Learning About C# for Beginners

Learning About C# for Beginners C# is a general purpose object-oriented programming language developed at Microsoft and released in 2002. It is similar to Java in its syntax. The purpose of C# is to precisely define a series of operations that a computer can perform to accomplish a task. Most C# operations involve manipulating numbers and text, but anything that the computer can physically do can be programmed in C#. Computers have no intelligence- they have to be told exactly what to do, and their actions are defined by the programming language you use. Once programmed, they can repeat the steps as many times as needed at high speed. Modern PCs are so fast they can count to a billion in seconds. What Can a C# Program Do? Typical programming tasks include  putting data into a database or pulling it out, displaying high-speed graphics in a game or video, controlling electronic devices attached to the PC and playing music or sound effects. You can even use it to write software to generate music or help you compose. Some developers believe that C# is too slow for games  because it is interpreted  rather than compiled. However the .NET Framework compiles the interpreted code the first time it runs. Is C# the Best Programming Language? C# is a highly ranked program language. Many computer languages are written for a specific purpose, but C# is a general purpose language with features to make programs more robust.   Unlike C and to a lesser extent Java, the screen handling in C# is excellent on both desktops and the web. In this role, C# overtook languages such as Visual Basic and Delphi. Which Computers Can Run C#? Any PC that can run the .NET Framework can run the C# programming language. Linux supports C# using the Mono C# compiler. How Do I Get Started With C#? You need a C# compiler. There are a number of commercial and free ones available. The professional version of Visual Studio can compile C# code. Mono is a free and open-source C# compiler. How Do I Begin Writing C# Applications? C# is written using a text editor. You write a computer program as a series of instructions (called statements) in a notation that looks a little like mathematical formulas. This is saved as a  text file and then compiled and linked to generate machine code which you then can run. Most applications you use on a computer were written and compiled like this, many of them in C#. Is There Plenty of C# Open Source Code? Not as much as in Java, C or C but it is starting to become popular. Unlike commercial applications, where the source code is owned by a business and never made available, open source code can be viewed and used by anyone. Its an excellent way to learn coding techniques. The Job Market for C# Programmers There are plenty of C# jobs out there, and C# has the backing of Microsoft, so is likely to be around for a while.   You could write your own games, but youd need to be artistic or need an artist friend because you also need music and sound effects. Perhaps youd prefer a career as a business software developer creating business applications or as a software engineer.

This Holiday Season, Thank a Trucker!ÂÂ

This Holiday Season, Thank a Trucker!   As you sit down to enjoy some much-deserved time off this holiday season, remember there are a few industries, like trucking, that never take a break. While you’re with your family and friends, there’s a whole fleet of long-haul drivers who won’t get the chance to be home for the holidays. Here are three things not to forget:Santa Didn’t Deliver Your Gifts- a Trucker DidIt’s easy to forget where our goods come from and how they get to us. But almost anything you’ve ever bought- food, clothes, toys, electronics- were probably trucked in to your local stores. We’d have very little if it weren’t for truckers.Truckers Can Be Highway AngelsTruckers know how to survive on the road, and they are often seen helping others reach their destinations safely. Whether that means helping to change a tire or pulling off a roadside rescue, truckers frequently put others’ safety first.Truckers  Make Our Lives EasierWe wouldn’t sur vive a minute driving long-hauls, showering in rest stops, and spending so little time at home with our families. It’s not a job for everyone. And while some do truly enjoy being on the road, it’s still a sacrifice they make to keep our economy flowing.This holiday season, be sure to raise a glass to all the men and women who spend their time driving our groceries and gifts around.3 Reasons to Thank a Trucker

Meno and Phaedo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meno and Phaedo - Essay Example The following will present three succinct (and related) arguments which defend the position concerning the immortality of the soul. The arguments in question, are as follows (1) ‘argument from opposites’ [69e-72e], (2) argument from recollection [73-78b], and finally, (3) ‘the argument from affinity’ [84c-88b]. The focus of this analysis will be on the above three sections, however, both a consideration of some of the objections will follow, and finally, the final or summary refutation provided by Plato’s mouthpiece (Socrates). The first position in question, is the argument from opposites. This is an argument which is based on an inference which is an extension of observation. What we perceive around us, is a process in nature where opposites turn into each other. In this section in question, Plato observes the following opposites which typify this process of â€Å"becoming† [72B], namely, the opposites of ‘small/larger’ [70E]â₠¬Ëœfaster/slower’, ‘waking/sleeping’[71D], and ‘hot/cold’[71B]. As mentioned, these are processes whereby opposites turn into one another. There are, however, some problems with this argument. First, the very notion of ‘opposite’ is problematic. ... in Celsius) between ‘hot’ and ‘cold’, but they are not opposites in the contradictory sense of ‘life’ and ‘death’. In other words, ‘life’ and ‘death’ are binary opposites in the sense that a person is either ‘alive’, or they are ‘dead’. A difference in the sense presented by Plato with respect to ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ or conversely, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ are not binary opposites – the admit of a middle ground, and moreover, they are united or related in some sense. They are related in the sense of being relative to another. While a tortoise is relatively slow when compared with a hare, a hare is slow when compared to the speed of light. Thus, is the ‘hare’ fast or slow? In normal logic, one cannot predicate real opposites of the same thing, this is the law of non-contradiction [Wagner 28] and this is actually that which brings into question some of what Plato is claiming concerning these opposites. This said, Plato is claiming that â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A]. Further, he infers that among â€Å"all† of these â€Å"things†, must also be the soul and the body. Thus, if everything turns into its opposite, then, the soul must turn into the body, and the body must turn into the soul. Phrased in terms of a syllogism, (1.) if it can be said â€Å"that to be dead is the opposite of being alive† [71D], and (2) â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A], then, (3) it can be inferred that the body and soul turn into each other. As has been noted, the form of this argument is an inference, and there are some problems, and second, his very notion of opposites includes ‘contraries’ and not just ‘contradictories’ – that is,

To Outline a Synthesis or Summary of two Quantitative Research Paper

To Outline a Synthesis or Summary of two Quantitative Articles about Nursing Rounds - Research Paper Example Meade, Amy L. Bursell and Lyn Ketelsen (2006) entitled â€Å"Effects of Nursing Rounds on Patients’ Call Light Use, Satisfaction and Safety† which found that hourly rounds by nursing personnel played a significant role in reducing patient falls as well as increasing their satisfaction while at the same time reducing the use of the call light. This study has been designed in a quasi- experimental like the previous study where hourly rounds are conducted by the nurses from two units namely 4S and 6S. 4S is a control unit where data was collected on an hourly round while 6S has been designed to maintain the current practice where there is no change implemented. Research has shown that falls among patients in the US are a problem given that 2.3 to 7 falls occur in U.S. hospitals every 1000 patient days and about 30-48% percent of these falls result in injury among both old and young patients. However, in this study, it has also been found that hourly nursing rounds can decr ease the rate of falls among the patients by 52 %. The study found that patients admitted in hospitals often require assistance with personal tasks such as the use of the toilet as well as during eating times where they will call for assistance using the call light. This study also found that the level of patient satisfaction is determined by his or her perception of the way a nurse conducts her duties. While the call light offers a lifeline to the patients in hospital, it has also been observed that it can be stressful on behalf of the practicing nurse. It often contributes to issues such as fatigue among the nurses and this negatively impacts on their patient care management which is often compounded by the existing shortage of staff. Therefore, hourly rounds have been found to be effective in this particular study which was carried over a twelve month period. At least, the study has been carried over a long period compared to the previous one. The sampling method employed by the study is non-probability sample on all subjects who are 18 years and over admitted to 4 South (Oncology/OBGYN) or 6 South (Orthopedic/Neurology) at Hospital during the period of the research. This method is ideal given that the results are likely to be reliable since it is inclusive of all subjects. This section also summarizes an article by Tucker, S.J. et al (2011) which is entitled "Outcomes and Challenges in Implementing Hourly Rounds to Reduce Falls in Orthopedic Units.† According to this article, patient falls remain a problem especially in acute care facilities as they have negative impacts such as injury to the affected people. Basically, patient fall can be described as unplanned descent to the floor (Curie, 2003). These range from 1.7 to 25 per 1,000 patient days with approximately 6–44% of these resulting in injury. Thus, patient safety through the reduction of falls is a very important phenomenon in the health care industry and can be derived from implementi ng structured nursing rounds interventions (SNRIs) according to this particular study. This study has been designed to establish the rate of patient fall during the three period intervals namely: baseline, during the 12-week SNRI implementation, and 1-year following implementation. According to this paper, evidence of effective interventions to prevent and reduce patient falls is mixed (Oliver et al. 2007; Currie 2008). However, in some studies like the work of Christine M. Meade, Amy L.

Great Expectations by a famous Charles Dickens Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations by a famous Charles Dickens Essay Great Expectations written by a famous man called Charles dickens. Great expectations is a famous and tense novel which was first published in the year 1860 to 1861 every fortnight in a magazine called all year round. The plot is based on a young boy called Pip, who in the first chapter meets and odd fellow in a gloomy, dark cemetery, pip walks on and soon finds himself turned upside down bye an ex-convict who threatens pip at the throat that he would cut out his heart and his liver if pip dose not do as he says. This dark gloomy fellow scares pip which makes you sympathize for pip. In chapter 8, pip is at a house with his mean sister and her kind and caring blacksmith husband Joe. As pip is a working class orphan he has no parents just is evil sister. Then a rich old, creepy women called Miss havishem asks pip to come round and to play, as he doesnt want to, his sister forced him. When he arrives he ends up in a room with no external light only candles and a dead like figure who demands him to play is Miss Havishem, she demands him to play with her beautiful older then pip daughter, Estella, whom pip falls in love with, you feel sorry for pip now because he cant get her because she is upper class and he is garbage to her. In chapter one, Dickens sets the scene by describing the marshes, saying it is an open dark place and thats were pip lives, so it make you sympathise for pip. When Magwitch comes, the mood changes to scary. When pip meets magwitch at the old gibbet, he says a gibbet with some chains hanging to it which had one held a pirate. The man was limping on towards him, as if he were the pirate come to life, he was using his imagination as if magwitch was the pirates ghost which has come to life, which gives the reader the effect of an old, white, dusty, see-through pirate has returned. When Dickens describes Miss Havisham room, he says it was a large room, well lighted with candles; no glimpse of daylight was to be seen. It seems pitch black but only candles laying around, pip sees everything is faded and old, her white wedding dress which she is still wearing, is white no more, but torn and ripped and grey. All clocks have stopped at the same time in this room. As if time has come to a stand still, except for the old wrinkles lady in the chair. Reading this makes you feel scared because if you were pip, then you would not want to stay in the room. In chapter 1 in the eerie settings of the marshes, we meet the sinister character called Magwitch. As he just pops out of the bushes and bellows hold yer noise or ill cut your throat, we get an image of a ruffled up man, a man with no hat but only rag on his head and broken shoes, and he is soaked in water and mud. When we see that he has a shackle on his leg we know he is an escaped convict. When he threatens pip to cut out his heart and liver and lies about having someone else who will get him when he is asleep in his cosy bed, then you see how much he wants the food and file. It is ironic that magwitch will be his benefactor after all his threats and bullying. When pip walks into Miss Havishem room and sees its all dark, we get a feeling of eerie. All the things the rooms are grey and aged, just like her, dickens writes:- Her shoes were white, a long white vale, I saw everything in my view which ought to be white. He repeats the word white, which gives an effect of how old everything is. He describes she is like a corpse I sometimes have sick fancies miss havishem says and then she says she wants pip to play and clicks her fingers at pip and makes pip fell uncomfortable, which is weird for an old lady to demand a young boy to play. Pip who is the main character of Great Expectations is an orphan that lives in a boggy environment which makes you feel sorry for pip. He then meets magwitch and even tho he scares pip, as dickens describes him as a bundle of shivers pip still remembers his manners and he has respect for elders even magwitch. Half way through dickens changes 1st, 3rd person which show how small he is in retrospective view. When pip enters the room with Miss Havishem in it, he feels scared but he is still polite towards her. When she I talking to pop he tries to avoid eye contact wit her when Miss Havishem asks if he is scared of a women who has not daylight since before he was born, he lies and says no. when she calls Estella in the room, pip immediately fall in love with her, but when she says no because he is a working class boy, he turn his back on Joe and hates him because he did teach him how to be a gentle man and cries then kicks the wall. In Great Expectations, Dickens writes in the first person about Pip life. Chapters one and eight are the two key chapters that are enough to hook the reader. Dickens includes strange characters, like Magwitch in the cemetery. The story is a journey of pips life from child hood to man hood and it shows all his emotions and fears through out. Dickens uses his imagination which appeals to the audience and his vocabulary to his advantage, writing out all pips emotions, making you feel as if you were Pip, which makes this a very good and famous story. All of the characters are different and each has their own dramatic events. Great expectation is a well known novel because it hooks you from the 1st chapter all the way to the end.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street Essay -- Stock Markets Investing Money

A Random Walk Down Wall Street There is a sense of complexity today that has led many to believe the individual investor has little chance of competing with professional brokers and investment firms. However, Malkiel states this is a major misconception as he explains in his book â€Å"A Random Walk Down Wall Street†. What does a random walk mean? The random walk means in terms of the stock market that, â€Å"short term changes in stock prices cannot be predicted†. So how does a rational investor determine which stocks to purchase to maximize returns? Chapter 1 begins by defining and determining the difference in investing and speculating. Investing defined by Malkiel is the method of â€Å"purchasing assets to gain profit in the form of reasonably predictable income or appreciation over the long term†. Speculating in a sense is predicting, but without sufficient data to support any kind of conclusion. What is investing? Investing in its simplest form is the expectation to receive greater valu e in the future than you have today by saving income rather than spending. For example a savings account will earn a particular interest rate as will a corporate bond. Investment returns therefore depend on the allocation of funds and future events. Traditionally there have been two approaches used by the investment community to determine asset valuation: â€Å"the firm-foundation theory† and the â€Å"castle in the air theory†. The firm foundation theory argues that each investment instrument has something called intrinsic value, which can be determined analyzing securities present conditions and future growth. The basis of this theory is to buy securities when they are temporarily undervalued and sell them when they are temporarily overvalued in comparison to there intrinsic value One of the main variables used in this theory is dividend income. A stocks intrinsic value is said to be â€Å"equal to the present value of all its future dividends†. This is done u sing a method called discounting. Another variable to consider is the growth rate of the dividends. The greater the growth rate the more valuable the stock. However it is difficult to determine how long growth rates will last. Other factors are risk and interest rates, which will be discussed later. Warren Buffet, the great investor of our time, used this technique in making his fortune. The second theory is known as the â€Å"castle in the ai... ... while using the beta approach as a guide. Returns may also rely on general market swings, changes in interest rates and inflation, to changes in national income and other economic factors. Chapter 11 closes our discussion with several insights into the efficient market theory. There have been many attempts to discredit the random walk theory, but none of the theories hold against empirical evidence. Any pattern that is noticed by investors will disappear as investors try to exploit it and the valuation methods of growth rate are far too difficult to predict. As we said before the random walk concludes that no patterns exist in the market, pricing is accurate and all information available is already incorporated into the stock price. Therefore the market is efficient. Even if errors do occur in short-run pricing, they will correct themselves in the long run. The random walk suggest that short-term prices cannot be predicted and to buy stocks for the long run. Malkiel concludes the best way to consistently be profitable is to buy and hold a broad based market index fund. As the market rises so will the investors returns since historically the market continues to rise as a whole.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

The dramatic irony of â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? † conveys the tone of warning about temptation. Connie’s situation is that she does not feel appreciated at home and uses her looks and actions to get attention and appreciation from boys even if it is short-term. She is self-conscious about her looks and is constantly worried about how other people perceive her. Friend’s fantasy is that Connie will willingly go with him and be his â€Å"lover† (605) even before he officially met her.The reality of the situation is that she does not want to go with this strange man, but is being forced into it because of her fear, which makes her weak and submissive. Connie is fifteen years old and obviously self-conscious because of the love that she never receives at home. Her whole life revolves around attention from boys since she does not feel loved at home. Her sister June appears to be the favorite in the family, as she receives all of the positiv e attention. Connie's mother doesn’t speak kindly to Connie or about Connie, and Connie doesn't think well of her mother either.Her father does whatever he can to please Connie but doesn’t seek for a good father-daughter relationship. They never talk about what is happening in their lives and act as if they are only acquaintances. Connie wants to appear older and wiser than she actually is and her head is always full of meaningless daydreams to help her cope. Her promiscuity leads to attraction from boys and older men where she becomes terrified and realizes that she is not as grown up as she thought.Connie comes face to face with the harshreality of being forced into adulthood at the age of fifteen because of the special attention of Arnold Friend. 2 Arnold Friend is a smooth talker and has a great influence on the actions of his victims. His word choice appeals to teenagers as does his clothing. He is a short and stocky guy who stuffs his boots to make him seem talle r and wears a leather jacket to look young and desirable to teenage girls. The fact that his feet do not touch the bottom of his boots alludes to the devil’s hoofs, significant in that he resembles the devil’s ability to deceive. Don’t hem in on me. Don’t hog. Don’t crush. Don’t bird dog. Don’t trail me† (608) are slang that he rattles off because he momentarily forgets what sayings are popular so he reconciles by making them up on his own. He has a moment when he breaks down in front of Connie and starts to lose his cool, calm, and collected personality showing his panic in possibly not being able to get his way. This shows that he is narrow-minded and does not settle for anything that he does not approve of.His main focus is on retrieving girls for rape and murder and always goes for the attention-seeking personalities to make it easier to reach this goal. Friend is living a fantasy, while Connie asserts the reality of the sit uation. When these worlds mix, it is obvious that Connie does not have control and Friend becomes dominant. Friend’s alternate world is made up of his desire to have â€Å"dates† and â€Å"lovers† (605) when in actuality, he forces women to show him affection by kidnapping them, raping them, and then killing them.Friend’s forceful words show how he is caught in this dream of what Connie is going to do with him and how perfectly it will all work out in the end when in all actuality, Connie has no intention of willingly going with him. He continuously harps on the fact that he is going to get his way because he insists that his dreams are true. Every time he talks about his fantasy, Connie has a bold statement declaring that she is willing to fight against his dream and 3 bring it back down to a reality as she tries to reason with him. Friend has the gift of persuasion where his greatest tools for manipulation are his words.He â€Å"promises† (607) t hat he will not harm Connie as long as she does not follow through with what he considers threatening. Connie separates her mind from her body because she suddenly loses control. She is used to being on top and empowered but Friend comes along and takes over. The dramatic irony, during the course of their conversation, implies that Connie was in control of the situation to begin with, but Friend managed to obtain ultimate control of the situation by having her succumb to his power. Modern culture promotes having fun and doing what feels good in the moment.Connie has poor communication with her family, shown by her rebellious behavior and lack of respect for her parents. She chooses to distance herself from her family which results in them not being there when she needs them the most. Parents are supposed to be protectors and leaders in their children’s lives and when these key aspects are not present, a window is opened for the victimization of youth. The consequences of such situations result in a predicament like Connie’s and becomes an immense concern for the effects that modern culture has on youth. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been:† The Media’s effect on youth In this 1966 short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, fifteen-year-old Connie is a self-absorbed teenager who spends her time fantasizing about romance and searching for attention from men. While out with a suitor, a strange man promises her, â€Å"I'm gonna get you, baby† (2). Connie doesn't think much of the incident until one day while alone at home; the man comes to â€Å"get† her. The assailant, Arnold Friend, is kind at first then progressively becomes aggressive and violent towards her.Though at first she enjoys Arnold’s attention, once his demands become sexual and violent, her confidence diminishes. While Connie attempts to evade Arnold’s commands, she becomes powerless against the man and eventually follows him to â€Å"go for a ride† (3). While â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been,† appears to simply be a tragic story about the abd uction and rape of a young girl, it is more importantly a statement of the time on the over-sexualization in the media.From the time period the story was written, the 1960’s, we know that society as a whole was exploding with counter-culture and rebellion. In response to the Vietnam War, for the first time in history, music rapidly became highly influential and that of a sexual nature. This first wave of over-sexualized media is what influenced Connie and millions of the time to exploit their sexuality. The youth of the time period are commonly thought of as being extremely responsive to the world around them.With music being more suggestive than in the past and young people being more expressive and experimental, Connie grew up in a drastically changing world complete with the need to be sexual and to really stand out in order to be noticed. Media became more widespread and important in the 60’s than it had ever been before. When the TV and radio weren’t focusi ng on the war efforts in Vietnam, they showed the youth’s protest, and push to â€Å"Make Love, Not War:† an iconic phrase that illustrates the push towards sexuality during that time.Connie, an adolescent of this explosive period, is a prime example of sexualization in the media having a detrimental effect on a person. It is her need to be desired that makes her appealing to Arnold Friend, and leads to her demise later in the story. Music is a major theme in the story: Connie constantly listens to music and associates music with pleasure in multiple instances. At one point, she even says she â€Å"listened to the music that made everything so good† (2). Upon Arnold’s arrival we see that he is listening to the same music as Connie, which serves as a way to connect them.Since music plays such a prevalent role in Connie’s life, we can conclude that music is the media that influences her to behave in a sexual manner. From the music that she listens to , Bobby King, we get the impression that she links her idea of romance (that derives from the music she listens to) to the confidence and maturity she pretends to have when it comes to boys. Music plays in every situation where she intends to be sexually desired; while out with boys, out with her friend searching for attention, while laying out in her backyard, and even at the beginning of her conversation with Arnold.Music and Connie’s sexuality are inextricable tied together–once Connie becomes frightened of Arnold and is no longer exploiting her sexuality, there is no further mention of music in the story. While it is understood that Arnold will most likely harm Connie, he also is whisking her away (or saving her) from a morally loose society–that very same society that made her the over-sexualized girl we see in the beginning of the story.Everything about Connie indicates that she has been socialized into how the media thinks a young girl should be–fr om her suggestive clothing to her desperate attempt to be sexually desirable to the male population. Despite what she leads on, Connie is actually sexually innocent. Her innocence is echoed by her child-like naivety of opening her front door to a complete stranger while alone, as well as the fear that consumes her while she could have been calling the police to prevent her murder.Arnold’s desire for the young Connie may be Oates’ way of portraying how perverse the media’s ploy to sexualize America’s youth is as well. The â€Å"Lolita Effect† is even a relatively recent concept. A â€Å"lolita† is a young girl who is viewed in a sexual manner, while the â€Å"lolita effect† is not only the corruption of a child by an adult, but exploiting an adult by a child that has been corrupted by society. Connie exploits her sexuality so well in the beginning of the story. It is her sexualization at such a young age that causes Arnold to find her attractive and is the real life tragedy that comes from the story.By the end of the story, as the title suggests, Connie undergoes a major change. She ties to be an adult, but when Arnold challenges her with sexual advances, we see the frightened child she is. Arnold is merely an agent to portray the evils that exist in the media. He illuminates the fact that our culture’s media gives young girls the unattainable idea that they must behave in a certain way in order to be attractive, and that a man finding them sexually attractive is of upmost importance even as a pre-teen.The sexualization of young girls causes adult men to be attracted to them, creating an even further over-sexualized society. A young girl’s sexuality is such a vital aspect of the maturation process: a process that is malfunctioning or happening far too soon because of the media. It is the evil in the media that causes Connie to fall victim to the media’s harmful portrayal of femininity. Media teaches us that being a typical young woman in today’s society is contingent on the amount of sexuality her appearance exudes.Connie so perfectly replicates how young girls in America that are being over-sexualized through music or television without even being aware of it. The tragic way that Connie is stripped of her childhood suggests that â€Å"where you are going,† is dependent on where you have been. In â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been? † Oates’ does a terrific job of hyperbolizing the affects of the media’s influence while pointing out the very unexaggerated truth that over-sexualization in the media is detrimental to all aspects of society.

Exchange of letters Essay

This book is about the exchange of letters between two ladies named Urbana and Felisa; and through these letters Fr. Modesto de Castro made known the desirable behavior that everyone-young and old, women and men-should observe in dealing with other people well. It is thought by many that the ideal conduct described in this book should be emulated by Filipinos and should not be cause for embarrasment even in these days. Filipinos do not need an Emily Post to teach them good manners because we already have Father de Castro who left behind golden rules which Filipinos ought to follow not only then but even now and in the time to come. In these times when our societies are dominated by new patterns of behavior and when even laws governing the home have changed and been swept away by the winds buffeting our shores brought about by Western values, now, more than at any other time, there is a need to return to the past periodically. This is not to strip ourselves bare of new ways which we have donned in entering into new relation- ships, but to see mirrored in the waters glimpses of a beautiful and glorious past. What we experienced is inscribed in the book of life thus: ‘Those who fail to look back at the past/will never arrive at their destination. â€Å") (Those of you who are mothers who have the duty to teach your chil- dren those great truths announced in the Sacred Scripture, you shouldstrive to fulfill these weighty responsibilities for which you have to account before God. ) (The knowledge that teaches a person how to deal with his/her neighbor comes from love of one’s neighbor; love of neighbor comes from love of God. Thus, one who loves God knows how to deal with his/her neighbor well, and anyone who does not know should strive to learn, because this knowledge springs from good action which God delights in. Those who know how to deal with their neighbor possess good man- ners, for they are careful that their action, behavior, and speech are within certain boundaries pleasing to God and to their fellowmen. Thus, this knowledge is a precious gem to a woman, honor to a gen- tleman, ornament to a young man, beauty and loveliness associated with good behavior that captures the heart. But if you neglect your responsibilities, allow them to grow lacking in guidance, stripped of good manners, and forced to account for them- selves before God, and when the time comes for them to live their lives, and you see only bad harvest, woe to you; you will be blamed because you have been neglectful parents. ) (The name ‘Urbana† connotes good manners. In her letters to her sis- ter Felisa, a young woman, a child, a married couple, a young man can learn some lessons to suit their various conditions. From Felisa a young woman can learn how to avoid dangers to her purity; and Felisa’s proper behavior can guide anyone who wants to preserve her goodness and modesty. ) (And if from the examples I proferred, you mothers would deign to pick up some lessons, internalize and observe them, and I witness how your children have profited from your labor to make the lessons bear fruit, can you guess what I will say? I will say that I have come across good fortune, for I am like the sower and the seeds I scattered fell on good soil. Before you say anything, reflect on it first, and follow St. Augustine’s advice, that any utterance must be measured, and weighed by the mind. Be careful, for an evil word once spoken can never be taken back again. When speaking, avoid gesticulating excessively, speak quietly so as not to shatter the listener’s eardrums; neither is it proper to speak too deliberately because a person who is too full of himself, apart from having little credibility, becomes a butt of joke and a source of irrita- tion to the listener. When the hand, the face or the clothes become dirty, clean up first before going to school. . . . When talking to another, avoid showing timidity, speak forthrightly, do not speak with too much sweetness or affectation, do not scratch, or scrub the hand nor wet the finger with saliva to scrub . . . . Do not give half-eaten or dirty food to another. ) (Even a strong body weakens, gets sick and even though still young, it ages prematurely and dies due to excessive drinking. The most san- guine color fades, and the face becomes pale, . The agility of youth, the excitement of middle life, the splendor of beauty wither away; all these wine makes a mockery of. ) (In time, after numerous dalliances, her honor is shattered, her fami- ly’s reputation is tarnished while the townsfolk tattle, but the most painful is the loss of the souls of these unfortunate women, and the many people who sinned because of these women’s bad examples. Who will God blame for these sins but the negligent parents? ) (First, the couple must be alike in class and character. Second, love must exist. Third, love must be in moderation. Fourth, they should trust each other. Fifth, the woman must not be much richer than the man. Sixth, the couple must be of the same age, or almost the same age. Seventh, the woman’s beauty must not be extraordinary. Eighth, both must be peace-loving and despise sinful merrymaking. Ninth, neither must be fond of incessant gambling. Tenth, they should neither be miserly nor prodigal. Eleventh, both should be industrious and despise laziness. Twelfth, both should avoid ostentatious display. Thirteenth, both should possess inner strength and endurance. ) Walking in a studied manner is not appropriate, nor is provocatively swaying the hips nor coyly glancing at a young man proper, because a woman will be faulted for breach of decorum. ) (When a young woman, through the way she walks, acts and uses her eyes, displays anything that runs counter to proper behavior, she in effect is inviting a man to treat her scornfully. ) (The world is a place of suffering, where pain comes from the parent, the spouse and child, and from other members of the family. If a woman’s threshold of suffering is low, marriage will offer no fulfillment. ) (If you, Felisa, can endure the pain, embrace the heavy cross invari- ably placed on the shoulders of a married woman, I say accept this weighty burden. if you strive . . . to follow the path of goodness and holiness that are a woman’s treasures, and which Solomon searched for and that the Holy Spirit praised, then 1 say to you, accept the sac- rament of matrimony. )

The Meanings of Myth and Related Words

The Meanings of Myth and Related Words The Meanings of â€Å"Myth† and Related Words The Meanings of â€Å"Myth† and Related Words By Mark Nichol Myth, originally a word of elevated and scholarly pretension, has passed into the vernacular to describe anything of dubious truth or validity, though it retains earlier senses. This post lists definitions of the word and others of which it is the root. The word derives from the Greek term mythos, which variously means â€Å"speech† or â€Å"story,† or even â€Å"thought.† In modern English usage, a myth is a story, often featuring heroes and deities or supernatural entities, that explains a belief, custom, phenomenon, or worldview; it is also a synonym for allegory or parable. By extension, a myth is a belief or tradition, often one integral to a society, or an invalid notion born of ignorance or bigotry, or simply a rumor or untrue story. (Myth, without the article, denotes a body of myths.) An urban myth, meanwhile, is an account of an unusual or inexplicable event that did not occur, or state that does not exist, that is widely assumed to be true. The primary adjectival form is mythical; it is also used in the sense of â€Å"imaginary,† but mythic is appropriate for referring to astonishing achievements. Mythology pertains to a set of myths, the study of myths, or an allegory, or to an assumption or belief. A mythologist (or, sometimes, mythologer) is someone who studies myths. Mythos is a synonym for both myth and mythology and denotes a symbolic set of cultural attitudes as well. Mythogenesis is the development of myths or the tendency to ascribe mythical status to something. Mythopoeia, too, refers to the creation of myth. To mythicize is to turn something into, or treat something as, a myth; mythologize also has the latter meaning. Conversely, to demythologize is to analyze the meaning of myths or to unromanticize them. (A countermyth, meanwhile, is a myth that challenges or contradicts another myth.) A mythmaker is someone who creates myths, generally in the casual sense of beliefs or traditions or of reputations about a person, place, or thing. A mythomaniac (or, sometimes, mythomane), meanwhile, is a pathological liar or exaggerator; the condition is called mythomania. An etymologically related word is stichomythia (â€Å"verse speech†), denoting argumentative repartee, especially as a dramatic device in the performing arts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"50 Types of PropagandaPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

Why Burning Money Is Illegal in the United States

Why Burning Money Is Illegal in the United States If you have money to burn, congratulations- but youd better not actually set fire to a pile of cash. Burning money is illegal in the United States and is  punishable by up to 10 years in prison, not to mention fines. (More fun facts: Its also illegal to tear a dollar bill and even flatten a penny  under the weight of a locomotive on the railroad tracks.) The laws making defacing and debasing currency a crime have their roots in the federal governments use of precious metals to mint coins. Criminals were known to file down or cut off portions of those coins and keep the slivers for themselves while spending the altered currency. The odds of being prosecuted under the federal laws that making burning money or defacing coins, however, are fairly slim. First, coins now contain very little precious metals. Second, defacing printed currency in an act of protest is often compared to burning the American flag. That is to say, burning money may be considered protected speech under the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment. What the Law Says About Burning Money The section of federal law that makes tearing up or burning money a crime is  Title 18, Section 333, which was passed in 1948 and reads: Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. What the Law Says About Mutilating Coins The section of federal law that makes mutilating coins a crime is Title 18, Section 331, which reads: Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. A separate section of Title 18 makes it illegal to debase coins minted by the U.S. government, meaning to shave some of the metal off and make the money less valuable. That crime is punishable by fines and up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutions Are Rare for Mutilating Currency Its pretty rare for someone to be arrested and charged with defiling or debased U.S. currency. Even those penny press machines found at arcades and some seashore attractions are in compliance with the law because theyre used to create souvenirs and not to debase or shave metal off the coin for profit or fraud. Perhaps the highest profile case of currency mutilation dates to 1963. An 18-year-old U.S. Marine named Ronald Lee Foster was convicted of whittling away the edges of pennies and spending the 1 cent coins as dimes in vending machines. Foster had been sentenced to a year of probation and $20, but more seriously the conviction prevented him from being able to get a gun license. Foster made national news in 2010 when President Barack Obama pardoned him.

Analyzing and Recommending Best Buy in Crisis Case Study

Analyzing and Recommending Best Buy in Crisis - Case Study Example Again, consumers will acquire the information only with a well-designed marketing strategy. If innovation of the products goes together with improved marketing plan then no doubt the company will gain high reputation and loyalty from consumers. In addition, apart from retaining its current customers it will have the potential of attracting new customers which will finally enable the company to benefit from large economies of scale. For example, the consumer centricity plan drove the sales higher even without any other change in the products or operations of the company (Wells and Danskin 3). This therefore provides a proof to the benefits of a good marketing strategy. With the highly innovated products, Best Buy international division failed to produce good results, which lead to a failure (Wells and Danskin 7). This necessitates the need of improving the means of monitoring the behavior of international markets to come up with the best method of marketing most appropriate in each region. The same products that perform well at the home country should also be able to perform in another country; the only difference is the communication language that best suits each region that the organization has to know. To be able to come up with the best marketing strategies most appropriate in the modern world of consumer electronics, Best Buy has to understand the marketing challenges it faces. From the challenges, it is easier to identify the opportunities and take advantage out of them. The company faces the following challenges, The product promotional design features should directly reflect to the consumers. There is need to communicate the exact information about the product. Consumers always make purchasing decisions based on the information they have. This calls for the need to pass all the important details about the

Wal-Mart Business Strategy Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Wal-Mart Business Strategy Analysis - Essay Example Wal-Mart draws its competitive edge in the market owning to its efficient supply chain management. The company has effectively used innovations and technology to generate efficiency in supply chain management that has helped it to fuel its highly acclaimed EDLP (Every Day Low Price) strategy. Behind this successful strategy lies technological innovations like cross docking and use of Enterprise Resource Planning to integrate various business units and generate cost effectiveness. The use of real time information system to forecast demand has helped Wal-Mart to ensure that demand forecasting is done on the basis of real time data. Wal-Mart has also integrated its suppliers with the system and also used the famous cross docking system to ensure reduced inventory carrying costs. The supply chain management of the company has helped ensure that there are no overstocking or stock outs. This has reduced the inventory carrying costs by a huge margin. The cost benefits gathered from the inve ntory management of the company has been used to fuel the company’s Every Day Low Price strategy (Bergdahl, 2008, p.20). However in recent times there have been numerous issues with regards to the company’s cost reduction strategy with reports that Wal-Mart sources low quality goods from third world countries so as to have goods with low price. In order to counter the latest bashings regarding the company, Wal-Mart initiated a slew of measures that ranged from measures to improve the social image of the organization.... This has reduced the inventory carrying costs by a huge margin. The cost benefits gathered from the inventory management of the company has been used to fuel the company’s Every Day Low Price strategy (Bergdahl, 2008, p.20). However in recent times there have been numerous issues with regards to the company’s cost reduction strategy with reports that Wal-Mart sources low quality goods from third world countries so as to have goods with low price. In order to counter the latest bashings regarding the company, Wal-Mart initiated a slew of measures that ranged from measures to improve the social image of the organization as well as promoting employee friendly policies that would have helped it to position its image as a socially responsible and employee friendly organization. In response to the bashings in various quarters, Wal-Mart increased the employee insurance cover for the employees and included both permanent as well as contractual staff. It also revamped its reward and incentive policies in order to project the company as an employee friendly organization caring towards the needs of the employees. Wal-Mart also initiated some community development programs such as eliminating wastage and use of recyclable products in order to showcase its environmental sustainability; it also planned means to reduce energy consumption. For the customers, the company initiated a new design for its stores and also came up with attractive offers and new discounts in order to project a customer friendly image of the company. Strict quality control standards were implemented for suppliers including use of eco friendly ways in their business processes. In addition to this Wal-Mart also took up measures in which it would work closely with their suppliers in order to