Descriptive Essay - Original Writing - 810 Words

Everyone I met melted in the palm of my hand. They all loved me. Now, I strike fear into the hearts of all men. It all started when I was nine, on a hot, humid afternoon. All because of innocent, little Elizabeth. Elizabeth was my neighbor, she was such a sweet girl. I would have even considered us friends. We used to run around in our backyards. The more we played together, the more I noticed how obedient she was to the things I asked of her. That’s when I started to have some fun. I started with small things like picking some beautiful flowers from the house next door. I slowly started to get bored. What fun is someone who mindlessly does what she’s told? So I started to up my antics. First just a little, like taking one of†¦show more content†¦She clumsily stumbled up and down the hill countless times, carrying bucket after bucket. The sweat trickling down her forehead gave me sweet satisfaction. After the final bucket of water was poured into my pool, I calmly told Elizabeth that I had one last request. She stared at me miserably hoping it wasn t going to be as hard as my previous demand. I told her my plan. She was going to sneak into my parents study and steal a single cigarette and lighter. A hesitant look passed across her face but she didn’t question me and tentatively started moving towards the house. At first she was cautious, as if someone was going to catch her, but soon she picked up speed as the adrenaline hit her, as she realized how much trouble this could get her in. She poked her head into the door, carefully looking every which way to see if my parents were close by. Once she confirmed that no one was around, she continued on to the study. Unsure where the study was, she opened the first door she came to and luck was on her side. She proceeded into the study as quietly as possible, while I watched from the window; Luckily, the curtains were open so I could see her enter the study. I partially hid behind a bush next to the studies window to insure I would not be caught. Making sure to close the door softly behind her, I watched as she frantically searched the room for my required bounty. She looked through my mothers purse first. She frantically searchedShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1110 Words   |  5 PagesI don’t know how I got to where I am, but I’m here now, and I have to win if I want to live. I am in a game, and in order to live, I have to escape. That’s the thing, though: I don’t know how to escape. I was running for my life around this old house that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. I doubled over and held my head in pain as I saw the static, which meant it was coming. I was being chased by what looked like a person but in no way acted like one. Just as it was about to appearRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1102 Words   |  5 PagesIt is on days like this when we stop to think about our life. Small drops of rain begin to dapple the cobblestone pavement as people whip out their umbrellas for cover. I continue sauntering down the busy street, relishing the feeling of a light shower. Moving with the mass of pedestrians, I stop at a crosswalk where I wait for the stoplight to turn green. A flower shop employee across the street scurries to bring in the numerous bouquets and close the doors as rain starts rolling down the displayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing914 Words   |  4 PagesDreamy I thought. Standing on the corner is a young guy with a smile. I see him here almost every day, so I linger for a while. He tells me his name, and I tell him mine. I m Ester, what s your name? I enquired. My names David .,He replied. We end up talking for a while and I asked him if he had ever left this city. He tells me of all these stories of the places where he s been, the distant lakes and mountains, and in valleys oh so green. I can see it in his eyes, he really has beenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing974 Words   |  4 Pages I was used to moving round, having a mother who liked to travel more than making roots was something I had gotten used to. Still, I had never gotten used to the loneliness of an empty house when she was out exploring, or the feeling of leaving behind someone who could have meant something to me. Our most recent move was Oregon. It was pretty, and I didn’t mind it, but it was much different than Florida. Not only was it opposite sides of the country, it felt as if it were opposite worlds. InRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1012 Words   |  5 Pageshave plenty of time in the next month to think about my feeling in regards to Kendrick. I needed to finish up the article and get it off to my editor. I should be able to get it done by tonight and send an email in the morning. I was thinking of writing my next article about the sea life around the Scottish coast. Since our salmon dinner last evening I thought I would do a piece about the commercial salmon farming that began in Scotland in 1969. In 2002 over 145,000 metric tons of farmed AtlanticRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1561 Words   |  7 PagesThere’s something I need to say and what follows may not be something that you’d expect, it won’t be heartening or uplifting. If you remember today, I told you about going somewhere I wanted to go to†¦ I’m not sure if you believed and accepted what I now confess as untrue; it is partly. I needed to pull away emo tionally†¦ from you. You must have had fathomed that some degree of formality had seeped between us. Born of habit, formulaic greetings had become a routine. You presume that I’m a close friendRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1387 Words   |  6 PagesI was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sapphire gems all around the chest area as I entered the ball with Ciel and Sebastian. I took a good look around here, the hallway was lined with gold. There was a servant ready to escort us to the ball room. Hello, come this way. He said, walking forward. Wow, this place is so fancy! I exclaimed, looking around. It s fake gold. Ciel bluntly replied, bringing my hopes down. I sighed. Ciel sounded like he wasn t in a very good mood. Ciel, lightenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1287 Words   |  6 Pages In the morning, Caireann woke me up. She stood above my bed, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, looking at her. Then I looked across the room to her empty bed. Andy s empty bed sat in the corner. I swallowed, climbing out of bed. Sleep well? Caireann asked me, starting out the door. Yeah, I said, going over to our small dresser. I had the bottom two drawers. Andy had the middle two, and Caireann had the top. I pulled open the drawers, pulling on a colorful tank top and a grayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1345 Words   |  6 PagesLater that night, I was behind the wheel of my G-Wagon with Melissa in the passenger seat. She didn’t feel like driving since she was on the road all day and I understood so I didn’t mind when she asked me to. I had been tight-lipped. She kept eyeballing me as if she detected that something was bothering me but I just kept singing to my India Arie as if I was carefree. â€Å"So are you going to tell me what’s going on or no† Melissa said disrupting my own personal concert. I stopped singing and tookRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1085 Words   |  5 PagesI WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash

1950s Culture Exposed in The Catcher in the Rye Essay

1950s Culture Exposed in The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye is a remarkable book that gives readers a unique and perhaps gloomy perspective of the 1950s through Holden Caulfield, a cynical and peculiar teenager. Through The Catcher in the Rye Salinger describes important aspects of the 1950s. Salinger emphasizes several key characteristics of the 50s and criticizes them through Holden. In addition, Holden Caulfield is a very interesting character with several traits that put him at odds with society. Holden attacks various weaknesses in the 50s society. He criticizes nearly everything that he observes, and refuses to pull punches. Often Holden uses his brilliant talent of†¦show more content†¦When Holden takes a cab to Ernies in Greenwich Village he has a conversation with the cab driver, Horwitz. Salinger demonstrates the paranoia of the 50s by emphasizing how angry Horwitz is that Holden is asking him so many questions. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden complains that the people around him are all phony. This view probably stems from the extensive trend of conformity that infected the 1950s. The reader can understand Holdens reason for hating these phonies. Holden describes any person that embraces the popular culture as a phony and disdains them for it. This is clear when Holden goes to see The Lunts with Sally Hayes and is absolutely disgusted by the people around him. When Holden meets Sallys acquaintance, George, he immediately recognizes him as a phony, strictly ivy league. Big deal. (p.127) Holden cannot stand people who do not think for themselves. Although Salinger never states his opinion directly, one can assume by Holdens statements that Salinger was also critical of the 50s theme of conformity, or at least aware of it. Holden meets a handful of people in his adventure that he categorizes as pure and sincere. These people include his love, Jane Gallagher, his sister, Phoebe, and two nuns that he meets on the street. Holden recognizes that during the 1950s there were very few people who were true to themselves. Holden never addresses this conformity as a uniqueShow MoreRelatedThe Naivety of Holden Caulfield and America Exposed in The Catcher in the Rye1406 Words   |  6 Pageswisdom and maturity it needed in order for peace to prevail. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the young character named Holden Caulfield displayed an image of naivety that shadowed the immature lifestyles of 1950’s America and served as a critique towards this nation for the lack of wisdom reflected in the course of our actions. As America slowly began molding into the creases of different values and cultures, so did its literature. One trait that had always been securing itself within theRead MoreThe Movie Pleasantville 1541 Words   |  7 PagesPleasantville is a movie where significant change occurs based on the theories of social change. In the movie, the TV show Pleasantville is set in the 1950’s and everything and everyone in that show is in black and white. And being that they’re set in the 1950’s the have the same outdated morals, values and beliefs that are associated with 1950’s culture. However, the town of Pleasantville slowly but surely turns into colour when they go against their societal norms and beliefs and have sex, read, paintRead MoreThe American Culture of the 1950s Essay1887 Words   |  8 Pages As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still didRead More Censorship - A Clash of Wills and Morals Essay4147 Words   |  17 Pageswho disapproved of reading about a black character or by a black audience who was upset by the portrayal of blacks, race was undoubtedly the issue. Yet, charges against these novels on racial grounds did not appear in the records until the 1950s when African- Americans began lodging complaints. Until then, many groups tried to suppress the novels on the grounds of â€Å"obscenity.† This is especially the case when it is a novel about blacks that white supremacist groups wish to eliminateRead MoreEssay Writing9260 Words   |  38 Pagesmaintain a sense of your own personality. Do not worry about sounding academic, but avoid sloppiness. The Review A review may be either formal or informal, depending on the context. Its goal is to evaluate a work, which implies that the reviewer s personal opinion plays a significant role in the process. However, a certain objective standard needs to be maintained and, as in a persuasive essay, your assertions need to be proved. The formality of the review will be determined by how much of the

Evolution of Accounting Software

Question: Discuss about the Evolution of Accounting Software. Answer: Introduction Accounting software can said as as oftware that is principally cast-off for bookkeeping commitments in an administration .It archives developments business within practical components for example accounts outstanding, debits of accounts and trial balance and other technicalities of accounts. It functions and provides accounting help and processes accounting demands. (BIT, 2016) Before buying any accounting software one must keep many factors in mind like: Annual fees is the cost that is incurred and proper cost effective software must be purchased. Proper due diligence must be done to see that the data is stored safely. It has to be checked whether these software helps in proper integration of the various business activities. Whether they help in directly getting connected to the bank and will assist in banking activities. Whether these software can run easily on various mobile based platforms. There are various such cloud based software in Australia. (test, 2016) Accounting software history Normal ledger accounting is a type of procedure that ws used in some time. It was basically a book that was specially designed for individual accounts, for instance cash, for receivable and payables. The day to day routine procedures are normally accounted in journal. A personal finance software called quicken was launched in 1983 by a company in Australia. Also for small and midsized businesses like Turbo Tax and Quick boxes for calculation of federal and income taxes. Such software was made available to diverse customers. As period approved with the beginning of equipment, physical periodical records were gone out and supercomputer technical inventions were completed and industrialised and that inventions made occupations of auditor a lot of cooler. Over the years there has been huge advent in technology and that has brought in the necessary changes, the companies had now started on personal computers rather than manual thing to run their business. Intuit has frolicked a main part in renovating the complete organization of bookkeeping for the practical oldness. The high-quality of correspondences are incredible in this period, with the Quick Books being the greatest used software worldwide. Commonly used Accounting software in Australia: Understand Speedy box. It is one of the most popularly used software in Australia. It is mostly used by small enterprises in Australia. Most of the commercial owners across Australia utilised quick box to keep a track of their commercial enterprise, profits and costs. Various factors plays an important part in making the software so feasible, the two most important being, its charge and the second one being the comprehensive degree of features that the Quick box provides. Through Quick box they are able to send large number and amount of invoices, are able to track their accounts on the net and manage to pay bills and make payments for payroll in return for free. Comparable to banks, it has the identical refuge and encryption. MYOB It is unique of the maximum used bookkeeping method in Australia; it served more than being just accounting software. The platform was initiated from the root to provide accounting help. But separately after this it also delivers occupational landlords effectiveness assistance and also aids then upsurge revenue and makes better conclusions that deliver real period view of the monetary processes of the industry. It is more than just a store register and also helps in integrating the sales transactions in to the entire business operation. It consumes five accounting software forms for minor occupational procedures. (AdvisoryHQ, 2016) Reckon It is the best accounting software for Australian businesses, accountants and bookkeepers.It has a payment platform interface where you can receive your debit credit payments online. It provides a variety of accounting function like value billing, credit management, resource planning, document management, portal services, corporate management, tax processing, digital imagining, and many more. It help to scale up the operations in the future. (AdvisoryHQ, 2016) Sassu It claims to be the future of accounting, with this software the companies can achieve cash flow cashing with one tick and without any additional set up or proportainely syncing. It can help to rapidly connect with your CRM, e business store, email stage, and many others. Apart from all these it also provides smart banking services where we can effectively perform bank reconciliations and save our time. We can also create statements with or deprived of expenditures all just from a single screen. Debtors can also be effectively collected on time, without falling off schedule with Saasu scheduled help. It also helps in managing foreign transactions in more than 50 countries. It is one of the unsurpassed office software for accounting software. (AdvisoryHQ, 2016) Xero It is highly widespread software with actual time data checking with good observing power and data managing capabilities. It has a extensive variety of bookkeeping founded features. Consuming a extensive diversity of moveable or desktop stages, it assists in easily running the occupational, distribution statement and generate expenditure entitlements. It helps in business to make the cash flow and the overall invoicing decision run through desktop and mobile apps It has a wide range of understanding processes. (Advisory, 2016) Current Market Share of Accounting Software. Nearby are three giant companies in the Australian marketplace: MYOB, Intuit and Xero. All these companies compete for dominance in this huge market because every company needs software to keep a record of its accounting activities and the something that is simple and easy to understand and use. This procedure eliminates the need for auditors and aids in occupational to make the moneys flow and the complete invoicing conclusion run concluded desktop and transportable applications. (Heber, 2016) Each one of them is jostling for the market share and often ends up critiquing their rivals in public and personal. The accounting or more exactly, manuscript possession manufacturing business has been gusted extensive open by cloud amenities like Xero and Intuit. Officeholders in Australia, thats MYOB are been competing to shape out their own offerings, uphold fair share price and rise .The industry is shifting, and everyone is investing vastly in this field. (Heber, 2016) As per various reports, Xero has around 50% market share, Sage has around 33% and other vendors make up the balance. As a result, worldwide officials, counting MYOB and Intuit, require answers by assigning important speculation to build the own cloud-based contributions and groups both through acquisitions and interior expansion. It has completed for a combat of epic magnitudes as officeholders which includes assets, recognised systems and strong products influence up in contradiction of new applicants like Xero, which participated more than $250 million building its cloud stage from scratch. Overall all three, including the Intuit, Xero and MYOB, will have strong emphasis on reducing their whip rates and will focus on improving the customer rates as they will jostle along to reach the topmost leadership title. (Heber, 2016) The main advantage that these software obligate over others are that they tend to be price friendly and provide many services that can be integrated in the entire business model, with that small amount of money. They are most suited to small and medium enterprises hence their demand is also high in comparison to other software that are very costly. The most popular is Xero, it is known as the future of accounting software cause it provides functions that other software provides at a very high price. Conclusion Choosing the best type of software that needs the demand of the company is very important in this era of competition and technology. Over the years, there has been significant development and these made will continue in the coming years. Presently there are few software but as time will change many new software will develop and as a result competition will be fierce. The future of these software seems bright since the smallest of companies seems to opt for them for better business functions and as they are time saving and cost effective. As a result of this the administration will be cloud based and there will be lesser use of computers then investing in such software will become very important. (Gaaaccounting.com, 2016) Bibliography In this assignment, we came across the various type of accounting software used in the Australian market, and their importance for the business there. The type of software their market share and their advantage over other software have been discussed. References: test, A. (2016). Accounting software 2016 group test. [online] PC World. Available at: https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/601184/accounting-software/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Heber, A. (2016). The cloud accounting supremacy war in Australia. [online] Business Insider Australia. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/charts-the-battle-for-supremacy-in-australias-cloud-accounting-market-2015-4 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. BIT. (2016). 7 accounting packages for Australian small businesses compared: including MYOB, QuickBooks Online, Reckon, Xero. [online] Available at: https://www.bit.com.au/Review/344651,7-accounting-packages-for-australian-small-businesses-compared-including-myob-quickbooks-online-reckon-xero.aspx [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. AdvisoryHQ. (2016). 5 Best Small Business Accounting Software in Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/5-best-small-business-accounting-software-in-australia/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016].

Middle Ages Essays - Christianization, Crusades, Invasions

Middle Ages The Christian Crusades Positively Impacted the East and the West Even though countless numbers of people died during the Christian Crusades, there were many positive effects for both the East and the West. After the Crusades halted, various trade routes opened up between Eastern and Western cities. Also, the Muslims developed new military strategies and techniques during the fights with the Europeans, and they united themselves against one cause, producing a stronger religious nation (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 1993). Numerous effects of the Christian Crusades in the Middle East had a positive outcome. In John Child's book, The Crusades, he quotes J. Kerr as claiming that the most obvious result of the crusades was a growth in trade with the east. According to a 1996 AP article printed in the Jerusalem Post, the English word sugar comes from the Arabic sukkar, and scallion comes from Ascalon, a Philistine city. Trade extended from England to the Black Sea, going through the ports of Beirut, Acre and Alexandria. After the loss of Acre in 1291, Cyprus, Rhodes and Crete were the three Mediterranean islands that composed some of the main crusader trading centers. From these three islands it was possible to control goods' ships traveling to and from the Middle East (Child, 1994). These trade routes generated a beneficial contact between the cultures of East and West. Many merchants from the cities of Venice and Genoa settled in Cyprus and Crete. From the Muslims these merchants bought spices, sugar, cloth and cotton. Other merchants from Sicily and Aragorn traded for Tunisian gold, and Algerian wool and animal skins. Popular goods traded from the Middle East were sugar, melons, cotton, ultramarine dye and damask cloth. Although the Pope tried to stop merchants from trading with the Muslims, he had to repeal his embargo in 1344. Though most of the traded goods came from the Middle East, the combined efforts from both East and West brought about many inventions, such as windmills, compasses, gunpowder and clocks. Figure 1 This trade between East and West caused prosperity among the people. Child states in his book that the merchants made a lot of money out of the trade with the Muslim people. After the Crusades had terminated, these merchants were able to prosper from trade between Europe and the Middle East. Outlined in Figure 1 are some trade routes utilized after the Crusades. During the Crusades, the Muslims used weaponry that the Franks were not familiar with. The battles during the Crusades led to the spread of siege engines, such as the mangonel, and the Franks learned how to employ fire as a missile. The Franks also learned new methods of creating fortifications. The use of armorial bearings may have originated in the Orient, and it is hypothesized that the Europeans learned many new ideas from looking at Arab armor (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 1993). European soldiers learned to protect themselves from the heat by imitating Muslim soldiers. The troops covered their heads and shoulders, and they wore light, loose clothing over their armor (MacDonald, 1993). This sharing of military machinery brought about positive effects for the people involved. In Europe and the Middle East, scholarly developments came along with the trade and military developments. After the Crusades, the use of northern European pointed arches became popular with Muslim architects (MacDonald, 1993). Muslim doctors still retained some of the Greek's knowledge of human anatomy; much of the information had been lost to the Europeans (Child, 1994). Many twelfth century European scientists voyaged to Arabian countries to study different methods and new ideas. Leonardo Fibonnaci, the first Christian algebraist, traveled to Syria and to Egypt to study with mathematicians there. Also, studies of language were initiated by many missionaries. In 1311, Raimon Lull, a missionary in the Orient, introduced six schools in Europe designed for the specific study of Oriental languages (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 1993). Literature appeared after the Crusades in great abundance. Some examples are Nathan der Weise by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Carmen Ambrosii and Chanson d'Antioche (Riley-Smith, 1995). The Crusades also brought new light upon old matters. Many old tales were redone with the spirit of crusading infused in them. The contact that occurred during the Crusades had many positive effects, and

Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 943 words. His family, childhood, and works are mentioned in this relatively short bio.

Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 943 words. His family, childhood, and works are mentioned in this relatively short bio. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart is acknowledged as the greatest natural genius of music. Robert Schumann wrote, "There are things in the world about which nothing can be said, as Mozart's C Major Symphony, much of Shakespeare and pages of Beethoven." (Goulding, 1992, p. 115) Tchaikovsky called Mozart "the music Christ." (Goulding, 1992, p. 116)Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. His full christened name was Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. He commonly called himself Wolfgang Amade or Wolfgang Gottliet. His father, Leopold, was a composer, author, and a great violinist in the Archbishop of the Holy Roman Empire's orchestra. He taught him to play the piano at the age of four. By the time Mozart was six, he was a skilled musician.Mozart never had an ordinary childhood. He didn't attend school as most of us would today, but instead, his father taught them at home.The above is regarded by historians as the most ac...He is said to have been very good at mathematics and he could also speak seven different languages! He was lucky enough to visit Vienna in 1762, Paris in 1763, London in 1764, and Italy in 1769 at the age of thirteen. (TopBiography.com, 2001)As a young child in Rome, he wrote out the entire score of a nine-voice religious work after hearing it only twice! He wrote his first symphony at the age of eight, his first oratorio at eleven, and his first opera at the age of twelve. When he was fourteen, he conducted twenty performances of that opera. He was a recognizable person. The Pope decorated him and Empress Maria Theresa took note of him. (TopBiography.com, 2001)When he was fifteen, he entered the service of the Archbishop in Salzburg in a minor capacity and kept that job for about ten years only leaving...

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin The surname Reyes was often bestowed as a nickname for a man who carried himself in a regal, or kingly, fashion, from the Old French  rey, meaning king. It could also have applied to one who plays the part of a king in a pageant (such pageants were popular in the 13th century) or someone who works in the kings house. Another possible origin is as a topographical surname for someone who  lived at a rea, a piece of hard ground within a marsh.   Reyes is the 19th most popular Hispanic surname and the 81st most popular surname in the United States. Reis is the Portuguese spelling of this surname. Also similar in origin to the German Reich, Dutch Rijk, and English ​King. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  REYEZ, REIES, REIS   Famous People with the Surname Reyes Lucila J. Sarsines Reyes - Peruvian performerTurgut  Reis -  Ottoman admiral and privateerJohann Philipp Reis - German scientist and inventorRafael Reyes - former president of ColombiaDennys Reyes - Mexican professional baseball pitcher; former MLB pitcher Where Do People With the Reyes Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  ranks Reyes as the 226th most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Reyes surname is the 6th most common surname in the Dominican Republic, 7th in the Northern Mariana Islands, and 9th in Belize and Honduras. The Reis surname is most prevalent in Brazil, where it ranks 40th, and borne by the highest percentage of individuals based on population in Portugal, where it ranks 33rd. Within Spain, Reyes is found most commonly in the southwestern regions of Andalucia and Extremadura,  according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler.  Ã‚   Genealogy Resources for the Surname Reyes 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries. Reyes Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Reyes family crest or coat of arms for the Reyes surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   REYES Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Reyes surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Reyes query. FamilySearch - REYES GenealogyAccess over 10 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Reyes surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. REYES Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Reyes surname. DistantCousin.com - REYES Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Reyes. The Reyes Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Reyes from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources: Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Essay - 1

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development - Essay Example There is a wide variety of business forms depending on their size, management, as well as proprietorship; and ranging from public corporations, private companies to the smallest businesses that are singly owned. The operations of each form of a corporation may take several courses where some come together to operate as a group, while others remain singly operated (Smallbone, 2008). For successful enterprises operations, valuers and policy makers or even the proprietors always find it necessary to value companies according to the prevailing operations. Valuation is crucial for it assists the concerned parties in making appropriate decisions as well as laying the corporations on a scale, a factor that helps predict the future direction of the companies. More so, different techniques and approaches are employed in the companies’ valuations, which are carried out depending on the form of the company at hand. Private company valuations are thus deemed very important in the day-to-day running of the corporations. There is a need for employment of different techniques in the valuation processes to enhance a comprehensive cover, since each technique yields distinct Results. This paper is aimed at investigating into the valuation of private companies and several valuation techniques in details. Additionally, it will be crucial to establish the advantages and dis advantages of the several methods herein discussed as well as the other alternative methods that could as well be used in the valuation processes in regard to private companies (Bridge, et al., 2003). Company valuation is a process that entails the utilization of a sequence of procedures in estimating its value.

The Gender and the Nature of Enquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Gender and the Nature of Enquiry - Essay Example In this study, two pieces of research into issues in education are used to compare and contrast the approaches used in terms of establishment of a theoretical basis. Backgrounds on the Studies The first study is by Philips (2002, pp. 409-414) who investigated the underrepresentation of women in the engineering profession in the UK. The study identifies the imagery and cultural stereotyping affecting the educational decisions and choices made by girls and young women as being responsible for the issue. The researcher embeds his study in the social construction of gender as her theoretical framework and argues that domination of engineering practice by men results in the field becoming masculine out of societal perceptions. Citing criticism of positivist approaches to social research, the researcher uses a qualitative approach, undertaking an interview-based methodology to achieve inter-objective understanding. The study sampled 15 participants drawn from female engineers already train ing and working in the UK. The second study is by Archer, Halsall and Hollingworth (2007, pp. 165-180) investigating the disengagement from education of inner-city, ethnically diverse working class girls due to their construction of hetero-femininities. The researchers are of the opinion that construction of identity and values based on heterosexual femininities by girls contributes to their disengagement from education and schooling, and address the paradoxes that arise when such hetero-feminist constructions spill over to oppressive power relations. The study itself was qualitative, involving in-depth interviews, focus groups and some photo diaries. It sampled young people across 6 urban London secondary schools aged between 14 and 16. The interviews were undertaken 3-4 times in two years and involved interviews with the staff. Theoretical Frameworks of the Studies Gerring (2001, pp. 8-9) discusses the absolute importance of basing social research on sound theoretical frameworks. Social research without these bases is inconceivable as they provide the guidelines used by scholars to define and refine their studies. They specify interconnected questions and hypotheses that then guide the researcher in establishing his/her study. Philips (2002, p. 410) selects social construction of gender over feminist theories such as standpoint perspective in explaining that the predominance of males in the engineering profession as a main contributory factor to under-representation of females in engineering education and practice. A self perpetuating stereotypical perception is created among people that engineering is a masculine field due to the prominence of men in the engineering practice. The masculine orientation of the field and thus education is maintained by these prevailing social and sexual stereotypes, and confirm the views that science and technology are an essential aspect of masculinity in the modern day. Basing on this theoretical context, the under-represent ation of women in the engineering education is explained by the perceptions of young women that engineering is a masculine field and thus they chose not to study it. It is thus important to break the perception if at all gender balance is to be achieved in the engineering education and practice. In contrast, Archer, Halsall and Hollingworth (2007, p. 167) underpin their study on two

American Indians Today Essay Example for Free

American Indians Today Essay The Native Americans were the primary citizens of America long before white men set on foot in the area. When the Europeans conquered the American soil, an estimated 10 million Indians composed the Population of America. It is situated at the north of the country, present-day Mexico. According to history scholars, the Native Americans were believed to settle in the country approximately 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. (nativeamericans) The Native Americans were able to get into the country through the land-bridge situated from the northeastern Siberia into Alaska. The primary Indian cultures in North America is classified into Sandia, discovered in 15000 BC, Clovis in 12000 BC and Folsom in 8000 BC. The identification of the Native Americans should not be misguidedly understood as the Indians of Asia since the term was coined by Christopher Columbus when he mistakenly believe the Native Americans as part of the islands of America as part of the Indies in Asia. (nativeamericans) When the Europeans arrived in the country, the Native Americans welcomed them graciously and considered it a marvel to see white men. Considering also the technologies the European brought, the Native Americans were impressed with their conquering guests. However, as the Europeans started to degrade the forests inhabited by the Native Americans, the Native Americans realized the real intention of the Europeans that has consequently disturbed the balance in their nature. Aside from the natural resources employed by the European conquerors, even the Native Americans were seen as a commodity for manpower and labor. (Berkhofers) The Native Americans began to attribute the Europeans into soulless creatures that were in their territory to destruct their natural environment. Not only did the Europeans abuse the environment, they also brought diseases that were infectious to the Native Americans. This eventually led to several uprising of the Native Indians. (Berkhofers)The Europeans were accustomed to conquests, so the Native Americans responded against the Indian Wars and the Indian Removal Act which enabled the Europeans to have ownership of the country. It was a great disadvantage for the Native Americans because of their number, lack of weapons and unwillingness to cooperate even at their own expense. In a final blow against the Native Americans, U. S cavalrymen massacred Indian warriors, women and children in 1890. (Native America: Portrait of the People; Thomas) For many years, many have believed that the Native Americans are extinct cultures. That is why many American Indians are advocating their right to be known as a culture which fought hard and survived whatever they have experienced in their own native land. Many American Indians are still trying to establish their own identity in a country that has become to be white men populated.

Argument for Capital Punishment :: Capital Punishment Death Essays

Argument for Capital Punishment Since the 1970's, almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate among Americans regarding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Critics charge that executions are violations of the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† provision of the Eighth Amendment; while supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit legal executions. In the 1972 court case of Furman vs. Georgia , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was no longer legal. However, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the court allowed capital punishments to resume in certain states, and shortly thereafter, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States,a separate penalty trial has been required for some capital cases, at which time the jury reviews circumstances that suggest the need for capital punishment. In 1982, Texas became t he first state to execute a prisoner using lethal injection; other common methods of execution used in the United States include lethal gas and electrocution. In recent years, the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for death row prisoners to file appeals. Nearly 3 of 4 americans support the death sentence as a form of punishment. The other third has condemned it and their list of claims against it is long. Opponents challenge proponents on issues of deterrence, economics, fallibility, and rehabilitation. Their indifference to capital punishment is founded on constitutional and moral grounds. In societies best interest and for the safety of individuals, capital punishment is a respectable form of retribution for a crime being committed. More information on recent U.S. Supreme Court Death Penalty Cases Since 1990. History: The theory "a life for a life" is as old as civilization itself. Capital punishment, the execution of a criminal convicted of a crime, or the legal taking of a life has been in existence for many centuries. The death sentence has been applied since ancient times as punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The earliest known recordings on the subject dates as far back as 2000 B.C., but it is clear that capital punishment more or less has existed since the birth of humanity1. A perfect example of this can be found in the Code of Hammurabi. The modern movement for the abolition of capital punishment began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria's Essay on Crimes and Punishments(1764).

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude Essay

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude to â€Å"London†, and commenting on the differences and similarities in the way they write. In this following essay I will be comparing, contrasting and analysing two poems written in the 19th Century by two poets. The two poems that I will be analysing are called â€Å"London† and â€Å"Upon Westminster Bridge† written by William Wordsworth and William Blake. William Wordsworth was an English poet painter, born on November 28th, 1757. Blake spent the majority of his quiet life on the Southern Coast of England from 1800-1803. The exception of which was a short visit to Felpham. He died in 1827 at the age of 70. Like Blake, Wordworth was an English Romantic poet. He was born on April 7th, 1770 Wordsworth spent most of his life in the Lake District. In â€Å"London†, Blake talks about his disgust for London and how he feels a certain amount of sympathy for its inhabitants. In the first stanza Blake says â€Å"I wander thro’ each charter’d street†. This gives the implication that the city is a hug maze of streets and alleys. By using the word â€Å"wander† to describe his journey, the implication this has is that it is as though he was walking aimlessly through the city. It makes the reader see London through the eyes of Blake. Using this with the pronoun â€Å"I† makes it so much more of a personal encounter, and as the reader sees it through his eyes it is for them too. The effect that all of this has on the reader is that they feel as though Blake thought that there was no-where in London that was worthwhile visiting, showing how negative his feelings were towards the city. The word â€Å"charter’d† is repeated, this is done to remind the reader of the commercial nature of the city in the way that everything is owned. This is also emphasised on the next line of the stanza when Blake says, â€Å"where the charter’d Thames does flow†. This is implying that even the river is owned. The river can be interpreted as a symbol-life. Following a path set out for us, but only he finds depression along his way, again, showing the reader that he has lost a certain amount of faith in the city. In the same stanza he says â€Å"And mark in every face I meet†, by this he means that he is able to see the depression in the city, caused by poverty, greed among other things, all of which are effecting the rich and the poor. He repeats the word â€Å"mark† to reinforce the point that everywhere he is looking he can see symbolic â€Å"marks†. The use of the term â€Å"mark† also has another meaning, one of impurity, sins and scars, (which can be linked with comments later on in the poem). In this Blake may be using his technique of language to tell how, in his opinion, everybody in London is to blame for the condition, which it is was in. He comes from a lower middle class background; the son of a hosier and the tone of this poem expresses his awareness of the poverty around him â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woes. By using repetition in the first stanza, Blake makes the reader feel that as he walks â€Å"thro’ each charter’d street† he is viewing images that sicken him. In the second stanza, Blake is reminding the reader how the depression is affecting â€Å"every man†. Again he uses the technique of repletion to emphasise the word â€Å"every† reinforcing the idea of collectiveness and blame for the whole city. This reminds the reader that nobody is able to escape the conditions of the depression. In this stanza Blake talks about â€Å"ever Infant’s cry of fear†. This is suggesting that the children are afraid of what they have been born into, and fearing that there is no hope whatsoever for the future. Blake goes on to talk about this when he says that they have an almost certain chance of becoming chimney sweeps or prostitutes, before the age of twelve. By describing it like this Blake succeeds in shocking and depressing the reader. It is here too that he plays on the concept of childhood innocence. By mentioning the children here he evokes the concept of innocence but it is ironic that this poem contains no innocence of it’s own, at all. This suggests to the reader how truly desperate the children are, Blake suggests and blames the citizens of London for the state that it is in. He describes, â€Å"mind forg’d manacles†. This means that the only thing that is preventing the people from living happy lives is their negative and depressive ways of thinking. In the third stanza, Blake makes reference to the â€Å"Chimney-sweeper’s cry†. At the time he wrote this poem, young children, especially young boys, were sent up chimneys to clean them. Many got trapped and died there. By reminding the reader of these conditions he makes the reader realise how horrific these events were. In this he tries to emphasise what a terrible place London was. Blake links the sweepers to the church when he says â€Å"Every black’ning Church apalls.† He is saying that the church is tainting themselves by not defending the chimney-sweepers. By involving the church in this whole affair Blake brings to sight how deep this chain of corruption went with regards to authority. The coupling of the words â€Å"church† and â€Å"apalls† also has a similar effect, as they are two contrasting words. Blake simply means that the church is no full filling its role to comfort the needy and is instead turning a blind eye on the suffering. Blake believes that the church was part of the reason London was in such a state.

Byzantine and Roman Empire Art Essay

The Byzantine Empire was the new center for the Roman Empire, but did it directly inherit the art traditions from the Roman Empire? Give examples in your response. The Byzantine people considered themselves as the heirs to the Roman Empire (Online Lecture) so this also meant that they inherited the art traditions of the Roman Empire. Their sculptures stayed with the classical style of the ancient Greek art but a new aesthetic and iconic type art began to develop. The new aesthetic art was created by the Christians to fulfill their religious needs. Byzantine art favored a more symbolic approach to religion by depicting frontal figures against a gold background and the idea the subject(s) might be floating. The subject matters in this art consisted largely of the combined religion and imperial power. This can be seen in the mosaic below (Kleiner, 137) of Justinian and the Bishop Maxinianus. The mosaic depicts Justinian, ruler of the time, in a purple rob and a halo over his head. He also holds the golden paten, helping to emphasize the balance between religion and power. He is flanked by members of the clergy on his left with the most prominent figure the Bishop Maximianus holding a golden cross. To Justinian’s right appear members of the imperial administration identified by the purple stripe, and at the very far left side of the mosaic appears a group of soldiers, one holding a shield bearing the Christogram . The presences of icons, portable paintings portraying Christ, Mary or saints, were also important during this time. They were more religious than aesthetic in nature: especially after the end of iconoclasm, they were understood to mark the unique presence of the figure depicted by means of a likeness to that figure maintained through carefully maintained canons of representation. The Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George (Kleiner,138) is a good example of an icon. This icon is created on wood, and represents the Virgin enthroned, supporting the Child Christ in her lap and flanked by two Saints, St. Theodore on the right and St. George on the left, both standing in formal pose. Two Archangels are pictured behind the central group, their wide-open eyes staring upwards to heaven. Portrayed frontally, on a slightly larger scale than the rest of the figures composing the icon, the Virgin is seated on a throne, dressed in a dark blue. Her feet dangle of the edge of the chair. Realism is reflected in the Virgin’s white and pink face, in her accentuated features and large dissimilar. The Christ Child is pictured seated in his mother’s lap. So the inheriting of the Roman Empire traditions of art only helped in the refining of the Byzantine esthetic and iconic art forms.

Word Choice Got vs. Gotten

Word Choice Got vs. Gotten Word Choice: Got vs. Gotten Both â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† are common terms in North America, but other English dialects do not use â€Å"gotten† at all. So why is this? And what is the exact difference between â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten†? Check out our guide below to find out how to avoid errors when using these terms. Present and Simple Past Tenses of â€Å"Get† The present tense verb â€Å"get† has several meanings, including: Come to have or receive something (e.g., I hope we get a good reception) Attain, achieve, or obtain something (e.g., I get a newspaper every day) Reach a condition or state (e.g., He will get fat if he eats the whole cake) The simple past tense of this verb is always â€Å"got,† regardless of the context: We got a great reception from the crowd. I got the newspaper this morning. He got fat when he ate all the cake. This applies in all English dialects. So, if you are using the simple present or past tense in your writing, the only terms you will need are â€Å"get† and â€Å"got.† Past Participles: â€Å"Got† and â€Å"Gotten† in American English We use past participles to form the present and past perfect tenses, which both show that an action has been completed. This verb form will follow â€Å"have,† â€Å"has,† or â€Å"had† in a sentence. And American English uses both â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† as past participles: We use â€Å"got† when referring to a state of owning or possessing something. We use â€Å"gotten† when referring to a process of â€Å"getting† something. For example, if we were describing the process of â€Å"getting better† at something, we would use the past participle â€Å"gotten† in the perfect tenses: She had gotten better in the last year. But if we were describing possessing enough time for something, we would use â€Å"got.† For example: I have got enough time for a coffee before I go out. The same usage applies in Canadian English. However, the term â€Å"gotten† is much rarer outside North America. Past Participles in Other English Dialects In other English dialects, the correct past participle form of â€Å"get† is always â€Å"got.† For instance, if we were to rewrite the examples above for a British audience, we would say: She had got better in the last year. I have got enough time for a cup of tea. Notice that both sentences use â€Å"got† as a past participle. As such, if you’re writing for a non-American audience, you will not need the word â€Å"gotten.† In fact, the only time this term is used in dialects such as British and Australian English is in old-fashioned terms like â€Å"ill-gotten.† Summary: Got or Gotten? In American English, â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† can both be past participles of the verb â€Å"get.† The correct term depends on what you are describing: Use got when referring to a state of owning or possessing something. Use gotten when referring to a process of â€Å"getting† something. However, â€Å"gotten† is extremely rare outside North American (especially in formal writing). As such, you should always use â€Å"got† when you’re writing for a non-American audience. And if you want to be certain your writing is the best it can be, don’t forget to have it proofread.

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars AD (or A.D.) is an abbreviation for the Latin expression Anno Domini, which translates to the Year of Our Lord, and equivalent to C.E. (the Common Era). Anno Domini refers to the years which followed the supposed birth year of the philosopher and founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ. For the purposes of proper grammar, the format is properly with the A.D. before the number of the year, so A.D. 2018 means The Year of Our Lord 2018, although it is sometimes placed  before the year as well, paralleling the use of B.C. The choice of starting a calendar with the birth year of Christ was first suggested by a few Christian bishops including Clemens of Alexandria in C.E. 190 and Bishop Eusebius at Antioch, C.E. 314–325. These men labored to discover what year Christ would have been born by using available chronologies, astronomical calculations, and astrological speculation. Dionysius and Dating Christ In 525 C.E., the Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus used the earlier computations, plus additional stories from religious elders, to form a timeline for Christs life. Dionysius is the one credited with the selection of the AD 1 birth date that we use today- although it turns out he was off by some four years. That wasnt really his purpose, but Dionysius called the years that occurred after Christs supposed birth The years of our Lord Jesus Christ or Anno Domini. Dionysiuss real purpose was trying to pin down the day of the year on which it would be proper for Christians to celebrate Easter. (see the article by Teres for a detailed description of Dionysius efforts). Nearly a thousand years later, the struggle to figure out when to celebrate Easter led to the reformation of the original Roman calendar called the Julian Calendar into the one most of the west uses todaythe Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian Reform The Gregorian reform was established in October of 1582  when Pope Gregory XIII published his papal bull Inter Gravissimas. That bull noted that the existing Julian calendar in place since 46 B.C.E. had drifted 12 days off-course. The reason the Julian calendar had drifted so far is detailed in the article on B.C.: but briefly, calculating the exact number of days in a solar year was nearly impossible prior to modern technology, and Julius Caesars astrologists got it wrong by about 11 minutes a year. Eleven minutes isnt too bad for 46 B.C.E., but it was a twelve-day lag after 1,600 years. However, in reality, the main reasons for the Gregorian change to the Julian calendar were political and religious ones. Arguably, the highest holy day in the Christian calendar is Easter, the date of the ascension, when the Christ was said to have been  resurrected from the dead.  The Christian church felt that it had to have a separate celebration day for Easter  than the one originally used by the founding church fathers, at the start of the Jewish Passover.   The Political Heart of Reform The founders of the early Christian church were, of course, Jewish, and they celebrated Christs ascension on the 14th day of Nisan, the date of Passover in the Hebrew calendar, albeit adding a special significance to the traditional sacrifice to the Paschal lamb. But as Christianity gained non-Jewish adherents, some of the communities agitated for separating out Easter from Passover. In 325 C.E., the Council of Christian bishops at Nicea set the annual date of Easter to fluctuate, to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or next after the first day of spring (vernal equinox). That was intentionally complex  because to avoid ever falling on the Jewish Sabbath, Easters date had to be based on the human week (Sunday), the lunar cycle (full moon) and the solar cycle (vernal equinox). The lunar cycle used by the Nicean council was the Metonic cycle, established in the 5th century B.C.E., that showed that new moons appear on the same calendar dates every 19 years. By the sixth century, the ecclesiastical calendar of the Roman church followed that Nicean rule, and indeed, it is still the way the church determines Easter each year. But that meant that the Julian calendar, which had no reference to lunar motions, had to be revised. Reform and Resistance To correct the Julian calendars date slippage, Gregorys astronomers said they had to deduct 11 days out of the year. People were told they were to go to sleep on the day they called September 4th and when they woke up the next day, they should call it September 15th. People did object, of course, but this was only one of numerous controversies slowing acceptance of the Gregorian reform. Competing astronomers argued over the details; almanac publishers took years to adapt- the first was in Dublin 1587. In Dublin, people debated what to do about contracts and leases (do I have to pay for the full month of September?). Many people rejected the papal bull out of hand- Henry VIIIs revolutionary  English reformation had taken place only fifty years earlier. See Prescott for an amusing paper on the problems this momentous change caused everyday people. The Gregorian calendar was better at counting time than the Julian, but most of Europe held off accepting the Gregorian reforms until 1752. For better or worse, the Gregorian calendar with its embedded Christian timeline and mythology is (essentially) what is used in the western world today. Other Common Calendar Designations Islamic: A.H. or AH, meaning Anno Hegirae or in the year of the HijraHebrew: AM or A.M., meaning Year After CreationWestern: BCE or B.C.E., meaning Before the Common EraWestern: CE or C.E., meaning the Common EraChristian-Based Western: BC or B.C., meaning Before ChristScientific: AA or A.A., meaning the Atomic AgeScientific: RCYBP, meaning Radiocarbon Years Before the PresentScientific: BP or B.P., meaning Before the PresentScientific: cal BP, meaning Calibrated Years Before the Present or Calendar Years Before the Present Sources Macey SL. 1990. The Concept of Time in Ancient Rome. International Social Science Review 65(2):72-79.Peters JD. 2009. Calendar, clock, tower. MIT6 Stone and Papyrus: Storage and Transmission. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Prescott AL. 2006. Refusing Translation: The Gregorian Calendar and Early Modern English Writers. The Yearbook of English Studies 36(1):1-11.Taylor T. 2008. Prehistory vs. Archaeology: Terms of Engagement. Journal of World Prehistory 21:1–18.Teres G. 1984. Time computations and Dionysius Exiguus. Journal for the History of Astronomy 15(3):177-188.

Special Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Special Interest - Essay Example The company was established in 1911 and has continued delivering the best for more than a century. IBM currently operates in more than 170 countries and has massive employee strength. Over the years it has been a lucrative place for the employees to get associated with this global brand. The figures as of December, 2010 suggest that IBM has more than 426, 751 employees all round the globe (IBM Research Locations, n. d). In 2011, IBM was ranked as the 18th largest firm in the United States of America by Fortune The global ranking of the organization is also very impressive considering the fact that Fortune has listed it as the top organization in terms of leadership qualities exhibited by the organization. (About IBM, n. d) IBM organizes various training program on latest advancement in technology to its employees. The training process undertaken by the employees motivates them as it helps in the overall advancement of the career by adding value to their skills. The employees also feel that they can achieve the professional goals within the organization and thus creates a job satisfaction among them and they start performing better (Winning the Battle for Talent, n. d) IBM also stresses on the various activities among the employees so that their social needs are addressed in a better fashion and even engages the employees in various social activities so that they can feel to a vital part of the society.. Whenever a new employee joins in the organization in any country, IBM provides extensive training to the employees regarding the organizational culture, values and also regarding the process for which the employees are hired. The training process helps the employee to adjust themselves with the environ ment of the organization and gets a clear view of the role which he has to carry out. At the end of the training session, an assessment of the newly hired employee takes place to find out how well he had

Strolling along the Narrow Paths into the Deep Forest Essay

Strolling along the Narrow Paths into the Deep Forest - Essay Example A soft waft of air tickles the leaves above creating a flip-flopping light underground – something romantically perfect for couples. Going to the forest is one of the best voyages in life to take. God indeed loves humanity as it manifests through the perfect beauty of the nature surrounding us. I can remember one sunny and blissful morning when I decided to take a trip to an outskirt nearby. Half a kilometer away, I could tell that one blissful reunion would take place later that day. Because I am a forest addict, I had the cheek to go there all by myself. Just like what most forest goers encounter, I had my share of stern tests. Before getting to the heart of the timberland, I knew that I had to go through tough challenges. Nevertheless, these challenges would not tarnish attitude towards this place since the way I feel while am at this place outweighs the few challenges I have to encounter. Therefore, no matter how many challenges I would encounter, it enhances my confidence and attitude towards the place; thus, giving me a good reason why I will always consider it the best place I can be in the world. Finally, I arrived at the doorstep of the jungle, and the first thing I saw was a cohort of vibrant buds bowing their heads down to welcome me, and although quite silly, I felt, as I was treated royally. As I hovered above my head, I could see the wild vines meshing up with each other to form a lovely wild curtain; I could also hear the birds chirping tones in mirth. It gave the impression as if they were chanting out in harmony to serenade me. I stared down and saw my leather booths muddled up with some thick mud clinging around them, but I knew the sludge was not going to stay there for long as the spiky fingers of the rye were ready to wipe them out. When I finally took several steps inward, it seemed as time has traveled so fast that day. In fact, the surroundings turned rather gloomy, although everything  was still in sight. This reminded me that and that I would finally leave and get back to the normal life.  

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis Essay

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Although the world is yet to recover from the financial crisis, studies show that the main cause emanates from the misunderstanding of its roots (CrÄÆ'ciun & Ochea, 2014). Six years down the line, the effects of the financial crisis are still present as if it was just yesterday. Most of the affected nations, especially in Europe are still grappling with the effect that came along with the crash. Studies show that there were several factors associated with the crash. One of the most recognized causes of the financial crisis was bursting of the US housing bubble. This was due to the laxity in the loan policies, whereby it was quite easy to obtain loans such as mortgage auto and credit card (The Economist, 2013). This, later on, resulted in financial institutions, which had expected a positive income, ending up with huge losses and debts. The decline in the prices also caused homes worth less than mortgage loans to be forced to financial incentives in order to qualify for foreclosure. Studies showed that the crisis was avoidable since the main reasons behind the crash were financial regulation failures by institutions such as banks and governments. Another reason is the dramatic collapse of corporate governance, which was because of the reckless manner in which financial institutions were behaving (Shun, 2013). For instance, financial institutions were involving themselves in risky affairs whereby they would take part in excessive borrowing patterns hence putting the financial system in direct collision with the crisis (Shun, 2013). Apart from financial institutions risky affairs, another reason behind the crisis is ill-preparedness by nations on matters relating to the financial crisis. Key policymakers in most of the affected states never saw the crisis approaching due to the lack of full knowledge of the financial systems.

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry ISSUE TO BE EXAMINED Each year British businesses clamour after the best and brightest coming out of business schools. However, these same businesses often overlook a body of potential employees not only with good or better training, but also with the experience to go with it. Given that military personnel provide a valuable and often taken for granted service to our country, often putting their own lives in danger to defend others, it seems more should be done to assist them in the transition back into civilian life. Such personnel also offer a viable resource for British business, leaving the military with some of the arguably best training in the world and often significantly more experience in a wide variety of areas than others their age who did not undertake military service. This research aims to examine the benefits of military leavers’, particularly officers’, experience and training to private industry. It is hoped findings from this study will aid both military leavers and industry in the UK in connecting, so as to encourage productive employment relationships between the two. Possible outcomes of this research may include some type of publication of findings, or recommendations for military leavers and employers, which would assist employers it taking advantage of this valuable resource and military leavers in finding suitable civilian employment. Specifically, this research undertakes four objectives: To examine the success of military officers in private industry, and how their military training contributed to their success. To identify what specific skills are readily transferable to private industry, and how these can best be articulated to those in hiring positions. To increase awareness amongst those in hiring positions of the often overlooked talent pool of military leavers available to their industry sectors. To consider what private industry must do, if anything, to ensure smooth transition for leavers moving into civilian positions. RELEVANT LITERATURE This project will include a review of literature relevant to the four objectives above. This will include reports and research in former military officers and how they have achieved successful employment in private industry. For example, Shuit (2003) describes the training, people skills, and self-discipline former junior officers bring to the corporate sector. Many others offer similar information (Abrashoff 2002; Anon 2004; Bowers 1996; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Specific reports of success across a number of military leavers, rather than concentration on a few case-study type accounts, will be emphasised. Also considered will be the specific skills acquired by military officers that are readily transferable into the civilian workplace. As it is necessary to limit skills to a workable group for research purposes, basic management skills will be emphasised. All officers can be assumed to have received both training and experience in these skills, often much in excess of their civilian counterparts. For example, Questionline reports â€Å"service leavers have spent more time being trained than ninety-nine per cent of civilians†¦ They will be valued, if the employer is able to understand what they are† (Anon 2002). They also argue that British military training is among the best in the world, and has â€Å"considerable civilian value when stripped of its purely military elements and translated into the right language† (Anon 2002). Bowers (1996) similarly contends â€Å"business-management experts say the military builds skills th at can be as valuable in the office as in a war zone† (1). Identifying skills common between the military and private industry will assist both military leavers and HR managers in identifying transferable skills (Anon 2004; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Examination of literature will document reasons private employers may overlook leaving military personnel as potential hires. This is undertaken to make recommendations on ways the placement of former military officers in private industry may be improved. For example, Zicarelli (2005) notes that HR positions are increasingly held by people without military experience or reference. As such, understanding and appreciate of military attributes can no longer be assumed. Additionally, many military leavers had to perservere in searching for civilian positions, often learning through turn-downs how to finally present their experience in a way understandable to the typical civilian HR manager (Shuit 2003; Investors Business Daily 2004). Methods employers or organisations have found successful in aiding military officers in transitioning into civilian employment will be analysed, with the purpose of developing broad recommendations for use in the private sector. These will include tactics employed by individual HR managers and company-wide programmes. For example, American companies such as Home Depot, Coors and General Motors have programmes specifically designed to recruit military leavers (ICFAI (2004; Zicarelli 2005). British employers with similar programmes, if any, will also be reviewed. It is anticipated that data in this section will included both information for the individual HR manager and concerning developing company-wide initiatives. Finally, the literature considered in this review will concentrate on those leaving the British military who seek and / or obtain employment in the UK. Supporting literature from countries with similar militaries and economies, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States will be additionally considered from a supportive standpoint. METHODOLOGY Data will be collected from two groups of people: former military officers who have successfully transitioned into civilian employment, and HR personnel in charge of hiring. Open-ended questions designed from issues arising through the review of relevant literature will be used. It is anticipated these open-ended questions will solicit a variety of responses, but will also allow documentation of actual perceptions and observations from interviewees, rather than reduce their experiences to a defined group of possible responses. It is anticipated that questions will be framed within the four stated objectives, however, this framework may be adapted if significant findings from the literature review warrant such change. The planned sample size is ten interviews for each group. While this is statistically too small a sample to make relevant statistical conclusions, the purpose of this research is to articulate transferable skills and raise awareness to the benefits in hiring military leavers, neither of which require the statistical justification of a large sample size. This is additionally a large enough group of interviews to allow broad generalisations about issues outlined in the project objectives to be examined without the possible skewing of one person’s atypical experience that might occur with a sample of only two or three interviews. In addition, ten is a workable number of interviews for the researcher to conduct within the project time guidelines. Companies in a variety of civilian pursuits will be examined, with additionally at least two small, two medium, and two large organisations present in the sample of HR managers. A list of companies currently hiring for management positions will be gathered from Internet and newspaper advertisements. These companies will then be drawn at random to establish an order for contact, with each contacted by letter and follow-up phone calls. Interviews of approximately one hour will be requested, with an overview of the questions to be asked provided with the letter. Contact of companies will continue until ten interviews are secured. Former military officers will be identified through two means. First, the researcher will seek recommendations from those in private industry as to successful former military officers. If ten persons willing to participate in interviews are not acquired through this method, HR managers interviewed as part of the first group of this research will be asked to provide names in their companies or others of potential interviewees. Both groups of interviewees will be promised and supplied with a copy of the final research project. Data will be analysed to develop a skills set that is clearly identified as relevant, the benefits and drawbacks of hiring military leavers, and ways to increase companies’ awareness of potential post-military hires. This will be done first by thorough examination of the transcripts of each interview, followed by statistical gathering of the number of times and importance each item considered was provided by the interviewees. Similarities present in items identified in the interviews will be described and supported with relevant quotes from interview transcripts. A summary of the most relevant answers to each question will be included in an appendix to the report. Obviously, it is not possible to consider all types of military leavers with their myriad of training and experience, or all the needs of private industry that such personnel could fulfil. Therefore, this study will concentrate on the basic management skills typically acquired by all military personnel achieving a rank of at least junior officer. It will examine how this basic management acumen translates into successful civilian employment. Also, since a large number of military personnel go into the defense industry and it already typically recruits military leavers, only companies and positions outside the defense sector will be considered. REQUIRED RESOURCES It is anticipated the most significant resources this project will require are time and people. Twenty interviews of approximately one hour each will be conducted, not to mention the time required to arrange such interviews and analyse results. Getting busy workers to provide an hour of their day for an interview that do not immediately benefit them may not be so easy. It is important to line up persons to interview that can make contributions to the areas considered in the research. The project requires little capital outlay beyond letters, copying of the final report and postage. A small tape-recorder may be used to better document interviews, in which case this would be an additional expense. In addition, it may be necessary to interview some people over their lunch times, in which case politeness would require the researcher to foot the dining bill. PROJECT PLAN The literature review will be completed within thirty days of the project approval, and interview questions developed. These questions will then be submitted to the supervisor for feedback and recommendations. Towards the end of this period, a list of companies and individuals that may be potential interviewees will be developed. Interviews should be arranged within two weeks, and completed within the next two to three weeks. After that, data will be analysed and a project report draft written, which will be forwarded to the project supervisor for comments. Finally, the final report will be generated. Tentative Project Plan: Week 1 Begin literature review research. Week 2 Continue literature review research. Week 3 Continue literature review research. Week 4 Write literature review, create interview questions. Week 5 Begin compiling interview list, interview questions to supervisor. Week 6 Finish compiling interview list, write and send out letters. Week 7 Follow-up letters with phone calls, arrange interviews. Week 8 Continue arranging interviews, begin conducting interviews. Week 9 Continue conducting interviews. Week 10 Finish conducting interviews. Week 11 Analyse data, begin writing project report. Week 12 Finish draft of project report, draft to supervisor. Week 13 Make changes to draft as recommended by supervisor. Week 14 Make changes / rewrite draft. This project plan will both ensure the project is completed in a timely manner and is flexible enough to allow for contingencies. REFERENCES Abrashoff, D.M. (2002) It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, New York: Warner Books. Alkhafaji, A. (2003) Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control in a Dynamic Environment, Oxford: Haworth Press. Anon (2002) â€Å"Military skills in a civilian workplace,† Questionline website, October 2002. Available at http://www.questonline.co.uk/ magazine_sections/leaders/military_skills_in_a_civilian_workplace, accessed 21 May 2005. Anon (2004) â€Å"Army is major contributor to UK plc,† Personnel Today, May 4, 2004, p. 4. Bass, B. (1997) Transformational Leadership: Industrial, Military and Educational Impact, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Bowers, F. (1996) â€Å"Generals trade their army boots for wingtips in trek to civilian jobs,† Christian Science Monitor, December 2, 1996, Vol. 89, Issue 5, p1. ICFAI (2004) â€Å"Home Depot’s Cultural Evolution,† Case Study, ICFAI Center for Management Research. Available at www.icmrinda.org, accessed 21 May 2005. Investors Business Daily (2004) Military and Political Leaders and Success: 55 Top Military and Political Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness, Higher Education. Joinson, C. (1997) â€Å"What HR can learn from military veterans,† HR Magazine, June 1997, Vol. 42, Issue 6, pp. 116-119. Shuit, D.P. (2003) â€Å"Combat ready and business prepared,† Workforce Management, November 2003, Vol. 82, Issue 12, pp. 24-25. Wightman, S., McAleer, E. (1995) â€Å"Management development: the neglected domain,† Journal of European industrial Training, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 3-10. Zicarelli, R. (2000) â€Å"The Military Advantage,† Veteran’s Business Journal, January / February 2005, pp. 20-26.

Joshua And The Children :: essays research papers

Joshua and the Children There were a lot of reasons Joseph Girzone titled his book "Joshua and the Children". I think the main reason for the title was because of Joshua’s purpose in the town. The author explains how Joshua is there to fulfill "his Father’s" promise. Joshua wants to teach all the children of the town to get along and be at peace with each other. Joshua says it is too late for the adults to learn the way, who have lived hateful lives. Joshua must turn to the children if he wishes to change the future. He believes that if he teaches the children to not hate, and to respect others, regardless of racial or ethnic differences, then the world will improve when they become adults. This new generation will then bring happiness to the world. Joshua knows that these children were victims of their parents’ wrongdoings. He knows that they were born into a society filled with hate. Hate for members of a different race. Hate without reasoning. He fee ls it is wrong what the adults are doing to the children. They are being brought up to believe that it is OK to mistreat somebody who is "different" from you. This is why Joshua felt he should teach the children, and not the adults. Once Joshua started to communicate with the children, and got to know them better the adults were amazed at how Joshua related to the children so well. He knew their names right from the second he met them, he played their games, and he even let himself lose at them too. Eventually the adults in the town began to realize that whoever this Joshua really was, he was a role model for each and every one of them. The Muslim boy was a very important character in this book. He and one his friends went down to the square where Joshua met with the children every day. His friend told Joshua that the boy was blind. Everybody in the square watched in disbelief as Joshua cured the boy’s blindness with the touch of his hand. The boy’s family were the weapons distributors. After seeing that Joshua was able to fix their boy, they too became good people and thus, making the town a better place. The final event in the story that showed peace was achieved was a soccer game with the Catholics playing against the Protestants.

An Investigatory Study on Controlling Tardiness Essay

One of the problem of the students is being tardy, which is the quality or habit of not adhering to the correct or usual time or being late in going to school or in passing projects. This has been the most common reason for the students getting low grades at the end of the school year. Tardiness is not only the student’s obstacle, but for also with the teachers, whose main purpose is to serve as their second parents and their responsibility to change the behavior of this students. This can also be the reason on which students are forced to be absent once they are late already because they are afraid to be acknowledged in front of the whole class of their incorrect manner which can cause some students to drop out because of the shame they are feeling. see more:tardiness in school research The morning class is often times the most crucial time of the school day, students who are late may miss their first subject or may lead to the distraction once they arrive, some are also said to have lower grades and higher stress. Tardiness also causes students to feel disconnected from the social life and may change their behavior, and later on, they may deal with smoking, drinking and joining gangs just to prove to themselves that they are not alone. When a student is tardy, they negatively impact their teachers and other students. Teachers are often required to allow tardy students to make up work, which often requires them to restructure their lessons or reteach missed materials. While for the other students, it also take away their attention away from the teacher’s lesson, leading to more behavior problems and missed instructions. Student’s tardiness doesn’t just affect the people around them, but also in our nation. They contribute to the growing number of tardy students which greatly affect the status of our educational nature and nation. There is also that side of being tardy that must be solved directly- bullying, either they are the ones to bully or the one being bullied. Due to this reason and peer pressure, they intend to break rules either they may get this manner when they witness their parent’s fight or the worse is having a broken family. Based on the location of the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, those who live in Lapu-Lapu City will have some problems because of the heavy traffic everyday due to the intersections, while on the side of Mandaue City, expect no traffic. In the front of the school, the road is not blocked by the cars dropping the students because there is enough space at the back of the campus for parking. Tardiness does not only focus on being late in coming to school but also in passing projects or assignments. This topic is not new anymore, even for the star sections in every school, they still encounter this kind of problem. There are many reasons for this problem, but the most common is having a hectic schedule which maybe because of many projects, hard projects or simply being lazy. The greatest impact of being tardy in a student is depression and loss of interest in coming to school. That is why they don’t mind anymore about being late on which they are kicked out. When they are already out of school, they will just sit there and wait for their parents to give them money for food, which is not right. Once tardiness becomes one of your personality, you will be used to it until you go to work. With this attitude, you will be having difficulty in finding jobs which may cause you to be a beggar in the street. The core composition of this research is determining the main reason for students being tardy in school and what we can do in order to lessen the number of this case. The researchers got this idea from everyday experience, especially after flag ceremony on which many students are late. This study was created in order to help tardy students stop this attitude so that they will not cause bigger problem to themselves, the nation, and to the near future. After this study, the investigator will be able to determine the main cause of this problem and know what behavior, manner or tips should be taken up by students to lessen the case of tardy students. The researcher would also be able to know the main effect of this problem and how to avoid this habit by organizing a survey and more research.

Finance and Short Term Debt

EncanaCost of Capital Before calculating the cost of capital I'll calculate cost of equity and cost of dept and capital structure for ENCANA: 1 Cost of Debt: ENCANA cost of debt included cost on short term debt , long term debt and publicity traded interest amount 1. 1 Short term Debt: Short term obligations (Ex. 1) = $ 1425 million Interest Rate (Ex. 1) = 3. 52% Total amount for short term debt interest = 1425 ? 3. 52% = 50. 16 million 1. 2 Long term Debt: Other long term liabilities (Ex. 1) = $1278 Interest rate (Prime rate charged) = 5. 25%Total amount for long term debt interest = 1278 ? 5. 25% = 67. 095 million 1. 3 Publicity traded: Publicity traded interest = total interest – (short term debt interest amount + long term debt interest amount) Publicity traded interest = 524 – ( 50. 16 + 67. 095) = 406. 75 million Interest rate on publicity traded = Publicity traded interest ? L. T debt on publicity traded Interest rate on publicity traded = 406. 75 ? 5351 = 7. 6% Cost on debt = Weight of long term debt ? Rate of interest on L. T debt + Weight of short term debt ? Rate of interest on S.T debt + Weight of publicity traded ? rate of interest on publicity traded = 1278/8054* ? 5. 25 + 1425/8054 ? 3. 52 + 5351/8054 ? 7. 60 = 0. 833 + 0. 622 + 5. 049 = 6. 5% *The amount $8054 is total amount of debt given in Exhibit 3 1. 4 Determining Tax rate: Tax rate for ENCANA can be determined as follow: Tax Rate= T= Net earnings before interest and tax ? tax expense T= 1260 ? 4089 = 30. 81% 1. 5 Cost of debt after tax: Cost of debt after tax = cost of debt before tax (1- Tax Rate) Cost of debt after tax = 6. 5% ( 1- 30. 81%) = 4. % ==; rate of debt (rd) 2 Cost of equity: There are following two ways to calculate ENCANA's cost of equity : 1. Using SML equation 2. Calculating cost of equity by dividend growth model 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using SML equation: rs = r* + MRP (b) r* = 4. 20 % (Govt. long Term Treasury Bills) rm = 13. 9% (S &P arithmetic average return) MRP = rm – r = 13. 9-4. 20 = 9. 7 Beta = 1. 27 rs = 4. 20 + 9. 7 *1. 27 rs = 16. 519 % 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using dividend growth model: rs = (D1/ Po – F) + gWhere: D1= next year dividend Po = current price of share in market F = Floatation Cost Growth from past data: Year | Dividend per share | Growth * | 2002 | 0. 2 | | 2003 | 0. 15 | -25% | 2004 | 0. 2 | 33. 3% | 2005 | 0. 28 | 40% | *Growth rate is calculated as: 0. 15/0. 2= 0. 75-1 = -0. 25? 100 =-25% 0. 2/0. 15= 1. 33-1= 0. 33 ? 100 = 33. 3% 0. 28/0. 2= 1. 4-1 =0. 4 ? 100 = 40% Average Growth= -25 + 33. 3 + 40 = 16. 1% rs = (Do (1+ g) / Po – F) + g rs = 0. 28 (1+0. 1611) / 56. 75 (1- 0. 05) + 0. 1611 rs = 0. 25108/53. 9125 +0. 1611 rs = 16. 713% Average rs = (16. 713+16. 519)/2 = 16. 616% WACC: The WACC equation  is the cost of each capital component  multiplied by its proportional weight and then summing:   WACC = rD  (1-  Tc  )*(  Dà ‚  /  V  )+  rE  *(  E  /  V  ) Where, Re = cost of equity Rd = cost of debt E = market value of the firm's equity D =  market value of the firm's debt V = Total Capital = E + D E/V = we = percentage of financing by equity D/V = wd= percentage of financing by debt T =  corporate tax rate By putting Values:Total Equity= E = no of shares * price of shares = 854. 9 * 56. 75 = $48515. 575 million Total Capital = Equity + Debt = 48515. 575+ 8054 = $56596. 575 Million WACC = wd * rd + we * re = 8054/56596. 575 * 4. 5 + 48515. 575/56596. 575 * 16. 616 = 0. 6404 + 14. 2436 = 14. 884% ENCANA should accept this project which will give a return of more than 14. 884%, because ENCANA has to pay their investors a return of 14. 884 and this will also generate profit which can be utilized as retained earnings and increase growth of its dividend.

Global Capitalism -- Critiques from Sociologists

Global Capitalism Critiques from Sociologists Global capitalism, the current epoch in the centuries-long history of the capitalist economy, is heralded by many as a free and open economic system that brings people from around the world together to foster innovations in production, for facilitating exchange of culture and knowledge, for bringing jobs to struggling economies worldwide, and for providing consumers with an ample supply of affordable goods. But while many may enjoy benefits of global capitalism, others around the world in fact, most do not. The research and theories of sociologists and intellectuals who focus on globalization, including William I. Robinson, Saskia Sassen, Mike Davis, and Vandana Shiva shed light on the ways this system harms many. Global Capitalism is Anti-Democratic Global capitalism is, to quote Robinson, â€Å"profoundly anti-democratic.† A tiny group of global elite decide the rules of the game  and control the vast majority of the world’s resources. In 2011, Swiss researchers found that just 147 of the world’s corporations and investment groups controlled 40 percent of corporate wealth, and just over 700 control nearly all of it (80 percent). This puts the vast majority of the world’s resources under the control of a tiny fraction of the world’s population. Because political power follows economic power, democracy in the context of global capitalism can be nothing but a dream. Using Global Capitalism as a Development Tool Does More Harm than Good Approaches to development that sync with the ideals and goals of global capitalism do far more harm than good. Many countries that were impoverished by colonization and imperialism are now impoverished by IMF and World Bank development schemes that force  them to adopt free trade policies in order to receive development loans. Rather than bolstering local and national economies, these policies pour money into the coffers of global corporations that operate in these nations under free trade agreements. And, by focusing development on urban sectors, hundreds of millions of people around the world have been pulled out of rural communities by the promise of jobs, only to find themselves un- or under-employed  and living in densely crowded and dangerous slums. In 2011, the United Nations Habitat Report estimated that 889 million people- or more than 10 percent of the world’ population- would live in slums by 2020. The Ideology of Global Capitalism Undermines the Public Good The neoliberal ideology that supports and justifies global capitalism undermines public welfare. Freed from regulations and most  tax obligations, corporations made wealthy in the era of global capitalism have effectively stolen social welfare, support systems, and public services and industries from people all over the world. The neoliberal ideology that goes hand in hand with this economic system places the burden of survival solely on an individual’s ability to earn money and consume. The concept of the common good is a thing of the past. The Privatization of Everything Only Helps the Wealthy Global capitalism has marched steadily across the planet, gobbling up all land and resources in its path. Thanks to the neoliberal ideology of privatization, and the global capitalist imperative for growth, it is increasingly difficult for people all over the world to access the resources necessary for a just and sustainable livelihood, like communal space, water, seed, and workable agricultural land. The Mass Consumerism Required by Global Capitalism is Unsustainable Global capitalism spreads consumerism as a way of life, which is fundamentally unsustainable. Because consumer goods mark progress and success under global capitalism, and because neoliberal ideology encourages us to survive and thrive as individuals rather than as communities, consumerism is our contemporary way of life. The  desire for consumer goods and the ​cosmopolitan way of life they signal is one of the key pull factors that draws hundreds of millions of rural peasants to urban centers in search of work. Already, the planet and its resources have been pushed beyond limits due to the treadmill of consumerism in Northern and Western nations. As consumerism spreads to more newly developed nations via global capitalism, the depletion of the earth’s resources, waste, environmental pollution, and the warming of the planet are increasing to catastrophic ends. Human and Environmental Abuses Characterize Global Supply Chains The globalized supply chains that bring all of this stuff to us are largely unregulated  and systemically rife with human and environmental abuses. Because global corporations act as large buyers rather than producers of goods, they do not directly hire most of the people who make their products. This arrangement frees them from any liability for the inhumane and dangerous work conditions where goods are made, and from responsibility for environmental pollution, disasters, and public health crises. While capital has been globalized, the  regulation of production  has  not. Much of what stands for regulation today is a sham, with private industries auditing and certifying themselves. Global Capitalism Fosters Precarious and Low-Wage Work The flexible nature of labor under  global capitalism  has put the vast majority of working people in very precarious positions. Part-time work, contract work, and insecure work are the norm, none of which bestow benefits or long-term job security upon people. This problem crosses all industries, from manufacturing of garments and consumer electronics, and even for  professors at U.S. colleges and universities, most of whom are hired on a short-term basis for low pay. Further, the globalization of the labor supply has created a race to the bottom in wages, as corporations search for the cheapest labor from country to country and workers are forced to accept unjustly low wages, or risk having no work at all. These conditions lead to poverty, food insecurity, unstable housing and homelessness, and troubling mental and physical health outcomes. Global Capitalism Fosters Extreme Wealth Inequality The hyper-accumulation of wealth experienced by corporations and a selection of elite individuals has caused a sharp rise in wealth inequality within nations and on the global scale. Poverty amidst plenty is now the norm. According to a  report released by Oxfam  in January 2014, half of the world’s wealth is owned by  just one percent  of the world’s population. At 110 trillion dollars, this wealth is 65 times as much as that owned by the bottom half of the world’s population. The fact that 7 out of 10 people now live in countries where economic inequality has increased over the last 30 years is proof that the system of global capitalism works for the few at the expense of the many. Even in the U.S., where politicians would have us believe that we have â€Å"recovered† from the economic recession, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of economic growth during the recovery, while  90 percent of us are now poorer. Global Capitalism Fosters Social Conflict Global capitalism  fosters social conflict, which will only persist and grow as the system expands. Because capitalism enriches the few at the expense of the many, it generates conflict over access to resources like food, water, land, jobs and others resources. It also generates political conflict over the conditions and relations of production that define the system, like worker strikes and protests, popular protests and upheavals, and protests against environmental destruction. Conflict generated by global capitalism can be sporadic, short-term, or prolonged, but regardless of duration, it is often dangerous and costly to human life. A recent and ongoing example of this surrounds the  mining of coltan in Africa for smartphones and tablets  and many other minerals used in consumer electronics. Global Capitalism Does the Most Harm to the Most Vulnerable Global capitalism hurts people of color, ethnic minorities, women, and children the most. The history of  racism  and gender discrimination within Western nations, coupled with the increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, effectively  bars women  and  people of color from accessing  the wealth generated by global capitalism. Around the world, ethnic, racial, and gender hierarchies influence or prohibit access to stable employment. Where capitalist based development occurs in former colonies, it often targets those regions because the labor of those who live there is â€Å"cheap† by virtue of a long history of racism, subordination of women, and political domination. These forces have led to what scholars term the â€Å"feminization of poverty,† which has disastrous outcomes for the world’s children, half of whom live in poverty.