the invoice on time and collecting money on time. Profitability refers to the systems that help our people make value-based sales, follow rigorous budgeting exercises, control costs, get best value for money and ensure the agreed-upon profitability. Derisking refers to systems that identify risks in various dimensions of our operations – people, geographies, technologies, application areas and services – collect periodic data, review the risk levels and mitigate them. Innovation is the best instrument for creating sustained differentiation. However it must be accepted that revenues for a corporation come from well understood ideas and business models. For example, most of a bank’s revenues will come from borrowing money at a certain rate and lending it at a higher rate. Part of the profits from such models will be used for research and development to generate new ideas. A few of these ideas will be seeded and some of them will become mainstream revenue earners. Therefore, it is very important for a leader to focus on innovation particularly when the times are good. Customers put food on our table. Therefore, we have to have a laser focus on exceeding their expectations, being open and honest with them, and ensuring that they look good in front of their customers. Employees are the only instruments we have to make our customers and investors succeed. Therefore, we have to create an environment of openness, meritocracy; fairness, transparency, honesty and accountability amongst our employees. Our investors understand that businesses will have their share of up and downs. They want us, the management, to level with them at all times. Therefore, â€Å"when in doubt, please disclose† is a good policy for a corporation. Society provides customers, employees, investors, bureaucrats and politicians. Therefore, earning the goodwill of every society that we operate in is extremely important for us. Global benchmarking is a powerful instrument that helps us to improve our self-confidence, compete with the best global competitors and serve our customers better. Success and Failure – We are our best friend and We are our Worst Enemies : We Indians must recognize as we have done at Infosys that we are our main enemies. There is no external enemy. Our failures are because of our lack of commitment to our cause, our inability to accept meritocracy and our indifference to honesty and want of a good work ethic amongst our leaders. Performance alone is the key differentiator. This stems from my belief that performance leads to recognition brings respect and respect brings power. Therefore if India wants to be a superpower as we keep hoping the only instrument we have is performance. We have demonstrated that businesses can be run legally and ethically that it is possible for an Indian company to benchmark with the global best and that any set of youngsters with values hard work team work and a little bit of smartness can indeed be successful entrepreneurs. This way we have enthused millions of young men and women in India. This in my opinion is Infosys’ greatest contribution. I have realized that humility grace and courtesy are genuine only when you have power and glory. That is why the leaders at Infosys have practiced this time and again. Humility provides us the strength of mind to learn from people better than us. Grace and courtesy make us worthy competitors. They also remind us that such glory and power are ephemeral and give us the strength to handle the days when we too could lose our shine. The crucial things we have to do in the future are to recognize our weaknesses; be open-minded about learning from people better than us; learn from our mistakes and not repeat them; be humble, honest and courteous; benchmark with the best in every dimension; use innovation to perform at global levels; and create a worthwhile vision and improve every day. This is how our mantra of focusing on speed imagination and excellence in execution will take this company very far. I have absolutely no doubt about it. I wish Kris and my fellow Infoscions the best in their journey forward. The board has been kind enough to name me the Chairman Emeritus. Therefore, I will always be there to add value if asked. Thanks, Narayana Murthy

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Basic Business Report

Level 4 pathogens are quite simply, the nastiest causes of disease ever discovered. Scientifically speaking, they are organisms that cause severe diseases to humans and are serious work hazards in the laboratory. They also present high risk of epidemics and there are usually no effective treatments yet discovered.Actual examples include Lassa fever, filoviruses, smallpox, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Russian spring-summer encephalitis, Kyasanur forest. It is important to take not that each of these examples has garnered a huge media following and they usually spill over from medical concerns to socio-political.The Russian spring-summer encephalitis for one has been given global concern due to its research possibilities as a biological weapon. The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever was known to have claimed hundreds of lives in an epidemic that transpired in the Afghan border in 2001. This means that a docudrama made about level 4 pathogens isn’t just â€Å"egghead stuffâ⠂¬ , the humanitarian side of the topic has great media value, even more so is the political side. If we look prominent television series such as 24 or Pandemic, they both feature fictional presentations of the â€Å"what-ifs† concerning level 4 pathogens.There are also several fictional movies that have garnered success on the genre such as Epidemic (1987), Andromeda Strain (1971) and several others. There are also real-life adaptations which garnered international acclaim such as Lorenzo’s Oil (1993). A docudrama on dangerous viruses can bring a factual spice to the fictional take on the genre. It can spur emotions from amazement the audience with its accurate presentation of just how these viruses are handled by specialized crew and the emotions behind them as they go about their work.Such a film can also bring out real-life fear from the viewers when presented with how dangerous a particular newly discovered strain of Ebola is or how likely a new undetectable viru s can be used as a biological weapon by terrorists. References Biological Weapons: How Big is the Threat? Retrieved April 22, 2007, from Society for General Microbiology Website: http://www. sgm. ac. uk/news/hot_topics/bio_weapons. cfm Disease DVD movies at Video Universe Retrieved April 22, 2007 from Video Universe Website: http://www.cduniverse. com/search/xx/movie/category2/3459/a/Diseases. htm Classification of Viral Pathogens into Hazard Groups Retrieved April 22, 2007 from http://virology-online. com/general/Safety2. htm Willet, E. (1999). Level 4 Labs. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from http://www. edwardwillett. com/Columns/level4labs. htm Butcher, T. (2001) Ebola Style Killer Sweeps Afghan Border. Retrieved April 22, 2007 from Telegraph. co. uk Website: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/main. jhtml? xml=/news/2001/10/04/wref04. xml

Thursday, November 7, 2019

About Semiramis Also Known as Sammu-Ramat

About Semiramis Also Known as Sammu-Ramat Shamshi-Adad V ruled in the 9th century BCE, and his wife was named Shammuramat (in Akkadian). She was a regent after her husbands death for their son Adad-nirari III for several years.  At the time, the Assyrian Empire was considerably smaller than it was when later historians wrote of her. The legends of Semiramis (Sammu-Ramat or Shammuramat) are likely embellishments on that history. Semiramis at a Glance When: 9th century BCE Occupation:  legendary queen, warrior (neither she nor her husband, King Ninus, is on the Assyrian King List, a list on cuneiform tablets from ancient times) Also known as: Shammuramat Historical records Sources include Herodotus in his 5th century BCE. Ctesias, a Greek historian and physician, wrote about Assyria and Persia, opposing Herodotus history, publishing in the 5th century BCE. Diodorus of Sicily, a Greek historian, wrote Bibliotheca historia  between 60 and 30 BCE.  Justin, a Latin historian, wrote Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV, including some earlier material; he probably wrote in the 3rd century CE. Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus reports that she invented the idea of eunuchs, castrating males in their youth to be servants as adults. Her name appears in the names of many places in Mesopotamia and Assyria. Semiramis also appears in Armenian legends. The Legends Some legends have Semiramis raised by doves in the desert, born the daughter of the fish-goddess Atargatis. Her first husband was said to have been the governor of Nineveh, Menones or Omnes. King Ninus of Babylon became captivated by the beauty of Semiramis, and after her first husband conveniently committed suicide, he married her. That may have been the first of his two biggest mistakes in judgment. The second came when Semiramis, now Queen of Babylon, convinced Ninus to make her Regent for a Day. He did so - and on that day, she had him executed, and she took the throne. Semiramis is said to have had a long string of one-night-stands with handsome soldiers. So that her power would not be threatened by a man who presumed on their relationship, she had each lover killed after a night of passion. Theres even one story that the army of Semiramis attacked and killed the sun itself (in the person of the god Er), for the crime of not returning her love. Echoing a similar myth about the goddess Ishtar, she implored the other gods to restore the sun to life. Semiramis is also credited with a renaissance of building in Babylon and with the conquest of neighboring states, including the defeat of the Indian army at the Indus River. When Semiramis returned from that battle, the legend has her turning over her power to her son, Ninyas, who then had her killed. She was 62 years old and had ruled alone for almost 25 years (or was it 42?). Another legend has her marrying her son Ninyas and living with him before he had her killed. Armenian Legend According to Armenian legend, Semiramis fell in lust with the Armenian king, Ara, and when he refused to marry her, led her troops against the Armenians, killing him. When her prayers to raise him from the dead failed, she disguised another man as Ara and convinced the Armenians that Ara had been resurrected to life. History The truth? Records show that after the reign of Shamshi-Adad V, 823-811 B.C.E., his widow Shammuramat served as regent from 811 - 808 B.C.E. The rest of the real history is lost, and all that remains are stories, most certainly exaggerated, from Greek historians. Legacy of the Legend The legend of Semiramis attracted not only the attention of Greek historians but the attention of novelists, historians and other storytellers through the centuries since. Great warrior queens in history have been called the Semiramis of their times. Rossinis opera, Semiramide, premiered in 1823. In 1897, the Semiramis Hotel was opened in Egypt, built on the banks of the Nile. It remains a luxury destination today, near the Museum of Egyptology in Cairo. Many novels have featured this intriguing, shadowy queen. Dantes  Divine Comedy  describes her as being in the Second Circle of Hell, a place for those condemned to hell for lust:  She is Semiramis, of whom we read /  That she succeeded Ninus, and was his spouse; /  She held the land which now the Sultan rules.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Olbers Paradox - Why the Night Sky Is Dark

Olbers' Paradox - Why the Night Sky Is Dark Question: What Is Olbers Paradox? Why Is Space Dark? Why Is the Night Sky Dark? The universe is so vast (even if not infinite) that no matter which direction we look, we should see a star. If this were the case, then the whole night sky should be nothing but a giant sheet of starlight. This begs the question: Why is the night sky dark? Answer: When I first heard of this paradox, it didnt strike me as something that was really much of a concern. After all, distant stars and galaxies are just so faint that we cant see them with the naked eye, right? Doesnt that alone resolve the paradox? Actually, it turns out that even when you consider that distant stars are fainter, there should still be so many stars that theyd overall be fairly bright. Because each little area of space represents more and more volume of space the further out you go. If you assume a vaguely even distribution of stars throughout the universe, there would still be plenty of light in each little patch to readily light up the night sky. So what prevents it? The paradox rests on the idea of a static and infinite (or nearly infinite) universe. It turns out that while our universe is extremely big, its nowhere near that large. or static. We know this because of the evidence supporting the Big Bang. Because the universe had an origin and is expanding, there is a definite horizon to how far we can see. When we look at a given section of the nights sky, we are not looking infinitely far into space, but a mere 13 or so billion light-years out. Beyond that, theres nothing else to see, except for the faint glow (invisible to the naked eye) of the cosmic microwave background radiation. That is part of why the night sky is dark   because there just isnt enough space and time for this particular paradox to have the room it needs to light up the night sky. Another reason is because space isnt an empty void. While the pressure in space is much lower than that within the atmosphere, its not devoid of ions, atoms, and molecules. These particles can absorb light, as well as scatter it. You can think of space as a dusty  cloud thats almost infinitely thick. Its so thick, not that much light makes it all the way to us. Other reasons for space to be dark include: Some of the stars line up, so their light is hidden behind closer stars and other bodies.The expanding universe red-shifts light from distant stars so their light is outside of the visible spectrum.The universe is young, so light from distant stars hasnt had time to reach us yet. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Cultural feasibility Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural feasibility - Assignment Example Thus, a candid approach and inclusion of an IT tutorial on the system will be advisable to help the illiterate feel better using the system. Access to the Internet and the dental website will need the use of internet enabled devices and the use of the internet. The above mentioned are expensive and thus the social, economic factors of the people should be considered when developing the website. There may be cases where the access to the Internet in some places is restricted and thus the people seeking the dental bookings will suffer. It’s also possible to have internet firewalls and proxy servers that specifically target dental websites. The general feeling of people using the system might get the thought of the lack of trust in the system as psychologically they are used to the face to face doctor appointments and reservations. Others may feel that their privacy is being watched by a third party that they do not wish to disclose their information to. It is possible that the culture subjugates women and thus may deny them access to the internet and thus the service to the dental clinics. As an aspect of the ethical security, the information of the clients and of the doctors can be comprised by hackers or viruses and faults in the operations of the IT system running the Website. Lastly, there is a general misplaced dislike and perception about the internet based services that may be present in any culture. A possible solution must be in place to teach and change socially held beliefs about the use of technology.